A Cloaked Heart

by morbiusgreen

Rating: mature
Tags: Romance, Adventure, Sex, Profanity, Violence, Princess Celestia, Death, Zecora, Alternate Universe, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 872153

Jethro Bethridge finds himself in Equestria, however with his house intact and everything inexplicably working. Granted powers by an ancient alicorn, how will he reshape the world and its history?

Jethro Bethridge. 30 years old. Bank manager. Loner, but not overly unfriendly. While browsing Netflix one Saturday evening, he finds MLP:FiM. Curious about it, since some of his coworkers are bronies, he watches the first two episodes. Intrigued, he decides to watch more the next day.

When he finally realizes that he's in Equestria, an entire day has passed. After meeting an ancient Alicorn named Athena, he begins utilizing the unique abilities given to him. How will he interact with this world when there is no purpose for him, as he was brought to the world by complete accident?

Link to the side stories.

Sex and Violence tag for future scenes pertaining to both.

Please note that any chapter with * at the end contains clop within it.

Also please note that the Anthro tag doesn't mean that this Equestria has normal Anthro ponies. There is a good reason, though.

EDIT: Well, I wasn't expecting to be featured today (4/9/2022), but hey! Glad to be featured! Thank you!

EDIT 2: 4/14 Featured again?! :pinkiegasp:

EDIT 3: 4/19 Once more featured? Whaaaa??

EDIT 4: 4/24 Featured again?!?! :pinkiegasp: again!

EDIT 5: 4/25 Featured again?!?! Waaaah??? Yeah, never expected it to happen this many times. I'm not exactly the best author. Still grateful!

Published 2022-03-09 04:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2025-02-08 18:15:42 UTC

2: A Cloaked Heart Awakens

“What? The? Fuck?”

It was too dark to see at the moment, so I pulled out my phone and turned on the light. It wasn’t too powerful, but it illuminated just enough for me to see my driveway. I walked out farther, until I reached the end of my driveway. The pavement gave way to grass and dirt. I tried using my phone’s light to illuminate anything ahead of me, but the light seemed to be swallowed by some sort of unnatural darkness.

I rushed back inside and grabbed the most powerful flashlight I had. Rushing back out I turned it on and shone it around. Shining it to the left, I saw what looked like an ancient stone pathway half buried in moss and twigs from the surrounding forest. From my right I saw a small beacon of light. Frowning, I turned.

And gaped in astonishment.

I was facing a large palace, overgrown with trees and moss and vines of every kind. The light I saw was a larger than normal moon. But the strange thing about it was that there was an unusual pattern on it. It resembled the head of a unicorn. I blinked, but it remained. I stared at it, confused. However, it suddenly vanished with a twinkling of dark purple light.

And then it hit me. I smacked my forehead. “I’m an idiot! I’m still dreaming!” I chuckled and closed my eyes, willing myself to fly. However, when I opened my eyes, I was still standing in the road. Panicking, I tried again, to no avail.

The night seemed to grow darker around me. Whether it was due to my oncoming panic attack or something else, I didn’t really know. I felt my breakfast start to come up. Falling onto my hands and knees, my breakfast came up.

It took me a while, but eventually I was done gagging and dry heaving. I tasted bile and my eyes were watering as I shakily stood. I wiped my eyes with my jacket as I stumbled back towards the garage.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting on my couch, staring blankly up at the ceiling. It was still dark, and I wasn’t actually seeing anything. Despite having the cathartic release of vomiting to help me calm down even a little bit, I could still hear my heart beating in my ears loudly and fast. I was breathing heavily, trying to keep from throwing up again.

“There’s no way…there’s absolutely no way this is actually happening!” I said to myself. In fact, I was probably shouting, but I couldn’t exactly hear myself due to the shock. “No, this is some kind of dream! A dream I can’t control!” I sat up, my heartrate decreasing. “Yeah, that’s all. If I pinch myself really hard, I’ll wake up!” Pulling up my sleeve, I reached down and pinched as hard as humanly possible. Wincing, I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I was right back where I was, sitting in the darkened living room.

In my research into dreams, I’d discovered that dream pain was different than real life pain. I knew, of course, that if I pinched myself in a dream, I woke up every time. It never failed. The glow from the window in the kitchen told me I wasn’t dreaming. Either that, or the pinching experiment failed. I tried it a couple times, each ending in failure.

Suddenly I felt anger welling up inside me. “What the hell is going on here!? How the ever-loving FUCK did I get here!?” This time I could hear myself screaming. I wanted to hit something, anything. I wanted to scream at the sky and punish whoever or whatever brought me here.

Somehow, common sense prevailed and I didn’t hit anything. Nothing except the floor over and over again. I felt the sting of bitter angry tears forming around my eyes. Looking up at the clock, I saw it was nearly five. “No, no no no! Someone please take me back home…you can have all the money in my bank account. You can take all my games…my money…anything…Just please…I…I can’t stay here…”

The anger vanished, and I simply lay on the floor, a continuous stream of tears falling down my face. I couldn’t help it, wave after wave of despair flowed over me, and the more it did, the more the sudden anger drained from me. Much like the vomiting earlier, it was strangely cathartic.

After a while, I slowly sat up. The living room was still dark, but when I looked at the Blu-Ray player clock, it read as just being past noon. I frowned. “Did I fall asleep?” I looked outside the window, but it was still dark. “Did it really take them this long to pass through the forest?” I wondered aloud. I stood fully; my work suit crumpled now. Another fit of anger came over me and I began pulling off all my clothes until I was in nothing but my boxers and white t-shirt I normally wore to bed. “Won’t be needing those, will I?” I growled. I made my way back to bed, throwing the covers over me. The weighted blanket helped me relax and calm down again. Perhaps…perhaps some more sleep’ll help me calm down a bit more…

Figuring there wasn’t anything much else to do, I closed my eyes…but sleep didn’t come. I wasn’t really surprised, of course. My mind just wasn’t really in it at the moment. That’s not to say I didn’t try my damndest to fall asleep. I counted sheep, I tensed up my body in increments, hell, I even did a few sit ups and pushups which had normally helped in the past during sleepless nights, but nothing helped tonight.

Looking over at the clock, I was astonished to see it was nearly three in the afternoon. Outside, the sky was still dark, the moon in the exact same place it had been before. Now that my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I could see some more of the moonlit landscape. And a particular structure spanning a large canyon. “What the…”

If I didn’t feel completely awake now, I certainly did at this point. I threw on a pair of sweatpants, a hoodie, a facemask and a long black hooded overcoat. If I’m seen, I reasoned, at least I can hide my face.

Throwing on some sturdy shoes that I normally kept by my front door, I threw my hood over my head and rushed out into the still cool night air. I left my property line again and turned right, heading towards the canyon that separated me from the ruins of the castle I’d seen earlier, first in my dreams and now in real life. But that wasn’t the target of my investigation.

“Oh…my…God…” was all I could say when I saw the stone bridge spanning the chasm between me and the ruins. It was the same one I’d created in the dream I had. I shone my flashlight around, taking in the construction before me. The stone bridge, just as in my dream, looked to be newly constructed.

Curiously, I stepped on the edge. When nothing happened, I stepped off and looked around. Finding a large rock nearby, I picked it up and threw it towards the bridge. All I heard was stone impacting stone as the rock bounced a few times before stopping halfway down the new bridge.

“Welp, here goes nothing,” I said, gingerly stepping on the bridge again. Feeling it stand firm, I walked tentatively across it. It took me about five or so minutes to cross, but when I did, the bridge was still in place. I didn’t even hear anything falling into the canyon below. Feeling emboldened now, I strode at a faster pace across the bridge. When there was still no effect, I walked to the center of the bridge and began jumping on it slightly. I was impressed when nothing happened. “Since when did I become a master craftsman?” I wondered aloud as I walked back to my house.

Sitting down on the plastic chair on the walkway up to my front door, I leaned back and looked up at the stars. Unlike back home, the stars in the night sky here shone with a brilliance that rivaled even the heavens from rural areas back on Earth. But, to my shock, they looked identical to the ones from back home. I could even identify certain constellations. The moon, larger than Earth’s own, shone its brilliance on the scene before me now that my eyes were fully adjusted.

“It’s a real shame there, isn’t it Luna,” I muttered aloud to no one in particular. “The night is my favorite part of any full day. The stars go on forever and ever where I’m from…” In the back of my head, I wondered why I was actually saying these things, but I kept on going. “I get that you were jealous of your sister, but honestly there was no need to be. I’m sure there were pe…well, ponies, I suppose…who enjoyed the night. Especially the moon. It’s extremely romantic…” I trailed off, remembering her again. I swallowed the thought, not wanting to bring back painful memories. “Honestly, princess or not, I wish I was able to hug you and reassure you…”

“…it is!” I heard a distinct female voice shout out from my left. I stopped talking and went prone. “The ruin that holds the Elements of Harmony.” I saw a few familiar ponies walking out of the forest to my left. “We made it!”

As soon as Twilight rushed out towards the stone bridge, Applejack shouted after her, “Twilight, wait for us!” The other five rushed after her.

“We’re almost there!” Twilight grinned, reaching the new stone bridge. And just like that, the world changed. She didn’t even fall this time, merely galloped across the bridge as if it was nothing. They vanished into the newly risen fog on the other side.

“Should I head over there?” I wondered aloud. After a while, I stood and brushed myself off. “No, I really think I shouldn’t. I’ve changed enough as it is, apparently.”

I turned and walked back inside, closing and locking the front door. Removing my coat, I threw it on the couch, collapsing on top of it. The house itself was quiet and dark, save for the lights from the Blu-Ray player.

Reaching over to the small endtable next to the couch, I grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. Opening up Netflix, I paused, a sudden realization growing in me. “God, I’m an idiot!” I said as the Netflix loading screen remained there. I was about to turn it off when the menu loaded up again. “What…? But how?!” I paused, my mind going blank as more realizations came to me. “Electricity…the water…God, I am such a moron!”

I reached over and turned on the light next to me. It came on just as it normally would. Pulling out my phone, I opened the weather app and refreshed it. “Clear skies…with a twenty percent chance of eternal night…what the…?” it was then that I really noticed the location on the app. “Location: Ponyville?”

Groaning, I closed my eyes and leaned back against the couch. “This is just…too much…”

Utter exhaustion overcame me at that moment, and I passed out.

I opened my eyes slowly, only to find myself lying flat on my back in the middle of my living room. I slowly sat up and stretched, looking around. The room looked in order, save for a figure slumped over on the couch. I rushed over, and on closer inspection, saw it was a sleeping me. I tapped the sleeping figure cheek, only to feel someone tapping mine at the exact same spot. I tapped the figure’s forehead, and felt the same touch on my own. “So…not quite a dream.”

“It would seem you finally realize what has happened here,” a silky-smooth feminine voice said from directly next to me.

I jumped out of my spot, whirling onto the source of the voice. Sitting calmly on my couch was a winged unicorn, but to my surprise it wasn’t Princess Celestia or Luna. Instead, the being I saw before me had a sky-blue coat with a curly yellow mane and tail. She looked like she was wearing Greek robes and had a circlet of gold-encrusted leaves around her head. The expression on her face turned from serene to faintly amused as she began to giggle. “Oh my. You should see the look on your face. Quite the amusing one indeed.”

I stared at her with as hard an expression as I could muster. Frustratingly, this only elicited further giggles from the Greek looking pony. “Ahaha! AHAHA! Ooooh…Ooooh…Jethro Bethridge, you’re quite amusing when you try and appear menacing.”

Sighing, I dropped the glare and looked more closely at her. She was taller than I was by about a foot. Her eyes were a silvery blue and full of mirth. “Alright, you caught me, I’m not exactly the most threatening human in the world, big whoop,” I sighed, throwing my hands in the air.

The winged unicorn rolled over and landed on the floor. Standing on all fours, she smiled up at me. “Oh, but you…you…AHAHA!” She burst out laughing again, tears of amusement streaming down her face. Wiping her eyes with one of her front hooves, she looked up at me with the kindest smile I’d seen in a long time. “I apologize, but even for somepony like me, I find your attempt at threatening me amusing.”

I raised an eyebrow immediately at that. Given my unfamiliarity with the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic franchise, I knew next to nothing about the characters that might have appeared in later episodes, so I merely assumed she was one who’d show up later. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Her smile became one of amusement now. “Please, sit. I imagine you have much more to ask me than just that.”

Irked at having been told to sit in my own home, I nevertheless did as she said and sat next to my sleeping physical form. She walked over in front of me and, to my surprise, sat on her haunches on the floor in front of me. She cleared her throat. “To begin, I’m known by many names. Here, I am known as Obsidian Star. On Earth, though, I was known as Athena.”

“The Greek goddess of wisdom?” I asked curiously.

“And handicrafts and personal reason. And war,” she added, although her face appeared to fall at that. Perhaps she wasn’t particularly proud of that last title. “But yes, I’m the very same.”

I shook my head. After the day I’d already had, I wasn’t entirely sure I could believe her. “Impossible. They’re just a myth. A story invented by early humans to explain the natural world around them.”

She frowned, but slowly nodded. “Not exactly. While it’s true we of the pantheon were powerful, we were by no means deities. No, we were banished Equestrian alicorns.”

“Alicorns?” I tilted my head curiously.

She nodded. “An alicorn is what I am, and what Princesses Celestia and Luna are.” She extended her wings briefly, then pointed at her horn with one wing before putting her wings away. “We passed through to another world, yours,” she continued. “The legends and stories of the Greek gods came from us. More specifically, Zeus.”

She inhaled deeply, then sighed. “We did indeed rule over the Greek humans for a number of years. We found a way to feed our magic through the magic of worship instead of friendship. We weren’t as powerful as we had been back in Equestria, but we were amongst magicless humans. What could they do to stop us?”

Her ears fell as she lowered her head. “I admit, I thought that way at one time too, but I started spending time with humans. I admit, while your species is more chaotic and brutal than us ponies, you had the same wants and desires as us. So…I began appreciating your kind more and more. I defended you to the others of my kind more and more. Until…that day. The day where I broke the most important rule among our kind.”

I listened closely. I wasn’t entirely sure why she was being so upfront with me, but I knew better than to interrupt her story. She took my silence as acknowledgment to go on. “I…I killed them all.”

My jaw went agape, and I couldn’t help but speak up now. “Why…?”

She looked aside, clearly ashamed of her actions. “There…there is a reason why we were banished to your world. Our minds had been tainted by an ancient chaotic being from this world.” She sighed. “We caused so much chaos that we were banished to Earth. Even then, our thirst for chaos defined us. I would have followed the same path had my curiosity about your kind not grown to such a place where I interacted with your kind in disguise. The chaotic thoughts in my head slowly vanished over time. But…not for…”

“The others,” I finished, frowning.

Athena nodded. “Correct. They reached the point of utter madness. They were going to try and create an empire on Earth and subject the human race to their whims. I couldn’t allow that, so…” she trailed off.

“I think I get the picture,” I said, swallowing.

“Every single one of them…” A tear fell onto the carpet in front of me. “All dead by my hand.”

I didn’t know what to do. Here was a goddess in my living room, sharing her innermost turmoil to me, and I had no idea how to react. Part of me wished I could comfort her somehow, because her crying reminded me of…her. Her last words to me before…before she left. But on the other hand, I barely knew her, so being so forward seemed wrong to me. She raised her hoof and wiped her eyes. “I’m…I’m sorry. But when you possess all the magic of those you killed, it tends to get to you. That, and I have been alone for generations due to my appearance.”

“Yes…about that…” I began, but stopped. “No, never mind…it’s not my business.”

She smiled forlornly at me. “Don’t apologize, I don’t mind explaining.” Her smile vanished slowly as she continued. “After I’d…stopped…my former companions, I discovered that I’d taken all of the magic from them. It’s one reason why this is the way it is.” She turned and lifted her dress, revealing one of her flanks. I nearly looked away, but a tattoo I saw startled me. It had the appearance of a black hole. She lowered her dress after a few seconds and faced me. “My cutie mark changed to that.”

I frowned in confusion. I remembered someone in the show had mentioned a cutie mark, but had forgotten what it meant. She must have sensed my confusion, because she chuckled softly. “I forget, you haven’t been exposed to this world long. A cutie mark appears on the flank of every pony when they discover their purpose in life. Mine used to be different, but when I…committed that one act, it changed to what you just saw.”

I nodded. “I see, I think.” The more I learned about this world, the more I realized how alien it was to my own human sensibilities.

“After that, I searched for a way home. I was lonely. I wandered your world for thousands of years. Until a few days ago.”

My eyes widened. “When I was brought here,” I said.

She nodded. “Yes. I felt the magic of Equestria reaching out. I followed it and saw it envelop you. I didn’t even stop to think, and followed you through, while at the same time using the magic I had left to force your entire property through the vortex. As for how you have all your modern amenities, I’m afraid that would take more time to explain than I have. Please forgive me.” She sighed and looked down.

“So…um…” I started, but paused. The burning questions in my mind begged for release, but after the display of emotion from this being known as Athena, I felt it wasn’t right to ask at the present time.

Athena smiled, some mirth returning to her eyes. “I know…and I apologize, but I haven’t spoken to another living soul in many thousands of years, and I suppose my emotions got the best of me.” Standing, she moved and sat on the couch next to me, a bit too close for my comfort, but it was an abnormal situation anyway, and I was more distracted by the events of the day anyway. She sat in a somewhat human manner, too. “As I said, I’m not the one who brought you here, but I am the one who brought your house along with you, allowed for all the amenities, and gave you Midnight Breeze’s abilities.”

“Midnight Breeze?” I asked curiously.

“On Earth, he was known as Morpheus, Greek god of sleep and dreams,” she explained. “You’ve already somewhat seen the effects firsthand, haven’t you?”

“The bridge and the camouflage…”

“Exactly.” She nodded. “Whenever you dream, like you are now, your astral form temporarily leaves your body and you gain the powers of a god. But you only have a limited portion of power that you can use per dream.”

“Limited?” I asked.

“If this was a game, think of it as a certain amount of MP you have with you during each dream,” she explained. “It’s still a great deal of power, but depending on how much you use, that limited pot of magic drains and doesn’t refill unless you woke up and went back to sleep.”

I thought back on all that I’d done during my two latest dreams. I didn’t really feel like anything was being drained from me, and I wasn’t sure why this pony goddess would lie to me. Then again, I began to realize there wasn’t really a reason for me to trust her completely. Which began to beg the question: Why should I believe what she’s saying? She could easily be an enemy for all I know.

“…ridge…? Mr. Bethridge? Are you well?”

Athena’s words woke me from my stupor. “Huh? I’m sorry, I spaced out, and-”

“You were thinking about if you could trust me, weren’t you?” Athena’s tone was somber. “I don’t blame you. And I won’t tell you otherwise. I will do my best to earn your trust, which is one reason why I am maintaining some of your connections to your old life as well as giving you a certain magical power. Is there more you wish to ask me?”

I rubbed my chin and considered. “Well…you’re right, I shouldn’t fully trust you. We did just meet, after all. I don’t know how friendship works in this world, but from what little I’ve seen, it’s made too easily.”

“I understand that,” she replied, but before she could explain further, I felt the ground start to rumble beneath me.

Quickly rushing to the window, I saw a bright white light emanating from the ruined castle. It bathed the landscape around it with its glow. When the light touched me, a sensation I hadn’t felt in ages washed itself over me. Yelping in terror, I closed the blinds, closing off the feelings the light had bestowed upon me. In an instant, Athena was by my side, her hoof on my shoulder and a tender look in her eyes. “You felt it, didn’t you?” she asked.

“I…I don’t know what I felt,” I lied. I wasn’t sure why, but I just didn’t want to tell her.

She smiled. “It’s not polite to lie, you know,” she said with an amused admonishing tone, “but I am the goddess of wisdom for a reason.” She began to glow just then, her body hovering slowly and becoming more transparent. “I’m afraid I must leave, but just as the young Twilight Sparkle has done, if you need to reach out to me in any way, write a letter and then set it ablaze. I will receive it wherever I am.”

“What about all the questions?” I asked, watching in awe as she turned more and more invisible.

“I will answer them in time, of that you can be reassured,” the distant echoing voice of the goddess replied. “For now, farewell, and try and regain what was lost.”

“What do you mean?” I called out, but I was alone once again. The only light now was from my lamp, but that didn’t last for long either. Sunlight immediately poured in through the disturbed shades in the living room. Looking back at my body, I saw the light hitting my eyes. The world around me began to fade…

I woke immediately to the sight of the curtain falling back into place. Groaning, I sat up, only to hear distant voices coming from outside. Getting up, I rushed over to the window and looked out. From behind the ruins, I saw the rising of a glorious looking sun. It was a bit odd to see its size, but its warmth was similar to the sun I knew.

I suddenly felt extremely exhausted. Looking at the clock, it was nearly four in the afternoon, at least that was what my internal clock was telling me. However, as I watched, the clock blinked. The time was now exactly seven now. Blinking, I looked at another clock on the wall. It was moving backwards at an alarming rate, the second hand stuck at the twelve. When it stopped on seven, the second hand began moving again.

Frowning, I went to the window and peered out as stealthily as I could to figure out the source of the voices. With the sunlight back, it was easier to see the road beyond my property line. Eight pony-shaped figures were walking down the road, most being all smiles and joy, save for one smaller dark blue alicorn princess. She walked behind her older sister, not exactly looking happy. She paused, looking around at the landscape around her.

Celestia, seeing this, paused and turned to her younger sister. Despite the distance, I was still able to hear their voices through the partially opened window. “Dear sister, is something wrong?”

The other ponies, hearing this, turned to look at Luna. The dark blue princess looked back at the bridge. She said, “We know we hath been away for many years, but wast there always such a bridge to the palace?”

Celestia looked at the stone bridge with curiosity. “Hmm…I do believe you’re right.”

“Princess Celestia? Is something wrong?” Twilight Sparkle asked, approaching her mentor.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “The bridge to the palace was made of rope and wood the last time I checked.” She approached, tapping it experimentally.

Luna looked at her sister. “What could this mean?” she asked in her booming voice.

Celestia shook her head. I was surprised that they hadn’t turned towards my house yet before I remembered the dream illusion spell I’d cast. Feeling a bit bolder, I readjusted myself so I could get a better view. I saw the two princesses and the new Elements of Harmony looking around. Some looked in my direction, which unnerved me and caused me to hide, but to my relief, none of them seemed to actually notice me. After a while, Princess Celestia straightened. “Well, I sense no magic here. It’s possible the palace was once inhabited by some group who built this, but for the time being, we should head back.”

“Ah’m sure Ponyville’s resident party planner is anxious tuh get tuh work on a party, ain’t ya?” Applejack chuckled as the eight ponies walked away, laughing at the little joke.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, collapsing back to the floor and gazing up at the ceiling. I wasn’t sure whether I should be panicking right then or sleeping. I lay there for a while before I realized I was beginning to fall asleep. Not wanting to wake up stiff, I crawled towards bed, removing my jacket and hoodie before snuggling up in the sheets. My eyes shut, and welcome blackness overcame me.

4: A Cloaked Heart Receives Treatement

I woke slowly, painfully, what might have been a few hours later or days later. I wasn’t sure at the time. To my relief, I was in my bed. My shirt was missing, and my wounds were bandaged up. To my surprise, I didn’t feel as much in pain as I had earlier.

Feeling something at my feet, I looked down and saw a very familiar Zebra lying down at the edge of my bed. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing peacefully. Next to her were the earrings and necklaces she was wearing the night before. Unfortunately, she was sleeping in such a way that her…private area, let’s say…was exposed.

Looking away quickly, I felt something fall off of my forehead. Reaching down, I caught it, only to see it was a slightly damp small towel. One of my nicer ones, actually. Ones I brought home from my childhood home after my parents’ deaths. I looked back at the Zebra in front of me, at least at her sleeping face. She wouldn’t have known I never use these towels often since they were one of mementos I had of them. I reached over to stroke her mane, but stopped.

Instead, I quietly got out of bed, trying my best to not wake my guest and savior. Unfortunately, she must have been a light sleeper, since she slowly opened one eye, then the other. Looking at me, she slowly stood and stretched. “I’m very glad to see you awake. You had me worried, for goodness sake!”

I sighed. “Um…I apologize for worrying you.”

“‘Tis well and good now, my savior. Now tell me, are you feeling better?”

“I am,” I replied. Then, pointing to my bandages, I added, “I assume you’re responsible for this? If you are, you have my utmost gratitude.”

“You are my savior, after all. I had to do something after that fall,” the Zebra replied. “By the way, what are you? I have not seen your kind before.” A slight frown creased her brows.

“I’m a human being,” I said. “My name’s Jethro.”

“Zecora is my moniker,” she replied, “and how did you come to this forest?” Now, she had a look on her face that was one of worry.

Ignoring her half-spoken rhymes, figuring it was some kind of unique way this Zebra talked, I sighed, shrugging. When she looked at me curiously, I nearly facepalmed. Of course they wouldn’t know what a shrug was with their biology. “I’d tell you if I could, Miss Zecora, but I’m afraid I’m just as lost as you are. I don’t know how I got here.” Which wasn’t a total lie. Athena had said she hadn’t brought me here, only made certain arrangements to create a safe space for my future in Equestria.

Zecora raised her hoof and, in a relatively human gesture, rubbed her chin. “I see, I see…that is a shame. Perhaps some evil is to blame?”

Frowning, I shook my head quickly, only for the pain in my shoulder to return in force. “Ack!”

Zecora was immediately by my side, standing on her hind hooves, placing her front hooves on my shoulder and pushing me down. “Oh no, you don’t. You rest in bed, until I give the go ahead.” She had a stern but kindly older woman look in her eyes. “You’re still injured. The potions need a day to heal you.”

“A day, huh…?” I groaned, but obliged as I propped myself up against the pillow. “Alright…I guess I can do that.” Grabbing my remote, I turned the TV on and selected Netflix again.

Zecora watched this in utter astonishment. “Pray tell, might I ask what you do there? It’s not something familiar to this mare.”

“It’s a television,” I said. “Oh wait, I assume you don’t have such things here. Um…how to explain…? Do you know what a play is?” She opened her mouth to reply, but to my confusion, closed it again and simply nodded. “Okay, that makes it somewhat easier to explain. It’s a device from my home…land…that allows me to observe plays without having to leave my house.”

“A magic mirror on the wall?” she asked. “Does it tell who’s fairest of them all?”

I held back the sudden urge to smirk. “Unfortunately, no. It’s…well, the plays it shows aren’t live, and there’s nobody in the mirror to ask questions to.” When Netflix loaded, I began scrolling. I almost stopped on My Little Pony before I remembered my visitor. I tried to quickly scroll over it, but it was too late. The moment the icon scrolled over the show, an image of the cartoonified Nightmare Moon showed on the screen before vanishing, replaced by the next preview image.

Zecora, who was now standing next to my bed, whirled her head towards me. “I beg your pardon, but what did I see? It struck me with some familiarity.”

I groaned, and moved back up. The image of Nightmare Moon animated and began, “Muahahaha! Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don’t you know who I am?”

I muted the TV as the animated preview continued. Zecora watched with some confusion mixed with fascination as the animated versions of the Ponies. “What in Tartarus…?” she said.

“Yeah…I’m guessing you’ll want some explanations, huh?”

She jumped onto my bed and kneeled all four of her legs down. Her expression was one of serious contemplation. “Please,” was all she said.

Appreciating her politeness while at the same time understanding her tone, I inhaled deeply. “Miss Zecora, before I do tell you, I ask one thing: please don’t tell anyone else about what I’m going to tell you. I’d rather this be kept a secret, along with my existence for the time being. I highly doubt others around would be as kind as you’ve been to me.”

Zecora’s serious expression softened, and a kind smile crossed her face. “If it’s a secret you wish for me to keep, I promise I won’t make a peep.”

Her rhyming was beginning to grow on me, so I began my best to explain a few things. I started with as much of an in-depth explanation of what a television show was. Zecora asked plenty of questions, and I did my best to answer them.

As the morning turned into afternoon, Zecora paused the explanation and made me some lunch. She was going to use her own supplies, but I insisted she could use mine. She was a bit concerned when she saw all the meat I ate, but I quickly explained that back on my world, no animals could talk. She made me two grilled cheese sandwiches anyway, and I had to admit, they were extremely delicious. She made herself food using her own supplies, however. When we were finished, I continued the explanations, going over some basics about Earth as well as the My Little Pony TV show. She listened intently, asking question after question, half the time using a rhyming scheme, and other times not. There was a break for dinner in between, where she used the last of my potatoes to make some lovely mashed potatoes with butter.

When the sun began setting on the horizon, Zecora looked over at the open window, then at the clock. “Oh my, has it really gotten this late? I did not realize it was past eight.”

I chuckled. “It’s alright. You’re the first person I’ve met since I got here. And you say your house is in the forest?” I held out my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, new neighbor.”

She smiled, extending her hoof. I took it and shook it gently, unsure just how strong she was. Her hoof was a bit coarse, but not too unpleasant to hold. After a bit, I released it. “Listen, Miss Zecora, it’s a bit late to be heading back to your place, wherever that is. I don’t mind if you stay the night. You can have the bed. I can sleep on the couch.”

I started to get up, but she was in front of me nearly instantly. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m just the guest. The couch is where I’ll get some rest.”

I shook my head. “I’d feel bad. The couch isn’t exactly as comfortable as my bed, but I’m used to it. I’ve slept on it all night in the past.”

“Please do not fret, my injured savior. We Zebras are tougher than you give us credit for,” Zecora said in an insistent voice.

I immediately felt guilty at that. Mom always said ‘An assumption makes an ass out of you and me.’ I lowered my head. “I’m sorry…I made an assumption.” I looked back up at her. “But I still want you sleeping here. After all you’ve done for me, I want to return the favor.”

“A good night’s rest is what you need, a couch won’t do, no indeed.” She rubbed her chin with her hoof again. Seeing such a human gesture on a equine was still a bit unusual to me. “What if we slept together here? Forgive me, but would that be queer?”

Had this been ten years ago and if I’d been single, the thought of a girl in my bed with me would have caused me to blush up a storm. However, with age comes wisdom, as the old saying goes. I thought about it for a bit. If I think of her more as an animal…no! That’s not fair to her. Besides, it’s not like we’re dating. I chuckled a bit. “I think that would be a good compromise.” I held up my hand again.

Zecora nodded, shaking my hand again. Yawning slightly, she got up and began closing the open windows in the room. I lay down further on the bed, getting more comfortable. I closed my eyes. A little while later, someone got into bed next to me. Turning, I found myself gazing into Zecora’s kindly dark aquamarine eyes. “I’m grateful for your hospitality. When you are well, would you like to visit me?”

I smiled at her. “You know, that sounds nice, actually. I’d love to visit you, if you’re willing.”

“Of course I am,” was all she said, yawning again and closing her eyes. “You are my savior…” she said in a tired voice.

I chuckled, pulling the covers over my sudden guest. “If anyone’s my savior here, it’s you,” I replied just as sleepily as I felt myself sink deeper into the pillow. Soon, I was in a deep sleep.

“First person you’ve met, huh? What am I? Chopped liver?”

I was in the throne room of the Palace of the Sisters once more, sitting on one of the thrones when I opened my eyes to find myself staring into the narrowed but amused eyes of my little goddess. She was standing on her haunches and had her front hooves on what on a human would be her hips.

I backed away, somewhat nervous now. “Hey, what was I supposed to say? ‘Yeah, I met a banished Alicorn princess before I met you, Miss Zecora’?”

Athena moved back, throwing her head back and laughing heartily. “Relax, relax. I’m just teasing you.” She walked over and sat on the other throne, peering out at the half complete room. “I’m glad you met someone today, at least. Although, I didn’t exactly plan on you being nearly eaten by Timberwolves.”

“Timberwolves? Of course, I should have guessed,” I rolled my eyes. “Whoever names things in this world has got to be, what, ten?”

Athena laughed and stamped her hoof on the side of the throne in utter amusement. “Oh my…Jethro, you’re definitely an amusing human. I haven’t laughed so hard in years.”

I chuckled as I stood. “Glad I could make you laugh a bit.”

Athena walked over to me suddenly, looking at me with a serious look. “You did have me worried there. I was afraid they’d throw you over the cliff and dash your body against the rocks below.” She lowered her head. “I wish I could have helped then, but I am only able to exist in your dreams, much like Luna.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” I tilted my head.

“Luna’s powers have to do with the night,” Athena explained. “She is able to enter the dreams of anypony in Equestria, not just raise the moon. I’m only able to do something similar because of all the magic I’ve absorbed before.”

“That means…I won’t be able to actually see you in person?” For some reason, one I couldn’t explain, the thought tore at my heart. I realized she reminded me of my mother in that moment, and it took all my self-control to keep from breaking down.

She shook her head. “At the moment, I’m afraid that’s impossible.” Turning towards me again, she gave me a loving motherly smile. “Just doing what I did to give you the comforts of home took a lot out of me.”

“Oh…” I felt guilty. She’d been doing so much for me, and I’d not done anything for her in return.

Seeming to sense my feelings, she chuckled. “Hey, don’t look so down. I did what I did of my own free will. Imagine if you’d only come to this world with the clothes on your back. That was what was going to happen originally had I not intervened.”

“And I’m really grateful. Truly, I am. Even so-”

“Shush, my little stallion,” she said, and her tone was instantly a motherly, loving one. “You have the blessing of Obsidian Star with you. Even if I can’t visit your dreams every night, I will always be watching and helping where I can. Now, I must go.”

“Wait, Athena!” I stood and reached out as she began glowing and floating up.

“Zecora has invited you to her home. Go with her. You will not see me for some time, but just know I am always watching over you…”

I watched her go, frowning sadly. Soon, I was all alone in the castle again. I collapsed back into the throne again, sighing. Through a crack in the stone wall, I saw the rising moon. Standing again, a small smile formed on my face, widening as some of the fallen stones around me began to levitate off the ground. “Alrighty, let’s git ‘er done!” Hovering in the air, I lifted my arms up majestically, stones circling around me…

I woke to find Zecora slowly removing the bandages she’d put on me the day before. It was just past nine. She was using her teeth to pull off some of the bandages from my upper shoulder when our eyes met. With her mouth full of a bloody bandage, she smiled. “Good morning, my savior. How did you sleep? I hope I did not make a peep.”

“I slept very well, thank you,” I said as I slowly sat up. Reaching around, I began helping her to remove the bandages on my body. Aside from a few scars, courtesy of the scratches and bite I received from the Timberwolves, I looked relatively unscathed. The scars were actually fairly faint, too. “Wow…whatever you did, it works wonders.”

“Thank you for your kind words,” she said. Once more, she frowned.

Ever since I’d met her, she’d frowned anytime she didn’t speak in her rhyming scheme. I frowned in response. “Miss Zecora? Is something wrong?”

“…What magic do you possess?” she asked. “My Equestrian has been disrupted ever since I met you.”

I tilted my head. “Disrupted?”

She nodded. “You’ve noticed my speech patterns, have you not?”

“You speak in rhymes some of the time,” I said, continuing to remove the bandages. The only ache I could feel now was a slight stiffness in my upper back.

“My speech has been like this for many years. I never broke from this way of speech, but I meet you and it becomes all tangled up,” she said louder, almost in a frustrated tone.

Startled, I turned to face her fully. “Miss Zecora? Did I do something to anger you?”

She looked up at me, eyes wide. “No! No no no, of course not! You are still my savior, and for that I am eternally grateful. It’s…I’m just a bit unnerved at the way I’m now speaking, is all.” She bowed her head. “My apologies if I was rude. Speaking like that was extremely crude.”

I pointed. “See? You haven’t exactly lost the ability.”

She nodded, then sighed. “I suppose not…” We finished taking off my bandages, and I hesitantly stood up. The stiffness in my back was still there, but other than that, I felt perfectly healthy. I stretched and cracked a few bones before heading to my dresser to throw on a t-shirt. Hearing Zecora clearing her throat, I turned. She was standing in front of me now, an unreadable expression on my face. “Do you have any plans today? If not, would you care to visit my home? Maybe we can get some answers there.”

Immediately, Athena’s advice came back into my mind. I smiled and nodded. “We are neighbors now, so I wouldn’t mind at all. How about after breakfast? Can’t exactly walk there on an empty stomach, now can we?”

She chuckled good-naturedly. “No, I suppose that is quite true. Alright, we’ll leave after a brew.”

“You’re just forcing it, aren’t you?” I asked as I put on another hoodie.

She then did something seemingly out of character for someone like her (not that I knew much about her, only that she seemed like the older mentor-type, like Yoda). She raised one of her front hooves and scratched behind her head. “I suppose I did,” she said, sounding sheepish.

“Well, come on! I’m sure I have something you can eat in the kitchen. What kind of diet do Zebras eat?” I asked as I walked out of the bedroom and down the hall.

“A Zebra’s diet is quite simple. On plants and foliage is what we nibble,” she replied as we reached the kitchen.

“Again, I think you’re really forcing that rhyming stuff,” I said as I looked in the fridge again. “What about stuff like eggs and milk and bread?”

“Yes, Zebras can eat such things,” she said.

“Well…would scrambled eggs and buttered toast sound alright for you?” I asked, bringing out a carton of eggs.

Zecora smiled. “It is not a normal breakfast for me, but I will eat it happily.”

I chuckled, rolling my eyes in amusement as I grabbed a large bowl and skillet from my cabinets. “Then that’s what it’s gonna be.”

“Is there something I might do to help?” my Zebra guest asked.

“There’s no need,” I said as kindly as possible. “You’re my guest. Let me take care of you.” I saw her ears droop slightly and she looked down. I never really pegged her as that kind of Zebra either. Feeling bad, I lowered myself slightly to be on her level. “Please let me do this. Back where I’m from, if I had a guest over, I would feel guilty about asking a guest to help while in my home.”

I saw a small smile cross her lips. “I do apologize for assuming. The same is true back in my homeland.”

“Thank you for indulging me. Besides, I know how the appliances in my kitchen work. I wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”

She chuckled, holding a hoof to her mouth. “Quite right you are, my savior.”

“Oh, that’s another thing,” I said as I began cracking eggs into a mixing bowl. “There’s no need to keep calling me your savior. I acted like an idiot yesterday. You can just call me Jethro, Miss Zecora.”

“Foolish or not, you rescued me from those monsters. But, if it’s your wish, I shall call you what you have asked…Jethro. But only if you call me Zecora.”

“Heh, okay…you have a good point. Habit,” I said as I placed some salt and pepper into the eggs before whisking them. “If you want, I have a bookshelf in the living room you can browse while I’m making breakfast.”

Zecora nodded. “Reading books from another world intrigues me. Thank you for this opportunity.”

There was a pause where we turned to face one another. We both burst out laughing before Zecora went back to the living room. Soon the kitchen was full of the smell of my signature eggs and toast. I grabbed two plates and walked over to the small kitchen table. Realizing I had no second chair for Zecora, I rushed into the garage and grabbed a folding chair I reserved for such emergencies. I set a place for her at my normal spot. When I went into the living room to fetch Zecora, I saw her looking over one of the books that was a memento from my parents: Part Z of the Encyclopedia Britannica. “Mi-um, Zecora? Breakfast is ready. What are you reading?” I knelt beside her and looked over the article. “Zebras, huh…”

“After what you told me, I was curious,” she explained, looking up at me. “I wasn’t too sure I believed you about your world.”

I chuckled. “I can understand that, believe me. Well, if you want to learn more about my world, feel free to stop by and read all you want.”

Zecora chuckled. “I will take you up on that offer. But for now, I smell…ah! What rhymes with offer?”

“Coffer?” I offered with an amused smile. “But yes, breakfast is served.”

Leading her into the kitchen, I pulled out my chair. Smiling gratefully, she sat down and looked at her portion. It was then I realized that, out of habit, I’d set the table with human instruments. Before I could apologize, she reached down and took the fork in her hoof. It came up, almost as if she was holding it. I must have been staring at her for a while, because Zecora looked up at me, her fork full of egg. “My sa-apologies, I mean Jethro? Is something wrong?”

“Well…nothing. I just…how are you doing that without hands?” I picked up my fork and demonstrated. “It just doesn’t really seem possible.”

“What you see is normal here. We do use magic, my dear.” She chuckled in an amused manner before taking a bite.

“Guess I’ve got a lot to learn about this world,” I said as I ate as well.

“If to learn more is what you seek, why not go to Ponyville with me in a few weeks?” Zecora asked.

I frowned. “Me? Well…”

“Is something wrong?” Zecora asked, looking at me with concern.

“It’s just…look at me,” I said, spreading my arms wide. “As far as I know, I’m the only human here. I’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

“A sore what?” she tilted her head in confusion.

“Er…a sore thumb. It’s a human expression that basically means I’d be a strange sight,” I said, trying to explain. “And if my personal experience and knowledge of people is any indication, strange can equal dangerous in other people’s eyes.”

“Ah, I think I get your meaning,” she nodded, understanding coming into her eyes. “Every time I go to Ponyville, it’s quiet and the shops are closed.”

“Really? Do you know why?” I asked, covering my mouth with my napkin to be polite.

“I assume it’s because I visit there on Wednesdays,” she explained.

“Ah, the middle of the week…I mean, maybe?” I took a bite, chewing thoughtfully before taking a drink of my orange juice and swallowing. “Hey, do you want to try visiting on a Saturday or Sunday?” I asked. “Back where I’m from, those are normally the busiest days of the week.”

Once more rubbing her cheek with her hooves, she thought about it. Swallowing, she said, “To change my schedule? That is a quandary. Saturday is when I do my laundry.”

“Zecora…” I frowned slightly at her.

She nodded. “I know, I shouldn’t force it. But even so…speaking like that brings me comfort.”

“There’s nothing wrong with changing your schedule, you know?” I said, before putting my hand in front of my mouth. I’d just spoken a whole new language.

Zecora was frozen, one of the pieces of toast in her hooves halfway to her mouth. It fell out of her hoof and landed on the plate. In the same language I’d just spoken, she whispered, “You…You speak Farasi?”

5: A Cloaked Heart Speaks Farasi

“Farasi? What’s that?” I asked, making sure to keep to that language.

“The language of my homeland,” Zecora replied, her eyes still wide. “I never thought I’d hear it again.”

“Well, I did explain that the person who helped me said they’d given me the knowledge of certain languages from all around Equestria,” I replied. I felt like telling Zecora everything was the best choice. I hated lying, since it gave me an uncomfortable pit in my stomach, and for some reason she seemed like an extremely trustworthy woman, or mare in this case. I hadn’t revealed Athena’s identity, and Zecora understood when I said that Athena wanted to remain anonymous and that I’d promised not to tell.

“I hope I get to meet this stranger someday, if only to thank them for giving you the knowledge of my language. At least I don’t have to force a rhyme when speaking Farasi.”

I chuckled. “Why do you rhyme in Equestian anyway?” I asked, taking a bite of egg once more.

“It’s a long story, but in short, I came here to try and be the first Zebra to learn magic. I don’t know if you’re noticing, but Farasi is a naturally rhyming language, well, most of the time anyway.”

I tilted my head, thinking of a few simple Farasi sentences in my head. “Yeah, I can see that, but why do it when you’re speaking Equestrian?”

Zecora got a faraway look in her eyes. “It helps me to feel closer to my old home,” she said with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“I shouldn’t have asked,” I said apologetically as I took another drink slowly.

She smiled. “Don’t be upset; you didn’t know. I’m just so glad I have someone I can speak my native tongue to.”

“Well, I’ll gladly speak to you anytime you want. It’ll keep me from going insane,” I said with a teasing tone.

She rolled her eyes, but with an amused glint in them. “As long as we’re neighbors, I won’t let you go insane. Not when I can talk to you in Farasi.”

“I don’t doubt it,” I replied, taking a bite out of my last bit of toast. “Hey, can I ask you why you were so close to the palace?”

“I was trying to gather some herbs and mushrooms from the forest that only grow near there,” she explained, taking a sip of her own orange juice.

“Making anything special?” I asked.

“Ah, it was for my dinner,” she said, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Some kind of stew?” I asked curiously.

“Indeed. I actually made some for you last night.”

“And I’m really grateful for that, it was delicious,” I replied.

“So is this,” she replied, pointing at her remaining bite of scrambled egg. “What did you season it with?”

“Some sea salt and some freshly ground pepper,” I replied, tempted to imitate Binging With Babish’s voice, but deciding against it. “Nothing too fancy.”

“I have to admit, I normally don’t eat eggs of any kind, but these are absolutely great!” Zecora said, taking her last bite and swallowing. “And the toast is amazing too!”

When did we get to talking about something simple like food? I wondered as I felt my cheeks get warm. “You flatter me too much.”

“It’s the truth,” she replied.

“Well, what I said before was the truth, too. Your cooking was delicious.”

How it exactly happened, I wasn’t quite sure, but some pink came to Zecora’s cheeks. “Thank you, my savior.”

I just decided to give up on her constantly calling me her savior and finished up my breakfast. The next thirty seconds were full of somewhat awkward silence as I finished the rest of my breakfast. Zecora had already finished hers and was sitting politely. Seeing any kind of equine sitting like she did was odd, but for her it seemed somewhat natural. When I finished, I stood and began cleaning up my spot at the table. Looking up, I saw Zecora holding the plate in her teeth. Everything else was stacked on top of the messy plate. “There’s no need for that, I can take that for you,” I replied.

“It’s perfectly alright. Please let me help.” How in the world is she speaking so clearly with something in her mouth?

I held up my hands in surrender. “You win then.”

Chuckling triumphantly, she carried the plate over to the sink and, standing on her hind legs, gently placed the dishes in. I did the same, planning to place the dishes in the dishwasher later. “Well, now that we’re all refreshed, let me get into some travel clothes and we’ll be off.” Zecora nodded in understanding and went to wait in the living room.

Heading back to my room, I grabbed the coat I’d worn a couple days before, along with some hiking boots. I grabbed my father’s old hunting knife and strapped it to my belt. Out of habit, I grabbed my wallet and phone as well as a portable charger, slipping them into my coat pockets. Walking towards the living room, I grabbed my keys and slipped them into my pocket. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

As it turned out, her house was actually quite close by, only fifteen or so minutes from my new location. I questioned her a bit more about the local area, while she asked me some questions about humans and our culture. I told her about why we wore clothes, about some of our accomplishments, and, to my displeasure, about our failings. I didn’t like talking to her about it, but there was something about the Zebra that kept me from lying to her, either by omission or commission.

Zecora told me a bit about Equestria, especially about its founding. Hearing about the Hearth Warming holiday reminded me of Christmas and the Fourth of July mixed into one, especially when she told me how it was celebrated. A wave of sadness washed over me when I realized that I wouldn’t be home for Christmas like the songs said, and it was very likely no one else here celebrated the holidays that I did.

A short time later, we reached her home. To my shock, it was less of a house than I was used to and more of a dwelling built into a large tree. It had a sort of ‘Yoda’s Dagobah home’ vibe from it, but in tree form. There were various objects hanging from the trees and a green mask with wings above the door.

When we reached the door, she opened it with her hoof and went inside. The doorway was a bit low for my taste, so I had to lower my head. Fortunately, the interior ceiling was high enough for me to stand, although it felt a bit cramped. Various Africanesque masks lay everywhere, and a firepit was situated in the center of the main room. A large black cauldron lay to the side of the room. “You’ve got all the trappings for a Jedi in exile,” I chuckled.

“What’s a Jedi?” she asked as she closed the door.

“Ah, I’ll explain later, or rather, I can show you the movies at some point,” I said as I looked carefully around.

“I’m not sure what a movie is, but I would be glad to know more about you and your world,” she said.

“As long as you teach me more about my new…home…” the weight of those words came crashing down on me in an instant. I was in a completely different world. Not that I had friends or family back on Earth, but I just being in a brand-new world where I was most likely the only human in existence tended to throw things in perspective. I wasn’t even sure how I’d been coping aside from my near breakdown a couple nights earlier. I slowly sat on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. The sounds of the nearby swamp faded away, as did the ever-increasing concerned voice of Zecora.

I did something then that I hadn’t done since that one night several years ago. I clasped my hands and closed my eyes, praying for the first time in a long time. My eyes stung as I prayed, God…I don’t know if you can hear me in this new world, but if I’m going to be stuck in this world, please give me peace of mind and the strength to live among these Ponies and other mythical creatures. Amen.

Opening my eyes, I saw a worried looking Zecora saying something to me. Her worry only increased when she saw the tears streaming down my face. She rushed away for a moment and dabbed at my eyes with a cloth. Sound returned, and I heard her saying, “…okay, my savior? Did something happen? Are you hurt anywhere again?”

Smiling despite myself, I sniffed and took the offered cloth, wiping my eyes as best I could. “I guess it’s hitting me again…that I’m stuck as the only human in the world.”

Zecora looked downcast at that. Approaching me, she put her head against my chest, one hoof on my shoulder. “I didn’t realize it was affecting you so. I wish some comfort I could bestow,” she said softly in Equestrian this time.

I put an arm around her. “There’s no need to talk in Equestrian to me. I know you prefer your language. But I appreciate the sentiment. It means the world to me.”

She looked up at me, the worry in her eyes slowly vanishing and replaced with a smile. “If you like, would you care for some tea? It’s my own special brew.”

“I normally don’t drink tea, but I would love some,” I smiled gratefully.

Nodding, she walked over to one of the shelves and grabbed a small tea kettle. Placing it over the fire pit, she began assembling a small fire, pouring some water into the kettle. Crushing some leaves in her hooves, she placed them in the water. When the fire was nice and warm, she came over and sat next to me. “Are you feeling better, my savior?”

“You know you can call me Jethro, right? And yeah, a bit. I’m sorry for breaking down on you like that.”

She smiled again. “Don’t be sorry, I understand. It’s hard to imagine a…human in your position who wouldn’t be terrified and depressed.”

“Yeah, I suppose so. Still, I feel silly breaking down when you invited me to your home.” I paused, then continued. “I mean no offense, but why did you invite me here?”

“Ah, a few reasons,” she said. “I was hoping to get to learn more about you, for one. And I was hoping to try and discover what kind of magic, if any, you possess aside from that dream magic you told me about. Morphean magic, you called it?”

“That’s correct,” I replied. “I’m guessing it has to do with you not being able to rhyme around me? I really am sorry about that.”

“You can stop apologizing around me,” she said with a small smile, “I hope it wasn’t too presumptuous of me to ask you over here for that.”

“And here I thought you enjoyed my company,” I said in a teasing manner. I smiled wide, indicating that I was joking. “To be fair, if you do constantly speak in rhymes when speaking Equestrian, that does sound like a mystery that we could solve together.”

For the next few hours, Zecora performed a few experiments with me, with my permission every time. The tea she made for me was actually sweeter than I’d imagined, with a flavor I couldn’t exactly identify. When I asked, Zecora provided me with some seeds for the plant the leaves were from and told me how to tend to them. I thanked her and we continued our experimenting.

She explained the basics of magic as she understood them, but every time I attempted to utilize magic, nothing happened. Anytime I tried to cast any kind of spell, Zecora had her hoof on my back. She said it was to try and detect any kind of magic flowing through me, but she said she couldn’t. We were so wrapped up in experimenting that we both failed to notice that it was getting late. When sunlight came in through some of the windows through a break in the branches, Zecora jumped up. “Oh my! Look at the time! I didn’t realize it was so late! You won’t be able to get home before nighttime.”

I pulled out my phone, which read just past seven. “I’ll make it, I promise. I remember the way.”

“Are you sure, my sav-I mean, Jethro?”

“I have this and this,” I said, showing her my long knife and the light on my phone. “I’ll be fine-”

“I can’t let you go out there. It’s much more dangerous at night than the day. Tomorrow, I’ll take you back home.”

“…I’m not going to win this argument, am I?” I asked.

She chuckled, a mirthy and amused laugh. “Not with me.”

Looking at my phone, I saw that I did indeed have signal. “Well, who am I to refuse your offer? I graciously accept.”

“I shall prepare a meal for us,” she said, running over to the cauldron and rolling it towards the fire. Something told me this was going to be a very interesting night…

That evening was one of the most fun ones I’d had in a while. Zecora tried to insist I take her bed for the evening, but I convinced her that it was okay for me to sleep on the floor with some soft bedding instead. She made some more of the delicious stew she’d made the night before, only this time it tasted much better. When I asked how she’d made stew back at my place, she explained that she’d used one of my pots and the firepit in my backyard.

After we ate, she expressed some interest in watching the My Little Pony show. I replayed all the episodes I’d watched and we stopped after the episode Look Before You Sleep finished. I wondered what the plot of Bridle Gossip was, but decided to watch it another time.

To say that Zecora was stunned to see the world she knew animated in such a way would be an understatement. Almost terrified. I asked if we should stop, but she insisted on watching. When we eventually stopped, her face was more than a bit pale. Her legs wouldn’t move. I knew now how I must have felt. Not knowing why, I reached over and put a reassuring hand on her upper back. “Zecora, I-”

“N-No, please don’t apologize,” she said, forcing a smile. “I’m still finding this all hard to believe, after all.”

“Trust me, you’re preaching to the choir,” I replied, although the literal translation for what I’d just said was You’re singing to the singer. “Are you going to be okay?”

She nodded slowly. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I just need to sleep this off.”

“Good idea.” I moved to my temporary bed and patted it.

She tilted her head. “Wait…you want me to…?”

“I can tell you need to be close to someone to be able to sleep tonight,” I said, not entirely sure why I was doing this in the first place. I’d only just met this Zebra. Maybe it’s because she kinda reminds me of my mom, I thought.

I saw a small smile form on her lips. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a stallion in bed with me. Aside from last night. And even then…”

Well…I knew sex had to be a thing in this world, but I never expected that. I chuckled. “I know what you mean. I’ve slept in a single bed for years. But I think you need it. Especially after all you’ve been through. And I do mean sleep.”

She laughed. “Oh, my dear savior, I know what you meant. I was simply teasing you for our enjoyment.”

I chuckled back. “Well, are you joining me tonight or no?”

“If we’re going to sleep side by side, let’s do it in my bed. I can fit you easily,” she replied. “Come.” She led me into another corner of the treehouse which had a bed. She pulled aside some yellow tiger print covers. “Apologies if the material is coarse.”

“I’ll be alright,” I said as I removed some of the articles of clothing I still wore until I was in only some slim pants and a t-shirt. Zecora removed her golden jewelry and set them on a few hooks in the wall before getting into bed beside me.

The bed was smaller than my own, slightly bigger than a twin but smaller than a full. When we were both in bed comfortably enough, Zecora covered us with the blanket. Thanks to the size of the bed, and the size of us, we were a bit close. I could feel her warm body next to mine. Zecora’s dark blue eyes were full of amusement. “Don’t try anything in the night, my savior. I know I owe you a great deal, but I’m not easy.”

I chuckled. “I promise, there will be no hanky-panky.”

She smiled and closed her eyes, looking much more relaxed than she had earlier. Grateful that I could help, I closed my eyes, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

6: A Cloaked Heart And The Joke

“One more day, go and cross it out, and a year's already flying by. This dark place puts a darker ring and a tear in every living eye.”

I grinned as I sang on my way to Zecora’s place. It had been a week since I’d met her and we’d seen each other a few times during that week. The tests she performed on me were inconclusive, but she wanted to keep on trying. She’d also begun teaching me some of her own potion making craft, something I was pretty eager to try.

“What if I told you, it's all a lie? And the truth will set you free... my advice? Just lose yourself in my fantasy for a small and meager price.”

I’d held off on watching any more of the show, since I wasn’t sure if I should anymore. Ever since I’d watched the show with Zecora I decided to hold off on watching anything more until I decided what I should do. However, I’d been continuing to use my abilities to reconstruct the palace. I’d also been using my knowledge of the episode Dragonshy, looking for that particular mountain where the dragon had been sleeping in that episode in the hopes that the gold that was there was just something the dragon found.

“And we could fly! Fly! Fly over evergreens. It's everything you could want to be. Just sign your soul over here to me: the world one dream away!”

The day was gorgeous, partly cloudy with a thirty percent chance of rain according to the weather app. The normal darkness in the forest seemed to have been at least temporarily banished from the forest. I even saw a small family of squirrels in a tree on my way to Zecora’s.

“But before you do, just know you will not return. This here's one bridge that you gotta burn. So ask yourself, did you really earn the world one dream away? Whoa!”

I wasn’t watching where I was going and tripped over a root. Fortunately, I was saved some serious injury by a small field of gorgeous looking blue plants, but I still hit my elbow as I fell. I felt one of the leaves, and found them to be somewhat slick with some oily substance. After a bit, I stood and continued heading towards Zecora’s place.

When I knocked, she immediately opened the door. “My savior, you know you don’t have to knock. Feel free to enter at any time.”

“Force of habit,” I replied as I stepped inside. I held up the laptop bag with a grin. “Hope you’re ready for some more movies.”

“Of course,” Zecora said, bringing out a two bowls of one of her delicious smelling meals.

“Wow! That smells great!” I said as the two of us sat comfortably against the wall, the laptop on a small single person bench between us. “What is it?”

“Baked Jollhoof Rice,” she replied, placing one bowl beside me.

“Aaah, so you do have rice here!” I grinned. “Did you grow it yourself or find it in the woods?”

“When I came here from Farasi, I brought seeds with me. They’re in my garden.”

“Sweet. I’d love to have some, if I may?” I asked as I booted up my laptop.

“I’ll give you some later,” she replied as I logged in. “So what movie do you have planned for us today?”

“I found a Disney movie I think you may like,” I replied. “It’s a movie about a human baby raised by apes in the African jungle.” I plugged the speaker into my headphone jack, maneuvered to the movie and clicked play. “It’s called Tarzan.”

She chuckled. “Now that does sound interesting,” she said, pulling down the shades behind us so we could watch better. Anytime the two of us had visited each other, we’d exchange something from each of our cultures. I usually either read another chapter of a book to her or we’d watch a movie, or use my internet connection to look at certain cultures. Zecora would share some of her personal stories about Farasi and teach me about certain beginning potions and brews.

Despite it only having been a week, I found myself looking forward to our get togethers immensely. It was nice having someone to talk to, someone to distract me from my ever-growing worries about an eventual meeting with the Elements and the Princesses.

Zecora was enraptured by the African jungle scenery, and after a brief pause where I had to answer the call of nature, she told me that there was a jungle in Farasi that looked a lot like the depictions in the movie. She was disappointed that there weren’t any zebras, but all in all she did really enjoy the movie.

Her Jollhoof rice dish was phenomenal and actually resembled a casserole. She gladly provided me with seconds. When the movie finished, the two of us discussed what we both loved about the movie. She told me she could relate in a way to how Tarzan felt about being the only one different among his ape family. I blushed a bit when she told me that feeling had been slowly going away ever since meeting me, even if I wasn’t a Zebra.

We continued talking well into the late evening about many other different topics. Unfortunately, when we both looked outside, it was way past time for me to leave. “Wow,” I chuckled a bit, “Time speeds by when fun is being had.”

“There’s no way you can return home in this darkness,” Zecora said, walking over to her bed. “You’re gonna have to sleep over.”

I chuckled. “I can sleep on the floor, you know.”

“My savior, we’ve talked about this,” she said in a stern voice. “If you insist on me sleeping in your bed whenever we are at your house, then I will insist the same of you whenever we’re here? Clear?”

I held up my hands in surrender. “You’re a stubborn mare, I’ll give you that. I graciously accept.”

She grinned. “Good. Sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning.” She grabbed a blanket from a closet and curled up on a few pillows near the window, covering all but her muzzle underneath the blanket. It wasn’t long before I heard the soft breathing of the Zebra.

I removed some of the clothes I wore, and in the process one of the small bits of blue flower fell out of my pocket. Picking it up, I placed it on the endtable next to Zecora’s bed, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.

I woke the next morning feeling somewhat stiff all over. I blearily sat up, reaching up to wipe the cobwebs from my eyes. I hadn’t even been in my astral form that night, which concerned me, but I reasoned that I needed the mental break.

Swinging my legs over the bed, I stood. And immediately fell flat on my face, slamming my nose into the floor. That, and my forehead as well, since a part of it immediately began hurting.

“Jethro?!” Zecora’s voice called out in alarm. “Are you alright?”’

“Just feeling a bit…woozy…” I started, then stopped. My voice…it had completely changed. It was higher pitched, and more feminine than it had been. I sat up and looked over at Zecora, who had a look of pure shock on her face. “Was that…my voice?”

“That is you, isn’t it my savior?” she asked, uncertainty in her voice.

“Of course it’s me, who else would look like the only human in Equestria?” I asked, then tried to clear my throat as I climbed back towards the bed, sitting down on the mattress.

Zecora approached me, tilting her head curiously as she looked me up and down. She sat and stroked her chin thoughtfully. “My savior, think back to yesterday. Did you happen to step in something unusual?”

“Well, yeah. I fell into some blue flowers earlier and hit my elbow on the ground on the way here,” I replied. “How’d you guess?”

Zecora froze, eyes wide. “My savior,” she said, her voice worryingly quieter than normal, “please describe these flowers.”

Not liking her tone, I swallowed and thought back. “Um…well, they had large leaves and a big bulb with petals in the center. The plant itself was light blue with some darker streaks. Zecora, is it dangerous?” I felt the fear returning to me.

To my surprise, she looked slightly relieved. Almost amused, now. “No, but you might want to look in the mirror,” she said, handing me a handheld mirror from her dresser.

I grabbed it and looked at the reflection. Staring back at me, instead of my own reflection, I saw the face of a Pony looking back at me. And not just any kind of Pony. A Unicorn, by the looks of it.

I looked down at my hands, which were still hands, but they were covered in a slightly golden and silvery fur. Hesitantly reaching up, I felt the horn on my head, long and the same color as my fur, but with a slightly rainbow-ish sheen glimpsed in certain light. “The fuck?!” I shouted in English. I immediately felt pain on both sides of my back as well as the shattering of a few pieces of pottery.

“My savior! Be careful! Your wings are going to shatter the window and injure them!” Zecora shouted frantically, rushing to my side and grasping onto my back.

I quickly turned. Sure enough, I had a pair of wings as well, which Zecora was trying to push back into place. “How do I control them?!” I asked, feeling as frantic as Zecora looked.

“Try just relaxing,” Zecora said firmly but as calmly as she could, still pushing on the wing that was pushing against the window.

Swallowing hard, I took a few deep breaths. The wing automatically retracted. Strangely enough, I felt it happen. It was like I had two new arms which folded up behind me. After taking a few seconds to calm down, I began looking at myself more closely. I started with my feet, which weren’t feet anymore. I saw two strong looking equine hooves instead. Looking up, I further saw that my thighs were remarkably more feminine than before. My waist was more slender than normal, and to my great horror, I had large female breasts, which I then started to notice were really heavy.

Something fluttered into my lap. Looking down, I saw a large brown object that resembled a tail sitting in my lap. It was floating in some kind of invisible breeze in a way that I remember Celestia’s, Luna’s and Athena’s doing. Holding up the mirror again, I realized that the new long mane I sported was doing the same thing as my tail, floating in whatever breeze an Alicorn’s mane blew in. I took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. In my new female voice, I said, “I turned into a female Alicorn? But how?!” I turned to Zecora, looking for an explanation.

“Calm down, my savior, calm down. You’re in no danger. You stepped into some Poison Joke,” she replied. “It’s the beginning of their germination season. They’re a lot like Poison Oak, but their effects are like a joke.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, still flinching at my new voice.

“Well, Poison Oak causes a rash, but Poison Joke is much more powerful. But don’t worry, it isn’t life threatening,” she explained. “When somepony steps into it, the oils on the leaves cause changes in the victims.”

“Like changing my entire appearance to become a mix of Alicorn and human?” I asked, swallowing hard.

“Indeed, but the effects are varied. When I stepped in it once, I was unable to speak normally,” she replied. “Normally for me, anyway. I spoke backwards and there was no rhyme or reason to my words.”

“But judging by your current speech, there’s a cure?” I asked with a hopeful tone.

“There is. Hold on.” She walked over to one of the bookshelves and pulled out a dark green book with some golden binding. On the front was a light green embedded plant. “In this book.”

“Huh…Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-Alls That Are Simply Super.” I read the cure and found it to be a simple herbal bath. “Thank goodness there’s a cure,” I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Indeed. I have all the ingredients for one herbal bath more before I need to get more supplies,” she said. “Would you like to assist?”

“If I can figure out how to walk on these hooves,” I said, grabbing onto a nearby wall and gently pulling myself up. “Ugh, these boobs are such a pain!” Just then I felt nature’s call. Blushing, I looked at Zecora. “Um…this is embarrassing, but…”

“You need to relieve yourself?” Zecora finished, smiling kindly at me. “Don’t be embarrassed. You didn’t know this would happen.”

I walked unsteadily towards Zecora’s lavatory, helped by Zecora who let me use her back to stabilize myself. It took me a while, but when I came out, I was both relieved and feeling utterly ashamed, since I had little control with my new body. I sheepishly admitted my lack of control and aim to Zecora and asked for some towels. She gave me some and I wiped her lavatory down as best I could.

When I came back out, hot tears of humiliation were stinging my eyes. Zecora, who was busy gathering ingredients, saw me and rushed over. “This is so humiliating…” I hiccuped as Zecora ran her hoof through my new mane.

“Hush now, my savior,” Zecora said gently. “Everything will be alright in time. While I’m preparing the bath, why don’t you lie down and rest some more?”

She helped me over to the bed, where I pulled off the now torn shirt I’d worn to bed, covering my now exposed breasts with the blanket. Had I been in a calmer state of mind, I might have looked more closely at my new body parts, but all I wanted was my old body back. I could barely walk and I needed help to even do the simplest of tasks. I felt useless. Curling up, I grabbed my knees and lay there. My wings seemed to reflexively curl up around me as well, forming a wing cocoon. In a way, it felt relaxing, like I was back in the womb.

I don’t know how long I lay like that, but eventually someone shook me. Looking up forlornly at Zecora, I saw her smile. “My savior, everything is ready. The tub is all full. All we need is for you to get in and fully submerse yourself.”

I slowly uncurled myself, using the blanket to cover my new modesty. “Can you get me a towel?” I asked.

“Of course,” Zecora said, walking over to a nearby shelf, taking a large towel in her mouth and carrying it over. I took it and slowly wrapped myself up as best I could. “Don’t worry about getting it wet,” she added, “I know how you are about not wearing clothes.”

I did my best once more to get over to Zecora’s bathtub. The water inside was steaming and had an earthy smell. One I found remarkably pleasant. I slowly climbed in feet, or hooves, first, then lowered myself in slowly. As I did so, I felt a strange tingling all over wherever the water hit. I looked at Zecora, I asked, “How long should I be underwater?”

“It shouldn’t take too long, five or ten seconds at the longest,” she replied.

Nodding, I took a deep breath and plunged completely into the water. It was the most unusual feeling I ever felt. If I had to describe it, it was as if my body had been encased in an anthropomorphic Alicorn shaped egg shell. The bath I was in was like acid which melted away the eggshell, but only that, revealing the chick within. I counted out the seconds, making it to fifteen to give myself a little wiggle room.

When I came up for air, I gasped. To my relief, the voice I hear from my throat was my own. Looking down, I nearly passed out from relief. I was back in my own body once again. “Thank God…” I said in extreme relief.

Zecora, on the other hand, was looking at me with a smile. She approached and tapped my shoulder. “Jethro, how are you feeling?”

“Much better. And I’m sorry for any trouble I caused you,” I said apologetically.

“My savior, anypony in your situation would be as terrified as you were. You were in a body you weren’t used to. I’m not upset at you.”

Grabbing the towel from the bath, I stood and wrapped it around my waist. “It seems I owe you again.”

“You owe me nothing,” Zecora said with a wide smile. “I mean it.”

I smiled back at her. “Thanks.” Pointing sheepishly to my discarded clothes, I added, “Could I…get changed now?”

As I was walking home, carrying my now torn undershirt with me, I reflected on the events of the past day. It had been a sobering reminder about how lucky I had been. It didn’t matter that this world was based off of a children’s television show. There were clear and present dangers at play, especially in the forest where Zecora and I lived. I had been extremely lucky to have fallen in only Poison Joke and not something life threatening.

“I’ve gotta be more careful,” I whispered. “It’s a miracle I haven’t been attacked since that thing with the Timberwolves.”

I looked at my torn shirt sadly. Now that I wasn’t on Earth, I needed to be more careful about my remaining clothing supply as well. It wasn’t like I could purchase new clothes for humans at Rarity’s boutique or anywhere else in the world. I sighed, held up the shirt by the shoulders, and shook it.

To my surprise, I saw a few feathers fly out of the inside of the shirt. I watched in confusion as the feathers fell towards me and landed on my chest, blown there by a small burst of wind, and stuck to me. I reached down and plucked the feathers from my chest, examining them. There were twelve in all and they were long, pliable, strong, and extremely soft.

I put them in my laptop bag and continued going home. I hadn’t taken more than three steps before a small scroll landed on my head, falling into the dirt. I quickly opened it. And my jaw dropped.

My faithful student Jethro,

What’s brown and gold and silver all over? You!

Athena

I couldn’t help myself. Even if that was an incredibly corny joke, I laughed.

Author's Note

The beginning song he's singing is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4mGytO9-5g

Anyway, I'm glad everyone has been enjoying this story so far. It's been fun writing it! Thank you to everyone who's been favoriting and commenting, it's much appreciated! Have a good day!

7: A Cloaked Heart Hears True

“Wait, for real?” I stared at my computer screen in frustration, then hit the SEND button again. The same error message kept popping up: UNABLE TO CONNECT TO INTERNET. “What the hell does that mean, ‘Unable to connect?!’” I opened a new tab and clicked on my YouTube icon. In moments, the website popped up, and I clicked on a video.

“Pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows! Pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows!” the song played for a bit before I closed the video. Going back to my email, I tried hitting the send button again.

“Goddamnit!” I growled in frustration as the same error message appeared on the screen. “What the hell is going on with this thing?” I leaned back in my desk chair and sighed, rubbing my nose in frustration. “Maybe it has to do with the connection Athena set up? I guess I could ask her about it.”

I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote her a letter.

Dear Athena,

I have a question about my internet connection. I probably should have asked this a whole lot sooner, but I’ve been pretty distracted. I’ve been trying to send a message back home to let my job know I’ll be taking some more leave, but the connection keeps on fritzing out. Can you tell me what’s going on?

Jethro

I placed the letter in the fireplace, then lit it. It was surrounded in a greenish flame, then vanished. I’d already tested the letter delivery system she’d promised, and it had worked, but it had taken her about an hour to respond to it the first time.

I stood from my desk and stretched. I’d been distracting myself from my homesickness that I’d nearly forgotten about it, but I’d been given a grim reminder about it just yesterday. The Poison Joke incident had really taught me a valuable lesson about how dangerous Equestria really was, or at least the Everfree Forest. Wars, famines, COVID or not, Earth is my home, I thought as I stared up at the ceiling.

There was a knock at the door. I felt a smile form on my lips as I turned and walked to my door. “That Zebra can be such a worrywart,” I said to myself as I opened the door.

Sure enough, Zecora stood there, a large basket of exotic looking fruits in her mouth. “Hello, my savior,” she said.

I quickly took the basket from her mouth and set them on the coffee table in front of my couch. “You know, you said two days ago that I could enter your house without permission, so the same can be said of you. No need to knock.”

“Force of habit, I’m afraid,” she said as she came in.

“Did you come to check in on me?” I asked as I took the basket and held it up. “That why you brought a care basket?”

She chuckled. “Well, you caught me,” she said. “After yesterday, I was a bit worried, so I went foraging for some of the rare plants in the forest.”

“Including a rainbow apple?” I asked, holding up an apple that had all the colors of the rainbow on it.

“That’s actually called a Zapp Apple,” she said, “They’re only around on the tree for five days. I harvested this one last season and have been keeping my collection fresh using one of my potions,” she explained. “Try one.”

I looked it over, wondering which side to try first. Going with my gut, I went with my favorite color, green, and took a bite. My eyes widened and flavor exploded in my mouth. The texture was definitely that of an apple, but the flavors were unlike anything I’d ever had. I did taste a distinct apple-y taste, but there was something more. It was like all the different types of fruit flavors had been rolled into one. It was tangy, fruity, earthy, sweet, tart, and slightly acidic. I nearly fell back in surprise, but Zecora rushed over and caught me with her head. “Are you well?” she asked. “Are you still recovering from the Poison Joke?”

“No, that’s not it,” I said. “I was just overwhelmed by this flavor. That, and I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

Her eyes widened. “Why not?!” she asked.

I sighed. “That Poison Joke thing reminded me that this not only isn’t my world, but it’s much more dangerous than I realized. I should have realized sooner, what with the Timberwolf attack, but aside from that, things haven’t been too bad.”

She gently nudged me to the couch and climbed up next to me. “You’re homesick, aren’t you?”

“Extremely.” I turned to her. “How do you handle it so well? You smile so much, and you have a zest for life.”

She chuckled softly. “I’ve been where you’ve been. During my first few months in the forest, I was pretty lonely and missed my home terribly.”

“So how did you get over it?”

“What makes you think I completely got over it?” Zecora asked. “There are certain days where I miss home. But I keep reminding myself that I came here of my own accord, doing what I love and having fun doing it.” She stopped, and her smile faltered. “But…I guess it isn’t the same for you, is it?”

I shook my head. “I’ve been distracting myself by building the castle and exploring the world in my dreams, but even so, there’s still that nagging sense in the back of my head. A sense of longing for home.”

“I wish I was able to help you in some way, but I’ve never heard of such a spell that you say this Twilight Sparkle cast,” she said sorrowfully.

“I know you would if you could,” I replied, “but I’m starting to wonder if it’s even possible to send me back. Why else would Athena have brought my house here and given me the power I have now?”

“Perhaps to protect you from the elements and the dangers of the forest,” Zecora reasoned.

“Maybe so…yeah, that makes sense.”

Zecora put a hoof on my knee and looked up at me. “Distractions can only lead you so far. I tried the same thing in my first few months, but I realized I was only running away. I can’t fully relate to your situation, but I’ll do anything I can to help alleviate your fears.”

Just then, I saw a bright light from the fireplace. Looking over, I saw a scroll lying in it. “Pardon me, but Athena just replied to a letter I sent.”

“By all means,” she smiled.

I rushed over and opened the scroll. What I saw made my heart drop.

My dear Jethro,

I do apologize for not informing you about how you have all your amenities sooner. Please allow me to rectify that at once.

When your body was being transported from your world into Equestria, I was indeed following you in and bringing your house with me. However, at the same time I was creating infrastructures that would allow for your electricity, plumbing and internet to work. You can’t see them but there are three crystals buried beneath your house’s new location.

One turns the magic of this world into electricity. Another drains water from the air and groundwater and converts it into the water you drink. But the third is the largest. I downloaded, as it were, the entire internet as it was the moment of your departure onto the crystal. I’m afraid what you have now is all that you’ll get. The portal back to your world wouldn’t have stayed open long.

I’m truly sorry. I wish I could do more. I’ll understand if you’re upset or angry with me.

Athena

I dropped the scroll. I really was alone, now. Zecora was by my side moments later. “Jethro? Is everything alright? Anything I can do to help?”

I looked down at her. “No, but there’s not much you’d be able to do to help.”

She put her hoof on my arm. “You look unwell.”

“I’m just getting a bit overwhelmed with some new information that Athena just sent me, that’s all.” How dare she? How dare she hide this from me?! She should have told me! As the thought crossed my mind, I came to another realization. If I’d been told just then, I’d probably have had a bigger freak out. I walked to my reclining lounge chair and collapsed into it, sighing as I threw my arm over my eyes.

“Would…you like a blanket?” I removed my arm from my eyes and looked at Zecora. She was standing by my chair and looking worriedly at me.

“No, but I appreciate the offer,” I said with a sad smile. “I’m glad you’re here, though.”

“That is one thing you have that I never did,” Zecora said. “Somepony to help you through your tougher times being away from home.”

I put my hand on top of one of her hoofs, both of which were resting on my armrest. “Thank you. I really do appreciate it.”

“Would you like something to help you sleep?” she asked. “It might help.”

I looked up at the ceiling, thinking a bit. “No thanks, I’m sure I can fall asleep on my own.”

The next thing I knew, she was throwing a blanket over me, and climbing on top of me, leaning down in a sort of Zebra loaf. I knew from her explanations that Ponies were generally more physically affectionate than humans, but I didn’t realize Zebras were too. “At least let me help this way.”

“I’m finding it harder to refuse,” I chuckled, reaching over and booping her snout. “Thank you. I think I am getting sleepy…” I yawned and closed my eyes. I’m coming for you, Athena…

“That kind of information would have been nice to know beforehand, you know?” I stood in front of a frowning Athena. We were standing deep in the Everfree Forest this time around, far from the castle and farther still from Canterlot. “Maybe a little note before I had to ask?!”

“Jethro,” she sighed, “I don’t blame you for being upset-”

“Upset? UPSET?! Athena, I’m beyond upset! I’M PISSED!” The ground beneath me shuddered in response to my fury. “I’m grateful to have the internet, don’t get me wrong, but it’s more of a staticnet now!”

“I wish I could have done more,” she muttered sadly.

I took a deep breath and sighed, rubbing my eyes. “I’m more upset that you didn’t just send me a letter explaining it.”

“I know this is no excuse, but believe it or not, I’ve been busy with many different things ever since coming back,” she explained.

“Like what?”

She chuckled a bit. “Changing your body to better fit Equestria is actually taking more time than I thought. Normally, humans wouldn’t be able to live here thanks to certain elements in the air, but I’ve been slowly changing your body.”

I leaned against a tree. “I see,” I said absently.

“Believe me, it’s taking a lot of magic to change things around for you.”

“But wait,” I said suddenly, “what about when I go back home? Will those changes be undone?”

Athena’s smile faded. “About that…I recently learned something about that spell Twilight used. As far as I know, there was only one way to teleport between dimensions, an ancient crystal mirror which allowed for travel between Equestria and another dimension completely unknown to us. That is, until you told me about the spell Twilight Sparkle used. I don’t think that spell is going to work again.”

“Why not?” I asked, swallowing.

“Interdimensional travel magic is unstable without two focal points in each universe,” she explained. “You’ve seen Stargate, right? It’s the same basic principle. When Twilight cast the spell, it went haywire. It was an extreme coincidence that it reached into your universe.” She sat on her haunches. “If I had to guess, the location spell locked onto my magical signature, but since I was near you at the time, it locked onto the nearest native life form.”

I slid down the tree, trying to process all that she was telling me. A part of me didn’t want to believe her, but lies of omission aside, she’d never once seemed to lie to me before. “Is…there anything else?” I asked haltingly.

“I’m no expert on the spell that brought us here, but if I had to guess, it can’t be cast for a long time again, and even then there’s absolutely no guarantee it would send you back to your world. The chances are slim to none.”

“So…I’m really stuck here, aren’t I?” I chuckled mirthlessly. “Until I die…”

“Please don’t think like that,” Athena said. “You’re not alone-”

“Yes I am!” I shouted angrily. “Oh sure, I might have you and Zecora as a neighbor, but no humans!”

“Jethro!” she had her hooves on her hips, looking at me with a frown. “Is that really important that those who help you are humans?”

I froze. I was about to say yes, but immediately felt guilty about it. I looked down. “Yeah…that was a pretty stupid thing to say, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed it was,” Athena replied. Her voice became softer and she walked over, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “But it’s completely understandable. Thirty years of experience in a world unlike Equestria will have lasting effects on you. Why do you think I was so glad when you met Zecora?”

I took a breath, exhaling slowly. “It’s just…I miss home a lot. I know I don’t show it sometimes, but I do.”

“When I was banished to Earth, chaos curse aside, I missed Equestria,” she said, sitting next to me and looking at the sky. “It hurt being away from here. After the chaos curse was lifted, I began missing this world even more. Especially when I became alone…”

Damn, I forgot she was alone for so long… I scooted a bit closer to her and looked up at the sky along with her. “I’m still upset that you took so long to tell me, but I shouldn’t have yelled at you like I did.”

“I understand why you did it, and I forgive you,” she replied. “I just hope you realize that you’re not alone anymore.”

I nodded. “No, you’re right. I’m not…” I closed my eyes as the world around me swirled…

When I woke, it was late afternoon. I heard a gentle breathing in front of me. Opening one eye, I saw Zecora still sitting in her Zebra loaf position. I smiled slowly. “I’m glad you’re here with me.” Reaching for my phone, I opened it up and began browsing the web. “Staticweb or not, there’s still plenty of use for you,” I chuckled. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Author's Note

The next chapter will actually involve a timeskip, FYI.

8: A Cloaked Heart And The Passage of Time

The next couple of weeks were kind of a blur to me. In my dreams, I didn’t see Athena again, but I kept busy not only by reconstructing the palace piece by piece, but also secretly exploring Ponyville. I also altered the barrier around my house so that it was completely soundproof and no one would be able to hear from the inside but also made me able to hear everything outside. I crafted it so that those I deemed welcome would be able to pass unhindered. Of course, while I was sleeping during the night, I didn’t exactly see any of the events that played out in the first few episodes.

As it turned out, my search for the dragon’s hoard actually bore fruit. On one night two days after the Poison Joke incident, I found the cave. Not only was the dragon not there, but there was a massive amount of ancient looking gold just sitting there with no dragon in sight. Teleporting all those coins back to my yard was draining on my dream magic, but I did need capital.

On the tenth night after discovering the cave, I was finishing up with teleporting the last of the gold to my backyard when I heard the flapping of massive wings in the distance. Turning invisible, I walked to the entrance and peered out. Despite having dream abilities, or astral projection abilities, I nearly shit myself when I saw a massive shadow blanket the stars and approach the cave. I closed my eyes and concentrated on changing my vision abilities.

When I opened them again, I could see everything as clear as if it was daytime. The dragon I saw approaching was definitely similar to the one I’d seen in Dragonshy. In its arms was a large amount of gold coins, which he set down deeper in the cave. Thanks to my enhanced dream vision, I saw the dragon looking around curiously. “I could have sworn I smelled gold here…” the dragon said, The voice was similar to the one from before, albeit slightly more realistic. “Well, it’s alright, I suppose. This is a nice place to sleep.”

I’d always felt myself as having a more outgoing personality in my own dreams, and in this astral form I felt no different. I inhaled slightly, then began to disguise my voice. In a booming voice, resembling the Smaug voice from the Hobbit movies, I began. “Well…thief. I smell you…feel your air…and I can hear your breath. Hmmph…come on! Come on down. There’s plenty to spare!”

The dragon jumped in alarm, looking around. “Wh…who’s there?”

“Did you honestly believe you could inhabit my kingdom and live?” I asked in as menacing a voice as I could. My dream abilities were running low, so I had to be quick about it. “This place contains my hoard, thief in the shadows. This mountain belong to me, and me alone.”

“Who are you?” the dragon whimpered. I could smell piss now. Perfect. Time to really sell it.

I am Smaug the Golden, Smaug the Impenetrable, Smaug the Terrible, Smaug the Defiler. I am fire…I…am…DEATH!”

I released a mighty draconic roar. The dragon inside yelped in terror, flying away from the cave as fast as he could, dropping bits of his treasure as he did but managing to hold onto most of it. As soon as the dragon was out of sight, I gathered all the remaining gold and gems into one pile and teleported them away. That drained my nightly magic enough that I was sucked back into my body.

During some of my daytime free time, I found a website that allowed me to download every possible season and movie of the MLP:FiM TV show. However, I was still extremely hesitant to watch any more. I didn’t want to discuss it with Zecora since she seemed afraid of the show itself. I’d already changed so much that I didn’t want to risk doing too much more to change things.

When I wasn’t doing anything else, I was spending time with Zecora. Not only did we continue our culture and potions lessons, but she began to teach me a lot about the history of Equestria and the founding of Ponyville and Canterlot. The two of us spent a lot of time together, and I grew to appreciate the older mare even more than before. It was always nice to have someone to talk with to keep me from going insane or having the breakdown that threatened to overwhelm me.

When I showed her the various coins I’d teleported to my house, she identified them as rare and ancient forms of bits, each of which were worth a lot of money. I knew I had to get some money in order to buy food from Ponyville eventually since I was running low.

It was a warm late evening when my life would change drastically once again…

“What did you think?” I asked as the credits to the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty began playing. Zecora and I were sitting on my couch in the living room. Outside, the completely restored Castle of the Two Sister gleamed in the late evening sun.

“I must admit, I’m growing to like these movies of yours the more I watch them,” she replied as she stretched. “But is there a reason you’re showing me ones that do not look like reality?”

I frowned. “It’s just…you’ve seen the way My Little Pony depicts Equestria. The world it depicts, and the one you’ve shared, is much more innocent than the one I’m from. Humans can be kind and gentle, but we can also be brutal and violent.”

“I am a full-grown mare, not some filly,” she replied, sounding offended. “I will be able to handle a more mature story.”

Immediately, I felt guilty. “You’re right, you’re right…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.”

Her frown slowly turned into a smile. “I’m not upset. I understand why you would be cautious. But I do enjoy learning new things.”

Looking out of the window, I saw the sun starting to set. “Well, perhaps some other time? It is getting late. Do you want to stay here tonight again? I wouldn’t want you to go home in the dark.”

“We do tend to get caught up, don’t we?” she chuckled. “I’ll stay here, if you’re offering.”

“I’ll prepare the couch bed,” I said as the two of us got up.

Ever since that incident with the Poison Joke, I felt that the two of us had gotten closer. Maybe not friendship worthy, but seeing someone at their worst and not judging them was one way of opening the barriers between people. I’d continued to introduce her to some of my modern appliances, which she’d used to introduce me to some more exotic Farasi cuisine. With only a couple of exceptions, I was a huge fan of all she’d shared with me.

In return, I’d introduced Zecora to some Earth food, making sure it was vegetarian in nature. I’d also shown her the medicine in my medicine cabinet. She was utterly fascinated by the medicine and had asked to have samples of each so she could attempt to replicate them. When I asked why, she had said, “For you, my savior.”

As the two of us prepared for bed, Zecora said, “Hey, you know I’m planning my monthly trip to Ponyville for tomorrow. Have you decided on whether or not to come with me or not?”

I froze in place. I’d been putting off my inevitable visit to Ponyville for the past month, and the thought of it made me anxious. “I…well…”

Zecora walked over and put a hoof on my shoulder. “I understand you’re scared, but I’ll be with you. And I could use your help. Besides, you can’t stay away forever.”

I inhaled deeply. “I know…but I’ll probably be mistaken for a Diamond Dog or something not welcome,”I replied, “and if the princesses find out about me…”

“Just tell them what you’ve told me,” she said with a reassuring tone.

I smiled slightly. “The truth shall set you free, as the old saying goes.”

“So…you’ll come?” She sounded hopeful.

I swallowed a bit, but finally nodded. “Yes. I had to go at some point.”

Her smile was a radiant one. “Perfect. But we’ll have to get up earlier than normal,” she replied as she moved away from me.

“Will eight in the morning be too early?”

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

“Alright, I’ll set an alarm on my phone,” I replied as I set it for seven thirty instead. I did want to make some semblance of breakfast for us. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. If you want, feel free to use the shower.”

“My my, Jethro, are you implying something about me?” she asked in a teasing manner.

“Not at all,” I said with a straight face. We stared at each other for a moment before we burst out laughing.

“Thank you for the offer, but I am more exhausted than normal. I’ll take a shower tomorrow morning before we leave,” Zecora said.

“Alright, sounds good to me. Sleep well.”

“And you as well.”

And with that, the two of us headed to bed. I turned off the lights after some light evening reading, then closed my eyes…

Nearly every time I woke in my astral form, I always ended up in the throne of one of the princesses. Tonight was no exception. I was seated in one of the thrones when I opened my eyes. The room was dark, but it was complete. I’d, of course, discovered a few secret areas of the palace and had restored them all. Fabrics, books, walls, armor, everything was spick and span. The massive library was organized by author’s last names. I’d even begun to think about constructing a false mountain around the palace so I could call myself King Under the Mountain, but decided that was too much.

“I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to go to Ponyville at all,” a familiar female voice said from nearby.

I looked over at Luna’s throne to see Athena beaming over at me. I couldn’t help myself: I ran over and threw my arms around her. “Oh my! I wasn’t expecting this either!” she chuckled, putting a hoof around me.

“I’m glad I can see you again,” I said after breaking the hug. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, but what about you? You’ve made a new friend, and I can tell you two care about each other.”

I hesitated. “Zecora’s…not a friend. She’s my closest neighbor. Sure, I care about her, but that’s just what neighbors do.”

Athena stood and got off of the throne, looking down at me. “Jethro…there’s nothing wrong with making new friends. You know you’ve been acting quite friendly towards her all this month.”

“There’s a difference between acting friendly, and being a friend,” I replied. “Sure, I like talking to her. It keeps me from going insane. She’s taught me a lot, too, and I’ve tried to do the same. And she’s seen me at my most vulnerable and has been nothing but kind, generous, honest, and more. But friends…?”

Athena sighed, shaking her head. “I know how hard this is for you, but you need to try…my faithful student.”

I crossed my arms and smirked. “I’m not Twilight Sparkle, and you’re not Princess Celestia.”

A small smile appeared on her face. “You’re right. I take more direct action than Celestia.”

I tilted my head. “Well…you were a goddess on Earth, so…I guess that makes sense.”

“All I ask of you today is that you try.” Athena’s smile had vanished, replaced with an earnest expression.

We looked at each other for a little while, until finally I sighed. “Alright…Princess Obsidian Star.”

She giggled. “Very good, my faithful student Jethro Bethridge.” She began to glow in that all too familiar way she used whenever she was about to vanish, but stopped when I held up my hand.

“Hey, before you go, I have a question,” I asked.

“Shoot.”

“If I mention your name and that I’m your student or whatever, how will people react to that? Especially the two sisters. I mean, it’s all but inevitable that I’ll meet them.”

“That is…” she paused. “It’s hard to say. I don’t know how history remembers me. The Alicorns in the palace might notice me and try and punish me.”

“Huh…just one more mystery, then,” I muttered.

She began glowing again. “Keep what I’ve said in mind.” And before I could call out to her, she vanished once again.

I collapsed back into the throne I’d been at, staring up at the ceiling. The only thing I’d changed about the palace was the ceiling here. I’d placed small crystals everywhere to imitate nearly perfectly the night sky from my home, which matched the stars from Equestria exactly. I’d also crafted images in the stained-glass windows depicting an image of Earth’s sun through a hydrogen alpha filter as well as an image of my moon with the maria I was familiar with. I’d also hung a globe of Earth from the center of the ceiling.

I ran my hand through my goatee and through my now slightly longer brown hair. While I appreciated Athena’s concern for me, just the thought of calling someone my friend made me uncomfortable. Acquaintance, perhaps. Close friendly neighbors. But…friend? I just found the idea more than a little scary, the more I thought about it.

Shaking the thoughts aside, I flew up towards the ceiling, passing through it. Flying up towards what I assumed was the two sisters’ bedchambers, I landed on a balcony outside the empty bedchambers. Gazing up at the alien sky, I sighed. “You’ve made a nice and beautiful sky tonight, Luna. Is that how it works? What are stars in this world anyway? Ah, I suppose I’ll have time to ask at another time.” I closed my eyes. “Guess I’ll be seeing you fairly soon…”

Author's Note

Yeah, a timeskip chapter. I know, I know, lazy writing, but I honestly couldn't think of another kind of adventure to add on before he inevitably faces the Mane 6 and the Diarchs of Equestria. I had a couple of ideas, but they seemed like more filler than anything, but I'll probably use those ideas later in the story.

Anyway, enjoy!

9: A Cloaked Heart Visits Ponyville

“Did you really need to bring all of that?” Zecora asked me for what must have been the hundredth time as we walked through the forest towards Ponyville.

I sighed. “Zecora, I keep on telling you, yes. You told me you sometimes dig in the town, right? Hence, my small spade. Also, more innocent world aside, I wouldn’t feel safe without my dad’s trusty hunting knife with me. And the clothes? To hide my identity as much as possible.” I hid the second reason of it making me look like some badass ninja.

Zecora sighed. “You’re going a bit overboard.”

“I’m a stranger in a strange land. Honestly, I don’t think I’m prepared enough. I should have taken one of those swords from the castle armory.”

“I don’t think that would work, either.”

Thinking a bit more on it, I nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Are all humans this paranoid?” she asked, a hint of concern in her voice as we entered a spot of mist.

“I’d prefer to call it a healthy dose of cynicism,” I replied. “You told me that the town is empty whenever you arrive. While the day of the week could very well be the reason, it’s also possible that they’re not entirely eager to see something strange to them. And if that’s the case, wait till they get a load of me.”

She snorted, but it sounded more amused now. “Alright, I suppose that makes sense. Look out, though. We’re nearing the edge of the forest.”

I threw my hood over my head and put the black mask over my face, leaving only my eyes. I knew it made me look more threatening than it should, but I was still nervous. And even more terrified at the thought of having to more than likely meet with the two princesses. But it was too late now. Going to Ponyville was more of a necessity now. Besides, it won’t be long before someone notices the miraculous recreation of a thousand-year-old ruin. I’m surprised someone hasn’t taken notice already. I’d already made the mistake of creating a bridge that would make the sisters think I was sus, but it was too late for that faux pas. Besides, if I’m gonna introduce myself as the only human in Equestria, I want it to be on my terms.

I groaned as I stretched my back. The stiffness in my back was still there despite taking medicine and Zecora’s remedies. She’d offered to try and massage my back or even acupuncture, but both ideas were still a bit terrifying for me. I had promised, though, that if nothing changed in the next week, we’d try them.

As we walked out into the sunlight, I smiled. The sky was completely free of clouds and I heard the sounds of happy birds in nearby trees. The pathway was somewhat well traveled. “I’ve got to admit, despite the…non-natural way the weather was made, it’s a gorgeous day today.”

“It’s become natural here, my savior.”

“And honestly, that kind of worries me,” I said, looking up at the sky. I could have sworn I saw a stray cloud briefly before a streak of rainbow dashed into it, disintegrating it instantly.

“Can you explain why?” Zecora asked.

“Back home, we have no means of controlling the weather quite like Pegasi do. Sure, we have airplanes that are made to seed a cloud in the hopes that it’ll create some rain, but that’s pretty much it. Changing the weather patterns might bring harmony in the short run, but in the long run? Weather patterns all over the world might be disrupted beyond repair.”

“I don’t think it’s ever been this way here,” Zecora said.

“And what about in early history?” I asked. “or does the Theory of Evolution exist here?”

“Even before Ponies evolved into what they were today, the Neighanderthal Pegasi still moved the clouds around,” Zecora explained. “Proto-Unicorns were still able to use magic, and, well, you get the idea.”

“All these pony puns are gonna be the death of me,” I groaned. “But what about before they even emerged?”

“Nopony knows for sure,” Zecora replied. “I suspect that there may be more answers in either the Ponyville or the Canterlot libraries. By the way, it looks like we’re coming up to the outskirts of the town.”

She pointed. The somewhat traveled path was leading us towards a mid-sized medieval looking village just over a small rise. To my left, I saw a massive orchard in the distance, trees spread out as far as I could see. A large red barn contrasted with the green all around us. It was eerie for me. Almost too perfect. I gave an involuntary shudder and stopped in my tracks.

Zecora saw this and turned. “Is something the matter?”

“I don’t know…maybe it’s the landscape. It’s kinda freaking me out.”

Zecora walked up towards me, then pushed off the ground, putting both her front hooves on my shoulder. “Look at me.” I obliged. She smiled. “Don’t worry. I know you’ve come from a strange world, but there’s nothing to fear about it.”

She held me in her gaze. I smiled after a while, and she got off of my shoulders. “I know…thanks. I needed that.”

“It is no issue. Now, let’s go get what we came here for.”

The two of us approached the town. I saw movement of various colored figures in town. However, as we continued to approach, I saw those figures start vanishing into the thatched roofed buildings around town. Despite her hood being put up, I saw her ears move a bit down. I was a bit confused at first, until I mentally smacked myself. Of course she’d feel upset. Reaching over, I put a reassuring hand on her withers. “Don’t worry about it. I’m with you now.”

She chuckled. “Thank you for that. Let’s go.”

And with that, I set my very first step into Ponyville. The town being empty bothered me a little, but what freaked me out was the complete silence. Not even a breath of wind. I was almost afraid to breathe, but steeled myself, narrowing my eyes as the two of us walked around.

For about an hour, we walked to certain stores, but all of them were locked. Finally, we were approaching a large colorful building that could easily have been the house from Hansel and Gretel. As the two of us turned the corner, I saw a purple blur rush into a door and close loudly, nearly startling me.

Zecora stopped near the store and began digging in the dirt road. In a soft voice, she said, “Here. I think it’s here.”

“Alright. Stand back.” I reached down and brought out the small spade from my belt. Motioning for Zecora to move away for a bit, I begun to dig up the road. After a little bit, I heard something from the confection shop. As one, Zecora and I turned to face the window. And saw the Elements of Harmony staring back at us.

My first real glance of the Ponies in the window was brief, but I saw the looks on most of their faces were ones of sheer terror. All save for Twilight Sparkle. She was frowning as she looked at me and Zecora with a highly suspicious look. I wasn’t surprised, of course. I doubted very much that humans were even known about in this world, but making assumptions wouldn’t get me very far here. The two of us stared at each other, my face partially hidden behind my black hood. Turning away, I went back to digging. “How deep is whatever we’re looking for?” I asked.

“Not this deep,” she replied, tapping the ground with her hoof. “Try here instead.”

For the next couple of minutes, I dug at the ground before the mini-spade hit something. Brushing it aside, I pulled out some damp looking root, which I handed immediately to Zecora. She removed her hood and got a better look at it. She nodded in approval before she placed it in the saddlebag she was carrying on her back and put her hood back on.

“Okay, that takes care of that,” she said softly. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to buy the ingredients from the store, so it looks like we’ll need to find them in the forest.”

“Well, we tried, and that’s all that matters,” I said reassuringly as I stood. Patting one of my pockets, I smiled when I felt the leather money pouches I had brought along with me for emergencies. Zecora had told me I couldn’t really spend it without breaking the bank, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Looking back at the store, I saw a young filly with yellow fur, pink mane and tail, and a large pink bow in her mane looking out. Our eyes met.

Her eyes widened and she froze. I stopped, reached into my pocket, grabbed one of the money pouches and tossed it towards her. She looked at it in confusion, then looked at me. In a quiet voice and with a wink, I said, “For the damage I caused,” while at the same time pointing to the holes. Turning without another word, I walked down the street, making my way up beside Zecora. I was grateful her dark brown cloak covered her modesty. If there was one thing I knew I’d take some getting used to (if I would at all), it was the fact that nudity for these beings wasn’t as taboo as it was for humans.

“Was that wise?” Zecora asked quietly as we headed back to the Everfree Forest through the fields. “Even one of those coins you found could fix the damage to the road ten times over.”

“Exactly,” I replied. “Never underestimate the power of money. It’s a good tool.”

“I’d be careful using money like that.”

“Trust me, it’s a good way to assuage their fears.”

The two of us headed towards the edge of town again. As we did, the silence was accentuated by the sounds of hoofsteps on the ground. I didn’t make any unusual moves, but whispered, “We’re being followed.”

Zecora nodded. “I can hear them.”

“Just one, I believe. I’m guessing not an adult. A filly, probably, judging by the quicker hoofsteps.”

“I agree, my savior. But they shouldn’t follow too close. Poison Joke is still in season.”

“I remember seeing some on the way here,” I replied.

The two of us fell into silence after that, continuing onward towards the edge of the forest. The two of us were just passing through the Poison Joke when I heard a voice calling out “Apple Bloom!” Zecora and I turned as one to find the Elements of Harmony standing in the Poison Joke plants. “You git back here right now!” Applejack finished, turning to the smaller filly, presumably Apple Bloom, to face us.

The other Ponies were looking at the filly with concern. However, I noticed that Twilight Sparkle was looking at me instead, her own face full of some suspicion. Not that I could blame her. From what Zecora told me about other hominid-like beings, I could very well be a Diamond Dog underneath my clothes.

Zecora’s worried voice called out, “Beware, beware you Pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!” She began backing into the mists we’d passed through only a half hour or so ago. However, I remained behind.

Applejack bravely came up despite that and lifted her sister onto her head, glaring after the Zebra. “You keep your creepy mumbo-jumbo to yourself, ya hear?”

Five of the six began talking all at once. Frustrated, I turned and shouted, “Be silent!”

The Ponies’ eyes went wide with alarm, all except Applejack’s. She glared even harder at me. “And just what in tarnation are you, telling me what tah do!?”

I quickly advanced on them, looming over despite the fact that the Ponies there could probably wipe the floor with me. Even Applejack looked scared now as she retreated back into the Poison Joke. I pointed at the plants. “She was warning you about those blue plants you’re all standing in. They’re called Poison Joke, and they’re all a dangerous plant to be getting into contact with!” Frustrated, I turned and slipped back into the mist.

A few steps into the mist, I found Zecora waiting patiently for me to return. As I removed my hood and mask, she spoke up. “Thank you, my savior, for further illuminating the danger they were in,” she said with a small smile as we resumed our walk.

“Well, your message could very well be cryptic to them, especially when they are in poem forms. I think you’d better prepare that Poison Joke cure, though.”

“How come?”

“I have a feeling they’re gonna come barging to your house tomorrow morning,” I replied.

She sighed, but nodded in understanding. “I have a lot of the ingredients for the bath at my home, but one I can’t get here in the forest.”

“You mean it’s in Ponyville somewhere?” When she nodded, I reached over and stroked her mane. “Don’t worry. If we get visitors tomorrow, we can talk to them and convince them to help.”

“We?” She tilted her head, then a wry grin crossed over her face. “Did you just invite yourself over to sleep, Jethro?”

“Ah…I suppose I did. Sorry, if you don’t want me to-”

“On the contrary, I’d be honored if a strong, brave stallion such as yourself were to stay with me,” she said, giving me a teasing grin.

I grinned. “I do have to meet them at some point,” I said, “That illusion spell won’t hold forever, and no one will just ignore the fact that a ruin is in complete working order again.”

“I know, my savior. I can still see the tension in your face behind that smile.”

My smile slowly faded and I looked up at the branches hanging over the path. “Can you blame me? If meeting those six weren’t enough, I’ll definitely have to meet the two princesses. That has me petrified. They all have enough magic to really do some damage.”

“I understand that, but from what I hear, they are a kind and fair pair.”

“I know that in my head, but my baser human instincts are telling me to be scared still.”

She chuckled. “Would it help if I went with you when the princess summons you?”

I gave her a fake glare. “I might be scared, but I’m no child. Yes, it would help if you went with me for, shall we say, emotional support, but I’d need to do it alone, if only to prove to myself I can do it.”

She nodded. “A wise precaution. If you do change your mind, though, I won’t think any less of you and will gladly accompany you.”

“I appreciate that.”

The two of us spent the remainder of the day gathering the ingredients for Poison Joke cure from the areas around the swamp where Zecora lived. By the time, we were finished, it was too late to create the brew. As the sun set, the two of us relaxed against one of her walls with a warm cup of tea.

Out of nowhere, Zecora asked, “Does that magic stone of yours contain books?” she indicated the phone I was using. There was no native word for cell phone in her language, so she resorted to calling it a magic stone.

“Books? I think so. Let me check.” I scrolled through the apps on my phone and, to my relief, found the Kindle app. “Here we are. What kind of story would you like to hear?”

“Share one of your favorites, please,” she said.

I nodded, scrolling through the few books I had on the app. I much preferred paperbound books, but there had been times when I’d traveled where I found space lacking so I had purchased a Kindle. I found one of my favorite stories. “Here’s one.”

Zecora sat closer to me, looking over my shoulder at the words on the screen. I cleared my throat, and began. “‘In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit…’”

When I woke, I found myself still sitting against the wall. Looking down, I saw that I still had the blanket around me that Zecora had brought for us after the fire began dying down. The last thing I remembered was reading the portion of the story where Thorin’s company had reached Rivendell. I didn’t remember falling asleep, but the stiffness in my neck and back as well as the sun shining in through the window told me what I needed to know.

And that wasn’t all. I felt a large ball of warmth on my lap. Frowning, I looked down. The blanket looked bigger than I remembered it. A very familiar snout was poking out from the blanket. Lifting it up, I found Zecora curled up in my lap, sleeping peacefully with a contented look in her eyes.

This, of course, did nothing for my legs, which were completely asleep. I slowly removed the blanket, causing Zecora to curl up tighter. I hated to disturb her sleep, but my legs were somehow becoming number. “Zecora, it’s time to wake up.”

She groaned, burying her face deeper into her leg to avoid the light shining on her face. Her sound almost blocked out some sounds from the window. The sounds of singing.

“What the hell?” I tried to move, but Zecora was now latched onto my legs for warmth. Sighing, I quietly made my way to the nearest window as best as I could. It took me a while, but I managed to peer out. And what I saw blew my breath away.

I saw, in the distance, a long procession of deer. Much like on Earth, they were elegant, majestic creatures. And they were dressed in what I could only describe as silken robes. Their song echoed through the forest, a peaceful, and yet somehow melancholy tune. Thanks to Athena, I understood the music. It went a little something like this.

“In Elden times, the fair ones lay,
Beneath the silvery light of day.
Unto the seas, their gazes strayed,
And they, our kin, did sail away.

“To distant lands, they traveled thus,
On fairy wings and moonlit dust.
Their ships would sail from morn till dusk,
The seas of gold their only trust.

“To lands far younger than the old,
In Everfree, they made abode.
Their songs were gay, their hearts were gold,
Their home was lovely to behold.

“The ages passed, Everfree grew.
Their magic kept the forest new.
In days long past, they drank the brew
Of untouched streams and fruits of blue

“Then threats appeared, a looming squall
Of beings from their mountain halls.
For from beyond the mountain’s walls,
Barbarity their only call.

“The lines were drawn, the banners flown,
The weapons sharp, the magic sewn.
The battle raged, until standing alone
The Alicorns blew on their horn.

“Harmonious their words, their gazes kind,
The sun and moon were on their minds.
The battle ceased, lines redefined.
And peace between us we did find.

“A peace that’s forced is never one,
Despite all that the two have done.
Our memories are still quite long.
Until we return to where we belong.”

Their melody continued as they walked along the path. Their faces, while serene, did seem to be shadowed by sorrow and resentment. I’d been so focused on their song that I hadn’t noticed a sleepy Zecora had slid in beside me, watching the deer with me. “Wood Deerfolk,” she said, and I could have sworn I heard a hint of awe in her voice. “One of the more ancient races in the world.”

I wanted to ask more about them, but I also was too entranced by their graceful strides and their clothes, which I noticed for the first time seemed to shimmer with hidden moonlight. They’d just gone out of sight when I heard a timid knocking at the door. The two of us turned. I had a feeling I could guess who it was, but I once more didn’t want to assume. I quickly pulled my mask and hood back on, much to Zecora’s disapproving glance.

Zecora walked over to the door and peered out. “Oh, dearie me, a filly? Here? Please, come on in and sit, my dear.”

In stepped the filly Apple Bloom from the day before. She had on a small white saddlebag with an apple sewn onto the side. She looked nervously around, and her eyes landed eventually on me. She squeaked and hid behind Zecora. “Wh…What is that?” she asked, pointing at me with a trembling hoof. “Is it goin’ to eat me?”

“Now now, young one. That is quite rude. He will not use you for your food.” She turned to me and smiled.

My legs having recovered, I walked up slowly, and knelt before Apple Bloom, who hid further behind Zecora’s hind legs. “Hello, little filly. My name is Jethro. I’m a human. It’s nice to meet you.”

Apple Bloom peered out at me, a mixture of curiosity and terror on her face. I smiled as disarmingly as possible, which was hard to do with my mouth being hidden. I didn’t know just how an herbivoric prey species would react to seeing me as an omnivore. I held out my hand, palm outstretched. She looked at it, then back at me. “So…you ain’t gonna eat me?”

“I don’t eat anything that talks,” I replied. “So no, I’m not going to eat you.”

She came out further, approaching my still outstretched hand and tapping it experimentally. Her hoof was actually quite soft. I slowly turned my hand over, showing my nails. “See? No claws. No scales. Just skin.”

She tapped my hand again, and to my relief I saw her trembling start to disappear. After her trembling completely vanished, she looked up at me. “I…I brought back the money you dropped.” She reached back and opened one of the sides of the saddleback with her teeth. Inside I saw the money pouch I’d left back in Ponyville.

“Oh? Why? I did make a mess of your roads,” I said, taking all the blame on myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zecora looking at me with a small glare. “It’s only natural that I pay for damages.”

“But…Twilight told me you could buy all of Ponyville with all that gold,” she said with wide eyes.

“I did warn you,” Zecora said.

“I’m trying to establish myself as friendly, and not an apex predator,” I replied softly before turning back to Apple Bloom. “You looked worried. Is something wrong?”

She rubbed one front hoof with the other, looking upset. “It’s just…mah sister and her friends had somethin’ happen to ‘em.”

“Zecora did try to warn them about the Poison Joke,” I replied. “Those plants are much like Poison Oak, but the results are like a joke.” Zecora rolled her eyes and snorted softly, but I ignored her as I sat in front of the sad little filly. “See, if you let those plants touch you, they rub some kind of oil on you that changes you in some way. I should know, I’ve experienced it firsthand. I’m guessing those changes that happened are funny in a sense?” When she nodded, I smiled. “See? Poison Joke just likes to pull little practical jokes on peo-well, Ponies I suppose. But don’t worry. Zecora here knows how to cure them, but I think we’re gonna need your help.”

“Mah help? What can I do?” Apple Bloom asked.

“An herb I need, but in the forest I cannot find. Could you get it, if you would be so kind?” Zecora asked.

“It’s in Ponyville,” I further explained. “But she can’t get the chance to buy it because no one will give her the time of day.”

“Oh…well, I can try and help,” she said, “but I don’t think I have enough bits-”

“The money is no issue, dear. I have enough for you right here,” Zecora said, holding out a small sack in her mouth that jingled with coins. “If you can find the herb I seek, I’ll cure your sister and her friends in a wink.”

“Well…alright. What am I looking for?” she asked as Zecora lowered her coins into the saddlebag.

“A leaf of green is what I need. Perhaps you’ve heard of Summerseed?”

“Oh yeah…I’ve heard of that,” Apple Bloom said. “I can get some for you!” She had a determined look in her eyes now.

“Thank you,” I said, standing now and looking down kindly on the filly. “But you be careful on your way there, alright?”

She looked up at me, then to my surprise, gave a salute. “I’ll be just fine, thank you Mister Jethro and Miss Zecora!” She galloped out.

“‘Mister Jethro’? My my, someone has a fan already,” Zecora said in amusement.

“She warmed up to me a bit too fast, if you ask me,” I replied as I closed the door after the retreating filly.

“Remember, this isn’t your world,” Zecora said as she turned back to her cauldron. “It’s more at peace than your world sounds like.”

“Yeah…we were on the brink of a third world war when I appeared here,” I sighed. “I guess I dodged a bullet there.”

“Indeed, if I take your meaning correctly,” Zecora said.

“Right, shit, stupid me,” I said in English. “It means I arrived in Equestria before things escalated back on my world.”

“I figured as much. Could you help me with some of those other ingredients?” she asked, going to her shelves.

“Just tell me where to jump, and how high,” I replied in English again, since that kind of response didn’t seem to translate into Farasi.

Zecora laughed, and began telling me which to grab. Soon, we had a green boiling brew going. Zecora put her hoof in the brew, then nodded. “Alright, I think the temperature is perfect for Ponies. I wonder if Apple Bloom’s okay?”

“I think she’ll be here shortly,” I replied. “Filly or not, she’s Applejack’s sister. They work in that orchard out-whoa!” Turning again, I saw four of the six main Ponies staring in. They quickly moved away from the window.

“My savior, are you alright?” Zecora asked.

“I’m fine. I just saw some Ponies outside, four of the same ones we saw yesterday,” I replied as I went to the door and opened it. Peering out at them, I called out, “You Elements of Harmony can come in, if you want. Zecora and I won’t bite.”

The moment those words escaped my mouth, I heard what sounded like a jet engine approaching extremely fast. Everyone else, along with me, looked up. I saw a blue Pegasus flying upside down towards us, a makeshift bit in her mouth as a tiny orange Pony sat astride her stomach. “Ah’m comin’ for ya, Apple Bloom!” a tiny voice shouted as the Pegasus approached me.

I tried to move aside, but it was too late. Receiving a headbutt to the stomach nearly knocked the wind out of me as myself, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack tumbled, all three of us, into the house. Acting fast, I reached around and grabbed at Rainbow Dash’s still flapping wings. With all the strength I could muster, I forced them back into a neutral position. I was sitting against the wall, a broken piece of wood from a nearby now broken shelf jammed painfully into my back. My hands were still against the struggling blue wings.

I watched as a miniature Applejack twirled a makeshift lasso in her mouth, then threw it around my neck. Tightening it, she glared at me angrily. “Where’s Apple Bloom, you monster!?” she demanded of me.

Not wanting to release Rainbow Dash for fear of her accidentally spilling the cure, I didn’t move my hands. Her grip on my neck, however, was tight enough that I found it harder and harder to breathe. “Help…me…” I gasped out in terror.

Thankfully, Zecora rushed over and pushed Applejack off of Rainbow Dash’s stomach. With a bite, she tore into the impromptu noose around my neck, causing me to cough and gag uncontrollably in between taking in deep gulps of air. “Are you alright, my savior? I hope they didn’t steal too much air,” she said, worry obvious in her eyes.

“God…that was terrifying,” I said, giving Zecora a grateful look. “Thanks for saving my life.”

“What in Ponyville is going-Mister Jethro?! Are you alright?!” a familiar filly’s voice called out. A galloping sound rushed up to me, and a pair of worried looking red/orange eyes looking down at me.

“Yeah, I’m-OOOF!” Once again, I lost air as Rainbow Dash headbutted my stomach. Grabbing Apple Bloom by the scruff, she galloped back over to where the others were standing right in front of the open door. “Ow…”

“Little Ponies, I know you’re under duress, but there is no need to hurt my guest!” Zecora shouted angrily at them.

“You led us into that Poison Joke!” Twilight Sparkle shouted in an accusing tone. “You and…that creature!” she said, pointing over to me with one of her hooves. “And now you’re gonna fix it!”

“How dare you? You destroy my home and destroy our work! And then you accuse us of being jerks?!”

“You purposely led us down to that Poison Joke, and now you’re gonna fix it!” Rainbow Dash demanded.

Zecora was about to reply, but I stumbled over and put a hand on her withers again. She looked up at me, and I could see the protective anger in her eyes slowly vanish. “Relax, I’ve got this.” Whirling on the Ponies, I glared at them. They gasped when I slowly advanced on them. In a low, but threatening tone, I began to speak. “So, to recap: The two of us come into town for a little shopping trip, you paranoid Ponies freak the fu-flip out about something that’s even the most slightly different than yourselves, and when you stalk us and end up in the Poison Joke, your paranoia boils over until you can’t even think straight. Zecora’s words were pretty exact, you know. And I warned you about those plants being dangerous, but apparently that wasn’t enough for you! If this is the reaction all Ponies have to something even the most remotely unlike them, you’re all racists!”

I winced as I stumbled. Zecora steadied me, gently leading me to the bed. “You should relax and take a breath. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with the rest.”

I coughed a bit as she brought the covers over me. “Thank you…and I’m sorry…”

“Apologize not, my caring friend. There is no need for you to make amends.” She handed me a small vial. Switching to Farasi, she continued, “Drink this. It’ll put you into a healing sleep.”

Friend…did she just call me…? My eyes widened a bit. Zecora thinks we’re friends? Oh God… “Well…thank you…” I said, my eyes fluttering shut. The last thing I saw was Twilight Sparkle looking at me with a curious expression.

I found myself standing in the throne room of the fully restored Palace of the Two Sisters once again. My mind was in turmoil. Zecora had just called me her friend. I began walking through the massive empty halls, thoughts racing. As I was wont to do whenever I was like this, I thought aloud.

“She called me a friend. A friend?! But we’re not friends! She’s my neighbor! Nothing more!” I heard my frustrated voice echoing through the darkened hallways. With a snap, the empty torch sconces were empty no longer and lit with a warmth these old halls had probably not seen in centuries. “I don’t…why did she say we were friends? Was it just an expression? Or did she really mean it?”

Time passed, and I continued walking up and down the halls, trying to think this through. On one hand, I was scared of the idea of making new friends. Not that I’d been betrayed by any, it was just that I was scared of losing them. But on the other hand, I had spent a good deal of time with Zecora over the course of the month. I was glad she was the first person I’d run into in this world.

I was so lost in thought, I didn’t hear the voices until they echoed down.

“…it reconstructed so meticulously, dear sister?” a female voice said from down the hallway.

“I wish I knew,” another voice replied, also female. “The magic required to reconstruct it this fast would have to be tremendous.”

I froze. Turning myself invisible, I floated towards the source of the sound, which incidentally led me back to the throne room. When I reached it, I found that the throne room was no longer empty, but instead had some unexpected visitors. Princesses Celestia and Luna were wandering the massive room, looking at everything around. They weren’t alone, though. I saw what looked like a couple of platoons of heavily armored stallion Ponies standing guard a few feet away from both princesses.

Remembering suddenly the lit torches, I waved my hand, willing them to go out without a peep. I continued watching the two princesses looking around. Luna gazed up at the ceiling towards the meticulously recreated skies of Earth. “Dear sister, look at this. This wasn’t here before.”

Celestia looked up at the recreation of the stars. She frowned. “Why would someone recreate the heavens here?”

“I don’t know, but look at that image,” she said, pointing to the moon. “That looks like the moon, but we have never seen it look like that before.”

“Much like that,” Celestia said, pointing to the image of the sun. “It looks like the sun. But that I don’t recognize at all.”

The two flew up to look at the globe hanging from the ceiling. Luna tapped it with her hoof, causing it to spin slowly. “We don’t recognize any of these landmasses,” she said. “It’s almost as if somepony took Equestria and mixed up the landmasses.”

At those words, the two mares froze. Turning to each other, they gasped. “Discord!”

Discord? Who the hell is that? I wondered curiously.

“Captain,” Celestia ordered a nearby Pegasus soldier, “Take two of your men and return to Canterlot. Find the statue of Discord and report her status.”

“Yes, your highness,” the Pegasus replied. Turning to his soldiers, he barked out orders to them, leaving his subordinate in charge.

“Could she have escaped?” Luna asked. “Thou and I dost not hold the Elements any longer.”

“It’s possible,” Celestia replied, “but it’s only been a month since the Elements were bestowed on those six. If she is still encased, we should work to enforce the enchantment.”

I listened in. I had no idea who this “Discord” chick was, but the way they freaked out, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to meet the girl.

“That aside, the magic here doesn’t really feel chaotic,” Celestia said, taking a deep breath. Then stopped. “Luna, I smell smoke.”

“As do we,” Luna replied. “Almost like an extinguished torch.”

I nearly facepalmed. Good going, you idiot!

“Guards, fan out and search the premises,” Celestia ordered. “Somepony is here with us!”

The second in command spread out some of his platoons to search the palace, leaving a platoon in the throne room, himself included. I floated above, watching this go down.

“The unusual sun. moon and inaccurate globe aside, why would Discord recreate our old castle so meticulously,” Celestia said, walking over and sitting in one of the thrones, presumably her old one. “And the bridge, too. It’s extremely solid. It doesn’t quite sound like her. Her domain is chaos, not reconstruction.”

“Dost thou have anycreature else in mind who could use such magic?” Luna asked, sitting in the other throne.

“I wish I did,” Celestia sighed. “Perhaps I’ll ask my faithful student to do a little digging.”

“Thou rely on her too much sometimes,” Luna said.

“Luna, you and I both know the schedule we are both under,” Celestia replied. I immediately saw a look in her eyes that expressed a timeless weariness.

“Yes, we do understand, dear Cellie,” Luna said in a softer, sisterly tone. “But the more stress you put on thy student, there may be more of a chance she slips up.”

“This is a simple history assignment,” Celestia said, waving her sandal-clad hoof. “But I see your point. I’ll have the historians look as well. For all we know, this could be the work of somepony we don’t know about.”

I felt myself being dragged up out of the building suddenly, then the world faded away…

“Nnng…”

Bright light shone directly in my face as I opened my eyes once again. It was midafternoon once more, and the house was silent. The ache in my upper back remained, but the part where I’d injured myself while trying to stop Rainbow Dash felt completely cured.

Sitting up, I quietly looked around for Zecora, but she wasn’t around. Looking outside, I couldn’t see her anywhere. Turning away from the window, I saw a parchment on the upside-down cauldron. Picking it up, I saw Zecora’s neat handwriting.

My Savior,

I have traveled to Ponyville on the request of the Elements of Harmony to become better acquainted. If you wake before I return, I’ve set aside a cucumber sandwich for you.

Your friend,

Zecora

There it was again, plain as day. I tried to swallow the lump that threatened to rise in my throat as I stared at that word again. I can’t…I can’t be friends with anyone here, I thought as I looked around for a quill and ink. Finding some on a nearby shelf, I turn the letter over and, in Farasi, write out a reply.

To Zecora,

Thank you for all of your hospitality over the past day. I’m sorry I missed you, but I’ve got to get home. It seems the two princesses have already discovered my not so little secret. When you return, I’ll be gone. For the time being, I’d like to ask you to promise and keep my location a secret from anypony who asks. However, if circumstances lead you to show my home to others, please know I will not think any less of you. You’re always free to visit me at any time.

Jethro

P.S.: If the princesses order you to bring them to my house, use your best judgement but please don’t get yourself in trouble.

Placing the letter in plain sight, I gathered up my things, what little I’d brought, as well as the sandwich, and slipped out into the afternoon sun.

The trip back to my house was eerily quiet, almost as if the forest was holding its breath. I hardly heard any animals scurrying around in the branches above, and there was hardly any wind. I kept off the roads as often as I could, and as I approached my house, the zoom on my camera confirmed my fears. In the road, directly in front of the bridge, I saw five stallion soldiers, pacing up and down and side to side near the bridge.

Quickly ducking into the brush, I slowly but carefully approach the edge of my house’s protective barrier. I did my best to make as little noise as possible. I was only a few meters away from the barrier when one of the soldiers who was patrolling the road looked over. Our eyes met, and his eyes widened. “Halt, in the name of Celestia!” he shouted in order.

Panicking, I burst into a run. Despite the fact that I had created the barrier, even I couldn’t see the borders of it yet, at least not well enough. I heard the soldier shouting after me to stop as well as calling out for support. I drew out my knife as I ran, continuing to burst forward with every ounce of speed I had.

It wasn’t enough. Something hit me in the back and I went sprawling. Fortunately, I had a good enough grip on my knife to keep a hold of it. I was quickly turned over only to find myself staring into the teal green eyes of a Pegasus Pony who was glaring down at me. “Do not resist and come with us!” he ordered.

If I had to describe the guard who had me pinned, it would be Roman Legionnaire. I had no idea how that was even possible, but there it was. But my mind wasn’t too focused on that at the time. I was focused on escape. Fortunately, he’d forgotten about my legs. With as hard of a kick as I could muster, I kicked at where I hoped his family jewels were. His eyes went cross-eyed and he fell over, gasping in pain. “Assist! Assist!” he shouted as I scrambled to my feet and ran, now limping with what felt like a twisted ankle.

Two other guards sprang out from the trees on either side of me, rushing at me. Ignoring the pain in my ankle, I gave one last burst of speed towards what I hoped was the barrier.

The next thing I knew I was lying on the grass of my property, gasping heavily and drinking in the air around me. I was sorely out of shape, and my only saving grace had been the fact that I’d been spotted so close to the house. Turning, I saw the guards kicking and hitting at the invisible barrier with all their strength. I ran inside my house and shut and locked the door, collapsing into bed as soon as I got there.

I lay in bed for what seemed like hours, trying to calm myself down. I wasn’t really tired enough to sleep, but neither did I want to get out of the warmth and comfort of my familiar bed. It helped ground me to reality, whatever reality was in this strange magical world. I began to hyperventilate Pure, unadulterated terror flowed through me. Fuck…I just assaulted one of Celestia’s guards. I’m dead. I’m so dead! She’ll have me arrested and rotting in jail before I can think!

I was so lost in panicked thought that I didn’t hear the knocking the first few times. It was only when the doorbell was used that I sat up. Looking over at the clock, I saw it was almost seven thirty in the evening. I’d been in bed for at least two hours.

I struggled to get up and headed to the door. I looked out the peephole and saw a worried looking Zecora standing there. I saw a few other points behind her just outside my property line. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I gently opened the door…

Author's Note

Before you all say anything, yes, I know Discord is male. Trust me, there's a reason for Discord's change of sex.

I've been fretting over this chapter and the next one for a while, trying to get it just right. I hope I did.

Man, I wish I had enough money to pay for some art of this story like I've seen other stories do.

10: A Cloaked Heart and the Long-Awaited Meeting

“Jethro, my savior!” Zecora got up on her hind legs, placing her front hooves on both my shoulders. Her worry was evident, but I wasn’t focused on her. I looked past her to the points I’d seen earlier. Two Alicorns stood just outside my property line, looking around with serious expressions on their faces. Not only that, but I saw a larger number of stallion guards as well as the six Elements of Harmony, all with varying looks of worry and suspicion on their faces. All except Pinkie Pie, who was laughing and giggling while bouncing off of the barrier, clearly enjoying herself.

“Why did you leave?” Zecora continued, regaining my full attention.

I turned to her once more. “Please forgive me, but I had to make sure my home hadn’t been discovered and ransacked by Celestia’s guards.”

Zecora’s eyes widened. “They would never do such a thing!”

“You might know that, and others might, but I’ve only been here for a month,” I replied. “I still think like a human, remember? Besides, it wasn’t all paranoia. I was spotted. And…I attacked a guard. I’m probably going to prison now…” Suddenly exhausted, I collapsed.

Her ears flattened, and a look of concern crossed over her face. I swallowed, never realizing just how much a look like that directed at me by her would hurt. I looked down as she spoke. “I understand you’re still scared, and I’m not angry with you, but you were still needing to sleep. That concoction I gave you will only work if you sleep more. Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I trust you,” I replied, still not able to look at her. “But a picture is worth a thousand words. No matter what I’ve seen in that magical recreation of your lives, I need to see things for myself.”

She lifted my head to face her once more. That tender smile on her face helped me relax a little bit. “You have my word that the princesses will do you no harm.”

I began to panic again, breathing harder and faster. “Zecora, I’m scared. Really, REALLY scared. Those aren’t princesses. They’re goddesses with the power to wipe me from existence the moment I even LOOK at them wrong,” I replied. “I can’t move, it’s that bad. And I attacked one of her guard!” And it was true. Even if they couldn’t see me, looking at the two godlike princesses was almost enough to make me lose the sandwich she’d made for me.

She gently led me to one of the chairs on my porch and sat me down in it. “My savior, please take deep breaths. Fear is only natural in your case. The guard told the princess what happened, and I believe you acted out of terror,” she said reassuringly. “Stay here. I will inform the princess of your state. Do I have your permission to use your name?”

I slowly nodded. Zecora smiled gently at me and turned to walk towards the barrier. The moment she passed through, the Elements of Harmony surrounded her.

“Well? Is that creature going to speak with us?” Twilight asked.

“Oooh! Oooh! Is it preparing a party for us!?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. “I bet it’ll be so cool!”

“Settle down there, pardner,” Applejack said. “Yer bein’ a bit rude there.”

“I-I hope it’s nice,” Fluttershy said softly, hiding behind Rainbow Dash.

“Don’t worry, if it’s not I’ll beat the snot out of it faster than you can say ‘Cloudsdale rocks’!”

“Silence, all of you!” Luna bellowed, causing everyone save Celestia to wince at the sound. “Unknown creature from beyond the barrier, come forth and show thyself!”

Celestia held up her hoof to silence Luna. “Easy there, dear sister. You might scare him.” I smiled immediately. Celestia hadn’t referred to me as an it. “Well, Zecora? What did he say?”

“An it he is not, you Ponies all. Jethro Bethridge is his call. Forgive me, for he trembles and is pale. In fright he lies beyond the veil. He is alone, with none of his kind. He fears bars he’ll be put behind.”

That brought a somber mood on everyone out there. Even Luna seemed slightly smaller by Zecora’s words. “Why…why would he think that?” Pinkie finally spoke, a hint of concern in her voice.

“A world without magic is his home. And now into our own he’s roamed,” Zecora continued to explain. “Terror has clawed its way into his heart. That is why he keeps you and him apart. He fears retribution for hurting your guard. This is why he believes he will be barred.”

“But Princess Celestia is the kindest and gentlest ruler in the world!” Twilight said, eyes wide.

“Twilight, hush for a moment,” Celestia said with an air of authority, causing her faithful student to go silent. “Why would he fear us this much?”

“The power of deities you two possess. That is what has him under duress,” Zecora further explained.

Celestia nodded slowly. Turning to her sister, she said, “Luna, this will require a much more delicate approach than you’re used to,” Celestia said. Turning back to the barrier, she approached. “Jethro Bethridge, was it?” she began with a calm tone, “I swear by my authority as Princess of Equestria you will come to no harm. You will not be arrested, and you will not be mistreated by anypony here.” She turned to face the Elements of Harmony. “And I mean it.” The look in her eyes practically said Don’t try anything. She turned back to the barrier. “I am aware that you assaulted one of my guards, but judging from what I’ve just heard, your terror got the better of you. I swear we won’t seek any retribution from you.”

Zecora came back through to find me still trembling. She moved closer and touched her forehead to mine. “Did you hear all that?” she asked.

“Y-Yeah, I did,” I replied. “I’m still scared.”

“I understand, my friend,” she replied. “Put your hand on my withers. I’ll be with you.”

I inhaled deeply, then lowered my head. Her forehead met mine again, one of her hooves wrapped around my neck reassuringly. “Thank you,” I whispered softly. After a while, I gently broke away, straightening. “I’m more ready now.” I stood and winced.

“My savior?”

“It’s my ankle,” I whimpered. “When that guard tackled me, I twisted it pretty severely.”

“Lean on me for support,” she insisted.

I knew that tone: a tone that said Do it or else. “Thank you.” I put my hand on her back and leaned against her.

Silence fell as they waited. I froze, still afraid despite her reassurances. A couple seconds passed. Be calm, Jethro. The soothing voice of Athena sounded in my head just then. Don’t be afraid. Just breath and relax. Hearing her voice in my head did help me relax. Taking a deep breath, Zecora and I slowly approached the barrier, straightened, and pushed through.

Everyone save for the princesses backed away, some nervously, some nearly ready to attack. I winced as I stepped through and stood before the two princesses. Unlike Zecora and other normal sized Ponies, Celestia was the same height as Athena, if not slightly more so. Luna was slightly shorter than Celestia, but was still taller than I was.

We stared at each other, not speaking or blinking for a good ten or so seconds. Then, remembering I was in the presence of royalty, if not a being of godlike power, I did the only thing I could think of. I took a knee and lowered my head, placing my hand on my chest. In as steady a voice as I could muster, I said, “Your Highnesses, it is indeed a great honor to be in your most illustrious presences. My name is Jethro Bethridge of the planet Earth.”

Silence. Utter silence. No one made a move, not as far as I could hear. The more no one spoke, the more nervous I became again. Taking Athena’s words to heart, I breathed in and out regularly.

“We like this creature, sister,” the booming voice of Luna said, a hint of amusement in her voice. I tensed up again, breath audibly catching.

“Luna, no one speaks that way anymore. You’re scaring him further,” Celestia admonished. “And no one call him a creature or an it. He is living and sapient, just as we all are. Zecora has made that quite clear.”

My heart was racing in terror now. I felt for sure that I was about to be arrested or something. However, I felt a gentle pressure on my shoulder. “Don’t be afraid,” Celestia, sounding gentler now, said. “Please stand.”

When I didn’t move, Zecora came to my side and put her head beneath me. Gently but with great strength, she helped me to my feet. I inhaled sharply as I accidentally stepped on my twisted ankle.

Celestia noticed this, because she said, “Are you injured?”

“It’s my ankle, your Highness,” I replied. “I twisted it pretty badly.”

“Allow me,” she said. Her horn began glowing. I felt something wrap itself around my ankle. Looking down, I saw some of Celestia’s magic enveloping my ankle. I forced myself not to panic as the pain in my ankle slowly disappeared. Soon the magic vanished and my ankle felt back to its normal self.

I still was too scared to let go of Zecora. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind and pressed herself closer to me. I regarded the princess once more with, as the apostle said, great fear and trembling. Despite my kind having evolved to be attracted to other humans, I had to admit to myself that Celestia was an enchanting being, fur a white sheen which glowed the color of sunshine and a rainbow-colored mane and tail that fluttered in some kind of ethereal breeze. Unlike the show, her mane and tail had every single color of the rainbow. She had a warm smile on her face now. “May we come in?” she asked, pointing towards the barrier. “We want to talk with you. And no, that is no order.” Her tone suggested appeasement which helped me relax even more.

“I…It would be my pleasure,” I said, bowing again, before turning to the barrier. Touching the surface, it glowed and warped. My fear aside, I knew I could not lie to any of them. “Free access is granted for the individuals known as Princess Celestia of Canterlot, Princess Luna of Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie.” I turned and looked apologetically at Celestia. “I apologize for not including your guards. I don’t know their names, and to be honest, they do make me nervous. I was chased by them earlier, too…”

Celestia chuckled and shook her head. “No need for apologies. Captain, remain on guard here. If any danger arises, blow the horn.”

The guard from my dream looked apprehensive. “But your highness, we don’t know what this creature is or what kind of magic it possesses, and he did attack one of our own-”

“Zecora has vouched for him,” Celestia replied sternly, silencing the guard. “That is enough for me. You also chased him and terrified him even more. So you will stay out here. Understood?”

“Yes, your Highness.” The captain lowered his head in obedience, but I saw a glare directed at me. I tried my best to ignore it, but my fear grew more.

“Please, follow me,” I replied, passing through the barrier. I stepped through, then moved aside so everyone could walk through unhindered. A half minute later, every Pony I’d let in was looking around in awe at not just my house and land, but at the shed and gold I’d stacked away. Everyone, that is, except Rainbow Dash. She was looking square at me, a look of mistrust in her eyes.

Instantly, she was in front of me, grabbing my collar and leaning in. “Alright, you’re gonna answer my questions now. How’d you know all our names? Are you some kind of spy!?”

She squealed as she was pulled away, Applejack pulling on her tail. Rainbow Dash released me and fell tumbling to the ground. “Calm down there, sugarcube,” the farmgirl said. “Not in front of the princesses. They ordered us to play nice.” She turned to me. “Sorry ‘bout her. She can be a tad suspicious at times.”

I nodded, fixing my clothes shakily. “W-Well, I’m not surprised about that. I am practically an extra…extraequestrial,” I replied.

“Extra what now?” she asked.

“Alien being,” I said. “I’m not from this world.”

Immediately, a pink furred blur jumped over in front of me. “Oh wow! What are you? Are you friendly? Do you like parties? Maybe we should throw a welcome party for you back in Ponyville!” The pink blur that was Pinkie Pie began looking around. “Oooh! This is a strange home! Oh, but not in a bad way!”

“Pinkie, calm down,” Applejack said, grabbing onto her tail and pulling her back. “Ah reckon you’re scarin’ the poor feller even more.”

Twilight was the next to approach me with an eager expression on her face. “You’re an extraequestrial? Where are you from? How’d you get here?”

I held up my hands, feeling myself grow more nervous. “Please, I’ll answer all of your questions in a moment. First, let me light a fire outside. I don’t think my house will be able to fit everyone.” I indicated the firepit. “Please wait here, I’ll be right back.”

I rushed into the house, digging through the closet for some extra blankets. Halfway through, I collapsed to my knees, taking in great gulps of air. “I just spoke to a princess…a fucking princess…Oh God…” I felt nausea rise within me now.

“Need some he-Jethro? Are you okay?” Zecora was standing a few feet away, paused as if she was walking towards me then stopped.

“Ah…just a bit weak in the knees,” I said with a nervous smile. “And I want to puke.”

“Here, let me help,” she replied, walking over and lowering her head. She helped me to my feet. “You’re trembling.”

“Heh, you try not falling to your knees in terror in the presence of two princesses who could very well be called deities,” I replied shakily as I continued grabbing blankets.

“Put those blankets on my back,” she said. As I did so, she continued, “You’ve nothing to fear from them.”

“I almost pissed myself,” I replied.

“They mean you no harm, my friend. I promise.”

There it is again! Friend! I stiffened slightly, pausing a bit before going back to gathering blankets. “Like I said, my brain knows that, but my baser human instincts don’t. But…for your sake, I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all anyone can ask,” a familiar soothing voice said from down the hall. I turned quickly, seeing Princess Celestia herself standing in my house. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

I bowed once again. “Forgive me, your Highness. I didn’t mean to make you wait-hold up? You speak Farasi?” My curiosity greatly overcame my fear in that moment.

She chuckled, clearly amused. “That’s one of the perks of being an immortal. I was getting a little worried when you didn’t come back out.”

“Forgive me, your Highness, I was simply-”

“Recovering after all that sudden excitement out there?” Celestia asked. I nodded slowly. “I’m sorry about that. I invited the Elements of Harmony to accompany me and my sister here. And don’t worry about being in here so long. I could see how overwhelmed you were. Please, raise your head. I can see your terror. Believe me, my sister and I will do everything in our power to reassure you.” To my shock, she lowered her head to me. I was no politician, but for a princess to bow to someone of the common folk willingly…I knew she was kind from what I had seen in the show, but TV and reality rarely echoed each other.

“Please, don’t bow to me!” I said, holding out my hands shakily. “Please get up!”

Celestia did so, giving me a hopeful look. “I hope that was enough to gain some trust.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but quietly nodded. “I…I’ll be right out.” Gathering the remaining blankets and some pillows for good measure, I followed Celestia and Zecora out.

By this time, I could see the sun had gotten lower in the sky. The temperature had gone down a bit. Looking around, I saw Rarity admiring the gems and jewelry, Twilight was looking inside my shed at some of my devices, Fluttershy was in a corner, looking scared, Rainbow Dash was flying up and down through my barrier, Pinkie Pie was zooming around, exploring everything, Applejack was looking at my grape vines, and Princess Luna was standing near the firepit, watching everything.

I inhaled deeply, walking out with Zecora close beside me as she kept me steady. With Zecora’s help, I began setting up blankets and pillows for everyone to sit on. When I finished, I began assembling a fire then lit it. Just as it was getting close to twilight, the sun set. Stars began appearing and in the east I saw the silvery light of the moon peering over the horizon.

With the onset of night, I started feeling a bit more comfortable. I looked around. Pulling out my phone, I opened the notes app and created a new document. Twilight’s eyes widened as I did so, but she said nothing . “Um…c-can I get everyone here something to drink? I have water, milk, soda, tea, sweet tea, juice, cider, hot chocolate-”

“Cider? That wouldn’t happen tuh be apple cider, would it?” Applejack asked, one eyebrow raised.

I nodded. “That’s correct.”

Her questioning look turned into a grin. “Ah’ll have some cider then, if it ain’t too much trouble. Ah’m curious about what alien cider tastes like.”

“Soda please!” Pinkie Pie said, grinning widely.

“Alright,” I nodded. “So that’s one soda, one cider, does anyone want anything else?”

“If you’re offering, just some water,” Fluttershy said shyly. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“I heard you say cider!” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ll take some of that!”

“Alrighty,” I said, feeling slightly more comfortable now. “That’s two apple ciders, a soda, and a water. And how about everyone else?”

Celestia, appearing somewhat relieved by my antics, said, “Thank you for offering. I’ll have some tea, please. I'll leave the flavor at your discretion.”

“We shall as well,” Luna said.

“I’ll have some tea, too,” Rarity said.

“So…three teas, two apple ciders, soda, and water. And for Princess Celestia’s most faithful student?” I asked with a polite smile. I’d quickly slipped into the persona I’d had when I used to be a waiter.

“Sweet tea for me, please,” Twilight said, looking excited. “Alien tea…so exciting!”

“Excellent. I’ll be back with those as soon as I can,” I said, heading into the kitchen, Zecora quickly joining me.

The moment the two of us were alone, I swallowed hard. I wasn’t an alcohol drinker, but I never wanted to down something to calm my nerves more than in that moment. Zecora saw this and approached, standing on her hind legs and, to my surprise, hugged me from behind. I’d learned that the inhabitants of this world were a lot more affectionate than humans were. And in this moment, I welcomed it once more. “Zecora, I-”

“Shh, my savior. I can feel it. The tension within you. And I don’t just mean due to the presence of the princesses.”

I started to ask what she meant, but she put a hoof over my mouth. I went silent and she removed that hoof, beginning to stroke my hair gently with it. This helped me calm down considerably. When she released me, I turned and smiled at her. “Come, my savior. Let’s prepare the refreshments for your guests.”

Zecora placed the kettle on to boil and grabbed three mugs, placing three honey chamomile teabags inside them for later. I poured a strawberry soda in a large glass for Pinkie Pie, grabbed a razzleberry sweet tea can for Twilight, a couple large glasses of apple cider for Applejack and Rainbow Dash and a large glass of ice water for Fluttershy. Zecora’s favorite drink of mine was strawberry banana juice, oddly enough. When I’d finished that, we waited for the water to boil in silence. When that was finished, I poured the hot water into the mugs and waited a little while. After the tea was finished, I moved the teabags out and placed them on an empty plate to cool.

Placing the glasses and mugs on two platters, Zecora and I carried them out and placed them on the ground. “Here you all are,” I said. “I have a strawberry soda, two large ciders, a glass of ice water, some razzleberry sweet tea, and three honey chamomile teas. Please enjoy.”

I watched as everyone approached and collected their drinks. Of course, the princesses and Unicorns used their magic to do so, and I watched in astonishment. It was my first time seeing Equestrian magic like that, and I was certainly not disappointed. I observed everyone else use their hoofs to inexplicably lift their glasses. Not surprisingly, Fluttershy was the last to grab hers, and as soon as she did, she moved quickly away.

I walked over to the fire, a glass of water in my own hands. Grabbing my lawn chair, I took a seat. To my surprise, Zecora sat quite close to me. Taking a deep breath, I began. “Now that we’re all situated, I know a lot of you, if not all of you, have plenty of questions, but please don’t ask all at once.” I turned to Celestia. “Your Highness, I know you most likely have the most questions out of all of us. I will answer as truthfully and honestly as I can.”

Celestia took a small sip of her tea, nodding in what I hoped was approval as she did so. She turned to me, her smile now gone. “Were you the one who rebuilt the castle?”

I straightened but nodded respectfully. “Yes. Yes I was.”

Almost everyone began talking at once, throwing questions my way from left and right. Celestia raised her hoof and silenced them. “I see. And how, pray tell, was this accomplished?”

“Well…to answer that, I would need to explain the circumstances behind my being here. Might I do so?” When she nodded, I launched into my unusual tale. Everyone was silent now, listening with bated breath at my nearly impossible tale. Twilight was writing furiously with her magic as I spoke. I told them everything, save for the identity of Athena, but I did explain that she wished to remain anonymous. When I was finished, everyone was silent.

“So…perhaps Twilight’s attempt at that displacement spell wasn’t as unsuccessful as I had thought,” Celestia said, turning to Twilight, who’s ears flattened and tail curled up around her. “Don’t be upset, my faithful student, we’ve put that all behind us now.” Celestia turned to me. “But the question remains, how do we handle this?”

“How do we know he’s on the level?” Rainbow Dash said, wings flapping slowly.

“For all we know, he could be spitting a lot of hooey,” Applejack added. “No offense, stranger.”

“None taken. Here, I can provide some proof right now about one thing: the television show depicting your adventures in friendship.” I sighed, pulled out my phone, and brought up Netflix. Selecting the first episode of the show, I held up the screen for all to see. They were able to hear well enough, but the screen was so small that they crowded together. I heard the voice of the in-show Celestia introduce the tale of Nightmare Moon.

Just then I realized something. The voices I heard from the real thing, while similar in tone and how they spoke, were not the same. When the story changed from Celestia’s voice to Twilight’s, I was sure of it: their voice actresses did not sound the same as those from this new reality. I let the intro play out as well, and as I did that, I looked around at the faces to see their reactions. When I saw Luna’s tearful expression, I quickly turned off my phone. “Forgive me, your Highness,” I said, bowing my head apologetically, “I did not mean to bring up recent painful memories.”

“Thou art forgiven,” Luna said, smiling despite herself.

“Are the rest of you convinced?” I asked, turning to the rest of the Ponies.

There was silence for a while. Celestia’s and Luna’s faces were both unreadable, Twilight’s was one of wonder, Rainbow Dash and Applejack shared a look of incredulity, Fluttershy, of course, looked completely petrified, Rarity had her jaw dropped, and Pinkie Pie had the widest grin on her face. Unsurprisingly, she was the first to speak up. “Wowee! An entire group of people in another world know about us! That’s so cool!”

“Downright creepy, more like,” Applejack said.

“Yeah…I can see that,” I said as I put my phone away. “I shouldn’t show anything more. My presence has already affected things too much.”

“How so?” Twilight asked.

“Did you guys have to go up a mountain to help remove a dragon recently?” I asked.

“D-D-Dragon?!” Fluttershy gasped, trembling in her, well, hooves.

“Yes. There was an episode called Dragonshy where you all traveled up a mountain to convince a dragon to stop napping there or risk being covered in smoke and ash for a hundred years or so. I chased the dragon away. In fact, that gold over there would have been his hoard had I not found it first,” I explained, indicating the gold piles in my yard.

“Wh-What did you do to it?” Fluttershy asked again.

“I didn’t harm him, if that’s what you’re afraid off,” I replied. “I chased him away from the cave by imitating a mighty dragon roar. He’s long gone by now, fearful that he stepped into the lair of a dangerous dragon.”

“That roar…was you?” she asked again.

“Ah…I guess I did go overboard,” I said, once more nervous. “But the fact remains he won’t be coming back.”

“You did give us quite a scare,” Applejack said. “Ponyville was pretty terrified for a couple days before we went and found nothin’ in that cave.”

“So, you did go up, but not for the same reasons,” I nodded. “Well…I suppose it makes sense. I did roar pretty damn loud. Still, I am extremely sorry for scaring all of you.” I bowed low.

“There was no damage done,” Celestia said reassuringly, “but consider yourself forgiven.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, your Highness.”

“There’s no need to refer to me like that,” she chuckled. “You are the only human here, and that gives you special status. Just call me Celestia.”

I chuckled slightly, putting aside the pain of being the only human in the world. “As you wish…Celestia.”

“Much better.” She gave me a caring smile.

I stood, then turned to face them. “I imagine you all still have plenty of questions.”

And boy, did I answer plenty of questions. Most were about my world. Fluttershy came quickly out of her shell when she started asking about creatures from my world. I showed her images of common creatures on my laptop.

Twilight was just as curious, so as an afterthought, I showed some pictures of some extinct creatures. When I showed them dinosaurs, specifically a T-Rex, the two Alicorn princesses exchanged a look of worry. After I explained that they’d been extinct for millions of years, they relaxed. She asked me more about the show, but not being an expert, I wasn’t sure what I could tell her. Her other questions were more general in nature, and I did my best to answer without any bias.

Rarity, not surprisingly, asked me about human clothing fashions, so I showed her some online images. I could practically see the wheels turning as she, presumably, thought of new ideas for her boutique.

Rainbow Dash was interested in how humans were able to fly without wings. I showed her images and videos of airplanes, both commercial and military, as well as some videos of each. I also showed her some paragliding and videos of humans skydiving.

Applejack was curious about human agriculture, so I Googled various farming techniques humans had designed over the years. She listened politely enough, but she didn’t seem too interested in adapting them on her farm. She also asked about any particular ways that humans prepared apples that her farm might not have thought of, and I Googled some recipes for apples for her.

Without being prompted, I showed images of various exotic human desserts to Pinkie Pie and even printed some of the recipes up for her to experiment with.

I showed Luna detailed images of astronomical objects humans had captured, most of which she recognized. She was quite interested in the map of the moon as well, so I printed out an image of the moon, light and dark sides. I also showed her images taken from the surface of my world’s moon, which caused her to tense up a little. She explained that was all she saw there.

For Celestia, I printed up a few images of Sol as seen from Earthbound telescopes. I also shared images of a lunar and solar eclipse. When I was finished, the moon was at its apex in the sky, shining down on the now dim fire. Judging from the more and more constant yawns, I could tell they were all growing sleepy. Celestia had long since told the guards to return to the Palace of the Two Sisters, as well.

“I’m sorry, I kept you up later than I should have,” I said, head bowed. “I can try and prepare a place for everyone-”

“We couldn’t impose on you,” Celestia said, smiling at me. “Don’t worry. You did an amazing job at recreating our old palace, and the guest bedrooms are actually much more comfortable than before. We can stay there for the night.”

“Right…I forgot about that,” I chuckled sheepishly.

“Can you play a song?” Pinkie Pie asked suddenly. “One from your world??” Unlike the others, she didn’t seem to be as low of energy.

“Pinkie Pie, dontcha think the poor stallion’s had enough?” Applejack admonished.

“Well, sure, I can play you a song,” I chuckled. “Just let me get ready.” I rushed back inside and grabbed a large Bluetooth speaker. After connecting my phone, I scrolled through my music library for an appropriate song. “I hope you don’t mind if I choose a song more meant for kids,” I said as I looked through the Larry Groce songs.

“Songs for baby goats?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“No no, humans use the term ‘kids’ to refer to human children. Yes, it also applies to baby goats, but it also applies to how we refer to our children. Ah! This song is perfect. And I think it reflects your world better than my own.” I hit play.

I closed my eyes and began swaying my head back and forth with the music. It’s A Small World After All began playing, and I found myself quietly singing along to the Disney song, but not loud enough to distract. Everyone listened intently as the children sang the old diddy.

The more I sang the song, the more my heart ached for home. Pollution, war and misery aside, I missed it. I’d been keeping myself distracted by learning more about this world and using my dream powers to restore the palace. But, with all the talk I’d done about my world tonight, I could feel the heartache come back to me. As the song finished, I looked back up at the others. I held back my tears and simply smiled at them. “So, thoughts?”

Celestia’s smile radiated warmth. “That was indeed quite a lovely song. You were right in that it encapsulates a lot of what makes Equestria how it is. Harmony and friendship abound in this world.”

Pushing my heartache away, I smiled. “Well, children’s songs tend to be like that.”

Twilight, however, was looking at me with a peculiar expression, the same one she’d had before I passed out at Zecora’s. But I was quickly distracted by Pinkie Pie who bounded up to me. “Oh wow! That little box has music on it?! How many?”

“Well, this particular little box, or a cell phone as it’s known, can hold tens of thousands of songs,” I replied. “But I only have about two thousand. That and a few dozen audio books.”

“What are those? Are you some kind of egghead?” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“If I take your meaning right, I’m that. I’m also an otaku,” I added. To my surprise, this got me a look from Fluttershy. “Here, listen.” I started a random audiobook.

A male voice began. “This is Audible.” Some epic instrumentals began, and then a different voice spoke out, “Audio Renaissance Presents: Off Armageddon Reef, by David Weber. Read for you by Oliver Wyman.” The music continued, then began to die down. As it did, the voice resumed. “July 2nd, 2378. Crestwell’s Star, HD 63077A. Terran Federation.” The voice paused again, then in a panicked voice, it began once more. “Captain to the bridge! Captain to the bridge!”

I stopped the audiobook and disconnected the Bluetooth speaker. “Basically, a person records themselves narrating the entire book so you can just sit and relax while listening to it being read to you. It might be slower, but it’s definitely got its perks.”

“Jethro Bethridge,” Celestia interrupted the conversation. Beside her was a now slightly concerned looking Twilight. “Might I ask you one more question?”

“Sure,” I said. The look on her face was still quite pleasant, but there was something new within her dark purple eyes.

“What is your view on friendship?”

I could feel the blood drain from my face, but I regained control and stroked my chin thoughtfully. “Well…they say love is what makes the world go round. And in that sense, I suspect friendship does the same. I won’t knock it, your highness.”

“I see.” Something told me there was some slight worry in her tone, but I quickly dismissed it. “Mr. Bethridge, would you be open to visiting Ponyville more often than you have been doing?”

“Well…perhaps,” I replied, wondering where she was going with this.

Her next words, however, shocked me even more. “Perhaps there, and with the help of the Elements of Harmony, you will regain something that I believe you’ve lost.”

Zecora had practically demanded that she sleep at my place that night. I was too exhausted and emotionally drained to argue. What I hadn’t counted on was her insisting the two of us share a bed again. She didn’t want me alone, she told me.

Too tired to argue, I prepared the bed for the two of us. I changed into pajamas and collapsed into bed. A warm presence snuggled up close to me immediately. We lay there for a while before Zecora stirred.

“Jethro? Are you asleep?”

“No. Is something on your mind?”

“I wanted to talk about earlier. I’ve never seen you so scared. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

I turned to face her. There was worry in her dark blue-green eyes. “I’m feeling better now. I think a good night’s sleep is just what I need.”

She frowned, but nodded. “If you’re sure, I won’t push it. I was just worried.”

“I appreciate the worry. It means a lot, but I’d feel bad if you worried too much about me,” I replied. “I’m sure I’ll be a bit better in the morning.”

She smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Please sleep well. Your body still needs the rest.”

I smiled back, my eyelids already heavy. “Will…do…” was all I could get out before I slept into the sweet embrace of slumber.

Author's Note

Ooof, this chapter took a while to polish up as best as I could. Hope y'all enjoy! Now back to writing Chapter 21.

Here's the link to the version of the song Jethro played.

11: A Cloaked Heart Moves

I stood atop the tallest spire of the Palace of the Two Sisters, looking over the landscape before me. The silvery light of the moon shone over everything, illuminating the world with its glow. A breeze ran through my now longer brown hair, a few strands falling across my face. Pushing them to the side, I sat down on nothing and sighed.

Looking up at the heavens, a small smile appeared on my face. “No matter what universe, no matter what planet, the stars are universal.”

“Indeed they are,” a soft voice said from beside me. Turning, I saw Luna looking at me with a curious expression. “That is thou, Jethro, isn’t it?”

“Correct, your Highness. My dream form, astral form, shadow form, whatever you want to call it,” I replied, bowing respectfully.

She held up a hoof. “Young human, there is no need for formalities at the moment. We are just about to begin our nightly duties.”

“What are those?” I asked, curious to hear what she was responsible for in her own words.

“We have recently begun to look over the dreams of the Ponies within Equestria, dispelling nightmares and giving the populace peaceful slumber,” she replied.

“Huh…fascinating. Well, it’s good that I haven’t dreamed since I got here or you’d have found me,” I chuckled.

She turned towards me suddenly. “Thou hast not dreamed?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Only doing what I’m doing now.” I raised my hand and a small ball of flame appeared in it. I tossed it around from hand to hand, chuckling at the power I had in said dream. “Being able to lucid dream while in reality has its perks. Thankfully I don’t have much power yet.” I tossed the fire into the air and it vanished.

“And yet thou hast enough to reconstruct this palace,” Luna said.

“It took me longer than you think, and that was because I was gathering all that gold, too,” I replied. “I needed capital, after all.”

“Indeed,” Luna said, looking at me curiously.

I nervously looked away, and then up at the sky. Instantly, I relaxed. The stars in all their glory brought the smile back to my face. “I love the night sky,” I said softly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luna look at me sharply. “Truly? Thou do not jest?”

I shook my head, my dream bravado coming back slowly. “No jesting here. I’ve always preferred the night. Maybe because it’s quieter and I can hear myself think, or maybe because the stars are the only constant in a never changing life. Even here. Stargazing has always been one of my favorite hobbies. That, and looking at the stars and planets through my telescope.” There was another reason, but I didn’t go into detail on that.

“What dost thou mean?”

“The constellations are the exact same here as back home,” I said, pointing to a group of stars. “Look. There’s the constellation Ursa Major and Minor.”

“Strange,” Luna said thoughtfully.

“What’s strange?” I asked.

“The fact that the constellations have identical names here,” Luna explained.

“That…is strange,” I agreed. “I wonder…”

“What do you wonder?” a new voice said from behind me.

Turning, I saw the majestic Alicorn Celestia approaching us, wings outstretched and flapping. I knelt before her. “Your Highness, my apologies.”

“Please rise,” Celestia said. “I told you that you had special status here, didn’t I?”

I felt myself blushing a bit as I stood up once more on nothing. “I was always told to be respectful. And when I’m in the presence of two princesses who can literally move the heavens when you’re from a world with absolutely no magic like that…well…”

She waved her hoof with a chuckle. “Well, I hope that in the days to come, we can work on alleviating those fears. What were the two of you discussing?”

“The similarities between terrestrial and Equestrian constellations,” I replied, looking back at the sky. “It’s so identical it’s scary.”

“Indeed? Well, that is something I’m sure Twilight Sparkle will be most interested to hear,” Celestia said with a wry grin. “Along with so many other things.”

“So, she’s a bookworm?” I asked. She was depicted similarly in the show, but I did want to know if it was the same here.

Celestia laughed heartily at that, surprising me and Luna. “Very much so,” she said, wiping some tears from her eyes. “Don’t be surprised if she begins pestering you about your Earth.”

“I’ll have to learn to say no to that, no matter how insistent she is.”

Celestia giggled. “Indeed so. Now, there was one more matter I wished to discuss with you earlier, but we ran out of time. May we do so now before I retire for the night?”

“Of course,” I said, nodding at her to continue.

She smiled and gestured for us to head to a balcony near the tallest tower. We all flew there and landed. “Now then, while I am greatly impressed and grateful for your total restoration of this palace, I am concerned about your current living position. I did say I hoped you would visit Ponyville more frequently, but it’s dangerous for you to travel that great distance often. You live too far away from Ponyville, and having to travel through Everfree in order to gather supplies is dangerous, considering the monsters that exist there.”

“Monsters? Does that include the Wood Deerfolk?” I asked curiously.

Celestia and Luna both looked surprised at that. “The Deerfolk?” Celestia shook her head vehemently. “No, not at all. They are a secretive society, but they are no monsters. Anyway, I am still worried about your wellbeing. You told us earlier you have the ability to teleport objects while in this form? If we set aside a small plot of land in Ponyville, would you be willing to attempt teleportation with your house?”

I frowned, scratching the back of my neck thoughtfully. “A tempting proposition, your Highness. But it’s a bit risky. You have to understand that my house somehow has all the modern amenities I’m used to. If I moved everything, I’m not entirely sure if those would stay. Not only that, I’d have to do it all in one go. Moving all of that treasure through teleportation was draining and took fifteen days. Moving something as big as my property in one go? It might be too draining.”

Celestia nodded. “A very good point. Perhaps Twilight can help with that. She is the Element of Magic, after all.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “It would be nice to be able to live in or near town. Especially with how dangerous Everfree is. Well, for the moment my house is able to repel any creatures thanks to that barrier, so I should be safe within it. My food supply is definitely starting to suffer, and I’ve had to throw away some things that got moldy.” Realizing I was babbling, I shut up, face getting warm.

The two princesses looked at each other before giggling softly. Celestia walked up to me and put a hoof on my shoulder. “I understand you’re more than overwhelmed by these circumstances, but I can assure you that my sister and I will be doing all we can to help you settle into Equestria.”

“Being richer than God will probably help,” I said wryly.

Celestia smirked. “Try not to break our economy too much, Jethro. We just came out of a recession. We don’t need it to happen again.”

“I would never,” I said, faking an insulted tone before a grin crossed my face.

Just then, I remembered something. Pausing, my grin faded. Both princesses looked confused, then concerned when they saw the troubled look that must have appeared on my face. Celestia walked up to me. “Jethro, is there something wrong?”

“Can…can I ask for some advice?” I said softly.

“Of course,” Celestia said with a reassuring tone.

I nodded and, sitting on the rail looking over the land below, I looked at the two of them. “Ever since I came here, I’ve watched only a handful of the episodes of the My Little Pony show, but I stopped about a month ago after I saw how Zecora reacted to them. I was afraid of changing things any more. I just want to hear your thoughts. I’m terrified I’ll change something that will be disastrous for the world. I’ve even kept myself from looking up future events from my world’s internet. What should I do?”

Celestia smiled warmly at me, draping a wing over my astral form. “Jethro, while I understand your fear of changing something that might lead to a worse event, your presence in Equestria has changed the events of history already. I know you’re nervous about changing something more than you already have, but as of now, the future is uncertain. I don’t think it would be wrong to continue watching this show of yours. I commend you for your strength to not watch it, but I don’t think it would be wrong to continue, seeing as the history of that show has already changed considerably.”

“Our sister is right,” Luna added, “thy presence has already affected the events of this world. It is quite likely some events will not happen as this show depicts.”

“I suppose. Butterfly effect and all that,” I replied.

“However,” Celestia added, “we can’t make that decision for you. I understand your fear, but if you choose to keep on watching, we wouldn’t stop you.”

I smiled slightly and nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Thank you. I’ll think a bit more about it.”

“That is all we can ask of you,” Celestia said.

“I understand. Thank you for all you’ve done. I’ll take my leave. I don’t want to take up any more of your precious time.”

“Don’t be a stranger,” Celestia said, waving as I began flying up.

“We hope to see thee again as well!” Luna shouted after me.

Turning away, I shot into the sky, heading up further and further into the atmosphere, eager to see the world from space…

It had been three days since I’d met with the princesses and the elements. After thinking long and hard about it, I decided to keep the show on my external hard drive after all. I was still a bit concerned about changing things, so I decided not to watch it.

Two days after I had met with the princesses and the Elements of Harmony, two letters were delivered to my house by a nervous looking Pegasus with what looked like a lazy eye. One was an invitation from the Mayor of Ponyville to the town so she could officially welcome me to Ponyville. Another was a party invitation sent by Pinkie Pie.

Thanking the delivery Pony, I tipped her with some of the actual bits Celestia had given me in exchange for three of the ancient bits. This seemed to give the Pegasus mare more of a reason to relax. She thanked me and flew away after I’d given her two letters back to give to the mayor and Pinkie.

On that third morning, I’d gotten dressed, only this time in a long black overcoat covering my business suit. I figured that if I was to meet the mayor, I had to dress to impress, even if Ponies didn’t wear clothes.

The walk through the Everfree Forest was, once more, an uneventful one, and that in and of itself was beginning to unnerve me. As I approached the border of the town, I saw a crowd of Ponies gathered around the outskirts of the town, looking towards the forest. As I drew nearer, I saw the Elements of Harmony standing among the crowd.

The day after I’d met them, the Elements of Harmony had brought me breakfast from the palace as a means of apologizing for their behavior earlier. Of course, I’d forgiven them all. I hadn’t seen them since then, as I had been busy trying to figure out the logistics of transporting an entire house and property. I sent a letter to Athena, asking if it was possible. She’d replied immediately, informing me that at my current power level it wasn’t possible, but she was willing to lend me some more of her power for one night. All I had to do was get things set up in town.

As I walked closer to the crowd, most eyes that were on me were one of fear and suspicion, but a handful were fascinated with me.

Turning towards the front of the crowd, I saw an older mare standing at the front. She had a light beige coat and silvery white hair and tail. Around her neck was what looked like a collar of some kind with some fancy tie. I wasn’t entirely sure what to call it, but it made the bespectacled mare look respectable. Behind here was a podium facing the crowd. I assumed by the tied-up scroll on her flank that this was most likely the mayor, considering the stationary had a similar mark in a corner.

I stopped before her, removing my coat and holding it in the crook of my arm. I saw Rarity’s eyes widen, but I kept my primary focus on the mare in front of me. She was smiling, but I could tell that she was nervous. Clearing her throat, she extended a hoof. “Welcome to Ponyville, Mr. Bethridge,” she said, in the voice I knew was an official politician tone.

Great, even in magical fucking Ponyland politicians are the same, I thought as I reached down to shake her hoof. “I’m glad to be here,” I said with a disarming smile, once more not showing my canines. “And please, call me Jethro. Whenever someone calls me Mr. Bethridge, I start looking for my father,” I chuckled, hoping to break the ice a little.

Her smile froze a bit, but then became slightly more genuine. “Of course, my apologies,” she said.

“No need to apologize,” I said, standing up straighter, “I’m just glad my second visit to your fair town is going much more smoothly than last time.”

Her ears flattened slightly and a frown creased her face. “I’m afraid I must apologize for that, as well. It was incredibly rude of us to hide from Miss Zecora and yourself.”

“For that, I do forgive you,” I replied.

Looking relieved, she turned to face the gathered Ponies. “Fillies and gentlecolts,” she began, “I would like to introduce you to our newest neighbor, Jethro Bethridge the human.” Turning to me, she stepped aside from the podium. “Would you care to say a few words and perhaps answer a few questions?”

I sucked in a breath. I was never that good at public speaking, even at my bank job, but I knew I had to allay some of their fears. I stepped forward, adjusting my tie. Grabbing the sides of the podium for support, I looked out at the crowd of Ponies. “Greetings to everyone out there. My name is Jethro Bethridge. I am a human from another world called Earth. I arrived here over a month ago, so I’m still trying to get used to the ways of your world. At the moment, I’m very hard to visit since my house is directly through the Everfree Forest, but I am in the process of trying to move closer. I know that’s probably a lot for everyone here to digest, so I will be answering any question I can. Starting with the representatives of the media I see here today,” I said, looking over at one side of the crowd where I saw a few reporters. I even saw a handful of younger Ponies among them.

The first hoof to go up belonged to a Unicorn with a brown coat, black mane tied back in a bun and glasses over her blue eyes. I pointed to her. “Yes, miss?”

“Nosey News, Canterlot Daily,” she said in an official sounding tone as she pushed up her glasses. I held back my snort at her name while simultaneously making a note to be careful around her. “Can you tell us how exactly you arrived in Equestria?”

I saw Twilight’s ears flatten a bit. I cleared my throat. Celestia had asked me to not share the finer details, although it felt like more of an order. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m not allowed to say. What I can say is that one evening I was back on Earth, and the next my entire property was in Everfree.” Looking around, I pointed to a dark gray Pegasus stallion who had his hoof raised. “Yes?”

“Midnight Star, Equestria Daily,” he said. “What are your thoughts on our world so far?”

Thank God for an easy question, I thought. “It’s an exceptionally beautiful world from what I’ve seen and heard about it,” I replied. “There are still parts that are particularly alien to my human sensibilities, but I have no doubt that I will be able to adjust in time.” I turned to a pink and purple Earth Pony who had her hoof raised. “Yes?”

“Amber Glow, The Canterlot Chronicle,” she said, “How do you respond to the rumors spreading that you are a meat eater?”

I sighed. This was one of the things I was afraid of. Clearing my throat, I straightened and gripped the sides of the podium. “You are correct. My kind does eat meat, however there are many among my people who can live normal everyday lives without eating any meat as long as they stick to a proper diet, which is what I plan on doing once my own food runs out.”

I saw several other hooves raised. Turning to the rest of the crowd, I said, “I’ll now take questions from the general populace as well.”

“Damn, you Ponies are sure a curious bunch,” I said as I collapsed into a large chair. I had been standing in the sun in a suit for a couple of hours, answering as many questions as I was able to. I dabbed at my forehead with a handkerchief.

Mayor Mare chuckled as she sat down at her desk. We were in her office, a circular room with filing cabinets, bookshelves, a sloping ceiling and a pink desk to one side. “Well, I’m certainly confident you assuaged some of their worries and fears,” she said. “It’s not every day we receive an alien in our quaint little town.” Grabbing some papers, she shuffled them in a remarkably human gesture. “Now then, shall we get down to business? I understand you’re looking for a piece of property in Ponyville to purchase so you can teleport you home and property to, correct?”

“That’s right,” I said. Celestia had mentioned setting some property aside, but after some thought, I’d decided I wanted to try doing it on my own. She’d tried to insist, but I did my best to politely decline. She respected my wishes thankfully.

“Well, according to the measurements Miss Twilight Sparkle provided, I have here a number of plots of land available for purchase that are more than large enough to meet your needs,” she said, handing me a stack of papers.

“Wow, all this?” I asked, looking at the stack in my hand.

“Yeah…” she looked a bit nervous. “Ponyville recently just came out of a small recession, but we’re bouncing back!”

“I’m glad to hear things are getting better,” I said, looking over the documents.

“Well, the Royal Treasury did give us all a small stimulus package to help boost the economy back,” the mayor replied, looking happy about it.

The more I’m here, the more I see that this isn’t just some children’s world, I thought as I looked over the different properties. As I did, I realized an important question I’d missed. “Ugh…I just realized…I have no idea how much a bit is really worth.”

“Really?” the mayor leaned forward. “Well, I’m not Filthy Rich, but perhaps I could help. What unit of money do you use?”

“Well…I use the American dollar,” I replied, pulling out my wallet and retrieving a dollar bill. “If we could figure out how much something common costs, that will help.”

“Alright, well how much is an apple worth in your world,” the mayor asked.

It took us about ten or so minutes to establish some form of currency exchange rate. According to my calculations with my phone’s calculator (Which fascinated the mayor immensely) a bit was worth about twelve and a half American cents, which corresponded with the Wikipedia article I found on it. With that, two bits was about twenty-five cents, meaning eight bits was worth a dollar. With that, I resumed looking over the property prices, feeling confident in my money situation.

As I looked them over and did the prices in my head, I was surprised by how cheap a property was here when compared to home. The prices averaged to around 160,000 bits, or around 20,000 dollars. However, one piece of property stuck out. “Pardon me, but this property here…Shady Acre…why is it so cheap?” I asked, pointing to one that cost only 80,000 bits, or 10,000 dollars.

She took the paper and looked it over. “Ah…this one…to be honest, I almost didn’t include it due to its…colored history.”

“Colored history?” I frowned. “Please enlighten me.”

She rubbed her hoof with the other nervously. “Well…lots of rumors say that the house that stands there now is haunted. That, and it was said to be the sight of some…less than savory events even before that.”

“Aah…that would do it,” I said, looking more closely at the image of the house. It had a vaguely Victorian appearance to it, albeit with years of wear and tear on it. “How long has this house been abandoned?”

“Over twenty years, but the rumors of a haunting didn’t start until approximately five or six years ago,” the mayor said.

“Who owned the property?” I asked.

“A Pony named Lucky Star, may she rest in peace,” the mayor replied. “Unfortunately, during the recession, she lost the house and had to sell it. The bank owns it now.”

I looked over the details of the property. I probably could easily clear out the overgrowth with my dream magic, but I didn’t want to explain my powers to the general population just yet. “Hmm…I’d like to see this property first, if you don’t mind,” I said, pointing to Shady Acre.

“Of course. I’ll escort you there personally. Would you like to go now?” she asked.

Looking at the time on my phone, I nodded. “Pinkie Pie is throwing me a party at around five, so I don’t want to be late for that, but since it’s only two right now, I think we can squeeze a visit in.”

She nodded and got out of her chair, grabbing a saddlebag and throwing it over her back. “You know,” she said as we headed out of the office, “I had heard you were, shall we say, rolling in it. I didn’t realize you were so frugal.”

“I prefer to think of myself as being cautious,” I replied. “Back home, I managed a small bank for my town, and I’ve seen people lose their money in stupid ways. I’ve learned to be a little more…cautious.”

“I see,” she said as she opened the door to the outside. Warm sunlight shone in our faces as we walked out. “Well, I do hope you will make your stay in Ponyville a pleasant one.”

“If by that you mean stay out of trouble, I can’t promise anything other than to try,” I replied with a wry smile.

She chuckled at that. “I appreciate your candor, Mist-Jethro,” she said, catching herself.

As we walked, she asked me some more questions about my home and myself. I was all too happy to answer anything she asked, so much so that we almost passed by our destination. I paused in front of the gate to the dilapidated and overgrown property. “Miss Mayor, is this it?” I asked, indicating the scene before me.

“What? Oh! Yes, yes this is it,” the mayor said with a nervous chuckle. Pulling out a large set of keys from her saddlebag, she fiddled a bit with them before finding an older key. She unlocked the gate and it opened with a loud creak. Nearby, I saw a few nervous Ponies backing away or quickly hurry by. Even the mayor looked nervously ahead. “Well, here we are,” she said, putting a hoof forward.

I’d noticed that Ponies seemed to have a harder time hiding their true emotions behind a false sense of bravado. I smiled and stepped forward. “Miss Mayor, I’ll go ahead and go in alone. I can tell you really don’t wanna go in there.” And before she could argue, I stepped onto the property.

“Please be careful!” she called out. “I’d hate for you to be injured on my watch!”

“I’ll be careful!” I replied, chuckling. Always thinking about her status as mayor. Typical politician.

The walk through the brush was unusually quiet. Whoever this Lucky Star had been, she must have enjoyed her privacy since the entire property was surrounded by trees which were overgrown. Some were even dying.

As I left the small artificial forest, I took my first look at a gorgeous Victorian-eque style mansion. In its day, it had to have been the cream of the crop. It had an open front porch, which had to be redone, old shingles on the roof, tall vertical windows and more. The paint was peeling in places, and the windows were either shattered in places or boarded up. Despite myself, I felt a shiver go down my back.

The door itself had long since disintegrated from the weather and rot, so I walked in cautiously. Turning on my phone’s light, I looked around. To my surprise, the furniture was still more or less intact. I felt like I’d gone to yet another era as I wandered around the first level. It looked as if whoever had been living here left instantly.

As I walked through the dust covered kitchen and admired the antique appliances, I thought I heard some animal moving around upstairs. Freezing, I listened carefully. A couple minutes passed. Exhaling softly, I went back to exploring, but a few seconds after I moved, something upstairs crashed. The ceiling in the living room began to buckle before it crashed. Something fell through and I heard something crack. Something like a bone breaking.

I quickly but quietly rushed back out to the living room, which by now was full of dust thanks to the fall. In the middle of the dust I saw some kind of figure lying limp among some debris. I heard a groaning as it tried to stand. Shining my light on it, I gasped in horror.

Lying in the middle of the floor was a Pegasus. The voice told me it was a mare, but she was gaunt and nearly skin and bones. One of her legs was twisted nastily, and I could see bone protruding from it. She was trying to move as I rushed over to her.

“Shit, this isn’t good,” I muttered as I shone my light over her. “Hey, don’t go to sleep on me now,” I said as I knelt beside her, putting my hand behind her head. I felt something wet as I did so. Pulling back my hand, I saw to my horror it was stained with blood. “Miss, miss? Talk to me! Don’t fall asleep on me!”

She opened one eye, and when it landed on me, both eyes shot open in fright. “Stay away….STAY AWAY!” she shouted, trying to scoot away, but the moment she did, she coughed up blood.

“Whoa! Easy there, I’m not gonna hurt you,” I replied, hands raised. “but we need to get you to a hospital right away!”

“Please…don’t eat me,” she whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.

“I won’t eat you,” I said as reassuringly as I could. “I promise. Now, we really need to get you to a hospital, and there’s no way you can go there in your condition.”

She looked down at her leg, and her eyes widened more. “AAAAH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO MUCH!”

Deciding to risk it, I rushed over and took off my coat. Wrapping her up in it, I looked her in the eyes. “Hang in there, I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“No…please…I can’t pay…” she whimpered, tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t worry about the money, I’ll pay for everything, but we need to get you out of here now!” Lifting her up, I made my way out of the house as quickly as possible. When I reached the outside, I headed to the exit as fast as I dared. When I saw the gate, I shouted out, “I need a doctor, stat!”

The mayor looked at me in terror as I burst through the door, trying my best not to aggravate the injured mare’s injuries. “Jethro? What happened? We heard a crash, and-”

“No time for that!” I gasped, panting heavily. “Where’s the nearest hospital? I’ve got a severely injured mare here that has a broken leg and a serious head injury!”

“Th-That would be Ponyville Hospital, but-”

“Lead me there, hurry!” I shouted, panic setting in quickly.

“R-Right!” The mayor turned and began running down the road. Holding the injured mare close, I ran as fast as I could.

The two of us zoomed through the town until we came to a multiple storied building. She slowed to a trot and lowered herself. “Here it is,” she said, panting heavily. “My, I haven’t run quite so hard in years!”

“Thanks, miss Mayor!” I thanked her. “I’ll see you later!”

“Glad to be of help,” she replied as she sat down. “I’ll be out here for a bit, catching my breath.”

“Understood.” I rushed up and burst through the front door. Finding myself in a reception area, I called out, “I need a doctor! Please! It’s an emergency!”

“Good heavens, what’s all the ruckus?” a white Pony with light pink mane and tail rushed in. Seeing me, she frowned. “Please keep it-”

“No time, nurse!” I removed part of my jacket to show her the injuries on the mare I was still holding. “She needs help!”

“Oh my!” the nurse gasped, rushing over and dragging a gurney over with her teeth. “Place her here right away! I’ll call for a doctor. What are her injuries?”

“Serious head trauma and a broken leg as far as I can tell,” I replied, doing as the nurse instructed. I gently removed her from my jacket and placed her on the gurney.

A Unicorn in a doctor’s coat came rushing down the hall. “Nurse Redheart, what’s with-oh? A new patient?” He looked down at the now unconscious mare. “Alright, what are the injuries?”

“I was told a broken leg and some major head trauma,” the nurse replied, looking back at me questioningly.

“That’s right,” I replied. “She fell through a floor in the old Shady Acre house while I was looking around. Her wounds could be infected, too. Who knows what-?”

“You were in Shady Acre?” the doctor asked, a sudden serious look in his eyes. I nodded. The doctor turned to Redheart. “Nurse, take this…stallion…for an examination. That house was built with asbestos. I’ll handle this patient here.”

“…Fuck…” was all I could say, gulping as the fear from before now skyrocketed. I could feel my heartrate increase as well. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

As the Unicorn doctor rushed the Pegasus away, the nurse approached. “Please come with me,” she said.

“R-Right,” I said, gulping as I followed her. “Will I be alright?” I couldn’t conceal the trembling in my voice.

“Don’t worry, a single exposure to asbestos is normally harmless,” the nurse said in a reassuring tone. “The doctor’s just being careful. We’re not sure how being exposed will affect…well, an alien.”

Quickly pulling out my phone, I did a Google search. “Well, according to this, it’s pretty much the same for humans, but I understand the need for caution.”

“In here,” she said, leading me into a small room. I followed. Looking around, I saw I was in what looked like an x-ray room. She told me to sit in a chair that was a bit too low to the ground for my taste, but I complied. “Well, I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with you, but whatever possessed you to go to that wreck?”

“It was on a list of homes the mayor found for me,” I replied as she began moving equipment around. “I’m looking to move my home to Ponyville instead of where it is now, and that was the cheapest property. Although, when I saw it, I really wanted to just fix it up.”

“Sit still,” she commanded, and I did just that. I heard a whirring noise. “Well, there was no need for you to go in all alone.” After a bit, the whirring died. “Okay, you can move now.”

“Thanks. Well, everyone else was too scared to approach because they think it’s haunted,” I replied as she led me out of the room.

“Yeah, there are some crazy rumors going around about that place,” she sighed. “It’s the sight of some irresponsible dares on Nightmare Night, too.”

“I’m guessing that teens get dared to enter that house?” I asked.

“Yeah. Plenty of Ponies get injured trying to explore that house.” She led me to the lobby.

“Wait, that was it?” I asked.

“That was it,” Redheart said with a smile. “Now, I believe you have a party to go to? A Pinkie Pie party isn’t one to miss.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not really in a partying mood right now. I can’t…not until I make sure that mare’s alright.”

Redheart raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry, the doctor is the best in Ponyville. He’ll be able to-”

“You don’t understand,” I said, a hint of desperation in my voice. “It’s my fault this happened to her! I need to make sure she’s alright!”

Redheart backed away, shock quite apparent on her face. She cleared her throat after a while, then nodded. “Well, feel free to wait here. I’ll tell the receptionist to bring you something to eat or drink if you want.”

“Some water would be nice. I’m not really hungry anymore,” I said, sitting in the largest chair they had. I could tell my face was scrunched up in worry. Nurse Redheart left. The receptionist, a young fuchsia colored Pony with a typewriter for a cutie mark approached with a glass of water for me. I thanked her and sipped on it nervously.

Minutes turned into an hour, then more. I’d been there an hour and a half when the nurse came back out. I stood immediately. “How is she? Is she okay?”

“Relax, Mr. Bethridge,” the nurse replied. “The doctor cast her broken leg and bandaged her other wounds. She’s resting now, but she’ll be alright.”

A wave of relief instantly washed over me, but that wasn’t really enough to make the worry go away. “Wait, what about her asbestos intake? She’s had to have been living in that house for a while now.”

“The doctor already checked. She doesn’t show anything at the moment, but if she does, we do have a treatment for asbestos poisoning.”

“I’d like to see her, please,” I said.

The nurse faltered. “I…I’m not allowed to-”

“I’m the one paying for her hospital bills,” I interrupted, glaring down at her. “I need to see this for myself.” I softened my gaze. “Please…”

The nurse facehoofed and sighed, but nodded. “Come with me. She’s in the recovery ward.” Leading me down a well-lit corridor, I soon found myself in a large room with hospital beds lining the walls. In the corner, I saw the dark gray fur of the Pegasus. She had a cast on the broken leg, bandages around her head and her shoulder.

I quickly made my way over to her. She had a crimson overgrown mane and tail and was on an IV drip. Seeing how gaunt she was, I bit my lip nervously. “God…she looks awful.”

“It might look like that,” the voice of the doctor said, approaching from behind, “but she’ll pull through. She’ll be on soft foods for some time, though.”

“I understand,” I replied, looking down at the sleeping mare.

“There is something else unusual about her, though,” the doctor said, causing my stomach to tense up. He must have noticed my facial expression, because he waved his hoof. “It’s nothing life threatening. She just doesn’t have a cutie mark.”

“Wait, for real?” I looked down at the mare. She wasn’t a filly, obviously. “How old is she?”

“If I had to guess, she’s somewhere in her mid-twenties,” the doctor said, looking the mare over. “While it’s not unheard of for somepony to not receive a cutie mark for years, it’s extremely rare.”

“She must have been living in Shady Acre for years,” I said.

The doctor sighed sadly. “I see. Well, I’m glad you brought her here, Mr. Bethridge. She might not have lasted much longer in there.”

“Yeah…” I looked at the sleeping face of the Pegasus, a feeling of guilt washing over me. Turning back, I asked, “Can I please stay here until she wakes up? I…I want to talk to her.”

“Stay?” the nurse asked. “But don’t you have a welcome party to go to?”

“I…I’m not really in the mood for partying right now,” I said, looking back at the injured mare. “I’m too worried.”

“You can take our word for it, she’s in good hooves here,” the doctor said.

“I know, and I trust you,” I replied, “but…this is my fault. I need to apologize to her.”

The nurse and doctor turned to face each other. The doctor sighed softly, but smiled in understanding. “Alright, but I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave when visiting hours are over.”

“I understand, thank you,” I said softly. The nurse and doctor left, leaving me alone with the unconscious mare. I scooted the chair I was in closer. Growing tired from all the excitement, I lay my head on the side of the bed. With my final moments of consciousness, I whispered out, “I’m sorry…”

12: A Cloaked Heart Begins Opening Up

I woke to something tapping on my head. Groaning, I opened one eye and looked around. The mare was looking down at me, pure fear in her eyes. I slowly sat up, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. Looking at my clock, I saw that it was four thirty-six in the afternoon. Turning to the Pegasus, I gave her as disarming a smile as I could. “Hello there, miss,” I said as kindly as I could. “I’m glad you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Wh…what are you?” she asked, her voice trembling in fear.

“Hey, relax. I’m not going to hurt you,” I replied, hands raised to show I wasn’t dangerous. “My name’s Jethro. I’m what’s known as a human. What’s your name?”

“S-Scarlet. Scarlet Dusk,” she replied shakily.

“Miss Dusk, it’s nice to meet you,” I said as softly as I could. “How are you feeling?”

She looked at herself a bit, then back at me. “Um…my head hurts and my leg does too, but I’m alright.”

“Your leg and head? Would you like me to get the doctor?” I asked.

“No!” she shouted, petrified. I jumped in alarm. She shrank back in her bed. “I-I mean…I can’t afford anything…”

“You don’t have to worry about the cost. This hospital trip is on me,” I reassured her, standing. “Just relax. I’ll go get the doctor. He’ll want to know you’re awake.”

“Um…alright,” she said.

Walking over to the door, I headed out and looked around. Finding Redheart in a supply closet looking over stock, I knocked. “Nurse, the Pegasus patient is awake. Where’s the doctor?”

Redheart turned to me. “He’s in his office. I’ll go get him.” She galloped down the halls.

I returned to the recovery ward and sat back down next to Scarlet. Seeing she was still scared, I moved a bit away. “I promise I won’t harm you.”

“I…how can I believe you,” she replied, curling up in a protective ball as best she could.

“Please allow me to help you,” I pleaded. “I’ll pay for all of your medical bills; I’ll find you a home to stay in free of charge for as long as you need to.”

Scarlet’s eyes widened at my unexpected generosity. “But…why…?”

I froze, trying to think of an answer that would satisfy her. Fortunately, the doctor came in with Redheart behind him, saving me from answering. “Aah, I see our newest patient is finally awake,” he said, picking up a clipboard attached to the end of the bed. “Now, how are you feeling, miss?”

“My head and leg hurts,” she said nervously.

“Hmm, alright. I can give you some more painkillers to help you sleep,” the doctor said. “Is there anything else?”

“No…” she said, shaking her head.

“Nurse, increase her pain meds,” the doctor said. The nurse nodded and trotted out. Turning to me, the doctor continued, “Mr. Bethridge, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk with the patient alone for a while. Some of these questions might get a bit personal.”

I nodded. “I’ll get out of your hair, then.”

I headed back out to the lobby and sat back down to wait. Five o’clock came and went, and still the doctor wasn’t back. Feeling anxious, I stood and began pacing back and forth. Nurse Redheart found me like this at around fifteen minutes past. “Mr. Bethridge, please try and relax. The doctor is just asking the patient some questions. There’s no need to be so nervous.”

“I can’t help it,” I said apologetically.

She sighed, but then smiled at me kindly. “Well, if you’re going to pace, could you at least do it outside? You’re making Dew Drop nervous,” she said, indicating the receptionist.

Looking over, I saw that Dew Drop did indeed look a little nervous. “Right…I’m sorry. Please come get me as soon as the doctor is done.”

I headed outside and continued pacing. Memories flashed in front of my eyes as I did so. My parents…her…I can’t let it happen again! Not again! I won’t be responsible for anything like that ever again!

“Jethro!”

“Darling? Are you alright?”

“Is something wrong?”

“You’re missing your welcome party!”

I looked up and saw the Elements of Harmony as well as Zecora galloping over, worried looks in their eyes. The moment they surrounded me, some of them began to bombard me with so many questions my head started spinning. Clamping my hands over my ears, I screamed, “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Looking around, I saw their shocked, confused and hurt faces and immediately felt guilty. I slowly removed my hands from my ears, stumbled over to the stairs to the entrance and sat down. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me…”

“Indeed it was, darling,” Rarity said with a huff, but her expression softened slowly, “but you must have had a good reason.”

“Come on, you can tell us,” Twilight said reassuringly. “We might have just met but the princess did ask us to be your friends.” The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

I told them everything that happened at Shady Acre, not leaving out a single detail. The more I talked, the more I hugged my legs. When I was finished, I felt a hoof on my hand. Looking over, I saw, to my surprise, a worried looking Fluttershy looking at me. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Ah’ve got a feelin’ there’s more than what yer tellin’ us, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to hide my growing panic. I really didn’t want to tell them, but I was more afraid that they’d push the subject. To my dismay, one of them did.

Rainbow Dash flew up to glare at me. “Out with it, mister.”

“Easy there, silly filly,” Applejack said, pulling Rainbow Dash away by her tail, “If he doesn’t want to tell us, that’s his business.”

Tell them, my faithful student, Athena’s calming voice said soothingly in my ear. They are here to help you regain what you lost.

While Rainbow Dash and Applejack were arguing, I sighed, rubbing my eyes. “You’re right, Applejack,” I said softly. “There’s more to it.”

“We’ll listen to whatever you’re willing to tell us,” Twilight said reassuringly.

I gulped, suddenly really nervous. “It…It’s just a really long story, is all.”

“We’ve got time,” Applejack said.

“Right.”

Zecora came to my side and knelt so we were eye to eye. “Please, just tell us what troubles you. I promise we will see what we can do.”

I exhaled deeply, but looked up into her eyes. “Thank you,” I told her, using one of the more intimate forms of the phrase in Farasi.

She nodded, a hint of pink in her lovely cheeks. “We all just want to help you.”

Nodding, I took a deep breath and began.

Her name was Beatrix, or Trixie to her closest friends and family. We’d known each other since kindergarten. We were the best of best friends, inseparable. We took family vacations together, we helped each other with homework, went out to play together, shared nearly every interest possible, everything.

When the two of us were sixteen, I realized, after a few sleepless nights and a long late night talk with my parents, that I was in love with her. Of course, being a dumb teen, I was nervous as hell and unable to confess my feelings for fear of losing the only friend I really had.

Trixie, on the other hand, was too impatient to wait for me to make a move, so she did it for me. One evening, we were stargazing, when she sat up and quickly straddled me. She told me right then and there that she loved me. That was when we shared our first kiss. It was awkward as hell, but it was one I would never forget.

We continued doing things we’d done before, but we went on more date-like outings as well. Our parents thoroughly encouraged our dating since they’d all been friends in their high school days.

That was when the first tragedy struck.

My parents had invited me to go out with them for a family night when I was eighteen. However, I’d had a bad day at my waiter job and lashed out at them angrily. They didn’t look angry at me, but had left in silence. Only a couple of hours later, a cop showed up at my door to inform me that my parents had been in an accident. A drunk driver had sideswiped them and caused their car to twist around a nearby tree, killing them on impact.

This event caused me to pick up a nasty habit: smoking. Trixie wasn’t really enthusiastic about my new habit, but she understood that I needed a way to deal with the pain. Of course, I only smoked when I was alone and always outside.

Trixie’s parents took me in after that. If it hadn’t been for them, I would have probably gone deeper into the depression that followed my parents’ death.

I lived with Trixie and her family for four years. During that time, I received my bachelors in business and got a job at the same bank where I would eventually become a manager. After the two of us graduated college, we moved in together with her parents’ blessing and some financial help. They were truly like my second family.

When I was twenty-three, Trixie suddenly began growing sick more and more often. It wasn’t until she collapsed while making dinner a few months after these symptoms began that we went to the hospital. The news I’d received broke me and my heart a second time: Trixie had an advanced case of lung cancer.

Trixie never blamed me for it, but deep down I knew the truth. I knew that my smoking had killed her. I quit immediately, but it was too late. I only had three more months with her before she passed away.

I was so in a funk after her passing, that after I returned all of her belongings to her parents (who also never blamed me for Trixie’s death) and moved into a smaller house farther away from town, I practically threw myself into my work. I worked up in the bank faster than most and became assistant less than a month after her death. I volunteered for overtime, took double shifts, anything to keep my mind occupied and not think of her.

Fortunately for me, my manager was an understanding person who noticed the strain the job was having on me after only a few months. However, I ignored his suggestions for time off until one day I collapsed on the job. My manager ordered me to take a month’s vacation despite my protests.

When Trixie’s parents, who’d moved away after her death, heard about my collapse, they immediately took time off from my job to come take care of me. I didn’t leave my bed except for necessities for days. Finally, the two of them sat down and had a heart to heart with me. I constantly apologized while crying heavily. They both comforted me and wept with me as best as they could.

When my month of leave was over, I went back to work, but I also made sure to pace myself. Despite Trixie’s parents’ reassurances, I still completely blamed myself for not only her death, but for the death of my parents. I learned over the years how to bury my feelings beneath my work and interests. I called it “getting over things”. I’d also made a vow never to make close friends again out of fear of feeling that intense pain again.

I finished my story to the sniffles and soft sobs of six Ponies and a tearful Zecora. Looking around, I saw Pinkie Pie bawling her eyes out, Fluttershy was clinging to me and crying softly into my shirt, Rarity was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, Rainbow Dash was looking away, possibly trying not to show her own tears, Applejack was giving me a look of sorrow and understanding, and Twilight Sparkle was softly crying.

Before I knew it, Zecora was nuzzling me once more, only slightly more intimately. To my surprise, I heard her voice crack. “I…I am so sorry that has happened to you,” she said.

With my free hand (Fluttershy had the other in a vice grip), I reached up and ran my hand through her mane. “You have nothing to be sorry about,” I replied through a tearful smile. I was trying so hard not to cry.

The other Ponies approached me slowly, surrounding me. Unlike before, though, I could feel their sadness and desperation to try and cheer me up flowing from them all. I was immediately reminded of what I felt when that light hit me that month past when the Elements of Harmony defeated Nightmare Moon. However, I was unable to hide from it this time. Zecora continued nuzzling me. “It’s alright to cry,” she whispered.

That did it. The floodgates opened and tears streamed down my face in ever flowing rivulets. The others pressed themselves around me and enveloped me in a tender group hug. Even Rainbow Dash joined in despite her depiction in the show as a tomboy.

Fluttershy, being the closest to me still, tightened her grip on me as she sobbed into me. Since she was so close, I automatically wrapped my arms around her, burying my face into her fur. She didn’t even seem to retreat; only clung to me even more. The more time passed, the harder I cried, as if I was starting to release nearly half a decade of pent-up grief and mourning in one complete sitting. Or at least, the majority of it that was blocking my ability to feel anything other than slight affection.

When I opened my eyes once more, the sun was further down in the sky. My eyes felt puffed and dried out, but emotionally I felt refreshed. I still hurt inside and missed my parents and first love, but I felt ready to finally begin to properly face my feelings. I looked around at the Elements and Zecora, smiling through my decreasing tears. “Th…thank you very much…I never…realized how much I needed this…”

To my surprise, it was Rainbow Dash who spoke first. “I’m not normally one for this mushy stuff, but I can make an exception for a story as…depressing as that.”

Applejack approached next, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “Ah know how you feel,” she said, her own voice cracking. “Apple Bloom, Big Mac and ah…we lost our parents. But ah gained a whole new family after a while. Not all family is yer kin, ya know?”

I sniffed, and nodded slowly. “I’m…starting to realize that now,” I replied. “I knew that could happen up here,” I said as I pointed to my head, “but down here, I just didn’t want to accept it.” I pointed to my heart. “But…I think I’m willing to try.”

That got a smile from every single Pony there. Looking down, I saw Fluttershy looking up at me with the kindest, gentlest smile I’d ever had the pleasure of being graced with. “That’s good,” she said.

“We’ll help ya out, and that’s a promise,” Applejack said.

“Every little step of the way!” Pinkie Pie said with a wide but teary smile on her face.

“Nothing it too little for you, darling,” Rarity said.

“You’re stuck with us now, whether you like it or not,” Rainbow Dash grinned, front hooves crossed as she hovered over us.

Twilight walked up to me and knelt. “I’m still new to the magic of friendship too, so let’s go on this journey together.” She held out a hoof to me, a loving smile on her face.

Reaching over, I grasped it and nodded. “You’ll have to be patient with me,” I said with a half-smile. “Change doesn’t happen overnight for me, you know.”

“My friend, you have a loving bunch who want to help you very much,” Zecora smiled. “And I will help as well.”

“I appreciate this, all of you.” I gently stood, Fluttershy releasing me.

Just then the door to the hospital opened. Redheart walked out and found me among the crowd. “Mr. Bethridge, Miss Scarlet Dusk is free, and she wants to see you.”

I wiped my eyes. “She does?” I asked nervously.

“Yes, but please make your visit with her brief,” the nurse said. “She’s still very weak and malnourished.”

“Of course.” I turned to the others. “Why don’t you guys head back to the party? I think I’m more in a mood to be cheered up by a nice party right now. I’ll be along in a moment.”

“No way,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’re gonna wait here for you. Go do what you’ve gotta do.” The others nodded in agreement.

That warm feeling spread across my heart and I smiled. “Thank you, that means a lot. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” I followed Redheart back into the hospital and down the corridor towards the recovery ward.

I found Scarlet sitting up in bed with the doctor standing next to her. Seeing me, he nodded in acknowledgement and approached. “She’s more or less calmed down,” he whispered to me after I asked about her welfare. “but she’s still very weak. I’d like to keep her here for a while until she’s healthy again. She’s extremely malnourished as you can see.”

“I’ll pay for everything,” I promised.

“You’re a very kind stallion,” the doctor said with a smile. “She wants to see you before she falls asleep, though.”

“I heard. Thank you for everything, doctor,” I said as I walked past him. Sitting in a stool next to Scarlet, I folded my hands and looked at her. “Scarlet? You wanted to see me?”

She looked up at me, her expression much calmer than before. “Um…yes…Mr. Bethridge, was it?”

“You can just call me Jethro,” I replied.

“Well…I just…thank you for saving me,” she said softly. “And…I’m sorry for lashing out.”

“I understand. You were frightened. It’s not like humans are common around here,” I replied. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“No, it wasn’t your fault,” she said, shaking her head quickly. “I was just getting out of bed to investigate the downstairs noise when the floor collapsed under me.”

I felt guilty again. “I didn’t mean to startle you, either.”

She then smiled slightly. “It was my own fault. I knew that side of the bed had rot in the wood, but I wasn’t thinking when I got out of bed.” She yawned.

I frowned. “You tired?”

She covered her mouth with her good hoof. “I’m getting a bit sleepy.”

“Well, I’ll let you sleep. Would it be alright if I come back and maybe bring some others to meet you?”

Scarlet tensed up a bit. “Others? What others?”

“Some friends I made recently,” I explained. “I promise, they’re all really awesome Ponies. Well, one’s a Zebra, but you get the gist.”

Still looking a bit nervous, she looked down at the blanket. “I don’t know…”

“If you don’t want to meet them, I won’t force it, but can I come back alone then?” I asked.

After a few moments of silence, she looked back up at me. “Well…you can come back alone, and I’ll think about meeting others…”

“That’s perfectly fine,” I said, feeling relieved. “I should be going. Those friends of mine are waiting to take me somewhere. I’ll visit you as soon as I can. Sound good?”

She nodded slowly. “Sure thing.”

After saying our goodbyes, I walked over to the doctor and gently pulled him aside. “Hey doc, she’s gonna be in the best of ha-hooves, right? And what about vaccinations? Is she gonna-?”

“Relax, Mr. Bethridge,” the doctor said with a patient tone. “Once she’s feeling well enough, we’ll begin some of the basic inoculations. She’s in capable hooves here, I promise.”

I nodded, taking deep breaths again. “Right…I’ll leave it to you.”

“Leave Scarlet in our hooves. We’ll take care of her,” the nurse said reassuringly. “We all took the Hippomaric Oath, after all. ‘Do no harm’.”

I nodded. “Thank you. I’ll probably be back soon to see her,” I replied. “Sorry for being so…you know…”

“Don’t worry about it; your compassion for a Pony you just met speaks great volumes to your character,” the doctor said.

“Thanks…” I said, not really feeling that was the truth. “Well, see you later.” I bowed gratefully and turned to head towards the door.

“Have fun at Pinkie’s party!” the nurse called out. “They’re always ones of special magnificence!”

Despite everything, I nearly snorted at the unbidden reference. “Well, that should please her,” I chuckled back as I walked down the hall.

When I reached the outside once more, I saw the others waiting near the door. Upon seeing me, they approached, expectant looks on their faces. Smiling sadly, I shook my head. “She’s not really well enough to see you all.” When they all looked simultaneously disappointed, I quickly added, “Don’t worry, she said she’d think about meeting you all. The poor girl needs plenty of rest and recovery time.”

“Should I bring her a cupcake?” Pinkie Pie asked hopefully, reaching into her mane and bringing out a fresh-looking cupcake.

I chuckled, and shook my head. “She’s not healthy enough for that right now, but in time she will.”

“Aww, but cupcakes make everypony feel better!” Pinkie Pie said with a whine.

“Are you sure you’re up for a party?” Fluttershy asked, coming up to my side and looking at me. “Nopony would blame you if you didn’t feel like it.”

I reached down and stroked her mane slowly. “A party is just what I need at the moment,” I replied. “Something to distract me for a while.”

What happened next seemed to surprise the other mares. Fluttershy stiffened, eyes wide. I didn’t have much time to react as a shudder went through her. The moan that the golden Pegasus made was clearly sexual in nature. Her tail went straight up while she simultaneously leaned into my head scratches.

“Fluttershy! Cover yourself! Have you no shame?” Rarity exclaimed, a horrified look on her face.

“It’s always the quiet ones,” I heard Rainbow Dash mutter.

“Jethro! Stop!” Twilight said, eyes wide.

I removed my hand from Fluttershy’s mane immediately, eyes just as wide as Twilight’s. She made a whining sound as I removed my hand from her, but it seemed to break the spell. She looked around, then at her tail which was still pointed straight up. “Ah!” She quickly lowered it, covering her more exposed areas. “I…I don’t know what came over me,” she sputtered out. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Just keep that errant tail under control,” Rarity said in a scolding tone.

“Um…I…I will,” Fluttershy replied, looking away from me.

“Erm…I think we have a party to attend?” I said, trying to bring the focus of the conversation back on topic.

Pinkie Pie’s signature wide smile returned. “Righty-o! Come on!” She grabbed my shirt with her teeth and began dragging me down the street.

“Whoa there! Easy on the shirt! I don’t have many clothes back home,” I chuckled.

Pinkie Pie giggled and released me. “Ahaha, sorry about that. Follow me!” She turned and began bouncing up and down as she led me back into town.

“Hold on, you only have the clothes from your house?” Rarity asked, eyes wide.

I chuckled and nodded. “I have a good amount for each season, but I’m a guy. I’m good with whatever can cover me. No real fashion sense.”

“That simply just won’t do,” Rarity said with finality in her voice. “I insist on creating a wardrobe for you!”

“Wait, you serious?” I looked at her with incredulity. “I mean, I do have the money for it, but-”

“I won’t hear about money,” she said, glaring up at me. “I’ve never worked on a human before, and I want you to look your best!”

“I…are you sure you’d be willing to do it for free?” I asked. I knew she was the Element of Generosity, but this was a bit much for me.

“One hundred percent sure,” she said, and in that moment she seemed to stand taller and prouder.

“Then…I’m in your capable, er, hooves,” I said.

I could almost hear her squealing in delight. “You won’t regret it, darling. I promise!”

“I don’t doubt it,” I chuckled, turning back to continue following Pinkie Pie.

However, what I saw sent shivers down my spine. Fluttershy was ahead of me as well. What caught me off guard was that she was looking back at me, but the look in her eyes was one I hadn’t expected out of the shy introverted Pony: a seductive look. To complete the look, she was swaying her hindquarters as well. Thankfully, her tail was still covering her modesty, but I quickly looked away regardless.

Looking back at the others, I caught sight of Twilight looking over at me. Approaching her, I lowered my voice and gently nodded towards Fluttershy. “Is she always so…amorous?”

Twilight shot a glance at Fluttershy, and her eyes widened. I saw a small blush form on her face. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I’ve only known her for about a month, and she never stuck me as the flirtatious type. She’s too reserved for that.”

“Think it might have to do with me…petting her?” I asked in a softer tone.

“Maybe…I think I’ll research that at some point,” she replied. “But if I were you, I’d stay a bit clear of her as best as you can. We Ponies only go into our estrus cycle twice a year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get aroused.”

“Duly noted, thank you.” I almost reached out to pet her in thanks, but thought better of it as I stood and continued following Pinkie Pie.

Soon we arrived at a massive building straight out of Hansel and Gretel. Pinkie Pie turned, grinning wide. “Well, here we are! Go on in!”

I did my best to look more presentable, straightening my tie, brushing off any dust that accumulated, and faced the door. “Alright, time to face the music.” I walked right in…

The party was a phenomenal one, to say the least. I mingled with the many Ponies Pinkie Pie had invited along, all of whom seemed more open to me being an alien. I was once more bombarded with questions from everyone there, but they were all extremely respectful about it. The food was phenomenal as were the pastries. Despite not really being a party guy, I really enjoyed the night.

As the evening turned to night, I started growing sleepy, and tried my best to politely excuse myself to go home, but Pinkie Pie always found an excuse for me to meet someone new. By the time I’d met practically every Pony in the town, it was midnight and it was too late to even consider traveling through Everfree back home.

When I’d asked about a hotel to crash at, I received a few offers from the Elements, telling me they had a place for me to crash at least for the night. I was grateful for their hospitality, but I wanted to spend some time to myself, so I thanked them but politely declined, making a promise to take each of them up on any future offers.

Twilight led me to the Ponyville Inn while carrying Spike on her shoulder. He and I had hit it off, seeing as we were two of the few non-Ponies present at the party, the only other being Zecora. I could plainly see his crush on Rarity through the night. I resolved also to inform him about the secret Celestia had told me to keep regarding the TV show, but only after getting permission from the princesses.

The inn set me up in a room that the owner of the inn, ironically named Inn Keeper, told me was normally reserved for visiting griffons. It cost me more than the normal price, but it did give me a bed that I could sleep on comfortably. Soon, I was fast asleep.

Author's Note

Welp, some explanation to his behavior has been given. However, he's mature enough to know that he needs help even if he's been hiding from it for years. He's no idiot.

Also, here is a glimpse at Scarlet Dusk.

13: A Cloaked Heart Settles In Pt. 1

“This much? Are you sure?” I stared at the figure the Earth Pony had written on a blank sheet of paper: 6,000 bits. In my hand I held my phone which had the calculator app open. It read 750. “The asbestos removal from that house will cost that much?”

Manual Labor, the Pony in charge of a rather reputable construction company straight from Canterlot, nodded. He had a dark brown fur coat and black mane and tail with streaks of white and silver starting to grow. “That’s correct,” he said. “My team did a thorough investigation into that house. For the services you’re requesting, it’ll cost that much. After the removal of any asbestos, that is.”

I could afford it, but the cost just seemed too cheap to me. Back home, renovation was normally within the tens of thousands, but here things were cheaper. I leaned back in my chair and nodded. “Well…I suppose that seems fair,” I replied, not even sure how to respond.

“I know our prices are a bit on the expensive side, but we guarantee quality over speed,” Manual said with a hint of pride in his voice.

“That’s what I prefer too,” I replied with a smile. “Thank you for doing this.”

“I should be thanking you!” Manual said, grinning. “We’re the first construction company to be doing a job for a human! When others hear about that, our reputation will skyrocket!”

I smirked. Businessmen were all alike, whether it be on Earth or Equestria. I pulled out my pen. “Where do I sign?”

After finalizing the paperwork, Manual put the papers in his small bag. “We’ll come over and begin the project in eight days, as you requested. It should take us approximately three weeks, or a month and a half at the most.”

“That’s perfect, if you need the time,” I said as I stood and shook Manual’s hoof. “Also, I’m sure you’re aware that I’m planning on having my current house teleported from its current location to this property line. Will it be safe for me to do so either before or during the process?”

The stallion nodded. “There shouldn’t be any problems, other than the noise.”

“Understood,” I said. “Thank you again.”

“No, thank you!” Manual looked genuinely happy as the two of us headed out of Sugarcube Corner, the place where we’d agreed to meet to discuss business. I’d already spoken to the asbestos removal company and they’d informed me that it would take four days to remove the asbestos, six max.

It had been only about week since the party Pinkie Pie had thrown for me. Since then, I’d been busy. I’d already purchased Shady Acre and instead of demolishing the older house, I’d decided to restore it to its former glory. I wasn’t sure what I would use it for, but I didn’t want it to go to waste.

Manual and I headed out and I made my way over to Café Hay, where I would be meeting with the final company representative from the landscaping company I was going to be hiring. The overgrowth had to be taken care of if I was to teleport my entire property to Shady Acre. The meeting was in a half hour, so I decided to order a sweet café au lait and wait. I normally didn’t drink tea, but I’d feel like a heel if I didn’t order something from them, and their sweet café au lait had the least amount of caffeine in it. Plus it tasted heavenly.

As I sipped on the coffee, my mind began to wander. The past week I’d been there had been one of the busiest I’d ever had. Each day would start early for me, mostly before dawn. I’d eat, shower, get dressed and head to Ponyville when it was light. Each day I was escorted either in part or the whole by Zecora. Today, I’d come alone since Zecora told me she was nursing a brew at home that needed constant attention.

My first day, I’d received a letter from Celestia via S-Mail (Spike Mail). She apologized, and informed me that what Athena had told me was true: the spell Twilight had used could not be used again for many centuries, so I was stuck in Equestria. She informed me that, being for all intents and purposes a nonperson, or nonpony, she would grant me temporary refugee status until I could be naturalized. Under said status, I would have most of the rights of an Equestrian citizen, but the more I looked it over, it was like I was getting an Equestrian green card, although it was called a Potential Citizen Card here. One of the benefits I looked forward to was the right to purchase property within the kingdom. Since I was a completely new species, Mayor Mare and sometimes Zecora (since she had a PCC of her own and knew the process) helped me through the many layers of paperwork involved. That somehow took about four days.

On the fifth day, since I was now a Potential Citizen according to Equestrian law, I approached the mayor again and informed her of my intent to purchase Shady Acre. She was a bit surprised that I was willing to do so, but accepted and went with me to the local realtor’s office to help me through the paperwork. By the end of the day, I was the proud new owner of the property.

Of course, I did mention to the realtor agent I spoke to the status of the property and its asbestos status. The realtor appeared confused and told me the information was in the pamphlet she’d handed the mayor. I found out later that a page had fallen out of the packet and had ended up under the mayor’s desk.

On the sixth day, I asked around town for a reputable asbestos removal company and was directed to a famous company in Canterlot. I’d also searched for a good local landscaping company and had luckily found one in Ponyville that several Ponies swore by. My third stop was Manual’s construction company which was adept at restoring and bringing the estate up to modern standards as well as installing more modern amenities in said house. Setting up meetings for today was a cinch and all three companies were excited to be receiving a job from the local rich alien in town.

On each day, I’d always managed to see all of the Elements of Harmony, either in passing or for a casual and friendly conversation, with one notable exception: Fluttershy. When I asked Twilight about it on the fifth day, she looked embarrassed and said she was probably avoiding me out of embarrassment for her earlier actions.

At the end of every day, I always visited Scarlet Dusk, and we just talked. I could tell she was similar to me: hiding a dark past. But I didn’t push it and talked more about my world. She always seemed in better spirits whenever I was around, at least that was what Nurse Redheart told me. I was glad to help her, though.

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft tapping on my table. I turned to come face to face with a light aquamarine Unicorn mare who was looking at me with a puzzled expression. Her cutie mark was a golden lyre with green strings. “Pardon me, I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Not at all. I was just thinking back on all that’s happened this week. Um, you’ll have to forgive me, I’m not as good with names as I’d like.”

“I’m Lyra Heartstrings,” she said. “Can I join you?”

“Sure, for a bit. I’m meeting with someone here in about…” I looked at my watch. “Twenty minutes.”

“Well, I won’t keep you too long,” she promised. Pulling out a chair, she sat down in a remarkably human posture, crossing her leg.

“Wow, I’ve never seen a Pony sit like that before,” I said. “You look more human that way.”

“Oh, this?” She giggled. “It’s actually more comfortable for me to sit this way. If I try and sit normally, it starts to hurt after a while. I’ve asked a few doctors and they can’t really explain it.”

“Huh…well it looks good on you,” I complimented.

“What a gentlecolt,” she said with a smile.

“So, what can I do for you?” I asked, taking a sip of my coffee, “and can I get you something from here?”

“Oh, I’m not too thirsty, and I was just hoping to get you alone for a bit to ask a couple questions,” she replied. “I’m sorry if I’m treading over old ground, but I never really got a chance to ask a single question, either at your introduction to our town or the party.”

“Well, I don’t mind,” I replied. “Ask away.”

“I’ll get right into it then. What do you think about our town?” she asked.

I wasn’t quite expecting that from her. Sure, I’d been asked it a couple of times, but not often. “Honestly? It’s almost paradisical compared to Earth. More Ponies here have been gracious and accepting of my differences than any human would have been.”

“I see,” she said, looking a bit saddened. “I’m both sorry to hear that other humans are like that, and glad you are enjoying yourself here. My next question involved music. I’m sure you noticed my cutie mark. I’m a musician by trade.”

“I did notice,” I admitted. “I’m guessing you play the lyre?”

“Lyre is my instrument, yes,” she chuckled. “I sometimes play at the local watering hole.”

“Really? Well, color me intrigued. I might stop by and listen sometime when things have settled down for me,” I said.

“I’d be honored.” She bowed slightly, then continued. “Now, the question I had was this: could I hear some music from your world?”

“Well, what kind?” I asked as I pulled out my phone.

“Hmm…I’ll let you choose, you are the only human here,” she giggled.

I considered, not noticing the small group of Ponies listening in on our conversation and gathering around. Then, smiling, reached into my backpack and pulled out my smaller Bluetooth speaker, connected it to my phone, and scrolled through my selection. Just then a large gust of wind blew over us. Grinning, the perfect song popped into my head. “That gives me an idea.” I scrolled until I found the song, then began playing.

Windy by Association began to play. As the singing began, I hummed along with them. The group of Ponies listening grew and they began bobbing their heads. I noticed a couple of Ponies that stood out. One was a pale cream coated Unicorn mare with a mane that was a few different shades of blue who was wearing sunglasses and a set of earphones, bobbing along to the music. Her cutie mark was a couple of musical notes. The second was a blushing Pegasus Pony mare with a sky-blue coat and light gray mane. Her cutie mark depicted a cloud blowing a gust of wind. Two other Ponies were nudging her and giggling, but by the smile on her face I could tell it was all in good fun.

When the song ended, there was silence. Then the Ponies began stamping the ground. I heard cheers and whistles from a few of them. I felt my cheeks grow warm and I smiled sheepishly.

“That was amazing!” Lyra exclaimed. “I hope it’s alright if I hear some more songs later! Especially ones on the lyre!”

“Just wait until you hear Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor played on the harp,” I snorted. “I’ll be glad to share some more, but not right now. I have an appointment.”

The collective “Awww” from the crowd tugged at my own heartstrings, but I kept myself resolute. However, I turned and smiled. “If you really want to, perhaps someday I can play some more music from my world.”

That seemed to lift their spirits and they began to scatter, talking excitedly among themselves. This left me and Lyra.

“Well, I’m glad you were willing to talk to me,” Lyra said with a grateful smile. “I’m afraid I have to go now, though. If I have more questions, will you be able to answer them?”

“Sure thing, Miss Heartstrings.”

“You always call everyone by their last names, don’t you?” she asked with a chuckle. “Well, you don’t have to with me. Call me Lyra.”

“Will do, Lyra. See you around.”

Lyra began trotting away, humming the tune to the song I’d just played. I put my phone and speaker away, grabbing one of the nearby muffins and taking a bite.

“Greetings. I hope I’m not too early,” a voice from behind me said, sounding professional but clearly amused. Turning, I saw an Earth Pony mare with a grin on her face. She had dark blue eyes and dark brown fur. Her mane and tail were both a bright teal and she was actually wearing a business suit. How she pulled it off while not being humanoid was beyond me.

I stood and offered my hand. “Not at all. I’m Jethro Bethridge.”

“Jade Pastures,” the Pony said, returning my handshake. “I represent Ponyville Landscaped. And I understand you want to hire us to do a job for you at the Shady Acre estate, correct?”

“That is correct,” I said, pulling out a chair for her to sit at.

“Such a gentlecolt,” she said, clearly impressed as she took a seat.

“Would you like anything to eat or drink? It’s on me,” I offered.

“Thank you, no,” she politely declined. “Just some water will be enough for me.”

“Of course,” I said, flagging down a waiter and asking for a glass of water.

“Now then,” Jade said, opening her briefcase and retrieving a large piece of paper with her teeth, “I just retrieved the plans for the estate and the latest geological survey done about five years ago. This isn’t going to be cheap, even if you ask for our most basic package.”

“Which would be?” I asked.

“Clearing all the trees and overgrowth away and planting just grass everywhere,” she replied.

“Ah, okay, I think I can see that,” I replied, looking over the plans for Shady Acre. The land, true to its name, was an acre in area. The house itself stood near the back of the property and was surrounded by a small artificial forest. Even in summertime, the property was nearly always in shade due to the large trees. The original owner had planted flower and vegetable gardens around the house and had a large fountain installed at the front, something I didn’t really need as it was a waste of perfectly good water.

The geological survey showed the overgrowth had spread a few newer trees around the property. The fountain had all but become hidden as indicated by a few notes on the map, and the house depiction showed a few patches of missing roof. If I had to guess, I assumed this company had some Pegasi on their staff.

“Well, I hope you also realize,” I said, “that I intend on having my current house teleported to this property at some point. Probably…here.” I pointed to the smaller portion of the back of the house. “My property isn’t too big, and it’ll fit right there without problems.”

Jade nodded. “Yes, my supervisor did inform me of that. If possible, would you be willing to perform the teleportation before we start work?”

“That I can do, yes. Oh, and also, I should inform you that I’ll be bringing in a team to remove asbestos from the main house itself. So, I’ll probably wait until after that is completed to do any landscaping and rebuilding of that house.”

She nodded again. “Thank you for that. I wouldn’t want my Ponies getting sick.”

“The representative I spoke to told me it would be relatively safe to be nearby, but I wouldn’t want your staff to take any chances,” I said.

“We greatly appreciate that,” she said with a smile. “How long will this other company take?”

“They told me six days at the max,” I replied. “And they said they’d start tomorrow. So how does eight days from today sound? Gives them a day’s buffer just in case.”

“We’ll have a crack team of Ponies there bright and early. Sometime between seven and nine work for you?” she asked.

“It’s a bit early, but I’m used to that,” I replied. “So, I’m afraid to ask, but what will this all cost me?”

Jade quickly grabbed a pencil and blank sheet of paper from her bag and began using her mouth to write. It always amazed me how Earth Ponies were able to write with such grace using their mouths, but then I had to remind myself of a famous quadriplegic Earth artist who used only her mouth to draw masterpieces.

I watched her run the numbers with the speed and precision of a professional, then she put her pencil down and slid the paper over to me. “The base package, clearing away any brush and trees and planting only grass, will cost you this much.”

The number once more shocked me. 8,000 bits. I didn’t need a calculator to calculate the equivalent in American currency. I couldn’t believe how much cheaper it was. If I’d asked for a cleaning of my property back on Earth, it would have been much more.

Like with Manual, Jade must have interpreted my silence for shock of a different kind. “I know it’s expensive, but with that price tag comes our guarantee of satisfaction.”

I nodded, still silent for a bit. It wasn’t that I couldn’t afford it, but I felt like I was ripping them all off. “Well…I think I can agree to that. I really don’t know what I’d do with anything more than a field of grass anyway aside from mowing it every so often.” I smiled and extended my hand. “It’s a deal.”

She shook it with her hoof, a relieved look in her eyes. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you, and if you think of anything more you would want done with your new property in the future, I would be more than happy to offer our company’s services.”

“I will keep that in mind,” I said as Jade began gathering her paperwork. As I helped, a thought occurred to me. “Hey, a couple questions.”

“Oh? Go ahead.”

I nodded. “First one, what do you do with any animals you find in landscaping jobs?”

“Oh! We actually relocate them safely,” she explained. “Especially if we find they’re endangered. We take them to our resident animal expert.”

“Fluttershy?” I asked.

“Correct,” she explained. “She’s the go-to Pony when it comes to animals.”

“Makes sense. Thanks. I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side because I hired a company that endangered innocent animals,” I replied nervously.

“I highly doubt any company in Equestria would do something so vile,” Jade replied. “It would immediately put them out of business.”

“I don’t doubt it,” I said. “Now, for my next question: what if I need to push back the appointment? Is there a fee involved?”

“Well, if you contact us within a day, there is no fee, but anything less than that and it’s a hundred-bit fee for rescheduling,” she said.

“I understand. I wish I could call, but I don’t have a landline set up in my house yet,” I said sadly. I’d seen old fashioned rotary dial phones in some businesses, but I had none at my house yet.

“Then you can do it in person,” Jade said. “You know where our office is, correct?” When I nodded, she smiled. “Just come down and explain the situation to one of the mares at the front and they’ll get you all sorted out.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Well, we’re honored to be working for the very first alien in Equestria,” she giggled as she grabbed her bag with her teeth. “I’ll be seeing you in eight days.”

“I’ll be waiting,” I said, waving at her as she headed off.

Finishing my coffee, I paid for everything and looked around town. The day was, as it always seemed to be, gorgeous. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and what clouds did remain were being practically demolished by a blur of rainbow.

“Well, if it isn’t the resident alien,” a chuckle came from beside me. Turning, I looked down and saw a grinning Spike looking up at me. “Hey there!” he waved at me.

“Spike, my man! Pound it!” I grinned, holding out a fist which he promptly bumped. Since Ponyville’s population appeared to be mostly female, I’d quickly bonded with the little drake. “Whatcha up to today, my dude? No wait, lemme guess, running some errand for Twilight?”

“You know it,” he sighed.

“I swear, that girl has to be some kind of neurotic workaholic,” I frowned. “If she isn’t careful, she could end up in a similar state to how I was.”

“Oh? What do you mean?” Spike asked.

“Overworking yourself can really affect your health, and not in a good way,” I explained. “I once worked myself so hard I collapsed from exhaustion. It’s not a pleasant experience, let me tell you.”

A look of worry crossed Spike’s face. “Well, she’s more nervous than usual today. Princess Celestia’s coming to visit tomorrow, and she’s been working herself up trying to make everything perfect.”

I rubbed my forehead. “And here I thought she’d have learned from my example when I told her,” I muttered.

“Maybe she’s more nervous because of that…what was it you called it, teevee show about us?” he asked. I’d shown the same amount of MLP to Spike on my second day of being in Ponyville when I was taking a lunch break, but only after asking permission from Princess Celestia, who had agreed. Spike had some mixed reactions about it, but in the end thanked me for being honest and understood the importance of secrecy when Celestia had issued a direct command to him to never speak of it.

“If that’s the case, it’s my job to calm her down,” I replied. “Besides, all my meetings are done for the day. I’d love to help.”

Spike grinned. “I’m sure she’d love the hel-huh?!” He was so busy walking and talking with me that he almost ran into a very familiar gold Pegasus. Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane and I could see her trembling. “Whoa, Fluttershy? What’s wrong?” Spike asked.

The look on her face was one of guilt as she looked up at me. “Hey…Jethro? Can…Can we talk? Alone?” She glanced apologetically at Spike, who looked between us with a confused expression.

“Spike, is Twilight at the library?” I asked. When he nodded, I said, “Why don’t you go on ahead? I’ll join you when I’m done talking here.”

“Alright, sure…” he said, worry evident in his eyes as he walked away.

Turning back, I saw Fluttershy looking at the ground, digging at it nervously. “Fluttershy, is-?”

“Can we talk in a private place?” she asked, avoiding eye contact.

“Um…sure,” I replied, starting to grow worried. This wasn’t like her at all, or at least, not how the show depicted her. Turning, she led me back towards the Everfree Forest, her tail tucked between her legs to preserver her modesty, or whatever passed for that in a world where everyone was naked most of the time.

The walk back to her cottage was awkward and quiet. I didn’t know what to say to the poor mare, so I said nothing.

We reached her cottage where she was greeted by a few animals. One small bunny held an empty bowl in its paws and pointed at it. “Not right now, Angel,” she said, “I’ll get to it later.” When Angel pointed again, Fluttershy sighed. “I said later, Angel.” Angel then looked past her and saw me. He scowled and stomped off, like he was throwing a tantrum.

She led me into a large living room. “Please…have a seat,” she whispered. “W-Would you like some tea?”

“No, but thank you for offering,” I said as gently as I could.

She nodded and sat in the couch opposite me. The two of us didn’t talk for a while. She looked down and around the room, everywhere but at me. Uncomfortable silence returned. Finally, she took a breath and looked at me. “I…I want to apologize. For how I behaved when you…pet me.” I saw tears forming in her eyes, ones of complete contriteness. “Please don’t hate me…” she almost begged.

Her tone was heartbreaking for me to hear. Instinctively, I stood, walked over, sat next to her and pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her. “Hey, I don’t hate you,” I said as tenderly as I could. “It’s alright, really.”

She leaned into my hug and put her hooves on my chest. “I…I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay,” I said softly. “I don’t hate you. I promise.”

We held each other for a while, and when she released me, she pushed her mane away from her gorgeous dark cyan eyes. She still had tears in her eyes, but they weren’t as intense as before. “Thank you…” she said, finally looking into my eyes. “I was so scared I ruined everything…like I always do.”

“Hey, look, you didn’t ruin anything,” I replied. “if anything, it’s my fault. I don’t know much about Ponies here, and I just did what I did out of a habit. Now I know better and won’t do it again.”

She blushed and looked away. “Um…I wouldn’t mind if you did it again. I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.” She gave me the cutest puppy dog eyes I’d ever seen.

I sighed. I was weak to those sorts of eyes. “Okay…fine. But only for five minutes. Less if that tail of yours migrates skyward.”

She smiled slowly. “I’m more ready than before.”

I smirked and began running a hand through her mane, much like I used to do with my fiancée’s hair. I was surprised at how the skill came back to me. Fluttershy shuddered and I saw her tail twitch a bit, but that was all. The two of us sat in silence for a while, my hand constantly running through her hair and petting her as carefully as I could. The poor Pegasus seemed to have been really tense and worked up about this incident. I lost track of time and when I looked at my clock, almost half an hour had passed. Fluttershy had her eyes closed and she was still shuddering in what I assumed was pleasure. I slowly removed my hand.

Whining, she looked up at me. “J-Jethro?”

“We’ve been going at it for more than five minutes,” I said with a small smile as I pointed to the clock.

She looked at the clock and gasped, quickly standing. “O-Oh my! I didn’t realize-”

“Don’t worry about it,” I reassured her. “As long as we’re both cool, that’s all that matters.”

“I do feel better now,” she smiled a bit wider.

I chuckled. “Good. Well, I really should get going. I promised Spike I’d talk to Twilight about something.”

“Is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

“Just Twilight being her obsessive self,” I sighed. “I’m gonna try and calm her down.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said worriedly. “Do you want me to come and help?”

“I would, but I feel like a certain bunny would try something if I took you away from his precious feeding time,” I joked, pointing over at a pouting Angel in a corner.

“Oh! It’s past feeding time!” Fluttershy stood and began gathering food for all the critters.

“I’ll see myself out,” I said as I stood myself. “Take care of yourself, alright?”

“I will. Thank you for listening.”

“You’re welcome. Later.”

When I reached the library, I could hear two voices inside, Spike’s and Twilight’s. They sounded like they were arguing. Since it was a library, I walked in and found the place in disarray. Books were strewn everywhere, Twilight was running around with a panicked look on her face, and Spike looked frustrated. “Come on, Twilight, you need to relax!” he was saying. “She’s coming tomorrow, not today!”

“Can’t relax, can’t relax! There’s too much to do!” Twilight replied, her horn glowing as she used it to use a feather duster on a nearby lampshade.

Spike turned to me; a pleading look in his dragon eyes. Sighing, I quietly put down my bag and snuck up behind the frazzled purple Unicorn. I reached down and buried my hand in her mane, giving her the head massage she so sorely needed. “You need to relax,” I said softly.

“Ah! Spike! What are-? Jethro?!” She turned and saw me there. Her eyes went wide as she dropped the duster. “What are…Oooh…” She began wobbling a bit as I continued scratching and petting her.

“You’re way too worked up,” I said. “The more worked up you get, the more mistakes you’ll make. Now I’m ordering you to relax.”

“You’re not…the princess,” she said between shudders. Her legs began to wobble slightly and her eyelids fluttered.

Leading her to a nearby couch, I gently pushed her onto it. Spike was watching this with wide eyes as I continued providing scratches. “You’ve gotta teach me that,” he whispered.

“For Rarity?” I teased.

He blushed hard. “How did you know…?”

“I saw the events of the Summer Sun Celebration and the return of Nightmare Moon. You’re not exactly subtle,” I replied as I reached up to scratch behind Twilight’s ears. “As for teaching you how to do that, I’m not sure. I mean, you have claws, so I’m not sure how helpful anything I teach you. But another time, I can tell you what little I do know.”

He grinned at me and we fistbumped again. Looking down at Twilight, I saw that she was asleep now, tail twitching ever so slightly. I slowly removed my hand from her, grabbed a blanket and tucked her in. “Poor thing, she was driving herself ragged,” I said. Looking back at the room, I cracked my knuckles. “Well, looks like I’ve got a library to clean.”

“You mean we?” Spike asked.

“Well, I wasn’t gonna force you to,” I replied, “but if you want to help, that’s fine.”

He nodded and we began fixing things up. I was surprised that Twilight slept through the three hours it took us to put every book back in its place. Being a stickler for order, I put them back in alphabetical order as they had been. When I finished, Spike offered dinner to me, but I politely declined. I had to get home before night, after all.

The walk home was quiet for the most part, the sun setting behind me as I walked through the ancient forest. As the stars began coming out, I pulled out my phone and kept its light on. When I finally reached my home I froze. I saw two Alicorns just outside my home. I could see them in the fading sunlight. One of them had pink fur with a mane and tail being a mix of yellow, pink and purple. Her wingtips transitioned from pink to purple. But my attention wasn’t on her as much as it was on the other Alicorn standing in front of my barrier.

“P…Princess Luna?!”

14: A Cloaked Heart and the Princess of Love

Standing in the middle of the road, facing the sky, the Nocturne Princess stood, her horn glowing. I looked up and saw the stars come out in all their brilliance. In the east, the moon once more began rising over the mountains surrounding the land. I waited patiently until her horn stopped glowing. When she finished, she turned to me. Her eyes looked like they were glowing, but that quickly vanished as she looked me over. “Our apologies for the intrusion,” she said. “We wished to speak to thee and to introduce thee to our adopted niece.”

The other Alicorn approached, smiling kindly at me. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Jethro Bethridge. I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but please feel free to call me Cadance.”

I grew a bit nervous, but bowed as best I could. “Your Highness, it is a pleasure.”

She giggled, then turned to Luna. “You’re right, he is quite polite.”

Luna grinned. “Indeed so.” Turning to me, she said, “May she be granted clearance to enter?”

“Of course.” I put my hand on the barrier and spoke. “Access is granted for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Canterlot,” I said. Standing aside, I gestured for them both to enter. Once we were beyond the barrier, I walked over to my house door and unlocked it. “Please, come inside. It might feel a bit cramped, but my house wasn’t designed with Ponies of your height in mind.”

Luna entered, graceful and regal in her strides. She had to lower her head a bit when she entered, but fortunately for her the slanted ceiling of my living room gave her plenty of room to stand at her full height. Princess Cadance followed. She was a bit less regal in how she walked, but I could still see the gait of a princess within her. Both Ponies looked at everything around them, curiosity clearly visible on their faces. I could tell both would have about a million questions, but old habits die hard. “Your highnesses, could I prepare something for the two of you? Perhaps a light snack and beverage?”

“That same tea you provided us if thou still have it,” she replied. “As for a light snack, did you say? We would not ask any more of you as thy food must be growing quite low.”

I sighed. “Yeah, but I’ll manage.”

Cadance smiled and sat on the couch next to Luna. “No need to fuss over me, but if you’re offering, I would appreciate some tea as well.”

I retreated to the kitchen and began setting up the teapot again. After setting it on the boiler, I looked in my fridge and cabinets, wondering what kind of foods the two princesses might like. My eyes landed on some Jell-O and chocolate pudding cups and I grinned. Grabbing one of each flavor, I brought them out to her, along with two spoons.

Looking down at them, Luna raised an eyebrow. “What are these?”

“I brought out some chocolate pudding and a dessert from my world called Jell-O,” I replied. “It’s a gelatin product. I have strawberry, apple, orange, raspberry and grape flavored. I don’t know how well they go with tea, but I didn’t want you to be without any kind of refreshment. Of course, if you prefer something more solid-”

“We graciously accept this,” she said, standing tall and proud.

Cadance was smiling widely. “May I have the chocolate pudding?”

“Of course, your Highness,” I said, removing the covering and setting it before her along with one of the spoons.

I turned to Luna. “Which flavor would you like?”

She looked them over, then pointed towards the grape Jell-O. “That, if we may.”

Pulling off the covering, I placed it before her. Just then the tea kettle began whistling. Rushing back in, I poured two cups of the same tea I’d given to Celestia and Luna more than a week prior, and brought the two princesses their tea. Both Alicorns used their magic to lift the cups to their lips.

Cadance’s eyes widened and she smiled. “This is marvelous tea! What kind is it?”

“Honey chamomile,” I said. “I bought it when I had a cold once to help with a sore throat, and I’ve never had a need to use it since then.”

“I’ll have to consider that next time I ask for tea at Canterlot,” she giggled. She took another sip, and her expression started growing somber. “Mr. Bethridge, both of my aunts have informed me of the source of your knowledge of our world. Could I please ask you to explain it in your own words?”

“Well, I can show you, actually,” I replied, turning on the television and scrolling over to Netflix. Hitting play on the first episode once more, I showed her the intro to the first episode.

When Cadance saw Twilight, she giggled. “It’s nice to see the little filly I once foalsat growing up and making new friends,” she said with a loving smile.

“You were Twilight’s baby-um, foalsitter?” I asked, surprised by this revelation.

“Of course,” she chuckled. “We even had our own secret greeting.” She stood and grinned. Beginning to dance, she chanted “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

I couldn’t help myself, I chuckled as well. “Oh, I am gonna tease her so hard for that,” I grinned, rubbing my hands together. “I’ll be right back.” Rushing to the kitchen, I grabbed a pen and some scrap paper, writing down the cutesy rhyme before coming back into the living room. “Just had to write that down. I’d have forgotten it otherwise.” I stopped the episode and turned off the TV.

“Don’t be too hard on her,” Cadance laughed. “I’m very fond of that Pony.”

“She’s Celestia’s student, I would never,” I chuckled. “I’m too afraid of her teacher as it is.”

I’d said it jokingly, but mood in the room instantly dropped. Luna looked down, and Cadance looked at me with a worried expression. I was afraid I’d said something wrong and was about to ask what I’d done when Luna raised her head again. “Jethro Bethridge, it is for that reason we have brought Princess Cadance here. My sister and I wish for her to act as a bridge between you and us. Our niece here is much younger than us, so we hoped she would relate to thee. And she is the princess of love.”

“Is…it okay if we talk alone?” Cadance asked.

Luna placed her now empty cup down. “Our duty here is over, so we shall take our leave.”

“I’ll see you out,” I said as I opened the door for her.

I walked her to the barrier where she turned on me, a serious expression on her face. “Jethro Bethridge,” she said, “our sister is worried about you. She does not wish for thee to fear us so.”

I looked down. “I know…it’s just hard. Every Pony in the world has some kind of magic. And you’re all much stronger than I am. I wish I could overcome it easily, but if you knew half of what I knew about human nature, I…” I trailed off.

Luna approached me, gently lifting my chin to face her. There was compassion in those dark eyes, compassion that reminded me of her sister. “That is why our sister and I asked for Cadance to visit thee. Talk with her. Let her help ease thy fears.”

I took a deep breath, and bowed. “If that is what you two wish, I will do so.”

Luna’s face fell a bit. “Please don’t think of it as an order,” she said more softly. “We’re both really concerned about you. You’ve lost something precious, according to our sister and her student. We hate seeing anypony, or anyhuman in your case, feeling so lost. Because we know how it feels. We still feel lost in this new world.”

“Anyone,” I said just as softly. “The term humans use is anyone. And I understand. If anyone could use some kind of therapist, counselor or anything like that, it’s me. And you too,” I added, reaching down to take her hoof in my hand. “We both are two peas in a pod.”

The smile on her face, despite her magical aspects, brightened my mood. “Could we come and visit thee when the move to Ponyville is finished?” she asked.

I smiled. “We would be honored, milady,” I said, bowing as gracefully as I could.

Her giggle brought an even wider smile to my lips as I stood. She had a look of mirth on her face as she spread her wings. “We hope to see you soon, us and our sister,” she called out as she flew through the barrier back towards Canterlot.

As I walked back in, I saw Cadance using her magic to read something. I saw by the title it was one of my manga which was lying around. She had a confused look on her face as I shut the door. “Your Highness, is something wrong?”

She turned to me and the book floated towards me. Catching it, I looked it over. Kimi no Todoke, good choice for a princess of love. “The story makes no sense to me,” she said. “It’s like the tale is written backwards.”

I laughed, then opened the first page. “It’s a manga. It’s written backwards because the Japanese language can sometimes be written backwards. See?”

She scooted closer as I showed her the Japanese way of reading. Once she got it, her eyes brightened. “I see now! What’s this story about?”

“Heh, it’s funny you should mention that,” I replied. “It’s a romance story between two high school students and all the challenges they face as the two come to terms with their own feelings and the roadblocks that are placed in the way of their budding romance by themselves and others.”

“That sounds like something I’d like,” she giggled. “If you’re willing, might I borrow it?”

“Another time, I promise,” I replied, putting the manga down. “I feel like there are more things to discuss than that.”

Her smile turned serious, and she nodded. Placing her teacup down, she turned to face me. “Jethro…the princesses spoke of your fear of them. They’re very upset about it. Not upset at you!” she quickly added when my face froze in fear. “They’re extremely worried. You’re a subject of the crown now, and that means they care for you deeply. But that’s not all.” Her ears flattened sadly. “Twilight Sparkle told the princess she noticed something, something about your reaction to a certain word.”

“Let me guess: friendship,” I said dryly. When she nodded, I stood and walked around the room. “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to discuss the former first.”

She nodded solemnly. “Very well. As a princess of Equestria, it is my duty to help all its citizens. And I’m in the best position to help you with your fear of us.”

“How?” I asked, not sure how she would be able to help.

Cadance stood and walked over to me. Placing one of her sandled feet on my shoulder, she smiled. “The other princesses have been royalty for millennia. I’ve only been one for a fraction of the time they’ve been ruling,” she replied. “I used to be a Pegasus before I was transformed into an Alicorn by Aunt Celestia. I just want to help you transition to life in our world.”

The tone she used wasn’t one I’d heard from the other ruling leaders of this country. She knew what it was like to be more common than the others. She also was royalty, so perhaps she was in a good position to help. “I appreciate that, truly,” I replied. “But please understand something. I’m in a world I know little about, with no magic except when I sleep. When I’m awake, I’m vulnerable. Besides, the princesses have the power to move the moon and sun. Do you know the amount of energy that requires? Our civilization has no magic and my body is pathetically weak compared even to a Pegasus or even Unicorn. And to top it all off, I’m beyond broken. I’ve lost my family, my fiancée, and now my world.” I put my hand over my mouth. Why I was talking about this so easily I didn’t know, and it terrified me more.

Seeming to sense some new fear, she gently led me back to the couch. “Jethro, relax please. You’re more tense than Shining Armor whenever he goes out for patrol.”

“Shining Armor? Who’s that?” I asked curiously.

The moment I asked, I saw a blush appear on Cadance’s face. She smiled. “He’s the captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard,” she said with a tone I was all too familiar with. That was the same tone Trixie used whenever I heard her talking to her friends about me over the phone. “He’s strong, handsome, courageous, and noble, to name a few.”

“He sounds like the total package,” I chuckled. When she looked confused, I amended my statement. “By that I mean he sounds perfect for the princess of love.”

She smiled, but it faded. “Sadly, I doubt it will ever be.”

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“I’m a princess, he’s the captain of the guard,” she sighed. “He would never see me in that way.”

“Now hold on just a minute,” I replied, suddenly going into lecture mode. “Let me show you something, your Highness. Wait here.” I stood and rushed to my bedroom. Looking through the books on the bookshelf, I pulled out an old leatherbound book I hadn't touched in years and came back. Opening it, I found the passage I wanted to read. “I want you to listen to this.” Clearing my throat, I began. “‘If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.’”

I continued reading the entire of 1 Corinthians 13 to her, a chapter that I felt would speak to her, since she was the princess of love. Her eyes widened as she followed along beside me. When I finished, I looked at her. She was dabbing at her eyes with a telekinetically floating handkerchief. Or is it hoofkerchief? “That…is beautiful. It encapsulates love perfectly.”

“I chose that because I felt like it also encapsulates your situation,” I replied.

“How so?” she asked.

“Love doesn’t discriminate by station in life,” I said. “You could fall in love with a pauper or a homeless person and it wouldn’t matter. Don’t let that stop you. If he won’t make the first move, then you make it. And don’t make it an order.”

“Oh, I would never,” she giggled. “Thank you for your words of advice, but aren’t we getting off track?”

“Damn, you noticed,” I chuckled dryly. I sometimes had a tendency to deflect attention away from me whenever I was uncomfortable.

Her smile faded once more. “Jethro, I’m not here to be your therapist. I’m simply here trying to become your friend. Is it hard to accept friendship? Is it hard to accept the love of those around you?”

I clasped my hands and looked down. “Yes…it’s extremely hard. After my Trixie died, I made a promise to never let anyone get too close to me. The pain of losing someone broke everything inside me. I lost my parents because of my selfish actions, and I lost Trixie because of my addiction.”

She paused for a bit, then spoke again. “So…you blame yourself.”

“How could I not!?” I turned to her, anger plastered on my face. To her credit, she didn’t flinch. “If I had gone with my parents that night, they would still be alive today! And I wouldn’t have taken up smoking and Trixie wouldn’t have gotten sick because of it and died! What cause have I to feel glad? I’ve only caused pain to all my loved ones!” Tears stung the edge of my vision. “And if I hadn’t gone into that house a week ago, Scarlet Dusk…she wouldn’t…”

“She would still be barely alive in that house,” Cadance assured me. “You found her, brought her the medical treatment she sorely needed. You saved her life.”

“Right after I caused her a concussion and broken leg,” I retorted.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she said softly. “And even if it was, you’ve done more than make up for it. I heard about it from Aunt Celestia. You’ve been visiting her daily, you’re paying for her hospital stay, and you plan to provide for her, right?”

I suspected she heard about this from Twilight, since I’d talked to the young Unicorn about it a few times after the party. “Yeah…but why won’t the guilt go away?”

She put a wing around me tenderly. “You’re punishing yourself. It isn’t healthy for you.”

“But…how can I get the pain and guilt to stop?” I looked at her pleadingly.

“The pain of loss will always be with you, I’m afraid,” she said apologetically. “But as for the guilt? I think if you begin to open up to others around you a bit more, it’ll help. Twilight might not say it much in her letters, but I’m sure she’s really worried about you.”

I smirked. “Can’t have a depressed specimen from another world,” I snarked.

Cadance frowned. “She’s not like that,” she said in an admonishing tone. “She might get lost in her studies sometimes, but from what Aunt Celestia has told me, she would never do anything that would make you uncomfortable.”

“I…you’re right, I’m sorry. One of my defense mechanisms has always been dry humor,” I replied.

“I can see the loneliness in your eyes,” she said, her face softer now. “You’re in so much pain, but you hold it in. You might have let some of it out before the party when you told Twilight and her friends about your past, but you’re still holding onto a lot.”

Finally, it clicked into place. I’d been trying to deny it for years, but my heart couldn’t take it anymore. The loneliness, the friendlessness, everything. Maybe it was some kind of magic in the air that led to the chains I’d locked around my heart shattering, or perhaps it was being in a world where friendship was a power to be reckoned with. Whatever the reason, I felt tears form once more. “Princess…I…”

Wrapping me up in her wings and front hooves, she stroked my back tenderly. “Go ahead.”

I threw my arms around her, more tears coming to my eyes. I didn’t cry as loudly as I had a week ago, but it felt much more cleansing. I don’t remember how much time passed, but when I sat back up, Cadance used her kerchief to dab tenderly at my eyes. “Jethro, do you mind if I come visit you for about an hour or so once a week when you get settled into your new home in Ponyville?”

I smiled and sniffed. “Yeah…I think I’d like that.”

She smiled widely. “Thank you. You’ve made a good first step, tonight. Admitting to yourself that you’re lonely is a big step.”

I inhaled deeply. “I suppose it is,” I said. “But just remember that for me, change takes more time than with you Ponies.”

“That’s why I’m coming to visit every week,” she explained. “Don’t worry, I’m here to help, I promise.” She stood. “I’m sorry I kept you up so late. I’ll take my leave now.”

Looking over at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was just past eleven. “It’s a bit late to be flying back to Canterlot. You can stay here, if you like.”

She giggled. “There’s no need for that, but I appreciate your offer. Remember, you reconstructed the Old Palace. It’s being maintained by a guard and there are plenty of rooms.”

“Right, I can’t believe I forgot about that again,” I said, smacking my forehead. “It’s just a force of habit.”

“And one that is most appreciated,” she said tenderly. “Just keep in mind what I’ve said. And try and surround yourself with potential new friends. You have one already. Right, Zecora?”

I heard a shuffling from down my hall. Coming out from the bedroom, I saw the Zebra approach, smiling at me. “Greetings to you, my savior. I’m sorry I hid while you weren’t here.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. Turning to Cadance, I bowed. “I’ll see you out.”

“I think you have more important things to worry about first,” she said, indicating Zecora behind me. She opened the door with her magic. “See you soon, Jethro.” And with that, she stepped out, spread her wings and flew through the barrier, flying towards the reconstructed palace.

Closing the door, I turned slowly towards Zecora, the guilt once more growing in the pit of my stomach. She stood in the hallway, looking at me. Switching to Farasi, I started with, “Zecora, I…I’m so sorry.”

“I knew,” she said softly. “I could tell from the beginning that you didn’t want to open your heart too much. When you fled from my house that day, I was afraid I’d lost you. That’s one reason why I agreed when the Princess asked me to take her to you. You needed this more than you knew.”

She approached me and stood on her hind legs, hugging me tightly. I hugged back, smiling. “A stallion couldn’t have asked for a better friend than you,” I admitted.

“And a mare couldn’t have asked for the same,” she said softly. She moved back, her hooves still on my shoulders. My arms were still around her. “Thank you for allowing me to call you friend.”

“No, thank you,” I replied as she hugged me close again. The warm feeling in my heart began to overpower the guilt. I knew it was temporary, but for the moment I didn’t care. I’d made my first friend in this world. And that was enough for me.

15: A Cloaked Heart A-Dresses A Problem

It had been four days since Princess Cadance had visited me that first time. As was becoming increasingly normal in this controlled world, the weather was sunny with hardly any clouds in the sky. The workponies had begun on my new property, and I’d visited three out of the four days. I hadn’t visited the day before on account of Zecora wanting to binge the Lord of the Rings series with me, as she’d expressed some interest in the movie.

Speaking of my Zebra friend, the two of us were walking through town as we would do often enough. We were discussing various fantasy stories from both our worlds while heading towards Café Hay for our regular late morning/noon get togethers, which we also did quite often, but not every day.

“Hold on,” I was saying, “so this Zebra, Yevara, was it? She’s part of some fictional Manticore-worshipping secret society and is a master of the dark arts?”

“Correct,” Zecora chuckled. “They were called the Illume. She is one of their high priestesses. She has captured Unicorns to do her bidding magic-wise since we Zebras can’t cast magic like Unicorns do.”

“Of course. What’s her main goal?” I asked.

“Subjugation of Equestria in anticipation of the return of an ancient Manticore lord who once ruled Farasi.”

“And how was she planning on subjugating the world?” I asked.

“By using brainwashed Changelings to impersonate Farasi lords,” she replied. “With them firmly under the Illume’s control, she would then begin instigating new laws, while at the same time crafting a massive country-wide spell that would be a backup in case of rebellion. Jethro, are you sure you don’t want to read it yourself? I have a copy of it back home.”

“I’ll read it, sure,” I said. “but I can tell you really enjoy this story. I like listening to you talk about it.”

She nodded with a smile. “I love the story,” she replied. “I just don’t want to spoil it for you.”

“Well, then why don’t we read it together at some point?” I asked. “You seem to like that a lot.”

“It is relaxing, yes,” the Zebra agreed. “Especially after a day of potion-making.”

“Speaking of which, what latest brews have you been experimenting with?” I asked.

“I’ve been trying my hoof at one of the greatest mysteries of potion-making again, a cure for the common cold,” she said.

I snorted. “Humans would love to have that,” I said in an amused tone. “All we have right now are ways to treat the symptoms.”

Zecora was about to reply, when I saw five familiar mares walking up to us. Twilight was the first to spot us and her expression brightened. “Jethro! Zecora! It’s nice to see you two!”

“Likewise,” I replied with a smile as I looked at them all in turn.

“I am pleased as well, to meet you on a day this swell,” Zecora added.

“Where are you all off to?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Rarity’s,” Rainbow Dash said. “She made us some gowns for the Grand Galloping Gala yesterday, and she wanted to surprise us with them.”

“This is so exciting!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily, bouncing in place like her top was made out of rubber, and her bottom was made out of springs. “I can’t wait to see them.”

“Hmm…for a race that goes around wearing nothing, I’m surprised you developed clothing at all,” I said, trying to think of a plausible reason as to why that was even a thing.

“Actually,” Twilight said, “the custom dates back to when Herder Hoof first discovered a large flock of sheep and-”

“Yawn!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, clearly antsy. “Could you keep your egghead stuff under a lid until we’ve seen the dresses?”

“Um…alright, sure,” Twilight said, clearly disappointed that she couldn’t share some of her knowledge with me.

I looked down at Zecora, who gave me a knowing look. She nodded after a few seconds, then we both turned back to the five. “If it doesn’t take too long, do you mind if we too tag along?” Zecora asked, mimicking my thoughts exactly.

“Ah don’t see why not,” Applejack said, shrugging.

“I don’t mind,” Fluttershy added, smiling a bit shyly at the two of us.

“Ooh ooh! Maybe you can get Rarity to make you something for the Gala!” Pinkie Pie beamed as she continued bouncing along towards the town’s famous boutique.

“Hate to break it to you, sister, but I’m not going to the Gala,” I replied.

I got a shocked look from the five. “How come you’re not going?” Twilight asked.

“Well, for one, I wasn’t invited,” I replied.

“Is that all?” Twilight asked. “I could send a letter to the Princess-”

“I’d prefer that you didn’t,” I interrupted her.

She looked a bit confused and saddened. “Why not?” she asked hesitantly.

“Three reasons.” I held up one finger. “One, I don’t want to take advantage of your relationship with the princess,” I began.

“But-” Twilight said, but I interrupted her again.

“Two, a gala is for the pompous and the arrogant, present company and Celestia excluded,” I continued. “Three, I’m an alien. From what I’ve seen of your culture, you’re scared of anything not a Pony and rush to judgement. That incident with Zecora taught me that.” Their ears flattened but I raised my hand. “She’s forgiven you, I’m sure, and that’s enough for me.”

“Forgiven yes, you all have been most kind, and there is no need for us to look behind,” Zecora added, her tender caring smile making me echo it.

“You just have to realize, the Canterlot elite are probably not going to look too fondly on me,” I said. “I’d rather not stir up that kind of trouble needlessly.”

“I…I guess I see your point,” Twilight said, “but I still think you’d enjoy it.”

“Heh, I can guarantee I won’t. In fact,” I turned to Zecora, “I think I’ll spend that evening watching some movies or reading with Zecora, here.”

The Zebra’s smile returned quickly and she chuckled. “An evening like that intrigues me, my savior. Perhaps we can talk more after we’re done here?” She lifted a hoof and pointed to the building coming up.

I looked and saw Rarity’s boutique directly ahead. “Yeah, let’s talk about it later,” I said as I pushed the door open. “Rarity? You here?”

“Coming!” The posh mare’s voice echoed from another room. As she walked in, she smiled the moment she saw the seven of us walk in. She had some measuring tape hung around her neck and a pair of red rimmed glasses over her eyes. “You’re here! And…wait, Jethro? Zecora?”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” I said jokingly.

“What are you two doing here?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“To see those dresses is what we desire. We know it’s something you pursue with a passion of fire,” Zecora explained.

“To elaborate, the others here told us about you making them dresses for the Gala,” I said, “And I was curious to see Pony clothes, specifically these dresses. I’m not gonna be at the Gala, you see.”

“Why not, darling?” Rarity asked, shocked. After I repeated my reasons, she nodded, albeit a bit disappointedly. “Well, that is a shame. It’s only the most gallant event of the year in Canterlot.” Her voice became dreamy and her eyes got a faraway look in them. “Especially if…he’s there.”

“He who?” I raised an eyebrow.

“My prince…the one destined to sweep me off my hooves,” Rarity replied, sighing happily.

“Um…Equestria to Rarity. You’re drooling,” I smirked.

The others chuckled softly as Rarity snapped out of whatever trance she was in and wiped her muzzle. “How uncouth! A lady doesn’t drool!”

“Enough with the chit-chat!” Rainbow Dash said impatiently, “I wanna see the dresses already!”

“Right, of course!” Rarity shook her head a bit. “Close your eyes, everypony!” The five other mares did so, but I didn’t feel the need to. “Now then, follow my voice.” I could see the excitement on her face as she led everyone into a nearby room. “That’s it…keep them closed…” With the exception of Pinkie, who was bouncing on all fours like a pink Tigger, we all walked into an inner room with five fully dressed pony mannequins. “Don’t looook,” Rarity said as she stopped. I looked at the five other mares, each with closed eyes and expressions of anticipation plastered on their faces. “Okay, you can look now!”

I was already looking, and I had to say, I was a big fan of what I saw. Not that I was a fashion expert by any means, but as Rarity went on about each dress, I could feel her pride as a clothing designer practically oozing from her. Honestly, I loved each and every one of them. It got me wondering what Zecora might look like in a dress and what Rarity would design for her.

“Aren’t they all amazing?” Rarity asked, smiling happily at her friends.

I raised my hands and began clapping. From beside me, Zecora stomped her hoofs on the floor, something I’d learned was a Pony version of applause. “Rarity, I might not know you all that well, but damn it, you’ve seriously outdone yourself! Those outfits are simply stunning! Right, ladies?” I turned, expecting them to be just as pleased as I was.

Instead, to my shock, I saw the other five just staring at them with incredulity. They hardly blinked as they looked at the dresses. Frowning, I waved my arm in front of them. “Helloooo? McFly? Anyone home?” I heard Zecora snort a bit slightly at this.

“Mcwho?” Rarity asked.

“Later,” I replied. “Girls, come on, rise and shine. Don’t keep a lady waiting.”

The five mares shuffled a bit nervously, then Twilight began. “Wow, they’re…uh…”

“Yeah, they’re…” Rainbow Dash added.

“They sure are…uh…sumth’n,” Applejack said. Score one for being honest, there.

“Yes!” Twilight replied. “Something!”

“I love something!” Pinkie Pie said with an insincere smile on her face. “Something is my favorite!”

“It’s…nice.” Fluttershy said, her ears somewhat flattening.

“Aaand they don’t like them,” I groaned.

“There’s nothing wrong with them to me, but what flaws are there that you five see?” Zecora asked.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you like them?” Rarity asked, her smile now gone.

“They’re very nice,” Twilight said, clearly trying to appease the unicorn fashionista.

“And we’re plum grateful, cuz you worked so hard on them,” Applejack added, matching Twilight’s nervous smile with one of her own.

“Mine’s just not as cool as I was imagining,” Rainbow Dash added in. Are you sure she isn’t the Element of Honesty?

“Would you rather go in apple bottom jeans and boots with the fur?” I replied,

“Hey, she asked,” Rainbow Dash replied.

“I guess what we’re saying is that they’re just not what we had in mind,” Twilight said, and this garnered a chorus of muttered agreement from the other four.

At Rarity’s crestfallen look, I shook my head and walked over to stand beside the clearly frazzled mare. “Time out, time out,” I frowned at the other five. “Gotta question for y’all. What do you know about fashion? Any of you know anything?” The five mares looked at me silently. “That’s what I thought,” I said after a few seconds of silence. I was a bit miffed at them for some reason. “Listen, I don’t know you all that well, and first impressions aside and nearly being killed by one of you-” Applejack looked down guiltily, “-I know this much. Rarity probably took time out of her day, a day where she could be making money selling her incredibly gorgeous dresses, to make you all something for free. Do you know, any of you, just how lucky you are? This sort of generosity is unheard of back home.” I looked down at Rarity and smiled kindly at her. “These dresses were clearly made with love, the love you share with your friends. I’ve got no eye for fashion, and I haven’t been here long enough to know what makes a Pony look beautiful in the eyes of another, but even I can tell your friends would all look gorgeous in these.”

The five Ponies stared at me in awe, and Zecora was nodding in approval, a sage smile on her face as she walked to stand beside me. “A gracious gift is on you bestowed, so should not gratitude from you begin to flow?”

“I…just wanted my outfit to be at least twenty percent cooler…” Rainbow Dash muttered after a long plaintive silence.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, then looked at them all. “Try them on, at least. Look at yourselves in the mirror. Do you really want to be the ones who start taking advantage of Rarity’s generosity?”

That did it. All the other mares looked down guiltily. I wasn’t sure why I was saying these things, but it was hard for me to see someone go through so much work, only to not even be appreciated genuinely. “Ah suppose yer right,” Applejack said.

“I…I’ll try mine one,” Fluttershy said, pawing at the floor with her hoof. The rest voiced their agreements.

“Welp, I’ll step out so you ladies can get changed,” I said, feeling somewhat satisfied. “I’ll see you gals in a bit.” And with that I stepped out, followed closely behind by Zecora. Finding a place to sit on the floor (Rarity’s didn’t have a chair large enough for me), I leaned against the wall, one knee bent up and the other straight out.

“Quite a speech you gave in there,” Zecora said, switching back to Farasi. “You sure you weren’t some kind of lord back in your world?” she added with a teasing tone.

“Trust me, I’m just a treasurer,” I replied. “I just didn’t want them to start taking advantage of her generosity.”

“Does that happen often in your old world?” Zecora asked.

I turned to face her. “More often than I’d like to admit,” I said. Looking around the storefront, I saw various designs that the unicorn had created put on Pony mannequins. That reminded me of an earlier thought. “Hey, Zecora?”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever worn a dress before? All I see you wearing are those golden chokers and hoofbands.”

“Oh my,” she said, sounding somewhat startled. “Well, the last time I wore a dress was many moons ago. And that was…at a funeral.” Her ears flattened.

My face fell and my heart went out to the mare beside me. Reaching over, I stroked her mane tenderly out of habit. “I didn’t mean to bring back memories like that,” I said, feeling truly sorry for bringing it up.

Zecora smiled at me reassuringly, then closed her eyes and leaned into my hand. “You didn’t know,” she said softly. “Why do you ask, though?”

“Well…I was just wondering what you’d look like in one of these dresses,” I said, gesturing to the main areas displays.

“I see,” she chuckled.

“Jethro? Zecora?” Rarity popped her head out from the door to her workshop. “They’re ready.”

I stood with a groan and cracked my back muscles, causing Rarity to wince. Zecora had gotten used to my body’s noises. “We’re coming.” I stretched and walked into the room, the Zebra by my side.

There they stood, all five of them. They were apparently taking turns by looking in the full body mirror. And they. Looked. Astounding! I looked between the five mares, appreciating how well each dress fit them. Currently Applejack was looking in the mirror, lifting her front hoof and tilting her head as she examined herself. The rest were looking over themselves as best they could.

“I must concur with my friend here, you all look marvelous, my dears,” Zecora praised.

“She’s right,” I nodded. “I repeat, you did a fantastic job, Rarity.”

She smiled wide. “Thank you, Darling.”

I smiled back, then looked at the other five mares. My smile turned to a concerned look as I saw that they still appeared to have some doubts. “Ah’m still not sure…” Applejack said.

“Applejack,” I said sternly, probably more so than she deserved. It might have been very strange of me to forgive the farmgirl for nearly choking me to death, but from what I’d seen, she loved her family dearly. Jumping to conclusions aside, she was the Element of Honesty. One of the main characters of this show. She couldn’t be all bad, after all. “No offense to you, but Rarity is the expert in this area. Is it too much to ask to trust her judgement?”

“Do…you really think we look good in these?” Twilight asked skeptically.

“They completely fit you all,” I repeated. “Trust me on this. And if not me, trust Rarity. You five are closer to her than I am to you at the moment.”

Silence as the five mares looked at each other contemplatively. Seeing that I needed to say something more, I added, “Forgive my expression, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Twilight was the first to speak. She turned and looked apologetically at Rarity. “He’s right. I’m sorry, Rarity. I shouldn’t have been too hasty to judge. I don’t know much about fashion, but I shouldn’t have said what I said.” She looked at herself in the mirror, turning around to get a good look at herself. “You know…it’s kinda growing on me.”

As the other mares began nodding in quiet agreement (Rainbow Dash being an exception as she mentioned something about it being twenty percent cooler), I slipped out, followed stealthily by Zecora. I had a small smile on my face, proud that I could have helped resolve something. I opened the door, and held my hand out. “Mares first,” I said to Zecora, smiling wide as she returned my expression with a grateful one of her own.

“Such a gentlecolt,” was all she said as the two of us headed out into Ponyville...

However, we were stopped by a familiar country girl’s voice calling out my name. Turning, I saw Applejack approaching the two of us. Zecora and I watched her approach. “Applejack? Is something wrong?” I asked.

“Ah…well…” she began, rubbing her front leg with her other front hoof, clearly nervous. “Listen…this is…long overdue, ah know that,” she said softly, “but back when we first met, ah went too far. Way too far.” I opened my mouth to say something, but she held up a hoof. “Let me finish please. Ah want y’all to know I intend to make it up to ya somehow. There’s no excuse for what ah did.” Her ears flattened and she looked down. “Granny Smith even gave me a stern lecture about it…” Looking up, she continued. “Ah don’t expect forgiveness, but ah just wanted to say ah’m more sorry about this than ah’ve been about anything in mah entire life.”

I sighed, then walked up to her. She looked up at me, fear and guilt in those emerald eyes of hers. When we were face to face, I knelt so we were on equal footing. “Applejack, you’re the Element of Honesty, correct?” When she nodded, I continued, “Then answer me this: how much do you love your family? What would you do to make sure your little sister is kept safe?”

“Anythin’,” she said resolutely. “mah family is everythin’ to me. Same with mah friends.”

“I thought so,” I said. Then I smiled, causing a look of confusion to appear on Applejack’s face. “I’ll admit, I was pretty scared of all of you that night, and I still am just a bit-” Applejack looked down guiltily, “but you six aren’t malicious. I understand why you did what you did. You’re extremely protective of those precious to you. You were afraid for your sister’s safety.”

“That doesn’t excuse mah actions,” she muttered.

“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed, causing the orange mare to flinch. “but that doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of forgiveness. Zecora and I had a long talk about it the day after.” I turned and gave the Zebra a grateful smile, which she returned with a nod and a small smirk. Looking back at Applejack, I continued. “I do forgive you, you and the others.” I looked at the slightly open door to see a few eyes glancing out at me. I smirked. “Didn’t anyone tell you it’s impolite to eavesdrop?”

The door opened and the other five Ponies came out, four still in their Gala gowns, and all looking quite contrite. Twilight was the first to speak. “We’re all really sorry about how we treated you back at Zecora’s place,” she said. “Princess Celestia was the one who gave me a lecture…”

“Yeah…she did it for all of us,” Rainbow Dash said, hovering above the rest like she normally did. “Not fun at all.”

I stood and looked at all of them. “Lectures never are fun, especially scolding ones. I know Celestia asked that you become friends with me, but I also don’t want you to feel obligated to do so. Becoming friends isn’t something anyone can order. But…if you six are open to doing that, well…I’d be open to trying too. Starting now.” I stood straighter and held up a hand in greeting. “Hello, everyone. My name is Jethro Bethridge. I’m thirty years old according to the way my world tells time, I’m from the planet Earth in the Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, and I just recently moved to Ponyville. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

As the Elements of Harmony looked at each other, Zecora walked beside me and put a hoof on my arm. “I’m proud of you, my friend,” she said.

“Their actions aside, everybeing deserves a second chance. You were right, Zecora.”

She grinned. “I know I am.”

Cheeky woman, I thought as the girls all nodded at one another.

Twilight was the first to approach. “Hello there, Mr. Bethridge. I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’m twenty years old and I’m the personal student of Princess Celestia. I also just recently moved to Ponyville. It’s nice to meet you too.”

Pinkie Pie approached next, a wide smile on her face. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! I work at Sugarcube Corner! I’m twenty-one years old and I love to party!” I couldn’t help but grin. Sure, she could be a bit annoying at times, but there was definitely something endearing about the pink ball of fluff and energy.

Applejack approached me next. “Ah’m Applejack. Ah’m a farmer up at Sweet Apple Acres. Ah’m twenty-five years old, and I’m plum grateful yer givin’ us here a second chance.”

Rainbow Dash flew up next, looking down at me with a wide grin. “I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria and future Wonderbolt! I’m part of the weather team and I’m twenty-two years old! Pleasure to meet me, I’m sure!” I tried not to smirk at her boastful words.

Rarity stepped forward. “Greetings, I’m Rarity and I’m proprietor of this boutique. I’m twenty-four years old, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anypony that. It’s a pleasure to meet you, darling.”

Lastly, a nervous Fluttershy stepped forward. “Um…hello. I’m Fluttershy. I’m twenty-two years old and…I like animals.”

I looked at each of them in turn, then smiled widely. “Call me Jethro.”

16: A Cloaked Heart is Great and Powerful Part 1

Wow, what a gorgeous day, I thought as I walked out among the countryside outside of Ponyville. I whistled along with the tunes I was playing from my iPhone to the Bluetooth headset situated snuggly on my head. It had been five days since the incident with Rarity. Zecora wasn’t able to walk with me to town today due to her experimenting with a time-sensitive potion, so I’d walked to town on my own that day.

My first meeting with Cadance had already taken place three days ago. As promised, it wasn’t really a therapy session, more of a meeting between two potential friends. We’d had more tea in my old house and had discussed our week. Nothing major had happened to me aside from the preparations for moving my house to Ponyville and the incident with the girls at the boutique.

In return, she’d told me about her first date with Shining Armor, who I learned was actually Twilight’s older brother. It had apparently been magical, in every sense of the word. It might have been cliché (her words, not mine), but she hadn’t cared since she’d thoroughly enjoyed herself, even if the first half was awkward for the two. She thanked me for my advice and hoped to introduce the two of us at some point.

As the song I was listening to faded out, I thought I heard the familiar CLOP CLOP CLOP sound I now associated with Ponies approaching from a turn in the road. Not only that, but I heard what sounded like wheels on the road. I reached up, hit the pause button on my headset, and waited to see what would turn the corner.

A light blue Pony with pale azure hair came into view. She had her nose buried in a book which was surrounded by a purple glow. Okay, so she’s probably a Unicorn, I thought. She was wearing, of all things, a purple wizard hat with blue and orange stars sewn onto it. The cape she wore was of an identical design and held in place by a light blue jewel. But what caught my attention was the cart this Pony was hitched to. My jaw dropped. I never knew Ponies did that.

She was walking a bit fast, and I noticed that she was too distracted to see the sudden turn in the road ahead of her. “You might wanna look out!” I shouted.

The Pony, startled, looked up. When she saw me, her purple eyes widened and she reared up. This, unfortunately, caused the cart she was on to lose balance. It flipped onto its side, pulling the now helpless Pony along for the ride and causing her to drop the book. “Not again!”

I rushed over. “Are you alright?” I asked as I began undoing the harness she wore.

The mare looked at me again, this time with great suspicion. It reminded me of the looks I got from many of the Ponies in town at first. “Stay away!” she demanded with a glare mixed with fear.

I continued undoing her harness. “How else am I gonna help you get your cart back up?” I asked calmly, trying to reassure her. “Besides, it’s my fault this happened.”

Once she was free of the harness, she jumped up and backed away from me to a safe distance. “What are you?” she asked. I saw her tremble a bit slightly.

I made my way to the fallen side of the cart and began trying to lift it up. “My name’s Jethro Bethridge. I’m a human from…very far away.”

The Pony watched me with a careful glance as I did my best to push the cart back upright. After a while, her horn began glowing purple. The cart was surrounded by the same magical energy and in a few seconds, the cart was standing back up again. With one difference. “Ah, damn it! That wheel was just fixed!” the Pony swore.

This caused my eyebrows to shoot up. I’d never heard a Pony swear like that before. “What happened?” I asked, moving to get a good look where she was looking. “Oh…I see.”

One of the wheels had come completely off and was lying on its side. The pale blue Unicorn lifted the wheel up with her magic and looked it over. She must have been oblivious to my presence as I walked up to the cart and examined the side where the wheel had been. I looked around the ground for anything else that might have come loose. Finding nothing in the immediate vicinity, I got on my hands and knees to look under the cart itself. I didn’t see anything wrong with the axel either, at first. Not until getting a closer look. “Here’s the problem,” I said, pointing to the edge where axel was meant to run through the wheel. “The edge of the axel snapped clean off.”

The Pony came up and looked at the spot where I was pointing. She glowered and threw the now useless wheel aside. “Substandard workshop! They promised the wheels wouldn’t break! There’s a hundred bits down the drain!”

I walked up to the discarded wheel and looked at it carefully. The broken piece of axel was still stuck through the center. Pulling it out, I brought it back to the cart and put it back. Since it wasn’t moving, it stabilized the cart for the moment. “You know, I’m sure there’s someone in town who can fix this.”

The Unicorn frowned. “I can’t afford to fix this!”

“It’s on me today,” I said, reaching into my pocket and retrieving my new money pouch. Twirling it around, I tossed it into the air and caught it with a bit of flair before putting it back in my pocket. “Besides, it’s kinda my fault this happened. If I hadn’t startled you, that wheel would probably still be okay.”

She looked at me incredulously. “Are you being serious right now?”

I pointed towards Ponyville. “Very serious. Like I said, it’s my fault anyway, so this is my way for making it up to you.”

Her incredulous look remained on her face, but she looked back at the wheel, then at the town, then back at me. “Fine. Don’t let it be said that the Great and Powerful Trixie can’t be gracious and accept help. Trixie has a show in that town anyway.”

As she walked back to the harness to hook herself back up, I stared at her. Wait, Trixie? That’s her name? I immediately thought of my own Trixie. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my own thoughts and emotions in check. No, this isn’t my Trixie. This is a Pony with the same name. Hell, they don’t even sound or act alike, I told myself as I pushed the wheel back in place deeper.

“Trixie wants to know where this shop is,” the light blue mare demanded after she picked up her book and put it back in the cart.

“There’s a shop on Stirrup Street called Hay’s Hardware,” I replied as I put my hand on the side of the cart to keep it steady. “They’ve got a little workshop in the back that’ll fix you right up.”

“Then what are we waiting for? The Great and Powerful Trixie can’t disappoint her fans. Lead the way,” Trixie said, beginning to pull the cart.

Boy, this Trixie’s nothing like mine, I thought with a small smirk as the two of us continued carefully heading down the road. As we walked, I got a closer look at her cart. It seemed simple enough, having bright yellow wooden siding with a window on each side, both decorated with purple hearts, a red tiled roof, a symbol of the crescent moon on the front, and simple wooden wheels. I wasn’t sure what to make of this Trixie, so I decided to ask. “So…are you some kind of traveling stage magician?” I asked.

She turned to face me, a look of pride on her face. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is no mere stage magician!” she said in a clearly boastful tone. “You, my strange human, are in the presence of the most magical Unicorn in all of Equestria!”

Ah, now she’s in her element. “Really, now? Do tell. I’m all ears.”

Her chest seemed to puff up more at that, and I listened in amusement as she began to regale me with a tale. “When the Ponies of Hoofington had nopony to turn to, the Great and Powerful Trixie stepped up and with her amazing feats of magic, sent the dreaded Ursa Major back to its cave in the Everfree Forest!”

“Oh? Pardon me for asking, but what the hell is an Ursa Major?”

“A fearsome beast that lives within the Everfree Forest!” Trixie said with a tone meant to instill fear into an audience. “A bearlike creature made of nighttime sky and stars! It towered over Trixie, but she vanquished the foe posthaste!”

Oooo…kay…I’ll just ask Zecora later. Or Twilight if I see her first. I simply nodded. “Remind me never to go looking for one,” I said. There was something about her story, though, that didn’t ring true. Oh, maybe ALL OF IT! Lack of details, for one. Such a short story, but I decided to keep my thoughts to myself about it.

“So, Trixie is curious as to what kind of creature you are,” she turned to look at me briefly. “She has never seen a human before.”

“Well, it’s hard to explain, but I’ll try,” I said. “I already said I came from far away, really far away. So far away, in fact, that magic doesn’t exist.”

“You’re from a land with no magic?!” Trixie exclaimed incredulously.

“Pretty much,” I said.

Her incredulity turned into a glimmer. “Perhaps the Great and Powerful Trixie can perform there! She will wow other humans!”

“Well, it’s more like it’s a place where magic doesn’t work,” I corrected. “So you’d probably not be able to perform unfortunately. And…it’s nearly impossible to get to at the moment.”

“Oh…well damn,” she said. “Well, no matter. The Great and Powerful Trixie can find other places for her show!”

“I’m sure you can,” I said. “Oh look, we’re almost back into town,” I added as I pointed ahead.

“Trixie isn’t blind,” the pale blue mare said. “Now, where’s this workshop?”

“Once again, Trixie thanks you for your help,” the sky-blue mare said as she pulled her cart out of the workshop. The brand-new spoke replacement hadn’t been the only thing upgraded. The owner of the hardware shop, a dark green stallion named Iron Craft also replaced the other spoke as well as all four wheels. I’d even paid to have her cart washed, which is where I learned that Trixie’s cart could expand and turn into a stage. Once the washing was finished, it was getting to be late evening and the sun was just beginning to set. “Now her cart is sure look spectacular for her performance later today!”

“Today? Isn’t it a bit late for that?” I asked, pointing at the setting sun. “Wouldn’t tomorrow be a better time to do it? I mean, all the Ponies are going home to get dinner and sleep.”

Trixie’s ears flattened a bit and a frown creased her face. “Well…I suppose you’re right. One more day won’t harm anypony.”

“Hey, monkey-man!”

Turning, I saw a familiar pink and green drake running up to me, a wide grin on his face. And a handlebar mustache on his lips. “Spike? Where’d you get that?” I asked, holding out my fist.

“Twilight cast a spell on me that let me have this mustache!” he beamed as our fists connected. “What do you think?”

I grinned. “I think that your caretaker needs to get out more,” I joked as I ruffled Spike’s head. “But you look good, dragon-boy.”

“Whoa, what are you?” Trixie asked, looking at Spike from where she was standing a few feet away from me.

Spike took notice of Trixie for the first time. “Oh, my name’s Spike, and I’m a Dragon.”

When I saw Trixie blanch a bit, I quickly added, “No need to worry about him. He’s a youngling by Dragon’s standards, and he’s really nice once you get to know him. Spike, this is, ahem, the Great and Powerful Trrrrixie!” I rolled my R’s just like she normally did. “She’s a traveling magician.”

“Really?” Spike looked at her, intrigued.

Trixie, looking more emboldened, grinned and stood up prouder. “Feast your eyes on the greatest wielder of magic in all of Equestria, the Great and Powerful Trrrixie!” She stood on her hind legs and made a pose.

Spike made a face. “Hmph, yeah right,” he muttered. “Nopony’s as good as-”

“Hey, Jethro!” A familiar voice called out, interrupting Spike.

I turned and saw a familiar teal colored Unicorn trotting up towards me, a kindly smile on her face. Beside her, I saw an Earth Pony with a beige coat, a curly blue mane and tail, both with pink streaks through it and light cerulean eyes. “Oh! Lyra! How’s it going?”

“It’s going great!” she said. “This is Bon Bon, my best friend.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Bethridge,” Bon Bon said.

“Call me Jethro, please,” I said.

Lyra grinned, then turned to Trixie. “Oh? A new Pony in town? Hello there, welcome to Ponyville.”

Trixie, who looked a bit miffed at having been temporarily ignored, nodded a bit dismissively at her. “Thanks,” she said a bit disingenuously.

“Ladies, this is Trixie,” I said as means of introduction. “She’s a traveling magician who’ll be performing for the town tomorrow.”

“Oooh! That sounds like fun!” Lyra said. “What time and where? I’d love to watch this.”

“Me too,” Bon Bon said.

“Trixie will perform her show at ten in the morning sharp,” Trixie, once more looking prideful, puffed out her chest proudly.

“We’ll be there!” Lyra said happily. “See you all tomorrow?”

“Sure,” I said, waving to the happy pair as they headed off.

Trixie stretched just then, yawning. “Well, Trixie is tired, so she’s going to find a place to set up camp for the night.” With that, she started trotting off towards the edge of town. “Be sure to come see Trixie’s show tomorrow!”

Spike and I watched her go, me with a wry smile and Spike with crossed arms and a frown on his face. “Something about her rubs me the wrong way,” Spike said.

“She’s a showwoman, Spike. Being boastful to entertain the crowd is her job,” I replied. “But I do see your point. She’s a bit too prideful. And pride cometh before a fall. No one likes a blowhard.”

“Yeah…” Spike replied. He shrugged then turned back to me. “Well, enough about that! There’s a new bowling place that just opened up. Twilight and I were gonna go visit it. Wanna come with us?”

“Wait, you have bowling here?” I grinned. “Count me in! Lead on!”

A large crowd had already gathered in Ponyville square by the time I arrived back in town the next day. Trixie’s cart was sitting in front of Town Hall, all closed up and waiting for the performance to start. I heard murmurs and whispered conversations from the Ponies standing or flying around. I received a few nods and waves from some Ponies as I made my way to the front of the crowd.

Among the Ponies gathered, I saw a familiar Stetson hat among the crowd. “That you, Applejack?” I called out as I made my way to the farmgirl.

The blonde maned freckled mare turned and smiled when she saw me. “Howdy there, sugarcube. Yer just in time. Ya ever seen this cart before?”

“Yesterday, actually,” I said as I sat on the ground. “I ran into the owner and accidentally caused her to crash it.”

“Who crashed?” The familiar, boyish voice of Rainbow Dash asked from above me.

“Hey Rainbow,” I said as she landed on the other side of me. “The owner of this cart was coming into town yesterday and crashed when I tried to warn her she was going the wrong way. Guess I scared her.”

“The cart looks alright to me,” Rainbow Dash said, looking over it.

“Well, yeah. I paid for the repairs. It was my fault, after all.”

“Hey,” Twilight said, walking up to the three of us. Beside her I saw Spike and Rarity. “What’s everypony doing here?”

“We’re waiting to see what the Pony who owns this cart has in store for all of you,” I answered. “Good morning to you three, by the way. Hope you slept well.”

“Like a little foal, darling,” Rarity said with a warm smile. “What about you?”

“After getting my ass handed to me last night by Twilight and Spike? I slept like a rock.”

Twilight looked at me disapprovingly. “Please don’t use language like that in front of Spike.”

“Or me fer that matter,” a frowning Applejack added.

“Right, I’ll try,” I replied, feeling a bit sheepish. I heard a noise from the cart. “Oh! I think Trixie’s starting!” I whispered to them.

They had no time to react to that name before Trixie’s voice was heard emanating from the cart. “Come on! Come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trrrixie!” As she said this, the cart began to expand, just like I’d seen it done before. A large cloud of smoke exploded from the revealed stage, and there she stood, grinning with a confident expression.

All around me, I heard the Ponies gasping in awe at the sudden appearance of the sky-blue mare. Trixie continued. “Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by Pony eyes!” She finished with a flourish, standing on her hind legs while small fireworks and green flames shot out from the stage.

“My, my, my. What boasting,” Rarity said, clear disdain in her voice.

“Come on,” Spike added, “Nopony’s as magical as Twi…” I watched in amusement as Spike finally noticed Rarity was standing next to him. “Uh…uh…Hey, um…mustache!” With that, he ran off, leaving a bewildered Unicorn watching him go.

Twilight walked up, a clear look of worry on her face. “There’s nothing wrong with being talented, is there?”

“Talented? Not at all,” I replied, “there’s just no reason to toot your own horn about it. Hell, I’d like to think I’m pretty good with numbers and figures, but you don’t hear me boasting and saying ‘I can calculate the gross sum product of the Canterlot Treasury in my sleep’.”

“Like you can fix an entire castle in your sleep?” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

I groaned. “I was trying not to make that kind of joke…Now hush. It’s just entertainment. Let’s watch, shall we?”

And so we did. Trixie performed a few tricks, such as making a bouquet of flowers appear out of thin air, pulling a rabbit out of a clearly normal top hat, and more. The more I watched, the more I realized she was indeed a show-off, but I did still applaud politely.

“Ah’m not sure ah can stomach much more of this,” Applejack said, gritting her teeth. “Now, there ain’t nothin wrong with bein’ good at magic, but when somepony goes around showin’ it off like a schoolfilly with fancy new ribbons, that’s when ah get a headache.”

“I think I’m going to be ill,” Rarity added, simply glaring at the stage. “Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic does not make one better than the rest of us,” she concluded. I didn’t fail to notice Twilight’s ears drooping at that statement.

“Deep breaths,” I whispered, reaching up to rub Rarity’s back gently. “If you want to go, you two can.”

“How are you not angry about this?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. “She’s such a showy brat!”

“Is it because of her name?” a familiar shy Pegasus asked. Huh, wonder when Fluttershy got here?

That made the others go silent for a bit. I shook my head. “No,” I replied quietly. “My Trixie was nothing like this. Besides, I’m not that broken that I’ll go gaga for someone who shares her name. And you just gotta remember that this is meant for entertainment. She lives for the applause, applause, applause.” I smirked at the reference.

“Well I just can’t stand that she’s claiming to be something she’s not,” Spike said with righteous indignation.

“Well, well, well,” Trixie said, “it seems we have some naaaaysayers in the audience,” Trixie said with a huff. “Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie?! Do they not know that they’re in the presence of the most magical Unicorn in all of Equestria?!”

I heard Rarity blow a raspberry from beside me. “Pfff, just who does she think she is?”

“A stage performer,” I replied automatically, “but I do feel your pain, ladies.”

“Like she’s any better than Twilight here-” Spike began, before Twilight hushed the drake, pushing her away.

“Oh, I hope Twilight’s okay,” Fluttershy said nervously, watching the Unicorn as she pushed Spike away from the crowd.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “Lemme go check.”

Standing, I quickly made my way over to Twilight and Spike, only to catch the back end of a conversation. Twilight was saying, “…reacted to Trixie? I don’t want anypony thinking I’m a showoff.”

“Showoff? You?” My interruption startled both Twilight and Spike. “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight…you’re kinda underestimating your friends, aren’t you? You’re not a show-off. No one’s gonna think less of you.”

“Are you sure?” the nervous Unicorn asked.

“Sure, I’m sure. You Ponies make friends faster than humans do, and amazing friendships at that. Heck, your friendship is so strong it creates a rainbow beam capable of defeating your enemies in a snap.” I snapped my fingers for emphasis. “I don’t know much about the Elements of Harmony, but I’m sure false friends wouldn’t be able to do what you did with Nightmare Moon.”

“Why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish…the dreaded Ursa Major!” I heard Trixie proclaim. The three of us turned and I saw Rainbow Dash hovering near the stage in front of Trixie.

“Ooof course Rainbow Dash would do that,” I sighed. “Why do I have a feeling this is gonna end badly?”

Forget ending badly, I thought angrily. She practically humiliated them.

It had been a metaphorical slaughter. Trixie’d taunted the six mares, goading them into coming up onto stage and engaging them in some kind of battle of talents and magic.

Applejack had been the first victim. She’d shown some pretty amazing talents with that lasso of hers, grabbing a nearby apple with a single swing and pulling it back so it landed directly in her mouth. Trixie, in response, had made Applejack’s rope behave like a charmed snake, before grabbing another apple and hogtying the poor orange mare and putting the apple straight in her mouth.

While I was undoing the ropes binding Applejack’s legs together, Rainbow Dash had been the next to fall for Trixie’s trap. She’d flown towards a windmill, spinning around it and launching herself through some nearby clouds. After posing in the air, she flew back down, making the bits of cloud release their rain which followed her back along the path she’d taken. When she landed on stage, the now horizontally falling rain hit her back, causing a rainbow to form directly over her head. I almost snorted at the one liner she snuck in.

Trixie, not one to be outdone, hit the rainbow with her magic. It enveloped the startled Pegasus and spun her around a bit too fast. Once the spinning stopped, and because I was done untying Applejack, I rushed over to hold Rainbow’s forehead and rub her back as she did indeed hurl her breakfast into a nearby bush like she said.

Last, poor Rarity got involved after being goaded by Trixie. As entertained as I had been before, I was starting to get pissed as well. The white unicorn used her own magic to fashion a fabulous white and gold dress, while simultaneously creating a new hairstyle that wowed the audience.

Of course, Trixie had to ruin it by turning Rarity’s hair green. The poor Unicorn rushed off in tears back towards her house.

I watched as Twilight, who must have still been worried about her friends thinking less of her if she were to show her abilities, tried to deny her magical prowess. Then she gave the worst excuse to leave ever (Ponies are naked! They normally don’t do laundry for anything!) then dashed off.

After the crowd dispersed, I decided to stick around and have a private word with the so-called Great and Powerful Trixie.

As she was closing down her stage and the crowd quickly dispersing, I approached her, arms crossed. “You know, stage acting or not, I think you went a little too far, dontcha think?”

Startled, Trixie jumped and turned. “Oh, it’s you,” she said in a somewhat dismissive tone.

“You really should have at least asked them before completely humiliating them,” I continued. “You had the majority of the crowd going anyway.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t need any help running her show from the likes of a magicless monkey,” Trixie scoffed.

“You can’t use that word. Only Spike can use that word,” I scowled at her.

“Ugh, Trixie has no time for this,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Trixie’s exhausted from performing feats of magic beyond your pitiful comprehension!”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Turning, I began walking away to go check on the others. “Someday, all of this is gonna come back and bite you in the ass,” I called back, “and when it does, God help you.”

“At least my ass is worth biting!” Trixie shouted back at me. “Not that you’ll ever know!”

…Seriously, what the fuck!? That mare is just…fucking weird. I rubbed my forehead. As I walked to go and check on the three Ponies Trixie had humiliated, I had a gut feeling something was about to go wrong…

18: A Cloaked Heart Soars

It had been six days since the Ursa Incident. In that time, I’d finally teleported my house to Shady Acre, which I’d renamed as Sunny Acre due to the trees being cleared out. The companies I’d hired had gone above and beyond in their duties. The construction company was still hard at work, of course, but I’d temporarily fixed the barrier around my old property so that it blocked out loud noises and made my house visible again.

At our next meeting, Cadance told me that in one of her meetings with Celestia, the Solar Princess had inquired after me. I wrote a letter for her to take back to both her and her sister, telling them both that I was still working on moving my house to Ponyville, but all in all, it seemed as if the residents were growing used to the new resident alien, with a few exceptions (A certain snobbish older dark pink mare with a purple mane and tail came to mind, but I didn’t mention this in the letter).

During our second meeting, Cadance told me that Shining Armor was curious to meet me, seeing as it was my advice that had caused Cadance to ask him out. I told her I’d love to meet him, if his schedule permitted it. Apparently, the two of them had been seeing each other more frequently and even Celestia had given her blessing.

In return, I’d discussed Twilight’s attempt to study the Pinkie Sense. I experienced very little of the event since I’d been practicing making a potion that could mimic the effects of ibuprofen over at Zecora’s place that particular day, but Spike told me the whole story that evening during a scheduled guys night out later that evening.

It was during my third month in Equestria where things took a completely unexpected and drastic turn for me.

Once again, it was a gorgeous day in Ponyville. I’d just come from my house after sleeping in a bit later than I should have, a habit I’d been getting into the more I was in this alien world. The sky had some clouds in it, but the sun still shone brightly and warmly all across the town. I was now a common enough sight in Ponyville that I only received a couple of nervous looks from the Ponies around town. Almost every other Pony now waved at me, smiled in a friendly manner, or even stopped me for a brief friendly chat.

I was sitting near one of Ponyville’s smaller lakes. I had my headphones on and was bobbing my head to some tunes. A few other Ponies were around and a couple Pegasi were even swimming, diving in the pond from some impossibly low hanging clouds. A family of ducks were swimming in a side where the swimming Ponies weren’t. The late summer sun didn’t reach me under the tree I found myself sitting under. A piece of sugargrass was in my mouth. I was humming along to the tune when a shadow fell over my closed eyes.

When it didn’t immediately go away, I opened one eye. Three pairs of eyes were looking at me, with one giddy looking pink Earth Pony about to poke my face. I reached down, paused my music and removed my headphones. “What’s going on, ladies?”

“We’ve been shoutin’ for ya for the past ten minutes,” Applejack said. “Didn’t ya hear us?”

I tapped the earphones around my neck. “Active noise cancelling headphones. I won’t be able to hear anything if I’m playing music. So, what’s up? Some big emergency?”

Twilight shook her head. “We…we were gonna ask if you wanted to join the four of us tomorrow,” she said.

“Four of you?” I looked around. “I only see three.”

“Right above you, darling!” a posh voice replied.

I stood and left the shade of my tree. Looking up, I had to shield my eyes. And my jaw dropped. Rarity was in the air, flying. She had a pair of what looked like transparent butterfly wings with all the colors of the rainbow shimmering within them. She had the widest smile on her face as she flew closer. “What do you think? Gorgeous, aren’t they?” she said with pride.

“Yeah…they are,” I said, perfectly gob smacked. I turned and pointed to Twilight. “You. Explanation. Now.”

She looked a bit nervous, but she did explain. Apparently, there was some sort of competition in the Pegasus city of Cloudsdale and Rainbow Dash was entering it. The four of them wanted to cheer her on, and the wings on Rarity were the result of a spell that gave her temporary wings. However, since it was too taxing on Twilight’s magic, she looked further and found a spell that let any non-Pegasi walk on clouds instead. Then Twilight remembered me and the four looked around to ask if I wanted to attend.

“Yeah…I’m not sure. I mean, that magic might work for Ponies, but humans?” I frowned, thinking it over.

“Well, why don’t we ask one of the Pegasi over there to bring us a cloud to test it?” Twilight asked, pointing to the diving Pegasi.

“I’ll do it!” Pinkie exclaimed as she rushed over to one of the Pegasi who was just coming back to shore. I couldn’t hear the conversation, but suffice to say the poor stallion looked over at us, then back at Pinkie with an incredulous glance. He did, however, as she asked. In no time at all, a cloud was sitting in front of us, just hovering a few inches above the ground.

So long, physics. We hardly knew ye. “Well, if I fall through, I guess I won’t get hurt,” I shrugged as I turned to Twilight. “I’ll try it, but are you sure you’re up to it? You look exhausted.”

“I’ll be alright by tomorrow morning,” she said as her horn began to glow. I felt my body tingle as it was surrounded by her purple magic. I saw her straining hard, and just as I was about to say something, she stopped. “There…the spell should be working now,” she gasped. “It lasts about three days, just like the wing spell.”

I turned and faced the cloud which was still floating nearby. “Welp…here goes nothing.” I took a running start and jumped. To my surprise, I landed on something soft and fluffy. Looking down, I found I was indeed standing on a cloud. Bending down, I pressed against the cloud only to find now that it felt springy, and a bit wet. My hand came back a bit damp. “Well…fuck me sideways,” I muttered to myself. “Damn, this is so surreal!” I hopped a bit and landed again, seeing the clouds give a bit under my weight. “It’s like I’m walking on a bed or something,” I chuckled as I jumped off.

“Me next!” Pinkie Pie giggled as she leapt into the air, landing on the cloud with a loud “Wheee!”

“That girl is so random, it’s so damn adorable,” I chuckled as I looked at the other three. “So, you said this spell will last for three days? And this flying competition is tomorrow?”

“Yep,” Twilight explained.

“And just how are we gonna get to a city in the clouds?” I asked point blank.

“I have a hot air balloon we can use,” Twilight said.

“A hot air balloon, huh?” I nodded. “Yeah, that would do it. Well, if you’re sure you want me to come, I wouldn’t mind tagging along and cheering for that speed demon.”

“I…I can’t believe it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed the moment Twilight’s massive hot air balloon breached the surface of Cloudsdale. She had the widest smile on her face the moment we appeared.

“It’s incredible,” Fluttershy added, also smiling.

“This is so cool! You guys made it!” Rainbow Dash said happily. “And…Jethro’s here too?”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” I joked.

It had taken the four of us in the hot air balloon a bit longer than Twilight had anticipated to get to the floating city. She had to put in more magic into the balloon, mostly thanks to my extra weight and the fact that the mares beside me only came to about my chest.

“Sure did!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she and I jumped out of the balloon simultaneously.

“Wait!” Rainbow Dash called out, looking terrified.

Pinkie and I both landed on the clouds. I wobbled a little, then took a few experimental steps. Turning, I gave her a grin. “Pretty sick, ain’t it? And before you ask, you can thank Twilight over here.”

“I found a spell that makes temporary wings, but it was too difficult to do more than once,” Twilight explained, “So I found an easier spell that lets the rest of us walk on clouds.”

“And we came to cheer you to victory!” Applejack replied.

As they continued talking, I took a few steps to a small break in the clouds. Cloudsdale was extremely high up in the sky, at around one and a half miles above the ground, sometimes two miles. And it was cold. I was wearing a long overcoat, thick gloves, hiking boots, and a few other layers below that.

The view below, however, was beyond incredible. Below, the great city of Canterlot stood on the side of the mountain slopes. From above, it gave the appearance of a mighty fortress atop the mountain. To my right I saw the comfortably nestled Ponyville. Innocent. Secluded and kept safe from the troubles of the world beyond. A haven for Ponies. And for me.

“Jethro?”

Rainbow Dash’s hoof startled me and I almost took a few steps forward, but I stopped myself. Turning back to the cyan Pegasus, I frowned. “Don’t startle me like that!”

“Well, I did call to you, but you weren’t listening!” She huffed in frustration. “We were going to look around the city before the competition starts. Wanna have a little look?”

My frown was replaced with a curious expression. “Yeah, why the hell not? Lead on!”

My day in Cloudsdale was interesting to say the least. Twilight asked me to wear a small badge on my shirt which would keep me from being accosted by any Cloudsdale guards who didn’t already know who I was. I had been reported on already, but she was still trying to be extra cautious.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy showed us around the city, and we stopped at the Weather Factory. All during our tour, I noticed the ever-growing hubris within Rarity, but every time I tried to mention it to her, I was interrupted by some nearby Pegasus complimenting her on her wings.

What really ticked me off, however, was when Rarity actually entered the competition. It didn’t escape my notice that Rainbow Dash was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

The competition was amazing, to say the least. I never saw so many acrobatics in my entire life. But it began to worry not only me but the others when Rainbow Dash didn’t show up. When number ten came on, I knew something was wrong.

“Twilight, where’s the washroom?” I asked after that, trying to find an excuse to leave the cloud booth we were both in.

Twilight, who was still pretty focused on the competition, automatically replied, “Down the stairs and to the right. Can’t miss it.”

“Thanks.” I went down the stairs, but took a left instead. I finally found a door to the backstage entrance where I found a couple of the other Ponies in the competition. I caught a glimpse of Rainbow curled up into a ball, shaking heavily. Her eyes were wide with fear.

“Oh my God, Rainbow Dash!” I exclaimed as I rushed over to her.

“Hey, who are ya? You aren’t supposed to be heah!” a cream-colored Pony with curly blonde hair said in a somewhat Bostonian accent.

“H-He’s with me,” Rainbow Dash stammered out.

The other Pony, who was wearing a pink suit and a headset, looked at me and frowned. “You’re that alien from anothah world.”

“That’s me,” I replied. “I’m sorry for barging in, but I was getting worried about her.”

She sighed. “Fine, but don’t be long. She’s on in a bit.” The Pony walked away.

I knelt and put my hand on her back. The poor mare was trembling hard, and her face was one of sheer panic. “Rainbow…”

She looked up at me, whimpering softly. “Jethro…I…”

I didn’t hesitate. I pulled her into my lap, leaning against the pole she was next to. Wrapping my arms around her, I put a tender hand on her head. “You don’t have to hide anything from me. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Her trembling only increased as she hid her face in my shirt. “Everypony’s gonna see what a failure I am,” she whimpered. “I won’t get to meet the Wonderbolts, Princess Celestia will banish me to the Everfree Forest, and-”

She squeaked in shock as I tightened my hold on her. Reaching up, I began stroking her mane, causing her to shudder a bit. “Celestia would never do something like that,” I said reassuringly. “God, you are incredibly tense. Look at me.” She did so, and my heart reached out to her. There was pure terror in those dark pink eyes. I reached deeper into her rainbow mane, stroking it tenderly. “You’re going to be fine. All that we wanna see if you doing your best. That’s all anyone can ask of you.”

She swallowed hard. “But…but Rarity-”

“Forget Rarity. She’s acting like a class-A stuck up snob right now,” I said, still pretty upset at the Unicorn. “Besides, you’re Rainbow Dash. Fastest flier in Equestria!” I grinned down at her. “You’re the only Pony in history to perform a sonic rainboom, remember? Pinkie wouldn’t stop talking about it all the way up here! You’ve got the moves, girl!”

Her nervousness began to slowly vanish and she smiled. “Yeah…but that was when I was a filly.”

“So what?” I chuckled. “You’re stronger and faster now. You’re fucking Rainbow Dash! It’s practically in your name!” I poked her nose lightly, and the mare chuckled. “You’ll do great. I believe in you, and if you don’t believe me, then believe in your friends. They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t want to see you kick some major butt!”

Her normal confident smile spread over her face. Her trembling was all but gone. She climbed out of my lap and stood there with a dashing grin. “You’re right…you’re right!” She spread her wings proudly. “I can do this!”

Nearby, a door opened, mist pouring out of it. Rainbow and I turned and someone stepped out. I gawked at the Pony that I saw. With a flourish of her wings, the Pony announced, “Rarity…is ready!”

Rainbow’s tail, which had been standing at its normal posture mere moments ago, curled between her legs. She looked back at me and began trembling again.

“Look, ladies,” the cream-colored mare said in a frustrated tone. “I don’t know what to tell ya. There’s only time for one more, so either one of you doesn’t compete or you go out together, got it?”

Rarity approached Rainbow Dash, then saw me. “Oh my! Jethro, what do you think? Don’t I just look amazing in this?”

“It’s…certainly something,” I replied. To be honest, I absolutely hated how she looked. Her makeup was completely overdone, her dress was, to put it mildly, gaudy, and she was practically a mish-mash of colors. It looked like a fashion show threw up on her and walked away without cleaning up.

“Why thank you! Well, Rainbow Dash? Shall we?” Rarity asked, turning and strutting towards the entrance.

Rainbow Dash looked at me once more, the nervous breakdown threatening to overwhelm her. Kneeling beside her, I wrapped my arms around her. “Go get ‘em, RD. We all believe in you. I’ll be watching you and only you.”

She broke away from me after a bit, smiling. “Thanks.” She was still trembling, and I ran my hand through her mane once more. She inhaled deeply, and turned. “Let’s do this. You got this, Rainbow Dash,” she said in what I presumed was an attempt to perk herself up. She walked through the curtain and flew up next to Rarity.

I walked through after them and leaned against the side of the building where I’d come out of, keeping my eyes solely on Rainbow Dash as promised. Some orchestral music began to play and I watched as Rainbow flew through a simple obstacle course, only to crash into the last column of cloud, sending her crashing into a nearby wall.

As her luck would have it, she had crashed near three Pegasi who I assumed were her childhood bullies or something. They said something to her and she frowned at them angrily. I cupped my hands to my mouth and shouted, “YOU GO, RAINBOW DASH! YOU’RE NUMBER ONE!”

Turning, she saw me. I waved and grinned at her. She smiled and nervously waved back before facing the sky with a determined look. She shot up out of the coliseum towards a group of clouds. I watched in awe as she began twirling them. She spun them so fast, I was afraid there would be a tornado or something. Suddenly, she was flung out of her spin, sending the current cloud flying towards Celestia. Fortunately, the cloud simply dissipated when it hit her private booth.

Rainbow Dash looked more nervous then, but I didn’t take my eyes off of her. I cheered her name once more, and somehow the young Pegasus heard me. She nodded my way before dashing straight up. I was so enamored by her performance I didn’t see the multicolored rays of light shining on the entire coliseum. I barely heard the scream, but barely was just enough. I saw a now wingless Rarity falling through the sky, screaming in pure fright.

“RARITY!” I shouted as she fell. I pumped my legs as fast as they could go. Fortunately, the formerly empty center of the coliseum was covered with clouds, so I had no trouble reaching her.

Or so I thought. As I ran to intercept, I realized I would have to jump to catch her. At the very last minute, I leapt and caught her in my arms, wrapping them around her tightly. And that was my mistake. Rarity was falling so fast that the two of us punched directly through the cloud layer. She screamed and flailed around as we plummeted to the ground below. I doubt she even realized I was holding onto her.

I looked up and saw three Pegasi in Wonderbolt outfits flying towards us. I felt relief wash over me, but that relief turned once more to horror as Rarity’s wild kicking hit all three of them, knocking them out. I tightened my grip on her. “YOU IDIOT!” I shouted angrily. “THEY WERE GOING TO SAVE US!”

“AAAAAH!” was all that came out of her mouth as we continued to fall.

Just then, I saw Rainbow Dash flying down extremely fast, teeth clenched and eyes narrowed in concentration. I saw a pocket of air forming in front of her, like she was about to break the sound barrier. She managed to retrieve the three unconscious Wonderbolts, but was just out of reach of the two of us.

Taking Rarity in both hands, I did the only thing I could think of: I threw her towards Rainbow Dash, who caught her. The moment she did, an explosion of rainbow spread from her, much like it would have if a sonic boom had gone off. A streak of rainbow spread from her tail as she reached out to grab me. When she did, she bit onto my coat collar. But when she tried to lift up, she found she couldn’t.

“JETHRO! I CAN’T LIFT EVERYPONY UP!” She shouted in alarm.

Looking down, I saw the ground reaching closer with each passing second. I looked back and saw she was carrying too much weight, but being the Element of Loyalty, I could see she was trying as hard as she could. Her eyes were shut and she was straining with all her might.

Just then, I heard a tearing sound from my coat. The coat had been torn to pieces and Rainbow, Rarity and the Wonderbolts were far up in the sky. I heard Rainbow shout my name in horror before their cries were lost to the wind.

I turned slowly in the air, the ground rising faster and faster. I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes, ready for the splat, and instant death. I screamed in terror.

No. You will not die here, Athena’s voice said in my head, loudly and with authority. You have a new nature. Now…FLY! Fly with the speed of Hermes himself!

Something tore through my clothes. The tenseness in my back was suddenly released and I felt myself being lifted up. Opening my eyes, I looked down. The ground was falling away, as if I was being lifted up. I turned back to see who my unexpected savior was, but to my utter shock, a pair of magnificent silvery white wings with golden tips were spread from my own back. In certain light I thought I saw hints of a rainbow sheen reflected off of them. They looked familiar but I was too terrified to think about where they were from.

I swallowed the inevitable scream that was coming up in my throat and tried to remain calm. The wings were spread wide now, and I was soaring above the ground. What the hell do I do now?!

Spread your wings and fly! Athena said in a commanding tone.

“I don’t know how!” I shouted, but did as she told me. The ground fell away as I carefully flapped my new wings behind me. With each flap, I flew up higher and higher. Having a new part of my body that I wasn’t used to was terrifying, to say the least, but I saw that I was approaching Cloudsdale faster and faster.

Rainbow Dash was fast approaching me, now alone and with a panicked expression on her face. She came beside me and looked in shock at my new wings. “Where’d those come from?!” she shouted.

“No idea! How the fuck do I land with these things?!” I shouted back.

Rainbow Dash flew up and got onto my back. “Just stop flying, I’ve got you now!” I felt her wrapping her hooves around me.

“I’m too heavy!” I replied.

“I was carrying four other Ponies! I’ll be able to carry you!” she shouted.

“Same here!” Another voice shouted from behind me. I turned and saw Fluttershy approaching as fast as she could. She put her hoof under my arm. “Rainbow Dash, grab his other arm!”

Rainbow Dash let go of my body and rushed to the other arm. I clasped both Pegasi tightly as I attempted to stop the flapping. Finally, I managed to succeed and the three of us floated down to the coliseum. I tapped the cloud experimentally, and when it didn’t give way, I collapsed, panting heavily.

“Are you alright?!” Rainbow Dash asked, worry clearly audible in her voice.

“I…I think-HRK!” I felt the remainder of my breakfast come quickly up. Someone’s hoof rubbed my back gently as my stomach was emptied of its contents. I was glad that nothing had come out the other way.

When I was finished, I dug into the clouds and squeezed it into a handful of water, which I splashed on myself and swirled around to try and get the nasty taste of vomit out of my mouth. I did this a couple times before collapsing on my back, panting hard still. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were standing over me, fear still evident in their eyes. I looked up at the two of them, then tried to sit up. The adrenaline from the fall and my very first flight began to wear off. I heard the familiar voice of Celestia shout, “Medic!” right before I faded into unconsciousness.

I found myself back in my old house, a bit dazed and disoriented as I looked around. I felt the new wings behind me flutter slightly. Taking a deep breath, I slowly spread them and looked at them more closely. Now that I wasn’t falling, I tapped at them experimentally. It was a bit unusual to feel myself touching a brand-new part of my body, even in my dream form.

“Do you recognize them now?” a familiar Alicorn’s voice asked from behind me.

Whirling, I saw Athena standing in the middle of my living room, looking somewhat guilty now.

“I…think so?” I said, still a bit in shock. “They’re the same ones from the Poison Joke incident, right?”

She nodded. “I imagine you have a lot of questions right now.”

“Understatement of the day,” I muttered.

She walked over to my couch and sat down. “Join me, and I’ll try my best to explain.”

I walked over carefully, trying not to spread my wings which were now folded behind my back. Sitting down, I adjusted myself until I was comfortable. “So…I assume you’re the reason behind these wings?”

“Yes, but first things first.” She then glared at me angrily. “That was a stupid, stupid thing you did earlier! You could have died!”

My wings fluttered in response, and I felt anger rising within me. “What did you expect me to do? Let her fall!?” I retorted, wings fully spread now. For reasons I couldn’t comprehend, despite the fact that Athena was probably more powerful than Celestia or Luna, I had no issues talking to her like this. But that wasn’t on the forefront of my mind.

“Your Pegasus friend was perfectly capable of catching her! If you’d watched the show-!”

“I’m not going to watch the show unless I have no other choice!” I replied angrily. “You know my thoughts on the matter!”

She sighed, and nodded. “I know, I know…”

I took a deep breath, forcing my wings back into their neutral position. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

“You’re scared, it’s only natural,” Athena replied calmly as she put a hoof on my shoulder. “But I am to blame for your new wings.”

“Was that part of the changes you added to my body?” I asked.

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “This one and a few others weren’t intentional,” she replied. “All I wanted to change was a few internal things. If I hadn’t, you would have died. Humans aren’t normally able to inhabit this world. But somehow when I began subtly changing your body, other changes took place.”

“Such as wings?” I asked again.

“And a few other things,” she said. “I’m still trying to figure out what else might be changed,” she added before I could ask, “but it’s possible you might be able to use magic.”

“…Magic…?” I asked softly, not feeling up to comprehending her words.

“Well, yeah. I’m not sure, yet,” Athena said, looking at me apologetically. “Jethro, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know this would happen.”

“Have you tried this on a human before?” I asked, hating to see her so down.

“Yes, back on Earth, but nothing like this happened there,” she replied.

“Well, listen, I’m not really mad at you, but how long have you known about this?” I asked, spreading one of the wings for effect.

“I suspected it after the Poison Joke incident,” she explained, “but I wanted to be absolutely sure before I told you.”

I nodded, retracting my wings again. “I’ll be honest, I’m freaking out about this,” I said. “Wings…and possible magic?” I sighed. “Athena, you’ve put me in a pretty awkward position, accidental or not.”

The dreamscape began warping until Athena and I were floating in a dark void, circling each other as if we were both ends of a ying and yang symbol. She looked up at me sadly. “Are you planning on telling them the whole truth? About me?”

I sighed. “It’s been a month,” I replied. “A month since I met with the two princesses. And now I have wings and a potential access to magic? They’ll probably force me to tell them about your real identity if I don’t come clean.”

She looked at me with a forlorn expression. “Will you…hate me?”

I frowned. “Obsidian Star,” I replied, using her real name. “I could never in my entire life hate you. It’s because of you I am where I am today. You brought my home with me when you could just as easily have come through the portal with me and vanished. You changed my body so I could digest Equestrian food and speak Equestrian languages. And because of that I have a very close friend in Zecora and am starting new friendships with others around here.”

Her smile was a sad one. “I hope you’re right…I did some awful things…”

“But you don’t want to tell me?” I asked.

She sniffed and turned away. “It’s…too hard for me to recount…too painful a memory.”

Floating over, I wrapped my arms around her from behind. “I solemnly swear that no matter what I learn about you, I will never, ever, in a billion years, think anything less of you.”

She pressed herself closer against me, sniffling again. “Th…thank you,” she whispered, as the two of us just spent my time asleep circling in the empty void of our dreamscape. Before I woke, I thought I heard her softly apologizing, but I couldn’t ask her about what as I woke…

“…okay, doctor? Please tell me he’s gonna be okay!” I heard a frantic tomboyish voice asking.

“Relax, Miss Dash,” the voice of the male doctor taking care of Scarlet replied. “I don’t know much about Mr. Bethridge, but he has a physiology similar to a Minotaur and Lycan. There’s nothing broken.”

“Is there any reason why he’s unconscious, doctor?” Celestia. “He didn’t seem too injured.”

“Shock, your highness,” the doctor replied. “That, and you said he…regurgitated after landing? After all he went through today, it makes sense that he would pass out.”

“What about those wings of his?” Twilight Sparkle. “Where’d they come from?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” the doctor replied. “But they are in perfect health as far as I can tell.”

“Doctor, he’s waking up,” Redheart.

Groaning, I opened one eye. Bright hospital lights shone directly in my face and I squinted. Something rattled to either side of me, and the doctor came into view. “Easy there, Mr. Bethridge,” he said reassuringly. “Just take it easy. Don’t flap your wings too much or you might hurt them. We had to put them in restraints.”

“Re…straints…?” I said in a hoarse voice.

“When the princess and the others brought you in, your wings were flapping up every which way,” Redheart explained, coming into view.

I tried moving, but the doctor pushed me down. “Whoa there, you’ve had quite the busy day,” he said. “You should take it easy.”

“Is…everyone okay?” I croaked out.

“Thanks to Rainbow Dash’s quick actions, everypony is safe,” Celestia said, walking up and smiling at me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good…”

She turned to the doctor. “Doctor, is he able to talk for a while?”

“Not very long, I’m afraid,” the Unicorn replied. “From what I can tell, his body is still in a little bit of shock thanks to his new wings. And he has to rest to replenish his blood supply. We can’t match his blood type without the risk of rejection.”

“Blood…did I get injured?” I asked, before swallowing.

The doctor brought me a glass of water, floating it over with his magic to my lips. Opening my mouth, I swallowed the cool refreshing liquid. “No, you weren’t injured,” the doctor said as he put the water glass down on a nearby table. “Your body is simply adjusting to accommodate your new blood vessels.”

Looking over to either side of me, I saw the massive wings tied to a wall. When I tried to move them, I received a ton of resistance, so I gave up. “Well…I do feel a little weak,” I admitted.

“You need to take it easy for the time being,” the doctor said. “But it looks like the princess and the others who brought you here want to ask you a few questions. You feel strong enough for that?”

“I think so,” I said, slowly pushing myself up into a better sitting position. As I did so, I saw the others looking at me. Every Element of Harmony was standing in the room, looking at me with various degrees of worry. But it was Rainbow Dash who looked the most worried. “RD…?”

She flew up to my face, looking completely furious, but behind those angry eyes were something I didn’t think I’d see: tears. “Don’t you EVER make me worry like that again! You’re a reckless idiot!”

“Take it easy on him!” Applejack shouted, pulling Rainbow Dash back. But by the look on her face, she too was just as angry with me. “She’s got a point, ya know. You dern well coulda gotten yerself killed out there, pulling a fooldhardy stunt like that.”

“I’m…I’m sorry,” I said, my voice hitching in my throat.

“Everypony was really worried about you,” Fluttershy said.

“Rainbow Dash had to be practically dragged out so the doctor could look at you,” Twilight added.

“Oh, come on! I wasn’t that bad!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, before lowering her head and looking at her friends. “Was I?”

“Jethro…?” A quiet and humble voice broke through just then. Looking towards the source of the voice, I saw a contrite looking Rarity, clothes and makeup now all gone. She was back to her normal everyday look. But what really broke my heart was seeing her leg in a cast. The other Ponies stepped aside as she hobbled over, one hoof raised.

“What…what happened to you?” I asked, looking in horror at her leg.

“Please don’t worry about me,” she said. “It’s nothing serious.”

“It’s my fault,” Rainbow Dash said. “When I dropped you, I shot up too fast and she got hurt.”

“No, Rainbow Dash, it was mine,” Rarity said.

“Come on, y’all, let’s not get into another argument,” Applejack interrupted. “It weren’t nopony’s fault.”

Both mares calmed down, but Rarity turned to me and lowered her head even more. “Jethro…” she said again. “I…I’m so sorry…if it wasn’t because of my foolish pride-”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. If anything, you should apologize to Rainbow Dash. You rained on her parade,” I said, a bit more harshly than I meant to sound. The Unicorn flinched at my words. Feeling guilty at that, I reached over and put my hand on her head, stroking her mane. “But I assume you’ve already done that,” I added in a gentler voice. “I’m just glad you’re not more seriously hurt. Is it broken?”

“Just a sprain,” she said. “The doctor tells me I should keep off of it for a while. I’m just grateful it’s only a sprain.”

“Me too.” Deciding to throw a bit of humor around to try and break the mood, I added, “I’d have to settle for less than perfection from my personal fashionista, and that simply just wouldn’t do, darling.” I spoke in her posh manner, but I was smiling while I did so.

She looked up at me in shock, but that turned into a teary-eyed smile as she wiped it. “You’re right, of course,” she giggled. I was relieved to see her starting to get back to her normal self. “I’m still really sorry.”

“Don’t be. Everyone here’s right. I was an idiot,” I said. “But no matter how you were acting today, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t do something.”

She smiled widely at that. “Truly, you’re a knight.”

“Knights don’t get their coats ripped and fall,” I smirked.

“Well, whoever made that coat didn’t know what they were doing,” she said with a frown. “I’ll make you a replacement. One with more style than that one.”

“I apologize for interrupting,” Celestia said, approaching my bed, “but I have a question. And please answer honestly.”

“Of course,” I replied, but I already had a feeling I knew what she was going to ask.

“The doctor informs me that those new wings of yours are those of an Alicorn,” she said. “Do you know how you came by them?”

“I believe I do,” I said, suddenly overcome with drowsiness, “and I promise I will tell you, but in a more private setting.”

Celestia’s smile returned and she placed a wing on my chest. “Of course, my little human. When you are feeling better, we will be able to speak more freely. In Canterlot.”

“Does that include Zecora?” I asked without thinking.

Her smile only widened. “I shall extend an invitation to her too.” Leaning in, she whispered, “I’m glad you found a friend in that Zebra, but I hope you will consider calling these six your friends too. They were extremely worried about you.”

As I grew drowsier, I nodded. “Tell them…I’m sorry…please…” were my last words as I drifted into blackness.

19: A Cloaked Heart Visits Canterlot

I was discharged from the hospital the following afternoon. Zecora had come to see me leave and her eyes widened when she saw my wings. I’d never seen her move so fast to hug me, but it was welcomed as she nuzzled my face and repeated over and over how glad she was that I was alright.

Upon my exiting the hospital, I was greeted by the Elements of Harmony. Rarity was the first to come to me. She had taken the liberty of creating some new shirts for me, each with small sleeves through them to allow for my new wings to poke through without obstruction. She also offered to convert my other clothes in the same manner, and wouldn’t hear anything else about it when I tried to decline. I promised to send her my Earth clothes in batches so she could work on them. The six of us spent the day at my house playing card games and Earth board games.

As she normally did whenever she was overly worried, Zecora spent the night at my house, and I’d learned better than to argue with her. In the middle of the night, when she was fast asleep, I opened up Netflix again. I’d remembered the title of an episode called Sonic Rainboom. To my shock, I discovered it was nearly identical to the events that took place the day prior, with one exception. Rarity hadn’t been injured at all. I fell asleep with doubts in my mind about my decision to avoid the show altogether.

The next morning, Spike arrived at my house with a letter from Canterlot. Only this one was signed by all three Princesses. Zecora and I met the other six and Spike at the train station. I was still a bit tired and clumsily trying not to accidentally spread my wings (which were larger even than Celestia’s). Zecora hardly left my side. And, to my surprise, neither did Rainbow Dash. She sat on one side of me, while Zecora sat on the other side.

And boy, could that Pegasus talk. She talked about the Wonderbolts and how cool they were, for the most part. I listened politely, and actually learned a good deal about them, such as their ranking system and how they accepted new recruits. I tried stopping her a few times, but then I noticed something in Rainbow’s eyes. A slight hint of worry. I figured her constant rambling was something she was doing to distract herself.

The train car we were in looked normal enough, but instead of seats we had beds to sit on instead. I’d moved one bed closer to the wall to sit against. The only other Ponies in the car were the other Elements of Harmony, each sitting on a bed trying not to be bothered by Rainbow’s incessant talking. Spike was there as well at my insistence, and was trying to cover his ears as well. Rainbow Dash was almost as bad as Pinkie Pie, who covered her head with a pillow the whole time there.

Eventually, just when I saw the others were getting ready to tell Rainbow Dash off, I put an arm around the tomboy and pulled her closer. Her eyes widened at that. “Jethro…?” she said softly.

“I’m fine, RD,” I said softly as I ran my hand through her mane. “I feel better now, I don’t have many injuries, and I’m pretty sure my heart is just fine. I can tell you’re worried, and I appreciate it, honest.”

She nodded silently and nuzzled into my hand. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“We were all worried,” Applejack said. “Ya might be a dern fool for what ya did, but yer an honest one,” she added.

“More the fool,” I replied.

“Perish the thought!” Rarity said, looking at me sternly. “You tried to save me, and when you were falling, you held me close, correct? Why?”

“Well…” I thought back to that moment. The answer hit me quicker than I expected. “I wasn’t thinking about much in that moment, but my only thought was keeping you as safe as possible. So I was…gonna hit the ground first.”

Rarity’s eyes widened, and tears began forming. She galloped over and threw her front hooves around me, startling me, Rainbow Dash and Zecora. “Thank you…” was all she said. She held onto me like that for a while, and I held her back, smiling down at her reassuringly.

I looked up at all of them, my smile slowly vanishing. “Listen, can I ask all of you for your advice on something that’s been bothering me since I woke back up?”

Twilight looked at me curiously, but with concern on her face. “Sure,” she said. “We’ll listen, right girls?”

With nods of assent from each Pony, they all gathered around me. I looked down at Rarity’s sprained ankle. Reaching down, I took it in my hand gently. “First off, I want to say that this is completely my fault. Before you go denying it, let me explain. What happened in Cloudsdale was an actual episode on the show that I showed you all.” After I told them the plot of Sonic Rainboom, I lowered my head. “If I hadn’t been the idiot I was and jumped in, Rarity would not only have been saved, but she wouldn’t even had been injured.” I looked deep into her eyes. “Please forgive me.”

“Darling, there’s nothing to forgive,” she replied. “You didn’t know.”

“Exactly. I didn’t know,” I replied. “I’ve been avoiding knowing for too long. Part of me is screaming not to look, but another part is telling me that I can help you avoid some dangers if I just watched the show.”

Fluttershy stepped forward and put a hoof on my knee. “This is really eating you up inside, isn’t it?” she asked kindly.

When I nodded, Twilight came up. “Listen, I’ve studied the theories of parallel timelines and alternate dimensions before. We’re not the same Ponies as the ones in your show. I know you want to keep things the same, but they already aren’t. Your presence would have changed things regardless.”

“Ah can’t claim to know all that fancy stuff like Twilight here,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof, “but ah do know that the future ain’t somethin’ we can know. Tellyvishion show or no.”

“She’s right about that,” Rarity said. “Darling, you’ve been working yourself up over this when you really don’t need to. What happened up in Cloudsdale happened, and there’s nothing we can do to change it now.”

“Come on, Jethro! I’d do anything to know the future!” Rainbow Dash said in her own attempt to cheer me up. “You’ve gotta lighten up a bit.”

“I wouldn’t know much about this kind of thing,” Fluttershy added, “but I can see you’re upset. No matter what you choose, nopony would think less of you.”

“Besides,” Pinkie Pie said with a wide smile, “the moment you were teleported into our version of Equestria, the events of that cool show became only a possible timeline instead of our actual timeline! We’re the alternate universe, so who cares what you do?”

Everyone looked at Pinkie Pie in astonishment. My jaw was certainly dropped. “That…wow…” was all I could say.

Zecora was the last to speak. “My friend, listen to me,” she said, “I know you’re confused and trying to make the right decision, but just know that none here will not think less of you for that.”

I looked at all of them, some of my fears beginning to abate. I still hadn’t made a decision, but I felt that a conversation with one more specific individual would help me make my final decision. “Thank you, everyone,” I said gratefully. “Your words have been pretty helpful.”

Just then, the train’s intercom announced our arrival at Canterlot Station. I stood and stretched, Zecora and Rainbow Dash standing as well. The cyan Pegasus spread her wings and flew beside me. When we exited our private car, I saw about ten guards standing at attention. One of them, apparently the leader, stepped forward. “You’re Jethro Bethridge, correct?” he asked. He was a unicorn with a white coat of fur and dark blue mane and tail. His armor was more ornate than the others, being purple and gold. On his chest, I saw a pink star.

I heard Twilight gasp when she saw the stallion, but before she could say anything, I nodded. “Yes, sir. That’s me.” My wings involuntarily bristled.

“Captain Shining Armor,” he replied, staring warily at the wings. “I’ve been ordered by Princess Celestia herself to escort you and your party to the palace.”

So…this is Twilight’s older brother, huh? I can see why Cadance likes him so much. I nodded politely as I forced my new wings back to a resting position. “Thank you, Captain. The escort is much appreciated.”

“Shining?!” Twilight apparently couldn’t hold herself back anymore.

Shining Armor turned, and a wide smile appeared on his face. “Twily!” He removed his helmet and walked over to his younger sister’s side.

I held back my snickering as the two siblings reunited, but Zecora noticed. “Is something funny, my friend?”

“Oh, it’s nothing important. I just found some more material with which to tease Twilight later,” I replied with a grin.

Zecora snorted, clear amusement in her own eyes. “Don’t be too hard on her,” she said.

“I won’t, I promise,” I said, grinning down at my first friend in Equestria.

“Well, as much as I’d love to catch up, little sis,” Shining Armor said, “I’m on a bit of a tight schedule. But maybe we can meet up together someplace later this evening? Donut Joe’s, perhaps?”

“Wait, Equestria has donuts? Oh, hell yes!” I exclaimed, pumping my fist up in the air. My wings spread excitedly, nearly hitting a couple nearby guards. Seeing this, I looked at them chagrined. “Ah, sorry,” I said sheepishly as I put my wings back.

“Please follow me,” Shining Armor said, turning and heading into the city. I nodded and did so, flanked on two sides by Zecora and Rainbow Dash once more. Twilight walked next to her brother, the two of them talking animatedly.

I’d already explored Canterlot in my astral form plenty of times, but it felt much different being here in person and not flying around. I could practically feel the opulence of the capital city all around me. Despite me being taller than most Ponies, I felt really small. It didn’t help that I received more stares of disapproval, disgust, and fear. I sighed. “Why do I have the feeling Ponyville is more of the exception to the rule than the rule itself,” I muttered as we went along.

“Mr. Bethridge?” Shining Armor was turned back and looking at me.

“Yes, Captain?” I straightened on impulse.

“It’s my understanding that you were the one who advised Princess Cadenza on a matter of importance to me,” he replied, giving me a subtle wink. “Might we talk more about that at a later time?”

“Of course, Captain,” I replied.

He chuckled. “I look forward to it,” he replied.

Aside from that brief pleasant interlude, I could practically feel the stares of fear and disgust everywhere. But I didn’t react, only continued walking. Aside from myself and Fluttershy, who was next to Rainbow Dash, everyone else was “Oooh-ing” and “Aaah-ing” at the sights around Canterlot. I nearly snickered when we passed by the street that led to Canterlot’s Red Light District, but held it in.

In no time flat, or so it seemed to me since I was too busy taking in the sights and smells of the capital city, we were passing through a set of doors into the Palace. We were led down the halls where guards would pause and salute Shining Armor as we passed. I received even more stares from some noble looking Ponies, and I even heard some whispers from them. However, I ignored this as we approached a massive set of doors. Two guards stood at attention, but with one nod from Shining Armor, both Unicorns used their magic to open the door.

Walking down the massive room towards the raised dais, I saw three familiar looking Alicorns seated. In the center on a massive throne sat Celestia, looking at us with an unusually serious expression. To her right stood Luna, also with a serious expression on her face. To the left Cadance stood. I’d never seen her with an expression as serious as the one she had.

“Announcing the arrival of the Elements of Harmony, along with Spike the Dragon, Zecora the Zebra, and Jethro Bethridge the Human,” someone nearby announced. Shining Armor turned and stepped aside.

We all moved forward, the only sounds being made being the hoofsteps and footsteps we were all making. When we reached a certain point, we stopped. When the rest of the group bowed, I took a knee and lowered my head, my wings automatically spreading behind me.

“Raise your heads,” Celestia said, and I flinched. This was her official royal voice, and it terrified me. However, I stood along with the rest, forcing my wings behind me into a neutral state. Zecora stood closer to me and gently put her hoof on my foot, which helped me calm down. I faced the triarchs with as much courage as I could muster. Celestia looked over the others before her eyes rested on me. I was severely tempted to look away, but I held my gaze. After a while, she stood. The other monarchs stood straighter as well. “Jethro Bethridge,” she began, “I assume you know the reason you and your companions have been summoned.”

“Yes, your Highness,” I replied.

“Good. Guards, leave us,” she ordered.

Shining Armor, who had since made his way nearer to the front of the room, gasped a bit. Other guards looked stunned as well. “Your Highness, I must protest,” he said. “It is my duty as Captain of your Guard to point out that this human is a clear threat to the three of you. We all can see his new wings. They’re clearly Alicorn wings. Who knows what else he’s hiding?”

“Shiny!” Twilight almost hissed at her brother in surprise and anger.

“I’m sorry, Twilight, but this is my job,” he said apologetically.

“Relax, Twilight,” I added, “I’d do the same in his position.”

Twilight looked between the two of us and sighed. “We’ll discuss this later,” she said to Shining.

“Captain Shining Armor, I thank you for your concern,” Celestia said. “But what Jethro has to say to us is sensitive information. My sister, niece and I are more than capable of handling ourselves, is that clear?” Her eyebrows were furled at Shining.

“But, your Highness-” Shining began.

“Are? We? Clear?” Celestia enunciated her words for emphasis.

Shining frowned, then bowed. “It shall be as you say, your Highness.” He turned and glared at his guards. “Vacate the premises,” he ordered as he headed to the doors. The rest of us watched them go. I saw Shining give me a warning glare before the mighty doors slammed.

The moment the echoes died down, the three princesses exhaled, especially Celestia. She smiled down at us. “I’m sorry about that,” she said as she walked down the dais towards us. “I had to put on that performance.”

“I understand, your Highness,” I replied, bowing again.

She chuckled. “Call me Celestia, please. Come with us. We’ll speak better in a private area.” Turning, she led the rest of us towards a side door. It opened at her approach and we entered what looked like some kind of meeting room. The round table I saw was made of pure marble inlaid with gold and silver. In one corner of the room, a massive fire roared. Everyone began taking seats except for me, since there was no chair big enough. When Celestia sat in a chair bigger than most, she saw me still standing. “Jethro? Won’t you take a seat?”

“I would…if there was a chair big enough to hold me,” I replied sheepishly. “Plus, I proooobably should still stand. My legs are quaking enough as it is. If I sit, well…”

Celestia looked at me apologetically. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about the chair sizes. But if you’re alright with it…then so am I.”

I smiled, then walked to the front of the room. Standing in front of the fire, I looked into it and sighed. Inhaling, I turned to face them all. “Remember when I told you about my mysterious benefactor Athena? I told you she wished to remain anonymous for certain reasons, and that was the truth. But…due to some recent turn of events, I need to identify her.” I swallowed nervously. “It’s not easy to admit this, since she’s expressed worries about me hating her, but she’s too scared to tell me everything herself. So, I need to hear it from you.” I inhaled deeply, then faced Celestia. “Does the name Obsidian Star mean anything to you?”

Celestia’s eyes went completely wide, as did Luna’s. The others just looked confused. “The Wise Warrior,” Celestia gasped.

“Thou mean to tell us she wast thy benefactor?!” Luna bellowed.

I winced and my wings spread around me defensively. Forcing them back, I lowered my head and held out my wrists. “If you’re gonna lock me up, I wouldn’t resist,” I said.

“Raise your head,” Celestia ordered. I did so, and saw her gazing at me thoughtfully. Finally, she put a hoof on Luna’s shoulders. “Please tell us everything once again, with nothing hidden.”

And so I did. I left nothing out this time around. The princesses of sun and moon listened intently, especially to anything involving Athena. When I was finished, the look on their faces left me feeling weak and scared again. Cadance was immediately by my side, as was Zecora.

After a while, Celestia stood and approached me, an unreadable expression on her face. Cadance moved away, but Zecora only moved closer, putting a protective hoof over my back. She looked me directly in the eyes. “Jethro Bethridge,” she began, “while I am severely displeased that you hid such an important detail from us, I can’t be upset with you at your reasons. Had you told us in the beginning, my sister and I would have most likely taken you into custody and placed you under house arrest in the palace until we learned more. However, from what Twilight has told me about your actions in Ponyville, especially the incident with the Ursa Major and Minor, I can see now that you aren’t a threat as far as I’m concerned.” Luna took a breath, and Celestia turned to her sister. “Luna, I know what I’m doing.” Luna closed her mouth.

“Princess, who is Obsidian Star?” Twilight asked.

Celestia turned and sighed. “This happened over a thousand years ago,” she explained. “And it all happened because of a certain being: Discord.”

There’s that name again, who the hell is this Discord chick? I wanted to ask, but I continued listening. Celestia continued. “Discord, or Eris as she preferred to be called, is a powerful being called a Dragonequus. She is the encapsulation of chaos and disharmony. Once, long before I banished my sister to the moon, she ruled over Equestria and caused great sadness and unrest among all three Pony tribes. However, my sister and I finally defeated her, but not before Discord corrupted a large number of Alicorns. One of them being Obsidian Star. After my sister and I used the Elements of Harmony to encase Discord in stone, we tried to help the other Alicorns return to their normal states, but Discord’s curse was too powerful. We had no choice but to banish them from the world. It would seem we banished them to Earth, and you just heard the rest of her story from Jethro.”

I couldn’t hold back. “Your Highness, I don’t want to ask this, but I have to know. What did my…my teacher do? Her and her companions?”

Celestia closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. She didn’t look too happy to be revealing whatever had happened. “Their leader, Stormy Sky, was a power-hungry tyrant who used his control over lightning to rule over a large portion of Equestria. His methods were barbaric, to put it completely mildly. I don’t want to go into details about his crimes against Ponykind, but he and the other corrupted Alicorns had to be removed from Equestria altogether. And since we have no death penalty, it fell upon my sister and I to send them away to a place where no magic existed. But it appears they landed in this…Greece,” she finished. She turned to me and to my surprise I found her eyes to be truly apologetic. “On behalf of myself and my sister, I can’t apologize enough for what those Alicorns must have done.”

“After hearing that story, I can’t judge,” I said honestly. “I do, however, really want to know what Stormy Skies and his companions did. I can take it.”

Celestia’s ears flattened as she approached. Lowering her voice so only I could hear, she whispered, “Foal sacrifices, for one. Self-mutilation as a form of worship as well. Rape of innocent mares and impregnating them. Fights to the death for their amusement, and much…much…”

Something wet hit my shirt. I turned and saw a single tear falling from her eyes. Instinctively, I reached up and put a hand in her mane. Closing my eyes, I moved my wings and wrapped them close around her. “Your Highness…I…”

“Please, call me Celestia,” she whispered, sitting down in front of me and shedding more tears. “Obsidian Star, Luna and I were all the closest of friends before her corruption,” Celestia said softly. “It broke our hearts to have to banish her with the rest. But…I’m glad that she managed to break out of her curse. Thank you…”

I practically threw my arms around her then, holding her close in my best attempt to comfort her. Luna was by her sister’s side fast and put her own wings around the silently weeping monarch. She gave me a glare, but then her eyes softened. “Forgive us for yelling at thee,” she said.

“From what your sister just told me, I don’t blame you,” I replied, extending one hand to her. She put her hoof in it and I squeezed.

After a while, Celestia stood. I folded my wings back into their neutral position. “I don’t like remembering that piece of history,” she said somberly. “It was one of the darkest times in all of Equestria.”

“Ah wouldn’t blame ya,” Applejack said. “Seems this Eris gal was quite the troublemaker.”

“Quite the ruffian indeed,” Rarity added.

I looked at Celestia and gave a small smile. Her face slowly brightened, and she turned to the rest. “What you have heard today can never leave this room. If anypony asks where Jethro received his wings, tell them that it was given to him by…his teacher, the Alicorn Athena.” She turned and smiled warmly at me.

“Ah don’t particularly like that,” Applejack replied hesitantly, “but ah’ll do as you say, Princess.”

“It’s not quite a lie,” I said. “Athena is her name. As far as I’m concerned, the moment she broke free of her curse, she ceased to be Obsidian Star and became Athena. Goddess of Wisdom.”

The rest of them agreed wholeheartedly. As they were doing so, however, I could feel my anger start to rise. I wasn’t angry at Athena; I had made a promise after all. No, I was furious at Eris. Furious at her for putting my teacher and benefactor through so much heartache and misery. I felt the temperature around me rise as my anger did as well. My fists clenched and I stared into the fire. The flames leaped up as if in response to my fury. Eris, you’re lucky you’re encased in stone. If you weren’t…I would kill you!

The flames burst up in response to my thoughts and flung me back slightly. Startled out of my rage, I looked at the fire, which looked like it was encased in white magic. Celestia and Luna were both looking at me in awe. I straightened up and frowned in confusion. “Um…did I do something wrong?”

Celestia didn’t say anything, but instead pointed to a nearby mirror. Hesitantly, I walked over and gaped. Sticking out of my forehead, I saw a half transparent horn, much like that of an Alicorn. And it was glowing the same color as the magic I’d just seen. Hesitantly, I reached up with both hands and grasped it. The moment I did, the glowing horn vanished, and I felt a tingling in my hands instead, which spread down my arms and through my body. I guess that answers the question of whether I have magic or not, I thought.

A voice spoke, and everyone jumped, leaping up from their chairs and looking around in various states of cautiousness and fear. “I, Obsidian Star, entrust my faithful student Jethro Bethridge into the care of the Ponies in this room,” Athena’s voice echoed throughout the chamber. “I have given him all that I can. And now it is time for me to finally pass on.”

A faded form began appearing on the table, solidifying into Athena. Her wings were spread majestically, and she was looking down at me. There was slight strain on her face as she smiled compassionately at me. She then turned and bowed to the princesses. “Celestia, Luna, I’m glad to see you again, for the last time.”

“Obsidian,” Celestia gasped. “So it’s true…you have returned…”

“I’ve returned, yes. But it was all leading up to this moment,” she replied.

The way she was speaking caused me to tense up in worry. “Athena…? What are you talking about?”

She turned to me, but her smile was one of sorrow. She gently flew over to me and put a hoof on my cheek. “My faithful student, I have not been forthcoming with you. I once said that I wasn’t powerful enough to see you in person. What I didn’t tell you was that I would never be able to take a physical form ever again.”

“What do you mean…?” I asked, afraid to know the answer.

Her smile faded. “Jethro…after I defeated my fellow Alicorns, I…well, holding that much power within me was too much for any Alicorn. My body was unable to keep the strain of all that magic. Jethro…I’m sorry…but…”

I shook my head. “No…you’re not…you’re here now! You can start again! You can redeem yourself!” Tears threatened to burst forth from my eyes.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m already dead. I have been for thousands of years. I’ve been living within your body ever since I arrived. I’m using up the last of my magic to say goodbye.”

I grabbed her into a fierce hug. “No! I won’t let you go! I can’t lose anyone ever again!”

A warmth wrapped itself around me. Someone was nuzzling my face affectionately. “Jethro, you have everypony in this room, and then some. And I did say you have the blessing of Obsidian Star, the real one, not my corrupted form. I’ve given you everything I can give you, but now it’s time for me to face judgement in the next world.”

My arms went through her as she began to slowly vanish. I looked up in anguish as she floated up, waving at me. “ATHENA!” I cried out, reaching up.

“Please look after him, Tia, Lulu,” Athena implored. “He has far to go, and is a broken man.”

Celestia walked over to me and put a gentle hoof on my hand, all the while looking up at Athena. “Dia…I promise we’ll look after him. Please…be at peace.”

“We shall help him too,” Luna said in a surprisingly subdued voice as she watched Athena floating up.

“Don’t go! Please!” I begged.

“Jethro…” she said sadly, “I wish things were different. I wish I could be with you always, but that can never be. My final advice to you…never lose hope. You have friends who love you too much to see you in pain.” Her horn glowed and a ball of rainbow colors formed at the tip. It floated down to me and touched my face. Slowly it shrank until it vanished. “My final gift to you, dearest Jethro. Farewell…”

“Athena! NOOO!” I reached out, but she was gone, leaving me alone in the room with the others. In that moment, I could feel something inside me. Or rather, a lack of something. “Athena…” I looked down at the floor. My grief and sorrow grew and grew.

Then my senses exploded around me, and I knew no more.

20: A Cloaked Heart Starts Healing

My next memory was of waking up in a soft and comfortable bed. I groaned as I slowly sat up and looked around. I was in a large canopy bed with all the curtains drawn to keep the light out. I frowned and concentrated, trying to remember what had happened and why I was in this room.

When the memory rushed back to me, I fell back onto my back, staring up into the darkness once more. Athena, the Alicorn who had provided me with my house and the powers I now possessed, was gone. I would never see her again. My eyes already hurt, but that didn’t stop me from crying once more.

I’d lost someone again. The pain was almost too much to bear this time around. I covered my face and buried it in the pillow. I didn’t want to face the world at the moment, but I also had no job to go to where I could bury my grief.

I wasn’t sure how long I was lying there, but a pressure on my back startled me back to reality. Turning, I saw a worried looking Celestia peering in, her hoof on my back. I wasn’t sure, but she looked like she might have been crying too. “Jethro…are you alright?”

I wanted to snap at her. I wanted to be angry. Instead, I felt empty as I slowly sat up. “No…I’m not,” I looked down.

She pulled more of the curtains aside. “May I come in?”

I moved aside and she climbed in, lying down in her own version of a ponyloaf. I looked down at my lap, hands folded. I couldn’t think of something to say. I wasn’t even sure where to begin. My mind was all twisted up and my stomach in knots. Just then, a loving wing spread over my back and pulled me a bit closer. I turned and saw Celestia looking at me with her own tearful expression. “Jethro…you might not believe me, but I do know how you feel. I truly do.”

I wanted to once again yell at her, tell her she was wrong. But I knew better. I remembered the look on her face when Athena finally passed on. Plus, she was immortal. Of course she knows how I feel. She’s probably lost so many Ponies important to her. And she just lost Obsidian Star like me. Her and Luna. I looked at her imploringly. “How…how can you go on like that? I…” I trailed off, not sure what else to say.

“When I sent Luna away, that was the first time I was truly alone,” she replied sadly, looking down at the bedding. “Normal Ponies can live to be about two or three hundred of our years at best, but Luna, Cadance and I will live forever. I’ve made many friends throughout the thousand years Luna was away, but I had to watch them grow old and die in front of me. I’ve done my fair share of working myself to the bone to distract myself from the pain. I’ve also fallen to the temptation of not letting anypony close to me. But that just leads to even more pain. As painful as it is to lose somepony, it’s even more painful to be alone. And believe it or not, there are more than a few individuals outside this room who are extremely scared for you. They care about you so much. As do I. I don’t want you falling into the despair I fell into after losing Luna. Those were the worst first hundred years of my life without her.”

She pulled me closer with her wing, lowering her head and touching my forehead with hers as best she could. “You’re not alone here. The Elements of Harmony, Spike, Zecora, my sister, my niece and myself are all here. Let us help heal your broken heart and soul.”

My fear of the princess began to slowly dissipate. After such a display, how could I be afraid of her anymore? She was baring her own sorrows to me, a simple human. Or was I human anymore? Closing my eyes, I put a hand in her mane once more. “I…I would like that very much, Celestia. You honor me with your kind offer.”

The wing around me tightened and she breathed out what sounded like a sigh of relief. “You’ve no idea how relieved I am to hear that.” The two of us broke apart and looked at each other. “Are you ready to see the others?”

I almost said yes, but something stopped me. “Not yet. I…I have something else I want to discuss with you.”

“Oh? What is it?”

I frowned and looked down. “It’s just…with what happened in Cloudsdale…I know we discussed me looking ahead at possible future events in the show, but what happened to Rarity taught me something.”

“What did it teach you?” she asked.

“Well, last night, I broke down and watched what happened in My Little Pony, and lack of a human aside, things played out pretty much the same. With one exception: Rarity wasn’t injured. Rainbow Dash saved her and the Wonderbolts just fine.”

“I see.” She looked thoughtfully up at the canopy of my bed. Turning back, she said, “Go on.”

“We were lucky,” I said. “Rarity only had a sprained hoof. But what if next time something worse happens? What if my presence here causes a more serious injury, or worse? Someone’s death.” I swallowed nervously.

Celestia looked at me again. “Jethro Bethridge,” she began, “when you first brought these concerns to me, do you remember what I said?” I nodded. “My advice still stands, but let me clarify. Events ever since you’ve arrived have changed enough that even I highly doubt you watching this show of yours would be a foolish endeavor. You said yourself it was entertainment for children.”

“Yeah, I guess, but-”

“No buts about it,” she interrupted me. “Jethro, it’s clear you want to make the right call, and I can respect that. But I think that, like Twilight, you can sometimes get so stuck in your own head that you become indecisive. And that’s never a good thing.” She brushed her wing against my cheek and her tone softened. “You have friends who can help you. Talk with them about it too.”

“I already have,” I admitted. “And they basically told me the same thing. I was just…so unsure.”

“I can tell,” she said with a small grin. “Are you closer to a decision now? Or do you need to talk to somepony else?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m getting closer to a decision. I’ll make one very soon, and that’s a promise.”

She giggled softly. “Good. Now, are you ready to see the others?”

I smiled a bit. “As long as I’m not assaulted with ten billion questions at once,” I replied.

She gave out a cute giggle. “I’ll let them know. Would you like them to come in one at a time?”

“It’s alright, they can all come in all at once,” I replied, slowly pulling my blankets off.

“Are you sure you’re alright to stand,” she asked. “After Obsidian Star cast her final spell, you passed out. You’ve been asleep for three days.”

I gaped at her. “What…how…?”

Celestia sighed. “Jethro, whatever she cast on you caused you to experience magical overload. It took all the magic we had to stabilize you. Don’t worry, you’re alright now,” she quickly added when she saw the fear on my face. “but I am going to ask that you visit Twilight once a week so she can check on your new magic levels.” She frowned. “I…I’d like to explain more, but I want the rest to hear it as well. Is that okay?”

I set my jaw, thinking. She was my host, presuming I was still in the palace. I nodded. “Yeah, I think I can live with that.”

She smiled gratefully, then came to my side, helping me to my feet. I realized then that I was actually wearing some clothes I didn’t actually own. What I was wearing was simple enough: a dark red pair of silk pants and a shirt embroidered with a golden circle surrounded by wings that matched my own. Within the circle I saw the letters JB embroidered in silver threads. I looked down and around at my new attire. When I looked questioningly at Celestia, she had a grin on her face. Immediately, I guessed who’d made these for me. “Rarity?”

“Rarity,” she replied with a nod. She led me over to a chair and I sat, my wings spreading so as to not be squished behind me. I folded them back as much as was possible and sighed. That’s gonna take some getting used to, I thought as I got a better look at the room. The roof was domed and at the apex a chandelier with glowing crystals hung. There were two bookshelves on one end of the room with the bed on the other. I was seated in a large chair next to an empty fireplace. There was a large vertical window to my right that looked out over the city.

Celestia walked over and the door magically opened just a crack. She stuck her head out and I heard her talking to someone outside. “He’s awake, but he’s still a bit weak. Please go easy on him for the time being.”

The door opened more to reveal several worried faces. However, one burst into the room and soon I found myself being hugged tight by my favorite Zebra friend. “My savior! Are you alright!? Are you hurting anywhere?”

I threw my arms around her and held her close. “I’m still a bit tired, but I’m feeling alright. Nothing hurts. But you’re squeezing me a bit tightly,” I chuckled.

Zecora eased up, but didn’t quite let go. “Sorry, my friend.”

“Don’t be. I’m not angry.”

Everyone else came in slowly, gathering around me. Even Pinkie Pie had a worried look on her face, and her mane and tail were completely straight. Twilight stepped forward nervously. “H-Hey, you’re alright, aren’t you? Please say you are.”

I smiled slightly at her and nodded. “I’m physically alright,” I qualified.

“I see…” her ears flattened a bit and she lowered her head. “I…I can’t imagine what you must be going through…”

“Ah can,” Applejack said, approaching beside her and giving me an understanding glance. “Ah know that look in yer eye. And ah just wanna say that we’ll all be here to give ya a willin’ listen.”

“Well…” Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously.

I smiled. “I know, RD. That kind of mushy stuff isn’t your thing. Which is why I have something else I wanna do with you.” I slowly spread my wings again. “You’re wanna train me on how to use these?” I asked as I retracted them.

Her eyes widened and she had a practically giddy look on her face. “Awww yeah!” She beamed at me. “You’ll be a speed demon in no time!”

Chuckling, I looked back at Applejack. “I appreciate your offer, and I’ll probably take you up on it. Just know that it’s probably gonna take me a lot longer to recover from losing Obsidian Star than most.”

“Y-You can talk to me too,” Fluttershy said, stepping forward. “Th-that is, if you want to,” she added.

“Gladly,” I replied.

“Anything we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Rarity said.

I pulled on my clothes and smiled warmly at her. “I look forward to it.”

“Jethro, if it’s okay, can I stop by twice a week for a while instead of once?” Cadance asked. “At least for a little while.”

I looked over at Celestia, who nodded slightly. Turning back, I chuckled. “I’d be glad to have you over twice a week.”

Luna approached me next, giving me a small smile of her own. “Once again, we ask that you forgive us for our earlier behavior when thou wast telling us about Obsidian Star.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” I replied. “From what your sister mentioned, it was an understandable reaction. I’m not upset at you.”

“Even so, it was rude of us, and we want you to know that we shall grant thee a boon of thy choice,” she added.

I chuckled a little bit. “I’ve got a feeling you won’t accept no for an answer, will you?” Her lack of response was all the answer I needed. “Well then…can I get back to you on that?”

“Feel free to send us a letter anytime,” she said.

“Um, Jethro?” Twilight looked at me. “Is there…anything I can do to help?”

“Perhaps there is,” Celestia finally said, approaching us with the regal gait I’d come accustomed to seeing from her. “Twilight, out of all my students, you were the most gifted I have ever seen. Your knack for learning spells more quickly than any other Pony is one of the reasons I selected you as my personal student.” She turned to me. “Thanks to recent events, Jethro Bethridge has not only been granted the wings of an Alicorn, but the magical potential of one. Potentially more powerful than even myself or my sister. And I believe there’s no one more qualified to teach him magic than you.”

My jaw dropped, as did the jaws of almost everyone else, save for Luna and Cadance. Closing my mouth, I cleared my throat. “Can I ask what you mean?”

Celestia turned to me. “You saw the horn, didn’t you? That was the horn of an Alicorn. When Obsidian Star took refuge within you to come back to Equestria, your body underwent a change, and not just the ones she provided for you.”

Realization began to dawn. “So…she was right. I do have magic now.”

Celestia nodded. “For all intents and purposes, you’re a human version of an Alicorn.”

I swallowed hard. I wasn’t even sure how to respond or what questions to ask. Twilight, however, was the first to ask a question. “So what can we expect? Is he immortal?”

Celestia looked thoughtful. “That I can’t say. He is unlike anything ever seen in Equestria.”

I…Immortal?! I felt the blood drain from my face at that. Zecora was the only one who noticed and held me tighter. Everyone else was focused on Celestia.

“But wait, your Highnesses,” Rarity said nervously, “I thought Alicorns were royalty. What does that make Jethro?”

This was becoming too much. I felt sick to my stomach. First immortal, and now royalty?

“The royalty part remains to be seen,” Celestia said before she looked at me and noticed my panicked state. “Are you alright?” I slowly shook my head. The solar princess looked apologetic. “I’m sorry for all of this.”

“I…I think I’m gonna be sick,” I said honestly.

As fast as I could blink, Rainbow Dash was at my side with a glass of water which she’d gotten from a nearby table. I took it and gulped the cooling liquid down my throat greedily. Thankfully, it helped and my nausea went down to a tolerable level, some water even flowing down my newly forming beard. “Now we’re even,” the Pegasus said with a small grin.

I smirked despite myself. “Yeah…yeah we are.” I turned to Celestia. “About the immortality thing…” I trailed off, not even sure what to ask or where to begin.

“There’s no way to know for sure how this transformation will affect you,” she said. “I can have some of my best minds working on determining what long-term effects this will have on you.”

“I’ll look into it too!” Twilight said earnestly.

Celestia smiled at her student. “I know you will, whether I ask if of you or not.” She turned to me again. “Jethro, once again, I will do whatever I can to help you. As will the other Ponies here, I’m sure.”

The others quickly agreed, and despite my own torrent of thoughts on the matter, I was grateful to them all for their offer. “Thank you…that means a lot to me,” I replied. “And…about this royalty business…?”

Celestia frowned a bit. “While it is tradition for an Alicorn to be royalty, you’re not precisely an Alicorn even if you have all the potential abilities of one. That is a subject my sister, niece and I will discuss at a later time, I promise. And we won’t leave you out of the discussion either.”

I nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”

“Are you up to eating something?” Cadance asked.

I shrugged. “I probably should.”

“There’s no need to force it,” Celestia said, but she stopped when I shook my head.

“No, I should eat something. Got any tomato soup?”

The first half of the journey back to Ponyville was more of a blur than the one I experienced when taking the train to Canterlot. We’d eaten lunch with the Princesses before we headed back to Ponyville. I ate slowly, my stomach still in knots but I ate everything served to me regardless. We were escorted back to the train by Shining Armor, who had quietly apologized for his words to me, explaining that he was merely doing his duty. I forgave him of course, and he promised that when the two of us next met, it would be in better circumstances.

All through the day, Zecora had hardly left my side. The fact that she was so deeply worried for me warmed my heart considerably, and I told her that if she wanted, she could lie on my lap on the way home. She did just that while I was on my phone, looking through some manga over my staticnet. The others were all busy with something or other. Rarity was drawing something on a piece of paper, Twilight was reading some sort of magic book on Alicorns that Celestia had given her, Spike was reading a comic book, Rainbow Dash was sleeping, Applejack was watching the scene out of her window, Pinkie Pie was eating some sweets she’d bought in Canterlot, and Fluttershy-

I looked over at her bed, which was strangely empty. I shrugged, assuming she just went to the lavatory. I went back to reading manga, when I felt a presence next to me. Turning, I found myself gazing into the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen. “Fluttershy?”

The shy Pegasus backed off, face nervous. “Oh, um…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt…”

I chuckled. “It’s alright. Is there something on your mind?”

Approaching once more, she looked at my phone with some curiosity. “Um…I was just wondering what you were reading on that…cellphone, was it?”

I chuckled. “It’s one of my favorite manga. Sweetness and Lightning. It’s about a single father raising the most adorable little girl and their sweet little adventures in cooking with one of the father’s high school students. It’s a pretty wholesome little manga, and after all that’s happened, I needed a pick-me-up.”

She looked at me worriedly. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? That was quite a shock when the Princess told us about…well…”

I rubbed my eyes, putting down my phone and absently stroking Zecora’s mane as she slept. “Right now, I’m a mixture of depressed, terrified, excited, and a whole bunch of other emotions. I’m more confused than anything. That’s why I was reading: to distract myself for a bit just long enough to get back home and sleep. For a long time. I need it.”

She put a hoof on my hand. “Could…Could I read it with you? The art style of that story is similar to manega.”

“Of course it’s called that here,” I chuckled softly as I picked up the phone and returned to the very first page. “Just let me know when you want to see the next page.”

For the rest of the trip home, she and I read together. I did have to pause every so often to explain something she didn’t understand, but for the most part, she seemed to enjoy the story. When we arrived at Ponyville Station, Zecora told the others she would take me back to my house, but they all insisted on coming with me.

When we reached my house, I all but collapsed onto the couch, mentally drained. Zecora was immediately by my side. The others stood around me for a bit. I looked at them all and smiled a bit. “You girls don’t have to stick around for me, you know. I’ll be fine after a while.”

“Ain’t nice of ya to lie,” Applejack said a bit sternly.

“She’s right,” Twilight said softly, approaching and putting a hoof on my knee. “And even worse, you’re lying to yourself.”

I sighed, my smile vanishing. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“You’ve had a pretty rough few days, monkey man,” Spike said, looking at me with his own brand of concern. “I don’t really understand all of that Obsidian Star stuff, and I was there all three days when Twilight went through the Canterlot Library researching them all.”

I turned to Twilight and smirked. “Of course you did.”

“H-Hey! I wanted to get to know everything about them!” she defended, and then her expression softened. “So I could tell you more about her. I think you’d like what I found out. At least, before Discord did whatever she did.”

I smiled, forcing down my grief at her final passing. “I’d like to hear, please.”

She took out a large notebook and opened it. Clearing her throat, she began.

Twilight warned me that she hadn’t learned much, but what she did learn I was glad she did. Obsidian Star was one of the wisest of the hidden Alicorn clan, according to Twilight’s research. She might have been younger, but her wisdom knew no bounds. Many Ponies would go to her for advice, which she freely gave. Even her fellow Alicorns would go to her for advice. She was known as Obsidian the Wise or the Wise Warrior. She told me a couple of anecdotal tales about her wisdom, one of which reminded me of the tale of Solomon and the two widows. When she stopped, I was crying softly, but with a big grin on my face. I couldn’t be prouder of her, and glad she was my benefactor.

“Thank you…thank you for telling me about her,” I told her.

“I…you’re welcome,” Twilight said hesitantly, but with a smile.

I wiped my eyes and chuckled slightly. “Well, after the time I’ve had, I could certainly use a movie.”

“What’s a movie?” Twilight asked, putting on her eager learning cap. A notebook and pencil were floating in front of her immediately.

Grinning, happy that I could distract her and myself a bit longer, I explained in a manner similar to how I’d explained it to Zecora. When she was finished, she had an even more excited look on her face. “Are you gonna watch one now, and if so, can I watch it with you?”

“Of course you can,” I replied. “In fact, I can get everyone here some popcorn.”

“Already on it!” Pinkie Pie shouted, pulling a large bucket of streaming buttered popcorn out of her mane and placing it on the table.

“I…I’m just never gonna question that,” I chuckled as I stood. “Let me look for a movie for us to watch. And yes, before you ask, I won’t be grabbing a cartoon, Zecora.” The Zebra chuckled as I walked over to my DVD shelf next to the couch. When I found one of my favorite movies, I grinned and brought it over to my entertainment center. I set up the movie and rejoined Zecora on the couch.

“What movie did you select?” Twilight asked as the rest of them either sat on the couch or in my love seat and recliner.

“Oh, it’s a fictional tale,” I replied. “It’s a story that takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far far away…”

By the time we’d finished the first movie, it was late afternoon turning into early evening. The group was practically bursting with questions, and I promised to answer them all over dinner. I took them all out to The Hay Burger where I answered their questions as comprehensively as I could. As that was the first time they’d seen other humans, albeit on a screen, I could see the curiosity in their eyes, but especially in the cute purple unicorn who sat to my left. I felt the tension of my current situation begin fading away. Not that it was gone completely, but the distraction definitely helped.

It was dark out when we parted ways. Unsurprisingly, Zecora stuck with me as I walked back to my house. I already knew the routine: she would stay with me that night. And she would probably insist on sleeping in the same bed as I did, which I had no objection to. Soon the lights were off and we were both under the covers.

But I also could sense the oncoming conversation between us. Zecora turned to face me almost at the same time as I turned to her. I chuckled and nodded at her. “Ladies first.”

She chuckled, and reached her hoof out to my hand. I clasped it in my hand as she began, “My savior, how are you faring? This news of you becoming an Alicorn cannot have been easy to hear.”

I nodded slowly. “My emotions are all over the place right now,” I replied. “I’ve lost someone I cared about more than I realized…she reminded me so much of my mother. It was like losing her a second time.” I took a deep breath.

Zecora moved closer and put her hoof on my cheek. I felt the magic that Zebras and Ponies used to grip things caress my face. “You are not alone even now. You have the others. And you have me. I know the pain of loss all too well.” There was a small hint of grief in her eyes.

When I didn’t say anything, she continued. “I once had a brother, Kimba. We both were orphans, but he protected me and stayed with me after we were adopted. Our adopted parents were kind and loving, but were ill equipped to house the two of us. Kimba tried to help our adopted parents by finding odd jobs around our city, and while it helped somewhat, it wasn’t enough. That’s when he turned to the darker side of the city. He became a runner, transporting illegal goods from place to place. He was desperate, and that desperation is what led to his murder.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This world just keeps becoming more and more real, I thought as I wrapped my arms and wings instinctively around Zecora. I could hear her breathing harder as she continued. “I know the pain of loss. I know how it feels to be alone. Why do you think I set up my house in the Everfree Forest? When I came here, I was not in the mindset I am now. I didn’t want to make friends. I was so scared of feeling that pain again that I locked my heart away. But as I continued living in Everfree, I began to realize that nozebra can live truly alone. I saw animal families among the beasts in the forest and even a Deerfolk company or two looking out for each other in the face of danger.”

She buried her face in my chest. “I realized then that I wanted companionship. I wanted friends. But whenever I went to Ponyville, no Pony was ever around. You were the first who wasn’t scared of me. The first who accepted me, even if it took you a while to admit that we were friends. Just know that we are all here for you. We want you to start healing from all the pain and loss you’ve experienced.”

I ran my hand through her mane, her slightly rougher hair a familiar feeling and something that brought me a certain comfort. We lay there in silence for a bit before I replied. “I hope you all are ready. I’m pretty broken, you know.”

“We could tell, and we talked plenty of times about how best to help you while you were unconscious,” she replied. “We decided to help you at your own pace, but we also want to give you gentle nudges in the right direction. We won’t just abandon you.”

“I hope you’re in it for the long haul,” I smiled sheepishly.

“We all are.”

I felt that same warmth swell within me once more as I looked down at the Zebra, who looked back up at me with a teary-eyed smile. “You all have done so much for me already,” I smiled.

“And we’ll keep on doing it. We’re your friends, and you’re a foreign being in a land alien to you. And with what else has happened to you lately, you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

I sighed. “Yeah, there’s that too. Now I have greater magical potential than even the most powerful beings in Equestria? And a potential immortal and Equestrian Royal? I’m scared of that. How are you not? How are any of you not scared of me?”

“We know you well enough to know you would never abuse such powers,” Zecora said in a reassuring tone. “Besides, from what I have heard about Twilight, she will be an excellent teacher for you. And you’ll be able to learn best from Rainbow Dash about flight, and then from Applejack about the ways of Earth Ponies.”

“It’s just happening all so fast,” I replied. “I go from being some normal human who helps run a bank to a being with the potential magic of a demigod.” I refused to think of myself as having godlike abilities. Even if I hadn’t been to a church in years, my Christian upbringing made me recoil in disgust at the thought.

“As with your emotional turmoil, you have friends who are willing to assist you here. Even the princesses have promised to assist in any way possible,” Zecora said reassuringly. She sat up just then. “Wait here for a moment.” She threw the blankets aside and trotted out of the room. After a couple minutes, she came back with a dark green liquid in one of my glasses. She held it up to me. “Drink this. It might have a bitter taste, but it will help you sleep soundly.”

Bitter was a polite way of describing it, but I forced it down. After taking a swig of water to wash out the taste, I felt a warmth wash over my body which seemed to banish all of my worries and fears away. My eyelids fluttered and I lay down, a small smile on my face. A pair of front legs wrapped around me. It only took a few seconds, but I was instantly asleep.

21: A Cloaked Heart Settles In Pt. 2

“So, how do I do this again?” I asked, staring at the large apple tree in the middle of Ponyville’s famous apple orchard.

“Ah don’t know about how humans do it, sugarcube,” Applejack said, “but we buck our trees like this.” Walking over to a neighboring tree, she placed a couple baskets underneath it. Turning around, she pushed her back hooves off the ground and slammed them into the tree. Apples began falling into the baskets. She walked over, grinning proudly. “Just like that.”

I frowned and looked at the tree she wanted me to buck. It looked incredibly strong and when I tapped it with my hand, that only confirmed my suspicions. “You want me to get on all fours and do it like you did?” I asked.

“How else are ya gonna do it?” she asked, tilting her head at me.

“Like…this?” I lifted one leg and kicked at the air.

“That might work, but let’s try mah way first,” Applejack said.

I blushed as I got on all fours and turned away from the tree. “I’m just glad no one else is here to watch this,” I groaned. “This is embarrassing.”

“Just hurry up and do it,” Applejack said, smirking.

Inhaling, I threw both my legs up and kicked the tree as hard as I could. There was a crack and apples rained down on top of me, but that wasn’t the only sound I heard. Something began tumbling down and hit the ground with a mighty “CRUNCH!”

I quickly stood and looked at the tree alongside Applejack, both of our mouths agape. The massive apple tree lay on its side, looking completely out of place in the massive orchard. Nervously, I looked at Applejack, expecting her to be angry. Instead, she walked up to the tree and tapped at it.

“Welp, yer strength isn’t in question,” Applejack said, frowning as we both looked at the downed apple tree. “It’s yer control.”

“Applejack, I’m so, SO sorry!” I said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to!”

“Hush now, it ain’t yer fault,” Applejack said with a small smile. “This apple tree was dyin’ anyway.” She sat down and tapped her chin, obviously thinking. “Maybe if ya held back more than you did just now. And there’s no need to worry about the trees. There are a few dyin’ ones that we can practice on.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Don’t sweat it,” she said. “We just need to train you to control that new strength of yers.”

“Hmm…I suppose what we could do is experiment with different levels of muscle control,” I said, stroking my chin thoughtfully.

“Yeah…somethin’ like that,” Applejack said. “Come on, pardner, let’s go! We’ve got some buckin’ ta do!”

“Joy,” I muttered as I followed her deeper into the orchard.

“Goddamn motherfucking son of a bitch!”

I cursed up a storm as I fell from six feet down onto the grassy field where Rainbow Dash was teaching me how to fly. I’d been surprised when Fluttershy had also come to help as well. Although she’d been less teaching and more watching, watching me fail epically as I fell over and over again.

“O-Oh my. Close your ears, Angel,” Fluttershy exclaimed in shock, putting her hooves over the bunny’s ears.

“You watch yer mouth!” a certain cowpony shouted. “Especially around Apple Bloom! Ah won’t tolerate ya sayin’ that in front of her!”

“How uncouth!” a certain fashionista added in agreement. “I certainly don’t want Sweetie Belle learning such talk!”

“Are all humans as foul mouthed?” A certain bookwormish unicorn asked with a frown, covering Spike’s ears as well.

I shouldn’t have agreed to let them all come to watch, I groaned as I sat back up, spreading my wings and flapping them slightly to get the bits of grass and dirt off of them. “That was fall number…sixteen point five,” I joked with a wry grin as I stood.

“Not by my count!” Pinkie Pie shouted with a gleeful grin, popping out of nowhere in front of me. “It was fall sixty-nine!”

“Gah! Jesus, don’t scare me like that!” I gasped, jumping back a bit.

“Hey! No dawdling! Back to work, Private!” Rainbow Dash, who looked like she was doing her best to hold back laughter, hovered in the air above me.

I groaned and spread my wings again. “Alright…let’s see here.” I looked at my wings and fluttered them a little, trying to get a feel for them once more. My new wings felt like a new part of my body, a part I hadn’t even exercised ever. I might have soared with them during the Cloudsdale incident, but I was running on pure adrenaline. That, and I would feel weak more easily thanks to my heart pumping blood to new blood vessels in said wings. “What the hell am I missing here? RD, I-”

“That’s Captain to you, Private!” Rainbow Dash grinned down at me.

I rolled my eyes, but decided to humor the Pegasus. “Fine, Captain. I’ve been trying to get the hang of this flying down for the past four days now! What am I missing here?”

“You’re not trying hard enough!” she said with a scowl.

“Actually, I have a few hypotheses about that,” Twilight spoke up, still holding a pen and quill pen. “Jethro, your body structure isn’t like that of a Pony. It’s more like that of a Dragon.” Spike perked up at that. “But the problem is you have Alicorn wings, not Dragon wings.”

“So what are you saying? Are you saying I can’t train him?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No, not at all,” Twilight quickly said to try and appease her friend. “I just mean that the training might take longer than normal, and might be a bit unorthodox.”

“Any more unorthodox training like that, and I’ll be in a wheelchair,” I sighed.

“Don’t say things like that!” Rarity said. “Sure, Rainbow Dash might be a little, shall we say, rough around the edges, but she is the best flyer we have. No offense, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, none taken,” Fluttershy replied. “I probably couldn’t help much anyway.”

“Alright, so what do we do then?” I asked. “I’m thirty years out of any kind of practice, that and flapping these things is extremely exhausting.”

I felt a tingling sensation around my entire body just then, which ended a few seconds later. “What about now?” Twilight asked.

I flapped my wings a bit. I felt more energetic now and less tired than before. “Not anymore. Thanks, Twilight.”

“Besides,” she added, “Princess Celestia did inform me that your heart is quickly adjusting to its new routine. I suspect Ob-Athena had something to do with that,” she said.

I nodded, smiling wistfully as I looked up at the sky. “‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ Or in her case, a mare laying down what little life she had left for me. A man she hardly knew.”

“Ya still miss her somethin’ fierce, dontcha?” Applejack asked softly.

“I doubt I’ll ever completely stop missing her,” I replied, spreading my wings wider. “But I’ll always remember her fondly. She gave me a gift; one I’m trying my best to accept and not be terrified of.”

“That’s all anyone can ask, darling.” Rarity stood and stretched. “I’d love to stay and chat longer, but Fluttershy and I have our weekly get together at the spa.”

“Oh, is it that time already?” Fluttershy asked. “I didn’t realize-”

“Don’t worry about it! Come come, it’s high time we got going. I don’t want to keep them waiting.” So saying, Rarity walked off.

“Well, I’ll see you all later,” Fluttershy said, walking off with Angel beside her.

After they left, I spread my wings again. With a single push of my wings, I launched myself into the air, then pushed again, and again. It was wobbly for a while, but eventually I was hovering in the air.

Rainbow Dash flew up close to me, front hooves on her equivalent of hips. “Not bad, Private. Now it’s time to FLY HIGHER!”

Her shout threw me off balance and I once more fell back onto my ass. Groaning, I glared up at her. “That little-”

“Language!”

“Very good!” Twilight clapped her hooves happily as she watched me levitate the nearby rock. Surrounding it was my very own color of magic, a silvery gold color with shimmering rainbows visible every so often in some kind of sheen.

“Twilight, I get why we’re doing this outside, but do I really need to be standing on one hand while I do this?” I asked. “The blood is rushing to my head.”

“Use your magic,” she said, falling into her imitation of Yoda. “Feel it,” she continued. I heard a snort Spike, who was standing on my foot chowing down on some gems.

“I should never have let you all watch Star Wars,” I muttered as I lifted the rock higher. The magic around my hand and the rock began glowing even brighter.

“Concentrate,” she said. “Don’t put too much magic into it, or you could shatter the stone and it’ll explode,” Twilight cautioned, back to her normal voice.

I resumed concentrating, beads of sweat forming on my face. One of them started crawling up towards my eye. And that was all the distraction I needed. I winced and started to fall.

“WHOA!” Spike shouted as I began falling. I winced as my back hit the grassy plain. “Ah, thanks Twilight.”

“You’re welcome,” she said.

Looking over at the two, I saw that Spike was encased in Twilight’s purple magic, floating down. I sat up slowly, brushing grass and some dirt off of my clothes. “Sorry, Spike.”

“Jethro, I told you to concentrate,” Twilight admonished, frowning at me.

“I’m alright too, thanks for asking,” I said wryly.

Twilight’s ears drooped a bit. “I’m sorry,” she said more softly. “I’m glad you’re alright. What happened?”

“Some sweat got in my eyes,” I said, bringing out my handkerchief and wiping my face clean. “Demigod potential or not, even a little spell like this drains me. And cosplaying as Luke and Yoda on Dagobah really makes it harder.”

“I guess not,” Twilight sighed, sitting on her haunches. “Princess Celestia told us it might take a little longer with you since you came from a magicless world. Plus…I’ve no idea how to be a teacher. I was always a student.”

It was hard to be upset with her when she looked so down. I stood shakily, walked over to her, and sat next to her. I tried to smile reassuringly. “In my world we have a saying: ‘With age comes wisdom.’ Listen, I highly doubt Celestia would have put you in charge of my magical training if she thought you were unable to do it. She’s wise beyond anything I could ever have imagined, so I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”

She looked down at the ground, tapping the grassy plain. “She does, but I don’t…”

I looked around, then saw a nearby flower. Reaching out with my new magical abilities, I grasped it, pulled it out and brought it to me. Grabbing it, I broke the stem in two and slid the flower into her mane. “If you didn’t know how to teach, then I wouldn’t have been able to do what I just did. Miss Sparkle, you’ve been beyond patient with me. You think teaching is new to you? Being some kind of human/Alicorn hybrid is beyond weird to me. So all things considered, I think you’re doing great. Although you could lay off on the excessive homework,” I finished in a joking tone.

“How else are you going to learn if you don’t study all those spells?” Twilight exclaimed in frustration.

“Okay, okay, I get it,” I replied, “but you could ease up. Listen, I don’t know much about being a teacher, but I do know a bit about being a manager. If you give someone too much to do during their shift, they’ll have a burnout. You’ve gotta think of me as a complete noob.”

“‘Noob’?” Twilight asked.

“Sorry. I’m a complete beginner to all of this. Come on, we’ve only been practicing for a six days, and I’ve only learned levitation magic. There’s no way I’ll be able to focus on Magical Theory Volume IV by Starwhirl or whatever.”

“Starswirl the Bearded,” she corrected, “but yeah, I see your point.” She stood and poked my chest with her front hoof. “That doesn’t mean those lessons aren’t important, you know?”

“I get it, believe me,” I chuckled as I stood. “Just…go a little easier. RD’s lessons are more painful than yours,” I said with a grin, spreading my wings behind me with some more practiced ease and fluttering them.

She giggled. “Alright, I get it.”

We sat there for a bit in silence, then I remembered something. “Hey, did you notice the posters of Fluttershy around town lately?” I asked.

“Yeah, I did,” she said.

“What’s up with them? Don’t get me wrong, Fluttershy looks really cute in all those new outfits and mane styles, but I didn’t see her as the type to do that kind of thing,” I said.

“I’m not sure,” Twilight said. “I did hear something about a famous modeling agent in town. Photo Finish, I think was her name.”

“You Ponies and your oddly specific names,” I said with a chuckle. “Well, I just hope she’s not running herself ragged. That kind of career isn’t something that an introvert really thrives in.”

“If I see her, I’ll ask about it,” Twilight promised. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” With the last word, she stuck her eye with her front hoof.

“What the hell was that?” I asked.

“A Pinkie Promise,” Twilight explained, “It’s something Pinkie came up with. And apparently if you break it, bad things happen.”

“Knowing Pinkie, I’m not surprised,” I smiled. “Well, I’ll do the same thing if I see her around.”

Twilight nodded, then looked at the town clock in the distance. “Well, we still have some more time before our lesson is over. Why don’t we pick up where we left off? On your hands again!”

“And moment ruined,” I muttered.

“My, darling! These…kimonos you called them? They’re absolutely astounding!” Rarity looked over the images I’d printed out with her magic.

“Actually, this is a kimono, and this is a yukata,” I explained, pointing out the differences. “From what I found during my research, it’s the fabric used that makes the difference. Yukatas are meant to be worn during the hot summer months, so they’re made of cotton or polyester. Kimonos are made of silk.”

“Hmm hmm, I see,” she said, pushing up her glasses and peering at the two images. “What human country are these from again?”

“Japan,” I replied. “From what I’ve gathered, it’s similar to Neighhon in this world.” I swear, these puns are gonna be the death of me.

“Really? Fascinating! I wonder if they have these there too,” Rarity pondered. “I’ll have to do some research! This is going to be so inspirational! I can see it now: foreign and otherworldly designs in my shop!”

I took a sip of the tea and chuckled. “Glad I could help.”

“Oh! And I insist on creating a few of each for you! You’d simply look amazing in them,” Rarity added. “And I won’t hear of charging you!”

I sighed. “Rarity…you know how uncomfortable that makes me. I know you’re the Element of Generosity and all, but I always feel so guilty accepting that from you. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“Pish posh! Nonsense,” she said dismissively. “I’m your friend! I want to do this for you.” She said that last sentence in a quieter, gentler tone. “Besides, you need new clothes, and only I know your measurements!”

I sighed, facepalming as I took a sip of tea. “There’s no winning with you, is there?” I chuckled.

“Not at all! Now, show me more of what you have in that stack while my inspiration is still flowing!”

“Heh, yes ma’am.” As I reached down to grab some more pictures, I remembered something. “Hey, I heard from Twilight that you and Fluttershy had some kind of issue together this past week. Is everything alright between the two of you?”

Rarity paused, then nodded. “It was just a silly misunderstanding. We’ve worked it out between the two of us now.”

“Glad to hear it,” I said. “I’d hate for there to be a rift between any of you.”

“Oh, perish the thought! Something like that would never drive me away from any of my friends,” Rarity exclaimed.

As I put the papers on the table, I chuckled. “And I thought Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty,” I joked.

“Oh hush,” Rarity said good naturedly. “Oooh! What style is this?!”

“Epic Meal Time online cooking show, every Tuesday!” I announced to no one in particular as I entered the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie looked at me with a curious expression. “But today’s Wednesday, silly human,” she giggled. “And we don’t have any hay bacon strips!”

I laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“So?? What are we doing today?” she asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Well…we’re making an epic ice cream cake!” I replied with the same amount of enthusiasm as the pink Earth Pony. Whenever I was around her, I felt I could let my inner child loose. She always made me smile.

“Ice cream cake?!” Pinkie Pie’s eyes practically popped out of their sockets in astonishment. “That’s an actual thing!? WOWOWOWOW!” She bounced around the kitchen. “Ice cream cake! Ice cream cake! Ice cream cake!”

I jumped in front of her and caught the excitable pink ball of fluff. Thanks to my new Earth Pony strength, she was easy to hold. She smiled, making that unusual Pinkie Pie squeak she made whenever she smiled. Holding her with one arm, I poked her snout playfully. “Calm down there. I just said it was a thing. What I need to do is look through your kitchen for some materials.” Pulling out my phone, I Googled for ice cream recipes. Finally, I found one that I felt would work for our purposes. “Alright, I assume you have ice cream?”

“Duh!” Pinkie Pie scoffed with a grin as she opened the freezer. Inside I saw a large tub of white vanilla ice cream.

“Alright. Do you guys have plastic wrap? Or parchment paper?”

“Check!” Pinkie Pie pulled out a box of parchment paper and set it on the counter.

“Two cake pans of identical size?” I asked.

“Check!” She put two round cake pans down.

“All the ingredients for a chocolate cake and some homemade frosting?”

The ingredients appeared on the counter practically before I was even finished talking. “Check!”

“Alright, get the ice cream out,” I said as I began to tear off parchment paper and spread it evenly around one of the cake pans.

Pinkie brought me the ice cream and a scooper. Taking the ice cream, I pressed it around the cake pan until it was as flat as I could make it around the edges. “Alright, put it back in the freezer. It’s gotta sit there for an hour,” I said.

The excitable Earth Pony did as she was told, then came bounding back. “What next??”

“Now we make the chocolate cake,” I said.

“Ooh! Ooh! I can do that!” Pinkie Pie began tossing ingredients in the mixing bowl.

“Great. While you’re doing that, I’ll look over the recipe,” I said, looking at the recipe again. I was a bit sad I didn’t have any Oreos or Magic Shell here, so I couldn’t make the crunch layer, but that was alright. “Okay…do you have heavy cream and powdered sugar as well as a mixer?”

“Yep!” The ingredients appeared out of practically nowhere. “Mixer’s over there!” she said, pointing to another counter where an old-fashioned mixer sat.

Eventually, the cake mix was finished, and Pinkie Pie put it in the oven. “Now what? Pinkie want cake now!”

I laughed as I finished up the first batch of heavy cream icing. “Well, Pinkie is going to have to wait,” I said, poking her snout again, making her giggle.

All in all, it took about an hour and a half, but eventually we had two cake pans next to each other, one of a completely cool cake and the frozen ice cream layer. Pinkie watched in astonishment and excitement as I pulled out the ice cream layer and carefully placed it on top of the cake layer. Grabbing the icing, I began scooping it on the cake and spreading it. Once I had placed the icing on as evenly as I could, I asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have a turntable and a serrated knife, would you?”

“Yep!” She brought them out and set them down on the counter.

Carefully placing the cake on the turntable, I brought the serrated knife up to the side of the cake. “I’m gonna need your help. I need you to very slowly turn the cake while I hold the knife in place, got it?”

“Okie dokie loki!” she said, putting her hoof on the edge of the turntable. “Ready!”

“And…begin.” I was surprised at how careful the pink bundle of energy was while doing this, but in the end we had a gorgeous cake. “Alright, now we need some sprinkles and a frosting bag. Oh! And some food coloring.”

Pinkie Pie eagerly provided me with each. I made the icing pink, then began spreading it on the corner of the cake. With the frosting, I decorated the top edge with the sprinkles. “Aaand…done! Now don’t dig into it just yet! I want to share this with Mr. and Mrs. Cake and get their opinion,” I said. “Get some plates, please?”

When I shared this recipe with the Cakes, both were astonished. “It’s so simple, yet so revolutionary!” Cup Cake exclaimed with wide eyes.

“I hope you don’t mind if we start selling these in our shop,” Carrot Cake added.

“Not at all,” I grinned.

“This’ll be perfect for Diamond Tiara’s Cute-ceañera!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced around the shop excitedly.

“Cute-ceañera? What’s that?” I asked.

“It’s a special celebration for when a Pony receives their cutie mark,” Cup Cake explained. “Pinkie’s hosting it for Diamond Tiara in a couple of days.”

“Well, I’m glad it’ll be put to good use. I’ll go ahead and write down the recipe for you.” Turning to Pinkie Pie, I said, “Pinkie, think we’ve got enough to share with the others?”

“Yeah!” And just like that, she vanished, the rest of the cake gone as well. However, before she did, she turned and deepened her voice. “Next time, we eat healthy! YEAH, RIGHT!”

“That floofball…” I chuckled, before turning to the Cakes. “Got a pen and paper I can borrow?”

“Tsumugi-chan is so cute,” Fluttershy said, sitting next to me as I slowly scrolled through the Sweetness and Lightning manga. “I feel bad that she caught a cold, though.”

“Well, let’s keep reading and see what happens next,” I said, slowly scrolling up on my laptop. The two of us were at Fluttershy’s cottage in the early evening. We’d been meeting up a couple times a week to read some Earth manga and Neighhon manega. I was more than a little surprised when she admitted that she liked romance manega.

“Alright,” she giggled sweetly. She looked down at the pure white bunny nestled between the two of us. “What do you think, Angel?” The bunny chittered up at Fluttershy, who giggled again. “Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kotori did.”

“Did what?” I asked.

“Had a crush on Kohei,” Fluttershy said.

“Heh, guess you’ll have to wait and see, huh?” I put my hand on the mousepad, but paused. “Fluttershy?”

“Hmm?” She looked up at me with those gorgeous light blue eyes.

“About what happened between you and Rarity recently, well…are you doing alright? I know Rarity said things were cool between you two, but I wanted to be sure.”

She giggled, and reached up with her hoof. To my surprise, she touched my nose. “Don’t worry about it,” she said softly, “I made up with Rarity.”

“Alright, glad to hear it,” I replied, feeling more relieved now. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“Thank you,” she said sweetly.

The moment was interrupted by some chittering from the little bunny sitting in between me and Fluttershy. His arms were crossed impatiently and staring at the screen. “Alright, alright, little guy,” I replied as I reached down and scratched the bunny behind his ears. He tried to remove my hand with a huff, and I pulled away from him. Turning back to Fluttershy, I put my finger on the mousepad again. “Ready when you are.”

“Whoooaaa!” The wind blew through my hair as I soared twenty or so feet off of the ground. I was still a bit wobbly, but Rainbow Dash’s constant training was producing fruit. I was able to hover easily enough now, and gliding wasn’t much of an issue. It was the actual flying that I still had a tough time with. Of course, since it had only been two weeks since I’d started training, I was pretty proud of myself.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was still her normal, brash teaching self. “Weak! You’re still not balanced enough!”

“Well, excuse me for not being a Perfect Prancing Pegasus Pony,” I rolled my eyes as I went around, prancing. I knew Rainbow Dash was only ribbing me, but that didn’t mean I would let her trot all over me.

The Pegasus began sputtering, causing the others below to laugh. “I-I don’t prance!”

I soared up to her and reached out, poking her nose with a grin. “Suuuure,” I laughed as I headed down towards the ground. “Blue, prancing Pegasus dancing on rainbows! Blue, prancing Pegasus dancing on rainbows!” I sang up at her.

“Get back here, Private!” she growled, and I could tell she was chasing me.

I looked over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of a blushing and angry looking Rainbow Dash. With a jerk, I turned around and held my arms outstretched. She gasped and tried to dodge, but her momentum threw her into me. I laughed as I fell, arms around the cyan Pegasus as I used my wings to slow my own descent.

Crashing into the ground, I looked down at Rainbow Dash with a knowing grin. “Come here often?” I quipped, causing the others who were watching to laugh. Rainbow Dash blushed harder, but soon even she was laughing. I let her go and stood, brushing myself off. “Welp, time to continue?”

“Ready, Jethro?” Twilight asked, her horn glowing.

“Ready,” I replied, grinning with my hands outstretched.

“Good!” She fired off a magical blast directly at me. “Expelliarmus!” she shouted with a grin.

“Nerd!” My hands glowed immediately and I used the magic to deflect the magic blast away from me. It crashed into a nearby boulder harmlessly. She fired off another and I deflected it into the sky. I began to run, not only deflecting the blasts of harmless energy away from me, but jumping and dodging them as well, utilizing my wings to dodge in ways normal humans wouldn’t be able. “I should never have shown you the Harry Potter movies!”

“Just keep dodging, muggle!” she laughed as she sped up her firing.

“I’m not gonna learn, am I?” My reflexes had been getting better ever since I’d been training with all three of my new friends. As I continued dodging and deflecting the harmless magic blasts, a thought occurred to me. I decided to try out a certain spell I’d read about. I stopped moving and held out my hand in a familiar pose. Twilight’s magic blast stopped directly between us. Twilight watched in awe as I approached her, passing the blast. Kneeling down to face her, I did my best Kylo Ren interpretation. “Where is the map to Luke Skywalker?” I released the bolt, which flew harmlessly into the ground.

“Wow,” Twilight said, eyes wide in astonishment. “That was really impressive!” She grinned. “And you thought it would take forever to learn magic.”

“Well, maybe not forever, but a long time,” I said, reaching down and stroking her mane.

She sighed in contentment and nuzzled into my hand. “You’re really…getting good, you know,” she said, sitting down.

I sat next to her and looked at the landscape. “Thanks for saying so,” I replied. We sat there for a while, me stroking her mane the entire time. As we did so, I remembered the Cute-ceañera. “Hey, I heard you went to someone’s Cute-ceañera recently. How’d that go?”

“It was actually really nice,” Twilight said. “Well, aside from a little argument.”

“What kind of argument?” I asked.

“Well, Diamond Tiara and her friend were making fun of Apple Bloom for not having a cutie mark,” Twilight said, ears flattened a bit. “The two were calling her a Blank Flank.”

“Sounds like a derogatory term,” I frowned.

“Well, it is,” she sighed. “But fortunately, Apple Bloom found two new friends in the end. Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo. They don’t have their cutie marks either. I overheard them forming something called the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

I smiled. “That’s actually pretty cute. I’m glad something good came out of it.”

“By the way, I heard you’re the one who came up with those ice cream cakes,” she grinned. “Why weren’t you at the Cute-ceañera?”

“I’ve got a feeling it’s because of Spoiled Rich,” I replied. “She’s one of the few Ponies in town who still gives me the stink eye whenever we pass on the street.”

“Oh…I’m sorry,” she said sadly.

“It’s alright. I’ve tried being friendly, but that always seems to set her off. So I’ve just downgraded to being polite if we pass.”

“Just please don’t do anything stupid,” Twilight said. “I’ve heard she’s got a lot of influence.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I replied. “You know the old saying, kill them with kindness.”

Nodding, the two of us went silent for a little while longer. Finally, Twilight cleared her throat. “Well…we should really get back to practicing.”

“Alright,” I replied, standing up and stretching. Turning to my magic teacher, I clapped my hands. “What next?”

“Ah can’t believe ya made so much progress in only two weeks,” Applejack said slackjawed as she looked at the three rows of empty apple trees.

I smiled. “I have an amazing teacher,” I replied. “Seriously, I owe you a lot. You, Rainbow Dash and Twilight all. I know I haven’t exactly been the easiest student.”

“That’s for dern sure,” she muttered, but then she smiled widely. “But it’s payin’ off. I ain’t never been a teacher before, so I was a mite nervous. But ah’m proud of ya.” She slugged my arm playfully.

“Ow!” I winced, but grinned as I rubbed my arm. “Thanks, AJ.”

She chuckled. “Not a problem!” Just then, she got a thoughtful look on her face. “You know, ah reckon Granny would hire ya on our farm lickety split if she saw this amount of work ya did,” Applejack said. “Ah could vouch for ya, too. We’d pay ya too.”

“I appreciate the offer,” I replied, “but I really couldn’t accept that. Not that the job wouldn’t be rewarding in its own way, but I wouldn’t be able to accept your pay.” I stopped and stroked my five o’clock shadow. “I could definitely volunteer a couple days a week, though. If your family would have me, that is. Some honest work like this would be really rewarding. And it would be great exercise and practice for me.”

“Ah’ll let Granny know,” Applejack said. Looking up, she chuckled. “The sun’s settin’ already. Ya wanna stay for dinner? We’re makin’ that apple crisp recipe ya gave Granny.”

“I know better than to turn down an invitation from you,” I smiled sheepishly. “I’d be honored. Lead the way!”

22: A Cloaked Heart Meets the Princesses

“I’m impressed,” Cadance said, sipping onto her tea during our once more weekly visit. “You’ve really begun to pick up magic, flight and strength control in only a month of being here.”

Fall had arrived in Equestria a couple weeks ago, and I’d brought out some fall tea from my dwindling collection. I chuckled a bit nervously. “Well, I’d give more credit to my three teachers,” I said. “Sure, their methods are all different, but the results are definitely worth the effort. And aching muscles,” I added, stretching my arms up.

“That’s to be expected,” the voice of the Solar Princess added in. Cadance had brought not only Celestia along for this visit, but Luna as well. We’d adjourned to the actual manor itself for the tea this time. “You’re using parts of you that haven’t exactly ever been exercised.”

I laughed, taking a sip of my cold sweet tea. “True. Even my normal muscles ache. That’s what you get for sitting behind a desk for five days a week and eating a less than healthy diet.”

I’d been in Equestria for about three months. So much had changed since I’d gotten here. I’d made several friends, had become some superpowered mix between a human and Alicorn, had become a permanent citizen of Equestria and an inhabitant of Ponyville, and was being taught about the new abilities I had by three of the six Elements of Harmony.

Not to say that I didn’t spend time with the other three. Rarity had gone above and beyond designing me a wardrobe she was super proud of, and I didn’t blame her. I had to hang most of it in the Shady Acre house since it wouldn’t fit in my own place. She’d also begun Ponifying some of Earth’s best styles in her boutique, which had gone over very well with her clientele. We met up once or twice a week where I’d bring her some human fashions I thought she might like and to talk about events of the day or week. She’d also just finished altering my Earth wardrobe to better accommodate my new wings, creating small sleeves that came out of the back of each shirt.

Pinkie Pie and I had spent time each week trying out recipes that I would write out from the static internet I had. The Cakes, owners of Sugarcube Corner, had even begun selling many Earth sweets.

Fluttershy and I would meet up a few times a week for our own tea party as well as a manga and manega reading session. We also spent time with the animals. Angel had slowly begun warming up to me despite our first meeting being a bit strained. I felt like he started accepting me after I pet him for the first time.

Spike and I continued our weekly guy get together where he introduced me to a tabletop game called Ogres & Oubliettes. We’d get together every week with Big Mac and enjoy an adventure or two. I’d told them about Dungeons and Dragons as well, which to my understanding was practically identical.

I made it a point to visit Scarlet Dusk in the hospital for about an hour or more every day. She was looking much better and her spirits were definitely lifting. She’d agreed to meet the others, but only after she was released from the hospital, which was happening today after the meeting was over. She was beginning to walk too, and her wing muscles were nearly strong enough to support her weight now. We would spend that hour talking about all sorts of topics or watching Netflix together. I’d even loaned her one of my spare laptops and a flashdrive full of my favorite movies, shows, music and audiobooks so she wouldn’t be bored. She was practically inhaling Earth media like it was going out of style.

“Well, being so busy is helping me to slowly adjust to living here,” I said, “and it keeps me somewhat distracted from the homesickness I get sometimes.”

The three Alicorn’s faces fell slightly. Celestia put her tea down. “I wish there was a way we could send you back, but like I said, that spell can only be cast once every three hundred years at the earliest. I wish I hadn’t left that spell where I did.”

“I’m not upset at anyone for not being able to send me back,” I replied, taking a bite of teacake. Wiping the frosting off my mouth, I continued. “You forget, I saw Twilight casting that spell. The look of terror on your face was heartbreaking, to say the least. I know it was a pure accident, and I’m not blaming anyone. A part of me is glad I came to this place.”

“How so?” Luna asked, looking at me quizzically.

“Well, I’ve thought about my situation a lot,” I explained, cradling the glass in my hands. “Homesick or not, there’ve been plenty of upsides to being in a world like this. First meeting aside, almost every Pony I’ve met has been incredibly kind to me, and you’ve all helped me begin to overcome some of my own personal hurdles.”

“You have definitely been opening up more,” Cadance said with a proud smile. “And you’re no longer terrified of my aunts.”

I chuckled nervously. “Ehehe…yeah.”

“While I’m glad you’ve been settling in here,” Celestia said, putting down her tea and telekinetically grabbing her fourth teacake, “are you sure you aren’t pushing yourself a bit too hard? I wouldn’t want a fellow Alicorn to exhaust himself. Or to distract yourself too much from your own worries.”

“I’m doing my best to pace myself,” I promised, “and these talks with Cadance have been really helpful.”

“I hope you remember that you have others you can talk to besides me,” Cadance said. “All your friends would be more than willing to listen.”

“Well, maybe not RD,” I chuckled. “She’s way too much of a tomboy.”

“Tomcolt,” Celestia corrected me with a grin.

“Of course that’s what it’s called,” I chuckled. “and, to be honest, I’d rather roughhouse with her than talk with her about my feewings,” I added with a wink.

“We are worried about you, still,” Luna said. “And not just us,” she said, indicating herself. “Our sister and niece are worried too.”

I smiled, a small blush forming on my cheeks. “I appreciate it, that means a lot.”

“Um…Jethro?” Cadance suddenly looked a bit nervous.

“Yes?” I tilted my head, curious at her sudden change in tone. She wasn’t the only one who’s facial expression changed. Celestia’s and Luna’s had also grown a little concerned as well.

“Well, you’ve been here for three months already,” she said, “and I know you’ve been busy and there’s some baggage in this particular area, but have you thought about…looking for a special somepony?”

“Special somepony?” I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what she meant, but I wanted to be absolutely sure.

“A romantic partner,” Celestia explained.

A lump appeared in my throat as thoughts of Trixie came back to me. It wasn’t just that, however. Being raised in a world with only one sapient species that viewed fornication with anything other than your own species as twisted and a sin, I’d been trying to avoid the thought of a romantic partnership with any of the Ponies. I looked down at my sweet tea, swirling the liquid inside thoughtfully. “I was wondering when you’d get around to that, being the Princess of Love,” I sighed.

“From what you’ve told me, you’ve already made some great connections with plenty of mares in town,” Cadance said. “Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. And not just them, but Scarlet Dusk and especially Zecora.”

I bit my lower lip. I was scared of their reaction to some of my blocks and reasons behind avoiding this issue, but I knew better than to lie. Applejack would buck me into next week if she found out. “Listen, Cadance, I’ve got my reasons for avoiding that particular can of worms.”

“Would you like to share?” she asked.

“It’s only fair that I do,” I said. “I hope you don’t take offense to what I’m going to say, but coming from a world like mine, where there’s only one sapient species, and being deposited into a world where the sapients have physical forms equivalent to non-sapient animals back on Earth, well…”

“I understand,” Celestia said softly. “A part of you is being held back by your upbringing in your world.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “I know it’s not fair of me to think that, and most of me has accepted the inhabitants of this world as sapient, but…there’s that still small stupid voice that won’t shut the hell up.”

“And thou hate thyself for thinking such thoughts?” Luna guessed.

I nodded. “And that’s not the only reason.”

“Trixie?” Cadance asked tenderly.

I nodded again. “My Trixie. Not the showmare who showed up a while back. I know it’s idiotic, but whenever I think about moving on and pursuing another relationship, I feel like I’m betraying her. I’ve even had nightmares about it back before I came here and stopped dreaming.”

Luna perked up at that. “What kind of nightmares?”

“I…they’re not ones I like thinking about or remembering,” I admitted. “Which is why I’m glad I’ve got my Morphean abilities. I haven’t dreamed since I got here.”

Once again, Luna looked at me with a worried look. “Jethro, forgive us, but that doesn’t sound healthy for thee. If we understand this ability right, you’re not letting your mind rest along with your body. And thou art avoiding the issue.”

“It’s not like I do it every night anymore,” I replied. “I just cast a spell that allows for a dreamless sleep when I’m feeling extra exhausted.”

“So, it’s our forms and your lingering longing for Trixie that’s holding you back?” Cadance asked.

“I mean…I think so,” I said. “Pretty stupid reasons, dontcha think?”

“Not at all,” Cadance said. “I can’t speak from personal experience about your upbringing in an alien world, but the fear and pain of loss is something our worlds share. Let me ask you something. If Trixie were to come back for a time, do you think she’d give you her blessing to try and find the happiness you’ve so long denied yourself?”

I took a thoughtful sip and thought back to my memories of my time together with Trixie. I thought back to all of the amazing times we had together, all our dates, the intimate moments we shared, the caring looks she gave me, everything. “Yes,” I whispered, “She would want me to be happy.”

“You wouldn’t be betraying her,” Cadance said. “You’d be making her happy. I’m sure if she saw you denying yourself, she’d be pretty depressed herself.” Seeing the look of guilt that appeared on my face, she quickly added, “but she also sounds like she’d understand why you’d be doing this to yourself. Can you at least promise me that you’ll think about it?”

“I can do that,” I said.

“As for your other dilemma, I’m afraid there’s not as much we’d be able to do about it,” Celestia said. “I do know a transfiguration spell that can change species, but it would require a sample, and there are no female humans around.”

Just then I remembered the twelve feathers I’d gotten from the time I touched Poison Joke. “No there aren’t, but I might have something that could help.”

“Oh? Like what?” Celestia asked.

“Not long after I arrived here, I managed to step in some Poison Joke,” I started. “I didn’t know that at the time, but when I woke up the next morning, I was a humanoid female Alicorn. Hooves for feet, human feminine features, horn and wings, fur, female voice, the whole package.”

The three other Alicorns looked at each other, then burst out laughing. And not just some polite princess-type laughing. Their laughter felt more genuine, hearty and loud. Luna even fell out of her chair and rolled around on the floor, unable to hold back. I couldn’t help myself; I laughed a bit with them. “Laugh it up, fuzzballs,” I chuckled.

“I wish I could have seen that,” Celestia said between laughs.

“You wouldn’t be willing to do that again for us, would you?” Luna asked, snickering.

I rubbed my forehead. “Dear Lord, give me strength,” I chuckled. “Another time. My first time was less than pleasant. It was terrifying. And humiliating…”

The three princesses recovered themselves and sat back down. “Ah…aha…so…these feathers you collected, where are they?”

“Back in my other house,” I said.

“Hmm…” Celestia stroked her chin thoughtfully. Then a grin spread over her face. “You know, this might be an interesting experiment for my faithful student.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t follow.”

“She is the Element of Magic,” Celestia explained. “I’ll send her the spell and tell her to visit you. It might be fascinating to see what she’d look like when she figures it out.”

I raised an eyebrow. “‘When’?”

“I have confidence in her abilities,” Celestia said.

“Why do I have the feeling you’re, like, fifteen steps ahead of the whole world?” I teased.

“‘With age comes wisdom’, isn’t that what you said?” Celestia grinned at me.

“Trolls…all y’all,” I muttered quietly as I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “I guess it could result in some kind of friendship lesson for her.”

“True, but we’re getting off topic.” She tsked and shook her head. “You’re good at that.”

“Yeah, you know it,” I said.

“Listen,” Celestia began in that gentle calming tone she used, “from what I’ve seen and heard about you, the only difference between us is the physical one. Our kinds are capable of great love, friendship and care, but we also are familiar with suffering, sorrow and pain. Nopony is a rock. I feel like the same is true of humankind, correct?”

“Well, I suppose that’s true, despite many humans attempts to be so,” I replied. “I’ll try to break through that block, but it’ll be hard.”

“Can I give you a suggestion?” Celestia asked.

“Sure.”

“Talk to the others about this too,” she offered. “You have plenty of friends now. Besides,” she turned to Cadance, “I do have need of my favorite niece elsewhere.”

My heart dropped again. “Wait, you’re gonna stop coming here?”

“Oh no no no!” Cadance replied hastily, “but Aunt Celestia has asked me to take on a bit more responsibility around Canterlot. I’ll still come see you, but it might not be every week. Would every two weeks be alright?”

I felt relieved. I liked Cadance, and her down to earth nature was something I really enjoyed whenever we talked. “Yeah, I think I can manage that,” I replied.

“I’m proud of you, Cadance,” Celestia said. “You’ve proven that you are worthy of taking on more responsibility.” She turned to me. “And I’m really happy she was able to start helping you. It’s nice not being feared.”

I chuckled. “With all Cadance has told me about you, what’s there to fear, really? She’s been practically singing your praises.”

Celestia giggled, and I’d never heard a cuter giggle in my life. “She’s a sweet talker, even more so since she started going out with Shining Armor. Which I understand is partially thanks to your advice?” Her smile turned into a knowing grin.

“Weird, right? Me giving out romance advice to the personification of love herself?” I cocked a smile at her.

“I would have given her the same advice too had you not intervened,” Celestia said. “She’s such a silly little filly sometimes.”

“Auntie!” Cadance exclaimed with a blush.

I looked over at Luna. Simultaneously we both smirked, snorted, and burst out laughing. I fell out of my chair laughing heavily. The presence next to me on the floor had to have been an equally amused Luna. I turned over to face her, and she’d done the exact same. We laughed harder, and the next thing I knew, we were in each other’s arms, or front legs in Luna’s case, just laughing heavily.

“Heh, you’ve only been here three months and you’re already hugging my sister?” I heard Celestia’s voice.

That snapped us out of our laughter. The two of us looked at each other’s eyes for a few moments. Her cyan eyes were pretty mesmerizing, and she was staring at mine in presumably the same expression of embarrassment. We quickly broke apart, blushes on both of our faces. “Ah, um, I’m sorry,” I said sheepishly.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she said in a similar tone. “We were the ones at fault.”

“Lulu, it’s okay to lighten up,” Celestia smiled. “I haven’t seen you laugh that hard in ages.”

“We…we’ll try,” she said with a smile.

I helped her up, the two of us blushing hard. Turning to Celestia, I said, “I’m really glad you three came. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you, which is ten times better than being scared out of my socks,” I added nervously.

“We were glad to come,” Celestia said. “It was nice to dress as a commoner and escape the pressures of palace life.”

I couldn’t help it. I started singing. “It’s Cellie, gorgeous is she, Princess Celestia! Genuflect, show some respect, down on one knee!” Luna and Cadance burst out laughing once more, and as I continued, I saw a blush creep up on Celestia’s cheeks. Pony or not, she was definitely gorgeous. Even a human like me could see that. I grinned at her. “Now try your best to stay calm. Brush up your Sunday Salaam. Then come and meet her spectacular coterie! It’s Cellie, mighty is she, Princess Celestia! Strong as ten stallion men definitely!” She blushed harder as I grinned. “You walked right into that one. In fact, I really should rewrite that song to fit you.”

Celestia did something I didn’t even expect from her. As Cadance and Luna laughed harder, Celestia hid her head in her wing. I laughed harder and walked over to her. “There’s nothing wrong with liking Disney movies, you know? We’re all adults here. It’s our prerogative to enjoy children’s entertainment.”

She slowly came back out, still blushing but also smiling. “It’s one of my favorites of the movies from your world so far,” she said. She cleared her throat and stood taller. “Thank you for having us over,” she said in a tone that suggested she was trying to regain her dignity. “Are you doing anything after we leave?”

I nodded. “I’m going to the hospital with Zecora. Scarlet Dusk is ready to leave, and I was hoping to introduce her to my new friends.”

I saw a slight glint in Cadance’s eye when I mentioned Zecora, but ignored it Celestia smiled warmly at me. “We’re all glad you’ve been making so many friends since coming here.”

“It wasn’t what I expected, but I’m glad too,” I replied

An old grandfather clock began to chime. It had been in the house when I’d bought it, so I’d had it restored to its pristine perfect condition along with every other object that remained. Whatever was missing I’d had meticulously recreated to match the time period of the house itself. The hour was up. I walked them out. “Thank you for coming,” I said to the three of them as they stood outside my door. “It’s been great having you three here.”

“We were glad to be here,” Celestia said. She then approached me and nuzzled me, putting her wings around me. I hugged her back, smiling. “Take care of yourself and your friends for me?”

I smiled, and looked into her eyes. “Always.” Turning, the three Alicorns flew towards the Sunny Acre entrance. I leaned against my door frame, watching them go. Closing the door, I headed back to my Earth house. It was time to save my new roommate from the hospital. And to meet up with my first friend in this world.

23: A Cloaked Heart Receives a Roommate

“Are you sure you aren’t just doing this out of guilt?” Zecora asked as the two of us headed down the street towards Ponyville Hospital. It was late afternoon, and the setting sun was beginning to turn the sky all shades of the rainbow. “You do realize it wasn’t your fault that Scarlet Dusk was injured.”

“I know,” I said. “It’s starting to get through my thick head. But I want to give her a familiar place to call home, at least for a while. Help her get back on her hooves. And if she decides she wants to find a new place to live after that, I won’t stop her.”

Zecora smiled and leaned against me. “I’m relieved to hear that. I was afraid you’d sequester the poor mare.”

“That wouldn’t be very fair of me,” I said. “She’s a grown mare. I can’t restrict her. But with the help of the Elements of Harmony and you, maybe I can help her integrate herself into society so she’ll be able to fit in better.”

“From what you’ve told me, it sounds like she’s more trying to fit into your society,” Zecora teased.

“This coming from the Zebra who’s been watching every National Geographic special on Africa she can get her hooves on,” I teased back, tussling her mane. She giggled, and the cute way she did it made me smile wider.

“I am a bit concerned that she’ll absorb more of your culture than her own, though,” Zecora said, turning serious after our moment.

“I already thought about that,” I replied. “I’ve asked Twilight to dig up everything about Pegasus culture she can find. Although, it really wasn’t for free with her…” I shuddered.

“My savior, is everything alright?” Zecora looked at me concerned.

“She made me promise to come by her library to…study me. Apparently, Celestia ordered her to back off on her normal behavior for a while until I was comfortable enough. Guess that ended.” I rubbed my forehead. “I am so screwed.”

“Twilight wouldn’t do anything to harm you like that, I’m sure of that,” Zecora chuckled.

“I’m exaggerating, don’t worry. I’m sure she wouldn’t go too far. Oh, we’re here!” The two of us walked into the hospital lobby.

Dew Drop saw us and smiled. “Jethro! And Miss Zecora too! Pleased to see you both. Are you here about Ms. Dusk?”

“That we are,” I said. “She’s being discharged today, correct? I’m here to take her to her new home.”

“So I’ve been told,” the receptionist said. She handed me a clipboard full of forms. “We just need you to look over and sign these forms.”

“Paperwork, the bane of my existence,” I groaned as I grabbed the clipboard and pen, walked over to a nearby chair, sat and began looking over the forms.

“You look like you’re used to this,” Zecora said.

“I did this a lot back at my old job,” I said. “Paperwork is something I’m more than used to dealing with.” I looked over the release forms. They were pretty standard fare for a hospital, so I signed, dated and initialed them where necessary, then handed them back to Dew Drop.

She took them, looked them over, and nodded in approval. “Thank you, Mr. Bethridge. I’ll inform the doctor that you’re here.” Pressing a button, she spoke into a small microphone. “Doctor, Mr. Bethridge is here to pick up Ms. Dusk.”

“Thank you, Ms. Drop. I’ll be right out,” the tiny voice of the doctor replied.

I smiled, and faced the door to the inner halls. A half minute later, the doors opened on their own and the doctor came out, pushing a wheelchair. Sitting comfortably in it, laptop open and her eyes glued to the screen, was Scarlet Dusk. Judging from the sounds coming from the speakers, she was watching one of my favorite sitcoms from the 90s, Home Improvement.

“…rental house manager has guaranteed me that I have the scariest looking costume that they have ever had,” Jill’s voice said from the speakers.

“They’ve got a costume that looks like you at seven A.M.?” Tim’s voice asked, followed quickly by laughter.

“Ahahaha!” Scarlet burst out laughing along with the studio audience.

“Ho ho ho ho ho,” I said, imitating Tim’s signature grunting.

She looked up and beamed. “Jethro!” She hit a button on the computer and paused the show. “And…” she saw Zecora and frowned a bit nervously. “Who’s this?”

“Scarlet, I’d like you to meet the first friend I ever made in Equestria, Zecora. Zecora, this is Scarlet.”

Zecora smiled and bowed slightly in greeting. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Dusk. Your stay in the hospital was pleasant, I trust?”

Scarlet, looking over the Zebra, shifted her head from side to side. “The Ponies here were nice enough, but I’d have been out of my mind if Jethro hadn’t brought me some entertainment. That, and they have all the Daring Do books.”

“Who?” I asked.

“You’ve never heard of Daring Do?” Scarlet asked. “She’s only the best Equestrian character ever!” She cleared her throat. “She’s Equestria’s version of Indiana Jones.”

“Really now?” I grinned. “I’ll have to borrow them from the library, then.”

She chuckled. “You won’t regret it, I assure you.”

“Well, are you ready to see your new home?” I asked.

A look of nervousness came over her face. “Well…yes and no,” she admitted.

“If something bothers you, please do tell. We do not want you to feel unwell,” Zecora said kindly.

“Well…” she rubbed the back of her hoof with the other in a nervous gesture, “I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me, I honestly am,” she said, looking up at me, “and I’m also grateful that you’re putting me up in your house, but…I feel bad about it. I want to repay you somehow.”

Now I know how Rarity must feel whenever I say the same thing, I thought. I smiled warmly at her. “Well, I understand how you feel. But I’m doing this because you need a safe place to fully recover and integrate back into society.”

“That’s just it,” she said a bit more earnestly. “I feel like I’d be a loafer. I don’t want to take advantage of your generosity. Isn’t there anything I can do to pay back your kindness? What if I became your housekeeper? Or gardener?”

“You honestly don-” I stopped when Zecora put a hoof on my arm. Turning, I raised an eyebrow.

“As generous as your offer is, my friend, why not allow her to do something on her end? Not only would it alleviate her feelings, but it would help in her healing.”

I sighed, then grinned. “You’re sneaky, you know that.”

She winked at me. “You’re my friend, Jethro. And I hope to become friends with Scarlet here too.”

I rolled my eyes, amused. Turning to Scarlet, I smiled. “Alright, I can see your point. If you really want to pay me back, then I think having a housekeeper for the mansion would work for you. However,” I immediately added when I saw Scarlet’s spirits perk up, “I want you to rest for at least a week, until you feel up to working. Can we agree on that?”

“Actually,” the doctor, who had been looking over some paperwork at the front desk, turned to look at us, “I would recommend at least two weeks of rest and recovery. Ms. Dusk’s body is still fairly weak despite the physical therapy she’s been going through. I suggest you place her in a room on the first floor until she’s able to walk better.”

“Two weeks, then.” I turned to Scarlet. “Does that sound alright?”

She nodded. “Of course. Thank you for this opportunity.”

Nodding back, I turned to the doctor. “Doc, do you do house calls?”

“Not usually,” he admitted, “but Nurse Redheart does it more often. I can send her to your house to check on her a few times a week for two weeks, if you want.”

“I’d appreciate that, thanks. Is there anything else I should know about?”

“Just have her take it easy for two weeks. I think it’d be good for her to take a walk once a day, too. In fact, I’ll mail you some recommended activities,” he said.

“You know my address,” I chuckled.

“Indeed. Sunny Acre instead of Shady Acre?” he asked.

“Correct. You think it’s alright to have Scarlet walk home?” I asked.

“It should be okay, but if she wants to be wheeled home, I won’t mind. Just bring that back when you can if you do. It’s hospital property.”

I turned to Scarlet. “Which would you rather do? Walk, or-”

“Walk!” she exclaimed, closing the laptop. I took it from her and watched her shakily stand. Zecora stood next to her and helped her to steady herself.

“There’s no shame in being wheeled home, you know,” I said, but shut up when Zecora gave me a warning look.

“I can do it,” Scarlet said as she straightened. She put one hoof in front of the other, and soon she was walking out the door. Zecora and I stood next to her as we walked out into the gorgeous sunshine. She winced and covered her eyes. “So bright,” she said.

“Almost forgot these,” the doctor said, floating some sunglasses over to me. I took them and looked at him questioningly. “She’s been living in a darkened house for years. Her eyes are a bit sensitive to light right now.”

I nodded and slipped them over her eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s better.”

“Thank you, doc,” I said gratefully as we left the hospital.

The walk home was a relatively quiet one. I didn’t see many Ponies around, but those who did gave the three of us friendly waves. Scarlet was a bit nervous about it, but waved politely back. “Hey, where is everypony?” she asked softly. “This town normally looks livelier than this.”

“I’m not sure,” I replied. “Perhaps there’s some kind of event going on?” I turned to Zecora and whispered, “Surprise party by our resident party Pony?”

She nodded subtly. “More than likely, yes.”

“How much of Ponyville have you seen?” I asked as we continued walking towards my house.

“Not much,” she said. “When I came here the first time, it was night. I didn’t see much. And whenever I snuck out for food, it was always night.”

I nodded. She hadn’t told me much about her past, and I wasn’t going to pressure her into telling me. “Well, I’ll be taking you out on walks with me starting tomorrow. But for now, let’s get you home.”

“Home…” she said it softly.

“I guarantee you’ll like it there. There is no reason to despair,” Zecora said in a reassuring tone.

“No, it’s not that,” she said, “it’s just been a long time since I had a home.”

I smiled. “Well, while you get back on your feet, I’ll be glad to have you as a housemate. I’ve lived alone for a while, so it’ll be nice to have someone close by.”

Zecora looked over at me, then at her. “My dear Ms. Dusk, I promise you this: Jethro’s hospitality is not one to miss.” She then turned to me and grinned. “In June, under the stars.”

Scarlet’s smile returned. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m really grateful. It’s just a lot to take in, and I’ve had a while to think about it.”

“Well, why don’t we just head home for now and get you settled in,” I chuckled, although I suspected that Pinkie Pie, thanks to her apparent reality bending nature, would have already heard about Scarlet Dusk’s release and had gathered everyone to either my house or Sugarcube Corner. I decided to head home for the time being since I hadn’t gotten any kind of notice or indication. That, and I hadn’t set up a shield around my new property, only my old one.

Scarlet continued looking every which way, asking about the different businesses around town. She was confused by some of them, especially Quills and Sofas, and smiled when we passed Sugarcube Corner. She told us she hadn’t had anything super sweet for years, not counting the gelatin bowls she’d gotten at the hospital every so often. I promised that once the doctor told me it was okay to take her to the sweets shop to stuff her face.

As I approached Sunny Acre’s front gate, I saw six Ponies and a little Dragon standing and waiting. Pinkie was the first to spot us. She bounded over to the two of us, a wide grin on her face. Scarlet looked nervously between her and me. “Who are they?” she asked.

“They’re my friends,” I replied, standing in front of her and opening my arms to greet Pinkie.

Pinkie squealed in delight and leapt into my arms. I spun her around, laughing heartily and scratching her mane. I spread my wings and flew up a bit before softly landing. “You’re back!” she said happily, hugging me back with her Earth Pony strength.

“Odd, I thought I was Jethro,” I replied jokingly. We looked at each other briefly before bursting out into laughter.

“Ah swear, that girl’s been a bad influence on ya,” Applejack said as she walked up to me.

Putting Pinkie Pie down, I chuckled. “You’ve all been an influence on me,” I said as I held out my fist. Applejack bumped it with a chuckle. “But enough about that. Everyone, let me introduce you to my new roommate and friend Scarlet Dusk. Scarlet Dusk, let me introduce you to the Elements of Harmony. We have Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. Oh!” I saw Spike leaning against the gatepost. “And of course, Spike the Dragon. What’s good, bro?”

“Eh, just reigning in Twilight’s neurotic behavior as best as possible,” he joked, pounding my fist with a grin.

“Spike! Where’d you hear that word?” Twilight scolded.

“From Jethro,” Spike replied nonchalantly.

Twilight glared at me. “We’re gonna have a serious talk later, mister.”

“That’d be lecture…forty-two?” I grinned.

She facehoofed and sighed. “Just you wait…”

“D-Dragon?” Scarlet looked nervously at Spike. She moved to hide behind me.

Stepping away from her, I put a reassuring hand on her withers. “Don’t worry, he’s a friend too,” I said. “He’s Twilight’s number one assistant, and a great friend.”

“Oh, I see.” Her tone didn’t sound all that reassured.

“Well, I’m glad to see you all, but what are you all doing here?” I asked, giving Pinkie Pie a subtle glance and wink.

Winking back quickly, Pinkie Pie began bouncing around us. “We couldn’t wait to meet your new friend, silly! It’s not every day a Pony comes into town and hides in a haunted mansion!”

Scarlet looked down, a look of shame on her face. I was about to say something, when Applejack stepped in instead. “Calm down there, Pinkie. Yer makin’ her uncomfortable.”

“Ms. Dusk, it’s nice to officially meet you,” Twilight said kindly, slowly approaching the nervous Pegasus. “As someone who’s pretty new to Ponyville myself, I hope you enjoy your time among us.”

“Ah, um, thank you Ms. Sparkle,” Scarlet said, a small smile forming on her face. She stepped out from behind me and bravely faced all of them. “It’s really nice of you to come see me. I honestly wasn’t expecting it.”

“Any friend of Jethro’s is a friend of ours, darling,” Rarity said with a gleam in her eyes. “And besides, we all wanted to see you get the best accommodations possible. After living in such horrid conditions as you have.”

“Um, yeah,” she said. Taking a deep breath, she bowed. “I probably should apologize to you all.”

“Apologize? What for?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve stolen from a few of you,” she said apologetically. “I had no bits, so I had to go out at night and find food and water. I stole some apples from an orchard, for one. I think I stole other food from a sweets shop, and fabric from some kind of boutique to use as a blanket or two. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you all, please let me.”

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie all looked at each other. As if reaching a silent agreement, they approached. Applejack was the first to speak. “Ah can’t say ah’m happy to hear about yer thievin’, but if yer willin’ to work on our farm for a spell to work off what ya stole, ah’m sure Granny will call it even.”

“The Cakes would be really happy to have some work in their shop for a while!” Pinkie said excitedly.

“And I’d love to have someone model some of my latest creations in my boutique,” Rarity added. I could see her already thinking about new ideas for clothes.

She smiled, looking relieved to hear that. I stood beside her and put a hand on her back. “For the time being, she needs to rest and recover. I’ll let you all know when she’s healthy enough to work off her debts. For now, though, are you ready to see your new home, Scarlet?”

She looked up at me, smiling. “I’d like that.”

I unlocked the gate and opened it. “Ladies,” I said, gesturing in with a slight flourish. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

“Ain’t nothin’ humble about it,” Applejack scoffed, but the grin on her face told me she was joking.

“This coming from the mare who owns about a billion acres of farmland,” I joked back as we all headed towards my house.

When Scarlet first saw the completely rebuilt manor, her eyes bugged out completely. “I…this is…I can’t even…”

“Want me to pick your jaw off the ground?” I chuckled as I put my hand on the door. “Scarlet Dusk, welcome home.” I pushed the door open. And was greeted with a bunch of confetti and streamers to the face.

“SURPRISE!” the voices of what must have been a hundred Ponies exclaimed from the manor’s main room.

Scarlet immediately hid behind me, practically shaking. Pinkie Pie had somehow gotten inside already and was beaming from ear to ear. A banner was strung from the ceiling and read WELCOME TO PONYVILLE, SCARLET DUSK AND HAPPY HOUSEWARMING, JETHRO! I couldn’t help myself. I laughed as I motioned Pinkie Pie over. She bounded over and I booped her snout. “You silly mare.”

She grinned, making that happy noise she always did whenever she smiled.

“J-Jethro, what’s going on?” Scarlet asked, still hiding behind my legs.

Stepping aside, I knelt in front of her. “You’ll come to learn that in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie here throws parties to welcome anyone who moves to Ponyville. That, and she finds a reason to throw parties anytime. She’s an acquired taste, sure, but she loves making Ponies smile.” Reaching up, I removed her glasses. “She’s the Element of Laughter for a reason. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” I stood and put my hand on her back. “Fillies and gentlecolts,” I started, making sure to use the proper terminology, “I’d like to thank you all for coming to this dual-purpose party. Please let me introduce Scarlet Dusk. She’s a really kind mare and someone I’m proud to call my friend. I would ask that you be gentle with her, though. She’s still recovering.” Scarlet looked up nervously at me. I reached down and stroked her mane. Leaning down, I said softly, “Would you like me to stick by your side?”

“Um…maybe later. I should probably meet everypony here,” she said with a slightly nervous chuckle. She bravely walked deeper inside and was immediately surrounded by a few Ponies.

As the others passed through the door, I saw Fluttershy looking at me like she had something to say. When she passed, she motioned me down to her level with her wings. I knelt and she whispered, “Thank you for moving the creatures that were living here.”

“I imagine you’d have shouted at me if I hadn’t,” I replied, reaching up to stroke her mane gently.

She closed her eyes and nuzzled into my hand. Opening them again after a bit, she smiled. “I actually have something to show you.” She reached into the pack she was carrying. She held out an egg. It was yellow with red flamelike designs on it.

Reaching out, I took the egg and looked it over. “Wow…I’ve never seen an egg like this. What kind is it?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve never seen one like this before.”

“Well, why don’t you go ask Twilight later,” I suggested, handing it back to her. “Maybe there’s some book in the library that can tell you.”

“I’ll do that later,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

“Sounds good. Let’s go enjoy the party, shall we?”

The party, in my opinion, was a rousing success. Everyone there was respectful of Scarlet’s need to take it easy, but I still kept an eye on her. I set up my largest Bluetooth speaker and played some human tunes for the party. Scarlet’s fear seemed to slowly disappear when she heard many songs she knew.

As the party wound down, Pinkie Pie volunteered to take down the party decorations. Scarlet looked exhausted, so I led her to one of the downstairs bedrooms that I’d prepared for her. The room had a canopied bed at one end, a dresser opposite along with a vanity mirror, a currently empty closet next to the door, another door leading to a private bathroom complete with a period-specific shower and tub.

Pulling the covers off, I helped Scarlet into bed and pulled the covers over her. “Did you have fun, tonight?” I asked.

She nodded. “Everypony here was nice to me and accepted my apologies,” she said tiredly.

“Glad to hear it,” I said with a wide smile. “Now get some rest.”

“Alright…” she said, closing her eyes. Her breathing became regular nearly instantly.

I turned off the lamp next to her bed and quietly left the room. To my surprise, there was no sign of any party left. Most of the other Ponies who’d come had left, save for the Elements of Harmony and Zecora, who were all looking at me expectantly. I smiled. “She’s resting right now,” I said softly as I took one of the empty chairs in the manor’s massive living room and sat down.

“Did she like the party?” Pinkie asked earnestly.

“She said she did,” I said, nodding thankfully at her. “Thanks for that. I’m sure it meant a great deal to her after all she’s been through.”

“Zecora told us you’re willing to put her up until she’s back on her hooves,” Twilight said. “Are you sure you can do that? You’re already pretty busy as it is. I wouldn’t mind taking her in.”

“Ah’m sure Granny wouldn’t mind either,” Applejack added.

“There’s no need to worry,” I replied, “I can handle it. Besides, she only knows me, and I’ve still got a lot about Earth culture to show her while she’s recovering.”

“Even so,” Rarity said, “I insist on coming by and checking up on the poor dear. And don’t bother protesting. I won’t hear of it.”

“I know better now,” I said.

“I’ll stop by too!” Rainbow Dash said. “Gotta make sure my newest student is getting some good food to build up those wing muscles.”

I threw up my hands in mock despair. “God help her. She doesn’t need to be subject to your regime of torture already.”

“My teaching isn’t that bad!” she shot back.

“Ah can bring some of our famous cider, if that’s alright,” Applejack said.

“Cider?!” Rainbow Dash looked suddenly excited, jumping up and doing loops in the air.

I snorted softly. I’d had some of the Sweet Apple Acres cider, and I could see where Rainbow Dash was coming from. It was definitely some of the best, if not the best, cider I’d ever had. Applejack had told me that Rainbow Dash had an addiction to the stuff. “Not for you, speed demoness.” Her ears flattened and she began muttering to herself as she landed. I looked back at Applejack and smiled. “I think she’d like that, thank you. And thank you all for coming tonight. She definitely needed this kind of greeting.”

“Well,” Twilight began, “from what you’ve told us, she’s a lot like you were when you first got here. I’m glad she has you as her friend, but I hope she’d be open to having us as friends too.”

“I’m not sure how long it’ll take her to fully open up,” I replied. “She still hasn’t told me anything about her past before moving to Ponyville. I have a feeling it’s not a pretty tale, and I’m working to build up some trust so she can open up to me.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Fluttershy asked.

“Just continue being kind to her,” I replied. “I’m sure she needs it just as much as I did.”

“You still need it, my human comrade,” Zecora said, standing next to me and looking up at me, “I still see times when you are sad.”

“I suppose that’s true,” I said. “But I’m getting better. At least, I think so.”

“I’d say so too,” Twilight said. “You’re less guarded around us than you were before.”

“True enough.” I stretched and yawned. “Well, I know it’s early, but I’m gonna turn in for the evening. Tomorrow I’m going to take Scarlet out to tour Ponyville.”

We said our goodbyes, and soon it was just me and Zecora. She turned to me and smiled. “She seems like a nice enough mare,” she said. “but you’re right, she’s hiding something.”

“I’m not going to force it out of her,” I replied. “she just needs to know that she can trust me and the rest of you.”

“I hope she trusts you soon,” Zecora replied.

“Same here.” The two of us walked to the door. I opened it for her. “Thanks for coming with me.”

“It was my pleasure. But I should be going. I have a brew I need to check on.”

“I’ll see you later, my friend. Want me to walk you to the gate?”

“No need. You’re tired.” She stood on her hind legs and gave my face a slow nuzzle. “Sleep well, alright?”

“Same to you. Have a safe trip back, and have a great night.”

“You too, Goodnight.” And with that, she turned and walked away.

I watched her go, smiling. I was extremely grateful for all that the Elements had done for me, along with the Royal Sisters, but I was the most grateful for Zecora. She’d done more for me than I could have ever imagined anyone doing for me since coming here. She’d saved my life, taught me about Equestria, was pretty instrumental in helping me meet the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony, and much more. She’d become an important aspect of my life. To me, it seemed like she brightened up any room she was in. “I really should do something nice for her,” I said to myself, “but what?”

Closing the door, I stretched and headed upstairs. Climbing into the master bed, I barely had enough energy left to turn off the lamp before I fell into a deep sleep.

24: A Cloaked Heart And A Rescue

Three days had passed since Scarlet Dusk had moved in. During that time, not only had I finally resumed watching My Little Pony, but I’d also begun taking Scarlet out for her daily walks and we’d begun some wing therapy with Rainbow Dash. Unlike with me, I’d made the loyal Pegasus be easy on the still somewhat weakened Scarlet. I’d also bribed Rainbow Dash with some cider if she covered my house with some clouds to ease Scarlet into getting her eyes more used to the daylight.

It was during the third day where I was visited in the middle of one of Scarlet’s rehabilitation flight lessons by Twilight. She was wearing a saddlebag full of books. The smile on her face and the scroll floating next to her told me all I needed to know. Experimentation time.

“Excuse me, you guys,” I said to the two Pegasi as I walked over to Twilight.

“Hi Jethro!” she said, her smile widening. The smile sent shivers down my spine.

“I’m guessing Celestia sent you that spell you’re supposed to be researching,” I groaned.

“How’d you know?” she asked.

“She visited me, along with Luna and Cadance a few days ago and mentioned it,” I said.

“Sh-She was here?!” Her left eye twitched slightly.

“Don’t start going all psycho on me,” I warned. I’d recently seen the episode where she’d gone all crazy for lack of a friendship lesson. “They were just here to check up on me. I assume you’re here to get a few of those feathers from me?”

She shook her head to clear it, and nodded. “Yep! And I’m here for you, too.”

“What for?” I asked, but I had a sneaking suspicion I already knew.

“That favor you owe me,” she said, and her smile turned into a grin.

Remind me never to get on this mare’s bad side, I thought. “Fine, fine. Might as well get this over with. I’ll go grab the feathers.”

“I’ll be waiting!” she called out as I turned and headed to my house.

As I walked back, Rainbow Dash flew down and hovered beside me. “Lemme guess, you got roped into one of Twilight’s egghead experiments,” she giggled.

“I’m just glad she’s not insane enough to shoot me into orbit and make me watch really bad movies with two robots,” I sighed. “But yeah. I asked her to bring some books for Scarlet about Pegasus history and culture. She made me promise to visit her so she could learn all she could about my culture. And do some kind of experimenting with some feathers I got during my Poison Joke transformation.”

“Ooof, no fun,” Rainbow Dash shuddered.

“I doubt she’s gonna wait until we’re done with our lesson here, so could you make sure nothing happens to Scarlet while I’m gone?” I asked.

“Yeah, I can do that,” she said, flying back to Scarlet.

After I retrieved the feathers, I returned to an excited Twilight. If you gave her pink everything, I could easily have mistaken her for Pinkie Pie. I wasn’t really looking forward to this, but I didn’t want to be rude, so I decided to strike up some casual conversation. “So…is there anything you’re looking forward to coming up? Aside from today.”

She slowed down a bit, thinking. “Well…there’s the Grand Galloping Gala in just over a month,” she replied. “And then two weeks after that we have Nightmare Night, then the Running of the Leaves a week after that, and then there’s Hearth’s Warming,” she said, looking more and more excited.

“Wow, fall sure is a busy time of year,” I said.

“Hearth’s Warming actually happens in the winter. December 25, to be exact.”

I almost stopped, but managed to keep on walking. “So…how does one celebrate all of these holidays?” I asked. I did know of them from the episodes I’d watched, but I was curious to hear her thoughts on them.

“Well, the Grand Galloping Gala isn’t a holiday. It’s a gathering of all the highest nobles in Canterlot,” she explained. “It’s a ball that celebrates the completion of Canterlot a thousand years ago.”

“Oh nice,” I said, nodding in approval. “And the other holidays?”

“Nightmare Night is where Ponies dress up in costumes and go door to door collecting candy,” Twilight said.

“That sounds a lot like Halloween back home,” I said. “And before you ask, I’ll tell you later. Go on.”

She frowned at being shut down, but did so. “Well, the Running of the Leaves is a race. Ponies run and their running knocks off all the leaves.”

“That sounds like fun, actually. You gonna run that?” Of course, I already knew she would, having seen said episode.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” she said. “I have a book about running that I’m gonna look into soon.”

“I might join you in running, if you do,” I said. “Sounds like a blast. What’s Hearth’s Warming?”

“It’s a winter holiday,” she explained. “It celebrates the founding of Equestria by all three Pony tribes. We put up Hearth’s Warming trees and decorate them, we exchange presents and sing Hearth’s Warming songs.”

“Huh, so it’s your world’s version of Christmas,” I said. That was an episode I’d seen as well, ironically enough it was the last one I’d seen recently. “Fall and Winter sound fun. When does Winter Wrap Up happen?”

“The first day of-wait, I didn’t mention that. How’d you know?”

I grinned, then began singing, “Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up! Let’s finish our holiday cheer! Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up! ‘Cuz tomorrow Spring is here! Cuz tomorrow Spring is here!”

“Wait, you saw that on your show, didn’t you?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, I did,” I chuckled.

She smiled. “I take it our conversation helped?”

“The one I had with you, and the one with Celestia,” I replied. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask about something.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Well, in My Little Pony, I’ve seen you Ponies break out into song and dance routines randomly. Does that happen here?”

She shook her head. “No, never. That just wouldn’t make sense.”

I chuckled. “Same here. I was just curious since it happens in the show.”

“It’s not really a realistic event,” Twilight said.

“Should have guessed,” I chuckled.

The two of us walked in silence for a bit. After a bit, Twilight asked, “So…is there anything in the near future that I should know about?”

“Whatever happened to the alternate timeline stuff?” I said in a teasing tone.

“I can’t help it if I’m curious,” she said. “it’s just who I am.”

“No worries, I get it,” I replied. “But to answer your question, nothing you should worry about too much. On another note, mind if I get Spike to send a letter to Celestia later?” I was planning on telling her about the potential for Eris’ release, and wanted to prevent that if at all possible.

“Sure, you can do that,” Twilight said. “We’re here, by the way.”

It always fascinated me just how in the world Golden Oaks Library was even possible. The tree didn’t even look dead, and as the fall season had come, even its leaves had begun to change. She entered quickly, and I followed, shutting the door behind me. Nearby, I saw Spike sitting and reading a comic I’d printed out for him. “Hey, Spike! Bye Spike!” Twilight said, heading towards a door and opening it.

“Um…what was that about?” Spike asked.

I sighed. “She’s gonna be calling in a favor and do some experiments, then ask about my homeworld. Typical nerdy stuff.”

“Ooh. Well, good luck with that,” he said.

“Off I go to the chopping block…” I muttered as I followed Twilight down the steps.

I never knew what it was like to feel like being wrung dry, but after two hours of Twilight’s incessant questioning about my world and its history, I could safely say I knew what it felt like. I was just glad my staticnet signal on my phone managed to be strong this far underground, otherwise I might have been even more mentally drained. My thumbs hurt a little, but not too much.

I was sipping some tea that Spike had brought down for me while she was studying the feathers. Apparently, when Celestia had sent her the spell, she’d also provided a few of her own feathers to be used as a control group. I watched as Twilight looked over three different feathers: my own, the one I’d collected three months ago, and Celestia’s.

“So…anyth-” I began, but a loud shushing sound from Twilight shut me up. I watched her continue comparing the three feathers.

She threw up her hooves and groaned. “I can’t see anything different between them,” she said.

Putting my tea down, I walked over and put a comforting hand on her back. “Twilight, you’re driving yourself up a wall,” I said. “You’ve been studying these feathers for two hours. You’re exhausted. I’m exhausted. Neither of us have had anything to eat. Let’s go upstairs and have some lunch, alright?”

She sighed and nodded. “Alright…”

As we walked up, Spike opened the door. “Twilight, Jethro, I was just about to come and get you guys. I made lunch for us.”

I sniffed the air and my mouth watered. “Is that…tomato soup I smell?” I asked.

“Yep! I also made you a grilled cheese and Twilight some daffodil sandwiches.”

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said as we exited the basement. She sat on a couch in the main room and I sat next to her. Spike carried out a platter with two bowls of steaming soup and two plates, each with sandwiches on them.

“Spike, you da man,” I grinned, “Pound it and explode it,” I said, holding my fist out. Our fists connected, then we made a small explosion sound as we extended our fingers like an explosion. I grabbed one of the bowls as well as a small spoon, then took a taste of the soup. “Well wow, that’s gotta be some of the best tomato soup I’ve ever had!” I grabbed one of the grilled cheeses and dipped it in the soup.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Spike asked.

“Trust me, this is the best way to enjoy grilled cheese and tomato soup in my world,” I said. I took a bite and shuddered. “Mmmm…fff…” A glare from Twilight stopped me from swearing. “Wow…this is amazing!”

Twilight, on the other hand, was just stirring her soup quietly, a plaintive look on her face. “There’s gotta be an explanation…” she muttered.

“Twilight,” I said softly, turning to face her. “I know you’re worried, but you need to take a break.” I turned to Spike. “Do you have any more of that tea you made for me?”

“Well, you’re lucky you went and got some,” Spike said. “Although I really wish you’d gone with somepony else.”

The day after the party for Scarlet, Twilight had gone to Zecora’s to get some more of her favorite tea. When I saw her the day after, she told me she’d been turned into stone by a cockatrice and had been saved by none other than Fluttershy. I knew then that one of the season one episodes had just taken place. The problem I was facing was that the events of the show were happening out of order, if they happened at all. I wasn’t sure if it was because of me, but it was a bit confusing. It was another thing I wanted to talk about with Celestia at some point.

“Spike, I’m really alright,” Twilight said with a small smile. “A day of bedrest was all I needed.”

“Huh, that makes sense,” I said. “But emotionally, are you alright? Being turned to stone can’t have been fun. Were you conscious of anything?”

She got a thoughtful look in her eyes. “No, not a thing. One moment I’m staring into some red eyes, and the next it’s night and I’m hearing Fluttershy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders laughing nearby.”

“Oh, phew. That would suck if you remembered,” I replied.

“Hey, Twilight? Can I go over to Rarity’s for a bit?” Spike asked. “I was gonna ask her about making me something for the Gala.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Twilight said.

Spike, grinning, rushed out the door faster than you could say Jack Robinson. I shook my head, snickering. “He’s got it bad for that mare.”

“Well, I just hope she lets him down gently,” Twilight said. “She has her eyes set on some prince.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’ll go over like a fart in church,” I muttered, remembering the events of the last episode of Season 1. “Rarity’s the Element of Generosity,” I replied in a louder voice. “And she doesn’t seem like the type to be mean when turning someone down.” I looked at a nearby clock. “Hey, after lunch, do you wanna go for a walk? Just enjoy the sunshine for a bit?”

“But…the experiment-”

“Everyone needs fresh air,” I interrupted. “Besides, the distraction might help clear your mind. I’ve learned that focusing on your problems for too long can actually be detrimental. I think a walk will do you good. And I’ll go with you.”

She looked down at her soup, then slowly nodded. “Maybe you’re right…”

“I know I’m right.” I ruffled her mane playfully. “Come on, let’s eat then go for our walk.”

After we’d finished the soup and sandwiches, the two of us went out into the sunny afternoon. A few clouds passed peacefully by overhead, and I saw Ponies going out their daily business. I took in a deep breath and exhaled. “I’ve gotta say, Spike really does know his stuff,” I said, patting my belly. “I really need to learn more about cooking here. My foodstock is getting thin. Especially the meat.”

Twilight winced a bit. “Is it really necessary for you to eat meat?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No, but humans need a certain amount of protein to be healthy. I’ll Google some healthy vegetarian diets when I can.”

“Well howdy!” a familiar voice called out from nearby. I turned and saw Applejack waving her front hoof at me. Beside her I saw Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Nearby, Rainbow Dash was flying. We were in the main town square near the Mayoral Office. “Good ta see y’all! Whatcha been up to?”

“Being Twilight’s experiment!” Dash laughed.

I sighed. “Not that, RD. She grilled me for two hours, then spent two MORE hours just looking at some feathers she got from me and Celestia.”

“I wasn’t just staring!” Twilight shouted. “I was studying them to find out if there was something different about them!”

“What did you find?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight deflated. “Nothing…I couldn’t find anything different about them. I just can’t understand-”

“Ah bup bup bup. Twilight,” I said warningly, “We came out here to relax for a bit. Now come on, new subject.”

“Oh! I’ve been working on a new trick!” Rainbow Dash said, smiling proudly. “Wanna see?”

“Eh, I’ve got a few seconds to watch you crash,” I joked, grinning up at her.

She frowned and got in my face. “This coming from the human who still can’t fly right. Well, watch and learn, buster! I’ll do this trick in ten seconds flat!” With a dash, she flew off towards a nearby cloud. The rest of us watched as the cloud began to morph until the image of Rainbow Dash appeared in the cloud. She came back, strutting her stuff proudly in the air. “Betcha can’t top that, mister!”

“Ooooh,” I nodded. “So you made Daring Do without her traditional getup?” I teased.

Rainbow Dash sputtered a bit. “N-No! It’s me!”

“Relax, sugarcube, he’s just teasin’ ya,” Applejack said, holding in her own snickering.

“I knew it was you,” I admitted. “But it needs to be about…twenty percent cooler,” I added, using one of her own catchphrases against her.

“Hey! That’s my line!” the cyan Pegasus glared at me.

Before anyone could continue, Spike ran up to us. He was breathless and panting heavily. “Rarity! Woods. Jewels! Wolves. Holes! Taken. SAVE HER!”

Immediately I spread my wings, glaring at the little Drake. “Where?” I growled.

“Follow! Hurry!” He got onto Twilight’s back.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked.

“No time! Go!” He pointed back the way he’d come.

“Uh…sugarcube? Ya know what he’s talkin’ about?” Applejack asked.

“I’ll tell you on the way. I’ve seen this happen already, but she might be in more danger than you think.”

“Who?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Rarity. She’s been kidnapped.”

That got everyone’s attention. Twilight looked up at Spike. “Where?”

I coasted ahead, not sure where the Diamond Dog holes were. All I knew is that I was both scared for Rarity and pissed at the Diamond Dogs. And at myself. Even after watching the episode, I had no idea how things might be different.

When we approached the field of dirt and saw the holes, I felt a sense of relief. I landed next to one and peered in. At first, nothing. Then, a pair of reflective eyes opened and I heard a wolflike growl coming from below.

Before anything could happen, I reached down and grabbed the owner of said eyes in a magical telekinetic grip and pulled it out. What I saw resembled some anthropomorphic wolf being. Its eyes were bright yellow and heavily resembled those of a normal wolf. He, I could see the Diamond Dog was a male, looked like the result of wolf evolution to turn somewhat humanoid. He wore a black collar embedded with gems and a vest that was a darker shade of gray than its fur. He had a look of confusion and terror in his eyes. “What are you, and what do you want?” he asked.

“That’s one of the Lycans that took Rarity!” Spike said, glaring angrily at the one in my grip. Lycans? Wait, I thought they were Diamond Dogs? The hell is going on? “Where is she, you cur?” he spat.

“Calm down, Spike,” Twilight said.

“What are you talking about?” the Diamond Dog asked. “I didn’t kidnap any-ACK!”

Using my magical grip, I began applying just the right amount of pressure around the Diamond Dog’s neck to cause breathing to be hard. “Bitch, don’t you lie to us,” I said in a low and threatening voice. “You captured a Pony recently, and unless you know what’s good for you, you’ll take us to her at once!”

I eased up on the magical grip to allow my captive to speak. After he gasped, he glared at me. “You…how dare you assault me like that!?”

Unbidden, I felt a whole new language enter into the forefront of my mind. I growled and bared my teeth at the creature in my grasp. “Do you think that your leader would be willing to go to war with the Princesses of the Day and Night?!” I asked angrily. “Do you wish your species to be at war with them?”

The Lycan shut up, then swallowed hard. “P-Please…don’t tell the Empress about this,” he whimpered softly. Who the hell was this Empress? Why are things slightly different here?!

“Take us to the Pony you kidnapped, and I’ll consider it,” I replied, barring my teeth in a show of what I hoped was dominance.

“O-Of course,” he said.

I released him and put my hands on my hips. “Well? Lead on!”

“What were you saying to him?” Twilight asked as the trembling wolf creature led us to one hole in particular.

“Threatening to tell their Empress about what was happening if he didn’t show us to Rarity,” I replied.

“Lycans have an Empress?” she said.

“What, you didn’t know that?” I asked, confused.

“I don’t know much about them,” she admitted. “They mostly live to the west of Equestria.”

“H-Here it is,” the Lycan said nervously. He pointed to a larger hole among the rest.

I looked down it, seeing a set of stairs to my great surprise. I then turned to the Lycan. “Alright, lead us in.”

The stairs had an ancient look about them, but despite that, they were still sturdy enough for us. Twilight and I lit the way with both of our magic. The stairs led down to a large hallway that looked just as ancient. Despite that, the hall was well lit with torch sconces on either side. The hallway was curved, but it looked as if it had been excavated that way. Grabbing a torch from the wall, I approached the Lycan. “Alright, you. Take us to the Pony you kidnapped.”

“Sugarcube, ah know yer upset about Rarity. Ah am too, but aren’t ya bein’ a bit harsh?” Applejack asked as we followed the Lycan down the hallway.

“No, if I were being harsh, I’d blow on this.” I pulled out a doggie whistle I bought the night after I saw the episode where Rarity got kidnapped. “This creates a sound that only dogs can hear. Besides, kidnapping is a crime, and I want them to know just how pissed I really am.”

Applejack looked worriedly at me. “Just don’t go doin’ somethin’ y’all will regret, ya hear?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” I promised.

The curved walls around us began growing more and more natural looking, and I saw stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Cracks and holes began to appear in the walls around us. The torches turned into wall lamps instead. It was as if this were some kind of wilder colony of some underground civilization. When we arrived at an intersection, we all heard a female voice crying out, “He called me uglyyyyy!”

“Alright, you son of a bitch, where is she?” I growled in a threatening manner.

“She’s down-GET THEM!” the Lycan shouted suddenly, rushing towards an open gate.

“The fu-” I started, before a massive weight fell on me, sending me sprawling across the floor.

“More workhorses,” I heard a deep voice say in a triumphant tone.

I glared at the retreating Lycan, who now stood in the entrance to one of the caverns. “Take that thing to the dungeons!” he screeched, pointing at me.

“Yippy ti-yi-yo! Git along, little dogies!” I shouted, pushing my legs up suddenly. The weight on my back vanished as the Lycan guard on my back flew forward, crashing into the smaller Lycan who’d led us unto the trap. I quickly stood and whirled on the others, who now were sitting on the other Ponies with ropes tied around their muzzles. Lifting a boulder from nearby, I held it up. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll release my friends,” I growled in a low threatening voice.

The guards, looking terrified, quickly removed the ropes and retreated back down the tunnel. Just then we all heard cries coming from down a gated pathway.

“She must be in there!” Rainbow Dash said, pointing. “Let’s go!”

I rushed towards the gate and kicked it down with my new strength. Running in, I found we were in a larger cavern. “Heeeere’s Jethy!” I called out with a wild grin on my face.

“Ah! Make her stop!” a voice shouted out.

“Too much noise!” a second one said. Soon, two other Lycans were running towards us. To my confusion, they had a similar body type to the other two Lycans I’d seen, some kind of humanoid wolf. The two of them fell at our feet, panting hard.

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked, confusion plain in her tone.

“She won’t stop talking!” the one on the left said.

“And crying!” the one on the right added. “Take her back! We’re giving her back!”

I looked past them and saw a proud looking Rarity walking towards us. She was hitched to a wagon full of gems. As soon as Spike saw her, he jumped off of Twilight’s back and rushed to hug her. “Rarity! You’re safe!”

“Why yes!” she exclaimed, before looking up at the rest of us. “Hello girls. Hello, Jethro! You’re just in time to assist me!”

“With those?” I pointed to the other carts of gems behind her.

“Why, yes!” she said happily.

Spike stopped hugging her and looked past her at where I was pointing. “You’re letting her leave? With all these jewels?” his eyes dilated and I swore I saw him drooling a bit.

“Yes! Take them, and her with them!” one of them called out, trembling as he hid behind a stalagmite.

“Please!” the other begged.

We all looked at each other, then I shrugged. “Alright, sounds good to us,” I grinned. “Here, I’ll help hitch you all to them,” I added, approaching the nearest one and lifting the harness off the ground.

“So…many…gems…” Spike was saying, staring at them, now clearly drooling.

“Jaw off the floor, little drake,” I teased as I began hitching the first one to Applejack. We all laughed at that.

Once I was done hitching every Pony to the carts, I turned slowly on the two kidnappers. When they saw me, they shrank back in terror. Huh, now I know how Celestia and Luna must have felt when I used to be afraid of them, I thought as I approached. In their language, I growled, “Now, as for the two of you and your companion lying unconscious in the hallway, I have a very clear message for you. This incident will not go unreported. I personally know the Princesses of Day and Night, and will be informing them of your crimes. Abduction of an innocent Pony, forced labor, and threatening said Pony will not be tolerated. Am I clear?”

“Y-Yes,” the two said.

“Good. Now…git!” I blew on the dog whistle and the two ran away, howling in pain and terror as I blew. I rejoined the others, all of whom had confused expressions on their faces. Turning to Twilight, I asked, “Do you mind if I borrow Spike later? I need to send a report to both Princesses.”

“What kind of report?” Twilight asked nervously.

“An incident report,” I replied. “This can’t be unreported. Who knows if they’ll do this again? Besides, they have an Empress. The Princesses will probably put some pressure on this ruler for answers.”

“Um, are you sure we should?” Fluttershy asked. “I-I mean, Rarity looks alright to me.”

“I’m better than fine,” Rarity grinned, looking back at the gems. “I can finally make those outfits now!”

“Regardless, they abducted you and forced you to look for gems,” I replied. “I can’t let that stand. I don’t know if this’ll happen again or not, but it needs to be nipped in the bud now.” Turning to Spike, I said, “I’ll need your testimony too.”

“Well…” Spike took a gem and chewed on it thoughtfully. After a few moments, he straightened and nodded. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

To Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,

It’s me, Jethro. I know you were probably expecting a letter from Twilight Sparkle, and you’ll get one soon, but I’m sending you an incident report involving the kidnapping of one of your subjects by a group of Lycans.

According to Spike, who was there at the time of the incident, he and Rarity were searching for gemstones when a group of Lycans abducted Rarity. Spike attempted to stop the assault, but in vain. He ran back to Ponyville where he enlisted the help of the remaining Elements of Harmony and myself in a rescue attempt.

Fortunately, the rescue attempt was successful, and I informed Rarity’s abductors that I would be informing you two of what transpired in the hopes that an incident like this will never occur again.

Yours,

Jethro Bethridge

Author's Note

I finally made an image for this! Wahoo!

25: A Cloaked Heart Meets Empress Amber

“Are you sure you’re okay with me eating this?” Scarlet asked, looking down at the cereal in front of her. “Isn’t this the last of your food?”

“Don’t worry,” I replied, taking a scoop of my cereal. “I’ll be taking you on a shopping trip soon.”

It had been four days after the incident with the Lycans. The two of us were in the main manor’s dining room, sitting across from each other at the large oak table. Outside, the morning sun illuminated the dew on the grass. Scarlet looked at the box, then a grin spread on her face. “Frosted Flakes? These are Frosted Fakes! Where the tiger at?”

“I’m on a budget, sister, damn!” I replied, chuckling. “I should never have introduced you to Vine compilations.”

“Why not? They’re hilarious!” Scarlet laughed.

“Yeah, but we can’t get you too hooked on my culture,” I replied. “You’re a Pegasus. You should learn about your culture too, you know.”

She nodded. “I know. I’ve been reading through the books Ms. Sparkle brought by.”

“And how are you finding them?” I asked before taking another bite of cereal.

“They’re very…informative, I guess,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be learning about Pegasus history, but I feel…kinda disconnected from them.”

“I think I understand,” I said, chewing thoughtfully. “You’ve been living down here for so many years and your wings are so out of practice that you find it hard to relate to other Pegasi your age.”

“That…and this.” She pointed to her blank flank. She’d been getting strange looks from some of the inhabitants of Ponyville, most staring at her flank in confusion. Frankly, I was surprised the Cutie Mark Crusaders hadn’t approached her yet.

“There’s plenty of time to find your cutie mark,” I tried to reassure her as I took a sip of orange juice. “For now, I’m sure the doctor wants you to focus on completely recovering.”

She smiled. “I know. Thank you.”

“And speaking of Pegasus culture, I had a thought about that,” I said.

“Oh?” Scarlet looked at me curiously.

“When you’re feeling up to it, I can ask Twilight to take us both up to Cloudsdale for a visit,” I said. “We could look around, see how they do their jobs, visit a museum or two if they have any.”

Scarlet looked thoughtfully down at her food, stirring the frosted corn flakes around slowly. “I guess we could do that,” she finally said. “That might be interesting.”

I was about to reply, but at that moment there was a knock at the door. “Speaking of recovering, I’m guessing that’s Redheart. She was supposed to come today, but she’s a little early.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin and stood. Scarlet began standing too, but I shook my head. “No need to get up. I’ll get it. You go ahead and keep eating.”

As I approached the door, another knock came from it. This time, it sounded more insistent. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” I called out. Turning the door handle, I opened it. “Well, you’re early-” I began, then froze.

Shining Armor stood at the door, an unusually serious look in his eyes. Outside, I could see what looked like an honor guard standing watch. He straightened and looked directly into my eyes. “I’m sorry for barging in this early,” he said, “but the Princesses have requested your presence in Canterlot.”

“Canterlot? Why, what’s happened?” I was a bit nervous by his tone.

His horn began glowing, and a scroll floated out of a saddlebag of a nearby Pegasus soldier. The scroll floated up to me. “She told me to give you this.”

I broke the seal immediately. I saw that it was actually two scrolls. The first was from Celestia, which I read with trepidation.

Dear Jethro,

While I’m pleased that your actions led to the safe return of Rarity, your actions have had some unintended repercussions. Now don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not mad or upset with you, but my sister and I have been asked to attend a conference with the Lycan Empress Amber to discuss this incident. And we haven’t been asked to come alone. Please read the attached scroll.

Princess Celestia

I hesitantly pulled out the second scroll. With a worried frown, I broke its seal and read it.

To the mysterious being who brought this incident to my attention,

I have written this letter to you as you claimed that you personally knew the princesses of Equestria. I wish to meet with you and hear about this abduction incident from you personally.

Empress Amber

I lowered both scrolls and looked at Shining Armor. Slowly, I put the scrolls down at the small endtable next to the door. “Alright, I understand. Would you permit me about half an hour to prepare, and I’ll be out at the gate,” I said.

“Of course. We’ll be waiting,” he said. Turning, he raised his hoof. “Company, follow me!” I watched as he trotted to the gate with the practiced ease of a soldier.

“Jethro? Who was that?” I heard Scarlet ask as I closed the door.

“Scarlet, I’m afraid I have to go,” I said as I rushed back and scarfed the rest of my cereal down. “I’ve been summoned by the Princesses.”

“What happened? Are you in trouble?” she asked in a scared tone.

“I don’t think I am,” I replied as I finished and rushed my bowl over to the sink to rinse it. “but I need to go. When Redheart gets here, could you tell her I’ve been summoned to Canterlot? And tell Rainbow Dash I won’t be able to make it to our training sessions, please?”

“Of course,” she said, ears flattened in clear worry. “Just be safe, alright?”

I smiled as reassuringly as I could at the young Pegasus. “I will, and that’s a promise.”

Thirty minutes later, I was at my gate with a satchel slung across my shoulder. I’d packed a few toiletries, two changes of converted clothes and a pair of dress shoes. If I was going to be meeting with an Empress, I wasn’t going to be doing it in normal clothes.

Shining Armor led me to a chariot similar to the one Twilight Sparkle used during the first episode. He climbed on and motioned for me to join him. Once I did so, he gave a command and the two of us were flown up into the clouds, heading towards the royal palace.

Neither of us spoke through the entire flight there. I was nervous, obviously, but not really as terrified as I had been when meeting the royal sisters. I distracted myself by looking down at the land below. Since I had wings, I wasn’t as afraid of falling since I knew how to glide down easily enough. Winged flight was still a bit choppy for me, though.

I was so lost in admiring the scenery below that I didn’t notice when we began to descend. When we landed, I snapped out of my stupor and looked around. We were standing in a large domed room which I could only describe as a chariot parking lot. Shining Armor walked off of the chariot and motioned for me to follow. I did so, adjusting the strap on my satchel as I did.

The two of us walked down the palace hallways, guards flanking the two of us. Any stationary Pony guards we passed straightened when they saw Shining Armor. Eventually, we were standing in front of the familiar throne room doors. Shining stopped and stepped back. “The princesses wish to see you privately again,” he said. “They are expecting you.”

“Thank you, Captain,” I said, straightening and walking up to the door. Taking a deep breath, I opened both doors and stepped inside. Celestia sat on her throne, with Luna standing by her side. Closing the door behind me, I approached.

When I reached the end of the carpet, I started to kneel again, but Celestia cleared her throat. “No need for that right now.” When I straightened again, I saw the look in her eyes. One of exhaustion. Like she hadn’t slept at all for a day or more. “Jethro, I hope you can forgive me for calling you here on such short notice. But this incident could have some major repercussions across Equestria and the Lycan Empire. The Empress has asked that the three of us attend a hearing where we will hear testimony from you on the events that transpired.”

“Me? And only me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Celestia nodded. “Since you were the one who made the report, the Empress has asked for you personally. I’ve received statements from the others who were involved and will be relaying them to the Empress, but yours must be in person, I’m afraid.”

“The Lycans have an ancient and proud culture,” Luna further explained. “Even back before we were banished, their empire was older than even the Kingdom of Equestria.”

“They are independent from us,” Celestia said, “but we have an uneasy peace with them. A peace that has lasted over a thousand years.”

And I might have just caused an international incident. Great…I’m boned. “But why me specifically?” I asked again.

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I won’t sugarcoat it,” Celestia said. “It’s because you’re a male.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Uh…huh?”

“The Lycans are a matriarchal society,” Luna said, stepping down and walking towards me. “And to answer your next question, they listened to Spike’s testimony because the Lycans have a good relationship with the dragons. Better than the one they share with us.”

“But I’m something of an unknown, is that it?” I asked.

“Correct,” Celestia said with a sigh. “She wants to see you because, well…”

“She claims to know when somepony is lying to her, especially a male,” Luna finished for her sister.

“That, and she has a prejudice against males,” Celestia added.

I couldn’t help it. I groaned. “One of those…Lord, give me strength.” I looked at both princesses. “Well, I’m living in Equestria now, after all, so I would be a fool not to go. When are we expected?”

“As soon as we’re able,” Celestia replied, standing and stomping her hoof on the floor. From nearby a door opened and a mare dressed in a demure looking maid outfit entered. She had light orange fur with a dark brown mane and tail. “Apricot, have the Royal Coach prepared, please. And make sure there’s room for our resident human.”

“At once, your Highness,” she said, giving me a curious glance before retreating out of the same door.

“We assume you are wearing what thou wilt be wearing to see the Empress,” Luna asked, indicating my suit and new coat, the latter courtesy of Rarity.

I undid my coat to show them my best suit. “If I’m meeting some more royalty, I’d rather appear my best instead of how I met you two,” I chuckled sheepishly. “I’m just glad Rarity was able to convert this suit beforehand,” I added, spreading my large wings out.

Celestia’s eyes sparkled with some amusement, as did Luna’s. “I can only imagine. Good first impressions are always welcome,” the Solar Princess said. “Now, walk with us to the train station. Luna and I will tell you what we know about Lycan traditions.”

The more I heard about the Lycans, the more they somewhat sounded like Amazonians. The majority of the soldiers and leaders were female whereas the males were more subservient. That wasn’t to say that the males had no rights at all. According to Celestia, there had been some reforms over the past hundred and fifty years that gave males more and more rights. However, ever since Empress Amber came to rule, she’d been pushing back on any further reforms.

Celestia informed me that when I approached her throne to let her and Luna do the talking and speak when spoken to. I was no fool and I promised to be on my best behavior.

As the train headed west from Canterlot, I was given a book written by a Pony historian named Dust Tracker. The chapter on the Lycan Empire was one of the longest in the book, and had a fascinating story about the founding of said empire.

Apparently, many centuries before a being called Grogar ruled, there was no king, queen or princess in Equestria, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. The wording of that made me smirk since it sounded like something out of the book of Judges. The narrative about the founding of the empire was somewhat shrouded in mystery, but according to Dust’s sources, the first Empress was helped by a being called the Guardian. No one knew who or what the Guardian was, only that this being brought the Lycans to a set of caverns that would fit their lifestyle and helped them settle. It was due to living underground that they escaped most of the horrors of the world, such as Grogar, Eris, Tirek and Sombra, all of whom were mentioned in that particular chapter.

According to the book, Lycans were very meticulous when it came to preserving history, something else the Guardian had drilled into them. One of the outlandish rumors that he’d recorded was that the Lycans had a library dedicated for every day in their history. He recorded that he’d tried to visit the main Lycan city, but was turned away due to being a male.

I was brought out of my concentration by a loud sigh. Looking up, I saw Celestia sitting in her Pony loaf form on her own personal bed in the car. Luna was asleep on her own bed, but Celestia was looking out of the window. She had a somewhat forlorn look on her face. I looked out and saw we were approaching Ponyville. “You know,” I said, “they say you use more muscles to frown than to smile. Probably why Pinkie Pie has that little pudge around the middle. That mare hardly ever stops smiling, I swear to God.”

Celestia’s frown dissolved and she smiled softly. “Heh, I guess so,” she said, before staring back out of the window, her smile remaining frozen on her face.

“Are you really that worried?” I asked as kindly as I could.

Her smile immediately dropped. “We haven’t had too many dealings with the Lycans,” she said. “Many of them don’t especially like Ponies.”

“A predator and prey thing?” I asked offhandedly.

“That…might be a part of it,” she admitted, “but it’s more than that.”

“Does it have anything to do with the song I heard the Deerfolk singing?” I asked.

She sighed, then motioned me closer. I got out of my bed and walked over. Celestia scooted over so I could sit next to her. In a silent voice so as not to wake Luna, she began. “My sister and I had only been ruling Equestria for twenty or so years. Our kingdom wasn’t as big as it was today. One day a scout told us of two armies gathering near our western borders. We were young and still inexperienced. And overconfident. Luna feared the two armies were trying to invade Equestria, and she convinced me that was the case as well. We ordered our army, which wasn’t much more than a militia, to assemble and set off for our most western border.”

She adjusted herself on the bed she sat on, then continued. “When we arrived, we saw that battle lines had been drawn, but instead of being an invading force, they were going to war with each other.” She looked down. “In my foolishness, I used the Royal Canterlot Voice and commanded them to stop. I was naïve and felt that Harmony could be forced. And…I did just that. My sister and I.” She shuddered at the memory. “My sister and I gave them a display of our power that we hoped would convince them to stop fighting. It did, but the peace we formed was forced. The Deerfolk and Lycans have resented us for it.”

I reached up and put a hand on her head, running my fingers through her flowing rainbow mane. To my surprise, she leaned her head on my shoulder. We both stared out at the fields, farmhouses, woodlands and bodies of water as they passed by. I kept my mouth shut, having learned from Trixie that sometimes women just wanted a man to listen. This felt like one of those times. I just stroked her mane gently for as long as she needed me to.

After a while, it hit me just what I was doing. I was comforting possibly the oldest being in the world, one with vast wisdom, power and strength beyond my current understanding. It was surreal, to say the least. But upon looking down and seeing the Solar Princess’ worried face, I knew this was the right thing to be doing. She slowly turned to look up at me after a while, and her smile was small, but it was still as radiant as the sun. I smiled back as we both sat back up. “Feeling better?” I asked.

“Much,” she said. “I don’t have as big of a headache as I did before.”

“Well, that’s good,” I said. “How about a distraction?” I pulled out my phone and laptop, turned on my phone’s personal hotspot, then turned on my laptop and opened Netflix.

“Oh? What kind of distraction?”

“A documentary,” I replied. “One about how humans first landed on Earth’s moon.”

Celestia smirked. “Three…two…one…”

“We wish to see it too,” Luna said, somehow sitting on my left.

I looked at Celestia and snorted. “Alright, alright. Well, here we go.” I pulled up the Apollo 11 documentary and, after connecting my smaller Bluetooth speaker to it, hit play as two gorgeous mares flanked me, watching with interest as the film began…

One thing I learned about the Royal Canterlot train was that the normal rules didn’t apply to it. Most importantly, the speed limit. I suspected that the Ponies in the train’s cab were working their asses off to get us to the border as fast as possible.

After Apollo 11, they asked me to put on another movie, asking me to choose a favorite of mine. I chuckled and put on Independence Day. I said that, while a lot of the elements were unrealistic, I felt it painted a picture of a lot of humanity’s great aspects, such as the indomitable will and drive to survive against overwhelming odds. After that movie, the three of us took a nap until the train began slowing. Celestia woke me gently and we were escorted out.

We were standing in front of a towering mountain range, the snowcapped peaks glistening in the late afternoon sunlight. As we stepped onto the train platform, a group of female Lycans approached, led by a taller Lycan. She had a snow-white coat with gray stripes, a long head of hair similarly colored, and teal eyes which observed the three of us with a cool expression. Seeing her stripes reminded me of Zecora for some reason, and a part of me wished she was here with me. The Lycans themselves were all in metal plated armor and held double pointed spears.

The leader approached and spoke to Celestia. It didn’t escape my glance that the leader was, in some weird way, very attractive. At least, my baser human instincts thought so. “Princess Celestia, I am Commander Gemini. My Empress has commanded me to escort you, your sister, and…the witness…to Canisia City.” She looked at each of us in turn, her gaze lingering on me with a mixture of mistrust and curiosity.

Celestia bowed politely, as did Luna. I did mere moments later, following their lead. “Thank you, Commander. We would be glad of the escort.”

“Follow me, then,” Gemini replied, turning and speaking to the others in the Lycan language. “Surround them and keep them protected. For the time being, they are honored guests of her Imperial Majesty. But keep an eye on the male creature.”

“You weren’t kidding about a matriarchal society,” I whispered to Celestia as we walked down the steps of the train station towards a large brick road.

“Indeed,” she replied. “Fair warning, don’t establish eye contact with the Empress unless she commands it.”

“Understood.”

We were led to the base of the mountain. As we approached, I saw a massive stone double door that towered over us. With a might CRACK they opened outwards and we were ushered inside. As the gates closed and my eyes adjusted, I couldn’t help but stare in awe.

Lycans…they’re basically Dwarves!

We were facing a wide and tall stairway, well-lit on either side with what looked like glowing gemstones. Gemini led us up the stairs, and as we continued climbing, I heard many different voices as they echoed down to us.

I was blown away by what I saw when we reached the top. Tall columns rose around us, each having a large gemstone lamp hanging from four sides, illuminating everything below. I craned my neck as the columns moved up and up, forming arches which led to other columns. Everywhere I looked, I saw Lycans walking to and fro, some wearing more common-type clothes as befit a medieval peasant, while others wore more sophisticated garb. The smell of roast meat wafted into my nose and my mouth began to involuntarily water. I looked forward, trying my best not to be distracted by all the many different sights, sounds, smells and other sensations assaulting me. Especially the smells.

“Lycans are more of a scent-based species,” Celestia explained when she noticed me slightly wrinkling my nose. “It can be a bit overwhelming, but try and stay focused.”

“Of course,” I replied, forcing myself to calm down and breathe normally.

As we continued to walk down the massive interior, I noticed that the sounds of talking had begun quieting. I could feel the eyes of the citizens of this city on me and the others, but I resisted the urge to look back. Instead, I kept walking, flanked by Celestia and Luna. The walk was long and we took a couple turns around different pillars, as if the Lycans escorting us were following invisible roads only they could see.

Eventually, we were standing in front of another set of double doors about half as tall as those to the entrance to this mountain realm. Gemini stepped forward and spoke to one of the guards at the gate, two more female Lycans. “Open the gates. The Empress is expecting these visitors.”

With a growl of assent, the guards began pulling on a chain next to each of them. The doors began sliding open instead of swinging, revealing a massive hall.

On both sides of the hall sat two wide fireplaces, both of which were lit. The ceiling was domed and a glowing gemstone chandelier hung from the apex, further illuminating the room. Sitting on a massive raised dais, two manservants in togas on either side, sat an obviously regal female Lycan. She was dressed not in any colorful robes or silk, but in black and red furs which matched her own dark gray fur and fiery yellow eyes. On her head was a golden crown of various crystals tied together by a golden band. If my baser human brain thought Gemini was attractive in some way, then the Empress was downright sexy.

What I wasn’t expecting to see was a younger looking Lycan female seated next to the Empress in a smaller throne. She wore a dark purple gown. A tiara graced her head with a light purple gem engraved on its center. Her eyes were purple and shone with some curiosity upon seeing me. I caught her slightly checking me out, a grin forming on her face.

“Announcing the arrival of the Canterlot party,” one of the guards said.

That was the only glance I took of the two before remembering what Celestia said. Pushing the thoughts down, I lowered my head and kept my eyes on the floor in front of me as the three of us walked forward alone. She’s not quite human, I had to remind myself. All that I could hear was the foot and hoofsteps of the three of us as well as the two roaring fires on either side. When Celestia and Luna stopped, they both bowed their heads. I put my fist over my chest and did the same.

“Your Imperial Majesty and your Imperial Highness,” Princess Celestia began, “it’s indeed a privilege to be allowed into these halls. My sister and I are most grateful to be here.”

“Indeed,” were the first words out of the Empress’ mouth. Her voice was slightly deeper than Gemini’s and full of authority and official pleasantness. “Let’s skip the pleasantries, shall we? I assume the being between you with his head lowered is the human you wrote me about?”

“That he is, your Imperial Majesty,” Celestia replied.

“Human! Raise your head and look upon me,” the tone in Amber’s voice had a hint of disdain in it now.

Luna tensed up ever so slightly at this, but wisely remained silent. Celestia didn’t move as I did as I was told and looked into Amber’s eyes. The Empress nodded. “Subservient, as all males should be. I am Empress Amber. Beside me is my daughter, Princess Amethyst. Tell me your name.”

“I am Jethro Bethridge, your Imperial Majesty,” I replied.

“Jethro Bethridge,” she repeated, playing the alien name over her tongue a few times, trying to get it right. “Very well. I have asked for you today to hear, in your own words, about the incident that took place within Equestrian borders and involved the abduction of one of its subjects. Proceed, and do not lie to me.”

So I did. I started with the time when Spike ran up to us and, in as much detail as I could recall, leaving nothing out. I maintained eye contact with her at all times, despite wanting to look away. Her gaze was that of a predator searching the prey. However, I continued facing her, keeping as much control of my face as I could. It helped that on either side of me stood two of the most powerful beings in the world.

When I finished, she didn’t say anything for a while. I maintained eye contact until she leaned back. “Bring them in!” she ordered.

A side door opened loudly. I turned…and saw…

Author's Note

Aaah, the power of cliffhangers. An author's best friend. You'll be pleased to know, however, that I'm currently working on Chapter 31. This is chapter two of a small arc. The Lycan Empire Arc. Enjoy!

26: A Cloaked Heart Meets Princess Amethyst

I’d always been taught not to judge a person immediately by my parents and many of my teachers. I’d done my best to live by that rule, especially when dealing with apparently lazy employees at my former job. Some might have genuinely been lazy, but a couple had apparent issues that I did my best to work around. Those few became some of my best employees.

I had to hold onto all of those lessons when I saw three figures being forcefully pulled out in chains. I recognized them as the three who’d kidnapped Rarity only a couple days before. Their faces were cut and bruised, as if they’d been beaten brutally. They hardly wore anything save for dirty and stained loincloths. They were pulled by the guards and forced onto their knees before the throne.

I stared at them, keeping the shock and horror from showing on my face as best I could. I had to force the wings behind me from shooting up. They did quiver, though. Kidnapping aside, I felt this was complete overkill for kidnapping, but I pushed down those thoughts.

“Jethro Bethridge, are these the three who abducted the Pony?” Amber asked.

Looking more closely at them to be double sure, I returned my gaze to Amber and nodded. “They are, your Imperial Majesty.”

“Do you know who these three are?” she asked sternly.

“I’m afraid I didn’t get their names.”

She pointed with a clawed finger at them. “They’re three of the leaders of a rebellion movement who’ve been working out of Equestria. Their names are Fyido, Ryever, and Spiot. You three! Face me!”

Trembling, all three turned to her. With a furious expression on her face, Amber continued. “You three are guilty of rebellion against the crown and inciting the citizens into betraying their empire. You are also guilty of ponynapping a citizen of a neighboring country.”

One of them moved to make himself look a bit taller and more defiant. “All we’re guilty of is trying to incite change! And yes, we ponynapped that Pony, but we were never going to keep her forever! All we wanted was for you to acknowledge that males are just as capable as females!”

“Be silent, whelp!” Amber growled, and one of the guards brought down a heavy fist on his head, knocking the rebel leader unconscious. I winced, and beside me Luna and Celestia looked away, ears pinned to their sides. “We know you have rebellion cells hidden throughout the Empire and now we have proof of your Equestrian activities. You will tell us where the others are. Guards! Take them away and get that information!”

The guards dragged the three Lycan males away. Amber turned back to the three of us. “I do apologize for these three getting your kingdom involved in our little rebellion. It must be too late for any of you to travel home. I will provide you with your own accommodations. Would you care to have separate rooms, or sleep in one room altogether? I know you Ponies enjoy your herds.” The smile on her face was again predatory in nature as well as somewhat mocking. It was like she was daring us to make some kind of faux pas.

Celestia’s ears flicked a bit, but her face remained calm. “Thank you for your hospitality. We would be honored to accept whatever accommodations you would provide.”

Amber snapped to one of the manservants in the room. “You! See that these three have the finest room in the Royal Wing. See to their dietary needs.” Turning to us again, she said, “I know Ponies don’t eat meat, but I do not know what the human Jethro Bethridge would eat. Would you care to elaborate, human?”

“My kind are omnivorous, your Imperial Majesty,” I replied. “We can eat meat as well as vegetables simultaneously.”

“Very well. See them to their room,” Amber ordered the manservant.

“At once,” the Lycan male said, approaching us. “Please follow me.”

As we walked out of the throne room and took a left, I took a good look at the Lycan servant. I had no idea how to judge a Lycan’s age, but he was shorter than any other Lycan I’d seen, and judging by his somewhat higher pitched but clearly masculine voice, I guessed he was in his teens, however that was reckoned by this race.

He led us down a long corridor full of identical doors until he reached one. Opening it, he gestured. “This is the suite,” he said. “Your Highnesses servant can stay in the adjoining servant’s quarters.”

“Jethro is no servant,” Luna began, but I quickly put a hand on her back.

“That will be perfectly fine with me,” I said. Looking at the nervous looking Lycan, I said, “Thank you.”

He was taken aback by this, and his head tilted in the way I’d seen curious dogs do back on Earth. “I-If you need anything, your Highnesses, please ring for me.”

“We’ll be sure to do that,” Celestia said, smiling kindly at the young Lycan.

“W-Well, I’ll take my leave,” he said, bowing and rushing off as quickly as he could.

The moment the doors were closed, it was like we all released a breath we didn’t know we were holding. I found a seat and collapsed into it, sighing loudly. Reaching up, I began loosening my tie. “That was…something,” I said.

“Sister, we should have insisted that Jethro have his own room,” Luna said harshly. “We know we’ve been absent for a thousand years, but even so-”

“Lulu,” Celestia said sternly, “I know you wanted to come along to help, but we have to be very careful about how we deal with this. They are our neighbors, after all.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t ask you for your cooperation in finding these rebel cells,” I said, glancing over at the two sisters.

Celestia looked over at me. “This is a tense situation we’ve found ourselves in,” she replied. “and it needs to be handled with the utmost care.” Walking over, she put a hoof on my shoulder. “I could sense your anger, but you were wise to hold your tongue. We aren’t in Equestria right now. It’s by the Empress’ grace that we’re even being treated as we are at all.”

“How long has this treatment of males been going on in their society?” I asked, removing my blazer and hanging it over the armrest.

“Longer than I want to admit,” she sighed. “And before you say anything, Lulu, they are outside our jurisdiction. We cannot force them like we did before. That only created an even bigger rift.”

Luna’s ears flattened and she looked down in what looked like shame. “We’ve regretted our actions as Nightmare Moon already, and now to have this added…”

Guiltily, Celestia walked over and hugged her sister close. “I didn’t mean to bring up more past regrets.”

“No, don’t be too hard on thyself, sister,” Luna tried to sound reassuring. “We were both to blame for this disharmonious peace to come into existence. And for the animosity they share with the Deerfolk.”

“Wait, hold on,” I interrupted, “Don’t the Deerfolk live in Everfree? We’re nowhere near them.”

“Yes, while a few Deerfolk live in the Everfree, the majority live in a forest north of here in a place they refer to as the Citadel,” Celestia replied. “The two races resent us for our actions.”

“So much for pretty magical ponyland,” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “God, I’ve got a headache. I hope you don’t mind if I turn in early.”

“Of course not,” Celestia said, giving me a caring smile.

“Thank you. Now…where are those servants quarters I’ve heard so much about?”

I was expecting a pile of straw and some mangy greasy pillow, but what I got was actually quite nice. The servants’ quarters reminded me of something out of a Skyrim inn. Sure, the bed wasn’t as soft as my own, but it was tolerable. The blankets were made of some kind of skinned animal fur, and I even had a toilet, of a sort. I got into the pajamas Rarity had given me and climbed into bed.

It must have been the middle of the night when I was roughly shaken awake. Groaning, I opened one eye, only to find I was staring into the cool expression of an all-too familiar Lycan Commander. “Arise, human. Princess Amethyst summons you to her chambers.”

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked, now completely awake and sitting up.

“All I was told is to bring you to her at once,” she growled.

“Well…okay. Do you mind if I get into something a bit more appropriate first? I doubt her Highness would want me coming in my nightwear.”

Gemini sighed. “Very well, but be quick about it, human.” She turned away from me, presumably in a dual attempt at giving me privacy and to probably make sure I didn’t try and inform the Princesses in the next room.

I began to disrobe, grabbing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that Rarity had also made for me. I put a zipper hoodie on over the shirt, then slipped some more casual shoes over my feet. Slipping my wings through both garments, I stood. “I’m ready,” I said.

“Follow me,” Gemini said. She led me out of a second door I hadn’t even seen when coming in the room and back into the long corridor of doors. Turning down a large hallway with wider doors than the ones down the hallway we were just from, Gemini led me to a set of high double doors. She knocked.

“Come in,” a female voice said from within.

Gemini opened the doors and walked in. I saw that we were entering a bedchamber. A large canopy bed draped with silvery purple curtains sat to the left of the door against the large sloping wall. To the right I saw a large desk with a rotating mirror turned to the side. In front of us stood the princess, looking out of a window of all things. I had no idea how, but the window looked outside towards a moonlit landscape. The princess was turned away, wearing a silken light blue and purple garment that clung to her body in such a way that it accentuated her…curves. A slight breeze was blowing against her, causing her garments to flow slightly. “Your Highness, I’ve brought the human as you ordered,” she said.

“Very good, Commander. Leave us,” the princess said as I lowered my head.

“My Princess?” Gemini asked. “Are you sure?”

Amethyst growled at the commander. “I gave you an order, Commander.”

Gemini frowned, but stood and did as she was told. She gave me a glare as she passed me, one I didn’t miss even though my eyes were staring mostly at the floor. Once the doors closed, Amethyst spoke up. “Jethro Bethridge, look up at me.”

Obeying, I stood. “You summoned me, your Imperial Highness?”

“Indeed I did.” She leaned back. “You intrigue me,” she said, and the way her tone shifted made a shiver go down my spine. “I have never seen a creature quite like you before, and there are no scrolls in our library that tell of somebeing like yourself. Your scent is also alien to me. I wish to know where you’re from, and how you came here. My mother does not seem to care about this, but it interests me. I wish to know of your land and people. But first,” she said, clapping her paws together. From another room the familiar male servant who’d led me to my room appeared. “Fetch us some refreshments,” she ordered the male.

“At once, your Highness,” the male replied, rushing away.

Feeling it unwise to hide anything but the existence of My Little Pony from her, I inclined my head, placing my fist on my chest again. “Your wish is my command, your Imperial Highness.”

“Oh please, don’t call me such a stuffy name here,” she sighed as she moved to the desk and sat in it. Indicating another chair nearby, she continued, “Just call me Princess Amethyst, or Amethyst if you want.”

“As you wish,” I replied as I took the offered seat.

She leaned forward and her ears swiveled forward. “Go on.”

I told her as much of the truth as I dared. I told her that I was from land far more distant than any imaginable and that I’d found my way to Equestria through the misfiring of some displacement spell. The male Lycan came back with some sort of sweet-smelling beverage, which I sipped on politely enough. I almost declined, afraid she had drugged it, but once she drank from the same source, I figured it was alright.

The male servant stayed around as the princess continued questioning me, but her tone still made me uncomfortable. It almost sounded like she was trying to seduce me, which I realized was probably the case. I had to remain strong, however, despite the fact that Amethyst was incredibly lovely to look at, especially her eyes, a color I hadn’t seen in any other Lycan. If her mother was such a male hater as she was and if she learned about this, she might use me as an excuse to create some kind of incident between Equestria and the Empire.

“Another far distant land, huh? I have heard that it was possible for teleportation magic among Ponies, but I never believed it until now, and certainly not as far as you claim,” she chuckled. “Tell me, Jethro Bethridge, as a new inhabitant of our fair continent, how familiar are you with the early history of the kingdom you call home now?”

“Their early history, Princess?” I asked. “I’m afraid I only know bits and pieces. I haven’t been here long enough to begin studying.”

“Yes, I can see that,” she replied. “Being displaced from another far distant land into one like ours must have been an incredibly stressful situation.”

Where’s she going with this? I wondered. “Correct, Princess.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “You strike me as a male of more intellect than our own,” she said, “and one who would listen to reason.”

“You honor me with such praise,” I replied with another bow, continuing to play the subservient male.

“Think nothing of it,” she replied. She leaned forward. “Tell me, are you enjoying your life in Equestria?”

“So far, I’ve had no complaints,” I replied. “There have been some hiccups along the way, but I’ve enjoyed my time among the Ponies.”

“They haven’t been treating you in any abnormal way or with any prejudice?”

“No more than normal, I suspect,” I replied. “When I first arrived, they were scared of me, but for the most part, I think they’re alright with my presence.”

“And have you traveled much around Equestria?” she asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I can’t say that I have,” I said. “So far, I’ve only been in Ponyville, Canterlot, and your city.”

“I see, I see. Allow me to give you some advice,” she said. “The Ponies of Equestria sing the praises of harmony, but the way they are suspicious of those not of their own kind should concern you. And don’t forget the nobles. I suggest you keep your eyes and ears open in case they try to work against you for their own means.”

Like you’re doing? I thought. I nodded in appreciation, though. Despite her tone and words seeming to indicate she was playing a game of her own, I was grateful for the advice. “I appreciate your counsel, Princess. I will keep it in the forefront of my mind.”

“Good,” she said, then she stood and began walking towards the window again. I didn’t mistake the extra sway in the hips and the slow swish of her well cared for tail. “Tell me, Jethro,” she said in a calmer tone, “are all males as obedient as you are to females in your land?”

“It’s a mixture, if I’m honest,” I replied. “There have been so many human cultures around throughout our known history, and I’m not exactly knowledgeable on them all. As for personal preference, that’s all up to the couple in question. However, I should say that for the most part, the society that I’m from is patriarchal.”

She nodded as she walked back. Her smile was broad, and there was a clear desire in those purple eyes of hers. An involuntary shudder ran down my spine. “And which are you? Which do you prefer in your females?”

I wanted to take a step back, but as I was sitting, that was impossible. “I’ve only had one lover, your Imperial Majesty,” I replied, “one who has since passed on.”

“The loss of a mate is unfortunate,” she said with a sympathetic tone as she sat back down.

“Indeed it was,” I replied with as cool and collected a voice as I could muster.

“Being from a land where only humans live, it must have been shocking to come to a continent of beings like ourselves. Especially to a country where Ponies exist. They don’t share a form you are attracted to, correct?”

“May I ask where you are going with this, Princess?” I asked back, raising my own eyebrow.

She chuckled. “I didn’t mistake the glance you gave to my commander and my mother earlier,” she said in a now husky voice. “We are similar in form, your kind and mine. Not only that, but the way you describe your land indicates that it is more advanced in certain areas, non-magically that is.” She stopped, only a step away from me. “Did you know that, in our culture, having a pack of mates is common?”

“I did not,” I replied, but it did make a weird sort of sense.

“Well, it’s more common for a female to have multiple male mates, but a male can have multiple female mates in the right circumstances,” she said, giving her eyes a slight flutter.

Hold the phone…she’s offering me a harem?! I remained still for a moment, processing this information before clearing my throat. “Princess Amethyst, what are you asking of me?”

“I’m offering you a choice,” she said. “I can convince my mother to provide you with much more than those Princesses could ever give. A life of complete luxury within our vast mountain realm. I could find those rare females who enjoy being subservient to a male and you could add them to your pack. I’d even be willing to become a member, making you my consort.” She reached over and took my hands in her paws, giving me a seductive smile. “All you’d have to do is share some of your country’s superior technology and you could be a prince. Surely that would be worth something to you?”

Immediately, I thought of all the new friends I’d made, but at the forefront was Zecora. She was the best friend I’d ever had since my Trixie. I’d never abandon her, but something tells me that to flat out refuse would get me in more danger than before. She had me trapped, and I suspect she knew it. I only had one safe answer, and I took it. “Your offer is indeed most tempting and incredibly generous, Princess,” I replied, taking a chance and smiling to show my canines. “However, it’s a big decision. If I may think it over?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately, I suspect that my mother will insist that the three of you return to Equestria tomorrow. If you are to answer, it has to be now.” She caressed my hands, smiling at me. “What do you say?”

Crap, she got me. There’s no way she isn’t plotting something. I knew I was trapped. I didn’t know what she was planning, but she was two steps ahead of me. I bowed as respectfully as I could. “Your offer is most appreciated, Princess Amethyst, but sadly I must decline. Please do not misunderstand, the hospitality that has been shown towards me and my Princesses has been extremely generous, but I have many obligations in Equestria.”

There was silence between us for a good ten seconds before Amethyst spoke again. This time her tone had an even more seductive edge to it. “Would these obligations have anything to do with the Elements of Harmony? You would rather form a herd with those weak-minded plant eaters than a pack with subservient bitches who would give you everything you desire? You could be a powerful prince, with authority befitting a predator like yourself. You are not prey like they are. Being among those Ponies will only make you weak. The strong belong with the strong.”

That was the second time I’d heard the term herd. I had no idea what a herd was, but in context, I could guess. If I make it out of this alive, note to self: ask Celestia about it. “May I speak freely, Princess?”

“You may,” she replied, purring a bit softly as she continued giving me bedroom eyes.

I cleared my throat. “I am not ungrateful for your kind offer, and I can see the benefits such a position would give me. However, I cannot, in good conscience, abandon the friends I have so recently gained. Yes, they are what you might call a prey species, but I don’t feel as if I’ve gotten weaker in all the time I’ve been among them. They have given me new strength in ways not physically seen.”

Like a lightbulb, her seductive attitude vanished. She was frowning slightly at me, but I could tell she was more than a little pissed at me. “I see. Well, that’s all I wished to say. Leave my presence at once.”

I bowed again and stood. “At once, Princess.”

I was taken back to my room where I collapsed onto my bed, wiped out from the second encounter. As I fell asleep, one thought crossed my mind. I have a bad feeling about this…

“Open up in the name of Empress Amber!”

A loud banging woke me as I groggily sat up. The banging was coming from the main room where Celestia and Luna had slept the night before. As the events of my nightly visit with the Princess came back to me, adrenaline shot through my system and woke me faster than normal. The voice on the other side of the door sounded angry.

I stepped into the room where Celestia and Luna were sitting up in bed, wiping sleep from their eyes. “Who would wake us up at this hour?” Luna asked.

“It’s probably for me,” I replied as I reached the door. I opened it to find myself staring into the rage-filled eyes of Gemini.

“You, human!” she growled as she grabbed me and turned me around, pinning me on the stone floor. “You are under arrest.”

The diarchs of Equestria were out of bed and approaching hastily. “Commander, what is the meaning of this?” Celestia asked.

“I’ve been given strict orders to arrest the human male,” Gemini replied as I felt chain cuffs fastened around my wrists.

“On what charge?” Luna asked.

“On the charge of assaulting Princess Amethyst.”

Oh boy…this is only gonna end badly…

Author's Note

Well now, our hero is indeed in a pickle. Will he escape the nefarious clutches of the Lycan Princess? Or will he suffer a deadly fate? Tune in next time in the next installment of A Cloaked Heart! Coming soon to a theater near you!

27: A Cloaked Heart Under Arrest

“Your Imperial Majesty, I must protest against this,” Celestia said as we stood before the Empress. The expression on her face was a grave one, and one that indicated ages of experience in diplomacy. However, I saw the hidden anger within her. “The charges you’ve brought upon my subject cannot possibly be true.”

“We must concur with our sister,” Luna exclaimed, a hint of anger in her own voice. “We know our subject well enough to know he would never assault a foreign leader in such a manner.”

The three of us stood in the throne room once again, only the room was now full of Lycans. Most were armored and flanking us on either side. A few Lycans stood on either side of Amber,

The charged that had been brought against me had been pretty simple. The story had gone that I’d been summoned to Princess Amethyst’s chambers late that night as she was well known to have an interest in foreign nations and species, but that in talks, I’d insulted and touched the Princess inappropriately. After I’d apparently knocked her unconscious, I’d left the room as if nothing had happened. She’d come to only fifteen minutes ago and had ordered my arrest. Her words had been backed up by the servant boy, although I suspected that Amethyst had threatened him to lie.

“Are you calling my own flesh and blood a liar, your Highnesses?” the Empress spat out. Beside her, a ‘scared’ looking Amethyst sat. She was wearing the same clothes I’d seen her in last night, but with the added bonus of the clothes being torn in certain revealing places. “I have a witness, too!”

Celestia shook her head. “I simply cannot believe that Jethro here would attack the daughter of the ruler of a country. It isn’t in his nature.”

“How would you know the nature of a predator?” Amber practically spat out angrily. “You cannot change our nature so easily, Celestia!”

“Jethro is no predator!” Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Luna, please calm down,” Celestia said, although from the tone in her voice and look on her face, it was clear she was barely holding in her anger.

“We will not have such accusations brought against one of our subjects, sister!” Luna shouted, thankfully not in the Royal Voice anymore.

“Doctor,” Amber said, beckoning to an older Lycan woman, “find my daughter’s scent on the prisoner.”

“At once,” she said, approaching me. “Stand still,” she commanded as she began sniffing all over me. When she reached my hand, she stopped. Grabbing it, she lifted it to her nose and inhaled deeply. “I found it, my Empress.”

I could have sworn I saw a smirk on Amethyst’s face, but it was gone before I could be sure. Amber, however, was not amused. She stood, glaring down at me. “Normally, the crime of assaulting royalty is instant death. However, in the interest of continued good relations with our Equestrian neighbors, I believe I should give your little pet colttoy a fighting chance. And I do mean a fighting chance.”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

“There is an ancient tradition in our land, one that goes back to before your interference in our battle,” Amber replied. “We call it Trial by Combat.”

What is this, Game of Thrones? I frowned. I was no fighter. I might be as strong as an Earth Pony, have the flight of a Pegasus and magic of a Unicorn, but I was still a novice at all three.

Luna’s eyes were wide with rage. “You would subject someone with no fighting experience to your barbarity?”

“Ponies would never understand the ancient traditions of our race!” Amber shouted. “It is not barbarity, as you so call it! It is custom!”

“I remember that tradition,” Celestia said. “The accused can fight for his life against the champion of the wronged party or the wronged party themselves if they so choose.”

“Correct,” Amber replied.

“Is this truly necessary?” Celestia asked. “We haven’t asked Jethro about what happened.”

“You believe he’d tell the truth after what he did to my daughter?” Amber said in a hostile tone as she gestured to the trembling princess. “But very well. Prisoner! Tell us what happened.” And so I did. I told them the entire truth about the events as they happened. Amber’s face grew angrier as I spoke. When I was done, she scoffed. “Who would believe that my daughter would throw myself at any male, especially a non-Lycan from another far distant land?”

Celestia and Luna turned to me in shock. This revelation caused a murmur to go through the other Lycans gathered in the room. “Thou told her?” Luna hissed, obviously upset.

“Did you expect me to lie?” I whispered back angrily. “She asked me point blank about myself.”

Celestia sighed, then turned back to Amber. “And just when will this trial by combat take place?”

The grin on Amber’s face was malevolent. “Tomorrow at midday in the arena. As another sign of good faith, the prisoner will be allowed stay in that same room, but he cannot leave. Is that understood?”

“Completely,” Celestia said, slowly turning to me. The expression on her face was neutral, but her eyes burned with anger.

Welp, I’m boned.

“How could you have told the princess about your world!?” Celestia was fuming as she paced back and forth in her room. “She clearly wanted information she could use against us! And now that she won’t get that, she’ll settle for taking that information from us!”

I sat in the same chair as before, watching her pace. I felt like I was an employee being shaken down by his boss. But I wouldn’t take it lying down. “I didn’t tell her about me being from another world. Only that I’m from a far-off land. Celestia, I’m only a bank manager. Dealing with angry customers and employees is all I’ve got recent experience in. You expect me to know how to deal with royal politicking?”

She stopped pacing and sighed, her mane somehow slowing down. “Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not upset at you,” she sighed. “I’m upset at the situation.” She ran her hoof over her face. “I just…honestly, I don’t want to lose you, and not just as a citizen or a fellow Alicorn, but as a friend.”

“We feel the same way,” Luna added. She was standing off to the side, watching the conversation. “Jethro, our sister and I are fond of thee. We do not wish to lose one of the first friends we’ve made since our return.”

“I feel the same way, but what other choice is there?” I asked. “I might not know much about royal politicking, but I do know this: if we make too big of a deal about this, it could lead to war. Do you honestly think you’ve got the stomach for that? You’re Ponies, for Christ’s sake!”

“So you wish death?” Luna asked.

“Of course I don’t! I’m no fool! I want to live just as much as the next guy. I’m gonna fight to win!”

“Even if that means the death of somewolf?” Celestia asked pointedly.

I froze. She was right. If this was indeed a fight to the death, and if I did win, I would be forced to kill whoever I fought. I’d never killed anyone in my life, and I never anticipated that I would have to. I sat back in my chair, looking down at the floor. My emotions were everywhere at that moment. The prospect of killing someone had only been some abstract idea, but now it was a distinct possibility. My breath began to quicken. “Fuck…” was all I could say.

The two winced at my choice of words, but didn’t say anything about it. Instead, Celestia moved closer and put a comforting wing around me. “We have a day before this duel begins. I’ve already asked Twilight to look into ancient Lycan laws of this Trial by Combat to see if there is anything we missed that could help you.”

“We can also look as well,” Luna said. “We hope that Empress Amber will allow us to look.”

“Thank you very much,” I said, truly grateful for their offers. “I’m not sure I’d be able to kill anyone. I feel like I’d lose something of myself.”

“Once you head down that path, recovery is extremely hard,” Celestia said. “Then again, it might be different for humans.”

“Well, while we are an apex predator species, many of us are cursed with a conscience,” I said dryly. “I’m one of those unfortunate souls. Even thinking about the possibility that I might have to end a life if I succeed is freaking me out.”

“Jethro, why don’t you rest?” Celestia said, her horn glowing and the sheets on the main bed moving away.

“But, that’s your bed,” I said.

“We’ve seen thy chambers,” Luna said, “and thou deserve more comfort right now.”

Knowing better than to argue, I got out of the chair and shuffled over to the large bed. I practically fell on the bed, tiredly reaching out to grab the blankets, but found them being moved around me. “Thanks,” I managed to mumble out before I fell asleep.

Knock knock knock!

I stirred to the sound of someone at the door. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep, but the knocking came again. Unlike before, this one sounded timid. I sat up and looked around. The room was empty, so I slid out of bed and made my way to the door. I opened it a crack and looked out. “Yes?”

The Lycan manservant from the day before and the same one from Amethyst’s chambers stood there holding a tray of steaming soup, dark brown bread, and a glass of water. “Um…excuse me, but I was told to bring this to you. It’s the midday meal.”

I’ve been asleep for only a few hours, then. I opened the door wider and stepped aside. “Come in,” I said. Of course they’d send him. Just rub salt in the wound, why don’t you, Amethyst?!

The servant walked in, giving me a wide berth as he set the tray on the small table in the corner of the room that doubled as a desk. He avoided my gaze as he set up the dishes. The soup had a meaty smell in it, and the bred was steaming as if freshly baked. As he set it up, I saw him glancing at me occasionally through a nearby mirror. “Something on your mind, young man?” I asked gently. Despite him being the ‘witness’, I couldn’t really be mad at him. Being a male in a society like this couldn’t be easy. Fear ruled, after all. He jumped nervously, but didn’t say anything. A few seconds passed, and I continued. “I don’t mind answering your questions if you have any.”

He shook his head quickly. “I-It’s nothing important. And I shouldn’t even be talking to you. You’re the Empress’ prisoner. You assaulted her daughter.”

“So she claims,” I said. “but I didn’t. You and I both know that. I would never be stupid enough to touch royalty.” I leaned forward. “What did she threaten you with?”

The boy shook his head fervently. “N-No, she didn’t threaten me. All males are violent and dangerous and should be under the care of their betters.”

“That’s not you talking,” I said, “that’s the Empress and Princess speaking through you.”

“It’s the truth,” the boy repeated.

“Have I ever raised my hand to strike anyone in your presence?” I asked curiously. “And tell me the truth.”

The boy looked down at the table. “I…I just…”

I could have denied it, but it was possible that the young Lycan would report my words to the Empress and she might use whatever I said as fuel for her male-hating rage. I decided to end the conversation there. “Actually, never mind. At any rate, thank you for the meal, young man,” I said sincerely. “I don’t want to keep you from serving your Empress any longer than I should.”

He backed away as I walked up to the table and sat down to eat. The soup had large chunks of meat in it, and the broth also had a meaty taste. The bread was warm and tasted like rye. The water, while somewhat lukewarm, was clean and refreshing. As I ate, I became cognizant of someone watching me. I swallowed a piece of the meat and turned. The young Lycan teen was still there, staring at me with a bewildered expression on his face. I took a sip of water and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“It…nowolf has ever thanked me before,” he said softly, as if in disbelief. “And you’ve thanked me multiple times.”

“It’s just common courtesy,” I replied. “You brought me food, so I’m thanking you.”

His eyes widened briefly. “I…I see.” He backed away towards the door. “J-Just leave the empty dishes with the guard outside when you’re finished.”

“Understood, thanks for telling me,” I said with a small smile.

The Lycan stiffened a bit before he moved to leave a bit faster than he’d entered. I turned back and continued eating. My own dwindling meat supply notwithstanding, I was thoroughly enjoying meat native to this world. It was chicken, that much was clear, and from what I knew of Equestrian animals, chickens weren’t sapient. I ate my chicken soup in silence until the door opened again.

Turning, I saw an exhausted Celestia and Luna trotting in, dragging their hooves on the floor. Luna collapsed onto the bed while Celestia sitting in the armchair. I finished the last of my meal before focusing on them. “Where’d you two go?”

“We went to the Canisia Library,” Celestia said. “The Empress gave us permission to look up ancient customs.”

“We don’t understand how your student does this for fun,” Luna moaned into a pillow. “Our mind feels like it’s been wrung out multiple times.”

“Ah, the joys of late-night studying,” I snarked as I began cleaning up my place. “I remember long sleepless nights when I was getting my degree.” Standing, I walked over to the door and knocked on it. A guard answered and glared at me as I held up the dishes. She grabbed them and walked off. Closing the door, I walked to the bed and sat on it. “I take it you didn’t find anything?”

“On the contrary, we found too much,” Luna said, her voice muffled further as she covered her head with another pillow.

“If Twilight saw the library, she’d go into shock,” Celestia sighed. “We’re taking a break before going back. And don’t ask us to ease up. No matter what the Empress might think, we aren’t trying to save you just because of your access to another world’s knowledge.”

“That was never in doubt,” I said back, frowning. “You forget, Cadance has told me a lot about you, and I trust her.”

She looked down. “You’re right. I was just nervous you might take her words to heart.”

“She believed her daughter about me falsely trying to rape the princess with flimsy evidence at best! You honestly think her words mean shit to me?” I replied, perhaps a bit more harshly than I meant. Taking a deep breath, I sighed. “You both have done much more for me than she could ever hope to match, and you didn’t even have to. For that, my loyalty is to the Kingdom of Equestria and its rulers.”

Celestia smiled at that, and from the bed Luna turned and smiled as well. “So…we can get some knowledge from your world?” Celestia said, her smile turning into a smirk.

That did it. The three of us all burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. Celestia was a troll if I ever saw one. I was grateful for the brief distraction. And it was brief. Once the laughter died down, I exhaled deeply. “I definitely needed that.”

Celestia put a wing on my back and stood, gently leading me to bed. “Come, you should probably get some more rest. Or at least try.”

Luna got out of bed and used her magic to move the covers away once more. I climbed in and lay on my stomach, looking over at the two. “I’ll do my best. Not like there’s much else to do.”

“My sister and I will keep up our search,” Celestia said. “We’ll find something.”

Nodding, I closed my eyes. “Thank you…” After casting the dreamless sleep spell on myself, I was out in minutes.

I woke in darkness next. I was still lying in bed, but there was a warm presence curled up next to me. As my eyes adjusted, I looked around and saw an exhausted looking alabaster Alicorn lying next to me, her light rainbow hair still flowing in whatever ethereal wind it blew in. I looked around the room only to come face to face with two dark cyan orbs. “Wha-?”

“Shhh,” Luna whispered. “Our sister is exhausted. Please don’t wake her.”

“I won’t,” I replied quietly, looking back down at the sleeping princess. I held up a finger which was surrounded by a soft white glow, illuminating her face which was full of worry.

“We’ve never seen her look this worried before,” Luna sighed softly, placing a hoof on her sister’s back tenderly. “We had to cast a spell to put her to sleep.”

“I can’t imagine what she’s feeling,” I said, reaching down to stroke her mane gently. Her face relaxed slightly at my touch and she sighed in her sleep. Turning back to Luna, I said, “I take it you didn’t find anything?”

Luna shook her head sadly. “But we didn’t get to everything relevant.”

“Well…if I do win this fight tomorrow, I might have to become…a killer.”

Luna’s ears flattened at that. “We don’t want that for thee. Taking a life is not an easy thing.”

“I know, believe me,” I replied. “I don’t want that on my conscience. Even if it’s in self-defense, I know it’ll haunt me.”

Above Celestia, something began to form in a greenish glow. In a burst of green flames, a scroll appeared. I caught it before it hit Celestia in the face. In the dim glow of my magic, I saw it had two seals, one with a blazing sun and one with a crescent moon on it. Quietly, I handed it to Luna, who took it in her magic and opened it. Creating a magical glow with her horn, she scanned the pages and her eyes widened. “What is that foolish mare thinking…?”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Luna floated the scroll over to me. It was a letter from Twilight.

Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,

Please forgive me, but my friends and I have been unable to find anything relevant to the situation in either my home library or the ones in Canterlot. All we found that might help in the long run was the Lycan tradition of Last Visitations, which allows for those close to the accused to come and say their final farewells. In that vein, my friends and I, plus Zecora, have boarded the midnight train to Canisia. We should arrive there early tomorrow morning. It is my hope that I can find something within the Canisia Library that might help.

You faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

I frowned and put the scroll down. “What is that foolish mare thinking?” Despite everything, it made me glad that they were coming to see me, especially Zecora. However, I also didn’t want them getting in any trouble by coming unannounced. “Luna, do you think you can get them into the city without being arrested?”

“We’re not sure,” she said. “Our sister and I read about this tradition earlier today. It involves the accused asking their accuser for these rights. It falls on thee to make such a request, I believe.”

I nodded and slowly slipped out of bed. As I did so, Celestia stirred and reached over to where I had been, as if she was trying to find the warmth that was no longer there. I put my hand on her forehead again and she relaxed. After gently stroking her mane a few times, I stood and walked to the door. Knocking on it, a female guard, different than the one I’d seen earlier opened it. “What is it, prisoner?” she snarled.

“I wish to inform her Imperial Majesty that I am invoking the Last Visitations right,” I replied respectfully. “My closest comrades are arriving tomorrow morning, and I wish them to be unmolested upon arrival.”

The guard scowled at me, but said nothing for a time. Eventually, she nodded. “I’ll inform my Empress of this request.” And with that, she closed the door rather rudely in my face.

I returned to the bed and slipped back under the covers. Celestia, still fast asleep, reached out with one hoof to me. I smiled and took it in my hands. How her fur coat was still so silky soft and smooth while wearing those gold-plated shoes was a mystery to me. I looked back up at Luna. “Are you going to sleep soon?”

She shook her head. “We are now the warden of the night, remember? We make sure our subjects are safe in their sleep from nightmares.” She turned back to me. “Please sleep. If anywolf comes to see thee, we shall talk to them for thee.”

I lay down and closed my eyes. “Thank you, Luna.”

I felt a slight tingling around my body, and exhaustion caught up with me again. Darkness embraced me.

I woke to the smell of food and the sound of a roaring fire. I opened one eye and saw that Celestia had already gotten up. I sat up and stretched. The room was empty, but a steaming plate of what looked like sunny side up eggs, buttered toast and bacon sat on the table. I almost snorted when I realized that the food had to have come from my house. Zecora. It had to be.

After I took care of some of my other morning business in the neighboring washroom, I came out and began chowing down. I hadn’t eaten since lunch the day prior, and I was starved. The bacon itself was juicy and tender, way better than if I’d put it in the microwave back home. The toast was buttered to perfection and the eggs weren’t too soggy or too hard, either.

Once I was finished, I went back to the washroom and cleaned my face. While I was doing that, the door to my room opened. I heard a gasp, then a shaky voice calling out my name. I recognized that voice immediately, so I dried up fast and ran out.

When I saw my visitor, I felt simultaneously glad to see her and heartbroken to see how she looked. Zecora had bags under her bloodshot eyes. Her mane, which she normally spiked up, was fallen by her side. When she saw me, I saw tears in her eyes. She ran towards me faster than I’d ever seen her run and launched herself towards me. I barely had time to catch her and wrap my arms around the trembling Zebra. “Jethro!” she called out again, her tone now one of anguish and grief.

Behind her, I saw my other friends rushing in, followed by the two princesses as the door closed behind them. They all looked haggard as well. I looked at each of them in turn. “I…don’t know what to say right now,” I admitted as Zecora’s grip around me tightened.

“We couldn’t very well abandon you when we heard about what was happening,” Rainbow Dash said. Her eyes flashed with indignation. “I swear, I wish I could beat that Princess so she couldn’t walk again-”

“No you don’t,” I said sternly. “Because if you did, you’d be next to be involved in a fight to the death. And no offense to you, but flight aside, these are Lycans. They are warriors. Can you say the same? Are you willing to take a life?”

That brought the mood of all the Ponies, and Spike, down considerably. Rainbow Dash landed and looked down, pawing at the ground with her hoof. “It’s not fair…she’s lying…” she muttered.

“Ah know that, and you know that,” Applejack said, “but unfortunately, Jethro’s right. We can’t go losin’ our heads over this.”

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, coming over gently, a look of fear and worry on her face.

“No. No I’m not okay,” I replied. Zecora hugged me tighter at this. “I was always taught Thou Shalt Not Murder. It’s one of the ten most basic commandments of the religion I was raised with, but now I’m in a situation where, on the off chance that I win, I’ll be taking a life. And if I lose, my life will be taken. I don’t want either of that to happen, but I can’t see a way out of it.”

“I’m not giving up yet!” Twilight said. She looked the most frazzled, but had a determined expression on her face. “The library is big, but I’m so close to finding something. I can just feel it!”

Pinkie Pie walked up. To my surprise, her mane and tail were completely straight again, and some color seemed to have drained from her fur. “Do…do you really have to do this?” she asked with a trembling voice. “Didn’t you have that dream magic stuff? You could just escape-”

“And then Equestria would be in a state of war,” I interrupted. “The Lycan Empress is just looking for an excuse to hurt your Princesses, and what better way than by starting a war? Equestria isn’t equipped for a war of any kind.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but the pink Earth Pony’s ears flattened even more. “I…I don’t know much about stuff like this. All I know is that if you die, I’ll lose a one of the best friends I’ve made in a long time.”

I wanted to reach out, stroke her mane, tell her that I wouldn’t give up that easily, but a hiccup from Zecora redirected my focus to the trembling mare clinging to me with all four legs. I looked down and was staring deep into the cyan eyes of my first true friend in this world, and the first true one since my beloved Trixie. Wanting to see her smile, even if for a bit, I reached up and brushed my hand through her mane. “I like this look. You look good with your mane down.”

I was rewarded by a slight smile, but it didn’t last long. “Jethro, I do not want to lose you here. You are a friend that I hold truly dear.” Her voice cracked and sounded somewhat hoarse. Like she’d been crying loudly.

Despite the situation, my heart soared at that. “That means the world to me,” I replied, pulling her closer.

“We all feel the same way, darling,” Rarity said, approaching me hesitantly. “Also, I wanted to apologize. It’s my fault you’re in this situation.”

“No, it isn’t,” I quickly replied. “I’m the one who reported your kidnapping. I couldn’t let it go unpunished.”

Celestia walked forward, just then. “It’s nopony’s fault that this is happening,” she said in her best reassuring tone. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Come, sister,” Luna said, “we only have a few hours left. We should go back to the library.”

“If it’s okay, here might I stay? In private I have something to say,” Zecora asked, turning to the others.

“Of course,” Celestia said. “Come on, everypony. Let’s go back and find something we might be able to use.”

The others all said tender goodbyes to me as they left, most hugging me with the exception of Spike, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, both of whom gave me a fistbump, or hoofbump in the Ponies case. Eventually, I was alone with Zecora. The two of us held one another for what felt like hours, but in reality couldn’t have been more than ten or so minutes. It broke my heart seeing her so distraught over me. I made a silent vow that I would not go down without a fight.

“Jethro,” she finally said in Farasi, “I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you.”

“I know, but I don’t want a war breaking out because of me,” I replied. “Equestria isn’t equipped for war, like I said.”

“Do you want to die?!” she shouted at me, her face a mixture of anger and fear. Fear for me, not for her.

“No, I don’t, but can you think of a way out of this for me other than me having to take a life!?” I shouted back at her. I immediately regretted my tone as she looked away from me, renewed tears forming in her eyes. “Zecora, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

“I forgive you,” she whispered, leaning her forehead against my chest. We stayed like that for a little while longer. Zecora eventually looked up at me again, only this time with a look of determination on her face. “Jethro, I want you to make me a promise.”

“What promise?” I asked.

“Promise me…promise me that you’ll survive. Promise me you’ll make it out of this alive.”

I hesitated. I wanted to promise that, I really did, but I hated lying. “Zecora, I can’t promise anything except that I’ll try.”

She nodded. “I know…but just in case…I want to tell you something. Something I’ve been holding in for longer than I should.”

“What is it? You can tell me anything,” I said as gently and kindly as I could.

Zecora’s eyes bore deep into my soul, and she reached up with one hoof and wrapped it around my neck. The next thing I knew, the Zebra was kissing me. My eyes widened at the unexpected contact, and shock kept me from retreating for the brief but desperate lip locking. She pulled away as quickly as she’d kissed me. “Jethro Bethridge…I’m in love with you.”

28: A Cloaked Heart in the Arena

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, gently stroking the messy mane of the now sleeping Zebra who’d only a few hours ago had confessed her feelings for me. She’d passed out while holding onto me.

I looked over her sleeping form, taking in all that I could see above the covers. Her mane was still by her side instead of its normal spiked appearance, but it looked less haggard than before thanks to some personal TLC. Her front hooves were tucked up in that particular way that the equines of this world did whenever they slept. I held one of her hooves in my hands as I stroked her mane.

I thought back to the conversation the two of us had earlier, directly after her confession…

“You…love me?” was all I could say. My mind was on overdrive enough already. This revelation was too much for my poor brain to handle.

“I do,” Zecora replied. “You’re brave, kind, and handsome. Not only that, but any time I talk to you I can be more myself than with anyzebra else. And I don’t just say that because you know my language.”

I was overwhelmed. I was glad I’d become friends with the kindly shamaness, but for her to fall in love with me? I shook my head to clear my thoughts, focusing on this one discussion. I put aside any other fears and worries for the time being. She deserved my full, undivided attention. She was worth that. “I’ve only had one other tell me that,” I said honestly, “but I am greatly honored and humbled that someone as amazing as you would love someone like me.”

She looked saddened by this. “What do you mean, ‘someone like me’?”

“Someone as lost as I am. Someone who’s still pretty broken despite all the help you and the others have given me.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Don’t say that about yourself. You’re much more than that. I know nozebra’s perfect, but I fell in love with you despite your flaws.”

Her words started to resonate with me, and I felt a blush form on my cheeks. This was the second time someone told me they loved me, and I was the one confessed to, just like before. “Zecora…” I couldn’t think of what next to say, but she interrupted me.

“I wanted you to know before your fight,” she said. “In the worst-case scenario, I couldn’t leave that unsaid between us. Please forgive me-”

I put a finger on her muzzle. She looked cross-eyed at it, and I smiled at how cute it made the mare. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’d do the same thing if I were in your situation.”

“Please…don’t die, Jethro,” was all she could say before breaking down in sobs, burying her face in my chest.

I held the crying Zebra close, stroking her mane tenderly. “I’ll do my very best, Zecora. That’s a promise…”

I was really unable to keep my eyes off of my best friend in this world. The amount of worry and care she’d put into an alien she’s only met three months ago warmed my heart so much. But after this little confession, I felt nervous. Nervous not just because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but because I wasn’t sure if I felt the same. It had been so long since I’d been in love that I wasn’t sure if what I was feeling for the Zebra was the same. I knew that romantic love could feel different for different couples. For some, they expressed their love through countless ribbing and others by more traditional means.

Do I love you, Zecora? I wondered. Certainly I did in the sense of her being not only a friend, but my very best friend among all the ones I’d made since coming here. Regardless, I knew that if I made it out of this alive, she and I would be having a long discussion about it. I wouldn’t put it off like some indecisive wishy-washy anime protagonist. She deserved that.

But for the time being, all I wanted to do was sit by her side and comfort her as best I could. She’d run herself ragged with helping Twilight and the others research. Not to knock the others efforts, but if anyone needed a rest most, Zecora was at the top of that list, if not number one.

Just then the door burst open. Twilight came running in first, holding a book up with her magic. The others followed behind, all looking exhausted, but with a triumphant look on their faces. “Jethro, we found-!” Twilight began before I put my hand over her muzzle.

“Shh, she’s asleep,” I whispered, gesturing to Zecora.

Who, of course, was sitting up and blinking sleep from her eyes. “It’s a bit too late for that, my dear. That you wouldn’t find something was something I feared.” She said this to Twilight.

Looking a bit chagrined, the purple unicorn apologized after I’d removed my hand from her muzzle. “Alright, so what have you found?” I asked.

Twilight hovered the book for all to see. “The rules for this trial by combat are pretty straightforward, if not…barbaric.” She shuddered. “Each fighter fights to the death using nothing but the physical skills they were blessed with.” Zecora wrapped one hoof around my arm at that. Twilight continued. “If they used magic of any kind, they would forfeit the match and be summarily executed.”

“Wait, what constitutes a physical skill?” I asked.

“See, that’s the thing,” Twilight said, “it’s really vague.”

“From what we’ve been able to deduce,” Celestia added, “it’s more about physical strength.”

“So…hand to hand combat?” I asked.

“In a sense,” Luna said.

“Think of it this way,” Celestia said, “in Pony terms, an Earth Pony could use their strength, a Pegasus could use their wings, but a Unicorn couldn’t use their magic, only their physical strength.”

I immediately thought about the one episode of Supernatural where a unicorn stabbed someone to death and wondered if that had ever happened in Equestria in some earlier period. “Hmm, okay, I guess that makes sense. So I’m allowed to use these?” I asked, moving my wings from behind me.

“That’s correct,” Twilight said.

I nodded. “So…what did you find that might help us?”

Twilight turned a page, a gleeful expression on her face. “So, here’s option one…”

I stood in front of a gate in a darkened room. Beyond, I heard the murmurs of a large crowd gathered in what was only known as the Arena, a massive domed cavern that I was told by the servant I’d seen twice before was the oldest part of their city and underground kingdom.

Speaking of the young Lycan, he stood nearby nervously, holding the sword that I would use. It actually more or less looked like Orcrist from the Hobbit movies. I looked over at the servant boy again. He approached, holding up the sword up for me. “Here you are,” he said nervously.

I took one and looked at it in the light of a nearby torch. I ran a finger over the blade and found it extremely sharp. I held it up and swung them around experimentally. Nodding I looked down at the young Lycan. “You know, I never got your name.”

“Um, it’s Mica,” he replied.

“Well Mica, thank you for all you’ve done,” I said honestly. “I’m sorry you were thrown into this choiceless situation. In the future, I hope life treats you well.”

I turned back and faced the closed gate. My heart was pounding in my chest hard as I walked up to it. One of the males on the side pulled on a chain which raised the gate. I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and stepped out.

The arena was massive. In a way, it reminded me of the Geonosian arena from Attack of the Clones, but darker and encased in stone as well as smaller. The surrounding seats were all full of Lycans, all of whom jeered at or snarled insults at me as I entered. A female loud voice spoke out, breaking through the shouts of the crowd. “The accused, Jethro Bethridge the human, has arrived to face his Trial by Combat!”

Directly ahead, I saw another gate that was beginning to rise. An armored Lycan began walking out towards me. I wasn’t surprised when Gemini approached. I wonder if that means she’s stronger than she looks, I thought. “The victim, our beloved Princess Amethyst, has appointed Commander Gemini as her champion to put her abuser in his place!” This elicited cheers from the crowd as she stepped further into the light.

For a few tense seconds, the two of us stared at each other. The Lycan’s eyes were full of cold fury. I frowned at her despite the utter pants-shitting terror I was feeling at the moment. The voice of the woman from before boomed out over the crowd. “There will be absolutely no magic involved in this fight. If either side attempts to cast any type of spell, or any type of interference is detected from the crowd, it will mean instant death for the opponent the magic was meant to help. There are no exceptions to this rule!” The amphitheater was deathly silent. I took the brief break to look around the stadium. I spotted a private viewing area where a group of pastel-colored Ponies and an anxious Zebra and Dragon sat. My eyes locked with Zecora’s. Her words kept on echoing in my head.

I’m in love with you, Jethro Bethridge.

I gave her a smile, then saluted before turning back to my opponent. Zecora had constantly apologized for telling me about her feelings, but I couldn’t find myself to blame her. She was worried for me, and I knew she was scared she might not see me again. I couldn’t be angry or upset with her.

“At the sound of the gong, the Trial commences. Opponents, be ready!”

Gemini approached me as I did the same. I saw her snarling at me, baring her lupine teeth menacingly. “You will regret hurting the Princess, scumbag,” she growled.

“I would not harm anyone here. However, before we fight, I have one final right.” I held up my sword. “Before the gong is struck, I invoke the ancient tradition of Final Chances!” I repressed a smile as I thought back to Twilight’s explanation from earlier…

“Well, we found two options,” Twilight said. “One of the combatants can, before the fight, invoke a rite called Last Chances. Basically, the accuser and accused can privately discuss a possible solution that won’t involve a fight.”

“So, it’s a way to try and resolve their grievances with words?” I asked. “That’s…honestly a bit strange, coming from a warrior race.”

“Oh, apparently it wasn’t the idea of the ancient Lycans,” Twilight said, clearly getting a bit too excited. “Their Guardian insisted it be added-”

“Twilight, focus,” I frowned. “There’s only so little time left.”

“Right, sorry,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. “Anyway, there’s no real time limit, but if an accord is reached, then there would be no need for a battle to the death.”

“Alright, it’s worth a shot,” I said. “Now, what’s option two?”

Twilight sighed. “This isn’t one I like, but here it is…”

The crowd murmured among themselves as I brought my sword down. Above in the royal private booth, the Empress looked over and said something to her daughter. The purple eyed Lycan simply nodded, then stood. Minutes later, she stood before me in the center of the arena, Gemini a respectful distance away so as to not overhear. Amethyst smirked at me. “You simply play for time, just like the prey you live with.” She turned to the crowd. “My opponent has invoked Final Chances, and I hereby agree to hear him out.” She turned to me, smirking. Lowering her voice, she spoke. “Very well. What is it you wish?”

“First, a question, and I want an honest answer,” I replied.

“Not that it’ll do you any good, but very well. Ask away, human.”

“What was it you truly wanted when you invited me to your room?”

She rolled her eyes and began walking around me. I stood in the same spot as she did. “Did I not make myself perfectly clear? You have the power to change the world. A land as advanced as you claim to be from has enough to tip the balance of power here.”

“So…you wanted weapons,” I stated. I was surprised she was even telling me this.

“My mother and I love my empire, Jethro,” she replied. So…her mother was involved in this too…? “We’ve been enemies of the Cervinia Citadel for generations,” she snarled angrily. “They have magical talents, we have our warriors prowess. But with weapons from a civilization like yours, we can defeat them before they can defeat us.”

So…there’s been a cold war going on, I thought. “So the reason behind this little execution?”

“Revenge.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Against who? I don’t even know you.”

“You could have,” she said sweetly before her smile turned into a snarl. “Instead, you spend time among the weak Ponies. And those princesses.”

“Aaah…now that makes sense.”

“You’re wasting your time here,” she glared at me. “All the compromise I will take from you is for you to give us access to your land’s materials and knowledge. And only us.”

I decided to try a different tactic. “What if I could help bring peace to both your kind and the deer?”

“You!? HAH! You said you were only a treasurer!” she said dismissively. “What would someone who works with coins know about maneuvering politics!? My predecessors have tried to find a common bond according to the teachings of our Guardian, but there’s no reasoning with them!”

“If you’ll let me try-” I began, but she cut me off with a glare.

“There is nothing to try,” she said with a sneer. “You have wasted the last chance available to you. A shame. I was looking forward to seeing just how you compared to a Lycan’s ‘sword’. Me and a few others.” She looked back up at the crowd. “No agreement has been reached,” she shouted. “Trial by Combat will resume!” This elicited a cheer from the crowd as she walked away.

Welp, option A is a bust. If I survive, Plan B it is.

After the princess returned to her seat, the Empress brought down her arm. “Begin!”

GOOOONNNGG!

And with that, the fight was on.

Gemini launched herself at me with her powerful legs, blade raised above her head to deliver a decisive early victory blow. Thanks to my new Earth Pony-type strength, I very quickly brought my sword up to deflect, throwing her aim off and stepping to the side so she would stumble forward. Not one to miss a beat, she turned and faced me as I landed and whirled around to face her.

“I shall bring down the judgment of the Guardian upon you for abusing my Princess!” she roared as she ran at me this time.

I brought up my sword to deflect it again. I was acting on pure instinct, whereas she was acting with pure skill and training.

As she brought her sword down again and again, giving me no clear opening, the hatred in her eyes was answer enough. With a roar of pure rage, she brought her sword down on me, but somehow at the same time kicked me square in the chest which sent me flying. My sword was flung out of my hand as I landed in a heap nearby.

Dazed, I slowly looked over at her, only to find that she was very slowly approaching, snarling. She was toying with me, I realized. I stood quickly and rushed to grab my sword. Grabbing the hilt, I stood and faced Gemini again. She was circling me now, a somewhat feral look on her face, but somehow one that made her look completely in control. “Foolish male,” she sneered, “you were invited here on good faith and yet you commit the highest of sins against the crown! For that, you shall perish!”

She rushed at me, sword raised. Adrenaline rushing through me made time seem to slow down. I spread my wings and shot into the air out of the Gemini’s reach. I could have sworn I heard Rainbow Dash shouting in approval far away. Gemini glared up at me as I stayed far out of reach for a bit before coming back down and standing a few feet away from her. She had a look of pure anger on her face, and was about to say something, when I interrupted her. “This isn’t magic. These are my actual wings. They are a part of me regardless of what you might think. Therefore, I’m not using magic!”

“Wings or no wings, I will destroy you!” She charged with her sword held aloft. I reached up and blocked it, but was pushed back. Her strength was incredible. I flapped my wings once, which both got me out of the incoming path of her blade. It also left me ten feet away from her. The lack of a sword to push against sent her off balance and she tumbled to the ground in an undignified sprawl, her sword falling out of her hand.

I ran back and grabbed the weapon before she could. She leapt back, growling at me with her claws outstretched. I held out both weapons in front of me.

And realized my mistake immediately.

There were four things working against me. Those two swords were slightly too heavy for me to wield simultaneously. She had a set of dangerous claws and teeth that could rip my very throat out. I had no experience in swordplay. And my distaste for killing. All that led to her sudden wolflike leap towards me. I tried flying up again, but holding two large swords didn’t get me enough lift. There was a sharp pain in my right leg and the tearing of fabric as I was brought down to the ground, hitting the ground hard.

I groaned, trying to sit up. The two swords had been knocked out of my hands again, but the feral looking Gemini didn’t even look at them. Her claw was still buried deep in my thigh. She pushed it in deeper and I screamed in agony. She was back to toying with me.

She said nothing as she moved up closer to me, baring her teeth as she looked at my neck. She opened her jaw and dove, intent on tearing my neck out. I reacted as quickly as I could, holding her back with all my strength. She bit down on my arm, and I screamed even louder as she tore through flesh with a bloodlust-filled growl. With my good leg, I kicked her square in the solar plexus.

With her distracted in pain, I reached out and grabbed my sword with my good hand, which was fortunately my dominant one. Okay, she’s obviously not gonna listen to reason. There’s probably no other choice. Plan B it is. If I survive. I stood and rushed over, but Gemini was already recovered and holding her own sword up. I brought my own sword down hard and she brought hers up in defense.

Sparks sprang up as the swords collided. How that happened, I wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t important at that moment. I pushed down with all my strength, but since I was single wielding a weapon meant to be dual wielded, she easily overpowered me, shoving me off of her and swinging at me. The swords struck, but I’d jumped back once more with my wings. My shirt was torn and my left arm sleeve fell off. I could almost hear Rarity fainting as the piece of fabric floated lazily to the ground.

I used my new wings to lazily fall back to the ground. Gemini didn’t waste time as she rushed to where I would land. Utilizing a trick Rainbow Dash had once taught me, I angled my wings so that I flipped and began falling faster to the ground.

I landed on my feet a half second later but threw myself forward into a somersault as Gemini swung directly where my head would have been. Quickly I spread my wings again and flew up, turning to see what she was doing. She growled up at me and shouted, “Human whelp! Come and fight me like a true predator!”

“All’s fair in love and war!” I called back as I floated back down.

She looked frustrated, then threw her sword away. “Enough! Let’s settle this like true Lycans. No weapons, no wings, just pure strength! Like our foremothers before us did!”

I suspected a trap, so I held my sword up. “No weapons whatsoever?”

“None,” she sneered. She began removing her armor as well, revealing black undergarments covering all of her private areas.

The crowd was clamoring now, cheering for a good fight. I glared at her. “I have no claws,” I replied.

“And I don’t have wings. Fists only!” She struck her chest with her fist. “Come now, coward! Face me like a true warrior!”

I looked her over one more time, trying to find a spot where she might be hiding a hidden weapon. However, I couldn’t see anything. Sighing, I threw my sword aside but didn’t take my armor off. Tearing off my other sleeve, I wrapped my bleeding arm up and tied it quickly.

And not a moment too soon, either. Gemini charged immediately and threw a fist at my face, roaring in pure rage. I deflected her fist, only to feel another being buried deep in my stomach which sent me flying. I grunted in pain as I landed and rolled away, my wings getting coated with dust. Amber was on top of me immediately, slamming her fist into my face. I brought my arms up to defend myself as best as I could. It was hard to look for an opportunity with her pummeling me, but eventually I caught her fists in my hands, pain shooting through my injured arm. With a grunt, I pushed her off, pulling out all of my Earth Pony strength. Bringing my head back, I brought my head forwards and hit her forehead with my own.

“GAH!” She stumbled back, blood now pouring from her nose. Not one to let the moment go to waste, I leapt towards her and gave her an uppercut, sending her sprawling. I rushed her and grabbed her neck, beginning to choke her. She grabbed my arms and tried to remove my hands, but I was running on pure adrenaline now.

For the first time, I saw genuine fear on her face. She tried to kick me off, bite at my arms, everything to stop me from choking her, but after a little while she began slowing down. Deciding she’d had enough, I growled. “YIELD!” I demanded.

“NO!” A familiar voice cried out. Something solid hit my face and I was sent flying away. When I got to my feet, I saw Mica standing in front of Gemini. He had a look of determination on his face. “I won’t allow you to harm my sister!” he shouted.

The crowd was silent. I slowly stood and looked at the young Lycan male. He returned my cool gaze with his own fearful but determined one.

“Mica!” Gemini was angry now, as well as scared. “This is not your fight! You have dishonored yourself!”

I quickly retrieved one of the nearby swords and slowly approached the two. The air around us was tense. I looked up towards Amethyst then switched to Lycan. “Your subject has defiled the sanctity of this fight. As such your life is mine.”

Her eyes widened. “You…speak our language…how?!”

“As you are about to perish, that information is meaningless to you,” I said, holding my sword up. “Come down here at once!”

Before I could continue, Gemini stood. “No, I won’t allow this!”

“You’ve lost!” I growled.

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “But I cannot allow you to take my princess’ life.” In that moment I gained some respect for the captain. She always struck me as having loyalty rivaling that of Rainbow Dash. “I invoke the Substitution Punishment!”

I’d heard of this from Twilight in passing. She had explained that it was possible for a family member of a victim could volunteer to substitute for punishment. There was a hushed silence on the crowd as the captain knelt before me, presenting her head. “Do what must be done,” she said stoically.

“WAIT!”

I looked up to see the terrified Mica rushing towards us. He put himself between myself and Gemini, then turned and pointed a finger at Amethyst. “The prisoner did not lay a paw on the Princess, my Empress. The Princess told falsely.”

The Empress glowered down at the young male. Amethyst herself was seething as well. Amber raised her thumb, and just like that Roman movie, pointed her thumb down. “You’ve won, human. Do what you must.”

I gently pushed Mica aside despite his protests. I kept my face blank as I placed the blade on the Captain’s neck. In that moment, I made the decision. “Gemini, captain of the guard, you fought admirably and with a fierce loyalty that’s enviable in my land and yours. You have proven worthy of your title. However, as the defeated party, there is no other choice. Your sentence, is-”

Author's Note

You don't need to tell me. I know I suck at action scenes. Bleh, I rewrote this a few times until I finally had something I felt was good.

29: A Cloaked Heart and the Aftermath

I looked at the sword I’d used in the fight. It was lying on the desk in my new room. It had been two days since the conclusion of the battle between me and Gemini. We were still in the Lycan Empire, and I was nearly healed from all my wounds thanks in part to the Princesses, Twilight and Zecora’s healing salves. I reached down and traced the contours of the blade, observing its glint in the torchlight behind me. I furled my brow and lifted it up again. The grip was firm and the blade well-balanced despite being a two handed blade. As I set it back down, I heard a gentle but firm knock on the door.

“Sir Jethro?” a familiar voice came from behind my door. “Art thou awake?”

I walked over, undid the latch and opened the door. The concerned Lunar Princess stood there, hoof up as if to knock again. “Your Highness? Is something wrong?”

“May we come in?” she asked, putting her hoof down.

I stepped aside. “Of course.”

Luna walked in and as I closed the door behind her, she slowly turned to me. “We are pleased to see thee on thy feet. We know the past few days hath been unpleasant.”

I gestured for her to take a seat near the fireplace. As she did so, I walked up to the other chair. “If unpleasantness is what I need to endure to be pretty much healed in that short amount of time, I’ll take it.” I flexed my now healed arm and rubbed the formerly injured leg. “Magic is pretty impressive here, I’ll admit.”

“And what of thy mental state?” Luna looked at me with plenty of concern. “Magic can only do so much.”

I looked away from her, staring into the empty fireplace. “I’m just a bit conflicted, right now. I mean, I know it was the only choice available to me, but was it the right one?”

Luna looked away from me, gazing into fireplace with me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her horn glow a bit and a fire burst forth from the logs laid down there. “Trust us, this was the best decision given the circumstances. Thou helped avoid all-out war with the Empire, and foiled the plans of the Empress and her daughter.”

“Avoid? I don’t know…I feel like I just pushed things back. Just because I won this round doesn’t mean things are over,” I said, rubbing my forehead.

“The Empress will not be able to lay a claw on thee,” Luna said. “As princess of Equestria, we swear this.”

I felt a small sense of happiness from her words. In a way, I related to her on a level that I doubted even her sister could reach at the moment. We were both out of our element in one way or another, having appeared in a world alien to us. “Thank you, your Highness.”

“Please…call us Luna. Thou art on a first name basis with our royal sister, so please call us Luna.” She had a small smile on her face.

“Of course, Luna,” I replied. “Although, I always thought Selena or Selene was a more fitting name for you.”

“Truly? Why those names?” Luna asked.

“Back on Earth, Luna is Latin for Moon,” I explained, “so I always thought that Luna was kind of a bit on the nose for you. Selena and Selene are two names for a goddess of the moon back on Earth. I think they’d be more fitting. And they better reflect your royal grace, charm and beauty.”

A small blush crept onto the cheeks of the Lunar Princess before she shook her head, clearing her throat. “Thou art distracting us.”

“I’m sorry. It’s a force of habit,” I said apologetically.

“We are concerned for thy mental health,” Luna said. “These past few days have taxed thee. And thou do not allow thyself to dream at all.”

“We’re going home tomorrow, right?” I asked. When Luna nodded, I continued, “I think leaving this place will definitely help.”

Luna nodded again. “Indeed. This kingdom is claustrophobic for us as well.” She shuddered.

“So here’s where you were, Lulu,” a new voice said from the door. Luna and I both turned to see a smiling Celestia standing in the doorway. She entered and closed the door with her magic. I stood to let her sit in my chair, but she gently pushed me back down. “Please sit. I’ll be fine.” I did so, and she stood between me and Luna. The three of us remained there in silence, allowing the warmth to wash over us before she turned to look at me. “I take it you’re feeling better?”

“Physically, at least,” I nodded.

“Jethro,” Celestia said, putting a wing around me, “Are you still worried about the Empress?”

“She’s willing to stoop to using her own daughter to get her way,” I sighed. “And I took her captain away from her.”

“It was the right call to make,” Celestia said. “And as long as you remember your promise, then I know I can trust you. You were Obsidian Star’s brief student, after all.” She put a hoof on my shoulder. “The others want to see you, you know.”

“I know. I’m ready to see them,” I replied, looking up at the alabaster Alicorn princess. “Are they all doing alright?”

“For the most part,” Celestia said. “The Empress hasn’t really let them leave their room, so they’re getting jumpy. I think they’d like to see you now.”

“Of course,” I said, slowly standing up. “Lead the way.”

“And here we were wonderin’ if you fergot ‘bout us,” Applejack was the first to speak after a few moments of silence when I entered the room alongside Luna and Celestia.

I grinned, grabbed the Earth Pony’s Stetson with my magic and flipped it onto my head. Tipping it politely, I did my best Southern drawl. “Ah’d never forget mah new friends,” I replied before tossing the hat back to her.

“Are you feeling better?” Fluttershy had come up to me and was looking up at me with concern in her beautiful light blue eyes.

Reaching down, I stroked her mane, causing the Pegasus to shudder a bit. “All my injuries are pretty much healed,” I said.

“And what about the issue with Gemini?” Twilight asked a bit hesitantly.

Ah yes. The elephant in the room. Everyone went silent as all eyes focused on me. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and remembering the latter half of events before I was summoned to the arena…

“Alright, it’s worth a shot,” I said. “Now, what’s option two?”

Twilight sighed. “This isn’t one I like, but here it is…” She turned the pages again. “I found an ancient law that gives the winner of any Trial by Combat the option to instead of killing their opponent making them…a slave.”

The room went silent. Celestia was the first to move and read over the law after a few seconds of quiet had passed. Her brow furled. “The defeated slave has to serve the victor for a minimum of five years before any release is possible. And that is if the victor so chooses to free them.”

“S-S-Slavery?!” Fluttershy exclaimed in shock.

“That’s barbaric!” Rarity shouted angrily. “To be a slave?? How in Tartarus did this empire even come into being??” She turned to me. “Please tell me you’re not considering this vile act!”

In fact, I was. I didn’t like the law as much as the next guy, but it was either that or killing. “Rarity…would you rather I kill her?”

That shut her up for a bit. Pinkie Pie came up to me next. “You wouldn’t…treat her badly, would you?”

“Of course not,” I said. “My country has a tainted history with slavery and I won’t repeat their past’s horrific example.”

That seemed to satisfy most of them. However, Celestia shook her head. “That’s…a tricky situation. Slavery is illegal in Equestria.”

“Then I wouldn’t call her my slave. Maybe instead she could be my maid. Or servant. Or something like that.” I looked at Celestia. “I don’t like the idea any more than you do. But I’d rather do that than killing.”

Celestia looked down uncertainly. Luna approached her sister and put a hoof on her withers. “Sister…”

Celestia stood after a bit and looked at me sternly. “If it comes to this, I demand your word that you will treat whoever you defeat not as a slave, but as a member of the household. You will not mistreat whoever it is.”

I shuddered at her tone, but after a few moments nodded and bowed. “Princess Celestia, you have my solemn vow that I will not abuse or mistreat them in any way.”

Celestia nodded. “That’s all I would ask of you.”

“She has two weeks to get her affairs in order, and then she will be moving to Ponyville to live in the main house,” I said resolutely.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up! She’s coming to live in Ponyville?!” Rainbow Dash was absolutely livid as she flew back and forth. “After what she did to you!?”

The three of us watched impassively as the other Ponies had their own reactions. Fluttershy looked terrified, trembling down next to me. Rarity had a disgusted frown on her face, as did Applejack. Pinkie Pie wasn’t smiling at all, but wasn’t really looking angry as much as distressed. Twilight, on the other hand, looked fairly thoughtful, but frowning. Zecora had her eyes focused on me, looking for all the world like she wanted to rush up and hug the stuffing out of me, but looking too tired to do so.

Celestia looked at Rainbow Dash. “Miss Dash, believe me, I know how you’re feeling. This is a better solution to all-out war.”

“It just seems like she’s gettin’ off easy,” Applejack said.

“Not really,” I said with a shake of my head. “She’ll be exposed to Pony culture; one she finds weak. It’ll be torture for someone like her. Besides, the Empress has permanently banished her for failing to end my life.”

That caused the others to go silent, most of their angry glares turned thoughtful. All except a smug Rainbow Dash. “Good.”

“RD,” I said warningly, “I know how loyal you are to your friends and how protective you are, but I want you to play nice with her. You don’t have to like her, but I don’t want you aggravating her. Are we clear?” Rainbow Dash landed, still looking miffed but wisely shutting up and nodding.

Celestia turned to face everyone. “Listen up, everypony. I fully expect you to be on your best behavior around her.” Her smile returned. “Now, it’s late. Why don’t you all get some rest? We’re leaving at nine o’clock tomorrow morning back to Equestria.”

I lay in the new private bedchamber that the Empress had provided for me after our fight. Now that the trouble with the Lycans was out of the way for the most part, my mind wandered back to what Zecora had told me. The poor Zebra had hardly slept during my recovery, constantly checking on me despite my reassurances and pleas. After a while, I just gave in.

I’d spent a lot of the healing time thinking long and hard about my thoughts and feelings towards her. She was only a few years older than me, I learned. That didn’t bother me too much. What did make me uneasy was the fact that I wasn’t sure if we shared many interests. Trixie and I had, and it made for fun dates and hang-outs. But I was nervous about what I had in common with Zecora.

“Fuck it,” I said as I sat up and grabbed my phone. Opening my notes app, I started making a list. I actually did enjoy potion making with her. It was fun making concoctions and somewhat reminded me of making potions in Skyrim. She also seemed to really like Earth media minus My Little Pony, and we’d bonded over a lot of the shows and movies and documentaries I’d shown her. We shared a sense of loss, since we’d both lost our families, but I couldn’t think of anything else.

And that hurt. Just the thought of Zecora’s heart breaking because of that made my chest ache considerably. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I also knew better than to lead her on.

“God, I wish Cadance was here,” I said forlornly as I pushed myself up out of bed and sat on its edge, looked out at the darkening room. I was so lost in thought that I failed to hear the gentle knocking at the door the first few times. When I did hear it, I shook aside my thoughts and went to the door. “Sorry for the wait-Celestia??”

The ancient monarch stood in front of my door, her lightly colored rainbow mane still flowing in whatever wind it blew through. “Hello, Jethro. May I come in?” She had a smile on her face as she asked.

“Um, of course!” I stood aside and she walked in. Shutting the door, I turned back to her. “Isn’t it a bit late? To what do I owe this call?”

“What? A friend can’t check on another friend? Especially after all you’ve been through?” She put her hoof on her golden necklace and looked saddened. “You wound me, Jethro.”

That caused me to smile a bit. “Ahaha, sorry. Of course I’m glad to see you.”

She chuckled and sat down on the chair in front of the fireplace. She gestured for me to join her and I did so, but not before restoking the fire. It flared back to life and its flames illuminated the princess and myself. After a few moments of silence, she looked over at me. “Zecora told me that she confessed to you before the fight.”

I stiffened a bit, and avoided eye contact with her, staring instead into the fire. “Yeah…she did.”

“You’re worried about something, aren’t you? Worried about potentially breaking her heart.”

Celestia’s tone had a hidden message saying ‘Look back at me’, which I did. “I’m so lost here. I don’t know what I’m feeling for Zecora right now. Don’t get me wrong, I love her as a best friend at the very least. She means the world to me. She was my first friend in this world and she helped me so many times when I was transitioning to living here.”

“But…?” she gestured for me to continue.

“But…I’ve only felt love once before, and what I feel for Zecora is different than what I felt for my Trixie. I don’t…I just don’t want to lead her on. Plus, what do we have in common? We’ve got a few things, but I don’t…it’s just…” I trailed off. I felt like some stupid teenager griping about this stuff, but I couldn’t help it. I was so confused and lost. “Goddamn it! Whoever said adults have all the answers was full of shit! I should know better!”

Celestia smiled warmly at me. “I’ve lived for ages, but even I don’t have all the answers, my friend. I’m not Cadance, but I do know a bit more about romantic love. The way a Pony feels in romantic relationships vary in each relationship. Any kind of relationship between you and Zecora would invariably be different than the one you shared with your Trixie. I can tell you really care for her enough that you don’t want to hurt her. You probably should, however, talk with her about this soon. To quote your more colorful language, she worked her ass off looking for solutions to the Trial by Combat, maybe even more so than Twilight.”

“I know, and I promise to talk with her about it,” I replied.

“You’re letting your thoughts and fears stall you again,” Celestia said. “I know you’ve had a lot on your mind lately, but don’t put this off for long.”

I nodded. “I won’t. I’ll definitely talk with her about it.”

I was exhausted as I stood on the train platform the next morning. I held the sword I'd used in the duel in one hand and my bag in the other. I'd been allowed to take the sword home as a symbol of my victory. Behind, I could almost feel the looming mountain looking down at us as the train was prepped. An equally sleepy looking Zecora stood beside me, a heavy looking saddlebag on her back. She was leaning against me, yawning every so often. I reached down and stroked her mane. “We can both sleep on the train,” I said in a reassuring voice.

She nodded slowly. “I suppose…a nap wouldn’t hurt.”

“All aboard!” the Pony conductor called out as the doors to the Royal Carriage opened. Celestia and Luna entered first, followed by the other tired looking Ponies, then the lone Zebra and lastly myself. The interior had been redecorated and a few other beds added for every passenger. I took a bed at the back of the car and sat against the wall, stretching my legs over the bed and closing my eyes.

A few moments later, a familiar presence came up next to me. Opening one eye, I saw my favorite Zebra as she jumped onto the bed next to me. She gave me a warm smile that made my heart swell once again. I pointed at my lap. “It’s open if you wanna be warm,” I said quietly.

She smiled wider and placed herself on my lap. Carefully spreading my wings, I covered her with them protectively and wrapped her up in them. Her eyes fluttered shut and soon the poor tired Zebra was fast asleep.

“Aww, that’s adorable,” Pinkie said as she came over to me. Her normal floof was back in her mane and tail and the smile on her face was genuine.

“She’s still exhausted,” I said quietly. “Let’s be quiet so she can rest.” Reaching down, I stroked her mane. Strangely enough, she’d stopped spiking it the moment I mentioned something about it. I could even see some other parts of her mane that she normally shaved coming back. I thought back to the Luna Eclipsed episode where Nightmare Night was first introduced and how gorgeous her cartoon form looked when she had her mane down. Either that, or it was a wig.

“She looked for solutions about as long as Twilight did, the poor dear,” Rarity said from her bed.

“She wouldn’t give up even after she collapsed,” Twilight added, looking up from the book she was reading.

“She what?” I looked down at Zecora in alarm, my wings wrapping a bit more tightly around her. “Oh, Zecora…what did I do to deserve a friend like you?” I looked up at the rest. “Or friends like all of you.”

“Aw, shucks,” Applejack said, grinning at me, “ain’t no need tah think like that, sugarcube.”

“We’d never leave a good friend hanging!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed loudly, but went silent when a few of the others gestured at her to shush.

“Well, I owe you all my life,” I said. “I can’t thank you all enough.” The others all smiled at me, and the same warmth I felt that first time when they used the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon spread throughout my entire being once again. I smiled back.

“How are you planning on replying to her?” Rarity asked. At my surprised look, Rarity grinned. “She told us, darling. The poor mare was so scared.”

“No kidding,” Spike said, looking at Zecora. “She almost jumped into the arena when…”

I held up a hand to stop him. “I understand. But like I told Celestia, I’ll be talking to her about this very soon. I won’t put it off like some indecisive jerk.”

A smattering of chuckles passed through the car. Grinning, I reached down and pulled out my laptop. “If you want something to pass the time, I’ve got some movies and audiobooks on this thing we can entertain ourselves with. Let me just find something I think you’ll all enjoy. Frankly, I’m surprised I haven’t shown you all this movie series yet.” As I set up my laptop, I looked at the now expectant looking Ponies. “Now, fair warning, there are depictions of violence in this movie, but it’s all special effects. It’s all fake. No people, or animals,” (I directed the latter at Fluttershy) “were intentionally harmed when the movie series was being made.”

As I finished the setup, Fluttershy made her way over to me and softly asked, “Can I sit next to you?”

“Of course,” I said, gently moving over to give her space to sit. I had to say, seeing the Element of Kindness in a Ponyloaf was completely adorable. As the first movie in the Lord of the Rings series started, I absently began stroking her mane. I was, of course, worried about her reaction to a lot of the simulated violence in the movie, so I didn’t mind her being next to me just in case.

After the curtains were pulled, the movie began. The entire car was spellbound as they watched. Since the laptop screen was pretty small, Celestia used some sort of spell to project the screen in the air, much like a magical hologram. The sound also became like surround sound. I made a note to ask about it later.

Fluttershy, not surprisingly, had moments when she hid her face in my side during scarier scenes. Pinkie Pie’s favorite scene was, unsurprisingly, the early scene with the ‘party of special magnificence’. Applejack sympathized with Farmer Maggot’s crop being stolen. She was also the first one to point out that Dwarrowdelf bore a weird resemblance to the Lycan city we had just come from. Rainbow Dash was pretty enthralled, especially during the scene where Gandalf was saved by the giant eagles. The action scenes got her excited as well.

Rarity was immediately invested in the relationship between Arwen and Aragorn, and was herself taking notes on many of the clothes seen in the movie. To my surprise, Celestia showed a great interest in the Elves and found Rivendell beautiful, even remarking that making such a hidden refuge would be a great retreat for her and her sister, which gave me an idea for a later project. Luna didn’t have much to say, but she was greatly intrigued by Aragorn, sympathizing with his fears of failing like Isildur. In fact, the whole idea of the ring tempting multiple characters seemed to resonate with her. Twilight, aside from the potential burning questions I would probably be inundated with later, was quite interested in the Council of Elrond and the idea of friendship between races. I could practically hear the wheels turning in her head as she constantly took notes.

When the movie ended, the curtains were drawn back and the room devolved into quiet conversations. I yawned, overcome with drowsiness as I closed my eyes. “I don’t know about you, but I’m still kinda sleepy. Hope you all don’t mind if I catch a few Z’s.”

“Of course not. Ya get some rest,” Applejack said. “We’ll wake ya when we get back home.”

Fluttershy, to my surprise, snuggled up closer. “Can I stay here too?”

“Of course.”

Smiling, she curled up close and I covered her with a nearby blanket. Closing my eyes, I drifted off to sleep…

“Ahhh…Ponyville. How I’ve missed thee,” I said as the majority of us stepped out onto the platform. Zecora walked out beside me into the late afternoon sun as I took in a deep breath. “Smells just as good as when we left.”

“Indeed it is, but I hear something loud,” Zecora said, looking around. When she spotted something, she pointed ahead with her hoof. “Well, I’ve never seen such a large crowd.”

Following her gaze, I saw a massive crowd of Ponies standing at the edge of the train platform, gazing up at us. A banner was spread across the crowd with the words WELCOME HOME emblazoned in bright rainbow letters.

“Hey! They’re here!” someone said. Looking for the source of the voice, I saw it was Scootaloo, her tiny wings outstretched happily.

A roar of happiness and joy made its way through the crowd as the others left the train. Mayor Mare walked up to the platform to greet us, but a zooming form flashed passed her and tackled me to the ground. I found myself staring into Scarlet’s own terrified, but clearly furious eyes. “You’d better be okay,” she said, “because I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

I wrapped my arms around her, making her freeze. “I’m glad to see you too, Scarlet.”

That did it for her. Throwing her front hooves around me, she sobbed into my neck, speaking mostly incoherently. What I did pick up was how scared she was, how could I have left her behind etc. I ran my hand through her crimson mane, trying my best to comfort her. I sat up and found myself looking up into the Mayor’s eyes. She warmly smiled at me as she said, “Jethro Bethridge, I’m pleased to see you’re alright. When we heard from Twilight about what was happening, we feared the worst.”

“So did I,” I replied.

The mayor extended her hoof. “Welcome home.”

I wrapped my hand around her hoof and squeezed. “There’s seriously no place like home.”

Author's Note

Phew, Lycan Arc over. It'll probably be a lot longer than just one or two days before a new chapter appears, mostly because I like to be ten chapters ahead in my Word Doc just in case I write myself into a corner and need to rewrite.

Example: Originally, I had Pinkie Pie be the one seriously affected by Jethro's petting in that early chapter, but I changed it to Fluttershy.

I'm currently only a few chapters ahead, so I want to continue writing and expanding. I also want to try and focus on another long-term project I've been neglecting. I'll try and update this more regularly, but it might not be as often unless I get crazy ahead.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you for the next chapter!

PS: How do you guys find artists for stories around here? I'd love to get some scenes demonstrated.

30: A Cloaked Heart and a First Date

Author's Note

Yeah...I couldn't wait to share this chapter. Plus, it's the 30th one, so I had to post it since it'd be an even number. Anyway, now I'll probably wait a bit before posting another. Enjoy!

30: A Cloaked Heart and a First Date

Two days after we’d all come back from the Lycan Empire, things had begun to settle down. I’d spent one of those days recovering at home at the insistence of not only Zecora and Scarlet but all of the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses. Thanks to the Princesses healing magic and Zecora’s salves, I felt completely back to normal after just that one day. I’d spent a lot of the time in bed watching more My Little Pony, reaching near to the end of Season 3.

After the episode which showed Discord’s reform (Something that made my blood boil) I’d stopped and spent the rest of the time making a list of possible future events to write to Celestia about. When that was finished, I decided to look up certain fandom songs. I bobbed my head to the beat of 20 Percent Cooler, nearly cried at Lullaby For A Princess, smirked at Magic (which gave me an idea for Trixie’s return), laughed at the Pony Girl parody songs, and was thoroughly impressed by the Brony Polka (The guy who made that seriously sounded a lot like Weird Al).

A part of me really disliked the idea of even allowing Eris the chance to escape her prison. I couldn’t help myself. She was the cause of all of Obsidian Star’s suffering and death. I decided, however, to speak to all three princesses about it at a later date since I knew better than to trust my own judgment when it was clouded with anger and hatred.

It was a warm spring day as I walked down the streets of Ponyville. I wasn’t showing it, but I was super nervous. It was time to address the elephant in the room between me and Zecora. I’d been rehearsing what to say to her all morning in my head, and even during breakfast. Scarlet even noticed, and wouldn’t accept the “Nothing’s wrong” answer from me. After I’d told her what had happened, she simply told me to relax and be myself. “Since I’m sure that’s who that Zebra fell in love with,” she’d said reassuringly.

As I walked down the street, I saw Applejack walking towards her farm. Following behind her were three familiar fillies. Upon noticing me, the farmgirl waved a hoof. “Howdy there, Jethro! Where are ya headin’?”

“Hey there, AJ. I’m off to see Zecora,” I replied. “Where are you leading these three cute fillies?” I grinned down at the CMC.

“Ah’m showing them a spot back on the farm they can use fer their crusadin’,” she replied with a smile.

“So, these are the Cutie Mark Crusaders I’ve heard about,” I said, kneeling to face them all. “Well, it’s nice to meet two of you officially, at least. I’m Jethro Bethridge, but you can call me Jethro.”

“Howdy, Jethro!” Apple Bloom said, giving me a large smile as she rushed over to her friends. “These are mah friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!” she added, pointing to the other two fillies.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Bethridge,” Sweetie Belle said politely.

“So you’re the alien, huh? So cool!” Scootaloo added, flapping her tiny wings excitedly. “Not as cool as Rainbow Dash, of course.”

“Of course,” I chuckled, ruffling her mane playfully. “Got anything planned after Applejack shows you whatever she wants to show you?” I asked.

While Scootaloo tried to get my hand off of her head, Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle. “We’re gonna try an’ get our cutie marks, of course!” the Earth Pony filly said excitedly.

I knew the event that was coming up, of course, but I felt like interfering in something that didn’t quite involve me since I had no cutie mark was a bit unfair. I rubbed Sweetie Belle’s and Apple Bloom’s manes playfully. “Just be careful, okay? Don’t do anything dangerous.”

They all beamed at me. “We won’t!” they said simultaneously.

I stood and looked back at Applejack. “Sorry for interrupting you there, AJ. Welp, I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy whatever Applejack is gonna show you all, Crusaders.”

“See ya later, Jethro!” Applejack called out as the four Ponies headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Be safe now, ya hear?”

“I will!” I replied, turning and walking towards Everfree again.

As I entered the Everfree Forest, I grew more and more nervous. I immediately felt ridiculous at that. Come on, Jethro! You’re not a teenager anymore. You’ve got everything you wanna say thought out. This is the best option for everyone involved. It’s fair to her, and it’s fair to you. Despite that, I still remained nervous as I walked deeper into the forest, down the now familiar pathways towards Zecora’s tree hut.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice I was in front of Zecora’s door until I was already there, fist raised to knock. Taking a deep breath, I knocked.

“Who is-Oh! Jethro! This is a surprise,” Zecora said. She looked pretty much the same, save for her mane which was brushed to the sides once more.

“A welcome one, I hope,” I replied with a lopsided smile as she stood aside to let me in.

“Always a welcome surprise,” the Zebra said with a tender smile. “I just wasn’t expecting you. I thought you’d be in bed recovering still.”

“Thanks to you and the Princesses, I’m feeling much better. And the scars are barely visible,” I said, showing her the one on my arm. She winced when she saw it, and I realized my mistake. I pulled my shirt back over my arm. “Right…sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she said gently. “I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”

“So am I.” I chuckled along with her, then there was a silence between us. Taking a deep breath, I faced her. “Listen, Zecora, about what you told me before the fight…”

“You’re turning me down, aren’t you?” she said, a hint of heartbreak in her tone and eyes.

“No! No please hear me out!” I quickly replied. Zecora turned back to me, a glimmer of hope in her expression. “You deserve honesty. You’ve done so much for me, more than I could ever hope to repay. I care about you a lot, that’s a fact. I’m just confused as to my own feelings. So…I have something to ask you.”

“I’m listening,” the Zebra said, looking a bit more hopeful.

“Zecora, would you like to go out on a date with me?”

Her eyes brightened wide and she smiled. She rushed over and threw her front hooves around me. “Yes!”

I hugged the Zebra close to me. Seeing her this happy made my heart soar with joy. “I’ve made reservations at the Prancing Pony two days from now. That sound good?”

The Zebra gazed into my eyes, smiling warmly. “Any time with you is a good time, my friend.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” I breathed out a sigh of relief as Zecora finally let me go. “Well, that was pretty nerve wracking. I haven’t been on a real date in ages. I just hope you enjoy it.”

Zecora chuckled. “I know I will.”

“Let’s just hope Rarity doesn’t hear about this,” I laughed. “I’d hate to be at her mercy.”

“Just imagine what she’d do to me,” Zecora laughed along with me.

“Make you look like a million bits,” I replied with a grin on my face. “But enough about our thousand-hour long fashion lecture at the hands of that Unicorn. Are you working on anything special today? And can I help?”

“As a matter of fact, yes and yes.” Zecora pointed at her shelf of herbs. “Hand me some of the Cloudsweed, would you?”

Somehow, Rarity had heard about my upcoming date with Zecora. If I had to guess, it was Pinkie’s doing, what with her Pinkie Sense and all. Not that I could blame the pink mare for being extra excited about it. After spending half the day with Zecora, the two of us walked back to Ponyville where Rarity had run up to the two of us. “Darling, why didn’t you tell me you were planning on courting Zecora?” the panting Unicorn asked after catching her breath.

“Courting? Rarity, it’s a date,” I said, looking back at a blushing Zecora.

“Courting, a date, it doesn’t matter! You can’t go out without a proper outfit, either of you!” Grabbing my sleeve, she began pulling me off.

“Rarity! You’re gonna tear my clothes!” I said in alarm as she pulled me towards her boutique.

“I made these clothes, darling,” she said dismissively. “They won’t tear easily.”

“As fun as it would be to watch the chaos, I must see dear Twilight about a horse,” Zecora replied before galloping away faster than I had ever seen her run.

“Traitor!” I called out as Rarity forcefully pulled me away. Nearby, a few other Ponies watched this, clearly amused by Rarity’s antics. Turning back to the Unicorn, I groaned. “I can walk, you know?”

“And what’s to guarantee that you won’t fly away the moment I let go?” she said sharply as she pulled me into the boutique. “Besides, we’re here already,” she added as she finally let go.

“Rarity, you’ve got my measurements already, don’t you?” I asked, standing and brushing myself off. “Why do you need me here?”

“Why, I need to make sure you haven’t gotten bulkier,” Rarity explained.

I grimaced. “That your delicate way of saying I got fatter?”

“No no!” Rarity quickly backpedaled. “You’ve gotten larger from muscle building!”

“Nice save,” I grinned. “Well…I figure you aren’t gonna leave me alone until I agree. Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

“You won’t regret it, trust me!” the now excited mare said with a smile. “Now, take off your clothes. I need to measure you.”

“Eeyup…regretting this already…”

Fortunately, Rarity didn’t ask me to remove my boxers and t-shirt, but she did mention that I had gotten some more muscle on me since she’d last taken my measurements. That filled me with a small sense of accomplishment. She also mentioned that my waistline had shrunk slightly. My slow change to an Equestrian diet had been doing wonders for me, it seemed.

When I caught back up with Zecora, she apologized for running, but explained that she had indeed been to see Twilight about something important. After I forgave her, the two of us went to my house to check on Scarlet. We found her and Rainbow Dash still training. Unlike me, who still had some trouble with sustained flight, Scarlet was coming along much better.

Upon seeing me and Zecora entering the property, Scarlet flew up to me, hovering in front of the two of us. “I can hover now!” she said proudly.

“I’m glad to hear it,” I replied, then turned to Rainbow Dash. “RD, thanks a bunch for this.”

“No sweat! She’s got some pretty good skills. Which is more than I can say about you,” she grinned. “The moment you recover, we’re going at it double time!”

“Now that is a conundrum, Miss Dash. I knew that you were rather rash, but who knew you were always this brash?” Zecora gave the Pegasus a knowing grin. “This stallion is mine alone to smash.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked.

I burst out laughing, putting my hand on Zecora’s back for support as the Zebra continued smirking up at the still oblivious cyan Pegasus. Scarlet got it a few moments later and fell to the ground, giggling. Rainbow Dash, growing frustrated, put her front hooves on her flank in a remarkably human gesture. “Come oooon, out with it!”

“Ahh…ahahaha…hooo…” I said as I stood, grinning down at Zecora. “You’ve been hanging around me too long if you’re so brazen as to make a sexual joke.”

Rainbow Dash’s cheeks had never gotten redder in the time I’d known her. “S-S-Sex?!” she sputtered.

“Ahaha…it’s the ‘going at it’ and the ‘smash’ remark,” I snickered.

“Geez, Jethro’s rubbed off on you, Zecora,” Rainbow Dash said with a huff.

“She wishes!” Scarlet smirked.

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. Now it was Zecora’s time to blush. I couldn’t help it. I laughed harder. But a part of me was glad. Glad that Scarlet had gotten comfortable enough to make jokes like this so fast. I put an arm around the Zebra and pulled her close. “Ahaha…sorry for laughing.”

“Don’t worry too much about it. I will get you back yet,” she smiled, moving over and nuzzling my face playfully.

Now it was my turn to blush as the three mares laughed. “Nnng…you three are gonna drive me to drink,” I said, unable to keep from smiling.

“I know the perfect place for that!” Rainbow Dash laughed.

“Why am I not surprised,” I chuckled as I stood. “But in all seriousness, thanks for helping me and Scarlet learn to fly.”

“Anytime!” Rainbow Dash turned to Scarlet. “See you in a couple days for our next lesson?”

“Sure thing,” Scarlet said.

Rainbow Dash saluted and flew off, leaving a rainbow in her wake. I chuckled, shaking my head. “Show-off,” I laughed. “Come on, you two, I’ll whip up something for all of us for dinner. Whatcha all think about fettuccini alfredo?”

Two days later, a Saturday, came much more quickly than I’d expected. Zecora had, during the past few days, visited Twilight a good number of times. Whenever I asked her about it, she always told me not to worry about it and that she’d explain later. I’d also seen her and Twilight exiting Rarity’s boutique a few times, but that wasn’t as unusual to me since I assumed it was just Rarity getting Zecora some kind of dress to fit her.

It was once again a gorgeous autumn day. I was walking through town to try and calm my nerves before my date when I spotted Twilight walking down the street. Following close behind her was a lovely older mare with a well-maintained wine-colored fur coat, pink and lighter pink mane and tail, and light emerald eyes. She had a green saddlebag on her back.

“Jethro!” Twilight said when she saw me. She waved me over. “How are you feeling today? Nervous?”

I groaned. “Does everyone in town know about my date with Zecora?” I asked.

“It’s hard not to hear the local gossip,” the other mare, Miss Cheerilee, said with a knowing smile.

“Lemme guess: Pinkie Pie,” I sighed. “God knows, I like her, but she’s aggravating sometimes.”

“She’s not that bad,” Twilight said a bit defensively.

“I guess not,” I said. “Sorry, you’re right. I’m nervous. I haven’t been on a date in a while. But enough about me. Where are you two ladies off to?”

“Oh! We’re heading to the library,” Twilight said. “Miss Cheerilee wanted to get some books for some future lesson plans.”

“And to pass out these fliers to any filly and colt I see,” Cheerilee added, opening one side of her saddlebag and passing me a flier.

“Let’s see here…” I took the pamphlet she’d handed to me. “‘Showcase your talents for all to see. Perform in the Ponyville school talent show.’ Now that sounds like an interesting time. When is it?”

“This coming Wednesday,” Cheerilee said. “It starts at seven in the evening. Would you like to come?”

I looked it over again. “‘Best Comedy Act…Best Magic Act…’ Might be something Scarlet Dusk might be interested to see. I’ll see if she wants to go. As for me personally? Yeah, I think I might.”

Cheerilee beamed. “Oh, I’m sure the little fillies and colts would love to perform for the only alien in town. And speaking of, could I ask for a favor?”

“Oh? I’m all ears,” I replied.

“I was wondering if you could come by our school sometime and speak to the children about where you’re from,” she said. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. There’s no pressure.”

“Hmm…” I thought about it for a bit. It didn’t sound like too bad of an idea, but I wasn’t sure what to say to a room of little Pony children. There was so much to talk about. “Well…I mean, how long would I get to talk to them? There’s a lot to talk about, and I know I won’t be able to cover everything. Plus there are things I really shouldn’t mention to little children.”

“Well, it could be a Friday,” she said. “That’s normally a test day, but I could try and persuade the headmare to give you all school day to talk.”

“How long is a school day?”

“We start at eight in the morning and go until two thirty in the afternoon with two breaks and a lunchbreak,” Cheerilee replied.

“Sounds similar to school hours on Earth,” I said thoughtfully. “I don’t see why not? I can clear a Friday.”

“Can I watch, too?” Twilight asked, eyes wide with excitement.

“Of course, Miss Twilight,” Cheerilee replied. “Just leave some questions for the rest of the class.”

I laughed along with Cheerilee as Twilight dug at the ground with her hoof, pouting. “Oh relax,” I said, “you’ll probably get more chances to interview me anyway.”

She quickly perked up. “Oh yeah!”

“Well, I shouldn’t keep you lovely ladies,” I chuckled. “I’ll see you two later.”

After saying our goodbyes, I resumed my walk.

“Oh, darling, there’s no need to be so nervous,” Rarity said, once more straightening my tie with her magic. “You’ll do perfectly fine.”

“I’m trying,” I replied, “but I’m just worried about what could go wrong. And what if she doesn’t like the Prancing Pony?”

“Nothing’s gonna go wrong, silly!” Pinkie Pie said from nearby, bouncing on all four hooves. “We’ll make sure of that!”

“We’ve all seen how she looks at you,” Fluttershy added.

“Fluttershy’s right,” Applejack added. “She’s got it for ya somethin’ fierce.”

“Just be yourself and she’ll have a great time,” Twilight said. “All the books I read about romance tell me that as long as the two of you are having a good time together, it won’t matter where or what you’re doing.”

“Jeez, what’s with all the cheese,” Rainbow Dash said, hovering over us. “It’s just dinner! Nothing serious!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity scolded. “A date is a romantic event in every young couple’s life!”

“Zecora and I are older than everyone here,” I deadpanned. I looked in the mirror again and readjusted my tie again. “Twilight, tell me again why I should pick her up at the library?”

“It’s a surprise,” Twilight replied with a grin. “Trust me, I know you’ll like it!”

“Speaking of, is she having issues with anything over there?” Rarity asked.

“Spike should be handling it,” Twilight replied. “Are you ready, Jethro?”

“No, but I’ve gone too far to back out now,” I said, taking a deep breath. I pushed my wings down again and faced the door. “Wish me luck.”

“Any mare would be lucky to have you as their coltfriend,” Fluttershy said softly, smiling up at me.

“Go git yer date, tiger,” Applejack grinned, patting me on the back.

Clearing my throat, I walked out of the boutique, making my way towards the library. The evening was coming on and the sky was a plethora of sunset colors. The sky had a few clouds in it which glowed a deep lovely red and purple. The Ponies I passed all stared at me or gave me knowing looks. My face flushed as I approached the library.

When I was in front of the door, I raised my hand and knocked. After a few seconds, I heard the pitter patter of small feet approaching. Spike answered the door and looked me up and down. “For a monkey-man, you clean up good,” the little drake complimented, extending a fist.

I fistbumped him with a grin. “Rarity certainly knows her stuff. Now, where’s my date for the evening?”

“I’ll go get her. Why don’t you sit and wait?” Spike replied as he stepped aside for me.

As if I wasn’t already nervous enough, sitting and waiting was almost torture. I heard noises from the upstairs, but I wasn’t sure what they could be. Finally, Spike came down the stairs, grinning like a madman. “Fillies and gentlecolts, announcing the arrival of the Lady Zecora!”

“Just who are you talking…to…?” I started to ask when she first came into view. I couldn’t help but stare. Zecora was walking slowly down the stairs, wearing a lovely light blue dress with her swirling tattoo emblazoned on the side. On her hooves she wore silvery white shoes. The dress she wore was low cut and showed a respectful amount of-

Wait…cleavage?! I gawked, unable to speak as a now anthropomorphic Zecora walked down the stairs, giving me a loving and tender smile. When she finally reached the floor, she walked a few steps up to me and gave a little twirl. “Well, my friend? What do you think?” she asked.

I slowly stood and walked around her, trying to get a good glimpse at everything. She was now only a few inches shorter than I was and walking upright on two hooves. Her figure was, for lack of a better phrase, drop dead gorgeous. The dress she wore perfectly clung to all of her curves, showing slender but still fit thighs, a perfect waist, and a pair of breasts that threatened to burst forth from her dress. The dress was sleeveless, showing off slender but fur-covered arms. In the back her tail stuck out, well-groomed and swishing slightly. She had her hands in front of her, her mane brushed to each side. I saw a hairpin on her left side, a flower design emblazoned on it. When I was face to face with her, she had a nervous smile on her face as she looked up at me. Finally, I recovered my voice and asked, “H-How?”

“Twilight found the solution to the transfiguration spell!” Spike was the one to answer.

“The spell ends at midnight, my starstruck date. Now let us hurry, or else we will be late,” Zecora said, color rising to her cheeks.

I cleared my throat, trying my best to recover from the shock of a humanoid Zebra standing before me, and an extremely beautiful one at that. I offered her my arm. “Very well. Shall we head out?”

Zecora reached out slowly, her arm slowly intertwining with mine. Spike opened the door for the two of us and I led her into the warm evening air. We received stares, mostly aimed at Zecora, but the mare didn’t seem to mind, instead leaning her head on my shoulder as the two of us walked down the street towards the edge of town.

As we walked, I struck up a conversation. “I have to admit, I was not expecting this,” I said with a small chuckle as I gestured to her new but temporary form.

“You don’t mind, do you?” Zecora asked.

“Not at all,” I replied. “I honestly love it. Did you do it for me?”

“I wanted you to be comfortable,” she said. “It took a few tries to get the walking down, but I think I’ve got it.”

“Don’t jinx it,” I said in English as I put my free hand over the one attached to my arm. “I don’t want you tripping and ruining that gorgeous dress.”

“You look very handsome yourself,” she said.

I smiled nervously as we took a turn. “Well, I am curious as to what you think about this new form of yours? Any advantages? Any drawbacks?”

She reached up and stroked her chin with her other hand, something I’d done a few times. I chuckled a bit at the jab at me before she replied, “These are definitely something I enjoy having.” She held up her new hands and moved the fingers around. “You called them hands, correct?”

“That’s correct.”

She smiled up at me. “I got a lot of work done just the other day while using them.”

“Yeah, hands are definitely something I wouldn’t want to be without,” I said as I squeezed hers with my own. “I take it there are drawbacks.”

“These!” she said in an exasperated tone as she pointed at her breasts. “They’re inconvenient and hurt when I walk.”

“Yeah…at that size, I don’t doubt it. If I’d known you were going to surprise me with this, I’d have shown Rarity images of a few bras for her to make. They help with that. Oh! We’re here!”

We were standing in front of a large building with a statue of two rearing Ponies on either side of a double door. The smell of delicious food wafted through the door as I approached. I pushed the door open and stepped aside. “After you.”

“You really are a gentlecolt,” Zecora said as she walked through the door. I avoided staring at her backside as I followed her in, but I could swear she was swaying her new hips as we entered.

The restaurant itself was perfect. Quiet, not too busy for a Saturday evening, and there was lovely cello music playing from a nearby stage where a gray mare was inexplicably playing said cello. I recognized her as a minor character I’d seen in the Gala episode. Beside her, I saw Lyra Heartstrings setting up to play as well. The lighting was bright enough so as not to hurt the eyes, and each booth was private and meticulously kept. As we entered, a light blue stallion Unicorn came up, smiling politely. “Greetings, and welcome to the Prancing Pony. Do you have-” The stallion’s eyes widened a bit, and his smile became more genuine as he recognized me. “Mr. Bethridge! We’ve been expecting you. Your table is already prepared. If you’ll both follow me.” He used his horn to hover two menus from a nearby table and led us into the interior of the restaurant.

Zecora looked around in awe, then leaned up close to whisper, “You have good eyes. This place is amazing.”

“A first date should always be memorable,” I replied as the stallion led us to a table larger than most. It was situated near a fireplace and had two unlit candles on top. The Unicorn’s horn glowed, and the candles were lit. I looked at the table, and noticed it looked newer than the rest. Turning to the Unicorn, I asked, “Is this table new?”

“Oh, yes, it is,” he said a bit sheepishly. “An anonymous doner crafted this for the two of you, and we did some rearranging.”

“Really? Interesting. Well, I’m definitely grateful to whoever was responsible,” I replied. “Not sure either of us could sit in your normal booths.”

The Unicorn laughed. “Of course not, sir. We aim to please.”

“Thank you,” I said as I walked ahead and pulled one chair out. Turning to Zecora, I said, “After you.”

She giggled as she took a seat. After I took the remaining seat, the stallion placed both menus down before us. “Can I bring you anything to start?”

“Two waters for now,” I replied, then turned to Zecora. “That sound alright to you, Zecora?”

“A water would be nice,” she said with a nod.

“Of course. I’ll be right back with those,” the stallion said. “Feel free to take your time.” Turning, he walked away.

I opened the menu and looked over the options once more. I’d already made sure that this restaurant had food that I could eat, and I was almost positive it had meals that Zecora could since her diet was pretty similar to that of a Pony. I quickly chose my meal of choice, then looked back up at Zecora. She was still looking at the menu, carefully turning the pages with her new hands. “Would you like to have some wine tonight?” I asked.

Startled, Zecora looked up at me. “I typically don’t drink alcoholic beverages,” she said apologetically.

“No worries, I don’t either. I was just curious,” I replied.

Nodding gratefully at me, she went back to looking at the menu. I decided to look at the dessert options for later just in case. I saw a lovely chocolate lava cake. I knew Zecora had a hidden sweet tooth and a weakness for chocolate, so I decided to order that for dessert if she was interested. When I heard the other menu being put down, I looked up at her. Zecora nodded at me and said, “I’m ready.”

When the stallion returned with our waters as well as a small platter of small bite sized pieces of bread and some soft butter, I mentioned that we were ready to order. “Splendid! What will you two have?” he asked, pulling out a pen and paper pad with his magic.

I gestured to Zecora, who blushed a bit and pointed at the menu. “A sweet applegrass salad, if you please, with a side of a small pasta bowl, light cheese.”

“Excellent choice,” the stallion said, quickly writing it down before turning to me. “And for you?”

“I would like the Prench styled cheese gratin with a garden salad as a side, hold the hay, please,” I said.

“Another excellent choice,” he said as he took the order down. “Would either of you care for something else to drink besides water?”

“I’m alright, how about you?” I asked Zecora.

“Water for me is plenty,” Zecora replied with a polite nod.

“Very well. I’ll take those menus from you now,” the stallion said. After we put them down, he hovered them away from the table. “The food shouldn’t take too long, tonight. We’re fairly slow tonight.”

“Thanks again,” I said.

Once the two of us were alone, Zecora took a piece of the bread and buttered it before taking a bite, chewing thoughtfully. After washing it down with some water, she leaned forward. “I have to say, I love your choice of restaurants.”

“Like I said, a first date should be memorable,” I chuckled. “I know I’ll definitely be remembering this one for years to come,” I added.

She reached up and fiddled with her mane, smiling with a hint of amusement in her voice. “You really like what you see, don’t you?”

“I’d be lying if I said no.” I looked her up and down, grinning. “You look absolutely stunning tonight.”

“Oh? Should I dress up like this on all our dates?” she replied in what could only be described as a saucy tone.

I blushed. “As much as I’d love to say yes, that wouldn’t be fair to you. A date should be comfortable for both parties. And while I definitely think you’re absolutely radiant in this form, I want you comfortable, too.”

“So…you’re saying there’s going to be a second date?” Zecora asked hopefully.

“What kind of moron would I be if I just gave up after one date?” I asked. “I believe it takes multiple dates and outings to determine complete romantic compatibility. Most of the time, anyway.”

“I’m glad you think so,” she said happily.

While the two of us waited for our food, we discussed a few other topics. I told her more about my world, specifically as much as I knew about the history of medicine, which admittedly wasn’t much. I would have pulled out my phone to look it up for her, but even back on Earth that would have been rude, so I told her I’d look up more about the history of our medicine later.

In return, she told me more about the history of the land of Farasi where she was from. According to her, Farasi was a lovely coastal land near the deep jungles of her home microcontinent. She lived in a town called Zebrat, Farasi’s capital. It was founded approximately six hundred years ago by a clan of Zebras who were escaping their original homeland, which had been destroyed by a volcanic eruption. The group of five hundred or so survivors created Zebrat, named after their leader. Over the course of the centuries, the small nation grew and kept to itself for the most part. Being separated by an ocean from other larger continents on the planet made that easy.

That lasted until a Pony expedition from Equestria landed in the port town of Casabronco nearly two hundred years ago. The Zebra King at the time, King Jiwe, met with Princess Celestia and established a trading peace between both nations, since Farasi had plants that couldn’t be grown in the northern regions of the planet. The peace had lasted ever since.

As she was finishing, our food came. I had to admit, the meal I got was absolutely delicious. Zecora said hers was amazing as well. As the two of us ate, I took the plunge and asked her more about her interests. She was all too happy to share. As it turned out, she and I both had a fascination for astronomy despite her living in a forest. It was one thing she missed since she lived in a forest. That was when I made an offhanded remark.

“You know,” I said, “I have a large property about an acre in size. If I use my Morphean magic, I bet I can teleport your treehouse to my property.”

Once the words left my mouth, my eyes widened. I’d just asked Zecora to practically move in with me. The hidden message wasn’t lost on Zecora, who’s face went red at the thought. “Jethro, my friend, I appreciate the offer, but this is just our first date. Don’t you think we should wait before we move in together?”

“Yeah…that came out wrong,” I said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to imply-”

“Don’t worry, I know what you meant,” she giggled. Her giggle turned into laughter as my face went red. “Oh my! The look on your face is priceless!”

“You’re evil,” I smirked.

“You’re the one who wanted me to move next door,” she said.

“So you could stargaze as much as you wanted!” I answered defensively.

Zecora’s laughter only increased, and it made my heart skip a few beats. Normal Zebra or anthropomorphic Zebra, she was still Zecora. The best friend I’d ever had in a long time. She’d changed so much since we’d begun hanging out together. She was more outgoing, laughed a lot more, and had opened up to me. She’d also helped me in ways I never felt possible, especially ever since Trixie and my family passed away.

“Well, I’ll think about it, for sure,” she said. “It would be nice to not live in the forest and underneath a lovely sky. I would miss being close to all my ingredients.”

“I’m sure we could figure something out if it does happen,” I said sheepishly. “Anyway, since we’re both pretty much finished with our meal, are you up for dessert?”

“I could go for something sweet,” Zecora said.

“Good. Because I found something I know you’ll enjoy.” I waved the waiter over again. “Before you ask, let’s just say the amount of chocolate in this dessert might be a bit too much even for you.”

“How in Tartarus did you actually finish that monstrosity?” I asked as the two of us went out into the cool night air.

Zecora chuckled as she wrapped my blazer around her shoulders while we walked down the street. “Didn’t you know? We Zebras have a separate stomach for sweets,” she replied, poking my face playfully with her finger.

I snorted, throwing my head back and laughing heartily. “I can just feel myself getting fatter from all that,” I grinned. “I’ll need some extra time to work off all that cake.”

“Awww, but you look so cute with that little pouch,” she teased, poking my stomach, then running off.

“Grrr! Get back here, you!” I laughed harder as I chased her towards one of Ponyville’s parks.

Since she was in a form unfamiliar to her, it was easy to catch up to her, but by then we were smack dab in the middle of a darkened park. We were giggling like two teenagers when we found a small bench to sit at. Spreading my wings, I wrapped one around her for some extra warmth as she leaned her head against my shoulder. The moon was in a waxing gibbous phase, showing the craters and the leftover imprint of the Nightmare Moon maria on its surface. I put an arm around my date when I heard some rustling from a few bushes nearby.

Zecora must have heard it too since her ears swiveled to face the source of the noise. The two of us looked at each other. “Just ignore those six busybodies,” I whispered, running my hand through her mane.

“Was already planning on it,” she replied. “You’re all I want to focus on tonight.”

In that moment, everything clicked. It just fit into place. All our moments together, good and bad, how we’d laughed together at our highest points, comforted each other at some of our lowest points, the genuine concern she showed for me, and how protective I was of her anytime we walked through the forest. I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. I took her hand in mine and turned to face her as best I could. “You know,” I said a bit louder in English, “I thought it would take me a little while longer to figure things out. But I think…I think I always knew. I was just too scared to admit it to myself.”

“My friend, whatever do you mean?” Zecora asked softly. “What was it that remained to you unseen?”

“Zecora Mtunga Dawa,” I said, using her full name, “I’m in love with you too.”

I heard a certain party pony squeal in delight before being cut off. Zecora’s eyes widened in shock. Before she could reply, I pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her. And that set her off. Zecora threw her arms around me immediately, squealing in happiness as she pushed me over. I put my arms and wings fully around her, kissing her back happily, my heart beating hard and fast. Kissing her was physically unusual, but at the moment I didn’t care. The fact that I’d found love again was enough for me to push the unusual nature aside.

All that mattered was that I’d finally admitted to her and, more importantly to myself, my own feelings. I hadn’t felt this free in a long time. My whole world was her. Zecora. My Zecora Mtunga Dawa.

Reality came crashing back with the sound of some party favor being blown nearby. The two of us quickly broke apart just in time to see a certain Earth Pony prancing around in front of the bench, giggling madly. As the two of us sat up, five other mares walked up to us, looking a bit sheepish.

Deciding to have a bit of fun with them, I looked sternly at them all. “I’d have thought that the words ‘First Date’ would mean ‘Leave the two of us alone’,” I said in a lecturing tone.

“You don’t trust us that much?” Zecora asked, then put a hand to her muzzle.

“Ah, um…well…” Twilight tried to think of something to say, but after a few false starts, lowered her head in shame. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have been spying on you two.”

“Damn right,” I said with a frown. A frown which turned into a grin, one which Zecora shared. “You’re all just lucky I don’t hold grudges against my friends.”

“We’re still awful sorry,” Applejack said.

“It’s completely alright, ladies,” Zecora said.

“Hey, why aren’t you rhyming anymore?” Rainbow Dash asked, eyebrows furled.

Zecora pursed her lips, obviously thinking about it hard. Her eyes widened suddenly, then she turned to me. “Remember when I said that I rhymed because it reminded me of home?”

“Yeah…” I nodded, unsure where she was going with this.

She once more threw her arms around me. “This is my home now. A home in Equestria. With my new friends. And my coltfriend.”

I beamed and hugged her back. “It’ll be odd not hearing you rhyme, I’ll admit,” I replied. “But whatever makes you happy makes me happy.”

She held onto me tighter, and I looked at all of the Ponies surrounding me. They all had various looks of happiness on their own faces. But nothing in that moment could match the pure unadulterated joy I was feeling right now.

I had found love again. And that was enough for me.

31: A Cloaked Heart and a Ditz

"Heart to heart, lift me up. S.O.S. I'm so in love. You and I can't deny, me and you. Heart to heart, day and night I can't get you off my mind. Let me know if you feel it too."

I was singing as I walked down the streets of Ponyville on my way to the local watering hole. It had been three whole days since my first date with Zecora, and I was still on cloud nine. Even Scarlet noticed that I was acting a lot happier than I normally did. When I told her about my date, she was over the moon happy for me.

When I saw Zecora in her normal form the next day, I walked up to her, leaned down and kissed her. Zebra form or not, I was beginning to slowly grow accustomed to finding non-humanoid figures attractive, and she was definitely up there in terms of attractivness. She happily kissed me back and we’d spent the day together. We mixed a few new potions, watched some Earth media, then went for a walk through Ponyville, just talking, laughing, and basically enjoying each other’s company. I invited her to see the Ponyville School Talent Show with me, and she happily accepted, joking that it was a step down for a second date before jabbing me gently with her hoof to indicate it was a joke.

On the second day, I prepared a picnic for the two of us, and we spent the day in one of the fields just adjacent to Sweet Apple Acres. There, we not only got a great view of Ponyville and the surrounding landscape, but we also got to enjoy the sweet smell of the nearby orchard and their apples. We talked for a lot longer than I’d expected, and evening rolled around quickly. I escorted her home, kissed her goodnight, and flew back home.

On the third day, I decided to surprise my new girlfriend by treating her to an all-day beauty treatment at Ponyville Day Spa, something that greatly surprised her. The two owners, Lotus Blossom and Aloe Vera, offered to give me the same treatment at no extra charge, but I politely declined since I wasn’t too comfortable with a Pony massaging me. After promising Zecora I’d be back to pick her up at around five in the afternoon, I went out for a drink at the local bar which Rainbow Dash had told me about.

It was called the Misty Pony, she told me, and it was apparently run by a foreign Pony from overseas. I hadn’t had any alcoholic beverages since coming to Equestria and I wondered how they compared to the various drinks I’d had back on Earth.

“Ah, welcome monsieur. Ai was wondaireng when you'd come visit,” an older gruff looking brown Unicorn stallion welcomed me in a suspiciously French-type accent. He had a small mustache that reminded me of Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

I grinned, trying not to laugh at his accent, which sounded somewhat fake. “Figured I’d come check it out. Haven’t had a drink of alcohol since I got here.”

“Final-lee got awai from yur zebra paramour, did you?” he snorted.

“Nah, I just gave her a spa day,” I chuckled as I looked at the choices on a small menu placed in front of me.

“You spoil la young mademoizélle. Good.” the stallion grinned.

“Anything to make her happy,” I replied. Pointing to the menu, I asked, “What would you recommend for someone who hasn’t had a good drink since coming to this world of yours?”

“Fair you, monsiéur, ai récomménd our cognac. Impairtéd diyairect-lee from Prancé and eez oh, zo deléctabuhl,” he replied.

“Cognac it is, then,” I said as I put the menu down.

“Oui, monsieur,” he said as he began to prepare the drink.

“When you’re done with that, could you get me another one of my usual,” a slurred female voice replied as someone sat beside me.

“Oui, mademoizélle. Strawbairry Piña Coltlada,” the stallion said without looking back.

“Thanks, Moon Shine,” she said.

Turning to face the mare, I saw she was a Pegasus with light gray fur and a golden blonde hair and mane. She looked familiar and only took me a few moments to place her, not only from the show, but from my own personal experience. I snapped and pointed at her. “You’re the mailmare who delivered my letters when I was still in the Everfree, aren’t you?”

She turned to me, an eyebrow raised. She was swaying slightly in the chair, focusing one eye on me while the other one moved around lazily. “I remember you,” she slurred again, her good eye looking at me in recognition. “You’re that alien.”

I smiled. “Jethro Bethridge,” I said, extending my hand.

“Derpy Ditzy Doo,” she replied, taking my hand with her hoof and shaking it woozily.

“A middle name, huh? Haven’t met a Pony who’s had one of those yet,” I observed as we broke hand and hoof contact.

“Yeah, it happens,” Derpy said, before taking a deep breath and sighing.

A few minutes later, the stallion Derpy had called Moon Shine handed us our drinks. I took a sip and was surprised at how well it went down. Beside me, Derpy took a long gulp and pretty much slammed the glass down. “Damn them all to Tartarus,” she practically snarled in a presumably drunken rage.

Whoa, that’s not the carefree Derpy I remember from that one episode, I thought. Then again, she is drunk.

However, before I could say anything, Moon turned to her. “Zéy waire bélit-tellng you again, wairen't zey?”

“When are they not?” Derpy moaned, putting her head in her hooves. “It’s so frustrating…”

“You know you're smartair than zem. Why do you put up wiv eet?” Moon asked.

She lay her head on the table, looking up at Moon. “It’s the only job that’ll hire me,” she said. “If it wasn’t for this shitty eye…” She hit her hoof on the bar. “Why me…?”

“Sounds like you’ve had a pretty fucked up day,” I said sympathetically, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my bit pouch. “Today’s drinks are on me.”

The mare looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but then grinned before slugging my arm gently. “You’re alright, mister alien sir,” she said as she hit the bar table again. “Another one, Moony!” As Moon Shine made her another drink, a group of Pegasi entered, talking and laughing. I recognized their uniforms as belonging to the Wonderbolts. The moment they entered the bar, my new drinking companion stiffened. “Sweet Celestia…not here…”

“Well, look at what we have here, fillies and gentlecolts,” one of them, an orange and yellow furred stallion with bright yellow eyes said with a not-too-kind smirk, “we’ve found ourselves the lazy-eyed screw up.”

I couldn’t help it. Standing up for the little man, or in this case, the misfit mare, was something I thrived in. But I was also not foolish enough to properly antagonize them. Not directly, anyway. I reached up and put my hand on Derpy’s mane, running my hand through it. “So, where’d you like to go after this, Miss Doo?” I asked kindly.

To my surprise, her lazy eye began correcting itself thanks to me stroking her mane. Honestly, this mare was adorable already, but she became absolutely gorgeous when her eyes righted.

“And she has a freak new friend to boot!” he snickered. “Two peas in a pod! A useless lazy-eyed mare and the alien!” The others with him laughed along with him.

I could handle being insulted easily enough, but when someone insulted someone else simply based on something out of their control, I found it harder to hold back. “How about we go somewhere where the dust doesn’t talk?” I smirked.

When silence fell over the bar’s denizens, Derpy threw back her head and laughed. It was a fairly melodious and mirth-filled laugh. And it sounded like it was something she needed. While the newcomers were staring at me, now with looks of anger, she looked back at me. “Someplace without the newly arrived filth sounds perfect, my good stallion.”

“Why don’t we finish our drinks, then?” I asked, holding up my glass towards her. “Down the hatch!”

She grabbed her new drink, handed to her by a now smirking Moon Shine, and grabbed it with her surprisingly prehensile wings. “Cheers.”

The two of us downed our drinks quickly, then I slammed down a number of gold bits on the table. “Is that enough for everyone but the dirt?” I asked.

“Eet eez! Thank you, monsiéur!” Moon grinned as he took the bits and placed them in his register.

“Well then, shall we go, Miss Doo?” I asked, grinning at her.

She hopped off the barstool and looked up at me. “Lead the way, my good stallion!”

“Not so fast, alien,” their leader, the first one who’d insulted Derpy, said as I passed. He put his hoof on my shoulder.

I looked down at him with a harmless smile. “Yes? Something I can help you with, my little Pony?”

I heard snickers from the other bar’s denizens. The stallion’s eyes narrowed at me. “Aren’t you forgetting to say something to us?” His companions nodded in agreement as they started to surround me.

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling. “Hmmm…am I? Let’s think here…ah! Yeah, how about this: try and keep your noses out of the dirt. I mean, you are what you eat, after all.”

Derpy laughed as the leader’s expression darkened. He pointed a hoof at my chest, poking it none too gently. “You. Me. Outside. Now.”

I held my hand up and grasped the leader in a telekinetic grip, lifting him off the ground. His eyes widened in sudden fear as I walked up to him, the smile quickly falling from my eyes. “I don’t care if you’re Spitfire herself, no one insults my friends.”

“Pléase tak zis ootsidé. Ai don't want any troubuhl haire,” a now worried Moon Shine pleaded.

“Oh, don’t worry, my dear friend Miss Doo and I were just leaving,” I said, placing the Pegasus down gently enough and finally releasing him from my grip. I glared at the other Wonderbolts, who wisely created a path for us, then turned to Derpy with a smile. “Come, my dear, shall we?” I held out a hand, which she took with her wing as we walked back out into the early afternoon air. After a few steps, she began to sway a bit. Reaching out, I caught her as she collapsed. “Whoa, there! I think you need some water.”

“Hee hee hee! Dirt!” Derpy giggled as I put an arm around her. “They eat dirt! Pffff ahaha!”

Looking around, I saw we were near to the Golden Oaks Library, so I helped Derpy over and knocked. When Spike answered the door, I looked at him apologetically. “Hey, dragon-man. Can I get a glass of water for this one here?”

“What’s wrong with her?” Spike asked as he stepped aside.

“Drunk off her flank,” I sighed as I placed Derpy on the couch. “Poor mare’s been being bullied.”

“Spike? Who’s down there?” Twilight’s voice carried up from the open basement door.

“It’s me, Twilight,” I called down. “I brought a drunk Derpy in.”

There was the sound of frantic hooves rushing up the stairs, and Twilight appeared. “Derpy’s drunk??”

I nodded. “She just needs some water and a nap.”

“Hee hee! They eat dirt!” Derpy giggled again.

Twilight looked up at me, eyebrow raised curiously. “Any idea what she’s talking about?” she asked. I nodded, then decided to tell her about what had happened, leaving certain things out that a child might not. Twilight didn’t look too happy when she heard about what had happened, and sighed when I finished. “Did you really need to insult some of the Wonderbolts like that?”

“I don’t care if Celestia herself was a Wonderbolt,” I replied. “If she said anything against Derpy like I heard those jerks say, I wouldn’t hold back. And before you say anything, I know Celestia wouldn’t do that. It was just an example.”

Twilight looked over at Derpy, who was sloppily drinking some water that Spike had brought her. “Every time I see her, she’s always so happy and carefree…”

“Probably the alcohol,” I replied. “It can bring your true self to the surface for some people, or Ponies I guess.”

“Did those Pegasi really say all those things about her?” Twilight asked.

“They’ve probably said more to her face or behind her back,” I said. “Had this been ten years ago, I’d have thrown down with them.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Twilight said, looking up at me with a small smile.

“I was tempted, let me tell ya,” I chuckled, before growing serious again. “Hey, as long as I’m here, do you know if there’s any way to fix Derpy’s lazy eye? I know of at least one way humans deal with it, but maybe in a world of magic there’s a way?”

Twilight looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure, but maybe? I can do some research on it.”

“Um…Twilight, Jethro? A little help?” a nervous Spike asked, coming up to the two of us.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

Spike didn’t say anything, only pointed back at Derpy. The two of us looked and I heard Twilight gasp when we saw Derpy, now full-on sobbing into a pillow. “I didn’t ask for this…” she whimpered. “Why am I so broken?! Why!?” She hit the couch in frustration.

Acting quickly, I rushed over to her, wrapping my arms and wings around her. The wailing mare buried her face into my chest. I stroked her mane gently, letting the poor Pegasus let out her frustrations. She hit my chest, but not too hard enough to hurt. “I just want to be normal…”

I tightened my grip on the poor mare just as the door to the library burst open. Rainbow Dash came flying in, looking around then spotting Twilight. “Hey, Twilight! Gotta…hey, what’s going on?” she asked when she saw me and Derpy. A shudder went through Derpy’s body and she looked up at Rainbow. Her expression twisted into utter despair and her crying resumed anew. As Derpy once more buried her face into my chest, Rainbow landed and looked at the gray mare in confusion. “To repeat: what’s going on?”

Twilight repeated my story to her friend while I continued holding the drunken crying Pegasus in my arms and wings. As she listened, Rainbow Dash’s ears flattened and she looked down, a look of shame on her face. “I…I didn’t know she felt that way,” she said.

“I doubt anypony did,” Twilight said.

“She hides it well when she’s sober, I'm guessing,” I added.

“Derpy…I’m sorry for all the teasing,” Rainbow Dash said.

“It’s not fair…” Derpy sniffed. “Why couldn’t I be as good as you…? Why?! Damn it all, why?!”

“Twilight, got anything to help her sleep?” I asked. “She could use it.”

“Yeah…I can get her some sleeping tonic Zecora gave me a while back. Give me a second.” She headed up to her room.

Rainbow scratched the back of her neck nervously with her hoof. “I wish I’d known,” she said softly.

“She hides it well when she’s sober,” I said quietly back. Looking down at Derpy, I scratched behind her ears gently. “Let it all out, Derpy…”

Twilight came downstairs a little while later, carrying a small glass full of a purple liquid with her magic. Hovering it over to Derpy, she said, “Here you are, drink this.”

I took the glass and brought it to Derpy’s lips. “Open up, Miss Doo.”

She looked suspiciously at the liquid. “What is it?”

“Medicine to help you sleep,” I said. “Come on. You deserve some rest after the day you’ve had.”

She sighed, took the glass and swallowed it all down before dropping said glass and lying her head on my chest again. “I hate them all…” she said tiredly as her eyelids fluttered. Seconds later, she was asleep in my arms.

“Twilight, isn’t there anything your magic can do to help?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I don’t know,” the purple Unicorn said. “I’ll look and see if there’s anything here.”

“Does anyone know where Derpy lives?” I asked as I stood, carrying her princess style. Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Spike all shook their heads. “Well, I’ll let her stay with me until she’s sober. Twilight, thanks in advance for looking for a way to fix her eyesight.”

“Anytime,” she beamed.

I smiled at the two mares and headed out.

“I’m glad she’s alright, my love, but was it necessary for you to anger those other Ponies?” Zecora asked a few hours later after I picked her up from the spa.

“Probably not my finest moment, I agree,” I replied, “but I didn’t like how those Pegasi were bullying her.”

She leaned against me, and I automatically put a wing around her. “I just hope you don’t do anything like that again.”

“All I can promise is that I’ll try,” I promised, looking down at my new girlfriend. “On another note, that spa treatment made you even more gorgeous than before.”

Grinning, she lifted herself up on her hind legs and licked my face affectionately. “You flatterer,” she whispered before landing on all fours again and swished her behind slightly as she walked a bit in front of me. “I definitely feel better than I have in years. And sleepy.”

“Want me to walk you back home? Or would you rather take a nap at my place?” I winked down at her.

“You are the forward one,” Zecora laughed, gently nudging me with her hoof. “But if you’re offering a bed, I gladly accept a place to lay my head.”

“Of course. I have plenty in the larger house,” I replied as I stroked her mane on our way back to Sunny Acre. As we walked back, I reflected on listening to her now talking in modern Equestrian without rhyming. Sure, she sometimes slipped back into it, but for the most part, it was like she’d been reborn. It was unusual at first, but I didn’t mind it too much. We did speak in a mixture of Farasi and Equestrian, the former in more private conversations and the latter in a more casual setting.

As we approached my house, I saw a small group of Pegasi flying towards my gate from the direction of Cloudsdale. I recognized one of them as Spitfire as she landed right in front of my gate. Next to her, the Pony I’d seen in the bar landed, and looked around before spotting me. Grinning, he pointed towards me and said something to Spitfire. I sighed. “Great, just what we need. More trouble.”

“Hey! You there!” Spitfire shouted, spreading her wings and flying over to me. “You have a minute?”

“Go inside, my love. I’ll talk to them,” I whispered to Zecora.

“Please be safe,” she said as she reached up to give my cheek a kiss.

“I will,” I replied, kissing her back as I straightened and faced the fiery maned Pegasus. “Yeah, I can spare a minute. What’s on your mind?”

As Zecora walked through the gate, Spitfire floated over to me, getting directly in my face. “My lieutenant tells me you threatened him. We don’t take too kindly to that, you know?”

“Oh, is that the lie he’s spitting?” I sneered, lifting my hand up and making it glow. He flinched at that. “Did he conveniently forget to mention he was berating another Pony just because of something she was born with?”

Spitfire, taken aback by this, turned to the other Pegasus. “Thunder Pace, is that true?”

“O-Of course not!” the now named Thunder Pace replied, albeit poorly lying.

“Does this sound familiar?” I asked, then imitating his tone, repeated, “‘Well, look at what we have here, fillies and gentlecolts, we’ve found ourselves the lazy-eyed screw up.’ Remember that, my little Pony?”

“Why you little-!” Thunder began before Spitfire raised her hoof to silence her fellow Wonderbolt.

“Mr. Bethridge,” Spitfire sighed and facehooved, “my lieutenant’s actions aside, did you threaten or assault him?”

“I just used my magic to lift him off the ground,” I replied honestly. “Then I put him down.”

“I see.” Her eyebrows furled, apparently deep in thought.

“You’re not seriously thinking about letting this alien go, are you?” Thunder asked incredulously. “He assaulted a member of the Wonder-”

“Shut up!” Spitfire ordered angrily. “Thunder Pace, you realize you’re speaking to the so-called ‘alien’ who stopped a full-on war between the Lycan Empire and Equestria, don’t you? He nearly died to protect your sorry behind.” She whirled on him, putting her hooves on her flanks in another human-like gesture. “This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about your less than stellar behavior. You’re on KP until I decide otherwise! You and your group you hang out with!”

“But-but-! You believe him?!”

“Thunder, you’re a terrible liar,” she growled. “Plus, I already spoke with Moon Shine and other witnesses. They corroborate his story, not yours. Now get back to Cloudsdale double time!”

“Yes, Captain,” he said in a defeated tone. He gave me a glare before flying back with the other Pegasi, leaving me and Spitfire alone.

She turned back to me and extended a hoof. “I’d like to apologize on behalf of my lieutenant. I’ve known Derpy since she and I were in flight school. She’s got a good heart, and is a lot smarter than she acts. She doesn’t deserve the treatment she gets. I’m on my way to see her next.”

“She’s actually at my house right now,” I said, “sleeping off the booze. Why not come by tomorrow when she’s awake?”

“Sure, I can manage that,” she said. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Just hearing that he’s getting punished is repayment enough-actually, wait…there is something else,” I interrupted myself. “I know a really big fan of yours who’d absolutely go nuts for a signed picture of you. A personal signed image.”

“Of course, I can do that,” she grinned. “I’ll bring one tomorrow. What’s this Pony’s name?”

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Her? The winner of the flier’s competition a while back? She refused to spend the day with us despite winning,” Spitfire said.

“You’d have to ask her about that,” I said. “Although maybe having her spend a day with you would be a better way you could make it up to me, since it was my fault she skipped it.”

Spitfire chuckled. “Well, she did save me and a couple of my fellow Wonderbolts. I’ll extend the offer. And speaking of offers, has anyone been training you on how to use your wings?”

“Actually, yes. Rainbow Dash has,” I replied, spreading my wings. “She’s also helping to train Scarlet Dusk.”

“Oh? And how’s that going for you both?”

“Scarlet’s getting the hang of flying better than I am,” I chuckled as I walked to my gate and unlocked it. “Flying for me is still a bit hard. I can lift off easily enough, and gliding is getting easier, but true flight? I’m still having trouble. Would you like to come in for a bit?”

Spitfire looked through the gate at my house, then back at me. “Eh, I’ve got time to spare. Sure.”

“I’ve gotta say, Mr. Bethridge, you’ve got plenty of guts,” Spitfire laughed as me, her, and Scarlet sat in the living room, sipping on some of the Apple family cider and eating the last of my crackers and Cheez-Its. “Wonderbolt guts if you knew how to be a better flier. And were a Pony.”

I’d spent the past hour telling the three mares in front of me a few stories from Earth. I’d just finished telling her about the time I’d defended my Trixie from a group of bullies when the two of us were thirteen. “No, not guts. I was an idiot then, and I’m still kinda stupid now.”

“Just kinda?” Scarlet snorted.

“Shut it, nerf-herder,” I gave her a playful glare.

“You can’t use that word! Only we can use that word!” Scarlet laughed harder, snorting some juice out of her nose.

“Oh God, you watched that…” I facepalmed before turning to Spitfire. “As for being a Wonderbolt, that’s not really my dream. It’s more Rainbow Dash’s dream.”

“It’s not easy getting into the Wonderbolts,” Spitfire said. “You think she’s up to it?”

“If it’s as tough as getting into America’s Armed Forces, I know she’d be able to do it,” I said confidently.

“Nnng…” a new voice said from nearby as a familiar blonde Pegasus stumbled blearily into the room. “What’s all the noise…wait…Spitfire?”

Spitfire set down her juice and stood. “Hey there, Derpy.”

Derpy looked around, and her eyes widened. “Wait, where am I? What happened? Oooh, my head…” she put a hoof on her head, wincing.

“Easy there, Miss Doo,” I said, pouring her a bit of cider and handed it to her. “You’ve got a nasty hangover.”

“Hang on…memory’s coming back…” she winced again and her wings spread immediately. “Oh…I…now I remember…”

“Derps,” Spitfire said softly, approaching her Pegasus friend, “about Thunder’s behavior…I’m sorry about that and anything else he or his gang might have said.”

“Spits, I’m used to it,” she said, giving a small smile. She turned to me. “Thank you for earlier. But could you forget what happened at the library? It’s really not important…”

“Miss Doo, I can’t do that,” I said, walking up and kneeling so I could see eye to eye with her. “You shouldn’t have to hide your feelings.”

She swallowed a bit, then looked away. “But what can I do about it? It’s not like anypony takes me seriously because of this.” She pointed to her lazy eye.

“I’ll take you seriously. Spitfire here takes you seriously. I’m sure Scarlet and Zecora will take you seriously. Rainbow Dash and Twilight will take you seriously,” I said. “In fact, the latter is taking you seriously enough to look through her books to try and find a way to fix your lazy eye.”

Her eyes widened. “She…she’d do that?”

“She’s the protegee of Princess Celestia and the Element of Magic,” I said. “If anyone could find a way to fix your eye, it’s her.”

“And if she can’t, I might have use of that mind of yours,” Spitfire added.

“Me?” Derpy looked confused.

“Derps,” Spitfire said kindly, “your grades in school were always amazing.”

“Besides,” I added, “you’re so much more than your lazy eye.”

Derpy walked up to Spitfire, tears in her eyes. “I…thank you…” she gasped before throwing her hooves around the Wonderbolt, who hugged her back.

Scarlet walked up next to me, patting me on the back with her wings. “You did good, kid, real good. But as long as I’m around, you’ll always be shecond besht, shee?” She mimed smoking a cigar.

I facepalmed. “And I’m going straight to therapy…”

Spitfire volunteered to take Derpy back to her house, and after cleaning up, Scarlet and I both went back to bed. It was a bit late, but I decided to watch the rest of Season 3 as well as the first movie. I was a bit confused as to the title Equestria Girls, but I shrugged it off.

Until I finished the last episode of Season 3.

“Twilight becomes a WHAT?!”

Author's Note

I am so sorry for the horrendous Prench accent. I used an online "translation" site.

32: A Cloaked Heart Meets the Sun and Moon

“Jethro, is everything okay?” Scarlet asked as she, Zecora and I sat around the mansion’s small dining room. “You’ve spent almost all your free time locked in your room for the past five days.”

“She’s right, my love,” Zecora added, putting down her toast and looking over at me with concern. “You look exhausted.”

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the two mares. In truth, I was more than pensive. I was frustrated. Maybe even a bit angry. Especially after sitting through Equestria Girls and the following seasons after Twilight’s ascension to Princesshood. “Sorry, ladies. I’ve just got a few things on my mind. I’ve been watching a new TV show and not really liking a few of the twists.”

“The one about this world?” Zecora asked in Farasi. I still hadn’t revealed the truth to Scarlet, so I’d asked Zecora and the others to keep a lid on it around her until I was ready to tell her.

I nodded. “Listen, you two, I might have to go to Canterlot today. I’ll be sending Celestia a pretty important letter after breakfast, and unless I miss my guess, she’ll want to talk to me in person about it.”

Scarlet and Zecora looked nervous at this, and I couldn’t blame them. The last time I’d been summoned to Canterlot, I’d nearly gotten myself killed. “Are you sure you need to go?” Scarlet asked.

“I’m pretty much expecting that she’ll want to see me when she sees the note I’ll be sending her,” I replied. “Don’t worry. If something does happen, you two will not be out of the loop.”

“You’d better not,” Scarlet said with a warning glance my way, “or you’ll regret it.”

I shuddered. I’d received the mother of all lectures from the Pegasus the moment we had gotten back home from the Lycan Empire, and she could give Twilight a run for her money in that department. “I can only imagine,” I sighed.

“Keep on imagining,” she snickered as she stood. “If you aren’t back here by sunset, I expect a letter or a call.”

“Yeah, I understand,” I replied.

“My love, I will stay here and watch over Scarlet,” Zecora said.

“Well, today I start working off all my debts,” Scarlet said. “Starting with Sugarcube Corner.”

“Whoo boy. Good luck with Pinkie,” I chuckled as I took the last sip of milk in my glass. “She’s an acquired taste. Just tell her that Jethro asks to take it easy on you.”

“I can handle myself, bucko,” Scarlet grinned, and in that moment I saw a part of Rainbow Dash poking through her personality. “You just be careful, alright?”

“I will, I promise,” I repeated as I began cleaning up my spot at the table. “I’m gonna ask Spike to send the letter when I figure out just what the hell to write.”

“Do you want help?” Zecora asked.

“No, but thanks for offering,” I said gratefully, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. “If I do, I’ll come get you.”

She leaned in and kissed me. “I fully expect you to, darling.”

“You’re so whipped,” Scarlet laughed as she grabbed a saddlebag and slung it over her.

“That’s not a bad thing in my book,” I said, never taking my eyes off of the lovely Zebra mare. “I’ll do my best to be home tonight if Celestia calls me to Canterlot.”

“I will be here waiting with open hooves,” the blushing Zecora replied, nuzzling my face with her own before pulling away. “Now, I believe you have a letter to write?”

“Yes. Yes I do.” I rinsed off the dishes and set them aside to wash later. “Wish me luck.”

To Princess Celestia.

Four words: Sunset Shimmer. Princess Twilight.

Now that I have your complete attention, allow me to be blunt: I’ve seen some things in the My Little Pony show that have me concerned, two of them being the above name and plan you have. I know you’re busy, but I need to speak to you about the above and to warn you about other potential future events. Please reply at your earliest convenience.

Your newest subject,

Jethro

“Why can’t you tell me what’s going on?” Twilight, Spike and I were sitting in the main room of the library waiting for a response from Celestia. I’d sent the letter only a half hour ago, and had insisted on waiting nearby for a reply.

“I told you, it’s top secret for the time being,” I replied stoically. “And no amount of puppy dog eyes will make you change my mind. Lord knows I get enough of that from Zecora.”

“How are the two of you doing?” Spike asked as he took a sip of hot chocolate.

“We’re doing great,” I said, grateful for the change of subject. “I’ve spent a lot of time with her lately, going on little outings, spending time watching Earth movies, or spending time at her hut mixing new potions and researching new ways to copy Earth medicine. Hell, just a few days ago we attended that school talent show. I’ve honestly never seen her laugh so hard at the Cutie Mark Crusader’s performance. I’ve also never seen her take so many notes on new ways to recreate Earth painkillers and medication.”

“Could I get some of those notes?” Twilight asked hopefully.

“I’ll pass the message along when I see her,” I said. “I’m positive she’d be willing to share for a second opinion.” I cleared my throat. “I know I’ve been a bit out of it for the past few days, but did anything interesting happen?”

“Funny you should mention that,” Twilight beamed. “My friends and I discovered that if it wasn’t for Rainbow Dash’s sonic rainboom, we wouldn’t have gotten our cutie marks!”

“Oh yeah? Now that sounds really interesting,” I said, despite knowing exactly what had happened.

An excited Twilight recounted how each of the Elements of Harmony had received their cutie marks, and I politely listened. Despite knowing the story already, I loved hearing about it straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were. When she finished, she had the widest smile on her face, matched with my own. “Isn’t that amazing??” she finished.

“Definitely,” I agreed. “It’s almost like some higher power was at play here.”

“You think so?” she asked.

“I’m in magical ponyland. Anything’s possible,” I grinned.

Just then, Spike opened his mouth and a scroll launched out and landed in my lap. On it was written FOR JETHRO’S EYES ONLY. “I didn’t expect it to take that long.”

“Maybe she was busy,” Twilight said. I shrugged as I opened the letter.

My Dear Jethro,

You were right. You have my complete attention. I am sending a chariot to pick you up immediately. Please be ready in the Town Square fifteen minutes after you receive this letter, assuming you’re waiting near Spike.

Your monarch,

Princess Celestia

Ah. Yeah, she’s on high alert if she’s calling her my monarch, I thought as I rolled up the scroll and put it in my backpack. “Welp, time to get going.”

“What’s going on? What did the princess say?” Twilight asked.

“What else? I’m going to Canterlot again.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Are you sure you should? Remember what happened last time.”

“I won’t be going galivanting off on some foolhardy mission like last time,” I replied. “This is just something I need to talk to Celestia about alone. Top secret. Hush hush.” When she gave me a hurt look, I sighed. “I don’t like keeping this a secret from you either, but I hope you trust me when I say that it’s important to keep this to myself for now.”

“I hope you’re right…” Twilight said, slight suspicion evident in her voice.

“I’ll make it up to you.” I blurted out without thinking.

She perked up at that. “How?”

“Better not say anything you’ll regret,” Spike said with a knowing smirk.

“Too late,” I laughed as I turned to Twilight. “I’ll let you study certain parts of my anatomy. But only certain parts.”

Her eyes lit up and she gave me a slightly creepy grin. “I hope that includes hands and fingers.”

“Yes…yes it does,” I said, regretting my decision more and more. “Anyway, I need to get going. Celestia’s sending a chariot to pick me up. Again.”

“Wow, whatever you sent must have been pretty important,” Spike observed as I headed to the door.

“You’ve no idea,” I said as I put my hand on the doorknob. “Let’s just hope she doesn’t keep me overnight. If she does, I know two mares who will tie me up and keep me by their sides.”

I heard Twilight say something unlike her, but ignored it as I stepped out into the morning air. “It’s always the nerdy ones,” I muttered.

Unsurprisingly, it was Shining Armor who greeted me as he stepped off of the flying chariot which had landed in Ponyville Town Square. As he removed his helmet, I approached. “We’ve gotta stop meeting like this,” I teased, “or else Cadance will totally kill me.”

He gave me a wry smile. “I only get the important assignments,” he said as he extended a hoof.

“Good to know Celestia considers this important,” I said, giving his hoof a shake. “Well, no time like the present. We’re burning daylight here.”

“No kidding,” Shining replied as the two of us stepped back onto the chariot. After he put his helmet back on, he held up his hoof and the Pegasi pulling the chariot spread their wings, galloping up into the air. After we were airborn, Shining cast some magic that cut off the sound from the rest of the world and turned to me, an impish grin on his face. “I hear you found a special somepony. Or is it somezebra?”

I blushed and facepalmed. “How’d you find out?”

“Jethro, I’m dating the princess of love. She has a certain sixth sense about these things.”

“A sixth sense named Auntie Celestia?”

He snorted. “They are family, after all.”

I nodded. “Fair point. And yes. I’m dating Zecora.”

“Hardly been in our world half a year and you’ve stolen somezebra’s heart,” he laughed. “You work fast.”

I gave him a playful jab. “At least I was man enough to ask her out on a date!”

“After she confessed to you!”

“…Again, fair point.” I looked down at the landscape below. “Then again, I would probably still be in the dark if I hadn’t been an idiot back in the Empire.”

“Princess Celestia told Cadance the story and she told me,” he said in a sympathetic tone. “You couldn’t have known.”

“I should have, and by the time I knew they were planning something, I was already playing right into their grubby little claws!” I sighed. “I’m just a guy who deals in money. I’m only used to the way humans think. And even then, seems like some of the inhabitants of this world think in a similar manner to humans.” I closed my mouth. “Shutting up, now.”

The potential future prince of the soon to return Crystal Empire put a hoof on my back. “Nopony’s gonna think less of you.”

“Less of me? If Twilight hadn’t found that obscure law, I could have killed her!” I grit my teeth, shuddering at the memory, then my increasingly expressive wings deflated as I sighed. “Even then, Gemini is gonna be my slave, at least nominally.”

There was a palpable silence for a while, before Shining gently said, “There’s more on your mind, isn’t there?” When I looked away, he pressed, “What did you send the Princess? I’ve never seen her this nervous before.”

“You’re definitely Twilight’s brother,” I said as I leaned back and looked up at the cloudless sky. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything about it. I need to talk with her about a few things alone. After that, it’s up to her whether or not she tells anyone else.”

“You can’t tell me anything?” he pressed again.

“Not at the moment.” I looked apologetically at him. “It’s nothing against you, you understand. I just have a lot to say.”

“Will this affect Cadence and Twilight?” His eyes bored into me.

Letting out a long sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Please stop asking,” I begged. “Captain, if there’s anything that I can tell you, I really should run it past Celestia first. I’m still learning about this world, its history, culture and its people. Or inhabitants, I guess.”

Shining looked away for a bit, a pensive look on his helmeted face. He then quickly turned to me and pointed a hoof at me. “If I find that you told the princess something that hurts Cadence or Twily, you’d better sleep with both eyes open.” It wasn’t a threat. It was a statement of fact.

“That remains to be seen,” I said honestly. “However, you have my honest word I have no ill intentions against your sister or marefriend. What I have to say to Celestia might just save them some hurt and trouble in the future. However, your point is duly noted.”

That seemed to satisfy him and he looked ahead at the quickly approaching Canterlot Palace. The Minas Tirith lookalike never felt more oppressive than now, especially since I had a lot to say to the princess of the sun. A ton of questions and possible future invasions and threats to tell her. I had to remind myself this was Princess Celestia I was going to see, not the Celestia who’d slept next to me in the Lycan Empire or the one I’d comforted on the train. Taking a deep breath as we came in for a landing, I straightened.

The moment we landed, a Pegasus servant mare approached us, looking nervous. She had cobalt blue fur, a royal blue and yellow striped mane and tail, and silver eyes. Her cutie mark was, of all things, a simple broom. “C-Captain Shining Armor, Mr. Bethridge…the Princess sent me to tell you she’s in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden.”

I tensed up, knowing very well who was there. I forced my rising anger down and stepped off of the chariot. Shining followed. “Thank you, miss. I’ll escort the guest there.”

“A-Actually, the Princess told me to tell you she wants you to go back to your normal duties. I was ordered to lead Mr. Bethridge to the Princess.”

Taken aback by this, Shining slowly nodded, then turned to me. “It must be serious if she’s doing this,” he said. “Good luck.”

“I’m gonna need it,” I sighed as I followed the servant mare.

As the two of us walked, the servant mare somewhat nervously looked back at me a few times. I ignored it a few times as we walked through the massive palace halls. After a while, I caught her looking at me and decided to meet her gaze. “Is something on your mind, miss…?” I left the request for a name unspoken.

“Fresh Hoof, sir,” she replied, “and it’s just…I’ve never seen the Princess so agitated before. She practically canceled the rest of her meetings today after receiving your scroll.”

“Fuck…” was all I could mutter.

“Fuck, indeed,” a familiar voice said from above me. Looking up, an exhausted but concerned looking Princess Luna flew down towards me, landing in front of me and Fresh Hoof. “We have never seen our sister like this in many moons. What didst thou write her about?”

“Why don’t you come with me and find out?” I asked. “Let’s just say I’d value your input just as much as I would your sister’s.”

“But…Princess Celestia said I was to bring you only,” Fresh said, looking more nervous now.

“We are also a Princess of Equestria,” Luna frowned down at the poor mare who was now shaking.

Instinctively, I put a hand on Luna’s mane. “Relax, relax.” Turning to Fresh, I said, “She should come with us.”

Wordlessly, the maid nodded and I fell into step with Luna, walking beside her as we followed Fresh Hoof silently down the hallways. Soon, we were led out into a large garden with all kinds of exotic plants. In the center of this part of the garden I saw a large apple tree full of shining golden apples.

As we passed underneath it, I curiously reached up to touch one of the apples when it shimmered and fell into my outstretched hand. Luna looked at this in awe and surprise as I held the apple up to inspect it. The surface was completely reflective and in a certain light shimmered. For some reason, it also felt warm in my hand. Turning to Luna, I raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“Those apples do not fall easily,” Luna said softly. “These are our sister’s pride and joy. They are extremely special and rare.”

“What’s special about them?” I asked.

“For one, if any of them fall when they’re in this state, they won’t deteriorate. Their seeds are notoriously difficult to grow unless helped to grow with Alicorn magic,” Luna explained. “They once covered the Everfree Forest and helped to repel the chaotic magic within, but all died save for this one after Eris was encased in stone.”

The tree rustled and another apple fell into the crook of my arm. I grabbed it and compared the two. They looked identical to each other. Luna’s eyes widened even further as she looked at me. “Truly, a remarkable event has transpired.”

“Y-Your Highness?” Fresh Hoof said nervously. “Your sister is waiting.”

Luna snapped out of her stupor and turned. “Quite. Lead on.”

As we left the tree, we approached a part of the garden full of statues of Ponies. As we entered, Fresh Hoof stopped. “The Princess said she was in the garden here. I’ll take my leave.”

“Thank you, Miss Hoof,” I said gratefully to the retreating Pony maid.

“Come, let us find our sister,” Luna said, going ahead of me.

As I followed her, I looked around and saw a maze surrounded by a hedge. I stiffened. I knew she was around here somewhere, and it took all my self-control to keep my anger in check. But then, I saw it. My wings spread as wide as they could go and I grit my teeth, not just in anger, but in shock at what I saw.

There she stood. Eris. Discord. Whatever she called herself. The quintessential lady of chaos stood atop a small Greek-like column. To my surprise, her features were all wrong. Or rather they weren’t related to the god of chaos I remembered from the show.

Unlike the one I saw from the show, a lot of her features were more evenly distributed. She had two identical feet, some kind of claw which I couldn’t identify. There were only two toes attached to an elongated foot. She was wearing some sort of long flowing dress which could barely contain her own large bust. She had two large bracelets on each of her arms, both of which were four fingered claws that had a similar style to her feet. Behind her I saw a pair of batlike wings fully outstretched. Her eyes weren’t mismatched either, looking down at, presumably, her last view of anyone before turned to stone. On each side of her head were ram’s horns and her mouth was a bird beak. Her hair was similar to that I saw from Celestia and Luna, flowing in the wind, albeit frozen in its eternal dance.

A shiver ran up my back. The way she was smirking made her appear more sinister than Discord ever did. I was brought out of my daze by a gentle wing placed over my shoulder. Looking up, I saw a concerned Celestia looking down at me. “Jethro, what is it? What’s wrong?”

I bit my lip, and with a slight shudder in my voice, part from anger and part from fear, I turned back and pointed. “That’s what’s wrong. She’s all wrong.”

“And that worries thee?” Luna asked, coming to the other side of me.

“Not here,” I said through gritted teeth. “Get me away from her. I’m liable to do something stupid.”

Celestia’s horn glowed and we were standing in a small pavilion overlooking the land below as well as the rest of the city. A table stood a few feet away, laid out with a tea set with three cups and chairs. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding as Celestia gently led me to one of the chairs, specifically one larger than the rest. I sat down and let my wings deflate again. “Thanks,” I said, “I was liable to lose it back there.”

“Because she was the one who hurt Athena?” Celestia asked as she began pouring tea into the three cups while Luna took a seat in another one of the chairs.

“I can’t help myself,” I sighed. “It just…it hurts still.”

“Thou wish to blame Eris.” Luna’s words were a statement of fact, not an accusation. “Hast thou truly mourned the loss?”

“I…” I trailed off before I could even say anything more. Did I really mourn her loss? Or am I masking that grief with hatred. What was it Mom and Dad always told me? “Hatred isn’t bad in and of itself, but cling to it and it corrodes your soul.”

“Jethro?” Celestia looked at me with concern.

“I wonder if I really have mourned her loss,” I said softly. “I thought I had. Maybe I haven’t.”

“We both understand how hard it is,” Celestia said sympathetically. “More than you know.”

I looked down at the tea in the cup presented to me. I lifted one of the golden apples in my hand and looked at my reflection. I barely heard the gasp of the Solar Princess as I looked over my slightly distorted features. “I know…” I put both apples down and looked up at Celestia. “But that’s not why I’m here.”

Celestia’s shocked expression faded as her features grew serious. “Right. What do you want to talk about?”

“Okay, first things first.” I folded my hands together and gave Celestia a level gaze. “Why are you planning on making Twilight Sparkle a princess?”

She stiffened at that for a few seconds before lifting her teacup up and taking a sip. Placing it down, she sighed heavily. “My little Ponies need a new Princess.”

“Sister, what meanest thou?” Luna asked in shock. “Art thou planning to retire?”

Celestia shook her head. “Not at all. It’s just…I wanted someone who isn’t only intelligent enough to be a Princess, but who is also kind, generous, loyal, honest, joyful and powerful enough to back up her title. Twilight has incredible potential to become a Princess. Not only that, but she’s young and flexible in her thinking. You know how easily us Ponies judge other races with few exceptions?”

“What about it?” I asked, curious as to the plans of this Celestia.

“With no offense to my sister, the two of us are too old and rigid in our way of thinking.”

Okay…I wasn’t expecting that from her. “What do you mean?”

“My sister and I have wanted to try and build bridges between our neighbors, and attempt to repair old wounds we’ve caused others even before I banished her,” Celestia admitted. “But over the past thousand years, our kingdom has grown and so has the duties I have on my hooves. Even with Lulu back, the two of us aren’t enough to even begin the process of spreading friendship and alliances with other races and kingdoms.”

“Okay, you have a fair point there,” I said, trying not to sound accusatory, “but Twilight’s way too damn young for all that responsibility. She’s barely out of her teens.”

Celestia bristled at that. “I’m not sure how it works for humans, but Ponies are considered mature when they pass the age of twenty.”

“And does that include Pinkie Pie? Or how about Rainbow Dash? Those two are in their twenties and still plenty immature. Hell, I think Applejack would make a calmer and more mature princess than Twilight at the moment,” I blurted out. I took a deep breath to calm down. “I get what you’re saying, I really do, and it’s a good idea to find a new princess to help in the areas you feel you’re inadequate in, but Twilight is still really young!”

“And more mature than most in her age group,” Celestia countered.

“Okay, granted that’s the case,” I said, growing more and more upset, “but she also has a tendency to go completely neurotic! Hell, in one of the episodes I just watched, she flipped the fuck out because she didn’t have a friendship lesson to send you by the end of the week, like it’s some kind of damned homework assignment! She caused a problem herself which caused massive chaos in Ponyville. In the end, YOU had to step in and save the day!”

Celestia’s eyes were wide at this revelation. “She thinks of it as a homework assignment…?”

“Every week she sends you something, right? Or at least, by the end of the week at the latest.” When she nodded, I continued. “You think you’re rigid in your thinking? She has her own pitfalls to overcome still.”

“I never said she didn’t,” Celestia said. “She’s still the best choice I’ve found in all my years of searching.”

“But so early? And the magic spell the version of you I saw send to her as a test caused even more chaos!”

“Hold thy tongues!” Luna interrupted us, looking between me and an increasingly defensive Solar Princess. “Jethro Bethridge, thou seem quite defensive of our sister’s student. Why is that?”

I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. “I…I guess I am being a bit protective of her, am I?”

“Just like I was with her,” Celestia said thoughtfully. “I kept her by my side for too long.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that right?”

Celestia looked down at her tea and sighed. “I didn’t want her to go, either. I knew she was the Pony I was looking for, but I kept on inventing excuses as to why she shouldn’t leave my side.”

“So…you looked on her less as your student and more as your daughter,” I stated.

She sighed and nodded. “I haven’t had any children of my own, ever. She was the closest I ever got to having a child.”

Now I was beginning to feel guilty. I felt bad for rushing too quickly to judgement, but even so, I still felt that the way it happened in the show was a bit too soon, depending on when down the line it did happen. “Your Highness,” I said, “I’m sorry for yelling. I’m not saying Twilight doesn’t have great potential. I’m just saying maybe wait a little longer? In the end, it’s your call, and-”

“Please, call me Celestia,” she pleaded. “and I’m sorry, too. You’ve got some good points, and I appreciate you telling me all of this. I just know Twilight better than you, no offense.”

“None taken,” I said.

“You care for her a lot, don’t you?” Celestia asked.

“Having her save your life kinda makes a girl grow on you.” I chuckled. “Just…the lengths she went to find a way out of the mess in the Empire really impressed me. That, and all of the others who did the same. Hell, even Rainbow Dash, and she isn’t even the studious type.”

Celestia spread one wing and placed it on my back. “It just goes to show how much you’ve impacted them in so short a time.”

“I guess…Maybe I am being overprotective of her.”

“I know how you feel, believe me,” Celestia said. “She’s the first I believed could take on the mantle of a princess. I’ve looked for a suitable candidate for centuries, and I thought I succeeded when I found Sunset Shimmer.”

“Ah yes, onto her,” I said.

“Have you seen her in the show? Does she come back to seek my guidance?” Celestia asked hopefully.

“Not even close,” I said. “In My Little Pony, she actually returns from the other world to steal Twilight’s Element. It happens right after the show’s version ascends to Princesshood.”

Celestia’s eyes fell, a look of hurt on her face. “I failed her.”

“If anything, she failed you,” I said in an attempt to be reassuring. “She sought out power of her own accord.”

“No, I failed,” she repeated. “I wasn’t there for her enough. I couldn’t do anything to help her.”

“Is that why you overcompensated with Twilight?” I asked. Celestia nodded silently. “Don’t go beating yourself up. That’s the job of the Lunar Princess who created a Tantabus to plague herself with nightmares as a penance,” I said, looking over at Luna.

Celestia gasped. “Lulu?!”

Luna’s ears flattened. “Sister, I-”

“Do you know how dangerous that is?” Celestia cried out in terror. She stood and rushed to her sister, wrapping her hooves around the Lunar Princess. “Why…?”

Luna’s eyes were filling with tears as I gently replied, “Forgiving oneself is harder than you might think.” I pulled out my travel laptop and opened up YouTube. “Maybe this will help put things in perspective for you, Luna.”

As the two sisters clung to each other, they watched the Lullaby for a Princess fan song. As it came to a close, Luna looked at her sister. “Didst thou feel that way?”

“How could I not!?” Celestia exclaimed, tears flowing down her cheeks. “I didn’t see what I was doing to you. You think you’re the only one who found it hard to forgive myself? You think you’re the only one who made a Tantabus?”

“Sister…you didn’t-”

“I did. Those first hundred years I completely tortured myself, and the Tantabus I made showed me countless scenarios where I could have saved you. Where I could have done something to make you feel appreciated and loved. I almost…almost became something I hated.” She looked fearfully at Luna. “I don’t want that happening to you! Nightmare Moon was my fault, too!”

It was unusual for me to see the younger sister comforting the older, but that’s what happened when Luna pulled her sister close, stroking her mane gently. “It wasn’t…” she tried to reassure her sister, but Celestia interrupted.

“I ignored you for so long! I always believed you were strong, but I failed! Do you know how much I hated myself?”

I stood, walking over and wrapping my wings and arms around both crying Alicorns. Something in the back of my mind told me this kind of behavior for the two sisters was slightly out of character for them, but I quickly dismissed it since these versions of the diarchs were different than the ones on screen.

As I had my hands on both of them, I felt a small surge of something flowing into me from both of them, but each flowed through me and towards the other. They slowly relaxed after the small surge flowed through me. Celestia was the first to speak. “Luna, I forgive you, and I’m sorry for all the pain I caused you.”

Luna clung tightly to her sister, and finally said with at trembling voice, “We forgive thee as well, and we are deeply sorry for what we did.”

A small breeze blew over all three of us, and I inhaled the sweet-smelling air around us as I slowly removed my hands from their manes. Returning to my seat, I looked at the two of them as I minimized the window on the laptop. “How do you both feel?”

This time, Luna was the first to speak. “We…feel better,” she said. “And we shall heed thy advice, sister. The Tantabus shall be destroyed.”

“Thank you,” Celestia said, wiping her tears with a nearby kerchief.

When the two of them were sufficiently recovered to continue, I leaned forward. “So…are you two ready to hear more about a possible future?”

By the time I finished with my explanation of all I’d seen so far, which had only been up to the last two episodes of Season 5, it was two hours past midday. I had the MLP fan wiki open as I went over certain more pressing instances to look out for. Starting with Discord’s return, I went down the list, which included the return of Discord, or Eris in this case, the Changeling invasion, the return of the Crystal Empire and King Sombra, how Twilight got her wings, the nature of the world beyond the crystal mirror, the incident with Discord’s plunder seeds, Tirek’s return, the creation of Twilight’s crystal palace, the incident on the parallel Earth with the Sirens and the two major incidents with Starlight Glimmer.

In between the major incidents, I’d also mentioned (at their request) some of the single episodes, which I did. When I finally finished, silence filled the air between the three of us.

When someone did break the silence, it was Celestia. She slowly stood. “You’ve…given my sister and I a lot to think about.”

“Please just keep something in mind,” I said. When I had their undivided attention, I continued. “My presence has altered things irreparably. I don’t know how Eris would act if she escapes. I don’t know if any of this knowledge will even come to pass. Hell, look!” I searched the fan wiki for the Lycan Empire and showed them the results. “The Lycan Empire doesn’t exist in this other version of Equestria. Lycans there are called Diamond Dogs.”

“That name is familiar,” Luna said. Before I could ask, Luna continued. “According to some of the research we undertook, the Guardian renamed the Diamond Dogs as Lycans when they helped form the Empire.”

“Speaking of that, look at this.” I pulled up the official map of Equestria from the fan wiki. Zooming in to a certain spot, I pointed. “See where it says Undiscovered West? When I compared that to a map I purchased in town, the land here corresponded with the Lycan Empire and the Citadel.”

“So we’re an alternate universe,” Celestia said.

“That was not in doubt, dear sister,” Luna said.

“Yes, and the future is now in question,” I said. “The future of the TV show is definitely not gonna be helpful-”

“Not at all,” Celestia interrupted me. “Sure, there’s a lot this show of yours got wrong, but there’s a lot that it’s gotten right. The return of my sister and all the little events that have happened since then in those episodes you mentioned, those have happened. Don’t think you’re not helpful, because now that you’ve said all of this, Luna and I can make preparations.”

“‘Tis better to prepare and not need it than not prepare and suffer for it,” Luna added.

I nodded. “Agreed.”

“Would thou be willing to help?” Luna asked.

“Help with what?” I asked.

“Planning, of course,” Celestia smiled. “You’re the one who brought these possible events to our attention, after all. We’d value your input.”

“I mean…I’m not sure how I could help, but if you really think I could, I’d be willing to try at least,” I replied.

“We both appreciate it,” Celestia said gratefully. “Would you care to start now?”

We spent a few more hours exploring options on certain future events, ranging from preparing around the clock guards for Cadance, placing the mirror to the alternate world in a prison cell with trap spells to incapacitate anyone moving around in there the size of a Pony, and potentially moving Eris’ statue to a deep part of Canterlot Palace with all manner of magical traps in case she escaped.

By the time five o’clock rolled around, we were winding down on our conversation as the three of us were exhausted. Celestia turned to me after we’d come up with a potential plan for Trixie’s obtaining the Alicorn Amulet, that being to search for it and find it beforehand since Celestia said that the Amulet once belonged to King Sombra and was tainted with evil magic. “I feel as if we will be having many more meetings about this sort of topic in the future, am I right?”

“I wouldn’t be surprise if that wasn’t the case,” I said. “I actually have an idea as to how we can do that without us having to meet in person every single time. Let’s just hope my Morphean magic is capable of recreating a laptop.”

“Why?” Celestia asked.

“I’ll explain later,” I said.

“Please do, because there’s one more important topic we should discuss before we wrap up for the day,” Celestia said, eyeing the apples sitting on the table carefully.

I followed her gaze, then picked one of them up. “These, huh? Luna told me a bit about them.”

“Did you pluck them?” she asked. I shook my head and told her the brief story. Celestia seemed completely shocked at my tale. “This is indeed rare. The apples only fall in very rare circumstances.”

“Like?” I prodded.

“In the presence of someone with a massive amount of magical potential,” Celestia said. “It happened with my sister and I, then with Twilight…then you.”

“I thought that was already established,” I said, confused.

“Well, yeah…” she looked up at the sky, a thoughtful look on her face. “I’ve got a lot to think about, don’t I?”

“Don’t you mean us, sister?” Luna said. “We may be rusty in many areas, but in matters of civil defense, we can be of great help.”

“Of course, dear sister,” Celestia said affectionately, hugging Luna. “I’d really appreciate your help.”

“And with that, I’m pretty sure we have nothing more to talk about. At least, nothing pressing that I can think of,” I said. “I’ll continue watching the show until the end and see what other potential dangers might be coming up. Although-” I stopped myself.

“Yes?” Celestia asked.

I shook my head. “Never mind. I think that conversation can wait.”

“If you say so,” Celestia said. “Thank you for coming and informing my sister and I of all of this. It will be put to good use.”

“I certainly hope so,” I said, standing. “Thank you for having me and bearing with my…attitude.”

“It’s understandable,” Celestia said, waving her hoof at me with a smile. She picked up a nearby bell with her magic and rang it. A little while later, Fresh Hoof appeared, panting from running. “Fresh, could you escort Jethro back to the royal chariot and inform Captain Shining Armor to escort him back to Ponyville?”

“At once, your Highness!”

As Fresh Hoof led me away, I began thinking back to what I was about to say before stopping myself. Yeah…I’m not sure how they’d react if I told them to begin instituting capital punishment…something to be thinking about, though…

After Fresh Hoof took me back to the chariot, and after tipping her generously for her work, Shining Armor escorted me home. I placed the golden apples I’d received in my bag, intent on studying them at a later date. Shining noted that I looked a bit more relieved, then teased me about the possibility of a double date with him and Cadance.

After prodding and teasing, he finally got me to spill about the date. He was definitely interested in the transformation magic used on Zecora and wondered what it would be like if he and Cadance did the same. I warned him about the necessity for clothes for modesty purposes, but that didn’t seem to faze him. I told him I’d keep in touch with him about that possibility.

When I came home, it was nearly sunset and I was exhausted. But I perked up when I heard multiple voices coming from the main house. Curious, I walked inside. “Hello?”

“Boo!” a particular pink Pony jumped on top of me, giggling as I fell onto my back. “Hey, Jethy!”

“Hi, Pinkie,” I groaned as I lifted my head. “What’s all this about?”

“It’s a party, silly!” the energetic mare said, before leaning down and placing her head on my hand. I chuckled and stroked her mane. “Mmm…no wonder Fluttershy likes this! I could get used to this,” she cooed, fluttering her eyelids at me.

“A party for what?” I asked, ignoring the little purrs that came from Pinkie.

“Her Pinkie Sense went off,” Twilight said as she walked up. “She said something about you needing cheering up.”

“So we all pitched in fer a little party,” Applejack said, holding a plastic party cup in her hoof. She extended it to me, and I took it with my free hand.

“Thanks. And she’s right. I could use some cheering up. I met with the princesses today. Pretty stressful…”

Zecora came up to me and knelt down, nuzzling my face with hers affectionately. “That is why we are all here, my dear,” she said soothingly, and the smile she gave me warmed me considerably.

I sat up, Pinkie finally getting off of me. Zecora helped me to my feet and I faced the others. Not only were all the Elements of Harmony there, but so was Spike, Scarlet, Zecora and, to my surprise, Lyra, Bon Bon, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia as well. “Wow…all this for me?”

“Of course, darling!” Rarity exclaimed, smiling warmly at me.

“Well, I’ve met these two lovely ladies,” I said, bowing to Lyra and Bon Bon (who I now knew was actually Agent Sweetie Drops, at least, if that one Season 5 episode was correct), “but who are these two? I’ve seen you a few times around town, but never had the pleasure of talking to you.”

“Greetings,” Octavia said in a British accent. “My name is Octavia Melody. This is my roommate and friend Vinyl Scratch. She’s also known as DJ Pon-3.” Vinyl waved at me with a small smile, then turned to Octavia. To my confusion, she made some complicated gestures with her hooves. Octavia watched and then turned to me. “Vinyl just asked me if you could play some music from your world. I’m rather curious myself. Also, please forgive her for not speaking. She is mute.”

Vinyl’s mute? I didn’t see that coming. I turned to the sunglasses wearing Unicorn. “Well, that depends on what kind you’re into. I’m guessing you’re into dubstep or electronica, and your friend is into more classical?” Vinyl nodded. “Alright…well which would you all like to hear first?”

“Let her hear some music that Vinyl might like,” Octavia said. “I can wait.”

I pulled out my iPhone and scrolled through my music selection. “I’ve got just the thing…”

Author's Note

If you want to know what Eris looks like, think the below image but with flowing Alicorn-ish hair and a bigger bust. And no, I haven't read the comics.

33: A Cloaked Heart and His "Slave"

The day had finally arrived. The day when my so-called “slave” arrived from the Lycan Empire. It was another cool autumn morning, approximately ten more days until the Grand Galloping Gala, and still no invite for me. Which I was glad of, since I didn’t really want to go.

I was pacing on the train station. Zecora and Scarlet were sitting nearby, watching me with varying degrees of concern. The Elements and Spike would have been with me, but they had left for Appleloosa only hours before on the Country Express. I knew which episode was playing out currently, and I would have gone if I could, but I wasn’t about to leave when Gemini was arriving on the exact same day. I did, however, caution them to be careful and to not jump to conclusions. I also told Pinkie not to sing any musical numbers, which confused them.

“My love, relax,” Zecora said, coming up and putting a comforting hoof on my back.

“She’s right,” Scarlet said, flying up to look me in the eye. “Chill out,” she finished with a slight poke of my nose.

“I can’t help it,” I said. “We’re not only getting a new member of the household, but one who recently tried to kill me.” I took a deep breath and sighed. “I’m sorry. I know what I did was the only real option to me aside from killing, but now…”

“You regret it?” Zecora asked.

I shook my head. “Not at all. I’m just trying to figure out how I’m going to incorporate her into the household.”

“I could stay with you for a little while, if at least to help you smile,” Zecora offered.

“You’d be willing to move in for a while? I’d greatly appreciate that,” I said gratefully.

“You’re my coltfriend,” Zecora said kindly. “It’s the least I can do.”

“I’ll be there too, when I’m not working, that is,” Scarlet said.

“Thank you, you guys,” I smiled, reaching down to stroke both their manes. “I’m feeling a bit better already.”

The distant sound of a train whistle caught our attention, and we all looked. I saw a thin line of smoke rising on the horizon in the direction of the train from the Empire. Taking a deep breath, I straightened and stood there, anxiously awaiting the arrival.

After a couple minutes, the train slid into the station, hissing to a stop and releasing steam onto the platform. The intercom announced the arrival and for any passengers on board to disembark as this was the last stop for this train. Multiple Ponies left the train, most giving me curious glances as they gathered their belongings and walking down the stairs towards the town. Minutes passed, and I didn’t see any sign of Gemini.

I was about to walk on the train to search for her after the last Pony left when the caboose door opened and three figures stepped out. Two were Canterlot Royal Guards, and the third was a taller humanoid figure carrying a few bags while at the same time wheeling out a large wooden box.

Straightening up, I walked up, flanked on either side by Zecora and Scarlet. One of the guards, a Unicorn, approached me. “Mr. Bethridge, we are here to help escort your guest to your residence,” he said officially, floating a scroll over to me.

I took it and opened it. It was an official order form signed by Shining Armor and cosigned by Celestia herself. I looked back at the guard, then returned the scroll to him. I was going to escort her home without a guard, but it seemed Celestia wasn’t going to have it. “I know when not to argue with the Princess.” I looked at Gemini, and saw she had both a slightly anxious frown on her face. “Captain Gemini, welcome to Ponyville.”

She glared up at me, but somehow the glare didn’t quite reach her eyes. It felt more like an act. “I’m not a captain anymore,” she growled.

“Regardless, welcome to Ponyville. Now, is there anything I can help you carry? Perhaps this large box-”

“No!” she exclaimed, pulling the box away from me quickly.

“Alright, alright, not the box,” I said, hands held up. “What about any other bags?”

“I’ll be fine,” she said through grit teeth.

“She’s been like that all through the trip,” the one guard whispered to me.

“Noted,” I whispered back before standing back up. “Then in that case, first allow me to introduce you to-”

“Your growing herd?” Gemini snorted, glancing at Zecora and Scarlet.

“No…” I said in a slightly frustrated tone, “This lovely mare is Zecora, a Zebra and my girlfriend. This is Scarlet. She is a Pegasus living with me until she can find a place in Ponyville. I expect you to be on your best behavior around not only these two, but around any other Pony you meet. I can make this an order if it makes you feel better.”

Gemini stiffened, before quickly nodding. “Very well…master.”

“None of that either,” I immediately said, catching a slight twitch from both guards. “No ‘Master’ shit around me or anyone. My name is Jethro. Call me that.”

Gemini nodded. “As you wish, Jethro.”

“We’ll be having some words when we get back home. Now, if you’ll follow me.” Turning, I made my way to the ramp.

Zecora decided to make her worries known to me. Switching to Farasi, she said, “My love, are you sure about this? I can ask you to move my treehouse to your property, you know?”

“I know you could,” I replied, “And I’m grateful for your offer, but there’s no need to take those kinds of measures. Just you staying with me should be enough for the time being.”

“And what of Scarlet? She is still recovering, isn’t she?”

“She’s more or less back to full health,” I replied.

This seemed to appease the worried Zebra as we approached my property. “Welcome to your new home, Captain,” I said as I opened my gate and stepped through. The guards flanked Gemini as we all stepped through.

“By the Guardian, this is where you live?” Gemini said in slight awe.

“And where you’ll be staying. Follow me.”

We all walked up to the door and I opened the front door of the mansion, stepping aside. “Hmm…that box you’re wheeling might not fit through the door.”

“We can lift it, sir,” one of the Unicorn guards said.

“Nowolf is touching this box! The contents are fragile!” Gemini said immediately.

“Take it easy,” I said, “there’s no need to shout.”

She took a few breaths, calming herself. “Nowolf is touching this,” she repeated.

“And do you expect to bring it upstairs on your own?” I asked. “Your room is upstairs.”

She froze and grimaced. Looking at the two wary guards, she finally sighed. “Be careful with it,” she muttered.

“Please take care of the box,” I said apologetically to the guard.

“Of course, sir,” one of them said. Both their identical horns began glowing as they lifted the box.

“I’ll show you all to the room,” I said, walking into the house. We walked slowly up the stairs, an increasingly anxious Gemini following behind as the two Unicorns carefully lifted the wooden box up. I suspected Gemini was hiding something, and the fact that she looked so nervous made me wonder more what she was hiding inside.

Eventually, we came to the second floor and a hallway with doors on each side. I walked down the hall, walking to the last door which I unlocked with a set of keys. Pushing the large door open, I stepped aside to let the Unicorns carry the box in. Once they set it down on the floor, Gemini quickly entered and deposited the rest of her belongings on the large bed. I nodded gratefully to the guards. “Thank you for your help today, gentlemen.”

“We were just doing our duty, sir,” the first Unicorn said stoically.

“I take it you don’t accept tips,” I said.

“No, sir,” the other Unicorn said in an identical voice.

“Well, is there any way I can repay you?” I asked.

“We were just doing our duty, sir,” the first Unicorn repeated.

“Right…well, I’ll let you go, then. Thank you for your help, and tell your Captain I said hello.”

“We will, sir,” one of them said as the two trotted down the stairs and out the door.

Once they were gone, I turned back to Zecora and Scarlet. “Could you excuse me for a bit? I need to talk to our new houseguest alone.”

“Just be careful, my dearest,” Zecora said, rearing up to kiss me.

“Yell if you need us,” Scarlet said with a nod as she and Zecora walked back downstairs.

I walked into Gemini’s new room and closed the door. The bed, which was against the wall, was a curtained one with light blue bedding and a dark blue curtain surrounding it to keep light out. On either side of the bed were a pair of nightstands, each with lamps on them. One had an old styled radio sitting next to the lamp and the other had an analogue alarm clock ticking away. The curtains themselves were a dark gray with an inner white set, the latter of which was shut. On the ceiling stood a large circular light which I turned on.

On the opposite wall from the bed was a large dresser with a vanity mirror. To the right of the dresser was a desk capable of fitting Gemini. On the left of the dresser was an open door which led to a private toilet and shower/bath combo. A fireplace was situated on the right side of the bed, with a painting of a naval vessel hanging above the mantle, depicting Ponies sailing through a fierce storm. Next to the fireplace and in the corner of the room sat an empty bookshelf. Two chairs sat before the fireplace with a small end table between the two.

“Now that we’re alone, it’s time the two of us talked,” I said, gesturing to the chairs. “Sit down.”

Gemini glowered at me, but silently did as she was instructed. I took the seat she didn’t before holding out my hand towards the fireplace. My hand glowed and the fireplace erupted to life. Before a stunned Gemini could say anything, I continued, “There are a few things we need to discuss. The first of which is your job here.”

“What’s there to say?” she asked, staring into the fire now with a frown. “I’m your personal slave. I’m to do whatever you wish. Even join you in your chambers if you so desire.”

“What is it with you Lycans and sex?” I asked. “I’m in a loving relationship with the Zebra you saw. And only her.”

“For the time being,” Gemini smirked. “You do know about herds, don’t you?”

“I can only guess, but that’s not the point-”

“We Lycans have packs, the Ponies have herds,” Gemini interrupted. “The Dragons have hoards, and not just of gold and jewels, the Abyssinians have-”

“Interrupt me again and see what happens!” I shouted angrily. After calming myself down, I glared at her. “Now, as I was saying before you rudely changed the subject, I’m expecting a few things from you while you’re here. Starting with your jobs.”

I paused, and when she didn’t say anything more, I launched into my prepared speech about her working conditions. “I will have a list of chores for you to do around the house, for which you will be properly compensated. You will work five days a week, with weekends off and certain holidays off. Pony holidays. You will receive twenty free vacation days that you can start requesting after a month here, but only if you do so two weeks in advance, barring an emergency. Speaking of those, you will receive fifteen sick days that can be used for any sickness or injury you might suffer while here. Any hospital visit or dental work you require will be covered by me. Meals will be provided three times a day, even on days that you’re off. Unless you eat out, then that’s on you. If you work more than five days a week for any reason, your pay will be doubled for those extra days. If I require you to leave Ponyville for anything, your pay will also be doubled. I fully expect you to keep your room at least decently clean, and any cleaning supplies you require will be provided. Feel free to decorate your room however you please. This is your living area, now. Now, are there any questions?”

Gemini was staring incredulously at me by the time I finished. I waited patiently as she formulated a response. Finally, it came. “You…do know what a slave is, don’t you?”

“A person, or Lycan in your case, who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them without pay,” I replied.

“And yet, you’re paying me and giving me all of those added…benefits?!” she asked in shock.

“Slavery is illegal in Equestria,” I replied, standing and walking around my chair slowly and deliberately. I moved closer to her and leaned down so I was in her face. “Don’t misunderstand, the work will not be easy. Especially one more job I haven’t told you about.”

“And that is?” she asked a bit uncertainly.

“Combat training,” I said. “You will be training me in the art of swordsmanship and general combat for a set time every day.”

Her eyes widened. “You…want to learn to fight?”

“I might have won, but had your brave but foolish brother not interfered, you would have won,” I said.

“You were choking me out,” she growled.

“And I was also weak from blood loss,” I stated. “You will be training me daily, and I fully expect you to hold nothing back.”

“You’ll regret that,” she grinned suddenly. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“I might have powerful magical potential, but there may come a time when magic fails me,” I said. “I need to be prepared for that eventuality.”

“Hmmm…” She stood suddenly and walked around me, stroking her chin thoughtfully as she looked me over with an appraising eye. “I’ve got my work cut out for me,” she sighed.

“I’m sure you do,” I said. “I will leave the type of training up to you, and if you need anything at all, let me know and I’ll do my best to accommodate you.”

“…You are a strange one,” she said.

“There’s the warrior spirit I expected,” I chuckled. “Now then, today I will give you time to unpack and settle in. I’ll bring you lunch and dinner at twelve and five o’clock respectively. I’ve already ordered a few barrels of meat products which should be arriving in the next few days. For now, I have meat stews that will have to suffice until they do arrive.”

“I’ve had worse,” she said.

“I can help you with unpacking some things, if you want,” I said, once more gesturing to the wooden box.

“I’ll unpack myself,” she quickly said.

“Very well.” I looked at the alarm clock. “I’ll be up at noon with some stew and water. Tomorrow is your first day which will consist of normal chores, which is what you’ll do all week, but a week from tomorrow, those chores will be compounded with training. Understood?”

“Understood,” she said, standing next to the wooden box, almost a bit protectively.

“Very well. I’ll see you at noon with your lunch, then at five with your dinner. Oh! Almost forgot.” I reached into my pocket and tossed a small pouch onto the bed, which jingled with coins. “That’s some spending money that you’ll slowly pay back over the course of your first few weekly payments. Just a fair warning: if you do want to go out to buy anything, you’ll need to go with someone. Ponies will not take kindly to a Lycan wandering alone at the moment.”

“Fine, I’ll keep that in mind,” she said impatiently.

“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” I said, turning and walking out. I closed the door, then paused for a moment.

When I heard nothing, I walked away and made my way down the stairs back into the living room where two anxious mares turned as one when I came down. “Are you alright?” Zecora asked, rushing over and nuzzling my face affectionately and worriedly.

I nuzzled her back, wrapping my arms around her and stroking her mane. “I’m perfectly alright, dear,” I promised, planting a kiss on her cheek before we pulled apart. “I laid down her new schedule and my plans for her.” All of which I’d told the two mares as well as the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses beforehand.

“But training in combat?” Zecora asked worriedly. “Surely somepony else could-”

“A Pony wouldn’t work, love,” I interrupted her. “Wrong body type. Gemini is closer to me in that way, so she would be better qualified. Besides, I need to be ready in case of any kind of danger that might arise in the future.”

“That makes sense,” Scarlet said. “Maybe I should learn combat too.”

“Combat? Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’m no foal, Jethro,” Scarlet said indignantly.

“I never said you were,” I said. “Well, if you want to train, who do you want to train you?”

“I can think of a couple choices,” she said.

“Well, let me know when you make one. I can pay for it, and-”

“I appreciate it,” Scarlet said, “but I want to earn it for myself.”

I smiled widely, reached out and stroked her mane gently. “I understand, and I’ll respect that. Just know that if you ever need help I’ll always be willing to lend a hand.”

She closed her eyes and hummed a bit, her wings fluttering slightly at my petting. Zecora came up just then, looking up at me and pouting in the most adorable way. I grinned and placed my other hand on her head, scratching behind her ears.

Just then, I felt a familiar sensation once more flowing up my hands and into my arms. Slight magical energy flowed through me and entered into the two quickly. The two mares seemed to relax as the slight magic flowed into them.

I slowly released them. “Did either of you feel that?”

“Feel what, my love?” Zecora asked.

“Hmm…I felt like something used me as a conduit between you two,” I said. “You two are feeling all right, right?”

“I don’t feel any different. Do I look any different?” Scarlet asked, lifting her wings and looking at herself.

“Not really,” I said as I looked her over before looking at Zecora.

“I feel quite well,” Zecora said reassuringly. “Perhaps you are still stressed?”

“Hmm…maybe you’re right,” I said. “I didn’t sleep that well last night.”

“Please go to sleep early tonight then,” Zecora said. “I can mix up a sleeping tonic for you.”

I smiled warmly at her. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I need to get up early and get our new houseguest acquainted with the house, chores and other things. And speaking of her, I should go get her some lunch. I’m giving her the rest of the day to unpack and rest, so I said I’d get her some lunch and dinner.”

“May I help?” Zecora asked.

“Thanks, but it’s a simple dish,” I replied. “Canned soup. Just heat it up on the stove, and you’re good to go. She’s a meat eater, so she’s gonna need meat in her diet.”

“Won’t that be expensive?” Scarlet asked.

“You’re forgetting that I’m richer than God right now,” I chuckled. “Besides, I’m planning on using my money, to make money. We’re rich!”

Scarlet smirked. “Pfft…we so rich…why we can’t afford no ceiling?” she asked, looking up at an imaginary studio ceiling.

I groaned. “Damn it…”

As the day passed, I spent it with the two mares just chilling in the living room introducing them to a show that I intended to show Luna at one point, the Apple TV show For All Mankind. When I’d brought Gemini her lunch, she’d taken it quickly while at the same time barely opening the door. When I went upstairs a second time, I admit that my curiosity and suspicion got the better of me. I quietly made my way to the door and put my ear against it, listening.

“…move it over there,” Gemini was saying to herself as something was placed down. “And I’ll put this over-” She suddenly stopped and began sniffing.

Which was joined by a second sniffing. What the…who’s there?!

“Fool! Don’t do that!” Gemini hissed angrily. There was some shuffling as footsteps approached the door. It opened quickly to reveal an angry looking Gemini. “What is-oh, it’s you.”

“Brought up your dinner,” I said. “It’s the same as before.”

“You’re early,” she said as she looked at the clock. “It’s only 4:43.”

“Well, I figured you’d be hungry sooner with all the stuff you’ve got put away. Can I come in and look around?” I asked innocently.

She frowned, but slowly nodded and opened the door. “It’s not complete,” she said.

I nodded and looked around. I noticed that the bookshelf was now full, but not with books. Oh sure, there were a few scrolls and books on one shelf, but the rest had other things on them, such as medals, certain jewels, weapons, and other knick knacks. Another picture had been hung on the wall above her bed, a painting of four Lycans. I recognized two of them as Gemini and Mica in younger times, but the other two were older, a male with piercing blue eyes and a graying brown coat of fur, and a female with bright red eyes and a lighter auburn coat. I pointed to them. “Your parents?”

Gemini’s tail drooped. “Yeah…their names were Flint and Ruby Grayfur,” she said.

I noted the use of the word ‘were’ and truly felt some sympathy for her. “You got your strength from your father and beauty from your mother, I bet,” I said.

“Mother trained me in the art of the sword and father taught me other basic necessities, like how to read, write, do my numbers, and how to maneuver in the political arena,” Gemini said.

“And now you’re all alone,” I said, slowly moving around the room and keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. I was almost positive she had someone in the room with her, but I needed to catch her in the act. “What with your family back in the Empire.”

“Yeah…” she said.

“Well, at any rate, the room looks homier,” I said, turning back to her. “Anything else I can get you or are you all set for the night?”

“I should be fine,” she said.

“Good. Then you won’t mind if I do…this!” I went prone next to her bed and looked directly underneath.

“NO!” Gemini screamed in terror as she rushed over to me.

I found myself staring into the scared face of a young Lycan male. One I immediately recognized. “Well, now I know why you were so keen on keeping me away from the box. Come out, Mica.”

The trembling teenager came out, looking up at me scared. “Please…don’t punish my sister. She did it to save me. I’ll take whatever punishment you will give to Gemini, just please-”

I held up my hand to silence him. “Mica Grayfur, you’re not the one in trouble with me. And as noble as your attempt to take your sister’s punishment is, she’s the one who lied to me.” I turned towards her. “I expect some answers out of you.”

She lowered her head, ears flattened. “You’ll get them…”

“Good. Now, let’s go downstairs,” I said, “there’s a lot to talk about.”

Two equine mares and two Lycans sat in the living room across from each other on the two large couches on either side of the main fireplace. I sat in a third couch between the two, frowning as I looked at the four individuals. The tension could be cut with a knife. I turned slowly to a now nervous looking Mica. “There’s no need for you to be nervous, young man,” I said. “It’s not you I’m angry with at the moment.” I slowly turned to face Gemini. “Now then, why don’t you tell me the truth?” Gemini’s lips tightened, but she nodded. “Thank you. Please begin.”

And so, she told us all. After I’d left the Empire with the other Ponies, Mica had been arrested and sent to the deepest, darkest prison. Gemini had pleaded for leniency against the young male, but Amber had refused. Even her pleas with Amethyst fell on deaf ears. Fortunately, she still had those sympathetic to her plight among the Imperial Guard who helped her with an escape attempt.

I didn’t exactly like the next part, but desperation would make anyone do anything for their loved ones. They’d dug up a fresh young male cadaver and during a changing of the guards in the prison, exchanged the body with Mica’s. Then, to make sure the body couldn’t be identified, they set his cell on fire. The guards who were on duty then were ones in the know about the escape attempt and thus ignored the fire for a while before “noticing”, but by then the body was charred beyond identifying.

Gemini told us that Amber took great pleasure in telling her about Mica’s untimely death. By then, Mica had been packed away in the wooden box which contained most of Gemini’s clothing as well as some of the weapons.

When I heard about the fact that they’d faked Mica’s death, I released a breath and relaxed a bit, at least until I realized that it was quite possible this would get back to Amber somehow. “Gemini…do you realize the danger you’ve put us all in. And not just us, but potentially all of Equestria?”

“He’s the only family I had left!” she snapped. “I couldn’t let him be killed!”

I sighed. “You do realize I’ll have to tell Princess Celestia and Luna about this.” When she lowered her head, I slowly added, “I’ll ask them to grant Mica emergency asylum and refugee status, but to keep it on the down low. As to who else should know about this-”

“I don’t want any more than is necessary to know,” Gemini interrupted me.

“You don’t get to make that decision,” I said, then I forced my face to soften. “Gemini Grayfur, I understand why you did this, I really did. Mica is free to stay here for as long as he needs to, but this situation has to be dealt with carefully. If Amber finds out it could spell all-out war.”

“Would it make things better if I left?” Mica said.

“No!” Gemini said, pulling her younger brother into a protective hug. “We’ve already lost Mother and Father. I won’t lose you too!”

“Relax, young man. You aren’t going anywhere if I have anything to say about it,” I said. “Nevertheless, I still need to tell the Princesses about this. And I doubt they’ll be too happy. Then again, maybe they will be.” I stroked my chin thoughtfully again. “This house has plenty of bedrooms. You can have one of your own right next to your sister for the time being.”

“Thank you,” Gemini said, sounding truly grateful.

“Don’t thank me just yet,” I said, looking at her sternly. “We’ve got to fix this mess somehow. And not by hiding your brother. Hmm…” I furled my brow, deep in thought for a while before a thought came to mind.

“I know that look, my dearest,” Zecora said with a grin. “What is your idea?”

“There are six mares we’re going to need to talk to about this, but at the moment they’re out of town,” I said. “When the Elements of Harmony come back, I’m telling them. For the time being, though, Mica, you’re going to have to stay out of sight for the next few days. They should hopefully be back in a few days. I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer in terms of meat for you, but hopefully it can tide you over until our first shipment comes in from Griffonstone.”

“I’m just glad to be with my sister,” he said.

“And alive, I bet,” Scarlet chuckled.

Mica smiled sheepishly and nodded. “That too.”

“Well, for now I bet you’re exhausted and sore from traveling in that box,” I said. “Feel free to take a hot bath in one of the spare rooms and get some sleep. I take it you have clothes of your own aside from those?” When he nodded, I chuckled. “Good to know. Go ahead and get settled in. I’ve still got a few things to say to your sister.”

“Thank you, sir,” he said gratefully before turning and hugging his sister again.

After the young teen was gone, I turned back to Gemini. “I hope you’re ready to accept the consequences of this.”

“I wouldn’t have brought him with me otherwise,” she growled defensively. “What would you have done?” she added suddenly, standing and stomping over to me.

I stood and faced her. “Probably the same thing in your situation.” Reaching out I put a hand on her shoulder. I gave her a small smile. “Gemini, you’re definitely one of the more honorable Lycans I’ve seen. You fought for your princess despite her lies which shows some extreme loyalty, you rescued your brother from your Empress, which shows you have a deep sense of love and responsibility for your family, and you’re strong, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally.”

She shrugged me off, but not too forcefully. She walked passed me, but paused, then turned back. “Despite what my Empress and Princess might want, I don’t want to see…to see my country embroiled in war. Because we’d lose…”

“I don’t want that either,” I said in agreement. “You’ve had a long day. Go rest, now.”

Without another word, Gemini trudged up the stairs. I took a seat and the three of us sat in silence until the door to Gemini’s room closed. Zecora was the first to say anything. “Are you doing alright, Jethro?”

“Not really,” I confessed, rubbing my temples. “This whole situation just gave me a massive headache.”

Zecora walked up, jumped into my lap and nuzzled my face. Scarlet walked up as well, frowning. “I’m not really smart enough to know about stuff like this,” she admitted, “but what do you think the Princesses will think about this?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I replied, wrapping my arms around Zecora’s neck and burying my face in her mane. “But I can’t really hide this from either of them.”

Zecora put her hooves around me, rubbing my back affectionately. “Whatever transpires, my dear, we’ll always be here.”

Scarlet put a wing on my knee, nodding in agreement before pulling it away. “I think I’ll head to bed. Please don’t stay up too late?”

“Yes, dear,” I joked, causing the two mares to chuckle as Scarlet trotted up the stairs.

Zecora and I held each other silently for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. The warmth and softness of her body put me at my ease. After a bit, I heard her begin to hum a familiar tune. It warmed my heart, and I began singing along.

“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam, and I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream.”

I felt her kiss my cheek affectionately. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I replied, pulling her closer and kissing her deeply. Tomorrow was another day. A day where we could worry about the situation. But for the time being, Zecora was here. She was in front of me. She was my mare. And for the moment, it was enough for me.

34: A Cloaked Heart and Choices Made

“Jethro, please, please don’t take offense to this, but…ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?!” Twilight shouted at me.

Four days had passed since later as we were all meeting at my house once again. I’d spent more of my free time watching more of My Little Pony as well as watching more fan videos and even reading a few fan stories on a website called FimFiction.net. Some fan interpretations seemed a bit off to me, especially a story series named The Conversion Bureau, which felt impossible to me. Then again, fan interpretations weren’t my thing to judge. Not like I could talk to them about it, anyway.

My two favorite stories so far were Ranger by Rescue Sunstreak and A Journey Beyond Sanity by Darkwing Dust. It was just a shame I would never be seeing any updates from either, but they both kept me entertained and those two stories, along with others I read, were giving me ideas and insights into what certain fans thought of the show’s general direction. I also spent some time keeping a close eye on Gemini and Mica, the latter of whom pleaded with me to help his sister, which I obliged.

We were sitting in the living room around the couches. Zecora was sitting next to me on one side, with Fluttershy staying close by my other side. Sitting in two chairs opposite from me were the two Lycans, Gemini not looking too happy to be there and Mica looking nervous. On either side were the other Elements of Harmony, Scarlet, and Spike. I’d made Gemini and Mica tell their stories before any of the others could speak.

“Um…no, but now I’m deaf,” I said, sticking my pinkie finger in my ear to try and stop the ringing.

“I have to agree with Twilight, darling,” Rarity said, looking warily over at the two Lycans who were sitting on one of the couches. “You haven’t even considered the fact that this might be some sort of ruse, have you?”

“I did,” I said, “but I also know that Lycans have some semblance of honor. Like Klingons.” This got a snort from Scarlet, who of course understood that reference. “Their Empress hates males, and Mica would definitely have qualified for execution for foiling their plans for me and Equestria.”

“And what if she’s trying to use Mica as a spy?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking suspiciously at the two Lycans.

“How would they send a message to the Empire?” I asked. “They don’t exactly have the internet or e-mail. You guys still use letters. And I seriously doubt there’s a long-distance telephone line or Morse Code line there.”

“It’s called Mare’s Code,” Twilight corrected.

“To-may-to, to-mah-to,” I waved my hand dismissively. “Point being, how’s she gonna send a message to the Empire?”

“Carrier bird,” Twilight said.

“Those exist here?” I asked.

“Yes!” Twilight said, sounding frustrated.

“Would you rather I just lock these two up and feed them bread and water for the rest of time?” I asked angrily.

“Well…no, but-”

“Twilight Sparkle,” I said, catching her attention. “I understand why you’re so suspicious. All of you. But need I remind you we have the Element of Honesty here? She’s like a living lie detector.”

“Well, golly. Don’t ah feel special,” the Earth Pony mare said, rolling her eyes.

“You know I didn’t mean it like that,” I said with a sigh.

She shook her head and smiled. “Ah know what ya meant. And fer the record, I don’t think she was lyin’ about what she told us.”

“Why…why would the Empress do such a thing?” Fluttershy, who was sitting next to me, looked up at me. Her gorgeous blue eyes were wide with questions, like she thought I had the answers.

I reached down and stroked her mane, and she shuddered slightly. “I don’t know, Flutters,” I said honestly. “I have a few guesses, but that’s not why we’re here.”

“You have to tell Princess Celestia,” Twilight continued.

“I will, but I needed to speak to all of you about it first,” I said.

Pinkie, who was unusually silent, finally spoke up. “What do you think the Princess will do?”

“I don’t know, Pinkie,” Twilight said, pacing the living room nervously.

“Calm down, Twilight,” Spike said, walking up to her and putting a hand on her side.

“Spike, we have a runaway Lycan living in Jethro’s house,” Twilight said. “After what the Lycans did to him-”

“Spike’s right, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Yer getting’ all catawampus.”

She took a few deep breaths, then finally looked at the two Lycans. “How can we be sure you’re not here to spy?”

“Spying isn’t my style,” Gemini replied coolly. “I’m a warrior, not a Dark Fae.”

“What are those?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gemini sighed. “Changelings. Shapechangers. Furwalker? Any of those ring a bell?”

“I get the picture,” I said.

“I’ve never heard of them,” Twilight said, now sounding curious.

“I’ll explain later,” I replied. “Twilight, would Celestia have allowed me to bring Gemini back if she thought anything was amiss? You need to remember she knows more about Lycan culture than you did. You never even heard of them before Rarity’s kidnapping.”

“I…guess so,” she said, nodding slowly.

“That being said, you all have valid points about this,” I conceded. “I’ll just have to be careful, won’t I?”

Twilight was in front of me instantly, her dark purple eyes boring into mine. There was frustration there, yes, but there was also a deep worry. “Jethro,” she said, her voice trembling slightly, “I’m really worried about you. Do you have any idea how scared I was when I heard about what was happening to you from Princess Celestia? You’re my friend…” she looked down, and I saw a single tear fall.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Gemini roll her eyes, but Mica looked at me sympathetically. I placed a hand under Twilight’s chin and lifted her to face me again. There were more tears in her eyes, nearly ready to fall. I wiped them away with my finger. “Why do you think I’m training my behind off to get stronger in flight, magic and strength? This world is amazing, but not without its dangers. I want to protect it and all of you, and right now I’m woefully unprepared. Lady Luck was with me that day in the Arena, but luck will only get me so far.”

“Jethro…I…are you sure you can trust them?” she asked quietly.

“No,” I said, “but I can trust Applejack. I know she’s good at telling truth from lies. They aren’t lying about Mica being the target of revenge.”

“I guess so…” she said.

Just then I realized something. She was doing to me what I was trying to do for her when I went to see Celestia about her plans for Twilight. She was pretty protective herself. I couldn’t help it, I began to chuckle, causing everyone in the room to look at me. Pinkie spoke up, a small smile on her face. “Is there a joke you told her? Can we get in on the laugh?”

I reached down and stroked Twilight’s mane. “It’s just that we’re similar in that we want to protect each other,” I said. “One day, I’ll tell you the whole story.”

“Should we not get back to the topic at hoof, beloved?” Zecora asked.

“Of course,” I smiled warmly at Zecora before turning back to Twilight. “I get what you’re saying. I really do. Tell you what, if I promise I’ll be careful, will that make you happy?”

Twilight nodded. “I think so, yes.”

“I promise to use discretion, then.”

She smiled slightly then backed away. “Thank you…”

“So, what’re we gonna do ‘bout them?” Applejack asked, pointing to the two Lycans.

“I’ve always wanted to say this,” I said. Turning to Spike, I said, “Spike, take a letter to the Princess.”

The little dragon smirked as he reached into his bag and pulled out a quill, ink and blank scroll. “Ready when you are, monkey-boy.”

I rolled my eyes, and cleared my throat. “Dear Celestia. A new situation has come up with which I ask you for your your most esteemed counsel. Show this letter to no one save for Luna. To make a long story short, Gemini snuck her brother into Equestria to save him from death, at least according to her. How should we handle this? For now, Gemini’s brother is staying with me. Your friend, Jethro.” I smirked. “Kinda feel like Twilight, now. Send it, Spike.”

A few chuckles passed through the room as Spike sealed the scroll and sent it. After the flames had died down, I faced Gemini. “I’m not sure how the Princesses will react to this, to be honest. They might take him to Canterlot, for all I know.”

“As a hostage?” Gemini asked, a slight fearful tone in her voice.

“Princess Celestia wouldn’t do that,” Twilight immediately said.

“Twi,” I said softly, “she’s a monarch. If it meant protecting her subjects, she might. But I know she would treat Mica very well.” I directed that last part to Gemini. “Regardless of what you might think about Celestia, the fact that she’s kind and benevolent isn’t in question.”

“And yet she forced peace on us,” Gemini said accusingly.

“Sister, please!” Mica begged.

“Mica! She is not perfect!” Gemini shouted angrily at her brother, causing him to flinch. Gemini quickly calmed down, reaching out to put a paw on his shoulder. “Forgive me, brother. I didn’t mean to yell.”

“Nobody’s perfect,” I said, standing and walking over towards the two. Kneeling, I faced the two of them. “I know Celestia has made mistakes in the past,” I continued, ignoring the gasp I heard from Twilight, “and more than just what she and Luna did to your people. But she’s also grown quite a lot since that time in your history.”

Gemini’s lip twitched, but she relaxed a bit when Mica put his arm around her shoulder. He turned to me. “Please don’t be angry at my sister,” he begged imploringly.

I was about to reply when I heard a belching of flame from behind. Turning, I saw Spike catching a scroll as it fell into his hand. Looking it over, the young drake ran over and lifted it up to me. I undid it and read the following:

My dear Jethro,

Things are never dull with you around, are they? My sister and I have read your letter. I am preparing a chariot to come to Ponyville. Luna would have come as well, but she is, shall we say, otherwise occupied. I will be there soon.

Your friend and monarch,

Celestia

“Well, that’s unexpected…” I said, reading it aloud. With a soft thud, Twilight fainted. “That was not…we’d best get prepared for the princess, then.”

Celestia stood in the room about an hour later, giving a cordial if not slightly guarded nod towards the two Lycans. It hadn’t taken her long to reach my property, and her guards were just outside my front gate. “Miss Gemini, Mr. Mica, allow me to officially welcome you to Equestria.”

“I feel really welcome,” Gemini said sarcastically, but gasped in shock when Mica lightly smacked her arm.

“Sister, please!” Mica turned to Celestia and knelt. “Your Highness, I implore you to forgive my sister’s impertinence. She means nothing by it.”

Celestia looked at Mica with slight surprise, and her smile widened. “Don’t worry, my young Lycan. I understand why she feels the way she does.”

“Is that right?” Gemini spat, standing and facing Celestia. “If you expect me to instantly forgive you for the centuries of suffering and pain my kind have gone through because of your precious harmony, you have another thing coming!”

Celestia shook her head. “I’m well aware I wronged you and your kind. If I could do it over again, I would not make the same mistakes. I sinned greatly against the Lycan Empire.” To the shock of everyone there save for me, she lowered her head. “Feel free to not forgive me, but I cannot apologize enough.”

Gemini looked stunned as she stared at the bowing princess. Silence filled the room, before finally she slowly sat back down. “It will take much more than honeyed words to earn my forgiveness,” she said coolly. “But that’s not why we’re all sitting here, are we?”

Celestia slowly raised her head. “Quite right.” She turned to Mica. “Please tell me your story. Both of you.” Once more, Mica and Gemini told their sad tale. Celestia listened patiently, and appeared genuinely upset when she heard of the reason behind Gemini’s actions in saving her brother. When both finished, she had a sincerely saddened expression on her face. “I am truly sorry for all that has happened to you two,” she said, “and I will do what I can to make your stay in our country as pleasant and comfortable as possible. I can provide you with a house and a monthly stipend-”

“He stays with me,” Gemini said. “That’s not negotiable.”

I walked up and put a hand on Celestia’s back. I felt some of the tension building up inside her, and rubbed her back gently. “I have plenty of rooms here,” I said, “and it’d be nice to have another guy around. There’s only so much Nickelodeon I can show Spike before he gets bored.”

“Hey!” Spike said.

“We don’t take handouts from Ponies,” Gemini growled.

I was frankly getting tired of Gemini’s attitude. Not that I couldn’t understand how she felt, but I guessed that now she was just being stubborn and trying to get a rise out of Celestia. I walked up. “Gemini Grayfur, that is your brother’s decision, not yours. Don’t forget where you are and what you nominally are. Your brother has a mind of his own and can make his own decisions.”

“You don’t have siblings, so don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong,” she snapped.

“Hmm…maybe it’s a good idea for the two of you to be separated for a while,” I said.

“Don’t you dare!” She yelled at me. “He’s the only family I have left, and I have to protect him!”

“Gemini,” Mica said, this time in a more even voice, “can we talk?”

Gemini looked at her brother, and slowly nodded. Wordlessly, the two walked into a downstairs bedroom and shut the door.

“She’s more stubborn than ah was durin’ applebuckin’ season,” Applejack said.

“You think she needs a party?” Pinkie asked, a small stream of confetti appearing from nowhere.

“Not now, Pinkie,” Twilight said.

“I think she just needs time to calm down,” Fluttershy said.

While the others were talking, I felt a hoof on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Celestia gesturing to the front door. As we made our way outside, Twilight called out, “Princess? Where are you going?”

“I need to talk to Jethro for a bit,” she said. “It shouldn’t be long.”

“Oh, alright,” she said, looking a bit unsure as I opened the door for Celestia.

“Don’t worry, my faithful student,” Celestia said, “Trust me.”

“I do,” Twilight said.

“Well then, Jethro, shall we?” Celestia asked, and the two of us stepped out into the sunny midday.

The two of us walked through the grassy piece of land I owned, the sun nearing its apex in the sky. A slight breeze blew through the grass, which I saw now needed to be mowed. I fortunately had an electric riding lawn mower I could break out, and I’d already planned to mow it later in the week.

I decided to break the silence first. “So…by Luna having pressing matters, you meant-”

“Sleeping,” Celestia chuckled softly. “She had a rough night. An unusual amount of nightmares to deal with.”

“I figured. The sleeping part, I mean,” I said. “But enough of that. What are your thoughts on their story in there?”

Celestia made her way to a part of the wall that provided some shade from the sun and sat down in the grass. We were behind both houses and secluded from view. “She wasn’t lying about anything,” Celestia said. “She truly cares for her brother and is very protective of him. Just like I care for a certain purple Unicorn.”

“And your thoughts on Mica staying with me?”

“I think it’s a wise idea,” she replied. “She would be more inclined to speak more respectfully to you.”

“After what I said in there?”

“Again, you must remember they are a female dominated society,” Celestia reminded me. “Males speaking up is not something she’s used to.”

“She’s really hard to deal with, but I’ve watched her work her chores since she came here,” I said. “She’s a very hard worker and takes her tasks seriously. Makes me wonder how she’s gonna train me.”

“Train you?” Celestia looked at me warily. When I told her about my other job for Gemini, Celestia frowned. “Combat training, huh? You know I could easily ask Shining Armor or one of my other guards to help in that area.”

“Wrong body type,” I said. “Besides, I want to learn to fight without magic in case my magic fails me. She was captain of Amber’s guard and she fought very well.”

Celestia pursed her lips but nodded. “I can understand that. Please be careful.”

“Heh, Twilight said the same,” I chuckled.

We both smiled at the thought before her expression became serious. “Speaking of her, I was hoping to revisit a couple of topics we talked about a few days ago.”

“Which ones?” I asked.

Celestia looked up at the cloudless sky for a few seconds, working her lips like she was coming to a decision. Finally, she turned to me. “I want you to know I really thought long about what you said about my plan for Twilight.”

I’d taken time to think about it since our talk, and I still had doubts. I saw Celestia’s reasoning, and it made sense, but the fact that she was pretty much pulling the strings from the shadows made her, at least in my mind, no better in that sense than the in-show Discord. “And?” I asked.

“I’m still pretty sure she’s the one I’ve been looking for,” she said, “but you might be right. Perhaps she is a bit too young at the moment.”

“She’s definitely too young,” I countered. “How old were you when you ascended the throne?”

“…Thirty,” she admitted. “and my sister was twenty seven.”

“Three year difference between you two, good to know,” I muttered. “And yet, you’ve been pulling some strings behind the scenes to prepare here for this role. Did it ever occur to you to just, oh, I don’t know, ask her? This is her life, you know?”

“I merely want what’s best for her and what’s best for Equestria,” Celestia said, suddenly on the defensive.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” I conceded, “but she’s an adult mare, now. She has wants and desires. I’m not saying she might not want that in the future if you offered it, but your MLP version practically forced it on her.” I stood, walked in front of her, and spread my wings wide. “I wasn’t given a choice, but I also know Obsidian Star didn’t change my body like this on purpose. You did, or are planning to. To paraphrase an old movie a bit, ‘Solving thousand year old magical spells from knockoff Gandalf is no basis for a system of government.’ I’m trying to see this from your point of view, I really am, and you make good points, but forcing this on her? Really? Not to mention her immortality. Don’t even get me started on what the MLP fandom came up with in that regard.” I folded my wings, shuddering at the memory of looking up some of the MLP fandom’s more twisted creepypastas. “I’m pretty sure I’ve made my point. Anything else I could say would be repeating my perspective.”

“Then let me rebut,” Celestia said calmly, standing and looking down at me. “This kingdom needs to change. I know I’d be too busy and too rigid in my thinking to make any kind of changes. Twilight is one of the best candidates I have found in ages.”

“We’re going around in circles,” I groaned. “Basically, we have two options. Follow your plan and risk the new princess having a mental breakdown, or stall her from becoming one and risk unknown dangers arising from the absence of a fourth Alicorn princess.”

“You have the powers and capabilities of an Alicorn too, remember,” Celestia reminded me.

“But not the authority of royalty,” I said. “And that might be for the best. Would any of your Ponies follow a non-Pony prince? Allow me to answer: they wouldn’t! Hell, two of the Elements of Harmony attacked me the moment they saw me at Zecora’s that day and one of them almost strangling me to death! Now imagine the reactions of whatever Canterlot nobles there are if for some inexplicable reason you made me a prince, hmm?! Think Ponyville Pony speciesism times a thousand!”

I was worked up now, and suddenly I felt myself being surrounded by warmth as a worried Celestia wrapped her wings around me, pulling me close to her fur. “Deep breaths, my friend,” she said kindly as she sat back down, with me still in her grasp.

I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it. I liked Celestia a lot. She was warm and friendly and for the most part an amazing ruler. One doesn’t hold down a country for more than a thousand years benevolently without impeccable ethics.

To my surprise, Celestia’s fur had a pleasant scent. It was like a flowery summer field mixed with evaporating dew. Realizing just how inappropriate my thoughts and actions were, I gently pried myself away from her fur, but she didn’t let me go. Her gaze was tender and loving. “We both care for Twilight dearly and want what’s best for her,” Celestia said. “You do have a point about her age and maturity level. Perhaps I will hold off on her becoming a Princess. However, I would ask something of you in the meantime.”

“Ask away,” I said.

“Please help to protect her,” she asked. “Her and her friends. Help guide her towards a more mature mindset. I was never going to have her take on the full responsibilities of a princess all at once. I was going to slowly introduce her to them as time went on.”

“Well, that’s good,” I said. “and you don’t have to worry about that promise. I’ll do my very best to keep it.”

“Just don’t be too protective,” she giggled. “That could stunt their emotional growth.”

“If the events of the show happen still, I’m sure I can let her and her friends deal with those situations on their own,” I said. “I’ll keep an eye out, of course and give helpful hints. Kind of like an oracle.”

She laughed. “Oracle Jethro. I like that,” she snickered before slowly reigning herself in. “There was one more matter I wanted to discuss with you.”

“What else?” I asked, frowning at her sudden change of tone.

“The apples,” she said. “The ones that fell into your hands a few days ago. What have you done with them?”

“Well, nothing yet,” I replied honestly. “I’m nervous about what to do with them. Why?”

“It’s okay to eat them, you know,” Celestia said. “They’re just apples, nothing will happen to you if you eat them. They are superior to any apple I know of in matters of taste.”

“Applejack would love that,” I chuckled. “Would it be okay to give her some of the seeds?”

Celestia paused and thought a bit. “The seeds, yes. It takes the seeds of one core to grow a tree. They’re much like Zapp Apple trees in that they grow instantaneously. However, they need an Alicorn’s magic for the first growth. After that, just water them like any normal tree and they’ll provide fruit. Although…they won’t really be the same type as the one from my tree.” She looked down sadly.

“How come?” I asked.

“The type of apples my tree creates are called Elder Golden Apples,” she explained. “The means to create these trees have been lost for millennia. Not even I have been able to rediscover the secrets behind their creation. I’ve tried replanting cores and seedlings, but all I’ve managed to do is create Younger Golden Apples. They don’t taste as good, but they are still quite delectable. Luna particularly has been enjoying them since she returned,” she said with a chuckle.

“Having an apple tree in the yard would be kinda cool, gotta admit,” I said. “A nice place to sit under during a warm summer day, making all sorts of apple products to sell at market.”

“Don’t go undermining Applejack’s farm there, my friend,” Celestia grinned.

“I’ll give her one of the cores. I doubt she’ll just leave it at that one once she figures out how they taste.”

“Quite,” she nodded.

There was a bit of silence as her smile slowly faded. Worried, I spoke up again. “So…what aren’t you telling me?”

She sighed more heavily than I’d ever heard from her. “Jethro…that tree is special for more than one reason. It possesses…more intelligence than a normal tree. I’m not sure how to explain it any better. It clings to its apples until they lose their gold luster for the season and become Younger Goldens. Nopony can pull them off until that time, but it has released the Elders on five occasions.”

“When?” I asked.

“This tree once stood in the gardens of my old castle, the one you restored,” she explained. “The first time it released apples, my sister and I were walking underneath it and playing. The second was when Cadance and I visited the tree before her ascension. The third time, I was with Sunset Shimmer about a year before she changed and abandoned her studies. The fourth time was when Twilight was reading underneath that tree. And the fifth…was when it happened to you.”

“So…is there any special significance to that?” I asked, feeling myself tensing up. Something told me what she was about to say wasn’t going to be something I liked.

“Anytime that apples fall in that state, it means…that the Pony, or person in your case, who caused the apples to fall has within them the potential…to rule Equestria.”

The two of us sat there in silence for a bit as that little nugget sunk in. The silence was broken by my own exclamation. “What…WHAT THE FUCK!?” Celestia winced at my choice of words but wisely said nothing as I stood and looked at her with complete incredulity. “Me. Rule Equestria?! Are you insane?!”

“Jethro, please,” she said calmly, “I merely said you have the potential to rule. And from what I’ve seen, you exemplify many qualities of a ruler already. The incident with the Ursa Minor showed that you don’t want to use violence unless it’s a last resort.”

I leaned down towards her. “I got lucky,” I said in frustration. “Athena gave me the capacity to know many Equestrian languages. If I hadn’t heard that Ursa Minor calling for his mom, I’m not sure what I could have done.”

She held up a hoof, silencing me. “Your reluctance to kill without proper cause was clearly shown back in the Empire,” she continued. “The fact that you stood up to me about my decision about Twilight shows how deeply you care for not only your friends, but also the citizens of our nation.”

“Celestia-”

“Please, let me finish,” she said. I closed my mouth as she continued. “Even when we first met, you were open enough to share the story of this Pony show depicting another version of us. You could easily have kept this from all of us, but you didn’t. You put your life on the line to try and save Rarity when she fell. You opened your home to Scarlet Dusk. You aren’t treating Gemini like a slave and instead more like a worker. Then there is the fact that Obsidian Star felt you were worthy enough to grant you the remainder of her power before her…final death. All of this tells me that the tree isn’t wrong in its judgement.”

“I’m nowhere near perfect,” I said when she finished. “Trust me, I don’t think I’m worthy.”

She pointed at me with a wing gently. “Humility. Another good sign of a ruler.”

I collapsed next to her, leaning against the stone wall surrounding my property. “This is a bit much to take in all at once…” I admitted.

A wing slipped behind me and pulled me closer to its source. Looking up, I saw Celestia smiling warmly and apologetically down at me. “I didn’t mean to make you upset, I truly didn’t,” she said.

Her warm presence was enough to cause me to relax ever so slightly. “I know…it’s just a lot to process.”

She reached out and booped my nose slightly with her hoof. “Now we’re even,” she smirked.

I rolled my eyes, but a small smile formed on my lips. “You’d better be okay with me talking about this to Zecora. I can’t hide anything from that mare. And I’m sure Scarlet will pry it out of me somehow, too.”

“Of course, my friend,” she said softly.

“This is still a bit much for me,” I sighed. “I mean, royalty potential?”

“Luna and I went through the same thing when we were told by Starswirl,” Celestia said. “We were scared stiff.” A look of realization passed over her face. “I’d nearly forgotten about that…how terrified we were at the prospect of leading a country. Poor Luna had a few panic attacks and I had one or two myself.”

“Now imagine Twilight’s reaction,” I said softly but firmly. “I know in the show she seemed apprehensive and even scared. She might come to accept her role as a princess in this timeline, but I honestly think you should tell her about your hopes for her. Just know that whatever decision you reach, I’ll respect it. I might not have to agree with it, but I will abide by whatever you decide.”

Celestia looked at the ground. Digging at the grass with her hoof, she looked deep in thought. I could almost feel the indecision radiating from her. I watched and waited, reaching out with my magic to pluck a large blade of applegrass from a nearby tuft. I chewed on it as Celestia thought. After a while, the air of indecision stopped, and she stood, a determined look plastered on her lovely face. “I’ve made my decision.”

I stood and put a hand on her withers. “Then, are you ready to go back?”

She nodded and walked towards the house. Whatever decision she made, I was sure the history of the show I knew would be changed irreversibly…if it hadn’t already been.

Honestly, all I wanted from today was some advice from Celestia about what I could do with Gemini and Mica. Hell, all she could do was send me a letter with her thoughts, and I’d have been content.

I wasn’t planning to be the third person in a room, watching a clearly panicking Unicorn digesting Celestia’s future hopes and plans for her.

“Princess?! You want me to become a Princess?!”

Celestia, Twilight and I were sitting in my original home’s living room, the former two sitting on the couch while I sat on my recliner. Celestia had requested I be there while she explained to Twilight what she was hoping for. I suppose she felt I could be some kind of mediator or something to that effect.

“H-How can I be a Princess?!” Twilight asked again, starting to panic and hyperventilate even more. “I-Is there a book on how to be one? Will I need to study things like ancient laws and-”

“Twilight,” Celestia said softly, making the Unicorn shut up immediately, “Take a deep breath, and I will explain.”

Twilight bit her lower lip, but did as she was told. “A-Alright,” she said. As Celestia repeated her reasoning to Twilight, the young mare’s mane began to reassert its normal form. When Celestia finished, Twilight was nodding. “I…I see.”

“Twilight, you are still my most faithful student, nothing will ever change that,” Celestia said lovingly. “You have amazing potential to make great changes to Equestria. I admit, it was wrong of me to hide the truth from you. Jethro and Luna both helped me to see that. I will not force this on you, but please at least think about it? If you need to, talk about this with your friends, but only them. If word of this gets out, it might spell trouble.”

“I…well…could you give me a minute to process this?” she asked.

“Take as much time as you need,” Celestia said.

Twilight then turned to me. “Jethro, can I borrow your bedroom for a bit? I need to be alone for a while to think.”

“Be my guest,” I said, gesturing to the small hallway.

Twilight stood and trotted slowly to my room, closing the door. I heard some type of magic being cast, then silence.

Celestia and I sat in silence for a while, watching my closed bedroom door. Finally, I slowly stood and sat next to Celestia. She turned to me, slight worry in those ancient but gorgeous dark purple eyes of hers. “Having second thoughts?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I’ve had this plan in motion for many years, ever since Twilight hatched Spike. But…in only four days, you’ve managed to convince me to alter, if not full on destroy those plans. I’ve been sure of so many of my decisions in my life, but this? It’s terrifying.”

“I feel like that’s because you’ve had to play the part of princess for so long that perhaps you’ve grown surer of your own decisions,” I reasoned. “Did you ever have anyone question your rule over the past thousand years?”

“No, never,” she said. “I do delegate some decisions, but important ones I’ve always made alone.”

“Then here comes a human who drinks and knows things,” I said. “Someone who also questions your plans. Something that has never happened before, has it?”

“Certainly, some of the wealthier members of Canterlot society have questioned some of my rulings, but not to the extent that you have,” Celestia said. “That’s another reason why I wanted Twilight as a princess, as a second head in case I lost Luna forever…although even if I hadn’t, her lack of knowledge of the events of the past thousand years wouldn’t have swayed my decision to lead Twilight to her destiny.”

“I think the problem there is that she thinks as highly of you as the others around you,” I said. “There’s always a risk that she’ll go through hoops to make your decisions fit to her view of her, even if initially she thinks you’re wrong.”

“Whereas you don’t,” she said with a half smirk.

“Many humans have a problem with authority,” I explained. “Monarchy is less common back on Earth now. My home country was formed because of a revolution against a corrupt monarchy which had land all over our planet at one point.”

“So Twilight told me in one of her many lengthy reports about your species,” Celestia giggled.

“That mare can really go overboard,” I smirked.

“She means well,” Celestia said.

“I know,” I replied. “Her intelligence isn’t in question here.”

Celestia sighed and looked around my small living room for a while. “I hope I made the right choice, here.”

“Here, why don’t we watch a little something to pass the time,” I said. “I have just the thing that I think you’d find funny. But whatever you do, don’t actually do this, please?”

Celestia watched as I opened YouTube on my smart TV and searched for the MLP fan song Who Knows which I’d discovered a couple days ago. When the animated Celestia sang about the night lasting forever and Luna shouting how it wasn’t funny, the real Celestia’s mood brightened and she laughed. When the video ended, one of the recommended videos was one titled Celestia is best princess. “What is that one about?” she asked.

“No idea. Let’s watch and see,” I said, selecting it. Turned out, it was an extremely well-done fan animation from 2016. We watched a couple more fan animations, one named Best princesses ever and the other named It's hard to be a princess [Animation].

After the last one, Celestia sighed. “That’s pretty much how my day goes. Well, a close approximation.” She looked at the recommendations again, then gasped. “The Fall of Sunset Shimmer: Animated Film?”

“My Little Pony has a major fandom on Earth,” I said. “Did…you want to watch it?”

She hesitated, but then sighed. “It’s just an interpretation,” she said. “Sure.”

The two of us watched in somber silence. I was thoroughly impressed with both the animation and story. Celestia watched as well, emotionless as the brief story unfolded. However, at the point where the animated Sunset Shimmer called Celestia a hypocrite, that’s when I saw a tear fall. I almost stopped the video, but she shook her head. When the video finished, I scooted closer to the ancient Alicorn. “Celestia?” I asked, concerned for her.

She put both hooves to her face and began to softly weep. Acting fast, I put both wings and arms around her. “I…it might as well have happened that way…I lost a precious student and a mare I thought of as a daughter…” She hiccupped.

I hated seeing Celestia this way. It just didn’t seem like her at all. Then again, she might need this. “Let it all out,” I whispered softly, stroking her mane.

The two of us remained like that for a while as the princess quietly sobbed into my chest, which was hard considering her horn was in the way, but she needed this. After a while, she broke away, telekinetically grabbing a Kleenex and dabbing at her eyes and blowing her nose before tossing the tissue. “Thank you,” she said.

“Someday I’m sure you’ll see her again,” I said. “You two can reconcile then.”

“We can discuss that at a later date,” she said, smiling up at me. “I feel as if Twilight is about to come back.”

“Speaking of her and her friends,” I said, “how much am I allowed to tell them about the events of the show?”

“I would caution you to use discretion, but I leave the details of what you share up to you,” Celestia said. “I’ve already begun taking steps to ensure some of the events that you saw are averted. I’ve taken the statue of Eris out of the garden and placed it under heavy guard.”

“Let’s hope that was enough,” I said. “She looks much more intimidating and dangerous than the Discord from the show.”

Just then my bedroom door opened and a quiet looking Twilight Sparkle walked out. I stepped away from the alabaster Alicorn and sat next to her once more. Twilight looked tired as she approached us. The room was silent as she stood in front of Celestia. “Princess…can I ask you something?” she asked after a full minute of silence and false starts.

“Of course,” Celestia said. Her smile was gentle and motherly, without a hint of the sorrow she had expressed in front of me before.

“Are…are you absolutely sure I have what it takes to become a Princess?” she asked timidly.

“Absolutely,” Celestia replied. “You might not be ready now, but you have extreme potential. Not just anypony can wield the Elements of Harmony.”

“I…I see,” she said. “I’m sorry, Princess,” she began, and I saw Celestia’s ears twitch, “but can I have some more time to think about it? I want to talk to my friends more about it…I’m just so confused right now.”

“Take the time you need, Twilight,” she said.

To my surprise, Twilight turned to me. Approaching, she stood on her hind legs, put her front legs on my shoulders and looked me square in the eye. “Could you be there when I talk to them?” she asked, nearly pleading. The poor mare was trembling.

“Of course, Twi,” I said kindly.

Celestia walked over, putting a hoof on Twilight’s back. The younger mare turned, and put one hoof around her mentor. “No matter what you decide,” Celestia said, “I’ll respect it, as I should have done.” She gave me a glance before hugging Twilight back.

“Twilight, why don’t you head back home for the day?” I suggested. “You look completely wiped out.”

She nodded slowly and looked up at Celestia. “I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you right now…”

“Don’t be,” Celestia said. “This is a big decision.” Twilight nodded slowly. “Besides,” Celestia added, giving me a glance, “you’re not the only one who has that to think about.”

Twilight whirled on me, eyes wide. “She asked you too…?”

“When we gather our friends together to talk about it, I’ll explain,” I promised, stroking her mane. “For now, you should go back home and rest.”

“I guess so…but you’d better answer all my questions tomorrow.”

“Of course you want it to be then,” I said. “Come on, let’s go back to the other house.”

Celestia and I helped Twilight back to the house, where we informed the others that she needed to go back home and rest for the day. She asked all of the Elements to stop by the Library at nine in the morning the following day.

The other Elements of Harmony volunteered to take her home, which they did. This left Celestia alone with me, Zecora, Scarlet, Gemini and Mica, the latter two having rejoined us as the Elements were leaving. Celestia had informed the two Lycans that Mica would be granted asylum in Equestria if he so asked for it, and that the mayor of Ponyville was capable of helping with the necessary paperwork and arrangements. A quieter and less angry Gemini replied that they’d consider it before Mica could say anything.

With that, Celestia left, but not before giving me a cryptic look and saying, “Think about what I said, alright?”

I nodded as she left. Zecora looked curiously at me, but I merely said, “Later,” as I returned my focus to the two Lycans. “Gemini, take the rest of the day off. Spend time with your brother, since he is going to be working here alongside you as another employee starting tomorrow. Tell him all the benefits you have, since he will share them with you.”

Gemini only nodded as she stood. Mica followed his sister up to the second floor. When a door closed and locked, the two mares rushed over to me as I collapsed back into the couch. “Never seen you look so exhausted before, and I was there when you crashed twenty times in twenty minutes with Rainbow Dash,” Scarlet said.

“My love, something troubles you, I can tell,” Zecora said, jumping up onto the couch and placing her front legs on my lap.

Scarlet jumped up as well but just sat in her ponyloaf form next to me. “She’s right,” the Pegasus said with an unusually serious tone for her. “You can tell us, you know.”

“Well…you have to swear by all you hold dear, or even by Celestia herself, that what I’m about to say to you will not leave this room,” I said after a few indecisive seconds.

“I swear it,” Zecora said, moving up to nuzzle my face affectionately.

“Nopony’s gonna get me to spill the beans,” Scarlet said, raising one of her hooves to her forehead in a humanlike salute.

Slowly, carefully, I recounted my conversation with Celestia, specifically the instance where she’d informed me of my royalty potential. They sat spellbound as I talked, and when I finished, Zecora once more nuzzled my face, only this time with the added bonus of a tender and loving kiss. To my surprise, Scarlet reached over with a hoof, placing it on my thigh. As Zecora lay her head on my chest, Scarlet was the first to speak. “I don’t envy you on this decision. I mean, shit, I don’t even know where to begin helping you.”

“The thought is enough,” I said gratefully, reaching over and stroking her mane. She leaned into my hand.

“I think I will sleep with you tonight,” Zecora said. “You need it. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t even know where to start,” I admitted. “My first instinct is telling me hell no. There’s no way I’d make a good leader, prince, whatever I would be called if I accepted, but there’s a small part of me that’s whispering, ‘Imagine all the good you could do in that position’. I mean, I have access to my world’s history, technology, philosophy, and more. I could start to improve the lives of the Equestrians. Not just Ponies, too.” I paused, and a frown creased my brow. “But…what if I bring something that clashes with how Ponies think? I admit I have only a cursory view of Equestrian history, but the Ponies don’t have wars often. Humans do.”

A pair of hooves wrapped themselves around my neck. I was staring into Zecora’s gorgeous dark blue eyes. I couldn’t help myself. I reached up and stroked her mane as she leaned closer. “Jethro,” her voice was soft and made my heart skip a beat. “You are my best friend and my coltfriend. I love you and I trust you. I know that whatever decision you make will be the one that’s best for you.”

Well, maybe, I thought, but will it be the best for Equestria…?

Author's Note

So yeah...that happened. That's all I have to say on the matter.

35: A Cloaked Heart and Discussions

It was eight thirty-two the next morning when I left the house. Zecora had, as promised, stayed in my bed with me. We’d spooned all night long, and the mare’s presence had calmed me considerably. Despite the turmoil in my head, I’d slept fairly well thanks in part to her presence and her sleeping tonic. That, and her kisses.

After waking up an hour ago and a shower and breakfast, I’d headed out into the cold autumn morning. Dew lay on the grass and mist was rising from my lawn. I inhaled the brisk and sweet-smelling air as I walked towards my gate.

Despite the early hour, I passed by a few Ponies on the streets, the vast majority of whom gave me a friendly wave or greeting. The only Pony who gave me the stink eye was a heavily made-up Spoiled Rich. I nodded politely and she stuck her ugly nose up in the air as she passed me. Diamond Tiara was with her as well, and she just snorted in amusement.

When I reached the Library, Fluttershy was just arriving from the direction of the Everfree Forest. When she saw me, she smiled softly and waved with one of her wings. To my surprise, Angel was there with her. He gave me a curt nod, but there wasn’t any hostility in his face. I waved back. “Hey there, Flutters,” I greeted her kindly, “how’s the morning treating you?”

“Oh, I can’t complain,” she said gently, then yawned. God, even her yawning is adorable, I thought.

“Do you get up this early normally?” I asked.

“Oh, yes I do,” she said. “I have to feed a lot of my animals early in the morning.”

“That makes sense,” I said as I knelt down and extended a hand to Angel. “And this little bundle of sunshine looks tired. I know just what you need.” I wiggled my hand in front of him. As he’d done before, he jumped into my hand and I began scratching him behind his ears. The bunny shut his eyes in contentment and began thumping my hand with one of his hind legs. “Someone should have named this little guy Thumper,” I said with a chuckle.

“Thumper? Why that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Thumper is a fictional character from a movie called Bambi,” I explained. “It’s about a deer prince and his journey to adulthood in the forest.”

Fluttershy’s eyes glistened with interest. “I’d love to watch that with you during our next visit,” she said with growing excitement.

“Hmm…well, as long as you’re okay with some really sad scenes in it,” I said cautiously, remembering that scene.

Fluttershy saw my hesitation and walked up, placing a hoof on my chest. “You told me that your movies were fake, right? If there is a sad scene, I think I can handle it.”

I smiled wryly. “If you’re sure, then I’ll bring Bambi over next time.”

The door to the library opened and an exhausted looking Spike poked his head out. “Monkey-man? Fluttershy? You’re a little early, aren’t you?”

“Sup, my little drake,” I said. “I like being early to things.”

“Ah couldn’t agree more,” a familiar southern drawl sounded from behind me.

I turned and chuckled. “Two mares after my own heart.”

“What about me? What about meeeee?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly as she poked her head out of one of the library’s low hanging branches.

“Yes, yes,” I chuckled.

“You should make that four, darling,” Rarity said, coming up to stand beside Applejack.

“Looks like we all had the same idea,” Applejack said, nodding in approval.

“We’re just missing one lazybones Pegasus,” I said.

“She’ll probably be late, as usual,” Rarity said.

“Hey! That’s rude!” a voice from above said.

I tilted my head. “A voice from above calleth!” I gasped in fake awe.

“We are not worthy!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, giggling as she prostrated herself.

“Spare us from thy wrath! We are poor weary pilgrims from the City of Destruction on our way to the Celestial City!” I chuckled, finally looking up at a confused cyan mare.

“Okay…you lost me,” Rainbow Dash said as she landed.

“Earth reference, don’t worry about it,” I said as I resumed stroking Angel Bunny. “For now, let’s go inside. Poor Twilight’s probably feeling really anxious about what she wants to tell you all.”

“You know something, dontcha?” Applejack asked in a soft voice as we entered.

“Yeah, and you’ll soon find out why,” I promised as we entered the main library.

Looking around, I saw that a number of chairs had been arranged in a circle in the center of the room. A small table with small refreshments like mini-muffins and mini-cupcakes sat in the middle of the circle of chairs. An uncertain and somewhat frazzled looking Twilight was just coming out of another room, carrying a few glasses and a pitcher of water. When she saw us, she smiled tiredly as she set the glasses and pitcher on the table. “Hello, everypony. Thank you for coming.”

“Oh my, you don’t look good,” Fluttershy said, concern clear in her voice.

“She tossed and turned all night long,” Spike said as he took a seat at the table.

“Is it really that serious, darling?” Rarity asked.

Twilight turned to face me. Her eyes were slightly red from lack of sleep and there were bags under them. She approached and looked up at me, a slightly pleading look in her eyes. “Jethro…could you tell them? I’m not sure I can right now.”

I quickly handed Angel back to Fluttershy, then led her to one of the chairs. I sat next to her while Fluttershy sat in the other chair next to me. “Of course, Twi,” I said reassuringly. Returning my attention to the other mares and Spike, I gestured to the chairs. “Have a seat, everyone. What I have to say is extremely important and cannot leave this room. Is that understood?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Pinkie said, making the hoof gestures I’d gotten to know from the show and in real life.

“And the rest of you,” I said with an authority I didn’t feel like I had, “I want your oath, Pinkie Promise, swearing by Celestia or whatever it is you swear by that you will keep this secret.”

“Ah swear it, by Celestia’s flowing mane,” Applejack said after a few seconds.

“I won’t tell anypony,” Fluttershy said.

“A lady never reveals the secrets of her friends,” Rarity said.

“Well, I certainly won’t tell,” Spike said.

“That depends on what the secret is,” Rainbow Dash said skeptically.

“Then leave,” I said, pointing to the door. “This secret is too important for half-assed answers like that.”

“Jethro! There are little dragons present!” Rarity said, glaring at me.

Whirling on her, I glared back, causing the purple maned mare to flinch. “The future of all of Equestria hangs in the balance, and you’re worried about profanity?” She went silent at that as I turned back to Rainbow Dash, who herself had a shocked expression on her face. “What will it be, Rainbow Dash?”

“…You’re really serious, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Think of it as a matter of national security,” I said sternly.

“Fine! Fine! I won’t tell anypony about this!” she said, sounding exasperated.

“That’s more like it,” I said. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my laptop. Using the same spell Celestia had back on the train when we watched the first Lord of the Rings movie, the screen was magically replicated and hovered over us. It was showing a paused video, one of Twilight standing facing the screen, but with her eyes closed and her head down. In the background, it was nighttime in the animated Ponyville. “A few days ago, I was watching the show depicting life in Equestria, specifically life surrounding the Ponies and Dragon in this room,” I explained. “This is part of the last episode of Season 3 of said show. In a few seconds, you’ll see just why I called you here.” I hit play.

The others watched in awe as a mere second later, the deceptively appearing Unicorn spread purple Alicorn wings, a bright white light glowing from behind. I let the scene play out, pausing just before the scene in Canterlot. Closing the video, I stood and faced them. “Before you ask anything, allow me to explain further. Celestia has planned this for many years. She sees an amazing amount of potential in Twilight Sparkle, her most faithful student.” I gestured to the exhausted Unicorn and continued. “Now, I didn’t exactly like the idea of keeping this a secret from Twilight, so I confronted Celestia about it a few days ago.”

“Hold on, you confronted her?!” Rarity asked, aghast.

“Yes,” I said. “In the show, this choice wasn’t a choice for Twilight. I felt it was forced upon her without consent. I had to see her and hear her side of the story.”

“At least ya did that,” Applejack said.

“I may be an idiot, but I’m not stupid,” I said. “Celestia is held in high regard in this country, and from what I’ve seen in real life and the show, for good reason. That doesn’t mean she is without flaws. If I knew about this and did nothing, I would be no better than her when it came to hiding this from Twilight.” I gazed at every Pony in the room. “I would do the same for everyone in here if I discovered something like this. Despite our rather rocky first meeting, you’ve all made it quite clear to me that you’re all friends worth sticking up for and protecting. Even if that means standing up to the most powerful being in this universe.”

“Weren’t you scared?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

“Deathly scared,” I said. Turning to the yellow mare, I knelt and put a hand on one of her hooves. “But courage isn’t about not feeling fear. It’s about pressing past that to protect your friends and loved ones. Remember that.”

“I will,” she said.

Standing again, I faced the others. “Celestia told Twilight her plans and her reasons behind them just yesterday. She called us all here today so we could discuss this. The poor mare’s still so conflicted.”

Twilight looked up finally, gazing at all of her friends. “I know I’ve only known you for a few months,” she said a bit shakily, “but you’re all the best friends I could have ever wanted. I’m not afraid to admit I’m scared.”

“‘Tain’t nothin’ a good talk can’t fix,” Applejack said in an attempt to be reassuring. “C’mon, Twi, we’re all here for ya.”

“Tell us what you’re thinking, dear,” Rarity added.

We waited patiently as Twilight gathered her thoughts. Finally, she looked up at the ceiling and began. “I’m so conflicted. I just don’t know if I’m qualified to be a princess or not. What makes a good princess? Will I be able to handle it? What if I screw everything up?”

“You won’t screw everything up,” Spike said, earning him a glare from both Applejack and Rarity. “What?” he asked with an innocent shrug.

“Darling,” Rarity said, refocusing her attention on Twilight. “You know the Princess better than anypony else here. Do you think she would make this decision lightly?”

“Well…no, of course not,” Twilight said hesitantly.

“Of course not!” Applejack agreed. “Maybe she’s fixin’ to retire?”

“No, she isn’t,” I said. “She told me her reasons for finding a candidate for a ruler.”

As I told them, Twilight’s facial expression changed. When I mentioned Celestia’s reasoning for choosing her, she stood and faced me. “So, if I became a princess, I might be able to help with making friends with other nations?”

“The official name for it is establishing treaties,” I explained, “but the concept is the same. Celestia hopes that for you, and from what I’ve seen so far, both in real life and in the show, she’s right about you having potential. You might not be ready now, but in the future, with help from your friends, you could become the fourth ruler of Equestria.”

“And besides,” Pinkie said exuberantly, “Think of all the cool stuff you could do! You could throw some amazing parties! You could help so many other Ponies! Oooh oooh! You could even protect Jethro from that meanie Empress Amber!”

“Whoa there,” I said, “don’t bring me into this.”

“But Princess Celestia mentioned something about me not being the only potential ruler,” Twilight said.

“We’ll get to that,” I promised. “Right now, we’re focusing on you.”

“Right…” she said.

“Twilight,” Applejack said, “ah can’t say ah know much about what makes a good Princess, but ah can tell ya what ah think. Ah think yer overthinkin’ this.”

“Overthinking? OVERTHINKING?!” Twilight shouted, causing everyone to flinch. “None of you understands the position I’m in here!”

“Darling, we do understand,” Rarity began, but Twilight cut her off. “It’s just that-”

“Just what?!” Twilight shouted back angrily.

“We’re trying to help!” a frustrated Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Then when you figure out a way to help me make this decision, I’d love to hear it!”

It began to devolve from there. Fluttershy was the only one not really participating, holding Angel protectively and clinging to me nervously. Pinkie Pie was doing her best to calm the others down, while Twilight was arguing with an increasingly angry Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity.

Now, let it not be said that I didn’t try to intervene patiently and calmly. I was no medical man, but I could see the signs of a nervous breakdown on Twilight’s face coming from miles away. Ponies, I’d noticed, were much more expressive than humans, and the majority of them held their hearts closer to their chest. I tried getting the mares to separate for a few minutes to cool their heads, but that didn’t work. I tried standing between them, but nothing else I tried worked. My temper rising, I felt something rising up within me.

“STAY THY TONGUES!” I shouted, surprising everyone there, especially myself. Now, I’d seen Luna use what was known as the Royal Canterlot Voice, but I just thought it was really loud shouting. In the moment I’d shouted, magic flowed through me, amplifying my voice and making it echo. Behind me, my wings were completely spread. Silence filled the room as I forced my wings back down.

Walking up to a trembling Twilight, I knelt and put a hand on her cheek. “Forgive me,” I said sadly, but forcing a smile on my face. “Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, far be it from me to decide your destiny for you, but it would behoove you to listen to your friends. Yes, you have a choice to make, but your friends will be there for you to help in any way they can. Even if they don’t understand the situation completely, it breaks their hearts to see you like this. And it does the same for me.”

“It…does?” she asked.

“Twilight, in the past few months, I’ve gone from having no one I could really call a friend, to having several close friends and a girlfriend. One of my faults is that I’m somewhat overprotective of my friends. When I see any friend of mine looking like this, I can only think of ways to help.”

Twilight looked back at the others. “Is…that true?” When the others nodded and replied in the affirmative, she lowered her head in shame. “I’ve been a terrible friend today.”

“Don’t say that, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, standing and walking over to her friend. “I know how you feel. You’re scared. I’ve lashed out when I’m scared before.”

“You? Lashing out?” Rainbow Dash asked. Her tone made it sound like she didn’t believe her fellow Pegasus.

“It doesn’t happen often,” she admitted, “but I know how scared somepony has to be to reach that point.”

“It’s a defense mechanism,” I said. “A way to regain control of whatever the situation is. But if there’s anything I know about you, Twilight, it’s that you’re extremely smart. Smarter than I am, and more mature than most other mares your age. Even human women your age pale in comparison to your maturity.”

“To quote the other me, Alicorn Party!” Pinkie Pie shouted happily, pulling out a large party popper and shooting confetti everywhere.

“If that happens, then you can throw a party Pinks,” I said. Turning back to Twilight, I continued. “I’m pretty sure Celestia doesn’t expect you to make a decision by the end of the day. This is a life altering decision.”

She slowly nodded, then turned to the others. “I shouldn’t have snapped. I’m really sorry.”

“You’re just grouchy from no sleep, silly!” Pinkie said, reaching into her mane and pulling out a cupcake. “Here! Sugar helps feed the brain!”

Twilight took it with her magic, smiling slightly. “Thanks, Pinkie.”

Hours passed after that. Twilight bared her soul to her friends, expressing her fears about potentially screwing things up for Equestria if she took the job, but also the potential for some unknown future catastrophe that might happen if she didn’t take it. She begged me to give her some more details about the show’s timeline, but all I could say was that while certain events might still happen, others might not, and Celestia, Luna and I were formulating plans to counter any dangers I might see. One thing I did say, however, was that a benefit to becoming a princess was that she would probably be involved in the strategy meetings Celestia, Luna and myself were planning in the future.

Finally, after everyone had said their peace and their opinions, all of whom thought Twilight would make an excellent princess, she turned to me. “Now…it’s your turn.”

I frowned, but I had promised her. “First, to explain, I need to show you all something.” Reaching into my bag, I pulled out both golden apples as well as an apple slicer, setting them on the table.

Unsurprisingly, Applejack’s eyes went wide at the sight first, followed by the rest. The golden apples shimmered in the lamplights around the library. “Well, ah declare,” she said, reaching out towards one, “ah’ve never seen the like.”

I took the apple slicer, pressed it down and split the first apple evenly. I did the same for the second apple, then placed it on a nearby empty plate. “Try them. I haven’t yet,” I said, grabbing one of the slices.

Applejack didn’t even hesitate. She grabbed a slice and examined it carefully. Twilight was next, equally as fascinated, but also somewhat salivating. “I’ve had these before,” she said as she took a bite of the apple. “Sweet Celestia…just as good as I remember. What do you think, Spike?”

Spike took another piece and took a bite. He nodded in approval. “Actually, I think they’re better than I remember.”

I took a bite myself, and my eyes widened. I’d had more apples in my time in Equestria than I ever had back on Earth, and while the apples Applejack and her family grew were absolutely delicious, this Elder Golden was something I seriously couldn’t get enough of. Not caring about decorum, I wolfed it down, trying my best to at the same time savor its taste. I couldn’t exactly describe it, but the sweetness of this apple dwarfed anything I’d ever had before. It took a lot of self-control to not grab another one, since I planned on sharing with Zecora and Scarlet, and possibly Gemini and Mica as well.

Pinkie Pie, however, didn’t have as much self control and was already scarfing down a second apple before I had a chance to grab the remainder of the apples and seal them in a Ziploc bag. “Aww!” she pouted.

“I’m giving one to my girlfriend and roommate,” I said, gently placing the remaining apples in my bag. “Everyone got one, right?”

The satisfied moans from the mares in the room answered my question. Grinning, I passed one of the cores over to Applejack. “Here you go. After we’re done here, I’ll go back to the farm and help you grow one of your own. They won’t be exactly the same as the one you just ate, but I’ve got it on good authority that Luna loves these apples a bunch when they lose their golden sheen.”

“I bet these’d make some great cider!” Rainbow Dash said, licking her lips.

“I’ve certainly never had a better apple in my life,” Rarity said.

“How did you get these apples?” Twilight asked. “Princess Celestia told me that the Elder Apples don’t fall except for rare circumstances.”

“That’s the thing I wanted to talk with you about,” I said, sitting back down. “Now, once again, I must ask you all to keep this a secret.”

“But I already made a Pinkie Promise!” Pinkie said.

“I know, but I want to make this absolute. Especially since there’s a specific meaning behind the apples falling,” I said. The room went silent as I repeated what Celestia had said to me the day prior. Twilight, not surprisingly, was the most invested, especially when she heard about the ruler potential meaning behind the falling of an Elder Golden. I calmed her as best as I could with mane strokes, and that seemed to help. When I finished, I looked at the room. “So…it’s not just Twilight who has this issue. It’s me too, but to a lesser extent.”

The room was silent as the others digested this news. After about a minute, Spike got out of his chair, walked up, and extended a fist. Slowly, I balled my hand into a fist and touched his with my own. That somehow made me feel a bit better. “Good on you, monkey-man,” he smirked.

I snorted and grinned down at him. “Heh, I doubt that’ll ever not make me laugh. Thanks, dragon-boyo.” I looked back at the others. “But be honest, no Pony would ever look at me as ruler. I’m not a Pony. And, no offense to you all, but Ponies seem to fear anything that isn’t a Pony. Look how you reacted to Zecora, not to mention me.”

Applejack looked away, a bit guilt stricken. “Jethro, ah’m real sorry about-”

“AJ, I know you were just trying to protect your sister,” I interrupted her. Walking over, I gently removed her Stetson and, for the first time, stroked her mane. “Are you still upset about that?”

“Ah’ve never done anything like it before,” she said. “Ah don’t know what came over me.”

I scratched behind her ear, causing the farmgirl to gasp a bit in surprise. “We can talk more about it later, alright? Promise.” I removed my hand, put her Stetson back on her, then turned to the rest. “Be honest with me. Do you believe I’ll be accepted as a Prince of Equestria?”

“I would!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing over and landing somehow gracefully in my lap. “You could bring so many cool new desserts to Equestria!”

“Those Jet-things you showed me could really help me and the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow Dash said next, which surprised me. “You’d have my support!”

“How can you be so sure?” I asked. “Forget the fact that I’m not a Pony for a bit. I’m still new to your world. I have the history knowledge of a child. Sure, I know a decent amount, but the more mundane stuff? Not a clue. That, and the only ‘leadership’ role I know is as a bank manager. That can’t be compared to running an entire kingdom.”

“But can anything?” Twilight asked.

“Darlings, the fact that Princess Celestia herself has said the two of you have that potential must mean something,” Rarity said. “Do you think she’d say such things lightly?”

“Of course not,” Twilight exclaimed. “It’s just…I’m not ready for that kind of responsibility…”

“Ah doubt anypony would be completely ready,” Applejack said. “But we’d be here for ya! Both of ya!”

The other Ponies walked up to Twilight and enveloped her in a group hug. Spike joined in, but I stood apart, smiling at the outpouring of love and support from the group towards the grateful Unicorn.

Fluttershy was the first to look around the group hug, as if looking for something. She turned and locked eyes on me. “Um…Jethro?” she asked.

“Get over here, silly!” Pinkie said. “Or maybe we should come over there?”

“This is your moment, not-oof!”

Fluttershy was the first to jump into my arms. She wrapped all of her legs around me, clinging to me in an affectionate manner. Surprised, I nearly fell backwards, but caught myself as I hugged the yellow Pegasus back. The others quickly joined me and I was enveloped by them in seconds. Twilight was the second to arrive, hugging me as best she could. The others piled on until I could barely see the library anymore. In the dim light, I looked down and found myself inches away from a smiling Fluttershy’s face. I slowly extricated my wings and spread them wide, folding them around the group. “Are you feeling better?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“Yeah, but still not closer to a decision,” I said.

Twilight, who’s muzzle was next to one of my ears, said, “Neither have I. Could we talk about it alone sometime?”

“Of course,” I said. “I have a feeling we have quite a lot to discuss.”

The group cuddle tightened around me, and I relaxed. The future was growing more and more uncertain, but as long as I had the support and kind words of my new friends, I felt like things would eventually work themselves out.

36: A Cloaked Heart Among the Trees

The moon hung high in the late-night sky as my invisible astral form flew towards the Canterlot Royal Garden. After the meeting at the Library had ended, I’d gone back to Sweet Apple Acres with everyone, since Applejack had wanted to plant the core herself and see what happened.

Celestia had been right about what was needed to make the tree grow, of course. I poured magic into the core and soil around the newly planted seeds, and mere minutes later, the new Younger Golden apple tree was full height and had already begun producing apples. Applejack had marveled at the taste and I knew she would be dreaming tonight about what she could do with an entire crop of those apples.

My mind, however, was elsewhere. I was still conflicted about everything. I didn’t feel qualified to rule anything, and it felt wrong to accept just because two apples fell in my presence. I knew that if were to do anything about ruling, I needed to seriously earn that right.

For some reason, my musings led me back to the Elder Apple Tree. The golden fruits on the tree shimmered in the silvery glow of Luna’s moon. I floated down, looking around. Seeing no guards, I made myself visible and sat in front of the tree. There was no breeze, and the silence pressed in around me.

I wasn’t sure how long I stared at the apple tree, but when I finally broke away, the moon had moved in its celestial dance and was now moving to set. Despite the maria and craters being different, the presence of a moon comforted me. “So…how the hell do I even go about this?” I said, talking quietly just in case there was a nearby guard. “Why is this so difficult?”

I began pacing the garden, eventually ending up at the table where I’d spoken with Celestia and Luna about this very topic and others. I sat down and looked out at the nighttime landscape. A few lights were still on in Canterlot, lamps were lit on sidewalks and a few Ponies walked down the streets, either heading home or just enjoying the night. I looked up at the stars and let my mind wander for a bit, allowing myself to think about whatever I wanted. Something to distract me was all I wanted at the time.

I was so lost in thought I didn’t hear any indication of an approaching anything until a melodious voice spoke.“So, I finally have a visitor I can speak to.”

I jumped up out of the seat, floating away from the voice. The being I saw before me was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The fact that this being was female wasn’t in question, but the fact that she was somewhat humanoid further surprised me. Her legs resembled apple tree trunks, which led up to very feminine hips. She wore a long flowing dress made of what looked like miniature apple leaves, some of which were colored gold and had the shape of apples. Her arms were slender apple branches as well, with five long fingers. Her general figure was absolutely perfect, a large bust, thin but not skinny waist, and a gorgeous feminine face with pointed ears made out of what looked carved wood. She had flowing and very thin green grasslike hair. Her eyes were remarkably human as well, with irises that resembled golden apples. Her entire body was semi-transparent and as she pulled one of the chairs out and sat down, I could see the silvery chair design through her.

“What…are you?” I asked, floating somewhat out of reach with my hands in a defensive position, ready to use my Morphean magic to retaliate in case of danger.

“My my, ever the inquisitive but defensive one, aren’t we?” she spoke, and I saw golden shaded teeth in her mouth. I felt a great deal of magic emanating from her. “Oh, relax, Jethro Bethridge. I’m not here to harm you.”

Something about the way she said it made me want to believe her, but I knew better than to do that. “I take it you’re…a Dryad?”

“Now, that’s a new name for my kind,” she said. “What does it mean?”

“It’s a mythical being from my world, a spirit who guards and lives inside trees.”

She smiled excitedly. “Our kind were once called Treeguards, but I like the name Dryad better. I’ll start calling myself that from now on.” She leaned forward, placing her chin on her hands. “It is incredibly agreeable to be able to speak to another living being after so long.”

I slowly floated back down. “Well…glad to help,” I said, still unsure as to this Dryad’s intentions. “Can I ask what you want with me?”

“I’ve been alone for millennia,” she said. “I haven’t spoken to a single being ever since the Alicorn Midnight Breeze was lost.”

“Oh…you knew Morpheus,” I said.

“Morpheus?” she tilted her head inquisitively.

Floating back down, surer now that this Dryad wasn’t as much of a threat, I sat back down in the chair. “Midnight Breeze was the name he had in Equestria. When he was sent to my Earth, his name became Morpheus, Greek god of dreams.”

“God? Now that sounds like an interesting tale,” she said.

I sighed. “It’s not a really happy one.”

She looked at me confused. “Could you tell me? I’d like to know. He was a very good friend of mine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she said. With the resolute Dryad’s urging, I told her what Obsidian Star had told me. By the time I was finished, I saw what looked like sap forming around the Dryad’s eyes. “I never got to say goodbye…”

“I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it. I wasn’t sure how else I could comfort this Dryad, but I felt that saying anything more would have meant little to the grieving woman.

“Don’t be,” she said, wiping the sap tears from her eyes as she cleared her throat. “I can grieve him later. I’m here to help you, not the other way around.”

“Help me? With that?”

“I’m the Dryad of the Elder Apple tree,” she said, pointing towards the tree with a small smile. “I’m the one who dropped those two apples. I’m here to talk to you about it.”

“It is not just her, my friend,” a familiar voice said from behind me. I whirled and saw, to my surprise, the semi-transparent form of the anthropomorphic Zecora from our date hovering behind me. As she approached and took another seat, I saw that miniature stars surrounded her and were a part of her entire body. Not only that, but there was something unnatural about her eyes. They were too perfectly happy, it seemed. “Greetings to you, Jethro Bethridge of the planet Earth.”

“Um…Zecora?” I asked, wondering how in the world she was here.

“No, I am not Zecora,” she said, “I have just taken her form to better speak to you.”

I looked between the two strange beings. “Okay, Jethro is very lost. Jethro would very much appreciate an explanation before he loses his mind and flies back to his house and enters another dreamless sleep.”

“I am the spirit of the Tree of Harmony,” the Zecora lookalike said in explanation.

“Okay…magical Ponyland, sure, why the hell not?” I muttered as I leaned back in my chair.

“You are troubled,” ‘Zecora’ said, leaning forward. “I sense hesitation and mistrust in yourself and your abilities.”

“I didn’t drop those two apples for no reason,” the Dryad said. “Surely Cellie told you about my tree being special,” she said. “Those apples that fell don’t fall unless I wish them, or unless their time as Elder Apples ends.”

“No, she did tell me that,” I said. “And she said the tree had intelligence. I just didn’t expect a Dryad of all things. Now I’m in my astral form talking to a Dryad and tree spirit.”

‘Zecora’ gave me a warm and tender smile. Despite knowing she wasn’t my Zecora, the action still made my heart warm. “I can see the turmoil within your mind,” she said. “You are afraid of failing if you choose the path of a leader.”

“You don’t need to be a genius spirit from a crystal tree to figure that out,” I snarked. “Of course I’m scared!”

“You weren’t the only one,” the Dryad said. “The three who came before you who succeeded in becoming rulers of Equestria were absolutely petrified when they were chosen. I thought that poor Lulu would have a nervous breakdown.”

“Yeah, Celestia did tell me about that,” I said. “Certainly sounds like her. She’s a bit more uptight than Celestia is.”

“Jethro, you have not been in Equestria a year,” ‘Zecora’ said, “and yet you have shown yourself as having the great potential of displaying all of the Tenets of Harmony, the basis for the foundation of this kingdom’s beliefs.”

“Basis? You do realize I was nearly killed when I first actually met Ponies, right?” I replied.

‘Zecora’s’ expression became one of sadness. “Unfortunately, the Ponies of this day and age have become complacent and so set in their ways that they have a hard time finding the true meaning behind Harmony within themselves. They might not be at odds with each other as they once were before finally banishing the Wendigos, but they are a species who harbor fear of the unknown within their souls. In that sense, they are not unlike humanity.”

“I won’t deny that,” I said, leaning back and leaning against my hands, staring at the familiar autumn constellations. “It’s just a survival trait we humans have. But then again,” I said, sitting back up and staring at the anthro Zebra, “we were the only species capable of sapience on our world. That’s not the case here.”

“You are correct,” ‘Zecora’ admitted. “I am not here to defend their actions or accuse them. I am afraid even those of higher power have forgotten or started to forget what true harmony must be and what it must represent in the world. For example, how can there be true harmony without chaos?”

I stiffened. “Don’t mention chaos…not with that cunt around.”

Both women bristled a bit, but softened and gave me both sympathetic looks. “I grieve with you,” ‘Zecora’ said. “I never knew the other Alicorns, but I did see how two of the former bearers grieved their loss. I felt their sorrow when they banished their friends and allies after being corrupted by Eris.”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” I said, “but can we get back on topic for a bit? I’ve seen how another Discord is freed, and I want to reign in my emotions around her.”

“Jethro,” the Dryad began, “I’ve only dropped Elder apples from the tree five times, and I stand by my decisions each time. You have great potential.”

“Really? A bipedal being from a warlike species who terrifies any new Pony he sees?” I asked.

“No species is perfect,” she continued. “Your arrival in this world might not have been planned, but it could very well be a blessing in disguise. Especially since your world has glimpsed this one.”

“She is quite correct,” ‘Zecora’ agreed.

“Why am I not surprised that you two know about My Little Pony,” I sighed. “I’m still waiting to be convinced, here.”

“We are not here to convince you of anything,” ‘Zecora’ said. “We are here to listen and offer counsel.”

“You’d better be prepared then,” I said.

“We’re ready,” the Dryad said.

“Speak your mind,” ‘Zecora’ added.

“Fine then.” I stood and began pacing around. “First of all, how the hell can I justify accepting a position of royalty in a country I haven’t even lived in for a year? Second, what are my goddamn qualifications?! What would I do as a ruler? I don’t think I could handle the delicacies of internal politics and the drudgeries of day-to-day life as a ruler! Not to mention the massive resistance and upheaval a non-Pony prince will cause, and not just among nobility but the common Pony!”

“You have many valid concerns that every good ruler fears,” ‘Zecora’ said. “But if the Ponies of Equestria are to truly embrace harmony, they must be willing to accept a different way of thinking. A stagnant society will eventually fall.”

“So that’s your reasoning?” I turned to the two. “Jump-start an entire civilization? And give them what? Air travel for anyone without wings? Nuclear power? Their own version of the internet?”

“Not entirely,” the Dryad said. “It’s a bonus, I’ll grant you that, but the true reason I feel as if you have potential is much more than that. Celestia probably told you her reasons for even considering you, correct?”

“And how,” I sighed. “I’m glad this version of her isn’t like the ones from all those Conversion Bureau TV Tropes pages I read, but even so, how the hell do I even exemplify qualities of good ruler? I’ve been alone for years.”

“While it is quite true that you have much to learn about this world and how the power structure works,” ‘Zecora’ said, “you are very much capable of creating great change in this world, not just for the Ponies, but for all who live here.”

“Now you’re just buttering me up,” I said, but a small smirk formed on my face.

“That is not true,” ‘Zecora’ said, crossing her arms. “I only speak the truth.”

“And what about Sunset Shimmer?” I asked. “Celestia said an apple dropped for her, but she betrayed Celestia and fled to another world.”

“I never said apples dropping from me means ascension was a certainty,” the Dryad said. “I merely said it means they have potential. I stand by my judgement of that young mare.”

“Oh, great. That makes things much easier,” I said sarcastically as I plopped down in the chair again.

“Nopony said that this decision was going to be an easy one for you,” ‘Zecora’ explained kindly. “That is why we are here, to help make it easier. You are alone in this world, the only human being. You have already surrounded yourself with friends, Ponies and others who care so much for you they have sacrificed enough to save you from the Lycans. And these are the Elements of Harmony who did this. Them, and the Princesses, and the Zebra I emulate.”

“That’s only a handful of individuals. There’s an entire nation to consider,” I said in retort. “God, I can’t believe I’m even considering this…am I really that desperate for power?”

“It’s in the nature of any sapient being to want power,” the Dryad said. “When a child is born, they are always born powerless and have to be taken care of by their parents.”

“Everycreature seeks power for their own purposes,” ‘Zecora’ said. “For those who are true believers of the Tenets of Harmony, they desire power to protect, not only themselves, but those they care for. Others choose to accumulate power in order to control their destiny. Others to control their fellow Ponies, humans and other creatures. None enjoy feeling powerless.”

“That is a scary thought,” I agreed,

“Tell us, if you are so against the idea of following the path of princehood, why consider it at all?” ‘Zecora’ asked.

She raised a good point. Earlier, I’d felt so adamantly about not ruling. It felt wrong. But now that Celestia had said I might have that kind of potential as well as the Dryad and the spirit of the Tree of Harmony, I’d actually begun to consider this. Why? Why the hell am I considering this? “I don’t…I don’t really know,” I admitted. “I think that’s my biggest worry.”

“You are afraid you seek power for the wrong reasons,” ‘Zecora’ stated.

“There’s a saying on Earth, ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely’,” I replied. “That, and I’m from a nation which rebelled against a corrupt monarchy.”

“Then learn what it means to be a good ruler,” the Dryad said. “Look up the histories. Ask others. Not just you, but also Twilight Sparkle. Make it into a subset of her Celestia-given mission in Ponyville.”

I snorted at first. “Become a student again, huh…” However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the idea had merit. “A self-studying student…I mean…I guess I could do that.”

“Just do not become much of a recluse like Twilight Sparkle once was,” ‘Zecora’ chuckled.

“My schedule wouldn’t allow that,” I replied with a small grin. “I bet Twilight would actually love to sit down with me a couple times a week or more just to study Equestrian and Earth history on good and bad leadership.”

“Do not overwork yourself,” ‘Zecora’ cautioned. “Harmony is also knowing when to work and when to relax.”

“Learned that the hard way,” I chuckled.

“Are you closer to an answer?” the Dryad asked.

“Not an official one, but maybe a step in that direction, just to see if I would actually be a decent ruler,” I replied.

“Nopony becomes a ruler overnight, Jethro Bethridge,” ‘Zecora’ added.

“Heh, I am no Pony,” I smirked, “but I get your point. I’m just glad Celestia chose to actually tell Twilight this time around.”

“You could easily have told Twilight yourself,” ‘Zecora’ said.

“I do my best not to jump the gun on certain things,” I said. “That leads to assumptions, and assumptions, as the saying goes, makes an ass out of you and me.”

The Dryad chuckled, whereas ‘Zecora’ simply nodded in agreement, a small smile on her face. “A crude way of looking at that, but accurate nonetheless.”

“Well…I’ve made assumptions as a teen that really got me in trouble,” I admitted. “I’m not perfect, obviously, but I had to know what Celestia’s reasons were. I’m surprised she agreed with me so easily.”

“She’s no fool,” the Dryad said. “She’s willing to listen to other opinions and weigh them based on her experiences and the experiences of others.”

“A sign of a worthy ruler,” ‘Zecora’ said.

“Sure, she isn’t perfect, but what ruler is?” the Dryad added.

“Point taken,” I said.

‘Zecora’ stood and walked over to me. Leaning down, she put a hand on my shoulder, her eyes wide with mirth. “For what it is worth, I am in agreement with my friend. You have immense potential.” To my surprise, she leaned in and kissed my cheek chastely before she began floating up. “I will see you again someday, Jethro Bethridge,” she called out as she faded out of existence.

“She certainly knows how to make an exit,” I said, rubbing my cheek where she’d kissed it. I felt immediately guilty about it, like I was cheating on Zecora.

“Yeah, well, that’s apparently her style,” the Dryad said. She stood as well and I followed suit. Walking up to me, she poked my chest gently with her finger. “You have a long journey ahead of you, no matter what pathway you take. I wish you the best of luck.”

“I’m gonna need it,” I replied. “But after tonight’s conversations and the ones from earlier today, at least I have a first step in mind.”

“The first of many,” the Dryad said. “But for now, I must head back. I can only be outside of my home for so long.”

“Before you go, what’s your name?” I asked curiously.

“I don’t have a name,” she said. “Would you like to give me one?”

“Well…hang on.” I held up my hand and in a small flash, my iPhone was in my hand. Opening Google, I typed in names that mean apple tree. I opened the first hit, and grinned. “I have the perfect one. Melora.”

The Dryad raised her eyebrow, which on her were two little bits of moss. “Why that one?”

“Because the name means golden apple,” I explained.

The Dryad’s eyes widened and she grinned. “I like that name! Melora…I’ll gladly take that name as my own.”

“Well then, Melora, thank you for your time tonight. You and the other spirit were helpful.”

“Think nothing of it,” the newly named Melora smiled at me. “I’ll see you again as well!”

And with that, she was gone. Snapping, I teleported my phone back to where it had come from, then began floating up, heading back to Ponyville. Before tonight, I had no idea where to begin, but now I felt foolish for not having thought of the solution before.

Starting tomorrow, the study sessions with Twilight would begin…

37: A Cloaked Heart And An Invitation

“No, no, no!” Gemini frowned as she walked up and grabbed my arms, forcing them into a different position. “Your swings are still too wide. Mica’s doing better than you!”

Beside me, I saw the young teen Lycan look at me with an embarrassed look. Today was the day just before the Grand Galloping Gala, another sunny but cool autumn morning. There was a shower scheduled for the late afternoon, but that was still hours away, so Gemini had gotten me out of bed earlier than normal that morning for drills. We’d only been training for a few days, and I was already feeling drained, and not just physically.

Twilight and I had begun meeting at least daily to discuss the different interpretations of what made a good ruler. It was exhausting to say the least, but since studying was Twilight’s element, I put up with it for her sake, and for mine.

I did, however, have to calm the poor mare down when we finally got to the realization that, as an Alicorn, Twilight would be effectively immortal should she choose to accept. She had an intense nervous breakdown that lasted for a full hour. I’d asked Spike to get Zecora, who quickly mixed her more of that nasty tasting sleeping potion. When she’d woken a few hours later, she was still in my arms since she’d clung to me desperately in that breakdown. She thanked me for helping her, and decided to put the issue of immortality aside since it scared her too much. I decided against telling her about the Twilight creepypasta I’d read the summary of, since it would only have made things worse.

Practice with my magic, flight, and Earth Pony strength went on as normal. With the latter, Applejack had been extremely happy to have a new type of apple to sell, especially since the first time she tried making apple pies with it, they’d come out extremely delectable. I made one of my own and added a bit of cinnamon, which made the flavor seem to burst. The two of us, along with Big Mac and Apple Bloom, planted a few acres of those seeds, and they all grew to full sized trees when I poured my magic into the earth.

I was nearly there with flight, and Rainbow Dash was being oddly encouraging about the whole thing. The longest sustained flight I’d accomplished was ten minutes, and I’d even reached a cloud. Sitting on a cloud without the help of the cloud walking spell was definitely an experience. I had no trouble gliding down after that.

Simple magic was easy for me now, and I could feel the flow of magic within me at what Twilight called an intermediate level, which surprised both of us since it normally took years to reach said level. It had taken Twilight only months, of course, but she was an exception. We were currently working on magical teleportation, which so far had eluded me, but I felt like I was almost there.

Someone was snapping in front of my face, and I blinked. A clearly frustrated Gemini was glaring at me. “Wake up, whelp! Don’t you lose focus! That could spell your death. Understand?!”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, straightening.

“And don’t be so stiff,” she said, smacking my back. “A good fighter is loose and limber. Stiffness means more chance of missing the fatal blow when the time comes to end your opponent! Now, face each other and begin again!”

The morning training went on and, to my utter humiliation, I kept on being beaten by Mica of all people. However, I knew better than to let my anger and frustration get the best of me. Gemini saw the growing frustration and had me throw some swings and punches at a large barley bag she’d filled with all manner of flowers, grass clippings, dirt etc. It helped, but not as much as I hoped. Sure, it helped vent my frustrations, but it also made me sweaty, stinky and sticky from the sap.

As clouds began rolling in, I sat underneath the brand new Younger Golden apple tree, panting heavily. I closed my eyes and tried my best to relax, but frustration quickly came back to me.

“Moping isn’t the warrior way,” a voice said from beside me, a voice which warmed my heart. Opening my eyes, I saw Zecora standing there, holding a tray with two glasses of lemonade in her mouth. I sat up straighter and grabbed the tray from her, setting it on the ground. She sat next to me, took the glass in her hooves and took a sip. “I was watching you from the window, my love.”

I snorted as I grabbed the other glass. “Pretty pathetic, isn’t it?”

“No, I will never think you are pathetic,” she said, scooting closer and nuzzling my face affectionately. “You can’t think you’ll be better just because of your age difference with young Mica.”

“It’s more about my stupid male pride,” I admitted. I pointed to my temple. “I know he’s better than me up here, but my instincts tell me I should be able to beat him.”

“The young Lycan was raised in this world, in a kingdom of female warriors,” Zecora reminded me. “You were raised in a nation that, by your own admission, hasn’t seen real war within its borders.”

“My town was remote, and everybody knew everybody,” I admitted.

“My love, my point is that you cannot expect to be better than young Mica in just a few days.”

“It’s not just that,” I said. “I feel like I’m not learning anything. Not that Gemini isn’t a good teacher, but I just feel…well, like an idiot. I’m not sure why, but magic, flight and Earth Pony strength seems to come marginally easier than this…than physical fighting.”

“We all have our weak spots,” Zecora said.

“Yeah, and I can’t find one weak spot about you,” I chuckled, reaching over and tickling her midsection.

Zecora yelped and dropped her glass of lemonade. She struggled in my grip, and her giggling caused the tension of the early training exercises to flow out of me. “Jethy! Stoooop!” She laughed as I continued tickling her stomach.

“Stop being so adorable and I will,” I cooed, kissing her face all over.

“Jethyyyy!” She squealed and continued struggling.

The two of us broke down laughing as I continued tickling her, that is, until my hands reached down farther and I felt my finger brush against a rather large bump. Zecora’s eyes widened, and her laughter stopped. Mine did too and I looked down. There, for all to see, were Zecora’s bare exposed teats. They looked more human than equine, which surprised me. I pulled my hand away and backed away from Zecora, heart racing in fear. “I’m sorry!” I blurted out. “I didn’t mean-”

She reached over and put a hoof on my mouth. She had a blush on her cheeks as she moved closer and wrapped another hoof around my neck. “It was a mistake, my love,” she said reassuringly. “You didn’t mean to. Besides,” and here she leaned in and whispered, in a surprisingly sultry voice, “we’re lovers now.” She nibbled on my ears. “You’re the only stallion allowed to touch them.”

I swallowed hard and gulped nervously. “Ze…Zecor-”

“Ahem!” a familiar posh voice said from nearby. The two of us jumped away from each other like a pair of hormonal teenagers. Standing there, frowning in disapproval, was a fairly frazzled looking Rarity. “If you two are going to behave like that, at least have the decency to find a private room.”

“My house, my rules,” I said, but I still straightened. “So, what’s up? No offense, but you don’t exactly look one hundred percent there, darling.”

She growled. “I’ve been up all night making last minute preparations for the Grand Galloping Gala, I’ll have you know!”

“Right, that’s tomorrow night, isn’t it?” I asked. “Hope you all have a good time with that.”

Her anger changed into confusion. “Wait, you’re not going?”

“I went over this, remember?” I said. “I was just planning on a quiet night alone with my paramour here,” I said, pulling Zecora close and stroking her mane.

“B-But, nopony declines an invitation to the Gala!” Rarity exclaimed in shock.

“Well, for one, I’m not a Pony,” I chuckled, “and two, I wasn’t invited.”

“You WEREN’T?!” Rarity screeched. "Twilight said you would be!"

“What is it with you Ponies and screaming loud enough to burst an eardrum,” I asked in annoyance, sticking my pinkie finger in my ear again to try and stop it from ringing. “No, I wasn’t invited.”

“But…but…”

“Leave it alone, sweetie,” I said. “I’m perfectly content staying with my girlfriend around a cozy fire either watching TV, reading a book, talking, or doing something only couples do-”

“Lalala! Can’t hear you!” she shouted, putting her hooves to her ears. I chuckled and Zecora emphasized my last words by snuggling closer to me. “This is unacceptable,” she said, stamping her hoof on the grass. “You deserve to go to the Gala, too! I even came here to get you a brand-new suit for the occasion!”

“Well, there’s less work for you then,” I said, although a part of me regretted saying that since I was curious to see what kind of suit she might have prepared for me. “And besides, me being at the Gala can only end badly.”

“Badly? But why?” she asked.

“Rarity,” I said softly, “do you honestly expect me to be able to enter a courtyard with Ponies of higher class and be immediately accepted?”

Her ears lowered slightly as a look of realization appeared on her face. “There…there’s got to be something we can do,” she said.

“Don’t push your luck on that,” I said. “I’m really okay with staying here and spending quality alone time with Zecora. Besides, if I went, I would want her coming with me and if one oddity wasn’t enough, two would just make the night unbearable for us.”

Her ears lowered even more. “It just doesn’t feel right…you’ve done a lot to help Ponies since coming here, you deserve to have a good time.”

“And I will be having a good time, by spending it with Zecora,” I said. “I’ve been busier and busier, what with this whole potentially ruling Equestria business and training to fight with Gemini and making time to spend with all my new friends. It’ll be nice to have a night where I can relax. I mean, Scarlet’s gonna spend the night with Derpy at my house, Gemini and Mica are probably going to spend more family time together in their rooms, leaving me and Zecora to spend a quiet evening alone.”

“Something I look forward to, my love,” Zecora added, kissing my cheek once more.

“Well…I’ll respect your decision,” she said sadly, “but it just doesn’t feel right…you should be there. You deserve to be recognized for all you’ve done!”

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” I said with a small smile.

“Well, I’m sorry I came over and wasted your time,” Rarity said as she turned away, head hung low.

“Whoa there,” I said, quickly standing and rushing over to her. I put a hand on her back, stopping her. “You didn’t waste my time. I’m always happy to see any of my friends. If it’ll make you feel any better, I’d love for you to design a suit worthy of the Gala after it’s all over. You look stressed enough as it is.” I began running my hand through her mane, straightening it out as best I could.

“Jethro…I…”

“Nuh uh, let me work my magic,” I said as I continued my best to fix her hair. After about half a minute or so, she looked more or less presentable. “That’s definitely better,” I said, pulling out my phone, taking a picture, then showing it to her.

Rarity looked at the screen, then back up at me. “You know, you aren’t bad for a stallion. Have you ever considered making this a career in case you decide not to become a Prince?”

“And take the job away from someone who actually needs it?” I asked. “Rarity, I’ve got more wealth than Filthy Rich. Jobs should go to someone who actually needs it.”

Rarity looked up at me with what looked like a respectful expression. “That’s awfully…generous of you.”

“I can’t tell whether or not you’re joking or not,” I smirked.

“A bit of both,” she admitted. “I mean, you could easily volunteer your time.”

“I already do work at Applejack’s farm, and they still insist on paying me for it,” I said. “Those Ponies and their stubborn pride. I just donate all they give me anyway.”

“Now that is generous, and I mean it this time,” she said sincerely.

“It just feels wrong to accept pay, but I feel like AJ would buck me into next week if I tried weaseling out of that,” I chuckled. “Anyway, I should let you go. I’d hate for you to get behind on your work.”

“Ah! My work!” she galloped off, muttering about ‘stripes’ this and ‘sequins’ that.

I smiled, then returned back to my spot underneath the apple tree. Zecora immediately put both her front legs around me and leaned her head on my shoulder. “My love, I know I’ve asked this before, but are you sure you wish to avoid the Gala?”

“I’ve seen what happens there,” I replied. “No need to go and make things worse. Besides,” I added, reaching up and scratching behind her ear, “I want time with you. I’ve been so busy that I feel like I’ve been neglecting you.”

I felt a pair of lips pressed against mine, and she pulled me deeper into it. Relaxing into it, I threw my arms around my girlfriend and kissed happily back. When we broke the kiss, she gazed at me with her gorgeous dark blue eyes. “I have never felt neglected by you, my love. Never.”

I smiled happily. “Whatever did I do to deserve you?”

She reached up and poked my nose. “Don’t think like that.”

“Ah, sorry,” I said as I held her close. My hand lazily brushed through her longer mane as the clouds grew thicker. “I’ve just been looking forward to this night for the past couple of days.”

“As have I,” Zecora said. “A quiet night, just the two of us with no distractions. Sounds like a dream come true to me.”

A small rumble of thunder rolled across the skies. “Well, let’s head back inside before we get all drenched,” I said, grabbing both of our now spilled lemonade glasses.

A few drops fell on us before we reached the porch. With another louder rumble of thunder, the rain began pouring down. We were, of course, inside before that started. I sat down and looked outside at the now darkened landscape. Zecora immediately joined me, and to my surprise Scarlet did as well. “Well damn! Look at that rain come down,” Scarlet exclaimed.

“‘Damn’? Why my dear Scarlet, I never thought you capable of such language,” I said with a grin as I ruffled her mane.

She giggled. “You try holding onto your tongue when you’ve been gobbling up TV shows from Earth.”

“Next thing you know, I’ll be telling people to go buck themselves and saying something like, ‘What the Tartarus’!” I replied with a laugh.

“Buck isn’t a swear word here,” Scarlet said. “In fact, it’s actually considered worse to swear by Celestia than anything else.”

“That makes way too much sense,” I said. “I mean, considering I’m sure some Ponies revere her like she’s Jesus Christ.”

“Who?” Scarlet asked.

“I’ll tell you later, but I doubt you’d be interested,” I chuckled. “It’s a religious thing.”

“Ah.” She chuckled. “Never was big on all the religious stuff-hey, is that Twilight Sparkle and Spike?”

I looked out and saw Twilight galloping towards the house, a magical barrier over her head to keep her and Spike dry. “It is…wonder what she’s doing here? I’ll let her in.” I stood and walked to the front door just as Twilight made her way up the stairs. “Twilight, what-?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t invited to the Gala yet?!” she shouted, panting heavily as Spike dismounted from her back and walked up closer.

“Um…because it wasn’t really that important,” I said. “I wasn’t planning on-”

“Princess Celestia told me she wanted to introduce you there!” Twilight interrupted me, holding up a letter from her saddlebag towards me.

I took it and opened it.

My dear Jethro,

Please forgive my oversight in not inviting you to the Grand Galloping Gala sooner. Twilight told me what you’d told Rarity about your reluctance to join, and I will respect your decision to decline the invitation if you so choose. However, I’ll be upfront and say that it was my desire to introduce you to those of higher society in the hopes that you would be more receptive to the idea of being a Prince. I know that’s wrong, and I won’t force you to mingle with the other guests, but I personally would be greatly pleased to see you there. My sister Luna also wishes to see you there as well.

Your friend,

Princess Celestia.

“Jeez, guilt trip much?” I asked as I held up two tickets and looked them over. “I think I’m going to pass-”

“Wait, Jethro,” Zecora said, approaching me.

“What is it?” I asked, looking down at Zecora with confusion.

“As much as I would love a quiet evening with you, we can have that happen anytime we want,” she said. “From what I know of this Gala, it’s once a year, correct Twilight?”

“Yep!” the tired looking Unicorn said.

“Do you want to move our special night to another night?” Zecora asked. “Then you can go to the Gala tomorrow.”

“Zecora, I was so looking forward to a quiet starlit evening with you,” I said.

“And we can still have one,” she said.

I pursed my lips, thinking hard. Most of me didn’t want to go, but another smaller part wanted to be there and actually help some of the issues be avoided. “I…don’t know…”

“Would it help if I went in that form you found so alluring on our first date?” she said, her eyes slowly blinking.

“You’d…do that for me?” I asked, completely shocked that she’d even offer.

“That way, they would both be the odd ones out,” she explained.

My face fell. “Zecora, I wouldn’t want that-”

“We’re a couple now, my love,” she said, standing on her hind legs and facing me directly. “I won’t allow you to face anything alone anymore.”

Slowly, and trembling slightly, I wrapped my arms once more around my girlfriend and held her close. “You’ve got me wrapped around your hoof, haven’t you?” I smirked.

“Damn right she has,” Scarlet laughed.

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said, stroking Zecora’s mane. “Well…I guess we can reschedule our night together.”

“Does that mean you’re coming?” Spike asked with a hopeful tone.

I looked down at him, grinning. “Zecora and I are both coming.”

“Yes!” He pumped his fist in the air, grinning. Oh, if only the poor Dragon knew…

“So first, you say you’re not coming, and then you say you are?! Stop playing games with me!” Rarity asked a couple of hours later after the storm had passed. I was in the shop with Zecora, who was now in her anthropomorphic form and wearing a pair of my black sweatpants and my largest t-shirt, a dark blue shirt that had the words MOUNTAIN DUDE written on it in the style of the Mountain Dew logo. Getting her into the clothes wasn’t an issue, it was doing my best not to stare at her now human-like private areas that made it difficult.

“Trust me, I’m not,” I said, putting an arm around Zecora. “The two of us are both going.”

She facehooved, groaning. “I was just about to go to get a hooficure, too…”

“Well, I have a suit back home I could use,” I said, feeling bad now, “and Zecora still has that dress she wore for our date, so-”

“Nope!” Rarity exclaimed, looking stalwartly at the two of us, “the two of you are getting the best in clothing that I can make for you!”

I chuckled. “You’re a tenacious woman. Just be warned that Zecora will be in this form instead.”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity’s smile returned and she rushed to the front door. She closed it and locked it, then turned to us. “I have your measurements already, Jethro, but I’d like to retake Zecora’s.”

“You might want to make her a bra and some other panties while you’re at it,” I said.

“A bra? What’s that?” she asked.

I pointed to Zecora’s breasts. “They’re a piece of clothing designed for these. Here, I have a few pictures for you to look at.” I pulled up a few pictures on Google, showing her the basic layout of a bra. “So, yeah. You’re gonna need to take a measurement of her bust. Back on Earth, having large ones like that can really mess up your back.”

“Oh my! I wish I had known before,” she exclaimed apologetically. “You’re not in any pain now, are you?”

“Don’t fret, my dear Rarity,” Zecora said. “It was only one night.”

“Well, I’ll make sure that I make a ‘bra’ that is comfortable and supportive,” Rarity said. “Come!”

“Revenge is a harsh mistress, isn’t it?” I grinned as Rarity dragged the Zebra away.

“Perhaps,” Zecora said, a grin spreading across her face, “but you won’t get to see me in my birthday fur, now will you?”

I blushed and sat down. It was going to be a long visit.

“Miss Doo!” I exclaimed, grinning down at the gray Pegasus who answered the door. It was the day of the Gala, now. Scarlet was busy preparing my Earth house for her night with Derpy. I’d allowed her to eat one of my last frozen pizzas (cheese only), gave her one of my many twelve pack sodas, and microwave popcorn. She already knew more about how to use my appliances than even Twilight did. I wasn’t entirely sure what they’d be doing, but I knew Scarlet was excited. I’d already allowed Derpy access through the shield for the night and was going to pick her up before I went to Rarity’s so she could stuff me into my new suit.

Derpy stood there in the doorway to her house, staring at me with a stunned look, then grinned and flew up, throwing her hooves around me in one of the warmest hugs I’d ever had. “Jethro! Hey there! How are you?”

I’d seen Derpy a few times around town after she was taken home by Spitfire. The young mare and I had another long conversation and she’d actually told me that eventually she’d be quitting her job as a malemare. Since I had more money than God still, I was more than willing to put her up in my house or even gift her enough money to pay for utilities and groceries if and when that actually happened, but Derpy insisted on staying in the house she’d been living in for years.

However, I wasn’t going to give up. Her house was decent and all, but I felt like the rooms in my new house were larger than the home she was in. It was barely the size of a studio apartment back on Earth. That, and I wanted her to have a safer space where she wouldn’t have to deal with others.

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. “Doing just great! How about you?”

She flew down, grinning. “Doing great!”

“Just came to see if you’re ready for your little get together with Scarlet,” I said.

“Yep!” the Pegasus said as she grabbed a saddlebag and walked back out, closing the door to her house before locking it. “You can call me Derpy, you know,” she added as we began to walk towards my house.

“Heh, I’ve always found that word a bit rude,” I said. When she gave me a questioning look, I continued. “The word derpy is an insult back where I’m from. It means that someone is stupid.”

Her ears flattened a bit. “Oh…well what about Ditzy?”

“Ditzy is also a word that means silly or scatterbrained,” I explained.

“Well…you’ve gotta call me something other than Miss Doo,” she said, trying to sound cheerful, but I could tell it was a bit fake. I swear, this girl is like a hyperactive Fluttershy.

“What would you like me to call you?” I asked.

“It’s really okay to call me Derpy,” she repeated, her ears rising again and her smile returning to its genuine nature. “I don’t mind it at all.”

“If you’re sure,” I said, “then I’ll do just that.” I ruffled her blonde mane.

She laughed and, as most Ponies did whenever I touched their manes, nuzzled my hand. As before, her eye seemed to right itself until she looked just like everyone else. “Your, what did you call them, hands? They’re amaaaazing!”

“So I’ve been noticing,” I chuckled. “Hey, how have you been, really?” I asked, a bit concerned. “How are things between you and Spitfire?”

“Hey, don’t worry about me. Spitfire’s been great,” she said. “She’s trying to get me a job in administration with the Wonderbolts.”

I beamed. “Admin work, huh? Think you’re up for it? And what kind?”

“I’d be working with numbers,” she said. “Treasury work, I think is what she said.”

“Well, damn,” I chuckled. “I used to do similar work back on Earth.”

The two of us talked all the way back to my house. Derpy seemed genuinely happy about getting a job as a treasurer. Apparently, she’d been great with numbers for her life, and had been a pretty smart filly in class. However, almost none of her teachers gave her the time of day.

After a bit, we switched topics. She told me that ever since I’d stuck up for her in the bar, anytime she visited now she would be greeted with more politeness than before and even invited to join a few tables for either a drink or a game of cards. It made me smile to hear all of this, considering how I remembered her from the show as a carefree bundle of joy, like Sayori from Doki Doki Literature Club.

She asked me how my relationship with Zecora was going and showed genuine remorse at having judged the Zebra too quickly. She expressed a desire to apologize to her, and I told her she’d get the opportunity since she was currently staying with me for a while.

That got a grin out of the sweet Pegasus and she nudged me playfully. “Awww, you already asked her to move in? Do I hear wedding bells?”

“It’s a bit early to be thinking about marriage,” I chuckled. “Besides, she’s staying with me only for a little bit. Maybe a month at most.”

She smirked and nudged me again. “Riiiight. Next thing you know, there’ll be little foals running around your home.”

I paused. Children…how possible even was that? I was stuck here pretty much permanently now. And I’m the only human around. I’d always had dreams of having children of my own. Maybe not right away, but when I felt I was ready. But then my Trixie died and I felt no love would find me again. And now I have Zecora, but…how would children work between us?

“Jethro?” A gray hoof waved in front of my face, then a concerned face popped into view. “You okay?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

I resumed walking, but she put a hoof on my shoulder, her frown deepening. “Mom always said that it’s good to talk about what’s bothering you with a good friend. We’re friends now, right?”

I smiled slightly. “Yes, Derpy. We’re friends.”

She flew behind me and put her haunches on my shoulders, wrapping her front hooves around my forehead. “Tell your friend Derpy what’s on your mind. It’ll make you feel better!”

“Oh, it’s just…when you mentioned children just now, it got me thinking how that’s possible, that’s all,” I said.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Derpy asked innocently, looking down at me upside down with a smile on her face. “I mean, Pegasi can have foals with Unicorns and Earth Ponies,” she said. “And I’ve heard of Zebras having foals with us Ponies in the past.”

“Derps,” I said, “I’m not a Pony. I’m not sure if we’re compatible.”

“Then you can adopt!” she said encouragingly.

“I mean, I could yeah,” I said, “but I’ve always wanted children of my own. At least two.”

“Weeeell, you’ll never know unless you try!” Derpy said with an innocent smile. A smile which turned into a smirk. “And try again. And try again. And-”

“Yeah yeah! I get it!” I laughed, reaching up to ruffle her mane. “It’s really hard to be depressed around you.”

“Well, except when I’m drunk,” she said, her ears flattening.

“Please tell me you’re cutting back,” I said. “Drinking a lot isn’t good for your brain.”

“I know…” she said softly.

Sensing she didn’t want to talk more about it, I let the matter drop. “So, how’d you and Scarlet meet? I know you saw her when you came home with me that one time, but still.”

“I met her at Sugarcube Corner when I went to get my daily muffin order,” she said, her smile returning. “I’d never seen her before and I’m so used to Pinkie being there. I was at her party, but I never really talked to her.”

“Yeah. You know her story, I take it?” I asked.

“She nearly died in the old house before you found her, right?” Derpy said.

I nodded. “And she was stealing to survive. That’s why she was working at Sugarcube Corner. She stole from them and a few other places.”

“And she’s paying it back?” Derpy asked.

“Pretty much. But you were saying?”

“Oh!” Derpy giggled. “We talked a bit, and she mentioned that you had some cool things, and I got curious. So we were going to…what did she say, again? ‘Bing watch TV shows like a boss’? What’s a TV show?”

I laughed as I stopped in front of my gate. “Oh boy, you are in for a treat. Don’t worry, you’ll love them.” I unlocked the gate and gently opened it…

38: A Cloaked Heart At The Gala Pt. 1

Once I dropped Derpy off with Scarlet and checked once more on Gemini to see how she and Mica were doing (they were training when I entered my house and she told me that they’d be playing a Lycan strategy game and sleeping early), I headed out again, making my way towards Rarity’s boutique. As I walked up and saw Pinkie bouncing on a small trampoline, squealing to herself. “I…can’t…believe…the…Grand…Galloping…Gala…is…tonight!”

“Believe it, sister!” I called out.

Pinkie turned, squealed again, then, pausing in midair, zooming over to me and wrapping her hooves around me. “Jethy!”

“Pinkster! How’s my favorite fourth wall breaking mare?” I laughed.

“I’m doing great! But what’s the fourth wall?” she asked.

“I’ll explain later,” I laughed as I scratched behind her ear, making the pink mare purr loudly.

“Pinkie! Jethro! Please stop that! I’m trying to concentrate!” Twilight, who was sitting nearby with an old looking book open, shouted.

“Still trying to get that Cinderella spell right?” I asked, carrying Pinkie Pie over princess style. “Just remember the magic words.” I began hopping around slightly, causing Pinkie to giggle harder. “Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! Put them together and what have you got? Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!” Pinkie was laughing as I continued singing. “Yes, salagadoola means mechicka booleroo. But the thingamabob that does the job is bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That’s just nonsense,” she muttered.

I tossed Pinkie up into the air, then caught her, flying up and catching her in midair as I flew her around briefly. I couldn’t help myself. Pinkie’s bubbly personality was just catchy. “Whee!” she screeched in joy as I flew her around a bit, “Flying is fun!”

“Pinkie Pie! Jethro! Get down from there right now! It’s time to get ready for the Gala, and I won’t have you getting dirty and sweaty before then!” Rarity exclaimed as she trotted up quickly to us. “Now where are the others? It’s getting late.”

“It’s only noon,” I said, landing with Pinkie. “The Gala isn’t until seven. Take a chill pill.”

“Hold your horses, girl. We’re here,” Applejack said, walking up with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, as well as a smiling Zecora.

Zecora walked up to me and nuzzled me. “I see you’ve got your arms full there, my love,” she joked.

“Can’t help it,” I laughed. “Pinkie here is just the most adorable floofball.” I gave her ears a brief scratch before putting her down.

“Perfect! I’m ready,” Twilight said, putting her book down.

“For what?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking at her with anticipation.

“Time for Cinderella!” I laughed.

I watched as Spike put down a shiny red apple, then grinned as the apple began to expand and turn into a massive carriage, much larger than it had appeared on the show. When Twilight turned them into horses with some mouse features, it took all of my willpower not to laugh, since I knew Opal was nearby. I decided to step in as the other girls were giving their mixed reactions to the horse-mice, hice, morses, whatever they were.

I kept an eye out and soon, I saw a gorgeous looking white Persian cat coming out from underneath a branch. She stretched, arching her backside up and pressing her paws into the ground in a very feline manner. When she looked around and saw the newly transformed horse-mice, I could swear that her eyes narrowed and she grinned. Just as she leapt, however, I encased her in my magic. Startled, she looked around as I floated her towards me.

Reaching up, I tapped her nose. “No. Bad kitty,” I said in an admonishing tone. “Mice are friends, not food.” Somehow, the cat crossed its front paws and frowned, clearly disappointed that she couldn’t get her meal. “If you promise not to attack the mice, I’ll bring you some nice delicious tuna some time. Does that sound good?” Opal’s yellow eyes widened and she nodded.

“Jethro! What are you doing with my Opalescence!?” Rarity exclaimed.

“Did you…understand her?” Fluttershy asked.

“First off, to answer your question Rarity, I was stopping her from trying to eat the mice,” I said, gently releasing her and catching her, stroking her fur and scratching behind the cat’s ears. The frustrated expression on Opal’s face melted and she began to purr. “And to answer your question, Fluttershy, no. But the animals here are more expressive than ones on Earth. I just interpreted what I saw written on her face.”

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said.

I looked at the mice, who thankfully hadn’t run away but were still looking skittish. “Sorry about that, you three. Thanks in advance for pulling the carriage for everyone here.” Turning back to Opal, I raised an eyebrow. “If I let you go and you try and go after those mice, no tuna. Got it?” With another silent nod from the cat, I put her down. She stuck her nose in the air and walked back to the boutique.

“Well…that was fun,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Fluttershy, could you help me hook your friends up to the carriage?” Twilight asked.

“Um, of course,” Fluttershy said, but as she walked past me, she gave me a curious look. Somehow, I had a feeling she’d be talking to me about that little interaction between me and Opal.

After hitching the horse-mice up, Rarity ushered us into her place. Immediately, she dragged all of the girls into another room and locked it, leaving me and Spike alone in the other room. Spike didn’t take that well, but just as he was about to knock, I put a hand on his shoulder. “Zecora’s going to be changing into her Anthro form in there. She’ll be more exposed than a Pony would be. Best leave them be for now. Even though the rest of you all walk around naked anyway!” I called out.

“It’s the principle of the thing!” Rarity’s muffled voice said.

Moments later, I heard the telltale sound of magic being cast, then Zecora grunting as if in pain. “I will never get used to that,” I heard her said.

“It doesn’t hurt, does it?” I asked.

Zecora chuckled. “No, my love. It’s just a bit disorienting.”

“Good to know,” I said, sitting down and pulling out my phone. “Spike, wanna watch some videos?”

“What kind?” he asked curiously as he sat next to me.

“Well, let’s see what we get in my recommended,” I said. Opening up YouTube, I looked at the recommended, and saw, to my surprise, a video titled Who is Zecora? by a user named Sawtooth Waves. “Zecora! There’s a human back home who made a video about you!”

The door opened and Zecora’s face peered out. “Oh? That is interesting. Can you play it? I’ll listen here.” She closed the door again, but not completely as a small sliver of light came out from it.

Nodding, I hit play. Spike leaned close, eyes wide as he and I watched the short but older video. When we reached the part of the video discussing the mark on Zecora’s flank, I heard a snort. “This is not a cutie mark,” Zecora said. “Zebras can’t receive such a thing. It’s a tattoo.”

“This video is old,” I said as I looked through the recommended once again. “Seven years old. At that time, My Little Pony was still airing.”

“Hey, what about that?” Spike asked, pointing to another video.

I looked and tilted my head. I hadn’t seen the video before. “Great to be Different by BronyDanceParty?” I wondered. “Hmm…wanna watch it?”

“Sure!” Spike said excitedly.

I started the video, and immediately realized I probably shouldn’t have. When the guy started singing, I suspected I’d be holding back tears. The talking behind the door stopped as the song continued. I had a hard time holding my own emotions in check. The song spoke to me on a bigger level than I expected. As the final chorus began to play, I began to lipsync it. My eyes were misty as the screen faded to white. “Well…that was certainly something,” I said, trying to divert attention away from myself. “Let’s find something else to watch, eh?”

“My love?”

Zecora was suddenly standing before me, wearing her Gala dress now. It was a ruby red flowing dress with a white silk scarf wrapped around her neck. The shoes on her feet looked like they were made of actual ruby. It might have been simple, but I couldn’t help but stare.

“Oh…my…” I gaped at her. “Zecora…you…look absolutely gorgeous!”

She smiled, then held out her hand to me. Spike moved out of the way as I took it and she gently pulled me to my feet. “That song hit you more than you expected, didn’t it?” she asked. Closer up, I saw she had on some false eyelashes and a hint of makeup on her, making all of her features pop out even more.

I gave her a chagrined smile and nodded. “I might try to hide it, but I know I’m different. Derpy might not have actually said this to me, but it sounds like something the mare I’ve gotten to know recently would say.”

“I’m different too,” Zecora said.

“I know,” I said. “It still bothers me a bit, that’s all-Mmmph?!”

She locked lips with me, startling me. All my worries and fears melted away as she pulled me closer. I returned the kiss, my mood lifting drastically at her not-so-chaste kiss. She quickly broke away, batting her eyelashes. Still in a bit of a daze, I licked my lips. “Anyone get that girl’s number…I think she sucked out my soul,” I giggled.

I heard a few laughs from the open door. Zecora smiled warmly. “Feeling better?”

“Much,” I replied. “Sorry to bring the mood down. Tonight’s the Gala, after all.”

“Darling,” Rarity said, sounding a bit more subdued than normal as she walked out to me, “Does being the only one of your kind here still bother you?”

I looked at her, then took a deep breath and sighed. “Yeah, it’s hard not to. Sure, almost everyone in Ponyville has accepted me and they’re friendly enough, more or less, but even here there are some exceptions.”

Silence passed over the group for a bit. To my surprise, Rainbow Dash was the first to speak. “You know, I was planning on trying to get the Wonderbolts to notice me tonight, but maybe it’d be better if I stick with you.”

“And as much as I wanted to see the animals there, you need somepony by your side,” Fluttershy added.

“My prince can wait,” Rarity said, “My friend is more important.”

“How can I enjoy the Gala when one of my bestest of bestest friends is having a hard time smiling?” Pinkie lamented.

“Ah don’t want what ah made to go tah waste, but yer mah friend too, an’ ah reckon spendin’ time with ya is just a mite more important than sellin’ goods to all those hoity toity nobles,” Applejack said.

Twilight stepped forward, standing on her hind legs and looking me square in the eye. “I’m really sorry you feel alone,” she said with sincerity, “but I hope you realize you aren’t alone with us here. And you have other friends too, you know.” And with that, she gave me another one of her gentle and caring hugs.

“She’s right on the money, monkey-man,” Spike said, giving me two thumbs up.

Zecora came up, placing her hand on my shoulder. “Jethro, it pains me to hear that you feel like this still, but they are right. You aren’t alone. You have all of us.”

The other Ponies and Spike came up and I was enveloped in the group hug becoming common for these Ponies. A pair of slender arms joined in, hugging me from behind. I felt Zecora’s hands on my head, gently running them through my hair. “Perhaps tonight after the Gala, you and I can spend some quality time together,” she said softly in my ear.

“If we’re not both wiped out,” I said gratefully.

Unsurprisingly, it was Rarity who broke away first. “Oh my! Celestia’s flowing mane, we really need to get back to it! Zecora, darling, I’m still not quite finished! And don’t think that you two are out of the woods either,” she added, pointing to me and Spike. “There’s still so much to do and so little time!”

I chuckled and gestured for the others to go back into the room. “Go ahead back in, everyone. I’ve got a great video I can show Spike. Something to do with Star Wars.”

Spike’s eyes widened in excitement. “Ooh! Is it a lightsaber fight?”

“Hmm…not quite. Let’s just say, I actually think Octavia would find it entertaining,” I said, pulling up YouTube again as the Ponies and Zecora headed back into the other room. “Now the…Cello Wars…here it is. Trust me, it’s more entertaining than you’d think.” I hit play.

I had to admit, the suit Rarity had thrown together for me (her words, not mine) was absolutely top notch. Aside from the sleeves in the back for my wings, the suit reminded me of something out of early last century, a dark gray suit with a buttoned-up vest, red and white striped tie, and a corsage pinned on the left side of my chest. She’d taken some of the designs I’d given her and made them her own. I was thoroughly impressed.

Still, it feels like I’m on my way to a Prom, I thought as we all walked out to the carriage. The sun was just heading down towards the western horizon. I offered to help drive the carriage, but Spike told me he would be able to handle it. So, I found myself in a surprisingly spacious carriage, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Zecora on the right side facing forward.

When we were on our way, I spoke up. “Not that I don’t enjoy feeling like a Disney princess, wouldn’t it have been easier to take the train? Hell, I’m sure I could have driven my car there. The roads seem like they could handle it.”

“The roads aren’t designed for your vehicle,” Twilight said. “Besides, you promised me that I could study it sometime and maybe find a way to replicate it here!”

“Just as long as you find a better and cleaner alternative to gasoline,” I chuckled. “But yes, I haven’t forgotten. I’ll take you for a spin in it at some point. Preferably before it snows.”

That got her all excited. “Eee! I can’t wait!”

I rolled my eyes, grinning as I looked out the window. The sky was, once again, cloudless, but as the sun began setting, the blue faded into bright reds, oranges and yellows.

I felt an arm intertwine with mine. Looking down, I saw the salient deep blue eyes of my girlfriend looking up at me. She had a wide smile on her face. She began humming something, a tune I immediately recognized, since it was from one of the first movies I showed her.

I softly began to sing. “I bring you a song and I sing as I go, for I want you to know that I'm looking for romance.”

Before I could continue, Zecora cut in. Her singing voice was absolutely melodious and sweet to listen to. “I bring you a song in the hope that you'll see, when you're looking at me that I'm looking for love.”

I beamed happily as the two of us took each other’s’ hands. We began singing again. “I'm seeking that glow only found when you're young and it's May. Only found on that wonderful day when all longing is through. I'm seeking that glow only found when a thrill is complete. Only found when two hearts gently beat to the strains of a waltz that's both tender and new.”

Zecora blushed as she placed her head on my chest. I sang again. “I bring you a song, for I’m seeking romance.”

We moved closer to each other. I was vaguely aware of the others having stopped talking and looking at us, but I was in my own world with Zecora now. We started up again. “You're by my side, there's a moon up above. It shines with a light that's so mellow and bright. It's easy to see that tonight we shall fall in love. Aaah…”

There was a slight pause, then I finished. “I bring you a song, for I'm seeking romance. And you.”

She nuzzled my cheek, and I did the same. “My love for you, as was once said on Earth, burns with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns,” I said, using the most intimate of intimate language with her.

She replied in kind, “And I love you more than Punda Mila loved Tai.” I somewhat understood that reference. The two were Zebra’s from a play remarkably like Romeo and Juliet, but with a substantially happier ending. They were the example that other Zebra couples compared themselves to, or so Zecora told me.

“You two are simply the happiest couple I have ever seen,” Rarity’s voice broke into the silence. Her tone was one of support, but I also sensed something else in it. Jealousy, perhaps?

“They’re two peas in a pod,” Rainbow Dash smirked.

As one, Zecora and I turned. The others were watching us, all with smiles on their faces. A couple of the smiles, however, seemed somewhat forced. Especially on Twilight’s and Fluttershy’s faces. Or at least, I thought that was what I saw. It was gone before I could be absolutely sure. Even if it was just my imagination, I didn’t want to take the chance that something was keeping them from being truly happy. They were, after all, giving up their dreams for this Gala to support me. Clearing my throat, I straightened. “Okay, everyone. We need a game plan for tonight.”

“Wait, there are gonna be games there?” Pinkie asked, eyes wide in excitement.

“Not ones you’d like,” I said.

“Game plan is just a saying from his home world,” Zecora said. “It means strategy.”

“Thanks, love,” I said.

“Strategy for what?” Twilight asked.

I chuckled. “For all of you to get what you want.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

I began pointing at each of them in turn. “We’re going to visit the garden to see the animals, Flutters, but we’re gonna do it right. We’re going to see Captain Spitfire, RD, since she owes me a favor. We’re going to get Celestia alone for a while so we can all talk with her, Twilight. We’re going to find that Prince of yours, Rarity, and see what kind of stallion he is, and we’re going to try our darndest to sell as many of your treats as possible, AJ. And last, but certainly not least, we’re going to do all of this together. Hear that, Spike?”

“I heard!” he called back, sounding happy.

“Ah appreciate the thought, sugarcube,” Applejack said, “but it wouldn’t feel right.”

“I’ve got plenty of opportunities to impress the Wonderbolts with my awesomeness,” Rainbow Dash said, a confident smile on her face.

“You’re more important right now than seeing some new animal friends,” Fluttershy said, giving me the kindest of looks.

“Ladies, I appreciate the thought, I really do,” I said, “but you’ve been looking forward to this night for months now. I can’t just step in at the last minute and be the reason you all can’t really enjoy it. It feels like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“Nonsense,” Rarity said. “Darling, nothing is more important to me than making sure my friend enjoys himself. And if that means sacrificing my time, then so be it.”

“We wanna help you turn that frown upside down!” Pinkie said.

“Because that’s what friends do,” Twilight finished. “Jethro, sure I want to talk to the Princess, but if it means you being alone for the evening, then I’d rather stay with you.”

“I wouldn’t be alone.” I looked at Zecora and squeezed her shoulder. “Zecora would be with me-”

“You need to be with them just as much, my love,” Zecora said. “I’m not the type to monopolize your time. Besides, we’ll have plenty more opportunities to be alone,” she added with a subtle wink.

I really started feeling guilty now. “I still feel bad, though…”

“Hoo, yer a stubborn one,” Applejack said.

“Coming from you, that says a lot,” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“Can it,” Applejack said.

“I just don’t want your night to be ruined because you felt sorry for-” I began before a now furious Twilight came up to me.

“You’re not a charity case, Jethro Bethridge! You’re our friend! We want to help you in any way we can! We’re still going to enjoy the Gala. Together. As it should be.” She softened, and smiled at me sadly. “Don’t you trust us?”

A few of the others gave me their versions of Puss in Boots eyes. I groaned, rubbing my temples before chuckling softly. “You girls…alright, you’ve made your point.” I turned to Applejack first. “Listen, about your food, I can-”

“Don’t even think ‘bout buying everythin’,” she said with a huff. “Ah can sell ‘em tomorrow at the Ponyville Market. Ain’t like they’re gonna go bad right away.”

“Fine, fine,” I said. “I know when I’m beat. Let’s enjoy the Gala. Together.”

And after various words of agreement, we switched topics. But as we continued talking, a thought crept up in my mind. Did they learn something earlier than normal?

39: A Cloaked Heart At The Gala Pt. 2

“I probably should have said this much earlier,” I said as I stepped out of the carriage and onto the path towards the front gate, “but you all look incredibly beautiful.”

The girls, who had been staring at Canterlot, turned back to me with varying degrees of blushes on their cheeks. “Aww, shucks,” Applejack said, crossing one hoof over the other, “Ya don’t have tah butter us up like that, ya know?”

“I’m not,” I said. “You all are honestly gorgeous.”

“You mean, tonight, right?” a heavily blushing Fluttershy asked.

“Certainly tonight you all look quite lovely, but I meant in general.”

“My my, love, you are quite the flatterer,” Zecora tittered behind her hand.

“I’ve learned that sometimes, a woman likes being told they’re beautiful,” I replied softly. I hummed, then sang briefly. “All our dreams and our hopes from now until hereafter. All that we’ve been wishing for will happen at the Gala! At the Gala!”

They all turned to me and Twilight raised a suspicious eyebrow. “You’ve seen this already, haven’t you?” she asked.

“Eeyup,” I said, “but things won’t be going the way they would have in the show. If you’re interested, I’ll show you the episode later, but for now, it’s Terra Incognita, or I guess Equestria Incognita for you.”

“You’d better keep that promise,” she said, with a little twinkle in her eye. “So, what should we do first?” she added, her smile returning.

“Well,” I said, pointing to the main entrance to the palace, “let’s actually go in first.” I took Zecora’s arm in mine. “Together?”

“Together,” Zecora said with a smile that sent my heart soaring.

We all walked down a cobblestone walkway, surrounded on either side by red rope attached to silver poles, the kind normally seen at a club, towards a drawbridge over a deep moat surrounding the palace. I heard water rushing down below. We crossed the drawbridge and entered the main foyer of the space cordoned off for the entire Gala. A pair of Pegasus guards approached us, and one asked, “Invitations, please.”

We all pulled out the golden Gala tickets and showed them to the guards. They looked the invites over, then stepped aside. “Welcome to the Gala. Enjoy your time,” the second guard, in an identical voice to the first, said.

As we walked further in, a large dark gray Unicorn Stallion with a butler’s outfit waved us over. “And who, may I ask, might I announce is entering?” he asked.

They have a Master of Ceremonies? Like the kind who announces who has just arrived like in the Middle Ages? I shrugged it off as Twilight said, “Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They are with me.”

The Unicorn then looked over a bit more uncertainly at me. “And you two?”

“Jethro Bethridge,” I said, showing the personal golden invite. “This is Zecora Mtunga Dawa, my date.”

He looked it over, nodded in approval, then used his magic to pick up a small golden staff with a ball on the top. He tapped it loudly on the ground. “Announcing the arrival of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony! The Lady Twilight Sparkle, as well as Lady Applejack, Lady Rainbow Dash, Lady Rarity, Lady Fluttershy and Lady Pinkie Pie. Also announcing the arrival of the Dragon Sir Spike, the human Jethro Bethridge and his companion, the Lady Zecora Mtunga Dawa.”

As we walked down the red carpet into the main hall, I felt eyes from the other ponies in the room staring towards me. I didn’t miss the lack of Sir before my name, and I’d tensed up a bit when I noticed, but Zecora’s arm tightened around me. Nope, this is the Gala. And I’m with my friends. Time to have fun.

We walked through a golden archway and into a larger room. Banners hung from the walls all around us and in front of us a large stairway led up, then took both a right and a left. Standing at the top of the first set of stairs stood a regal looking Celestia, her wings spread majestically and one of her hooves raised off the ground. Behind her, two stain glass windows bore the crests of not only Celestia, but Luna’s as well.

She saw me and the others surrounding me, and the practiced royal smile broke into a more genuine one. With everyone else following me, I walked up towards her, my own smile growing. When I was a few steps away, I stopped, then bowed. “Your Highness,” I said in my politest tone, “I am honored to have received your invitation.” Before anyone else could say anything, I took her golden-shodden hoof, the one raised, and, bringing it up, kissed it reverently.

After standing, I saw, to my delight, a blush appearing on the monarch’s cheeks. I knew that a hoof-kissing greeting had fallen out of style hundred of years prior, but it was still a valid greeting. I gave her a slight smirk before my smile returned. Celestia gently coughed, then grinned. “I’m glad you came, Jethro,” she said. Then, turning to Zecora, she nodded in polite greeting to the Zebra. “So, this is what that spell did. I must say, Twilight’s reports didn’t do them justice.”

“You honor me, your Highness,” Zecora said, curtsying politely. How’d she know how to do that? I wondered.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed happily, rushing up to her mentor.

“Twilight!” Celestia’s smile widened as the young Unicorn approached “It is so lovely to see my star student!”

Twilight smiled. “I’m really excited to be here!”

“I can tell,” Celestia said, before turning to the other girls. “I’m pleased to see all of you as well. Please enjoy the Gala.”

“Oh, we will!” Twilight said, moving once more to stand next to me. The others moved a bit closer to me as well.

When Celestia saw this, she tilted her head in curiosity. “Are you all staying together tonight?”

“Yep!” Pinkie said with a wide grin. “What fun is a party if poor Jethy here has an upside-down smile??”

Celestia turned to me. “What do they mean?”

“These awesome mares decided to give up on their hopes for the Gala to make sure I didn’t feel alone,” I explained a bit sheepishly.

Her smile became a look of concern. “Feel alone?”

“Hard to feel alone when I’m surrounded by all these awesome Ponies, Dragon and Zebra,” I admitted with grin.

“It’s an understandable feeling,” Celestia said, “but I do wish I could do something to help.”

“You’ve done plenty to help,” I said. “You’ve been more than generous and kind and patient with me ever since I came to Ponyville.”

She smiled wide. “Jethro, you’re a friend. Of course I would act that way.”

I chuckled. “Well, at any rate, thank you for inviting me again. Good luck greeting the hundreds of Ponies.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve seen what happens in your show, haven’t you?” she said quietly, grinning.

“I doubt it’ll happen the same way anymore,” I replied. “Trust me. I’ll show you later.”

“I look forward to it,” Celestia said, “but actually, I won’t be greeting Ponies as I normally do all night. My sister is coming to the Gala as well, as well as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her escort.”

“Wow, I didn’t see that coming,” I said. “They didn’t even show up in that episode.”

She chuckled, then turned to Twilight, looking very slightly nervous. “Before you head off with your friends, I’d like to ask you about that…topic from before. The one you and Jethro are considering.”

Twilight shuffled her hooves a bit nervously now. “We’ve been studying different rulers from Earth and Equestria,” she explained, “so we’re still not sure.”

“I understand,” Celestia said, “but I was merely wondering how things are going.”

“So far, so good,” Twilight replied.

“Take your time, Twilight,” Celestia said. She turned to me again. “And you too, Jethro.”

“As the human expression goes, measure twice, cut once,” I said.

She nodded in approval. “One can never be too careful with a decision like this. Please, enjoy the Gala.”

We all bowed and began heading down the steps before Celestia called out, “Jethro, by the way, when I announce my sister, my niece and her escort, I would like you to be there. There’s a little surprise I’m sure you’ll enjoy!”

I turned and saw Celestia with a trollish grin on her face. Oh, this can’t be good. “I’ll be there,” I said. “When will you do that?”

“In an hour or so,” she called back, looking at a massive clock hanging above the golden archway we’d come through. “Eight o’clock!”

Pulling out my phone, I set an alarm for five minutes till. “I’ll be here!” She nodded before being swarmed by a group of other Ponies. I looked down at the others, who all had similar looks of confusion on their faces. I shrugged, then said, “Come on, there’s far too much to see in one night.”

“Where do you wanna go?” Spike asked, looking up at me.

“Hmm…” I looked around, seeing a few Ponies heading for the courtyard. “Why don’t we all head out for some fresh air for a bit? It’s a lovely night out.”

The others beside me all nodded in agreement, and we made our way into the massive courtyard. The sun had already set, and the stars shone brightly despite the lanterns hung everywhere. In the east, the moon rose, silvery and majestic. I stared at it, admiring the alien crater marks on the surface. I smiled, then looked around. Many Ponies were looking my way with fear, distrust, or curiosity. I gave a polite bow, then wandered out further.

Just then, I saw a pearl white Unicorn stallion with cyan eyes, dirty blonde mane and tail, and a silver and gold star cutie mark walking around the courtyard. To my surprise, however, he was escorting a Unicorn mare with him. She had a light purple and blue striped coat of fur, along with a crew cut dusty blue mane and tail. Her cutie mark was, of all things, a pair of rapiers crossing blades. “Hey, is that Prince Blueblood?” I asked.

To my surprise, the prince himself stopped, ear swiveled at the mention of his name. He turned and his eyes widened when he saw me. To his credit, he didn’t run. The mare at his side looked more on her guard than scared. “Did you mention my name?” Blueblood asked, a bit of hesitation in his voice.

I approached, bowing respectfully. Despite how he acted in the episode, I knew better than to antagonize him. “I did, your Highness,” I said. “Pleased to meet you. I am Jethro Bethridge.”

“The human from Ponyville?” the mare at his side asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice now.

I bowed to her as well. “The same, milady. The same.”

Blueblood, to my astonishment, simply chuckled good-naturedly. “So, you’re the hero who single-hoofedly stopped a war between our kingdom and the Lycan Empire,” he said, approaching me with less fear in his face than before.

“You honor me too much,” I said, a bit surprised by his friendly tone. “I was merely in Lady Luck’s good graces that day. That, and the hard work of these lovely mares with me greatly helped.”

Blueblood looked at the rest. “Ah yes! The Bearers of Harmony! I’ve heard how you defeated Nightmare Moon. My aunt told me the tale after it happened. The Kingdom owes you six a debt it can never repay in full.”

“Ahem!” the mare at his side cleared her throat, but she had a knowing smirk on her face.

“Oh my, apologies,” Blueblood said, standing. “Everypony, this is Sharp Point. My fiancée.”

O…kay…I did not see that coming, I thought. “Lady Point, it’s an honor to meet you,” I said, bowing once more.

“Oh, don’t call me that,” she chuckled. “Sharp works.”

“Pardon me for asking, your Highness,” Rarity asked, a slight hint of heartbreak in her voice, “but how long have you two been engaged?”

“Only two weeks,” Blueblood said, “but we’ve been seeing each other for about a year, now.”

“Really? I’ve never heard about this,” Twilight asked.

Blueblood gave a self-deprecating smile. “It was a mutual decision on our part,” he explained. “If the press or any other nobles knew about us as a couple, she wouldn’t be able to be left alone and we’d never have any alone time.”

“So why tell us now?” Twilight asked, confused.

“We decided we didn’t want to keep secrets anymore. I’m sorry I never told you, Twilight.” There was a slight familiarity in his tone that once more surprised me.

“No, I understand,” Twilight said with a smile.

I instinctively made my way to Rarity’s side, as did Spike. Putting a hand on her back, I looked down at her as Blueblood and Twilight continued talking. “Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

“I…I’ll be fine,” she said, pulling out a dark purple kerchief and dabbing at her eyes. “I should have realized it was a pipe dream.”

“Rarity, no,” I said, kneeling to her level. “Never stop dreaming. I like it when you dream big.”

“Pardon me, but is everything okay over here?” Sharp Point asked, approaching us with a concerned look.

Rarity stiffened. “I’m fine,” she said stonily.

Taken aback by her tone, Sharp Point’s ears lowered. “I…see…you had a crush on him, didn’t you? Oh dear…”

Rarity dabbed at her eyes again. “It’s not your fault, darling. It was just a foalish crush.”

Sharp Point chuckled. “You know, if you’d met Blueblood a couple years ago, you would not have recognized him.”

That got her attention. “What do you mean?”

“Bluey here was one of the most self-centered entitled brats in the palace,” Sharp Point said.

“It’s true,” a sheepish sounding Blueblood said, joining the conversation. “I was a complete jerk. Thanks to Sharp here, though, she beat some sense into me.” He rubbed his flank. “Sometimes quite literally.”

“What happened?” I asked curiously.

“Aunt Celestia was so upset with my behavior in her court one day that she selected Sharp Point to straighten me out,” he said, and had the good grace to actually blush.

“I was second in command of her Highness' royal guards at the time,” Sharp said. “I had him undergo guard training, the most intense I felt he could endure. Then I made him train with others. They wiped the floor with him.”

“That…tends to break egos,” Blueblood laughed. “But I’m glad she did. I was a complete fool.”

“Simple training in the guards was all it took?” I asked incredulously.

“Oh, Elysium, no,” Sharp giggled. “I made him eat what he considered peasant food. Mostly products from Appleloosa.”

“Hold on there,” Applejack said, “what kind of food did y’all eat?”

“Apple fritters, apple pies, dumplings, caramel apples, those sorts of food,” Blueblood said. “She practically shoved them down my throat for days.”

“Now hang on, y’all considered that peasant food?” Applejack frowned.

“Not anymore,” Blueblood said. “Now I can’t get enough. Sure, I still enjoy hors d’oeuvres and palace food, but I’ve grown to love more foods.” He turned to Applejack. “Hang on, are you from Sweet Apple Acres?”

Applejack’s frown vanished. “Ah sure am, pardner,” she said.

“I’ve wanted to try some of your apple products for a while, but I haven’t found the time. Not until now, anyway.”

“Here you go!” Pinkie Pie shouted, and just like that Applejack’s cart of food appeared out of nowhere.

“How the hay…?” Blueblood tilted his head in utter confusion.

“Don’t worry about it, your Highness,” I chuckled. “Pinkie Pie is an enigma. We’ve just learned to accept her chaotic bubbly nature.”

Applejack opened her cart, displaying all of her, as she put it, appletastic treats. “Ah’ve got all the vittles ya mentioned, plus apple juice, apple fries, apple cupcakes, and fresh apples straight from the tree!”

I swore I saw Blueblood salivating a bit, but he had enough training to hold back. Sharp Point, on the other hand, didn’t have that training. “Celestia’s flowing mane, they all look amazing,” she said. Noticing a small empty bucket near the edge of the cart, she chuckled. “How much for that apple pie there?” she asked, pointing to one of the apple pies.

“Ah reckon a hundred and sixty bits oughta do it,” Applejack said, her smile radiant with joy.

“That seems a bit expensive,” Sharp said, causing Applejack’s smile to falter.

Before either mare could say anything else, Blueblood walked up, hovering a sack of coins and dumping its contents into the bucket. “That should be more than enough,” he said with a chuckle. “And keep the change. I can smell how delectable they are from here.”

I couldn’t believe it. The fact that Blueblood, of all Ponies, was acting like this just didn’t feel right. Then again, I had to remind myself that this was another universe altogether. Who knew what could have happened?

Applejack looked into the bucket and her eyes bulged. “Now hold on a cotton-pickin’ minute, yer Highness,” she said in protest, but Blueblood raised a hoof.

“Please, Lady Applejack,” he said, “As a minor Prince of Equestria, it’s my pleasure to contribute to your family’s wellbeing.” Using his magic, he cut a slice of pie, then floated it up to his mouth. When he took a bite, his eyes widened. “I…have never tasted such a delicious pie before. Why, they almost taste like…like Younger Golden Apples!”

“AJ, you’re already making apple pies with those?” I asked, grinning at the Earth Pony.

“Ah had tah try!” she retorted. “Tain’t like that other apple ya brung, but it’s still mighty delicious!”

“Wait, these are Younger Goldens?” Blueblood asked in awe. “How’d you get them? Only Aunt Celestia has a tree capable of growing those apples. And the apples on Auntie’s tree are still Elder.”

I chuckled. “That’s an interesting story.”

“I’d be interested to hear it,” he said, sounding excited.

So, I told him. I explained that I’d received two Elder Goldens during a visit with his aunt and, after eating the majority, I’d planted one of the Golden cores at Sweet Apple Acres. After pouring my magic into the tree, I helped her plant a small orchard of the trees. Applejack added that she hoped to expand that particular crop since the taste was something different than most of her other apples.

When Blueblood heard this, he had the biggest grin on his face. “That’s amazing news! If you’d allow me, could I become one of your first customers for those products?”

If Applejack’s eyes could go any wider, they’d have popped out of their sockets and rolled around on the floor. “Ah’d be mighty happy to have ya!” she said happily.

“I’ll come down and make the deal personally,” he promised. “Would a week from today sound good to you? Say, around three in the afternoon?” He gave her an apologetic glance. “I’d try and make it earlier, but I have certain royal obligations I can’t escape from.”

The orange mare almost squealed in joy. “Ah’ll make sure tah let Granny know!”

“Great! I’ll see you then.”

By this time, a curious crowd of other Ponies were approaching Applejack’s cart, looking at the food on it. A larger gray Earth Pony stallion with a top hat on as well as a collar and a cravat around his neck, was the first to approach. “Pardon me, miss, but what are you selling here?”

And that was it. Applejack’s cart was surrounded by other rich looking Ponies. I suspected that this was more of a political maneuver, an attempt to get into Blueblood’s good graces, but that probably went right out the window when those who bought her goodies complimented on how delicious the food actually was. I walked up next to her and began helping her sell. The others watched a short distance away, beaming widely. I even bought enough of the apple juice for each of us despite Applejack’s protests.

The next thing I knew, Applejack’s cart had been sold out. The bucket was nearly overflowing with bits, gold, silver and bronze. I took the bucket and hoisted it up as Applejack closed the cart up. I signaled to Twilight, who came up. “Hey, is there a place where we can store these until we head back to Ponyville? It wouldn’t make things as fun having to carry this around all night.”

“Of course!” She waved at a couple of nearby guards, who approached. “Pardon me, but can you lock this cart and bucket of bits in the northeastern vault? We’ll retrieve them when we’re ready to leave.”

“Of course, Miss Sparkle,” one of the Unicorn guards said politely, taking the bucket from me in a barrier of magic. The other guard, a Pegasus, used his wings to push the cart away.

I turned to Applejack, who had the biggest of grins on her face. “I take it that your night has been made?”

“Are ya kiddin’?” she turned and threw her hooves around me, bouncing like a child on Christmas who’d received the gift of their dreams. “It’s been better than ah could’ve ever imagined!”

She was squeezing my neck a bit hard. I tapped her. “Air…breath…!”

She quickly released me, looking embarrassed. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

Rarity approached, a wide smile on her face. The smile looked a bit stiff. “Congratulations, darling,” she said, and it sounded like she did mean that. “I’m happy for you!”

Spike was still by her side, his claws gently stroking her fur. “Rarity…?” he asked uncertainly.

We moved around her, and her smile began to falter. “I…I really am happy for you, Applejack,” she said, “Honest.”

“Yer not tellin’ us everything,” Applejack said.

Her smile completely fell. Spike immediately hugged her as best he could, and she returned it gratefully. “I’m sorry, everypony,” she said, hiccupping through her tears. “You should go enjoy the Gala. I’ll only bring you down.”

“Don’t be like that,” Spike said. “We want you with us, right?” he looked at the rest of us for confirmation.

“Spike’s right,” Twilight said. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“If you plan on leaving, then I will too,” Spike said.

“Same,” I added.

She looked at the rest of us, a grateful smile on her face as the others nodded their agreement. “You…you’re all the best friends a mare could ask for,” she said, once more dabbing her eyes.

I held up the bottles of apple juice. “Why don’t we celebrate with a toast?” I handed everyone there a glass, then put an arm around Zecora, who put her own arm around my waist. “This is gonna sound corny, but what the heck? To the magic of friendship!”

As we all raised the bottles, clinking them, I wondered just what else would happen tonight.

41: A Cloaked Heart At The Gala Pt. 4

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and neither, it seemed, could anyone else. Luna’s Anthro form was absolutely stunning, I couldn’t deny it. She was wearing a sleeveless silver and dark blue dress which seemed to shimmer with hidden starlight and moonlight. Her arms, while still covered with fur, were slender and oozed feminine charm. Her mane flowed behind her as it normally did, as did her tail. Her wings were folded behind her in a manner similar to my own.

There was a part of her dress that had been cut almost up to her hips, showing off some extremely smooth and attractive thighs. I saw a part of her cutie mark through the dress’ opening. The dress did little to hide her rather impressive cleavage, but I noted a lack of bra. Instead, I noticed some dark blue fabric wrapped around them to maintain some semblance of dignity. On her hooves I saw her wearing black hoof-shoes, similar to the ones she wore in her Pony form.

Walking down the stairs, she moved as if she’d been bipedal all of her life. The grace and poise she carried about her only made her look more regal. She walked to stand beside her sister, facing the crowd. Celestia turned to the crowd once more. “I know seeing my sister in this strange form is unusual, and the next time you see her, she will be in a normal Pony form.”

Slowly, I felt pairs of eyes looking back from me to Luna. I wanted to shrink back, but there was no place to hide, especially since I wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. What the fuck were you thinking, Celestia?! This won’t help her fit in!!! Celestia continued. “Now then, my little Ponies, feel free to greet my sister, but I would ask you not to overwhelm her. Thank you for your time, and please continue enjoying the Gala.”

“Celestia just gave a great incentive for me to become a prince,” I said a few minutes later as myself and the others were gathered in a corner of the courtyard, sipping on some punch.

“Really? What’s that?” Twilight asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

“So I can depose her,” I growled.

Twilight’s face turned to one of horror. “You wouldn’t…”

I leaned against a tree, slinking down. “No, I wouldn’t,” I sighed, “but I really wanna yell at her right now.”

Zecora sat next to me, wrapping her arms around me. “My love, you’re trembling.”

“In rage,” I said. “Honestly, I knew I’d be getting stares, but now I’m getting some different types. And let’s not forget the rumors that’ll probably be started by tomorrow. I can just see the tabloids tomorrow.” I held up my hand and mimed a newspaper front page. “PRINCESS LUNA STARTS HERD WITH ALIEN AND ZEBRA?” My wings fluttered behind me every so often.

“How do you know what a herd is?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

“Intuition,” I said. “I’m no fool, Twilight. There are tons of mares around, but I haven’t seen as many stallions. That, and Ponies are a herd prey species. It makes sense for harems to happen here. Plus, I’ve been told about them.”

“Oh,” Twilight said.

“Not everything, but enough to infer. It’s not an idea new to humans. Even early in human history, harems were a thing. Heck, there was an ancient king who was said to have had seven hundred wives and three hundred…well, concubines.”

“What’s a concubine?” Spike asked.

Twilight glared at me, so I said, “You’ll know when you’re older, probably. Freaking culture shock,” I frowned as I slowly stood, helped up by Zecora. When I was standing, I felt more eyes on me. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled. “Come on, ladies and Spike. Let’s see what else we can do.”

“Darling, are you sure you’re okay?” Rarity asked, a look of concern on her face.

Despite myself, I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing Blueblood taken had to have been hard on her dreams of a fairy tale ending, but she was still concerned for my wellbeing. I knelt down, reached out, and took her hoof. “Truly, you are a lady of refinement, grace and poise. And a generosity that is deeper than any I’ve seen in my life.”

Rarity looked embarrassed, and the others giggled. My mood began lifting at that, and just then I had an idea of one way to bring Rarity out of her funk. Turning to Zecora, I asked, “Would you be at all upset if I asked her for a dance?”

Zecora smiled, understanding flashing in her eyes. “I am not one to monopolize you, my love. Feel free.”

Giving her a grateful nod, I turned back to Rarity. “Would the lovely lady honor a humble commoner like myself with a dance?”

Taken off guard a bit, she stuttered for an answer. I saw Spike glaring a bit out of the corner of my eye, but Zecora whispered something into his ear, and he relaxed. Finally, Rarity regained her composure. “My good stallion, I grant you permission for a dance.” She had a gentle and caring smile on her face as I stood and walked with her towards the ballroom.

The others followed, and even though we received more stares, I just ignored them since I was focused more on not embarrassing myself on the dance floor. We went towards another room with large arched windows, a massive well waxed checkered floor, a stylized sculpture of Celestia, and a raised platform where I saw a small group of performers playing. Among them, I saw Octavia playing her cello. Other Pony couples were either talking to the side or dancing. A good number of them stopped and stared at us as we entered.

As we walked to the dance floor, Rarity whispered, “How are we going to dance?” She sounded nervous.

“Slowly,” I said sheepishly.

She facehooved, but then stood on her hind legs. “Grab my front hooves,” she ordered. I did so, and on instinct, wrapped one arm around her back as if she was a human woman. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“This is how humans dance,” I explained. “Just let me know if your back starts hurting. I know Ponies aren’t normally meant to stand for long periods on two legs.” I moved one of her hooves onto my shoulder and grabbed her other one. “You ready?”

She looked nervous now, but nodded. “This isn’t quite what I expected,” she said.

“I would have practiced dancing if I had more time,” I said apologetically.

She shook her head fervently. “It isn’t your fault, darling. Now, how do we do this?”

“Follow my lead,” I said. I moved to the right and, to her credit, she moved smoothly along with me. I paid attention to the rhythm of the music and moved forward. She took a step back in response, staring into my eyes with concentration. I chuckled softly as I took a step to the left and began a counterclockwise turn. “You’re allowed to be having fun here, you know?”

“I’m trying to concentrate,” she frowned deeper.

With a crescendo of the music, I moved closer and dipped her briefly. She yelped in surprise before I pulled her back up, one wing around her back to provide extra support. I began a simple sideways step, while at the same time slowly rotating. “How was that?” I grinned, feeling a bit more confident now.

“Please do be careful,” she said, but at the same time she was blushing.

“For you, milady, your wish is my command,” I said, smiling as we continued cutting a rug across the floor.

As the music continued, the two of us fell into a rhythm and began experimenting. I twirled her a few times, dipped her a few more times before she asked me to stop since her croup was beginning to hurt from it. As we continued to dance, her smile only grew and she began relaxing. As the song began reaching the end, I slowly spread my wings. “Ready for a big finish?” I asked.

“How big?” she asked.

“Just hold on tight.” I wrapped my arms around her tightly. She squealed as I launched myself into the air. I thought I heard a gasp from a few of the nearby Ponies as I did so. Rarity clung to me tightly and began trembling as the song began to wind down. Slowly, I floated down using a mix of my magic and wings. When we landed, I carefully released her and she shakily returned to all fours. “How’s that for elegant?” I grinned.

She was still a bit shaky, but she merely giggled after a bit and nodded. “I never considered that as an ending to a dance,” she said. “Jethro, while the dance might have started out a bit rough, you made me feel like a real lady tonight.” She did a Pony curtsy. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

I bowed as well. “You’re welcome. By the way, could you do me a favor?”

“What is it, darling?”

I put a hand on her back and turned her towards a somewhat frustrated looking Spike. “See that handsome young drake? Think you could wow him with another dance?”

“With Spikey-wikey?” she chuckled. “Why, of course!” She wobbled a bit, and I caught her. “Ahaha, after a glass of water.”

Looking around, I saw another small refreshment table near the wall. I led her over, grabbed a glass and held it out to her. She lifted it with her magic and took very ladylike gulps. I never knew such a phrase was possible, but Rarity pulled it off. When she was done, she stood up straighter and smiled. “There. Completely refreshed.” She turned and marched straight up to Spike, who’s frustration turned to shock, then joy when Rarity offered him her hoof.

“Thank you for doing that for Spike,” Twilight said as I rejoined the others, who had watched from the sidelines.

“It’s his first crush,” I said. “He should enjoy it while it lasts.”

Zecora came up, wrapped her arms around me and planted a tender kiss on my lips. “You are quite the unique dancer,” she said.

“How polite of you,” I joked, grinning. “I would never have been that graceful back on Earth. I’d be shuffling my feet and grabbing my partner’s butt.” I looked up at the ceiling, looked passed it towards where Ponies believe their version of heaven is, Elysium. “Thank you, Athena. I owe you so much.” And all I could do at that point was smile. At that time, it didn’t hurt to mention her name or think of her. Maybe I was riding the high of my dance with Rarity, maybe it was because I had the love of my life in my arms comforting me, or maybe I’d started healing from my loss. Whatever the reason, my smile remained.

Someone glomped onto my back. Pinkie Pie wrapped all her legs around me. “You’re finally smiling,” she said, but to my surprise, it was a soft and tender tone. In some ways it reminded me of Fluttershy’s voice, but with Pinkie’s signature higher pitch. The pink mare nuzzled my face affectionately, then jumped off, landing on her feet like a cat.

“Finally smiling? What do you mean? I’ve smiled plenty since getting here,” I asked.

She reached up, poking to my chest. “A smile in here. A smile about Athena.”

Reaching back, I found Pinkie Pie’s sweet spot and began scratching her there. She shuddered and purred slightly. “I suppose you’re right there,” I chuckled.

“Pardon me, Sir Bethridge?” a deep and somehow sensuous female voice sounded from behind me. “Might I have a moment of your time?”

With Pinkie still on my back, I turned and came face to face with a Unicorn mare who could easily have been a mini-Celestia, were it not for the completely pink mane and tail, and the fleur de lis on her flank. She gave me a warm smile, batting her eyelashes at me, but I recognized who this Pony was immediately. “Lady Fleur De Lis,” I said, bowing respectfully.

“My, you know my name?” she asked, putting her hoof to her mouth in slight astonishment.

“A man would be blind not to have seen your image,” I chuckled, standing up again. “Even in Ponyville, I’ve seen you on magazine covers.” Which was true. I’d seen a few in the Ponyville Spa, so it wasn’t a lie. Hell, I’d even seen a magazine called Playcolt where she’d been the cover display, revealing her…goods.

“I should certainly hope so,” she cooed, sliding closer to me.

Beside me, Zecora stood beside me, taking my hand in hers. She was trembling a bit, but judging by her smile, nobody would have been able to tell save for me just how jealous she was becoming. “Might I introduce my marefriend and date for the evening, Lady Zecora Mtunga Dawa.”

Fleur De Lis looked at her, the smile never vanishing from her face. She lowered her head in polite greeting. “Pleased to meet you as well,” she said politely enough before looking her over a bit more closely. “Forgive me for asking, but I was under the impression Zebras looked more like Ponies.”

“Normally, I would be,” Zecora replied. Her voice was a bit strained, but I doubt anyone else but me could hear it. “However, I’m under the influence of a temporary magical spell thanks to Twilight Sparkle which allows me to take this form.”

“Really, now?” She looked Zecora up and down again, then chuckled. “I wonder how I would look in this form? But I digress.” She turned back to me. “A group of us were wondering if you would join us for a little while, Sir Bethridge? We heard what the Princess said about you helping to avoid a war, and we wanted to hear more about it from the stallion of the hour himself.”

“You honor me too much,” I said. “I did what needed to be done. That doesn’t make me a hero. Makes me human. But I’m afraid I must decline your offer. I made the mares beside me a promise to spend the entire evening with them.”

She looked slightly disappointed. “Are you sure we can’t convince you otherwise?” she asked, fluttering her eyes at me pleadingly.

I chuckled and shook my head slowly. “I’m sure. Forgive me. Perhaps another opportunity will present itself, or perhaps I’ll give an interview to one of the bigger newspapers and you can read about it then.”

She waved a hoof. “No need to apologize. I am disappointed, but not upset with you. I was greatly looking forward to hearing about what happened, but a promise is a promise. Do enjoy the Gala.” And with that, the supermodel turned, walking back to a group of mares and stallions who were all gathered around a table. She swayed her flanks in what I assumed was a seductive move, even going so far as to lift her tail so I could get a look at the goods, but I immediately bowed my head.

“She’s gone now,” Zecora said, not making any more effort to hide her jealous anger.

I pulled her immediately into a hug. The other girls came around, expressing concern. I’d never seen Zecora jealous before, it just didn’t seem like something she was capable of if I was honest. “My love?” I asked, “What’s going on?”

“You forming a herd is something I can accept easily,” she said, her voice trembling, “But that stuck up…whore…was trying to steal you. I could tell.”

I had never heard anything like this from Zecora before, so I held her tighter. Pinkie, who might not have been able to understand what we were saying, definitely heard the anger in Zecora’s voice, and the concern in mine. She adjusted herself so she was hugging both of us. She nuzzled the both of us, then used her hooves to reach around to somehow tickle us. Zecora was the first to giggle, then I joined in as the Element of Laughter got us laughing our asses off.

When she jumped back onto the ground, Zecora and I were giggling like schoolchildren. We were probably receiving stares, but I didn’t care. The fact that Pinkie had done something like this in an effort to cheer my marefriend up really spoke volumes to her own caring nature. “Thanks, Pinkie, I owe you one. In fact, I have an idea as to how we can get you what you want.”

“Yer not even bein’ subtle anymore,” Applejack chuckled.

“Everyone deserves to make this the best night ever,” I said. “Especially when the alternative was a completely ruined Gala.” I pulled out my phone. “Twilight?”

“Yes?” she came up.

“Are you able to use magic to boost the sound from my phone and make it sound around the room?” I asked. “And make it sound like it should, and not tiny?”

I played a soft song, and she listened before her horn glowed. The phone began hovering above my hand. For a brief moment, the song permeated the whole room, then stopped. I saw many Ponies looking around in confusion. “Yes,” she said sheepishly.

“Alright. I’ll be right back.” I made my way quickly to the stage.

As I approached, Octavia saw me approaching and, without stopping her playing, she smiled at me. “Mr. Bethridge,” she said in that lovely British accent, “I’m pleased to see you here.”

“Same to you, Miss Melody,” I said. “And please, call me Jethro.”

“Of course, Jethro. Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked, not missing a beat with her playing.

“Awww, can’t a guy come and say hi to a familiar lovely face?” I teased.

She blushed. “Apologies, of course you can,” she said, abashed.

“You’re forgiven. Although, as long as I’m here,” I began, earning me a smirk from Octavia, “when this song is over, I’d like to have another one played. And don’t worry, you won’t need to play anything.”

“Oh? Are you planning on singing something acapella?” she asked.

“No, it involves using this to play music all around the room,” I said, holding up my phone which she’d seen before.

“That marvelous device, eh?” she said, looking excited. “I’m sure we could all use a break. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. How much longer is this song?”

“No need to worry, we’re halfway done,” she said.

“Understood. I’ll leave you to it,” I said, bowing and heading back to the main dance floor. I walked up to Pinkie. “Pinkie, wanna cut the rug with me?”

She looked a bit unsure. “But…all the dances are too fancy schmancy for me,” she said.

“Not when I pick the tunes,” I grinned. “We’re gonna show them how to freestyle.”

Immediately, Pinkie squealed her signature squeal. “You mean it??” she asked eagerly.

“Definitely. Let’s show them how the Number One Party Pony in Equestria throws down,” I grinned. “And I think I have just the song.”

When the song finished, and Rarity and a glowing Spike returned to the group, I made my way to the stage. Octavia handed me an old-style microphone, and I cleared my throat. “Might I have everyone’s attention?” I never particularly liked having my voice echo around the room like it did whenever I used a mic or an intercom, but I sucked it up. The Ponies all stopped their conversations and glanced at me. “I’m sure a lot of you have heard about the alien wandering around Ponyville, and I’d like to formally introduce myself. I’m Jethro Bethridge.”

By now, I had all the Ponies attention, and they began gathering around the stage. I cleared my throat. “I’m not really much for a speech, but I did want to say hello, and to say this: While I love a slow dance as much as the next guy, er, Pony, I certainly feel like it’s alright to allow our inner…foal loose every once in a while. I know this is meant to be a more sophisticated affair, and I don’t blame a lot of you for restraining yourselves. But for this next song, one from my own world, I’d like you all to try letting loose for just a bit.” I peered out. “I see Ponies out there who could use some kind of stress relief, and what better way to do that than to party your hearts out. Of course, you don’t have to join. It’s an invitation.”

Looking over to Twilight, I gestured her forward. She walked up, blushing as I placed the phone on a stand. The phone was surrounded with her magic, and I hit play. “Time to party!” I shouted, leaping into the air and landing in front of a startled Pinkie. “Let’s go!”

As We Like To Party by Vengaboys played, I lifted Pinkie onto two hooves, much like I had done with Rarity. As the song continued, I allowed the rhythm to take me.

Pinkie, as befitting her titles, began laughing and dancing to the beat. Inexplicably, she was dancing in a more human manner, much like how she did in the show when she sang about Zecora. Taking both of her front hooves in my hands, I began swinging the giggling mare around.

The moment the beat dropped, I let her down and began pretty much freestyling it. Pinkie Pie did the exact same thing. There was a twinkle in both of her eyes. Something came over me, and I saw the same thing come over Pinkie. Our dancing began to synchronize somehow. We both looked surprised, but after a few seconds, simply shrugged and rolled with it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few other higher-class Ponies bobbing their heads with small amused smiles on their faces. But I focused solely on the happy party Pony. As the song began reaching its end, I grabbed her and tossed her into the air, where she spun, defying gravity. I yawned, patting my mouth, then gasped, holding out my arms, catching the laughing Pinkie just as the song ended. As silence followed, I put her down, and grinned. “I’d like to see Jim Carrey do better,” I laughed. Reaching out, I grasped my phone with my magic and it flew towards my hand. Turning to the others, I bowed. “That’s a sample of human music. Thank you for listening and I bid you adieu for now.”

When we rejoined the others, Pinkie and I were panting heavily, the exertion just catching up to us. Twilight floated some water over to us, and I gulped it down gratefully. “Guh! Okay, Twilight,” I said, turning to the Unicorn. “You saw what happened out there. What happened?”

“Hearthope magic,” Twilight said. “It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s because two or more Ponies have the same hopes in their hearts at a specific time. What was your hope, Jethro?”

I turned to Pinkie and ruffled her reality defying mane. “That she would be happy.”

“You silly boy! I wanted the same for you!” Pinkie said, giggling. “But thank you, this was one of the highlights of the Gala. You made it the best night ever!”

I grinned. “You deserve to enjoy yourself.”

“That was mighty interesting dancin’ there,” Applejack said.

“You’ve gotta teach me!” Spike exclaimed eagerly.

“A bit uncouth for this crowd, but it was enjoyable to watch,” Rarity admitted.

“You looked like you had fun,” Fluttershy said with a cute smile.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” I admitted. “But I had fun.”

“Sir Jethro?” a familiar voice called out. Turning, I saw Luna herself approaching me, a few Ponies following her at a distance. Most still had looks of fear on their faces, which pissed me off. However, since this was the Gala, I had to remain calm.

“Princess Luna,” I said, reaching out towards her. I bowed my head and, as with Celestia earlier, took her hand and kissed the back of it before rising. “Allow me to be poetic and say that your beauty rivals, nay, surpasses that of a summer blue moon.”

The awkward Anthro Alicorn looked embarrassed, but hid it in the next few seconds. “We thank thee for thy kind words,” she said, and I could tell she meant it.

“I don’t say anything I don’t mean when it comes to the beauty of a woman,” I chuckled. “By the way, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Lowering my voice, I whispered, “especially since you didn’t show up in the Gala episode.”

“We weren’t planning on it, but when we heard thou were coming, we changed our plans,” she admitted. “We hope we weren’t interrupting anything?”

“Not at all,” I said, turning to the others. Unsurprisingly, Fluttershy was hiding behind Rainbow Dash nervously, and the others save for Zecora and Twilight looked on their guard, more or less. I groaned. “Are you all serious, right now? This is Princess Luna, not Nightmare Moon.”

Zecora stepped forward first and curtsied. “Your Highness, I am honored to meet you officially.”

Luna looked at her. “Thou art the Zebra from the Everfree, correct? We are impressed that thou can live in such a place.”

“You honor me, your Highness,” Zecora said with a smile.

“Are we correct in what we have heard, then, that thou and Sir Jethro are special someponies?” Luna asked.

“We are in a relationship, yes,” Zecora said, looking over at me with a loving smile.

I smiled back, putting an arm around her, then turning back to Luna. “She is my marefriend, yes.”

Luna nodded in understanding. “We are pleased that thou have found love in our world, Sir Jethro. And we are happy for thee as well, Lady Zecora.”

“You can drop the sir, your Highness,” I smiled.

“Only if thou call us Luna,” she said regally.

“Fair point,” I said.

Luna walked up to me. “Might we borrow him for a while? We wish to speak to him in private. We shall try and be quick.”

Zecora chuckled. “I have no problem with it.” The others nodded their assent.

“We’ll be in the courtyard when you’re done,” Twilight said as they all turned to head outside.

When we were alone, Luna looked at me. “Please, follow us,” she said. Turning, she headed up the same stairs she’d come down from. I followed, trying not to stare. Luna, Anthro or not, rivaled her sister in terms of looks and regal grace. Sure, Celestia’s movements were fluidic and slender, but Luna’s were purposeful and full of surety. Almost militaristic.

When we passed through the door from before, I found myself in a well-lit sitting room with a massive window overlooking the night sky. Luna approached the window and stared out, a small breeze blowing against her dress. In that moment, I didn’t just see Princess Luna, Diarch of the Moon, but Luna, a gorgeous woman.

She turned and motioned for me to join her as she sat in a chair that she’d used her magic to pull to the window. A second one came and faced the other. I nodded and sat. The chair was large enough for me to be just comfortable. Luna’s horn glowed again and the door closed, the sounds of the party below vanishing. “We thank thee for coming with us here. The stares of our royal subjects were becoming harder to bear. ‘Twas like we were a monster to them,” she lamented.

“They’re all fools,” I said. “I don’t see a monster here before me. I see a Princess hoping to regain the trust and admiration of her subjects.” She smiled gratefully, but there was still a hint of sadness in her eyes. I decided to change subjects and asked, “So…did Celestia put you up to this?” I gestured to her voluptuous body.

She shook her head. “In fact, our sister attempted to talk us out of this action multiple times.”

“She did?” I asked in confusion.

“Well, she merely asked if we were comfortable appearing in this form,” she admitted. “She mentioned it as a joke a few weeks ago, and we thought it a grand idea.” She brushed a bit of her mane aside. “Dost thou not enjoy it?”

Okay, still gonna yell at you, Cellie, I thought, but I couldn’t help but smile at the hopeful expression on Luna’s face. “My earlier praise wasn’t for naught,” I said. “In language more familiar to you, thy Anthro form is a bright shining star amongst these dullards.”

Luna giggled. “We appreciate thy attempts, but coming from thee, thy phrasing sounds forced.”

I snickered. “Apologies, your Highness.”

“Call us Luna,” she admonished me.

“Apologies, Luna,” I chuckled. “Well, why did you want to take this form?” I asked.

“The idea came when we about thee during breakfast,” she said. “Our sister was speaking about how she wished to introduce thee to the Canterlot high society tonight, but when we mentioned thy form being quite foreign to them, she jokingly suggested one or both of us take this form. We thought it was a marvelous idea.”

Why that manipulative, sexy Pony, I thought. “Why, though?”

“To show the masses that thou had the support of the crown,” Luna explained. “Our sister knows our Ponies better and has explained some of their more…less than accepting qualities of non-Ponies in more recent years.”

“Hell, they were terrified of Zecora, and she’s more Pony shaped than I am,” I replied.

“Indeed,” Luna said. “Thy lover is quite the sight in her current form,” she added. “What didst thou call it earlier? Anthro?”

“It’s short for anthropomorphic,” I explained. “It means having a humanoid appearance.”

“We see,” she said. “We approve of this moniker.”

“May I ask how you managed to make yourself look like you’ve been walking on two hooves like it was natural?” I asked.

“We did not wish to look foolish in front of thee…the other guests,” she corrected, looking a bit sheepish. “We asked our sister to request more samples of thy wings.”

“That explains why Twilight wanted ‘additional samples for analysis’,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Thou are not upset, we hope?” Luna asked. “‘Twas not her fault.”

“No, I’m not upset,” I said. “If anything, Celestia’s getting an earful later when I can get her alone.”

“For our sake, do not,” Luna said. “‘Twas our idea.”

“Maybe, or maybe she made you think it was her idea,” I said. “But for your sake, I’ll forget it. Just this once.”

The two of us sat for a little while longer in silence. As we did, I noticed a small change in Luna’s expression. It started off as a frown, then she slightly opened her mouth a few times as if to say something, but dropped it. Finally, just as I was about to ask her if she was alright, she opened her mouth. “There was another reason we-no, I…wanted to take this form. A more…personal reason.”

I kept quiet, knowing better than to say anything. I’d seen Trixie like this when we were together, and judging from that experience, she wanted me to listen. Luna took a deep breath, then continued. “Thou-I mean, you and I haven’t spoken often, but when we do, you have been nothing but kind and accepting of me. Other Ponies even around the palace have not been. You are one of the few who have treated me well. You even complimented our-my night.”

“Because I love the night,” I said, standing and leaning against the windowsill, looking at the blazing stars. “I have special memories I’ve associated with the nighttime. And the one thing about this world that it shares with Earth? The night sky is identical. The constellations are exactly the same. Hell, I’ve used my telescope to observe some interstellar phenomenon that match the ones from my world.” I pointed up. “The Pleiades Cluster, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Orion Nebula, and that’s just to name a few. Whenever I use my Morphean magic, I normally hover miles above Equestria and just stare at the night sky.”

Luna looked touched, and, standing moved beside me and looked up at the sky. “Thy words mean much to us,” she said. “We wish thou had come before our fall from grace.”

Even though I’d only heard the song recently, the words had stuck with me surprisingly. I thought if anyone could use the words, it was Luna. “Isn’t it great to be different? Isn’t it wonderful to be exactly who you are? When you learn to start accepting yourself, you'll become a shining star.”

“Thou have a lovely singing voice,” Luna whispered. “What song is that?”

“Great To Be Different,” I whispered back. “It’s a song made by a fan of My Little Pony.”

“There are songs about Equestria?” she asked, looking shocked.

“Yes,” I said. “Remember the one I showed you and Celestia? There was a song that fans of the show thought your response would be. Would you like to see it?”

“If we might, we would be most grateful.”

I pulled out my phone and opened YouTube again. After finding it, I played Luna’s Reply. Somehow, I didn’t think she’d enjoy the soliloquy. She listened, tears in her eyes as the song played out. When it was finished, I decided to play an animation called Children of the Night.

As the animation ended, Luna was shedding tears. I took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eye carefully. Holding back tears of my own, I lifted her chin to face me, smiling gently. “Your story touched plenty of people. Hell, back at my former job, one of the people who worked for me told me his favorite princess was you.”

“Give us a moment, please,” she said shakily, and I went silent, continuing to stand beside her. I put an arm around her as she trembled from pure emotion. After a while, she looked up at me, and the smile she gave radiated gratefulness and joy. “Thou hast no idea how much we wished to hear news akin to what thou hast told us.”

“It was my pleasure,” I said. “With very few exceptions, nobody is beyond redemption and deserves to be happy.”

She smiled up at me. “Thank you for the talk and for showing us these works of art. ‘Twas beyond enjoyable.” She looked back at the door, then back at me. “Please forgive me for cutting this conversation short, but we shouldn’t keep thee from thy companions and special somezebra. We should return to the Gala.”

“I’ll walk you out,” I said, offering her my arm. When she hesitated, looking confused, I chuckled, reaching down and taking her hand, placing it through my arm. “Like this.”

“How…intimate,” she blushed as we walked towards the door.

“It’s how a human male escorts a human female in these sorts of situations,” I explained as we walked out the door.

The two of us walked down in comfortable silence and made our way towards the courtyard. When I saw my friends and marefriend, I waved. They all waved back and began to approach. Turning back to Luna, I smiled. “I enjoyed our talk as well, Luna. Do enjoy the Gala, would you?”

“We will, Jethro. We shall see thee later, we hope,” she said as she gently pulled away from me, but not before slipping a small metal object into my hand. “Put this on. It shall send a message to the other nobles of Canterlot.” And with that, she turned and retreated, the same regality returning to her as she did.

Looking down at my hand, I saw a simple metal chain necklace with something attached to it. At first, I thought it was a coin, but upon inspecting it further, I saw it was a kind of silver medallion. It was the size of an Eisenhower dollar coin. On one corner, a crescent moon was emblazoned, and in the center Luna’s cutie mark had been carved into it. In the center, a sky-blue stone was set. Turning it around, I saw that the other side was identical. I was a bit hesitant, but I figured there was no harm in putting it on.

And so, I did.

42: A Cloaked Heart At The Gala Finale

I slowly turned back to the others, who were nearly upon me. Twilight was the first to speak. “What did you talk about??”

“Mostly about her reasons behind this, then I showed her a couple songs about her,” I said quietly. “But for now, let’s continue enjoying the Gala.”

“Where to next?” Twilight asked, and I could swear I heard a hopeful tone in her voice.

“Well, let’s see…we’ve done what Applejack wanted, made Rarity feel like a true lady, Pinkie and I cut the rug, gave Fluttershy her best night ever, got Rainbow Dash a date with the Wonderbolts…what else was there…?” I pantomimed thinking, then snapped my fingers multiple times. “How does that part of the song go again? Ah, yes!” I began to sing. “At the Gala, with the Princess is where I'm going to be. We will talk all about magic and what I've learned and seen. It is going to be so special as she takes time just for me.”

Twilight frowned at me. “That’s no fair,” she pouted.

“Not sure how that makes sense, but hey. Let’s go find Celestia and get some time with her, eh?”

Twilight squealed in joy as she began bouncing up and down as we wandered once more through the Gala. I felt Zecora kissing my cheek affectionately, as if to assure me I’d been doing a great job so far.

Celestia wasn’t hard to find. She was in the main area, speaking to a few other Ponies of higher standing. I merely chuckled. I was sorely tempted to leave her be, make her suffer for a bit longer, but that wasn’t fair to Twilight. And besides, I’d promised Luna to overlook the incident. I approached, followed by what felt increasingly like my entourage. Celestia heard me and turned. Her smile brightened. “Jethro! Pleased to see you!”

“Nice to see you too,” I chuckled, then turned and bowed to the three rich looking Ponies who were speaking to Celestia. It was an older couple and a younger mare, presumably their daughter. “Forgive my intrusion.”

“Not at all,” the stallion, a brown furred Unicorn with darker brown mane and tail, gave me a polite smile. He wore a black tuxedo and his wife, a light-yellow Unicorn mare, wore a sky blue gown. The young mare, a Unicorn like her parents, was an orange creamsicle color with a dark blood orange mane and tail. She batted her yellow eyes at me in a childish effort to flirt. The stallion continued, “So, you’re the mysterious creature from Ponyville making waves and stopping wars, I see.”

I bowed politely enough. “You honor me with such words. But I did what anyone in my place would do.”

“And that is?” his wife asked in a curious voice.

“What was necessary,” I stated bluntly.

“Nopony could ask anything more of you,” Celestia said.

“Indeed,” the stallion said. Turning, he bowed to the princess. “If you’ll pardon us, your Highness, my family and I wish to find our good friends. Thank you for indulging us in conversation.”

“Not at all,” Celestia said. “It was my pleasure.”

The young teenager’s eyes lingered on me, giving me a slight wink before turning and strolling away. I sighed when she was out of range. “Something tells me that girl was only doing that because of the special attention I’m getting,” I said, grasping my new necklace and displaying it.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, then shook her head in amusement. “Luna got to you before I did, I see,” she chuckled as her horn began to glow. From beneath one of her wings, a gold chain and medallion approached me. It was the same dimensions as Luna’s but both sides had Celestia’s cutie mark engraved on it with a fiery red ruby in the center.

I reached out, took it, and looked at it. A sudden fear came over me, and I looked suspiciously at Celestia. “What do these mean, exactly? They’re not anything like a marriage proposal, are they?”

Celestia looked shocked for a bit, then threw her head back and laughed. “Oh! Oh my, Jethro! No no! They’re nothing like that, I promise!”

“Then what are they?” I asked, now more confused.

After she stopped laughing, she cleared her throat and explained, “These little medallions are signs that you are recognized as a special friend of the crown, nothing more. Trust me, as royalty, we actually don’t have an official way to show that anypony has caught our attention in a romantic way.” Celestia had a far-off look in her eyes for a few moments before looking back at me. “I haven’t given one out of these in hundreds of years, Luna even longer. Don’t worry, there are no other meanings behind these.”

I was a bit overwhelmed, looking at the two medallions around my neck with new reverence. I looked back at Celestia, my previous anger at her greatly diminished. “I’m not sure what to say,” I admitted. “A simple thank you doesn’t seem adequate.”

“Don’t,” she said, a flash of warning in her eyes, before her expression softened. She approached and put a hoof on my shoulder. “You’ve more than earned these badges from us. Besides,” and here she lowered her voice, “this way, you won’t be ostracized by other Ponies for being different. I think that’s one reason why the tree chose you as a potential Prince candidate, since you have the potential to be a bridge between Ponies and other races.”

“Hmm…maybe,” I said. “I’m still unsure about what that tree sees in me, but that’s why Twilight and I are studying. And speaking of Twilight, I’ve come to save you from the dull night for some time,” I added. “Twilight was desperately hoping to spend some quality time with you.”

Celestia looked down happily at her student. “Is that right?”

Twilight beamed and nodded. “Oh yes, please!”

Celestia’s smile became a saddened one. “As much as I wish I could, this Gala demands-”

“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit,” I interrupted her. Everyone save for Zecora gasped at my language. “Celestia, you’re the fucking princess. Who’s gonna begrudge you some private time with your most faithful student without looking foolish? Seriously, you moved the sun and moon for a thousand years. You’ve worked tirelessly, finding two potential Princess candidates and doing your damndest to raise them right. I’m sure your guests will forgive you for taking time to spend with Twilight. Besides, what can they do about it?”

Celestia stood, stunned at my words. After a bit, she walked up and tapped my forehead, not too hard, but hard enough to sting a bit. She grinned. “Your point is taken.” She leaned in and whispered, “I am the fucking princess.”

I snickered. I never thought I’d hear the princess of all Ponies swearing. “Damn right.”

Snickering, Celestia turned back to her student. “Twilight, would you and your friends care to walk with me for a while?”

“Yes yes yes!” Twilight exclaimed, before stopping and clearing her throat. “I mean, um…yes please.”

Celestia grinned, then turned and headed back towards the stairs. Twilight walked beside her teacher and eagerly began talking. Celestia relaxed and eagerly conversed with her student. I took Zecora’s arm in mine and we walked behind the two. Behind us, the other Bearers of Harmony struck up conversations of their own behind me. Zecora and I didn’t talk, just walked arm in arm in comfortable silence as Celestia led us back towards the Royal Gardens.

Unlike when I’d visited it before at night, the garden was lit with lanterns. All we could hear was the evening breeze among the trees and brush. As we walked up to the Golden Apple tree, I stopped and pulled Zecora aside. “This is the tree,” I said.

The others stopped and made their way over as I put my hand on the trunk of Melora’s tree. Celestia came beside me, smiling. “One of my most prized trees,” she said, looking up at it with a serene smile.

“That she is,” I said. “Speaking of her, Celestia, there’s something about this tree I should tell you at some point. Something you might find interesting. This tree, and another.”

“Oh?” Her ears perked up, and she smiled. “I look forward to it.”

I chuckled, nodded, then turned back to the tree. In a low whisper, I said, “Hello, Melora. Your apples look delectable as always. And no, that was not an innuendo.” A small shudder went through the tree. It almost sounded like laughter. I put my hand on the trunk again. As I was still holding onto Zecora’s arm, I felt another surge of energy flowing between us, one from Zecora to the tree, the other from the tree to Zecora. It was faster than before, and it completed itself before I could pull away.

“What was that?” Zecora asked, looking at me with uncertainty. “I felt something leave me and enter me at the same time.”

“Wait, you felt that too?” I asked. When she nodded, I frowned. “That’s the third time I’ve felt something like that happen. It happened with Celestia and Luna, then with you and Scarlet. But now you’ve felt it.” I looked at my hands, scrutinizing them as if staring would get me an answer. “Something to research, I believe.”

“I will help,” Zecora said, wrapping her arms around me and pressing herself against me with a tender smile.

“I know better than to argue with you, beloved,” I said softly, leaning in and kissing her. She kissed me back happily.

The two of us walked towards the small stone wall that overlooked Canterlot, looking not down at the city, but up at the sky. And there they were. The northern autumn constellations. I pointed out Pegasus, Capricorn, Aries, Taurus and others. Zecora taught me some of the names her kind came up with for those same constellations. I didn’t realize that the others had come to join us, until I turned to Zecora and said, “Shame that nobody on the planet has a space program. You’d really enjoy having something like the Hubble Space Telescope, International Space Station, and communication satellites in orbit.”

“You have all that??” Twilight, who’d snuck up on us along with the rest, asked eagerly. “A space telescope…” she said in awe.

“What kinda contraption is that?” Applejack asked.

I pointed to a tower where a telescope was visible. “Think of something like that, but launched into orbit around your planet, and much, much bigger. It’s able to see billions of light years away.”

Poor Twilight’s eyes were bulging out of their sockets now. Rainbow Dash, upon seeing this, flew down and put a hoof on her back. “Calm down there, you egghead.”

“You know,” I said, deciding to tease her more, “I bet with all of your magic, and potentially my Morphean powers, we can create a space program and even potentially land somebody on the moon.”

“I think Luna would be the first to volunteer for that mission,” Celestia giggled.

“As would this excitable Unicorn,” I laughed, as Twilight was hyperventilating excitedly while Spike rubbed her back, trying to get her to calm down. “I wonder if Athena downloaded the specs for the Apollo missions, or the proposed Artemis missions. I’ll look later.”

“Is going into space fun?!” Pinkie asked excitedly.

“I haven’t been to space,” I admitted, “but if you get far enough from the surface of the planet, you float.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “No way! I wanna float!”

I reached out, my hand glowing with my magical signature. A glow surrounded Pinkie and she began floating up. She giggled and did flips and loop-de-loops in the air. “How’s that?”

“Wheee!” she giggled.

“Now that I’m, presumably, immortal, I’d love to see Equestria achieve a space program,” I admitted, my inner science fiction nerd coming out. “Perhaps we can even crack faster than light travel.”

“I suspect my faithful student would be more than willing to discuss such plans with you,” Celestia chuckled softly.

As I caught a giggling Pinkie, who snuggled up close to me surprisingly, I chuckled. “I’ll be sure to put that on the growing list. It’s not too important right now, but I’d love to be involved.”

I began putting Pinkie down, but she insisted on clinging to me, so I just held her. She purred again and rubbed her head against my chest. I raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you become a kitten?” I asked with amusement.

“Mmm, since I discovered how good headpats feel,” she giggled.

Celestia looked intrigued. “Indeed? Perhaps I should experience this myself.”

“Hmm…in front of everyone here?” I asked with a smirk.

“It’s like you said earlier. I’m the Princess,” she chuckled. “Besides, we’re alone at the moment.”

I burst out laughing, followed by Pinkie and Zecora next, who laughed along with me. The others soon joined in. I gently put Pinkie Pie down, then faced Celestia. “Alright, let’s see what I can do here.” Reaching out, I stroked her mane gently before finding what I quickly found to be equine sweet spots behind their ears. I began scratching there.

“Oooh myyyy…” Celestia cooed, arching her back a bit. “This is…perhaps I should have my personal masseuse use the humanification spell on herself.”

I winced at that. “Call it the Anthro spell, please. What you used reminds me of…a less than stellar fanfiction about you.”

“Noted,” Celestia said, humming something softly as I continued scratching behind her ear.

After a while, I slowly winded down and removed my hand. When she whined a bit, I poked her snout slightly. “Later, Princess. I’m not very good at this. I’m better at massaging a human form. Watch.” Turning, I walked behind Zecora and began massaging her shoulders.

“Nnng…” Zecora gasped, then relaxed. “Oh my…love, that feels simply amazing.”

I slowly eased up, much to Zecora’s frustration. Oh, I’m gonna pay for that later, I know it, I thought. “I’ll give you a longer massage later,” I whispered.

“You’d better,” she grinned. “For teasing me like that, that is.”

Yep, I’m in trouble, I thought with a small smile before I turned to the others. I decided to change the subject. “So, what’s everyone doing for Halloween-no, it’s called Nightmare Night here, that’s right.”

“I’m going as Starswirl the Bearded!” Twilight announced.

“With the bells?” I chuckled.

“Of course-wait, how’d you know?” Twilight asked before holding up a hoof. “Wait, never mind, you saw it already, didn’t you?”

“When are you just gonna accept it?” I snickered.

“I’m going as a chicken!” Pinkie Pie said. I saw Celestia stiffen at the mention of chicken, but I thought nothing of it.

“Of course you are,” I laughed.

“I’m going as a dragon!” Spike said excitedly.

“So…you’re going as yourself?” I smirked.

“No, I have a dragon costume!” He said in a huff, crossing his arms.

“Isn’t that…redundant?” I asked.

“It’s the prin…prin…Twilight?” he turned to her, gesturing for her to finish the sentence.

“Principle of the thing?” she said.

“Yeah, that!”

I nodded. “Yeah, okay, I can see that,” I said.

“Ah’m gonna be goin’ as a scarecrow,” Applejack said.

“I’m still unsure yet,” Rarity said, “but it will be fabulous. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I’m going as a Wonderbolt, obviously!” Rainbow Dash said.

“No trying to scare other Ponies with a thundercloud,” I said, shaking my finger at her.

“No fair! That’s what makes Nightmare Night fun!” Rainbow Dash said, flying down and sitting down on the grass in a huff.

“I don’t know how lightning works here,” I said, “but back home, one bolt of lightning can kill.”

That made Rainbow Dash gulp, and she looked at the ground, pawing at it. “N-Noted,” she said.

Feeling a bit bad for ruining her fun, I walked up and sat beside her. Putting a hand in her mane, I stroked it gently. “I’m not saying pranks are a bad thing, but you’ve got to pull them on Ponies who would actually appreciate it. And throwing lightning at everyone isn’t just dangerous, it’s life threatening. Why not try something a bit tamer, like…oh…I don’t know…making a haunted house for the little fillies and colts.”

She looked a bit happier at that, and nodded. “That…sounds fun, actually.”

“You can use my house, and I can help.” I grinned, then made my voice spooky. “When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candle lights flicker, where the air is deathly still…that is the time when ghosts are present. Practicing their terror with ghoulish delight. Welcome, foolish mortals, to the haunted mansion. I am your host, your ghost host. Kindly step this way…there’s no turning back now. You will not be harmed, but you will not be released until you take a tour of my home. We have so few visitors…live ones, that is!”

I laughed, then began singing. “When the crypt doors creek and the tombstones quake, spooks come out for a swinging wake. Happy haunts materialize, and begin to vocalize. Grim grinning ghosts, come out to socialize! Now don't close your eyes and don't try to hide, or a silly spook may sit by your side! Shrouded in a daft disguise, they pretend to terrorize! Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!”

“Oooh! Sounds spooky fun! Can I help??” Pinkie asked.

“Of course,” I chuckled. “The more the merrier. Anyone else? Spike?”

“Count me in!” he said.

“Rarity?” I turned to her.

“Oh, do forgive me, darling, but I’m not sure how I could help,” she said.

“Well, perhaps you could create some ghostly clothing that we could move around using a pulley system or something?” I asked.

She put a hoof on her chin., clearly thinking. “Hmm…an intriguing opportunity. I’ll consider it.”

“Glad to hear it. Applejack?” I turned to her next. “How’d you like to help?”

“Ah’d love to, sugarcube, but mah family does a corn maze fer the town every year,” she said. “It’s an Apple family tradition.”

I chuckled. “Far be it from me to get in the way of tradition, but how about this: why not do it at my house this year? You do a maze in my yard, and at the end of it, you reach the haunted house.”

“Say, that ain’t a bad idea,” Applejack said. “Ah’ll ask Granny, but no promises. Ah’ll definitely visit, though!”

“Great! Look forward to it! Twilight?” I turned to her. “Would you like to help?”

She nodded. “Making a haunted house sounds like it could be fun, sure! But, are you sure you want to use your house?”

“Why not?” I asked. “It’s got a reputation for being haunted. And who doesn’t love a good scare…I mean, aside from you, Fluttershy.” Turning, I saw the poor Pegasus mare had moved away from the rest of us, looking nervous. I walked over to her next and knelt. “I’m sorry if I scared you,” I said, reaching to scratch behind her ears. “I know you don’t care for Nightmare Night.”

The poor mare was trembling, so I wrapped her in my wings. “I-It’s scary,” she admitted, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’d be fun for me.”

“Nopony thinks any less of you for that, my little Pony,” Celestia said. “Plenty of Ponies don’t enjoy Nightmare Night.”

As she spoke, that reminded me of something that I had a gripe with her about. I stood and slowly turned on her. The other Ponies sensed my change of mood and looks of worry appeared on their faces. Celestia’s smile turned into a confused look as I approached. “Speaking of Nightmare Night, I’ve gotta bone to pick with you about it.”

“I’m listening,” she said, giving me an even look.

“Let me ask you something: what was the reason Luna became Nightmare Moon?” I asked.

Her ears flattened, but that was all the reaction I got. “She grew jealous of me, and just wanted to be appreciated for her night. That…and I failed to be there for her.”

“Okay, now how did Nightmare Night come into being?” I asked.

“I…wanted something good to come from my banishing her,” Celestia said. “I knew I couldn’t be happy, but at least my subjects could have a night of fun. It was…well…” and here she leaned in and whispered, “It was a way of punishing myself.”

I tensed, then glared angrily at her. “I am sorely tempted to tell Luna this,” I said. “That’s a pretty flimsy reason.”

“I am aware,” she said, looking up at the rising moon.

I took a deep breath, and exhaled. “Celestia,” I said, “I’ve seen the events of Luna’s first Nightmare Night. It’s not exactly a pretty one. Sure, it turns out alright in the end, but she almost cancels Nightmare Night. There’s a damned statue of Nightmare Moon in Ponyville.”

She looked up at me. “You really are protective of your friends, aren’t you?” she asked with a sad smile.

“And that includes you,” I said softly. She looked surprised at that, but I held up my hand. “Sure, I’m angry at you for a few things tonight, but that doesn’t mean I hate you or think any less of you. We’re from two different worlds, you and I. Just because we’ve clashed heads a few times doesn’t mean we aren’t friends. Your sister spared you a lecture about her Anthro form, by the way.”

Celestia chuckled. “I was wondering when you’d talk to me about that.”

“I’ve let it go,” I said. “Luna asked me to.” I took a deep breath. “Although, judging from what I’ve seen, Luna’s actually easing herself into modern society faster than in the show. She never showed up to the Gala there. Then again, neither did Cadance and Shining. That, and Blueblood was…to put it frankly, a royal pain.”

Celestia chuckled. “I took the advice of a Pony I once knew over a thousand years ago. He told me ‘To cure a spoiled Pony, break them down and build them up afterwards.’ I’m just glad it worked with Blueblood.”

“Better than you expected, I’m sure,” I chuckled.

“I’m really happy for him,” she said. She looked up at the sky once more, eyes closed. “He deserves it with how he’s improved.” Looking back at us, she smiled apologetically. “Please forgive me, everypo-no, everyone, but I should get back. I’ve arranged for you all to stay in guest rooms for the night.”

“Thank you for spending time with us, Princess,” Twilight said happily.

“I always enjoy time with my most faithful student,” Celestia said. “Enjoy the rest of the Gala. You’ve made it more enjoyable than it normally has been in the past.”

We all said our goodbyes, and Celestia left, heading back to the main gathering. When she vanished down the steps, I turned back to the group. “So, what should we do now? Is there anything more about the Gala you ladies want from it?”

The others all looked at each other, obviously thinking. Finally, Spike spoke up. “So…donuts?”

“Twilight Sparkle, as I live and breathe,” a deep voiced Unicorn stallion chuckled as the group of us entered the donut shop. If I had to describe the stallion, it was that he was stout, but not overly so. He had a pink frosted sprinkled donut on his flank, which nearly made me chuckle since it reminded me of Smosh. He wore an outfit that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a soda fountain shop from the previous century on Earth. “And Spike, too? It’s good to see you again! Who are your…friends?” he faltered when he caught a glimpse of me and, to a lesser extent, Zecora.

I bowed. “Hello, sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jethro Bethridge, a friend of these lovely ladies and this lovely woman’s coltfriend,” I said, pulling Zecora close.

The stallion looked me over for a bit, before his smile returned. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you too. I’m Donut Joe, the owner of this little establishment. So, you’re the one the tabloids have been speculating about,” he chuckled.

I raised an eyebrow. “Tabloids, huh? What do they see about me?”

“What else do tabloids say about anypony?” Joe chuckled in amusement as we all gathered around the front display and looked at the donut options. “They make stuff up.”

“Even so, some take that stuff seriously,” I said. “I get that those tabloids are all fake news, but some Ponies might read them and think what they’re saying is true. Especially if that something is LOCAL ALIEN ADMITS TO EATING PONIES or something like that,” I said, pantomiming another headline.

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Rainbow Dash said, flying over and hitting my shoulder playfully. “Those tabloids are stupid anyway. Nopony would believe silly stuff like that.”

“This comin’ from a certain Pony who believed what The Mare’s Journal said about a pot of bits at the end of a rainbow?” Applejack teased.

“Who told you that!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Uh uh, not tellin’,” Applejack grinned.

“Not in here, ladies. It’s time to ruin our diets with some delicious donuts,” I said, turning back to the donut shop owner. “Do you have cream filled donuts?” I asked.

“Indeed I do,” Donut Joe said. “We’ve got chocolate filling, vanilla filling, chocolate filling with chocolate glaze, vanilla filling with chocolate glaze, and more. We have eclairs, too.”

Behind him, a large metal door opened, and a cream-colored Unicorn mare walked out. Unlike Joe, she was slender, almost akin to Fleur De Lis. She had a bright pink and blue striped mane and tail, and there was a lovely daisy as her cutie mark. Upon seeing me, her eyes widened and a smile formed. “Oh my! Are you the human from Ponyville??” She sounded excited.

“Yes ma’am, that’s me,” I said politely, bowing.

She beamed happily and jumped up and down. “Joe! He’s really here, isn’t he? I’m not dreaming??”

“No, Daisy, you aren’t.” Joe turned and gave me an apologetic look. “Believe it or not, you have a small fanclub here, sir. This is my sister, Daisy Fields, a member.”

“A…fan club? But…why?” I asked, confused and a bit unnerved.

“Are…you…kidding??” she asked, practically flying over the counter and landing before me. “You stopped an Ursa Minor and halted a war between Equestria and the Lycan Empire! We’ve wanted to meet you for so long! Oh, Sunflower Seeds is going to be soooo jealous!”

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I took a step back. “I see…”

Joe sighed, then pulled his sister back with his magic. “Daisy, you’re scaring him.”

“O-Oh, I’m sorry,” Daisy said, ears flattening and backing away to a respectful distance. “I’m just so excited!”

“I can tell,” I chuckled nervously.

“Somepony’s mister popular,” Rainbow Dash teased.

“Shut it, Dainbow,” I replied, giving her an annoyed look. She just stuck her tongue out at me. “Real mature there.”

“Daisy, let the poor stallion be for now,” Joe said.

“Can I at least have an autograph?” she asked, giving me pleading eyes.

I sighed, but smiled. “Of course, Miss Fields.”

Squealing, she floated a pen and piece of paper over to me. I took both, walked over to a nearby table and signed the paper. I walked back over once the ink had dried, and handed them back to her. She took them with her magic and dashed off, heading towards a nearby set of stairs. Joe facehooved. “I’m really sorry about her,” he said. “Anything you want is on the house for the trouble.”

“No, it’s alright,” I said. “I’ll pay for everyone here.”

As I reached for my money purse, Twilight put a hoof on my hand. Looking down, I saw the purple mare give me a small smile. “It’s alright,” she said.

“I insist,” Joe said.

“But-” Zecora put a hand on my shoulder, and I knew I wouldn’t be winning this one. I smiled. “Your generosity is most appreciated. Thank you.”

We all placed our orders. I got a pink frosted sprinkled donut and a cream filled chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles with some cold milk to wash it down with. We all found a table. Unfortunately, the tables were all too small for me and Zecora, so the two of us stood nearby as the others sat in the chairs provided. As we ate, we all discussed the evening’s events and the highlights. When Twilight asked if I still wanted to look through the telescope, I responded by yawning and shaking my head. “I’m getting a bit tired.”

“Hopefully not too tired, my stallion,” Zecora whispered.

I chuckled. “We’ll spend some alone time together, I promise,” I whispered back.

“We’d better, love.”

Spike caught my yawn and soon the others around the table were also yawning. Twilight finished her donut, a blue frosted donut with white sprinkles, then stood. “It’s getting late, everypony. I think we should all get back to the palace. Joe, thanks for the donuts. They were amazing as always.”

“You’re more than welcome, Twilight,” Joe chuckled. “Have a good night!”

I walked behind the Elements of Harmony, Zecora beside me as we made our way back to the palace. She wasn’t saying anything, but I could tell she felt very amorous tonight and I was feeling the same way.

When we arrived back at the palace, we were met by both Luna and Celestia as the two of them were saying farewell to the now departing guests. I saw that more Ponies were actually acknowledging Luna, at least. When the two saw us, Luna asked to be temporarily excused as she approached. “Greetings, everypony,” she said. “We hope thou all enjoyed the Gala.”

“It was certainly one for the books,” I chuckled.

Luna nodded, then looked at my chest. “Ah, we see that our sister has given thee her token as well. Never in history has this happened before. Thou art truly blessed, Sir Jethro.”

“It seems like a bit much for a simple human from Oregon,” I said.

“What’s an Oregon?” Applejack asked.

“It’s one of the fifty territories that Jethro’s home country, the United States of America, controls,” Twilight answered with an air of authority. “It’s not a kingdom, it’s a system unlike anything we have in Equestria. They elect their own rulers!”

Just wait until you see Sunset Shimmer’s Earth, I chuckled, although thinking further about it made me unsure if the world beyond the mirror was another version of Earth or just a random Earthlike world. I knew I had to get there, of course.

“Indeed? That is quite an intriguing idea,” Luna said. “How did anypony-nay, anyone-come up with such an idea.”

Twilight turned the question over to me. I chuckled. “The idea isn’t a new one for humans. It was made popular by the ancient Greeks somewhere around two thousand Earth years ago. A few Greek philosophers believed that authority derives from the people, since that’s who a ruler should think of first and foremost. I’ll find more on the idea later, Twilight.”

“We would be interested as well,” Luna said.

“I’ll print some stuff out for you two,” I said. “But for now, our little party is nearing its conclusion. Unless you want to watch that certain episode I told you all about before bed?”

“Ah’m plum tuckered out,” Applejack said.

“A lady needs her rest, darling,” Rarity added.

“Perhaps tomorrow?” Fluttershy offered.

“Sure, that’s fine with me,” I said.

“We shall show thee to thy rooms,” Luna said.

“Good night, everypony,” Celestia said as we walked past her. “My sister and I will see you at breakfast tomorrow morning before you head back to Ponyville.”

With that, Luna led us deep into the palace until we found ourselves in a well-lit hallway filled with doors on either side. A massive wall sized window filled the edge of the hallway, looking out at the brilliant starscape outside. “Thy rooms have been labeled,” Luna said, turning to us and giving a royal curtsy. “We are pleased to have seen thee all again, and we hope to see thee once more in the morning.”

As she watched us head to the rooms, I caught her glimpse lingering on me for a bit. She waved, and I waved back. Then she turned and walked purposefully down the hallway.

Zecora and I entered a room with our names on it. The room was similar in layout to the one I had slept in after Athena’s final death. The bed was king sized and comfortable beyond compare. I collapsed onto it, a lamp in the room illuminating everything. “My God,” I said, “tonight was…beyond amazing. Sure, there were a few hiccups, but all in all, I enjoyed myself.”

Zecora strode over to me, then straddled me, looking down at me with lidded eyes. Her smirk told me all I needed to know. “The night has one more surprise in it, my love.” With a swift motion, she removed her dress, tossing it aside and letting it float to the carpet. She was wearing nothing underneath but Rarity’s new bra and a pair of black lace panties. I couldn’t help but stare at her, my own body inadvertently reacting to her incredibly sexy form. With a grin, she reached behind her to undo her bra…

Author's Note

So the next chapter might be a little delayed by a day or two since the very next chapter is going to be my poor attempt at clop, so in order to maintain some semblance of what little dignity I have left, I'll be releasing two chapters next time, one clop which you can skip if you want, and the next a non-clop one.

43: A Cloaked Heart and a First Joining*

Author's Note

So...yeah...I've written sex scenes for practice before, but this is the first time including it in an actual story I'm writing. If you don't want to be exposed to my poor attempt at a naughty scene, feel free to skip it.

If I do more clop in the future, I will add a "*" at the end to indicate that clop is included. Any clop scenes will presumably be their own chapter.

43: A Cloaked Heart and a First Joining*

With the removal of her bra, her large breasts spilled out in all of their glory. Her nipples were a sensuous deep pink and perfect to my eyes. I couldn’t help but stare as I felt a tightness in my pants. I was a bit hesitant at first, since I hadn’t been dating her that long, but looking deep into her eyes, the seductive stare she was giving me swayed my decision.

Before I could act to remove my clothes, Zecora leaned down until our lips were almost touching. She reached up and cupped my face in between her hands, her breathing becoming somewhat faster. I reached up and caressed her own cheeks tenderly, and I felt a small shudder go through her.

Our lips finally made contact. We’d kissed plenty of times before, but this felt somehow different. The kiss started out as every other one had, but as it deepened, a hidden passion began manifesting and a small moan escaping her lips. For the first time, I felt her tongue hesitantly enter my mouth, pleading for entrance. I threw my arms around her, flipping her onto her back as I moved on top of her, my own tongue beginning to wrestle for dominance with hers. She gasped as I reached down and grasped one of her breasts in my hand, fondling it slowly. She clung to me eagerly, trying to deepen the kiss even more.

As we broke apart, gasping for air, I sat up and began to quickly remove my clothes. Zecora also began helping, the eagerness in her eyes possibly surpassing even my own. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I’d have to apologize to Rarity the next morning as the two of us casually discarded my clothes beside her dress.

When I was in nothing but my boxers, Zecora pulled me back down for another kiss, returning the favor and flipping me over again. Her fur felt amazing against my skin, soft and delicate, and somehow sensuous in how she slid her body around mine. Our tongues intertwined again as she began to slowly grind against the growing bulge in my boxers.

In the back of my mind, I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I’d always hoped to make love to Zecora at some point, but I never imagined it would happen so soon after we started dating. But any hesitation I had vanished when she broke the kiss and sat up. A sudden infusion of moonlight from the window illuminated her in all of her glory, her black and white striped patterns shimmering with the silvery glow. But that wasn’t my main focus. It was the deep passion and love she displayed in her eyes, the need for me. “My love,” she said in the most intimate of intimate Farasi, “become one with me.”

I sat up, wrapped my arms around her and kissed her once more. She squealed in delight as my hands began wandering all over her body, then migrated down to her firm ass. I squeezed both cheeks, which made Zecora gasp. “I wish to be one with you on this night,” I whispered into her ear.

Zecora shuddered and her breath hitched. “Nnng…” she bit her lower lip as I began kissing down her body. I reached the nape of her neck and lingered there for a moment. She gave another moan and ran her hands through my hair. “Yes, love…yes,” she pleaded as one of my hands once more grasped one of her breasts. “Oh! Right there,” she whispered.

I moved away from her neck, moving down to her chest. She looked down at me with a bit of confusion before I gave her a reassuring grin and took one nipple in my mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise, then another moan came from her. “This…is new,” she said with a blush.

“Want me to stop?” I said softly, my tongue swirling around the nipple.

She shook her head. “Show me how your kind makes love,” she pleaded.

I caressed her slender but toned stomach with my hand, moving it down as I continued to fondle and kiss her breasts. I rubbed my hand against her panties, which by now were wet with arousal.

Something touched my boxers, and my eyes widened. Looking down, I saw Zecora’s hand grasping me down below. I moved my hand from above her panties to underneath them slowly. When my fingers reached her most intimate of places, I began rubbing and she arched her back.

I once more moved her down, lying her on her back. She looked down at me, mouth open and breathing heavily as I slid her panties off. Spreading her gorgeous legs aside, I saw her dripping nether regions. Moving closer, I kissed her inner thighs before moving even closer.

When I began slowly kissing her pussy, she looked down in shock, but then another moan escaped her lips as my tongue slowly made its way in. “I have never heard of this before,” she shuddered. I began moving my tongue around, looking for her sweet spot until I felt her breath catch. “Yes…right there…don’t stop…”

And I obeyed. I maintained the same rhythm and motion with my tongue deep inside her. Her breathing sped up and with a slight “Hnnng,” Zecora came and the smell of feminine musk filled my nostrils. Hers was earthy, like an herbal tea with a hint of honey. A second shudder came, and something sprayed onto my face. It wasn’t much, but it did get on my face and hair.

And I smiled, slowly pulling back and licking my lips. The taste was even better than the smell. Zecora saw this and blushed, clearly embarrassed. “Forgive me, my love,” she said apologetically.

“Don’t be,” I said. “I’m just happy that you experienced such joy.”

She reached out and took my hand. “Now it’s my turn,” she said as she pushed me onto my back. Before I knew what was happening, she was pulling my boxers down, revealing my throbbing manhood. I wasn’t sure why, but whatever Athena had done to me had increased my normal size from average to something I was still growing used to. Zecora gawked at it, eyes wide with shock and lust. “I’ve never seen one so large before,” she admitted as she wrapped her hand around it.

“Be careful,” I warned, “It’s sensitive.”

“This isn’t my first time,” she giggled.

“It’s your first time like this,” I reminded her with a chuckle.

“Yes, that is true.” She lifted her hips up, lining her pussy up with my cock. She bit her lower lip again as she lowered herself down. As she began swallowing me up, I gasped. I’d never felt anything this tight before. Zecora inhaled deeply before with a single push, took every bit of me inside her.

“Fuck!” I grunted instinctively. She was extremely tight, and since I hadn’t been intimate with a woman in years, I held back the rising urge to blow my load inside her.

“You’re so big!” she said as she moved her hips from side to side.

“Oh my!” I grasped her hips, making Zecora gasp in surprise. “You feel amazing!”

She blushed and lowered down, slowly moving her arms around me. “As do you, beloved. I’ll move in a few moments.”

And she did. She lifted up, grinning teasingly down at me before slowly lowering herself once more. I clenched my teeth, trying not to cum right away. She began to softly moan, which became louder as she sped up after a little while. “Are you close?” she asked.

“Very!” I grunted.

She moved closer to my ear, and in the sexiest tone I’d ever heard from her, she said, “Inside.”

That did it. I gasped as I finally achieved release. She moaned along with me as I filled her up. She held herself down, panting as my own orgasm wound down.

We both lay there, enjoying the afterglow of our first lovemaking session together. I was still inside her, and her head was on my chest. After a few minutes, she looked up at me, a confused look on her face. “You’re still able to continue??”

I smiled a bit. “Some human stallions are capable of more than one session.”

She smiled widely and slowly got off of me. “Then please…once more?” She was immediately on all fours beside me, her tail raised completely.

Still hard, I bit my lip and sat back up. I assumed the position behind her. Seeing her from this angle ignited a fire within me, and I felt the increasing urge to make her mine. To mate with her, make her scream in pleasure. Grasping both her asscheeks with my hands, I slid myself inside her once again. Since I was still somewhat sensitive from my previous orgasm, I suppressed a groan of pleasure.

Zecora moaned loudly, burying her face into the pillow as she clenched around me once again. “It feels even better!” she shouted, her voice still muffled but understandable. She pressed herself back against me as if on instinct.

Starting out slowly, I sped up after a few minutes, Zecora’s moans of pleasure making my heart soar. If it was possible to fall in love with someone all over again, that was what I felt. She turned around, giving me the loveliest of smiles. “I’m nearly there again, my love! Keep going!”

I felt a second orgasm rising in me as well. I couldn’t help it. Seeing her from behind like this had awakened a more primal, animalistic side that thoroughly enjoyed this view. “I’m close too!” I replied, speeding up.

“Aaah! Yes yes yes!” Her mouth hung open, tongue hanging out as her eyes rolled up in pleasure. “Here it comes!”

As she clenched around me, I felt her inside pulsate as she unleashed her second orgasm of the night. Unable to hold back myself, I came hard again a few seconds later, filling herself once more. She bit onto the pillow, inhaling sharply as her orgasm reached its peak before slowly receding. I slowly pulled out of her, my seed finally flowing out of her gaping pussy.

I collapsed beside her, panting heavily from the exertion. My body felt hot and sweaty, but I felt completely satisfied. Looking over at Zecora, our eyes met. Her deep blue orbs filled my vision as we both leaned in for another kiss. Our fingers intertwined with each other before we embraced.

“I love you so much,” I whispered as exhaustion overcame me.

“I love you, too,” Zecora whispered happily.

We lay there together, ignoring the aftermath for a while. All I wanted was to remain in her arms. The night had been one of pure magic, and one I knew I’d never forget for the rest of my life…

44: A Cloaked Heart And The Day After

As I woke to the sounds of birds chirping out of the guest room, I had only one thought on my mind: There’s no better place to wake up next to than your lover after a late night’s session or two of passionate lovemaking. A warm presence enveloped me and I looked down. Zecora had reverted sometime during the night after we’d cleaned ourselves up and went to sleep, and her peaceful face filled my vision. She had a small smile on her face. Her front hooves were on my bare chest. She rose and fell with my breathing since she was lying on my chest.

Thinking back upon our first night of intimacy, I felt a swelling of joy. It had been too long since I’d been with a woman, especially one I loved with all my heart.

As I reached up gently to stroke her mane, Zecora stirred. She opened one eye and then the other. Our eyes met. For an eternity we held each other’s gaze before she blushed. Giggling, she slowly rolled off of me, getting entangled in the covers. I laughed as I sat up, helping her out of the sheets until we were both sitting up.

“How’d you sleep?” I asked as we began calming down.

“Like a little filly,” she said as she moved closer and nuzzled my face.

“Last night really happened, didn’t it?” I asked. “It wasn’t a dream?”

She licked my cheek. “No, my dearest. It was no dream. It was one of the happiest nights of my life.”

I beamed and kissed her cheek. “Thank God," I whispered. “It was one of mine too.”

We held each other in comfortable silence for a few minutes before there was a polite knock at the door. “Um…Jethro? Miss Zecora? Are you awake?” Fluttershy.

“Yeah, but we aren’t decent yet,” I called out. “We’ll be out.”

“I-Oh my! Take your time!” she sounded flustered as she quickly retreated.

Zecora and I looked at each other, then burst out laughing. “I think it’s time to get up,” I said.

Zecora nodded in agreement as we slowed down and began getting ready for breakfast. I grabbed my discarded party suit and pulled the slacks on. As I grabbed my shirt, Zecora dropped another bombshell. “My love, is the offer to move my tree with your magic still open?”

I looked at her. She had a thoughtful look on her face as she looked out of the window at the cityscape below. I slowly pulled my white undershirt over my back, slipping my wings through the wingsleeves. “Yes, it is,” I replied. “You’re thinking about accepting?”

She nodded as she turned back to me. “I have not decided yet or not, but last night taught me something. I want to be closer to you.”

“But what about your access to the Everfree Forest?” I asked.

“I can make it work,” she said. “But I have not yet decided on whether to do it or not.”

“I’d love to have you close to me,” I admitted with a smile as I put my buttoned down shirt on. “I just want to make sure it’s what you want.”

“What kind of marefriend doesn’t want to be near her stallion?” she teased. “Besides, the walk back and forth is growing tiring.”

“And doing wonders for that ass of yours,” I grinned, reaching down and grasping her flank.

“Eep!” She jumped and glared at me, a blush appearing on her face. “Are you saying I was larger back here before?”

“Not at all, but you look sexier than…” I trailed off, the implications of what I was saying slowly starting to sink in. Did I just find an equine form attractive…? I could appreciate equine attractiveness from a certain standpoint, but for me to find an equine form sexy enough to want to fuck one in that form?

“Jethro?” Zecora was in front of me, worry evident in her ocean blue orbs.

I started to slowly chuckle, and it became a deep belly laugh as I wrapped her in my arms, kissing the surprised mare all over. “Holy shit! I’m starting to find equine forms sexy!”

Zecora’s stunned expression became one of joy as she kissed me back. “I was wondering when that would happen,” she said happily. “You find me sexy?”

I let her go and stepped back, taking her in. “Oh my, yes,” I nodded. “But as much as I’d love to prove that even further, if we went at it again, we’d be interrupted at an inopportune time.”

“We will be proving it soon,” she cooed as she twirled around for me slowly and seductively, lifting her tail tantilizingly.

“Don’t tempt me,” I grinned as I grabbed my vest, slipping it on. “I just got my clothes back on.”

She giggled and grabbed her discarded clothes with her teeth. I threw my dress jacket over my shoulder and offered to take her dress, which she gave to me gratefully. When the two of us exited our room, I saw the group of our friends at the end of the hall, standing and talking. As we approached, Rainbow Dash was the first to see us. She flew up to us, getting right in my face. “So…you two have fun last night?” She smirked.

A lasso wrapped around her torso and she was pulled back with a yelp. “What they do in the privacy of their room is their business, ya nosey ninny,” Applejack chided her.

“I hope we weren’t too loud,” I said to Zecora. “I haven’t learned a sound muffling spell yet.”

“Don’t fret, my love. I presume these walls kept our secret well,” Zecora said.

“I hope everyone slept well,” I said to the gathering of Ponies and one Dragon. With replies in the affirmative, I grinned. “Good. Well then, Twilight? You know this palace better than any of us. Where would the Princesses go to eat breakfast?”

“Right! This way, everypony.” And with that, we began walking down the halls. Only Twilight and Spike didn’t look around in awe at the massive halls and portraits on the walls around us. I saw strange Ponies I didn’t recognize standing in portrait poses much like the ones I’d seen of kings and queens back on Earth before photography was invented. There were marble statues of other Ponies in between the large ceiling to floor windows that looked out at the palace grounds.

As I observed, I saw that almost all of them were Unicorns with a few Pegasi spread around. I didn’t even see an Earth Pony. “Tenets of Harmony? Yeah, right,” I muttered to myself. “Maybe she was right,” I murmured.

“Maybe who was right?” Zecora asked.

“Oh! Um…I’ll tell you when we get back to Ponyville,” I said as we approached a large gray door. Twilight opened it and we all walked into a massive room with a long table in the center. From the ceiling a large burgundy colored tapestry hanging from the ceiling. A large chandelier hung above the table which was covered with a white satin tablecloth. There was a set of golden doors to our right as we entered and the walls had many various types of windows looking outside, each separated by columns.

At the end of the table, Celestia sat, with Luna at her right, the latter once again in her normal Pony form. There were chairs surrounding the table, with plates of delicious looking pancakes before each chair. They were decorated with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on the side and on top. A healthy dollop of whipped cream was placed on top. In the center of the table sat a massive basket of many various other larger fruits, like pineapples, oranges, apples, grapes and even red cherries.

Celestia stood, spreading her wings majestically as her light rainbow mane flowed in the ethereal wind. “Good morning!” she said with a smile. “I trust everypony slept well?” When we all finished replying in the affirmative, she sat back down. “I’m glad to hear it! Please sit!”

As we found a spot, Luna waved me and Zecora over. The two chairs nearest her slid out and I sat next to Luna, with Zecora sitting next to me. Despite looking tired herself, Luna was doing her best to smile in a friendly manner. “We hope that you two slept well?”

I looked at Zecora and chuckled, turning back to the Nocturnal Princess. “We definitely did. That bed is better than anything I’ve had before.”

“Wouldst thou like us to send thee a similar one?” Luna asked.

I smiled at her. “It’s alright, I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

“‘Twould be no bother at all,” she said. “We are a princess, after all. We can see it done in ten seconds flat.”

“That’s my catchphrase!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Ignoring her, I looked at Luna. “It’s really alright, I promise. You have plenty to do without worrying about me.”

“But…we want to,” she said in a more uncertain tone.

“I think Luna just wants to show her appreciation towards you,” Celestia said with a small smile. “Why not let her?”

Zecora tapped my shoulder and when I turned to her, she gave me a sagely nod. I sighed, then turned back to Luna, a warm smile on my face. “You spoil me, Luna. I graciously accept your kind offer.”

Her face brightened. “We shall have one shipped to thy house straightaway.”

“At least enjoy breakfast before you do,” Celestia snickered. “You look wiped out.”

“Ah, yes,” Luna said, taking a fork and cutting out a healthy slice of the pancakes, “we were up earlier than we were used to. But ‘twas worth it, we believe.” She took a thoughtful bite of her pancakes.

“Hey, on another note,” I said, digging into my own pancakes, “I know I mentioned this last night, but I’m thinking about teaming up with Rainbow Dash to make a haunted house for Nightmare Night.”

Celestia paused a bit, the fork halfway to her mouth. Luna looked up at me slowly. “Ah yes. Our sister has told us about the origins of Nightmare Night,” she said in a much more serious tone. “While we were not pleased with her reasoning behind the holiday, we appreciate the effort.”

So Celestia did talk to Luna about it, I thought as I chewed on the fluffy pancakes. Taking a swig of orange juice next to my plate, I cleared my throat. “Now, feel free to turn me down,” I said in preface, “but Luna, would you like to be involved in the Nightmare Night celebration at all? I have a few ideas that I think would be really fun for the little foals and the adults.”

The room went silent. Luna set her fork down and looked up, stroking her chin with her hoof. Even Celestia was frozen, her eyes on her sister, trepidation on that alabaster face of hers. Finally, Luna turned to me. “What…would thou wish from us?”

I chuckled. “Luna, how’d you like to scare some Ponies?”

She gasped. “What?! We do not wish our subjects to fear us!”

“I knew you’d react that way,” I said, “but hear me out. The show had an episode showing your first Nightmare Night. It started out poorly, but it turned out alright in the end. However, I want to try and make some big changes to that. For one, how’s your singing voice?”

Luna sat up straighter. “We were…never comfortable singing,” she said.

“Give me a Do Re Mi,” I said. When Luna and the rest looked confused, I sang, “Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do. Like that.”

She bit her lip, then cleared her throat. What came out of her mouth was some of the most melodious music I’d ever heard coming from anyone. She even went backwards. “Was that to thy satisfaction?” she asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“And more,” I said. “You have a beautiful singing voice.”

“We are more comfortable in battle,” she admitted. “Why not ask our sister? Her singing voice is superior to my own.”

I looked at Celestia, raising an eyebrow. Before she could say anything, Twilight giggled. “She’s a great singer! She used to sing me to sleep sometimes when I was just a filly.”

I snorted, then looked back at Celestia. “It’s Cellie, melodious, she! Princess Celestia! Sing along, a beautiful song, don’t you agree?”

Once more, Luna burst out into a fit of laughter, stomping the table as she did so. Zecora also giggled and put a hoof through my arm. Pinkie Pie was also laughing, while the others looked a bit uncomfortable. Celestia, as she had before, looked embarrassed and hid her head under her wing. I just gave the Solar Monarch a triumphant smirk. After a while, Celestia came out and lightly smacked her sister upside the head. “It’s not that funny,” the princess said with a pout.

“We disagree!” Luna giggled, snorting in a most undignified way, but unable to hold back.

“Well, maybe you two could come down and sing something,” I chuckled.

“As much as I wish I could,” Celestia said, “I have duties to attend to even on that night.”

“Jesus…don’t you ever get a chance to take the day off?” I asked, getting a bit concerned, now. “I can’t even begin to imagine how mentally drained you are.”

“Unfortunately, a princess’ work is never complete,” she said sadly.

“Sister, did Jethro not say that thou art the fucking princess?” Luna said, trying hard not to laugh.

I groaned. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you? And how’d you hear about that?”

“Our sister told us about her evening before she retired,” Luna said. “But perhaps we could get back to the topic at hoof?”

“That wasn’t intentional this time, I promise,” I said, “but you’re right. Look, Luna, I’ll be upfront with you: I doubt gaining the trust of the citizens will be as easy as the show made it out to be. That’s why I thought that if you sang a song, like that Children of the Night one I showed you last night or something like it, they might begin accepting you. That, and engaging in the games and the scares. Most of the Ponies who participate in Nightmare Night do it because it’s fun for them to be scared. They enjoy that rush of adrenaline.”

“We are still unsure about this,” she said hesitantly.

“I won’t force you, I promise,” I said. “Just consider it.”

Luna nodded silently, a pensive look crossing her face as she ate in silence. As the silence became a bit oppressive, Celestia cleared her throat. “So…how was the Gala for everypony? What was your favorite part?”

“Ooh ooh!” Pinkie Pie said with a face full of pancake, “It waff when Jeffro danched wiff me!”

“Funny, that was my favorite moment too, dancing with two handsome young stallions,” Rarity said.

“I’m still older than you,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“I got to meet the Wonderbolts and I get to fly with them tomorrow!” Rainbow Dash said in excitement. “So awesome! Jethro introduced me!”

“Ah got tah sell all my products,” Applejack said happily. “Heck, Jethro helped!”

“You know what my favorite part was, Princess,” Twilight said, smiling happily at her mentor.

“Mine was just that we were all together!” Spike said with glee, although he stole a glance at Rarity when he said it.

Celestia turned to Zecora. “And how about you? What was your favorite part of the Gala?”

Zecora and I exchanged a knowing glance, then she put a hoof on my hand. “The entire evening, my heart was aglow, since I got to spend it with Jethro.”

I smiled, blushing hard as a few of the other Ponies at the table made “Awww” noises, and made kissy faces at me. “What are you all, twelve?” I groaned.

“Ooooh! He’s blushing!” Rainbow Dash giggled, pointing at me.

“I take that back. You’re five, Bainrow,” I said, rolling my eyes as I resumed eating. This caused a ripple of laughter to go through the room.

And after that embarrassing moment, the conversation picked up. We discussed various plans for the next couple of weeks up to October 31st, Nightmare Night. When I mentioned Halloween again, I pulled out my phone and found the Wikipedia entry. After summarizing, Twilight observed that there were too many coincidences between my world and hers. “And I refuse to believe that it’s just because we’re some kind of entertainment for another world,” she said.

“I’m putting that issue in the ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ category,” I replied.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious??” Twilight asked.

“Of course, I am,” I said, “but it’s not really a big priority for me. I’ve got more pressing things to think about.”

“Oh…yeah, I guess you’re right,” Twilight said.

“Still,” I continued, “I’ve always found talks like that really entertaining. Just speculating for the fun of it. It’s part of what makes me human: my inquisitive nature. My people went to the moon to see what was there. Our people sent out probes to explore our solar system because we wanted to see what was there. We explored the jungles of Africa to see what was there. We traveled to the bottom of our ocean to see what was there. A lot of reasons for human exploration are just to discover what was there.” I turned to Twilight. “Maybe when we have some free time we can discuss our ideas about both our worlds. I admit, I have a few ideas.”

She squealed in delight. “I can’t wait!”

As breakfast wound down, a tired Luna apologized and said she was heading to bed. After the meal wound down, Celestia informed us that she had us on the eleven o’clock train back to Ponyville. We had an hour left until then, so Celestia gave permission for Twilight to show her friends around the palace. However, just as they were leaving, Celestia called me and Zecora back for a private conference. Once we were alone, her smile slowly faded. I knew it was serious then. “Celestia? Is something wrong?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Not wrong, per-se. More…of a cultural difference that I feel I should clear up for you sooner rather than later.”

“It’s not about these, is it?” I asked, touching the medallions the Princesses had given me.

“Oh no! No, no, no,” she quickly denied. She walked over to a window and looked up. Curious, I followed and saw that she was looking at a tower which looked like it had been recently painted a dark nighttime blue. Zecora joined me. We stood in silence before Celestia asked, “Jethro, what do you know about herds?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Only what I’ve been able to infer. It’s a Pony’s version of a polygamous relationship, or a harem, right?”

“More or less,” she said, still staring at the tower. “Our Pony population has always been skewed in favor of females, if you haven’t already noticed. It’s gotten slightly better in modern times, but in the past, it was a matter of necessity. They aren’t as common today. About one in ten stallions are the center of their own herd, which normally consist of three to five mares.”

“Where are you going with this?” I asked, almost afraid to hear.

She sighed, then turned back to me. “You’ve noticed that my sister has taken an interest in you, correct?”

My heart dropped into my feet at that. “Wait, are you saying that Luna-?”

“She doesn’t know it herself yet, I’m sure,” Celestia said, “but I believe she’s starting to develop feelings for you.”

Zecora was immediately by my side as I stumbled back, completely stunned. Luna? Falling for me?? I steadied myself against a nearby pillar, Zecora and Celestia by my side to help keep me standing. “I…are you asking me to…turn her down gently?” I asked, unsure what Celestia wanted.

“If you decide to avoid the herd route, yes,” Celestia said gently. “I admit, I don’t want to see my sister hurt. She’s never felt this way about anypony before. Well, she might have had a foalish crush on our teacher Starswirl, but that was when we both were fillies.”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” I said, trying not to lose any resolve. “I…I’m no good for that kind of thing.”

“May I ask why?” she asked.

“In my culture, polygamy is pretty much illegal, and while polyamorous relationships exist, on the whole it’s harder to maintain that kind of relationship,” I explained. “I don’t know if I’d be capable of maintaining a herd. Besides, I’d feel like I was cheating on Zecora.”

“My love,” Zecora said reassuringly, “I told you last night that I wouldn’t mind if you formed a herd. Zebras have these as well, and it’s a common practice in the world.”

“You don’t get it!” I shouted, pulling away and pacing, “How can I give my feelings equally to more than one woman?? I-”

Zecora threw her front legs around me, stroking my back. “Shhh…” she whispered lovingly. “My love, you’ve made me beyond happy by your words. But if I might offer my thoughts?”

“Please,” I said, looking expectantly at her.

“If last night was any indication,” she said, “you have an incredible amount of love to give. You went out of your way to make those six mares happy. I was watching them all night as their dreams for the Gala came true. The looks of gratitude on their faces made me proud to be your marefriend. Yes, you’re not perfect. I’m not perfect, either, but one thing I love about you is your big heart. You take the time to spend with your friends, and you try to make others happy, sometimes at the expense of your own happiness.”

“Seeing others happy makes me happy, yes,” I admitted.

“I’m not saying that you should consider this because you’re afraid of breaking Luna’s heart,” Celestia said, approaching. “All I’m asking is that you think about it before making a decision.”

“I’m pretty sure my decision will be the same by the end,” I said, “but…I’ll give it some serious thought.”

“And before you ask,” Celestia said, “I’d prefer you didn’t tell anypony about this. That includes Twilight and her friends. It’s a sensitive topic, and my sister’s just made her public debut since coming back.”

“I understand,” I said.

Celestia bowed, looking apologetic. “Please forgive me for springing this on you right now, but I love my sister. I can’t force you to fall in love with her alongside Zecora, but I just thought you should know.” Celestia looked back out at the tower. “My sister has always been somewhat awkward, and I’ve been somewhat protective of her so she can avoid serious embarrassment.”

“There’s such a thing as too protective,” I said, walking up beside her. Reaching up, I began to stroke her mane. “She isn’t a filly anymore, you know?”

“I know,” she said. “but I promised myself to look after her. I failed once, and I won’t fail again…I can’t…” She looked away, taking a deep breath.

“I’ll think about it seriously, I promise,” I said. “But may I ask why you wanted to tell Zecora too?”

“Because, if we decide to open up our love to other mares,” Zecora said, “it would be up to you and me, the Prime Mare.”

“Traditionally, as a herd grows,” Celestia explained, “each member gets a say on whether to add a new member into the fold. Originally, they didn’t, but when that lead to conflict within herds, it became an unspoken rule to make a unanimous decision. Either that, or the member of the herd who disagreed could leave.”

“So, in a sense, herds came about for similar reasons to why humans had them in ancient times,” I said, “to produce sons.”

“Indeed,” Celestia said. “One of necessity. But in modern times, even though there are still five mares to every stallion, monogamy is becoming something more common. Same sex marriage as well, although that’s mostly among mares.”

I rubbed my eyes, a sudden weariness overwhelming me. “I’m getting a damned headache…”

Celestia’s ears flattened. “I didn’t mean for that, I promise.”

“I know…I’m not upset at you,” I replied. “I just don’t know how to approach this.”

“Just do what you think is best, Jethro,” she said, putting a hoof on my shoulder. She had a guilt-ridden look on her face. “I won’t be upset or angry if you turn down my sister’s advances.”

“…Damn, you’re good,” I said with a bitter smirk.

She backed away. “This isn’t a guilt trip, I promise-”

I held up my hand. “I know, I know.”

“I’ll follow my sister’s example and, in her words, grant you a favor, or boon, of your choice,” she quickly replied.

“Calm down there, Celestia,” I said. “I’m not upset at you. I’m just upset at the situation. Lord knows I like your sister. We have some things in common that I doubt anyone here would share, but starting a herd is…and with royalty…it’s…”

“There is nothing in our laws that forbids Luna being in a herd, or myself for that matter,” Celestia said.

“That’s surprising,” I muttered.

Having apparently heard me, she nodded. “My sister and I had too much to do to even consider romance. I’ve had plenty of suitors over the years, but most wanted my hoof in marriage to become royalty.”

“Political bullshit,” I growled. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m not sure of becoming a prince. I don’t deal well with stuff like that.”

“Bullshit indeed,” Celestia sighed. “Unfortunately, that’s how it is for us.” She looked up at the tower again.

“I understand,” I said quietly, stepping back. “I’ll…take my leave.”

Just as I was about to open the door, a hoof on my shoulder stopped me. Turning back, I saw Celestia gazing down at me with a serious face. “For what it’s worth,” she said, “I think you’d be a great match for any royal.” She released me, her grip on my shoulder lingering for a bit. “Thank you for listening. Have a safe trip back.”

“Thank you.” I took her hoof, kissed it once more, then left with Zecora.

“Ah’ve never call mah farm’s products appletastic!” Applejack was saying as we sat in the train coach later in the day. “Although…ah kinda like that. Maybe ah’ll use it somewhere.”

Celestia had booked us on a private car back to Ponyville. As promised, I played the Gala episode for everyone, although Zecora snuggled close to me, not really wanting to see it. I was grateful for the distraction, since my mind was all over the place. Zecora seemed to guess what I was feeling, because her grip around me tightened, and she whispered into my ear about how things would work out, how much she loved me, and other things that helped calm me down.

“I-I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” Fluttershy said, looking down, “but I scared myself at the end.”

“Aww, come on, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash replied with a smirk, “I know you’d never go that far.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, sounding uncertain.

“Well, of course!” Rainbow Dash giggled. “It’s not like you go around every day shouting, ‘You’re going to LOVE ME!’, right?”

“Well…I guess not…” she said.

“After seeing how this other Blueblood reacted,” Rarity said with a huff, “I’m glad I avoided that disaster. That, and I got to keep my glass shoes. Those were quite expensive.”

“Those pretty party Ponies were party poopers,” Pinkie Pie said with a hint of sadness. Her mood improved when she locked eyes with me. “I’m glad I got to dance at the real Gala! Thank you, Jethy!”

“Yes,” Twilight said, turning to me as well. “We all owe you a lot for last night.”

I chuckled nervously. “I just had potential future knowledge. If anything, I should be thanking you. I had tons of fun hanging out with all of you.”

“I’m just glad I didn’t end up at Joe’s eating all those donuts,” Spike grinned. “And that I got to dance with the fairest mare in the land,” he added, gazing at Rarity with about as much subtlety as a brick through a window.

Rarity giggled. “Aww, thank you, my little Spikey-wikey!”

We all laughed at the poor drake’s expense as he blushed at the nickname. Fluttershy, however, looked closer at me, then came over and put a hand on my leg. “Is everything okay?” she asked, sounding a bit worried now.

“Yeah, I’m alright, why?” I asked.

“You look like you’re distracted,” she said.

“Ah, yeah. Just got a couple things on my mind, is all,” I said.

“We’re here if you want to talk about it,” Twilight said sincerely.

I smiled at them gratefully. “I appreciate the thought, really,” I said, “but this is something I really can’t discuss with you all. At least, not yet.”

Fluttershy joined me on the bed and put her front hooves on my lap, looking up at me and Zecora. “We can wait,” she said with the smile of an angel.

“We know yer stubborn as an Apple,” Applejack chuckled, “but we’re all here for ya.”

As the others gave their affirmations, my smile grew. Zecora moved up and gave my cheek a loving and tender kiss and lick. “They care deeply for you, my love,” she said.

“And I for them,” I admitted, holding Zecora and a blushing Fluttershy close. As the intercom announced our arrival at Ponyville, the others crowded around me for a group hug. As they did so, I chuckled. “Best…night…ever…at the Gala!”

45: A Cloaked Heart Gets Schooled

“No! NO NO NO! You’re doing it all wrong again!” Gemini snarled as she came up behind me. Pressing herself against me, she adjusted my arms inward. “Keep yourself closed off and protected! Are you hoping to get your rear handed to you by Mica again??”

Three days had passed since we’d come back from Canterlot. I was halfway home before I realized I hadn’t even talked to Celestia about the two trees and their spirits. However, I planned on telling her during a brunch at Sugarcube Corner on Saturday. I didn’t want to tell her over the phone (assuming Canterlot was wired for landline), or through a letter. It had to be in person.

Zecora and I, having finally made love, had spent more time together than we had before during our free time. She was sitting underneath the apple tree, sipping on some juice and snickering at my expense.

Behind me, I heard the sounds of Ponies scrambling around in my house, preparing it for the upcoming Nightmare Night. Rainbow Dash and I had decided to use the entire first floor of the house as a haunted house themed escape room. Of course, I had to make it easy for the fillies and colts to escape, and I would strongly suggest an adult or two come in with them. If the fillies and colts wanted to be brave and try alone, I would use some magic to disguise my voice and give helpful hints in the voice of Nightmare Moon herself, unless Luna herself decided to come.

Twilight was eager to use some magic to create fake ghostly Ponies as well as a small dome around the house which would give the illusion of a blood red moon. Rainbow Dash was eager to create a small microclimate of thunderstorms and spooky mist around the house. Rarity had gotten on board and was going to craft some spooky clothes that Twilight would make walk on their own. Pinkie Pie was just all over the place, helping wherever she could whenever she wasn’t busy at Sugarcube Corner. Applejack had actually managed to convince Granny Smith to have the maze in my yard, and she’d plotted out the layout with sticks and small different colored flags.

Fluttershy actively avoided my house, but I’d still paid her a couple visits just to check up on her and read manga or watch anime with her. I was showing her the first season of Komi-San Can’t Communicate, which she instantly enjoyed.

“Closer together, got it,” I said, mimicking her form as best as I could.

Gemini growled, and kicked at my knees, sending me sprawling. “You need to be in a proper stance or your opponent will kick you flat on your behind!”

I groaned as I slowly got back to my feet, only to be kicked in the back by Gemini. “What have I been telling you about recovery?! Do you think your enemy will give you time to get ready??”

I stood and faced her again, only for our wooden swords to collide as she aimed for my head. I was barely fast enough to deflect her. She pushed me backwards, then raised her sword above her head. Once more, I brought my own practice blade up to deflect it, but it was a feint. She kicked me in the chest, knocking the wind out of me as I landed heavily on the lawn.

I groaned as I looked up, only to find a wooden blade at my neck. “Dead again,” she snarled, hitting my head none too gently. “You need to not just observe your opponent’s sword,” she added, “but keep an eye on their body movement, especially their eyes. If you’d been paying attention, you’d have seen me looking at your chest.” She stabbed at my chest harshly. “My brother is better than you!”

“Well, duh,” I scoffed as I stood up. “You’ve probably beaten him senseless more times than he can remember.”

“That’s the only way to learn to grow a fucking backbone,” she said, storming up to me. She poked me in the chest as she glared at me. “You wanted to learn to fight. Well, you’re learning from me, and this is how I teach, got it, scumbag?!”

I returned her glare with one of my own. “Yes, ma’am,” I replied, before jabbing into her stomach with the hilt of my sword, then grabbing her shoulder and slamming her to the ground, pinning her. She gasped and coughed for a bit before looking up at me in shock. “Always expect the unexpected, eh?”

Her shock turned to a grin. “You’re not projecting your motion as much. Maybe you’ve a teeny glimmer of potential.” She suddenly kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying onto my back. I found myself pinned, Gemini sitting on my lap with her claws around my wrists, “but you let your guard down again, whelp!”

“Noted,” I gasped out.

Gemini stood up and pulled me hard to my feet. “We’re done for today. Same time tomorrow morning. Your little overnight stay with those palace Ponies fucked up the schedule!”

“I got it, I got it,” I said, brushing myself clean.

“Mica, come in whenever,” she said as she gathered up the practice swords. “I have less to do today thanks to my master’s little childish remodeling.”

“I’ll be in soon, Gem,” he called after her as he turned and approached me. He had an apologetic look on his face. “I know you might think she’s being harsh,” he said, “but believe me, she’s being lenient on you. I think she’s more impressed with you than she lets on.”

“Mica, I’m not even impressed with me right now,” I said, holding up my practice sword. “I don’t think I’m learning anything.”

“Not true,” he said. “And I’ll prove it-” he added before quickly moving to swing his own practice sword at me. I brought mine up and deflected his, but barely. “See? When you first started, you wouldn’t have been able to see that coming.”

“That wasn’t skill,” I said, “that was just pure reflex.”

“Yeah, but yours are faster now!” a familiar mare shouted from above. Looking up, I saw a smirking Scarlet sitting on a low hanging cloud, waving at me with her wing.

“You were watching up there for how long?” I asked with a roll of my eyes as I lowered my sword.

“Since the beginning!” she snickered.

“Bainrow Shad has been a terrible influence on you,” I groaned as she flew down almost gracefully to land beside Mica.

“And you haven’t, mister ‘Show the Pony all the shows from Earth’?” she snarked, flying up and smacking my head with her hooves.

Mica chuckled as I reached for Scarlet, only to encounter empty air. I was just about to spread my wings and follow her when I heard the front gate opening. Turning, I saw a gorgeous burgundy mare with light pink mane and tail peeking in. She saw me and waved. “Pardon me,” I said, flying quickly over to the front gate and landing in front of the mare. “Miss Cheerilee? I normally don’t see you here. Is there something I can help you with?”

The teacher chuckled. “Well, I was hoping for you to come by our school soon and talk about yourself and your world,” she said. “We’ve been learning about non-Pony cultures in class recently, and we have a unique opportunity to learn about one from a completely alien world! I’ve already gotten permission from the headmare to have an entire school day where you can talk with the entire student body for the day. Do you have any day you want to do it?”

Right, I forgot I promised Cheerilee about that, I thought. “Hmm…well, why not this coming Friday? I didn’t have anything planned until the afternoon, and if we end early, the little foals can get an early start on the weekend.”

Cheerilee beamed. “I’ll let the staff know. Thank you, Mr. Bethridge! I can’t thank you enough!”

“Please, call me Jethro,” I said, holding out my hand. She extended her hoof and I shook it. “What time would you like me there?”

“We could start at eight,” she said. “Does that sound good to you?”

“Of course. Where will it happen? Is there an assembly hall?” I asked.

“We do have an assembly hall, yes,” she said. She shook my hand with both her hooves again, beaming happily. “Thank you so much once again! They’re going to love this!” And with that, she turned and galloped away.

I closed the gate behind me and walked back over to where Scarlet and Zecora were both sitting. Mica had vanished, presumably back inside to help his sister as he usually did. The two mares were laughing about something as I sat down beside Zecora. “And what are you two ladies talking about behind my back?” I asked, putting an arm around Zecora.

Scarlet smirked. “She was just telling me how sexy you looked when you made Gemini take a fall,” she laughed.

“Is that right?” I slowly turned to my marefriend, grinning.

Zecora blushed. “It…yes, it was,” she admitted bashfully.

“She thought it was hot how you took control and pinned her to the ground like some ferocious animal,” Scarlet said. “I bet she wanted to mount you right there and-”

“We get it!” I interrupted her. “Jesus, you’re just insane, aren’t you?”

The Pegasus laughed, spread her wings and flew off, faster than I’d seen her do before. I shook my head, pulling Zecora closer. “That mare is gonna drive me to drink,” I sighed.

“She was right, though,” Zecora said.

I turned to her. “What about?”

“Seeing you briefly defeat Gemini brought me some great deal of satisfaction, love,” she said in a husky tone as she scooted closer, pressing her warm body against mine.

“Oh, hush you,” I teased, leaning down and kissing her. “That was just me getting lucky, is all.”

She giggled and closed her eyes, inhaling the late morning air. “What did that lovely mare want?” she asked.

“You mean Miss Cheerilee? Oh, she just wanted me to come down to the Ponyville school and talk about myself.” I paused. “I should probably talk to Twilight about it. She wanted to come when I did this.”

“I wish I could see this too, but I’ll be busy most of the day,” Zecora said sadly.

“I’ll tell you all about it later,” I said, putting an arm around her.

We sat there for a while before Zecora sniffed a bit. “Jethro, you reek.”

I burst out laughing, and soon she joined me. “Yeah, I probably do,” I said. “I’m gonna go take a shower.” I stood and stretched. “After that, I’m off to Rarity’s for one of our little tea get-togethers.”

“I believe I will head home for a bit, then,” Zecora said, standing and shaking the grass and dirt off of her fur. “I have a few brews to test and a few more to discard. I will see you for dinner tonight, right?”

“Six o’clock. The Prancing Pony. Our normal table,” I said as I gave her a thumbs up.

“See you then,” Zecora said, walking away with an extra swish in her step. As she opened the gate, she turned then lifted her tail straight up before walking away.

“That damned woman, how I love her,” I said as I headed towards my original house for a nice long hot shower…

“So, gonna wow them with some videos?” Scarlet asked over breakfast on Friday. We were eating a small stack of waffles I’d made with my waffle maker earlier that morning.

“Well, I was thinking about some entertaining but educational videos,” I said. “Something like Schoolhouse Rock.” In truth, I’d gotten that idea from an MLP fanfiction called Moving Day, a fanfiction that somehow made farming interesting.

“I’ve never seen those, yet,” she said. “I’m just sorry I can’t come and see.”

“Shift at Applejack’s farm today, right?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. She’s having me buck a field with her. Then I’ll be helping to feed the animals.”

“Sounds like loads of fun,” I chuckled.

She yawned and said, “Applejack’s a nice enough mare, but she’s a slave driver.”

“She’s not that bad,” I smirked as I took a bite of heavily buttered and syruped waffle.

“You’re just saying it because you love watching her buck trees,” Scarlet said with a grin. “Her supple, muscular rump flexing as she raises her backhooves-”

“Aaand we’re switching topics,” I glared at her.

“Bitch, please,” Scarlet snarked, “I’m sure ever since you started finding our forms sexy, you can’t help but stare at some mare ass.” She jumped out of the chair and turned around, wiggling her rump at me while giving me an exaggerated seductive stare. “See anything you like?”

“It’s too early for this shit,” I growled as I looked away from her, taking a sip of local orange juice.

“I’m not hearing a nooo~” Scarlet giggled, moving forward still swishing her ass.

“You start twerking, and I’ll throw you to Applejack’s farm,” I said.

She laughed harder as she returned to her seat. “You’re way too easy to tease.”

“Ugh…shut up.” I took another bite of waffle.

“Whatcha gonna do, big boy?” Scarlet said in a husky voice, “tie me up to the bed with a ballgag and a whip?”

“OH MY GOD! HOW HORNY ARE YOU?!”

As I approached the school, the early morning sun illuminated the dew on the grass of a few of the lawns. Despite it being about half past seven, there were a good number of Ponies on the road, most of whom waved at me with a kind greeting, while the rest seemed too preoccupied in their morning to notice anyone else, no less an alien biped.

“Monkey-man!” A familiar voice called out from my left as I passed the library. I turned and saw a tired but smiling Spike waving at me from the open doorway. I could hear Twilight inside rushing around.

I turned and made my way towards him. “Dragon-boy, sup? You’re not usually up this early.”

“Twilight woke me up,” he said with a yawn.

“When’d she get up?” I asked.

“I don’t think she even slept,” he sighed.

“I slept fine!” Twilight said, teleporting beside me suddenly. “I’ll be fine with a cup of coffee!” She did look tired enough for coffee.

“I’m sure the schoolhouse has some they’d be willing to give you,” I said.

“Oh no, I get mine from Sugarcube Corner,” Twilight said.

Just then, a familiar pink mare popped out of a nearby bush with a cup holder which held two cups of coffee, much like you’d see at a coffee shop. “Here we are! One Café Mocha Latte with extra caramel syrup and whipped cream, and a Dark Roast Cappuccino with a half shot of espresso and four shots of vanilla syrup!”

I stared at Pinkie, stunned. The latter was my coffee of choice whenever I was extra tired and needed a fix. As Twilight floated one of the coffee cups over to her, I walked over and hesitantly grabbed it. “How’d you know?”

“My Pinkie Sense told me you two needed coffee, and you strike me as a cappuccino guy!” Pinkie replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Just take it in stride, Jethro. Just take until stride,” I muttered as I took a sip of the steaming liquid. My eyes widened as the flavor exploded in my mouth. “Oh my God,” I said, looking down at Pinkie who had an anticipatory look on her face, “This is amazing! Did you make this?”

“Nope! Mr. Cake did!” Pinkie grinned.

“Tell him he’s an excellent barista.”

I began pulling out my purse to pay but Pinkie stopped me. “On the house today!”

“I thought generosity was Rarity’s schtick?” I teased as I took another sip.

“I can be generous, too!” Pinkie leaped onto my back and nuzzled my face from behind. “See?”

“Pinkie Pie, how is that generous?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie ignored Twilight and continued nuzzling me, like some kind of cat. I could hear her purring again, so instinctively I scratched behind her ears. “I think if I ever need to wake up early, a little dose of Pinkie Pie will do just as good as a cup of coffee.”

Pinkie made her signature squealing sound as she slid off of me, bouncing the moment she hit the ground. “Have fun at school, Jethy!” she called out as she bounced away back towards Sugarcube Corner.

“That girl is so…unique,” I chuckled as I took another sip of the coffee.

“That’s one way of putting it,” a still tired sounding Spike said. With a yawn, he looked at the two of us. “I’m heading back to bed now.”

“Alright, Spike,” Twilight said. “You’re in charge of the library for today until I get back. Open it at the normal time.”

“Got it…” he said. “Night.” And with that, he shut the door. A lock was thrown and the tired shuffling faded away up the stairs.

“So what’s in the bag?” Twilight asked eagerly as we began walking towards the school.

“I guess you’ll have to see now, won’t you, you nosey mare.”

“Mr. Bethridge! Glad you’re here!” Cheerilee said happily as we approached the school a few minutes later. Twilight and I had talked about my magical progress. When I asked her about a theory as to why I was a quick study, she said she had a few hypotheses, but she wanted to perform a few more tests to be sure. I promised that after Nightmare Night, we could do just that.

“My pleasure to be here,” I said as I walked up towards the cherry red school. It looked much bigger in person than I remembered from the show. From inside, I could hear the chit-chat of little fillies and colts. “So how many are here today?”

“Oh, there are about forty little foals ready to ask you all sorts of questions!” Cheerilee said with a broad smile. “I really do appreciate this favor, Mr. Bethridge.”

“Call me Jethro,” I chuckled. “I’m not much for being addressed like that, Ms. Cheerilee.”

“Well, you can call me Cheerilee, then,” she replied. “And if there’s anything I can do for you to repay the favor, please don’t hesitate to ask!”

Hey Cheerilee, Cheerilee! Hey Cheerilee, Cheerilee! Hey Cheerilee, Cheerilee! I think I’m in looove with yooouuu! I inwardly sang as I nodded. “I like children, what can I say? They have that innocence about life that hasn’t diminished yet by the cares of the adult world. That, and they’re so gosh-darned adorable. And by the way, I brought some human entertainment meant for children that’s also educational.”

Cheerilee’s eyes widened. “I can’t wait to see it!”

I could almost sense the excitement pouring off of Twilight. I put a hand on the Unicorn’s head. “Hope you don’t mind if Twilight joins. Since I’m busy a lot of the time, she doesn’t have the chance to pick my brain as often as she’d like.”

Cheerilee nodded. “Of course! Come along, Ms. Sparkle!”

Cheerilee led us into the front of the building where I saw a small hallway, each wall having four doors on each side. Some doors were open and I saw they led to empty classrooms. When we reached the end of the hallway, I saw that there was a large set of doors at the end, with a perpendicular hallway heading to both my left and right.

Cheerilee pushed the double doors open, and I saw that we were in a large assembly hall. Plenty of little Ponies sat in the chairs now facing the front of the hall, with a few older Ponies sitting near the back. At the front of the hall, a raised platform stood. There was a large table sitting on the platform along with an empty glass and a pitcher of ice water. There was also a podium standing right next to it.

“Do you need to set anything up before we being?” Cheerilee asked.

“Yeah, a few things,” I said.

“Well, let’s get you set up!” she said as we walked over to the platform.

It took me only a handful of minutes, but I managed to set up my laptop, opened up my Firefox browser with the tabs I selected opening up. Twilight had taught me the spell that allowed for my screen to be projected, so I minimized Firefox and cast the spell. My desktop appeared behind me, displaying the image of an O’Neill Cylinder from the inside, something Twilight had absolutely gone nuts over when she learned about the idea.

When I was finished setting up, I gave Cheerilee a thumbs up. She immediately made her way to the podium and tapped on it loudly with her hoof. “Good morning, everypony,” she called out, and the room began to go quiet. “Today, we have a very special guest who’s generously agreed to speak to all of us today. I ask that you all be respectful when he’s speaking. When it’s time to ask questions, bring out the ones you were assigned yesterday.” She turned to me and waved me over. “Now, may I present, Jethro Bethridge, Ponyville’s resident human being!”

I chuckled and approached the podium, which Cheerilee quickly vacated. I took a sip from my water and straightened my tie. “Good morning, everybody,” I said with a wide smile. “I’m Jethro Bethridge. I’m thirty years old, and I’m from another world. Now, your teacher here has asked me to talk about myself and my world. After I go over that, I’ll answer your questions.”

I walked over to the table again and tapped at the Firefox icon. The screen came back, displaying a full map of Google Earth. “This is what my entire world looks like,” I said, turning and taking a laser pointer out of my pocket. “We call our planet Earth, Terra, Sol 3, and more. I lived in a large and powerful country called the United States of America, or the U.S.A. or simply America.” I zoomed in towards my town until we were just above where my house had used to be. “This is where I once lived, on the northwestern coast of my nation.”

I looked back at the crowd. “Now, I’m not entirely sure how big the kingdom is when compared to the U.S., but when I left, my nation had over three hundred million human citizens. As of the day when I left, our planet had almost eight billion humans living on it.”

I received shocked stares from the adults, and a mixed reaction from the children. Some seemed confused, while others looked equally as shocked and disbelieving of my words. Even Twilight still looked shocked despite knowing that little tidbit of information. Clearing my throat, I zoomed back out. “In many ways, Earth and Equestria aren’t all that different. The air is the same, there are animals there that exist here too, like cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits, bears, and more. But, there are a lot of differences. For one, magic doesn’t exist there, not like it does here.” I pulled out a card, placed it in my hand and with a flick made it vanish. “What I just showed you wasn’t real magic. It’s called sleight of hand, which means we use tricks to make it appear as if we’ve done magic. It’s used for entertainment.”

I heard a young filly mutter, “Like Trixie…”

I pointed down to the filly, who happened to be Scootaloo. “That’s correct, Scootaloo. But humans can’t do this.” I reached out and made my hand glow. A small piece of discarded paper nearby floated over to me and I caught it. “No normal human can do magic. And before you ask, I’ll explain how I can later.”

I turned back to my laptop and switched to another tab. This one had a picture of a pegasus on it. “Another difference is that Unicorns and Pegasi are mythical beings on my world,” I said. “This is an artist’s interpretation of a pegasus. Other creatures are mythical too, such as dragons, griffons, even Lycans.”

I switched to another image, this one of a dark sky with a lightning bolt hitting the ground. “Now, this one might be a bit of a shock to you, but since we don’t have magic, our world acts like you’d expect the Everfree Forest to.” This got a shocked gasp from everyone. “Now hold on, let me explain,” I said. “Humans can’t control our weather, so weather just happens. Animals act on their own, too. From what I’ve seen, our animals aren’t as smart as yours. And, here’s the biggest difference I’ve seen,” I said, lowering my voice. The Ponies all leaned forward, eager to hear. “Humans are the only ones on Earth who can talk.”

This got a bunch of murmurs among the little Ponies. I chuckled and stood up straighter. “Now, let me show you just what humans look like.” I pulled up a picture of a human family I’d found online earlier. “In general, humans look like this. We walk on two legs, we have hands, don’t have fur on our bodies, and can’t use magic. But just because we humans have no magic doesn’t mean we’re powerless. Humans have done some amazing things.”

I pulled up another tab, showing the famous image of Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon. “This human is standing on Earth’s own moon. Fifty years ago, we launched ourselves into space and landed several people on our moon. And even before that, humans developed these.” I switched to an image of a commercial airliner. “This is an airplane. Humans use this to fly from place to place. And we also made these.” I opened another tab to the image of a four-door sedan. “This is called an automobile. It’s like a carriage, but you don’t need to pull it. Even back when they were first being built, humans would often refer to them as a horseless carriage.”

I looked over the crowd again. “Now, I know I haven’t talked much about humans too much, but I think you’ll enjoy some of these little videos. They’re about my home country and how certain things work.” I switched to another tab where Schoolhouse Rock was open. Turning on No More Kings, I stood back and watched the seated crowd with curiosity.

I beamed when the kids seemed to actually start enjoying the music and the videos. After the entirety of America Rock was finished, I stopped the videos. “That was just a brief glimpse into my nation and how it was founded and operates. I know a few of the things in the videos were unusual, but we don’t have a princess in America. Instead, we choose our leaders. Now, I’ve thrown a lot of information at you, so why don’t you ask some questions.”

Dozens of hooves went up, but the first ones who did belonged to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I pointed to Apple Bloom. “Do humans get cutie marks??” she asked eagerly.

I chuckled. “No, humans don’t get cutie marks. We have to look for our special calling on our own.”

“Did you find yours?” Sweetie Belle asked.

I considered. “Hmm…well, back on Earth, I worked at a bank. I was good at it, but was it my calling? That’s hard to say. Sometimes, humans don’t find their special calling and work at a place where they’re not happy. I think I’ll have to look for something to do in this world.” I looked around, and chose a really small colt. “How about you?”

“I saw somethin’ in that video that looked like a green statue from Manehatten,” he said in an accent that resembled something British. “What was it?”

“Ah, you must mean this statue,” I said, Googling the Statue of Liberty and showing a picture. “This is the Statue of Liberty. A country named France built it out of copper. It’s located on a small island off of the coast of New York City, one of America’s biggest cities.” I looked around. “You, there.”

Diamond Tiara stood up and, with a sneer, asked, “Mom told me that humans are savages who eat Ponies. Is that true?” Beside her, Silver Spoon snickered.

I looked back at Twilight and Cheerilee. Both looked a bit unsure, but nodded at me. I turned back to Diamond. “Humans do eat meat. It’s one of the easier ways for us to stay healthy. But we don’t have to eat meat as long as we keep a proper diet. As for me, I won’t be eating any meat that can talk back to me. So no, I won’t be eating any Ponies.” I pointed to another colt. “Now, how about you there, young colt.”

No matter how much I love kids, they’re exhausting, I thought to myself as I packed up all my belongings. We’d gone to just past one in the afternoon, with a forty-minute break for lunch. The questions from the children ranged from stuff about me personally (favorite color, what I like doing during my free time) to things about my world (they found it hard to believe that the sun and moon didn’t rise without magic) I threw my satchel over my shoulder and stretched, bones popping audibly.

When I opened my eyes again, Cheerilee and Twilight were both standing in front of me. Cheerilee was smiling and Twilight, who’d gotten a few questions of her own in, had a grin of her own on her face. “I can’t thank you enough,” Cheerilee said, taking a step forward and extending her hoof. “I can tell everypony had fun!”

I shook her hoof. “Like I said, I love children. It was my pleasure. And I’m glad they all had fun.”

“That meat question was a bit mean spirited, though,” Twilight said.

“I glossed over a lot of things,” I admitted, “but I hope the students learned something from that, even if it’s my favorite color.”

“Green!” Twilight said instantly.

“I’m almost afraid to ask how big the file you have on me is,” I chuckled.

“It’s not that big,” she said sheepishly. “I haven’t needed to buy a second cabinet yet-”

“Aaand I think it’s time to head home,” I grinned, turning and walking away. “Thanks for having me, Cheerilee!” I called back.

“Waaait! I still have so many questions!” Twilight shouted, galloping after me.

I ran towards the exit, laughing. Teasing Twilight was always fun. As we both ran down the street, I laughed harder. Maybe it was seeing all those little fillies and colts, or maybe it was the early afternoon air, but at that moment, I felt younger. Twilight continued chasing me until we reached my home. We both burst through the door, tossing our bags aside (me making mine land gently on my front porch with my magic and her doing the same), and continuing the childish chase.

“Just a few more questiooons!” Twilight whined as she sped up.

“Gotta catch me first!” I said, spreading my wings and flying up out of reach.

“Hey! No fair!” she shouted, her horn lighting up.

I felt something tie around my leg and pull me down. Since I was still not quite a decent flier, I fell to the ground.

“All’s fair in love and war, little Twily!” I replied as I lifted her into the air and passed me, giving me time to get up and run off again.

“Hey! Don’t call me that!” she sputtered, sounding embarrassed as she began charging me.

I launched myself into the air, but this time Twilight anticipated me. She leaped up, and I had no time to evade. She pinned me to the ground, sitting on my lap with a few strands of her mane a bit disheveled. We were both panting heavily, but soon we were both laughing hard.

“Ara, ara,” a familiar voice said from my right. “I didn’t realize you were into nerds there, Jethro.” We both turned and saw a smirking Scarlet, standing on her hind legs and crossing her front legs in a very human pose. She was leaning against the open front door. “In public, eh? You’ve got balls.”

Twilight and I looked down at the position we were in. The purple Unicorn quickly removed herself from my lap, face beet red. “Ah, um…I’m sorry, Jethro, I-”

“Don’t be sorry,” I said. “We just got a bit carried away. Why don’t we go inside? I can answer some more questions for a while. Stay for dinner, if you like. It was only going to be me, Scarlet and Zecora this evening, but I think we can add one more.”

Twilight smiled a bit, digging nervously at the ground. “Well…I’ve got to go check on Spike, but dinner sounds nice.”

“Bring Spike along, too!” I said. “I think I’ve got some gems in that pile of treasure sitting in my old yard. Dinner starts at six.”

She smiled and nodded. “I will. Thanks for today. I’ll see you later!” And with that, she dashed out, grabbing her bag and bolting through the front gate.

As I watched her go, someone nudged me. Looking down, I was greeted by Scarlet, grinning with a knowing look in her eyes. “You know what they say about nerdy mares, don’t you?”

“OH MY GOD! HOW HORNY ARE YOU?!”

46: A Cloaked Heart Gets A Pet

“I’m glad you had fun yesterday,” Fluttershy said as the two of us headed to Sugarcube Corner. Today was the day of the brunch for Princess Celestia, which coincided with the episode where Fluttershy tried to cure Philomena, but failed. “They didn’t ask anything rude, did they?”

“Just Diamond Tiara when she asked if humans eat meat and are savages,” I replied, fiddling with the two medallions hanging around my neck.

“That was rude of them,” Fluttershy said with disapproval. “I’m sorry you had to answer that.”

“It’s not something I’d have preferred to answer,” I replied, “but it’s just how my kind work. We need protein in our diets, and the easiest way to get it for thousands of years was meat.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, looking worriedly up at me. “Are you getting enough protein in your diet?”

“I think so,” I said. “I ordered a bunch of meat from Griffonstone a while ago, and that helps. I still have some products with meat in them from Earth, like canned soups and what have you. Actually, after yesterday’s question, I went home and did some more research, and unless you Ponies have ways to make supplements that can give me the protein I need, I still need to eat meat to be healthy.”

“You know, if you want, I can get you some fish,” Fluttershy offered.

“Oh, man. I haven’t had fish in a while,” I admitted. “If you’re willing to offer, I’ll gladly accept. Thank you.”

Fluttershy blushed, but smiled. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help somepony out?”

“Element of Kindness hardly describes how kind you really are,” I said as I reached down to scratch behind her ears. She shuddered, and began hovering beside me.

As we turned a corner, I saw Sugarcube Corner coming up, but unlike normal, it was being guarded by two white furred Pegasi. “Looks like the festivity’s already begun,” I said, chuckling.

Just then, I saw a familiar rainbow mane sticking out of the open doorway. She jumped out, then looked at the guard to her left. “So…what do I have to do to get to be one of the Princess’ royal guards, anyway?” she asked. After a brief pause, she nudged one of them. “Is the pay good?”

“It’s called working your rear off,” I called out to her. “I’m willing to bet these two trained under conditions that would make Tartarus seem like a vacation spot. I bet they also have to constantly maintain a strict schedule and be constantly vigilant. After all, they’re protecting the ruler of an entire country!”

One of the guards raised an eyebrow at me and, to my surprise, spoke. “How’d you know?”

“Back home, I knew someone who was in our country’s military,” I replied as I stopped in front of him. “I’m sure there are similar training techniques between worlds.”

The second one looked at my medallions, and his eyes widened. “You’re free to enter, but is this mare with you?” he asked, pointing to a now nervous Fluttershy, who was actually clinging to my shoulder, trembling a little.

“She’s not only with me, she’s on the list,” I replied. “Surely you recognize one of the Bearers of the Elements?”

“Of course, sir. You may enter,” the first one said.

As the three of us walked back in, I looked around. This had all the makings of a Pinkie Pie soiree. There were streamers on the wall and ceiling, balloons everywhere, cupcakes, cakes, a chocolate fountain, and bowls of small candy. I didn’t quite know many of the Ponies I saw, but I did see the other Bearers of Harmony, or as I now knew the fandom to call them, the Mane Six. I saw Lyra and Sweetie Drops at a small punch bowl, talking about something. At the back of the room, there was a massive table where Celestia, and to my surprise, Luna, were both seated. While Celestia had the practiced smile of a politician, Luna was maintaining a regal distant look, something I was sure was more common in her time.

Celestia saw me, and her eyes brightened. She lifted one of her gold-shoed hooves, waving at me. “Jethro!”

That got Luna’s attention, and she turned to me. I saw a nearly imperceptible lifting of her eyebrows as she nodded at me. “Greetings to you, Sir Jethro.”

“It’s just Jethro, Luna,” I said as I walked up. Fluttershy had already climbed off of my back and was making her way over to Twilight. Remembering something, I looked around and saw an uncertain Applejack looking at the food on the table. She was seated next to Celestia, as a matter of fact. “AJ, it’s salad first, then appetizer, then an entrée and then dessert.”

Applejack, who I found absolutely beautiful without her Stetson (not that I didn’t like how she looked with it on) looked up. “But which is which?” she asked.

“Salad’s the stuff in the wood bowl,” I replied. “You do realize this is a casual get-together, right?”

Celestia giggled, then turned to Applejack. “Miss Apple, feel free to eat whatever you like.”

“Oh, phew!” she said before taking a bite of the sandwich to her right, chewing on it with gusto.

Looking around, I next saw Rarity, wearing the gown she wore for the Gala. “Watch the dress! Careful, you’re gonna spill that on me!”

“Rarity, I think you’re a bit overdressed for this little soiree,” I called out. “Not that you don’t look absolutely gorgeous already, but you can’t really enjoy the brunch with that on.”

“Darling, I’d never go in anything other than my best to meet with the Princesses,” she replied.

“Well, you ain’t gonna be borrowing my washing machine,” I rolled my eyes before turning back to the Princesses. Leaning forward, I whispered, “I’m surprised to see you here, Luna. You weren’t here for this episode.”

“Oh? We are currently engaged in a story from this show?” Luna asked curiously.

“It involves Fluttershy and Philomena,” I replied. “I think, however, that since we met Philomena at the Gala, the events might not happen at all.”

“You met my Mena?” Celestia asked curiously.

“Yeah. She gave me a bunch of her feathers, same with Zecora. She gave a single feather to the other Bearers of Harmony, as well.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Fascinating.”

For a brief moment, I imagined Celestia with an old-style Starfleet uniform and pointy ear attachments along with a black bowl haircut. I held back my snickering as I nodded. “I’m guessing there’s some significance to that. Are Phoenix feathers special?”

“Very,” she said. “They are impervious to flames, for one. They also radiate a magic that eludes efforts to study it.”

“I feel like Twilight isn’t gonna rest until she figures it out,” I chuckled.

“We see thou hast taken full advantage of our gifts to thee,” Luna said, motioning to my medallions.

“That’s one way to put it,” I said. “I wanted to make sure Fluttershy doesn’t steal Philomena and try all sorts of ways to heal her like she did in the episode. That, and to catch you two about the tree business.”

“Of course, my little human,” Celestia said as she lifted a cupcake up.

However, before she could, Pinkie Pie ran up onto the table. “You gonne eat that?!”

“Ah ah ah, you silly pink one,” I said, lifting her up with my magic and pulling her over into my arms, “That is called stealing, and it’s not nice.” I poked her snout before lifting one hand, moving to behind her ears, but didn’t move to scritch. “Naughty kittens don’t get ear scratches.”

“Awww, meow?” Pinkie gave me the cutest kitty eyes she could muster up.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re lucky I like you,” I said as I scratched behind her ears. As expected, she made that strange purring sound and curled up in my arms. “I think I’ll adopt you,” I chuckled.

Just then, a worried Mrs. Cake came up. “Pinkie, are you bothering the princesses?” she asked.

“She almost did, but now she’s my cat,” I chuckled, stroking the curly pink mane.

“A thousand pardons, your Majesties,” Mr. Cake said, looking at Pinkie.

“That’s quite alright,” Celestia said, smiling kindly down at the retreating stallion.

As Celestia took a bite of her apple cupcake, Luna spoke up. “Sir Jethro, how hast thou been since we last saw thee?”

“I’ve been doing pretty well, actually,” I replied, still holding a purring Pinkie Pie. “I’m making the bottom story of my house a horror themed escape room for Nightmare Night. Yesterday, I spent some time at the school answering questions.”

“Truly? Thou are becoming more popular,” Luna said, sounding a bit upset.

“Luna, the invite to help me with my Nightmare Night house is still open,” I said. “You can enjoy yourself among your subjects and give the children a good scare.”

“We still dislike the idea of scaring anypony,” she said.

I nodded. “Well, I can understand that,” I said. “I won’t force you, but I think you’d have fun there regardless. That, and it would give you an opportunity to-”

“Empty teacup at four o’clock!” Mrs. Cake shouted from behind me.

“Uh, I see it, honeybun!” Mr. Cake said.

“Oh, watch this,” I whispered to Luna as Mr. Cake refilled Celestia’s teacup.

“Oh! Um…thank you,” Celestia said.

Luna and I watched the scene unfold. Pinkie, who was still in my arms and had, in fact, thrown her front hooves around my neck, was slowly relaxing to my scritches. She didn’t even stir when Celestia trolled the Cakes by pretending to take a sip. Even Luna snickered at her sister’s actions. When the confused Alicorn turned to us, I smirked. “Saw that coming a mile away.”

The ancient but beautiful Princess tittered, before she turned to the end of the table. “Twilight, Fluttershy, are you two going to join in and eat?”

“Oh, yes, your Highness,” Fluttershy said, moving a bit closer and picking up a small sandwich with her wings.

“Jethro tells me you met my pet Philomena at the Gala?” Celestia asked.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, then she swallowed, and then she spoke. “You mean the bird Jethro called a Phoenix?”

“That’s the one,” Celestia chuckled. “She’s here with me today, actually, but you might not recognize her.” Turning to a nearby golden cage, she looked inside. “Oh my, Philomena, you’re still sleeping, aren’t you?”

A wingless bird poked its head out from the bottom of the cage. With a cough that sounded weakened and sickly, the bird fluttered up to its little perch and sat down, wobbling a bit.

“Oh…my…” Fluttershy said nervously.

“When was the last time your Phoenix was reborn?” I asked Celestia.

“Oh…let me think…about a hundred or so years ago,” she said.

“Well, damn,” I said. “She’s definitely overdue for a rebirth. How old is she?”

“I found her about nine hundred years ago, or actually I found her egg,” Celestia said. “She is reborn every century or so. Such an unusual egg, too,” she mused. “It looked like somepony had painted red flames on a yellow egg.”

Fluttershy and I quickly exchanged looks, which Celestia didn’t fail to notice. Neither did Luna, who looked at me curiously. “Sir Jethro, is anything amiss?”

“Well, if you count a possible Phoenix egg being found in the fake forest that I had cut down a while ago on my property as something amiss, then yes.”

Both Alicorns looked stunned by this admission. Celestia was the first to speak. “Fluttershy, has the egg hatched?”

“No, and I’ve tried everything I know,” she said, sounding a bit worried.

“How long ago didst thou find this egg?” Luna asked.

“It was found just over a month ago,” I said.

Celestia chuckled. “Then there’s no need to worry. Phoenix eggs are known to hatch after around two or so months, so don’t worry about that. All you need to do is keep the egg in a warm place.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a Pegasus guard approaching the table. I groaned as he whispered to Celestia. However, what I heard next startled me. “Tell her that I’ll make sure to visit sometime today, but it won’t be right away.”

“Not leaving right now?” I chuckled as the guard rushed off.

“Nope,” Celestia said.

“Any particular reason?”

“This brunch is important to me, too. I mean, after all,” and then she leaned towards me, beckoning me closer. I leaned in, and heard her whisper, “I’m the fucking princess.”

“I still cannot believe you,” Twilight was fuming as she, Fluttershy and myself headed to Fluttershy’s cottage. After what Celestia had told us about Phoenix eggs, I was curious to see the egg again so I asked Fluttershy if I could see it. Twilight had begged to come along and Fluttershy had, of course, said yes.

“What did I do now?” I asked.

“Before you came here, I never once heard the Princess use foul language! And now I’ve heard her say it twice!” I saw one of her eyes twitching as she spoke.

The brunch had lasted for a few more hours after that little incident. I’d spent a great deal of the time talking to Luna. I mostly showed her a bunch of astronomical objects which she took great interest in seeing through a telescope eventually. She even pondered funding for an Equestrian space program, but I warned that the price would be enormous. When Celestia mentioned my idea for landing on Equestria’s moon, Luna immediately said that she wanted to go see the lunar surface. “Dangerous space rays be damned,” were her exact words.

“You even have Princess Luna swearing!” Twilight added with a huff.

“Twi, we’re grown adults here,” I said. “We can swear, you know? It’s pretty cathartic, actually. You should try it sometime.”

Twilight sputtered, and Fluttershy just blushed. “I-I would never use that kind of language! And I’d better not hear you use it around Spike, or there’ll be consequences!”

“Relax, relax,” I said, “I’d never use that kind of language around children.”

“You shouldn’t have to use it at all! Swearing is the sign of-well…you shouldn’t use it!”

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “Unfortunately for you, you aren’t a princess yet, Twilight Sparkle. And if I decide to become a Prince at the same time, I’ll still be older than you. So…nope.”

She facehooved. “Grrr, you’re insufferable sometimes…”

“And yet we’re still friends, my crass language notwithstanding,” I teased.

“Um, speaking of that,” Fluttershy said, “If you do decide to become a prince, what will happen with you and Zecora?”

“Well, nothing will change between us,” I said confidently. “I love that mare with all my heart.”

“And if you marry her, will that make her a princess too?” Fluttershy asked.

I paused. I let the phrase “Princess Zecora” roll over in my head. I chuckled. “That’d fit her very well. She’s my precious princess, anyway.”

Fluttershy blushed and looked away whereas Twilight just rolled her eyes and smirked. “You’re a hopeless romantic.”

“What can I say? That mare has started to fill a hole in my heart that I never thought anyone would fill.”

Fluttershy flew up to my eye level, her gentle smile infectious. “I’m glad to hear that,” she said, putting a hoof on my shoulder.

“Thanks, Flutters,” I said, reaching out to stroke her mane. She shuddered at that just like normal.

“We’re here,” a somewhat annoyed sounding Twilight said after a bit.

Fluttershy opened her eyes and blushed, flying down to the ground. “Ah, yes, um…stay here, I’ll be right back.” She walked up to her house, opened the door and slipped inside, leaving me alone with Twilight.

“So…” Twilight said hesitantly, “are you dressing up as anything special for Nightmare Night?”

“You kidding? I’m gonna be busy running my little haunted escape room,” I chuckled. “I doubt I’ll be able to really go and enjoy Nightmare Night like the rest of you. Even back home, I’d buy candy for the kids for Halloween but since my house was in the middle of nowhere, I just ate the candy the next day.”

“But you’ll miss out on everything else,” she insisted. “Can’t you have somepony help run it for a while?”

“Not unless you want to move all the attractions to my house,” I said offhandedly.

Twilight brightened. “I could organize that!”

I laughed. “I’m sure you would.” But as I thought about it, the idea didn’t seem that too far-fetched. “Hmm…you think you could fit everything in my yard?”

She beamed. “I’ll make it work!”

“If you can, then starting tomorrow, we’ll work on that. See if it could work. Of course, if Rainbow Dash approves, that is. This haunted house is partly her baby, too.”

Twilight bounced around in delight just in time for Fluttershy to come rushing back out. She had a frantic look on her face as she exclaimed, “Jethro! Twilight! It’s hatching!”

“Talk about your coincidences,” I said as Twilight and I rushed in. She led us downstairs to a large spacious basement where I saw a lamp aimed directly at the same egg I’d seen a month ago. Sure enough, I heard small cracking sounds from the egg. “Has the egg been down here this whole time?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy said. “I’ve been rotating it every hour and asking some of my bird friends to do it when I’m not here,” she explained.

Twilight and I gathered around the egg, while Fluttershy grabbed a bucket and began filling it with warm water. She grabbed a small purple washcloth and came back, carrying both in her mouth. I took them from her and placed them on the table next to the egg and lamp. The three of us watched anxiously.

Just then, there was a small commotion from upstairs. A familiar voice called out, “Sister, she’s heading to this door!”

We turned just in time to see a now reborn Philomena flying down the stairs, and straight towards me. “Whoa!” I gasped as, once again, the Phoenix landed directly on my head. I carefully angled my eyes up, barely seeing anything. Once again, I pulled out my phone and took a look. Philomena sat on my head as if there was no care in the world.

From the stairs, the Alicorn sisters appeared, looking around frantically. Celestia saw Philomena first and rushed over. “Mena, what are you doing?”

“Kraawk!” the Phoenix replied, moving around to preen her feathers innocently.

“I’m really sorry about this,” Celestia said to me. “She somehow escaped and flew here.”

I chuckled, then lifted my phone. Philomena looked directly at the camera. To my surprise, she lifted one wing as if waving. I gave a peace symbol as I took the first selfie with a Phoenix. “This isn’t the first time she’s stood on my head,” I said. “She did this at the Gala.”

“Truly?” Luna asked, staring between me and Philomena with awe.

“Kwaaawk!” Philomena squawked again.

“I suppose it’d be too much for Athena to have given me access to animal languages,” I said.

Philomena lowered her head so she was looking at me upside down. Her head tilted. “Raawk Kaw!” she said.

“Probably too much, yeah,” I sighed. “So, what brings you here, Philomena?” When she turned towards the egg, I raised an eyebrow. “Motherly instinct, huh?” Philomena nodded. “Well, don’t let me stop you. Fluttershy, stand aside. I think Philomena’s here to help.”

Fluttershy did indeed move aside, watching in awe along with the rest of us as Philomena flew off of my head to stand next to the egg, almost protectively. I stepped back, then whispered to Celestia, “There’s no possible way that’s Philomena’s actual egg, is it? No way she escaped the castle and set up a nest in a tree in Ponyville, right?”

“She’d need a male,” Celestia said, “and she’s only in the mood in Spring.”

“Okay, so the timing’s off,” I said.

“Indeed,” Luna’s serious countenance focused on me. “Dost thou know why our sister’s pet would stand on thy head?”

“I wish I could tell you, but all she did was stand on my head and give me and Zecora a ton of her feathers, then gave the Mane Six one feather each.”

“Mane Six?” Celestia asked curiously.

“It’s what the My Little Pony fans call the Bearers of Harmony,” I said. “It’s a play on words. M-A-N-E, and not M-A-I-N. Since they’re the main characters of the show, and all. But that can wait.”

“Indeed,” Luna said. “Sister, why wouldst thy pet be interested in a newborn not her own?”

“I’m afraid I’m at a loss, too,” Celestia said.

We watched for a few minutes as the newborn continued poking and prodding its way out of the egg. Philomena stood almost protectively over it, looking back at us with an almost warning glare. “Is that…normal for her?” I asked.

“Nothing about her behavior is normal,” Celestia said hesitantly.

With a sudden burst of flame, the egg shattered, revealing a light orange bird covered in the fluids within the egg. Philomena immediately went to work, a bright red tongue flicking to clean the chick. “I didn’t know birds did that,” I muttered.

“Normally, they don’t,” Fluttershy said, sounding just as confused as I felt.

“Maybe it’s something unique to a Phoenix,” Twilight said in conjecture.

The little chick began making small chirps, opening its beak. Philomena squawked, then gave us something like a warning glare before flying up the stairs. The bird hardly moved, but the chirping became more insistent. “The poor bird needs some food, now!” Fluttershy said, approaching.

With a few sudden steps that surprised even me, I moved between her and the new Phoenix. “Philomena made it perfectly clear that we are to stay away from her,” I said. “She’s taking care of this.”

Fluttershy gave me a glare. “I can’t sit back and watch!”

“Fluttershy,” Celestia approached and stood beside me, “I understand your frustration, but please don’t interfere. Philomena knows what she is doing.”

Fluttershy’s ears flattened, but she nodded and backed away. Soon, Philomena came back, then stood above the chirping newborn. Opening her mouth, it regurgitated something back into the newborn’s own beak. “I’ll be damned,” I said in awe, “She just adopted the little one.”

“Indeed,” Luna said, walking to my side and watching with her own brand of curiosity.

With a sudden twist of her head, Philomena turned to me, then flew and landed on my shoulder this time. Looking me in the eyes, she extended one wing directly towards the newborn. I pointed at my chest to confirm, and when Philomena nodded, I slowly approached. I heard the others walk up as well, but a warning squawk from Philomena stopped them in their tracks.

I stopped at the table, and reached out hesitantly. The little chick turned its head towards the noise, and as it opened its eyes, the first thing it saw was me. “Cheep cheep?” it said, the rising of intonation almost sounding like a question.

I cupped my hands together and very slowly picked the little Phoenix up. Cradling it close to my chest to keep the baby warm, I gently stroked its feathers as I turned to the others. “Can they come see it now, Philomena?” I asked.

With a nod, Philomena jumped up and landed back on my head. The other Ponies in the room slowly approached and looked in various states of awe at the little chick who hadn’t taken its eyes off of me. Fluttershy was the first to speak. “Adorable…”

“Jethro, I believe you’ve just adopted your very own pet,” Celestia said with a small smirk.

“Me? Have a Phoenix for a pet?” I asked, a bit uncertain. “I don’t know a thing about raising a Phoe-” A smack to the back of the head from Philomena silenced me. I looked up. “What? It’s true!”

“I can help you with that,” Celestia said. “I’ll send you a list later.”

“Thank you. That’ll definitely help.” The little Phoenix in my hand yawned a bit, then closed its eyes. I lifted it closer. “Now…are you a boy or a girl?”

Celestia took a closer look, then smiled. “She’s a lovely little girl.”

I felt a smile creep up. “You’ll need a name, little cutie.” As I cradled the sleepy bird in my arm, I pulled out my phone and searched for appropriate names for a Phoenix. However, all the names I saw fell short. I looked down at the bird, and she was now breathing regularly. It made a small noise as it breathed, one that sounded like eeev…eeeev…I grinned.

“Looks like you have a name,” Celestia said.

“I do,” I replied, looking down at the little Phoenix. “From now on, your name is Eve.”

Philomena squawked in apparent approval. Then, to my surprise, she began pulling out even more of her wings, tossing about a bunch towards me. I caught them, then I watched as she pulled out a single feather for everyone else in the room, leaving a small pile of four in front of Twilight. When she finished, she flew off of my head, then moved in front of me. She used her claw to separate the pile of her feathers in my hand into two separate files. I moved one pile to my other hand and held them both up. “One pile for me? And one for Zecora?” I asked. Philomena nodded, then finally flew over to Celestia, landing on the monarch’s outstretched hooves.

“Jethro, congratulations,” Celestia said, “you’re now a pet owner.”

I looked down at my newly named Eve, cradling her closer to me. “I’m gonna need so much help…”

“I’d love to help,” Fluttershy said, hovering close to me as she looked down at Eve’s sleeping form. “She’s so adorable.”

“I’ll send a copy of how I took care of my Philomena to you too, Fluttershy,” Celestia said. “Just be warned, they grow up very fast and for the first week or so require constant care. If your schedule is crowded, I suggest you have somepony else take care-” Philomena flew over to me again, hovering in front of me as she looked between Eve and me. “Or…Philomena could do it.”

“You’d help me?” I asked the Phoenix, who nodded. “And you’ll bring her back to me when she’s ready?” Another nod. I turned to Celestia. “That okay with you?”

Celestia nodded. “Of course. It’s probably best this way. When Philomena first hatched, I was too busy to take care of her personally, so I asked a Pony who specialized in animals to look after her until she was independent. Eve will have a mother this way.”

I nodded. “Understood,” I said as I held Eve closer, doing my best to keep her warm. Eve snuggled up close to my body heat, still making those unusual but adorable breathing sounds. “Welcome to the family, Eve.”

47: A Cloaked Heart Meets the Princesses Pt. 2

Dear Celestia,

I know you’re a busy woman, but I was hoping to discuss something I think you’d like to know about the Golden Apple Tree as well as the Tree of Harmony. I’d have told you sooner, but every time I had the chance, something interrupted us and I never got around to it. Now that I once again have your attention, I’d like to speak to you and Luna about this, and possibly Cadance as well if you’d allow it.

And speaking of Cadance, I was also hoping I could talk with her this coming Wednesday about the matter you discussed with me and Zecora that one time, since I’m still so confused about the whole idea.

On another note, how is Eve doing? Is she growing up fast? Is she healthy?

Your Ever Adjusting Subject and Friend,

Jethro

Dear Jethro,

My sister and I would be delighted to come speak to you this Wednesday. I look forward to hearing what you have to say, and I’m sure Luna does as well.

Cadance is already in the know about my suspicions about Luna, and she’s been trying to determine if my thoughts are correct. Feel free to discuss it with her. I’m sure she can help. Bring Zecora along too, if it would help.

Eve’s doing magnificently. She’s bonded to Philomena, but I get the sense she’s eager to see you again. I’d bring her, but she’s still too small to move too far.

See you in two days!

Your Friend,

Celestia

“Scarlet actually did that??” Cadance asked, eyes wide in shock.

I smirked and nodded. Beside me, Zecora was trying hard not to laugh as I described Scarlet’s teasing of me the day I went to the school. As the mansion was still being worked on for the upcoming Nightmare Night this Friday, I’d had Cadance in my Earth house for this meeting. We were sitting in my living room, Cadance sipping on the honey chamomile tea and eating a teacake I’d ordered from Sugarcube Corner just before Cadance’s arrival. “She’s never been this bold, before. I’m wondering if I’ve been a bad influence on her.”

“Well, I’ve never met her, but she sounds like an intriguing mare,” Cadance smiled. “Sounds like she trusts you enough to feel comfortable enough to tease you in such a…provocative manner.”

“I’m almost afraid to see what her Nightmare Night costume is gonna be,” I chuckled. “With my luck, she’ll pick some sexy schoolgirl outfit and constantly flash me her panties through the entire night.”

“Well, I’m sure Twilight isn’t too pleased with how you’ve been influencing Aunt Celestia,” Cadance chuckled a bit. “Her new vocabulary isn’t exactly…regal.”

“What? Her saying that she’s the fucking princess?” I snarked with a lopsided grin.

She pointed her hoof at me. “That’s the one. I’ve never heard Celestia use those words except when she was explaining them to me. If anything, I would have thought Aunt Luna would be more the Pony to use those words.”

“And speaking of her,” I said, grateful for the opening to change the subject, “I’d like to talk about Celestia’s suspicions.”

“Ah, yes. The matter at hoof.” Cadance’s expression became more serious. “Aunt Celestia told me about your discussion with her the day after the Gala. I know I’m going to sound like some therapist when I ask this next question, but how do you feel about it?”

I looked at Zecora, who put her front leg through my arm, giving me a reassuring smile. Turning back to the Princess of Love, I sighed. “Like I had so much stuff thrown at me at one time. I doubt I’d have slept well that night if Zecora hadn’t been there with me.”

I felt Zecora’s grip on my arm tighten as Cadance nodded in understanding. “I’ll tell Auntie you said so. But, knowing her, she told you because she’s overcompensating again. She ignored Luna for so long before her banishment, and now that Aunt Luna’s back, Aunt Celestia’s been probably smothering her with love and attention as much as possible.”

“Like the situation with Sunset Shimmer and Twilight,” I murmured. Clearing my throat, I spoke up. “I get her being overprotective of her little sister, but Luna’s a full-grown adult. Sure, she might have missed a thousand years, but she’s mature enough to make her own decisions.”

“And while I agree, that’s not what we’re here to talk about,” Cadance said.

“Right, still trying to break that habit,” I said sheepishly. “I still don’t understand why Luna would have any feelings for me.”

Cadance nodded. “I understand why you’d feel like that,” she said reassuringly, “but I’ve been observing her over the past week. She’s a mare out of time, Jethro. She’s still scarred from her experience on the moon. And that’s not all. Even before her banishment, Aunt Luna was very hard to get along with around anypony except for Aunt Celestia. Pile a thousand years of catchup on her, and she feels lost. Then, out of nowhere about a month after she comes back, here comes a strange alien who says he likes her night. Somepony-sorry, someone-who she only dreamed about meeting or at least hearing about just shows up practically right on her doorstep. In a sense, you’re a dream come true for her.”

“So…that’s it?” I asked, tilting my head curiously.

“No, far from it,” Cadance said. “That might have been a starting point, sure, but the fact that you’ve been casual with her and treating her both with royal respect and as just another Pony further caught her attention. Love can sprout from even the simplest and briefest of contacts.”

I groaned and facepalmed. “Great…”

“And you two share a few common interests,” Cadance added. “That’s always a plus for a relationship.”

“I’m already in a relationship,” I said, turning to put an arm around Zecora.

“Yes, I know,” Cadance said, “but didn’t Aunt Celestia tell you about herds?”

“Yes, yes she did, but I don’t think I’d be capable of forming one,” I replied.

Cadance looked at me curiously. “Could you tell me why?”

“Just like I told Celestia, in my culture, it takes a rare circumstance for a polyamorous relationship to form,” I explained. “For most of us, we’ve only got enough room in our hearts for one woman. How am I going to open mine for more than one?”

Cadance pointed to Zecora. “Well, support from her would help.”

“My love,” Zecora said tenderly, “I have already said that if we were to form a herd, it wouldn’t bother me. It’s common in Farasi, perhaps more common there than here.”

I turned to her. “Zecora…”

“Nopony’s forcing this on you, beloved,” she said. “It’s your decision, and I’ll respect either one you make.”

“She’s right,” Cadance said. “Nopony would want to pressure you into this. But may I offer some advice?”

“Sure,” I said, looking back at Cadance eagerly.

“Earlier, you said that humans find it hard to form polyamorous relationships, correct? Well, despite our similarities, Ponies and humans aren’t quite the same.”

That damned Anon-A-Miss comic certainly proved that, I inwardly sighed. “What do you mean?”

“We’re a herd species, Jethro,” she explained, “we thrive more in a community. When romantic herds are formed, it’s a given that some of the interherd relationships will be different than others. Nopony denies it, and in many cases, other members welcome these types of relationships.”

“Wait, they do? How?” I asked, growing more confused, but still wanting to learn as much about this subject as I could.

“Let me give you a simple example,” she said. “Stallion A has a three Pony herd with Mare A and Mare B. Now, Stallion A enjoys going for long walks in the forest, but he also enjoys nights out on the town. Mare A enjoys long walks but doesn’t particularly care for nights out, while Mare B enjoys nights on the town but doesn’t care for walks in the woods. Stallion A and Mare A use this shared love to bond, while Stallion A and Mare B use nights on the town to bond. Each of their bonds are different, but no less loving. In a normal herd, the two mares will have reached an understanding as to how to make their stallion happy. Because, in the end, both mares will bond over their love and devotion to their husband. Although, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be friends for more than that reason. A good herd always consists of mares who get along well with each other.”

“Which is why every member has to agree on who enters?” I asked.

Cadance nodded. “A foal born into a house with a herd can’t learn about the Tenets of Harmony if there is no harmony between spouses. If there is a problem among the herd, a family meeting is the go-to where everything is put on the table. Any concerns are brought to light. Even if there are no visible problems, allowing for a hidden problem to fester can be just as dangerous for a herd. A family meeting is a great way for the bond between the members to grow.”

“That makes sense,” I nodded.

“It takes a lot of work to maintain a herd, but in the end, it’s very rewarding. The amount of love generated between each member and the children is extremely strong and powerful. There have even been studies done that suggest that members of herds statistically live longer on average for around ten years.”

“Well, I doubt I’ll have that problem,” I said, fluttering my wings a bit.

Cadance nodded with a small smile. “Probably not. I’m sorry I threw so much information your way.”

“I’m the one who asked,” I said. “Besides, the more info I have, the more informed my decision will be.” I frowned and stroked my chin. “Maybe…”

“Maybe what?” Cadance asked, leaning forward.

“Maybe it would behoove me to spend some one-on-one time with Luna, or alternatively spend time with her with Zecora by my side. I don’t know…”

Cadance nodded. “When first forming a herd, both options are used. Normally, the latter option is used first.”

“My love, remember we planned to stargaze the night after Nightmare Night?” Zecora asked. “If you’re willing, why don’t we invite her to join us then?”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Cadance said. “Something like that would definitely be a good first step.”

“You think?” I asked them both.

Zecora replied, “It’s something we can at least try,” she said, nuzzling my face.

I pulled Zecora closer, stroking her mane as she relaxed in my arms. “I think that will work just fine.”

“Sounds like a romantic first herd date, love,” Zecora said, leaning forward and licking my cheek affectionately.

Cadance clapped her hooves, beaming. “Glad to hear you at least considering it.” She stopped, and a worried expression came over her face. “You’re not feeling pressured, are you?”

“Hmm…not from anyone in this room. Maybe from Celestia a little bit, but from what you said, she just wants her sister happy.”

“More than anything,” Cadance said. She looked at the clock. “Well, it’s almost been a half hour since we started. I believe my aunts will be coming soon. Are you sure you want to only have a half hour check-in with me?”

I nodded. “The whole Luna and herd thing was what was foremost on my mind anyway. That, and the other topic which I was going to bring up which requires all three princesses.”

“Do you wish for me to go, dearest?” Zecora asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to hide things from you. I’d like you here. Besides, I know you can keep this a secret with your life.”

“Of course I can, my love.”

Just then, a knock on the door caused us all to turn. I untangled myself from Zecora and walked to my door. Opening it, I saw both Equestrian princesses standing there. Celestia was all smiles, while Luna was her normal stalwart self. “Good afternoon, Jethro,” Celestia said. “Are we here on time?”

“You’re early, actually,” I said as I stepped aside. “Please come in.”

The princesses came in, but not before Luna turned to me. Her horn glowed and she lifted something towards me. It was a wooden rectangular box, which I took from her. “We wished to give thee this,” she said in a regal tone. “We hope thou like it.”

I slowly opened the box and saw, to my delight, a decent sized handheld looking glass. I gently lifted it up and looked it over. It actually looked surprisingly simple with a dark blue sheen on the outside. “Wow…this is really well made. Thank you, Luna! I’ll use it tonight!”

“We know thou hast a larger looking glass, but we felt this could be useful in any daytime activity thou might choose to undertake,” Luna replied.

“It certainly will,” I said, putting it back reverently in the box, closing it. “Thank you, Luna. I’ll put this away in my room before I inform you of my unusual discovery.”

I walked down the hall, placed the gift on a place of prominence on my dresser, then headed back out. As I joined Zecora again, Luna turned to me. “Did thou receive those beds we sent?”

“Yeah, I did actually,” I said. “They’re all in my other house, now. Each bedroom has them.”

She finally smiled. “We are glad.”

“You two can discuss bedding later,” Cadance said, and I almost saw a knowing smirk form on her face.

“Agreed,” Celestia turned to me. “Jethro, forgive me for saying so, but Cadance told me you wish to include Zecora in these discussions. Are you sure?”

“I hate hiding anything from her,” I replied.

Celestia nodded. “I understand, but is this sensitive information?”

“I don’t think I’ll budge on wanting her here,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “She can keep a secret. I have complete faith and trust in her.”

“Don’t take it personally, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Celestia said. Turning to Zecora, she said, in Farasi, “You understand the consequences if you should breathe a word of this, correct?”

“I understand, your Highness. I swear by the First Elders.”

Celestia smiled. “Good. Now then, back to the subject at hoof.”

“Quite,” Luna said, turning serious again. “What is this we hear about news regarding our sister’s apple tree and the Tree of Harmony?”

“In short, they both are in a way sapient,” I said.

The room went silent as I allowed the three princesses and my marefriend to digest this. Celestia finally spoke up. “What do you mean?”

“A few nights before the Gala, I was utilizing my Morphean magic near the royal garden,” I explained, “when suddenly a Dryad appeared from the Golden Apple tree.”

“What is a Dryad?” Celestia asked.

“Oh, you don’t have that name here, right,” I said. “Well, Melora called herself a Treeguard.”

Celestia’s eyes widened, as did Luna’s. “A Treeguard…are you sure?” Celestia asked.

“That’s what Melora said.”

“Who is this Melora?” Luna asked.

“That’s the name I gave the Dryad of the Golden Apple tree,” I said. “It’s a human name I gave her. It means golden apple.”

“I see…” Celestia said. “But how did you speak to this Treeguard?”

“Apparently, the last Pony to talk to Melora was one named Midnight Breeze,” I said. “I suspect it was due to his abilities that I now have.”

“But, how does that make sense?” Cadance asked. Turning to Celestia, she asked, “Auntie, have you ever heard of any other Pony having Morphean magic?”

“Not since Midnight Breeze,” Celestia said. “His magic was extremely powerful, and nopony else could figure out how he managed to unlock this magic. Plenty of other Ponies have tried over the years, but all failed.”

“His magic was the envy of many a Unicorn,” Luna agreed.

“After you were…banished,” Celestia said, sounding pained, “they continued trying to figure out his magic, but eventually as the centuries passed, Midnight Breeze’s magic was slowly forgotten. And now it’s back.” She turned to me. “Have you done anything big with these powers?”

“Just rebuilding your old palace, teleporting all my money to my house, then teleporting my house here. Aside from that, I’ve just been flying around at night.” I looked at my hand. “I don’t know what the extent of this power is, and I’m a bit nervous to explore what I can do with them. I know I need to eventually, and I will, but I don’t know how to do it without anyone else there to help.” I turned to them all. “Honestly, I’d love to have help from everyone in the room. And presumably the Bearers of Harmony, too.”

“Speaking of them, you said there was something about the Tree of Harmony as well?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “She’s gathered enough power to manifest into a form we can interact with as well.”

If the news about Melora was a shock to the three Princesses, that practically froze time around us. The three stared at me in complete stunned silence. I waited patiently as they processed it. Finally, Luna spoke. “…What…?”

“The Tree of Harmony spoke to you!?” Celestia shouted, suddenly directly in my face. Her eyes were wide with astonishment. Her entire face filled my vision. She smelled absolutely wonderful today, like freshly grown roses and honeysuckle. Her dark purple orbs gazed almost into my soul, pleading for answers. “What did it say?!”

“Sister! Calm thyself!” Luna called out.

“Auntie!”

“Your Highness?!”

I held up my hands, stopping all three mares before putting my hands on Celestia’s cheeks. Her fur was incredibly soft and well groomed. She didn’t even seem to react to my touch as I gently moved her head away. “Relax, Celestia. Relax.”

She looked at my hands, then a blush crept up on her cheeks as she stood up. “Ah, um…yes. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. As to what she said, and I call the Tree a she since she appeared in Zecora’s form to me, she told me a few things. She and Melora told me a few things.” Clearing my throat, I began recounting the entire memory, which for some reason was clearer in my mind than any waking memory. All four mares listened carefully. I saw them all look a bit upset when I recounted how the Tree of Harmony had said how Equestria was falling into a rut and beginning to stagnate, forgetting what true harmony was. I made sure to mention to Celestia how Melora defended her actions on Sunset Shimmer’s potential, something that made her brighten. All the mares made me recount my discussions about my own potential, despite my reluctance. Finally, I was finished and I looked around the room, waiting for a reaction from anyone.

Luna was the first one to speak, to my surprise. “We…have to agree with the Tree of Harmony on the fact that the Ponies here are starting to slowly forget true Harmony, dear sister.”

Celestia lowered her head, almost in shame. “I…I guess I was hoping it was just a phase my little ponies were going through, but if the Tree of Harmony is telling us this…I should accept the facts.” She stood up straight, facing me. “Jethro, thank you for telling me this. Thank you once again for everything. I’m finding myself more and more in your debt.”

“Celestia, stop,” I said, standing and walking over to her. Looking up into her startled eyes, I reached a hand out. “I might not be a completely full citizen, but I want to help. I mean, I live here too.”

She nodded, and finally smiled. “Still, you’ve given us more information to think over.”

I leaned in and whispered, “Think of it as revenge for all that infodump you gave me the day after the Gala.”

Her ears flattened. “That was a bit much at one time, wasn’t it? I apologize.”

“It’s alright. Cadence told me why.”

Celestia actually looked a bit sheepish, but Luna interrupted, “What didst thou tell him?” She sounded a bit concerned and upset.

“Celestia was telling me a bit more about some of the cultural norms that are different than ones on Earth,” I replied. “It was a bit much at the time.”

Luna looked at Celestia with a frown. “Sister, why wouldst thou do such a thing to him?”

“Luna, please relax,” I said, putting a hand on her withers. “She was just trying to help. I’m fine now.”

Luna looked up at me, examining my face carefully. Her lovely cyan eyes were full of worry and concern, and with the new information about her potential feelings for me and the reasons behind it, her look made sense. To my surprise, she put a hoof on my shoulder. “We see…if thou art sure…”

“I’m positive,” I said kindly, putting my hand over her hoof. “Thank you for asking, though. It means a lot.” And it really did. Any kind of gesture like that from anyone touched me, but especially if it came from either Zecora or the princesses.

“Well, thou art our subject,” Luna said with a regal note in her tone, although she didn’t move her hoof away from my touch, “thy safety and the safety of all our subjects is paramount.”

I gave her hoof a squeeze. She must have finally taken notice, because she quickly removed her hoof from my shoulder. Lowering my hand, I nodded. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“If there is nothing else, we should all take our leave,” Luna said.

As she walked towards the door, I saw Cadance gesturing towards her with a bit of an insistence. I immediately got her message, but there was something else I wanted to talk to her about first. “Luna, hold on just a bit.”

She paused, then turned around. “Yes?”

I walked back up to her as she turned back around to face me. “Well, just a couple of things. First, I’m wondering if you’ve made a decision about joining all of us here at the Nightmare Night celebration. It’s happening now all at my house.”

“We…are still unsure,” Luna said. “Isn’t the point of Nightmare Night a celebration of our defeat?”

Celestia quickly joined in. “No! Not at all! Lulu, I told you why I did what I did. It’s a night of enjoyment.”

“We still do not wish to terrorize our subjects,” Luna said.

“And you don’t have to,” I said, giving her a warm smile. “You can just play the games there and interact with other Ponies.”

“We shall have an answer for thee within a few days,” Luna said.

“That actually brings me to my next question,” I said, then looking back to Zecora. She joined me and stood next to me before I turned back. “The night after Nightmare Night, Zecora and I are going to go stargazing. We talked about it, and we’d like to invite you to join us. If you’re interested.”

Luna’s eyes shot open in shock. “Oh! Um…well…thy offer is greatly appreciated, but would I not be intruding on a lover’s night?”

“Your Highness,” Zecora said, “it’s rare for me to meet somepony who loves the night more than the day. I enjoy the stars, but since I live in the Everfree, I rarely get to see it.”

“And the two of us would love to get to know you better,” I said.

Luna looked thoughtful for a few moments, then turned to me. “We shall…give it some thought.”

“Shoot me a letter whenever you make a decision,” I smiled.

“We shall.”

“Is there anything else?” Celestia asked.

“I’ve told you all I can think of at the moment that I thought was important,” I said. “If something else comes up, I’ll be sure to dragonmail it to you.”

Celestia giggled. “I’ll be awaiting your letter.”

Zecora and I watched as the three princesses walked up to their chariots. Celestia’s had two white Pegasus stallions pulling hers, as did Cadance’s, but Luna’s had two black furred Pegasi pulling hers. I raised an eyebrow, half expecting what the fandom had called bat ponies or thestrals, the latter of which didn’t make sense since thestrals were from Harry Potter as far as my research had shown. As the three of them flew away with a small contingent of Pegasi guards flanking them, something else came to my mind. “Ah, I did forget something!” I snapped.

“What was it, my love?” Zecora asked, sounding worried.

“Ah, it’ll keep,” I said. “I was just gonna ask them about their former SCP Foundation knockoff, staring Sweetie Drops.”

To our loyal subject Jethro Bethridge,

We greet thee and hope this letter finds thee well. We have considered both of thy offers, and we shall be glad to grace thee with our royal presences on both occasions thou mentioned. We shall come to Ponyville to participate in the festivities and we shall be pleased to join thee and thy paramour for a night of stargazing. At what time wouldst thou like us to grace thee with our presence on both nights?

Awaiting your reply,

Princess Luna

Dear Luna,

I’m glad you decided to join us, and we look forward to having you there on both nights! To answer your question, I was thinking you could join us at the same time on both nights, a couple of hours before sundown. That way, we can all get something to eat before things begin.

See you then!

Your friend and subject,

Jethro

48: A Cloaked Heart's Nightmare Night Pt. 1

“I’m soooo excited!” Rainbow Dash was giggling like a little filly as she and I looked at the finished front of my house. I’d hired the best decorators to make my house appear dark and dilapidated, much like a haunted one. Windows were broken and boarded, and the shutters hung loose on their hinges. The inside was decorated with extremely realistic cobwebs in plenty of corners, the candelabras were enchanted to go out every so often anytime lightning flashed outside, and the scrying spells were activated, acting like hidden cameras so Rainbow, myself, and Scarlet (who’d surprisingly volunteered to help) could keep an eye on our guests just in case anything went wrong. Rainbow had convinced the weather team to let her borrow a few clouds so we could have a miniature thunderstorm around the house in order to give it that extra creepy factor.

Aside from all that, I’d asked Twilight to cast a temporary soundproofing spell around Mica’s and Gemini’s room so they could sleep.

Rainbow Dash and I made our way into the house to look over the interior once more before we opened it to the public when the festival began. Rainbow had planned a few jumpscares, and was super excited to watch them go off. There was a fake Pony skeleton in a walk-in closet in one of the downstairs bedrooms that would fall out and shatter if that door was opened, there were some portraits on the walls that would become skeletal in the light of the lightning, something I’d suggested from my journeys to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride, and there was a bunch more, such as spooky glowing eyes from windows, ghostly wails and whisps of fog that emulated Pony ghosts.

Rainbow Dash was shaking my shoulders excitedly. “This is gonna be so awesome!”

“Yes. Yes it will be,” I said, putting an arm around the Pegasus as I looked over the hard work.

She hovered there before she noticed my arm around her. With a shove, the now blushing mare huffed. “Don’t get sentimental on me now,” she said.

“Sentimental? My dear Rainy, you know me better than that.” I leaned in close, catching the Pegasus off guard as I said, “I’m all about those feewings.”

She bust a gut laughing, falling down and rolling on the ground as I joined in on her laughing. After a couple minutes, we both stood up and the laughter died down. “So…what do you think?” Rainbow Dash asked, gesturing to the large haunted looking living room. “I think this is gonna be super awesome!”

“Oh, I agree,” I said. “Hmm…although the temperature could be…twenty percent cooler.”

“Hey!” She flew up to my face, frowning at me playfully. “That’s my schtick!”

I snorted, then reached out to stroke her mane. “Calm thy teats, RD, you know I’m just messing with you.”

“Leave my sexy teats out of this,” Rainbow Dash huffed, but I saw a blush creep up on her face. As I continued stroking her mane, she finally cracked a smile before pushing my hand away. “Yeah, yeah…you made your point.”

I put my hands in my pockets. “What can I say? Messing with you is fun.” And did she just call her teats sexy?

“I’ll get you back, just you watch,” she frowned, but soon a smile appeared on her face and she began to chuckle. “But later. For now, I can’t wait to scare some fillies and colts!”

“All we need now is those clouds you ordered to arrive,” I said.

“They’ll be here by the time the sun sets,” Rainbow promised. “By the way, how’s the rest of the festival looking?”

“Twilight tells me we’re pretty much all set,” I said, heading back to the door and looking out. Twilight had actually reorganized things so that the majority of the goodie carts and attractions were within my property lines, but there wasn’t enough room for everything, so the rest were outside along the street I lived on. She’d even had the Nightmare Moon statue moved to the back of my house temporarily, although, if I had my way, I’d have it here permanently, out of sight since I wasn’t sure it was fair to Luna to be constantly reminded of her failings.

The Mayor herself had come and thanked me profusely for giving an extra attraction for the children to enjoy and for offering my house as a place to enjoy all the festivities. According to her, this was saving the town a ton of bits since I wasn’t charging anyone for use of my land.

“Where is that egghead anyway?” Rainbow asked.

“She probably went home to get into her Star Swirl the Bearded costume,” I said.

“There’s plenty of time, though,” Rainbow said. “There’s, what, two hours before sunset?”

“Two hours and fifteen odd minutes, Miss Dash,” a familiar voice said from behind us.

Twirling around, startled, I saw Princess Luna herself standing in the haunted house, staring at the two of us. She was in her normal Pony form currently. Rainbow Dash immediately bowed in respect, whereas I smiled and approached. “I’m glad you decided to come, Luna.”

“Our sister told us it might be wise to face our mistakes and own up to them instead of hiding like a little foal in our royal bedchambers,” Luna said.

“Well, this is definitely a night I hope you’ll enjoy remembering for years to come,” I said.

“We hope so too,” Luna said, before looking around the room. “Whoever managed the décor here is to be commended. ‘Tis a remarkably well-done haunted domicile.”

“When you’re as rich as I am, you can afford to pull out all the stops,” I chuckled. “Welcome to your first Nightmare Night, Luna.”

Luna nodded, then turned to the still bowing Rainbow Dash. “Thy name is Rainbow Dash, correct?” she asked, addressing the Pegasus. “Thou and thy friends were the ones who unleashed the powers of Harmony upon us and released us from our dark powers.”

Rainbow Dash stood, trembling a little. “Y-Yes, your Highness,” she said nervously.

“RD, take a deep breath,” I said, “She’s just here to enjoy the night’s festivities. And speaking of that, Luna, I’ve been meaning to mention something about how you speak.”

“Is there a problem with how we speak?” she asked, sounding offended.

“Not wrong, per-se,” I replied without hesitation, “just outdated. Surely you’ve heard your sister addressing her subjects before, correct?”

“We have,” Luna said, “but what is thy point?”

“My point is that the use of the royal ‘we’ went out of style ages ago,” I explained. “If you think about it, using ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ could make a bigger gap between you and your subjects.”

“We-pardon, I mean I-never thought of that before,” Luna said. “Art thou sure?”

“Yes, and that’s another thing,” I added. “Have you heard anyone else using ‘thee’, ‘thou’, or any of the older forms of speech since you came back?”

Luna paused, then shook her head. “No, we-I-have not.”

I smiled. “This is just a suggestion, Luna. I know you still want to be beloved by your subjects, so maybe trying to relate to them will help.”

“Art thou-I mean, are you sure about that?” Luna asked, sounding unsure.

I was about to reply, when I had an idea. “Well, maybe if you saw another perspective, it might give you a better idea of what I mean.”

“What perspective?” she asked.

I grinned. “Come with me. Rainbow Dash, I suggest you go and get yourself ready. Luna and I will be preoccupied for about half an hour in my other house.”

“Um, sure thing, JB,” she said, giving a bow to Luna and zooming out.

“What are you going to show us-I mean, me?” Luna asked curiously as we walked through the house to the back door.

“You’ll see,” I said, heading out the back door towards my home. “Let’s just say it’ll hopefully be an eye-opening experience…”

“Eye-opening? More like eye-popping,” Luna said as the credits to Luna Eclipsed rolled on the screen. “I never thought to see myself say things I had never said before.”

“Imagine how the Bearers of Harmony reacted when I showed them the Gala episode,” I chuckled as I stopped the video and began disconnecting the cords. “Applejack even said her voice was too high.”

Luna chuckled. “Did the human who portrayed her inhale helium?”

I laughed. “No, no. From what I’ve found so far, it was just her voice actress trying to find the right tone for the character.”

“Hmm, I suppose that makes sense,” Luna said. “Sir Jethro, I thank you for sharing this with me. While I still do not wish to frighten the Ponies, I would still like to try having some fun with them.”

“I’m sure that once you engage in the festivities, things will start to go alright, but since I don’t want to tempt fate, I think you should be formally introduced to the citizens,” I reasoned.

“We-I would like that,” Luna said with a small smile.

“Come on, I’ll show you around,” I said, opening the door and holding it for you. “After you, milady.”

Luna blushed, giggling a bit. “Gentlecolt,” she said gratefully as she walked out. I closed my door, locked it, then joined her, walking by her side as we passed through the barrier around my old house.

As we headed back to the stalls, a thought occurred to me. “Hey, Luna?”

“Yes?” she turned to me.

“I have a question for you. It’s about a certain power I saw the show version of you use when you were Nightmare Moon.”

“Do you refer to the mist form I took?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, that! How did you do that? I haven’t seen you using that power whenever you show up in the show. It was only in the first two episodes.”

“Ah, yes. ‘Tis a powerful magic to wield,” she admitted. “It is referred to by many names, Transfiguration magic, Transformation Magic, but I prefer Metamorphic Magic. Only the most powerful of wizards and mages can master it. From what my sister has told me, Metamorphic Magic is one of the more arcane arts today.”

“Sounds like it could be a really useful magic to learn,” I said thoughtfully.

Luna looked up at me, eyes slightly sparkling. “Jethro, wouldst thou like me to teach you some of our more arcane magical knowledge?”

Now there’s an idea, I thought. Luna might be a mare out of time, but her knowledge of some of the more ancient magic might be fresher in her mind than in Celestia’s. I turned to her, pausing. “So…you’d want to become to me what Celestia is for Twilight? One of my magic teachers?”

“It would give us-apologies, me-more purpose, and a chance to pass on my magic which has fallen out of the common knowledge,” Luna explained, sounding slightly excited.

And potentially a chance to hang out with me more, I thought. It was a tempting offer, to be sure. I was positive Luna knew more arcane magical techniques than even Twilight did. Plus, she had enough power to raise and lower the moon. What isn’t there to accept? I grinned. “That sounds like a really interesting offer, to be sure, but are you sure you’d be up to making the time for me? Aren’t you busy in Canterlot with royal duties?”

“We-I don’t have as much to do as my sister does,” Luna admitted, “so I have plenty of time on my hooves.”

“Hmm…personal student to Princess Luna,” I thought aloud. “Has a nice ring to it, actually. Can I think about it?”

“Of course!” Luna said, “there is no pressure. I would much rather teach a student than write the spells down in a book.”

“Oof. Well, I know at least two individuals who would purchase that book,” I smiled.

“And who might those be?” Luna asked.

“Twilight Sparkle and me.”

We looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Luna’s laughter was pretty breathtaking, to be sure, and full of mirth. We were currently standing next to the apple bobbing basin which was currently empty. As the two of us laughed, I heard someone approaching. “Something funny, Jethro?”

I turned. Scarlet’s voice was recognizable to me, but that’s all I recognized about the Anthro who stood before me. Luna and I stared in awe at the now anthropomorphic Scarlet, who was wearing a custom crafted pink office pantsuit, which her breasts were practically spilling out of. She was wearing tights and the shoes were a bit like high heels for hooves. She had dyed her crimson mane pink. I immediately recognized the outfit, and made my face go neutral. “By the way, Narumi, are you going to the next Summer Comiket?”

She stiffened. “Don’t tell anypony in the office that I’m an otaku!” she hissed.

We both stared at each other, me with an indifferent expression, her with an exaggerated look of anger on her face. She was the first to smirk, then I joined. Soon, we were laughing hard with Luna looking between us with a confused expression. “Is there a joke I am not understanding?” Luna asked.

“Ahaha…hah…sorry, it’s just that the costume Scarlet’s wearing is from one of the shows I like, and I had to make a reference,” I said. Turning to Scarlet, I smiled. “I’m just glad you didn’t come in a schoolgirl outfit.”

“Oh? I can totally go change, if you want,” she cooed. “Rarity made one of those for me, too, but I decided this would be more appropriate for a holiday based towards children.”

“At least your brain isn’t in your tits,” I said, pointing at hers. “Seriously, don’t those hurt?”

“Nope. Rarity made me a bra,” Scarlet said. She finally noticed Luna and her eyes widened. She bowed. “Your Highness! Forgive me for not greeting you right away.”

Luna waved a hoof dismissively. “‘Tis alright,” she said. “You are Scarlet Dusk, correct? The young mare Jethro saved?”

Scarlet actually blushed a bit, then nodded. “Yes, your Highness. Jethro has been kind enough to let me live here until I’m back on my own four hooves and until I work off my debts to the town.”

“Indeed, I had heard that was the case,” Luna replied, looking over at me with an unreadable expression. “I hope you are not taking advantage of his kindness and generosity.”

Scarlet’s eyes widened and she shook her head fervently. “Not at all!”

“She’s not perfect, to be sure,” I said, earning me a small glare, “but she’s never taken advantage of me. She’s been working hard to keep the house in order and to repay all the debt she owes to the places she stole from.”

“I am pleased to hear it,” Luna said, finally breaking a smile in Scarlet’s presence.

By this time, the sun had just reached the western horizon and foals were beginning to arrive. The majority were looking over warily at us, but a few looked more genuinely curious than anything. After all, it wasn’t every day a human, an Anthro and an Alicorn were talking together. Mayor Mare was the first to approach. To my surprise, she wasn’t wearing a clown costume this time around, but instead was wearing a witch costume, complete with scraggly hair, pointed hat and dark black robe. She had on a prosthetic muzzle which looked crooked and had warts on it. “Um…pardon me, your Highness,” she said, interrupting the conversation as politely as she could.

Luna turned and looked down at the mayor. “Yes, subject?” she asked.

“Ah, my name is Mayor Mare, and on behalf of all the citizens of Ponyville, I’d like to welcome you to our fair town,” she said, standing a bit more bravely now. Her smile was the smile of a seasoned politician.

“I thank you, and am glad to be here,” Luna replied.

“Would…you like me to show you around, your Highness?” the mayor asked.

“Please do,” Luna said, before turning to me. “Will I see you later, Jethro?”

“I’ll be spending a lot of time in the control room, keeping an eye on the children who come into my haunted house, but I’ll definitely see you later tonight,” I said.

“Very well.” Luna turned to the mayor. “Lead the way, Miss Mare.”

The mayor turned and began showing Luna around. I saw the Alicorn give me one more glance before turning back and looking around at all the stalls and attractions.

“Well, seems like she’s all set to have a good time, my love,” a familiar Zebra’s voice said from behind me. When I turned, I saw Zecora in all her Nightmare Night costume glory, but instead of her Zebra form, she was once more in her Anthro form. She looked amazing in the show, but to see her in person was another thing entirely. The white wig she wore had small black spiders hanging from her fake locks, and her dark blue robe billowed in a small breeze that sprang up, revealing what could only be a shamaness’ outfit underneath, dark gray robes that clung to her body in an enticing manner. She was still wearing her neck braces and her large golden earrings. She stood straighter and held up a hand. “What do you think?”

“…Gorgeous,” was all I could say.

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, and Scarlet’s voice whispered in my ear, “Good enough to eat, eh?”

Zecora, presumably having heard that, approached and grinned. “That comes after the festivities, my dear.”

“Oooh, now that sounds hot,” Scarlet said.

My face was red from embarrassment, and I facepalmed to try and hide it. “Scarlet…”

“You two in for a threesome?” Scarlet laughed as she ran away from my swiping wing.

“Oh my God!” I groaned. “What is with her? Am I showing her too much Earth media?”

Zecora watched her go, a thoughtful expression on her face, which slowly turned into a smile. “I’m not the Princess of Love, but perhaps Scarlet also-”

“I already have to deal with Luna’s crush,” I interrupted, “I don’t need to deal with an overly horny Scarlet trying to fuck me.”

Zecora put an arm around my back. “My love, it very well may be that she likes you, too. And this is the only way she knows how to show it.”

I groaned again. “Not another one…damn it…how’d I get so popular with the women?”

“Do not sell yourself short, dearest,” Zecora said, leaning her head on my shoulder. “Alien though you might be, you have many things a mare looks for in a husband.”

“What? A big house and plenty of money?” I snarked, but as soon as I said it, I knew it was the completely wrong thing to say as Zecora’s smile faded. “Wait, that came out wrong, I didn’t mean-”

“Do you think that is why I fell for you, Jethro Bethridge?” Zecora asked coolly, causing a shiver to run up my spine.

“No! That’s not it at all!” I said.

Zecora stood in front of me, poking my chest harshly with her finger. “Don’t ever say that about yourself again! You are more than what you own.” Her expression softened and she cupped my cheeks in her hands. “I love you because of you, not because you are rich and own this large plot of land. Please don’t put yourself down so much. It hurts me when you do.”

My heart broke at those words, and I threw my arms around her. “I’m sorry,” I said softly, holding her tightly. She hugged me back, and I finished, “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“I meant what I said,” she said. “You have a lot to offer in a relationship, and those aspects are being noticed.”

“Well…one mare at a time, huh?” I said uncertainly. “Besides, Scarlet could just as easily be teasing me because of my influence.”

“You influenced me too, love,” Zecora said. “I no longer speak in rhymes, remember? And don’t say it’s different, because it isn’t. You’ve shown me your media just as you have shown Scarlet. Do you see us acting similarly?”

She had a point there. I sighed and shook my head. “I guess not…again, I’m sorry. I’m just not used to this much attention from females.”

“Your old world is different than your new one, so it makes sense,” Zecora said. “You’ve also had little time to adjust to our way of life since coming to Ponyville, but you’ve been doing your best to adapt, and it shows in your behavior. Others see that, and appreciate how far out of your way you’ve gone.”

I relaxed, starting to feel better about the whole situation. “Thank you, Zecora,” I whispered, “you know just what to say. But let’s put the Scarlet issue on the back burner until I figure out this thing with Luna.”

“We have time before the festivities begin,” she said, taking my arm and leading me towards the back porch. We sat in the swinging bench overlooking my Earth house and the yard. “Why don’t we talk about it?”

Zecora and I sat there for a while, discussing Luna, herds and more. Zecora admitted that from what she’d seen of the Lunar Monarch, she was quite a catch. She was strong, sure of herself in many ways, and quite lovely to look at. My marefriend also pointed out, much like Cadance pointed out, that we shared some interests.

I had to admit to Zecora that there was definitely some physical attraction I felt to Luna, in both her forms. I felt guilty for admitting it but Zecora reassured me that she didn’t think any less of me for that. I also conceded that Luna and I shared a few common interests, such as stargazing. I admitted that we were both individuals who were still somewhat out of place in this world, trying to fit in as best we could.

The more we talked about her, the more I started to realize just how much of an attraction I was developing for Luna. Zecora had to hold me close to prevent me from having a small meltdown of guilt and shame. She told me she loved me no matter what, herd or no herd.

Having a marefriend so understanding and so caring brought me back from that meltdown. She never stopped holding me, though, and as the first stars came out, we sat there and continued talking. Even so, my mind was a bit of a jumble. Having two other mares possibly liking me was a bit of a shock, but I knew better than to become like one of those clueless harem anime and manga protagonists. I had to make a decision.

“There you are!” Rainbow Dash’s voice called out from above us as she landed on the back porch in front of me and Zecora. She was wearing her hastily put together Shadowbolt costume despite her saying Wonderbolt earlier. “The night’s almost here! What are you two doing back here?”

“Nothing, just talking,” I said. “I thought you were going as a Wonderbolt?”

“Nah! Not scary enough,” she said with a grin. “Hay, even Luna said it was a good likeness!”

“Did you make it yourself?” I asked, standing along with Zecora.

“Hay, yeah!” she said proudly.

“Looks pretty good,” I admitted. “Never pegged you for a seamstress type.”

“I’m not Rarity!” she giggled.

“You know, that’s funny you should mention that, because in another earlier version of My Little Pony, you were more like Rarity.” Clearing my throat, I sang. “We'll plan a party with Pinkie Pie and watch her balloons lift her up to the sky. Scootaloo will show us games to play, and Toola-Roola will be painting away. Rainbow Dash always dresses in style. Sweetie Belle's magic brings a great big smile. I hope we hear a story from Cheerilee, and a beautiful Starsong melody.”

Rainbow Dash gaped at me while Zecora giggled. I’d researched the earlier iterations of the television shows after finding references to a specific human character Megan Williams in the fandom, and that’s when I discovered her origins in the first generation. Rainbow Dash closed her mouth and glared at me. “If you ever tell Rarity about this, I will hurt you,” she finally said as Zecora giggled.

“Fair, fair. Now, come on, let’s get this party started!” I grinned as I walked down the steps. As we walked towards the front of the house, I sang again, “She’s living in the past, so you won’t last without the proper care. With a royal farewell, and an animate spell, you won’t have long to prepare!”

“What was that?” Zecora asked.

“A song written by a My Little Pony fan about Nightmare Night,” I explained. “Now then, let the Nightmare Night festivities begin!”

49: A Cloaked Heart's Nightmare Night Pt. 2

“So, how would you like to do this, Miss Mayor?” I asked a little later. I was standing in a circle next to the stage with her, Luna, and Zecora.

“Well, since this is your house,” the mayor said, “I was thinking that you could start with a brief speech of your own. I’d feel like I’d be stepping on your hooves-er, feet.”

“I suppose I could do that,” I said, not exactly a fan of giving speeches. I turned to Luna. “Luna, when are you planning on raising the moon tonight?”

Luna looked at the sunset, then put on a thoughtful face. “I believe ‘tis almost time for my sister to lower the sun.”

“Well, why don’t we start a new tradition?” I asked.

“Pray, tell us,” Luna said, looking curiously at me.

“Well, we could have you on the stage, bringing the moon up. When the moon is up, Nightmare Night can begin,” I explained. “Think of it as a signal to start the night, and as a way to break the ice between you and the other Ponies of Ponyville.”

“That actually sounds like a great idea, love,” Zecora said, smiling over at me. “What do you think, your Highness?”

Luna looked thoughtful again, then smiled. “We-I like the idea, but are you sure it will work?”

“Most of the town knows me already,” I said, “and I’m sure they’ll listen to me. Come on, let’s get ready to introduce you.” I gestured for all three women to head to the stage.

“Wait, why me?” Zecora asked as she nevertheless headed up.

“Well, weren’t you planning on leading the little foals around and telling them about the legend of Nightmare Night?” I asked, chuckling.

She grinned. “Fair point, love.”

“Now you’re stealing my line,” I rolled my eyes but smiled back.

“Jethro! Princess Luna?!” Twilight called out from nearby. Turning, I saw the purple mare running up with Spike, the latter of whom already had a large bag of candy. As promised, Twilight was dressed as Star Swirl, and Spike was in his Dragon costume. “Hah…hah…I didn’t expect to see you here, Princess.”

“Jethro invited me,” Luna said, “and I did want to try the festivities here.”

Twilight looked at me with shock. “You invited the Princess??”

I grinned. “I did, indeed.” Turning to Spike, I chuckled. “Quite the haul you have, there. I’ve got some to hand out, but you have to work for it.” Leaning down, I put an arm around the little drake and pointed at the house. “You must escape my haunted house of terrors,” I added with a spooky voice. “Solve the mystery of the Mysterious Mare of the Manor! Put her spirit to rest, and she will release you from the house! Muahahaha!” I spread my wings and laughed evilly.

As if to emphasize what I was saying, a lightning bolt arced across the sky, causing the poor Dragon to jump. Looking over, I saw Rainbow Dash pushing a small cloud over towards my house and laughing. “Got ‘im!” she laughed.

“I did warn you not to do that, RD,” I frowned. “Do you want me to tell Rarity about that thing I just told you about?”

She stiffened. “You’d better not.”

“Oh, I won’t,” I said, “as long as you behave.”

“Spoilsport,” she rolled her eyes, but continued pushing the storm cloud towards the house.

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” I promised. “For now, Mayor, Luna, Zecora? Are we ready?” When they all gave me an affirmative answer, we all headed up to the stage. There was a podium already set up as well as an antique looking microphone. I tapped it, and got some feedback which immediately vanished. “Hello, and good evening, fillies and gentlecolts!” I called out, my voice echoing around my property. Many of the Ponies around the property began gathering in front of the stage. “Welcome to this very special Nightmare Night Festival! Now, as a newcomer, I’m really excited to participate in the fun times you all get to enjoy, but tonight has a few special surprises in store. For one, we have a haunted house attraction for all the children here.”

I gestured to the house, and this got cheers from the various Ponies, especially from the children. I smiled and continued. “Once you’re all in the house, you’ll be locked in and have to figure out the mystery of the Mysterious Mare of the Manor. Once you do that, you’ll be released and find yourselves in my backyard where you’ll be gifted some treasures, so look forward to that!”

I stepped towards Luna while the children were cheering. “I would also like to introduce you all to Princess Luna. She has graced us with her presence, and wishes to participate in all the fun. I ask that you all show her the games and goodies around here.”

Luna stepped forward, looking in a regal manner over the now quiet crowd. “I eagerly await the festivities!”

“Please, treat her well!” I called out. “And now, I’d like to ask our beloved Princess to raise the moon and officially ring in the night so we can begin the celebration. If you would, your Highness?” I bowed.

Luna flew up and looked at the sky. Closing her eyes, she smiled as her horn began to glow. The sun began quickly moving down and, in the east, the lovely silver orb of the moon began rising. As she descended, I said, “Nightmare Night has officially begun! Stomp your hooves together for the Princess of the night, Princess Luna!”

To my delight, many of them began applauding, and soon the others who had hesitated joined in as well. I applauded as well, before speaking again. “I know many of you associate her with the entity known as Nightmare Moon, but I can guarantee that she is a nightmare no more. In fact, when I was embroiled in that nasty business in the Lycan Empire, she and her sister Princess Celestia did everything in their power to try and rescue me to the point of exhaustion. For that, she has my eternal thanks.”

I gave her a bow as the crowd cheered louder. Luna looked at me with a wide smile, then turned to the crowd and spread her wings. “I cannot wait to enjoy the night with you all!” she said, any hesitation in her expression quickly vanishing.

Looking over at Twilight, I gestured her up to the stage. She quickly came up and I whispered, “Would you mind staying with her? I can’t really stay since I’ve got to watch over the haunted house with Rainbow Dash and Scarlet.”

She smiled. “Of course! I’d be glad to show her around!”

“Excellent. Thank you,” I said as I returned to the podium. “Now then, I’ll turn this over to your mayor. I have a haunted house to prepare.” My smile turned dark as I spread my wings. “You’d all best be prepared…the Mysterious Mare of the Manor is not one to be trifled with…muahahaha!” I jumped up, flapping as I flew around the crowd before heading back to my Victorian mansion, which was now surrounded by a mystical fog and a small thunderstorm. I entered, then headed down the hall. Opening one of the doors, I stepped into my command center. One wall was lit up with various scrying spells which gave a clear view of all the rooms for the attraction. There were three chairs in the room, two of which were occupied by Scarlet and Rainbow Dash.

Scarlet turned and smiled widely at me. “Jethro! Glad you could make it! Everything’s ready in here.”

I took a seat in between both mares, cracking my knuckles. “Glad to hear it. Time to get this party started.” I looked at the outside ‘Camera’ and chuckled. I saw a group of foals approaching, and to my surprise so was Pinkie Pie. “Perfect. Our first victims.”

Scarlet leaned in and whispered, “Dayum, look at those thicc flanks on that pink one. Those furtight chicken legs really accentuate that jiggling phat ass-”

“God damn it, Scarlet!”

The three of us laughed as a third group was scared by one of Rainbow Dash’s jumpscares, a falling tarantula from one of the kitchen’s cupboards. It had been about an hour into the night, and plenty of foals and parents had entered our little haunted attraction. Scarlet had volunteered to voice the Mysterious Mare, and even told me how ironic it was since she’d lived in the house for years.

Currently, I recognized Rarity, who was wearing the most fashionable looking gown with a powdered wig on her head. I also recognized the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who looked like they were having a blast. They jumped when a flash of lightning illuminated one of the changing portraits.

Motion on the scrying spell around the front door caught my attention. Looking back, I saw Twilight waving at me. I touched the floating screen, which opened a two-way communication between me and her. “What is it, Twilight?”

“Don’t you think it’s time for one of you to take a break?” she asked. “You’re all missing the festival.”

“Yeah, I think we can do that,” I said, opening the window. “I’ll send Rainbow Dash out first. Half hour sound fun?”

“I was thinking all three of you,” Twilight said. “I can come in and help run things. The Princess is eager to see you again.”

I looked at the children on the other screens. I saw Sweetie Belle discovering one of the keys required to open the lock to the chest in the corner of the room that held the key to the outside. “Can you be scary?” I asked Twilight. “And be honest.”

“I-I can be plenty scary!” she said with a pout.

“Pshh, come on, Twilight, dressed up in an old stallion’s costume??” Rainbow Dash said. “Pinkie Pie would be better suited to scare little fillies than you.”

“Somepony mention my name?” Pinkie’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hey, why don’t you two come do it together?” I asked. “Twilight knows the magic and the layout, and Pinkie Pie could act as the Mysterious Mare.”

“Ooooh! I get to scare Ponies?? Yay! Count me in!” Pinkie shouted happily.

Twilight rolled her eyes, but nodded. “That could work,” she said.

“Great! Come around to the window and I’ll let you in,” I said.

“Be there in a jiffy!” Pinkie Pie said before vanishing. Twilight followed, shouting at Pinkie to wait up.

A short while later, the two Ponies were in the room, taking their seats in the now vacant chairs. Pinkie took mine, and Twilight took Scarlet’s. To my surprise, I heard the familiar grunting of a certain young Dragon from the window. I looked out and saw Spike trying to jump up to grab the ledge. Using my magic, I lifted him in along with all his candy into the room. “Come to help, little drake?”

“I’m not Twilight’s number one assistant for nothing, monkey-man,” he grinned, giving me a fist bump.

“Well, I hope you enjoy scaring the pants off of these children for a while,” I chuckled. “You certainly seemed to enjoy your turn.”

He nodded. “I really did.”

“Pinkie Pie, aren’t you hot in that furtight costume?” I heard Scarlet ask.

“Hot? Nah, I’m fine!” the pink party Pony said.

“You sure?” Scarlet asked, giving me a look and a wink. Leaning in, she whispered, “Jethro here was just saying just how sexy you looked in that costume-”

“There are children present, Scarlet,” I growled as I grabbed her by the arm. “You need a cold shower.”

“You’re no fun,” she pouted as she slowly climbed out of the window. “See you all in a bit!” She walked off, whistling the theme to Love is Hard for an Otaku.

“Remind me to have a serious talk with that…mare…?” I was just about to climb out of the window when a hoof on my arm stopped me. I turned, seeing a curious and slightly nervous looking Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie?”

“She…was just kidding, right?” Pinkie asked quietly. “You didn’t actually say that, did you?”

I knelt and whispered back, “Nah, I didn’t say that. She did.”

“So…you don’t think that?” Pinkie asked, almost sounding a bit disappointed.

Well, that came out of left field, I thought. I sighed. “That’s not what I said. All I said was that I didn’t say that.” I put plenty of emphasis on the word SAY.

Pinkie Pie blushed hard at that. “Nopony’s ever…thought of me like that before,” she admitted. “Do you really think I’m se-?”

“Pinkie, there are children present,” I repeated, a bit more harshly than I intended. Feeling guilty after seeing the saddened look on Pinkie’s face, I softened my expression, leaned forward, and whispered more quietly, “I might have a marefriend, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find other mares physically attractive, you know? And you’re plenty attractive.”

A big smile formed on her face as she jumped around the room, looking like her normal, happy self. “Yay!”

I sighed, then stood again. “Well, how long are you willing to stay here?” I asked Twilight, who was focusing on the scrying screens on the wall.

“As long as you want, don’t worry,” Twilight said. “I’ll ask Spike to get you if something happens.”

“Understood. See you all in a while,” I said as I climbed out of the room. As I did, I sighed. I have a feeling Scarlet’s made more trouble for me…

“Jethro! There you are!” Luna’s voice called out to me as I rejoined the main festival. She was standing near the edge of the festival grounds. “How has the haunted house been?”

“So far, I think it’s been a rousing success,” I said, walking up to join her. “How have things been here?”

“The same!” She smiled happily, and I realized I really enjoyed seeing her smile. “I have had plenty of fun!” She used her magic to levitate up a stuffed chicken. “I even got this gift for Celestia!”

“Oh? Does she like chickens?” I asked, chuckling.

“Quite the opposite, they scare her,” Luna’s smile turned into a grin.

“Hold up…Celestia, powerful monarch and immortal Alicorn, is scared of a harmless little chicken?” I asked. “For real?”

Luna giggled. “Oh my, yes! She’s been scared of them ever since we were fillies!”

“What the hell kind of trauma did she have to go through to be scared of one of the most harmless barn animals in existence?” I asked. “Especially ones that are delicious deep fried in batter…aaaand, now I want KFC…”

“What is this KFC you speak of?” Luna asked.

“It’s a fast-food restaurant from my world called Kentucky Fried Chicken, where the main staple is, well, fried chicken,” I replied, “but back to the main topic. Celestia’s afraid of chickens, eh? I shall store that little nugget of knowledge away for a rainy day.”

“I cannot wait to see what you do with it,” Luna grinned conspiratorially.

“Indeed. Well, what should we do now? Is there anything around you’d like to try?” I asked.

“I did see some other Ponies near a basin of water with apples in it,” she said.

“Apple bobbing! I haven’t done that in years!” I grinned. “Come on! I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch!” And with that, I zoomed off, heading straight towards the basin.

As I caught sight of it, I saw a few other Ponies with their mouths in the water. I recognized two of the Ponies there immediately. One was, of course, Applejack, and the other was Derpy, who unlike in the show had on a mouse costume, complete with whiskers and the fake ears. I waved my hands. “AJ!”

Applejack, who was watching the other Ponies attempt to get an apple, turned. Her smile came to life and she waved back. “Jethro! Princess Luna! Mighty fine night for a celebration, ain’t it?”

“Indeed it is, Miss Applejack,” Luna said. “How have you and your family been?”

“Ah, shucks, you don’t need tuh call me Miss, yer Highness,” Applejack said. “Ah’m just a farmgirl. But our family’s doin’ great!”

“I am pleased to hear this,” Luna said, before looking at the basin. “So, how does one participate in this apple bobbing Jethro mentioned?”

“Like this!” I heard Derpy shout before fully submerging her head underwater, then pulling out a Younger Golden. She threw it up in the air, caught it in her mouth in a better position, then took a bit bite out of it. She made a satisfied moaning as she held onto the rest of the apple with her wing before opening her eyes and seeing me. “Jethro! Hi! I was wondering where you went!”

“I’ve been helping to run the haunted house,” I said, pointing to my house. “Apple Bloom’s in there right now with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“Ah certainly hope she has a good time in there,” Applejack said. “Are ya ready to try getting’ an apple?”

“Am I?? You’re darn tootin’ I am! I’m starving!” I walked over to the basin. “Come on, Luna!”

She walked over, looking into the apple bobbing basin. “Are those Younger Goldens?” she asked.

“Eeyup! They’ve been a big success ever since we started sellin’ them,” Applejack said.

“Perhaps I should order some from your farm,” Luna said thoughtfully.

I knelt before the basin. “Yeah…I’m gonna get wet, I think,” I said, quickly removing my hoodie and t-shirt. “Welp, here I go!” And with that, I put my hands behind my back, took a deep breath, and dunked my head in, trying hard to get the nearest apple. The water was incredibly cold and shocked my senses so I felt more awake and alert. I bit down when I thought I felt the stem, but Applejack must have snipped them off.

That clever mare, I though as I moved the apple around with my tongue, trying to grab an edge, but it slipped out. I decided to try something new, so I exhaled a bit of my air, then opened my mouth wide, inhaling it so my mouth acted something like a suction cup. When it began to stick, I bit down, but that failed as well.

I came up for a breath of air, my hair falling around my face. I brushed it aside. “Yowser! That’s ice cold!” I exclaimed, looking up at Applejack.

“Well, sugarcube, it’s Autumn,” she shrugged. “Besides, apples keep better in cold water fer this kind of thing.”

“Fair point,” I said. “Welp, time for round two!” Taking a deep breath, I put my hands behind my back and dove right in this time, finding another apple. I gently nudged it to the side of the basin, pressing it against the side. I dug my teeth in and with a mighty yank, pulled it out successfully. I stood, grabbed the apple, and took it out of my mouth. “Victory is mine!” I shouted triumphantly.

“Congrats,” Applejack said, smiling. “Ya did a mighty fine job.”

“Indeed,” Luna said, looking at me with a small blush on her cheeks, “that was quite a skillful display.”

“Eh, I’m out of practice,” I chuckled as I took the towel Applejack offered to me. I ran it through my hair. “On the last Sunday of every October, our church would throw this celebration called a Reformation Party, which celebrated many different events in Christian history. We had apple bobbing as a game for children to enjoy, and I got decently good at it. We’d also always go home with some of the homemade applesauce the family who’s farm our church used for the party would make. Definitely some of the best applesauce I’ve had.”

“Ah’ll have to get ya some of our applesauce,” Applejack said with a proud smile.

“I look forward to tasting it,” I said, brushing the water off of my chest.

Applejack blushed a bit as I did so. “Well, again, congrats on gettin’ that there apple,” she said.

“Thanks,” I chuckled, handing the towel back and beginning to put my clothes back on. “Yeesh, I’m cold!”

“Wouldst you like to start the bonfire early?” Luna asked. The bonfire was another idea I had from my Reformation Party days, and one I felt would really get the children excited. It was also another great way to end the evening.

“No, I’ll be alright,” I said, throwing my hoodie back on. “Ready to give it a try, Luna?”

“But of course, and I shall beat your time!” Luna said as she approached the basin.

Derpy was suddenly by my side, looking up at me with a wide smile. “How are you enjoying your Nightmare Night??” she asked.

“Well, since I spent an hour in the haunted house, and this is my first activity so far, I’d say pretty good!” I took a bite of the apple. “Mmm…”

“Right?!” She took a bite. “Veesh are almosht ash gud ash muffinsh!”

I chewed on the deliciousness that was the Younger Golden before swallowing. “No kidding,” I chuckled. “Sweet Apple Acres is gonna be rolling in the dough, what with that contract they just received from Prince Blueblood.”

“He gave an advance on our pay!” Applejack said excitedly. “We’ve already begun fixin’ up the barn and set up an appointment for Granny’s hip replacement! And we’re fillin’ Blueblood’s orders as well, of course.”

“Of course.”

Luna came back up, a large apple in her mouth. “Hujjah! I hagh wun!” she said before moving back and floating the apple out of her mouth. “I mean…huzzah! I have one!”

“Good job, yer Highness!” Applejack said, clapping her hooves.

“The fun has been doubled!” Luna said, turning and winking at me knowingly.

I laughed. “Oh, I’ll bet! If you wanna go again, go ahead. I wanna save my stomach for more. I hear there’s rock candy here.”

“What is this rock candy you speak of?” Luna asked, intrigued.

“Pure sugar crystals on a stick or string,” I replied. “Flavored, too. It takes a week to make them. They’re pure tooth rotting goodness. Wanna go try?”

“Once I finish this apple, I shall accompany you,” she said. She chewed on her apple, holding her hoof up. When she swallowed, she smiled. “Mmmm…” That was the sound of pure satisfaction. She opened her eyes, face going red at the faux pas. She swallowed and cleared her throat. “Pardon me for my lack of decorum.”

“Hey, no need to apologize,” I chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with showing how much you really enjoy something, you know. I’m sure AJ here would agree.”

“Dern right ah would!” she said.

“There you go! Now then, let’s get some rock candy!”

I lost track of time as I walked around the festival with Luna. Not only did we enjoy rock candy, but there was also some orange cotton candy in the shape of a carved pumpkin. There were spider web catchers, trebuchets, bows and arrows, and plenty of stalls that gave away prizes. I actually won a few stuffed animals, giving a large bat plushie to Luna, who looked excited to accept a gift from me.

About an hour later, Spike came to find me, followed behind by Scarlet. When I saw him approaching, I said, “Damn, what time is it?”

“Just past eight o’clock,” Luna said.

“Been an hour, huh? I should head back to the haunted house.”

“Might I come and observe?” Luna asked.

I looked at her, a bit surprised. “I don’t mind,” I said. Looking over, I saw a new batch of children approaching the open front doors. “If we hurry, we can get there just as the ghost locks the little children in. It’s our last performance of the night, anyway.”

Luna, Scarlet and I headed back to the open window where an impatient Twilight was waiting. I let Scarlet and Luna climb in first before I joined…and was immediately glomped by a clucking Pinkie Pie. I slammed against the wall and slid down it. “Pinkie?!” Twilight shouted in alarm as the pink chicken nuzzled my face like some kind of cat again. “What are you doing?!”

“Anyone get the phone number of that sexy mare…?” I asked, a little dazed.

“123-726-7637!” Pinkie giggled, giving my cheek a very affectionate nuzzle. “Extension three!”

“Uh…write it down and get it to me later,” I chuckled, shaking the daze off. “I’ll put it in my phonebook.”

She smiled, making her signature ‘squee’ before she got off of me. “How’s the night??”

“It’s going really well!” Pinkie said.

“Pinkie’s really good at doing a scary voice,” Spike said, “she even scared me.”

Pinkie put on a spooky face, and said, “Here, in the gallery, you see rare paintings of some of our residents as they appeared in their…corruptible, mortal state!”

“You really enjoyed that Haunted Mansion story, didn’t you?” I smirked.

“It was spooky!” Pinkie replied with her normal voice.

“Shame I can’t take you to Disneyland,” I chuckled. “I think you’d really enjoy the rides.” As I said that, however, I wondered if Sunset Shimmer’s world had something like it. Or if it had Disney at all. Only one way to find out, I suppose, I thought. “The kids in the house now will be the last one before the ending bonfire. Go ahead and head out, you three. And don’t bother finding Rainbow Dash, let her enjoy the night.”

Pinkie smile wide, then rushed out the window in a white blur. Twilight facehooved, but smiled. “See you at the bonfire?” she asked.

“You bet,” I said. “Don’t start without me.”

Twilight nodded, and after helping Spike out of the window, climbed out and was gone. I took my seat, with Scarlet on one side, and Luna on the other. I picked up the mic. “Alright, Scarlet, let’s do this. You ready?”

“You know it, big boy!”

I groaned, handing her the mic. “Showtime.” I pressed the button that slammed and locked the front door…

“That was quite entertaining to watch,” Luna admitted as the three of us walked down the hallway towards the front door. “You certainly spared no expense.”

“This guy’s richer than God,” Scarlet joked. “But it definitely was really well done.”

I pat Scarlet on the back. “You really helped with that, Narumi-don.”

Luna looked at me confused. “Who is Narumi-don?”

“The character she’s dressed up as is named Narumi,” I explained. “It’s from a comedy romance anime called Love Is Hard For An Otaku.”

“What’s an otaku?” Luna asked.

“What I’ve turned Scarlet into,” I joked, earning me a playful glare from the big breasted mare. “In all seriousness, an otaku is a person who enjoys a certain subgenre of media from Japan. That could include games, manga and anime.”

“What kind of games? Board games?” Luna asked.

“Video games, actually,” I explained.

“Oh? What are video games?”

I’d seen the gamer Luna stereotype in the fandom, and I was hesitant to introduce her to video games since it might affect her negatively if she was introduced to something so addictive. Still, it was a chance to test out the theory that the fandom had come up with. “Well, I don’t have time to show you tonight, and the games I have are better played with hands, but I do know that there are older styled video games in Equestria you can try.”

“Are they fun?” Luna asked.

“The ones I’ve played are really fun,” I said.

“Then I shall give video games a try sometime,” she said as we headed out the door. “Now then, where is the bonfire?”

Looking around, I pointed at the center of the yard. “Right there. The crowd’s already gathering.” Turning, I bowed to the two women. “Shall we go, ladies?”

Luna laughed. “Lead the way, my good sir.”

51: A Cloaked Heart And A Second Joining*

Author's Note

Again, if you want to skip this clop chapter, go ahead. Most of this is practice since I have little experience in writing any kind of sex scenes. If you do enjoy it, I'm glad.

51: A Cloaked Heart And A Second Joining*

I slid into bed beside her, looking over her shoulder at what specifically she was reading. “Omega by Jack McDevitt, huh?” I wrapped my arms around her from behind, spooning her. “That’s not the first book in the series, you know?”

“I just grabbed a random book from the bookshelf,” she said, pressing her ass against me and grinding softly. “How was dear Fluttershy?”

I smiled and tightened my grip on her. “She was doing great when I left. On her way to bed, I assume.”

“Glad to hear it,” Zecora said, closing the book and putting it on the endtable. She pulled a bit away from me, looking tauntingly over my shoulder.

So, it’s the teasing game tonight, huh? Well, two can play at that game. I used my magic to slowly turn down the light halfway, and released her, lying on my back and staring up at the ceiling, a contented smile on my face. “Tonight was really fun,” I admitted as I felt the warm presence of my marefriend inching closer to me.

“I had a good time as well,” Zecora said, “although I’d have had more fun if you were with me.” She placed her hand on my chest, tracing one finger around slowly.

I looked back at her, smiling. “Well, we’re together now. Alone.”

“Yes, beloved. Nopony to disturb us,” she said breathily, moving closer towards me, eyes lidded with desire.

I leaned forward as well, closing the gap, but at the last second moved aside and kissed her cheek. She backed away, puffing her cheeks in a pout. I reached out and poked her snout playfully. “That’s for earlier,” I giggled.

She frowned, but soon the frown broke and she giggled sweetly, laying her head on my chest and sighing contentedly. “You caught me, dearest. I was never good at teasing a stallion.”

“I call bullshit on that one,” I grinned, “because you tease me every time I see you.”

She looked up at me, her blue eyes sparkling. “I like seeing you flustered sometimes,” she admitted, quickly leaning in and giving me a kiss.

I reached up and stroked her mane with my hand, blushing a bit. “I can’t help it, you drive me wild.”

“Oh? Is that so?” she cooed softly, leaning up and licking my face affectionately, causing a shudder to go down my back. I took in a deep breath as she nuzzled my face. “Did that do anything for you, Jethro?”

“It always does,” I admitted.

“Remind me to do it more often, then,” she whispered before she gave my ear a small nibble.

“Whoa, that’s new,” I gasped as she cupped my cheeks with her hands and turned me to face her directly. My heart swelled as I saw her beautiful face envelop my entire vision. “Zecora…”

“Jethro…” she replied, leaning in and grazing my lips with hers.

I put one hand on the back of her head, gently pulling her closer to me as I deepened the kiss. Her arms went around me, and a small moan escaped her throat as, once more, our tongues intermingled in a dance of love and lust.

After a while, we broke apart, panting to catch our breaths. A smile broke on her face as she slowly began to remove her sweater. I took my t-shirt off as well, only to be greeted by a topless Zecora, who quickly straddled me, biting her lower lip as she placed both her hands on my bare chest. The silky smooth on her hands felt amazing as she touched the slowly forming abs I was developing due to the extra exercise. Moving down, she pressed her tits against my chest as she kissed my neck affectionately. “You like big butts, eh, stud?” she whispered sensually.

“Wh-what?” I asked, a bit lost, but still shuddering in pleasure as she nibbled my ear.

“You liked looking at Pinkie Pie’s behind, didn’t you?” she teased, one hand moving down my chest towards the already growing bulge in my pants. “Don’t lie to me. I won’t be mad, sweetie.”

“Ah-hnng…y-yes,” I admitted.

Her hand reached the bulge and grasped it firmly. I gasped as she nipped my ear again. “And what do you think of mine?” she asked, slowly sitting back up and turning around, her yoga pants accentuating the perfect curve of her Anthro ass.

“Heavenly,” was all I could say. “Both forms.”

She moved her ass closer to me, gazing over her shoulder. “Mmm, I can tell by how your not so little friend here is acting up,” she chuckled.

“Ah…and you say you’re bad at teasing,” I replied, reaching up and grasping her asscheeks with my hands. She jumped as I felt both cheeks carefully. “So firm…so well-toned…so easy on the eyes. So round…”

“Keep on complimenting me, and I’ll have to silence that delicious mouth of yours,” Zecora said playfully, wiggling her ass in my face.

“You know, I think I just might take you up on that,” I grinned, gripping her pants and beginning to pull down, slowly so as to not hurt the tail as she slipped it out.

To my surprise, Zecora wasn’t wearing anything underneath her pants, and her familiar intoxicating musk spread throughout the room as I exposed her already glistening pussy. I took a deep breath before moving in closer, giving it an experimental lick. She almost squealed before regaining control of herself. “So…that’s what you want to do, is it?” I felt my pants being pulled down and my manhood spilling out. “Two can play at that, mister.”

Moments later, I felt a pair of lips moving slowly down my throbbing erection, eliciting a groan from me. I looked down and sure enough she was giving me a blowjob. Grasping her asscheeks, I pulled her pussy down to me, opening up and slowly moving my tongue inside her. She tasted just as good as before as my tongue moved around inside, searching once more for that special sweet spot. When I found it, I paid special attention there.

Just then, she moved up, and moments later I felt a long sensuous lick moving from the base of my cock up the shaft. “Fuuuck…”

She giggled as her tongue swirled around my tip experimentally. Not one to be outdone, I slowly put my tongue inside her and moved it around, feeling triumphant as I heard her own moans of pleasure.

Her lips wrapped around the tip once again and moved down, going further and further than she just hadd. With my new length and girth, I was surprised when she managed to take all of it. I felt her pressing her ass more against my face, grinding against my tongue like she was eager for more.

And I obliged, moving my tongue deeper around inside her as I lifted my hands up. I smacked her asscheeks, getting a better grip as she squealed in surprise and clenched her thighs. She slowly came back up and I heard her say, “Naughty stallions deserve punishment.”

I came up and looked over at her just as she gripped my cock in a nearly vice grip. I winced but remained hard. “Just checking to see if you’re awake, sexy,” I said as I gripped her asscheeks harder.

“Nnng, just like that,” she gasped, wrapping her long tail around my head. “Get deeper my love.”

I obeyed, licking deeper as she once again began to deepthroat my shaft. Using her hands, she cupped my balls and fondled them as she bobbed her head up and down, slowly at first for each action, but as I sped up so did she.

As she continued orally pleasuring me, I felt the beginnings of an orgasm begin to rise. Judging by Zecora’s gasps becoming more frequent the same was true of her. Her sucking almost became desperate, and her throat vibrated around my cock.

Giving her plump but firm asscheeks a final squeeze, I pulled back a bit so I could say, “I’m almost there!”

“Me too!” She sounded muffled with her mouth around my cock but I got the message. The grinding on my face only sped up as I went back to pleasing my woman the way she deserved.

A minute later, I thrust up automatically and unleashed my load. I felt her legs tense up as she too came with me, her lovely must enveloping my senses. I felt Zecora actually swallow every last bit of my seed, and when she slowly came back up, I heard her swallow again. “Delicious,” she said huskily.

“That’s my line,” I grinned as I gave her ass a final smack before she climbed off of me.

She stood and put one hand on her ass, squeezing it and giving me a little show. “You like this, don’t you my dearest?”

“Yes,” I said.

She giggled then turned around, pressing her bare breasts together. “And what about these? You really seemed to like these.”

“Oh, I love them,” I said again.

She crawled up the bed towards me, pressing her breasts against my bare chest. “How do you like them now?” She slowly wrapped them around my head and pressed them together.

“Mmmph!” I said in surprise, then relaxing as her large furry breasts squeezed around my head. I wrapped my arms around her waist, the blood rushing back down below.

“I see your not so little friend enjoys them, too,” she said directly in my right ear.

ASMR Zecora is something I didn’t know I needed until now, I thought as I reached below and began rubbing her clit. She gasped and arched her back, and I took a deep breath before sitting up and taking one breast in my mouth. Her eyes widened as I swirled my tongue around her areola, teasing her as my teeth lightly grazed her nipple.

“This feels amazing,” she said happily as she held my head close, arching her back and moaning softly.

“This is nothing, my dear,” I whispered into her ear. I felt a shudder go down her body before I moved up and gave her own Zebra ear a nipple. She took a sharp breath and clung to me tighter as I slipped a finger inside her still soaking pussy. “You like this, love?”

She nodded eagerly as she quickly and passionately kissed me, bucking her hips as she practically rode my finger. After she broke the kiss, she reached behind her and began stroking my cock once more, bringing me back to my erect state. “I need you inside me,” she whispered, then added, “I am on fire for you, my Jethro. Make me yours.”

I lifted her up, moving her into position above me. She and I locked eyes and the utter love and desire I saw in her eyes seemed to make our last night together pale. I lowered her, and she led me inside her. She bit her lip and inhaled through her mouth as best she could. “Oooh…mmmm,” she said as I filled her completely.

“Oh God,” I gasped as I grasped her hips, caressing her lovingly as she continued to lower herself down onto me. “I will make you my mare from now until the end of our days,” I said.

She blushed despite everything and wrapped me in her arms. I threw mine around her as well as my wings, and our lips locked in a deep passionate kiss. She waited a bit before she started to move her hips up again, then lowered them once again.

She moaned into my mouth as I began thrusting up gently in sync with her own movements. She clenched around my cock as she tried to make our kiss even deeper. Her grip tightened, almost desperately as she continued to ride me.

As my second orgasm of the evening began to approach, she slowly broke the kiss, giving me the sexiest look I’d ever seen on her face. “Inside me again,” she said, speeding up.

“Aaah hnng!” was all that I could get out as I flooded her insides with my second orgasm of the night. Her eyes rolled up and her tongue hung out slightly as her pussy walls shivered around me, her all-too familiar musk permeating the room once again.

“Jethro! My Jethro!” she said, clinging to me as her orgasm peaked.

“Zecora!” I called out as well, holding her close as we began coming down from our second joining. We breathed heavily, her lying on top of me with me still inside her. I was sweaty, warm, and extremely content. She slowly untangled herself from me, lying on her back next to me as we began to come down from our high.

I looked over at her, reaching down and taking her hand. She looked over and did the same with me. Unlike last time, no words needed to be spoken. No declaration of love. It was all there, in her eyes and I’m sure in mine as well.

A love that was more eternal than eternity itself.

52: A Cloaked Heart's Day Out Pt. 1

“You two look exhausted,” Scarlet said the next morning as Zecora and I walked into the kitchen. She was back in her Pony form and Zecora had regained her Zebra form overnight. “Lemme guess, you slid your enchanted sword into her cave of wonders? Do battle with the fearsome dragon within?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I rolled my eyes. “It’s too early for thi-”

I was interrupted by a mug of steaming hot coffee being thrust into my face. Looking at the owner of the person behind this gift, I saw Gemini glaring at me. “Here. Take it.”

“Thank you,” I said, grabbing the mug and taking a sip. The coffee she made was actually some of the best I’d ever had, and I perked right up.

Gemini handed another mug to Zecora, who took it and sipped as well. “Thank you, Gemini.”

“Uh huh,” she said dismissively as she walked over to the stove. I took a deep whiff and smiled. She was cooking this world’s version of bacon, which was a bit thicker than the variety I was used to, but delicious nonetheless.

“So, what are your plans for today?” I asked as I took a seat next to Mica, who was chewing on a piece of bacon. Zecora sat next to me on the other side, cradling her mug of coffee.

“I have a half day shift at Sugarcube Corner,” Scarlet said, “and after that, Rainbow Dash is going to teach me a few tricks.”

“I’ll be doing some more training,” Mica said with a large smile.

“Training him,” Gemini said, pointing to Mica.

“I have to get back home and look over a few of my potions,” Zecora said. “Then there’s some meditation I’ve been neglecting. Then I’ll be back this evening for our stargazing. How about you, my love?”

I took another sip of the coffee. I had no plans until the evening, since today was cleanup of my house and yard. “Well, since I have nothing planned today except some time with Fluttershy, I was just gonna wander around Ponyville. Maybe pay a visit to Sugarcube Corner for some treats, visit Sweet Apple Acres for a bit, study something with Twilight, spend time showing Rarity some more Earth fashions, and try out some flying tricks of my own.”

“Sounds like the makings of a rich, full day,” Scarlet said with a chuckle. “I’ll be sure to save a cream pie for you. Or would you rather give your own to Zecora-oh wait, you did that last night, didn’t you?”

I let my head hit the table. I’ve created a monster…

My first stop was Fluttershy’s cottage. We’d agreed to meet up at around ten in the morning for some time spent together reading manga, but today I wanted to show her something else. Carrying my laptop with me, I made my way up the pathway towards her front door. I barely got one knock out before the door opened quickly, revealing a smiling Fluttershy. “Jethro, you’re a bit early,” she said.

“The earlier I get here, the more time I get to spend with you,” I smiled. I wasn’t afraid to admit that seeing the absolutely beautiful yellow Pegasus always made my day. “Today, I have something special planned, unless you say otherwise.”

“Oh? What is it?” she asked, stepping aside to let me in.

“Well, I feel like I robbed you of a lesson a while ago,” I explained as I made my way to her couch after removing my shoes (Fluttershy was big on that sort of thing), “so I wanted to share an episode of My Little Pony with you. If that’s okay.”

She looked a little nervous at that. “Um…well, if you think it’ll help,” she said, moving to sit next to me as I opened my laptop, placing it on a small table Fluttershy put in front of the two of us whenever we watched anime or read manga. “What’s the episode about?”

“Well, remember when you went up that mountain to discover the source of that roar?” I asked as my machine booted up.

Her eyes widened. “Yes,” she said uncertainly.

“Well, I wanted to share what would have happened had I not scared that dragon away,” I explained as I opened up my MLP folder and went for Season 1. I clicked on Dragonshy, and paused it just as the media player opened. I turned to her. “If at any time you decided you don’t want to finish, please tell me, and we’ll watch something else.”

Fluttershy moved closer, placing her front hooves on my lap as she always did. I didn’t mind that, in fact, it felt rather nice. “Thank you,” she said softly, handing me a small tray with two teacups and a teapot on them, along with crackers and cheese slices.

“You bet,” I said, pouring her tea first, then mine. “Are you ready?” I asked. When she nodded, I hit play.

Fluttershy watched her animated self and her fear turned more into curiosity. “It’s always confusing seeing myself looking like that,” she admitted. “And a bit scary.”

“It’s a headtrip, I’ll give you that,” I said as I paused it, “but I don’t even know where to begin on any semblance of explanation on why we have this look into your world. That’s probably something Twilight could talk about all day.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Yes, I agree.” To my surprise, she reached out with her wing and hit the space bar, letting the show play again.

As we watched, I reached down to stroke her mane absently. She shuddered a bit, but that was all. After a few minutes, I paused the video again, making Fluttershy look up at me in confusion. “Sorry,” I said, “it’s just that I don’t like how Rainbow Dash was acting in this episode. She was…really rude and condescending.” I sighed. “I also didn’t really like how they try and force you to do things you aren’t comfortable with sometimes. To me, a sign of a good friend is someone who respects your boundaries. Sure, there are times when it’s fun to try new things, but this? I mean, they all clearly can see how scared you are, and they push you anyway.”

Fluttershy looked touched at that, and she sat back up, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “Thank you,” she said, “for understanding. And the truth is, I don’t want to be so scared all the time.”

Just then an idea came to me. “Well, there’s another cartoon we can try and watch that might give you a bit of perspective. But for now, let’s continue.”

It took us a bit longer since I had to pause to calm down after a few of Rainbow Dash’s somewhat out of character lines and dismissals of Fluttershy. Each time, Fluttershy would snuggle closer and reassure me that during what had actually happened, Rainbow had not been so dismissive, and had actually been by the yellow Pegasus’ side for most of the journey there. When the cartoon Fluttershy stood up to the dragon, the real Fluttershy’s eyes went wide. “I…did that?”

“It’s called character growth,” I smiled. “You have an incredible amount of inner strength. It just needs a time to shine. And I feel bad that I took that away from you just to secure capital.”

Fluttershy giggled, and looked up at me. “I appreciate you showing me this,” she said, “and don’t worry. I forgive you, even though there’s nothing to forgive. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Well, even so, I still feel bad,” I said.

“Then don’t,” she said, giving me a soft glare. “Jethro Bethridge, when you first arrived in Equestria, were you scared?” I nodded. “I would be too. But you didn’t let your fear stop you. And thanks to you, I didn’t have to meet that scary, awful, dragon.”

“Believe it or not, dragons have their own society,” I explained. Since my life had become busier, I’d begun to resort to looking at the MLP Wiki for my information. It was quicker and well maintained. “They aren’t beasts. Their culture might be different, but that doesn’t make them any less intelligent. Same with other cultures. Even the Lycans.”

Fluttershy’s demeanor changed at the mention of the Lycans. Her eyebrows creased and she looked angry. “Lycans,” she said. “They almost killed you, Jethro!”

“Yes, and now I have two of them living in my house. The one who tried to kill me is training me to fight so it doesn’t happen again.” I hugged Fluttershy, who was trembling a bit in anger now instead. “We don’t have to agree with their culture, but that doesn’t mean we’re better. It’s just a different way of thinking.”

I calmed the trembling mare down until she took a deep breath. “I’ll try and think that way,” she said, “but it’s hard, especially when they almost killed one of the best friends I’ve ever made.”

I tightened my grip on her. “I know. These kinds of things take time. Not everyone knows about friendship and how special that kind of relationship can be.” Not yet, anyway, I thought. If there was any Dragon I was looking forward to eventually meeting, it was Ember. She struck me as one of the more reasonable ones in the bunch. I felt like we’d actually get along fairly well, and I hoped to ask her to teach me how to fight in the air.

Fluttershy noticed my far off look and poked my cheek with her hoof. “Jethro?”

“Ah, sorry. Just thinking about the Dragons,” I admitted. “At least, what I’ve seen of them in the show. They seem like a unique culture.”

“And d-dangerous,” Fluttershy said nervously.

“Fluttershy, my race is dangerous too, and yet you’re friends with me. And you’re friends with Spike,” I pointed out. “We both come from a race that can be very dangerous at times, but that doesn’t mean we have to be. I’m gonna sound very cliché here, but the power of a simple friendship is beyond most magic I’ve seen here.”

A small smile creased her muzzle, and she nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

“I’m confident I’m right,” I said. “After all, you all became my friends and helped me through some of my old wounds. Sure, most of you were asked to by Celestia, but I’d like to think the friendships are genuine.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Of course.”

“Now, then…what should we watch next? Oh! How’d you like to see some fan art of you?” I asked.

“Um…maybe another time,” she said with a nervous smile.

“Fair. Well…let’s see what else we can watch now. Oh! How about Ouran High School Host Club? Nah, that’d be something Rarity would enjoy more. Hmm…”

“Um…what’s that show about?” Fluttershy asked.

“It’s about a high school girl who’s forced to join a club full of boys to pay back a debt,” I explained.

“Well…could we try it?” she asked.

“Oh? Sure, why not?” I opened up the folder and selected the first episode.

Sweet Apple Acres in the fall was absolutely gorgeous. The leaves on the trees, which had not yet fallen since the Running of the Leaves was scheduled to take place in about a week, were already turning yellow, orange, and red, with little bits of green still mixed in. It was just past twelve, now, and I saw a little gathering of the Apple family at one of the picnic tables, eating heartily. Apple Bloom was the first to see me, and she shouted my name, running up to me eagerly. Granny Smith called out something to her, but the little filly didn’t hear her as she jumped up when she reached me. I caught her and spun her around, laughing. “Well, you’re a bundle of energy today,” I laughed, looking at the cute filly. “I’d have thought you’d be tired from staying up late last night.”

“Nope!” she giggled. “I’m wide awake!”

I ruffled her mane, causing her to giggle again. “That’s good.”

“Can I go flying with ya now?” she asked.

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack called out, galloping up to my side, “That’s not how we ask fer things ‘round here. Ah’m sorry ‘bout her, Jethro.”

“That’s alright, she’ just excited.” I turned back to her, however, and gave her a small smile. “Your sister’s right, you know. How do you ask properly?”

Looking a bit sheepish, she cleared her throat. “May you please let me fly around with you?”

“That’s better,” I said, “but I think you should go ask your grandma first. It’s up to her.”

She jumped out of my arms and rushed back over to the table. Applejack stood by me, chuckling. “Ah’m glad she’s taken a shine tah you, Jethro,” she said.

“I like her, too,” I said. “Her and her friends are my favorite fillies. And not just from the show. Those Crusaders are so full of enthusiasm and determination, it’s inspiring. Sometimes I envy them.”

Applejack chuckled, then turned to me. “Whatcha stop by here fer,” she asked curiously.

“I had a free day, and I wanted to spend some time with my friends,” I said.

“What about yer marefriend?” Applejack grinned, nudging me playfully.

“I’ll see her tonight for some stargazing,” I said. “Her and Luna.”

Applejack’s eyes widened. “Yer seein’ the Princess?”

I shrugged. “Anything wrong with that?”

“Nope! Not at all,” Applejack said quickly. “Just surprised, is all.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said. “I like spending time with her. She and I are still somewhat strangers in this new land, and we both love the night.”

Applejack looked at me carefully, eyelids narrowing. I returned her gaze with a calm one of my own. “Hmm…yer not tellin’ me everything, sugarcube,” she said.

I nodded. “You’re right, I’m not, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy on the matter,” I said apologetically. “I hope to tell you all someday.”

Her smile returned. “Ah’ll hold ya to that.”

Just then, Apple Bloom came running back. “Granny said I can go flyin’ as long as you don’t go too high!”

“I can handle that,” I said, kneeling. “Climb onto my back. It won’t be a long flight, though.”

She smiled and wrapped all four of her legs around me. “I’m ready!” she said eagerly.

Spreading my wings, I gave Applejack a playful wink as I launched myself into the air. Apple Bloom squealed in delight as I did some simple maneuvers above the orchard. Below us, I saw a worried Applejack following us. “Not too fast, yah hear, city colt!!”

“I know what I’m doing, country filly!” I called back down as I started going a little bit faster. I kept Rainbow Dash’s training in my mind, keeping my new Pegasus senses open and detecting any little thing, like a change in wind current, a nearby swarm of gnats, the smell of a small stray cloud passing over the southern portion of the orchard, the sound of Apple Bloom’s laughter and Applejack’s slightly worried voice, and more.

After a good five minutes of flying, with Applejack still following us, I landed back near the picnic table. Apple Bloom climbed off, and jumped around, giddy with delight. “You should try it, sis!” she said. “It’s so awesome! The farm looks cool from the air!”

Applejack chuckled. “Ah prefer tah keep mah hooves on the ground,” she said. “Besides, ah doubt Jethro would let me fly on his back.”

“I’d be glad to, actually,” I said, kneeling and turning back to look at her. “It’s really fun, and I won’t drop you.”

She looked at me hesitantly. “Are ya sure?” she asked. “Ah’m not as light as Apple Bloom.”

“AJ, I have the wings of a Pegasus, the strength of an Earth Pony, and the magic of a Unicorn,” I reminded her. “I will not let you come to any harm. Come on! The orchard from the sky is quite a sight.”

I waited as she mulled it over, then she approached me. I smiled as she removed her Stetson, handing it to a beaming Apple Bloom. “Yah better make sure tah keep that promise,” she said as she climbed onto me.

When she was secure, I stood and spread my wings wide. She was a bit heavier than Apple Bloom, and if I was my old human self, she’d probably have crushed me with pure muscle weight. As it was, I felt relatively confident that I could fly her around. “I’ll keep you safe,” I said. “Hold on!” And with that, I launched into the air once again.

“Whoa!” she gasped as the ground fell away from us. “Oh, gosh…” she said as we headed further up into the air above the orchard treeline, “Ah see why Apple Bloom likes this,” she said.

I could still detect a little bit of fear in her voice, so I reached up and took her hoof in my hand. Looking back at her, I gave her my best reassuring smile. “This view is pretty amazing, isn’t it?” I asked.

Our faces were really close, and when I spoke, I saw a bit of a blush creep up her cheeks, but she nodded. “Ah feel like ah’m on top of the world,” she said in an awed voice.

“Nah, this is nothing,” I said as I went higher up. “If you wanna be on top of the world, you’d need to go a hell of a lot higher.”

“Not too high, please,” she said, clinging tighter to me.

I chuckled and stopped moving up. Instead, I began moving horizontally. Taking a breath, I sang, “When you're flying up there, in the sky, rising high, every hue, it's like a dream. Out of this world, into a new. When you're soaring up there in the sky, spread your wings, and you will see the cirrus swirl shimmering down below. And you'll recognize the glow from the Double Rainboom. A Double Rainboom.”

“Ah’ve never heard that song before,” Applejack said.

“It’s a song that fans of My Little Pony made,” I explained.

“Was…there any song about me?” Applejack asked.

I pulled out my phone. “Let’s check.” I opened YouTube and entered Applejack fan song. The second result looked promising, so I turned up the volume and clicked on Applejack by ponyphonic. Applejack listened, and I was rewarded by her blush. I couldn’t help but smile. This song was definitely one I planned on downloading later. As I got the hang of the song, I began singing along with it.

When the song ended, the lovely farmgirl was blushing hard. “Ah, shucks,” she said, “do other humans really think that ‘bout me?”

“Well, sure,” I said as I began heading back. “You’ve got a lot of fans back on Earth. Tons who call you Best Pony.”

“Ah see,” she said, face still a bit red.

“You’re definitely an amazing Pony,” I said. “Strong, self-assured, brave, honest sometimes to a fault, hardworking, and everything that song said about you.”

As I landed, she let go and stood back on her wobbly legs. I steadied her as Apple Bloom rushed up, the Stetson still in her mouth. “Wavn’t vat fun?” she asked.

I gently took the Stetson, placing it securely on Applejack’s head. “I think she enjoyed it,” I said. “Didn’t you, AJ?”

Her smile returned, and she nodded. “Ah sure did, pardner.” She pointed over to the picnic table. “Would ya like tah join us for lunch?”

Thirty minutes later, and with a belly full of sandwiches and apple pie, I left the farm, after thanking the Apple family for letting me stay for lunch. In private, Applejack thanked me for the flight and the song about her. She said she’d never really considered herself all that special, but after hearing that literally millions on Earth loved her, she was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but in a good way. I gave her a parting hug where I whispered that I was definitely a fan of hers. She shoved me playfully, but I saw another blush form on her face. She watched me go, waving before she went back to work.

My next stop was Rarity’s Boutique. As I approached, I saw her putting up a sign at the front of her business. Nearby, Sweetie Belle was sitting and eating her Nightmare Night candy. When she saw me, the young filly dropped her basket and made her way over to me quickly. “Mr. Jethro! Hi!” she exclaimed happily.

“Drop the mister, Sweetie Belle,” I chuckled as I knelt. “How are you doing, today? You’re not eating too much candy at once, are you?”

She pouted. “Now you’re sounding like Rarity,” she huffed.

“She’s just looking out for you, little filly,” I said.

“Jethro, darling! How lovely to see you today,” Rarity said, still focusing on straightening the sign, but looking over at me. “Give me a few minutes, and we can have tea!”

“Take your time,” I said, “I was just about to take your little sister on a brief flight.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened excitedly. “Yay!”

“Hold on a moment there,” Rarity said, putting the sign down and trotting quickly over to me, “are you sure that’s safe?”

“I just flew Apple Bloom and Applejack around without any problems,” I said.

“I was wondering why you looked tired,” she said with concern. “Are you absolutely sure you can keep my sister safe?”

“I won’t let her fall, and I won’t be going too far up in any case,” I promised.

“Please sis, please?!” Sweetie Belle looked at her sister, giving the older Unicorn the cutest puppy dog eyes.

Rarity finally gave in, sighing before turning to me. “As long as you keep her no higher than the Boutique, you can give her a little flight.”

The pink maned filly bounded immediately over to her sister, hugging her quickly. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” she exclaimed before she let go and ran over to me.

I turned around, and once more knelt. “Alright, just climb onto my back and hold on tight, okay?”

“Got it!”

The flight didn’t last very long, and I could have sworn Rarity’s eyes twitched whenever I took a turn that was a bit too sharp or when I passed near a building, but at the end of the trip, Sweetie Belle was super excited and begged to go to the CMC treehouse to meet with her friends and talk about the flight. Rarity let her go, but made her promise to be back by dinner. Sweetie dashed off, beaming happily. I crossed my arms and watched her go. “She’s a good kid, if a bit excitable,” I said.

“They’re all like that,” Rarity agreed. “Now then, let me finish this sign and we can have our tea.”

“I can help,” I said as I walked over. Picking up the sign, I held it up. “Now then, where should I put it?”

“Darling, are you sure? I can do it easily enough,” she said.

“The quicker we do this, the more fashions from Earth we can look at,” I grinned.

Rarity laughed. “Our conversations don’t just have to be about fashion, you know?”

“Who are you, and what have you done with Rarity?” I teased.

“Oh, hush you,” she said. “Now then, if you’re really okay with offering help, I accept. See the small mark on the grass? If you could push the sign in there until I say stop, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course,” I said, lifting it up. “Facing where?”

“A hair to your right…a little more…just a bit more aaand…perfect!” Rarity clapped her hooves.

I used my magic to stabilize it, then pushed down with my Earth Pony strength. “Alright, just tell me when to stop.”

After a few seconds, she held up a hoof. “Right there, darling! Perfect!”

I let go of the sign and walked over to stand next to Rarity. Nodding, I said, “Yeah, that’s perfect! Winter Clothing sale starting November 15th, huh?”

“You can never prepare too soon,” Rarity stated as if it was fact.

“Okay, that’s a fair point,” I said. “I should break out my winter stuff soon here.”

“You’d better send anything you haven’t converted to me,” Rarity said.

“Of course, I will,” I replied as we headed inside her boutique.

She put a sign on the door, then led me to the table in the kitchen. “Please, take a seat, darling,” she said as she made her way to her stove. “And how’s our favorite human doing today?”

“I’m the only human here,” I smirked, “but I’m doing alright. Mostly tired from flying three Ponies around and from staying up a bit later than I should have.”

“Oh? What did you do?” she asked, pouring some water into her tea kettle.

“Well, after you left, I decided to pay Fluttershy a little visit,” I explained. “I know she hates Nightmare Night, but I couldn’t just celebrate without at least seeing her.”

“And how was the poor dear,” Rarity asked as she put the kettle on the stove to boil.

“About as scared as you could expect, but I spent a little while with her. Even got her to leave the house for some flying stargazing. I’m going stargazing again tonight, though.”

“Oh? With anypony I know?” she asked, nudging me playfully.

“Just Luna and Zecora,” I stated without fanfare.

Rarity’s jaw dropped. “W-With Princess Luna?!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah…ah, I shouldn’t have mentioned that…” I groaned.

“Why are you spending time with the Princess of all Ponies?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me suspiciously.

I shrugged. “Like I’ve said before to others who asked, she and I are similar in a few ways, and having someone to talk to about those things can actually help us not go crazy. And besides, I love the night. Stargazing is a favorite of mine. And Zecora’s too.”

Rarity continued staring at me for a bit. I felt a small bead of sweat falling down my neck and I hoped she didn’t notice. “That’s…suspicious, I won’t lie,” she said.

“Just don’t tell anybody, okay? I already told Applejack, and I trust her to keep it secret. I’m trusting you, too. You saw the newspapers about her appearance at the Gala a couple weeks back, didn’t you?” The papers had been polite about it, but there had been a certain mocking undertone in a few of them, wondering what kind of magic she’d been using. There had been images snapped covertly of the two of us as we’d snuck away to speak. Only one had even remotely implied anything sexual going on between us, and that was one of the less reputable tabloids. For the most part, however, the newspapers here had reported the facts, how Princess Luna had appeared in a strange form. Celestia herself had made a statement saying that it had been Luna’s choice to appear in this new form.

“I did,” Rarity said.

“I don’t want her good name smeared because she’s seen with some unusual alien,” I said. “Besides, it’s just something informal. An hour or so of stargazing. And that’s it.”

“It’s almost like you’re starting a herd,” Rarity said as she turned away, placing tea leaves in the kettle.

“Ugh, this again,” I muttered. “Rarity,” I continued, louder this time, “a herd is…not something I feel confident in accomplishing. I don’t know how it works for Ponies, but it’s almost impossible, if not completely impossible, for a human to give an equal amount of romantic love to more than one person. There’s always going to be a favorite.”

“Darling, that’s how we are here,” the Unicorn said as she hovered over a few trays of teacakes. “It’s expected that a Prime Mare would be the favorite of the stallion.” Her expression softened and she gave me a very supportive smile. “Nopony would be upset with you because of that.”

“Well…it just doesn’t feel right,” I said.

“As long as you show love and affection to the members of the herd, it wouldn’t be a problem,” Rarity said. “If you’re curious about it, I know a herd right here in Ponyville. You could discuss it with them.”

“That would have been nice to know earlier,” I groaned. “Well, I guess I could do that sometime.”

Rarity looked closer at me, and her expression changed into one of concern. “You’re really worried about this, aren’t you?”

“Wouldn’t you be in my position?” I asked, putting my head in my hands.

Rarity put her hoof on my back. “Dear me, I’m sorry. You must still be a bit overwhelmed from the culture shock.”

“Even now, yeah,” I admitted. “I just hope there doesn’t come a time where I snap…”

“Your friends will be there for you if that happens, and that includes me,” Rarity said as she began pouring the tea with her magic. “Tell you what, why don’t you come join me and Fluttershy on our weekly spa day one of these days?”

I chuckled. “As much as I’d love to, I’m not sure how they’d be able to handle me since I’m alien. A hoof massage sounds more painful than anything.”

“Who said you’d need to get a massage, although I see your point,” she conceded.

“I’ll think about it,” I said, taking the teacup from her, lifting the steaming cup. “Well, let’s change the subject for now. I believe today we were going to discuss Mexican fashion.”

Rarity’s eyes widened in excitement. “Oh, I can’t wait!” She sat down next to me as I opened my laptop. “So, where do we begin??”

53: A Cloaked Heart's Day Out Pt. 2

“Hey! It’s Jethy! The guy who says I’m sexy!” Pinkie Pie bounded up to me about an hour later and looked up at me expectantly. “Am I still sexy?” she giggled cutely.

I rolled my eyes, but smirked and reached down to stroke her mane. “Yes, Pinkie. You’re still sexy.”

She purred and I swore she moved her behind back and forth a bit. “Yay! What can I get for you, today? And I’m afraid I’m not on the menu, at least not today.” She whispered that last part with a cute wink.

I facepalmed, but chuckled. “Well, a small slice of ice cream cake and some bubble gum soda, please?” I asked, taking a seat at one of the tables.

“Coming right up!” She bounded back to the kitchen, and I shook my head. That mare was an enigma wrapped up in a chaotic mystery. And yet, at least for me, I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw her. It was very hard to be sad in her presence.

“My, I never thought I’d hear the day when anypony would call Pinkie Pie sexy,” a familiar female voice said from behind me. Turning around, I saw two chuckling mares by the names of Lyra and Bon Bon/Sweetie Drops sitting at a nearby table with a small platter of cupcakes and two glasses of what looked like lemonade. It was Bon Bon who said it, and she and Lyra, who was still sitting in that unusual humanlike way, were both grinning at me.

I shrugged. “Just because I came from a world where humans were the only sapient species doesn’t mean I can’t find other sapient forms attractive.”

Lyra stood up just then, and turned around. “What about mine?” she giggled. “This flank do anything for you, mister alien boy?”

“Mine, too,” Bon Bon got up and mimicked her friend.

“Oh, God…not you guys too…” I sighed, but nodded. “Yes, you two are pretty attractive.”

The two laughed at my embarrassment and sat down. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” Lyra said after their laughter died down. “Scarlet told us you liked being teased like that.”

I facepalmed. “Remind me to have words with that damned Pegasus later.”

They both giggled, then Lyra pulled another chair over. “Do you want to join us?”

I shrugged. “As long as I’m not interrupting anything,” I said.

Bon Bon shook her head. “No, not at all. We’re just on our daily friends get-together.”

This must be before they started their romantic relationship, I thought, having already looked ahead and seen their relationship status on the wiki. I stood and headed over to their table. I sat down. “How’ve you two ladies been lately? I just realized I never asked what you two actually do.”

I saw a very small hesitation in Bon Bon’s face, but it was gone when I looked a little close, replaced with a smile. “I run a small shop on the corner of Seventh and Neighsay called Sweet Drops,” she said.

“A sweets shop?” I asked.

“We’re not as popular as Sugarcube Corner, but we do pretty well,” Bon Bon said, chuckling.

“I’ll stop by sometime,” I said. Turning to Lyra, I asked, “and what about you?”

“I live with Bon Bon, and I’m a musician, like I told you before,” Lyra said.

“I did see you and Octavia on my first date with Zecora,” I said.

Lyra chuckled. “I do gigs at the Prancing Pony often enough to help pay the bills at our place,” Lyra said. “The job of a musician is never steady, but the pay is good when I do get a gig.”

“Do you play anything else besides the lyre?” I asked.

“I can play the harp as well, and a few other instruments like it,” she admitted, taking a small bite of a cupcake. “Oh! Shpeaking ov dat, can I hear shome more mushic from Earf?”

“Lyra, swallow your food,” Bon Bon giggled.

I laughed, then pulled up YouTube. “Well, last time I chose a rock song. What would you like today?”

“How about…something slower and romantic?” Lyra asked.

“Hmm…slower and romantic? Let me see…” I looked through my music library, and settled on Enya. I grinned. “Found the perfect artist.” I selected my favorite song of hers, Flora’s Secret, and cast the spell that allowed for the music to be heard in stereo. I closed my eyes and bobbed my head around in rhythm to the song, slowly following along by lip syncing the words. Halfway through the song, I heard a plate put in front of me, then a large fluffy mass on top of me. Opening one eye, I saw a smiling Pinkie sitting on my lap, bobbing her head along with me. She snuggled up close, humming the tune softly. Lyra and Bon Bon were also bobbing their heads to the melody, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Cake couple looking at each other with affectionate gazes. As the song ended, I heard the stomping of hooves from the other denizens. I waved at them with a smile, then hit pause. “How was that?”

“She has the voice of an angel,” Bon Bon said. “Who is she?”

“She’s an artist named Enya,” I said. “She’s one of my favorite singers, and she has a ton of music.”

“Could we hear another?” Lyra asked.

“Of course, but after I have some cake. It’ll melt otherwise,” I said, picking up my plate which was harder to do with a still snuggling Pinkie Pie on my lap. “Hey, strawberry!”

After sharing a couple more songs (and a few more snuggles from Pinkie), I decided it was long past time to head to Twilight’s house. Lyra and Bon Bon had thanked me for the songs and the conversation, and after paying for my cake, I made my way to the Golden Oaks Library. By this time, it was just past two. As I walked up to the treebrary, I saw Spike outside with a broom, brushing away some of the fallen leaves from the library. “Dragon-boy!” I waved my hand over at him.

Spike turned, saw me and grinned. “Monkey-man!” He rushed up and we fist bumped. “What’s shakin’?”

“Not much, just enjoying the day before I go stargazing tonight,” I said.

“Did somepony say stargazing?!” Twilight rushed out of the library, looking up eagerly at me. “You’re going stargazing? Where? When? With whom?”

“Relax, nerdy girl,” I chuckled, pointing to the inside of the library. “I’ll tell you later. But for now, I thought it’d be fun to come by so we could do what I promised we would do, bounce ideas off of each other for fun.”

Her eyes widened in even more excitement. “Finally!” She grabbed my shirt with her teeth and began pulling me inside.

Spike waved at me, grinning. “Have fuuun!”

“Traitor!” I called out with a grin of my own as Twilight pulled me into her basement.

Once the two of us were seated on a small couch in the corner, she lifted up a large notebook and pen. “Okay! So, where should we start?”

“Hmm…” I thought a bit, then chuckled. “So, we both know that this world is portrayed in mine as a television show for little girls, but the fact that I’m here in this world means that it’s not fiction. But the thing is, My Little Pony was a toy franchise on Earth first.”

“Toys?” she asked.

“Yeah, here.” I pulled up YouTube on my laptop then expanded the screen. I searched for commercials for My Little Pony and found a compilation video from 2013 and clicked on it. We watched a couple before stopping it. “You get the point? The My Little Pony toy franchise is actually older than I am.”

“Wow…” she said. “Were…there any toys made about us? My friends and I, I mean,” she asked.

“Sure, there were. Here, lemme check.” I looked ahead and skipped to the commercials about Generation Four. To my amusement, and Twilight’s shock, the first commercial was one that depicted Celestia. By the time that commercial was over, I paused it and doubled over in laughter. “Oh…my…GOD! Now I wish I could go back to Earth JUST to buy that toy! I’ll bet Celestia would love it!”

Twilight looked at me, then at the screen, then back at me. “Ah, buh…buh…that…uh…”

I reached over and closed her muzzle. “Come on, Twi, let’s get back to serious talk.”

“R…Right,” she said, clearing her throat. “Sorry, it’s just…a bit surreal to see that.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said. “If I found out my life was a TV show and a fan of said show came to see me, showing me all of the merchandise based off of me, I’d be stunned, too. Not as stunned as ending up in the same world of the show, mind you, but still…”

“Well…I guess. By the way, I saw some other cartoons that didn’t look like the ones you showed us earlier,” she said, her curious look reforming.

“Ah, yes. That would be the very first television show,” I said. I held up a hand. “Let me explain. There were other television shows before the one about you and your friends. In fact, the show about Equestria was called Generation Four. Here, let me show you Generation One.”

I pulled up the video on my laptop, then expanded the screen. We watched as a rainbow appeared on the screen, then as two Pegasi slid down it. “My Little Pony! My Little Pony! Isn’t the world a lovely place? My Little Pony! My Little Pony! Everywhere you go, a smiling face,” the song began. Twilight watched in awe as the song continued. When one of the Ponies on the screen shouted, “Look out, Twilight! Here I go!” Twilight asked me to pause so she could get a better look at the Unicorn on the screen.

“Is that…supposed to be me?” Twilight asked, staring at G1 Twilight on the screen.

“No, it’s not,” I said. “I read somewhere that the creator of the Friendship is Magic show, Lauren Faust, was inspired to make your character based off of this character, though. But it’s not you. In fact, after I show you this, I’ll show you something else and I think you’ll find mention of a few familiar names.”

I hit play again, and a little while later, Twilight asked me to pause again. “Is that Applejack?!”

“That’s the Generation One Applejack, yes,” I said.

“It’s weird hearing her without her southern accent,” Twilight said.

“No kidding,” I chuckled, “but I think I prefer her with the Stetson and the accent.”

“So…what is this version of the show about?” Twilight asked.

“From what I’ve been able to find out,” I began, “it’s about a group of Ponies who live in a place called Ponyland. They live in harmony like here, but they sometimes have to face off against evil witches and trolls and such. Sometimes, they bring a human from across the rainbow to their land to help, someone named Megan Williams. But don’t quote me on that. I haven’t really done too much research into them since I’ve been focusing on stuff from Friendship is Magic, which is the fourth generation My Little Pony.” I took a breath, realizing I’d just given an information dumb. “Um…should I slow down?”

She shook her head. “Megan…Williams…got it! Nope! I got it.” She put down her pen and looked up at the paused video, looking suddenly thoughtful. “So, the inspiration for my character in this show came from this other Twilight, right?” When I nodded, she continued. “So, that brings up another point. I know you said we’re real, and I feel real enough, but how did we show up as cartoons?”

“I could spout a bunch of hypotheses,” I said. “Maybe whoever created the show was from Equestria? Maybe the hypothesis of multiple universes is a thing, and this is just one that miraculously emulates the famous show. Maybe, maybe, maybe,” I continued. “I wish I had an answer for you, but all I have are hypotheses and guesses. And that’s all. You could probably come up with a better hypothesis than I could.”

“Hmm…” she tapped her quill pen against her muzzle with her magic, then her eyes widened. “What about Athena?”

“Athena? What about her?” I asked.

“She arrived on your Earth thousands of years ago, right?” Twilight asked. I nodded, and she continued, “well, maybe she somehow influenced the creation of these toys and the show?”

“Hmm…but you’re overlooking one important fact, aren’t you?” I asked.

“What do-oh, wait, you’re right,” she said. “She wouldn’t have known about the stuff that happened after the Nightmare Moon incident, would she?”

“That’s true,” I agreed. “It’s very possible she might have somehow inspire the creation of the My Little Pony franchise in the beginning, but she couldn’t have known about the events in Equestria after her banishment.”

“So…we’re back to square one, then?” Twilight asked.

“Pretty much,” I said. “Oh, wait, it couldn’t have been her.”

“Why-oh, she would have had to know about Applejack, at least.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s the one. And Spike, too. And Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, and the others. Here.” I pulled up the Generation 3.5 introduction on YouTube, and we watched. Despite everything, Twilight bobbed her head to the beat. When that song finished, I said, “According to what I’ve found, and I’ve done limited research mind you, this version of the show is just plain fluff. Slice of life stuff. No big dangers, just Ponies having a good time in this version of Ponyville.”

She rubbed her forehead with her hooves. “Grr…this is frustrating! There has to be a logical explanation for this!”

“Magic isn’t inherently logical to me, and yet here we are,” I replied.

She sighed. “Why don’t we talk about something else?”

“Hmm, well, what about something easier, then,” I said. I pointed up. “The night sky.”

She looked confused. “Why that?”

“It’s the same as Earth’s. And not only that. The names of the days of the week and the names of the months are identical. And the names of certain plants and animals, too. Perhaps there’s something to be said for parallel world development.”

Twilight grinned. “Oh, this is going to be fun!”

It was just past five twenty in the afternoon when I finally left the library. Just like every time Twilight and I hung out one on one, I felt like my brain had been in a press, but this time in a good way. I’d let my inner nerd out completely, and it was extremely fun to discuss hypotheses. I would put something forward, and she’d counter with another idea, and we’d discuss the probabilities of each. At some points, I felt a bit intimidated by her own scientific knowledge but at the same time seeing her excited got me excited, too. When I expressed concern that I wasn’t bringing anything useful to the table, she quickly reassured me that the ideas I had were still plenty valid even if my knowledge wasn’t as widespread as hers.

I got back home a little while later where I saw my two Lycan housemates still going strong in their training. Gemini told me that since I was taking the day off, I should expect an all day training session tomorrow, which I agreed to. I dropped off my bag before I grabbed the custom goggles Rainbow Dash had specially ordered for me. After my day, I decided to go for a flight and see how my practice had been paying off. I threw on a jacket and spread my wings, launching myself vertically into the sky. The ground fell away quickly, the wind flowing through my ever lengthening hair.

“Woohoo!” I shouted with a laugh as I zoomed off towards Rainbow Dash’s house. I’d never been there, and I wanted to see her to wrap up the magnificent day I’d been having. I knew Scarlet would be there, too, and her constant pervy character trope aside, I enjoyed hanging out with her too.

As I flew towards Rainbow’s cloudominium, I saw two Pegasi flying around the house. A cyan form was being followed close behind by a gray form with crimson streak. As I approached, the two forms stopped moving, then grew in appearance. Rainbow Dash was the first to reach me. “Well damn there, Private! You’re getting better by the day!”

I stopped and hovered, with Scarlet coming to join us. “She’s right,” the gray Pegasus said, “You’ve gotten pretty good there.”

“Thank you, ladies,” I said, looking between them with a grateful smile. “So, Rainbow, how’s Scarlet’s flying coming along?”

“She’s a born natural!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “She could actually become a member of the Wonderbolts if she wanted!”

Scarlet blushed a bit. “Ah…I’m not sure if I’m really Wonderbolt material, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Aww, c’mon,” Rainbow urged, “You’re getting pretty fast!”

“I’ve got to agree,” I added. “You’ve surpassed me in flying skills, and I started training first.”

“Yeah, but you’re not a Pony,” Scarlet said. “Didn’t you mention that Twilight said something about that once when I was still in the hospital?”

“I suppose that’s true,” I said, “but I’ve got the developing senses of a Pegasus, or at least, that’s what Twilight says.”

“Oh?” Rainbow Dash was immediately in my face, front legs on her hips in another human-like gesture. “Prove it. What did you see when coming here?”

“Nothing of interest,” I said, “I saw Octavia and Vinyl walking down the street together, Octavia with her cello on her back and Vinyl signing something about her next gig. Next, I saw the CMC running up and down the street, and I think they were pretending to fly since I took Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle flying today. There was an older couple cleaning up a small yard sale, and plenty of other Ponies I still don’t know the names of walking up and down the street. Hell, I think I even saw an older female donkey talking to Filthy Rich about something.”

Rainbow actually looked impressed, whereas Scarlet looked a bit shocked. “Well, by Celestia’s flowing mane,” the cyan Pegasus said, “you are learning!”

“You’ve been working hard,” Scarlet said, before flying up and whispering in my ear, “is that why you and Zecora fucked so hard last night?”

Thrown off by her complete lack of subtlety (even though I should have expected it), I wobbled in the air before stabilizing myself. “Were you spying on us?” I asked with a darkening frown.

Scarlet shook her head. “Nope! You just confirmed it for me, though! ‘Thanks and bye!” With a laugh, she zoomed off towards a large bank of clouds.

“You get back here!” I shouted, flying as fast as I could right after her. I could hear Rainbow laughing behind me, and I saw Scarlet turn and stick her tongue out at me before zooming away faster, wiggling her ass playfully at me.

With a thrust of my wings, I pushed up faster, pumping the wings as hard as I was currently able to, which was a vast improvement over day one’s training sessions with Rainbow Dash. Scarlet landed on a nearby cloud and began running on it, laughing. I landed a few seconds later, running after her and using my wings to run at a faster pace than normal.

Scarlet was just turning back to stick her tongue out at me when I managed to tackle the gray Pegasus. We went tumbling across the cloud bank, finally stopping with her on her back, wings spread, and me on top of her. Both of us were heavily panting. After a bit, Scarlet took a deep breath. “Heh…you gonna ask me if we can join the Mile High Club together? Gonna make me a part of that ever growing potential herd of yours?”

“Hnng…damn you, Scarlet…you’re…” I trailed off, stood up, and helped her to her feet. “Serious time for a second,” I said, sitting next to her so we were at eye level.

Her grin slowly vanished and she sat her haunches on the cloud as well. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked, sounding a bit uncertain now.

I shook my head. “No, not at all. You might be a monster of my own creation, what with you spouting memes and quotes and a newly dirty mind, but that’s just who you are. I know you’re smart enough not to talk about that kind of stuff with foals around.”

“Well, duh!” Scarlet said, chuckling.

“It’s mostly the herd thing you mentioned,” I said. “There’s just so much up here that’s confusing me,” I added, poking my head.

Scarlet nodded, and it looked like she understood. “Yeah…I remember parts of my early childhood and how I was raised in a small herd family,” she said, looking out at the setting sun. From nearby, Rainbow Dash flew up and landed by my other side. Undeterred, Scarlet continued. “My own mother, I think, was the Third Mare and the last one my father married.” She turned to face us, smiling wistfully. “I don’t remember much about them, but I do know my moms and dad were a very loving family.”

There was something in her eyes, something that caught my attention. Some kind of sadness. A sadness that I knew. Because I saw it in my reflections sometimes. The sadness of loss. I was surprised that she was opening up, and with Rainbow Dash of all Ponies there. “I see…” was all I could say.

Scarlet shook her head, and the sadness was gone. Gone, but not forgotten by either me or, presumably, Rainbow Dash, assuming she’d seen it. “Dad worked a lot to provide for our little herd family, although since I was the only foal in the family, it wasn’t too hard for him to keep food on the table. Herds are a lot of work, sure, but I’ve heard that it’s pretty rewarding to be in one, surrounded by so many others who love and appreciate each other very much. I know I was happy there.”

Rainbow Dash was about to say something, but apparently thought better of it. Instead, she smiled. “I know somepony who’s in a herd,” she said. “It’s a three Pony herd, but she really loves it. I’m not sure if it’s for me, or if any stallion would catch my eye.”

Scarlet grinned, her playful nature back. “Oh? And here I thought you had the hots for our resident flying alien boy, here,” she laughed.

Rainbow Dash sputtered. “N-No! He’d have to do a Sonic Rainboom to even impress me,” she said quickly.

Scarlet bumped my shoulder. “Hear that, big boy? Wanna get in the sheets with this tomcolt, then train that ass off and do a Rainboom!”

I smirked. “Well, as cool as it would be to do that, I’m not even sure it’s possible to do a Sonic Rainboom. At least, for me.”

“There’s nopony who can do it as awesome as me,” Rainbow boasted.

Scarlet chuckled. “You know, why not make that a goal for your training,” she asked. “I mean, you can’t say you can’t do a Sonic Rainboom unless you try?”

I looked back at Rainbow Dash, who locked eyes with me. Her expression became one I recognized, one where she had been issued a challenge and wouldn’t back down until she’d won said challenge. “Hmm…what do you say there, Jethro? Think you’re up to the challenge?”

I shrugged. “I mean, I don’t see the harm in trying, I suppose.”

“Perfect! Then during our next training session, the training wings come off! The next few weeks I won’t be as easy on you!”

Damn, she calls her training up until now easy? I’m so fucking doomed…

The sun was setting as Scarlet and I landed back in my front yard. Unlike this morning, the front was completely clear of any of last night’s stands. Gemini and Mica were gone, presumably inside. I saw Zecora sitting on the swinging bench on my front porch in her Zebraloaf form, her eyes closed contentedly. Scarlet yawned and stretched. “Well, I’ve had a very long day, so I’ll have a quick dinner and head to bed,” she said.

“Sleep well, Scarlet,” I said, waving at her.

“You too, lover boy,” she said teasingly, heading up the stairs and opening the door, closing it behind her.

“That mare’s insane,” I said to myself as I walked up and sat next to Zecora. She looked so peaceful there, eyes closed and breathing normally. I reached out and stroked her back affectionately. “Are you asleep, dearest?” I asked.

Zecora stirred, yawned, then opened one eye and looked back at me. “No, I was simply resting my eyes as I waited for you,” she said. “Judging by your smile, you had a great day?”

I nodded. “Let me get my telescope out and I’ll tell you all about it.”

She stood and stretched, yawning. God, she’s cute even when yawning, I thought. As the two of us headed to my old Earth house, I inwardly smiled. Today might have been exhausting, but it was a very relaxing one, too.

54: A Cloaked Heart Stargazes

“You two should know better than to keep a princess waiting,” Luna said as Zecora and I walked up the hill we planned to meet at about half an hour later. The sun had already set and the sky, while not quite dark, was still blazing with the brighter Autumn constellations. “‘Tis past sunset, you know.”

I chuckled and set down my large reflector telescope on the top of the hill. “And I had to carry this and a bunch of other stuff up the hill,” I replied, using my magic to set it up as carefully as I could. As I did that, Zecora, who had blankets draped over her back, took them off and placed them beside the telescope. “Didn’t mean to be late, though. Sorry.”

Luna waved her hoof. “You are forgiven,” she said with a small smile. As I finished setting up the telescope, Luna looked it over curiously. “What, pray tell, are these devices?” she asked, pointing to the telescope’s remote control.

“Ah, this is the remote,” I said. “See, this telescope has a motor inside it that can track the celestial bodies so it doesn’t go out of frame. It can also automatically turn the telescope to a specific object in the sky if the inner computer is programmed correctly. Unfortunately, I can’t do that since Equestria’s current year number isn’t like the ones from Earth.”

“A pity,” Luna said.

“That’s why I have this little item,” I said, pulling out a planisphere.

“Oh? What is this?” Luna asked, walking up beside me and looking at the stargazing tool.

“It’s called a planisphere,” I said. “It’s a lower tech form of finding out what the night sky looks like on any given time of the year. See, watch.” I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. “It’s just…past six thirty now, so, we find the arrow between six and seven PM and line it up with today’s date, November 1st.”

I took out a small flashlight and turned it on. Its red glow illuminated the starmap as I turned the planisphere to the correct time and date. “Now, we find out where the north star is.” Looking around the sky, I saw the Big Dipper and followed the two outer stars towards the bright star Polaris. “There we go. Now, the planisphere circles around this point, the north star, so we just need to match the corresponding stars and constellations on here with the proper ones in the sky. Like here.” I moved closer and pointed to a large constellation in the east. “The Pegasus constellation is in the east right now.” Pulling out a green laser pointer, I looked up at the sky, then used the pointer. “See? There’s the star Alpheratz. And there’s Markab.”

Luna followed the green line, then looked back at the planisphere, then back at the sky. “This is an ingenious device,” she said. “I hope I can convince you to allow us to borrow it so we can duplicate it at some point.”

“It’s simple enough to create, at least, I think so,” I said. “Don’t you have maps of the night sky?”

Luna nodded. “My bedroom ceiling has a map of the sky,” she said. “Celestia had it painted and maintained ever since she moved to Canterlot.”

I smiled. “That’s really kind of her.”

Luna smiled and nodded again. “For a thousand years, she kept my new bedroom just the same as my old one.”

“I did notice those bedchambers were bare back at the old palace,” I said. “Well, I’m sure Twilight could create a copy of these.” Or I could buy one for her from Sunset’s world, if I ever get the chance to go, I thought. “I’ll show her one and see what she comes up with, although I’d be surprised if she doesn’t have something similar.”

“Knowing her, I wouldn’t be surprised myself, beloved,” Zecora said.

Luna chuckled. “Well, my sister’s student is definitely a studious one, as are you, my potential student.”

I laughed. “Well, I still haven’t taken the time to think about it. Although, now that I do think about it, you could teach me more than just some magic lost to time.”

“Oh? And what, pray tell, is that?” Luna asked.

“How to properly rule Equestria.” When Luna’s and Zecora’s eyes widened at that, I held up my hand. “Now, hold on, I’m not saying I’ve accepted Celestia’s offer. I just want to know how ruling this nation differs potentially from how kings, queens, emperors, sultans and other rule on Earth.”

“Would it not be more prudent to ask my sister about this?” Luna asked.

I shrugged. “Perhaps, but she’s extremely busy. You did say you wanted more of a purpose, right?”

“Jethro, my knowledge of ruling is still somewhat out of date,” Luna said.

“Your Highness, do not sell yourself short,” Zecora said, “you have more experience than my stallion, here. Any experience he could use to make an informed decision would be helpful.”

I smiled at her, and she smiled back. Looking back at Luna, I saw that she looked a bit embarrassed. “W-Well, thank you, Miss Zecora,” she said. “I appreciate your kind words. Truly.”

“It’s only the truth,” I said. “You’ve got a bunch of personal experience I can draw on. That, and I believe that you would be a bit more receptive to some of my own ideas when they arise. But for the time being, I believe it’s time for us to actually stargaze, correct?”

Luna chuckled, then nodded. “Yes, I would greatly appreciate that. What shall we do first?”

“Let’s wait until it gets really dark and just talk before I show you some things through my little telescope,” I chuckled as I stretched, then lay down in the cool soft grass. I pat the ground beside me. “Come, ladies, join me.”

Luna looked embarrassed again, but nodded. She slowly removed her dark blue shoes, her crown and her necklace. Placing it on the ground beside my telescope, she slowly lay on her back. She used her magic to take one of the blankets and cover herself. I used my magic to grab the other two. However, Zecora lay her head on my chest, smiling up at me. I rolled my eyes, smiled, and covered the two of us with the larger of the two remaining blankets. Luna gazed up at the sky, taking a deep breath and exhaling. “It’s been a while since I have met anypony who loved the night as much as I do. And yet, I’ve met two who love it…and you’re not Ponies.”

“Is that a problem?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Not at all. I had all but given up on finding anypony who could appreciate my sky.”

“Well, we are pleased that we could make you happy,” Zecora said.

Luna smiled. “‘Tis a dream come true.” We lay there for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence between the three of us. Finally, Luna spoke again. “How was your day, you two?”

Zecora looked at each other, and I nodded at her to start. Zecora looked back at the stars. “Mine was pretty uneventful. I looked over some of my potions, and then for the latter part of my day engaged in some Farasi meditation techniques. Quite relaxing.”

“Was one of them where you stood on one back leg with the other raised and your front legs pressed together?” I asked, remembering the scene from the second Trixie episode.

Zecora nodded. “Indeed, it was.”

“I’d like for you to train me, sometime,” I said.

“I would be glad to, love,” she said with a smile, rubbing her nose against mine affectionately.

“Good,” I smiled back at her.

“I am pleased your day was so relaxing,” Luna said. “And how about you, Jethro?”

“Busy, but it was, in its own way, a relaxing break from all the stuff that’s been happening,” I said.

“Oh? And what was your day like?” Luna asked, sounding quite curious.

So, I went over the entire day for her, starting with my time spent with Fluttershy and ending with the time spent flying with Rainbow and Scarlet. Both mares listened attentively while at the same time watching the ever-darkening sky as more and more stars came out in all their vast array of glory. When I finished, it was finally total night. “Sounds like a fun-filled day, darling,” Zecora said, nuzzling my face.

“Are you not exhausted?” Luna asked.

“Extremely,” I replied, “but this is the perfect way to end one of the most relaxing days I’ve had in a while. No training, no studying ancient rulers, just me spending time with the best friends a guy could ask for in this world. And having fun doing a bunch of different things that I love. I got to eat some great food and dessert, discuss hypotheses for fun, fly around, give a certain fashionista some great ideas, and watch anime. Oh! I almost forgot! We need some mood music!” I pulled out my phone, found my stargazing playlist, and hit play right after casting the stereo spell, as I’d come to call it. Brian Eno’s album Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks began playing, starting with Under Stars. “There we go. Just listen for a bit.”

The new age tracks we listened to for the next fifteen or so minutes sounded around us from invisible speakers, and really put me in the stargazing mood. I focused solely on the stars themselves, and as I did with all stargazing sessions, allowed myself to get completely lost in their majesty. The music only added to my enjoyment, since it sounded just like the cosmos themselves. I didn’t realize my mouth was open until a gentle hoof shut it for me, and even then, I could feel them calling out to me, as if I could reach out and touch them.

I didn’t even realize I was reaching up towards the stars, completely lost in my own thoughts, until a flowing maned face covered my vision. “A-huh? Wha…?” I slowly came back down to Equestria.

“Miss Zecora and I have been trying to get your attention for the past minute,” Luna said, sounding a bit concerned. “Are you…alright? Should we go to a doctor to get your hearing examined?”

“Love? Are you crying?” Zecora asked.

I reached up to my cheek. Sure enough, a tear had escaped my eyes and had fallen down my cheek. I wiped it away. “Sorry, I get like this a lot whenever I stargaze. I just…wanna fly up there among them. The music enhances that feeling.”

“I do enjoy this music,” Luna said. “Especially this one here.”

I looked at the name on my phone. “An Ending (Ascent) is the name. A good track. I personally prefer the first one.”

“I wish we could listen to this music more often,” Luna said.

“Someday,” I said, “I’ll find a way for you to be able to. I thought you might like this kind of music. It’s ethereal and makes you envision planets, starfields, nebulae, black holes, quasars, and so much more. And speaking of, do you want to look through my telescope now?”

“I would very much like to do that,” Luna said, sounding excited now.

“Me too, please,” Zecora said.

“Perfect. Let me turn it on and get it as set up as I can, and then we can begin.” I walked over, turned the motor on, then after a few quick tests, pulled a red flashlight out of my small backpack and shone it on the planisphere. “Okay then, ladies, let’s find a good first object…ah! M31, also known as the Andromeda Galaxy.” I moved the telescope around, looking at the small dimly lit dusty spiral I saw in the night sky. When I lined it up, I slowly moved it around in the eyepiece until I centered the nearest spiral galaxy. “Okay, I have it lined up. Now, you can’t look quite directly at it. Look slightly to one side in order to get the full experience.” I looked through, beaming. “Gorgeous…an entire galaxy…”

When I stepped away, Luna immediately jumped forward and peered through the lens “Let me see! Let me see!” She sounded like a little child when she said it and I could tell her excitement was barely able to be contained. She looked through the eyepiece, her mane and tail seeming to move faster in the ethereal wind. “Wow…truly an amazing sight to behold,” she said. After a while, she moved away, looking sheepishly at Zecora. “Forgive me, Miss Zecora.”

“Don’t apologize, your Highness,” she said as she stood carefully on her hind legs to get a better angle at the eyepiece. I stood beside her and took her hoof to help steady her. She looked at me with a loving smile, then looked through the eyepiece. “I have never seen something quite like that. I admit, I never expected to see another galaxy before today.”

“Well, why don’t we try something a little closer to home next?” I asked, pointing to the rising moon in the east.

Zecora stood back on her four legs, and smiled. “What say you, your Highness?”

Luna looked at once excited and a bit nervous. “I…I think I would like to see that too.”

Trauma about staying up there for so long? I thought as I moved the telescope down towards the rising celestial body. When I got the angle of the telescope right, I looked through. “Well…it’s certainly nothing like the moon I’m used to,” I admitted, “but it’s very similar. Craters…which indicate the presence of asteroids in the Equestrian solar system…a few small maria, probably from molten rock hardening…and I think I see mountain ranges and a couple valleys. Hang on.” I switched out the lens I was currently using for a more powerful one and slipped it in. “Yeah…there’s definitely mountains there. And I think…I see the outline of the mare in the moon from where it was before it vanished.”

“Might I see?” Luna asked, approaching slowly.

“Sure,” I said, stepping away and letting her look.

Luna kept her eye focused on the view through the eyepiece for a lot longer than she had when observing Andromeda. After a while, she pulled away. “It’s…a beautiful sight,” Luna said, sniffing a bit. “When Celestia banished me, I was not trapped on the moon’s surface, but within it,” she explained. “All I could do was think. I created a world in my own thoughts, one that kept me sane. At least, I hope I am still sane.” She looked a bit worried. “I never got to actually see the surface.”

“Well, if we ever get a space program off the ground, maybe someday you can,” I said in my best encouraging voice.

Zecora, who was also looking at the moon now, replied, “This just goes to show you just how similar both worlds can be in many respects.”

Luna wiped her eyes a bit. “You’re right, Miss Zecora.”

“Call me Zecora, please,” my marefriend said. “There’s no need to be formal with me.”

Luna nodded, smiling at the Zebra. “Very well, then…you can call me Luna. I shall allow it since you are a fellow lover of the night.”

Zecora, looking a bit surprised at this, nodded gratefully. “Very well…Luna.”

I watched the conversation, but somehow had the feeling that there was another one going on beneath the surface. One I had no clue how to pick up on. I looked back at the planisphere. “Hey, who wants to see a globular cluster?” I asked.

“And what, pray tell, is a globular cluster?” Luna asked.

“A globular cluster is a group of stars that are gathered close together and look like a sphere,” Zecora explained.

“I’ll show you,” I said as I maneuvered the telescope slightly north. It took me a few minutes, but eventually, I spotted the gathering of tightly knit stars. “My God…I’ve never seen them quite like this before…” I stared at them as the music from my phone continued. After a bit, I stepped back. “Ladies, have a look at Messier 15.”

Zecora looked through it first, taking her time to appreciate the cluster. Then, Luna looked. She was in awe as always. As they did so, I looked at the planisphere once more. A grin formed as I saw a nebula we could look at next. I waited for Luna to finish, eager to show them this unique galaxy. When Luna stepped back, she had a dreamy look in her eyes. “There’s so much…out there,” she said as she looked up at the stars. “I just thought the stars were all there were, but to see other objects up close? Forgive me if I seem out of sorts. This is quite a lot to take in.”

“Feel like taking one more thing in before we go back to simple stargazing?” I asked, already turning the telescope northwest towards the horizon. I was glad that the hill we were on gave a very good view of the majority of the sky above.

“Well…sure, one more for now,” Luna said.

I moved the telescope facing almost all the way up, and after a minute or so, found the last object we’d observe for the time being. I put a more powerful lens in and observed it, beaming. “Gorgeous…” After a while, I pulled away. “Ladies, take a look at Messier 57, or the Ring Nebula.”

Luna looked first this time, her tail twitching in anticipation as she looked through. “Wow…it’s symmetrical…” she said after a while. “Do you know why that is, Jethro?”

I pulled out my phone and did a quick search, just to be sure my info was accurate. “That is a planetary nebula,” I explained after a quick read. “When some stars reach the end of their lives, they release a lot of their gas into space, making this kind of nebula.”

“Stars can die?” Luna asked curiously.

“It takes billions of years for them to die, but yes,” I said. “I doubt we’ll see a star dying in our lifetime here, but it does happen.”

Luna nodded absently, continuing to stare at the nebula. She took more time than normal before stepping away and slowly lying back down. Zecora looked through as well, once again with my help to steady her. When she finished, I turned off the motor and joined Luna on the grass. Zecora snuggled up close next to me.

The music continued, and once again as we lay there, my mind wandered up towards the sky. In a way, stargazing was one of my ultimate escapes. Even when I lived in the Everfree and was building up the castle, I would take some breaks and stare at the gorgeous night sky for about ten or fifteen minutes. It helped that I could fly above the forest canopy and see from horizon to horizon.

Just as John Serrie’s music began to play, I felt a presence against my left shoulder. Looking down, I saw Luna slowly pressing herself against me, still looking at the heavens. I looked down at Zecora, who smiled up at me. Reaching over, I put a hand on her head and began slowly massaging. Her eyes widened in surprise, then fluttered happily as she snuggled closer. I put my right hand on my lover’s head and did the same. I was rewarded by the same response from her as she nuzzled into my hand.

I continued this as I looked up at the sky once more. A small smile formed on my face. A part of me was content to be in this position. I was between two gorgeous mares, staring up at the most beautiful autumn night sky I’d ever seen. Life is good, I thought. Life is very good.

Author's Note

I've posted A Cloaked Heart - Side Stories on this site. The stories in there are from different perspectives and will either be canon or non-canon, but all set in the Cloaked Heart Universe. I don't know how often I'll update that one, but I'll try my best.

Enjoy!

55: A Cloaked Heart Runs

“Wow…this Henry the 8th really sounds like a strange king,” Twilight said, looking at the floating screen in front of us. I had it open to his Wikipedia page, which we used as a base for whenever we researched human kings and rulers before we went to the source pages. The lights were out and the two of us sat next to each other on the couch in the basement. “Did he really marry six women?”

“According to this, only three were really his wives, since the Church of England annulled three of the marriages,” I said.

“A religious group could actually do that?” she asked in shock.

“Religion is important to human history,” I said. “For many hundreds of years, the Roman Catholic Church was a major power that actually held sway over a lot of kingdoms. And even today, religion is a major player in many political decisions in many human countries.”

“Equestria doesn’t have many religious aspects,” Twilight said.

“Not in name, but in practice, yes you do,” I said. “Look at the Lycan Empire. They revere somebody called the Guardian as helping to form their society. And the Kingdom of Equestria has living goddesses ruling it. Deny it all you want, Twi, but Celestia and Luna have the powers of deities.”

“Not like this Yahweh you mentioned,” Twilight said. “Celestia and Luna wouldn’t be able to create a universe.”

“True enough, but we’re getting into religion again when we should be focusing on studying good and bad rulers,” I reminded her. “You’re picking up some bad habits from me.”

“Sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly as she looked back at the hovering Wikipedia page.

As we continued reading, the upstairs door burst open and Rainbow Dash’s voice called out, “Heeeey! Anypony home? Twilight? Spike?”

“Down here, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight called out.

Rainbow Dash was down the stairs in less than ten seconds flat. “Hey, there! Oh! Jethro’s here too? Perfect!”

“Is something going on?” I asked, before remembering what the day after today was. “Wait, don’t tell me, let me guess. Iron Pony Competition between you and Applejack, and you need someone to help keep score?”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Awww, you saw this already? Well, did you see who won? Huh? Huh? Did ya?”

“Relax there, speed demon,” I said. “I still wanna see this go down.”

“But…our studies…” Twilight moaned.

“Twi, it’s almost noon. We’ve been studying since almost nine this morning. We need a break,” I said. “Besides, I want to see how this goes differently with some ideas I have to bounce off of you ladies.”

“Oh? Like what?” Twilight asked as I began shutting down my laptop.

“I’ll tell you when we get there,” I said. “I got the idea from a My Little Pony fanfiction.”

“I still wish you’d let me read some of those,” Twilight said.

“Maybe some other time, I promise,” I said. “For now, off to Sweet Apple Acres!” I closed my laptop and stood. “Let’s go!”

“Alright, so what were these ideas y’all had, Jethro,” Applejack said a few minutes after Twilight, Spike and I arrived.

“Well, first of all,” I began, “What exactly is the contest meant to determine? Who the most athletic Pony is, right?”

“That’s right,” Applejack said.

“See, that’s kind of a broad goal,” I said. “AJ, you’re gonna be stronger physically thanks to that Earth Pony strength you have, and RD, you have wings. No matter what, in certain areas, you’ll be better than the other. So, what we need to do is level the playing field somehow.”

“How?” Twilight asked. “Even if we forbade the use of wings, I don’t know a spell that would take away Applejack’s Earth Pony strength.”

“Ah’m not sure ah’d want that,” Applejack said.

“The results could be disastrous even if there was a spell like that,” Twilight said.

“Agreed,” I said.

“That’s not fair!” Rainbow Dash said. “I can’t use my wings, but Applejack can use her strength? That’s so not fair!”

“I hate to agree, but she has a point,” Twilight said.

“Okay, let’s think, then,” I said. I sat on a nearby bench and tapped my forehead. “Think, think, think…”

“You’re not Winnie the Pooh, silly!” Pinkie said. I felt her leaning against my back, front hooves wrapped around my neck.

“Pinkie? Where’d you come from?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I came with the others,” the excitable Pony exclaimed, pointing back.

I didn’t need to turn to know that Fluttershy and Rarity were also walking up, but I did anyway. I stood, Pinkie still clinging tightly to me, and waved. “Hello, ladies. Fine day to watch a little friendly competition, isn’t it?”

Rarity, who was wearing a bright blue scarf around her neck, chuckled. “Any chance to show off my newest line of scarves, darling,” she said.

“Of course,” I chuckled. “And, might I say, that scarf looks absolutely radiant on you?”

She flipped her mane back majestically. “Thank you!”

I nodded, then turned to Fluttershy. “Flutters, I didn’t think this kind of thing would appeal to you.”

Fluttershy giggled sweetly. “Well, everypony else seemed to want to come, and I wanted to support my friends,” she said as she came and sat next to me as I sat back down on the bench.

“That makes sense,” I said. “Maybe you all can help make this a fair competition.”

I explained the conundrum we were up against, and the Mane Six went silent, all of them thinking in their own ways. A few minutes later, another presence leaned against me. Looking down, I saw Zecora looking up at me lovingly. “My love, what has you all troubled?” she asked.

“Seriously, you all look like you’ve got your panties in a bunch,” Scarlet said from above, landing directly on my lap.

I snorted and gave Scarlet’s nose a flick before putting an arm around Zecora. “There’s an Iron Pony Competition coming up soon, and we’re trying to figure out how to level the playing field since one competitor is gonna be naturally better at one thing than the other due to their species.”

“Aaah, I see that is quite the conundrum,” Zecora said, “but what is the goal of this competition?”

I smiled. It had been a while since I’d heard Zecora rhyme, and it was just like old times. “To see who the most athletic Pony is between Applejack and Rainbow Dash,” I explained.

Zecora nodded, then switched to Farasi since Scarlet was here. “You’ve seen this before already, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but I want it to be fair,” I explained.

“Hmm. Why not play it by ear, as you humans would say?” she asked. “If this is an athletic competition, perhaps for certain events the use of wings can be forbidden, but not for everything.”

“Well, that’s the thing, we need to define what athletic means,” I said. “Is it a contest of strength? Speed? Dexterity? Because if that’s the case, denying the use of wings is unfair since it’s a part of what makes Rainbow Dash unique.”

“Ah’ve heard enough,” Applejack said, stepping forward. “Ah was a mite concerned about Rainbow usin’ her wings, but why not let her? Besides, ain’t like it’ll do her any good.”

“Heh, you’ll be eating those words, country gal!” Rainbow Dash said.

“As long as ya don’t use ‘em to cheat,” Applejack said.

“And how would I used them to cheat?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Ugh, and we’re back to square one,” I sighed. The four mares around me all giggled at that. “Ladies, why don’t we do what Zecora says and play it by ear for each competition, okay? Twilight and I will be as fair as we possibly can, got it?”

“Ah reckon ah can go fer that,” Applejack said. She spat onto her hoof. “How ‘bout you, Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash spat into her hoof and held it out. “Sounds fine to me!”

The two put their hooves together. I chuckled. “So unsanitary…well, let the games begin!”

For the most part, the competition went pretty much the same as the one from the show. However, a few of the competitions we had to call in favor of Applejack due to Rainbow’s use of wings being deemed as unfair by me and Twilight.

One thing I did change was the fact that any kind of competition that involved Spike being a part of it was changed so that I was the one there instead. There was no way I’d be putting the drake in danger like that. I liked the guy, and didn’t think he deserved the abuse he got in that episode. During the Bronco Buck, I was bucked off the two mares relatively fast (Rainbow Dash still won) and hogtied expertly by Applejack. Spike thanked me profusely for volunteering in his place. “Can’t let anything hurt my favorite Dragon,” I chuckled at that, brushing dirt off of my clothes and wings.

Because of this, by the end of the day, the score was actually tied up, ten to ten. Needless to say, Rainbow Dash wasn’t too happy with me and Twilight. “I would have won!” she shouted at the two of us.

“Well, if you didn’t use your wings at all, you’d have lost entirely,” I said. “Seriously, a lot of those were tough to call, but we promised to be as fair as we could.”

“Yeah, well, who won?” Rainbow asked.

“Guess you’ll have to have a tiebreaker round,” I said, “and I’ll bet I know the perfect way to do it. Tomorrow’s the annual Running of the Leaves. Whoever wins that wins the Iron Pony Cup.”

“Ah can agree tah that, as long as Rainbow here don’t use her wings,” Applejack said with a smug expression. “It’s Runnin’ of the Leaves, not Flyin’ of the Leaves.”

“No wings? Psh, no problem!” Rainbow Dash grinned. The two spat on their hooves and hoofbumped.

I grinned. “This is where the fun begins…” I looked at the gathered crowd of Ponies. “Alright, everybody! The contest has been postponed until tomorrow at the Running of the Leaves. I know there’s a betting pool going around, but that will have to wait until the results of tomorrow’s race. For now, why don’t we all relax and enjoy the rest of the day! Tomorrow’s gonna be a big event! Thank you all for coming, and have a safe trip home!”

As the Ponies all began to disperse, I walked over to the two mares of the hour, followed by Zecora, Scarlet and the other Mane Six, one of which was still clinging to my back. “You two look exhausted,” I chuckled. “Come on, lemme take everyone here out somewhere to get a drink and a bite to eat. My treat.”

Applejack gave me a grateful look. “Ah appreciate that, pardner,” she said. “Ah reckon ah could go fer some vittles right about now.”

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, still looked a bit sore. I knelt beside her. “RD? Are you still angry at me and Twilight?” I asked.

She stomped her hoof on the ground. “Yeah…” she huffed.

“You know we didn’t mean to make you this upset, right?” Twilight added, coming to my side. “We were just trying to make the fairest calls we could.”

“It felt like you were singling me out…” she admitted.

“We weren’t,” I said. “I’m sorry we made you feel that way. Let me make it up to you, somehow.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “It’s alright…I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just being stupid.”

“Now hang on there just a cotton-pickin’ minute, sugarcube,” Applejack said, walking up and smacking Rainbow Dash upside the head, “Ya ain’t stupid.”

“She’s right,” I added. “You aren’t stupid. Your brand of smarts is different than, say, Twilight’s, or even Applejack’s. Think about it: when you’re flying up there, in the sky, your attention is everywhere at once. In that sense, you have an eidetic memory. You can recall everything you see and keep it locked in that noggin of yours.” I tapped her forehead. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat. It’s my treat today, so feel free to take advantage of that all you want as revenge.”

That got her attention. She turned and gave me an evil grin. “Oh, you are so on.”

“I still can’t believe Rainbow Dash ate all of that,” I said to Twilight and Spike the next morning as we made our way to the race location. I was dressed in my best running outfit, a pair of running shorts, a breathable but black t-shirt, a pair of shoes that were perfect for running, and a water bottle with ice in a water bottle carrier hanging by my side. “I’ll be surprised if she shows up at all, considering how stuffed she was when she flew back to her house.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Twilight chuckled, “Pegasi have very fast metabolisms. They need to since they spend a lot of time flying.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I said. I’d eaten about the same amount since Rainbow had made it an impromptu competition between the two of us, and I felt just fine. My own metabolism had begun to get better with each passing day. “So, Twilight, you really think you can get me into the race? I rewatched this episode last night and I was under the impression it was just for Ponies.”

“Technically speaking, you’re a Pony in another form,” Twilight said. “Well, half Pony, half human. I’ve looked over the rules, and it seems to me that there’s nothing in them that denies letting a half-Pony race.”

“Probably because nobody’s ever seen one, right?” I asked.

“I’ve never heard of a half-Pony,” she admitted.

“Well, while you two are racing, I’ll be announcing!” Spike said, holding the stick with one green leaf in his claw.

“Co-announcing, actually,” I replied. “Pinkie beat you to it, but she’ll totally let you along for the ride if you ask. She’s gonna be using a balloon.”

Spike frowned at the former, but then his eyes widened when he heard the latter. “Sweet! A bird’s eye view! I’m gonna go find her!” Jumping off of Twilight’s back, he rushed ahead, a broad grin on his face.

“That’s still a bit unnerving,” Twilight admitted. “You knowing what’s going to happen.”

“Yeah, I can only imagine,” I nodded in agreement as we reached a small table near the beginning of the race.

A bright yellow Earth Pony stallion sat there along with the mayor. The mayor looked up first and her smile broadened. “Mr. Bethridge, Miss Sparkle, welcome! Are you two here to observe the race?”

“Actually, we’re both here to enter it,” Twilight said, taking the reins of the conversation.

The yellow stallion looked up, then saw me. He frowned. “Well, we can let you race, Miss Sparkle, but your friend here can’t. He’s not a Pony, and this race is for Ponies only.”

Twilight shook her head. “Not quite right, sir. He’s part Pony. Look at those wings. And you can take it from me, he’s capable of using Unicorn magic pretty well. Now, forgive me if I’m wrong, but are there any other races you know of who can use Unicorn magic?” Twilight turned to me. “Show them.”

I held out a finger, which glowed with my signature magical color. A pen on the table lifted itself into the air after being enveloped by my magic. I flew it around for a few seconds before landing it back on the table in front of the two Ponies. Twilight turned back to the two Ponies. “Not only that, but he has Earth Pony strength and magic,” Twilight added. “There’s nothing in the rules that says a half-Pony can’t race. I would have thought we’d learn our lesson after the Zecora incident.”

The mayor and the yellow stallion both looked away, abashed. I was surprised when the mayor pushed forward a clipboard. “I…suppose you’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry. Please enjoy the race.”

Twilight and I both filled out our forms and received our numbers. Twilight got 42, and I got 34. I was almost tempted to put an R in front of my number, but decided against it since nobody would get it except for Scarlet and it was inappropriate anyway.

As the two of us got to the front of the line, I spotted Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the latter of whom already had her wings tied down. From above, I heard Spike announce, “Racers, take your positions! The race will begin in exactly one minute!”

As Twilight and I approached the starting line, Rainbow Dash turned and saw us. “Twilight? Jethro? What are you two doing here?”

I pointed to the number I’d stuck to my chest. “What does it look like we’re doing? We’re racing.”

“Wait, what? But I thought only Ponies could race,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“And I’m part Pony,” I said, spreading my wings and pointing to them. “I don’t have these wings because I’m an angel, sister. Alicorn-Human mix all the way, baby.”

“Hmm…ah guess that’s fine,” Applejack said, “but what in tarnation are ya doin’ up here, Twilight?”

“I’m racing, of course!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Pah! Hahahaha!” Rainbow Dash began laughing, almost busting a gut. Twilight and I exchanged a glance and we both rolled our eyes. “Yeah…good one, Twilight!”

“She’s not having a laugh,” I said. “She’s being serious.”

“What?!” Rainbow Dash said. She and Applejack looked at her incredulously. “You’re not an athlete! Jethro maybe, since yours truly has been training him-”

“Don’t ferget me,” Applejack interrupted.

“Yeah, sure,” Rainbow Dash conceded, “but you, Twilight? You’re an…egghead.”

“If she’s an egghead, does that make me one, too?” I asked. “I’m not as intelligent as she is, but I’d like to think I’m decently smart.”

“And the term is well-read, thank you,” Twilight huffed.

“Egghead,” Rainbow Dash whispered, and both her and Applejack snickered.

I tuned them out and looked around at the other racers. Nearby, I caught a glimpse of Zecora and Scarlet, who both were waving at me. I waved back, smiling. Scarlet called out, “You got this!” Clearing her throat, she deepened her voice. “Team Race!” she shouted, doing her best imitation of the Halo announcer.

“At least it isn’t Team Slayer!” I called back, doing my own imitation of the announcer.

“Just get a warthog, and you’ll own these noobs!” Scarlet laughed.

“I should never have shown you Halo!” I shouted.

“You say that a lot, and yet you keep showing me stuff from Earth!” Scarlet called back.

“May the winds guide you well, dearest!” Zecora called out.

“I shall endeavor to run with them!” I replied.

“Ten more seconds, racers!” Pinkie announced. I dug my running shoes into the dirt. “Are you Ponies ready?”

“Get set!” Spike said.

“GO!” both Pinkie and Spike shouted. A bell ran and I began to jog, staying next to Twilight as the others rushed ahead of us while at the same time making sure to put some extra stomp into my steps to allow the leaves to fall. I was rewarded by a slight trembling of the ground around me and a bunch of leaves falling around us.

“And they’re off!” Pinkie announced above us. “Welcome to the official coverage of the Running of the Leaves! You know, Spike, despite its name, the leaves don’t do any of the actual running. No, that’s left to My Little Ponies!”

“I used to wonder what friendship could be, until you all shared its magic with me!” I sang automatically. Twilight, who was still beside me, snickered at the reference.

“Why…yes, Pinkie. It’s the running of the Ponies that causes the leaves to fall,” Spike said.

“Ugh…those lazy, lazy leaves,” Pinkie sighed.

“I’m gonna start calling you MOTO, Master Of The Obvious!” I shouted up at Pinkie.

“Hey, look at that!” Pinkie said, pointing down at me, “looks like we have a new competitor in the race! Hi Jethy! Still think I’m sex-”

“Don’t say that!!” I shouted up at her, face flushed.

She giggled. “Fine, fine! Back to the race at hoof, the run is about more than the weather. It’s also about the race to the finish and the two runners who want to win it! Applejack and Rainbow Dash!”

“Those two are having way too much fun up there,” I told Twilight.

“Oh, definitely,” Twilight said, before she looked closer at me. “What was Pinkie about to say?”

I groaned. “I’m sure you can guess. You were there when Scarlet said something to Pinkie, remember? Back during Nightmare Night?”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she remembered. “Right…the sexy remark.” The two of us ran in uncomfortable silence for a bit before Twilight looked up at me. “Did…you mean what you told Pinkie that night? About finding other mares attractive?”

I nodded. “Yes. I meant it. I’ve seen a lot of gorgeous mares in this town, you included. And sure, I’m attracted to them physically, but you know me, I want more out of a relationship than just meaningless sex. I want a connection. Emotional, mental, spiritual (depending on what that looks like here) and, yes, physical. I want all of that from a lover, and I have that with Zecora.”

Twilight smiled, and I thought I saw a blush on her cheeks. “I’m glad to hear it. You deserve it after all you’ve been through.”

“Deserve is a strong word,” I admitted. “But I’m counting myself beyond lucky that a Zebra like her cares about a guy like me.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short, Jethro,” she said. “You’ve got a lot to offer, and any mare would be lucky to have you as their coltfriend.”

“So I’ve been told,” I chuckled. “Thanks, Twi.”

“You’re welcome,” she beamed up at me before looking at the scenery all around us. “Wow…gorgeous day today, isn’t it?”

“Oh, definitely,” I said. “Autumn is definitely a beautiful season. I love all the leaves changing colors, the cooler weather, the wind and rain, and pumpkin spice everything.”

“What’s pumpkin spice?” Twilight asked.

I grinned. “When this race is over, I’ll break out some of my pumpkin spice coffee blend and brew some for you. I bet there’s a recipe on the staticnet for pumpkin spice, too. I’m positive the Cakes would go nuts over that.”

Twilight snorted. “You certainly impressed them with that ice cream cake idea of yours,” she said.

“Hey, there’s no harm in bringing some good things from Earth to Equestria,” I reasoned.

“Heh, true, true…What else are you hoping to bring from your world to here?”

I grinned. “You’ll flip your lid when I tell you about ebook readers.”

And flip her lid she did. Her eyes practically bugged out of their sockets when I mentioned the fact that something the size of a small book could hold entire libraries worth of knowledge within it. I told her I had three at home, but that one of them had a poor battery life. “It’s one of the downsides of an ebook,” I explained, “the need for a battery. If your battery runs out, then you’ll have no access to the books and then you just have an expensive paperweight. Don’t get me wrong, I love having an ebook with me, but there’s something to be said for old fashioned paper books. They never need a battery, and you can take them anywhere.”

“Would you be willing to let me look at the one with poor battery life?” Twilight asked hopefully. “Maybe I can figure out what the problem is and fix it?”

“Twilight, if you manage to fix it, I’d be really grateful,” I said. “I’ll show it to you after the race.”

“Thank you! By the way, why do you have three?” she asked curiously.

“Well, the one with the poor battery life was the first one I bought,” I explained. “However, the battery life on that one deteriorated fast, so I bought a second one. Then for my birthday one year, my coworkers bought me a third one. That third one is my backup just in case my second one breaks down. Even more so since I don’t have access to Earth tech anymore.” Unless I can get to Sunset Shimmer’s world, I thought.

“I’ll be really careful with it, I promise,” she said.

“I trust you on that,” I said. “I’ll even loan you one of my portable solar powered battery packs to keep the thing charged.”

“Eeee! I can’t wait!”

The two of us talked more about what possible things I could bring to Equestria. A few minutes later, however, Twilight pointed ahead. “Hey, is that Applejack?”

“She tripped already, huh?” I looked out to see Applejack standing and brushing herself off. “You Ponies should check the track for obstacles like that before the race. This isn’t an obstacle course.”

“Ah…Ah don’t believe it!” I heard Applejack say.

“Rainbow Dash didn’t trip you!” I called out before she could say anything.

“You just tripped over a rock, see?” Twilight added, pointing to said rock.

“What?” She looked back and saw the rock Twilight and I were both looking at. “Oh, hayseed!” We looked at the running Ponies who were moving farther and farther ahead of us with each passing second. “Now ah got a lotta ground tah make up tah catch Rainbow!”

“Just be careful!” Twilight smiled as Applejack rushed ahead. When she was out of sight, Twilight looked up at me. “They do make it out okay, right?”

“Yeah, but if things keep going the way they are, they’ll start cheating to win,” I replied.

“What? Why??” Twilight asked, aghast.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” I began, imitating Twilight’s voice, “sometimes, even the best of friends can become so competitive that suspicions can grow between them and they do some foolish things. Even friends have times when they might not act like friends, but that doesn’t mean the friendship is over. It just means, as Jethro so wisely says, ‘You’re only human’. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight smirked and rolled her eyes. “I don’t sound like that!”

“Nah, you’re right. Your real voice is a lot more soothing,” I said. I chuckled at Twilight’s blushing face as I moved slightly ahead.

“You think so?” Twilight asked shyly as she joined me again.

“Honestly, I think you could narrate a whole audiobook,” I admitted. “You have a very nice voice, perfect for reading.”

She blushed even more. “Thank you…” she said softly as we continued running.

Another few minutes passed, this time in silence. As we ran up another hill, I saw Rainbow Dash standing and brushing herself off in a manner nearby identical to the way Applejack had earlier. “I don’t believe it! Applejack-”

“Say one word about her tripping you, and I’ll flip you!” I called out as Twilight and I approached.

“Don’t you Ponies ever look where you’re going?” Twilight asked, pointing to a nearby stump. “You tripped on a stump, see?”

“Oh, I see,” a fuming Rainbow Dash said, “A big cheater is what I see.”

“Riiight, because it makes total sense for that to happen,” I snarked. “I know! She came out here years ago, planted the tree, waited for it to grow, then cut it down juuust for you to trip over it.” I frowned at her and crossed my arms. “See how stupid it sounds? You’ve known her longer than I have, and I’ve seen the show! She’s the most honest Pony I’ve known. She ain’t the Element of Honesty for nothing. Take a chill pill and run the race. And if I see you cheating, so help me I will flip you into the middle of next week.”

“Remember, Rainbow, this is just a game,” Twilight said, running past Rainbow Dash. I joined her, but looked back. To my relief, it looked like Rainbow Dash was actually thinking about it before shaking her head and dashing past us. When she was out of sight, Twilight gave me a disapproving look. “You didn’t have to threaten her, you know?”

“You forget I’ve seen these events before,” I replied, “and I didn’t want Rainbow Dash to stoop to cheating to try and win. Or Applejack for that matter.”

“Still, threatening her like that was a bit uncalled for,” she said sternly.

“Yeah…probably so,” I admitted, “but here’s hoping it produced results.”

We changed topics and began talking more about our favorite parts about the autumn season. When I mentioned the American Thanksgiving holiday, Twilight asked me more about it. She was a bit disconcerted to hear about the food that was eaten, but she was still excited to hear about this new kind of tradition from Earth. When I asked if Ponies had any kind of harvest festival, I was shocked to hear that they didn’t. “Wow…you’d think you would have some kind of harvest festival or something like that.”

“Well, Hearths Warming is sort of like that,” Twilight said.

I chuckled. “True enough, I suppose.” I was still going to celebrate Thanksgiving regardless, and I’d already ordered the turkey from Griffonstone. “It’s one of my favorite holidays, even if the traditional foods for it are some you Ponies can’t eat. Unless you count tofurkey.”

“What’s that?”

“Fake turkey made out of tofu,” I said. “Vegans and vegetarians have it back on Earth. Not me. I don’t care what everyone else says. Give me a good old fashioned turkey dinner with all the trimmings: mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, bread rolls, pumpkin pie and ice cream. Then the traditional after meal nap from the tryptophan. Then a football game outside. Shame we can’t do a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” I chuckled. “Aaand I’m hungry now,” I laughed, pulling my water bottle up to take a drink, then took it off and handed it over to her. “Want some?”

Using her magic, she quickly took a drink before handing it back to me. “Ahh, that hit the spot, thanks!”

At least she didn’t go all indirect kiss freak out on me, I inwardly chuckled as I put the strap back over me.

“Wow, that water was cold!” Twilight said.

I shook it. “My fridge has a built-in ice maker.”

The way her eyes bulged again told me that we’d be having another long discussion about it. I steeled myself for the questions…

As we reached the last legs of the race, I saw, to my relief, that neither Applejack nor Rainbow Dash had resorted to cheating, or at least, I hadn’t seen any indication of it. However, that didn’t mean anything, since the few times I’d seen the two mares, they looked like they were growing more and more angry at each other. Twilight had seen that too, and was growing more and more worried. I was as well, but I held out hope that they wouldn’t resort to cheating.

When I spotted the finish line, I turned to Twilight, grinning. “What say we show these village Ponies how we city slickers do it, eh?”

Her grin matched my own and she began pumping her legs. “Last one there is a rotten egg!” she called out.

“Yeah, and the first one’s gotta eat it!” I shouted, beginning my own sprint towards the finish line.

I focused on the finish line, making sure to use the Pegasus senses I had to observe my entire surroundings. Twilight and I made our way through the surprised group of Ponies, and made our way towards the two lead runners. I could hear a surprised Spike announcing our leap to the finish, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash both turned, eyes wide as the two of us approached.

And that was their downfall.

I was too late to call out for them to look out for a freshly fallen branch in the middle of the road. The two mares tripped over it and went sprawling. I half expected Twilight to stop and help them, but as we passed, I saw a bit of competitive spirit come out in the Unicorn. “Forgive me girls, I know I’m not an athlete, but shouldn’t the Running of the Leaves actually involve Running?”

“Someone get them directions to the nearest hospital because they need some medicine for that sick burn!” I heard a familiar Pegasus shouting from nearby with a laugh.

I pumped my legs with everything I had, as did Twilight. “Look at this!” I heard Pinkie announce from above. “The two underdogs are neck and neck, inching their way towards the finish line. But wait! Rainbow Dash and Applejack are starting to catch up.”

“Right now, it’s anypony’s race!” Spike added. “Looks like it’s Jethro in the lead…now it’s Twilight…now it’s Jethro again!”

The ending was nearly in sight. I focused all my energy on it, and with a final push, Twilight and I broke through the red ribbon at the same time. A cheer came from the gathered Ponies as I took the time to slow down. When I finally stopped, I collapsed, and I felt Twilight collapsing right on top of me. My chest was on fire, and my breathing ragged. I took another long swig of my water before handing the bottle to Twilight, who greedily drank. I looked up at her, and she at me. I held out my fist, and she held out a hoof. With tired grins, we fist/hoofbumped. “First place tie, huh?” I gasped. “You did better than I thought you would. Congrats, Twilight Sparkle.” I reached up and, after putting an arm around her, began stroking her mane.

She sighed contentedly and lay her head on my chest. “You did great too, Jethro Bethridge.”

“I…don’t…believe…it…” Rainbow Dash said, approaching us and panting heavily. “How? You two ran so slow! And looked at the scenery!”

“Yeah, how’s that even possible?” Applejack asked.

“It’s called pacing,” I explained. “You keep all your energy conserved until the very last moments, then you let it out in a burst of energy, passing everyone else to win.” Twilight nodded in agreement. “I’m just glad your assumptions didn’t get out of hand. You two were really not getting the point of this race.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other, then slowly looked down. “Yer right, Jethro. Our behavior wasn’t good.”

“We weren’t good sports at all, were we?” Rainbow asked.

“Sounds to me like an important lesson was learned,” a familiar voice said from behind us.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA?!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash exclaimed simultaneously.

“Forgive me for not standing to attention,” I called out, taking another gulp of water before handing it back to Twilight.

Celestia’s face suddenly hovered over mine, and a broad smile formed. “That’s quite alright. You and my faithful student did quite well. I was watching you two from above.”

“I am sooo not surprised,” I said, just as Zecora came and knelt beside me, putting a cool wet towel on my forehead. “Thanks, sweetie.”

“I see you enjoy snuggling with Unicorns,” Zecora smirked. “Is it comfortable?”

Celestia giggled as I replied, “Join in and find out.”

As Celestia talked to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Zecora plopped herself on my stomach. I closed my eyes and sighed contentedly. A perfect end to a perfect Autumn day…

57: A Cloaked Heart In A New World

To say that I was confused would be an understatement. What the hell was going on?! Why did Zecora and Scarlet look like normal humans? And, come to think of it, why was it so cold and somewhat dark? And why were we in a forest? And what was with the statue of King Arthur of all people? It was massive, for crying out loud!

“Jethro?”

I saw a hand waving in front of my face. Looking towards the owner of said hand, I saw the now completely human Zecora looking at me with those gorgeous dark blue eyes of hers. She was standing in front of me, looking worried as she cupped my cheek with her warm hands. I cleared my throat. “Sorry, Zecora. Just…taking in how wrong everything is.”

“No shit,” Scarlet said, who by now was leaning against one of the trees, brushing off pine needles and dirt off of her new jeans. “I thought I’d be gray with the red hair?”

I wanted to yell at Scarlet for what she did. I wanted to scream at her and tell her to go the fuck back home, but there was another pressing matter at hand. I took my backpack off, reached inside, and opened the journal. Grabbing a pen, I hastily began to write We’re here, but something’s wrong. This world isn’t like the one from the show. It’s more like my own world than the world from Equestria Girls.

A few seconds passed, and then Celestia replied, What’s different there?

We aren’t where we’re supposed to be, and Scarlet and Zecora look different than I expected. I’ll keep you posted. Something cold landed on my nose and I looked up. I swore quietly as another snowflake landed on my face. As soon as we find a place to spend the next few nights. It’s starting to snow here.

A few seconds later, Celestia replied, Be careful. The others here are trying hard to convince me to let them go through to help you or attempting to run through themselves. Luna and Cadance are holding those Ponies back.

It’s not like we can all fit in my sleeping bag, I replied, but please tell them there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine.

You’d better be, Jethro Bethridge, or I will be quite upset, Celestia said. Contact me regularly, please.

Will do. Jethro out. I closed the book and slipped it back into my backpack, then turned to Scarlet. “Scarlet…what were you thinking?” I gave her a disapproving frown.

“Well, what do you think?” she said, walking up and poking my chest angrily. “I wasn’t about to leave you alone again!”

“This isn’t the world I thought it was,” I said through clenched teeth, “You aren’t colored right and we’re in a forest, not in front of a high school. And besides, you both look older than teenagers. We’re in unknown territory here, and aside from that, it’s snowing.” I pointed up at the sky.

“I’m. Not. Leaving!” Scarlet shouted.

Zecora was by my side immediately. “Love, I suspected she would attempt this,” she said. “I have a spare sleeping roll for the night if we need to stay in the open.”

I facepalmed and sighed. “Alright…well, before we break those out, let’s try and find a way out of this forest. Maybe we can find a shop where we can sell some of these diamonds or bits and maybe find a hotel that’ll accept walk-ins and cash payments.” I slung the backpack over my shoulder and tightened the straps. Zecora’s saddlebags had changed into a dark brown backpack which I helped strap over her shoulders. When we were all ready, I looked around the clearing, hoping to hear or see anything. It would be really hard to come back to find this place in time if they took all week.

Fortunately, I heard the sound of what could only be a car driving by, and I pointed in the direction I’d heard it from. “That way. Girls, make as much of a path as possible. If it snows enough, we might not be able to see where we came from. In fact, wait.” I pulled out my knife and began putting notches in the trees we passed while also stomping down on the brush and twigs on the forest floor.

Finally, I saw what could only be a streetlamp turning on as the clouds continued to darken. I took Zecora’s hand, who in turn was holding Scarlet’s hand as I continued making notches. I heard a few more cars passing on the road ahead and even saw their headlights and taillights. But something was off. These cars were moving too slowly to be on a public road. We were either in a neighborhood or a private road.

When we stepped out of the forest, I saw that we were in front of a large parking lot, standing on a sidewalk that went perpendicular to the path we'd just come through. The asphalt was already coated in a thin layer of white, further illuminated by the lights in the parking lot itself. I saw many various cars parked there and a couple driving through it. Looking left, I saw a small driveway heading to what I guessed was a main road. But when I turned right, I saw a large well-lit building. The front was mostly glass with a warm white glow coming from inside. One of the parts of the building was domed with lights illuminating something hanging from the ceiling.

“Should we go investigate that building?” Zecora asked, pointing towards it just as a large bus drove past us, heading to a large bus stop directly in front of the building where a large number of people were gathered, all wearing winter gear and various types of backpacks.

I looked back at the pathway we’d made to make sure it was clearly visible. When I was satisfied, I turned back towards the building. “Yeah, let’s go.”

As the bus ahead of us stopped, it opened and other people began piling off of the bus, spreading out and talking among themselves or looking at their phones. My heart sank when I saw just how normal they looked, no colorful skin or hair, just the same shades of colors I’d seen on Earth. I heard phrases in English, which was a relief to me. They sounded as if they had American-eque accents too. One thing I noticed was the lack of masks on the people I saw, not one. Both women walked beside me on the sidewalk as we made our way towards the building.

We walked past another sidewalk that turned to the right. I looked down and saw a fountain with a depiction of a woman’s hand holding a sword out of it coming out of the pool. It must have been on some kind of motor as the hand rotated slowly around. “Huh…the Lady of the Lake,” I said.

“What is that?” Zecora asked.

“It’s an old legend from Earth,” I said as I continued watching the water come out of the sword’s tip in a shower of bright multicolored light. “Supposedly the Lady of the Lake gave this sword to a famous legendary king of England named King Arthur as a sign of his divine right to rule. At least, that’s what I’m remembering. It’s been a while since I read up on Arthurian legends. Come on, we can explore that later.”

As we headed towards the building, the trees to our right gave way to other larger buildings to the right of us, heading further down. Some were more utilitarian in appearance, looking a bit out of date when compared to the more glass-covered buildings near the front. I saw a section of one of the buildings covered by plastic and cornered off by temporary barriers. Apparently, this facility, whatever it was, was undergoing some kind of refit.

Near the main pathway leading down towards these various other buildings, I saw a large stone slab with what could only be the name of the facility engraved on it. Camelot College, it read. Unlike everything else around us, this sign was simple, and to the point. It looked like it had been recently restored, as well. Next to it, I saw a large sign with a map on it of what was, presumably, the campus. I rushed over and looked over the map. There were seven buildings on campus, and all were simply numbered One to Seven. The other side of the sign had the exact same map on it, and both sides had a bright red dot with You Are Here written in big bold print beside it. We were right next to the Building One, which I assumed was mostly administrative.

A sharp breeze blew up around us, and I felt more snow brush against my neck. Shivering, I pointed to Building One as the temperature around us began to fall faster with the darkening skies around us. “Quick, inside! It’ll be warmer in there and they’ll probably have a place to sit,” I said, rushing towards the front doors. The two women followed quickly enough, and I held the first set of doors open. Zecora, having seen how I opened the doors, opened the inner one for the two of us.

We were in a vast lobby underneath the large window dome. The object I’d seen hanging from the dome was actually a very early looking airplane, of all things. There were carious couches lining the walls that had windows looking outside. There were bright red chairs with armrests surrounding small circular tables scattered around the marbled floor, and large cylindrical lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating everything around us in a warm white glow. One of the walls had a massive painting of what I could only assume were stylized versions of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table sitting around said table. One wall was lined with various vending machines, and to my surprise I recognized various brands on the soda and drink machines, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Snapple, Gatorade, and even Shasta. There were two large walkways that led to what I presumed were either classrooms or offices. Two large staircases led up to the second floor and I saw three elevator doors, one of which was open and letting a few students out into the lobby.

I sat at one of the red chairs, leaning back and running my hand through my hair to remove any of the snow that had fallen onto it. Zecora and Scarlet also took seats, the former removing her backpack and letting it fall to the floor beside her. They were looking around at everything in awe and astonishment, but I was just tired. Camelot College?! All of the Arthurian legend stuff? What the hell’s going on here?

Wanting to distract myself by doing something, I leaned down and opened my backpack to once more check on my stuff, only to realize that I couldn’t hear the jingling of bits anymore. I could still see the diamonds, but something else had replaced the bits jingling: the rustling of paper. Wide eyed, I reached in and pulled out a large stack of hundred-dollar bills. “The fuck?!” I exclaimed, before realizing my voice carried in this large lobby. Quickly, I hid the money, but pulled one out and examined it.

It was clearly American currency, there was no doubt about it. It had a slightly older look to it, lacking the more colorful aspects of the more modern hundred dollar bills I had once seen back on Earth. The date on it was 1996. I pulled out my flashlight and looked through the other stacks of what looked like fresh currency, and I saw five other stacks of money, one other stack of hundreds, one of older looking twenties, two stacks of five-dollar bills and one of crisp one-dollar bills.

I pulled out the stack of ones, looking at them with complete confusion. Most of the dates I saw on them were ones like 1999, 2003 and so on. They looked completely real and even felt real.

“Wait, Jethro? I thought you didn’t bring Earth money with you?” Scarlet asked, her attention now back on me. Zecora was also looking at the stack of green in my hand.

“I didn’t,” I admitted, “but the bits I brought are gone. This was what I found instead.”

Zecora stood, walked over, and felt the paper money with her hands. I handed her one, and Zecora the other. They’d both seen what little Earth money I still held onto as a keepsake back in Equestria, of course, so this was nothing new. As Zecora handed the money to Scarlet, she looked at her own clothes. “Love, perhaps the mirror did to the bits what it did to us?”

“Changed my money into local currency?” I asked.

“Hey, in both the show and in real life, we were changed into humans and given clothes,” Scarlet said, pulling on her sleeves. “So why the hell why wouldn’t the Stargate change your money to better fit in?”

“That…makes way too much sense,” I admitted. “But we need to find out if it actually works. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” I stood, pulled out a small portion of one-dollar bills from the stack and made my way to one of the nearest vending machines, which happened to be the Coke one. It was one of those older types with the plastic covering over the buttons. I was surprised by how cheap the sodas were, fifty cents a can. I put one of the dollar bills in, and to my surprise and relief, it accepted it. I hit the Orange Fanta button and the machine whirred. Below, I heard the can fall and land in the dispensing tray below. I took it and looked at the logo, which somehow looked out of date. I heard two coins fall into the change tray, and I pulled them out. Both were older coins. I slipped them into my pocket and grabbed another one-dollar bill, slipping it into the machine. As before, it accepted it. This time, I selected Barq’s Root Beer. Once more, the machine dispensed it. With the change I got, this time I got a normal Coca-Cola can. As was an old habit of mine, I shoved the other remaining bills into my pocket, then took the cans back to the two girls and set them down.

Scarlet’s eyes widened and she snatched up the Coke can immediately, fiddling with it until it opened. I opened the Orange Fanta can and handed it to Zecora, while I took the root beer. It had been months since my soda collection at home had lost its final root beer, and despite the situation, I was going to allow myself the opportunity to savor this moment.

Scarlet burped a bit loudly before she asked, “I take it the money’s working?”

“It would seem so, yes,” I said as I looked at the can carefully. The return deposit was at the top and showed that my home state's return was still five cents instead of the ten cents it was when I left Earth. Curious, I looked at the bottom, which is when I received another shock in the form of the expiration date. “May 19, 2011?!” I exclaimed, earning me a few glances from nearby students. I gave them all apologetic smiles before I put the can down. Pulling out my phone, I looked for a wi-fi signal. Finding a free one called CCC-Guest, I logged in, but despite telling me that I was successfully connected, I couldn’t use my Firefox app, or even the iPhone store app. I sighed and put my phone away. Is it possible I’ve traveled to the past? I thought as I looked around the room. To my relief, I saw a line of computer terminals. “Put those sodas down, ladies. At least until I get back,” I said as I stood and rushed over to a free one. There was a login screen, but the layout for the screen was definitely Windows 7. All I needed was a date, and my eyes widened again when I saw it.

November 11, 2010.

I returned to the other girls in a daze. Not only was I on Earth, or a world that was practically identical to the one I knew as far as I could tell, but I was twelve years in the past. I had no idea where I was, but if Sunset Shimmer was here, too, I’d have a harder time tracking her down. Unless she wasn’t even in whatever city or town we were in. She could very well have traveled far away from the portal-No, I’m calling it the Stargate from now on, I thought.

I heard someone’s stomach growl, and looking over at the girls, saw a clearly blushing Scarlet. She raised her hand. “Sorry…that was me. I was so nervous this morning I didn’t eat breakfast.”

“Well…in that case, why don’t we try and find a map of whatever city we’re in,” I said, glad for the distraction. “Oh, and go ahead and drink those sodas. They’re okay.”

“What made you think they weren’t?” Scarlet asked as we headed towards couple of spinning brochure racks near the entrance.

“Scarlet, what year did I say I was from?” I asked.

“Um…2022, right?” she asked uncertainly.

“Correct. But in this world, it’s 2010,” I said.

Zecora and Scarlet’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you saying we have gone back in time during your world’s history?” Zecora asked.

“If this really is my Earth,” I said. We reached the racks and I began looking them over. “Hmm…special events…map of campus…ah!” Finding a brochure with Pendragon Bus Schedule and Map, I snatched it opened it. The bus lines of this city named Pendragon seemed to go everywhere, giving me a good map of the city proper.

From what I could see, Pendragon was located inland and looked normal enough. Street names were surprisingly “Okay…so judging by this American flag in the corner, I can assume we’re in the U.S. But seriously, what’s with all the Arthurian legend stuff…?” I spun the rack around, carefully looking for anything else that could help. When I saw a world map, I eagerly grabbed it and unfolded it.

And promptly froze.

It was Earth, all right. All seven continents right where they were supposed to be, all the countries identical to the ones I knew. Everything was identical.

All except the United States borders. I peered closer at it, staring incredulously at the extra piece of land added onto the country.

Vancouver Island.

“This is not your world, then,” Zecora asked me as we munched on a few vending machine snacks ten minutes later. She held a half-eaten peanut butter cracker in her hands while Scarlet was practically scarfing down a bag of Cheez-Its.

I took a bite of my Tillamook brand jerky, nodding in response to her question. “It can’t be. This patch of land never belonged to the United States. Not to my knowledge, anyway,” I said. “So we’re in some sort of parallel universe. Heh, Twilight would love this, I’m sure.”

“That nerd would have a fangasm,” Scarlet smirked, a few Cheez-It crumbs falling out of her mouth. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“So what does that mean for us?” Zecora asked.

“It means we’re playing this by ear,” I said. “If Sunset Shimmer is a student at this college, it’s going to be very hard to find her since she probably looks more like a normal human than what I showed you. But we need a place where we can speak more openly.”

“Such as?” Zecora asked.

I stood and grabbed my backpack, slinging it over my shoulder. “First, we need to find a place to sleep, and with the snowfall outside, I’d rather not sleep on the ground,” I said. “Plus, I doubt anyone here would let us just borrow one of the couches for the night. Local time says it’s…” I looked around and spotted a large clock with Roman numerals on a wall just above the brochure stand. “…just around five thirty. Since we have money with us now, it’ll be much easier to find a place to stay. Assuming we can find one that accepts cash.”

“And how are we going to do that, love?” Zecora asked.

“Well…by asking around,” I shrugged. I swallowed the last of the jerky and wadded the plastic bag it came in up. “Finish up eating, you two. We’ve got a hotel to find.”

Zecora put her bag of half-eaten peanut-butter crackers away, and Scarlet looked at herself, trying to find a place to put her bag of unfinished Cheez-Its. I held out my hand and she slowly handed them to me. Putting them in one of the pockets of my backpack, I looked around. I spotted a student sitting on one of the couches near the window looking down at a decade old smartphone, presumably an old iPhone. The student looked up at me. It was a younger guy with black sneakers with stylized lightning bolts painted on the side, a pair of light blue jeans, a white t-shirt with a dark brown leather jacket over it. He had spiked brown hair. “Yeah? Can I help you?” he asked in a friendly manner before I got anything out.

“Sorry to bother you,” I said apologetically, “but could you tell us how to get to the nearest hotel that accepts cash? I lost my credit cards, and my phone has absolutely no service and it can’t connect to the guest wifi here or anywhere else.”

“Sure!” He looked down at his phone and typed something in, then waited. “Okay…so looks like we have a Motel 6 seven miles away, and then there’s Sunway Hotel two miles away. According to this site, those two accept walk-ins and cash. Sunway is cheaper.”

“How much?” I asked.

“Looks like…about fifty dollars a night for a room with two beds, forty for a one bed,” the student said.

That’s pretty cheap, I thought. “Alright, could you give us some directions, or tell us which bus routes to take to get there?” I asked. “Sorry for asking this of you,” I added.

“Don’t worry about it, dude,” the student said. “Got a pen and paper?”

“Pen, yeah. Paper…no,” I said. I did have the journal, but I didn’t want to write something on it since there was always a chance we’d be stuck here until Twilight figured out how to permanently open the portal.

“Hey, no worries.” The student took out a small notepad. “Okay…so let’s see…”

Fifteen minutes later, the three of us were on the number 52 bus heading towards the center of the city. According to the student we talked to, the Sunway Hotel was located on the corner of Aban and Morien Street. We sat at the back of the bus, looking out at the snowfall and the passing city. As the bus turned onto the main road, we saw a few skyscrapers in the distance. This city, wherever we were, wasn’t big. I didn’t recognize any of the buildings, but then again, we were in a completely different world.

Zecora interrupted my thoughts by leaning against my shoulder. I looked down and saw her eyes closed. As I put my arm around her a second person leaned against me on the other side. I shook my head in amusement as I put my other arm around Scarlet. As the two women rested on my shoulders, I looked out at the passing buildings.

Plenty of the business I saw were familiar to me. I saw a Best Buy, McDonald’s, Chevron gas station, 7-11 and various other businesses I recognized from my Earth. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to get lost in the utter familiarity of what I was seeing. I couldn’t help myself: I felt like I’d never left my world.

We continued heading into the city, stopping to pick up and drop off various passengers. Without any internet access on my phone, I didn’t have the distraction that the other passengers had. Plenty were on their smartphones or listening to music.

A tear fell from me and landed on Zecora’s cheek. She looked up at me slowly. “Love, are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah…sorry. I just…” I lowered my voice and whispered, “When we first came here, I was expecting to be somewhere else. I guess the shock’s wearing off, and now I’m just excited that this world is almost identical to my own. If Twilight can figure out how to keep the Stargate open after we find Sunset Shimmer, maybe we can visit here regularly.”

She smiled and kissed my cheek. “I’m happy for you, dearest,” she said as she went back to leaning on my shoulder.

“Next stop coming up is Aban and Morien,” the bus driver announced over the intercom. “Transfer to line 47 and 62.”

The girls and I all stood and waited until the bus came to a complete stop. When the bus hissed and the back door opened, the three of us stood and headed out, but not before we all three thanked the driver, who told us to stay safe. We walked out into relatively heavy snowfall and looked around. As the bus drove away, it revealed a decent sized hotel building with a large sign in front. The word SUNWAY emblazoned in front of an oval shaped sign with a sunset in the background against a blue ocean. Underneath, the word VACANCY blinked on and off.

We made my way over to the crosswalk (which Scarlet had way too much fun pressing), crossed Aban Street, then crossed through the parking lot, went through the revolving doors at the entrance and into a large well-lit lobby.

One of the receptionists at the front desk saw us and smiled politely. “Welcome to the Sunway Hotel. Are you three checking in?”

“Ah, sort of,” I said sheepishly as we approached. “We googled this place earlier and we saw that you accept cash payments and walk-ins?”

She nodded. “That’s correct, sir. What kind of room would you like?”

“Well, preferably one with two beds, but if not, one bed will be fine,” I said. “I’ve got a sleeping bag I can use.”

“Well, let me see what we have here,” the receptionist said as she typed away at the desktop she was using. After a bit, she looked up and smiled. “We have three rooms with two beds left. Would you like to take one?”

“Yes, please,” I said immediately.

Nodding, she typed more. “And how long will you be with us?”

“Put us down for a week, please,” I said, taking off my backpack and reaching in to grab the stack of hundreds.

“Alright…so just so you know, since you’re paying in cash, there will be a deposit fee just in case any of you decide to purchase anything in the minibar. Any remaining money will be returned to you at the end of your stay. Is that alright with you?”

I nodded. “I wish we had a credit card,” I said. “How much is the deposit?”

“Twenty-five dollars,” the receptionist said.

“Alright, that’s fine with me,” I said.

“Excellent, sir. That will be $375, please,” she said. I pulled out four crisp hundred dollar bills and put them down on the desk in front of her. She took them, ran a pen over them to check their veracity, nodded in approval, then put them in a cash register and handed me my change. “Here you are, sir. Let me go get you some keycards.” She grabbed three keycards and typed something on her computer. She slid them through a machine, then handed them to me. “Your room is 502 on the fifth floor. Our free continental breakfast is from six to ten A.M. and our pool and gym are open from seven A.M. to ten P.M. We have an in-hotel restaurant, and if that costs too much we can also provide you with a list of nearby restaurants. Please enjoy your stay here!”

I smiled. “Thank you, we will.”

Scarlet couldn’t help but gawk as the elevator we got into, which had a view of the breakfast area below, rose up and up with each passing floor. “This is so awesome,” she squealed excitedly.

“You’ve been hanging around Rainbow Dash too long,” I snorted as the elevator door opened. “Come on, let’s find our room.”

It didn’t take us long to find it since our room was at the end of the walkway near a set of vending machines. Sliding the key card, I opened the door to a darkened room. Reaching over, I turned on the light. We were standing in a large carpeted room with two beds facing an older styled flat screened Toshiba which was sitting on a small dresser opposite them. The beds had sky blue comforters and pillows, covering white sheets. The room smelled just like any other hotel I’d stayed in, fresh and clean. On the other side of the room I saw the half-opened bathroom.

We all walked in, Scarlet rushing past and jumping onto one of the bed. Zecora and I dropped our bags on the floor and, after putting the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and locking it, she and I collapsed onto the other bed, staring up at the ceiling.

After a while, I sat up and looked at the two. “Well, for the next week, this is our home, ladies. Get comfy.”

At that moment, Scarlet’s stomach growled. Zecora and I looked over at the blushing girl, then at each other. We both grinned, then turned back to Scarlet, who was grinning with a hopeful expression. She looked at me, then said, “Can…we get some food?”

We all laughed as I stood. “Alright, let’s go see what they have down at the restaurant.” And with that, I slid my keycard in my pocket, unlocked the door, and with the two ladies behind me, stepped back out onto the walkway.

58: A Cloaked Heart Seeks The Sunset Pt. 1

“It’s a good thing our nerdy Unicorn friend isn’t here to geek out about the cool tech you just bought,” Scarlet said two hours later as she and Zecora both lay on the bed on either side of me as I typed on the new laptop I’d recently bought. She pulled out the earbud she had in her ear, which was connected to her new smartphone.

As it turned out, there was a large plaza on the other side of Morien Street. It had a couple fast food restaurants, a Walmart supermarket, a Target and another Best Buy. Scarlet insisted we at least look at the McDonald’s just to see if there was anything there they’d be comfortable eating. Unfortunately, any salad options they had they didn’t want due to there being meat in them. Zecora and Scarlet didn’t begrudge me the chance to buy a burger from there, however, so to make it up to them I took them to the Walmart where I bought them some refrigerated sandwiches, a few packaged salads and some fruits.

When we finished that, we went to Target and I bought the girls a few changes of clothes, shoes and some undergarments. After that, I decided that we needed to purchase a laptop so I could use the hotel’s guest wifi to do some research. I bought a decent looking Toshiba, then decided that we all needed cell phones. I bought us each three smartphones through Virgin Mobile, a Samsung Android with a keyboard that slid out from it, then connected them to the network with addon cards. After that, we went back to the room where I immediately logged onto the internet and began doing the research on this world. After helping Scarlet connect her new phone to the guest wifi, I knew I’d lost her. She was watching YouTube next to me with her earbuds in. Zecora, on the other hand, was leaning against my shoulder watching my fingers flying over the Toshiba’s keyboard.

As it turned out, Vancouver Island in this reality was named Avalon Island instead. I didn’t know much about this island even back on Earth except for its name. My curiosity got the better of me and I googled its history.

What I found was somewhat unusual. Apparently in the year 1770 a large group of settlers from England set sail for the New World. They didn’t want any part of the growing unrest among the New England colonies, so they approached the Spanish government who had already laid claim to the Pacific Northwest at the time in the hopes of negotiating a small piece of land for themselves.

Thinking themselves clever, the Spanish negotiators granted them a cheap bargain on an island where a previous Spanish expedition had found no natives on the island. According to natives on the nearby mainland, the island had been cursed for over a hundred years. Apparently, some mysterious illness caused those who tried to live there to go mad with anger and kill each other off. They called it the Island of Blood.

Of course, the Spanish didn’t divulge this to the prospective colonists, so they went in completely unaware of the potential danger. They established a small settlement called Williamstown, later named Wilton City, on the southernmost tip of the island. It was named after the lookout who was the first to spot the island from one of the ships.

Upon coming to the island and stepping ashore they discovered a small grove of apple trees. Inspired by the Arthurian legends of old, they named the island Avalon after the legendary island. From there, the colony grew and began spreading further inland.

However, what the natives warned about soon began coming true around ten years later when the colonists began to bicker and quarrel among themselves. Records indicated that it began when two men from opposing farms began to quarrel over a woman’s affections. The fighting got so bad that ten deaths occurred during one of the last fights to break out, two of which being the men involved. As a result, the feuding families cast out the woman and the two others with her and established a lasting friendship with each other.

As the years passed, families grew and Wilton spread across the southernmost tip. In 1834, a large group of the younger generation decided to travel north and establish their own colony. They sailed up the coast to the northern tip, landed, then explored inland until settling in the city that would eventually become known as Pendragon. When Washington state joined the union in 1889, Avalon was considered a part of the Washington territory thanks to trading agreements between Wilton, Pendragon and the mainland Washington settlements near the island.

I took a bite of my Big Mac. “If we have time and find Sunset before we need to go back, I can buy her something.”

“You’ll give her an aneurism,” Scarlet joked as she looked over my shoulder, one earbud removed. “So what are you looking up anyway?”

“The history of where we are.”

“Should we not be focusing on looking for Sunset Shimmer?” Zecora asked.

“Yeah, probably,” I said, opening another tab. “I’m just not sure where to start. Hmm…”

“Well, maybe it’s a shot in the dark, but maybe her name?” Scarlet asked.

“Yeah…probably won’t work. But…worth a shot, I suppose,” I said, entering Sunset Shimmer Pendragon in the search engine. When nothing came up, I searched for Camelot College Sunset Shimmer. Again, nothing. When I searched for Camelot College incidents, all I could find was a fight that had broken out between a group of Camelot students against a rival college, Jasper Preparatory College. Several arrests were made on either side and expulsions were handed out. It apparently happened during an inter-college competition a lot like the Olympics when one side accused the other of cheating. It devolved into a fight after that.

Next, I tried searching for other terms, such as Equestria and Princess Celestia, but nothing presented itself. I groaned and rubbed my forehead. “Nothing. This isn’t getting us anywhere. For all we know, Sunset Shimmer is either far away from us or dead.” I swallowed, not really looking forward to seeing if that was true. I really wanted to meet her despite her current mindset.

I felt Scarlet scoot closer, pressing herself against me. “Why don’t you just relax for a bit, alright?” she cooed into my ear. “Momma Scarlet knows just what you need.”

“Scarlet, this isn’t the time,” Zecora said with a hint of warning in her voice.

“Poo, you’re no fun,” Scarlet said, moving away and getting off the bed. “But I’m right. You need to relax. Why not just turn in a bit early tonight? Start fresh in the morning?”

Closing the window, I began shutting down the laptop. “Yeah…not a bad idea,” I said. “Maybe a good night’s sleep will help. After the day we’ve had, my mind is telling me to shut my eyes and hit the hay.”

“What should we do tomorrow?” Zecora asked as I got out of bed to brush my teeth.

“Well, first after we do some more internet research, I guess we’ll just have to go back to Camelot College,” I said. “Do some old-fashioned investigating. But first, I should check in with Celestia.”

Grabbing the journal, I opened it and began to write:

Hello, Celestia. Checking in.

Report goes as follows: After I put the journal away, I found out a few things about where we ended up. We ended up near a college campus at the northern edge of a city in Earth’s northern hemisphere. That’s correct, we’re on Earth, but not my Earth. As far as I can tell, this world is almost identical to the Earth I left. The only difference I can find is that the country I am from has a slightly different history, and the fact that we arrived twelve years prior to the year I left.

At any rate, we were extremely lucky to find that the bits I brought with me had turned into local currency, and a lot of it. I haven’t counted it, but I presume they’re the local equivalent of what I brought. We found a hotel where we could spend the week as well as a means to do some research, but so far we’ve not found anything, not on Sunset Shimmer or anything else that might lead to Equestrian interlopers in this world.

We’re all going to sleep to try and clear our minds before we return to the place where we found ourselves yesterday for some additional research. I will keep you informed of any progress we make.

Jethro out.

I put the pen down and waited. Soon, Celestia began to write back:

Hello, Jethro.

I am pleased to find that you have found a safe space where you can rest and work from. I have informed the others of your progress and they are just as relieved. Twilight and Spike in particular are still begging me to let them through, but so far I have not allowed them.

They have all requested to stay at Canterlot for the week, and I have allowed it. If something does occur on the other side, I may have to send a few of them, if not all of them, through. Please report in to me daily.

Celestia out.

I smirked as I closed the journal and put it on the nightstand between the beds and lay down. “Well, now that we have checked in, let’s get some shut-eye, shall we?”

Waking up in a hotel room after months of sleeping in my old Earth bed and the main bedroom in my Victorian house was a bit jarring, but made all the better by feeling the warm presence of my Zebra-turned-human girlfriend sleeping next to me. Looking over at the clock, I saw that it was just past five in the morning. A good night’s sleep had been exactly what I needed. My head was clearer and more focused, and I was rewarded for it by seeing just how sexy Zecora’s sleeping outfit was. She’d worn a very short mini-T which exposed her slender midriff and a pair of small sleeping shorts which showed off plenty of her legs. Had Scarlet not been with us and had the situation not been so serious, I’d have jumped her right there, but there were more pressing concerns.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep thanks to the different time zones, so I quietly got up and decided to use the time to research even more. Out of curiosity, I googled my own hometown, only to discover that it was an abandoned western town. Googling myself proved to be just as lacking in results. Hesitantly, I even googled Trixie’s name, but got nothing.

Then again, googling people’s names probably wouldn’t work, I thought, especially since Trixie never had a Facebook account, and neither did I.

I did attempt to log into my bank accounts here just out of curiosity, but nothing. I apparently didn’t exist on this Earth.

An hour later, the other two got up. After getting ready for the day, we had a quick breakfast downstairs. Having not had a good breakfast sausage in months, I practically gorged myself on Earth breakfast meats. Zecora and Scarlet went for eggs, cereal, and pancakes, but to my surprise Scarlet tried one of my breakfast sausages. She admitted it was delicious despite it being meat. After we ate, we headed back up to the room, turned the laptop back on, and resumed our research.

Thanks to a clearer mind, I began searching for broader search parameters, such as Camelot College Pony and Camelot College Arthur Statue. The latter only revealed a different statue located in the courtyard of the college campus, but the former yielded one obscure result. However, it wasn’t one that we could use, since it was referring to an incident where a somewhat unstable male student rode a pony through campus wearing nothing but a loincloth three years prior.

It was when I searched for Avalon Arthur Statue that the mystery began to deepen. There was an entire Wikipedia page on what was called the Statue of Avalon Mystery. According to the article, starting as far from before Avalon’s European colonization, the Native Americans who’d live there before its cursed history reported seeing a strange statue which would sometimes appear for about seven days, and then disappear without warning. Each time it appeared, it would show up as something different. One man in the year 1885 swore that a statue of General Ulysses S. Grant had appeared on his farm for a week before it vanished.

“I’m pretty sure we can confirm that the statue we came through is related to this mystery,” I said, pointing to the screen.

Scarlet looked at the screen, reaching over to scroll down using the mouse I’d bought the night before. She slowly nodded. “So the portal to Equestria shows up on this island somewhere,” she said. “Why here of all places?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” I said. “but suffice to say that we have a new problem. If we don’t get back there in a week, we’ll have lost it forever. Even if Twilight manages to find out how to keep it open for a lot longer, there’s no guarantee that it’ll show up in the same spot. We’re on the clock, people.”

We all looked at each other, then as one we began to move. The girls went to grab their new winter clothes and I shut the laptop.

Despite the heavy snowfall we’d arrived in the night before, there wasn’t that much snow on the ground at the moment. The streets were already pretty clear, presumably thanks to the traffic and slightly rising temperatures. It was a brisk thirty-one degrees, but it was partly cloudy and the sun was already poking through the clouds as we walked back to the 52 bus stop right next to the hotel. Other students were already at the bus stop, talking about their plans for the weekend, the latest RayWilliamJohnson or Epic Rap Battle video on YouTube, or even Thanksgiving plans.

I felt like I was in my early twenties again, and I smiled despite myself. Going back in time, even if this was another Earth, felt somewhat fun. Beside me, Scarlet had already become lost to her new smartphone. Zecora had done a bit of experimentation with hers the night before, but hadn’t really shown much interest in hers except as a means of instant communication.

When the bus came, we all crowded in and found seats in the back. I was forced to stand since the bus was crowded. It felt even more unusual to see a crowded bus without anybody wearing a mask, although I did see an older Asiatic woman wearing one near the front of the bus in the handicapped section.

When we arrived back on campus, we all filed out and I pulled the two women towards the main building we’d been in the day before. I wasn’t surprised to see more students in the chairs and couches. We found a set of three chairs in a small corner of the lobby and sat down. By now, it was just past ten thirty in the morning. The sound of talking students echoed through the massive room and the outside snow was melting faster with the increasing temperature and sunlight.

“Okay, love, what do you want us to do?” Zecora asked in a low voice as we huddled together.

“First things first,” I said, “we should make sure that Sunset Shimmer isn’t a college student here. It’s highly unlikely that she was able to create a false identity in this world. I’m not sure how the show version of Sunset did it, but the fact of the matter is she came here without any form of identification. I looked through my bag before we left. I have no form of ID on me. Just the cash. You two don’t exist here as far as I know, but I also don’t know what your human names would be.”

“So we should be able to move around better, right?” Scarlet asked.

“Yes and no,” I said. “Remember, we’re technically not students here. I doubt any campus police will ask for our student IDs, but it’s best to be safe and come up with a cover story.”

“What did you have in mind?” Zecora asked.

“Hmm, if anyone asks, we tell them that Sunset Shimmer is our long-lost friend,” I said. “She ran away a while ago and we heard wind of her possibly being in this area. Now remember, humans aren’t normally as trusting as Ponies are. Sure, you’ll find a good number of friendly ones around, but for every good and friendly one you find, you’ll find one who’s not.”

“The one we met last night seemed friendly enough,” Scarlet said.

“True,” I chuckled.

“Speaking of him, I think I see him over there with a couple of his buddies,” Scarlet said, pointing over to a couch near the windows.

Turning, I saw the student from before hanging out with a rather muscular looking male student and a thinner one wearing thick rimmed glasses. They were all looking at the first student’s phone and laughing. “Huh, must have a morning class,” I said as I turned back to the girls. “We should actually talk to the school’s dean. We don’t know just how long-ago Sunset came to this world. Celestia said that she was sixteen when she ran away, and this was around…a year before she found Twilight. For all we know, time between worlds runs concurrently and she’s a lot older. But first…why don’t we start with asking them? Then try and find the dean’s office.”

“Heh, sounds good to me. Time to put these looks to some good use,” Scarlet said, flipping her hair back in a relatively seductive way as she gave the three men a grin.

“Knock it off,” I groaned as I stood and headed over to them. The two girls followed beside me.

When the first student looked up and saw me, he smiled. “Hey, nice to see you three again! Were you able to get a room?”

“Yes, thanks to you,” I replied.

“Glad to hear it!” he chuckled. “So whatcha doing back here?”

“Well, we’re actually looking for a former friend of ours,” I said. “We were wondering if you might have heard anything about her?”

“Well, I can definitely try and help,” the student said.

“Great! She goes by the name of Sunset Shimmer. Strange name, I know, but perhaps you’ve heard of her?”

The three exchanged a confused look, then the first student turned back to us. “I’ve never heard of anyone by that name. You, Arnold?” He addressed the muscular student.

The man named Arnold, who had a short crew cut, shook his head. “Nah, man. Sorry. Never heard of any girl by that name.”

“Me neither,” the third student said.

“Hmm…alright, well she might have gone by another name,” I said.

“Perhaps you boys might know about something else?” Scarlet asked, slightly biting her lower lip and giving the three students her best seductive look.

I smacked her upside the head, but lightly. “That doesn’t work in real life. We aren’t in a movie, so stop it,” I said with a frown. Scarlet pouted, but apologized anyway. “Sorry about Scarlet. She loves doing that.”

“No worries, dude,” the first student said.

“But she does have a point,” I said. “How long have you been going to Camelot?”

“About three years,” he said.

“Okay, good. In all that time, has anything unusual happened? Maybe a strange girl appears, babbling nonsense about Equestria, Princess Celestia, and instead of using anyone and anybody, she uses the word anypony or somepony?” The three students looked at me as if I was some kind of alien. “I know, it sounds strange, but trust me, she would be saying that.”

“Well, I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Arnold said. “Flash?”

I froze. Arnold had addressed the student from before. I looked him over, then realized that this student did, indeed, look a lot like the Flash Sentry from the Equestria Girls universe. Flash shook his head. “Nope, not me. Frankie?”

The skinny student with glasses shook his head. “No, but maybe Jackie knows?”

“Who’s Jackie?” I asked.

Flash chuckled. “Jaquelyn Smith. She’s one of the longest attending students here. Her family owns a large farm right outside the city, so she doesn’t have much time to actually attend classes and it takes her a long time to drive in, so she comes in mostly at the end of the week. We’re pretty decent friends. Would you like me to text her? I think she comes in today.”

Jackie…could she be…? I nodded. “Sorry if we’re bothering you, but if you could? We’re really worried about her ever since she ran away from home.”

“Hey, not a problem!” He pulled out his older iPhone and sent out a text. “Why don’t you three join us while we wait?”

“Thanks,” I said as I sat down at the couch opposite theirs. Zecora and Scarlet joined me on either side. “Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. I’m Jethro. This is my girlfriend Zecora and one of my best friends Scarlet.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Flash,” Flash said. “These are my friends Arnold and Franklyn, but we just call him Frankie.”

“Sup, bro,” Arnold said with a wide grin.

“Nice to meet you,” Frankie said as he pushed his glasses up.

“Pleasure to meet all of you,” Zecora said.

“Cool to meet ya, boys,” Scarlet said cheerily enough.

Flash’s phone chimed, and he pulled it out. “That was fast,” he said as he looked over the message, then texted back. “Looks like she just arrived. I asked her if she could meet us all here.”

“Really? Thanks a bunch, man,” I said gratefully.

“Hey, it’s not a problem,” he said with a smile. His phone chimed again, and he looked at it, then sent yet another text off. “She says she’ll be here in five.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said. Then, as a way to try and make conversation, I asked, “So what kind of college is this? A standard four-year college?”

Flash chuckled and nodded. “Pretty much.”

“It’s been a while since I went to college,” I admitted. “What are your majors?”

“I’ve been here three years trying to get an education major,” Flash said. He held up the guitar bag. “Being a stage musician can only get you so far, you know?”

“I hear that,” I smiled. “You like to play on stage, huh?”

“Yeah. I used to have a band, but they moved away after they graduated,” he said, sounding a bit saddened by that. “We still keep in touch, but they’re all over the country by now.”

“I’m a computer science major myself,” Frankie said. “I want to work in I.T.”

“I’m here on a football scholarship,” Arnold said, flexing his muscles a bit at that. “I’m going to apply to be a pro-football player! Yeah!”

Flash and Frankie just smirked and shook their heads at Arnold’s antics. I smiled as well. These two were clearly from three different walks of life, but the fact that they were all laughing and smiling made my heart warm up. “Friendship really is magic, isn’t it?” I muttered to myself before I could stop myself.

“Friendship is magic?” A very familiar sounding female voice asked from behind me. I turned and looked at the newcomer. She was wearing a pair of brown snowshoes, a pair of blue jeans that looked like they’d seen some hard work, a thick blue turtleneck with the words SMITH ACRES written across the top in an arch inside a red apple. Beneath the words was a stylized emblem depicting a barn house at sunset. She had gorgeous green eyes, a slightly tanned completion, freckles on her cheeks, and her long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail which came out of a very familiar looking Stetson hat. “Now that’s an interestin’ sayin’ there, sugarcube. Whatcha mean by it?”

Author's Note

Here's what the new Starswirl's Mirror Portal looks like.

Sorry I couldn't show it with the image shortcut. FimFiction doesn't like imgur for some reason.

(Also, sorry for the repeat. I posted the link here first before editing an earlier chapter's A/N to show it right away.)

59: A Cloaked Heart Seeks The Sunset Pt. 2

There was no doubt in my mind that this girl-no, woman-was the exact human duplicate of Applejack. Her voice was practically the same, her use of the word sugarcube was identical, and if that hadn’t been enough, the Stetson she was wearing was practically identical to the one worn by my favorite farmmare friend. She even wore her hair much like the Applejack of the human world I’d seen. And she was absolutely stunning. Like the song said, she radiated agrarian allure. And she wasn’t even a Pony.

Flash stood, grinning at the new arrival. “Jackie! That was fast!”

Jackie turned and grinned back at her fellow student. “Yer text sounded important, so ah ran here. Almost slipped a few times.”

“Damn, I hope you didn’t fall,” I said as I too stood, looking at her apologetically.

“Ain’t nothin’ tah worry yerself over,” she said. “Ah take it yer the one Flash was talkin’ ‘bout?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t mean for you to rush over here,” I said with a sheepish smile.

“Well, he said you were lookin’ fer a friend,” she said, “so ah rushed over fast as ah could.”

“I appreciate it,” I said. “Forgive me for being blunt, but we’re a bit on the clock. We can only be in town for a week before we have to go home.”

She chuckled and waved her hand. “Ah like it when a guy’s direct. What’s on yer mind?”

“We’re looking for an old friend of ours,” I said. I repeated the story to her, and she listened patiently, nodding in understanding. “And that’s the story,” I said. “Flash here said you’ve been going here a while, so I figured if there was anyone to ask, it’d be you first before I go to the dean.”

She nodded, then stroked her chin thoughtfully. “Well, ah can’t rightfully say anythin’ comes tah my mind about somethin’ like that,” she admitted, “but maybe mah older brother might know somethin’. Want me tah call him?”

“If it’s not too much of a bother to you,” Zecora replied.

“Ain’t no bother,” she said as she pulled out a smartphone. “He’s already up and doin’ all his farm chores anyway.” She tapped at her phone, then put it to her ear.

“Love, doesn’t this human sound a lot like a certain farmmare we both know?” Zecora asked in Farasi as Jackie waited for her brother to pick up.

“I think she is,” I said. “Although, I’m not really sure how that’s possible, to be honest with you.”

“Whoa, what language is that?” Frankie asked, having picked up on our conversation. Jackie had since stepped away and was having a quick conversation with someone. “I’ve never heard it before, but it sounds familiar. Is it from Africa?”

“Zecora’s native language,” I replied. “Yeah, it’s a rare dialect from Africa.”

“Really? Where’s she from?” Flash asked.

“Well, her parents moved here from a small village in Gabon before she was born,” I explained, “and they taught it to her while growing up. I’ve been studying it ever since we started dating.”

“That’s actually really sweet,” Flash said with a knowing smile. “My ex actually spoke another language, too. I wanted to learn, but she kept telling me it was impossible for me to learn it.”

An ex? Sunset Shimmer dated Flash Sentry in the movie, so maybe…? “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“She sounds like a jerk,” Scarlet blurted out.

Outwardly, I smacked her upside the head for her callous words, but inwardly, I was thanking her for the in she might have just given us. “Scarlet! That was rude!”

Flash shook his head. “No, it’s alright. Sienna was…a complicated woman.”

“Flash, you’re too nice,” Frankie said angrily, “she was a complete bitch!”

“Yer use of language aside,” Jackie said disapprovingly as she returned, “she wasn’t any good fer ya.”

“I know that now,” Flash sighed.

“By the way, sugarcube,” Jackie said, turning to me, “mah brother did tell me about somethin’ he saw when he was goin’ here. Apparently, there was some strange girl that appeared here ‘bout ten years ago. She couldn’t have been a year older than ah was back then, accordin’ to him. And ah’m twenty-five.”

“That kinda lines up with the timeline,” I said, seeing as Celestia told us that Sunset was sixteen when she ran away from Equestria. “Did he actually see her?”

“You can talk tah him,” she said, holding up her Android.

“Are you sure?” I asked, looking at the phone then back at her.

“Go ahead,” she said as she held the phone out to me. “His name’s Malcom. Just fair warnin’, he doesn’t speak much to somebody he doesn’t know.”

“Duly noted, thanks.” I hesitantly took the phone, put it to my ear, and said, “Hello, am I speaking to Malcom?”

“Eeyup,” the very familiar voice of the Earth version of Big Mac replied, “Jackie tells me yuh wanna know about that strange girl?”

“If you don’t mind,” I said. “It’s possible she’s the girl I’ve been looking for.”

“Whatcha wanna know?”

“For one, what did she look like?” I asked. “And what was she wearing?”

“Hmm…average height, long ginger hair, leather jacket, but that’s all I remember,” Malcom said.

That could be her! “Did you hear what she might have said?” I asked. “Anything at all? Strange names or places?”

“Eenope,” he said. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, not your fault. What happened to her after you saw her?”

“Left campus, headed to the city.”

“Hmm…guess that makes sense.”

“Sorry I can’t be much more help,” Malcom sounded a bit apologetic now.

“Don’t be. You’ve been a great help. Thanks a bunch.”

“Eeyup.”

Yeah, that’s definitely Big Mac’s Earth counterpart, I thought. “Want me to hand the phone back to your sister?”

“Eeyup.”

I did so, smiling. As Jackie took the phone and resumed talking to her brother, I turned back to Flash and his friends. “Well, from what Malcom just told me, seems like our girl was here, but ten years ago. Kinda hard not to spot a ginger-haired girl around here, I guess.” I included that small part, in the hopes that Flash would say something.

And he did not disappoint. “I wouldn’t go around saying that,” he said. “Sienna was a ginger, herself.”

“Heh, if she had green eyes and wore a leather jacket a lot, I’d say she was our Sunset,” I smirked. Flash froze. I looked at him, head tilting slowly. “She didn’t, did she?”

“Um…actually she did,” Arnold said.

“Do you have a picture of her?” I asked, making my voice sounding a bit more frantic.

Zecora, catching onto my leading statements, put her hand on my shoulder. “Love, please calm down. This could very well be a coincidence.”

“Ah…right, sorry,” I said, looking apologetically at Flash.

“No, it’s alright,” he said, sounding a bit upset as he took out his phone. “I have a picture I took of her and me on our first date a few years ago. It’s the only picture of her I keep. Here.”

He held out the phone and I took it. On the screen, I saw a picture, presumably taken by a bystander. Two young people, one an obviously younger Flash, and the other a ginger-haired woman around the same age, were sitting at what looked like an outdoor café, which on closer inspection was a Starbucks. Flash looked nervous, while the woman, who was wearing an orange skirt with a white t-shirt covering a leather jacket, was smiling, but there was something in her eyes that made me shudder. Those green eyes held…not malevolence, per se, but ambition, perhaps. A greedy type of ambition.

No doubt about it in my mind. That was Sunset Shimmer. I showed the other two, both of whom agreed. I handed the phone back. “She looks a bit older, but I think that’s actually the girl we’ve been looking for.”

“Ya call someone like that yer friend?” Jackie asked incredulously.

“She wasn’t always as mean as you described,” Zecora said, playing the saddened friend card. If nothing else, Zecora was an amazing actress.

“She had a private tutor she loved being around, but felt like she was being held back,” I added. “She became ambitious and ran away the moment things went south for her. She had a, shall we say, princess complex.”

“Sounds like Sienna,” Flash sighed. “She started out sweet, but as time went on, she began manipulating me into buying her more and more expensive gifts and treating her to more expensive meals, theater shows, even amusement parks. I broke up with her about a year and a half ago and…she didn’t really take it well. My friends had an intervention and told me how Sienna was using me for a bunch of stuff, even meaningless sex.”

“Fuuuck…” I said. This was getting darker than I could have imagined. “I didn’t realize she’d go that far…I’m really sorry about her. I didn’t mean to bring up old wounds, and I still don’t. But I hope you don’t mind if I ask a few more questions.”

“No, not at all,” Flash said.

I could tell this was painful for him, so I asked, “Are you absolutely sure? I don’t like pressuring anyone.”

He nodded. “Anything to help her.”

That shocked me a bit. I knew the Flash Sentry in the Equestria Girls universe was sort of a knight in shining armor type, but this Flash was definitely a good guy. “If you’re sure…then can you tell us where she might be living now?”

He frowned and looked thoughtful. “Far as I know, she lives in a duplex and is renting one side from the owner of the other,” he said. “Not sure how she could afford it, though. I never once heard her talk about a job or anything like that. I guess she was somehow…rolling in money.”

“Ah bet she got involved in some nasty business,” Jackie said with a hint of suspicion in her voice. “Heck, she even tried to break mah friendships apart.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Flash said. “All we know is that someone hacked your guys’ cells and sent phony texts.”

“Ah’m just glad Shye convinced us tah sit down and talk about it,” Jackie said with relief. “That girl can be quite loud when she wants tah be.”

“Oooh! Who are you talking about? Huh? Huh??” A pale skinned girl popped up behind Jackie, actually sitting on her shoulders suddenly. This girl looked a bit younger than Jackie, had long curly cinnamon colored hair, bright blue eyes, and was wearing pink jeans, a bright blue sweater and a beanie with, of all things, a stylized Generation 3 Pinkie Pie on the front holding a bunch of balloons. She was eating what looked like a Hostess cupcake.

My heart stopped when I saw her beanie, and I quickly pulled out my phone to google My Little Pony. In all the excitement of finding Sunset Shimmer, I’d forgotten to check to see if the show and toys even existed. One quick search was enough to confirm that the show did exist, but only up to the third generation. But, if the history of this world was any similar to mine, Generation Four would come out sometime next year.

“Jesus, Diane,” Flash exclaimed, jumping a bit at the sudden appearance, “you’ve gotta stop popping out of nowhere like that!”

Diane, who I presumed was Pinkie Pie’s counterpart, simply giggled as she got off of Jackie and finished the cupcake. “Hehe, sorry! I just saw Jackie here and I had to say hi!” She turned to me. “Ooooh! Are these some new friends?”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Sorry, but we’re just passing through, looking for an old friend of ours.”

Her smile faltered and became one of worry. “Oh no! What happened? Did they get lost? Are they hurt somewhere? Are they-?”

“Diane, darling! Why’d you run off like that?” another familiar voice called out from behind her. I turned and saw a young woman with light skin, a permed ash brown hair style rushing up. She was wearing high heeled black boots, a purple skirt with what looked like gems sewn into the hem, a light blue blouse and a fur coat, unbuttoned. She was lugging around a large satchel and held a measuring tape in her hand. “I was almost done measuring you!”

“Hehe, sorry Tri-Tri! But I saw Jackie and had to say hi!” Diane replied.

“Hey, wait for us!” yet another familiar voice said. We all turned again and I saw two other girls running forward. One had long but tomboyish hair, which had been colored in a rainbow style, as well as lightly tanned skin. She was wearing sneakers, black sweatpants, a white t-shirt and a dark blue jean sweater. She had a baseball cap on and her hair fell loosely all around it. The second girl was a light auburn-haired girl with light white skin as well. She wore light green jeans, a pair of boots, a white sweater, and was herself carrying a backpack. When the first girl arrived, she glared at the girl who Diane had called Tri-Tri. “Jeez, Trisha, why’d you run off like that?”

Trisha sighed. “Dashelle, darling, you never interrupt a lady and her art. Now stand still, Diane!”

“I said call me Dash, Trish,” the now named Dash huffed. “At least Shye here does,” she added, indicating the other girl who was panting heavily beside her.

“Hah…hah…what…what’s going…hah…on…?” the soft spoken Shye asked before she stood up and saw me, Zecora and Scarlet. “Oh…um…hi…” she said, placing her hands in front of herself in a clear posture of nervousness.

So…these are the human versions of the Elements of Harmony, I thought. “Hey there. Sorry, I was just talking to your friends here about an old friend of ours who might have been here, and we think we found her.”

“Y’all remember Sienna?” Jackie asked with a frown.

The mood among the five shifted, and a cloud of anger seemed to fall over them. Diane was the first to speak “That meanie-pants?”

“You’re friends with that skank?” Dash asked suspiciously.

“Dashelle! Have some self-respect!” Trisha shouted.

“It’s alright. But yes, we were her friends. A long time ago,” I said. “She’s probably forgotten about us. We just want to find her and bring her home. She’s got a lot to answer for, and we want to help her get better.”

“Get better?” Shye asked.

“She…hasn’t exactly had an easy life before she came to Pendragon,” Zecora said. Damn, she’s a good actress. “We just want to help her.”

“Hmmph! What she needs is a good few days in a locked cell,” Trisha said, “and that’s generous at best.”

“Jesus…what the hell did she do?” Scarlet asked in shock. Good, she’s learning to swear by human standards, and not Equestrian standards, I thought.

“What didn’t she do, you mean?” Dash growled. “She invaded our privacy and tried to break up our friendship! She hacked our phones and send phony messages, and when that didn’t work, she tried using blackmail on us!”

“Calm down there, sugarcube,” Jackie said, putting her hand on Dash’s shoulder.

“Damn, I never knew she was that far gone,” I said, making myself sound apologetic.

“Clearly not your fault, darling,” Trisha said. “There are always some bad gems.”

“Yeah, but like we said, she wasn’t always like this,” Scarlet said.

“Do you know where she lives?” I asked Flash.

“Yeah,” Flash said, turning back to me. “I can give you her address, or the address I remember. It’s possible she might have moved already.”

“It’s a start,” I said. “Thank you, Flash. I owe you big time.”

He shook his head as he took out a pen and paper, writing the address down. As he handed it to me, he said, “Just…if you do find Sienna, help her. I really think she’s had a hard life.”

I nodded. “It’s not my place to say, but she has.”

Celestia had once told me a bit about Sunset’s own past back in Equestria. She was an orphan from Manehatten for the first ten years of her life until she was taken in by the princess herself. Celestia was thorough in her investigation into Sunset’s own background, and discovered that her parents had been murdered in some sort of gang deal gone horribly wrong. Sunset was still a foal at the time and was put into the adoption system.

Unfortunately for her, the adoption agency she was from was one of the worst ones Celestia had ever seen. The orphans lived in unsanitary conditions, the staff ran the place like some sort of boot camp, and funds given by the local government were mysteriously “misplaced”. Celestia had gotten personally involved and brought all of the orphans to one of the Canterlot ones, arresting all involved with the foal abuse. It certainly put a lot in perspective on why she acted the way she did in the movies, but this was a whole new ballpark.

“I see,” Flash said sadly. “Well, I might not love her anymore, but I am really concerned. Promise me you’ll help her if you find her. Please.”

“We’ll do our best, I promise,” I said.

“Her safety and care is our number one priority,” Zecora added.

“We’ll straighten her out, for her own good,” Scarlet said.

“I hope so,” Flash said, and this time a hopeful smile formed on his face. “Good luck.”

The three of us sat on the bus again, having plugged the address into a local app called PenBus which gave us the times of the nearest local bus as well as a built-in map function similar to Google Maps. It would take us about an hour and a half to reach the house, and that was after changing busses to take the Pendragon Metro downtown.

As we sat on the train car, we began to discuss our plan of action. Things were going too easily for us. I had no doubts that this Sienna was Sunset Shimmer, at least I did in the beginning. But as I thought about it, I began to wonder if this Sienna was just Earth’s version of Sunset. Since it seemed like the Earth versions of the Mane Six were similar to their Equestrian counterparts, it was possible that Sienna and Sunset were similar in personality. I brought this up to the other girls.

“Are you absolutely sure, love?” Zecora asked, putting an arm around me comfortingly.

“Zeek, nothing’s absolutely sure,” Scarlet said, arms crossed.

“Zeek? Really?” I asked Scarlet with a frown. “You’re not calling her something that was Uncle Phil’s nickname.”

Scarlet smirked. “You can’t stop me, big boy.”

“Don’t worry about her, Jethro,” Zecora chuckled. “You were saying?”

“You saw the five girls back at Camelot,” I said. “They were the spitting embodiments of the Bearers. That means that this Earth could have other counterparts. Including Sunset. From what I saw, the girls here and the Bearers back home are pretty much the same personality-wise. That could mean that this Sienna is the same as Sunset in terms of personality.”

“Did the human version show up in the show?” Scarlet asked.

“Not that I know of,” I said, “and I looked at the Wiki just to be sure before we came here. But I shouldn’t have assumed things would be the same here just because the mirror in the show wasn’t a Stargate.”

“That was a bit weird to see,” Scarlet agreed.

“Love, this is the best lead we have found, and it’s barely been a day,” Zecora said.

“If this were a story, I’d say this was almost too easy,” I said, “but this isn’t a story. It’s real life. Sometimes we just get very lucky.”

“Dude, don’t jinx it!” Scarlet said anxiously.

“Yeah, sorry,” I chuckled.

“Are you worried about things going so smoothly?” Zecora asked.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “So, let’s be on our guards, everyone. Heaven knows what we’ll run into.”

The address Flash gave us led us to one of the wealthier sections of the city. The address led us to one of the nicest duplexes I’d ever seen. Both sides were relatively well maintained. Both were two storied with a full-sized garage for each part. By the time we’d gotten there, the snow had all but melted. The left side of the house had a small snowman in the front yard which was already starting to melt, and a few toys spread around. I thought I saw two toy ponies somewhere as well, and considering My Little Pony did exist in this universe, at least up to Generation Three, I wasn’t really surprised to see the toy.

“Whoa, are those pony dolls?” Scarlet asked, obviously seeing what I saw as well and pointing at the fallen toy.

I chuckled. “The one on the left looks a bit like Rainbow Dash, doesn’t it?”

Zecora chuckled. “Indeed it does, love.”

“Probably the one from the Generation 3,” I said. “And the one next to her is Pinkie Pie. But that’s not why we’re here, ladies.”

I looked at the right side of the duplex. There wasn’t anything in the yard at all. No plants, no garden, no anything. Just grass and a walkway up to the brown door. The shades were drawn and it looked as unwelcoming as the other side of the house looked welcoming and lived in. Zecora looked at me, then asked, “So, how do you wish to approach this?”

“I say we use the direct approach,” Scarlet said, cracking her knuckles like she’d been doing it for years. “Go up and knock, then ask if she’s this Sunset Shimmer.”

“I mean, I would tend to agree, but what if we’re wrong about who this girl is?” I asked, suddenly having my doubts. Even if this world wasn’t the Equestria Girls human world, the chances of things going fairly identical to how they’d gone in that world were fairly slim. But even so, this was the best lead we’d gotten so far, and I was willing to suffer the embarrassment if this Sienna wasn’t who I thought. “Actually, forget what I just said. Let’s just go and knock and see if we can figure out who this girl is.”

“What if she’s not home?” Scarlet asked.

I pointed to the other side of the duplex. “Then we ask them.” I walked up to the front door where our Sienna was possibly living, and rang the doorbell.

We waited for about a minute, and just as I was about ring the doorbell again, I heard a lock being unbolted, then a second one being undone. The door opened, and we were staring into the light blue eyes of the woman in the photograph. “Yeah?” Her voice was very similar to the Sunset Shimmer I knew from the show, but not identical, much like the other voices. It was deeper than most female voices. Her hair was the same shade of ginger I remembered from the image as well. “What do you want?”

Taking a deep breath, I gave her a level look. “Are you Sienna?”

“Look, I’ve already told you guys before, I know about our lord and Savior-”

“We aren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses,” I quickly added, “Or Mormon missionaries.”

Her frustrated expression turned to slight confusion. “Okay…then what do you want?”

I looked at her, then lowered my voice. “Forgive me for asking, but does the name Sunset Shimmer mean anything to you?”

In that moment, I was glad that Ponies didn’t have as much control over their facial expressions as humans did. The look of shock on her face was enough to tell me we’d found her. However, the shock quickly changed to suspicion and rage. “So…Princess Celestia finally sent somepony to bring me home. Well, forget-huh?”

I put my hand on the door and pushed it open, startling the now human Pony. She was wearing light blue pajama bottoms, a light pink t-shirt, and had on a pair of bunny slippers, of all things. “I’m afraid we can’t forget it. Sunset Shimmer, former student of Princess Celestia, we are coming in, and we are going to talk. And you are going to listen.”

60: A Cloaked Heart Faces The Sunset

To say that Sunset lived well in this universe was an understatement. She appeared to have all the latest technology, including a massive built in wall-mounted television, a PS3, an Xbox 360, a Wii, and a Blu-Ray player and VHS/DVD combo. The room itself was lit up with a few strands of white strands of warm white Christmas lights which were hung around the walls.

The interior had something of a postmodern look to it, with a slim black staircase that had a glass barrier between it and the first floor. I had no idea what was going on upstairs, but it didn’t really look all that homey. Neither did the large set of white couches in the living room where we sat. In all honesty, this house looked like a stock photograph for a house. Nothing in it screamed home, just a sterile house.

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t offer you any refreshments,” Sunset said as we all sat in her living room.

I nodded. “Understandable,” I said.

“So, what do you three want?” Sunset asked, giving us a cool glare.

“Princess Celestia wishes to see you once again,” I stated without preamble.

Her expression hardened as she faced me. “Yeah…go tell that stuck up bitch to go fuck herself.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. She is quite insistent on seeing you.”

“If she was that damn desperate, she could have come through the mirror herself,” Sunset sneered. “But what does she do? Send three Ponies through to do her bidding.” She snorted. “That’s just like her. Thinks she knows everything. Psh. I bet you’re just her lackeys, thoughtless drones that you are.”

I returned Sunset’s snide stare with a calm one of my own. “Is there a point in staying here? It’s not as if you can conquer Equestria sitting on your couch interacting with these humans and using…whatever it is these strange devices are.” I gestured towards her gaming consoles that lay on the stand before the TV.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Has your precious princess been keeping tabs on me all these years?” She sounded more suspicious than anything.

“No. We’ve just been here a while and done our research,” I replied.

She snorted. “I seriously doubt that.”

“Believe what you wish, Sunset Shimmer,” Zecora said. “Just believe us when we say that the Princess does indeed wish quite strongly to see you. She would have come herself but her royal duties prevented it.”

Sunset laughed. It was a harsh and bitter laugh. “Is that what that bitch told you? Is that the lie you believe?”

“The Princess wouldn’t lie like that,” Scarlet said, sounding frustrated now, although whether that was manufactured or genuine was difficult to determine.

“Are you planning on dragging me back by force?” She held up a smartphone. “I’m only one call away from calling the police and telling them there are intruders in my house. I have a security camera in my window, too, so they’ll know your faces. But since I’m feeling so generous, I’ll let you go back home. Get out of this world.”

The three of us looked at each other. The plan had originally been to act as Ponies turned humans so as not to tip my hand as being a human turned Alicorn, but since Sunset had been in this world for at least ten years, she’d had plenty of time to acclimate. She knew enough about the world to apparently get a nice house and a decent understanding of how Earth worked. I sighed, then turned back to Sunset, who still held up her phone in a triumphant manner. I decided to drop part of the pretense. “And if we were to call the cops and report cyberbullying on those humans back at Camelot College, the police would investigate you. And if we went to the FBI and reported an illegal alien, what then? Unless you know somebody who could forge perfect IDs, you’d be outed as a persona non grata. I doubt they let you play Halo 3 or Call of Duty in prison. Better not drop the soap, Sunset.” The more I talked, the darker my expression became.

Her frown deepened. “Interesting…it seems you know more than you let on, mister…” she let the question hang in the air.

“Bethridge. Jethro Bethridge,” I replied.

“So you’re not a Pony,” she said. “That’s a human name.”

“It’s a long story, and not one you need to know at the moment,” I said. “Suffice to say I’ve been sent here to try and bring you back to Equestria.”

“And what’s the motivation? What, is the queen bitch of the universe going to start teaching me again, or hold me back from my true destiny?” She steepled her fingers and stared at me. “Well? What does she want?”

“That’s not for me to say,” I said.

“Then get the fuck out of my house,” she growled angrily at me. “I’m not at that cunt’s beck and call anymore! She’s probably already replaced me anyway!”

“Nopony could replace you in her heart. The princess regrets your time apart,” Zecora said, slipping back into her rhyming.

“Pfff! Oh yeah, right! That’s rich coming from her. The only regret she’d have was not finishing that last slice of cake!” Sunset sounded amused now. “Fatass.”

Being exposed to human culture has definitely changed her, I thought. Or perhaps this version was always this vindictive. “Very well. You wish to know the real reason?” I growled angrily. “She misses you and wants to rebuild the trust she feels she broke!”

I wasn’t meant to tell her this unless I had no other choice, or so Celestia, Luna and I had planned. And I felt like there was no other choice. But at the brightening of Sunset’s eyes, I wondered if it had been the right choice. Her smile formed into a malevolent grin as she began to chuckle. I continued watching as her laugh became maniacal. She threw her head back, roaring in laughter and slapping the couch. She leaned forward after a while, wiping her eyes. As she began to slowly calm down, she looked up at me. “Hah…haaah…after…haah…all these years…and she finally wants to patch things up, huh?”

Her smile started to vanish, and she added, “And where has she been every time the portal opened, huh? Every thirty moons since I came here, she never came here. She never once bothered. Fucking hell, she didn’t even pick up the journal I brought with me. She’s not worthy of the title princess.”

I wasn’t sure what to say, here. She was obviously in a volatile state, and anything could set her off worse than before. Scarlet, however, had to open her big mouth. “Didn’t you hear us? She had a lot to attend to-”

“Keep your mouth shut before I sew it shut and toss you out,” Sunset growled angrily. “You know, that worthless fuck-up once told me that if there was something important, you make the time for it. Since apparently, I’m not important enough for her, then perhaps she’s cast me aside from a new more promising student. Tell me I’m wrong.” She leaned forward, glaring at me.

“That’s not for me to say,” I said. “She just wants to apologize and try and-”

“That’s too little, too late,” Sunset snapped back. “Now, some free advice from me. I don’t know how a human got into Equestria, and quite frankly, I don’t care. But I should warn you that I’ve learned a lot about humanity from my time here. Your kind are easy to manipulate, so very easy. The so-called Princess of Equestria you seem to be following blindly? The motherfucking mistress of manipulation. She would use anypony, or anybody in your case, just to get what she wanted.”

For a brief moment, the briefest of moments, a still, small voice in my head whispered Maybe she’s right about Celestia. I shook my head, steeling myself against her words. She’s hurt, I reasoned, she’s lashing out. She came here as a teenager, so it’s only reasonable that she’d feel betrayed. “I’m my own person,” I replied coolly, “and Celestia has proven that she is very much worth my respect. Nobody’s denying she’s imperfect, but-”

“Spare me your worship of her,” Sunset scoffed. “She’s obviously gotten to you.”

Just then, something in me snapped. Without thinking, I opened my mouth and spoke. “Perhaps the Elder Tree was wrong about your potential,” I said nonchalantly. “Perhaps you don’t have what it takes to be a princess, after all.”

She stiffened and I knew right away that was the exact wrong thing to say. I couldn’t help myself, though. Before I could even apologize, Sunset’s face contorted into rage. “Get out of my house. Now!” From the couch she pulled out a gun and aimed it at me. “I have nothing to lose by using this, so leave!”

I raised my hands, slowly standing. She made sure to be out of range of my arms before I did so. Zecora and Scarlet also stood, moving slowly away. “Easy, no need for that,” I said in as calming a voice as I could muster. Of course, inside, I was shaking. I had a gun in my face, and she was aiming directly at my head. “We aren’t lying to you. Celestia really does want to mend your relationship.”

“Fuck that!” she bellowed, pulling the hammer back. Her eyes narrowed at me and she snarled, “Get out of my house.”

Knowing a lost cause when I saw one, I nodded and slowly walked to the door. Opening it, I motioned Zecora and Scarlet through. I gave her one more look, then stepped out and closed the door. When I stepped back, I heard the door lock and the bolt thrown. I turned to the other two. “Well…that was a bust. Let’s go back to the hotel.”

The journey back to the hotel was one of complete silence. As we walked back to the train station, the sun began vanishing behind a thickening blanket of clouds that threatened precipitation, but never did, at least, not until we finally reached our hotel about an hour later.

The mood in the hotel room was completely gloomy. I sat at the desk, while the two women sat on the edge of one of the beds. The mood outside perfectly matched the mood inside. Dark. Dismal. Dead.

I barely had the energy to send a message to Celestia, and she had not yet replied. I spared no detail despite my lack of energy. My head felt like it was made of lead. My heart felt like a black hole, unable to be filled by anything, even the light of friendship and love.

I didn’t know what to do. If this had been the Equestria Girls universe, maybe I’d be better prepared, but I couldn’t think of anything. This version of Sunset was more full of hatred than the one I knew from the show. No, it was more than that. She was full of hate because of a perceived hurt and slight. She was even willing to kill. Or at least, threaten me with a gun. I knew Sunset had done wrong by this world’s standards, but Celestia had been no saint either. Even so, I could tell this was eating the ancient Alicorn up, and she was beginning to take somewhat more direct action than she ever had in the show. Her vulnerability towards me back after she watched the Sunset Shimmer video was enough for me to want to help.

“What…do we do now?” Scarlet asked. Scarlet had been desperately trying to come up with ideas, all of which we shot down. I appreciated her effort, but I was emotionally drained. I couldn’t think of anything.

“We cannot give up just yet,” Zecora said.

I closed my eyes, sighing. “I don’t plan on that, either,” I said, “but right now, I can’t think. I don’t know…I think I’ll go down to the pool and take a swim. Maybe that will help clear my mind.” I stood and went to grab a pair of shorts I’d bought from the Target the night before.

After changing into it and throwing on a light red t-shirt, I made my way towards the door when Zecora put a hand on my shoulder. I looked back and saw that she’d changed into some shorts and a t-shirt as well. Behind her, Scarlet was once more on her phone, earbuds in and watching something. “Love, what happened back there?” she asked softly.

“Back where? At Sunset’s house? What do you mean?” I asked, but I had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what I meant.

“Your last words to Sunset Shimmer,” she said, confirming my fears. “You egged her on, as you would say.”

I shook my head. “I…don’t know. I think it was just my nerves getting the better of me,” I said. “Like I said, a swim in the pool should do me some good.”

“I’m coming with you,” she said with an insistent tone. “And do not even think about saying no,” she added, poking my chest insistently.

I smiled a bit despite my mood. “You’ve got me wrapped around your new finger,” I said, taking her hand and kissing it tenderly. “I know better than to say no when you’re this insistent.” I turned to Scarlet. “Scarlet, you wanna go swimming with us?”

She shook her head. “Can’t. Watching Smosh. You two have fun, and don’t be back late.”

“Yes, mom,” I snarked as I took one of the card keys from the table and grabbed the door handle. “Come on, love. Let’s go swimming.”

The pool for this hotel was empty when Zecora and I entered. The hot tub was off, but I still saw steam rising from it as I removed my shirt and set it on one of the chairs. Zecora herself removed her shorts and t-shirt, revealing the black bikini she’d bought for some unusual reason (she insisted it was because she wished to learn to swim in her Anthro form when this was all over and needed a human styled swimsuit).

The pool room was well lit and was walled off save for one massive window-wall that looked out into the city, albeit with a great view of the western horizon, which currently was covered by clouds. I could see some sort of precipitation coming down, but I couldn’t tell what. It definitely wasn’t snow.

Zecora had already made her way to the shallow end of the pool whereas I made my way to the small diving board over the twelve foot deep end. She watched as I bounced a bit on the end, before jumping off and finally diving head first into the pool.

The sound of the fans from the room vanished, only to be replaced with the sound of a splash, then the semi-quiet of being underwater. I allowed myself to go limp, blowing air out of my mouth and nose to keep me from rising temporarily. I floated in the pool, letting myself get lost in the water’s cool embrace.

I was brought out of it by the panicked screams of my marefriend calling my name. I moved up and broke the surface, taking in big gulps of air. Zecora was looking at me wide eyed as I made my way towards the shallow end. She grabbed me the moment I was in range and pulled me close. “What were you doing?!” she shouted at me in concern.

“Zecora, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” I said. “I was just relaxing.”

She frowned, then pulled me close, holding me tightly. “You scared me,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry,” I replied honestly, putting my arms around her. “Floating in water always relaxes me.”

She took a deep breath, then kissed my cheek. “Just…warn a mare next time, alright?”

I smiled and kissed her cheek back. “I promise.” I broke the hug and looked at her. “Well, since we can’t really do anything else today, why don’t I teach you a bit on how human forms swim?”

Zecora’s smile sent my heart racing. I really do love her, I smiled. She’s beautiful in every form I see her in. “Please. It would be a pleasant distraction.”

“Sweet. Well, let’s begin, shall we?”

Bright red sunlight hit my eyes as I slowly woke up. Opening one eye, I saw that I was still in the pool room. The water in the pool was hardly moving, so it was obvious nobody had been in it for a while. I was sitting on one of the reclining pool chairs, with a warm, soft, but strong body wrapped up next to me underneath the white towels the hotel provided. I looked down to see the tired Zebra-turned-human.

The two of us had spent time in the shallow end, me helping her to get used to some of the basics of swimming in this form. She was a quick study and soon was doing laps in the shallow end before she tried the deep end. After an hour or so, she was practically swimming circles around me, and we were both laughing and splashing each other, letting the stress of the encounter with Sunset Shimmer fade away.

After that, the two of us had relaxed in the hot tub, Zecora sitting on my lap and holding me close just as I held her close. We hadn’t said anything, just enjoyed the intimate moments together for a while.

When we both started getting too hot, we’d both gotten up and sat in one of the pool chairs, snuggling up close to each other. I must have dozed off because it was only mid afternoon by the time we’d gotten out of the hot tub. Now, the sunset was peering through the clouds and shining its rays through the window.

My stirring must have woken Zecora, because the next thing I knew she was sitting up and rubbing sleep out of her eyes. “Nnng…did we…fall asleep?” she asked with a yawn.

“That’s what happens when you relax in a hot tub,” I said as I sat up as well, pulling off my towel and grabbing my t-shirt. I stood and stretched, then looked back at my marefriend. “You ready to go get something to eat before bed?”

She nodded. “I am feeling peckish.”

I snorted. “What are you, British now?”

She giggled. “Come, love. Let’s go. Scarlet will be waiting.”

“Coming.”

As we headed towards, I took one more look out at the sunset. Facing the sunset. I took a deep breath. Just…don’t do anything foolish, Sunset. Please…

61: A Cloaked Heart's Bad Day

Author's Note

I decided to experiment a bit with story form, so this chapter will be a bit different than normal. I'm not sure if I'll do it again, but hey! Enjoy!

61: A Cloaked Heart's Bad Day

Hello, Celestia. Just checking in again.

I found Sunset Shimmer. Yeah, I’m surprised it barely took us a day, too, but here we are. Our encounter was less than stellar, to say the least. She has a vicious grudge against you, no…she absolutely hates you from what I can gather. I admit, I failed to be patient with her and spoke completely out of turn. She pulled a weapon on me and forced me and the others to leave the house where she’s staying. I’m honestly very worried about her. She’s not really in a good state of mind right now. But I’m not going to give up just yet. Tomorrow, I plan on going to some others who might know more about her appearance on Earth.

Your friend,

Jethro

Dear Jethro,

Forgive me for not responding sooner. Official princess business kept me away. I am pleased to hear that you have finally found my long-lost student. It pains me, however, to hear that she is in such a state of hatred, however I cannot blame her. I wish you luck, and I also beg of you to remain safe. I couldn’t bear to lose one of the few friends I have, and my sister I know would be just as distraught.

Your friend,

Princess Celestia

Present

How did things get this bad? What the hell could I have done differently? Am I just as much of a fuck up as Sunset called me?

Those were the thoughts on my mind as I sat in the back of the Chevrolet Suburban, frantic voices around me as the driver did her best to keep the bumps in the road at a minimum. The owner of the terrified female voice next to me (Shye’s) was pressing towels against my shoulder to keep the bleeding from getting too bad. Dash was next to me, holding my left arm where the second bullet had found its mark. She was holding a soaked bloody towel around me, looking both angry and terrified. I could hear Zecora’s voice in my ear, telling me to hang in there since we’d be at Jackie’s farm soon. In the front seat, Trisha was urging Jackie to drive faster, and Jackie was yelling back that if she did, it could only make my injuries worse.

I could hear a loud thrumming in my head and tasted iron in my mouth. We hit another bump in the dusty road and the pain in my shoulder flared up. I grunted in pain in response, and Shye practically yelled at Jackie to be more careful.

“Ah’m tryin’ damnit!” she shouted back in a mixture of anger and fear. “We’re almost there! Keep ‘im safe!”

“What the fuck do you think we’re doing?!” Dash exclaimed as Jackie turned down a smaller country road.

“Love, please hang in there,” Zecora said as I felt and saw the world spin around me.

“Keep your eyes open! Please!” A terrified Twilight Sparkle shouted in my ear, shaking me hard and sending new waves of pain through my wounds.

“Jethro! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” Spike’s guilt-ridden voice came from the back seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the young pre-teen human Spike look at me with terror on his face.

“No! He’s losing consciousness…” Shye’s horrified voice began to fade away, and their voices began to blend together until I couldn’t distinguish the chaos between them. “Stay with us, Jeth…”

How’d it come to this? What did I do wrong? Could I have prevented it?

Past

The day had started out normally. I hadn’t slept that much the night before despite my swim the day before. The looks on Scarlet’s and Zecora’s faces seemed to indicate the same thing judging by their exhausted faces. We barely spoke as we ate breakfast, and we went completely silent after I revealed what Celestia had finally written back. We didn’t even say anything on our way back to the college. Scarlet watched YouTube on her phone, and Zecora leaned against me, eyes closed and arm wrapped around mine in a presumed attempt to cheer me up. I put an arm around her and held her close and I did begin to feel a little bit better. We were all hoping to get an audience with the dean of the college in the hopes that we could figure out more about Sunset’s arrival on Earth.

The weather had gotten steadily worse as the bus approached the college, and by the time we reached the drop off point, the rain that had begun falling had become a torrent. Even running towards the main building got the three of us drenched. As we entered the building, I made a mental note to buy us all umbrellas.

The moment we walked into the first building lobby I’d seen the Humane Five, as the fandom called them, sitting at one of the couches near the windows. Trisha was the first one to see us, and her smile turned to alarm when she saw how wet we were. “Darling, whatever is the matter? You look positively dreadful!” she gasped.

I tiredly pointed outside as the three of us approached the five friends. We sat in a couch opposite them. “Rain got us…and we finally did meet our friend.”

Their mood changed from concerned to slightly angry, but it was Shye who spoke up first. “So…um…was she…okay?”

“Physically, yeah. She’s got a good living situation for now,” I said. “Mentally and emotionally? She seems mentally out of it. Very volatile and prone to rash decisions. Emotionally, she’s hurting a lot. Turns out that mentor she idolized never once reached out. Then again, the last text Sienna sent to her mentor was one that was full of anger and hatred.”

“Did she do anythin’ to ya?” Jackie asked.

“Aside from yell at us and pull a gun on us, nah,” Scarlet said, still extremely frustrated by the past day’s events.

“She did WHAT?!” Dash stood up, fists clenched and teeth barred in extreme rage. “I always knew that girl was trouble, but pulling a gun on somebody? That’s fucked up!”

“Dashelle! Calm yourself!” Trisha said, pulling on Dash’s hoodie sleeve in a frantic effort to calm the sportsy girl down.

“Did ya call the police?” Jackie asked, her own green eyes cold with barely restrained rage.

I shook my head. “I didn’t want them involved. It’s more trouble than its worth.”

“Sugarcube, she pulled a gun on ya,” Jackie said, her voice trembling a bit. “Nobody does that tah their friends.”

“Former or otherwise,” Trisha added, fiddling with Dash’s hair while the rainbow colored college girl sat and fumed angrily.

“She was angry and hurt,” Zecora said, putting a hand on my arm, “and none of us handled the situation very well.”

“Me especially,” I admitted. “I said things I regretted.”

“That’s no damned excuse for her,” Dash snarled.

“Maybe not, but I didn’t make things any better,” I admitted. “I antagonized her before the aimed that gun at my head. I couldn’t help it. She just got to me.”

Diane, who hadn’t said anything since we sat, suddenly stood, walked over to me, knelt, and looked me in the eyes. She had no smile, but she had a determined look on her face. To my surprise, she reached out and flicked my forehead. “Ow!” It had stung a bit more than I expected, and I reacted on impulse. “What the-?”

“Are you giving up on her?” Diane asked, her voice sounding a bit deeper than before. “I know she’s been a meanie-pants, but are you giving up on her?”

I frowned, then shook her head. “Of course not,” I said. “I have a duty to help her. She needs professional help, and I want her to come back home with us.”

Diane’s smile returned, and I immediately saw how close to my Pinkie Pie this girl was. “Then don’t give up! Make that meanie into a smiley!”

I snorted. “Heh, Pinkie Pie would approve,” I said, pointing to the Pinkie Pie beanie she still wore.

Her eyes widened. “You know My Little Pony!?” she asked.

“More than most,” I chuckled. “It’s a long story. But for now, could I ask you guys something?”

“Of course, darling,” Trisha said.

“Where’s the dean’s office? I’d like to see him or her and try and find out more about Sienna’s first appearance here.”

Present

“Mac, c’mon! Yer the best chance we’ve got! Yer the one who went tah medical school, didn’tcha?”

Consciousness came back to me, and I opened one eye slowly. My vision was completely blurry, but I could tell that I was in a living room somewhere. The smell that assaulted my nostrils was familiar. Agrarian. Am I back at Sweet Apple Acres? How’d I get back to Equestria? How’d I get back to Ponyville?

“Jackie, he needs a hospital!” A deeper voice replied to the frantic western girl’s demands. Big Mac?

“He can’t go tah one! Can’tcha get them bullets out of him?”

“Jackie, I flunked out of medical school! I can’t just do any operatin’ on him! I could get in trouble!”

“Don’t use that excuse tah muddle the issue! Ah said he can’t go to a hospital! He ain’t got no I.D. on him!”

“Then why bring him here??”

“He was shot, Mac! Ah thought if anyone could help, it’d be you! C’mon! Yah can’t just leave him tah bleed out! Ah’ve no idea what tah do, and nobody else here can!”

Somebody’s face came into view, and a new voice said, “He’s coming around, girls!” Shye.

Another black-haired woman came into view. “Jethro! Please tell me you’re okay!”

I opened my mouth to try and say something, but it only came out as a croak. Why is this happening? I was only shot twice in the arm! Pain overwhelmed me once more, and darkness swirled around the outer edge of my vision.

"He’s going back under…!"

“…sorry Jethro…! Don’t leave….”

Past

As it turned out, there were two deans on campus that day. One was the Dean of Staff, and the other was the Dean of Students. It came as little surprise to me that they were sisters, the Dean of Staff being a younger forty something woman with shimmering black hair named Selene and the Dean of Students being a blonde woman named Celeste. They were both located in an upstairs portion of the building, past a few other staff offices. Dash, having met the two deans on more than one occasion according to a smug Applejack, took us up the stairs and to the rather large office.

The dean’s office was a large square room with a wall-to-wall window overlooking the campus directly opposite the door. On either side of the wall, the two deans sat in similarly designed desks, but ones that were completely different in color. Selene’s was made of a darker wood and she had a globe of the moon sitting beside her computer. She was sipping on a cup of coffee when we arrived. Celeste’s was made of a brighter wood and she had a globe of Earth on hers. There were two doors right behind each desk, which led into another more private office, presumably one where they could have meetings without disturbing the other. Celeste was standing at the window, looking out at the stormy skies. She turned when the door opened, and sighed a bit when she saw Dash. “Dash, are you causing trouble for the teams again?”

“Wha-no!” Dash said defensively.

“She was just leading us here, ma’am,” I said, holding up my hand in greeting.

Celeste’s demeanor became warm and welcoming, and her smile reminded me so much of Celestia’s that I knew she was this world’s version of her. “Oh? Are you three new students?” she asked.

“Not…not exactly,” I admitted. “We came here to ask you something about an incident that I was told occurred on campus about ten years ago?”

Celeste’s expression became one of confusion, but she beckoned us in anyway. Selene had taken notice of us by now and was looking with such curiosity at the two of us that I felt a bit uncomfortable. As Dash closed the door quickly behind her, Celeste made her way into her private office. “Selene, could you come with us?” she asked. “I have a feeling I know what our guests are talking about.”

“Oh, of course,” Selene said, and the voice matched Luna’s exactly. She stood and grabbed her coffee mug, following us into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Celeste motioned to the chairs in front of the desk. “Please. Have a seat, you three.” The three of us took the offered seats and Selene walked to stand beside her sister. “Now, before we begin, are you reporters?”

“No. ma’am,” I said, “My name’s Jethro Bethridge. This is my girlfriend Zecora Mtunga Dawa and one of my best friends Scarlet Dusk.” I hadn’t bothered to come up with a cover name for either since both names sounded like they’d belonged anyway. “We’re we’re former friends of a certain teenage girl who showed up on campus about ten years ago, if my source is correct.”

“Ah, yes,” Selene said, “I remember that incident.” She sighed sadly. “That poor girl…”

“I was fortunate enough to get some backstory from a former student here,” I said, “but I was hoping you could tell me a bit more.”

Celeste looked at her desk, appearing to contemplate an answer. Finally, she inhaled and looked up at us. “This incident you’re referring to is one we here at Camelot tried to keep quiet and away from the press,” she said. “It would have not gone over well for any of us if the truth about it ever gotten out.”

“What…do you mean?” Scarlet asked, now sounding a bit concerned. Celeste’s tone sounded much like Celestia’s had when revealing something she was ashamed of. I’d spoken often enough with her to know.

“The incident…got out of hand,” Selene said softly. “Very badly. Our only saving grace was that this happened on a weekend and there were hardly any students were around.”

I felt myself getting angry all of a sudden, but forced the anger down. Did they hurt Sunset when she arrived? Was that her first impression of humanity? “What happened?” I asked, unable to keep the tremor from my voice.

“Selene, do you want to tell them?” Celeste asked.

The black haired dean sighed, but nodded. “November 11, 2000,” she said. “I was just a teacher back then, and it was my lunch break. I was just walking back from my car when I heard some raised voices. I ran towards them and saw this teenage girl being restrained by two of our campus security guards. She was struggling to get away from them.”

Damn, not the best welcoming committee to Earth, then, I thought. “Did she say anything unusual?”

“It was ten years ago,” Selene sighed, “so I don’t remember much. I remember her mentioning something about a statue, a portal and a princess who she hated with every fiber of her being, it seemed. But that’s all I remember.”

“A statue?” I asked.

“I do remember she mentioned something about there being a large statue in the woods somewhere,” Selene said, “but when we investigated later, we didn’t find anything.”

“Earlier, you said that the incident got out of hand,” Zecora spoke up. “How exactly do you mean that?”

“Our security was…less than gentle when apprehending her,” Celeste said sadly. The look in her auburn eyes was the same look of regret I had seen a few times in Celestia’s eyes as well.

“When I found her, she had a few cuts on her face, her bag callously tossed aside, and the leather jacket she had on was torn at the shoulder,” Selene said in an equal display of shame. “The guards involved were promptly dismissed, of course, but the look on that poor girl’s face…I’ve been a teacher for years, and I’ve never seen such hatred in a girl her age. I…well, I should have taken her home, but I foolishly just let her go. She muttered something about making us pay in the end, but I’ve never seen or heard from her again since that day.”

“I think we found her,” I said. “We met with her yesterday.”

Selene closed the distance between us, looking at me with an intensity I’d only ever seen from her Equestrian counterpart. “Where? Is she okay?”

“Sis, calm down,” Celeste said, standing quickly by her side and pulling her back.

Selene took a deep breath, her expression softening as she straightened her dark blue button down sweater. “I’m sorry. It’s just…that day hasn’t been one I care to remember. I hated seeing her like this, and I was so inattentive that I just…let her go.”

Another wave of anger washed over me, and I had to take a couple of deep breaths to calm down. It felt like something had temporarily taken hold of my emotions. Almost like my lie about her being my friend was actually true. “I…I see. Sorry, it’s just…when she ran, she had nothing with her but that bag. She had no identification on her, no cell, nothing like that to help her find a home. Obviously she found a place to stay, but I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for her at first. Having to grow up so fast.” As I spoke, I began to realize just how hard it must have been for Sunset those first few months, if not years. I’ve got to help her, somehow! She’s not lost yet!

“Sir, I’m really sorry about our lack of involvement,” Celeste said. “If I could take it back, I would. My…well, my priorities back then even as a newly appointed dean were not in line with what I wanted.”

I sighed. “Mistakes were made all around, then…” I stood slowly, as did Scarlet and Zecora, the latter of whom put her hand on my shoulder. “Thank you for telling me this. I’m sorry for bringing up such painful memories.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Celeste said. “It’s me who should be sorry. I sent her away.”

I nodded solemnly and, after thanking her again, Selene led us out. However, before we left, she stopped me. “Sir…Mr. Bethridge?”

I turned. “Yes?”

“If…you do see her again, please tell her I’m sorry.”

I nodded again. “I will.”

She smiled gratefully at me as the three of us left the room.

Present

Pain. I was awash in a sea of pain. I could hear panicked voices all around me as I once more started coming out of the fog. The voice of an older man was prominent, and I heard him using terms I’d only ever heard on shows like M*A*S*H*. There was a tearing sound, and I could feel cold air on my now exposed left arm and chest.

“Doc, how is he?” A guilt-ridden sounding Spike asked.

“He’s lost a lot of blood,” the man said, “and the bullets are lodged in pretty deep. Does anyone know his blood type?” A short pause. “Alright. Who here has O-Negative blood?”

“I do.” Rarity? No, Trisha. “I can give him some of my blood, doctor.”

“Are you absolutely sure? What I’m doing is dubious at best.”

“I might not have known him for very long, but he’s proven to be a very kind and caring man. I can do it.” There was the sound of fabric tearing.

“Mac, you’ve done this before, right?” the voice of the doctor asked.

“Yes, but-”

“But nothing! The tools are in my bag! We don’t have the time to lose! Hurry!”

Darkness once more enveloped my vision…

Past

“Did ya find out anythin’?” Jackie asked as the three of us approached the girls. Only Shye was absent.

“Just a bit more information about when she first arrived at this school,” Scarlet said as the three of us collapsed into the couch again. “Where’s your friend Shye?”

“She went to powder her nose,” Trisha said, and I knew better than to ask more.

“Right. Well, I guess Sienna had a rough time here,” I said. “At least when she first arrived. I’m not saying that’s an excuse for what she did to all of you and to Flash and anyone else she hurt, but she’s hurting and I’d see her getting help if I can.”

“Yer a good guy,” Jackie said. “Ah’ll admit, ah’m not sure ah could do somethin’ like that if I was in yer shoes.”

“She is not all that evil deep down,” Zecora said. “Her hurt is why she wears a frown.”

“Agreed,” I said.

“She’s hurting?” Diane asked, looking worried now. Ah, Diane, element of laughter in both worlds.

“She was pretty sheltered as a child, and that caused her to lash out finally,” I said. “Look, again, I’m not expecting you to automatically forgive her for what she tried to do to you, but she’s a decent girl at heart.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, now, would I?” a cold, calculating voice said from behind us.

I turned, and gaped. A grinning Sunset Shimmer was approaching, one arm around Shye’s own. Sunset’s other hand was in her pocket, and I sat something poking out towards Shye’s stomach. Fluttershy’s counterpart looked absolutely pale, pure terror stretching across her face. I quickly stood, but she gave me a warning glance. “Ah ah ah, nothing sudden. We wouldn’t want to cause a scene now, would we?”

“What do ya want, Sienna?” Applejack growled angrily.

“Let Shye go right now,” Dash added.

“Hmmm…not until I get what I came for,” Sunset said with a triumphant grin. She nodded at me, Zecora and Scarlet. “You three will come with me, or this one gets it. Kapish?”

“We’re coming too,” Dash said through gritted teeth.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Hmmm, alright fine. It won’t matter much anyway. Now, you will take to the portal.” She directed this last one at me. “That is, if you want to keep this cowardly cunt safe,” she added, gesturing towards Shye, who gulped.

My heart was pounding. The Sunset I knew was never this direct. She must be getting desperate, I thought. A part of me, however, wondered just why she didn’t try and become the queen bee of this school. “Okay now, there’s no need to get violent,” I said calmly. “I’ll show you where the portal is.”

“You’d better,” Sunset said with a glare as she tightened her grip on Shye’s arm, causing the terrified girl to yelp.

I took a deep breath and made my way out into the rain…

Present

Once more, the incoherent sounds of voices began becoming more distinct. There was that same worry in the various female voices I heard. I heard Zecora crying, and that broke my heart. I’m useless! She needed me there, and I get myself shot! Twice!

I was lying on a very soft bed as I slowly opened one eye. The room I was in was crowded, and there was a girl seated next to me. I couldn’t tell who it is at first, but the permed look told me pretty quicky that it was Trisha. Looking down at my right arm, I saw a tube connected to it. It led up to Trisha’s own arm. I was shocked to see the blouse she was wearing torn where the tube connected to her blood vessel.

“Tri…sha…wha…?”

She jolted up at that, as did everyone else in the room. She turned, and I got a good look at her face for the first time since this whole ordeal started. She had bags under her eyes. “Darling…you’re awake!”

“Not…for long…probably…” I admitted. “You…did this…?” I looked at the tube connecting us.

“You tried to protect me, darling,” she said, and I could now hear how exhausted she was. “And I’m the only O-Negative blood here.”

“Trisha, here,” the older male voice from before said as someone walked up. The voice belonged to a man who had to be in his seventies at least. He was slightly portly, with white hair that was balding slightly. He had a pair of glasses on, and was looking down at me with a stern expression. “You had us worried there for a while, young man. But for now, you need to rest. Transfusion aside, you’ve still endured a shock to your system and need bedrest. Mac, get me the sedative, would you?”

“No…can’t sleep…” I said, but even as I said that, the exhaustion from the events of the day began catching up with me.

“You need to recover, young man,” the fading voice of the doctor said. “Trust me…you’ll be fine…”

Past

“Still here…after all this time…it’s here,” Sunset was saying minutes after we left the college when we reached the small glade where the massive King Arthur statue stood. The canopy kept out some of the rain, but not by much since the torrential downpour was hard enough to break through in many different areas. We were soaked already, but I didn’t really notice. Sunset still held Shye in her grip and since we were now hidden from prying eyes, she’d taken the gun out of her pocket and was holding it directly in Shye’s back. “I’ve waited so long for this.”

“Alright, you’ve got what you wanted,” I said. “Let Shye go.”

Her attention returned to me, and she smirked. “Oh, no no no. We aren’t done yet. You’ve got one more thing to do.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal, you backstabbing bitch!” Dash shouted.

“Let her go!” Diane shouted.

Sunset wrapped one arm around Shye’s neck then aimed the gun at me. “You have a way to contact Princess Celestia, don’t you?”

I tightened the grip I had on my backpack. “I do.”

“Then you will take it out and have her send the bitch who she callously replaced me with come through the portal,” she demanded. “And you’d better do it quickly!”

“Fine! Fine!” I took my backpack off and began rummaging through it. Retrieving the journal, I brought it out. “Here!”

“Good,” Sunset sneered. “Now, come closer and write down exactly what I say.”

I grabbed a pen and walked over to her. Opening to a blank page, I looked back at her. “What is it you want me to write?”

She put the gun to my head. “First of all, tell me the name of the cunt who replaced me,” she said coolly.

Seeing no other way out of it, I replied honestly. “Twilight Sparkle.”

“Then here is what you’ll write.” Clearing her throat, she began. “‘There has been a complication here. I need Twilight Sparkle’s help in order to accomplish my goal here. Afraid I can’t be more specific since time is of the essence. Please hurry. I’m at the portal’s exit waiting.’ And include your name.” Once I was finished writing this, she grinned. “And now we play the waiting game.”

“Just let Shye go and take me instead,” Dash said, and I could see the tomboy trembling with barely restrained rage and worry.

Sunset scoffed. “Yeah…not going to happen there, Crash. You’re not in any position to make any kind of demands. Besides, I like seeing this side of her. It’s delicious.” She licked her lips, and the look in her eyes was one of true demented insanity.

What the fuck is going on in her head?! I thought angrily just as the journal in my hand began to glow. I looked down and saw Celestia’s impeccable cursive being scrawled on the page, but it looks like it’s a bit hastily written. Sunset watched over my shoulder, the gun still to my head.

Dear Jethro,

I understand and have already informed Twilight. She is getting ready as we speak and will be there in a few minutes. Hang in there, and please tell me more about what is happening when you find time.

Your friend,

Celestia

The other five were watching this in awe, having seen the journal glow and vibrate much like a cell phone would. Sunset’s grin became wider. “Oh my! That’s rich! You’re friends with the Princess of Equestria?” She looked at me, then her smile lessened. “Well? I asked a question, dipshit!”

“I’m friends with Celestia, yes,” I replied.

“Hah! I bet she’s just keeping you close to make sure a freak like you doesn’t do anything to harm her precious Ponies,” she scoffed. She turned to Shye and growled. “Now…get back there with the others. NOW!” She shoved Shye forward towards Dash, who caught the trembling and now crying college girl. Sunset put her arm around my neck, holding me in a vice grip. “You’ll make a more valuable little hostage anyway.”

“Take me instead!” Zecora shouted anxiously, stepping forward.

With a flash, Sunset pointed the gun at the ground, pulling the trigger. The blast echoed everywhere, and the small bit of dirt that erupted from where she had aimed was enough to stop Zecora. She put the gun back to my head. “You’d better tell your Equestrian buddies to back off. You know what a gun can do, and now so do they.”

Swallowing the lump of fear in my throat, I nodded at Zecora. “Just stand back. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Sunset looked between me and Zecora, then threw her head back and laughed again. “You’re an even bigger freak than I thought! You’re dating a Pony!?”

“Zebra,” I corrected automatically.

“Shut the fuck up,” she said, her hand around my throat and squeezing. I heard gasps of fear from the women gathered, but I motioned them back. Sunset eventually loosened her grip on my neck. “You’re still a freak. Dating an equine like us? You’re into some fucked up shit, aren’t you? Just like that country hick over there. Isn’t that right, Piggly Wiggly?”

Jackie’s face darkened. “Yah can shut the fuck up,” she snarled, and I wasn’t the only one to be surprised at her use of language.

“Ooooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh, wait,” Sunset sneered.

“That’s a low blow even for you,” Dash snarled angrily.

Before any of us could say anything, the statue’s base began to warp. The five humans watched in complete shock as two forms burst forth from the statue. One I knew right away was Twilight. The clothes she wore were similar to the ones she had on in the Equestria Girls movie. She had on a pair of slightly high heeled boots, dark purple tights, a long purple skirt with her cutie mark emblazoned on the side, a light blue blouse and a similarly colored hoodie. She had long shining black hair with well-trimmed bangs, hazel eyes and light colored skin.

But what really surprised me was the young pre-teen boy who came through behind Twilight. He couldn’t be more than ten years old, and was wearing red and white sneakers, blue jeans, a white t-shirt with the Fairy Tail guild logo on it covered by an unzipped purple hoodie with a green lightning streak through the chest. His light brown hair was spiked and his green eyes looked around in fear. Finding Twilight, he gasped. “Twilight, are you okay?” the boy asked, standing with ease and running over to the fallen Unicorn turned Human.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” Twilight said, slowly standing with the boy’s help before she looked around. When her eyes found me, they widened in recognition, then fear. “Jethro, what’s-?”

“So, you’re the bitch who replaced me,” Sunset growled, pulling me closer to the portal. “If I were you, I’d be very careful.”

Twilight looked between me and Sunset. The boy, who I now knew was Spike, growled at Sunset. “Jethro, what’s going on?”

“Twilight, I’m sorry,” I said apologetically. “But please…stay back. She’ll kill me if you don’t.”

Her eyes widened and she took Spike’s hand, pulling him back. “Sunset Shimmer?”

“Oooh, so that fuck-up of a princess deigns to say my name after all these years, does she?” Sunset growled. I felt her body tremble as she continued pulling me slowly towards the portal. “And where the hell was she before?”

Twilight raised her hands in a disarming gesture. “Sunset, please…you don’t have to hurt anypony else. The princess only wants to see you.”

Sunset’s eyes flashed suddenly, and their color briefly changed to a bright red and yellow before returning to their normal hue. “If she’d wanted to see me, she had plenty of time! No, the time for that is gone! I’ll get what’s mine, whether she accepts it or not!”

The fear in Twilight’s eyes only increased. “Please, Sunset-”

“The time for pleas is over, Sparkle!”

The next few seconds became a blur. I remember shouts of fear, Spike shouting something as he leaped forward towards Sunset, me tumbling to the ground with Sunset and somebody else on top of me, two shots, screams of fear surrounded me, then there was a flash. I looked around, adrenaline flowing through me. The gun was out of Sunset’s hands. I reached over and grabbed it, looking for her, but she was gone. The portal was shimmering briefly, just like somebody had jumped into a sideways puddle.

Then the pain began.

I looked down at my left arm only to see blood dripping down to the ground. My left arm hung limply, any movement only exacerbating the pain. I reached over and held my now limp left arm with my right, falling to my knees as the pain threatened to overwhelm me.

“JETHRO!” Zecora’s screams of horror reached me before she did. She ran up, knelt beside me and looked at the wounds on my arm. She turned to the others. “We need to get him to a hospital!”

I shook my head fervently. “No…no hospital…have no insurance…can’t pay…”

“Darling, I can pay for your hospital bills,” Trisha said, worry evident in her own voice, but she stopped when I glared up at her.

“No…hospitals!”

“Ah’ve got an idea,” Jackie said, coming over to me and putting my right arm around her shoulders. “Mah brother used to be in medical school! Maybe he can help! Ah’ll take him back to the farm! You all coming??”

Present

I woke once more, but this time I knew I’d been asleep for much longer than before. The room I was in was silent except for the sound of a nearby heater fan. That, and the sound of someone else breathing. A few someone elses, actually.

I slowly opened my eyes, reaching up with my good hand to wipe sleep out of my eyes. There was a dull ache in my left arm, and looking down at it I saw it was wrapped up in plenty of bandages. I was shirtless at the moment, only wearing boxers when I checked.

Looking around the room, I saw Zecora kneeling on the bed next to me, her head lying on the mattress. Her eyes were puffy and her breathing was labored. On the floor, I saw Scarlet, wrapped up in the sleeping bag I’d brought with me from my house. She too looked worried despite her sleeping. Twilight was next to her, in another sleeping bag. Her own worried expression was clearly visible in her sleeping face.

I looked up, and locked eyes with a the now human Spike. His eyes were facing me, but he looked absolutely miserable. His hair was a mess, his eyes bloodshot, and he had bags under them. After a bit, he looked away, down at his lap where his hands were balled into fists. I could see him trembling. “Jethro…I’m sorry,” he croaked out. “It’s my fault…”

“Spike, what do you mean?” I asked, hearing my own voice sounding hoarse. Clearing my throat, I repeated the question. “How is it your fault?”

“I…I was a…damn idiot,” he said, sniffing. “If I hadn’t tried to jump in to save you…Sunset…she wouldn’t have…I’m so sorry…”

So…that’s what happened, I thought. Spike acted, and I got shot in all the confusion. I very slowly sat up and motioned for him to come over. Spike rose, walked over in an almost mechanical motion, finally standing beside my bed. I reached out, took his hand, pulled him down to eye level, then raised his chin to face me. “I forgive you, Spike,” I said calmly, putting my good arm around him and pulling him into a close hug. “Don’t go beating yourself up over it. I’m not mad at you.”

“P-Promise…?” he asked, not returning the hug at the moment.

I nodded. “Promise, dragon boy.”

He threw his arms around me then, bringing a fresh sensation of pain where the gunshot wounds were, but I figured I was on some kind of pain medication, so it was tolerable. Spike kept on apologizing over and over again, clinging to me like I was some kind of lifeboat.

This began to wake the others, and I heard gasps of astonishment. Zecora was immediately on the other side of me, hugging me close as well. Twilight stood a few feet away, trembling in barely restrained worry mixed with joy. Scarlet stood beside Twilight, helping the new human stand on her feet. Her own face was full of worry, but she was hiding it underneath a smirk. “My, my, my. Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake,” she chuckled.

I smiled a bit, letting Spike go. I turned to Zecora, who was in my lap, giving me a fearful expression. “Hey, babe.”

For the first time in a while, I saw a small smile break on my lover’s face. She reached up and planted a tender kiss on my lips. “I’m so glad to see that you are well,” she said in Farasi.

“I am glad to be well,” I replied, “and I also apologize for being the cause of your worries.”

She waved her hand. “Don’t start with that,” she switched to English. “All that matters is that you are safe.”

I ran my good hand through her hair as she buried her face in my chest slowly before turning back to the other three. “How long have I been out?”

“A couple of days,” Scarlet said. At my shocked expression, Scarlet nodded somberly “The doc told me he wasn’t sure why either. He said you shouldn’t have been out that long.” She clenched her fists. “I was scared, I’m not going to hide that. But…I’m so relieved to see you awake.”

Twilight slowly walked forward, kneeling beside the bed next to Spike. “Are…does it still hurt?” she asked hesitantly, pointing to the bandaged left arm.

I looked back at it, then back at her. “The doctor probably put me on some pain medication, so it doesn’t hurt as bad as it could be, probably. Stings, yeah, but not as bad as it could be.”

“I just wish I could use my magic here,” she whispered. “I could help speed up the healing process.”

“Calm down, Twi,” I said. “Relax.”

“I’m not sure she can,” Scarlet said, her voice hollow.

“What, how come?” I asked, her tone making me hesitate. Looking up, I saw her looking down at the ground with barely restrained anger. “Scarlet…what happened?”

All it took was one sentence to bring my world crashing down. “Sunset's in Equestria.”

62: A Cloaked Heart's Return

The kitchen table of Jackie’s farmhouse was packed full. I sat at the head of the table, with Zecora’s chair and body practically pressed against me, almost protectively. On the other side of me, Twilight sat, and next to her Spike sat. Next to Zecora, Scarlet sat, twiddling her thumbs.

The five of us from Equestria faced the five human college girls from Earth, all of whom were watching us, waiting for an explanation as to what they’d seen a few days ago. They’d tried to ask Twilight and Spike, but they’d apparently been too scared for my wellbeing to answer, so Jackie had made the decision to ask me when I was available to talk.

When she told me it was Monday of the following week, I decided that it was time to set things straight with them. It was only the ten of us there. Malcom and the owner of the farm, the grandmother Pomeline Smith, and Jackie’s younger sister, an elementary school student named Marigold Smith, were all out. Malcom was the head of the farm work and as such was making sure all of the winter chores were done. Pomeline worked at Camelot College as a cook part time, mostly so Jackie could get a discount on her college classes since family members of employees were eligible for a family discount, and Marigold was at elementary school.

Leaning forward a bit, I looked into the eyes of each of the gathered girls. Shye looked understandably nervous, Diane’s hair was tied back in a tight ponytail and she had a look of mostly confusion on her face, Dash looked angry, but at what or who I wouldn’t guess, Jackie was a bit apprehensive, and Trisha had a somewhat worried expression on her face. “Alright, I’m not going to sugarcoat this,” I said. “The five of us are from a completely alien world called Equestria.” I held up my hand to stop the influx of questions. “Please let us explain before you ask questions.”

Taking out the journal, I placed it on the table and opened it to the page where Sunset had made me write that note to Celestia. “This journal works something like an interdimensional cell phone. Its counterpart is in the hands of the princess of a country I call home. It was because of her that I came to try and bring Sunset Shimmer, or Sienna as you know her, back to the world I now call home. You saw how it lit up and vibrated, yes? That was when the princess was writing back. And I know now that you saw Sunset pass into solid stone. That was her returning to Equestria.”

Leaning back, I continued. “I did lie to you five about a few things, but not about others. My name is Jethro Bethridge. I was originally from another Earth until I found myself in the world where my friends here were born. This is my marefriend Zecora, and my close friends Scarlet Dusk, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike the Dragon.”

“Spike? Like the dragon from My Little Pony?” Diane asked, holding up an image of the first-generation Spike on her phone for all to see.

“That’s me…” Spike said in awe.

“Please, let me finish the explanations,” I said. “Now, this will also be hard to believe, I know, but on my Earth, the year is 2022. If history of this world goes anything like the one I know, a new television show directed at little girls called My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has already begun airing on The Hub starting last month. It follows the stories of six Pony mares and those around them who live in the Equestrian town of Ponyville. Those Pony’s names were Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. After three seasons of the show, one of those mares became a Pony princess. There was a movie made before the start of the fourth season called Equestria Girls. In it, the newly ascended Pony princess had to travel to another world to retrieve a magical artifact that another Pony stole. The Pony who stole that artifact was named Sunset Shimmer.”

“Pff, yeah right,” Dash said, rolling her eyes, “Like I’d believe that Sienna was from some girly show.”

“Dash, hush,” Jackie said, smacking her friend upside the head. “He’s tellin’ the truth.”

“Then he’s insane!” Dash shouted. “I don’t believe him!”

“Dashelle! That’s no way to speak about the man who saved our lives!” Trisha exclaimed.

“Trisha, it’s fine,” I said, “she has every right to be skeptical.”

“Um…girls…?” Shye said.

“Skeptical?!” Dash said, ignoring the poor shy girl. “It’s downright impossible!”

“Um…girls…?” Shye asked again.

“What is it, Shye?” I spoke up before anyone else could.

Shye looked a bit startled by me paying any attention to her. She smiled and nodded at me before turning back to her friends. “Why don’t we, um…let Jethro talk first?”

Dash’s teeth were clenched. “Fine…but we really should be calling the police about Sienna.”

“No police,” I said. “I have no identity here. Neither do the other five. And if word got out we were claiming to be from a distant Pony world, we’d be locked up faster than you can say Jack Robinson. And even if we didn’t, we’d be arrested without ID. Now please…just hear me out.”

Jackie gave Dash one final glare before turning back to me. “All yours, sugarcube.”

I nodded. “Thanks, Jackie.” I turned to the five. “The world I come from is the same one from the show I just described. Don’t ask me how that’s possible, because I couldn’t even begin to tell you. But everything is practically the same. And when the portal between our worlds opened, I came through with Zecora and Scarlet to try and bring Sunset back home.”

“But why now, darling?” Trisha asked. “By your own admission, Sienna came here ten years ago. Or was that a lie, too?”

“That was the truth,” I said. “Sunset arrived here ten years ago. I couldn’t begin to tell you why now. Maybe it’s because of me. Maybe the princess is finally ready to talk to her. All I know is that I wanted to stop her from making some very bad mistakes. But things were wrong. They went wrong the moment we arrived.”

“Oh no…that’s awful,” Shye said.

“What happened?” Diane asked.

“For one, in the Equestria Girls movie, Sunset Shimmer ruled over a high school as the queen bee type,” I explained. “The portal was in front of this high school. But when I got here, we were in front of that statue instead. And Camelot College was there instead of the high school I expected. Not only that, but in the Equestria Girls human world, the Ponies had human counterparts. And the main characters were the human counterparts of five of the six Ponies. Sunset Shimmer broke their friendship apart through subterfuge and taking advantage of their childish naivety by sending phony texts. Sound familiar?”

The five girls looked at each other, then Diane’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you saying I have a Pony version of me??”

“I actually think you do. However, Twilight Sparkle here can confirm it.” I turned to Twilight. “What do you think, Twi? Doesn’t she remind you of Pinkie Pie?”

Twilight had been looking over each of the girls in front of us with a concentrated look, and slowly nodded. “The voice matches.”

Diane’s smile warmed my heart considerably. She took off her beanie and looked at it, which had the Generation Three Pinkie Pie still on it. “I’m Pinkie Pie! Yay!”

“Calm your tits there, Diane,” Scarlet chuckled, “there’s a lot more.”

Diane sat down and watched as I pointed next to Trisha. “Your counterpart is a Unicorn named Rarity. She owns a stylish boutique in Ponyville and has done a great deal for herself.”

“That sounds marvelous, darling,” she said.

I looked at Jackie. “Your counterpart is an Earth Pony, or rather, just a normal Pony, named Applejack. You live on a farm where you grow a ton of apple trees.” Jackie nodded as I turned to Shye. “Your counterpart is a Pegasus named Fluttershy. You live in a cottage and take care of plenty of different animals, including one named Angel, or Angel Bunny.”

“Wait…I never told you about Angel,” Shye said. “How did you know?”

“I didn’t. It just matches what I’ve seen in the show. Fluttershy has a pet by that name,” I said before turning to Dash. “Your counterpart is Rainbow Dash, a tomboyish Pegasus who’s the self-proclaimed fastest flyer in all of Equestria.”

Diane giggled. “We’ll plan a party with Pinkie Pie-” she began.

I couldn’t help myself. I joined in. “-and watch her balloons lift her up to the sky.”

We both looked at each other, grinned, then continued. “Scootaloo will show us games to play, and Toola-Roola will be painting away. Rainbow Dash always dresses in style. Sweetie Belle's magic brings a great big smile. I hope we hear a story from Cheerilee, and a beautiful Starsong melody.”

“Stop singing that!” Dash said. “I do not dress in style!”

“I thought ya didn’t believe Jethro here,” Jackie asked, suppressing a snicker.

“Oh, shut up!” Dash said, a blush creeping up on her face.

“I can’t ask you to believe me,” I said, “but I wanted to just tell you the truth. Especially since I have to go back there and try and stop Sunset Shimmer from whatever it is she’s planning.”

“Now hold on just a cotton pickin’ minute!” Jackie said, standing and looking at me with a glare. “Yer injured, and yer just gonna go after Sienna just like that?”

“I’ve already lingered in this world for longer than I should,” I said. “Injury or no injury, I need to go home. Right now, Sunset is dangerous. She needs to be stopped. Here she arrived with no magic, no identification, no money, nothing to fit into this world, and yet somehow she managed to find herself a house, plenty of toys, and even a gun. And that’s just in a decade. Back in Equestria, she has access to her magic. She’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s more dangerous than I thought.” I turned to Twilight. “Twilight, did you send a message to Celestia?”

“Multiple times!” she exclaimed, sounding worried. “She hasn’t responded!”

“That’s not a good sign,” I said. I tried to stand, and Zecora and Twilight helped me to my feet.

“Now wait just a minute!” Trisha shouted, standing and rushing over. “I did not give you my blood just so you could go gallivanting off and hurt yourself again! You need to rest!”

She tried to push me back down, but I blocked her attempt. “Trisha, please. I need to do this. Where I’m from, there’s magic that can speed up my own healing process.” I winced as I took another step. “I need to go. The portal back home closes in a few days. There’s no time to lose.”

“Yer as stubborn as ah am,” Jackie said.

“You and your Pony counterpart both,” I said.

“Ah don’t like the idea of yah just leavin’ when yer still injured,” she said, “and the Doc wouldn’t either.”

“Jackie, I’ll walk back if I have to,” I said. “I need to do this. It’s my fault she got away, and I need to make things right.”

“No need fer all that,” she said. “Ah’ll take yah back.”

I looked at her with a grateful smile. “I appreciate it,” I said. “Where’s our stuff?”

“Upstairs,” Jackie said. “Scarlet here told us where ya were stayin’, so she and ah went and grabbed everythin’ and brought it here. Ah’ll go get it.”

She rushed upstairs, and Zecora quickly followed behind. Nobody said anything as the two girls grabbed the bags and came back downstairs. I looked around the kitchen. It was a relatively clean one, with plenty of counter space, an old but still functioning fridge, a ceiling fan above the dining room table, and a sliding glass door right next to the table. When I laid my eyes on Sunset’s pistol, which was sitting on the kitchen counter, I pointed at it. “Give that to me.”

“Now hold on there, darling,” Trisha said, “what are you planning to do with that weapon?”

“I’m taking it back with me to Equestria.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. She knew what guns were, thanks to our study sessions about Earth kings and rulers, and she’d been both fascinated and afraid of their destructive power. One thing the two of us had avoided talking about was what to do about any potential development of those weapons back in Equestria. They had gunpowder, or fireworkpowder as they called it since they had fireworks, but Twilight and I both feared it was only a matter of time before some brilliant Pony, or Griffon, or even Lycan, developed something like this. “Jethro, that thing nearly killed you!” she shouted, voice trembling with fear. “And you’re bringing it back to Equestria??”

“No, Twilight. Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. Sunset was the one who had the gun. She’s the one that fired it.”

I saw Spike flinch at that, but I wasn’t the only one. Twilight noticed it too, as did Trisha. The young college girl immediately stood, walked over, and hugged the dragon-turned-human close to her. “Darling, it wasn’t your fault. It really wasn’t. Remember what you said to me? You told me how much Jethro meant to you.”

“And I nearly got him killed,” he sniffed, clinging to the human version of his crush.

Trisha shook her head. “Don’t say such things, Spike. You might have acted rashly, but your intentions were nothing short of pure and gallant.”

“She’s right, Spike,” I added, reaching over to ruffle his new hair gently. “If you hadn’t acted, she might very well have taken me with her back to Equestria. And she’d have the gun with her.”

“I…I guess so,” he said.

“Oh, Spike…” Twilight said, making her way over to her number one assistant and hugging him along with Trisha.

When Jackie and Zecora came back down and saw the raw display of emotion from Spike and the two girls, the two looked at me with confusion. “Love, is everything alright down here?” Zecora asked, rejoining me at the table as she placed her bags next to her chair.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Poor Spike is just feeling guilty about what happened.”

Zecora looked with sympathy at the young pre-teen. “I had heard that Dragons feel emotions stronger than most. When this is over, perhaps you two should spend some time together. What was it you called it? Male bonding?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” I turned to Jackie, who was holding my backpack along with the laptop bag I’d purchased with the cheap laptop I’d bought earlier. “Thanks for getting these for me, even if my story makes me sound like the ramblings of a madman.”

“Ain’t a problem. Yer story might not make sense, but ah can tell when someone’s lyin’ and when someone ain’t right in the head. Yer neither.”

Dash didn’t look quite as convinced as Jackie, and I could also tell that the others were a bit skeptical themselves. Not that I could blame any of them for it. It was a hard story to believe. I looked back at the four Equestrians turned human, and nodded. The three women all stood and I went to Spike’s side. The poor drake still looked guilt stricken even after our little talk, so I helped him out to the Suburban. The poor boy still had an absolutely miserable face on him as I helped buckle him in. Twilight was immediately by his side, arms around him and whispering that everything was okay.

Trisha, who’d driven the other four here in her silver four door Volvo, got into her car. “We’ll follow behind you,” she said to Jackie as she got into her car. Shye, Dash and Diane all got into her car as well, and soon we were on the highway heading back into the city. Jackie asked if we wanted to listen to the radio, but we all declined. I sat in the far back next to Zecora, who leaned against me and buried her face into my chest lovingly. Scarlet was on my other side, making sure my wounded arm didn’t hit anything to set off the pain.

Fortunately, traffic on the highway was pretty light, and before we knew it, we were pulling into Camelot College’s parking lot. Jackie and Trisha parked in some spaces as close to the hidden King Arthur statue as possible. The sky was overcast but fortunately for us, it wasn’t raining. Zecora and Scarlet both insisted on carrying my bags.

We made our way through the underbrush and finally entered the glade where the statue stood still, tall and firm, ignorant of the violence that had transpired here only a few days prior. The grass was still disturbed, and I saw dried specks of blood on the ground where I’d been hit.

Twilight handed Spike over to Trisha, who held the young boy close. The former Unicorn rushed over to the statue, then placed her hand through. I could see her hand morph into a hoof. She breathed a sigh of relief. Dash was watching this with incredulous astonishment. “What the fuck…?” was all she could say as she made her way over to the statue. She put her hand to it, and jumped back in fear as her own hand turned into a cyan equine leg. “Seriously, what the fuck?!”

“Dashelle, not in front of a child!” Trisha shouted, keeping her hands over Spike’s ears.

“You can’t seriously expect me to not swear after that!” Dash shouted, her eyes a mix of anger and terror.

“Um…girls…can we not?” Shye asked quietly.

“Shye’s right,” I said louder. “And Spike isn’t a child anymore. The poor kid’s been through too much lately.” Trisha held Spike tighter, and Twilight rushed up to him, silently thanking Trisha and holding Spike close. I turned to the five college girls. “I can’t thank you ladies enough for what you’ve done. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have been able to find Sunset and I would have probably been taken into custody after they found out my lack of identity.”

“But you wouldn’t have been hurt, too,” Diane said sadly.

“Don’t think like that,” I said gently. “It just happened. Nobody’s at fault here. And we don’t know that she wouldn’t have hurt. This Sunset Shimmer seems different somehow. I don’t know what wrong with her, but she seems different. I saw her eyes glow before she vanished.”

“What, like a Goa’uld?” Scarlet asked.

I shook my head. “I doubt they exist. It was different. It was like she was possessed.”

“You think there’s some kind of magic on Earth?” Twilight asked nervously.

“If it’s anything like the show, there are a few Equestrian artifacts here,” I replied. “That, and the Dazzlings are definitely here. She could very well be under their influence.”

“The who now?” Jackie asked.

“Dazzlings,” I repeated. “They’re a group of Sirens from Equestria that were banished and presumably ended up in the human world. At least in the show. Celestia wasn’t sure about that part since all she knew about the Sirens was that they were all wiped out. I’m sure they were here at some point, but whether they’re still around is up for debate. But that’s not important right now. What is important is Sunset.” I stood up taller, facing the portal. “Ladies, I’m really grateful for all of your help over the past few days. It means a lot. But for now, this is farewell.”

“But…what you said about Sienna? What are you going to do?” Shye asked.

I shook my head. “She may be a forced to be reckoned with over there, but I know a certain purple Unicorn here who’s every bit her match. And five other mares who can blast some sense into her with the friendship rainbow laser. That, and two Alicorn princesses who can raise the sun and moon. But we need to hurry.” I looked at Spike and the other girls. “Let’s go home. But before I do, here.” I reached into my bag and pulled out the journal. I handed it to Jackie, who took it hesitantly. “This journal is currently our only connection to this world. I’m hoping that it can be used to keep in touch with all of you and to keep this portal open more permanently. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.”

She took it almost reverently and held it close. “Ah will…”

I nodded at them all, then turned to the portal. “No more wasting time. Let’s go.”

And with that, I stepped through…

The rainbow vortex enveloped my entire being, stretching and warping me in the same way it had before. But something was wrong. I could feel it in my jelly-like bones. There was a dark red hue that began to envelop the swirling vortex, and the colors began to bleed through.

I screamed…

…and the next thing I knew, I was tumbling down a long ramp. Pain from my injury swelled up as I hit my injured arm and shoulder. From behind me, I heard four other familiar shouts of surprise and pain as we all headed down.

I groaned, trying to get the ringing in my ear to stop, only to realize that the ringing wasn’t coming from my ears. And it wasn’t ringing. Groaning, I pushed myself up and looked around the room. It was bathed in red and there was an alarm ringing from everywhere. Aside from us, the room was empty of anyone, but the door to the mirror room was open. Blown off of its hinges.

“What’s that noise?” Scarlet asked, standing back on all hooves and covering her ears with her wings.

“Sounds like an alert,” I said, slowly standing and looking down at my body. Everything was back as it should be, and the familiar tightness in my back had returned. “Someone help me out of my shirt. My wings need to spread.”

Twilight rushed over, using her magic to remove my jacket and shirt. Immediately, my wings spread behind me and I sighed in contentment. Spike came over next, bringing me a set of clothes which Rarity had altered for me. Twilight used her magic to help me into them, and then began using a spell on my injuries. The pain receded, and I sighed in relief.

That’s when I heard the new arrivals from the mirror. “Whoa!” a scratchy female voice shouted as a familiar looking cyan Pegasus tumbled out of the mirror and down the ramp. She was quickly followed by an orange Earth Pony with a Stetson, then a white Unicorn, a pink Earth Pony, and a yellow Pegasus. Spike, the girls, and myself all watched in shock as the five new Ponies fell towards the foot of the ramp. “Nng…that was a fucking trip,” the Rainbow Dash lookalike groaned as she looked down at her hooves. “Oh my God! What happened to my hands!?”

“Settle down there, Sally!” Jackie said, trying her hardest to stand on her hooves.

“What the hell are you five doing here?!” I shouted, moving towards them. A panicked Twilight followed, still trying to use the healing spell on me.

Jackie, now in the exact form of Applejack, stood faster than the rest. She looked up at me, then down at an object on the ground. “Just after ya left, this thing began tah vibrate and glow. Ah figured it was from yer princess, so ah looked. It wasn’t good.”

I snatched the book and opened it to the glowing pages. And my blood ran cold.

JETHRO HELP ERIS IS GONE!

63: A Cloaked Heart's Darkest Day Pt. 1

“No…no no no! Not here! Not now! Damn it!” I slammed the book down angrily, causing the pain in my shoulder to flare up again. “Ow!”

Twilight and Zecora were immediately by my side. Using her magic, Twilight removed my jacket and shirt, then slowly removed the bandages before continuing to use her magic to start the healing spell. Zecora rummaged through her own bag, finding a small towel and a jar of something which she used to dab at the scabs that had formed underneath the bandages. “Just stay calm, Jethro,” Twilight said reassuringly.

“How can I stay calm?? The greatest threat to this world is on the loose, and I don’t have the foresight to predict her moves! She’s not like Discord!”

“Who the hell is this Eris person anyway?” Dash asked as the five new Ponies got used to their bodies. To my surprise, it wasn’t taking them too long to figure out how to use their new bodies, just as it had taken Twilight only a few minutes to get used to walking on two feet.

“She’s a Draconequus,” I explained through clenched teeth as Twilight’s magic continued the healing process. “She’s a being of immense magical power and extremely dangerous. She’s responsible for the corruption of an entire race which led to their eventual destruction. She has reality warping capabilities.”

“Oh…my…” Shye said, looking extremely nervous now.

“You five don’t have to be here, you know,” I said. I pointed to the still open portal. “I appreciate you coming through to give me the message, but you’ll only be in danger here.”

“Are ya callin’ us a liability?” Jackie asked, stomping up to me angrily. Unsurprisingly, she was the first new Pony to figure out how to walk on all four hooves. She lifted one of those front hooves now and poked me in the chest rather hard.

Another burst of anger came from deep within me, and this time it was harder to suppress it. “Frankly, yes. You’re all damn Ponies, for Christ’s sake! And even if Twilight cast the Anthro spell on you, you’d still be only partially humanoid in appearance. And it’s not like we have clothes that’ll fit you except back at my house. And if Eris is indeed gone, she’ll have done something to Ponyville!”

“Then we stay Ponies!” Jackie shouted back. “Ah know ah’ve only known ya for a few days, but ah can tell yer a good person! Dash knows it too and that’s why she ran through! She’s loyal to a fault! We want to help!”

“Shut up, Jackie!” Dash shouted.

“You don’t know just how dangerous Eris is!” I replied. “If she’s anything like the Discord from the show, she can get into your head and corrupt you! She’s the embodiment of chaos! And far more malicious than Discord ever was!”

“Jethro…?” Twilight sounded concerned now, but I ignored her.

“Listen here!” Dash said, stomping up to me angrily. “I’m a rash person! I know that! I make decisions based on my gut feeling! And my gut feeling tells me you need help!”

“Guys…?” Spike, who was now in his Dragon form again, tried to step in, but I ignored him too.

“And what if you die here?! Huh?!” I’d never felt such rage at anyone in my life, and something in the back of my mind was shouting at me to shut up, but I couldn’t. “How the hell do I explain to your families back on Earth how you died in some distant Pony world trying to help a guy you barely know!?”

“STAY THY TONGUES!” a very familiar voice shouted from what remained of the busted open doors. All of us were thrown back by the use of the Royal Canterlot Voice. I turned and saw a very disheveled Luna standing at the entrance. She was wearing Pony styled armor, which included some kind of blades attached to her wings. “Jethro? You have returned?”

“When your sister told us about Eris’ escape, I had to come back,” I said. “That, and Sunset Shimmer came through as well.”

“My sister and I both were there when she escaped from the mirror room,” Luna said. “She was not herself, at least that’s what Celestia told me.”

“What did happen?” Twilight asked.

“‘Tis not an easy story to remember,” Luna said sadly. “She came through, blasting the guards in the room aside as if they were no more than foal’s toys. I shall never forget the look in her eyes: pure rage, those yellow eyes glowing with pure malice. My sister tried to calm her down, but her behavior was erratic. She teleported away, and our best tracking spells had a hard time finding her. And that was when the explosion took place.”

“What explosion…?” I asked, a chill running down my spine.

“It came from where we placed Eris’ statue,” Luna said. “When we got there, Sunset was unconscious and bleeding badly. She’s in our infirmary right now. Celestia has hardly left her side. The doctors have told us that there’s a chance she’ll never wake up.”

“GODDAMN IT!” I punched the floor hard enough to break skin.

Luna finally noticed my wounds and her eyes widened. “Jethro, what has happened to you??” She rushed over and began casting the same spell on the other injury. Her eyes were full of fear and worry.

I picked up the gun I brought with me and held up the deadly weapon. “Sunset somehow managed to get a hold of this. She used it on me.”

Luna’s eyes flashed with barely restrained anger. “She shall pay for this aggression! To cause harm to another living creature was once punishable by public humiliation in the stockades, then time in the dungeons!”

“No, dear sister, she won’t,” a tired but also familiar voice said from behind her. Celestia stood in the doorway, her horn glowing its signature color. She looked over at the five humans-turned-Ponies. “What…how are you five here? You were-”

“These aren’t the Bearers of Harmony,” I said, standing quickly and facing her. “Let me introduce you.” I pointed to Jackie first. “This is Jacqueline, but she goes by Jackie.” I continued going down the line of Ponies. “This is Dashelle, but she goes by Dash. This is Shye, then Trisha, then Diane. They’re the human counterparts of the Elements. Ladies, these two are the diarchs of Equestria. This is Princess Celestia, and this is Princess Luna.”

Jackie put one front hoof and one back hoof in front of the other after removing her Stetson. “Yer highnesses,” she said.

Trisha bowed low in as elegant a pose as she could, but seeing as she had little experience with her new form, it was a bit harder for her. “It is indeed a pleasure.”

“Hi Princesses!” Diane exclaimed, waving her hoof ecstatically. Human or Pony, Pinkie or Diane, she was one of a kind.

“Ah, well, nice to meet you, your highnesses,” Dash said, scratching the back of her head with her new hoof.

“Um…hello…” Shye said nervously, her wings hanging low instead of by their side like most Pegasi kept them.

Celestia spread her wings, walking forward. Her smile was tender and kind. “Hello, my dear humans. I am pleased to see that even in another world, Jethro and Twilight found new friends in the counterparts of the Bearers of Harmony.” Turning to me, she looked at the wounds on my arm, then at the gun still in my hand. Her expression hardened. “Is that the weapon that Sunset used to harm you?”

“Yes, and I am going to be keeping it with me,” I added quickly in anticipation of her taking it from me.

“It was my fault,” Spike said with a bitter tone. “I got him shot, not Sunset.”

“Twilight told me what happened, my young Dragon,” Celestia said, walking over to him, then enveloping him in her wings. “It was not your fault.” She turned to Luna. “Sister, could you take Spike here to one of the guest rooms and keep him from having nightmares? Twilight told me he’s had bad dreams.”

I looked at Spike in shock. Now that I got a better look at him, he did look extremely exhausted. Luna walked over, lowered her horn, and it glowed as it touched Spike’s forehead. The young Drake slumped forward and was instantly asleep. Luna placed him on her back. “He is dreaming peacefully right now. Sister, once I take him to a bedchamber I must return to my duties.”

“Of course,” Celestia said.

As Luna took the exhausted Dragon out of the room, I turned to face Celestia. “What’s been going on? Your message was pretty short.”

“What message?” Celestia asked.

My heart froze. “The one you sent about Eris being gone?”

“I sent no message, Jethro,” she replied. “I have been too busy helping to keep the shield up around Canterlot.”

“Shield?” Twilight asked, sounding confused now. “Is there an attack going on?”

Celestia sighed. “Sort of. It’s a long story. Please come with me.” She turned and headed out of the room.

As I followed, I heard Dash behind me shouting, “Oh, fuck me! I’m naked!”

About thirty or so minutes later, a large conference room was full of Ponies and myself. The other Mane Six expressed extreme relief to seeing me and concern upon hearing about my injuries. First meetings between the Mane Six and the Humane Five was a very interesting sight. Applejack and Jackie were immediately talking to each other, presumably about farming. Dash and Rainbow circled each other, giving each other looks of what could only be challenge, Pinkie Pie was teaching Diane how to bound around like her hooves were made of springs, Rarity and Trisha were both comparing notes on fashion, and Fluttershy and Shye were both talking animatedly about animals. Twilight looked like she was feeling left out, whereas Zecora and Scarlet were both by my side, flanking me protectively. Celestia sat at the front of the room, her horn no longer glowing, but her eyes showed how tired she really was despite the amused smile on her face.

A smile which slowly began to vanish as she used her magic to close and lock the conference door. This caused the Ponies in the room to all face her. “As entertaining as this is, I would like to ask you all to please be seated. We have much to discuss.”

“Forgive me for being blunt, but shouldn’t we be out there doing something instead of being locked up in committee?” I asked in frustration, pointing towards the door. The healing spell Twilight had used as well as the salve that Zecora had used on me had caused the pain in my shoulder and arm to only become slightly dull. The wound was still there and fresh bandages had been applied by a nurse, so I was ready to head out.

“Jethro, we must compare notes, as you humans would say,” Celestia said with a patient tone. “So far, the shield around the city has not been breached.”

“Eris can snap her fingers and turn the shield into a soap bubble!” I shouted.

Celestia’s cool expression became one of concern. “Jethro? Are you alright?”

“No I’m not alright!” I seethed. “I’m so Goddamned angry right now and I don’t know why!”

Celestia was instantly by my side, her horn glowing and facing me. I nearly stumbled back in surprise at her sudden presence as I felt the warm tingle of magic surrounding my entire body. After a while, the tingling became pinpricks of invisible needles. And just like that, the majority of the anger within me seemed to seep out. Above me, a dark red cloud began to form, one that eerily reminded me of the one that formed over Starlight Glimmer’s head in the episode where she bottled up her anger. But as I watched, I saw wisps of green mist permeating the red cloud. I frowned at it. “What…what was that?” I asked, feeling a bit clearer headed than I had been in what felt like years.

“You were being affected by some sort of spell,” Celestia said as she moved the cloud away. A bolt of lightning erupted from her horn, and the sound of something shattering could be heard all across the room as the cloud and mist vanished in a ball of light. “Did you encounter anyone else over there? Anyone who could have been from Equestria? You did mention that a group of three Sirens were banished to that world.”

“I didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary,” I said with a sigh, rubbing my forehead as Zecora rubbed my back affectionately. “But like I said, that world wasn’t like the one I knew from Equestria Girls.” I turned to Zecora. “Babe, where’s the bag with the laptop in it?”

“Right here, love,” she said, grabbing a bag with her teeth and holding it up to me.

“Thank you.” Taking it, I opened the out-of-date piece of tech, turned it on, then tried to see if I could connect to the staticnet. To my relief, I was able to do so, and I opened the browser. “Look, as a lot of you have seen,” I said after Googling the aforementioned movie special, “this is how the world was meant to look.” I pulled up an image of the Humane Five alongside Sunset Shimmer and the human Twilight Sparkle. “This is what I was expecting. But this is what I got.” I took out my phone and showed them a few pictures of Pendragon along with absolutely normal humans. “I wouldn’t have been able to identify the Dazzlings even if I knew what they might look like without their signature colors. Did anything else come through the gate?”

“Once Sunset came through, there has been nearly round the clock guards around it,” Celestia said. “It was just unfortunate that you arrived during a changing of the guard. Aside from Sunset and you all, nothing else has shown up.”

“I see,” I said. “Well, I suppose that’s a relief. We’d be screwed six ways from Sunday if three deadly Sirens came through.”

“That would be easier to deal with than what’s been going on here,” Celestia sighed.

“What’s going on?” I asked with increasing trepidation.

Celestia took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Ever since Sunset came through the mirror and released Eris, it’s as if the citizens of Canterlot and Ponyville are under some sort of spell. Mistrust has begun to brew slowly among friends, arguments spill out onto the streets, and there have even been a few serious injuries. Reports from Ponyville by Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance indicate the same. Mobs of Ponies have even stormed businesses and trashed them. And I cannot see any discernable pattern among them.” She clenched her teeth in rage. “This reeks of Eris.”

“If she’s anything like Discord, that would make sense,” I said. “Just make a subtle change, and friendships fall apart, riots are started, shit like that.”

Celestia slammed her hoof onto the table, causing every Pony to jump. “Fuck!” she shouted in anger and frustration. “This is complete bullshit!”

“Believe me, I know,” I said. “All we can try and do now is use the Elements on her. In the show, Discord stole them from the hiding place you put them in and hid them in the Elements of Harmony reference guide back at Golden Oaks, but that’s just speculation at this point.”

“The Elements are gone from where I placed them,” Celestia said. “But from what you’ve told me about the Discord from the show, he sounds less malicious and more like some kind of force of chaos. Eris is not like Discord.”

“Do you think she’s keeping the Elements closer to her?” Twilight asked, still a bit shaken by hearing her mentor swearing and seeing the ancient Alicorn so stressed.

“It’s possible,” she said. “What better place to keep the weapons that can defeat you than nearest you so you can keep an eye on them.”

“Back the truck up,” Jackie asked, “What are the Elements of Harmony?”

“They’re ancient magical relics that we’ve used in the past,” Twilight explained, slipping into her somewhat professorial tone. “There are six elements: Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity and Magic. My friends and I are the Bearers of Harmony. Together using the magic of friendship, they can be used to defeat dangerous enemies.”

“Girly show shit,” Dash groaned.

“Hey! It worked on Nightmare Moon!” Rainbow Dash shouted back. “And we aren’t a girly show!”

“My Little Pony was always a girly show!” Dash shouted back. “Trisha’s little sister and Diane are fans!”

“Ladies, stop!” I shouted. “We don’t need an argument here, too! Sounds like that’s just what Eris wants!”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Enter,” Celestia said. A member of the Royal Guard opened the door and stepped in. “Commander Dark Gust, what is it?”

Saluting with his wing, Dark Gust said, “Pardon the interruption, your Highness, but we’ve just received reports from our Wonderbolt scouts. It would appear that Manehatten has begun to experience similar changes in behavior among the population. There are small riots now, but a few buildings have caught fire and serious injuries have been reported, and it’s possible that a couple of Ponies have died. And not just there. Your Highness…Appleloosa is burning.”

The mood in the room darkened considerably. The Humane Five, despite not being members of the Pony race, all looked shocked and horrified, as did the Mane Six. Applejack especially looked petrified. “Not Appleloosa…” she whispered.

“Yah alright there, sugarcube?” Jackie asked, looking at her Equestrian counterpart.

Applejack turned to Jackie. “Ah’ve got a cousin in Appleloosa, Braeburn…ah just saw him, too.” Her fear turned to unadulterated rage. She began to tremble, and through clenched teeth she snarled, “That slimy little-”

“Calm down, darling,” Rarity interrupted, rubbing Applejack’s back gently, “We’ll think of something.”

“Commander, do we know anything about other countries?” I asked.

He looked my way and shook his head. “My scouts are fast, but not that fast. Hopefully we’ll get more news by the end of the day.”

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but don’t you Ponies have phone lines?” I asked, turning back to Celestia.

“We do, but they’re down,” Celestia replied. Turning back to the commander, she continued, “Anything else to report?”

“My forces are scattered too thinly, your Highness. We need more Ponies.”

“What about that secret organization that Sweetie Drops was a part of?” I asked Celestia in Farasi.

Celestia’s eyes widened. “You…know about that too? No, forget I asked, of course you do.” She turned back to the guard. “Commander, I will provide you with a list of Ponies in Canterlot and Ponyville that can be considered recalled to active duty as soon as I’m finished here. For now, pull as many who aren’t on duty currently.”

“I already did that, your Highness, on Captain Armor’s orders,” Dark Gust said.

Celestia nodded in approval. “Thank you, Commander. Return to your station.”

“Your Highness.” He saluted again before leaving.

“My God…what did we stumble into…?” Shye asked in fear. “It’s like you’re at war.”

Fluttershy went over to her counterpart, putting her wings over Shye’s back. “I’m sorry,” she said in as reassuring a voice as she could muster.

“It’s not just like it, Miss Shye,” Celestia said, standing. “We are in a state of war.” She faced the Humane Five. “I cannot ask the five of you to help fight in a war that might very well lead to the end of peace and harmony in our world. The portal to your world remains open, and will continue to remain open for a few more days.”

“And what if your Harmony Element people are killed??” Dash asked, standing and pointing at the Mane Six. “Look, I’m not that smart, I know that. I’m only in college because of a sports scholarship. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that we can even the odds with more people, or Ponies, I guess.”

“You can barely fly!” Rainbow Dash retorted. “And the rest of you don’t know how to be Ponies!”

“Then use that spell that Jethro told us about!” Dash replied, pointing at me. “He’s a new friend, and I don’t just leave my friends hanging, damn it! Not…not again…” Dash’s expression became one of someone haunted by a past memory.

Rainbow Dash’s anger dissolved at that, and a look of horror passed over her face. “No…you too…?” When Dash nodded, Rainbow sunk back in her chair. “Celestia’s flowing mane…”

Celestia cleared her throat, causing everyone in the room to face her once more. “I appreciate your offer to help, but I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to stay here. You have lives back on your world, families who would miss you dearly. I’m sorry, but the five of you must go back.”

Dash was about to say something, when I stood and walked over to the Humane Five. “Please listen to her. This isn’t your fight. You’ve done so much for me already.” I turned to Jackie, who had a stubborn look on her face. “You opened your home to me as a place of refuge in my hour of need. For that, you have my undying friendship.” I reached out and took her hoof in my hand, shaking it.

Her expression softened, and she finally nodded in understanding. “Ah understand, sugarcube. Ah don’t like it, but ah trust that mah counterpart can help keep ya safe.”

“Ah certainly will,” Applejack said resolutely.

Nodding, I then turned to Trisha. “You generously donated your own blood to me so that my life would continue. For that, you have my undying friendship.” I reached out, took her hoof in my hand, and kissed it reverently, before putting my other hand over the hoof.

Rarity’s eyes widened at this revelation. “You did?” she asked Trisha. Trisha nodded, a blush forming on her face. Rarity’s eyes sparkled with pride. “I can only hope I’ll be able to do the same…”

I smiled, then turned to Dash. “Without hesitation, you showed that the loyalty in your heart rivals your own Pony counterpart. For that, you have my undying friendship.” I took her hoof and shook it gently.

“I can only hope that I’m at least twenty percent as cool as your friend Rainbow Dash,” Dash said as she looked at the stunned Pegasus.

Rainbow Dash slowly nodded. “You are…you’re very cool.”

Turning to Shye next, I said, “You bravely rushed into danger despite what must have been a crippling fear in your heart. For that, you have my undying friendship.”

As I reached for her hoof, Shye shook her head and instead wrapped me up in a hug. I was a bit stunned, but returned the hug. “Please stay safe,” she whispered in my ear gently before she released me

Lastly, I turned to Diane. “Your overwhelming desire to make people smile is a bright beacon in a world full of sadness. You made me smile despite everything I’ve gone through on Earth, and that’s a hard thing to do. For that, you have my undying friendship.”

Diane rushed over and threw her hooves around me tightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pinkie Pie nodding her head in approval. “You’d better come back,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I’m throwing you a massive party, and I don’t want it to be a wake.”

I smiled. “I will.” Letting her go, I turned back to Celestia. “Celestia, permission to escort them back to the gate room?” I asked.

Celestia nodded. “Granted.”

I grabbed the journal out of my bag, and headed to the door. “Ladies, let’s go.”

The walk down the halls back to the Throne Room was a silent one. The mood was somber, and Diane’s new pink mane was even deflated despite earlier being curly and in a ponytail. I walked over to the broken stone doors and entered the room. As the Ponies behind me gathered, I turned to face them. I held up the journal and lowered it towards Jackie with magic. “This journal is the only way we can keep in contact with each other. Right now the other journal is with Princess Celestia. When this is all over, it will be instrumental in opening up a permanent connection between our worlds. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.”

Dash couldn’t help herself. She snorted. “Fantasy nerd.”

“That’s me,” I said with a small smirk. As Jackie took the book in her mouth, I stood aside. “I’ll see you all soon, I hope.”

Jackie nodded, then turned towards the gate. She walked up towards it slowly. Before she could put her hoof through, however, the torches in the room went out, and then the gems on the gate went dead. The light from beyond the mirror slowly began to die as well. From all around us, I heard a slow feminine laugh. “Ah ah ah, we can’t have that, now can we?” From above the now darkened gate, a face appeared, hovering like some giant hologram.

Now that she wasn’t encased in stone, I could see she had light purplish skin, a yellow beak, bright and deadly glowing yellow eyes, white horns, and flowing yellow, purple, pink and blue hair that flew in the wind similar to how Celestia’s and Luna’s did. The all-too familiar female face looked down at me with a devious and triumphant smirk. “So, you’re the new human in town.”

I felt my fists clench. “Eris…”

Her grin showed a row of sharpened teeth. “Hello, Jethro Bethridge of Earth. Good to see you got my message to return. Now then, shall we begin?”

64: A Cloaked Heart's Darkest Day Pt. 2

I glared at the floating head before me. She was here. Eris. The architect behind the corruption of all those innocent Alicorns. The malevolent force of chaos and enmity. I cursed myself for not bringing the gun with me. I felt my anger return in full force, but I also had a clearer head than before. If she was to be defeated, cooler heads had to prevail. I inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Begin what?” I asked, arms crossed and giving her a glare.

Eris’ smile only widened. “What? Didn’t get the reference, boy? Ah, it makes no difference to me. I’m not like that foolish Discord from the show.” My heart stopped. Eris laughed at my expression. “Did you seriously think that pathetic shield around your house would stop me?”

“What do you want, bitch!?” Dash shouted, flying up to face the floating head.

Eris shook her head, then blew. Dash was thrown against the wall, slamming into it with incredible force. “Whoo, you kiss your mother with that mouth? Now why would I tell you what I want? You’ll have to discover that on your own. Not that I’ll let you.”

“Let them go back to Earth, Eris,” I snarled. “They have nothing to do with this conflict.”

“That won’t happen,” Eris grinned. “Your new human friends aren’t going home. But…since I’m in such a good mood today, I’ll give you one favor.”

Light surrounded the five Pony mares and it was so bright that I had to shield my eyes against it. I heard screams of pain from them. “Stop this!” I called out in fear. “You’re hurting them!”

“Bitch, please, that’s hardly a tickle compared to what it could be really like,” Eris said. “Besides, no need to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

The light suddenly vanished. Looking back, I saw five human girls lying unconscious on the ground. I whirled on Eris. “Change them back! They can’t survive in their human forms!”

She laughed. “Don’t be so sure about that little tale that Obsidian Star told you.”

“Don’t you dare profane her name by speaking it!” I shouted. “You do not deserve to speak her name!”

She smirked. “Bit of a sore spot with you, I take it? No matter. My business here is almost done anyway. Be a dear and deliver one message, and one message only.” Her eyes glowed even more, and a familiar sound came from it. Her voice deepened. There was no doubt she’d seen everything on my computer when, in a warped voice resembling that of a Goa’uld, she sneered, “Tell Sunset Shimmer thank you for releasing me.”

The head vanished in a shimmer, and the torches relit themselves. However, the gate remained dormant. I ran up and put my hand on the now dead portal. I pushed against it futilely, then screamed, “SON OF A BITCH!” I turned around, leaning against the mirror and sliding down it.

Just then Celestia and the Mane Six rushed into the room. “I felt a wave of chaotic magic coming from-” she stopped, looking at the now clothed and unconscious humans. “What…happened?”

I looked up at her, anger burning through every fiber of my being. “Eris…she closed the portal and did this to them. They’re not going anywhere. And worse…she knows about the show.”

Fifteen minutes later, the Humane Five were awake and helped back to the meeting room. They told us that whatever Eris had done to them had caused excruciating amounts of pain as they were transformed from Pony to human. When Celestia ran over them with her magic, she told them that the transformation had stripped any magical abilities they once might have had in their Pony forms, making them normal humans, for all intents and purposes.

“Okay, so that begs the question as to how are they still alive?” I asked after Celestia finished. “Athena told me she had to change my body so that I could actually live in Equestria safely.”

“I don’t know,” Celestia admitted.

“Without a normal human to compare, we may never know for certain,” Twilight added. “You’re not experiencing any shortness of breath or any other pain aside from what you’re experiencing now, are you?”

Jackie, who’d somewhat become the de-facto speaker of the group of new humans, looked at the others. When they all shook their heads, she looked back at Twilight. “Ah’m startin’ tah feel better mahself. It’s just a dull ache now.”

Twilight looked relieved at that. “Thank Celestia.”

Celestia chuckled. “Don’t thank me, Twilight, although I’m flattered.” Her smile vanished as she turned to the five human women. “I am so sorry for what has happened to you. You will be given immediate accommodations within the palace and guards will be posted around you at all times.”

“Um, with all due respect, yer Highness,” Jackie said, turning to her, “but we ain’t gonna just sit back and do nothin’. We might not have magic, but we’ve got somethin’ you might not have.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

“A human perspective,” she replied. “Ah may be just a simple farm girl, but ah can’t sit and twiddle my thumbs. Ah have to help. Ah can fight, cook, hell, ah even helped treat Jethro’s wound when the doc was there.”

“Yeah! I didn’t come here for nothing!” Dash shouted, slamming her hand on the table. “Just gimme a club and I’ll smash Eris’ stupid head in! I’m a blackbelt in karate and I can fence, for crying out loud!”

“I’m not sure how my skills as a seamstress can compare to you, Miss Rarity,” Trisha said, “but I’ve been working with needles ever since I could hold one. Surely there’s something I can do with that.”

“I can entertain the wounded Ponies!” Diane said in earnest. “I mean, laughter is the best medicine after all!”

“I don’t know what I can do, but I want to…try and help,” Shye said.

Celestia smiled widely, a tear in her own eye. “You five…are definitely special. It amazes me that in both our worlds, you became as close as you have now. Very well, we could use all the help we can get. Jackie, you said you can cook and have a bit of medical training?”

Jackie nodded. “Ah know plenty of vegetarian recipes, and Mac told me a bit about his trainin’ as a medic.”

“Yer Mac wanted tah study medicine?” Applejack asked incredulously.

Jackie chuckled. “Surprised me too.”

“Very well,” Celestia said. “We have plenty of cooks here, but Ponyville doesn’t. I’m sure they would be too tired to care that you’re a human.”

“Whaddaya mean? Why would they care if ah’m human?” Jackie asked with a frown.

“Speciesism,” I said bluntly, causing all the Ponies in the room to look down guiltily. “Jackie, they’re a herd prey species in a world full of predators. Dragons, Griffons, Lycans, and more. Is it any wonder they’d be afraid of something not their own? Besides, Ponyville is more receptive to a human since I live there. Canterlot isn’t.”

“A fact I’m ashamed of, and one reason why I hoped to have Twilight become a Princess so she could begin changing Ponies minds. But that’s not important right now.” Celestia said. “Miss Jackie, I’m sure the Ponyville Hospital kitchen could use your help. Are you willing?”

“Willin’ and able, yer Highness!”

“Glad to hear it.” She then turned to Dash. “Miss Dashelle, you said you knew something called karate. Are you able to bring down an opponent without permanently hurting them?”

“I can bring an opponent down in ten seconds flat!” Dash exclaimed proudly.

“Not another one…” Applejack muttered, facehoofing.

“Are you confident in your ability to be a peacekeeper and keep Ponies from harming each other?” Celestia asked again.

Dash’s confidence began to falter a bit. “I’m…not sure, but I can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

“That’s good enough for me,” Celestia said. “I’ll have our armorer see if we have anything that might fit you, but if not, what else can you do? I wouldn’t want to send you to Ponyville without proper protection.”

“Do you have a sword and shield that I can use?” Dash asked.

“Well, yes, but-”

“Then that’s all I need.” Dash interrupted Celestia. “I said I’m a good fencer. I can handle a sword.”

Celestia bit her lower lip, considering. She took a deep breath after a while, and sighed. “Alright. I’ll let the armorer know. But please don’t harm any of my little Ponies if you can help it.”

“I’ll do my best!”

“Good.” She turned next to Trisha. “How good are you at knitting?”

“Oh, your Highness, I can knit very well,” Trisha replied.

“Good, because we’ll need extra blankets in Ponyville,” she said. “Think you can work on that?”

She nodded resolutely. “I can. Anything to help!”

“You can use my boutique, darling,” Rarity added. “I have plenty of wool.”

Celestia nodded, then turned to Diane. “Miss Diane, you said you wanted to entertain the wounded? I think that’s a great idea. I’ll have you escorted to the Ponyville Hospital. They’re more understaffed than we are.”

“Aye aye!” Diane saluted.

Celestia chuckled, then turned to Shye. “I take it that, like Fluttershy here, you’re good with animals?”

Shye nodded. “Y-Yes, your Highness.”

“How good are you with foals? Or children?” Celestia asked.

“Um…I have babysat a few times in the past…” Shye said.

“My reports say that there’s an entire ward of fillies and colts in the Ponyville Hospital who’ve been injured who could use someone to help look after them,” Celestia said. “Are you willing to help in that area?”

Shye’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh, yes please!” she said, any fear slowly vanishing.

“Thank you, Miss Shye,” Celestia said. Standing, she looked at the five girls. “I wish I could send you home out of harm’s way. I really do, and I wish the circumstances of your arrival in our world were better. I cannot order you to help us, but I am glad to have your help.” She then turned to me. “Jethro, please forgive me, but I must ask more of you than I ever have before.”

I stood and faced her, my wings spreading behind me. “Celestia, I won’t lie, I’m scared beyond anything I felt for even you and your sister, but I’m a potential citizen of this country now. I can’t go to my original world, so Equestria is my home now. I am at your service.” I knelt before her reverently.

Zecora also took a knee. “Farasi might be where I was born, but Equestria is now my home. My skills are at your service.”

Scarlet also knelt. “Whatever I can do to help, I will do so. I am at your service, your Highness.” The five humans all got off their chairs and knelt as well.

Celestia’s eyes watered at the display. She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with a kerchief. “Thank you, everyone.” She cleared her throat then stood taller. “Please stand, all of you. For now, we need to figure out what Eris’ plan is and what to do next.”

“This isn’t a television show, Celestia,” I replied as I took a seat again. “This is real life. And she’s not a moron.”

Celestia grinned. “And neither are we.”

Just then, I heard the flapping of two sets of wings, and a young-looking Phoenix landed in front of me, her eyes wide with what I could only assume was joy. An older Phoenix landed next to Celestia. I smiled back. “Eve!”

The young Phoenix leaped up and landed on my shoulder, nuzzling her cheek against mine, then squawking in joy. Shye was watching this in astonishment. “Oh my, I’ve never seen that kind of bird before.”

“She’s my pet Phoenix,” I said, before turning to Philomena. “Philo, is she ready?”

“Kraawk!” Philomena replied, nodding her head for emphasis.

“Heh, you’ve raised her well,” I said, bowing to the older bird. “Thank you, Philomena.” Turning back to Eve, I said, “Eve, as happy as I am to see you, I’m afraid I can’t take you with me right now. Something bad is happening that I need to take care of. When it’s all over, I’ll bring you home with me.”

Eve shook her head, then pointed at me with her wing, then back at herself. “Raawk!” she said.

“She says she’s coming with us,” Fluttershy said softly.

“Why?” I asked.

“Raawk quawk!” Eve replied.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “She…she’s coming to protect…you.”

“I believe you will find your Phoenix as stubborn as Philomena,” Celestia said, reaching out to stroke her own bird affectionately. “As stubborn as her mother.”

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. “Fine, but you behave, okay?” I said, poking Eve’s beak. “Is that clear?” Eve nodded in understanding, and with that I turned back to the others. “Alright, so we have the beginnings of a plan. Let’s begin, shall we?”

“I swear, if this turns into some kind of Balance thing and that Stardust Balance Pony shows up, heads will roll!” I growled as me, Zecora, Scarlet, the Mane Six and other Humane Five headed to the train station where the latest train prototype was waiting for us. Above us, Eve flew, acting something like a scout. If we were approaching a street with a riot on it, she’d fly back and alert us thanks to Fluttershy’s own translation. The Mane Six flanked us as we walked through quieter neighborhoods to avoid the riots as best we could. I put my hand in my pocket, patting the pistol I’d confiscated from Sunset. Jackie had identified it as a Glock 22, commonly used by the police. There weren’t many bullets left in it, but I felt safer with it.

Dash was armed with a short sword and a small shield, a fire in her eyes that I hadn’t seen before. None of the other armor could comfortably fit her, but she insisted that she’d be fine.

“Who’s Stardust Balance?” Twilight asked as we turned to head down another street.

“He’s a human turned Pony from a My Little Pony fanfiction that you get into a romantic relationship with,” I replied.

“Oh my,” Twilight said with a blush.

“But that’s not important right now,” I said as we took another turn down a larger street. Thankfully, this street was deserted unlike the ones we’d had to travel down before. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the train station a few blocks ahead. “Double time it, let’s move!” I shouted, running down the cobblestone street.

As we ran up to the train station, we were greeted by a small group of soldiers. One of them came up to me and saluted with his hoof, and I automatically saluted back. Eve landed on my shoulder as I did so. “The princess has ordered me and my soldiers to keep you guarded during your trip to Ponyville,” the guard said in a professional voice. “There’ve been reports of Pegasi looters trying to divebomb at any train they see.”

“My God…it’s a fucking madhouse,” I said.

The soldier nodded sadly. “Indeed, sir. Please hurry.”

I nodded then turned to the others. “Let’s move, people.”

I let everyone in first, then headed after them. The soldiers kept a close guard on all of us as we were led into a car with blacked out and boarded up windows. Oil lamps were lit on every wall to illuminate the beds that Ponies normally sat at. Eve sat on my wounded shoulder, and I could feel the pain receding thanks to the warmth provided. When we were all seated, a soldier walked up to a small horn-like device poking out of the wall then spoke into it. “Conductor, we’re all aboard. Let’s move.”

“Copy,” a gruff sounding voice replied from the device. There was a loud hissing of steam from outside the train, and with a jolt, we were moving.

“Jesus!” Dash said, almost falling forward, “A little warning next time?”

“Calm your teats, human me,” Rainbow replied with a frown.

“We aren’t starting an argument in here,” I interrupted them. “That’s just what Eris wants. Her type of chaos isn’t just random events like chocolate milk rain or cotton candy clouds. No, hers is the destruction of relationships.”

Zecora leaned against me, kissing my cheek. “You are quite tense, love,” she said tenderly.

I looked down, smiling at her. “Yeah, sorry.” I leaned in and kissed her. “But can you blame me?”

“Ah still can’t believe yer in a relationship with a zebra,” Jackie said, staring at the display of affection between me and her.

“Somethin’ wrong with that?” Applejack asked, frowning at her human counterpart.

“Well…ah guess not here,” Jackie said. “Back home it wouldn’t work.”

Zecora nodded. “Jethro has told me such.”

Shye smiled at the sight of my marefriend snuggling up close to me. “That’s adorable,” she said.

“Isn’t it?” Fluttershy agreed.

“How the hell does that even work, anyway?” Dash asked, confused.

“Well, when a human man and a Zebra mare love each other very much,” I began before Scarlet snorted.

“Love, uh, uh, uh, finds a way,” Scarlet added in her best Jeff Goldbloom impression.

Dash blushed and looked away. “I did not need that image in my mind today,” she groaned.

“Focus, everyone,” I said. “We’ve got to focus on the plan. Everyone knows what we’re doing, right?” There were nods all around. “Okay, but just to be sure, let’s go over everything again. Now, for our trapped human friends here, you know where your assignments are, right?”

“Shye, Jackie and I are going directly to Ponyville Hospital!” Diane replied.

“I’ll go directly to this Captain Shining Armor guy and ask for something to do,” Dash said.

“I’ll be heading to Rarity’s boutique to help make extra blankets,” Trisha said.

“You all have your personal notes from Celestia?” I asked the five humans. When they all held up sealed scrolls, hoofwritten by Celestia herself, I nodded. “Good.” Turning to the rest, I said, “And the rest of us?”

“And the rest of us will stay together for our jobs,” Twilight said.

The leader of the guards came up. “I can have some of my Ponies escort our human guests to their destinations.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I’d appreciate that.”

“Not a problem, sir,” he said.

Nodding gratefully, I turned back to the Ponies in the car. “First, we’ll need to go to my home. I need to check on Gemini and Mica and make sure they’re alright. Then we head to the Library. It’s a long shot, but I need to know if the Elements of Harmony are in that reference guide.”

“And what if they aren’t?” Twilight asked nervously.

“Then, Twilight, then you put me into REM sleep, and I will use my Morphean abilities to their fullest extent,” I replied. “My Morphean powers have grown in duration, but I don’t think I’ll be at my maximum potential. Even so, they’re our best bet barring the Elements.”

Twilight looked nervous. “But…what if that fails?” she asked.

“Right now, all we can do is react to whatever grand plan Eris has, if she has one,” I said. “Just try and get some rest before we get to Ponyville, everyone. I have a feeling that we’re not going to get much.”

“That’s a good idea,” Twilight said, collapsing into the bed she’d taken. I watched as the other Mane Six and the Humane Five all lay down. I chuckled a bit when I noticed that the Humane Five had all chosen beds with their Mane Six counterparts. Shye immediately had her arms around Fluttershy, stroking her mane gently, Dash and Rainbow collapsed into their beds without a care, Jackie and Applejack lay next to each other, but I could hear whispers coming from them. Diane and Pinkie were whispering excitedly to each other, and Rarity and Trisha were both lying down in what could only be refined poses, Rarity in a Ponyloaf and Trisha in her best Sleeping Beauty pose.

Scarlet and Zecora both lay against me, their eyes immediately closed. Eve sat on my lap and gave me a worried look. Reaching down, I stroked her head gently. “Everything will be okay, Eve,” I said softly. I looked up at the ceiling, exhaling as I closed my eyes. “Everything will be okay…”

65: A Cloaked Heart's Darkest Day Pt. 3

Ponyville was in complete chaos.

The moment we all stepped out if the train car onto the platform of Ponyville Station, it felt as if we had entered a war zone. Smoke was rising from nearer and more distant buildings, and I could hear the sounds of arguments and a few distant screams. It hit me just then just how much more dangerous Eris truly was compared to Discord. Discord only wanted to spread chaos for fun. Eris, I was growing to realize more and more, wanted to hurt Ponies. She was the malevolent kind of chaos, the kind that broke apart relationships and burned cities to the ground. The kind of chaos that burned Rome to the ground.

And there were a number of Ponyville buildings that were on fire, judging from the smoke that was billowing up.

“Oh my God…” Jackie gasped as she stepped up beside me.

“What the fuck…?” Dash said in a stunned voice as she joined Jackie.

“No…not here,” Rarity whimpered.

“What in Tartarus happened here…?” Rainbow Dash added.

“Eris happened,” a familiar voice said from our right. Turning, I saw Bon Bon, now Sweetie Drops, standing at the edge of the platform. She was wearing a pair of shades and was dressed in what resembled a Men in Black-esque suit. She walked up and saluted. “Welcome back, Jethro.”

I saluted back. “Special Agent Sweetie Drops. Glad to see you recalled to active duty.”

“I’d ask how you knew about my real name, but that’s not important,” she said.

Rarity looked around, trying to find something in the distance. “Sweetie Belle…I have to find Sweetie Belle!”

“Ah’ve got tah get back and make sure mah family’s safe!” Applejack shouted.

“Relax, everypony,” Sweetie Drops said. “Applejack, your family’s safe. Looks like whatever’s happening in Ponyville hasn’t yet spread to your farm. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are there. Big Mac made sure of that.”

Applajack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash all looked relieved. “Thank Celestia,” Rainbow Dash said.

“What’s the situation, Agent,” the leader of our small squad asked as we made our way to the stairs leading to the road to Ponyville.

“Pretty damn dire, Sergeant,” Sweetie Drops said. “Dozens of Ponies wounded, some severely. No deaths yet, thank Celestia, but the fighting’s only getting worse.” As we headed down the street, she continued. “It looks like whatever is happening has stayed within Ponyville’s borders, so the Apple family’s been taking in some of the Ponies who haven’t been affected.”

“When did it start?” Twilight asked.

“A few days ago,” Sweetie replied. “The first signs of anything happening was on the day when the mayor was giving a speech. Halfway through it, somepony threw a rock at her, shouting something about her rigging the election. The stone struck her so hard that she’s been unconscious for days.”

“Shit…” I frowned. “Never thought I’d see that thing in Equestria.”

“The Pony has since been arrested,” Sweetie said as we made our way down a smaller alleyway which connected to my home street. “But that was just the beginning. Other Ponies began to be affected. The attacks seem to be random, but there is some kind of pattern as to what happens before.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Green mist shows up,” she said. “We’ve gotten multiple eyewitness reports from Ponies who were the victims saying that this green mist was briefly visible before they were attacked by another Pony.”

“Green mist…huh…” Twilight frowned. “Have you seen this mist, Bon Bon?”

“I’m Agent Sweetie Drops right now, and no,” she replied as we reached my street. “But I have reports from at least a dozen other Ponies who corroborate each other’s stories.”

“Have you heard anything from other towns?” I asked. “Like Cloudsdale?”

Sweetie Drops sighed. “Cloudsdale…”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened and she flew down to Sweetie. “What’s happening?! Tell me, damn it!”

“Last I heard…Cloudsdale was being evacuated,” she said.

Rainbow Dash landed. “What…?”

“The fighting up there got really bad,” Sweetie Drops said softly. “Fights broke out faster than they did here. I’ve heard unconfirmed reports that there’ve been deaths there, too.”

That brought the mood down considerably. We all slowed down, the gravity of the situation hitting us even more than before. I’d never even seen a death in the MLP cartoons, save for potentially the Storm King’s demise at the end of the movie. Hearing about it here and now made me feel sick to my stomach.

“My parents…fuck, my parents… What about them?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“The evacuees are being taken to a safe place, I don’t know where,” Sweetie Drops said. “That’s all I know. Look, you have to understand, communication between us and Canterlot is spotty at best. I’ve only been able to rely on rumors and hearsay. Princess Cadance wasn’t even entirely sure what was going on when she got here.”

Just then, a small detail that Sweetie Drops had revealed hit me, and my eyes widened. “The Dazzlings…” I gasped.

“Who?” Sweetie asked, facing me.

“Sirens, Agent,” I replied, walking faster. “What’s happening here sounds a lot like the work of a Siren. They’re like Windigos in that they feed off of negative emotions, but they can also cause them. It’s possible that they managed to somehow return to Equestria through the mirror portal back in Canterlot.”

“But how?” Twilight asked. “The mirror’s been guarded since Sunset came back.”

“You forget just how powerful Eris can be,” I replied. “She’s practically a goddess. If you thought Celestia was one, think again. She can make things from nothing, corrupt Ponies with a single thought, and is probably invisible nearby watching this suffering. And laughing at it all.”

Everyone went silent at that as we finally made it to my house. I unlocked the gate and walked in, looking around and breathing a sigh of relief. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here yet.” I turned to the others. “Jackie, Diane, Shye, when you get to the hospital, let them know my house is available to house any of the wounded that they can spare.”

“I’ll let the Mayoral office know,” Sweetie said. “Can we use your yard to house any of the homeless Ponies in temporary shelters?”

“Of course,” I replied.

She looked up at me, a small smile forming. “Thank you, Jethro. We’d have used it sooner but the gate was locked and we couldn’t get in.”

“Yeah, that’s my bad,” I said as I made my way to the main house’s front door. “Used my Morphean magic to cast a spell that raised a shield over the house and property whenever the gate was locked.” I pulled my gate key off and handed it to her. “Don’t lose it. I have a spare, but I’d rather you not lose it.”

She took it and put it in her saddlebag. “I’ll bring it back safety.”

I opened the front door with my house key and stepped inside. “Gemini! Mica!” I called out.

From upstairs I heard someone shouting in reply, then the familiar form of my new servant and her brother came rushing downstairs. “Where in Tartarus have you been?” Gemini yelled at me. “This town is about to tear itself apart!” She finally took notice of the new Ponies as well as the humans. “Who are they?”

“Not important,” I replied, walking up and putting my hands on her shoulders. “You two been doing okay?”

“We’re not dead, so what do you think?” Gemini snarled.

“Good, because we need your help,” I said. “You’re right. Ponyville’s tearing itself apart out there. You’re a soldier, and your brother is quickly falling into your footsteps. There aren’t enough Ponies to keep the peace.”

“Oh, and you expect me to just drop everything and help you?” she sneered at me. “Help these so-called harmonious Ponies? All I want to do is get my brother out of here-”

My fist connected with her jaw faster than she could react, sending the young Lycan sprawling on the floor. I was immediately on top of her, grasping her by the throat. “Now you listen here, bitch! I could have easily ended your life back in the arena, but I didn’t. I hate the idea of killing, BuT yOu’Re MaKiNg A GoOd CaSe FoR iT!”

Her eyes went wide with fear for the second time since I’d known her. God, it feels so good to see her like this! Just a helpless dog at my mercy. A dog, just a bitch! I brought out my gun and put it to her temple, growling with animosity that felt so good! That was, until something slammed into my side and sent me sprawling.

And just like that, the majority of my anger vanished. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a small glimpse of a green mist vanishing underneath a couch. The splitting headache began immediately, and I grasped my head in pain. “Ow…fucking…who hit me?”

“Jackie and ah did,” a worried sounding Applejack replied.

I groaned as I slowly sat up, Jackie immediately by my side and helping me up. Zecora was there seconds later, rubbing her cheek against mine. I looked at Sweetie Drops, and pointed at the couch. “Green mist…I saw some green mist.”

She rushed over to the couch and lifted it with the ease and strength I’d come to associate with an Earth Pony. “Nothing here,” she said.

I looked up at Jackie, then to Applejack. “Thanks, you two. I don’t know what came over me.”

“Don’t mention it, sugarcube,” Jackie and Applejack said simultaneously.

I snorted in amusement, then turned to Gemini. She was sitting up, coughing, with Mica next to her, helping her up. I cleared my throat, then called out her name. She locked eyes with me, a look of fear mixing with mistrust. “You’re a soldier with experience. Your brother is better at combat than I am. We need help to keep Ponies from killing each other.”

“Pff. Ponies killing each other? That’s a load of-”

“It’s already happened in Canterlot and Cloudsdale!” Twilight shouted in frustration.

Gemini’s eyes widened in surprise, as did Mica’s. We all sat there in silence, until Gemini finally nodded. “Seems like you Ponies have some gall after all.” She stood and brushed herself off, then glared at me. “I’m a warrior, not a peacekeeper.”

“Do you know how to disarm a Pony without hurting them?” I asked.

“Of course, but that’s not-”

“Then get out there! They need all the help they can get!” I shouted, pointing at the door.

She glared at me, but finally sighed. “I make absolutely no promises, but since you’ve given me an order, I will do what I can.”

“Thank you. And I’m sorry for earlier,” I said, slowly standing as well, the guilt starting to work on me.

“Yeah, whatever,” she said. “I’ll go get my armor and weapons and be right down.” And with that, she stormed up the stairs.

Mica looked up the stairs, a concerned look in his eye. I began feeling more guilty now and moved to say something, but he turned to me. “I know my sister,” he said, “and I can tell she’s impressed with what you just did.”

“I almost killed her,” I replied, raising an eyebrow. “How the hell is she impressed with me?”

He chuckled. “You managed to overpower her. You’ve heard her lessons about being prepared. Well, she wasn’t. And you took advantage of that. Part of her is impressed. Just be prepared during your next session with her.” And with that, he too headed up the stairs towards his room.

“Joy…” I groaned as Zecora helped me to the other couch.

“Darling, this house is incredible,” Trisha said almost reverently as the others looked around.

“It helps when I’ve got enough money to clear America’s national debt,” I joked, “but we need to get ready.” Turning to the soldier Sweetie Drops had called sergeant, I said, “Sergeant, I need you to get my five human friends to their destinations safely and to make sure they’re unmolested.”

“Love, I am going to head to the hospital as well,” Zecora said. “I can help with some healing potions I have.”

“I’ll stay here,” Scarlet said. “I’ll help to set up the shelters.”

I nodded at her, then turned to the sergeant. “Take Zecora too.”

The sergeant nodded. “Understood, sir.” He turned to a couple of his soldiers. “You, I want you to take three of our soldiers and escort the humans and Zecora to their destination.”

“Yes, sir,” the other soldier said, then turned to the Humane Five as well as Zecora. “If you all will accompany us.”

Zecora came up to me, wrapped her front hooves around me, and gave me one of the most passionate kisses I’d ever gotten from her. “Be well, beloved,” she said tenderly.

“I will. You too,” I replied, hugging her briefly before letting go.

“Stay safe, Jethy!” Diane said with some worry in her voice as she headed out along with the rest of her friends.

“Beat down that Eris for me!” Dash shouted.

“Good luck, pardner,” Jackie added.

“Be careful, okay?” Shye pleaded.

“Wallop her for me,” Trisha finished.

“Be safe out there yourselves,” I called back as they left the front porch, flanked by the Royal Guards. I smirked, then turned to Rarity. “‘Wallop her’? Really?”

Rarity sputtered a bit before replying, “She’s not me, darling!”

“She’s pretty damn close,” I chuckled before my face became serious. Turning back to the soldier, I said, “Sergeant?”

“Sir?” he said.

“Do you think you can find a place where Gemini and Mica can help keep the peace?”

The sergeant frowned and considered. “I’m not sure, sir. I can send them to Captain Armor and see if he can find a spot for them.”

“That sounds like a plan,” I said just as Gemini came down the stairs. Turning to her, I nodded in approval. Her gear was just as I remembered it from the fight we had in the arena. Her sword was strapped to her side. Mica joined soon after, dressed in a leather pair of pants, a light chainmail shirt, and his own sword strapped to his side. “Alright, you two are going to report to Shining Armor, captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. He’ll probably have something for you.” I turned back to the sergeant. “Could you escort these two to wherever Shining Armor is?”

“What about you, sir?” he asked. “The princess told me to keep you safe.”

“I’ll keep an eye on them, Sergeant,” Sweetie Drops said. “Go ahead and escort these two to the Captain.”

“Are you sure?” the sergeant asked.

“Sergeant, I was once part of one of the largest secret agencies to operate out of Canterlot,” Sweetie Drops said. “I’ve been specially trained in hoof-to-hoof combat and my body can take more damage than most of your soldiers can, magic or otherwise. I’ll be fine.”

“Trust me, she will,” I added.

The sergeant looked between me and Sweetie Drops, then sighed. “Alright, I’ll escort these two to the Captain. Stay safe, everypony.” And with that, the rest of Celestia’s hoofsoldiers left, followed by Gemini and Mica.

I turned to the rest of the gathered Ponies. Sweetie Drops was the first to speak. “Alright, Jethro. What now?”

“Now, we head to the library,” I said. “I need to be absolutely sure that what’s happening now isn’t a repeat of what I’ve seen happen already. Then, and only then, will Twilight put me to sleep so I can find Eris and give her the beating she deserves.”

“Yeah…I didn’t think Eris would be that stupid,” I said, flipping through the Reference Guide book about ten minutes later. I tossed the book aside, letting it fall to the floor. “How about the rest of you? Any luck?”

Pinkie Pie, who was tearing through book after book, shook her head. “Nothing!”

Twilight was going through the books just as fast, and her increasing frustration told me all I needed to know. Applejack was keeping an eye out for any kind of suspicious activity, as were Sweetie Drops and Rainbow Dash. Rarity looked equally as frustrated as she was going through books as well. “I can’t find anything!” the purple maned mare shouted, tossing another book aside.

“Careful!” Twilight shouted, “those are old books!”

“Are they as important as stopping a menace like Eris?” Rarity asked angrily.

“Don’t start, you two,” I warned as I picked up another book. “The more we argue, the better chance the enemy has of breaking us apart at the seams.”

Twilight paused, then nodded. “Right…sorry, Rarity.”

“Sticks and stones, darling,” Rarity replied. “We’re all stressed. It’s understandable.”

“Guys, let’s just stop,” I said. “Eris is a smart creature. She wouldn’t make it that easy. Besides, she’s seen the show. She’ll know what the other Discord did in that timeline. I don’t know what her end goal is here, but it’s definitely not just the chaos outside. No, there’s something more afoot here.” I approached the couch and sat down. “Twilight, you need to put me to sleep. Now.”

Twilight approached me, looking a bit nervous now. “What…are you sure about this?”

“My Morphean abilities are the only thing we’ve got right now that can stand any kind of chance at finding her,” I replied. “It’s my fault she’s out. If I hadn’t visited Sunset so soon, perhaps she’d still be on Earth and we could have prevented her from returning, but now I need to start setting things right.” I lay down. “Keep my body safe, everyone.”

Twilight looked down at me. “We will. And that’s a promise.”

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Do it,” I said.

Her horn began to glow, and then I felt the magic surround my body. Consciousness began to leave me…

I was standing at the top of the stairs in the Golden Oaks Library. I watched as my body went limp beside the concerned looking mares. Flying down, I cleared my throat. “That worked.”

They all whirled around, facing me in astonishment. Twilight was the first to approach. “Jethro…?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out finding that bitch?” Rainbow Dash asked angrily.

“Calm your teats, Rainbow,” I said. “Whenever I fall asleep, I wake up near my body, at least that’s how it’s been lately.”

“Can you feel anything?” Twilight asked.

“No, nothing yet,” I replied. “But I also don’t know what chaos magic feels like. Hang on a moment.” I held up my hand and a small blue dome surrounded my body. “Now nobody but you all, Scarlet, Zecora and the humans can enter that dome.”

“Are you sure, darling?” Rarity asked. I saw Pinkie poking at the dome experimentally.

“I am,” I said. “My Morphean powers seem immutable, at least so far.”

“What are you going to do now?” Fluttershy asked.

I pursed my lips. “Well…there’s one place to start, I think.”

“Where?” Rainbow Dash asked.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. “The Tree of Harmony.”

66: A Cloaked Heart's Darkest Day Finale

To my complete surprise, the Palace of the Two Sisters looked as if it had been unaffected by whatever Eris had been doing. I saw emergency camps being erected around the palace, but my mission wasn’t there. It was down in the cave near the Palace where the Tree of Harmony resided.

I floated down towards the raging river that had carved out the canyon separating Everfree from the palace. The farther down I flew, the warmer my heart felt. It was like all of my worries and cares were being put into order, or rather, perspective. And it was leading me towards one of the larger caves.

As I approached said cave, I saw that the inside was surrounded by complete darkness, water dripping from the stalactites above. The water from the river roared as it flowed over the sharp rocks below. I shivered as I saw a couple of Pony skulls on the banks of the river along with a few other bones. I held up my hand and a glowing orb of magic illuminated the way, much like the orbs of light used in Skyrim.

Which, it turned out, wasn’t necessary.

The moment I stepped into the cave itself, the walls lit up. The entrance to the cave was just a taste as to the true size of the interior. The bright blue light came from what I could only describe as runic writing. Two large lines of text ran on either side of the cave at waist level to me, and every ten or so feet down the pathway on each side were large ceiling to floor circles of etched lines and runes written within three or four sections of each circle. As I passed between them, they would brighten, then dim. All in all, I counted six runic circles before the walls fell away.

The walls that fell away brightened into the shape of a dome that reached up beyond anything I could ever have imagined. The light illuminated the surrounding ground like a full moon, and I saw, to my surprise, grass growing everywhere. There was a small stream in the center of the room which formed a circle around a vast and tall crystal tree.

The tree I saw didn’t even match the one from the show that I’d seen. It was made of pure gleaming white crystal and had dozens of different branches coming out of its trunk. Hanging from many of the branches, I saw long strands of glowing plant life, making the tree look like some massive weeping willow.

I walked across a small stone bridge that led towards the base of the tree. As I did so, I saw carvings etched into the crystalline structure of the tree. I recognized two immediately as Celestia and Luna’s cutie marks. I flew up gently, looking around the tree, my body passing through the branches.

I found there were six major branches coming out of the tree at the exact halfway point, each glowing a slightly different color than the rest of the tree itself. Right on the trunk above each of said branches was a large carving of six very familiar cutie marks.

“Quite a sight, is it not?” a familiar voice said from behind me. I turned and saw the smiling form of the manifestation of the Tree of Harmony hovering just beyond the branch I was at. She had taken on the form of the Anthro version of Zecora once more, but this Zecora was different than before. She had a pair of Alicorn wings and a horn coming from her forehead. Not only that, but this new version of her was completely naked.

“You could say that,” I said, more shocked by the strange new additions to this form of Zecora than her being in her birthday fur.

“Welcome to my home,” she replied, spreading her arms and wings wide in welcome. “I am pleased to see you once more, although I wish it was under better circumstances.”

I nodded. “I know, me too,” I said. “Miss…I need help. Eris has the Elements. Do you know where they are?”

‘Zecora’ closed her eyes and her wings folded around her, covering her body. The horn on her forehead began glowing a pale silvery sheen and I could hear the sound of magic being cast. I waited for a full minute before the horn stopped glowing. She opened her shimmering eyes and shook her head. “I am afraid their location is clouded from my sight. But I sense a greater threat to this country-nay, this world-than the loss of the elements. And an irreparable change on the horizon that could spell certain woe for you depending on your actions.” She turned to me completely, hovering up to me. “Jethro Bethridge, you were correct in that the Sirens have returned, but not in the way you think. The actions of this malevolent chaotic entity named Eris are capable of tearing the entire world apart if it is allowed to spread beyond the towns it has already infested.”

I swallowed. “What…what can I do? Without the Elements, there’s no hope of putting a stop to Eris. Not that it would do any good. I don’t even know how to find her.”

‘Zecora’ smiled, putting her hand on my cheek. “Do not despair, Jethro. The night is always darkest just before the dawn. You will find her as long as you clear your mind. Your anger and hatred for her interferes with your abilities of farsight.” Leaning in, she planted a chaste kiss on my forehead. “True Harmony will prevail.”

“I’m scared,” I admitted. “I don’t know what I can really do when I find her. And you’re right. I’m so angry at her. I hate her and everything she is. She corrupted Sunset Shimmer. She’s corrupting the world. Ponies have died because of her!”

“My young human,” she said softly, “You will be able to find her. A clear mind will create a clear path.” She reached up and touched my forehead with her finger, then she began to slowly disappear. “There, a helping hand…”

“No, wait!” But before the words left my mouth, ‘Zecora’ was gone.

And with her absence came a clarity of mind I hadn’t felt before. I floated down to the floor, landed at the base of the tree and sat against it, allowing the full clarity to wash over me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, smiling at the warmth and sense of well-being I was feeling from that brief brush with True Harmony.

Exhaling that breath, I extended my senses. There were many thousands of pathways that True Harmony flowed through. The roots of the trees, the flowing of the upper atmospheric winds, the ethereal singing of the magical energy that permeated every inch of the planet itself.

For one brief but eternal instant, I touched every part of the planet itself. And from that, I felt a moment’s connection with Mother Equestria. And one moment after that, I felt something else as the connection to Mother Equestria was lost. A ping of some dark mass of energy nearby.

Too near.

I opened my eyes only to find myself staring into two glowing red-yellow eyes. “So…you have the power, too,” Eris chuckled. “And yet, you have not the practice to use it. Such a shame.”

I moved away from her, surprised further to find myself standing on a strange gray rocky surface. I wasn’t in the cave anymore. “Eris,” I growled.

She laughed. “Yes, that is my name. Don’t wear it out. Whoa there!”

I wasted no time in trying my best to use my Morphean abilities on her. Imagining two balls of plasma in my hands, I extended my arms and blasted her point blank with them. The hot blue plasma surrounded her, making the Chaos Goddess burst into flames, but the flames quickly died out, leaving Eris standing there, completely naked. She put her hands on her now completely exposed hips and huffed. “This was a new dress, I’ll have you know,” she complained as she snapped and the dress came back to her.

I didn’t let her catch any more breaks. I held out my hand once more and bolts of lightning blasted out from each of my fingers, catching Eris in the chest and sending her flying. As she flew away, I saw the Elements of Harmony all circling around her in the air…no, it wasn’t air. I took a breath, then exhaled. Something was wrong.

I looked up…and gaped at the green-blue planet hovering in the sky before me. Half of the planet was illuminated by sunlight, while the other half was enshrouded in darkness, no lights visible. “What the fuck…?”

Eris laughed loudly as she flew back towards me. “Welcome to the moon, baby.”

I whirled back on her, grateful for the fact that I was in this astral form which didn’t need any kind of air to function. The Elements still circled here, but as I took a closer look, I noticed that the Element of Magic was hovering directly over Eris’ head.

I looked around, then saw a nearby boulder. Lifting it up with my new powers, I threw it at her. The moment it touched her, the boulder exploded into bubbles which immediately froze and fell to the moon’s surface. I jumped up, moving away from her as I hurled another small star at her. She only seemed to get closer, batting the star away and making it explode on the surface, creating a massive crater.

When she reached me, she grabbed me by the collar, pulled me close, and sneered. “So much power at your ethereal fingertips, and still such a beginner.” She slammed her hand into my chest and I hit the lunar surface hard. I couldn’t hear anything, but it felt like the moon had shattered. I recovered as quickly as I could and flew away, looking down to see a large set of cracks in the surface where my body imprint was, each crack spreading outward from the impact.

The two of us floated above the surface, circling each other. I knew Eris was toying with me, so I decided to change tactics a bit with her then, to try and throw her off. I smirked. “I suppose me demanding you give back the Elements to their rightful owners will get me a big ‘Fuck no, fuck off and fuck you’, won’t it?”

She pointed at me, and chuckled. “Hah! Now there’s a sense of humor. Where’d you pick that up from, my friend?”

“Oh, we aren’t friends, Eris,” I snarked. “And after the deaths and heartache you’ve caused, I don’t even believe we can be friends. Ever.”

Her smile only spread, as did her wings. “Oh, don’t try to butter me up, stud,” she cooed. “It was marvelous, though. One nudge. That’s all I needed. One small sample of these, and three cities fall.” She held out three crystals, all blood red, all cracked, and all leaking a very familiar green mist. She closed her hands, slipping the crystals into her clothes. “I’ll never forget the look of utter despair on their faces when Sunset smashed them over the head. They never even saw it coming. They thought themselves invulnerable to any human attack.”

“Sunset murdered them!?” I gasped in shock.

“Oh, Elysium, no! No no,” she chuckled. “Couldn’t risk having Sunset arrested, after all.”

“So, you were controlling her,” I hissed angrily.

“It’s not my fault a part of my essence slipped inside that young filly after her last argument with little Tia,” she smirked. “Her anger and inner chaos was…so sweet. Her desire to hurt little Tia was even sweeter. Didn’t match my own desires, but it was certainly a bonus.”

“Her desire to hurt Celestia?” I repeated. “What, is that what this is about? Is your plan to hurt Celestia by hurting her Ponies?”

Eris laughed louder this time, causing a large shockwave of dust to spread out from her and all across the surface of the moon. “Oh, come now, Jethro Bethridge. Do I really look like a woman with any kind of plan?” She stuck her tongue out, licking her lips in a manner that immediately reminded me of Heath Ledger’s Joker.

“So…shits and giggles? Really? That’s pretty weak sauce,” I replied, glowering at her.

“Did you think I’d actually tell you what the end goal is, even if I had one?” Eris sneered. “I’m not some Saturday morning cartoon villainess. Besides, you won’t be in Equestria for much longer to see my so-called master plan. Or is it mistress plan in my case?” She was immediately in front of me, and before I could say or do anything, her claw was in my forehead. Since I was in my astral form, it didn’t hurt, but I did find myself unable to move. “Now, I believe there’s an old human saying that befits this situation. ‘The truth will set you free’. Isn’t that right?”

“Your point?”

“Now, why should I tell you the point?” she chuckled, and immediately she was in front of me. She grabbed my head and snapped. The world around us warped, fizzled, and even glitched. The moon vanished, and we were immediately in the center of Ponyville. She grabbed me by my hair and held me against her body, her other claw wrapped around my neck. “If there is a point, that is,” she whispered into my ear with a sultry whisper that made me want to hurl.

Seemingly sensing my utter disgust, she threw back her head and laughed, catching the attention of many fighting Ponies in town, all of whom turned to the two of us. “Aah, my adoring public,” she said louder. “Surely you all recognize the human before you? The so-called hero who stopped a war even before it happened? Defeated a baby Ursa without the loss of any lives? Hah! Perhaps you’d like to know the truth about him.”

There was a distant shattering, then a black dot shot up into the sky from the direction of the library. A blur of rainbow followed the black dot. As the black dot continued moving around, I felt myself growing increasingly sick. With a sickening realization, I struggled harder in Eris’ grip, but in vain. “Let my body go!” I demanded.

“Very poor choice of words, there,” she cackled, biting my ear. “Are you sure you want me to do that? Remember what happened last time you fell from such a height.”

I balled my hands up into fists, trying to use my powers, but they were useless. I could feel the flow of energy, but it couldn’t be released. I struggled more, trying to elbow this callous bitch in the stomach. However, her grip on me was way too strong. “You should seriously just die already!” I screamed in complete and utter rage.

“There it is! There’s the human chaos I love!” She laughed. “Oh, Jethro, Jethro, Jethro, how much fun we are going to have today.”

“Let him go!” a random mare shouted from the gathering crowd.

“Don’t you lay another claw on him!” A random stallion added, and with that the clamoring began. Mares, stallions, even a few of the younger crowd began demanding that Eris release me.

“Awww, isn’t that sweet?” Eris giggled in a sickeningly sweet manner. “They defend you, even when they don’t know just what you’ve been keeping from them.” In the distance I saw the black shape grow larger and form into the shape of a human form, which was being followed closely by the rainbow blur.

When the rainbow blur materialized into Rainbow Dash, she stopped and stared at me in shock, then fear. “Jethro!” She shouted in horror before she turned her attention to Eris. “Let go of him, you bitch!” She snarled angrily.

“My, such language,” Eris giggled. “Back in my day, such language was frowned upon as uncouth and uncivilized; the sign of a lack of intelligence.”

My unconscious body floated even closer to my astral form. I struggled against Eris’ grip, but in vain as my physical body and astral body merged…

I gasped as I woke, losing all sense of control and falling to the ground. Still disoriented, I had no time to escape the vice-like grip of Eris’ claws around both my neck and head once again. Instantly I was on my feet, being held aloft as she began to lift off the ground. “Not so heroic now, are you?” she growled huskily in my ear, once more giving it a seductive lick.

“Let him go, Eris,” I heard Twilight demand from below.

“Jethro!” Zecora’s panicked shout came from below. I angled my head down as best I could, only to feel my heart shatter as I saw a completely petrified Zecora standing at the front of the crowd. The other Mane Six were there, along with Sweetie Drops. The terror on Zecora’s face quickly turned to anger. “Let my stallion go, you skank!” she demanded.

“What are you, characters in some Saturday morning cartoon?” Eris laughed. “You really think some half-assed demands from the peanut gallery is gonna change my mind?”

“Jethro! Are you okay?” Fluttershy called out with a trembling shout.

“He’s quite safe in my claws for the moment, little Pegasus,” Eris grinned at the crowd. “In fact, he is quite safer than you seven are about to be.”

She ran the claw that was on my head down my back in a perverted display of affection before slamming it against the back of my head. “Don’t hurt him, ya varmint!” Applejack shouted, a mixture of fear and anger in her own voice.

“Oh, I won’t hurt him,” Eris growled as she gripped my head tighter than before. “You all will do that yourselves!”

“We’d never hurt him! He’s our friend!” Sweetie Drops shouted.

“And do friends keep world changing secrets?” Eris chuckled. “Do they keep certain…knowledge to themselves?”

I saw Twilight’s eyes go wide with alarm, then Fluttershy got the same look. Slowly, the Mane Six’s faces morphed into horrified realization. I must have been too angry to think straight, because I was the last one to figure out what she was planning, and I felt myself growing cold. “You wouldn’t dare…”

“Jethro, Jethro, Jethro, like I said, the truth will set you free,” Eris chuckled. To my disgust, she leaned in and planted a deep passionate kiss on my lips. I tried to push her away, but she was too powerful for me. When she broke away, I saw a look of complete murderous rage on Zecora’s face, but not just hers. The Mane Six looked equally as angry. “Mmm…I see why the Zebra likes you. Very soft lips.”

Suddenly, the sky above began to morph and glitch. A large section of the sky turned black, becoming a massive void among the clear blue sky. Out of nowhere, Eris produced a TV remote and aimed it at the sky. She put an arm around me, and the two of us were immediately seated on a love seat. She leaned against my shoulder and looked up at the sky. “Let’s see what’s on the local six o’clock news, shall we babe?”

The moment she touched one button on the remote, two things happened at once. A large glowing red dome went up around me and her, the apex of said dome sparkling with black electricity, and the massive black rectangle in the sky lit up. Sounds of news intro music blended with a large globe with the Equestrian continents forming on the screen. The sound came from everywhere, and every Pony was watching in confusion. A male voice, reminding me immediately of John De Lancie, spoke. “Welcome to the six o’clock Equestrian News. With your host, Eris Madeofoxygen.”

Had this been any other situation, I might have laughed my ass off at the play on words. As she was planning something that would effectively end in my ostracization among the Ponies, I was more focused on attempting once more to escape. I tried to move, but I was now completely paralyzed. I could do little more than watch the screen in the sky as another version of Eris appeared, sitting at a news desk. She wore a gray business suit and her hair was tied up in a bun. “Stop this!” I demanded.

“Shh, we’re getting to the news, dear,” she cooed in my ear. “Relax…and enjoy the ride.”

“Good evening, everyone. I’m Eris Goodtobreathe,” the Eris on the screen began. “And this is the six o’clock news. Our top stories tonight: riots in the cities of Canterlot, Ponyville and Cloudsdale continue to take their toll on the Ponies in the cities. So far, a total of twenty-six deaths have been reported due to this outbreak.” She said this all with a smile, one of those smiles that seemed to radiate the fact that she was reporting on some cute cat video.

“Celestia’s flowing mane…twenty-six…” Sweetie Drops gasped.

I could hear something impacting the shield. I looked down as best as I could, and saw Zecora frantically bucking at the shield in a vain attempt to get to me. Eris grabbed my head and moved it back up. “We’re not done yet, stud.” She put her claw on my leg and caressed it lustily. “I should tell you, everyone in the world is seeing this no matter where they are,” she whispered sensually.

I could only watch on in horror as the smiling news anchorwoman Eris continued smiling, continuing to deliver devastating news. “Local doctors are baffled as to the unusually violent actions of the so-called harmonious race of Ponies. Some believe it to be some form of new viral infection, while others claim it to be the work of the sexy and powerful Eris, Goddess of Chaos. We’ve also received unconfirmed reports of more chaotic riots in other countries. The number of injuries and deaths has yet to be determined. We here at Equestrian News will keep you updated. And now, onto the story of the hour, and for that, I’ll turn it over to my co-anchor Eris Afluid. Eris?”

The screen cut to another Eris, but this one wearing a crimson version of the business suit the first Eris was wearing. “Thank you, Eris, and might I compliment you on a lovely ensemble you have on this evening?”

The screen cut back to the first Eris. “Why, thank you, Eris! Same to you! A woman after my own heart.”

Once more, it cut back to the second Eris, who was laughing good naturedly. “Ahaha. Well, it would seem as if Equestria has a new species inhabiting it. This species, known as a human, is a highly evolved bipedal descendent of great apes from another world known as Earth. There is only one human living among the citizens of Equestria currently.”

The screen shifted to show a picture of me standing in Ponyville town square, talking to Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. I immediately recognized the scene. It showed the moments just before Spike showed up and told of Rarity’s kidnapping by the Lycan rebels. “Here we see him standing next to five of the six Bearers of Harmony. A lovely sight, wouldn’t you agree, folks? His actions stopped a war between the Kingdom of Equestria and the Lycan Empire before it even could occur, and was instrumental in stopping an Ursa Minor rampaging through a small town called Ponyville. But…” and here Eris’ voice turned decidedly darker, “This so-called hero has been lying to you.”

My heart sank as the My Little Pony logo appeared on the screen. Once more I struggled to escape, but whatever power Eris was using was holding me in place and preventing me from even using the magic I knew. “It would appear that, on Earth, there is a form of entertainment known as television, which is like a miniature theater. One of the longer running forms of entertainment is children’s cartoons. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is a show following the adventures of six mares living in the town of Ponyville.”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to curse Eris out. I wanted to reach for the pistol still in my pocket and empty the clip into Eris. All of that I wasn’t able to do due to Eris’ overwhelming power. “No…not this!” I screamed.

“In short, everyone, this human, this supposed Hero of Equestria, knew things about this world. Because in his own world, Equestria was a fantasy for the entertainment of little children,” Eris sneered. “He kept this a secret, but he wasn’t the only one who knew.”

“NO! NOT THEM!” I shouted in horror, but I was too late.

On the screen, images appeared. Images of the Mane Six, the three princesses, Zecora, Scarlet, even Spike were all displayed. “You see this, Equestria!? You have been deceived by those sworn to protect and help the Ponies! Watch!”

The screen went black, then the screen faded in to a brown book. On the book was embedded a golden unicorn with aquamarine blue eyes. Music began to play as the book opened, focusing on the words Once Upon A Time. The scenes from different episodes began to blur as I could only sit and watch my life falling apart, and not just my life, but the lives of everyone I’d told about the show. Various clips from the show were shown, in no particular order.

“It needs to be about…twenty percent cooler.”

“Oatmeal? Are you crazy?!”

“So now that you know the elements of a good cheer, let's hear one!”

“YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE ME!”

“Of all the things that could have happened, this is the WORST! POSSIBLE! THING!”

“You three look like you’re doing great too! Looks like three good friends who obviously don’t need the help of aNoThEr GoOd FrIeNd!”

“Foreeeveeeer!”

“In fact, if I were you, I wouldn’t show up to the wedding at all.”

“Fine, I’m guilty! I wear false eyelashes. Oh, and I took a bite of the cake.”

“This is me being brave. I wanna be brave at home, locked in my closet, with my teddy bear.”

“Are you sure you want Fluttershy to come along? I mean, that Pony is afraid of her own shadow! She’s just gonna slow us down!”

“I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle, and this is my home, Equestria. A land filled with magic, music, and most importantly, friendship! Life is perfect. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?”

The screen went back to the crimson clad Eris. With that same cheery news anchor smile, she continued. “But that’s not all our research discovered,” she continued. “There’s a concept among humanity known as fanfiction.”

“Don’t you fucking dare, Eris,” I snarled. “They don’t need to-”

I was silenced immediately, her hard lips crashing into mine once again. After what felt like the longest eternity, but was most likely only about ten seconds of her sickeningly disgusting tongue invading my mouth, she released me, giving me lidded eyes. “Hush, you wonderfully, sexy, chaotic stud,” she grinned. “The news is on.”

I struggled hard against my invisible restraints as the Eris on the screen continued. “Humans have a great many different means of entertainment, and many fans of these forms of entertainment love to write stories set within these fictional worlds. And My Little Pony is no exception. Here are some examples of the fanfictions and other means of entertainment that fans of our wonderful world have made, folks.”

The screen changed. It showed Canterlot Palace throne, with a serious Celestia sitting on the throne. Looking down at the Mane Six, she stood and spread her wings. “My faithful student,” she began, “how comes the Ponification potion?”

“I’ve just finished it, Princess,” she replied.

A small smile played over Celestia’s lips. “You’ve done well, Twilight. Soon, we will be able to welcome the humans in, convert them into Ponies and strip them of all their evil.”

Various scenes from The Conversion Bureau universe played on the screen, forced conversions of humans with plenty of sickening detail, human weaponry at work tearing through Ponies and Newfoals, then the final conversion of the last human.

The screen shifted, showing instead a clip of the video Smile HD. I heard Pinkie Pie gasp in horror as the version of her on the screen brutally murdered her friends with a demented smile on her face. I once more struggled against Eris’ control, but to no avail.

Again, the screen changed, and we watched in mute horror as the Rainbow Factory version of Rainbow Dash laughed maniacally, draining the color from fillies and colts, adding it to the bucket of rainbow colors. From the crowd, I heard many Ponies, including Rainbow Dash, lose their lunches.

Once more, the scene shifted to show various scenes of a human being beaten, abused, and eventually driven to suicide in the story Ending, showing in gruesome detail the final hanging scene.

Twilight’s Dollhouse came up next, showing the story version’s decent into madness and her eventual destruction. I heard Twilight beyond the shield sobbing loudly.

The studio reappeared on the screen, and it was now dark save for a dim red light that illuminated the almost demonic looking Draconnequus. “Look upon the hero now, ladies and gentlebeings,” she snarled, and a live feed video showed up. I recognized myself, and yet, I didn’t. I was just sitting there, with the original Eris (if that was even her) sitting next to me and snuggling against me with her foul sickening body.

Beside me, Eris turned to the invisible camera. “And did I forget to mention how disharmonious humans are in general?” she grinned. “On their world, they are the only species capable of intelligent thought. They have waged brutal wars and created weapons of mass destruction that can annihilate entire cities in seconds. They are slowly destroying their planet. And the best part? Normal humans don’t have wings or magic! But this one is no normal human, are you Jethro Bethridge?”

Leaning in, she gave my face a very sloppy lick. I felt nauseous as she did so, but my returning paralysis kept me from releasing the contents of my stomach. She laughed in a disgustingly melodious manner. “You see, Equestria, this human was granted not only wings, but magical power! He could easily take your pathetic little world for himself! Who’s to say that isn’t what he’s planning, hmmm? You’ve seen how his kind have corrupted your precious world in their minds! Now that he’s here, who’s to say he can’t make all of those stories a reality!?”

Zecora’s cries of anguish became heartbreaking and I heard bones snapping. Using what little strength I had left, I managed to turn my head towards where Zecora was. She was continuing to buck at the shield, but one leg was turned completely the wrong way. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were trying to pull her away, but Zecora’s eyes were wide with terror as she struggled to break free from the two Ponies.

Taking my head in her claw again, she lifted me to face the crowd. “Look upon your savior now, Equestria!” Eris shouted triumphantly as she finally threw me towards the crowd. The shield vanished, and I hit the cobblestone road hard. I could taste blood in my mouth almost immediately, but I also had full control of my body back. “Not only is he a liar, but he is the man responsible for the riots! Had he not come to where I was, I would still be encased in stone, and twenty-six-no wait, twenty-seven Ponies now-they’d still be alive! Not to mention the other riots throughout your neighboring kingdoms!”

I was immediately surrounded by the Mane Six, along with Scarlet, Sweetie Drops and Zecora, the latter of whom threw her forelegs around me tightly, sobbing hard. I grunted as I slowly sat up. Eris was flapping her wings behind her, slowly rising above the crowd. She pointed an accusatory finger at me. “I may be the Goddess of Chaos, but that human there is much more dangerous. His kind are malicious, insatiable, and completely destructive. He’ll make off with your young ones. He’ll come after them in the night! He’s nothing more than a wild beast!”

Something inside me snapped then. The complete terror on the faces of my marefriend and all the friends I had made here, the shocked and horrified faces of the Ponyvillians, it was all too much. I barely registered the massive amount of green mist that surrounded me as I stood slowly, reaching into my pocket for the pistol, slowly disengaging the safety. Eris turned to me, raising an eyebrow in mild amusement as she grinned. “What is it, you chaotic, sexy, dangerous monster? Finally going to show the whole world your true colors?”

I slowly walked up to her, hand resting on the pistol. She floated down, landing a few feet from me. The Elements of Harmony still circled her, with the Element of Magic continuing to hover mere inches from her forehead as if it was being repelled. “What, are you going to make some brave speech about how the power of friendship will stop the inevitable?”

Seething, I released the safety. “No. Not the power of friendship. Just the power of this gun I found!” Whipping the pistol out, I quickly aimed it at her and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Eris’ eyes widened as a hole formed in her chest. Blood pooled around the hole, staining her dress. The Elements of Harmony fell to the ground, clanging audibly. Without giving her time to react, I unloaded the rest of the clip into her. Seven shots went to chest, two went for her arms, two her feet, and two to her wings. With each shot, she stumbled back, the look of shock only growing in intensity as with each bullet that tore through the immortal chaos goddess, my hatred of her only increasing.

My world turned red as I finally ran out of bullets. I rushed at her, slamming her face with the butt of the pistol. She stumbled back, and I was about to bring the now worthless piece of metal up for a finishing blow before I was hit in the stomach by a gray blur, sending me sprawling. “NOW GIRLS!” Scarlet shouted. “ERIS! TASTE THE PAINBOW!”

Winded and taken completely off guard, I sat up and saw that the Elements of Harmony had been recovered by their true owners. My head started to clear a bit and, my anger temporarily forgotten, I watched in stunned silence as the gems began to glow their respective colors. From each gem, a bright beam of light launched into the air, curving downward about ten feet into the air and aiming towards a stunned Eris.

The shock on her face became a grin suddenly, and I knew she had something planned. I tried to shout, but it was too late. The world seemed to slow as she held out her bloodied claw towards me. The claw warped, and the warping shot towards me. I tried to dodge it, but whatever she’d shot at me was like some kind of seeking missile. Something passed through me, and I was thrown onto my back just as the Elements hit the fallen Draconnequus. “Enjoy!” she shouted triumphantly. Her laughter quickly died away as she was, once more, turned into stone.

And just like that, silence filled the streets of Ponyville. If my head hadn’t been clear already, all traces of whatever I’d been infected with by Eris were gone. Gone also was the rage and hatred, replaced only by shame, anguish, regret, and self-loathing.

“Jethro!” Zecora’s voice sounded miles away as she limped up to me as best she could. The sounds of concerned mares surrounding me slowly faded away as I stared at the now stone statue of Eris, perpetually frozen in a presumably victorious smile, aiming her hand at me.

Even when my view of her was blocked by Pinkie Pie, all I could do was stare. I was shaken by the others, and I still stared. When I was helped to my feet by none other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, my eyes never left Eris’ statue. The last thing I saw before beginning to pass out was Eris.

Lying there. Watching. Waiting…

And I had a sickening feeling, before passing out, that it wasn’t over…

Author's Note

Writing this chapter was hard for me for a couple of reasons. Looking up MLP Creepypastas was especially difficult, especially since a few of them made me nauseous even when reading the summary.

Another announcement: I'm planning on trying to set a schedule for upload times. I think every Sunday and Wednesday I'll upload a chapter for a while, at least until I've written a few more chapters ahead.

67: A Cloaked Heart's Night of Talks

“…in shock…be out for a while…”

“Love…come back…”

“So sorry…should have been there…”

“…can’t die…live Jethro Bethridge…please…”

“…need you…”

I found myself back at the base of the Tree of Harmony. The runic carvings in the wall came to life and lit up the vast cavernous expanse in front of me. The tree glowed with its typical silvery moonlike blue sheen. There was complete silence within the domed cavern.

As the cavern lit up, I walked towards the tree. “Hello? Is anyone here?” Silence. “Miss Harmony? Are you there?” More silence. “Heh…good job there, Jethro! You fucked up well enough that even the Tree of Harmony wants nothing to do with you.”

“Not so, Jethro Bethridge,” a familiar voice said from the tree itself. With each syllable, the tree lit up. The voice was Zecora’s again. A glowing pillar of light began to form in front of the tree, which shrank into the form of Anthro Alicorn Zecora, only now she was wearing a pair of jeans and a Zebra-striped T-Shirt. “I am here. Forgive me if I seem tired. Whenever the Elements are used they tend to drain me.”

“Oh…” was all I could say as I walked across the small bridge towards the tree. I leaned against the smooth crystalline trunk and slid into a sitting position, hugging my knees close tightly. “You’re alright, aren’t you?”

With a mirthful laugh, ‘Zecora’ came and sat next to me, “I will be quite alright in time I can assure you,” she said, before her expression became much more serious. “But I sense that you are in quite the tumultuous state of mind.”

“Understatement of the fucking century,” I scoffed as I held out my hand. A transparent gun appeared in it and I grasped it. ‘Zecora’ looked over it without a word. It was a simple gun, just glimmering metal in the shape of a pistol. My imagination began working overtime and more and more details formed. The memory of unloading the contents of Sunset’s pistol into Eris came back, unbidden, to the forefront of my mind. I couldn’t pin down exactly what I was feeling. Was it satisfaction at my attempted murder? Was it self-hatred at having succumbed to my desire to hurt her? Was it terror at finally having my secret exposed to the entire world? Fear that whatever she shot at me would morph me into some sort of monster? I wasn’t sure.

“Tell me what is on your mind, young human,” ‘Zecora’ said kindly.

“What isn’t on my mind?” I asked. “Do you know what happened to me? What Eris did? What I did?”

“I am the Tree of Harmony, Jethro,” she replied. “I know much. But tell me what transpired.”

And so I did, not leaving out any details. To her credit, ‘Zecora’ didn’t say anything. Instead, she just sat there and gave me her full attention as I bared my soul to the tree. When I finished, she moved closer, reached down and clasped my hand in hers. She held up our intertwined hands. “Jethro…no individual is perfect. You have not done anything that is irreversible or irredeemable. What you did to Eris will not kill her, but since the weapon you used was from a magicless world, it did serious harm to her. And do not forget that you were under the influence of the magic she stole from the Sirens on Earth.”

I chuckled harshly. “Of course you knew about that stuff.”

“My friend, I am the Tree of Harmony. My roots run deeper than those of this tree,” ‘Zecora’ replied good naturedly, patting the crystal tree behind her. “Jethro, every individual has their weaknesses. Yours just so happens to be Eris. Her past actions and your close relationship with Obsidian Star made it easy for her to get inside your head.”

“I can’t help it,” I admitted. “Something about her makes me just so…vengeful. Full of hate. Angry beyond reason. She brought out the worst in me!” I snapped my fingers and the gun vanished. I clenched my fists. “I hate her…but I know my parents would want me to try and release the hatred. It’s corrosive.”

“Hatred does have a way of embedding itself into one’s soul. It does lead to internal suffering, and in many cases outward suffering,” ‘Zecora’ replied, squeezing my hand gently. “You are wise enough to know this. But to release hatred is no easy task. You will need the help of others. And from what I can sense, you have the makings of a very close-knit group of friends willing and ready, in their own various ways, to help you as you have helped them in the past.”

I looked back at her. “I just…I don’t know where to begin.”

“No one does at first, and that is okay,” she said. The runes around the tree began to fade, as did the light from the tree. “But there is one who has more experience with this than most. And she will be the first Pony you speak to upon your awakening. Speak with her in private when you find that chance, and heed her words. They may just save you…”

And before I could ask what she meant, the world around me was swallowed in darkness…

…and when the light came back, I was in front of Celestia’s Golden Apple tree, with a stoic looking Melora standing before the tree. It was nighttime, and rain fell all around us, pouring down heavily and forming small rivulets in the garden around us. Melora had her arms crossed and she was looking at me with an expectant look in her eyes. A fresh wave of guilt overcame me and I looked away. There was silence between us for a while, until she finally spoke. “I stand by my judgment of you, Jethro Bethridge. You have great potential to be a ruler in Equestria.”

I turned to her. “How can you say such a thing now? You couldn’t have missed what Eris showed! And even if you did, I still tried to murder someone!”

“You put a lot of blame on yourself,” Melora said, this time with a kinder tone as she approached me. She put her arms around me and held me. “The world may have seen you at your darkest and worst moment, but they have yet to see you at your best and brightest.” She turned me towards her, a small smile on her tree-like face. “Even the best of rulers stumble. Celestia did when she banished Luna. Luna did when she allowed her jealousy and hatred to fester. Moses did when he disobeyed God and struck the rock with his staff at Meribah instead of speaking to it as God instructed him and Aaron to do. King David did when he had Uriah murdered so he could be with Bathsheba.”

“What…how do you know about those last two?” I asked.

She chuckled. “Harmony told me. Her roots run deep.”

“She’s reading the Bible now?”

Melora laughed and reached up, giving my nose a poke before she released me. “In a way, she is like Twilight. She’s absorbing the information from your world and expanding her worldview. But that’s not the issue on the table, here.” She put her hands behind her back and gave me a gentle smile. “You can do great things for Equestria. To quote one of your favorite TV shows, you are not alone. You never have been since coming to our world.”

As she began to vanish, she called out one last thing. “Why do you think the Tree of Harmony sent Zecora towards your house the day of your first meeting?” And with that, the world darkened once again…

I slowly came back to consciousness to the sounds of rain falling against a nearby closed window as well as a roaring fire from somewhere to my left, illuminating the domed ceiling with light. I was lying on a very comfortable and familiar canopy bed mattress, covered by warm, thick blankets.

And I wasn’t alone.

Slowly looking down underneath my blankets, I saw Zecora snuggling up close next to my body on my left, fast asleep but still looking worse for wear. I saw her leg wrapped up in a cast and bit my lip. It hurt to see her like this, and the guilt came rushing back to me.

Fluttershy was on my right, front legs wrapped around my arm tightly. She was crying softly in her sleep. Pinkie Pie was sprawled across my lap, her mane completely straight and her sleeping expression full of grief and sorrow. Rainbow Dash was lying near my legs on my left, worry on her face as well, Spike near my legs on my right and Scarlet lying on my legs.

I slowly looked around, seeing a few cots surrounding my bed. On the left side of my bed, Twilight Sparkle lay, fast asleep with one of my laptops open. The browser was open to FimFiction.net. Rarity was on the right side of my bed, her mane a complete mess and her eyes puffy and bloodshot. Applejack was in a nearby chair by my right side, her Stetson covering her face.

To my left, I saw two disheveled Alicorn Princesses curled on the floor next to my bed. Celestia was asleep, but looked miserable.

It was Luna who was awake and who first locked eyes with me. My heart shattered at her emotionless expression. Slowly, she released Celestia, covering her with a thick, warm looking blanket, and quietly approached me. I shrank back, unsure what she wanted of me. She stopped, and an expression of hurt formed on her face. Immediately, I felt guilty for retreating from her. Opening my mouth and taking a deep breath, I croaked out two words. “I’m…sorry…”

Her expression changed to that of worry as she reached out with her wing, caressing my cheek gently. “For what, Jethro?” she asked in an uncertain voice.

“For…everything,” I said, before trying to clear my throat. Luna used her magic to bring a glass of water over to my lips. The cool substance flowed down my throat, and I cleared my throat again. “It’s my fault this happened,” I continued. “All the secrets…the untold truths…Eris being released…it’s my fault.”

“Do not say that, my friend,” Luna said softly. “What Eris has done was not your doing. She is a dangerous creature, one of true chaos and malevolence. If there is blame to be had, pin it on me.”

“And me,” Celestia’s somewhat hoarse voice said from beneath the blanket. She sat up, looking down at me with a both relieved and worried expression. “Welcome back to the world of the living, Jethro.” She approached and nuzzled my face affectionately.

“I…thank you,” I said, reaching up slowly and cupping her cheek with my hand briefly before letting go, “but it’s still my fault what happened. Now the whole world knows about the show…and the fanfictions….”

Celestia’s teeth clenched in anger. “No…it’s my fault. I should have come up with a more…permanent solution to Eris a long time ago.”

I gaped at her. Is Celestia seriously suggesting what I think she is? “Celestia…are you seriously considering-?”

“Yes I am!” she said angrily, her wings spreading and her hoof stomping the floor in anger. I jumped in alarm, swallowing hard in fear at the sheer rage in her voice. She noticed this, and her ears flattened, her wings returning to her side once again. “Jethro, I-no, we-almost lost you. Again,” Celestia said with a hitch of sadness in her voice. “You were so close…to death.”

“But…how?” I asked. “I wasn’t injured…”

“Our best physicians weren’t sure,” Luna admitted. “Physically, you were not injured, but you were brought to the brink of death many different times. Your new human friend Trisha came back to Equestria to give more of her blood for you.”

“Came back…does that mean that the Stargate was reopened?” I asked.

“Not just that,” Celestia said, “but thanks to Twilight’s nonstop efforts, she managed to discover the method for keeping it open permanently thanks to the journal. The humans in the other world have been writing to us constantly, asking about your progress.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “At least they’re back home…that’s some good news…”

“Indeed,” Luna said. “You should write to them soon to inform them of your recovery.”

“I will. Were they…harassed during their time in Ponyville?” I asked worriedly.

“They told us that they were treated well enough,” Celestia said.

“That’s good.” I looked between the two mares, then took a breath. It was time to address the elephant in the room. “How long have I been asleep?”

“You’ve been unconscious for a week,” Celestia said. “They’ve hardly left your side,” she added, gesturing to the others surrounding me.

A smile came to my face automatically. That made me feel a swelling of admiration, adoration and joy at the thought, but it lasted for a few moments before reality came crashing in. “But their lives…don’t a lot of them have jobs? Especially the Bearers?”

“They insisted upon remaining here,” Luna replied. “Their attachment to you is very strong.”

“Despite me only knowing them a few months?” I asked.

“Jethro, from what Twilight tells me in her letters, humans form friendships in a manner a bit differently than we Ponies do,” Celestia said. “Friendships can form fast here.”

“So I’ve noticed,” I said, automatically looking down at the still sleeping Zecora. I reached down to stroke her mane and I smiled when she relaxed to my touch. “Hell, I was friends with her before I even could acknowledge it.”

“And your past trauma hindered it for a while,” Celestia said. “They all deeply care for you, and were scared for your safety. I was too.”

“As was I,” Luna added.

Slowly I nodded, another smile of gratitude forming on my face. “I’m sorry I made you worry,” I said.

“All that matters is that you’re back among us,” Luna said. “My sister and I couldn’t be happier about that. And it seems we aren’t going to be the only ones here in a few minutes.” With a smirk, she pointed to Zecora. “I’m sure a certain Zebra wishes to see you.”

Beside me, Zecora was indeed stirring. She opened one eye, then the other, and looked up at me. Her eyes shot open. “My love!” she shouted, throwing her forelegs around my neck and beginning to sob. “I’m not dreaming, am I?? Please tell me this is real!”

“No, my dearest, I am here,” I replied, slowly putting my left arm around her as my right was still being clung to by Fluttershy. Seeing Zecora wincing as she moved, I stroked her mane and said, “Be careful, your leg-”

“Forget my leg! It’s fine!” The two princesses smiled as my Zebra lover kissed me all over, as if she was compensating for days of affection lost. “Don’t leave me…please don’t leave me…” she whispered between kisses.

“Nothing could keep me away from you.” I whispered, my heart breaking once more at her tone as I kissed her forehead.

“Monkey-man?” I heard a familiar child’s voice gasping. Turning towards it, I saw a wide-eyed Spike looking at me in disbelief. Then he too was crying as he ran towards me and buried his face in my chest, sobbing. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

I gently extricated my right arm from Fluttershy’s vicelike grip and wrapped Spike up in it. Tears were forming in my eyes as I whispered, “I’m sorry, too,” to the sobbing young drake.

Slowly, the other Ponies in the room woke. Fluttershy was next after Spike, and when she saw me awake, she clung to my chest, crying in relief. Rainbow Dash woke next, and she tried to hide her relief by telling everyone that she knew I would wake up, but the way her voice cracked more than usual told a different story. Rarity shed a few ‘ladylike tears’, as she called them, at my recovery, and told me she was relieved to see me awake. She also mentioned how regal I looked with the beard I now sported.

Scarlet was, of course, furious with me but relieved. She also called me a badass for how I’d surprised Eris, as well as spouting that one liner. Applejack welcomed me back with a nod of her Stetson, a smile and a “Good tah see yah awake, sugarcube.” Pinkie Pie showered me with tons of hugs and, to my surprise, kisses and face nuzzles. Twilight was by my side in an instant, trying to see if I was okay and bombarding me with questions until Celestia told her to calm down.

Once their greetings were over and we all calmed down, Celestia faced me again. “Jethro, how are you feeling now?” she asked in a tender voice.

I looked down at my hands, which slowly balled into fists. “Physically…fine. But I’m a mess. A complete fucking mess. I completely screwed everything up…”

Celestia put a wing on my mouth, silencing me. “Hush,” she whispered. “Jethro Bethridge, you didn’t screw up. I did.”

“As did I,” Luna said. “My sister and I knew just how dangerous Eris was, and we both failed to take the threat of her return as seriously as we should have.”

“When you told us about this Discord from the show,” Celestia said, “he sounded more like some child with powers who spread chaos for fun. But Eris is nothing like that. She’s dangerous, and was willing to sew strife in all Ponykind, no…through the world…to get satisfaction.”

“But I brought her back here,” I replied. “And I-”

“No,” a new voice said from the door, “This was my fault, Mr. Bethridge.”

I turned and saw a despondent looking Sunset Shimmer standing in the doorway. Outside, I saw Gemini and Mica, still in their warrior’s uniforms, standing guard. Gemini took one look at me, nodded in acknowledgment, and went back to guarding. Mica waved at me with a relieved smile on his face. “Sunset…?”

Sunset Shimmer walked in and Gemini closed the door behind her. Approaching, she looked down at the floor. “If anyone is to blame for what’s happened here, it’s me. I’m the one who allowed a portion of Eris’ essence into me, I’m the one who was so driven by revenge and the desire to hurt the Princess that I released Eris.”

I looked down. “I made it easy for you to find the Stargate,” I said softly. “It’s my fault. And because of that, the entire world knows about My Little Pony and the fanfictions and fanmade stuff surrounding them.”

Celestia stood straighter. “We can go around pointing hooves at ourselves all we want, my friend,” she said with the regal air of a princess, “but it wouldn’t do us any good. The truth is out there now for the entire world to see.” She dropped the regal tone, leaned forward, and nuzzled my face once more in an affectionate manner. “You need to recover and rest,” she added.

I frowned. “Celestia, I want to help.”

“I know you do,” she said, “but you need time to process what has just happened. My sister and I will help to run interference for you.”

“Recover your strength,” Luna added.

“I need to help somehow,” I insisted.

“If you truly wish to help, then rest first,” Celestia said. “Take the time to talk with everypony here. You need it. They need it. If you need anything, there are two Pony guards outside the door who have been instructed to you as personal guards.”

“And what about Gemini and Mica?” I asked.

“They have volunteered to guard you as well,” Luna said. “My sister and I couldn’t persuade them otherwise. Gemini was insistent on it.”

I nodded solemnly. “I see…” I looked at Celestia. “Listen…about what you saw-”

“Twilight has told me about these so-called fanfictions of our world,” Celestia said somberly. “Seeing them was…a horrifying experience.” I swallowed hard, and was about to apologize, but she put a wing on my lips again. “But that’s all they were. Fiction. None of it was real. I would never abandon this world just to attack Earth and ponify the human race. I am not Xenolestia. I would never allow harm to come to one of my citizens, Pony or otherwise.”

“Ponies would never go around keeping a sapient species like humans as pets,” Luna said. “The very idea of keeping another sapient race like that is abhorrent to our very way of thinking. And Caribou live in a small microcontinent northeast of here. We have had decent relations with them for years, from what Celestia has told me.”

“I wouldn’t go killing my friends with a smile,” Pinkie Pie said somberly, “Or cut up Rainbow Dash to make cupcakes!” Shit…she read that?! Pinkie must have seen my shock, because she leaned in and gave my cheek a tender kiss. “Jethro…you know I wouldn’t do that, right?”

I nodded and stroked her mane gently. “You’re the Number One Party Pony,” I said. “You’d never do that.”

“I’d never murder foals in some sick, fucked up rainbow factory,” Rainbow Dash added.

“I would never become so deranged that I’d trap my friends in some puppet universe to keep them around,” Twilight said, ears flattened.

“Cheerilee would never use a stage play to murder her students,” Fluttershy said, clinging tighter to me.

“One story ah read involvin’ mah kin…it’d never happen,” Applejack said, and I could see her burning with a rage I’d never seen from her before. “If ah ever find the human who wrote that, ah’d buck them into the moon. It made me sick.” Fuck…I hope it wasn’t the story I think it is…

“Love, none of that would ever happen,” Zecora finished.

“Did you hide this from us because you were scared of how we would react?” Luna asked. “Even though it’s all fiction?”

I lay my head back, mind racing. What was there to say now? I could easily say I was protecting them from the horrors of human nature, but that would fall on deaf ears here. I could say I was afraid, but was I afraid of them, or of something else? Was I afraid of being judged by Ponies because of those fanfictions? What was my reluctance? Where did it come from? They were adults here, for God’s sake! This world wasn’t a cartoon anymore. This was a real world. To everyone’s astonishment, including my own, I chuckled softly for a bit at the absurdity of it all. “I guess…I have no excuse.”

“Damn right, you don’t,” Rarity said, surprising me with how ferocious she sounded as well as her own profanity. She came to my side immediately and grabbing my cheeks. “Darling…as horrid, sickening and depressing as hearing seeing those dark depictions of our world was for all of us, the Princess is right. They are just stories. You didn’t write them, so why should we hate you or judge you for them?”

My small chuckle returned, but this time morphed into sobs. Rarity put her forelegs around me, stroking my hair lovingly as I whispered apology after apology. Celestia smiled sadly as she said, “We would never judge one individual on the acts of another of the same species, Jethro Bethridge. I hope you know that now.”

“I’m so sorry,” I sniffed as Zecora came closer and nuzzled me affectionately.

“All is forgiven from us,” Luna said. “And I mean everypony here.”

“But…I lied to you all,” I replied.

Unsurprisingly, Applejack took this one. “Yes, ya did,” she said, “and ah’d say ya need tah make up fer it, but ah feel like you’ve been punished enough.” She walked up to me and held out her hoof. I reached out with a shaky hand and took her hoof in my hand. “Ah know why ya didn’t want us tah read those sickenin’ stories. Ah can only imagine what ya must have thought when ya saw them.” She let go of my hand, then reached out and pushed her hoof on my nose. “Ah forgive ya.”

All around the room, every Pony, as well as Spike, repeated the words in their own way. With each forgiveness, I felt simultaneously relieved and more guilt stricken. Zecora was the last to forgive me, and with that, she wrapped her forelegs around my neck, leaned in, and gave me the tenderest, most loving and comforting kiss she’d ever given me. In that kiss, I felt the warmth and affection of true forgiveness washing over me, but even then, after she broke the kiss, a part of me still wanted to know. “Why…why forgive me this easily?”

It was Twilight’s response that got to me. It was simple, to the point, and just made the most sense. “Because we’re your friends.”

I wiped my tears with my hand, smiling through the tears. “Thank you…” I tried to sit up more, and Zecora immediately helped me to a sitting position. I looked at them all, giving each of them a good look in the eyes. There was a general expectancy there in everyone, even in Celestia’s and Luna’s eyes. “So…what now? What’s been happening? And don’t hide it from me. I need to know what happened.”

To my surprise, Sunset, who had backed away and was looking out of the window at the blackened rainy landscape, turned to me. “The riots have been stopped, but the Princesses have been receiving many official letters from other nations on the continent. They’re demanding explanations.”

“Correct,” Celestia said sadly, “They’re putting pressure on us, clamoring for a response. They all saw that ‘news report’ that Eris showed. They’re demanding to speak to me and my sister about it.”

“What about what Eris said about riots in other countries?” I asked.

Luna’s and Celestia’s ears flattened immediately. Celestia nodded. “The death toll is…it’s in the hundreds, if not more.”

I covered my mouth as a new wave of nausea hit me. Rainbow Dash immediately brought a glass of water to me, and I swallowed it fast. Pushing the nausea down, I felt my anger and rage at Eris returning. “That cunt…”

“That she is,” Luna snarled.

I looked up at the ceiling, and a dry chuckle escaped my lips. “You know…I’m surprised they aren’t all demanding my head,” I said sardonically. I immediately saw Celestia’s ears flatten back. It was brief, but it was there. “They didn’t…”

“Not in many words, but in the intentions behind the letters we’ve been receiving,” Luna said. “One letter in particular all but demanded blood retribution. I think you can guess who.”

“Amber…”

Celestia nodded. “Correct.”

“I hope you wrote them back and told them where to shove it,” Scarlet replied.

“As much as I wanted to, we must be delicate about these things,” Celestia said.

Zecora’s grip on my tightened, and she grit her teeth. “She’d have to go through me before she could lay a claw on my colfriend,” she snarled with surprising venom.

Celestia smiled sadly. “Relax, Zecora. I would never allow Jethro to fall into their claws, or into the clutches of any other country.” Her smile became full of mirth as she turned to me. “Especially since not only are the two of you now full-fledged Equestrian citizens, but you, Jethro, are a knight of the crown.”

All I could do was stare at the beaming Solar Princess; all other thoughts banished from my mind about the situation I’d been in a week ago. I stared at her in shock for what felt like minutes before I opened my mouth and uttered a disbelieving, “What…?”

68: A Cloaked Heart's First Dream

“Ah! Damn it!” I shouted as my Halo avatar was shot by another player. The camera moved over my green Master Chief as the countdown sound before respawn played. “You’re so dead!”

I was fifteen again, sitting in front of my original Xbox and large box TV set in my childhood home bedroom. The green bean bag I was sitting in provided the perfect gaming chair as I respawned in the red base on the Blood Gulch map. The announcer then said, “Red Team has the flag.”

“Sweet!” I grinned as I gathered up a shotgun and headed out to the nearest Ghost. I got in and began driving to the other side of the map to provide assistance. I saw the player who’d captured the flag and fired on the pursuing Scorpion, doing my best to stealthily avoid the bursts of tank fire and machine gun fire from the massive tank.

“Red Team has the flag. Red Team, score,” the announcer said a few seconds later, right before a large round hit the Ghost, causing my in-game corpse to fly into the air. “Game over,” the announcer finished, and our scores were displayed on the screen.

“Jethy dear,” Mom called out from downstairs, “Trixie’s stopped by for a visit.”

I felt my heart leap out of my chest. Trixie, my childhood friend and long-standing crush, was here!? “Alright, coming Mom! Just gotta log out!” I took a few minutes to exit the game I was in, shut down my Xbox, and rush downstairs to see Trixie sitting on the couch. She was wearing a bright yellow summer dress with white stripes going down the side. “Trix!”

“Heh, I’m not for kids, Jethy,” she giggled, standing and looking at me. “Jeez, did you just get out of bed or something?”

I snorted and shook my head. “I’ll have you know I got up at ten this morning! A new record!” I put my hands on my hips proudly.

She laughed, and my heartbeat increased at that. “Oh, please, that’s hardly a record. At least I got up at nine this morning like normal.”

“Yeah, yeah. You and your regular routine,” I waved my hand in playful dismissal. “What brings you by today?”

“Come on, Jethy-wethy, it’s summertime!” she said, gesturing to the sunny late morning day outside. “Let’s go do something! Have some fun!”

“Like what?” I asked, looking at the clock on the VCR. “Free pool time doesn’t open for another half hour, you know?”

“That’s not too long, dude, and you know it!” Trixie giggled as she took my hand. “Besides, I’ve got a new game we can play!” she said as she pulled me to the door.

“Slow down!” I chuckled, “At least let me put some shoes on, first!”

She let me go and pushed me back towards the stairs. “Well hurry up!” she said. “I’ll be waiting outside!”

I rushed back up to my room, grabbed my Spider Man colored sneakers, slipped them on, and ran back downstairs. “Mom, I’m going out for a bit with Trixie!” I called out.

“Have fuuun!” Mom called out with a knowing tone. “Dinner’s at the normal time! We’re having tacos! Tell Trixie she’s free to join if she wants!”

“I’ll let her know!” I said as I rushed out of the door onto my front lawn. Trixie was standing in the center of my lawn, hands behind her back and whistling a familiar tune. “Trix, Mom said you can stay for dinner if you want to,” I said as I joined her.

“Whatcha having?” she asked as we headed to the gate.

“Tacos.”

Her eyes widened. “Oooh! I’ll text Mom and let her know!” She pulled out her Blackberry and shot off a quick text.

“So where are we going?” I asked with a smile as I opened the gate.

Her smile turned into a sudden smirk, her eyes changing into a very dark and familiar red. The sun vanished behind a dark cloud, leaving the area surrounding us in a gray darkness. “Equestria.”

“What…?” I asked, the smile vanishing from my own face as she stepped through the gate. The world morphed around us and Trixie and I were standing on a cliff overlooking Ponyville and the much more distant Canterlot. The sky was dark gray, as was the entire landscape before me. I heard a pair of wings fluttering behind me and I looked back. My new Alicorn wings were spread wide, but there was something wrong with them. They were more demonic, almost like the wings Nightmare Moon had. A dark black mist surrounded me.

“There’s the real you,” Trixie snarled, the only part of her different being her glowing red eyes. “There’s the part of you that’s aching for release! Welcome to Equestria, Legion! For you are many!”

She held up a purple mirror, and I gasped at my appearance. No longer was I human. I was a completely black humanoid monster. My teeth were all sharpened, my eyes glowing a demonic red, and the black mist surrounding me only added to my malevolent appearance. My hair was aflame, much like Daybreaker’s in that particular episode. “What the fuck-?” I started, before the change in my voice caused me to put my hand over my mouth. Gone was my normal voice and it had been replaced with the voices of dozens in sync. Like the Borg hivemind’s voice.

Trixie laughed, a malevolent, triumphant laugh. “Legion, my friend, you’ve finally surfaced! Isn’t it time you revealed to all of Equestria the monster you really are?” She approached me, her form growing until she was as I remembered her before her cancer began ravaging her. “The kind of man who fucks animals! The kind of being who is not satisfied with just living in harmony with nature, but bending it to your will, dominating all life under your thumb.”

The land around us shifted, and I was standing with her in the middle of Ponyville. The town was still standing, but the Ponies around us were walking as if in a trance. On their hooves, I saw metal bracelets with a red gem embedded in them. They all looked up at me and moved away in fear.

Trixie sneered at me and poked my chest. “Isn’t this fun? You get to play dark lord to these pathetic creatures! What was it God commanded Adam and Eve in the Garden? ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the Earth and subdue it’, correct? Isn’t that what was written? Well, here’s a planet without humans! Time to subjugate this world! Fuck all the mares and knock them up! Teach them the truth about humanity! Eliminate the Pony race and replace it with humanity!” She approached me sultrily as she had in the past whenever she was feeling frisky and slid her arms around me. “You’d so quickly turn me aside just to get your rocks off with a Zebra? I thought you loved me.”

“Trixie…”

I watched as she began to deform into the sick version I remembered from all other nightmares. “You did this to me…” she said, sounding weakened and sick.

“Trixie, no!” I shouted in anguish.

“ENOUGH! BEGONE, FOUL CREATURE!” a voice from above shouted, and the scenery around me vanished. Trixie, however, remained a bit longer, her sick form cracking into a smile before shattering into a cloud of dust. I fell to my knees, staring at where she’d been just before. The moment my knees hit the ground, the black mist shattered, and I felt the heavy weight of all those voices in my mind that I’d felt since becoming Legion vanish, leaving me once more alone with my thoughts and grief.

The world around me was a blue mist, but soon that vanished and I found myself standing on a vast clear layer of water. Above, the sky blazed with the all-too familiar constellations of Earth and Equestria. Two moons hung high in the sky next to each other, one Earth’s moon and the other Equestria’s larger version. I reached down and pushed my hand through the watery surface, finding that it went down further than what seemed possible. I stood and watched as the water I stepped into rippled away.

A pair of slender, dark blue arms wrapped themselves around me, and someone nuzzled my face. “Jethro…do you still think you ended the life of your first paramour?”

“Luna…” I felt her press her Anthro form against me, one hand running through my hair and the other wrapped around my waist.

“Is this why you have not dreamed since coming to Equestria?” she asked somberly.

I nodded. “The nightmares are too much to bear,” I whispered. “She comes to me innocently enough, but then she accuses me of murdering her. Sometimes it’s with a knife in her back and blood on my hands, other times it’s in the hospital where I watch myself pulling the plug while breathing smoke into her face, other times I watch myself pushing her over a cliff, unable to do anything but watch. For every dream I have, I watch myself kill her in many different ways. Each worse than before. And I’m helpless to stop it.”

She sighed, continuing to stroke my hair. “Guilt is a powerful thing,” she said. “Remember, I began to torture myself with the Tantabus before you called me out on it. But unlike me, you did nothing wrong. You have no need to feel guilty.”

“Luna, you don’t know what tobacco can do,” I said angrily. I snapped and a cigarette appeared in my hand, lit and smoking. “This stuff is good for a small rush, but at the same time it causes cancer, and not just for me! She got cancer because I used this as a crutch for my parents’ death! Anything to dull the pain!”

“My friend, you did not kill your first marefriend,” Luna said.

I pushed her away, facing her. “I did! The doctor told me it was because of secondhand smoking that she had cancer! And I was the one doing the smoking! I should be the one in the ground instead of her!”

The world exploded into light around me and I fell to the ground, my cheek stinging painfully from the powerful slap that Luna had given me. Before I had the chance to recover, she had straddled me and pulled me up by my shirt. An angry Luna was terrifying, I learned just then. “DO NOT SPEAK THOSE WORDS IN MY PRESENCE OR IN THE PRESENCE OF ANYPONY ELSE EVER AGAIN!” she bellowed. Had I been awake, I probably would have pissed myself in fear. Luna’s expression softened and she pulled me closer, holding my head between her breasts and stroking my hair. “I grieve with you, I truly do,” she said. “It is never easy to lose somepony close. I lost many when I came back to Equestria. Celestia has lost more. I know that even Applejack has lost family. And I have heard that Sunset Shimmer is an orphan, so she knows the pain of loss, too.”

A new wave of guilt washed over me. Not guilt at Trixie’s death, but guilt at having hurt Luna, one of my close friends in this world. “I’m sorry, Luna,” I whispered, slowly wrapping my arms around her waist.

“All of us care about you too much to see you in such distress,” Luna said, pulling me closer to her breasts, “Ever since you’ve come to our world, you have not had much rest, have you? Not even in your own dreams can you rest. I assume that is why I have not found your dream realm until tonight, correct?” When I nodded, she pulled me away and made me look into her eyes. She had a sorrowful expression on her face. “I am truly sorry for that. And I know a few other mares who are equally as sorry for it as I am. I promise that I will do everything in my power as Princess of Equestria to make your continued stay among our kingdom enjoyable. And your dreams shall be peaceful.”

I smiled gratefully for a brief moment before my smile faded. “That may be harder than you think, Luna.”

She nodded somberly. “My sister making you a knight was unexpected, but please believe me when I say she has the best of intentions in her heart. She has grown extremely attached to you. More attached than I’ve seen her become to anypony before.”

“I wasn’t just talking about that and you know it,” I said, slowly breaking out of the hug. “This shit with Eris…what she did and how many deaths she caused throughout the world…there’s a big target on my back now. Am I right?”

Luna nodded again. “That is one reason why Celestia gave you the title of knight. It’s a means of protecting you. That, and you and Zecora are now full citizens of our country, with all the benefits that come with it.”

“That include taxes?” I said with a small smirk. I couldn’t help it; death and taxes were an absolute.

Luna threw back her head and laughed hard. “Oh my! Jethro, you are a riot!” she said through amused tears as she walked up and took my hands. “You are a knight of the crown, now. Taxes are taken automatically out of your yearly pay.”

“Pay…? Luna, I have more money than I know what to do with,” I said.

“Jethro,” Luna said softly, once more walking up to me. She took my hand, spun me around and pressed herself close against me, her wings and arms wrapping themselves around me affectionately. She placed her chin on my head and I could feel power flowing into me from her. “You put so much on yourself,” she continued. “We all are truly grateful for all you’ve done for our country. You ask for nothing, and yet you have constantly put yourself in danger to save Ponies despite not being one yourself. The Ursa Minor, the incident in the Lycan Empire, and most recently with Eris. If it were up to me, I would move your house to a quiet spot where you, Zecora and anypony else could live in peaceful quiet forever. You’ve done so much.”

“Luna, you and I both know I can’t rest yet,” I replied sadly. “I have to help and explain to everyone what they saw. If this were ten years ago, I’d have gladly done what you just said and ran, but I know I can’t hide forever. I have to face the consequences of this, even if it means I’ll be eternally ostracized.”

“I would never allow that, and neither would Celestia,” Luna said firmly, holding me tighter. “I would declare you my personal student before that. Celestia would…I’m not sure what she would do, but she would do everything in her power to keep you safe.”

I slowly untangled myself from her, then snapped. A large couch formed and I took a seat, motioning for her to join me. She immediately did so and sat close to me. “I’m grateful for that, truly,” I replied, “but you know as well as I do that I need to address this. Starting with Ponyville.”

“My sister and I will be there for you,” Luna said.

I smiled, reached out and took her hand in mine. She automatically squeezed it. “No Anthro forms this time,” I chuckled softly.

“I promise,” Luna said. “I can’t speak for Cellie, though.”

“I’ll talk with her,” I said with a small smirk, which slowly faded away. “And speaking of talks, there’s something else I need to speak with you about.”

Her expression turned serious. “What is it?”

“It’s about how I react to Eris,” I replied. “There’s so much…hatred I feel for that two-bit whore,” I continued with a snarl. The dream realm around me reacted, turning from a lovely starry night to a darkening black thunderstorm. “She constantly throws me off. I never felt this way for the Queen and Princess of the Lycan Empire. I want to take a massive sledgehammer and smash Eris’ fucking head off! Barring that, I would want her back in a form I could pound into a bloody pulp!” I was hyperventilating now, the thunderstorm overhead flashing and rumbling with dark crimson lighting and massive booms of thunder. I took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. The thunderstorm shifted overhead and rain began pouring down on the two of us. I was immediately drenched, as was Luna. However, the Anthro Alicorn didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

I turned to her, watching as her mane fell to her side. “The Tree of Harmony spoke to me before I woke up. She told me that the first Pony I spoke to when waking up would have experience in that regard. Hatred of someone, I mean.”

“Ah…my turn to Nightmare Moon, you mean,” she said softly.

“You saw my dream just now,” I said. “Apparently, I have my own version of Nightmare Moon and Celestia’s Daybreaker.”

“Legion,” she said.

“Yes, Legion,” I sighed. “I don’t want that to happen to me. I don’t want to hate, but with Eris, it’s an all-consuming desire to hurt her. To punish her in so many sickening ways. Hell, to end her life!” The rain increased in intensity around us. “Barring a blast from the Friendship Laser, how did you get over it?”

Luna held up her hand. A bright flash of light flew from it, and when it reached the cloud layer, it scattered, revealing the night sky above once more as well as a full moon. The rain lasted for a while longer before stopping almost instantly. “Jethro,” she said, “all I can offer is advice. My situation is not the same as yours. I let my jealousy get the better of me until it turned into hatred which turned me into Nightmare Moon. Your situation is different. You have nothing but negative feelings for Eris, whereas I loved my sister, then hated her, and now love her again.”

“Hatred is corrosive,” I repeated my mantra. “I can’t just…I don’t want it to control me, but whenever I’m in close proximity to Eris…”

“I understand,” Luna said. “You wish harm on her, correct?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? I wish so much more than harm!” I shouted bitterly, putting my head in my hands.

“I remember,” she said, rubbing my back. “And I can relate to that part. Your show might be directed at human girls, but what it might not have told you was that I was seriously trying to murder my own sister.”

“…Well, fuck…” was all I could say.

“Fuck, indeed,” Luna said sadly. “My anger, jealousy and hatred were all directed at her, when it could have all been avoided by a simple talk.”

I whirled on her. “I don’t think a simple talk will work with Eris,” I snapped angrily, before I looked down. “Sorry…that was uncalled for.”

“You are forgiven,” Luna said. “In truth, you are probably correct. A talk would be very hard for you. At least, one on one talk with her where she isn’t a statue.”

“What are you saying?” I asked.

“I’m saying that perhaps you should go to where Eris is and speak to the statue,” Luna said. “It might work, it might not.”

“What’s to stop me from going there with a sledgehammer and busting her into a million pieces?”

“You wouldn’t go alone,” Luna said. “Somepony would be there with you. Possibly more than one.”

I leaned back onto the couch and sighed. It was dry once more, and I felt myself sinking into it. “Last time I was in front of the statue, I still got angry. And what if whatever she did to me before she was turned to stone was some sort of last-minute effort to save herself?”

“I assure you that our best mages have checked you over,” Luna said. “My sister, myself and even Twilight Sparkle looked you over just to be sure. We found nothing.”

I felt a bit of relief at that, but I wasn’t completely convinced. “If you’re sure…” was all I could say. I was still unconvinced, but I decided to table that discussion for another time. “I’m still lost on what to do here.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help any further,” Luna said apologetically.

“Don’t be,” I said. “You’re right. Maybe talking to the statue of Eris will help me vent a lot of the hatred. At the very least, it’ll be satisfying to see those holes I put in her.”

“Ah yes, the pistol the other humans told us about,” Luna said. “Quite an ingenious and deadly weapon.”

I snorted. “Humans are good at that. No magic means we need to be inventive when it comes to some stuff you take for granted. Including weapons.”

“The weapon you used on Eris is depleted, correct?” Luna asked.

“For the moment,” I replied. “I could easily go back to Earth and buy more bullets for it, but I’m still debating that. Guns are extremely dangerous for a world that still uses spears, swords, and crossbows. A massive leap in technology like that could start an arms race that can destabilize the current political landscape. It was that arms race that led to Earth’s Cold War.”

“Cold War?” Luna looked confused.

“Yeah…a war without fighting, as it were,” I replied. “Two of Earth’s major superpowers, the United States of America, my country, and the United Socialist Soviet Republic, both had opposite ideologies on how to run a country. After the development of the atomic bomb, which is an extremely deadly weapon that can vaporize an entire city in seconds, both countries began improving on the technology and developed deadlier versions of the device. Enough to destroy our entire planet in minutes. It was a war of spying and subterfuge. There were a couple of near disasters, but luckily we survived. I don’t want the same thing to happen here, especially with tensions between Equestria and the other nations of the world. And besides, you all have magic. Who’s to say what could happen if you focused your magic on offense?”

Luna looked a bit shaken at this new information, but she quickly shook her head and put a hand on my shoulder. “Sir Jethro, I am truly glad you are on our side,” she said.

I chuckled. “It’s the right side for me to be on,” I said, “and I’ll gladly share what my world knows about certain topics with you all. But weapons? That I’m not sure about. Which reminds me, I’m gonna need to have a long talk with Sunset about that, seeing as she’s probably gotten a lot of studying done about humanity.”

Luna nodded. “Currently, she is dreaming happy dreams. Ever since she returned, her dreams have been as plagued by guilt as yours have.”

I frowned, feeling a bit bad for her. “Can I…see her dreams and speak to her?”

Luna shook her head. “I would not do so at the moment. She is still too vulnerable.”

“I’ll still talk with her at some point,” I replied.

“Of course,” Luna said, “just not now.”

I nodded. “Sure. I can do that.” I looked around the dreamscape, then a sudden idea came to mind. “In the meantime, how could you like to have some dream fun with me?”

“What kind of fun?” she asked, looking a bit eager now.

“Well, there was an older video game I was playing in my dreams before things went to shit,” I replied. “I’m a decently experienced lucid dreamer. Watch.” I snapped and Halo’s assault rifle appeared in my hands. Snapping again, the two of us were standing in Blood Gulch, only this time with the graphics looking completely realistic. “This is the MA5B Assault Rifle from Halo: Combat Evolved. Watch this.” I said as I took aim at a nearby Warthog. Pulling the trigger, I opened fire. Unlike in the game, the noise from this weapon was ear splitting. And unlike in multiplayer, the Warthog began filling with holes until, to my satisfaction, it erupted in a massive fireball. “Hah! Take that, noobs!” I shouted, laughing maniacally.

“Jethro? Where are we?” Luna asked, ears flattened as she looked around the gulch.

“This, my dear Luna, is one of my favorite multiplayer game maps from Halo,” I chuckled. I pointed to another nearby Warthog. “Wanna go for a drive?”

69: A Cloaked Heart Begins Planning

I woke the next morning feeling satisfied. Luna and I had spent time in a dream version of The Silent Cartographer campaign level after I showed her the weapons and vehicles from the first Halo game in Blood Gulch. Seeing her in Master Chief armor made me laugh, which earned me a smack in the back of the head. Luna, to my surprise, enjoyed herself as she dispatched Covenant ground forces. I also enjoyed the stress relief that came with blasting Covenant soldiers away. When we finished, the dream ended, but not before promising to show Luna some of the other games in my collection and memory. She gave me one final hug before vanishing.

I woke once more surrounded by many mares, with Zecora nuzzling my face close. The fire in the fireplace was out, but the sun was up and shining into the room. My stirring woke Zecora, who immediately moved closer and licked my face affectionately. “How are you feeling this morning?” she asked.

“A bit better,” I admitted as I kissed her. “But I need to get up. Being asleep for a week can’t have been good for me.”

Twilight, who was curled up under a blanket in the same cot she was in the night before, slowly woke and yawned in a rather cute manner. When she saw I was awake, she shook her head and jumped onto the bed beside Zecora. “Jethro? Did you sleep okay? You were tossing and turning for a bit after you fell asleep last night.”

“Yeah, I slept alright for the most part,” I replied. “I just had a nightmare that Luna stopped.”

Hers and Zecora’s ears flattened at the news. “I’m sorry about that,” Twilight said.

“Don’t be. Luna helped. But I need to get out of bed,” I said, trying my best to undo myself from the many different mares surrounding me without waking them up. To my relief, they all looked much better than they had the night prior. I managed to get out of bed after a few minutes, but being unconscious for a week definitely had an effect on me. I almost fell down when I tried to stand. Twilight was immediately by my side, letting me put my hands on her back for support.

Eventually, I felt confident enough to walk on my own, and luckily I was dressed in the red pajamas Rarity had made for me after Athena’s final death. A pair of my slippers were near the foot of the bed, and I made my way over to put them on, then turned to the exit, grabbing a zipper hoodie of mine hanging on a rack near the door and throwing it on.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay to walk?” Twilight asked with concern as I headed to the door.

“Never fear, Twilight,” Zecora said, moving to my side, “I’ll go with him.”

“Zecora, what about your leg?” I asked, pointing to the hind leg still in a cast.

“It’s feeling a lot better than before,” she said as she hobbled over to a small device that looked like a knee scooter with three wheels on it. She put her bad leg on it and moved back over, the scooter acting as a replacement for her leg while it healed. “I’m coming, love.”

I shook my head, smirking at my marefriend. “Fine, fine. Let’s go.”

“Go? Go where?” Twilight asked.

“I need to see Celestia,” I replied as I put my hand on the door handle.

“Didn’t she tell you to rest?” Scarlet’s voice came from the bed as she moved her wing from her head and sat up, looking at me sternly.

“There’s no rest for the wicked,” I chuckled dryly. “Besides, I have to tell her about this idea I had when I was asleep. It could be a start to repairing the damage caused by Eris. Whatever that really is.”

“And you’re going with just Zecora? Not a chance,” Rainbow Dash said, slowly sitting up and stretching herself. “You aren’t going in there without some kind of backup.”

“What, do you expect her to yell at me or something?” I asked.

“We’re as much a part of this as you are, darling,” Rarity said, sitting on her haunches and fixing her mane. “Our faces were shown for all to see.”

Fluttershy immediately flew up to me and landed on my back, wrapping her forelegs around my neck. “We won’t let you go alone,” she said softly. I could feel her trembling a bit against my back.

Applejack sat up and put her Stetson back on her head, jumped out of the cot she’d been sleeping on, and trotted over to me. “Yer stuck with us, sugarcube.”

“Bro’s don’t let other bro’s go out there alone,” Spike declared in a brave tone.

Pinkie walked over, put her front hooves on my chest and looked at me with a pleading expression. “Pretty please with sugar on top?” she begged, giving me absolutely adorable puppy dog eyes.

I sighed and smirked, shaking my head in disbelief. “Never in my life did I expect to be in this situation,” I said softly, “but the fact that you’re all here makes it so much more bearable. You have my undying gratitude.” I gently removed Fluttershy and set her down, stroking her mane a bit before facing the gathered mares and young drake who was now by my side, almost protectively. “I’d be glad to have you all with me.”

With that, the mood in the room brightened considerably as I knocked on the door, then slowly opened it. I saw two stalwart Royal Guards at the door, one Unicorn and one Pegasus along with Gemini and Mica standing a few feet from them. Mica was the first to see me and his eyes widened. He smiled and waved at me. “Good to see you awake,” he said.

“Good to be awake,” I said before turning to Gemini. “Thank you for keeping watch.”

“You are my master,” she said bluntly, and I saw the Pony guards flinch a bit at that, “it is my sworn duty to protect you with my life until my death or release from service.”

I nodded, then turned to the nearest Pony guard. “Sir, I need to see Princess Celestia as soon as possible.”

The guard, a gray Unicorn, nodded. “The Princess ordered me to bring you to her as soon as you were awake and able to walk. Follow us.” And with that, the Unicorn moved to the left of the door, heading down the massive hallway. The Pegasus guard took up the rear of our large group, while Mica and Gemini took to the left and right flank respectfully. Zecora stood very close to my left, Spike to my right, and the others circling around me in their own protective circle.

“I take it…that things are much worse than anything I could have ever imagined,” I said, “especially if you’ve taken to guarding me like I’m about to be assassinated.”

Nobody spoke for a bit, but Scarlet eventually cracked. “You’re more heavily guarded than you think, dude.”

“Scarlet, no,” Twilight begged.

“He’s going to discover it eventually, Twilight,” Scarlet replied, before turning back to me. “The world’s pretty much in an uproar because of what happened,” she explained. “Sanctions are being threatened, demands for your death are all the rage these days, and even the Ponies have mixed feelings about you.”

“Sounds like a madhouse,” I said as we turned a corner down a larger corridor.

And that was when I saw the first consequences of my actions.

The corridor had a few well-dressed Ponies standing in the hall, talking among themselves. When they saw us, all conversation stopped. Dozens of pairs of eyes were leveled at us, but I could tell they were mostly on me. As much as I wanted to hide, I knew it would send the wrong message. I stood up a bit straighter, giving any Pony I passed a polite nod. Most of the looks I got back were those of uncertainty, as if they weren’t sure how to feel about me and my friends, but it wasn’t long before I locked eyes with a younger Pegasus mare in a maid outfit glaring at me angrily. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and I could only guess who she might have lost in the riots. We held the gaze of the other for a while before I nodded to her, putting my hand over my heart.

And then she attacked.

Spreading her wings, she flew towards me, a glint of metal on one of her hooves aimed directly at my neck. Gemini immediately shoved me aside and I heard the shimmering sound that magic casting made. The Lycan stood and drew her sword, standing in front of me protectively. I sat up immediately and felt someone else latching onto me. Looking down, I saw a shuddering Fluttershy clinging onto me with a desperate fearful look in her eyes. Spike was in front of me, holding his fists up protectively, looking like he was about to breathe some fire. Twilight was casting a spell that held the maid in the air. The maid struggled but in vain. Twilight released her and she fell to the floor. Two nearby guards immediately seized her and held her in their own magic shield.

I slowly stood, Fluttershy still clinging to me. I moved to face her, and saw some metal bracelet around her hoof with a deadly looking dagger attached to one side which was slid off of her hoof by one of the guard’s own magic, clattering to the floor. When I came into eye contact with her, she tried spitting in my direction, but it just bounced off of the shield surrounding her. “It should have been you, bastard!” she shouted in a grief stricken but angry tone. “My mom was innocent, damn you! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU!”

It took all my self-control to keep calm and not break down. I reached down and picked up the assassin blade and looked it over briefly. Finding a small button, I pressed it and the blade retracted until I was looking at a normal looking bracelet. I looked back at her, then took a deep breath. “I grieve with you,” I said softly, meaning every word of it.

She scoffed. “Then bring my mother back! Bring her back!” Tears streamed down her face. “Damn it, human! BRING HER BACK!”

“If I was able to, I would,” I replied. “I’m truly sorry.”

With a sudden flash, Celestia appeared before us. “What’s happening here?” she asked. “I felt an unusual use of magic and yelling-” She stopped, looking at the maid, then back at me. Her expression darkened as she focused on the maid. “Orchid…what did you do?” I shuddered at Celestia’s tone. It was menacing and full of barely restrained rage. Something I knew I didn’t want to be on the other end of at all.

“What should be done! What you’re too much of a coward to do, Princess!” Orchid spat angrily. “He’s responsible for my mother’s death!”

I pressed on the button on the bracelet, showing the hidden blade as it extended once more from its hiding place. Celestia turned at the sound, eyes widening in shock, which turned to rage as she whirled on Orchid. “You would kill Jethro, who is an honored guest in my castle as well as a Knight of the Realm, I might add, even when it was not his fault?” she growled. Her light rainbow mane and tail began to flow faster in the wind. The air got warmer as well. “Eris was the one who caused those riots! Jethro had absolutely nothing to do with it!” With that final word, she stomped her hoof on the ground, causing a ripple to go through the floor.

Walking towards Celestia, I braved the increasing heat and put a hand on her withers. She turned to me immediately, and I began to massage her gently. “Stop,” I said somberly.

To the surprise of everyone in the hall, Celestia took a deep breath, then backed away. Pointing a hoof at the maid, she said, “Orchid Song, you’re relieved of duty until further notice.” Turning to the guards, she added, “Take her to her room and keep her locked up. I’ll hoof down my punishment later.”

As she was pulled away, Orchid shouted at me, “I won’t be the last, you monster! I won’t be the last!” And with that, the two guards and the maid vanished in a teleportation spell.

Celestia turned to the others around who had been watching. “I don’t know how clearer I can make this to any of you!” she shouted. “If anypony brings harm to or attempts to bring harm to the human Sir Jethro Bethridge, the Bearers of Harmony, Scarlet Dusk, Spike the Dragon or Zecora Mtunga Dawa or anypony else under our protection, the consequences will be beyond anything you can even imagine!” she added in her Royal Canterlot Voice.

I felt something clinging to my leg. Looking down, I saw a trembling Spike looking up at me, absolutely petrified. I knelt down and put one arm around him comfortingly, the other already around Fluttershy, who still stubbornly refused to let me go. Both she and Spike clung to me and buried their faces in my shirt. Celestia was by my side immediately, looking at me with a worried expression. “You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?” she asked in a panicked tone, looking over every inch of me.

“I…ahaha…I can’t get up,” I chuckled a bit nervously. “And it’s not just because of these two.” I held up my hand, showing her how much I was now trembling.

Zecora was immediately by my side as she nuzzled my face. Celestia looked down. “Jethro, I am truly sorry about this. She will be dealt with severely.”

“Not too severely, please,” I said as I was helped to my feet by Zecora and Celestia. “She’s grieving a loss. I doubt she’s thinking straight.”

“Dude, she straight up tried to murder you,” Scarlet growled. “She needs to be punished. And an example like her punishment could definitely deter any other assassination attempts. By Ponies, at least.”

I looked at Scarlet, then back at Celestia. I knew they were correct, of course. I took a deep breath, trying my best to look at this from multiple perspectives. On the one hand, she was grieving and lashing out, so her actions might be understandable, if seriously warped. On the other hand, she had tried to kill me, and if a serious foot wasn’t put down, it would send the wrong message. “I…yeah, you’re right…do what you must, Celestia,” I said.

She nodded somberly and put a wing over my shoulder. “Come with me,” she said. “I have cleared my schedule so we could talk.”

I followed close behind, holding the still trembling Fluttershy in my arms, stroking her mane with my wings. I hoped to calm her down further by perhaps a small song, so I pulled the iPhone out of my pocket, unlocked it, scrolled through my playlist, and held up my phone. I looked around at the Ponies gathered around, the ones who had stood by and done nothing to help.

I inhaled and used some magic to make my voice heard somewhat more than normal, but less than a Royal Canterlot Voice. “Eris might have told you about the worst of humanity, and I will not deny that as a species, humans can be dangerous. But she failed to tell you about all the good humanity has done! Allow me to give you and all of Canterlot a taste of human music!” I hit play but not before casting the same spell Twilight had used on my phone at the Gala.

Remember Me by Thomas Bergersen began playing throughout the entire hallway. The Ponies around me perked their ears up and listened to the emotion rending sounds of one of my favorite composers. Beside me, Celestia raised her head and her horn began to glow. The music increased in volume slightly. I closed my eyes and held Fluttershy closer. To my relief, she seemed to start to relax in my grip. Looking down, I saw a small smile creep up on her lips. She mouthed the words “Thank you” before burying her face in my chest.

I spread my wings, and we all stood there for the entire length of the song, moving back and forth. To my surprise, I saw a few of the noble looking Ponies shed a few tears as the more hopeful portion of the song reached a crescendo. Looking around, I noted the reactions of all my gathered friends. All were pretty much standing still and drinking in the music, save for Celestia who locked eyes with me. She motioned me forward and whispered, “All of the kingdom can hear what you just said and what you’re playing now.”

As the music reached another crescendo once more, I could only reply with a halting, “Thank you…” and a grateful smile.

When the song finally ended, Celestia’s horn stopped glowing. I stopped the soundtrack and rushed to her side as she stumbled a bit. Catching her, she slowly stood. “I’m alright, Jethro,” she said. “Come, let’s get moving. There is a lot we need to discuss.”

Turning, she headed down the hallway, and I moved to follow behind her, falling into step beside Zecora. She looked up at me and whispered, “That was an absolutely lovely song, love.”

“Thank you…” I replied as Celestia turned a corner…

Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the same private room where I’d told the Princesses about Obsidian Star. Unlike before, there had been a custom chair built for me, a large wood armchair with soft satin covered cushions on the surfaces. The others were seated around the table except for Zecora who was seated on my lap in her adorable Zebraloaf form. On either side of the door, Mica and Gemini stood. Luna had joined us and she and her sister were seated in their own chairs around the round table. The other Ponies sat there as well as Spike. Fluttershy was seated on my right and Twilight on my left. Behind me, the fireplace was well lit and the table was also lit with a large chandelier of six candles. To my surprise, Sunset Shimmer had also joined us, sitting as far away from Celestia as she could, a look of haunted guilt on her face.

“Now, where to begin,” Celestia said, and I saw the look of an utterly exhausted monarch once more.

“Start at the beginning,” I said. “What happened after I lost consciousness?”

She nodded somberly, then took a deep breath. “The moment Eris was encased in stone by the Elements, anything she did seemed to reverse itself. The damage she caused by the Siren’s magic ebbed away. Anypony who was affected was taken to the nearest hospital to be examined, just in case any of the magic embedded itself deeper within them. Fortunately, the magic she used seems to have vanished when she was defeated.”

“That reminds me,” I said, holding up a finger, “Did they see me use the pistol on her? The world, I mean? I was so out of it I didn’t even think to check or ask.”

Celestia shook her head. “No. The screens vanished before you shot her.”

“Even so, all of Ponyville saw me unload that clip into her,” I said. “We can’t undo that.”

It was Luna who spoke next. “We cannot, unfortunately. Despite our best efforts to keep this information private, rumors have spread. Eris did mention human weaponry in her little report.”

“Nuclear weaponry,” I stated somberly. “I was hoping to keep all of that information to myself. I didn’t want to bring it here, considering how deadly it can be.”

“I doubt even our strongest magical shields could protect against it,” Sunset Shimmer agreed.

Celestia turned to Sunset, a curious look on her face. “What do you mean, my student?”

Sunset flinched at that, but just as she was about to reply, I held up my hand. “I don’t want to talk about that right now. We should focus first on the damage Eris caused right now.”

Celestia nodded. “Of course.” She cleared her throat. “To go on, though, there are a lot of broken friendships through the kingdom, families torn apart, and then there’s the death toll. Even throughout the kingdom, we’re still figuring out how many were killed. Turns out that Eris caused a number of deaths in other cities. Manehatten. Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, and that’s just to name a few. Every city and town experienced this, but the deaths seemed to take place in the larger cities. Riots caused a lot of Ponies to get trampled to death.”

“Jesus…” I gasped.

“No shit…” Sunset muttered.

“We still do not have a full number yet,” Luna said, “but it appears as if our kingdom was, for lack of a better term, lucky.”

“How the fuck are we lucky?” Scarlet frowned.

“The death toll could have been much worse,” Luna said. “Other nations are reporting higher numbers.”

“And they are demanding answers from us,” Celestia said. “And, like I said last night, some are looking to blame you.”

Zecora put one hoof on my leg, and I almost heard a predatory growl from her. “If that maid was any indication, things are going to get much worse,” I said.

“Princess, isn’t there anything we can do?” Twilight asked.

“I’m not sure what we can do,” Celestia said. “I’ve sent letters to every nation who’s sent messages to me explaining what happened. Thank you for that, by the way Spike,” she added, bowing to the little drake.

“Of course,” he replied.

“We’ve only received a reply from Dragon Lord Torch, who’s all but demanding that Jethro be brought to them,” Luna said.

“We haven’t replied to them yet,” Celestia said. “After today, I was about to, as Scarlet so elegantly put it, tell them where to shove it.”

“Damn right!” Rainbow Dash said. “Anypony who wants to get their hooves on Jethro is gonna have to go through all of us!”

“Calm down there, speed demon,” I said. “I’m not sure if this will work, but I might have an idea on what we can do.”

“I’m listening,” Celestia said, a small hopeful gleam in her eyes.

I cleared my throat. “Why don’t we hold a council?”

“A council?” Celestia repeated.

“Yeah,” I said. “We invite them to send a representative to meet at a certain location and we try and hammer this out like adults. I’m surprised you haven’t thought of it yet.”

“I had thought about it too, actually,” Twilight admitted.

“I had briefly considered it,” Celestia said, “but I wasn’t sure how to present it to each nation. Or where to have it, for that matter.”

“Why not at your old palace?” I asked.

“I considered that,” Celestia said. “But it’s within Equestrian borders. I was hoping to have something like this in a neutral location.”

“Sister, it’s barely in the borders,” Luna replied.

“Barely is still within the borders,” Celestia replied.

“Can someone get me a pen and paper?” I asked before the argument could get out of hand.

“Here you go,” Pinkie Pie said, producing one of my own pens and a piece of paper from her mane.

“What are you doing?” Celestia asked curiously as I clicked the pen open.

“One moment,” I replied as I began to write:

To the esteemed [insert ruler name here],

You are cordially invited to attend the first ever Council of Equestrians [If you don’t like this name, feel free to change it], to be held on [insert a potential date here] at the Palace of the Two Sisters near the Everfree Forest [Unless you can think of another location that’s better] in order to discuss current events and to hopefully come to an agreement as to what can be done to ensure peace between our nations. It is my desire that recent events will not lead to any sort of conflict between any nation. Everyone’s voice will be heard, every opinion taken into account. All we want is to undo the damage done to our kingdoms. Please attend.

Best Wishes [Or however you want to end it]

Princesses Celestia and Luna [Insert royal seal or royal title or whatever here]

I slid the paper over to Celestia and Luna, who looked over the letter carefully. I could even see Luna mouthing the words as she read them over. Finally, both mares looked over at me. Their expressions remained neutral for a bit before Celestia smiled a bit. “For someone who doesn’t know much about how to rule a country, you wrote a fairly good invitation.”

“I mean, I just wrote an invitation that shows respect and isn’t demeaning,” I replied. “I’m sure you and Luna can iron out the details and alter it. It’s just a rough draft, after all. But I really think this could be the start of something that can greatly benefit all nations involved.” I looked around the table, giving each individual there a measured look as I continued. “Let’s use this opportunity, everyone. I’m still a newbie when it comes to history of the world, but because of Eris, we have nations talking to nations more than they have in a long time. Eris tried to tear us apart, but we can attempt to use this to bring our races closer together and-” I paused, realizing just how I sounded. “Goddamn, I sound corny here.”

“You don’t sound anything like corn,” Pinkie said with confusion.

Celestia chuckled. “You didn’t sound corny, Jethro. You sounded hopeful.”

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Maybe…or maybe I just wanna try and nip this in the bud before another Orchid tries anything.”

Celestia nodded somberly. “Even so,” she said, “I will revisit this idea. The way you portray it gives it new light. And if Twilight here also thought about it, and if she was the Princess of Friendship in the show, then perhaps this idea is worth looking deeper into.”

“You will not be looking alone, sister,” Luna said. “I shall assist you, and I have a feeling Princess Cadance will also wish to be involved.”

“I’m sure she would,” Celestia smiled a bit before turning back to me. “Now then, there was one more matter I wished to discuss with you.”

“Which is?” I asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“Well, Luna told me about your desire to return to Ponyville,” Celestia said.

“I do, yes,” I replied.

Celestia took a deep breath. “Well, why don’t we discuss a good time to do that, shall we?”

70: A Cloaked Heart's Decision

Three days. Three days of constant company by at least one of the Mane Six. Three days of Pony physicians checking up on me, making sure that whatever had caused my multiple near-death experiences wouldn’t reoccur. Three days of Zecora constantly being by my side, barring her leg being checked on and calls of nature. Three days of multiple daily visits from Celestia and Luna, keeping me up to date on events in and outside of the Kingdom of Equestria.

Despite what Luna had mentioned in my dream before about there being no problems with me magic-wise, I was still poked and prodded a bit by the palace mages, as well as Twilight and the Princesses, and even those visits had apparently shown nothing abnormal about me.

During the meeting three days prior, Celestia had agreed that my return to Ponyville would be something that needed to happen, but she also hoped that I’d stay in Canterlot for, in her words, “…a few more days so my doctors and mages can make sure everything is alright.” I’d begrudgingly agreed, especially when they said that Zecora’s broken leg would be healed in said few days.

As had been suggested to me, I picked up the journal and wrote to the Humane Five. Jackie had been the first to respond, expressing her relief that I was okay. Apparently, the book had been placed in her care after careful consideration among the five friends. When I asked how her family had reacted to her absence, she explained that they’d all given the excuse that they’d had an impromptu sleepover for a few nights at Trisha’s apartment.

When the rest of the Smith family had asked about me, Jackie said that she’d taken me home. I wished them well, and when I mentioned that the portal was now permanently open, she asked if there was anything she or the others could get for me. I jokingly asked for some fast food like a Big Mac or Triple Whopper with Cheese or something like that. To my surprise, she actually agreed and said she’d see me soon.

Celestia had come by on the second day, informing me that she’d sent off the letters to each kingdom, informing them of this council. She set the date for December 7th, and had agreed that the Palace of the Two Sisters was as appropriate a spot as any to have the council. She’d already begun preparations despite having not received an answer.

On the third day, I was sitting up in the bed, watching some Fairy Tail with Zecora, Scarlet and Spike, the latter of whom was absolutely enthralled by the show about friendship conquering all. That, and he absolutely had begun to imitate his new favorite character, Natsu Dragneel. He even had begun to imitate the Dragon Slayer whenever he sent a letter to Celestia and was even trying to imitate Natsu’s other magic, like Fire Dragon Iron Fist or Fire Dragon Wing Attack.

We were halfway through Episode 18: Reach It! To That Sky! when there was a knock at the door. I paused the video. “Who is it?”

“You have visitors, sir,” one of the guards said as he opened the door. “The humans from Earth.”

My eyes widened, and my smile widened. “Let them in!” I waved my hands.

The door opened, and I gaped at the five individuals who came in waved at me. They weren’t humans in this form, but neither were they Ponies. Nope, these five were Anthro versions of their Pony counterparts wearing human clothes. Not only that, but when I looked down, I noticed that they all had human feet instead of hooves. “Whoa…” was all I could say when they walked in. “What’s all this?”

“Weird, right?” Dash chuckled, spinning around to reveal her large Pegasus wings. In this form, Dash still had that slender athletic appearance. “That Twilight pone wasn’t sure why. Not that I’m complaining! I get to have hands and wings!” She flapped her wings experimentally. “Whoa!”

“Relax there, sugarcube,” Jackie chuckled, then turned to me. She held up a large brown paper bag with a pair of golden arches on it, along with a white soda cup. “We come bearin’ gifts.”

“I knew I smelled something greasy!” I grinned. Then, before Scarlet could jump on it, I turned to her and, in sync with the meme spouting mare, said, “Too easy.”

Jackie handed me the bag and I opened it, inhaling the delicious smell of a Big Mac, fries, and a couple of double cheeseburgers. “Mmm…thank God…I’ve needed this! You rock! I’ll pay you back sometime.” I quickly unwrapped one of the double cheeseburgers and took a big bite. “Mmmm…”

“Darling, you’ve had quite an adventure already,” Trisha said with a wave of her hand. “There’s no need to repay anything.”

“Eeee!” Diane squealed happily as she came up and looked at Spike. “I get to see the real Spike! So cuuuute!” She picked him up and hugged him close, bouncing up and down. I blushed when I saw her large boobs bouncing and had to make myself look away.

Shye giggled. “I never thought I’d ever meet a real-life Dragon before,” she admitted. “You’re very cute.”

“Ah…ehehe, thanks,” Spike said, looking embarrassed.

“Diane, don’t bounce the poor boy up and down too much,” Trisha chuckled as she intervened and took Spike away, reaching up to stroke his spikes. “You’re not feeling sick, are you darling?”

Spike blushed hard at that, but shook his head. “N-No, I feel fine,” he said.

“What about you, Jethro?” Shye asked. “How are you doing?”

I took a deep breath, swallowing a few of the fries I’d also stuffed my face with, then washing them down with the Coke. “Well, let’s just say that Eris’ little stunt made me Equestria’s infamous new celebrity. And that’s putting it mildly. And you know the worst part? I missed Thanksgiving!” I looked at all of them, then smirked. “That was yesterday, wasn’t it? How was it for you all?”

“We spent it at the Smith farm,” Trisha said. “We’ve done that for a couple of years now.”

“Aaaand,” Diane grinned, holding up a large Tupperware container, “we brought leftovers too! There’s turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and bread rolls!”

“Thank God!” I smiled happily. “The future me thanks you for this bountiful meal.”

“Don’t mention it,” Jackie chuckled.

“What’s Thanksgiving?” Spike asked.

“Well,” I began, “in my home country, it’s a special holiday that takes place on the last Thursday of every November. Basically, it’s like an autumn festival where you stuff your face, spend time with family, and go around the table telling everyone what you’re thankful for. Then comes the food coma!” I laughed and patted the Tupperware. “I haven’t had a real good homecooked Thanksgiving meal in years. Thank you.”

“Yer welcome,” Jackie chuckled.

Shye took a seat next to me. “How are you doing? Twilight told us a bit about what’s been happening. You’re a knight now?”

I chuckled, then reached down and touched the small badge pinned onto my shirt. It was shaped like a shield with a sword in the center. Behind it, an emblazoned sun and crescent moon took up the same spot. “Apparently the first knight in ages,” I said. “It’s some high honor only given to the heroes of the realm.”

“‘The realm’? What is this, Game of Thrones?” Dash asked with a smirk.

“Nah,” I laughed, “if this was Game of Thrones, I’d be kicking you out and having some private time with my marefriend,” I grinned.

“Dashelle, you read those books?” Trisha asked in shock.

“Just wait until the show comes out,” I grinned.

Dash’s eyes widened. “There’s gonna be a show?! Oh, hell yes!”

“I have every season on my computer,” I chuckled. “But back to your question, Shye, I’m…so-so.” I waved my hand a bit. “Then again, having this sexy mare by my side constantly really helps,” I added, putting an arm around Zecora and pulling her closer. She responded by nuzzling into my chest and sighing contentedly.

Shye noticed her broken leg just then and her eyes widened. “Oh my, I almost forgot about your leg, Miss Zecora! How’s it doing?”

Zecora smiled and reached down to rub it gently. “I have been told I should be up and walking by tomorrow.”

Shye looked relieved at that news. “That’s good.”

“Still can’t believe you’re dating a Zebra,” Dash said.

“She was my very first friend when I got here,” I replied. “She’s been my confidant, has gone out of her way multiple times to protect me, and I love her deeply because of those things and so much more.” I moved closer and gave her an Eskimo kiss.

“Still a bit…you know,” Dash said.

“Dashelle! Have some decorum!” Trisha said. “Miss Zecora is as intelligent as we are! She’s no different than a human woman!”

I smiled. “In a lot of ways, she’s superior.”

Zecora blushed and buried her face in my chest again. Jackie smiled. “Ah can see she does somethin’ fer ya. Ah’m glad ya found someone.”

“I am too,” I said, reaching up and stroking Zecora’s mane.

“What have things been like for you other than the knighthood?” Trisha asked.

I leaned back and sighed. Zecora wrapped her forelegs around me tightly. “Could be better,” I admitted. “The entire world of Equestria knows about My Little Pony as well as some of the darker fanfictions. I’m just glad Eris didn’t show them Rule 34.”

Dash winced. “Ooof, that’s a thing?”

“Very much so,” I sighed. “Twilight found some yesterday. That was…not a fun thing to talk about with her.”

“Shit…” Dash said. “I don’t envy you.”

“Gee, thanks,” I snarked, but then smirked. “It’s still good to see you. All of you.”

Diane giggled. “Same to you! Hey, where’s Pinkie Pie?? I wanna talk with her!”

“Somepony mention my name?” Pinkie popped out from behind the large chair in the room, then gaped at Diane. “Whoa…is that what I’d look like in an Anthro form??”

Diane whirled around, looking a bit shocked. “Whoa! Hi Pinkie!”

“Hi, Di-Di!” Pinkie replied. It made me glad to see her beginning to return to her normal happy state. She’d been a bit down lately, and seeing her like this made me feel more comfortable. Almost like old times. “When’d you get here?”

“Maybe ten minutes ago,” Diane said. “We brought Jethro some Earth food to cheer him up!”

“Oooh! Can I see?” Pinkie asked, bouncing over to me.

“A lot of it is meat, Pinkster,” I chuckled.

“Then why do I smell pie??” Pinkie asked.

Dash held up another container, a complete pumpkin pie. “Here,” she chuckled. “This is…about the only pie I can actually stomach. That, and the Marie Callender's chocolate pie. I’m not much of a pie fan.”

“I prefer cake myself, but pies are cool too.” I chuckled as I reached out and took the pie with my magic.

“Darling…you can perform magic??” Trisha asked in awe as the humans-turned-Anthros all watched as the full pumpkin pie floated over to me.

“Yeah, I can,” I smiled. “And so can you in that form. Especially since you have a Unicorn’s horn.”

Trisha’s hand went to her forehead. “Whoa!”

“Can the rest of us use magic?” Jackie asked curiously.

“If you’re anything like your counterparts, sort of,” I replied. Turning to Shye and Dash, I said, “Since you two have wings, you can not only fly, but you can stand on clouds and push them. When things settle down, I’m sure Rainbow Dash would love to show you how to use those wings. And Shye, you may have the abilities to actually talk to animals, or at least understand them.”

“So awesome!” Dash said, looking eagerly back at her wings.

“Oh my,” Shye looked similarly eager now.

I chuckled, then turned to Jackie and Diane. “Jackie, you and Diane have Earth Pony abilities. That means you’re incredibly strong, stronger than your human forms. And Diane, if you’re anything like Pinkie Pie, you can do some pretty unusual things that just defy even magical laws, like pulling stuff out of your mane.”

“Oooh! Like this??” Diane reached into her new pink mane and pulled out a large pack of M&M’s. “Whoa!”

“Should have known you’d take to that part of your new abilities like a fish to water,” I sighed.

“What’s that??” Pinkie asked, her mouth drooling.

“It’s a dessert from Earth,” I said. “They’re a chocolate candy called M&M’s.”

“Yep!” Diane giggled, opening the bag up and putting some in her hand, then handing them to Pinkie.

We all watched the Party Pony take them in her hooves, sniff them, then take a bite. “Ooooh! Tasty chocolatey goodness!”

“You should have brought some Skittles for Rainbow Dash,” I smirked. “That way, she can taste the rainbow!”

“That’s not the only way you can taste the rainbow, big boy,” Scarlet smirked.

“Scarlet…” I said warningly.

“What?” She gave me an innocent look, then began to whistle and looked away from me.

I shook my head. “Sheesh…I made a monster,” I said with a small smile as I reached over to stroke Scarlet’s mane.

Shye moved closer. “You’re getting off topic,” she said softly.

I chuckled and nodded. “I’m good at that. But I’m mostly just nervous about my return to Ponyville.”

“How come?” Shye asked gently.

“They saw me use the gun on Eris,” I said, and with that the somewhat jovial mood in the room shifted. Pinkie’s and Diane’s manes both deflated somewhat, and the others in the room also looked a bit upset now. I sighed. “I’m worried about being accepted back into town, and that they might not want me there after what they saw.”

“Jethy…” Pinkie said, climbing onto my chest gently and moving close. “That’s not gonna happen.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“Because during the week, I called Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and they asked about you. They sounded worried.” Pinkie nuzzled my face a bit, and I felt a small kiss on my cheek. On my other cheek, another kiss was planted. Looking over, I saw a concerned Zecora pulling away from me. Pinkie continued. “They were afraid you wouldn’t wake up. And they told me that there were other Ponies in town who were worried too.”

“For real?” I asked, a bit of hope growing in my heart.

Pinkie smiled. “Have a little faith in us Ponyvillians, Jethy. I know somepony tried to hurt you here, but nopony would dream of killing you down there.”

“Someone tried to kill you?!” Shye asked in alarm.

“Relax, Shye,” I replied, “she didn’t harm me and she’s locked up until Celestia can do something about it. Right now, she’s incredibly busy trying to get this council of Equestria going. And dealing with the fallout of Eris’ actions. From what Twilight’s told me, she’s taken a lot of the fall for it.”

“Didn’t she do anything to prevent her return?” Scarlet asked.

“She thought she had by putting her in a secure location away from prying eyes,” I replied. “The statue was under heavy guard, too. It was working, too, until Sunset came back. Now I’m afraid for Celestia.”

“Why, darling?” Trisha asked.

I leaned back and took a deep breath. “When I first woke up from my weeklong coma, she told me she should have taken more drastic measures. A more…permanent solution, was what she told me.”

The room went silent at the implication for a few seconds before Spike said, “But…she wouldn’t do that…right?”

“If this had been a month ago, I’d say no,” I replied, “but right now? I don’t know, Spike. I really don’t know.”

A few hours later, I stood in front of Celestia’s bedchamber doors. After the talk with the Humane Five, we decided to watch some more of the Fairy Tail anime to bring the mood up. Spike had no problem with us starting over, and we watched up to Natsu, Eat The Village before the others said they had to go. I thanked them for their visit and gifts before they left and promised to keep in touch.

Spike had fallen asleep next to me, as had Scarlet and Pinkie. Zecora was fighting sleep too, and when I said I wanted to try and see Celestia, she tried to come with me. I instead insisted on her resting, saying that I needed to see Celestia alone.

When I told the guards about my desire to see Celestia, they replied that they’d been assigned to escort me anywhere I wanted to go. After she made me promise to come back to her, I let myself be escorted down the hallway. And that was how I found myself standing in front of Celestia’s personal quarters.

One of the Unicorn guards standing at Celestia’s door, who had a body type similar to Big Mac’s own and had completely different colors than the seemingly cloned Unicorn guards I’d seen around, knocked at the door after I told him what I had come to do. From behind the door, a tired and somewhat annoyed Celestia replied, “Yes? What is it?”

“Pardon the interruption, your Highness,” the guard said in a deep rumbling voice, “but you have a visitor.”

“Who is it?”

“Sir Jethro Bethridge.”

There was a pause, then the sound of magic from behind the door along with a lock being undone. “Tell him to come in,” she said in a softer voice.

“You may enter, sir,” the guard said, opening the door with his magic.

Nodding, I stepped through the door and entered into a darkened room. There was a small fire in a fireplace across from the door, but even that was enough to illuminate the extravagant looking room. There was a large circular futon sitting directly in the center of the room with a golden pillow to one side of said futon. To my left there was a massive wardrobe, and to my right a desk where I saw discarded golden regalia. On the ceiling hung an unlit chandelier with golden curved candle holders attached to a large gold chain. Near a large window I saw a small blue and red reclining couch with a small table in front of it. Directly next to the fireplace I saw a large golden cage with a sleeping Philomena and Eve inside, the smaller Phoenix leaning against her adopted mother. I inwardly smiled as Eve was still making that same eeev…eeev… sound whenever she breathed. On said table were two empty teacups and a half-eaten slice of cake on a plate, which caught me off guard. If she’s having a hard time eating her comfort food, she’s having a difficult time in general, I thought.

Sitting in a Ponyloaf form on the futon was Celestia. Not Princess Celestia, but just Celestia. She looked utterly exhausted, but despite that she still smiled warmly at me as I closed the door, removing my slippers and walking over to her. “Jesus Christ,” I said as I moved to kneel beside her, “you look like shit. Maybe I should come back-”

She hushed me with a hoof to my mouth and a shake of her head. “I’ll always have time for a visit from you, my knight,” she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. “Please, join me.”

I rolled my eyes and sat down beside her, crossing my legs. “You are such a troll,” I smirked as I reached up automatically to stroke her flowing mane gently. “And I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

She closed her eyes at my touch and sighed contentedly. “That feels nice,” she said softly.

“Seriously, are you alright?” I asked as I began to massage the monarch.

“Much better thanks to these magical hands of yours,” she sighed contentedly, stretching out her legs and lying on her stomach.

I snorted. “Nothing magical about these hands, princess,” I said.

“Mmmm,” was all I got in reply as I managed to find a small knot in her withers which I began slowly working on. “Aaah…right there,” she cooed softly. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn her tone was almost sensuous in nature. “So…what did you come to see me about, my good sir knight?”

“In here I’m not a knight,” I replied. “I’m your good friend Jethro. And you’re my good and close friend Celestia,” I quickly added before she could say anything.

“Hah! He can be taught,” she replied, imitating Robin William’s Genie for a bit before looking up at me. “What would you wish of me?”

I laughed. “Next thing you know, you’ll be a Disney princess. I mean, you already have the princess part down.”

The two of us laughed at that, but as the laughter died down, I faced Celestia with a serious expression. She noticed and her smile slowly vanished, becoming more worried. “Jethro? Is something on your mind?”

I nodded. “Celestia, tomorrow I intend to return to Ponyville.”

Her demeanor changed. She stiffened a bit and she looked away. “I see,” she said. Her tone sounded more upset than anything.

“I can’t stay here forever…Cellie,” I replied softly as I lay on my stomach next to her and put a wing around her. “You can’t keep shielding me forever.”

“I can try,” she said softly. “I failed, Jethro. I…I fucked up big time. I thought I was doing the right thing by locking Eris up away from prying eyes. But even that wasn’t enough. I’m the one who sent you to the other Earth to get Sunset.”

“Now hold on,” I interrupted her, “That’s not true. I volunteered. You forget, I have access to the show’s events. And while they might not have been happening the same way, there are certain events that I’m sure will happen in the future. The Crystal Empire’s return, possibly Tirek’s escape, and the Storm King’s invasion of Equestria. A good ruler always takes precautionary measures to prevent actions that are detrimental to those under her rule. And you did just that.”

“It wasn’t enough,” Celestia said through clenched teeth. “I should have thrown her into an active volcano!” Her mane and tail began moving faster and the room began to heat up.

I looked at her, horrified. “Celestia! What the fuck?!”

“She caused the deaths of some of my Ponies!” she shouted back, tears forming in her angry eyes. “The Discord from your show might have been reformed in the end, but Eris can’t be! She’s a monster! I should have ended her when I had the chance!”

I gaped at her for a bit, then closed my mouth. “So…this is what I look like when I’m talking about Eris,” I said somberly. “Celestia, please…”

“You know the worst thing about being me? Having a nearly photographic memory!” she shouted bitterly. “I know the name of every Pony who died, damn it! I’ve seen their faces in my reports!” She covered her eyes with her hooves. “This is my fault, Jethro…”

I pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arms and wings around her. “Let it all out, Cellie.”

And she did. She buried her face into my chest and, after casting some kind of spell, sobbed loudly into my chest. Her sobbing was not that of a restrained princess, but someone in the pit of despair. She wailed and cursed herself constantly in various languages. Halfway through her sobbing, someone teleported in and joined us. Looking up, I saw an equally distraught looking Luna gazing worriedly at her sister. I pulled the lunar Alicorn into the hug, and she too began crying.

It felt like hours had passed before the two finally started to settle down. Their eyes were puffy, but they looked somewhat refreshed from all the emotions released. I stroked their manes gently, then, after taking a deep breath, I began to sing. “The stars are out; the moon is up. It's time to go to bed. I'm so glad you have a place to lay your little heads. Have a deep and peaceful sleep, dream away the hours. When you wake, the sun will come to smile upon the flowers. Go to sleep my little friends beneath the evening star. You will always have a friend no matter where you are.”

As I undid myself from their grasps, the two sisters found comfort in each other, clinging to the other as they began to doze off. As I slowly moved away, I whispered, “Don’t look so down, you two. Someone once said that once you hit rock bottom, the only place to go is up. We all screwed the pooch on this one, but we can all make it right. And the best place to start is tomorrow. In Ponyville. Now, sleep well. You two both need it.” And with that, I grabbed my slippers and headed out.

71: A Cloaked Heart Returns

The next morning, I woke to the sound of wind howling against the window in my room. The fire had gone out, but with the completely expected cuddle pile of all the mares around me, I felt toasty warm. In fact, I was sweating a bit as I slowly sat up.

Slowly, I undid myself from the sleeping mares surrounding me and quietly went to answer the call of nature. When I came back, I was surprised that they were all still asleep. I was about to start waking them up when I heard a knock at the door. “You awake in there?” Mica’s voice called out questioningly.

“Yeah,” I said as I walked over to the door and opened it quietly. “What is it?”

“You have a couple visitors who wanted to speak to you,” the Lycan teen said, stepping aside so I could see them. I immediately recognized them as Twilight Velvet and Night Light, Twilight Sparkle’s parents.

Quietly, I slipped on some slippers and threw on the hoodie before stepping out and closing the door behind me. “Mrs. Velvet, Mr. Light,” I said as politely as I could, “it’s a pleasure to meet you two.”

The two looked at each other before turning back to me. “It’s good to meet you too, Mr. Bethridge,” Night Light said. “We’re sorry about coming so early, but we had no other time where we could speak with you.”

“Not a problem,” I said. “Let’s find a spot where we can talk.”

Night Light pointed to the bedroom opposite mine. “That bedroom is empty.”

“Sure thing,” I said as I walked over and opened the door. The interior was a mirror image of my own room, albeit empty as Night Light had said. I held it open for the two as we stepped in. After I closed the door, I turned to face them. “Um…listen, about what Eris showed the world-”

Twilight Velvet put her hoof up. “We know the truth,” she said. “Twilight came by yesterday to explain everything. The poor dear was nervous that we might hate you.”

“We came by for a few reasons,” Night Light said. “First, we wanted to meet the alien who’s captured the attention of my baby filly.”

Velvet smiled and held out her hoof. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

Relieved, I took her hoof, shook it, then lowered my head and gave it a chaste kiss. “I can see where Twilight gets her beauty from, Mrs. Velvet,” I said honestly.

She blushed and Night Light finally cracked a smile as he put his hoof around his wife’s back. “She is her mother’s daughter,” he smiled.

“You’re quite the gentlecolt,” Velvet said with an approving smile.

“I try to be, ma’am,” I said as I turned to Night Light and held out my hand to him. “Nice to meet you too, sir.”

“Oh, go ahead and drop the sir,” he chuckled as he held out his hoof and shook my hand. “Just call me Night.”

“Heh, alright then,” I said.

“We also came by to thank you,” Velvet said.

“For what?” I asked.

“For keeping an eye on our little filly,” she said. “When she left for Ponyville, I’ll be honest, I was worried about her safety, especially after the Nightmare Moon incident. But when she wrote to us about you and all you’ve done together, I felt a bit relieved that there’s somepony watching out for her.”

“She’s been watching out for me more often than not,” I said, scratching behind my neck nervously. “She went above and beyond during my time in the Lycan Empire, and she’s been the one teaching me about magic. I owe her a lot.”

Night Light chuckled. “She told us about the incident in the Empire. I swear, she gets some kind of pleasure out of working herself to the bone.”

“It’s the same in My Little Pony,” I said. “I’ve tried to get her to relax a bit on occasion.”

“That’s what we mean,” Night Light said. “You’ve looked after her in that way too.”

“Twilight never really knew when to stop studying, but having somepony like you around who knows when it’s time to work and time to relax is a big relief to us,” Velvet said.

“Well, as the good book says, to everything there is a season,” I replied. “I like her and her friends. They’re all amazing Ponies.”

“So she’s told us,” Velvet smiled. “And while we’d love to meet them, we unfortunately don’t have the time.”

“The Princess told us how they’ve worked themselves up in worry over you,” Night Light said. “And if my precious daughter can get so worked up with fear over you, that’s all I need to know about you.”

“When we first saw that broadcast, we were a bit concerned,” Velvet said, “but when the Princess told us what happened afterwards, well…we know our daughter is in good hooves with you.”

“What do you think, Shining?” Night called out suddenly, looking towards the bathroom.

I took a sharp breath just as Shining Armor came slowly walking out, a contemplative expression on his face. His parents stepped aside as he approached me, locking eyes with me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but I was a bit nervous. I remembered just what he’d told me that day I’d gone to confront Celestia about her plans for Twilight: If I find that you told the princess something that hurts Cadence or Twily, you’d better sleep with both eyes open. He walked up to me and stopped a foot from my face. I wanted to look away, to back away from range of his hoof, but I knew better than to do so. Taking in a deep breath, he said, “Remember what I told you that day I brought you to Canterlot?”

I nodded. “Yeah…”

His expression softened. “I’m pretty sure you can forget it, sir. Especially since you’re now my superior and Cadance would kill me if I did anything to you, not to mention the Princesses.” And with that, he put a hoof on my shoulder. “Twily’s in good hooves with you, I can tell.”

The fact that I was superior in rank to the Captain of Celestia and Luna’s Royal Guard was something I had been made aware of the night that Celestia had told me about it, but just to hear it from Shining himself really put things into perspective for me. I put a hand over the hoof on my shoulder. “As a newly commissioned Knight of the Realm, I’ll keep your sister and all of my friends and the town of Ponyville safe to the very best of my ability.”

Shining smiled wider. “I know you will, sir.” He stepped back and put one hoof up to his chest in a salute. “For Equestria.”

I brought my fist to my own chest in reply. “For Equestria. And at ease, Captain, before you strain something.”

He chuckled and brought his hoof down. “I know I’ve been a bit hard on you in the past, but it’s my job.”

“You’re the captain of the guard, Shining,” I said, waving a hand, “You’re meant to defend Equestria. And I’m an unknown.”

“You’ve more than proven you’re as Equestrian as Harmony itself,” Shining said with a wide grin. “When things settle down, I’d like to treat you to a night on the town. Just us stallions.”

“A guy’s night out, huh? I like the sound of that that,” I replied with a grin of my own. “I look forward to it.” Deciding to have a little fun, I straightened. “Now then, Captain, I believe you’re still on duty. Snap to, soldier.”

He straightened and saluted. “Aye, sir!” He grinned, then headed out.

Once the door was closed, Twilight’s parents came back over, both snickering. “He’s a bit too uptight, but I think being around Cadance has definitely mellowed him out,” Velvet said in an amused tone.

“It probably helps that Cadance is the Princess of Love,” I replied.

“Agreed,” Night Light said. “They make a good couple.”

Velvet turned to me. “Jethro, thank you for taking time to talk to us, and sorry for tricking you into seeing Shining. He’s…overprotective.”

“He’s an older brother, it’s their job,” I replied with a smile. “But it was definitely nice to meet you two. And I’ll do my best to keep an eye on your daughter. As often as I can spare them.”

“We appreciate it,” Night Light said. “But we need to head out now. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.”

“Anything to try and fix what happened.”

Velvet walked up and smiled in a very motherly way. “Twilight told us what happened, and the Princess did as well. We don’t blame you.”

“She’s right,” Night Light said. “We just wanted to meet the stallion who’s made our daughter smile in a way she hasn’t smiled before. And to meet the hero of Equestria.”

The way Night Light phrased that first sentence sent alarm bells off in my head, but I decided to figure out what it might mean later, despite my sinking suspicion. “It was a pleasure to meet the parents of one of the Elements of Harmony, as well as those of one of my best friends. I’ll escort you out.”

After saying our final goodbyes and watching them go down the hall, I headed back into the other room. I was surprised that the others were still asleep, so I took the opportunity to get changed. Fortunately, Rarity had made me a few other clothes while I’d been unconscious as a means to distract herself from worry. I went into the bathroom to change and came back out wearing a pair of black slacks, a dark green button-down shirt and an actual hoodie made out of the softest and warmest wool I’d ever felt.

As I walked out of the bathroom, I heard Spike stirring in the bed. He sat up immediately, looking around frantically until he saw me. The look in his eyes reminded me of all the times Twilight had been worried about me. “Monkey-man?” he asked, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m doing alright, just getting ready for the day,” I replied.

Spike looked relieved at that, and exhaled slowly. “Good,” he said.

“Today’s the day, though,” I said as I sat in a chair to put my shoes on.

“What’s happening today?” Spike asked.

“Today’s the day we’re heading back to Ponyville.”

Spike’s eyes widened and he gave a small smile. “Heh, finally,” he said with some bravado I felt was faked, “I was hoping we’d be going home soon.”

I chuckled. “Definitely soon, my friend. Definitely soon.”

His smile grew as the others began to stir thanks to the conversation. Zecora was the second to wake, and she looked up at me with a small smile. “You look much better than yesterday,” she said.

“That little concoction you made really helped me sleep,” I replied. “Thanks, dear.”

She got out of bed, trotted over to me, nuzzled my face and gave my cheek an affectionate lick. “You’re welcome.”

I finished putting my shoes on and stood. “Well, I’m ready for the day.”

“Took you long enough,” Rainbow Dash smirked, sitting up. “Come on, I’m starving! And the Princess’ pancakes are delicious!”

I rolled my eyes. “You expect her to make something for everyone in here? That’s a lot of work to do, Rainsnow,” I said, putting my hands on my hips.

Rainbow Dash deflated a bit, but a ripple of laughter went through the gathered Ponies. I smiled at that. It felt like things were going back to normal for us, or at least starting to. I knew things wouldn’t go immediately back to the way things had been, but I wanted to at least try and make things normal. “You ladies go on ahead, if you want,” I continued. “I’ve got something to do before breakfast.”

“What’s that, darling?” Rarity asked.

I clenched my three inner fingers and extended my pinky finger and thumb, making a hand telephone. “I’ve gotta make a phone call.”

Equestrian telephones were still decades behind those on either my Earth or the Earth beyond the Stargate, but there were still phones here. Nothing wireless, although Twilight had promised that she’d look into the technology when she was able. I was standing in front of a gold plated one in a small office located in a room adjacent to the throne room. It reminded me of one of those older style rotary phones from the 1930s and 40s.

Beside me, Zecora and Celestia stood, the latter with wing on my back as she gently nudged me forward. I stepped towards the phone, picked up the receiver, and brought the earpiece up to my ear. I brought out the piece of paper Celestia had given to me with a set of numbers on it. Clearing my throat, I dialed the number on the paper, then waited. After about three rings, someone picked up. “Ponyville Town Hall, Mayor Mare speaking.”

I flinched at how tired she sounded, but I cleared my throat. “Miss Mare, it’s Jethro Bethridge calling.”

There was a pause on the other end for a bit. Then, “It’s good to hear your voice, Mr. Bethridge.” And to my surprise, she did sound a bit relieved. “After what happened, I was a bit concerned you’d stay away from Ponyville.”

I shook my head, then remembered she couldn’t see me. “No, Miss Mare,” I replied, “that’s what I called about. I’m coming back to Ponyville today, and I’d like to ask a massive favor.”

“What is it?” she asked cautiously.

“I’d like you to call a town meeting,” I said. “I need to talk to everyone in town about what Eris showed them, and about what they all saw me do to her.”

Another pause, then, “I see. Mr. Bethridge, that might be harder than you think.”

My heart dropped at that, but I had to know what she meant, so I asked, “Why? What’s going on?”

“Spoiled Rich has been trying to get enough signatures on a petition to have you thrown out of Ponyville,” she replied. “I haven’t signed it, of course, but I don’t know how many others might have.”

I clenched the receiver in my hands angrily, but a single nuzzle from Zecora calmed my nerves. “I understand, but I need to address the problem that Eris caused. I’m the one who knows the answers to the questions you and I’m sure plenty of other Ponies have about what you saw. Even if it’s just you that shows up, I think the meeting will be well worth it. Oh, and feel free to mention that Princesses Celestia and Luna will be showing up. Them, and the others Eris showed.”

There was a small sigh on the other end. “I understand. I’ll do my best, Jethro. But I make no promises. I might not be able to do it today, but I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you, Miss Mare,” I said. “I’ll treat you to dinner as a thank you.”

There was a small scoffing sound, then an amused laugh before the mayor replied, “I’m a bit too old to be going on a date, my young stallion.”

I felt some heat coming to my cheeks before I replied, “Not my intention, but even so that isn’t true, Miss Mare. You’re an incredibly lovely woman, or mare I guess, and any stallion would be extremely lucky to be with you.”

There was a giggle and she replied, “You are quite a flatterer.” She cleared her throat before continuing in a more serious voice. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Miss Mayor,” I replied. “I do seriously owe you for this.”

“I’m not foolish enough to judge one Pony by the actions of others,” she replied. “Well, not anymore. Not after what happened with Zecora and yourself.”

“We forgave you and the town long ago,” I said softly, “but thank you. I appreciate the thought.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, and you can call me just Mayor. Unless there’s another name that humans on Earth call me,” She sounded curious now.

“Heh, ironic that you ask that,” I replied. “The fans of the My Little Pony show took to calling you Ivory Scroll.”

“Hmm…I like that name,” she said. “I look forward to hearing more about this representation of our world. Oh, and Jethro?”

“Yes?” I asked.

“I like Manehatten cuisine and relaxing in a rowboat during spring. Keep that in mind.” I could almost hear the smirk on her face before she hung up the phone.

I put the receiver down, exhaling. Celestia came up to me as did Zecora. My marefriend spoke. “Are you alright, dearest?”

“I think…I just promised to spend some one-on-one time with the mayor,” I said. “Not sure how I feel about that, but I’m just glad she’s agreed to help.”

Zecora chuckled. “I never took you for the type to go after older mares, love,” she said with a grin.

“Zecora…” I facepalmed just as the two mares in the room burst out laughing at my predicament. The mood in the room lightened considerably, and soon even I was laughing. As the laughter died down, I smiled and said, “The mayor was the last Pony I expected to go on a friendly date with, not gonna lie.”

“She’s a good mayor, and a good Pony,” Celestia said. “Hardworking, takes her job seriously, and always thinking about her constituents. I think if anypony in that town deserves a nice day of relaxation, it’s her.”

I nodded in agreement. “Well, if she’s serious about accepting my offer, I’ll try and give her a relaxing day.”

“If my experience is anything to go by, she will thoroughly enjoy herself,” Zecora said before gently nudging me into a nearby chair and planting a passionate kiss on my lips. When she broke it, she whispered, “A preview of what I want from you when this day is over,” in a seductive voice.

Celestia could only titter, holding a gold-shoed hoof to her mouth as I blushed hard. “I…think we should go get some breakfast before we leave, right?”

“Right,” Celestia said, still clearly amused. “Come. Pancakes await us!” And with that, she turned and headed out.

Wind buffeted the train car we were in as we descended the mountain towards Ponyville. I was sitting against the wall on one of the beds on the train, with Zecora snuggled up close beside me. All around me, the Mane Six, Scarlet, Spike, Gemini, Mica, Sunset Shimmer and the two Princess sisters, both of whom now looked more refreshed than the night before, sat in their own beds, each silently looking out at the late autumn sunny landscape as it passed us. As we continued on, my mind was a blur of thought. I was formulating a speech in my head, wondering how best to explain to the entire town of Ponyville just what the show was about.

I knew I had to use my laptop and the magic spell Twilight used to display the show along with a few select fan songs, videos and potentially some oneshot FimFiction stories. We’d discussed a few things at breakfast, and decided that it would be worth the time of everyone if they were to watch the first two episodes of the show itself as a way of introducing the Ponyvillians to the concept of the cartoon, then I would open the floor to questions as well as showing them many of the fan songs and animations. I figured next that I’d discuss human in general, or at least what I could figure out of them. It’s not like I’m a trained psychologist or anything. I sighed, and that didn’t go unnoticed by my marefriend.

“You’re nervous,” Zecora said as the train to Ponyville began slowing down.

“Just…eager to get this over with,” I admitted as I pulled my marefriend closer to me. She responded by wrapping her forelegs around my chest tightly. “Thanks, sweetie.”

“Anything to help you, my dear,” she said.

“We’re all here by your side,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Through thick and thin, you stubborn bastard,” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“Rainbow Dash! Not in front of Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity huffed.

“Thanks, everyone,” I said as Zecora lay her head on my shoulders. “Time to go face the music,” I said as I gave Zecora a kiss before gently extricating myself from her grasp and standing. Zecora stubbornly remained by my side as the train continued to slow.

I walked between everyone towards the car doors and stood at the front, holding on to the wall to keep from falling. With a hiss, the train jolted to a stop. Over the intercom, a voice announced, “We have arrived at Ponyville Station. Doors to the left. Please use caution when exiting.”

Hoisting my backpack over my shoulder, I took a deep breath as the doors hissed open. Unlike when I’d returned from the Lycan Empire, the welcoming committee was more somber than before. At the front of the crowd that had gathered, the mayor stood, eyes locked on me. I slowly exited, Zecora remaining by my side. I walked up to the mayor, knelt, and held out my hand. “Miss Mayor…”

She pushed my hand aside, then walked up and put one foreleg around my neck, pulling me into a hug, which surprised me. She held me close and eventually I put an arm around her. “I’m glad to see you’re alright, Jethro,” she said softly and with relief.

I smiled and hugged her tighter. “Glad to be alright, and glad to be back.”

She hugged me for a few seconds longer before releasing me and turning to the others. “I’m pleased to see you all well and healthy,” she said, and it sounded like she meant it.

I turned to face the crowd of gathered Ponies. I saw a bunch that I recognized among the crowd: Lyra, Sweetie Drops, Octavia, Vinyl, Derpy, Spitfire, the Apple Family, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the Cakes and more. They all had similar somber looks in their eyes.

I looked back down at the mayor, who looked back at me and said, “I managed to announce a meeting at one o’clock today. Not sure how many Ponies are gonna be showing up.”

“That’s plenty of time for me to prepare,” I replied. “I meant what I said, I owe you big time.”

She smiled slightly. “I hope your marefriend is okay with that,” she said quietly, looking at Zecora.

“I am,” Zecora replied. “I know my stallion, and he likes repaying good deeds done towards him.”

Mayor Mare smiled, then turned back to me. “I’ll take you up on that offer someday. For now, I have to go make sure Town Hall is prepared. See you at one?”

“You will,” I said. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the crowd and raised my voice to be heard. “I know you all have plenty of questions for me, and I will answer them in an hour at the Town Hall. Thank you for your patience.”

And with that, our group scattered. Applejack went to her family and was surrounded by them in a group hug, Rarity went to her sister and two other Ponies beside her, a white stallion with a brown mustache and straw hat and a pink mare with blue hair and a yellow kerchief around her neck. Twilight and Spike walked towards an older couple who I recognized as Twilight’s parents alongside Shining Armor and each received loving hugs. Fluttershy headed towards a small gathering of animals at the edge of the crowd where the yellow Pegasus embraced all of her animal friends, then embraced three other Ponies who I recognized as her brother and parents. Pinkie Pie ran up to the Cakes and threw her hooves around them, hugging them tightly. Scarlet flew over to greet Derpy and the two friends hugged. Rainbow Dash flew over to her own parents who hugged her tightly to them.

As touching as the various family reunions were, something felt off. Looking around, I saw Scootaloo and her aunts, the former with tears streaming down her cheeks. I saw nothing but sadness and grief in those young purple eyes. She looked despondent. A sinking feeling shot through me as I made my way over to her. The crowd parted for me and I knelt before her. “Scootaloo? What’s wrong?” I asked.

Scootaloo shook her head, then in a hoarse voice, asked the most heartbreaking question I could ever have heard. “Why…why did Mom and Dad have to die…?”

I fell back onto my ass, stunned. I looked at the aunts, who both had sorrowful expressions on their faces as Scootaloo began to cry softly again, and one of the aunts Lofty, immediately hugged the little filly close. I could barely speak, I was in such a state of shock. “What…happened…?”

Lofty pulled Scootaloo aside while the Holiday looked at me sadly. “It’s…her parents were in a smaller town somewhere south of here in the Badlands. There was a large riot, and they apparently tried to calm the citizens down. They were…caught in the trampling and-”

I held up my hand, and she stopped talking. I swallowed hard and took deep breaths in and out, feeling suddenly very nauseous. I quickly stood up and looked around for a place to upchuck. I couldn’t hear anything but the sound of my own breathing as I ran towards a small alley. I barely made it before I fell to my hands and knees and the breakfast I’d eaten only a couple hours ago came rushing back up and onto the ground. With each upheaval, my hearing returned and I heard the alarmed sounds of Zecora, Celestia and Luna calling out to me as the contents of my stomach were emptied.

Beside me, someone was pressing their body against me as I finished. Looking down, I saw a worried Zecora looking up at me. I took a few deep breaths, then stood back up. “Ugh…sorry…I just…fuck!” I hit the side of the building angrily. “Fucking Goddamn cunt!” I shouted, angry tears forming in my eyes.

A large alabaster wing spread comfortingly over my back. “Jethro…”

“They were supposed to live, damn it,” I said, hitting the side of the building again. “They show up in one episode…they were alive…why…what the hell do I do? How do I…damn it…” I couldn’t form any more coherent sentences as Celestia pulled me close to her chest tightly.

“Come, Jethro, let’s get you back home,” she said softly as she gently led me down the street towards my house. She pulled me closer and added, “Let it all out, my knight.”

The tears started to fall once more once more and I silently cried into Celestia. There has to be something I can do for Scootaloo…there has to be…

...But what…?

72: A Cloaked Heart Faces Ponyville

It took us a while to return to my house. I’d stopped crying by then and I silently unlocked the door. Zecora grabbed the mail in the mailbox, which included an envelope from Sweetie Drops containing my spare key. I quietly put it in my pocket and headed inside.

I was in a partial daze as I went inside alone. In the same daze, I put the Thanksgiving leftovers away in the fridge, grabbed one of my older laptops and a few potential other things that I might need for the presentation, which included the now empty pistol, and stepped out into the cold and windy late autumn day. If my mood hadn’t been so low, I might have been enjoying the blustery day.

It didn’t take us too long to make our way to Town Hall, and I spent the entire time trying to psych myself up. As we made our way there, we passed other Ponies heading in the same direction. Most of them gave me a mixture of polite and uncertain looks, but when I saw Spoiled Rich on the edge of the crowd, a clipboard in her mouth, I had to resist the urge to run.

Zecora, who was pressed against my side, must have sensed my shift in mood because she looked up at me, worry in her gorgeous blue eyes. “My love?”

“Sorry, dearest,” I replied, straightening and making my way towards Town Hall again, “Just had to resist the urge to run. A part of me really doesn’t want to do this. But I can’t stop now.”

She stood on her hind legs and gave my cheek a loving kiss and nuzzle. “You are the bravest stallion I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

Fluttershy was by my side as well, standing on her own hind legs and putting a wing across my back. She might not have been able to understand just what exactly we were saying, but she could most likely hear the fear in my voice. “We’re here with you, Jethro,” she said softly.

Something jumped onto my head and a pair of white bunny ears smacked against my eyes, not too hard, but hard enough to shock me. Fluttershy gasped out Angel’s name in alarm as the young bunny jumped onto my shoulders. I turned to face him and saw his front paws were crossed. It was as if he was saying, “Get on with it, already!”

Holding out my hand, the young bunny hopped into my hand and I began stroking his head. He closed his eyes in contentment. “Thank you, Angel. Thank you, everyone.”

“Move your fucking ass or I’ll throw you there myself, whelp,” Gemini growled.

Ignoring the gasps from a few of the other Ponies around us, I rolled my eyes. “Yeah…time to go.”

When we entered the building, I saw that the main foyer had been rearranged with many different chairs facing forward towards a raised platform, which had a podium, a table, and several other chairs facing the audience. Beside the chairs and next to the podium were a few smaller tables, each with a large glass of ice water, enough for everyone sitting and standing on the raised platform. The audience chairs were already nearly filled with many different Ponies, a lot of whom turned when I entered with my group. I inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and straightened. Walking with purpose towards the front of the room, I set up my laptop, plugged it into the portable power supply I’d brought with me, and began pulling up various tabs on my browser. While I did that, the Princesses, the Mane Six, Sunset Shimmer, Spike, Scarlet and Zecora all took seats.

I had to give Mayor Mare credit where credit was due: she managed to pull this impromptu gathering up in less than a few hours and made it look like it had been planned in advance. As I continued setting up, more and more Ponies showed up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Spoiled Rich walk in and plop her sorry ass in one of the front chairs. Beside her, Filthy and Diamond sat, the little filly looking smug while Filthy looked disapprovingly at the rest of his family.

I’d met Filthy Rich a few times before while shopping at his store. He and I had hit it off decently well and I was delighted at how polite he was despite the rest of his family’s own behavior. He’d apologized for Spoiled’s reaction to me and for his daughter’s behavior and promised he’d try to make his family see reason. Apparently, he’d failed.

As one o’clock neared, I saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders enter. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were comforting poor Scootaloo, who still looked despondent. The three came to the front and sat, their families surrounding them. Rainbow Dash, unable to take it, flew over to the little filly for a bit and hugged her close, whispering something to her before flying back.

From behind me I heard the flutter of Pegasus wings. Scarlet was beside me, a grim look on her face. “Jesus, it feels like we’re at a wake,” she whispered somberly.

“For some of them, it might as well be,” I replied. “I’m about to reveal a very nasty truth. Eris might have been mocking me when she said ‘The truth will set you free’, but it’s true. Crown secret or not, after what happened and what they say, they deserve to know.”

Scarlet put one wing across my back. “You’ve got this, dude. We’ve got your back.” She removed her wing and smiled reassuringly at me. I smiled back, then went back to setting up.

Finally, it was one o’clock. A young stallion at the back of the room closed the door. I stood up and looked at my friends behind me. Celestia was already standing to walk to the podium herself, but I held up a hand, shaking my head. She looked startled at this, but walked closer anyway. Leaning in, she whispered, “Are you sure about this?”

Lowering my voice, I whispered back, “Celestia, please let me go first. I’m the one who called this meeting. Besides, it’s the job of a knight to protect his liege lord, or liege Princesses in this case.”

We looked at each other for a while, before Celestia sighed. “Very well. I believe you would say break a leg?”

I chuckled slightly. “That’s more for the start of a play, but the sentiment is appreciated.”

I bowed to her before I walked over to the podium, cleared my throat and gripped the sides tightly. Taking a deep breath, I began. “Good afternoon, everyone,” I said, making sure my voice was strong and clear enough to be caught by the microphone in front of me. “I’m pleased to see everybody here. I know this was short notice, and for that I’m sorry, but I am well aware that you have plenty of questions for me. But I would ask that you hold off on them until I’m finished with my explanation. Also, forgive me if my speech seems a bit all over the place. I haven’t had time to prepare. And I will warn you now, I will be telling you all things that I haven’t even told some of this to the ones I originally told about the television series. This would be their first time hearing all this. But, now that the cat’s out of the bag, it’s time I told the whole story, and not just the brief bits that Eris showed.”

I looked at Twilight, who’s horn began to glow. The desktop image appeared behind me, showing my desktop. “First of all, I would like to address what Eris said about humanity in general. She told you, in no uncertain terms, that humans are monsters. She mentioned our wars and our weapons. Like this one.”

I picked up the pistol and held it aloft. I winced as the Ponies in front flinched at the sight. I held up my hand. “Don’t worry, this weapon is currently harmless. Just a hunk of useless metal. It’s called a pistol, and it’s like an advanced form of crossbow, for lack of a better explanation. Many of you saw it in use when I attempted to kill Eris.” I heard gasps passing through the crowd. “You heard me correctly. I attempted to take the life of another being. I will not deny that, neither will I make excuses for it.”

I put the gun down and bit my lower lip. “I’ll continue to be honest. Humans aren’t a perfect species. Humans have made weapons of mass destruction, and we are a race that is at war a lot. There is a lot more about my race I’m not proud of. We are capable of great hatred and cruelty. You saw that embodied in me when I faced Eris. However,” I quickly added, “Humans are also capable of a great number of good things. We are capable of great love, courage and compassion, among other things. And sorrow at loss. I know loss.”

From behind me, my friends and supporters stirred in what I assumed was their own shock as I continued in a more subdued tone. “Years ago, I had two loving parents and an amazing girlfriend. I lost my parents in a devastating accident, and years later I lost my girlfriend to a deadly disease. I loved them so very much, and have grieved their loss more times than I can count. When I came here, I was scared and alone, and barring our first official meeting, you Ponies have been nothing but kind and generous and friendly with me. I’m proud to say I have friends among your kind, and even a marefriend in the form of one gorgeous Zebra mare.”

“Then prove it!” a callous female voice called out from the crowd. The voice of Spoiled Rich. “You claim that humans are capable of love? Prove it, monster!”

“Be silent!” Luna bellowed, causing the Ponies in the crowd to shrink back, ears flattened and tails between their legs.

“Well, let me tell you about the story of the Christmas Truce,” I said. “Christmas is a holiday that many humans on Earth celebrate every December 25th. It’s a lot like Hearth’s Warming is for you Ponies. Over a hundred years ago, Earth was at war. It was the first of two world wars we would have. However, on Christmas Day, soldiers on both sides of the war on the western front held an unofficial cease-fire and spent time together celebrating the holiday. Not as soldiers of opposing sides, but as fellow members of the human race. Gifts were exchanged, seasonal carols were sung, and some even played games together. The peace might have been temporary, but the fact that it was unofficial goes to show just how powerful a comradery can be between soldiers who are meant to be enemies.”

“You’re just trying to make yourself look good!” Spoiled called out. To my dismay, a small group of Ponies near her muttered in agreement. “You Everfree monsters are all the same!”

The way she said it raised small alarms in my head, but I decided to explore it later. I was about to reply when Celestia stood and stomped her hoof on the ground. Her voice was calm, but I could still sense the implied threat behind it. “You would be wise to be silent, my little Pony. You are speaking to a Knight of Equestria. A knight I have personally selected. Now, if you wish to speak to him, you may do so when the time is right and after the explanations. For now, listen.”

Spoiled Rich looked completely shocked by this, but clamped her mouth shut and sat back down. She gave me her attention again, but I could tell it was more forced this time. And the glare she directed my way was completely full of hatred. But I saddled on. “Now, I would like to get to the main part of my little presentation. What Eris said about your world and how Earth views it.”

I moved the mouse to my taskbar and selected a traffic cone icon. The window maximized, showing a black screen surrounded by the VLC Player interface. I stepped away from the podium. “A lot of what Eris told you about how our world viewed Equestria is true. Back on Earth, we have a form of entertainment called television shows or programs. Think of them as miniature plays. One of these is a program for little girls called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It follows the lives of the Bearers of Harmony, since they’re the main characters. The purpose of this show was to teach little human girls about the power of friendship and to teach them little life lessons through each episode.”

I hit F on the keyboard, then hit the space bar. Music began to swell and the show’s famous introduction began playing. “My Little Pony…My Little Pony…Aaah aaah aaah aaah…”

The crowd was spellbound as they saw animated versions of the Bearers of Harmony. Once the animation finished, I hit pause just before it faded out. The logo for the show stayed frozen in place as I turned back to the crowd. “Now, I don’t have all of the information on the formation of this show, so I will summarize.” I took a deep breath and continued. “Over ten years before I was born, there was a toy company called Hasbro. They were, and still are, a popular toy company. They developed line of toys called My Little Pony.”

I selected another tab, showing an image of some of the original toys. “As I’m sure you can guess, these toys were designed for little girls. And before you ask why just little girls, it was and still is a stereotype among humans that little girls will at one time in their childhood want a pony. Hasbro decided to use this to make more money by creating this toy line. A few years later, the toy brand had grown popular enough that they made a television show.”

Changing the tab again, I hit play on yet another YouTube video. The same introduction I’d shown Twilight what seemed like a lifetime ago. When it finished, faced the crowd again. “Now, there have been other My Little Pony shows and movies that aired before the one depicting Equestria. Some with names that might be familiar to you.”

I clicked another link, showing an image of the third generation characters. I pointed at them. “Starting with that pink pony in the center, we have Pinkie Pie. To the right, the orange pony with the purple mane with pink highlights is Scootaloo. Next to her is the pony Rainbow Dash. The purple Pegasus is Starsong Melody. The light pink pony with the yellow, orange and pink mane is Toola-Roola. The dark pink pony above her is Cheerilee, and the unicorn next to her is Sweetie Belle. I know you’ve all heard those names before, but the ponies in this picture are quite different than the ones you all know.”

I took a deep breath and faced the crowd once more, steeling myself. “I know you have plenty of questions, and I don’t blame you. I’m throwing a lot of information at you all at once. And I promise you will be given the opportunity to question me to your heart’s content later. But there’s more to the story about My Little Pony.”

I heard murmurs spread through the audience. I waited, and eventually they calmed down. I continued. “This show, the depiction of your world in particular, is incredibly popular, but it isn’t just popular with little girls. As the show was airing, a group of adults began to become fans of the show. They called themselves bronies and pegasisters, men and women who thoroughly enjoyed the show despite the demographic being young human girls. Now, Eris showed you all examples of how dark a human’s imagination can be when creating fanfiction and fanart. I won’t deny that some humans have imaginations that can get dark. But we’re also capable of many great things too. Like this.”

I changed the tab to show a paused YouTube video already in full screen mode. “I want to show you a video made by a fan of the show almost ten years ago. I feel it’s one of the best songs made based off of the My Little Pony show. At least, the best I’ve found so far. It speaks to a lot of people back home and addresses one of the biggest fears we as individuals have: the fear of being different than the rest of the crowd. There are so many songs that fans of this world have made, but this one speaks to me a lot, and I feel it can speak to a lot of other Ponies here, too. And…there’s a certain Pony in this video you’ll recognize. One I’m proud to call a friend. That is, if she still considers me one after what happened. Anyway, enjoy this song by the artist known as Forest Rain.”

I hit the space key. Great To Be Different began to play, the music playing through the room. When Derpy saw the cartoon version of her on the screen, her eyes locked on me. I saw the tears forming in her eyes as she quietly walked over to me. She moved closer, then silently spread her wings, flew over and threw her forelegs around me. “You never lost me as a friend,” she whispered. “And I know I speak for a lot of Ponies in town when I say we aren’t angry or upset at you.”

Feeling relief wash over me at that, I hugged her back. Leaning in, I whispered, “Thank you,” while at the same time turning so she could get a good view of the video playing. She never took her eyes off of it as it continued, tears streaming down her cheeks as it continued. When it finished, I was surprised to hear other soft sniffles, and not just from my friends onstage.

Looking down at the crowd, I saw a number of Ponies all crying, and many were some I knew. Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and many others I’d met were all teary eyed. Others weren’t crying, but had somber and understanding expressions on their faces. I briefly locked eyes with Big Mac who nodded at me with understanding in his own green eyes. The video finally ended and I put a reluctant Derpy down, running my hand through her mane before she went back to her seat. “There are, of course, other animations that are more comedic in nature, but I won’t show those today. If any of you are interested, I might show those afterwards, but that is entirely up to you.” I grabbed one of the glasses of water on the table, I took a gulp before I continued. “Now, I believe-”

A hoof was immediately placed on my shoulder. Turning, I found myself staring into Celestia’s gorgeous purple orbs. “Not quite yet, my knight,” she said, loud enough that everyone could hear. “I have a few words to say.” Her tone was that of a Princess now, not my friend.

As I was now a full-fledged Equestrian citizen and a Knight of the Realm, I knew better than to argue. I placed my fist over my chest and bowed. “As you command, my liege.” I walked past her and took a seat, carrying my water with me.

Celestia nodded in approval before stepping past me and standing in front of the podium. She looked out at the gathered crowd, as did I. Their attention was solely focused on her now, all looking simultaneously anxious and eager for answers. In her most regal voice, she spoke, and her voice echoed through the speakers everywhere in the main room. “Good afternoon, my little Ponies. I am pleased to see so many of you gathered together for this impromptu meeting.” There was no smile, only a regal neutrality painted her face. “As you are all well aware by now, a couple of days before this past Summer Sun Celebration, our world received an unexpected new resident.”

She turned and pointed towards me with her wing. “Jethro Bethridge. Thirty years old, a resident of an alien planet called Earth. Since he moved to Ponyville, he’s lived as peacefully as he can. Unfortunately, it would appear as if luck hasn’t favored him. He has found himself in many precarious and dangerous situations. He’s saved our kingdom from war and saved Ponyville from an Ursa Minor without asking for anything in return. Despite our first meeting of him being less than stellar, I have been pleased to hear that he has made as many friends as he has among you all. However, with what Eris has done, that trust you’ve placed in him might have been broken. I understand that, but if anypony is to blame, it’s me.”

A gasp went through the crowd. Even I was astonished by this, but Celestia held up her hoof. “Please listen to what I have to say,” she said. “When we first met Jethro, he was kind enough to share with me, my sister and the Bearers of Harmony the television show about our world, the one called My Little Pony. It showed future events in our world, or rather potential future events. One of them being Eris’ return. I attempted to avert this return, but it failed. Do not direct your anger at Sir Jethro.”

A silence went over the crowd at that revelation. Suddenly Luna stood, walked over to her sister’s side and said, “Lay the blame on me as well. Do not blame our new Knight.”

I wanted to stand up and tell them not to do this. I wanted to pull them back to their seats. However, I felt a few glares on me. Looking to my left and right, I saw all my friends and my marefriend all silently giving me a look that said not to interfere. Celestia continued. “However, I will not allow the same mistake I made to happen again. As of this moment, nopony will know of Eris’ location save for me and Princess Luna. We will both be sure she is never released again.”

Don’t fucking jinx it, Cellie, I thought.

To my surprise, Mayor Mare quickly stood from her seat at the very front of the aisles, walked over to the stage, and bowed. “Your Highnesses, if I may speak?”

“Go ahead,” Celestia said. The two sisters stepped away from the podium

She raised her head, then stood at the podium, facing the crowd. “Fillies and gentlecolts, I believe I speak for many Ponies here when I say that we’ve all grown quite accustomed to seeing Jethro Bethridge around town each and every day. Many even have become friends with him, as we all saw earlier with our mailmare Derpy. If we’ve learned anything over this past year, it’s not to judge a book by its cover. By Jethro’s own admission, his race can be dangerous, but can we say we’re any better? Before we united, we were in disharmony. If I’m remembering my history right, before the founding of Equestria, the three tribes were at the brink of war then, too. Jethro’s tale about the…what did you call it? Truce of…what?” She turned back to me with a questioning look.

“The Christmas Truce,” I replied.

“Right.” She turned to the crowd again. “Two different species with a similar idea. The outcomes might have been different, but the fact that it happened tells me we aren’t so different after all. After all, isn’t it great to be different?” Turning once more to me, the mayor gave me a playful wink as she stepped away from the podium and headed down to her seat again.

I couldn’t hold back the smile that formed on my face. Before I could say anything, Applejack stood and walked up to stand at the podium. “Y’all know me,” she said, “and y’all know mah family. We’ve lived here since the beginnin’, and we’ve seen a lot. Ah’ve met some good folks, and some bad. Y’all know ah hate tah lie, so ah’ll say this one simple thing.” Turning, she pointed to me. “Jethro there is one of the most honest and hardworkin’ stallion’s ah’ve ever met. And ah’m proud to call ‘im mah friend.” So saying, she walked over and put her forelegs around me in a hug.

I immediately hugged back. “Thank you, AJ.”

“Yer welcome, sugarcube,” she replied before breaking the hug and walking back to her seat.

Rarity was the next to stand and walk over to the podium. “Jethro Bethridge, from the moment he stepped into our fair town, has been nothing but a perfect gentlecolt. Like the princess said, he has given so much to our community and has not asked for a single thing in return. Why, at the Gala, he gave his time to my friends and I so we could enjoy ourselves. I am quite glad to be a friend to such a stallion.” She then trotted over to me and, in the most refined way possible, hugged me close.

“Thank you, Rarity,” I whispered.

“Anything for you, darling,” she said gently.

Next up was Pinkie Pie. Some of her mane had gotten the poof back and she trotted over to the podium. “You know I like making Ponies laugh. Jethy’s made me laugh a lot of times. And he’s introduced me to a lot of cool new dessert recipes. He’s one of my best friends in the whole wide wide world.”

As she predictably rushed over to me to hug me, I threw my arms around her. “Thanks, Pinks.”

“Anything to make you smile again, Jethy.” She gave my cheek an affectionate kiss before sitting down.

Rainbow Dash was next. She flew up to the podium. “Eh…I’m not really a speech gal, but I’ll say this: that guy over there is seriously one of the coolest stallion’s I’ve met. And he’s loyal enough to Equestria and to his friends that he’s an awesome enough friend in my book. And I don’t even read!”

I held back a smirk as a small smattering of laughter passed through the crowd. Rainbow Dash came over. I held out a fist, expecting a hoofbump, but she surprised me with a hug. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. That was…twenty percent cooler than normal from you.”

“I know I’m awesome,” she whispered back, then pat my back. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“That’s my line,” I joked as we broke the hug.

I half expected Twilight to go next, but I was surprised when Fluttershy got up next and headed over to the podium. There was a determined expression on her face as she leaned in towards the microphone. “Um…Jethro might not be a perfect human, but I’ve seen him show enough kindness not only to the animals around him, but to other Ponies. And…I don’t want him run out of town. He’s one of the kindest friends I have.”

Talk about your emotional manipulation, I thought as she came over quickly and hugged me tightly. “Flutters, that was so brave of you,” I whispered.

She was indeed trembling as she held me tightly. “I meant every word,” she whispered back. “Can…I stay here for a bit?”

I stroked her mane and felt her shudder. “Of course.”

Twilight Sparkle was next and she walked over, somehow producing a bunch of papers and setting them down on the podium. “I know I’m still learning a lot about friendship, but I’ve actually learned a good bunch of stuff about it thanks to Jethro. I actually prepared a long list of all the good things about him-”

Celestia caught the papers in her magic and pulled them back towards her, a small knowing smirk on her face. “Bullet points, Twilight,” she said gently.

Twilight looked a bit miffed, but nodded. She inhaled deeply, then said, “Jethro’s a great friend. I’ve seen him do some amazing things for his friends. Everything the other Bearers of Harmony has said is true, and I stand by what they said. I’m really glad to know him.”

Hugging Twilight was a bit difficult with Fluttershy in my lap, but I still managed to hug her. “I’d like to read over those notes later, if I can,” I said with a small smirk.

She blushed. “N-No, I’ll just tell you later,” she said, clearly embarrassed.

“Fair enough. Thanks, Twi.”

“You’re welcome, Jethro.”

Scarlet stood and flew over to the podium. Without preamble, she said, “I owe this man my life. If he hadn’t found me in the old house, I probably would have died of starvation. He’s done so much for me despite me not asking for it. Forgive my language, but I’m damned proud to be this guy’s friend.”

She flew over and hugged me tightly, and I hugged back. “SD, you rock.”

“Heh, I’m not an SD card, bub,” she replied. “You rock too, bro.”

Last, but most certainly not least, Zecora stood and walked over to the podium. “In my greatest time of need, my coltfriend performed a good deed. He saved me from a pack of Timberwolves, risking his own life to save me, a stranger he didn’t even know. I love this stallion with everything I am, and that won’t stop anytime soon.” She trotted over and gave me a deep kiss.

I kissed back. “Love you too, sweetie.” She blushed and nuzzled my face a bit. I looked out at the crowd. I gently undid myself from Zecora and Fluttershy’s grasps. “I’ve got to go answer questions, now.”

“Of course, beloved,” Zecora said, touching my nose with her own.

Fluttershy was a bit more reluctant to let me go, but she did so and gave me a small smile and nod. I stood and walked back over to the podium. “Now then, I believe there are a good number of you who want to ask me questions." And with that almost every Pony raised their hoof. I nodded and clenched the sides of the podium. "Well then, shall we begin?”

Author's Note

Next chapter will have questions being asked, I promise.

Oh! And I've been meaning to share this with you all. An anonymous artist made some fanart for my story! I'm so happy!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was an interesting one for me to write.

73: A Cloaked Heart Answers All

I looked around the room, trying to determine just how best to call on the Ponies. Should I go row to row? Should I pick randomly? Should I ask them to line up like they do at cons? I threw caution to the wind and inhaled. “I’ll go through each row starting to my left and answer one question per Pony before I answer second questions. Does that sound fair?”

Celestia spoke up as well. “Just know that some of these questions you might ask might not receive a satisfactory answer since there is our national security to think about. Also, we are all open to being asked questions as well.”

Most of the Ponies in the crowd nodded in understanding, so I pointed to the first Pony. “Miss Heartstrings?”

She put her hoof down and stood. “So…I have to admit, this is a lot to take in,” she said nervously. “But I’m sure a lot of Ponies want to ask this: have I ever shown up in this…show?”

I nodded. “Miss Heartstrings, not only do you and many others in this room appear in the show, but there’s a fan theory about you that you might find interesting.”

“What’s that?” she asked, sounding more intrigued.

“The fact that the version of you in the show believes that humans exist,” I replied. “Before you ask more, let me explain. In one of the earlier episodes, there was a brief glimpse of you seated as you normally do. Well, fans of the show saw that and formed a theory that you sat like that because that’s how humans sit. In fact, stop by my house sometime when I’m home. I’ll show you a very famous fan animation starring you later.”

She had a smile on her face. “I can’t wait.” She moved to sit down, but stopped and looked back up at me. “Thank you, my friend.”

As she sat down, Sweetie Drops stood next. Her agent persona was partially gone, I could tell. “Jethro, I want to say thank you for everything you’ve done to keep this town safe. But may I ask about something that Eris showed us?”

“Of course.”

“When she was showing us small portions of the show, the last one showed Twilight Sparkle, but she referred to herself as ‘Princess’. What does that mean?”

I went quiet at that, faking a thoughtful look. Fortunately, I was saved when Celestia spoke up and said, “I’m afraid that is a crown secret, Miss Bon Bon,” she said. “Feel free to ask another question.”

Sweetie Drops nodded in understanding, then said, “I don’t have any other questions, your Highness. Thank you.”

Next up was Derpy. She put her hoof down and stood. She focused on me, and I was struck once again by how beautiful the mare was, wall eye or no. “Um…how far ahead into our future have you seen?”

“Well, Miss Derpy, you have to understand,” I started, “that a lot of the events in the show are more than likely now going to either happen differently or not at all. But I assure you that this information is being put to the best use possible. I’m afraid I can’t go much more into detail. I’m sorry.”

She smiled. “I understand. If there was a potential for a major invasion or something to that effect, the fact that you’re here has already altered the flow of time and any future potential shown in this show.”

I grinned, and I saw a few Ponies give her a startled expression, as if they didn’t expect her to be so smart. But I knew better, and so did my friends. “Correct.”

Cheerilee was next. She gave me a knowing nod before standing and asking, “Is it also a crown secret as to the origins of those five human mares who went around helping Ponyville and will we see them again to thank them?”

I turned to Celestia. She stood and spread her wings. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly how those human women came into our world, but what I will say is that they arrived in our world of their own volition to help Jethro and, by extension, us Ponies despite never having met any of us. They risked their own lives to help a man who was wounded trying to protect them. They are as kind, generous, honest, loyal and full of laughter as the Bearers of Harmony who sit beside me. As to whether you will all see them again, that remains to be seen. And if you do, you might not quite recognize them.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Cheerilee sat down.

The next one to ask a question was an older Donkey with a light brown coat and a curly darker brown mane. “Hello, sir. My name is Matilda.”

I nodded with a smile. “Hello there, Miss Matilda.”

“This might seem like a strange question since I’m guessing most will be about this television show you mentioned,” she started, “but how are you doing? You’ve been through so much already, and it’s surprising you haven’t cracked under the pressure.”

She was right, it was a strange question, one I didn’t expect. I inhaled deeply. “I’ll be honest, I’m barely hanging in there. There’s nothing more I want to do right now than to go back home, crawl into bed and snuggle with Zecora for the foreseeable future. But it wouldn’t be fair to you or anyone else here if I didn’t make things perfectly clear.”

I heard Zecora gasp a little at the mention of her name. Matilda nodded sagely, then replied, “I think I speak for Ponyville when I say if you want to talk to any of us, we’ll be willing to lend an ear.”

I smiled, a wave of emotions washing over me as plenty of other Ponies nodded in agreement. “I…I appreciate it much more than you know.”

The moment, however, was ruined by the scoffing sound coming from Spoiled Rich. To her credit, though, she didn’t say anything else. The next Pony to ask a question was one I recognized as Berryshine. “Um, I hope you don’t mind if I ask the Princesses something,” she said.

“Go ahead and ask, my little Pony,” Celestia said kindly.

She nodded, then asked, “Earlier, you called Jethro a Knight of Equestria. I remember being taught that in school a Knight was something that happened rarely. Don’t take this the wrong way, but why him?”

Celestia turned and gave Luna a nudge. Luna stood and faced Berryshine. “Sir Jethro Bethridge has proven himself time and time again to be of a noble heart. And before anypony says anything else, my sister and I know what he did in his anger towards Eris. We were unable to blame him for his actions, since behind them was an honest desire, no matter how hidden, to protect this town. Nopony is perfect, I can personally attest to this. But it brings joy to my heart that you can look past the faults of a Pony and a human and give us a second chance.”

Berryshine smiled. “That’s the definition of true harmony, Princess.” She took a seat, as did Luna.

The next Pony to ask a question was a young stallion with an hourglass for a cutie mark. I’d heard about the fan theories about Time Turner being the Doctor, but I seriously doubted it. I’d once dropped the phrases TARDIS, constellation of Kasterborous and Gallifrey around him, and he denied knowing anything about them. Still, I liked him. He was a stallion of science. “I’m not sure if you can answer this with any certainty,” he said, “but do you think other of these television programs of your world could be real worlds somewhere in the multiverse?”

I heard Twilight gasp from behind me. It was a terrifying and intriguing thought, I wouldn’t deny it. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that with any certainty, no,” I replied. “There’s a theory among my people, albeit one I don’t subscribe to, that once a person thinks up a world, that world actually springs into existence in reality somewhere. I personally don’t think this is true. It flies in the face of what little I do know about the science of the multiverse.”

Filthy Rich was next. He stood. “You mentioned that your species has weapons far beyond our own capacity. You’re not planning on introducing them here, are you?”

I shook my head. “As the only representative of the human race on your world, I will keep any human weapon in my possession and I won’t allow anyone in the world access to it. I might introduce you to other technologies instead that might benefit your world, but anything that’s a weapon is something I will keep close to my chest. Your weapons and technology are behind those of Earth, and I’d rather not start an arms race that could destabilize this world.”

He nodded and sat down. I was glad that Diamond Tiara and Spoiled had no questions. The next Pony to ask a question was a blue Unicorn mare. I recognized her as Minuette. “Has any event in the show you told us about happened since you came here?”

I nodded. “Yes, for the most part,” I said. “A few I participated in, and one of them is where I actually got these.” I spread my wings behind me.

An older Earth Pony mare with a lime green fur, caramel striped colored mane and tail, purple eyes, and a gavel for a cutie mark, was next. I knew her less from the show and more from real life. Her name was Lady Gavel, and she was the town’s local lawyer and judge. “If I may saddlebag off of that previous question,” she started politely, “how did you receive your wings and your magic?”

I turned to Celestia once more, and she instead nodded at me to continue. I brought one wing in front of me, examining it. “As the princess said earlier, my coming to Equestria was a complete accident. But I didn’t come alone. Turns out, when whatever summoned me here pulled me into your fair world, it brought along a companion. Her name was Athena. She was herself a displaced spiritual entity of incredible power. She used what little of her own power she had left to help me. She brought my Earth house with me, along with any of the comforts my house possesses. She also inhabited my body and began making changes to it so I could live in your world without pain or suffering. She told me normal humans are unable to live in your world so she changed things about me so that I could. But she accidentally changed more than what she said she had. So now I have wings, magic, and Earth Pony strength. And I will put all to good use in defending this town.”

Satisfied, Lady Gavel sat back down. Next, a beautiful young Earth Pony mare with a yellow mane, striped green ponytails, emerald green eyes and three apple fritters for a cutie mark stood next. I’d seen her occasionally around town and learned her name was Apple Fritter. Applejack had once told me she owned a place in Appleloosa called The Dancing Way where Appleloosans had barnyard dances every weekend. Apple Fritter removed a Stetson from her head and asked, “Pardon me for asking, but you do know that other places in the world saw what Eris did, right? What are your plans for dealing with that?”

Once again, Celestia took the reigns on this question. “There is a plan in motion to smooth over relations with each nation affected by Eris’ actions. For security reason, I won’t go into further detail about the specifics, but just know that I and my sister are doing all in our power to make sure things don’t get out of hoof.”

The more questions were answered, some hooves went down. Presumably because their own questions were in fact greatly similar or identical to the ones being asked. Vinyl Scratch was next, and as she signaled to Octavia, who was acting as her translator, suddenly I realized that I could also understand Pony Sign Language, or PSL. I watched carefully, forming the words she was saying in my mind. Before Octavia could translate, I held up a hand. “I’m no medical expert, but stop by my house sometime and I can help you look into any treatment humans have for it.”

Vinyl looked stunned, then slowly began signaling, You can understand me?

I nodded then made a few motions with my hands and replied, I understand a fair bit of Equestrian languages.

Vinyl removed her shades and gave me a look I didn’t recognize at first, but which I quickly realized was one of joy. Her reddish-purple eyes said all I needed to know. She finally had someone else she could talk to about things. She gave me a nod of gratitude, then put her shades back on.

Octavia was next. “Pardon me for asking this,” she said, “but now that you are a Knight of Equestria, what will you do with this title?”

“That’s easy,” I replied, “I’ll use it to defend my new country. I’m a full-blown citizen of this kingdom now, and with the responsibility I now have as a Knight of the Realm, I will use my magic, strength, and training to the best of my ability to ensure the security of this lovely land and all the Ponies and other creatures who inhabit it. And before anyone starts calling me things like ‘Sir Jethro’ or ‘Sir Knight’ or anything like that, I’d ask that you don’t. I’m the same Jethro you’ve all seen around town. I don’t want to be treated any differently just because I have a title.”

As Octavia nodded and sat back down, I faced the next Pony. “How about you?”

Golden Harvest, also known to the fandom as Carrot Top, stood. “A lot of us are still unclear as to how Eris escaped her prison.”

Before I could say anything, Sunset Shimmer stood. “I can answer that better.”

I cleared my throat and stepped beside her. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce Miss Sunset Shimmer, former magical apprentice to Princess Celestia. She has just recently returned to Equestria after ten long years.” I put a gentle hand on her withers and looked down at her. “I’m right here, Ms. Shimmer, in case you need support.”

She looked up at me with a sad but appreciative smile. “Thank you,” she said before turning to the crowd. “As Jethro here said, I was once the magical apprentice to Princess Celestia. I’ll try and keep this story short, and if you all want to hate me because of it, I wouldn’t blame you. I grew impatient with what the Princess was teaching me. I got greedy and wanted to learn more. After I saw something I wasn’t ready to see, I ran away, but not before I stopped in front of Eris’ statue. I was so full of anger and rage that it affected the statue and some of her own magic seeped into me before I ran away. For ten long years I lived in another land and I started to hate the Princess. I wanted revenge, and the idea came to me that releasing Eris would hurt the Princess…would…” she looked down, tears forming in her eyes before she suddenly knelt and shouted out in a voice full of pure anguish, “I’m so sorry! This is all my fault! I released Eris! If it wasn’t for me, none of this would have happened! Don’t be mad at Jethro, be mad at me! Hate me!”

The stunned silence of the crowd only made Sunset’s cries of anguish all the louder. Celestia stood quickly and approached, but I beat her to it. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, and Celestia also put a wing on her back, then looked back towards the crowd. “Before you judge her too quickly, I wish to point out that Eris did corrupt her and influenced her decisions. She was as much a victim in this as Jethro was.”

I heard murmurs from the crowd as I held Sunset closer to me. She was whispering, “I’m so sorry…I’m so sorry…”

“Celestia’s right,” I whispered gently, “you are a victim too, Ms. Shimmer.”

After a few minutes, she sniffed and looked up at me with her glistening green eyes. “How…how can you be so…forgiving?” she whispered. “I shot you and released Eris…”

Reaching up, I poked her nose. “We both screwed up plenty because of this, and these other Ponies have given me a second chance. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t do the same with you. My advice though, don’t waste this chance. At all.”

She nodded fervently. “I won’t.”

I smiled, stroked her mane a bit, then stood and led her back to her seat. I turned back to the crowd. “Alright, next question?”

I continued to answer question after question for at least another hour. Most of them were related to the show, such as how much of Equestrian history I knew based off it (I told them about certain events like the origin of Hearth’s Warming and what lead to Nightmare Moon, among other bits of history), but others were actually directed at the princesses as well as the rest of my friends.

After I answered one other question, I heard Spoiled say something under her breath. She’d been surprisingly silent during the hour, but what I heard caused me to paus and turn back towards her. This had to stop too, and I had a sudden inspiration as to how. “Could you repeat that for the class?” I asked.

Spoiled whirled on me. “Gladly!” She stood and walked up to the stage, eyes wide with barely restrained fury. The group on stage looked like they were about to approach but I held my hand out to stop them. She raised one hoof and jabbed at my chest. “You might have everypony else fooled here with your oh-so noble act, but you and I both know how much of a fraud you really are! All of you freaks from Everfree are the same!”

I saw Luna about to yell at her, but I held up a hand again. “Could you elaborate, Mrs. Rich?”

She spat in my face. “Don’t you dare start with me! You’re not worthy of the title Knight, and I will not rest until I prove it!”

I kept my face placid, not wanting to give her any sort of material to use against me. She glared angrily at me, huffing a bit. There was something about Spoiled’s words that told me there was something more to her hatred of me and perhaps her behavior in general. I bowed to her politely, then turned to Filthy, who had a stunned and embarrassed expression on his face. “Mr. Rich,” I said, “I would like to cordially invite you, your wife, and your daughter to dinner at my house on November 30th. I will be my honor to provide an excellent meal and all the hospitality in the world.”

That seemed to surprise him even more, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Spoiled’s expression change from fury to shock and disbelief. Even Diamond Tiara looked completely stunned. Filthy Rich’s surprise morphed into a kind of understanding. “We would be delighted to come, Sir Bethridge.”

Spoiled was tongue tied. She looked absolutely pissed now, but one glare from her husband kept her from saying anything else. She stuck her nose in the air, turned around and flicked her tail at me rudely before returning to her seat. The room was completely silent for a while until I turned back to the crowd. “If you don’t mind, I know it’s a bit early but I would like to take a little break. Say…ten minutes? Feel free to stretch, talk among yourselves etc.”

And with that, many of the seated Ponies stood and stretched, turning to their neighbors. I turned back to the others on stage and my exhaustion must have been clearly visible because Zecora was immediately by my side, pressing herself against me. “You look positively wiped out, darling,” Rarity said as she too approached.

“I’ll be alright,” I said. “I just need a long night’s sleep. If I can.”

“I have a brew that will help you,” Zecora said gently.

I kissed her and smiled. “Thank you, dear.”

From behind me, I heard three sets of hooves clopping on the stage. Turning, my heart sank once more when I saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders walking up. In the center, Scootaloo stood, still with the look of grief and despair on her young face. That was a look I recognized, and judging from the look on Applejack’s face, so did she. I knelt and faced the young filly. “Scootaloo?”

She looked down at the floor, opening her mouth to speak, but closing it afterwards. Sweetie Belle was rubbing her back while Apple Bloom looked at me. “She wanted tah ask somethin’ in private,” the young Apple said.

I nodded in understanding, then reached down and put a hand on Scootaloo’s back. “Let’s go outside for a bit, alright?”

Scootaloo and I walked silently back to a backdoor and stepped out into the windy afternoon. We both sat against the building, and I removed my jacket, placing it around the young filly to keep her warm. “Thanks…” she said softly.

“Anytime, sweetie,” I said gently. “So, what did you want to ask? And take your time.”

Scootaloo looked down at the ground, pawing at it with her hooves. The dust that she disturbed flew into the air around us and headed east. She and I just sat there for a bit while she got her thoughts in order. Finally, she turned and looked at me. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. “Did…my parents show up in the show?”

I didn’t take my eyes away from her. She deserved that much. “Yes, they did.”

That did it. The poor filly’s tears returned anew as she jumped towards me, her grief replaced with rage as she weakly hit my chest over and over again. I fell back and grabbed her hooves. “If it wasn’t for you, they’d be alive! They died because of you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

She kept on repeating this over and over as she struggled against my strength, her tiny wings buzzing behind her. Finally, it looked like she’d gotten all of her anger out and it was only grief that remained. She collapsed onto my chest and sobbed into it. I held her tightly, stroking her purple mane and said, “Scootaloo, I’m so sorry…”

She sniffed and looked up at me. “No…I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “It’s not your fault…I don’t hate you…I just…”

“You’re looking to blame someone, right?” I asked.

She nodded. “How did you know?”

I looked up at the passing clouds overhead. “Scoots, I lost three people special to me years ago. My parents were killed in an accident, and my first girlfriend died from a deadly disease. I know how you’re feeling. You want to look for someone to blame. Anything to make the hurt go away, right?” When she nodded, I continued. “When my parents were killed, I wanted so badly to be angry at someone, anyone. The anger in my heart kept the pit in my stomach away for a time, but it wasn’t permanent.”

She sniffed again, and I brought out a handkerchief, wiping her eyes and letting her blow her nose into it. “Does…it ever stop hurting?” she asked.

I was immediately reminded of the Ranger fanfiction where Shane was talking to Pipsqueak in one of the later chapters. I stroked her mane gently. “Not for a while, but you’re not alone in this, Scoots. I’m here if you want to talk, and I know at least four others who’ve lost family members, one being a fellow CMC member and the other being your aunt. Don’t be afraid to talk to somebody who gets it. I’m always available, and I know Applejack and your aunt are too. We know how it feels to lose someone you love.”

“I’m…I’m scared,” she said. “What’s going to happen now? I’m…I’m a damned orphan!”

I wrapped my wings around her immediately. The fact that she was so distraught that she was swearing broke my heart. “You have plenty of Ponies around you who love you and care about you. You’re a key member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Out of all the fillies and colts in town, you three are my favorites.”

“You’re just saying that because of the show, right?” Scootaloo asked, sounding a bit bitter.

I shook my head. “Not at all. You three inspired so many people back on Earth to look for their own talents, even if humans don’t get cutie marks. A lot of humans never find their talents and are stuck in jobs they hate just to survive, but you and your friends inspired so many humans.”

“I…that’s so…insane,” she said. “I don’t know what to think.”

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” I said, “but it’s the truth. You are one awesome filly. Twenty percent cooler than a lot of the other fillies and colts around town. If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be as awesome as you. You’re a strong girl.”

“I don’t feel strong…” she replied softly before nuzzling her face into one of my wings.

“I know, sweetie,” I said as I tightened my wing hug around her, “and it’s okay to cry. I cried a lot when my parents and my first girlfriend died.” I sat up and leaned back up against the building, wings and arms still wrapped around her.

She clung to me tightly. “I’m still sorry…for what I said earlier…I don’t hate you.”

“It’s alright. A bit of advice, though: don’t hate anyone else, either. Hatred is corrosive, as one of my movie heroes Tony Stark says.” I brought her closer.

“How do I do that?” she asked.

“I know it’s hard, but talking does help,” I said. “Spending time with friends who care also helps. I remember when my own parents died my girlfriend spent time with me, and that definitely helped to ease the pain a bit. You have a lot of Ponies here who you can relate to.”

She and I lay there for a bit, her clinging to me with an almost desperate strength, and me hugging her and stroking her mane affectionately. Finally, she looked up at me. “I…I’m feeling a bit better. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, I’m glad to hear it. You want to head back inside, or do you want to head back to your house?”

She shook her head. “I don’t wanna go home today…”

“Too many memories?” I asked. She slowly nodded. “I understand. If you want, you can stay at my house for the night, or maybe with one of the other Crusaders. I’d suggest Apple Bloom’s house. That way, you can talk to Applejack. She knows how you’re feeling too, and can help.”

“I…I’d like to go to Apple Bloom’s house,” she admitted softly.

“I’ll talk to Applejack about it,” I promised. “And the offer to stay with me is always open. I have plenty of nice rooms just lying empty with some of the most comfortable and bounciest beds in Equestria.” I chuckled a bit. “Trust me, I’ve tried them.”

That did it. Scootaloo smiled a little bit. “Thanks, Mr. Knight.”

I smiled back. “Just call me Jethro, okay? Come on, let’s go back inside. Break’s almost over.” I stood, still holding the young filly close, and walked back inside.

There had been another hour of questions before Celestia put a halt to it after seeing my utter mental exhaustion. As promised, I had pulled Applejack aside and talked with her about Scootaloo. She readily agreed that a night with her friends would be good for her, and she promised to listen to Scootaloo if she wanted to talk.

When some of the others had asked me what my plan was by inviting the Rich family over for dinner, all I said was, “There’s an old saying on Earth, ‘Kill them with kindness.’ I don’t want her to have anything on me that she can try and use to do harm to me or any of my friends.”

Pinkie Pie had come up to me a little bit after that and had actually asked if she could throw a Thank You For Saving Equestria and Congrats on Your Recovery party. I had told her that a party might be just what the town needed, but I suggested that it might be a good idea to give it a day or so. However, I also added that she was the Party Pony, and it was her decision since she knew how to make Ponies happy better than I did.

For a while after that, I was surrounded by many other Ponies, all of whom were asking me if I was alright and if I needed anything. I was touched by their words and thanked them all.

By the time I got out of there, it was early evening. Celestia and Luna had to return to Canterlot, but gave me each a warm hug and cheek nuzzle as a farewell, as well as a promise to visit soon to check on me. And with that, they both flew away in their chariots. After that, I said my goodbyes to my friends, then headed back home with Zecora, Scarlet, Mica and Gemini, the latter two of whom went straight to their rooms when they got home. Scarlet, also exhausted, had said good night, hugged me close, then went to her room.

“Fuuuuck! That was such a long day!” I said as I collapsed into bed.

Zecora climbed into bed beside me, pressing her body close to me and kissing my head lovingly. “I’m so proud of you, my love,” she said.

I turned onto my back and Zecora was immediately on top of me. Just the sight of her lovely face gazing down at me with her beautiful smile, those ocean blue eyes, and her mane which now fell to either side of her face, was enough to help push away my anxiety and fear. “Thank you, dear. And thank you for being there with me.”

She moved closer and kissed me deeply. “I would never have been anywhere else.” She lay her head on my chest and nuzzled it under my chin. “I love you too much.”

“I love you too,” I said as I scratched behind her ear. “And I owe you.”

“It’s a shame you’re too tired,” she said, and her tone had shifted to become sultrier. “I know just how you could repay me.” She looked up at me with teasing bedroom eyes before giggling. “But I know better. You need some sleep, and I have just the remedy for stress.” She got off of me, to my dismay since I was really enjoying her being there, and headed out of the room for a bit. About five or so minutes later, she came back with a tray and a glass in her hand which had a light brown and fizzy looking drink inside.

I took it and sat up, looking at it curiously. “What’s this?”

“A potion of my own making have I brewed. Drink it down, and it will help you snooze.”

I chuckled, and took a small sip. My eyes widened as I tasted root beer. “What the…how did you manage to recreate root beer flavor!?”

She closed the door, turned down the light, got back on top of me and snuggled on my lap in her Zebraloaf. “Remember when we were on Earth and you let me take a sip of your soda that first night? I remembered tasting a very similar drink after mixing together a few of the herbs at my hut. I know you like that flavor, so I mixed it into this drink to help it go down easier.”

I smiled happily and eagerly drank the prototype soda. I wasn’t sure just what she’d done, but it tasted nearly identical to root beer. The fizz was even correct.

When I finished I put the empty glass on the nightstand beside me and lay back down. To my delight, Zecora snuggled back into the same position and allowed me to stroke her mane. After a bit, she asked, “Are you still worried about young Scootaloo?”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “She’s hurting a lot right now. She’s just lost her mom and dad, and with them dead, she’s scared about where to go. I doubt she’d want to go live in Westfield away from her friends.” Just then an idea came to my mind, and I smiled eagerly. “I just had an idea…”

Zecora looked up at me. “Would you care to share?”

I nodded. “Sure. So, here’s what I’m thinking: tomorrow morning, I’ll go down to Town Hall…”

75: A Cloaked Heart's Preparations

Waking up alone the next morning gave a brief but painful reminder of just how lonely I’d felt after Trixie died, but the pain easily subsided when I remembered just how tired Zecora had looked the previous day before she headed home. I slowly sat up, yawned loudly and stretched. The red silk pajamas Rarity had made for me seemed to wrap around me like a smooth extra blanket as I swung my legs over the bed. I was immediately glad of the carpet in my room because the moment I threw my heavy quilt off, a small blast of cold air assaulted any exposed skin. Shivering, I made my way over to the edge of my bed, put some slippers on, then grabbed a change of clothes from the walk-in closet (I’d slept in the Victorian house the night before).

After a nice relaxing shower which cleared the cobwebs from my eyes, I shuffled downstairs. Nobody else was awake yet, so I decided to make some pancakes, toast and some breakfast sausages. I was just finishing up when Mica and Gemini came downstairs. Gemini was slightly damp and very lightly dressed as she was wont to do lately, a pair of light brown panties on along with dark red bindings hiding her large breasts from view. She’d become comfortable enough around the house that she had stopped caring about me seeing her like this. She sat down, and I briefly caught a glimpse of her ass. I looked away immediately and focused my gaze on Mica, who’d taken a seat across from his sister.

Mica was wearing a pair of black trousers and a dark brown leather vest. “Something smells good, sir,” the young Lycan said with a smile as he sat at the table.

“Enough with the sir schtick,” I chuckled as I brought the food to the table. “Just call me Jethro.”

“But you’re a knight now,” Mica said. “That sort of respect goes with the title.”

“A title he didn’t earn,” Gemini muttered under her breath as she took one of the sausages and dug into it, her tail twitching in annoyance.

“Gem, be nice sis,” Mica said, then he turned to me with an apologetic smile.

Gemini had made her disagreement on me being knighted very clear early on. She felt I hadn’t earned the title and that the Princesses had made a mistake. Nevertheless, she said that it was her duty to protect me, but she told me not to expect any change in treatment just because of my new title.

Gemini sighed. “They’ll make anywolf a knight these days…”

“Gem!” Mica frowned at her sister.

“Relax, I don’t take it personally,” I said.

Scarlet chose that moment to come downstairs, flying over towards where I was sitting. With her eyes half closed, she plopped herself right in my lap, then looked at the plate before her with half asleep confusion. “Nnng…did I really grab sausage…?” she asked herself.

“Ahem.” I cleared my throat and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned back to me, apparently still half asleep. “You’re sitting on my lap, you know.”

Despite her normal morning state of being half asleep, she grinned and licked her lips. “Are you complaining, studmuffin?” she said sultrily as she grinded her ass up and down my crotch.

“Oh my God! How horny are you!?”

“You understand, Sir Bethridge, that catering all the way out in Ponyville is going to cost extra, right? Not to mention the late notice fee.”

I leaned back against the couch near my new rotary telephone. It was just past ten in the morning now. Scarlet had gone back to bed after eating my entire breakfast minus the sausages, Gemini and Mica were outside training and I was dressed to join them after the phone call. I was on the phone with Sweet Sorbet’s Catering, one of the best catering services in Canterlot. My invite to the Rich family had been an impulse but I wasn’t about to back down. “I’m willing to pay extra for the rush,” I said.

“Well, if you’re sure,” the voice on the other end, which belonged to a stallion named Rapid Gust, said.

“One hundred percent,” I replied. “I’m entertaining some well off guests and I want them to have the perfect evening.”

“We aim to please, Sir Bethridge,” Rapid said more confidently.

“So I’ve been told,” I chuckled.

“Well, we offer plenty of higher end packages if you’re interested,” Rapid continued, and I heard his voice shift into a familiar sales pitch type tone. I knew that tone since one of my former employees back on Earth, Emily Williams. Cute blonde, and a killer upsale rep on our types of accounts.

“What kind?” I asked.

“We have three upper packages,” he said. “One is our Premium package, which can range from 4500 to 6000 bits. That includes three courses of our finest cuisine, appetizer, main meal and dessert, two of more wait staff and a chef who would use your kitchen to prepare the meal. How big is your kitchen?”

“I have two full stove and oven combos, a large double door fridge and freezer combo, and a large island prep area in the main house,” I explained.

“That should work for any of our more expensive sets,” Rapid said. “Our next package is the Noble Package, which can run from 7000 to 9000 bits. As the name suggests, more nobles use this. It includes a five-course meal with hors d'oeuvres, appetizer, salad, main course, and dessert, along with a chef and two or more wait staff.”

I did the calculations in my head, converting it to a dollar amount. “And what’s the third?”

“The Royal Package,” he said. “We’ve only ever had that done once. Theoretically it runs from 10000 to 15000 bits. That includes hors d'oeuvres, soup, appetizer, salad, main course, dessert, and mignardise for the meal, two chefs and three or more wait staff depending on how many we’re serving. How many are going to be in your party?”

“Four adults and one filly,” I said. Zecora had insisted on being there to support me, which had surprised me. Scarlet had, unsurprisingly, bowed out since she felt she’d only be a smartass and ruin the dinner’s purpose. She’d made plans to stay with Derpy that night. Gemini and Mica were both not interested so they would stay in their rooms away from everything.

“And how big is your dining room?”

“Um…there are three chairs on either side and one on each end,” I said. “I’ve had one chair altered to fit my height and the other chairs are also altered to fit Ponies.”

“Is there room around the table for staff to work around?” Rapid asked.

I took a glance into the dining room. “Yeah…I’d say plenty of room.”

“Excellent. Which package do you want?”

“Royal.”

There was a stunned silence on the other end, then a clattering as the phone on the other end fell. I heard the brief sound of magic then Rapid asked “A-Are you sure?”

“Positive,” I replied. I would be damned if I didn’t show the very best to the Rich family, if only to shut the bitch up.

“Y-You do know we charge 4000 bits extra for the late notice, right?” Rapid asked.

“I’m willing to pay extra,” I repeated patiently.

“One moment, please.” I heard the phone being put down and the sound of galloping heading away. The line remained silent for about a couple minutes, so I took a sip of my orange juice. I had to agree with Shane McDonald on this one: apple juice wasn’t a breakfast drink.

After about five minutes, there was a small clattering as the phone was picked up. “Sir Bethridge?” A female voice now. “My name is Sweet Sorbet. Rapid tells me you wish to purchase the Royal Catering Package for this coming Tuesday, correct?”

Must be a big deal if the owner’s showing up. “That’s correct, ma’am.”

“And you’re well aware of the cost and labor involved for such a short notice?” she asked.

“I am.”

Silence on the other end. Then: “I’ll be honest, Sir Bethridge…I never expected to have that package ordered again. But if you’re absolutely sure about it, I’ll get our very best Ponies on it. What kind of cuisine are you hoping for? And just for your information we actually do serve omnivores.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I said. “I’m serving three Ponies and a Zebra. All I’ll ask to avoid is anything like grass, flowers and hay for the most part.”

“Then I would recommend our delux package in terms of dinner,” she said.

“What’s the Delux Package?” I asked.

“It starts out with some miniature garlic bread as the beginning hors d'oeuvres. Then we’d move on to a broccoli cheddar soup and after that some spinach puff appetizers.” I had to resist the urge to laugh. Kronk would be proud. “The salad after that would be one of our best, which has some bite-size pieces salad greens, sliced fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced leek, sale, Dijon mustard, parmesan cheese, red wine vinegar and olive oil. The main course would be a Spinach and Mint Lasagna which has mushrooms and chickpeas in it. Dessert would be the Celestia Cake, a rich double chocolate cake with melted chocolate interior. The mignardisel is our best Apple Tartlet made using the best apples from Sweet Apple Acres.”

Aside from the Celestia Cake (which just sounded like death by chocolate), everything else sounded fancy enough that it would definitely satisfy a more refined palate. “What about drink options? And keep in mind, there’s a filly involved.”

“Ah, yes. We would have red and white wine options as well as apple champagne and plain ice water,” Sweet said. “As for the little filly, we can give her some apple cider from Sweet Apple Acres we have in storage.”

I nodded. While I normally didn’t drink alcohol except on occasion, this was definitely an occasion. “I’ll definitely take that one.”

“Excellent, Sir Bethridge. I’ll bring my best chefs and staff in on this,” Sweet said. “I hope you understand that any payment is up front.”

“Of course, Miss Sorbet,” I said, twirling the phone cord in my finger. “But call me Jethro. Being a Knight is still new to me.”

She giggled. “As long as you call me Sweet. Now, let’s talk details.”

I grinned. “Yes. Let’s begin, shall we?”

“No, Jethro. That’s the salad fork,” Twilight said later that afternoon after onne brutal practice session with Gemini later as I picked up one of the forks in front of me. “The dinner fork is the larger one next to the plate.”

“Oh duh,” I said as I put the salad fork back down.

“Now point to the red wine glass,” she instructed me.

I went over the layout in my mind, then pointed to one of the four glasses. “That one. The one directly next to the water goblet.”

She nodded in approval. “Correct.”

“Ah thought it was one on the far right,” Applejack said, looking at the mock setup in front of me. Twilight, Applejack and I were sitting in Sweet Apple Acre’s kitchen at the dining table. After I’d finished with my training, I decided to go to Twilight’s house to ask her about proper Pony table manners. On my way there, I ran into Applejack and asked her to help as well. Of course, Twilight being Twilight, she turned it into a large lecture. Spike had been sneaky and fled the moment he saw the signs, leaving me and Applejack stuck with Twilight-Sensei.

“No, I think that’s the champagne glass,” I said in reply to Applejack.

Twilight clapped her hooves happily. “That’s right!” she said, sounding proud. “Now where’s the dessert spoon?”

I pointed to the small spoon in front of the plate. “That one.”

“Correct!”

“Jethro, why are ya goin’ out of yer way tah impress that family?” Applejack asked. “Filthy Rich is a good customer and all, but he ain’t exactly the nicest Pony in town. And that Spoiled has always been tryin’ to get ya kicked out of Ponyville.”

“That’s why,” I replied. “I want Spoiled off my back, and I want to show that I’m not a threat. I’ve never once raised my voice to her or made any threats against her. She’s had it out for me since day one, and I want to give her as little ammo she can use against me as possible.”

“And you actually ordered the Royal Package??” Twilight asked in shock.

“Go big or go home, Twi,” I chuckled.

“Sounds a mite pretentious if ya ask me,” Applejack said. “They might not like it. Might think yer lookin’ down on them.”

I bit my lip thoughtfully. “Maybe, but that wasn’t my intention. I want to show them my best hospitality and treat them right. It’ll put Spoiled in her element. And me out of mine.”

“You’re puttin’ yerself at a disadvantage?” Applejack asked.

“You could say that,” I said with a nod. “Which is why I asked you two to help.”

“Ah don’t know much ‘bout this stuff,” Applejack said.

“You spent time in Manehatten with some fancier relatives, right?” I asked. “Right before Rainbow Dash’s first sonic rainboom.”

“When ah was a filly,” Applejack protested.

“You two are the only ones who have any experience with this stuff,” I said. “She thinks anything from Everfree is a monster. I want to prove her wrong.” Memories of what I did to Eris in my rage surfaced again and an involuntarily shudder went down my back. “Maybe me too…”

Twilight walked up and put a hoof on my back in her own attempt to be reassuring. She gave me a lovely smile. “You’re not a monster, Jethro,” she said.

“It’s hard not to think so sometimes,” I admitted. “You realize I still take some sick pleasure in how Eris ended up, permanently encased in stone with holes in her chest. The thought makes me sick.”

Applejack put another hoof on my back. “Ya want to hurt her cuz she hurt Athena. Ah understand, but ya can’t keep beatin’ yerself up over it.”

“I’m trying, God knows I’m trying,” I admitted. “I’m no child, but I still acted foolish back then. I let my anger get to me, and I try and keep it check. Maybe, in some small way, I’m trying to prove to myself that I’m not that monster I was before.”

Applejack removed her Stetson, placed it on the table in front of me, then pulled the chair out so I was facing her. Putting her forehooves on my knees, she got right in my face. “If you can forgive me and all our friends fer our first meetin’, then we can forgive ya.” She put one hoof on the back of my head, then touched my forehead with hers. Her eyes were closed and she lowered her voice. “Ah don’t want ya to beat yerself up. Promise me…please.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Twilight’s eyes widen at Applejack’s display. I reached up and put my hand on her head. Closing my eyes, I said, “I can only promise that I’ll try.”

I felt Applejack nod, then she slowly pulled away. Opening my eyes, I reached over, grabbed her Stetson, then put it on her head gently. “Thanks, sugarcube.”

“You’re welcome.” I smiled a bit at her. “Man, I’ve got to get me one of those hats sometime.”

Applejack’s smile returned. “Yah still ain’t a country boy.”

“No, but you and I make that type of hat look good.”

Color came to Applejack’s cheeks. “Yah certainly do,” she whispered as she covered her face with her hat.

“Jethro,” Twilight said as she approached, “You gonna be okay?”

I turned to the purple Unicorn and nodded. “Yeah…yeah. I’m gonna sound so damn cliché here, but with the best of best friends like you by my side, I feel like I can move mountains.”

“Well, with the amount of magic you possess, it might be possible to-”

Twilight stopped when I put a finger over her mouth. “I was being figurative, Twi,” I smirked.

“Oh…hehe…of course,” she said, blushing in embarrassment herself.

“Now then,” I said, turning back to the table, “Back to the training?”

“Please hold still, darling,” Rarity said as she maneuvered measuring tape over my body again.

After a long training session with Twilight and Applejack, I’d headed over to Rarity’s to ask for a formal dinner suit. Of course, being the fashionista that she was, she insisted on measuring me once more, so I once more was behind a panel in her work area, wearing nothing but boxers and my white undershirt. “Do I really need to get measurements again?” I groaned.

“Oh hush,” she said with a wave of her hoof as she wrapped the tape around my waist. “Oh my, you’ve really trimmed out since last time,” she said, looking closely at my midsection and chest.

“Yeah, well that’s what happens when-” I stopped myself. I wasn’t sure if making a dark joke about me being unconscious for a week was appropriate at the time. “…when you’re training hardcore,” I amended.

She looked up at me with those alluring eyes of hers, one eyebrow raised. “That wasn’t what you were going to say, was it?” she asked. I shook my head. “Is dark humor really necessary?”

“It can keep a human sane,” I said. “If we can’t laugh at something, some of us might have mental breakdowns.”

“Well, I certainly hope you can overcome that habit,” she said. “You have us now. And we’re always willing to help.”

“Heh, I know you are,” I replied. “I’m truly grateful for that. Believe me. I’ll try and keep my dark humor in check, but that’s all I can promise.”

She smiled warmly. “That’s all I ask.” She cleared her throat and measured my height. “By the way, darling, whatever possessed you to invite that horrid Spoiled Rich over to dinner?” I explained my reasoning once more, and when I finished, she sighed. “Well, I suppose killing them with kindness is one way to go,” she said as she measured the distance between my shoulders, then put a hoof on one. “My, you’re building up more muscle by the day, it seems.”

I brought one arm up and flexed it experimentally, looking at my arm. “Huh…look at that. Guess so.”

She brought her tape up to my chest and measured it as well. “I just hope you know what you’re doing,” she said.

“It was an impulse thing, I’ll admit,” I said, “but I’ve been ignoring it for too long. Spoiled’s a big reason why Diamond Tiara is the way she is. She’s self-serving, manipulative and is creating the same thing in Diamond. That filly could be so much better if given the chance.”

Rarity looked up with a slight frown. “Well…if you say so. I just hope you’re careful. You might be a gallant knight, but the Rich family is still wealthy enough to have influence in this town.”

“I promise to be a proper gentleman,” I said.

Rarity suddenly snapped her hooves together. “That’s it!”

The way her eyes widened in excitement and the broad smile sent shivers down my spine. “Um…should I be scared?” I asked.

“Nonsense! Let Mama Rarity teach you all about how to be a proper gentlecolt!”

“I swear to God…I’m older than all of you!” I said in exasperation.

“It’s best that a Knight of Equestria knows something about Pony table manners,” Rarity said with a huff. “Spread your legs for me.”

I did so and felt her wrapping the measuring tape around my thigh. “Easy down there, would ya?” I said.

“Oh, do relax,” she said as she walked away. “I’m finished anyway.”

“Thank God.” I grabbed my jeans and began pulling them back on. “What do you have in mind for-?”

“Ah bup bup bup! Inspiration is striking now,” she said. “Give me a few minutes to draw something.”

I got dressed then sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall and looking around the room. It occurred to me then that Rarity was still in her early twenties and was not only a homeowner but owned her own business. “Rares, how the hell did you get to be a businesswoman so early?”

“In the zone, dear,” she said as she stood in front of a large drawing board with a pencil, busily drawing something over a remarkably accurate representation of a human.

“Right, of course,” I said. I pulled out my phone and went back to FimFiction, right back to a fanfic called Permanent Vacation. I’d just reached the chapter where Blake met with the representations of the Elements of Harmony. It was an interesting take on the whole Human in Equestria trope, one I was currently actually living, but I found it a bit hard to believe that Blake hadn’t even thought to question a separate voice in his head after all the time he’d begun to hear it. The fact that it was written in present tense was a bit odd to me, but that didn’t detract from the story in general. I did find it cool that the main character sang MLP fansongs on certain occasions, though. The one part of the story that struck new meaning for me was the small Scootaloo subplot, and I myself found my thoughts wandering to similar ideas, which I dismissed immediately since she had her aunts already.

I was looking at an image of the hipster Anthro Mane Six when a shadow loomed over me. “Oh my, is that meant to be us?” Rarity spoke.

I nearly jumped. She was very close to me and looking over my shoulder at the picture. “Ah, yes,” I said, zooming in on her image.

“I say, I look quite intriguing as an…what did you call it darling? An…an…”

“Anthro,” I said. “Short for anthropomorphic, which means having the basic characteristics of a human.” I turned and smiled at her. “Although I don’t think this drawing does any of you justice.”

She blushed and looked away. “You think so?” she asked with a small embarrassed smile.

“Girl, you’d all rock the Anthro look,” I grinned. “But enough about that. I take it the fact that you’re over here means you’re done?”

She snapped out of her embarrassment and nodded eagerly. “Oh yes! Come over here and see! Tell me what you think!”

I stood and followed Rarity over to the drawing board. When I caught a glimpse at what she’d drawn, I pat her on the back, gently stroking her mane. “Girl, you’ve completely outdone yourself. I’ll take it!”

76: A Cloaked Heart's Spoiled Dinner

The morning of the thirtieth was an extremely busy one for me. The staff from the catering service came by at around ten that morning. The chefs were two stallions named Steel Blaze and Silver Thunder, a Unicorn and a Pegasus respectfully, were impressed by the kitchen I had and the wait staff, three mares named Strawberry Rain, Velvet Pearl, and Amber Petal, a Unicorn, Pegasus and Earth Pony in that order, were content with the size of the dining room.

Going against my better judgement, I had a lighter training session with Gemini after I showed the caterers around. She at least had the good sense to leave any bruises off of my face. When I finished and took a cleansing shower, it was already noon, so I decided to go to the Hay Burger, which was where Scarlet was working that day.

Upon entering, the owner of the restaurant, an Earth Pony named Hay Cook, turned and waved at me with a wide smile. Hay was about ten years older than I was, with a dark burnt brown fur coat, a striped hay colored mane, and a smoking frying pan cutie mark. “Welcome to Hay Burger, Sir Bethridge! Or do you prefer Sir Jethro?”

“Just Jethro is fine, Mr. Cook,” I said with a chuckle as I looked around. “My, you’re busy today it seems.”

“Lunch rush,” Hay said. “And one of Scarlet’s new food experiments has gotten popular around here.”

I frowned. “What kind of experiment? What did she do this time?”

“Nothing bad, I promise,” Hay laughed, waving his hoof. “She called it a Veggie Burger.”

“Veggie Burger? You don’t have one of those already?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not the way she prepares it!” Hay said.

I nodded. “Well, I’m intrigued now. Could I get a Veggie Burger with extra cheese, no hay and some hoof fries and ice water to drink?”

Hay smiled. “Of course!” He trotted towards the fry cook area while I found a table to sit at. Like most things in Ponyville, it was a bit too small for me, so it felt like I was sitting at a children’s table, but it wasn’t all bad. Hay brought me some ice water with a straw before heading over to a nearby table where I saw a familiar pair of Ponies.

Bon Bon turned and saw me. Her eyes widened slightly and she nudged Lyra, who also turned. Standing, the two trotted over. “May we join you?” Bon Bon asked politely, carrying their own drinks.

I pointed to the empty seats at my table. “Be my guest.”

The moment Lyra sat down, she looked at me and said, “Today’s that big dinner you had planned for the Rich family, isn’t it?”

“Eeyup,” I replied as I took a sip of the water.

“Forgive me for being blunt, but what in Tartarus were you thinking?” Lyra asked, looking at me with worry in her burnt yellow eyes. “That Spoiled…bitch…has it out for you!”

“Ly, be nice,” Bon Bon said softly. “The walls have ears.”

Lyra took a deep breath and sighed. “Sorry, Bon Bon…”

I turned to Bon Bon. “You’re back to using your cover name now?”

Bon Bon nodded. “I’ve gotten used to being called that, so I’d rather be called that if you don’t mind. But Ly’s right, you know? What were you thinking?” For what felt like the millionth time, I thoroughly explained my reasoning behind it. Bon Bon nodded and put her chin on her hooves, giving me the equivalent of the Monika Space Classroom pose. “I understand why you want to try, but I hope you realize that some Ponies are just never going to change.”

“Well, I have to try,” I said. “I’ve been in Equestria for at least five months, four being in Ponyville, and in those four months, I’ve never tried to actually reach out and figure out what her problem was with me. I’ve been polite, never yelling at her or insulting her to her face, but never personally did anything about it. And that changes now.” I jabbed my finger into the table for emphasis.

Lyra sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing. Bonnie and I would hate to lose a good friend like you.”

“Wait, friends?” I raised an eyebrow. “You consider me a friend?”

“We might not spend as much time with you as you spend with the Bearers of Harmony, Zecora and Scarlet,” Bon Bon said, “but we both like you. You’re a fun Pony-er, person-to be around.” Bon Bon’s smile turned into a playful smirk. “And with Lyra’s newfound obsession with anything human, I’m sure she’d be honored to be friends with you.”

Lyra blushed. “That’s not me! I didn’t even know humans existed until I met Jethro!”

The two best friends turned future potential romantic couple both laughed. I recalled how, after I woke up from my nap at Fluttershy’s place a couple days ago, how I’d met Lyra walking down the street and she’d expressed interest in watching the Anthropology video. So the two of us sat at a park bench and I showed her the animated video, which fascinated her greatly. I’d gone into more detail about the Brony fascination with her supposed fascination with humans and even showed her some Lyra fanart before we parted ways. I smirked. “What, you don’t want to know what it’s like to have fingers?” I chuckled as I waved them in front of her face.

She snorted, but I saw a small smile on her blushing face. “In your dreams, buster!”

“You don’t know what you’re missing out on,” I said before I reached over and began scratching Bon Bon behind her ear. “Why not tell her, Bon Bon?”

Bon Bon’s eyes went wide with surprise at first before she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. “Oh wow…that feels amazing,” she said. She opened one eye and looked at Lyra with a wry grin. “It really does feel amazing, Ly.”

Lyra watched this for a bit, then looked back at me. “Can…I try?” she asked, giving me big round pleading eyes.

“I swear, you Ponies are too good,” I groaned as I reached up to stroke Lyra’s mane as well.

Lyra sighed contentedly as she leaned her head into my hand. “Right there…that’s it.”

“My my, Jethro, you having fun over here?” a familiar Pegasus mare asked me as she walked up with three trays in her wings.

I looked up at Scarlet, who had the biggest shit eating grin on her face I’d seen so far. “Just spending some time with some friends. And I certainly hope you’re having fun ripping off Earth recipes.”

She snorted and set down the three plates, each a veggie burger, but one with cheese on it. “Hey, who’s gonna sue me?” she snickered before lowering her voice. “Now, I’m normally the last Pony to say this, but I’d hold back on ear scratches in public if I were you, dude.”

Looking back at Lyra and Bon Bon, I saw their eyes both closed and mouths hung open slightly. Slowly, I removed my hands from their manes. “Yeah, probably not a good idea. It’d make Hay’s business look bad.”

Both Ponies beside me shook their heads, clearing them before opening their eyes. “Okay…that was…pretty amazing, not gonna lie,” Lyra said. “You should really work at the Ponyville spa.”

“If he did, he’d be more overworked than he is now,” Scarlet said in my defense.

“That, and I don’t know how to properly massage a Pony form, only human forms,” I added.

“I’m sure Twilight has some book in her library about it,” Bon Bon chuckled.

“That mare has a book for everything,” Lyra said.

“Just not about how to get laid,” Scarlet smirked as she flew away.

I facepalmed. “Oh my God…how horny is that mare…?”

After enjoying a great meal with Lyra and Bon Bon (Scarlet has somehow managed to make a veggie burger that tasted like real meat), I headed home and spent a couple of hours reading up more about My Little Pony events and reading some fanfictions. I’d had the dinner scheduled for six PM. At around five, there was a knock at my door. Putting my laptop down on a particularly saucy fanfic, I went and opened the door only to find Rarity with a floating suit encased in her light blue magic. “I just finished!” she said, sounding exhausted, her mane a bit everywhere.

“Come on in,” I said.

She walked in, but another set of hoofsteps caught my attention. Turning back, I saw, to my delight, Zecora. My eyes went wide when I saw just what she was actually wearing. She had a gallant dress on, that was for sure. It was a dark blue ensemble with lighter blue stripes that made it appear as if the dress was flowing in the water. There were two large amber spirals embroidered on either side of her dress and one line of lighter blue was inlaid with small green gemstones. Her mane was actually tied up in a bun style and I could see a bright red ribbon holding it in place. She gazed up at me with an expectant look in her eyes. “How do I look, my love?”

I swallowed, and nodded. “Absolutely dazzling,” was all I could get out. My cheeks went warm immediately after saying that, but I’d meant every word of it. Zecora looked downright gorgeous in her dress, there was absolutely no denying it.

Zecora herself blushed and looked away, smiling gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Some of my finest work!” Rarity said proudly as she used her magic to pull my arm. “Come on, Jethro! It’s time to get you into your outfit! Do you have shoes appropriate for this?”

“Two pairs of dress shoes, one of which I wore to the Gala,” I replied.

“Perfect! Use that pair!” And with that, she shoved me into nearby guest bedroom, shut and locked the door. “Now…off with those clothes!”

“Right words, wrong mare,” I grumbled as I began to remove my hoodie…

It took a whole fifteen or so minutes for Rarity to make sure that everything was perfect. When she finished, she threw open the door. “Miss Zecora, I present…your paramour!”

I stepped out, blushing a bit. I was wearing the most comfortable of black dress trousers, a white long-sleeved dress shirt, a red necktie with yellow slanted stripes, a dark blue waistcoat and a black double breasted suit jacket with a white handkerchief carefully sticking out of the breast pocket. Rarity had insisted as well on trying to style my hair, which had been slightly moussed and combed to fit my natural hair part. My wings were folded behind me carefully so as not to ruin the suit. I pulled my tie up a bit and looked at Zecora. “Well?”

I’d never seen Zecora go so slack jawed. Grinning, I leaned down, put my finger underneath her chin, and pushed her mouth closed. “I take it you see something you like?”

“W-Wow…” was all she could say.

I laughed as I stood up and turned back to Rarity. “You really have outdone yourself, Rares. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Nonsense, darling,” she said, waving her hoof dismissively, “It was a pleasure to design a suit for you two. Just promise me that you’ll wow that snooty mare.”

I grinned. “Best behavior.”

“Well, aren’t you looking spiffy in that,” one of the wait staff, Strawberry Rain, said as she walked out into the living room. “You both look great!”

“Thanks,” I said with a smile. “Can I do anything for you?”

Strawberry smiled. “Just came to inform you that the chefs are both on schedule for this evening.”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

She curtsied. She, along with the other two wait staff, were wearing French-type maid outfits, demure ones at that, but still perfect for our purposes. “It’s an honor to be working for a Knight of Equestria, even if it’s for an evening.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah…still getting used to that title.”

She chuckled. “I’ll bet. Well, from what the Canterlot branch of your fan club says about you, I’m sure you have more allies than you know.”

As she turned to head back into the dining room, I gaped after her. “Hold up…did she say Canterlot branch?!”

At precisely six o’clock, there was a polite but firm knocking at the door. Zecora and I were standing next to each other in front of said door. Standing up straighter, I opened the door to see a smiling Filthy Rich, a frowning Spoiled on his right and a scowling Diamond Tiara on his left. “Mr. Rich, a pleasure to have you. May I introduce my significant other, Zecora Mtunga Dawa.”

Zecora curtsied politely and formally. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Filthy smiled at her and nodded. “An honor to meet you too, Miss Dawa.” Turning back to me, he bowed. “Sir Jethro, thank you for inviting us over. And please, drop the ‘mister’. Just call me Rich.”

I stepped aside and one of the maids, Amber Petal, took their jackets as the three entered. Filthy was wearing a black suit with a blue tie and white undershirt, Spoiled, who had on her typical dark purple eyeshadow, was wearing a light blue dress with gold earrings and a diamond necklace and Diamond Tiara, while wearing her typical tiara, was dressed in a dark red dress of her own that matched the style of her mother. Filthy looked at the décor and whistled in what sounded like approval. “You’ve really made this old house shine,” he said. “Why, I feel like I’m back at my grandfather’s old place in Old Manehatten.”

“You honor me, sir,” I said. “I simply wanted to restore this house to its former glory, while simultaneously improving on the structure and adding in a few more modern appliances and such.”

Spoiled, who’d been looking over the main living room with a disdainful countenance, finally spoke. “The décor is standard, nothing noteworthy about it,” she said in a dismissive tone. Diamond Tiara snickered at that.

I turned and bowed courteously. “Please follow me to the dining area,” I said, turning and, with Zecora by my side, led them towards the main dining room. I walked over to my chair and motioned to the table. “Please, have a seat anywhere you wish.”

Zecora took the seat directly to my right, while Filthy took the one directly to my left. Spoiled sat beside him, and Diamond beside Spoiled. As soon as the last Pony had been seated, the door to the kitchen opened and Strawberry walked in, carrying a platter of steaming garlic bread which she placed at the center of the table. The savory smell hit my nostrils and I had to restrain myself from swallowing the saliva that formed the moment I inhaled the delectable scent.

Filthy looked at the garlic bread in delight. “I must say, that smells simply delectable,” he said.

“Please. Help yourselves. Guests first,” I said.

Once the Rich family had their hors d'oeuvres on their plates, I pulled the platter over with my magic and offered it to Zecora, who graciously took one piece of bread. I took one as well and set it on my plate. “Would anyone like something to drink? We have red and white wine along with some apple champagne and ice water. Oh, and for Miss Tiara, there’s also some apple cider direct from our very own Sweet Apple Acres.”

I caught Diamond’s eyes widen a bit when I mentioned cider. Filthy clapped his hooves together. “Marvelous! I would like some apple champagne and ice water, please.”

“Hmm…is that all you’re serving?” Spoiled said, acting unimpressed. “I suppose some red wine and ice water will suffice. Diamond will have water.”

“Mom, can’t I have some apple cider?” Diamond pleaded.

Spoiled glared at her daughter, but before she could say anything, Filthy quickly interrupted, “Let her have some, dear. It’s not every day we get to dine with a Knight of Equestria.”

Spoiled sighed, then nodded. “Very well, but only for tonight.”

I turned to Zecora. “What about you, dearest?”

“My love, if it’s all the same to you, a glass of ice water will do,” she said.

I nodded, then turned to Strawberry. “I’ll have some apple champagne and ice water too, please.”

Strawberry, who was standing next to be and Zecora, nodded. “I’ll have those right out for you.” And with that, she turned and headed back into the kitchen.

“A typical choice,” Spoiled said. She muttered it under her breath, probably hoping that I wouldn’t hear her, but my hearing had been slightly improving ever since coming to Equestria. I decided to ignore it and Diamond’s own snickering.

After Strawberry came back and poured the drinks, I grabbed the champagne and took a sip. It had the same tingling as champagne did, but with a hint of apple taste that lingered on the tongue even after swallowing. “So Rich, how is your business going these days? Every time I shop there, it appears to be busier than before.”

Rich smiled. “Business couldn’t be better, Sir Jethro,” he said.

“Please, just call me Jethro,” I said with a disarming smile back at him, “and I’m glad to hear it. Are you planning on opening other branch stores elsewhere in Equestria?”

“I have looked into purchasing some property up in Canterlot, actually,” he said.

“My amazing husband has worked so hard to put Barnyard Bargains on the map,” Spoiled said haughtily, placing strong emphasis on the word ‘worked’

Filthy gave Spoiled a slightly disapproving look, but I laughed it off good naturedly, not wanting to give Spoiled the satisfaction. “And a hardworking stallion he is. Rich, you should be very proud of all you’ve accomplished.”

“Well, I just built off of what my grandpa started, but I’m plenty proud to have come so far,” he said.

“My daddy’s the best business Pony around,” Diamond said proudly.

“Diversifying your stock is something I’ve rarely seen in Equestria since I’ve been here,” I said. “Back on Earth, it’s one of the reasons why many of the bigger businesses like Wal-Mart or Target are so successful. That, and competitive prices and keeping costs low from suppliers.”

Filthy’s eyes widened. “I hope it’s not too much trouble to ask for some more information on that front at a later date.”

“And who’s to say their methods aren’t as barbaric as their cruel race,” Spoiled asked.

Filthy turned to her. “Now, dear, you and I both know that Eris is a trickster and liar.”

Velvet came in next, carrying a large platter with the broccoli cheddar soup each in bowls which she set down at our places. Spoiled took a spoonful of the soup, and to my delight saw her eyes widen a bit, but he instantly hid her appreciation for the soup. After she washed the soup down with the water, she replied, “That’s not what I saw when this supposed knight used that horrid weapon against Eris.”

Zecora, who’d remained silent for a while, finally spoke up. “And it was because of that distraction that we are all here to tell the tale.” She didn’t sound antagonistic, but had a polite smile on her face as she simply stated a fact.

Spoiled sighed and shook her head. “The true heroes are the Elements of Harmony, so why were they not knighted?”

That…was a good question, I thought. They deserved it as well. Although I knew an extra reason why I’d been knighted: for my own protection. Diamond Tiara quickly added in her own two cents. “Yeah! They saved Equestria from that villain! Not some overgrown clothed monkey!”

“Diamond Tiara, mind your manners! And Spoiled, please tone it down.” Filthy said to his daughter before turning towards me apologetically. “Please forgive my daughter and wife. It has been a long day for us.”

“No need for apologies, I’m not offended,” I said. “Something tells me, however, that they’ll be rewarded very soon for their deeds by the princess herself.” In a ceremony ripping off the ending of A New Hope, I thought with an inward snicker.

“Oh? Is that something you saw in your…show, was it?” Filthy asked.

“Correct,” I said.

“I must say, having another world know about ours is quite an eye-opening experience, especially when we’re viewed as fictional characters,” Filthy said.

“I’ve heard that plenty of times since this whole thing started, and I agree with you,” I said, taking another spoonful of soup. The broccoli was perfectly soft, the cheddar had enough kick, and the soup savory with a hint of what tasted like lemon. “I can only imagine how it must feel for you.”

“It still unsettles me,” Zecora added, “and I am apparently in this show.”

“Am I in it?” Filthy asked curiously.

“You do make appearances in it a few times, as does your wife. Your daughter makes the most appearances, though,” I said.

That got the filly’s attention. “Really? You saw me in your show?”

“You appear plenty of times, yes,” I replied, smiling politely at the little filly. “Not as often as the Elements of Harmony, but still enough.”

“What is this show about again?” Filthy asked as Velvet came out with some of the spinach puffs, taking away our now empty bowls of soup.

“It’s a show dedicated to showing little girls what makes a good friend,” I said as I took one of the puffs and took a bite. The crust for the puff was flakey and perfectly buttery, and the spinach, while not something I normally ate, was seasoned just perfectly. After swallowing, I continued, “There are some children’s television programs are meant to help teach lessons on life. Some are purely educational, some are a mix, and some are pure entertainment. My Little Pony falls into the second category. Since human children have shorter attention spans, they need entertainment involved to make the lessons stick. One of my favorite shows from when I was a child was one called Bill Nye The Science Guy. In it, the host of the show teaches young children about science in such a way that it sticks with the audience.”

“Our own foals have similar attention problems,” Filthy admitted.

“Seems to be a multi-universal constant,” I said with a chuckle. “Entertainment is what younger ones need.”

“I disagree,” Spoiled said with a scoff as she took a dainty bite of one of her own spinach puffs. “Foals need to be taught at an early age how to behave or else become like those…blank flank Crusaders.”

I bit back my tongue and replied, “Yes, discipline is essential for raising a child, but they do need some space to have fun and enjoy life to the fullest. There’s a fine line involved, and-”

“Do you have foals of your own?” Spoiled asked.

“Well, no, but-”

“Then don’t go telling us about how to raise a foal,” she almost snarled.

I saw Zecora trembling a bit, but I put my hand over her hoof. “I would never do that, Mrs. Rich,” I said. “I just meant I know how my parents raised me. They weren’t perfect, but they were the best parents a boy could ask for.”

I felt Zecora put her own hoof over my hand comfortingly. Filthy saw this and looked at me. “Your parents are…?” he left the last word unspoken, but one nod from me was all it took. “Celestia’s flowing mane, I’m sorry to hear.”

“It’s alright. It’s taken me longer than it should, but I’m starting to make my peace with it,” I said. “But on to other subjects. I do hope you’re enjoying this meal.”

“Oh, most definitely!” Filthy said, raising his glass of champagne again. “Looks as if you spared no expense.”

“Well, I did want to make a good impression,” I said.

“And you certainly have. Right, dear?” Filthy asked his wife.

She finished one of her spinach puffs and dabbed daintily at her mouth. “It’s satisfactory,” she said after washing it down with some of her red wine.

“Diamond, I hope you’re eating everything on your plate,” Filthy said.

Diamond was picking at half of a smaller spinach puff with her fork. “Yes, dad,” she said.

I smiled, then looked to Zecora who gave a sage nod of approval. “Well, glad to hear it! But dinner is just getting started. I think you’ll love what’s in store.”

For the most part, it was just me and Filthy Rich talking through the majority of our dinner. He even asked Zecora a few questions, mostly about how she’d met me (which, to her credit, she toned down since the truth was bloodier than was appropriate for a filly) and how our relationship began. Spoiled took many chances throughout out various conversations, which ranged from plans for Hearth’s Warming/Christmas to random facts about both of our worlds that seemed to be nearly identical. Filthy managed to keep his wife from going overboard, but it was becoming clear to me that she was growing more and more angry.

When we reached the Celestia Cake, Diamond’s eyes practically bugged out of her skull. She didn’t even bother to hide her excitement as Strawberry used her magic to cut off a smaller slice for the little filly. As I’d expected, the cake was pretty much death by chocolate, a two-layer cake with melted chocolate inside. After we ate that, the Apple Tartlet came out, and I saw that they’d actually used Younger Golden apples for it. Diamond had a similar reaction to it after she took an experimental bite. I chuckled. “It’s pretty good, isn’t it young lady?”

“It had better not stain,” Spoiled said as she took her dessert fork and gently cut off a piece of her tartlet and taking a bite.

“If it does, send me the dry-cleaning bill,” I said.

I’d tried my best not for it to get to this point, but when her pupils narrowed, I knew I’d somehow stepped on a land mine. She threw her fork down on the table angrily, then turned on me and pointed with an accusatory hoof. “What’s your game, human? What’s your angle??”

Filthy looked at his wife with shock. “Spoiled?! What are you-”

“Shut up, Filthy!” she shouted angrily at her husband before she stood, sending the chair she was in against the wall. I saw Strawberry backing up a bit out of the corner of my eye, but my focus returned solely onto Spoiled, who rushed towards me with a furious expression on her face. I turned my chair to face her, keeping my face neutral. “This…this facsimile of decorum you’re projecting, stop it! You might fool anypony else, but not me!” She jabbed a hoof into my chest hard, and I was sure it left a bruise, but I kept my cool. “You Celestia-damned Everfree freaks are all the same! You might be wrapped up in the trappings of any civilized Pony, but your nature will catch up with you! You’re dangerous!”

“SPOILED RICH!”

I jumped at the shout, which had come from Filthy himself. Spoiled froze, and turned to her husband. He. Was. Pissed. “F-Filthy, I-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” he spat out angrily. “I’m sick and tired of you berating our host, especially when he’s treated us with nothing but the best of manners! He paid for dinner tonight, which has been some of the best food I’ve had, and you’ve done nothing but insult him and accuse him of being a monster!”

Spoiled recovered and her angry glare returned. “But…what he did to Eris with that awful weapon! Who’s to say he won’t do what she said??”

“You saw what Eris was doing to him! She sexually assaulted him! What would you do in his situation, huh!?” Filthy shoved his nose against hers. “Nopony’s perfect, dear. Not even you. I love you, Spoiled, that won’t ever change, but right now I can’t stand the sight of you.” He reached into his vest pocket with his hoof and tossed a bag of bits on the table. “Don’t come home tonight. There’s enough in here for a room at the inn for at least a week. I’m taking Diamond Tiara home with me.” He turned to me and bowed low. “Sir Jethro, I am extremely sorry about all of this.”

“Why are you apologizing to him?!” Spoiled asked angrily, but I could see her trembling in less of a rage and more of fear now.

He snapped his head up and gave her a glare that wiped the anger off of Spoiled’s face. “Are all dragons monsters? You forget that the Element of Magic herself has a young Dragon as a friend! I’ve met him before. He’s a nice young colt. Diamond, clean your face and thank our host. We’re heading home.”

Diamond had a look of complete shock on her face. She looked between her father and mother with a teary-eyed expression. Despite her currently being a bully, I felt badly for her. I’d seen my parents fight a few times, but it had never gotten this bad. She looked at her unfinished tartlet, then back at her dad. “Daddy…?”

My heart broke at her tone. Her voice was trembling and she looked like she would burst into tears at any moment. Spoiled quickly looked at Diamond, then back at Filthy. “Filthy…”

“I don’t want to hear it!” he shouted in her face. Turning to me, he asked, “Is it possible to wrap Diamond’s tartlet up for later?”

I looked over at Strawberry. “Do you mind, Miss Strawberry?”

She nodded quickly, retreated to the kitchen then came back with a small metal container. She placed the tartlet inside it and sealed it. “Here you are, Mr. Rich,” she said, hovering it over to the stallion with her pink magic.

He took it and then put his hoof on Diamond’s back. “Come along, honey, it’s time to go home.”

“What about Mom…?” she asked quietly.

“She’ll be gone for a while, but it won’t be forever, I promise.” And with that, he gave Spoiled one last look, but this one was less angry and more disappointed. “One week.” And with that, he left the dining room with Diamond. The front door opened, and closed moments later.

The room was silent now. Spoiled had collapsed onto her haunches, staring in stunned silence at the floor, Zecora was looking at me with an equal amount of shock, Strawberry was looking at me worriedly, and I was still sitting in my chair, looking at the results of the disastrous ending. All I could say at that moment was, “Well…that happened…”

77: A Cloaked Heart's Spoiled Night

In all of my preoccupation with the dinner, I had completely forgotten that that the Pegasi had scheduled a small winter storm for this evening to give everyone a brief taste of the winter before the snow began to fall, so by the time Spoiled had recovered from the shock of having her husband basically kick her out of her house for a week, the wind was blowing hard and rain was blasting the windows. I thoroughly apologized to the catering service Ponies and told them they could stay in any spare room on the second floor that they wanted. I even let them use my landline to contact anyone they needed to, like family or roommates or their boss. I even gave each of them a generous tip for their trouble despite their protests.

Finally, after the Ponies had made their calls and gone to their beds, I decided I needed to deal with Spoiled Rich, who was sitting on one of the couches in front of an unlit fireplace. She was staring off into space, a distant look in her eyes. She’d put her jacket on already and had her purse slung over her shoulder. I wanted nothing more than to get out of the clothes I was in and into what I normally wore to bed (which was nothing but boxers), but my conscience was getting in the way of my desires. There was absolutely no way I could let her go out in that night long storm to head to the inn. She’d get soaked it would be more likely that she’d get sick.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead with my fingers again. Leaning against the wall in the dining room, I slid down it and groaned slightly. Zecora was immediately by my side, nuzzling my face. “My love, don’t look so down,” she said. “You were the perfect gentleman.”

Despite myself, I smiled. This was the first time Zecora had used the human equivalent to gentlecolt, and it felt nice to hear something from Earth, especially from the love of my life. “I’d just hate to see a family broken apart over this,” I said. “At least, not without them trying to work it out.”

“Back in Farasi, divorce is more common than it is here,” she said. “Sometimes it’s better for a couple to separate.”

“I know that,” I said. “But still…”

“Besides,” Zecora said as she straddled my lap and put both her hooves on my shoulders, looking at me with a serious look in her eyes, “I saw the look on that stallion’s face. He does love her.”

“Sometimes, love isn’t enough,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her gently. “Is it bad that I’m more worried about Diamond Tiara and how she’ll react to this?”

She shook her head, then leaned her head against my chest. “It is not wrong to care for a filly. The thought of that just seems silly.”

I chuckled softly and stroked her mane. “I suppose not…” I sat there with her for a bit before adding, “This night was a total shitshow.”

“Dear, don’t worry. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know, but even so…”

Suddenly, her lips crashed into mine, her tongue easily slipping past my defenses as she wrapped her forelegs around my neck. I made a startled and decidedly non-manly noise before I recovered and kissed back. After a good ten seconds, she released me and gazed lovingly into my eyes with her own. “Jethro Bethridge, you are an incredible stallion. Yes, you have faults, and one of them is how you beat yourself up, as you put it, over things that aren’t your fault. This evening wasn’t a disaster because of you. It was a disaster because of the mare out in your living room. You were the perfect host and never once spoke out of turn. You never rose to Spoiled’s taunts or challenges. Now, get this through your skull. You. Did. Nothing. Wrong.” She tapped my head for emphasis with each word.

I chuckled softly and took her hoof. Bringing it down, I kissed it gently. “You know just what to say, my love. Thank you.”

“Anything for you.” She ran a hoof gently through my head. “Now come along. There’s a certain mare out there that we should deal with.”

“We?”

She snorted and nuzzled my face. “I’m not leaving you alone with her. That…” she took a few deep breaths, ones that were tainted with barely restrained anger, “…mare…insulted you to your face many times tonight. I wanted to buck her so hard in the face and break her nose.”

“Well damn, don’t do that,” I said, then smirked. “Besides, she’s probably got a head as hard as a rock, and these legs just barely healed.” I reached down and stroked her thighs affectionately, giving them both a squeeze.

She jumped a bit, eyes wide. “Not now, dear,” she scolded me with a twinkle in her eye as she slid off of me. Not standing up and getting off of me. Sliding.

I shuddered as she did so, then stood up. “Let’s go, sweetie.”

Zecora and I both walked into the living area. Spoiled was still sitting in the same position she’d been in when I last looked. My marefriend and I both sat opposite her on the other couch. I folded my hands in my lap as I looked at her, and Zecora simply sat on her haunches like any normal equine would.

Spoiled’s eyes were still unfocused and I could see her lips moving, but no words came out. It looked like she was repeating something over and over, but I wasn’t enough of a lip reader to understand what she was saying. Looking over at Zecora, I saw her eyes narrowed as she, presumably, tried to read Spoiled’s lips as well. Finally, she turned to me. “She’s talking about her mom, or maybe she’s talking to her mom in some daydream. The conversation doesn’t make much sense.”

“Hmm…” We sat there for a few minutes before my worry about her mental state grew enough that I decided to try and snap her out of whatever funk she was in. I stood, walked over and gently reached out to shake her. “Mrs. Rich…?”

“GAH!” She jumped in shock, then quickly looked around the room before she locked eyes with me. Her face contorted into a mixture of anger and fear. “Get away from me, you freak!” she shouted, jumping out of the couch and standing much like a cornered cat. In fact, the fur on her back even was bristling like that of a cat.

I stood and backed away; hands raised disarmingly. “Mrs. Rich, please calm down,” I said. I pointed to the window. “You can’t go out in that weather, not now. I have no intention of hurting you or anyone else in town. I can Pinkie Promise if you want. Or swear by Celestia and God.”

“You Everfree monsters never tell the truth! You’re all liars! Just like that Zebra bitch you’re fucking-!”

I instantly reacted, raising my hand and slapping her. It wasn’t hard enough to do any permanent damage, but it would sting like a motherfucker for a while. She stumbled back onto her haunches, anger replaced with fear. I knelt so I was face to face with her despite my desire to loom over her threateningly. “You can insult me all you want, but you say one fucking word against my beloved Zecora and a slap will be the least of your worries!” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. “I’m not your enemy, Mrs. Rich,” I said in a more even tone now.

“Lies…anycreature from the Everfree is a monster!” she said, sounding more terrified than angry now.

“Does that list include the Princesses?” Zecora asked as she walked up beside me.

“W-What?” Spoiled looked at Zecora in confusion.

“Does that list…include…the Princesses?” Zecora repeated, making sure to pause for emphasis. “They lived on the edge of the Everfree Forest over a thousand years past.”

“Th-That was a long time ago! That doesn’t count!” Spoiled said, her anger returning.

“You have no room to speak,” Zecora said, and I heard her anger begin to surface. As she spoke, her voice continued to grow angrier. “All evening, Jethro has treated you and your family with the proper respect due to a guest in his house, and you throw it constantly back in his face with petty insults. I held my tongue because my coltfriend asked me to, but I can’t keep silent anymore. Spoiled Rich, you are the monster here. You’ve filled your daughter’s head with lies and have manipulated a good stallion into falling in love with you all for the sake of monetary gain! You never loved him! You loved his money! You trapped him into marriage by having his foal! Without Filthy Rich, you’d be as rotten as spoiled milk! Oh wait, you ALREADY ARE!”

Spoiled tensed up, looking in terror at a now enraged Zecora, who was panting hard in rage. Hell, I felt a shudder run down my back. I made a mental note never to make her angry like that. I put a hand on her withers and massaged the area, but kept my eye on Spoiled. In a low and even voice, I said, “The way I see it, you have two choices here: go out into that massive storm and risk getting drenched or injured in the wet and biting cold, or spend the night here. I have plenty of empty rooms here. But keep this in mind: the way you raise your daughter will impact her, and right now the impact is completely negative. Depending on my mood tomorrow, I might let you stay in this house for the week your husband gave, or I might not. If you decide to stay, any of the first floor bedrooms are free, and my bedroom is on the second floor directly at the end of the hall in case you need anything.” I stood, and headed to the stairs. Turning back one last time, I gave her a level gaze. “Now, what will it be, Spoiled Rich?”

“I still can’t believe you got that angry,” I said as the two of us lay in bed a half hour later, myself in my normal boxers and Zecora pressed up against my bare skin, one foreleg over my chest and her muzzle buried in my neck. Outside, the storm raged on, but the two of us were safe and warm in bed. A single white candle was lit on the endtable on my side of the bed, giving us some light before we went to sleep. “If we were alone in the house without so many guests, I’d be making you scream another way,” I added in a deep voice.

With her other foreleg, she pulled the covers over us and pressed herself even closer to me. “It had to be said, my darling. I will never let anypony talk about you like that without doing or saying something about it.,” she said stoically, before reaching up and sensually licking my neck.

A shiver ran down my spine and I gasped as she did so. “Zecora…”

She giggled and snuggled up closer. “Not tonight, I know,” she said. “But very soon. Promise me.”

I put one hand on her flank and squeezed. Her fur was extremely comfortable and her warmth spread from her body to mine. “It’s been too long since we last made love, yes. And speaking of that, I just remembered I never told you what was bothering me at the Gala.”

She slowly crawled onto my stomach, Zebraloafing on top of me. “I was wondering when you would get to that.”

I stroked her mane and watched her close her eyes in satisfaction. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled and began. “Zecora, we’ve been dating for a couple months now,” I said, “but there’s something I’ve never really discussed with you. It’s about…the future. The dinner tonight brought it back to the forefront of my mind. Well actually, it’s two things I guess.”

She looked more concerned now at me. “What is it? Whatever it is, we can overcome it together.”

I took one hoof in my hand and squeezed. “Well, it’s about possible future events for the two of us. And…well, maybe more than two…” I muttered.

“So you are considering the idea of a herd?” Zecora asked.

“That’s a whole other conversation,” I said quickly. “But one thing I wanted to discuss was…our future together. For example…marriage.”

Her eyes shot open completely and she stared at me in shock. “Are…you proposing to me now?” she asked breathlessly.

“Not right now,” I said quickly. Noticing the slightly disappointed look on her face, I quickly amended, “It’s not that I don’t want to, but my parents taught me that marriage should be properly discussed between a couple before the question is asked. I wanted to discuss that, and something else, with you.”

“Jethro Bethridge,” she said tenderly, putting one hoof on my cheek, “you know how deeply I love you. I’ve never felt this deeply for anypony, anyzebra, or anyone. Spending a lifetime with you would make me the happiest mare in the world. But I know how humans like to take more time than any Equestrians do. I’m patient. I’m willing to wait and talk more about any fears or worries we have together.”

I smiled widely. “How did I get so lucky to have you as a marefriend?” I asked.

“Harmony smiled on you,” she replied.

“Either that, or God’s just being extremely generous,” I chuckled as I held her closer in a well-received and reciprocated hug.

“So, what was the other topic?” she asked after a minute of silence.

I inhaled again. “Well…what are your thoughts on having children, or foals I guess?”

There was silence between us, then Zecora slowly moved her head away from me, looking me deeply in the eyes once more. “Being a mother, huh…?” she said thoughtfully and almost wistfully. “I do admit, the thought has crossed my mind these past couple of months. Tell me your thoughts.”

I looked back into her eyes. “I’ve wanted to be a father for years,” I said. “To have little children of my own…to love and cherish and teach…”

Zecora must have heard the worry in my voice, because she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I would want any children to be biologically mine and yours,” I stated. “I’m just worried that, since I’m human and you’re a Zebra, that we might not be able to have one together. And if we did, what would it appear as? Zebra? Human? A mix? And how would they be regarded by the Ponies or any other race?”

“You’re worrying too much again,” Zecora admonished, poking at my forehead. “I think I see a permanent frown here.”

I exhaled slowly and nodded. “Sorry…”

She smiled warmly. “You’ll make a great father; I just know it. You think about their future even before they’re conceived.”

“I’d think the same thing if we were back on Earth,” I said. “I want my children to live happy lives as best as they can.”

“And so will I when the time comes,” she said confidently. My eyes widened in slow realization, but before I could say anything, she smirked. “Yes, Jethro Bethridge. I want to have foals with you someday. If possible. And if not, well…”

“Adoption is an option,” I said. “And I’d love them as if they were my very own. I do still want children that are biologically mine, but you’re right.”

She pulled the covers closer and kissed me deeply. “Come, my love, it’s been a long evening. You deserve some good rest.”

I wrapped her in my arms and wings. “Agreed…” I cast a dreamless sleep spell on myself, blew out the candle and closed my eyes, falling asleep to the warm snuggles of my marefriend and the smell of extinguished candle…

One thing I knew about the dreamless sleep spell was that not only did it grant a sleep without any sort of dreams, but it also was a good sleep aid. Every time I used it, without fail, I woke after at least eight hours of restful slumber.

So it came as a complete surprise to me when I found my eyes opening wide in the middle of the night. Zecora was by my side now, curled up beside me in a manner similar to a cat. Her breathing was soft and regular, and just watching her made my heart warm up considerably.

I lay there for a while, listening to the noise of the rain hitting the window. Since there was less light pollution in Equestria than on Earth, I was staring into pitch blackness, much like

That was, until I heard a loud noise from downstairs.

I sat up fast, immediately on alert. Zecora was awake as well, eyes wide. A part of me felt a sense of pride when she moved closer to me, presumably for my protection. “Did you hear it too?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’ll go take a look,” I said as I threw the covers off, grabbed the pajama’s Rarity made for me, threw them on quickly and moved towards the door. Quietly, I opened the door and listened. It didn’t take long for another noise to reach my ear. A whimper, and a sob. I held up a finger, lit it up in the standard light spell, and stepped outside. “Be right back, sweetie,” I said to Zecora.

“Be careful,” she whispered after me loudly.

Giving her a thumbs up, I slowly headed downstairs, following the sound of soft sobbing. The light from my finger illuminated the large staircase ahead of me. The sound of sniffing grew only louder as I approached the living room. I risked a little more light, only to find Spoiled Rich, right where I left her, curled up on one of the couches, tail covering her eyes, weeping bitterly.

I stepped into the living room, and the noise finally alerted her to my presence. She quickly sat up and looked over at me in shock. She looked absolutely terrible. Her mane was all frazzled with strands of hair poking out everywhere, her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and she was trembling. “G-Go away!” she shouted, but it came out more hoarse than anything.

“Mrs. Rich, there are plenty of beds to choose from,” I said, pointing to the hallway. “The couch isn’t exactly comfortable enough.”

“I’m not stepping hoof into one of-” She immediately jumped as a bright flash illuminated the windows. A massive crash of thunder was heard immediately afterward. I felt it as well as heard it. I watched as Spoiled’s ears pinned to their sides almost immediately and she hugged herself close.

Sighing, I walked down towards a large closet in the first story hall. Opening it, I held up one finger to cast the illumination spell, and used my free hand to dig out a large warm blanket and a satin covered pillow. Walking back over to Spoiled, I held them out to her. “If you’re not planning on sleeping in an actual bed, at least use these.” I shivered, and it hit me just how cold it was in the room. “Jesus, it’s cold in here…wait one second.”

I grabbed a few logs from where I kept them at the side of the fireplace, arranged them in the fireplace, then grabbed a few pieces of old newspaper that I’d set aside to use as kindling. After placing them around the logs, I grabbed a match, lit it and watched the paper quickly burn away, only for the flame to catch on the logs. After about five or so minutes, the fire was going rather well. I put the fireplace screen back in place and sat on the unoccupied couch. “There,” I said, holding out my hands towards the blaze and rubbing them together, “this should last until you fall asleep, at least.”

She kept her eye on me, and for the first time I saw confusion on her face. I stared at the fire instead, smiling a bit as I watched the flames rise and listened to the wood crackle and sputter. The two of us sat in silence for a bit. Occasionally, there would be another flash and a rumble of thunder, and each and every time Spoiled would react with a flinch. I didn’t say anything about it, just kept on staring at the fire. I didn’t even realize that Zecora had joined me until she licked my cheek. Automatically, I readjusted myself so she could sit in my lap and lay her head on my chest. I stroked her mane as the two of us cuddled in front of the fire.

I might have continued to stare at the fire, but I saw Zecora give Spoiled some glances every so often. We didn’t talk about anything, and I’d use my telekinetic magic to add logs when the fire began to die. I’d gotten pretty versatile with that spell, and even Twilight was impressed that I was seemingly able to do so much at one time. Half an hour passed, and nobody spoke. I didn’t feel the need to, and thankfully, neither did Zecora.

After a good forty-five minutes, at around 1:41 AM, I heard steady breathing from the other couch. I finally turned to get a look, and to my relief, it looked as if she’d finally fallen asleep. I looked down at Zecora, who gave me a knowing nod before getting off of me quietly. “I’ll be waiting,” she said as she quietly walked back upstairs.

Once she was out of sight, I cracked my fingers, then held them out. First, I opened one of the doors to the first-floor bedrooms, then I encased Spoiled in my magic along with the blanket and pillow. I created a small telekinetic temporary bed underneath her as I soundlessly carried her to the bedroom. Pushing open the door, I pulled aside the covers for the comfortable bed that Luna had delivered to my house, set the older mare in bed, then put the covers around her. A flash of lightning and a rumbling of thunder made Spoiled tense up in her sleep, so not only did I cast the same dreamless sleep spell on her, but I put up a spell I called the cone of silence spell, much to Twilight’s chagrin. The sound of the rain from outside immediately stopped and I drew the curtains shut to keep the light out.

Once I made sure Spoiled was comfortable, I walked back upstairs, only to find the candle from before lit once more and Zecora lying under the covers again. She pat the bed invitingly, and after once more removing the pajamas and carefully hanging them up (Rarity would kill me otherwise) I got into bed beside her.

Zecora immediately threw her forelegs around me and gave me a deep kiss for a good five seconds before breaking away. “You did well down there, beloved,” she said. “Spoiled was thrown off guard and very confused.”

“There wasn’t anything to say,” I replied. “She’s just been kicked out of her house for a week, she’s stuck here for the night with two ‘Everfree freaks’, and she’s afraid of thunderstorms. There may be some trauma there, but it’s none of my business.”

My marefriend smiled and buried her face in my chest, inhaling deeply. “True, my dear. True…”

The tiredness in her own voice made me start to feel sleepy as well. I blew out the candle once more, pulled the covers over us, then gave her one final kiss before the two of us drifted back off to sleep.

78: A Cloaked Heart's First of December

The next morning came quickly. Waking in Zecora’s grasp, her face snuggled into my chest, made for a perfect start to my morning. The shades were still closed, but I didn’t hear any wind or rain anymore. Instead, a bright patch of sunlight poked through a small break in the curtains, and Celestia’s sunlight illuminated the room. I used my magic to pull the curtains back, bathing the room in late autumn sunlight. Zecora involuntarily reacted by burying her face deeper into my chest, groaning tiredly. “Wakey wakey, sweetie,” I whispered, leaning down and nipping gently at her ear.

She yelped and jumped up, her mane a mess as she looked around wildly before focusing on me. She glowered at me and jumped onto my chest. “My ears are sensitive,” she whined as she hit my chest over and over again playfully.

“Hehe, good to know,” I said as I smacked her flank.

She squealed and blushed. “Well, aren’t you on fire this morning, my love,” she cooed sensually.

“Tends to happen when you’re snuggled all night next to the sexiest Zebra in the multiverse,” I replied as I touched her tail and stroked it. “It’s hard not to…well, get hard,” I grinned.

She bit her lower lip. “If we didn’t have guests in the house, I’d be all over you and never let you leave the bed for the entire day,” she said sultrily, eyes lidded as she leaned in and gave my own ear a sensual nibble. I shuddered as she did this for a good five seconds before she moved away, a bright warm smile on her face. “That’ll have to wait, though,” she said, all trace of her saucy tone gone. “Besides, I smell breakfast!”

I sat up and stretched, letting the covers fall away. Sniffing, I smelled eggs, buttered toast, and even some breakfast sausages and bacon. “Oh shit, I forgot about Gemini and Mica!”

I went to the closet, grabbed some sweats and a hoodie that Rarity had made for me based off of my old Earth clothes, and put on her slippers. Zecora was already at the door, waiting for me as I flung the door open and rushed downstairs…

…only to find Steel Blaze and Silver Thunder in the kitchen instead. The two were busily making breakfast on the same platters as they’d used the night before. Stunned, I walked in and looked at what they’d made. I saw an entire platter of lightly buttered toast right beside one of scrambled eggs. There was a third platter of sausage and bacon as well, which caught me even more off guard. Next to it I saw a large pitcher filled with what looked like freshly squeezed orange juice. I looked at the two Ponies. “Um…good morning…?” I stammered out. “What’s going on?”

Steel turned and smiled at me. “Good morning, sir!” he said jovially as he caught two plates in his magic and hovered them over to the platters. “What can we get for your breakfast today?”

Silver turned and waved his wing at me in greeting as I worked my jaw, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. “You…made all this?” I asked, gesturing to the breakfast platters in front of me.

Steel nodded. “After your generosity last night, we wanted to repay you for all you did, so we decided to make your breakfast for you! I hope you’ll forgive us for cooking up some of your meat, but the eggs and bread we bought ourselves.”

I shook my head. “Um…it’s okay, but you didn’t have to do that,” I said, “not that I’m not grateful, because I am, but I could have taken care of it-”

“Sir Jethro, it’s our pleasure,” Silver said with a bow. “You treated us better than most of our other clients. We wanted to thank you before we headed back to Canterlot.”

Zecora put a hoof on my back. “It’s a matter of pride for them, dearest,” she said softly.

I smiled a bit, then nodded. “Well, thank you for that. The offer is very much appreciated. Since you’re offering, I’d like a little bit of everything you’ve made today.”

Steel grinned wider and telekinetically filled my plate with two pieces of toast, four sausages, three strips of bacon and a healthy helping of the scrambled eggs. Zecora asked for just toast and eggs. The skilled chef carried our plates into the dining room area where I found the three maids from the night before already eating heartily. Strawberry was the first to see me and she waved at me. “Sir Jethro! Good morning! I hope it was alright if we ate in here. You have no servant’s dining area.”

I took my normal seat. “And a good morning to you three lovely ladies,” I said with a smile, causing them all to blush and wave back. “Don’t worry about eating in here. I had the redecorators tear out the old servant’s dining area. I hope you slept well. That was some storm we had last night.”

“I slept like a filly,” Amber said. “Winter storms never bothered me, anyway.” Alright then, Elsa.

“It was like I was sleeping on a cloud,” Velvet added dreamily.

“They are quite delightful, aren’t they?” Zecora asked as she took a sip of her orange juice.

“Where did you get them?” Strawberry asked.

“Believe it or not, Princess Luna sent me one for each bedroom in this house after I complimented the ones in Canterlot Palace,” I said.

“Y-You mean, those beds are like the ones that Princess Celestia sleeps on?” Velvet asked in awe.

“Probably so,” I said non-committedly. It wouldn’t do if word got out that I’d seen Celestia’s bedroom.

Before anyone could say anything else, the doors to the dining room burst open. We all went silent as a bitter looking Spoiled Rich walked in slowly. Her makeup was gone, and she wasn’t wearing anything, like most other Ponies did on a normal basis. She quietly took a seat as far away from the rest of us as possible. Turning to Steel, I motioned him forward and whispered, “Get her some breakfast too, please?”

The Unicorn nodded, then vanished into the kitchen, coming back minutes later with a healthy serving of eggs, toast and a tall glass of orange juice. Setting it down at her place, he made a hasty retreat back into the kitchen. We all returned to our meals, this time in tense silence. I kept glancing over in Spoiled’s direction, and to my relief she did eat, just not with much enthusiasm.

Not wanting the breakfast to be completely ruined by the Earth Pony mare, I turned back to the three maids. “Do you need fare for the trip back to Canterlot?” I asked. “I can give you fare.”

Strawberry chuckled and waved her hoof. “You’ve done so much for us already,” she said. “We can take care of that ourselves.”

I was about to insist, but someone kicked my shin quietly underneath the table. I turned to Zecora, who was innocently sipping on her orange juice. That mare of mine, I thought as I turned back to the maids. “Very well,” I said with a chuckle. Looking satisfied, Strawberry went back to eating.

“Dining with the help…typical…” I heard Spoiled muttering under her breath.

The smile on my face vanished and I turned towards her. “Care to share what you just said with the class?” I asked with a neutral voice.

Spoiled jumped when I addressed her. She turned to me and opened her mouth to speak, but when our eyes locked, she paused. Slowly, she closed her mouth and shook her head. “It was nothing…” she said, sounding like a scolded child.

I nodded. “I thought so,” I said as I returned to my meal, giving the three maids an apologetic look.

After that brief interlude, Zecora and I resumed talking to the three maids, and the mood greatly improved. Gemini and Mica came downstairs a little while later, and after some introductions, they joined us. Mica sat next to Zecora and Gemini next to him. To my surprise, the young Lycan teen seemed to hit if off with Strawberry and the two talked animatedly about their homes and their favorite things to do. It turned out that Strawberry was planning on moving to Ponyville once she finished with her time at Celestia’s School of Magic by the time spring rolled around. I was surprised to find she was eighteen and her job at Sweet Sorbet’s was part time so she could earn enough money to find a place to live in Ponyville. I could have been wrong, but I swore I saw some sparks flying between Mica and Strawberry.

When Gemini and Mica finished, the latter thanked the chefs for their meal before they went outside for some more training. Zecora, when she finished, informed me that she was heading over to Twilight’s house to talk with her about something. I kissed her goodbye and she trotted out. When the maids all finished, they joined the chefs in cleaning their plates and silverware. They also insisted on cleaning the dining room when Spoiled and I finished. The former quietly retreated to the living room once more as the maids and chefs cleaned up and gathered their belongings up.

As they were leaving, Strawberry stopped and handed me something. “If it’s not too much trouble, could you give this to Mr. Mica for me? I forgot to give it to him.”

“Oh? What is it?” I asked without thinking. I quickly amended my statement and added, “Sorry, force of habit. Not my business.”

“It’s alright, it’s just my home phone number,” she chuckled. “We never got to finish a conversation we were having at breakfast, and I wanted to continue.”

I put the paper in my pocket. “I’ll make sure he gets it,” I said.

She thanked me, then headed off to join her fellow maids, leaving me and Spoiled alone in the house. I closed the door, walked over to the couch opposite the one Spoiled was sitting in. The two of us sat like that for a while, her on her haunches looking at the floor and me giving her a level stare. Finally, I spoke up. “Well, Spoiled Rich? What are you going to do?”

Startled, she looked up at me with a hardened glare. “Why do you care?”

“That’s a good question, and I don’t know why either,” I admitted, “but since you’re still my guest, your safety is paramount. Now, my offer still stands. You can stay with me all week, or go find a place to stay.”

“You’ve done enough,” she said with a growl as she haughtily stood. “I’m leaving.”

“Suit yourself,” I said as I stood as well. She went back to the room she’d slept in, presumably to grab her stuff from the night before. “I do wish you well, despite what you think of me,” I added. She stopped and I continued. “I don’t expect us to be friends, but I do hope that, someday, we can at least find some common ground where we can tolerate each other at least.”

“That…will never…never…” she trailed off, apparently unable to finish the sentence.

“Never say never,” I said as she retreated into her room.

I went to the door and opened it, letting the cold, damp morning air in. The sun was shining on the grass and water fell from the gutters and the tree outside. The air smelled fresh and clean and I watched as my breath exhaled visibly. I turned back and stood in front of the door frame just as Spoiled came out. She approached, then looked up at me. She opened her mouth, but I held up a hand. “Before you go, let me give you some advice: never be cruel, and never be cowardly. Hate is always foolish, and love is always wise. Always try and be nice, but never fail to be kind.” I stepped aside. “I don’t know what might have happened in your past, and frankly it’s not my business, but I know this much: I know your husband well enough to know that if he fell in love with you, there must have been something good he saw. Find that piece of yourself, and let it flourish. Feed it, let it grow. Be the mother Diamond Tiara deserves, and be the loving wife Filthy Rich needs and wants.”

Her scowl returned, and she stormed off past me, making her way towards my gate. I watched her open the gate and slam it shut. Sighing, I closed the door, leaned against it and looked up at the ceiling. Today might just be a long day…

The cobblestone streets of Ponyville were drenched with the remnants of the rain from the storm, and Ponies were going to and fro, just business as usual. I decided that, before some studying with Twilight, that I’d go for a walk through town. I received plenty of ‘Good mornings’ and ‘Hellos’ from passerby Ponies, and I greeted them back automatically, but my mind was not quite focused on them. I couldn’t really get Spoiled Rich out of my mind. I knew it wasn’t my business, and I knew better than to intervene, but a part of me was worried. I knew in the show she never really changed her ways even after Diamond Tiara’s reformation, but the marriage never got so bad as to be threatened like this.

I continued walking, trying to put her out of my mind. I had other things to worry about, such as the council in a week at the Castle of the Two Sisters. I’d done my best to make the best impression as I could, but she was as stubborn as a mule in her beliefs. So why am I so fucking worried?!

It wasn’t until I was inside the store that I realized I had walked straight inside Filthy Rich’s Barnyard Bargains. The store wasn’t as busy as it normally was, but the shelves were a bit bare. Probably some storm preppers came in last night, I thought. I saw a couple of Pony employees restocking shelves, and a cashier at the register. I walked up and down the aisles, half paying attention to the products on the shelves. I grabbed a few things I knew I needed, like eggs, milk, bread rolls and butter, and took them up to the register.

But by that time, Filthy Rich was behind the till. We locked eyes, and he must have seen something in them because his customer service smile dropped. “Sir Jethro? Is something wrong?”

“Just…preoccupied,” I said.

He began ringing me up. “Is it about last night?” he asked.

I sighed and nodded. “It’s…well, she stayed the night last night because of the storm. And before you ask, I offered to let her stay.”

Filthy’s face went hard, but he nodded. “Thank you for that,” he said.

“I know it’s none of my business, but how are you and your daughter doing?” I asked.

As Filthy bagged up my groceries, he sighed. “Diamond…she took it very hard. I let her stay home from school today, but I can’t just let Spoiled get away with stuff like that from now on. Diamond’s a good girl deep down, I know she is, but Spoiled’s just…” He looked down and inhaled deeply. “I love her very much, but her behavior has gotten worse over the years. I want the old Spoiled back.”

“Well, I hope that happens too, but it might take a while,” I said. I then proceeded to tell him, in detail, just what had happened the night before after he’d left. I didn’t leave anything out, not even the part where I slapped her.

“I’m extremely sorry about her,” he said apologetically, “but I’m glad she had a warm place to stay last night. And I’m glad you helped calm her down. She’s had bad experiences with storms.”

“So I gathered,” I replied.

He nodded. “I am really grateful to you. You had no obligation to let her stay the night, especially after she insulted you and your marefriend.”

“No, I didn’t, but having a conscience can be a bitch sometimes,” I snarked.

Filthy snorted and nodded. “Agreed.”

I put down the appropriate amount of bits on the counter, but Filthy pushed them back. “It’s on me today. Please.”

There was something in his voice that kept me from insisting I pay. Probably some of that Pony pride I’d been seeing. Slowly, I pulled the bits back and put them in my change pouch. “Thank you, Mr. Rich. And I wish you the best. I hope she does change.”

“Me too, Sir Jethro…me too…”

I dropped my groceries off back home and went for a walk to the park. It was noon, now, and I saw a few Ponies walking around the small artificial pond that they’d dug up by hoof near the beginning of Ponyville. I saw Lyra and Bon Bon enjoying a small walk together, and they both waved at me as they passed. I waved back, then leaned back and inhaled the crisp air.

After a few strolls around the park pathway, I found a relatively dry bench up one of the small hills overlooking the park, hiked up and sat down, just taking in the relative peace and quiet of the post-stormy day.

It wasn’t long before someone walked up and gently tapped my leg. Looking down, I saw Vinyl Scratch looking up at me. Her shades were gone, and she had a concerned expression on her face. She made some motions with her hooves, and I read, You cool, bro?

I chuckled. “Eh, I’ve been better,” I said. “Just a long night.”

Dinner was a bust, huh? She asked.

“Yeah, pretty much,” I replied.

She hopped up onto the bench next to me, then said, Pretty sure anypony could have told you that, dude. She gave me a small smile at that.

I chuckled. “Yeah, probably. But I had to try.”

Hey, whatever you wanna do is chill with me. You’re a cool stallion.

“Heh, not that cool. But thanks anyway, Ms. Scratch.”

First name is fine with me. You’re a friend. You get first name privileges. She tapped my arm playfully, pulling her shades out of the small one-sided saddlebag and sliding them on, giving me a grin.

“You just don’t let anything get you down, do you?” I asked with a wry grin. “How? I’m envious.”

Dude, I have a job I love, a house with an amazing friend, and I get to make Ponies happy. I don’t need to talk to do that. Sure, it’d be nice to talk again, but I love life!

I chuckled. “You’re just like Pinkie.”

Nah, that mare’s too wild even for my clubs, she said with a scoff and smirk.

“Guess not everyone can handle her,” I said.

“I want you to handle me!” Pinkie jumped out from seemingly nowhere, sitting into my lap and looking down at me with a wide happy grin. “Hey Jethy!” she shouted, putting her forelegs around my neck.

A genuine smile creeped up my lips. “Hey, Pinks.”

Vinyl was silently laughing as she signaled, See what I mean?

“Eh, I’ve just come to learn that when it comes to Pinkie, expect that anything can happen,” I replied.

Pinkie gasped in shock. “You can talk to DJ Pon-3?!”

“Anyone can talk to her,” I chuckled, “but I think you mean understand her. Yes, I can understand PSL.”

Pinkie squeed and bounced up and down on my lap over and over, giggling. “That’s like the super duper coolest thing evar!”

“…Did you just say…evar?” I asked stunned.

Vinyl was silently laughing her ass off as Pinkie continued bouncing on me. She managed to get out Get a room.

I realized just what Pinkie was doing might look like, so I grabbed her and lifted her up. “Okay, Pinks, time to take a chill pill.”

She made a Pinkie Pie brand thoughtful face, then said, “Nah, if I did that, I’d stay in bed all day with the munchies! Later, Jethy!” She planted one playful kiss on my lips before bounding off, humming, of all things, the My Little Pony theme song.

I watched her go, mouth agape. “Wait…Equestria has weed?!”

“Monkey-man! You’re late,” Spike grinned up at me as we fist bumped. I’d spent about an hour in the park with Vinyl, talking with her about a few different things, like our tastes in music and she even listened to me as I recounted the evening, minus Spoiled’s fear of storms. In her hip lingo way, she told me she was impressed and that if Spoiled couldn’t see the effort I put in, then she was a lost cause.

“I don’t recall ever setting a time officially for our meetups,” I said.

In a flash of light, Twilight was directly in front of me, eyes wide with anger. “Jethro Edward Bethridge! You’re late!” I was beginning to regret telling her my middle name, because she only ever used it if she was particularly cross with me.

“Told ya,” Spike said, walking towards the kitchen as he threw a small gem up in the air and catching it in his mouth. How that little drake managed to actually chew down on a gem was beyond me. I’d even tried once out of curiosity, and gotten a sore jaw for my trouble.

I raised my hands in defeat. “Fine, I’m late! But to be fair, we never set a time to meet. Officially.”

She huffed and glowered at me. “Okay, fine, but from now one, I’d like you here at the regular time. And that makes it official.”

“Yeah, sorry. Long night, is all,” I said as I entered the library and walked over to the couch in the center of the room, taking out my laptop.

Twilight’s expression became one of worry. “Right, last night was that dinner you had with the Rich family. How did it go?” She moved up and sat next to me. I’d noticed recently that she’d actually begun sitting somewhat like how Lyra sat, at least for a little while.

“It started out alright,” I sighed. “Then went to shit.”

She winced at my choice of words, but put a hoof on my thigh gently. “Wanna talk about it?”

For the third time that day, I recounted the events of the previous evening. Twilight’s worry turned to anger when she heard what Spoiled had said about me, and by the time I was done, she looked livid. “So…yeah,” I finished. “That’s the story.”

Spike had joined when I’d first begun telling the story. “Wow…Spoiled Rich really is a bitch, isn’t she?”

Twilight gasped. “Language, Spike!”

“He’s not wrong,” I said. “But I don’t know why I’m so worried about her.”

Twilight refocused on me, then leaned against me, one hoof around my back comfortingly. “You have a good heart, Jethro,” she said kindly and softly. “If somepony like Spoiled can’t see it, that’s her loss. But from what you’ve said, you treated her well, and never raised your voice except when she insulted Zecora.”

“I can take a lot of insults, but you insult my loved ones, I will defend them. And that includes the two of you.”

Spike gave me a thumbs up and Twilight blushed a bit. “We love you too, Jethro,” she said with a warm smile.

I put an arm around her and hugged her close. “Thank you,” I said with a smile of my own.

“You aren’t leaving me out of this!” Spike said as he rushed over and leaped towards me.

I caught him with my free arm and hugged the young Dragon. “Never, little dude,” I said as I gave him an affectionate noogie.

“You’ll mess up my spines!” he huffed as he tried to push my hand away. From beside me, Twilight giggled.

“They’re spines, dude,” I laughed as I released him. “They won’t just go everywhere like hair.”

“Tell me about it,” he said. “I remember having hair as a human on Earth. Painful stuff.”

“I like having hair, thanks,” I grinned. “Besides, I was actually going to do something a bit different today instead of studying old rulers. Although I guess this could be a good way to learn a lesson too.”

Twilight’s ears perked up. “Really? What is it?” she asked.

“Well, first of all, I need to tell you that what I’m about to show you is all fictional,” I said as I opened the laptop and turned it on. “The world I’m about to show you isn’t real, and neither is the simulated violence within it. It’s rated for more mature audiences only, but I don’t see any reason why Spike here wouldn’t want to see it. After all, there are dragons in it, although they play the part of bad guys.”

Spike crossed his arms and huffed. “I’m not an idiot, monkey-man,” he said with a small pout. “I’ve read plenty of comics where the bad guys were dragons.”

Twilight was rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Well, what are you going to show us?”

I grinned and pulled out my Xbox One game controller, and used the spell Twilight taught me to project the screen holographically above the room. The screen was black, then some epic sounding drums began to play, followed by some choir. “Today, we explore the vast world known as Skyrim as the Dovahkiin, also known as the Dragonborn. Now then, let’s go.” I hit New Game.

It never mattered just what world we were in. Video games tended to suck up time. Twilight and Spike were equally enthralled by the video game, and Spike even remarked on how amazing the graphics were, which made me laugh when I explained that the game was over ten years old and game graphics had since improved. When I mentioned Star Wars video games, he all but pleaded to be allowed to come over and play some at my house sometime.

I let Spike use my controller and play for a while, but cautioned him not to damage it since I couldn’t replace it for another three years, that was, if the history of the parallel Earth through the Stargate held to my understanding of history. Sure, I had a spare controller at home, but I didn’t want to lose any of my tech.

Twilight even took a turn, and I saw just how versatile her magic could be. Her reflexes were incredible, and even at a low level, she managed to take down a dragon and kill an entire band of extortionist bandits. For the most part, though, the studious mare was taking down notes on the Skyrim country, its races, magic, and political environment, the latter of which we actually talked about since the game designers had made it so that neither side was either good or bad, more like a mix.

When dinner rolled around, the three of us ate a quick meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as Spike and Twilight talked animatedly about the parts of the game they both liked. I watched the two of them with an amused expression. They really were like siblings, or perhaps like mother and son. They did act a lot like family when it was just the two of them.

Both ate quickly and were eager to get back to the paused game. I, on the other hand, was all too engrossed in my sandwich to return right away, and since the stipulation I’d made with them was that I would have to be in the same room while they played or watched, they waited impatiently. I came back after washing my hands, probably a bit longer than was necessary, but teasing Twilight was becoming fun for me. That adorkable mare.

When nine in the evening rolled around, I called it a night despite pleas from Twilight and Spike. I promised that I’d come by again soon so we could play that, or perhaps another game. I packed up my laptop and said goodbye to the two, thanking them for the meal.

The stars were out in abundance despite the street lamp glow. The Milky Way spread its sea of stars above me, and I could see Orion just beginning to rise in the east. The night was cold and I saw my breath in the air as I walked down the streets back to my house. A few Ponies on their way home greeted me jovially, and I even saw one stumbling home drunk, but declined my help when I asked if I could take him home. He did thank me for the offer.

When I got home, Scarlet was sitting in the living room, using her wings to scroll through the internet on her new laptop. Currently, she was watching some Hellsing Abridged and laughing hard. “I’m home,” I said as I closed the door and set my laptop bag down on the other empty couch.

She turned and waved with her spare wing. “And what sort of time do you call this?” she asked in a decently good approximation of River Song. I’d learned recently that she was a decent vocal impressionist.

“I lost track of time playing Skyrim with Twilight and Spike,” I said as I removed my jacket and hung it up. “How was your night with Derpy?”

“It was a blast!” she said happily. “I showed her the first Kung-Fu Panda movie, and she loved it! Then I found a fan song about her online.”

“Oh? What song?” I asked. Scarlet opened a new tab, went to YouTube and typed in Hay Miss Derpy. For the next four minutes, I listened to the lyrics and bobbed my head to the beat. When it finished, I had a wide grin on my face. “Wow…that’s a gorgeous song. What did she think?”

“Cried her eyes out,” Scarlet said with a small smile. “That poor mare couldn’t really believe that anyone in another world could think so highly of her, even though it was just a fansong. She was so happy.”

“She deserves to be happy,” I said. “I’m glad your time with her went well. I’m heading to bed.”

“Before you go, could I ask a question?” she asked.

“You just did,” I deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re a riot. No, come on.”

“Heh, alright. What is it?”

“What’s Fallout: Equestria?”

I pursed my lips. “It’s a pretty famous MLP fanfiction series. There’s a video game series on Earth called Fallout that I’ve never played, and I’ve heard about Fallout: Equestria before, but I never read it since I wouldn’t get any references. From what I know about the Fallout video game, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world after a massive war. So maybe that fanfic is the same.”

She nodded in understanding. “Hmm…I see.”

“Why do you ask?” I asked. She pointed to one of the videos on the screen, the title of which read Hay Ms. Derpy (Cover for the Fallout: Equestria radio adaptation featuring Metal Mare and Atticus). “Ah. That makes sense.”

She nodded. “Well, it’s been a long day for me. I’m going to bed.” She grabbed her laptop and headed upstairs, swaying her flanks as she walked away. She looked over her shoulder and blew me a kiss. “Sleep well with that image in your mind, big boy.”

“I’m almost afraid of what you’ll become when you go through estrus,” I shuddered in fear.

“Guess you’ll have to wait until spring,” she crooned as she trotted upstairs.

“Goddamn that mare…” I groaned as I grabbed my laptop bag and headed upstairs, humming Hay, Miss Derpy. It was a good song, and I was glad Derpy could find something good in it.

The moment I reached the second-floor landing, I saw some light coming from behind my bedroom’s double doors at the end of the hallway. As I made my way over, I smelled some sweet fragrances coming from my room. It smelled a lot like flowers, if I was honest. Flowers that were found in the Everfree Forest.

My frown turned into a smile as I approached and gently opened the door. There were flower petals on the floor surrounding the bed, candles lit on the desk, end tables, and dresser. And right on the bed lay Zecora, lying in what had to be the sexiest pose she could pull off in her normal form. She looked up and batted her eyelashes at me, slowly lifting her tail from where it was hiding the goods. “You’re late,” she cooed softly as she winked at me.

Slowly, I put down my laptop bag, closed and locked the doors behind me, and cast the cone of silence spell. “Not too late, I hope,” I said with a rising grin.

“Never too late.” She licked her lips and gently patted the bed. “Come to bed, dearest.”

I gently approached the bed…

Author's Note

Next chapter might, once again, be a bit delayed since, as per normal, a clop chapter and a normal chapter following always will come simultaneously. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

79: A Cloaked Heart And A Third Joining*

Author's Note

As before, this is a chapter than can be easily skipped since it's my still poor attempt at clop. Anything that's relevant to the story proper will be added at the beginning of next chapter.

79: A Cloaked Heart And A Third Joining*

Slipping off my hoodie, I let it fall to the floor as I also removed my undershirt. I grinned as I made a small show out of it. I kicked my shoes off, undid my belt, dropped the jeans, and pulled my socks off before I reached the bed, leaving me in my boxers, with my manhood standing pretty much at attention underneath them. I lay beside her, wrapping my arms and wings around my marefriend as she replied in kind, only with every leg she had. Even through my boxers, I could feel the heat of her marehood against my crotch. The musk of arousal was thick in the air as I gave her a grin. “You know how to perfectly set the mood for me, dear,” I said as I caressed her midsection gently.

She licked her lips and gently pushed me onto my back. “Anything for you,” she said in a sultry tone as she leaned forward and began nibbling at my ear.

I gasped, waves of ecstasy flowing from my ear all the way down to my toes. “My my, someone’s eager,” I said, swallowing. “No foreplay this time?”

“I want you, my dearest,” she whispered in my ear before gently blowing into it, which caused me to shudder again. She began kissing me down my neck, nibbling a bit as she did so.

I reciprocated by burying my face in her fur, gently nuzzling and kissing her in the crook of her neck. My hands moved all around, reaching her flank and squeezing both cheeks. She inhaled sharply the moment I did that, tightening her grip around me. She pulled away after a few seconds, then grinned as she slid down my stomach, pulling my boxers off with her teeth. Her eyes widened when my member popped out, standing ready and at attention. She gave me a seductive grin before she began licking up the shaft, preparing me. “Mmm…” she hummed, and I shuddered as my member started getting slightly bigger. I watched as she brought both hooves up to my throbbing manhood, then gasped as she pressed both hooves together on either side, stroking up and down in an amazing hoofjob.

I’d felt the strange area of magic around equine hooves that they used to grip objects, but to feel that magic going up and down as she blew me and gave me a hoofjob at the same time, well, let’s just say, I was probably ruined for handjobs for the rest of my life.

The moment one hoof went for my balls and pressed against them enough that another wave of pleasure ran through me, I knew I was definitely ruined for handjobs. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I sat up, which caused Zecora’s eyes to widen in shock. “What are-hrck!?” was all she got out as I grabbed her mane and shoved my entire length down her throat. She looked up at me, wide eyed in surprise before she moaned and her eyes rolled up in pleasure. She swirled her tongue around the shaft as I began thrusting in and out of her mouth.

The sound of her gagging on me and the way she looked up at me with passion, lust and utter desire felt not just pleasureable, but empowering. She began to reciprocate, bobbing her head up and down on my shaft, her saliva covering everything. Finally, with one final thrust, I reached release. She squealed, her throat milking me as I finished inside her. I could hear her swallowing every damn drop, and when I finally finished, I released her head. She pulled back, gasping for breath, but licking her lips and swallowing the remainder of my seed. “You taste…meaty,” she cooed. She gave me a seductive wink before she pounced on me and sloppily began making out with me again. Her marehood was dripping onto my still erect manhood and she grinded on me. Finally, she pulled away, giggling. “Who knew you could get so…primal?”

“That was nothing,” I grinned. “Just you watch, you sexy mare.”

She almost purred as she kissed my chest gently. “Mmm…I want you to make me your mare.”

“And you will be,” I said as I reached up, bringing my hand down on her flank. I watched as it jiggled like tight Jell-o.

She looked up at me and licked her lips. “Harder,” she almost demanded.

The animalistic part of my brain began telling me one thing. Fuck! Her! Brains! Out! I smacked her flank again, harder. A predatory growl escaped my lips as I barred my teeth at her. She returned my look with a challenge of her own, snapping her teeth at me. “Take me, you animal you!”

I flipped her onto her back immediately, pinning her down and grinning down at her. Her front hooves were pulled in, and she was giving me a pleading expression. One hand went down to her teats as my lips crashed into hers, eagerly, desperately, and with enough passion to light up ten thousand suns.

She moaned into my mouth as I found her teats and began to caress them in my hands. In her normal form, they were a bit smaller than her Anthro breasts, but my animalistic mindset didn’t care at the moment. Tits were tits. I buried my face in her neck once more and she gasped, throwing her hooves around me. “Oh, Jethro, yes!” she gasped as she bucked her hips up towards me.

I grinned and moved down towards her marehood once more. I could smell the musk emanating from it, the earthy forest scent that drove me wild. I felt the heat and how soaked she really was down there as I slipped one finger inside, exploring, teasing, pleasuring my lover. My soulmate. My dearest love.

She arched her back, and gasped. “Fuck!” she exclaimed. “Oh Jethro…your hands are from Elysium itself!”

I slowly pulled out. “If you like my hands, wait until you try this!” Grasping her flanks, I lifted her hindquarters up slightly before I slid my tongue inside her for the first time in this form. Just like her human form, it tasted heavenly. I paid extra attention to any spot that made her squeal and shudder in pleasure.

She wrapped her hindlegs around my face and practically forced me to taste her. Not that I minded, of course. Her taste was even better than the smell. I pushed my tongue in deeper, humming into Zecora’s marehood while writing the ABCs with my tongue inside her. I was rewarded by another shudder from her, along with a moan, and my face being flooded with her love juices. I swallowed everything I could greedily. She looked down, panting hard. “That…was…amazing…” she said.

“Get on all fours now,” I ordered, standing over her with a grin. My manhood was at full attention, larger and thicker than it ever had been before, twitching in anticipation. I stood at the attention Zecora could elicit from me.

Her eyes widened at the sight, but she obeyed. “Don’t you hold back, my stallion,” she begged, wiggling her flanks at me and lifting her tail at me. She lifted her hips up so I could get better access. “I want it all inside me!”

I once more smacked her flanks before grabbing at the base of her tail. “That was never in question,” I said, licking my lips as I quickly plunged into her.

I had to say, making love to a full-on equine was different than making love to an Anthro form equine. Not bad, just different. She immediately tightened up around me, her inner walls seeming to try and milk any ounce of cum out of me and into her. This was no lovemaking session: this was the beginning of a good hard fucking, and it was now my goal to fill this mare with my seed.

She gyrated her hips a bit in anticipation. Before she could say anything, I began pulling out, then thrusting back inside. The way her flanks absorbed my thrusts made them jiggle enticingly, and that only fueled the fire within me as I sped up. She seemed to just keep sucking me back in with every thrust, and her moans and my grunts began to synchronize as I reached over and pushed her down into the pillow. She shuddered as I continued to completely make her melt to my ministrations.

“Yes, Jethro! YES! HARDER!” Zecora shouted, looking over her shoulder and giving me a look of pure lust. Her tongue was hanging out slightly and her eyes were trying their best to focus on me, but with each thrust it became harder for her to do so.

I smacked her ass once more, then pulled out. “Such a greedy mare,” I admonished with another predatory snarl before I flipped her once more back onto her back. I grabbed her forehooves and pinned her to the bed, my erection hovering directly over her teats now. “Perhaps I should punish you. Keep you pinned here and plow you all night long.”

The look of pure excitement on her face made more blood flow down between my legs, and my cock twitched harder. “Punish this greedy mare, sir,” she said with a whimper. “Put me in my place!”

With a single thrust, I was inside her again, and I kissed her hard once more, our tongues wrestling once more for dominance. But I would not let her win. I was the predator. She was my prey. And I would make her feel as satisfied as I could before the night was done.

Our kiss deepened as I sped up, the bedding below us growing wetter with her arousal. With each thrust, my hips slapped into hers, and I could hear the bed’s backboard hit the wall over and over again in a steady rhythm. I broke the kiss and buried my face in her neck again, giving her love bites on her neck and ear. She screamed in pleasure as I did so, clinging to me. “Plow me, ravage me Jethro!” she shouted.

“God, you’re a real freak in the sheets,” I whispered in her ear before I bit it. She tensed up around me, milking me for all I was worth.

“Mmm…I’m yours,” she said in a husky tone. “Yours, and only yours.”

That did it for me. A few more thrusts, and I unleashed my second load of the night inside her. “Take it, Zecora!” I ordered as I hilted myself deep inside her.

Her pussy milked me harder than it ever had before, and she screamed, “Fill me up, sir! FILL ME!”

I continued thrusting until I had finished. Slowly I moved away, pulling out of her. She was quivering now, a smile on her face that told me she’d been fucked stupid. I watched in pure satisfaction as my seed slowly began to pour out of her, her marehood pulsing as she did so. Looking down at myself, I saw I was still rock hard, which surprised me. I looked back down at my lover. “You think I’m done with you?” I said with a low rumble in my voice.

“N-No, sir…o-of course not,” she said as she slowly got up. “Lie down. Let me show you how well I can please you.”

I did as she said, and she mounted me. Raising herself up, she maneuvered my manhood towards her gaping vagina, lowering herself onto it. This was a slightly different sensation from before, but it still felt so warm, tight, and amazing around me. She put her hooves on my chest and inhaled sharply as she reached the hilt. “Fuuuck…” was all she could say as she grinded her hips around my shaft.

I grasped her flanks to help steady her, but I was still in predator mode, so I smacked her flank, albeit a bit more softly than before, but enough to make noise and leave a handprint on that spiral tattoo. She flexed a bit, and her marehood’s interior tightened around me. She gave me a sultry look as I looked her up and down. She was sitting on her haunches, my length twitching and throbbing inside her. Her barrel was exposed to me, her teats perky and perfect. I reached out and grabbed them both, pinching the small nipples.

She lifted herself up, then began to slowly ride me. I saw her grit her teeth, and for a moment I was concerned she was hurting, but one warning look from her told me not to bother. So, I did what my instincts told me to do.

I bucked my hips up into her in rhythm with her, wrapping my wings around her to steady her. She sped up, bouncing up and down on me with increasing speed and vigor. The next few minutes were filled with sounds of her moaning and me grunting with every other thrust.“How do I feel?” she asked eagerly after a while.

“Oh God, you feel amazing!” I replied as I gripped her flanks, pulling her down faster and harder. Soon I was pounding her from below like some sort of inverted jackhammer, the slapping sound of flesh on wet fur arousing me and her further and further.

“Oh fuck! Jethro, I’m almost there!” she exclaimed, moving down again and wrapping her front hooves around me. “I love yoooou!” she said as she, once more, shuddered with orgasm.

“Love you too!” I shouted as, with one final thrust, I unleashed yet another orgasm deep inside her.

She shuddered with that, and I swore she came once more just by being filled. I pumped in a few more times before she and I both collapsed, her on top of me with my manhood still inside her.

I tiredly put one arm around her midsection with the other slowly stroking her disheveled mane. “Damn…no more…the spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised,” I chuckled tiredly.

Zecora giggled and licked my chest affectionately. “That was…some of the most intense sex I’ve ever had.”

“You…and me both,” I said with a small yawn before slowly sitting up and lifting her up in my arms, pulling her off my member. “Come on, we need a bath.”

I carried the tired mare bridal style towards the main bedroom’s private bathroom. The bathroom was large, and I’d had a dome installed in the ceiling that could manually retract to reveal the sky behind a domed window. I pulled in a couple of the candles from the other room, setting them on the bathroom sink counter. The bathtub was one of more modern design, at least modern by Equestrian standards. It was circular and was able to fit at least four Ponies, which mean that Zecora and I could fit easily inside. I used my magic to turn on the main faucet to a comfortable temperature, then sat down, placing Zecora in my lap. As the water filled the tub around us, I blew out the candles with my magic, then pulled back the dome in the ceiling so the two of us could look up at the starry night sky above us. Once the water reached a good level, I turned it off, and we were once more in silence.

She leaned her head against my chest, making a slight purring noise as she did so. I leaned back so we could get a better view of the night sky. I felt her tail swish below the water, teasing my manhood. I chuckled. “You’ve been hanging around Scarlet too much.”

She giggled. “You loved it,” she crooned.

“Damn right I did,” I said as my hand went down between her legs once more, which by now were covered with the water.

I felt her breath hitch and she pushed her hips against my finger as I fingered her with one hand and fondled her teats with the other hand. “Mmm…you’re insatiable,” she whispered as she arched her back.

“You’re the one who unleashed the predator, my dear,” I said with a hint of a growl.

“Nnng…yesss…yes I did,” she replied with some pride in her voice.

“Who knew you were such a…pervert?” I chuckled.

“I did, and now so do you,” she said. “Oh mmm…right there love. Don’t stop. It feels too good…”

“You deserve the best of treatment,” I said soothingly as I kissed the nape of her neck.

She craned her neck so I could get better access, and so we sat for a few minutes while I continued moving my finger inside her and massaging her teats once more. Finally, with a shudder, Zecora achieved the final of her orgasms for the night.

She collapsed against me, panting. “I love…you so much,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” I replied, kissing her cheek affectionately as I wrapped my arms around her.

She turned around slowly, straddling me and looking up at me with her deep blue eyes. I could see starlight reflected in them, and my heart skipped a beat. Poetry suddenly sprang from my mouth as the Hearthope magic I hadn’t felt since that time with Pinkie at the Gala overwhelmed me:

“Eyes as blue as the deepest sea,
“She is the only one for me.
“A love beyond all time and space,
“No other mare could take her place.”

Zecora looked at me and in the soft glow of the Milky Way’s band, she continued:

“Wings as warm as the summer sun,
“He is to me the only one.
“Protector, lover, dearest friend,
“Let this love of mine never end.”

Then, simultaneously, the two of us said:

“My love is bound in time eternal,
“And by the harmony in which I dwell,
“A bond so pure, loving and true…
“I have the deepest of love for you.”

My heart swelled with joy, pride, pure unadulterated happiness, and love. A love that I knew would never die, even if one of us did. I leaned in, and she leaned back. Our lips locked, and as the stars above were our witnesses, we were as one.

80: A Cloaked Heart Parties Hard

Previously on A Cloaked Heart…

After a hot and heavy session of intense lovemaking, Zecora and I were sitting in my bedroom’s private bathtub, looking through the domed ceiling up at the stars above, which shone down brightly in their brilliance. The water in the tub rippled as the two of us breathed softly, causing the reflection of the stars to shimmer. Zecora turned around slowly, straddling me and looking up at me with her deep blue eyes. I could see starlight reflected in them, and my heart skipped a beat. Poetry suddenly sprang from my mouth as the heartcall magic hadn’t felt since that time with Pinkie at the Gala overwhelmed me:

“Eyes as blue as the deepest sea,
“She is the only one for me.
“A love beyond all time and space,
“No other mare could take her place.”

Zecora looked at me and in the soft glow of the Milky Way’s band, she continued:

“Wings as warm as the summer sun,
“He is to me the only one.
“Protector, lover, dearest friend,
“Let this love of mine never end.”

Then, simultaneously, the two of us said:

“My love is bound in time eternal,
“And by the harmony in which I dwell,
“A bond so pure, loving and true…
“I have the deepest of love for you.”

My heart swelled with joy, pride, pure unadulterated happiness, and love. A love that I knew would never die, even if one of us did. I leaned in, and she leaned back. Our lips locked, and as the stars above were our witnesses, we were as one.

And now, the continuation…

“Stamp on the ground! Jump, jump, jump, jump! Moving all around! Tep tep da dow! Stamp on the ground! Jump, jump, jump, jump! Moving all around! We're jumping all around!”

I sang along to and danced to ItaloBrothers’ Stamp on the Ground, which was playing in the background, as I cooked up breakfast the next morning with the widest grin on my face. Outside, the sun was shining on the outside of my house, illuminating my Earth house in the backyard where my kitchen window faced. I was wearing a pair of sweatpants and hoodie that Rarity had made for me, along with my favorite Santa hat. I was so glad I had pretty much mastered the basic telekinesis spell, since I was using it to mix pancake batter and pour it into a nearby griddle.

The beat dropped and I giggled like an idiot, jumping all around just as the song said while at the same time keeping an eye on breakfast. Last night’s heavy lovemaking session really helped calm me down.

Oh, who am I kidding? I fucked her brains out! I thought proudly, remembering Zecora’s fucked stupid smile and grinning in satisfaction that I was able to bring such pleasure to my lover. Sure, there was still the worry I had about the council, but with the newfound confidence I received last night, I felt like I could take on the world.

I was in such a good mood that I wasn’t the least bit surprised when Pinkie Pie popped out of one of the cupboards I opened to grab the plates. “Here you go, Jethy!” she said, handing me the aforementioned dishes.

I took them without missing a beat, placed them on a nearby counter, then pulled her out of the cupboard, jumping and dancing around with wild and reckless abandon. Pinkie giggled and joined me immediately, standing on her back legs and dancing remarkably like a human would. She bobbed her head to the beat, and her poofy mane bounced around as she danced with me. It didn’t take her long to catch the lyrics of the repetitive and fun song, and soon we were both dancing and cooking together.

When the song finally finished, Pinkie collapsed onto her haunches, giggling like a schoolgirl. I readjusted my Santa hat and went back to cooking, but not before going to my Christmas music playlist and hitting shuffle. The playlist jumped right to The Time-Life Treasury Of Christmas. Pinkie began sawing her head to the intro of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. “What’s this song?” she asked curiously.

“White Christmas. It’s a song for the human Christmas holiday,” I explained as I sang along to Bing’s amazing voice.

Once Pinkie heard the song’s lyrics once more, even she began to sing. And boy, could she sing well, especially for such a slow-paced tune. If I could describe her singing voice, it had to be angelic. She had perfect pitch and her higher voice allowed her to reach a higher selection of notes than me. Even so, when she tried to hit the low notes of the song, it still sounded amazing. When the playlist skipped to Dulcimer Christmas’s rendition of Jingle Bells, she walked up, stood on her hind legs and began bopping at the pom-pom on my Santa hat. “What’s this hat for?” she asked.

“Ah, it’s called a Santa hat,” I said as I put some more pancakes on the griddle. “Since you’re here, could you grab the maple syrup and butter and set them on the table, please?”

“Oki Dokie Lokie!” she said, rushing to the fridge and grabbing the small plate of butter. Rushing to the dining room, she set it down, then came back in and went right to the cupboard where I’d placed some Sweet Apple Acre’s maple syrup. I had been surprised when Applejack mentioned they made some using a small patch of farmland specifically for the syrup during the right season, so I’d stocked up on plenty of it since, at the time, I had no access to Earth.

Pinkie came back and stood on her hind legs, bopping the hat again with a giggle. “What’s a Santa?” she asked.

“Santa’s not a what. It’s a who,” I chuckled. “Santa Claus, also called Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Kris Kringle along with a bunch of other names, is a big figure in the Christmas holiday. He’s evolved to be a mythical figure who travels all around the world, giving presents to good little girls and boys on Christmas Eve. He travels by sleigh with twelve flying reindeer across the world every night.”

Pinkie’s eyes bulged in excitement. “Whoa! Those must be some fast reindeer! The flying reindeer here aren’t nearly as fast!”

“Hold up, you have flying reindeer here?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yep!”

“I am not surprised…” I said. “But anyway, it’d take a while to explain how this tradition came into being. Suffice to say, Santa’s became a big part of Christmas.”

“What is Christmas?” Zecora asked as she walked in. I turned and saw her still wobbling a bit unsteadily, a wide smile and blush on her face as she joined us.

“It’s a human holiday that’s a lot like your Hearth’s Warming,” I said. “It even happens on the same day.” I smiled back, leaning down and giving my marefriend a kiss. “Good morning, dearest. Did you sleep well?”

She grinned and whispered, “I dreamed of you all night long.”

It was my turn to blush. “Heh, I can’t wait to hear it. You remember Pinkie Pie, don’t you?”

Pinkie waved happily at the Zebra. “Hey Zec!”

Zecora raised an eyebrow at the new nickname, but said nothing about it as she nodded politely at the pink party Pony. “Greetings to you too, Pinkie Pie. What are you doing here on this glorious day?”

Pinkie gasped, as if she just realized something. “Ah! I forgot! Here!” she pulled out a pink envelop with my name scribbled on it and handed it to me, then handed one with Zecora’s name on it to the Zebra as well. “Party tonight at Sugarcube Corner! See you later, Jethy!” She jumped up, gave me a big kiss, then bounced out of the dining room, humming White Christmas.

I looked down at my marefriend, who looked back up at me with an equal look of confusion. Together, the two of us opened the envelopes. I held mine away from my face, and sure enough, an explosion of confetti sprang from the envelope the moment I opened it. “How that mare does that is still beyond me,” I muttered as I pulled out a white piece of paper.

Hey there, Jethy-Wethy!

You’re invited to a Thank You For Saving Equestria and Congrats on Your Recovery, Jethro party at Sugarcube Corner starting promptly at three in the afternoon! Bring some cool music from Earth! See you there!

Your bestest (and sexy) friend,

Pinkie Pie

Beside me, I heard a yelp as Zecora’s own invite exploded, but this went right into her face and covered her in confetti. I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing as she tried to brush her mane clear of the multicolored pieces of paper. She gave me a glare, and I knew better than to ignore it, so I made my way over to her and helped her brush the confetti out of her mane. That didn’t mean I still wasn’t laughing. “Haah…haah…I’m surprised you didn’t expect that,” I chuckled as I got the last of the confetti out of her mane.

“Pinkie Pie is an enigma even beyond me,” she admitted with a small smile as she shook herself. More confetti came out of hidden places in her mane and tail.

“She’s like a chaotic little ball of cotton candy wrapped in frosting and smiles,” I said.

Zecora giggled. “That is an explanation that both makes sense for her and doesn’t make sense for anything else.”

“That’s Pinkie for you,” a familiar Pegasus said from behind us. Turning, I saw Scarlet walking in, confetti in her own gray fur and crimson mane and tail. She shook herself and confetti went everywhere.

“Careful there,” I said as I grabbed a broom from the nearby pantry and began carefully sweeping the confetti up. “Let’s not get confetti in the pancakes.”

Scarlet’s eyes widened. “That’s what I was smelling!” she said as she hovered over to the griddle. “Hey, I can watch these while you sweep,” she said as she landed and grabbed a stool to stand on so she could better reach with her prehensile wings.

I nodded. “Thanks, Scarlet.”

Scarlet smiled, then sniffed the air. A wide grin formed on her face. “I smell sex and sweat,” she said saucily. “You two are insatiable.” Zecora and I both looked at each other and blushed. Scarlet laughed. “I fucking knew it! Damn, Jethro! You even made her walk funny!” She snickered as she flipped one finished pancake off onto the platter. “I’ve gotta get me some of that,” she muttered in a teasing tone.

“Oh my God…how horny are you?!” I shouted in exasperation as I grabbed the dust pan and knelt down to sweep the confetti into it.

“Love, weren’t there more pancakes before?” Zecora asked as I stood back up.

I looked over at the platter. Sure enough, the platter was short a few pancakes. I frowned, and shook my fist at the air. “Curse you, Pinkie Piiiie!”

The early December afternoon was cloudy, and I inhaled the smell of fires burning in the fireplaces around town. It must have gotten below freezing the night before because there were some puddles from the storm still frozen on the side of the roads. I walking through town, Zecora by my side. She was wearing a striped black and white scarf and gray beanie along with some black hoof shoes with white fur to keep her warm. I was wearing my boots now, along with some warm jeans, a jacket, a pair of bright red gloves with white fur trim and my Santa hat. It was just past noon, and the training session I’d had with Gemini and Mica had been, once more, brutal. Fortunately for me, Mica told me, when Gemini wasn’t looking, that I’d drastically improved recently. According to him, Gemini might not have said anything, but even she was impressed.

At one point, I asked Gemini if what I was learning from her would be useful in aerial type combat. She stated, in no uncertain terms, that combat training of any kind was useful, and that all I needed to do was mind my surroundings. Right before she tripped me over a root and pronounced me dead.

Despite it being still early in the season, I saw a couple of houses with Hearth’s Warming decorations already out, like wreaths and garlands around the door frames. I even saw a decorated tree in a window.

I smiled at the sight. Any homesickness I might have felt normally was still being held at bay by the events of the previous night with my love Zecora. I knew I’d have to face them at some point, and I was no fool. I’d have to talk to someone about it before it reached a boiling point. But for the time being, I was enjoying some quality time with my marefriend.

Who suddenly stopped me, then turned and said, “My love, could you go on without me? I need to visit Twilight, you see. I’ll come along soon.”

I nodded. “Sure thing, sweetie. I’ll be at Sugarcube Corner getting some things set up.” Leaning down, I gave her a kiss, one which lingered longer than normal.

“Awww! That’s so cuuute!” a familiar filly said from behind me.

The both of us turned, and I saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders, all bundled up with hoof shoes, scarves and snowcaps on. Sweetie Belle was smiling widely at us, Apple Bloom was smirking, and Scootaloo…well, she was smiling a bit as well, but I could still see she was still hurting. “Hello there, Crusaders,” I said. “Where are you off to?”

“Sugarcube Corner!” Apple Bloom said. “Gotta get to the party before all the punch is gone!”

I chuckled a bit, then turned to Zecora. “See you later, dear.”

“You too.” She turned, and gave my legs a subtle bump with her flank before walking towards the library, swaying them seductively at me.

Looking back at the Crusaders, I said, “I’m heading there too. Wanna walk together?”

“Sure!” Sweetie Belle said.

She and Apple Bloom trotted off a little way ahead of me, but Scootaloo remained by my side as we walked. I could tell she was trying her best to hide her emotions, but being so young only gave you so much experience. My heart reached out to her, and I used my magic to lift her up, then spread my wings and formed a little cradle in front of me where I set her. She gasped a bit at being picked up, but relaxed as she lay in my wings. “How are you doing, Scoots?” I asked after a little bit of walking.

She sighed shrugged a bit. “I’m…alright, I guess,” she said.

“You been hanging out with your friends?” I asked.

“Yeah…”

I looked down at her worriedly. “You sure?”

She nodded and sniffed a bit. “I’ll be fine.”

I smiled down at her, stroking her mane tenderly. “That’s good. Just don’t be afraid to talk to anyone if you need to.”

She smiled a bit, then snuggled up closer. “Thanks…” she whispered.

“Scootaloo? You okay?” Apple Bloom asked as she and Sweetie Belle rejoined us.

Scootaloo, who was still snuggling up close to me in my wing hug, wiped her eyes. “Yeah,” she said after clearing her throat and waving her hoof so the others could see her, “I’m fine.”

I grinned, then lifted the other two fillies up in my magic. “It’s warmer in here,” I said as I placed them on either side of Scootaloo and wrapped them tighter in my wings. “See?”

“Wow, yer right!” Apple Bloom.

“It’s so soft,” Sweetie Belle said.

I grinned, then an idea came to me. I pulled out my phone and opened up my music. “Listen to this, you three,” I said.

“What is it?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“A song some humans wrote about the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” I said as I played Crusader (Are We There Yet) by Black Gryph0n & Baasik. I sang along with it as I cast the same spell that amplified the music from my phone. The Crusaders listened with wide eyes as the song played. Even Scootaloo was shocked to hear a song about her and her friends.

A few nearby Ponies heard the song and followed me, listening to the song as I let it play around me. The cute fillies in my wings began bobbing their heads to the beat, and I even saw Scootaloo’s own sorrow fading a bit. When the song finished, Scootaloo gave me a grin. “Okay…that was pretty awesome.”

“Are ya kiddin’? That was amazin’!” Apple Bloom said happily.

“Somepony else writing a song about us? That’s just…I don’t know the words!” Sweetie Belle said with excitement. “It makes me wanna go searching for my cutie mark more!”

I laughed. “That’s not the message of the song, but I’m glad to see you all with the drive to find your destiny. I can’t wait to see it come in real life.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened more. “You know what our cutie marks are gonna be?!”

I nodded. “I know a possibility.”

“Tell us! Tell us!” Sweetie Belle begged, bouncing in my wings. Even Scootaloo looked curious now.

I shook my head. “That would take away from the magic of finding it out yourselves,” I said. When their faces fell a bit, I added, “Listen, you three, if I told you what your cutie marks were in the show, it wouldn't be as special as you learning it on your own. But…I can tell you this: you’re on the right track. And you’ll figure out your special calling. I promise.” I stroked their manes gently just as I entered Sugarcube Corner.

“Jethy! You’re here early!” Pinkie said happily, bounding over to me in that typical Pinkie Pie style. When she saw the Crusaders lying in my wings, she went, “Awww! That looks comfy!”

“They think so.” I gently placed the Crusaders down. “Go get some punch.” As they left, I turned to Pinkie. “That’s alright for them to do, right?”

“Yep! Well, I’ve gotta go! Party planning isn’t over yet!” And with that, she bounded away towards the stairs.

I looked around and chuckled at all that she’d done so far. The room was decked out more than it normally was as was expected for a Pinkie Pie shindig. A pink banner on the wall read Thanks for Saving Equestria and Glad You’re Feeling Better, Jethro! in balloon shaped words of every color. She’d used crayons to color in confetti onto the banner itself. I could smell the fruit punch nearby, and the table was filled with all sorts of goodies, like a massive cake, a chocolate fountain, all sorts of various other baked goods, and one alabaster Alicorn drooling over the massive cake. Snickering to myself, I pulled out my handkerchief, slowly tip-toed up, and reached out to dab at her mouth. “A princess should never drool, Celestia,” I snickered.

She jumped and turned back to me. “Oh my! Heh, sorry about that,” she said, a small blush on her face.

“She’s always had a weakness for cake,” another familiar voice said from behind me.

“I know,” I grinned, turning to see Luna standing behind me. “It’s good to see you. Both of you. But what are you doing down here? Surely this party is a bit…common…compared to the ones you’re used to, right?”

Celestia and Luna both chuckled at that before the former said, “What sort of Princesses would we be if we didn’t attend a party honoring all that our knight has done?”

“Indeed,” Luna added, moving closer to face me. “Jethro, you’re worth waking up early for.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “All this attention…it’s a bit overwhelming at times,” I admitted.

“You deserve it, Jethy!” Pinkie said, popping out from nowhere and kissing my cheek before disappearing again.

“Damn, that mare has become seriously overly affectionate,” I said, touching the spot where she kissed me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luna frowning slightly, but when I turned towards her, she had regained her neutral face. “May I ask how the dinner went with the Rich family?” she asked, possibly trying to change the subject.

I inhaled and sighed. “It…started out alright, but the end…”

Both princesses faces fell slightly. “I’ve heard stories about Mrs. Rich’s abhorrent behavior in the past,” Celestia said, “but I never thought she could treat anypony as cruelly as she’s treated you.”

“I tried my best, I really did,” I said. “I never yelled at her, never struck her except when she insulted my Zecora, and never belittled her. I even tried to include her in the conversation. But…in the end, her marriage to Mr. Rich might be over.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “What happened, exactly?” she asked worriedly.

So I pulled them aside to a corner and told them the whole story. Celestia listened with sadness, while Luna grew more and more furious. When I finished with the story, I could see Luna trembling in rage. “Why that…pompous…stuck up…bitch,” she practically growled. “You treat her better than she deserved, and she threw it back in your face! Why, I should-!”

She stopped the moment Celestia put a wing on her back. “No, Luna,” she said, and I could hear sorrow in the Alicorn’s voice. “She’s brought this on herself.” She turned to me and a sad smile formed on her face. “Most other Ponies would never have tolerated her as well as you did, my friend. I commend you for that.” She put a hoof on my shoulder.

I put my hand over it gently and squeezed. “I’m just wondering if there was more I could have done,” I said.

“There are Ponies so stuck in their beliefs that they’ll either rationalize behavior that goes against their beliefs or just flat out deny it,” Celestia sighed. “I do hope, for the sake of her little filly, that she does change, but it might never happen.”

I nodded. “You’re right. I did all I could.”

Luna still looked pissed, but thanks to Celestia stroking her sister’s back with her wings, she was beginning to calm down. “To think such crass behavior exists in the modern era,” she growled angrily.

“Lulu, I’m just as angry,” Celestia said, “but there’s nothing we can do. She didn’t break any laws.”

“Isn’t insulting a knight of the realm a serious offense?” Luna asked. “If not, it should be!”

“If you take away the people’s right to speak, that’s the first step towards a tyrannical dictatorship,” I said. “Freedom of speech is an absolute right. She has the right to say what she wants to me and about me all she wants.”

“But she is wrong about you!” Luna said with a hint of worry. “And if anypony else starts to believe her, you could be in great danger! I won’t stand for it.”

“You’ll have to,” Celestia said. “Lulu, you don’t think I’m not angry? During that town meeting, there were times when I wanted to lash out at her, but Jethro is right. We can’t do anything to her for talking ill of our knight.”

“Let’s…talk about some other subject,” I said, trying to brighten the mood.

“Yes, that would be nice,” Celestia said.

“What manner of hat do you wear,” Luna asked. “I’ve seen many winter caps in Canterlot, but none such as this.”

I smiled. “This? This is a Santa hat. Lots of humans wear this during the Christmas season.” And I began to explain…

When I finished telling them about my favorite holiday, the room was filled with other Ponies, including the Bearers of Harmony, Scarlet, Spike and Zecora, who had all joined us at the same time. When Rarity asked me about the Santa hat, I had, once again, told them about Christmas, but in more detail than before. I was no expert, but I told of the religious origins, and then about some of the traditions involved in the evolving Christmas holiday, including yule logs, mistletoe, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and traditional Christmas feasts.

“That’s so interesting!” Twilight said as she put away her notebook. “A religious holiday becoming secular over a thousand years! And the origins!”

“Calm down there, you adorkable nerd,” I grinned as I stroked her mane gently.

Twilight instantly relaxed. “Oooh…right there,” she said softly. “That’s niiice…”

“What is mistletoe?” Spike asked, not so subtly looking at Rarity.

“It’s a plant that I’ve only ever found in the Everfree,” Zecora explained. “I use them in some of my healing potions, but only a small amount since they can cause pain if too much is eaten. And relieving yourself after eating it isn’t fun either.”

“So…like going to Taco Bell,” I snorted. Only Scarlet got that joke, and she snickered as the rest of the group just looked at me with confusion. I waved my hand. “Inside joke from Earth. I’ll explain another time. But for now, Pinkie? You mentioned that you wanted me to bring music?” I held up my iPhone. “All my digital music and all the music of humanity is right here. What kind of music do you want?”

“Party music, obviously!”

I looked over at Scarlet, then grinned. “Andrew W.K.?”

She grinned back. “Andrew W.K.”

I turned to Pinkie. “Pinkie, you got some microphones in that glorious pink mane of yours?”

“Nope! But I do have some nearby!” She bounded off towards one of the walls where she pulled out two microphones in their stands. She pulled it towards the front of the room, then bounded back. “Here you are!”

“Thanks, Pinks.” I pulled out my phone, went to YouTube, typed in the name of the song I was thinking of, then showed it to Scarlet. “You know this one?”

She grinned wider. “By heart.”

“Poifect. Let’s rock their socks off.” The two of us headed to the front of the room where we both grabbed the mics. “Good evening Ponyville!” I said into the microphone. My voice echoed through the room, amplified by the mic and whatever they lead to. The sounds of talking and laughing stopped and the Ponies in the room turned to me. “I know that part of this party is for my recovery, and I’m grateful that you all came, but let’s look at the first part of the banner Pinkie made, shall we?” I pointed towards it, and was satisfied to see the crowd look up. “It reads ‘Thanks For Saving Equestria’, doesn’t it? Well, why don’t we all give a massive, and I mean massive, round of applause to the six mares who did the actual saving. Let’s hear it for the Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy!”

And with that, the Ponies in the room went wild, stomping their hooves hard as the six mares near the center of the room all either blushed, waved proudly, or smiled gratefully at the other Ponies in the room. I smiled and as the applause finally died, continued, “I am proud to call those six the best of friends, and I’m also proud to call others of you my friends as well. But that’s not the main reason I came up here. Scarlet and I are going to sing a party song from Earth!” That elicited more cheers from the audience as I set my phone down on a nearby table, then cast the amplification spell on it. Turning to Scarlet, I nodded, removed my Santa hat, tossed it aside then hit play on the video.

“When it’s time to party, we will party hard!” a robotic voice ‘sang’ all around us, before drums began to beat and electric guitars riffed loudly, initially startling the Ponies around us. And instantly, Scarlet and I were thrashing our heads hard, just like two metalheads. Her crimson mane flew about as she and I began to rock out to Party Hard by Andrew W.K.

Soon, the Ponies on the dance floor began to dance around, especially Pinkie who thrashed her own head about. The other Mane Six did so as well, some harder than others. Even the Princesses were slightly bobbing their heads to the beat. Sometimes we sang to the crowd, and sometimes we turned to each other, rocking out harder than either of us had before.

When we finished, there was silence for a bit, the two of us standing there panting heavily from the exertion. After a few seconds, the crowd stamped their hooves on the ground in raucous applause. The two of us looked at each other, then laughed and waved. “Thank you, Ponyville! We’ll be here forever!”

And that was when Scarlet decided to throw me a curve ball.

She kissed me.

Hard.

81: A Cloaked Heart's Herd Talk

Author's Note

So, I used an MLP character generator to create Scarlet Dusk as I imagine her.

Enjoy!

81: A Cloaked Heart's Herd Talk

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! Please forgive me! I wasn’t thinking!”

The party had ended about ten minutes ago, and I was walking back home with Zecora by my side, pressing herself against me comfortingly, while Scarlet flew in front of me, a terrified expression on her face as she continued to apologize for the kiss. I wasn’t mad. I didn’t hate her. I was just more confused now than ever.

“Scarlet…it’s alright, I’m not angry or anything,” I said with a small sigh. “I’m just…well, why did you do it?”

Scarlet lowered her head. “Like I said, I wasn’t thinking. I was so caught up in the moment that-”

“It is not wise of you to deceive, do not a web of lies interweave,” Zecora interrupted, looking up at the Pegasus with a stern expression.

Scarlet looked even more terrified now. “B-But-”

“Cat’s out of the bag, Scarlet,” I said. “If you have something to say to me, please don’t hide it.”

She took a deep breath, then landed in front of us. Zecora and I both stopped, looking at the gray mare who was trembling with fear. Zecora walked up and put one hoof on her withers. “We’ll listen to what you have to say, I promise.”

“Can…we talk back home then?” she asked softly. The tone she used reminded me of her first interaction with me back at the hospital. She was scared and vulnerable, and talking in the open was not the best idea.

“Sure, let’s go talk back home,” I said, resuming the walk.

The walk home was one of silence as the two mares walked beside me. The night air was crisp and cold, and I could smell some rain in the air. I knew we were due for a night of rain, but not as bad as the storm we had a couple nights before. The moment we got back to the house, the rain had just begun to fall. We were inside before the windows of heaven were opened.

I used my magic to start a fire in the living room, then I sat at one of the couches, with Zecora by my side. Scarlet chose to sit opposite us, looking down at the floor and rubbing her hoof on the couch. The three of us sat in silence for a bit. Scarlet took a couple breaths after a while, then straightened up and faced me, a determined look in her eyes. “Jethro Bethridge, I’m in love with you.”

Silence again as the words washed over me. Zecora put a hoof on my leg reassuringly, but I kept my gaze on Scarlet for a bit as I tried to wrap my mind around this new development. A few moments passed, before I finally asked, “Why?”

And that was when the floodgates opened. “Why? Why?!” She stood up and walked over to me, sitting in front of me. “Jethro, ever since we met, you’ve done so much for me! You took me to the hospital when you didn’t need to, you paid for my treatment, you gave me a home and a chance to repay all the debts I’ve racked up since coming to this town! You showed me so many amazing and wonderful things from your world that brought me laughter and joy!” She looked up pleadingly at me now. “I know I use a lot of innuendoes with you, and if that bothers you, I’ll stop, but I only did that because I didn’t know how to tell you my feelings!”

“You just did,” I said with a sigh.

“And do you know how hard that was for me?!” she shouted, tears in her eyes now. “I know you have a different way of thinking than Ponies! The idea of a herd scares you, I know that! But I couldn’t help myself! I fell in love with you despite that and I couldn’t take it anymore!”

As she started to collapse, I caught her and pulled her close into a hug. She wept into my shirt as Zecora rubbed her back gently. “Shhh…let it all out, Scarlet,” I whispered.

Scarlet’s cries grew louder as she buried her face into my shirt. “I’m so sorry! I’m sorry!” she continued to apologize.

“You don’t need to apologize for your feelings,” Zecora said.

“She’s right,” I added.

“But I kissed you!” she said teary eyed.

“Yes, yes you did,” I said, “and that was just the wakeup call I needed.”

She looked up at me, now confused as she wiped tears from her eyes with her wings. “What do you mean…?” she asked.

“I’ve put this off for far too long,” I whispered. “Tomorrow, I start thinking about this seriously. Thinking about the idea of forming a herd.”

There comes a time in every man’s life where he makes a solid decision to make irreversible changes to how he lives. Maybe he gets a doctor’s report that his cholesterol is so high that he’s at major risk of a heart attack so he makes the decision to either start a new diet or ignore it out of pride. Maybe he hears from his wife or loved one that he is about to be a father so he makes the decision to either man up and take responsibility or run away from his responsibilities. Maybe he decides to get a new job, but the dream job he wants requires a degree, so he goes back to college at a later time in life than most college students.

For me, it was that kiss that Scarlet gave me.

The kiss itself wasn’t the issue. I’d been getting kisses from Pinkie for a while, and while surprising, they never really made an impact on me, although they probably should have. No, the kiss from Scarlet had something more to it. There was passion there, sure, but there was something more. A desperation, perhaps? No, there was genuine affection in it. Genuine love, which only added to the confession the night before.

Needless to say, it snapped me out of my assumed ignorance. I wasn’t blind, after all. Celestia had told me about Luna’s supposed crush on me, which I now all but knew to be fact judging by the jealous look Luna gave Scarlet mere moments after the crimson eyed Pegasus broke the kiss. I wasn’t blind to affectionate glances from other mares or affectionate gestures. I was just a coward, too afraid to even think about it or even make any kind of decision.

Oh, I could easily say something to the effect of “I’ve had no time to think about the idea of even indulging in a herd, thank you very much,” but that would be a lie. I had plenty of time in Canterlot while I was recovering from Eris’ attack, but I chose to ignore it.

That kiss, unexpected in the moment, was just what this cowardly bastard needed, which is how I found myself flying behind Rainbow Dash towards her original hometown.

Cloudsdale during the fall was not that much different from how I remembered it from my first visit. The Pegasi living there were wearing cold weather gear, for one, and the clouds the city was made of looked a bit thicker and darker, like they were constantly threatening to precipitate on the landscape below. The Ponies, when they saw Rainbow, waved, but then hesitated when they saw me flying behind her. They were more than likely still anxious about what they’d seen or heard from Eris. That, and they had more reason to be nervous around me, since from what I heard, a good number of Ponies perished here.

But I pushed my own anxiety at being here down. I had a purpose here. I had someone I needed to talk to. Or rather, four Ponies.

Rainbow Dash, being a Pegasus, wasn’t blind to the reactions of her fellow Pegasi, so she moved back and flew beside me instead of in front of me. Moving as close as she could (my wingspan was larger than hers) she called out, “I’ve told them that it wasn’t your fault, you know? But I guess it wasn’t enough.”

She was definitely the Element of Loyalty. I smiled gratefully at her. “Don’t go beating yourself up. I’ll make the time to talk to them. But…I have a more pressing matter that I need to deal with pronto.”

Rainbow Dash flew in front of me, stopping me midflight over a small intersection in the floating city below. “Is it really that big of a deal? Scarlet likes you. Zecora said she’s fine with you being in a herd, so why not try?”

“Rainbow, it’s not that simple for me.” I rubbed my forehead. “Humans find it next to impossible to have successful polyamorous relationships.”

“Poly-what now?”

“A human version of a herd,” I simplified. “It almost never works for humans. I mean, there’s been polygamy in the past and even in modern times, but that’s more of a male power thing than anything else.”

She approached and poked my chest hard and looking at me sternly. “You’d better make a definite decision then, mister, because I know Scarlet isn’t the only Pony who feels this way.”

“Why do you think I’m here today?” I asked, poking her back with my finger, giving her an equally stern expression before it faded and I looked at the sky. “The problem is there isn’t another human I can talk to in Equestria who can help, or relate to my religious upbringing…”

Rainbow sighed. “I’m not an egghead, but I do know when somepony’s in love. And isn’t love enough between two or more Ponies?”

“Do you know why I fell in love with Zecora?” I asked.

She thought a bit, then shook her head. “Nope.”

“Well, it started out because we were kindred spirits,” I said, then noticing the look of confusion on Rainbow’s face, I clarified, “We’re both non-Ponies in a Pony dominated land. We’re both aliens, she from a different continent, me from a different universe. It was nice knowing that I wasn’t alone in a sense. But then as we got to know each other, we became best friends. I found a new love in crafting potions with her, and she and I shared a love of the night and stargazing. I’ve also showed her a lot of human media, and she’s eaten it up. Not as much as Scarlet, but still enough. And the fact that she was willing to temporarily give up her normal form for me just made me fall for her even more. All she’s done for me was more than enough for me to fall hard for her. Love is a powerful emotion, but it’s not all there is to a relationship, you know. Sure, it’s a big part, but still, not the whole picture.”

“And what about Scarlet?” Rainbow asked.

“Scarlet’s one of my closest friends, and I care deeply for her,” I said, “but there’s a way of thinking in my world that says that if you fall for two women, you should go for the one you fell for second because there was something in the second that made you forget the first. It’s a loyalty thing.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened a bit. “Now that I understand, but I just said Zecora is perfectly fine with it, remember?”

“But am I okay with it!?” I asked, nearly shouting now. “If I do decide to try and go out with Zecora, Scarlet and whoever else might like me, not only is that a hell of a lot of work, which isn’t as big of a deal, but I can’t promise to love them equally like they would deserve. There’d always be a favorite, and there’d always be that lingering guilt that would seep into my soul. What if we were in some life-or-death situation and I was forced to choose between, say, Zecora and Scarlet? How could I make that choice?!”

I was hyperventilating now, trying hard not to break down in front of my friend and flight instructor and the other Pegasi below. Rainbow looked stunned for a bit, then in an instant her front hooves were thrown around my neck, hugging me as tightly as she could. Her wings weren’t flapping anymore, so it was only me holding us up. I lowered myself down onto the nearest sidewalk and hugged her back. “Jethro,” she whispered, “There’s no set rules on how much love to give in a herd. All that really matters is the happiness of said herd. As a family. As best friends. And lovers.”

I sniffed. “When did you get so wise?” I joked.

She broke the hug, smacked my arm and hovered in front of me, smirking. “I’m not an egghead, but you did call me smart once.”

“And you are,” I said.

“Nopony’s gonna force this on you,” she said.

“No, maybe not, but I need to make a decision. I’ve sat on my ass for far too long,” I replied.

“And what a sexy ass it is,” Rainbow said with a smirk as she flew down the street, laughing.

“You’ve been hanging with Scarlet too much!” I shouted as I flew after her, laughing along with her.

“Here’s their house,” Rainbow said about ten minutes later. We were standing in front of a two-story house on the west side of the city. Like most houses in Cloudsdale that I’d seen, the place was massive and had large windows that any Pegasi could fly through at any time, which made sense when I thought about it, but that wasn’t why I was here.

“What were their names again?” I asked.

“The stallion of the house is Stormy Chaser, and his wives are Lilly Sunlight, Bookend Order and Emerald Cake,” Rainbow said. “I knew Stormy and Lilly back in Junior Speedsters flight camp,” she further explained as she knocked on the front door.

The door opened a few moments later to reveal a bright blue Pegasus with a long yellow and green striped mane and tail and yellow eyes. Her cutie mark was a ledger and a pen in an inkwell beside it. The moment she saw Rainbow, her eyes widened and she shouted, “Crashy!”

“Booky!” Rainbow replied as she threw her hooves around her friend.

“How’ve yuh been, yuh daredevil yuh?” Booky, or Bookend as I assumed she was, said in what sounded like a Brooklyn accent.

“Same old, same old,” Rainbow said. “And how about you? Still keeping order in this place for that husband of yours?”

“Like yuh woun't believe!” Bookend said as she rolled her eyes. “Emerald's been spendin' mawh than we have in our budget again, so we've had tuh cut out some of de date nights dis month befawh we all get paid.”

“How’s everypony else doing?” Rainbow asked with a wide grin.

“Dey're doin' great! Stawhmy and Lilly are a bit busiuh than nawhmal preparin' fawh wintuh, but dey're all off today.” Bookend finally noticed me, and her smile faded. She pointed to me. “Crashy, why is he here?”

Rainbow’s own smile faded. “Now hold on, Booky, before you say anything, nothing you saw was his fault. Eris is back in stone, and the princesses promised better protection. Besides, he’s a knight now! And I can vouch for him.” Rainbow flew back towards me, putting one hoof around my shoulders.

I bowed respectfully. “I take it you’re Mrs. Bookend Order. I’m honored to make your acquaintance, ma’am.”

Bookend looked at me cautiously, then back at Rainbow. “Yuh sure he's on de level?”

“I’ll even Pinkie Promise if it’ll make you feel better,” Rainbow said.

“No, yuh doan need tuh do dat. If yuh say he's okay, den I believe yuh.” She turned to me and nodded politely in my direction "Nice tuh meetcha, Mr. Bethridge. Or is it Sir Bethridge, or what?”

“You can just call me Jethro,” I said.

“Well, what can I do fawh yuh den, Jethro?” Bookend asked.

“It’s…a rather unique topic for me,” I explained. “It has to do with herds.”

“What about dem?” she asked nonchalantly.

Rainbow sighed. “Booky, back where he’s from, herds aren’t a thing. And there are a few other mares showing interest in him.”

“And I need to know how herds work from someone actually in one,” I said. “If it’s too much trouble, I can ask someone else-”

“Doan wawhry about it, alright? Come on in and I'll get de others.” She stepped aside. “Yuh comin’, Crashy?”

Rainbow hesitated for a bit, then shrugged. “Sure, why not? Maybe I’ll learn something. And maybe I’ll get to try some of Emerald’s famous chocolate pie!”

Bookend laughed. “Dere's a few slices left in de fridge. I'll getcha one. Yuh want somethin', Jethro, or what?”

“Just some water if you don’t mind,” I said.

“Alright,” she said as she led us down a small hallway into a large living room with two couches, one right against the massive front window and one against the wall right next to the hallway. On the wall opposite the latter couch was a large desk with papers strewn about and a light focused on said paperwork. “Take a seat anywhere and I'll get de others and your refreshments.” And with that, the Pegasus walked off.

“I thought you absolutely hated pies,” I said as I took a seat.

“Emerald’s pies are an exception,” she said. “She makes them just right!”

“I’ll take your word for it,” I said. “By the way, you don’t have to be here, you know?”

“Are you kidding? After how Booky reacted to you? I’m not leaving. Besides, I wasn’t lying when I said I might learn something about herds.”

I smirked. “Egghead.”

“Don’t tell Twilight,” she grumbled as four sets of hoofsteps began approaching from down the nearby set of stairs.

The first to come down was a stallion with white fur, dark blue mane and fur, blue eyes and three clouds in a triangle with lighting attaching them for a cutie mark. Behind him, Bookend came down before heading towards another room, presumably the kitchen. Then a second and third mare walked down, the latter carrying a newborn baby foal on her back. The second mare was bright yellow with dark orange and red striped mane and tail, along with blue eyes. Her cutie mark was of a sun shining on a small plant. The third mare had bright green fur, a darker shade of red on her mane and tail, and one green and one red eye. She had a slice of cake with a candle sticking out of it for her cutie mark. All of them were Pegasi, including the cream colored Pegasus with chartreuse eyes, mane and tail.

Upon seeing who was in their living room, the three new Ponies all hesitated. All except for the foal who immediately jumped off of the third mare’s back and flew up to me, eyes wide with curiosity. The third mare gasped and, in a soft voice, called out, “Sunstone, don’t!”

Sunstone didn’t seem to hear the bright green mare, who I assumed was Emerald. Instead, the young foal started to smile and giggle as it flew around me, laughing. I couldn’t help it: I reached out, gently caught the young Sunstone and stroked the mane. Sunstone cooed at that.

“Well, I’ll be,” the stallion, presumably Stormy, said in awe, “She never warms up that fast to anypony.”

I smiled down at the diapered young filly. “She’s adorable,” I said, “she’ll grow up to be a heartthrob one day.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Stormy said gruffly.

Emerald rushed over to me, hiding one eye behind her mane shyly. “I’m sorry about my daughter,” she said apologetically, in a tone that vaguely reminded me of Fluttershy and the show’s version of Marble Pie.

“It’s alright,” I said with a smile as I lifted the little filly up and handed her back to her mom. Sunstone didn’t seem to like that, and whined a bit, but I gently touched her nose and smiled. “Be a good filly for mommy, okay?”

As she took the little filly back, Stormy looked me up and down with an appraising eye. “So…” he began, “you’re the alien everypony’s talking about, eh?”

“Stormy! Be nice,” Rainbow said defensively.

Stormy finally saw Rainbow Dash, and a friendly grin formed on his face. “Rainbow Dash, nice to see you again. Crash into any teacher’s lately?”

“You crash into one teacher…” she mumbled in frustration as the four Ponies laughed. I held in my laughter since I was still unsure as to their view on me. “Look, Jethro needs some help here, you guys.”

“What kind of help is it?” the bright yellow Pegasus mare asked. Her accent sounded slightly British.

“It…has to do with herds,” Rainbow said, looking a bit embarrassed herself suddenly.

Stormy raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “Herds? Why would you need to know about herds?”

“Well…” I started, taking a deep breath, “back where I’m from, my home planet, herds aren’t a thing for humans. We find it impossible to have more than one romantic partner, but you Ponies seem to have that down to a science. I’m in a loving relationship with someone right now, but I’ve been made increasingly aware that other mares are starting to develop feelings for me. I wanted to know more about how a herd works, and what better place to start than from an actual herd?”

Stormy looked back at the two mares in the room, then back at me. “Well…if Rainbow Dash is vouching for you, I don’t see why we can’t answer a few questions.”

Bookend came in just then, carrying a small plate with a chocolate pie on it and a glass of ice water for me. She handed them to us then went to sit with her fellow wives. “Where do yuh wanna start?” she asked.

I bit my lower lip. “Oh God, where do I even begin? Well, I suppose my biggest problem would be the issue of favoritism. How do stallions not favor one mare over the other? I mean, surely you love one mare more, right? Or am I completely off the mark?”

Stormy nodded in understanding, then replied, “You’re half right and half wrong. I can’t speak for other stallions, but for me, I love all of my wives in a different way, but I do love them. I love how organized Bookend is. She’s the one keeping this house in order. It shows me that she cares for my wellbeing and the wellbeing of her fellow wives and the household in general.”

“Doan yuh go makin' me blush now,” Bookend smiled, a bit of color in her cheeks.

He gave her a loving smile, then turned back to me. “I love how Lilly’s devoted to this house as well by the hundred and ten percent she gives at work. You can vouch for that, Rainbow.” Rainbow nodded, a bit of pie crumbs on her face. “She was my first wife. I met her about ten years ago at the weather factory, and our friendship grew into love. She’s the Prime Mare because of that.”

Lilly blushed hard and giggled. “Flattery will get you everywhere, dear,” she crooned.

Stormy chuckled, then concluded, “I love how Emerald has a love of making our stomachs happy,” he said jokingly, causing the poor aforementioned mare to blush as well, “but in all seriousness, Emerald cares for this household and brings not only good food, but a wicked sense of humor, plus our first foal Sunstone.”

“But how do you not favor one over the other?” I asked.

“We have schedules for one-on-one date time with him,” Lilly said, “and we have group outings.”

“Seems a bit…mechanical, don’t you think?” I asked.

Stormy sighed. “Well, we four make it work,” he said. “Sir Jethro, you need to understand that Ponies have been doing this for many hundreds of years. We’ve come up with a lot of different systems that work for us. I won’t lie, it’s work, just like any relationship, but the rewards are worth it. You help to meet the needs of your herd and they help you. You love them, and they love you back. In my case threefold. They also are the best of friends and love each other dearly.” He grinned conspiratorially, moved closer and whispered, “And if I’m a lucky stallion, I can watch them go at it together.”

My jaw dropped at that, and the image of how the hell lesbian sex worked for equines flashed in my mind. Oddly enough, I’d pictured Zecora and Scarlet together. I shook my head clear of the image, then returned Stormy’s grin with my own. “Lucky bastard,” I whispered back.

He threw back his head and roared in laughter. “I know I am,” he said after he calmed down.

“Hey, I’ve got a question,” Rainbow said, turning to the mares. “You think it’s possible for an interspecies herd to work?”

“I actually knew a stallion back in Great Britmane who was in a herd with two Zebras and three Ponies,” Lilly said. “I’m of the firm believe that as long as there’s open communication between each member of the herd, it can work out beautifully. We have weekly check in dates where we air our grievances and make the best amends we can to each other,” she added.

“I know we’re not perfect,” Emerald said softly. “I do have the tendency to spend more money than I should, but Bookend is helping me curb that behavior.”

“Din't stop yuh from buyin' those signed copies of Darin' Do's books,” Bookend grumbled.

Emerald came out of her shell a bit. “They were signed copies, Booky. Signed!”

“Sweeties, not in front of our guests,” Stormy said. He turned back to Rainbow. “Rainy, anything is possible if you work hard for it, but it looks like your friend here might not want it.”

“I’m an alien in a world completely foreign to me,” I replied defensively. The room went silent at my tone, and I sighed. “I’m sorry…I want to make the right decision, and this one is the hardest one I’ve had to make here. Whether to even attempt a herd or potentially ruin some of the best friendships I’ve had in years.”

“Making a herd isn’t for everypony,” Emerald said kindly. “Your friends will understand.”

“I know they will, but I’ve never liked the idea of hurting the feelings of anyone like that, accidentally or intentionally,” I said.

“Nopony does, ya dig?” Bookend said.

“You shouldn’t have to give up your own happiness to make somepony else happy,” Stormy said.

I knew all this, but I was still confused and worried. But I’d come too far to back down now. “Well, if you’re okay with it, could I ask a few more questions?”

Rainbow, Zecora and I were walking to Sugarcube Corner where Scarlet was working that day, after a long Q&A with Stormy and his herd. It was just past three in the afternoon, and I knew she was about to get off work. I’d asked a bunch of questions and gotten plenty of answers along with the names of other herds to talk to in case I needed more advice. Rainbow and Zecora were both silent, a thoughtful expression on Rainbow’s face, which wasn’t something I saw on her face very often. Pulling out a copper bit from my coin pouch, I held it up. “Bit for your thoughts,” I said.

Rainbow looked up, a bit startled. “Huh? Oh, guess I was just thinking about a few things.”

I ruffled her mane. “Don’t go thinking too hard there, ‘Crashy’,” I teased before I turned serious again. “But seriously, what’s on your mind?”

She looked down at the ground for a bit, then sighed. “Just…there’s a lot I didn’t know about herds, is all,” she said. “I thought it was just one stallion and a few mares loving on each other and fucking.”

I snorted and grinned. “Is that what you think Zecora and I do?”

“Um…” she had enough sense to look embarrassed.

I laughed. “Sure, we do love on each other and make love, but there’s a lot to even a relationship like ours that makes it work. We spend time doing things we love together, like stargazing, dates, potion making and watching human TV shows. Hell, I’ve even asked her to teach me some Zebra meditation techniques at some point.”

“But there’s also compromise,” Zecora added. “There are certain things that I enjoy that he does not, but he still engages in them with me. The same is true in reverse. But we still love each other even if we don’t share the exact same hobbies.”

“Exactly! I mean, look at the two of us, Rainbow!” I gestured between her and me.

Rainbow looked a bit startled. “What about us?”

“Well, we do share a couple of interests, but at the same time, not. We both like to fly, although you probably like it more. I love a good practical joke as long as the one I’m pranking is okay with it and as long as it’s a safe prank, but at the same time I like reading sometimes, and you don’t.” At least, currently you don’t, I thought. “And yet despite that, we’re really close friends.”

As we arrived in front of Sugarcube Corner, I thought I saw Rainbow Dash blushing a bit, but it was gone by the time I tried to get a closer look. She had a grin on her face, then said, “You got an answer yet?”

“I have…something, I think,” I said, tensing up as I faced the door to the famous bakery and sweet shop.

“Well, get in there, then,” Rainbow said, getting behind me and shoving me towards the door.

She pushed me with enough force that I didn’t just stumble through the door, but fell flat on my face the moment I was inside. I hit the floor rather hard and groaned in pain as I tried to stand. “Damn it, Rainbow!” I shouted as Zecora rushed in to help me up.

The cyan Pegasus was beside me instantly, laughing a bit nervously. “Ehehe, oopsies?” she said as she too, helped me to my feet.

I glowered at her, but froze when I heard a familiar gray Pegasus calling out my name hesitantly. “J…Jethro?”

I looked up and saw a nervous and somewhat flustered looking Scarlet looking at me with some concern. She was carrying a platter of cupcakes behind the counter, and a few steps away Pinkie stood, her mouth full with a platter of ice cream cake. Pinkie put down her platter and rushed over. “Jethy! You okay?” She pulled me up and brushed any dirt off of me quickly.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Pinks,” I said, but my attention was solely on Scarlet. I gently stepped past Pinkie, and walked right up to Scarlet. “Scarlet Dusk.”

She put the tray down, trembling a bit at my neutral tone. “Y-Yes?” she asked.

“I’ve thought a lot about what you said and did last night,” I said, keeping my face neutral, “and today I spent some time thinking long and hard about it.”

She looked at me, eyes wide. “And…and what…?” she asked.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. “I can’t promise anything definite, but I want to give this a chance. I want to give this herd thing a chance. I want to see if I’m capable of it.”

I felt like her eyes might pop out of her skull at this. “Are you-?”

“Scarlet Dusk, I’m asking you out…out on a date.”

She screamed in pure joy and flew up to me, tossing her hooves around me and hugging me close. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” she said excitedly as the two of us fell onto the floor again, me on my back groaning in shock as the excitable mare continued thanking me over and over.

I looked up at Zecora, who was snickering with amusement. Rolling my eyes, I said, “Yeah…regretting this already…”

82: A Cloaked Heart's Second First Date Pt. 1

I knew better than to keep something like this from my friends. Especially since Pinkie Pie had seen me asking Scarlet out. I made her promise not to tell the others, at least not until I had a chance to. So, later that evening, I called them over to my house where I sat them down and told them just what I was planning on doing.

There was stunned silence, before Twilight stood and exclaimed, “A herd? A herd?! You’ve barely been in Equestria half a year and you’re already considering a herd?!”

We were in my main living room, Zecora sitting on my right and Scarlet on my left. Sitting around me were the rest of the Mane Six. Well, almost all of them were sitting. Twilight Sparkle had jumped out of her seat and was pacing the floor anxiously as she continued her rant, her hooves stomping the floor instead of their normal clopping sound. She stopped in front of me, turned and leaned closer fast, her face filling my vision. “Jethro Edward Bethridge, what are you thinking?!”

“I don’t know why you’re so stressed out about it, Twi,” I said, honestly confused. “I mean, I’m the one considering it.”

Her eye twitched, and she whirled on me. Stomping over, she poked my chest hard. “You’re my friend, Jethro!” she shouted, before taking a few deep breaths and calming down. “I…I know how hard it’s been for you to adjust to our way of life. I’m just…I’m worried about you.”

“We all are,” Fluttershy said, standing herself and coming over beside Twilight. She put a hoof on my leg gently, and I could see the look in her eyes. She was indeed worried about me.

Either that, or jealous.

Yeah, if I was to make an educated guess, then I would guess that Fluttershy was one of those other Ponies Rainbow Dash told me about the day before. The ones that had affections for me. It would make sense as to why Rainbow was overprotective and why Fluttershy would cling to me so often. It would also explain why she sat so close to me every time we read some Earth manga despite me being able to project the screen into the air like some magical hologram.

And it could also explain why she was trembling slightly.

I put a hand on Fluttershy’s hoof, and smiled kindly at her. “The worry and care is appreciated, Flutters. It really is. Thank you.”

Applejack was the next one to come up. She looked at me, scrutinizing me carefully. “Yer a grown stallion, so ah can’t see any reason why ya can’t make this choice yerself. Just be careful, ya hear?”

I smiled. “Always.”

“Can I say something?” Scarlet asked. When all eyes were on her, she inhaled and said, “I know how hard it is to assimilate to a culture not your own. I’m still learning about Ponyville culture, and Equestria culture in general. I know the contrasts between human and Pony culture better than most in this room. What I did during the party was a big mistake, I’ll admit it, and I apologize for it. But I won’t apologize for my feelings for Jethro. I love him so much that my heart aches. But if nothing happens between us, then nothing happens, and we go back to being friends.”

Pinkie bounded over to the still fretting Twilight and put a hoof on her back. “Come on, Twilight! Nothing bad is gonna happen! Sure, Scar-Scar can be a bit pervy, but she’s a good mare!”

I smirked and looked down at Scarlet. “Scar-Scar, eh?”

“Pinkie is…yeah…”

“An acquired taste, I know,” I replied knowingly.

“A seeexy acquired taste?” Pinkie crooned, grinning at me as she suddenly leaped into my lap.

“Pinkie Pie, calm yourself!” Rarity shouted.

I smirked at the pink Pony, then leaned forward. “Yes, Pinks. A very sexy acquired taste.” I flicked her nose gently and laughed as she scrunched up her face. She got off of me and stepped back. I looked at the gathered Ponies. “I get you’re worried. Believe me, I do. I’m more worried than you can imagine. But I’ve been sitting on my ass about this for far too long. I’m a member of this world now. I should try and adapt a little bit more than I have been.”

Rarity spoke next, standing and moving beside Applejack. “Darling, are you absolutely sure you want to try this? There’s no going back if you do.”

“I know, but I need to try,” I said. “I need to see if I’m capable of this.”

“And if you are?” Fluttershy asked, and I didn’t miss the slight hope in her voice.

“Then, if this works, I’ll have a herd, I suppose,” I said. Even though I had a suspicion that she might like me, I didn’t want to call her out on it or give her false hope. It might break her heart, and seeing Fluttershy broken would break me. “I don’t know how this is going to end, but I do know that I’ll have to work extremely hard at it if I want it to work out.”

“But do you want it to work?” Twilight asked nervously.

I turned to her, reaching out and putting a hand on her cheek. She leaned into it automatically, still looking worried. I held out my other hand and summoned pen, ink and a piece of paper from a nearby endtable. Placing the paper on said endtable, I began. “Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that sometimes worrying too much about your friends can be detrimental to their growth as a Pony. It could hold them back from discovering something about themselves, no matter how it might end up. Sometimes, hurt is the only way we can learn. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” I stopped the writing, lifted the paper over to her, and held it up. “Send it or not, the message won’t change. I need to know if I’m capable of being in a relationship with more than one mare.”

She bit her lip and leaned in further into my palm. Closing her eyes, she said softly, “Jethro, I can’t help but worry. From what you’ve told me about your species, you’re not a herding type.”

“We do desire companionship, but I know what you mean,” I said, removing my hand from her cheek. “But who’s to say that the part of me that’s part Pony can’t be put to good use? I know the risks.”

“As do I,” Scarlet said bravely.

To my surprise, Fluttershy flew up into Scarlet’s face, a determined look in her eyes. To her credit, Scarlet didn’t flinch as Fluttershy said in a low and threatening voice, “Don’t you dare hurt him, understood?”

Scarlet nodded, continuing to look back at Fluttershy. “On my honor as a Pony and as a citizen of Equestria, I will never intentionally do any harm to Jethro, of any kind.”

Fluttershy nodded, then landed in front of her. Turning back, she walked up to me, giving me another pleading look. “Be careful, please. Nopony here wants to see you hurt.”

“Heh, I can tell,” I said as I stroked her mane, which caused her, once again, to shudder. She leaned into my hand and sighed contentedly. I turned to Rainbow Dash. “You’ve been unusually quiet through all this, Rainbow. Do you have anything to say?”

Rainbow was sitting down, front hooves crossed across her chest. She sighed, then flew over to me slowly. I maintained eye contact with her as she stared deep into my eyes. Slowly poking my chest, she said, “You had better make this date the best date she’s ever had,” she whispered. “I don’t need both my top students heartbroken.”

I grinned. “We’re your only two students,” I smirked.

“Don’t fucking ruin this for me,” she pleaded.

“Of course.”

“Promise,” she said.

Rarity nodded immediately. “I’ll have that ready for you by the time your date comes upon you. What date do you wish to have this date?”

I frowned and considered. “Hmm…December 6th.”

“Wait, Jethro, isn’t that the day before the Council of Equestria?” Twilight asked nervously.

“Yeah, it is,” I said, “but I think I’ll need it then.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Well, I think that something to distract me from the stress right before it would be a good idea,” I said. “Besides, it’ll give me plenty of time to plan the best date ever.” I looked over at Scarlet. “And she deserves an amazing date.”

I spent part of my time after that meeting preparing for the council and the other half planning out a perfect dinner date with Scarlet in Cloudsdale. I made reservations at a theater so we could watch a play, and found a lovely restaurant where we could talk about said play afterwards.

One of the only times I was doing neither was when I spent some time with Applejack at her parents’ graves two days before my date. There, the two of us shared a moment of grief over both of our parents’ deaths. I’d never seen Applejack cry so hard before. She thanked me for being there to hear her vent and cry, but made me promise never to mention a word of this to anyone else.

Thanks to advice from Rainbow, I found a decently proper restaurant in the middle of the city called The Citrus Cellar, which was apparently well known for all of its citrusy drinks, but also known for its delicious food.

Rarity designed a warm dress suit for me, dark gray trousers, a dark mauve jacket, and a black dress shirt. She also insisted on making a lovely dress for Scarlet, but insisted on it being a surprise to me, which I was perfectly okay with.

The day of the date, Scarlet, Rarity, Twilight, Zecora and myself went up to Cloudsdale in the balloon. More specifically, Rainbow Dash’s Cloudominium. No matter how many times I saw it from the air or even on the show, it didn’t seem like there was any way Rainbow Dash could afford her place. It seemed too extravagant for her tastes, but then again, I’d seen the way most other Pegasi houses were bigger than most, which made sense to me considering the fact that Pegasi foals could fly before they could walk, so they needed the extra room.

The moment we were in Rainbow’s house, Rarity ushered the gray Pegasus upstairs while Rainbow Dash showed me a spare bedroom I could change in. Zecora came in with me and helped me into my suit.

“Are you nervous, my love?” she asked as she used her hooves to help button my dress shirt.

“Pfff, nah,” I said sarcastically. “I’m just going on a romantic date with the Pegasus I saved while my marefriend helps me get ready for it. Why the hell would I be nervous?”

Zecora rolled her eyes, then pressed her lips against mine. “We are more used to the idea than your kind are,” she said softly, leaning against me comfortingly. “I know you’re scared, but this won’t change anything between us, you know?”

I sighed. “Maybe not for you, but I’m still stuck in my own damned head. I like Scarlet a lot. She’s one of the coolest friends I have. She gets my lame Earth jokes, and pervness aside, I do like the Pony she’s become. More self-assured and knowing what she wants. And working hard to pay off all of her debts to society.”

“And her physical appearance?” Zecora asked as she grabbed my dress jacket with her teeth and brought it over to me while I adjusted my white and red tie. “Even I can tell what a beautiful mare she’s become.”

I nodded as I took the jacket from her and carefully slipped my arms and wings through the sleeves. “Yes. Scarlet is a very beautiful mare. Slender, but with the right curves in all the right places, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her goods more often than I’d like.”

Zecora chuckled. “And did you like what you saw?”

I facepalmed. “I’d be lying if I said no,” I admitted before going back to buttoning up my jacket and throwing on a black scarf for the cold. “She’s a very attractive mare, Zecora, so why does it feel like I’m betraying you?”

Zecora smiled. “You’re not betraying me, dearest. I am completely alright with you having a date with Scarlet and possibly starting a herd.”

“I’m not afraid to admit that I’m scared,” I chuckled dryly.

“I can see that in your eyes, but just take a few deep breaths and relax,” Zecora said tenderly. As I did so, she sat me down on the bed, then got behind me and nuzzled my neck. “Just breathe in and out.”

I took a few deep breaths and, sure enough, my nerves calmed down a bit more. I wasn’t about to deny, though, that there was a part of me that was excited. I had what I considered a good evening planned. Show, dinner, then a bit of a surprise beneath the starry late autumn sky. Zecora must have noticed my relaxed state because she nuzzled my face tenderly. “There’s the stallion that swept me off of my feet.”

I chuckled and blushed a bit as I finally finished changing. Standing, I turned around for Zecora to inspect. “Well? How do I look?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips and posing.

“Like a Prince,” she chuckled.

I laughed at the Aladdin reference but leaned forward and kissed Zecora once more. “Thanks, dear.”

“I want to hear all about your date,” she said, “but first, go and see the mare of the evening!” She got off the bed and started pushing me towards the door, head butting my ass as she did.

“Okay, okay! I’m going,” I laughed as I exited the room.

I was immediately ushered towards the foyer by Zecora and Twilight, the latter of whom was beaming. “Hurry up! You don’t want to be late!”

“I might not get off on planning like you do, Twilight,” a voice from the top of the stairs said with amusement, “but I think we’ll be fine.”

I turned…and saw Scarlet, wearing a low-cut crimson silk dress that was a shade or two lighter than her mane. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she was in her Anthro form again, but there she was, and she was actually blushing as she took one hold of the handrail, or was it hoofrail? Anyway, she walked down the stairs, and I didn’t miss the swaying of her hips as she approached me. Her dark gray wings slowly began to expand as she approached and she brushed part of her mane aside, pushing it behind her ear. Her dress might have been a bit simpler than the ones Rarity normally made, but the mare filling it out made it work.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she sauntered up to me slowly, raised her hand to my chin and pushed my mouth closed. “You’ll let all the flies in,” she giggled.

I blushed and smiled back at her. “I should have seen this coming,” I admitted, gesturing to her temporary Anthro form.

“It’s the least I could do,” she said sincerely.

“Well, for our next date, feel free to go as your normal self,” I chuckled.

“You’re already thinking about a second date?” She sounded stunned.

“I’ve told Zecora this, and now I’ll tell you: I’d be a fool to give up after only one date,” I explained. “Now then, don’t you have a coat?”

She nodded and pointed to the coat hanger beside the door. I saw a white jacket with brown buttons and faux fur inside. I walked over, grabbed it and began helping her on with it. It took a while since she had to put her wings through the holes, but in the end she was dressed and ready to go. She put her arm through mine. “I’m ready,” she said.

And with that, the two of us stepped out into the early evening air, but not before I turned to the others and said, “I know it’s tempting, but I don’t want you all to stalk the two of us. I’m sure Scarlet will give you all the sordid details tomorrow. I just want a private date.”

“I promise,” Twilight said.

Rainbow sighed. “Fine, I won’t go spying,” she said with a frown.

“I’m heading down to Ponyville with Twilight anyway,” Zecora said.

“And I need to be home to make sure Sweetie Belle has a good dinner and a proper bedtime,” Rarity concluded. “Especially since the Crusaders are staying tonight.”

I chuckled. “Good luck.”

“You too, darling,” Rarity said.

It surprised me just how well Scarlet was able to fly in her Anthro form and with wings larger than the norm for her, but nevertheless we both found ourselves flying through the sky down towards Cloudsdale mere minutes later, heading down towards a larger building with other Ponies gathered outside in a line. Scarlet looked down and asked, “What’s that place?”

“Cloudsdale’s only theater,” I said. “I got us a booth so we could watch one of the seasonal plays. A Hearth’s Warming Tale.”

She smiled. “Is it anything like A Christmas Carol?”

“Pretty much,” I admitted as we landed near one entrance which was barred off by red velvet dividers. “It’s got that Equestrian take on the book.”

Scarlet snorted. “Of course it does. Hell, even I know the tale.”

An usher at the front door, wearing what could only be described as vintage theater usher clothes but for a Pony, saw me and Scarlet approach. He looked at a clipboard and his eyes widened. “Sir Jethro??” The poor stallion couldn’t have been more than sixteen or seventeen.

“Relax, it’s just Jethro,” I said. I pulled out a pair of tickets and held them up for him to see. “I believe we have a private box seat?”

The Pegasus took the tickets, looked them over, then looked back at his clipboard. “Yes, yes of course!” He put on a nervous smile. “Just go in, take a left and show this to the mare at the podium and she’ll show you to your booth.”

I reached into my pocket, retrieved a handful of bits and handed them to the young stallion. “For your trouble.”

His eyes widened at the number of bits I was handing him, but he silently took them and slipped them into his pocket. “Thank you, sir,” he said gratefully.

“You’re welcome,” I said as I held the door open for Scarlet.

We both stepped inside. The lobby reminded me very much of an old styled theater lobby, two chandeliers hanging from a cloudy ceiling, a concession stand that served everything from popcorn to candy to sodas. We were standing in a path made from the velvet dividers leading to the aforementioned mare at a podium. She grew increasingly nervous as the two of us approached. “Um…Sir Jethro, correct?” she asked shakily when we reached the podium.

“Correct, ma’am, but just Jethro works,” I said as I held up the two tickets. “My date and I have a private box seat?”

She took the tickets and looked them over. “Right this way, sir and ma’am,” she said as she turned and headed towards a set of dark red stairs. As we walked up, I put my hand on the walls, and felt them pressing back against me. Being able to naturally walk on or interact with clouds did have its perks.

The stairs ended in a corridor with warm white lights hanging from the outer walls, and there were doors on the inner walls. She led us to one and it opened onto a balcony booth. “Um, here you are, sir and ma’am,” she said nervously.

Reaching into my pocket once more, I tipped her with a large number of bits. She stared at the amount in shock as I said, “For your trouble,” I said.

Some of her nervousness faded away, and she smiled a bit. “Thank you, Sir Jethro,” she said gratefully.

“Of course,” I smiled back at her before turning back to the entrance.

“Wait, sir,” she said quickly.

I turned and raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

She looked a bit nervous again, but it somehow looked different. Her dark purple eyes were sparkling as she looked at me and took a deep breath. “I just wanted to say…well, I know that the whole world might think less of you, and that’s putting it mildly, but you do have Ponies who admire you and what you’ve done for Equestria. And I’m one of them.”

I smiled wider, and knelt in front of her. “What’s your name, ma’am?”

“Starjet Blast,” she said, looking at me with a small smile of her own.

I held up a hand and said, “Starjet Blast, thank you for saying those kind words. I definitely needed to hear them.”

She smiled wider and took my hand with her hoof, shaking it. “Just doing my job as a member of the Jethro Bethridge Fanclub, sir.”

I snorted and chuckled, and from behind me I heard Scarlet giggling to herself. “Still weird to think I have a fanclub,” I said, “but I’m glad you think so highly of me. I’ll do my best to live up to those expectations and protect Equestria. And could you thank any other fanclub members the same?”

Starjet blushed as I stood. “Of course, Sir Jethro!” she said excitedly.

“Just Jethro is fine,” I said.

Starjet beamed. “Well, I shouldn’t keep you. Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

I looked back at Scarlet, who said, “You got lemonade?”

“Pink and regular,” Starjet said immediately.

“Pink lemonade for me, light ice please,” Scarlet replied.

“Same for me, please,” I added. “And a small popcorn.”

“C-Coming right up!” Starjet beamed as she flew away down the hall.

Scarlet and I took the opportunity to enter the box seat area. I saw that the seat was actually a couch, one made of clouds which made it easily moldable. I used my wings to mold it so that we could sit comfortably in it, then tested it out. “Yeah, this’ll work for us.”

Scarlet sat close to me and leaned against my shoulder, closing her eyes in contentment. “Very comfortable,” she said softly. Out of habit, I put an arm around her shoulder, and Scarlet snuggled closer to me. “Veeeery comfortable,” she repeated, a joyful smile spreading across her face.

Reaching up, I stroked her mane gently, which looked as if it had been done up specifically for tonight. Normally, the top was hanging loose and the bottom half was to one side, much like Fluttershy’s was. Tonight, however, her mane had more of a lift to it, and it made her own eyes pop even more than they normally did despite being the same color. “I didn’t say it earlier, but you look absolutely beautiful tonight,” I said. Just because I was nervous about dating someone other than my marefriend didn’t mean I was going to let that ruin the night for her.

“Implying I don’t look beautiful all the time, stud?” she said in a teasing tone, arching her back into my hand.

“You had to go and ruin the moment,” I teased back.

“You make it too easy, sexy man,” she said, turning back and looking up at me. “You’re not half bad yourself, though. For an alien, that is.”

I smirked. “Gee, thanks.”

She giggled, and moved closer, reaching up to take my hands in hers and wrapping them around her midsection. “Just for tonight?” she asked.

“Heh, sure thing,” I said.

She smiled happily for a few seconds, then her seductive grin reappeared. “You know…this place apparently has curtains we can hide behind. We could…get into something very naughty.”

“Oh my God, how horny are you??”

Author's Note

The next Side Stories will be about said throwaway interaction between Applejack and Jethro, just FYI.

83: A Cloaked Heart's Second First Date Pt. 2

The play I saw, when compared to the story I’d seen in the episode of My Little Pony, was a lot longer and like A Christmas Carol consisted of more archaic language. Not only did we see more of Snowfall Frost’s backstory, which included a younger brother who sadly died one Hearth’s Warming Day, which actually made Snowfall’s hatred of the holiday make more sense, but I was surprised when the songs from the episode actually made their way into the play itself.

Something else about the play that surprised me was the different names for many of the other characters. For example, Snowdash was actually named Windy Skies, and she took the place not only of Bob Cratchit, but Fred as well. Not only that, but the Spirit of Hearth’s Warming Present took Snowfall to see other less fortunate Ponies not just in Canterlot, but in other major cities around Equestria, showing Snowfall just how much the holiday meant to every Pony.

All the while, Scarlet took full advantage of the couch we sat on and the fact that it was meant to be a romantic date by snuggling close to me. I had to admit, being snuggled by someone who had wings felt different than when Zecora and I snuggled, Anthro or normal form. Not unenjoyable, just different. Her wings were warm and soft, and I made sure to return the snuggling in kind, wrapping her in my wings as well.

When the play ended, it was just past six in the evening, and we both headed downstairs. Scarlet was saying how good she thought the actress who played Snowfall was and how perfectly she depicted a fallen and bitter lady.

After helping her with her coat, we walked down the street towards The Citrus Cellar, a smaller but still proper restaurant for a first date. I walked in arm and arm with her, and the young Pegasus stallion who saw us smiled warmly. He was wearing a collar and cool bow-tie that the Eleventh Doctor would be proud of. “Sir Jethro! It’s a pleasure to see you here!” He bowed respectfully. “We already have your private booth set up just as you instructed. My name’s Raider Shadow, and I’ll be your personal waiter this evening! If you’ll follow me, please?”

As the two of us followed, I saw and felt the stares of other Ponies in the restaurant on me and my date. Most were nervous, but I did feel a few angry ones. Even so close to home, there are Ponies who see some fault in me, I thought sadly.

Scarlet must have noticed my shift in mood, because she moved closer and leaned against my shoulder. “Don’t let them get to you,” she said tenderly as she took my hand in hers, intertwining her fingers with mine.

I smiled down at her. “Of course not. Tonight’s about us.”

She giggled just as Raider reached a small private booth, this one also made of clouds and made to fit my size. After we sat, Raider handed us two menus. “Flag me down when you’re both ready to order? Can I start you off with some water? We have the freshest rainwater from the Cloudsdale factory. Or our best Citrus Blend? It’s our most popular drink.”

I stroked my chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, I’ll try some of the Citrus Blend, and no ice if it comes with it,” I said. “That okay with you, Scarlet?”

Scarlet nodded. “Yeah, the same for me too, please,” she said.

Raider nodded. “Two Citrus Blends, no ice, got it,” he said as he used his wings to write it down on a notepad. “I’ll be right out with those.” Smiling, he spread his wings and flew away, leaving me and Scarlet alone.

I leaned against the table, smiling at my date. “I’ve heard good things about this place from Rainbow and even Fluttershy,” I said.

Scarlet chuckled. “Rainbow’s told me about this place too. There’s apparently a secret menu item that’s called the Dash of Rainbow that she orders here. It’s a pasta and potato sandwich on sourdough.”

“Weird, I thought Ponies couldn’t eat potatoes,” I said. “I mean, I googled it a while back, and at least on Earth, equines can’t eat potatoes because they’re poisonous.”

“I’ve eaten mashed potatoes before when I was a filly,” Scarlet said, “and I had no problems.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Huh…well, maybe you’re not quite like the equines from Earth.”

“What gave it away, the fact that we can talk?” Scarlet teased.

I blushed a bit. “Sorry, sorry. Switching topics.”

Scarlet waved her hand. “No no, don’t worry about it. That’s one of the reasons I love you. You’re always thinking and researching and trying to incorporate into our world. Although…”

“Although what?” I asked.

She leaned forward, batting her eyelashes at me. “I’m wondering why you haven’t started researching polyamorous relationships from Earth. I have.”

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. “That…damn, you bring up a good point,” I said. “I’ve studied Earth and Equestria rulers with Twilight, after all.”

She snapped her fingers with practiced ease and pointed at me. “Exactly!”

I raised my hands and smiled a bit self-deprecatingly. “You got me there, Scarlet. And the simple answer to that: fear of certain types of change.”

A look of worry passed over her face. “What kind of change?”

“I told you that I grew up in a religious household, right?” I asked. When she nodded, I continued, “Well, certain aspects of that do tend to stick with you even if you’re not as big on following your religion as before, such as the idea that a relationship can only be one man and one woman. Buuut…” and I trailed off, trying to form my next words carefully.

Scarlet gestured for me to continue. “Yes? Go on,” she encouraged, eyes wide with hope.

“But…Goddamn, when did you get so smart?” I teased. “You’re right. I know polygamy was around in Earth’s own past, and it worked then. So…yeah, I really should study more about it. That, and do what I did with Rainbow Dash’s friends.”

“What did you do with them?” Scarlet asked.

“Talked to them about how a herd works,” I said. “I mean, I really should learn more about it if I’m going to give herding a chance.”

“And what better place to learn than from the adorkable princess to be?” Scarlet whispered with a teasing tone.

I snorted. “If I know Twilight, she knows a lot about it from her books, yeah,” I said.

Scarlet and I both laughed, before she reached over and took my hand in hers, bringing it up to her cheek and making me cup it. Her fur was soft and her body was warm to the touch. Her smile became incredibly genuine and loving. “Jethro, I know it scares you, but you’re not alone in this. It’s scaring me too, but as long as we all keep an open mind, open communications and open trust, I know it can work in the long run.”

I took a deep breath, and exhaled, caressing her cheek gently. She closed her eyes and snuggled into my hand. “You’re right,” I said as I gently pinched her cheeks before releasing her. “I’ll do that.”

She rubbed the part of her cheek where I’d pinched it, giggling and blushing. “I can tell you about how my parents did things,” she said. “What little I remember, that is.”

I knew Scarlet didn’t really talk much about her past, and I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to learn more about her since I’d always had a sneaking suspicion that she had a past full of hurt and pain. And I hated not being able to help. “Anything you’re willing to share is fine with me,” I said.

Just then, Raider came back and put down two glasses of some kind of layered drink. There was yellow on the bottom, which slowly and seamlessly transitioned to orange, then red and finally to purple and blue. “Here you two are,” he said happily as he put down two straws. “Please do enjoy. Oh! And the recommended way to drink this is to use a straw and pull it out slowly as you drink, getting all the flavors at once.”

“We’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” I replied gratefully.

“Great! Just let me know when you’re ready to order,” he said before heading off.

I looked through the menu. There were plenty of different types of meals here, like salads, sandwiches, hay burgers, and dairy desserts, but when I reached the end of the was surprised to see some meat options under Griffon Specials. “Well, I’ll be damned,” I said.

“You saw the meat specials?” Scarlet asked.

I nodded. “Never thought I’d see any restaurant serving meat anywhere in Equestria,” I said softly.

“Well, it is Cloudsdale,” Scarlet said. “I read somewhere that this place gets plenty of Griffon visitors.”

I chuckled. “Makes sense. But I’m curious about the Dash of Rainbow, if I’m honest. It actually sounds delicious.”

She laughed. “Me too. But this double cheese hayburger also looks good,” she said, pointing at the menu.

“I’m thinking about a nice fettuccine alfredo,” I said. “But what about this: we get one of those Dash of Rainbows to split?”

“I’m down,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind if I order the chocolate cake shake for dessert?”

“They have that here too?!” I said, looking at the dessert menu. “Ooooh, I wonder if it’s as good as the one back on Earth is said to be.”

“The one Gabriel Iglesias mentioned?” Scarlet asked with a smirk.

I laughed. “Yeah, that one. Well, we can get the Couples Size.”

She blushed at that. “I saw that option too,” she said. “But I don’t mind if we get separate ones.”

“Hey, anything to get you to blush,” I teased. “You look adorable when you do.” I was rewarded by her blushing harder at that, and I grinned. It was rare to see her as the embarrassed one, so I decided to press the advantage. Leaning forward, I decided to give her some more taste of her own medicine. “Good enough to nibble on,” I added with a wicked grin.

She giggled. “Oh my God, how horny are you?” she teased.

The meal passed without incident. I did indeed get the fettuccine alfredo, and Scarlet got the double cheese hayburger. I had to admit, the Dash of Rainbow was actually really good despite the odd assortment of flavors. The chocolate cake shakes were something I felt that Celestia herself would absolutely love, so I made a mental note to try and make her one at a later date.

The two of us talked a lot about the various shows we both liked. She was currently devouring the newer Doctor Who series and was in the third season. We also talked about other interests we had. I learned that Scarlet was actually really enjoying working at Rarity’s boutique because, as a filly, she’d expressed interest in making clothes. When I asked about her job at the Hay Burger, she also admitted that she loved to come up with and experiment with food ideas, which is where she’d come up with the veggie burger. I made a comment that she could very well get a cutie mark with a jack on it, referring to a jack of all trades, master of none.

The conversation then turned to her lack of cutie mark, and she told me that she’d been approached by the CMC a few times about joining, but had always declined, giving the excuse that she had little time to do it with all her various jobs and flight training. I chuckled and encouraged her to spend some time with them at some point, mostly because I was worried about Scootaloo, but also because perhaps she might find something that would get her a cutie mark. She promised to spend time crusading with the fillies, but more for the former reason than the latter. “I was raised to believe that a cutie mark isn’t the end all, be all of life as a Pony,” she explained. “I know it’s weird to not have a cutie mark at twenty-four, but it’s never really bothered me.”

When we both finished with our meal, and after I paid and left the waiter a nice big tip, I took Scarlet’s arm and led her out into the city. The night sky was ablaze with bright late autumn stars, and the streets were nearly empty of Pegasi. As the two of us walked, I looked at my date. “I hope you’ve been having a good time,” I said.

Scarlet moved closer, pressing her body against mine and leaning on my shoulder. She spread one wing out and wrapped it around me. “I’ve been having an amazing time,” she said honestly. “It’s been the best first date ever. Then again, it’s been my only first date ever,” she added with a snicker.

I beamed. “I’m glad to hear it. I know it was a pretty standard date, as far as dates go, but I’m glad you had a good time.”

She put a finger over my lips, then looked at me with the pair of the deepest red eyes. She was smiling warmly. “Any date with you I’ll never call standard,” she said, removing her finger from my lips. “Because it’s a date with you, silly boy.”

I smiled and reached up, stroking her mane again. “Heh, thanks.”

“Bet,” she smirked, and I facepalmed at her use of the new slang from Earth. She giggled. “You made me, baby.”

“Oh, I know,” I sighed with a small smile. “But the date isn’t over yet. Come along.”

“Oh? What’s next?” she asked as I took her hand and lead her towards the edge of the city.

“You’ll see, trust me.”

I led her towards the Cloudsdale Rainbow Dome Fountain, a spot I’d heard about from Rainbow. When we reached an archway, I saw a bright rainbow light emanating from beyond. When we passed through, we both stopped and gaped in awe.

We were standing in a circular arena of sorts, which made its way down to a large pool where three fountains shot out of the clouds, forming a bubble of glowing rainbow essence back up towards a circular depression. The liquid rainbow would the flow back down set streams towards the fountain, where it would start its journey. I took Scarlet’s hand and walked through the entrance and found an empty spot near the bottom. Sitting next to each other, I put my wing and arm around her and held her close as we looked up at the glowing rainbow dome above us. The colors would shift and warp around us as the fountain passed over us.

“Jethro…this is really magical,” she said after about ten or so minutes of silence between us, as I felt a pair of lips pecking my cheek suddenly. “Thank you…”

I looked back at her, and smiled back at the blushing Pegasus. “You deserve a magical night.”

She giggled. “Well, aren’t you just the sweet romantic?” she said.

I laughed and held her closer. “If I’m going to take anyone out on a date, I want it to be perfect.”

“Heh, now I’m wondering how you’ll take out Princess Luna,” she teased softly. “And don’t try and deny it. I know that Alicorn has the hots for you too.”

“Well, dating a princess might be harder thanks to her status,” I said. “Besides, unlike a certain Pegasus I know, she has a full schedule,” I added with a teasing tone.

“Hey!” She laughed and shoved me playfully.

I laughed and shoved her back, then sat up and stared at the fountains of glowing rainbow liquid. “All joking aside, I still want to take things slow, especially if other mares start telling me they have feelings for me.”

Scarlet sat up and put an arm around me. “We’d all understand,” she said tenderly. “It’s still new for you, and I’m pretty sure it’d be new to them too. I mean, the ones I suspect have feelings for you are all new to the idea of romance.”

“True, I suppose,” I said, “and this is all new to me too. But there’s one more thing I wanted to do before the night ended.” Standing, I held out a hand, and helped her to her feet, or hooves.

“What is it?” she asked.

I led her down towards a pathway around the pond, right towards an archway that led to the end of the town. Below us, I could see Canterlot, a glistening shining beacon in the night. I could feel the raw magic emanating from it as I spread my wings, then pulled out my phone and found the right song. I cast the spell that allowed for the song to be heard in full, then said, “We both have wings. Let’s go for a fly.” And with that, I hit play and put the iPhone back in my pocket, buttoning it up so it wouldn’t fly out.

Scarlet beamed as the two of us fell out of the cold night air, our clothes flapping all around us as we did so. As Marcus Warner’s First Flight played around us, the two of us soared together, circling each other, diving, soaring, barrel rolling, and performing other feats of flight that Rainbow Dash had taught us. Sometimes, I would chase her through the cold clouds, and other times she would chase me, and sometimes we would grab each other, arm in arm, wings both outstretched as we held each other close, right before the music reached another crescendo and we fell away, or soared towards the glistening stars above, circling each other.

When the song began coming to an end, we had made it all the way back to Ponyville. As the piano signaled the very end of the song, we landed in front of my house, both smiling and chuckling. Our arms were around each other as our wings folded back. In the light of the nearby streetlamp, my heart skipped a beat at just how gorgeous Scarlet really was. Her hair was a bit more of a mess than before thanks to our little flight, but I ignored it since it gave her more character the way it currently looked.

“That…was really fun,” Scarlet said. “Thank you…this date has been so amazing.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I said. “I did too.”

We both stared at each other for a bit, smiling. Then, our smiles faded as we looked deeper into each other’s eyes. Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline, maybe it was the excitement of the evening, or maybe it was how I felt about her, but without thinking about it, I pulled Scarlet closer, leaning in. She squealed in surprise as our lips met, then melted into my embrace, throwing her arms around my neck and deepening the kiss. She pressed herself against me, her kiss becoming more and more eager as the seconds passed.

We broke apart after a while, both faces flushed. My mind was racing, unsure just what this now meant. I kissed Zecora on our first date because I knew how I felt about her, but my feelings for Scarlet were still so unsure. She must have caught this, because she caressed my cheek. “Don’t look so down, cutie,” she said with a warm smile. “We were both caught up in the moment. I didn’t mean to confuse you.”

I shook my head. “I’m the one who kissed you,” I said. “But…I don’t think I regret it. It felt…right. Scarlet, I care a lot about you, I really do. You’re sweet, you’re talented, you’re thoughtful, and you’re the only Pony I can make meme jokes around without getting blank stares. I look forward to another date with you, and to see just where this relationship goes.”

She squealed happily and flung her arms around me again, hugging me tightly. “You won’t regret this, I know it!”

My wings fluttered in response, and I hugged her back. “Heh…after the fun we had tonight, I’m sure you’re right.”

Zecora was sitting up in bed, reading Jack McDevitt’s The Engines of God when I came in about ten minutes later after having escorted Scarlet back to her room. She turned to me, and burst out laughing. “Jethro, my love, your hair is a mess!” she giggled loudly as she rolled around in bed, snorting in amusement.

“I don’t doubt it,” I snickered as I began to remove my jacket.

“Well, how was the date, dearest?” she asked, putting a bookmark in the page and setting it down on her end table.

“The date went very well,” I said happily. “Just let me take a shower, then I’ll tell you all about it.”

“I’ll be here,” she said, picking up the book again and reading it.

After a quick shower, I changed into some boxers and a t-shirt before joining Zecora in bed. She put the book down again, then leaned against me, her fur warm and soft which caused me instantly to relax. I put an arm around her, and then proceeded to tell her all about the date. She listened with rapt attention as I went over every detail, save for some of the private conversations. I even replayed the song I’d played during our impromptu flight duet together. When I told her about the kiss, Zecora grinned and snuggled closer. “Care to share just how the kiss went, love?”

I smirked. “Gladly.” And with that, I pulled her into my lap and locked lips with her, furiously making out with her for a good ten or so seconds.

When I broke the kiss, I was satisfied to see a stunned Zecora looking back at me. “Anypony get the number of the human who tried to suck my soul out?” she said in a daze. She shook her head clear and looked down at me. “Did you really kiss her that hard?”

I leaned back on the bed, and Zecora lay her head on my chest. I stroked her mane and said, “Maybe it was the moment, or maybe there’s a part of me that really does have romantic feelings for her. But in the moment it just felt right, you know?”

“I felt the same way on our first date when you told me how you felt,” she said. “It felt right to me too. I know this is hard for you, but if you do decide to pursue her with more romantic intent, know that I will accept her as a part of the herd. I like her too.”

I pulled the sheets over us, continuing to stroke her mane and fur affectionately. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said gratefully.

Zecora snuggled up closer, burying her face in the crook of my neck and sighing contentedly. “You’ve had a long night, dear, and you definitely need your strength for tomorrow. Get some sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”

I smiled and looked down at her. “Thanks, baby.”

Just as I was turning down the light above the bed, there was a timid knocking at the door. Zecora and I looked back at the door. “Who is it?” I asked.

“It’s me,” Scarlet’s voice said from behind the door. She sounded a bit nervous now. “Um…I know this might be a bit weird, but is it okay if I sleep with you two tonight?”

I looked down at Zecora, who was smiling and nodding at me. Looking back at the door, I held out my hand. My magic glowed around the door handle and it opened. I saw Scarlet, a blanket wrapped around her form and looking stunned. “Sure, come on in,” I said, scooting over so there was room.

Beaming in delight, she ran over, the blanket falling away as she jumped into bed beside us. I saw she was wearing nothing but black satin panties and a lace bra. She quickly got under the covers with us, covering herself with her blanket and blushing. “Sorry,” she said apologetically, “I just couldn’t really sleep. I can fall asleep fast most nights, but tonight…well…”

I smiled. “Sure. Although, do you mind getting into something else other than your panties and bra?”

She grinned, then lifted the blankets to shake her tits at me. “Why? See something you like?”

I facepalmed and Zecora chuckled good naturedly. I opened my mouth, but Scarlet joined me in saying, “Oh my God, how horny are you?!”

She giggled. “Can I borrow some of your clothes, then?”

I pointed to the closet. “Sure, go ahead.”

She got out of bed and sauntered over to the closet. I watched as she bent over, probably purposefully, giving me a perfect view of her ass. I swore she wiggled it at me as she pulled out some gray sweatpants and a small blue t-shirt. She came back over and slid back into bed with us. “Thank you, Jethro. And thank you too, Zecora.”

“Think nothing of it, my dear,” Zecora said, moving a bit off of me and snuggling up to my right. “You know, his left side is open.”

Scarlet grinned as she slid over, wrapping her arms around me and pressing her boobs against my arm. “You like?” she cooed softly as she snuggled up to me.

“If this were an anime, I’d be getting a nosebleed,” I retorted. “But for now, I really need sleep. Big day tomorrow, you know?”

Zecora and Scarlet both nodded and closed their eyes slowly. “Good night dearest,” Zecora said. “May the spirits of harmony be with you as you sleep.”

“Sleep well, sexy,” Scarlet added, sounding sleepy as she yawned.

I yawned in response, then closed my eyes. “Sleep well, both of you,” I replied as I put my arms around both of them. Soon, I was fast asleep, sandwiched between two gorgeous mares. My final thought as I fell asleep was: I could get used to this...

84: A Cloaked Heart's Calm Before The Storm

I woke early the next morning in between two gorgeous mares, Scarlet having reverted in the night and the clothes she was wearing wrapped up around her. I lifted the blanket and saw the outline of a sleeping humanoid based off the shape of the clothes remaining. The sun wasn’t even up yet, but I knew that plans had been set, and the Princesses would be here to pick me up so we could get things set up at the Castle of the Two Sisters.

Slowly, I tried to untangle myself from the two mares, but I was still not very good at it because they both woke up. Zecora was the first to sit up, and seeing me awake, grinned, leaned in and kissed me hard. “Mmph?!” was all I could say as she snaked her tongue into my mouth greedily. Ten seconds later, she released me, only for Scarlet to jump on top of me. “Ooof!” was all I could say before she, too, locked lips with me for a good fifteen seconds, her own tongue eagerly wrestling with mine for dominance, but as she was more inexperienced with it, I quickly began dominating her. She squealed and melted into my embrace. I broke the kiss, panting hard. “Hah…hah…” I licked my lips. Finally, I looked at both women, then a lopsided grin formed on my face. “You know…I could actually get used to that,” I said. “Compelling argument number one for a herd: multiple morning kisses.”

Scarlet giggled. “You should probably brush your teeth, though. Morning breath is a bitch.”

“Aaand moment ruined,” I teased, ruffling her mane. “Did you two sleep okay?” I asked as I pulled the covers off the bed, moving towards the end to get up and stretch.

Zecora nodded. “I slept quite wonderfully, thank you.”

“Same here,” Scarlet said as both mares got up with me, stretching and brushing their manes with their hooves. “But why are you up so early?”

“I need to be at the Castle of the Two Sisters early to help prepare for the council,” I said. “You two can actually go back to sleep.”

“You know what our answer will be, dearest,” Zecora said stubbornly, standing in front of me and blocking my way. “We are all in this together, like it or not.”

“My face was shown all over the world,” Scarlet said, joining Zecora. “You honestly think you were the only one who plans on going?”

As the two stared me down, I felt my defenses crumbling, but I decided to give it one last go. “I know you want to go with me, but I think you’d be safer-”

“With you,” Scarlet interrupted. “Jethro, there’s one more reason why I fell for you. I felt safer last night than any other night in many years. My dreams were amazing, too. And I want to protect you, too. And I know I’m not the only mare.”

Zecora nodded in agreement. “You will not be getting out of this, love. Just accept it.”

I inhaled, then sighed loudly. “You’ve both got me whipped now,” I said. “Well, fine. I’m gonna get ready for the day.”

“Better hurry,” Scarlet said as she sniffed the air. “I smell hay bacon and bacon.”

I sniffed the air, and sure enough I could smell not only that, but other breakfast fare. “What the fuck?” I muttered as I threw on a bathrobe, opened my door and headed downstairs. I was surprised to find Mica and Gemini in the kitchen making breakfast. I looked at the clock, which read 6:11 AM. “Um…are you two heading somewhere and forget to tell me?” I asked.

Gemini turned. “You’re going to a council where some Lycans will be,” she said matter of factly, “and I’m very much aware of how the Empress and Princess hate you. My loyalty is to you and anywolf you travel with now. My brother and I are coming with you.”

Mica smiled a little bit and waved. The poor kid looked sleepy, but there was a determination in his voice when he said, “She’s right. We are your personal guard now, too.”

“That wasn’t part of your job description,” I said.

Gemini walked forward and hit me over the head. Not enough to cause permanent damage, but enough to really hurt. And enough to get pancake mix in my hair. “You don’t get a choice in the matter, whelp,” she said. “You’re at the center of everywolf’s attention, now. Besides, you’re still my student, and you’ve got a long way to go before you’re ready for any kind of non-magical combat. And with such an important meeting of world leaders, the Dark Fae might make a move.”

The changelings…of course, I thought. I turned to Zecora. “Zecora, do you have something you can use that reveals Dark Fae, or changelings? I saw an alternate timeline version of you that had something like that.”

“A potion I have, that is true, but I must go home to fetch the brew,” she said. Then she gave me a very sultry look, leaned in and added with a whisper, “Leave without me, and I’ll punish you.”

“I know better,” I said. “Why don’t we get ready for the day first?”

Zecora smiled, then pecked my cheek. “Sounds like a plan, dear.”

To my surprise, although I probably shouldn’t have been as surprised as I should have been, Scarlet kissed my other cheek. “We’ll wallop those Dark Fae bastards if they show up.”

Gemini groaned. “Dear Guardian…he’s forming a herd…”

Scarlet grinned and stood on her hind legs, leaning her forelegs against my shoulder. “What, jealous? The big bad wolf want in?”

Gemini growled in annoyance. “How much in heat are you!?”

An hour later, and the sun was already risen. I was all ready to go. I’d packed enough for a stay of at least a week, just in case things didn’t go well. Scarlet had packed as well, mostly toiletries in one of her new brown saddlebags. Zecora had packed a saddlebag of her own, as she’d brought plenty of her own toiletries and supplies with her from her house. Gemini and Mica were already armed and carrying backpacks.

Outside, the air was still bitingly cold, so I threw on a large overcoat, a pair of warm gloves, and a black stocking cap.

The moment I stepped out of my house I was greeted by the sight of a number of familiar faces standing on my front lawn in the early morning light. I looked around at all who’d gathered.

“We were wondering when you’d get out here,” Celestia said with a chuckle. She stood at the front, smiling up at me and wearing warm clothes. Luna was beside her, also wearing clothes for the weather and with a serious expression on her face. A serious expression which melted into a smile upon seeing me. Beside Celestia, Princess Cadance stood, beaming widely at me as she looked between me, Zecora and Scarlet. She gave me a knowing wink. Beside the Princess of Love, Captain Shining Armor stood. He straightened and gave me a salute, hoof on chest. I properly saluted back, nodding at him.

Behind the Princesses and Captain of the Royal Guard, Twilight Sparkle stood, her saddlebags overflowing with what I could only assume would be books, quills, ink etc. Spike was on her back, bundled up warmly as well and looking exhausted, but determined. Beside Twilight, Sunset Shimmer also stood, similarly laden as Twilight. And behind them, Applejack, Rarity, an exhausted looking Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

And behind them, I saw a large number of Royal Guard standing at attention. They straightened as well when they saw me and gave their own salute. I saluted back, then turned to face Celestia. “My knight,” she said warmly as she approached.

“My princess,” I replied, walking up to her and bowing respectfully. I took her hoof in my hand and kissed it reverently. Even then, I sensed, rather than felt, a slight tremor in her hoof. I looked up at her. “Nervous?” I asked softly.

“You have no fucking idea,” she whispered back as she slowly pulled away. “And it’s fine to call me Celestia here, but in the council, I’m afraid I must ask you to maintain proper decorum and call me Princess.”

“I thought as much. And I will.” I turned next to Luna, whose hoof I also took and kissed. “My princess,” I said again.

Luna snorted. “Call me Luna,” she said. “At least here, as my sister says.” Her smile faded and a concerned look appeared in her dark eyes. “I hope you are prepared.”

“How prepared can you get when meeting with representatives from every nation in the world in some glorified Equestrian U.N. conference?” I asked.

“U.N.?” Cadance asked.

“That stands for United Nations back on Earth,” Twilight eagerly explained, stepping forward. “It’s an international attempt at peace.”

“Good job, Twi,” I said, before moving to Cadance and bowing once more. “I’d say my princess, but you have your own knight in Shining Armor,” I grinned, indicating the aforementioned Unicorn.

Cadance laughed, then put her wings around me, pulling me into a surprising hug. “Good to see you too, Jethro,” she said before pulling away.

I chuckled, then turned to Shining Armor. “Good to see you again, Captain,” I said. “How are things going?”

“A lot harder since the incident with Eris,” he admitted. “I’ve been doubling recruitment rates on Princess Celestia’s orders and have been performing ancient combat training routines with my guard. Princess Luna gave me access to a secret archive where the combat training was stored.”

I put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s an old saying among my people: Si vis pacem, para bellum. It’s an old Latin phrase that roughly translates as ‘To ensure peace, prepare for war’. You’re taking a wise precaution.”

He sighed. “I don’t like the idea,” he admitted.

“Nobody sane does,” I replied. “But it’s a good idea, regardless. Just be careful. I know you Ponies aren’t really much for wartime preparation.”

“I love my country, Sir Jethro,” he said. “I revere my princesses, and I love my family. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them protected.”

“Be careful when saying that, Captain,” I warned. “That’s a very fine line you have to walk.”

Shining nodded. “I’m doing my best,” he said.

“That’s all anyone can ask.” I saluted again, and he saluted back, before I turned to the Mane Six. I approached Twilight, knelt and pulled her into a hug. “Hello, Twi,” I said softly.

She hugged me back. “Are you nervous?” she asked.

“Very,” I chuckled as I broke the hug and looked into her eyes. “But I’m glad you’ll all be there.”

“We’d never leave you hanging, you know that right?” Rainbow Dash said, flying up to me.

Fluttershy was immediately by my side, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “We’re in this together,” she said with a smile.

“Darn right!” Pinkie said, coming up and nuzzling my face affectionately.

Rarity and Applejack were standing back, but their warm smiles and nods of agreement was all I needed to see to know that their minds were in agreement. I stood and looked at the gathering of my friends. “I’m not even going to argue. I mean, there’s no point, is there?”

“None at all, sugarcube,” Applejack said, walking up and staring up at me. “We ain’t gonna leave ya high and dry like that.”

“Especially since there will be Lycans there,” Rarity added with a shudder.

“Ah yes, speaking of that,” I said, turning to Celestia, “Who is coming anyway?”

Celestia sighed. “I’ll tell you on the way. But first, meet someone who’s missed you.”

From above, I saw a large winged creature pass over the sun, then a familiar bird’s cry could be heard as a pair of claws landed on my shoulder. The Phoenix that had landed there had grown since I last saw her, and she actually looked slightly bigger than Philomena. “Eve??” I asked in shock.

The Phoenix turned to me, and in a moment her body glowed with an inner fire. I watched her preen her wings, then turn back to me. “Krawk!”

“You’ve grown a lot,” I said with a smirk. “You been doing alright? Where’ve you been?” Eve pointed over to Celestia. “Living in Canterlot for a bit?” She nodded. “Are you coming to stay, now?” Another nod. “And I take it you’re coming with me whether I like it or not?” An emphatic nod. I snorted. “Fine, fine. But behave, got it?” I waggled my finger at her with a serious expression on my face. She made a small noise, then nipped at my finger. “Ow! I said behave, you naughty girl,” I said, shaking my finger and putting it in my mouth.

“Better get used to that,” Celestia giggled. “Philomena did that to me for a while when she was younger.”

“Of course,” I said, then turned to the Guard behind my friends. They straightened and saluted at me once more. I saluted back, then looked at Shining Armor. “Captain, permission to speak to them?”

“You don’t need my permission, sir,” Shining chuckled. “You still outrank me.”

“And you’re their captain.”

He smiled, then nodded. “Go ahead, then.”

I spread my wings wide and said, “Listen to me, Guard of Canterlot. Today is a big day for not only the Kingdom of Equestria, but for the world of Equestria as a whole. Representatives from other nations and countries and kingdoms around the world will be coming to our fair kingdom. They’ll be coming from places as far north as Yakyakistan, and as far south as Seaquestria. They’ll come from as far west as the Lycan Empire and the Citadel of the Deefolk and as far east as Griffonstone. Ponies, Abyssinians, Dragons, Lycans, Yaks, Griffons, Deerfolk, Hippogriffs, Saddle Arabians, Caribou and more will be at the council meeting. As far as I’m aware, this is the very first time an international council has been called in recent history, which means you must be on your guard. You must remain vigilant. You must be aware of any semblance of a threat. These are representatives from other nations. Ambassadors, if you will. They are under the protection of the Princesses, which means it is our duty as soldiers of the crown to protect them. That’s right, I said soldiers. One Knight and Guards are soldiers of the crown. We protect and serve not only the Princesses, but all of the inhabitants of this great kingdom. And, as of now, we protect the ambassadors of the world coming to see us.”

Shining Armor was beside me in an instant, standing tall and proud. “Sir Jethro is correct,” he said. “This is a mission of the utmost importance, and we do it to serve our Princesses, and the Kingdom and all its inhabitants. Remember your training. It may very well save your life. And above all else: keep this in mind!” Putting his hoof on his chest, he shouted, “Long Live The Princesses! Long Live Equestria!”

The Guards put their hooves on their own chest. “Long Live The Princesses! Long Live Equestria!”

As one, Shining and I turned back to the stunned faces of the mares in front of my house. Even Celestia herself had a startled look on her face as the Captain of the Guard and myself placed our fist and hoof on our chests respectfully. “Your orders, your highnesses?” I asked.

The three Princesses of Equestria all blushed briefly, before Celestia spread her wings majestically, as did Luna and Cadance moments after. “Let’s move out!” Celestia commanded.

And as one, we turned and headed towards my open gate, the Guard marching in formation around us the moment we left my house. Zecora locked the gate, then brought me my key when we’d all left. As we marched through the town, various Ponies watched us go. Some even came and waved at us. I saw Lyra, Bon Bon, Vinyl, and even Octavia smiling and waving at me and the others as we marched through Ponyville towards the Everfree Forest.

One mare in particular flew up and caught me in a surprise hug. I wrapped my arms around Derpy as she clung tightly to me. The newest member of the Wonderbolt Financial Division trembled a bit. “You be careful,” she whispered worriedly in my ear.

“I will, Miss Derpy,” I said.

When I began to hum the tune to Hay Ms. Derpy, she clung to me tighter. “That song…are there really humans who like me that much?”

“Hey girl, I really like your eyes,” I sang, holding her tighter. “Yes, Derpy. There are a lot of humans who loved that song. And you. You brought hope to children who were different everywhere. Your constant smiles in the face of other Ponies mocking you gave them the courage to be themselves.”

She held me close, and I heard her sniffing. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear something like that,” she hiccuped as she gave my cheek a chaste kiss before releasing me. “One second.” She flew off, entered her nearby house, then flew back with a large basket. “Muffins for you all.”

I chuckled, and gave her a warm smile as I took the basket and lifted the yellow towel. Steam rose from it and I saw chocolate chip, banana nut, blueberry, poppyseed and more. I quickly covered it back up so the heat wouldn’t escape. “Derpy, thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Jethro,” she said with a wave of her wings as we made our way towards the Everfree Forest. At one point, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Spoiled Rich glaring at me, but when I turned, she was gone.

Shrugging, I walked to my friends, offering them each a muffin. I myself took a chocolate chip one, and the others took one as well. One of the guards took the basket from me. When I was done with my own muffin, I walked up to Celestia and stood beside her. “Couple questions for you,” I said without preamble. “First, who all is coming?”

“Hang on, I have a list here.” Celestia lifted her horn, and it glowed. From a pocket on a jacket she wore, a piece of paper came out, unfolded and opened between us. “First, from Saddle Arabia, we have Princess Amira and her brother, soon to be Sultan Haakim. From Seaquestria, Princess Skystar and Ambassador Silverstorm. From the Lycan Empire, Princess Amethyst and Ambassador Jasper. From the Dragon Lands, Princess Ember and Ambassador Fuego. From Griffonstone, Ambassadors Greta and Gillian. From the Citadel, the Lady Arathyra and Ambassador Ebiner. From Abyssinia, Princess Redclaw and Ambassador Highfur. From Yakyakistan, Prince Rutherford and Ambassador Veritas. From the Caribou Confederacy, Representatives Thormod Leidolfsson and Frida Regindottir. And from Farasi, Princess Amani and Ambassador Kujadiliana.”

“I recognize some of those names,” I said, “but a lot of them are completely new to me. I didn’t hear the Buffalo in there, though. What about them?”

“They aren’t coming,” Celestia said. “I asked the Appleloosans to contact them, but the response we got was that they trust us to make the right decision.”

“Well…that’s reassuring, kinda,” I said. “Although I’m more surprised that the Lycans are coming. And they’re seriously sending Princess Amethyst?”

“You will be kept safe, I promise,” Celestia said.

“No being will harm you on our watch,” Luna said, standing beside me protectively on my other side.

“Isn’t that my job now, as a knight?” I asked with a small smirk.

“And it is our job as Princesses to keep you safe,” Celestia said, putting a wing around me.

“We both care about your well-being,” Luna said, following suite.

“You ladies are way too good to me,” I chuckled. As we approached the entrance to Everfree, my smile faded. “Second question: Why is Sunset Shimmer still in Equestria? I thought she’d head back to Earth?”

Celestia’s face fell a bit. “She…well, she’s actually been slowly moving back into Canterlot with me. For a bit, anyway. We’ve…been trying to work out our differences as best we could, but she still is completely blaming herself for everything that happened.”

“Can I go talk to her? I know the power of guilt,” I said.

Celestia’s eyes widened with hope. “Please?”

I nodded, then I moved back towards Sunset Shimmer. As I approached her, she looked away from me, a look of shame on her face as I fell into step beside her. We both walked in silence, until I looked down at her. “Sunset Shimmer.” She looked away, but I could still see the guilt on her face overwhelming her beautiful features. She was attractive as a human, sure, but I actually found her Pony form gorgeous. “I know that look,” I said. “I’ve seen it on mine plenty of times. Come on, if you can’t talk to the only person in Equestria who would understand, who can you talk to?”

She took a deep breath, then looked up at me. “I…I shot you…”

“Yes you did.”

“I brought Eris back.”

“Correct.”

“I should be locked away forever because of that.”

“Probably.”

“But the Princess…she forgave me and is begging for my forgiveness too, even though she did nothing wrong.”

Reaching down, I lifted Sunset Shimmer up in my arms, made a cradle with my wings and lay her down in it. She looked up at me with a shocked expression as I reached down and poked her nose. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Celestia, whether it be from the My Little Pony show or in real life, it’s that she absolutely loves you. Unconditionally. Like a mother to her daughter. You mean the world to her, and she’s been blaming herself all these years for what happened between you. Back on Earth, you were furious at her, but in my opinion, your anger was justified. She didn’t try and contact you over the years or even visit you. Isn’t that what you said?”

“How can I be angry at her over that now?” she asked. “That was all Eris.”

“No, not at all. Eris might have amplified your feelings, but I’m pretty sure that anger was your own. And you had every reason to be angry.”

“But…what I did-”

“Was wrong, yes,” I said, moving my hand to touch the arm where she’d shot me. Pulling up my sleeves, I showed the scars, which caused her to gasp. “You were hurt. You were angry. I know how that feels. I shot the rest of those bullets right into Eris without thinking, remember? Or did you not hear about that?”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “I…had heard about that from Twilight Sparkle, but I didn’t believe it…”

“You and I are a lot alike in that regard,” I said, reaching down to cup her cheek in my hand. “We’ve been hurt. We’ve experienced loss. But unlike me, you have a chance to regain what you’ve lost. You still have Celestia. I lost the Alicorn who saved my life when I came here. The one responsible for me having these wings and magical powers. Don’t let this chance go to waste. Talk to her. Vent your frustrations. Let it all out, and don’t bottle it up inside you. If you bottle your anger, it never ends well. Trust me. I’ve seen the results both in myself and in the My Little Pony version of a mare called Starlight Glimmer.”

Sunset looked down, and sighed. “I just…don’t know…I’ve been so lost since coming back here. I did so many horrible things…”

“Yes you did,” I said, and after letting that linger in the air for a bit, I smiled kindly down at her and stroked her mane. She looked up at me with a shocked expression as I continued, “but if your current actions are any indication, you truly regret what you’ve done, right?” When she slowly nodded, I added, “Then what’s the point in you not being forgiven for your sins. After all, it is written about forgiveness, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven’. I take those words to heart. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

She began to tear up slightly. “Damn it…I don’t deserve it, though…”

“But you do,” Celestia said, walking up beside us. She looked down tearfully at her former student. “Sunset…I fucked up big time when it came to how I taught you. I was too strict. To overbearing. I told myself over and over again that I knew best, but I didn’t know you as well as I thought I did. I deserve the anger you had towards me.”

Sunset put her head in her hooves. “But…I brought Eris back…I’m responsible for those deaths.”

I brought her closer to me. “If that’s true, then so am I. I’m the one who made you aware of the open portal. If I’d been patient, I could have prevented it. However, I’m trying to accept that regret won’t help in the long run. The past happened, but we’ve got to live in the present and plan for the future. We can’t control our past actions, but we can look forward and make the future as bright as we can make it.”

I pulled her into my arms and she hung there in my grasp. I could hear her softly sobbing as Celestia herself looked mournfully at her. Slowly, Sunset wrapped her forelegs around me as we walked down the path towards the Palace. As she wept, I held her closer. “Sunset Shimmer, I do forgive you. I really do. You’ve shown to me that you regret your actions back on Earth and here. You wouldn’t be hating yourself right now if you didn’t regret. But please…talk to someone. You can talk to me, if you want. Hell, you can visit anytime you want.” I set her down. “Just please, please…think about what I’ve said?”

Sunset nodded. “I will. I promise.”

I nodded, and we resumed walking. Sunset fell into step with Celestia, and the two walked ahead, talking quietly among themselves. Luna, who had been watching this interaction, walked over and stood beside me. “My sister might have gone over my head, as it were, when making you a knight, but I don’t think her choice a poor one. You are truly a stallion of honor.”

I gave her a small but humble bow. “You honor me, my Princess.”

“I believe that is my line, sir knight,” Luna chuckled and blushed, and looked at me with those gorgeous dark blue eyes of hers.

“Luna,” I whispered, “thank you for coming.”

“Why would I not? It is my duty as a Princess of Equestria to attempt peace. My sister should not be alone in this. And neither should you.”

I smiled warmly at her. “Thank you. I’m truly grateful.”

“Pardon me, your Highness, Sir Jethro,” one of the Guards said, coming up, “but we’re here.”

I looked up along with Luna and, sure enough, we were standing right at the edge of the forest. The Castle of the Two Sisters loomed overhead, banners flying from the towers and lights coming from a few open windows. We all gathered in front of the stone bridge, none of us daring to move. Looking around, I inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “Alright…time to face the music. Let’s go.” And with that, I took the first step forward.

85: A Cloaked Heart's Council Pt. 1

“I feel like I’m one of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table,” I said as I looked at the massive circular table with chairs around it, each specifically designed and labeled with the names of everyone in attendance. Above me, I heard Eve flying around, getting a bird’s eye view of the council chamber.

The castle itself had been apparently staffed ever since Celestia and Luna discovered its rebirth. Minimally staffed, of course, but it had been staffed. There were guards and maids that had been living there, cleaning, organizing, and maintaining the castle for months.

We’d all been given rooms to stay in since Celestia didn’t think it would be over in one day. I was sharing a room with Zecora, the Mane Six were all in one room with six beds, Gemini and Mica would be in a room right next to mine, Sunset would have a room to herself and Scarlet would have had a room all to herself but she begged permission to sleep in my room.

When we’d dropped off our belongings, and after I’d gotten changed into a suit Rarity had made specifically for this occasion, we met with the Princesses in the old throne room. Seeing them sitting in their old thrones brought me a sense of nostalgia despite my not being there during their lives in this palace. In another life, perhaps I arrived a thousand years ago and led Equestria into some golden age of technological revolution, but that hadn’t happened. They showed us to a massive conference room, one of the rooms I’d left empty, and that was where we all were now.

The conference room was massive, a circular room with six doors, each leading somewhere in the castle. The ceiling was domed and a massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating everything. The table itself had a map of what I presumed was the known world of Equestria painted painstakenly onto it. Somehow, it didn’t surprise me that they hadn’t explored the entirety of the planet, since there were parts labeled UNCHARTED TERRITORY.

Celestia, who was watching me with a bemused expression as I looked around the council chamber, chuckled. “And who are these Knights of the Round Table?”

Before I could answer, Twilight Sparkle chimed in. “Oh! They were a group of knights who lived in the British Isles,” she explained. “They all served under the legendary King Arthur, one of Britain’s most famous kings. They were pretty well known for their exploits, mythical or otherwise.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” I said before turning back to Celestia. “You’ve been busy, Princess.” I put my hand on the table, letting it drag along as I walked around it.

“I’m always busy, my Knight,” she said with a smirk.

“You know what I meant,” I smirked back before I continued walking around the table, taking everything in. “What kind of wood is this?”

“White Pine,” Luna said.

“Oh wow,” Twilight said “I read that in Buffalo culture, they consider it as a sign of a peace that combined many of their warring tribes over five hundred years ago.”

“An appropriate choice, then,” Rarity said.

“Hang on there, sugarcube,” Applejack said, looking over at Twilight, “if y’all knew about the Buffalo, why’d we have trouble in Appleloosa?”

“She’s been reading about them ever since we got back,” Spike, who was sitting on my shoulders, replied.

“Egghead,” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“This coming from you?” I teased. “Or should I remind you about our little field trip to Cloudsdale?”

Rainbow blanched and waved her hooves in plea, but it was too late. Twilight had heard the magic words, and looked at her Pegasus friend. “Field trip?! You went on a field trip without me?”

Rainbow gave me a glare that all but screamed I am so gonna get you for this. I just grinned back at her, winked and blew her a kiss which seemed to catch the flying demoness off guard a bit. But, deciding to help her, I said, “Don’t worry about it, Twilight. It was a private little field trip. I’ll tell you the details later.”

“You’d better,” she said eagerly.

Just then, I heard a loud horn blowing from outside the castle. We all turned towards the door nearest to the direction of the sound. I put Spike down, rushed over, opened the door and heading onto a large balcony overlooking the Everfree and the bridge that led across the chasm separating Everfree from the Castle. Coming up the pathway was a procession of larger Ponies, and two immediately stood out. Mostly because I’d seen them in the episode where Trixie reappeared. Two Unicorn Saddle Arabians on either side blew large curved horns, then a third, this one a Pegasus Saddle Arabian, shouted, “Announcing the arrival of Princess Amira and Prince Haakim, Representatives of Sultan Abdul el-Hamid of Saddle Arabia!”

“That’s our cue,” Celestia said to her sister. “Jethro, if you’ll excuse us, we have to go greet our incoming guests. Could you and your friends go to the waiting room until I call for you?”

“Of course,” I said.

As Celestia and Luna flew off the balcony towards the castle entrance, I turned and headed back into the council chambers, heading once more towards another set of doors that, coincidentally, were directly behind my assigned chair. I opened the double doors into an extremely posh and comfortable looking waiting room. Couches covered with the softest red silk and satin sheets were spread everywhere, surrounding a roaring fireplace at the back of the room. I took a seat near the fire and stared into it, and I was hardly surprised when Scarlet and Zecora came to sit on either side of me, snuggling up close to me. Eve sat on my shoulder, leaning against my ear and quickly falling asleep, her cute little eeeev….eeeev… snoring sounds making me smile. Their warmth and affection soothed my nerves, and I felt myself relaxing.

That was, until Rainbow decided revenge was within her grasp. “So…how’d the date go, Mr. Herdman?”

I groaned, but secretly was grateful for the distraction. Turning, I saw the other Mane Six and Spike all looking at me, varying degrees of curiosity in their eyes. Even Eve woke up and looked over at me, tilting her head curiously. “It went really well, actually,” I said. “We went to see a musical rendition of A Hearth’s Warming Tale, then spent some time at Citrus Cellar. We actually tried the Dash of Rainbow, by the way.”

Pinkie’s eyes went wide. “Oooh! What’s that?! A triple chocolate fudge sundae with rainbow sprinkles??”

“Nah, it’s Rainbow’s favorite meal,” I said, before explaining it to her. “But the dessert was delicious too. Chocolate Cake Shake.”

Pinkie’s eyes went even wider. “I have to go there!” she said, bouncing around the room.

Despite myself, Pinkie’s antics caused me to smile. “I’ll take you there sometime. After Twilight teaches me the spell she used to help a non-Pegasus walk on clouds.”

“That’s an easy one,” Twilight chuckled.

Fluttershy walked over to me, sitting down in front of me and putting her forehooves on my legs. Her smile was wide, but something in it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “What did you do afterwards?” she asked.

“We went to the Rainbow Dome Fountain, then went for a little fly. We came home after that,” I said.

“And he kissed me hard!” Scarlet giggled.

Fluttershy’s hooves tensed up a bit, but her smile remained. “You did?”

There was something in her voice that made me shiver a little. It felt…icy. “Yeah…I did,” I said with a nervous smile. I sure hope Fluttershy doesn’t end up being a yandere, I thought. I’m going to have to talk to her tonight. Then, an idea came to mind. My lap was open, so I lifted the yellow Pegasus up in my magic, then set her directly on my lap. She squeaked in surprise when I wrapped my arms around her. “Jesus, you’re trembling. Are you that cold?” I asked, holding her closer.

“Um…sure…” she said, but I could only guess that it wasn’t the cold that was making her tremble.

As Fluttershy snuggled into me, I looked at the others. “So…on a scale of one to completely crapping your pants, how scared are you about this Council?”

Fluttershy’s increased trembling answered all I needed to know about her thoughts. Twilight took a deep breath and said, “I’m excited, and a bit nervous.”

“You mean nervouscited! It’s like you wanna jump up and down and yell YAY MEE!” she began, bouncing up and down in her normal Pinkie Pie way. “But you also wanna curl up into a teeny, tiny ball and hide at the same time,” she finished, making said motions and rocking back and forth. Then, to my delight, she actually uncurled much like a Transformer, although I was a bit disappointed not to hear the special effects. “We’ve all been there!” she finished, patting me on the head.

“Fluttershy’s there almost every day,” I replied automatically, hugging the trembling Pegasus closer. “And I feel you. Feels like my heart’s about to explode from all the excitement and terror.”

“We’re all here for ya, ah hope ya know that,” Applejack said.

“With how often you all say that, it’s hard not to forget,” I said, reaching up to stroke Fluttershy’s mane. “Thank you…”

“So…what should we do now?” Rainbow Dash asked.

I chuckled. “Well, I did bring my laptop with me. Twilight, Spike, should we show the others our little adventures as the Dragonborn?”

The Unicorn and Dragon both perked up at that, as did Sunset Shimmer. “Tamriel?” she asked. “Elder Scrolls?”

“Damn right,” I said. “This is Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.”

The others looked at me curiously as I pulled out my laptop, turned it on, then set it in my lap and projected the screen into the air. “What in tarnation is this?” Applejack asked as she sat on one of the couches.

“Ladies, I welcome you…to the magical world of Skyrim.” And I hit LOAD GAME.

“Use a fire spell! A fire spell!” Applejack was shouting as my new character, who I’d named Korzen, circled around the random dragon we’d encountered near one of the stone walls where a dragon shout word had been located.

“That won’t work on a dragon!” Spike said. “We’re pretty impervious to fire.”

“This is a game, Spike,” Twilight said as she continued watching the fight unfold, “and that dragon is spouting ice, not fire.”

“Drink some health potions!” Rarity shouted.

“No, he should use the magic healing spell,” Sunset Shimmer countered.

“Kwaawk!” Eve shouted, although I had no idea what she was saying.

“But he already used a dragon shout,” Fluttershy said, “and he can’t shout for a while now, right?”

“I’m out of potions and MP-and I’m dead,” I said as my character finally expired. “Well, drat. Guess we’ve gotta try again-”

The door opened slightly, and Shining Armor poked his head in. “Pardon me, but the last of the delegates have arrived. The Princesses will be calling you shortly.”

As the game loaded from the last save point, I hit Escape and paused the game. “How long do we have?”

“She said ten minutes,” Shining said, “but it could be sooner.”

“We’ll be ready,” I said. Nodding, Shining closed the door. I began closing the game down, and when that was finished, I closed the laptop. Standing, I straightened my tie, only for Rarity to stand in front of me and use her own magic to straighten my own clothes with her magic. “Rarity?”

“Hold still, darling,” she said as she continued straightening my clothes. Finally, she stepped back and nodded. “Perfect.”

I folded my wings back into their neutral position, then faced the door. “Alright, are we all ready?”

“As ready as ah’ll ever be,” Applejack said.

“Let’s show those stuck-up royal types that you’re not a monster,” Rainbow Dash said.

The others gave similar platitudes, and the more they did, the wider my smile became until it threatened to make my jaw hurt. I walked over to a nearby table, grabbed a glass, poured some water into it, downed it completely, then turned. “Showtime, then,” I said.

The doors opened, and I saw Shining stepping in. “When Princess Celestia announces you, please step through and take your seats,” he said.

For the next few minutes, I could hear Princess Celestia announcing the names of all my friends. Eventually, I was the only one left, albeit guarded on either side by the heavily armed Gemini and Mica, with Eve sitting on my shoulder still. I turned to Gemini. “You think it’s wise to let them know Mica’s still alive?”

“We are both your guards,” she said. “If the Princess has an issue with that, she’s more than welcome to try and kill me. But she’s more spoiled than you think. She has no combat experience.”

“I’m not afraid,” Mica said.

I put a hand on his shoulder. “I know, my friend. Just worried.”

Mica smiled up at me. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got a kickass big sister and a powerhouse of an employer.”

I smirked. “Silly wolf.”

“And last, but certainly not least,” Celestia said regally, “gentlebeings of the world, I would like to introduce you to the one responsible for the idea for this council: the being from another world, Sir Jethro Edward Bethridge, human being and Knight of Equestria.”

Straightening, I confidently strode out into the council chamber. Eve launched herself off of my shoulder and flew in before me. Gemini and Mica stepped in behind me, armed and with serious expressions on their faces. The room was silent as I felt the eyes of every individual in the room lock onto me. Not only the representatives, but the various guards standing behind each chair.

I looked around the room slowly, surprised at how many various sapient races there were in the world. Stepping forward, I pulled out my chair, the only one of its kind in the room, then slowly, I sat down in my chair. Mica and Gemini took positions behind me, as did two other Royal Guards. I pulled out my laptop and put it in front of me, keeping it closed. When that was done, I put my hands on the table, folding them. I took the opportunity to look around the room.

The first thing I noticed was that each seat had a large glass or mug at each seat, full of ice water. The second thing I noticed was that I was seated currently between Luna and Celestia. On either side of them, the Bearers of Harmony, Zecora, Scarlet, Sunset Shimmer and Spike all sat. To my left, right after the last of my friends, I saw the two Saddle Arabian royals from before. Next to them, I saw the unmistakable form of Prince Rutherford. However, what surprised me was that I could actually see his eyes. He also looked more clean cut than anything I’d seen. Next to him, a smaller Yak sat. Thanks to the name plate in front of the Yak’s seat, I could see their name was Veritas. She was a female by the looks of her and the more feminine clothes she wore.

Next to her, I saw two Hippogriffs, one being the ever-familiar Skystar, and a darker gray male dressed in official looking clothing who was named Silverstorm. Next to them, the blue scaled Princess Ember glowered suspiciously at me while the dark green scaled and twice as large Ambassador Fuego sat and gave me a stony glare. I had to admit, Ember was actually pretty attractive for a dragon. Unlike in the show, she actually wore some kind of metal bra over some decent sized breasts. I assumed she had on something similar around her nether regions. Next to them, two nearly identical looking Griffons sat, Greta and Gillian. Both were dark blue with pure white feathers and dark green eyes. They might have been identical, but I could see them as fraternal twins of some sort.

Next to them, I finally got my first glimpse of the Deerfolk. The first, Lady Arathyra, was a slender looking doe with completely white fur, bright blue eyes, and robed in light blue garments that shimmered. The other deer beside her, Ambassador Ebiner, was a brown furred buck with long dark horns that were decorated with a few gold rings. He wore dark brown robes and had a pair of spectacles on his face.

Next to them, I saw two Zebras, one being a younger looking female named Princess Amani with a small golden circlet on her head that looked like it had once been a crown of sticks that had been dipped in gold. Like Zecora, she had large earrings on, along with four golden neck chokers. She wore a dark blue striped dress. Beside her, the Zebra stallion named Ambassador Kujadiliana sat. He was larger than Amani, and wore what could only be described as wizarding robes, albeit made of a darker brown silk. I was somewhat reminded of Elves from Lord of the Rings and I wondered if they, too, could perform magic.

Beside them, two humanoid felines sat, their nameplates labelled them as Princess Redclaw and Ambassador Highfur. The princess had dark red fur, light red hair of some sort and dark blue eyes. She was dressed in light green dress and had her eyes fixed on me. Beside her, a black furred male sat, wearing a brown button-down coat and a red cravat. His green eyes were giving me an appraising glance up and down.

Next, I saw two Caribou. Only these two were anthropomorphic in appearance. Their nameplates read Thormod Leidolfsson and Frida Regindottir. They reminded me somewhat of the Deerfolk, but with lighter fur. Frida had smaller horns coming from her head, and she was wearing what I could only describe as a black jacket with white fur lining the sleeves. Thormod beside her had a similar jacket on, only this one was dark brown. His horns were larger and had more to them. Both their fur was light brown with darker spots all around. Judging by their names, they had to have been more like Vikings or Norse than anything. I wondered if they had their own versions of Valhalla.

And lastly, I saw two Lycan females, each giving me cold glances. I recognized the princess of the Empire, who was wearing a light purple dress and the same circlet on her head I’d seen her wearing the last time I saw her. She was glowering angrily at me, but also at the other two Lycans standing behind me. The older Lycan Jasper beside her had a cooler head, it seemed, and was wearing what looked like ceremonial armor with a battle axe sitting next to her chair in plain sight.

Celestia, who was to my left, looked out on the gathered representatives with the eyes of a leader. Cool. Collected. Full of hope. She was the first to speak after I sat. “My fellow Equestrians,” she said, making sure her voice was heard across the room which wasn’t too hard considering it allowed for echoing, “I am pleased to see each and every one of you in this room. We have all gathered in the name of peace, harmony and cooperation in the hopes of answering your questions about the events of Eris’ invasion of our world. I will not lie: these past few weeks have been a trying time for our world, our very nations and inhabitants. No, not trying. For a brief time, we were in a state of war. Not with an enemy nation, but with ourselves. Family against family. Neighbor against neighbor. Friend against friend. None of us escaped this horrendous event. It saddens me deeply to know just how much each and everycreature in this room has lost. It might sound pretentious coming from me, but I do grieve with thee.” And with that, Celestia put a hoof on her chest and bowed. I saw a couple tears fall onto the table. I saw a few of the prey species look shocked at this, but the predators simply glowered.

When she raised her head, she continued. “I know all of you have seen Eris’ broadcast which showed the human television show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” she continued, “but for that, I would turn that over to our resident expert in human affairs: our knight Sir Jethro Bethridge.” She turned to me and nodded.

With a single motion, I brought out my laptop, set it up, and opened it. I opened the MLP folder filled with images of various characters from the fandom, some of whom were in the room. I clicked on the first, which showed the Mane Six as seen in the Season One through Three intro. Casting the spell that mirrored my screen, I rotated it so it was facing the crowd of gathered dignitaries. “Gathered representatives of the world,” I began, “what I am about to share with you is one of the hardest truths anyone in this world has probably ever had to face, but I assure you, as God Almighty and my Princesses are my witness, it is the truth. Absolute and undeniable. As you can see, this is an image of the Bearers of Harmony as they appear in the television show my Princess mentioned. You can see Twilight Sparkle, Applejack Apple, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash here. They are the main characters of this story.”

“Of course you humans would worship Ponies,” I heard Amethyst growl. “Weak and soft, just like you.”

I ignored her and continued. “I see faces in this crowd today that are actually familiar to me. Like so.” I hit the arrow key a couple times, and the image changed to Princess Ember. The real one’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the image. “As you can see, a few of you have shown up in this show. Here.” I showed images of the two Saddle Arabians, Prince Rutherford and Princess Skystar. “However, the rest of you are a complete unknown to me,” I added. “As my Princess has so graciously greeted you, so do I in the name of hopeful future friendship and cooperation.”

“As interesting as this is,” Amethyst said, “I think we’re missing one of the more main matters at claw. Eris: what has been done with her? Because, let’s be honest, Princess, she is a danger to the entire world, not just your quaint little kingdom. Not to mention the architect of her escape is the one you foolishly knighted.”

Celestia was about to answer when Sunset Shimmer hit her hoof on the table. “Your Highness, if anypony is to be blamed for Eris’ release, it’s me,” she said, looking at the Lycan Princess with a brave and cool expression. “I allowed for her to corrupt me all those years ago before I left Equestria, and I’m the one who brought the small portion of her back so that she could be freed.”

“And what of what Eris told us about the human race and their propensity for violence?” Lady Arathyra’s voice was almost melodious. Just what I would have expected from Equestria’s answer to High Elves.

I was about to reply, when Luna put her hoof on my hand. “Allow me to answer that question with a question,” she said as she stood, then looked around the room. “Among us, I see beings of both prey and predator species. How many among you can honestly say that we are innocent of war and bloodshed? Any of you?” Luna let the question linger in the air before she continued. “No species is perfect. Not even Ponies. We once lived in a constant state of bitter hatred of each other, Earth Pony, Pegasi and Unicorns were all on three sides of a bitter stalemate war. There was no harmony among us. Many Ponies even died at the hooves of other Ponies during that time.”

Now that did catch me off guard. I didn’t know that Pony murders had occurred during the Age of Windigos. Just another reminder that this is a real world, not some cartoon, I thought. Luna continued. “I am no expert when it comes to humanity, so I will leave the explanation of that to our Knight.”

She turned and nodded at me. I bowed, then turned to the assembled delegates. “I will not deny that humans have had wars and bloodshed in our history, but we are also capable of much more than that. Humans are much more than just advanced weaponry and bloodshed. We’re also creatures of compassion, love, and dreaming really big. Humans are a very inquisitive race. Back on Earth, humans don’t have wings or magic like I do, and they’ve accomplished some pretty amazing things. Lifespans have been extended thanks to advances in medicine. Worldwide communication can happen instantly. We’ve even set foot on our moon.”

“You still have not answered my question,” Amethyst said. “What has been done with Eris?”

“The Bearers of Harmony turned her into stone,” Celestia replied calmly. “She is locked in an eternal prison. She has been hidden away where nocreature can find her and is under constant surveillance under the watchful eye of our most loyal and disciplined guards.”

“That’s not good enough,” Ember said, her own teeth barred in anger. “Princess Celestia, thanks to that bitch, over two hundred Dragons died at each other’s claws, and hundred more eggs were smashed in the chaos. Our lands are still recovering. My father the Dragon Lord is demanding answers, and he deserves them. We all do!” She hit her fist on the table angrily. “We want her head on a platter!”

“The Yaks are in agreement with the Dragons,” Prince Rutherford said, and I was surprised at how fluid his Modern Ponish was. I’d half expected him to talk in more broken type sentences, but apparently this version of Rutherford was more well versed in Ponish than his television counterpart. “This is not a Pony only issue! The whole world was attacked! We Yaks demand justice!”

“And how do you kill an immortal being of chaos?” Luna asked, and I could hear her own patience waning. “The weapon Sir Jethro used on her only wounded her, and it was human made. Even if we shattered the statue, it wouldn’t work to kill her. Trust me. I tried it.”

That brought silence to the entire room. Even Celestia looked shocked for a brief moment before her face resumed its neutrality. Luna continued. “The statue wouldn’t break no matter how far I dropped it. Eris’ power is far too great for anycreature to affect even her statue form. We can’t kill her.”

“Then throw her into a volcano!” Ember shouted.

“Or freeze her in a glacier!” Rutherford said.

“The sandstorms in our lands can chip away at even the most stubborn of stones in a matter of years,” Princess Amira said. She had a vaguely Arabian accent to her voice, and something inside me assumed their native tongue had similarities to many different Middle Eastern languages from Earth.

“Our best enchanters are capable of locking our own prisoners away, even if they have powerful magic of their own,” Lady Arathyra added.

“Oooh! Maybe we could drop her to the bottom of the ocean!” Princess Skystar added. Even in a serious situation, she had a voice that reminded me a little bit of Pinkie Pie. Or maybe it was the enthusiasm they both shared.

“Everycreature, please,” Celestia said, “let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Prince Rutherford, you’re right. The issue of Eris is a worldwide one, and needs to be discussed in detail. But my sister raises a good point. There’s no known way to actually end the life of an immortal being like her. And the only other option would be to banish her to somewhere far away, like what I did to my sister or what Star Swirl did to the last of the Sirens all those years ago.”

“Of course. Banishing. Typical of your race,” Amethyst growled. “Out of sight, out of mind, right? You push the problems onto others. You remember a hundred years ago when one of our own found that damned Memory Stone?! That was one of your Pony artifacts, Princess!”

“That artifact has since been disposed of,” Celestia said coolly. “Nopony else will be harmed by it again.”

“It was your kind who banished it from your lands without any consideration for anywolf,” Amethyst sneered, and was about to say something more, but Jasper put a claw over hers. Amethyst took a few deep breaths, then sat back. “A thousand of my kind were killed thanks to Eris, and we want to know that she is properly punished. That, and we want the being or beings responsible for her release punished!” She pointed to me and Sunset.

“Now hang on, Princess,” Ambassador Fuego said. To my surprise, the other Dragon had a slight Hispanic-eque accent to him. “Eris is well known to our kin, and in the many tales we tell, one of the common themes is that she is a devious and manipulative trickster.”

Jasper nodded in understanding and spoke before her Princess could. “Folk tales are just folk tales, but there is always a semblance of truth within them.”

“And the way she assaulted him was quite sickening,” Ambassador Greta said.

“Indeed,” Gillian said. “He was clearly a victim.”

“And it could have been acting,” Amethyst snapped. “That creature is not to be trusted!”

Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash was unable to stay silent anymore. In her normal, crass and in your face kind of way, she stomped on the table. “Just because he kicked your ass and ruined your plans doesn’t make him a monster! Just makes him better than you stuck up-”

“Calm down, Rainbow Dash,” I said, holding up my hand and encasing her hoof in my signature magic. “We’re a council dedicated to trying to make peace, not antagonize, so mouth closed.”

Rainbow Dash scowled, but sat back in her chair, huffing. However, my use of magic had not been missed. Lady Arathyra leaned closer, facing me with a cool guarded expression. “I believe you mentioned that humans don’t have magic or wings. So how do you have both?”

“Sir Jethro is a special case,” Celestia said. “He was accidentally granted his wings and magic by a spiritual being who is, unfortunately, no longer with us.”

“And who’s to say Eris was lying about him wanting to use his magic against Equestria?” Amethyst asked.

“A good point,” Princess Redclaw, who had been silent up until now, leaned forward, her feline grace clearly visible in her movements. “Sir Jethro, how can we be sure you don’t have hostile intentions?”

“Unfortunately, all you have is my word that I would never, in my life, attempt to bring harm to any nation in the world,” I said. “I’m unable to return to mine, and as that is the case, I’ve begun setting up a life here. I’ve already found love, too.” And with that, I glanced over at Zecora, who smiled and nodded in my direction.

Princess Amani noted this, and smiled as well. She pointed over to Zecora and said, “I know this mare. She is an excellent judge of character, and if she has, indeed, fallen for this human, then the nation of Farasi will not blame him for the freedom of or actions of Eris. We never did in the first place.”

Amethyst snorted derisively, and I heard her muttering under her breath, “Of course you would…”

“Unfortunately, your word is not enough for our country,” Ember said. “We need proof.”

It was hard to be patient with this crowd, but I kept my voice even as I asked. “What kind of proof would you want?” I asked. “Do you want me to visit your countries on some sort of worldwide peace tour?”

The silence that followed made my skin crawl. Many of their eyes widened at the idea. Celestia didn’t look too pleased at what I had said, but it was too late to take it back. As I looked over the table, I held back a sigh. It was going to be a very long day…

Author's Note

Updates might not be as frequent for a bit as having to deal with so many different characters at once is giving me headaches. That, and tomorrow is July 4th for me. Enjoy, though!

86: A Cloaked Heart's Council Pt. 2

There are times when someone should speak up, and there are times when someone should refrain from speaking. And I had to open my big mouth and suggest a world peace tour. Me and my big mouth., I thought to myself.

However, there’s also a time when a man needs to stand up and not take the bullshit of the world when it’s thrown against him unfairly. I’d been hearing that it wasn’t my fault from my friends for a long time, and perhaps it was time I pushed back. Perhaps it was time I started believing it more myself than anything else.

“A worldwide peace tour?” Prince Haakim asked, raising an eyebrow at me curiously. “And what would that entail, exactly?”

I sighed and as I replied, my eyes focused on each member of the council. “I’m not a complete fool,” I said. “I know there are members of your nations who would gladly see my head on a pike for what they think I did. I know there’s a lot of hatred directed towards me from many of the representatives here, even, and since I’m a Knight of Equestria, it’s my duty to protect my Princesses, my country and the Ponies and other citizens of this kingdom. If the hatred towards me could lead to war, I would much rather dispel the hatred before things get bad.”

“I don’t hate you!” Princess Skystar said with a wide friendly smile and a wave.

I nodded in her direction and waved back with a small smile. “Thank you, your Highness.”

“And if we did hate you, we would never go to war over hatred of just one individual,” Lady Arathyra said calmly. “But perhaps there is a better way.”

“What do you have in mind?” Princess Amira asked.

“We have gathered here today members of the most prominent civilizations in the known world,” the Deerfolk Princess said. “I believe that, if any of us wish to ensure peace and to not let our uncertainty for this human to lead to anything more…unpleasant…then perhaps we should have two on one conversations with him.”

“That might work, actually,” Ember said, which surprised me. “Us Dragons might be barbaric to you Ponies, but we aren’t a savage race. We can see reason.”

“And this comes from a race that kicks its own young out after they molt,” Lady Arathyra said with a hint of disgust in her voice.

“It teaches us how to be strong and self-sufficient!” Ember said in a defensive tone. “And what do you Deerfolk do with your young? Teatfeed them until they’re decrepit and old?”

Ebiner frowned. “I take great offense to that,” he said, putting one hoof on the table loudly, “We let our young leave when they are ready!”

“Um…can we not fight?” Skystar, bless her heart, tried to have her voice heard, but was instantly silenced by the ever growing raucous noise in the room.

“And when are they ready, Deer? When they’re thirty?!” Ember shouted back. “That just makes them soft!”

“Delegates, please!” Celestia shouted over the din, “We are losing sight of the matter at hoof!” She brought down her hoof like a gavel, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. She looked around the room, then sighed. “Thank you, delegates.”

“I, for one, would like to point out that going on a tour of the world would take too long,” Frida said with a slightly Nordic type accent. “Our nations are too widespread for any long-term mission of this sort.”

“Perhaps so, but it is clear to me that there are allies of Equestria here and those who are, at best, on neutral standing with Equestria.” Arathyra sighed, then continued. “The allies will more than likely accept the judgement of the Princesses of this nation, but for those of us with a, shall we say, checkered past with this country, we would want more proof than just their word.”

“Which is why my mind thought up a worldwide tour,” I said. “I’ll be proving to the world that what Eris said about humans is only partially true. In person.”

“Partially?” Ambassador Highfur asked.

“If I’d been like some of the more jaded members of my species, I’d tell you that humanity is a cruel sadistic species who wars constantly with each other,” I said, keeping my voice firm and slow so that I didn’t stutter, “but I want the world to know that there’s so much more to humanity than that. My Princess stated it better than I could, but I also grieve with thee. I know the pain of loss, and I would help build up better relations between my nation and the nations of the world.”

“Perhaps we can table that discussion for a later time,” Cadance finally spoke up, cutting me off.

“Indeed,” Celestia said, although I could see her giving me a glance that all but said We’ll discuss this later.

“The matter at hoof is more serious than a peace tour,” Luna added. “We, my sister, niece and myself only wish for there to be no war or conflict between our nations.”

“This coming from the Pony who forced peace on us,” Amethyst shouted.

The others around the table looked confused by this admission, all except the Deerfolk, who both looked at Celestia and Luna with unreadable expressions. I held up my hand. “That is an entirely separate matter altogether, your Imperial Highness,” I said politely.

She almost replied, but Jasper interrupted and said, “Please forgive my Princess. The journey here has been tiring for all of us. But you are correct, human. This is a separate matter. Back to the matter at claw?”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed. I have seen in some of the replies that some of you are demanding restitution from Equestria. Including the head of Sir Jethro, as he so inelegantly mentioned.” I felt shivers going down my spine at how she worded that, and I knew I was in for a yelling match later. “I must, however, decline on that latter part. He is our knight.”

Amethyst was about to say something else, but Jasper quickly interrupted and said “Then what else would you offer us? Necromancy to bring our dead back?”

Celestia’s eyes widened in horror. “There is no such magic!” she shouted, “and even if there were, we would never use such a cursed method!”

“Indeed. Tis quite a barbaric magic to have even imagined,” Luna added.

“Besides, even if there were,” Twilight finally spoke up, “we wouldn’t know if the being we brought back was actually the one who died.”

“Not helping, Twilight,” I muttered.

“All we want to do is make things right,” Celestia said, “and to establish a …friendlier relationship with each nation represented at this table.”

“And what about those not represented?” Ember asked. “What about the Buffalo? Or the Kirin?”

“The Kirin are too secretive to be contacted,” I replied, surprised that the Dragon Princess even knew about them, “And besides, they have currently made themselves mute, so talking to them without the cure would be impossible.”

“The Buffalo declined to come,” Celestia added, “but I have their chief’s word that he will accept any judgement this council decides.”

That seemed to satisfy everyone. Everyone, that is, except the Lycan Princess who just scowled at Celestia, then at me. “Then hand over that human. It’s because of him that we’ve suffered lately!” She pointed an accusatory claw at me.

“Do you think he did anything?” Thormod asked, staring at the Lycan Princess. “We all saw how Eris assaulted him. Nodeer could fake that type of fear and disgust. He was genuinely molested. He was a victim!”

With a sudden motion, Amethyst stood, her chair falling back with a loud crash. “Then the Lycan Empire wants nothing more to do with this so-called Council of Equestria!” She pointed at Celestia. As long as your pathetic kingdom continues to protect that creature, don’t expect any cooperation from our Empire!” And with that, she stormed towards one of the doors. Jasper quickly stood, bowed and, surprisingly, had an apologetic look in her eyes before she quickly followed her Princess.

To be truthful, I’d expected this kind of behavior from the Lycan Empire, especially if that spoiled brat was there. I had hoped that this council would be enough to knock some sense into her, but I hoped too much, it seemed. When the door to the main hallway slammed shut, its echo filled the hallway. There was silence for a while, until finally Cadance spoke up. “Um…Princess Celestia? Perhaps we should have a small break and cool our heads a bit?”

Celestia sighed and nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. How does that sound to everybeing here?” Murmurs of agreement went around the room. “Well, let’s plan on reconvening at eleven o’clock, one hour from now. Our chefs can prepare you some small meal if you wish.”

And just like that, everyone in the room began standing up and talking among themselves. It didn’t escape my notice that none of the delegates were interacting with each other, only their own kinds. I stood, closed my laptop, put it back in my bag and looked at my friends. They all looked nervous and somewhat despondent. However, when I turned to Celestia, that’s when I knew I would be getting the mother of all lectures. Not even Twilight’s could compete with what I was probably about to receive.

But…I needed to grow a pair and listen to what she had to say, so I gestured to the door we’d come through, bowing to her as was befitting her station. She nodded, then walked towards the door, opening it with her magic. The others tried to enter, but Celestia stopped them. “This is between me and my Knight.”

“Nice try, sister,” Luna said, stepping forward. “Our knight, remember?”

Celestia looked at Luna for a bit, then sighed and nodded. “Right, sorry sister. You can come.” Turning to Cadance, she said, “I hope you and Captain Shining Armor don’t mind waiting out here for a while?”

Cadance nodded. “Sure thing, Auntie.”

Celestia smiled gratefully, then she and Luna both turned and entered the room. I followed, closed the door behind me, locked it, then stood at the door, arms crossed. “Alright, let me have it.”

Celestia’s horn glowed a bit, and the sound from outside vanished. When that was done, she whirled on me, face contorted in rage. “What in Tartarus was that out there!?” she shouted angrily, albeit not with her Canterlot Voice. Storming up to me, she loomed over me and narrowed her eyes. “Worldwide Peace Tour?! What…what the FUCK?!”

“The world is scared right now,” I replied. “They’re scared of me! Of humanity! They saw us at some of our worst, and those fanfics are as NOTHING compared to what we’re really capable of! But I need to prove that I’m so much more than just that display in Ponyville! I need to show that there is kindness within humanity! Compassion! Depth of feeling that matches their own! We’re on the verge of a world war, your Highness! Are you willing to raise an army to fight the rest of Equestria?!”

“But why go in Pony?” she asked.

“There’s a quote from a fictional character from Earth. ‘If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?’ I think this can apply here. I need to make sure this is taken care of personally.”

Celestia bristled. “Wouldn’t it be easier to talk to everybeing out there instead?! Sit down two on one like Lady Arathyra mentioned!”

“Because it would only be a band-aid on a much bigger wound!” I replied. I could feel myself growing stubborn at this. Some part of me knew I was in the right here. “It’s not just the leaders I need to convince! It’s their people! The common folk!”

“And how are you going to do that?!” Luna jumped in, standing next to her sister. “Give a speech about how humanity isn’t as bad as Eris made it out to be?!” Her anger was on par with Celestia’s, but there was fear there as well. Fear for my wellbeing. A fear it appeared her sister also shared.

I could feel my determination waning in the presence of my friends. My employers. My Princesses. “What would you have me do?” I asked, forcing calm into my voice. “We have to do something to ease their worries. The Lycan Empire aside, what could we do or say? We can’t really offer monetary restitution. That would bankrupt Equestria, not to mention it would be a weak response. And you said we can’t kill Eris. What else can we do? What else? WHAT ELSE?!”

To my surprise, Luna stormed up, getting in my face, her dark blue eyes seething with anger. Anger that abruptly vanished as she leaned forward and put her forehead to mine. I could feel her trembling. “I don’t want you to go,” the Lunar Princess said in an uncharacteristically soft tone, her voice quivering with barely repressed emotion. I didn’t have to be a genius to immediately guess why she was scared. Celestia’s and Cadance’s guesses were true. I doubted a princess like her would act so vulnerable around me otherwise. She really does have feelings for me, doesn’t she?

Celestia’s anger slowly faded as well and she too moved closer, putting one wing on her sister’s back and another on mine. “Neither do I, and I know that the others outside wouldn’t even consider not going with you. They’re protective of you and care for you deeply.”

“…You two really are unfair,” I said softly as I put both arms around Luna’s neck.

“And you don’t need to go gallivanting off on your own to prove anything to us,” Celestia said. “I didn’t just make you a knight to keep you protected. I did so because I know you have the courage and strength of one of the knights of old.”

“And my duty now is to Equestria and to you two, my Princesses,” I said as I hugged Luna closer. “What else can I do other than go on this tour?”

“Do you remember the magic that my sister used to broadcast the song you played all over Equestria?” Luna asked, pulling me closer into her hug. “Why not try that instead?”

“And if they have questions? If the people of these other countries have questions?” I asked. “Luna…I have to-”

“Shut up for a second, Jethro,” Celestia said sternly. Luna and I both looked at her. Celestia motioned for her sister to back away. As the lunar Diarch did so, Celestia raised a wing, then brought it down and slapped me. I flew backwards into one of the couches, my face stinging with the surprising force of the slap. She rushed forward, lifting me up with her wings and tears falling from her eyes. “You can’t please everypony, and you can’t take the world on your shoulders! Why are you so dead set on giving up your own happiness?!”

I felt tears stinging my own eyes. “But…my friends…this nation…”

“Your friends would tell you the same thing!” Celestia shouted, her voice cracking, “They want you to be happy, but you focus so much on them instead of your own happiness! A good friendship is based on give and take, and you constantly give more than you receive!”

As she said those things, the slap began making more sense. Her out of character behavior aside, I knew deep down that she was right. But that lingering doubt in my mind, the desire to make people happy, still pestered me. “Then…what do we do? How do we fix this?”

Celestia pulled me into a tight hug, holding me close and nuzzling my face. Her voice was soft, soothing, and full of warmth, but it also trembled a bit, as did her body. “For one, stop trying to be a martyr for us. I know it’s your duty as a knight to protect the kingdom and us, but we also want to protect you. And I don’t just mean me and Luna. Your friends, and your marefriend all care enough about you to come to your rescue when you’re in trouble. They’d all go with you to Tartarus if you asked. Even Fluttershy.”

All my instincts, my years of being raised to give of yourself to others were screaming at me to perform this tour. But another part of me, a part that seemed to have been repressed by my need to see others smile, the selfish part of me I feared, was beginning to stir. It was telling me that I deserved to be happy, so why not allow myself to be selfish for once? “…You two are so not fair…” I whispered softly.

“We know,” Luna said.

“Why is it so hard for you to do what you want to do for once?” Celestia asked, pulling away and staring into my eyes. “Twilight’s told me how you make time for your friends, and I’m glad of that, but what about your hobbies? Your desires? Surely you have something. You do things with your friends that they love, but I’m positive they want to see the sort of things you love. And not just the occasional movie you mentioned.”

“Celestia…I’ve hardly had time to rest since I got here,” I said. “It’s one thing after another. The Lycan Empire incident, Eris, and now the potential for your own version of a world war? I was never alive for my planet’s two world wars, but I know enough about them to realize that I don’t want the same thing to happen here.”

“Jethro Bethridge,” Luna said, walking back over to me and nuzzling my face affectionately “My sister and I are aware of your species’ propensity for violence, but we also know you. You are not your species. You are you. And I dare anypony or anyone else to call you a monster when you’ve shown great courage in the face of adversity. It’s one of the main reasons why I want to make you my student in the arcane magic I know.”

Celestia looked a bit shocked at this. “You never mentioned this,” she said.

“Look, we can discuss this another time,” I said, gently pulling myself away from the Princesses and their group hug of me. “Part of me is screaming to help, but the other part of me hears what you’re saying. Can I…can I at least talk to my friends about it too?”

“Of course,” Celestia said. “We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I nodded in gratitude. “Thank you, you two.”

They stepped aside as I made my way to the door. The moment I opened it, a yellow and pink blur crashed into me, sending me flying back into the room. I grunted as I fell onto my ass. I felt the familiar form of Fluttershy clinging to me. “Don’t go! Don’t go!” she began shouting as she buried her face into my chest. The poor shy mare was trembling as she held me.

“Go where?” I asked. Although I pretty much knew what she meant, I wanted to hear her say it.

“Don’t do this tour!” she begged. She looked up at me, and my heart broke when I saw her eyes full of worry and tears. “You don’t have to do it!”

I threw my arms around her and she once more buried her face into my chest. I looked up at the others who were slowly approaching me. They all had looks of worry on their own faces. “I take it Fluttershy speaks for all of you?” I asked.

“Sugarcube, ah think ah can speak fer all of us when ah say yer being as stubborn as a mule,” Applejack said.

“You keep on taking the whole world on your shoulders,” Rarity said.

“Dude, you’re going to break at some point,” Scarlet said as she knelt to kiss my cheek. “You’re making the same mistake you made back on Earth.”

Zecora’s face was a mask, but that mask broke when she came and sat next to me, leveling her eyes at me. “Love…please do not go.”

“But what do I do?” I asked. “I just…I want to help somehow.”

“Damn, you’re really as stubborn as AJ,” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, come on! I get that you wanna help, and that’s awesome and all, but even I know that there’s such a thing as too much helping!”

“This coming from the mare who naps on a cloud anytime she pleases?” I automatically teased back.

“Hey! It’s called resting my eyes after a hard day making sure the weather doesn’t suck, thank you very much!” Rainbow said in a huff.

“Jethro, is it really important for you to try and fix something that really wasn’t your fault to begin with?” Twilight asked cautiously.

“I just…I don’t want a world war to happen because people are afraid of me,” I replied. I paused and sighed. “Man, I really am a stubborn bastard, aren’t I?”

“Your foul language aside,” Rarity said, “we all admire what you’re trying to do. You’re a protective stallion and knight, but-”

“Jethy! Just get this through your thick skull,” Pinkie came forward and hit my head lightly with each word, “None. Of. This. Is. Your. Fault.” She gave my other cheek a gentle kiss this time. “Please…don’t go?”

She gave me the biggest puppy dog eyes I had ever seen on her. My resolve weakened. “God…don’t do that with the eyes. How do you do that with the eyes? It’s like they inflate.” I took a deep breath, and exhaled. “Even if I don’t go on this tour, I still feel like I need to do something.”

“Then do it from home,” Celestia said from behind me, “because Luna is right. There are means of expanding the spell I used to move across the world. Why don’t you let me and my sister and niece do the talking for now?”

Cadance stepped forward. “Jethro, nopony here wants to see you go. They’d miss you, and I know you would deeply miss them. Why are you torturing yourself?”

“I…Goddamnit…you mares are so unfair sometimes,” I said, but a small smile formed on my face. “Fine…you win. You’ve made your point, and you’re all right. I have been trying a bit too hard. I guess I didn’t want to appear lazy.”

“Darling, nopony here would ever call you lazy,” Rarity said. “Sometimes I feel like you’re giving too much of yourself and don’t share enough of your own hobbies with us.”

“See?” Celestia whispered in my ear, and I could hear the smirk in her voice.

“That’s saying something coming from you,” Scarlet said.

“Just because I’m the Bearer of Generosity doesn’t mean that I don’t have needs,” Rarity said. “Jethro, won’t you let us in?”

Fluttershy held me tighter, and I saw her nodding in agreement. I took a deep breath, sighed, then nodded. “Alright…I promise that I’ll try. And I mean try. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Pinkie gasped, squealed happily and threw her hooves around my neck, causing me to fall over once more. I held both mares close, smiling widely. “I can’t wait to see what you do for fun, Jethy!” Pinkie said.

“Heh, I’ll bet. Now, why don’t we take advantage of the break, huh?” I pointed at my laptop. “As I recall, we were going to respawn and try and fight a dragon again.”

Sunset Shimmer, who had been standing in the background with her own worried expression, brightened. “Can I try playing this time?”

I chuckled. “Sure.”

“What are you all talking about?” Celestia asked curiously.

Sunset turned to her old tutor and grinned. “Sit down and strap in, Princess. You’re about to see some pretty sweet stuff.”

Author's Note

So close to 400k!

87: A Cloaked Heart's Love Talks Pt. 1

For the most past, during the latter part of the council, the Princesses had taken center stage. When we’d gotten back, I had informed the delegates that I was rescinding the world tour idea, but that I was open to other ideas down the line. Celestia mentioned the spell she knew, while the Deerfolk mentioned their own attempts at long distance communication through their magic. I knew a bit about the Deerfolk’s type of magic in that it was solely based on enchanting items to perform a specific task. They had tried a long-distance communication crystal, but it hadn’t panned out like they’d hoped. Celestia proposed an exchange of mages between their two kingdoms in a hopeful attempt to complete the research.

Without the constant interruption from the Lycan delegates, things began to go more smoothly. Despite the initial hidden hostility between the various nations represented, it seemed that everybody was at least wise enough not to want war, and was, at best, reluctantly willing to attempt negotiations and trying to come up with ways in which each nation could benefit from a relationship with others around them. There was already a number of trading routes between nations, but those were few and far between.

Seeing an opportunity, I spoke up and made a motion to at least try and open new trade routes all across Equestria. Not only would it provide new opportunities for exchange of new goods, but like the Silk Road back on Earth, it could transport new ideas and ways of thinking along trade routes.

The look on Celestia’s face said it all when I mentioned that: how proud she was of me. I’m sure she’d had the same idea, and I was almost positive Twilight had thought of it as well, or at least would have thought of it. I was surprised, however, when a quiet Ambassador Jasper came back. She apologized for her princess’ behavior, blaming it on stress and exhaustion, and assured Celestia that Amethyst had given her permission to speak for the Lycan Empire. Even Celestia’s diplomatic mask faltered for a brief moment when Jasper said that.

Until the dismissal of the first day of the council at five that afternoon, most of the discussion was about what could be traded and where. The map on the table was soon outlined with lines of different colored strings courtesy of Rarity’s travel sewing pack. For some reason, I felt slightly more relieved that the topic for the day had wound down to something a bit more mundane than a potential world war.

That wasn’t to say that it was easy. There were plenty of arguments between the delegates on the best pathways to take and what could be sold in different countries. I wrote a private note to Celestia which said that this conversation would be better suited to merchants, since they had the mind for such things. Celestia actually hoofwrote a reply, agreeing with me, but reminding me that every friendship starts with a simple step. Then she added that the merchants could iron out details later.

I added input where I could, using some of my business degree for the first time in a while. Some of my suggestions were taken into account, and others were flat out rejected, but most were for good reasons.

After a very long and stressful day, Celestia called the council meeting to a close, at least for the day. The delegates were escorted back to their rooms and given meals of their choices. I was about to go talk to Ember about a couple things when a familiar pink Alicorn blocked my pathway. “Jethro? Can I talk to you for a bit?” she asked.

I watched the somehow more humanlike Dragon princess walk out of the room and out of sight before turning back to Cadance. “I’m all yours,” I said with a chuckle.

Cadance smiled, then took me to the waiting room. When the two of us were alone, she closed and locked the door behind her, then found a seat near the fireplace. I sat across from her and waited in silence. Finally, after a half minute or so, she spoke. “I know about your date with Scarlet,” she said.

I groaned and facepalmed. “Who told you? No wait, lemme guess: Twilight?”

Cadance chuckled. “She was pretty worried about you, so she actually wrote a letter to me.”

“Nosy mares, the both of you,” I sighed, but then smiled a bit. “So…who exactly am I speaking to right now? Cadance my friend and confidant, or Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess of Love?”

Cadance giggled, hiding her muzzle behind her hoof for a bit before lowering it and smiling warmly at me. “A bit of both, if I’m honest. I just wanted to know how it went and how you’re feeling about it?”

“Are you sure you’re not my counselor?” I snarked with a smirk. Before she could reply, I held up a hand. “Don’t worry, I was just pulling your leg. But to answer your question, the date went off without a hitch. I had a really good time, and I think Scarlet did too. Especially judging from the way she wanted to sleep with me and Zecora.”

Cadance’s eyebrows shot up, and a knowing grin formed on her lips. “Oh? You move fast, playcolt.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sleep as in we fell asleep in the same bed, you pervert,” I replied.

She threw back her head and laughed hard for a few moments before looking back at me. “Oh relax, Jethro. I know what you meant.” A genuine smile returned and she added, “I’m glad it went well, and I’m glad you’re giving the idea of a herd a chance.”

“Yeah…I was just afraid of change for the most part,” I admitted. “Spending time with someone who actually gets my humor and some of my inside human jokes was a breath of fresh air. Not that dating Zecora isn’t fun, but you know what I mean.”

“I get it,” Cadance said. “Some herds work that way. Each mare brings out something a bit different in their stallion. If you do decide to include Scarlet in a herd, she could bring out the parts of you that know your past world. Just a thought.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” I said. “Then again, with Sunset Shimmer here, there’s someone else I can talk to about Earth, even if it’s not the right one.”

Cadance’s knowing grin returned. “Ohoho, are you planning on pursuing Aunt Celestia’s former student?”

I shook my head. “I barely know her, and what I do know about her might not be completely accurate since the world she was in wasn’t the one from Equestria Girls.”

“I was just teasing, Jethro,” she giggled again. “But that’s not the only reason why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh?” I was intrigued now, so I leaned forward, hands folded and in my lap. “What else did you wanna talk about?”

She took a deep breath. “Jethro, earlier when the others came in and dissuaded you from attempting that world tour idea of yours, I noticed a few things. I won’t go into specifics, but it would seem Scarlet isn’t the only Pony interested in you. Romantically, that is.”

“Is this about Fluttershy and Luna?” I asked, “because if so, I mean…it seems pretty obvious to me.”

“Again, I won’t say who, but there was a lot of love for you in that moment. It was almost overwhelming. And I’m the Princess of Love.” Cadance smiled warmly down at me. “I’ve never felt such strong feelings. Well, maybe except for my Shining.”

I was sorely tempted to turn the conversation back on her, as I was wont to do, but I resisted the urge. “Cadance, if you’re worried about it, I’m planning on actually asking at least Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Luna about it.”

“The direct approach? Are you sure?” Cadance asked.

“I know it would be the best with Pinkie,” I said. “For a while, she’s been extremely affectionate with me. I was an idiot and just thought it was Pinkie being Pinkie, but when she poked some extra sense into me earlier, she gave me a kiss that wasn’t like the ones she normally gives. I might not be the best at reading human body language, and Pony body language is even harder, but I need to at least clear the air with her. Fluttershy…well, ever since that one incident with me stroking her mane before my Welcome to Ponyville party has been pretty kind to me. After she apologized over and over again for her, shall we say, forward behavior. And she isn’t displaying the normal type of kindness either, if that makes any sense. She’s extra clingy with me, too. I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

“I did notice,” Cadance said with a nod.

“We have a good number of things in common, too,” I said. “We love manga and manega, and when we get to talking, she’s engaging and gets very eager to share what she thinks about things with me. It makes me happy seeing her like that.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Cadance said.

“And then there’s Luna,” I said. “I mean, I’m pretty sure she’s at least got a crush on me, seeing as she’s acting pretty out of character whenever I’m involved. Hell, she even used her Anthro form at the Gala, when in the show she wasn’t even there. She’s pushing herself harder to get back into the swing of being a Princess of Equestria, and I can’t help but suspect that it has to do with me. At least, she isn’t acting like she does in the show.”

“We aren’t in the show,” Cadance reminded me. “And you’re right. Auntie Luna told me that you told her you preferred the night as opposed to day. You and I both know why she grew jealous of Aunt Celestia. Having somepony who appreciates her night is a dream come true for her.”

“This conversation sounds familiar,” I chuckled. “But you’re right. She’s gonna be the hardest to talk to, I think.”

“I admire the fact that you’re taking the direct approach,” Cadance said. “A lot of stallions would be too nervous to just straight up ask.”

“I’m a guy, Cady,” I said with a smirk. I was rewarded by me using a new nickname with her eyes widening. But before she could say anything, I continued, “A lot of us don’t do subtle. You’d be surprised at how many subtle hints my Trixie gave to me before she finally took the direct approach and had to pin me down during a cool summer night to tell me how she really felt.”

Cadance chuckled. “We mares do tend to give out more subtle signals. Showing off our lower side just a bit more, flipping our manes, fluttering our eyes, laughing at jokes we might not normally find funny, and more. You’re right that there is the differences in culture to consider, but trust me, I’ve seen some of those mares and their body language around you. They’re definitely interested. And I won’t say who.”

“I wouldn’t want you to,” I said. “I need to take care of this myself. No magic spells from you, please.”

She put on a fake offended face and put her hoof on her chest. “I would never! You wound me, sir knight!”

“Oh, fuck you,” I snorted.

Cadance laughed. “That’s Shining’s job.”

“And with that disturbing image plastered in my head for all eternity, I think we’re done here,” I said, facepalming as Cadance laughed harder. I stood and headed to the door.

“Wait wait, before you go,” Cadance called out, giving me pause, “I just want to wish you luck. I know this whole idea of a herd isn’t an easy thing for somepony like you to consider, but I know it’s bringing a lot of hope to those girls. And I know they’ll be patient with you. The ones who have feelings for you, that is.”

“So…ignore the impatient ones?” I teased.

She smirked. “You know what I meant. Who you’re gonna talk to first?”

I turned, then chuckled. “Well, there’s this certain sexy pink mare I feel like would make an easier conversation partner. I’ll work my way up in difficulty from there.”

Despite those words, the closer I got to the room where all six of the Bearers of Harmony were staying, my heart was pretty much pounding in my chest. Come on, get a hold of yourself! It’s just Pinkie Pie! You’re not a hormonal teenager anymore, goddamnit! I smacked my face a bit, remembering the sting of Celestia’s not so little slap from earlier. The pain helped to clear my head a little bit and my resolve returned in full force. I needed to address this sooner rather than later.

Finally, I was at their door. I could hear a few voices from behind it, so I steeled myself, raised my hand and knocked on the door. The conversations inside died down before a familiar fashionista’s voice called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s Jethro,” I replied.

I heard the telltale sound of magic, and the door was flung open to reveal Rarity with her mane up in curlers. “Darling! So nice of you to join us! Did you want to join in our little sleepover?”

I chuckled. “Hmm…tempting, but isn’t it a bit early to be having a sleepover? The sun hasn’t even set yet.”

“Well, we figured that after Twilight’s first ever sleepover turned into a disaster, we should have a better one,” Rarity said.

“You know, maybe I will join in, but not right now. I’ve got some other business here.” I looked around, then spotted Pinkie Pie in a corner, jumping on the bed. Her normally poofy mane had been styled to be a perfect copy of Rarity’s, and somehow it stayed in place unlike that time in the Gala episode where it poofed back into position after she’d tried to straighten it. “And it involves some private conversation with the Princess of Parties over there,” I finished, pointing with a smirk to Pinkie Pie.

No sooner had those words escaped my lips then Pinkie was in front of me, her newly styled mane reverting to its normal curly state. “Oh?? What is it? No wait, lemme guess! You wanna play some cool private party with me?? Oh this is gonna be so cool! We’ll have so many balloons and streamers and-!”

I grabbed her muzzle, keeping her from speaking for a bit. I knelt and smiled at her. “Not a party related issue, Pinks. I need to talk to you about something important, though.” I looked at the rest of the gathered mares. “Listen, is it okay if I take her for a little walk? I’ll bring her back, I promise.”

“Ah don’t mind,” Applejack, who had curlers in her mane herself, nodded at me.

“Must be something big,” Rainbow Dash said. She was sitting on one of the beds, just watching the others. She had no curlers in her hair.

“You could say that,” I said as I released Pinkie’s muzzle. “Pinks? Could you come with me?”

“Okie dokie loki!” she said as she fell into step with me. I closed the door and headed down the hallway. Pinkie continued bouncing on her hooves like some chaotic pink Pony version of Tigger. I could almost hear springs in her feet as she did so. “So, whatcha wanna talk about, huh?”

“Well first, let’s talk in here,” I said. We were standing in front of a large set of double doors. I used my magic to open them and we were standing in a large sitting room, similar to the one near the Council Chambers. I motioned for her to take a seat, then I sat across from her.

I stared at the energetic pink mare as she bounced up and down on the couches around the room. The bright and wide smile on her face was always infectious to me, and this time was no exception. I caught her in my magic, brought her over to my lap and set her down before stroking her mane. I was rewarded by a very cute purring sound as she curled up in my lap, nuzzling her head into my hand.

“Pinkie,” I finally began after a few false starts, “I wanted to talk to you about your PDA when it comes to me.”

“PD-what now?” Pinkie asked, looking at me with an innocent smile. Or perhaps not so innocent as she suddenly leaned forward and planted a big wet kiss on my cheek. “You mean like that? Oh Jethy, isn’t it obvious?”

“Yes and no,” I said plainly. “Pinkie, I wanted to ask you how you feel about me.”

“Oh you silly colt,” she giggled, nuzzling my face affectionately, “I love you, you dolt.”

“Yes, but how?” I cupped her cheeks in my hands and made her look at me. “Pinkie, back where I’m from a lot of guys don’t like to act on subtle hints or even not so subtle hints. Each girl flirts differently. All I wanna know is if you are trying to tell me that you have romantic feelings for me.”

Pinkie’s smile only widened and she leaned closer. In a voice that sent shivers down my back, but the good kind, she softly sang in a sensual voice, “Boom boom boom boom. I want you in my room. Let’s spend the night together, from now until forever. Boom boom boom boom. I wanna go boom boom. Let’s spend the night together, together in my room.”

I simultaneously wanted to blush at the image of me and Pinkie Pie in bed together and laugh at her song reference. My body decided to do both. I blushed but also burst out laughing as I held her close. She nuzzled my face as I said, “Guess the Vengaboys are back in town.”

“Yep yep yep!” She kissed my neck gently before pulling back. The smile on her face was one of complete warmth and affection. “Jethro, I’ve wanted you to be my special somepony for a while. You make me smile wider than I’ve ever felt myself smile. I love how handsome your smile is, how you try and make others happy like me, and so much more. Jethy, because of you I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end.”

“And yet you guys lectured me about trying to make the world happy,” I chuckled.

She shook her head. “Jethy, that’s different. I like making Ponies happy because it makes me happy, but I also do things that make me happy as well. You try to do it too much without taking a break. I don’t just work at Sugarcube Corner for the bits. I do it because I absolutely love to bake. Experimenting with new flavors and getting to eat them makes me really happy. It’s a hobby of mine, just like when I make Ponies happy. You do it for a different reason, don’t you?”

I sighed and nodded. “I think you’re right.”

She wrapped her forelegs around me, pulling my head close to her fluffy chest and began stroking my head affectionately. “Tell Auntie Pinkie all about it.”

“I’m older than you,” I rolled my eyes. However, her fluff was relaxing and I closed my eyes. “Have you ever been completely hated by someone?”

Pinkie paused and remained silent for a while. Instead of answering she simply said, “Go on.”

I readjusted myself so that she had her head snuggling in my chest, and my chin was on her mane. She hugged me closer around my midsection and I held her back, stroking her back gently. Taking a deep breath I began. “I’m the type of guy who internalizes how others treat me. I’m starting to realize that I have this overwhelming need to be liked. Oh sure, I can give all the excuses I want about trying to save the world from a war, and I totally do mean them, but in the end, it’s a selfish desire to not be hated.”

“Now hold on,” Pinkie said, putting a hoof over my mouth. “Nopony likes to be hated, and there’s nothing wrong with being nice, but not everypony will like you no matter how nice you are. And that’s okay.” She removed her hoof from my mouth and sat up, gazing deep into my eyes with her cerulean orbs. “Spoiled Rich doesn’t like me, and I’ve accepted that. There’s nothing wrong with wanting other to be happy, but how can we be happy if you’re forcing yourself?”

“I’m starting to get that through my thick skull,” I admitted sheepishly. “Trust me, there’s nothing more humbling than getting bitch slapped by the fucking Princess of Equestria. I swear, you Ponies are so not fair.”

“Are you complaining?” she crooned as she moved closer, wiggling her hips a bit.

“Oh God, don’t tempt me,” I said, biting my lip a bit to stave off arousal, “but no. Pinkie, I’m a mess of a human being. Are you sure you’re okay with loving me?”

“How could I not?” she asked. “Sure, it started when you called me sexy on Nightmare Night, but even then I always thought you were a really cool stallion. You always make me laugh, and you love to bake with me.”

“Baking is fun, yes,” I admitted. “I never had much time to do it before coming to Equestria.”

“And you have a very handsome smile,” she said, “and your hugs are really warm. Pony hugs are great and all, but with you it’s like I’m encompassed in pure warmth and protection.”

Automatically, I wrapped my wings around her, and I felt her snuggling in close. “You’re one of the best friends a guy could ask for, Pinks,” I said sincerely.

“Maybe mooore?” she cooed.

I sighed, shaking my head and smirking. “Pinkie…I’ve already just started testing the waters with Scarlet.”

“I’m not hearing a nooo~” she crooned. She looked up and somehow managed to give me seductive puppy dog eyes.

I groaned. “Stupid, sexy Ponies…”

She wiggled her rump against me, giggling cutely before her gaze returned to its surprisingly tender appearance. “I know it’s new to you, Jethy. Dating is new to me, too. I know I can get a little carried away, but I really do care for you. I love you, Jethro.”

I stroked her mane. “Thank you for telling me this, Pinkie. Is it okay if I talk to Zecora about this?”

“Please do!” She beamed at me before she leaned forward and, wrapping her forehooves around my neck, kissed me deeply once again. After a good five seconds, she pulled back, giggling. “I hope someday you kiss me!”

I smirked. “I don’t doubt it. You’re a good kisser, Pinkie.”

That got a blush out of the pink mare and she giggled. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s get you back to the sleepover, alright?”

“Okay!”

I walked out of the room, and Pinkie bounded away down the hall, keeping only a few feet away from me as she sprang up and down in her normal Pinkie Pie way. As we were walking, I grinned. It was time to get back at her.

Walking up quickly beside her, I made a show of looking her up and down. Pinkie looked over at me quizzically. “What’s up, Jethy?”

“Oh, nothing much…it’s just…I like big flanks, and I cannot lie! You other Ponies can’t deny! That when a mare walks in and she’s struttin’ that flank wearing Rarity’s dress like a tank, you get sprung!”

I couldn’t help but laugh aloud when Pinkie went from pink to a deep red. Her smile grew after a while, and she leaped into my arms, hugging me tightly with what I presumed was all her Earth Pony strength. “You’re so silly!” she squealed happily as she buried her face in my neck.

I spun her around, arms around her and laughing. “Revenge is a dish best served steaming, isn’t it cutie pie?”

“Nah, Cutie Pie is my cousin. I’m Pinkie Pie, silly!”

I snorted. “I am so not surprised…”

88: A Cloaked Heart's Love Talks Pt. 2

“Um…Jethro? Where are we going?” Fluttershy asked nervously about ten minutes later as we walked down the hallway in a slightly different direction than I’d taken Pinkie. After returning Pinkie to the sleepover, I asked to talk to the shy Pegasus, but had also asked her to bring some wintery clothes since I wanted to talk to her outside. We were heading towards another set of double doors facing eastwards towards the valley below. During my time reconstructing the Castle, I’d discovered that there had once been a city to the east of the castle, but that the ruins had all but vanished under the other forest across the river. I’d only found ancient stoned buried beneath the foliage, and even those were broken apart by wear and tear.

I opened the doors, letting the cool evening air wash over me. I spread my wings, then turned to the yellow Pegasus. “Trust me, I think you’ll like it. I found it a while ago. It’s quiet, secluded, and the animals I’ve seen there are pretty chill once you get to know them.”

At the mention of animals, I knew I had Ponyville’s resident amateur veterinarian hooked. Her eyes widened in excitement as she spread her wings behind her. “I can’t wait!”

I jumped up, spreading my wings and lifting myself off the balcony. With another powerful flap, I shot off towards the small forest below, the wind flowing through my still lengthening hair. I really should get a trim or something, I thought as I brushed a few loose strands aside. Maybe I can go to Earth for a cut. Not that I don’t trust the Ponies here, but I don’t want a mane style.

Beside me, a very familiar Phoenix popped out of nowhere, her wings spread wide. I swore she almost smiled at me before flying behind me, flying right beside a beaming Fluttershy. I flew slowly so she cold keep up, remembering how she had been in the episode Hurricane Fluttershy, and I knew just how much PTSD it dragged up for her.

As we approached the forest below, I began to descend, and Fluttershy followed, having gotten into a conversation with Eve. I couldn’t hear much, just bits and pieces, and those weren’t enough to piece together just what she was saying. At one point, I looked back and saw that Fluttershy was blushing while Eve seemed to be smirking a bit. Eve had most definitely picked up Philomena’s talent of trolling.

I landed on the edge of the forest, and Fluttershy landed beside me. Eve landed on my shoulder, perching herself there and preening her wings. I watched her as she did that for a bit, then spread one of my own wings, starting to walk towards a small clearing in the forest. “You know, I still find it kinda weird that Pegasi and Alicorns don’t need to preen our own wings. That’s just odd.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded in understanding. “Well, I don’t know about Alicorns, but Pegasi do have an annual molt where we lose all of our feathers for an entire day and grow new ones.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? When does that happen?”

“Usually in early spring,” she said. “It varies from Pony to Pony. Mine usually happens later in the season.”

“I’ll bet Rainbow Dash absolutely hates that day,” I laughed.

Fluttershy nodded. “She normally just stays home on days like that.”

“I can understand why,” I replied, looking at my wings. “I’ve gotten so used to these now that it’s weird to think I didn’t have them for over thirty years. Now I’d have a hard time without them. But if I do molt, like you said, I’m sure a day without flying wouldn’t kill me. Maybe I should look for a way to use magic to fly just in case. Do Pegasi lose other abilities during their molt?”

“Oh no,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head, “we can still manipulate the clouds and walk on them. We just can’t fly, is all.”

“Hmm…I’ll be honest, that seems like a really poor evolutionary trait to have,” I said as we reached a small clearing through the brush. The area was a perfect circle with no trees or stumps within, only dark green grass. “What if you’re flying and lose your wings all at once?”

“Oh no, it doesn’t happen all at once,” Fluttershy said. “Normally, we can sense when our molt is going to happen.”

“How can you tell?” I asked as I sat down on the grass.

“There’s a tingling in our wings,” she said as she sat opposite me. “It’s almost like our wings are asleep, but a bit more subtle.”

I nodded. “That’s good intel, thanks.”

She nodded, then looked around. “So…why are we here?”

“Two reasons, actually.” I held up my hands, cupped them, then blew through them in just the right way to make a warbling noise. I did this for about half a minute before there was a rustling in the brush behind Fluttershy. A family of four large felines walked out from the forest, bigger than most normal ones.

When Fluttershy saw them, her eyes went wide and she almost squealed. “Mane Coons!” she beamed.

“Found them out here when I was still living in Everfree,” I said. “They just lost their home and I used my Morphean magic to dig them a new one. I’ve visited them a few times since moving to Ponyville to check on them. And little miss Firefly here is about to have a new litter of kittens. Guys, this is Fluttershy. She’s one of my best friends. Fluttershy, meet Firefly, the mother, her two kittens Daisy and Valkyrie, and the father Duke.”

As I expected, the family of four large cats took an instant liking to the Pegasus, who wrapped the younger ones in her wings, snuggling them close and talking to them animatedly. I picked up bits and pieces of the conversation as they talked. It mostly consisted of how their days had been and what their plans were for winter, considering the fact that cats normally didn’t really hibernate. Fluttershy offered for them to stay in her house during the pregnancy, and it seemed like the family was agreeable to the idea, at least until spring rolled around.

I smiled, glad to see Fluttershy put at her ease before I cleared my throat. “Glad to see you made some new friends, Flutters. I knew they’d warm up to you.”

Daisy walked over and sat in my lap, looking up at me expectantly for pets. I smirked and obliged while Fluttershy held Valkyrie in her wings, cradling the younger Mane Coon while the older couple watched with somewhat amused expressions on their faces. “Firefly and Duke wanted to thank you for helping them all those months ago,” she said. “And they wanted to tell you that if you need help, they’ll repay it.”

I turned to the older couple. “You don’t owe me anything,” I said, “but thank you for the offer.” They mewed in return, then I turned back to Fluttershy. “There’s another reason I brought you out here, Flutters. I wanted to ask you something.”

She looked at me curiously, and when she saw the serious expression on my face, she took a breath and faced me, still cradling Valkyrie in her wings. “Okay…”

“Now, let me preface this by saying that I know that the subject I’m about to broach is not a very easy one for anyone to discuss, and probably you especially,” I said in an attempt to reassure her, “but I’ve been hiding from this for a while, and if you are comfortable enough answering this, I’d greatly appreciate an answer.”

Fluttershy looked nervous now. “Did…I do something to get you angry? Oh dear, I’m always doing something like-”

“No, you didn’t do anything like that,” I said, shaking my head. “Fluttershy, you’re the kindest and gentlest Pony I know. You’re smart, good with animals, have great taste in manga and manega, and are really beautiful to boot.” I saw color come to Fluttershy’s cheeks as I said these things, and encouraged by this I continued. “I’m only curious about something, is all. I admit, I don’t know much about Pony or equine body language in general, so I’ll just come right out and ask: do you have feelings for me?”

Fluttershy froze, eyes wide as she stared at me. The two of us stare at each other for a second before she spread her wings wide, her body trembling a bit as she began to hyperventilate. Concerned, I rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come out and asked like that. Forget I said-”

“I do.”

I froze. Looking down at the yellow Pegasus, I found her looking up at me with what had to have been the bravest eyes I’d ever seen on her so far. “You…you do?” I asked, wanting to be absolutely sure I’d heard right.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then nodded. “…Yes…” she said meekly before opening her eyes and looking into mine. “I’m sorry. I know you love Zecora and are still scared about the whole idea of a herd, but-”

I put a hand over her mouth. “Shhh…” I said softly, pulling her closer and stroking her mane. “Don’t ever apologize for your feelings. Everyone has them. Can I ask why you do?”

She looked down a bit, rubbing her hooves together nervously while she gathered her thoughts. After about half a minute later she looked back up at me. “You talked about some of the reasons that we’re friends. Well, you’re also kind too, and I love our time together whenever we’re reading manga, manega or something else from Earth. And…you’re handsome…and…I like it when you stroke my mane…” She whispered the last part, blushing hard and looking away, looking completely embarrassed.

“I like stroking your mane, too,” I said, and scratched behind her ear tenderly. “It’s so soft, and it always smells like flowers.”

I was relieved to feel her relax slightly in my grasp, looking up at me bashfully. “You…like it? It’s nothing special, just some floral shampoo.”

“Well, it suits you,” I said warmly, wrapping her up in my wings. “Anytime I smell certain flowers, I think of you and relax a bit, since we’re always relaxed whenever we’re at your house.”

I felt her relax even more and lean in closer to me, laying her head on my chest. “Ah…thank you.”

We sat there for a little while before I finally asked, “Fluttershy, is it okay if I talk to Zecora about this?” She didn’t respond verbally. Instead, she nodded slowly. “Thank you, Flutters. And I’m sorry for springing this on you. I just needed to know so I can act accordingly”

She shook her head harder. “No…it’s alright. I’m just…relieved I was able to say it.” She finally looked back up at me. “And…act accordingly?”

I smiled. “Well, you know I’m trying out what it means to have a herd, and if the talk I’m going to have with Zecora pans out, I might, at some point in the future, ask you out on a little date.”

Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath. I saw the corners of her lips curling up ever so slightly before she finally said, in the cutest voice I’d ever heard from her, “Yay.”

After returning a positively glowing Fluttershy to the room, I told the others I had to make one more stop before I returned to join in their sleepover. This was, by far, the hardest visit I would have. Making my way towards the reconstruction of Luna’s bedroom, my heart was leaping out of my chest the farther up the tower I went. Their bedrooms had been constructed in two opposite towers, one facing north and the other facing south. Luna’s was in the north while Celestia’s was the southern one.

The further up I walked, however, the more nervous I became. This was the second most powerful being on the planet I was about to visit and casually ask if she had a crush on me. Yeah, no pressure there or anything there, Jethro. That, and she was still a thousand years out of date. I didn’t know too much yet about how things ran in the past, but I was afraid she might take my question as some kind of marriage proposal.

When I reached the landing, I saw two of Luna’s personal guard standing on either side of the dark blue door with a crescent moon painted in the center. The two saw me and, recognizing who I was, snapped to attention and saluted. Not wanting to be rude, I saluted back. “Gentlemen,” I said in greeting.

Unlike Celestia’s guard, these two were completely different from each other, not looking like they were carbon copies of each other. The one on my left, a brown furred Unicorn stallion with a cream colored mane and tail, asked, “How can we help you, Sir Jethro?”

“Well, I was going to see Princess Luna to talk with her about something,” I said. I pointed to the door. “Is she in?”

The second one, a dark blue Pegasus mare with silver mane and tail, nodded. “She is, sir, but she’s in a private conference with Princess Celestia. She has been in there for four hours.”

“Four hours? I see.” I resisted the urge to politely excuse myself and go back to enjoy the sleepover, but I knew better. I pointed to one of the two stone benches on either side of the door. “Do you mind if I wait here, then?”

Before either of them could answer, the door opened, and Princess Luna herself stuck her head out the door. “Who goes there?”

“It’s just me, my Princess,” I said as Luna’s eyes locked on mine as she opened the door further. I saw the shock on her face before I bowed respectfully, then stood back to attention. From behind her, I saw Celestia peaking out from inside the room. She too, looked as shocked as her sister was, but the shock gave way to a warm smile as she waved at me. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” I added.

Luna’s own stunned expression faded into her normal neutral expression and she shook her head. “Nothing of consequence,” she said a bit dismissively. “I was not expecting a visit from you tonight, however. Has something transpired? Are we in some danger?”

“Unless you count me being invited to a previously all girl’s sleepover as danger, then there’s no danger that I’m aware of,” I said.

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Did you decline said invitation?”

“Not at all, I just wanted to come up and talk to you about something before I went back,” I said. “I can come back if you like.”

“Don’t worry about it, I was just leaving,” Celestia said as she walked towards the door. Turning to Luna, she said something in an unfamiliar language, but the tone sounded very tender and older sisterly, then she turned to me. In Farasi, she said, “Please be gentle. It’s her first time.”

I rolled my eyes as Celestia vanished in a flash of white light. That mare’s such a goddamned troll, I thought as I faced Luna. “Is it okay if we talk inside?” I asked.

“I have to raise the moon first, but after that we can have words,” Luna said.

I smiled a bit. “Is it okay if I watch, my Princess of the Night?”

Luna’s eyes brightened a bit. “I would be honored, my Knight. Please accompany me.” She turned and headed back into her room. I followed, and the door was closed behind me.

It would always feel weird to me to pat myself on the back for a job well done, but I was pretty proud of my efforts to revitalize this castle. Luna’s room in particular was one of my proudest achievements. It was a large bedroom with a large canopied bed in one corner, the curtains themselves a dark blue with white specks and small crescent moons emblazoned on them, a large fireplace with a roaring fire next to it, a balcony with closed curtained doors opposite the bed looking out onto the northern sky, a domed ceiling with small gems in place of constellations spread across the inky black paint, a desk next to the doors leading to the balcony, and two large chairs situated next to the fireplace with an end table between. I saw two teacups and two empty cake plates, one completely empty and licked clean while the other had a half-eaten Neapolitan cake sitting on it. I didn’t need to guess as to whom each plate belonged.

Luna walked regally towards the balcony doors, opening them with her magic before stepping outside. I wrapped my wings around me as a blast of cold air assailed me before joining Luna. The sun to the west of us was just kissing the horizon, and I could see a handful of stars already coming out in the east. Luna took a deep breath, spread her wings, and majestically flew up into the air. She turned south, opening her eyes and looking at something. I guessed it was her sister who was presumably doing something similar. The smile on her face proved me right. Her horn lit up with her familiar deep blue magic, and I marveled at how fast the sun in the east set. The crescent moon in the west moved closer to the horizon as well, and with the descent of the massive ball of gas millions of miles away from the planet, the heavens were lit with the small sliver of moonlight along with the glow of tens of thousands of visible stars.

Luna’s horn stopped glowing, then she descended, landing just as majestically as she had ascended. I couldn’t help myself. I clapped in complete appreciation. “Seeing it in a show is one thing,” I said, “but seeing it in real life is awesome. And I mean that in the older sense of the word.”

“Truly? It fills you with a sense of awe?” Luna asked as the two of us headed back into her bedroom.

“And then some,” I said. “Luna, your powers are so far beyond mine it’s frightening.”

She frowned. “I thought you no longer feared us?”

“I don’t,” I said. “You and your sister both have proven to me time and time again just how kind and benevolent you both are. The power you wield, though, is frightening, admit it. You can move the heavens themselves. That’s one reason why I was so worried about a world war. Put that kind of power to use on the battlefield, and the both of you could rout the enemy in, as Rainbow Dash so eloquently puts it, ten seconds flat.”

Her ears flattened at that briefly before she nodded. “I do see what you mean. It was concern for other countries that led you to desire to visit them and avert a crisis? I commend you for that.”

“Well, that was a reason sure, but not my main one,” I said a bit sheepishly.

“Truly? And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?” Luna asked as she walked over to the fireplace and took a seat.

I walked over and sat in the chair previously occupied by Celestia. I stared into the fire and sighed. “I hate to admit it, but you and your sister are both right. I can’t please everyone. For a while now, I’ve had a strong urge to be liked. And yeah, I know it’s a desire we all have, but I’ve gone out of my way to be liked. Probably too far. Oh, who am I kidding? I did go too far. I’m just glad your sister slapped some sense into me. Quite literally, I might add,” I finished with a smirk, touching the cheek in question.

“Had she not, I would have,” Luna said plainly. “You are too important to be lost to some foreign plot.” She lifted the slice of cake to her lips, took a small dainty bite before setting it back on her plate.

“And I totally deserved that, I know,” I said. “Still, a part of me was actually looking forward to that.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Luna asked, turning to me.

“Well…it would give me a chance to see the world,” I said. When she raised an eyebrow at me, I added, “I love my new hometown. The Ponies living there aren’t perfect, but they’ve accepted me as one of their own even though I’m not a Pony. They’ve accepted Zecora as a friend, too, and that makes me love the town even more, but I would absolutely love to see the world. Saddle Arabia, Mt. Aris, the Crystal Empire when it returns. Hell, I really wanna visit Farasi. The way Zecora describes it makes it seem so majestic and unique. Someday, when things have calmed down considerably, I plan on visiting other countries and exploring.”

Luna nodded. “That is quite the aspiration, and someday I truly hope you can accomplish it. But…I assume you did not come to my chambers about this.”

“Heh, what gave it away?” I chuckled.

“You’re sweating.”

I pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at my forehead. “Yeah…that tends to happen when you’re nervous.”

“Well, speak what is on your mind,” Luna said.

I was about to ask the dreaded question, when an idea sprang to mind as to how to ease her into it instead of just coming out and asking. “Well, actually there were two things I wanted to talk about. First, earlier you mentioned taking me on as your student in arcane magic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited to learn from you, but you have a busy schedule already. When are you gonna find the time to teach me?”

Luna’s smile returned and she raised her horn. It glowed, and a nearby pillow on a couch turned into a dark blue teacup and saucer, both with bright white specks on it imitating a starfield. She brought it over, poured some tea into it and set it down beside me. I picked it up and took a polite sip, amazed at just how sweet the tea really was. As I took my sip, Luna said, “I am not like my sister. She is more of a hooves-off type of teacher. She gives assignments and texts to read. I’m a hooves-on type of teacher. My sister is still insisting I adjust to this era, and what better way to do so than to teach somepony? Or someone.”

“But our schedules don’t ever overlap,” I said.

“When something is important, you make the time,” Luna said, putting her teacup down. “At least, that’s what Celestia told me earlier while she was here.”

“Oh? Was that what you two were talking-? Actually, it’s none of my business, forget I asked,” I said.

Luna shook her head. “We were discussing a few things, but that was indeed one of them,” she said. “She’s as invested in your magical training as I am, to be honest, and she wished to know if I was up to the task.”

“Knowing you, I know you are,” I said.

She smiled. “Thank you for your vote of confidence. It will not start right away, but I will figure out a set time where the two of us can get together and start our lessons.”

I decided it was time to segue into the second topic. “I guess that makes sense, and I totally look forward to spending more time with you.”

She blushed ever so slightly and smiled. “As do I, my Knight. As do I. But what is the second topic you wished to discuss with me?”

I took a deep breath, exhaled, then took a long sip of tea before putting it down. “I’m…shit, I’m not even sure how to broach the subject with you, to be honest. It’s a big question, and I’m a bit nervous that you might-”

“Cease at once,” she said. “I prefer a direct question. Please speak your mind.” She looked at me with a stern expression plastered on her face.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Alright. I’ve been getting some interesting signals from you, and I wanted to ask if you had some deeper feelings for me besides the bond of friendship that we share.”

The silence in the room was deafening. She was frozen in place as was I, our eyes not moving away from each other. I tried to read her emotions, but even if she was a thousand years out of practice, she still had remarkable control over her facial expressions. I wasn’t sure how long time passed before she finally blinked and picked up her tea with her magic. She turned and stared into the fire, sipping on her tea with remarkable poise and grace. Even I had to admit that Luna was exquisitely beautiful, her dark blue mane and tail blowing in the ethereal wind and shimmering with the silvery points of light reminiscent of the heavens above.

Just as I was about to ask if she was okay, she finally spoke. “…Cellie told me this day would come, but I did not think it would be so soon.”

“Luna?”

She put her teacup back down and sighed. “Jethro, there was something else that my sister and I were discussing earlier, and that was you. She confronted me about my attitude towards you, and I constantly was denying my feelings. We spoke a great many hours within these walls about you.” She suddenly turned to me, and I saw nervousness in her own expression. “I have been gone for a very long time. Cellie wanted to be sure any feelings I may have towards you aren’t just because you appreciate my night. And…I have never been attracted to a stallion before, no matter what my sister might say about Starswirl,” she added through gritted teeth in embarrassment.

“Luna, I-”

“Please allow me to speak. I need to bring this out into the open for both of us to hear,” she begged. I went silent and motioned for her to continue. She looked at me gratefully before continuing. “Jethro, we may not have spent much time together, but every time we do, I am always left feeling more elated than before. That time at the Gala, the time we spent on Nightmare Night, and when we stargazed the night after are times I will not soon forget. You allowed me to be simply Luna, not the Lunar Princess. It’s very refreshing, you know?”

“I can only imagine,” I agreed.

“Quite.” She took another sip of tea, her demeanor becoming somehow more relaxed. “You treat me like an equal despite me being ranks above you in status. I’ll admit, there was a time when I would have punished you for that, but even back in my day, times changed. Cellie even admitted that she liked that part about you.” She snickered. “Hearing her calling herself the fucking princess certainly was cause for me to laugh aloud later that evening in my Canterlot chambers.”

I smirked. “Well, Luna, you’re both damn precious, and hell yeah, you’re both the motherfucking Princesses,” I laughed.

She laughed along with me. “That sounded like you were quoting something.”

“A song from Earth,” I said. “But go on.”

She calmed herself and continued. “Jethro Bethridge, we are both lost in this world. In different ways, mind you, but still we are both growing accustomed to this new world. It was a relief to me that you and I shared that in common. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this world. And before you say I have my sister, I know that, but it is not quite the same.”

“I understand,” I said.

“Jethro, I must inform you that even I’m unsure of my personal feelings towards you,” she said. “It is all new to me.”

I nodded. “I can understand that. Hell, I’m still new to the idea of forming a herd, but I’m putting more effort into seeing if I can make one work.”

Her brows furled. “Yes, I did hear about your date with the one called Scarlet.” Her tone had a subtle bitterness to it.

“Luna? Are you okay?”

Luna looked away for a bit, then shook her head. “Apologies. It was a mere bout of frustration at not having the answers you seek.”

I almost asked her if it wasn’t just jealousy since I was sure that she’d just partially lied to me, but I refrained, seeing as how Luna was still adjusting to life in the present. “I understand. Luna, thank you for being open with me about this. I’m willing to wait until you sort out your feelings.”

“But of course,” she said, turning back with a small smile on her face. “You are our Knight and deserve the truth.”

“I appreciate it.” I stood, then walked over to her. “Permission to hug you?” Luna, appearing startled, simply nodded. I knelt and wrapped my arms around her, smiling as she nervously did the same. “Is it alright if, sometime in the near future when things settle down, we both spend some time together having fun? Just you and me?”

I felt her grip on me tighten a bit and barely heard her breath catch before she cleared her throat, composing herself. “Yes…I believe I would enjoy that very much.”

“I’ll send you the details later, I promise,” I said as I gently pulled away from her. “And I look forward to it.”

“As do I, my Knight,” Luna said, smiling warmly now, “as do I.”

89: A Cloaked Heart's Slumber Party

“Well, that went better than I expected,” I said to Eve, who had been mysteriously absent during my talk with Luna, but the moment I reached the main hall had rejoined me equally as mysteriously. “I can understand her not knowing her feelings, and I’m willing to wait.”

“Krawk?” Eve sounded as if she was asking a question.

“Sorry, Eve. I don’t speak Phoenix,” I said as I turned down another smaller hall back towards the sleepover bedroom.

Eve put her head in her wing, almost as if she was facepalming. “Raawk krawck krak…” she said in what sounded like frustration.

“Well, it’s not like your language was one that Athena downloaded into my brain,” I replied, guessing that her frustration was the language barrier. “Sorry, but only Fluttershy knows how to talk to you.”

She made a sound that reminded me of sighing before she landed on my shoulder and motioned back the way we’d come with her wing. “Rawk?” Her tone sounded as if she was asking permission.

“You wanna go see someone?” She nodded. “Well, go ahead. You know where to find me, right?” Another nod. “Great. Have fun and see you later, Eve.” And with that, she flew off, heading back down towards the main hallway.

I reached the sleepover room a few moments later and knocked. “Who’s there?” Applejack asked from beyond.

“It’s me, Jethro,” I said. “I’m back.”

“One second, sugarcube,” she said. Someone trotted up and the door opened. She had removed her curlers and her normally somewhat wavy hair was curled up around her. “Y’all done with yer talks now?”

“Yeah, for now anyway,” I said. “Hey, is it okay if I bring a few others here, too?”

“Ah don’t see why not, but ask the others,” she said.

I looked in and saw that the girls had pushed the beds against the walls and were sitting in a circle. Rainbow Dash turned, saw me, and waved. “Hey, you gonna join us or what?” she asked.

“In a bit. I was wondering if I could invite a couple other Ponies, Dragon and a Zebra along,” I said.

“You mean Spike, Scarlet and Zecora?” Fluttershy asked.

“And Sunset Shimmer,” I added.

The mood in the room shifted from jovial to uneasy as Twilight stood. “Why her? Jethro, no offense, but she shot you.”

“Right now, she’s in a similar mental state as she was after her defeat in the first Equestria Girls movie after you and the human versions of the rest of you blasted her with the Rainbow Ray of Friendship,” I explained. “She’s vulnerable, hurting, and feeling insane amounts of guilt. She never really had a childhood too, to be honest.”

“Whatddaya mean by that?” Applejack, who had a suspicious look on her face, asked cautiously.

“It’s not my place to say,” I said. “As corny as this is going to sound, she needs to experience the magic of friendship for herself. In some ways, Twilight, she’s like you.”

Twilight looked stunned, but had to good sense to not deny it. Instead, she just asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, like you, she thought she was too busy to make any friends. Such silliness didn’t seem worth the effort it expends. But unlike you, she never had your friends to help open up her eyes.” I felt so corny as I shamelessly quoted the lyrics to the extended My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic theme song, but I also felt that in that moment they fit the situation perfectly. “Now, unlike the Equestria Girls movie, I’m not going to tell you to become friends with her, since it’s your choice and shouldn’t be one forced on you. All I ask is that you just give her a chance. She needs a night like this, probably more so than anyone else in this room. Ever since she came back to Equestria, she’s probably isolated herself from others, but this time out of guilt. You saw how she broke down at the town meeting in Ponyville, right? Those weren’t crocodile tears. That was genuine remorse. She’s been broken down. Now it’s time for someone, or a few someones, to help build her back up.”

Unsurprisingly, Pinkie was the first to speak up. “Well…I’ll trust you Jethy. Besides, what better way to turn a frown upside down than a slumber party!” She beamed.

“Ah’m not too sure ‘bout this,” Applejack said, “but if ya think it’ll work, ah’ll try.”

“Me too,” Fluttershy said, giving me a small smile. “I trust you, Jethro.”

“Eh, what the hell?” Rainbow said. “Why not?” Since when did she start saying hell?

“If you think it’s worth a try, I’ll make an effort,” Twilight said.

“Besides, just think about what I can do with her glorious fiery mane,” Rarity said.

I burst out laughing and the others followed suite, the mood in the room brightening once again. I chuckled and said, “I’ll go get them now.”

I managed to convince Zecora, an extremely eager Spike, and a grinning Scarlet, all of whom headed down to the room in question. But when I reached Sunset’s room, she didn’t come out right away. I knocked a couple more times, finally saying, “Sunset, it’s me. I was just wondering if you wanted to join me and the girls for a slumber party.”

There was silence from the other room, then the door handle began glowing her signature opal and it opened. Sunset peeked out at me, looking a bit confused. “Slumber party? Me?”

I nodded. “Yeah. You wanna come?”

Sunset looked down, and I recognized the guilt in her face. “Why me? After all I’ve done to you and your friends.”

I shook my head. “You’re beating yourself up about something that wasn’t all your fault. Sunset, Celestia isn’t perfect. She didn’t reach out to you, and that was a mistake. Mistakes were made-no, that’s not the right word. Sins were committed on both sides, yeah. That’s a better word. But you’re clearly remorseful. You regret everything you did, right?”

She nodded. “I want to take back everything I did…every moment of every day…”

“You’re feeling guilty,” I said. “That’s good. But it’s a double-edged sword. You can’t let guilt rule your emotions and actions. Trust me, I know better than anyone about how that feels. Sunset, I don’t know what Celestia might have planned for your punishment, but I know that she loves you dearly. She wanted to see you so badly ever since I told her about the Equestria Girls movie. You think you’re feeling guilty? Imagine hers.”

Sunset slammed her hooves onto the ground suddenly, looking up at me with an angry expression in her lovely aquamarine eyes. “If she’s feeling so fucking guilty, why didn’t she come to-?!” she stopped, took a deep breath and exhaled, looking down at the floor. “No…that’s not fair. She was busy…”

“Sunset, don’t give me that shit,” I said. “She had plenty of opportunity to come visit, but she didn’t. There’s an old saying from a movie I like that sums it up perfectly: ‘When something is important to you, you make the time.’”

Sunset slowly smirked. “Quoting Star Trek: Generations on me?”

“Thank you! It’s nice to see another Pony who gets the references!” I said triumphantly. I smiled, then slowly knelt to be on eye level with her. “Celestia should have reached out to you. She should have done a lot of things that could have helped you. But again, Celestia. Isn’t. Perfect.”

Sunset looked a bit stunned by this, and she raised an eyebrow at me. “I just noticed, but you don’t call her Princess?”

I smirked. “She gave me special permission when we first met to drop the Princess part. Then again, during these meetings I’ve gotta keep up appearances. She can’t show favorites, after all.”

Sunset nodded in understanding. “I get it.”

“Listen, Sunset…” I took a breath and exhaled slowly, “I know my friends. They can forgive just about any sin. Hell, six of them are the fucking Bearers of the damn Elements of Harmony! Sure, nobody’s perfect, but for you, someone who’s reached rock bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up. And what better place to start than by trying to make some new friends. And if they don’t wanna be your friends, then that’s their loss. Cuz I think you’d be a great friend. That, and it’ll be nice to find someone else who’s ass I can totally kick in Halo or Call of Duty. Hell, Scarlet can kick your ass, girl!”

Sunset’s eyebrows furled and she cracked her neck. “Is that a challenge, Mr. Bethridge?”

“Ah ah ah, you will call me by my gamer tag, LordMidnight,” I retorted, “And yes, Miss Shimmer. That totally is a challenge. Come by my house anytime. Unless you brought your stuff from Earth?”

“I’ve been starting to do that, yeah,” Sunset said. “I’ll tell you later. But for now…I suppose it wouldn’t kill me to go to a slumber party. God knows I’ve never been to one before.”

“Well, get your stuff,” I said, looking around. My eyes widened when I spotted a laptop sitting on the room’s desk. It was an older style Alienware gaming laptop. “Hey, have you tried connecting to the staticnet with that thing?”

She looked back at where I was pointing, then looked back at me. “Staticnet?”

“Oh yeah. There’s a form of internet here I call the staticnet. I’ll explain on the way.”

She quickly grabbed her laptop with her magic and fell into step with me. As we walked at a steady pace down the hallway, I explained my origin for the millionth time. Sunset, to her credit, listened eagerly, then when I was finished, said, “I’ve heard of Obsidian Star and her small enclave of Alicorns. They were the only natural born ones aside from Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

“Are natural born Alicorns rare?” I asked.

“Almost impossibly rare,” Sunset said. “The genetics involved would have to be just perfect. If I had to guess, the sperm required from a stallion would be one in, maybe…a billion? I’ve never heard of a natural born Alicorn appearing for generations.”

“I have, but she hasn’t been born yet,” I said.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

I looked down at her, and in my best River Song voice, said, “Spoilers.”

She snorted. “Bitch, please, you’ve already altered the timeline. Just tell me.”

“I don’t wanna risk her not being born, although I doubt there’s much to worry about in that regard,” I explained. “The young couple in question already look like they’re on their way to being married.”

Sunset shrugged. “I guess that makes sense. Still, this future Alicorn might not even be born.”

“Well, I bet if one of the parents is an Alicorn, their offspring will be too,” I theorized.

“Why do you figure that?” she asked as we entered the slumber party room, which by now was fuller than before. The conversations in the room slowed down as we entered.

“Alicorns seem to be the pinnacle of Pony genetics,” I said, not slowing down as the two of us made our way to one of the beds and sat, staring at each other while continuing the conversation. I cast a spell that began to illustrate my point. Primitive stick figures of three Ponies appeared and I pointed to them. “Think about it for a second. They have elements of all three Pony races. They’ve got the magic of a Unicorn, the flight and weather manipulation of Pegasi, and the bone crushing strength of an Earth Pony.” The figures merged and a stick figure Celestia appeared before I dismissed the art magic. “If that doesn’t scream good DNA, I don’t know what does. It could also explain why Stormy Skies and his group were easily corrupted by Eris. Turn up your superiority complex and become worse than Hitler.”

Sunset shivered. “Ugh…that man. And I see what you’re saying, but if that were true, why hasn’t Princess Celestia had a foal of her own?”

“Now that I can’t say,” I said with a shrug, “and it’s not my place to go and ask. It’s her business, and it might be a sensitive subject for her.”

“What’re you talking about over here?” Twilight asked, walking over and sounding very curious. She still kept a bit of distance from Sunset, standing close to me, though.

“Alicorns,” I said. “More specifically, how they come about. We know Celestia and Luna are naturally born ones, and Cadance ascended somehow. And then in the show you became one after finishing Starswirl’s spell. Oh, and Obsidian Star and her cohorts were naturally born as well.”

“And this schmuck won’t tell me about the one he saw on the My Little Pony show,” Sunset said, glaring at me, but there was somehow some playfulness behind it.

“Again, spoilers,” I said.

“Oh shut it, Professor Song,” Scarlet said, flying over and sitting herself right in my lap, leaning against my chest and looking up at me with a wry grin. “We’re not in the library, and we aren’t the Doctor. Just tell us already!”

I reached up and booped her snout. “Nice try, but no. I want that little foal to be born, and I need the couple together for that.”

“Awww, can’t I convince you otherwise?” Scarlet cooed, moving her hips around in a suggestive manner.

“Whoa there, this isn’t that kind of sleepover,” I said, flicking her nose. “Bad Pegasus.”

“You’re no fun,” Scarlet laughed as she flew off of my lap, then turned around to face me. “So…what’s on the schedule tonight?”

“Who’s up for an impromptu movie night?” I asked, pointing over to the laptop I’d brought from my room when I escorted Zecora down.

“Oh? What movie are we gonna watch today??” Spike asked, clearly excited.

I grinned, then looked at Sunset before replying, “A movie that shows that you don’t always have to fall into the roll life seems to have for you. Villain or hero.” I retrieved my laptop, turned it on, then maneuvered to my movies folder. “Time for a tale of a supposed villain and his journey towards redemption. Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present: Megamind.”

An hour and a half later, the Ponies in the room were all busily discussing the older Dreamworks flick with varying degrees of excitement. I simply sat back next to Zecora, who’d already seen this movie, watching with a bemused expression as I stroked my lover’s mane affectionately. I was really happy to see Twilight and Sunset talking animatedly. I had a feeling they’d get along well.

“Laser stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation,” Sunset was saying. “Look, unlike normal light, a laser is a coherent and focused beam of photons. It’s all one wavelength instead of normal light being multiple wavelengths. And the output can be as weak as a laser pointer or powerful enough to reshape an eye.”

“Reshape an eye? What do you mean?” Twilight asked, taking furious notes.

“On Earth, there’s a surgical procedure called laser eye surgery,” Sunset said, before going into detail about the specifics.

I looked over at where Rarity was talking to Applejack, and unsurprisingly, the gorgeous fashion mare was focusing on the love story subplot of the movie. “It might not have been the most glamorous of love stories, but ah found it kinda nice,” Applejack was saying.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” Rarity said, “but it was just so…unusual.”

“More unusual than a princess and captain of the guard?” Applejack countered.

“Now that’s different,” Rarity said, and the two continued their arguing.

I looked around and saw Pinkie Pie and Spike bouncing around on the bed, mimicking the fight between Megamind and Titan. Pinkie Pie was in the role of Megamind. “You dare challenge Pinkie Pie?” she said theatrically.

“This town isn’t big enough for two party creatures!” Spike said, grinning.

“Oh, you’re a party creature, alright. Just not a super one!”

Scarlet and Fluttershy, meanwhile, were talking quietly among themselves, and I saw the two of them glancing in my direction a few times. Scarlet with a smirk and Fluttershy with a blush and shy smile. I felt a shiver going down my back at whatever they were talking about. Fortunately, Zecora interrupted my thoughts by leaning against me and sighing contentedly. “Are you having fun, dearest?”

“I’m spending time with friends and loved ones. Of course I’m having fun.” I pulled her closer and kissed her head. “By the way, I’ve got something to tell you.”

“What about?” she asked.

“Not what. Who. Fluttersy and Pinkie Pie both confessed that they had feelings for me. I asked Luna too, but she says she’s still unsure.”

Zecora looked up at me, then leaned in and licked my cheek affectionately. “I knew the first two had feelings for you, and I’m fairly certain Princess Luna does too.” She reached up to caress my face with her hooves. “How are you feeling about it?”

“Well, I like those three, don’t get me wrong,” I said.“They’re all beautiful and have their own unique charms. We all have interests that we share, and being around them makes me happy.”

“Are you planning on taking them out on a date like you did with Scarlet?” Zecora asked.

“With your blessing, yes,” I said. “But if you don’t want me to, just say no.”

Zecora giggled and moved to straddle my lap as best she could in her normal form. “I like those three mares,” she said. “They’re already good friends with you, and I know I can get along with them. I might not have as great a love of animals as Fluttershy, but I do know a thing or two about them that she might find fascinating and I can direct her to some plants that can treat or cure common ailments among animals. Pinkie Pie might be harder, but if she’s willing, I can definitely teach her a few things that might help her in the kitchen. There are some sweet tasting plants in the Everfree that she might appreciate. And you and I both know just how much I love the night sky, so getting along with Luna wouldn’t be an issue. That, and all three of us are out of our element in this world, so we can relate. I say, when this is all over, ask them out.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s one thing off my mind.” I turned back to the others and watched their conversations continue.

“Is there something else on your mind?” Zecora asked softly.

“Kinda,” I said. “Problem is, I don’t know what. It’s like…there’s something off about this whole council. Not the idea, but…there’s something about the members.” I rubbed my temples. “Gah! It’s like there’s something obvious about one of them that I’m missing. Something…I can’t see. Something so obvious that if it were a Dragon, it’d bite me in the ass and I’d never see it.”

Zecora nuzzled my face. “If it makes you feel any better, I can keep a closer eye on them and see if I can detect anything.”

“I’d appreciate that, thanks.”

We were interrupted by a familiar Pegasus’ voice calling out, “Hey, Jethro, Zecora, wanna come join us for some games?” Scarlet flew over and hovered in front of us, front hooves on her hips.

“What are you playing?” I asked.

“We’re not sure, yet,” she said. “We were wondering if you had something in mind?”

“You know, if I’d remembered, I’d have brought along something like Apples to Apples,” I said. “Or maybe Monopoly, or the Game of Life.”

Applejack’s ears perked up. “Apples tah Apples?”

Sunset chuckled. “It’s an Earth game,” she explained.

“Maybe another time we can have a slumber party at my house,” I said. “Lemme Google some safe and fun games.” Pulling out my phone, I Googled for some games, and found a list. “Okay, you’ve done Truth or Dare…we are so not doing Spin the Bottle…pillow fight can be for later…Would You Rather might be fun…Charades might be kinda cool…God, I feel old now.”

“If you feel old, what does that make me?” Zecora asked, nuzzling my face affectionately.

“Makes you sexy,” I whispered back while trying to read the list again. “Um, Musical Chairs might be hard…Kokkuri-San is a biit too scary…same with a Ouija Board…”

“Would You Rather sounds fun,” Twilight said suddenly. “How do you play?”

“So we all write some questions on pieces of paper, like Would you rather it be cold or hot outside? Then we put them inside a hat, mix them up and begin passing them around. How about we label it as a friendship building exercise? We get to know some cool new things about each other. Oh, and no inappropriate questions, Scarlet.”

“Well, duh!” she scoffed, and Zecora and I chuckled a bit, as did Rainbow Dash.

“That sounds like fun,” Twilight said excitedly. “I have a bunch of pieces of paper and pens we can use.”

“Break them out, nerdy girl,” I smirked.

For the next few minutes, we spent some time writing down multiple questions. We’d all agreed on at least five questions each. Finally, Applejack lent us her hat and we all placed our pieces of paper in, folded in half, then I mixed up the pieces. “Alright, if no one else wants to go first, I will. Anyone?”

“Your idea, you go for it,” Scarlet said. When everyone else agreed, I shrugged and reached into the hat. I turned my hand around for a bit before pulling out a piece of paper. Opening it up, I immediately knew this had to be one from Rarity due to the impeccable cursive. That, and the question was definitely one she’d come up with. “Would you rather spend a day working yourself to the bone or spend a day in a spa getting a hooficure?”

Rarity smiled a bit while I saw Applejack give a sideways glance to the fashionista. Twilight, meanwhile, looked eager to hear my response. I chuckled. “Well, I’m not a Pony, so I doubt Aloe and Lotus know how to do a Mani-Pedi for me. But if I wanted to go to a spa, I’d go back to Earth. Is there a Spa in Pendragon, Sunset?”

Sunset nodded. “Plenty.”

“Well, as rewarding as a day working on Applejack’s farm is, I’d much rather get a spa treatment,” I replied. Before the now shocked Ponies could reply, I quickly added, “Hey, I absolutely love working on Sweet Apple Acres. It’s relaxing in its own way, and I get to spend some quality time with an amazing mare and her equally as amazing family.” Applejack smiled and I saw a very slight blush on her face. I continued, saying, “I can clear my mind and get something done that’s actually useful to a lot of Ponies. And I always feel accomplished afterwards. Just standing at the end of the rows of apple trees I’ve bucked at the end of the day makes it all worthwhile and gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride. But it is hard work. I haven’t had any kind of spa treatment in…actually, I don’t think ever. A place that can help cleanse my body and soul just sounds relaxing.”

Rarity nodded fervently in agreement. “I agree,” she said. “I absolutely adore going to the Ponyville Spa. And I know certain mares around here who could definitely use a hooficure.” I saw a brief glance at Applejack.

The Earth Pony mare didn’t miss the glance. “Ah’ll have ya know mah hooves are just fine,” she retorted.

“Darling, please. When was the last time you had your hooves cut?” Rarity asked.

“Okay, girls, everyone play nice,” I said. “It’s just a game. Who’s next?”

“Ooh ooh me me me!” Pinkie raised her own hoof excitedly. I handed her the hat with my magic and she dug around in the hat. Pulling out a piece of paper, she opened it. “Would you rather stand at attention for eight hours as a palace guard or spend one hour training vig…vig…”

“Vigorously?” Twilight guessed.

“Yeah, that!” Pinkie put down the paper and pulled out a small hat with a bulb on top from her mane. “Hmm hmm hmm…now let me see.”

“Oh God, she turned into Grampy from Betty Boop,” I muttered to myself.

Sunset somehow heard that and smirked. “She did, didn’t she?”

After a few seconds, the lightbulb went off. Her eyes widened. “Can I train to be the best baker ever?” she asked.

I laughed. “You know what, just for you Pinkie, sure. I’ll alter that question.”

Pinkie gasped loudly. “It was yours?! YAY!” She jumped over and hugged me tightly, plastering my face with kisses over and over again.

“Whoa there, easy easy!” I laughed as I lifted the pink party Pony up and stroked her mane. It felt odd that she’d fall for me, especially when in canon she got married to Weird Al. Yeah, I’m not gonna call him Cheese Sandwich. He’s too much Weird Al. Shame I won’t hear his voice sound like Weird Al when he comes to town. “Alright, you can be the Royal Guard Baker. I’m sure they’ll love your baking.”

“Yay!” She nuzzled my face and giggled.

“Can…I go next?” Fluttershy asked timidly.

“Sure, go ahead,” I said, passing the paper over to her. And so it continued. We all spent at least two hours talking about all of our preferred actions, and by the time we’d reached the last question, it was just past ten at night. I was lying on the ground on a very comfortable mat, with Zecora on one side, Scarlet on the other, Pinkie letting me use her fluffy body as her pillow somehow, and Fluttershy curled up on my chest. The dwindling fire in the massive fireplace still had enough warmth to keep the room toasty, but I felt like I’d be kept warm all night long.

The others, clearly just a wiped out as I was, were all in other beds. Even Sunset, who was humming Here Comes Santa Claus, was lying in bed, a headset covering her ears while she was browsing the staticnet after I’d given her the password.

I was stroking Fluttershy’s mane with one hand, Zecora’s with the other, and had wrapped Scarlet up in one of my wings. Pinkie Pie was already fast asleep, curled up around my head and keeping my ears toasty warm. I could hear her heartbeat and feel her breathing, and that actually made me relax. It also brought joy to my heart, knowing that she was alive. The episode Too Many Pinkie Pies had scarred me and anytime I thought about it now, it brought me near to tears at the thought of even a copy of my favorite party mare being hit with magic like that.

I fell asleep promising myself that I would talk to Celestia about filling up that damned pool in the morning…

I was on a large dusty road in a desert landscape. Above, the winter constellations shone down brilliantly, although they actually appeared to be in a slightly different position than I was used to. Orion was higher towards the zenith as was the entire sky as well. I knew I was in my Morphean form now, and I looked around the large deserted area. I was standing in front of a massive and ancient looking stone palace, one that had fallen into centuries of disrepair by the looks of it. However, I did see a number of crumbling statues on the precipices of some old towers.

Flying up, I noted that the creatures depicted were none other than dragons. However, unlike the dragons depicted on the Castle of the Two Sisters, these looked somewhat more noble and regal than the ones on the palace.

Entering the palace proper, I passed through the walls into an ancient looking throne room. The throne itself was made of a glowing red crystal. The entire room was warmed by the inner fire that came from this crystal itself. It looked large enough to fit a full-sized dragon.

The walls were decorated with ancient mosaics made of different colored gems that depicted what I assumed was ancient dragon history. At one end, I even saw a large yellow dragon grasping what might have been the sun, moving it across the heavens with his massive claw. Another silver dragon, this one possibly female, pulled the moon up from the horizon.

Then…it struck me. The female dragon that was depicted had absolutely no mammaries of any kind.

A feeling of dread swept through me as I flew out of the palace, looking around. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I still had to know. I flew around the desert landscape, looking for a Dragon to compare.

Just then, I heard a distant shouting which made the ground rumble, the loose rocks and gems bouncing up and down to the vibrations. Turning towards the sound, I saw a bright fireball launching into the heavens. I flew towards the source, turning myself invisible. When I reached a a large stone chair in the middle of nowhere that was occupied by an incredibly massive Dragon who I recognized as Dragon Lord Torch.

And flying next to him, holding a scroll, was a small blue Dragon. “Father, please listen to me,” the smaller Dragon was saying. It was a female voice that I heard, and she sounded almost desperate. “We don’t have to go to war with the Equestrians! I’m just as angry at them as you are, but we can’t just go flying off the handles!”

“Silence, my wayward daughter!” the larger Dragon male shouted, blowing the smaller Dragon back. “They have insulted our very way of life by not inviting us to this so-called Council of Equestria! This new source even claims we were left out on purpose!”

Fearing the worst, I flew up towards Ember, only to see that this one, unlike the one I’d seen, had absolutely no breasts of any kind. This Ember waved the piece of paper in front of Torch once more. “Do you think that the Ponies who move the sun and moon are just going to sit back and watch as we invade, pillage and burn their towns?? Dad, they have that human on their side, too! He won’t just sit back and allow us to take that kingdom! He’s not like the Ponies. He will fight back harder!”

“Which is why, when we win, you will be betrothed to him!” Torch said.

Ember gawked at her father. “You can’t do that! Betrothals aren’t a thing anymore!”

“SILENCE!” Torch said. “According to Dragon Law, I only have a few more years before I must step down! I will go out in a blaze of glory if I must! Now…begone!”

Ember crumbled the scroll, but apparently hadn’t the courage to stand up more. Not that I could blame the poor drake. She flew away, muttering to herself. I quickly followed until I saw her make her way into a large cavern. She landed, storming deep inside, muttering curses under her breath as I followed. She entered into another section of the cave where a large pile of bits and gems lay. She dove into it, screaming angrily at it. “Dad…you’re gonna get us all killed!” she shouted, hitting the pile over and over again. “Gods, what do I do here?!”

“Maybe you can help,” I said, making myself visible finally and standing in the doorway to her hoard.

Ember whirled around, then spotted me. Her dark crimson eyes flared angrily. “You! How’d you get in here!? The entrance is warded!”

“That’s not important,” I said, walking up to her. She was actually about my height, and looked more draconic than whoever, or whatever, was impersonating her. “Listen, something’s going on back in Equestria.”

“You mean that damned Council we weren’t invited to?” she spat, waving the scroll in front of me angrily.

I shook my head quickly. “That’s just it. You were invited, and we actually thought you had come. But there’s someone at the council impersonating you. And I think I know just what creature we’re dealing with.”

Ember growled angrily. “Scalechangers,” she scowled.

“Correct,” I said. “There’s one impersonating you, but apparently she’s doing a piss poor job of it.”

“And how long did it take you to determine she wasn’t me?” Ember asked.

“Longer than I care to admit,” I said.

Ember scoffed. “Well…I guess I can’t blame you. Scalechangers have a way of getting into your head and fooling you into believing whatever you want to believe. Especially if they’ve been feeding on love for a while.”

I facepalmed. “Goddamn it…I should have realized. They want this war! FUCK!” I stomped the ground angrily. “I need to get back to Equestria. Your Highness, I know we just met, and I know you have a lot of good reasons to hate me or be angry at me, but we need to stop this before it goes any further. Because you were right earlier. I will fight for the Kingdom of Equestria if Dragons invade. And I don’t want that. I don’t want to fight against an amazing culture who made those ruins.”

Ember raised an eyebrow. “You saw the Ruins of Dormog? Nodragon’s ever gotten in there. What are you?”

“We have time for explanations later,” I said as I walked over to her. “I can teleport us back to Equestria. Your Highness, please help me expose these Dark Fae for the monsters that they currently are!” I held out a hand.

Ember recoiled, looking at my hand suspiciously. Then, she sighed. “Don’t make me regret this, human,” she said as she reached out her claw.

“All I want is peace between our many nations,” I said as I grabbed her claw. “Now, hold on tight.” There was a flash of light, then darkness overwhelmed me.

90: A Cloaked Heart Exposes A Plot

A large crashing sound was part of what woke me up from my slumber. That, and the sudden extra weight that landed squarely on my chest. A heavy, scaley weight. I heard groaning from the source of said weight as well as a scream of fear from a certain yellow Pegasus.

A bright purple light surrounded the blue scaled Dragon on top of me, and the weight lifted as I watched Twilight pulling Ember off and holding her up in her magic. Fluttershy was immediately by my side, hugging me tightly and trembling in fear. Ember was shouting at Twilight to let her go. I tried to move, but I was being held in place by four protective mares. Twilight was shouting at Ember, demanding answers.

“Let me go, Pony!” Ember was shouting as she struggled in Twilight’s grip, and to my surprise it was partly working as her tail was free of the purple glow and thrashing about wildly in an attempt to hit Twilight.

The purple unicorn, however, had enough sense to keep Ember out of reach. “Not until I get an answer! Who are you and what were you doing trying to attack my friends!?”

“Twilight, put her down,” I said, finally recovering enough to escape the grips of all mares except Fluttershy who was still clinging to me.

Twilight looked at me in shock. “What?! But she’s an intruder! She could be a Changeling! Zecora tested everycreature in the council! Nocreature changed!”

“She is right, my love,” Zecora said. “None of the delegates changed or showed any signs of being an imposter.”

I frowned. That was unusual. I stroked my chin thoughtfully for a few seconds, before I looked back to Twilight. “Just put her down. I teleported her here to try and stop a war.”

Twilight shook her head. “She’s dangerous!”

“She’s also my guest,” I replied. “Let her go, Twilight Sparkle.”

She flinched, looking back between me and the still struggling Ember. “How can I be sure?”

“Zecora, go grab that Dark Fae testing batch you made,” I said. “And Twilight, just let her go.”

Zecora nodded and left the room, galloping out at speed. Twilight sighed, lowering the older Dragon to the floor and releasing her. She landed and glared around at the Ponies in the room. “If it wasn’t for this dire situation, I’d hit you,” she snarled at Twilight.

“Not the time, your Highness,” I said. “Look, Equestria is in more danger than I realized. I was just in the Dragon Lands. Their leader is planning to invade Equestria. Princess Ember here can attest to that.”

Ember nodded. “I’ve tried to talk my father out of it, but it’s as if he’s become possessed. He’s only got a few more years before Dragon Law forces him to step down as Dragon Lord. I don’t want to see my fellow Dragons dying due to some stupid pointless war!”

The silence in the room was palpable. Even Fluttershy’s trembling stopped as she looked up at me with a stunned expression. I held her close as I nodded in agreement. “She’s right,” I said. “I can’t emphasize enough just how dangerous a world war is. You think having a few thousand dead is a disaster. In World War II, the greatest monster humanity ever created killed off six million humans just because of their ethnicity. Six million. And that’s not counting the casualties of the many soldiers who fell in the war.”

“Seventy to eighty-five million dead during that war,” Sunset said. “Soldiers and civilians. Three percent of Earth’s population at the time.”

Even Ember looked stunned by that number. “There…aren’t even that many Dragons,” she said, and I heard a trembling tone in her voice.

Zecora came back, carrying a small clay jar in her mouth which she set on the ground in front of me. I picked it up and opened it, revealing a green salve inside. I turned to Ember. “Your Highness, please forgive me, but I need to apply this to you. It’s a Zebra salve that forces a Dark Fae to revert to their true self.”

Ember sighed, then stood to face me. “Just put it on me. Hurry!”

I looked down at Zecora, and she nodded. “I will let you know where to apply it.” And she did. She gave me detailed instructions, and I gently applied it to the Dragon Princess. I placed it around her eyes, claws, tail, and in stripes around the rest of her. When I was finished, I stepped back and watched. When absolutely nothing happened, I turned to Zecora who said, “She’s not a Changeling.”

I held out my hand and removed the salve with my magic, putting it back in the jar. “Okay, so why didn’t we catch the intruder yesterday?”

Zecora shook her head. “I made sure the ingredients were perfect, my love. The other Ember didn’t react when I applied the salve and neither did Ambassador Fuego.”

“Hold on, did you say Fuego?” Ember asked. When Zecora nodded, Ember growled. “That traitorous bastard. Fuego was banished from the Dragon Lands months ago when we found out he’d smashed an entire batch of Dragon eggs. He’s no ambassador. Never was.”

I looked at Zecora. “Babe, is there any way that salve wouldn’t work?”

“I’ve read the instructions over and over again,” Zecora said hurriedly. “If the Ember we saw in the council chambers was a changeling, it should have worked.”

“What if it was Chrysalis?” I asked. “The Dark Fae queen?”

Her eyes widened. “That…I cannot say for sure.”

“A Scalechanger queen is not the same as a normal one,” Ember said as she walked quickly over to the door. “They can become pretty powerful if supplied with enough love.”

I rushed over and stopped her from leaving the room. “Not yet. We can’t just go out there. Who knows how many Dark Fae are out there?”

Ember fought against my grip, but I held tight. “We can’t just stay here doing nothing like a gods-damned Pony!” she said angrily. “My father’s going to issue the Call of the Dragon Lord in the morning! We might not have much time!”

“We won’t just sit back and do nothing,” I said sternly. “We need to investigate thoroughly. We don’t know how many staff members have been replaced by Dark Fae. Hell, we don’t even know if anyone in this room have been replaced.”

Rainbow Dash jumped up and flew straight into my face. “Now hang on just a minute there! Are you saying one of us could be an imposter?”

“One or more,” I said. “They’re Dark Fae. Changelings. Scalechangers. They’re the perfect infiltrator. Zecora? Do you have more of that salve? Enough for the rest of us?”

She nodded. “There’s enough back in our room, love.”

“Hmm…hang on a moment.” I turned to Ember. “You seem to know about them more than we do. What color is their blood, do you know?”

Ember looked thoughtful. “Hang on…there’s an old Dragon poem my mother used to tell me before my first molting…she said it in old Draconic, but roughly translated it says ‘The fields of Trenz were brown with blood, the red of Dragons and the green of Scalechangers’.”

“Okay, green blood.” I held out my arm. “Use your claw on me. Draw blood. Dark Fae might be able to fool our eyes, but I highly doubt they can change their blood color.”

“You w-want to draw blood?!” Fluttershy screeched in terror. She flew up and grabbed my extended arm, trying to pull me away from Ember. “I won’t let you hurt yourself, Jethro!”

I stood my ground. “We need to prove to each other that we aren’t sus,” I said. When Scarlet reacted with a small smirk, I knew that at least she wasn’t a fake. She’d seen enough Among Us memes to get it. I turned back to Ember, holding out my arm. “Do it.”

Nodding, she extended a claw and cut slightly. I winced, but the red of blood pooling around the scratch was enough to prove to me and the others that I wasn’t a Dark Fae.

To my surprise, Rainbow Dash flew up next, holding out her hoof. “Fine…you bring up a good point. Do it.”

One by one, we all allowed ourselves to be cut. Fluttershy was super scared, but I comforted her as best I could, telling Ember to just make a small cut. Spike actually went before Rarity, probably just to prove that he could be brave in the face of danger. We obliged when Rarity asked to just use a needle to poke her.

When we were finished, we were quite satisfied to see that we had no imposter among us. When a lot of them looked to me, I began formulating a plan. “We need to make sure Celestia isn’t compromised. And if she is, then we go to Luna. If she’s compromised, Cadance and Shining Armor. But first I need to wake up Gemini and Mica. They’re both fighters and can help. Then I’ve got to go back to my room and grab my weapons and then we go to Celestia. I don’t have any idea why the Dark Fae would want a war. It’s not their M.O., but it stops here.”

“I’ll go check on the Princess,” Rainbow Dash said immediately.

“No. We are absolutely not separating,” I said. “It’s stupid when people do it in books or movies and we won’t do it here. The risk of being replaced is far too great. We travel together.”

“I can totally get there and back without being spotted,” Rainbow insisted.

I glared up at her. “In case you didn’t understand me, Rainbow Dash, these are Dark Fae, otherwise known as Changelings. They can impersonate anyone, even down to their voice. Their queen is incredibly smart. In the show she infiltrated Canterlot and posed as Cadance for a while. She also fooled all of you except for Twilight. She even fooled Celestia! And she’s fooled us, if this fake Ember is indeed her. Or unless she’s another queen from another hive.”

Ember shook her head. “There aren’t any more hives. At least, that’s what Dad claims. We wiped them out ages ago according to him.”

“Some could have escaped. I know Chrysalis’ is still around, but that’s neither here nor there,” I said. “We need to get to my room, then Gemini and Mica’s, then straight for Celestia. Now, nobody act out of the ordinary. We’re just heading out for a casual stroll.”

“What about Ember here?” Twilight asked.

“Your Highness, stand in the middle of us,” I said. “Everyone else, create a protective circle around her. I want her protected at all costs.”

“I can protect myself,” Ember growled angrily.

“I know that,” I replied, getting in her face and staring her down, “but our relationship with the Dragon Lands and your father depends on how well we protect you. If you end up dead, he’ll attack us, thinking we killed you.”

Ember frowned, but sighed. “Fine, fine. But you’d better believe I’ll fight if need be.”

“Good. The more, the better. Now let’s go.”

Slowly, I opened the door and peered out into the darkened hallway. There was nobody around and I couldn’t hear the sound of any patrols walking around, so I lit up one finger, creating a magic flashlight, and stepped out.

The trip to my room was silent, tension filling the air as we kept an eye out for anyone else. I held my free hand out, ready to use any magic I knew just in case. Not that Twilight hadn’t taught me offensive magic yet, but I could easily use telekinesis to throw objects around, and my personal shield had come a long way.

When we reached mine and Zecora’s assigned room, we all entered on my insistence, and I grabbed the sword I’d received from the Lycan Empire. I quickly changed into something a bit more battle ready than the red silk pajamas Rarity had given me, although I didn’t have much. I threw on a pair of tough jeans, some boots, a brown t-shirt and a black hoodie. I strapped the sword to my belt and then we both went to the room opposite mine.

Gemini was the one who answered the door after a few not so gentle knocks. She looked groggy and pissed off. However, before she could wipe the floor with me, she noticed my sword at my side and was instantly alert. “What’s going on?” she asked seriously.

“Dark Fae have infiltrated this council,” I replied. “Hold out your claw. We need to make sure you aren’t compromised.”

I loved just how quick she was, because not only did she do that, but she grabbed a knife and cut a small portion of her arm, revealing dark red blood. Quickly, she rushed to wake Mica. We all came in and shut the door, waiting patiently. When Mica also passed and was caught up to speed, the two began putting on their armor and weapons. “I hope you’re planning to go to the Princess first,” Gemini said.

“If you mean Celestia, yes,” I said. “We need to make absolutely sure she hasn’t been taken. And if she has been, then we try and find Luna. And if not her, Shining Armor and Cadance. Shining has enough magic to raise a shield around the castle. Nobody gets in, and nobody gets out.”

“Then shouldn’t we see them first?” Twilight asked worriedly. “Then we can raise the shield faster?”

I stopped to consider. She was right, of course, but I was also very worried about the two Princesses and I wasn’t just about to split up the group. I sighed. “You make a good point, but does anyone know where her room is? I know where Celestia’s staying, but I don’t know where those two are staying. They probably have one room, though.”

Twilight shivered. “Thanks for that image,” she said with a shudder.

“Now’s not the time,” Gemini said as she put her helmet on, strapping it down. “And who is this Dragon with you and how’d she get in?” she asked when she finally saw Ember.

“Princess Ember of the Dragon Lands,” I said. “The real one, not the phony one we met today.”

“I knew there was something off about her,” Mica said, “but I just couldn’t figure out what…”

“That wasn’t the only reason you were staring, dear brother,” Gemini said with a small snort.

“I know I wasn’t the only one,” Mica said. “There were plenty of others giving her stares.”

“Not the time, you two,” I said. “We need to get to Princess Celestia as fast as we can. Gemini, Mica, cover us however best you see fit. You have more of a military mind than I do.”

“Mica, you’re on the left flank,” Gemini said, “and I’ll be on the right flank.”

“I can cover our rears,” Rainbow said, moving to the back.

“I’ll take point,” I said, starting to move to the front.

However, as I moved to the front, a claw stopped me. Ember shook her head. “That’s my job, human. No offense to you, but you don’t look like you could fight a beetle.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Gemini said, which surprised me and the others. “I used to be captain of Queen Amber’s Royal Guard and I’ve been training this human for months. And I don’t train others to be weaklings.”

Ember looked at Gemini, then back at me with renewed interest. She approached, grabbed my arm and squeezed. I didn’t react, just stared her down. She slowly released me, nodding. “Hmmm…fine. But we’re both taking point.”

“Okay, I can accept that,” I said. I looked around, then pointed at Scarlet. “Scarlet, I know you’ve been training with Rainbow Dash, and she’s taught you a lot already. Can you guard our rear with her?”

Scarlet nodded and went to the rear. Zecora stepped up and looked at me. “Love, I know many different combat arts. Let me help.”

I was about to contradict her, spouting worry for her safety, but the clearer voice in my head countermanded me. If she does know a few arts of combat, I shouldn’t be the overprotective macho idiot, I thought. I nodded. “Guard those of us who can’t fight,” I said. “I’ve got dates planned for a couple of them, anyway.”

Gemini facepalmed. “His pack grows…”

Ember looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “Do humans normally create hoards?”

“Not the time, your Highness,” I said. “Now, are we all ready to go?” When the majority of the group nodded (poor Fluttershy was scared stiff, and I felt badly for her, but I didn’t want her just staying behind and risk her being captured and replaced), I stepped out into the hall once more.

We walked towards Celestia’s room in silence, and the more we walked, the more unnerved I grew, especially since I didn’t see any guards around for a good while. When we reached the stairs leading to Celestia’s room, I finally did see two guards standing watch. I stopped the group. “Those guards might very well be Dark Fae. Stay here. Shout if you get attacked, got it?”

“What happened to not separating?” Ember asked in a harsh whisper.

“If those are Dark Fae and see us approaching all at once, they’ll be immediately on alert,” I said. “But if it’s just me, the local human knight, they won’t be as on guard. Just keep me in sight and keep an eye on each other. Be extremely vigilant. We don’t know precisely just how many Dark Fae are among us. Just in case things do go south, let’s come up with a code phrase to greet each other with. Something innocuous enough that it won’t be caught by an imposter. Something like…”

“Let’s groove tonight as the greeting, and share the spice of life as the reply?” Sunset suggested.

I grinned. “A bit of Earth, Wind and Fire, eh? Alright, that works. Let’s groove tonight is the greeting, and the reply?”

“Share the spice of life,” everyone repeated.

“Just keep that in mind,” I said as I stepped out from behind the wall and casually approached the guards.

The two guards froze when they saw me approaching and both aimed their spears at me. “Identify yourself,” one of the identical Unicorn guards said sternly.

“Stand down,” I said, “it’s just me, Jethro.”

The guards froze for a bit, then stood back down, saluting me. “Sir Jethro, how may we help you?” the Pegasus Guard said.

“Oh, I came to see the Princess,” I said.

The two looked at each other with a concerned frown, then the Unicorn turned back to me. “What for?” he asked carefully.

“What, a Knight of Equestria can’t come by to check on his Princess?” I asked.

The Pegasus just smiled a bit. “He’s got you there,” he told his partner.

The Unicorn, however, continued frowning at me. “It’s just past one in the morning. Why would you need to see the Princess?”

“That’s a matter between me and her, as it always is,” I said, hoping to trip them up.

The Pegasus snickered. “Again, Sir Jethro?”

I grinned. “Same price as last time for your silence. I’ll bring the bits around afterwards.”

“And why the sword?” the Unicorn asked.

“Oh please, you know the answer as well as I do,” I replied. “Throws other Ponies off when I say I have private discussions with my Princess. But before I do…” I reached into my pocket, found a small pocketknife, and quickly flipped it towards the Unicorn. “Think fast,” I said.

To my horror, his horn began to glow a sickly green as he caught it in his magic. The potentially fake Unicorn stared at it with a confused frown, then looked back at me. “Sir?”

I kept my amused expression as I reached out to take the floating pocketknife. “You’re getting better with your reflexes there,” I chuckled. “I’m gonna have to get more creative.”

The Unicorn just smiled a bit uncertainly. “I guess so, sir,” he said.

“Sir Jethro, as much as we’d like to let you in for your nightly meeting with the Princess, she’s actually asked not to be disturbed,” the Pegasus said in a convincing apologetic tone, “this council has been very hard on her and she needs her rest.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. Well, guess there’s nothing left for me to do except go back to my room. Tell the Princess I said sup when she gets up.”

“Of course,” the Pegasus said.

“Have a good night, sir,” the Unicorn said.

I gave them a thumbs up, then strode away, humming Let’s Groove by Earth, Wind and Fire. I turned the corner and approached the group. Clearing my throat, I said, “Let’s groove tonight.”

“Share the spice of life,” they all replied.

Twilight approached, eyes wide with terror. “Those aren’t the guards,” she said in a trembling voice. “None of them have green magic.”

I pointed ahead, indicating that we should move. The rest of them fell into line. I nodded. “They probably have her trapped,” I said. “If they’ve made their move already, it’s likely they’ve tried to or are on their way to get to Luna, too. Let’s head to her tower, next. She should be awake. At least, I hope so.”

“We need to split up,” Rainbow Dash insisted.

I frowned. “How many times do I need to tell you, RD, no. We split up, we risk being captured. We go as a group. I know it limits us, but we’ve got more strength in numbers.” I turned to Twilight. “Twi, can you raise a shield around the castle powerful enough to keep anyone out and keep anyone from leaving?”

She shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Damn…and no one knows just where Cadance and Shining Armor’s room is,” I said. “Okay…can you teleport us all there, Twi?”

“I can barely teleport myself,” she replied in frustration.

“Fine, fine. And I haven’t mastered teleportation magic yet. And I won’t ask you to teleport into Celestia’s room to see what’s going on. To Luna’s room.”

Once again, it was unnerving to see almost no guards on patrol. The only ones I saw were guarding the entrance to the hallway where the guests were sleeping, and we didn’t even pass by that. Finally, we came to the bottom of the stairs leading to Luna’s room. We all walked up, staying as close together as we could, but the winding staircase made it hard for me to keep an eye on the majority of the group. When we began to approach the landing, I stopped them and approached the two guards I’d seen before.

When the brown Unicorn stallion guard from before saw me, he frowned. “Sir Jethro? Is everything alright?”

The dark blue Pegasus mare stood up straighter at attention. “If this is another social call, I’m afraid she can’t be disturbed right now, sir.”

“Social call? I mean, this is only the third time I came to her tonight,” I said, seeing if I’d catch them in a lie.

“Third? Sir, this is only the second time you’ve come here,” the Pegasus said warily.

I grinned. “Very good.” I pulled out my knife and tossed it towards the Unicorn. “Think fast.” When he caught it in light brown magic, a wave of relief washed over me. “I need to see the Princess right away. The castle is under attack.”

The guards both looked shocked, but quickly recovered and stood more at attention. “What’s the situation, sir?” the Unicorn asked.

“I need to see the Princess first, then I’ll bring you up to speed,” I said.

“Right away,” he said as he knocked on the door. “My Princess, Sir Jethro is here to see you.”

There was a small noise, and I thought I heard her cursing behind the door. The door swung open, enveloped in Luna’s signature magic. Luna didn’t look too happy to see me, at least at first. But when she saw the look on my face, her frustration turned to concern. “Jethro, what has transpired?”

I turned and called out, “We’re clear. Come on up.” The crowd of assorted creatures came walking up, and we exchanged the code words again. I turned back to Luna. “Inside, quickly. Your guards too.”

She must have heard the urgency in my voice, because she nodded and ushered everyone into her room. When she saw Ember, however, she bristled. “And who is this?” she asked, nodding at Ember.

I gestured towards Ember. “Princess Luna, may I present Princess Ember, daughter of Dragon Lord Torch. The real Ember, not the fake one we’ve been hosting.”

“Fake one? What do you mean?” Luna asked.

“Dark Fae, my Princess,” I said. “We’ve been infiltrated.”

She went silent for a bit, then uttered one word. One word that summarized the entire situation perfectly. “Fuck.”

91: A Cloaked Heart Begins To Counter

It’s never a good sign when one of the most powerful beings in the world, a practical goddess even, uses a four-letter word to describe a situation. Especially a goddess who existed in the world of a television show. A television show made specifically for children. A cartoon, no less. Now, I had heard Ponies in this world using expletives before. Hell, I’d heard Celestia and even Luna using the F-Bomb this past summer, but never had I heard Luna use it in such a tone as I had. Never had I heard it being said in that tone from anyone before then, and I’d heard Fluttershy swear.

Silence filled the room as Luna’s accurate summary of our situation could be digested by everyone in the room. For what felt like an eternity, we all exchanged looks. It wasn’t like we could add anything to that. She was, in fact, spot on.

However, someone had to eventually break the silence. And that duty, I felt, fell to me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pocketknife. “Alright, hooves out you three.”

The Unicorn guard looked at the knife and frowned. “What is that?” he asked.

With a flick of the wrist, my blade opened, gleaming in the light I was casting from my finger. “Blood test. We need to make sure you’re not compromised.”

Luna nodded in understanding and held out her own hoof. “Go ahead, my Knight,” she said.

I gently gave her a small cut, and breathed a sigh of relief when her cut bled with the red of a mammal. She used a healing spell on it, then turned to her guards. The Pegasus mare stepped forward and held out her own hoof. “Far be it from me to deny my Princess and the word of a Knight,” she said.

In a few minutes, it was all over. I had never felt more relieved to see red blood. With that out of the way, Luna locked her tower door, closed and pulled the shades on her window, then stood and walked in front of us. She turned, and in that moment, she was no longer Luna, my friend and fellow lover of the night. This was a Warrior Princess, and she wasn’t no damned Xena. She was the strategist, the fighter, the destroyer of her enemies. Her eyes burned with a fire that sent shivers down my spine. However, I straightened and stood at attention. “As of this moment, everyone in this room has been drafted into the Equestrian Army.”

I stiffened, standing at attention. The reactions in the room ranged from Rainbow’s own hooves clopping together in anticipation to Ember’s own begrudging acceptance, to Fluttershy’s rushing over to me and clinging to me in abject terror. Gemini didn’t look too happy about it, but wisely kept her mouth shut and stood at attention as well. Applejack had a stern and battle-ready expression on her own face, Twilight looked nervous but determined, Rarity had a similar expression, and Spike was next to her, standing protectively beside his crush. Pinkie Pie wasn’t smiling, but had a frown on her face and her party cannon out. Mica looked ready for anything, and Scarlet and Zecora were at my sides, both as ready for a fight as they could be. Luna’s two guards were at attention, saluting.

Luna continued. “Your drafts are only until this crisis is averted. We need everyone on the highest alert possible. A Changeling is a tricky creature. They can change into anycreature even after a single cursory glance. They can imitate voices, too. We have two objectives: finding as many allies in the castle as we can, and making sure none of them escape. Make no mistake: this will not be easy. We are possibly outnumbered, although we only know of at least two or three on the premises. Princess Ember, you have more knowledge of their tactics than we do. What can you tell us?”

Ember frowned and looked thoughtful. “Keep in mind that my own knowledge is only from stories. If their queen is here, though, then, in no uncertain terms, we’re in trouble. They are vicious when cornered, and their magic isn’t like those of Ponies, or Dragons for that matter.”

“So, we’re royally screwed, eh?” Scarlet said.

I sighed. “If the episode I’ve seen is any indications, she’ll probably have moved anyone she replaced to a hidden chamber or cave. What use is a dead source of love, after all?”

“That’s one reason why they were so ruthless with us,” Ember said. “Dad told me that our emotions are so volatile that we were dangerous to them.”

“How the hell does that make sense?” Rainbow asked. Seriously, when did she start using Earth swear words? She’s not a Dark Fae, so…what?

“Look here, Pony,” she snarled, “that’s just what my dad said. I don’t know just how accurate his claims are, but I do know he has a good memory for war!”

“Your Highness, Rainbow, stop,” I moved in between them, keeping them from starting to tear each other apart, “The moment we start fighting among ourselves is the time when we grow weaker and vulnerable to Dark Fae attacks.”

As the two begrudgingly separated, Luna continued. “As much as I want to split into groups, the risk is too great. Hardly any of us are prepared for war, but we are all that Equestria has. My sister is being held captive, so we need to find more allies. First, I will teleport us directly into Princess Cadenza’s chambers. Hopefully we will find Captain Armor among them. If they too have been compromised, we will teleport to the rooms of the delegates and ensure their safety. If they too are compromised I will raise the shield. When that happens, we will be exposed.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to raise the shield first?” Rainbow asked. “I get we wanna be sneaky and all, but we can’t just let the Changelings escape!”

“Ah agree with Rainbow,” Applejack said. “We need ta catch em in the net sooner rather than later, else they just might go after Ponyville.”

“Assuming they haven’t already,” Scarlet said.

That brought a concerned silence from everyone. I felt Fluttershy trembling harder, and she whispered, “Angel…everycreature…”

I hugged her closer and stroked her mane. “They won’t go after your animals,” I whispered back, before turning to the rest. “They may be in Canterlot for all we know.”

“Our priority right now is this castle,” Luna said. “We’ve gathered not only every Princess in Equestria here, but we’ve gathered the delegates from many important nations all over the world. That might sound callous, but if those delegates are not safe, a world war may, in fact, erupt. Not even my sister and myself will be able to stem the tide of war.” Luna turned to Ember. “Princess Ember, what do you know about this Fuego?”

Ember sighed. “He used to be close with Dad, I think he was one of his closest friends. But right now, all he wants is revenge.”

“Why would he want that?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“My father banished him from the Dragon Lands for smashing many of our eggs one hatching season ten years ago,” Ember said. “He swore revenge before leaving.”

I frowned. “Well, that makes sense on his end, but why would the Dark Fae ally themselves with him? A war just causes less sources of food for them, and they’re running low on sources of love.”

“For the very same reason as this Fuego traitor,” Luna concluded. “Revenge. Revenge against the Dragons.” She turned to Ember. “Your father is a proud individual, is he not?”

Ember nodded. “Yeah, he really is.”

“And the Dragons are a race of warriors, correct?” Luna asked again.

“We were, but have you seen the Dragon Lands lately?” Ember asked. “They aren’t what they apparently used to be.”

“Nopony visited the Dragon Lands in my day,” Luna said.

“And nopony since,” Twilight added. “Trust me, Jethro and I looked during our study sessions.”

“Mom would tell me stories about times when she was young a thousand years ago,” Ember said, “about how the Dragon Lands used to be prosperous and full of vegetation. When the Scalechangers tried to infiltrate and feed off of our love for our country and each other, we fought them off, but it destroyed the land in the process. At least, that’s what she says. It was hard to say with her. Some of her stories are a bit far-fetched, looking back.”

“I see,” Luna replied, stroking her hoof thoughtfully. “But have your kind always been warriors?”

“We haven’t had a true war ever since the Scalechangers,” Ember said. “Dad’s gotten more and more easily offended as he’s gotten older, and this was the straw that broke the Dragon’s back.”

“So why infiltrate a council and try to bring all races together?” I asked.

“So we could ally ourselves against the Dragons and go to war with them,” Luna concluded.

“It’s not a world war they want…” Sunset said, “It’s a fucking second Holocaust!”

“What, pray tell, is that?” Luna asked.

Twilight, Sunset and myself all shook our heads. “You don’t wanna know,” I said.

“But I do,” Luna insisted.

“Extermination,” Sunset said plainly.

The mood in the room dropped. Everyone in the room looked either sick or horrified. Fluttershy clung to me with all her strength, and part of me was glad I now had Earth Pony endurance since she’d most likely crush me if I was a normal human. I locked eyes with Luna, who searched mine for the truth of the definition. She took a deep breath after a few seconds, then turned to Ember. “That will never happen.”

Ember nodded. “Good. I don’t want to be the last of my kind.”

“Don’t forget about me,” Spike, who’d been silent up until now, spoke up.

Ember looked down at him. “Oh yeah, guess there’s you too. But you shouldn’t be a part of this. You haven’t even molted yet.”

Spike stamped his feet on the ground. “My friends are in danger! What do you expect me to do? Hide?!”

Ember finally grinned. “Maybe you have some fire in you after all, little one.”

“Okay, so we teleport to Cadance’s room, then the delegates, do I have that right, Princess?” I asked.

“Correct, sir Knight,” Luna said. “Are we prepared?” When we all replied in the affirmative, she raised her horn, concentrating hard. “Three…two…ONE!”

I closed my eyes in anticipation of the bright flash that usually came with magical teleportation. My stomach lurched as I felt my molecules come apart, then rematerialize in another room. She lit up her horn and saw two forms sleeping in a large canopy bed. Behind them, a large window faced south, giving a lovely view of the Everfree Forest and the stars.

Shining Armor was immediately up, horn at the ready, and to my relief, his magic was the rosy red color I’d seen in the show. Cadance was also up, her mane a mess as she looked around wildly. “Shiny? What’s going on?”

“On your feet, Captain,” Luna commanded. “Arm yourself. We are in grave danger.”

Shining was immediately on his feet, saluting. “My Princess, what-?” He noticed the others behind her and me beside her. His brow furled. “Sir Jethro? Twily?”

I flicked out my knife. “Hoof up. Now. Dark Fae have infiltrated this Council and are trying to band us together to wipe out the Dragons. We need to be sure you’re not an imposter.”

To his credit, his confusion dissipated and he held out his leg, hoof up. I grabbed it and made a small cut. When his blood ran red, I turned to Cadance. “You too. You were the main target of the Dark Fae Queen in the show.”

When I was assured she was who she claimed, I turned to Luna. “They’re the real deal, my Princess.”

Luna nodded, then turned to Cadance and Shining. “My sister has either been replaced by now, or she is being held hostage by the Changeling Queen.”

“It’s probably the latter,” I said. “Dark Fae feed off of love, and Celestia’s love for her little Ponies is very strong.”

“My Knight, it could be the former as well,” Luna replied. “Keeping their food source in a safe space would be easier for them.”

I nodded. “Either way, she’s been compromised. The guards around her door aren’t real ones. Their magic told me that. And…I pretended to be visiting Celestia for some nighttime fun, and they acted like I had been there before. They may be good liars, but so am I.”

“I still can’t believe you said those things,” Twilight shuddered.

“We got the information, didn’t we?” I asked. “Point is, we need to get armed and ready for a fight.”

“And we must make sure that the delegates themselves are not compromised,” Luna added.

Cadace was by Luna’s side. “I can teleport half of us,” she said.

“Nay, my niece,” Luna said, “This must be done all at once to ensure our continued safety.”

Shining had quickly retrieved his own armor and a large sword was strapped by his side. Any source of exhaustion was gone from his face, and to be honest he looked ready to kick some Dark Fae ass. “I am yours to command, my Princess,” he said, saluting her.

Luna nodded. “Everyone prepare yourselves. I only have one more mass teleportation left within me.”

In another flash, we appeared in a large but darkened hallway. There were no guards present anywhere, and that sent off more alarm bells in my head. Luna turned to us. “I teleported us near to the entrance to the hall where the delegates are sleeping. Follow me.” She began walking down the hall, and the rest of us followed suite. Just before we approached a corner, she held up a hoof to stop us. She turned and pointed to me and Shining, motioning us forward. The two of us silently walked to her side and looked past the corner towards another hallway entrance. In fact, it was the same hallway entrance I’d passed with my friends on the way to see Celestia only a half hour or so earlier.

In front of the hallway, I saw the same guards from before standing at attention. They didn’t move for a while, and just as Luna was about to call out to them, the Unicorn one turned to the other Pegasus guard. “How long do we have to do this? Our Queen already has eyes on the Pony Princess.”

The other guard whirled on the first one. “Shut up! The walls have ears, you fucking moron!”

“I’m just saying, what are we just guarding those others for? Why not replace them?”

“Queen’s orders. You know we don’t question them, so stop worrying, Thorax.”

So…that’s Thorax, huh? Weird to meet him already, but perhaps we can use this to our advantage. Luna, Shining and myself exchanged a glance of worry. On the one hand, I was relieved that the delegates themselves weren’t replaced, but I was still worried about what the Dark Fae had planned for them. Maybe they were, indeed, hoping for a war with the Dragons and wanted to steer the council towards a certain conclusion. But if that was the case, why wouldn’t they just replace them?

When we returned to the others, Luna whispered, “The guards are Changelings, but it appears they have left the delegates alone for the time being.”

“I know one of those Dark Fae. The one impersonating a Unicorn guard,” I said. “He’s not like the rest. Or at least, not in the show.”

“All Scalechangers are the same,” Ember snarled. “They need to be dealt with severely.”

I turned on her and stuck my finger on her chest accusatorily. “Then perhaps I should just assume that all Dragons are war hungry beasts who breathe fire and cause nothing but death and destruction? Because I know an amazing little drake who is anything but.” I turned her head forcefully towards Spike. “This young Dragon is nothing like that. Sure, he’s been raised by Ponies his whole life, but what does that matter? He doesn’t want war any more than you or I do. Should I judge him or you by Dragon stereotypes? Because assuming anything about a race makes an ass out of you and me. Understand?”

The possible future Dragon Lord looked stunned at my sudden forwardness, and I had to admit I was a bit surprised by my actions too. We stared at each other for a few moments before she straightened. “Don’t expect me to help when that Scalechanger betrays you.”

“Duly noted,” I said before I turned to Luna. “My Princess, request permission to subdue the Pegasus imposter and make contact with a possible future friendly?”

Luna shook her head. “No. At least…not alone.” She turned to Shining Armor. “You go with him. Knock out the Pegasus changeling. Jethro, when you subdue the other one, retreat back here and head into this room.” She pointed to a closed door on the other side of the hallway.

“Yes, your Highness,” I replied.

Just as I was about to head out, she put a wing around my arm and turned me back towards her. With worry in her voice, she asked, “Sir Jethro, can you guarantee success with convincing that Changeling to join our side?”

“All I need to do is offer him something in return,” I replied.

“And what’s that?” Luna asked.

I smiled. “Friendship.”

She sighed, then nodded. “Very well. Go.”

“Hold on,” I said. “We need a new password.”

“Password?” Luna asked.

“In case when we come back you’ve been replaced,” I explained. “And I have one they won’t be able to guess. When I ask you ‘When does the narwhal bacon?’ you answer with ‘Midnight.’ It’s something from Earth that no Dark Fae could ever guess. Got it?”

Luna nodded. “A wise precaution.”

“I saw it in an episode of My Little Pony once,” I said. “Now then, Captain? Let’s get a move on.”

Shining and I looked at each other, nodded, then strolled over towards the guards. Upon seeing us, they stood more to attention, impressing me with their blending in skills. They’d make great spies, a random part of me thought, but I put the idea out of my head for the moment as I approached the two Dark Fae, smiling at them. “At ease, you two,” I said.

“What are you doing up this late, sirs?” the fake Unicorn played by Thorax asked. If he was nervous, he didn’t show it.

“Ah, just making some rounds,” Shining said.

“That’s what he’s up to,” I said. Then a random idea popped into my head to confirm that they were indeed Dark Fae. I began to imagine the nights I’d spend in bed with Zecora. I forced the lust and love into the forefront of my mind, then watched for their reactions. I held back my grin when Thorax very slightly reacted. “I’m just out for a walk to try and clear my head.”

The Pegasus, however, looked suspicious. “I suppose we all need that from time to time,” he said.

I continued bringing all my feelings of love and lust for my Zecora to the surface of my being. “Oh yeah. Being surrounded by so many gorgeous mares during a sleepover can get a guy really stiff, for lack of a better word. Especially when you’re one of the only guys there. So I went out to stretch my legs and met Shining.”

I could feel Shining tense up beside me, but the two Dark Fae seemed to lower their guards slightly. “Aaah…that makes sense,” the Pegasus said.

“Nopony’s been down here aside from us, right?” Shining asked coolly.

“None, Captain,” Thorax replied.

“Good,” he said, right before his horn glowed and he fired a rose-colored bolt of energy directly at the Pegasus’ head. The Dark Fae flew back, falling in a heap onto the floor..

Acting immediately, I caught Thorax in my magic and pulled him away back down the hall towards my companions. Shining brought the other unconscious Dark Fae back with him. The moment we returned to the group and exchanged the code phrase, I walked into a nearby room after confirming that it was empty, then cast the Cone of Silence spell around the room. I pushed Thorax up against the wall as the panicking Dark Fae thrashed about. I drew my sword and put it against his neck. He froze, eyes wide in fear. “You know this style of blade, do you not? Lycan forged in the heart of a volcano, meaning it’s a lot more deadly to a Dark Fae than anything a Pony can come up with. Surrender to me, Thorax, and I can guarantee you something that you’ve never been able to get in all your time in Chrysalis’ hive.”

Thorax finally dropped his disguise, and I was surprised by the differences I saw. For one, the eyes. Thorax’s eyes, unlike how they were in the cartoon, were actually more like those of a Pony than anything. No multifaceted lenses or even a single-colored eye, which made absolutely no sense to me since they were more like bugs in nature. Then again, I was reminded that Chrysalis had eyes that were different, but I always chalked that up to her being a queen. In that moment, I wondered if I was wrong about that.

Thorax was a quadruped like a Pony as well, but I didn’t see holes that went through his chitlin completely. Instead, there were pockmarks in his body, miniature craters all through his form. His ears were small slits poking out of his head, which were pinned back in terror. His wings, which matched the colors of his eyes, were buzzing in a way that reminded me very much of insects. His horn was curved back, and appeared sharper than even those of the sharpest one I’d seen on a Unicorn anywhere.

He had no fangs coming out of his mouth, but I could see two sharp canines in his mouth. It made even less sense to see that then it did to see his more normal looking eyes. The chitlin on his back, unlike the normal black I saw, also matched his eye and wing color. There was a fin sticking out from his head right where the withers would be.

The moment the other Dark Fae was unconscious, his disguise vanished, revealing an identical creature with dark blue wings instead of Thorax’s own aquamarine ones. Thorax looked at his companion, then back at me. “How…how’d you know my name?” he asked, and I noted the change of voice. Unlike how I’d heard it in the show, his voice was slightly warped just like the one Chrysalis used in her first appearance. I couldn’t think of the effect it was, but hearing it come from a normal scared Dark Fae was confusing.

I cleared my throat and removed the sword from his neck, but I didn’t let him out of my magic yet. “Your name is Thorax. You have an older brother named Pharynx, which doesn’t make sense since you’re more insectoid than mammalian and are born in hatcheries. Ever since you were hatched, all you’ve ever wanted was a friend, but you’ve never been able to do so since you live with Queen Chrysalis. You’re more of a free thinker than the drones you work with, but you’re too scared to do anything or risk Chrysalis’ anger. Am I getting it right so far?”

Thorax’s ears perked up. “Wait…that broadcast that Eris showed us was true?”

“I can offer you a place where you can have an opportunity to make friends,” I continued without answering, slowly lowering him and releasing him from my magic. “Trust me, if Ponies can accept me and my marefriend Zecora as a friend and ally, I don’t see why they couldn’t accept you too. All you need is to help us. No one wants a war. Please help.” I held out my hand.

Thorax looked at me, then at the hand, then back at me. He looked very conflicted, but I saw his hoof reach up to my hand very slowly. After a few hesitant pauses, he finally put it in my hand. I shook it and smiled at him. “You really can get me to find a friend?” he asked.

“Meet your first one,” I said, pointing at me. “Hi. I’m Jethro Bethridge, human being from the planet Earth.”

Thorax finally smiled, and despite his somewhat alien appearance, he did look genuinely happy. “Hi. I’m Thorax, and I’m a Fae.”

“Oh, you actually call yourselves Fae?” I asked.

“Yeah. I don’t know where other races got those names for us,” he said. “We used to be called something else, but the Great Helper said that the name Fae suited us better.”

“As fascinating as a history lesson is,” Luna said as she approached, looming threateningly over Thorax, “we need information.”

“My Princess is right,” I said, looking at Thorax. “We need to know just what your Queen is planning. Does it have to do with this council joining and wiping out the Dragons?”

His ears pinned back. “If I do tell you, I’ll be an outcast from my hive. I’ll be alone. Can I request asylum in Equestria?”

Luna frowned. “That depends on the veracity of your information.”

I stood and faced Luna. “Luna, please trust me when I say that the Thorax I saw in the show is actually one who can be trusted. He wants a friend, and I’m willing to let him have that chance. He’s a person too, for lack of a better word, so let’s treat him like one. You gave me a chance, and you’d never even heard of my kind.”

Luna stared at me with a hard expression. She finally sighed. “You have a big heart, Jethro Bethridge. I just hope that someday, it does not come back to bite you.”

“I’ve tried my best to be as discerning as possible,” I said. “Hmm…maybe I could take a lesson out of one of the My Little Pony fanfics and have you or Celestia help tutor me on Pony body language.”

Luna smirked. “That would be a wise precaution, yes. But for now, we must make haste.” She looked past me at Thorax. “Thorax, was it? We need to know what your Queen’s plan is. Nocreature wants a war.”

Thorax still looked hesitant, but finally nodded. “You promise to be my friend?” he asked, turning to me.

I nodded. “You’re a good Fae, Thorax. I’d love to be your friend. But my Princess is right, this is a matter of grave importance. Please tell us what you know.”

And so finally he did. And it turned out we were right. Chrysalis did indeed want revenge on the Dragons, but it was for nearly wiping out her entire race. Every Fae knew the story, at least her side of it.

Apparently, there were once two types of Fae, High Fae like the Queen and the drones, otherwise known as just Fae. She was one of the High Fae at the time, barely out of her eggshell when, in her version, the Dragons invaded their land, decimating it and killing thousands of innocent Fae. So, the High Fae launched a counterattack on the Dragon Lands, but none returned. Chrysalis was the last High Fae alive and when she was old enough to be told the story, swore to rebuild her own civilization and take revenge on the Dragons. Ember, of course, denied that as a complete load of bull, but I glared at her, telling her to be quiet.

After that interruption, Thorax continued. It only partially surprised me that the Fae Queen was immortal, but I said nothing and kept listening. The land of the Fae was dying, and the sources of love were dwindling. They needed a mixture of both normal food and love to survive, it seemed. Even so, the Queen was cruel and would severely punish any drone for simple mistakes. From what Thorax described, Chrysalis was, at best, an extremely abusive mother.

When one of her Fae drones intercepted a letter headed towards the Dragon Lands, Chrysalis made a plan. She would pose as one of the Dragon representatives and use a Dragon ally she’d made in a scheme to get this council to repel the Dragons.

“I know I’ve no right to ask this,” he said in conclusion, “but despite all the cruel things she’s done to us, I still don’t want to see anything bad happen to the Queen.”

I frowned. “You’re right, you do have no right to ask that. Listen, Chrysalis is trying to start a war when she should be trying to find a way to replenish your love supply. I’ve seen her plenty of times in the show, and her desire for revenge will always win out against her duty as Queen to help your kind. I cannot promise anything.”

He nodded and sighed. “I understand.”

“I’m assuming she’s disguised as Ember,” I said.

Thorax nodded. “She is.”

“So why is her disguise so poor?” I asked. “Dragon females aren’t that curvy.”

Before Thorax could answer, the door to the room exploded inward, shattering into a thousand pieces and sending most of us scrambling for cover. Luna, however, had acted fast and put up a dark blue shield around the group. Cadance had also done the same, putting a secondary shield around the interior of Luna’s.

I whirled around, sword drawn as I faced the now shattered door. The curvier version of Ember walked in, purposely swaying her hip as she did and with a very seductive look in her eyes and a grin on her face. “So…this was where you were hiding,” she sneered. She locked eyes with me and smirked. “Mmm…I take it you really like what you see, don’t you, human?”

The real Ember stepped forward with claws extended. I did the same as did Gemini and Mica along with Luna. I glared at her. “Hello, Chrissy,” I snarled.

Her smile vanished. “That’s Queen Chrysalis to you, fool.”

“Yeah…I don’t fucking care, Syphilis,” I said, blatantly stealing an insult for her from another fanfic. “Now then, drop the damned disguise so I can beat you senseless.”

She only chuckled as she stepped in the room, flanked on either side by two presumably fake Unicorn guards. “You’re in no position to bargain. Now surrender.”

I pretended to ponder that. “Hmm, let’s see: Bearers of Harmony, two actual Princesses, and a Dragon woman powerful enough to kick your ass to the moon and back ten times,” I snarked. “I’d say you’re the one who should surrender.”

“Think again, human,” she sneered. “You’re stuck in here with me.” Her eyes glowed red and she held out her arms. A bright green ring of fire surrounded her and shot up, breaking through the ceiling and sending out a wave of wind that shoved us all back. Her form behind the wall of flame began to twist and morph in a way that surprised even me. I stood at the front, weapon at the ready. But I wasn’t prepared for what I saw when she finished returning to her presumable natural state. She smirked when she saw my stunned reaction. “I take it you like what you see, human? And yes, this is my normal form before you ask.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It just didn’t make any sense. I blinked a couple times rapidly, just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, but she stood there still, grinning at me.

But no matter how many times I tried to rationalize what I was seeing, the truth was staring me square in the face. Chrysalis’ natural form was bipedal!

92: A Cloaked Heart's First Battle Pt. 1

Chrysalis’ bipedal form wasn’t anthropomorphic by any means, but it was still a shock to see nevertheless. She stood on two legs that resembled the hind legs of the normal Fae around us, but they were slender, and somehow feminine enough for my baser instincts to find them attractive despite the situation. In fact, much like the form I’d seen in the show, she was slender all over.

Her tail and hair were a faded blue and appeared much as they’d looked in the show, albeit without any holes within them. Her hair especially gave me Sadako vibes. She had a dark gray carapace much like the rest of the drones except for a small section around her chest (where breasts might be if she had them, which she didn’t) and her entire back which was colored a dark green. Unlike the normal Fae, she had four wings behind her, and also unlike them, her wings were the same color as the chitin on her back, dark green.

She had similar pockmarks in her own form to those of her drones. She also had sharp teeth a lot like the ones seen in the show, as well as two arms which were crossed as she grinned at me. I saw she had five digits at the end of each arm, only they weren’t fingers. They were dangerous looking claws and looked capable of tearing through flesh with ease. Her bright green eyes faced me, narrowed and glowing slightly. She had ears poking out of her thin blue hair more similar to those of a Pony than her drones, and a small black crown on her forehead dotted with blue spheres on the top. And sprouting right from her head was her signature horn.

However, being the smartass I was, I just had to make one smarmy comment. I blew a raspberry and said, “I had no idea Fae Queens were so vain as to use eye shadow when they’d be hiding their forms anyway.” And it looked like she had. Her eyelids were a deep shade of green.

She didn’t take the bait as she stepped forward, uncrossing her arms. Her horn began to glow its sickly green. “All talk and no bite, I see. No matter. All of Celestia’s love for her precious Ponies is mine anyway!”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “Shit…” I murmured before turning to the Princesses. “Teleport, now.”

Before Chrysalis could do anything, Cadance lowered her shield then instantly cast the teleportation spell. We appeared out in the hallway where the delegates were staying. The moment we were out of the room, Cadance started to waver, groaning. Shining caught her in his magic. Luna turned to the start of the hallway and raised a shield around it, blocking all entrance. “Captain, assist!” she ordered.

I ran up to where Shining was still holding up Cadance. “Go, I’ve got her,” I said.

Shining nodded gratefully, then went to Luna’s side, casting his own rose-colored shield around the entrance to the hallway. By now, the commotion had begun to wake some of the delegates, and the first one to poke their head out of their room was, annoyingly, a very irate Amethyst. “What are you damned Ponies doing?! It’s too early for this shit!”

“Dark Fae attack!” I replied as I glared over at the Lycan Princess while helping Cadance over to a nearby bench where Fluttershy took Cadance and began to look her over carefully. Fluttershy might have been a makeshift veterinarian, but she did say she knew a bit about how to treat Ponies. “Stay inside your room if you want to stay alive!” I added as I stood and moved to rejoin Luna and Shining Armor.

Her anger turned immediately to fear, and she ran out of the room. Behind her, a yawning Jasper walked out, apparently not having heard my announcement. “Princess? What’s happening?”

From beyond the force field, Chrysalis simply stood, claws on her hips, or what little she had thanks to her slender form. Her tail curled behind her and she was smirking. “You do realize you can’t hide in there forever, you fool. Not unless you wish for the Ponies of that quaint and unguarded little town to be safe.”

Applejack couldn’t hold herself back anymore. She rushed over and slammed her hooves on the shield, sending a ripple of energy along it. “What did ya do, ya skank!?” she shouted in pure rage.

Chrysalis just laughed again, then smirked at the Earth Pony. “Oh, don’t worry. They’re safe…for the moment. They don’t even know we’re there. Mmm, the love in that town is so abundant, but not as delectable as the love coming from that alien.” And here she turned to me, pointing her index claw at me. “The moment he saw this,” and she instantly changed into her Ember disguise, “well let’s just say I’ve never felt such strong feelings of lust.” She changed back into her Fae form. “So much raw emotion from one being…delicious.”

The real Ember growled. “Nodragon would want those fat sacks on their chest! It’s ugly as Tartarus!”

“Maybe to you, but to that alien there? Let’s just say he loved it,” Chrysalis said.

“Enough!” Luna shouted. “You will do no harm to our little Ponies. If you do, I shall eliminate your entire race!”

Chrysalis just chuckled. “I don’t believe you’re in any position to make any demands,” she replied. “My Fae drones are already within that little weak and undefended village.”

“Is she seriously monologuing right now?” Scarlet whispered to me. “How cliché is she?”

“There’s got to be more to her than just revenge,” I whispered back. “Nobody’s that stupid, and Chrysalis is anything but a fool. Hold on.” I walked over to Luna’s side, and crossed my arms. Chrysalis gave her full attention to me as I said, “Alright, let’s say we believe that pile of shit you’re spewing from that cum guzzling mouth of yours. Let me point out the great flaw in your plan, your Majesty. We already figured out you want revenge. Okay, whatever, but how does this help feed your starving society? A good leader provides for their citizens, not the other way around. They are your responsibility, and you’re creating a war that can eliminate sources of love for you.”

“Ah, but you fail to realize one thing,” Chrysalis said.

“And that is?” I asked.

She approached the shield until she was mere inches away. Leaning in, arms behind her back, she said, with venom in her voice, “Dragons tried to wipe us out. They murdered my hatchling nurse by burning her alive. We were once a proud race! Now we are reduced to this pathetic existence! I will never forgive the Dragons for that!”

“We didn’t invade you, bitch!” Ember shouted. “You invaded us!”

“Lies!” Chrysalis bellowed. “You wiped out my entire race until I was the only High Fae left! Now all we have are these drones!”

“If you’d been paying attention, you’d realize that your so-called drones can actually think for themselves,” I replied, walking over to a scared Thorax and putting a hand on his back. “This one simply wanted a friend. He never wanted a war.”

Chrysalis finally took notice of the rebel Fae and snarled. “Traitorous bastard,” she snarled. “I shall make your death as painful and slow as possible!”

He trembled in fear and tried to hide behind me. I stood protectively in front of him. “Yeah, I’m not going to sit back and let you torture my new friend here to death just because of some pathetic and one-dimensional vendetta. What are you, some villain of the week on a television show from my home planet? Oh wait, you are!”

“Keep on talking, human, see where it gets you when we’re feasting on all the love in Equestria and the world!” Chrysalis retorted. She then chuckled. “Feel free to cower like the weaklings you all are. My drones are already on their way to Canterlot as we speak.”

I could feel my own rage and anger building, then I remembered a small portion of the Season 3 two parter opening where Celestia and Twilight both briefly used dark magic. A stray thought passed through my mind. Why not fight fire with fire? Dark magic could help me here.

I shook my head clear of the thought and faced Chrysalis again, forcing my temper down to allow me to think more clearly. “You bring harm to any of those Ponies, and I swear I will tear off your horn myself!”

Chrysalis pretended to look frightened. “Oooh, the big scary human threatening to maim me? Seems like you’re no better than me.” She raised her horn, which began glowing again. “Enough talk.” She quickly fired a beam of magic at the shield, and to my dismay, I saw cracks forming in the outer shell.

Luna and Shining both began strengthening their shields, but Luna was having a difficult time now. Shining, who was powering the inner shield, was putting more effort into strengthening it. I drew my sword, and I heard Gemini and Mica do the same. Ember growled and held out her claws, ready to attack. I heard the sound of magic being cast from behind me, and a couple pairs of wings flapping and hooves digging at the ground. I turned to the Lycan Ambassadors. “You two go get the others awake, now!”

Amethyst glared at me. “I don’t take orders from a hairless monkey!”

“One, your Highness, only Spike gets to call me a monkey,” I snapped, “and second, DO AS I SAY!” I bellowed in my own version of a Royal Canterlot Voice. “This is war! I don’t care if you’re the God Emperor of Mankind, GET THEM AWAKE AND PREPARED!!!”

Amethyst gaped at me, looking genuinely terrified. Jasper, on the other hand, put a claw on the Princess’ shoulder. “Let’s go, your Highness.”

Begrudgingly, Amethyst walked over to the door to her right, while Jasper went to the door to her left. When something shattered, I whirled and saw one of the shields breaking. Luna was flung back, but I caught her with my magic and pulled her towards me. “Luna?” I asked, catching her in my arms.

“She is…too strong even for me,” Luna said, and when she coughed up a bit of blood, I felt my blood boil. I glared with unmitigated hatred at Chrysalis, but before I could move, Luna put a hoof on my chest. “Jethro…do not let hatred lead your actions. Cooler heads will prevail. Keep your temper in check and think.”

I took a deep breath, then nodded. “You’re right…” Then, without thinking, I leaned down and gave Luna a kiss on the cheek. “For luck.” The poor mare looked stunned, but blushed a bit as I carried her over to where Applejack and Fluttershy were still tending to Cadance. “AJ, Flutters, keep an eye on Luna too.”

“Aye aye,” Applejack said, snarling angrily at the Fae from beyond the shield, which Shining was desperately holding in place. However, I could already see the cracks. Twilight was beside her brother, trying to support him, but it was still not enough.

By this time, the delegates were out of their rooms. Prince Rutherford and Ambassador Veritas, despite wearing nightwear, were already awake enough to be ready for a battle. The Abyssinian ambassadors were wearing what could only be described as Freddy Krueger-like claw weapons on their own claws, ready for anything. The Caribou were holding battle axes in their claws, and a part of me started wondering why the ambassadors had weapons in the first place. Amethyst, being the spoiled princess that she was, had nothing but I saw Jasper had a sword in her hand, ready to fight. Behind them, the Saddle Arabians were standing to the side, looking scared. The Deerfolk had their horns glowing, and I saw the weapons of the others glowing for a few seconds. The Hippogriff Princess was hiding behind Silverstorm, who was facing the shield, claws at the ready. And lastly, the Zebras held small clay jars in their mouths, facing the Fae with battle ready expressions. They had primitive but deadly looking spears in their hooves as well.

Just then, my sword began to glow, and small circles appeared on the blade for a bit. I looked at them in confusion, before recognizing a magic circle. As soon as they had appeared, they vanished. I turned back to the Lady Arathyra. “Lady Arathyra, what was-?”

“Magical enhancement,” she explained quickly. “Now go!”

I nodded in gratitude, then faced the cracking shield and the Fae beyond. Holding up my sword, I shouted, “Be at the ready! Show no mercy!” I aimed my sword at Chrysalis and snarled, “But leave Chrysalis to me! She is mine!”

Chrysalis simply laughed at my declaration. “What do you know of war, human?”

I glared at her. “My kind have made weapons that can vaporize anyone and have created diseases deadly enough to wipe out the entire human race. Don’t test me, you parasitical cunt!”

Shining Armor’s shield was the only thing separating us from Chrysalis and her increasing number of Fae drones. Her green beam of magical energy increased in intensity. She rolled her eyes at my words. “You know what they say about somefae with a foul mouth, don’t you? Small…brain!”

And with that, the shield shattered, flinging Twilight and Shining back. I shielded my face from the shattered portions of magic which dissolved into rosy pink and purple pieces of magic. The Fae drones didn’t waste a single second. Many of them transformed into creatures I couldn’t even begin to comprehend, but my gaze was focused on Chrysalis. In the back of my mind, I could hear Gemini’s harsh instructions. “Mind your surroundings, whelp!” “A strong stance is essential, but don’t be too tense!” “Your sword should become a part of you in a fight!”

Chrysalis looked at me, grinning as she put her claws together. “Demons Run, come forth!” she shouted. Her hands began to glow a sickly green and she began to spread them. As she continued spreading her hands, a dark black blade began to appear within a small bubble of green magical energy. It was curved like a saber and split at the tip. She grasped it and swung it down. “I’m yours, huh? And here I thought you loved the Zebra. And perhaps a few more, eh?”

I didn’t waste any time. Spreading my wings, I flew towards her, sword at the ready. Quickly, and using my training to hide my intentions as best I could, I slashed down at her, intent on causing serious injury. But Chrysalis was ready and defected my sword. However, the force behind my blow was enough to push her back. That was, until she stuck her hooves down hard, cracking the floor. I landed and jumped back, sword at the ready.

Chrysalis grinned as she spread her own wings. “You realize you’re outnumbered, right?”

“That may be so, but you are clearly outmatched,” I replied, grinning.

“We’ll see,” she said. And then she attacked.

I acted on reflex, but to my surprise she seemed slow. I could see the direction her sword was aimed as she swung it. Instantly, I knew something was more off about that sword than I first realized, so I deflected it with ease, pushing back against her and forcing her back with all my Earth Pony strength. However, she got a good grip on the floor again and stopped me. Seemed she was plenty strong despite looking so slender. I saw her chitin ripple a bit as she began to push me back. With a single swipe, she sent me flying, but thanks to my training and some experimentation, I was able to spread my wings and land upright a few meters from her.

Chrysalis smirked. “You’ve got some skills, but you’ll still lose,” she said as she raised her sword.

“And why’s that?” I asked, that same small voice inside me just begging to tempt fate.

“You still lack the drive to kill.” And she charged again.

I raised my sword and brought it down to block hers, only this time I brought up my leg and stomped on the ground. I was rewarded by the floor beneath Chrysalis lifting up, sending her flying. Of course, the problem with fighting someone with wings is that they can right themselves easily enough. I pressed the advantage by flying towards her, kicking at her exposed chest and sending her through a window into the night. I tore the rest of the window out with magic and flew after her, but she’d vanished.

I flew around, hovering and doing my best to expand my natural and Pegasus senses as far as they could go. All I could hear was the fighting below and the noise of animals in the forest outside, completely oblivious to the fighting within.

A whisp of air brushed against me, and I turned just in time to bring my sword up to block Chrysalis’ own blade, but just barely. Sparks flew with the contact as she pushed me towards the Everfree Forest. Her eyes glowed bright green and she smirked as her blade moved down my own. I flapped my wings harder and pushed her back, then flew out of range before deciding to use some actual magic. Holding out my left hand, my fingers began glowing their signature color before changing to blue. Five bolts of deadly lightning shot out of my hand, directly towards Chrysalis. However, she managed to raise a green shield, deflecting the bolts which struck the forest below and starting a small blaze.

She laughed. “Pathetic use of magic, human! Let me show you how it’s done!” She raised her horn and it began to glow. It fired off of beam of potent magical energy, and I had barely enough time to dodge. I flew out of its projected path as it tore through the forest below, setting the portions it had struck with a green blaze which slowly turned into a normal looking one.

I used the one spell I was confident in, telekinesis, to lift a few boulders from the ground. I flung them at Chrysalis with incredible speed, but her shield shattered them before they could even reach her. She laughed harder as she held out her hand this time. Her clawtips glowed and suddenly extended towards me. I wasn’t fast enough to dodge completely, and a sharp pain spread through my forearm where the claw had made a deep cut.

I was pissed now, and I thought once more about tapping into dark magic, or trying to. But Luna’s words came back to me, about letting cooler heads prevail. That, and Gemini’s teachings screamed at me. Specifically the one where she’d said, “Never let your anger control you. Anger might be a powerful tool, but that is what it is. A tool. Never let the tool control you. Now drop and give me fifty, whelp!”

I channeled my magic into my sword, and was rewarded by seeing the magic circles from before reappearing, but in my own magical color. Chrysalis’ expression darkened as she held up her own sword. “You think your unnamed blade is meant to challenge Demons Run? I think not!” Her blade began glowing once more, and something oily began to move over its surface. “Your love will be mine!”

“Sorry, but I’m not into bug girls, despite how attractive you may look now,” I said, smirking at her and hoping that the latter part of my sentence would catch her off guard.

Which it didn’t. “Nice try, human.” And she charged again.

I flew towards her, trying to muster up the will to kill, but it just didn’t want to come. Chrysalis wasn’t Eris, after all. Our blades connected, and a large shower of sparks flew up from the contact, illuminating her face. She had a smug expression on her face as her horn began to glow again. I barely had time to swear out before a blast of magic engulfed me and sent me falling fast towards the ground. I tried to get my bearings and slow down with my wings, but my momentum was too fast.

I didn’t even have enough air to scream in pain as I slammed into the trees and right into a large tree as all the wind was knocked out of me. I didn’t feel anything broken, and I attributed that to me purposely going limp as I fell to lessen the chance of broken bones. I had barely enough time to recover before I heard the sound of an approaching blast of magic. I threw myself onto the ground, the blast missing me by the skin of my teeth. Almost literally. I rolled over, summoned my sword to me with my magic and extended my Pegasus senses, looking for a clearing where I could fly back up. Behind me, the tree that Chrysalis had struck burst into flames and I heard some animals squeaking as they fled from their, presumably, burning home.

Holding up my hands, I made the trees spread aside before flying back up into the air, leaping up using my Earth Pony strength high enough to get lift. And felt a fist connect with my stomach as I did so. The air was knocked out of me again as a claw wrapped around my neck. Only it wasn’t a claw. I found myself staring into the face of Zecora, her Anthro version, or a messed-up version of it. Her face was twisted into a nasty grin, and in Zecora’s heavenly voice, twisted to suit her needs, Chrysalis sneered. “Come, my darling lover, come to bed with-URK!”

My fist connected with her jaw, sending her flying away, the disguise vanishing instantly. “Why does every shapeshifting villain try that shit,” I asked aloud. “It won’t work for me, you cumdumpster slut!”

She snarled in rage and began to transform once more, only now she had the form of a massive mixture between a bee and a panda bear. A bugbear. She roared in fury and zoomed towards me, stinger pointed directly at my head. I dodged, but barely once more as I was starting to feel a bit weak. Looking down at my small wound, I saw it was still pouring blood. “Shit,” I murmured as I tried my best to tear off some of my clothes to bind the wound, apologizing to Rarity in my head as I did so.

Down below, Chrysalis, still in the form of a bugbear, had stuck her stinger in a tree after missing me and was beginning to change into something else. To my shock and horror, she turned into a massive dragon who then turned to me, growling as her mouth opened. A blast of green fire shot out towards me as I stopped hovering and fell out of the reach of the flame. However, she only started following me around as I tried to dodge while simultaneously trying to tie some of my torn clothes around my wound to keep me from bleeding out.

“You won’t escape me, human fool!” Chrysalis bellowed. “You will be mine!”

“Sorry! I’m not into sex dungeons unless I’m the jailkeeper!” I retorted as she breathed fire towards me once again.

Just then, a figure slammed into the dragon’s midsection, throwing the Fae turned Dragon off balance and flying. I saw a dark gray figure with a crimson mane flying towards me, worry clear in her red eyes. “Jethro!”

“Scarlet, get away from here! She’s too dangerous!” I shouted, pushing her aside to focus on the danger in front of me.

“If there’s one thing Rainbow Dash has told me, it’s to never abandon your friends, or the man you love,” Scarlet shouted back, hovering next to me and moving her hooves as if cracking knuckles. “I’m not leaving you, Jethro!”

“Aww, how sweet,” Chrysalis said with a grin, “more love to feast on. And what an intense love that Pegasus has. I can practically taste her desire for you.”

“This is between you and me, bitch,” I snarled at Chrysalis as I finished the makeshift bandaged, tightening it as hard as I could.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” she asked. “Besides, she’ll make a delicious snack for my drones while I constantly drain you! In more ways than one!”

“Jesus, she’s hornier than I am,” Scarlet quipped as she moved closer, almost protectively in front of me.

“Nobody’s hornier than you,” I replied as I held up my sword in my good right hand. “Fine, if you want to fight, we take her together. No Anakin shit.”

“Never,” she said, glaring at Chrysalis with pure rage.

“This is going to be so much fun,” the Fae queen said, raising her sword. “Bring it on!” And she charged again.

Author's Note

God, my battle scenes suck.

94: A Cloaked Heart's Rebirth

I was sitting in front of the glowing Tree of Harmony, staring into its multifaceted gemstone structure. I had no idea how long I’d been staring at it. Maybe it was my whole lifetime? Maybe it was only a few seconds? All I knew is that it was addicting to watch. With each passing second, I saw a new branch of patterns be created, only to morph into something else the next second.

I was so engrossed in staring at the harmonious changing tree that I didn’t even register someone sitting next to me. A familiar voice spoke up. “You certainly have a tendency to get injured quite a bit, Jethro Bethridge.”

I tore my eyes away and found myself staring into the eyes of the Anthro Alicorn representation that ‘Zecora’, the representation of the Tree of Harmony, had chosen to use whenever talking to me. Only now, she was wearing a zebra print pants suit with a red tie. She straightened it, then reached out and forced me to face her, her face concentrating on me as if she was searching for something. Confused, and wanting to go back to look back at the tree, I asked, with a hint of annoyance in my voice, “What?”

‘Zecora’ frowned and released me. “It is as I feared. You have been exposed to dangerous magic, magic that will work on slowly corrupting you.” A small part of me didn’t care about this, but the moment I felt that, I froze in fear. ‘Zecora’ smiled reassuringly. “There is no need to fear, Jethro. You have a guardian angel, as it were. One you never knew you had. They are approaching your body as we speak.”

“What kind of magic?” I asked nervously.

“All will be explained in time,” she said. “I am afraid that we will not be able to talk for much longer. I cannot do much from here, but your fall should have killed you. I made sure you were alive long enough for your guardian angel to appear before you. For now, my friend, awake.”

She leaned in, kissing my cheek. The world around me began to warp…

Pain. Intense, searing, and unbearable. That was my first impression of my return to the land of the living and conscious. However, I wasn’t able to scream as I felt too weak. As consciousness came back to me, I could hear the sound of rushing water first, then felt something moving all around me. I forced my eyes open and saw a scattering of stars above me, shining down with their brilliant beauty. However, most of the sky was blocked by the ravine on either side.

I tried to move, but anytime I managed it, the pain only increased. I felt it more specifically in a few spots in my legs, shoulder blade, hand and wings. I was sure my wing bones had shattered so I couldn’t use them currently. Any movement made me want to scream in pain, so I just lay there, allowing whatever was flowing over me to do so. Eventually I managed to move my head to my left. I saw that I was halfway in the rapids which explained why my left side was rapidly becoming numb.

My instincts to survive began coming back, and I pushed through my pain as best as I could to move out of the winter runoff. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I managed to prop myself against the ravine wall, occasionally coughing up a dark red liquid. My chest hurt immensely and I suspected that my ribs were broken, puncturing a lung which would cause me to soon drown in my own blood. Right across the river, I saw Chrysalis’ broken body crumpled in an undignified heap, green blood pouring from a few wounds and her chitin cracked almost everywhere.

I was bleeding out from a multitude of deep gashes and wounds, but I could only focus on my returning memories. I tried to hold back tears. Thorax was seriously injured, and possibly dead…there were many others injured…the Dragons would be at war with Equestria by morning, and I couldn’t help…

The instinct to feel like I failed rose up in me, but I suppressed it with the more rational thought: I did all I could. Sure, I wish I could have done more, but I did everything I was able to. My only regret was leaving behind those who loved me, but I did find solace in the fact that I’d died defending them, and I prayed to God that they would find peace in a life after me. I started to close my eyes…but opened them when a strange sound filled my ears.

From above, I heard the sound of two winged beings approaching. Looking up, I saw two birds flying down towards me, each of them carrying something in their talons. With a burst of flame, the two landed beside me on either side, and I could see in the small bust of light that they were carrying a large amount of feathers. One of the birds, which looked like Eve, krawked at me in a terrified tone, but the other, which I could only assume was Philomena, replied in what sounded like reassurance. So…she was my guardian angel? I thought in confusion.

Eve nodded at Philomena, then turned towards me. Her body began to glow a dim but clear orange yellow, especially one of her tail feathers which shone with a bright white glow. She jumped over, landed on me, then pulled out said feather and gently nudge it towards my mouth. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a splattering of blood as I coughed.

Philomena began glowing as well, with the same type of white feather glowing on her tail. She pointed at Eve’s feather, then at my mouth, then moved her feather down my throat.

I began to understand what they wanted, so I opened my mouth again. Eve grabbed the feather and put it in my hand. Confused, I looked at her, wondering why she couldn’t do it herself, but she looked at me insistently. Using all my remaining strength, I brought my hand up and put the feather in my mouth.

To my surprise, the feather melted as soon as it touched my tongue into a very warm liquid, which I quickly swallowed. It had a fiery taste to it, almost like a very hot (temperature wise) hot sauce, but of a type I had never tasted before. The bitter cold that had encased me began to banish as a warm sensation moved from my throat down to the rest of my body. I coughed, but Eve moved to close my mouth, her other wing making a motion down my throat. I swallowed as best as I could, the fiery burning moving down faster.

Eve turned to Philomena and said something in a worried squawk, but Philomena just held up a talon. To my astonishment, her beak opened and understandable words came from them. “It must happen, my daughter.”

“But it’s hurting him!” Eve replied. She wasn’t speaking in a squawking voice, but instead she sounded more like a young teenage girl.

“It will pass in time. It’s the beginning of the process,” Philomena said in a deeper but clearly female voice. It almost reminded me of Nicole Oliver’s voice.

“But it will kill him!” Eve sounded worried as she looked at Philomena.

“Yes, yes it will, but do not fret. Have faith, my daughter.” Philomena turned to me, and she smiled slightly. “You can now understand us, just as the yellow one can?”

I opened my mouth to speak, only for nothing to come out, so I simply nodded. Even turned to me and hugged me with her wings. “Forgive me, father!”

I slowly moved my hand up and stroked her head reassuringly. Finally, some words came out. “Eve…I love you…”

Philomena smiled and shook her head. “Do not be so dramatic, friend of my friend. You shall not permanently perish. Now, my daughter, come and help. These feathers must not go to waste.”

“What’s happening…?” I asked as Eve broke the hug and moved to gather up her pile of feathers.

“You are dying,” Philomena said, “and that is something I cannot allow. My dearest friend is far too attached to you to see you perish. It would break her spirit and many more besides. If I had time, I would explain what my daughter and I are doing, but there will be time later, I promise. Please just trust me.”

I was so lost at the moment. Things were happening so fast. I was dying, and fear welled up inside me as I finally realized it. “Do…do what…you must…” I said before I coughed up more blood.

Philomena gave me a reassuring smile as she grabbed my shirt sleeve and pulled me onto my back with surprising strength. Eve shouted at Philomena, “Be gentle, mother!”

“There is no time. Now, follow my lead.”

I couldn’t see just what they were doing, but the renewed feeling in my wings told me they were putting something on top of the broken ones. The warmth from the feather I swallowed began to increase, and I felt it burn through every part of my being. I opened my mouth, and a burst of flame came directly from it into the air. Philomena was soon in my vision and said quickly, “I am sorry for the pain, but it will pass. Please bear with it.”

It was all I could do not to scream, but something in her tone told me that she wasn’t lying. My entire body felt like it was on fire, and a red glow began filling my vision. I was boiling now, and instinctively I tried to move towards the cold relief of the rapids, but something held me back. Eve’s voice said something but I could no longer hear it as the roar of a fire erupted around me. I could only scream as flames finally exploded from my body.

I was standing in darkness, only I wasn’t standing. I was floating, only I wasn’t floating either. My senses were everywhere at once and nowhere at the same time. I couldn’t see, but yet I could see. I couldn’t feel my body, but I was there, wherever I was. And I was thoroughly confused.

When I tried to move, I couldn’t tell if I was moving, but at the same time I thought that I was at least changing some kind of position. It was very unusual. And terrifying. I began feeling my heartrate, or whatever passed for it in the form I was in, racing.

And then, there was light. Blinding white light which slowly diminished to reveal a vast green landscape full of old growth trees, trees that spread out for what seemed like forever, until they reached impossibly high snowcapped mountains in every direction. A deep blue river flowed directly through this forest, reflecting the band’s light. The sky was cloudless and a deep blue, but I saw no sun, only a band of bright white in the sky which shone just as brightly as the sun. In the center of my vision, standing out from the nature around me, was a massive golden pyramid with a statue of a large bird standing majestically at the apex, wings spread and head turned to the sky, looking directly at the sun-band.

A loud burst of flame suddenly brushed passed me, and I saw a large human sized Phoenix flying past, a few smaller ones in tow with another larger one in the rear. They were talking and laughing about an upcoming picnic, which I assumed was in the large basket in the lead Phoenix’s talons.

I was thoroughly confused, and I began to descend to the pyramid, looking over its construction curiously. It was indeed made of pure gold, but when I tried to touch it, I remembered that I had no body. Panic ensued and despite having no lungs, I began to imagine that I was hyperventilating.

“Do not despair, young one,” a voice boomed around me. Only, I didn’t quite hear it so much as sense it or detect its words. “This happens for every Phoenix’s first time. Just calm your mind. Picture what makes you happiest and calms you down.”

“I’m not a Phoenix,” I tried to say, but without a mouth, nothing came out.

Or so I thought.

A bright yellow glow appeared in front of the pyramid, then subsided and formed into a magnificent Phoenix form standing in front of me, his or her glow glistening off of the gold pyramid. The Phoenix looked at me, or past me, or through me. I couldn’t be sure. All I could tell was that I was being examined. Then the Phoenix threw back his head and laughed. “Well, this is a fine surprise! I had not thought to see this magic used once more!” The Phoenix looked at me again. “Greetings, stranger. My name is Bennu, King of the Phoenix Realm.” He looked at me expectantly. When I didn’t reply, Bennu chuckled. “Do not worry, go ahead and imagine yourself speaking as normal. I will be able to understand what you say.”

“I’m Jethro Bethridge,” I replied, “and I’m a human.”

Bennu nodded. “I have not heard of a human, but I can sense the magic behind your rebirth. The rebirthing magic we use has not been used in millennia, but the ancient one who is casting it must see great potential in you.”

“Your Majesty, what is going on?” I asked. “I’m very lost.”

“Quite simple, Jethro Bethridge. You have died, but you died according to how a Phoenix dies,” Bennu said, “and feel free to just call me Bennu.”

“Okay then…Bennu,” I said uncertainly.

“Here, let me give you a temporary body,” Bennu said, raising a talon up and snapping. The moment he did so, I fell onto my stomach, all my normal senses returning to me. There was no pain now, just the normal feeling of life. I quickly stood, brushing the loose grass off of my clothes, then facing the Phoenix King. He looked similar to how Philomena and Eve looked, only he was taller and more muscular than the two. Bennu looked me over, stroking his chin with his wing. “I must say, yours is a form I have never seen before.”

“Yeah, that happens when you’re from another world,” I replied.

“Quite interesting,” Bennu said with a smile. “I hope you realize just what a blessing it is for any race not a Phoenix to be gifted the Rebirth.”

“She didn’t have time to explain what was happening,” I admitted.

“So I can see,” Bennu said. “May I touch you?” he asked, holding out his wing.

“What for?” I asked.

“So I can determine why you needed the Rebirth,” Bennu said.

“Um…sure?” I said hesitantly, not entirely sure what he meant.

Bennu approached, held out his wing and placed it on my head. He closed his eyes and a warmth washed through my entire body, but a comforting warmth that didn’t burn or sing. When the warmth subsided, he released me and opened his eyes. “I see now. In the real world, your body was injured beyond the repair of even the most advanced Pony magical healing. You died quite bravely, however.”

“So…is this my afterlife?” I asked, looking around. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice place to be, but I was expecting more…people, I guess?”

Bennu laughed. “Oh, Elysium no! You are dead, yes, but you aren’t permanently dead.”

“So…what happens now?” I asked.

“Now, like the Phoenix, you return to life,” Bennu said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I raised an eyebrow. “What? But you said I died.”

“If your Phoenix friends had not given you their tail feather, your death would have been more permanent,” Bennu said. “You would have drowned in your own blood.”

I frowned. “How did-?”

“I am the king of this realm,” Bennu said by means of explanation. “The moment I touched you, manner of your injuries became known to me.”

I opened my mouth to protest, then closed it slowly. “…Okay…so…continue?” I asked.

“A Phoenix rebirth is special when applied to any other being which isn’t a Phoenix,” Bennu explained. “It only works once on a non-Phoenix, and is next to impossible to do since it requires the feathers from a dying Phoenix and those of the same freshly newborn one to be used in conjunction with each other.”

My eyes widened. “So…are you saying that Philomena gave me those wings to save my life?” I asked.

“Highly possible, and highly probable,” Bennu said.

“So why did she give the same gift to Zecora and a similar gift to the rest of my friends?” I asked.

“It could be a precaution,” Bennu said. “She could be very protective of you and your friends.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Ugh…this is just too much at one time.”

Bennu walked over and put a wing on mine. He stretched it out, and I saw that part of them had begun to change color. There were three sections of feathers that spread from my back that were changing from the white they used to be to a red, then orange, then yellow at the tips of my wings. “She must have seen something in you and your friends to gift you Phoenix feathers in that way,” he said. “And it would appear the effect of the Rebirth will not stop at just a simple returning to life.”

“What the hell happened to my wings?” I asked.

He chuckled. “This is an effect beyond anything I know, but I do sense power welling up within you.” He stepped back. “It has been some time since any being who was not a Phoenix graced my realm,” he said. “and as much as I want to continue talking to you, for now, you must go back. Tell the two who saved your life that I am quite proud of them. And take care of the younger one.”

“I…I will,” I said, more questions burning in my mind.

Bennu smiled. “Good, I will hold you to that. Now…go forth with the blessing of King Bennu!”

A large circle of fire formed beneath my feet, and it rose around me-

-and I gasped, sitting up quickly and drinking in gulps of cold night air. I looked around, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw an unconscious Phoenix lying on the ground near the raging waters. Tending to that Phoenix was another, her tail feather still glowing a bright white. She turned, and I saw a smile appear on her beak. “Welcome back to the land of the living, friend of my friend,” Philomena said.

“Good to be back…” I said. I looked down at myself and saw that my clothes were completely restored somehow, at least, the ones I’d been wearing when I fell. I spread my wings, looking carefully at them and saw that the same red to yellow patterns I’d seen in my dream or vision were still there. Any pain I’d felt was gone, and I felt renewed, almost younger.

I made my way over to Eve. “Eve! Eve?!”

“Relax, she is unharmed,” Philomena said, looking down at her. “The Rebirth spell took a toll on her, to be sure, but she will recover with a day or two of rest.” She looked back at me. “I will look after her until then, but I must return to my friend.” She displayed her own glowing feather. “She is too weak to move, and requires my aid.” She took Eve in her talons. “Now, you have a battle to finish,” she concluded.

I heard something from across the ravine, and I saw the broken form of Chrysalis start to move. I stood in front of the two Phoenix’s, then looked back at Philomena. “Please take care of her.”

“Even if she is not blood of my blood or feather of my feather, she is our daughter, friend of my friend,” Philomena said. “I will ensure her speedy recovery.” And with a burst of flames, she flew back up the ravine, carrying Eve in her talons carefully.

I stood and, looking behind me, spread my wings. To my surprise, a large burst of flame erupted from them, and I felt some new type of magic flowing out of me. “Is that…Phoenix magic?” I wondered aloud. “I wonder if it’s permanent…?”

Shaking the thought out of my head, I turned slowly back to the deeply injured Chrysalis, spreading my wings wide and leaping over the raging rapids. Landing hard in front of her, I knelt beside her, looking her over. Her chitin was cracked almost everywhere, and she was bleeding from multiple wounds spreading all across her body. She was trying her best to move, but just like I had been before my Rebirth, she was probably in too much pain to do anything.

I held out my hand, encased the queen in my telekinetic glow, then took flight once more, heading back up towards the castle, pulling the queen behind.

As I flew over the ravine, I could see and hear the battle raging on even louder now. Beside me, I could hear Chrysalis groaning. I looked at her, bringing her close and glaring at her. She had one eye open and was staring at me blankly, only for the good eye to open wide in shock as I grabbed her neck. “You’re too injured to fight back, your Majesty,” I growled, squeezing with a strength I didn’t even know I had. She gasped and choked, but I ignored it as I continued. “You’re not going to win this war, Chryssi. Tell your soldiers to stand down, or I’ll burn them!” I spread my wings for effect.

I saw a bit of defiance creep into her eyes, but the defiance left as I began crushing her in my grip. She could only whimper in pain, her apparent love stores depleting just to keep her alive. I eased up to hear her response. Finally, she gasped out, “You…you wouldn’t…you’re too weak…”

“I’ve zapped plenty of mosquitos in my time,” I snarled, “this wouldn’t be any different!”

Truth be told, I still didn’t have the intent to kill yet. I tried to bring it out, but just the thought of killing another sapient creature made me uneasy. Part of me felt that the moment I took a life, no matter what the reason, it would negatively affect me, but the more rational aspect of me insisted that a permanent solution was preferable. The only exception to me seemed to be with Eris, but when I thought about her now, the anger and hatred I felt for her seemed to be lessened a great deal. It was still there, but not as potent. A part of me wondered if the Rebirth burned something out of me, but I put that in the Debate Later category. I just glared at Chrysalis.

She looked deep into my eyes, searching for any lies. I maintained contact, making sure that the fake threat could be taken as a serious one. Finally, she looked away, then down at herself. “You just committed genocide…they will not be able to live without me…”

“They will,” I said. “Just surrender. You’ve done enough damage to your kind.”

Chrysalis didn’t reply, instead she lowered her head. Taking that as acquiescence, I flew back towards the window that I broke, landing in the middle of the hallway.

I saw utter chaos. More Royal Guards had thankfully joined the battle, but it was clear that our side was still outnumbered. In a corner, Luna and Cadance were surrounded by a bright purple shield which Twilight was casting, while Applejack was protecting the three by bucking any Fae drones that came near. Rarity was in the fray, her mane completely spoiled, but she was casting offensive magic like I’d never seen before, and was slamming her hoof into Fae drones left and right. Pinkie was fighting as well, but she had out her party canon, firing sparklers and fireworks at the enemy. Fluttershy was busily tending to the unconscious princesses as best she could. To my surprise, Rainbow Dash and Zecora, were fighting in tandem, one swinging the other in order to bowl down Fae after Fae. Shining Armor was still holding his own, but it was clear he was still a bit weak from the shield casting. The guards were engaged in battles with other drones, but they weren’t fighting as well as the Bearers of Harmony and Zecora.

As for the delegates, I only caught a few glimpses of them. Rutherford was definitely holding his own against five burly looking drones, and Ember was with Spike as the two breathed large amounts of fire at the enemy. Jasper was fighting with a ferocity I’d come to expect from Lycans, as were Gemini and Mica, although it looked like Gemini had a few wounds on her chest. The Griffon ambassadors were a blur of talons and feathers, and I saw the Saddle Arabians bucking Fae like there was no tomorrow, as were the Zebra delegates. I couldn’t see any other delegates, but I did hear fighting from down the hall.

I spread my wings, letting forth another burst of Phoenix fire magic from them. Holding up Chrysalis’ broken form for all to see, I bellowed, “FAE, YOUR QUEEN IS TOO INJURED TO FIGHT AND HAS SURRENDERED TO ME! SURRENDER NOW!”

The fighting stopped slowly, with everyone glancing over at me. Almost all of the Fae stared in shock and confusion at their queen, but one of them, a Fae drone with purple eyes, growled. “Don’t listen to him!” he said in a deep voice that had a familiar vibe to it.

“Listen to Pharynx and I will burn her,” I threatened, tightening the grip on the queen. She only croaked out something in pain, and her chitin began cracking. “SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!”

The Fae drones looked between Chrysalis and Pharynx. The purple eyed Fae drone snarled angrily. “She would want us to fight to the death!” Pharynx said.

“A good ruler would also not involve her subjects in a petty revenge scheme that would ruin your food supply,” I replied quickly. “Which is more important? Revenge or feeding a nation? Besides, I know a way where you can survive without feeding on love!”

“More lies!” Pharynx snarled in fury. “How long will it take for you to understand that we will never surrender!?”

“Chrysalis stabbed your brother with the intent to kill!” I pointed outside. “Go and see for yourself!”

Pharynx’s eyes went wide, and I saw fear in his eyes, before his anger returned. “Lies!”

“Go see for yourself!” I repeated.

Pharynx flew out, looked around, then spotted something. His eyes widened more, and he flew down, reappearing a few moments later carrying a still bleeding Thorax. “Oh no, you don’t!” Pharynx shouted as he put his brood mate down on the ground, “You’re not dying on me today, you moron!”

To my surprise, Thorax moved slightly, gazing up at his brother. “Pharynx…” he gasped out, but any other words he tried to say were lost as he coughed up a bunch of blood, splattering the ground.

“Shut up, you idiot!” Pharynx shouted, looking around, then glancing at Chrysalis. “Only she can heal him! My queen, I beg you! Please heal my foolish brother!”

Chrysalis coughed up blood. “Even if…I wanted to…I would…die…not enough love…”

Thorax looked up at Pharynx and smiled a bit. “Big brother…please…”

“NO! I will not lose you!” Pharynx said, and I sensed a desperation in his tone now. He turned and looked to his fellow drones. “Does anyfae have enough love to spare?! If you do, give it to him! He’s down to his last few minutes!” The drones looked around, confusion in their eyes. Pharynx saw them hesitate, then bellowed out, “That’s an order!”

From one of the smaller Fae drone crowds, I saw a smaller drone walk over, their cyan eyes looking at Thorax. “I…have some love,” the drone said in a timid female voice.

I pointed at the drone. “You there, what’s your name?”

The drone looked at me briefly, then whispered something, a name I didn’t think I’d hear this soon either. “Ocellus, sir…”

I gave her a small smile, then pointed at Thorax. “You’re a brave girl, Ocellus. Go ahead.”

Ocellus turned and spread her wings, flying up. Spreading all four of her legs, the young drone’s chest began glowing a bright pink. Bringing Chrysalis closer, I used my magic to force her eyes open and make her watch as I said, “Don’t you fucking dare look away. Watch and see just how giving love freely heals your kind.”

Chrysalis had no choice but to watch as a bright beam of pink beam of energy burst forth from her abdomen, heading straight towards Thorax, who was enveloped in a large sphere of pink energy. I watched in awe as the young drone began to be enveloped in a white cocoon, much like a larva turning into a pupa. The light shining from her cocoon must have been blinding enough for everyone else to have to turn away, but I couldn’t stop staring. My eyes must have been protected somehow. I did have enough sense to let Chrysalis close her own eyes just in case, but when I took a glance, she too had her eyes laser focused on the bright glowing cocoon in front of us.

The light dimmed, and above the ground where the former drone had stood hovered a large cylindrical form, glowing a deep silvery glow like the moon itself. I made my way over to the floating cocoon, basking in its glory before I reached out and touched it. It felt smooth, almost like the perfect silk surface. I moved my hand around it gently, taking in the feeling before the light inside it began to brighten. Everyone else once again turned away, but I still found that I could look. The cocoon suddenly burned away, and a small form slowly floated down to the ground. The moment her hooves touched the ground, she began to collapse, but I caught her in my magic and held her close to me.

Only this wasn’t quite the Ocellus I remembered from the show.

As before, her eyes looking more like Chrysalis’. And while she might have still stood on four legs, her forelegs had claws similar to Chrysalis. Her new color scheme was darker than in the show, not pastel like Ponies. Her dark blue carapace glistened as if it had been freshly polished, and her dark red elytra hid her crimson wings. Her neck fin didn’t sparkle as it did in the show. In fact, there wasn’t a neck fin at all. Instead, she had something resembling hair. It was a dark amaranth and fell down her neck in gentle waves. It reminded me of what Chrysalis’ hair might look like if she took care of it.

Looking around, I saw a bench that hadn’t been broken in the fight and floated her over to it. Setting her down, I smiled down at her. “You’re a brave young lady, Ocellus,” I repeated as I pet her head a few times. I turned back to the others, and in a blatant ripoff of Starlight Glimmer, announced, “This is what happens when you give love instead of stealing it! Nothing negative, no death, just a brand-new form that will only be beneficial to you in the long run!”

When the orb around Thorax slowly seeped into his broken form, I saw, to my relief, that his blood flow had slowed, but hadn’t stopped. Pharynx had a desperate look in his eyes now as he looked back at the other Fae. “He needs more!”

As a few other Fae started to spread their wings and flutter up, Chrysalis kept an eye on Ocellus’ new and unusual form. I watched as more and more love magic flowed right towards Thorax. To my surprise, even Pharynx joined in despite the amount of love he shared being much less than others around him. As the cocoons that formed around the hallway began to break apart, I noticed that each new Fae had a similar physical appearance to Ocellus’ weird form. Not that they looked bad, just not quite what I was expecting.

I breathed a big sigh of relief when Thorax stood up, still in his old form, but completely restored. The new Pharynx helped him to his feet, but Thorax brushed his older brother aside and approached Chrysalis. “Mother…please just end this,” he said in a begging tone. “We can become so much more than what you made us. Just look!” He gestured to the other new Fae.

Chrysalis, still encased in my magic, and barely healing thanks to a lack of love stores, only coughed up blood. “The Dragons…killed everyfae…I have to make…them pay…” she said, but to me, it sounded more like she was just being stubborn.

“Hmm…sounds like you hate change,” I said as I lowered her down. Turning to Thorax, I said, “What shall I do with her?”

The Fae stepped forward, looking at the broken queen sadly. Finally, after a good ten seconds, he turned to me. “Let me heal her. She’s still the High Fae who birthed us.”

I looked back at her, then at Thorax. Giving him a hard glance, I said, “I hope you realize that the moment she’s healed, I will be placing her into Equestrian custody. She will be facing justice.”

Thorax nodded. “I understand…but could I ask a favor?”

“You can ask,” I conceded.

He looked at the broken High Fae. “Just…show mercy to her?”

“That’s not in my hands,” I said, “but I will relay your wishes.”

He nodded, then turned to Chrysalis. I released her from my grip. Thorax’s body began glowing instead of his chest. The weakened queen could only look up at Thorax in astonishment as a large glow of energy engulfed her before another larger cocoon formed around him. For a half minute, a bright pink orb surrounded Chrysalis and the bright cocoon surrounded Thorax. Finally, Thorax’s pupa began to crack, shattering as his new form landed. His eyes were a dark purple, and his chitin was a dark hunter green.

In fact, the color scheme he bore was as if someone had taken the form he had after transforming in the cartoon and dimmed it. They were still multicolored, but were much darker than before. Thorax’s new hair, however, seemed to match the two mooselike horns on his head in terms of color. In terms of length, it fell down his back and shoulders, but had more volume than that of Chrysalis. His claws better resembled Chrysalis’ than any other Fae I saw, even Pharynx’s. There were three small but glowing crystal-like bulbs embedded into his chest as they had appeared in the show, and he was indeed taller than every other Fae drone there.

Thorax landed, looking at himself with confusion for a bit, then looking back down at the glowing queen. The orb of love began to seep into Chrysalis, and I heard the healing of chitin as the glow subsided, finally revealing a now healed Fae queen. Even the pockmarked holes in her body were gone.

I immediately encased her in my telekinesis so she couldn’t do anything, but it looked like she was completely unconscious. Strangely, she looked completely peaceful as she breathed in and out regularly.

Turning to Thorax, I inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “As the highest in rank here, I am hereby placing the High Fae known as Chrysalis under arrest as a prisoner of war. Thorax, as the new leader of the Fae hive, I hereby invite you and Pharynx to join the Council of Equestria in the hopes that we can resolve any differences that we may have and establish peace between our respective cultures.”

Thorax looked nervously at me, then at the recently evolved Fae drones. Pharynx walked up and stood next to his brother. Unlike most of them, he was the most identical to his in-show form, minus the jet black crew cut hair he had on his head. “Now hold on, why is my brother the leader? Who are you to get to decide that?”

I nodded in agreement. “You’re right, it isn’t my place to decide who rules you. I was going off of what I saw on the My Little Pony show. Let me rephrase, then. I invite the individuals known as Thorax and Pharynx to the table as the representatives of their race. Are there any objections to this?” I asked the other drones. When I received no resistance, I turned back to Pharynx. “You represent the military aspect of the Fae, and your brother represents the potential peaceful coexistence we can share. Does that satisfy you?”

Pharynx looked warily at me, then back at his brother. Or rather, up at his brother since Thorax was still the tallest Fae drone. He looked pensive, then finally turned to me. “Fine, I can accept that.”

Just then, Ember and Spike both yelped in surprise. I turned around, half expecting a non-reformed Fae to have suddenly attacked. Only to see them both glowing. I tensed up and frowned. “Out of the frying pan, and into the fire…” I turned to Shining Armor, who I was surprised to see was being supported by two of the reformed Fae. “Captain Armor,” I said, “how many fighting guards do we have?”

“Not enough for an invading Dragon army,” he said weakly.

I bit my lip worriedly, then looked around, trying to assess the situation as a good leader would. This was the first time I had been put in charge of anything other than a bank, and I had to hide my terror. However, old habits died hard. So I began to delegate. “Alright, then how many medical Ponies are here?”

“My guard have basic first aid training,” he said.

“Okay, thanks.” I turned to the rest of the gathered guard. “Listen up, everyone! I want those of you uninjured to gather up the wounded! Pony or otherwise! No arguments! The Fae may have been our enemies moments ago, but we aren’t savages! We will treat them as though they were our own!”

Pharynx put a claw on my shoulder. I turned and before I could get anything out, he said, “We can treat ourselves. I don’t want any Ponies treating anything.”

“Pharynx, please be sensible,” Thorax said.

However, I held up a hand. “No, he’s right. Ponies wouldn’t know how to treat a Fae.” I turned back to the crowd. “Belay that. Gather up the injured Ponies and any of the delegates and treat them. The Fae will treat their own. This castle has two infirmaries, so take the most injured there. Any of the less injured can be placed in any of the guest bedrooms, but use caution! I want them regularly checked on! Nobody is being lost on my watch!”

As the remaining guards moved to follow muy instructions, I turned to Twilight next. “Twilight, is there any way to block Chrysalis’ magic so she can’t use it to escape?”

“I…there is a magical dampening ring, but I don’t know where we can find one,” she said.

“Twily, here,” Shining said as he was being escorted away. He reached into his armor and pulled out a black ring. “Standard issue for the Guard.”

She caught it in her magic, then floated it over to me. I took it, then put it on Chrysalis’ horn. To my surprise, it began to expand so it would fit over said horn and finally tightened when it reached the base. I looked around, then pointed to two random guards. “You and you! What are your names?”

The guards I’d pointed to looked like they were members of Luna’s guard, and they snapped to attention and saluted. “Private Raven Night, sir!” a dark brown Pegasus mare with a silver mane and tail said.

“Private Might Striker, sir!” a dark blue Unicorn stallion with dark green mane and tail added.

“Privates Night and Striker, I have special task for you.” I floated Chrysalis over to them and set her down on the ground gently. “Take her to the Castle dungeons and keep a watch on her. But do not mistreat her. She may be a prisoner of war, but she is also a living creature. When she wakes, all you’re authorized to tell her is that I will be visiting her soon. Think you’re both up to the task?”

They straightened and saluted. “Yes, Sir Bethridge,” they said simultaneously before they lifted her up and walked away.

That’s when Fluttershy screamed.

Author's Note

Just FYI, Bennu is an actual creature from Egyptian mythology.

95: A Cloaked Heart Takes Charge

In all my months in Equestria, the closest I’d ever heard Fluttershy screaming was in the show during the Gala episode where she screamed “You’re going to LOVE ME!” And even that wasn’t the type of scream I heard from the real thing. This was a scream of pure terror and despair.

I turned and saw her hovering right at the entrance to the broken window, gazing out in horror. Fearing the worst, I flew up to her, looking in the same direction.

The Everfree Forest was on fire. The flames that had spread from my fight with Chrysalis had spread and engulfed the surrounding areas, spreading more and more quickly with each passing second. Not only that, but I could hear the screams and pleas of many various voices.

“Mama? Get up, Mama! We have to go! It's not time to sleep!”

“Go away, Mr. Fire! Please go away!”

“Curse these wicked flames! And curse whatever caused them!”

I went pale when I realized that I was hearing the multitude of animals as Fluttershy did. Before I could say anything else, Fluttershy stiffened and began flying fast down towards the forest. Cursing under my breath, I flew down after her, grabbing her a few seconds later. She struggled against me. “Let…me…go!” she said desperately. “Must…save…the…animals!”

“You go in there and you’ll die too!” I shouted, turning her to face me forcefully. The yellow Pegasus had a determined but terrified look in her eyes as she continued to wriggle in my arms. “Smoke inhalation will get you long before you can save every animal in there!”

“You can’t hear them!” she shouted.

“YES I CAN!” I shouted back. “They’re all scared! Young ones are begging their parents to get up, and a lot of them are trying to tell the fire to go away! If you go barreling in without thinking, YOU WILL DIE! I WON’T LET THAT HAPPEN!”

“So you’re just going to let the animals die?! HOW COULD YOU!?” Fluttershy bellowed.

“Of course not! How cruel do you think I am?!” I shouted before I turned to the castle again. Inhaling, I unleashed my Canterlot Voice. “RAINBOW DASH!”

Rainbow appeared at the window, saw where I was and was at my side in less than ten seconds, saluting. “What is it?” she asked.

Pointing to the Everfree fire, I said, “We’re gonna need a downpour to douse that fire as fast as we can. Think you can whip one up?”

She looked at the fire and she gaped at it. Turning back to me, she gave me an incredulous look and said, “Are you…fucking serious?! Jethro, that’s a massive blaze! I know I’m awesome, but not that awesome!”

“You’re in charge of the weather for Ponyville,” I replied hastily. “You’re also the fastest flier in Equestria! Go get your coworkers! If this fire spreads, it’ll threaten Ponyville too, and I don’t exactly want my hometown ablaze!”

She looked at me, then back at the fire, then back to me. Setting her jaw, she saluted. “I’ll do my best.” And with that, she zoomed off towards the nearest cloud.

I turned to Fluttershy and put my hand on her. She jumped and looked at me, tears streaming down her face. “Jethro…” she whimpered.

“There’ll be time to cry later,” I said softly, stroking her mane gently. “For now, why don’t you go gather some clouds as well? Or try and lead them away from the flames as best you can.”

“But…I’m not fast enough. And I…” she trailed off, looking down at the ground with fear.

“They need you,” I said, pointing to the ground below. “Those animals are in danger. You have a powerful voice when you want to use it. Use it to reassure them help is on the way.”

Fluttershy wiped her eyes with her hoof, then swallowed and nodded, her expression becoming more determined. “Sorry, I just can’t stand to hear them crying out.”

“I can hear them too,” I said, “now go.”

Fluttershy spread her wings and with surprising speed shot off towards one of the nearest stray clouds. I turned and flew down to where Sunset and Scarlet were still lying. I gathered them in both my arms and flew back inside the castle, handing them off to two guards who rushed them away. I was immediately surrounded by the remaining Bearers of Harmony and Zecora, the latter of whom had a few scrapes on her legs. Before they could say anything, I turned to Twilight. “I’m gonna need your organization skills with me at all times,” I said. Turning next to Zecora, I said, “Do you have any healing salves that we could use here?”

“Healing potions I have to spare,” she said, “just leave the injured in my care.” With a quick kiss to my cheek, she galloped off.

I turned to Rarity next. “We’re probably low on bandages, so I’m afraid I’m gonna be conscripting whatever cothing material you brought with you as a substitute. I’ll personally reimburse you for the cost.”

Rarity immediately shook her head. “A lady knows when necessity calls for sacrifices to be made,” she said before galloping off.

Next, I turned to Pinkie. “Pinks, we’re probably short staffed in the kitchens. I know you normally make sweets, but for now we’ll need whatever healthy dishes you can help them whip up.”

Pinkie nodded, then vanished down the hall towards the kitchen. Turning to Applejack next, I said, “I need your strength to help gather up any wounded and get them comfortably situated in the infirmaries or a guest room. After that, I’m sure the soldiers wouldn’t mind some good old southern vittles to perk them up, so join Pinkie in the kitchen.”

“Ah’m on it, sugarcube.” And with that, she turned away and helped the nearest injured guard to his feet. “Up ya go. Ah got ya.”

I looked down at Twilight. “With me, Twi,” I said. Together, we both approached the delegates.

When Twilight saw what was happening to Spike, she rushed over. “Spike?! What’s happening to you?!”

“Dragon Lord’s Call,” I said. “Torch has called all the Dragons to him to start his war with Equestria.”

Next to Spike, Ember nodded in agreement. “He must know I’m missing! I’ve got to go talk to him!”

“And when he discovers we have Fae here, he’ll invade us thinking we’re sheltering them from him,” I said. “Which we are, but someone will need to be here who could be his equal. I doubt he’ll speak to me.” I sighed, then remembered something that Chrysalis had said. I turned and pointed to Pharynx. “Hey, Pharynx! Was Chrysalis right about there being Fae in Ponyville?”

“An entire legion,” he said. “They’re quietly stealing love from the Ponies so they wouldn’t be caught.”

“You’re the one in charge of the patrol, right? Can you recall them here? They may have some love stores they can use on your wounded.”

Pharynx thought a bit, then nodded. “I’ll recall them and inform them of our surrender,” he said, but he didn’t seem particularly pleased about it.

I nodded. “I know this is happening all really fast for you, but I am grateful for your assistance.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Pharynx said as his new double horns began glowing a bit. “Okay, they’re returning. But you leave them to me, got it?”

“Understood,” I said. As Pharynx headed away, I turned to Twilight. “Do you have a scroll or quill on you?”

She shook her head. “Not on me, no. Why?”

“I’m gonna need to send a message to Prince Blueblood.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Wait, why?”

“With all three Princesses out of commission, he’s the de facto ruler of Equestria. At least, until one of the Princesses recover,” I explained. “And I doubt Dragon Lord Torch will talk to a simple knight, even with me ranking higher than your brother.”

Spike came running over, still scratching at his glowing scales all over. “I can…nng…go get them,” he volunteered.

I smiled down at the ever helpful drake. “You’ve been through a lot already tonight, Dragon-boy,” I said playfully as I reached down and scratched behind his spines.

He sighed in contentment. “Oooh…that’s the spot.”

I picked him up and scratched him all over as I looked around. “Maybe I should find one of the Pegasus guards to relay a message instead,” I said as sighs of contentment escaped from Spike’s lips while I eased his own suffering.

“That won’t be necessary, my Knight,” a familiar but tired Alicorn’s voice said from behind me.

Turning, I saw an exhausted and slightly dirty Princess Celestia standing in front of me, flanked on either side by two strong guards. Philomena and Eve stood on either side of her, but Eve flew over to me, landing on my shoulder and nuzzling my neck affectionately. Twilight looked extremely relieved as she ran up to her teacher. “Princess Celestia!” she said happily.

Celestia smiled and hugged the purple Unicorn close to her. “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. How are you doing?”

“I should be asking you that!” Twilight exclaimed worriedly now, looking over her teacher with concern. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Celestia chuckled. “I’m feeling much better, Twilight,” she said. “The Changeling Queen tried to steal all my love, but there was a hidden piece of specific love I held onto that she missed. Thanks to Philomena here, I’m more than capable of helping out. But shouldn’t you be tending to your Dragon assistant there?”

Twilight turned back to where I was still holding Spike. Her eyes widened. “Spike! I’m sorry, I forgot about you!”

To her surprise, Spike was actually fast asleep in my arms now. I smiled down at him, stroking his spines. “Poor guy’s exhausted. Twilight, could you find him a bed? Maybe in your room where we were having the sleepover. And maybe some cream for the itching. At least, until the Dragon Lord recinds his call.”

She nodded, took him out of my hands with her magic, then bowed to Celestia. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she galloped down the hall, carrying Spike in her magic.

Turning back to Celestia, I bowed my head and saluted. “Princess, you shouldn’t be up,” I said worriedly.

She stood straighter and spread her wings, and I saw that she had a similar Phoenix pattern on hers as I did. A small bit of flame came out from her wings like it did for mine, making me wonder if she too had undergone Rebirth. “My Philomena has given me enough strength to begin recovering,” she said as she approached. She took my chin in one of her wings and looked me over, a look of deep concern on her face. “Was she right? Did you really die?”

I spread my wings as well, the Phoenix flames erupting from it. “Died and returned to life,” I said. I finally smirked. “It’s hard to believe myself. Met Bennu and everything.”

Philomena’s eyes widened. “You met King Bennu himself?!”

“I did,” I replied, turning to her and reaching up to stroke Eve’s feathers. “He told me to tell you he’s very proud of you two.”

Philomena smiled a bit. “Friend of my friend, it was my honor to save you and my friend.”

I chuckled. “No need to keep calling me ‘friend of my friend’. Just a friend will do. If I can call my Liege Lady one of my closest friends, I can call you one too. You did raise my darling Eve, after all.”

I could have sworn I saw a smirk appear on the Phoenix as she said, “Does that make me your mate?”

The rest of us burst out laughing as I walked up to the elderly Phoenix and stroked her head. “You’ve been hanging around Celestia too long.” I stopped after a bit and my expression turned serious. I turned back to Celestia and said, “Here’s the sitrep: the Everfree Forest is on fire but Rainbow Dash is going to gather the Ponyville Weather Patrol to help douse it. Fluttershy is going to help there too. I’ve given the other Elements of Harmony and Zecora assignments to help with the wounded in ways that fit their skillsets. We have a number of wounded, including Sunset Shimmer, Luna, Cadance and Scarlet. Chrysalis is in custody, most if not all the Fae have converted into a brand-new form that don’t require them to siphon love, and the Dragon Lord Torch is on his way to try and make war with Equestria since he never received the invite to the Council. Now, let me introduce you to the real Princess Ember.”

Ember, hearing her name, stopped her scratching to approach and nod towards Celestia. “Nice to meet you, Princess. Wish I could stay and talk, but I can’t. I have to get back to the Dragon Lands and try and convince my father to stop his war.”

Celestia nodded gravely. “It has been many years since I last had any dealings with Dragon Lord Torch,” she said. “When you see him, tell him this: Princess Celestia of Equestria, First of her Name and Diarch of the Sun invites Dragon Lord Torch, First of his Name and Supreme Lord of the Dragon Lands to the Council of Equestria at his earliest convenience.”

Ember frowned, but nodded. “I’ll try, but no promises.”

“I’ll make your return faster,” Celestia said, raising her horn and casting a beam of magic at a nearby wall. A large blue circle appeared in front of it, and what looked like a portal appeared. “This should bring you to the edge of Dragon territory. I’m sorry I could not make it closer.”

“No no, it’s fine, thanks!” And with that, Ember spread her wings, gave me of all people a nod, then flew through. The portal collapsed shortly after.

Celestia wavered a bit, but her guards steadied her. Turning to me, she straightened. “I need a more comprehensive report, Sir Jethro.”

“Of course, my Liege Lady,” I replied. “Walk with me.”

As we walked towards the first infirmary, I briefed her more in depth on the situation as I knew it. I apologized that I didn’t know more, but Celestia shook her head, putting a rather warm wing on my back, stroking me affectionately and telling me it was alright and that she would receive a full report from others later.

When she heard about my death, I saw her wince. Even my attempts at humor, which was to say “Yeah, I died, but I got better,” in as nonchalant a tone as possible did nothing to sway her worry. She held me closer, almost fiercely protective of me. I might not have been able to read a room very well, but I knew better than to make any offhand jokes again about the subject again. Instead, I spread my own wing and put it around her. That seemed to help her relax. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “That was a poor joke. If I don’t make one, I’ll become a blubbering mess when the reality hits, and I don’t have he luxury of that right now.”

She pulled me closer and, to my surprise, nuzzled my face in front of her two guards. “I understand. Dark humor is something humans use to cope, correct?”

I nodded slowly. “I’ll try and keep my jokes in check for now.”

She smiled a bit and stroked my back affectionately with her wing. “Philomena was right to chose you.”

“You know, her new voice sounds almost identical to the voice actress who voiced you on the show,” I said.

“I did notice that,” Celestia chuckled. “Very surreal.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Philomena said, injecting herself into the conversation.

“I’m sure the Princess can explain everything to you later,” I replied. “But it will explain how I knew your name at the Gala.”

Philomena nodded. “I was wondering about that.”

When we reached the first infirmary, Celestia stood taller and moved away from me. Even in times of crisis, she had to act like the motherly princess to her little Ponies. I took the opportunity to check on Scarlet, who had her chest bandaged up and was being fed some sort of veggie broth by one of Luna’s guards. Seeing me approach, the guard, a dark green Pegasus Mare with black hair and tail, saluted, but I held up a hand as I took a seat beside Scarlet’s bed. The guard saw me and straightened, but I held up a hand. “At ease, soldier. What’s your name?”

“Corporal Rune Reader, sir,” she said.

“At least your last name wasn’t Scape,” I muttered. “Thanks for taking care of Scarlet for me, Corporal.”

“Of course, sir,” she said.

“Just call me Jethro.” I turned and looked over Scarlet. “How is she?” I asked Rune.

“Weak, but she’ll be alright,” Rune said. “She’s a strong mare.”

I reached up and stroked Scarlet’s mane. She looked over at me and gave me a weak smile, like she was trying to reassure me. I smiled back. “That she is. And she’s also an idiot.” I flicked her nose to emphasize my point.

“Oh? Are you planning on punishing me for it when I’m all better?” Scarlet asked in a weak croak, her smile turning into a grin before she began coughing.

I moved closer and rubbed her back. “Oh my God, how horny are you?” I asked good naturedly as I pat her back gently to help her with the coughing fit. “But don’t tempt me. Scarlet. You scared me so much out there.”

Her smirk turned back into a genuine smile, and she reached out and caressed my cheek with her hoof. “I didn’t want my future special somepony to be hurt,” she said tenderly.

I reached up and took her hoof in my hand, bringing it down to kiss it automatically. “Being a bit presumptious, are we? Where do you get all that damned confidence, and can I have some?”

She giggled weakly. “You have it already,” she said.

I scoffed. “If you say so.”

“Pardon me for interrupting, Sir Jethro,” Rune said, “but I have to agree with Miss Dusk here. The way you took charge earlier reminded me so much of my own commander, Selene Shadow.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never met them. Are they part of Luna’s guard?”

Rune nodded. “Princess Celestia has her Royal Guard, while Princess Luna has her Lunar Guard. We are a relatively new guard, although the idea isn’t new. There was once a Lunar Guard before our princess was corrupted by Nightmare Moon. Afterwards, we were absorbed into the Royal Guard. When Princess Luna returned, she recreated her own Lunar Guard, hoofpicking all of us. That’s the short version of our story, anyway. And earlier, when you were giving orders, I could have sworn Commander Shadow was in the room.”

I smiled a bit, feeling a bit more reassured. “All I did was delegate.”

“A good ruler knows when to delegate,” Celestia said suddenly from behind me. She sat next to me and put a comforting wing around my back once more, smiling warmly down at me. “Do you think I plan the Gala all by myself? I spread out the responsibilities to those Ponies who are skilled in certain areas. And from what I’ve heard, you did a very good job.”

“Thank you, your Highness,” I said.

Scarlet, meanwhile, bowed to Celestia. “Your Highness, I’m happy to see you’re feeling better,” she said sincerely.

“As am I, my little Pony,” Celestia said kindly. “But you should be resting. Sir Jethro told me what happened to you on the battlefield. I am proud of your bravery, but now it is time for you to rest.”

“Thank you, your Highness,” she said tiredly, leaning back while the Lunar Guard continued spooning broth into her mouth.

Celestia turned to me, then gestured for me to follow her. I nodded and headed out of the room and down towards the second infirmary on the other side of the castle. I wondered why she didn’t just teleport us, when she opened her mouth and spoke again. “I’ve spoken with Luna and Cadance already. They’re mostly low on magic right now, but should be back to their normal selves in a half day or so.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it,” I replied.

As the two of us continued walking in silence, I looked up at Celestia, trying to read her emotions, but for the most part I could only see royal neutrality. If she had something on her mind that she wanted to say to me, she was being rather tight lipped about it. Her guards walked a few steps behind her, then in a soft voice, she began speaking in an old tongue. It took me a bit, but my mind switched over to the language, which was in Middle Ponish. “Forgive me for the change in language, my Knight, but I wished to speak with you in private about a matter which troubles me deeply.”

“About the Firebreathing Lizards?” I asked. Middle Ponish had no word for Dragon, it seemed.

She nodded slowly. “I am not sure just how the Firebreathing Lizard Lord will react to what his daughter will tell him.”

“I am equally as concerned, my Liege Lady,” I said, “And I’m concerned with his plan involving me and his daughter.”

Celestia turned to me. “What plan is that?”

“Arranged marriage between me and Ember,” I said.

“A betrothal?!” she said in astonishment. “That is…unheard of! Even in Equestria! We did have it once, but my dear sister and I phased them out.”

“My world had them at one point to. Still do in some countries,” I said, “but that’s not what we are talking about. My Liege Lady, what about the Lizards has you on edge? Aside from a potential war.”

Celestia sighed. “I have not had any dealings with them in many hundreds of years, and those were secret dealings so as not to alarm my Ponies. They are a fierce race of warriors, or they were in the past. In fact, they were the very first ones who began moving the sun and moon before we took over.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Now that’s something I didn’t know,” I admitted. “All we can hope for is the best.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” she said.

The two of us finally made our way to the other infirmary where Sunset was. Celestia and I rushed over and I was relieved to see that she was awake and being examined by a dark crimson Unicorn stallion with a dark yellow mane and tail. When the stallion saw us approach, he stood straighter, but I quickly said, “At ease, soldier. What’s your name?”

“Sergeant Raider, sir,” he said.

“How is my former student, Sergeant?” Celestia asked, looking down with concern at Sunset, who still was avoiding looking at Celestia out of what looked like guilt.

“Well, your Highness, I’m not a doctor,” Raider said, “but she seems fine to me.”

Celestia looked relieved at that. “Sir Jethro, could you excuse me for a few moments? I would like to have a private word with her. One that…is very long overdue.”

I nodded and backed away, heading out into the hallway. I found a bench and sat down, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes. I could hear magic being cast, then just the sounds of guards treating wounded as best they could. The more I sat, the more my exhaustion began to overwhelm me. I was just about to doze off when I heard some magic being cast near me and a comfortable blanket was draped over me. Opening one eye, I half expected to see Celestia, but to my surprise it was Rarity who was putting a dark purple blanket over my body. “Rares…?” I asked.

She started and looked up at me. “Darling, pardon me. I saw how exhausted you were and figured you could use a break.”

I scooted over and pat the bench next to me. “Come up here,” I smiled. “You need a break too.”

Rarity, who’s mane was a mess and who had actual visible bags under her eyes as she sat down. I put the blanket around her as well as my new warm wings. She snuggled close, and closed her eyes. “Thank you, Jethro,” she said tiredly.

I put my arm around her and stroked her mane gently. “Of course, Rares,” I said.

To my surprise, she leaned her head against my shoulder. Looking down at her, despite her out of place mane, the bags under her eyes, and the fake eyelashes starting to come off, I couldn’t help but find her attractive even in this state. And not just because of her physical beauty, which wasn’t in doubt. It was her generous spirit. She was willing to give up her own supplies for the greater good without expecting anything in return. I couldn’t help myself as these thoughts passed through my head. I pulled her into my lap and held her closer, wings wrapped around her tenderly. She actually responded by snuggling closer, burying her face into my chest.

We sat there for what felt like hours, but was probably only about half an hour. Just being in her soothing and elegant presence staved off the growing anxiety and fear I felt within me about the approaching Dragons. And my anxiety must have been felt by Rarity, because after a while, she stirred and looked up at me. “Darling, you seriously should get a spa treatment. All that stress I feel will make you go bald.”

I chuckled. “On my world balding is a sign of dignity,” I said.

“This is your world now,” Rarity said, poking my chest with her hoof.

I snorted and smiled. “You know what I meant. Now go back to resting. You need it.”

“You do too,” she said, looking at me insistently.

“We’re in a crisis,” I said. “The Dragons are coming, and I’m a Knight of Equestria. I can’t rest yet.”

She sighed. “Just…be careful, okay? I won’t go easy on you if you get hurt.” And with that she hugged me tightly.

I hugged her back. “After seeing you fight, I believe it.”

We sat there in silence for a little while longer before I heard galloping. Looking down the hall, I saw Rune rushing down the hallway towards me. When she spotted me, she slowed down and stopped, panting. “Hah…hah…sir…where’s the…Princess…?”

“Talking with one of the patients,” I said. “Why? What’s happened?”

She took a few seconds to catch her breath before she said, “Scouts…saying Dragons are on their way…”

I swallowed hard. “Shit…alright, Corporal, thanks for telling me this. Prepare for battle.”

“Yes sir!” She saluted and galloped down the hall.

I broke away from Rarity, but to my astonishment, she leaned closer, threw her hooves around me and kissed my cheek. “For luck.”

I smiled and, taking her hoof, kissed it gently. “Thank you, Lady Rarity. I’m gonna need it.” I lifted her in my arms, took her back into the infirmary, lay her in a quiet corner while apologizing that it wasn’t comfortable enough, but she waved it off and closed her eyes. I walked over to where Celestia had raised a shield around her and Sunset. Knocking, I saw a teary eyed Celestia turned. When she saw the grave expression on my face, she wiped her eyes, then lowered the shield. Without waiting, I said, “Dragons have been spotted.”

Celestia cleared her throat, nodded, then turned to Sunset. “Can we talk later?”

Sunset, who looked like she’d been crying too, nodded. “Of course, Princess.”

Celestia leaned down and nuzzled her former student before standing straight, a determined look on her face. “Let’s go, Sir Jethro,” she said, and with that, she strode out of the room with purpose.

As I made my way after her, putting on a brave face, I thought to myself, God…if you can hear me in this world, please protect all of us.

And with that, I fell into step beside my Princess. It was time to face imminent danger once again.

96: A Cloaked Heart Attempts Negotiations

As Celestia and I left the infirmary and headed down the hall towards the front entrance to the castle, I realized something: I’d forgotten about an important detail. Where was Fuego? In all the excitement, I kicked myself for forgetting such an important part of the Fae plot. When Celestia and I reached one of the main halls, I spotted a few Fae tending to other fallen comrades, so I stepped aside and approached them. One of them, a Fae with long very dark red hair and a night sky blue chitin, saw me and winced when I strode over with purpose. “You. What’s your name?” I asked.

“M-Maxilla, sir,” the female Fae said nervously.

I took a deep breath to calm down, then said in a calmer tone, “Miss Maxilla, do you or anyone else here know where the Dragon Fuego is?”

Maxilla nodded. “Our queen drained him of all his love and locked him in some caves near the castle,” she said a bit shakily.

“Can you lead some of our guards there to retrieve him?” I asked, “because we’re going to need him soon.”

“Of course,” she squeaked.

I turned and pointed to two nearby Lunar guards. “You two, come over here,” I commanded. They were by my side in an instant, saluting. “What are your names?”

“Privates Midnight Dusk and Akai Eventide, sir,” one of them, a dark crimson Pegasus stallion with a purple mane and tail said in greeting. His accent sounded somewhat Asiatic, so I guessed his name was Akai.

I pointed to Maxilla. “Privates Dusk and Eventide, this Fae here is going to lead you to a Dragon traitor. I want you to retrieve him and place him in the castle dungeon, but as far away from Chrysalis’ cell as possible. You are then to keep a watch on him.”

The other soldier, a dark blue Unicorn mare with white spots on her fur as well as a slightly golden white mane and tail, saluted. “At once, sir!”

“Use caution,” I said. “These Dragons are not to be underestimated. Use your best judgement. Try not to use lethal force unless absolutely necessary, got it?”

Both nodded, looking a bit uneasy at the mention of lethal force for a brief moment before their professional manner returned. “Yes sir!” they said simultaneously.

“Good. Now, dismissed!”

As Maxilla led them away, Gemini and Mica both came up to me. Gemini saluted, and for the first time I thought I saw just a modicum of respect in her eyes. Mica saluted as well. “Jethro, what should we do now?” she asked.

I looked at them carefully. They both looked tired, but still determined. “You two should try and get some sleep,” I said, “you’ve both been a great help already-”

“Fuck that shit,” Mica said, startling me and Gemini both. I’d never once heard him swear before, but the look in his eyes told me all I needed to. “You look like you’re about to go to war again. What’s going on, sir?”

I sighed. “Fine…follow us. We’re about to confront the Dragon Lord and his invading army and try and talk them down. Your presence might just help dissuade them.”

Gemini and Mica saluted, then flanked me protectively as we all headed down the hall. I rejoined Celestia, who had been watching the exchange with a somewhat surprised expression. When we continued walking, she said, “And you think you’re not a good leader.”

“I don’t quite think I’m up to your level,” I admitted.

“I didn’t see any hesitation in your eyes or sense anything like it in your tone,” Celestia said.

I moved away from my bodyguards, leaned in and whispered so only she could hear, “Bravado and acting. I’m not as respected as you are yet, but if you want respect, give respect. That’s why I ask for names now.”

“A wise precaution,” Celestia said, putting a warm wing on my back. “I’ll make a prince out of you, yet.”

I decided to try and tease her to ease some of her own rising tension, and mine. “Why, Princess, was that a proposal? How scandalous!” I put a hand to my forehead. “Imagine the scandal! The horror, the horror!” I pretended to faint like the three flower mares I’d seen in the show and in real life.

The four Pegasi guards around us and Mica could only chuckle a bit as a blush appeared on Celestia’s cheeks before she smirked. Gemini just rolled her eyes and snorted derisively as Celestia said, “Don’t go pushing your luck, my knight.”

I switched to Middle Ponish. “I never knew that was your kink.” As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I facepalmed. “I’ve been hanging out with Scarlet way too long if she’s beginning to influence me like this.”

Celestia could only giggle as she said, “By Harmony, how much in heat are you?”

“Oh God…” I spread my wings and covered myself up in embarrassment as she, Mica and her guards, who probably didn’t understand the words but could hear the teasing, all chuckled. “Not you too.”

She tittered and pulled me closer, whispering, “You’ve been a bad influence on me, my knight. Take responsibility.”

I stopped, spread my wings wide and bowed low. “As you command, my Liege Lady.”

She smiled for a bit, then her expression became serious. “But another time. We have work to do.”

I joined her side again. “I can take care of this, Princess,” I said. “You’ve only just recovered.”

“So have you,” she said. “And you died.”

“…Touché,” I said, “but you still look exhausted. Are you sure you’re up to this?”

She stood straighter, almost proudly once again. “I do not wish for this Hearth’s Warming season to be marred by a war,” she said. “It’s my duty as the Princess of Equestria to attempt negotiations.”

“I really hope it goes well,” I said as I reached out and opened the front gates with my magic and the two of us stepped out into the early morning air. I turned to Gemini and Mica. “We’re about to fly. Can you keep up with us as we go through the Everfree?”

Celestia lowered herself. “One of you can sit on my back if you wish,” she began.

However, one of the Pegasi guards stepped forward. “Your Highness, I can’t allow that. Let two of us handle it.”

Celestia slowly stood back up, then nodded. “Very well.”

Mica approached the Pegasus guard, looking sheepishly at him. “Sorry about this, sir,” he said apologetically.

The guard looked a bit surprised at the apology, but smiled slightly. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve carried heavier.”

As Mica climbed carefully onto the Pegasus’ back, Gemini scowled and shook her head. “Yeah…I’m not about to let myself be carried around by a bunch of prancing Pegasi.”

I spread my wings behind me. “Then you’ll have to do with me. Grab a hold.”

Sighing, Gemini approached, then wrapped her arms around me from behind. I was a bit surprised at how warm she actually was despite the weather, but put that to the back of my mind as I turned back to her. “Legs too. I don’t want you falling.”

She groaned, but wrapped her legs around me. “I used to command a large guard…now I’m reduced to hanging onto somewolf’s back like some stupid pup,” I heard her grumble in Lycan.

“I feel safer with you around,” I confessed to her back in Lycan. “You and Mica. You both can defeat me easily still.”

Gemini frowned. “Almost forgot you speak our language. And don’t tell anyone else this, but…you’re becoming harder to beat.”

“Well…I appreciate the sentiment, but now’s not the time.” I turned back to Mica. “Hold on tight, because we’re about to become airborne!” And with that, Celestia, myself, and the guards all launched ourselves into the air.

Now, I’d always known that Rainbow Dash was a fast mare, that was never in doubt. Just seeing her Sonic Rainboom episode and seeing it in real life had been enough for me. However, when Celestia and I flew out into the early morning air and I saw her and the weather team busily stamping on clouds to create rain to douse the Everfree fire, which had gotten worse since I last saw it, I was impressed. I saw many different Pegasi working tirelessly to create rain and drag in clouds.

As Celestia, myself, and four Pegasi guards flew past them, Rainbow and Fluttershy, who were both in the midst of the fray, spotted me and both flew up to us. Rainbow saluted. “I got as many as I could, Jethro,” she said. “But I don’t know if it’ll be enough.”

“Alright, just do your best,” I said before turning to Celestia. “Celestia, you can hear the animals down there like I can, right?”

Celestia nodded, a pained expression on her face. Turning to Rainbow, she said, “Go back into the castle and gather a few of my Unicorn guards. Tell them they’re to go through the forest and evacuate as many of the animals to the castle as possible.”

“On it!” Rainbow said, turning to the castle and zooming down.

Turning to Fluttershy next, Celestia added, “You’ll be in charge of directing the guards, since you know better than most and can hear them.”

Fluttershy looked slightly nervous, but nodded and, to my surprise, brought her hoof to her chest in a soldier’s salute. “Yes, your highness.”

“The castle has a massive unused stable,” I added. “Far west corner, two massive double doors. It’s bare right now, but it can be used as a shelter for the animals until we can get this fire situation sorted. Lead them there, okay?”

She saluted to me once more. “Understood.”

“And be careful,” I said. “Smoke inhalation is a dangerous thing.”

She held up a damp cloth. “I’ll be careful,” she said before approaching me. “And you’d better be careful, too. You still owe me a date, after all.” She grabbed me, planted a rather powerful kiss on my lips, then pulled away blushing before tying the damp cloth around her muzzle before she flew back down towards the fire.

I rejoined Celestia and her guards and we resumed flying towards. After a few seconds, Celestia asked, “A date with Fluttershy?”

“I’m giving the herd thing a chance,” I said.

She nodded and smiled. “Does that include my sister?”

“Oh definitely,” I said.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Wow, no hesitation. Impressive.”

“Hey, I just came back from the dead,” I said, “and that tends to leave a lasting impression on someone.”

“I’m surprised you’re not having a meltdown,” Celestia said.

“I’ll have one later,” I said, waving my hand dismissively.

From out of nowhere, Philomena appeared on Celestia’s left and Eve appeared on my right. Philomena said, “The effects of a Rebirth will last for a while. And by that I mean the mental fortitude.”

“And the wings and understanding the animals part?” I asked.

Philomena smiled a bit. “Those? Those are permanent. And the same with my friend here,” she said, indicating Celestia.

“Yay! Now I can talk to you all I want!” Eve said from beside me, looking really happy now.

“How the hell can I understand animals now, anyway?” I asked.

“All animals speak Phoenix,” Eve said in an authoritative and matter-of-fact tone. “We taught them thousands of years ago!”

“What’s this ‘we’ you speak of, my young daughter?” Philomena asked with a smug grin.

Eve looked a bit chagrined. “Sorry, mom.”

“As fascinating as this is, we need to focus on the task at hand,” I said, pointing ahead.

We turned and saw a massive Dragon approaching us. In the dark, it was hard to tell who it was, but if I had to guess, it was the Dragon Lord himself. Besides him I saw a dragon flying in front, but faced away from us and making frantic gestures with their claws. Behind the massive Dragon the night sky was covered with darkened figures, all Dragons, and all following Torch.

Philomena turned to me. “Friend, listen to me carefully. You have not only the wings of a Pony Princess, but the wings of a Phoenix. Dragons respect us even if we can’t communicate like you and I can.”

“And our wings can do some pretty cool stuff!” Eve said, spreading her wings which burst into flames, staying that way for a few seconds before returning to normal.

I looked back at my wings briefly, only to see the normal Phoenix flames briefly bursting forth from them every few flaps. I turned back and faced the Dragons. “If things go well here, I’d love to learn that little trick.”

“We’re almost near them,” Celestia said. “Be on your guard.”

I cleared my throat, letting the smile drop from my face as I became serious. When the smaller Dragon in front of Torch saw us, they waved frantically, speeding towards us. When they reached us, I saw it was Ember, only now she was dressed in some familiar fierce looking armor. Without any preamble, she said, “I told Dad everything about what happened, and he’s pissed. He’s gonna demand Chrysalis’ head. And Fuego’s.”

“We will…discuss that,” Celestia said.

I looked at Ember, nodding at her. “Nice armor. Looks good on you.”

She frowned at me, but didn’t comment. “And he’ll probably demand something along the lines of an arranged marriage between me and…you,” she said, shuddering.

“Again, we’ll discuss that,” I added. “Is he open to talking?”

“He seems a bit calmer than he did before,” Ember said, “but I don’t know.”

“We’ll be cautious,” Celestia said.

Then, a few seconds later we were all hovering in front of the Dragon Lord himself. To say Torch was an imposing Dragon would be an understatement. His little pinkie finger could more than likely squash Celestia in one fell swoop. His wings, whenever they moved, created a hot and dry wind that blew against the trees below. His fiery orange eyes glowered down at us, silently judging the Ponies and human in front of him. On his head, I saw a large crystal crown which glowed a fiery red which illuminated his face. He wore dark chest and shoulder armor and in his front claw I saw a dangerous looking spear made out of the same glowing red crystal which illuminated the rest of him. He looked at the guards, then Celestia, then his eyes locked onto me. Lowering his face to look closer, I could smell the meat on his breath as he looked me up and down. “So,” his deep and gravelly voice said with what sounded like disdain, “this is the so-called human that we saw Eris display. What is your name, weakling?!” he demanded.

I spread my wings wide, allowing the flames to burst from them. “I am Jethro Bethridge, Lord Torch,” I said, using the most respectful tone I could muster.

“Respectful, and you properly addressed me. Good. Maybe these Ponies haven’t been a poor influence on you yet.” He looked me up and down again, then looked over at Celestia. “So…he is the being you would choose as a Knight of your kingdom, Princess?”

Celestia spread her own wings as well, letting a burst of flames spread from them too. “He is,” she said.

He looked between me and her for a bit, before throwing his head back and roaring in laughter. “What a weak looking male!”

“Dad! He managed to defeat the Scalechanger leader! And he and Princess Celestia are both friends of the Phoenixes!” Ember said in a surprising attempt to defend me, although I immediately realized she was saying this more to keep a war from breaking out.

Torch looked me over with renewed interest, finally looking at my wings. A good few seconds later, he looked at the Phoenixes who were with us. “I haven’t seen anycreature who has been granted the Phoenix Blessing in many generations,” he said. “Very well! My daughter informs me you wish to talk and to invite me to this Council of Equestria? Then we will talk. But here and now.” He pointed to a small clearing in the forest below. “I will speak with you, Princess Celestia and Jethro the human. Alone.”

He turned to glare at his daughter, but she flew up to him. “No way, Dad! I’m coming too!”

“Oh no, you’re not!” Torch yelled, “This is a discussion between leaders!”

“Dad, you know what Mom said about your temper!” Ember said.

Torch stiffened. “Don’t bring her up again!” he bellowed.

“You know I’m right,” Ember shouted back defiantly. “Besides, I know you’re going to discuss that stupid betrothal idea of yours!”

I looked at Celestia, who gave me a sideways look, then shook her head before she turned back to Torch. “We won’t mind if she’s included in these talks,” she said.

Torch growled angrily, but finally nodded. “Oh…alright! But you will be silent, Ember!”

Ember didn’t respond, but joined me as Torch and Celestia flew on ahead towards the clearing after I handed Gemini over to one of the other Pegasi guards. Afterwards, I flew up and joined Ember. “You know, you’re a lot smarter than that other Dragon I met a few months ago,” I said. “That guy was a boulderhead.”

Ember scoffed. “I’m smarter than most of the Dragons in the Dragon Lands anyway,” she said dismissively.

“From what I’ve seen of you on the show, I can wholeheartedly agree,” I said.

She turned on me, looking at me curiously. “So…Eris wasn’t lying about that either, huh? Equestria is really just some children’s entertainment where you’re from?”

“That’s the short version of it, yes,” I said. “If the Fae hadn’t tricked you into not showing up, you’d have been there when I explained, but I’ll tell you about it later.”

“So…I showed up?” she asked uncertainly.

“A few times, yeah,” I replied. “I admired how you stood up to your father in the show, and I admired how you did it now. You’re a Dragon I can definitely respect.”

“Yeah, well don’t count on getting it back,” she scoffed. “Dragons don’t do friends.”

“Who said anything about friends?” I asked. “I know you guys don’t do that, but there’s nothing that says we can’t be something else. And no, I don’t mean married. I mean allies.”

Ember frowned a bit, then sighed and nodded. “Yeah…let’s hope that Dad can be convinced.”

When we landed, I folded my wings and walked over to stand next to Celestia, who sat on the ground. I put my hands behind my back and faced the Dragon Lord and his daughter who sat opposite us. Torch grabbed a nearby tree, crushed it in his claw, then set it down on the ground before breathing a large burst of fire onto it, catching it ablaze and illuminating the glade surrounding us. With a mighty crash, he sat on the ground, causing a few trees behind him to fall as his tail fell over them. Ember stood as well, almost mirroring my own stance. We all looked at each other, myself standing straighter to hide my nervousness.

Torch looked down at Celestia, then finally cleared his throat. “You want to talk, Pony Princess? Very well. My daughter told me that the Scalechangers have invaded your lands and wanted to start a war against us.”

“That is what my Knight here reported to me,” she said. “I was, unfortunately, taken by their queen and drained of almost all the love I had.”

“Almost all?” Torch looked unconvinced. “I know Scalechangers, Princess, and they would never leave any love within their victims.”

“Well…I’ve kept that particular love hidden, even from myself,” Celestia admitted, and I was a bit confused to see a small blush form on her neutral face. “But if you want more of a report, I suggest you ask my Knight. He was the one who led the counterstrike.”

Torch turned sharply to me, looking at me. “You? You lead a strike against the Scalechangers?”

I nodded. “With your daughter and my friends by my side, yes,” I said. “She was instrumental in helping us defeat them.”

Torch looked down at Ember with renewed interest. “Did she now? And just how did she come to be in Equestria in the first place?”

“I used my magic to teleport her here when I realized we had an imposter,” I replied. “I needed proof that the Fae impersonating your daughter was fake. But then again, she was doing a piss poor job of it.”

“And how did she fool you for so long?” Torch asked suspiciously.

“Dad! You know how they can trick minds,” Ember blurted out.

“I said to be quiet!” Torch shouted before turning back to me. “But she is right. Scalechangers are able to partially hypnotize their victims into blindly accepting what they see.”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Yeah…I can see that.”

“Now tell me what happened,” Torch demanded loudly. “And leave out nothing!”

And so I told him. I went into as much detail as I had with Celestia, telling him about the attempt to rescue Celestia, how I did it (which elicited another blush from the Solar Princess), the confrontation between the Fae and the Ponies, my fight with Chrysalis and how we eventually won. When I mentioned Fuego’s name, however, Torch’s expression darkened. “That traitor! He would join forces with Scalechangers, of all creatures?! That murderer! I’ll have his head and the head of the Queen!”

“We will gladly hand Fuego over to you,” Celestia said, “but as for the Queen, I’m afraid I cannot allow her extradition to your lands. She attacked on our soil and will face Equestrian justice.”

“And what about these so-called reformed Scalechangers?” Torch growled. “Are they going to be as unpunished as their Queen? You Ponies are soft!”

“Would you rather we put them on a spit and slowly roast them alive, their insides boiling until their innards coat the ground around them with their putrid green blood and guts?” I asked nonchalantly.

Celestia looked absolutely sick at the image I depicted while Ember and Torch both looked at me in stunned silence. Torch glared at me after a few moments. “Hmm…maybe you’re not as soft as you look.”

“They will not go unpunished for their crimes against Equestria, I can assure you of that,” Celestia said after recovering.

“I couldn’t care less about the Scalechanger drones,” Torch said, waving a claw dismissively. “They don’t have a mind of their own anyway. But I insist on that Queen being turned over to me!”

Shit, here we go, I thought as I straightened more, body tensing up. Celestia, to her credit, remained calm as she kept her gaze on Torch. “May I ask why?” she asked.

“Her kind invaded our lands centuries ago and tried to wipe us out!” Torch growled angrily, “and as long as one of her type exists they’ll try again! Turn her over to us. That’s not something we can negotiate.”

“She’s in no position to be moved anywhere,” Celestia said calmly. “She was nearly killed in the battle and if she’s transported, she’ll most likely die in transit.”

“Not. My. Problem,” Torch said callously. “She’s a danger to everydragon and needs to be dealt with! She might have attacked your kingdom, but she was our enemy first!”

“Dad, please calm down!” Ember said.

Torch glared at his daughter, then, to my horror, he quickly reached down and backhanded her away like she was nothing. She was sent sprawling, and finally impacted one of the trees, sliding down in a daze. “I said…be silent my wayward daughter!”

Without even thinking, I rushed over to her side. Ember was spitting up crimson blood when I reached her. I carefully lifted her up. “Hang on, I’ve got you,” I said reassuringly.

Ember tried to push me away, glaring up at me. “I’ll be fine!” she hissed. “It happens all the time!”

I looked horrified at the notion, then glared up at Torch, but held back my anger. Torch, meanwhile, was ignoring me as he looked back down at Celestia. “I assume I’ve made my point clear, Pony??”

Celestia, who looked twice as shocked as I felt, quickly cleared her throat and turned back to face Torch, regaining her neutral expression. “Chrysalis attacked on Equestrian soil, so she is our responsibility,” she said stoically. “We’ll gladly give you Fuego, but we won’t be giving up the Changeling Queen.”

“I know you Ponies won’t punish her as she deserves!” Torch growled. “You’re too soft hearted!”

Celestia’s eyes twitched a bit, but that was all the reaction I saw. I lifted Ember up bridal style and carried her back to our side of the fire. I wanted to shout at Torch for hurting his daughter, but I bit my tongue to keep from ruining any of these negotiations. Ember looked embarrassed, glaring up at me, but I looked back down at her. “Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked softly as I placed her down against a tree.

“Why does it matter to you?” she asked.

“Because I’m worried,” I asked. “You’re coughing blood, for Christ’s sake! You could have a punctured lung or something!”

She waved a claw dismissively. “Us Dragons are tougher than that. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

I frowned. “I don’t care. I’m concerned about your wellbeing.”

“Because I’m royalty, right?” she said dismissively.

I gaped at her. “Because you’re a living, breathing being,” I said quickly. “I’d be worried even if you were some random Dragon, Pony, or Lycan! You just got smacked by your father! That’s not okay!”

“What do you know about Dragons, huh?” Ember asked, almost sounding defensive now.

“Not much, but I do know about what makes a good parent,” I retorted angrily, “and that wasn’t it!”

She stared at me, stunned by my words. She tilted her head at me curiously, then finally said, “You humans are a weird bunch, aren’t you?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” I said.

I turned back to where Celestia and Torch were still talking. Torch looked more and more angry now while Celestia kept her cool. Torch was saying something, and I caught the bare end of it. “…needs to be properly punished for her crimes!”

“And she will be,” Celestia said as calmly as she could, “but under our laws. She did invade our kingdom.”

“Anything less than the death penalty will be unacceptable!” Torch bellowed angrily.

“What would it take for you to accept us punishing Chrysalis?” Celestia asked.

Torch shook his head. “There’s nothing you could offer me, Pony. Not even if you were to challenge me to a Volrif’nel and won!”

I closed my eyes, trying to find the section of my brain that could understand a Dragon’s official language. Words and letters flowed into my mind’s eye, as did a certain phrase. I slowly opened my eyes and frowned at the translation I received. The Fire Nation would be proud. I looked up at Torch and said, “Why, because we can’t do a Fire Fight?”

He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. “And how do you know what a Volrif’nel is, human?”

Mentally, I switched to Old Draconic. “I know the Language of the Ancestors,” I said. I spread my wings which burst immediately into hot yellow flames. “And who says I can’t participate in a Fire Fight. Me or my Princess? You forget, we have the blessings of the Phoenixes.”

Torch looked at me with an astonished expression, but he wasn’t the only one. Celestia’s eyes were also wide, as were Ember’s. Torch lowered himself down towards me, frowning. “I have been around for many centuries, and I never thought I would hear the language of the Dragons spoken ever again. Not even I can speak it fluently, and I’m the oldest among us.”

I crossed my arms. “How is this relevant? So I speak the Language of the Ancestors, so what?”

Torch’s anger began to vanish, and he leaned back, thinking apparently. Something told me I wouldn’t like what he was about to say. Finally, he looked back down at me. “You don’t want war with us mighty Dragons, correct?”

“Correct,” I said.

“Well, since you’re the only being who can fluently speak our old language, I have a proposition for you,” he said with a worrying grin. However, before I could ask, he added, “Have you ever heard of the Ruins of Dormog?”

97: A Cloaked Heart Talks With Ember

Author's Note

So, in the last chapter, I made a mistake when mentioning Ember's blood color. I looked up reptile's blood color and saw it was lime green, and that's what I made her blood color as. I forgot that I made Ember's blood red in an earlier chapter, so I corrected it last chapter. Anyway, enjoy this attempt at a talk.

97: A Cloaked Heart Talks With Ember

In the next five or so minutes, Torch went on to explain just what his apparent compromise really was. Since I knew the ancient language of the Dragons, I was one of the only ones qualified enough and able bodied enough to explore the Ruins he spoke of. I actually did remember what he was talking about since they were the same ruins I saw in my Morphean state before this battle with the Fae started.

According to Torch, there were many powerful artifacts located in the old ruins, but any Dragon who tried to go exploring came back saying that some mysterious force would push them back from the entrance, making them unable to enter. Torch said that since I wasn’t a Dragon, then I was the only one capable of going in and retrieving something for him. He told me he wouldn’t disclose the item in question yet, only when I came to the borders would he deliver a message with a drawing of said object. He said that only then would the Dragons join the Council table.

After that, he demanded that he and Celestia be alone so they could negotiate everything. When Celestia tried to counter, I stopped her and said that I trusted her skills in negotiation before I went to tend to the still injured Ember. At first, she’d insisted she was fine, but I glared at her and told her to shut up and let me treat her. I lifted her away, carrying her up into the air bridal style before looking for another place to land and treat her.

Finding another spot by a small pond, which looked like the same one Zecora had trained Twilight in during the Magic Duel episode, I landed, lay her down, stripped her of her armor, used my new Phoenix wings to start a fire, and did my best to help her, but I was no medic. She apparently had a broken arm, too, which I set with a splint. She was silent all through this, not even looking at me as I did my best to tend to her.

After that, I just sat against the same tree and stayed with her. I looked up at the sky while Ember looked down at the fire, picking up stones and tossing them into the pond lazily with her good arm. I looked down at her after a while. In the soft warm glow of the firelight, I could see that, in her own way, the younger Dragon was actually quite beautiful. She might not have had a human-like appearance, but she was slender and definitely in shape. Her face was twisted into a scowl, though, and despite her rough personality, I knew there was a kinder one down below all that gruff. Maybe not a Pony type of kindness, but it was there. I decided to try and take steps to try and bring it out. I looked up at the sky again, took a deep breath, and said, “Have you ever just looked up at the stars and admired how beautiful they are?”

Ember looked up at me, a bit startled by my words. “Um…why would I? They’re just stars. It’s not like they’re anything special.”

I chuckled a bit. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Stars are amazing. Do you know what stars actually are?”

“No, why would I need to know such trivial things?” Ember asked. She sounded a bit annoyed now.

However, I pressed on. “Trivial? Really? It’s anything but. Stars are massive fiery balls of burning gas billions or trillions of miles away from our beloved planet,” I said. “The sun is a star, and it’s considered average size as far as stars go. But it’s large enough to provide us with warmth and light. Look at that large red star,” I said, moving closer to her and pointing at Betelgeuse. To her credit, she actually did look at where I was pointing, probably more out of boredom than anything. “That star is so much larger than our sun that if it were to exchange places with the sun itself, our planet would be swallowed up. It’s a massive dying star which will eventually explode.”

“As fascinating as this is, why does it matter?” Ember asked.

“I guess what I’m saying is, or what I’m trying to say,” I said, trying to quickly find a moral in this conversation, “is that there’s so much more out there to learn. Maybe it’s about the stars, maybe it’s about something as foreign to you as friendship.” Hah! Bullshit lesson successful!

“Dragons don’t do friendship,” Ember said. Or not, I thought.

“I know one Dragon who does, and he can be pretty badass when he wants to be,” I said. “Sure, he was raised by Ponies, but that doesn’t matter.”

She looked at me, a curious expression on her face now. “You’re talking about that little runt?”

“That little runt just so happens to be one of my best friends,” I said, “and he was one of the first ones I told about My Little Pony.”

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a baby Dragon,” Ember said.

“Can you imagine what it’s like for him to be the only Dragon surrounded by Ponies?” I asked. “He was hatched by Twilight years ago, and has been living with her ever since.”

Ember looked a bit shocked by this revelation, but soon her demeanor returned to its normal detatched state. “That’s just him.”

“Look, I’m not saying that you need to go all weepy and talk about your feewings or something,” I said, “but every species is capable of friendship in one way or another. Hell, back on Earth, I’ve heard of close male friends who give each other a hard time constantly, but that only deepens the bonds of their friendship. It’s called good natured ribbing. Friendship is a very broad topic. Hell, I wouldn’t mind being your friend. Sure, I love being friends with the Ponies and Spike, but there’s a part of me that kinda wants a friend who’s tough and who I can train with and have wrestling matches with. I’d try and be friends with Gemini, but she still hates my guts.”

She scoffed. “You wouldn’t be able to keep up with me.”

I looked at her and grinned. “Wanna bet?”

For the first time, I saw a smirk on her lips. “Once I’m back to my normal self, I’ll make you eat those words.”

“Oooh! I’m quaking in my boots,” I said in a playful taunting tone.

This elicited a small chuckle from her, and I smiled happily. She did look a lot more beautiful when she was smiling or laughing. However, her laughter quickly died down as she looked at her broken arm. “Ugh…fifth time this year…well, at least he’s cutting back.”

I spread my wings, flames spreading from them. “Did you just say…fifth time?” I growled in rage.

Ember turned back to me, looking nonchalant about the whole thing at first, but when she saw the pure fury in my eyes, she froze, eyes widening a bit. “Yeah? So?”

“How the fuck are you okay with this?!” I asked loudly before I took a few deep breaths to calm down. “You know, when I saw how he treated you in the show during the Gauntlet of Fire episode, I just thought he was being dismissive of your size, but after what I saw today, he’s not worthy to be called your father. No good parent would willingly abuse their own offspring out of anger.”

Ember glared at me, snorting out a small flame. “You don’t know anything about him, so shut the fuck up!” she shouted before falling into a coughing fit, some blood escaping her lips.

I grabbed my handkerchief and put my hand on her back, supporting her while I held up the handkerchief to help wipe her mouth. However, she snatched it away from me and wiped it herself before tossing it back to me. “You don’t know what he’s been through,” she snarled.

“No, you’re right,” I conceded as I pulled my hand away after leaning her back against the tree once more, “I don’t know what he’s been through. But what I do know is that there is absolutely no excuse for his behavior towards you. You’re his daughter! Sure, you might not be big like he is, but there’s more to being a Dragon than just being big. You’re strong and extremely intelligent, and you’re brave enough to not only stand up to him, but to put aside your own anger towards me to come help the Kingdom of Equestria.”

“And why do you care?” Ember asked. “All you know about me is from some pansy entertainment for human hatchlings.”

“Even if I hadn’t seen you in the show, I’ve seen enough of you today to know that you’re a Dragon I’d want to get to know better and perhaps become friends with. Or sparring buddies.” She looked down at the ground now, pawing at the dirt with her claw. When she didn’t say anything, I took a breath. “I’m not sorry for calling your dad a bad parent, but I am sorry about how I said it. Your Highness, I can’t force you to change your perspective on your father, but I can just tell it like I see it.”

“There’s…still some good in him…I can just feel it,” Ember said quietly as she continued drawing in the dirt. “Mom always said there was…”

“Okay, so maybe there is,” I said, “but that still doesn’t make it right for him to abuse you.”

She froze in place, looking at the incomplete drawing. “He’s just…having a hard time, is all,” she said.

I frowned. I knew exactly what that sounded like. I’d read about similar excuses from abuse victims back on Earth. She was still in denial. I didn’t know why, but the way she talked about her mother made it sound as if she had passed. I didn’t want to make any assumptions, so I decided to tell her a little story. “You know, back on Earth, I once knew a guy named Frank. He was a good kid. We weren’t like close friends or anything, but he was pretty cool. I met him when I was around ten or so. We went to school together and hung out with my best friend Trixie during some breaks.”

“As interesting as this is, what does this have to do with my dad?” Ember asked.

“I’m getting to that,” I said, and she went silent, still not looking up at me. “When we were both around thirteen, just around the time we began going through puberty, Frank’s dad died in a work accident.” When Ember perked up at that, I figured my suspicions were correct, but I went on anyway. “He was away from school for a week, and we didn’t know why until he came back. He was a changed boy after that. He was quieter, and after a few months, he started to come in with slightly ruffled or dirty clothes. He didn’t look like he was eating well enough either, and he’d come in every so often with bruises, but he’d always have some sort of excuse as to why he was hurt.”

Ember turned to me, eyes wide. “Are you saying that his mother-”

“Yes,” I said. “It was child abuse, plain and simple. Finally, about a year later, he came in with a broken arm and black eye. We had a substitute teacher that day, and when she heard his excuse about falling down the stairs, she actually acted and called Child Protective Services. And do you know what they found? His house was a filthy mess. Not only was Frank’s mom abusing him, but she was a hoarder. Frank was taken away from his mom and she was arrested. I didn’t see him again until I was seventeen. He looked a lot better then and had finally accepted that his mom was a terrible human being. He had two amazing foster parents who loved him just as much as they loved their own children.”

Ember stared at me for a bit, her expression now unreadable as she turned back and looked at the drawing on the ground. She resumed drawing. “Dad’s not like that,” she muttered.

Now I’m regretting all the time I spaced out in that psychology class back in college, I thought. “I’m not saying he’s exactly the same, but if this were on Earth, he’d be arrested for assault for what he just did to you. And yes, I know we’re not on Earth before you say anything.”

“He always says he’s sorry afterwards and gives me some of my favorite meat,” Ember said defensively.

“That sounds more like bribery than anything, and it sounds toxic,” I said plainly. “Your Highness…no…Ember.” When I used her name, she turned back to me. “I’m not saying he’s a completely lost cause, but what I am saying is that being around him is bad for your mental health. You should spend some time away from him.”

“I can’t do that…he needs me there,” Ember said.

“Not if it means you’re gonna be constantly looked down on and hit,” I said. “You deserve a father who’s proud of you for you. Right now, Torch isn’t that. He’s not being a good father, and if what happened tonight is any indication, he’s becoming less fit to be a ruler too. A good ruler never immediately resolves an argument with violence unless there is no other choice. And a good ruler and father would never just throw his daughter at someone else for a marriage proposal.”

She frowned deeper and raised her claw, slashing at the drawing in the ground. She grunted at the sudden movement and coughed a bit more, but fortunately no blood came out. She inhaled, then breathed out some fire at the little campfire I’d made. She sighed. “Yeah…not like I’d come to like you or anything.”

“Oh my God, how much of a tsundere are you?” I snarked.

“What the Tartarus is a tsundere?” she asked.

“Forget it, Earth reference,” I said, before looking back at her. She was still looking at the ground. Taking a chance, I approached, took her chin in my hand and made her face me. “Princess Ember of the Dragon Lands, listen to me. I know we just met, and I don’t know your familial situation, but I’m worried about you. You’ve said some things that have me concerned for your wellbeing. What if Torch goes too far one day and you die? You may be tougher than most, but things could very well get really bad.”

Her surprised expression turned into a glare and she grabbed my hand, pinning me onto my back and getting on top of me. She was indeed strong, that I could tell, but I still felt I could take her in a fight. “Listen here, human! Dad’s under a lot of stress lately! He has to rule an entire land of unruly Dragons. He’s a busy Dragon!”

I grabbed her wrist and gently but firmly pulled it away. Sitting up, I maintained eye contact with her as she backed away, a defiant look in her eyes. One I returned with one of my own. “He should never be too busy for family,” I said. “Take Princess Celestia, for example.”

“Oh, please! She’s a Pony! They’re all a bunch of peace loving, friendly hicks!”

“And she is responsible for raising and lowering the sun,” I reminded her. “For the entire world. Now, can I continue?” That shut her up and she finally nodded. I released her wrist and calmed myself down. Taking a deep breath, I said, “Now, as far as I know, she’s never had any foals of her own, but I know she’s had at least two personal students. Not only that, but she runs a school for gifted Unicorns. Not only that, but she runs an entire kingdom, and has done so alone for a thousand years. She thought of those two students I mentioned as her own daughters, and she made plenty of time for them, or as much time as she could spare. As I’ve said before, when something is important, you make the time.”

Ember leaned forward a bit, barring her teeth. “Why…do you fucking care?” she snarled.

I didn’t flinch, only leveled my gaze at her. “Why do I care? Seriously? Because it’s just a part of who I am. I can’t stand to see anyone being hurt when I can do a little bit of something about it. And since you’re a grown adult, it’s not like I can take you away from it and give you a better life. All I can do is tell it like I see it. You’re not in a healthy living situation right now, Ember. I’m not gonna sit back and say nothing when I see something like this happening. If I did that, I’d be no better than the abuser.”

The next thing I knew, my face exploded with pain as Ember slugged me. I flew back into the ice cold pond. Coughing and sputtering, I quickly got out, shivering as the cold wintery air struck my now damp clothes and skin. Ember’s eyes were completely full of rage as she stomped through the fire and loomed over me. She grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up. “Don’t you dare say that! You don’t get the right to say that! Dad isn’t abusing me! It’s his tough love!”

“Tough love…nng…doesn’t involve a bitch slap!” I said, once more grabbing her wrist and pulling her off of me. I held her fast this time as she struggled in my grip. “It doesn’t involve him beating you with enough force to break bones!”

She doubled her struggle, and even tried to use her broken arm, but I pushed it down. Leaning closer, I continued, “Why is it so hard for you to accept that he’s not being a good father??”

“He’s all I have left!” Ember shouted back with all her might. “Mom’s dead! He’s the only family left! I can’t abandon him!”

I went silent, staring at Ember. I felt my face morph into a more sympathetic one as I loosened my grip on her. She felt this and tore herself away from me, stomping away and plopping down in front of the fire angrily. I slowly made my way over and sat a few feet from her, spreading my wings and wrapping myself in them. We both sat there in silence before she took a breath and made the fire bigger. I moved closer and let the flames dry my clothes. All we could hear was the sound of the early morning breeze through the Everfree. Finally, Ember said something I didn’t expect. “…I’m sorry…”

I shook my head. “It’s alright…I know what it’s like to lose a parent. I lost both of mine.”

She continued staring into the fire, staying silent for a bit. Finally, she continued. “I hate this. I hate talking about my feelings, but you somehow got it out of me…”

“You hate it because you feel vulnerable, right?” I asked, still looking into the fire as well. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ember nodding slowly. “I think I can understand that. From what I’ve seen, your culture is more like a warrior type than anything else. You need to project strength more than anything. And that’s fine and all, but it doesn’t matter if you’re a Dragon, human, or Pony. We all have the need to vent. Maybe yours isn’t talking, but talking is a good way to get your feelings out there.”

“I…don’t really like it,” she said.

“Nobody does,” I said. “When I first got to Equestria, I was a fucked-up mess. I did stupid shit like not trusting my new friends with some of my own problems. I felt like it was my own burden to bear. But the moment I told them, I realized that they were the type of friends who’d be there for me for the good and the bad.” I turned and faced her, and to my surprised she slightly turned to look at me in return. “I’m not gonna force you to talk to me about this, but I just hope you realize what you’ve been enduring is beyond messed up.”

I watched her clenching her fists, but her expression never wavered. “He…still needs me,” she said softly.

“You love him, don’t you?” I asked.

“He’s my dad!” she shouted suddenly, “what do you think?!” She hit the ground. “He’s been so lost without Mom! I’ve had to step up!”

“Is it really your job to help him?” I asked. “He’s a grown Dragon.”

“Mom asked me to, okay!?” she shouted back once more. “She…asked me to…” she trailed off, looking back down at the ground. And then I saw a drop of liquid fall from her eyes.

I tried to resist the urge to hug her for as long as I could, but being around Ponies for so long, that urge very quickly failed. I did, however, put a wing around her. She didn’t react, but a few more drops fell from her eyes. “And that’s fine, but at some point you need to ask yourself if it’s worth the constant beatings and abuse.”

She took a deep breath, then wiped her eyes a bit before sitting up and looking back at me. “Human…how are you making me feel like this?” she asked. To my surprise, she had a look of confusion on her face and to top it off, she didn’t even push my wing away.

“I’m not using any magic on you, if that’s what you mean,” I replied. “I just don’t want you to be hurt anymore.”

She stared at me for a bit, then took another deep breath, sighing as she closed her eyes. “You…you gave me a lot to think about,” she said.

“I’m glad,” I said, “and I’m sorry for yelling. I tend to get a bit more…upset when domestic abuse comes up. I’ve seen what it can do firsthand, and I don’t want the same to happen to a lovely woman like you.”

I saw a bit of pink come to her cheeks, but before she could say anything, I heard someone flying down from above. I quickly turned, on guard and ready to protect Ember just in case, but when I saw it was Celestia, I immediately relaxed. Right above her, high above the treeline, I saw Torch hovering. Since I was in the presence of others, I knelt to my Princess. She landed, walked up and said, “Rise. Sir Jethro.”

I did so, then reached down to help Ember to her feet. She was still blushing slightly, but when she and I both saw the grave expression on her face, she became serious. “My Liege Lady, what’s happened?” I asked.

Celestia’s face was a grim one as she looked down at me and Ember. “Lord Torch and I have come to an agreement,” she said. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask for your aid once more, my Knight.”

I put a fist to my chest and lowered my head. “I am yours to command, Princess.”

Celestia sighed, but straightened. Her mane flew faster as her more regal appearance showed itself. Spreading her wings wide, she looked directly at me. “Sir Jethro Bethridge, sworn Knight of Equestria, you shall depart for the Ruins of Dormog on the northernmost edge of the Dragon Lands. There, you shall retrieve one of the artifacts within known as the Sunsword. Torch’s instructions are as follows: do not touch it with any part of your body as it is said to imprint on anycreature who does. Bring it to him at his throne three days from now at the latest, and he has sworn that he will call off his invasion. His other stipulation is that you do it alone. No help from anypony or anycreature else.”

So much for calling for Daring Do’s help, part of me thought, however I didn’t let it show. I stood straighter and said, “I’ll depart at first light, my Liege Lady.”

She lowered her wings, and a look of worry creased her brow as she said quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I said. “It’s not your fault this happened. We were all fooled by Chrysalis and her Fae. But for now let’s just get everything back at the Castle settled, okay?”

“You leave things to me,” Celestia said tiredly before turning to Ember. “Princess Ember, you’re free to return to your home or stay with us. Your father didn’t seem to care either way.”

The look of hurt on Ember’s face was brief, but it was there. She stood up straighter. “A Dragon doesn’t need any compassion from Ponies,” she said. “I’ll head back home. My wings aren’t broken, at least.”

So saying, she spread them and, giving me one more look, jumped up and flew towards the sky, leaving me and Celestia alone. Torch turned and headed back southeast towards the Dragon Lands. Celestia then turned to me and hugged me. The poor Alicorn was trembling, so I held her back, looking up at the starry morning sky. Things just got a lot more complicated…

98: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 1

“Jethro, darling, you can’t be serious!” Rarity was glaring at me angrily. “Heading into the Dragon Lands on your own without any kind of protection? Are you completely daft!?”

It was just past eleven in the morning, now. After Celestia and I returned to the Castle, she ordered me to get some rest, which I did. When I woke around eight o’clock that morning, I saw that the forest fire been doused, although the blackened scar on the forest was massive, leaving a great big empty space around the gorge itself. I nearly fell back in shock when I heard that the fire had spread more quickly than a normal one, destroying about a third of the Everfree.

I heard that thanks to Fluttershy, she’d saved a ton of animals from the fire and they were temporarily living in and around the castle near the stable I’d mentioned. I was really happy to hear that Zecora’s house had been saved thanks to some of her own tricks, but the trees around her house had not been so lucky, apparently. The forest was bare enough that I could now see her house from the castle.

I was also told that Luna and Cadance were quickly recovering. Celestia looked worse than she had before, but she was still going strong, giving orders and making sure things were going well. When I visited her again, she told me that the delegates had agreed to resume the council in three days time. Some expressed extreme disagreement on even trying to include the Fae or the Dragons in the council due to their actions of late, but Celestia had managed to calm everyone down enough to delay the council for at least three days. She’d also promised that they could stay there and they’d be treated well. Unsurprisingly, Amethyst didn’t believe a word of it, but Jasper stopped her immediately and accepted.

After hearing this, I decided it was time for me to go back home and pack. Celestia, as tired as she was, opened a small portal back to my own front gate, but not before the Mane Six, Zecora, Scarlet, Sunset, Gemini, Mica and Spike followed me through.

I was in my Earth house now, grabbing a few spare changes of clothes into a backpack. The others were all crowded in my living room, trying their damndest to convince me not to do this. I shook my head. “I’ve been given an order by Princess Celestia herself,” I said. “I have to do it alone. It’s the only way Torch will keep his word and not go to war with Equestria. And believe me, you don’t want to go to war.”

“And you’re stupid enough to believe him?” Sunset asked. “I’ve heard about this Sunsword before. I read about it when I was in the forbidden archives before I fled to Earth. It’s a dangerous weapon in the hands of someone like Torch!”

“Of course I don’t believe him!” I shouted back, narrowing my eyes at the bacon haired Unicorn. “Nobody smart would! But three days is three days! We need that time!”

“We’re not letting you go alone,” Scarlet said defiantly.

“You don’t have that option,” I replied, glaring at her.

She stamped her hoof on the ground and was about to shout at me, but Zecora stepped in, putting her leg in front of Scarlet to stop her. Scarlet did indeed back away, looking completely pissed. She looked up at me and said, “If you don’t come back, I’ll find you and kill you. And if you do, you owe me time in bed, damn it!”

“As long as it’s fine with Zecora,” I said quickly as I found Dad’s old hunting knife and stuffed it in the backpack as well.

“You’re a fucking fool, you know that?” Gemini growled angrily.

“Gem! Language!” Mica shouted, looking down at Spike apologetically. “Sorry about her.”

Spike waved his claw. “It’s alright.”

I turned to Gemini. “You have three days to get everyone else here trained,” I said. “You and Mica.”

She grabbed me by my collar and shoved me against the wall, much to the shock of the others who were shouting at her in fear. “I didn’t train you all these months just for you to go throwing your life away on some foolish mission across the ocean!” she bellowed, and for the first time, I thought I caught a glimpse of what might have been concern or worry in her eyes. “If you think you’re going alone, you have another thing coming, human whelp!”

I grabbed her wrists and squeezed them, making her let go of me. I, however, didn’t, and instead pulled her closer until our noses were almost touching. “I’m making this an order,” I growled back, “stay here and train everyone in this room on how to fight.”

She growled, baring her teeth at me furiously. “You have…got to be…the most reckless…stupidest…pig-headed…MALE! I can’t believe I’m about to do this! TAKE THIS!” And with that, she opened her jaw and bit down on my shoulder angrily.

I yelped as she broke skin, but not too deep. Mica gaped at the display, apparently knowing something about it. The others were frozen in fear, all save for one gorgeous Zebra mare who launched herself forward and kicking Gemini with all her strength. She let go and was sent tumbling into the wall. “Don’t you dare touch my stallion like that again!” she screeched before turning and standing on two hooves, looking worriedly at the torn clothes and the small patches of blood coming through. She quickly took off my shirt, reached into a saddlebag on her back, grabbed a piece of cloth and dabbed at the shallow wounds. “Does it hurt?” she asked in a trembling voice as she used something like a disinfectant on the wounds.

“Not as bad as it could be,” I admitted, and it was the truth. It had surprised me more than anything. As Zecora continued cleaning the bites, I turned to where Gemini was being helped up by Mica. “What the hell was that for?” I asked with a low growl.

“You don’t need to know that,” she barked as she brushed Mica away. “You want to throw your life away, be my guest! If you come back, I won’t go easy on you!” And with that, the extremely agitated Lycan stormed out, followed closely by a worried looking Mica.

Looking back down, I saw Zecora putting some gray goop on the wounds then putting a bandage on it, pressing down with her hooves until it was completely sealed. She then grabbed my shirt and handed it back to me. Putting it on, I looked at the gathered Ponies and Dragon in the room. Looking at Sunset first, I said, “What’s the Sunsword?”

She shook her head, frowning. “I don’t know too much. All I read was that it was some sort of Dragon blade forged by an unknown Dragon. It was made for someone named Sol Invictus.”

“Equestria has Latin?” I asked.

Sunset smirked. “Latain we call it here.”

“And no pun names? Weird, but whatever,” I said. “Sol Invictus, huh? Unconquered Sun. Yeah, that’s not threatening at all,” I concluded sarcastically.

Spike looked up at me worriedly, then his eyes widened. “Jethro,” he said, using my name instead of the nickname I’d let him use, “are you gonna fly there?”

“As fast as I can,” I said. “Either that, or see if Celestia will be able to teleport me to the Dragon Lands like she did with Ember.”

He nodded. “Could you come by the Library later? I have something to give you for the trip.” Turning to Twilight, he said, “Twilight, could you help me?”

“Run along, Spike,” she said with a small smile, “I’ll come in a bit.” After Spike nodded and ran out the door, Twilight turned to me, stormed up and put her hoof on my chest. “If you don’t come back to us alive, I will never forgive you,” she said with an angry growl, tears forming in her eyes.

I nodded, wrapping her in a tight hug. Her angry face vanished and she buried herself into me, clinging to me like she wasn’t gonna see me again. “I’ll come back, and that’s a promise,” I whispered.

She nuzzled my neck affectionately, then released me. “You’d better,” she said quietly. Then, turning to the others, she said, “I’ll be at the Library if anypony needs anything. Sunset, since you’re staying with us for a bit, do you want to come with me?”

Sunset looked at me, then back at Twilight, nodding. “Yeah…sounds good to me.”

Twilight nodded, and her horn began to glow. And with that, the two mares vanished in a flash of teleportation.

The next to approach me was Zecora. She hugged me close and said, “When you return, I’ll have a nice reward waiting for you.”

I blushed a bit and hugged her back. “I look forward to it. Thank you, dearest.”

She gave me a deep, passionate kiss, then released me. “I must return home. Since it’s now exposed, I need to protect it as best as I can.”

“Good luck.”

After she left, Scarlet came up. She looked like she was holding back tears as she flew up and threw her forelegs around me. “I love you, you big idiot,” she whispered, “and you’d better come back to me alive. To all of us.”

“I will.”

Scarlet let me go, and took a deep breath. “I’m gonna go help Zecora, if that’s okay.”

I nodded, then handed her the spare keys. “Share this with her when you wanna come home, okay?”

After Scarlet took it and flew out after Zecora, Applejack came up next. She looked stoically up at me, then hugged me close, her strong forelegs wrapping me in their crushing embrace. “Take care of yerself now, ya hear?” she said, and to my surprise it sounded like her voice was trembling just a tad. “Ah don’t wanna lose anypony else.”

“I’ll come back, sugarcube,” I said softly as she released me and headed back out.

Rainbow Dash came up next and hovered in front of me. She pointed at me and said warningly, “You’d better kick some flank our there, or I’ll kick yours, got it?”

I smirked. “Duly noted, Rainy.”

When she left, Rarity came up next. She lifted a small brown parcel up to me. “I know it’s not wrapped in the best, but I wanted you to have it before you left. Think of it as an early Hearthswarming present.”

Smiling, I carefully opened the parcel, which revealed a pair of sturdy black gloves. I wasn’t sure if they were leather or not, but considering the culture I was in, I figured it was some kind of faux leather. I put one on and to my surprise the interior was as soft as cotton. I ran my exposed hand over the front, finding that there was some form of grip on the front. I looked around, saw an apple on the kitchen counter, then summoned it over to me. I grasped it and held it in my gloved hand. It stayed in place without so much as a single movement. I opened my hand and put the apple in my backpack, then turned to Rarity. Before she could say or do anything, I lifted her in my magic and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you, Rares,” I said, “I’ll take these with me.”

“Then promise me you’ll return to us,” she said.

“I promise.”

After Rarity left, Pinkie Pie bounded up to me next. Her mane was slightly deflated, but there was a hopeful look in her gorgeous blue eyes. She leaped into my arms, and I caught her, but in the process my hands went right on her flanks. She slowly put her hooves around my neck and leaned closer. “When you get back, I’m throwing you the biggest party ever,” she said with a small twinkle in her eyes.

“I look forward to it,” I said.

Without warning, she leaned in and gave me the deepest, most sensuous kiss she’d ever given me. I could sense the love, but also the nervousness and desperation behind it. She pulled me closer, and I finally responded in kind. The kiss lasted for about ten or so seconds before she slowly pulled away. “I love you, Jethy-wethy,” she said as she climbed down.

I stroked her mane. “Just look forward to our eventual date, Pinkster.”

Her mane moved upwards a bit more and she smiled happily. “I will!” And with that, she bounced out of the house. I wondered if anything really truly got that mare down.

Fluttershy came up to me last. I immediately wrapped my arms around the poor trembling Pegasus. The two of us stood there, alone in the house. She slowly leaned back, looking at me with those deep aquamarine eyes of hers. Then, to my surprise, she pressed her lips against mine. Unlike Pinkie’s kiss, this one was a bit more chaste and had a bit of inexperience behind it, but even then, I could feel the raw emotions behind it. The love. The fear. The worry.

Before I could return the kiss, she pulled away. “Please…come back,” she said worriedly. “I love you.”

“I’ll come back, I promise,” I said, stroking her mane. “After all, I have a date with you to fulfill.”

She tightened her grip on me for a few seconds before she let me go. “Thank you…Jethro.”

“You’re welcome, Fluttershy,” I said.

After a few minutes, she finally let go. I released her and she landed on all fours. She turned and headed to the door, but not before giving me a forelorn look, then blew me a kiss before blushing, spreading her wings and flying away, leaving me alone in my house. After a few moments of silence, I resumed packing…

The walk over to the house was a normal one, and Ponies who saw me and knew me waved, most apparently having already heard about the Fae invasion and the Everfree fire. Some wanted to congratulate me and tell me I was a hero, but I apologetically said I was in a hurry to see someone.

I caught a glimpse of Derpy as she flew in the air towards Cloudsdale, but she didn’t seem to see me. I also saw Vinyl and Octavia walking down the street towards Sugarcube Corner, but other than that I didn’t quite know many of the other Ponies who greeted me with a smile, wave and a quick grateful word. Finally, I was at Twilight’s library treehouse.

I barely managed one knock on her door before the door was flung open, revealing a nervous looking Twilight. “Jethro, hey!” she said, putting on a false smile as she stepped aside. “Come on in!”

I frowned, knowing something had to be up, but I shrugged and did as I was told. She closed the door and pointed to the couch. “Sit sit,” she said as she rushed to the kitchen.

I raised an eyebrow but did as she said. “Twilight, if this is a stalling technique, it won’t work,” I called out, “I need to get going. Clock’s ticking, after all.”

“This’ll only take a few minutes, I promise!” she called out, quickly but carefully carrying out a teaset with two cups of steaming tea. “Please?” she said, floating one of the teacups over to me.

I hesitantly took it, inhaling the sweet brew before blowing on it. “What are you doing?” I asked hesitantly as I took a small sip.

Twilight took a seat, then lifted her own teacup to her lips, sipping on it after blowing as well. After putting it down, she took a deep breath and exhaled. “Jethro…I wanted to say this to you first before I told anypony else.” I tensed, not liking the sound of her voice. It was gravely serious, like she was about to reveal a big truth to me. I had a sneaking suspicion as to what it was, but I didn’t want to guess, so I gestured towards her to continue. Twilight pursed her lips, then continued. “Ever since we began studying Earth and Equestrian leaders together, I feel like we’ve become closer as friends. Am I wrong?”

“Not at all,” I replied, taking another sip of the sweet flowery tea and swallowing. “I like hanging around with you. Sure, it gives me a headache sometimes, but it’s a satisfying headache. If that makes any sense.”

She smiled slightly before putting down the teacup and standing up. She stiffened, then walked over to me, putting her front hooves on my knees and looking into my eyes. “Jethro, you know I love to learn. It makes me really happy, and when you came here with knowledge of your own world in a digital library, I couldn’t have been happier. But…I don’t want you to think that I like spending time with you because of that.” Her ears flattened. “I know…I know I can go off the rails a lot, but I really do cherish the time we’ve spent together, studying, talking, or even bowling that one time.”

I chuckled. “You and Spike both kicked my ass at that,” I said with a smile.

She giggled, putting a hoof to her mouth briefly before putting it back on my knee. “Whenever you’re around, I feel…I don’t know…complete maybe?” She looked down. “Nnng, why is this so hard?!”

“Just tell me what you want to say, Twilight Sparkle,” I said reassuringly, putting down my tea and stroking her mane gently.

I could feel her relax immensely, and she nuzzled her head into my hand, closing her eyes and taking in another deep breath, letting it out slowly. She looked up at me, tears brimming as she said, “I think…I think I love you.”

There was silence between us as I digested what she’d just said to me. It somewhat felt like it came out of left field, but as I thought back to all the times we spent together, it made a bit of sense. Twilight was socially awkward, so her showing her emotions would be a bit unorthodox. Whenever we sat in this very room for our studying, she would be close to me despite the fact that the projected laptop screen was large. Her smile was always radiant and showed an eagerness to learn. A desire to know things. Or perhaps it was a desire to know more about my world to better relate to me. To get closer to me in the only way she knew how: studying an alien culture.

“Well…say something!” Twilight said sharply, her cheeks beet red with embarrassment.

I pulled her closer into an embrace and held her close. She jumped a bit in shock, but hugged me back hesitantly. Like Fluttershy before her, she too was trembling. In that moment, I realized just why she’d said what she said. She was afraid of losing me. It was an act of a desperate woman in love. I tightened my grip on her. “When I get back, I am going to take you on a great date on Earth,” I promised. “I’m sure Pendragon has a lovely library we can visit, and a history museum too. Maybe we can even catch a movie.”

I heard her sniffing as she tightened her own grip on me. “Promise?” she asked weakly.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” I said, making the motions.

“I…I’m sorry, Jethro…” she said with a hiccup, “I just…I didn’t want you to go without telling you…”

“I understand, Twi,” I said reassuringly as I stroked her back lovingly. “I’m glad you told me.”

I held her like that for a while before I slowly released her. She got off of me, and I saw how bloodshot her eyes were. Her fur under her eyes was stained with tears. I brought over a box of tissues and wiped the tears from her eyes. She blushed, but didn’t say anything as I cleaned her up. When I finished, she cleared her throat and said, “So…let me get the bag Spike packed for you. He would be here to give it to you, but he…he’s asleep. Poor Dragon’s tuckered out.”

I nodded in understanding. “Thanks, Twi. Thank Spike for me too, would you?”

She nodded and rushed up the stairs. While she was doing that, I took off the laptop bag I had on me and set it on the table. I opened it and brought out the laptop I brought back from Sunset’s Earth. I set the wireless mouse and charging chord next to it. When Twilight came back down, carrying a large brown sack and saw the laptop on the table, her eyes bulged and she rushed down, gently setting the bag at my feet before looking over the laptop with curious eyes. “What…what are you doing with this here?” she asked, looking between me and the piece of technology.

I held up my phone. “I’m gonna use it to communicate with you every evening around…let’s say nine o’clock. Sunset knows how it works. Just tell her to log onto Skype. I made a new account you can use so we can talk.”

Twilight’s enthusiasm was only dimmed by her apparent worry for me. She nodded. “Thank you, Jethro,” she said. “That means a lot to me.”

“You all take care now, okay?” I said.

She looked up at me as I stood and grabbed the small sack. It was a bit heavier than I thought, and I would have gone through it if I had the time. She gave me a solemn wave as she opened the door for me. “We will, I promise.”

And with that, I stepped out into the cold wintery late morning, put on the gloves Rarity made for me, spread my wings and flew into the air.

When I reached the castle again later and spoke to Celestia, she profusely apologized for not being able to teleport me to the Dragon Lands directly, but she could teleport me to the edge of the Badlands right on the edge of the Forbidden Jungle. She opened a portal through after I mentioned what I’d given Twilight and its significance. I walked through the portal, which snapped shut behind me, then spread my wings and leaped into the noontime air. I put all of my training with Rainbow Dash to good use as I flew above the jungle. I spotted a few ancient ruins poking through the canopy, and at one point I thought I saw a Pegasus who could very well have been Daring Do herself, but the form disappeared the moment I took a closer look.

I reached the edge of the continent, then flew across the southern portion of the Celestial Sea, pumping my wings for all they were worth. Fortunately, all of my training seemed to be paying off as I finally spotted a large shore approaching, and beyond it a massive smoking volcano. Celestia told me that the volcano was the northernmost point of the Dragon Lands.

When I landed on the empty beach, I set my two bags down, then reached into the first one to pull up a map of the Dragon Lands, one that was ancient even back in the days before Nightmare Moon. I spotted the mountain, which was labeled in ancient Ponish as Ignatio Peak. Directly east of it, I saw a depiction of a large palace labeled Dormog’s Palace. I put my bags back on, then lifted back up into the air, going higher and higher until I was nearly passed a lower cloud layer.

The landscape before me must have once been beautiful. I could see swathes of ancient trees that had since been destroyed somehow. Maybe it was a volcanic eruption, or perhaps it happened during the Fae-Dragon war, but either way, a lot of the trees had been petrified. As I few inland, the petrified trees started to vanish, revealing nothing but dirt and rocks and large spires of stone jutting out of the ground.

As I continued to fly inland, I finally saw the ruins I’d seen only one night ago in my Morphean state. The sun in the sky was halfway down now, and I began to descend towards the massive structure. I had no idea why I hadn’t even been challenged by any Dragon guards, but when I remembered how loose the Dragon Lands were, it made sense that they’d not care about patrolling the borders.

I landed in front of the ruins, and collapsed onto the ground, my two bags falling off my shoulders hard.

That was when I heard someone grunting in pain.

Instantly, I was on alert, removing the hunting knife from its sheath I’d strapped to my belt. The voice had sounded muffled, like it was wrapped in a bag. A sudden creeping suspicion formed in my mind as I slowly approached the bag Spike had packed for me. I slowly undid the rope, which I saw had been pushed inside of the bag instead. After I undid it, I quickly pulled it open, knife ready.

Only to see a weary looking purple and green Dragon looking fearfully back at me. My jaw dropped. “SPIKE?!”

99: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 2

Author's Note

Soundtrack I listened to while writing this chapter:

99: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 2

“I am gonna be really honest here with you. I am trying really…really hard not to yell at you, Spike, I really am,” I said a few minutes later as I paced the ground, the young Dragon sitting on the ground sith his legs crossed and looking at the ground in fear. “But…what the hell are you doing here?!” I shouted, stopping and yelling at him anyway. “Sneaking into a bag that I’ll be carrying across an ocean and in the cold?! What if you got hurt?! Or got hypothermia!?” I quickly embraced him in my wings, helping him to warm up as I scooped him up carefully. He was indeed really cold, so I focused on warming him up first. “You can’t just go scaring me like that!”

When I heard him start to cry, I realized I’d gone a bit too far. I calmed myself down and held the poor boy close like he was my own son. Or younger brother. “Spike…I’m sorry,” I said, “but…I don’t want you getting hurt. You’re one of my closest friends, almost like a little brother to me.” I pulled him closer in my wings as I continued warming him up, “Why did you do it?”

With a small sniff, the poor drake said, “I…I didn’t want you going alone!” he finally said with determination. “I don’t care what Dragon Lord Torch says! I wasn’t gonna let you go alone! You’re like my big brother too!”

The last remark caught me a bit off guard. I never knew he thought so highly of me. We did hang out on a regular basis playing O&O for a few hours each week, and I did see him when I went to talk to Twilight, but that was it. I sighed, admiring his loyalty and determination to help out a friend, but inwardly groaning at his stupidity. However, what was done was done. I couldn’t just fly him back. That would waste valuable time. And I only managed the teleportation spell once, and that was an act of desperation. “Did you tell Twilight about this?” I asked.

He shook his head. “She…she doesn’t know I’m here yet,” he said. “I said I was going to sleep and put pillows in my bed…”

I groaned and facepalmed. “Spike…I have to tell Twilight and the others about this. You know that, right?”

He slowly nodded. “I know…”

I pulled out my phone and opened up Skype. The alternate account I made wasn’t online yet, so I sighed and put it away. “But since she isn’t online, you’re safe for now.”

I looked around, then spotted a large rock that I could sit against. I grabbed the bags with my magic (the one Spike had did have a few things in them, like grilled cheese sandwiches and a thermos of Spike’s famous tomato soup) and walked over to the rock, leaning against it as I sat down. I held Spike close, warming him up carefully. All the while, Spike kept on muttering, “Sorry…sorry…”

“It’s not just me you need to apologize to, Spike,” I said as I put a comforting hand on his head. “I know you want to help, but-” I stopped. Inwardly I cursed myself for what I was about to say. I was about to fall into the same mistake the others did with Spike. Sure, he was a baby Dragon, but he was smarter than the average Dragon. He was brave and loyal and true. However, I wouldn’t be a good adult if I didn’t say this. “But…you know it’s dangerous here, right? What would Twilight think if you got hurt here?”

“I can take care of myself just fine!” Spike said, a bit of childish defiance creeping into his tone. “I don’t care about the dangers! I just want to help my friends! And that includes you!” He glared up at me defiantly

I held his gaze for a good ten seconds before finally allowing a smirk to slowly play over my face. “Good answer. Honest, Loyal, a true friend,” I said as I knelt. I held out my hand, palm outstretched. “I forgive you, okay? But you do realize that there’s no going back for you now, Dragon-boy. Are you ready?”

Spike straightened up and briskly walked over to me. He put his claw in my hand and squeezed. “Damn right!”

I closed my hand over his claw. “Whoo boy…Twilight is gonna kill me for teaching you that language,” I laughed as I stood up, releasing his claw.

“Not as much as I’ll hurt you if you break her heart,” Spike said as he gave me the protective brother look.

“You heard all that, huh?” I asked as I grabbed both bags, slinging them over my shoulder and starting the walk towards the entrance to the ancient Dragon ruins.

“Every. Single. Word.” Spike was glaring up at me now. “You might be like a brother to me, but I’ve known her my whole life. If you hurt her, so help me Celestia, I will burn you.”

I sighed and faced him, straightening up taller. “I would never, in a billion years, go out of my way to purposely hurt her. She’s an amazing mare and, just like the others who’ve confessed to me, deserve a chance.”

He looked up at me curiously. “The others? Who else?”

“Scarlet, Pinkie and Fluttershy,” I said.

“Humans don’t have herds, do they?” he asked.

I raised an eyebrow and looked back down at the little drake. “You’re not as innocent as Twilight believes, are you?” I asked. I thought back to my time back on Earth as a pre-teen, and how I would ocassionally sneak glances at my Dad’s Men’s Health magazines, especially at the articles or ads about sex. At Spike’s slight blush, I said, “I won’t tell anyone, but I think it’s about time either Twilight or myself had a talk with you. But to answer your question, normally humans don’t have anything like a herd. It’s seen as wrong by the majority of our race. But I’ve been reading some testimonials from the staticnet about humans who have successfully managed a relationship much like that of a herd.”

“Really?” he asked.

“Really really,” I said. “But enough of that for now. We need to really get moving. And my wings are too tired right now to fly any more, so we’re walking.” Without wasting any time, I picked Spike up, put him on my back and began quickly walking towards the ruins.

It was clear to see that in its heyday, these ruins had been a sight to behold. As I had seen before, there were many various towers, blackened by what might have been Dragonsfire or something that the Fae had torched the ancient palace with. On the battlements, I saw the same large statues of various Dragons, and to my surprise they looked a lot more regal even than Torch. Almost more civilized than any Dragon I’d seen in the show, aside maybe from Ember. I could almost hear Twilight’s voice in my head: “Maybe Dragon civilization was once like ours, but fell in some apocalyptic event! Ooooh, this is so exciting! I can’t wait to write a book on this!” A smile came to my lips as I thought about the adorkable, bookish, and quite lovely mare back home. Despite the urgency of the mission, I pulled out my phone and took a few dozen images of the castle ruins, a panoramic shot or two, and a quick thirty second video.

Unlike most palaces and castles I’d seen in images online and in Equestria, this one looked big enough to fit the largest Dragon I’d seen in Equestria, namely Torch. There was no moat around the castle, which made sense to me since why make something that any kind of flying being could easily surpass. Instead, I noted long metal spikes coming out of the battlements, presumably placed there to keep any kind of flying attacker out. Some had fallen loose and I reached out with my magic to examine it more closely. I wasn’t stupid enough to touch the tip, since for all I knew there could be some poison on it still. I made a mental note to mention this form of defense to Celestia just in case, and tossed the rusted spike aside.

As I moved closer towards the massive metal doors that led to the inside, I saw some kind of hollow pipes located in the walls themselves that were curved. Right above each one were small black windows I tried to reason what their purpose was until I realized that since Dragons breathed fire, it could very well be that they used these holes to blow fire out at enemy invaders and the windows to see their enemies.

This ruin hadn’t been a castle. It had been a well fortified fortress. There didn’t really seem to be any haste in the construction of the spikes or the fire tubes. This was meant to withstand a siege.

Spike, who’d also been looking around, clung a bit tighter to my head as he sat on my shoulders. “I don’t like this place,” he said. “It’s creepy.”

“All ruins are,” I said. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. In fact…here.” I looked around and saw five to six spikes scattered on the ground. Using my magic, I picked them up and surrounded us with the spikes, ready to shoot them off in the event of any kind of danger. As we made our way forward, I picked up a few more spikes, surrounding us as the spiked glowed in my slightly golden silvery magic. I spread my wings, ready to ignite them with Phoenix fire just in case.

Finally, we reached the gate. It towered over us and was probably twice as tall as Torch was high. The size of this place was starting to impress itself on me even more. I frowned. “Well, looks like we’re gonna have to go up, then.”

“But how? You said your wings were tired,” Spike said.

“Well, I still have my magic, don’t I?” I reasoned. “Maybe I can open these doors.” So saying, I temporarily put down the spikes and held up both my hands. I felt the magic all around me as and focused it on the doors themselves. First, I tried pulling, but when that failed, I pushed. The door moved slightly, but then stopped as if something on the other side was blocking it. Taking a deep breath, I doubled my efforts, and I heard something on the other side snap, then two large pieces of metal fell to the ground behind the doors.

With whatever was blocking the doors now gone, I pushed against the doors. Spike covered his ears as a loud screech of metal scraping metal filled the air aroud us. I didn’t have that luxury, so I bore with it until the door was open just enough for me to step through.

The moment I crossed the threshold, Spike seemed to be pulled back just a bit, like he was being pushed against an invisible force. However, after another pull, he passed through and I put him down. After pushing the doors closed, I held up my hand, letting a finger start to glow. “Let me risk a little more light,” I said in an imitation of Gandalf, creating a large ball of light which I put in the air and made to follow us.

What I saw took my breath away. We were both standing in a massive arched hallway. I saw large and small armor sets standing against the walls. Nearly half were knocked over. I walked over to one that looked about my size, grabbed the sword that had fallen and examined it. It looked nearly brand new, with crossguards that resembled Dragon wings and a handle that resembled a Dragon’s tail. The blade itself had a few spikes at the bottom which eventually smoothed out. I whistled in appreciation as I found the scabbard, a golden one with gems encrusted on it and sheathed it carefully after brushing the dust off of it and the sword. It slipped in with barely a sound. What surprised me even more was that there was some sort of leathery strap around it that allowed me to carry it behind my back.

As I walked away, I accidentally stepped on something. Looking down, I saw another sword on the ground similarly shaped, only this one was still in its scabbard. I reached down and picked it up. I was equally surprised to see a similar strap on it. It was about the perfect size for Spike, so I turned to the young drake who was still looking at the suit of armor. “Spike. Here.”

Spike turned, then saw the sword I was holding out. It was more of a dagger than anything else, at least by normal human standards, but for him it was the perfect size. He swallowed nervously. “Do…I really need that?” he asked, not looking particularly enthusiastic.

“I really hope not, but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” I said, moving it closer.

Spike hesitantly took it, then drew it out to its full length, looking it over with a worried expression. Just like my own new sword, it was in surprisingly good shape. He gave it a few experimental swipes before sheathing it once more. “I don’t know how to use this,” he said nervously.

“Simple: the pointy end goes into your opponent,” I said, some of my dry humor coming to the surface before I could stop myself. Upon seeing how Spike’s face went pale at that, I quickly added, “It’s for self-defense only, Spike. I know you don’t like the idea, but we’re in the Dragon Lands now. This isn’t the Kingdom of Equestria. Dragons here aren’t nice. It’s better to be prepared and not need it than be unprepared and need it.”

Spike moved closer to me, grabbing my pants leg. “I don’t like it,” he said.

“I don’t either, but it is what it is,” I said. At that very moment, my phone began ringing with the Skype tone. “Ah, that’s gotta be Twilight,” I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling it out. Sure enough, my alternate account was calling me. I hit the answer button, only to be greeted by a frazzled and terrified looking Twilight sitting in the middle of the library. Sunset was behind her, looking equally as concerned. “Hey, Twi.”

“Jethro! Spike’s gone!” Twilight said frantically. “His bed was just full of pillows and he didn’t even leave a note!”

“Twilight-”

“He could be lost out there, wherever he is! Or the Changelings kidnapped him!”

“Twilight-”

“Oh dear Celestia, what am I gonna do?!”

“TWILIGHT! CALM THE FUCK DOWN!”

The force of my shout echoed through the massive castle hallway. Twilight’s eyes widened at my language, but before she could say anything, I lifted Spike up in my magic and brought him into frame. “Spike’s fine. He’s with me.”

When Twilight saw the nervous looking Spike waving at her, she narrowed her eyes at him. “SPIKE?! What in Celestia’s name are you doing in the Dragon Lands?!”

“I…I’m sorry…” he muttered, tears coming to his eyes. “I just…” his voice trailed off.

“Okay, time out everyone,” I said. “Twilight, I’m looking after Spike. He snuck into the bag because he wanted to come with me. I’m upset too, but it’s too late to change it. I’ve only managed that teleportation spell once, and I’m not about to try it again just to get Spike back to Ponyville. And I don’t want you coming here to get him. You remember what Torch’s rules were.”

Twilight was about to reply when Sunset approached and put a hoof on her back. “Calm down, Twilight,” she said. “Just take a few deep breaths, okay?” As Twilight did what the bacon haired mare said, she turned to me. “Where are you two right now?”

“We’re already at the ruins and made our way inside,” I said, then flipped the camera around, showing the massive interior slowly. Twilight came back on screen, looking at the view in awe. After about ten or so seconds, I turned the screen back to me. “This place is massive. Here, let me show you the outside.” So saying, I attached a few of the images, then sent them.

After they loaded, Twilight and Sunset looked them over, Sunset being the one to maneuver the mouse. Twilight’s eyes practically bugged out of her skull as she looked over the images. By this time, Spike and I had found a portion of wall that was empty and had sat down, Spike sitting on my lap and my wings around him protectively. There was no way I would let anything happen to him on my watch. After about a minute or so, Twilight looked back at me. “If something happens to Spike, so help me I will…” she trailed off, her angry appearance slowly changing into concern.

“I’ll keep him safe, that’s a promise,” I replied.

“P-Please do…and come home safe too, please…” she whimpered.

“I will.” I gave her a reassuring smile, then asked, “What’s going on over there? How are things going?”

Twilight became serious, as did Sunset. “The Princesses are pretty much doing damage control,” Sunset quickly explained. “Princess Celestia’s back at the Castle overseeing some of the relief efforts. Princess Luna is back in Canterlot dealing with normal morning court. Prince Blueblood is joining her since he knows a bit more about modern politics than she does. Princess Cadance is in Ponyville making sure everyone’s all safe here and keeping them calm. Zecora is still at her house doing God knows what. Rarity came by earlier and borrowed a book on defensive magic and said she was going out to practice. Fluttershy’s still back at the castle, tending to the animals there. I think Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie are with Gemini, training their asses off. I’ve only known Pinkie for a while, but I’ve never seen her looking so serious. They all do.”

I nodded stoically. “I see…and the Fae?”

“I don’t know what’s going on with them,” Sunset admitted. “Chrysalis is still in the dungeons, and I did see a few of the Changelings in the halls, but I think Celestia put them all in the soldier’s barracks for the time being.”

“Ah, alright. And what about the rest of Ponyville?”

“They know something happened last night, but they don’t know what yet,” Twilight said, “and Cadance is going to talk to them later this evening about it.”’

“What’s she gonna tell them?” I asked.

“The truth,” Sunset said.

My heart dropped and I felt my face go cold. “Oh God…”

“No shit,” Sunset said.

“Things are never gonna be the same, are they…?” Spike asked, sounding upset.

“I can’t say for sure, Spike,” I admitted. “Maybe eventually things will calm down. You Ponies seem to be able to spring back from disasters a lot easier than humans do. Then again, I doubt anything like this has ever happened in modern history. All I can say, is that I will do what I can to bring back the days of peace.”

Spike seemed to relax at that, as did Twilight, but Sunset looked unsure as she said, “I hope you’re right…I really do.”

“Me too,” I said softly.

Just then, I heard the door open in the Library, and a familiar older voice called out, “Miss Sparkle? Are you here?”

“Over here, Miss Mayor!” Twilight called.

Mayor Mare stepped into frame, looking at Twilight. “Miss Sparkle, I know Princess Cadance said she’d explain everything later, but I feel like I have a right to know just what’s going on? I wake up and find out that there was a massive fire in the Everfree, then you six come back with those Lycans acting in an unusual…” she trailed off as she finally looked at the laptop for the first time. She tilted her head in confusion.

I waved. “Miss Mare, nice to see you again.”

Mayor Mare jumped in surprise. “Celestia’s flowing mane! What sorcery is this??”

“Relax, Miss Mayor. It’s an advanced long range communication device from my planet that I’m letting Twilight borrow so we can talk,” I explained.

“Long range…?” she looked confused. “Sir Jethro, where are you right now?”

“It’s a long story,” I explained. “Long story short, I’m out of the country trying to stop things from escalating farther than they already have. I shouldn’t say more.”

Mayor Mare frowned, then pointed at me slowly. “You’d better come back, young stallion. You do owe me something, after all.”

“Yeah, yeah. Friendly sail and Manehatten Cuisine,” I smirked a bit.

Mayor Mare finally smiled. “Good colt.” Her smile vanished, and a look of concern formed on her face. “Just come back safe, you hear? I don’t have many friends, and I consider you chief among them.”

“I will.”

The mayor turned to Twilight. “Sorry for bothering you, Miss Sparkle.”

“It’s fine. And you can call me Twilight.”

“Very well, Twilight. I’ll get out of your mane now.” And with that, the Mayor turned and walked out of the library.

“Sounds like things are gonna be getting really serious over there,” I said.

Twilight sighed, facehoofed and nodded. “Yeah…” Turning back to me, she said, “That castle looks big…are you sure you’ll be able to find the Sunsword in time?”

“I’ll do my best,” I said. “We still have a few more hours of daytime left before I need to set up a camp for the night. This castle is relatively well protected and from what I was told by Torch, no Dragons can enter it. Hell, I had to pull Spike in since there was some sort of magic barrier holding him out.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “He’s not hurt, is he??”

“I would have told you if he was,” I said. “Spike?”

“I’m fine, Twilight,” he said stoically. “But check this out!” Despite his earlier reluctance regarding the sword, he held it up to the camera for her to see. “Jethro found it for me!”

Twilight and Sunset both gaped at his small sword. “That has to be an ancient relic from before Ponies founded Equestria,” Sunset said in awe.

“I’ve got a larger version,” I said, holding mine up for the camera. “And the weird part is, they look nearly brand new. Not dull, no scratches, hell even the scabbard itself only needed a small brushing to get the dust off.”

“Amazing…” Twilight said. “When this is all over, can I study it?”

“I am so not surprised you asked, and sure,” I said. “But I think it’s about time we cut the call short. Spike and I have a lot of exploring to do.”

“Right, right. Sorry,” Twilight said apologetically. Then, she leaned forward, looking directly into the camera instead. Lowering her voice, she said, “I love you, Jethro.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Twilight.”

“Love you too, Spike,” she said right after that.

“Love you, Twilight,” Spike said with a small smile.

“We’ll see you when we get back, okay?” I said. “Good luck over there.”

“You too,” Sunset said, and she maneuvered the mouse a bit. There was a click, and then the screen went black, the call ending.

I looked down at the Dragon in my lap, and he looked back up at me. “Well, let’s go, Dragon-boy. These ruins aren’t gonna explore themselves.”

He nodded and stood up, standing stoically with one claw on his sword handle as I stood and stretched. “Man, this place just looks like something out of Skyrim,” he said.

“Nah, the graphics here are infinitely better,” I joked back as we walked down the massive hallway again. “That, and there aren’t any skeletons or Draugr lurking around every corner waiting for us to go all Dragonborn on their behinds.”

Spike chuckled a bit and I was relieved to see him relax just a little. Spike clearly enjoyed the Skyrim video game from what I’d seen of his reaction to playing it, so I knew just what I could get the little tyke for Christmas now.

As we continued walking, I looked around and used the spell I’d dubbed Candlelight to look more closely at the walls. There were depictions of Dragons painted or etched painstakenly on the walls. The colors were faded from millenia of not being tended to, but they were still recognizeable. I saw little Dragon children running through fields of grass, a few Dragons clad in armor kneeling before a massive throne being apparently knighted, and lastly a depiction of a regal looking Dragon with his claws and wings spread wide, with one claw holding the sun and the other the moon.

However, as I looked, I clearly saw that the image was depicting not one, but two, seamlessly painted together to look like one. The one on the left held the sun and had crimson scales and a white underbelly, while the one on the right was almost the same color blue as Luna’s fur with a black underbelly. The Dragon on the left had an outward pointing horn, while the one on the right had a horn that looked a lot more like Ember’s. Both their eyes were closed, their expressions serene as they held their charges.

Spike took notice of where I was looking, and gazed up at the mural. His eyes widened. “Who are they?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “If I had to guess, they’re the Dragons who once raised the sun and moon long before Celestia and Luna did. If that even happened.”

“Whoa…crazy,” was all Spike said.

The two of us stared at the painting for a few more moments before I turned the light away. “We should move on. Come on, Spike.” And with that, the two of us continued onwards.

A few minutes later, we came to the end of the hallway, with another hallway intersecting it, leading right and left. Strangely enough, I saw late afternoon light coming from the left. Curious, I approached the intersection and turned around.

And saw a perfectly intact naval vessel sitting in the middle of the hallway.

100: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 3

Out of all the things I’d expected to see in these massive ruins, a massive galleon that apparently had fallen in through the roof and landed against the side of the wall was not one of them. In fact, it was the farthest thing from what I expected. So far, in fact, that I didn’t move for a full minute, taking in the massive, and somehow nearly perfectly intact, naval vessel.

The ship couldn’t have been here more than ten or twenty years, although I couldn’t be too sure. The sails were rolled up but I saw their color as being a deep crimson. The wood was painted a similar color, and on the outside, I could see the faint outline of a name: Howling Raider. Right above the crow’s nest I saw a black flag hanging. Reaching up, I spread it so I could see what it had on it. I raised an eyebrow when I saw a white parrot skull and crossbones. “Pirate ship,” I stated.

“Pirates??” Spike said worriedly.

“I doubt there are any around anymore,” I said. “This ship looks old. But be on your guard just in case, okay? We’ll make this place our camp for the night when we’re done. I’m sure there’s plenty to burn on there. Let’s just remember where we need to be when we come back.”

“Alright,” Spike agreed as we began heading down the hallway.

As we passed the Howling Raider, I took the time to examine it more closely. It had all the markings of a naval vessel. The underbelly was curved in just the right way, there were cannons sticking out of the port and starboard sides of the ship.

Or is it a naval vessel? Instantly, I remembered in the movie the pirate ship that could fly through the clouds, although they used something like dirigibles to keep the vessel afloat. I didn’t see anything like that here. Despite that, it made sense that magical flying ships could exist in Equestria. It also could explain why there was not only a hole in the ceiling but why it was so far from the Celestial Sea. It wasn’t like a tsunami had brought it here.

“That ship probably could fly at one point,” I said, mostly to myself.

“Really?” Spike looked at the ship with renewed interest. “Think it still can?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Guess it depends on how long it’s been down here. Not like you and I could fly it out ourselves. It’s a full-on galleon. We’d need a crew.”

Spike nodded, a look of slight disappointment on his face. “It’d be fun to play pirates back home,” he said.

“You know, when we get back, I’ll ask Twilight if you can watch Pirates of the Caribbean,” I said with a small smile. “I’m sure if you can handle something like Skyrim without nightmares, I’m sure you can handle that movie series. But for now, onward.”

Leaving the possibly flying galleon behind, we made our way deeper into the ruins. As we passed by the destroyed ceiling, the light began dimming so I had to recast my Candlelight spell. Despite being potentially older than Pony civilization itself, the ruins seemed to have held up remarkably well. The arches which held up the interior looked like they’d been carved from one stone. I couldn’t see any evidence of masonry of the normal kind, and the unusual magic I felt permeating the ruins was of a type I hadn’t quite felt before. The floors, for the most part, were clear of any major debris, the only exception being the crashed pirate vessel that we’d left behind.

We walked by more murals painted or carved onto the walls, although these seemed more mundane than anything else. Some depicted small treaties being made between Dragons, more knighting scenes, and other stuff like that. If I had the time, I would have loved to go exploring more, but since I was on the clock, I needed to continue searching for the Sunsword.

Still, a part of my curiosity got the better of me, and I turned to Spike. “You’ve hung out with Twi all your life. Did she ever mention how old this planet is?”

Spike, who’d been looking more carefully at the walls than I’d been, started and looked at me. “Sorry?”

“How old is Equestria? The planet, not the kingdom. Twilight had to have mentioned it at some point, right?”

Spike furled his eyebrows, concentrating. “I…I thought she did, and it was some big number,” he said, “but I can’t remember what.”

“Eh, no worries,” I said. “It’s just…Dragons strike me as being a very ancient race.” I gestured to the walls. “I mean, look at how old this place is. It’s probably older than Celestia and Luna.”

Spike’s eyes went wide. “You think so…?” he asked in a voice filled with awe.

“When this is all over, maybe the Dragons will let some archaeologist explore and catalogue this place,” I said. “I’m no archaeologist myself, but I think having some qualified experts here could shed some light on ancient Dragon culture.” I stopped and chuckled a bit. “Ah, I’m rambling again.”

“Dragons are old…” Spike was muttering to himself, clearly overwhelmed with this new information.

I smiled. “Yeah, you come from an ancient race, Spike.”

It might have been my imagination, but Spike seemed to stand taller, prouder than before. He had a determined look on his face now, but suddenly it vanished and he looked at the ground, a look of worry on his face. “I hope I can live up to their…their um…what’s the word?” He looked up at me questioningly.

“Their expectations,” I guessed.

He nodded. “Yeah. I hope I can be a worthy Dragon. Even if all the ones I’ve seen are just bullies.”

“You already are a very worthy Dragon, Spike.” I ruffled his spines. “You know, you remind me of a character from one of my favorite television shows: Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was an alien living in a human society, and he became one of the most honorable of his kind in the galaxy. If I’m right, you’re a lot more like the ancient Dragons than modern day ones. Those Dragons built this place to last, and they obviously had higher standards than Dragons today. It’s okay to be proud of your race, Spike. Even if you were raised by Ponies.”

The young drake looked up at me hopefully. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

With that, Spike stood taller and prouder again, a small smile plastered on his face. “I’ll make my ancestors proud.”

You already have, Dragon-boy, I thought to myself with pride. And you made me proud, despite the punishment awaiting you at home.

We continued making our way down the hallway for a good ten or so minutes, not seeing any kind of doorways or entrances to other rooms. All we saw were more murals and a few banners hanging against the walls. I only saw two that had fallen from their spots. Most had depictions of what I could only assume were famous dragons whose likenesses had been sewn into the banners themselves. The more I saw, the more I was impressed by how long this place had held up for, especially if it was millenia old.

Finally, we reached the end of the hallway, but to the right of us, a massive ramp rose up to another level of the castle. Here, I dimmed the lights since there were what had apparently used to be stained glass windows lining the left side of the ramped hallway, along with massive chandeliers above and ancient torch sconces on the right. I reached up, grabbed two of the torches, lit up my wing and tried to light one. To my surprise, it came to life immediately and shone a fire brighter than I could have expected. I turned to Spike. “Here, take one too. This way I won’t need to waste magic.”

He took the torch and blew on it. His green flames caught the torch and it too lit up with the same type of light as mine. “Whoa…” he said in awe.

“No kidding,” I said. “Come on, let’s see what’s upstairs, huh?”

Unlike the hallway we’d been exploring, the walls to our right didn’t have any sort of murals or depictions on them. Instead, they were all blank, save for scorch marks directly in front of the broken stained glass windows. When I looked closer at the windows themselves, I saw that the glass might have been broken, but a solid mesh of spiked metal holding the windows in place was still there, presumably to keep any invaders out. The more I saw, the more I wondered what could have happened here. If invaders had indeed caused this massive castle to be abandoned, why had it been so easy for a galleon to have fallen into the palace? Could this place have been abandoned due to the war between the Dragon and Fae? If so, why hadn’t anyone come back and attempted to break whatever spell had been placed to keep Dragons out? And if a battle had taken place, had they evacuated quickly or slowly? Would we see bodies somewhere?

I was so wrapped up in my speculations that I didn’t even realize we’d reached the top of the walkway. Another hallway stretched down to our right, only this one had crimson red carpets lining the floors. I frowned. This is a good way to muffle sounds, so why did they put them in? I wondered.

“Dragons had carpets?” Spike said in complete confusion.

“You think you’re surprised? I’ve seen the show and how Dragons live nowadays. This kind of comfort doesn’t seem like the type of thing a modern Dragon would even consider,” I said as we walked down the hallway.

“How do Dragons live?” Spike asked.

“From what little I’ve seen,” I began, “modern Dragons have some kind of society, but they’re wild. Sure, they listen to their Dragon Lord, but that’s about the only form of rule they have. They just do whatever they want, whenever they want. There aren’t any nobles, no form of trade with other nations, the total opposite of Ponies. They don’t do tea, they don’t have pillows…it’s sort of like they’re living in a post apocalypse world. Kinda sad when you think they used to live like this.”

Spike nodded. “I wouldn’t wanna give up pillows or tea.”

“I’m with ya there, Dragon-boy. Especially those beds that Luna gave me for my main house.”

Spike grinned. “They are comfy.”

“Comfy doesn’t even begin to describe-Hello, what’s this?” I stopped in front of a massive metal doorway which appeared on our left. It looked like it was in the exact middle of this hallways length. It was simple and to the point, a pair of arched double doors made of what looked like solid gold. On the left I saw a massive yellow gem with smaller ones spreading out from the edges like some miniature representations of solar flares. On the right, a light blue circular gem was embedded in the door, carved in just the right way to represent the patterns of craters I’d come to associate with this world’s moon. “I’ll betcha dimes to dollars this leads to that throne room I saw.”

“Throne room?”

“Yeah…I have a feeling that, whoever ruled here long ago could do what Celestia and Luna now do,” I said, pointing to the gems which represented the sun and moon.

Spike looked up in awe once more. “My kind…used to move the sun and moon?”

“Seems that way,” I said as I raised my hands. The doors began glowing, and I pushed on the edges. To my relief, the sun stone and moon stone both began to glow brightly. I felt magic flowing out of me into them, so I focused more on those gemstones instead. Soon, the light illuminated the entire hall.

Suddenly, the torch sconces on the wall sprang to life, as did the chandeliers on the ceiling. I quickly pulled my magic back, but the crystals embedded in said chandeliers continued lighting up, moving down the hallway away from the doorway, which now began to slide open, moving inward just like the massive gates we’d passed through outside.

As we walked through the door, the familiar glowing throne at the very back of the room flared up. Illuminating the room in a warm orange glow. On the walls, I saw some kind of trough that lit up with fire, further illuminating the room. However, as we walked in further, the fire trough on the left side of the room remained the same while the one on the right began morphing into a silvery lunar blue. Strangely enough, the throne seemed to do the same, the right side becoming a silvery glow as the left became a sunny warm yellow.

Then Spike screamed in fear.

I looked down, only to see him looking back the way we came. He’d latched onto my pants, looking terrified. Following his gaze, my heart stopped as I saw something that made my heart leap out of my chest.

Skeletons. A good number of skeletons lay on the floor around the still open throne room doors. Only they weren’t Dragon skeletons. I couldn’t figure out what kind they were from the distance we were at, so I slowly made my way up, hand reflectively going to my sword. To his credit, Spike did the same, still hiding slightly behind my legs as I approached one of the skulls. Kneeling down, I carefully touched it, then lifted it up in my hands.

The skull was avian, judging from the curved beak I saw and the eye sockets located more in the side of the head instead of at the front. Once more, I thought back to the My Little Pony movie and the anthropomorphic parrot pirates. A part of me feared that these were the remains of said pirates, but I shook that thought away, since when I looked around, I didn’t see any sort of clothes or hats.

Only one sword still in its scabbard.

Unsure why, I walked over to the set of bones the sword rested against. This set was the only one intact, leaning against the right wall. There was a large pile of dust sitting around a pile of gold coins, which I ignored in favor of the common looking sword. I reached down and picked it up, drawing it curiously. It wasn’t anything special, a long saber with a long hilt guard. No decorations, no gems encrusted on the hilt, nothing. There was nothing special about it.

Which made it all the more confusing when I began undoing my belt and strapping it to my side. There was something about it that made me not want to leave it alone. I couldn’t feel any magic coming from it, but my magical senses weren’t as attuned as Twilight’s, or any normal Unicorn for that matter. To me, it was just a plain old sword.

I resolved then, right there, that I would take back this sword and lay it on the ship itself, to honor this poor creature’s demise. The sword would be returned to its proper home on the ship, even if I couldn’t bring the bones back.

“I think we found the pirates,” I said as I looked down at Spike. The poor guy was trembling and had a shell-shocked expression on his face. Immediately, I felt guilty for getting caught up in the discovery of the bones. I picked him up and held him tightly in my grasp. “Spike…I’m sorry…you shouldn’t have had to see that. Come on, let’s go back to the campsite for the night. It’s been a long day for both of us, and we both need a rest.”

“…No…” was all that he said before he wrestled a bit, moving away from my grasp and staring at me with what looked like brand new resolve. “We came here to find this Sunsword. I knew I might see stuff like this, and I came anyway.”

I felt pride swelling up within me. Familial pride. Maybe we had a more father/son relationship instead of a brotherly one. It certainly felt like it. Or both. “You know, for a moment, just for a moment, I forgot just how brave and bold you are. And how smart you are.” I gently put him down and looked at my phone. “It’s just past sunset now. We should search this room. If anything, I’d expect a throne room to be the best place for something as important as the Sunsword to be located in. Now come on, let’s see what this throne room has to offer, huh?”

He nodded. “So…where do we start looking?” he asked.

I looked around, then pointed to the far right corner of the room, right in the lunar portion. I pointed in that direction, and Spike quickly rushed towards it. I fell into step beside him. “We’ll start there and go clockwise around the room. You look low, and I’ll fly up and look high. Keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual. Cracks that could be artificial, for one.”

“Aye aye,” he said, saluting as we finally made our way to the corner.

The throne room itself was massive, much like the rest of the castle. Aside from the fire troughs in the walls and the glowing throne, the room looked somewhat empty. We walked around the room clockwise. Unlike most throne rooms I’d seen in images, and admittedly anime, this room had no windows. It made sense considering that this was where the king or kings would rule from.

As I flew up to the corner of the throne room, a part of me, probably my Pegasus senses, noticed the large mosaic on the floor. It was a simple white marble spiral inlaid in black marble. As I looked for anything that might help us, my Pegasus instincts also saw the same mural of history from the Dragon’s perspective. When I took a closer look, I also saw something that looked like writing. My mind immediately translated them into Ancient Draconic. The language itself had a fluidity that could almost resemble flames. In the back of my mind, a cursory history began to form.

Apparently, according to this mural of Dragon lore or myth, the first Dragons came to life thanks to their first creator, a Dragon deity named Ignu. The first two Dragons to be born from Ignu’s fire breath alone were given the power of controlling the sun and moon. Ignu, not wanting the first Dragons to be lonely, created other Dragons from the mouths of the surrounding volcanos. They were blessed with the ability to create fire because of their volcanic heritage, but the first two Dragons were still much more powerful and could control the movements of the heavens.

Ignu, wanting to protect his new children from harm, created a safe haven for the Dragons, a virtual paradise full of gems to eat, game to hunt, and gold and all sorts of minerals necessary to build a civilization.

Since the Dragons were long lived but still mortal, Ignu knew that, one day, the two he’d created to control the sun and moon would eventually pass on, leaving no one to maintain the movement of the heavens. So, he gave one command to the first two Dragons: have children of your own, and when you pass on, make sure you give your gift and knowledge to the child born with the same gifts. For Ignu promised that, out of all their children, only one of each would be able to cast the same level of magic as them.

With that, the Dragons built up a civilization. From the depictions, I saw a vast city with the very same castle we stood in at the direct center. I saw the very same image from before of the female Dragon which had set me off towards the heart of the Dragon Lands to begun uncovering the plot. If what I was seeing was true, then Dragon civilization, at least before their apparent fall, was more than ten thousand years old, since ten generations of the dual rulers of the land had come and gone.

I eventually came to the end of the mural which ended right above the throne. There, hanging from a massive and somehow untouched banner hanging directly above and behind the throne, unseen since the throne reached to the ceiling itself. That was where I stopped. The mural itself was incomplete, but I was more interested with the content of the banner itself.

Sewn onto it, I saw two powerful looking Dragons standing in armor. One was a light crimson with massive horns and a spiked tail. The other was a silvery gray dragon with downward horns, again similar to Ember’s. Above their heads, I read the words Sol Invictus and Luna Invicta. In their claws, I saw them both holding what looked like two halves of a massive broadsword that had been split down the middle. The two stood on opposite sides of a sewn on depiction of the castle as seen from the front.

Looking down, I saw Spike looking up at the banner, a confused look on his face since he was too close to the wall to see anything. I reached down, encased him in a magic bubble, floated him to where I was and turned him to face the banner itself. “Whoa…” he said.

“No shit,” I muttered before covering my mouth. “Sorry.”

He waved his claw. “Eh, I’ve heard worse from the Canterlot nobles. I’m not as innocent as Twilight thinks I am, remember? But is that really the Sunsword?” He pointed at the large sword in the hands of Sol Invictus. The handle looked remarkably similar to the Dragon sword I’d picked up, with dragon wings for crossguards, a spiked tail for a handle, and a broad blade with spikes near the bottom. The sword was depicted as being aglow and had flames bursting off of its surface,

The other sword held by Luna Invicta was practically identical to the other half of the Sunsword. I wasn’t surprised that it was labeled Moonsword. Like its brother, it too was aglow, but with a silvery lunar glow. “Huh…wonder why he didn’t ask for the Moonsword too,” I thought.

“They look like they’re meant to be joined together,” Spike said.

I frowned. “Hmm…I mean, it makes sense, but now we need to find out where it is.”

Spike pointed at the depiction of the castle. “Maybe where they’re standing?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they’re standing on opposite sides of the castle, right? And I saw some towers where they’re standing.”

I raised an eyebrow. “It…couldn’t be that easy, could it?” I said aloud.

“No easier than ‘speak friend and enter’,” Spike pointed out.

I smirked and flew around the throne, heading towards the middle of the spiral mural with Spike close behind. We both landed and I let him out of the magic. “Well, I guess it’s a place to start, at least. Hang on, lemme try something.” I closed my eyes, trying to remember the details of the castle that I’d taken in when we were outside. The image of the castle appeared in my mind’s eye and I focused on the edges of the castle itself. It was a bit hard to distinguish between the many different towers, but eventually I spotted one in my Pegasus driven memories that looked out of place. One on the western side, or my left, stood slightly apart from the rest and looked slightly more recent than the others. It also had a more simplistic look. It could very well be the perfect place to hide a weapon with a name like Sunsword.

However, when I looked towards the eastern side of the palace, the corresponding tower I saw was half gone, apparently having been torn apart by some kind of attack. Either that, or it had fallen to the ravages of time itself.

Slowly, I brought myself back to the real world, opening my eyes. Spike was looking up at me curiously. “What were you doing?” he asked as I cleared my head by shaking it.

I reached down, grabbed my canteen and took a drink before pulling it off and handing it to Spike, who took a larger swig as I said, “I was looking through my memories for those towers you mentioned. And I think I found out where we can try and search. But for now, it’s getting late. We should head back to our new camp. You’re tired, I’m tired, and it’s probably already getting dark outside. It’d be better to do this during the daytime.”

Spike yawned in response. “Yeah…I am pretty tired,” he admitted.

“Come on, let’s head back,” I said, heading back towards the door. I then used magic to lift him up, cradled my wings and let him lay in them. “Take a load off,” I said. “I’ll set up camp and get something for us to eat when we get there.”

Spike smiled tiredly. “Thanks.” And with that, he curled up and closed his eyes.

The walk down the hall was a pretty silent one. I had a lot on my mind. Not only did I have a few things to tell Twilight the next time I saw her, but we had a possible lead on the Sunsword. And we’d discovered some sort of twin blade. The time we’d spent in this castle had been brief when compared to my flight here, but even then I was already wiped out. And judging from how sluggish Spike’s steps were beside me, it couldn’t have been easy for him to bundle up in a sack. He was a bold one, that brave kid.

It hadn’t taken me long to set up a small campsite once I got back. I chose a spot near the fallen ship that kept us hidden from view from anyone who might look in from the hole in the ceiling.

Spike had actually fallen asleep during our walk back down, so I’d rolled out my small sleeping bag, setting him in it and tucking him in as I chewed on a piece of jerky. The sun had already set, and through the small hole in the ceiling I could see stars shining in all their brilliance.

I took a small swig of my canteen once more, then dug around in my backpack for one of my plastic water bottles. I set it next to Spike, who was now snoring loudly and curling up in my sleeping bag.

I found a spot to lean on against the galleon, yawned, and closed my eyes…

I woke when I heard the sound of something clattering a short distance away from camp. I was immediately awake, standing up and grabbing the nearest sword to me, which so happened to be the sword belonging to the skeleton I’d retrieved earlier.

Nearby, I saw Spike’s shadow sit up. “Wh-What was that?” he asked with a quivering voice. “Please tell me that was you.”

“Shhh,” I whispered as I got to my feet. “Keep quiet.” I moved forward and lit up a small portion of my finger. Spike had a terrified look on his face as I put a comforting hand on his back. I put a hand over his mouth and listened for a bit. After an agonizing half minute, something above made a scraping noise. “It’th coming from the thip,” I whispered as I pointed up to the crashed galleon, making sure not to use any S sounds since those tended to carry the most. “Thtay here and thtay hidden.”

Spike stiffened, then looked around. Seeing the sword I’d gotten for him lying next to the sleeping bag, he grabbed it and held it close to his chest. “Okay,” he whispered.

I quietly spread my wings and leaped into the air, moving up to get a better view of the galleon itself. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any light anymore. I grabbed one of the archeways and hung from it, keeping watch on both Spike and the ship itself. After a full minute, I heard another noise from the ship, and someone cursing. The voice was faint and sounded female.

As quietly as I could, I swung myself a few times, then glided down to the ship. As I did so, I heard more sounds of rustling from below deck, as if whoever was down there was searching for something. Before I landed, I surrounded myself with my magic, making myself hover for a little while before I quietly landed. Drawing my sword, I placed myself against the side of the door, quietly waiting for whoever was down there to come back up.

Minutes passed, and all I could hear was more shuffling, a few clattering noises as something fell, and a muttering woman’s voice. Finally, I heard the intruder say, “Not here. Damn it!” I heard her footsteps as she made her way up the stairs. Only they weren’t the type of footsteps I expected to hear all the way out here. They were the hoofsteps of a Pony.

I saw a light emerge from the doorway, the color of fire. Finally, an average sized Pony stepped out. She was holding a torch in her wings which illuminated the deck around her as she stepped onto the main deck. Her pith helmet and dark green shirt immediately identified her, as did the compass cutie mark on her flank. She looked around the ship once again, then froze. I held my breath for a few seconds before she suddenly whirled, finally facing me. When she saw who and what I was, her eyes widened. “You…?” she said in utter shock.

I glared at her, exhaling as I held out the sword towards her in a threatening manner. “I hope you’re out here for a good reason, Ms. Yearling, because you could very well have jeopardized the very mission I came out here to fulfill. So tell me, Daring Do, what the fuck are you doing all the way out here in the Dragon Lands?”

Author's Note

Holy shit, I made it to a hundred chapters! I never thought I'd get THAT far in ANY writing project of mine! Yay me!

Anyway, here's the image I felt best described the Sunsword and Moonsword if they weren't cut in half.

101: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 4

If anybody had been watching from nearby, the scene that lay in front of them ten minutes later would have been one of the oddest ones to ever be seen. A freshly made campfire which was illuminating three miscellaneous figures sitting around it. A purple Dragon barely reaching puberty with green fins and spines, a Lara Croft/Indiana Jones knockoff Pegasus who could easily be mistaken for a recolored Rainbow Dash, and a human with large pair of silvery gold Alicorn wings with streaks of Phoenix red through them. All three of us sat there in silence, me sizing the author turned adventurer up, Spike just gaping in stunned silence, and Daring Do matching my gaze with a hard one of her own.

She was the first to speak. “Why are you here, Jethro Bethridge?” she asked in an angry tone.

“I believe I’m the one who asked first, A.K. Yearling,” I replied evenly, keeping the pirate saber close in my hand. “You’re normally exploring a jungle and fighting off that weird looking blue guy and the Pony with the perpetual five o’clock shadow.”

“Ahuizotl and Dr. Caballeron,” Daring replied quickly.

“Yeah, them,” I said. “Now come on, out with it. I can’t have you jeopardizing my mission for the Princesses of Equestria.”

That got a reaction out of her. She looked very briefly concerned, but that concern quickly vanished into more suspicion. This was the sort of reaction I had expected to see more of after Eris’ damned reveal to the whole world. “And why should I believe you?” she asked.

She had a point. It wasn’t as if there was an official letter written by the Princesses explaining myself. “I suppose we’ll just have to go on trust, now won’t we?” I asked.

“He’s a knight, now!” Spike said quickly.

Daring looked at the young drake with a confused look, then looked back at me. She narrowed her eyes, searching. “…Yes, I did hear about that,” she said. “The Princesses made an announcement across all of Equestria declaring you their personal knight. But how do I know you’re the real Jethro?”

“You see any other winged bipedal beings that look like me?” I asked.

“Not with those streaks in your wings,” she said, tensing up.

I sighed. “These are the result of my death and rebirth thanks to the help of two Phoenixes.”

That got her attention. She gaped at me, eyes wide in astonishment as she digested this piece of information. Spike, too, looked at me with fear and concern. “Z-Zombie?” he asked, trembling.

It hurt to see him so scared, so I quickly shook my head. “No, Spike. I’m not a Zombie. I’m perfectly alive, I promise.”

“You…experienced a Phoenix Rebirth?” Daring asked in shock. “I…I’ve never heard of that happening in my lifetime!”

“What’s a Phoenix Rebirth?” Spike asked.

Daring cleared her throat, her tone taking on a professorial tone. “A Phoenix Rebirth is an ancient ritual that the Phoenixes once would use to bring someone from the brink of death back to life,” she explained. “It requires the feathers of a Phoenix who is on the verge of rebirth and the feathers of the same Phoenix who has just undergone rebirth. When placed on the body of somepony who is about to die, they experience the death and rebirth of a Phoenix as well as gaining some of the Phoenix’s natural abilities. That’s all.”

“You’re forgetting the fact that I can now talk to all animals,” I said.

Daring Do then grinned. “Good catch, Sir Bethridge. If you hadn’t pointed that out, I’d have known you were a Fae.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You know their true name, do you?”

“Of course I do,” she said. “Didn’t you read Daring Do and the Forest of Lost Souls?”

“Reading for pleasure hasn’t exactly been the forefront on my mind, especially when Equestria has been recently invaded by both Fae and Dragons,” I said, “but we’re getting off topic.” I leaned forward, gripping my sword defensively. “What are you searching for in that ship?”

The two of us stared at each other, neither daring to give in. Narrowing her eyes, Daring Do finally said, “That ship belonged to a deadly and legendary pirate called Goldfeather,” she said. “He and his crew were ruthless in their pursuit of treasure. They disappeared over twenty years ago after leaving the Tenochtitlan Basin. They were last spotted heading in this direction according to my sources.”

“And just what would they be searching for in this ruin?” I asked, praying against hope that it wasn’t what I was searching for.

“That’s just it. I have no idea,” she said. “I was looking for the captain’s journal or log book or something that could help, but nothing. At least not yet.” She frowned again, then leaned forward. “Now, what’s this about your mission for the Princesses?”

I matched her glare for a bit, then nodded. “Okay, fair’s fair. Here’s the bullet points: Fae infiltrated an extremely important council to try and bring all of us against the Dragons. I exposed their plot and we all helped not only to defeat them, but begin their reformation. However, the Dragons are threatening to invade Equestria. Dragon Lord Torch, however, said he wouldn’t invade if I find a certain relic and bring it to him three days-no, it’s actually two days-from now.”

“A relic? What kind of relic?” Daring asked.

“An ancient half of a broadsword called the Sunsword,” I explained. “Spike and I have a possible lead on its location, and when the morning comes, we’ll be heading there.”

Daring sat up, a look of contemplation on her face as she scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm…I’ve never heard of the Sunsword,” she said.

“Neither have I, and I’ve watched the show,” I replied. “This whole life of mine is turning into some sort of life endangering adventure after another.”

Daring chuckled a little bit in sympathy. “I know how that goes,” she said. She then turned to me. “You said you had two days, right?”

“Yeah, two days to get this sword to him,” I said.

Daring’s eyes then seemed to brighten, like she was experiencing the call of adventure. Adrenaline junkies are all the same, I thought as she said, “Now, I normally work alone, but I’m willing to make an exception.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really? And you don’t want anything in return?” I asked.

She shook her head. “As long as you let me write this into my next story, I’ll be a happy camper.”

I smirked. “Me in a story, huh? Eh, I doubt anyone would be interested in someone as boring as I am. How many chapters can you write about my life story before people get bored?”

Daring laughed. “Sir Bethridge, I live in a house alone. I normally wear my hair differently and have a long purple robe I wear when I’m A.K. Yearling. That’s boring.”

“Nah, that sounds completely relaxing,” I replied. I felt a rant coming on, but I was too exhausted to stop it. “Honestly, I’d love to have the A.K. Yearling lifestyle. Living in a nice quiet house, writing stories to help entertain people, or Ponies I guess, with my loved ones by my side. But since I got here it’s been one inadvertent adventure after another. International incidents with the Lycans, Eris exposing the secret of this world, and now this? I didn’t ask for this, Daring. I really didn’t. Not that I’m unhappy living here. I have an amazing marefriend who’s been there for me practically since Day One. I’m friends with the Bearers of Harmony and the Princesses, the Ponies in my hometown have been friendly with me and accepting, with only a few exceptions, and I love being in this world. You seek out adventure, and I don’t blame you. Adventure seeks me out. I’m a magnet for trouble.”

I’d said all this with a straight face, looking down into the campfire’s flames. Maybe it was because I was tired. Maybe it was because I was cranky and upset after having woken up from a welcoming dreamless sleep. Maybe it was my anxiety at the current situation, or maybe it was a combination of all of them. Nevertheless, I felt like I needed to vent to someone. I wasn’t sure why it was Daring and Spike, but if I had to guess, it was just because they were there. I took a deep breath. “Yeah…that went waaaay off topic. Sorry. Anyway, back to the matter at hand.” I turned to Daring. “You said you’d be willing to help me find the Sunsword?”

“Well, it sounds like there’s a lot riding on it,” she said. “Nopony wants a war.”

“Trust me, you really don’t,” I said. “Back on Earth, wars are more commonplace, and there are no winners in war. The innocent and the guilty both suffer.”

Daring and Spike both shuddered, before Daring straightened. “I’ll put my adventure on hold, then.”

I smiled slightly. “Heh, I can’t wait to make Rainbow Dash a Daring Do fan before she did in the show.”

Daring smirked. “It’s never too late to have a new fan,” she said before she brought out her bag. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning. It’s been a long flight here, and these wings are beat. I’ll find another place to sleep.”

I shook my head. “We stay together, alright?” I pointed to an empty spot near the fire. “Just rest, okay? I’d actually feel a bit better with someone else here to keep an eye on the camp. And Spike here.”

“Hey!” he shouted, glaring at me.

“You’re my responsibility, Spike,” I said. “Until we get back to Ponyville and this is all settled, I’ve been entrusted with making sure you’re safe. I’d never be able to forgive myself if you were hurt. Or worse.”

His glare turned into concern, and he looked at the sleeping bag, then back at me. “Um…then, can we sleep together?” he asked nervously.

“It’d make you feel safer, right?” I asked. When Spike nodded, I smiled. “Okay, I’m sure I can squeeze in with you,” I added, poking his stomach playfully.

When he huffed at me, Daring Do simply chuckled a bit. “You two act a lot like a father and son,” she said.

Spike blushed a bit, and I smiled, putting a hand on Spike’s back. “I do see him as family.”

Daring smiled a bit as she undid a sleeping bag that reminded me a bit of the ones from Skyrim (Man, everything here was reminding me of that game), and crawled into it. “Well, rest up you two. We have a long day, and I like to start early.”

“Fair point,” I replied as I unzipped the sleeping bag, crawling in then making room for Spike, who nervously walked over and lay beside me. I zipped the bag back up, then put an arm around the young drake. I could feel him relax. “Try and get as much sleep as you can, Dragon-boy,” I said softly.

He nodded and closed his eyes. “Night…monkey-man…” and with that, the young drake was asleep, and was soon snoring prodigiously.

For the next few minutes, I lay my head on part of the small pillow I’d brought from my camping supplies, staring at the fire. Daring already had fallen asleep, and had turned herself towards the fire. She had removed her pith helmet and her shirt, which was folded neatly next to her sleeping bag. I couldn’t help but smile. Ponies were always so cute when they slept. And so was Zecora.

My thoughts filled with images of my loving marefriend. I could see her deep blue eyes sparkling with the lovely look she only reserved for me. I heard her tender, deeper voice whispering how much she loved me. I could almost feel her soft fur pressed against my body, her warmth spreading through me despite not being there.

I resolved right then and there that, once this adventure was over, I’d ask Zecora to embark on one of the biggest adventures I could think of: marriage. And with that comforting and simultaneously nerve-wracking thought, I fell into a comforting dreamless sleep.

Daring Do woke me and Spike up early the next morning, having already prepared a small breakfast for us. She had some kind of berries, nuts and a small platter of dark red leaves that she claimed were actually good for helping wake up. Spike took some of each while I took a few berries and took out some of my jerky from before. I almost offered some to Spike, seeing as I now knew Dragons were at least omnivorous, but decided that he had enough on his plate, metaphorically speaking.

When we finished our meal and packed everything up, Daring grabbed one of the torches on the ground with her wing. “Well, where are we going?” she asked.

“There are, or were, two massive towers on eastern and western sides of the castle,” I explained as I stood, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. Spike, having offered to lighten my load a bit, took some of my lighter belongings like toiletries and some of the lighter bread. I strapped the saber to my side once more and slung the ancient Dragon blade over my back while Spike did the same with his own smaller blade.

Daring looked at us and frowned. “You should really preserve those,” she said.

“I’d rather be alive, thanks,” I said. “Besides, I know how to handle a sword somewhat well. And I can use magic and fly now.”

Daring shrugged and put her pith helmet back on, using her wings to strap it down with a satisfying click. “Well, can’t believe I’m saying this, but lead the way.”

I nodded, then looked up at the hole in the ceiling. Through it, I could see a morning blue sky just beyond as well as a small wisp of haze just crossing it. I turned to Spike, then quickly lifted him in my arms, ignoring his shocked gasp as I turned to Daring and spread my wings. “We’re going out that way. You able to fly, or are your wings still tired?”

She scoffed. “One flight across the ocean isn’t enough to get these wings all bent out of shape,” she said in a manner that reminded me a bit of Rainbow Dash as she spread her wings and jumped up, leaving me in the dust.

I held Spike closer to me, almost protectively, then launched into the air. After a few seconds, I reached the hole and moved my wings back so I could fit through the hole. Once I was through, I spread my wings wide and looked over the landscape.

Unlike the night before, the entire barren land before me was blanketed by an unusually thick fog, most of which stopped right at some sort of barrier surrounding the palace. The sun was just beginning to pierce the horizon, shining its ruddy glow over the fog. Spike, who had been clinging to me in fear, now looked around in awe at the land before us and the ruins of the castle. Looking at it from the air, I noticed that there was apparently more damage than I’d seen earlier. Aside from the hole in the front of the castle ruins, I saw large scorch marks on many of the towers, most centered on a cylindrical building that had to have been the old keep. The eastern tower was not the only structure that had fallen, as I saw a few breaches in the inner walls, which struck me as odd considering the fact that Dragons and Fae were both flying creatures. However, when I looked closer, I saw that there were fallen statues of Dragons right near the ruins, which seemed to make a bit more sense. Destroying morale, or spite. Either way, it made sense.

“Okay, Sir Knight,” Daring’s words pulled me out of my reverie. I turned and saw her hovering, her forelegs crossed in a remarkably humanlike gesture, something that I knew a lot of Ponies did, “which tower?”

I looked around, then spotted the one at the far end of the castle ruins. Unlike the rest, it looked a lot older despite having been constructed last, if the history lesson I’d interpreted from the mural was to be believed. “That half white tower,” I said before pressing Spike closer against my chest and flying directly towards it.

In that moment, I was grateful for Rainbow’s strict lessons, because as the two of us flew closer to the tower, a strong wind, almost like a whirlwind, sprang up, centering around the tower itself. We both tried our best to move closer, but even with Rainbow’s lessons I was still somewhat uncertain about my flying abilities. Daring and myself had a very hard time maintaining air altitude. Finally moving back, Daring flew closer to me, and shouted, “So what now??”

“I’ve no idea!” I called back as the speed of the wind died down, leaving nothing but falling dust around the tower itself. “You’re the expert here, but if I had to guess, it’s like a magical security system that prevents anyone from approaching unless some condition is met!”

Daring nodded. “That sounds about right!” she called back. “Do you think it’s because we’re not Dragons? Or maybe because we’re flying towards it?”

I shrugged. “Maybe! Only one way to find out! Hang on!” And with that, I began making my way downwards towards a large street that led up towards the tower. Daring followed, and soon we landed on the ancient stone street. I put a nervous Spike down, then looked up at the tower. “Hopefully it’s the latter,” I said. “Maybe there’s a few trials you need to pass in order to earn the sword. God…just like some sort of Indiana Jones shit.” I muttered the last part to myself.

“Well, you’ll never know unless we try,” Daring said, and with that she walked towards the tower.

As Spike and I followed, I paid close attention to the cityscape around me. This part of the castle looked like it had seen the most damage out of any of the places I’d seen. What must have once been houses were smashed to pieces, furniture inside long ago turned to dust or faded remnants of what they must have been. I saw pieces of shattered glass, whether from windows or glass covered portraits I couldn’t really tell. Not that it mattered in the long run.

And then the wind began picking up.

Ahead of me, I heard Daring curse as she pushed against the wind, doing her best to dig into the ground, but since it was made of stone that was hard to do. Beside me, Spike clung to my pants leg as the wind became strong enough to blow him away with ease.

The only one not affected, strangely enough, was me.

Oh sure, I could see the dust forming around me as the whirlwind returned. I could smell it in the air, the smell of decay and dust. But the wind seemed to avoid me altogether. Not even my hair was rustled, unlike before. Quickly, I took Daring in my telekinetic magical grasp and pulled her back while at the same time picking Spike up, holding him under my arm as I got out of range. The farther I got, the calmer the wind seemed to get until it stopped altogether.

We found a street corner against one of the inner walls to the city and I waited as Daring and Spike caught their breaths. After a while, Daring stood and looked up at the tower. “Well…it doesn’t look like we’re gonna be getting in there anytime soon.”

I frowned. “Or maybe there is a way…”

Daring turned to me with a curious expression on her face. “How?” she asked.

“That wind didn’t affect me, just you two,” I said.

“Huh…can you show me?” Daring asked.

Nodding, I walked back up the street. When I reached a certain spot, the one where I’d been when the winds had started up the second time, I turned back. “See? Nothing!” I moved backwards, up the street even further then stopped again. “Absolutely nothing!”

As I made my way back down, Daring was once more looking thoughtful. “But it affected you when we were in the air,” she was saying when I returned.

“Well, maybe it was because I was holding Spike, or maybe it was because this magic security system doesn’t want anything flying towards it.”

“Then why is it allowing those to fly?” Daring asked, pointing up with her wings. I looked, and saw about two red birds circling right above the tower itself.

I frowned. “Maybe because they’re birds? Do you have binoculars?”

“What good treasure hunting archaeologist doesn’t have binoculars?” she snorted as she took off her bag, rummaging quickly through it before pulling out a pair of Pony sized binoculars. She put them to her eyes and looked up. “Huh…two Phoenixes,” she said.

“Phoenixes, huh…?” I turned back to my wings and spread them quickly. This time, a wave of flames erupted from the back of them before vanishing.

“Whoa! Careful with those things!” Daring shouted.

“Yeah, sorry,” I said. “Can I see those binoculars for a second?”

Daring handed them to me, and immediately I ran into a problem. The distance between the eyes, even at their longest adjustment, didn’t fit me, so I just aimed at the birds in the sky and used one eye. After adjusting the focus, I closed one eye and looked at the birds. Daring wasn’t wrong. They were Phoenixes. Older ones from the looks of it, but then again, I had absolutely no idea how to judge their ages save for their wings looking a bit worn and the smaller feathers on their heads looking slightly gray. Maybe they were about to be reborn, but it was, once again, hard to tell.

“When did they show up?” I asked as I handed the binoculars back.

Daring took them and shook her head. “I didn’t see them when we tried to fly towards it or when we tried walking,” she said.

“Same here,” Spike said, probably in an attempt to be helpful.

“Huh…” I tried thinking about what this might mean.

To my surprise, it was Spike who spoke up first. “Hey, maybe it has to do with them being Phoenixes?”

Daring’s eyes widened a bit. “Hey…hey yeah! You might be right, little Dragon!” She looked through her binoculars again. “But that just leaves one question: why isn’t it affecting Sir Bethridge?”

“One, just call me Jethro,” I began, “and two, that’s a good point. Maybe because I just recently experienced a Phoenix rebirth?”

Daring nodded. “I don’t know much about them apart from how to do one and what they do, so it’s possible.”

“Hmm…well, I don’t like the idea of going in there alone,” I admitted. “I’m no Lara Croft.”

“Who?” Daring asked.

“A fictional female human who’s a lot like you,” I said. “Hmm…”

Daring looked up at me, then raised an eyebrow. “I know that look on anypony’s face,” she said. “What’s your idea?”

Not responding right away, I spread my wings, then plucked two of the reddest feathers I could find before handing one to Spike and the other to Daring. “Maybe it has to do with the wings?” I asked.

Daring took my feather and examined it carefully. “Hmm…I don’t know about this,” she said, “but I guess it’s worth a shot.” She stuck the feather in her hat.

Spike, however, looked up at me. There was still nervousness in those bright green eyes of his. “Are you sure about this?” he asked.

“Not in the slightest,” I admitted, “but if there’s one things humans are good at, it’s being inquisitive. Now come on, let’s see if this works.”

Daring had already gone on ahead, walking a bit more cautiously now, and I stayed by Spikes side as we caught up to her. When we passed the point where the winds normally started, I thought that maybe I’d gotten something right. However, only a few steps in, the winds returned, blowing the feathers away into the sky. Quickly retreating, we made our way back to the street corner and sat down. Daring once more had a thoughtful look on her face. I folded my wings back and watched her closely, then almost smirked. She looked so much like Rainbow Dash that it was a bit amusing to see any kind of thoughtful look on a face like hers. Spike sat near me, and I put a protective wing around him. After a few minutes of contemplative silence, I said, “So…any other ideas?”

“Now, this is indeed quite a sight, my dearest,” a male voice said from above us.

“This creature is not like any I have seen, my love,” a female voice replied.

Daring looked up at the source of the voices, or presumably the standard call of a Phoenix. “Whoa!” she jumped up, startled. When she got a better look at the birds, she relaxed. “Phew, those birds startled me.”

“A bird, she says,” the male said, sounding a bit offended, “That is no way to speak about us!”

“Do not take it to heard, dearest,” the female said quickly, “None of them speak our language, and none know of our ancient history.”

The Phoenix male made a small sighing sound, then nodded. “It bothers you not how far we have fallen?”

“Only you and I know this,” the female said, “All the others have passed on.”

I smirked a bit, deciding not to eavesdrop anymore. “You know, it’s rude to talk about someone when they’re right in earshot,” I said, locking eyes with the two Phoenixes.

“Who are you talking to?” Daring asked.

I pointed at the two Phoenixes. “Those two.”

“Wait, you can talk to animals now?” Spike asked. “Like Fluttershy?”

“Correct,” I said.

They froze, staring at me with wide orange eyes. Finally, after a while, the female said, “You…understand our language?”

I finally spread my wings for them to see, letting a brief burst of flame loose from it. I was starting to grow used to being able to control my new Phoenix power, since it felt only slightly different to Unicorn magic. “And then some.”

If their eyes could have gotten any wider, I was afraid they’d pop out of their skulls. “A Reborn…” the male said in a tone of shock.

“Come on down, you two,” I said, pointing to the ground in front of us. “I have a feeling we’ve a lot to talk about.”

102: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 5

The two Phoenixes stood on the ancient street only a meter or so away from me, Daring Do and Spike. It was a fairly tense moment for us. The male looked slightly suspicious, while the female looked more intrigued than anything. Daring kept her expression neutral, while Spike just stared at them in complete astonishment. As for me, I kept my expression cool, calm and collected. The fact that I could somewhat read their facial expressions surprised me, and I wondered briefly if it was more than a language my Phoenix Rebirth downloaded into my brain. Perhaps it was an understanding of Phoenix body language.

The two looked somewhat identical in appearance, although since they were now up close, I could see some differences between male and female. Up until this point, I’d only ever seen a female, who always seemed to have three to five thin feathers with small balls of blue fluff on the ends. The male I saw, however, had three large feathers sticking out of his head as well as three large yellow flame patterns on his chest.

I decided to take the initiative for this, took a deep breath, and said, “My name is Jethro Bethridge. This young Dragon is Spike, and this Pony is named Daring Do.”

The two Phoenixes looked cautiously at each other for a few moments, then looked back at me. The female said, “My mate here would say our names are immaterial, but as you are a Phoenixborn, I see no reason why we should hide our names. I am Thalia, and this is my mate Adranus.”

I bowed respectfully. For some reason, a part of me was saying that these Phoenixes were ancient and wise. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Adranus nodded. “We have not seen a Phoenixborn for many of our lifetimes, so the pleasure should very well be ours.” Turning to the other two, he frowned a bit. “They cannot understand us, can they?”

“I doubt it.”

Nodding, Adranus spread his wings, sending a massive ball of flame towards the two. However, before anyone could react, the flames stopped and surrounded each of them, forming a small ring of flame. “Now they should be able to understand our speech. At least as long as they do not leave the ring.”

Daring Do’s eyes widened. “Did…did that bird just talk?”

Adranus turned on Daring, his wings starting to ignite slightly in anger. “Pony, we are more than just birds! We are Phoenix-kin!”

Her ears pinned back. “Um…right. Sorry.”

Spike pulled at my shirt, and I looked down to see him looking up at me with awe in those eyes. It made me relieved to see just how much he was taking this in stride. “Is that what you hear now?” he asked.

I smiled. “All animals speak the language of the Phoenix,” I said, “At least, that’s what Philomena and Eve told me.”

Thalia nodded. “We did more than teach our language to the non-speaking creatures of this world. We were in the process of uplifting them when our greatest tragedy befell us, but that is a story for another time.”

“My mate is correct,” Adranus said. “We must know what your intentions are with that tower.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re the tower guardians, aren’t you?”

“Correct,” Thalia said. “We have been tasked by our Dragon friends of old to make sure that the ancient treasures within do not fall into the possession of those who would do the world harm.”

“You must tell us why you wish to seek out said treasures,” Adranus said.

Spike stiffened. “Hey! Who are you telling what to do?? Jethro is a Knight of Equestria! He-”

I held up a hand. “Spike, calm down.”

As Spike clamped his mouth shut, Thalia put a wing over her beak and I heard her giggle softly. “You have fire, young Dragon, and you stand up for this being you sit beside. That speaks volumes about your character.”

“My mate is correct,” Adranus said. “She and I have not seen a Dragon with such nobility ever since the Dim Times began.”

“Spike here was raised by Ponies his entire life,” I explained, putting a reassuring hand on Spike’s back. “He’s not your average modern day Dragon. He’s definitely got a lot more honor and spirit than any other Dragon I’ve met. He even snuck himself into a bag just to accompany me on my mission for Equestria.”

“And the Pony?” Adranus asked, looking over at Daring Do.

“I’m not a part of this so-called mission,” she said. “I’m just a treasure hunter.”

“She ran into us by sheer happenstance,” I explained. “I asked for her help since she’s got more experience in this sort of thing than either me or Spike.”

“Which brings us back to our question,” Thalia said, and her expression became just as serious as that of her husband. “What are your intentions with your attempt to retrieve the treasures within?”

This was it, the moment of truth. I took a deep breath, knowing that it would probably be unwise to lie to them. “I’m hoping to stop a war between Ponies and Dragons.”

Adranus and Thalia looked stunned, although the former looked less so than the latter. Adranus spoke up after a few seconds of silence. “Explain yourself.”

And so I did. I began by telling the story of how Eris escaped. The two apparently knew of Eris and their wings bristled at the mention of her name. They were relieved to hear of her reimprisonment, but strangely enough did not recall her message to the world. I then told them about how I brought up the idea for a council, but how the Fae got involved and kept the Dragons out of the loop. They recognized the Fae as well, but when I told them about how they began to reform, they slightly relaxed. When I came to the end of my story and why I needed to retrieve the Sunsword, Adranus shook his head. “I remember that supposed Dragon Lord Torch. I knew him when he was only a newborn. He was born in this very castle before the war. It would seem his desire for revenge has begun to drive him mad.”

I felt a chill go down my spine. “Mad…?”

“Torch used to be one of the more honorable Dragons around,” Thalia said, and I could hear a hint of sadness in her voice. “He was the second cousin of Helios, otherwise known as Sol Invictus.”

“When the Fae and Dragons began to war against each other, he was about as young as Spike,” Adranus added. “He had not even yet molted. When the castle was put under siege, he and any of the younger members of the royal family fled. That was the last we saw of him until he came back, trying to get back into the palace.”

“By then, we could see he was beginning to be afflicted with the madness of revenge,” Thalia said in a now mournful tone.

“Wait, if you were around during the Fae and Dragon war, could you explain just exactly what happened?” I asked. “I’m getting conflicting stories from both Torch and Chrysalis.”

Thalia shook her head. “My mate and I don’t know much about it,” she said.

“Your goal is a noble one, to be sure,” Adranus said, “but I’m sure you’re aware he has been lying to you.”

“It did seem a bit obvious,” I said, my heart sinking once more. “I really don’t want a war.”

“No sane creature does without a good cause,” Adranus said. “Torch is too far gone now. He lost his spouse, and his thoughts are set on pure revenge against the Fae.”

“Then why hasn’t he acted?” Daring asked. When I turned to her in confusion, she said, “I’m not just a treasure hunter and writer, Sir Bethridge. I used to be a college professor of ancient Equestrian history.”

“Jesus, you’re even more like Indiana Jones,” I muttered before I added in a louder voice, “Alright, care to elaborate?”

Daring sighed, then seemed to slip into lecture mode. “The Dragons live mostly on this neighboring continent. The Fae live across the mountains from Griffonstone in a desolate desert. From what I’ve read, both lands used to be fertile and green until after the war.”

“That would be because of the two thrones,” Adranus explained. “The Fae throne steals away any magic except for that belonging to the Fae. And then there’s the Dragon Throne. It’s not as powerful as the Fae Throne, but it keeps plants from regrowing in this plain. Magic can still be used, however.”

“The more I learn, the bigger my headache grows,” I admitted, rubbing my forehead and closing my eyes.

To my surprise, I felt a wing slowly touch each side of my cheek. Opening my eyes, I saw Thalia looking up at me with a sympathetic glance. “You have been through more stress than any creature should ever have to go at such a young age,” she said soothingly before slowly backing away. “Please allow my mate and I to discuss this situation.” And with that, the two spread their wings and flew off in a burst of flame.

I leaned back against the wall behind me, exhaling a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Beside me, Daring Do and Spike also moved to lean against the wall. The rings of fire moved with them, not burning any part of them. Curious, I reached out and put my hand over the flame. It wasn’t scorching hot to the touch, and I wondered if I, too, could learn this sort of spell so that others could talk to the animals.

Daring looked over at me after a while, looking tired. “This…is going to make for one of my strangest books yet,” she said dryly.

“No shit,” I muttered with a small smile. “Any idea what you’re gonna call it?”

“What about Daring Do and the Sunsword?” Spike suggested.

“Mmm…too on the nose,” Daring said.

“Daring Do meets the Knight of Equestria?” I suggested with a wry smile.

She scoffed, but I also saw an amused smile on her face. “You’re funny, Sir Bethridge.”

“Just call me Jethro, okay?” I said for the millionth time.

“Sure,” she said, then looked up at the distant Phoenixes as they flew around the tower. “Any idea what they might decide?”

“Well, I’m not sure,” I said, “but after hearing what they just told me, there’s no way I’m about to give the Sunsword to Torch. I don’t know why he wants it, but it doesn’t matter. He’s probably the type of Dragon who would make empty promises just to get what he wants. And thinking back, he might just be insane. Either that, or he’s been twisted by the idea of revenge that it consumes him. He wasn’t like this in the show. Sure, he was dismissive of Ember, but he also didn’t physically abuse her or go to war.”

“So…what are you going to do?” Spike asked.

I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I turned to Daring. “What do you know about Dragon rituals and culture? Anything?”

“Probably a lot more than most Ponies,” she said, “but not much. There’s not a lot written about Dragons in Equestria. What are you looking for?”

“There’s got to be a way we can settle this without a war,” I said, “like some kind of duel of honor or something. It’s standard for a race of warriors.”

“If there is, I don’t know anything about it,” Daring said. “But didn’t you say that Torch demanded you not touch the Sunsword?”

“He did,” I said, “but why though?”

“Maybe it’s a touch sensitive artifact,” Daring said. “I’ve seen those before. The first one to touch it activates it.”

“That would make way too much sense,” I said. “First person to touch it gets some kind of power up or something? Cliché, but it makes sense.”

And with that, the three of us fell back into silence. I closed my eyes and rested for a bit. However, the moment I did, images of Zecora once again filled my mind’s eye. I couldn’t help but smile. Adventure or not, I missed that gorgeous Zebra with all my heart. I saw her twinkling eyes, her golden rings and neck chokers, her new mane style, her magnificent swishing tail, and heard her once more whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Sweet nothings that meant everything to me. God, I miss that mare.

Then, her form shifted and I saw Scarlet. I almost laughed at her perverted smirk, felt myself calm down at her now expected dirty jokes at my expense, and smiled wider as I saw the imaginary version of her flying around with the widest and proudest smile on her face. Just like the first time she showed off her new flying abilities to me. I missed her, too.

Scarlet’s form shifted once more, and now I saw the stalwart form of the oldest of the Mane Six, Applejack. Her warm and family friendly smile was always one that could calm me down. She was a down to earth type of mare that kept me grounded. Despite our earlier interactions, I’d grown to trust her with some of my own thoughts regarding my parents’ deaths. After her own breakdown, she’d begun opening up to me every time after I worked on their farm. We were confidants, sharing secrets that we might not share with others for a while. Her southern twang was welcoming, and I saw the mental version of her put her hoof over her hat, welcoming me with a “Howdy, pardner!” I missed her a lot.

Applejack’s form melted away and I saw the grinning, smug expression on Rainbow Dash’s face first. If Applejack kept me grounded, Rainbow was the one who could make my mood soar out of the dumps if I ever felt like that, at least most of the time. I admired how headstrong and self assured she was of herself. Sure, she took it too far sometimes, but she always seemed to learn her lesson. She also didn’t take shit from anybody. I missed her.

Rainbow’s form morphed into Rarity’s next. Her sparkling blue eyes shone just as much as the generosity she portrayed. Her smile whenever I talked with her about or showed her something related to Earth fashion would always make me smile as well. I loved how passionate she got, and even though she could get a bit over the top about it, I still missed her.

Rarity morphed into the beaming form of a bouncing Pinkie Pie. I could hear her giggling and bouncing, and her nickname for me, which only Trixie called me. But whenever Pinkie called me by that nickname, it didn’t bring any sadness to the surface. Maybe it was because Pinkie represented laughter, but it warmed my heart whenever she called me Jethy or Jethy-Wethy. Despite not knowing exactly where my stance was on romantic feelings towards Pinkie, I did enjoy her physical affections. I felt guilty immediately for thinking that, but I knew that I missed that mare a lot.

Pinkie morphed next into the tender form of Fluttershy. Her soft spoken voice was always enough to put me at my ease, and her coat of fur was always so soft and warm whenever the two of us sat on her couch, cuddling and reading manega and manga or watching YouTube compilations of animals from Earth. It was during those times when I saw her truest self: her excitement and joy at talking about not only animals but her love of a form of entertainment that nobody else knew about. One that I was all too happy to keep secret until she was ready. I missed that Pegasus.

Fluttershy morphed into Twilight Sparkle. Despite my study sessions and discussions with her giving me headaches and wiping me out, I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent. It gave my brain a workout, and after each session I always felt just a bit smarter. Her enthusiasm was catchy, and despite her ability to get lost in her studies so much that she neglected her other needs, I truly missed her.

To my surprise, Twilight morphed, and the form of Princess Luna appeared. Out of time she might have been, I greatly respected her ability to assess a military situation and take the lead. We had only interacted a handful of times, but I enjoyed all the time we did spend together. I had the most fun with her during Nightmare Night. It was refreshing to see such a previously uptight and out of touch mare loosen up.

Lastly, but not least, Luna grew and stretched until I saw Celestia standing before me. She was facing me head on, her magenta eyes locked on mine. The smile she wore seemed more genuine the more I saw her, and her widespread wings spoke of the deep love and care she bore for her subjects. She might have her own faults, like not dealing with certain issues in a way that might come back to bite her in her, admittedly, very attractive flank, but somehow meeting me had begun changing her. My daydream version of her opened her mouth, and with a smirk, said, “I’m your fucking princess, my knight.”

I couldn’t help myself. I snorted loudly. God, I missed her too.

“Jethro? Are you okay?”

I jumped, opening my eyes, the visions I was experiencing vanishing in an instant. Looking towards the source of the voice, I saw Spike looking up at me with concern. “Ah, sorry. I was just imagining something funny.”

“Oh? Like what?” Daring asked.

“Celestia swearing,” I smirked.

Daring’s eyes went wide. “The Princess? Swearing?!”

I chuckled. “Let’s just say…I haven’t been as good of an influence on her as I’ve hoped to be.”

“I’m surprised Twilight hasn’t done anything to you,” Spike said.

“She’s chewed me out, if that’s what you mean,” I laughed.

“Yeah, that sounds like her,” Spike replied with a knowing look in his green reptilian eyes.

“They’re coming back,” Daring Do said quickly.

I sat up straighter and looked up. Sure enough, Thalia and Adranus were flying back down towards us, a trail of smoke following behind them as their wings were aflame. When they landed, the flames vanished and they looked at us all carefully before the two locked eyes with me. We all sat in silence for a few seconds before Adranus said, “My mate and I have discussed this at length, but we are at an impasse. She wishes to trust that you will do the right thing, but I am still uncertain. The treasures within are not to be entrusted to just anyone we meet. You have a good heart in wanting to try and avoid war at all costs, but I am afraid that Torch is lying completely.”

I sighed and closed my eyes. “I figured as much…but what else can I do? War is the last thing I want.”

“We cannot tell you what to do. That is your own decision. Even so, giving such an artifact to Torch would be like throwing lava onto a fire in the hopes of putting it out,” Thalia added.

I nodded solemnly. “I figured…”

“Neither of us can stop you from entering and retrieving any relics within,” Adranus said, “but we cannot, in good conscience, allow your companions in either.”

I frowned. “Please, I need them both with me.”

“That is non-negotiable,” Thalia said apologetically. “They cannot come in with you. The magic not only keeps them out, but they are not the ones who have been called to retrieve the item you seek.”

I bit my lower lip, then inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly. “I understand. I appreciate you telling me this.” I looked at them. “So…can you tell me anything about the relics inside?”

“We are the guardians, not the informants,” Thalia said. “Even if we knew much about it, we wouldn’t be allowed to do that. All we can tell you is that the swords don’t work separately. That’s all we know.”

“That makes way too much sense, too,” I said with a sigh. “Which means he might just have the Moonsword.”

“That I cannot say,” Adranus said. “But some final advice before you enter the tower: if you are successful in retrieving any artifacts within, be wise in your decision on how to properly utilize them.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I wasn’t planning on doing anything else. Although, to be honest, all I really want to do is go back home, curl up in bed with my marefriend and just block out the world until I’m ready to face it again, but I don’t have that luxury, and that would be the wrong thing to do.”

Thalia smiled. “A correct choice, Phoenixborn Jethro. We will remain here and keep watch over your companions.”

“I’d actually like to go and explore the rest of the ruins,” Daring said.

I looked at her, then shook my head. “I’d like for you to keep an eye on Spike, so no exploring-”

“My mate and I can watch over this young Dragon,” Adranus said in an insistent tone. “As for you, Pony, feel free to do as you wish. The ruin is abandoned, and we are not the guardians of any of the other treasures here. Only be careful of the other tower, as it is enchanted like this one.”

“Love, that tower fell centuries ago,” Thalia said.

“True, but the enchantment has not failed,” Adranus said to his mate before turning back to Daring. “If you encounter another enchantment as the one that protects this tower, leave the area.”

Daring nodded. “Alright, I will.” She stood, left the circle of fire, and headed back the way she came, but not before she stopped and turned to me. She walked back over, stood on her hind legs and jabbed her hoof into my chest. “Here’s some advice from an experienced treasure hunter to a beginner: don’t rush this and use your head. Use all your senses to protect yourself and detect traps.”

I nodded. “Understood.”

With that, Daring spread her wings and flew into the air, heading towards the castle keep. Just then Spike grabbed my shirt, looking up at me worriedly. I looked down at the scared eyes of the young drake. “Be careful, please?” he asked.

I nodded. “I will, I promise.” Turning back to the Phoenixes, I added, “Are you absolutely sure I can’t take him with me? I mean, leaving him alone with two Phoenixes I just met just doesn’t sit well with me.”

Adranus glared, but Thalia put a wing on his back. “I understand your wariness, as does my mate. And you are correct: we have not spoken long enough to warrant your trust. However, we simply cannot allow this young Dragon to accompany you. It would go against the wishes of our long-gone friend.”

I sighed, but nodded in understanding. “I know two Phoenixes. One is the pet and constant companion of Princess Celestia. The other is my new pet and companion Eve. If they are anything like you, I’ll trust you with Spike’s care. But don’t let any harm come to him.” I took my bag off my back, opened it up and took out a plastic Tupperware container full of a reheated steak and potato stew, two Sweet Apple Acre apples and the bottle of water I’d given him the night before. I put them down next to Spike. “These should tide you over, at least hopefully.”

Spike looked at the food, then back at me. “Are you sure you’ll be okay without these?” he asked.

I held up a big bag of jerky, along with another apple and my canteen. “I’ll be fine, kid. You just be safe, got it?”

He ran up and threw his arms around my legs. I smiled. Being around Ponies all his life definitely made him more affectionate than even humans would be. I knelt down and stroked his head comfortingly, like a father would to his son. “You too,” he said softly before breaking the hug.

“I’ll do my best,” I said with a smile before turning to the Phoenixes. “If something happens to me, could you see to it that he gets back to Ponyville safely? Maybe get Daring Do to take him.”

“We will make sure he is returned to his home,” Thalia promised.

With that out of the way, I slung my bag over my shoulder, then turned to face the tower. “Ready or not, here I come.” And I took the first steps up the hill.

103: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 6

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was expecting when I entered the tower doors. Maybe some large set of stairs heading upwards. Maybe some large hall similar to the one in the main building. Either way, I kept my expectations open.

Which is why I was surprised when I saw nothing but a large perfectly cylindrical room with a large metal pole in the center. The pole led straight up towards a hole in the ceiling which led to another upper chamber. There was nothing in the room, just dust and the stone walls that went directly upward. The only light that was visible came from the hole in the center of the ceiling, a golden light that could very well indicate some sort of treasure.

Despite the light, the rest of the room was still too dark to see in, so I cast the Candlelight spell. Only for the magic to vanish, heading instead towards the hole in the ceiling. When it passed through, the light on the other side brightened considerably before dimming back to its normal glow. Frowning, I cast Candlelight again, only for the same thing to happen. I next spread my wings, making them burst into flames, but as with the spell, the flames vanished, their magic heading up towards the open circle.

But that’s not all I saw. Before the flames from my wings vanished, they illuminated the walls, showing three long lines of glowing bright green writing on the walls, which vanished the moment my flames did. Curious, I reached into my backpack, pulled out an LED flashlight, and turned it on. To my relief, the light didn’t vanish, which gave me my first clue. Apparently, any form of magic was forbidden in this room, so it was also likely I couldn’t just fly up to the apex. I did try just to be sure, and unsurprisingly, I failed, coming back down hard on the hard stone floor.

I tried looking for the writing once again with my flashlight, but there was nothing there. I tapped on the wall, trying to listen for anything out of the ordinary, but I wasn’t Daring Do. I didn’t exactly have the skills or knowledge necessary to maneuver ancient relics.

After circling the entire room, I walked up to the metal pole, but the closer I got to it, the more resistance I felt. It felt at first like I was walking through water, then through mud, and only a few steps from the pole, I hit a wall. I quickly retreated, taking a few deep breaths. The closer I’d gotten to the pole, the more the air around me seemed to congeal. It gave me a sense of being encased in concrete. I had to take a few long swigs from my canteen before taking out a few of my plastic bottles of water and refilling it, crushing the plastic in the process to make more room in my bag.

I sat against the walls of the cave, trying to think about what I should do next. The flashlight didn’t illuminate anything, and I couldn’t just approach the pole. After a few minutes of thinking, an idea struck. I opened my bag again and dug through it, looking for something that I could burn. I sighed in relief as I pulled out a long forgotten lighter and a set of matches from when I used to smoke. I wasn’t sure how they’d remained in my backpack, but I was glad they were there.

Approaching a spot on the wall where I’d remembered seeing a few letters, I flicked the lighter on. I was both surprised and relieved when the green letters returned, albeit with a lower hue. I flicked the lighter off, then pulled out my phone. Turning on the camera, I aimed it at the wall, then flicked the lighter again and took a few quick snapshots. Flicking the lighter off, I opened my photo album. I grinned when I saw the words in the picture, clear as day. “Now, let’s just hope I have enough to read everything,” I muttered to myself as I began.

It took me a bit longer than I had anticipated, flicking the lighter on and off while snapping picture after picture, but eventually, I had one line of text completely recorded. I went through, pulling up my notepad app and writing down as best of a translation as I could, and from there I got this: I am a grain, but not of sand. I am spread, but not on land. Me you can see, but not know me. What am I?

Great. Riddles. I groaned. I hated riddles, but there had to be a reason for them. I closed my eyes, allowing my normally English mind to be overwhelmed with the knowledge of the Old Draconic language. I focused mostly on the word GRAIN, and ran through the various definitions. In that moment, a part of me was incredibly impressed with just how thorough Athena had been when it came to implanting or downloading the various languages of the races of Equestria into my head. It was as if she imprinted entire lexicons into my brain.

Finally, an image appeared in my head. I smiled as a vast starry sky appeared in my mind’s eye. One of the lesser-known definitions of grain in Old Draconic referenced the stars as appearing like sparkling grains of salt on a black surface. I didn’t quite know the context, but it sounded poetic. I opened my eyes, then spoke, in old Draconic, “Stars.”

Instantly, something in the room changed. The writing on the wall, which held the first riddle, suddenly blazed into existence with a bright blue light. Then, the piece of the wall that contained the writing began to rotate all around, making a whirring sound.

And then the ground moved.

I fell flat on my stomach as the ground below me began moving up towards the level of the circling blue letters. The door vanished as well, until finally the rumbling stopped. A full third of the room had vanished, leaving two thirds left.

I stood up, brushing off the dust that had fallen onto me from the sudden motion. Aside from the ceiling now being only about seven feet away from the ground, nothing else about the room had changed. I decided to try to approach the pole once more. To my delight, it went a lot more smoothly at first. Before, I had been a fourth of the way towards it before I felt resistance, but now I felt the resistance start about half of the way there. However, I still couldn’t reach the pole before I felt encased in the metaphorical concrete and I had to return to the edge of the wall. I sighed before realizing a horrifying truth.

If I managed to solve the other two presumable riddles, how was I supposed to get to the small entrance before I was squashed like a bug?

A shiver ran down my body, abject fear passing over me. “No, no wait, calm down,” I said to myself, swallowing a bit. There was no way that the Dragons who made this would make the puzzles next to impossible. As I thought, I began to hypothesize that if the magical resistance went away the more I solved the puzzle, the closer to the opening I’d get.

Feeling more determined, I grabbed my lighter and phone again and quickly and carefully repeated the process I’d done before. However, as I did so, I noticed that the lighter seemed to be running low on fluid. In fact, it got so low that by the time I made an entire revolution around the room it would only light up every ten or so flicks.

Putting the now empty lighter back in the backpack, I opened my phone’s photo album and read the following: A cloud am I, but not one of rain. I never move, but move all the same. Me you can’t see, but through a lens you can take claim. What am I?

“Huh…cloud that doesn’t move…not made of water vapor, doesn’t but does move…through a lens you can claim? What?” I walked around the circumference of the room, once more looking through the large dictionary of words in my head. First, I looked up CLOUD, but that didn’t help since I got the standard answer. Then I looked at LENS, but that was just another dead end. Frowning, I then thought about the two main words together. “Lens…claim a cloud through a lens…hang on…” I thought about CLAIM next, and focused on some of the less widely known Draconic definitions of the word. Something stuck out when I felt the sentence form in my head: Another word for ‘See’, made popular by Dragon Cantabiles. Example: “I took claim of her beauty with my eyes; she was my own.”

“You can see it through a lens, huh…?” I muttered, absent mindedly looking at the three camera lenses onmy phone. “Lens…lens…” I pulled up the image on my phone that focused on the word lens and studied it more closely. “What kind of cloud can only be looked at through a lens? What kind of lens? Microscope? Some kind of magnifying-wait!”

When I thought of a magnifying glass, another type of lens popped into my head. One I had back home. Immediately, memories of the stargazing event I had with Zecora and Luna flooded into my head, and I smirked. I searched the Old Draconic lexicon for astronomical terms, once more feeling more and more impressed by how apparently advanced the old Dragon civilization must have been if they had a word for nebula. After a few moments, I found the appropriate word, and smiled as I said, “Starmist.”

The words on the wall blazed to life, this time a bright red. I braced myself, and as expected, the floor began rising up until the words on the wall were hidden. I had to kneel now since even at five foot seven the roof was now around four feet away from the ground.

When I tried to approach the pole once again, I managed to get about three fourths of the way there before I encountered resistance. As with before, I didn’t even get within reach of the edge of the circular opening before I was unable to breathe. I retreated to the edge of the room, panting heavily. The air in the room now felt oppressive and muggy, like that of a warm summer’s day.

I pulled out the pack of matches and opened it up, counting how many remained. I sighed in relief when I saw that it was pretty much full with nineteen matches. Despite that, I knew I had to make them count for something since the light they emitted was less than that of the lighter itself.

Once more, I looked through my bag to see if there was anything that could burn brighter. Paper, or fabric, or something. I was extremely hesitant to tear into any of the spare clothes I had, but I found one of my older t-shirts with Rarity had altered so my wings would fit through. I brought out my dad’s hunting knife, then began cutting up the wing sleaves. When that was finished, I grabbed two of my flattened plastic water bottles, squeezed them tightly and did my best to wrap the small bits of cloth around, creating a makeshift torch.

After that, I headed to where the writing started, then plucked out two matches. I got into position, sitting on the floor this time and struck them. The green writing on the wall was barely enough to be illuminated by the small matches, but I was focused more on lighting the temporary torch. I held the flames up to the fabric, holding very still as I waited. The matches burned, but the flames were too small to light the fabric, and they died out in seconds. Cursing, I pulled out my lighter again and shook it, listening to the small amount of lighter fluid remaining. I gently began to squeeze it, hoping to create a crack in the chamber which held the remaining liquid so I could pour it on the fabric. After a few moments, there was a snapping of plastic, and the smell of lighter fluid permeated the air. I quickly poured it on one side of the fabric, but only managed a very small seven or eight drops. Before it could dry, I grabbed another match and lit it. To my relief, the fabric caught fire right where the fluid had fallen, and slowly began to spread through.

Grabbing my phone, I began snapping pictures fast. I scooted forward on my ass slowly as the torch quickly burned from one side to the other. I was happy that it was bright enough to illuminate the words, but was worried that I wouldn’t make it to the end before the flames began to dim. I was three quarters of the way through when the fire began to dim. I slowed down a bit, trying not to move too fast or risk the flames going out prematurely. Unfortunately, the flame quickly died out and the words vanished.

I frowned, quietly cursing as I grabbed my matchbook. I pulled out one match, struck it, and began snapping pictures. Unfortunately, the light from the match was barely enough to illuminate one or two letters, so I had to be quick. Sadly, I barely got to one word before the match went out.

I continued repeating this process until I began approaching the end. I looked at the remaining match in my hand, then at the matchbook cover. “Fuck it,” I said, lighting the remaining match, the holding the flame up to the thin cardboard. Fortunately, it caught and I began snapping the remaining pictures. When I reached the end, I began moving backwards, snapping more pictures of what I’d already seen just in case I missed anything. Draconic lettering was very precise, and if I didn’t illuminate it just right, I could very well miss a small piece of a letter that would drastically change the meaning of the word. The lettering for fire and darkness, for example, were so nearly identical thanks to a small tilde right over the second letter in the word for fire. I could very well have missed one of these small discrepancies. Of course, I didn’t make it back too far before my matchbox was turned to ash.

It took me a while longer to sort through the images, and I was glad that I had gone back over the last remnants of the message again, since I had indeed missed a letter. However, when I finally translated the message, it made less sense than the first: Rotation. Dirt. Follow the sun. I break bread when the world runs. What is it?

I just gaped at the translation, trying once more to figure out what the hell I was seeing. For the next fifteen minutes, I went back over the pictures, scrutinizing them as best as I could. “I’m missing something,” I muttered as I made my way back to the spot where the riddle started. I spread my wings, grabbed my phone, then hit video record after selecting the slo-mo setting. I poured as much magic as I could into creating a large blast of fire. To my surprise and relief, my wings burst into flames, and lasted for a full five seconds before they began to quickly dim. In that time, I moved the video along the wall, taking in as much detail as I could before the green lettering vanished.

I immediately felt weak, almost as if I had been drained of a large portion of my strength. I quickly drank some water and splashed my face in an attempt to stay awake. It helped a little bit, but my concentration felt like it had taken a beating. I opened my photo album once more and played the five second video. As I watched the screen move and slowly zoom in on the letters, my mind began translating, and came up with something completely new: A rotation of earth, with roots eternal. I break stone when the inner fire runs. What am I?

I looked over the video over and over again, just to be sure I was reading it right. I was just glad that my iPhone camera was a decent quality. “Rotation…rotation?” I began, once more pouring over the translations of that in my head. I opened the video and compared what I saw to the image I took earlier. No denying it: it was the word rotation. I focused harder on the definition of the word, and after a few minutes of deep reflection discovered that a very early translation of the word could also mean cone.

With that, everything else fell into place, or so it seemed. I had a feeling the word they were looking for was volcano, since it was a cone of earth, with roots that dug deep and that didn’t easily go away, and the inner fire was definitely referring to magma. But it just didn’t quite feel like I was right. It felt too easy.

I decided once more to use my Phoenix flames to illuminate the walls so I could take a panoramic shot instead. Opening my wings as far as they could go in this cramped space, I focused all of my remaining magic into them. Once again, my wings ignited, but this time only at about half brightness. I hit the red button and began moving the camera as carefully as I could. My flames began diminishing almost right away, but I kept on pouring magic into them, slowing the drain. My vision began to fade after a few seconds, but I blinked hard and continued going. Finally, I reached the end and fell backwards, collapsing on my back. I felt like I was about to pass out, but I bit my lip as hard as I could. The pain shocked me awake just enough so that I could sit up and lean against the wall. Opening my photo album once again, I read over the text.

Nothing had changed. The translation I had come up with was the same as before. I sat against the wall, reaching into my bag and grabbing some of the remaining jerky. Eating helped me regain some of my strength, and soon I felt strong enough to move again.

I grabbed my bag, then moved towards the center of the room. The resistance I felt came back once more, and when I was just barely able to move, I moved back a bit, took a deep breath, and said, “Fire Mountain.”

The floor began moving upwards once more, and I pushed forward with my remaining strength. The closer the ceiling came, the less resistance I felt. It was as if a cylinder was shrinking the higher I went. Soon it was only three feet…then two feet. I was on my hands and knees, crawling desperately towards the opening.

One and a half feet.

One foot.

I reached out and managed to grab the pole finally. I yelled out a cry of desperation as I utilized all my Earth Pony strength to pull myself towards the hole.

I barely made it just as the floor met the ceiling with a large crunching sound, like eggshells being stepped on.

As the noise died down, I found myself clutching the pole with both arms wrapped around it, eyes closed and panting heavily. My bag was still strapped tightly around me, having made it by the skin of its fabric. My heart was pounding heavily, wings held tightly at my side and my body was trembling with the release of adrenaline. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down as best as I could. Finally, I forced my body to relax and I opened my eyes.

And they kept on opening as I saw the contents of the next room. There were only two words on my lips as I gawked at what I saw.

"Holy shit..."

Author's Note

Sorry for this being short. I'm not that good at this sort of narrative type.

104: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 7

There was a concept that I’d read about many times before and after coming to Equestria, that being the existence of dragon hoards. In myths back on Earth, dragons were said to have voracious appetites for treasure, so in many myths about said creatures, they would be holed up in caves, surrounded by piles of gold, silver, jewels, powerful weapons and all manner of valuable ornaments worth their weight in gold if not more.

As the stereotypes of dragons moved into the modern era, however, many authors began playing with a dragon’s inherent greed, extending it to other things, such as a greed for a harem of women, which also played with the dragon stereotype of kidnapping a princess. Lust and greed are nearly identical states of being, after all.

The origin about the myth about dragon hoards is somewhat convoluted, at least from what I’d read. One possible explanation had to do with dinosaur fossils. Apparently, when digging around for gold, miners would find dinosaur bones in the same areas, leading to the myth that dragons were synonymous with gold. Another explanation, one which was supported by many linguistic experts was from Proto-Indo-European mythology. Many various monsters, although specifically large serpents and dragons, would steal things of value at the time and keep them for themselves, such as cattle and women. They apparently desired their treasures to come from those of wealth and status at the time. As the centuries passed, this changed so that instead of property, they would instead hoard gold and treasure.

With the advent of a chivalrous age during the ages of knights, this stereotype slowly gave way to the idea that dragons would kidnap princesses instead. It wasn’t exactly chivalrous of a knight to slay a dragon just for their gold and treasure, but for the favor or hand of a noblewoman or princess? There could be no greater honor than that. However, as time continued to pass, the idea of a dragon hoard began to make a resurgence, more specifically in fiction writing. With stories like The Hobbit, all manner of fantasy dragons began exhibiting these behaviors again.

No one knew just why dragons would hoard treasure, since there was absolutely no way they’d be able to spend it at all, especially if they were on a world like Earth where humans were the only sapient species to dominate the planet. There were various theories, such as that dragons liked wealth just as much as humans did, or that they would eat gold, or that they kept precious mementos from exploits. Whatever the case, the idea of a dragon hoard was not a novel concept.

The concept even made its way into My Little Pony, where it was first seen in the Dragonshy episode. The episode which led to my own current financial stability as the wealthiest Equestrian in the modern era. I’d even done some preliminary calculations and came to the conclusion that I might even be able to buy all the private or business property in almost all of Equestria, but since it was just a guesstimate, I didn’t take too much stock in that. I knew I had to get someone to actually take stock of all the bits I now owned, but with all that had been happening to me, I hadn’t quite had the time.

All of this was why I wasn’t at all surprised by the vast amount of large coins, statues made of gold, gem encrusted swords, Dragon shaped armor, ancient fabrics that would make Rarity faint, a vast collection of books and scrolls on bookshelves that lined the walls and stretched up to the ceiling, enough gems to make Spike full, and even a massive golden tree to one side. Hanging from the ceiling I saw seven large bright white glowing orbs hanging from the ceiling which illuminated everything. Each was connected to the other by a massive gold chain, a similar chain of which hung from the center of the ceiling, making it one of the largest chandeliers I’d ever seen. One piece of treasure thing that stood out from the rest was a massive statue of a Phoenix directly in front of me, its wings spread wide, eyes made of orange gems staring down at me and beak open in a large smile.

No, what I was surprised at was the size of the room. It was much larger than the room I had been in before, almost impossibly large. It looked like it was the size of an Olympic stadium, filled to the brim with all manner of treasures. I raised an eyebrow. “Bigger on the inside…the Doctor would be proud,” I murmured as I grabbed onto the metal pole and stood shakily. I was still feeling weak from my magic being drained, but I felt it slowly recovering.

Despite the vast quantities of wealth I saw around me, it looked like it had been very well organized, with large paths leading between piles and sacks of gold. I stepped onto the floor, testing it for structural integrity, and when it didn’t give way, I put my other food on it. I looked at the paths that stretched out from where I was. There were four, each heading out in a perfect X pattern. The room itself was perfectly square, so each pathway seemed to lead towards one corner. At the end of the square, however, the roof moved upward in a pyramid-like formation until it reached the apex where the metal pole that stuck out from the floor reached. I took out my camera and began snapping as many pictures as I could, mostly because I knew Twilight would want to see it later. “She’s gonna have a nerdgasm,” I chuckled as I put my phone back in my backpack.

The moment I spoke, the golden Phoenix statue began to shimmer with an inner light. And the head moved, facing me. “Welcome, welcome, to Hestia’s Treasury!” Another deity name? What the hell is going on here? The statue had a fairly gender-neutral voice and spoke in Old Draconic in a very peppy tone. I couldn’t rightly tell what sex the bird was, so I decided not to until later. Its wings clapped as it continued, “This is quite a surprise! I was expecting a Phoenix or a Dragon, not some unusual ape-creature with wings! How curious!” The Phoenix statue sounded more amused than anything.

A magical golem A.I. guardian, I’m guessing? Things just took a turn for the weird. I raised my hand and waved. “Hello, there.”

“And you speak Draconic?? Fascinating!” The Phoenix stood on its massive talons and stretched its wings. I saw a couple of gold feathers fall to the ground, impacting with a large crash. The Phoenix ignored it as the wings went back into their neutral position. Hestia looked back down at me. “Well, what can I, Hestia, do for you?” it asked. “You wish to partake in some of my treasure? If so, the one rule I have is that after you take one piece of the treasure, you must leave the way you came.” Hestia pointed towards the hole in the floor. Turning back, I saw that whatever mechanism pulled the floor of the previous room up had begun falling into reverse. I looked down and saw the same cylindrical room from before.

I turned back. “I don’t need anything in this room. Not unless the Sunsword is in here.”

Hestia’s attitude completely changed. The Phoenix’s smile evaporated and the statue stared at me with a more serious and cool countenance. “The Sunsword is not to be given out lightly, creature,” it said stonily. “Besides, if you wish to proceed to finding the sword, you must first find the way out of here. And, as with the place before, you cannot use magic or wings to reach the next level.”

“Hmm, alright, fair enough,” I said as I looked around. “So…do you give me a hint, or am I just supposed to hunt around this place for a door or set of keys or something?”

Once more, the Phoenix’s expression changed, becoming one of amusement. “Among my vast collection of wealth, there is one treasure set apart. Find this treasure, and we’ll talk. Just beware, if you touch one piece of the treasure, you will forfeit.”

“Just like the Cave of Wonders,” I said aloud as I looked around the room, then back at Hestia. “And if I touch something by accident, does that count?”

“I will keep an eye on you. If there is any accidental or purposeful touching, I will know it,” it replied plainly. “I will keep my eyes on you.”

“No pressure, then,” I muttered as I pulled out a bit from my backpack that had managed to slip in. I chose one of the paths that split right on either side of the Phoenix, and flipped the coin. Heads for left, tails for right. It landed on tails, so I headed right.

To my surprise, the pathway began to split about twenty or so steps from where I had been standing. One led to the very corner of the room while the other turned left, heading towards the end of the room between the left and right corners. I kept my bit in my hands, electing to let chance decide the directions I would go. After flipping the coin once again, I went left.

As I continued going along, I kept a sharp eye out for anything out of the ordinary. As I continued making my way down the many winding pathways between the treasures, I saw bags of gold coins with a Dragon head facing forward on one side and a blazing sword on the other side, gems of every shape and size, jewelry, more and more elaborate swords of different shapes, and sculptures made out of gold or gemstones, most being in the shape of Dragons and Phoenixes, the former almost always wearing some sort of armor or clothing. I wondered if, in the distant past, they wore clothes in much the same manner as humans did, but it made little sense to me since they had scales and could literally bathe in lava.

I shook such thoughts out of my head. I can talk with Twilight about all this when I get back. Maybe it’ll be something we can talk about when I take her on a date, I thought with a small smile before refocusing on the task at hand.

As I continued going onwards, I began seeing some sort of pattern in the way the pathways were spread out. They all seemed to be in a rhomboid shape with a path through the center, spreading the treasure out in a triangular shape between each pile of varying treasure. As I continued walking through, nothing of note seemed to stand out from the various treasures. I kept on looking, until about an hour or so later, I was back at the center of the room. Something was missing.

I saved the pathways along the walls for last, which was where I saw that there were doors on each wall. Each of said doors were made of simple looking wood, each with a yellow and red rhomboid color scheme for each one. None of them had any keyholes I could look through, and I couldn’t see through the bottom since there was something covering the other side of the gap.

When I finally returned to the center of the room, Hestia looked at me with a wry grin and asked, “So, have you found what you are meant to find?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’m not about to give up,” I said.

“That’s the Dragon spirit!” Hestia laughed, throwing its head back.

And when the statue did that, I saw something around the Phoenix’s neck. A necklace with a strange green octahedron shaped gem on the end. I closed my eyes and thought back once more to all I’d seen. Strangely enough, during my search, any gems I saw lacked this octahedronal shape, and even the green color. I hadn’t seen a single emerald, which somewhat made sense at the time considering the fact that Spike once told me emerald gems were one gem he didn’t like the taste of due to it tasting, in his words, foul.

An idea came to mind. I looked up at Hestia and asked, “So, Hestia, are you a part of this collection too? Or are you just a spirit sculpture?” The word SPIRIT SCULPTURE was the loose translation for the Old Draconic word for golem.

Hestia chuckled. “In truth, I am a bit of both,” it said. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I’m wondering if I can choose you.”

The silence that followed was almost deafening. The Phoenix stared down at me in a mixture of surprise and awe, presumably at my audacity. After what seemed like an eternity, it leaned forward. “And why, pray tell, would you choose me?” Its tone was level, but there was a hint of suspicion in the voice.

I smiled at the statue, then said, “Because if I choose you, I’ll also get the gem around your neck, correct?”

Hestia stared at me for a few seconds, before its eyes changed to green. Its beak curled upward in a wide grin as the Phoenix used its wings to remove the key from around its neck and lowering it down to me. As he did so, the chain and gem began to shrink. Eventually, the chain resembled a necklace I could wear and the gem that hung from it was about the size of a baseball. Holding out my hand, I took it and put it around my neck. The gem flashed with a brief inner light before dimming again.

Immediately after that, I heard the sudden sound of wind. Looking up, I saw the golden Phoenix began to shrink in size in front of me. Not only that, but the treasure in the room began to move around me, encased in a large orange glow. All the treasure caught up in said glow began to move directly towards the seven large orbs, vanishing into them as their surfaces rippled like a ball of water.

I held onto the pole beside me as all the treasure, books and other valuables continued to flow into the seven glowing orbs. It was a magnificent sight to behold, gold, gems, books, fabrics, intact armor and weapons of every type rushed upwards until the room was completely empty, leaving nothing behind except rhomboid patches on the floor which had once held the treasures. This only left me and the now normal sized Phoenix golem who stood in front of me.

Suddenly, the orbs above me began to shrink, but their light didn’t dim at all. Instead, once they were about the size of a large marble, they began floating down towards me. I watched in stunned silence as the former chandelier, now appearing like a necklace, slipped itself around my neck. Hestia stood up straighter, spread its wings, releasing a large amount of gold wings, and then burst into flame. The flames reached up to the ceiling high above me, causing me to stumble back, causing me to almost fall down the open hole beside me in the process.

As I watched the flame turn into a flame tornado, the normal yellow of the flames began quickly changing, becoming a rainbow assortment of color. Strangely enough, the temperature in the room didn’t change at all, but I still kept a respectful distance. Finally, the whirlwind of flames began to recede until the light from my new seven orbed necklace illuminated a large Phoenix lying on the ground unconscious.

Unconscious, and breathing raggedly.

Concern washed over me as I rushed forward and knelt beside the reborn bird. I reached out and touched its body. Hestia, like other Phoenixes I’d seen, was warm to the touch. The Phoenix was also breathing haggardly, so I picked it up and stroked its wings gently, hoping it would calm the presumably newly reborn Phoenix down. Thankfully, Hestia began to breathe more easily. Hestia opened its beak to say something, but began coughing in the process, spitting up small bits of what looked like molten rock.

"Shhh, don’t talk," I said as I pulled out one of my remaining spare water bottles. I opened it and held it up. “Drink.”

Hestia gave me a grateful look before it began flicking its tongue in the bottle, quickly drinking. We remained in that position for a while, all the while Hestia continued drinking. I was surprise at how much the Phoenix drank until stopping, almost half the bottle. When it stopped, I put the bottle down and brought out a bread roll. I broke off a piece and held it out towards the Phoenix. Just as with the water, Hestia ate almost exactly half of the piece of bread. When finished, it looked up at me, and then, to my surprise, spoke in English. “What exactly are you, new master?” Unlike before, Hestia had a clearly feminine voice.

I shook my head quickly. “My name is Jethro. Just call me that, please,” I said, “and right now, I’m not even sure what to call myself. Human? Alicorn? Phoenixborn? Angel? But existential crisis aside, I take it I passed?”

Hestia simply grinned and poked the key around my neck with her left talon. “You sure did, Jethro. Although, I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to live through this if someone ever passed my test. Why did you step in to save me?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” I replied, “and I know a certain yellow Pegasus would kill me if I did nothing to help a Phoenix. That, and I didn’t want to see you die.”

Hestia tilted her head curiously at me, then chuckled a bit. “Well, I’m really grateful that you decided to save me. You passed my test, and as such you are worthy to make your way to the final stage of the test to find the Sunsword.”

“Only three steps?” I asked. However, before Hestia could even reply, the floor beneath me began to ascend again. “Whoa!” I slowly stood and stayed right beside the pole, holding it with one hand and holding a still weak looking Hestia close to me. The roof continued moving closer to us, and I aimed the light at the top of the ceiling. As we continued growing closer, I saw a large rhomboid shaped formation in the ceiling.

As we continued to approach, the green gem around my neck began to glow, and lifted itself up, aiming towards the rhomboid shape. In return, the shape in the wall glowed an identical green color before splitting into two triangles, each of which moved aside as if they were a door opening.

I held Hestia close and pinned my wings back as I stood as close to the center of the rising floor as I possibly could. The opening, which led to presumably another chamber, had no light shining through it. Finally, we passed through the ceiling, and the lights on my neck immediately vanished.

I quickly pulled out my phone, turning the flashlight function on and looking around. However, the darkness seemed to swallow up the light. I looked down, only seeing the small rhomboid former opening in the floor. I looked around the floor, seeing a rise around us. I carefully stepped up into the darkened room.

Still in my arm, I saw Hestia looking curiously at the phone. “How are you casting magic in here?” she asked. Her voice echoed around us, almost like we were in a massive cave.

“This isn’t magic,” I explained. “It’s a piece of-WHOA!”

Bright yellow light erupted out of nowhere, blinding me temporarily. Instinctively, I spread my wings and covered my eyes. Even despite that, the light shone through my wings. However, the light quickly faded to a tolerable level. As I released my wings, Hestia looked at the red portion of my wings, then turned back to me. “You’re full of surprises, master.”

“No master. Just Jethro, please,” I said as I got a good look at the now lit room. Unlike the room before it, this one appeared ten to twenty times bigger than the treasure room I was in moments ago. I was standing, in what looked like a natural looking cavern. Stalactites hung from the ceiling and stalagmites rose up in random patterns all around. I heard water dripping onto the floor all around us and a strange soft humming.

I faced the direction of the humming and saw a bright glowing light located apparently directly in the center of the room. My current location was to one side of said cavern, so I spread my wings, wondering if the magic draining was still in effect. I burst my wings into flames briefly, but as before, the flames vanished, turning into magical energy and heading directly towards the center of the room.

Hestia chuckled and shook her head. “I didn’t expect to be alive this far, but since I am, I’ll let you know right now that you won’t be able to fly or use magic here.”

“So…it’s walking then,” I sighed and began walking straight towards the glowing light.

As we walked, Hestia spread her wings a bit, flapping them slightly and getting a bit of lift before returning to stand on my shoulder. We walked a few minutes in silence, the light at the center of the room never appearing to get any closer. Eventually, she said, “You never quite did answer what you are, mas-Jethro,” she said, quickly correcting himself.

“Well, it’s a very long story,” I said, “but after I tell it, I’d like to ask you some questions as well.”

“You chose me as your new property,” Hestia said, “so I’ll answer anything you so desire.”

“Property? Ugh, I hate that way of thinking, but for now, let me start at the beginning.”

105: A Cloaked Heart's Dangerous Journey Pt. 8

I didn’t keep track of how long I was talking, but I told Hestia about my initial arrival into Equestria, how an ancient Alicorn brought my house, staticnet, electricity and water with me, changed me into a human-Alicorn hybrid, albeit on accident, and about all my adventures in great detail. It helped to pass the time, especially since our destination didn’t seem to be growing any closer. I also relayed the nature of My Little Pony to her, which greatly piqued her interest.

“…and after a long talk with Thalia and Adranus, I made them promise to keep an eye on Spike, then I entered the tower,” I finished as before taking a small drink from my water canteen before offering some more to Hestia, who drank gratefully. “It’s pretty obvious what happened after that.”

“Indeed,” Hestia said, then she turned to me. “I’m curious, though, how did you solve the three riddles in the first chamber without using magic?”

“I had non-magical means to reproduce flames,” I said, then proceeded to recount that story as well, bringing out the now defunct lighter and flicking it a few times, producing one small flame for a few seconds before it vanished again. I also took out my phone, showing him the camera feature and snapping a few panoramic shots of the cave we were in for Twilight to geek out over later.

Hestia stared at it, then looked back at me with a surprisingly bemused expression. “You know, there was a candle in that room, one that was pretty well hidden. It was meant to show you the letters.”

I facepalmed. “Yeah…I didn’t see it, and I am on the clock right now.”

“I understand that,” Hestia said. “I’m just saying you solved it very differently than it was meant to be solved.”

“This was one reason why I wanted Daring Do with me,” I grumbled, “I mean, come on! It’s not like I’m any good with these sort of things.” Looking back at Hestia, I then said, “It’s my turn to ask questions. Question one: how are you speaking English to me right now? All other Phoenixes have their own language.”

“You mean this one?” Hestia asked in the Phoenix language.

“Exactly,” I said. “Are all Phoenixes capable of speech?”

She shook her head. “No. I am special in that sense. And as to how I know your language, well, the moment I was reborn, I came back learning your language. Bennu helped with that. Dude says hi, by the way.”

I turned and gaped at Hestia. “Did you just…call the king of the Phoenixes…a dude??”

Hestia smirked. “I did say he helped me learn your language. That includes some new words, bro.”

I groaned. “My household just keeps getting bigger and full of the unusual…I hope Eve’ll be okay with this, and I shudder to see how Scarlet will react to you.”

“I’ll have a talk with Eve when we return to your home,” Hestia said before she looked at me curiously for a bit. “Any other questions?”

“Hmm…” I closed my eyes and thought. Since we apparently had a long walk ahead of us, I decided now was as good a time as any to get some history lessons, and if this Phoenix was there during the time of these ancient Dragons, perhaps she knew something about their culture. But first, I had to know if she was around. “How old are you? Were you really around during the time of the Dragons who built the city?”

Hestia closed her eyes, smiling as if remembering some good times. “I’m not sure how long I’ve been in this statue, but I do know that I was alive for the last three generations of the Dragon rulers who controlled the motions of the heavens.”

I nodded. “So, Dragons did control the motions of the sun and moon before the Ponies took over, huh?”

“They did control the day and night cycle, yes,” Hestia said. “I am not quite sure just how the Ponies managed to take over, though.”

“From what Twilight told me, it used to take a fuckton of Unicorns to do it before Celestia and Luna showed up,” I replied.

Hestia nodded. “It takes a great deal of magic to keep the Heavenly Accord.” harmony

“Heavenly Accord? What’s that?” I asked.

“Forgive me, it’s a rough translation from Draconic,” Hestia said. “The ancient Dragons followed a belief in the Accord of life.” She stopped, turned to me, and grinned. “Actually, now that I think about it, Harmony would be a better translation.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Dragons believing in Harmony? Wow. I know only one Dragon who would believe in Harmony, and that’s Spike.”

“Spike, eh?” Hestia looked at me curiously. “What’s he like?”

I smiled. “Spike is one of the bravest and most loyal Dragons I’ve met. Despite knowing I was coming to the Dragon Lands alone to try and find the Sunsword, he still came along because he was worried about me. And he hasn’t even experienced a molting yet!”

Hestia’s eyes widened in alarm. “A young male came along who hasn’t experienced a molt?!” she asked in alarm. “And he isn’t with you??”

“I was told he couldn’t come in by Thalia and Adranus,” I replied.

Hestia sighed. “Remind me to give those two a good thrashing when we get out of here.”

“Heh, don’t be too hard on them. They’re keeping watch over him while I’m in here,” I said, “and if that’s not enough, there’s a Pegasus Pony on the castle grounds who’s exploring. If I don’t make it out of here before nightfall, she’ll be able to keep an eye on him.”

Hestia relaxed slightly, but not much. “Still, for a Dragon hatchling to follow you across the ocean in nothing but a burlap sack speaks volumes about him. And about you.”

I shook my head. “It speaks a lot more about him than me,” I said. “Truth be told, I love the little guy a lot. He might be just a kid, but I’m pretty protective of him. The two of us don’t spend as much time together as I think we should, and I’d like to try and change that.”

She chuckled. “I look forward to meeting this young hatchling very much.”

Absent mindedly, I reached up and stroked her head. As she cooed, I said, “I’ll make sure you do.” Turning to her, I said, “Well, do you have another question for me?”

She looked at me, a curious expression once more on her face. “Well, I do, actually. This My Little Pony story…can you tell me more about it?”

I pulled out my phone, looking at the signal. I was a bit shocked that I still had any signal. “I can do more than that,” I said as I unlocked my home screen and opened Netflix…

After watching the first two episodes of the show, we were almost at our destination, which I now saw was a large orb of glowing energy with a familiar looking sword hovering in the air directly above a swirling circular pool.

As I closed Netflix, Hestia could only look stunned. “That is…quite unusual,” she said in a quiet whisper, which in the massive cavern echoed around us. “How did your kind find the history of our world, or even future events?”

“Believe me, I’ve discussed that with Twilight a few times,” I said, “and there’s so many possibilities. But this world is so much more than how it’s portrayed in the show. It’s darker, grittier, but there’s still so much good in this world, a lot more than I could say for mine. Back in my old world, I wasn’t really living. Ever since I’ve come here, I’ve gotten a girlfriend, a ton of amazing close friends, and despite getting involved in some pretty nasty shit since coming here, I would rather be in Equestria than back on Earth.”

“Don’t you miss certain things about your old world?” Hestia asked.

I nodded. “I mean, sure. I miss fast food, for one. I miss driving my car. I miss certain food products, especially meat. It’s hard to get meat here, especially when almost everything that I used to eat back on Earth can talk here. Sometimes, I even miss other humans, but I can travel to another Earth that’s practically identical to mine. Even so, I’d much rather be here. Here, friendship means more to these Ponies than it would to an average human. It forms a lot faster, and can literally make a rainbow laser of power.”

Hestia laughed heartily. “So I saw. Did you witness the event we just saw?”

I shook my head. “Nah, not personally. I didn’t go to Ponyville until a month after I arrived in Equestria.”

Hestia nodded. “If the Ponies have indeed taken the Celestial Reins, I don’t blame you for avoiding them.”

“Eh, what matters is that I’ve been accepted into Ponyville for the most part,” I replied. “And it looks like we’re here.”

The two of us stopped right in front of the large glowing orb of magical energy surrounding the large circular pool with the sword hovering in the air. The sword itself…well, I had to admit, the images I saw didn’t even begin to do it justice. As I’d seen in the murals, it was one half of a broadsword. Much like in the murals, it had Dragon wings for crossguards, a spiked tail for a handle, and a broad blade with spikes near the bottom of the blade itself. The source of the magic barrier seemed to come from the sword itself. If I was honest, the whisps of magical energy moving towards the edge of the spherical barrier reminded me a bit of those electric globes I would see in our local mall’s Spencer’s. Unlike the depiction of the mural, however, the sword appeared to have been snapped in half, but as I zoomed in closer with my phone’s camera, I saw that it was an intentional appearance. The edges of the break were too smooth. Like it was one piece of a puzzle.

I pressed against the magical barrier, and wasn’t surprised when it held me out. Also, much like those globes of electricity back on Earth, a bolt of magical energy close by moved closer to me and lit up brighter, remaining in the same place. I removed my hand and it began moving away, dimming back to its normal glow. Putting my hand back on it, the bolt of magical energy returned and lit up brighter once again. I removed my hand again, stroking my chin thoughtfully “Hmm…”

“Any thoughts?” Hestia asked.

“Hang on,” I said as I took a few steps back. I dug an X in the dusty surface with my foot, then took out the same bit from before. I flipped it and caught it. “Heads for left, tails for right,” I said, then looked down at the bit. “Right it is,” I said as I slipped it back into my pocket, then turned left.

“May I see that coin?” Hestia asked.

“Sure,” I said, fishing it back out and handing it back to her. “It’s a bit, and from what I’ve seen in the show, it’s a pretty common denomination of money in the world.”

Hestia took it in her wings, turning it over to look at it in the light of the magical barrier beyond us. She seemed more interested in the coin than anything else, so I just left her to examine it. It amused me to see my new Phoenix companion just looking over a simple bit like it was the Holy Grail.

When I finally made a full rotation around the barrier, I’d been walking for around ten or so minutes. Hestia slowly handed me the bit, and I stuffed it back in my pocket. “Any ideas, Jethro?” Hestia asked.

I almost answered, but just then, the green octahedronal gem around my neck began to glow softly. I looked down at it, only to see it starting to hover, the bottom point aiming directly towards the sword. Curious, I turned to the side, but the gem continued hovering in the same position. I frowned. “Huh…wonder what this-WHOA!”

Just then, the gem began being pulled towards the sword itself. I was so surprised that I was caught off guard and was pulled through the air. But while the gem passed through the barrier easily, I wasn’t so lucky. I found myself splayed against the barrier face first, the chain around my neck digging into my skin. With each passing second, the chain around my neck only got tighter. With my face pressed against the barrier, I couldn’t get any air into my lungs. I fought back, trying to pull back, but the force around my neck was a bit much. Panic began setting in as the barrier around me began deforming in the shape of my body. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the barrier closed around my ears, cutting off the panicked sounds of my new Phoenix companion. I continued moving closer to the sword slowly, the gem approaching the end of the sword’s hilt. I tried using magic to move, but that drained me even more. Soon, dark spots formed around the corners of my eyes, and my vision became blurry.

Is this it? Do I die from suffocation? Those were my last thoughts before a blinding bright light filled my narrowing vision. I felt myself falling, all pressure around my body vanishing as I fell into cold water. I gasped, drinking in great gulps of air, my hearing back as well. Hestia’s scared voice came closer as she landed on my shoulder. “Jethro?! Are you okay??”

I continued taking in deep breaths of air, holding up a finger to silence her. Fortunately, it seemed the newly reborn bird understood the gesture, because she went silent. Looking down, I saw that I was sitting right underneath the floating sword. I cupped my hands, splashing the cold water in the pool against my face. It helped, and I grabbed the side of the pool and slowly stood up. “Well…that was a trip,” I said, before realizing just how dry my throat was. I grabbed my water and downed half of it, gasping after I finished. I cleared my throat and looked around.

I was standing in about a foot of water now, water that was slowly spiraling around in the pool below me. The water rippled as I stood, disturbing the pool that had, presumably, not been disturbed since this cavern was set up. The ripples slowly faded, although I could still feel the slow movement around my legs. I faced the sword, looking it over and wondering just how I could grab it without touching it with my skin.

With my skin…

Just then, an idea popped into my head. I reached into my backpack quickly, pulling out the gloves Rarity gave me, and slipped them on after drying my hands on what little portion of my clothes were still dry. Fortunately, the gloves had not gotten soaked, so they were easy to slip on after I got my hands as dry as I could. Looking down at my soaked gloves, I wasn’t entirely sure if this would work. “The moment you touch the sword, it belongs to you, yes?” I asked, turning to Hestia. She nodded. “So technically, if I don’t touch it with my skin, it doesn’t count, right?”

Hestia tilted her head. “Even though I wasn’t meant to come this far, I can’t tell you anything. I’ve been forbidden to tell you anything.”

I sighed. “Well, let’s try a few things, then.” I lifted my hand towards the sword, trying first to grab it with telekinesis, but whatever was suppressing magic was still active since the glow around the sword vanished directly into said sword. I groaned, then got out of the pool and looked around the sides, hoping to find something that could give me any hint as to what I should do next. However, there was nothing. No writing, no magic fire runes (I briefly let my wings burst into flames just to be sure), nothing.

Next, I took off my hoodie and tried as carefully as I could to tie it around the sword’s hilt. I pulled as hard as I could, but not even that seemed to work. I tried using my Earth Pony strength, but even that failed.

Finally, not knowing what else to do, I gripped the hilt in my gloved hands and pulled. And pulled. And pulled. And yet, there was no reaction. I sighed, feeling defeated and sat on the ground in front of the pool, staring at the sword. A horrifying suspicion began forming to the forefront of my mind.

I removed the glove on my right hand, stormed over to the sword, and swiped at the hilt. The moment my bare skin wrapped around it, I felt its weight and balance. As it began to fall, I gripped it with both hands, holding it carefully so it didn’t touch the water. I held it up in my hand, looking in disbelief at the half sword in my hands. The sword itself seemed to glow briefly with an inner fire before dimming back to its normal self. With this, any doubts I might have had at my growing suspicions vanished.

I had to touch it.

There was no other way. I had to touch this sword with my bare hands to remove it.

Fear rose up inside me as Hestia landed on my shoulder. Just then, a large circle of fire formed around me. All I could do was stare at the half bit of sword in front of me with complete terror. I owned this sword now. Something inside me just knew I was the master of this sword and had dominion over the power it possessed. A power Torch craved. A power that was now completely out of his possession. Because it was now mine.

The flames around me grew larger and larger until they enveloped the area around me. I closed my eyes, a part of me wondering just what was happening, but another part of me was far away. I failed. Even if I suspected that Torch wouldn’t keep his word, I still had a small portion of hope that he would.

A hope that was dashed to pieces the moment I touched the sword with my bare hand.

And just like that, the sound of flames around me vanished, and I felt something warm against my face. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was now outside once more, standing right at the entrance to the tower, the Sunsword still in my right hand, my left hand gripping onto the glove I’d removed. On my shoulder, Hestia was still perched, looking at me.

I slowly turned around, looking down towards where I’d last seen Spike and the other two Phoenixes. Thankfully, they were still down there. Spike was sipping on the bottle of water I’d left for him, and Thalia and Adranus were sitting opposite him. The three looked like they were having an animated discussion. With a heavy heart, I removed my gloves, shoved them both in my pockets and trudged towards them, not looking forward to giving not only Spike bad news, but the Ponies back home.

Instinctively, I began to blame myself, but the moment I did, I shook my head. No, Jethro, this is not your fault, I shouted at myself in my head. You did what you could to not touch it, but in the end, you had no other choice.

Behind me, I heard something began to crumble. Whirling, I looked at the tower I’d just been in, only to see cracks forming at the base. With each passing second, I saw the cracks spreading upwards, dust bursting out of said cracks. “Shit!” Turning, I ran down towards the others, Hestia taking flight as I ran. When I was within a few feet, I grabbed Spike in my magic, shoved him under my arm as tightly as I could, and launched myself into the air. Thalia, Adranus and Hestia all flew into the air as well, the latter a bit shakily, but with help from the other two, she managed to avoid the falling debris which headed our way.

The ruins of the tower slammed into the street where Spike had just been, causing a massive cloud of dust to explode from the ruins, surrounding the air quickly. Holding Spike protectively under my left arm, I flew back towards the hole in the main building which the possibly flying galleon had crashed through. As I flew towards it, I saw a familiar pith helmet wearing Pegasus flying in my direction. “What in Tartarus just happened?!” she asked when I was in earshot, “and who’s the new Phoenix??”

“I’ll explain later,” I said quickly as I flew down towards the hole. Passing through without incidend, I landed right in front of the downed galleon, with Daring Do landing beside me, and the three other Phoenixes landing beside her. I slowly put a trembling Spike down.

He looked up at me worriedly. “Jethro…?”

“We have a problem,” I said.

Daring Do looked at me with a serious expression. “What kind of problem?” she asked.

I held up the Sunsword in my hand. Daring, Spike, Thalia and Adramus all looked at the sword with varying degrees of awe. “I just took possession of this sword. Torch won’t be able to receive its power.”

Silence filled the room around us. A full minute passed before anyone spoke. And the last words I ever expected to come from the young drake echoed around the hall.

“Fuck.”

106: A Cloaked Heart Phone's Home

Night had fallen around us. The only sound now came from the campfire that was burning in the hallway near where the galleon still sat. The smoke rose, covering the ceiling and slowly moving out of the open hole in the roof. Daring Do had unpacked a small pot and a small raised grate. She put the grate over the fire, placing the pot on top of it, and was boiling some sort of stew on it for us. I’d seen her chop up some potatoes, some carrots, and various other small greens before mixing in some water and what could only be some sort of vegetable stock. The Phoenixes were all busily chatting on the other side of the hall out of earshot while Spike was leaning against me, eyes closed as the poor Dragon snoozed thanks in part to the warmth of my left wing wrapped protectively around him. I’d talked to him earlier about his recently acquired new vocabulary and made him promise to never use it around Twilight, but since he was so exhausted afterwards, he was bound to forget, so I decided to talk to him again when he woke up.

I was leaning against the wall, staring blankly at my Skype screen, just waiting for Twilight or Sunset to log on. On my right, the Sunsword lay, now encased in a swordless scabbard I’d found lying around when I’d looked for a place to relieve myself. The scabbard was not quite the same size as the sword itself, but it would do. I didn’t really like the thought of the sword being exposed like that.

I absently changed programs, pulling out my Raycon earbuds and slipping them in before opening up my music and scrolling through it. I stopped at a random artist, tapped it, then hit play.

“On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
a partridge in a pear tree.”

The Ray Conniff Singers began singing out their version of the song, but despite my love of the song and the fact that it was in season, not even that seemed to distract my mind from the situation. I leaned back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, staring at the brief portion of the starry night sky I was able to see through the hole. Seeing that, I thought of Luna. I wondered just how worried she might be for me. And not just her, but the other mares in my life, especially the ones who’d been confessing their feelings to me seemingly left and right.

Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Scarlet Dusk and Fluttershy. Four Pony mares had all confessed their romantic interest in me. I remembered their worried faces from before I left. Even if I couldn’t be completely sure of my own feelings about them, I knew I cared very strongly about them. Even Scarlet, the horniest mare on the planet, meant a great deal to me and it just didn’t seem right to see her normally suggestive smirk being replaced by a look of pure fear. Just imagining any of my new friends and my marefriend worrying about me so much both warmed my heart at their concern and broke it, especially since I loved seeing any of their smiles.

It even hurt to see Celestia so worried for me. She was always more radiant with her warm and tender smile, but seeing her so tired and distraught hurt.

Instantly, I realized the line of thinking I was going down was a dangerous one. I sighed and leaned back against the wall behind me. My need to please is going to be the death of me…and I already died once! Everyone’s smiles meant a lot to me. Seeing their warm and happy faces filled me with more joy than I felt like I’d ever had back on Earth, with the exception of my memories with my Trixie.

I decided to amuse myself a bit by opening an old solitaire app. I bobbed my head to the Christmas tunes I was playing which were occasionally interrupted by the sound of cards being flipped whenever I tapped the ones on screen.

I was three games in when the current song I was listening to quickly faded away to be replaced with the sound of an incoming Skype call. I disconnected my earbuds quickly and hit answer. The screen lit up, and I saw a very concerned looking Twilight Sparkle sitting in her library facing the laptop I’d lent her. But she wasn’t alone. The library itself was crowded with not only the Mane Six, but Zecora, Scarlet, Shining Armor, Cadance, and the Celestial Sisters. Sunset was there as well, using her magic to manipulate the mouse.

They all looked majorly wiped out. There were bags under their eyes, but even then, the moment the call started, I could see their expressions brighten, if just a little. Even Shining looked relieved to see me. He had a few bandages around his midsection, but other than that he looked relatively unscathed.

Twilight was the first to speak. “Heh, hi Jethro!” She put on a wide smile, and the majority of the other Ponies did the same, but I could tell it was fake. “How was your day?”

“Did you do anything fun?” Pinkie asked in the background.

I gave a very small smile. It made me feel warm inside to see Twilight trying so hard to be cheerful in a situation that was anything but, so I decided to indulge her and the rest of them for a bit. “Tiring, but rewarding.”

She looked a bit relieved. “That’s good. How’s Spike?”

I moved the screen to show him curled up underneath my wings. “Poor guy’s all tuckered out.”

Rarity moved closer to the screen to get a closer look, smiling at the sight. “Poor Spikey Wikey looks wiped.”

I smiled and stroked his spines gently. “Indeed he is,” I said. “But he’s safe.”

Twilight exhaled slowly. “I’m glad to hear that. What happened today?”

“Oh, today was one of the most eventful ones I’d ever had. I met some new friends, for one.”

Twilight’s ears twitched a bit. “Oh? Who?”

“One second,” I said, looking over at Daring Do, who was just tasting her soup. “Daring! Come over here for a bit and meet my other friends!”

Daring looked over at me, eyebrow raised. “Meet them how? There’s nopony else around.”

I held up my phone. “They’re back in Ponyville, but I can use this as a long-range communication device. Come on.”

She put down her wooden spoon, walked over and stood next to Spike. She looked at the screen, and I slowly rotated the phone to put her into the shot. “Ladies and gentleman, allow me to present the one, the only, Daring Do!”

My announcement shocked the others on the other end into silence. Rainbow Dash flew directly towards the screen, her face filling the camera. “Now wait just a damn minute! You’re telling me that Daring Do, that adventure book series, is real!?”

“She appeared in the show,” I said, “and yes, she’s very real. All of her adventures are quite real. Pick them up sometime! I have it on good authority you’ll enjoy them!”

“Reading is for eggheads,” Rainbow Dash muttered softly, crossing her forelegs and pouting.

“Well, I do sometimes exaggerate some details in the stories,” Daring said, “but not by much.”

“How did you two meet?” Twilight asked, gently pushing Rainbow aside.

“Completely on accident,” I said, and quickly relayed the story, about how she snuck aboard the galleon next to us and how she had joined forces with us so we could figure out the mysteries of the castle together, how she’d tried to enter the tower with me and Spike only to be rejected, and more.

There was silence on the other end when I finished, until finally Twilight said, “Wow…that’s just…wow.”

“Didn’t expect to meet her, either,” I admitted, “and yet, here we are.”

“Nnnng…Jethro?” I paused and looked down towards the source of the voice: a slowly waking up Spike. He stirred underneath my wings, then opened one eye. “What’s going on…?”

“Spike? Are you awake?” Twilight asked eagerly.

Hearing the miniature sounding voice from my phone, Spike rubbed his eyes and sat up, still remaining underneath the wings. “Twilight?”

“Thank Celestia!” Twilight looked completely relieved at seeing the young drake. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he mumbled as he stretched and yawned. Rubbing his eyes, he looked closer at the screen. “Wait…why’re everypony else there?”

“I gathered them all,” Celestia said, approaching the screen. Twilight stepped aside, and Celestia sat down on her haunches, looking directly at the screen. “Jethro, my knight, I’m pleased to see you’re doing well.”

“Physically, at least,” I admitted. No time like the present.

Celestia’s ears lowered a bit. “My knight? Has something happened?”

I reached down, drew the Sunsword, and, after moving the phone a bit away from me, held the sword up. “I found the Sunsword.”

Her eyes went completely wide when she saw it. The others gaped at the half blade. In the light of the fire, the blade shimmered, almost as if there was some sort of inner light coming from it. Or as if the fire was feeding it. Looking towards the fire, I saw a small mist coming directly from it, heading directly towards the sword itself. I quickly sheathed it, and the fire, which had been slightly diminished, erupted back to its normal state. Daring, upon seeing this, got back up to check on dinner. I refocused my attention on the screen. “I might have found the Sunsword, but we have a new problem. I had to touch it to remove it. I tried magic, a makeshift rope, even Rarity’s gloves she made for me didn’t help. In the end, I had to touch it.”

Celestia’s ears went completely flat and her wings snapped back. Everyone else in the room looked similarly upset and worried. Before anyone else could say anything, I continued. “I wish there’d been another way, Princess…I really do.”

She held up a hoof to silence me, and I clamped my lips shut. Leaning forward, she said, “I told you…call me Celestia.” Her smile returned, but it looked somewhat strained. “I’m glad you tried your best, but nopony’s perfect.”

I chuckled a bit. “I ain’t a Pone, but thanks for the kind words. I almost started blaming myself again.”

Her smile froze on her face, and I could see the reactions of a few of the mares behind Celestia. Beside me, I felt Spike tugging at my shirt. Looking down, he was giving me a fierce draconic glare. “You didn’t blame yourself again, did you?”

I shook my head and rubbed my cheek. “Let’s just say…Celestia packs a hell of a slap.”

The tension on the other end snapped in half and they all burst out laughing. Even Celestia was laughing like a little filly and not even bothering to hide it. Spike’s glare vanished and he too laughed. Hearing their laughter made me smile wider than I had in a while. It felt good. It felt right. It felt like nothing had happened, and that the days of just peaceful existence and life were back.

But even that fantasy had to end, and as the laughter died away, Celestia looked at me. “My dearest, most faithful knight, once you are able, please return to us. I’m afraid things have not gotten any better since you left, and we could use your help.”

My smile faded away and I took on a serious expression. “Talk to me, Celestia. What happened?”

Celestia sighed. In that moment, I saw, once again, how ancient she must really be behind that eternally young face. The stress lines. The worry. “Our Pegasus scouts are reporting a large number of Dragons mobilizing beyond our borders. There have been sightings of them on our eastern beaches, even as far north as Horseshoe Bay near Baltimare.”

“Shit,” Spike said before I could stop him.

“Spikey! Such language!” Rarity said, aghast.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy said, looking a bit stunned by Spike’s new foul mouth.

“Who knew he had it in him?” Rainbow Dash said, sounding a bit impressed.

“I sure did,” Scarlet grinned.

Twilight’s ears were pinned back, but her glare was, presumably, directed at me. “When you get back, we are going to have words, Jethro Edward Bethridge. And you too, Spike the Dragon,” she growled. A shudder went down my back at the unbridled fury that spread across her face.

I straightened myself up, pulling a now somewhat trembling Spike closer to me and returned her stare with a calm one of my own. “His language aside, Spike is not wrong,” I replied. “From what I know, Baltimare is one of Equestria’s leading sea trading cities, correct?”

Celestia nodded. “We receive much of our foreign imports from there, and because it’s the only coastal city next to a large river, we send much of our own exports out that way as well. I’m pretty sure Torch allowed the Ponies in Baltimare to see the Dragons as some sort of warning.”

“Mess with him and he can take out all of our biggest trading cities from other nations,” I said, to which Celestia nodded in confirmation. “He really wants the Fae dead that badly that he’d risk going to war with a country harboring them?”

“Anyone can become rash with age,” Luna said, looking down mournfully. “Our parents were definitely an example of that…as was I…”

“Lulu, you’re as bad as Jethro is sometimes,” Celestia said, having turned to face her sister. “We were both at fault for Nightmare Moon, but me especially.”

“Hey pot. Kettle called. He says your black,” Scarlet said suddenly before she practically shoved Celestia out of the way. She glared at me, but even with the outdated camera on the laptop, I could still see tears in her lovely red eyes. “You’d better come back, you hear,” she said, pointing at the screen with her wings in such a way that they almost looked like hands. “So help me, if you die, I will come after you, and in more ways than one!”

“I will come back, that’s a promise,” I said. Inwardly, I smiled. It made me smile when she made a very covert sexual joke. I looked at everyone on the screen. They all looked extremely tense. I was afraid to ask the next question, but I knew I needed to. “So, what’s been going on over there? How are things progressing?”

Over the course of the next ten minutes or so, almost everyone in the room laid out a small report. Celestia had been seeing to the needs of the delegates, staying in her old home and speaking to each delegation individually. Unsurprisingly, the Lycan delegation had not said much to her, but it seemed as if the others were still willing to try and make this council work out for the good of Equestria. Luna, with Blueblood’s help, had been maintaining Celestia’s court, although she still looked completely exhausted. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, along with many other Ponies in town, had been not only training to fight but had been setting up the town for a potential invasion. Fluttershy had still been tending to the animals displaced by the forest fire and was helping to negotiate with the animals of nearby forests in the hopes that the latter would be open to taking in the former as refugees. Rarity said she’d been looking over some Unicorn spells that she hoped might help in any oncoming battle. Pinkie Pie had, to my surprise, been practicing her cooking so she could, in theory, provide for any soldiers coming back from battle. Twilight had been furiously researching everything she could on Dragons, looking in every book in Ponyville that she could find. Unfortunately for us, however, she found little, just some ancient apparent myth about how the first Unicorns who began moving the sun and moon were actually taught how by a few Dragons.

Cadance and Shining had been helping the mayor of Ponyville maintain order. Shining had utilized some of the guard to help in building defensive trebuchets and large armor piercing crossbows all around Ponyville just in case the Dragons attempted to invade the small town and use it as a staging ground for an assault on Canterlot. Cadance had informed the entire town about the situation the day before, and when she mentioned that I was involved in an effort to avoid a war, that had gotten almost the entire town fired up about establishing defenses and training. That made me feel both proud and a bit nervous that I was such a catalyst.

When they finished, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the news from home. Things had definitely gotten more serious than anything in the show. Hearing that they were building defenses against air attacks, especially large crossbows, meant that the innocence these Ponies was being further stolen. Once more, the urge to blame myself rose up, but I quickly suppressed it. I wasn’t the one at fault for this, after all. God, it just feels wrong not to feel guilty, but the others are right. Not everything is automatically the fault of the weird winged magical human-Alicorn hybrid.

“Sir Jethro? Does something ail you?” Luna asked, concern creeping into her somewhat rough but still lovely voice.

I closed my eyes, shook my head briefly, then opened them again, smiling. “No, it’s nothing, sorry. Just my own stupid thoughts being stupidly stupid.”

Pinkie came up then, some of the fluff back in her mane. “You tell those stupidly stupid thoughts that they’re dump and stupid,” she said in an encouraging tone. “Do that, Jethy-Wethy!”

I smirked. “Alright, Pinks. I’ll do just that.” Deciding to be a bit silly for a bit, I pointed my fingers at my head, then flicked my forehead and said, “You’re being dumb, stupid thoughts!” That caused the entire room to laugh. Even Daring Do chuckled slightly at my foolish antics. After a few moments of laughter, I turned to look back at Celestia. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to Torch’s throne. He said he’d be waiting there for me to present him with the sword. Do you think you’ll be able to open a portal back to Ponyville afterwards?”

She shook her head. “As much as I want to, I can’t risk it. It’s a massive drain on my magic, and if things start going wrong, I’ll need to be at full strength.” She looked at me, a look of guilt passing over her face. “Even though you’re important to me and the others here, I can’t justify the risk when my little Ponies are in danger like this.”

“Tia, stop.” I held up a hand, silencing her. “You’re doing fine so far. I’d leave right now if I wasn’t so wiped out from today. First light tomorrow, we’ll head to Torch’s throne then start back home, I promise.”

Celestia smiled a bit, and I saw a very small blush form on her face, presumably because I called her Tia, something I’d never seen her be called in canon. “We all look forward to seeing you and Spike home safely. Take care.”

“Use those skills I taught you, and kick some Dragon ass!” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Be safe please…I love you…” Fluttershy said softly, giving me one of her more beautiful but still worried smiles.

“You’re getting the biggest super-duper party ever when this is over, sexy Jethy-Wethy!” Pinkie said happily.

“Do take care of yourself, darling,” Rarity said. “And you too, my brave little Spikey-Wikey.”

Spike blushed and waved. “See you later, Rarity!”

“Y’all come back now, ya hear?” Applejack said, bowing slightly and smiling.

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Twilight said with a tender and loving smile.

“I very much look forward to your return,” Luna said.

“We haven’t had that guy’s night you promised,” Shining said with a grin.

“Hurry back now,” Cadance said with a warm smile.

“May the winds of the world guide your travels, my dearest,” Zecora said.

“We’ll be back sooner than you think,” I replied. “Stay safe, and have a good night’s sleep. You look like you all need-”

“HOLD IT!”

A very familiar voice broke through my own farewells. The door to the library had burst open and a very pissed off looking Gemini stood there, glaring around the room. Behind her, a panting and worried Mica ran in, gasping for air as he said, “Gem, wait just a minute-”

“Where is he?” Gemini growled. “Where is that useless good-for-nothing weak whelp!?”

Rainbow Dash quickly got into Gemini’s face. I couldn’t see her face, but I could only guess that the loyal Pegasus was glaring back. “Hey, what the hell is your problem, huh?!”

“Out of my way you fucking prismatic Pony!” Gemini roared, shoving Dash to the side and sending her crashing into a nearby bookshelf.

“Now wait just a gol-darn minute-!” Applejack began, stepping up to her with fury in her voice, but Celestia quickly stepped in and pulled the orange mare back with her magic.

“My little Lycan, who are you looking for?” Celestia asked, her voice calm and collected like a seasoned ruler.

“You get out of my way too, your ‘Highness’, this isn’t your business,” Gemini snarled at Celestia. “I’m looking for my so-called master! AND DON’T CALL ME LITTLE AGAIN!”

“I’m over here, Gemini,” I said a bit loudly so she could hear me.

Gemini whirled towards the sound, and stormed passed the Solar Diarch. I saw her grab the laptop and hoist it up without a care in the world, much to the dismay of the mares around it, especially Twilight, who was begging her to be careful since it was a delicate piece of technology. She glared at the screen, and the scene before me began trembling. There was silence on both ends for about half a minute. Finally, Gemini barred her teeth at me. “So help me, Jethro Bethridge, I swear by the Guardian…if you die on me, I will kill myself and chase you all across the afterlife until you make it up to me, MULTIPLE TIMES UNTIL YOU’RE A WEAK SHELL OF YOUR FORMER SELF! You won’t escape my wrath!” She held up one paw, her claws unsheathed. “Don’t you FUCKING dare do anything stupid! PROMISE ME!!!” She was hyperventilating now, breathing in heavily and showing her wolflike teeth. And in the corner of one of her eyes, something glistened briefly in the library’s light, but was gone before I could fully register what I saw.

I raised my hand in an attempt to be reassuring, the other one around a somewhat trembling Spike who had been startled by Gemini’s unusual outburst. I looked directly into the camera to give the illusion that I was looking directly at her and nodded. “I won’t. That’s a promise.”

Gemini stared at me for a few seconds more, finally seeming to relax. “You’d better not break that promise, or that bite I gave you will be the LEAST of your Guardian-damned worries,” she said in a surprisingly softer tone before she apparently dropped the laptop.

I heard someone shout, then the screen became encased in a familiar purple magic glow before returning to its spot on the table. In the background, I saw Gemini walking out of the door followed closely by Mica. The door behind him shut, leaving the library totally silent. A few moments passed before Scarlet blurted, “Well…that just happened.”

“Anypony have any idea why she was acting like that?” Twilight asked, looking around.

I heard murmurs all around the room, everyone just shaking their heads and admitting their own ignorance to the situation. The only two who appeared noncommittal, however, were Zecora and, to my surprise, Cadance. The latter looked at the laptop briefly, and despite the low quality of the webcam, I could almost see a brief smirk on her muzzle which promptly disappeared. Zecora, on the other hand, simply leaned forward towards the laptop and said, “I will have a long talk with her later about it.”

“I appreciate it,” I replied.

Daring, who was back to stirring the pot, perked up. “You speak Farasi??” she asked.

“I speak a lot of Equestrian languages, but that’s not important,” I replied. Looking back at the screen, I added, “Listen, everyone, it’s been very nice to see you all, but we’re completely wiped. We’re gonna have a quick dinner then head to bed. At first light, we head to the Dragon Lord’s throne.”

107: A Cloaked Heart Sets Sail

The sun hadn’t even risen when my phone’s alarm went off the next morning at five. Groaning, I reached over and grabbed my phone. I looked at the screen, my vision blurring a little bit thanks to my exhaustion. I blinked a few times, then rubbed my eyes with my other hand, banishing any remnant of the dust in my eye. I turned off the alarm, then buried my face in the pillow again. Beside me, the young Dragon was wrapped up in one of my wings, snoring a bit. I smirked when I saw some drool coming out of his mouth. I slowly pushed myself up, looking around. Daring Do was slowly stirring in her sleeping bag, while the Phoenixes, after their talk had concluded, had left the ruins, heading towards the forest where the Phoenixes all lived. According to Hestia, she, Thalia and Adranus would be rallying as many Phoenixes to help defend Equestria from Torch. I hadn’t liked the idea, but I told the three that if they wanted to do that, I wouldn’t stop them.

I yawned, reached over and gently shook the young purple Dragon. “Spike, Spike? Come one, Dragon-boy. It’s time to wake up.”

“Mmm…Dad…?” he groaned, turning over in his sleep, looking away from me.

Despite the earliness of the hour and how tired I was, I felt a bit of joy when Spike called me Dad. The little tyke was definitely like family to me. I smiled and began to unfurl my wing carefully. “Come on, son, it’s time to get up,” I said softly.

He grabbed at my wing and pulled it closer like it was some sort of blanket. “Five more minutes, Dad…” he muttered.

Shaking my head in amusement, I lifted him up and wrapped him in my arms. “We’ve got a big day ahead of us, little guy,” I said affectionately. He snuggled closer, trying to get every last bit of warmth and comfort from me as he could. Looking over towards where Daring had slept the night before, I saw her sitting up in her sleeping bag now, awake and pulling out something from her pack. I nearly froze in astonishment when I saw her pull out a few pieces of what could only be described as sweet rolls. I was surprised to see the miniature looking glazed bundt cake-looking pastry. Part of me couldn’t help myself. I reached out, grabbed one of the pastries in my magic and pulled it towards me. Daring looked up in shock, then anger, but before she could say anything, I held it in the air between us and said, “Let me guess: someone stole your sweet roll?”

That woke Spike up immediately. He shook the cobwebs from his head and rubbed his eyes. “Sweet rolls? Where?” He licked his lips in anticipation.

I chuckled and began returning the pastry to the adventurer turned author, but she held up a hoof. “I’ve got plenty more,” she said. “Let the little guy have some.”

“You sure?” I asked.

She nodded. “Little hatchling looks like he could use a pick me up. He’ll need the energy if we’re going to be flying to see the Dragon Lord.”

As I brought the pastry back over towards me and handed it to Spike who began eagerly devouring it, something that Daring Do had said stuck out. “Wait, what’s this we stuff? Who said you’ll be coming?”

She looked at me with a glare. “Listen here, sir Knight. I might work alone, but even I can put that personal preference aside when the safety of all of Equestria and the world is concerned!” She flew up to me and jabbed my chest a bit painfully. “You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”

In that moment, her features quickly morphed into that of Rainbow Dash before returning to her actual appearance. Spike, who’d devoured half of the sweet roll already, was staring up at Daring Do with a nervous look in his green reptilian eyes. I put a reassuring hand on his head, then looked back at Daring. “You’re as stubborn as Rainbow Dash,” I said. I shrugged and sighed. “Fuck it, fine. But what about that ship?” I pointed towards the galleon beside us.

Daring waved her hoof in a somewhat dismissive gesture. “Not sure it’ll fly again, let alone float in water. It’s been down here for decades.”

I looked at her curiously, then back at the ship. “Back the truck up…this thing could fly?” I asked in disbelief. I’d suspected as much, sure, but to hear that it was actually capable of such a feat was still mind boggling.

“What, you didn’t know that?” she asked. “How else do you think it got here?”

“No, that’s not it,” I said. “I knew you guys had dirigibles and flying pirate ships, but this is a galleon, a man’o’war ship meant for the high seas!”

“Only a small number of these ships were made by a Unicorn stallion named Quarter Master,” Daring explained, “and sadly, he was never able to pass on the secrets of how he constructed them before he passed away. The ships he had a hoof in building have all but vanished except for this one.”

“Well…damn,” I said. “Kinda wish we could get it to fly now, if only so we wouldn’t have to waste precious energy flying there manually.”

Daring Do stood up and brought out another sweet roll. She tossed it to me and I caught it out of the air. “Let’s eat breakfast first,” she said, “then I’ll see if I can get it running.”

“The great Daring Do is a mechanic?” I said with a small smirk.

“I know more about these types of ships than most,” she said defensively.

I held up my hand as I brought the sweet roll to my lips. “Then I’ll leave it in your capable hooves.”

“Damn right, you will,” Daring said with a small smirk as she took a bite of her own roll.

Breakfast was a quick affair. After I ate the sweet roll, I ate a couple sticks of jerky, while Daring had another sweet roll and Spike ate a few gems he found lying around. When we finished and after we packed up our belongings, Daring and I flew up to the deck of the downed ship, Spike cradled in my hand.

After I put Spike down, I turned to Daring. “Okay, so how do we get this thing to fly again?”

Daring scratched her chin with her hoof, a thoughtful expression creeping over her face. “Well, I know it requires a great deal of magic to be poured into it, so I’ll definitely need your help on that front. There was also a means of control…normally it was the helm.” She made her way over to said helm and began looking it over.

“Need us to look for anything in particular?” I asked.

“Down below decks there are usually some crystal containers that are meant to hold in magical energy,” she explained as she began fiddling with the helm. “They’re not hard to miss, since they’re shaped like a large clear cylinder. I saw them in the cargo hold but didn’t take a closer look.”

“Sounds good,” I said, looking down at Spike. “Spike, let’s go have a look, alright?”

“Aye aye, captain!” he said, saluting.

Smirking, I headed towards the cargo hatch, which was still open after Daring’s first attempt to find whatever it was she was hoping to find, the all to eager Dragon following close behind me. I pulled out my flashlight and flicked it on, illuminating the dark underbelly of the ship. “Spike, be very careful,” I said, “this ship’s been here for years, possibly decades. It’s not in the best condition, so if you see anything out of the ordinary, like some deformed piece of floor, you walk around it. Got it?”

“Alright,” he nodded.

I pulled out a spare flashlight I’d brought just in case my main one broke or lost battery power and handed it to him. “Here, take this and follow me.” And with that, I headed down the hatch.

Howling Raider was a large ship, to be sure. I pulled out my phone and googled galleon layout, and was surprised to see just how many levels this kind of ship had. The moment we reached the bottom of the stairs and reached the main deck, Spike and I found ourselves in the middle of the bombard emplacement, with massive rusted cannons pointing out of open portholes on the port and starboard sides of the ship. I saw a number of large cannonballs just lying at one end of the ship since the galleon was tilted slightly. There was a thick layer of dust around, so I grabbed my handkerchief and handed it to Spike. “Put this around your mouth and nose,” I instructed. “Can’t have you sneezing up a fire storm down here. This wood is probably very flammable.”

“But what about you?” Spike asked as he took the handkerchief from me and began tying it around his face.

“I’ll be alright,” I said as I covered my own mouth and nose with my hoodie’s sleeve but not before once again putting Rarity’s gloves on. Looking at my phone, I saw that many ships like this had a main deck right above the cargo hold, so I looked around for another hatchway. Fortunately, I didn’t have far to look as it was only a few steps towards the front of the ship. I could see hoofprints where Daring had made her way down.

We made our way down into the cargo hold, which was where I saw massive wooden barrels tied to a few shelves on the port and starboard sides. Some had spigots attached, and when I tested one of them, a bit of brown liquid with a fruity smell flowed out before being reduced to a drip. As I tightened the spigot, I sighed. “Why is the rum always gone?” I muttered as I swung my flashlight around towards the sealed food caskets.

“Jethro! I found them!” Spike called out from behind me. Turning, I saw five massive cylindrical crystals sitting near the aft portion of the cargo hold, each in a pentagonal shape and each held in place by large metal clamps attached to the walls floor and ceiling. For the most part, they looked pretty intact save for one which was shattered into three distinct pieces, but since the clamps held onto them the pieces hadn’t fallen to the deck. “Damn,” the young Dragon said when we saw that, “what do we do now?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, “Daring knows more about these ships than I do, so I’m not sure if the Howling Raider can fly on five unbroken crystals.”

“I can go ask Daring Do! She might know!” And before I could say otherwise, the eager to help young drake ran up to the upper deck.

While waiting, I decided to do a little bit of exploring myself. I looked at the massive cargo hold, starting aft. There was a hallway at the very aft section of the cargo hold, with two rooms on either side. The room to port led to what looked like a very simple brig, while the room to starboard looked like an infirmary. I then went back to the front of the ship and was surprised by how many barrels were still attached to their shelving. A few had crashed to the floor, and whatever had been in said barrels had long since either been taken by small animals or, if my senses were right, evaporated. I saw a few broken spigots around the broken barrels, meaning that whatever was in many of them was either water or some kind of alcohol. Probably rum. One broken barrel lay around a large pile of what must have been food since I saw dead mold lying everywhere around the pile as well as a few skeletons of small rodents.

After a few minutes of exploring, I heard Spike returning, so I headed back to cylinders. To my surprise, Daring Do had joined Spike and was looking at the broken cylinder, a large torch in her hand. I quickly joined her and stood beside the two. “I don’t think any of us have the magic to fix that,” I said after a few moments of silence.

Daring Do shook her head. “No, but we don’t need it. Quarter Master always made his flying ships able to fly with at least four, at least, that’s what I’ve read about.”

“I know I’d feel a lot better if we had all five,” I admitted.

Daring sighed, but looked closer at the breaks. “Well…we may have one way of fixing them, but it won’t be a permanent solution,” she said, looking down at Spike. “And we’d need your help, little hatchling.”

Spike looked back at her, then pointed at himself. “Me? Why me?”

“Dragon fire is one of the hottest flames in the world,” Daring explained. “Some Dragons can breathe fire so hot it can melt rock into lava. Now, if we do this right, we could possibly melt this crystal in such a way that it’ll cool back into one solid object again.”

Spike stood up taller, looking as serious as a Dragon child could. “What do I do?”

“Now hold on,” I said, putting my hand up, “that sounds a bit dangerous. What if the crystal melts and scalds Spike?”

“Dragons can bathe in lava,” Daring retorted.

“Right, yeah,” I said, looking over the broken crystal once again, then back down at Spike. “Are you sure you’re up to this, Spike?”

He gave me a thumbs up. “Of course!”

I turned to Daring once again. “Alright, we’ll do it.”

Spike spent the next twenty or so minutes nearly constantly breathing fire directly into the cracks while Daring and I kept an eye on the crystals themselves. We watched as the fractured edges slowly began to melt. When Daring judged them melted enough, Spike stopped breathing fire and helped us push the broken pieces back together. We held it there while the melted crystal slowly solidified. We repeated the process for the second crack until finally the crystal was all sealed up. However, the remainder of the cracks were still visible inside the crystals themselves. However, we all made sure that the outsides of the crystals were sealed as best as possible.

When we were finished, it was just approaching six o’clock in the morning. I was sweating from the heat, and Daring too looked like she was slick with sweat. She wiped her forehead with her hoof, flinging off more sweat than I had. “That’s probably as good as we’re going to get it,” she said. “Now we need to fill them with magic.”

“I can probably help with that,” I said, approaching one of the crystals.

“Now hold it, mister knight,” Daring said, putting her wing on my chest to stop me, “these crystals were very sensitive. If you pour too much in at one time, they’ll shatter. If you poor too little in at a time, they’ll leak out and not fill at all.”

I sighed and looked back down at her. “Okay, so what do I do?”

Daring looked at the crystals for about half a minute, and I could see her mumbling something to herself all the while. Finally, she walked to one of the crystals, took out a small brush from her saddlebag, and began dusting off the floor right in front of it. It was only then that I saw a few dark metal plates directly in front of each crystal. I lifted my flashlight and illuminated the one that Daring was cleaning. The writing engraved on them looked remarkably like chicken scratches, but as the writing came into view, I began to identify it and read aloud, “Generator One: Lighting and Air Control. Replenish every twenty-five days.”

Daring looked at me in astonishment as she paused her cleaning. “You can speak Psittacin too?” she asked.

“I can speak a lot of languages,” I said, gesturing at the metal plate. “Keep going.”

Daring Do continued to clean off the metal plates, and I began getting a clear picture of just what these crystals were meant to do. They acted as sources of fuel for many different parts of the ship. As we went around clockwise, the metal plates identified the second one for control of the masts and sails, the next for engines and navigation, the fourth (which was the one that we had just recently repaired) for control of the weapons and magical shielding and the fifth for supply preservation. Daring, however, explained that some of these generators could have power rerouted to other critical systems in the event of an emergency. She told me that whatever the control mechanism for the ship was could control the flow of magical energy through the ship, however she still couldn’t find any control mechanism.

“It’s gotta be like a key for a car, then,” I said.

“Car?” Daring asked.

“Well, in simple terms, a car is a vehicle humans developed that allows us to traverse long distances without it being a horse drawn carriage,” I explained, “and the only way for it to actually work is if a key is used to start up the engine.”

Daring nodded. “Hmm…I can see that. But I didn’t see any kind of key lock at the helm or anything like that. And magical keys could be anything, from an actual key, to a feather, to a sword.”

“Well…before we start searching for a key, why don’t we try filling up the tanks, huh?” I asked, patting the last crystal cylinder. “Any suggestions as to how much magic I should pour in?”

“Hang on, let me look around,” Daring said, “There might be some kind of instructions you can translate for me.” And with that she began looking at the walls, presumably for any more of the metal plaques.

As she did this, I took the opportunity to take a closer look at the magic gas tanks. As I looked closer, I saw small specks of what looked like multicolored beads suspended within the crystals. Each bead was connected by what looked like thin threads about half the size of the threads I’d seen in Rarity’s shop. Each bead had almost a dozen threads attached to them, each leading to a dozen other beads, which in turn had twelve or so threads attached.

At the center of each crystal, I saw a white bead that was twice as large as the rest. From that center bead, larger threads headed out towards the nearest smaller beads.

Curious, I looked at each crystal only to find the exact same thing in each, save for the one we’d patched together. Where the crystal had cracked and where we’d reformed it, there were parts of thread which cut off and didn’t connect to anything.

When I pointed this out to Daring Do, she came over and looked at the formerly broken crystal. After studying it for about a minute, she said, “I’m not a magic expert, but those might be conduits used to keep the magic flowing through the crystal. Recycling it all around. The bead down here is where the majority of the magic is stored, and it pumps out magic to the other beads.”

“Like a heart?” I asked.

“Exactly,” Daring said. “If I’m right, those threads are like blood vessels which spread the magic around, keeping it fresh every time it passes through the larger bead.”

“So how the hell do I fill the magic in the rest?” I asked.

“I’m still looking for anything that might help us,” Daring said. “Give me a few minutes.” And with that, she went back to searching.

I found a nearby bench and sat down, not wanting to get in Daring’s way. Spike quickly joined me, sitting next to me. I looked down at the young Dragon and noticed just how tired the poor boy still was from being woken up so early. I put a comforting wing around him and pulled him close. “Pretty tired, eh kiddo?” I asked gently.

He yawned, which led me to yawn. Spike leaned against me, closing his eyes and nodding. “I was having such a good dream,” he said.

“Oh? What was it about?” I asked.

The young drake smiled. “You…me…the girls…we all got to spend a day at Whinnyland…”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“The Happiest Place in Equestria,” he said with a happy grin.

So Equestria has Disneyland…cool, I thought. “Where is it?” I asked.

“Vanhoover,” he sighed happily. “Aunt Cadance took me and Twilight a couple times…”

“When this is all over and things settle down and the weather gets nicer, I promise to take you and all the girls with me,” I said. “How does that sound?”

His smile only widened and he nodded. “That sounds amazing.”

I smiled warmly at the young drake leaning against me and rubbed his back gently. This kid was really growing on me, and it warmed my heart to see how strong he was becoming despite his youth. A few minutes passed, and just as he was finally relaxed, Daring came back up to us. Seeing the position we were in, a small smile broke across her features. A smile which vanished as she said, “I think I found something that might help.”

Spike and I both got up and followed her to a large metal plaque on the starboard wall. I shone my light over it, and to my surprise, not only did it have a horizontal and vertical carving of one of the cylinder crystals, but it had instructions not only in the language Daring called Psittacin, but in another language I identified as Middle Ponish, or Middle English. I read over the instructions carefully, and Spike pulled out one of the pens I’d given Twilight from Earth along with a spare notepad, writing my translation down quickly. When I finally finished, he handed me the piece of paper and we all looked it over. “Okay, so the bead in the center can glow three different colors depending on how fast magic is being poured into it,” I summarized. “Yellow is just perfect, red indicates that it’s too slow, and blue means it’s too fast. Once all of the magical threads and beads are glowing, the crystal in the center will turn green, indicating that it’s full So I just need to find the right amount of magical current to push into the crystal magic tanks.”

Twilight had taught me a few times how to let raw magic loose, but I was still having some trouble getting it right. Sometimes hardly any came out, and sometimes there was way too much, which could cause small explosions of magic which didn’t do too much harm, but they were extremely bright and loud, like a flash grenade.

Walking over to the first crystal tank, I reached up, put my hand on top of it, and began slowly pouring magic into the crystal. At first, it didn’t appear like anything was happening, so I did my best to slowly increase the flow of magic from my hand into the crystal. To my surprise, only a few seconds later, the bead in the center began glowing red. Spike clapped his claws together. “Come on, Jethro…you can do it!”

“Okay, here goes,” I said as I slowly increased the flow of magic. I continued increasing it every few seconds until the light went from red to yellow, at which point, I did my best to maintain the magic flow. As I continued, I saw the magic spread from the central bead up the threads and to the rest of the smaller beads. Not wanting to lose my concentration, I instead pulled out my phone and began recording a video to look back over when I was done. After about five more minutes, the central bead instantly switched to a green color, and I stopped. I took a deep breath, grabbing my water and taking a quick sip before I said, “One down, four to go.”

With the three undamaged cylinders, I didn’t seem to have as much of a problem. I did find that each cylinder needed a different type of flow, because the second one I tried immediately went blue. Learning from that mistake, I started out slow, and eventually four out of the five were filled.

However, when I reached the formerly broken one, the light from the central bead began to glow purple the moment I started flowing magic into it. I immediately stopped but the glow didn’t stop. I looked over the translated notes Spike had dutifully written down, but there was absolutely nothing written about a purple light. “What the hell does purple light mean?” I asked.

“Well, maybe whatever detects the flow of magic is screwed up,” Daring said. “Purple is a mix of blue and red, after all.”

“Well…should we try it anyway?” I asked. “I know this cylinder controls weapons and magical shields, and I’d feel much better approaching the Dragon Lord while having this.”

Daring, Spike and I all put on our thoughtful faces. On the one hand, it was a large gamble filling up a patchjob crystal like this, but on the other hand, we might very well need magical shielding. After a few seconds, Daring walked over to one of the cannons, looking it over. “Hmm…these cannons look like they could be fired by hoof if need be,” she said, “so we could fire them off without magic.”

“One small problem,” I said, “there’s only three of us. And who knows just how these cannons will survive being fired multiple times? I’d really like to have those shields.”

Daring nodded. “Me too, but I don’t know how to read the controls at the helm. My Psittacin isn’t that good.”

“Hmm…Spike?”

“Yes?” Spike came running, all too eager to help.

“You go up with Daring on deck and do your absolute best to copy down the words at the helm controls then run back down here. I’m going to try and fill this crystal tank up,” I said.

As the two headed above deck, I began the process with the last crystal once more. I was a bit nervous about it, but eventually, the crystal at the center flickered between yellow and purple until eventually it remained yellow for seventy or so percent of the time.

When the two came back down, the light had just begun to flicker between yellow and green. “I got it, Jethro!” Spike said proudly.

“Good job, Spike,” I said. “Just give me a minute, will you? I’m almost done here I think.”

The two stood by and waited until the light at the center began glowing green, but at the same time it was flickering slightly. I pulled my hand away and Spike handed me the notepad. I looked it over. I had to hand it to the little drake, his skills at replication were pretty amazing. The writing was exquisitely clear, but since he’d grown up in Canterlot and with Twilight Sparkle, it made so much sense for his handwriting to be impeccable. “Okay, let’s go back up topside,” I said as I looked it over. There were five dials, each that looked like a miniature ship’s wheel, but with one of the spokes having an arrow on it which pointed outwards. Each arrow was pointed to the lefthand corner of the paper. Above each miniature wheel, Spike had copied Psittacin lettering.

“What do they say?” Daring asked as we headed for the stairs up the hatch.

I held up the piece of paper and pointed at the display Spike had copied. “From left to right it reads: Generator One: Lighting and Air, Generator Two: Masts, Generator Three: Engine and Navigation, Generator Four: Weapons and Defenses and Generator Five: Supply Preservation.”

Daring nodded, then pointed at the dials. “These wheels are…well, if I had to guess, they’re dials.”

“Aye, I can see that,” I replied, “but what for?”

“They probably have to do with how much power each generator pumps into each system. Looks like they’re all set to…what do those symbols mean, can you read them?” She directed the last question at me.

I looked at the symbols, but they didn’t make much sense to me. “No, but let’s get up there and maybe I’ll see something.”

Spike looked a bit upset. “Sorry I didn’t write it down right,” he said apologetically.

“Not your fault, Spike,” I said as we reached the deck.

When we reached the helm, I looked over at the five dials situated to the right of the wheel itself. Getting a closer look, I saw a few small letters. “Hmm…these are numbers,” I said after about half a minute of searching through my new language banks. “Right now, each dial is set to zero. Right now, what we need is the engines and hopefully some weapons and shields.” I put my hand on the very middle dial. “Ready to try?” I asked, turning to the two beside me.

Spike grabbed onto the railing, then nodded. Daring did the same, but put a protective wing over the young Dragon. I gave her a grateful smile, then slowly began turning the dial.

The galleon, which had been lying slightly askew ever since we got on it, began groaning and creaking. As I continued turning it up, the crimson sails began glowing ever so slightly, but they didn’t unfurl. The ship finally began to move, turning the right way up until we were parallel to the ground. However, we were still not moving anywhere.

Looking around, I saw the walls of the palace around us move down a few feet, then stop. Spike, having regained his footing after nearly falling, looked over the side. “We’re floating!” he shouted in excitement, “Celestia’s flowing mane, we’re floating!”

“But we’re not going anywhere,” I said, “and it’s not like we have oars or wind we can use to navigate.”

Daring walked up to the wheel and tried turning it. The ship did nothing, just continued hovering in midair. She then pulled on the wheel, and to my surprise the pedestal moved backwards, tilting the wheel, but not the ship. She pushed it forward, then to port and starboard with similar results. The only thing that happened with each movement was that something below us started making a noise. “The rudder,” Daring said with a sigh as she stopped and turned back to me.

And froze when her eyes locked on my side. She slowly pointed towards the sword on my side, the one I’d found near the dead pirate. “That…that sword is glowing,” she said in astonishment.

Looking down, my eyes widened as I saw a sliver of green light coming out of the scabbard. I reached down, then slowly pulled a portion of it out. The green light seemed to outshine even my bright LED flashlight briefly before it dimmed. I slowly drew it, then held it up.

That was when the mainsails automatically unfurled and the rigging began to untie itself from where it had been before. We all stood and watched as the massive red sails, still glowing, were released and hung by the mast, just waiting and able for a breeze. “What the ever-loving fuck…?” I muttered aloud.

“That sword…it’s the key,” Daring Do said, looking in shock at the wide green saber in my hand.

A sudden idea formed in my head, and slowly, I lowered the sword, then aimed it directly towards the sails. A sudden gust of wind began picking up, launching us forward towards the opposite wall. “Fuck!” I shouted, quickly regaining my feet and rushing towards the wheel. I pulled it back and turned it to starboard, heading directly towards the hole in the ceiling. “Just like Queen Anne’s Revenge!” I said as I sheathed the sword. I turned to port a little bit, aiming directly at the small patch of early morning starry skies. “Hold onto something!” I shouted as I pushed on the pedestal. The ship rotated to better fit through the hole.

“Go right a bit more!” Daring shouted. I turned to starboard just a little bit, and a few seconds later, the smell of fresh air assaulted my nostrils as we cleared the hole.

After aiming us slightly upward, I drew my sword with my right hand, grabbed Spike with my left and held him tightly as I aimed the sword directly back at the sails. The wind only increased as we moved up, directly towards the barrier surrounding the Ruins of Dormog. When the bowsprit hit the barrier, I saw the air warp slightly as it approached. When Spike and I passed through, I felt the slight tug against him, but held him tightly as we made our escape from the ruins.

Relieved, I put Spike back down and sheathed the saber once more. Standing at the helm, I slowly and carefully leveled us out, turning to port as I aimed for Torch’s throne at the heart of the Dragon Lands. In the east, the sun was just about to rise, illuminating the eastern sky a deep ruddy red. The red of blood.

“Red sky in the morning, sailor takes warning,” I muttered.

“What’s that?” Spike asked. Daring, who was still standing nearby, also turned when she heard me speak.

“It’s an old sailor’s saying back on Earth,” I said. “Red sky in the morning, sailor takes warning. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Basically, if there was a red sky in the morning on the high seas, it usually meant a storm was coming, but if it happened at evening, there normally wouldn’t be one.”

“Funny,” Daring said, “there’s a similar saying in the Forbidden Jungle. ‘When the sun rises red, then blood will be shed. When read leads to night, it’s the end of the fight.’”

“That’s…pretty gruesome,” I said as I turned the ship slightly more to port. I sighed, grabbed my water pouch and took a long swig before putting the cap back on. “I don’t know just how long we’ll be flying, so Daring? If you’re going to explore the ship further, could you keep an eye on Spike? I don’t want him going off on his own.”

Daring Do sighed. “When did I get reduced to a foalsitter?” she grumbled.

“Wait!” Spike suddenly said before rushing into the chartroom behind us.

Daring and I looked at each other curiously. “Any idea why he’s in there?” I asked.

“No, actually,” she said. “I mean, he did find me in there looking for something that might be useful when you called for me, but there wasn’t anything in there except an old map, a dusty old coat and couple of hats hanging on the wall, and a few other useless knick knacks.”

Spike returned about half a minute later, and I almost burst out laughing when I saw him wearing a tricorn hat that was a bit too big for him. However, that wasn’t the only thing he brought out. In his small arms, he was carrying a large dark crimson reefer jacket with bright yellow stripes on the sleeves. On top, I saw a large black flat brimmed hat. He handed them to me. “Here!”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn’t help but smile at his antics. He was absolutely adorable in that hat. I reached out and grabbed the jacket, carefully tearing part of the back open so I could slip my wings through. I took off the Dragon sword I had strapped to my back, put the old piece of clothing on, and strapped the sword back on. To my surprise, the interior was remarkably comfortable and kept out the cold which my current clothes couldn’t quite keep out. I slowly took the cap and saw that there’d once been a feather stuck in it, but it had since either been taken by a bird or animal or had fallen out.

Yeah…might as well enjoy this while I have the chance, I thought as I flipped the hat over and placed it firmly on my head. In the corner of my eye, I heard Daring scoff. “Ugh, stallions…” she groaned.

I looked down at Spike, who had both his claws on his hips, unable to stop smiling. I pushed the hat down so it went over his head then turned back to the wheel. I grabbed it and grinned. “Drink up, me ‘earties, yo ho!”

The sun was halfway up in the sky before I caught a glimpse of the massive Dragon Lord sitting in his throne. Daring had found a spyglass in one of the cabins which she’d given to me. Despite its age and a small crack in one of the lenses, it was a match for Daring’s own binoculars.

Spike hardly left my side, only leaving to go do a bit of exploring with Daring or to go to the head.

The blood red sky had eventually morphed into a bright but crisp late autumn day. What clouds were in the sky were slowly melted away, leaving the heavens a bright blue as we continued to fly.

I briefly experimented with the shield and weapons dial, and while I saw the air around the ship warp for a brief time, a spark of magic shot out from the dial, so I quickly turned it off. Daring had quickly gone below decks to check on the crystal tank, only to come back up and tell me that there were microfractures forming in the crystal.

When I saw the massive Dragon sitting on said throne in the distance, I called Daring and Spike to my side. Once they joined me, I said, “Daring, no matter what, I want your promise to protect Spike here. If the situation calls for it, fly him out of here back to Equestria with all haste.”

Spike stood closer beside me, putting his claw on the hilt of the small sword he had by his side. “I’m not leaving you!” he said.

Kneeling, I put my hand over said claw. “You have done very well, Dragon-boy,” I said, “but I can’t justify you staying by my side in the oncoming fight. Having you as a companion has been a great help, believe me, but there’s no way I could forgive myself if something happened to you.”

Spike stood his ground. “I. Am. Not. Leaving!”

I looked over at Daring, but she was just shaking her head. “You leave me out of this.”

“Perhaps we could be of assistance?” a familiar female voice said from above me. When I looked up I saw Hestia sitting right above the door leading into the maproom. On either side of her, I saw Thalia and Adranus just landing, but that wasn’t all. A large number of Phoenixes, male and female, were landing on all surfaces of the ship. Some were even in the crow’s nest with the pirate’s colors still flying.

“Hestia?? What’s all this?” I asked, gesturing to the different Phoenixes.

Hestia flew over and landed on my shoulder. “Backup,” was what she said. Looking at my hat, she made a snorting sound. “Nice hat. It’s just missing something.” Turning around, she plucked one of the largest tailfeathers she had, then I felt her beak poking at my hat before she pulled back. “There.”

Briefly removing my new hat, I saw the large feather sticking out of it, blowing majestically in the wind. I chuckled, put my hat back on and put my hands on the wheel. “Hestia, I owe you big time.”

“Think of this as my way of repaying you for freeing me and for saving my life,” she said, leaning closer. “You are a Phoenixborn, Jethro. We will never abandon our own.”

I smiled widely. “Thank you so much,” I replied, then looked down at Spike. “Just promise me that you’ll ensure Spike’s safety, as well as that of Daring Do over there.”

“I can protect myself just fine,” Daring said defiantly, spreading her wings.

“You’re not dealing with noseface this time,” I said, “you’re about to go head to head with Dragons. They’re more dangerous than him and his five o’clock shadow Pony counterpart. Any friend and companion of mine I will never allow to be hurt.”

Daring scowled a bit, but relaxed slightly. “Fine…but when did we become friends?”

“You don’t want to be friends, that’s fine,” I said, “but I will still do what I need to do to keep you safe.”

She sighed, rolled her eyes, and said, “Stallions…so macho…”

I smirked, then drew my new saber once again. “Grab a hold of something, I’m gunning it!” I shouted before pointing my sword at the mainsails again. The wind picked up and I reached down with my free hand to turn the dial up on the engines. I grabbed a hold of the railing as we sped up.

The minutes ticked by, and the Dragon Throne continued to grow bigger. I saw a few Dragons flying over us, and I put my hand over the shield and weapons dial, but they appeared to be nothing but scouts since they looked at us for a few moments before flying back to where Torch still sat. As we approached, I could see his bemused expression as he looked directly towards the approaching ship. Flying beside him, I saw an armored Ember, but she was too far away to see any kind of facial expressions on her face. There were another decent number of Dragons flying around him, each wearing matching red armor and bearing large swords in their claws. Probably some kind of royal guard, I thought as I saw Torch pointing in our direction and say something. Ember began flying towards us, flanked on either side by two of the guards.

I watched as she flew towards us. I drew the saber and held it up, then pulled it back. The wind began to die down and the sails went nearly slack, leaving the ship floating high above the desolate ground below, moving slowly and bobbing as if we were sitting in calm sea waters. Turning to Daring, I held out the saber to Daring. “Take the helm while I greet our Dragon guests,” I said.

“Just because you’re wearing that coat and hat doesn’t make you the captain,” she replied, but she took the sword anyway in one of her wings. “But fine.” She stood on her hind legs and put both front hooves on the wheel.

I walked down the stairs to the lowest level of the upper deck, looking up at the oncoming Dragon Princess and her honor guard. Spike, that stubborn drake, had come up and joined me, one hand on his sword and the other by his side, his new hat blowing slightly in the calming wind.

When Ember finally did land on the deck, she began walking up to me. Hovering above her, the two other Dragons kept a close eye on the two of us. When we were within a few footsteps of the other, she stopped, removed her helmet and held it in the crook of her arm. To my relief I saw that her wounds had begun to heal. She had a somber expression on her face as she said, “Sir Jethro Bethridge, Knight of Equestria, I am here to inform you that my father, the Dragon Lord Torch, knows that you have broken faith by touching the Sunsword and by not traveling to the Ruins of Dormog alone as per the agreement between himself and Diarch of the Sun, Princess Celestia. However, since you were able to actually retrieve the Sunsword, a feat only ever matched by another, he is willing to forestall his war and give you a chance. At the height of the day today, he challenges you to a Volrif’nel.”

A Fire Fight, I thought as realization began to form in my mind. I looked directly into Ember’s brilliant red eyes. I took a step forward, keeping my eyes locked on her. In the corner of my eye, I saw the guards go for their own swords, but Ember raised a claw to stop them. When we were barely a foot apart, I lowered my voice and said, “He sent me into an impossible situation, didn’t he? He knew I had to touch the Sunsword to retrieve it.”

Ember had the decency to look guilty. She looked away from me, and in Old Draconic, she whispered, “Forgive me.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for,” I replied, looking past her shoulder to the somewhat smug looking Dragon Lord. I stepped back, reached down and drew the Sunsword. “Inform your father that, when the sun reaches its zenith, I will accept his challenge.”

Ember nodded, put her helmet back on, turned back towards her father and spread her wings, but before she left, she looked back over her shoulder. “Sir Jethro…I really am sorry. I didn’t want it to come to this.”

“Neither did I, your Highness,” I replied, “neither did I.”

As the Dragon Princess and the guards flew away, Spike looked up at me. “What…what now?” he asked nervously.

“Now,” I replied, “now we pray.”

Author's Note

Sweet! Almost to 500k words! Enjoy the relatively long chapter, though!

109: A Cloaked Heart Before The Battle

High noon. Anyone who’s seen any of those old spaghetti westerns knows just how often the stereotype of a duel at that time is used. The sun is at its zenith, beating down onto the sweat filled brows of the duelists, each of whom are standing in the center of the town’s main road, hands hovering by their weapons, fingers twitching in anticipation of the other making the first move. Meanwhile everyone else in the town, men, women and children, watch from the relative safety of their homes or the nearby saloon. Sometimes the good guy is forced into a shootout while the bad guy’s henchmen hold the love interest hostage, sometimes the good guy’s just lost someone thanks to said bad guy, and blinded by grief, he accepts the challenge.

In a way, I felt like I was one of the cowboys in that scenario when I was facing Dragon Lord Torch in the middle of a desolate landscape about a few miles away from his throne. I had no idea which I was, since depending on who won this little duel of ours, the history would be written in favor of the victor, and if Torch won he would definitely portray me as the interloper, the villain who tried to destroy the Dragon’s very way of life. That, and he would receive the Sunsword and use it for whatever plan he was scheming.

On one side of the impromptu battle arena, I saw a large assortment of Dragons just sitting on the ground or on top of a few larger boulders, watching and waiting for everything to begin. Ember stood a few paces off to the side of the Dragons, silently watching. When I looked at the large crowd, I thought I saw a familiar looking red Dragon adolescent and his yellow scaled younger sister, but there were so many Dragons watching that I couldn’t be too sure.

On the other side, I saw my friends all seated on the softest patch of ground they could find, all of them surrounded by the large flock of Phoenixes that had come to my aid. They were surrounded by a golden shield being projected by Celestia herself. Despite their distance from me, there must have been some magic in my sight because I could see each of their faces quite clearly. The worry and fear etched into their faces was something I knew I would never forget for as long as I lived.

Despite the distance between us, I managed to spot Spike, now fully armored and standing near the front next to Twilight and Rarity. I had entrusted the young drake with my belongings, and even now I could see him holding my bag close to him. Even then, I could see the worry in the young Dragon’s green reptilian eyes. As I looked at him, one of the brief conversations I had with him after one of our O&O sessions came to mind:

“So you’re saying that if I become greedy enough, I could grow and become as large as any normal Dragon?” Spike was saying as he and I, walked down the streets of Ponyville.

I nodded. It was a cool autumn night back in early October and I was walking Spike back to the library after finishing up an O&O session that we’d held at Sweet Apple Acres for the past couple of hours, a campaign Spike had been game master of for the past couple of weeks. “It’s called Greed Induced Bigness, at least, that’s what a Dragon named Smolder said on the show,” I replied. “I’m not really sure why it is the way it is, but if I’m remembering right, there was on My Little Pony fanfiction which explained it as a Dragon defense mechanism in case of the premature death of both parents before the molt.”

“The molt? What’s that?” Spike had been all too eager to hear more about his Dragon heritage back then.

“The molt is when a hatchling, like you, undergoes the Dragon equivalent of puberty. It varies from Dragon to Dragon in intensity, but eventually, a Dragon is encased in rock and when he breaks out of said rock, he’s sprouted wings.” I sighed. “It’s also a time when almost all Dragon parents kick their children out of the house.”

Spike’s excited expression froze, then fell. “Twilight…is gonna kick me out?”

“No! No she won’t!” I backpedaled and knelt face to face with the now nervous looking Dragon. “She would never do something like that. She hatched you. I know for a fact she loves you dearly. You won’t be homeless. You might not have been raised by a Dragon, but you are an integral part of her life. If she lost you, she would be beside herself with grief. You’re her beloved assistant and her very first friend. And family. Sure, she has a hard time expressing it, but that’s just who she is. I know she cares deeply for you.”

I smiled at the memory before coming back to the present. Inhaling, I turned to face my opponent.

There was something I’d heard once a long time ago, and if you were to ask me where I heard it, I wouldn’t be able to tell you in all honesty, but I had heard or red somewhere that during times of great stress and during extremely pivotal moments in a person’s life, a person’s senses are heightened thanks in part to adrenaline and the excitement it can cause. It can lead to permanent memories forming that last a lifetime. I highly doubted I would forget even a single second of the fight I was about to have with the Dragon Lord.

The wind was blowing in a northeasterly manner, kicking up slight dust with each light gust. The sun, despite having reached its zenith, was low in the sky due to the lateness of the season. It was still higher up than it would be in Ponyville or Canterlot due to the Dragon Lands being located farther south than where I lived, but it was still low enough to keep the air cool. Despite the lifeless landscape, I heard and saw a few small flying insects pass in front of me. They were blue and purple striped and looked a bit like small bees. As they passed, I heard one of them say something that sent shivers down my spine: “Time to leave this place. Much blood will be spilt today…”

Sweat was heading on my forehead despite the coolness of the air around us. The armor that the Phoenixes had so graciously adjusted and provided for me, despite being made of a remarkably light but extremely durable material, still felt oppressive all around me. The chainmail I wore underneath the armor itself was made of a light red metal that felt extremely soft to the touch, mostly due to the fact that each ring was only about a half a centimeter or so in diameter. Hestia assured me, however, that the chainmail was perfectly secure and could stop any Dragon claw and sideswipe from the sharpest Dragon blade.

The armor itself, golden in appearance, was surprisingly light and maneuverable. It apparently had belonged at one point to one of the earlier Dragon Emperors and had been treated to look like gold, since armor made of actual gold had early on been discovered to be heavy and impractical. There was a gold cloak that came with it (which made the Game of Thrones fan in me nearly laugh) but I had that put aside since it was impractical. Spike, however, was wearing his own golden cloak, and I could see it blowing in the wind from where I stood.

The chest plate had some thin engravings on it. In the center, a massive shield with a forward facing Dragon that was shown breathing flames which had been treated to appear light red. Despite being more than a thousand or so years old, when Luna herself had tested it by slashing at it with one of her two massive swords, she’d deemed that it had been imbued with enough magic to keep it in top shape for at least another few hundred more years. Even so, she, Celestia, Twilight, and even Rarity poured in some more magic which enhanced the structural integrity of the armor itself. At each corner of the chest plate, there were four smaller sword engravings, each pointing directly towards the fire breathing Dragon.

The helmet I wore, which had been placed on top of my mail coif, was a close helm which had been heavily modified, specifically in the sides of the helmet where there were two large golden horns, presumably used to protect the natural horns of the emperor who owned this armor previously. Hestia admitted that even she knew she wasn’t a blacksmith, but she and her other Phoenixes had done their best to patch up the helmet. And it showed. They had taken the horns, melted them down and formed two very small bumps where they had been before, which made them look suspiciously like demonic horn stumps. The new horn stumps were solid, but durable, especially after Celestia and Luna poured more magic into them to enhance their protective capabilities. If it wasn’t for the slightly uneven shape from each new horn, nobody would be able to tell that the helmet had any type of hasty patch job done to it.

The rest of the armor seemed suspiciously simple enough aside from the golden hue. When I had been helped into the armor, Hestia informed me that she personally knew the emperor to whom the armor belonged. He, unlike most of his predecessors and descendants, would eventually become known as The Humble Emperor. He would apparently use the massive amounts of money in his own hoard to benefit his citizens and expanding the empire. She had never seen a Dragon with the control over his greedy instincts before or since, but she’d quickly amended that statement by mentioning Spike.

As cliché as it sounded, I felt like I had been encased in a tin can. My wings were spread wide as far as they could go through the modified portion of the armor meant for Dragon wings, the slight breeze blowing through my feathers and keeping the wings cool, which in turn helped keep some parts of me cool. My still lengthening hair had to be tied back in a very short ponytail to keep it out of my eyes, something I’d never done before. I hadn’t shaved in the past few days, and now I had stubble growing on my face, which was rubbing against parts of my helmet and causing some slight irritation, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I could feel my heart beating fast from the tension, each beat felt in my head, chest and throat.

I had armed myself with the Sunsword, which I had strapped to my side. I would have added the other random sword I found in the ruins, but not only would it have been impractical, but the amount of power I had begun to feel emanating from the ancient half sword in the past hour was to say the least astonishing and to say the most horrifying. I felt something seeping into my body from said sword. It almost felt like getting a continuous stream of caffeine injected into me. The power was addicting, and that scared me. It was as if the sword had a mind of its own and was itching to draw blood.

Torch had ditched his normal gray armor to put on some golden colored getup which glistened in the near noon sunlight. Unlike me, he had no sword or any kind of weapon on him save for his claws, which looked like they’d been freshly sharpened, as did his yellow teeth, the sharpened parts of which gleamed white. His blazing red eyes were focused entirely on me. The horn ring on his left horn had been removed as well and had been set on the ground near the Dragons. I saw Ember standing near it, one claw on it.

From the Dragon’s side, one of the guards stepped forward, holding up a ragged scroll in her claws. In a loud voice, she began. “Hear ye, hear ye! In holding with ancient Dragon traditions as set forth by the gods and the reverent ancestors, our very own esteemed Dragon Lord Torch has issued the Volrif’nel challenge against the human known as Jethro Bethridge, so-called Knight of Equestria! This Volrif’nel is held in lieu of a war between the Dragons and the Ponies! Let the combatants now make their terms! The challenger makes the first demands as per tradition!”

That was one thing I didn’t quite like about the Volrif’nel: terms of the duel were never discussed until just before the fight began. Not only that, but there was absolutely no negotiating. Any demand made was absolute and not up for debate I’d not even been allowed to discuss any terms with my friends. The hour after my friends showed up went by way too quickly, and I still wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted. Sure, if I won, I would all but demand the war cease and any Dragon who Torch had brought over with him return to the Dragon Lands themselves, but I felt like that was a bit too broad. I could very well easily demand that the Dragons attend the Council of Equestria, but that just seemed excessive. I could easily demand that they leave the Fae in our care, but I wasn’t sure just how confident Torch was in his capability to fight. He was a powerhouse, that much wasn’t in question.

Torch stepped forward, the ground rumbling at his footsteps. Looking down at me, he lifted a claw and pointed directly at me. “When I win and you are nothing but a stain under my claw, the Sunsword will be mine. Not only that, but the Ponies will surrender the Dark Fae Queen to me. And, since I’m feeling generous today, if you manage to surrender to me before dying, the moment you are recovered, you will become mated in perpetuity to my daughter.”

I saw Ember tense up at that, but I couldn’t do or say anything. There was absolutely no negotiating any of the terms made during a Volrif’nel. Any demand could be only made once and not change. “Anything else?” I asked, loud enough to be heard.

“You will also give us recompense due to your so-called Princesses incompetence in reigning in the monster Eris. 500,000 bits. Per Dragon!”

I grit my teeth. That would bankrupt the Equestrian economy, I realized. I’d heard that many Dragons had died, possibly a little over two thousand if not more. Over a billion bits would go out of the Equestrian Royal Treasury and out of Equestria altogether into the Dragon Lord’s greedy claws. However, I knew that I couldn’t just argue. I would forfeit the match if I said anything other than what I said next. “Very well. Is there anything else?”

“Ah yes, there is one more thing.” Torch pointed over to where Celestia was standing. “When I win, your so-called Princess of the Day will become a member of my own hoard!”

For the most part throughout my twenties, I had managed to learn how to keep a tight lid on my anger. I knew I had an issue with it, but for the most part I had just pressed it all down. I knew it was an unhealthy habit ever since I came to Equestria, and was taking steps to try and rectify that. However, when I heard Torch’s words, an unholy rage began to surface from within me. The nerve of that callous bastard! The audacity! I won’t let him get away with that!

“The challenged party will now make their own demands,” the announcer said. “And the challenged should keep in mind that since the challenger has issued four demands, he is limited to four as well, no more.”

I turned my head up and lifted the visor on my close helm, facing Torch. I took a few seconds to calm down just in case the anger was clearly audible. Finally, I looked up. “When I win this farce,” I said, speaking harshly to imitate Dragon speak, “all the Dragons in Equestria who were brought there by your order within the past week will return to the Dragon Lands. You will also leave all Fae who are in our custody alone.” I narrowed my eyes at him, then grinned. “And, since I too, am feeling generous today, I will demand only one more thing, and that is you will relinquish at least one thing from your hoard to me, something that I will choose myself. And don’t try and deny you have one.”

I saw his scowl harden for a bit, then a smirk appeared on his face“Are you sure you wouldn’t want your fourth request to be my own daughter?” Torch asked in a tone which made me frown. “She’s quite the catch for any male. Properly raised, too. She knows her place.”

There was something about the way he said that last line that made my skin crawl. I couldn’t really believe that this Dragon Lord was the same one I’d seen in the show. He might have been dismissive of his daughter because of her stature and lack of physical strength, but the Torch in the show had been accepting of his daughter. This Torch was becoming more and more unlikeable the more I learned about him. Standing defiantly, I replied, “My heart, body and soul belongs to another, and when this is over, I intend to marry that woman.”

Torch shrugged. “Very well, but you won’t win.”

“Don’t be so sure,” I said, pulling my visor down, finally drawing the Sunsword and letting it see the light of the sun for the first time in hundreds, if not thousands, of years. I grasped it with both armored hands, each one having Rarity’s gloves on them as well as the armored hand guards, or claw guards since they were once made for a Dragon. Holding it up, I spread my wings wide and ignited them, moving upwards slowly until I was hovering at eye level with the towering behemoth of a Dragon.

The higher I went, the more the Sunsword seemed to glow with an inner power. The once silvery colored sword began to glow with an inner fire that seemed to emulate the images I’d seen of the surface of Earth’s own sun. A corona began to form around the bright golden blade, with miniature coronal mass ejections coming from random portions of the blade itself.

Torch looked at the blade with an amused expression. “So that’s the Sunsword, I see. Interesting. Well, you showed me yours. Let me show you mine.” Then I watched as he reached down to his armor, and drew another sword of his own. A sword which started to grow in size until it was the perfect size for him.

A sword which was eerily similar to my own.

When Torch saw me hesitate, he grinned and held up the silvery glowing half broadsword. “I see you recognize this blade. Yes, this is the Moonsword, recovered years ago by a very naïve young Pony. A Pony who was summarily ended before he could become a threat. Now, let me find him really quick.”

The Sunsword flared up at that, and in an instant, I could almost feel rage coming from it. A rage which belonged to Celestia. And from me. I brought the Sunsword closer to me, glaring at the ancient Dragon before me as he pulled out a large necklace around his neck. To my horror, the necklace was a massive chain, with bleached white skeletons hanging from them. I saw Ponies, Dragons, Griffons, a few shimmering Crystal Pony corpses and more. He looked at the ‘ornaments’ until he reached the bones of a Unicorn. He held it up, then I almost felt what little I’d eaten today come rising back up when he licked it. “He was delicious.”

My sword erupted with the mixed anger not only of Celestia but myself. White hot flames surrounded the entire blade, heating up the air around me. Fortunately, the armor I was in protected me from the vast majority of it. I growled angrily, then aimed my sword at him. “You will pay for every one of the lives you stole, Torch, and that’s a promise!”

“And your Princess will pay with her kingdom’s money…and her body!” Torch replied as he raised the Moonsword, which seemed to reflect and internalize the light it caught from the Sunsword. “But first, I will mount your body on my hoard’s wall!”

And with that, he grasped the sword in both claws, raised it, and with surprising speed, brought it down directly towards me.

Author's Note

Yes! 500k words broken this chapter! Next chapter is going to be a challenge since I still suck at battle scenes. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to finish.

This chapter is a bit odd, I know, but I hope you enjoyed it.

110: A Cloaked Heart's Volrif’nel

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long. I wanted it to be as action packed as it could be, but even now it just feels like crap. But I can't think of what else to add. I still hope you enjoy, though.

110: A Cloaked Heart's Volrif’nel

Everyone knows this old cliché. In times of life-threatening danger, a person’s life can flash before their eyes. They would see everything they could remember, from their very first memory to the most recent. It’s been used in many different stories, including, of all stories to come to mind, the movie Chicken Run.

But it wasn’t happening with me. And I thanked God for that.

The instant that Torch began to bring down his overly large version of the Moonsword, I launched myself into the air and swiftly flew to my left, narrowly avoiding the massive half sword’s swing. The glowing silvery blade hit the ground hard, leaving a large new ditch in its wake. I saw the ground ripple all around the sword’s impact, moving out towards both crowds. The Dragons simply launched themselves up to avoid the strike’s effects while Celestia lifted everyone else up in a powerful telekinetic grip to avoid the wave.

Torch quickly turned his head, much more quickly than what seemed possible for a creature his size. Opening his mouth wide, I saw the back of his throat begin to glow a dim orange, quickly shifting to a bright yellow. I dove down just in time to avoid a large wall of flames burst forth from his maw, which was followed by a massive roar. But I dove right into a rising knee.

Despite the strength of the armor I was wearing, I had the wind knocked out of me and lost all balance in the air. I was sent flying backwards directly into the risen rock formations that were located around the Dragon Lord’s throne. I gasped in pain as I was flung through several columns of rock, and when I eventually stopped, I collapsed a few feet to the ground below. Grunting in pain, I slowly stood, the Sunsword thankfully still in hand. Fortunately, the Dragon armor I wore protected me from the vast majority of the wounds I probably would have gotten, and I assumed that my Earth Pony strength covered the rest.

Spreading my wings, I shot up into the air just in time to avoid another blast of fire breath from Torch, which enveloped the entire area and left it blackened and smoking. I dove down just as he swung his own blade towards me once again. Despite his surprising speed for such a large being, I was fortunate that I was a bit faster.

It was a bit unusual to hear absolutely no noise from either side of the battlefield, but I could feel what Celestia was feeling through the Sunsword: tension, fear for my safety, and a desire for me to win. Without thinking, I poured as much reassurance into the sword as I could, hoping that whatever connection Celestia and I had between the sword would be felt by her. I was relieved to feel surprise and warmth coming from said sword.

I flapped my wings hard once more, letting a massive burst of flame follow me in my wake as I pulled my sword back. With a single swipe, I surprised even myself by drawing first blood. On a Dragon the size of Torch it wasn’t much, merely a scratch, but it was enough to draw blood. He roared in pain and mostly anger as I flew past him, moving behind him and turning to face him once more.

Torch turned quickly, and there was now pure anger in those fiery orange eyes of his. Unfortunately, it was an anger that was carefully directed towards me, and not a wild anger that would cost a mistake. He raised his sword and quickly brought it down. Instead of dodging, I flew up, moving for the block. When the swords finally touched, golden and silver sparks flew from the connection. I flew up as strongly as I could, but having no leverage beneath me, I soon found myself moving back towards the ground. Unlocking my knees, I waited until I landed, bending said knees when my feet touched the ground.

But it wasn’t enough. I tumbled backwards the moment I landed, finally crashing into a nearby wall of rock. The Sunsword had fallen out of my hand, but a quick retrieval with my ever-advancing telekinetic grip soon brought it back into my hand. And the moment I held the sword in hand, I felt new emotions.

Sorrow. Loneliness. Regret.

The emotions didn’t seem to be coming from Celestia. All I felt for her was anxiety for my safety at the moment. I briefly looked down at my sword and just barely caught a glimpse of a small part of it where it had clashed with the Moonsword changing back to gold from a familiar silvery hue.

I looked back up at Torch, who was approaching me slowly and menacingly. I caught another glimpse of his sword doing the reverse of what had just happened to mine. A small patch of gold vanished from the silvery sheen of the half blade. I stood, brushing myself off quickly and held my sword up. The power from within the sword now burned with the white-hot intensity of more than ten thousand suns now. The sword appeared to have a mind of its own. And I could feel a protective rage and sorrow emanating from it.

A rage directed at Torch. And a sorrow directed at itself.

As I stood, I looked at the sword, addressing it. “Never blame yourself, my friend,” I said to it before turning to look at Torch, glaring at him. “We will make this pathetic excuse for a leader pay for what he has done! Not only to your companion, but to all Dragons! With his very life if need be!” And with that, I held the sword higher.

The rage and sorrow ebbed away, being replaced with a massive feeling of gratitude. The Sunsword began to glow brightly, gold turning to blindingly white-hot flames. I spread my wings wide, launching myself into the air as my own wings burst into flames, matching the bright white color of the sword. The heat from my sword and wings surrounded me, but the armor protected me once more from the vast majority of it.

Torch, meanwhile, just scoffed at the display of power from me and raised his own sword. A silvery mist surrounded it and a trail of said mist shot out towards the horizon. The light on his sword increased in intensity. “You have only had the Sunsword subjugated for a handful of days. I have had mine for centuries. You will not win against me.”

I pointed the sword towards Torch. “That’s where you’re wrong. The Sunsword isn’t my subject. The Sunsword is my partner!” I shot towards him with all available speed, my sword reaching back for a swing. I expanded my Pegasus senses and searched for any form of feint from my opponent, and since I was used to fighting a form similar to my own and to a Dragon, it was easier for me to spot the subtle movements of muscles in Torch’s arms, shoulders, and where his eyes were aiming. During my training sessions with Gemini, I always made it a point to only rely on my normal senses so I wouldn’t need to rely on them if someone like Tirek came back. However, this wasn’t training, and I would use every weapon in my arsenal to win.

Torch swung his arm back with surprising speed once more and quickly swung sideways towards me, intent on bifurcation. At the last possible second, I shot directly up into the sky, both narrowly avoiding the sword and avoiding the fire breath directed at me. I stopped my ascent and dove down towards him, sword aimed directly at his chest.

Only for me to be stopped in my tracks by Torch’s attempt to backhand me, almost like I was some fly to be swatted. I flew back, but wasn’t able to dodge fast enough. His claw grazed me, but it was enough to send me flying into the air. The sound of claw on armor was loud enough that it felt like my eardrum nearly shattered. As I was tumbling in the air, I heard Torch laugh derisively before the sound of flames began approaching me.

I felt the heat surrounding me first. Intense and blistering heat. Then my tumbling vision was surrounded by large bright orange flames. The armor I wore was apparently enchanted by ancient Dragons who were capable of using magic so that it would repel Dragon’s breath. But that was only against normal Dragon breath. Torch was the Dragon Lord, after all, so it was only natural that I would feel the heat despite the protection I had. Instantly I was sweating and the clothes I wore underneath all my chainmail suit and the armor began to become slick with moisture.

My vision was clouded with the flames, so I quickly made note of the direction they were heading and headed in a ninety-degree angle to them, quickly gasping for air as the flames dissipated when I made my way out of the path of his attack. Pointing my sword down, I felt magic flowing out of me, into the sword, which shot out a massive solar prominence directly towards the massive Dragon. I watched as Torch’s eyes widened in slight surprise before he simply brought his own blade up, the Moonsword promptly blocking my prominence attack, spreading the bright white energy out in a flower pattern. His sword shimmered a bit, then brightened briefly before the prominence attack vanished.

The Dragon Lord spread his wings wide, sending a large wall of dust blowing towards each side of the battlefield. Aiming his blade at me, he launched himself up, but having read his movements, I had already reacted, shooting up directly into the sky. As I sped up, I would occasionally look down, swiping my sword and sending a solar prominence attack towards Torch, and each time he would deflect it, but I also noticed that each time the prominences became stronger. Had they, of course, been as strong as a real solar prominence, even Torch wouldn’t have survived. And presumably nobody else would have either considering the fact that the surface of the sun was unbearably hot, ten thousand degrees Fahrenheit or nearly six thousand degrees Celsius.

Then I remembered that lightning could heat up the air around it five times more than the surface of the sun. If that one episode depicting Nightmare Night was any indication, lightning would probably not hurt a Dragon either. At least, not permanently.

I heard the tell-tale inhale that came whenever Torch was about to breathe fire at me again. In that moment, something told me that I should stop, turn around, face Torch, hold up my sword and pour as much raw magic as I could into the blade. I spun around and did just that. To my surprise, a large half sphere of translucent white light formed directly in front of me just in time to deflect the blast of incoming fire. I could feel another wave of simple emotions from my new partner: extreme protectiveness. I quickly shot back some emotion of gratitude as I flew once more to the right, out of the way of Torch’s blast.

Torch and I had flown up far into the air, making all of the gathered spectators look small by comparison due to the height. I flew directly right, then shot down, letting gravity assist me as I made my way directly towards the ground. I heard Torch’s frustrated roar as he turned and made his way after me. “Coward!” he shouted, “face me like a true warrior! You make a mockery of this challenge!”

I flipped him off. He must have understood the meaning behind the gesture because he roared louder. When I quickly turned to see what he was doing, I barely had enough time to react as he swung the massive Moonsword my way. I quickly brought the Sunsword up to deflect, but since I was in the air and he was still presumably stronger than I was, the moment our swords connected, I was thrown sideways, directly towards the lake.

I tried my best to regain altitude, but my current momentum made that almost impossible. And to make matters worse, I was heading straight towards the anchored galleon. I tried harder to spread my wings, but that did little good and I slammed hard into the starboard side of the ship, its old wood splintering as I went directly into the gun deck. Fortunately, the impact was enough to slow my momentum so that when I hit the other side of the deck, I stopped. I heard cracking from behind me as I slowly and painfully stood. The wooden beams I’d crashed into had bent outward, letting some of the outward light into the room and illuminating the cannons.

The cannons.

The motherfucking cannons!

I rushed up to the upper deck as quickly as I could, grabbing the Sunsword as I did, which I’d clung to with all my strength. All the while, I heard the sound of the Dragon Lord flying down, his wings spread wide as he flew towards me as fast as he could.

I ran up to the helm of the ship and found, to my confusion, the cutlass that controlled the ship. I grabbed it, then turned the dials which controlled generators two, three and four up to their maximum. There was a piercing warbling noise when I turned the dial for the damaged systems, but I pushed through it as a massive light red dome made of connected hexagons formed around the ship, the masts unfurled and the ship began showing signs of life once again.

With the ship’s flicking shield up, I rushed down to the upper deck, cutlass in hand as I pointed it at the nearest cannon almost instinctively. It began to move on its own, aiming directly towards the approaching Dragon. Two other cannons began making the same movements, lifting up and aiming at the lumbering reptile. And then they all fired, the decades old cannonballs headed straight towards Torch, who saw them and held up his sword. He deflected two, but one got passed him and struck a part of his neck that had somehow been left exposed. I saw something chip away and fall into the water.

Roaring, Torch leaped up, sword raised high and he brought it down directly on top of the shield. I saw it crack right where he hit it, sending translucent red bits of shield falling down towards me. Flying up, I narrowly avoided them as they hit the deck, shattering even more. Torch then hit the shield on the side with his tail, sending me and the ship moving sideways across the water. I was too slow to avoid the oncoming shield, and when I hit it, I bounced off, stumbling and falling to the deck.

I slowly, painfully, stood up, the cutlass and Sunsword still held tightly in my hands as the deck tilted thanks to Torch continuing to push against the shield around the ship. I could hear the rigging creak with the strain, and the loud warbling of the damaged generator only increasing.

I spread my wings and flew above the deck, both swords in my hand and outstretched. I pointed the cutlass towards the mainsails, and to my relief, the ship began to move. This seemed to catch Torch off guard as he quickly lost his grip on the shield and fell face first into the water as the ship once more took flight. The higher it got into the air, the softer the screeching sound became.

But the screeching came back in full force ten or so seconds later when the shield was impacted by another massive burst of flame from aft. The shield brightened and I could see cracks forming from the stress. Rushing back to the helm, I grabbed the wheel and pushed it down, moving away from the fire and back towards the lake.

Of course, I realized then that the galleon was less maneuverable than I was, since the fire continued to follow me. I aimed the Sunsword aft and the cutlass fore, pouring magic into the former and allowing the latter to do what it did best: give the ship a much-needed boost out of range.

When the ship hit the water, it took place in the shallower parts of the lake, and I heard the shattering of many different parts of the hull as the underbelly of the galleon scraped the rocks below. It had to be taking on water now, and I winced at the thought. Maybe if I used my Morphean abilities I can repair the damage, a part of me though, but that line of thinking quickly shifted to escape. I rushed back to the helm and brought down the shield, turned off the engines and retracted the rigging back to standby before putting the cutlass back in its sheath and flying directly up and away from the now sinking ship. I could feel bruises almost everywhere. It felt like my insides were on fire, but I knew better than to give up just from a simple few scrapes and bruises.

Torch’s eyes locked with mine and he pointed his sword at me. “I will take your head, human!”

Once more, I flipped him off, not giving him the satisfaction of any kind of response as I held up my sword towards the sun. The energy from the massive ball of burning plasma ninety-three million miles away from the surface of the planet poured like a waterfall into the blade. It felt like I was charging up a Dragonball Z attack. Bringing the sword back down after about five or so seconds, I aimed and fired another prominence directly at him.

I was satisfied to see Torch actually be pushed backwards when it impacted him, but it still wasn’t enough. In fact, I watched as he aimed the point of his sword at me instead. A large bolt of silvery lightning shot out and struck my armor before I could react, sending me flying backwards. I screamed in pain as I fell back down to the ground, wings flailing in every direction as I tried to regain my balance in the air. The electrical current flowing through my body hurt. It hurt so much.

But the pain immediately receded as energy flowed into me from the Sunsword. A warmth I couldn’t describe washed over me, and the pain of the Moonsword’s electrical attack ebbed away quickly, as did the other pain and aches I had gotten in my brief time aboard the galleon and before.

Since I inadvertently relaxed, that was what probably part of what saved me a bunch of broken bones as I slammed right into the Dragon Lord’s throne, because the next thing I knew, I had crashed directly into the throne, passing through it and landing flat on my back nearby. Surprisingly, not only had my grip on the Sunsword remained tight, but my entire body felt like it had been forced to relax. I was still in pain, but there was absolutely no way that I could have survived that fall if I had been tense.

As I stood, I watched in awe as the back of the throne began cracking, then split into two, falling back onto the ground below. Torch had stopped his pursuit, watching his throne practically disintegrate before his eyes. I wanted to laugh at the utter absurdity of it all, but I was still in a battle and needed to think more about ideas to defeat him. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. I wasn’t sure if it came from me, the Sunsword, or perhaps Celestia, but it was the only idea that had come to me that made any kind of sense.

He can withstand heat well enough. Cold probably too. But…every living creature needs to breath something, now don’t they?

I grinned as I spread my wings. Finally deciding to speak, I bellowed out in my version of the Canterlot Voice, “YOU WANT ME, TORCH!? COME GET ME!”

And with that, I shot up into the air, deciding to try and repeat my little trick with Chrysalis. Only now that I could cast a massive airtight shield around me thanks to the Sunsword, I felt more confident in my abilities. From the mental connection I felt from Celestia through the sword, I could feel her anxiety rising, but I sent through another reassuring mental smile to her, opening my mouth and saying, “Trust me, Cellie.” And with that, the worry from Celestia ebbed, but didn’t quite disappear.

“Fleeing the battlefield again, are you??” Torch laughed. “Do you think that flying high into the sky will do anything to stop me??”

The more he talked, the closer he sounded. I pointed my sword up to the bright blue sky, pouring more of my magic into it as a large white sphere of light began surrounding me. Behind me, I could hear Torch’s wings flapping harder, and a slight growl indicated that he was about to breathe another breath of fire at me. Fortunately, I formed the shield mere moments before I saw the massive orange flames surrounding the shield.

This time, however, there was almost no increase in heat. Since the shield around me kept me from using my wings, I decided to try and imitate something I’d seen Starlight Glimmer do in the show: use a magic shield to levitate upwards. To my surprise, the flames surrounding said shield slowly began losing their strength as I moved out of range. I imagined the spherical shield around me morphing into a sharp arrow shape, and my speed increased due to lack of air resistance.

When I took one small look back, I was surprised to see Torch continuing to chase me. The crowd of Dragons and the group of my friends below us now looked like ants, another damned cliché I hated but one that still fit the view. Torch saw me do this and roared, “Coward! You can’t run forever!”

But I’m not running, Torchy, I thought, I’m leading you to your doom! I turned away and a grin spread across my face. I felt a surge of encouragement coming both from Celestia and the sword itself. I poured more magic into the spear shaped shield and began moving faster. The sky above me began to darken ever so slightly, and I could almost feel the high-speed wings buffet around us. Since Dragons were flying reptilians, I knew that they would have high resistance to cold and altitude.

But a lot of living things need oxygen, after all, and you’re no exception, Torchy!

I kept my breathing steady, sometimes opening small portions of the shield to let new air in until I felt it wasn’t worth it. The sky continued darkening, changing from sky blue, to a deeper shade, then to the inky blue I normally saw in the dark of night. Looking back down briefly, I was surprised that Torch was still following, but even he looked like he was having trouble breathing. If he was smart, he would have made a shield like me.

But the Dragon Lord’s understanding of the atmosphere was probably primitive at best.

The further up I flew, the more the curvature of Equestria began to make itself known. Twilight had told me that Equestria was spherical like Earth, but this was the first time I’d had any actual confirmation about it. Despite everything, I couldn’t help but feel in awe at the sight around me. The sun high above us shining right into my face, the light blue glow of the troposphere below me, the clouds moving on their own around the planet, and a glimpse of the waxing gibbous moon in the east.

Looking back down, I saw the Moonsword in Torch’s claw brighten up. However, we were so high up now that Torch was taking in great gulps of air, or trying to anyway. He was slowing down, wings flapping slower and he looked winded. I continued flying upwards, but kept an eye on him more and more often. I was satisfied to see him continue to try and take in air, but the higher we flew, the more he gasped for breath. However, his stubbornness prevented him from seeing the danger. Only his target, which was moving farther and farther away.

Eventually, he grasped his neck, opened his mouth to try and say something, but nothing came out. The wings finally stopped, he reached out towards me futilely, then began falling back down. His grip on the Moonsword began slipping, and he began falling.

I stopped, turned around, and aimed the sharp part of the shield directly towards the spot on his neck where the cannon had shot off a piece of his natural scales. I grinned as I made impact, and only grinned wider as the satisfying roar of pain escaped the massive Dragon’s maw. I aimed my sword at the wound, and yet another prominence lashed out, rushing directly into the new wound.

The farther back we fell, the more I could see some slight flames forming around Torch’s body. I knew it wouldn’t affect him since he was a Dragon, but I continued digging my blade and shield into the wound, opening it up. I grinned wider as I saw blood spurting out of the, admittedly, small wound I’d begun to make. We continued to fall, and despite the roaring coming from Torch, he made no move to dislodge me.

I received a warning from the Sunsword too late. A warning advising me to move away. A claw wrapped around my shield and lifted it away from the wound. I tumbled around within my spear shaped shield just as Torch held me up. His wings, which had been temporarily covered in ice which had caused him to not be able to fly, were now back to normal and he was hovering above the ground relatively close to my friends. “You poor, deluded fool,” he said, almost sounding disappointed, “Now you die.”

Time slowed down as the glowing shield around me shattered into a million pieces, destroyed by a bolt of lightning from the Moonsword. One piece of the broken shield even passed directly in front of me, the reflection showing my still helmeted face in the light of the massive lightning bolt. I watched as Torch’s claw began closing around me, and I spread my wings in an attempt to escape, but he was too fast. As time sped up around me once again, I felt Torch’s grip on me finally solidify. I heard something snap from directly behind me, then an unbearable pain shot out through my wings. He’d gone and broken the left one. I screamed.

Torch grinned wider. “Well, I’ve had fun toying with my meal now,” he said, pulling me forward, “now we end this little game. But first, let me relieve you of your toy.” And with that, he reached down and swiped the Sunsword directly out of my hand. The mental connection I felt between me, the Sunsword and Celestia instantly vanished and I was all alone in my head. He pulled the sword away then opened his mouth wide. I could smell the stench almost immediately and I almost gagged, but continued struggling against the grip. I felt like my magic was being drained from me, and I struggled to stay awake.

I had almost passed out when something hit Torch, and a deep growling voice shouted out, “JETHRO MINE! NO TOUCH!”

Torch, apparently caught off guard, released me and I fell, only to see a massive winged purple and green blur slamming directly into Torch. A small glint of metal fell to the ground near me, but I didn’t have time to guess what it was before I felt myself slam directly into the ground. Another snap could be heard, and I screamed in pure agony now as my right wing also snapped.

The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t move a single inch without pain shooting up my back. Even when I wasn’t moving, the pain I felt was excruciating. I still forced myself up, only to glimpse something out of my worst nightmare.

A massive winged purple and green Dragon raised a fist and slammed it directly into Torch’s face. I knew immediately who that very well could be. “SPIKE! NO!” I shouted, only to fall into a coughing fit. I quickly removed my helmet and continued coughing. As blood splattered onto the ground, I heard the sound of galloping hooves approaching. Turning, I saw Celestia leading the charge directly towards me.

Celestia was the first to reach me, and she stopped directly in front of me. “My knight!” she shouted frantically, kneeling to my level.

“What…what happened…?” I asked, although I somewhat could guess.

Twilight was immediately by my side, her horn glowing. As the pain in my wings slowly dissipated, she said, through teary eyes, “Spike…h-he co-couldn’t take it…he-he couldn’t watch you be hurt…so…he just-”

“He kept on saying how he wouldn’t let anypony hurt his friends,” Rainbow Dash said, flying up behind me and looking at my wings. “Shit…that looks like it fucking hurts.”

I nodded. “I’ve never broken a bone before…it hurts like a son of a bitch. Or it did until just now. Thanks, Twi.” I turned and was surprised to see Spike holding his own against Torch, but even I knew that wouldn’t last. “I…I never thought he’d resort to trying to purposely inducing Greed-Induced Bigness.”

“I do hope he’s careful,” Rarity said with worry clearly evident in her voice.

“I’ve seen this happen on the show,” I said as the pain finally vanished, but the broken bones didn’t. “Only…he didn’t have wings. That’s new.”

Spike roared in pain as Torch slammed his fist directly into the young Dragon’s chest, sending him sprawling. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that I was watching an old Japanese Godzilla movie. Spike was quick to get back to his feet, just in time to avoid Torch swinging at him with the sword. “You have forfeited your life, foolish hatchling!” Torch roared as he swung the sword sideways.

Spike narrowly avoided the swing, then breathed a massive flame of green flames at Torch, who brought up his sword and absorbed said flames with it. Having fully recovered from the surprise attack, he walked up slowly to the massive version of Spike. My heart was in my throat, but since I didn’t have my sword in my hands and I doubted my own magical prowess could stand against Torch, all I could do was scream in utter horror as Torch slashed Spike directly in the chest.

Everything stopped. All noise was instantly muffled. In the corner of my eye, I saw Twilight shouting in pure horror as a large red shower of blood exploded from Spike’s chest. All I could hear was my own heartbeat as I screamed in utter terror as the young drake began to fall, shrinking slowly as he did so, his claw clutching at the new wound. And in that moment, something inside of me, something I thought I had buried away, snapped.

A torrent of emotions I’d once buried and had tried to very slowly let loose for processing, flowed forward all at once. Terror quickly gave way to a plethora of other emotions. Rage. Pure unadulterated hatred. Desire for vengeance and revenge. A bloodlust I never knew I had swelled up within me. As sound returned, I heard the snapping of bones back into place behind me as a dark purple mist began to surround me, especially around the eyes. A burst of magic sprang out from my body and dark black crystals shot out of the ground directly where the shadows began to form. I barely registered Celestia putting up a bright shield around the group, which protected her from the effects of what another small part of me realized was dark magic. Along with that, a bright green flame encircled me on the ground, much like a Fae’s own changing flames appeared.

And I welcomed every bit of it.

The floodgates of repressed emotions I thought I had tamed and was dealing with were let loose in a barrage of unfettered purple and green flames and black lightning which shot up into the air with a mighty roar and thunderous clashes. I felt my body start to morph as the multicolored energy of various magic licked at my body. My armor began to morph as well, changing from its current appearance to a slick, black sheen. From behind me, flames started shooting out of my head, engulfing my hair, but never dying down. In fact, the flames only increased as I stepped forward, my eyes burning with a purple and green glow as they focused solely on the soon-to-be dead Dragon Lord.

I inhaled, and I noted a deeper growl coming from deep within my throat. A Draconic growl. Letting loose a scream, a small part of me was shocked to hear a piercing Dragon roar emanating from my own throat. A roar of pure rage, sorrow, regret, and most importantly, bloodlust.

Holding out my left hand, I called the Sunsword back to me. When I caught it, I sensed, for a brief moment, a tingling of fear from Celestia and concern from the sword itself, but the latter’s concern quickly turned to understanding at what must be done and acceptance of said fact. My now fiery hair began to calm slightly, but never lost its brilliance and heat. In fact, I felt more power flowing into me directly from the sword itself.

Spreading my now Phoenix enflamed wings, I shot up into the air, intent on slaying the enemy in front of me with no mercy. My sword was engulfed as well with a mixture of solar prominences, green and purple flames and black lightning. Torch turned slowly towards me, and on that face of his, I saw a sickening smile of glee. I poured magic into my Sunsword, and the blade began extending.

With a powerful swing, I aimed at his head, intent on aiming for the head as I should have done with Eris. But Torch was faster and our blades connected. He deftly flew backwards, glaring at me in some slight confusion. “And what are you?” he demanded.

“WE ARE LEGION! FOR WE ARE MANY!” I shouted. My voice, much like that in my dreams, sounded like an immense multitude of voices combined together.

Torch simply scoffed at this. “Pathetic. Sending another one to finish what he started-HELLS!” He brought up his sword to just barely deflect my own strike, once more aiming for the head. Torch, however, still managed to deflect it, but I now had him on the defensive. I brought my sword down towards him over and over again, aiming for the kill.

“What are you?!” he demanded once more, then roared in pain as I managed to bring my sword down on one of his fingers. The large digit fell, dark red blood pouring out of the wound. His roar of pain turned into a growl of derision. “I will make you pay for-RAAAAAAHH!”

I vanished in a dark black cloud of dark magic teleportation and immediately severed Torch’s left arm from his pathetic body. He doesn’t need it. He doesn’t deserve it. He is about to die, after all! I heard blood splattering all over my blackened Dragon armor, but ignored it and the roar of pain as a now one-armed Torch’s smile vanished from his face. He turned to face me, and his rage briefly gave way to an emotion that satisfied me to see.

Fear.

But that fear quickly turned into utter hatred as he roared, shouting, “HOW DARE YOU!?” He swung the Moonsword at me, but I vanished in the blackened cloud, appearing next to his remaining claw, quickly severing it so the sword couldn’t cauterize it. “RAAAAAAAHHH!” He screamed as his now detached claw, the Moonsword still in its grasp, fell to the ground.

I grasped the Moonsword in my magic, pulling it towards me. I grabbed it just as it shrank down to the exact same size as the Sunsword. When I finally had it in my grasp, I looked down at the wounded Dragon. So vulnerable. So ready…to…DIE!

I shot down, both swords held out as I aimed for his chest. A quick death isn’t something a monster like him deserves! He deserves to feel pain! The pain…of…LOSS!

Torch’s roars of pain quickly vanished as both blades pierced his heart. The roar quickly became a gasp of surprise. Torch looked down at me in disbelief as I twisted both blades maliciously. I felt a vicious smile form on my face. A smile quick slowly vanished when I started feeling new emotions. Emotions coming from Luna and Celestia.

Despair and fear. Fear of me. Fear of what I’d become.

My senses started to return to me. I looked at both swords, at least the part that weren’t pierced through Torch’s chest, and in their reflection, I saw not my normal face, but the face of a demon. Red rimmed green eyes, purple mist surrounding it, blackened skin, and sharp fanged teeth. I was the near exact image of Legion from my nightmares. I’d become my own version of Nightmare Moon.

I had become a horrific monster.

There was a small voice on the air now. One I had been hearing for the past thirty or so seconds, but one I’d just now acknowledged. I turned slowly, focusing solely on the gray striped Zebra separated from the rest, calling out to me. I could hear the desperation in her own voice. The fear. The anguish. And it shattered not only my heart, but my changed form.

The black armor fell away, leaving the former golden hued ones in its place. The pieces bounced off of Torch’s underbelly, falling to either side of him and shattering the moment each piece hit the ground. The fiery wings and hair vanished, leaving nothing but my normal wings and now completely waist length hair, which was waving in some nonexistent wind. The dark magic surrounding me vanished, and I slowly looked up at the heavily wounded Dragon Lord as he bled out from the open wounds. The ones in his chest weren’t bleeding as much since the swords were still in. I squeezed the hilts of both swords and closed my eyes. Now, instead of the anger and hatred towards Torch, I poured the emotion of regret and sorrow back into both swords, directing them towards Celestia and Luna. I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…

And instantly, I could feel not only relief from them both, but an overwhelming sense of forgiveness, understanding and a deep love. Love which washed over me and through me, cleansing me of anything negative that might have affected me.

I looked at the two sword pieces still in my grasp, and then back down at Torch. He looked down at me with defiance, but the life was quickly going out of his eyes, blood pouring out from the stump of his former arm and his claw. I stood, still holding onto the swords. “You’ve lost this battle today, Torch, and I have claimed the Moonsword,” I said with a calm I didn’t know I could feel.

“So it would seem,” he snarled in rage before he started coughing. As a blue Dragon flew up towards him, he continued, his anger ebbing with his lifeforce. “It would appear that I have, indeed, lost. I will honor our agreement, but not quite in the way you think.” To my surprise, he began to sit up. I flew away, pulling the swords out of his chest. The wounds began bleeding more profusely as he looked with one last look at the gathered Dragons. “Dragons! Hear me!” he bellowed, to my utter surprise. “I have lost this Volrif’nel! I am also on my way to be judged by the gods! In keeping with the traditions of Old Aelyssia, the rule of the Dragon Lands will go to the one who defeated me in combat! A Dragon he isn’t, but he has the spirit of one! And since he has claimed both Sunsword and Moonsword, he will become…your new Dragon…Emperor…Jethro…Bethridge!” And with those final words, he collapsed onto his back, eyes closed, mouth open slightly, and blood pouring from the wounds.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline wearing off. Perhaps it was the amount of magic I had used in the final part of the fight. Perhaps it was the relief of this all being over. Or perhaps it was a combination of all of that, but I started to see black spots at the corner of my vision. I felt the strength flow out of me, and my wings started to slow down. I tried to keep up, but the black spots continued to encroach on the world around me.

I used what little strength I had left to glide down to the ground, collapsing onto my back and letting the two swords go as Zecora rushed to my side, enveloping me in her hooves. “Dearest! Please tell me you’re okay!” she begged.

I forced myself to stay awake for just a little while longer, looking up at her with tired eyes. “I…I wasn’t hurt too bad I think…I’m just exhausted…” Then, in some of my last moments of coherent thought, I remembered my charge. “Is…Spike…is he-?”

“The Phoenixes are helping to heal him,” Zecora said reassuringly, clinging to me. “He’ll live.”

“Oh…Good…Zecora…?”

“Yes, beloved?” Her face filled what little remained of my vision, her blue eyes glistening with worried tears.

“…I’m so…so tired…”

My last memory, before passing out, was hearing Zecora’s terrified scream before darkness quickly engulfed me.

112: A Cloaked Heart's Talk and Discovery

When my two Dragon guards Gemini, Mica and I all left the cave, I saw that we were standing on the shores of a large island. Small waves crashed against the shore thanks in part to the day being somewhat windy. Frowning, I looked back up only to see that the island we were on had once been some kind of fortress. It wasn’t nearly as big as the Ruins of Dormog, but I could see some of the same architectural styles in place. It was one big tower, with windows scattered throughout and five carved Dragon wing prongs lifting out of the top, each equidistant from the other. The tower itself was pentagonal in shape, with each prong carved into each corner of the pentagram. In a way, the prongs reminded me a bit of how Isengard was designed for the movies, except that the stone was a deep brown color, and there were large gems placed on the sides of the tower. A nerdy part of me bubbled up. “Barad-dûr.”

“Pardon, Your Grace?” one of the Dragon guards asked.

I shook my head. “It’s nothing. Forget it. What is this island called?”

“Duzoroth, Your Grace,” the second guard said.

“And the tower?”

“Duzoroth Tower,” the same guard replied.

“Hmm, I see.” I looked around, then saw a very unusual shaped island far to the right. It took me a few seconds, but I recognized it from the Gauntlet of Fire episode. I pointed. “Is that Flamecano Island?”

“Yes, Your Grace,” the first guard said.

Such a stupid name, I thought to myself, but held my tongue. I walked up to the beach, knelt and grabbed some of the sand. It was pure black and the closer I looked at it, the more I was convinced I was staring at crushed obsidian, which didn’t surprise me since the Dragon Lands always struck me as being particularly volcanically active. A part of me wondered if they lived on a fault line somewhere, but I pushed that out of my mind as I straightened. “Where is Princess Ember’s residence?”

“In a cave on the mainland, Your Grace,” the second guard said as he and his other guard spread their wings.

“And just how are we gonna get there, Your Grace?” Gemini said, coming up beside me and glaring at me, claws on her hips. I highly doubted that her slight emphasis on my new title was respectful.

“Like this,” I said, holding out both my hands towards the Lycans. My hands glowed, and soon the Lycan siblings also began to glow and float upward. Before they could respond, I spread my wings and shot up into the air. “Guards, lead on.”

Despite the protests of Gemini, I carried them both in my telekinetic grip as we flew over the massive lake towards a large naturally formed stone tower with an entrance in the side that faced the shorelines. It didn’t take us long to reach it, and when we all landed, I released the two Lycans and approached the large jagged entrance into the cave I’d seen before. I approached the cave and pressed my hand through the entrance. I saw some Old Draconic runes surrounding the cave light up, then vanish, but my hand went through. I turned and told the guards to wait outside, but while the Dragon ones obeyed, Mica and Gemini were extremely reluctant on doing so, but when I gave them a direct order, they promptly obeyed.

Unlike the set of caverns I’d come from, this one was a natural formation, with stalactites and stalagmites everywhere and small pools of water. Casting the Candlelight spell, I wandered around, looking for Ember. However, even in the room where she’d stashed her hoard, I couldn’t find her. As if on instinct, I grasped the scepter, visualized Ember and looked deep into the crystal. The light within swirled and shuddered, then parted to reveal a particularly blue Dragon standing on a naturally formed balcony, overlooking something on the outside of the cave. I dimmed the spell, finally spotting a small patch of light coming from one of the walls near the ceiling. I spread my wings and flew up towards it.

Just as I’d seen, I’d found Ember standing and looking out over the vast and desolate landscape that was the Dragon Lands. She didn’t even acknowledge my presence as I landed gently next to her. I followed her gaze, and despite everything, I could really appreciate what I was seeing as beautiful in its own right. Sure, there weren’t any plants as far as the eye could see, but the large towering rock formations, a view of part of the lake and the erupting shield cone volcano in the distance only made this place beautiful in its own way.

I joined Ember, standing near the ledge and leaning against the scepter. No words were spoken between us for at least a solid ten minutes. Finally, I decided enough was enough and broke the silence by speaking my thoughts. “The Dragon Lands are really quite beautiful in their own way.” Ember said nothing, so I continued. “Sure, there’s no trees or grass or anything like that, but even a desert has its intrinsic charms.”

Finally, I got a reaction from Ember. She sighed heavily, and replied with a hoarse sounding voice, “Don’t patronize me…I know we’re savages to you and your Pony friends.”

I looked at her in shock. “Who says Dragons are savages? Would a savage race be able to build one of the most impressive feats of engineering as those ruins? Ruins, mind you, that have lasted for millennia with minimal damage? Would they be able to create weapons and armor that lasts just as long? No. As the new Emperor, I defy any other race to call my subjects savages.”

She stood quickly and placed her nose directly against mine, eyes wide with anger. “We’re beasts! We hoard because we’re greedy, we fight over stupid things like hoards and lovers, we even kill each other for fun! The days of Old Aelyssia are done already! Thanks to the Dark Fae, we’ve lost everything!”

I raised myself up, pressing my nose against hers to match her glare. “I’ll wager that even back in the days of Old Aelyssia, Dragons had a similar nature. They had those greedy tendencies. But you can learn to keep them in check. Any Dragon can learn it!”

“My own father couldn’t learn it!” She shouted, and I could see the faintest glint of tears welling up in her eyes. She whirled away, fists held at her side, her body trembling with barely restrained rage. “My own father…he was the last of Old Aelyssia. If he couldn’t learn it…”

“How old was Torch when the Fae came?” I asked.

She turned to face the Dragon Lands once more. “He never…never really said,” she replied, “but I got the impression he was only a hatchling. Probably hadn’t even molted yet.”

“Then he was probably around Spike’s age, more of less,” I replied. “It takes a long time to learn the skill of proper restraint. I’m 30, and even I get urges that are hard to control.” There was silence between us for a bit. Ember was facing the Dragon Lands once again, so I turned to face the same direction. In the distance, I saw the still floating ship in the shallow end of the lake, the stupidly named Flamecano Island, and the dark red crystals on one end. The unusually shaped volcanic island reminded me of the episode to first introduce Torch. “Ember…nobody’s around right now. Nobody can see us or hear us. Tell me, do you hate me for what happened with your father?”

She froze. I stood there beside her, just watching the waves from the lake crash onto distant shores. The wind blew against me, sending the cloak I now wore fluttering backwards. While I waited for her to collect her thoughts and reply, I let my mind wander. My thoughts went a little something like this:

I’m an emperor now. I’m a goddamn motherfucking emperor! And of Dragons, no less! Dragons! Why me? Why am I always getting the short end of the damn stick here!? Ugh…I just wanna go home, snuggle with and/or fuck Zecora into oblivion, celebrate Christmas…a break would be so fucking nice! Whatever gods run this world must have it out for me. I love Equestria, but I’m just so tired from all the shit being dumped on me! Okay, no, calm down Jethro, deep slow breaths. In…and out…and in…and out…ah, there we go. That’s a little better.

Okay, so what do I do here? Think, Jethro. Think! You’ve been studying what makes a good ruler with Twilight for a while now. Rule One: Your duty is to your subjects first and foremost. So I should get someone to tell me about our current situation. Borders, finances, military, housing…if Ember’s living conditions are any indication, they’re not exactly living very well. Dragons seem nomadic in nature…maybe we could find a way to break the spell surrounding the ruins and rebuild in there. There’s a lot of empty houses just begging to be restored. The palace could be used to house any extra Dragons.

But I’ll definitely need Ember’s help. And maybe…maybe I can ask Equestria for some aid. Aid in studying the ancient ruins. Oh boy, Twilight will have a nerdgasm at the thought of being able to study ancient historical Dragon artifacts. Maybe Celestia will let me borrow her for a bit. But how will the Dragons react to me requesting aid from Ponies? And what about when they realize the Fae are in Pony custody?

Oh shit! The army in Equestria! I need to recall them!

And will I ever be able to return to Ponyville?! What about my house?? Is it okay? … Well…I assume Celestia’s probably taken care of that. Maybe Sweetie Drops is keeping an eye on it?

“What happened to my father was his own stubborn fault. That jackass,” Ember finally replied, shaking me out of my reverie with a jolt. I turned and saw her looking off into the distance at the erupting shield volcano with a thoughtful look. She didn’t look my way as she continued. “He…you really got me thinking that night, you know?” Slowly, the Dragoness turned to me. “How the fuck did you manage to make me…become so emotional?”

“Ember, all I did was called it like I saw it,” I replied. “Your father was being, for lack of a better term, a complete asshole.”

She quickly raised her claw as if to slap me, breathing heavily in anger, but stopped. I watched as her claw slowly began to tremble, then ball into a fist as she did her best to slow her breathing. “As…as much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. I don’t…like thinking that he was as bad as you said, but I’ve had a long time to think about it. My head hurts from all the thinking.”

I held back my snort of amusement and just nodded. “Even if he was an abusive monster, he was the last of your family. I know how it feels to be the last member of a household.”

“Some household,” she scowled, looking down at where Torch had fallen. His body had been removed somewhere, leaving the impact crater from his fall. “After I molted about a hundred years ago, he kicked me out.”

“A hundred years?” I hadn’t expected her to be older than anyone else. “Well, you certainly don’t look it. I’d have guessed you were about my age. Or even less.”

“Dragons age much slower than Ponies,” Ember said. “Although your Dragon companion, Spike, was it? He’s only ten and he looks much older now.”

“I think that’s a side effect of his being a new Phoenixborn,” I replied, “but we’re getting off topic.”

“Yeah…that’s a force of habit with me,” she admitted.

“Same here,” I replied, “but do you hate me for what happened?”

For a few moments, there was silence. Then, she shook her head. “I’m angry, but I don’t hate you. He challenged you to a duel, and he didn’t surrender. I don’t like saying this, but he got what was coming to him.”

“And all it took was for me to become a monster to do it,” I said with a sigh.

“That was…pretty terrifying,” Ember admitted, “but I think some of that can work in your favor. You’ll gain the respect of the Dragons.”

“Respect? Or fear?”

“Well…a bit of both, actually,” Ember said.

“I was afraid of that. The fear part, not the respect part,” I replied. “No good ruler rules with fear.”

“My father did,” Ember retorted automatically, before she furled her brows and added, “But…he was wrong for doing that.”

“Ember, I’m not ashamed to say that I’m going to need your help with this,” I said. “You’re still royalty, and you know your culture better than I do. I know you’re angry with me-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, I didn’t say I was angry at you,” Ember quickly interrupted me. “I’m angry at the situation my dad put us in. And no, I don’t mean him making you Emperor.” She turned and raised her fist, slamming it into the rock with a roar. “He was a stubborn, selfish, jackass of a leader and bastard of a father! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! WAAAAAAH! DADDY!” And with that, she broke down into a torrent of frustrated wailing.

Reacting instantly, I rushed over and wrapped her in my arms. To my surprise, she didn’t resist, but she didn’t hug back either. The poor Dragoness…her head was probably all turned around emotionally. I guessed that talking about feelings was hard for a race of creatures like the Dragons, although I had to constantly remind myself that I couldn’t fall into the fallacy of assuming things about an entire race from just a handful of examples. If I do that, I could very well judge the Ponies based off of the actions of one Nightmare Moon, or Starlight Glimmer, or that racist bastard Neighsay.

After a good long cry, she slowly pulled away from me, wiping her eyes and nose clean of tears and snot. She hiccupped as she glared at me. “Don’t you fucking dare tell anydragon about this. Or your Pony friends.”

“My lips are sealed,” I said. “Do you need some rest or something?”

She shook her head. “Just…let me clean up. You’re going to need to address the Dragons at some point, right?”

I frowned. That was something I had hoped to put off for a while longer, but she was right. A public address was something that would probably be expected of a new ruler who just ascended the throne. I held up the staff, looking at it with an intense glare. “Yeah…not really looking forward to that, especially since a lot of them are in Equestria, waiting to attack the Ponies.”

She sighed, then nodded. “Dad was…a fool for going to war. Sure, Dragons don’t exactly see eye to eye with Ponies, and some of them love to terrorize Pony villages, but they’ve never done anything to us. That damned idiot was just trying to make an excuse to go to war!” And with that, she spread her wings and flew down to a larger pool of water. She sank into it and splashed herself.

I flew down, looking away from her out of decorum and casually looking over her hoard. Unlike the load of ancient bits, gold and gems I’d found in the mountain cave, this hoard was much smaller than what I’d taken. The pile was circular, about four to five feet in diameter, and about a foot to a foot and a half tall at the center. I leaned down, took a gold coin and looked at it. It was a standard gold bit, minted in Equestria. A large stylized sun had been stamped on the heads side with a sideways profile of the Tree of Harmony stamped on the tails side.

“Find something you like?” Ember asked from directly behind me, sounding somewhat amused.

I stood and tossed the coin back into the hoard then turned back to her. To my surprise, she was wearing the same type of armor she’d worn just before my fight with Torch. She had a long but slightly curved blade attached to her side, as well. “Nah, just curious to see how the bits in your hoard compare to the pile of gold I found half a year ago near Ponyville. The one I claimed before a Dragon could.”

Ember raised an eyebrow. “Wait, are you Smaug?”

“Yeah, I named myself that to scare the Dragon away when he showed up.”

“Razer came back here with his tail between his legs. Literally!” To my surprise, Ember was laughing hard as she said that. “I think he even pissed himself as he landed!”

“Heh, well, I chased him off for a pretty selfish reason, really,” I admitted. “I found money in that cave near Ponyville and claimed it for myself since nobody else was there.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Staking a claim to a hoard, huh? How very…Dragonlike of you.”

“Well that, and I didn’t want him sleeping around Ponyville for the next hundred years or so,” I admitted. “Do Dragons really sleep that long?”

Ember shrugged. “It’s rare, but it happens,” she said. “We call it a Greed-Induced Nap. It happens when we get a major influx of stuff added to our hoards.”

“I see,” I said. Turning to the door, I sighed. “Are you coming with me to help?”

“As horrible ruler and father as Torch was, he was still the Dragon Lord,” Ember explained. “He still knew a lot about our old culture and he was right about how you became Emperor. Claiming the Sunsword and Moonsword as your own means you’re the Emperor of Dragons, along with all the titles that come with it.”

“And I can’t just pass the title on to someone else, can I?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t, and not because I want to rule the Dragons,” Ember said, “but because if you did, it would be seen as a sign of weakness.”

I closed my eyes. “Yeah…I guess so.”

“Oh, by the way, if you’re going to talk to the Dragons, I think you should be armed with the swords,” Ember suggested.

“Sword,” I corrected. “They merged into one sword.” I opened my eyes and looked back at Ember, only to see her eyes widen. “Okay…what is it now?”

“You mean…Eclipse was finally forged?” she asked.

“Eclipse?” I asked.

Ember nodded. “Mom and Dad told me about it when I was still a hatchling. If somedragon was ever found worthy of wielding both the Sunsword and Moonsword, they would finally merge and become Eclipse, the Emperor’s Blade. I always thought it was an old hatchling’s tale, but after what I saw…” She paused, then cleared her throat. “I’d like to see it.”

“I’ll have to go back to Duzoroth to go grab it,” I said. “You want to come with me?”

She nodded, and the two of us headed out into the bright sunlit early afternoon sunlight. My Dragon honor guards snapped to attention as Ember and I spread my wings. “Guards, we’re returning to Duzoroth for a bit,” I said as I grabbed Gemini and Mica in my magic before bursting up into the air. Ember was quick to follow me, with the two guards close behind me.

As we flew across the lake, I looked over at Ember, only to see her staring at the Duzoroth Tower in what could only be a look of reminiscence. Without even thinking, I asked, “How long has it been since you were back here?”

“Ninety years,” she said. “Never even got to take the small bits of my hatchling hoard with me. Dad just grabbed me and flew me over to the mainland, dropped me off and left me there.”

I frowned. “Why the fuck do Dragons do that? It’s completely cruel!”

“It’s tradition,” Ember said evenly.

“I’m guessing your dad started it?” I asked as we began to descend towards the black sandy shores of the island.

“I’m not sure why he did,” Ember said, “but we’ve done that for a thousand years at least.”

As we all landed and I released Gemini and Mica from my magic, I said, “Now that’s barbaric.”

“I agree with you,” Ember said as she looked up at the massive brown tower. “It looks exactly the same as it did before.”

“Do you…want to come inside or wait out here?” I asked.

“I’d like to come in,” Ember said. “It’s been so long since I’ve…”

I put a hand on her back and patted her gently before letting go. “Come on in, then,” I said as I walked towards the entrance. Ember and my four guards followed me in.

The moment she entered, she seemed to take in every little detail, looking around slowly at every wall and door we passed. I couldn’t very well read her placid expression, but if she was anything like me, then coming to a childhood home in this situation was bringing back good and bad memories for her. When we reached a spot in the hallway where a smaller side corridor headed down to a massive set of doors, Ember stopped and looked down at it. I paused, looking down at it with her. I’d seen it earlier, but I hadn’t stopped to ask what it was. Before I could, Ember said, “That’s where Dad’s hoard room was.”

Looking back up at the guards, I asked, “Is that where it is now?”

One of them looked back at the door, then back down at me and nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”

“After I grab Eclipse, I want to see it,” I said.

The look of discomfort on their faces startled me, but one of them said, “As you command, Your Grace. Do you want me to retrieve the key?”

“Yes, go get it,” I commanded.

As the guard bowed and headed down the hall, the rest of us headed back down the hall to my room. When we passed the room where Spike was, I could hear him talking about something, but the voice was too muffled for me to understand what they were saying. Finally, we reached Torch’s chambers. Turning to the Dragon guard, Mica and Gemini, I said, “Stay out here.”

I opened the doors, then Ember and I walked inside. Once the door was closed, I reached out and lifted Eclipse off of where it was hanging. Ember couldn’t take her eyes off of it as I took it and walked towards the light of the fire. When I finally reached the fire, I grabbed at the hilt and quickly drew the blade.

The moment I did, I felt not only the emotions of Celestia and Luna, both of whom felt surprise at our mental connection, but then warmth and affection directed at me, but also the emotions of Eclipse itself. Supplication for one, then joy at finally being able to meet me. I poured out a plethora of emotions in reply, a warm affectionate greeting towards both Princesses, and to Eclipse, I expressed as best as I could how much of an honor it was to be able to meet it.

Ember stared in wide eyed astonishment at the blade I now held aloft in my hands. The hilt itself had the same look as both the Sunsword and Moonsword hilts had, only now that they’d merged, the sword looked complete. The blade itself looked a lot like Damascus Steel, only with gold and silver waves spread about evenly. From a distance, it had a white golden color to it, much like what might happen if gold and silver colors were mixed. The blade still had spikes coming out of the bottom portion of the blade, about five on each side. I’d begun noticing that there was a motif of five in Dragon designs or weapons, but I put that aside as a need to study later issue. The sword itself gleamed in the roaring firelight, and I could see how it reflected onto the walls around me. In fact, the more I held it, the more the reflections on the wall began to imitate a starry night sky. I slowly sheathed it so I wouldn’t be tempted to get lost in the starry reflection. I slung it over my back and adjusted my clothes so I would look more presentable.

As if coming out of a trance, Ember, who had been doing nothing but stare at the blade ever since I drew it, blinked and shook her head. “Well, that’s…I never thought I’d ever see the blade before today. And the patterns. I’ve never seen a sword look like that before.”

“I have,” I replied. “Those waves look a lot like Damascus Steel from back on Earth.” I stood up straighter and continued, “Now then, I think it’s time I see Torch’s hoard. If that door is any indication, he was a rich little shit.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Ember said, “he never let anydragon go in there when I lived here. Only he ever went in.”

“Dragon greed at its finest, I guess,” I said as I headed to the door. As I opened it, I saw the second guard just about to knock. Underneath one arm he was carrying a massive iron key. “Wow…that’s the key to the hoard room?”

“It is, Your Grace,” the guard said.

I turned to Ember. “Well, do you want to come and see what your dad kept hidden away from the world?”

She shrugged. “Sure, why in the hells not?”

With that, I headed back down the hall, Ember walking by my side and with my four guards flanking me. I’d only been an Emperor for a day, and I could already tell this was going to become annoying as hell. As we walked, I saw Spike’s room coming up. On an impulse, I stopped in front of the door and knocked. “Spike? Everyone? It’s me. Can I come in?”

I heard the sound of magic, then the door opened. Spike was sitting up on the bed, with Twilight seated next to him with a hoof around his shoulders. The others were sitting (or, in Celestia’s or Luna’s case, standing) around his bed facing him. Their heads swiveled to look at me. Spike’s eyes widened when he saw me. “Whoa…what sword is that?”

“Eclipse,” I said. I drew it again, and for the first time, I saw the reaction of both Princesses as our minds connected. Celestia barely reacted, but I saw her eyes widen nearly imperceptibly. Through the link, I could feel the same warmth directed at me. Luna, on the other hand, was less subtle about her physical reaction. Her eyes widened more than her sister’s and her mouth opened slightly. Through the link, I felt a similar warmth, but somewhat restrained, like she had to maintain a distance between us. “Ember told me it’s known as the Emperor’s Blade.”

As it had before, the entire night sky was reflected off of the sword onto the walls and ceiling. Everyone in the room looked around, gazing in awe at the reflection coming off of Eclipse. They didn’t even notice when Ember walked in and stared at the blade in complete awe. Even Celestia didn’t seem to be immune from looking at the blade or its reflection. Slowly, I sheathed the blade, then looked at everyone in the room. “So…I’m gonna go see Torch’s hoard, then I’ll be addressing the Dragons. Spike, are you feeling up for a little walk?”

“I think I am,” he said.

Zecora quickly grabbed a small vial from the saddlebag at the edge of the room and gave it to Spike. “Drink this,” she said, “it should give you energy enough for the rest of the day.”

Spike took the vial, popped the cork and drank the light blue liquid quickly. Handing the vial back to Zecora, he slowly stood, Twilight constantly by his side as he stood. I smiled as he was now pretty much eye level with Twilight and about a foot and a half shorter than I was. Twilight let him lean on her as he got used to walking with his new height. Finally, he stood up and took a few experimental steps and was doing well until he fell while near me. I caught the young drake and steadied him. He looked up at me gratefully. “Thanks,” he said, “and I think I’d like to go see his hoard. Good excuse to exercise these new legs.”

“I would be careful, though,” Zecora cautioned. “I’m no physician, but I think you will need to undergo some physical therapy to build up your muscle.”

“I’ll take him to Ponyville Hospital when we get back,” Twilight said automatically.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Ember replied. “He’s a Dragon, so he should be looked after by one of our Healers.”

“She’s right,” I quickly interrupted Twilight before she could argue. “I doubt a small town Pony hospital knows how to treat a Dragon.”

“We were able to treat you,” Twilight argued.

“In Canterlot,” I replied. “I’m guessing Canterlot doctors are more widely trained with non-Ponies.”

Celestia nodded. “Although, I’m embarrassed to admit, we brought in an expert on simians, so…sorry, Jethro.” She actually looked slightly embarrassed.

I waved my hand. “Eh, you work with what you got. And I mean, humans did evolve from simians, so that was probably the right call. Anyone else want to come see?”

“Oooh! I’d love to see just how many gems he had!” Rarity said excitedly. When she saw Ember, though, she stopped clapping her hooves and her ears flattened. “Oh…sorry.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Ember said. “Dad was a bastard, anyway. Besides, now that this human’s the Dragon Emperor, my dad’s hoard belongs to him.”

“Goddamn it,” I groaned. “As if being the richest person in Equestria wasn’t enough…but…come on, everyone. Let’s go see this hoard.”

With that, we all headed out into the hall, slowly so Spike could get used to walking. Zecora was by my left and Ember my right. The others were around Spike, making sure he was okay. He did look a bit skinnier than looked healthy. I decided to ask this so-called Dragon Healer about Dragon dietary requirements later, since I suspected that Spike would need to eat meat in order to be really healthy. Like how humans were with a strictly vegetarian diet.

As we walked, Zecora pressed herself against me, looking up at me. In Farasi, she asked, “So…Dragon Emperor, eh? Should I call you Your Majesty now?” She had a teasing tone in her voice.

“Nah, just Your Grace will suffice, and God in the bedroom,” I teased back as my hand surreptitiously grazed her flank.

“You naughty stallion,” she said, her tail swishing and hitting my leg a few times. “But seriously, are you okay?”

“Far from it,” I admitted. “There’s so much going on in my head right now.”

She stood on her two hind legs, leaned in and kissed my cheek, “Talk to me about it later, okay dearest?”

“Thank you…thank you love.”

She smiled reassuringly. “I wouldn’t be a good marefriend otherwise.”

Soon to be more than that if I have anything to say about it, I thought as we finally arrived at the massive door. We were standing in front of two stone double doors, barred with a massive metal bar which itself was held in place with a large iron lock. To the right of the door, I saw a massive set of different keys on an iron ring hanging on a hook. I grabbed these keys, guessing that they were needed for some chests or something inside. I stepped aside and looked at the guard still holding the key to the door. “Unlock it.”

He nodded obediently, approached, stuck the oversized key in the lock, and turned. The lock snapped open and fell to the floor, and the guard then lifted the bar, setting it aside to the left. He then grabbed both handles and pulled. With a groan and loud creak, the doors opened, rumbling as they did so, revealing nothing but darkness.

And out of the darkness, I heard the sound of whimpering.

My heart immediately dropped as I quickly walked in and held up my hand, casting the biggest Candlelight spell I could. The bright silvery light headed up…and up and up until it reached the ceiling where it illuminated everything in the room.

And what a humungous room it was. I was reminded greatly of Erebor as depicted in The Hobbit movies with the amount of gold coins, weapons, armor, gold statues and gemstones just lying around in the vast cavern the magical light illuminated.

What Erebor lacked, however, were the Dragons imprisoned in cages on a massive ledge surrounding the massive hoard. They were in a sorry state. Thin, dirty, weakly looking, hopeless expressions in their eyes, which they immediately hid from the bright light. As I listened, I realized that the few I heard whimpering and crying were all females.

Immediately, my shock turned to horror, then absolute rage as I looked at the keys in my hand. I felt sick to my stomach with unbridled rage. Whatever little regret I might have had at killing Torch was snuffed out in that moment. I clenched the keyring in my hand so hard my knuckles turned white and my fist began to shake. “Why that…that…FUCKING BASTARD!” Before anyone else could say anything, I turned to the guards. “Gather the guards and tell them to go out and get as many Dragon Healers over here as quickly as possible! Tell them their new Emperor has need of them!”

They straightened and nodded. “Yes, Your Grace!” However, only one of them flew away as the other stayed behind.

I spread my wings and flew down the massive flight of stairs towards the nearest cage. The Dragon inside had orange scales and olive-colored eyes. She backed away when she saw me, trembling despite the fact that she was taller than I was. “Y-You shouldn’t be here…” she whimpered as I began going through the set of keys, trying to unlock her cage, “I-If my Lord Torch finds you-”

“Torch is dead,” I snarled. “I killed him and was made the new Dragon Emperor for my troubles.” Finding the right key, I unlocked the cage and flung it open. Looking up at the female Dragon, I backed away from the door slowly. “And as Dragon Emperor, I’m freeing each and every one of you from this hellhole.”

She hesitantly looked at me, then up at the entrance where she saw the Ponies either flying down or running down the set of stairs. Spike was on Twilight’s back despite his new height. Zecora was leading the charge down the stairs, running towards me with something in her mouth. The Dragon swallowed hard. “P-Ponies…did…did we lose the war?”

“No war has taken place yet, and there won’t be one,” I said. “They’re also my friends and loved ones, so there’s no need to be afraid.” I moved onto the next cage repeating the process of looking through each key until I found one that matched the lock. I held back my nausea as I saw how these captives had been living. The smell was awful, putrid and dank. This world was definitely not the same one from the show, and every time I was reminded of that it was like a massive punch to the gut. Many of Torch’s victims were terrified of me, crawling away from the entrance to their cages despite the vast majority being larger than I was. Only two had any bite to them, and they were the smallest Dragons there and were in better shape than most. Presumably they were newer arrivals.

Finally just as I had freed the last of the slaves, I heard new arrivals from upstairs. Turning, I saw a number of new Dragons flying in, being escorted by guards. I spread my wings, flew up to them and landed on the stairs right in front of them. There were at least five older Dragons there, each carrying large sacks in their claws. I turned to the guard I’d sent off and asked, “Is this all?”

“We’re still searching, Your Grace,” he said, “but these were the closest Healers we could find.”

“Good work,” I said, then turned to the five Dragons, each of whom were looking at me with surprising expectant looks in their eyes. Pointing at them with the Scepter, I said, “You five, I want you to tend to the Dragons behind me. Clean them up, get them on some better food, do what you need to do, but help heal them!”

Once more, to my surprise, they all nodded and bowed. “Yes, Your Grace,” one of them, and older female Dragon with gray scales, white spines and a white set of horns. As they rose, they spread their wings and flew down to the nearest Dragons.

Turning back to the guard, I smiled at him with a proud grin. “Good work, soldier. What’s your name?”

“Um…Lahar, sir,” he said hesitantly.

“Lahar, eh? Strong name,” I said. “I’ll see to it you’re greatly rewarded for today. But for now, resume the search! I want each of these Dragons to have their own personal healer before the day is done, or if you can’t manage that, as many as you can find.”

Lahar seemed to get some new motivation from my words and straightened, putting his fisted claw on his breastplate. “Yes, your Grace!” And with that, he turned and headed out with the other guards.

I turned back towards the hoard before me. The Mane Six, Zecora, Luna, Spike and the five Dragon Healers were busily assisting the weak and fragile Dragon females, cleaning them for the most part. But I didn’t see Celestia anywhere. Not until I felt a warm presence making themselves known behind me. A pair of alabaster wings wrapped around me and I was pulled back slowly. She pushed aside the sword with her magic, then rested her chin on my head. I looked up as best I could, but I felt one foreleg wrap around my stomach. “O…kay…this is…Celestia, what are you doing? I’ve got to help them down there.”

“I’m so sorry,” was all she said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Um…sorry? Why are you sorry?”

“That your first day as an Emperor has you dealing with…this.” Celestia’s voice had gone to nothing more than a loud whisper now. “Nopony should have to deal with this.”

I cleared my throat and tried to untangle myself from her, but she held me steadfast. I sighed and, seeing no other way out, just leaned back against her chest. “No, nobody should. But it’s happening now, right in front of me. What’s gotten into you?”

I felt Celestia take a deep breath, then exhale. “I’ve had to see my Knight go through more than anyone else has in such a short period of time. You’ve been in danger so many times. Can you blame me for wanting to keep you safe?”

I closed my eyes, and found myself smiling. The way she said those words, the tender care I felt from her in that moment, warmed my heart. I reached up and put my hand over her hoof. “Oh Celestia…I appreciate it. I really do. But I’m not a child.”

“I know that, and that’s not how I meant it,” she said, and her grip on me tightened ever so slightly, “but it seems like, no matter what I do to try and keep you safe, things happen that make it harder for me to do that. And now…”

“Now that I’m the ruler of a foreign nation, you can’t do anything more to protect me?” I guessed. When I felt her nod, I squeezed her hoof in my hand. “Celestia, you’re my friend and I care for you, but you do tend to be a bit overprotective at times.” As I slowly pulled away from her, I turned and saw her worried expression. I took both her hooves in my hands and said, “Don’t worry about me so much. I’m a grown man. I can look after myself.”

Her smile returned and she leaned down to nuzzle me. “Thank you, Jethro. And sorry for being overprotective.”

“It just goes to show that you care,” I said as I put a hand on her cheek. I slowly broke away from her, then turned back to the hoard. “Now, then, time to get back to work.”

I spread my wings, as did Celestia, and we flew back down to the others…

Author's Note

Fuck Torch. That is all.

113: A Cloaked Heart's Imperial Address

By the time the day had ended, the guards had found a total of eight Healers in the immediate district. I found that many of the doors in the tower’s first level led to large bedrooms which I had cleaned up and given to the fifteen Dragon females Torch had kept hidden. To my further horror and disgust, I found shattered Dragon eggshells scattered on one of the edges, causing me to vomit right then and there. However, to my great relief, I found one very recent egg which looked like it hadn’t been hatched at all, hidden in one of the cages. I quickly took it and had a Healer look at it. The Healer said that the egg was about a week old and needed heat immediately or else any hatchling within would perish. I ordered Lahar to fly the egg to the hatching grounds and place it aside from the rest. Ember explained to me that while traditionally, it was the Dragon Lord who was meant to keep watch over the hatching grounds, currently there was another Dragon there watching over them. I told Lahar to inform said Dragon to keep me informed as to the Dragon’s status and to bring it directly to the island after it hatched.

After being treated and given soft and comfortable beds to sleep in and recover, the Healers gathered and informed me that thirteen of the Dragons were heavily malnourished and seven of those were very sick. They all showed signs of physical and heavy sexual abuse, and most of them would never be able to lay eggs ever again due to internal damage. I told them that whatever they needed would be provided by me, and they seemed to accept this. For the most part, the Healers had very kind and giving natures on their own. When I mentioned this to Ember, she explained to me that Healers, while necessary in the Dragon Lands, were seen as outcasts because of their kind nature. They were recluses, for the most part, keeping to themselves and mixing brews and salves in their caves. The more I heard about them, the more I drew plenty of connections between them and Zecora.

Of course, one of them, an older Dragon male with a somewhat twisted leg and who walked with a cane, had an attitude that reminded me heavily of Doctor House, at least, what little I’d seen of him on YouTube clips. He was perfect in dealing with the two females who had only recently become part of his hoard, the ones who had bite.

I had also been told that the Dragon Lord, in accordance with tradition, had been cremated and his belongings now belonged to me. I then remembered that sickening necklace he’d worn around his neck, and when I was told that was also part of his effects, I ordered that the remains be each placed in coffins and watched over until I could properly return them to their countries. Celestia and Luna had immediately teleported the Pony and Crystal Pony remains back to the Canterlot Castle Morgue, and I ordered the Dragon remains cremated with all honors attributed.

Before nighttime fell, Celestia and Luna ordered the Mane Six back to Ponyville, but not after a long farewell. Pinkie promised to make me a large Congrats On Becoming Emperor party when this entire affair was all over, which made me smile. The others wished me well and made me promise to write to them as often as I could until we saw each other again. Since Spike had insisted on staying with me, I promise that I would. However, Zecora, Scarlet, Gemini, Mica and even Sunset insisted on remaining behind to help me. I wasn’t surprised that the first four wanted to remain behind, but when I asked Sunset why, she told me that she knew a bit more about Dragon culture than anyone else. Celestia acknowledged this as well. An idea for how Sunset could further help started forming in my head, but I let it keep for the time being.

After the Elements of Harmony left, and I realized I hadn’t eaten in more than a day, I asked Ember if the Dragon Lands had food available for Ponies. She told me that there were some who did have vegetables in their diet, but she also mentioned that when she lived in the tower, her father had a personal chef and a small staff of Dragons. She led me to a massive kitchen which looked like it came out of a medieval castle: large cauldrons sitting over roaring fires, spits, cupboards with golden plates, cups, spoons, forks etc., and about ten worried but healthy looking Dragons all looking at me. I ordered a simple meatless meal for the Ponies who remained behind, and a meat-filled meal for myself, Ember and my Lycan guards.

Dinner was a quiet affair, for the most part. Zecora remained close by my side, her mere presence there a massive comfort to me as we ate. I had to admit, the spit-roasted pig (which Ember assured me was just a dumb animal when I asked) was prepared so well the meat melted in my mouth, and the potatoes they served were boiled in such a way that they tasted more like mashed potatoes. The chefs prepared a fruit salad as well as freshly baked bread and warm melted cheese to dip said bread into. The more extravagance I saw displayed in Torch’s old home, the angrier I became, or I would have been had Zecora not been there to comfort me. Her presence through all of this had been a Godsend, if I was honest with myself.

After our dinner was finished, I went outside for a walk by myself, although Gemini and Mica insisted on coming with me. I ordered them to keep some distance so I could at least pretend to be wlaking alone. I was sitting on the shores, looking out at the setting sun when I heard Celestia and Luna walking up behind me. Celestia told me that they had extended the deadline of the Council of Equestria to begin in three days, December 14th. The two Princesses had told me earlier at dinner that they had to return to Equestria to prepare for said council and to give Cadance and Blueblood a break from running the normal court.

“It’s been a very hard few days for everyone,” I said as I stared out at the lake while the sun reached the western horizon. “I still can’t believe it’s only been four days since this shit started. It feels like a lifetime.”

Celestia, who’s horn was glowing now, nodded as the sun quickly descended. Afterwards she sat on the black obsidian sand beach on my left, with Luna on my right, both in a regal Ponyloaf form. In the high western sky, the moon was nearing its first quarter, and the Lunar Princess was staring at the moon’s reflection in the lake. When the sun finally was below the horizon, Celestia moved closer to me. “These past four days have been extremely hard for everyone,” she agreed. “You especially.”

“Hey, don’t think I haven’t noticed the bags under your eyes. Both of you,” I said, pointing at both of them.

Luna snorted. “Any lack of sleep is well worth your safety. You are a Knight of Equestria, still.”

I frowned. “That’ll conflict with my new duties as a foreign monarch,” I pointed out. “I might have had this authority thrust upon me without permission, but now that it’s mine, I’m not just going to shirk it.” I stared out at the water for a while and sighed. “I’ve been thinking of making Ember into something like a Regent or like a Hand of the King from Game of Thrones.”

The two Alicorns sat silently for a while. Then, Luna spoke up. “Delegation is a wise course of action for any ruler, especially in a situation where you know not the state of the land.”

“Just don’t put too much on her shoulders all at once,” Celestia cautioned.

I nodded. “I know she can handle being a ruler if she’s given the opportunity, and I believe she would be a friend of Equestria. Besides, having her on my side gives my new reign some legitimacy, don’t you think?”

Celestia nodded. “Having royalty from the previous dynasty on your side would give reassurances to the Dragons.” She leaned over and gave me a quick nuzzle before she slowly stood. “Now, may I speak to Emperor Jethro?”

Recognizing her shift in tone, I slowly stood and faced her, my head held up high. “You are speaking with him,” I said.

Luna joined Celestia, standing by her side. The Solar Diarch lifted up her horn, and with a flash a sealed scroll appeared hovering between us. It floated towards me, and I took it in both hands. Breaking the seal, I opened it, and by the dimming light of the sunset, I read the following:

To his Esteemed Imperial Majesty Jethro Bethridge of the Dragon Lands,

You and one guest are cordially invited to attend the Council of Equestria, to be held on December 14 at the Palace of the Two Sisters near the Everfree Forest in order to discuss current events and to hopefully come to an agreement as to what can be done to ensure peace between our nations. It is my hope that recent events will not lead to any sort of conflict between any nation. Everyone’s voice will be heard and every opinion taken into account. All we want is to undo the damage done to our nations. Please attend.

Best Wishes,

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of the Diarchy of Equestria

I held back my smirk as I slowly and carefully rolled the scroll back up, then faced both Princesses. Spreading my wings, I said, “Your Highnesses, I would be pleased to attend this Council. I will be there with my guest.” Then, I dropped the new royal façade I’d been trying to maintain and grinned. “You didn’t change the wording at all.”

Celestia smiled warmly, then walked up and wrapped one foreleg and both her wings around me. “We didn’t think we needed to change anything,” she whispered in my ear gently before releasing me. As Luna herself wrapped her own wings and foreleg around me, Celestia continued. “No matter what happens, you will never stop being a Knight of Equestria. And our dear friend.”

“She is correct,” Luna said as she broke the hug. “And we can see your fear at being a ruler. So far, you have been exemplary.”

“I hope I can keep on being that way,” I replied, exhaling shakily. Then I stood straighter and faced them once more. “Until then, your Highnesses. Have a safe trip back.”

They both smiled. “And you keep yourself safe here, your Grace,” Celestia said as her horn began glowing. I saw a Phoenix land on her withers before they were both enveloped in a bright flash of light, leaving only their hoofprints on the sand as they teleported back to Canterlot.

“I hope I can,” I said as I turned and walked back towards the tower entrance…

Half an hour later, I was back in Torch’s room, lying on my bed. The fire was roaring in the fireplace, my new royal clothes were hanging carefully on a few hooks near the door, as was my sword and scepter, and Zecora was snuggled up close to my right, her muzzle buried in the crook of my neck. My arm was around her, my hand stoking her mane lovingly. To my left, Scarlet lay, already sound asleep and snoring very softly.

My eyes were just starting to close from exhaustion, when I heard Zecora whisper gently in my ear, “Are you asleep, beloved?”

“I almost was,” I whispered back, pulling her closer to me. I repositioned myself so that I was spooning her and I kissed the nape of her neck. I felt her relax and her tail wrapped around me gently. As I stroked her mane once more, I continued, “How are you feeling about all this?”

Slowly, she turned around to face me. “Don’t go trying to hide, I plea. It’s how you feel that’s important to me.”

I smiled at her warmly, then my eyes began to water. She wrapped her forelegs around me and pressed me against her barrel as I finally just let loose. “I’m so sick of this,” I whimpered. “I just want to go home. I want to go back to being just me! Does the universe hate me, or something?! I never wanted this! How the fuck am I supposed to be an Emperor! I’m not ready! I don’t think I’ll ever be ready! FUCK TORCH!”

Zecora stroked my hair lovingly. “Let it all out, my dearest love,” she said softly. “I’m here. I will never leave you.”

The floodgates opened, and I wept. Of course, I cried quietly since I didn’t want to wake Scarlet, but when I felt another presence pressing against me from behind, I knew that wasn’t gonna happen. So…I cried louder as both Scarlet and Zecora comforted me. The stress, the anxiety, the fury, everything I’d felt and kept hidden that day came bursting forth in that moment. Scarlet even wrapped her wings around me and Zecora.

No more words needed to be said. There was nothing more that could be said. I was frustrated. I was angry. I wanted to run and hide, but more than anything I just wanted my calm life back.

And that’s how I fell asleep that night.

“So, basically, you’re telling me that the Great Dragon Migration is a tradition to remember the time the Ruins of Dormog was finally abandoned and the Dragons retreated to the edge of Old Aelyssia territory?” I asked the next morning at the breakfast table. I was there with Zecora, Scarlet, Sunset, Spike, Gemini, Mica and Ember, who had been busy telling me a few important aspects of Dragon culture I might need to know during my speech to the Dragons later that day.

After I woke up earlier that day, I actually felt a lot better. Crying and screaming all of my frustrations out while being comforted by my marefriend and potential other marefriend had helped me calm down, and if that hadn’t been enough, a good night’s sleep definitely was what was called for. But now that I was awake and ready to face the day, there were plenty of other things I needed to get done before the Council resumed. I already knew who I was going to take with me as a guest, and all I needed to do was inform said Dragon.

Ember nodded in response to my query, taking a bit of sausage and swallowing before replying. “We follow the path that my Dad led us on when we escaped.”

“Your Dad led you? Even though he was only a hatchling?” I asked.

Ember sighed. “He was the closest living relative of the Emperor’s royal family,” she said, “but just not close enough to be the Dragon Emperor, only Dragon Lord.”

“What exactly is the difference between the two?” I asked before taking a drink of water.

“The Dragon Lord can rule in the Emperor’s stead, but their authority can’t supersede the Emperor’s,” Sunset Shimmer quickly explained.

Ember glared a bit at Sunset, clearly upset for being interrupted, but held her tongue as she nodded. “That’s right.”

“So, did Torch want the Sunsword so he could become Emperor?” Spike asked as he took another bite of a sapphire.

“That would make sense, at least in the context of whoever wields Eclipse is Emperor,” I replied.

“Dad always hated that he would have to step down eventually,” Ember said. “He had…a massive appetite for almost everything. Wealth. Power. Females, apparently.” She spat out that last part with pure venom

I nodded sadly. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” Ember said, glaring at me. “I was a fool to even try and be loyal to that bastard!”

“You aren’t a fool,” Spike said quickly in an attempt to be reassuring.

“He’s right,” I replied. “Loyalty in and of itself is never a bad thing. You just need to learn to be more discerning on who to give your loyalty to.”

“Don’t expect instant loyalty from me, Your Grace,” Ember said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not holding my breath,” I chuckled as I took a bite of the large grilled breakfast sausage. Torch apparently had a big appetite, since his food stores were full of plenty of food and many gems Ember described as better than the average gem. We all ate in silence for a while before I asked, “Ember, I’ve got to call every Dragon back to the Dragon Lands. How do I do that?”

Ember swallowed some of her breakfast, wiped her mouth with the back of her claw then pointed to the Bloodstone Scepter that was currently standing upright in the chair next to me thanks in part to a spot in the chair where I could place the scepter. “Dad used that to issue the Call,” she said. “I don’t know how he did it. He never really told me. I remember him speaking to the Scepter sometimes, though. But I never knew what he was saying.”

I looked at the Scepter, remembering what I’d done to try and find Ember earlier, although that had been instinctual. I reached out, wrapped my right hand around it and concentrated on it, trying to get a feeling for how to use the Scepter itself. As I concentrated on it, once more the gem began to glow. As it did, I spoke to it, but instead of using Old Draconic, I switched to an older Dragon language: Aelyssian. “Dragons of the Wide World, come to me. Your Emperor has need of your presence.”

With that, a wave of magic spread out from the Bloodstone, spreading through the stone walls. When it impacted Ember and Spike, both of them began to glow, but not in quite the same way as the Call of the Dragon Lord. The glow was golden instead of just pure white. Ember looked at herself with amazement, then looked back at me. “It…doesn’t itch. And it doesn’t burn, either!” She sounded extremely relieved.

Spike looked at himself as well. Unlike Ember currently, he was actually now wearing some clothes. He had on a pair of dark brown slacks and a gray long sleeved shirt. The parts of him that were visible were glowing in a similar manner to Ember. He put down the half-eaten gem in his claw and rubbed his claw gently. “You’re right…it doesn’t!” he exclaimed.

“Maybe that’s the Call of the Dragon Emperor,” Sunset said as she took a small bite of her morning fruit salad.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” I said as the doors to the dining hall opened and Lahar, also glowing, walked in.

“Your Grace,” he said, bowing respectfully, then looking back at me. “I bring news from the Healers.”

I had left instructions with Lahar and the rest of my guards to inform me if the Healers reported any change to my guests. “What is it?” I asked.

“One of the Healers told me to inform you that one of their charges is asking to speak to you, You Grace,” Lahar reported.

I quickly wiped my mouth clean, grabbed the scepter and stood. “Take me to them,” I said.

Lahar bowed, then turned and headed out into the hall. I strode after him, Zecora, Spike, Scarlet, Ember, Gemini and Mica following close behind me as we made our way down to the impromptu hospital. Lahar had found what was probably soldier’s barracks the day prior, and after it had been cleaned with the help of everyone, all of Torch’s former victims were moved into beds in the barracks. I gave orders that anything the Healers needed was to be provided.

The impromptu hospital was a massive rectangular cube of a room with approximately a hundred large beds placed against the walls on either side. There were crumbling wooden walls between each bed so that there was at least some semblance of privacy, although most had rotted away. Above each bed was an oil lamp which provided light during the night and at the other end of the room was an arched window which faced west, letting light in. Fifteen of the beds were occupied with the recovering slaves, many of whom were currently asleep. The only one who wasn’t was the orange scaled Dragon I remembered as being the first one I freed the day before. The Doctor House-esque Dragon was using some sort of device to look into her ear. When he heard the door open, he turned and stood. “This one wanted to talk to you,” he said, grabbing a large metal cane and limping over to another patient. “Keep it quick. She needs bedrest.”

Lahar looked shocked at the attitude this Healer was giving me, and said, “He’s our Emperor now! Show some respect!”

“Yeah, no. Respect is earned, not given,” the Dragon said with a snarl.

I smirked, then said, “What’s your name?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s Mantle,” the Dragon Healer said.

“Mantle, huh? Good to know these women are in good hands,” I said.

“Just don’t expect them to come out to whatever meeting you just called,” he scoffed as he sat next to another patient and began looking over her. “They’re still too weak and sick to move.”

“I wasn’t expecting them to,” I said as I turned away and back towards the large female Dragon who was sitting against a number of pillows. She was facing me with nervous eyes, but I raised my hand. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you like Torch did. Are you the one who wanted to see me?”

“Y-Yes, Your Grace,” she said softly. Her voice was weak, but I could tell she had once had a very beautiful voice.

I took a seat on the stool next to the bed. I felt silly sitting there since I was too small for it and my feet hung down like I was on a stepstool. However, I made an effort not to show my embarrassment as I sat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zecora and Scarlet smirking in amusement, and I even caught a glint of humor in Gemini’s normally stoic eyes. “What did you want to tell me?” I asked.

“I-I was wondering if…if you could help me find my children,” she said.

“Oh?” My heart sank, believing she meant any of the eggs she might have laid that Torch smashed. “Um…listen, miss…?”

“Fumerole, Your Grace,” she said, bowing.

I held up my hands. “Don’t move around so much,” I said. “And about your children…do you mean the eggs-?”

She fervently shook her head. “No, not them. I know what Lord Torch did to those eggs of mine he fertilized,” she said bitterly, gritting her teeth. “Before…before he took me, I had two children. I beg you, Your Grace, help me find them!” She looked at me with tears in her olive-colored eyes. “I need to see them!”

I was taken a bit aback by this once more, but suppressed my surprise. There was genuine love and worry in her eyes. I nodded. “You have my word that I will do what I can to find your two children. May I ask their names?”

“I named them Garble and Smolder, Your Grace,” she said.

I didn’t react, simply nodded. However, inside, it clicked into place. She looked like an older Smolder, but with Garble’s eye color. “Could you describe them for me?” I asked.

“Your Grace? Did they not appear in this entertainment that Eris spoke about?” Fumerole asked.

“Ah, so even in your cages you saw what Eris said,” I said with a sigh. “Yes, both your children did appear in the My Little Pony show, but I wanted to be sure I was looking for the same ones.”

Fumerole nodded, then went on to describe them. As I suspected, their coloring was identical to the ones I’d heard of from the show. When she finished, a tear fell from her eyes as she lay back. “I…I need to see them…before…before I…”

“Oh, shut up and rest,” Mantle said, suddenly appearing on the other side of her bed. “You’re not going to die, so just sleep and let your body heal itself.” Mantle looked up at me. “You and your companions need to leave. You’re disturbing the other patients.”

Ignoring Lahar’s incredulous glance at Mantle, I jumped off of the bench. “Sure thing, Reggie.”

Mantle looked at me with some slight confusion. “My name’s not Reggie.”

“Hah! True enough, but your name reminds me of an old comic book character from my old world,” I said as I grabbed my scepter and headed towards the door. Come along, everyone. Let’s leave the Healers to their work.” And with that, we all left the room, the massive double doors closing behind us with a loud bang.

Once again, it was high noon. An hour earlier, I had been fitted out with not only the same clothes I had worn the day before, but I was also being fitted once again with the armor I had fought Torch in, minus the close helm I’d worn. Instead, I was now wearing a crowned helmet that, according to Hestia, also belonged to the last Emperor. When I asked her why these fit me so well, she explained that the last Emperor had sadly perished only three years after ascending the throne during the siege of what eventually would become known as the Ruins of Dormog. He was only a youth when he perished, but even in those three years he’d done what he could to assure the continuation of the Dragon Race, including invoking lost Dragon magic to protect the city and keep and secretly having his family and the inhabitants of the city escape through hidden tunnels to freedom near the edge of Old Aelyssia.

I was sitting on a simple chair that itself sat on top of the broken throne in the middle of the former battlefield, watching as many glowing Dragons stood on the ledges that formed the natural coliseum surrounding the throne itself. Lahar had returned to my side, standing guard with both arms at his side. Even in this moment, Zecora refused to leave my side and sat on her haunches next to me on my left. Ember stood tall and proud to my right, with Sunset Shimmer and Scarlet sitting next to Zecora. Gemini and Mica were both standing a short distance off on either side of the stone chair I sat in, keeping a wary eye on the incoming Dragons. Spike was standing nearby too, armed with his dagger. The young drake never once suggested he wanted to be anywhere else, and insisted he come.

Finally, I looked out and didn’t see any new Dragons appearing, so I grabbed the scepter, then looked at it. In Aelyssian, I said, “You have answered my summons.” A large blast of magic burst outwards, and the moment the shockwave hit any Dragon, they stopped glowing. I stood, approached the edge of the Dragon Lord’s former throne, and looked out at the gathered Dragons. Almost all of them had looks of derision and mistrust on their faces. Taking a deep breath, I bellowed out, using the Royal Canterlot Voice so I could be heard, “I am greatly pleased to see all of you here. Thank you for answering the royal summons. As many of you know, if not all of you, the former Dragon Lord Torch is dead, slain in battle by my own hand. In his dying words, not only did he name me ruler over the Dragon Lands, but he named me Emperor because of my claim to this.”

I reached behind me and drew Eclipse, letting it glimmer in the midday sun. It gleamed brightly, and like the Sunsword had done during my fight with Torch, was surrounded immediately with a bright white aura, miniature solar prominences leaping out of said aura. The Dragons below now looked at either me or Eclipse in awe and shock. Now that I had their attention, I said, “Behold, the sword Eclipse, otherwise known as the Emperor’s Blade. Forged from the Sunsword and Moonsword, this is the first time this blade has been seen in daylight since it was created two days ago.” I turned to Ember and nodded at her.

Ember stepped forward, and bellowed out, “Listen up! We all know about Eclipse! We know that whoever wields it is the Dragon Emperor! Yes, this human isn’t a Dragon, but he managed to defeat my dad the former Dragon Lord! You saw the size difference between them! Also, we all know what a fuck up my dad was! You think we could do any worse?!”

I smirked. I knew Ember wasn’t one to mince words, and I could appreciate her honesty. Sheathing Eclipse, I turned back to the Dragons, many of whom were nodding their heads in agreement with their former Princess. “I don’t know much about Dragon history,” I admitted, “but I do know that you were once a strong race! Your former Emperors were capable of moving the sun and moon with the same amount of ease as the Diarchs of the Kingdom of Equestria have now! The Dragon Lands-no, Old Aelyssia was a magnificent land! Full of prosperity among each and every Dragon who lived back then! But now look at you! The Dragon race has fallen far and hasn’t even attempted to rise back to its former glory!” I put my hand to my ear, cupping it as if listening to someone saying something. “I don’t need to be a mind reader to know what you’re thinking! ‘Why do you care? You’re not a Dragon! You’re just some interloper who doesn’t know a damn thing!’ And you’re right! I’m not a Dragon! But that doesn’t mean I am going to shirk any of my responsibilities as your new Emperor! It is the duty of not only the Dragon Emperor, but any good ruler in general, to ensure that his subjects are kept safe! There’s a perfectly good empty set of ruins just sitting and waiting to be restored and inhabited! Princess Ember told me about your migratory tradition earlier! You once fled from that city in shame, but I think it’s time to return to it in triumph!”

“You talk a big game, but you’re sitting up there with a bunch of Ponies!” a random Dragon called out. “We know you’re a so-called Knight of Equestria!”

“You’re right! I am! But I am also the Dragon Emperor,” I replied. “That means something to me! I know your former leader wasn’t loved, and I understand why, but I intend to try and bring great changes to the Dragon Lands.”

“Old Aelyssia is dead!” another Dragon shouted at me.

“Again, you’re right! I don’t intend to bring the old Aelyssia back! I want to usher in a new era! An era where a Dragon doesn’t have to suffer in search of a place to sleep! An era where you won’t have to fear that your own leader will kidnap and rape your mothers and daughters! An era where peace can be assured! I’m not going to lie! This will require plenty of work. The Ruins of Dormog might have stood for over a thousand years without major damage, but they still need to be tended to and upgraded! I don’t want to see another Dragon in the state I found Torch’s victims in ever again!”

“Listen to him!” a new voice said from behind me as a Dragon landed. Startled, I turned only to see a determined looking Fumerole. She looked weak, but she still walked beside me. Ember moved aside, looking as shocked as I felt. The orange female Dragon looked down at the gathered crowd, who took in her appearance with a look of horror. Despite her looking ill and beaten, she still stood tall and proud and looked down at me with a kindly expression. “His Grace not only freed me and fourteen others from our cages, but found Healers to help bring us back to ourselves! He even promised that he would help me find my children, Garble and Smolder! He might not be a Dragon, but he has our best interests at heart!”

As murmurs spread through the crowd, I saw two smaller Dragons flying up towards the throne. I turned, ready to fight, but stopped when I saw a young orange scaled and purple finned Dragon with aquamarine eyes, along with a dark crimson teenage Dragon with orange fins and a few holes in his wings, both flying up towards us. “MOM!” Smolder called out as she rushed into her mother’s waiting arms.

Fumerole started tearing up as she hugged her daughter close. “Smolder…my darling baby…”

When Garble landed nearby, he was holding back his own emotions as best he could. “H-Hi, Mom,” he said softly.

Fumerole turned to face her son. “My strong young Dragon,” she said happily as she reached out to him. “You’ve taken care of your sister for me very well. I’m so proud of both of you.”

Unable to hold back, Garble rushed to his mother and hugged her, tears of joy and relief being shed.

I watched all of this, unable to stop from smiling. I couldn’t help but be glad of their reunion. Behind me, I heard another Dragon land. Turning, I saw Mantle, panting heavily. “Ugh…patients never know what’s good for them,” he grumbled as he walked over to Fumerole. “What the hells do you think you were doing??”

“I came to help my new Emperor,” she replied with a growl. “And to see my children again!”

“Well, you need bedrest! You won’t get any better if you just go flying around. Now, come on!”

“Not without my babies,” Fumerole insisted, pulling her two children close to her.

“You willful little…fine. Fine! They can come! Now let go!” Saying that, he grabbed her, lifted her up in his arms and flew away, Garble and Smolder following close behind, but not before Smolder turned to me and bowing reverently.

“Certainly wasn’t expecting that,” I muttered to myself before facing the Dragons again. I froze when I saw the looks on their faces. Almost all of them had a look of awe on their faces, and some even had a small look of respect on their faces. Clearing my throat, I continued, “To continue, I also wanted to say that I am well aware of the recent troubles that Dragons have gone through in the past month! What Eris has done will not go unanswered!” I held up the scroll Celestia gave me the night before. “I have been summoned to represent the Dragon Lands in the newly formed Council of Equestria in order to discuss not only this event, but how to better cooperate in the event of a world wide catastrophe like what Eris did to us! Yes, I said us! As your Emperor, your safety is paramount to me! I’m sure you still don’t trust me, and that’s fine! None of you wanted this, but as your Emperor I’m going to make sure all is put to right! LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!” And with that, I held up Eclipse, pointing it towards the sky.

I was surprised when almost all the Dragons began to shout, “LONG LIVE EMPEROR JETHRO! LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!”

“And you thought you weren’t leader material,” Spike smirked, nudging me.

“Oh, shut up, Dragon boy,” I replied out of the corner of my mouth.

“As you wish, Your monkey man Grace,” Spike chuckled.

Slowly, I sheathed Eclipse, and held out the Bloodstone Scepter. “In due time, when the Council of Equestria is ended, I shall begin to make preparations for the triumphant return of the Dragons to Dormog! The years of wandering through the desert is over! Very soon, you shall return to the Promised Land!”

Every Dragon was shouting now. Screams of “Long live Emperor Jethro!” and “Glory to the Empire!” could be heard everywhere. I still couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing, but I maintained a stoic appearance. Of course, all I could think now was, What have I done?

Author's Note

This was a hard chapter to write, so...yeah.

I might not be able to upload anything this weekend. Power outages are being planned for my area.

114: A Cloaked Heart Comes Home

The rest of that particular day was one I knew I’d never forget. After my somehow successful speech, I returned to Duzoroth with the rest. Ember wasn’t too happy when I asked her if she was willing to become my plus one to the Council, but reluctantly agreed, especially when I managed to convince her that she was the perfect Dragon for the job. Not only was she former royalty, but she also had knowledge of Dragon culture, at least modern day culture, which I lacked. With that, she excused herself to go back to her old cave to “…pack up a few things”, in her own words.

Later that day, I received word from the Dragon’s Hatching Grounds from its current caretaker. Apparently, the egg I found was doing very well, but it would be at least another week, two at the most, before it would mature. Other than that, the caretaker, a Dragon female named Phlogiston, told me that the egg looked as healthy as any other egg, albeit with a few scratches in the surface. I sent a message back to her, giving her instructions to alert me the moment the egg hatched.

When I finally remembered Daring Do, who I hadn’t seen in a while and in all the confusion I’d completely forgotten, Sunset told me that she’d actually returned to Equestria. She hadn’t even left a message, but I didn’t take any offense from that. She was, after all, still a lone wolf, so to speak.

I visited the former victims of the late Dragon Lord, and instead of Mantle, I saw a couple other older female Healers tending to them. Of course, Smolder and Garble were still with their mother, all of them with happy smiles. I even saw a pair of bongo drums sitting by the bed. One Healer took me aside and gave me an updated report on their conditions, which were slowly improving. Any diseases they might have had were being carefully treated and monitored. All of them were out of the woods, and now all they needed to do was heal. The majority of them, however, would never be able to lay eggs ever again due to old internal injuries which never healed properly, leaving them barren. We both knew what had caused said injuries, but I didn’t want to say it, and neither did the healer.

After I quietly left the impromptu hospital, I finally returned to the hoard room for a brief visit. On my orders, the cages were removed and destroyed and the egg fragments cremated and buried with honors. As I was leaving, however, I stepped on something among a large stack of gold that made me pause. I looked down and saw a sword hilt coming up out of the hoard. I reached down and lifted a very old but very light sword up. As I had watched, it adjusted its size to perfectly match me. Drawing it, I saw that it had a light green sheen to it, as well as Aelyssian writing engraved on it, which gave the name of the sword as Faithkeeper. The inscription further read, “May those who wield this blade always be faithful and loyal to their kin, whether they be blood or otherwise.” I grinned, then called Spike over. When I handed it to him, the sword shrank to perfectly match his size.

Afterwards, I spent time with Ember, Sunset, Spike, Scarlet and Zecora pouring over old maps and charts of the Dragon Lands. It surprised me to learn that Old Aelyssia once controlled a number of volcanic islands which reached hundreds of kilometers southwest. Now, however, the vast majority of the Dragons lived on the northernmost island where we were currently. Most Dragons had forgotten the names of the islands, so they had just forgotten. A very nerdy part of me, the one that was only growing thanks to repeat exposure to Twilight, had to contain my excitement when Ember mentioned that, according to what her mother had told her a few times in her youth, many Aelyssian ruins still existed on the islands.

Ember knew a few more tidbits of ancient Aelyssian lore. She told me that, according to her mother, at the height of its power, Old Aelyssia controlled many large volcanic islands, so many that some referred to it as the Empire of a Hundred Islands, although the actual number was more than likely around eighty or so. There were five large islands, the one we were on being the largest and which could itself qualify as a microcontinent. Scattered among these larger islands were many smaller islands, many of which had been abandoned or destroyed by volcanic activity in the years since the Fall of Aelyssia all those centuries ago.

When the evening came, we all had another quiet dinner together, then went to bed. That night, I was surprised to awake in my Morphean form. I couldn’t really determine why, mostly since with all that had been happening it had been on the backburner, but I hadn’t been entering my Morphean state. I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like the more I did it, the harder it became to stay in that state. I could still use the power when I was in said state, but anytime I tried to do something more complicated, such as making or even copying a laptop, the result would be metal slag and a large drain on my magic. I wasn’t sure why impenetrable shields were easier, but as my life had become so much more complicated, and since having an unbroken night’s rest had become more and more welcome, I hadn’t thought much of it.

I decided to use this increasingly rare opportunity to attempt to repair the flying galleon. It stumped me, however, when I was also somehow able to repair the cracked crystal engine, but not without a massive amount of Morphean power pushed into it. When the crystal engine itself was repaired, the ship itself began to initiate some kind of automatic magical repair. I watched in awe as the wood seemed to de-age before my eyes. The rest of the ship followed suit, and even the large cutlass seemed to become cleaner and stronger. By the time morning had arrived and I was about to wake up, the ship had undergone a complete refit. It looked like a brand new ship, only without a name. Before I woke, I used what little Morphean energy I had left to carve a name into the ship: Phoenix Resplendent.

After breakfast, I decided to show the ship to Zecora, Scarlet, Spike, and even Ember, who’d expressed some curiosity about the floating galleon. We all flew there, or at least those of us who could flew. Spike was still a bit uncoordinated, but he was also stubborn and insisted on trying himself. Zecora, the only one who couldn’t fly, clung tightly to my back as we flew down to the lake. When we did get there, Spike was exhausted and took a few minutes to recover, but he was surprisingly okay afterwards.

“I must say, dearest, you look more regal with that goatee than with that scruff of beard you had before,” Zecora said as we walked along the newly refurbished Resplendent’s upper deck. Not only had the ship somehow replenished itself, but many of the lifeboats had somehow either repaired themselves or reappeared.

I turned and made my way to the helm, Zecora right by my side. I stroked the newly shaven parts of my face. I’d decided to clean myself up for the Council, but also decided to go for a more regal look, at least until the Council was ended. “Well, I wanted to appear more like an Emperor,” I admitted as I reached the helm and grabbed the saber from its resting place next to the wheel.

I took it and pulled it halfway out of its scabbard, and was surprised to see that it, too, now had a Damascus Steel look to it, with waves scattered on it, only instead of gold and silver like Eclipse, these were varying shades of grayish metal. The sword itself had also become intensely sharp, as was evident when I pulled a strand of hair from my head and barely moved it towards the sword. The moment the strand hit the blade, it split. I sheathed it and attached it to my belt as my second sword. I looked over the helm at the others, who were looking at various portions of the decks. Ember, not surprisingly, was looking at the cannons on the main deck, while Spike was looking at the newly crafted sails. They were still crimson, but somehow there was a new sigil on them. Sewn in silvery gold, I now saw that the pirate sign was gone, replaced with a large circle. Within said circle, lay a mighty fire-breathing Dragon in profile, but instead of one large fire breath, I saw that it was breathing out five smaller breaths of fire, each spiraling outward until they touched the large circle, joining with it.

“There it is…five again,” I said to myself as I looked at the hilt of the saber, only to see the very same sigil on the very bottom, carved out of the same red crystal I’d seen in the lake surrounding Flamecano and Duzoroth Islands. “Think it means anything?”

“I know little about Dragon culture, beloved,” Zecora said. “Perhaps it has something to do with those five large islands?”

“You’ll find the answers you seek in the library you now own,” Hestia said, appearing out of nowhere and landing on my right shoulder.

“Gah! Jesus, you keep on startling me!” I said as I felt another set of talons resting on my left shoulder. “And you too, Eve.”

“Sorry,” the younger Phoenix said apologetically.

“It’s alright, and what library do you mean?” I asked, turning back to the older Phoenix.

“First, I came to give you this,” she said, lifting her wing. Underneath it, I saw a completely identical duplicate of the necklace that had formed when Hestia’s former treasure room had flown into the seven orbed chandelier-turned-necklace. She lifted it and held it over to me. I reached out, took it, and looked it over carefully, looking at the necklace currently around my neck for comparison. I could see absolutely no difference in either necklace.

As I looked it over, Hestia continued, “I found this in Torch’s hoard room, hanging inside a crystal enclosure.”

“Where’d he get it?” I asked, although I had a strong suspicion where.

“The Moonsword’s tower was identical to the one where I rested for so many years,” Hestia explained. “Including the treasure room. You do realize that all the treasure is now being stored inside those two necklaces, right? Everything that was inside that tower room is now in that gem. All you need to do is command the gem to release that hoard and it will do so, recreating the room just as it was before in what you might call a pocket dimension.”

“So…not only do I own a large portion of ancient Equestrian bits back in Ponyville, but I also have claim to Torch’s old hoard and the treasure in this necklace?!” I asked incredulously. When Hestia nodded, I held my head. “Fuck me…” I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Not only was I the richest person in Equestria (presumably) but in the entire world. I turned to Hestia. “The universe either really loves me or really hates me. Or both.”

As Eve and Zecora pressed themselves closer to me, Hestia lowered her head. “That, I cannot say. But I know that there are many ancient texts within both necklaces that-” she paused when both necklaces started to glow. “Oh…okay, that’s new.”

I looked down and saw the necklace in my hand starting to face. I let it go in shock, but it didn’t move. Instead, it began moving towards the necklace around my neck. When it vanished, there were fourteen orbs on the necklace instead of seven. “I…I give up…” I said, throwing my hands in the air. “I just want to go home.”

“We will, beloved,” Zecora said, before leaning in and giving me an extremely passionate and loving kiss which lasted for a full minute before she let me go, gazing into my eyes with loving tenderness. She reached up and stroked my chin and beard with her hoof. “Just wait a little while longer, my dear love. Soon, soon we will be home.”

Later that day, I decided that I would not only go back to Equestria starting the afternoon of the thirteenth, but I would take the Resplendent with me. I spent the rest of that day more among the Dragon hoard with Spike, Ember, Gemini, Mica, Sunset, Scarlet and Zecora, mostly looking for anything that might be of use to the new Empire.

The coins I saw were all about the size of an Eisenhower dollar coin, with the heads side containing what looked to be a five headed Dragon, each with varying styles of head springing from one body and each breathing some sort of fire. On the back, to my surprise, I saw a five petaled flower surrounded by stylized sunlight. Written in Aelyssian, I read the words FIVE AS ONE. Ember still was unsure what this meant, as any Dragon that was alive during that time had since perished and even her father had either known and not said or hadn’t known since he was only a hatchling during the Fall of Aelyssia. Sunset didn’t know any more, but she was confident that there were some answers in the Restricted Section of the Canterlot Archives.

Torch’s hoard, when I explored it further, was larger than I remembered from when I first saw it. I had to cast at least five Candlelight spells and place them near the ceiling in order to get a look at all of the gems, cold coins, ancient but still salvageable suits of armor, weapons, jewelry, statues, gem studded goblets, bowls, platters and plates, silverware and more, all made of gold or coated in a thick layer of gold.

There was no organization to it at all. Instead, everything was scattered among the vast underground cavern. Ember observed that it might take years or even a couple decades to go through all of the hoard. Sunset, however, said that with the right organizational help, it would go much quicker.

Despite that, I found ancient sets or armor which, much like the sword I found for Spike, shrank or grew to match anyone who touched it. I found plenty of empty full sets, two of which I decided to give to Ember and Spike. Ember was a bit taken aback to be given such a gift, but took it. Spike, on the other hand, really didn’t want it, but I insisted. “You might be a citizen of Equestria still,” I told him, patting his back gently, “but first and foremost you’re a Dragon. Even if you live in Equestria, I’m the Dragon Emperor and I want you to be kept safe. Besides, you want to learn to fight? One rule of fighting is to have a good defense. Your scales can only protect you for so long.” Upon hearing that, Spike reluctantly accepted.

To my further surprise, I found about ten sets of armor that fit Gemini and Mica. Gemini recognized the sets as belonging to an old order of Lycan Knights who had been lost on an expedition long ago. I gave one set of armor to each, and not only were they a better fit than the ones the Lycans both wore currently, but they were lighter and sturdier than their current ones. They even took the swords that accompanied the armor.

I found many ancient looking artifacts, each of which seemed to radiate some kind of magic that was altogether both new and familiar to me. Familiar in that I felt a similar type of magic from Eclipse, and foreign because it wasn’t quite like the modern Unicorn magic I was familiar with. This type of magic was stronger, more stalwart and rigid than the magic I knew. Even Sunset admitted she hadn’t felt any type of magic like it. I grabbed a few pieces of jewelry which radiated said magic and packed them away so I could loan them to Twilight and/or Sunset for study.

What few books I did find were written in either Draconic or Aelyssian, languages which I doubted Twilight knew. Even so, I packed them all in a large empty chest and had them sent to the Resplendent to give to Twilight for study, but only as a loan. Not only that, but there was one other chest that was filled to the brim with an odd silvery ore which appeared to shimmer with captured moonlight. I took about three smaller pieces of the ore and placed them in a bag for Twilight, Sunset, or both of them to study.

However, all of it paled in comparison to what I found near one corner of the hoard room itself. Standing on a pedestal sat a large and very familiar looking pentagonal crystal, held up by five varying types of Dragons holding claws in a circle facing outward. “No way…” I said as I gazed at it.

“What is it?” Spike, who was nearby looking at a few bits of gem, turned and was immediately by my side, his new armor shimmering in the glowing light of the Candlelight spell.

I pointed up at the pedestal. “That crystal…”

Spike followed my gaze and his own eyes widened in recognition. “I’ve seen one like that before!” he exclaimed.

“So have I,” Sunset said, coming up to stand beside me. “There’s an identical one in Princess Celestia’s throne room.”

“So I was right,” I said as I walked up to it and looking it over. If I had to guess, it was about a foot or so tall, give or take a few inches. The pedestal itself was a little over four feet off of the ground. “I’ve seen plenty of crystals similar to this in the episodes featuring the Crystal Empire.” I held my hand over it, trying to detect any form of magic coming from it. My magical aura surrounded it, but I couldn’t detect anything. “It’s inert.”

“Let me try,” Sunset said, coming to stand by my side. Her horn lit up and so did the gem. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a good half minute before she stopped. “Nothing.”

I gently reached out and touched it. Nothing happened, so I put my entire hand over it. Once again, nothing happened, at least for the first few seconds. When I released it, the purple crystal began to cloud over with what looked like internal mists that swirled and churned like internal clouds. Internally, the crystal began to brighten with a bright purple. I could feel a powerful magic radiating from it now. “Stand back, everyone!” I shouted.

There was a bright flash from the crystal, and I found myself standing on a large dais in a brightly lit room made entirely of crystal. I looked around quickly and found myself standing on a large dais which looked down on a long rectangular room with windows on both sides. The windows looked out into utter blackness. The light came from massive octagonal shaped crystals which emanated their own light into the room. I saw a couple of strange looking Ponies, all frozen in place and standing on a large bright purple carpet that led down from the dais.

I whirled around, then faced the crystal at the top of the throne, which itself was now glowing. In another flash, I was no longer in the throne room of the Crystal Empire. When the light dimmed, I was next standing in a darkened room which I recognized immediately as the view from the throne room in the ancient Ruins of Dormog. I caught a brief glimpse of the pirate bones before I was enveloped in another flash.

Next, I was standing in a massive underground cavern with two wide fireplaces on either side of me. A glowing gemstone chandelier hung from the ceiling’s apex. On either side of me, I saw two large thrones. One of which was occupied by a very familiar older female Lycan. A Lycan who turned towards me with a start and glared at me. “You! What are you doing here!?”

I was about to answer when there was another purple flash and I found myself next in a large room made of some kind of white wood. Rising from the ground as columns were the trunks of about twelve white trees which spread in arches and made a ceiling completely made of extremely thick green branches. Embedded in the trees were glowing silvery gems which illuminated the massive hall where I found myself. Like the other rooms before, I was standing on a raised dais, next to a white throne. The throne itself was made of the same wood as the rest of the hall, appearing to have grown out of the floor. On the back were a number of antlers carved into it. The throne itself was occupied by a Deerfolk doe, who had golden fur and wore a circlet of silver and golden leaves. Her piercing sparkling blue eyes were directed at me. There were several other Deerfolk bucks in gleaming green armor who approached me cautiously, each carrying some kind of weapon in an apparent telekinetic grip, but the Deerfolk ruler raised her hoof. “Stand down,” she said, in one of a soft but commanding voice. “‘Tis merely a projection. He is unable to harm you.” She looked closer at me. “So…you are the human from distant worlds beyond the veil. Well, before you leave, I extend an invitation for you to visit us here in the Cervinia Citadel.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but there was another flash. Next, I was in Canterlot Palace, more specifically in the throne room. Celestia was to my left speaking to a group of nobles. “A fountain in the Northern Square isn’t just a necessity,” a light gray Unicorn with a dark gray mane. He wore a pair of glasses and a white and gray suit. Beside him, a bright yellow Unicorn mare stood with a light purple streaked mane. She wore a light pink ensemble with an emerald necklace around her neck. In a snobbish type of accent, the Unicorn Stallion continued, “It will not only bring significant revenue to the area, but it will chase out certain, shall we say, undesirable elements.”

“Dear Elysium! What is that creature doing here?!” the Unicorn mare said suddenly, pointing directly at me.

Celestia quickly turned, then her eyes widened when she saw me. “Sir Jethro??”

I opened my mouth to reply, but I felt magic from behind me and was enveloped in a flash of magic. I was now in a brightly lit room, standing on a large pile of very old looking straw which itself stood on top of a pillar. Behind me, there was a large golden backrest stylized in the shape of a crown. There as a large set of crumbling steps that led down to the main floor of the room. To my right, the entire wall had been blown away, leaving shattered glass and large portions of stone lying on the ground. In the center of the room stood a large dark purple pedestal with fungi growing from it. There were carvings of trees built into the walls itself. “Griffonstone…” I muttered as I turned back to the back of the throne, only to finally notice the same type of crystal embedded in the golden back of the throne.

With a final flash, I was immediately back in the hoard room, the crystal in front of me starting to dim. I stumbled back and fell hard into a large pile of gold coins. Zecora was instantly by my side, looking me over with a concerned expression. Scarlet flew down to me as well, putting one wing behind my head to support it as I tried to sit up. “Dude, what happened?” she asked. “Your body started floating for a bit and glowing purple.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t leave the room?” I asked.

“I’ve never seen anything happen like that before,” Sunset said as she came up to me as well. “Your eyes went completely white.”

“What, did I warg or something?” I muttered to myself as I sat up and looked back at the once more inert crystal. Ember was the only one still staring at it, a look of awe on her face. “I’d stay away from that, if I were you,” I said to her as I stood, brushing a few gold coins off of my chest.

Ember jolted, as if startled. She turned around, blinking the confusion off of her face. “Yeah…probably a good idea,” she said as she walked down back towards us.

“What happened, beloved?” Zecora asked. “We heard you say ‘Griffonstone’ but that was it.”

“I’m…not exactly sure what happened myself,” I admitted before I recounted everything I had seen, from my vision of the Crystal Empire to my vision of the Griffonstone throne room.

When I finished, there was silence. To my surprise, it was Spike who made a sensible suggestion. “Mmmaybe it’s time for us to leave well enough alone for today.”

I chuckled and patted him on the back. “I agree. Let’s get out of here.” And with that, we all turned and headed back to the entrance.

“Your Grace, I must insist that you take some of the Guard with you and the Princess,” Lahar was saying late on the morning of December 13th as the two of us stood on the deck of the Resplendent which was anchored near the mainland shoreline. I was currently wearing the exact same clothing I had worn on my first day as Emperor, with my armor safely stored away in the map room. Eclipse was strapped to my side and the as of yet unnamed saber which controlled the Resplendent was attached to my belt. Spike, Sunset, Scarlet, Zecora, Ember, Gemini and Mica had all gathered what little belongings they had with them and were standing on the deck below, just waiting.

The only reason I hadn’t left yet was because Lahar had insisted on speaking to me. “Your Lycan guards aren’t capable of defending you from an aerial attack.” He and I were both standing on the deck of the Resplendent. The sun was shining brightly that day and the winds were light and blowing to the west. “If the Dark Fae are in Equestria, I don’t want my new Emperor in danger from them.”

“The Fae have surrendered to the Equestrians,” I replied, “but you’re right. We are heading into a foreign land. Even if I’m technically a citizen of Equestria, I’m also now an Emperor.” Turning to Lahar, I said, “Find three of the most trustworthy Guards you can and tell them to prepare for a long journey. You as well, Lahar. You’re coming with me.”

“At once, Your Grace!” Lahar said, placing his fist on his chest, bowing, and flew away towards the portion of the tower where the Guards stayed.

“Gotta say, you’ve really grown into your new role,” Ember said, landing beside me near the wheel and watching Lahar fly away.

I sighed and put my hand on the spokes of the wheel, turning it slowly. “I’ve studied plenty of rulers both in this world and my old one. I’m nowhere near ready to be a ruler.”

“You sure you want to be telling me this of all Dragons?” Ember asked, crossing her arms and looking at me with a smirk.

“You’re one of the few I would tell about this,” I replied, turning to face her. “Now then, are you ready to go back to Equestria?”

She frowned and looked northwestward, staring in the direction where I would be steering the ship. “If you’re being honest, then so will I. I’m not looking forward to this at all. By the gods, how the fuck am I supposed to help represent the Dragon Lands??”

“You’re not,” I said quickly. However, before she could say anything, I continued, “You’re helping to represent the Aelyssian Empire reborn. Like it or not, you’re of royal blood. You and your as of yet unhatched half sibling, even if they are a bastard child. When they hatch, they will become a prince or princess and have a place in my court.”

Ember’s expression froze on her face and she turned slowly to look at Duzoroth Tower. It stood there, tall and old, and yet still bearing the ancient pride of the Aelyssian Dragons who had built and lived in this place. Even if it was nothing more than a watchtower, it was not only built to last, but built to be a testament to Dragon pride. “My father…killed hundreds of my half siblings…” Her fists clenched and the air around her began to heat up from her anger. “I can’t believe I was so naïve as to try and defend him!”

Ignoring the heat, which somehow had begun to bother me less and less, I put my hand on her shoulder. “Ember, don’t be angry at yourself. You aren’t to blame. Your father was the one who did all of those things. He was a monster and a tyrant. From what I’ve seen of you, and I mean in real life, not the show, you have more honor in you than he had.”

She made no move to remove my hand as she stared up at the tower. We both stood there for a long while, watching the tower. Finally, Ember asked, in a voice that was surprisingly frail and shaky, “Is it wrong of me to think that…I’m glad he’s dead?”

I gave her shoulder a squeeze, and the air around us cooled as I let go. “As long as you don’t let your anger and hatred consume you like it did to me.”

She chuckled. “Pretty sure you made a lot of Dragons piss themselves in fear.”

“Not one of my proudest moments,” I admitted as I looked up saw four Dragons, all in armor, flying out of the upper barracks where they lived.

“Even so, you managed to kill the largest Dragon in the world,” Ember said, “and if there’s one thing we Dragons can respect, it’s strength.”

“Duly noted,” I said as four Dragons landed on the decks. I looked down and walked over to the steps that led down to the deck. Despite the fact that the four Dragons were taller than I was, they still bowed their heads. One of the newcomers was Lahar’s partner who had been guarding me when I woke.

Lahar stepped forward. “Your Grace, I brought Strato, Scoria and Silica,” he said, pointing to each in turn.

It surprised me when I noticed that Scoria and Silica were both female, but I put that out of my mind as I looked up at the three Dragon newcomers. Spreading my wings, I flew up into the air so I could face them face to face. Hovering there, I said, “You know where we’re going, soldiers of Aelyssia. We’re heading into the heart of a kingdom which, until very recently, was our enemy. We aren’t going there as enemies now, but as potential allies. I want all four of you to be on your best behavior. Do not antagonize the Ponies and don’t let them antagonize you. I’ve lived among them, and I know they have a harder time dealing with non-Ponies. Hell, when they first met me, I was nearly killed out of instinct. But don’t misunderstand me! We are going to try and make lasting peace with not just the Ponies but other races throughout the world! Lycans, Deerfolk, Griffons, Hippogriffs and more! You don’t have to make friends with every Pony you see, but I fully expect you to maintain a sense of decorum! Am I understood?”

All four Dragons stood up straighter and placed their fists on their breastplates. “Yes, Your Grace!” they all said in unison.

I nodded in approval. “Good. You are free to stay on this ship or fly around it, because it’s time to set sail.

“We will fly around the ship, Your Grace,” Lahar said, and all four spread their wings and flew into the air.

I flew back over to the helm, then began engaging the engines. Unlike before, there was a very subtle humming all around us as the magic I’d poured into the engines made the ship spring to life. I drew the saber and held it up. The anchor began to raise on its own, coming up until the newly refurbished piece of iron came out of the lake and was set in its place. I pulled the wheel back, and the fore of the ship began raising itself out of the water. At the same time, I pulled the saber back and thrust it forward. The wind began blowing heavily, and soon the Resplendent was soaring above the Dragon Lands-

No, they aren’t the Dragon Lands anymore, I thought. This is Aelyssia, ancestral home of the Dragons. I smiled. I was finally going home. I was in such a good mood that I began singing, “Soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum! One day when the tonguin’ is done, we’ll take our leave and go!”

The sun was just beginning to set that very same day when I saw the bright lights of not only the Castle of the Two Sisters on the horizon, but the warm lights of Ponyville as well. With the Resplendent’s speed, we made very good time across the ocean. When I’d tried to set it down to sail it in the Celestial Sea, I found that it didn’t move quite as fast, so I just flew the ship back into the air.

Our path through the air didn’t take us over many settlements. We did pass very near a massive mountain range which separated the Hayseed Swamps as well as Dodge City. A couple of curious Pegasi flew up towards us to get a better look, but when they saw the Dragon Guards quickly flew back down to the ground.

As we approached the Castle, a group of Pegasi Royal Guards approached. Lahar was about to stop them, but I called out, “Let them approach!”

Three Pegasi, all white with blue eyes, landed on the deck. One of them approached. “Sir Jethro? Or is it Emperor Jethro now?” They all looked apprehensive, which made sense especially with the nearby Dragon Guards.

I stood at the helm for a bit before walking to the steps leading down to the upper deck. “I am currently Emperor Jethro of the Aelyssian Empire,” I said as I stepped onto the upper deck. I reached into a chest pocket and pulled out my invitation. “I am here at the behest of her Royal Highnesses Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to attend the Council of Equestria.”

I handed it to the guard, who took it and opened it with his wings. He read it over, then closed it and gave it back to me. “The Princesses have been informed of your unusual arrival and have had a place prepared for you to dock. Please follow us, Your Grace.” And with that, they spread their wings and flew to the fore of the ship.

I quickly made my way back up to the helm. There was still plenty of sunlight left that I didn’t have to turn on the ship’s crystal torches, and I wanted to keep it that way as I grabbed the wheel. “Either fly or take a hold of something, everyone!” I called out. Spike and Zecora quickly came up and clung to the railing near where I was, while Sunset grabbed one of the bits of railing near the fore of the ship. I pushed the wheel forward and the ship slowly began to descend towards a large body of water which was fed by the river near the eastern portion of the castle. During my time reconstructing the Castle, I had seen this portion of it many times, and after rebuilding the old water gates which had kept the river’s water out for so long, I’d opened them once again and let the water flow in. I gently eased her down as I had earlier that day in the Celestial Sea, sending waves crashing against the artificial shores.

Standing on the docks, I saw a large group of Ponies waiting for me. The Princesses were all there, as were the Mane Six and Shining Armor. I smirked as I saw Pinkie bouncing up and down on the dock with Rainbow hovering nearby. As I sailed the ship the last few meters to the dock, I caught the glimpse of joy and relief on all their faces.

I had barely turned the dials on the helm to the off position when a butter-colored Pegasus came quickly towards me, hugging me close with all of her legs. Caught off guard, I stumbled back into the door leading to the ship’s map room. “You’re back!” Fluttershy exclaimed, tears of happiness pouring down her face. “You’re home…” she repeated as her grip on me tightened, her relief filled sobs filling the air.

Lahar was flying down towards me, but I held up a hand to stop him. He stopped in the air, hovering there as I wrapped my arms and wings tightly around Fluttershy. “Like I said when I came back before, there’s no place like it. I’m glad to be home…”

116: A Cloaked Heart's Council Pt. 3

“Are you ready for this?” I asked Ember as the two of us stood in the room adjacent to the Council chambers an hour after my breakfast with Celestia. The room we were in was the very same one where not only had I introduced many of my close friends to the joys of Skyrim, but was also the room where Celestia herself had slapped some sense into me quite literally.

Ember looked down at herself. She scowled at what she wore. Before I had gone to bed in the very same room I’d been given when I’d first come to this Council, Hestia had arrived with more ancient clothes she’d recovered from the Ruins of Dormog, only these belonged to a long forgotten Dragon royal female. Ember now wore a thin red silk kirtle dress inlaid with silvery threads. There were orange flames sewn onto the skirt itself. She wore a smaller golden circlet around her head. It was simpler than my own, just a ring of gold. It somehow fit her perfectly, and I further wondered just how small Dragon royals were if they had clothes that fit not only me, but Ember as well. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered. “Why the fuck am I wearing this?”

“You can take it off if you want,” I said, “but we’re not here representing the old Dragon Lands anymore. We’re here representing the newly reborn Aelyssian Empire. Hestia recommended you wear it. Celestia recommended you wear it. Hell, even Luna recommended you wear it, and she’s more the warrior princess type.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Ember snarled angrily at me. “It just feels…wrong!”

“And yet, thousands of years ago, Dragons wore clothes, for whatever reason,” I replied as I picked up the Bloodstone Scepter from where it had been leaning against the wall. “Also, you’ve got to remember that while the Lycan Empire is currently on good terms with the Dragons, once they hear about my ascension to the throne, that very well might change.”

“I’ve met the Lycan Empress and her daughter,” Ember said, “and I’m really not surprised that they both treated you the way they did. I’ve met other Lycans, though. They’re good wolves, more or less. Just trying to live their damn lives. It’s the Empress and her daughter that are making things difficult.”

“No kidding,” I heard Mica mutter behind me. Ember and I were, of course, not alone. Gemini and Mica were there as well as the four members of the Guard.

“After this entire Council is over, you can get rid of it, but try not to tear it up,” I said, getting back on topic. “Give it back to me. I know a certain mare who’d love to get her hooves on it.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Ember said as she pulled on the sleeves. “So constricting…how do you manage it?”

“It helps that humans have no fur or scales to keep us warm,” I explained. “That, and we don’t exactly have any way to hide what’s between our legs. It’s a necessity and a moral thing back on Earth.”

To her credit, Ember blushed hard. “Fuck you,” she said, turning away to face the door. “Come on, it’s almost time.”

I straightened and once more adjusted my cloak. Just then there was a knock and the door opened slightly. Twilight stuck her head in. “It’s time,” she whispered.

“We’re ready, Twilight,” I said, forcing my expression to go neutral.

Nodding, she pushed the door open, letting in the light from the council chambers. She stepped aside just as I heard a stallion announce, “Now, representing the Aelyssian Empire, formerly the Dragon Lands, the newly crowned Emperor Jethro Bethridge, First of His Name, and daughter of the former Dragon Lord, Princess Ember, First of Her Name.”

I nodded at Ember, and as one we took the first step towards the door. Ember’s dress flowed gently behind her as did my cloak. As we stepped into the room, the first thing I noticed was that everyone was a little closer together, mostly because of two new additions to the council table. Thorax sat at a spot between the Abyssinians and Caribou, looking at me with a somewhat surprised expression. Beside him, his older brother Pharynx sat, giving me a somewhat bemused expression.

The two chairs between the Hippogriffs and Deerfolk were empty as we approached. Lahar, who was there with Silica, pulled out both chairs for us. We both sat down at the same time, and when our chairs were pushed in, I leaned forward, folding my hands and looking at all the delegates in the room. Most had looks of surprise on their faces, save for those who already knew.

But not all were stunned into silence.

“What mockery is this?!” Amethyst snarled, glaring at me with rage. “Since when did winged monkeys rule over Dragons!?”

“Since he slew my father and claimed the Emperor’s Blade, little Ami,” Ember snapped, turning to glare at the Lycan Princess.

Amethyst’s eyes widened as she looked at Ember in shock. “It…it’s the real you,” she said in stunned astonishment.

“Yes, it’s the real me!” Ember said, then she turned to the rest of the council. “I can bear witness to the ascension to the throne of this being sitting beside me,” she continued, “and according to all our ancient laws and traditions, once he claimed both the Sunsword and Moonsword, ancient birthrights of our kind, he became our Emperor! Nothing in our laws state that he had to be a Dragon.”

Celestia held up a hoof. “Please, delegates, we have not come to argue over succession rights. I was in the Dragon Lands when His Grace became Emperor. Myself and many others here who can attest to its legitimacy. As one of the Diarchs of Equestria, I recognize his legitimacy to the Crimson Throne of Aelyssia.”

Before anyone else could speak, I held up a hand. “Esteemed delegates of the Council of Equestria,” I said, “I didn’t come here to start arguments or debates. You know I was here before representing the interests of the Kingdom of Equestria only one week ago, but then with the invasion of Queen Chrysalis and her Fae, the council had to be delayed until matters between my new Empire and the Kingdom of Equestria could be settled. Her Highness, Princess Ember, is correct. I took the life of Dragon Lord Torch and was named the Emperor because of it. Currently, I am here with Princess Ember representing the interests of the newly reformed Aelyssian Empire.”

“And what of your status as a Knight of Equestria?” Lady Arathyra asked softly but firmly.

“Temporarily suspended,” I replied. “Emperor trumps Knight. Besides, Equestria has plenty of representation at this table.”

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” Prince Rutherford asked.

“I can’t deny that it is,” I replied, “but I am here representing all Dragonkind. They’re now my subjects, and I won’t just shirk these duties, even if they were thrust upon me.”

I watched for the reactions of everyone in the room. Rutherford and Veritas looked impressed by my words and nodded. The Deerfolk representatives also both nodded in my direction with looks of approval. Skystar had a warm smile on her face and Silverstorm was nodding in my direction. Most of the others seemed to accept this, all except for Amethyst, who continued to glare at me angrily. “Dragons and Lycans have been allies for many generations,” she said, “but if you’re their new ruler, consider our alliance over-”

“Your Highness,” Jasper quickly silenced her younger companion, “a moment, please.”

Amethyst looked furious at having been interrupted, but simply turned to the older Lycan. “What is it, Jasper,” she spat in fury.

Jasper didn’t seem fazed as she simply turned to me. “Emperor Jethro, I take it you don’t know the nature of the alliance between our two nations, correct?”

“I have not heard about the details, no,” I replied.

To my surprise, Jasper smiled slightly. “For that, I think, you can be forgiven. You haven’t been an Emperor for very long. May I enlighten you?”

“By all means, please do,” I said.

She nodded and cleared her throat. “The lands of the Dragons are studded with certain gems and minerals that we have not found in our own mines,” she explained. “Dragons have no use for such gems except as little trinkets in their hoards or as meals. We, on the other hand, have the skill to change them into many different things, such as special weapons which we can use in our military or even sell to other nations.” She indicated the Caribou. “The Caribou Confederacy is one of our chief buyers.”

Thormod nodded, bringing up a small knife and drawing it slowly, displaying a silvery blade. “I did purchase this blade directly from the Empire,” he said.

“Is that so?” I asked. “May I see that blade, Ambassador?”

“Of course!” Thormod said, sheathing it and handing it to one of his guards, who walked it over towards me. It was handed to Lahar, who presented the blade to me.

I took it and drew it out, looking in awe at the exquisite craftsmanship of the blade. The hilt was itself gold plated, encrusted with sapphire, ruby, and emerald. The blade itself looked incredibly sharp, and I gave it the hair test, plucking a bit of hair from my head and letting it fall. The hair split once it hit the blade. Satisfied, I set the blade on the table and turned to Jasper. “That is quite an impressive blade, I must say,” I admitted. “The skill of the Lycan craft is indeed very impressive.”

“Might I see that blade as well?” Luna asked.

“Of course, Your Highness,” Thormod said.

She took the blade in her magic and lifted it over to her. She drew it and looked at it with careful consideration. Celestia, now back in her normal form, leaned closer to take a look as well, her face a mask. After a while, she sheathed it and floated it back over to Thormod, setting it in front of him. “His Grace is correct,” Luna said, gesturing towards me but looking at Jasper. “That is an exceptional blade.”

“You honor me with your praise, both of you,” Jasper said. Amethyst was clenching the armrests of her chair, fuming at this exchange, but one stern look from Jasper shut her up before she could say anything.

“I would be more than willing to sit down in private and discuss continued good relations between our two Empires,” I said, “but I think we have some more pressing issues to discuss, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I look forward to that conversation, but you’re right,” Jasper said, turning from me to Celestia. “Your Highness, when the council last spoke, we were discussing the matter of Eris as well as the establishing of new trade routes throughout the world.”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed we were,” she said, “and we should revisit that since real representatives of the Dragons are here.” She turned to me and Ember. “How many Dragons died because of Eris’ actions?”

Ember and I slowly looked at each other. She nodded at me, then gave me a very small but sad smile. I turned back to the council. “Within the territory formerly known as the Dragon Lands? Just over two thousand Dragons have been listed among the dead. I’ve had some of my Guard going out to collect a more accurate number as well as all of their names so we can honor them. Within the old Aelyssian Empire’s territory? That remains to be seen, but I suspect the number is higher.”

Silence fell over the council table. To my surprise, Lady Arathyra spoke up and said, “I and my kind grieve with thee in this time of loss.”

I bowed to her. “You honor us with your kind words.” I then turned to Celestia. “I have been informed that you took many precautions to prevent Eris’ return from a very reliable source, and while I personally can forgive you, as Emperor of Aelyssia, something must be done. The Dragons won’t be satisfied unless Equestria shows that it is truly apologetic.”

“We Dragons see Ponies as weak and pampered,” Ember quickly added. “You have tons of comforts and riches, but the Dragons have caves! Damp, cold caves! We don’t even have pillows!” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “I won’t sit here and deny Dragons haven’t done anything wrong since Old Aelyssia fell! We’ve terrorized Pony villages, stealing from them and even killing them! Some of us have even eaten Ponies! But even when that is true, your entire race judges us based off of the examples of a clawful of individuals! Most of us might grumble and look at Equestria with envy, but we wouldn’t want to start a war, despite what my late father might have thought!”

I quickly put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, and she looked at me with fire in her lovely red eyes. “Deep breaths, Princess,” I said calmly.

She glared at me, but nodded and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Turning to the council, she said, “Sorry. I’m just angry, is all.”

“You are forgiven,” Celestia said calmly before turning to me. “What would the Aelyssian Empire ask of us?”

“Aid,” I said. “Aid in the reconstruction and restoration of the Ruins of Dormog. Or at the very least, help to teach Dragons to rebuild the palace and the city to its former glory. Aid also in the form of scholars who can read Old Draconic and Old Aelyssian. Much of the culture has been lost to time.”

Ember turned on me angrily. “Are you groveling?!”

I turned to her slowly. “My duty is to my citizens, Princess, as it is yours. They are the ones who’ve suffered the most. You said it yourself. You live in caves! How can I call myself an Emperor when I’ve been living in extreme comfort the past couple of days and my subjects live the way they do? If it means that my subjects will sleep well and securely, it’s my duty to endure any indignity.”

I saw a brief smile form on Celestia’s face, but it was gone immediately. Ember quickly replied, “Look, I get that, and I can accept that, I guess, but the other Dragons won’t be too happy about it. You know that, right? They’ll see it as weakness on your part!”

“I actually have to agree,” Jasper said. “Lycans and Dragons are similar in one aspect: our pride. We pride ourselves on not begging for help. We pride ourselves on our workwolfship, too.”

“Then let me put my request in context,” I said, turning slowly to Celestia. There was an even look in her eyes, and for a moment, I was afraid of her once more. But then I remembered our earlier conversation. I steeled myself, and said, “I don’t make this request lightly. Because of your actions, Princess Celestia, more than two thousand of my citizens have perished. Two thousand! I could easily demand you empty out your royal coffers in recompense, but I think my request of aid in certain areas is more than reasonable. Medical aid. Aid in helping to reconstruct the ancestral city of the Empire and teaching those of my Dragons with the promising skillset in construction. I don’t want to make an enemy of Equestria. I think there is much we can offer each other in the coming years, but I can’t just let my citizen’s suffering go unanswered. Many have died, and I can’t let that slide.”

I turned to the other delegates. “Old Aelyssia was once a great nation. Ages before the Ponies even set hoof in this land, the emperors of old ruled over their lands in contented peace. They were even able to move the sun and moon before Princesses Celestia and Luna could. They ruled over many distant islands and, if my brief glimpse into their history is accurate, Aelyssia was a great and prosperous nation. Old Aelyssia was overflowing with wealth and prosperity, and I would see it that way once again. Now, while I might be requesting aid from Equestria as recompense, and we can negotiate those requests here, I am also requesting it from the rest of the members of the council here, but not for the same reasons. Our Empire has been in ruins for too long. My citizens have suffered many indignities not only from without, but from within as well. Your kingdoms and nations have stood proud for many generations, and I would try and diversify our ways of thinking by exposing my Dragon citizens to other cultures. If you are unable or unwilling to assist, I will not hold it against anyone here.”

Silence fell. Even Amethyst’s own anger was gone, and she just stared at me with some incredulity in her expression. The others, even the Ponies, looked contemplative and thoughtful. Even Pinkie’s eyebrows were furled, as if she too was deep in thought.

After a while, someone cleared their throat. I turned to the source and found it belonged to none other than Princess Amani, one of the Zebra representatives. “Let me preface what I am about to say by stating this: Farasi and the Dragon Lands have never been on good terms. After the Fall of Aelyssia, Dragons would invade our territory, kidnap our citizens either for their own pleasure or food, and burn entire caravans to the ground for sport. We were merely a nomadic race at the time, living off of the wealth and plenty of the vast jungles in those days.”

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She seemed affected by the story she was telling, but a hoof on her withers from Ambassador Kujadiliana made her relax a bit, then she opened her eyes and continued. “It was because of these incursions into our lands by the Dragons that we had to flee our ancestral home of Zebrica and journey westward in our First Walk of Tears until we settled another smaller land, the Island of Maredagascar. We lived there for many peaceful centuries, undisturbed. We settled around the great mountains of that land, building many magnificent cities. That is, until the mountains betrayed us. Once again, we were forced to flee out lands due to the mountains erupting around us and sinking the island. We call it the Second Walk of Tears. We continued westward until those of us who remained found Farasi, way outside of the reach of any Dragon or volcano. Farasi is a great land, to be sure, but even we long for a time when we can reclaim our lost shores.”

She stood and slowly walked over to me. Her steps were slow and deliberate as she said, “My father, King Jiwe the Fourth, has always longed for us to return to our original land of Zebrica and settle there anew.” As she came closer, Lahar and Gemini moved as one to block her, but I held up a hand. They stepped away, and she came closer. I stood and turned to face her as she moved closer to me. When she was in front of me, she gazed up at me with light hazel eyes. I was immediately aware of Zecora now standing by my side, almost protectively. Princess Amani’s gaze didn’t waver. Instead, she only looked at me all the harder as she finished with, “If Your Grace would assure us and promise us that his new subjects would keep out of Zebrica, then I know that I would believe him.” She slowly turned to Zecora. “I know that if you have gained the love and support of one such as Lady Zecora, then you can be trusted.” She turned back to me. “If you can promise us this and if you can promise that any Dragons who might now live in that land will be removed, we will send out aid in the form of medicines, healers and teachers.”

Ember stood furiously. “You would have us order those Dragons to uproot their homes, their hoards, even their families in order to help us?!” she asked angrily.

“Princess, wait,” I said, holding out my arm to stop her.

Ember turned to glare at me. “Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking about this!”

“I am,” I replied, turning to Ember. “But until I know more about the history, I won’t make a decision.” I turned to Zecora, knelt and whispered, “You know of a potion that allows brief glimpses into the past, right? I’ve seen it in the show. All it needs is Alicorn magic to activate.” Zecora’s eyes widened imperceptibly, but she nodded. “Is it difficult to make?” Another nod. “May I ask you to make some for me?”

She turned to me and gazed into my eyes with a questioning look. “Do you ask me as an Emperor, or as my lover?” she whispered.

I swallowed hard. “Both, my dearest.”

Her gaze became loving. “I would have said yes regardless, my beloved,” she replied. “You have much on your shoulders, it is true. But I will always be here for you.” She reached up and put her hoof on my shoulder. “I’ll have it ready as soon as possible.”

I smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you, dear.” I then turned and faced Princess Amani. “You have made me a generous offer, Princess Amani, but Princess Ember has a good point. The sins of the fathers shouldn’t be taken out on their sons or daughters. Please let me have time to think it over.”

She nodded and bowed. “You shall have it, Emperor Jethro.” With that, she turned and headed back to her seat.

Seemingly appeased by my words, Ember nodded and returned to her seat. I turned and returned to mine. “Apologies for that, everyone,” I said as I sat, poured myself and Ember each a glass of water. After a drink, I continued, “Please, let’s continue.”

Ambassador Gillian spoke up next. “Can I say something?” he asked.

“Please do,” Celestia said, gesturing towards the Griffon.

He nodded and turned to me. “Griffonstone is willing to negotiate prices for our assistance.”

“You’d charge for helping us?!” Ember asked incredulously.

Once more, I held up a hand and stopped her. She growled angrily, but took some deep breaths and calmed down. I turned to the Griffon. “First, I’d like to know what you can provide?”

“Food, for one,” Greta interjected. “We have many farms which are used for meat production.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fluttershy’s eyes widen. “Our animals aren’t like the ones in Equestria,” Greta continued. “We know the animals in this continent are under an enchantment that gives them their own speech and thought. Ours aren’t.”

“Actually, sis, food is about all we can provide,” Gillian retorted. He turned to me. “Our country isn’t exactly able to do much.”

“I’m well aware of your country’s current situation,” I replied, “and while I’m not sure what I can use to pay you since the Dragon capital I have is ancient and might not spend well, I think an arrangement can be made between us.”

“If you have gems to spare, we’d take those gladly,” Greta said. “Those we can sell for a hefty sum of bits.”

I nodded. “Something can be arranged, I’m sure.”

“Then we have nothing else to add to this current conversation,” Greta and Gillian said simultaneously.

I smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

“I’m afraid we can’t provide anything worth much,” Prince Rutherford said apologetically. “We’re just a small northern kingdom.”

“I completely understand,” I replied.

The other nations, save for the Fae and Equestria, told me their availability. I wasn’t surprised when the Hippogriffs apologetically declined, as their focus was more on hiding from a nearby enemy called Kör Elzarin who had claimed an island for himself near Mt. Aris. Lady Arathyra actually didn’t promise anything, but she said she would talk to her ruler, the High Lady Valindra, about lending some of enchanters that could help reinforce any buildings and keep them standing for years to come without the need for maintenance. The Abyssinian ambassadors were a bit reluctant themselves to offer aid, but I excused them from it. The Caribou offered some teachers who could train Dragons in battle. Amethyst began to deny me, but Jasper silenced her and told me that, while she couldn’t promise anything, she would send word to her Empress about the current change. The Saddle Arabians were also unsure what they could offer and asked to think about it and send word to their Sultan.

When this was over, the room went silent. I looked around the table, and when I reached the Ponies, I was surprised to see that the eyes of the Bearers of Harmony along with Scarlet, Sunset, Zecora and Spike all locked with me. But that wasn’t the fact that they were looking at me that was the surprising bit. It was the looks in their eyes. Sheer determination and resolution. Before I could say anything, Twilight raised her hoof. “I can’t speak for anypony else with me, but I would like to help the Dragons if I can.” She turned to Spike. “I’ve raised a Dragon ever since I was a little filly, and I’m proud of how he’s turned out. I don’t know much about the Dragon Lands, and even less about this Aelyssian Empire, but I want to learn more so I can find a way to help. I…don’t know what I can do, but I want to.”

“Ah can make some meals fer the youngun’s over there,” Applejack said next.

“I’m helping too!” Rainbow Dash said quickly.

“I can help foalsit any of the baby Dragons,” Fluttershy added, although she looked a bit scared to admit that.

Before any of them could say any more, Celestia held up her hoof. “My little Ponies, your desire to help is admirable, but His Grace is demanding assistance from the crown, not its citizens.” She slowly turned to me, giving me an even look. “I do understand why you are requesting it from us, but may I remind you that, as Princess Ember said earlier, Dragons have raided my kingdom and taken my subjects. Even so far as devouring Ponies.”

I nodded. “I know this and acknowledge this. But when was the last time a Dragon ate a Pony?”

“Several generations ago,” Celestia said.

“And when was the last time a Dragon attempted to pillage a Pony town?” I asked. “As far as I know, there have only been two Dragons in Equestria: a red one one who nearly inhabited a mountain near Ponyville and a green one that might very well still be in the Everfree Forest, living in a cave filled with gems. Have either of them terrorized a village? Have any other Dragons attempted anything like that? If so, point them out to me and I will deal harshly with them.”

Celestia paused for a bit, looking at me carefully. Then, she finally smiled. “I believe you,” she said, “but I have to think about it.”

“You mean we do,” Luna said, looking at Celestia. “I am a Princess too, you know?”

“Of course,” Celestia said, nodding at Luna.

“Then please hurry,” I said, “I don’t want my people living in misery for much longer.”

“My sister and I will have a decision for you soon,” she said. “In the meantime, I believe there is another matter at hoof that needs to be discussed.” And with that, she turned to look at Thorax and Pharynx. “Lords Thorax and Pharynx, you two were summoned to this Council on good faith. So far you have kept that faith. However, now that your Queen is in our dungeons, what are your plans for the future?”

Thorax looked at Pharynx, who looked back at his younger brother with a snort. “Don’t look at me, you idiot. I’m just a soldier.”

Thorax sighed. “I don’t know, really. A lot of us have changed, but there are some holdouts. We have no culture of our own anymore. All we have is stuff we’ve taken and corrupted. Well, except for the Fae Throne. That’s the only part of our old culture we have left.” He sighed. “I didn’t want to be ruler. I don’t know what to do next. We’ve done so much to hurt Ponies and other races…”

“There are plenty of examples of good rulers who didn’t want to rule,” Celestia said. “Your kind have all lived under the rule of a tyrant for too long. You can be free and live as you want to.”

“Where is the Fae Kingdom?” Ambassador Ebiner asked.

Thorax looked over the map of the known lands of the planet as it was displayed on the table. After a while, he shook his head. “It’s not on the map. There’s a large island east of Equestria where we live.” His horn lit up and a projection appeared the air. We watched as a crudely drawn landmass appeared in the projection. It looked like a waxing crescent moon for the most part. “It’s called Crescent of Ælbas. I don’t know why it’s called that, but we’ve called it that for generations.”

“How many of you are there?” Thormod asked.

“I don’t really know,” Thorax said. “Pharynx?”

“Don’t ask me,” the other Fae asked. “It’s a big island.”

“A lot of us live in the Hive,” he said, and the projection changed, revealing not the fluidic palace I remembered from the show, but a massive lone mountain in the center of a vast desert. There were holes coming out of said mountain, and the projection showed Fae flying in and out and around the mountain. Many were centered around the peak, which looked like it had once been a fortress, but now was in ruin, its walls and towers crumbling, all save for the center tower, which looked more like a keep than anything else. “I don’t know anything about it or the castle.”

“If the Fae were so far away, why did the High Fae go to war with the Dragons so long ago?” I asked.

“I seriously don’t know,” Thorax said, sounding frustrated now.

“Give him a break,” Pharynx said protectively, brushing his hair aside, “We’re just drones. She doesn’t tell us anything about her past.”

“And speaking of her,” I said, turning to an expectant Celestia, “She still needs to answer for her crimes against my Empire and your Kingdom.”

Celestia nodded. She’d probably been expecting this. “What did you want?” she asked.

“Give her over to us,” I said. “She has much to answer for, and I don’t mean the war in the past. From what I know, she was just a child at that time, so I’m not holding her accountable for that. What I am holding her accountable for is attempting to start a war with us by trying to band the world against us.”

“She will be dealt with, believe me,” Celestia said with a frown, “but by us. She attacked Equestria.”

“And yet her aim was to wipe out my subjects in a revenge plot,” I retorted protectively. “I know she has attacked and injured many of your Ponies, Princess, but she has made an enemy of the Empire. Her alone. She is the one who wanted revenge. She is the one who ordered her subjects to war, which is why I am not seeking any kind of retribution against those Fae who have since undergone the transformation.” I said this while looking directly at Thorax.

He looked stunned. “I…thank you, Your Grace,” he said, bowing to me gratefully. “We don’t deserve it.”

“You don’t,” I agreed, “but I don’t want to go to war over this. I know you were following orders, but your kind’s action in saving your life, and your actions in saving Chrysalis’ speak volumes to your character.” I gave him a smile, then turned back to Celestia. “I seem to be doing a lot of the talking here. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to talk.”

Celestia smiled. “I’m sure you’re right.” She then stood up straighter and looked at the rest of the council. “Are there any others who want to speak?”

117: A Cloaked Heart's Talk With Chrysalis

During the lunch break, I was standing on a balcony overlooking the now destroyed Everfree Forest. Ember stood next to me, the two of us taking in the frosty late autumn air. A fog lay over the now destroyed portion of the Everfree Forest, barely letting the sun through. Clouds were beginning to roll in above the fog as well, and since there were no Pegasi to stop the advance, I could only watch as the low noon sun began to be covered by the oncoming snowclouds.

I inhaled, then exhaled, hitting my head slightly against the railing. “God, that was so…stressful.”

Ember nodded. “No shit.”

The few hours that had been spent in the council had focused more on the opening up of new trade routes as well as the issue of what should be done to help the Fae. Since they had, until recently, been drones, they had no way of self-governance and needed the help of anyone willing to help. I was a big proponent of that, but I also pointed out that it appeared like they at one time had a culture of their own which they might want to rediscover. I wasn’t opposed to them forming a new culture all their own, but I was worried they’d adapt too quickly. It had occurred to me then that Fae drones were nothing more than scavengers. I knew then that I needed to know more about their history. I gathered that they had a caste system at one point: Fae and High Fae. But I stowed these thoughts away for the time being.

I looked over at Ember, and noticed that she was shivering slightly. “You know, we could go back inside if you want.”

“I needed to get out of that stuffy castle,” she said quickly. “I know we’re supposed to try and behave and make allies, but what’s the point of constructing these new roads or trains to other foreign countries? And help the Scalechangers?!”

“Official reports from country to country can only get you so much,” I explained as I took off the thick cloak I wore and draped it over Ember’s back. She looked at me with a stunned expression before I continued, looking out at the foggy landscape before us. “Citizen rumors can sometimes have basis in fact. Not only that, but the races of this world have been separated from each other. I think in the long run it would be beneficial to exchange ideas and culture.” Not like the Princess Twilight of the show did with her School of Friendship, I thought. The more I’d thought about it, the more ridiculous that premise was. Realistically, it would have sent the message that the Ponies were in the right and could teach the backwards races of the world how to be good. Then again, it was a children’s show. I turned to face Ember once more. “As for the Fae, yes, they need the help. Are we meant to judge a race based off of the actions of one individual? They are just as much a victim too. Yes, we fought them, but I feel like they had very little choice. Now they’re free to think for themselves, as much as is possible, I suppose. We don’t know much about them. And I know Thorax was born differently.”

“Okay, okay! I get it!” Ember snarled at me, while at the same time wrapping my cloak closer around her. “I don’t have to like it, but I get it.”

“I’m not asking you to like it,” I said as calmly as I could. I turned away, leaning against the railing and looking out at the increasing fog, my breath clearly visible in the cold air. I exhaled slowly, watching my breath join the mists.

“…I’m sorry,” Ember said after we stood for a while. She almost sounded reluctant to say it, but at the same time, it also sounded like she meant it. “I’m…just angry.”

“And stressed,” I added, looking back at her. “You’ve done a lot to help me these past few days. It’s one of the many reasons why I’m considering naming you the new Dragon Lord.”

Her jaw dropped at that. “What…?”

“Before you say anything, hear me out,” I said, holding up my hand.

She looked like she wanted to protest, but she apparently thought better of it and focused on me entirely. “This had better be good.”

I faced her as well and said, “From what I know about the Dragon culture, the Dragon Lord is a lot like a regent or steward of a kingdom or empire. You’ve been alive longer than most people I’ve met in this world. You’ve been around. You have experience that I need. You also know the Dragons. I didn’t make this decision lightly. Yes, in the Pony show Eris talked about, you became Dragon Lord, but not in the same way. You earned it there, and you’ve shown that you can be a great ruler if given the opportunity. I need your help.”

“That was in that hatchling entertainment!” she shouted in a mixture of anger and fear, “I’m no leader!”

“You’ve done more to help me with this council from the Dragon’s perspective,” I replied calmly. “You need to understand something here: I know less about the Dragons than I do about Ponies. You’ve been around them longer than I have.”

“That doesn’t mean I know everything!” she said.

“I know,” I replied, “but you are smarter than most other Dragons. You wouldn’t have survived a hundred years without being quick, clever and very smart.” I put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, but didn’t move away. “I need you by my side. I can’t do this without help, and I know you have it within you to rule.”

Her anger had vanished, replaced with shock. We stared at each other for a while, until finally, she stepped back and looked out at the landscape again. I retracted my hand, then turned back to look at the still vanishing forest. Minutes passed between us. Finally, she broke the silence and asked, “So…what are you thinking about for Chrysalis?”

I sighed and looked back at her. She was looking at me closely now. Choosing my words carefully, I said, “I highly doubt that Equestria is just going to hand her over to us if they knew she was slated for execution. It’s not in their nature to use capital punishment.” As I said this, I thought immediately about how Celestia had lamented not being able to execute Eris, and wondered just how long my words would remain true. “And I know the Dragons wouldn’t rest unless she is harshly punished.”

“We might have forgotten a lot, but hatred of Scalechangers isn’t something that we can easily forget. Growing up we’re taught to loathe and fear them as monsters,” Ember explained.

“I’d be surprised if it isn’t the same for the Fae, seeing Dragons as beasts,” I replied. “There are alternatives to execution, and I intend to try and find a compromise to both dilemmas. Both as the Emperor and as Equestria’s knight.”

“Shit, that seems like it’s gonna be a fucking nightmare,” a new voice said from behind us.

Ember and I turned as one. In the open doorway stood a smiling Celestia. Beside her Luna stood as well, smiling. I bowed. “Your Highnesses.”

“Oh hush and let us dispense with the pleasantries,” Luna said with a wave of her hoof. The two stepped forward and closed the doors behind them. Around us, the fog thickened. “Jethro, my sister and I wished to say that your behavior in the Council was very much becoming of a ruler. You kept your citizens at the forefront of your mind and made requests that would make them happy. And Princess, your fiery passion to protect your race did not go unnoticed either.”

Ember frowned. “Is that a compliment?”

“Pretty sure it is,” I said with a smile. “And thank you for saying so,” I said to the diarchs. “I’m just glad we didn’t come to an argument.”

“You stated your case very well,” Celestia said. “And you also made an excellent point when you pointed out that the Changelings had no experience in self-governance.”

“They’re drones, Celestia. What did you expect?” I asked. “Sure, my country needs assistance but I believe theirs is more in need. Even in the show, after Chrysalis was defeated by a Pony named Starlight Glimmer, they lived off the land. Hell, Thorax’s throne was just fashioned out of sticks. You saw their hive. They used to have a great civilization it seems.”

“As fascinating as ancient history is to us,” Luna said, “My sister and I didn’t just come here to talk about your actions in the Council chambers.”

“We have something else to talk to you and the Princess about,” Celestia added. With that, she produced a key. A key that I knew very well since I was the one who fashioned it during my reconstruction of the castle dungeons. She floated it over to me and I grasped it. “She’s in cell 34. She hasn’t said or done much since you had her imprisoned. There is time yet before the council reconvenes.”

I looked the key over in my hand. It was made of gleaming steel which I’d cleaned of the grime and rust during my time reconstructing the castle. I slipped it into my pocket. “Why do I have the feeling you’re like a thousand steps ahead of me?” I asked with a wry grin.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said with an innocent smile. I could almost see the halo above her head. Even her sister rolled her eyes at this.

I looked at Ember. Her expression was hard to read, but I thought I saw mistrust in her eyes. “Ember, come with me. This concerns you too.”

The diarchs said nothing as they stepped aside to let us pass. Ember walked beside me as we headed down the halls towards a large set of marble stairs. The stairwell was large enough for even someone like me to fly down safely, so I did so until I came to the very bottom. The farther we flew down, the colder and darker it became. Soon we were standing in front of a heavy iron barred door guarded by two of the largest stallions, barring Big Mac, that I’d seen since coming to Equestria. They saw me and snapped to attention. “Princess Celestia informed us you’d be coming down here, Your Grace,” one of them said as he lifted his horn to lift the heavy iron bar.

The second used his large wings to move the door open. It groaned as it opened into a dimly lit dungeon block, with oil lamps and torches lining the walls on either side. Despite how it looked, the stone floors were clean and there was hardly any nasty smell. The Pegasus guard said, “Be wary. She’s a crafty one.”

“We’ll be careful,” I said as I stepped in, followed closely by Ember. They closed the door, and it shut with a massive clang. I heard the metal bar being lifted up, and a large peephole with small iron bars in it opened.

“Mama, is that you, Mama?” a trembling male voice said from the cell immediately to my right. “I did everything you asked, Mama. Can I go play now? You promised I could go and play after my chores.”

I turned to the dungeon door and moved to walk towards it but Ember was faster. She quickly made her way over and looked through the small window into the cell. She froze and gasped at whatever it was she saw.

I walked up beside her and she stepped away, shaking her head in disgust. Looking through, I saw a very familiar male Dragon sitting in the corner of his cell, arms wrapped around his knees and looking up at the ceiling. “Mama? Is that you? Where are you, Mama?” The dark green scaled Dragon had an empty look in his eyes as he looked around for someone who wasn’t there. He even looked in my direction, but didn’t seem to see me at all. He was dirty despite the cell around him being clean.

I was about to say something, when I heard the sound of chains rattling and a familiar female voice from the opposite end of the hall call out, “Don’t bother. His mind’s long gone.”

Ember and I looked at each other for a few seconds, then as one we turned to the end of the hallway. We both walked slowly towards the source of the hallway towards a large door with the numbers 34 carved into the thick iron. I slowly approached; Ember close beside me as I did so. I opened the small latch on the door that kept the small barred window shut. I opened it and peered inside. There, chains on her wrists and the magic dampening ring on her head, Chrysalis sat on her prison bed, her green eyes looking up at me. Her eyes went to the crown on my head and I saw them imperceptibly widen in surprise. “So…Celestia wasn’t lying. You really did become Dragon Emperor.”

I produced the key, stuck it in the lock, and after removing the bar and setting it aside, I pulled the door open. The cell had a window which faced outward onto the eastern part of the land. I could hear the sound of the roaring river below, distantly running its course. Each cell I’d made identical, with a single bed big enough for even the largest Pony. Bedding had been added, with thin and thick blankets laying on said bed. There was a small table and a chair sitting in front of the barred window with a platter and some untouched food sitting on it as well as a mug of water. In a corner, there was a small wooden hatchway which would open to a large pit where prisoners could relieve themselves without living with the smell. The floor itself was made of smooth stone as was the rest of the cell.

I stepped inside, looking down at Chrysalis with a stony expression. Beside me, Ember simply glared at her with bitter hatred. I closed the door behind me. Chrysalis looked at the two of us, and we looked back at her. After a while, I broke the silence and said, “Yes. Yes I am the Dragon Emperor.”

She frowned at me, then looked away towards the window. Unlike how I’d seen her last time, Chrysalis looked thinner than before, her cheekbones slightly sunken and her eyes bloodshot as if she hadn’t gotten much sleep. I frowned at this new change and wondered if she’d been fed any kind of love since being imprisoned. I also wondered just where the other Fae drones were staying, since the other cells sounded empty. “If you’re here to kill me, just do it already,” Chrysalis said bitterly. “Then your revenge will be complete, right?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? You think I’m here to kill you?”

“Isn’t that what your Dragon subjects want?!” she turned to me and screamed angrily. “They’re nothing but monsters who destroyed our original homeland and forced us to flee! They wiped us out!”

“You attacked us first!” Ember said in anger. “Old Aelyssia fell because of you insects!”

“Old Aelyssia attacked us first!” Chrysalis replied in rage, quickly standing and rushing Ember, but she was quickly stopped by the chains on her wrists. Nevertheless, her eyes burned with utter hatred. “I’m glad your father’s dead! He deserved it!”

Ember roared in rage and took a step towards her, but I stepped between the two. “Enough! Both of you! It’s obvious that the real history has been lost to time, so until we know more, there will be no killing or maiming!” I turned to Chrysalis. “At least, not for that. But you still have a lot to answer for due to your more recent actions.”

“And who am I speaking to now?” Chrysalis snarled, “The knight or the emperor?”

My vision went green for a split second as a bout of anger washed over me, then it went back to normal. “I can’t ignore your attempt to sabotage relations between the Aelyssian Empire and the Kingdom of Equestria, but you’re also in Equestrian custody. You tried to start a war, and as a war criminal, in the Empire’s eyes you should be sentenced to death. But Equestria wouldn’t hand you over to my Empire just to kill you.”

“Sounds like quite a predicament, but why should I care?” Chrysalis asked.

“Why? WHY!? You were once a queen!” I growled at her, looming over her angrily. “Your first duty is to your subjects! Drones or not, they were under your rule and protection, but you threw them into a war for your own selfish and personal reasons! You’re currently a terrible ruler!”

“You call my actions selfish!?” Chrysalis snapped, coming closer to me and glaring into my eyes. “How would you feel if the enemy of my kind roams free in a land of plenty while my kind can barely subsist on the little love we can gather! They robbed us of our original homeland! They killed my wet nurse! MY PARENTS!” She grabbed my collar and slammed me against the wall before I could think. “IS IT SO WRONG TO WANT VENGEANCE!?”

“When it threatens your very species, YES!” I shouted, grabbing her arms, tearing them off of my collar and pushing her back onto her bed. She ended up lying flat on her back, glaring up at me with me pinning her down, right on top of her. “Did it ever once occur to you to ASK for help!? From anyone!? It didn’t even have to be Equestria! YOU COULD HAVE EVEN ASKED THE FUCKING DEERFOLK!”

She struggled against me, but without her magic or her destroyed Demons Run sword, I was stronger than her. “You know nothing, EMPEROR!” she screeched. “You think they would have listened to us!? WE’VE BEEN ABANDONED BY THE WORLD!” She suddenly stopped struggling, and looked away from me, going limp. “If you want me dead, then just kill me now. The High Fae are gone…might as well end with me…”

I grabbed her chin and forced her to face me. Her chitin was cold and hard, but a part of it that was in my hand felt brittle and I saw a crack form where my hand clenched around it. I eased up, but not by much as I said, “You think I want to kill you? You honestly think I relish the thought of ending another life? I already took one life already, and I don’t like the idea of killing again, even if it is you! Now get this straight: I DON’T WANT TO KILL YOU! But I’m the Emperor of the Dragons, and I know most of them would love to see your head on a spike for all to see! But I personally don’t want to!”

I finally got off of her, letting her go and standing over her as she lay on her bed. I took some time to calm myself before saying in a softer voice, “A part of me empathizes with you, believe it or not. You were nothing more than a child when you became queen, a job thrust upon you. You and I are alike in that we’re also the only one of our kind in this world. You’re the last, and I’m the first, but we’re still alone in a world of many other races. I’m sorry the High Fae are gone, but you’ve given them more of a bad name by your actions.”

She watched me in stunned silence for a bit. Even Ember was shocked into muteness as the three of us stood there. Finally, Chrysalis turned away, wrapping her arms around her and facing the wall. Out of the silence, I heard a sniff. “Don’t…don’t act like you know me, human…” she said shakily. “You and I are nothing alike…” She turned around, and I was completely stunned to see a single tear falling down her cheek as she stood up, anger on her face as she pointed at me with a shaky finger. “I don’t need your fucking pity! Just kill me!”

Ember glared at her. “You…you deserve it,” she snarled as she approached, claws outstretched. She was only a few steps away, when she suddenly stopped. She clenched her claws into fists, trembling in pure fury. She raised a fist to strike, but paused, holding it there for what felt like an eternity. However, to my surprise, she lowered her fist. “But…death is too good of a punishment for you…” She turned away from the stunned Chrysalis and turned to me. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but…she shouldn’t die. Not for anything she’s done. It would just be a release for her.”

I nodded, impressed. As the Emperor, I knew I had to demand some justice for Chrysalis’ part in the war, but as myself, I hated the thought of having to kill anyone, especially since if I would ever have to pass that kind of judgement, I would take the responsibility on myself to execute the punishment. “I agree, and I’ve been thinking about what alternatives we can come up with,” I replied, putting a hand on Ember’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I have a few ideas, but you and I need to discuss them at length. But first…” and here I turned to Chrysalis, “You look fucking terrible. Haven’t you been getting fed love or anything?”

She scoffed. “I wouldn’t accept love given out of pity,” she said as she lay on her back, looking up at the stone ceiling.

“So you’re trying to kill yourself,” I said as I strode over to her quickly and put my hand around her horn. “Sorry, but I’m not about to let that happen.”

She winced as I held her horn. “Get the fuck off of me,” she snapped, but it sounded more subdued than before.

“Coward,” I said.

She flinched. “What…?”

“You’re trying to run away from what you’ve done,” I said. “That makes you craven. Do you think anyone would allow that!?”

“My kind are already dead!” she snapped at me, growing angrier as she grabbed my wrist and tried to remove my hand from her horn. “Besides, you’re right! I failed the Fae! But they’re just drones! They’re…they’re dead already…” She lifted her fist and hit the bed in complete frustration. “I know I was foolish! I do! But what else could I do?! My mother was just a servant of the High Fae Royal Court! My father was a soldier! Why do you think I bit you?! To convert you into another High Fae like me!”

I stepped away from her in shock. I had wondered about her reason for that, but I hadn’t even considered that I might have been injected with something that might change my species altogether. I put my hand on the spot where she’d bitten me. It had healed when I was reborn, but there was a small scar where she’d bitten me. Hardly noticeable, but it was there.

Then I remembered what the Tree of Harmony had said to me before my rebirth.

“It is as I feared. You have been exposed to dangerous magic, magic that will work on slowly corrupting you.”

As I recalled that, another memory came to my mind: the first emergence of my darkness, Legion. “That circle of green flame I made…that was your doing?!”

Chrysalis turned to me slowly, and the look on her face was all the confirmation I needed. There was no triumphant look in those eyes, only a grim look as she slowly nodded. “So…even death didn’t cleanse you of that. And you’ve already used it once.”

To say I was stunned would be a vast understatement. I was horrified beyond belief. Terrified. And enraged. I stormed back over to her and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up. “What did you do to me?!” I snarled.

“Didn’t you hear me?” she replied, gasping for breath, “You have the abilities of a High Fae now!”

“What’s going to happen to him?!” Ember snarled.

“If…nothing happened by now…nothing else will!” Chrysalis said breathlessly. Turning to me, she added, “I needed…a mate…and you…fit!”

Suddenly realizing just what I was doing, I released her and she fell back onto the bed, coughing and gasping for air. Good rulers never lost their cool like that. I took a deep breath and exhaled, forcing myself to calm down. “Alright…well, it’s too late to do anything about it now,” I said bitterly. “No matter what you did, in that moment you assaulted a Knight of Equestria. As I still hold that title, I need to report this to the princesses. I’ve been compromised.”

“No…you haven’t,” Chrysalis said as she slowly sat up and looked at me. “You should have morphed into a High Fae by now…” She pointed to her horn. “With this magic dampening ring on me, I can’t tell what happened.”

“You expect me to remove your horn so you can teleport out of here?” I asked incredulously.

“I don’t have the strength to do anything like that,” she said, “and besides, Changelings can’t teleport. That’s a Pony only thing.”

I frowned at her. “Why should I believe you?” I asked. “Why should I believe that you tried to change me into one of you?”

“The Equestrians have me in their custody,” she said, “and I can’t use my magic. What purpose do I have for lying to you?”

“To sow discord among us,” Ember pointed out.

Chrysalis sighed. “Okay, fine. Don’t believe me. Just let me die in peace then.”

Just then an idea came to mind. An idea that worried me, but one that might very well be the perfect compromise between death and simple imprisonment. She might have deserved the latter, but there was no way the former could be attempted. I straightened, then said, “No. You’re not dying today.” And I quickly removed the ring around her horn before Ember could protest. At the same time, I brought forth the vast amount of love and compassion I felt for my marefriend and all of my friends, focusing them towards her. “Eat up, damn it!”

I held her in a telekinetic grip so she couldn’t try and escape. She resisted at first, but I saw the ever-growing desire to feed. The hunger in her eyes. She growled. “Fuck you.” And then she opened her mouth. I felt something begin to drain out of me, and I saw a deep rosy red mist of energy flowing out of my chest. Her tongue began to glow as the mist touched it. The moment it did, her form began to shift and morph. She began to slowly grow larger. Her hair began to become fuller, her limbs began looking healthier and the pockmarks in her body began filling in. She’d barely been draining me for ten seconds when she stopped, closing her eyes as if in pain. “What…what is happening to me?!” she asked, sounding genuinely afraid as she began to lift off of the ground, glowing in a bright blue glow.

I let her go and watched with Ember as the air around her began to swirl. The chains attached to her wrists shattered, her wings spread, and something began streaming out of her mouth, surrounding her in a shimmering star-studded cocoon, or in her case, an actual insectoid chrysalis. This one was virtually identical to the ones I’d seen a week ago, at least in terms of shape. Hers was twice as large, and I could see the shape of her body casting a shadow on the chrysalis walls.

Then came the bright light.

Ember turned away, covering her eyes, but I didn’t seem to be affected, much as I hadn’t been before. The shadow of her body against the chrysalis vanished, but I heard strange, almost musical tones coming from within. If I had to describe them, they sounded like chimes. Slowly, I approached the chrysalis and touched it, putting my entire hand on its surface. A wave of light went out from where I touched it, enveloping the entire shell. I felt a small jolt like electricity on my hand and I pulled back in surprise. Cracks began to form around the spot where I had touched it. I retreated, the cracks letting out light twice as bright as what the shell was letting through. The chime sound only increased as the cracks spread. Finally, they began falling away, the shell fragments shattering into silvery white sparks the moment they hit the ground. Despite my vision not being impaired by the light, I could barely see a form from within, curled up into a ball. I gently used my magic to push Chrysalis over to the bed just in time to see her fall out of it, her body glowing a bright starlight blue glow.

As the chimes began to slowly fade away and the light dimmed, Ember finally looked out. “What…the fuck just happened?”

“She transformed,” I said as I approached cautiously.

As I did so, there was a loud knock at the door. “Your Grace! What happened? Are you alright in there??” The door was opened quickly, and the two guards rushed in.

“I’m fine,” I said, “but see to Princess Ember for a bit.”

The guards approached her, but she gave them each a solid glare. “I’m fine,” she snarled, then rejoined me, standing by my side as the light emanating from Chrysalis finally vanished.

“Be careful, Your Grace,” one of the guards said as I slowly approached the still curled up new form of the former Fae queen. “She’s crafty.”

“I also think she’s unconscious,” I said as I finally reached her bed. “But stay on guard just in case.” I leaned down and slowly grasped her shoulder.

And felt myself touching skin. Warm, hairless skin.

Slowly, I began to pull her apart until she was lying on her back, then took stock of the changes I saw in her. She was still a High Fae, there was no doubt, but she now had a remarkably humanoid appearance. Not as much as a full on Anthro form, but it was incredibly close.

Starting from her head, which now had a somewhat lighter bluish green wavy hair, which, along with a tail of the same color, now also seemed to flow in an ethereal wind. She had a single, solitary curved horn sticking out of her head. On the side of her head, she had elongated pointed ears which reminded me quite a lot of longer versions of Elf ears. However, as I looked, these ears swiveled slightly. When I opened her eyes, they no longer were the sickly green color they had once been, but instead were a deep emerald hue. She still had a similarly shaped face, but it looked a lot healthier than it had before.

As I looked down her body, I noted that her skin/chitin color was a lighter shade of gray, save for a patch of aquamarine skin around her chest. Where I saw a remarkably familiar pair of lumps with two smaller ones at the tips. How the fuck did Chrysalis get actual BREASTS?! I thought in complete and utter confusion as I moved my eyes down, still getting in as much details as I could before I covered her up.

Her former claws were now replaced with five more slender digits on each arm. They had the appearance of hands, but they still had sharp razor claws instead of nails. When I examined her new fingers, I even saw a very unusual shaped fingerprint pattern on each of them. Her hips weren’t too wide, but the more animalistic part of me still found them extremely attractive. Her hooves were replaced with clawed and webbed human-like feet.

I was so engrossed in the completely unexpected changes in her, that I didn’t initially notice the goosebumps forming on her skin. When I saw a shiver, I grabbed the thick comforter and put it over her. Her brow was furled, but the moment the blanket covered her, I saw the unconscious High Fae relax slightly. After slipping the magic dampening ring around her horn, I turned to the equally stunned guards and Ember. “I need the Princesses to see this right away. Can one of you call them down here for me?”

The Unicorn guard nodded, and vanished in a flash of teleportation. When he was gone, Ember slowly approached Chrysalis. “What in the hells happened to her? Why does she look so strange?”

I shook my head. “I honestly don’t know,” I replied. “But let’s go outside. She apparently needs her sleep.”

Ember, myself, and the remaining Pegasus guard walked out, and I pulled out my key, shutting and locking the door behind me. I took a seat on one of the benches nearest her cell and leaned back, closing my eyes and thinking hard about what the fuck had just happened. I felt Ember sit beside me and heard her sigh. I wasn’t sure what to say. It all happened so fast.

A few minutes passed, and then I heard the telltale sound of magical teleportation. Three distinct sounds. I opened my eyes to see a serious looking Celestia and Luna standing there, the Unicorn guard behind the two. “What happened, Jethro?” Celestia said without preamble.

I held out the key. “Take a look for yourself.”

Luna quickly took the key in her magic, unlocked the cell, and the two Princesses quickly entered, followed close behind by the two guards. As they did that, I looked down at Ember. She had her own eyes closed, looking particularly exhausted as she leaned her head back against the wall. So vulnerable. Even if she was more than three times my age, she still had a lot of stress in her brows. I leaned back once more, looking up at the ceiling.

About a minute later, a stunned pair of Princesses slowly walked out of the cell, the guards close behind. The Unicorn closed and locked the door behind them. As the two Princesses came over to me, I gently nudged Ember, who sat up, opened her eyes and looked around. The two princesses exchanged glances with me and Ember.

We just sat there, not saying anything for a while until I finally broke the silence. “So…what the fuck do we do now?”

Author's Note

I'm sure this will be a dividing chapter among you readers, but I can assure you, there's a reason for what happened and why it happened.

118: A Cloaked Heart's Request

“I don’t know what to tell you, Princesses, Emperor,” a Pony doctor said as she looked over the still unconscious Chrysalis thirty minutes later. Her name was Dr. Health Watcher. She had a red cross for a cutie mark, was a light blue in color and had a bright red mane and tail. Her bright green eyes flashed with frustration as she stepped back, her green magic lowering Chrysalis’ new arm back onto the bed. “I don’t know what caused a transformation like this.”

Beside her, a random Fae named Tibia, who had been fetched since she identified herself as a drone nurse, was using the new claws on her forelegs to look at Chrysalis’ new wings. The wings seemed to be made of translucent bright feathers which were colored a bright sapphire blue. They had a very unusual shape as well, at least for an insectoid. They were very much like my own in terms of shape.

Tibia put the wings down then turned, shaking her head. The quadrupedal Fae drone had a dark green set of chitin, long dark black hair, brown eyes and a slightly brighter set of elytra which hid her wings. “I’m just a Fae healer,” she said in a shaky voice as she cautiously stepped away from her former queen. “I don’t have a clue what happened.” She bowed to me, Celestia and Luna. “Please forgive me!”

“Calm down, Tibia,” I said, raising a hand, “there’s nothing to forgive.”

“This is new to all of us,” Celestia said kindly. “Go ahead and go back to healing your kind. We’re sorry to drag you away from them.”

Tibia shook her head fervently. “N-No, it’s alright,” she said, waving her claw. “I know it sounds strange coming from me, but I’m just glad to see she’s at least alive and well.”

“We do take care of our prisoners as much as we are able,” Luna said with a nod. “Now go. There are still wounded Fae who need your care.”

With that, Tibia nodded and was escorted back to the barracks where the wounded were being kept. I looked back down at Chrysalis, approaching and kneeling to touch her neck, feeling for a pulse. It still surprised me just how silky smooth her new skin was, if it could be at all called skin. I found a pulse, steady at least. It surprised me just how ethereally beautiful she had become in so short a time. I stood and looked back at Celestia, Luna and Ember, who were all standing aside and watching me with varying degrees of concern. “Something wrong?” I asked.

Ember looked at the diarchs, then back at me. “Pretty sure they’re thinking about what you said about having Scalechanger abilities now.”

I raised my hands. “Hey now, I’ve no idea how to use them, and I don’t know if what Chrysalis said was true or not.”

“Still, you cannot deny that your change during your battle with Dragon Lord Torch did have a display of Changeling power,” Luna retorted.

I nodded. “Aye, I know that. And if I do have Fae abilities, then I’ll have to learn to control them and use them, but until I’m doubly sure, I’m not your enemy. Not on the Fae front, at any rate. And speaking of,” I added, turning to Chrysalis, “I’ve come up with an idea that might be a worthy compromise to the dilemma of what to do with her.”

“What idea?” Celestia asked, frowning suspiciously.

Before I could answer, Chrysalis began to stir. She groaned slightly, her wings fluttering behind her as she slowly began to open one eye, then the other. “Wha…what happened?” she asked, and the shift in her voice was noticeable. Before, there had been a slight warble present in her tone, but now, not only was the warble gone, but her voice had changed slightly. It sounded a little bit higher, but still extremely feminine. In fact, I guessed that she might have a beautiful singing voice. Her eyes shot open when she heard her own voice. Reaching up, she clutched at her throat and said, “Is that my voice…is that…my…voice…?” she trailed off as she looked down at her now human-like but still clawed hands. “What trickery is this?” she asked, less in anger and more in terror now.

Slowly, I approached her again. “Chrysalis, take deep breaths, okay?”

She ignored me as she sat up and threw the blanket off of her, exposing her new and naked form. She used her hands to touch herself all over, eyes wide with horror. “By the Helper! What happened?! What happened to my body!?” She must have sat up too fast because she clutched her head and moaned, “Ooow…”

I was immediately by her side, as was Dr. Watcher. I grasped Chrysalis’ shoulders. “Look at me, Chrysalis. Look at me!”

Startled out of her panic, the trembling High Fae queen looked at me, her emerald colored eyes wide with confusion, fear and questioning. “What…what happened?” she asked, sounding more subdued than before.

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” I replied. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Her brow furled and she looked down at the floor, deep in thought. “We…we were talking…” she began, “and…you removed the ring…and I fed…then a bright light. That’s all I remember.” She closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds, then opened them. “I don’t remember anything else after that.”

“I see,” I said calmly. “Do you remember when your former drones transformed a week ago?” When she gave me a nervous nod, I continued, “It looks like something similar happened to you. You were encased in a cocoon which changed you into…this.” I gestured towards her naked form, which I hastily covered with the blanket.

She instinctively grabbed onto said blanket and wrapped it around her like a shawl. “I…I don’t feel hungry anymore,” she said in a trembling voice. “Not…not for love, anyway.” As if to confirm this, we all heard a strange sound that nobody would ever expect to come from an insectoid quadruped or biped.

A growling stomach.

Her hand immediately went to her new slender but still strong looking stomach, and I saw a hint of red appear on her cheeks. “What…was that?” she asked, sounding mortified as she looked down at herself.

I turned back and saw Celestia actually smiling in amusement. “You’re hungry in another sense,” she explained. “Hungry for real food, not love.”

Chrysalis locked eyes with the solar diarch, apparently finally noticing the others in the room. She flinched and backed away, on the defensive immediately. I heard something that sounded like something hardening coming from the High Fae. I turned back and noticed that her new skin had become slightly reflective. Quickly, I reached out and touched her exposed arm, only to feel the hardness of chitin once more. Her wings were spread immediately, sending the blanket flying and I heard a hiss escape her lips. “You…” she said with a trembling voice.

“Yes, me,” Celestia said. She turned to the guards. “Tell the kitchen to prepare something for our guest. And tell the staff to prepare a set of guest quarters on the first floor. Windowless, of course, and well-guarded.”

Chrysalis’s ears swiveled slightly back, and once more I marveled at just how much like an Elven set of ears they looked. “What are you planning?” she growled, more out of fear than anger, although that was clear in her tone as well.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” I said, looking at Celestia. “This is the Emperor talking now. Why are you taking her out of her cell and giving her a room?”

Celestia immediately put on her Princess persona. “Am I not allowed to do with my prisoner as I wish?” she asked, standing tall and proud.

I rose to my full height, despite still being shorter than her. “You are, but she’s still dangerous, even if she’s an Elf now.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, then looked back at Chrysalis. An amused smile played over her face. “Indeed, she is quite Elvish in appearance,” she replied, then turned back to me. “Believe me when I say she will be very well guarded.”

“Hmmm…alright…but if she manages to escape, I’m holding you responsible,” I said as I turned back to Chrysalis.

She had a very confused expression on her face. “Wait…why now of all times?” she asked.

Celestia looked down at the humanoid Fae. “I can’t sense any magic from you with that ring on your horn,” she said, indicating it with a gesture from her hoof, “and you’re actually talking to me, which is a step above saying nothing. I hardly like to imprison anypony, and with you not needing to feed on love anymore, or so I guess, then I don’t see why we can’t get you a nicer room.”

“A gilded cage is still a cage,” Chrysalis said without emotion.

“Of course it is,” Luna said, “but there’s nothing that’s stopping us from making your imprisonment at least ponane.”

Chrysalis scoffed. “Ponane…that word itself shows you Ponies have that superiority complex over other races. Do I look like a Pony to you?” She cast aside her blanket, once more revealing her model-like figure. She quickly stood and gestured down towards her new form. “Well?!”

I was surprised to see Celestia taken slightly aback by this. Not that I could blame her. The use of Pony puns in words I took for granted, like anypony, somepony etc. did project a sense of superiority. I sighed and looked at her. “You’d rather say faeane, then?” I asked. “I heard you say anyfae before, so there’s the pot calling the kettle black. Ponane, faeane, humane, they mean the same thing. She’s trying to treat you well. Are you planning on staying here in your cell?”

Chrysalis stared at me hard, but not in quite the same way as before. Some, if not most, of her hostility had apparently vanished with her change. She clenched her fists, but when she exhaled, I saw her relax, but not in relief, but in acceptance. She sat and looked down at the floor, placing her hands in her lap. “Do with me what you will,” she said.

Celestia and Luna both seemed both satisfied by this answer and a bit concerned for her new behavior. Even I was a bit worried. Celestia turned to me and asked, “Do you have anything she can wear? She does need some new clothes.”

I nodded. “I’ve got some spare clothes I took with me when I flew to Aelyssia,” I said. “Want me to go grab some for her?”

“Please do,” Celestia said as two of the guards walked over to stand beside the still sitting Chrysalis. “Meet us in the first floor guest hall.”

“Sure thing. Ember, come with me.” And with that, I strode out of the prison cell, Ember following close behind.

As we passed Fuego’s cell, Ember took a sidelong glance at it. “What about him? He can’t just stay here.”

“If Chrysalis was telling the truth, his mind is long gone,” I replied as we exited the cell block. “If he was still sane, he’d be punished, but if he isn’t putting on a performance in there, going insane is punishment enough.” So saying, I spread my wings and flew up the stairwell.

Ember followed close behind me. “Yeah, I guess so, but still, he can’t stay in there.”

“He won’t,” I said as I reached the main floor and landed. “I’ll have him brought back to Aelyssia and have someone watch over him. Maybe he can be healed. Until then, I don’t think he needs any more kind of punishment.”

As the two of us walked to my room, Ember remained silent, a thoughtful look on her young looking face. In that moment, I saw something that had been missing from her since we met: a look of wisdom from over a hundred years of experience, even if said experience was just surviving and living from meal to meal. Not wanting to interrupt whatever thoughts she was having, we just walked side by side, the Emperor and the potential future Dragon Lord, or was it Dragon Lady? Either way, it took us awhile until we reached my room. I opened the door, and the sound of the latch opening snapped Ember out of her reverie. “Do you think he’ll be alright?” she asked as I walked into my room, Ember close behind. “Do you think he’ll ever be sane again?”

As I pulled out a spare change of clothes from my pack, I paused. Ember sounded concerned for the older insane Dragon. I turned and faced her. “I honestly have no answer. You forget, I come from a world where there is absolutely no magic. Insanity from magical draining of love isn’t something I’ve heard before. But there may be a chance. I don’t know much about Dragons, but if you and Spike are any good example, it’s that there is some measure of strength in your race despite both of you being very small.” I paused, then chuckled. “God, I sounded just like someone from Middle-Earth. But I meant what I said. We have healers who can try and treat him.”

Ember nodded. “I used to look up to him. Called him Uncle Fuego. Is it weird that I miss him?”

“I don’t think so,” I said as I walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. “Emotions are a weird thing. They can conflict with your mind. But don’t ever think yourself weak for feeling them. That’d be like feeling weak for being yourself. I’m not gonna force you to blab about what you’re feeling, but I don’t think it’s wrong to feel emotions.”

“Yeah…I’m starting to realize that,” she said with a defeated sigh.

“Come on. Let’s go,” I said, gesturing to the door. “We don’t have much more time until the Council reconvenes, and I have a few things more to say as the Emperor.”

“Such as what?” Ember asked.

“Such as my new plans for Chrysalis if Celestia and Luna turn her over to the Empire,” I said.

“What plans are those?” she asked. After I told her, her expression became a worried one. “You think she’ll accept that?”

“It’s less if she’ll accept it, but rather if Dragons will accept it as a suitable punishment for her,” I replied.

Ember walked in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. “And what if she says no?” she asked.

“Celestia’s not an idiot,” I said. “I’m pretty sure she’ll see the worth of my idea. Besides, a compromise has been described as just something that neither party really likes but can accept. I don’t like the idea really, but I know it’s a lot better than death. Besides, it might be beneficial to her in the end.”

“How?” Ember asked incredulously.

“By teaching her some basic humility.”

Ember considered that for a moment, and then she stepped back to my side. As we continued walking, we eventually reached the first floor guest room when she finally replied, “It would be humiliating to her, yes. I think that most, if not all Dragons might accept it. If put in the right way.”

“I assume you know how to say it?” I smirked.

She chuckled. “I’m smarter than most Dragons back home. I think I can convince them.”

“Let’s hope so,” I said as we approached the room where two guards stood. They straightened as I approached, but I held up a hand. “At ease. Are Princesses Celestia and Luna in there?”

“Yes, Your Grace,” a white furred and blue maned Pegasus stallion guard replied.

“Can you call them out here for me? Ember and I have something to say to them in private away from Chrysalis.”

He nodded, then knocked on the door. “Your Highnesses? Emperor Jethro requests both of your presence outside for a private talk.”

The door slowly opened, and both Celestia and Luna stepped outside. The door shut behind them, and Celestia, who had a small smile on her face, said, “I see you brought some clothes for our new castle guest.”

“I did,” I said, “but that’s not the main reason I wanted to see you and Luna outside.”

“Indeed? Has something transpired?” Luna asked, instantly on alert.

I chuckled. “Nothing that might need a warrior Princess like you,” I said teasingly, then stepped aside. “Walk with me for a bit. I have a proposition for you two. One that might actually solve our Council debate about what to do with Chrysalis.”

There was stunned silence in the Council chambers an hour later. All eyes were turned to the now dressed and humble looking Chrysalis as she stood in the room. Her wings were folded tightly behind her as she looked down at the floor, focusing solely on the smooth marble patterns. She was wearing one of my green t-shirts and gray sweatpants. She was wearing a spare pair of shoes on her new human-like feet, although it had been a tight fit thanks to her claws. I resolved to find her some shoes from Earth or have someone in Equestria make some for her. Both her wrists and ankles were chained, and she stood beside me.

After I had helped her with her temporary clothes, she had been brought some tomato soup, mostly on my insistence since I had no idea if she could stomach any normal solid food for a while. She had spilled a good portion of the soup onto my clothes, but it had been quickly removed with magic. When she said she was full, we waited nervously to see if her body had any reaction to anything other than love going down her throat. When nothing abnormal happened, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

That is, until the poor queen pissed herself, soaking the pants I’d lent her.

To say she was utterly humiliated would have been an understatement. She was mortified and pretty much had an emotional breakdown. She blamed me, blamed the Dragons, blamed the world, basically blamed anyone she could think of for her predicament. By the end of her breakdown, she was screaming and bawling hard, tears streaming down her cheeks. Celestia, Luna and I did our best to calm her down, and in the end she did calm down a little. However, by that time, it was about ten minutes until the reconvening of the Council.

And that was when she requested, in an unusually humble tone, if she could sit in and listen.

Which is how the scene that was currently playing out came to be.

Nobody looked as shocked to see the transformed queen as were Thorax and Pharynx. They both blinked in complete and utter astonishment at what they saw. In fact, they looked twice as shocked as anyone else in the Council chamber.

It was Pinkie who moved first. She jumped up onto the table and nimbly bounced over to where Chrysalis stood, looking over her with a hard squint. Chrysalis didn’t move at all, instead letting Pinkie pop around, looking her over with curiosity. Then, she did something I didn’t expect.

She sniffed at Chrysalis’ hair and licked it.

I quickly grabbed the pink mare and pulled her away. “Pinkie?! What the hell was that?!” I asked in shock, then quickly looked back towards the defeated looking High Fae. However, she still hadn’t moved from her position.

“She tastes and smells half like you,” Pinkie said plainly.

I turned back to her. “Still, even if she is a prisoner, you were very rude, young lady.” I reached up and flicked her nose before putting her down. “And she’s wearing my clothes. Of course she’d smell a little like me.”

Pinkie shook her head. “That’s not it,” she said. “If it was her clothes, it wouldn’t smell as strong as it does.”

My anger quickly gave way to confusion. “What do you mean?” I asked.

Pinkie looked up at me with as serious a face as I had ever seen on her. “Emperor Jethro, I used to work on a rock farm,” she said. “I was trained, along with my sisters, to detect certain gemstones buried inside rocks not just by weight and shape, but by smell and taste. We Pies have really good senses of taste and smell. And I’m telling you, she smells half like her old self, and half like you.”

With those words echoing in my head, she turned and walked back to her seat, sitting down quietly.

Silence reigned once more. After another half a minute, Princess Redclaw spoke. “In my kingdom, we have many legends about the Furwalkers. Some say they can turn themselves invisible to the naked eye. Others claim they will bed their victims and drain them dry. And then there’s the Song of Change and Changeless. I won’t recite it here, but it’s a story about a young Abyssinian lord of twenty who saved a wounded Furwalker child. He raised her in secret, teaching her right from wrong. He even fed her using his own love for her as a source. She grew and became a strong warrior. She wore the fur of our kind whenever she was out in public, and reverted to her true form in private.”

“Where are you going with this?” Amethyst interrupted angrily.

“I was getting to that,” the princess said calmly. “During her twentieth birthday, she lost control of her abilities and changed into a form quite similar to the old one of Chrysalis here. It happened in public, and she was quickly cast out of the city, along with the lord. However, he didn’t care as long as he was with his adopted daughter. It was then that she underwent a strange change. She changed into a mix of Abyssinian and Furchanger. They were never seen again after that day, but the song ends with them reported as being seen often in the old forests before the desert overcame them.”

“What does this have to do with the Chrysalis before us now?” the Caribou ambassador Frieda asked.

“It might be pertinent since she looks more like Emperor Jethro than anycat-no, anyone-else in this room,” Redclaw said. “But only he can answer this next question. Your Grace, is Chrysalis in a form of a female human?”

I looked at Chrysalis once more, then slowly turned back to the Council. “She has more human features than anyone else I can see here. There is even a spell that can change Ponies into a more humanlike appearance, but even that can’t come close to how close Chrysalis’ new form is to that of a human female.”

“As fascinating as this is,” Silverstorm said, “how does it affect us?”

“It’s just a tale that came to mind,” Redclaw replied. “I don’t know how relevant it could be.”

“Far be it from me to interrupt your story,” I said, “but I actually have something to say in regards to her. It’s one reason why I was okay with her coming here.” I turned to Celestia. “As Emperor of Aelyssia, Chrysalis must pay for her crimes against my Empire and its citizens.”

“As long as you are planning on executing her, I will not allow that,” Celestia said. Of course, this was a farce. She knew my plans regarding Chrysalis as I had talked to her and Luna about it before helping Chrysalis into her clothes, and both had reluctantly approved of them since the alternative was worse.

“Ember and I have discussed this,” I said, “and we believe we have a compromise that might work.” I paused a bit, then continued. “Now, please keep in mind that I don’t make this request lightly. I know what Equestria’s own laws are on the request I’m about to make, and while I’m sure there might be some Dragons disappointed by my actions, Ember told me that most of my subjects are likely to agree to my terms of her punishment. Ember and I have also discussed the death penalty, and we’ve agreed that it’s too good for her. She needs to be taught some humility, first.”

“Just tell us, already!” Amethyst growled impatiently.

Ignoring her outburst, I leaned forward, placing my hands on the table, folding them as I focused all of my attention on Celestia and Luna. “I intend to make Chrysalis my personal slave.”

Night had fallen, and I sat in my room’s private hot bath, soaking and relieving the stresses of the day. The bath resembled a smaller version of a bathhouse’s own. The bathroom tiles, all made of white marble, lay all around the room, and even in the rectangular bath which held the water where I sat. From one spout, made in the pattern of a rearing horse, steaming water sprang from its mouth and into the bath. On the main floor, there were three grated holes for water drainage. There was a large mirror nearby which was fogged up now thanks to the heat. The room itself was also filled with steam.

I slowly lowered myself into the water, allowing the heat to wash over the rest of me until finally I was completely submerged in the massive rectangular water filled depression in the room. All sound ceased and my thoughts wandered.

Celestia, despite knowing my request, had still not been entirely happy with my intention of making Chrysalis a slave, but it was actually Ember who had explained that, to a race as pride filled as the Dragons, being anyone’s slave could very well be worse than a death sentence, and in the current case especially, since I wasn’t a Dragon and Chrysalis was a known enemy of said race of reptiles.

Chrysalis hadn’t very much reacted to my request despite having first heard it just at that moment. In fact, she seemed more to be resigned to said fate. Her ears had been the clearest sign of that, since they’d swiveled back slightly.

Celestia and Luna both had agreed to turn over Chrysalis as well as Fuego, and once the First Council of Equestria had ended, they would be turned over to me and Ember.

With that, the topic turned to other things, such as territorial dispute between the Lycan Empire and the Cervinia Citadel which had been ongoing for many generations of their kind, and then even more discussions about proposed roads and who would fund them and where. These talks and much more went on until the ringing of the dinner bell at six in the evening.

After eating a quiet meal by myself, I’d returned to my room, run a bath and had been sitting in it for at least fifteen or so minutes. I blew air out of my nose and slowly sank to the bottom of the four foot high bath, letting the watery silence wash over me.

Only for me to hear someone entering the bath with me. Then another.

I opened my eyes, but since everything was incredibly blurry, I couldn’t see who it might be. Only a white and gray pair of legs and a dark gray pair.

I pushed myself up and out of the water, letting my long hair fall back behind me as I emerged from the water. As I wiped the water from my eyes, a familiar, deep and soothing voice said, “Love, does something trouble you?”

Before I could respond, I heard another familiar voice add, “You’ve been avoiding everypony all day. What’s up, dude?”

I opened my eyes and saw, to my surprise, the anthropomorphic forms of both Zecora and Scarlet, both wrapped up in white towels to preserve their temporary dignity. I raised an eyebrow at this, then raised my hand. Summoning a smaller towel, I wrapped it around my waist, then slowly walked over to one of the edges of the bath and sat. As Zecora and Scarlet moved to take spots on either side of me, Zecora on my right and Scarlet on my left. As they pressed themselves against me, I leaned back and looked at the domed ceiling. “Sorry about that,” I said with a weary tone, “I just needed some time to myself to think about everything that’s been going on.”

I felt Zecora put her arm through mine, and then Scarlet did the same. However, it was Scarlet who spoke. “Celestia did tell us about how you might need some time to yourself, but I just couldn’t wait! I’m sorry, but I had to see you!”

I slowly turned and saw a look of worry and fear passing over Scarlet’s face. I reached down and took her hand in mine, my fingers intertwining with hers. “Thank you for checking up on me,” I said, then I turned to Zecora and repeated the gesture, holding her hand tightly. “Both of you. This past week has been…more than stressful. It’s been one thing after another. I just…want a break. I want to go home, maybe binge watch some Netflix show, play some video games, spend some time with you and my other friends, decorate the house for Christmas…”

A pair of lips pressed against my cheek. I slowly glanced over and saw Scarlet was the perpetrator. Her eyes were closed and I could feel her wing wrapping itself around me slowly. Another pair of lips pressed against my other cheek. At both of these kisses, I felt a smile come to my face, and I slowly spread my wings, wrapping both of them up in them. “Thank you, you two,” I said gently.

As the two pulled away, Scarlet said, “Can I stay with you tonight? With you and Zecora? I’d feel a lot better if I knew you were safe.”

I chuckled. “I’m being constantly guarded by Gemini, Mica and my new honor guard. Unless an entire army is summoned by some dark lord I don’t know about, I doubt anybody is gonna come through those doors.” However, when Scarlet gave me a glare, I sighed. “It’s fine with me if you stay. Zecora?”

My marefriend nodded. “That was part of our intention on coming here, anyway,” she said with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

I tilted my head. “Only part? What else did you come here for?” I asked.

Scarlet’s face went red slightly. “Remember what you promised me before you left for the Dragon Lands?” she asked, slowly reaching out and putting a hand on my thigh, her fingers wrapping around it gently but firmly. “Well, I asked Zecora, and it’s okay with her. But is it okay with you?”

I slowly looked down at the hand wrapped around my thigh, then back at the nervous and blushing mare. I focused my gaze on her, and thought back to all of my interactions with her over the past few months…

“It’s too early for this shit…”

“Oh God, you found Game of Thrones?! You’re not gonna start quoting that around foals, are you?”

“I swear, you’re a monster. Of my own creation, but still…”

“Oh my God! How horny are you!?”

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. There could no longer be any denying it. I loved Zecora deeply. Nothing in the world could ever change that. But there were certain stirrings in my heart. A deep warmth and fondness was what I had initially started to feel for Scarlet after her confession to me. And despite not consciously thinking much about it due to constant trouble and events keeping me busy, I quickly realized, in that very moment, that what I felt for Scarlet could hardly be described in words. Much like how my love for Zecora couldn’t be, but not in quite the same manner.

I had fallen in love with Scarlet as well, and it excited and terrified me to my core.

I felt a pair of slender arms wrapping around me from behind. Zecora pressed herself against me, her bosom squishing into my back. Without my hearing it, she had removed her towel. “Jethro, my love,” she whispered, “don’t be afraid. I can tell you love her as you love me. Don’t hesitate. Scarlet and I are here for you.”

“And we always will be,” Scarlet said. She stood, and with a warm but seductive smile, she reached up and removed the towel around her chest. It fell into the bath, revealing her absolutely stunning form to me. Her smile turned into a grin and she pressed her breasts together with her hands. “You like what you see, big boy?”

I looked up at her and grinned back. “Oh my God…how horny are you?”

“Come take me, and find out,” she cooed as Zecora released me. Scarlet waded over, straddled me, and wrapped her arms around me. Her lips crashed into mine, and I knew then that there was no going back.

I had officially started a herd.

Author's Note

As always, the next chapter might be a little later in coming out than normal since I'll be releasing two at once. You know what that means! You get to be subjected to my horrible clop writing! Or skip it! I don't mind either way! It's good practice haha!

119: A Cloaked Heart And A Fourth Joining*

Author's Note

Yeah, so...enjoy? I hope? And once more, feel free to skip this chapter if sex scenes aren't your fancy.

119: A Cloaked Heart And A Fourth Joining*

Scarlet’s kiss wasn’t quite like any kiss I received from Zecora since we started dating. Her own kisses were more inexperienced, but still completely full of passion, desire and indeed, love. A part of me wondered just how I was feeling those emotions from her more clearly than I ever had before, but that was pushed out of my mind as I felt a hand tugging at the towel around my waist. It came loose, revealing my now alert and not-so-little soldier.

Scarlet broke the kiss and gazed lovingly into my eyes as her hand wrapped around my manhood. “My my,” she cooed seductively as her eyes narrowed at me and she squeezed. “Feels like not so little Jethro is awake for me at last.”

Another pair of hands began moving from my stomach up my body, moving to my chest. I turned back and was immediately met with Zecora’s lips pressing deeply against mine. One of her arms wrapped around my neck, the other cradled the back of my head lovingly. I wrapped my hand around her and kissed her eagerly back, moaning softly as Scarlet began stroking me slowly.

A half minute later, Zecora broke the kiss, and I barely had a chance to breathe before Scarlet kissed me again. My free hand I wrapped around her just as Zecora began kissing my neck. I even felt some tongue experimentally pressing further in. I opened wider, allowing entrance and soon our tongues were dancing around, struggling for dominance as I felt her hand removed from my member, only for Zecora to wrap her tongue around the tip, slowly swirling it.

I quickly pulled away after about a minute, panting hard as I said, “Let’s…let’s go to the bed to continue…hah…”

Scarlet’s eyes widened in eagerness as she jumped out of the bath. Zecora, however, lingered for a few seconds more, gazing up at me with incredibly sexy bedroom eyes as she gave the tip one more swirl, then a gentle kiss before she stood.

Five or so minutes later, I had cast a Cone of Silence spell around the room, one which would last for a couple of hours at least. We had all dried thanks to the extra towels and a magically powered hot air blower. Scarlet all but dragged me to bed, shoving me onto my back in the large bed. She was immediately on top of me, hands around my wrists and pinning me to the bed. She gazed down at me, a mixture of lust and love painted on her dark gray face and in her deep red eyes. She leaned down, her long crimson mane covering both our faces so the warm light from the fire dimmed, leaving us in our own little world. Once more, our lips locked and she pressed her body eagerly against mine, moving her breasts up and down my chest with a moan.

Below me, I once more felt Zecora’s lips wrapping around my erection, only this time she moved her head even lower, inhaling my length slowly as Scarlet deepened the kiss between us. I wrapped my arms around the Anthro Pegasus, pulling her closer, slowly teaching her the intricacies of a kiss by example. Thankfully, much like her flying lessons, she was a quick study, and soon we were once more pressing our lips further against each other. She moaned softly as I reached down and took a handful of her ass in my hand, squeezing gently but still firmly.

As we broke the kiss, she pushed her mane aside, letting the light back in. “Oh Jethro,” she said softly as she moved slowly off of my body so I could see just what Zecora was doing. To my surprise, the Anthro Zebra had not only continued deepthroating me, but had wrapped her large breasts around my twitching manhood, squeezing together eagerly. She looked up at me, gave me a warm and seductive smile, then in one single motion, moved her head down and took the entire length in her mouth.

I arched my back as sudden waves of pleasure spread all across my body, but I wasn’t given much rest as Scarlet took my hand and placed one on her left breast. “Please…show me how you touch them,” she said in a pleading voice.

Still somewhat recovering from Zecora’s sudden onslaught of a boobjob and blowjob mix, it took me a few seconds to orient myself, but soon both my hands were on Scarlet’s large breasts, squeezing them and gently pinching the nipples. Her smile vanished only to be replaced with a look of extreme lustful pleasure. She arched her back and gasped, her hand going right between her thighs as she rubbed there gently. “Oh…fuck…” she moaned softly.

When I pulled her forward, she didn’t resist. I wrapped my lips around one of her breasts, my tongue swirling around her areolas and my teeth brushing against the nipple, gently squeezing down. She inhaled sharply in surprise, but immediately relaxed as she put her free hand on the back of my head and pulled me forward. “That’s it…” she moaned, “taste them, baby…don’t stop…oh fuck!”

I, too, was moaning more now, especially since Zecora had only sped up her ministrations on my now throbbing member. I was thrusting up into her now as I licked and sucked on Scarlet’s breasts, alternating between them and making them very damp. She arched herself up and I felt a small shudder run through her body. To my amusement, a small squeak passed from her lips, but I chose to ignore it. This was a special moment for her, me and Zecora, and I would not be the one to ruin it.

Instead, I sucked and licked her breasts all the harder, making Scarlet moan even more. “Oh Jethro! How does this feel so good?!” she asked as she wrapped her arms around my head tightly, abandoning her own self pleasure in order to assure that I didn’t move. “More, more!”

This gave me the opportunity to put my own fingers to work. I reached down and rubbed her quivering quim, which was now slick with arousal. I rubbed her down between her legs, only for her to tense up in surprise. However, I didn’t stop. Instead, I slipped a finger gently inside her, carefully exploring her. I could feel her tense up, so I didn’t move any more forward for the present.

Instead, I slowly looked up at her, pulling away. “Is this your first time?” I asked breathlessly as Zecora’s blowjob had become not only faster, but more audible.

Scarlet nodded, looking embarrassed. “You’ll be my first,” she confirmed.

I gently pulled my finger out, bringing it to my lips and licking my glistening hand. Her taste wasn’t the same as Zecora’s. Hers had a taste a lot like a misty autumn morning, like how you would expect a cold dew-filled morning smell would taste. She watched me do this in utter astonishment and with a blush on her face. I slowly removed my fingers from my mouth. “You taste amazing,” I said. Then, I began feeling the rush of my first orgasm approaching. “Ah…I’m so close!”

Quickly, Scarlet pulled away and joined Zecora. She reached down and began cupping my balls in her hands. This only sent a larger wave of pleasure up my body, making me involuntarily thrust upwards into the surprised Zebra’s mouth. “Almost…there…” I gasped.

“Don’t go hogging it all,” Scarlet whined.

Zecora grinned, came up for air, and began pumping my cock for all it was worth. “Not a chance,” she crooned. “Here, my dear Scarlet, have a taste!” She aimed my length directly towards Scarlet.

With that, I was sent over the edge, my first load shooting all over a surprised Scarlet’s face and massive tits. I grunted as I shot a second spurt, only this time Zecora turned my member back to her, giving herself a nice thick coat as well. Without hesitation, Zecora pulled Scarlet close to the tip. “Open wide,” she said, “he has an addicting taste as well.”

Scarlet did as she was told, wrapping her lips around me as another explosion of pleasure went through me. I could hear her audibly swallowing it eagerly. When she came back up after my final orgasm subsided, she licked and smacked her lips. “You’re right,” she grinned. “He does have an addicting taste.”

Once again, something inside me stirred. I sat up, grabbed Scarlet and Zecora both in my magic and practically tossing both of them onto their backs onto the bed. Zecora’s eyes sparkled in anticipation, but Scarlet was a bit stunned by my movements. Seeing this, Zecora reached down and took Scarlet’s hand. “Do not worry so much, my dear. We’ve simply awoken his instincts so near.” She looked back up at me, spreading her legs. “Which of us will you take first, beloved?”

Scarlet, upon seeing this, spread her own legs and placed her fingers on her pussy, spreading herself wide. “Come on, big man,” she cooed, “show us what you can do with that tongue.”

I grinned wide. “You’ve awoken the Dragon,” I said as I grabbed both of Zecora’s legs and pulled them further aside. “My, you’re glistening,” I said, immediately before I dove down and plunged my tongue deep into her depths.

I felt her legs immediately wrapping around my head and pulling me forward. A gasp and a moan escaped her lips as she pushed me deeper. “Yes…right there, dearest! Right-mmph!?”

Her words were cut off suddenly. When I looked up, I saw a sight I never thought I’d see. Scarlet had pulled Zecora closer and was making out with her. For a moment, I was worried that Zecora might push her away, thus ruining the moment between us. However, Zecora simply smiled, grabbed Scarlet’s mane, and pulled her forward. I felt at the same time proud of Zecora and more aroused than before. Seeing two mares, who I loved dearly, kissing each other with that kind of passion, further ignited the fires within me. So, I grabbed Zecora’s asscheeks in my hand, slowly lifted her up, and pleasured her with reckless abandon.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Scarlet not only fondling one of her breasts in one hand, but fingering herself eagerly with the other, lips still locked with Zecora. I continued my own pleasuring of my first lover for the next few minutes, occasionally looking up at the two mares. At some point, Zecora broke the kiss and pulled Scarlet closer to one of her breasts. “Does the lovely Pegasus want a taste?” she asked with a smirk.

Scarlet didn’t even hesitate. She wrapped her lips around Zecora’s large breasts, kissing and licking them. Nervously, at first, but as she continued, Zecora softly told her what to do. Soon, Zecora’s moans became louder and I felt a shiver rush all over her body as she finally came.

I smiled, placing the quivering Zebra down, only to turn to an anticipating Scarlet. She slowly broke away from Zecora and looked up at me, eagerness in her face. “I’m ready,” she said.

I grinned, deciding first to give her a bit of revenge for all of the teasing between us. “I’ll make sure of that,” I said as I spread her legs. Once more, my lips parted and my tongue slipped inside her.

“Nng, fuck! You…oooh…tease!” she whined as she arched her back and moaned, her wings spreading wide behind her almost automatically. “Oooh…GOD!” She groped her breast and squeezed hard. “Why…don’t other stallions do this?! It’s…heavenly!”

“Why not try it for yourself and see?” Zecora said, slowly moving to stand directly over Scarlet’s head, her hands between her legs and spreading herself open as she lowered herself onto Scarlet.

“Ah! But, I don’t know what I’m doi-MMPH!” Scarlet’s cries were silenced as Zecora placed herself directly onto Scarlet’s face. Zecora was facing away from me, and I could see her tail twitching eagerly.

“I’ll teach you,” Zecora cooed as she reached down, grabbed both sides of Scarlet’s head, and pulled her forward, burying Scarlet’s face between her thighs. “You can do it, my dear Scarlet.”

Judging from the sudden moans coming from Zecora, it seemed as if Scarlet had indeed begun to pleasure her new herdmate. I didn’t stop, of course. Instead, I stuck my tongue in deeper, and I could feel the shiver from Scarlet in response. I also heard the moan of surprise and pleasure from Scarlet as well. I saw the Pegasi reach up, grabbing Zecora’s ass with both her hands, and doubling her efforts to pleasure the Anthro Zebra.

As I continued searching for Scarlet’s G-Spot, Zecora began grinding slowly on her fellow lover’s face. “Oh yes…right there Scarlet…you’re a quick study,” she complimented, panting slightly as she continued to move closer. “Ah! Right there!” she said suddenly. “Riiight…theeeere…” she said again.

When I found a cluster of nerves inside Scarlet which made her tense up in alarm and pleasure, I knew I had found what she had found in Zecora. I swirled my tongue gently around it, receiving a loud moan from Scarlet as she, too, instinctively wrapped her legs around my neck. However, unlike Zecora, she was a bit too tight. At least, she would have been had I not been granted Earth Pony strength. I didn’t say anything, again not wanting to spoil her moment.

Zecora began grinding on Scarlet’s face, holding her head closer. “Just…a bit…mooooore!” And with that, Zecora gasped and just from the quiver that I saw passing through her, I knew she’d achieved release. With that, she slowly got off of Scarlet. I smirked when I saw the Pegasus’ face covered in Zecora’s love juices. Zecora turned to me. “She’s ready for you, my darling.”

When Scarlet nodded eagerly, I grinned and briefly came up to say, “Not yet, sexy. Not yet.” She whined, but nodded as I went back to pleasuring her.

I closed my eyes, focusing more on her taste and the arousing sounds she was making than anything else. I felt a warm presence next to me as Zecora leaned in behind me, pressing her tits into my back. “How does our new herdmate taste, Jethro?” she asked softly, whispering into my ear and nipping at it playfully. I gave a thumbs up, and Zecora giggled. “He likes your taste, Scarlet.”

“I-I’m glad!” Scarlet said, sounding extremely happy as she clenched harder around me. “I…I think I’m gonna-AAAH!” And with that, I learned something new about Scarlet that both impressed and excited me.

Scarlet. Was. A. Squirter.

My face was immediately soaked as she sprayed all over my face, startling both me and Zecora. She wrapped her legs around me tighter for a few seconds as her second orgasm of the night passed through her. Then, she released me and collapsed onto the bed, a quivering and drooling mess.

Now free of her, I sat up and looked down at her in surprise and amusement. I felt Zecora lick my face affectionately, then say, “My, that is quite a lot there, my dear Scarlet. You soaked his hair.”

Scarlet looked up at me, still recovering from her massive orgasm. “I…did that? Fuck…I’m sorry,” she said in a halting voice.

I smirked, and slowly got on top of her. My manhood was once more ready to go and hovered just in front of her dripping entrance. “Don’t be,” I said. “It just means you enjoyed it. How did it feel?”

“…Better than anything I could do alone,” she admitted. Her face was a deep red and she was acting rather shy suddenly. She looked down at my member, then back at me. “Is…is it time?”

“That depends,” I said, reaching out and stroking her mane gently. “Do you want it to be?”

She took a deep breath, then reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Be gentle, it’s my first time,” she said.

“Always,” I said. I grabbed my rod, then slowly maneuvered it towards her open and dripping vagina. “Are you ready?”

She nodded slowly, looking more nervous now, but also having an anticipatory look in her eyes. “Do it, master,” she begged, “Take this horny mare’s virginity! Claim me as yours!”

I chuckled, and slowly began to enter her. She squealed and inhaled sharply, pulling me closer. I stopped when I saw her clenching her teeth tightly as if in pain, waiting for her to tell me or indicate that the pain had stopped. She eventually relaxed, then nodded. I pushed in more, finally coming up against a thin wall. “One more thrust,” I whispered, “and your claims on being a maiden fair go out the window,” I smirked.

She pulled me down closer, then leaned in and whispered, “Defile me, then.”

With a single thrust of my hips, her hymen broke. Her arms tightened around me and I could see her wings quiver. Her vaginal walls clenched tightly around me, and as I looked down I saw her hips and thighs shaking. Looking back up at her, I once more waited to see if she wanted me to go further. Our eyes locked, and despite the pained look in her eyes, she said, “Keep…going…”

I stroked her chin. “Not yet,” I said, “you’re still in pain.”

Despite her protests, I waited until the look of pain on her face slowly morphed into pleasure before I pushed in deeper. I repeated this process over the next couple of minutes until I had managed to fit my entire length completely inside her.

Zecora had not been idle during this time. She was lying next to the two of us, right hand digging deep into her own still soaking marehood and left hand groping her massive breasts eagerly. She was watching the two of us. When I had finished entering her all the way, she said, “Wrap your legs around him. Don’t let him pull out. It feels amazing.”

Scarlet did as she was told, and I soon felt her smooth furry legs wrapping themselves around my waist. After a while, she leaned in, kissed me tenderly, then pulled back and said, “You can move, now. The pain is gone.”

And so, I did. Slowly, I moved backwards, keeping a close eye on her face with a loving and tender smile on my own lips. Then, when only the tip was still inside of her, I pushed forward. She was incredibly tight, her walls clenching eagerly around me as I pushed back inside her. She arched her back in response to this, her wings flapping slightly. “God…you feel so tight,” I said.

“You’re big!” she whimpered as I buried my face in her neck, one hand on a wrist I’d pried off of my neck, the other hand on her breast as I slowly pulled back out. Then, with a somewhat faster thrust, I pushed back in. Apparently overwhelmed by pleasure, she screamed, “FUCK! MORE, PLEASE! I NEED YOU!”

That stunned me for a bit, and I stopped for a couple seconds, but then her words lit a bigger fire in me, and I thrust inside of her even harder. She squealed in delight and continued to moan in pleasure as I sped up. Her words became incomprehensible, and her eyes rolled back as her tongue hung out of her mouth. I found myself kissing her deeply as she dug her nails into my back while I thrust in harder and deeper. When I opened my eyes and saw some tears streaming down her face, I quickly stopped thrusting and broke the kiss. “Are you alright?” I asked in concern.

She pulled me back closer and opened her eyes. She had the happiest smile on her face. “I’m just…so happy,” she said breathlessly.

My heart soared when I heard that, so I slammed inside of her in response. She gasped and shuddered, presenting her breasts to me. I immediately latched onto them, pleasuring them as much as I could, eagerly kissing and sucking on them as I pumped my manhood in and out of her dripping hole. “I’m so close,” I whispered in her ear.

“Please…cum inside me…” she pleaded. “I need to feel it…”

I sped up more at that, once more feeling the rush coming up. “Here…it…comes!” And with that, I shoved myself as deep as I could into the recently deflowered Scarlet, unleashing my second orgasm of the night inside her.

She gasped and her eyes went wide with astonishment and wonder. She quivered in my grasp, clenching around me with all parts of her. “Fuck! It’s so warm…” she gasped as a final shudder went through her before she went limp and collapsed, panting heavily, eyes glazed over in pleasure as my seed entered and overflowed from her.

Slowly, I pulled out of her, my seed spilling out onto the bed, staining the sheets with a mixture of her expression of love and my own. I smiled down at her warmly, then slowly turned a more predatory gaze towards Zecora. She was still pleasuring herself and our eyes locked. She smiled back at me, and slowly flipped herself onto her stomach, lifting her ass and moving her tail aside so I could see her own sopping wet marehood. “Take me, beloved.”

“Oh no, not yet,” I said, grinning wider as I lifted my hand, bringing it down hard on her left asscheek. I watched in satisfaction as her firm but large behind reacted with a shudder and a jiggle. “You need to be punished too, my dearest Zecora.”

She whimpered, but nodded and raised her ass even higher in the air. “Then do it, love! Make me learn my lesson!”

I grinned and chuckled evilly as I brought my hand up and smacked her other cheek, leaving a small handprint in its wake. She gasped and shuddered with each smack, moaning and begging me for more punishment. The more I did so, the harder my own organ became once more. Just seeing her like this and whimpering was enough to get me extremely excited. I licked my lips, biting my lower lip in anticipation as I finally stopped, then moved behind her, getting into position. “Now, now it’s time for your real punishment to being, my dear Zecora.”

“Yes…please sow your seed into meEEE!” She yelped in surprise as, with one single thrust, I slammed myself deep inside her crevasse. “Oh, yes sir! Yes! Punish me more!”

Grasping the base of her tail with one hand, I started pulling out, then slammed back into her, while at the same time smacking her ass and watching it jiggle with the impact of my hand and hips. She screamed in ecstasy and pushed back deeper into me, her eyes turned back to me, begging and pleading with them for more.

Scarlet, who was still recovering, was watching this with astonishment. She was still somewhat leaking down below, but even so, her hand went down to her marehood and began slowly rubbing. “That…is so hot,” she said with a soft and astonished voice.

I grinned wider and pushed Zecora’s face deep into the pillow. Her screams of pleasure became muffled, but didn’t diminish in terms of how much she screamed and cried out in eager delight. I slammed deeper and harder inside her, my still sensitive dick now regaining its strength so that I could give her one final release. “You are mine!” I growled, then turned to Scarlet, who’s eyes widened when she saw the lust and desire in my eyes. “You too!”

I barely heard Scarlet’s gasp as she put a hand to her lips, but I was too focused on Zecora at that moment to notice it too much. As my third and final orgasm for the night approached, I slowly let Zecora come back up for air. She gasped, but looked back at me with longing. “We are yours, my dear! NOW AND FOREVER!”

That was enough to send me over the edge. Well, that, and her final clenching of her vaginal walls around me as I erupted inside her, filling her once more to the brim with my seed. Yet another quiver went through my marefriend, and she took a sharp breath before slowly lying down on the bed, my cock slipping out of her. I came one more time, and her coat was stained with my last spurt.

Shakily, I stood up and looked down at my two lovers. My smile returned, and I used my magic to gently lift them up. Returning to the bath chamber, I set the two exhausted, but completely satisfied mares into the bath before grabbing a sponge and a bar of soap from the nearby sink. Lathering it up, I came and got back into the bath. Starting with Scarlet, I slowly and thoroughly cleaned them of any sweat or other fluids that might have gotten onto their manes and coats. All the while, I was smiling.

When I finally finished washing the two mares, who watched me do so with loving looks all their own, I sat between them, only to have the two press themselves against me. Slowly, I spread my wings and enveloped the two mares in them. I could feel them relax against me, and I too, sank down deeper into the water with them. I inhaled deeply, then turned to Zecora. “You planned this little encounter a bit too well, didn’t you?”

Zecora actually smirked and nodded. “You needed time to decompress, and I had already guessed your feelings for Scarlet long ago. What is it that your kind say? Two birds with one stone?”

I chuckled, then turned to a shy looking Scarlet. We stared at each other for a while before she said, “Jethro…does this mean…that…”

I grinned and splashed some water at her, chuckling. “You horny mare, do I look like the kind of guy who would make love to someone who’d confessed to me if I didn’t feel the same? Just as I love Zecora, I am in love with you, Scarlet Dusk.” I pulled her forward and touched my forehead to hers, closing my eyes as I finished, “I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize.”

She sniffed and I felt a pair of lips against my own. “Jethro…don’t apologize,” she said kindly. I opened my eyes and saw that she was looking at me with the deepest look of love I’d seen on her face. “Not only are we friends, but now we’re lovers. I love you too, Jethro.”

I slowly pulled both mares closer to me, and they both lay their heads on my shoulders. They put their own arms around me as I closed my eyes. In that moment, I was neither Sir Jethro of Equestria, or Emperor Jethro of Aelyssia. I was now just Jethro Edward Bethridge, only human (if I could be called that anymore) in Equestria, surrounded by my first marefriend and my second, newer marefriend. I leaned back, inhaled deeply, and closed my eyes. Everything felt right with the world in that moment, and I was content.

120: A Cloaked Heart's Dual Decisions

A foggy light poured in through the window the next morning, but I was warm, not just due to the thick blankets, but by the two mares who snuggled next to my naked sleeping form, draping themselves over me and breathing softly. I heard a soft wind blowing against the window, rattling it ever so slightly as I lay there, staring at the ceiling with a small smile on my face. A smile which only grew as Zecora slowly stirred, opening one eye and looking up at me with her gorgeous blue eye. I slowly blinked, then reached up and stroked her mane. She smiled wide, moved closer and locked lips with me, I melted into the kiss, running my hand through her mane as we made out.

A hoof tapped my chest, and I pulled away, only to see a pouting Scarlet looking at me. “What, nothing for me?” she asked.

I responded by grabbing a tuft of her mane, then pulling her forward to kiss her deeply. She squealed in surprise, but relaxed and pressed her lips harder against me, breathing in and out faster and faster with each passing second.

Finally, I broke the kiss and let her go. “Yep, I was right. There are definite upsides to being in a herd. At least I won’t have to worry about freezing to death,” I joked.

Scarlet rolled her eyes and smacked me with a wing. “Laugh it up, fuzzball,” she scoffed. “At least you shaved that Mirror Spock goatee.”

I ran my hand along my chin. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t really one for beards. I thought it made me look a bit more regal, but it just itched.”

“I admired it,” Zecora admitted, “but let us think of positive things. It might have tickled us last night. Especially when you did things no other stallion would dare to do to us.”

I smirked. “Humans do that all the time to their lovers,” I said as I slowly sat upright, reaching over and grabbing a set of matches and one of the candles by the side of the bed.

As I lit the candle, Scarlet leaned against my chest and looked up at me. “About last night, if I was a bit sudden about what happened…I’m sorry.”

“Sudden? What do you mean?” I asked as I slowly set the now lit candle back on the nightstand.

She looked away, suddenly very interested in the cream colored patterns of the wine colored quilt. “It’s just…I wasn’t sure if you would be too tired, but Zecora thought you needed some time to decompress.”

“And she was right,” I said, looking down at Zecora, who was giving me a winning smile. “She’s my oldest friend in this world, and as such she knows me better than most. It’s one reason why I fell for her, because she’s my best friend. And that’s one reason why I fell for you too, Scarlet. You’re one of my closest friends, too. I wouldn’t date anyone unless they were a close friend as well. But I do love you. Both of you. I don’t know what that says about me as a person, but I honestly don’t care. Scarlet, let me make it official: will you join me and Zecora in becoming part of a herd?”

Scarlet’s lips curled up into a smile. “Isn’t it obvious? Of course I will,” she said happily, leaning in, kissing me deeply, then pulling away.

“Welcome to Jethro’s herd, my dear Scarlet,” Zecora said with a welcoming smile.

Scarlet beamed happily and threw her forelegs and wings around the two of us, hugging us close. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” she exclaimed happily.

“You’re welcome, my dear Scarlet,” Zecora said with a warm and loving smile.

“We’re glad to have you here,” I added, holding her close. “I’m glad to be with both of you.”

After a while, we broke apart. Zecora looked up at me then and asked, “What about the others? What will you do about those who have confessed to you?”

“I will take them out on dates,” I said resolutely, “and won’t just stop after one date, either. They deserve that chance.”

“I’d welcome them in the herd,” Scarlet said. “I like them all, and I know how much of a good influence they’ve all had on you.”

“As would I, my dear Scarlet,” Zecora said before turning to me. “They have been very positive influences on you, love.”

“Yes. Yes they have,” I said.

Before any of us could go any further, I heard a knock at the door. “Your Grace?” a muffled stallion’s voice said on the other end, “are you awake?”

“Yes I am,” I called out, “what is it?”

“Princesses Celestia and Luna have invited you, Lady Zecora and Lady Scarlet to breakfast an hour from now. She will be in the upper dining hall on the fourth floor.”

“I see. Please inform their Highnesses that we shall be in attendance,” I said.

“At once, Your Grace,” the voice said as I heard the sound of retreating trots.

I looked down at my naked form, and smiled. “I doubt I can come to breakfast like this.”

“Well then, why don’t we all get ready for the day,” Scarlet said, jumping off of the bed and lifting her tail to expose herself to me. “Perhaps we could have a little bath and some quick fun?” she said, looking over at me with a wink.

“Don’t fucking tempt me, you horny succubus,” I said, “because if I was to take you, we wouldn’t leave this room. Any of us.”

“Promises, promises,” Scarlet grinned as she walked towards the bath.

“That mare has to be in constant estrus,” Zecora said, “or, as you put it, she’s horny as hell.”

“Yeah, she definitely is,” I said. “Well, come on. Let’s go get washed up and ready for the day.” So saying, I clambered out of bed, grabbed the freshly laundered clothes I had asked the palace staff to wash the night before, and walked with Zecora into the bath.

An hour later, I was once again dressed in my Emperor’s garments, only without my scepter and sword. Zecora had actually styled her mane so that it was tied back in a long ponytail. Ever since we’d first begun dating, she had let her mane grow out and hadn’t shaved the sides of it. Instead of a mowhawk, she now had long flowing locks which were naturally wavy and went past her chin. Scarlet went with her normal look, but with a small flower pin on the side of her mane, something I’d found in the great treasure hoard of Torch and given to her as a gift since I thought it looked perfect on her.

As we left the room, I saw Gemini and Mica still standing guard. “Jesus, don’t you two ever sleep?” I asked with some concern.

“We slept plenty,” Gemini said as she stepped away from the door. “Don’t you worry about us.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” I said. “Nominal slave or no, you’re a member of my household. I’m always going to be concerned about you and your brother.”

I could have sworn I saw a small blush form on her face, but it vanished immediately. “Again, stop worrying. We’re fine.”

I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to get through to her overnight, so I let it go. “Well then, come with us. The princesses have invited us to breakfast.”

“No shit, I was there when that messenger came,” Gemini snarked, but she and her brother, the latter of whom gave me an apologetic smile, walked on either side of us, keeping guard.

I straightened, then put on my Emperor mask. I didn’t have as much experience with it as either Celestia or Luna or even any other rulers on the planet, but I had seen many other rulers in portraits, pictures or videos to at least be able to mimic their stoic features as I moved down the halls towards the large set of white and blue marble stairs that led up the keep to the fourth level.

When we all finally made our way into the smaller dining hall, I saw that the breakfast had already been set and the others who were there had already begun to sit.

The Mane Six were there, along with Spike, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, and to my surprise, Chrysalis. Celestia sat at the head of the table beside her sister, both of whom sat in larger chairs than the rest. Cadance sat by Celestia on her left, Shining Armor by Luna on her right. Twilight sat next to her brother, then Applejack next to her, and Rainbow Dash next to her. On the other side, Pinkie Pie sat next to Cadance, with Fluttershy next to her and Rarity on the end. Spike had taken a seat next to Rarity, of course. As he had been for the past couple of days, he was wearing some ancient Dragon clothes. I made a note to myself to ask him why he did, but figured it wasn’t as important as anything else that was going on. Chrysalis was sitting one chair away from Rainbow Dash. There were three chairs at the opposite end of the rectangular table, one being taller than the rest and sitting at the very end of the table. The other two were situated on either side of said chair.

When I entered, Cadance immediately locked eyes with me. Her horn lit up briefly, then went out. Her serious expression morphed into one of triumph as she turned back to Celestia. “Pay up, auntie.”

Celestia rolled her eyes, but good naturedly raised her horn. A sack of coins came up from under the table and floated over to where Cadance sat directly to Celestia’s left. Cadance gleefully took the bag of bits and put it down under the table. I raised an eyebrow. “Do I even want to know?” I asked.

“The Princesses were betting on whether or not you’d get it on with-MMPH!?” Rainbow started before being silenced by a golden glow around her muzzle thanks to Celestia.

Scarlet, who had reverted in the night back to her normal form, slowly hovered up beside me and put a foreleg around my neck. “Pretty sure whatever we do in the privacy of our own bedroom is our business,” she chuckled as she leaned in and kissed my cheek before landing.

“Trollestia at her best,” I grinned, and everyone in the room, save for Celestia and Chrysalis, all laughed. Chrysalis didn’t really react much, and Celestia looked embarrassed.

“My apologies for betting against you,” Celestia said honestly, “but my reasoning was that you would have been too tired.”

“Even if I had, I still would have realized how I felt about Scarlet,” I said, putting a hand on her back and stroking her mane. I did the same with Zecora. “And this cheeky Zebra is learning a thing or two from you, Celestia.”

Zecora gave me an impish grin and smacked her tail against my leg. “Behave, dearest.”

“Yes, my lady,” I snorted, bowing low.

She laughed and smacked my head with her flank. “Oh stop it, you,” she said as she took a seat.

I took the seat at the end of the table, and Scarlet took the remaining seat by my side. When we were all seated, I looked over at the others. I saw varying degrees of smiles on their faces, mostly smiles of relief. Chrysalis wasn’t looking at me, of course, instead staring into her glass of water. “Is anyone else coming?” I asked.

“Princess Ember was invited,” Celestia said, “but I haven’t heard from her yet.”

At that moment, the door opened and Princess Ember strode in, flanked by the other two Dragon guards. Unlike yesterday, she was now wearing a dark green pair of slacks, a brown vest, and the same golden circlet she wore the day before. “Gods, I hate having to wear clothes,” she said as she moved to sit opposite from Chrysalis.

“Good morning to you, too, Ember,” I chuckled.

“Don’t start,” she snapped at me as she grabbed the large glass of water by her plate and took a long swig of it before setting it down hard.

I nodded and turned to Celestia and Luna. “So, aside from betting on my love life, is there a reason why you’ve gathered us all here?” I asked before grabbing my own glass of water and taking a sip.

Celestia and Luna both looked at each other, then both raised their horns. Two pieces of paper, one a scroll and one a letter, hovered over to me and were set before me. The letters on the scroll were written in the harsher script of the Lycans, while I recognized the letters on the envelope as belonging to the flowing, almost calligraphic script that belonged to the Deerfolk. Frowning, I looked up at Celestia and Luna. “When did these come?”

“Early this morning,” Celestia said.

I quickly broke the seal on the Lycan’s scroll and opened it. What I read completely shocked me.

To the Emperor of Aelyssia Jethro Bethridge,

I write this letter to express my deepest thanks in your actions against the Dark Fae incursion at the Council. Were it not for you, my own daughter may have been seriously harmed or perished in the attack. My Ambassador Jasper has informed me of these actions as well as your ascension to the ancient Crimson Throne of Aelyssia. As such, I am issuing a Royal Apology for my actions against you during your brief visit to our own Empire. I hope that, under your rule, my kind and the Dragon subjects which you rule can remain at peace and our long-standing trade agreement can be maintained.

I hope that we can both speak on this and other matters face to face as soon as it is convenient for you.

Dictated, but not written by,

Empress Amber of the Lycan Empire

I raised an eyebrow suspiciously at the letter, putting it down slowly before I picked up the seal on the envelope from the Deerfolk. Unlike the scroll from the Lycan Empress, which was slightly dirty and unevenly cut, the envelope as well as the paper inside were made out of a shimmering silver papery substance. The letters themselves were penned in flowing dark gold lettering.

To his Grace, Emperor Jethro of the Aelyssian Empire,

You do not know me, which is understandable. We met briefly when you were projected through the Sightstone. I here and now pen this letter in the hopes that it finds you well. First, I must give thanks for your defense of the two representatives sent to the Council of Equestria during the Fae invasion. The Lady Arathyra and Lord Ebiner are, in fact, both my relatives, the Lady Arathyra my younger sister and the Lord Ebiner my brother by marriage to her. I owe you a deep debt. I have also written to you so that I may invite you, the Elements of Harmony, Zecora Mtunga Dawa, Scarlet Dusk and Spike to visit the Cervinia Citadel starting on the First Day of our New Year. In your calendar, the first of our year would be the first day of February by your calendar. We invite you and any compatriots you wish to bring to stay with us for a week after that day. I have much that I wish to discuss privately with you, and I wish also to bestow my thanks on you and your companions in their actions against the Fae. Please reply at your earliest convenience. I await your words.

Penned by,

High Lady Valindra of the Cervinia Citadel

I raised both eyebrows in surprise, now. I carefully folded the letter and set it back in the open envelope. Celestia leaned forward. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“You seem unsettled,” Luna added.

“Just more confused than anything else,” I said. I grabbed the scroll and held it up. “This letter was from the Lycan Empress. She actually issued an apology for how I was treated back in the day and hopes to see me and talk about future relations between our two empires. Want me to read them?”

“If you feel comfortable doing that,” Celestia nodded.

I nodded, then reopened the scroll first. After reading the letter from the Lycan Empress, however, Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof into the table angrily. “That bitch thinks a simple apology is gonna make up for what she did to you!?” she practically snarled.

“Ah have tah agree with Rainbow, sugarcube,” Applejack said, a look of cold fury on her own face as she added, “Ah might not be the smartest tool in the shed, but ah can smell some dishonesty from that there letter.”

“What are your thoughts, sister?” Mica asked suddenly, startling all of us.

I turned and faced the former Captain of the Lycan Royal Guard. “Yeah, I’m curious too. You’ve known the Empress for a while, right? What do you make of what I just read?”

Gemini looked put on the spot, but when her brother put a paw on her shoulder, she relaxed somewhat. A thoughtful look grazed her brow and she pursed her lips. Finally, she said, “Look, I’m just a soldier, not a politician. I can’t say for certain, but I’ve seen her talk to foreign diplomats with honeyed words in one sentence, then speak of them to her private counselors with disdain. She wants something from you, of that I’m sure. I don’t know what, but I’ll warn you now, don’t underestimate her.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I said. “But this is the letter that intrigues me more.” So saying, I pulled the silvery stationary out of the envelope again and read through it.

When Twilight heard that she was one of those who had been invited, she squealed and practically clapped her hooves in joy. “I can’t wait to go!” she said happily.

I raised my hand. “Now hold on,” I said, “I’m not sure if I want to go.”

Twilight practically deflated at that, but it was Fluttershy who asked, “Why not, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“For one,” I began, “I’m really tired of getting entangled in adventures where my life and the lives of my loved ones are put at risk. I’m already an Emperor, and a Knight of Equestria to boot.” I saw Celestia’s ears move downward at this, but I went on. “If I wanted to be completely selfish, I would give up being Emperor and pass the throne onto someone like Ember here, but there’s another part of me that wants to work on helping them reclaim their birthright. And besides, this responsibility was thrust upon me. I don’t want anything more to happen.”

Silence reigned. Nobody spoke for a long while. Finally, someone did speak. And to my surprise, it was Shining Armor. He looked over at me, and raised his head. “I think it’s a good idea to go. Now, hear me out before you interrupt me,” he quickly added. However, I hadn’t really thought to say anything, and instead just gestured for him to go on. He nodded and continued. “I’m not a Prince or an Emperor. However, I am a Captain of the Royal Guard. I’m responsible not only for their training, but for the safety of my fellow guardsponies as well. Mom and Dad always taught me growing up that if I wanted to protect somepony, do something about it yourself. Don’t just wait for somepony else to come along, because then you’re only thinking about yourself. Now, I’m not calling you lazy at all, so please don’t think I am. I’m just saying that since you’re in charge, there’s a lot more to think about than just yourself. Not that you shouldn’t think about your own happiness, but there’s got to be a balance there.”

Cadence looked over at her boyfriend with renewed respect. Twilight looked at her brother in awe. I looked at him with a solemn look, then a nod. “You make some excellent points, but even though I suspect I know the point to what you’re saying, please say it?”

“My point,” Shining said, “is that making allies instead of enemies with others is better for the safety of your subjects or those under you.”

“I figured,” I replied, slowly beginning to smile. “At least this High Lady gave me a date. I think I saw her when I was being teleported or projected all over the world. She seems like someone who’s wise and wouldn’t be too antagonistic, so I think I will accept her invitation. As for Empress Amber? It is a bit suspicious that she’s suddenly all apologetic. Especially when it comes to me, a male. There’s something going on. Something she wants.” I turned to Mica. “She might not have said so in the letter, but I’m pretty sure she knows about you still being alive if Jasper has been in contact with her. If either of them have been in contact with her. If I do meet with her, I want you as far away from her as possible.”

“Fuck that,” Mica said, standing up straighter. “I’m gonna be right by your side, like it or not.”

“For once, I agree with him,” Gemini said, looking at Mica, “I didn’t risk everything just for you to throw it all away.”

Mica looked at his sister with defiance in his eyes. “I don’t care,” he said, “I’ll be there even if I have to sneak into luggage.”

“Enough,” I said, raising my voice slightly. I looked at Mica. “I admire your spirit, young man. We can discuss this later-”

“I’m. Coming.” Mica said. “And not just to protect you, but my sister as well!” He stood beside his now stunned older sister. “She’s the only blood family I have left! I won’t leave her alone even if she is still a better warrior than I am!”

I locked eyes with the young teen Lycan. Something inside me told me that arguing any more with him would be pointless. “You know, you’ve got some serious balls, talking back to me,” I said, “and that’s part of what it means to be a warrior. Not only that, but your reasons aren’t anything I can argue against. Very well, if I do decide to go, you will accompany me.”

Gemini looked angry at this, but one glance from me shut her up. She sighed. “Fine…do what you want to do. Willful brother of mine…”

I turned back to the princesses. “If I do meet with her, I will do it on my own terms. Do you know if there’s a neutral meeting place between the Empire and the Citadel?”

There was silence for a brief moment, before Luna said, “Sister, is the Revelin Arch monument still standing?”

“I don’t know,” Celestia admitted, “but it was made by the best enchanting smiths from back then. It was designed to last for ages, so unless either of them attempted to destroy it, it should still be there.”

“What’s the Revelin Arch?” I asked curiously.

Celestia’s face turned grim. “Back after the war between Lycans and Deerfolk was averted, when my sister and I…forced peace on both races, we had our best Pony architects construct the Revelin Arch. It’s a large stone structure enchanted to last for a very long time and was meant to be a symbol of peace.”

“Honestly, sister, that arch should be torn down,” Luna said.

Celestia’s ears flattened. “I know…I know they should,” she said. “I just…” she trailed off and looked up at the ceiling in somber silence.

“Can someone bring me a pen and some paper, please?” I asked after a few seconds, breaking the silence. Immediately, there was a purple flash, and one of the G7 pens I’d given to Twilight appeared in front of me, as did a few pieces of clean white paper. I looked up and saw the purple Unicorn mare smiling and waving at me. “Thank you.”

“Are you planning on writing now, before you eat?” Luna asked.

I had just grabbed the pen, when I paused. It would be rude to write a letter while eating or even before eating, I thought as I slowly pushed the paper and pen aside. “When does the next Council meeting start?”

“It will be our last meeting for this summit,” Celestia said, “and it will begin at ten thirty.”

Looking at my phone, I saw that it had just passed nine fifteen in the morning. I nodded. “Alright, I’ll write them after breakfast and before the Council meeting.”

Just then, the doors to the kitchen opened, and Pony servers began carrying food into the room, setting them onto the table. Celestia smiled. “Then let’s not delay any longer. Let’s eat!”

To the Esteemed High Lady Valindra of the Cervinia Citadel,

I greet you in the name of hopeful future peace between our two nations, and possibly between ourselves as well. I thank you for your high praise, but I simply did what needed to be done in order to protect all members of this Council. The Lady Arathyra and Lord Ebiner fought well during the battle. I’ve no doubt you would be very proud of how they helped.

I would be very pleased to journey to your Citadel and speak with you. I have heard many good things about your kind, and am eager to know more about whatever it is you wish to pass on to me in private.

Penned by,

Emperor Jethro Bethridge of the Aelyssian Empire

To Empress Amber of the Lycan Empire,

I thank you for your Royal Apology, and am pleased that I was able to ensure the continuing line of succession to your throne. As the new ruler of the Aelyssian Empire, I am very interested in keeping former ties between our realms unchanged, and I am very willing to speak to you on the matters of trade and anything else you might wish of my Empire. I regret that I cannot come to see you immediately, but I would be glad to come and speak with you at the Revelin Arch on the tenth of February of next year by common reckoning. However, I must insist that the meeting be between you and me alone. If this is disagreeable to you, please let me know so that we can negotiate further.

Penned by,

Emperor Jethro Bethridge of the Aelyssian Empire

121: A Cloaked Heart And The Proposals

“I’m glad to see you all here for our final meeting,” Celestia said at the beginning of the council meeting later that morning. The fog had lifted half an hour earlier, and with it, the mood of the start of the day seemed to lift. Even Amethyst, who had always openly worn a scowl during the proceedings, seemed more neutral than before. She’d even nodded her head in my direction when I arrived with Ember ten minutes prior. Not wanting to seem rude, I had responded in kind.

Celestia continued, “Today, we’ll be discussing a few other final matters, which I trust should be very much agreeable to everycreature here.” She raised her horn, and it glowed. Strands of glowing lines appeared on the map of known Equestria, each of which represented trade routes which had been hammered out during the previous meetings. Green lines represented universal agreements, while a few yellow lines represented majority agreements and red lines represented those which were contested. Not surprisingly, the red lines all fell near or in the Lycan Empire’s territory. “But first, I hope we can discuss these trade routes one more time.”

“We have all agreed to put forth twenty five percent of our own individual governmental budgets towards these roads,” Luna spoke up then, “and those who cannot provide such a percentage due to their own budgets have all agreed to provide at least ten percent of their annual spending to be put towards the roads and trade routes. At least, almost all of us have.”

Ignoring the not so subtle jab at the Lycans, Celestia continued. “Is there nothing else to be said about these paths? Can’t we agree on something?”

Jasper leaned forward. “Your Highness, the Lycan Empire would like to change only one minor thing on the roads near our territory, and then we will agree.”

Celestia looked at Jasper with a well practiced face of neutrality. “What kind of change?” she asked.

Jasper pointed at the road that led to their capital city. “This one. Canisia City has many different entrances in the mountain. We’d much prefer it if the road lead to the most eastern door here.” With that, she pointed to a part of the mountain range which was about halfway up the eastern slopes of the mountain.

“Why that pathway in particular?” Celestia asked.

“It’s closest to where our biggest marketplace is located,” Jasper explained. “The goods we’d be receiving would have to travel through miles of housing blocks before reaching the businesses to where they’d be heading.”

I’m calling bullshit on that one, I thought, but didn’t let it show. I was sure Celestia guessed the same thing, but nodded sagely. “If that is the only change you want, should we put it up to a vote?” The red lines on the map were altered, moving up the side of the mountain until they stopped halfway up. “Is this acceptable for everycreature here?”

Going around the room, each delegation nodded in affirmation. I nodded as well, mostly because I didn’t know enough about Canisia City to call them out on the lie. Then again, a lot of politics did involve rulers saying one thing, but with plenty of hidden meanings behind said words.

Finally, the red lines shifted to green. The only part of the map that had no green lines was a line of trade routes that went between the Lycan Empire, all the way up to Canterlot. The only ones who had not wanted this were the Deerfolk, and their reasoning had been that they were still somewhat upset at the Princesses for their actions during the war that happened over a thousand years prior. And they would not budge.

Which is where I started by making a proposal. I raised my hand and was recognized. Turning to the two Deerfolk, I said, “What if, instead of heading directly to Canterlot, this proposed trade route instead goes directly to Ponyville?”

Lady Arathyra raised an eyebrow and looked at me curiously. “And why, pray tell, would that be better?”

I pointed at the small magical hologram of Ponyville on the map below. “There’s a large river that runs through the town and splits right as it comes through the Everfree Forest, here.” I pointed at the split. “The eastern outlet runs directly to Horseshoe Bay. Baltimare is a large trading city, and from there, whatever goods you want to send down will make their way across the Celestial Sea to my Empire, Griffonstone, Saddle Arabia, Great Britmane, and other nations. The righthand outlet runs directly to Los Pegasus and the South Luna Ocean. From there, it can be sent by ship down south to Abyssinia, and even secretly to Hippogriff territory if they so choose.”

The Hippogriffs, since they were still under the watchful gaze of Kör Elzarin, had only allowed for one trade route from their hidden land of Seaquestria to any mainland, which just so happened to be the southernmost tip of my current kingdom’s island near a rather verdant pool which provided the surrounding land with vegetation, a virtual oasis in the desert.

Silverstorm spoke up. “We once had a great amount of trade with the Deerfolk, but, as we’ve said before, when Kör Elzarin took over the abandoned Tempest Fortress, we’ve had to remain hidden.”

“Yeah…that Körry is just plain bad,” Skystar said sadly.

I kept my smile hidden. She made Kör Elzarin sound like some Saturday morning cartoon villain. “I can only imagine,” I said, keeping the translation to myself. A part of me had a feeling this version of the laughable movie villain was more sinister than he had appeared in the movie. “However, your secret will be safe with us.” Turning back to the Deerfolk. “But back to the matter at hand. Would this change be acceptable for you?”

The married couple looked at each other, then began whispering to each other in their own language. I could speak the Deerish language, but I only picked up bits and pieces of their fluidic and melodic speech. Finally, Lady Arathyra turned. “This is an acceptable compromise. We can agree to that change.”

With that, Celestia made the change, and I smiled, relieved that the trade routes had been agreed upon. “Now then, since we’ve all agreed on funding for these neutral routes, I would like to open the floor for any final worries or concerns you all might have.”

Immediately, Princess Amani raised her hoof. When she was acknowledged, she turned to me. “Your Grace, there’s a matter that has been worrying me ever since I heard about it.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” I asked, curious.

“You told us on the first day of the council how you attempted to kill Eris,” she said. “You have access to a weapon far more deadly than anything in the world currently. How can we be sure you won’t begin developing these weapons either in Equestria or Aelyssia?”

I frowned. I had been afraid of this coming up, but now that it had, I knew I had to address it. I reached down into the bag slung around my chair, finally bringing out the Glock 22, setting it on the table with a loud bang. “You mean this weapon, right?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, Your Grace.”

I picked it up, turning it around in my hands for a bit, then set it back down. “Right now, this weapon is useless. There is no ammunition I can load into it, and at present, I don’t have any way to get more. I unloaded everything I had into Eris. But…as for whether or not I will bring advanced human weaponry to the world…well first off, let me say that technologically, humanity is a few hundred years more advanced in many ways than this world. We are capable of creating large flying machines called airplanes that can fly without magic. We have a horseless carriage that can go many times faster than even the fastest gallop. We have developed machines and medicines far beyond those of your world. And, as you said, humans have developed weapons far more deadly than anything in this world. If I bring anything from my old world into my new one, it would be technology and medicine that can help bring peace to this world. Weapons? I don’t like the idea of arming even one race with a better means of killing. Our weapons are so deadly, that there is even one that can vaporize an entire city, or even hundreds of miles of land! I would either have to arm the entire world, or keep my secrets to myself. I’d much rather do the latter.”

Amethyst seemed to scowl slightly at this, but it was Jasper who said, “Nowolf wants total war, but how can we be sure you will keep your word on this? Your loyalties lie to two countries.”

“And besides, what if we face a threat we are unable to counter with magic or the weapons we have?” Prince Haakim asked. “What if we encounter an enemy with weapons similar to that or even more advanced?”

“And what if our magic is taken away from us?” Amira added, looking at me. “I don’t think I need to remind some of you here about Tirek’s ability to take away magic, do I?”

“The Centaur race is near extinct, as far as I’ve heard,” Ebiner replied. “They once ruled in the northern lands east of the Celestial Sea where Bug Bears now rule. Nothing has been heard of them in many hundreds of years.”

“That doesn’t mean they aren’t still around,” Redclaw pointed out. “The Minotaurs are a distant relation of the Centaurs, and there are a few of them still around. Most live in Klugetown on the edge of our kingdom.”

I nodded. “Yes, you’re right. However, I can’t just go and print up plans for weapons from my world. For one, they were designed for beings with hands like mine.” I held up the gun and pointed it at the ceiling in demonstration. “This pistol can hold up to twenty-two bullets depending on the gun magazine you use with it. And this is just the beginning.” I set it down. “I can’t really justify bringing weapons that only certain races can use.”

“And if we are invaded by somegriffon who is stronger than any magic or weapons we here possess, what do you suggest we do?” Gillan asked.

I sighed. I had thought about this, and I had to admit, the world was definitely a bigger place than depicted in the show. For all I knew, there could be continents far beyond even the map of the known world on the table. “Equestria isn’t ready for these more advanced weapons,” I said.

“And who are you to judge that?” Thormod asked sharply.

“I agree!” Prince Rutherford added with a stomp of his hoof on the table. “Yakyakistan is a small country! We live far north and have to forage for our food nearly constantly! We need better means to defend ourselves! Especially if the Parlayan Arazireturns!”

I raised an eyebrow. That roughly translated to ‘Shining Land’ in the Yak language. “You mean the Crystal Empire, don’t you?” I asked.

Rutherford nodded. “We have many songs about that great land. We traded with the Parlayanlar and were on good terms with them. They even once gave us two crystals, one with which we could communicate with their ruler and the other which we could use to hold back the vast snows and winter cold. But both were lost to us during the reign of Sombra the Savage.”

The Shining Ones…good comparison, I thought. “What would you have me do? Share my world’s weapons with every race represented here? What good would that do? This potential enemy could easily just develop better weapons against us!”

“Everyone, please calm down!” Celestia said, raising her voice among the din. “I’m sure we can settle this like reasonable creatures!” To my surprise, the other representatives did indeed calm down. Celestia breathed in and exhaled deeply. “Listen, I can see your points. Having these weapons might very well be the turning point in a war that may very well come from nowhere. But after that, what then? I have to admit, even I’m sorely tempted to ask Emperor Jethro for access to those weapons as well, but we need to ask ourselves if having these weapons will benefit us in the long run, or drive us apart in the end?”

“Can I say something?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

Celestia turned, surprised by Sunset’s sudden words. “Please do,” she said.

Sunset sat upright in her chair. “There’s a philosophy I’ve heard about in my travels: Mutually Assured Destruction. You heard what Emperor Jethro said about a weapon that can wipe out entire cities and swathes of land? What if we were all armed with this, and someone decided to use it against another country? Let’s say that there are two warring countries, each with this type of weapon. They decide to end the war once and for all by using these devastating weapons. If that happened, the other country would use their own versions of that weapon against the nation that used them first. In the end, all you’d be left with is a desiccated wasteland. Entire cities, households, families, all wiped out. I don’t think anyone here wants a war even with our most advanced weapons to date, but wars with weapons like that gun? I think it’d be better not to be tempted.”

“Right now, I don’t plan on sharing these weapons with the world, not even my subjects,” I said. “I’m not speaking as either the Emperor or as a Knight of Equestria, now. I’m speaking as the only human in Equestria. I don’t have any problem sharing advanced medicine or other technologies with the world, but weapons are off the table. For the time being, anyway.” When I received a few narrowed glances, I raised my hands. “I get what you’re saying, I really do! You’ve brought up very good points, but I just don’t think I can justify it…unless you all have better options.”

Silence filled the council chambers for a while. Everyone looked around at the other delegates, or at the table or ceiling, each of them deep in thought. Nobody spoke for a while. Even I went through some scenarios in my head. A part of me definitely would feel better if we had firearms in place, but another part of me was worried about creating a weapon’s race in this world.

Finally, it was Ember who spoke up. “I’m with my Emperor on this.” When everyone turned to her, I saw her flinch imperceptibly, but she spoke further, saying, “Right now, having these kinds of weapons in our claws could be very dangerous.” She picked up my gun and held it in her claw. “If he says that these are too dangerous for us, I agree.”

Murmurs spread through the council room. Celestia then raised her voice. “Might I suggest that we table this discussion for the time being and speak of it at a later date? I myself had several ideas about what could be done. But for the present, we should hold off. Keep the matter of human weaponry a secret from the general populations of your nations, for the present.”

There were begrudging sounds of acceptance from everyone at this, and slowly the matter dropped. I caught a glimpse of Celestia’s eyes locking with mine. They had a reassuring gaze in them before she looked around the room once more. “Are we in agreement?” When each delegation nodded or spoke in affirmation, Celestia nodded. “Good. Now, is there anything else we can discuss before ending the first Council of Equestria?”

“That meeting went much shorter than I anticipated,” Twilight was saying as we all stood on the deck of the Phoenix Resplendent later that afternoon. The sun was shining, but that did little to hold back the cold air of oncoming winter. Then again, the air around the shield I’d raised was warming up considerably.

It was just after one in the afternoon. Most stuff that was brought up after the subject of guns was dropped was superficial stuff for the most part. When the last question or complaint had been answered or addressed, the last council meeting was ended, and Celestia invited everyone for a midday meal. Afterwards, I declared my intention to go back home to recover from everything that had happened. Despite their protests, I sent my four Dragon guards back to Aelyssia with orders to tell them that I would be back on the first of the year to deal with the relocation as well as the naming of a new Dragon Lord to help rule if I was ever away from the Empire itself. I hoped that, within that time, I could talk further with Ember about her taking over as the Dragon Lord and ruling there in my name and addressing any issues she had with the appointment.

“Although that treaty signing looked like a pain,” Pinkie said. She was wearing a spare tricorn hat that she’d found below decks and had a wooden sword strapped to her side.

I nodded. “Well, it’s necessary, Pinkie. Having all the words of this new treaty in writing and signed by everyone is a big step forward in interspecies and intercountry relations.”

Ember wrapped the reefer jacket I’d given to her for warmth around her tightly. “I get why we needed to do it, but the pink one’s right. It’s a pain in the ass.”

“Darling! Not in front of Spike!” Rarity said.

“It’s alright, Rarity,” Spike said. He was wearing the tricorn hat he’d found for himself earlier, only now it fit him. I’d lent him one of my hoodies just in case, and he’d wrapped himself up in it, making him look ridiculous. “I’ve heard so much worse.”

“And said much worse,” Applejack said, giving me a glare.

I raised my hands. “Hey, he’s, what, twelve years old?”

“Yeah! Only twelve!” Twilight said, sounding frustrated.

“Okay, fine. One more year, and he’ll technically be a teenager by human standards,” I said.

“Hey Jethro, can I try flying this thing?” Rainbow Dash asked, holding up the cutlass in her wing, a gleeful expression on her face.

Chrysalis, who was standing near the deck, groaned as she held her stomach. “Why am I here…?” she asked before her eyes widened and she upchucked over the side.

“Can we just go home now?” an equally seasick Applejack said, her face greener than a granny smith apple.

“We’re waiting for Fluttershy and Sunset, remember? They both said they had to get a couple more things,” I said, “and no, Rainbow, you can’t fly this thing. Not yet. And you’re here, Chryssi, because I don’t trust you not to do anything stupid out of my sight.”

“Don’t call me Chryssi…” the transformed High Fae said.

Just then, I heard the sound of someone approaching the docks. I looked over and saw Fluttershy flying towards us, leading four familiar felines towards the ship. “Sorry for the wait, everypony,” she said as the ship began crawling with any non-flying animals, “I had to really convince Duke that the ship was safe.”

“How can you be sure that it’s safe?” a gruff older male voice called out from the approaching Mane Coons, “I mean, it just looks old!”

“And how would you know what an old ship looks like, old timer?” I called out automatically.

I saw a very familiar Mane Coon jump up onto the railing. When he turned to me, his eyes widened. “Wait, you can understand me now?!”

“I can indeed,” I said with a grin. “Nice to see you too, Duke.”

The cat smiled and he and his family rushed towards me, jumping over the railing and running up to me. Daisy and Valkyrie began climbing up my pants leg. “Nice creature can talk to us now!” Valkyrie said in the most adorable voice I’d ever heard.

“I must say, when the yellow Pony told us you could talk to animals now, I didn’t really believe her,” a deep friendly female voice said. Firefly beamed up at me. “I’m glad I was wrong.”

“Well, it’s taken some getting used to,” I replied, “but I can understand and talk to you.”

“Yay!” Daisy giggled as she climbed up to my left shoulder, her sister reaching my right. “Whoa! You’re as tall as a tree!”

I laughed. “No, trees are much taller,” I said as I turned back to Fluttershy. “What happened to the others? I thought the other Everfree refugees were coming?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I actually managed to negotiate with the animals of the other forest where these cuties were living,” she said. “Apparently, there’s plenty of room in the forest, and no Timberwolves. They’re going to stay there for the winter, and maybe longer too.”

I smiled. “Well, that’s good.”

At that moment, something landed directly on my head. A familiar bird bent down to look at me. “And where do you think you’re going?” Hestia asked.

“You’re not leaving without us!” Eve said, hovering nearby. I held out my arm and she landed on it.

“You’re friends with the Old Ones?” Duke asked in awe.

“Hah! Old Ones!” I couldn’t help myself. I laughed hard, and so did Spike.

That is, until Hestia poked my cheek with her beak. “Didn’t anyone teach you manners, young one?” she said with a frown.

“They did,” I said, chuckling as I rubbed the sore spot on my cheek. “Sorry. It was just hilarious, is all. I think I needed a good laugh.”

“Nice creature upset?” Daisy asked, rubbing on my face affectionately before licking at me.

“Heh, no, I’m not upset,” I said, “just tired and glad that I can finally head home. At least for the time being.”

“Speaking of going home, when are we going?” Twilight asked. “I do miss my books.”

“Nerd,” Scarlet, who was hovering near me, said. Much like her teacher, she had taken to fly more often than walking.

“I’m not a nerd!” Twilight said defensively, “I’m-”

“-well-read,” I finished for her.

“Exactly,” Twilight said, smiling at me.

“Aren’t you the one I saw walking around with a wizard hat, spouting off some weird nonsense about casting the One Ring into Orodruin?” Scarlet asked with a grin.

“And just how do you know it was called Orodruin?” Twilight asked with a grin of her own.

Rainbow Dash turned to Scarlet and gasped. “You…read a book!? You’re becoming an egghead?!”

“I can read and not be an egghead!” Scarlet said defensively.

“Are we interrupting anything?” a deep female voice said from nearby.

We all turned and saw Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor walking over towards us. On either side of them, four guards walked, two Pegasi and two Unicorns. “Nothing big, really,” I said, looking back at Celestia, who had already walked onto the deck with the other three close behind, “just waiting for Sunset.”

“She’s coming along,” Cadance said in an assuring tone, “she just had to finish getting her…what did you call it? Laptop? She had to get that packed.”

“Makes sense,” I said.

“And speaking of her,” Celestia said, “I’ve come to a decision regarding her.” She stood taller. “I’m going to make her an offer, one that will not only benefit Equestria as a whole, but I believe make her very happy and benefit you as well, Emperor Jethro,” she finished.

“Oh? What is it?” I asked.

“I think she would make a great asset in helping organize the Dormog Ruins and any secrets they may contain,” Celestia said.

“She gets all the fun assignments,” Twilight grumbled, causing a few others to laugh around her.

“I don’t know if she’d find it as fun as you,” I said.

“On the contrary,” Celestia said, “she was as determined in her studies, if not more so, than Twilight here. She also had quite a fascination with Dragons, so I think she could very much help.”

Just then, Sunset came out of the wooden doors leading into the castle, carrying her bags as she carefully but quickly walked towards us. “Sorry I’m late, everyone!” she called out as she gently stepped onto the gangplank, walking onto the ship. “Carrying this bad boy is hard, especially when the straps are designed for human height and not Pony height.”

“I can only imagine,” I chuckled as I headed up the stairs to the helm. Looking down, I made sure we weren’t leaving anyone behind. Standing on the deck, I saw the Mane Six, Spike, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, Ember, Chrysalis, Gemini, Mica and the family of Mane Coons coming home to stay temporarily with Fluttershy. Looking down beside me, I saw both Scarlet and Zecora, both of whom were looking up at me with love and happiness. I smiled back, turned away from them, then put my hand on the dial and activated the ship. The large sails came to life, glowing slightly in the breeze. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, and welcome aboard the Phoenix Resplendent on our one-way trip to Ponyville. Flight time is estimated at no more than thirty minutes max. Weather is clear with visibility at around twenty miles. Please make sure all seatbacks and tray tables are in their locked and upright positions before takeoff,” I chuckled. Sunset, Scarlet and Zecora all smirked as well, while the others had more confused expressions on their faces. “But in all seriousness, if you haven’t been on this ship before, I suggest you find something to hold onto. First time riders can get a little disoriented.”

I waited until everyone had found a spot near the rails, grabbing onto something. I used my magic to pull Chrysalis over towards me. “You’re standing here,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine fine…master,” she said in a bitter and derisive tone.

“No master shit, either,” I said, glaring at her. “Take a hold of the railing.” After she’d done so, I drew the cutlass. “Ready, everyone? Then here goes!” And with that, I thrust the cutlass forward towards the sails. They billowed outward as a sudden breeze caught them. At the same time, I pulled back the wheel and we began rising out of the water.

“Or for the love of the Helper,” Chrysalis said, leaning over the side and dry heaving once more.

Not exactly knowing why I did it, I reached out with my wing and rubbed her back. “I’d give you some Dramamine for the motion sickness, but I don’t have any.”

“You could at least let me fly,” she moaned.

“Again, no,” I said. I sheathed the cutlass and turned westward. “Next stop, either Ponyville or Valinor! Whichever comes first!”

“None of us are Elves, except maybe Chrysalis up there!” Scarlet called out.

“Egghead!”

“Shut up!”

In fact, it took us about forty minutes to reach Ponyville. When I saw the familiar sight of the town square ahead of us, I couldn’t help but smile broadly. I’d only been gone for a little over a week, but it felt like an eternity had passed since leaving it. Not only had I left a simple knight hoping to fix a mistake that wasn’t my own fault to begin with, but now I returned with a ship, a second lover, another slave (in name only, of course), and an entire empire along with a whole new set of treasure.

All during our trip back to the small town, most of the Ponies explored the ship in their own ways. Twilight was all over the place along with Sunset, the two speaking so fast I could barely follow what they were saying. I knew it had to do with ship mechanics and what have you, but it was all Greek to me anyway, so I let it be.

Pinkie could hardly contain herself. She and Spike were play pretending to be pirates, swinging around a couple of sticks as swords. I watched them do this a few times, and noticed just how more nimble Spike had become since his death induced growth spurt. It warmed my heart seeing him enjoying himself after all he’d been through.

Rarity had been busying herself studying some of the spare sails that I’d discovered during my Morphean induced repair of the ship. I heard her muttering about just how well preserved they were and other stuff that didn’t compute with me.

Rainbow Dash would fly all around the ship, looking at the sails and exclaiming just how awesome this all was to her. She even begged me to let her try flying it some time, and I told her that if I did, it would have to be under supervision. “After all, this is a priceless relic, and since it belongs to me now, I’m not sure if it belongs in turn to Equestria or Aelyssia.”

Fluttershy spent her time talking to the family of Mane Coons, hardly ever looking overboard. The smile on her face brought back memories of calmer times that I would spend with her in her tree cottage, watching anime, reading manga or manega, or simply talking over some of her freshly brewed tea.

Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor did explore the ship at first, but then came back up and sat in the map room, discussing who knew what, since I wasn’t about to pry. At one point, however, Celestia had popped her head out and asked for my permission for her best magic users to study the ship, which I had agreed to.

Hestia and Eve both flew around the ship, talking in the Phoenix tongue mostly about what they had planned for the future. When I asked them about what had happened to Thalia and Adranus, Hestia said that they’d returned to Aelyssia to prepare the other Phoenixes for the opening up of the old ruin. She didn’t elaborate on that further, simply stating that she would tell me in time.

Scarlet and Zecora hardly left my side, staying close to me and pressing themselves against me as I stayed at the helm and sailed the ship. And sat on a bench near the wheel where I’d placed Applejack on her side. I rubbed her sice most of the time, since the airsick mare had thrown up just after takeoff. I brought one of my water bottles and helped her drink it as we sailed home.

Gemini stayed close by my side, but Mica had gone exploring on his own. He’d even joined in a bit on the pirate game with Spike and Pinkie. I watched as he actually taught Spike a few sword moves of his own, which further excited the young drake.

Chrysalis, on the other hand, had taken a seat in the corner of the helm area, holding her stomach and groaning. Not wanting to seem like a monster, I had tossed her a water as well, cautioning her to take slow sips. She didn’t listen, however, and downed the whole thing, leaving her even more airsick than before. However, since I’d given the last of my water to both her and Applejack, I had nothing more to give her.

As we reached the end of the Everfree Forest, Applejack looked up at me with a weary but grateful face. “Thank ya kindly, Jethro,” she said, “but ah think ah can stand on mah own four hooves now.”

“If you’re sure, AJ,” I said as I gently helped her to her feet.

She wobbled a bit, then stood up straight. However, her eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of Sweet Apple Acres from the air. “Well ah’ll be…” she said, galloping over to the portside of the ship, looking down at her livelihood. “This ain’t nothin’ like the time ah flew on yer back!”

Scarlet nodded. “Seeing things from the air…there’s nothing quite like it, I’ll tell you what!”

“It’s pretty awesome!” Rainbow Dash said from behind me, landing on the helm next to me. “Hey, can I try being at the wheel now??”

“Not yet,” I said. “We’re almost there, and I need to find a place to park this thing. I don’t think landing it in my house is gonna be allowed, and the closest lake to my house is too small.”

“Is the river too small?” Celestia asked from behind me as she and the other three walked out of the map room.

“I think the widest part of the river is the harbor near Town Hall,” I replied, pointing down at the blue sliver of water below. “I wonder if the property next to mine is for sale at all? I could dig an artificial lake,” I added to myself.

Applejack came back over towards me. “That’d probably fit us nicely,” she said.

“Alright then, that’s gonna be a tricky landing, so could someone go get everyone and tell them to find something to hold on to?” I asked.

“On it!” Rainbow Dash said, zooming around and gathering everyone back to the main deck as I began circling around the town.

My arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed, of course. A few Pegasi had begun approaching the floating galleon with curious expressions. Some even were taking pictures with older styled cameras. On the ground, I saw other Ponies gathering near the shores of the ever-approaching harbor, gazing up with fear and awe. However, when Princess Celestia leaned over and waved her hoof at the crowd, their fear turned to joy and they cheered.

“Alright, I’m bringing us down!” I announced. “Can somebody keep an eye out for me so I don’t run into anything on the way down?”

“On it!” Rainbow dash said again as she leaped into the air and zoomed to the side. “I’m ready!”

With that, I drew the cutlass and began the careful process of bringing the ship down. The Ponies below watched in astonishment as the floating galleon made its way to the harbor. Rainbow Dash kept on giving me instructions on bringing me down. She was surprisingly thorough about it, but then again, anything to do with flying was something I knew she’d take more seriously than most other things she dealt with on a daily basis.

“Slow down…I’m gonna-HRK!” Chrysalis said as she once more leaned over the starboard side and dry heaved. “Ugh…I hate this ship…” she said as she came back up, wiping her eyes.

“Bear with it a little longer, okay?” I said as I moved the ship closer into position. More Pegasi moved closer, but I called out, “Please stay back! I don’t want to hurt anyone!” And with that, they did move further back, but that didn’t stop them from taking more and more pictures.

Finally, with a shudder and a splash, the Resplendent landed in the harbor. Even Celestia stumbled a bit at the landing as I turned off the ship’s engines and shields. I then lowered the anchor and, waiting for the ship to stop moving, sheathed the cutlass and grabbing the Bloodstone Scepter and Eclipse Blade from the map room. I then approached the port side which was nearest to the dock. Using my magic, I lowered the gangplank onto the docks. “Alright, everyone! We’re home!”

Applejack was the first one off, rushing down the docks and onto dry land, which she began kissing over and over again. “Ah! Nothin’ like sweet and dry land!” she said.

I was the last one off, Chrysalis following close behind me. I hadn’t even touched the path that led into the town when a number of Ponies surrounded me. Derpy, Bon Bon, Lyra, Vinyl, Octavia, Mayor Mare, and even the CMC were there. They started to ask me a number of different questions, until they saw a stumbling Chrysalis behind me. They backed away, fear in their eyes. I raised my hand. “Hey, don’t worry about her. She’s with me for the time being. She’s harmless, but right now she needs time to rest. We all do. I promise I’ll answer all your questions tomorrow.”

Mayor Mare was the first to nod in understanding, and she turned to the gathered crowd. “You heard him, everypony! Let’s give them some space to head home!”

The crowd began to disperse, but not before an overly excited Derpy flew over and wrapped her forelegs around my neck. Surprised, I took a few seconds before I hugged her back. “Welcome home,” she whispered in my ear with a trembling voice.

“Thanks, Derpy,” I said, “There really is no place like it.”

I stared in complete and utter shock at the newest addition to the lawn of my house, then back at Zecora, who was standing smugly beside me. Scarlet, who was standing on the other side of me with a smirk. “You seriously didn’t…”

“Well, with the forest around my house removed, I had the excuse I needed to move,” Zecora said.

I put a hand to my forehead and began laughing in disbelief. There, standing on the opposite side of the Younger Apple tree, Zecora’s tree house now stood, Farasi masks and all. I had to admit, it seemed weird seeing it in the open beneath the late afternoon sky instead of surrounded by other trees.

“Is there a reason you’re staring at a stupid tree?” Chrysalis asked from behind me with a bored tone.

“A personal reason,” I said as I stepped aside. “Come on in. I’ve got rooms available for everyone. I’m pretty sure everyone’s exhausted.”

“Yeah, yeah, just send me to my cell,” Chrysalis muttered under her breath.

I rolled my eyes and approached the house. Finally, after way too many adventures, I was home.

“I can’t believe we’re all finally home,” I said as I sat next to Zecora on my front porch in the swing bench I’d had installed. Everyone else was inside. Gemini, Mica, Chrysalis and Ember were all in their rooms asleep. Scarlet was in her room, too, but she’d gone immediately to her new laptop and began surfing the staticnet. Zecora and I had immediately unpacked our stuff, then joined each other on my porch. “And I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me,” I added, pointing to my left at her house. “How the hell did you do it?”

Zecora chuckled and leaned against me, closing her eyes. “I asked young Twilight to help me find a spell. I am quite pleased that it turned out so well.”

I put my right arm and wing around her, pulling her closer. “I’m glad your house wasn’t burned down,” I said, “and while I wasn’t quite expecting to come home to this, I’m glad you moved here.” Turning, I leaned down and kissed her.

She kissed me back, pushing herself closer to me as the kiss deepened. Finally, she pulled away and gazed into my eyes with a warm gaze. “I’m glad I came here as well,” she said, burying her face into my chest.

I pulled her into my lap and she snuggled up close to me, her face buried in my chest still. In that moment, I remembered the promise I made to myself when I was in Aelyssia regarding Zecora. I rested my chin on top of her head. Bracing myself, I looked up at the sky. It was still bright out, and there were a few passing clouds in the sky, but the weather forecast on my phone had said that there was a late autumn rain scheduled for the night. I took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Here we go. “Hey, Zecora?”

“Hmm?”

“If I asked for your hoof in marriage, right now, would you say yes?”

“Mmhmm.”

“…Hey, Zecora?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you marry me?”

She slowly pulled away from me, gazing up into my eyes with a warm smile, but with happy, joyous tears streaming down her face. “Yes, my beloved! Yes! I will marry you!” She threw her forelegs around me and practically assaulted my lips with hers.

I pulled her even closer, kissing back just as eagerly. Truly, there was no place quite like home…

122: A Cloaked Heart And The Gifts

“You…and…Zecora…got…ENGAGED?!”

Those were the first words out of Rarity’s mouth the next afternoon as we were walking to the Hay Burger after I had gone to town hall and given my own little Q&A session to the Ponies of Ponyville. They were, of course, stunned at the many changes that had happened over the course of only one week. They were completely caught off guard by Spike’s unusual growth spurt. Hell, I even noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders looking at the young drake a bit differently now, especially Sweetie Belle. As I had continued giving a detailed account of what had happened while I was in the former Dragon Lands, the Ponies went silent in awe, completely surprised that I had not only helped avert a massive war, but had become a monarch of a foreign nation as well. The others who had gone with me confirmed many of the events of the story with me, and having Ember and Chrysalis there with me definitely gave credence to my story.

At the end of my speech, I told them that Ember and Chrysalis would be in Ponyville for a time while we sorted things out, and asked that they be treated with respect. After answering a slew of different questions, including one or two rude ones from Spoiled Rich who was standing apart from her husband and daughter, I thanked them for their time and ended the meeting. After receiving many congratulations on my ascension to the throne and my engagement to Zecora, the latter of which had stunned my closest friends into silence except for Scarlet, who I had told before we all went to sleep the night prior, we all began heading over to the Hay Burger to get a bite to eat, but not before I dropped off Chrysalis and Ember back at the house, since they btoh didn’t want to be any more around the others and wanted some more time to themselves.

After that, I actually remembered the chest filled with the silvery glowing ore along with the artifacts I’d taken from Torch’s hoard. I pulled them out and showed both to Twilight before asking if she could study them, possibly even with Sunset, who also expressed a desire to look them over, especially the ore which she jokingly called Mythril. Twilight was over the moon excited at the prospect of studying ancient non-Pony magical artifacts, and readily accepted, promising to be careful with them.

I put my pinkie finger in my ear and tried to get rid of the ringing thanks to Rarity’s screeching tone. “Does anyone in town know how to talk without causing my eardrums to rupture?” I asked with a frown. “And yes. When I was back in Aelyssia, I realized life is too short to wait for a sure thing to slip away. I promised myself if I made it back to Ponyville, I’d propose to Zecora.”

“What, no proposal for me?” Scarlet asked, hovering beside me and smacking my face with her tail.

I groaned. “Scarlet, you just joined my herd, give it time, would you?”

She giggled and landed beside me. “I’m just teasing, cutie.”

“What’s a herd, exactly?” Spike asked as he walked beside Twilight. One thing he disliked about his new height was that he couldn’t ride on Twilight’s back as easily anymore. Even Twilight had said that he was a bit too heavy for her. “You keep talking about it like it’s some big deal.”

I turned back to the young drake. “It basically means I’m in a relationship with more than one mare,” I explained. “Didn’t Twilight teach you about them?”

Twilight glared up at me. “He’s too young for that kind of thing!”

“Twilight, he’s about to reach puberty. In fact, he’s already pretty much there with his new body and those wings of his,” I said in his defense. Leaning down, I whispered, “I think it’s time he gets the sex talk anyway.”

Twilight’s face went red, and she pulled me aside. The others stopped in the middle of the road, watching me with varying degrees of confusion. Once we were alone, she said, “I-I’m not ready for him to grow up that fast.”

“No family member is,” I said, reaching over to stroke her mane gently, “but if you want help, I’m more than willing to talk with him. And I’m pretty sure I’m gonna need Ember’s help on this, too.”

Twilight bristled a bit, then exhaled. “You’re right…I don’t know anything about Dragon anatomy. But, can I at least have a little more time where I can pretend?”

I smiled, then nodded. “Sure, but don’t take too much longer. The boy’s smarter than you think, and not as innocent either. Now, come on! Lunch awaits, and I have gifts for all of you.”

We rejoined the others and continued walking towards the Hay Burger. Twilight was beaming as we did so. I’d known about her affinity for this place ever since the Twilight Time episode. “Good! I’m starving!” she said excitedly.

“So am I,” Spike said, rubbing his stomach. “Honestly, I could eat a whole hoard of gems!”

Ember smirked. “I remember back when I could feel that way about food.”

“Okay, boomer,” Scarlet chuckled, making me and Sunset both smirk at the reference.

Everyone else just looked confused at that, but before they could ask, I pointed. “And here we are. Let’s get ourselves a table, eh?”

The moment we entered, Hay Cook, who was behind the counter, saw us and beamed. “Hey there, your Majesty!”

I groaned. “Mr. Cook, I’ve told you, just call me Jethro. It’s not like I’m an emperor of Ponies. Just the Dragons.”

He chuckled. “Fine, fine with me. Are you all together today?”

“Yes we are,” I said.

“Can we get the big table?” Scarlet asked.

“It just so happens that I was on my way to clean it up,” Hay said. “Give me a few minutes, okay?” And with that, he headed over to a large rectangular table with a fire pit in the center and began cleaning it.

While we were waiting, Rainbow came up and got in my face with a large grin. “Hey, you said you were gonna give us all some gifts? What kind of gifts?”

“Presents! Presents! Presents!” Pinkie chanted excitedly as she jumped up and down beside her.

“Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie! Have some decorum,” Rarity exclaimed, pulling them away with her magic.

“Heh, it’s alright,” I said, reaching down to pet an excitable Pinkie Pie. “Earlier today, Hestia told me about a few small things in my new treasure hoard you’d all like,” I added, touching the gem studded necklace still around my neck. “I wanted to thank you all somehow for what you did in Aelyssia for me.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Fluttershy said softly, hiding behind her mane and blushing. “Just a date with you is fine with me,” I heard her whisper softly.

“I know I didn’t,” I said, “but I wanted to. You all deserve something.”

“The table’s all ready for you now!” Hay called out as he passed us, carrying a few empty trays with garbage on them. “Go ahead and take a seat and I’ll bring out the menus. There are glasses of water on the tables for you and some bread too.”

When did this place become an Olive Garden? I thought as we all made our way to the table. The fire pit in the center was already lit and warmth spread from its grated protective covering. Once we were all seated, I looked out at everyone who had gathered before me. Zecora, Scarlet, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike. Some of them were my lovers, a few others were future dates and others were close friends.

As I looked at them, they all looked back at me. I cleared my throat, then stood and began, “I’m really happy you’re all here, today. It’s been a very long week for all of us. Wars and rumors of wars, changing of rulers in foreign lands, fights, near deaths, and a surprising rebirth of our favorite little drake. Or should I say, not so little anymore?” I looked over at Spike and gave him a friendly wink. He blushed as most of the table chuckled. Turning back to the rest, I said, “but here we all are now. Alive, together, still the best group of friends an alien monkey like me could ask for.” More laughter now. “We’ve really all needed a day like this, a meal where we can all just sit back, decompress, and enjoy the time together. And besides, I’ve got little presents for all of you.”

“Aww yeah!” Rainbow exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and hovering above the table, dancing in the air. “Uh huh, aww yeah!”

“Relax there, Rainy,” I said, giving her a grin. She made her way back to her seat with a blush as the others laughed again. “But first, let’s actually enjoy a meal before dessert and presents.”

“Presents! Presents! Presents Yay! It’s like it’s all our birthdays!” Pinkie giggled.

“Yes, Pinkie, it’s just like that,” Twilight said with a knowing smirk.

After we ordered our meals, I looked down at the necklace around my neck, touching its gems carefully. They still sparkled with an ethereal inner light as my hands played over the gems which held what probably amounted to billions of dollars worth of profit. Zecora noticed what I was doing and put a hoof on my leg. “Dearest, is something wrong?” she asked in Farasi.

I looked back at her, then shook her head. “Just adjusting to the idea of having the entire worth of a world wrapped around my neck,” I said. “It’s heavier than you might think.” In the Farasi tongue, I had used a word that didn’t mean physically heavy, but metaphorically so.

She nodded. “Indeed, I can understand your worries. We are here for you if you need help.”

I nodded and gave her a tender smile. “Thank you.” And with my spirits rising, I felt more assured in the new situations I found myself in.

Our lunch went on for about an hour. I was a bit surprised to find that my appetite had, once more, gotten bigger. It was something that I had noticed ever since I’d become part Alicorn. I guessed that it was because of the addition of a new pair of wings that needed more calories to help them work. That, and the bit of chub in my stomach that I had when I first came to Equestria had long since vanished. I was no bodybuilder by any means, but with a more vegetable based diet and the long hours of exercise I had gotten in since coming to this world, I was beginning to develop healthier looking musculature.

For dessert, I’d ordered everyone some of the Hay Burger’s best shakes or ice cream, depending on what they wanted. Ember and Gemini were the only ones who’d declined, the latter of whom hadn’t really ordered much, just a side of hay fries. After we finished, I asked if we could adjourn to my house so I could give them their gifts there as well. They all agreed, and we reached the house in record time. Since it was still a really nice day, I decided to do the gift giving outside. I did ask Chrysalis and Ember both to join us, and they begrudgingly did so, standing apart from everyone else. Gemini and Mica didn’t join us, Gemini because she didn’t want to come, and Mica because he wanted to be there for his sister.

When I had gathered everyone, I walked to my porch and stood on the steps, facing everyone who were now standing in a small semicircle facing my house. “Well, now comes the time when I give each and every one of you here something as a token of my thanks. And this isn’t coming from Sir Jethro, Knight of Equestria, or Emperor Jethro, ruler of the Aelyssian Empire, but just plain old Jethro. First, I’d like to start with Zecora.”

The Zebra looked a bit surprised at having been chosen first, but looked up at me. “Me?”

I grinned. “Think of it as an engagement present. I actually asked the Farasi Princess about Zebra traditions, and heard that it was one tradition for a Zebra stallion to give a present to the mare they got engaged to.” I touched the largest crystal on the bottom of the necklace, a teardrop of mixed silver and gold. It glowed brighter and I held up my hand just in time to catch a large book. Next to it, a massive cauldron appeared beside it. The book was encased in red leather styled to look like Dragon scales, and had golden lettering on it, which slowly morphed from Aelyssian into modern Farasi. The cauldron was larger than the one she had, but it was inscribed with Aelyssian letters, runes which were made to keep it protect it from damage, rust, burn marks and more.

I slowly put the book down in front of her. “This is a copy of The Red Book. It contains all sorts of ancient and lost forms of potion brewing, and Hestia told me it could even hold the ancient Dragon’s form of alchemy.” I went and stood next to the cauldron. “This cauldron has been inscribed with runes that will make it last for centuries without any wear and tear. It can also magically control the amount of heat it can absorb from a fire with this small lever on the side.” I pointed to a gleaming ruby lever set in the side. “And inside the cauldron are seeds of plants that don’t even exist in the Everfree Forest, or even in any part of Equestria anymore.” I pointed to a field nearby my house. “I’m gonna start negotiating to buy that plot of land so you can use it to grow those plants.”

Zecora’s eyes went wide with astonishment as she slowly touched the book with reverence before opening it. The book itself had somehow been enchanted to translate itself into the language of whoever owned the book. And since I had transferred ownership of this book to Zecora, it had now been translated into her own language. The words were perfectly legible, and the drawings inside immaculate. She slowly handed the book off to Twilight, who opened it and looked through it with interest as the Zebra walked over to the cauldron, looking it over and pulling out small labelled sacks of seeds, each of which had a label sewn onto it with Aelyssian writing. The writing also began translating into Farasi. Finally, Zecora looked up at me, a teary-eyed expression on her face. “This…this is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Thank you!” She rushed up to me and threw herself into my arms, kissing my face all over.

I caught her, hugging her closely. “I hope this is enough for an engagement present.”

She kissed me fiercely, then broke the kiss after a while. “This is more than I’ve ever had. I hope you know I’m beyond glad.”

“You deserve it.” I slowly put her down, and she stood next to me, pressing herself against me. Turning back to the crowd, I said, “Next, Scarlet!”

She looked up at me. “Whoa, me?”

“Yes, you,” I said as I faced her. “To be honest, finding something out of this new hoard of mine for you was very hard, I have to admit. To be honest, I almost paid off your debts to the ones you stole from before I found you.”

“You’d better not have,” she said.

“Yes, I know,” I replied. Scarlet might have had her own quirks, but she had an impeccable sense of justice, and she believed that she herself should pay off her debts through hard work. Her own hard work. It was one of the reasons I loved her. “Still, it was really hard to find something for you that isn’t from Earth.”

“I’d be happy with that!” she said with a grin.

“Well, since I wanted to use just the former Dragon Lord’s hoard, Hestia pointed something out that I think you’ll really like.” I touched the gemstone, and a suit of armor and a sword specifically designed for a Pony emerged from it. One made for a Pegasus. As Scarlet gaped at it in astonishment, I continued, “I know you’ve felt useless whenever danger comes, so I decided to give you this. I don’t exactly know where it might have come from or when the Dragons got it, but it’s been enchanted with protective and strength enhancing runes to better protect you and help you fight. The sword is extremely sharp, too. With this you can be stronger, faster and more agile even than Rainbow Dash.”

“Hah! Nopony can beat me in a race and tricks!” Rainbow said boastfully.

However, I barely registered what she said as Scarlet jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I’m gonna train hard!”

“I look forward to seeing the results of your training one day,” I said.

“Come here, big guy!” she said. And with that, she locked lips with me for a good ten to fifteen seconds.

After finally breaking the kiss and putting the Pegasus down to admire her gift, I then turned to Twilight. She had an anticipatory look in her eyes despite her trying to hide it. “Twilight, unfortunately, I can’t bring out my gift for you here…since the amount of books I have would be enough to fill around ten Golden Oaks sized libraries. So what I do have is this.” I touched the gemstone again, and it glowed. I caught a large brown piece of folded fabric and held it up. It had the appearance of a wooden door. “Watch carefully.” I walked over to the Younger Golden Apple tree and put the fabric against the side of the trunk. The moment I did so, it began to solidify and morph into an actual door.

I was sure I’d broken Twilight, since all that came out of her mouth were sounds like “Whu…buh buh…guh?!” and other such noises. When the door finally solidified, she hesitantly approached and tapped it. When she heard the knock of wood, she gaped up at me. “HOW?!”

“I don’t know, but the door leads to this.” I grabbed the handle, turned it and pushed it open. A warm golden glow emerged from beyond it.

Twilight immediately looked through, and so did a few others. What they saw astonished them all.

The door led to a massive domed room with shelves covering each and every wall, at least until the dome became too steep for a bookshelf to be practical. There were a few cushioned couches, tables and chairs in the room itself. On the opposite side of the room from where the door was, a massive arched fireplace was lit which helped illuminate the entire room along with candelabra’s sitting on the tables. There were chandeliers hanging from above, but they weren’t lit.

I stopped Twilight before she could gallop off, went to the nearest bookshelf, grabbed a book, and pulled it off of the shelf. I held it up for her to see, then tossed it to her with my magic. She caught it and flipped it open, looking at it with awe. “It’s translating like it did with Zecora’s book!”

“These are all copies of the originals I have in my library,” I said. “They are all translating for you now. Hestia tells me that there are all sorts of genres in there, from magic tomes, to literature, to ancient historical texts. Hell, I even saw poetry books in there. Oh! And if you want to move it, watch.” I closed the door, then reached for the top left corner. I pulled, and the door slowly flattened, becoming a regular piece of fabric once again. “Just pull at any edge from any corner, and it’ll return to its normal form.” I handed it to her.

Twilight looked at the fabric in her hand like I’d just given her the Holy Grail. “I…I just…I don’t…” She slowly looked up at me, then shouted, “JETHRO, I LOVE YOU!” And just as the two before us, she leaped into my arms, hugging me tightly and dropping the fabric. “Thank you! THANK YOU SO MUCH!”

I hugged her back, stroking her mane to help her calm down. After a while, I slowly set her down. “You’re very welcome, Twilight.”

She nodded happily, then picked up the fabric with her magic, shoved it against the tree, and the door reformed. She opened it and screamed, “BOOKS!”

“Aaand we’ve lost her,” Spike said, groaning.

I chuckled, then stood and turned to Applejack. “Now, for you AJ.”

“Aw, shucks, yah don’t need tah get me anythin’,” she said with a wave of her hoof.

“No, you’re right,” I said, “but I still wanted to. And I was lucky Hestia found something I think you might like.” With that, I touched the jewel on the necklace and five small sacks, each the size of my hand, appeared. They were identical to the ones Zecora had now. I held the sacks over and she took them.

When she opened the first one, her eyes widened. She reached in and pulled out a small pile of seeds. Apple seeds, to be exact. “What…what kind of apples are these…?” she asked as she put them down and looked back at me.

“Look at the labels,” I said.

She did so. The Aelyssian runes slowly began morphing into Equish, or English, and soon they each read, Star Apple, Cinder Apple, Rose Apple, Desert Apple, and Winter Apple. “Ah’ve never heard of these kinds of apples before,” she said.

I touched my gem again, and a smaller green leather-bound book appeared, with a lighter green apple tree painted on the front. I held it out to her. “This is a book describing how to tend to these apples,” I said. “The only one I do know about is the Winter Apple, which actually bears fruit only during winter or cold months.”

Her eyes bugged out at that, and she slowly closed the sack and took the book. “First the Golden Apples, now this? Are ya sure ya ain’t Rarity in disguise?”

I laughed. “Not at all, darling,” I said in an imitation of Rarity before putting my hand to my mouth. “Oops.”

To my surprise, Rarity just chuckled good naturedly. “Don’t worry, dear, I know you mean it well.”

“Ah can’t thank ya enough,” Applejack said, looking up at me with an expression of joy.

“You’re more than welcome,” I said. “Now then, since we’re on the subject of Rarity, you’re next, oh goddess of fashion.”

“Oh my, already?” Rarity seemed startled by this.

“Would you rather go last?” I asked.

“Well, I admit, I am curious as to what you’ll give me,” she admitted sheepishly, ears lowered a bit and a nervous smile on her face.

“Then prepare yourself!” With that, I touched the gemstone and two large piles of fabric and small nut sized gems appeared on the porch behind me.

I had never seen Rarity move so quickly. She almost knocked me over as she went to examine the ancient fabrics and gems with the experienced eye of a seamstress. I watched, curious for her reaction. Finally, she turned back, and I was stunned to see a single tear falling from her astonished face. “These…are without a doubt…some of the finest gems and fabrics I’ve ever seen! It almost feels like a crime to use them!”

“Almost being the key word, right?” I asked with a chuckle.

“I’m a fashionista, darling! It’s in my blood!” She bowed to me. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

“Hey, what did I say earlier?” I asked. “I’m not the Emperor right now. I’m just Jethro.”

She looked up at me and smiled happily. “Well, I felt like it was the right thing to do.”

“Well, you’re very welcome,” I replied. “I know you’ll do some great things with them. And perhaps you can rediscover how they were made.”

“I shall do my best!”

I nodded, then turned to the others. “Pinkie Pie, yours was actually a bit more difficult, since there were so many things Hestia could think of, but I found two things I think you’ll really love.” With that, I brought out two large books, one somewhat pink with white borders that made the book look like a cake, and the other with a laughing Dragon on the front.

Pinkie immediately grabbed them and watched as the titles translated to Best Aelyssian Jokes And Their Contexts and Best Dessert Recipes In The Empire. She zoomed over to me with a blur, covering my face with kisses. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she squealed over and over again between kisses.

I pried her off, smiling wide at her. “I knew you’d like them. Now sit down before you hurt something.” After putting her down, she grabbed the books and began looking at them carefully. Next, I turned to Fluttershy. “Flutters, I found the perfect gift for you, at least I think I did.” In a flash, a few books with unusual types of animals painted on them appeared, and not only that, but a few stuffed animals as well.

Fluttershy slowly approached, and her eyes widened as the book titles translated to The Animal Lovers Guide to Aelyssia. There were five volumes, and the stuffed animals that were there were five examples of animals from Aelyssia.

One of which was a perfect replica of the Great Seedling.

Applejack saw this, and she grabbed it. Looking at it in astonishment, she looked at me. “Does that mean that the Great Seedlin’ is a real thing!?”

“I don’t know, to be honest,” I said, “but I’m willing to bet the answer is in one of those books.”

“I can look for you if you want,” Fluttershy said.

“Ah’d like tah know,” Applejack admitted.

“What’s the Great Seedling?” Spike asked.

“I can explain later, Spike,” Twilight, who had made a small fort of the books from her new library, replied without even looking up.

Fluttershy flew up to me and gently hugged me. “Thank you so much,” she whispered in my ear. “I love them. And I love you.” She planted a kiss on my cheek before hovering away, shyly looking down at the ground, but still smiling.

“You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy them.” And then, I turned to Rainbow Dash, who was still stealing glances at the gift I’d given Scarlet. “Rainbow, are you wanting one too?”

“Huh? What?” She jumped, looking at me. “Well…I mean…”

“Would that be okay with you, Scarlet? If I gave Rainbow something like that as well?”

“Sure! I don’t mind,” Scarlet said, then turned to Rainbow. “I still went before you, after all.”

“Hey! I can still beat your ass in a race, armor or no armor!” Rainbow said.

“Wanna bet?” Scarlet laughed.

“You can tear up the skies later,” I said, stepping between the two of them. “For now, I’ve got something for you, Rainbow. Actually, a few somethings. First, a crate of this.” I touched the gem, and a large wooden crate appeared. I walked up and opened it, revealing ten barrels, five stacks of two. The labels on them morphed to reflect the beverage types. Each was a type of cider made from the apple types that I’d just given Applejack. “This bad boy can preserve so much cider in it,” I said, slamming my hand on the top of the crate. “Now, I can take these up to your house later if you want.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes were huge, and I could see her almost drooling. “Cider…”

“Jethro…yer just feedin’ her addiction,” Applejack said warningly.

“I’m not addicted!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oh, trust me, once she sees what I’m about to give her next, she’ll not really be thanking me much,” I said as I touched the gem again. This time, a large stack of about twelve books appeared in front of her.

Rainbow’s smile slowly vanished. “Wait…BOOKS?! I'm a world-class athlete! Reading's for eggheads like Twilight!”

“Is that so? Alright, then I challenge you to a contest,” I said. I pointed to the first book. “If you can read the first book without drinking the cider, you win, but if you drink so much as a drop of the cider before the book is over, I win.”

“And what do I get when I win?” Rainbow Dash said. “No, wait! I know!” She turned to Zecora. “Hey, Zecora, do you have any Poison Joke?”

“I do. Why do you ask?” Zecora asked.

“Because when I win, I’m gonna make Jethro here show us what it did to him!” she said with a smug expression.

I chuckled. “And when I win, I think I’ll drag you to Earth. I hear Pendragon has this amazing indoor amusement park with the tallest roller coaster.”

Rainbow’s face went pale at that. “You wouldn’t…”

“What’s the matter, Colonel Dash, chicken?” I made clucking noises and made my arms into chicken wings, strutting around. “Brawwk! Buck buck buck buckaaawk!”

“Oh, it’s so on!” She held out a hoof, and spat on it, holding it out to me.

I spat in my palm, then slammed it directly into Rainbow’s outstretched hoof. “Done and done!”

“Hehehe, I can’t wait to see you as a girl,” Rainbow said with a wicked grin.

“And I can’t wait to see your human form screaming like a scared filly when we go down that roller coaster,” I said. “I think I’ll get pictures and post them all over Ponyville.”

“You’d better not,” she said.

I laughed. “Nah, that would be too cruel. And I’m not that. And finally, here!” In a flash of light, a near duplicate of the armor I’d given to Scarlet appeared, only instead of it being a crimson color like Scarlet’s mane, this one was sky blue. “With these, I bet you could go so much faster than you already can.”

“I doubt it,” she chuckled.

“Rainbow, what do ya say?” Applejack said, glaring at the cyan Pegasus.

“Oh, yeah, thanks dude,” she said, nodding at me.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack said angrily.

“Relax, I know her well enough now to know that’s all I’m gonna get from her. You bet, speed demon.” Then, I turned to Spike. “Now, don’t worry, Dragon-boy. I didn’t forget about you. I’ve actually got a couple things I wanna give to you. First of all, come here for a bit.”

Spike raised an eyebrow, but out of the corner of my eye, Ember’s eyes widened slightly. Spike approached. I reached behind me, and the door opened. The Eclipse Blade came out, and I drew it. “Now, I know I said I wasn’t being the Emperor today, but for one of my gifts I have to put on this persona for a bit. Spike the Dragon, kneel and lower your head for me.” When he did so, I raised the sword. “In my name, Emperor Jethro Bethridge of the Aelyssian Empire, I hereby give you the title of Knight of Aelyssia, along with a section of land within my Empire that will be determined in the future when you come of age. Now them, arise, Sir Spike of Aelyssia!”

When Spike stood, his eyes were brimming with tears and he was smiling. “Thank you, Jethro,” he said gratefully.

I sheathed my sword, set it back inside the house with my magic and knelt, wrapping my arms around him. He hugged me back as I said, “You saved my life, Spike. You deserve a reward. But that wasn’t all I wanted to give you. Here.” I stood, broke the hug, and made a large book appear in front of him. “Now, before you go complaining, this is a book on Dragon fighting techniques. How to increase the heat of your fire breath, ancient martial arts, and how Dragons properly fight with a sword and armor like you have now. You’ve wanted to learn how to fight, and this book is perfect to start teaching you the basics.”

As he began looking over the book eagerly, I turned to Sunset. “Sunset, you’re the one here I don’t know that much about,” I said apologetically, “and what I do know is tainted by the Equestria Girls version of you.”

“I watched a few of those while you were in Aelyssia,” she said. “They’re not too far off. I like to game, I can play the guitar, well, when I have fingers, and I can sing decently well.” Clearing her voice, she sang, “E-ques-tria Girls, we’re kind of magical! Boots on hooves, bikinis on top! Furry coats so cute we’ll blow your miiinds! Aaaooaaaoooah, ah, aaaaaoooaooaah!”

I groaned. “I forgot that California Girls was popular back in 2010…you found the Hasbro version, didn’t you? Greeeaaat…” I cleared my throat, ignoring the smirk from the bacon maned Unicorn. “But for you, I wasn’t sure if getting you what I got for Twilight would be appropriate.”

“Well, I wasn’t really expecting anything, to be honest,” she said with a small self-deprecating smile.

“I still wanted to give you something, since you’ve been very helpful to me and Equestria so far. And this is what I want to give you.” I held out my hand, and an unusual instrument appeared. It had the appearance of a lute, but with five lines of two strings each instead of six lines. It had a burnt brown color to it, as if the wood itself had been scorched by flame. “This is an Aelyssian lute,” I said. “I’m told that it has its own magical properties in it, and if you channel your own magic through it, it can only enhance the sound.”

She lifted the lute up, then strummed it with her hoof. A melody unlike anything I’d ever heard came from it. It was soft and evoked imagery of grassy fields, flowing rivers and snow capped mountains. She stopped the sound by placing her hoof on the strings. “Wow…I…thank you,” was all she could say.

I smiled. “You’re welcome, Sunset.” Then, I turned to Ember. “Princess Ember, I actually have something for you that will surprise you.” So saying, I touched the gemstone, only for a very familiar staff to appear in my hands. The staff itself was blueish purple and made of crystal. On top, an unevenly cut massive gemstone sat between three large curved pieces of the purple staff. “This is the real Bloodstone Scepter,” I explained as I held it up in the sunlight. “The one your father had in his possession actually belonged to the Emperor and was only to be held by them. What I have is the Staff of Ignu. I’m not sure how that came into your father’s possession, but Hestia apparently had the original Bloodstone Scepter. This is the scepter held by the true Dragon Lord, the second in command of the Empire directly under the Emperor.”

Ember frowned, looking at the scepter in my hands with apprehension clear on her face. “I…are you absolutely sure you want me to be the Dragon Lord?” she asked. “I’m not the same as the Ember you saw in that Pony show of yours.”

“No, no you’re not,” I said in agreement, but then I added, “you’re much more than she was portrayed as. You’ve gone through so much already. You know what it’s like to be at the bottom. You’ve been hurt. And it’s because of these experiences that I believe you’d make a good leader. But…this is still your choice.” I put a hand on her shoulder. “I will respect any decision you make. And even if you say no, the scepter is yours to keep.”

She nodded. “Yeah…thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

“Um, can I be excused, now?” she asked. “I’ve got a lot to think about.”

“Of course. Go ahead,” I said.

As she walked into the house, I finally turned to Chrysalis. She raised an eyebrow. “What…me too? What are you going to give me? And why?”

I didn’t say anything. Instead, I tapped the gem on my necklace. A dark green and black crown made of some kind of crystalline substance appeared in my hand. It had the shape of many different types of reeds tied together with a dark purple gem on the front. I held it up towards her. “Hestia told me this was a Fae artifact. Since you’re the only High Fae we know of, I figured I’d return it to the rightful owner.”

She took it gingerly and looked it over. “This…I…I don’t even…” and with that, she rushed into the house, slamming the door behind her.

“Well, that was somethin’,” Applejack said. “What even was that?”

“Not sure myself,” I admitted, “but it was definitely Fae in origin.” I turned to everyone. “Thank you for indulging me in this very unusual day. I’m glad to see you all happy. These gifts still feel inadequate as ways of thanking you.”

“My love, you’ve honored all of us more than we ever thought possible,” Zecora said. “You showed your appreciation more than was needed.”

“Yeah, dude! I mean, you personalized the gifts as best you could,” Scarlet added. “It’s not like we were expecting anything.”

“We’re your friends,” Fluttershy continued, flying over and nuzzling my face affectionately.

“And you just deepened the bonds of our friendship, not by giving the gifts themselves, but by showing us just how much we all mean to you by ponysalizing these gifts,” Rarity added, coming down the stairs and giving me a warm smile.

“Group hug pile!” Pinkie said suddenly before glomping onto me, squeezing tightly. As I fell back onto my ass, the others also hugged me close, even Sunset. I felt warm now, and not from the sunlight or the pile of Ponies, a Dragon and a Zebra all clinging to me, but from the friendships I’d formed ever since coming to Equestria. I closed my eyes, smiled, and hugged them back. Even if there were potential dangers on the horizon, I felt secure in the knowledge that my friends would be there for me and have my back.

It was a good feeling.

123: A Cloaked Heart Begins The Taming

“Are you ever gonna put that helmet down, Scarlet?” I asked later that evening at dinner as we ate. The dining table was set, and Gemini, Mica, Scarlet, Zecora and I were all seated, together. Gemini, Mica and I had barbecued ribs with some of Zecora’s Jollhoof rice, while the two herbivores ate just the rice itself. Zecora was so happy for her gift that she made my favorite meal of hers for everyone.

Scarlet, who was still admiring the ancient Pony armor, shook her head. “It’s amazing…I’m holding something in my hooves that’s from long before Equestria. You have to wonder…what civilization made this? I was always taught that we weren’t as civilized as we are until after Equestria was founded.” She set it down on the table and turned to me. “You think that Dragon library of Twilight’s could have a book on that?”

“I’m pretty sure the Aelyssian Dragons stored many ancient books in those treasure rooms,” I said, “ones that you can’t find anywhere else. If there is something in that library, Twilight will be able to find it. I’m pretty curious, myself,” I admitted.

“Do you think there was some other Pony civilization before Equestria?” Zecora asked.

“It’s possible,” I said. “Civilizations on Earth rise and fall. Once upon a time, the Roman Empire controlled all land surrounding one of the biggest inland seas in the world. Now? All we have to remember them by are ruins and ancient records from two thousand years ago. We know even less about the ancient civilizations in the Americas before Europeans came and colonized. Who knows what happened?”

Scarlet looked over at me, put her hoof to her lips, and blew a kiss at me. “I can’t wait to try it out tomorrow.”

“Just be sure to do it before that afternoon rain shower they scheduled,” I said. “We’re probably gonna need to learn how to take care of the armor, too. I thought I heard somewhere that there’s special oil you need to use to polish it and maintain armor.”

“Not quite,” Mica said. “We do have to wax our armor, but we don’t use oil on it.”

“I’ll have to order some, then,” I said, then turned to Zecora. “Sweetie, I have to say, the rice you made is so much better than it normally is. Did you make it in the new cauldron?”

She smiled happily at me and nodded. “Normally, I’m a patient mare, but I just had to see how it would fare. And it works like a dream.” She leaned in and took my hand in her hoof. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“You deserve it. I can’t wait to see what you can do with the property I hope I can buy for you.”

Just then, Gemini quickly stood up from the table, pushing her untouched steak away quickly. “Excuse me, I don’t have an appetite right now.” With that, she grabbed her untouched food, put it in the trash, placed her dishes in the sink, and walked towards the stairs to her room. “I’ll clean it up tomorrow,” she muttered as she trudged up towards the second floor, her ears and tail drooping slightly. Silence reigned as we all listened to her go, then we jumped as the door was slammed and locked.

We all remained silent, just looking at each other, before a voice from the other room called out, “She doesn’t do a very good job of hiding her jealousy, does she?”

As Hestia and Eve both flew into the dining room and landed on the backs of one of the empty chairs, I put my fork down and sighed. “Yeah…maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to announce it with her here,” I said.

“No, that would only make things worse,” Hestia replied.

“She’s right,” Mica said, looking over at me. “In our culture, speaking about relationships like this aloud is expected, even if it can cause jealousy. It’s better to be open about these things. And before you say anything about the Empress, she’s not as clever as she likes to believe she is in hiding her true intentions. Even I knew that the letter she sent you wasn’t the whole story. We wear our emotions out for all to see most of the time.”

I nodded. “How long has she been holding in these emotions?” I asked.

“I don’t know the exact date,” he said, “but it’s been a few months at least, sometime after you began to be trained by her.”

“Is there something she’s afraid of?” I asked.

“You should speak to her about that, my love,” Zecora said. “She and I had a talk about it, but she wasn’t quite as forthcoming as I believe she’ll be with you.”

“Yeah, I’m with Zeke on this one,” Scarlet said. “You really should clear the air with her before things go to shit.”

“I know I should,” I began, “but I’m not even sure where to begin? It’s not like we’re all friendly like how I started out with Zecora and you. She’s always at my throat, berating me and insulting me. Not that I can’t take it, but it clearly sends the wrong message.”

“That’s just how she is,” Mica said, “she’s always had to be the strong one in the family ever since our parents passed. Becoming a part of the Empress’ royal guard meant everything to her. When she made Captain, she barely reacted, but I knew she was happy when I heard her later that night wagging her tail in bed.”

I groaned, but nodded. “Yeah…best to nip this in the bud, isn’t it?”

“That is probably a good idea,” Hestia said. “And best to do it very soon. And you should also speak to the Dragon Princess and the Fae Queen. Their hearts are troubled as well.”

“I have less of an idea of what to say to them, especially Chrysalis,” I said. “With the way she reacted to that old High Fae relic, you’d think I gave her some powerful magical artifact.”

“In a sense, you did give her an artifact of her kind,” Hestia said. “Perhaps one she hasn’t seen in many years. She is just as old, if not older, than the Pony Princesses.”

“She’s been acting a bit less…confrontational,” Scarlet said. “More subdued, if you take my meaning.”

“You really have been reading Lord of the Rings,” I muttered before I continued, “I can’t begin to try and help her if she won’t let me in.”

“Then take your time with her,” Hestia said. “And also don’t reject any advice she might give on ruling. She might have been a horrible ruler, but she held her species together for many years on her own. There’s something to be said about that.”

“Are you going to be okay, father?” Eve asked hesitantly, nuzzling my face gently.

“Yeah, I’ll be alright,” I said to Eve, “and I’ll keep what you’ve said in mind, Hestia. I’ll go talk to them.”

“Can’t we at least finish dinner first?” Scarlet asked. “I’ve got more things to say to Mister Casanova here. And all of them dirty.” She winked and blew a kiss at me, and thus the mood instantly lifted.

“Seriously, how much in heat is she?” I heard Eve muttering as she preened herself.

“Yeah, let’s finish eating,” I said as I grabbed the barbecued ribs I’d made for myself. “And I suppose I can stomach a few more jabs directed my way.”

“Can I lick your face?” Scarlet asked.

I nearly choked on my food in surprise. “SCARLET!”

Thirty minutes after we’d all finished our dinner, I was standing outside of Ember’s bedroom. Somehow, I felt that the conversation with her would be the easiest, so I decided to start with her. Zecora and Scarlet had already headed to bed and had promised they’d be waiting for me in our bedroom when I was done. I firmly knocked on the door. “Ember, it’s Jethro. Are you still awake?”

There was a stirring from the other side. “Yeah, what do you want?” she asked.

“I wanted to talk to you, if that’s okay. About the Dragon Lord stuff.”

There was silence on the other side, then the lock was undone and the door slowly opened. Ember stood there, not wearing anything as she preferred. The real Bloodstone Scepter stood in a corner of the room. We both stared at each other, my own face a mask and hers one of uncertainty. Finally, she stepped aside. “Come on in, I guess,” she said.

I walked in and strode over to the two chairs in front of the dim fire. I put a few more logs on it, then used magic to blow on it. The fire brightened and the new logs began to catch. I took a seat, then motioned for her to join me. She walked over and sat down. Somehow, she made the action look graceful. I turned around and stared into the fire for a while, gathering some of my thoughts.

However, it was Ember who spoke first. “Why me?” she asked. I turned towards her, only for her to be staring at me with all of her attention. “Why are you choosing me? And don’t use the excuse that it happened in that hatchling entertainment.”

I nodded and smiled. “Would you want me to lie?” I held up a hand to silence her inevitable rebuttal. “Just…hear me out for a bit, okay?” She shut her mouth and waited for me to continue. “That’s only part of the reason why I think you’d make a good leader. Ever since we met, you’ve displayed several qualities I associate with a good leader. You have a solid head on your shoulders, you care for other Dragons around you, you’re slow to warmongering, and while your loyalty to your father may have been misguided, the fact that you can feel such loyalty shows your strength of character. You also have managed to see life from the bottom of the pit. Your father never did. That was plainly obvious in the way he lived in that fortress. You know what it’s like to struggle and living day to day. You’ve lived a harsh life, yes, but you’ve never given into despair. You fought back. Am I wrong with anything so far?”

“Why would they follow me? I didn’t earn it,” Ember asked.

“I think about a hundred years of suffering qualifies you as more than having earned it,” I replied. “Besides, if you choose to accept my offer, I will issue an imperial decree, naming you as the Dragon Lord. Your kind might not be happy with me as the Emperor, but it seems like they are very obedient when it comes to those named as leaders. Am I right?”

Ember slowly nodded. “Yeah…they do.”

“And since I’m now their emperor, anything I say is, for better or worse, absolute.” I sighed. “Which in and of itself is very terrifying, even for me.”

Ember turned away from me, staring into the fire. I turned to face it as well, but would occasionally steal glances at her. She looked very deep in thought, her brow furled with worry. After a while, she said, “If I do this…what do you want me to do?”

“As I understand it, the Dragon Lord title is something like a regent…or more like the Hand of the King,” I said, “which is basically second in command to me. You have experience with your kind that I don’t. All I know about any kind of dragons are the stereotypes on them from my world. Greedy, guard hoards, kidnap princesses and are meant to be foils to heroic human knights. But I know here there’s so much more to your kind. You and Spike are prime examples of this.”

“Why do you think I’m so amazing?!” she shouted suddenly, looking at me once more with wide eyes. “I’m not!”

“That’s not you talking,” I said, “that’s years of emotional and physical abuse from your own father. You might not be big, but you are strong, and that definitely counts for more than your father ever thought.” I hated quoting the show’s version of Torch, but I believed it to be true for the real version of Ember.

She clenched the armrests of the chair so hard that I heard the wood underneath began to crack. “What if I make a mistake?”

“Then you acknowledge it, apologize for it, do what you can to make it right, and keep moving,” I said. “I’ve made mistakes since coming here. I know how you’re feeling. Probably more so than you are. You have a choice. I don’t. I’m not trying to guilt trip you. I’m just saying I can think of no other Dragon more perfect for the job.”

She didn’t respond for a bit, keeping her thoughts to herself. “What if I need help?” she asked.

“I’ll talk to some of our magical experts,” I replied. “Maybe there’s a way to craft some sort of portal door between my house and Aelyssia. I know I’m the Emperor, but I also don’t want to leave my home. I like it here. I also can begin practicing my magical teleportation abilities. I know I can since I did it before, but I need more practice. And there’s also my access to Earth technology that allows for instant communication. See? There’s plenty of viable and possible solutions.” I stood and walked over to her. Kneeling before her, I looked her in the eyes. “I will respect your decision, but just know that I think you would make an excellent leader.”

She looked down for a bit, then after a few seconds, she inhaled deeply and sighed. “I…will have an answer for you by sometime tomorrow.”

“Take as much time as you need,” I said, “and don’t stay up too late stressing.” I stood, then headed to the door. Putting my hand on the handle, I paused, then turned back to her. “For the record, in the show, that version of you is one of my favorite characters.” So saying, I opened her door and quietly left.

Mere moments later, I was standing in front of Gemini’s bedroom door, facing it with no small amount of trepidation. Now, I might have had access to strange and powerful magic, but even so, I was nervous as all hell as I held up my hand and finally knocked on the door. “Gemini, are you awake? It’s me.” I didn’t hear anything from the other side, so I added, “I want to talk to you. It’s important.”

Finally, I heard rustling, then a pair of trudging footsteps approached the door. The lock was unlatched and the door creaked open. A pair of teal eyes looked out at me, and the white coated and gray striped Lycan’s voice said, “What do you want?”

I put my hand on the door, holding it open. “We need to talk,” I said in a serious tone. “We need to talk about what happened in Aelyssia between us.”

A glint of anger flashed across her eyes, but she slowly pulled the door open. “Fine…let’s just get this over with…”

When I entered the room, I was stunned to see just what a mess it had become. All of her belongings were strewn about, her bed was a mess, and the curtains to the window closed. I closed the door behind me, then looked at her. “Now, I know I said you could do whatever you wanted with your room, but this just seems unhealthy.”

She whirled around on me and snapped, “And just why the fuck should you care?!”

“I’m worried about you,” I replied as calmly as I could. “You’ve not been saying much since we got back from Aelyssia. And then…there was that weird confession of yours. I wanted to talk to you about it.”

Her ears flattened and she walked over to her bed. Taking a seat, she looked down at the ground. “Yeah…you can just forget that…I don’t know what I was thinking anyway.”

I slowly approached her. I had to keep reminding myself that she wasn’t quite like a human woman. She was fierce and proud. Like a wolf. I reached her right side and sat next to her on the comfortable bed. “I can’t forget it, and I won’t forget it,” I said softly. “Gemini, those were your true feelings back there, weren’t they?” She clenched her claws into fists, but said nothing. I sighed. “I get that this must be difficult for you, but-”

“No! You don’t get it!” she said, quickly turning and jumping on me. Caught off guard, she pinned me to the bed, hovering over me with a fire in her eyes. “You really don’t!”

I didn’t move, but I gave her a glare of my own. “Then explain it to me! Explain to me what the problem is!”

She got closer to me, teeth bared and a low growl escaping her throat. We stared at each other, not blinking. Two predators, each sizing the other up. Finally, after a minute, she said, “Do you know what it was like for me growing up in the Lycan Empire? Hearing over and over just how superior females were to males and living by that universally accepted truth!? Then meeting you!? This apparently weak-willed male of an alien species who somehow managed to defeat me in single combat?!” She sat up, finally releasing me and sitting on my lap, glowering down at me with ears flattened. “And then you wanted me to teach you to fight?! Secretly teaching my brother was one thing, but teaching you?? How humiliating! I decided to try and break you, but you keep on getting back up, ready for more!”

“Look, I didn’t beat you,” I said quickly, “I won on a technicality-”

“Shut up and let me finish!” she screeched, shutting me up. “You took everything I threw at you, EVERYTHING! And you actually got better! You began using what you learned and improving! You…” and she suddenly stopped, her anger slowly morphing into despair. “And then… AND THEN I STARTED WANTING YOU FOR A MATE!” she bellowed loudly. “But then you became a knight, just like that! And now you’re an Emperor! I had to work hard to get where I was in Empress Amber’s guard! And here you are, getting higher than I ever got without any effort! You keep on getting farther from me!”

I quickly grabbed her wrists and flipped her onto her back, looming over her now instead. “I never wanted any of this, you know that, right?! I never wanted to fight you, I never wanted to make you into a slave, and I certainly never wanted to become a knight or even an emperor! Ever since I got to Equestria, I’ve not had much time to do anything I liked! It might have started out slow in the beginning, but I’ve become more ingrained into this world than even back in my old one! You saw what just happened out there at dinner! I just got engaged to a Zebra! A common citizen! Do you think I care about status or rank when it comes to that sort of thing!?”

Her eyes were wide with astonishment as we both stared at each other. Tensions were running high, I could feel it. Finally, she looked away. “You…I can’t offer you much,” she finally said, sounding ashamed. “The Zebra is a shamaness. She can concoct all kinds of brews for you. And the Pegasus is a lot smarter than I am, even if she doesn’t show it.”

“That’s not how a relationship works!” I shouted, startling her. She turned back to me and I continued, “Besides, you have your own strengths! You’re a warrior! And you were a captain of the royal guards in your nation! They don’t just give that position away! You’re very smart! You have a talent for fighting along with directing and deploying soldiers!” Grabbing her collar, I pulled her up so we were nose to nose. “You want to know something? At first, I didn’t like you! You were quick to get angry, would constantly yell and berate me, but I admit, you grew on me! You taught me a lot, and if it weren’t for you, I’d be dead! I respect you as a great warrior and an amazing teacher, even if your motives were out of spite! You’ve helped me so much, and honestly, I can’t imagine this house without you and your brother in it!”

Her eyes went wide in astonishment. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She did this a couple more times then finally asked me a simple, yet loaded question: “Why…?”

“Because despite everything, I’ve gotten accustomed to your snide attitude and those angry remarks you make when you think nobody can hear you,” I said. “And I do think we can at least be civil to each other. Do you know how much your brother worries about you?”

“And do you know how hard it is to undo years of experience?” she retorted. “Years of being told that males should be subservient to their female betters, years of seeing others look down on a male. And then seeing you and how you’ve become so strong in so short a time?” She looked down. “Why did I have to find a suitable mate in you…? This would be so much easier if…” and here she trailed off.

“Go on a date with me,” I stated plainly.

She looked up sharply. “A date?!”

“Yes, a date.” I leveled my gaze at her, not looking away.

“You know nothing, whelp,” she said, “Lycans don’t do dates.”

“What do Lycans do?” I asked.

“Males work to impress the females, and then we mark the one we’re interested in,” Gemini explained. She pointed to my neck. “Like I did with you.”

“I’m not a Lycan,” I said.

“I know! I acted on instinct and raw emotions!” Gemini shouted bitterly. “But the strange part is…I don’t regret it. As much as I want to, I don’t. I’d do it again if I could!”

I nodded. “Well humans go on dates to get to know a partner better,” I explained. “So far, I don’t know that much about you. Your likes and dislikes, what makes you laugh, stuff like that. You claimed me, and that’s all well and good, but as attractive as you are, I want to know you better.”

She looked about ready to explode, but finally just seemed to deflate. “Don’t expect much from the start,” she said.

“I plan on going at your pace,” I said, finally getting off of the bed and standing before her. “I will set the day when I manage to get some free time. I’ll come up with some activities we can do together.”

“Yeah…good luck with that,” she said, but as I turned away to leave, I thought I saw a glimmer of hope in her teal eyes.

Thirty seconds later, I was standing in front of Chrysalis’ door. She was the only one I really didn’t want to face. Ever since she’d become more Elflike in appearance, she had been definitely more subdued, less antagonistic, and surprisingly introspective. She’d become a woman of few words. And when I’d given her the crown Hestia mentioned, she’d become even more reclusive. She’s been locked up in her room for hours, and even I was getting worried. I finally found the courage to rap on the door. “Chrysalis, it’s Jethro. We need to talk.” Just like before with Gemini, there was silence. I knocked a few more times, but nothing happened for a while.

Finally, the door swung open fast, and I found myself staring into the emerald green orbs that now belonged to the changed High Fae. Green eyes that glared at me. She was still wearing some of my clothes, since Rarity hadn’t yet had the time to craft a wardrobe for her that I intended to fund. She wore a pair of gray slacks and a dark red t-shirt with the Flash logo on it. In her hands, she was clutching the crown I’d given to her. “What do you want?” she asked in what I assumed she meant to be a harsh tone, but instead came out in a softer whisper.

“I need to talk to you about your living arrangements here, and a few other things,” I said plainly.

She stared at me for a bit, then sighed and said, “Yeah, sure…”

As I had with Ember earlier, I walked over to the fireplace. Instead of two chairs, this room had a large comfortable couch. I sat at the left end and motioned for her to join. “Come on.”

She closed the door, walked over, and sat on the opposite side of the couch. She stroked the crown in her hand almost reverently, and I saw a look of resignation come over her. “I guess here’s where you tell me that since I look more like you, it’s time to become your sex slave.”

“Okay, first of all, eew. Second of all, fuck no! Why was THAT your first go-to reaction?!” I asked. “I don’t…” I stopped myself, then took a deep breath to clam down. “Listen up, Chrysalis, because I’m only going to say this once. I’m going to be giving you the same terms of service to me as I’ve given to Gemini and Mica.” With that, I told her the same thing I’d told to Gemini on her first day in my house. Her pay, the benefits, everything. She listened with suspicion which slowly morphed into confusion.

And then, I threw her a curve ball.

“Could you…repeat that?” she asked.

“I said I was only going to say it once,” I replied.

“You expect me…to train you…on how to use Fae magic?!” Chrysalis asked in utter astonishment. “And you’re paying me and giving me days off?? Do you even know what a fucking slave is?!”

“Funny, Gemini asked me a similar question when I was done telling her what I just told you,” I said, remembering her own words: ‘You…do know what a slave is, don’t you?’

“Why are you being so nice to me?!” she demanded to know. “You claim me as a slave, but you treat me better than a slave! You give me a room this nice without me needing to pay for it! And you even gave me the Haze Crown??” She held up the crown I’d given her. “Do you know…just how important this relic is to the High Fae?! TO MY MOTHER!?”

“No, I didn’t,” I said honestly.

“You just…I don’t…” She stood and paced in front of the fire, looking more and more frustrated. “Why did you do this to me?! You…”

“You needed the nourishment,” I said quickly. “Did you expect me to let you die?”

“Why let me live?! I’m an enemy of Equestria and Aelyssia!”

“Why? Because I’m not a monster,” I said. “I’ve only ever killed once, and that was because I lost control and my opponent was too far gone to be saved as it was. But you? You aren’t.” I walked over and put my finger on her chest, pointing at where her heart was. “Look deep down inside yourself, High Fae Chrysalis. Are you so short sighted that you would willingly sacrifice your entire race just for revenge?”

“Yes! Yes I…I was…” she stammered out. “They killed my race! My parents! They needed to pay!” To my surprise, a single tear fell from her eye. “But now…now I’m just…so tired. All that anger…I want it back. I can’t bear to feel this way!” Closing her eyes, she clenched her teeth and held back whimpering sobs.

I stayed where I was, letting her get at least this small part of her grief out of her system. When she began to calm down, I spoke. “I lost my family and my first love, too,” I said. “They’re dead. I can’t get them back. They weren’t killed deliberately, like in a war, but I know the pain of loss. Chrysalis, it’s time you faced your grief. Mourn for them. Grieve their passing.”

“I hate this feeling so much…” she repeated, slowly hugging the crown to her chest and lowering her head. “I want it to go away! I want to be angry again! But…I can’t!”

“Let me guess, you were using it as a crutch,” I said. “Yeah, been there. Take my advice, Chrysalis. Hatred is corrosive and will only lead to more sorrow. You would eventually die alone, unloved, and forgotten. Give your parents the sendoff they deserve.”

She remained silent for a bit. Finally, she said, “Leave…leave me alone…please…”

Nodding, I stood and headed to the door. I left in silence. However, the moment I closed the door, my enhanced hearing picked up a louder sob from behind the door. As I headed to my room, a final thought passed through my head regarding Chrysalis: Now her healing could begin.

I hope…

124: A Cloaked Heart's History Lesson

The next morning, the three women I’d spoken to the night before stayed in their rooms, although Chrysalis had actually come out of her room and requested a pen and a few sheets of paper. I grabbed an old composition book I had lying around my Earth home and gave her three G7 pens. She was a bit confused by how they worked at first, but she was quick to learn and when I left, she was sitting at her desk, furiously writing away and ignoring me. The look of concentration in her eyes astonished me.

Things did seem like they were starting to return to a kind of normalcy, with Scarlet, Zecora and Mica all eating near me. Our conversation was light and felt like things were going to be okay.

Now, unlike my original house, my mansion had actual bells, a lot like the kind seen in any movie version of A Christmas Carol when the ghost of Jacob Marley began ringing them. There were enough throughout the house that whenever someone would press the button on the side of the main door, each bell would receive a small jolt of magic which made them ring. As we were wrapping up the meal, the doorbell that hung above the dining room entrance began swaying back and forth until it began to ring. “Huh, I wonder who’s at the door this early?” I asked. It was almost nine in the morning, and the only plans I had for that day was to just take it easy and recover before the events of the past week before plunging back into my work as Emperor.

“Want me to go find out who it is?” Mica asked, immediately standing and looking ready to go

“Nah, you stay there and finish eating,” I said, standing up. “I’ll go have a look.”

So saying, I stood and headed out into the living room. As I made my way out, I saw Ember walking out of her room. She had a bleary expression on her face. “What’s that ringing about?” she asked tiredly.

“Someone’s at the door,” I said.

“Oh…well, I guess I’ll go back to sleep, then-”

The bell rang again, and then someone began knocking. It sounded frantic. Then a voice on the other side called out, “Jethro! Please help!” The voice belonged to Spike.

Ember was immediately awake now, and she and I I quickly made our way over to the door. I quickly undid the few locks I had set then threw the door open only to see a frantic Spike standing in the door. He was wearing a thick black coat and brown slacks. “Whoa there, Spike,” I said, grabbing the fist that was about to hit the door that wasn’t there anymore, “any more and you’ll break the door. What’s going on?”

He relaxed, but not by much. “Sorry for coming so early in the morning, but it’s Twilight! She’s been in that library you gave her all night!”

“Doesn’t she stay up reading a lot?” I asked, confused why Spike was coming to me with this.

He shook his head. “Not like this,” he said in a worried tone. “She’s locked herself in the room and cast a spell around it. Sunset can’t even open the door!”

Now I saw why he was worried. “Alright, come on in and warm up for a bit,” I said, “I’m gonna go get dressed and be right over.”

“What’s all the hubbub out here?” Scarlet asked, hovering out of the dining room with a bit of egg on her face. When she saw how frantic Spike looked, her eyes widened. “Whoa! Spike?! What’s going on?”

“Twilight’s acting a bit strange,” I said, “well, more so than she normally is. I’m going over to check up on her.”

“I hope you realize we will be coming with you, dearest,” Zecora said, walking out behind Scarlet.

Mica followed close behind the Zebra. “I’d come with you, but I need to look after my sister and help her guard the Dragon Princess and the Dark Fae Queen,” he said apologetically.

“I don’t need guarding,” Ember said indignantly. “In fact, I’ll be going with him for now over to see what the issue is with the Pony.”

I turned and raised an eyebrow at her. “You are?”

She nodded, then leaned forward. “I need out of this house for a while.”

“Alright, fair enough,” I nodded. Turning to Mica, I said, “I can handle myself. Take care of things while I’m gone, alright?” I added as I flung on a thick overcoat and a pair of my best boots. The ground was still damp from the rain, and I knew that the Weather Team had also forecast a few showers sprinkled throughout the day.

“Will do, sir,” Mica said, saluting me in the Lycan fashion, a fist to the chest.

I replied in kind. “See you later, okay?” I turned back to Ember and tossed her the clothes she’d discarded the moment she stepped into the house. “Put these on. Ponyville is colder than Aelyssia.”

She grumbled in response, but did as I suggested. “I hate clothes,” she muttered.

“I’d rather you be warm and dressed than naked and cold,” I replied as I pulled my second boot on. When we were all ready, I looked down at Spike. “Lead on, Spike.”

And with that, the young drake led us out into the early morning.

Just as I’d expected, the ground was wet and somewhat slippery, and the sky was threatening rain, but I knew the rain wasn’t coming for a little while, yet, so I hurried along, following Spike. The streets weren’t that full of Ponies, yet, but those who saw us would wave at us. A worrying number actually bowed in my direction despite me telling them the day before that they didn’t need to bow down to me or anything like that.

I was so engrossed in my task that I didn’t see the bright green Unicorn mare walking in front of me until it was too late. I collided with her and went sprawling onto the cobblestone street.

“Jethro!” Scarlet rushed over and landed beside me, putting her hoof on my back. “Are you alright??”

“You aren’t hurt, are you?” Zecora asked, rushing to my side as well.

I slowly sat up and looked around, more concerned with the mare I’d accidentally run over. She was lying on the ground, groaning and slowly standing up. She was a light lime green colored mare with a darker green wavy mane and tail. Her eyes were a somewhat grayish light brown and her ears were drooped. She actually had a few darker green freckles on her cheeks, as well. Her cutie mark was a drooping potted plant. She was wearing a now dirty light brown and dark brown striped turtleneck sweater. I quickly made my way over to the mare and helped her to her feet. “Hey, are you okay, miss?” I asked.

She tensed up immediately and looked at me. “I-um…I think so,” she said.

I brushed off her sweater, then looked around. In the fall, I thought I had heard the shattering of pottery. When I saw a destroyed pot, some potting soil and a bonzai tree of all things, my eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

The mare followed my gaze and her eyes widened in horror. “No…NO!” She galloped over to it and picked it up with her light brown magic. “This was directly imported from Neighhon,” she whimpered sadly.

Feeling extremely guilty about what I’d done, I held out my hand. The pot, soil and plant began to glow in the silvery golden glow of my magic, then slowly began to reform. Finally, the pot was sealed up as best as I could get it. I slowly floated it over towards the mare. “Think you can get this someplace where you can replant it in a new pot?” I asked.

The mare took the entire pot in her magic, then looked back at me. “Th-Thank you, Jethro,” she said quietly.

I then remembered who she was, and when I did, I nearly smacked my head in surprise. I’d seen her Equestria Girls counterpart already, and she’d asked at least one question during the meeting at Town Hall after Eris’ defeat. “You’re welcome, Wallflower. Take care of yourself, and I’m sorry for running into you. I wasn’t looking.”

Wallflower Blush looked stunned that I knew who she was, but she quickly shook her head. “N-No no, it’s fine,” she said, “I’m a quiet Pony anyway…”

“It’s still no excuse for me not to pay attention to my surroundings,” I said. “You be safe now, and I’ll see you around, okay, Wallflower?” She nodded and quickly made her way down the street. I stood and turned back to the others. “Alright, let’s go!”

A few minutes later later, we were standing in Twilight’s basement, the same one where she kept her scientific instruments which she had used to try and understand the Pinkie Sense. There were many different instruments everywhere, from tables full of beakers and test tubes to the very same machine she’d used on Pinkie, and later me. There were many various roots coming down through the vast cavern that was the basement of the library, and a long set of stone carved stairs leading up to the main floor.

However, there was one new addition to the room: the very same door which lead to the interdimensional library with every copy of the books that were in my own new hoard. Sunset was in front of it, her horn glowing as she tried to pull the door open. However, the harder she tried, the more the door seemed to resist.

When we all came down the stairs, Ember looked around with a worried expression. “By the gods, what is this place?”

“It’s where Twilight studies things she doesn’t understand,” I replied.

“Science! Formulas! Microscopes! LEARNING!” Scarlet giggled.

I facepalmed. “Not the time for a My Little Pony YouTube skit reference, babe.”

Sunset stopped what she was doing and turned to us. Her face became one of relief. “Thank God you’re here,” she said, rushing over to us. “She’s been in there all night, and when we tried to get her out this morning, she cast a protection spell around it. I could probably break it if I wasn’t so out of practice, but all I can hear from inside is her muttering something to herself.”

“Let me give it a try,” I said as I walked up to the door.

Sunset stood aside and sighed. “Good luck.”

When I reached the door, I knocked. I could hear the echo from inside reverberating around the inner chamber. “Hey, Twi? It’s Jethro,” I said, “Is everything okay in there?” I put my ear to the door, but heard nothing. Just the roaring of a fire and some indistinct muttering. “Listen,” I continued, raising my voice a little bit, “the others are out here. They’re getting worried. They say you’ve been up all night in there and haven’t eaten since yesterday. It’s time to take a break.” I listened for a bit. There was still nothing changed.

“Stand aside,” Ember said suddenly. She walked up to the door and began banging on it. “Hey! Pony brat! Get out of there! I’m sure it’s fascinating reading all that boring ancient Dragon garbage, but your friends are worried!” She put her head to the door, listening. But there must have been no change because she threw her arms up in frustration. “Gods save us from the stubbornness of Ponies,” she growled as she walked away.

“May I try?” Zecora asked. When I nodded, she walked up to the door and knocked. “My dear Twilight, are you well in there? You’ve been up all night, I hear. I can prepare something that can reenergize you.” She put her head to the door and listened. When she came away, the look on her face said she had failed. “Sorry, love,” she said.

“It’s alright,” I said, stroking her mane.

“Here, let me try,” Scarlet said, walking up to the door and, standing on her hind legs, leaned against it. She began pushing herself against it, like she was trying to open it. Just before I was about to mention that the door opened outwards, she began moaning. “Oh…Oh Jethro…you’re so big! Ah! I’m almost…nnng…there!”

Sunset blushed, Ember scowled, but her cheeks went red as well, Zecora covered Spike’s ears with her hooves, and Spike watched with more confusion than anything. I was a bit too stunned to say anything at first, but then I rushed over. “The fuck are you doing?!” I hissed in her ear, pulling her away from the door.

And it was a good thing I did. Because the moment I pulled away, Twilight burst through the door, wide eyed and furious. “What’s going on out here?!” she snapped, looking around the room at the gathered group. “I’m trying to read in there!”

“Twilight!” Spike said, breaking away from Zecora and hugging his first ever friend and foster sister. “Thank Celestia!”

Twilight’s rage instantly subsided and turned to concern when she looked around and saw the worried faces all focused on her. “Um…Spike? Everyone? What’s going on?”

“You’ve been locked in there ever since last afternoon,” Spike said, his voice trembling.

“It’s true,” Sunset confirmed.

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “I…I was?!” She looked up at a clock on the wall of the lab. When she saw the time, she swallowed and looked at the rest of us sheepishly. “Oh…um…whoops?”

“That’s all you have to say? Whoops?” Spike asked, now getting angry. “You had us all worried sick!”

I walked up and put a hand on Spike’s back. “Calm down, Dragon-boy,” I said reassuringly before I turned to Twilight. “You did go a bit overboard.”

Her ears flattened. “I…I’m sorry. I just…got so engrossed in the history section. I couldn’t put it down. I learned so much that you should all hear!”

“Come on,” I said, lifting her up and cradling her princess style in my arms, “we should get you to bed.”

She blushed when I picked her up, but when I said I was taking her to bed, she shook her head. “Not yet…I need something to eat first.”

“I’ll go warm up your pancakes!” Spike said, rushing up the stairs.

Twilight yawned tiredly, and to my surprise, snuggled into my grasp and buried her face in my chest, nuzzling me affectionately. I stroked her mane gently and looked down at the other three. Zecora was giving me an affirming smile and Scarlet was just smirking and gave me a wink. Sunset was rolling her eyes, but had an amused expression on her face.

And Ember? Well, she was looking down at a book that was sitting on the floor in front of the door. She stooped and picked it up, looking at the title. Then she looked over at Spike with an unreadable expression. I stopped and waited for her. When she looked over at me, she quickly put the book down on a nearby table and joined us. “Let’s go,” she said, walking up the stairs quickly.

I looked down at Twilight again. She looked so peaceful in my arms, and I wrapped my wings around her for some extra warmth. She relaxed even more in them, exhaling deeply and contentedly. “Mmm…this feels nice…” she muttered tiredly.

“Don’t go to sleep yet,” I teased, “you need to at least eat something before you go to bed.”

“Mmm…but the library-”

“I’ll look over it for today,” Sunset said quickly. “You just need to catch a few Z’s.”

“Mmm…okay,” she said.

When we reached the small dining area, I put Twilight down at her chair. She groaned in disappointment when she left the warmth of my arms and wings, but the disappointment quickly turned to happiness when Spike put down a steaming plate of pancakes in front of her. She quickly spread them out, put some butter on each one, then doused them in a heaping helping of maple syrup. The others sat at the table, all looking at Twilight with varying degrees of relief. All except Ember, who was looking down at the table with a now thoughtful expression on her face.

As Twilight was eating, I took a seat on a chair next to her. “So, you said you learned a bunch of stuff we should hear?” I asked curiously.

She was in the middle of chewing on a bit of pancake when I asked. She nodded, grabbed her glass of orange juice, washed said pancake down with the juice, then said, “There’s so much in there! Aelyssian history goes back to about twenty five hundred years ago, if I’m converting their years right! It may even be more!”

“Wow, that is impressive,” I admitted. “But what got you so engrossed that you would cast a barrier spell?”

She looked up, stunned. “I did?”

“You don’t remember?” Sunset asked, sounding shocked.

“I…no, now I remember,” she said, a look of shame passing over her face. “I’m sorry,” she added apologetically, “I just tend to get so engrossed in my reading sometimes. But I don’t ever remember putting up barriers before.”

“As long as you are alright, my dear Twilight, but please don’t ever again put us in a fright,” Zecora said with a relieved smile on her own face.

“I’ll try and hold back, I promise,” she said.

“Well, what did you learn?” Spike asked.

“We can talk about that after Twilight’s rested up,” I said quickly, wanting her to be in bed as soon as she was done eating.

“No no, it’s alright,” Twilight said, “I can give you the short version. But for one, did you know that there were five different subspecies of Dragons? Five?!” Her eyes widened in excitement.

“Wait, were? What do you mean, were?” I asked.

“Well, we’ve only seen the kind of Dragons that can fly,” Twilight explained after swallowing another bit of pancake. “There are the normal Dragons like the ones we’ve seen. Then there were Loongs, otherwise known as Eastern Dragons, then Sirens, and Sea Serpents.”

“Well, we know that some of them exist,” I said. “Dragons, Sirens and Sea Serpents are still around. But you only mentioned four types. What was the fifth?”

“That’s the thing, I’m not really sure what they were called,” Twilight said. “There’s not much on them that I’ve found. I only know they look like Wyverns and their fire has special magical properties. And while they were the rarest, they were also the most envied and hated.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Most hated? What could their fire do?”

I wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed it, but she clamed up slightly. “I, uh…haven’t found out yet,” she said unconvincingly, but she was trying so desperately to lie that I knew it must have been important.

Before anyone else could call her out on it, I quickly said, “Well, I think you’ll have time to study more later. For now, you need food then a long rest.”

Twilight smiled. “Yeah, I am a bit tired,” she said sheepishly. She finished off her pancakes and quickly got out of her chair. She yawned and stumbled a bit.

I quickly caught her in my magic, then lifted her towards me, holding her once more princess style. “I’ve got you,” I said with a reassuring smile.

She blushed and curled up in my arms. “Thanks, Jethro,” she said tiredly.

“I’ll take her up to bed,” I announced as I headed out of the dining room towards the stairs. “Why don’t you guys wait in the main room for me. I’m gonna make sure she gets to sleep.” I gave her a stern expression.

“I’m not a filly, Jethro,” Twilight said indignantly.

“It’s for my peace of mind,” I said as the others began filing out of the room. All except for Ember who looked over at Twilight and me. I locked eyes with her. “Ember?”

She slowly stood. “That Pony knows more than she lets on,” she said sharply.

Twilight flinched and turned away. “I-I don’t know what you mean,” she said.

“You’re a poor liar, Twi,” I whispered. “Ember, follow me. I think we need to talk to our little friend here.”

As the three of us walked up the staircase, Twilight remained silent. There was something in her expression that told me she’d learned something important. Something that was haunting her. Possibly even something she wished she hadn’t learned. Finally, I reached her room. I smiled when I saw a second bed on the spare upper loft next to Twilight’s bed. I pointed at it. “Is that for Spike?” I asked.

She looked up at it. “Huh? Oh! Yeah. Spike’s too big to fit in his old bed, so I asked Sunset to buy another bed for…for him. Guess they did that yesterday.”

I noticed the hesitation in her voice, and the frown on Ember’s face told me she hadn’t missed it either. I walked up the winding ramp that led to her loft, Ember following close behind. After I pulled her sun and moon decorated covers off and set her down, I began tucking her in. When I finished, I knelt beside her bed with Ember leaning against the wall next to the window. “You might have the others fooled, but not me and certainly not Ember here. You saw something, didn’t you? You read something in that library that you don’t want to talk about.”

She stiffened and looked out the window. “Huh…cloudy day today,” she said in a lame attempt to distract me.

I looked over at Ember and pointed to the window. She nodded in understanding and immediately pulled the yellow blinds shut. When that was done, I gently but firmly pulled her to face me. Despite that, she still looked away from me, trying to avoid my gaze. “Twilight Sparkle,” I said, “please look at me. If there’s something about these fifth type of Dragon I need to know, please talk to me.”

“I…I can’t,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.

“Why not?” I asked.

She suddenly turned to me, eyes flashing with worry and anger. “Because you’ll take Spike away from me and take him back to Aelyssia, Your Grace!”

I stumbled back, completely alarmed by the anger in her voice. She actually had her horn leveled at me, and when I saw this, I got into a defensive position as did Ember, her claws extended and her teeth bared. I knew then that Twilight wasn’t talking to me personally. Instead, she was talking to Emperor Jethro. But I didn’t fall into that persona. At least, not at first. “Twilight Sparkle,” I said as I forced myself into a neutral position, “no matter who I am now, I am first and foremost your friend. I would never ever take Spike away from you. He’s your first friend, number one assistant, and even your adopted little brother.” After that, I stood taller and put on a more regal pose, or as regal as I could put on without practice. “Besides, Sir Spike is an Equestrian citizen, under the protection of the Princesses. If I were to take him away, it would spark an international incident. Do you think I’d risk that?”

Twilight slowly looked back up at me, her anger vanishing only to be replaced with grief and shame. “I’m sorry…I just…Spike’s one of those fifth types of Dragons.”

“I knew it,” Ember said with a growl.

I ignored the other Dragon as I approached the bed again and knelt beside it. I reached out and took her hoof in both my hands. “Tell me, please. Why did you think I’d take Spike away?”

“It’s a long story,” she said.

“I have time,” I replied, and I squeezed her hoof reassuringly. “Tell me. Please.”

“Okay…here goes.” Taking a deep breath, she began.

According to the historian that had recorded the book Twilight had been reading, the fifth race of Dragon-types were known as Wyverns. Back in the days of the Aelyssian Empire, each race called one of the five major island continents their home. The Wyverns lived on one of the island continents to the far east as well as a few of the smaller islands surrounding it. They were not only the longest living type of Dragons in the Empire, but they were capable of wielding the most types of magic among their kind. It was the Wyverns who had been the most instrumental in creating magical armor, weapons and more for the empire. Their fire was said to also contain a great amount of magical properties, which included the ability to send and receive messages across long distances in the blink of an eye.

When the five Dragon races united, they became integral in the construction of Dragon society. They were seen on almost every island and microcontinent of the Aelyssian Empire. Aside from their home microcontinent, the highest concentration of them lived in the capital city (which she’d learned wasn’t named Dormog, but instead Virynth Atheos, City of Emperors), where they worked as enchanters of magical objects.

As the years went by, they began to be treated less and less as citizens and more as tools. As it turned out, a large portion of their race became so dissatisfied with their treatment that they threatened secession from the Empire itself unless something was done about their treatment. However, at that time, the historian recorded that the Dragon elite had become so self centered that they didn’t see any others but their own kind of Dragon as worth anything less than the best. To a lesser extent, the Loongs, Sirens, and Sea Serpents were also being treated like second class citizens by Dragons. Even the Emperor at the time, Dormog, ignored the pleas of his own subjects. This led to a small group of about fifty Wyverns to contact the Fae, asking for their help.

But what they got wasn’t help, but a war.

The Fae managed to extract information from the Wyverns who turned on their own Empire which led to the ultimate invasion of Aelyssia and the destruction of the Dragon’s homeland. In the years after the fall of Virynth Atheos and the First Migration, it came to light just how the Empire was betrayed. Wyverns everywhere were seen as traitors, even though it was only a small group who betrayed the Empire, and even then no other Dragon believed them.

Under the order of the young Torch, a great purge commenced, with Wyverns all across the Dragon’s continent being slaughtered. Eggs smashed; Wyverns publicly executed as enemies of the now dead Empire etc. That was where the story ended.

“…I was just about to try and find more when you guys came by,” Twilight said.

Ember nodded. “Dad told me a lot about Wyverns when I was growing up,” she said somberly. “He hated them so much. He actually led a hunt for them about thirteen or so years ago and publicly executed a small clawful he found hiding out near the Nyvna Inland Sea.” She took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, hands in the pockets of her coat. “Mom…well, she wasn’t around when the Empire fell, but she talked about them a lot. She didn’t think that it was their fault for the fall of the Empire, just some individuals.” She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. “The Dragons hate the Wyverns a lot. I’m actually surprised that one egg managed to escape the purge.”

I frowned and stood, looking down towards the stairs. “It’s a good thing I knighted him when I did,” I said. “If Wyverns are really as hated as you’re telling me, then hopefully his being knighted will afford him some protection. And if not, well let’s just say the Emperor will not be pleased.”

“I don’t want him going to Aelyssia for a while at least,” Twilight said firmly. “He’ll be safer here.”

“I understand that,” I said, “and I won’t take him with me. But if he wants to go back, you’re gonna have to tell him the truth.”

Twilight shook her head. “Not…I don’t…”

“We won’t tell him yet,” Ember said, stepping forward. “I may not know the little Wyvern well, but I know he’s no traitor to your nation. And…if we hope to reunite the Empire, we might need his help.”

“How?” Twilight asked.

I caught on immediately and nodded in approval at Ember. “I think I see where you’re going with this. Good thinking.” I turned to Twilight. “If we can show that Spike is a Wyvern who’s been accepted into another culture, it might let any other Wyverns know that this is a new era for Dragons everywhere and of every kind. No, for all Aelyssians. I’m going to try and learn from the example of the Ponies and unite all five Aelyssian races, if they’re still around.”

Twilight looked between me and Ember, completely and utterly stunned. “You…can’t be serious.”

“I won’t force this on anyone,” I said, “but if the Wyverns do still exist, I would like to have them on the side of the Empire. They will be given proper restitution for their treatment, if what this history book says is true, and will be treated with all proper respect. If I hear of any hate crimes against them, those Dragons shall be summarily punished. I’ll make this more official later, but that’s my intention. If Spike doesn’t want to help and if you forbid it, I’ll respect your wishes. But for now, you really need to rest, okay?” I moved closer and stroked her mane. “Go to sleep, okay?”

Despite her worry, Twilight’s eyes began to droop and she yawned. “Yeah…I am a bit…sleepy…” she said tiredly.

I smiled, and as I continued to stroke her mane, I turned to Ember and said, “Could you tell the others I’ll be down in a bit? I’ve gotta make sure that she gets some sleep.”

She sighed. “Sure, I guess I can do that,” she said as she walked down the ramp and then down the stairs, leaving me and Twilight alone.

She gave me a pout as she said, “I can go to sleep on my own.”

I put a finger to her lips. “I know you can, but I don’t want you falling asleep alone right now.” With that, I used my magic to begin dimming the lights. Then I opened my mouth and began to sing:

“Sleep, my love, and peace attend thee,
“all through the night.
“Guardian angels God will send thee,
“all through the night.
“Soft the drowsy hours are creeping;
“hill and valleys in slumber sleeping.
“Love alone his watch is keeping,
“all through the night.”

“Angels watching, e’er around thee,
“all through the night.
“Midnight slumber close surround thee,
“all through the night.
“Soft the drowsy hours are creeping;
“hill and valleys in slumber sleeping.
“Love alone his watch is keeping,
“all through the night.”

“While the moon her watch is keeping,
“all through the night.
“While the weary world is sleeping,
“all through the night.
“O’er thy spirit gently stealing,
“visions of delight revealing.
“Breathes a pure and holy feeling,
“All through the night.”

“All through the night…”

As I ended the song, Twilight was already fast asleep, breathing in and exhaling softly. There was a relaxed smile on her face. I quietly stood and made my way downstairs. I made my way into the main area of the library where the others were all gathered. They turned to me with expectant faces, and I raised my hand. “She’s asleep right now,” I said.

Everyone except for Ember all relaxed when I said that. “Well…if that’s the case, I’ve got some chores I need to do,” Spike said.

However, Sunset stopped him. “Hold on there, kiddo. I distinctly remember you promising the Cutie Mark Crusaders that you’d spend some time with them today,” she said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How come?”

“Oh…they talked to me yesterday after the town meeting,” he said. “But…they were acting a bit weird.”

“Weird how?” Scarlet asked.

He frowned and took on a thoughtful look. “Well…they were talking over each other, then they went quiet, then they stammered a bit. It was…just weird, I guess.”

“Did you promise to go spend time with them?” I asked. He slowly nodded. “Well, then you should honor that promise. Especially if you don’t want Applejack barging in here and dragging you to go hang out with her sister. She ain’t the Element of Honesty for nothing.”

“I know, I’m just nervous,” he said. “I’ve hardly hung out with them at all.”

“I believe you spending time with others your own age is a good idea,” Zecora said reassuringly, walking up beside me. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying time with Twilight and her friends, but I think you should go spend some more time with fillies and colts your own age.”

“And if you don’t like it, that’s okay,” I said, “There’s always Guy’s Night with you, me and Big Mac. Heck, maybe we can get Shining to come play O&O with us.”

Spike smiled a bit. “Yeah…I’d like that,” he said. “Okay, I’ll go. But what about my chores?”

“Leave that to me,” Sunset said. “I’ll take care of things for you.”

“Well, if you’re sure…but I’m still making dinner tonight,” he insisted.

“I’m not the best cook, anyway,” Sunset smirked self deprecatingly.

“Alright, well, see you later then,” Spike said. He grabbed his coat, threw it on, and rushed over to the door.

“You’d better take an umbrella with you!” I called out, and I saw him grab one of the umbrellas hanging by the door before he rushed out.

“He certainly looks happy here,” Ember finally said. It was obvious the weight of the revelations from Twilight weighed heavily on her mind.

“He’s a very strong Dragon,” Zecora replied with a chuckle.

“And apparently he’s got some new popularity with the ladies,” Scarlet grinned.

Ember slowly nodded, but said nothing. I quickly decided to change the subject. Turning to Sunset, I said, “So…do you need anything else from us?”

“Oh, no need to worry,” Sunset said, “I’ll be alright here. I’ve got my laptop and access to your…staticnet, you called it? So I should be fine. Hardly anyone comes to the library anyway.”

“Alright, well, see you later then,” I said. “Girls, let’s go.”

As we were walking back to our house, Ember came up to me and pulled me back. “Hey, can I talk to you for a bit? Alone?”

I nodded, then looked at Zecora and Scarlet. “Girls, go on ahead. I’ll be home in a bit.”

After the two members of my herd walked down the street, I began walking in stride next to Ember. I looked at her, waiting for whatever she wanted to say. She opened her mouth a couple of times before closing them. Finally, she began. “I thought a lot about what you said last night,” she began. “And I have a few things I need to say.”

I gestured to a bench on the road. “Then let’s have a seat and you can tell me what you need to.”

Nodding, she headed to the bench and sat down. Unlike benches from Earth, these were too low for a human, but they were comfortable and sturdy. When we were both situated, she turned to face me. “I’ve thought about your offer, and if you want me to be your Dragon Lord, I want a few things.”

“Alright, name them,” I said.

She straightened. “First of all, I don’t want to be called the Dragon Lord. That’s not really a name that I think other Dragons would like.”

“Okay, I can accept that,” I said. “What name would you prefer? Regent? Governess? Viceroy? Hand of the King?” The last one I added as a joke.

“We can discuss that later,” she said. “Second, I don’t want all of the responsibility for running an Empire all on me. I don’t care how you do it, but we need to establish some kind of instant communication between us.”

“I might have a way we can do that,” I said, “a few ways, if they pan out. I’ll just need to talk with Chrysalis about something. What else?”

Ember nodded, then said, “Third, I’ll only take the position after the Dragons are all safe in Virynth Atheos or near it. Even if you’re not a Dragon, you’re the Emperor now. I’m pretty sure they’ll follow your orders better if you yourself lead them back to the city.”

I nodded again. “I’ll do just that. Anything else?”

Ember shook her head. “Nope.”

“Then, you have yourself a deal…Regent Ember? Or Minister Ember? Or Steward?”

“Again, we can talk about that later,” she said, and she smirked a bit. “Although, I do like that Hand of the King thing you mentioned, but it would have to be Claw of the Emperor. Makes me feel more connected to the actual Emperor.”

I chuckled. “We’re lucky we’re in Equestria. I doubt George. R. R. Martin would be okay with us blatantly ripping off his books.”

“Who’s George. R. R. Martin?” Ember asked.

“An author from Earth,” I replied. “But enough about that. Do we have an accord?” I held out my hand to her.

I watched her reach out to me, then she hesitated. Finally, she gave me a smile, a nod, then clasped my hand in her claw. “Yes. Yes we do.”

I smiled wider. “Then welcome to the Empire, Princess Ember. I’m glad to have you aboard.”

125: A Cloaked Heart's Royal Gift

Ever since Ember agreed to become Dragon Lord, or rather, something more like my regent, she and I had spent most of our time in my office together along with Twilight, who joined us fairly often through my own copy of a door to her new library. The purple Unicorn had insisted that she wanted to help since she was learning more and more about Dragon history and heritage from the books in her new library. Sunset also joined in often as she, too, studied the old texts.

Together, we managed to cobble together a somewhat comprehensive history of the old Aelyssian Empire, and I was stunned to find out that the land was older than I thought.

The Empire had formed approximately ten thousand years ago, according to the many historical and anecdotal records. The five draconic races had, at one point in their history, warred among themselves and with each other for resources and land. All was apparently chaos and fire.

During that time, known as the Age of Strife, an individual from the Dragon race, a young male named Ignu, was born. He was depicted in ancient drawings as having crimson scales, yellow eyes, wide wings and a bright blue star pattern of scales on his forehead. He came from a loving family, but just after his molting, his parents and siblings were all killed and he was sold into slavery to a gang of Dragon criminals, although back in that era, there were little laws in place.

Among that gang was a female Wyvern slave about his age named Delphyne. She was used for her incredible magical aptitude whenever they would rob or pillage the small villages on the continent. The two became close over the years of servitude in the gang, and finally they were able to escape thanks in part to Ignu’s incredibly growing strength and Delphyne’s powerful magic. They both slaughtered the entire gang, gathered the map they had made of all their treasure hoard locations, and spent the next few years returning the stolen goods to the rightful owners.

It was during that time that a powerful wielder of a strange magic appeared on the Dragon’s continent. She quickly became known as the Black Witch Tiamat. She quickly began establishing herself as a power to be reckoned with, spreading hatred wherever she went all across the five microcontinents and the smaller islands surrounding them. The many depictions of her that Twilight and Sunset found in the books showed a strange humanoid being with many different features smashed together. More like a true Draconequus.

Tiamat only grew in power and eventually conquered what would eventually become known as the Aelyssian Empire, ruling over it with her husband, a Wyvern male named Abzû. Together, they created a nation full of corruption and torment. They both ruled for at least a hundred years.

During that time, Ignu and Delphyne slowly went throughout the many nations, sewing the seeds of rebellion among the five races. Thanks to Dragons longer lifespan, Ignu and Delphyne were still in the prime of their lives when the Red Rebellion took place all across the nation. Thousands of the five races were killed during the rebellion, which lasted for a whole week and ended with Ignu, Delphyne and a large host of rebels from the five races advancing on Tiamat’s castle.

The battle was one for the history books, quite literally. Legends said that the fight between Ignu and Tiamat lasted for one whole day. Tiamat only wanted to win, and so she drained the magic from Abzû to make herself more powerful. Delphyne was Ignu’s magical support, and it was due to them working together and eventually temporarily joining to become one being of vast strength and magic, that they were able to finally take down the tyrant.

However, as Tiamat lay dying of her wounds, she took one last bit of revenge. She used the little bit of magic she had remaining to cast a curse on the entire world. She didn’t say what it was at the time, but one text Twilight found said that it temporarily made the sun go dim then return. The ground also shook all over the Empire.

After she died, it was discovered that she had two children, a male and female. Ignu and Delphyne debated what to do with them, since not only were they the offspring of two very powerful magical creatures, but they were both just babies, innocent of any crimes their parents committed, albeit very unusual looking babies, as one of the parents was a Draconequus. Many of the rebels insisted that they be executed, but Ignu and Delphyne refused outright. The argument between the two became so bad that it almost came to blows. In one point, one of the more powerful Wyvern mages cast a spell at the babies, but Delphyne deflected it. However, this was enough to cause a rift in space to open. Due to the chaotic nature of the combined spells when in close proximity to the two hatchlings, they both vanished and were teleported completely out of the world.

Enraged by this act, as Ignu was planning to adopt the two hatchlings, the young Dragon nearly killed the offending Wyvern, but Delphyne stopped him before he could. Instead, inspired by the mercy of his closest friend, Ignu did show mercy, but made the Wyvern, a female named Echidna, into his slave to serve him. She accepted without complaint, as she had gotten what she wanted anyway.

With Tiamat and Abzû dead, the five races began the process of rebuilding, and even begged Ignu to become their ruler. He resisted at first, feeling that he wasn’t worthy of such an honor, but eventually accepted with Delphyne’s assurances. He was given tribute from all over the five island nations and used it to build Virynth Atheos from where they could rule. He intended for it also to be a haven where all five races could live in peace.

Over the course of a year, however, many Dragons began to notice that the days and nights appeared to be lengthening. Delphyne gathered all the most powerful Wyverns to her side to help her discover what had happened, and eventually it was discovered that Tiamat’s last curse had made it so the sun and moon would slow down and eventually cease movements altogether in the sky. Ignu told them to keep this information a secret, but also ordered them to look into a solution. Months passed, and the days only got longer and longer. Just when it looked like all hope was lost, a miracle occurred.

The anecdotal tale that Sunset found said that one hot afternoon during the winter months, Ignu was walking through a dying garden in the palace. He was angry due to the heat and lack of sleep as well as a lack of progress from Delphyne and her mages. He stared up at the sun, a boiling orb of flaming death in the sky. Reaching up, he wished he, too, had the strength to grasp it and move it along its arc. The blue star pattern on his brow immediately burned with a white light, and the sun in the sky did move according to his wishes.

When he told Delphyne about this, she asked to study him and figure out what might have happened. She discovered that, when she and Ignu had merged, they had exchanged something. She received a copy of his strength and he had received a copy of all of her magical abilities. It took them another few days, but eventually, the two managed to move the heavenly bodies in their proper times. The land healed, and the crisis was averted.

However, the two knew that they were not immortal and had to pass on their knowledge. The two got married that same year, and elevated Echidna from a slave to concubine. This was done at Delphyne’s request, since Echidna was nearly equal to Delphyne in terms of power. In this way, two lines of Ignu’s descendants were formed, the Delphyne Line of Imperial Succession and the Enchidan Line of Dragon Lord Succession.

Ignu’s first child, a daughter born to him and Delphyne, was named Aelyssia, and it was after her that the Empire finally received its name. It was either that, or he named her after the Empire, no Dragon historian could be sure.

The empire lasted eight thousand years in relative peace and harmony. The Aelyssian royal family alone held the secret of moving the sun and moon, and it was because of this that the empire lasted for so long. Ember was stunned to hear that the ancient five draconic races were quite friendly with one another. She was also further stunned to learn that she was more than likely the last living descendent of Ignu through the Enchidan line of Dragon Lords, since the last of the Delphyne line was killed off in the war with the Fae. When she wondered if this meant she, too, had magical abilities, nobody had a clear answer for her, especially since nobody there knew just how Wyvern magic actually worked.

The history ended with Dormog’s final days. He was the final Dragon known to harbor the secrets of moving the sun and moon in the heavens, but there was absolutely no way to figure out just how the group of Ponies got their hooves on a similar spell. Twilight insisted that Starswirl the Bearded most likely developed a spell on his own, while I wondered if somehow Dormog managed to escape and give the secret of raising the sun and moon to a group of pre-Equestrian Unicorns. Sunset actually agreed more with me, since she said that the timelines seemed to match up.

After we had managed to establish a somewhat comprehensive history of the founding of Aelyssia, I didn’t see Twilight for a while, but when I asked Sunset, the bacon haired Unicorn just said that she was busy compiling a massive report not only for Celestia and Luna, but for me and Ember as well, with an extensive bibliography and cited sources. She was practically writing a book about the history of the founding. When I heard this, I asked Sunset to tell Twilight that copies of this book would be placed in whatever library might exist in Virynth Atheos’ Imperial palace as well as in whatever public library I would have built in the future for the future education of Dragonkin everywhere.

This type of study left me exhausted, and I finally decided to take at least a day or two off.

It was now December 18th, a Saturday, and I was in my Earth house’s garage, pulling box after box off of the shelves on either side. Music was playing throughout the house, and I was singing along. Currently, I was singing Mannheim Steamroller’s version of Oh Tannenbaum.

“Oh tannenbaum, Oh tannenbaum, you stand in verdant beauty. Oh tannenbaum, Oh tannenbaum, you stand in verdant beauty. Your boughs are green in summer's glow and do not fade in winter's snow. Oh tannenbaum, Oh tannenbaum, you stand in verdant beauty.”

Just the act of singing a Christmas song during the Christmas season was more than enough to put me in a good mood. I carried another bright red storage box into my living room and opened it. I beamed happily when I saw the strands of Christmas lights inside that hadn’t seen the light of a Christmas season in at least a few years. I normally didn’t have much time to put up anything other than my artificial pre-lit Christmas tree and some decorations. Now that I had the time, I planned on decking my Earth house with lights as well as my Equestrian house with some Hearth’s Warming decorations, which were so identical to Christmas décor that it was almost scary.

Of course, I wasn’t alone. Scarlet was hovering nearby, carefully testing some of my LED lights to see if any bulbs needed replacing. Zecora was busy as well, setting up my artificial pre-lit incandescent tree in front of the living room window. Despite my insisting they didn’t need to help, they had insisted, and I had no choice but to give in.

As I put the other box down, Scarlet looked at it, then at me. “Jesus, how many boxes of lights do you have?” she asked incredulously as she put one strand down in the Good to Use pile.

“Even if I never use them, I always buy lights every year,” I admitted sheepishly. “It’s a guilty pleasure. Trixie and I would go nuts during Christmas Season. We put so many lights on the house that you probably could spot it from space.” I chuckled at the memory.

“You could probably cover the other house with all the lights here if you wanted and still have enough for this house,” Scarlet said with a chuckle.

“Speaking of, did you test one of the lights in the other house’s plugs?” I asked. With the restoration of the house, I’d had them wire each room so that it was all up to code. Equestria had a power grid for its more modern conveniences, such as stoves, refrigerators and lights, but to my understanding, it was powered by magic. Houses and businesses were connected by underground wiring to power stations which would pull ambient magic from the air and convert it into power. I actually had purchased a backup generator for my house in the event that there was a power outage. It was a relatively new concept to the country, having been developed less than a century ago.

“I did, and they work,” she said with a smile.

“Really? That’s good,” I said. It had been nothing short of a miracle that most of my own electronics would work in the Equestrian house and would work with their power grid. However, I’d still been cautious and used a surge protector whenever I plugged in something from Earth, like a laptop or lights. Since I had access to Earth, now, I had promised that I’d go there sometime and shop for some more. “Did you try them with the surge protector or directly into the plugs?”

“Both, actually,” she said. “You said they don’t draw as much power as lights here, so I figured it would be fine. And I used an older strand.”

“Alright, that’s good,” I said. “I still want to use a surge protector, but thanks for letting me know, sweetie.” I reached up and smacked her markless flank.

“Hey! Behave,” she said with a snarky tone and a wink.

“Hey, can’t help it,” I said with a grin, “I like your flank and I cannot lie.”

“It amazes me just how similar our two worlds is,” Zecora said as she plugged in the middle portion of the artificial tree. “Language, technology, stars, and names of certain places.”

“Parallel evolution, perhaps?” I suggested.

“Jethro, I’m gonna go test this strand in the other house,” Scarlet said, holding up an incandescent strand of lights.

“Sure, go ahead,” I said. As she flew out, I continued, “I mean, obviously this isn’t Earth, but you’ve gotta admit, the similarities are scary sometimes. Hell, I’ve even looked at some of the celestial events that happened after 2010, and there’s a lunar eclipse happening in a few days. At least on Earth. I wonder if it’ll happen here?”

“They do,” Zecora said as she carefully placed the last part of the artificial tree on the stand. I walked over and helped her put the last piece of the tree into the pole, then plugged it in. “Thanks again, sweetie,” I said, turning to face her.

Only to find that we were very close to each other, our noses nearly touching. She smiled and put a hoof around my neck. “Anything for you, dearest.”

I slowly wrapped my arms around her and planted a kiss on her lips. We both stared at each other for a while, then she pushed me onto my back, kissing me passionately all of the sudden. Startled, I quickly recovered, pulled her closer, and kissed her deeply back, running my hands up and down her back.

The spell was unfortunately broken when someone from the door cleared their throat. “Hey, as fun as that looks, I think you’ve got something else that you need to take care of now, Jethro.”

Zecora and I broke apart, faces both flushed. Scarlet was hovering in the doorway, smirking down at us. But it wasn’t her smirk that caught my attention. It was what she was holding in her hooves. “Hey, what are you doing with the Journal we use to communicate with Earth?” I asked. I didn’t need her to answer, because at that moment, it began to glow and vibrate. “Oh, I see,” I said.

“It just started doing that,” Scarlet said as Zecora climbed off of me. Scarlet flew over and handed the book to me. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Well, hand it here,” I said. She did so, and I quickly opened it and read the following:

Howdy, Twilight,

I know you wrote us and told us things were going okay on your side of the mirror, but we were just worried since we haven’t heard from you in a while. Last we heard, there was some fancy council going on, but then you stopped talking. Diane told me just to wait a while, but I can’t really wait much longer. Is everything okay over there?

Your friend from Earth,

Jackie

I looked back at the previous message, which, true to what Jackie had just written, was a small report on what had happened after they had returned to Earth. It had been dated one day before the first meeting of the Council of Equestria had met. I stood, rushed to my desk, grabbed a pen from one of the drawers, sat down and wrote back:

Hello, Jackie,

It’s me, Jethro. I’m not Twilight, but I hope I’ll do. Right now, things are slowly returning to a little sense of normalcy, but ever since Twilight wrote about our situation, there have been some major changes around here. It’s a pretty long story, and writing by hand is a bit harder for those of us in the texting generation, isn’t it? I could come over to Earth maybe sometime tomorrow and get you up to speed, if you want. Just let me know, okay?

Your friend,

Jethro

I smiled and was just closing the book when it began glowing again. I read the message as it was being written:

Jethro! Thank God! Glad to hear from you! We were getting a bit worried when we heard about this Council. I’m glad to hear that you’re okay. It’s already our holiday Christmas break over here, so we could come see you or you could come over here if you want. If you’re coming over here, dress warm. It’s colder than Hades over here.

There was a lull in the writing. I chuckled then wrote back:

I’ll see what I can do over here. I’m a bit busy today, so I can try and come over tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted.

After a few seconds, Jackie wrote back, Alright, I’ll keep the book with me. We’re expecting a snowstorm in a couple days, so my family and I have to batten down the hatches. See you tomorrow then, I hope.

Same to you. Later, I wrote back.

After that, nothing else came through, I closed the book. Scarlet asked, “What was it? Did you find out?”

“Yeah, it was Jackie,” I said.

“For real? What’s wrong? Everything okay?” she asked.

“Nothing’s wrong that I can see,” I said, “I think she was just worried. I might be going to Earth for a bit.”

“I hope you don’t think we’ll be staying behind,” Zecora said, walking over to me.

I looked over at the two members of my new herd. “Heh, yeah, I know better than to do that to you two,” I said, “and besides, they know you.” I grabbed a piece of scroll that I’d bought a while back. “I’m gonna write a letter to Celestia, then go ask Spike to deliver a message. Tomorrow, I think we’re heading to Earth.”

Dear Celestia,

Sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but I just got a message from Earth through the journal. The girls who came here during the crisis with Eris are getting worried about us, so I was hoping Zecora, Scarlet and I could come to Canterlot tomorrow and go through the Stargate to go see them.

Your friend,

Jethro

My dear Jethro,

As a matter of fact, I was just thinking about those very same humans when I got your message. I’ve wanted to thank them for their help during Eris’ attack for a while, now. I have an idea as to how I can do that. Tomorrow morning at around ten o’clock, I’ll be down there with my sister. Please wait for us in front of your Earth house. Please tell Twilight and her friends to meet us there as well along with Sunset.

Your friend,

Celestia

“Whoa…you three did all this yesterday after you sent that message to the Princess?” Twilight asked as she stared at my Earth house in awe.

I grinned. Scarlet wasn’t completely wrong when she said I would have plenty of lights left over. The exterior and interior were all decked out with Christmas lights, white and multicolored. On the inside, each room had lights on the walls, garlands on the ceiling, and tablecloths, couch covers, even my artificial garland for the door. I’d brought out some of my fir scented candles and had lit them. My artificial tree was already fully decorated with my personal ornaments and decorations.

On the outside, the gutters were all decked with large bulbed LED chasing Christmas lights. On the roof itself, I had placed a representation of Santa’s sleigh, complete with each reindeer, including Rudolph. I had a large inflatable Frosty in the yard along with some flashing snowflakes staked into the ground. The old property line was lined with more strands of solid multicolored lights and inner lit candy canes, and the firepit was glowing with a large pile of twinkling yellow lights to emulate a fire. Directly underneath my front window, I had placed a manger scene. Even if I wasn’t much religious anymore, I still wanted to distinguish my decorations from Hearth’s Warming.

“It’s really festive!” Spike said, sounding like he meant it. “More festive than Canterlot, even!”

“Yeah…I did go a bit overboard,” I admitted, “but I don’t care! I can finally spend a Christmas with friends and loved ones! I’m not gonna stop, either! Hell, if I can, I’m gonna buy some more lights back on Earth for my other house.”

“Okay, this Christmas holiday sounds cool and all,” Rainbow said, “but why are we here again? It’s too early.”

“Celestia asked that you all be here,” I said, holding up my letter from her. “I don’t really know what for, but I assume it’s for a good reason.”

“If I know her, she’s got something up her sleeve,” Sunset said with a smirk and a roll of her eyes. “I swear, she’s always about ten or more steps ahead of anyone.”

“Well I can’t wait to see what she has in store!” Pinkie exclaimed with a wide grin. She was hanging on my back, her front legs wrapped around my neck and her hind legs wrapped around my stomach.

“I’m curious, too,” Fluttershy said.

“Please, knowing that rainbow colored princess, it’s something completely fucking weird,” Angel, who was in my arms while I pet the young bunny, said with a roll of his own eyes. This was the first time I’d heard his voice since becoming able to hear animal voices. He had a high pitched voice like that of a young boy.

I chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that, Angel. But it’s probably something that is gonna surprise us.”

Angel looked up at me, then shrugged. “What’s even weirder is being able to talk to more than just Fluttershy, now.”

“It is a bit weird, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Eh, guess you could do worse than some weird winged alien and the pathetically lovesick Dragon over there,” he said, pointing to Spike.

“I’m not pathetic!” Spike said, putting his claws on his hips.

“Who’s calling my little Spikey-wikey pathetic?” Rarity asked, sounding aghast as she put a hoof on Spike’s back. “He’s not pathetic! He’s adooorable!”

“D’aww,” Spike said with a blush.

“I do hope we aren’t interrupting anything,” a familiar female voice said from behind us.

We all turned and saw Celestia and Luna walking up to us, the latter looking exhausted. However, the moment she saw my house, Luna’s eyes shot wide open. “Sweet Elements…what happened to your house, Sir Jethro?”

Celestia looked at my house as well, and smiled wide. “I must say, I’ve never seen these many decorations for Hearth’s Warming on a single house before.”

“They’re actually Christmas decorations,” I explained. “But they do look a lot like Hearth’s Warming ones, don’t they?”

“Except for the manger scene over there,” Sunset chuckled, pointing to the decorations in question.

“I was wondering about that,” Celestia said.

“It has to do with the religious origins of Christmas,” I explained. “I’ve told Twilight about it already.”

“I’ll ask her about it later,” Celestia said, “but for now, my sister and I have a surprise for you, Jethro.”

“Why do I have the feeling I’m gonna have mixed feelings about this surprise at best?” I asked, frowning as I handed Angel back to Fluttershy, who took him in her hooves and began stroking his back gently.

Celestia chuckled. “At least let us surprise you with it first,” she said.

I sighed and nodded. “Surprise away, my friend,” I said.

Celestia turned to Luna, who nodded. They both raised their horns, which began glowing simultaneously. The two concentrated hard on casting whatever spell they were attempting. Their horns brightened more so than I’d ever seen them do before. Everyone else looked away, but I was still able to watch for some reason. With a large flash, something appeared behind them. A large surge of magical power flowed out from whatever they’d teleported.

Luna stumbled forward, but quickly recovered herself. However, it was Celestia who began to fall forward. I rushed forward and caught her in my arms. She slumped a bit against me, groaning a bit.

“Princess! Are you alright?!” Twilight asked, galloping over. Sunset was by her side as well, an equal look of concern on her face.

“Be at ease, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, “she is unharmed. The amount of magic required for what we just teleported here was simply draining.”

I looked back down at Celestia, who was now opening her eyes. She looked up at me with a bleary expression. I grinned. “Well, looks like the Dragon Emperor has kidnapped the princess in real life,” I teased.

I saw a small blush appear on her alabaster cheeks before she gently raised her wing and swatted me on the back of the head. “Oh, hush.”

I laughed. “Assaulting a foreign ruler? How scandalous! Now, how shall I retaliate?” I asked with amusement.

Celestia smirked and smacked the back of my head again before standing up. “Behave, Your Grace,” she chuckled.

“Just call it a preemptive retaliation for what you just did, which I’m sure is gonna cause me tons of headaches,” I said.

“Har har,” Celestia said with a smile. She then turned to face what everyone else was looking at.

She was still was a bit wobbly, so I caught her in my wing and held her up. “You sure you’ll be okay?” I asked.

“I’ll be fine,” she said with a warm smile. “But maybe you should see what I’ve brought you.”

“I’m afraid to look,” I admitted, but did as she said. And my eyes widened.

Standing in the far southwestern corner of my yard, where before there had been just grass and a large brick fence, stood a large nondescript building which looked a lot like a red barn. Pinkie, who had climbed off my back after I caught Celestia, was pawing at the door curiously alongside Applejack. The others were walking over towards it as well, staring at it with varying degrees of awe and confusion.

Luna waked up to the other side of me and smiled at my slack-jawed appearance. She raised her hoof and closed my mouth. “A simple teleportation spell has you this flummoxed, my dear friend?” she asked.

“I can’t teleport yet,” I said, “and the one time I did, I only did it because Chrysalis was about to hurt someone I care about. But enough of that. What the hell did you bring here?”

“Think of it as an early Hearth’s Warming gift, or Christmas gift in your case,” Celestia said with a warm smile.

“Yeah, for some reason, that doesn’t make me feel better,” I said. “I’ve got a feeling I know what you’ve brought here, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not have a look and see,” Celestia said, lifting up a key in her magic and handing it to me.

I took it and looked over at the locked barn. “Yeah…probably should,” I said.

“Leave my sister to me,” Luna said, moving over to Celestia’s other side and putting a wing around her. “Go and see what we have given to you, Sir Jethro.”

I nodded and released Celestia, then slowly walked over to the large barn. It looked like it had been recently constructed, and I could feel magic emanating from it. As I approached, the others moved out of my way as I held up the key. Grabbing the lock, I put the key in and undid it. I pulled the lock off, slipped it into my pocket along with the key, and threw the barn doors open.

The interior of the barn was too dark to see anything. At least, at first. When I stepped inside, a number of very familiar lights, all outlining a circular structure, appeared. Standing in the center of the barn, plain as day, was the Stargate.

I quickly turned towards Celestia. “I assume you have a good reason for bringing this here instead of keeping it locked up,” I said. “I’d assumed that this was meant to be a secret.”

“You are closer to this world than we are,” Luna said. “Nopony but you would know how to act in this world. Well, you and perhaps Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset nodded slowly. “Yeah…I could blend in,” she muttered.

“So why bring it here?” I asked again. “You do know I have others in the house that don’t know about this little bit of advanced magical tech. Ember, Chrysalis, Gemini, and Mica, to name four. And Ponyville, to name five through however many Ponies live here.”

“This barn is much more than a barn,” Celestia said. “My sister and I have cast many different magical protective spells around it, and there were ancient Ponish runes carved into the wood that provide additional protection.”

“That isn’t all,” Luna added, lifting her horn. With a pop, something appeared directly above me and hovered down to me. I reached up and took it, looking it over. She’d teleported a thin but ancient age-stained bound book with no title.

Frowning, I opened it and looked through it. The words were in ancient Ponish, and seemed to talk a bit about the Stargate itself. There were handwritten notes and diagrams of the mirror throughout the book. The book’s first page had the title MIRROR OF WORLDS: By Starswirl and Nightwalker. I looked up in confusion. “Who’s Nightwalker?” I asked.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “He was Starswirl’s assistant and one of his first pupils!” she exclaimed as she rushed over to the book, jumping onto my back so she could get a good look. “This…is a first edition?!”

Celestia nodded. “Luna found it a few nights ago when looking through Canterlot Palace’s restricted library,” she said. “It’s one of the only copies remaining. There are only two more, but this one was hoofwritten by Starswirl and Nightwalker. Please be careful with it.”

I carefully looked through the book, Twilight eagerly reading along. I could see her mouthing the words as she read along with me. I paused, then looked back up at Celestia. “Why me?” I asked again.

“We were not lying when we said that it would be a better idea for you to have access to it,” Luna said, “but we also wanted it more out of our reach. My sister and I have been tempted to visit ever since Twilight opened it permanently.”

“We would never go there without your permission,” Celestia said, “but we didn’t want to be too tempted.”

“Access to all of that advanced technology should not be in our grasp,” Luna added.

“So you decided to give it to the Emperor of Aelyssia?” I asked.

“We had already planned on giving it to you before you ascended the throne,” Celestia said quickly, “and I have faith that you will not use it in any negative way.”

“I would never do that,” I said. “If anything, I’d want access to certain things you can’t get in Equestria. For personal reasons.”

“What, like a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese?” Sunset asked in a teasing manner.

“Don’t judge me, Sunshim,” I grinned. “And I like it without onions, for the record.”

“Who’s Sunshim?” Fluttershy asked.

“It’s her movie star nickname,” I joked. “But in all seriousness, Celestia, Luna, can you look me in the eye and honestly say that the Stargate is better off in my hands than your hooves?”

I was surprised when not only did the two princesses look me directly in the eye, but they both fell back into ancient Ponish and said in unison, “We hold thee, Jethro Bethridge, in the highest regard in terms of our trust.”

“I shall endeavor to keep thy trust unbroken,” I replied automatically in the same language. I looked at them with a stunned expression. “You…really think that I’m worthy of the highest of ancient Pony pledges?” I asked.

“We do,” Celestia said with a smile. “You’ve demonstrated multiple times to myself and my sister that you’re a stallion of integrity and are very much worthy of the pledge.”

“We can think of no other person who could watch over this relic than you, Sir Jethro,” Luna said with an equally kind smile.

“Well…I don’t know what to say,” I said, a bit overwhelmed by their trust in me. “Thank you.” I turned to the Stargate. I was still unsure about all of this, but if they had this much trust in me, I would follow the pledge. “Scarlet, could you go back to the house and grab a pen and the journal? I need to contact Jackie.”

“Sure thing,” she said before she zoomed back to the house.

“Do you think it’d be possible for some of us tah go tah Earth sometime?” Applejack asked, giving me a pleading look. “Ah’ll admit ah’m a mite curious about what’s on the other side.”

“Well, I suppose we could do it at some point when things calm down,” I said, “but the other side of the Stargate leads to Camelot College. It’s a bit out of the way.”

“Jethro! Jethro!” Scarlet said, shouting as she flew towards me. The journal was in her mouth, and it was glowing and vibrating. She reached me and dropped the book into my waiting hands.

“Wonder what Jackie’s saying,” I said as I opened the journal. What I read there surprised me even more than being gifted the Stargate itself.

Jethro?? Are you there?? Please write back! That statue from Camelot College just appeared near one of our apple orchards!

Please hurry! I haven’t told anyone else about it, but it’s gonna be seen soon! Please hurry!

I just called Shye at college! She says the statue’s gone!

Mac saw it and he wants to call the police!

Marigold and Granny saw it and are freaking out! I’m trying to calm them down now! Where are you!?

I reacted immediately Turning to Scarlet, I said, “Get a pen!”

“Right here!” Twilight replied instead, floating a pen over to me.

I grabbed it and wrote back: On my way through now! I’ll try and bring someone with me who can help explain to your family what’s going on! All of you go to the statue!

“Is something wrong?” Luna asked, clear concern in her voice upon seeing me frantically writing.

“The location of the other end of the portal moved!” I turned to Applejack. “AJ, I might need your help explaining things. Seeing another Jackie might help convince them what I’m about to say.”

“Ah’ll do mah best,” Applejack said, standing up straighter.

“I will come too, dearest,” Zecora said.

“You aren’t leaving me behind,” Scarlet added.

“I wasn’t going to,” I said to my two herdmates. I looked at the others, who all had equally eager expressions on their faces, looking at the Stargate and back to me. “Okay…I know what you’re going to ask, but for now, I think it’s best that you stay behind. At least for now.”

“Hey, I need to come too,” Twilight exclaimed. “I might be able to figure out what’s going on!”

“No, Twi,” I said, handing her the book Celestia gave me. “I’m loaning this to you so you can study it. Keep me updated using the journal.”

Her ears flattened. “Alright…but stay safe, okay?” she pleaded. She took the instruction book and the journal from me. “Let me know if you need me.”

“Or any of us!” Rainbow said. “We’ll be there in ten seconds flat!”

“I’ve no doubt you will,” I said. Looking back at Celestia, I gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry to run at a time like this.”

“It sounds like you need to go clear something up on the other side,” she said. “Go. We can make sure things stay safe here.”

“Can one of y’all tell mah family ah might be home a mite later than ah thought,” Applejack asked.

“I can go tell them,” Rainbow said.

“Thank ya kindly, Rainbow,” Applejack said.

“Are you all ready?” I asked. When the three mares who were coming with me gave me an affirmative, I looked down at Applejack. “I suggest you prepare yourself. It’s a very…strange transition.”

“Ah can handle anythin’,” she said, facing the Stargate. “Ready whenever!”

“Hopefully I can get this all straightened up in an hour or more,” I said. “Could someone tell Chrysalis, Ember, Gemini and Mica that I’ve gone out for at least the day.”

“Of course, my friend,” Celestia said reassuringly.

“Thanks, Celestia.” I turned and faced the Stargate once more. “Allons-y!” And with that, I rushed forward, followed close behind by Applejack, Zecora and Scarlet. I ran up the ramp, and jumped through…

A rainbow tunnel…my body twisting and turning in impossible angles, stretching and contracting like taffy…I screamed…

…And stumbled out of the statue, tumbling until my momentum ceased. From behind me I heard three other voices as my fiancée, marefriend and close friend all stumbled out of the statue.

Groaning, I slowly sat up and looked around. We had appeared near an orchard, that much was obvious by the leafless trees standing in rows nearby. The statue was standing in the middle of what I assumed was a fallow patch of farmland.

And a few feet away, four humans were staring at us in complete and utter shock, including one familiar farm girl. I raised my hand and waved. “Um…surprise?”

However, they were all staring past me. I turned and saw Applejack, now a carbon copy of Jackie, trying her best to stand. I rushed over and helped her to her feet. She looked around, then saw the other humans. She raised her new hand. “Howdy, there, ah'm Applejack,” she said with a smile.

It was Mac who fainted. I sighed. “This is gonna be fun to explain…”

126: A Cloaked Heart's Back On Earth

Author's Note

Yay! Just breached 600k words! And first 8k word chapter for this story! Well, hope you enjoy.

126: A Cloaked Heart's Back On Earth

The weather in Pendragon that December morning, or at least on the Smith farm, was overcast and bitterly cold. The temperature was still below freezing and any water on the ground was frozen solid. There was a smell in the air that I’d quickly come to associate with snow, although there was as of yet no snow on the ground despite the clouds threatening to burst forth with inches of snow any minute.

Mac was actually quick to recover, although he came back to consciousness while Jackie and I were both walking up the steps that lead to the farmhouse porch. He quickly tried to stand, saying that he could walk himself, but Jackie was just as stubborn as her Equestrian counterpart and insisted that we finish the walk into the living room.

Now that I wasn’t in a hurry to leave the farmhouse, I got a good look at it. The house was a two-story house, probably built in the fifties or sixties. It had a coat of old yellow paint which was peeling in some places. The trim was white and looked older than the yellow paint. I saw two chimneys coming out of the ceiling, one on the right side and one on the left. Both had smoke rising out of them, which accounted for the smell I associated with snow. The roof shingles were old and the roof itsel had a few patches moss on it along with pine needles and a few pine cones, especially on one side of the house where a large Douglas Fir tree stood, its branches hanging over a small front portion of the house.

There was a large bay window on the side of the house, and I saw a Noble Fir Christmas tree standing in said window, decorated with multicolored and white strands of lights. Older style ornaments and tinsel hung from the boughs. There were other windows, each of which had bright red curtains with many various Christmas paraphernalia stitched into it, like garlands, bells set among evergreen branches, snowflakes, snowmen, Christmas trees, and writing that said Merry Christmas.

Parts of the roof and gutters were decorated with Christmas lights as well and there was an elaborate manger display in their yard. As I saw the latter, I turned to Jackie. “How old is that manger scene?”

“We’ve had it since Mac was born,” Jackie said, “So around thirty years.”

“Oh cool,” I said as I headed up the stairs to the front door.

Marigold, Apple Bloom’s Earth counterpart, rushed to open the door. “Here ya are,” she said helpfully.

“Thanks, kiddo,” I said as I walked in with Max and Jackie, Zecora, Scarlet and Applejack close behind, the former two helping Applejack adjust to her new form.

When we entered the house and stepped into the all too familiar kitchen, Jackie steered us towards the living room. It had been slightly rearranged to help fit the tree, which gave the room an all too familiar scent since they had a real tree instead of the fake one I had. There were two couches aimed on either side of a roaring fire with a large wooden coffee table between them, a flat screen TV hanging over the fake stones which decorated the fireplace. The mantle was decorated with a miniature Christmas town, surrounded with cotton and flocking to emulate snow. In one corner sat a desk where an older Mac computer sat. Old by my standards, at any rate.

Once we were all seated, the Smith family on one couch, and the rest of us on the other, I managed to get a good look at the family itself. Jackie looked the same as ever, although she was now wearing a dark red Stetson hat with a small green wreath sewn onto the front. She wore a brown leather jacket with white fur going down the center where it was buttoned up and sturdy looking jeans. Ironically, aside from the non-Christmas styled Stetson, Applejack was wearing the exact same thing.

Malcom Smith was a tall man, probably about a few inches past six feet and fairly ripped. He had hay blonde hair, dark green eyes, and was wearing a pair of thick jeans, a white t-shirt, an unbuttoned flannel patterned buttoned down shirt over it, and a black beanie with the same Smith Farms logo I’d seen Jackie wearing on her shirt when we first met.

Marigold Smith was a young girl about eleven or twelve, with ginger colored hair, a bright red bow in it, bright auburn brown eyes and a curious expression in said eyes which was focused on Applejack. She was wearing a pair of bright orange boots, a pair of jeans, a bright green hoodie and a pair of matching green gloves, the latter of which she removed when she sat down and stuffed into her pockets.

Pomeline Smith was an elderly woman. She looked like she was in at least her early seventies. Her hair was a pure white but still thick albeit done up in a tight bun. She had sharp brown eyes which were gazing at me suspiciously. She was wearing a dark green and dark red flannel skirt, a cream colored blouse and a long sleeved unbuttoned blue shirt over it. Around her neck she wore a very familiar orange handkerchief with red spots on it. She didn’t look as frail as Granny Smith, but then again I guessed that Granny Smith back in Equestria was at least a couple hundred years old.

Pomeline was the first to speak. Her voice was eerily similar to Granny Smith’s, just like Jackie’s was to Applejack’s. “Alrighty there, youngin,” she said in the same southern accent that Granny had, “Ah’ve seen a lot in mah time, but ah’ve never seen anythin’ like what ah just saw. And then there’s that gal yer with. She’s the spittin’ image of mah granddaughter. She even sounds the same.”

I nodded. “It’s a long story, ma’am,” I said, “and one I’m not exactly sure you’ll believe.”

“Ah just saw you and yer friends come out of a statue of King Arthur,” Pomeline said, “Ah doubt ah’ll be hard tah convince. Besides, Ah know Jackie knows somethin’,” she added, looking with a stern gaze at the farm girl. “Yer not very good at keepin’ secrets.”

Jackie squirmed in her seat, visibly uncomfortable. Applejack, who was sitting next to me, nodded. “Ah understand that,” she said.

“Well?” Pomeline asked, “what do yah have tah say fer yerself, young lady?”

“Ah…Ah’m sorry, Granny,” Jackie finally said, “but if you’ll let me explain-”

“That’s not fer you tah do,” Pomeline quickly interrupted, slowly turning back to me. “That’s fer our guests.”

“Guess I’m up, huh?” I said, straightening. I felt a strong hand on my arm. Looking to my left, I met eyes with Applejack, who was giving me a reassuring nod despite the uncertainty hidden in those green eyes of hers. I patted her hand with mine, smiled at her thankfully, then cleared my throat and turned back to the Smith family. “First of all, before I explain anything, I’d like to thank you all for your help the last time we were here,” I said. “You took me in, helped me with my gunshot wounds, and gave my friends a place to stay when we were in this world. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Ah’d like tah thank ya, too,” Applejack said, bowing. “Ah’d have lost one of mah best friends.” She squeezed my arm a bit more tightly, and I could feel a slight tremble from her.

Mac simply nodded, while Pomeline said, “Well, we couldn’t really let yah just die, now could we?” she asked.

“And I’m grateful for that,” I said, “and now that my life isn’t in any danger, explanations are in order. Although, for the life of me, I’m not even sure where to start.”

“The beginning,” Mac said plainly.

I chuckled. “No matter what world, you’re the same. Alright, at the beginning.” I straightened up. “My name really is Jethro. Jethro Bethridge. I’m thirty years old, born in a small town in Oregon called Darrow Falls. Up until about six months ago, relatively speaking, I was a manager at a local bank. Now, this next part is going to sound very weird and nigh impossible to believe, so bear with me. I’ll preface this by asking how many of you have heard of a show and toy line called My Little Pony?”

“Ah have!” Marigold said, raising her hand.

“Mom and Dad recorded some of the older generation shows on VHS,” Jackie explained. “They recorded the original movie, and then My Little Pony 'n Friends, ah believe it was called. Marigold loves that show.”

I nodded. “And since then, there have been two more generations of My Little Pony shows, with a third one airing currently.”

“Beg pardon, but what does this have tah do with yah comin’ out of that statue?” Pomeline asked, now looking more confused.

I pursed my lips and inhaled through my teeth. “There’s one currently airing now, right? It’s called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”

“Ah just started watchin’ that too!” Marigold said. “Jackie found it after yah left!”

I nodded and put my hand on Applejack’s back. “Let me introduce you to my friends here. First, this here is the real Applejack. All the way from the very real Equestria. Next to her is the real and quite lovely Zecora. The Zebra from the Bridle Gossip episode. And this beautiful woman beside me is not in the show, but her name is Scarlet Dusk, a Pegasus Pony.”

There was silence throughout the house. Mac had an incredulous look in his eyes, Pomeline had no expression, and Marigold was staring wide eyed at Applejack, mouth agape. There was tension in the room, which only continued to rise with each passing second.

Finally, Pomeline turned to Jackie. “Can ah trust yah tah say this young man’s bein’ truthful and honest?” she asked.

“Ah know it sounds crazy, Granny,” Jackie said, “but ah’ve been to Equestria. Me and mah friends from college. In fact, hang on.” She got up and rushed upstairs quickly, and I could hear her rummaging through something. When she came back down, she had in her hand not only her phone, but a large circular medal attached to a red ribbon. The metal itself was solid gold and around its circumference was written the words Equestrian Medal Of Honor: For Services Rendered Above And Beyond The Call of Duty. Within these words, the symbol of Equestria’s flag had been carefully stamped, along with Jackie’s full name directly below the two Alicorns. Jackie put the medal on the coffee table and opened her phone. “Ah took some pictures,” she said, tapping it and looking through them with the others.

Marigold was the most excited as she kept a running commentary of what she was seeing. “That’s Apple Bloom! And there’s the actual Fluttershy! Wow! Princess Celestia looks amazing! Wait, is that really Princess Luna? She looks so different!”

“Ah even took a video after ah went and visited Jethro again,” Jackie said, then stood and walked over to the front of the fire, holding up her old smartphone and flipping it. The video on the screen flipped as well, and the video began.

I chuckled inwardly, remembering the time she’d taken out her phone to record. It had happened a couple hours before I went to go see Celestia, and before the Humane Five left. I had gone to the bathroom when she began recording. This is what we saw:

The recording started on Pinkie Pie, who was still busy stuffing her face with the M&M’s that Diane had managed to somehow manifest. “Mmmm…these are soooo tasty!”

“Glad you like them, Pinkie! Here, try some of these!” Diane’s equally excitable voice said from offscreen. A small bag of Skittles was tossed into frame and Pinkie caught them. Suddenly, Diane popped up in front of the camera. “Hey there, Jackie! Whatcha doooin’?” she asked, perfectly imitating Isabella’s tone.

“Ah’m just recordin’ a few things,” Jackie said, then turned the camera onto herself, showing her humanoid Pony form for the camera. “Still weird bein’ a human-Pony mix. Hard tah get used tah it.”

“Come on, Jackie, lighten up!” Dash called out. The camera turned to her, showing her flapping her wings and hovering over the ground. “Having wings is so awesome!”

“Um…it’s okay, I guess,” Shye’s quiet voice said. Jackie turned the screen to the anthropomorphic Pony form that Shye had. “It’s a bit scary, though.”

“Darling, you have quite the lovely set of wings!” Trisha said. “I’m honestly a bit jealous.”

“Trish, you’ve got a horn for magic!” Dash said, pointing to said horn, “You could make yourself some wings if you wanted!”

“You think so?” Diane asked, putting a hand to her horn.

“You know, Twilight knows a spell that can help give temporary wings,” I heard my own voice calling out as the door to the bathroom opened.

The camera focused on me, my own wings clearly visible on the screen. “Welcome back, pardner,” Jackie said in greeting, “Hope yah don’t mind if ah record a few things. Still findin’ it hard tah believe ah’m in a television show world.”

“Oh, believe me, there are days when I can’t believe it either,” I heard myself saying as I made my way back to the bed. The camera followed me, and finally caught a glimpse of Scarlet, Zecora and Spike. I climbed back into bed and immediately Zecora snuggled up close to me, saying something inaudible to the camera’s mic. I smiled, whispered something back, then looked back up at Jackie. “How much battery life do you have left on that Android?”

“Not much, but enough tah record a few other things,” Jackie said, moving the phone over to the window. “Ah don’t know if the camera can see too much out there, but we’re facin’ Canterlot.” The camera wasn’t able to pick up too much, but it did show a few bright lights through the window.

In the background, I heard Fairy Tail begin playing once again, and head Happy’s voice saying, “Oh, so you guys came here to settle things in a good way!”

“Oh my, what anime is that?” Shye asked, and that was when the video ended.

Jackie put the phone down. “The battery died then,” she said.

The other three were staring in complete awe at the now blank screen, then they slowly turned to me. Marigold was the first to speak. “Are…you telling me…that ah’m talking to the real…live…APPLEJACK!?”

“Um…that’s right, sugarcube,” Applejack said, smiling down at the human version of her younger sister. "That's me."

Marigold could hardly contain herself. She jumped up and squealed. “Deanne and Anne are gonna flip! Ah’ve gotta tell them!”

“Hold yer horses, young lady,” Pomeline said, grabbing Marigold by the collar and placing her back in her seat, “Nobody’s callin’ anybody until we get this all sorted.” Pomeline let go of a still overly excited Marigold and turned back to me. “Now, it’s not that ah don’t believe ya, young’un, but how did yah end up in this Equestria?”

“Well, that was actually Twilight’s doing, although she didn’t mean for that to happen,” I explained. “She was dealing with magic that she shouldn’t have, and it somehow managed to teleport me and my house to Equestria, right near the edge of a very dangerous forest.”

“The Everfree Forest?” Marigold asked eagerly.

“That’s the one,” I said. “I didn’t know anything about the show until I started watching the first season the night before I appeared in the forest.”

“Wait a moment,” Mac said suddenly, “First season? You’re talkin’ like you can watch more than one.”

“That’s another thing,” I said, “I might be a human from Earth, but I’m not from this version of Earth. Where I’m from, Avalon Island is actually called Vancouver Island and is a part of Canada.”

“Like some kind of parallel universe?” Mac asked carefully.

“Pretty much,” I said. I was tempted to say more, but I’d already said more than any normal human could comprehend.

The Smith family fell into silence again. Mac and Pomeline had thoughtful expressions on their faces, Marigold was still staring with joy at Applejack, and Jackie, who had taken her seat again, was looking at me with a nervous expression.

Before I could say anything further, there was a knock at the door. A frantic one. Then, I heard a familiar posh accent call out, “Jacqueline, darling? Are you there??”

“We heard what happened at Camelot,” Dash’s voice called out as well.

“Is everything okay?” Shye asked.

“What are they doing here?” Scarlet asked curiously.

“Jacelyn, go let them in,” Pomeline said calmly.

Jackie quickly stood and rushed over to the door. When she opened the door, a multitude of voices began asking questions all at once, but Jackie whistled loudly and everyone went silent. “Come with me,” she said.

We all turned and watched as Jackie led Diane, Trisha, Dash and Shye into the living room. When the four girls saw me, Zecora, Scarlet and Applejack, their eyes went wide. Shye was the first one to say anything. “Jethro…is that you?”

I waved. “Surprise.”

A happy smile passed over her face and she rushed over, hugging me suddenly. Surprised by this, I smiled and hugged her back. “We were getting worried,” she whispered.

“I’m alright, now,” I said before she finally released me.

“Jackie, please get some extra chairs fer our guests,” Pomeline said. “I have a feeling we’re gonna be here fer a long time.”

“Sure thing, Granny,” Jackie said, rushing to a nearby door behind our couches.

“I’ll come help,” Dash said, running over behind her. I heard them walking down a set of stairs.

While they were doing that, Trisha looked down at Applejack. “Hang on, are you Applejack?” she asked.

“Eeyup,” AJ said, raising her hand and waving.

“Sweet! How’s it going, AJ?” Diane asked, jumping over.

“Are things okay in Equestria?” Shye asked.

“It’s almost Hearth’s Warming, so we’re getting ready for that,” Applejack said.

“What’s that, darling?” Diane asked.

“It’s the Pony version of Christmas,” I explained.

“Ponies have Jesus?” Marigold asked.

“No no,” I said, “Hearth’s Warming is…well, that’s a whole episode that comes out next year. But it’s also a long story. And not really relevant to what we’re talking about. I’ll tell you later. Or better yet, Applejack can tell you later.”

Just then Jackie and Dash came back up from the basement with a few metal folding chairs. The two set them on either side of the couches. When everyone was seated, Pomeline looked at me. “Now then, you were sayin’?”

“Well, I was saying that I’m from another version of Earth,” I explained. “But not just that. Where I’m from, it was 2022. Not 2010. In my time, My Little Pony had already stopped airing, and a movie called My Little Pony: A New Generation was made. It was something of a sequel to the Friendship is Magic show, but without any of the characters. But that’s not quite as important as the fact that I’m pretty much from the future.”

“Yer dang right,” Pomeline said quickly. “Now then, how about yah tell us how that statue came into our field.”

“And tell us why does this so-called Applejack look identical to Jackie?” Mac added.

“Yeah, that’s a story in and of itself,” I said. “And they’re actually related.”

“We’re listenin’,” Pomeline said.

I nodded and continued. “Well, before the fourth season of My Little Pony airs a few years from now, Hasbro makes a TV movie special called Equestria Girls, where Twilight and Spike go through a magic mirror and end up in a colorful human world where every Pony has a human counterpart. They go there to try and find a new villain, a Unicorn named Sunset Shimmer who was once a student of Princess Celestia, one of the current rulers of Equestria. In the movie, Sunset had stolen a magical artifact from Twilight, one of the Elements of Harmony. In fact, Sunset Shimmer was the one who shot me in this world.”

Marigold went white with horror, Mac tensed up but held back his apparent rage, Jackie clenched her fists and trembled in barely restrained fury, the other girls had similar reactions to their friend, and Pomeline simply stared at me with hard experienced eyes. “Go on.”

“I came here to try and stop her early and bring her back to Equestria, but she got loose and managed to return anyway,” I explained. “After I recovered enough to return to Equestria, I did just that, but Jackie, Trisha, Shye, Dash and Diane followed me through even after I asked them not to.”

“Are you really gonna start that up again??” Dash said indignantly, crossing her arms.

“No, I’m not,” I said, raising my hands defensively. “I’m glad you came now, but you seriously put yourself in danger.”

Pomeline tensed up. “How? Tell me.” The way she said it made not only me, but Applejack tremble.

“It’s not a pretty story,” I explained, glancing over at Marigold.

Pomeline seemed to know what I meant, and turned to Marigold. “Mari, yer not in trouble, but this is adult talk now. You can go ahead and gei on the upstairs computer, but keep what ya’ve heard to yerself. Yah can’t even tell yer friends.”

“Aww, but Granny-!”

“Yah heard me, young lady,” Pomeline said. “If yah tell yer friends, no computer fer a month, got it?”

“Yes, Granny,” Marigold said. She got up, and as she passed Applejack, I saw her look at the Earth Pony turned human and whisper, “You’re mah favorite pony.”

Applejack had a stunned expression on her face as Marigold went upstairs. When we heard a door close upstairs, Pomeline turned back to me. “Okay, yah have the floor. What happened when mah granddaughter and her friends went to this Equestria?”

For the next ten or so minutes, I told them about Eris, not holding back any details. I told them how Eris had changed them from their Pony forms to their normal human forms, how this hadn’t even deterred any of them from going to Ponyville and helping around the town, about the way Eris revealed the nature of Equestria to the entire world, and about how the Elements of Harmony managed to put Eris back into her stone prison after I’d unloaded an entire clip into Eris. I told them about how I’d been knighted by the princess, then about the humans coming back, but in the form that the statue had changed them to instead of pure Pony.

When I finished, Pomeline asked each of the others for their side of the story, and this was where I learned just what had happened for them during the time when I was trying to find Eris.

Jackie, true to her word, had gone straight to the Ponyville Hospital kitchen. The overworked Pony cooks had been understandably startled to see a human that wasn’t me, but the letter from Princess Celestia helped her to quickly be accepted. The Ponies were still a bit nervous about a new human, but apparently since they had such a good experience with the other human they knew, me, Jackie was soon being thanked and became invaluable.

Diane had gone immediately to the hospital’s children’s ward, and while the foals there were initially surprised to see another human, she soon had them all laughing with her silly antics. She even made them some ice cream with the kitchen staff’s permission.

Dash had immediately made her way to where Shining Armor was. He, too, was surprised to see another human, but when she showed him the letter, he had her and a couple of his own guard take care of one of the residential areas of Ponyville. Dash had been very busy there, it seemed. She had to break up a few fights and somehow managed to hold her own against a very angry Donkey female before she could be subdued and cleansed of the captured Siren magic.

Trisha had worn herself ragged sewing blankets together for the little bit of time she had to do so. She had actually met Rarity’s cat, but much like Trisha’s own cat, she’d acted pretty aloof when around Trisha.

Shye had gone to Sweet Apple Acres, where she’d been given charge of the foals in the barn. She’d been the only one to meet the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had quickly warmed up to the shy human. She played games with them, told them some more innocent human nursery rhymes and children’s stories, and had lulled them all to sleep with a lullaby.

When they all finished, there was silence once more. The silence lasted for a couple minutes at least. Mac was looking at the table, deep in thought while Pomeline looked at me. I didn’t look away from her, holding her gaze and barely aware of the grasp on my arm from a nervous Applejack. Finally, Pomeline said, “That’s quite a story yah have there, young Jethro,” she said slowly, “and if ah hadn’t seen yah comin’ out of that statue with mah own two eyes, ah’d be callin’ 911. But…since the others here are vouchin’ fer yah, ah’ve really got no choice but tah believe yah.”

I felt myself relax, as did Applejack beside me. Scarlet was the first to speak. “Thank God,” she said.

Mac, who hadn’t moved during Pomeline’s explanation, finally looked up at me. “What about this Sunset Shimmer? What happened to her?” he asked.

“Well, actually, she was corrupted by a portion of Eris’ dark magic before coming to this Earth,” I said, “Once she returned to Earth and freed Eris, she was cast aside. She’s living with Twilight right now and is trying to adjust to living back on Equestria.”

“What about shootin’ you!?” he shouted suddenly. “Isn’t she gonna be punished fer that?! I didn’t spend those nights keepin’ an eye on you so that yer attempted murderer could get away with it!”

“Calm down,” Pomeline said quickly, pulling on the young man’s shirt and making him sit.

“Malcom, I get where you’re coming from,” I said, “but please understand, she’s a Pony, not a human. She falls under Celestia’s jurisdiction. And for all the similarities between our species, there are some differences. Ponies can be a lot more forgiving. Celestia has a plan for her punishment, I’m sure of it. It probably won’t be time in Tartarus or jail, but she’ll probably be shipped off to a nearby Empire to help it rebuild.”

“Nearby Empire?” Trisha asked. “Really?”

“Yeah, the Aelyssian Empire, the land of the Dragons,” I explained. “Recently, there’s been a change of rulers there, and the brand new Emperor needs help to rebuild that land. It’s been in a state of decay for centuries and everyone does what’s right in their own eyes. The current Emperor really wants to change that and lead the Dragons there back to a great nation.”

“How is this a punishment for Sunset?” Dash asked through slightly gritted teeth.

“It means she won’t be able to live in Equestria for a while,” I said. “She’ll have very long work hours ahead of her. Equestrian tech is behind Earth technology for the most part, and in Aelyssia it’s even further behind. Dragons are pretty far behind in terms of technology. They’re currently living in caves with their hoards.”

“Nothin’ like a bit of hard work tah straighten someone out,” Pomeline said, nodding slightly in approval.

Mac didn’t look convinced, but one look from his grandmother made him shut up. Shye was the next to talk when she said, “I hope she’s alright now.”

“Right now, she’s doing alright,” I said.

Just then, a very familiar book on the table began to glow and vibrate. Pomeline and Mac both jumped in alarm when it happened, but Jackie quickly reached down. “It’s alright,” she said, “this here’s a magic journal from Equestria.”

“It lets us talk between worlds,” I added. “I’ve got the other copy. Who’s it from, Jackie?”

She quickly opened it and read the message. “It’s from Twilight, and ah think it’s fer you,” she said, handing the book to me.

I took the book and read over the message:

Dear Jethro,

Are things okay over there? We haven’t heard from you all since you left, and everypony’s getting worried. The others are almost ready to go through the mirror, but I’ve been telling them not to, at least not yet. Please write back? I love you.

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle

I chuckled and shook my head. “Twilight…she’s always so worried. Can I borrow a pen?”

Jackie picked up a ballpoint pen from the table and tossed it to me. I caught it and wrote back,

Hey, Twilight,

Sorry I haven’t written back yet. I’ve been talking to Jackie and her family. Long story short, the statue that was at Camelot Community College is somehow now on the farm where Jackie lives and works. The rest of her family saw it and freaked out. I’ve had to tell them about My Little Pony and Equestria. Jackie’s friends from college are here too and helped me explain everything that happened with Eris. I’ll try and be home soon, but if I’m not, I’ll try and get a message back to you and the others, okay?

Your friend,

Jethro

No sooner had I finished, then a brief message came through.

Please be careful, Jethro.

I will, Twilight, I wrote back, then slowly closed the book. “Okay, sorry for the interruption. Twilight was worried about me, is all.” I set the book and pen down on the coffee table. “Well, now that explanations are out of the way, what do we do?”

“Well, what else can we do except keep this a secret?” Jackie said. “Who’s gonna believe that the statue leads to a distant magical Pony world?”

“The problem now is that the statue is in broad daylight,” I said. “Before, it was pretty well hidden in a small glade.”

“We could build a small barn around it,” Mac said. “Keep it hidden.”

“Why not a full-sized barn?” Jackie asked. “We’ve been needin’ one anyway. And that spot’s perfect fer one. It’s right near our apple orchards.”

“We can’t build one now. It’s winter,” Pomeline said, “and even if the weather was nice, we can’t afford it.”

“I might be able to help with funding, if that’s all you need,” I said. “Back in Equestria, I’ve got a few assets that you can liquidate here.”

“A few?” Applejack asked, giving me a playful nudge. “Jethro, yer richer than probably anypony else ah’ve ever heard of.”

“Well, I can’t bring bits over,” I said. “The statue turns them into American money. The gems I have stay the same.”

“Gems? Plural?” Trisha asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah…gems in Equestria are about as common as rocks,” I said. “I can give you guys a few really nice diamonds.”

“Problem is, that might raise a few questions,” Mac said. “Where did we get the gems, exactly? We’re just a farm.”

I frowned, stroking my chin and thinking. Applejack then came up with an idea. “Well…what if yah ‘found’ a small chest full of gemstones on yer property? Ah mean, it was on yer property, right?”

“Ah know there are tales of pirates makin’ landfall here,” Jackie said, “but that doesn’t mean that we’d be allowed tah keep it.”

“Finding stuff like that is more complicated than it is back in Equestria, AJ,” I explained. “You’d need to get the government involved. The only other option would be me bringing bits here that would change into American dollars, but I know you guys wouldn’t accept it, even if it’s real money.”

“It just wouldn’t feel right,” Jackie said.

“Our family’s lived here on this land fer generations,” Pomeline said, “ever since Washington was created. Who says one of our ancestors didn’t bury somethin’?”

“I suppose that could work, too,” Mac said cautiously.

“We’ll think about it, but thanks fer yer generous offer,” Jackie said.

“You’re welcome,” I said with a smile. “And I’m really sorry about causing you so much trouble.”

“Now hold on just a minute,” Pomeline said, “it ain’t yer fault this happened, young’un. Sure, it’s a bit of a strange tale, but ah know mah daughter and her friends wouldn’t lie about somethin’ like this. Especially not tah me.” She gave the other four Human Five a stern glare. Even Diane shuddered at that gaze. “And we did see yah and yer friends come out of the statue,” she said, turning back to me.

“Thanks for saying so,” I said gratefully, “but having this statue here is still pretty dangerous. If the US Government finds out, you could be in trouble, and so could Equestria if they discover it. I mean, we might have to shut the portal down. It would be the right thing to do, but I know I’d miss being able to at least visit one version of Earth. I do miss my own.”

Applejack put an arm around me. “Sugarcube, yah have us back in Ponyville.”

I looked down at the Pony turned human. While her current eyes matched Jackie’s, there was something in them that showed me that this was my Applejack, not the human counterpart. They had a warmth and care in them that I’d come to associate with my farming friend and companion. I smiled slowly. “I know. Sorry, AJ. Even I have times when I miss Earth, but I wouldn’t go back to stay now even if I could.”

“Is it a bit strange seeing yourself flirting, Jaqueline?” Trisha asked.

Applejack sputtered. “F-Flirtin’?! Ah ain’t flirtin’ with anypony!”

“Um, but he isn’t a Pony,” Diane pointed it out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

To my surprise, Pomeline and Mac began to laugh. Jackie and Applejack both began blushing, and simultaneously hid their faces in their hands. I chuckled and put my arm around Applejack. “Just take it in stride, AJ,” I said. “They’re just teasing.”

“Still embarrassin’,” she said in a muffled tone.

With that, the tense atmosphere broke, and everyone in the room began laughing. Even Pomeline gave a hearty laugh. Eventually, even Jackie and Applejack began to laugh.

As the laughter was dying down, Diane popped up in front of me. “Random question! Can you use magic here, too??”

“I doubt it,” I said. “I might be able to use magic back in Equestria, but this is Earth. The only way that magic existed in this world was if a magical artifact was brought with me.”

“Weeell…that was in the Equestria Girls world, so it stands to reason that magic might not work the same way in this world that it did in that knockoff human world from the show, so maybe you can use it here!” Diane said in one single breath.

“Yeesh, how big are those lungs of yours?” I asked. “But…I didn’t really try when I was here the first time. Kinda had a mission going on at the time.”

“Can you try it now? Can you? Can you?” Diane asked eagerly.

“Slow your role there, Di,” Jackie said, pulling her friend back, “give the guy some room.”

“I suppose I could give it a shot, but I seriously doubt it’ll work,” I said. “Although, I think it would be a good idea to go outside for it, in the very unlikely event that it works.” Even as I said so, I felt a chill run down my back.

“Yay!” Diane broke out of Jackie’s grasp and rushed out towards the yard.

As the rest of us got up, I helped Applejack to her feet and walked her towards the door with the rest. “How does it feel being a human?” I asked.

“Kinda weird, not gonna lie,” she said, “but ah can see how havin’ hands would be a good thing. Although these things just seem excessive,” she added, grabbing at one of her breasts.

I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it away from them. “I wouldn’t go around touching those,” I whispered. “While you Ponies have teats, humans have breasts.”

Applejack’s face went red. “Oh…sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“You didn’t know, so don’t worry,” I said gently. “I didn’t exactly have the time to give you a more comprehensive lecture on humans.”

When we reached the outside, Jackie quickly came up and took Applejack off my hands. “Ah’ve got her,” she said reassuringly.

“What’s goin’ on??” Marigold called out from one of the upstairs windows. “Are you leavin’ already?”

“Not yet,” I called back out. “I’m just trying something out.”

“He’s gonna see if he can use magic like he can back in Equestria!” Diane called up.

Marigold was instantly gone from the window, which shut with a slam. Not even half a minute later, she came bursting out of the front door, hastily putting her gloves on. “I wanna watch!”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I doubt anything’s gonna happen,” I explained, “but here goes.”

Looking around, I saw a few fallen branches lying on the ground underneath the Douglas Fir tree. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for me, so I opened my eyes and held out my hand. I went through the steps I did before magic started coming naturally to me. I waited for the rush of power to flow through me despite my words. I tried what I did when I first tried magic, forcing it. Nothing. Then I searched deep within myself for the magical core I now had. Still nothing.

After a minute or so of trying, and probably looking like an idiot, I stopped, then looked down at my hand. “Yeah…I didn’t think that Equestrian magic would work the same in this world. Only magic objects can-WHOA!”

As I was talking, my hand began to become encased in a completely rainbow-colored light. Instantly, I could feel magic surging through me like a massive tsunami of power. My head started hurting at that moment as well, and an all-too familiar feeling of magic flowed out of me. Acting quickly, I aimed it at one of the larger branches, and it was encased in the same light. On instinct, I pulled the branch towards me, catching it in my other hand. However, magic continued surging through me.

“What’s with that magic glow surroundin’ ya?!” Applejack asked in alarm. “Ah thought yer magic was a different color!”

“What magic color? I don’t see anything,” Marigold said, confused.

“Love, are you alright?” Zecora asked, sounding equally alarmed.

“I don’t know!” I called out, “but I think I need to get away from the house!” So saying, I began running out into the fields. However, the farther I ran, the more magic began surging through my body. It was almost like Twilight’s magical surge when she hatched Spike. I tried to contain it, but the glowing rainbow light spread out from my hand, up my arm and began surrounding my entire body. Bolts of multicolored lightning flashed out of the magical aura that now surrounded me as I rushed faster towards what I hoped was an empty part of the field. I could hear the others calling out to me in fear, but I had to get farther and farther away.

Suddenly, I felt myself rising into the air, unable to run anymore. Instinctively, I tried to fly, only to remember that on Earth I had no wings. I slowly began rotating back towards the farmhouse. My hands were glowing brighter and brighter, and they felt like they were expanding despite not changing in size at all. I clenched my body up, hoping that I could contain whatever magic was flowing through me so there wasn’t any damage.

That’s when I heard a very familiar voice calling from down below. “Let the magic out, Jethro! Hurry!”

I looked down, and through the magical haze that was quickly surrounding me, I saw a very scared looking human Twilight, with Spike beside her and both looking up at me.

“Where?!” I asked in terror.

“In the air! Do it now!”

I did as she instructed, aiming a magical blast up at the cloudy sky. When I released my magic, the pressure that had been building inside me quickly decreased, and I quickly started falling. The blast of rainbow colored magic that came out of me shot up into the air in a very familiar spiral pattern, which suddenly stopped, split into ten separate smaller blasts, each one shooting down towards Zecora, Scarlet, Spike, Twilight, Applejack, Jackie, Trisha, Shye, Dash and Diane. Before any of them could react, the magic struck each of their chests, surrounding them in a rainbow glow before slowly vanishing. The glow around me vanished last, and I collapsed onto my back onto the icy cold ground, completely wiped.

As I tried to sit up, I heard the sounds of running feet coming towards me. Dash was by my side first, kneeling and helping me to a sitting position. Twilight, who was a bit closer, came up next, followed by Spike. The others came in turn, worry and concern in their eyes. They all began asking me various questions.

Above the din, a loud male voice full of authority called out, “Stand back! Let him have some air!” That silenced everyone, and then he came up, kneeling and looking me over with the practiced air of someone who had studied medicine. “How are you feelin’?” he asked, grabbing my wrist and feeling my pulse, which was racing a bit from the running and the terror.

“Just…a bit tired,” I admitted. “Nothing’s hurting, just my back where I fell.”

“Guess it’s my turn to help you now,” Mac said with a small lopsided grin. “Now, don’t move. I might have flunked out of medical school, but I still know a thing or two.”

There, sitting in the frozen field and surrounded by my worried and anxious friends, Mac gave me the once over, making sure there weren’t any cuts or broken bones. Once he was satisfied, he helped me up slowly. “Thanks, Malcom,” I said.

“Call me Mac,” he said, “I like that better. Now, what exactly happened?” he asked as we walked back towards the house, “I saw you just floating in the air for a while.”

“Yah didn’t see the rainbow around him?” Jackie asked.

“No, I didn’t,” Mac said.

“I did!” Diane said. “It was all shiny and glowy and pretty!”

“And very powerful,” Twilight said.

I turned to the Unicorn turned human. “Twilight? Why are you here?”

“Ah wrote tah her quickly,” Jackie explained, holding up the journal in her hand. “We needed her help.”

“And I’m glad you came,” I said, reaching out and cupping Twilight’s cheek with my hand.

She looked relieved and nuzzled my hand gently before her relief quickly turned to concern. “What happened, Jethro? I thought you said magic doesn’t exist on Earth.”

“It shouldn’t,” I said, “but this isn’t my Earth.” I looked around, gathered my bearings, then pointed at the statue. “That thing’s been appearing and disappearing for at least a thousand years, so it could very well have leaked some magic through. I don’t know.”

“What did happen?” Mac asked. “You just started runnin’ and then began floatin’.”

“Which was really amazin’! Was that magic?” Marigold asked.

“Yes, kiddo, it was,” I said.

“But I didn’t see any glowin’ stuff,” she said.

“How could you miss it? It was right there, plain as day,” Dash said in a confused tone.

“I saw it too,” Shye said softly.

“If I wasn’t so scared for Jethro, I would have found it quite beautiful,” Trisha said.

“How come only some of you couldn’t see it?” Spike asked, running his hand through his hair, only to find a knot in it. “Ow! Damn hair…”

“Twilight would be able to figure that out better than the rest of us,” I said, pointing to Twilight.

Upon seeing me point out the new girl to be Twilight, Marigold’s eyes went wide. “You’re Twilight Sparkle?!” she asked in awe.

Stunned that a random human girl knew her, she nodded and waved. “Heh…hello there…” she said nervously.

“You’re amazin’!” Marigold exclaimed excitedly. “Did you really cast a spell on Spike to give him a mustache??”

“Um…yeah, I did,” she said, smiling down at her. “Are you a fan of…our show?”

“Ah love it! It’s so cool!” she squealed happily.

“Thank you,” Twilight said. She then turned to me. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, walking over and putting a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m doing alright now,” I said. “Trust me, I feel fine.”

“That’s our stallion for ya,” Scarlet said, jumping in and giving me a long and deep smooch before letting go, grinning.

I swatted her gently upside the head with a grin. “You’re such a goof.”

“Hold on, Jethro, weren’t you dating Zecora?” Trisha asked.

“Whoa! You’re dating Zecora??” Marigold asked with wide eyes. “That cool Zebra from the show??”

“That’s…an adult only discussion, I’m afraid,” I said, looking down at Marigold apologetically. “Sorry, kiddo.”

“I never get to hear the good stuff,” Marigold pouted.

“Yah can have an extra hour before bedtime tonight,” Pomeline said, “but that’s it. Now, go on now. The adults need tah talk.”

Seemingly satisfied by this, Marigold headed back inside ahead of us. We all headed back into the house, taking our old seats. Jackie went to the kitchen and brought back two of the dining table chairs for Twilight and Spike, who took their seats in them.

The moment we were all seated again, I sat up straighter. “I take it you both remember Twilight and Spike,” I said, gesturing to them.

Pomeline nodded. “Ah do. Nice tah see yah again, Twilight. At least now ah know who yah are now.”

Twilight shrank back in her seat. “Yeah…sorry for lying, ma’am,” she said, smiling sheepishly.

“Ah can’t blame yah,” Pomeline said. “Just don’t go makin’ a habit out of it, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Twilight said, straightening up and nodding.

Pomeline smiled. “Relax there, young’un,” she said. “Now then, what exactly happened out there? All ah saw was Jethro here floatin’ like those magic levitation tricks ah’ve seen on TV.”

Quickly, a few of us, myself included, told what we’d seen and experienced in that harrowing minute or two. When we finished, Pomeline stroked her chin thoughtfully, but it was Mac who asked, “Not that we don’t believe you, but why couldn’t we see this magic glow?”

At that moment, Twilight sat up, a look of realization passing over her face. “I think I know why!” she exclaimed, surprising me by snapping her fingers. She then pointed to the Humane Five. “I think it was because you’ve all been to Equestria!”

I raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think that?” I asked.

“It’s the only common factor between all of us,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “You all came through and turned into Ponies, then into Anthro Ponies. And you, Jethro, live there! Same with me, Applejack and Spike.”

“Well, if that’s the case, we have a problem,” I said with a sudden realization.

“What is it?” Mac asked.

“We’re not the only ones on Earth who’ve been to Equestria,” I said. “There are three others who I know were alive at least a few years ago.”

“You don’t mean…them,” Twilight said nervously.

“I do,” I said. “That magic went really high up. If they were looking our way, they had to have seen it.”

“Who?!” Dash asked, “tell us, dammit!”

I sighed. “The Dazzlings.”

127: A Cloaked Heart Before Invasion

“Who exactly are these Dazzlings?” Trisha asked after a few moments of silence.

“Long story short, they’re three Sirens who caused immense trouble for Ponies in Equestria,” I explained. “They feed off of negative and mistrustful feelings, causing enmity anywhere they go. And they would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for some meddling ancient Pony wizard, Starswirl the Bearded, or as I like to call him, Starswirl the Thoughtless.” I saw Twilight tense up a bit, but she hadn’t seen what I’d seen of Starswirl. I promised myself to tell her later. “They ended up in this world and have been living here for at least a thousand years.”

“Can they really live that long?” Dash asked.

“They’re a type of Dragon,” I said, “and Dragons live a very long time, so yes. And I know they were at least in Pendragon somewhat recently, because Sunset Shimmer, under Eris’ influence, attacked them and destroyed the gemstones that gave them their power, making them normal humans. But they still might be able to have seen the magic and come here, although I’m not really sure what kind of plans they would have without access to their magic.”

“Still, they’re from Equestria,” Twilight said, “so it stands to reason that they’ll come here, looking for the source of the magic.”

“Just like they did in Rainbow Rocks,” I nodded. “Ugh…is it too much to ask for me to have at least one day without trouble popping up?!”

“You’re a trouble magnet, alright,” Spike said. “Tough life, Monkey-man.”

“Oh hush, Dragon-boy,” I said.

“That’s Sir Dragon-boy to you,” Spike retorted.

“Oh, we’re playing that game, are we?” I asked with a smirk. “Then you can call me Emperor Monkey-man, First of His Name, Ruler of the Five Kingdoms, Wielder of Swords and Magic and Protector of the Realm.”

“You got that from Game of Thrones!” Dash exclaimed.

“Yes I did, big whoop. Wanna fight about it?” I chuckled.

“Everyone, focus,” Jackie said. “Twilight, are yah absolutely sure these Sirens are gonna come trapesing around our farm?”

“I can’t really be too sure,” she said, “but even if they don’t have their magic now, they were in Equestria at one point.”

“And they’ve been using their magic to stay alive, but now they’re mortal,” I said. “That could be motivation for them enough to at least come and investigate the Equestrian magic they might have seen.”

“So what do we do?” Mac asked.

“Well…do you have shotguns or rifles here?” I asked.

“Are ya thinkin’ of shootin’ them?!” Jackie asked.

“No, not at all,” I said. “But I am thinking, now that I have easier access to this world, that we should have a stakeout. On both sides of the portal.”

“Darling, as fun as that sounds, how do you suggest we do it? Or coordinate it?” Trisha asked.

“We use the journal, for one,” I said. “I don’t know what they’ll turn into if they go through the Stargate.”

“Wait, what’s the Stargate?” Dash asked.

“It’s what we call the mirror between worlds,” Scarlet said. “On the other side, it looks a lot like a Stargate from the TV show.”

“Back on topic, do you have a map of the farm?” I asked.

“Ah can get it,” Jackie said, standing and running through a door that led to another room. We waited as there was rummaging through a drawer. Finally, with a rustling of paper, she came out with a rolled up piece of old paper. She grabbed a few small random objects from a nearby wallside table and, after clearing off the table, unrolled the map and placed the map down.

I was no farming expert, but the Smith farm looked incredibly large, judging from the size of the farmhouse against all the green land that indicated their property line. “Sheesh, how many acres do you own?” I asked.

“Around four hundred and fifty or so,” Mac said.

The farmhouse and nearby barn were located just off of a large dirt road that led to a large street labeled US 830. There was an arrow on the road that pointed towards the direction of Pendragon with another arrow pointing in the opposite direction labeled Brocéliande Forest. The farmhouse and barn were located on the farthest eastern portion of the property, near the long dirt road that property itself was not a perfect square, but was a mish mash of shapes, and I noticed that a few outer portions had been drawn in with a green marker, with purchase dates labeled on them from the past forty years. I pointed to US 830. “Is this the only road that gets access to the farm?” I asked.

“Eeyup,” Mac said.

“You sure?” I persisted. “No older abandoned or overgrown roads?”

“Not unless yer countin’ the abandoned train tracks here,” Jackie said, pointing to a spot located within one of the more recently purchased areas.

“Ah remember a time when the train came and loaded our products,” Pomeline said. “Mah grandpappy’s brother was a conductor before the train company went under.”

“How overgrown is it and where does it come from?” I asked.

“It used tah lead tah an abandoned lumber town in the middle of the Brocéliande Forest,” Jackie said, “but the town’s gone and instead there’s a camp up there. Camp Evertide, right on the shores of Cowichan Lake.”

“Huh, alright,” I said, “so not all names on Avalon come from Arthurian legend. Still, how overgrown is it?”

“Last time ah went explorin’ there, it was hard tah get through,” Jackie said, “but Marigold would know better. She, Deanne and Anne explore there a lot of times, especially when they all watched Lord of the Rings fer the first time.”

“Don’t remind me,” Trisha said. “I swear, Anne came home with brambles and sap all over her.”

“Deanne’s aunts told me the same thing,” Dash chuckled.

“Ah’d hate tah see what Apple Bloom and her friends would do if they saw that movie,” Applejack said.

“We should still keep an eye on that direction,” I said, trying to refocus the conversation. “I don’t know where the Sirens are going to come from, but no harm in being prepared.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to surround the statue?” Mac asked. “Just guard it on all sides?”

“Maybe,” I conceded, “but I don’t know how desperate they are. I’d like to try and talk them down if possible, but if not, that’s what the shotguns are for.”

“Now just an apple-pickin-minute!” Jackie said sharply, “we use those fer huntin’! We don’t use them tah kill!”

“I know,” I said, “and I don’t want to hurt them if we need be, but if they’re trespassing, I think the law will be on your side for defending yourselves.”

“Ah’d rather yah use somethin’ a bit less deadly,” Pomeline said. “Yah just said yah have magic. Can yah use that?”

I held up my hand. Now that I had it back, for whatever reason, I could feel its normal flow through me. I watched as my normal silvery golden glow appeared around it. I reached out and picked up one of the pieces of wood near the fireplace, then slowly put it back down. “I suppose I could,” I said.

“Whoa! What’s happening to your hair, darling?” Trisha asked.

“And how did it get so long, anyway?” Dash asked.

Looking behind me, I noticed that my hair, which I had taken to tying back in a ponytail, had somehow gotten loose and was now flowing in the ethereal wind that it normally did. However, after a few seconds, it fell back behind my back, still. I sighed. “Can I borrow something to tie my hair behind me?” I asked, “and my hair is a long story that we can discuss later. As for my magic, I can try and use it, I guess, but I want backup just in case.”

Trisha handed me a small pink elastic band. “I don’t have any other color,” she said apologetically.

“I don’t care about color,” I said as I tied it back in place. “Thanks, Trisha.”

“You’re very welcome.”

I turned back to the rest. “I don’t know if my magic will run out or not, so I’d rather conserve it and use non-magical means. Which means I’ve got to go back home and grab a few things later.” Turning to the other non-Smith family members, I said, “I’m sure you know what I’m going to say about your involvement in this-”

“Do we have to go through this song and dance here?” Dash asked. “We’re staying, like it or not. At least, I am.”

“I don’t know what I can do,” Shye said, “but I’d like to try and help.”

“We might not have magic, but we can still do something!” Diane said excitedly.

“They’re just as dependable as our friends back home,” Applejack said softly in my ear.

I nodded. “Pretty much.” Sitting up straighter, I said, “Alright, if you’re sure you’re up to it.”

“Great! I’ll just text my parents and tell them I’m staying over for a sleepover!” Diane said, grabbing her phone and quickly shooting off a text.

While the others were taking care of their own business, I picked up the journal. “Twilight, Applejack, I think it would be a good idea for you to go back to Equestria. That way, if the Sirens make it past us, you can use the Elements of Harmony on them just in case they turn into their Siren forms. You should go too, Spike, to protect the girls.”

“Ah don’t like leavin’ yah alone, but if this Jackie’s anythin’ like me, yer in good…hands,” Applejack said.

“It’s a good idea, but you keep yourself safe, Jethro,” Twilight said.

“I don’t want to go,” Spike said defiantly, crossing his arms.

“You really should,” I said. “I need someone back home to protect the girls.”

“Then why are Zecora and Scarlet allowed to stay?” Spike asked with a pout.

“They’re part of my herd,” I said, “and I doubt they’d listen to me if I asked them to go home.”

“You’re damned right we’re not, lover boy,” Scarlet said, giving me a playful glare.

I sighed and turned back to Twilight. “Twilight, I trust that you can take care of things back home? Make plans and such?”

She saluted. “I can do that.”

“You sure I can’t stay?” Spike asked, sounding a bit forlorn.

“Ah don’t mind if he keeps Marigold company fer a while,” Jackie said. “She actually thinks the Spike from the show is a cool character.”

Twilight didn’t look too happy about that, but Spike’s eyes widened. “You mean it?” he asked.

“Ah’ll git started on somethin’ fer lunch,” Pomeline said. “Will grilled cheese sandwiches be okay for y’all?” When the everyone who was staying nodded in agreement, she stood. “Ah’ll git started.”

“You want some help, ma’am?” Spike asked. “I can cook pretty well.”

Pomeline smiled at the young boy. “Thank ya kindly fer offerin’, but yer our guest. Jackie, why dontcha go tell Mari that she can play with young Spike here.” With that, she stood and began heading into the kitchen.

“Yes, Granny,” Jackie said as she stood.

While she was heading up, Twilight looked over at Spike. “Fine, you can stay. Just be safe, okay?”

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” I said. “But right now, I need to go back to Equestria and grab a few things.”

“Like what?” Dash asked.

“Well, I’ve got a few weapons that might help in the convincing,” I said, standing up.

“Are you sure they’ll be comin’ today?” Mac asked.

“Possibly even tonight under cover of darkness,” I said.

“I guess that would make sense,” he said. “They’d need to come before that snowstorm.”

“Snow would make them more visible even in the dark in the country,” I said. “Now, please excuse me. I’ll be right back. Twilight, Applejack, let’s go.” So saying, we all stood, walked outside and back towards the King Arthur statue…

“Okay, I’ve seen plenty of swords online and in person before,” Dash was saying about an hour later outside the farm, “but that is a wicked cool blade!”

As promised, I’d gone back to Equestria and explained the situation with Applejack and Twilight to back me up. Celestia and Luna were still there, and promised to send a small number of soldiers to help the Elements of Harmony guard the barn and the Stargate. I’d then gotten a few things from home, like an overnight bag, my laptop with all the seasons of My Little Pony on it along magically enhanced Dragon shackles, my imperial garb and my crown, and finally the Eclipse Blade, which I hoped would show the Sirens, if they came, that I was indeed their Emperor. That had been harder to explain to them when Spike, who had sat next to a very excited Marigold, blurted out that I was indeed an Emperor.

When they had inevitably asked for details, I said it wasn’t quite for younger ears, so Pomeline had let Spike and Marigold go upstairs where they could eat and watch My Little Pony on my laptop. Once we were alone, I held nothing back, explaining just what had happened during the time between when they left and the present. When it was over, the meal was a bit more somber, especially after hearing about my death and resurrection.

“It’s called the Eclipse Blade, Sword of Emperors,” I explained as I swung the sharp but lighter than expected broadsword around in the cold afternoon air. The sky had cleared slightly and the sun was now shining on the ancient reforged blade. “It’s a sign to all Dragons that their Emperor has returned.”

“But yer not a Dragon,” Jackie said.

“According to Ember, whoever claimed both Sunsword and Moonsword would become the ruler of all Dragons,” I explained. “It never said the ruler had to be a Dragon.”

“And what does this has to do with these Sirens,” Trisha asked.

“They’re not Dragons,” Shye added.

“Not in Earth mythology, no,” I explained, “but Sirens are a subspecies of all Dragonkin, and if they’re as old as I think, they might know about the Eclipse Blade and stand down.”

“From what you’ve said about them, it doesn’t sound like they will,” Shye, who was sitting with the Smith’s dog Winona, said worriedly.

“A good ruler always sues for peace before making war,” I said. “I learned that when I was studying when I thought that I was picked to rule the Kingdom of Equestria, not the Aelyssian Empire,” I said as I sheathed the sword. Despite being an entire world apart, somehow I could not only still feel Luna’s and Celestia emotions, but the blended emotions of Eclipse herself. I thought of Eclipse as a female since it seemed to feel right to do so. They all were worried, but I continued to broadcast my best reassurances through the link. “Honestly, so much has happened since you guys were all in Equestria.” I smiled, then turned back to the others. “This is the last chance, you know? Most of you don’t have a stake in this fight.”

“Love, how stubborn can you be?” Zecora asked, walking over and wrapping her arms around me. “They won’t go anywhere, and neither will your herd.” She kissed me deeply, before stepping back.

Only for Scarlet to jump into my arms and kiss me just as deeply. “You’re stuck with us, babe,” she said as she quickly let go.

“Okay, darling, you’re going to have to explain that now,” Trisha said, pointing at me. “The last time I checked, you were dating Zecora. Are you one of those guys who’s into polyamory?”

I pursed my lips. “Equestrian culture isn’t like American culture,” I said. “Back there, there are at least five or six mares for one stallion. It’s a cultural norm for a stallion to form a herd, at least to propagate the species.”

“But Zecora’s a Zebra,” Trisha pointed out.

“True, but herds are common in her homeland, too,” I said. “It seems to be a common thing in other races, too. Lycans, Dragons, maybe Deerfolk too, I’m not sure. It’s more common there than here.”

“And yah just accepted it?” Jackie asked.

“I was raised in a Christian home,” I explained, suddenly feeling angry. “It took me months to even consider it, and months before to admit to myself I was starting to fall for Zecora.” In an increasingly defensive tone, I continued, “Can you even imagine what it was like? The only human in the world, surrounded by sapient beings who I once thought only as fictional or real animals? I was so scared when I realized how I felt about Zecora, but she’s always constantly reassured me that everything will be okay! I fell for her because of who she is inside, and not because she’s a Zebra!”

Jackie raised her hands quickly. “Hold on there, sugarcube, ah didn’t mean tah upset yah. Ah’ll admit, it’s a lot to take in, but ah can’t blame yah fer adaptin’ tah yer new home.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Trisha said apologetically, “I was just shocked, is all.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Sorry, I’m just nervous about all of this,” I said, gesturing to the nearby statue. “Dazzlings might show up, having more people knowing our secret, and that thing just out in the open, plain as day.”

“How many mares can be in a herd?” Shye asked curiously.

“I’m not sure there’s a limit, to be honest,” I said, “but then again, you’ve gotta take into account a lot of things when choosing herd members. From what I’ve learned anyway. There’s got to be constant open communication between members of the family. It’s a lot of work, but from what I’ve heard from another herd, it’s worth it.”

“Are there other mares you’re considering?” Shye asked again.

I sighed. “Sort of. See, three other mares confessed to me, and I’ve promised each of them dates. I’ve just not had the time for it with everything that’s happened.”

“Oh? Who?” Trisha asked.

“Fluttershy, Pinkie and Twilight,” I said. “And Princess Luna might be a possible fourth.”

“Oh my,” Shye said, blushing slightly.

“Equestrian me and Jethro, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Diane giggled.

“That’s quite a lot of mares,” Jackie said. “Any idea why so many of them are into yah?”

I shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I’ve just been spending time with them as often as I can?” I said. “I mean, before things started getting crazier and crazier, I had so much free time considering I don’t need a traditional job. I’d have magic lessons and study Earth and Equestrian leaders with Twilight, discuss Earth fashion with Rarity, bake and introduce Earth recipes to Pinkie Pie, read manga and watch anime with Fluttershy, spend a day or two a week on the farm with Applejack working and practicing controlling my Earth Pony strength and get flying lessons from Rainbow Dash. I’ve gone from having no friends six months ago to now having a fiancée, a girlfriend, and so many amazing friends. I like to spend time with all of them, whether it’s one on one or in a group.”

“Well, I do wish you luck,” Trisha said, and it sounded like she meant it. “I don’t have anything against a polyamorous relationship, but I know it’s hard.”

“It is,” I said, “but right now, I not only have two amazing lovers, but some great friends who can help me through things. I know it sounds cliché, but in multiple ways, friendship really is magic over in Equestria.”

“You know, if I hadn’t been to Equestria, I probably wouldn’t be watching that girly show,” Dash said a bit dismissively.

“The show’s not perfect, to be sure,” I said, “but it’s still an amazing show. And I get to live it, and try and change things for the better. You should have seen what I did after I saw the Season Three ending and after the first Equestria Girls movie. But back onto the topic at hand.” I looked at the statue once more. “I really wish we could hide that somehow.”

“Can’t you move it?” Diane asked. “Like maybe to the barn?”

“I don’t want to risk that,” I said. “In the Equestria Girls movies, moving one end of the portal didn’t move the other end, but here? If the time frame is right, the portal moved at around the same time Celestia and Luna teleported it to my house. It might not move back home, but I don’t wanna risk it until I know more.”

“A wise precaution,” Zecora said, putting her hand on my shoulder and squeezing.

“Ah’ve gotta say, yah don’t look quite like an Emperor now,” Jackie said, a sudden teasing smile on her face. “What, with what yer wearin’.”

I laughed. “Why do you think I brought this?” I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the ringlet crown I’d brought with me just to further convince the Dazzlings that I was who I would claim to be. “That, and I brought my royal clothes.”

“Are you sure you want to be wearing those on a farm?” Trisha asked. “You’ll get them dirty,” she added, earning her a glare from Jackie.

“I wore them while sitting on a throne that fit a massive Dragon Lord,” I said. “Besides, I’ve found that ancient Dragon clothes tend to be a one size fits all. Literally. I could probably run these clothes through my washing machine and they wouldn’t shrink.”

“Darling, royal clothes are too exquisite to go through a simple washing machine!” Trisha exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t do that,” I said. “Not without experimentation. I’m pretty sure there’s some more in Virynth Atheos.”

“Man, I really wanna explore Equestria,” Dash said. “It sounds so cool! Dragons, ancient civilizations, magic! It’s like Westeros or Middle-Earth!”

“Only they have some things both those places don’t have,” I explained, “like old timey film projectors, fridges, ovens, and more. At least, Equestria does. The rest of the world might not. From what I’ve seen, anyway.”

“Mayhaps another time we could come for another visit?” Diane asked, steepling her fingers and giving me a narrowed eyed look. “You know, when the worlds aren’t in some sort of super duper trouble?”

“I think that can be arranged,” I said, “but right now, we should really focus on the task at hand. Let’s go back inside.”

“It’s a shame we can’t use magic like you guys can while here,” Trisha said.

“I bet we could do some really cool things with it!” Dash added.

“I don’t know how that would work, to be honest,” I said as we all headed back into the house. “The Equestria Girls versions of you all got magical powers from Ponying Up whenever they sang in their band, the Rainbooms.”

“Rainbooms sounds pretty sweet,” Dash said. “But what’s Ponying Up?”

“It’s what happens to the human versions of the Elements of Harmony in the movies where they grow Pony ears, their hair grows to become a ponytail, and some even grow wings,” I briefly explained. “It also happens mostly when they sing.”

“Okay…I don’t get it, but are you saying I’d get wings if I Pony Up now?” Dash asked excitedly.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Things in Equestria are similar yet different.”

“Oooh ooh! Lemme try!” Diane said, clearing her throat, then she began singing, “I’m siiiingin’ in the rain! Just siiiingin’ in the rain! What a glooorious feeeelin’ I’m haaaaappy again! I’ll walk down the lane, with a haaaappy refrain! And singin’! Just singin’ in the raaaiin!” When she stopped, she held out her hand, clenching her teeth and trying to do something. We watched in curiosity, but nothing happened. “Awww…”

I pat her back. “Don’t worry, Diane,” I said, “I know you can at least do some cool stuff when you’re in your Equestrian form.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” she said with a wide smile as we reached the living room again.

When we reached it, I saw that Marigold and Spike were still sitting on the couch in front of my plugged in laptop. The two were watching My Little Pony, at least the version I knew. I’d asked Marigold to watch them to see if there was anything different about what I knew since we didn’t have time to watch this world’s version. She looked up at me as the rest of us entered. “Ah can’t believe yer an Emperor in Equestria! Ah wanna go visit! And ah know Deanne and Anne would wanna go too!”

“Are they fans of the show?” Scarlet asked.

“Anne is, and ah know Deanne is, but she’s always too cool to show it,” Marigold said.

“I’d expect nothing less from Scootaloo’s counterpart,” I whispered to myself. “For now, I don’t want you telling them,” I added in a louder voice. “Maybe someday, if we can get them to promise and keep that promise. But for now, not even Ponyville knows about this portal to Earth.”

“Ah understand, but it’s gonna be so hard!” Marigold said before going back to watching the show.

“I know, kiddo,” I said sympathetically, “but you’ve gotta stay quiet about it.”

She nodded and quickly became engrossed in the show once more. I saw that they were more than halfway through the first episode. Mac was there with them, and he stood just then. “Hey, everyone. Could you follow me into the other room? We’ve gotta talk about where we’re gonna be stayin’ tonight.”

“Sure thing.” I followed him into the other room. It was time to plan for an invasion…

128: A Cloaked Heart Captures

Night fell quickly enough, and after we all took a nap, ate a dinner of meatloaf for the humans and some Jollhoof rice for the Equestrians, we were all ready and awake enough to try and keep a guard on the statue. The plan for us was to sleep in a few of the barn’s upstairs living quarters which existed on both side of the barn. Half of us would watch on the side that faced the statue, the other half would watch from the side facing the road. The sky had cleared completely, but the weather forecast said that around midnight or so the first wave of the snowstorm would start. In the east, the familiar moon I’d seen for thirty years was rising, waxing and shining its silvery light on the world. I could feel a sense of fascination coming from the Eclipse Blade, or at least a part of it as the light of the moon shone on it. I could also feel Luna’s curiosity at this as well, and I wondered if bringing her here to see Earth’s night would be a fun idea.

Myself, Zecora, Scarlet, Mac and Spike would stay in the side facing the statue, while the five girls would be watching in the side facing the road. The Smith family owned a few old walkie talkies that still worked, so we were using those as well as our cell phones to keep in contact with each other. Marigold wanted to stay up with us, but Pomeline vehemently forbade it. I told the two that it might be a good idea to sleep in the basement for better protection since I suspected that the Sirens, if they did indeed come, would come armed. Pomeline said that there was a granny flat in the basement with a spare bedroom where they could sleep. She told Marigold that it could be a bit like a grandma and granddaughter only slumber party.

Mac and I were on the first watch, with Spike trying hard to stay awake with us, but I insisted he sleep, so he was curled up in a sleeping bag on a small cot near a corner. Zecora and Scarlet were in sleeping bags of their own, Zecora in mine and Scarlet in one that she was borrowing from the Smiths. In another corner, there was a space heater which was keeping the room warm. The lights were off, and I was sipping some pumpkin spice flavored coffee from a thermos to try and stay awake with Mac.

We didn’t say much for a long while. Slowly, the moon rose higher into the sky until its light was at its apex. We had checked in with the girls a few times and they’d checked in on us a couple times as well, but so far nothing.

Finally, after a couple hours, Mac spoke up. “Hey, can I ask you somethin’?”

Startled that he would start a conversation, I nodded, not taking my eyes off of the farmland below me. “Sure.”

“What do you think of Applejack?”

I raised an eyebrow at the question, and gave him a glance. He wasn’t looking at me, but the expression in his eyes as he looked out at the darkened farm before him was one of curiosity. He gave me a quick glance as well before looking back out. I quickly looked out, scanning the land. “Well, during our first meeting, she did throw a lasso around my neck and tried to kill me, but since that day she’s apologized over and over again for it despite me saying I’ve forgiven her. We’ve gotten close and bonded over a few things, one major event being the death of our parents.”

“Her parents died as well?” Mac asked in a softer voice.

I nodded. “Yeah. They died due to disease.”

“Same with ours,” Mac said in understanding.

“Sorry to hear that,” I said sympathetically.

“I’ve made my peace with it,” Mac said. “They’re both together in heaven, now. At least, I believe so.”

I smiled. “I’ve no doubt they are.”

He nodded and there was silence for a bit. A small breeze blew up and a small patch of clouds began approaching the moon. A motion activated security light attached to the detached garage flashed on, flooding the farmhouse and the driveway with its light as a raccoon and their family crossed its path, running towards the road. I heard Mac mutter something about trash pandas before he added, “But now what do you make of Applejack?”

“Well, she’s very loyal to those she holds dear,” I said, blinking away the sudden light and trying not to lose my acquired night vision, “and she’s very dependable. She’s one of my closest friends, and one of the more reasonable Ponies. She has a good head on her shoulders, and I can talk to her about more serious topics easier than I can with others except maybe Zecora and now possibly Scarlet. She’s very dear to me. Why do you ask?”

Mac nodded, and as the security light turned off, he slowly said, “I know Jackie better than most,” he said. “Back when she was about fifteen, ‘bout half a year before our parents passed, she got a major crush on one of the boys at her school, Camelot High. She had ‘im over a few times and I saw a look in her eyes I haven’t seen before. The crush didn’t last, since the boy turned out to be a player, but I’ve seen that look a couple more times when she developed large crushes. Nothin’ ever became of ‘em, but I saw that very same look in Applejack’s eyes when she was talkin’ to you earlier. If Jackie and Applejack are parallel versions of each other, I think that Pony might have a thing for you.”

With his long revelation, I tried to think back to our more recent talks and interactions with each other. She’d always seemed to feel comfortable around me, and I felt the same around her. She felt like a stable comforting presence whenever the two of us would lean against some of AJ’s favorite apple trees and watched the sunset going down. Sometimes, no words passed between us, just comfortable silence. Sometimes we would sing songs from our worlds we would teach each other. Sometimes, I would tell her about more modern farming practices, sometimes she would talk about some of her favorite recipes. All in all, the conversations between us were some of the ones I cherished most ever since our time in Equestria. She was also better at hiding her emotions than most Ponies, hardly ever crying except on the inside, if that episode Tanks For The Memories was to be believed. She was definitely a lovely Pony to look at, and she didn’t need any makeup or any fancy clothing to show it.

I smiled a bit, and Mac must have seen this because he said, “What’s that laugh for? Are you makin’ fun of my theory?”

“Hypothesis,” I automatically corrected. Being with Twilight had rubbed off on me as well. “And no, I was just thinking back to all the times I’ve spent with Applejack on her farm.”

“You thinkin’ about if I’m tellin’ the truth?” Mac asked.

“Well, AJ is a bit harder to read than other Ponies,” I said. “If you’ve seen the show, at least, the episodes that haven’t come out in this world yet, it would make sense.”

Mac nodded. “I’ll take your word for it. But I don’t think I’m wrong.”

I shrugged. “If she does like me, then I don’t have the skill to see it.”

“I’m not sure if even she knows,” Mac said. “Jackie can be stubborn about a lot of things, and she denied having those crushes, even when Mom found her cryin’ in her room after her first crush ended. She’s less stubborn about it now, but I don’t know if Applejack had any similar crushes back where you all are from. That’s just my take.”

“Hmm…well, thanks for telling me,” I said, and I meant it. I liked Applejack well enough, and if she, too, had some feelings for me and did manage to speak them aloud, I would have no problem seeing where that kind of relationship between us would go.

“You’re welcome,” Mac said, taking another sip of his coffee, which had gotten a bit cooler.

With that, we went back to watching out of the window. A large wall of clouds had begun to roll in from the east, although the moon was still clearly visible and shining down on the land. I pushed any thoughts about any kind of romance between me and Applejack aside so I could focus on the task at hand. Or tried to, at least. The occasional thought about her would still sneak back into my mind as the minutes passed. And the thoughts were oddly pleasant, just like any past thoughts I had about relationships with Pinkie, Twilight and Fluttershy.

Just before the clouds began to roll over the moon, Mac stiffened. Instantly on alert, I followed where he was looking, which to my surprise was down the road. A dark colored Prius, its lights off, was slowly coming down the driveway. I grabbed a part of binoculars and tried to get a good look at the driver, but the driver was wearing a black hoodie. The figure in the passenger seat was wearing a dark hoodie as well. However, when I looked in the back seat to see if I could see a third figure, I was caught off guard when I saw not one, but at least two figures, one in the middle seat smaller than the other.

Mac grabbed the walkie talkie and said, “We have incomin’, over.”

“Is it the Dazzlin’s, over?” Jackie’s voice came quickly over the mic.

Mac held the walkie talkie over to me. “I don’t know,” I said, “there’s a car coming up the driveway, but the driver and passengers are wearing hoodies. And there aren’t three, but four that I can see, over.”

“Should we come over to yah, over?” Jackie asked.

“No, stay there for a while,” I said. “We’ll keep you posted, over.”

“Just be careful, over,” Jackie said worriedly.

“We will. Over and out.” As Mac pulled the walkie talkie away, I added, “Mac, wake the others. We might need their help.”

“Got it.”

As he began to wake them, the car pulled into the driveway, only for its motion to trigger the security light. The car stopped immediately, and in the light, I saw that the car, which I had thought at first was black, was actually a deep purple. Slowly, the car backed away from the light and stopped, sitting there waiting.

By this time, Zecora and Scarlet were already awake and by my side, looking out the window surreptitiously at the newcomers. Zecora put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Is that them, love?”

“If the car was black, I’d say that might be some kind of government car,” I replied quietly. “But I don’t know if it’s the Dazzlings or not. Unless there were more Sirens than I thought.”

“Who else could it be?” Scarlet asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied.

We watched and waited. A bleary Spike joined us, asking for some coffee, but he was quickly denied by me and Mac. The car just sat there, lights off. Finally, when the security lights went off, the doors opened. To my surprise, five hooded individuals came out, but to my dismay, the smaller passenger in the back was grabbed and something pressed against their head. In the slowly vanishing light of the moon behind the clouds, I saw a gleam of metal. A pistol. Scarlet stiffened beside me. “Shit…is that a gun?!”

I put my hand over her mouth. “Yes,” I whispered, frustrated at having been right. “Let’s move. Mac, grab the rifle and tell Jackie to grab hers as well. We’ve got a hostage situation. I’m going down there to see what’s going on.” I pointed to the journal. “Spike, write back to Twilight and the others and let them know we have a hostage situation unfolding. Mac, don’t call the police yet if we can help it.”

“Alright,” Mac said with a nod.

“On it,” Spike said, grabbing the pen and journal, opening it and beginning to quickly write.

“Be careful, babe,” Scarlet said, kissing my cheek quickly.

Zecora did the same. “Save the hostages, if you can,” she said.

“I’ll do my best.” So saying, I grabbed the Eclipse Blade and one of the spare walkie talkies. Turning it on, I quickly but quietly rushed out of the room.

When I made my way down the stairs, I headed to one of the smaller barn doors. Quietly opening it, I put my black hood over me and walked out towards the car. As I approached, I could hear a trembling, but strangely familiar voice, calling out, “…let my brother go, please!”

“Shut up,” an unknown female voice said in a harsh whisper. “You said you could track that magic, now where is it?!”

“Please…don’t hurt Brandan,” the female voice said with a whimper.

“Just tell us where the magic is coming from, and we’ll let your puny brother go,” the same voice said again in the same tone.

As I approached, I got a good look at the situation. One hooded figure was standing next to the driver, holding something against their back. Another figure had their hands around a smaller figure’s neck, something pressed into their back. A third figure stood a few feet away from the others, looking around the farm quickly as if looking for something. From the smaller hostage, a trembling but familiar male voice called out, “Twyla…I’m scared.”

“It’ll be alright, Bran,” the voice, which was a perfect mirror for Twilight Sparkle, called out to the owner of the Spike soundalike in as much of a reassuring tone as she could muster, “It’ll be alright.”

I didn’t think I’d be meeting Twilight and Spike’s Earth counterparts so soon, I thought as I stealthily walked closer, hiding behind a large brush.

“Where is the magic?” the voice, belonging to the figure behind Brandan, said once more.

“Adagio, are you sure it’s coming from here?” another voice, a bit deeper than the first, asked. This belonged to the figure holding Twyla hostage.

“If this pathetic human is right, then yes,” the first voice, Adagio presumably, replied. I finally identified the voice as belonging to the figure holding Brandan hostage.

“I’m trying,” Twyla said, clearly on the verge of tears, “but I can’t detect anything anymore!”

“Then you’re not of any more use to us, are you?” Adagio said menacingly.

I acted quickly, focusing within myself and releasing a decent amount of my own magic, then began backing away towards the barn again. A small device in Twyla’s hand began beeping. “Wait! I have something!” she exclaimed with relief. “It’s coming from the barn!”

“Sonata, go check it out,” Adagio ordered.

“Why me?” a third voice whined. “You always pick me.”

“Just go,” Adagio hissed. “We don’t want to wake the humans on this farm, do we? They’ll call the damned cops, and you don’t want to deal with them. Again!”

“Fiiiine…but you owe me some Chipotle later,” Sonata grumbled, pulling out a gun of her own and walking over towards the barn.

“I don’t owe you shit,” Adagio snarled. “Just go!”

I brought my walkie talkie up and whispered, “Sitrep, the Sirens are here, they’ve kidnapped two humans and are holding one hostage while the other is tracking magic here. One of them is coming into the barn. Don’t do anything stupid, but if you can capture her without alerting the others, do so. Be careful, the one coming in is armed with a pistol. Text me if you capture her.”

I watched as Sonata headed into the barn. As she did so, the second voice, presumably the twintailed Aria, grumbled, “God, I hate this world. It’s the worst.”

“Really? I love it here,” Adagio said in a sarcastic voice.

“Fuck off, you cunt,” Aria growled. “Ever since that human got the jump on us, it’s gotten so much worse,” Aria snarled, reaching up to her neck. “Useless broken gems…”

“That was no human who attacked us, Aria, and you know it,” Adagio said. “She was from Equestria. And if there’s magic in this world, then there has to be a portal back there!”

I want to try and pull that gun away from Adagio, but I’m pretty sure Aria’s armed too, I thought. I need both of them to pull out their guns for me to see. My hand went to the hilt of my sword. Instantly, I felt the warmth and love flowing from Celestia, Luna, and both sides of the blade. They filled me with reassurance and stability which began banishing all doubts. I sent wave after wave of thanks back through the link. I very slowly drew the sword, and even in the very low light of night, it gleamed with a silvery golden glow, like a mixture of sunlight and moonlight. “Not yet, Eclipse,” I whispered, “and hopefully never.” The two sides of Eclipse broadcast hope directly into me. It was if the two sides of her were saying, We hope we won’t have to fight, either, but if we do, we are here for thee, friend.

Minutes passed, and the tension continued to grow. Adagio began appearing to grow impatient. I held my phone screen against my chest so that if I got a text, it wouldn’t give away my position. Finally, I got a text from Jackie: got her! along with a picture of an unhooded and shackled Sonata. In the light of the camera’s flash, I could see the young girl’s features more closely. She was Caucasian, with dark blue eyes. She had her long light brown hair tied up in a high ponytail, and was wearing a dark royal purple hoodie, blue jeans and a pair of white and light purple sneakers. I could see Mac aiming a shotgun at her, and there was a terrified expression in her eyes. I could almost see tears in those eyes as well. I pulled up the walkie talkie and whispered into it, “Don’t hurt her, but tell her that the Emperor of Aelyssia is here and demands that she bend the knee when this is over.”

“I knew Sonata was worthless, but this is ridiculous,” Adagio snarled as she pulled out a phone, tapping it quickly then putting it to her ear. After a few seconds, the Dazzling leader growled and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. “That little taco loving slut,” she hissed. “Where is she?!”

“What now, Adagio?” Aria asked. “We can’t just leave these humans here.”

“No we can’t,” Adagio said, grabbing Brandan hard and shoving him towards the barn. Only he was shoved so hard he fell into the gravel laced dust road. “That’s why we’re taking them with us. Someone knows we’re here. Come on!”

“They’re coming to the barn,” I whispered into the walkie talkie. “I’m coming back. Do not shoot at them! They’re using the hostages as shields.”

I quickly retraced my steps and entered the barn before the Sirens and their hostages could enter. Quietly, I made my way through the farm equipment towards the door, keeping close to the wall with my sword still drawn. As I approached the door, it was shoved open by Adagio, who stepped in with Brandan in front of her. “Alright, I know somebody’s in here,” she shouted, “and you have one of us, I’m sure! Come on out, or I put a hole in this pathetic human here!” So saying, she put the gun directly to Brandan’s head. It was an older model, I saw now, a Colt 45. I stayed silent, keeping an eye on the gun closely. Aria and Twyla came in behind the two, the latter still trembling with terror. Slowly, I began once more to release magic, forming a small ball of magic on the other side of the barn.

In response, Twyla’s machine began beeping and flashing. The flashing illuminated her face, and I saw that she had a nearly identical face to Twilight, only with large black rimmed glasses. “There’s magic again!”

“Where?” Adagio asked, turning back to Twyla.

With Adagio briefly distracted, and with both guns now clear in my sights, I grabbed the pistols in my magical grasp and pulled them out of their hands before they could think. Adagio and Aria both shouted in alarm as they lost their weapons, which were flung away into the darkness. “What the fuck?!” Aria shouted.

Moving slowly, I walked out, Eclipse now glowing brightly with a mixture of her magic and my own. I aimed the blade directly at them, while at the same time ensnaring them in my magic, lifting them up off the ground, holding them tightly enough to cause discomfort but not permanent damage. In the glow of the sword, I could see a startled look appear in the Siren’s human face. I glared directly into her eyes. “Never bring a gun to a magic fight, Adagio Dazzling.” I looked at both of them, then raised myself taller. “Surrender to me, now! Your Emperor commands it!”

“Owowow! Stop it! You’re crushing my boobs!” Aria shouted.

“I said surrender!” I shouted, walking up and pressing the blade close towards Adagio’s neck. “Do it, or I do worse to you than the Pony that attacked you!”

Adagio’s stunned expression turned to fury, but she nodded. “Fine, fine! You win! We surrender!”

“A wise choice,” I said as I slowly put them down. I loosened my grip on them, but didn’t completely let go. At the same time, Twyla rushed over to Brandan, hugging him tightly and sobbing in fear and relief. Bringing up my walkie talkie, I pressed the button and said, “I have them! Bring down the shackles!”

A door opened from above, and Mac rushed out, carrying the two extra shackles I’d brought from Equestria. A half minute later, the two were shackled. I released them from my magic grip, picked up the two pistols from the ground and, sheathing my sword, aimed the pistols at them. “Sirens from Equestria, huh? Never thought I’d see the day when I’d meet the three of you.”

“Where’s Sonata?!” Aria demanded.

“You will speak to your Emperor when spoken to, Aria Blaze!” I boomed with my best air of authority, using a slight portion of my Royal Canterlot Voice. This caused the two Sirens to flinch in fear, but I continued, lowering my voice. “Upstairs, now. Sonata Dusk is unharmed. Now…get moving!”

“What about these two?” Mac asked, looking down at Twyla and Brandon.

“Take them to the other room and have Spike, your sister and her friends look after them,” I said. “You, Zecora, Scarlet and I are gonna deal with these criminals.”

Ten minutes later, all three Sirens were sitting on three folded metal chairs in one of the empty rooms, their hoods removed. Adagio and Aria were both also Caucasian like Sonata, although Aria looked like she might have had some Asiatic ancestry in her. Adagio had long blonde curly hair tied back behind her with a scrunchie that had foam spikes in them, but her hair was so wavy and curly that it spread out and fell loosely behind her. She had light brown eyes and was wearing a light purple hoodie. Aria was a black haired and dark brown eyed twintailed girl with a green hoodie and two scrunchies with silver stars sewn into them.

I was seated in front of them on one of the same chairs. Mac was sitting to the side, guarding the pistols and keeping his rifle at the ready just in case. Scarlet and Zecora were both beside me, standing on either side of me. I had removed my hoodie, revealing my Aelyssian clothing. I’d put my crown on and had my sword lying across my lap, still in its sheath. The light above the room was now on and the shades drawn. Outside, the clouds had finally arrived and the wind had picked up, buffeting against the windows.

There was silence between all of us, until finally Adagio spoke up. “So, are you gonna say something or what?” she asked. “What are you gonna do to us?”

“You’re not gonna do anything dirty to us, are you?” Sonata asked in a genuinely scared voice.

“Do you really think that the Emperor of Aelyssia would stoop so low as to touch any of you inappropriately?” I asked.

“Aelyssia is dead,” Adagio said. “That empire died a long time ago. The line of emperors was broken.”

I quickly drew my sword. “And it has been restarted and remade,” I said. “Do you recognize this sword?”

The three Sirens gaped in stunned silence at the sword. It was Sonata who quietly whispered, “The Sword of Emperors…”

“Quiet!” Adagio hissed.

“But it is!” Sonata shouted back at her fellow Siren. “I remember what it looked like when it was just the Sunsword and Moonsword!”

“Shut up!” Adagio growled. “It can’t be Eclipse!”

I poured magic through the sword, and it flashed with its sunny and moonlit glow. Ancient Aelyssian runes, which read as ECLIPSE: SWORD OF EMPERORS on both side shone with a pure white light. Everyone in the room, even Mac, held up their hands to block the glow. Only I could still see in said glow. I lowered the brightness and sheathed the sword. “This is the Eclipse Blade, Sword of Emperors. I claimed the Sunsword in Virynth Atheos, and I claimed the Moonsword in combat after slaying the tyrant Dragon Lord Torch. Thus, I have ascended to the Crimson Throne of Aelyssia.”

Aria glared at me with pure hatred. “We aren’t going back to Aelyssia,” she said angrily. “We won’t be shackled in a marriage we don’t want! Especially not to the Emperor, if that’s who you really are!”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Now that’s an interesting thing to say,” I said. “Why would I force any of you into a marriage?”

Their anger quickly turned to confusion. They looked at each other, then slipped into a melodious language, which quickly came into my mind. “Does he really not know?” Sonata asked in the language of the Sirens.

“I thought for sure he was going to force us to wed him,” Aria said, sounding repulsed.

“Calm down, girls,” Adagio said, “we can tell him a little lie. He won’t know.”

“Unless he already speaks your language,” I replied, glaring at them. Switching back to English, I said, “Unless you don’t want me to toss you deep into Virynth Atheos’ dungeons for the rest of your miserable lives, you will tell me the truth, and you will DO IT NOW!”

When I stood and shouted at them with the full might of my Royal Canterlot Voice, they all flinched and pressed themselves as much against their chairs as they could. Sonata even whimpered. However, Zecora and Scarlet both put their hands on my shoulders, squeezing affectionately. I took a few deep breaths, then faced the Sirens. I bowed to them. “My apologies, that was uncalled for,” I said before I sat back down. “Now, I have no intention of forcing any of you to marry me, so tell me why you thought I would.”

Now more at their ease, Adagio took the lead and told the story. With some angry additions from the others, I discovered that not only were they alive during the last days of the Aelyssian Empire, but they were, in fact, all princesses.

Back then, about a hundred years before the Fae and Dragons went to war, the Siren’s microcontinent and a few surrounding islands were broken up into three small kingdoms, although they were more like dukedoms. Adagio, Aria and Sonata belonged to the royal families of each kingdom under imperial rule. They were close friends back then, but a few years before the Dragons went to war, Dormog wanted to establish deeper ties with the Sirens, so he and his advisors proposed forming a royal marriage between each Siren kingdom.

Obviously, none of those princesses wanted that, so they secretly fled their countries, heading west towards what then was known as the Unknown Lands. They stole royal artifacts that would give them more power, three of the seven Madrigal Gems. With them, they began to ensnare the unwilling Ponies they eventually came across. As they continued their story, it played out similarly to how it happened in canon. They were defeated by the Pillars of Equestria after about a hundred years of them tormenting small Pony villages, and were banished to Earth, appearing in the Americas over a thousand years ago.

Not only was I surprised to hear that they were princesses, but that they had fled their homes to escape a marriage they didn’t want. When they finished, Adagio stood and approached me, a clear fury in her voice. “I don’t care if you’re the Emperor or not. I will NOT marry you! And neither will they!”

Mac stood to stop them, but I stood as well and held out a hand to stop him. I was about the same height as Adagio. I looked deep into her eyes, and slowly brought my hand up to her shoulder. “That marriage pledge was not made by me or any of my own. I hereby dissolve that agreement. You are free from it. However, that doesn’t mean you are free from me. You have much to answer for.”

Adagio smirked. “We’ve spent a lot of our lives on Earth,” she said, “what are you going to do? Send us off to jail?”

I pointed to their necks. Each of them were wearing a plain golden chain with shattered remains of red gems. “You’re completely human, now,” I said, “and I highly doubt you’re as long lived as any Dragonkin anymore. Sure, I could send you to jail for kidnapping, threatening a minor, attempted murder, trespassing onto this farm, and you’d go away for a while. But as a human, you’ll now have a shorter lifespan than when you were all Sirens. You might die in jail, especially when they hear you assaulted a minor. Humans, even ones in jail, don’t take too kindly to child endangerment. The rumors will spread, and one day, when you least expect it, they’ll beat you to within an inch of your life. You’ve lived among humans, you know how we can be. We are the apex predator of this planet. You’re just three young adult girls. There are almost seven billion humans on Earth right now. Who’s gonna win?”

The more I spoke, the more Adagio’s angry look turned to one of fear. When I finished, she was trembling, Aria had a grim expression, and Sonata was whimpering. “Do we even have a choice?” Adagio asked with a final burst of defiance.

“Yes, of course you do,” I said. “You come with me back to Equestria either in a body bag, or in chains.”

Sonata couldn’t take it anymore. She jumped out of her chair and flung herself at my feet. “Mercy! Please have mercy!” she begged in the Siren language.

“Sonata! What are you doing?!” Adagio asked sharply.

“I don’t wanna die!” Sonata shouted, looking up at me with tear stained eyes. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Seeing her like this, I felt a bit guilty at how I’d scared them, especially her. I always felt like Sonata was a Siren I might be able to become friends with fast. She was a lot like Pinkie Pie in a way, at least, in the movie she was. I walked over and crouched in front of her. Holding out my hand, I said, “Stand up, Princess Sonata.”

Hesitantly, she reached out and took my hand. It was cool and trembling. I gave her a reassuring smile and brought out a handkerchief. I wiped her tears away. “I don’t want to be the cause of your deaths, either,” I said as I helped her to her feet. I gently led her back to the chair, sat her down, then turned back to Adagio. “And you’re right. I can’t try you here for crimes on Earth. What I can do, however, is take you back with me to Equestria and try you not only as the Emperor of Aelyssia, but as a Knight of the Kingdom of Equestria. Without your gems, you are unable to cause any more damage, and even if you could, those shackles you’re in are Aelyssian.”

Adagio looked at the shackles, then slowly back at me. Her defiance was long gone now, and there was a look of resignation in her eyes. “What are you planning on doing with us when you take us back?” she asked.

“I have a few ideas,” I said. “And now that I know you’re actually royalty, more ideas are brewing in my head.”

“I thought you said you weren’t gonna force us to marry you,” Aria said with suspicion.

“And I meant that,” I said, “but you still need to be punished for your actions against old Equestria.” I walked back to the chair and turned towards them. “But since you’re subjects of Aelyssia, your punishment will fall on me to dispense. You not only stole from Old Aelyssia, but you tormented Ponies, current allies of Aelyssia. As such, forthwith, you will be forced to work in the reconstruction of Virynth Atheos. I also will require your help when I travel to the old Siren lands to bring them back into the fold if they so desire. I will not strip you of your royal ranks, but for now, think of yourselves as under indentured servitude to me and the Empire until such time as I deem you worthy of release.”

Aria and Adagio didn’t look too happy about it, but Sonata gave me a small but grateful smile. “We hear and obey, my liege,” she said in halting Aelyssian. She turned to the others, and nudged them. “Hey! Come on and say it!”

Adiago looked at Aria, who had a frown on her face. They both turned to me, and at the same time, said, “We hear and obey, my liege.”

I stood. “Good. I’m glad that we could solve this like civilized beings.” I turned to Mac. “Mac, could you and Jackie get them some warm blankets and a few extra cots? I can’t take them back to Equestria until morning.”

“Eeyup,” he said, standing and walking out of the room.

“Cots? Really?” Adagio asked with a snark.

“I could just as easily have you sleep on hay with their horses,” I said.

“Dagi! Be nice!” Sonata said.

Adagio sighed. “Yeah yeah, sorry…”

“Cots are all we have right now,” I said by means of explanation. “My prisoners you may be at the moment, but I don’t mistreat those under my command or care. And you three are currently both. I must warn you, however, I have under my employ two Lycans and the former Fae Queen. I fully expect you to behave around her.”

Aria shot to her feet, eyes blazing with rage. “You have a FAE with you!? Those fucking cunts destroyed Aelyssia!”

“The Aelyssia you fled from,” I reminded her sternly, putting my hand on my sword handle warningly. “She is under my service for the moment. And as your Emperor, I’m ordering you to behave around her. In fact, just behave in general.”

“She’s better not get in my way,” Aria snarled. “I’ve got a few things to say to her!”

“I’m sure you do, but right now, no,” I said. “That is an order!”

“Fine…anything to get out of this world,” Aria said.

“Do tacos exist over there?” Sonata asked hopefully.

I looked down at her, then smiled. “I’m sure we can do something.” Sonata was quickly becoming my favorite of the Sirens.

Just then, Mac and Jackie came back with three cots and a few thick blankets and pillows. Mac put the cots down, opened them out and set them up. Jackie put the blankets down, setting up the cots. She glared with pure rage at the Sirens. “Yah don’t deserve these, yah fucking bitches,” she snarled. “Not after what yah did tah Twyla and Brandan.”

“Jackie, enough,” Mac said, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

Jackie quickly shook her brother’s arm off, storming off. Mac looked after her. “I’ll go after her,” he said, walking out.

“No, I’ll go after her,” I said. “You stay here and keep an eye on these Siren princesses.”

“You sure, Jethro?” he asked.

“I am.”

However, when I looked back at the Sirens, they were all looking at me with confusion. Adagio was the first to say anything. “Wait, your name’s Jethro? That’s a Bible name! You’re a human!”

“So what?” I asked.

“Humans don’t exist in Equestria!” she shouted. “And they can’t be the Dragon Emperor!”

“Well, technically, it didn’t say anywhere that whoever claimed Eclipse had to be a Dragon or Dragonkin,” Sonata said, sounding just a bit more intelligent than normal.

“Correct,” I said, holding up the blade for them to see. “You stand before Jethro Bethridge, human and Emperor of Aelyssia. But when you come through the portal tomorrow morning with me, you’ll see what I’ve become.” Looking back at Zecora, I said in Farasi, “Be careful. Chain them to the cots, but make them comfortable. I’m going to see the others.”

“Be well, dearest,” Zecora said with a warm smile.

Scarlet smiled. “I don’t know what you said, but we’ll be okay here,” she said reassuringly.

So saying, I threw my hoodie back on, walked to the neighboring room where the girls were surrounding and trying their best to comfort a blubbering Twyla and terrified Brandon. Now that I could see her, she definitely had the exact same look as Twilight, but she was wearing her hair back in a bun. The girls were talking to Twyla, while Spike was talking to his human counterpart.

When Twyla saw me come in, she quickly stood, rushed over to me, and threw her arms around me, clutching me tightly. “Thank you! Thank you for saving me and my brother!” she shouted into my hoodie, sobbing gratefully.

Surprised by this sudden display, I wrapped my arms around her gently. “Shhh…the Sirens won’t hurt you now,” I said reassuringly. “I’m taking them back where they belong.”

“Wait, you’re taking them back to Equestria?!” Spike asked.

“Yes, Spike,” I said. “They’re going back there with us.”

“Are yah sure that’s such a good idea?” Jackie asked, still looking steamed. “They did so much to Twyla and Brandan! They deserve tah die!”

“And who are you to say what they deserve, Jaquelyn Smith?” I asked, breaking the hug with Twyla and advancing on her. “Are you God that you can pass judgement on them?”

She got right in my face. “They kidnapped the two siblin’s there, made ‘em come all the way out here, and were gonna kill ‘em when they were done!”

“They will be punished appropriately, I promise,” I said.

“Jaquelyn, do calm down,” Trisha said, coming over and pulling Jackie away from me. “I know you’re upset, we all are, but we can’t afford to lose our heads.”

Jackie grit her teeth, growling angrily until she let loose a loud scream of frustration before she relaxed. “Yer right…ah’m sorry, Jethro.” She gave me an apologetic look.

“You’ve every right to be angry at what they did,” I said, “but this is a problem for Equestria, not Earth. They should never have been banished to this world. They are Sirens, and as such, they’re my subjects. Meaning I’ll deal with them. And they’re of more use to me alive currently, anyway.”

“Why?” Dash asked.

“That’s a long story for another time,” I said. “You feeling better, Jackie?”

“Yeah, ah’ve simmered down now,” Jackie said. “Ah just got so angry when Twyla told us what happened.”

“What exactly did happen?” I asked, turning to Twyla and Brandan.

Twyla shrank back, her bottom lip trembling. “I…I don’t want to talk about it,” she said.

“We can tell you what happened,” Shye said.

“Please do,” I said, “I’m gonna need all the information I can get before passing my own judgement on them.”

And so they told me what happened. Twyla was actually a student at Jasper Preparatory College, Camelot Community College’s long term rival. She lived at home with her parents, older blood sibling and younger adopted sibling Brandan. About a month ago, right around the time I went back to Equestria from Earth the first time, Twyla’s parents found three seriously weakened and wounded girls on the ground. They were about to take the three girls to the hospital, but one of them begged the older couple not to. Instead, Twyla’s parents took them to their home and helped them get back to health, letting them stay in the fully furnished pool house on their property.

During that time, they discovered a room in the main house where Twyla had gotten permission from her parents to set up a small lab. This was where the story got a bit strange. Somehow, the Sirens discovered that she had been researching some unusual electromagnetic readings coming from somewhere in the city and had been trying hard to find it. They slowly began to befriend her and talked with her about these EM readings. Twyla, being a bit naïve, had told them about it, although the details were fuzzy. Dash admitted that a lot of the science stuff Twyla was spouting went way over her head.

Then, earlier that night, the Sirens woke Twyla and dragged her at gunpoint to her car. This woke Brandan who confronted the Sirens instead of calling the cops. This was what led to him being included in the kidnapping scheme. They forced her to follow the trail of strange energy her device was detecting until it led them to the Smith farm.

“And the rest, you know,” Trisha said with finality.

I nodded, then walked over to Twyla. She flinched a bit when I put my hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “Do you know your parents’ number? Or your older brothers?” I asked.

“Y-Yes,” they said, “but they’re out of town right now. All three of them. They won’t be back until two days from now.”

“She can stay in mah bed,” Jackie said. “Her and her brother. They deserve it after all they’ve been through.”

“That’s really nice of you, Jackie,” I said. “But she might be stuck here with the snowstorm coming down,” I said, pulling aside the curtains to show the land outside already covered in a thin coating of white.

“It’s alright,” Twyla said, her voice sounding a bit shaky, “I don’t want to impose. I put my spiked tires on already.”

“Nonsense, yer not imposin’!” Jackie said.

“Besides, I’m pretty sure you’ve got plenty of questions for all of us about what just happened, right?” I asked.

That brought her spirits back up and she nodded. “Yes! So many!”

“They’ll have to wait until tomorrow, I’m afraid,” I said. “It’s late, and you and your brother should get some sleep. If you’re able to go home tomorrow, you’ll need all your wits about you. Driving in snow is never fun.”

“Tell me about it,” Twyla said. “Well…thank you for saving me again,” she said with a grateful smile.

“Not a problem,” I replied. “You sleep well, okay?”

As Jackie and Spike led Twyla and Brandan out of the room back towards the farmhouse, I turned to the others. Trisha was the first to speak. “So…what do we do about them? They saw magic and what you did. And we can’t exactly explain Spike’s appearance to them away. He and Brandan look like twins!”

I nodded slowly. “Tomorrow’s breakfast is going to be very, very interesting…”

129: A Cloaked Heart Returns The Sirens

Author's Note

I started a new story, a sequel to a story another author wrote, which itself was a sequel to ANOTHER story. Give that a read if you're interested.

129: A Cloaked Heart Returns The Sirens

I woke early that morning around three o’clock or so. It was still dark outside, and I could hear the soft breathing of the girls around me. The wind outside was still howling at the windows, but the space heater in the corner was keeping the room warm enough.

As I lay there quietly, breathing in and out as if I was still sleeping, I began to think about what the hell I was going to do with the Sirens when we got back to Equestria. Now that I knew they were actual royalty, I had an idea of how I could use their former station to try and talk to other Sirens, if they still existed. I still knew next to nothing about the other races, only ever having either met or seeing them on screen. I knew at some point I had to at least go and speak to Steven Magnet, if at least to find out if the purple Sea Serpent knew anything about his species’ origins.

Just as I was about to doze off, I heard a strange noise coming from one of the Siren’s beds. It sounded like soft sniffing. Laying still, I listened closer, only to hear a sharp intake of breath before a clear sob. Slowly, I turned myself over to face them to try and discover just who it was. Two of them were just lying there, sleeping silently enough, but the third had her blanket covering her head and in the dim light coming in from the windows I could see some trembling.

After a while, I quietly sat up, swung my legs over the bed, and faced her. Judging from the placement of the cot, the owner of the crying had to have been Sonata. I thought back to her actions the night before. While her fellow Sirens had been stubborn on the verge of hostile, Sonata had behaved differently. Subservient, almost terrified of me. A small part of me felt badly for her. Even so, when I stood and approached her, I did so cautiously, keenly aware that this could very well be some sort of trap.

When I reached her cot, I knelt. In a quiet whisper, I said, “Sonata?”

She jolted and pulled her blanket off, staring wide eyed at me. Even in the dark, I could see a single reflection of tears that had flowed down her cheek. “Y-Your Grace?” she said haltingly.

I held up my finger to my lips. “Shh…it’s still early. Best not to wake the others.”

A third presence was immediately by my side. Zecora, who had volunteered to take the last watch before dawn, had walked over and was kneeling beside us. “What is going on here?”

“Sonata? Seriously, is everything okay?” I asked.

Sonata slowly sat up, wiping tears from her eyes. She looked down. “I-It’s nothing, Your Grace,” she said.

I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “Sonata, ever since last night, you’ve been afraid of something,” I said. “You might be my prisoner along with the others, but that doesn’t mean I’m heartless. If you’re worried about me doing something horrible to you as punishment, I’d like to know.”

Sonata slowly wrapped up herself in her blanket, looking anywhere but at my face. I didn’t look away from her, instead reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched a bit, but nothing more. Zecora quietly spoke up. “My fiancé will not punish you too harshly. It’s not in his nature.”

Sonata slowly shook her head. “Th…that’s not it,” she said.

“Then what is it?” I asked.

Sonata finally looked at me. “As much as I think this world is the worst, I’m scared to go back.” She wrapped her blanket tighter around her. “There are…some things about Earth I like, but it’s still bad here. Bad for us…”

I quietly moved and sat next to Sonata on her right, and Zecora joined in on her left. “What has you terrified about going back to Equestria? It’s your home planet. If you hate it here so much, what’s wrong?”

She looked down at the floor for a bit, then said, “Do you know anything about Sirens?”

“Only from what I’ve heard in Earth myths and what I learned from Equestria Girls,” I said. “Sirens can sing so beautifully that they can ensnare anyone who hears it, specifically, males. They would lure sailors to rocky shores and to their deaths.”

Sonata turned and pointed at me. “There, see?” she said in a harsh whisper, “That’s not what we really do! I’ve never lured anyone to their deaths!”

“Okay, that’s fair,” I said in a quiet but calm tone, “but what does this have to do with being afraid to go back?”

She bit her lower lip. “We…when we left, our population was decreasing. Sirens…we’re…”

“What the taco loving slut is trying to say is that we’re a single sex species,” Adagio said suddenly, startling us since we’d all been whispering. She sat up and I could tell she was glaring over at us. I used my magic to flip the light switch, and the single bulbed fluorescent light turned on, illuminating the bleary eyed and pissed off Siren. “Sonata, the fuck are you doing up? It’s way too early?”

“I don’t wanna become a breeding cow!” Sonata, unable to hold herself back, shouted desperately.

“Breeding cow?!” I asked, eyes wide.

“Ugh…the hell’s going on?” Aria asked as she, too, sat up, her loose hair falling over her and making her look a lot like Sadako from The Ring. She pushed her hair back behind her ears. “Oh great, another Sonata breakdown…” This earned her a smack upside the head from Scarlet, who’d woken up as well. “Ow! The fuck is your problem!?”

“The fuck is YOUR problem!?” Scarlet shouted back, then without any hesitation she slapped Aria again. “You’re just ignoring your friend!”

“We’re not friends,” Adagio said in a low growl.

I put my hands on Sonata’s shoulders, ignoring the two angry Sirens. Turning her towards me, I said, “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

She shook her head. “If I do, you’ll make us into sex slaves,” she said miserably.

“Why is that the first reaction of every enemy I turn into a neutral ally?” I muttered. I grabbed her cheeks and made her face me. Her fear became shock as I continued, “As the Emperor of Aelyssia, I swear to you I will never, EVER, make you three become sex slaves. So I have spoken, so shall it be done. When we return to Equestria, I will have it put into writing that anyone who so much as touches you inappropriately will be severely punished.”

As I let her go, Sonata looked at me carefully, searching into my eyes. When I didn’t break eye contact, she visibly relaxed, and a tentative smile formed on her face. “Your Grace…thank you…”

“No matter what you might have done, I would never tolerate sexual slavery in my empire,” I said. “It’s beyond barbaric. But why would you assume I’d do that?”

“Because we’re probably the last Sirens alive,” Aria, who was still rubbing her cheek, said plainly.

I looked over at her. “What?”

“You really don’t know, do you?” Adagio asked, sounding surprised.

“The only things I know about you three are from My Little Pony,” I said, “and that’s a girl’s show. You honestly think they’d include something that dark in children’s entertainment?”

“Disney showed a shadow of Clayton being hung in Tarzan,” Sonata pointed out.

“Point taken,” I said, “but this is Hasbro, not Disney. Please tell me.”

Adagio sighed. “If it’ll get you all to shut up and go back to sleep, sure…” She inhaled and began to explain. “Like I said, Sirens are a single sex species. We’re only female and we have to have hatchlings with other Dragon species so we can propagate. Before Aelyssia, we would ensnare males with our music, have our way with them, then let them go. But when Aelyssia was created, we changed that. We couldn’t just ensnare a male and steal their seed anymore. Our birth rates began decreasing until there weren’t many of us left. There were only about, what, a thousand or so Sirens left when the three of us ran away?” She looked over at Aria for confirmation.

“I thought it was eight hundred,” Aria said.

“Well, whatever the number, there weren’t many left,” Adagio said. They’re probably all gone, now…” Adagio suddenly got a faraway look in her eyes, an almost mournful expression passing over her face before it was quickly replaced with rage. She turned back to me. “So there’s the story. We’re the last Sirens probably, so it’s no wonder Sonata’s pissing herself. So can we go back to sleep, now?”

Sonata then did something I did not expect. She turned and buried her face in my shoulder, her tears returning. Zecora reached over and rubbed her back gently while I put an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder gently. “Now I understand,” I said as kindly as I could, “but I meant what I said. I will not turn you into sexual slaves.”

Sonata put one of her hands on my shoulders, and I could feel her trembling. “Thank you…Your Grace…” she whispered.

“Jesus Christ…” Scarlet said in horror, “that’s just…fuck…”

“We don’t need your goddamn pity,” Aria said, grabbing her blanket, flinging herself onto the bed and covering herself with her blanket.

Adagio said nothing as she, too, lay down and covered her head to block out the light. Scarlet stood and walked over to us and put her own hand on Sonata’s back in her own effort to be reassuring. Slowly, Sonata’s tears began to cease until she slowly sat up. Her eyes were red and her face was wet with tears. I grabbed a handkerchief and handed it to her. She graciously accepted it and cleaned her face before she slowly let go of me. “I’m sorry, and thank you,” she said in a whisper.

“Don’t apologize, I completely understand,” I said as I stood and gently lay her in the bed. “Get some more rest. We’re going back to Equestria in a few hours, and you’ll need all your strength.”

She nodded and covered her head with her blanket. Zecora, Scarlet and I exchanged a silent look between us, a look that promised a private discussion about this at a later time. We all returned to our cots, I turned out the light, and closed my eyes again, forcing the contents of the conversation I’d just had out of my mind so I could get a few more hours of sleep. Soon, I had fallen back in another dreamless sleep.

Dear Twilight,

A lot has happened since last night. It’s a long story, so I’ll be brief here. Last night, the Sirens came to the farm as I thought they might, but they came armed and with hostages. The hostages were your human counterpart and Spike’s. We caught them by surprise and took them captive. We’re about to have breakfast before coming back home. Please ask the Princesses to have guards ready since I’ve no idea just what they’ll turn into when they pass through. Don’t come through the Stargate; Spike and I will be home sometime this morning.

Love, Jethro

Dear Jethro,

Thank Elysium you’re all okay! I’ve already contacted Princess Celestia and she’s sending Shining Armor along with at least three squads of guards to your house. I’m going to get the others when I’m done writing this. Please be safe. I love you.

Love, Twilight Sparkle

Morning rose slowly that cold December Sunday morning. The snowstorm had worsened during the night, leaving the world a thick blanket of white. The clouds were dark gray and full of the ever falling snow over the land. The air was bitter cold and visibility was very low. Jackie had let Twyla park her car in the spare place in the garage. Twyla and Brandan had slept together in Jackie’s bed, warm and secure. I had stayed in the same room as the Sirens, but with Zecora and Scarlet both with me. We were too far up for them to try and escape, and I asked Jackie to lock us in until morning. The other girls had slept downstairs in the farm living room for the remainder of the night. Spike had slept in the same room as Mac.

At around eight thirty, Jackie came, unlocked the door and told us that she’d spoken to her grandmother about what had happened, and she had invited the Sirens for breakfast before Spike, the Siren Princesses and I all went back to Equestria. She quickly told me that I really didn’t have a choice in the matter before I even had a chance to protest. So, I graciously accepted, woke the Sirens and brought them with me across the snow covered farmland into the house where I chained them to the chairs before they were served.

Pomeline had woken early to make a very large breakfast for all of us. The dining table, which looked bigger than it had before, had platters of many different breakfast foods spread all in the center of the table. There were breakfast sausages, thick strips of homemade bacon, scrambled eggs, an entire loaf of bread that had been toasted, some room temperature butter, and two large jugs of milk and orange juice. There were chairs set all around the table for everyone.

After the Smith matriarch led us all in a quick grace, the meal began. It wasn’t long before Twyla, who’s actual full name was, surprisingly enough, Twyla Sparkle, was directing question after question towards me, almost as if she hadn’t gone through some traumatic experience the night before. I had no idea that Sparkle was even a last name on Earth, but after a quick Google search on this earth’s internet, I found there were some Sparkles even so far back as the late 1800s.

As Twyla asked question after question, I began to guess it was a way for her to cope, especially with her captors in the room with her. I decided it was best to indulge her, answering her questions between bites of food. It was also a good way for me to distract myself from the revelations the Sirens had told me earlier that morning.

“You’re seriously telling me that the new My Little Pony TV show that’s airing right now is real, and that the three girls who kidnapped me and Brandan are some kind of fictional entities from Homer’s Odyssey?” Twyla said incredulously. “How?! Is Lauren Faust from Equestria?”

“I doubt it,” I said. “I don’t know what to think, really. Twilight and I have talked about it a lot, and we’re both at a loss.”

“We’re not from the goddamn Odyssey,” Adagio grumbled.

“No swearin’ at the table,” Pomeline said sharply to them. “Yer lucky yer even eatin’ at the same table with us! But, like it says in the good book, Jesus Himself ate with the tax collectors and sinners.”

I chuckled, then redirected my attention to Twyla “There’s a lot more to it than that,” I explained. “The Sirens here are a group of villains who show up in the Equestria Girls movie titled Rainbow Rocks. They try to take over a high school and make everyone in the world adore them.”

Twyla was busily taking notes on this, but Jackie, who was sitting next to her, put a hand on the notepad. “Not at the table, pardner,” she said. “It’s disrespectful.”

“Oh, yeah…sorry,” she said sheepishly as she put her small notepad back in her backpack.

“So how come can’t ah tell mah friends about Equestria, but you can tell her and her brother?” Marigold asked, pointing to Twyla and Brandan.

“Marigold Smith, that’s rude!” Jackie said.

“She has a point,” Pomeline said. Turning to her youngest granddaughter, she said, “Tell yah what, Mari, we’ll talk about it later, alright? But fer now, no tellin’.”

Marigold’s spirits rose. “Can ah go to Equestria?”

“Again, that’s a whole other discussion,” Pomeline said. “We’ll talk about it, okay sweetie?”

“Ah’m gonna meet the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Ah’m gonna meet the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Marigold shouted eagerly.

“You already reached that episode?” I asked the excitable young girl.

“Ehehe, ah watched up tah the Grand Galloping Gala,” she said sheepishly.

“I actually went to the Gala,” I said, “and so did Zecora.”

“Yah did?! Did it go as bad as it did in the episode?” Marigold asked.

“Nope, I made it the best night ever for them all,” I said. “Someday, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Yay!” Marigold said happily.

“As fascinating as this is,” Trisha said, dabbing daintily at her lips, “shouldn’t we focus on the elephants in the room?” With that, she pointed to the Sirens.

Sonata swallowed her breakfast burrito which she had made from the ingredients on the table and said, “Hey, we aren’t elephants! We’re sexy!”

“You idiot,” Adagio grumbled.

I inwardly smiled. Sonata looked a lot better than she had during her meltdown. “They’re coming home with me today after breakfast,” I said. “I’ve already sent a message back to Equestria, and they’re getting ready to receive us over there.”

“Not to sound rude, but are you sure they’ll be enough over there?” Dash asked. “I mean, they’re Ponies.”

“Hey! We can take care of ourselves plenty over there, thank you,” Scarlet said defiantly.

“Not at the table, you two,” Pomeline warned, causing both human and Pony turned human to flinch and go back to their meals.

“They’ll be fine,” I said. “Those chains I have them in now? They’re magical. They grow and shrink to match whoever wears them.”

“We’re right here,” Aria grumbled before taking a sip of her orange juice.

I turned to her. “And you’re also my prisoners-no, you’re Aelyssian prisoners.” I gave them my full attention now, letting some regal displeasure show through. “You might have had good reasons for fleeing the Empire, and I can’t blame you for wanting to prioritize your own happiness over a duty that would make you miserable. But Aelyssia and the Kingdom of Equestria are allies now. As such, you must answer for your crimes.”

“As long as we’re out of this fucking world,” Adagio said under her breath.

“Ah won’t tolerate foul language at mah table in front of the children!” Pomeline growled. Even the Sirens flinched at this and pressed themselves against their chairs.

No matter what world she’s in, Granny Smith is scary, I thought with an inner smirk. “Don’t think that just because I’m taking you back to Equestria that things are gonna be easy. Now that I know who you really are, my list of punishments for you has only increased. And no, that doesn’t include forced marriage to me,” I quickly added when Adagio moved to say something.

“What are you going to do?” Shye asked softly, “um, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“They’ll be taken back to Virynth Atheos,” I said. “Soon, I will be leading the scattered Dragons back to that city and under my rule, the city will be made livable once more. And since these three were alive during that time, they’ll be essential in helping.”

“Doesn’t sound like much of a punishment tah me,” Jackie said.

“I never said their helping me would be easy,” I said. “They’ll be getting their hands, or hooves, or claws or whatever they get when they go through, dirty.” I gave the three a smirk. “They have no magic. They’ll be working hard to rebuild everything with the rest.”

“You can’t do that to us!” Aria shouted angrily.

“Would you rather I do something worse to you?” I asked in a menacing manner, letting the unspoken threat hang in the air. “Because I will.” I put my hand on Eclipse, which was leaning against the table next to me.

Sonata swallowed quickly and shook her head fearfully. “No, that’s alright!” she said in a trembling voice. “You’re being very lenient with us, Your Grace.”

I slowly released my grip on Eclipse. “Yes I am,” I said, “it’s a weakness of mine that I need to work on. But for now, behave.” Looking at Sonata, I added, “Sorry about that, Sonata.”

“It’s alright,” she said, giving me a small smile.

I turned to the others. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to lose my cool back there.”

“Just don’t do it again, young’un,” Pomeline said sternly, sending a shiver down my back.

“Yes, ma’am!” I said, giving her a salute.

“Good boy,” Pomeline said.

Nothing like being lectured by another family’s matriarch to make you feel like a kid again, I thought to myself. “Well then, back to other business.”

“Um…so, can I ask some more questions, now?” Twyla asked.

I refocused my attention on her and smiled. “Sure, go ahead.”

“Great!” Her mood improved and she got a thoughtful look on her face. “So…can you show me some more magic, now? I’ve got to know more!”

I decided to stop her in her tracks right then and there. Holding up my hand, I said, “Twyla Sparkle, if you go down that path, it’ll end in nothing but tragedy. Now hear me out before you say anything else,” I quickly added when she got a startled look in her eyes. “I can appreciate you wanting to know more. A desire for knowledge is what drives humanity, and you’re a good example of that. But that desire can turn deadly. Just like it did in the third Equestria Girls movie where the cartoon version of you let magic consume her and turned her into a demon.”

Twyla gave me an incredulous look. “Okay…but didn’t you say that this other version of me was a teenager? I’m twenty, not a teenager.”

“And I’m almost thirty one, but I still have let my emotions get the best of me and they turned me into a monster once,” I retorted. “Listen, this is actually a conversation for another time. And in private.”

“Oh, yeah…sure,” she said apologetically. “But still, I’d love to see some magic!”

I smirked. “I bet you would. Okay, but just this once. And I won’t be using my own.” I brought out the journal and opened it. “This is a journal that we use to keep in touch with people across the dimensions,” I explained. “There’s another identical one just like it back in Equestria. Watch this.” I picked up a pen and wrote a brief message: Hey Twilight, your Earth counterpart, whose name is Twyla Sparkle, has been practically begging me to show her some magic. Could you write something to her for me? With that, I slipped it over to her. “Now, just wait and watch.”

Twyla took the journal and watched it curiously. After a few seconds, I saw the book glowing a bit. Twyla’s eyes went wide as saucers. “I…but…whu…HOW?!”

“You two are definitely alike,” I said. “That sounds exactly like her whenever something weird happens that she doesn’t understand. What did she say?”

Twyla silently handed me back the journal. I read the following: Hi, Twyla! It’s nice to meet you, sort of. I’m sorry what happened to you, and I’m glad you’re okay. Maybe the two of us can meet sometime and exchange theories? Your hopeful friend, Twilight Sparkle.

I chuckled. “If you think that was impressive, just wait until you see how we go through the portal back to Equestria.”

That was when the poor girl fainted.

“I’m alright, really,” Twyla was saying a little while later as she lay on one of the couches in front of the fireplace. Breakfast was over, and everyone was in the living room checking on Twyla. Her younger brother was there beside her, comforting her. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I just need to sit quietly for a moment.”

Zecora had brought out a small brew of Equestrian herbs that she’d used with me a few times to help Twyla come out of her unconsciousness. It worked extremely fast and Twyla said she’d never felt more clear headed before in her life. “You should be fine in a minute or three, at least, as far as I can see,” she said.

“Thanks, Zecora,” I said, putting my arm around her.

“Not a problem, dearest,” she said, leaning her head on my shoulder, “but I believe it’s time for us to head back home, isn’t it?”

“Let’s just make sure Twyla’s okay first, then we can go,” I said.

“Really, I’m okay,” Twyla said reassuringly.

“Are you absolutely sure?” I asked. “I can stay here a little while longer.”

“We can handle this, sugarcube,” Jackie said, putting a hand on my shoulder reassuringly. “With them gone, ah’m sure she’ll calm down more.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s true,” I said. “Thanks, Jackie. I owe you one.”

“Yah don’t ow us nothin’,” she said, flicking my ear playfully. “Now…git!” She shoved me towards the kitchen with a chuckle.

“But I have so many questions,” Twyla groaned sadly.

“When things calm down over in Equestria, you’ll get them answered, I promise,” I said.

“You sure?” Twyla asked.

“Yes,” I said. “For now, though, I need to get these Sirens back to Equestria.”

Adagio and Aria were standing near the edge of the living room, with Sonata standing a few feet away from them. I walked over to Sonata first. “You ready to go?” I asked.

“More than I was last night,” she said. “Again, I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s fine, Sonata,” I said. “I just hope you’re ready to work really hard and with whatever appendages you end up with.”

“I am,” she said, standing up straighter.

“Ugh, let’s just get this over with,” Aria said.

“Spike! Get your coat! We’re heading back to Equestria,” I called out.

“Coming, Dad!” he shouted, running over to the front door.

I watched him go in complete surprise. Did he just…call me Dad? I thought. When he came back, wearing the coat he’d come through the portal with, I looked at him. “What did you call me?”

“Um…Jethro,” he said, tilting his head curiously at me.

“No, you said Dad,” Scarlet said, a knowing grin on her face.

“No I didn’t,” he said.

“Yes, you did,” I said, kneeling to face him eye to eye. “Any reason why?”

I saw his face go red, and he looked away. “I…I don’t remember saying Dad,” he said, “Honest I don’t!”

“But…?” I persisted.

Spike looked at me with his human eyes. We held each other’s gaze for a while before he sighed. “Remember when I said I thought of you like an older brother back in Aelyssia?”

“I do,” I said.

“Well…I think you’re more like my dad than anything else,” he admitted. “I’ve never had a dad, but you’re more like my dad than whoever was my real one. He was a real jerk, whoever he was.”

Quickly, I pulled him into a hug. “Don’t say that about him, not unless you know what really happened,” I said.

He hugged me back, and I lifted him up in my arms. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve always wanted a dad…”

“Well, if you want me to be like a dad to you, I’ll gladly be one,” I said reassuringly.

His grip on me tightened. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Brandan, who’d been watching this exchange, walked over to us. He looked up at me. “I…I don’t know if it helps, but my birth parents gave me up because they couldn’t afford to raise me and they wanted me to live in a nicer home than what they could provide. Maybe the same thing happened for yours, Spike.”

Spike didn’t say anything, but instead nodded. I looked down at Brandan. “Thanks, kiddo. I think that helped.” Turning to the rest, I said, “For the moment, this is goodbye.”

“Oh silly, don’t say goodbye! That’s too sad,” Diane said, walking over and giving me a comforting side hug. “Just say, until next time.”

I smirked. Pinkie or Diane, either one could make me smile. “You’ve got a point. Okay, until next time then.”

“Please do come back soon,” Trisha said.

“You’d better let us come through sometime!” Dash said, “I wanna learn how to fly!”

“Stay safe,” Shye said with a tender wave.

“We’ll see y’all later,” Jackie said.

After the others said their own farewells, I walked towards the door, put Spike down and grabbed all my stuff. Zecora and Scarlet led the Sirens out the door behind me and out into the biting cold wind.

By now, the snow was at least five or six inches deep, and the snow was coming down heavier now. I pulled Spike closer to me, protecting him almost instinctively from the wind as best I could. The wind had died down slightly, but the heavier snow left visibility lower. We all trudged through the winter wonderland until we reached the snow covered statue. When we reached it, I looked down at Spike. “You ready, kiddo?”

He looked up at me. “You bet, Dad.”

Just hearing him call me that made my heart swell with pride. Sure, he wasn’t biologically mine, but just the fact that he looked up to me like a dad was enough for my desire for children of my own to effectively double. I turned back to the Sirens. Walking over, I grabbed the shackles around Adagio’s wrists. Bringing out the key, I began to undo it. Before she could say anything, I said, “Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want you permanently injured. These go right back on the moment we’re through.”

She just rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah…”

After I had Zecora and Scarlet undo the shackles from the other two, I handed them to Spike. “Be ready to give them back to me, got it son?”

“You bet!” And with that, he ran towards the statue, vanishing through it with a warping of the stone.

Sonata’s eyes went wide. “Whoa!”

“Let’s just go…” Aria said.

“Your wish is my command,” I said. “Ladies? Follow me.” With that, I grabbed Adagio by the wrist and pulled her towards the statue, passing through it…

Rainbows, the screams of my companion beside me who was warping and twisting in the endless rainbow abyss beyond me, and the feeling of being squeezed through a tube like so much toothpaste overwhelmed me…

…And I fell out of the Stargate, just barely getting my footing so that I didn’t crush my laptop by falling on it. My arm was still around an arm, and I knew something was definitely wrong. Even more so when I heard fabric ripping and a terrified scream coming from the Siren I was holding.

I turned around…and gaped at what I saw.

Adagio was still in a nearly human form, as were the newly arrived Sonata and Aria. But behind their backs, I saw a pair of wings.

The same type of wings that the cartoon counterparts gained during the final concert in Rainbow Rocks. And that wasn’t all. Their human ears had been replaced with equine ears.

Everyone in the room, which included a large number of guards led by Shining Armor, the Elements of Harmony, Spike, Zecora and Scarlet, all just stared at the Sirens. They all looked back at their new wings and ears in horror. Then they all fainted, falling to the wooden floor with a heavy thud.

I looked back at everyone there, then back at the Sirens. None of us spoke for a while. Finally, it was surprising to hear Rarity of all Ponies say the following:

“Well…fuck…”

130: A Cloaked Heart Welcomes Life

Author's Note

Sorry this is out later than normal. Hope you enjoy.

130: A Cloaked Heart Welcomes Life

“Dad, you’re gonna wear a hole in the floor with all that pacing,” Spike told me a few hours later.

I sighed, then walked over and took a seat next to him. We were in Canterlot Palace’s medical wing, more specifically in a waiting room near the small hospital proper. The others were there with me as well, which included the Mane Six, Sunset, Scarlet, Zecora, and Ember. As this concerned her as the future second in command, I had to tell her about the Sirens, and since I trusted her a bit more, I revealed just where these lost Princesses had been for the past thousand years.

To say she’d been startled had been an understatement. She’d been completely blind sighted that a portal to another world existed now in my literal backyard. However, I insisted that we focus more on the Sirens themselves and why the Stargate had spat them back out in the strange winged humanoid forms. Ember had told me then about an old story about the Sirens, how her mother had sung songs about them as being a race that had passed beyond the veil to meet the old gods of their race. That, and Tales of the Three Lost Princesses, which involved the Dazzlings personally. Both stories did indeed depict the Siren race as being the fairest of all the Dragonkin.

“Sorry, Spike,” I said, “it’s just bugging me. They should have changed into something completely different. So what happened?”

Twilight, who was sitting nearby, was reading the book about the Stargate with more concentration than I’d ever seen in her before. Despite that, she quickly looked up at me. “I’ll find out, Jethro. I promise!”

Sunset, who was sitting next to Twilight, was also looking over the book. She looked up and me and nodded. “I have a feeling we’re almost there,” she added reassuringly.

“Take a few deep breaths there,” Applejack said. “It won’t do yah any good tah git yerself all riled up.”

I exhaled slowly and nodded. “I know, I know…but can you blame me? They’re in the hospital and if they were human, I’d have said they had lost a lot of blood.”

“You looked like that when you first got your wings,” Rarity said somberly.

“You think it’s the same thing?” Fluttershy asked, giving a sideways glance to Ember.

Ember raised an eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me?”

Taking a guess as to what Fluttershy might be getting at, I said, “When Dragons molt and get their wings, what exactly happens afterwards?”

Ember frowned, then a look of realization came into her eyes. “Well…after a normal Dragon molts, they sleep for at least a day,” Ember explained. “I don’t know how Sirens work, though.”

“That’s probably the reason for their fainting,” Rainbow Dash said, “but those pictures you showed us earlier look nothing like them,” she added, looking over at me.

I nodded. “I probably should have suspected something was wrong when the other humans came through the second time looking like a mixture of human and Pony.”

“Don’t blame yourself for that,” Zecora said, putting one hoof on my back reassuringly, “you were recovering from Eris’ actions.”

“And you had other stuff on your mind,” Rainbow added in an unusual example of sympathy from her.

I shook my head and smiled. “You guys are all the best, you know that?”

“Of course, we’re awesome!” Rainbow said with a smirk, jumping out of her chair and hovering around the room.

With that, my mood improved a bit, but the worry was still there. I turned back to Ember. “Ember, do you know if there are any other Sirens still around? Is there a story or something involving them? I don’t wanna have them wake up only to learn they’re the last of their race.”

Ember concentrated, scratching the back of her head thoughtfully. Finally, she shook her head. “All I know is Tales of the Three Lost Princesses. The one I told you about earlier. That, and Last Song of the Singing Dragons.”

I pursed my lips and looked at the closed double doors where the Sirens were being looked at by the best physicians that Equestria had to offer. I couldn’t hear anything thanks to the soundproof doors and room beyond. I was just grateful that when I’d told the Princesses about what had happened, they’d immediately had the Sirens taken to Canterlot to be examined by the same doctors who’d looked after me after the incident with Eris. “Damn it…they told me that when they left, their race was dying off. If they really are the last ones, Sonata’s gonna have a major freak out. She was so convinced I was going to force the three of them into a marriage with me.”

“Whatever would give her that horrid impression??” Rarity asked, aghast.

“Dormog had proposed a political marriage with the three of them before the Fall of Aelyssia,” I explained. “It’s the reason they left their kingdoms, to get away from all of that.”

“That’s awful,” Fluttershy said, sounding equally as horrified as Rarity albeit with a quieter tone.

“That’s how things worked during the last days of the Empire,” Ember said dismissively. “Political marriages between high lords and ladies to help strengthen houses and merge properties between them was kind of the norm. That’s not gonna be the norm again, is it?” Ember asked.

“Hell no!” I said, “although that does answer a question I had about Aelyssia’s stance on political marriage back in the day…”

“What do you mean?” Scarlet asked.

“Oh, it came up in conversation with someone a while back,” I said. “Honestly, political marriages just seem destined to fail. Well, most of the time.”

“Why most of the time?” Spike asked. “What is a political marriage, anyway?”

“Hmm, how to best explain it…?” I said thoughtfully. “Well, let me give you an example. Remember how during one of our movie nights I showed you all Sleeping Beauty? Well, that’s an idealized version of one. See, King Hubert and King Stephan both had kingdoms which they wanted to unite and to do that, they betrothed the children so they could rule the combined kingdom together. Back in earlier centuries back on Earth it was common for arranged marriages to exist. Like Ember was saying, it was a common practice to help strengthen ties between houses or even kingdoms.”

“It might look romantic enough on paper,” Sunset said, “but it’s a terrible practice in person.”

“That’s why I said most of the time,” I said. “I don’t know much about the history of Europe back in those days, and even less about the history of Aelyssia, but since the latter lasted for so long, there had to have been a few successful marriages like that.”

“None that I know of,” Ember said, “but then again, I’m no history expert myself.”

Just then, a Unicorn doctor came out of the room. I recognized him as one of the ones who’d looked after me only less than a month ago. Sterling Silver was his name, and he had a stethoscope for a cutie mark. He was silver with a dark gray mane and tail and had dark green eyes and was wearing a doctor’s coat fashioned to fit his form. Upon seeing me, he walked over. I stood and faced him, anxiously waiting to hear the news. When he was standing before me, he said, “We’ve done what we can, but we don’t know their anatomy any more than we did yours.”

“I’m sure you did your best,” I said, “but are they gonna be okay?”

“From what we could determine, they’re just suffering from insufficient amounts of blood,” Dr. Silver said. “Their new wings look pretty weak, and they barely have any magic inside them. We don’t want to risk fresh blood infusions since we don’t know if it’ll do damage. All we can really do is watch them and wait for them to wake up.”

“Can I at least see them for a little bit?” I asked. “They’re Sirens, and since they were once Princesses of one of the Aelyssian Dukedoms, I’d like to make sure they’re okay.”

Dr. Silver sighed. “Fine, but only you. I’d normally say no since they need rest, but as long as you’re quiet, you can see them. But five minutes.”

I frowned. Five minutes wasn’t much time, but I knew better than to question a medical professional. I nodded. “That’s fine. Thanks, doctor.”

“I wouldn’t be doing it if you weren’t their ruler,” he said as he turned and led me through the doors.

“I appreciate it,” I said as the doors closed behind us. I followed the doctor down a short well lit corridor with rooms on either side. However, he took me to a larger set of doors on the other side of the hall and opened them, leading me into a large room with three pristine looking white beds, a window overlooking the city, lamps on the walls which illuminate what the sunlight didn’t, endtables next to each bed, and a table on the opposite side of the three beds filled with medical instruments, some which I recognized and others which I didn’t. There was a Pony nurse sitting nearby, watching them carefully.

“It’s alright, nurse,” the doctor said when she stood upon seeing me enter, “he’s with me. We won’t be here long.”

She nodded silently than sat back on the couch near the window, watching us. I then turned to the Sirens, taking out my phone and turned on the flashlight, illuminating them with its own light. Starting with Sonata, I went down the line, looking at Adagio and Aria in turn after her. When I put away my phone and reached out to touch them to check their body temperature, Dr. Silver stepped in. “They’re cold to the touch.”

“To you, maybe,” I said, “but Ponies have higher body temperature than humans, and for all intents and purposes, they’re human.”

Dr. Silver nodded. “True. Just be gentle. We stabilized them as best we could, but without proper reference, I don’t know if they’re sick or just unconscious.”

I nodded in understanding then went back to Sonata. I placed my palm on her forehead. She was cool to the touch, and when I checked her pulse, it was there, but it felt faint. Her wings were spread out slightly beside her, covered by a blanket. I reached down and pulled a portion of a blanket away to get a better look. Sonata’s wings were a bright shade of purple and unlike my wings or even the wings of a normal Dragon, hers were thinner and somewhat see-through. They were about the same size as mine were, but they looked too thin for flight. They looked more like wing shaped fins than anything. Then again, I’d been proven wrong by Pegasus wings, which somehow allowed them to fly despite their size being physically impossible to lift their weight normally.

I covered Sonata’s wings again, then looked quickly at the others. Adagio’s wings were a bright yellow, a bit lighter, while Aria’s were a light green. With my time almost up, I quickly felt for a pulse on the remaining two and found them to be there, but almost as weak as Sonata’s. I stood and turned to the doctor. “How long do you think they’ll be unconscious?” I asked.

“I don’t know for sure,” he said. “I read the reports from Ponyville Hospital when you first got your wings, but I don’t know if it’s the same with these three. Your wings are different. And their ears aren’t like yours, either.”

“They’re more like Pony ears, yes I noticed,” I said, looking back at them. “Okay, I’ve seen enough. Thanks, doctor.”

As we left, Dr. Sterling looked up at me. “Look, sir, I’ll be honest. Those three are far out of my league. I’m a Pony doctor, dammit, not a human one.”

“They’re not humans,” I quickly corrected.

“Well, whatever they are, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admitted. “It was touch and go with them. All we can do is make them comfortable and watch them.”

“I understand that,” I said.

“Last time, we had to bring in veterinarians to look at you,” he admitted.

I stopped in the hallway just a few steps shy of the door. He stopped, too, and turned to me, a bit of worry in his eyes, as if he felt like I would be angry. However, I just said, “You’re a doctor. It’s in your nature to save lives. You did what you could with what you had. I can’t fault you for that.”

He looked a bit relieved by that. “Thank you,” he said gratefully. “Should I call in the same veterinarians we called in for you?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Right now, they are closer to human than Dragon. I doubt even the Aelyssian healers could do much to help more.” I turned back to the door. “Thanks once again, doc.”

“Just doing my job, sir,” he said as he turned and walked into the room with me.

As he walked towards another door that led to a larger corridor, the others in the waiting room with me looked at me expectantly. Even Twilight and Sunset both looked up with curiosity. “How are they?” Ember asked.

“Unconscious, but stable,” I said. “Then again, I’m not a doctor and I don’t know that anyone here could treat them any better since they’re human-like.”

“We’re still looking into that,” Twilight said, pointing to the book.

“I know you are, Twi,” I said gratefully, “and I appreciate it. But I’m more concerned about them. No matter what they did in the past, they don’t deserve death because of insufficient medical treatment.”

“Well, what can yah do about it?” Applejack asked.

I sighed. “Leave it in their capable hooves,” I said. “It’s not like we know anyone who knows human biology any better.”

“What about that Malcom?” Spike asked. “He helped you back on Earth when…” he trailed off as the memory came back to him. His face darkened and he finished, “when you were shot.”

That put a damper on the mood. Sunset’s ears flattened and she looked down at the floor, the other girls went silent. Spike clenched his fists and looked down, trying to contain his emotions and failing. Acting fast, I strode over and knelt in front of him. “Look at me, Spike,” I said. When he slowly lifted his green eyes to face me, I continued, “I know you still feel bad about what happened, but it’s not your fault.” I hugged him for a bit, then stood. “As for getting Malcom, that’s not really an option. He was just a medical student and he’s been out of practice. In the meantime, you all can go home.” I shrugged. “Honestly, I’m fine here. You all didn’t really need to come.”

“We wanted to,” Rarity said quickly.

“Ah ain’t got much tah do at home now that Apple Season is over,” Applejack said.

“I’ll be fine here, really,” I insisted. “You all don’t have to drop everything just to come help me with every problem I face. It’s appreciated and means a lot to me, but you have lives too.”

“Don’t be so silly,” Pinkie said, popping up suddenly behind me with a chocolate covered banana in her hooves, which she proceeded to lick. She sat on my lap and looked up at me. “You’re worth it, Jethy!”

“Do we need to say it every time?” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering nearby and crossing her forelegs as if they were arms.

“You say it so much, I’m hearing it in my sleep,” I said jokingly, “and since I don’t dream, that’s saying something. But alright, stay if you want. But I don’t know what we can do here, other than wait. I highly doubt Celestia will allow me to wander around without an escort of her guards.”

“Now why would you think that?” Celestia’s deep melodious voice asked from the entrance to the hospital.

Startled, I turned, seeing her and a couple of her guards standing in the doorway, looking at me with a bemused expression. I waved, unable to stand thanks to Pinkie having planted her butt on my lap. “Howdy there, Celestia,” I said, “and I just meant that since I’m a foreign monarch and the business that brings me to Canterlot has to do with that would mean I’m not a knight right now.”

“My dear Emperor,” Celestia said, walking over towards me with a kindly and quite attractive smile, “You’ve displayed to me that you can separate your Aelyssian duties and duties as my knight. But that’s not why I came here.” She held up a dirty looking scroll. “A message came for you from Aelyssia. The Dragon named Lahar brought it and another Dragon with him. An older female Dragon named Phlogiston.”

I took the scroll, broke the seal, and when I read what was on that scroll, my eyes widened. “Oh my God…”

“What is wrong, my dearest?” Zecora asked.

“That Dragon egg we found in Torch’s hoard? They brought it here.”

Celestia led me towards another section of the palace, the others following me without a word. Through the palace windows, I could see that the afternoon was cold and overcast, with some light sprinkling of rain falling down. The streets in the city were decorated with garlands, strings of lights, holly, mistletoe, and decorated pine trees. But I wasn’t noticing these things like I normally would have. I was more focused on how angry I was with Phlogiston for bringing a Dragon egg all the way here. “What was she thinking?!” I was muttering to myself.

Ember, who was actually running by my side as I stormed down the hallway, quickly said, “Hey, I know Phlogiston. She’s the one who helped hatch me. She’s one of, if not the very best Hatchery Healers we have. She takes her job very seriously. If she brought the egg here, then perhaps it’s for a good reason.”

“It had better be,” I said. “If she put that egg in danger for no reason, I will punish her.” I then went silent and sped up, leaving Ember behind me.

Celestia then slowed down, having apparently heard the conversation. She walked up beside me and put one wing on my back. “Do calm down, my knight,” she said softly. “Phlogiston seems like she knows what she’s doing.”

I grit my teeth. “There’s an episode of the show in the last season where I learned that Dragon eggs need to be very hot in order to hatch. It’s fucking winter, Celestia. If they flew here in the freezing weather, it might already be too late!”

“Right now, they are guests of Equestria, with all the protection that I can provide them,” Celestia said firmly, “I must ask that you curb your anger while they are here.”

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Yeah…you’re right. You’re right. You know how I feel about child abuse. I don’t want that happening in my Empire.”

“Neither do I want that for my little Ponies,” Celestia said. “Remember what I told you about Sunset? I was so sickened that I couldn’t eat cake for a week.”

“Wow…that serious, huh?” I asked without a shred of sarcasm. I knew of Celestia’s legendary love for cake, and this was only the second time I knew of where her comfort food provided little comfort. I glanced back at Sunset, who was deep in conversation with Twilight about something, then I turned back to Celestia. “What are your plans on how to punish Sunset for what she’s done?”

“Is this Sir Jethro, Emperor Jethro, or Jethro Edward Bethridge I’m talking to right now?” Celestia asked. “Either way, it wouldn’t matter. I am going to order her to go to Aelyssia and help in the reconstruction when you go back. Once she has completed that task, she will be free to return to Equestria.”

I nodded. “A fair punishment. I’m trying to think how all three of me should react to this. On the one hand, as Jethro, I feel like she’s suffered more than enough, but on the other hand, as your Knight, she should face Equestrian justice. But…as Aelyssian Emperor? I feel like her actions merit a harsher punishment.”

“What harsher punishment could I come up with than being under your thumb?” Celestia said in a teasing tone.

I rolled my eyes and smirked. “Trollestia…damn it, Sunbutt. Fine, fine. I’m planning on going back to the Dragon Lands after the first of the year anyway. I wanna at least be able to celebrate Christmas with my friends.”

She squeezed my back with her wing before releasing me. “You deserve it. You have a lot on your plate for the near future. Take the time to relax and take a break.”

“I totally plan on doing that,” I said. “I am planning on binge watching so many old Christmas movies. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, The Santa Clause, White Christmas, It’s A Wonderful Life, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, all those amazing movies.”

“I do hope you’re going to allow my sister and I to watch these movies,” Celestia asked hopefully.

“Well, do you have a place where I can project the screen here?” I asked as we walked up the stairs to the palace beside her.

She chuckled. “I can arrange something. I must admit, I’ve enjoyed the few films I’ve seen. I would very much like to see more. But for now, business trumps pleasure.” She stopped in front of the doors to the throne room. Two Unicorn guards bowed to Celestia, then saluted me before raising their heads and opening the doors with their magic.

Standing near the throne, I saw Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, Lahar and a creamy white Dragon female with curved curly horns, warm orange eyes, wings that looked old and tough. In her arms, I could see the egg I’d found in Torch’s hoard room. She was breathing a hot blue fire onto it every few seconds. When the doors opened and they saw us, I saw the two Dragons bend the knee towards me. Looking up at Celestia, she nodded down at me, then motioned me forward. Turning towards the Dragons, I stood taller, walking towards the two Dragons with speed and purpose. Once I was within earshot of them, I cleared my throat and said, “Rise, Lahar and Phlogiston.” They did so, facing me with stoic faces. I directed my attention to Phlogiston. “I assume you have a very good reason for bringing the Dragon egg here.”

“I do, Your Grace,” Phlogiston said. She might have been an old Dragon, but she still had a somehow younger sounding voice. But her eyes were full of age, wisdom, and most importantly compassion, which she directed at the egg in her arms. “The egg is fine, but it’s refusing to hatch for reasons I can’t explain. I’ve given it plenty of heat, doused it in a hot brew to help soothe the hatchling within, but he or she won’t come out. I brought the egg here hoping that you could speak to the Ponies about helping. I had heard that there was a Dragon living among them, and if he was born here, then perhaps there’s something here that they know that I don’t.”

I walked up and examined the egg. It was a pale white with pink swirling dots all over it, except for one spot where a pink crown image had formed. I could feel the heat radiating off of it from Phlogiston’s constant tending. Reaching out, I quickly touched it. It was hot, but not burningly so. “Well, that Dragon wasn’t hatched the traditional way,” I said. “Spike was hatched by magic as a test devised by Ponies. A practice I sincerely hope will be banned in the near future,” I added, turning back to Celestia with a slight glare.

“I’m working on it,” Celestia said honestly.

“Lemme guess: Chancellor Neighsay,” I growled.

Her ears flattened, as did those of Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor. Celestia sighed. “He’s very resistant to change,” she said.

“Don’t be diplomatic with me, Princess,” I said, “I’ve seen that racist fuck on the show. He was the biggest speciest I’ve seen in the show, and that’s saying something for a children’s show.”

She nodded solemnly. “I can only imagine…”

“But that’s a discussion for another time,” I said, turning back to the egg. “Magic might be able to help this egg hatch, but I don’t know how to do that. I wasn’t here when it happened. Twilight Sparkle, however, was. She’s the one who hatched Spike.”

Immediately, Twilight was by my side, looking carefully at the Dragon egg. She waved her hoof carefully over it and brought it back, wincing at the heat it emanated. “Um…how long can the egg remain at room temperature?” she asked finally.

“Not for very long without doing some permanent damage,” Phlogiston said. “If an egg is too cold, the hatchling could have developmental issues. They might not grow as fast as normal Dragons, they could become mentally retarded, worst-case scenario they end up stillborn.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “Oh no…how long can they be at room temperature?”

“Twenty to thirty minutes, at the most,” she said. “What are you thinking, little Pony?”

She turned to Spike. “When I hatched Spike, his egg was at room temperature. I can remember the feeling and the spell I used when I hatched him, but I didn’t want to risk doing it while the egg was still hot.”

“That’s an impressive accomplishment,” Phlogiston said, clearly impressed. “But it will take at least until tomorrow before dawn for the egg to fully cool to room temperature. And even then, it should be a warm room temperature.”

“Would you recommend that we try?” I asked. “If this Dragon isn’t gonna hatch by normal means, then would it be a good idea to use magic to hatch this egg?”

Phlogiston frowned. “I’m a nurse, Your Grace. Even if I am a Dragon with all the stereotypes attached to that name, I don’t want to do anything that could do potential harm to the hatchling. But…on the other claw, I just can’t see any other options. Honestly, I’m at a loss, here.”

I turned and looked at Ember, hoping that she might have an idea, but she looked more lost than I was. When I turned to Celestia, the alabaster Alicorn shook her head. “I can’t make this decision for you, Your Grace,” she said. “This is a Dragon affair.”

“Goddamn it,” I said, grumbling. “Damned if I do nothing, and possibly damned if I try this and it kills the hatchling.” I put my hands behind my back and began slowly pacing the room, my footsteps echoing throughout the massive chamber. I knew Twilight had hatched Spike before, but he was a Wyvern. It was possible his egg was somehow different than a normal Dragon egg. But was the risk worth it. Up until now, I had been somewhat sure of my choices ever since becoming Emperor. It had been the right call to promise them their old city. It had been the right call to ask for assistance from other nations. But now? The risks seemed so much higher than before. A child’s life hung in the balance, and I did not want to make the wrong choice.

I was surprised when Rainbow Dash came flying over to me before I could turn back towards them a third time. “Dude, calm down, you’re stressing me out,” she said.

“It’s a very hard choice,” I said. “I can’t just make a decision like that…a life is in the balance. If I make the wrong decisions, that Dragon dies.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes looked deep into mine. “I know, Jethro,” she said. “Believe me, I know. But don’t let it stop you. Do what you think is the right thing. Nopony will think less of you. What is it Scarlet says? You’re only human.”

I smiled, put a hand on her back and patted it. “I do tend to get caught up in decisions, don’t I?”

“It just means you care,” Celestia said.

I nodded, inhaled, then turned to Phlogiston. “Are you absolutely sure the egg doesn’t just need more time? You said at most two weeks.”

“There should have been changes even by now,” Phlogiston said. “I’m at a loss here.”

I swallowed, trying to bring moisture back into my suddenly dry throat. I exhaled, then stood taller. “Twilight, if you’re willing, I’d like to try hatching this egg with magic, but after it’s cooled down.”

“Like I said, it will take until at least before morning to cool down,” Phlogiston said, “and when that happens, there won’t be much time before it needs to be heated up again.”

“We’ve already prepared a warm room for you both,” Luna said. “Captain Armor can escort you there.”

“I appreciate that, Your Highnesses,” Phlogiston said.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Lahar added, bowing respectfully.

“Follow me, please,” Shining said politely to both Dragons as he headed to the door. As I watched them go, I let out a sigh. This was going to be a long night.

I spent most of the time waiting with the others. Since there wasn’t much we could do other than wait for either the Sirens to wake or the egg to cool to a warmer room temperature, Twilight, Sunset and I kept busy by reading over the mirror’s instruction manual. We couldn’t exactly find out what exactly made the thing tick, but then again, the book used words I couldn’t exactly comprehend. Words and phrases that Twilight and Sunset both seemed to understand implicitly. Not feeling like I was going to be of any help, I decided that I would go sleep until nighttime, then try my best to stay up until just before dawn the next morning. Celestia gave me a very familiar room where I could sleep, and I was joined by Zecora. Scarlet and Spike decided to go Hearth’s Warming shopping with the other Ponies before they headed back to the palace. Ember asked to stay the night there, and was given permission.

I woke at around nine that night, had a quick meal, and found that Sunset and Twilight were still looking over the book. When I asked to borrow the door to the Dragon library I’d given to Twilight, she pulled it from her saddlebag and hoofed it to me. I put it on a nearby wall. I entered with Zecora close to me. Zecora grabbed one book and I went to the history section, grabbed a tall stack and walked over to the fireplace, sat on the couch and began to read. And I finally got a more comprehensive story about Sol Invictus, or Helios, the father of Dormog.

What I learned matched up fairly well with what the two Phoenixes had told me. He and his mate, Luna Invicta, were instrumental in forging the Sunsword and Moonsword, placing much of their own magical power into both. They both knew that war was inevitable, and wanted to have a safeguard in place so that if either of them fell, there would be enough power to move the sun and moon. However, the two Phoenixes were a bit mistaken in that Torch wasn’t Helios’ second cousin, but more of a nephew, since after the two Dragon rulers handed the throne over to the last Dragon Emperor Dormog and gave him the knowledge to move the heavens, the downfall of the Empire was all but inevitable. Dormog was recorded as being not only the last Emperor before me, but was one of insatiable appetites. He craved food, females, and gold among other things. I did find mention of the proposed marriage between the Siren princesses as Dormog, but it was only in passing.

There were other histories I read as well. Stories about a bloody civil war that took place three thousand years after the Empire was formed. The Dragon Lord Houses, under the command of a Dragon named Agnus, rebelled against the House of the Emperor since he felt that as they shared blood with their ancient ancestor Ignu that they should have claims to the throne as well. In short, it was a power struggle that involved many smaller houses belonging to the overarching Dragon Lord’s house versus the main house and offshoot houses of the Dragon Emperor with the hopeful prize being the Crimson Throne. It involved more political movements and battles than I could possibly ever remember despite my ever increasingly good memory, but in the end, the Imperial House won and executed many different traitors, including Agnus. In the end, to appease the Dragon Lord Houses, the Emperor at the time, a young Dragon named Aed, promised to marry a young Dragon lady of the Dragon Lord house, but one far away from the main Dragon Lord House branch family.

I read much more about the history of the empire as recorded by multiple Imperial historians as well as from independent authors from the five Dragon races. Most of it was painfully boring, but I forced myself to read it and comprehend all of the wars, politics, land grabs, treaties and more. Something that caught my attention was a brief mention of a northern land which one Dragon Emperor had some contact with. Nothing much was said. In fact, it was just a footnote in one book. There wasn’t even a name for this land. I decided that it would be a good idea to look into it later.

I wasn’t sure how it happened, but when I looked at the clock for the first time since sitting down and opening my first book, it was nearly six o’clock the next morning. Zecora was reading one book and busily taking notes. I laughed. “Found something you like, dear?”

She looked up. “Ah, yes I did. A recipe book that apparently came from ancient Zebrica.”

“Wow…I didn’t realize they had that, too,” I said. “Maybe we can try cooking some together sometime. But it’s almost time. Let’s go check on the egg, shall we?”

When I left, I grabbed the door and folded the wood turned fabric in my arms. The bench where the two Unicorns had been sitting was now empty, so I assumed that they’d gone to bed. I’d been told where the two Dragons were staying and Zecora and I made our way there. Ironically enough, they’d been taken to Twilight’s old room. Which was where I found not only the two Dragons but all the other Ponies and Spike, all lying on small Pony sized beds all around the main level. The three Dragons, Lahar, Ember and Phlogiston, were all sitting in large chairs. Lahar and Ember had their eyes closed and were both breathing evenly.

Phlogiston was the only one awake, but it was clear she was fighting sleep. When she heard us enter, she stood and bowed. “Your Grace, I was told you’d be here before the morning sun rose,” she whispered.

“Raise your head, Phlogiston,” I whispered back.

She did so and looked down at a large bundle in front of the large window. I approached and reached out my hand to touch it. The egg was still surprisingly warm, but not as much as it had been before. “It’s nearly at room temperature, Your Grace,” she said. “It just needs about another half hour.”

“May I hold it for a bit?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said.

I reached down, lifted the warm egg into my arms, and cradled it lovingly. I smiled down at it, wondering just what the Dragon that hatched would look like. “Hey there, little cutie,” I whispered in a soft tone as I took a seat in a nearby empty chair, “you’re giving us quite a scare, you know. You be a good little hatchling and come out, okay?”

“That’s about as lame as someone going coochie coochie coo,” Ember’s voice said from her chair as she slowly sat up and pulled the blanket off of her.

“Oh, if only you knew,” I said with a small smile as I rocked the egg back and forth in my arms. “Phlogiston, can you tell if the hatchling is gonna be a boy or girl?”

“Not precisely,” the older Dragon said. “I’m about…more than half sure it’s a female based off of the color and shape of the egg itself, but I’ve seen males come from eggs like this.”

“I’ve got to learn more about Dragon biology,” I admitted.

“There are many healers who can teach you, Your Grace,” Phlogiston said.

“When I lead you all back to Virynth Atheos, I’ll ask a few to help teach me,” I said. “Thanks for the suggestion.”

“Not at all,” she said with a warm motherly smile.

I looked back down at the egg. In that moment, I felt a warmth wash through me. I felt, not for the first time, like a father holding his child in his arms. I’d felt this warmth before whenever I had some of my recent interactions with Spike, but holding this egg in my arms, it made me feel like I was holding a newborn baby. I smiled wider. “Come on out, little prince or princess. The world is waiting to say hello,” I said invitingly. “You have so many new friends to meet.”

“Dragons don’t do…oh never mind,” Ember said, dismissing her thoughts.

I chuckled and stroked the egg gently. A familiar feeling came over me, one I hadn’t felt since the dance I had with Pinkie at the Gala. I opened my mouth and began to sing softly and with a slower tempo than I would normally sing the song.

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la. 'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la, la la la, la la la. Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, fa la la la la, la la la la.”

Just as I began singing the next verse, a lovely female voice belonging to a certain phoenix colored Unicorn rose up and joined me as the owner of said voice sat up and walked over to join us. “See the blazing yule before us, fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus, fa la la la la, la la la la. Follow me in merry measure, fa la la, la la la, la la la, While I tell of Yuletide treasure, fa la la la la, la la la la.”

Next, a higher voice belonging to a certain dark gray Pegasus mare started singing with me and Sunset, joining the two of us as well, “Fast away, the old year passes, fa la la la la, la la la la. Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, fa la la la la, la la la la. Sing we joyous all together, fa la la, la la la, la la la. Heedless of the wind and weather, fa la la la la, la la la la.”

By this time, everyone else in the room was awake and had been listening to the three of us singing. Even Spike was blinking sleep out of his eyes. There was silence as me, Sunset and Scarlet all stared with warm loving smiles at the egg. The spell was broken by Applejack saying, “That was a mighty fine song there, sugarcube. Ah’ve never heard it before.”

“It’s a Christmas song from Earth,” I said. “It’s Christmastime back there, and I wanted the kid to feel the same excitement I felt whenever I heard those songs.”

“Can you sing some more?” Fluttershy asked. “If that’s okay, that is.”

I was about to reply, when I heard something cracking. Quickly, I looked towards the source, which was right in my arms. The egg had a small deformity in it. A small piece had been cracked open from the inside. I could feel movement from inside as the Dragon hatchling finally came to life. Phlogiston was by my side immediately, looking down at the egg. “I need more light,” she said. Twilight cast a Candlelight spell, illuminating the egg in my arms.

“What do I do?” I asked. “Do you take it?”

“No, don’t move, Your Grace,” Phlogiston said. “Stay as still as you can.”

I did as she said, standing still as I held the egg in my arms. “I thought it wasn’t gonna happen,” I said after a while as the hole at the top of the egg continued being pushed open.

“I don’t know either,” Phlogiston admitted.

“Can’t we pull it open and help the little guy or girl?” Rainbow asked.

“No,” Phlogiston said. “If the egg gets help during this stage, it could hinder their further development.”

As the egg continued to slowly hatch, there was a knock at the door. “Pardon us, may we enter?” Luna’s voice called out from behind the door.

“It’s about time for us to raise the sun and lower the moon,” Celestia’s voice said.

“Can they come in?” Twilight asked Phlogiston.

“Just as long as they don’t move around too much,” Phlogiston said.

The Princesses stepped in, both looking tired but with kindly smiles on their faces. When they saw me holding the hatching egg, they slowly made their way over. “It’s hatching already?” Luna asked.

“Did you cast the spell, Twilight?” Celestia asked.

The young Unicorn shook her head. “No, I didn’t,” she said.

“Then what could have caused it?” Celestia asked, turning to Phlogiston.

“I’m at a loss, Your Highness,” the older Dragon said. “I’ve never seen this happen before.”

“Do we just wait?” Luna asked.

“The hatchling inside seems strong enough,” Phlogiston said, “so let’s just keep an eye on it.”

We all watched in stunned silence as the egg shell continued to crack open in my arms. The light from Twilight’s spell illuminated a blonde claw for a few seconds before it retreated. As the minutes passed, the cracking started to slow down. I looked at Phlogiston in alarm, but she just held up her claw. “That’s normal,” she said, “it’s just getting ready to use the remainder of its strength to push through.”

No sooner had she said this than the entire egg shattered, revealing a small blonde dragon with rose red spines and a light pink underbelly. The Dragon’s eyes were a lovely sky blue and its horns were nearly identical to how Ember’s looked, colored white and curved downwards. At the end of its tail the spike that was there was the exact same color as its spines. The baby was covered in a clear fluid and was stretching. It looked around briefly before locking eyes with me. It had a curious expression on its face before a childlike innocent smile formed. It held out its arms to me. “Gah!”

I couldn’t help myself. My heart melted and I wrapped the baby Dragon in my arms, ignoring the sticky liquid that clung to my clothes. “Hello there, little one,” I said, tears of joy forming in my eyes. “Welcome to the world.”

Phlogiston slowly approached, looking over the little Dragon in my arms. She grabbed her blanket and began cleaning the fluid off. “Normally, I’d bathe this hatchling in the magma chambers back home, but we don’t have that here,” she said.

I slowly pulled the baby away, giving the old nurse more access to the hatchling’s underbelly. She carefully cleaned it until finally the baby was completely clean. All the while, the baby looked around curiously at the Ponies and Dragons who were watching. Fluttershy was especially excited. “It’s soooo adooorable,” she cooed softly.

“I’ve gotta plan a Welcome to The World party!” Pinkie said excitedly.

“She,” Phlogiston said, “this hatchling is a female.”

“Yeah, she’s alright, I guess,” Rainbow said, clearly trying to hide how cute she found the baby Dragon.

“She’s quite adorable,” Rarity said, “I wonder how she would look in a cute dress. Oh my, so many ideas!”

“Don’t get carried away, Rares,” I chuckled.

“She’s a lot like yah, Princess Ember,” Applejack said, not bothering to hide her smile.

Ember inspected her new half sister for a while. The little baby looked back at Ember, then cooed, giggled and reached out, grabbing at Ember’s cheeks and lips. Ember moved away instinctively, eyes wide. “Whoa there,” she said, “Don’t do that.”

The baby frowned and looked like she was about to cry, but some instinct I never knew I had kicked in and I turned the baby towards me, smiling widely. “Don’t cry, little one,” I said, pulling her closer to me.

“What will you name her, Your Grace?” Phlogiston asked just then.

Turning to Phlogiston, I asked, “I get to name her?”

“You were the first being she saw,” Phlogiston explained. “And you are our Emperor. Did you not adopt this child?”

I was a bit stunned by this, but when I looked down at the baby, those wide eyes full of twinkling eagerness melted my heart again. How could I not keep this child safe? “I guess…I guess I did adopt her in a sense,” I said, “but I have no idea how to raise a Dragon.” Turning to Phlogiston, I said, “When you and Lahar go back to the Dragon Lands, could you ask the females I saved who the mother might be? I’d like them to know that their baby hatched. If possible, I want them transported here.”

Lahar, who had been standing nearby, saluted. “It shall be done, Your Grace.”

“If you want, I can stay here for a little while until the mother can come here,” Phlogiston said. “I helped raise the Princess alongside her mother, and if she’s any example, she will be a clawful.”

“I’d appreciate that, but aren’t you in charge of the hatching fields?” I asked.

“I’m not the only watcher there, Your Grace,” she said. “The others can keep an eye on things while I’m gone. There aren’t many eggs since it isn’t Dragon Hatching Season yet.”

“Then I’ll gladly find a place for you in my house until the mother can come,” I said.

At that moment, the baby reached out and clung to my clothes, babbling incoherent nonsense as her smile slowly returned. “Bah! Gah geeh,” she said innocently.

The same instinct I felt only strengthened as I automatically spread my wings and wrapped them around her, keeping her warm with them. My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much. “You know,” I said after a while, looking at the others with a teary eyed smile, “despite all the stuff that’s happened in the past half year, the fights, the councils, all of it, this is one of the happiest moments of my life since coming here.”

Celestia moved forward, looking down at the baby Dragon with a motherly expression. The baby looked up curiously at the tall Alicorn, babbling a bit. “I remember when Spike was hatched,” she said, “and I remember thinking just how cute he was back then. This baby’s just as cute.” She reached out her hoof and smiled wider as the baby Dragon grabbed onto her golden shoes and ran her claws along them. Celestia’s gaze was warm, but I noticed some sadness in there. Something barely restrained.

“Sister, I don’t mean to interrupt, but it’s time to raise the sun,” Luna said, walking up next to Celestia.

Celestia broke out of her reverie, then cleared her throat and nodded. “Right, apologies, dear Luna.”

When she pulled back her hoof, the girl made a sound of alarm, but I stroked her spines gently. “Hey, don’t worry. Auntie Cellie will be right back. She and Aunt Lulu just needs to do something. Come on, let’s go watch.”

We all walked over to the window, where the sunlight was just beginning to light the sky. The night was almost overcast, however on the eastern horizon, I could see a glimmer of light where the clouds broke. The baby looked out at the world with wide eyes full of wonder and curiosity. Those eyes only widened when the two Princesses raised their heads and began casting their magic. The sky began to brighten faster, the night banished with the light of the sun. In my arms, the baby laughed and clapped her claws together, clearly amused and happy with what she saw.

In that moment, the perfect name came to my mind. Scales the color of sunshine gold, and spines red as the rose. And her fascination with the dawn only clinched it. “I have the perfect name for her,” I said.

Having completed their morning rituals, Celestia and Luna both turned to me as did all of the others. “What name?” Ember asked, sounding a bit worried.

I smiled, held the baby girl close to my chest, then looked down at her. Holding out my finger, I let her play with it. Five words. Five words were all I had to say. And I did so with utter surety.

“Hail to the Princess Aurora.”

131: A Cloaked Heart Receives The Sirens

“I still can’t believe you got your inspiration for naming Aurora from a human movie,” Celestia was saying to me during a private breakfast between me, her, and Luna. “Don’t you have any fear of a, what did you call it again? A copyright claim from Disney?”

Luna snorted, and I just dismissed the words with a wave of my hand. We were in Celestia’s private quarters currently, currently eating a hearty breakfast of pancakes, toast, waffles, and eggs. There was no meat currently around, not that I was complaining. There was some milk and orange juice nearby and, to my surprise, a jug of what Celestia called the finest red wine in the kingdom. I was eating a large stack of pancakes currently, while Luna was actually eating a large pile of toast with melted cheese on it.

I’d learned from Celestia in an earlier conversation that, just as the solar diarch had a propensity to enjoy sweets of the baked variety, Luna enjoyed salty things, specifically cheese. She couldn’t get enough of the stuff, especially since the cheese options over a thousand years ago were very limited, according to both Princesses. Grilled cheese sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, cheese pizza, macaroni and cheese (heavy on the cheddar) or just plain cheese squares attached to toothpicks had quickly become some of Luna’s go-to snacks or even meals. She’d even apparently tried melting cheese into a drink, but a burned throat later had quickly cured her of that desire.

“What are they gonna do? Come through the Stargate to Equestria and sue me for all I’m worth?” I asked in response to Celestia’s question. “They’ll have to get through Hasbro’s lawyers first. It’s just a name, Celestia. It’s a simple name, sure, but one that I really think fits her.”

“I agree, sister,” Luna said, dabbing at her mouth before grabbing a sterling silver goblet which was full of a deep purple liquid. She took a large gulp of the wine and set it down. “That Dragon infant is going to become quite the stallion-stealer.”

“Not if I can help it,” I said with a sudden burst of parental protection overwhelming me.

“Awww, isn’t dat cuuute?” Celestia said using baby voice, “is daddy being overpwotective of his baby guwwel?”

“Oh Jesus…” I muttered. “Did I seriously just do the overprotective father bit? Shotgun toting father of a girl? And did you really just used baby talk, Sunbutt?”

“Mmmmaybe,” Celestia said with a grin.

“I wouldn’t know about these shotgun toting fathers of which you speak,” Luna said, “but you did just remind me of how protective our father was of us when my sister and I became of age to be courted.”

“Right, you lived back in ye olden times when that was more of a thing,” I said with a chuckle. “Did you two receive many stallions who attempted to court you?”

Celestia put a hoof to her chest. “Why, my dear knight, I never thought you would be interested in our love life,” she said in a tone that suggested she was appalled, but the twinkle in her eyes told me she was only joking.

“Hey, you can’t blame a guy for being curious,” I replied, sticking my fork into my large stack of pancakes and slicing off a piece.

“My sister received more suitors than I ever did,” Luna said, taking another sip of the wine. Her face was slightly flushed, and there was a small scowl on her face as she glared over at Celestia.

“They weren’t interested in me for me, Lulu,” Celestia said, “they were interested in the inheritance I was going to receive. At least, most of them were. I’m pretty sure the others saw only my physical side. I remember spying a few of them staring at my flanks with disgusting eyes.” Here, she actually shuddered as she remembered those times.

“As I recall, having a larger flank back then was considered more attractive,” Luna said. “It must have been all those cakes.”

“Lulu!” Celestia actually blushed, then turned back to me. “Pay her no mind.”

“It was actually the same back on Earth back in the day,” I said. “Larger hips for better child bearing.”

“Yes…that is what happened back then, too,” Celestia said, but I could see that past her smile was a hint of regret. Regret and longing for something.

Luna must have noticed this, too, because she quickly diverted the subject. “Ahem, anyway, what are your plans for the young hatchling?”

“Well, she’s Princess Ember’s half sister,” I said, “and she is Torch’s offspring. From what I’ve learned about Dragon history so far, Torch came from the family of Dragon Lords, who are more like stewards for the throne, or regents. As such, she and Ember are both the only remaining members of that house. She and her mother, if she’s still around, will be moved into the palace at Virynth Atheos and given as comfortable a life as possible.”

“What do you mean, if the mother is still around?” Celestia asked warily.

“I’d rather not say, especially when we’re eating,” I said as I took a bite and chewed on the pancaked thoughtfully. In truth, Lahar had revealed some distressing news to me shortly after Aurora’s birth. They had found a smaller cavern of cages identical to the cages we had found the other victims in. All full of broken egg shells and rotting corpses. Dragon corpses. He told me that they had given the corpses burials fitting of a Dragon, that is, cremation, which I approved of Just the thought of Torch leaving prisoners to die without any kind of second thought made my stomach churn, and I took a few deep breaths to settle my stomach so I could at least eat something to recover my strength.

The Princesses took note of my reluctance, and thankfully dropped the subject. There was silence between the three of us for a while before Luna spoke up. “What exactly are you planning with the Sirens?” she asked.

“They’re going to be helping to rebuild Virynth Atheos,” I said. “I was hoping they’d get back their Siren forms, whatever those look like here, but if we can’t get those forms back, they’ll have to work by hand. I’m not going to let them off the hook for what they did to either Equestria or Aelyssia. But I do plan on giving them some of the less stressful jobs. I’m not sure how physically strong they are in this form, yet. But hands are a wonderful thing to have. And if those wings of theirs work, they can help in other ways.”

“And once they’re finished, what then?” Celestia asked.

“Well, I’ll probably let them stay in the palace,” I said. “I don’t think I can let them keep their royal titles, but if I want to try and reunite all the Dragonkin, I’ll need their help. Especially if there are more Sirens that still exist.”

“What if there aren’t?” Luna asked.

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” I said. “Maybe I’ll give them the option to go back to Earth.”

“They won’t take that, I’m sure,” Celestia said as she poured herself a goblet of wine.

“Probably not,” I said, “but at least over there they wouldn’t be Sirens, but humans. Here, they’re neither. They’re more like…well, like me, I suppose.”

“How do you think they’ll react?” Luna asked.

“How would you react if you were stuck in a form alien to you that you hated?” I asked curiously. “Like, say you were changed from a Pony to a large Shelob sized spider?”

“Do you think they hate their human forms that badly?” Celestia asked.

“I’m not sure,” I said, “but I do know they hated living on Earth. Their human forms could very well be a reminder of their lives there.”

“Then it’s a good thing both my students are looking for a solution,” Celestia said with a hopeful tone.

“If anypony can find a way to fix this, it’s those two,” Luna agreed. She then stood up. “Now, I hope you two will excuse me. I have been up longer than I should have been, and I need to sleep.”

“No, please rest,” Celestia said kindly, “I’ll see you later this evening.”

“Fare thee well, you two,” Luna said with a tired smile as she teleported away, leaving me once more alone with the solar diarch.

Celestia shook her head, chuckling. “I swear, she’s working herself too hard lately.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s doing it to try and relieve some of the stress from your job,” I said.

“Still, I’d like for her to at least take some more time to adjust to things in this era,” Celestia said with no hidden amount of worry in her face and tone, “If she pushes herself too far, she could have a breakdown.”

“I’d say she’s adapting pretty well, but you see her more often than I do, so I can’t be certain,” I said as I took a sip of my orange juice. “Take this with a grain of salt, but if you want my advice, don’t baby her so much. She’ll be fine.”

Celestia nodded, taking a sip from the wine goblet before putting it back down on the table. “I suppose you’re right, but she’s my sister. She’s the only family I have left. And the only family I’ll ever have…”

I frowned, not liking the implications behind that statement. “Well, you know her better than I do. All I know about her is from the show, and even that’s a bit off. That, and the fanon interpretations of her being a massive gamer.”

“Gamer? Are you talking about those video game machines I’ve seen around Canterlot lately?” Celestia asked.

“Not just that, but the video games from Earth,” I said. “She’s depicted by the fandom as this gamer girl who spends all night online, owning other players, drinking energy drinks and Mountain Dew and just enjoying herself while she smack talks other players on Xbox Live in ye olden speech.” I mimed holding a game controller and put my hand to my ear. “Sayeth that to mine face, cretin! Or better yet, we shall tell thine father after we bed him tonight!”

Celestia was in hysterics now, laughing all over the place and hitting the table with her hoof. “Oh…Oh by Harmony!” she gasped out, giggling like a madmare, “Is it weird to say I can completely see her doing that?”

“For real?” I asked with an incredulous smile on my face as I, too, began laughing.

“Yes! Whenever she and I play a board or card game, she can take it very seriously.”

“Remind me not to introduce her to Monopoly,” I joked as I took another bite of the meal.

That was when there was a loud knock at the door. Celestia turned towards it. “Yes, who is it?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Your Highness,” a muffled male voice at the door said, “but I’ve just received word from the hospital wing. One of the Siren patients is awake.”

I quickly grabbed a napkin, wiped my mouth clean, grabbed my drink and downed the remaining food in my mouth. As I did so, Celestia asked, “How are they doing?”

“Not well, Your Highness,” the voice said, “the doctor is asking for Emperor Jethro to come and try to calm her down.”

“I’m on my way!” I called out before looking back at Celestia apologetically. “I’m sorry about this.”

“Go,” she encouraged, “You’re their Emperor. I trust you’ll be able to help.”

“Thank you, Celestia. I’ll make this up to you.” Giving her a quick hug, which she returned in kind, I rushed over to the door, opened it, and looked down at the nervous looking guard. “Take me there.”

“How did this happen?!” Sonata was shouting in fear as she looked down at her remarkable human appearance ten minutes later after I’d arrived. She’d been strapped down when she first woke up because she tried to attack the Pony nurse who was on duty at the time and run away, but by the time I’d arrived, she’d calmed down enough and was simply hyperventilating and tearing up. She’d been released from her bonds so she could at least sit up and stretch. I’d asked the nursing staff and the doctors in the room to leave me with her so we could talk. When they insisted on strapping the other two Sirens to the bed, I couldn’t really argue since they might react worse. “Why didn’t I change back into my real form?!”

I was sitting on a stool next to her bed, looking at her with a sympathetic look in my eyes. The poor girl looked so scared, so vulnerable. As she curled up, hugging her knees with her arms, I moved a bit closer. “Sonata…”

“Don’t! Don’t say everything’s gonna be fine! It’s not!” Sonata screeched at me, tears practically pouring down her cheeks as she moved away from me. “I’m a freak! A freak of nature!”

“Twilight and Sunset are looking into the matter to see why the Stargate made you this way,” I said in an attempt to be reassuring. “If they find out the reason, maybe we can go back to Earth, have them fix it, then you can come back and have your Siren forms.”

“But what if they can’t?!” Sonata said with a whimper. “What if we’re stuck like this…?”

“Everything is being done to try and fix this, I promise,” I said sincerely.

“But what if I’m stuck in this…this bastardized form I’m in?!” Sonata shouted, finally breaking down into tears.

Moving quickly, I headed closer and wrapped my arms around her. Siren or not, former enemy or not, I was too soft hearted to just ignore when someone was having a nervous breakdown. To my surprise, she leaned into me, burying her face into my chest, but that was it. “It might not mean much to you, but I think you’re beautiful,” I said.

She stiffened a bit. “That’s because I’m in a human form,” she said, pushing me away. She grabbed her ample bosom and groped the two large mounds on her chest. “I hate these…they always gave me backaches…I…I hate them…I hate how I look…”

“I’ll make sure everything that can be done will be done,” I said in an attempt to be reassuring, “but if there really is nothing that can be done, then please forgive me.”

Sonata went right back to crying. I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She remained like that, head buried between her knees as she let out her frustrations and fear. Finally, she looked back up at me with a teary eyed expression. “I…I don’t know what to do now,” she whimpered softly. “I don’t…I just…”

“Sonata Dusk, you’ll be alright,” I said, deciding she needed a bit more toughness than I was giving her. “You’re alive, you’re healthy as far as the doctors here can tell, and you’re in Equestria. You’re not hurting anywhere, are you?”

“No…but…” she trailed off.

“Good,” I said resolutely. “You’re doing fine, then. It isn’t the end of the world if you don’t ever get your original forms back, but I promise I’ve asked experts in magic to look into it. And look on the bright side. Now, I won’t need to custom make a massive tortilla for any tacos for you.”

Sonata actually giggled a little bit at that. “I suppose you’re right,” she said after she stopped. She lay down on the bed once more and stared at the ceiling. “Is it wrong that I feel uneasy about being back home after so long?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “You’ve been gone for more than a thousand years. Things are bound to feel out of place. I know a certain Pony Princess who feels the same way.”

“Oh? Who?” Sonata asked, turning to me with some slight curiosity in her eyes.

“Princess Luna,” I said.

“What? How would she know what I’m feeling?” Sonata asked.

“Because she, too, was gone from Equestria for a thousand years,” I said by introduction as I began to explain her brief history as Nightmare Moon.

Sonata listened intently, presumably feeling more at ease when she wasn’t thinking too much about her current situation. She appeared quite surprised to hear about someone else who could somewhat understand her plight as well as the plight of her fellow Sirens. When I finished, she said, in a stunned and soft voice, “Wow…I didn’t know…”

“Not your fault,” I said, “you’ve been gone. There’s a lot to catch up on.”

“I guess there is,” she said.

“You feeling a bit better now?” I asked after a few seconds.

Sonata nodded. “A bit, yeah. Sorry for freaking out.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said sympathetically. “It’s all overwhelming, I’m sure. But when the rest of you wake up, we’ll be leaving this place.”

“And going where?” Sonata asked.

“Well, until the first of the year when I go back to Aelyssia, you three will be guests in my house. You are Aelyssian citizens, even if you abandoned your posts,” I said.

Sonata bristled. “Can you blame us for running?” she asked tensely.

I held up my hand. “Relax, Sonata. I know why you did it. I’m speaking from the perspective of those who might remember you or at least have heard about you.”

“Nnng…” another voice said from a nearby bed. Sonata and I both turned and saw Adagio slowly coming to. However, since she was strapped in, she couldn’t do much other than squirm slightly. We watched as she slowly gained consciousness. When she opened her eyes and tried to sit up, she found that she couldn’t. Her eyes shot open and she began to struggle. “The fuck is going on?! Why can’t I move?!”

“Dagi! Don’t struggle!” Sonata shouted anxiously as I rushed over to the middle bed where the lead Siren lay. “You’ll hurt yourself!”

“She’s right,” I said as I pinned her back to the bed, trying to stop her from moving so much.

She looked at me with wide angry eyes as she tried her best to move, but my strength was greater than hers. Finally, with a sigh, she collapsed back onto her bed, scowling at the ceiling past me. As I slowly released her, ready to jump back in just in case she struggled again, Adagio said in a voice barely above a whisper, “I’m a freak…I’m hideous.”

“There are magic experts working to try and fix this, I promise,” I repeated sincerely, “I don’t know why the Stargate is acting this way, but if I had to hazard a guess, it has something to do with whatever Eris did to it during her invasion here.”

“Eris?!” Aria’s voice rose suddenly as she opened her eyes. Only they were full of complete terror as she struggled harder than Adagio or Sonata had. “ERIS IS HERE?! GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

I ran over and placed myself on top of her, pinning her with all my strength. It wasn’t as easy as it had been with Adagio. I got into her face and shouted, “Eris is locked away where nobody can get to her! She can’t get you!”

This only made her struggle even harder. Tears were pouring out of her eyes which were wildly looking around, seeing something that presumably wasn’t there. “Don’t do it, Eris! I’ll be a good Siren! I’LL BE GOOD!”

“Ari! Calm down! Eris isn’t here!” Sonata shouted, fear evident in her own eyes as she got out of her bed and ran over to Aria. She got next to me and tried snapping the frantic Siren out of whatever panic attack she was having. Without warning, Sonata slapped the girl. Then did it again. And again. And again.

Finally, Aria stopped moving, staring up at the ceiling with a blank-eyed expression. She was still breathing, but it was shallow and fast. Like she was panting, or perhaps trying to knock herself out. Sonata and I watched her for a bit, Adagio in the other bed only able to turn her head slightly to see what was going on. Finally, after a few minutes, her eyes started to become lucid again. Slowly, Sonata and I moved away from her. “You okay, Ari?” Sonata asked worriedly.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” Aria said, then the tried to sit up. When she found that she couldn’t, she added, “other than I can’t move. Ugh…can somebody take these off me, now?”

“Only if you won’t run,” I said.

“Run where?” she asked dryly. “We don’t have any magic right now, and even if we did, these rings on our fingers are blocking them.” She looked down at a silver band she was wearing on her right ring finger. “And these wings? They don’t look strong enough to lift us up anyway. And I’m not gonna run around and risk showing my ass to the world in these hospital gowns. Who the hell made them like this, anyway!? They’re like the ones back on Earth!”

“You’ve made your point,” I said as I walked over and began to slowly undo the straps holding her down. “I probably shouldn’t be doing this without the doctor’s permission, but you need to stretch, I assume.” Turning to Sonata, I gestured to Adagio. “Could you undo hers?”

“Y-Yeah, sure,” Sonata said, moving over to Adagio and beginning to undo the straps.

It took us a few minutes, but eventually the other two Sirens were sitting up, looking around the room and stretching their arms and their new wings, which fluttered, shuddered and twitched haphazardly every so often. I gave them both tall glasses of water, which they downed greedily before demanding more. I gave them each two more full glasses before they were satisfied and looking more refreshed. Sonata sat on the edge of her bed, and I sat next to her, facing the two Siren girls and waiting for them to collect themselves.

Finally, Adagio looked at me with a narrow eyed frown. “So, Your Grace, what are you planning on doing with us?” she asked suspiciously.

“Nothing bad, I assure you,” I said, “but once the first of the year comes around and I return to Aelyssia, you three will begin your sentence. You will be working on rebuilding the City of Emperors. No magic. No wings either.”

“These wings? Yeah, they’re useless anyway,” Aria said.

I spread my own wings, startling the three with the brief bit of flames that burst forth. “I thought the same thing about my wings at first, but I’m sure you can learn. After your sentence is up.”

“Why do I have the feeling there’s more to it than that?” Adagio asked.

“Because there is,” I said. “I’m going to need your help. If there are other Sirens out there, I want your help to reunite them with the other Dragonkin races. You are technically royalty, although whether or not you deserve to keep that title after what happened is still up in the air at this point.”

“I don’t really care about being a Princess,” Sonata said immediately. “It was nothing but a pain in the ass. Go to this formal occasion, get dressed up and practically whore yourself out to the nobledragon males for the good of your race. Ugh…”

“You really think if there’s any Sirens around they’ll remember us?” Aria asked in a disbelieving tone.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, “but I’d like to try and find them. Oh, on another note, there’s someone you’re going to need to meet right away, seeing as how you’ll all be staying in the same house for your duration of your stay in Equestria. My house.”

Adagio groaned. “Do we really need to stay there? I’d rather be in a prison cell…”

“Prison cells don’t have fully furnished rooms with hot baths, showers, and free meals and the freedom to roam the property line,” I said. “I’m afraid I’m not giving you a choice in the matter. No, screw that, you aren’t being given a choice. You’re staying with me until we return to the Empire. Now then, I’ll ask the staff to get you something to eat, because after that, I’ll be taking you back with me. Back to Ponyville.”

“Sugarcube, ah’m not sayin’ ah don’t trust yer judgment,” Applejack was telling me later that afternoon after we’d all come back to Ponyville, “but ah don’t really think ah can trust them in yer house.”

I was in the living room of my main Victorian-eaque house with Zecora, Scarlet, Sunset, Ember, Spike, Gemini, Mica and the Mane Six all seated around the fireplace, which was roaring with a large blaze. Chrysalis and the Sirens were all in their rooms at the moment, the latter three not really wanting to interact with the world at the moment. Aurora and Phlogiston were in another room, the latter watching over her while the meeting took place. I’d not invited Chrysalis out yet since I wasn’t sure if I could trust her, but I’d at least brought the two Lycans into my confidence. I’d bound them by the highest oath a Lycan could swear by, ironically enough by the individual they knew as the Helper. I’d told Ember already as well, and she’d sworn to keep it secret as well. Especially since they would be working under her and me during the reconstruction of Virynth Atheos.

“I don’t trust them, either,” Twilight said in agreement, looking over at me worriedly. “What if they try something in your sleep?”

“Scarlet and Zecora would probably beat them to a bloody pulp before that happened,” I said, and for once I wasn’t joking. “I know you’re all worried about me, and I agree. They’re not exactly working on all thrusters right now. They’re not only in a form they’re associating with bad memories from Earth, but they have no magic. They’ve been used to having access to some semblance of magic, since the energy on Earth isn’t the same as here in Equestria.”

Fluttershy, who was Ponyloafing in my lap, looked up at me with wide fear filled eyes. “Wouldn’t it be better if they were put in some cell?”

“I’m with Flutters on this one!” Rainbow said, hovering off of her seat. “They’re too dangerous!”

“So are Gemini, Mica and Ember, and yet you’re fine with them staying here,” I reminded them.

“We weren’t at first,” she insisted, “but they’ve proven themselves! The Sirens kidnapped the other Twilight and Spike! That’s not cool!”

“No, no it isn’t,” I agreed, “but I have plans for them. No offense to any of you Ponies or your judicial system, but there are times when I’d rather do things in my own sight. I know it’s weird, but it would make me feel more comfortable?”

“Does this have to do with anything else?” Pinkie asked, looking at me with a worried expression.

“What do you mean?” I asked, a bit confused now.

“Does this have anything to do with Eris and you not being here to stop her? Or anything else like that?” Pinkie asked.

“She has a point,” Rarity said. “You’ve been very insistent on keeping not only them close, but Chrysalis too. Don’t you trust anyone? Are you growing more paranoid?”

I tensed up a bit. “I…I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Maybe I am being an idiot. Maybe I am being paranoid. But if I am, I know you all would let me know. So, I guess all I can ask is am I? Am I too paranoid now?”

“I think the term overly cautious applies here,” Gemini said. “What was it you once said? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

“Is that a human saying?” Zecora asked.

“It is,” Sunset answered. “But I think you’re taking it a bit literally, Jethro. I don’t think whoever first said that meant it physically, you know?”

“Yeah…probably not,” I said, “but it won’t be permanent. Once the new year begins, they’ll be heading back to Aelyssia where they’ll be under Ember’s command. And my own.”

“Great, more responsibility,” Ember sighed.

“I wouldn’t hand them over if I thought you couldn’t handle the job, Princess,” I said.

“Please stop calling me that,” she said tersely. “I’m the Right Hand of the Emperor now, not a Princess.” She’d liked the Hand of the King title better, but I’d modified it slightly.

“You might be my Right Hand, but you’re one of the last of Ignu’s line as far as we know,” I said. “He was the first Emperor of Aelyssia, and Dormog was the last of his royal bloodline. Now it’s just you and Aurora. Even with a new title, you’ll still be a Princess.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I won’t be able to convince you otherwise, am I?”

“Once my fiancé’s mind is made up about something, there is little you can do to change it,” Zecora said, leaning against my left side reassuringly.

I chuckled and nodded. “Pretty much. But in all serious, Ember, I know you can do it. And with my plans for a magical doorway to Ignu’s Keep to my house, you’ll always have access to me and I’ll always be a simple walk away from you. This way, if you need my help, I’ll be there. But back to the matter at hand. The Sirens.” I turned to the worried and concerned expressions of everyone there. “I know you’re worried about me having them here with me, but I have Gemini, Mica, Scarlet, Zecora and Ember here with me to keep an eye on them and Chrysalis. And the Sirens aren’t permanent members of the household.”

“And Chrysalis is?” Spike asked.

“If she went to Aelyssia, there’s a high possibility that there’d be some attempts on her life,” I said.

“Dragons wouldn’t want her around, that’s for sure,” Ember said. “Not unless they knew she was close to the Emperor.”

“I’m going to do what I can to try and repair relations between the Dragons and Fae, but I know it’ll take a very long time,” I said. “Fortunately, it seems as if I’m gonna live a long time anyway. But for the time being, she stays here. I don’t want her dying under my watch or under Ember’s.”

“Yeah…keep her away from me,” Ember said with a shudder.

“I will,” I said.

Applejack sighed. “Well, ah still don’t like the idea of yah being here, even if yah got backup. Not that ah don’t trust everycreature here,” she quickly added as she got a glare from Gemini, “but it’d make me feel a heck of a lot better if ah stayed here fer the rest of the month.”

“Whoa, hold on,” I said, “what about your farm? Your family? Don’t you have any chores around the house?”

“Ah wouldn’t be here durin’ the day,” she said. “Just at night when yer sleepin’. Ah’d git up and go back to the farm after y’all wake up. Ah just don’t want those three tryin’ anythin’ when yer sleepin’.”

“Um…I’d like to do that too, if it’s alright,” Fluttershy said softly.

“Oooh ooh! Me too! Me too!” Pinkie exclaimed, raising her hoof and bouncing around. “It’ll be like a slumber party!”

“A slumber party?” Twilight’s worry vanished and she got this childlike innocent look in her eyes. “I’ve wanted to do one ever since the last time!”

“Whoa there, hang on,” I said immediately to stop anyone else from joining in (and it looked like Spike, Rarity and Rainbow were about to say something similar), “I appreciate the thought, I really do, but every night until the 31st? Isn’t that a bit excessive?”

“We’re your friends, monkey-man,” Spike said quickly, “we just want you to be safe.”

“Oh wait, I have an idea!” Twilight said immediately, “What if we take shifts instead? One of us stays here one night, then the other the next and so on! That way, we won’t overwhelm Jethro and keep an eye on the Sirens!”

“Ah suppose that could work,” Applejack said.

“Now hold on,” I tried to say something, but I was drowned out by the girls who were now planning on when they would be staying.

“I can’t possibly do it this Saturday, darlings. Sweetie Belle and I have our Hearth’s Warming dinner with our parents that day.”

“Ah could do the 23rd. Not much tah do on the farm that day traditionally anyway.”

“I’m free anytime except for the holidays! Ooh it’ll be so great! I’ll bring Gummy and Jethro can talk to him! I’ve always wondered what he’s saying!”

“Um, I could do it tonight, if that’s alright.”

As the Mane Six, Spike and Scarlet devolved into planning when they’d be staying the night with me, I fell back into my couch. Looking down at Zecora and Scarlet who were sitting on both sides of me, I asked, “Is this what being in a larger herd would be like if I ever got one? Do stallions have any control?”

Scarlet leaned closer, licked my face affectionately and smirked. “No way in hell, stud. Mares are very protective of their stallions in a herd. Trust me, as a child in a herd household, I’ve seen what happens when someone threatened my dad.”

“It’s the same for Zebra society, dearest,” Zecora said, kissing my cheek affectionately. “And these are your friends, and half of them are in love with you. I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to the idea.”

“Great…I’d rather run a marathon right now,” I groaned.

Fluttershy, who was still on my lap, moved closer. “You know we’re not doing this because we don’t trust you, right?” she asked soothingly.

Looking down at her, I smiled and stroked her mane. She closed her eyes and shuddered slightly. “I know, Flutters, I know…but you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Fluttershy purred. “Good. Because you’re stuck with us, like it or not,” she said with a shuddering voice.

“I know,” I said, continuing to stroke her mane, “I know…"

132: A Cloaked Heart's Slumber Party Revisited

“Okay, so now that we’ve all agreed on the times when all of you will be staying, I’ll be going over some of the ground rules,” I said about half an hour later. We were in the living room still, and Ember, Gemini and Mica had gone outside to do some exercises and spar around the property while I had a talk with the Mane Six, Zecora, Scarlet, and Spike. Even if Scarlet and Zecora had been joking about me having no control in my house, I still felt the need to take charge, and I did just that after a few minutes of them all talking and discussing the best times to be at my house for the night. “For nights when only one or two of you are here, I’m perfectly fine with you sleeping in the same room as me, but there can’t be anything too loud going on after, say, eleven o’clock. So no late night parties, Pinkie.”

“Aww, you’re no fun,” Pinkie said, “but fine! You owe me an extra super duper fun date though!”

“Yes, yes I do,” I agreed. “Second, my house, my rules. I know you’re all capable adults, so I don’t normally have to say this, but lately you all have become overly protective of me, and it’s a bit worrisome. While I appreciate it and it means the world to me to know how much you care, it is a bit smothering at best. I love you all, and I appreciate the sentiments, but right now, Chrysalis and the Sirens are not as dangerous as they could be with their magic.”

“Darling, I had no idea you felt smothered,” Rarity said softly.

“There’s the good kind of emotional smothering, and there’s the bad kind,” I said. “I know you care, Rarity. It’s part of your je ne se quoi, but I’m not some weak-no, that’s the wrong comparison to make,” I quickly corrected myself. “I’m very capable of handling myself in a fight. The last two examples notwithstanding.”

“Dude, you nearly got your ass handed to you each time!” Rainbow exclaimed with wide eyes. “Can you blame us?”

“No, no I can’t,” I admitted, “but if you are all constantly protecting me, I can’t do the same for you if the time ever comes.”

The Mane Six all blushed at that. Whether it was from embarrassment or something else I couldn’t tell. After a few seconds, Twilight walked over to me. “Jethro, can I be honest with you?”

“Please do,” I said.

She took a deep breath and began. “When I saw you become that monster back in Aelyssia, I was scared. Not scared of you. Scared for you. I thought I’d lost you as a friend then. It hurt so much, and it hurt back when we were in the Lycan Empire to see you getting hurt by Gemini. You’re the first creature-no, that’s the wrong word-the first individual I’ve ever felt this way about. I don’t know what I’d do if you were lost to…to us.” The poor mare was trembling slightly and there were tears in her eyes. “Even if…we’re not in a relationship right now, I can’t stand the thought of losing you or any of my closest friends in this room.”

Automatically I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as she wrapped her forelegs around me, clinging tightly to me. “Have you talked to anyone else about this? Maybe your parents? Your brother? Cadance, even? You’re not the only one who feels this way, you know?”

She sniffed and buried her face into my neck tightly. “I know…and you’re right. I should talk to somepony…”

I stroked her mane affectionately. Beside her, Fluttershy appeared, putting one hoof on her withers as she said, “We all feel that way, Twilight.”

“I can’t be a smiling party Pony all the time!” Pinkie said with a sheepish smile as she joined the trembling unicorn. “Even I get worried about Jethy-wethy!”

I smirked as I held Twilight closer. Even though she was snuggling close, I heard her giggle slightly at Pinkie’s antics. “Sorry, everypony,” she said after she slowly pulled away from me. Pinkie hoofed over a tissue, which Twilight grabbed with her magic and used to wipe her tears away then blow her nose. “You’re right, Jethro. I’m being a bit overprotective.”

“I appreciate it, but like I said, I can handle myself well enough,” I said. “Let’s try and make things fun tonight, though. You’re all staying the night tonight, right?” I asked. When they nodded in affirmation, I smiled. “Good! We’ve got plenty of time before sunset, so let’s get started on what we can do tonight!”

With that, the Ponies cheered up and began making multiple suggestions.

“Can I make a cake in your kitchen?” Pinkie asked.

“I reeeeally wanna try that cider you gave me!” Rainbow Dash gave me her best puppy dog eyes, which didn’t work as much on her. “Pleeeease let me off the hook just for tonight? I’ll really read that story, I promise!”

“Yah think it might be a good idea to invite the Crusaders over? It might help that young Pegasus,” Applejack suggested.

“Is it okay if I try and design some adooorable baby clothes for the new Princess?? I have so many ideas!” Rarity looked excited now.

“Um, are there any movies of yours that relate to that holiday from Earth that’s like Hearth’s Warming? I’d like to see one,” Fluttershy asked. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Isn’t the first snow of the season happening later? We could have a snowball fight!” Twilight asked excitedly. “I’ve never had one, before! I’ve read all about how you’re supposed to have one, too!”

“Jesus, they don’t stop, do they?” Scarlet said to me.

“True, but they’re all excited,” I said. “It’s pretty endearing if you ask me. Still…” and with that, I clapped my hands loudly. “Okay, everyone! Hold your horses!” As they calmed down, I smiled. “I get that you’re all excited. After all, our first sleepover didn’t really go the way we wanted. So let’s do this: you all can go back to your homes and get ready for the night. Pack an overnight bag of whatever you need and I’ll get things started here. For one, only my Earth house is decorated for Christmas.” I looked around at my Equestrian house. “This place needs some sprucing up. Or rather, some tree fir-ing up. Think there are any Hearth’s Warming trees left at the lot?”

“I can go get the decorations!” Pinkie exclaimed happily, her tail twitching excitedly.

“Now hold on, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said, holding out her hoof to stop the pink mare from rushing out into the streets, “You cannot simply throw any old decorations into a house this gorgeous. You have to use the kind that will fit in.” She looked around the living room with a careful eye. “Yes, I know precisely where we can go.”

“You’re willing to help?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“My dear Jethro, who do you think I am?” Rarity asked, putting a hoof to her chest.

“Rarity…what is your last name, anyway?” I asked.

“Belle, of course!” Rarity said.

“I should have figured,” I chuckled. “But you think you can find some decorations that would fit this house? You and Pinkie?”

“Of course! I’m sure we can do something,” she said.

“I hope they haven’t taken that one really tall fir tree,” Pinkie said. “Oooh ooh! Jethy! Do you have any recipes from Earth that you have for holiday food or drinks?”

“Depends. You guys have eggnog here?” I asked.

“What’s eggnog?” Pinkie asked.

“Oooh, do I have a treat for you, then,” I smirked.

“What can the rest of us do?” Twilight asked, referring to herself, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Spike.

“Well…for starters, Rainbow, can you get some extra snowclouds over the house?” I asked the prismatic Pegasus. “A snowball fight might be in order.”

“I might be able to swing that,” Rainbow said with a smirk, “but you owe me big time, mister!”

“That’s where Applejack comes in,” I said, turning to the stalwart orange mare. “Do you have any cider left that I can buy from your family?”

“We sure do, sugarcube!” Applejack said. “How many barrels yah want?”

“Depends. How long do you think a few barrels will last?” I asked.

“With or without Rainbow Dash here?” Applejack asked, giving the aforementioned Pony a sideways glance.

“Hey! I can handle myself just fine!” Rainbow huffed.

“Either way, I’ve had your family’s cider, AJ. It won’t last long. Especially if we do invite the CMC over. Although I think it’d be better if they had their own party. They’re still kids. I remember whenever my parents would have adults their age over. I was sooo bored since there weren’t kids my age there to play with. And we outnumber them.”

“Ah suppose yer right,” Applejack said. “Ah’m sure Granny won’t mind them bein’ over at our house tonight.”

“They could certainly use it,” I said.

“Actually, Sweetie Belle’s been excited to see the ship you brought back,” Rarity said with a giggle. “She’s been begging me to ask you if they can go explore it.”

“Apple Bloom’s been askin’ the same thing,” Applejack said.

“Well, I’ll be sure to give them a tour when things calm down,” I said. “And anyone else who wants one.”

“You promised me I could take a look at it!” Twilight whined.

“I wouldn’t mind taking a peek, myself,” Sunset admitted. “I mean, a genuine flying ship? Sign me the hell up.”

“You’ll get a crack at it, yes,” I said. “But let’s focus on tonight. It’ll be a good chance for us to unwind. So…movies? Snacks? Games? A snowball fight? Anything else we’re missing?”

“Ah’m sure we’ll let ya know if we think of somethin’,” Applejack said. “Now, ah’ve gotta git them barrels. Six sound like enough?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rainbow’s eyes widen in anticipation. I chuckled. “Maybe a bit more than that. I’d like some for the winter. Especially since whenever I heat it up, it makes for some amazing hot cider.”

“Ah know!” Applejack said with a wide smile. “Welp, ah’ll be back in a jiffy!” And with that, she galloped out of the house.

“I’ll go to the snow factory and see if I can convince some of the Pegasi to send some extra snow our way,” Rainbow said, zooming out of the house with a rainbow following in her wake.

“Pinkie Pie, come with me,” Rarity said, trotting to the door gallantly but excitedly. “We’re going shopping! Ohoho!”

“Sunset! Spike! Let’s get our overnight stuff packed!” Twilight said, running to the door with the little drake following close behind. Sunset smirked, raised her horn and vanished in a pop of displaced air.

“I’ll be back too,” Fluttershy said, walking towards the door. “I need to make sure my animals will be safe overnight.” So saying, she walked over to the door, but I noticed that she was swaying her flanks a bit seductively at me before she opened the door, spread her wings and flew away.

When it was just me, Scarlet and Zecora, Scarlet lifted her nose and sniffed the air. “Whoo boy, that Fluttershy is sneaker than she lets on.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Can’t you smell it? The lust in the air?” Scarlet asked, grinning as she sat on my lap. “I certainly can,” she cooed as Zecora giggled, grinding her lower half on me.

“Oh my God! How horny are you?!”

“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh, what fun it is to ride in a once-horse open sleigh!”

Hardly an hour later, I was singing the song as me, Zecora, Scarlet, Spike and the Mane Six decorated the living room, kitchen and dining room with all manner of holiday linens, garlands, lights, candles, wreathes and even a large nine foot tree that Pinkie had managed to snag from the Hearth’s Warming Tree Lot before it was gone. I had taken the job of decorating the tree along with Zecora, who herself had some traditional Farasi ornaments she wanted to place on there. For the most part, however, the tree could hardly be distinguished from a Christmas tree, with sparkling warm milticolored lights, gold sashed garlands, silver garlands, ornament balls, and, the cherry on top, a glowing white orb of light hovering over the top, which I learned was the Fire of Friendship. Of course, I had to sneak on a spare Christmas tree star right underneath it.

“Do humans really enjoy one-horse open sleighs?” Twilight, who was covering one of the couches in the living room with a large covering with Hearth’s Warming bells, garlands and snowflakes sewn into them, asked curiously.

“It’s a reminder of simpler times, I think,” I said as I found a spot on the tree to put another ornament. “Before cars, humans used horses to get around, whether by riding or having them pull on carts or sleighs during the winter. Couples would go on sleigh rides together underneath the falling snow or during a cold starlight winter night. I’d try that now, but I haven’t heard of a horse even existing here, and being pulled by a Pony just seems rude.”

“Horses do exist here,” Twilight said, “but they’re an endangered species.”

“Really? That’s a shame,” I said as I found another spot. Unplugging the lights, I stepped back and narrowed my eyes, looking for any imperfections or too many ornaments on one section and too little on another. Finding nothing, I nodded in satisfaction before looking at it from a few other angles before finally plugging the lights back in. “Perfect!”

“Ooooh! That’s the coolest Hearth’s Warming tree I’ve seen!” Pinkie, who was busy making a large batch of eggnog from a recipe I’d printed off the staticnet for her. She’d been super intrigued when I mentioned it that she begged to try it. When I said I didn’t have any but that she could make it herself if she wanted, she eagerly volunteered to try. “It’s so big!”

“That’s what she said,” Scarlet, who was hanging up garlands on the walls near the ceiling, snarked.

“Hey look! Rainbow’s back!” Spike, who was helping Twilight, said as he looked out the window. I looked out as well and saw the world outside darken just a tad before the Pegasus landed and ran in. “Well?? Did we get the extra snow?” the young drake asked.

“It took a bit of fenagling, but I managed to convince them to let a couple extra inches fall over Ponyville,” Rainbow said. “I couldn’t convince them to just do this house.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “When is the snow supposed to start?”

“In about thirty minutes,” Rainbow said.

“It’s been forever since I’ve enjoyed a Hearth’s Warming Season, or even a Christmas season for that matter,” Sunset said with a sad smile on her face.

“Well, then let’s make this the best Hearth’s Warming ever!” Twilight said happily.

The door to the dining room opened and Rarity came walking through, a tired but proud smile on her face. “Your dining hall looks splendid now!” she said. “Please come see it when you have the chance.”

“On my way,” I said as I rushed over towards her, but not before stopping at where Pinkie was still staring at the tree, dipping my pinkie finger into the mix, and taking a small taste. “Very delicious,” I said, winking at the startled Earth Pony before I followed Rarity into the dining room. “Whoa…”

The dining room table itself had a large tablecloth on it, one made of intricate fabric interwoven into a holiday themed scene. Hearth’s Warming scene, not a Christmas scene. I saw a large orb of light in the center of the table itself, and on three sides were three Ponies, each reaching out towards the center light. One was a Unicorn mare with pale white fur, a dark pink mane and tail, and who was wearing regal purple garments and a crown on her head tilted slightly to the side. The second was a Pegasus stallion with cream colored fur and a dark purple tail. He wore armor that seemed to match those of Roman legionnaires, only made of gray armor mixed with gold. The third was an Earth Pony stallion who had pink fur, a dark crimson mane and tail, and who wore a very unusual ensemble, from a hat which had a brim that looked like a Pringle to mismatched colored clothing with those unusual collars around their neck. They were floating in a sea of stars, and at the edges of the table were sewn in garlands with holly and woven in. Rarity turned to me and said, “I bought this when I was in Canterlot a couple of days ago. What do you think?”

“What do I think? Rarity…I love it!” I smiled wide, rushed over and lifted the startled Unicorn in my arms, hugging her close. “It’s perfect!”

“Oh my, well, this is…um, Jethro…?”

I chuckled a bit, then put her down. She was blushing slightly but still smiling. “Sorry,” I said. “Guess I got excited.”

“Goodness, I should say so,” Rarity said, putting a hoof to her mouth and giggling cutely. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t find anything that would do well with your Christmas celebration.”

“Don’t be,” I said. “I’m the only human in Equestria right now. Besides, Hearth’s Warming is celebrated practically the same way. You’ve got presents, trees, decorations, goodwill to your fellow Pony and non-Pony, and so much more. Besides, I’ve decorated my Earth house already with all my Christmas stuff.”

“Well, next year, I’d love to try and make some Christmas themed decorations or fabrics for you,” she insisted.

“When the time comes, I’ll sit down and show you some stuff,” I promised as I looked more around the room. The tablecloth wasn’t the only part of the table that had been added to. There were tablemats at each place at the table with green and red poinsettia scenes on them and red and green striped hoofkerchiefs on their right. On the windows overlooking the outside, I saw that she’d replaced the normal curtains with red and green striped ones. There were three candelabra’s on the table and two more on a smaller table right next to the windows, each with blue and silver candles in them. What surprised me was that the artwork and fabric worked matched the older aesthetic of the house itself. “Rarity…this is amazing. You’ve really outdone yourself.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile, “I do try.”

“And succeeded quite fabulously,” I said. “Hell, I might just ask to hire you to do all of my interior decorating.”

“Darling, as fun as this was, I know somepony ten times better at interior decorating than I am,” she said. “I’m just a seamstress, after all.”

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

“Jethy!” Pinkie poked her head in from the kitchen, “this recipe says you can use alcohol. Are we?”

“No, Pinkie,” I said. “No booze tonight.”

“Oki dokie lokie! Also, it says we need to refrigerate it, but it won’t be ready in time!”

“I’ll put what you make in my Earth fridge for a while,” I replied. Turning to Rarity, I gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry about this. Seems like I need to go help Pinkie for a bit.”

“Sweetheart, don’t worry,” Rarity said, “I still have the living room to look over.”

“You’re the best,” I said as she turned and walked towards the living room.

“Yes I know, darling. I know,” she replied, and I was instantly tempted to call her Edna.

Instead, I turned and walked over to where Pinkie was waiting. “Okay, so how far along are you?”

Snow had been falling for only half an hour, but the ground was already covered in white. Ember and the Lycans had come in when the snow started. Mica had asked if he would be allowed to stay down to observe, and the group all agreed. They’d grown used to him and a couple had even said how much they liked seeing him since he was always decent and kind to them. Spike was excited to have another male with him, and the two quickly bonded. Phlogiston had come downstairs with Aurora to see what the fuss was about, carrying the overly curious baby Dragon. When I explained, she asked if we could be a bit quieter, especially since it was nearly time for Aurora to sleep. I instead told her I could cast a spell around her room so no noise got in, which she readily accepted.

Aurora was immediately surrounded by the eager Ponies, who greeted her with baby talk and smiles. Aurora couldn’t stop giggling and smiling, reaching out with her small claws to try and touch them all and greet them in her own babbling language, whatever it was. Phlogiston gave her to me for a while so she could take a break, and I carried the young Dragon around, even showing her off to Spike and Mica. The former was really happy to meet a younger Dragon, and Mica was doing his best not to show how adorable he thought the baby was.

That didn’t stop Aurora from playing with the Lycan’s furry claws and giggling incoherently. In a way, Aurora reminded me somewhat of Flurry Heart with how happy she was. She also took in all of the Hearth’s Warming decorations with excitement. I had to take her away from the tree, however, when she decided to try and chew through the wires of some of the lights. She wasn’t too happy about that but got distracted by something else minutes later. I even sat her by the window and let her watch the falling snow.

Finally, when Phlogiston returned from her break, she and I, along with Aurora, walked to her room. Just as we entered, I realized she needed a diaper change. When Phlogiston told me she’d deal with it, I intervened and asked her to teach me how to do it. She seemed stunned by this, but an approving smile quickly played over her lips as she walked me step by step through the process. When she asked me why I wanted to learn, I told her that I hoped to learn more since I felt it unfair to have her raise the baby all alone. She thanked me, but told me she was fine with it. She already liked the Princess and would gladly spend time helping me raise her.

After leaving the two alone so they could sleep, I walked downstairs after casting the silence spell over their room and began setting up my laptop. As I did so, the pizzas that I’d ordered, triple cheese and supreme (which had no meat) arrived. Three of each. I paid and tipped our delivery Pony generously and set them on a small table in the living room before going back to finishing my laptop setup.

Pinkie had brought over a few large beanbag chairs for those of us who couldn’t fit on the couches. She took the largest, pinkest one she'd brought, Twilight took another, Sunset took the one next to Twilight, and Spike and Mica took two more. I rearranged the two couches to face the hovering screen and sat in between two very affectionate equines, with a third one, Fluttershy, sitting in my lap in a Ponyloaf form. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash all sat in the other couch.

“What are we watching?” Fluttershy asked as I used my magic to turn off the lights, leaving only the warm light of the fire beside us to illuminate everything.

“Well, unfortunately I don’t have any Hearth’s Warming movies,” I joked, earning me a few laughs, “but there are some classics that I think you’d really enjoy. I’m gonna start with one of my favorite renditions of a Christmas classic story. Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present, George C. Scott in A Christmas Carol.” I projected the screen in front of everyone, then hit play.

“Mister Cratchit!”

Fluttershy tensed up in my lap and looked up at me. We were only about three minutes in, and the first time George C. Scott’s rendition of Scrooge had yelled at him startled her. “He’s mean, isn’t he?” she whispered.

“Just watch,” I smiled, pointing back up to the screen, but I put my arms around her just in case anything else startled her.

“Damn it, Scrooge! It’s not fair!”

“No, but it’s business! I’ll give you a moment to make up your minds.”

“Sweet Celestia…that’s not how you earn clientele!” Rarity exclaimed softly.

“That is pretty dishonest of him, yes,” Applejack agreed.

“Hush! I’m trying to watch,” Twilight said in a loud whisper.

“Many can’t go there, and many would rather die.”

“If they would rather die, perhaps they had better do so and, uh, decrease the surplus population.”

“Surely you don’t mean that, sir.”

“With all my heart. Now if you will go about your business, gentlemen, and allow me to go about mine. Good day.”

“Damn, this guy’s really getting on my nerves,” Scarlet whispered.

“He is quite the ruffian,” Rarity agreed.

Zecora, who had actually seen another version of the movie with me a while ago, simply leaned in closer and gave me a knowing look. I smiled back, then pulled her and Scarlet closer. “Just keep watching.”

“Scrooooge! Ebenezer Scrooge!”

“Who’s calling me? Someone call my name?”

Fluttershy meeped and turned around, burying her face in my chest. The spooky music was clearly terrifying to her. I patted her on her back. “It’s just a movie, Flutters,” I whispered reassuringly. “Nobody’s gonna hurt you. I’m here too, and I’ll protect her.”

She relaxed in my grip. Zecora leaned closer and whispered in Farasi, “She’s putting the moves on you.”

“I know.”

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash jumped as the door to Scrooge’s inner chambers was flung open. “What was that?!”

“Freaking out a bit, Rainbow?” I teased.

“N-No! Just wondering!”

“Is it just me, or has that Marley ghost not blinked this entire time?” Mica asked.

“I noticed that too,” Twilight said, “doesn’t that hurt the actor?”

“Hush!” Spike said.

“Hang on, is this just like A Hearth’s Warming Tale?” Scarlet asked as the Ghost of Christmas Past showed up.

“Curiouser and curiouser,” Twilight muttered to herself.

“Longer? Three days is quite long enough for both of us. Don’t you think, Ebenezer?”

“…Yes sir…Quite long enough.”

“Is it wrong that I wanna give Ebby a party now?” a solemn sounding Pinkie asked softly.

“Ah doubt it, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “What kind of family treats their own kin like that?”

“That dress that the Belle girl is wearing is simply divine,” Rarity said with a soft tone. “I wonder if I could replicate it?”

“Jethro, is she beautiful in human terms?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“I would say so, yes.”

“He didn’t get to keep his special somepony…no wonder he’s such a sour grump,” Pinkie said after the ending of the scene between Belle and Ebenezer.

“I’m a businessmare, but even I know better than to put profit before love,” Rarity said.

“Ah’m with ya there,” Applejack agreed.

“Leave me! Haunt me no longer!”

“She’s just trying to help, Ebby!” Pinkie shouted at the screen.

“They can’t hear you, Pinks,” I said.

“It’s so sad…” Pinkie said again.

“I know, Pinkie, I know…”

“I knew humans had to eat meat, but do they need to eat so much?” Fluttershy asked gently as the Ghost of Christmas Present arrived in Scrooge’s house on his throne.

“Meat is good for us,” I explained quietly. “The nutrients we get from meat and animal products are some we can’t get from fruits and vegetables. And we need them to be at a hundred percent capacity.”

“I know that up here,” the Pegasus said, touching her head, “but in here, it scares me a bit.” She touched her chest.

“Flutters, I would never, ever eat anything that I can talk to,” I promised. “You know that, right?”

She nodded, giving me a kind and tender smile. “Does it cost much to order meat from Griffonstone?” she asked.

“It’s worth it if it means not worrying you,” I said, snuggling her closer.

“…I love you…”

“Aww, the Cratchit family looks like a really loving and happy family,” Twilight said. “Shame they’re so poor.”

“Money isn’t everything,” I said.

“This coming from the richest person in the world,” Scarlet teased.

“Oh hush,” I said, flicking her nose.

“It’s a very small goose.”

“It’s all Bob Cratchit can afford!”

“Yeah! You tell him, Mister Ghost!” Rainbow shouted, shaking her hoof at the screen.

“Rainbow, hush!” Twilight said.

“Wow, that ghost really is giving Scrooge the what for,” Rarity said in awe after the Ghost of Christmas present used Scrooge’s own words against him and then chewed him out.

“I bet this’ll make a great friendship lesson to the Princess,” Twilight said.

“Want me to write one now?” Spike asked.

“No, later Spike.”

“Mr. Cratchit is a lot nicer than I’d ever be,” Rainbow scoffed after Bob gave a toast to Ebenezer. “Look how proud Scrooge looks!”

“Now now, Rainbow Dash, even the biggest meanies need kindness sometimes,” Fluttershy admonished.

“He’s paying his employee far less than he deserves, darling,” Rarity said. “At some point, enough is enough.”

“Ladies, later, please,” I said.

“Ah like this Cousin Fred,” Applejack said quietly in my direction. “He knows what family means.”

“Even if his only family is some cruel asshole,” Rainbow muttered.

“Yeah…even if that,” Applejack said, shoving Rainbow none too gently.

“Ignorance and Want, huh?” Applejack observed.

“Ugh, they look horrid!” Rarity gasped. “In such weather, too!”

“You’re missing the point, Rarity,” I said.

“Wow, this is a lot darker than A Hearth’s Warming Tale,” Twilight said.

“Oh just you wait,” Sunset chuckled.

The moment the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come appeared, Fluttershy nearly jumped out of her fur and buried her face harder into my chest. I stroked her mane and covered her up with the blanket I’d brought down from my bedroom. A chill seemed to go through the room for those who hadn’t seen the movie before. Even Scarlet was unnerved.

“He isn’t gonna talk?” she asked me.

“Just watch,” I pointed to the screen.

“They’re talking about Scrooge, aren’t they?” Rarity asked after the scene in the stock exchange building ended.

A bolt of lightning was seen on the screen, followed by a clap of thunder and a close up of the front door to Scrooge’s house. “I knew it!”

“How does he not know?” Mica asked.

“Denial can be a pretty powerful thing,” Twilight replied.

I held Fluttershy closer. “Hang in there, Flutters.”

I felt a small pressure on my cheek. Looking down, I saw Fluttershy moving away from me, a blushing smile on her face. I brought my hand to my face, only for her to nod. “I did,” she said in an embarrassed tone.

“Wow, you two were right,” Spike said during the scene with Old Joe and Mrs. Dilber, “he really is in denial.”

“Told you,” Twilight said with a proud tone.

“I figured as much,” Rarity said.

“No! Why did Tiny Tim have to die!?” Pinkie wailed sadly.

Fluttershy was also crying, as were some of the other Ponies. I actually had to pause the film for a while until the others got their emotions together.

“Tha-that was not cool,” Rainbow said, holding back her own tears.

“Shit…that’s just sad,” Scarlet said.

“It’d be like if ah lost Apple Bloom,” Applejack said.

“Or me Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said.

It took them about ten minutes to calm down before I could resume.

“How does him realizing he died change him?” Twilight asked curiously.

Pausing the movie again, I had to take a few moments to gather my thoughts. That had always been a question of mine, too. However, I’d come up with an answer I was satisfied with. “It’s all up to interpretation, I think,” I said as all eyes focused on me, “but I think that since he’s been shown so much about himself that he chose to forget, like his happier past and miserable future, kinda continued building up and up until it culminated in his death. Once he realized he’d died alone and how his actions could lead to the death of a child he felt sympathy for, he quickly understood that he was just perpetuating a cycle of despair. That’s my take, anyway.”

All around me, the others nodded in agreement and muttered to themselves as I resumed the film.

“It’s nice to see somepony finally realizin’ the value of family,” Applejack said as Scrooge finally called on his nephew and wife.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Rarity said. “Quite refreshing.”

“Yay! He’s getting a raise!” Pinkie exclaimed happily, clapping her hooves together.

“Will that be enough to help Tiny Tim?” Fluttershy asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” I said.

“Ebenezer Scrooge was better than his word. He became as good a friend, as good a master, as good a man as the old city knew. And to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. It was said of Ebenezer Scrooge that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, ‘God bless us, every one’.”

Everyone in the room stood up and cheered as the music crescendoed and the movie ended. The looks of relief on their faces warmed my heart. I felt two pairs of lips kissing my cheeks from either side of me, and I grinned. My grin froze in surprise as Fluttershy herself placed a gentle kiss on my lips, happy tears flowing down her cheeks. “Ah, I’m sorry,” she said nervously.

I ruffled her mane gently. “It’s alright, Flutters,” I said.

“I can’t believe that there’s a story like A Hearth’s Warming Tale on Earth,” Twilight exclaimed as I turned the lights back on and closed the window on my laptop. “There’s so much similarities there!”

“It surprised me too,” Sunset said as she sat up and stretched. “So, what should we do next?”

“There are a few other movies we could watch,” I said, “or we could play some games. It’s only…what, just past four?”

“Four twenty,” Spike said, looking at the grandfather clock in the room.

“Well, there’s either games, or we could watch Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer or Santa Claus is Coming To Town.”

“What about that eggnog?” Pinkie asked eagerly.

“Good point, Pinkie,” I said. “I’ll go get it.” Looking down at Fluttershy, I smiled. “Gotta get up, Flutters.”

She gave me a small pout, but nodded as she stood, jumped off of my legs and stretched her legs and wings. “I wouldn’t mind another movie, as long as it’s not as scary as the one we just watched,” she said, “but games sound fun, too.”

“Well, you guys can decide on what to do. I’ll be right back with the eggnog.” So saying, I grabbed my jacket, put on some boots and walked out into the snowy afternoon. The snow had reached at least three inches now and it was still coming down strong. The forecast meant for it to continue falling until the following morning at around nine and then it would give way to scattered snow showers.

The eggnog that Pinkie had made, which was in a large one gallon pitcher, had actually reached a temperature cold enough to taste better than if it had been warm, so I carried it back to the house where I found the others sitting around in a circle, talking either about the movie or what to do next. I walked into the kitchen, poured everyone a glass, and carried them out into the living room. Everyone paused their conversations when I floated each glass towards them. The Unicorns took them in their magic, the Pegasi took the glasses in their wings, the Earth Ponies and Zecora took them in their hooves, and Mica and Spike simply grabbed the glasses. They curiously took a sip. I held my breath as they tasted the holiday treat from Earth.

Pinkie was the first to react. She took a larger swig, swishing it around in her mouth and frowning as she tasted it. Finally, her mane poofed up even more and she was immediately in my face. “Can…CAN I SHOW THIS TO THE CAKES?!” she asked with wide eyed enthusiasm. “It would be a BIIG HIT!”

It still surprised me that they didn’t have eggnog in this world since I remembered it had been mentioned in A Hearth’s Warming Tail, but I had to remind myself that this wasn’t the Equestria from the show. “I’ll pour them a smaller pitcher,” I said. “You can show them the recipe, too. I’d love to have eggnog here during the holidays. And there are other things you can do with it. You can make ice cream, pie, frosting and more, It’s a staple holiday drink back on Earth.”

“This stuff is pretty awesome,” Rainbow admitted, putting down her empty glass and licking the eggnog mustache off of her lips. “Can I have more?”

“Lemme just set some aside for the Cakes before I pour more,” I said, walking back into the kitchen, finding a glass jug with a lid, pouring some in, then setting it in my Equestrian fridge.

By the time I came back, the others were waiting for a second glass, holding each up and waiting with wide eyes. I rolled my eyes and smirked. “What are you, children?” I teased as I began pouring more for each of them.

“It’s so good!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Ah gotta say, ah think mah family’d love this. Can ah get the recipe, too?”

“Me too!” Spike added.

“If the cakes do begin making this, I would gladly purchase some for me and my sister,” Rarity said. “This concoction is delicious! I’m sure Sweetie Belle will love it!”

“Could I get the recipe, too?” Fluttershy asked sweetly, batting her eyes at me.

“I’ll print one out for each of you before you go home tomorrow,” I promised as I finished pouring another glass. “Now then, what should we do next?”

“Ah’ve been wonderin’ about a game yah mentioned a while ago,” Applejack said. “Apples tah Apples, was it?”

I grinned. “Of course it was. Alright, I’ll go grab it, then we can finally let the games begin!”

133: A Cloaked Heart's Relaxing Night

“So, let me see if ah got this right,” Applejack said about ten minutes later after I got the expanded pack of Apple to Apple from my house, “we each get seven of these here red cards in a deck, then somepony puts down a green card with a description. Then we try an’ match the card as best we can?”

“More or less,” I said. After we had reorganized the couches so that we could all sit around in a large circle in front of the fire, I’d begun to explain the rules to the game. Scarlet knew a bit about the game already, and so did Sunset. “Like here, watch.” I picked up one of the green cards and held it up. “This one says Ancient, and the synonyms read Elderly, Old, and Antique. So I would put that down when it was my turn to judge. Then I would look through the cards in my deck.” I pulled out a group of seven red cards and looked them over. Then I showed them to the rest. “So here, I have seven random cards. Which would you think would fit the description.” The others looked closely at the cards. I had Bongos, Faith Hill, Urban Sprawl, Time Travel, Sports Channel, Starry Night and Pride and Prejudice in my example deck. “I know what I would pick, but it might not mean much to you all. Also, here’s a hint: read the flavor text that gives some context to the subjects themselves.”

I spread them on the ground and let them have a closer look. They all crowded around, trying their best to get a look. Finally, Twilight raised her hoof and pointed. “I think I would choose Pride and Prejudice. If it was written in 1813 it’s pretty old, right?”

“What about time travel?” Spike asked. “Couldn’t that kind of relate to antique or ancient?”

“I don’t think that’s the right answer, Spike,” Twilight said.

“Just remember that there aren’t really correct answers,” I said. “You need to know a bit about the judge and see if you can pick on that you think they will pick. It could be something close and accurate or it could be something funny.”

“A lot of this are Earth references we won’t get, are they?” Rarity asked.

“That’s what the flavor text is meant for,” I replied. “It gives some context to the subject like I said. Although for me, I’d probably pick Starry Night. Mostly because space is ancient too. Although Pride and Prejudice is a close second.”

“What’s the book about?” Twilight asked curiously.

“It’s more or less a romance book, if I recall correctly,” I said. “It’s been a while since I’ve read it, though, and that was for school.”

Rainbow just rolled her eyes. “Ugh…romance…”

Rarity, on the other hand, seemed intrigued. “Do you have a copy I could borrow?” she asked curiously.

“Hey! I was about to ask that!” Twilight said.

“I’ve got one somewhere, I’m sure,” I said, “but I’ll get it later. Do you all get the game, now?”

“Ah think so,” Applejack said, “but why was it named Apples tah Apples? Doesn’t seem like it has anythin’ tah do with apples?”

“Probably a marketing scheme, I’m honestly not sure,” I said. “So after the round is over, everyone grabs another card from the deck and the person to the left of the judge is now the new judge. When someone gets a certain number of green cards, they win. I think for this game…we could do maybe…hang on, lemme see.” I picked up the instruction page and looked at the recommended amount of cards per number of players. “Ah, here. Four green cards works. Unless you wanna go for a longer game before we go on.”

“Four is perfectly fine with me, love,” Zecora said.

“I’m down,” Sunset said.

With the others more or less agreeing, I grinned and pulled out the decks, setting them down in the center of the circle before quickly shuffling the red and green cards and dealing them out. “Alright, I’ll be the judge for the first round, and then Zecora will be the next one, and so on and so forth. Is everyone ready? Then let’s begin!”

“What?! My card completely fits Hot!” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she held up a red card which read Macaroni and Cheese. “It’s hot!”

“Sorry, Rainbow,” I said, “but Lava is much hotter than simple Mac and Cheese.”

“You only picked it because that was Zecora’s card,” she grumbled.

“That’s not really fair, Rainbow. Why do you think I moved the red cards around before looking? So I didn’t choose favorites.”

Her ears lowered. “Yeah…sorry. I really thought I had that in the bag, though!”

“You’ll get one, I’m sure,” I said. “By the way, one way you can play it is that any green card you get actually describes you.” I turned and winked at Zecora. “So you’re hot.”

Zecora blushed. “Why thank you, love.”

“Get a room!” Scarlet laughed.

“Oh, come on! Mac and Cheese would have worked for this card!” Rainbow shouted as Zecora picked out Cheesy from the green pile.

“Yeah, that tends to happen,” I said, “but read the synonyms. You might be surprised.”

“Um, what if we don’t have any cards that match?” Fluttershy asked, looking up at me confused.

“Put down your best guess, Flutters,” I said.

“Hehe, I’ve got this one,” Sunset smirked as she put down her card.

“Prince Charming isn’t cheesy, Applejack!” Rarity shouted as Rainbow Dash picked up the green card triumphantly with her wings and did a little celebratory flight. “He’s every mare’s dream!”

“Maybe in your dreams, fancybutt,” Rainbow giggled, “but not for me!”

“Alright, it’s Fluttershy’s turn to judge now,” I said as I grabbed a card from the red deck. “You ready, Flutters?”

“Um…I hope so,” she said quietly.

“Hah! Isn’t that ironic! Fluttershy pulling out the Shy card!” Rainbow laughed. “Anypony have a Fluttershy card?”

“Rainbow, be nice,” I said as I put down my best card, Love Letters, “it’s part of her charm.”

Fluttershy blushed and smiled at me gratefully. “Thank you,” she said.

“Hah! I’ve got the perfect one!” Spike shouted as he triumphantly put his card down.

“Pretty sure mine will beat yours,” Mica grinned at his new friend.

“Bring it on!”

“Rabbits are totally shy!” Spike said after Fluttershy picked out Twilight’s card, which was Porcupine.

Fluttershy giggled. “Oh Spike, have you met Angel before? He’s the farthest thing from shy. Porcupines are very shy critters until you get to know them. Then they don’t stop talking.”

“And Angel has quite the mouth on him, as I recall,” I said.

Fluttershy looked a bit embarrassed. “Yeah…I don’t know where he learned that.”

“Welp, my turn!” Twilight said excitedly. She picked up a green card. “Prim and Proper. Otherwise known as reserved, modest, prudish.”

“Anypony got Rarity for a card?” Rainbow smirked.

“Hey!”

“Hah! My first one!” I smiled as I pulled the green card towards me.

“I suppose paying your bills is pretty prim and proper,” Pinkie said. “I don’t have any good cards.”

“Well, you’re the next judge anyway, so you get to pick,” I said.

“Really? Yay!”

“Of course you’d pick Rock Candy,” Sunset chuckled as Spike got his first card and held it triumphantly up with a wide grin on his face.

“Whaaaat? It’s crunchy!” Pinkie smiled.

“Welp, it’s my turn,” Sunset said as she picked up a card. “Now here’s a tough one. Famous. Well-known, celebrated, distinguished.” She looked at me and chuckled. “I wonder who will win?”

“How did Pinkie win?!” Rainbow asked. “What even are The Beatles?”

“They’re a famous singing group from Earth,” Sunset explained. “I’m surprised Pinkie knew it.”

“Weeell, I didn’t have anything to put down, so I just went eenie meanie miney moe,” Pinkie admitted.

“My turn, then,” Mica said.

“Yes! Mah first one!” Applejack exclaimed as she picked up Fun. “What is the State Fair, though, and is it really fun?” she asked me.

“It’s a year long fair that would take place in each state in the United States,” I explained. “They have all kinds of fair food, rides, and stuff like that.”

“Oooh! Can we go to one sometime?” Pinkie asked.

“The one in Washington back on Earth is down near Tacoma,” Sunset explained. “That’s a long way to go.”

“Is there a train or something that goes down there?” I asked.

“I think so, but I’ll have to go back to Earth and check sometime,” Sunset said.

“I can go back and check too,” I said. “Maybe we can do that sometime this summer. I wonder if the human versions of you would like to go?”

“Diane will, I know it!” Pinkie giggled.

“Just remember, you guys, that some of the food down there is meat,” I cautioned.

“Hey, a critter’s gotta eat,” Applejack said.

“Oh, yes that’s true,” Fluttershy said.

“My turn to judge!” Spike said eagerly, picking up a card. “Now here’s a good one! Magical, or enchanting, miraculous, marvelous.”

Sunset smirked. “I’ve got the perfect one for this…”

“Told you I did!” Sunset shouted triumphantly as she grabbed the card with her magic.

Twilight was looking at the red card Spike had chosen. “Unicorns - Imaginary horse-like animals. A long, pointed horn grown from the middle of their foreheads.” She looked over at me. “Do we look imaginary to you?”

“Hey, on Earth Unicorns are completely fictional,” I said, raising my hands in defense.

She chuckled. “I’m just teasing.”

“Right. Okay, so I have a card, Spike has one, Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie, Sunset, and Rainbow Dash all have one. Rarity, it’s your turn to judge.”

“Hmmph, I shall choose the best one ever,” Rarity said with pride as she picked one out. “Aha! New & Improved, upgraded, enhanced, revised.”

“Hah! Another card!” Rainbow Dash said as her red card, The 21st Century, was picked. She grabbed the green card and set it down beside her. “I rock at this game!”

“Pride cometh before a fall, Rainbow,” I smirked. “Besides, you won’t get a card this next round. It’s your turn to judge.”

“Hehe, I’ll pick something cool!” she boasted as she picked up the next green card. Her reaction to what was on the card, however, seemed to drain the life from her. “Oh, come on…really?” she muttered.

“Well, what is it?” Rarity asked.

“Nnng…can’t I choose another?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh no, you don’t,” I said. “Show us the card.”

“Put it down, Rainbow,” Scarlet, who’d apparently seen the card, smirked.

“Oh fine,” she said, slowly putting it down. “Adorable, lovable, charming, delightful.”

“Hah! Anyone got Rainbow Dash’s reaction to that card automatically wins!” Scarlet joked.

“I’ll get you, Scarlet,” Rainbow growled. “Just put your cards down, everypony.”

“Revenge is quite sweet, isn’t it Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked as she picked up her very first card.

Rainbow’s ears were flattened as she muttered, “I can’t help it…I don’t do adorable…”

“Still, you picked a pretty adorable card,” Twilight said, holding up one that read Flowers & Candy - When "I'm sorry" is not enough.

“I thought that was Pinkie’s card,” she admitted.

“Nope! Mine was Freckles!” Pinkie giggled.

“Yep. Freckles are pretty adorable,” I said. “Especially on one very amazing farmer Pony in this room,” I added, looking over at a blushing Applejack.

“Aww, shucks,” she said, hiding her head a bit with her hat.

“My turn,” Scarlet said, picking up her card to judge. “Now this is an interesting one,” she said as she put the card down. “Big & Tall, large, bulky, gigantic.” She gave me a sideways glance and a wink. “Welp, place your cards down, everyone!”

Jesus, that mare…is she just constantly in heat??

“Yes! Another one!” Twilight exclaimed as she took the card.

“Alright, ah admit, castles is definitely bigger than A Cabin In The Woods,” Applejack said as she grabbed the next red card in the deck.

“Shoot, I really thought I had that one,” Mica said as he too grabbed another card.

“It was pretty close,” I admitted, “but seriously, I’ve been inside four castles since coming here. They’re always built big. Especially Canterlot. Seriously, that place is like Minas Tirith on whimsey.”

“And not exactly the best defended,” Mica observed.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“He has a point,” Sunset said. “The palace is on the very edge of a cliff. It really should have been placed against the mountain.”

“Well, in the show they could extend a magical shield around the palace,” I said, remembering the Canterlot Wedding, “so I’m guessing it’s the same here.”

“Even so,” Sunset argued, “they should have built the palace against the wall. There are so many abandoned caves down there that could be useful for escape.”

“True,” I conceded as I grabbed the next green card. “Okay, everyone. Next card is Bright, brilliant, radiant, shiny.”

“My first card. Yay,” Fluttershy exclaimed in her typical quiet fashion as she grabbed her card.

“Aww, I was so sure I had that one,” Twilight pouted.

“Well, I left it up to chance,” I said, holding up the bit in my hand which I’d flipped to choose. “That was an impossible choice.”

She smiled. “True. Congratulations, Fluttershy.”

“Thank you,” the yellow Pegasus said with a small smile.

“Your turn, Zecora,” I said.

My fiancée nodded and reached down, picking up a card. “Here we have Global, world-wide, spherical, universal.”

“Finally! My first one!” Scarlet said in an exasperated tone as she picked up the card.

“Well, The Earth is a pretty global thing,” I chuckled as I ruffled Zecora’s soft and warm mane. She leaned against me, nuzzling me affectionately as Applejack picked up the next green card.

“Now here’s an easy one!” the Earth Pony said. “Crisp and Delicious, tasty, crunchy, savory.”

I immediately grabbed one and slammed it onto the ground triumphantly. “Oh, I’m gonna win this round,” I said with utter surety.

“Is that so?” Fluttershy asked in an oddly competitive voice as she quickly slipped a card onto the carpet, giving me a knowing grin. “I don’t think so, Jethro.”

“I’ve got the perfect one!” Pinkie said, putting her card down as well.

“Not as perfect as mine!” Rainbow Dash said as she slammed a card down.

“My my, but this sounds like it will be an interesting round,” Rarity said.

“How in tarnation did this happen?” Applejack asked as she looked at the few cards she was debating over. All of them apple themed. There was Apple, Apple Pie, Apples and Oranges and Mom and Apple Pie. The others she’d discarded, but she was now staring at the four cards in the center with confusion. “Wow, ah just don’t know…they’re all pretty good…”

“Just go with your gut,” I said.

We all watched as Applejack pondered over her choices. Slowly, she put down Apples and Oranges. “Ah like oranges just fine,” she said, “but they ain’t crisp.”

“Aw, nuts!” Rainbow said as she crossed her forelegs and huffed.

“And…ah think this one should go too,” Applejack said, putting Mom and Apple Pie down.

“Aww…well I guess you’re right,” Pinkie said.

I locked eyes with Fluttershy, who still had that oddly competitive look in her eyes. I grinned back at her, raising an eyebrow. Applejack was too engrossed in her decision to notice until finally she threw up her hooves in frustration. “Anypony got a bit ah can flip?”

Pulling out one I’d used earlier, I handed it to her. “Here you go, AJ.”

“Thanks, sugarcube.” With that, she held it up in her right hoof, its golden surface reflecting the fire and the lights on the tree. “Heads fer Apple, Tails fer Apple Pie.” She tossed it in the air…

And it landed heads.

Smiling triumphantly, I grabbed the card.

“Hmm…Woebegone, dismal, sorrowful, bummed out,” Fluttershy said a half minute later as she put down the new green card.

“Aww, that’s not a nice card,” Pinkie said as she put down one nearly immediately.

“I know, but you can’t have all happy cards in a game like this,” I replied as I searched through my deck for the perfect one, “You wouldn’t be able to play as long.”

“Still, who wants to think about sad stuff?” Pinkie asked.

“I get what you’re saying, darling,” Rarity said, “but not everypony can be happy all the time.”

“Unfortunately,” Pinkie said sadly.

“Finally!” Mica said as he picked up his first green card.

Fluttershy shuddered as she put down the red card she’d chosen, which was Whips and Chains. I gave her a sympathetic look. A lot of the cards put down were good ones, but Whips and Chains was definitely one that Fluttershy would not have cared too much for. “Congratulations, Mica,” Fluttershy said nervously.

“Thanks!” he said excitedly as he placed it beside him. “Ah, I’m a bit thirsty now,” he admitted, “Can I go get a glass of water?”

“Ah’ll do yah one better,” Applejack said. “Ah’ll break out the cider!”

“Aww yeah!” Rainbow said excitedly, rubbing her front hooves together.

“I’ll break out some glasses,” I said as I stood. “We’ll resume the game in a bit, okay?”

“Yay! I’m not only famous, but warm and fuzzy too!” Pinkie said about five minutes later when Twilight picked out her card Saturday Morning Cartoons. She grabbed her card, took a large swig of her cider and beamed happily.

“Ugh, why couldn’t it have been awesome?” Rainbow asked. “I’ve got the perfect card for that!”

“What, does it read Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom?” I asked in a teasing tone, which got plenty of laughs from the others.

“No, but it’s almost as awesome as that!” she exclaimed.

“I don’t doubt it,” I chuckled as Twilight picked up another green card.

“Okay…let’s see…Boisterous, loud, rambunctious, rowdy.”

“Anyone got a card named Pinkie Pie?” Scarlet joked.

“Hey!”

“Alright! Mah second one!” Applejack said happily as she picked up her card.

“Pigs are pretty loud,” Spike agreed. “And dirty.”

“Yeah, true,” Applejack said as she put the card next to her first one.

“I’ve always wondered why farm animals in this world are treated in much the same way as farm livestock back on Earth,” I said suddenly, turning to Applejack. “I mean, the cows and pigs and sheep on your farm can talk, same as you. So why keep them there?”

“They ain’t livestock here,” Applejack explained. “We pay em pretty well, and give em plenty of freedom. Think of em more like Sweet Apple Acre employees. The goats prefer tah sleep in the open fields durin’ the warmer months and in our barn durin’ the colder months. Same with the cows and pigs. Believe me, ah’ve asked. We’ve even offered tah build some better proper housin’ fer em, but they keep insistin’ they’re fine.”

“Huh…I wonder why they can talk properly but other animals can only speak Phoenix,” I said.

“I believe I can answer that,” a familiar female voice said as a pair of talons landed on my shoulder.

“Gah! Damn it, Hestia, you’re almost as bad as Pinkie,” I said.

A second pair of talons landed on my other shoulder. I turned and saw a giggling Eve standing there. She waved her wings, and to my surprise, actually spoke. “Hi!”

I raised an eyebrow then turned back to Hestia. “Hold the phone…did she just-?”

“She can talk now?!” Pinkie exclaimed eagerly, bouncing up from her pink bean bag.

“I’ve been teaching her to use common speech for about a week now,” Hestia said, “but I’ll explain that later. First of all, our kind taught all animals across the continent to speak. Just this continent. Some even became more intelligent than we anticipated and began mimicking normal speech until they could actually talk and reason just like anyone in this room can. That includes cows, pigs, dolphins, sheep and goats. Animals across the oceans, however? They’re pretty much the same as those on Earth. Dumb animals.”

“So them being able to talk was just a side effect of you teaching them?” I asked.

“That’s correct,” Hestia said. “It surprised those of us who taught them, too. I was one of the only ones who really ever tried to talk, and it took me years to learn. Fortunately, it seems the younger generations of Phoenixes have changed enough that we can learn to talk fairly quickly.”

“Jephro! Hi hi!” Eve said again, mispronouncing my name in the most adorable way possible before she switched back to her own language. “How did I do?”

“It’s Jethro, not Jephro,” I corrected, “but you’re doing pretty well so far. How much do you know?”

“Just a few words,” Eve explained. “It’s hard.”

“She’ll get better quickly, I’m sure,” Hestia said. “And perhaps I can teach Philomena as well. If she’s willing to try and learn. But in the meantime, it looks like everyone here’s playing a game. Mind if we sit and watch?”

“Not at all. Be my guest,” I said.

“Thanks.” Hestia and Eve both sat in my lap. “So, what kind of game is this, anyway?”

“Well, while the only Pony who looks like a Phoenix here chooses the next card, I’ll explain things to you,” I said. I saw Sunset roll her eyes at me as she picked up the next card.

“Sweet! Another one!” Spike said as he picked up the green card which read Believable, trustworthy, credible, convincing.

“Um, what exactly are Pokémon?” Fluttershy asked. “Some kind of animal from Earth?”

“No, they’re fictional creatures from a famous Japanese anime and card game,” I explained. “I honestly never watched the show or played the games, but even now, they’re really famous back on Earth.”

“When I was dating Flash, I found some old vintage Pokémon cards in his room,” Sunset said. “I almost destroyed them when he broke up with me. Some of them are worth a decent chunk of change.”

“Flash is into that, huh?” I asked. “Interesting…okay, Mica. Your turn to judge.”

“So, not only am I hot, but I’m also swift?” Zecora asked me as her card, Lions and Tigers, was chosen.

“If you want to play it that way, sure,” I said as I kissed her cheek.

“Hope I’m not as swift in the way you like,” she said sultrily in my ear, “that wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“Scarlet’s been a bad influence on you,” I whispered back.

“My turn to judge!” Spike said as he picked out the next card. “Okay, this one says weird, abnormal, peculiar, odd.”

“Ah, I’ve got the best one for this!” Pinkie exclaimed as she put one down.

“I believe I have you beat,” Rarity replied, putting one of her cards down as well.

“I told you I had you beat!” Rarity exclaimed as she took her green card. Spike had chosen the one which read Flannel Shirts.

“Aww, I was sure Dr. Seuss would win,” Pinkie said.

“It was a hard decision,” Spike admitted. “I’ve seen a Dr. Seuss book before back on Earth when we first went. They’re really weird.”

“They were children’s stories, Spike,” Twilight said. “And the Smith family liked them.”

“He’s a household staple,” I said. “I loved it whenever Mom would read the books to me whenever I was a kid and we were getting ready for bed.”

“Still weird,” Spike said.

“You’ve grown up with Twilight,” I smirked. “Lemme guess, she read you more intellectual books before you went to sleep?”

“N-Not all the time!” Twilight shouted nervously.

“I bloody knew it,” I smirked. “Okay, Rarity? You’re up to judge.”

“That’s a third one for me!” Spike exclaimed as he grabbed his third green card, which read Dreamy, fanciful, whimsical, heavenly. His card had been Pajamas, and since none of the other cards there seemed to match dreamy, she’d chosen that.

“Pajamas are dreamy,” I agreed, “especially if made by one Miss Rarity Belle.”

Rarity blushed at that. “Only the best for my friends and my customers, darling,” she said after recovering.

“I’m next!” Rainbow picked up a card. “Awww, why do you all get the best card in the bunch!?” she asked as she put down a card that read Awesome, amazing, remarkable, majestic.

“Hehe, I’ve got this one,” Scarlet said as she put down a card.

“Aww, I was sure I had that one,” Scarlet said as Sunset picked up the card. The dark gray Pegasus picked up her red card, which read My Love Life.

“She doesn’t know anything about your love life, though, does she?” I whispered, surreptitiously giving her flank a pinch. She jumped and squealed slightly, giving me a naughty look. “Besides,” I said in a louder tone, “thanks to these wings, I’ve tried skydiving, and I have to say it’s awesome.”

“I did it back on Earth once,” Sunset said. “Scary as hell, but the adrenaline rush is something else.”

“There’s something super exciting about having your wings strapped to your side and falling!” Rainbow agreed.

“Welp, my turn to judge,” Scarlet said as she picked up a card. Only to pause and show it to me privately. “Um…this might seem weird for me to say, but is this appropriate? There are younger people present.”

I read the card, which read Sultry, sweltering, humid, sensual. Looking over at Spike, I quickly nodded and put the card away in the box they came in. “Not that one,” I said.

“Why not?” Twilight asked.

“Not appropriate,” I said as Scarlet picked up another one.

“Oh,” was all she could say, glancing briefly at Spike.

“Here’s a good one,” Scarlet said, putting another card down. “Tasty, flavorful, savory, appetizing.”

“Ooooh nice!” Pinkie immediately put one down.

“Ah bet this one’s gonna be good,” I heard Applejack say as she put her card down.

“I’m sorry, Pinkie, but I just can’t agree about this,” I said after she won the next round, getting her tied with Spike with three. “Candy corn is not something I’d willingly eat.”

“But it’s sooo tasty!” Pinkie countered.

“I used to be okay eating them, but now I don’t really care for them,” I replied. “Not really a fan. They’re popular on Earth, sure, but they’re just not for me. Just like marshmallow Peeps are during Easter season.”

“Oh, I’m there with you,” Sunset said. “Can’t stand Peeps.”

“I thought Easter was a religious holiday?” Twilight asked.

“Like Christmas, it started out that way, but it’s become more secular in how it’s celebrated,” I explained. “And as far as I know, you don’t have an equivalent in Equestria. Anyway, it’s my turn to judge.” I picked up another card. “Oooh, here’s a good one.” I put down the card, which read Hardworking, industrious, diligent, busy. “Sheee’s gorgeous, pragmatic, industrious and kind! She downright radiates agrarian allure,” I sang, glancing teasingly over at a quickly blushing Applejack. “If there was a contest for winsome country class, there’d be a bright blue ribbon headed straight to her!”

“She gets her own song?! Dude, that’s not fair,” Rainbow pouted.

I turned to Rainbow and grinned. “When you're flying up there, in the sky, rising high, every hue, it's like a dream. Out of this world, into a new. When you're soaring up there in the sky, spread your wings, and you will see the cirrus swirl shimmering down below. And you'll recognize the glow from the Double Rainboom. A Double Rainboom.”

“Double Rainboom? Huh…never thought about trying that before,” Rainbow said.

“Please don’t try it around Ponyville,” I cautioned. “I don’t know how dangerous that could be. Do it in some unpopulated area.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said. “Anyway, here’s my card.”

“Oh my, I got a second card,” Fluttershy said as she picked up her new card.

“Bugs are really hardworking, I’ll give you that,” I said. “Back on Earth, scientists have poured molten metal into abandoned ant hills and taken them out. You should see the intricacy that ants have when making their homes. I should show you A Bugs Life sometime…but anyway, Zecora? You’re up.”

“Finally!” Scarlet said, exasperated as she picked up the card that read Sweet, sugary, caring, good.

“Not sure how bubble gum is caring, but it is sweet,” Twilight said.

“It’s really good!” Pinkie giggled. “Just like this eggnog stuff. Can I have some more?” Pinkie held up her eggnog glass towards me.

“Sure, I’ll go get some more,” I said. “There’s enough for everyone to have just one more glass. Anyone?”

“Ah’m fine now,” Applejack said.

“Yes yes! Me me!” Rainbow shouted.

“Me too, please,” Twilight said.

Nearly everyone else wanted more, so I stood and grabbed the pitcher, pouring everyone a half glass of eggnog before sitting back down. “Alright, Applejack? Your turn to judge.”

The Earth Pony picked up the next card. “Ah, here we go. Overwhelming, exhaustive, breathtaking, monumental.” She put the card down and we all looked through our cards.

“Did…I just win?” Spike asked, eyes wide in astonishment as his card, homework, was chosen after Applejack recollected her time in school and how she absolutely hated doing homework but did it anyway so she could play.

“Sure looks that way,” I said as I put my cards down on the ground. “Congrats, sonny boy. You’re the first winner of Apples to Apples in Equestrian history.”

Spike spread his wings and stood, fist pumping the air. “Yes yes yes! I won! I WON!”

“Calm down there,” Twilight said, chuckling as she gently pulled on his arm with her magic, “you don’t want to accidentally break something, do you?”

Spike immediately stopped, and sat back down, blushing. “Sorry…”

“Hey, it’s alright,” I said. “It’s perfectly fine to celebrate. Like I said, you’re the first in Equestrian history to win this game.” I looked around the room. “So, how did you like the game?”

“I thought it was fun,” Scarlet said, “even though I only got one card.”

“Ah bet this game could be remade fer Equestria and become pretty popular,” Applejack said. “Ah know ah’d buy one.”

“Of course you would,” Rainbow said, “it has apples in the name!”

“So what? Ah like what ah like,” Applejack said. “And ah know yah liked the game.”

“Yeah, but I lost,” Rainbow said. “I hate losing.”

“Well, we could play again, or we could watch another movie? I know one that I think you’ll all like. One of the most famous Christmas movies from Earth.”

“Die Hard?” Sunset asked with a teasing tone.

I chuckled. “I actually haven’t seen that movie,” I admitted. “And it’s not really appropriate for the company here. No, what I was thinking was one of the older Rankin and Bass stop motion movies.”

“What’s a stop motion movie?” Twilight asked, eager to learn something new.

“Well, that depends on if you all want to watch some more Christmas movies,” I asked. “I can show you three of the more famous ones which are each about an hour long.”

“Yes please!” Twilight shouted eagerly.

“Eh, sure, I don’t mind,” Rainbow said nonchalantly.

“I’ve never actually seen any of those movies even though they played on TV every Christmastime back on Earth,” Sunset said, “so I’m curious.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I wouldn’t mind a film or two,” Zecora said, smiling up at me.

When the others nodded and said yes, I nodded. “Well, let’s get things set up. Then we’ll watch.”

“What’s it called?” Scarlet asked as I stood and began cleaning up the Apples to Apples game as the others began rearranging the couches again.

“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.”

Author's Note

Final Score:

Jethro Bethridge: Crisp and Delicious, Prim and Proper

Zecora Mtunga Dawa: Hot, Swift

Applejack Apple: Fun, Boisterous

Fluttershy: Bright, Hardworking

Twilight Sparkle: Shy, Big & Tall

Pinkie Pie: Famous, Warm & Fuzzy, Tasty

Sunset Shimmer: Magical, Awesome.

Mica Grayfur: Woebegone

Sir Spike: Crunchy, Believable, Dreamy, Overwhelming

Rarity Belle: Adorable, Weird

Rainbow Dash: Cheesy, New & Improved

Scarlet Dusk: Global

135: A Cloaked Heart With New Friends

“I’m Mister White Christmas, I’m Mister Snow! I’m Mister Icicle! I’m Mister Ten Below!” I found myself singing the Miser Brother’s song early the next morning in the kitchen as I began the preparations for a larger breakfast than normal. “Friends call me Snow Miser! Whatever I touch turns to snow in my clutch! Haha! I’m too much!”

“He’s Mister White Christmas, he’s Mister Snow! He’s Mister Icicle! He’s Mister Ten Below,” a young voice sang from behind me. Turning, I saw a sleepy looking Spike walking in. He was wearing a pair of gray pajama pants and a white t-shirt. “Morning, Dad,” he said.

“Morning, sport,” I replied automatically. “Whatcha doing up so early?”

“I normally get up this early to make breakfast for me and Twilight,” Spike said nonchalantly as he walked over to me.

“You know, that really should be the other way around,” I said as I flipped one of the pancakes on the griddle. “You shouldn’t really be doing as much for her as you are. Don’t get me wrong, I like Twilight a lot, but she can sometimes be a bit forgetful when it comes to you.”

“Eh…I don’t think you want to try her cooking,” Spike said, a shudder going down his back. “Once, for my birthday when we were still in Canterlot, she tried to make a cake. The royal kitchen smelled like burnt frosting for weeks.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Huh…sounds a bit like Sweetie Belle.”

“Really? What do you mean?” Spike asked as he grabbed a stool, walked over to the counter next to me, grabbed a bunch of bananas and began peeling them.

“Eh, in the show, there was an episode that showed her trying to make some breakfast for Rarity only she somehow burned everything. Even juice. And what are you doing, Spike?” I asked as he continued peeling the peels off of the bananas.

“Helping you make breakfast,” he said. “What, don’t you want me to help?” He turned and gave me a puppy dog look.

“Ponies aren’t the only ones who can weaponize the power of cuteness, I see,” I said with a sigh. “Alright, if you really want to help, I don’t mind. And since you’re already working on the bananas, could you cut them into slices? I was gonna put them on the pancakes.”

“That was my plan,” he smirked as he put down the first banana and grabbed the other. He looked at the spread before me. “Eggs…bread…wait, are those sausages?” he asked nervously.

“We have omnivores in the house, Spike,” I said, patting his head gently. “And I’m pretty sure that includes you.”

He looked down at the bananas he was peeling for a while as I kept my eye on the pancakes. We didn’t speak for a while until he spoke up again. “Do you think I really need to eat meat? What if Ponies hate me or are afraid of me because of it?”

“Those Ponies out there know I eat meat, and they still like me,” I said.

“But you’re not a Dragon,” he said.

“No, I’m just their Emperor,” I replied. I reached down and turned him to face me. “Spike, I won’t force you to eat meat if you don’t want to. If you’re comfortable eating gems and Pony food, that’s fine. But your present growth spurt aside, during the show you hardly ever really changed. At the end you were kinda grown, but not through the entire series. For my kind, unless we take special medication, we need to eat meat or find a way to get the nutrients from them another way. It’s one reason why I import meat from Griffonstone and why I’m glad the Stargate leads to Earth. I can easily get meat now. But, like I said, I won’t force you. I’m just worried that you might be the same.”

“Well, maybe we can get something from Earth?” he asked.

“I’ll do some research later,” I promised.

He smiled up at me. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re welcome, kiddo.” I turned and flipped the pancakes once more.

Spike sniffed the air and smiled. “What kind of pancakes are those? They’ve got a strange smell to them.”

“These are eggnog pancakes,” I explained. “After you all reacted so well to it last night, I looked up a recipe online and found one I could easily make here. It comes with its own vanilla syrup."

Spike’s eyes went wide and I could have sworn I saw the young drake salivating. “I smell it now! Oh wow…can I get the recipe?”

“Me too!” Pinkie Pie’s voice said out of one of the closed cabinets, which opened with a loud bang, only for the poofy haired Pony to jump out and land on all fours like a cat. And just like a cat, she sauntered over to me, tail in the air.

“Of course I’ll give you guys the recipe,” I said as I flipped the pancakes onto a nearby platter before putting more of the batter on the griddle. “Hell, you can use it in your shop if you want, Pinks. I don’t know if you guys sell pancakes, so if not, I can look for eggnog cake or ice cream.”

She squealed in delight. “Yes, please!” Pinkie then turned to the uncooked sausages which I was going to make next. Then, to my utter surprise, she grabbed a large skillet and placed it on one of the burners, grabbed the package, and began opening it.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked, stunned by her actions.

“Um…making sausages,” she said, looking at me with innocent confusion.

“But…you’re a Pony, Ponks,” I said. “Do you know how to make them?”

“I watched something on that toplap thingy Twilight has,” she said. “I wanted to know what to cook for you.”

I knew at that moment that this was one special Pony. I smiled wide at her, immediately making my way over to her and wrapping my arms around the now surprised mare. “You’re too pure for this world, Pinkie Pie.”

“You silly boy,” she said gently as she hugged me back, “I don’t care if you eat veggies, meat, or me. I love you for you. I know you wouldn’t eat a Pony.”

I ignored her obvious innuendo as I hugged her closer. “You’re incredible,” I said as I placed her back down. “If you really want to make sausages, then go ahead.”

“It’s my first time,” she admitted, “so could you make sure I don’t do anything wrong?”

“Of course,” I said with a smile as I put her back down. I turned back to Spike, who had a stunned expression on his young face. “What did I tell you, big guy?”

“Wow…Pinkie, aren’t you a bit scared?” Spike asked.

“Scared of what?” Pinkie asked as she poured a small portion of oil into the pan before turning the stove on.

“I mean…it’s meat,” he said.

“Awww, but it wasn’t meat from a talking creature, right?” she asked, looking up at me.

“Correct,” I said. “I got it from Griffonstone. The animals there are as dumb as rocks. Only Equestrian animals were taught how to talk by the Phoenixes.”

“And besides, Jethy needs to be healthy, right?” Pinkie added. “And if that means eating meat, well, I should learn to make it. Especially if things go further.” She looked up at me with wide and enticing eyes.

I smiled back at her. “Again, you’re amazing.” I turned back to the pancakes. “Alright, let’s get a move on. We’ve got a ton to make.”

The table was so full during that breakfast that I made a mental note to order a much larger one as well as an appropriate number of matching chairs for the occasion. Of course, the Siren Princesses and Chrysalis didn’t come downstairs for breakfast, so I took plates of food up for them. Sonata was the only one who really thanked me sincerely. Since I had no plans for the day after the others went home, I decided that it was the perfect chance to take a relaxing day to spend around Ponyville visiting some of the Ponies I’d gotten to know.

With Zecora spending some time at her house, Scarlet working at Sugarcube Corner, and Chrysalis and the Sirens still not ready to face the world, I figured now would be the best time. Ember had planned on spending time with Gemini, Mica was going to spend some time with a visiting Strawberry Rain and Phlogiston had plans to watch over Aurora for the day. I asked if any of them wanted to join me, but they all declined. So, I grabbed my boots, jacket, leather gloves, Santa hat and a scarf and headed out into the cold wintery wonderland that Ponyville had become overnight.

It was still snowing as I made my way out of the house, the flakes coming down thickly, but according to my phone’s weather app, the snow would stop by around midday, leaving the clouds. More snow would come in during the night. Despite this, I saw plenty of Ponies going about their business, all wearing warm clothes to protect themselves. I decided first to head to Sweet Drops on Seventh and Neighsay, Bon Bon’s sweet shop. It was just past ten when I left, and despite the heavy snowfall I decided it was better to fly to the side of town where the sweet shop was. So, I slipped on one of the pairs of my custom made goggles that I’d ordered from Cloudsdale, tightened the straps and leaped into the air.

I received plenty of friendly greetings and waves from the Pegasi I passed. I made sure to stay lower than the cloud level as I flew around Ponyville, heading to the eastern portion where I knew the sweets shop was. It was a little early for any kind of sweets, but I figured they’d be the best place to start.

Ponyville was already decked out with plenty of familiar decorations, garlands, lights, Hearth’s Warming trees and more familiar Christmasy type decorations. I also saw what looked like historical scenes. Almost like their version of a Nativity Scene. Most of them were nearly identical. There was a large depiction of a cave with six Ponies sitting in them. Three were half frozen and the other three were not. All six looked up and pointed with joyous expressions at a glowing heart, the Fire of Friendship.

Sweet Drops was a large pink and blue gumdrop shaped building sitting comfortably on the street corner. I landed a few yards away, brushing my coat off and taking off my goggles, letting them hang around my neck. Bon Bon had decorated her storefront with lights, green garlands with red bows, and even a small depiction of the Hearth’s Warming story painted onto the storefront windows. She had a red and white striped cloth awning above the windows along with a front display. The display was of familiar shaped buildings sitting atop of white cotton snow. I recognized a few of the buildings there, from Ponyville Town Hall to Golden Oaks to Rainbow Dash’s house which hung from the ceiling to even Sugarcube Corner. All of the major buildings in the city had been placed there, but there was one newer addition. At least I assumed it was new since it was brighter in color than the rest.

I saw my own house sitting on the left edge of the display, with a small winged human standing there in the small yard next to a Zebra and a familiar tree house.

A passing Pegasus Pony stallion saw me staring, and strode up next to me. “This is your first Hearth’s Warming, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, not taking my eyes away from the display as I took everything in.

“Well, you’ll learn that Bon Bon puts up this display every holiday season. It’s more or less the same, but this year she added a few new things.” He pointed his dark blue hoof at my house and yard. “She’s never changed her display in at least five years. You’ve really made an impact here.”

I turned to the Pony. He had a dark azure coat, grayish azure spiked mane and tail, and the constellation Orion on his flank as a cutie mark. His cornflower blue eyes looked at me with a warmness I’d grown to expect from the Ponies in town. I’d seen him in the show a few times, but never really got his name. “Thanks, Mister…?”

“Star Hunter,” he said, holding out his hoof. “Ponyville’s resident amateur astronomer.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really? I didn’t know Ponyville had one.”

The stallion smiled sheepishly now. “Well, it’s not really a job. It’s my hobby. It's kinda embarrassing how many constellations I can name.”

“I don’t think that’s something to be embarrassed about,” I said. “I love the night myself. On clear nights, I’ll break out my Earth telescope and look up at the heavens with Zecora.”

Star Hunter looked intrigued. “I’ve been saving up for a telescope for a while now,” he said. “My old one is falling apart. What’s yours like?”

“Well, it’s electronic,” I said. “There’s also a built in control system where I can only push a few buttons and the telescope moves to the object I want to see. Like if I wanted to get a glimpse of the Whirlpool Galaxy, I’d just program it in and the telescope will move towards it. Providing it’s in the sky.”

Star’s eyes widened. “I’d love a telescope like that! Have humans discovered more about the night sky than we Ponies have?”

“I’m pretty sure we have,” I said. “Here, lemme show you something.” I pulled out my phone, Googled Hubble Deep Field Image and projected it into the air. “Those aren’t stars, dude. Almost every point of light is a galaxy billions of light-years away. This picture was taken by humanity’s most powerful telescope to date. A telescope we placed in orbit.”

The poor stallion looked positively overwhelmed. I even thought I saw a tear in his eye. “So much…” was all he could say.

“If you wanna see more, I’ll show you plenty of stuff humans have discovered,” I said. “But right now I’m gonna drop in on some friends.”

Star shook his head. “Oh, yeah. Well, I should be going too. I work for the Ponyville Weather Bureau and my shift starts in thirty minutes.”

“Nice job with the weather, then,” I said. “I love snow.”

Star chuckled. “It’s a living,” he smirked. “See you around, Sir Bethridge.”

“It’s just Jethro!” I called out as the Pegasus spread his wings and shot up into the air out of sight. I just shook my head and sighed, smiling a bit as I turned back to Bon Bon’s shop. I’d never been to her store before, so I was curious to see what was inside.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt like I’d gone back in time to the 1950s. The smell of sweets assaulted my nostrils, but I also smelled what could only be soda. The interior was made of dark smoothed wood and I saw a few shelves along the wall full of many different jars of candy, such as taffy, wrapped up truffles, pieces of gum and more. There was a counter with the types of stools sitting at them, the kind that could turn. The walls were decorated with garland with candy canes hanging from them and in one corner was a tall brightly lit Hearth’s Warming tree with candy themed ornaments.

And behind the counter were two warm smiling faces looking over at me.

“Jethro!” Lyra squealed as she jumped over the counter and rushed over to me, nearly tackling me in the process. She threw her hooves around me, hugging me tightly. I had to admit, seeing her in a red and white striped vest and soda jerk hat on was immensely adorable. “You finally came!”

I hugged her back and smiled down at her. “Better late than never, huh?”

Bon Bon, who looked absolutely adorable in an identical outfit to Lyra, smiled at me and motioned me forward. “She’s just excited to see a human,” she smirked.

Lyra stuck her tongue back out. “That’s not what I’m doing and you know it,” she pouted as I walked over.

I sat on one of the stools, Lyra still hugging me. “It’s good to see you two again,” I said, rubbing Lyra’s back gently. “Bon Bon, thanks for looking after my house while I was away.”

“Lyra and I both took turns,” she admitted.

I looked down at the still smiling Lyra. “Well then, thank you too, Miss Heartstrings.”

Lyra giggled and finally got off of me, sitting on the stool next to me in that same remarkably human-like manner. “It was really fun! I hope you don’t mind if I did a bit of exploring while you were gone?” Her smile lessened. “With what was going on, I liked being away in some peace and quiet for a bit.”

“Of course,” I said, patting her back. “I’m just glad things didn’t escalate.”

“Nah, you just became a bona fide Emperor,” Bon Bon teased.

“Ugh, yeah…don’t remind me,” I sighed, leaning on the counter. “I never wanted that.”

Bon Bon came up and gave me a concerned expression. “I didn’t mean to make you upset,” she said apologetically.

“Not your fault,” I said as I pulled over one of the menus and looked over their soda selections. One name popped out as a holiday special and I raised an eyebrow. “Peppermint Float? What’s that like?” I asked.

Bon Bon’s smile returned. “You want to order one?”

I pulled out the required bits and put them down. “Make it a double,” I said.

Bon Bon smiled wider then turned to Lyra. “Ly, you make them better. Do you mind?”

Lyra nodded. “Sure! I’ll make one!” With that, she jumped over the counter and rushed over to the back.

When she was gone, I figured it was as good a time as any to talk to Bon Bon. I leaned forward and motioned Bon Bon forward. “Bon Bon, how’d Lyra take it when she found out you were Agent Sweetie Drops of S.M.I.L.E.?”

Bon Bon sighed. “She…wasn’t happy. We had a big argument. And I learned she ate some of those imported oats.”

“The ones you were saving for a special occasion?” I asked.

Bon Bon chuckled. “I keep forgetting you’ve seen our lives on that television show of yours.”

“Only bits and pieces,” I said. “The only reason I knew you were a special agent was from an episode where part of the plot was a Bug Bear attacking Ponyville.”

Bon Bon frowned. “Damn…does the Princess know?”

“I’ve told her about it,” I said. “Hey, mind if I ask you something?”

“Um, sure,” the Earth Pony said.

“Why’d you become a special agent? If your talent is making candy, why go into S.M.I.L.E.?”

Bon Bon smiled wistfully a bit. “Honestly, it’s a weird story.”

“If you’re willing to talk about it, I’d love to hear,” I admitted. “The show never talked about how you got in.”

“I’d like to hear it too,” Lyra said, coming out of the back with a float in a milkshake glass which she hoofed over to me. It had a long metal straw and spoon in it. Unlike a normal root beer float, this float had a bright amber colored soda, white ice cream with what I assumed were peppermint flakes inside and whipped cream on top.

“Thanks, Lyra,” I said as I took a sip. I immediately tasted cream soda. I took a bite out of the ice cream and tasted vanilla ice cream with peppermint chunks. “Cream soda, vanilla ice cream and peppermint. Nice touch.”

“Thanks, it’s a holiday favorite here,” Bon Bon said.

“Just like your front display?” I asked, gesturing to the window display behind me.

Bon Bon smiled. “You saw that, huh?”

“And the new additions,” I added.

“It’s not every day we have an alien and a Zebra living in our town,” Lyra giggled as she leaned against her hoof, looking kindly at me.

“You’ve changed a lot around here for the better,” Bon Bon said.

“Heh, well thank you, I’m honored,” I said, and I meant it. If this display was a staple of holidays in Ponyville, it was humbling to be included in such a place.

“But enough about that,” Lyra said, looking at Bon Bon with a grin. “I wanna know about your spy job!”

“You sure? It’s a weird story,” Bon Bon said.

“I’m curious, but if you don’t want to tell us, I won’t force it,” I said.

“Well, if you two really want to know, I won’t mind, but you’d better keep this to yourselves,” Bon Bon said seriously. “Even if half of Ponyville saw me as Sweetie Drops, I’ve still been sworn not to tell anypony else who doesn’t know.”

“I’m not a Pony, you know?” I smirked.

“You know what I mean,” she retorted with a smirk of her own.

“We won’t tell,” Lyra said, giving me a knowing glare.

“She’s right, I promise,” I said.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and then I saw a reminiscent look appear on her face. “Well, I’m twenty seven now, but I was eighteen when I joined. It’s really a weird story about how I joined.” With that, she began.

Apparently, after Sweetie Drops, who hadn’t yet changed her name legally, was eighteen, she had already found her talent for making candy, and while she enjoyed it, she wanted more. She was a very outgoing filly, getting into trouble for exploring plenty of hidden areas of Canterlot.

She was working at a sweets shop in Canterlot when she was involved accidentally in the capture of a displaced Chimera youngling who’d somehow gotten separated from its mother. She was the one who talked down the poor scared Chimera. Since she was involved accidentally, she was approached by Princess Celestia herself and invited to join the organization. Excited to do something other than make sweets for a living under a particularly mean Unicorn boss, she readily accepted and became one of the key members of S.M.I.L.E.

She explained that she really did love her job. She had taken up a few aliases during her tenure as a member of the organization and had helped to capture particularly malevolent creatures, banishing them to Tartarus in the process. At least, until the Bug Bear escaped and the organization was scrapped.

“So…a bit like Agent K from Men In Black,” I muttered to myself as she finished her story. “But why was the organizations scrapped just because a Bug Bear escaped?”

“Well, we were getting less funding from the government,” Bon Bon said with a sigh. “I guess some of the nobles saw this as an excuse to shut down the entire thing.”

“One mistake and that was it?” Lyra asked. “That’s pretty harsh.”

“The agency had been around for twenty or so years before I joined,” Bon Bon said. “I don’t regret having joined, but I really like the life I have now.”

“What if the agency had new funding?” I asked, reaching around my neck and fingering the necklace around it absent mindedly. “Funding from an unlimited source?”

“Well…I’m not sure I’d want to join back up again,” Bon Bon admitted. “I like this quieter life. I like living here in Ponyville and with Ly here.”

“Awww! Thanks, Bonny,” Lyra said, hugging her best friend eventually turned lover if that panned out.

“Honestly, I think having an organization like S.M.I.L.E. around is a good idea,” I said thoughtfully. “I might eventually do the same for Aelyssia. Only, I think I’ll repurpose it so it’s more like the S.C.P. Foundation.”

“What’s that?” Bon Bon asked.

“It’s a fictional organization humans made up, but the idea is that there’s this worldwide organization that captures and/or studies dangerous creatures and artifacts in various facilities around the world,” I explained. “For example, if an S.C.P. Foundation were founded here, they’d hold onto things like the Alicorn Amulet so that they weren’t a danger to anyone else. And possibly Eris, too, if we could find a way to do that.”

“I’m sure the Princess has her best Ponies on it,” Lyra said reassuringly.

“She’s told me the same thing,” I replied. “But anyway, that’s a really interesting story, Bon Bon. Thank you for sharing it with us.”

“My pleasure,” Bon Bon said with a smile. Her smile then turned into a grin and she leaned forward. “So…tell me about this herd you’re forming. I hear half the Elements of Harmony are into you and then there was that Lycan girl.”

Having just taken a sip of the float, I nearly began coughing in surprise as I swallowed and the drink went down the wrong way. Lyra leaned in with her own grin. “Oooh, the Lycan?? Not that I didn’t know! Do tell, huh? Planning on bagging Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash while you’re at it?”

“Wonder how that’ll work in the bedroom, eh Ly?” Bon Bon asked in a teasing tone.

I groaned and facepalmed after I recovered. “You two are just…”

“Adorable?” Bon Bon asked.

“Sexy as Tartarus?” Lyra asked, lifting her flank and shaking it.

“Goddamn it…”

After I finished my float and talked a bit more with the ever teasing duo, I gave them both a generous tip and flew off towards another store, only this one was owned by another iconic Ponyville duo, that being Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody.

Much like their house had appeared in the show, the shop was divided straight down the middle with classical vinyls and sheet music lining shelves along the left side of the store and DJ equipment and other old style electronics lining the other wall. When I walked in, I saw a Hearth’s Warming tree sitting directly in the center of the store. One side had strands of older styled white lights and the other had strands of more modern moving colored lights. The white light side had flocking on it and I saw ornaments that were mostly classical instruments. On the other side, I saw mostly garlands. From some corner speakers, I heard festive sounding instrumental music.

“My goodness, Sir Bethridge, is that you?” Octavia asked from behind her side of the counter as she was putting up some vinyls.

Vinyl, who was organizing a few things on her side of the store, turned and waved at me, then signed Dude! You actually came!

“It’s just Jethro, Miss Melody,” I said, “and yes, Vinyl, it’s long past time I came and visited this place.”

“You can call me Octavia,” the young cellist smiled. “What brings you by our establishment?”

“What, I can’t come visit some friends I’ve been neglecting?” I asked with a smirk.

Bro, you’re not neglecting, Vinyl signed quickly as she walked out from behind the counter and held up a hoof which I promptly fistbumped before she added There’s only one of you and so many others, you know?

“She’s right, you know,” Octavia said with a warm and friendly smile. “You’ve known some of us longer than most.”

“Well damn, now I feel really bad for not visiting more often,” I admitted.

“Pish posh,” Octavia said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Don’t be so glum.”

Yeah, bro, turn that frown upside down, Vinyl said with a silent snicker.

“Well, if you’re sure,” I chuckled. “So, how’s the most famous musical duo in all the My Little Pony fandom?” I asked.

“Doing quite well,” Octavia said. “Vinyl and I are putting out our holiday albums and sheet music for the season.”

It’s gonna be so sweet, Vinyl said with a grin. Ponies love buying the latest tunes about Hearth’s Warming.

“Do humans celebrate Hearth’s Warming?” Octavia asked. “I’ve seen you decorate your house for the holiday.”

“No, we celebrate a holiday called Christmas,” I explained. “We have our own music for the season.”

“Christmas? How do you celebrate it?” Octavia asked.

“Ironically enough, it’s a lot like Hearth’s Warming in how you celebrate,” I said. “We put up trees, decorate with garland and lights, give presents, and promote peace on Earth, good will towards men.”

Where did it come from? Vinyl asked.

“It’s a holiday based in an old human religion,” I said, and explained the origins once more to the two attentive Ponies.

When I finished, there was silence in the store, then finally Vinyl signaled Could you play us some music?

“Oh yes, please?” Octavia added. “I’d so love to hear a holiday song from another world.”

I smirked and pulled out my phone. “Hmm…let’s see here…aha! I bet you could easily turn this into a Hearth’s Warming song if you wanted to,” I said as I put on We Need A Little Christmas by Percy Faith and cast the spell that made it sound like it was in stereo instead of from a tiny phone speaker.

Vinyl and Octavia listened to the music with interest, bobbing their heads to the festive sounding tune. I saw them exchanging some knowing glances as the song continued playing. When it was over, Vinyl signed That was a pretty sick tune, bro.

“Her modern day lingo aside, I agree,” Octavia said. “What do you think, Vine? Replace ‘For we need a little Christmas’ with something like ‘For we all need some Hearth’s Warming’?”

Vinyl thought for a bit, then signed, Yeah, that works. Dude, could we get the lyrics and music for it?

“I’ll bring some by tomorrow,” I said.

“Do you think there are any other songs that we could convert to Hearth’s Warming carols or songs?” Octavia asked, and both Ponies gave me their biggest pleading eyes that they could.

“Damn adorable Ponies,” I grumbled as I looked through my Christmas tune playlist. “Hmm…how about this one?” I asked, hitting play on another classic. Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime began playing. As the two listened, I couldn’t help but smile. This was going to be a long but fun session with both musical prodigies…

Another hour later I was feeling a bit hungry, and since it was now around one o’clock, I decided that lunch was in order. So, I decided to head to the Hay Burger and order their veggie burger and fries. When I landed a few yards from the shop, I nearly ran into, ironically enough, one of the Ponies I had intended to visit. “Crap, I’m sorry Miss Mare!” I said as I furled my wings which had almost hit her backside.

Mayor Mare was wearing a bright pink coat and a similarly colored snow hat on her head. She chuckled. “Oh my, don’t worry about it, Sir Bethridge,” she said with a smile. “And you can call me Mayor, although I’ve recently thought about changing my name to the one you mentioned. Ivory Scrolls, was it?”

“That was what the many fans of the show would call you,” I nodded as I opened the door for her.

“Thank you, sir,” she said as she entered and removed her hat. “But yes, I actually like that name. Having a name like Mayor Mare is a bit constricting, at least for me.”

As the two of us walked in, I noted a few of the patrons looking my way and waving at me and the mayor. “I admit, I like the name better than your real one, but are you absolutely sure about that?” I asked. “I mean, it’s a big decision.”

“Oh, I haven’t decided yet,” she said as she looked around for a place to sit.

“Fair enough,” I said as I spotted an empty booth near the window. Pointing to it, I said, “There. Would you care to join me for lunch, Mayor? It’s on me today.”

“Such a gentlecolt,” she said with a grateful tone as she trotted over to the booth and took a seat.

When I took one across from her, one of the staff was immediately by the table. “Hello, and welcome!” the bright orange furred and green maned Pegasus mare with a slice of some kind of pie for a cutie mark said warmly as she hoofed down some menus for us to look at. “I’m Flaky Crust and I’ll be your waitress today. Can I start either of you off with some water or some Sweet Apple Acres holiday cider?”

“My, this place is going up in the world,” Mayor Mare said. “Could I have some of the cider? Chilled but no ice?”

“Same for me, please,” I added.

“Of course! Our special today is the double stacked hay bacon cheese hayburger,” she said.

“Sounds delightful,” the mayor said. “I’ll have that, please.”

“You’re still doing the veggie burger that Scarlet created, right?” I asked.

“It’s a customer favorite,” Flaky said.

“Then could I get a double veggie cheeseburger and some hoof fries?” I asked.

“Of course, sir!” She wrote down the order. “Will you both be wanting any dessert? We have a special crisp apple pie with apples from our very own Sweet Apple Acres.”

“I won’t be having any today, but thank you for offering,” Mayor Mare said.

“I’ll drop by and try some another time,” I said. “It sounds amazing.”

“Made the crust myself!” Flaky said, looking down at her cutie mark. “Pies of any kind are my specialty!”

“Then I look forward to trying it at some point,” I said.

“I’ll get those orders to the kitchen right away and be right out with your chilled apple ciders,” the waitress said as she sped towards the back.

As she did so, I turned back to the mayor and crossed my arms. “Slumming it like us commoners at a burger joint, huh?” I smirked. “I thought you liked Manehattan cuisine.”

“And I do,” she said with a chuckle, “but if anyone’s slumming it, as you so put it, it’s you, mister high and mighty Emperor.”

“This coming from the mayor who dyes her mane and tail?” I joked back.

She held her hooves over her head. “Hush, I’d rather not have that revealed,” she whispered.

“Of course,” I said, “but can I ask why you do that?”

“Would you vote for a mayor if they had silly pink hair?” she asked.

I chuckled. “Color isn’t important. What I vote for isn’t the physical, although you are quite lovely to look at. No, what I vote for are whether or not a candidate deals with issues that I feel are important.”

Mayor Mare blushed when I called her lovely, but looked intrigued by the latter part of my sentence. “And what, may I ask, are the issues you feel are important in Ponyville?” she asked.

I leaned back and looked out the window, glancing in the direction of the Everfree Forest. “Speaking as an outsider and someone who thinks a bit differently than your average Pony, I think security is an issue. Look there,” I added, pointing to the Everfree Forest. “Ponyville sits on the edge of one of the most dangerous forests in the world, and yet we don’t have any kind of protective barrier near it. Maybe a stone wall, or some magical shield.”

“Ah, yes,” Mayor said with a bit of drooped ears. “the Town Council had brought that up multiple times, but we’ve found that the budget can’t feasibly support that kind of construction.”

“Well, I’m good with money,” I said, “maybe I could help. How is the budget divided up?”

She took on a thoughtful look. “We have a budget for the plumbing, power, mail, weather, education, social services and general infrastructure,” she said. “Not necessarily in that order of importance.”

“Can’t you sneak anything in about security?” I asked. “Because let’s be honest, Mayor, Ponies are lower on the metaphorical food chain in Equestria than, say, a Timberwolf or Cockatrice.”

Her ears lowered and she nodded in agreement. “You’re right, I know,” she said, “but since the forest creatures keep to themselves, we just avoid the forest. That incident with the Ursa Minor a few months ago wouldn’t have happened if those two colts didn’t go into the forest.”

“Okay, that is a fair point,” I said, “but you really should consider some kind of security or even a police force. I haven’t seen anything like that in this town. Canterlot has the Royal Guard, and hell, Appleloosa has a sheriff.”

“We have you though,” Mayor Mare retorted. “You’re a Knight of Equestria.”

“Yeah, but I’m just one man,” I replied. “I can’t police an entire town and rule a foreign nation at the same time. Even sleepy little towns like Ponyville should have some kind of security. You can’t just go relying on Ponies like the Bearers of Harmony or even me.”

Mayor Mare pursed her lips. “Jethro, you need to understand, I’m just a mayor. I can only do so much. I know we should have more security, but the town council would need to be convinced.”

I took a deep breath. The mayor sounded tired, and I realized that talking politics during a break wasn’t really helpful. “Okay, that’s fair. Maybe I’ll talk to them sometime. But for now, new subject.”

She gave me a grateful smile. “How have you been, by the way?” she asked. “Your ship is quite the talk of the town. Nopony’s been able to get close to it thanks to those guards the Princess sent down. I heard Miss Cheerilee is hoping to talk to you about it and ask if her class can go aboard.”

“I think I could let them aboard,” I said with a smile, “but not right now. I’m not sure if I’m gonna take it back to Aelyssia or not.”

“Whatever for?” Mayor Mare asked.

“Well, if there are Dragons who are unable to fly, I’d take them on the ship,” I explained. “I’m moving an entire population, and there may be a few there who can’t fly for one reason or another. Maybe they’re hatchlings or maybe they don’t have a wing or maybe they’re too old, who knows?”

Mayor smiled knowingly. “Very thoughtful of you, but what if the ship can’t take all of them?”

“Well, I’ll think of something,” I said hopefully.

“Bit of advice from one ruler to the next,” she said, “try and plan for everything.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” I said before deciding to change the subject again. “So…you’re into boat rides, huh?”

Lunch with the mayor went smoothly afterwards. She told me that she loved taking boat rides ever since she was in the Canterlot Orphanage since it gave her some sense of peace away from the other orphans and the noise of the royal city. Since she was never adopted, she found a job when she was old enough and moved to the quiet town of Ponyville. She was actually a secretary for years before the old mayor stepped down. She’d stepped in and during the election to replace her, Mayor Mare was elected and she’d been mayor ever since.

I shared some of my own life with her as well, talking about my early childhood, my friendship with Trixie and the loving relationship I had with her and my parents. She told me she’d once been in a relationship but her coltfriend had called it off when he moved to Las Pegasus to accept a job he’d wanted for years. They were still friends, of course, but there was no romance there anymore since he’d gotten married.

The meal itself was exquisite, and my burger actually tasted much better than it had the first time, to my surprise. The chilled cider was some of the best I’d ever had.

I walked Mayor Mare back to her office and after we said our goodbyes, I headed back out into the snow covered town square only to see Big Mac, Applejack and Apple Bloom right in the town square setting up a freshly cut down evergreen tree, Big Mac had a dark green beanie on his head and a white scarf around his neck, Applejack was wearing what looked like a blue denim jacket with a bright green scarf wrapped around her neck and Apple Bloom was wearing a blue beanie with red hearts wrapped around it. The three Earth Ponies were busy placing the tree in a large tree stand. When I spotted them, I raised my hand and waved. “Hey there!”

Applejack was the first to spot me, so she smiled and waved back.

And then the hoof she used to wave at me began to glow a bright green. Before I had a chance to react, she’d put her hoof down on the ground. The moment she did, the ground began to shake, startling everyone around. I watched in stunned shock as a green mist surrounded the tree itself. Tree roots sprang out from the evergreen’s trunk and embedded itself into the ground. The tree itself then began to grow impossibly fast.

By now, Ponies had taken notice of this and were beginning to panic in Pony fashion. Even the Apple siblings were moving away in fear. I looked back at Applejack and noted that the mist around the tree seemed to pause when her glowing hoof was off the ground. Immediately making the connection, I spread my wings, launched myself towards Applejack, caught her in my magic, pulled her into my arms and flew into the air with her in my grasp. The moment I did so, the trembling stopped and the mist vanished, leaving the tree stuck in the ground at nearly double its original size.

As the two of us hovered there, I reached down, grabbed her hoof and stared at the still glowing appendage. Applejack now noticed it and her eyes widened. “What in tarnation…? What is this?!” she asked in alarm.

“One day…I couldn’t even get ONE day before things go to shit…fuck you too, Murphy,” I grumbled as I began to lower myself back down to the ground. Looking back down at the crowd, I shouted, “Don’t worry, everyone! Everything’s alright! Just go back to what you were doing.”

“What just happened?” Apple Bloom asked, looking at Applejack’s glowing hoof.

“I don’t know,” I said as I landed, “but I’m gonna find out. AJ, we’re going to go see Twilight. I’m sure she’ll have an answer. For the time being, I’m gonna carry you. Don’t want things getting out of hand again. Big Mac, Apple Bloom, you okay here?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said with a hint of worry in his voice as he looked at his sister.

“She’s gonna be okay, right?” Apple Bloom said with concern.

“Of course ah’m alright, sugarcube,” Applejack said as I readjusted her in my grasp to hold her princess style. She turned to me and gave me a small glare. “Ah can walk, yah know?”

“Something just happened to that tree to make it grow like that,” I said, “and it involves that glowing hoof. Until we know anything, I don’t want you touching the ground. Please,” I added, giving her my best pleading glance, “please trust me?”

Applejack relaxed and nodded. “Alright, Jethro. Ah trust yah.”

“Take care of her, alright,” Big Mac said, and I could hear the protective tone in his voice which was only confirmed by the stern glare he gave me.

“She’s one of my best friends, Big Mac,” I said, “I’ll never let anything bad happen to her.” With that, I turned and began walking down the street towards Golden Oaks Library.

As we walked, Applejack lowered her voice and asked, “Have yah seen anythin’ like this in that show of yers?”

I shook my head. “No, nothing like this. This is completely new to me.”

She looked nervous now. “Jethro, ah’m not ashamed tah admit that ah’m scared, now.”

“Me too,” I admitted.

We lapsed into silence as we walked, receiving confused look from the Ponies around. Halfway to the library, the bright green glow around her hoof vanished, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I wrapped her in my wings to keep her warmer. She smiled and snuggled a bit closer just in time for Twilight to turn a corner and gallop over, Spike running alongside her. “Jethro?! Did you feel that earthquake?!”

“I saw the cause earlier,” I said, then looked down at Applejack. “Some kind of magic.” Turning back to a stunned looking Unicorn and Wyvern, I stood straighter. “Back to the Library, you two. You’re gonna want to hear what happened.”

“Alright…let’s go,” Twilight said as they turned and headed back to the library. I followed, holding Applejack closer in my arms, dreading just what we might find.

All I could think of as we walked was Why...?

136: A Cloaked Heart And Earth Pony Magic

“Aaah, the smell of antiseptic and chemicals, and the feel of electricity from Tesla coils. Truly, it feels like Christmas down here,” I snarked as I carried Applejack down the stairs to Twilight’s lab. The aforementioned Earth Pony was still snuggling into me as I followed Twilight and Spike down the stairs. Even if her hoof was no longer glowing, I didn’t want to risk her touching the ground and doing something to the library. If I could help it, I would save the Golden Oaks from being destroyed by Tirek.

“Jethro, could you put Applejack in that chair over there?” Twilight asked as she pointed to the same machine she’d attached to Pinkie once upon a time and to me a few times.

“What about mah hooves touchin’ the ground?” Applejack asked worriedly.

“I’ll just have you sit on my lap,” I said reassuringly as I took the seat instead, placing a somewhat blushing Applejack in my lap and holding her in such a way that she wasn’t touching the ground. I turned to Twilight. “That work for you, Twi? Does she need to take off her clothes?”

“It should be fine, and could you take off your clothes, Applejack?” she asked. “They might interfere with the readings,” she added as she trotted quickly over to Applejack, the latter of whom removed her denim jacket and scarf and handed them to me. I placed them carefully over the back of the chair we were sitting in. Before Twilight did anything, she turned to her friend and asked, “Now, before I do anything do I have your permission to perform some noninvasive tests on you? I’ll only be attaching a few electrodes and this magic detecting helmet to you. Is that okay?” She’d begun asking these questions to me every time on my suggestion.

Applejack nodded quickly. “Ah wanna know what just happened. Ah might have hurt somepony.”

“If there’s anyone who can find out what’s happening, it’s Celestia’s prized pupil and my first magic teacher,” I said. “But Twilight, what about Sunset? Shouldn’t we have her down here too? She might know something you don’t.”

“She’s actually not here right now,” Twilight said. “She said she had something to take care of. She wouldn’t tell me what. She looked a bit nervous, though.”

“Really? I hope she’s alright,” I said, feeling a bit worried for her.

“She’s a grown mare, Jethro,” Twilight said, “she’s older than I am. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said. I was slightly disappointed that we didn’t have another magical expert here, but I trusted Twilight. She was right. Sunset was a grown mare and could handle herself just fine.

“She lived on Earth for ten years, so she’ll be okay here,” Twilight said as she tightened one of the straps around Applejack’s hooves.

“Ah! Watch it, Twi! That hurt!” Applejack winced.

“Sorry!” Twilight said apologetically as she slightly loosened said strap. “That better?”

Applejack nodded. “Just not too tight, okay Twi? Mah hooves feel a mite sensitive all of a sudden.”

“Sensitive how?” Twilight asked.

“Ah’m not too sure. It’s like ah’ve been walkin’ fer days. They’re just sore is all.”

“I’ll try and be careful, but I can’t have these be too loose,” Twilight explained as she began to attach another strap. “It’ll give me unreliable readings.”

“Ah guess ah understand,” she said. “Ah’ll tell yah if it hurts more.”

“Please do,” Twilight said. After she attached straps to all four of Applejack’s hooves as carefully as she could, she went to an antique looking control board with dials and paper readouts. She used her magic and hooves to begin flipping switches and turning knobs and dials. Spike came over and began doing similarly to another side with practiced ease. When both were finished Twilight flipped a lever and there was a slight hum, like the sound of fluorescent lights at full hum. “Alright, don’t do anything for a minute please,” she said.

“She’s setting a baseline,” I said to a confused Applejack by means of explanation. “Basically, she wants to see what your normal magical output is when you aren’t doing anything.”

“Oh, ah see,” Applejack said with a tone that said she was still confused but with a look of trust in her eyes directed towards me.

“Twilight can figure this out, don’t worry,” I said.

Applejack nodded and continued sitting in my lap for the remainder of the minute doing nothing. When that was done, Twilight nodded. “Okay, I have a base. Now then, Applejack? Can you remember what you were doing or thinking about when that magic was cast?”

To my surprise, Applejack looked away from me and I saw a bit of red around her ears. Slowly she said, “Ah think so.” Turning back to me, she said, “Ah was wavin’ tah Jethro here. Like so.” She raised her hoof and waved.

Twilight looked at her machines carefully. “Okay…nothing yet. Can you remember what the magic felt like?”

“Ah think so,” she said.

“Great! Can you describe it?” Twilight asked, grabbing a notebook and quill.

“It was like there was somethin’ flowin’ from mah heart. Or maybe mah soul. Mah…Ah can’t think of the word.”

“Your very being?” I suggested.

“Maybe,” she acknowledged. “Ah can’t rightly describe it. Ah’m not smart like you, Twi.”

“That’s okay,” Twilight said, “I think I get what you’re saying. I feel something similar whenever I cast magic.” She let her horn glow and closed her eyes. A purple glow surrounded Applejack’s hoof. “Did it feel anything like this?”

Applejack looked at her hoof and a thoughtful look passed over her face. Finally she nodded. “It did tingle, yes,” she said.

“Can you emulate what you were doing, feeling and thinking when it happened?” Twilight asked.

“Ah can,” she said, and immediately she locked eyes with me, raised her hoof again and began to wave with a kindly and warm smile. The kind of smile I’d seen on her face more and more lately whenever she saw me.

And then her hoof began glowing.

Twilight’s machines began going haywire, needles on the paper began wobbling, lights went on and off and alarms began going off. Applejack’s eyes widened in alarm. Twilight, on the other hand, was staring at her instruments with the concentrated look I’d gotten used to whenever she tested me.

Another minute passed and then Twilight nodded. “Okay, Applejack, you can stop.”

“Ah’m now sure how,” Applejack admitted, a slight tremble in her voice.

Reaching out, I took her glowing hoof in my hand. I felt a tingling surround me and tightened my grip on her hoof. Just like her voice, she was trembling as well. “Focus on your breathing, AJ,” I said softly. “I remember when I first used magic I was so scared too. Just take deep breaths, focus your mind on something that relaxes you, and let go. Does that make sense?”

“Ah think so,” she replied, closing her eyes and visibly relaxing. The glowing magic around her hoof slowly vanished until it was no more. As it did, I felt the tingling sensation that had surrounded my hand dissipate as well.

I gave her hoof a squeeze. “It’s gone.”

She opened her eyes and looked at the hoof. The one I was still holding. She looked slowly over at me and raised an eyebrow. “Yah plannin’ on holdin’ mah hoof all day there, pardner?” she asked with some snark but with a blush as well.

I chuckled and let go. “Sorry, guess I need to take my own advice on being overprotective.”

“Ah guess so,” she said. “Ah gotta admit, though, yer hands felt nice and warm.”

I smiled. “And your hoof is surprisingly soft for a farm mare. Taking some secret trips to the spa in your spare time, country girl?”

“Ah don’t go fer that fancy mumbo jumbo,” she said.

I decided to leave it be and looked over at Twilight, who was watching this exchange with a not-so-subtle hint of jealousy. A look which vanished after I asked, “Twilight? Did you find anything?”

“Huh? Oh! Right! Let’s see here…” she looked down at her charts and readouts, Spike doing the same. The two talked a bit, Spike telling her a few things he saw, which she wrote down in her notebook. After a minute, she turned back to Applejack. “Applejack, you have an abnormal amount of magic inside you. I compared the readings to some of the standard ones found in Earth Ponies. Heck, even when I was trying to study the Pinkie Sense, her magic was lower than what you’re showing. But it’s not like Unicorn magic.”

“Could you explain please, Twi?” I asked, “and use simple language. We’re not really as magically knowledgeable as you or Sunset.”

Nodding, Twilight said, “Okay, so simply put, every Pony race has some kind of magic. That’s Pony Biology 101. Unicorns have the most control over magic which we channel through our horn, Pegasi can naturally control weather and fly despite otherwise being physically impossible, and Earth Ponies have an innate sense of dealing with not only farming, but the ground in general. Think of it like a sixth sense they have. Applejack, you told me once you can sense when there’s the right time for applebucking, right? And your grandma has even more experience in that area, right?”

“Sure do,” she affirmed. “We just know when our produce is ready fer harvestin’ and so on,” she said.

“Don’t forget nontraditional farms,” I added. “Pinkie Pie grew up on a rock farm. There’s an episode of the show where one of her sisters identifies a geode even before she breaks it. Although that could just be her knowing what a rock looks like. And then there’s Maud Pie, a veritable expert in rocks and crystals.”

“Exactly,” Twilight said. “Think of it like this: Earth Ponies are in tune with the ground and earth below their hooves. Does that make sense?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack said.

“Unicorns have the most control over their magic, but the downside is that they need to study how to master their magic,” Twilight continued to explain. “Pegasi only need to learn how to fly. They can already walk on clouds and can naturally make the weather. To them, it’s like an extra muscle, the more they use it, the better they are at it. And then Earth Ponies have the least amount of magic, but what they do have is completely natural to them, more natural than anything a Unicorn or Pegasi have. Pure instinct.”

“So…what did ah just do, then?” Applejack asked, looking at her hoof.

“AJ, your normal magical output is almost ten times that of a normal Earth Pony,” Twilight said. “Almost to the level of a Unicorn.”

“What?! How?!” Applejack shouted in alarm.

I pulled her closer, wrapping her in my wings. “Just take a few deep breaths, AJ,” I said reassuringly.

Thankfully, she took my advice and did just that, calming down after a few seconds. “Ah’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s alright,” Twilight said sympathetically. “And to answer your question, I don’t know where this magic came from. By all accounts, it shouldn’t be there. And even if it is, it should be dissipating, but it’s not.”

“So what can we do?” I asked. “We can’t just give her gossamer wings for the rest of her life like you gave to Rarity when we went to Cloudsdale.”

“Can yah get rid of this new magic?” Applejack asked.

“Without knowing where it came from, I’m not even sure where to start,” Twilight said. She sounded lost. “The wavelength is also not like that of a Unicorn. It’s almost like your normal magic got some massive boost.”

“Is there somepony yah can ask?” Applejack asked. “Maybe the Princesses know somethin’?”

“Yeah…good idea. She’ll probably know something about this.”

“And if not, there’s probably another pony she might know who is an expert,” I added.

“Exactly. Spike, take a letter, please,” Twilight said. After Spike produced one of the pens I’d given to him and a scroll, Twilight continued. “Dear Princess Celestia. I’m writing to inform you of an unusual magical incident. My friend Applejack has just gained a surprising boost in her magical aura, and it’s given her the ability to make plants grow at an accelerated rate. Her aura waveforms have been amplified. Unlike a Unicorn, her magical focal point seems to be at least one hoof for the moment. I’m at a loss as to what to do. If you have any advice on how I should proceed, please let me know. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.”

After Spike sent the letter, I looked at Twilight. “Do you think it’s safe to put her down somewhere?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “Honestly, I’m both a bit excited about some new magic to study, but I’m also scared too. All I can think of is that this could be something natural that Earth Ponies are capable of doing.”

“Ah don’t think it’s a good idea tah set me down inside a tree,” Applejack pointed out.

“Good point,” I said. “What about…the burned down part of the Everfree Forest? It’s far away from Ponyville that it’ll be safe, and it’s a perfect testing ground for whatever’s going on with AJ.”

“Maybe…” Twilight said.

“Ah don’t wanna be some kind of experiment,” Applejack said with a frown.

“You aren’t,” I said reassuringly running a hand through her blonde mane, “but until we know how this magic works, do you really want to be around anyone else and risk hurting them?”

Applejack slowly nodded. “Ah see yer point,” she said in agreement.

At that moment, Spike opened his mouth and breathed out a blast of green fire, which solidified into a scroll. That had been another change with his unusual growth spurt. Instead of burping out a scroll, this time he just breathed out a flame which would materialize. He had said it was far less uncomfortable than it had been before. He reached out and grabbed it. Opening the scroll, he read out, “I’m on my way with an expert.”

To me, it felt like the temperature in the room instantly dropped about ten degrees. There hadn’t been any Dear Twilight or anything. I couldn’t really comprehend how seven simple words elicited so much fear in all of us, but it did.

Applejack was the first to speak after a full minute. “There’s somethin’ wrong with me, isn’t there?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“No there isn’t,” I said as I began to undo the straps around her. Once she was free, I lifted her up in my arms and began walking up the stairs with Twilight and Spike following close behind me, the latter having grabbed Applejack’s clothes. “You’ll be fine,” I added, wrapping her in my arms and wings.

When we reached the main level, I walked over to one of the couches in the main room and sat down. I’d never seen Applejack so distraught before, and it broke my heart. All I could do was hold her close. Spike went to the kitchen and Twilight sat next to me, looking at her friend worriedly. “Are you okay, Applejack?”

“Ah just made the Hearth’s Warmin’ Tree in Town Square grow, Twi,” she said in a sudden testy voice, “how could ah be now?!”

“Applejack Apple!” I said, looking at her sternly. “That was rude!”

She flinched at me using her full name, then her ears flattened. She looked sorrowfully at Twilight. “Ah’m sorry, Twi,” she said softly.

“I forgive you,” Twilight said reassuringly. “I’d be scared, too.”

At that moment, the front door opened and all three Apple family members came rushing in. Granny Smith was the first by her granddaughter’s side. “How are yah doin’, sweetie?” she asked kindly as she took a seat next to me, reaching out a tender old hoof to her granddaughter.

Applejack reached out her own hoof and touched Granny’s. “Ah’m nervous, Granny.”

“What happened?” she asked tenderly. “Tell me everythin’.” And so she did. I added my own version of events after she was done. The three Apples listened intently until we had both told our story. Even Twilight joined in and, in dumbed down language, explained what she’d found. When we all finished, Granny Smith nodded. “Yer scared, aintcha?” She sat up on her haunches, patting what on a human would have been her lap. “C’mere.”

Applejack crawled out of my lap and lay her head on Granny’s lap. The old matriarch stroked Applejack’s mane after removing the old Stetson. The orange Pony curled up, hiding her face under the hat. It was a bit weird seeing the normally stoic Earth Pony like this, but I could understand her terror. I slowly got up, only to be confronted by a stern but worried looking Big Mac. Apple Bloom had gone to her sister’s side, looking worried as well. Big Mac motioned for me to follow him. I did so, and we both headed outside. After the door was shut, he whirled on me, and I could tell he was going to go overprotective brother on me. “I know my sister, Jethro,” he said, “and she’s never looked at anypony like she’s looked at you. She’s scared, and she’s lookin’ up to you for help and support.”

I let out a long sigh and leaned against the library’s trunk. His speech sounded like Malcom’s own similar speech to me back on Earth, but I didn’t mention that. “And I’ll give her that,” I replied. “As of now, she’s one of my closest friends. I care about her deeply. Seeing her like this isn’t easy.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said. “What are you gonna do about it?”

I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “What do you want me to do? She hasn’t said anything to me.”

“And you’re just gonna wait until then?” Big Mac asked.

I was about to say yes, but then I thought back on it. With every confession having been one I’d received, maybe it was time for me to take some initiative and do something for her and with her first before whatever confession might come. I licked and pursed my lips before facing Big Mac again. “When did you get so smart?” I said in a teasing tone.

Big Mac finally smiled a bit and hit my arm gently with his hoof. “We’re the same age, and I’ve seen a lot,” he said. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

“I’ll come up with something,” I promised. “Come on. Let’s go back inside. It’s freezing out here.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said as we both turned to head inside.

However, at that moment, I heard the sounds of galloping hooves approaching from behind us. Both of us turned, and I saw the rest of the Mane Six galloping, or flying in Rainbow’s case, towards us. Rainbow was wearing a purple beanie with an orange and yellow stripped scarf and four coverings over her hooves, purple with red, orange and yellow stripes on the bottom. Fluttershy was wearing a purple turtleneck and a pair of earmuffs with a purple flower on them, Rarity was wearing a light blue flapless ushanka hat with a scarf that had a purple representation of her cutie mark on the front and a pair of purple tinted glasses and dark green and white furred hoofshoes, and Pinkie Pie was wearing a bright blue and yellow striped beanie with a blue scarf that had yellow polka dots sewn onto them.

Rarity was the first to speak up when they all arrived, breathless. “We came…hah…as soon as we…hah…heard! Oh my, I’m sweating.”

“Is she okay?” Pinkie asked with her own brand of concern, holding up a small glass of what looked like eggnog. “Can she have some of this?”

“What happened exactly?” Rainbow asked.

“Inside, everyone,” I said, “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you all.” I opened the door and Big Mac and I let the other mares in first before we went in behind them, shutting the door behind us.

The others gathered around Applejack, who was now sitting up and sipping carefully on a mug of some hot beverage, which smelled a lot like hot cider. She looked a lot better now and was doing her best to reassure everyone that she was alright. When she looked up at me and locked eyes with me, I saw there a hopeful glance that she seemed to spare only for me.

One I returned with a reassuring smile as I approached my friends. “You feeling better there, AJ?” I asked.

“Yeah, ah’m feelin’ a mite better now,” she said. “Sorry fer worryin’ yah.”

“It’s alright,” I said with a chuckle, “there’s nothing to be sorry for. You’ve just experienced something nobody else has. And something I haven’t even seen in the show. I’m used to having a lot of the answers, so I’m just as scared as you feel.”

“Then how come you’re not freakin’ out?” Apple Bloom asked, wide eyed.

I turned to the little filly, knelt so I was closer to her level, and reached out to stroke her mane. “Because right now, freaking out is the last thing we should be doing,” I said. “Believe me, all I want to do is go home, snuggle with Zecora and Scarlet and forget this entire day is happening, but that would be the wrong thing to do. I saw what happened. I got involved. And Applejack’s one of my closest friends. I can’t just sit back and do nothing while something’s happening to her. Even if I can’t do anything about it like Twilight or Celestia can, I can at least be there for her.” I looked up at a now blushing Applejack. “Because that’s what friends and loved ones do for each other.”

“Very well spoken, dear knight,” a regal female voice said from behind me.

As everyone else in the room bowed to the alabaster Alicorn, I stood and whirled to see a smiling Princess Celestia standing in the middle of the room, wings spread wide. I smiled and walked over to her. “Thank you for coming,” I said.

“I didn’t come alone,” Celestia said, folding her wings to reveal the very last Pony I expected to see.

The Unicorn before me was cream colored, with amaranth, purple and grayish violet striped mane and tail, the former of which was tied up in a very familiar bun. She had on a pair of thick black rimmed glasses with white tape on the bridge. She wore a scratchy looking dark grayish blue turtleneck with bright pink buttons down the center. She was wearing a pair of brown saddlebags with a dark purple crescent moon and three bright purple stars scattered around. She had a scowl on her face as she looked around the library, then locked eyes on Applejack. “Is that her, Princess?” she asked.

“Correct, my little Pony,” Celestia said softly.

The Unicorn’s eyes then latched onto me. To my utter surprise, her dark purple eyes widened and she rushed up to me, a very wide smile forming as she said, “Sir Jethro?! Is that really you?!”

I raised an eyebrow, but smiled. She sounded like the few fans of mine that I’d met since I’d become a knight. “Yes, that’s me,” I chuckled softly as I held out my hoof. “Hello there, Moondancer.”

Her eyes went even wider. “You know my name?!” she almost squealed in excitement.

“I’ve seen you in the show a couple times,” I admitted as she put her hoof almost reverently in my extended hand. “I’m guessing you’re a fan?” I asked.

“Are…you…KIDDING?!” she shouted happily as she hastily shook my hand. “I’m one of the original members of the Canterlot Branch!”

“Well then, it’s really nice to meet a fan,” I said, “but I’m afraid I’ll have to cut this short for a bit. My friend Applejack could use some help.”

“Oh, um, right, sorry,” Moondancer said a bit sheepishly before she took a deep breath and walked over to Applejack. “So, Miss Applejack, I wasn’t told much, only that you’ve experienced a surge in magical ability?”

“Ah’m not sure about it mahself,” Applejack said, before raising a hoof and pointing at a stunned Twilight, who hadn’t taken her eyes off of her old friend since she was revealed. “Yah’d better ask Twilight.”

Moondancer stiffened when she heard that name. Slowly, she turned towards the still surprised purple Unicorn mare. I watched them lock eyes, Moondancer’s with what I could only describe as a hurt rage, and Twilight with complete and utter stunned shock. “So…we meet again, Sparkle,” Moondancer all but hissed.

Before things got out of hand, I stepped in. “Moondancer, enough,” I said sternly, putting my hand on her withers. “I know why you’re upset with her, but there’s a more pressing issue.” As she looked up at me with a confused expression, I continued, “Can you, as a magical student, set aside your feelings for Twilight for now and work with her to figure out what’s going on? Please?”

I saw a plethora of emotions pass over Moondancer’s face, confusion, hurt, anger, then finally she took on a resigned expression before smiling up at me slightly. “Alright…I’ll do that.”

I nodded, then turned to Twilight. “Twi, could you get those readings you took?”

“Uh…yeah! I’ll be right back!” She vanished in a bright purple flash.

“Show off,” Moondancer muttered.

In another flash, Twilight returned, hovering a stack of paper over to Moondancer, who took it in her light gray magic. As she looked over the readings, I stepped back, only to be met with a wing around me. Turning, I saw Celestia looking at me curiously. “Dost thou know this mare?” she asked in Old Ponish.

“She invited young Twilight to a birthday party on the day you had her prepare to go to Ponyville,” I replied. “They were once close. As close as Twilight let any Pony get to her.”

Celestia frowned in concern. “We see,” she said.

“Are you using the Magiscan Model IV?” Moondancer asked in a professional manner, but one that had barely restrained hurt and rage in it.

“Um, yeah,” Twilight said.

“That explains a lot,” Moondancer scoffed. “They’re known to have some glitches. How old is it?”

“I got it for Hearth’s Warming about five years ago brand new,” Twilight said.

“I see…” Moondancer looked at the papers once more with a careful eye. Finally she rolled them up and floated them over to Twilight. “Assuming you’ve been properly maintaining that machine, then I’d say that Miss Apple here has gotten a sudden boost of magic. And not just any magic, but Alicorn magic.”

“May I see?” Celestia asked.

Twilight floated the paper over to Celestia, who opened it once more and looked over the readings. She frowned as she looked over the squiggly lines that meant nothing to me. I looked over, trying to make sense of things, but of course it didn’t. As she looked over a certain spot, her eyes narrowed. “I see what you mean, Miss Moondancer,” she said. “With what I’m seeing here, it makes sense. Alicorn magic has somehow passed through her and awakened something I had always been taught was long lost to Earth Ponykind.”

“Awakened?” I asked.

Celestia turned to me. “It’s a very long story.” Turning to Moondancer, she said, “Miss Moondancer, would you be willing to stay here for a few days while I procure the latest Magiscan Model and have it shipped here?”

Moondancer nodded. “I don’t mind, but it’s sort of short notice.”

“You could…stay here,” Twilight offered hesitantly.

Moondancer scowled at Twilight. “Not a chance in Tartarus.”

“There’s a very comfortable inn she can stay at,” I said, not wanting an argument to break out especially for Applejack’s sake. “I stayed there after my Welcome to Equestria party. Very nice bed, the breakfast was first rate and the service was excellent. I’d say she could stay at my place, but with who I have living with me now, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Celestia nodded. “Good point.” Turning to Moondancer, she asked, “Does that sound good to you?”

Moondancer seemed a bit disappointed, but nodded politely enough. “That’s perfectly fine with me, Your Highness.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Celestia said. “You’re our biggest Earth Pony magic expert, after all.”

“I can show you to the inn,” I volunteered.

“Thank you, Sir Jethro!” Moondancer said, a look of excitement appearing on her face as she rushed up to join me.

As I opened the door for her, I wondered just what the hell else could go wrong today. However, not wanting to tempt that bastard Murphy, I just grabbed my jacket and gloves, threw them on, and walked out into the snowy afternoon with Moondancer.

137: A Cloaked Heart's Double Talks

Moondancer wasted no time turning to me and asking me a plethora of questions. “How old are you? How exactly did you get magic? Are you really in a relationship with a Zebra? How-?”

“Whoa there, time out for a second!” I shouted, making the time out symbol.

She immediately zipped her lips, blushing. “I-I’m sorry,” she said, “it’s just that I’m super excited to actually be meeting you!”

“You’re not the first fan I’ve met,” I replied, “but how about this? The walk to the inn is about ten or so minutes, so why don’t we ask each other questions. You ask one, then I ask one, rinse, repeat. Cliché, sure, but it’ll get a conversation going. Besides, you being an expert on Earth Pony magic wasn’t talked about in the show at all.”

“I think that will be fine,” Moondancer said.

“Good. So, what’s your first question?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve heard you got wings and magic this past summer,” she said. “How exactly did that happen?”

“Ah, that’s a complicated story,” I said. “And part of it I can’t really tell for security reasons. Long story short, it was an unintended consequence of a spirit of a deceased magical being trying to convert my body to better live in your world.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“My Earth has absolutely no magic,” I explained. “The spirit who cohabitated my body before she finally passed on for good knew this and the moment I was teleported to Equestria, she began to convert my body so I could live and breath magic infused air. But that magic infusion gave me the power and wings of an Alicorn. It wasn’t intentional on her part, but I’m grateful that I got it. Flying and magic is really fun. Now, a question for you. How did you get into studying Earth Pony magic?”

Moondancer nodded and said, “It’s not really a nice beginning, to be honest. About a month after I got my cutie mark I was in the Canterlot Library and overheard some Unicorns picking on a group of Earth Ponies. Calling them lower class and farmers. I didn’t get involved and stop them…”

“Too afraid of confrontation?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah…well, I stayed up all night thinking about it and got curious, so I decided to try and study Earth Pony magic as a side project for fun, just to see how they utilize magic. And I got hooked. I changed my magical focus to a dual Earth Pony and Unicorn magic major with a minor in Pegasus magic. There isn’t as much on the subject since studies haven’t been done on them, but being a member of Princess Celestia’s school can open a lot of doors for their students. I’ve read all I can find on the subject.”

“Huh…wonder why there hasn’t been enough studies done on Earth Pony magic…?” I wondered.

“My turn!” Moondancer said eagerly as we turned a corner. “Could you tell me about the fight in the Lycan Empire??”

I was about to answer, when I paused. Turning, I looked behind me. I felt like someone was falling us, but all I could see were Ponies walking to and fro with saddlebags stuffed with presents and food for the Hearth’s Warming holiday. Pursing my lips, I turned back to the excited Moondancer. “It’s not really a pleasant story,” I said, “but are you sure you want to learn about it?”

“Please?” she asked.

I smirked. She was like a child at Christmas, or more accurately, a lot like Twilight whenever she was learning something new. “Alright,” I said. “It started a couple months ago…”

When we reached the inn, I had learned a lot more about the Unicorn Twilight lookalike than the show even said. Like Twilight, she was twenty years old and ironically she’d gotten her cutie mark thanks to the sonic rainboom.

Her story was a very unusual one. She had been studying in her house, ironically a map of the moon recorded by Gallop Leo, one of Equestria’s most famous astronomers. She’d also had some books open to legends about the Mare in the Moon. She was trying to determine just why the lunar maria looked scarily close to that of a Unicorn. She had grown so frustrated at not finding what she wanted that at that exact moment, she shouted that unless something happened, she was going to give up. That was when the sonic rainboom happened, and she decided to devote her life to some of the more obscure magical studies. Her cutie mark confused her at first, but a couple days later, she found reference to an ancient society of Ponies called the Lunar Mages, which fascinated her to no end. She even dreamed of a time when that ancient society could be reestablished and she loved to read fiction books about them. Her favorite book was, ironically enough, Daring Do And The Crescent Staff.

I decided then to suggest to Luna that she take on Moondancer as another student of hers just in case.

As we reached the inn, I paid for her to stay for at least a week there with the money that I’d earned from the crown, putting her in one of the nicest rooms available. I led her to the room, and as I did so, I said, “Moondancer, before this gets completely out of hand, I would like to talk to you. About Twilight Sparkle.”

Her good mood soured instantly, and she looked up at me. “What about her,” she asked in an angry and hurt tone.

Sighing, I gestured to the bed. “Sit down. There are a few things you should know about why she didn’t show up to your party that day.”

Moondancer stared at me for a bit, then turned and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. “What do you know?” she asked.

“That she didn’t make it because Princess Celestia asked her to be in Ponyville to help with the Summer Sun Celebration, for one,” I explained. “You remember how devoted she was, and still is, to the Princess. It’s almost like how you looked up to her, only turned up to an eleven. And don’t try and deny it, I’ve seen an episode featuring you.”

Moondancer grit her teeth. “She didn’t even…say goodbye!” she shouted angrily.

“Twilight isn’t perfect,” I said, “and neither are you.” I walked over to the stunned Pony and sat next to her. I reached over, put my hand on her back and continued. “I’ve learned something about you Ponies since coming here. You seem to take one negative event in your life and make it change your whole outlook on the world.” I turned her to face me. “I know why you became a shut-in. Pushing Ponies and potential friendships away just because you don’t want to be hurt is something I can understand. Very, very well.”

“You do?” Moondancer asked.

I chuckled. “Before I came to Equestria, I didn’t want friends either. Sure, I was friendly enough to the people I worked with, but making those kinds of deeper relationships scared me. I’ve lost both my parents and my best friend who later became my girlfriend. All three of them died years ago. I kept everyone at arm’s length and just buried myself in entertainment to keep my mind off of the void in my heart. When I got to this world, my first encounter with anyone was a very kind and loving Zebra. Even before I could bring myself to acknowledge it, we became friends. But I still didn’t want to admit it. Opening myself up would mean that I was vulnerable to being hurt. And now, I have a number of amazing friends, a fiancée, and a marefriend. And I haven’t even been here a year.”

“I…I just…” Moondancer was crying now.

I reached over, removed her glasses, brought out my handkerchief and wiped her tears away. “You had other friends besides Twilight. What about Minuette? Twinkleshine? Lemon Hearts? Lyra? You had them as friends, too.”

“I…I wanted Twilight there…I just…”

“I know that once she realizes just what happened, she will regret what she did,” I said as I put one wing around the trembling Unicorn. “I’ll talk with her.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Miss Moondancer? Are you in there?” Celestia’s voice asked from behind the door.

Startled by the sudden interruption, Moondancer wiped her eyes and grabbed her glasses from where I’d put them down on the bed. Putting them back on, she cleared her throat. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“May I come in? There’s a few Ponies here who has something to say to you,” Celestia replied.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by this turn of events, but Moondancer sniffed and stood up, facing the door. “Sure, it’s open,” she said.

When the door opened, I wasn’t really surprised to see a teary eyed Twilight standing beside her. What I was surprised to see, however, were four other Ponies who had hopeful smiles on their faces. Lyra, Minuette, Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine all stood beside the purple Unicorn. Moondancer was too stunned to say anything as she stared at her old friends. Twilight slowly walked in, looking at Moondancer with a guilty expression. “Moondancer…I…I wanted to apologize for not coming to your party, or even not even explaining why I didn’t come…” she said. Her voice was trembling and a little bit hoarse, like she’d been crying a bit.

Moondancer’s stunned face turned to anger. “Isn’t it a bit late for that?” she asked.

“Moondancer, if you want to blame anypony, you can blame me,” Celestia said. “I was the one who sent Twilight Sparkle away that day.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Your Highness,” Moondancer said respectfully, “Twilight could easily have come by for a few minutes and told me she wasn’t able to attend, or even to send a…send a FUCKING NOTE!”

“Moondancer! That was uncalled for!” I shouted at her with disapproval.

The cream colored Unicorn’s ears flattened, but she turned to me. “I…I was humiliated that day! I thought other Ponies would want to be my friend!”

“And there are Ponies who would love to be your friends,” I said, pointing to the four other Unicorns. “You spent so much time focusing on trying to find a friend in Twilight that you practically ignored four others who would love to be your friends. And yes, while Twilight could have reached out to you, you could have done the same. But you got so caught up that you didn’t.”

Moondancer looked stunned at that revelation, and realization appeared on her face. “I guess I didn’t…” she admitted. Turning to the four other Unicorns behind Twilight, she slowly approached them. “Did I really ignore you all?”

“Oh, don’t you worry your cute little head about it,” Minuette, who had a smile on her face, replied, “We all understood you were hurting.”

“We just figured that after a few times of trying you didn’t want to spend time with us,” Lyra said.

“Moondancer?” Twilight spoke up again. When the aforementioned Pony turned, Twilight continued, “I was a horrible friend to you. I shouldn’t have let my studies interfere with that. I’ve faced a lot of dangers over these past few months. Nightmare Moon, Eris, the Lycan Empire, Changelings, but…I never realized just how much seeing how my actions hurt you could make me feel this bad. I’m supposed to be studying friendship, but I failed to remember even my old friends. Especially you. I can’t apologize enough…”

Moondancer began to cry softly, wiping her eyes. “Twilight…it really, really hurt me when you didn’t show up. Even if you were told to do something by the Princess, I’d have at least understood if you’d sent me a note or come in Pony to tell me what happened. It still hurts…”

Twilight hesitantly approached. “If you don’t want to be my friend after this, I’ll understand, but don’t let my own mistake be the reason you can’t make new friends.”

“These other four were your friends then, and I’m sure they’d love to be your friends now,” I said, pointing to the four Unicorn mares in the room.

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Minuette said with a chuckle as she approached. “We’ve all missed hanging out with you.”

Moondancer finally broke into a small smile, then hesitantly looked back at Twilight. “Even if…even if I was hurt by what you did…Sir Jethro’s right. I could just as easily have written to you. I knew you were in Ponyville, but I didn’t do anything.”

“I’m still sorry,” Twilight said, looking even more guilty now.

Moondancer sniffed. “I…that’s all I really wanted to hear, Twilight. And…I think I’m ready to forgive you…if you can forgive me for my behavior earlier….?”

“I deserved it,” Twilight said, but a small smile appeared on her face, “but I can forgive you for it too.”

Moondancer smiled a bit, then, to my surprise, she raised her horn and it began to glow. The scrunchie in her mane glowed, then was pulled off. Her mane fell down across her face, and to my further surprise it perfectly matched Twilight’s own mane style. “Thank you…” She then turned to the other four mares and approached them. “You still want to be my friends? After I ignored and shunned you?”

“Of course!” Twinkleshine said.

“Moony, we missed you,” Lyra said. “Game night doesn’t really feel the same without you there.”

Moondancer smiled again and nodded. “I…I’d like that.”

I smiled, walked over to Celestia and put an arm over her withers. “Looks like the kids are making up, eh Mom?” I said in a teasing manner, looking into the twinkling eyes of the solar Diarch.

She too, gave me a teasing smile. She winked at me. “Leaves more time for us to spend some quality time together,” she replied without missing a beat.

“Scandalous!” I gasped, putting a dramatic hand over my chest. “To quote a famous flower mare, ‘The horror! The horror!’” I put a hand over my forehead and pretended to faint onto the bed, laughing hard after a few seconds. I heard Celestia giggling herself as I sat back up. “Okay, silly time over for now,” I said.

“Um…yeah,” a confused Twilight said as she turned back to Moondancer. “Our rocky reunion aside, I’m glad you’re here. I don’t know what else I can do about Applejack.”

Moondancer stood, nodding as she pulled out a few old books from her saddlebags with her magic and pointed to them. “Twilight, as much as I don’t like to admit it, you have a better head for magic than I do. I found these in an old section of the Canterlot Library and convinced the library to sell them to me. Even if I’ve read everything on the subject, there are a few things that I can’t really wrap my head around. Let’s go back to your house and read them over together,” she finished, putting her books back in her bag.

“Of course,” Twilight said as the two headed out the door.

Lyra tilted her head. “What’s wrong with Applejack?” she asked, turning to me with a curious and worried expression.

“Long story,” I said, “and when we get an answer, I’ll let you know.”

“You’d better,” Lyra said, pointing a hoof at me with a grin. “I know where you live.”

“It’s a small town, Ly-Ly,” I said as Celestia and I headed out of the room. “Everyone knows where everyone else lives.”

Just before I left the room, I thought I heard branches outside the window rustling. Turning, I saw that it was just the wind blowing through the leafless tree next to the window. Shrugging, I headed out the door, closing it behind me.

Just over an hour later, I was sitting in the Golden Oaks Library with Applejack while Moondancer and Twilight were in another room looking over the books the former Unicorn had brought with her. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had stopped by a while ago and had asked if Spike could go play with them. Twilight had said he could, so the three fillies with the (presumably) newfound crush on Spike, practically dragged the poor Dragon away. The rest of the Apple family had gone home for the time being as had the other Elements of Harmony. Princess Celestia had teleported back to Canterlot but not before giving me a blank scroll which I could use to write to her like the journal we used to keep in touch with Earth.

Currently, Applejack and I were watching one of my favorite television shows, Stargate SG-1. Applejack had requested that we watch something I liked despite my initial offer of watching something else. She’d pretty much insisted, so that was how we ended up sitting on the couch watching a magically projected screen. She was sitting a bit closer to me than she normally would.

We were watching the scene where the humans arrived on the planet Chulak for the first time. Applejack shook her head. “Ah still can’t believe that the mirror looks like that Stargate of yers.”

“It’s not really mine,” I said, “but yeah, that’s why I call it a Stargate.”

Applejack leaned against me then, her blonde mane gently falling against my arm. She’d removed her Stetson which was sitting on the couch next to her. I put a gentle wing around her almost automatically. We sat there for a while, watching the show. Finally, Applejack said, “Ah might not understand this teevee show of yers, but ah can tell yah like it.”

“It was made for humans,” I conceded, “and a lot of the stuff here would be things only humans would understand. We could watch something else-”

“Yer as stubborn as ah am,” Applejack said sternly, poking my chest with her hoof. “Ah wanna see the things yah like doin’, too. Yer always doin’ things we like with us, and it ain’t fair that yah won’t let us do the same.”

I smiled and faced the beautiful orange mare. “Feels like we’ve had this conversation before,” I said.

Applejack nodded. “Well, ah know that sometimes, when somethin’ or somepony’s actin’ all stubborn, yah gotta hammer away until they crack.”

I laughed. “That’s fair,” I said. Reaching down, I paused the show and turned to face her. “Listen, AJ, can we talk for a bit? Since we’re alone right now, I wanted to discuss something with you.”

She pointed her ears forward, giving me her undivided attention. “Sure thing, sugarcube.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “Now, I know you’re the Element of Honesty, but I’d appreciate an honest answer to what I’m about to ask.”

“Of course,” she said, looking more confused now.

“I know that half of the Bearers of Harmony have developed feelings for me,” I said, “but I’d like to ask if you feel the same way? I’ve been getting some signals from you that you might, and Malcom and Macintosh both said something to me about it. If you tell me no, then I won’t ask anything else and we can go back to watching the show. If you don’t want to tell me, I’ll respect your wishes and not ask.”

There was a pregnant pause in the room. Applejack’s face was calm and composed, but her eyes betrayed her shock. She didn’t look away, to her credit. She opened her mouth, closed it with a snap of herbivoric teeth, then opened it again. “And if ah say yes?” she asked.

“If you do, then I’ll ask you out on a date to see where a relationship with you goes,” I said honestly. “And nothing like the kinds of dates Rarity would insist you go on. Maybe we could go to Earth and see what a human rodeo is like? Or we go to your cousin Apple Fritter’s dance club in Appleloosa. The Dancing Way, if I remember right? Or we could just spend a day together doing anything we want.”

Applejack’s eyes widened at all of the suggestions. Once more, she paused. Whether in shock or to gather her thoughts, I couldn’t be sure. Finally, she took a shaky breath before she finally whispered out, “Ah do. Shucks, ah really do like ya, Jethro.” She actually tapped her front hooves together nervously as she looked down.

I reached out, took both her hooves in my hands, and squeezed them. I could feel her trembling a bit, so I wrapped her in my wings and brought her close in a warm wing hug. She lay her head gently on my chest. She felt so warm, but the trembling wasn’t just from her hooves. I reached around and stroked her mane, and immediately the trembling stopped and her body relaxed against me. She put both front hooves on my chest and gave a contented sigh. “This is nice,” she said. “Ah normally don’t do stuff like this with a stallion.”

“I ain’t a stallion, partner,” I chuckled, “I’m a man.”

She hit my chest playfully. “Yah know what ah meant.”

“I do. I was just teasing.”

“Ah wonder, though…what happens if Rarity and Rainbow Dash start likin’ ya?” Applejack asked.

“If that ever happens, I’ll promise them the same thing I’ve promised you and the other three,” I said. “Dates to see what our compatibility is like. And to have some fun.”

“Ah’m surprised yah ain’t freakin’ out. And ah’m also surprised yah approached me. The others said it was the other way around when they confessed,” Applejack said.

“I trust you to be open and honest with me about these things,” I said, “and plus, your brother and his human counterpart told me you could be pretty stubborn about these things. I hope I didn’t push too hard.”

“Yah gave me the option to not answer,” she said in a grateful tone, “and ah’m mighty appreciative of that.”

“I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable,” I said gently. “Have you told anyone else about this?”

“Nopony else knows, except ah guess mah brother,” she said.

“Quiet guys are pretty observant,” I said, “and your brother ridiculously so sometimes.”

“He’s a good stallion,” she said, “and ah do hope he finds a special somepony sometime.”

“I know at least two mares who would be perfect for him,” I chuckled, “so maybe I’ll mention that to Princess Cadance.”

“Don’t go interferin’ in mah brother’s love life,” Applejack said, looking at me with a playful warning look.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sugarcube,” I chuckled as I ran my hand through her mane gently.

Just then, I heard two sets of hoofsteps rushing down the stairs. Before we had a chance to break away, Twilight and Moondancer both appeared in front of me and Applejack, both looking excited. “We might have found something!” Twilight said, before she noticed the position I was in with Applejack. “Um…are we interrupting?” she asked.

Applejack and I pulled away. “I’ll tell you later,” I said, before turning quickly to the Earth Pony mare. “With your permission.”

“Ah’ll tell her later,” Applejack said. With that, she turned to Twilight and Moondancer. “What is it?”

“Right! Well, there’s a book Moondancer has that had some writing that’s untranslatable. It was written by Clover the Clever a few years after Equestria was founded. He found some ancient stone tablets in the old Unicorn fortress which Princess Platinum abandoned after helping to establish Equestria. This was the only portion he found that was actually ledgible, but just not translatable, even to the modern day archaeologist. Buuut…since you know every language in Equestria, maybe you can look at it?” A book appeared in front of her and she hovered it over to me, its page wide open to a certain section in the book. Both Ponies looked at me with hopeful expressions on their faces as I took the book.

I chuckled. “Well, I’ll have a look,” I said as I looked down at the old stained pages. The words there were in mostly modern English, or Equish/Ponish. However, there was an indented section of some script that I had never seen before. I looked at it carefully, trying to let whatever language it was come into my mind.

And it did after about ten or so seconds. I read it over carefully once, then twice, then three times just to be sure I was reading it right, then cleared my throat. “…kept securely in the Mætan Sæl, the Siex Gierd were used by the Friþhengest princesses to protect their land from outside threats. The Friþhengest were of four tribes, those which lived in tune with the ground, those that lived in tune with the skies, those who were also in tune with the skies but with the wings of magic, and those which lived in tune with the magic of the world. In times of crisis, they would call on those from beyond the Scúrboga. Their land, Eoh Eorðdenu, lay east of… ” and then it cut off. I frowned and looked at them. “Do those names mean anything to anyone here?”

“Ah’m just a simple farmer pony, sugarcube,” Applejack said, “ain’t nothin’ in what yah just said made a lick of sense to me.”

“Yeah, you’ve got me,” Moondancer said with a shrug. “I have no idea what some of those words meant.”

“Same here,” Twilight said.

“Hmm…” I pondered. “Well…there’s only one or two Ponies who miiight have some answers for us.” I grabbed the scroll Celestia had given me and began to write…

Dear Celestia and Luna,

We have found something in the books Moondancer brought that might be a clue. However, I would like to ask for a special favor from you both. I would like permission to give both Twilight and Moondancer access to the Canterlot Library’s Restricted Section. I know this is a lot to ask, but if there might be any information about what happened to Applejack, our best chance right now would be in that section.

Your friend, knight, and fellow ruler of a nation,

Jethro Bethridge

My dear Jethro,

Normally, my sister and I would say no to a request like that since there is a reason it’s called a Restricted Section. However, we have determined that this is a time where we can make an exception for you. If you wish, you may also bring along Sunset Shimmer. In an hour, I will send a flying carriage for you to come to Canterlot. If Applejack wishes, she may join you as well.

Your friends,

Celestia and Luna

138: A Cloaked Heart's Research

Author's Note

If this chapter breaks the story for you, I'm sorry.

138: A Cloaked Heart's Research

“Jethro, thanks fer stayin’ with me on the chariot,” Applejack said about an hour later when she shakily stepped off of the chariot onto the ground. Since the castle was pure stone, Twilight and Moondancer both agreed that it was okay for her to walk on it since there were no plants or earth nearby. “Ah don’t really like flyin’. An Earth Pony’s place is on the ground. It ain’t natural havin’ mah hooves anywhere but the ground.”

“Funny, I read a fanfic where you said pretty much the exact same thing after a chariot trip,” I smiled a bit as I stayed nearby and helped her regain her footing. “And had this been six months or so ago, I’d have agreed with you. Sure, humans have invented ways of flying without magic, but those are all in enclosed spaces. Flying on an open chariot is a bit scary. Now that I have wings, it’s not as scary.”

“You okay, Applejack?” Twilight asked with concern as she came up to her friend’s side.

“Ah’ll be right as rain in a few moments, Twi,” Applejack replied.

“I’m happy to hear it,” a deep motherly voice said from a short distance away. Turning, the four of us (Sunset had returned from wherever she’d come from and had said she’d love to come) saw both Celestia and Luna approaching, the latter looking exhausted, but with a serious expression on her face. Moondancer immediately bowed as did Applejack, but Twilight and I smiled and made our way over to the two Princesses.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight said happily as she hugged her mentor.

“Hello my dear Twilight, everyone,” she said, looking over at the rest of us as she hugged her student back. “I’m glad to see you, even if the situation is unusual.” She then directed her attention to Applejack. “Miss Apple, are you feeling alright?”

“Ah feel fine right now, yer highness,” she said. She still remained close to me, however.

Celestia didn’t miss this change in the young mare’s behavior, and she gave me a slight knowing smirk before her kindly smile returned. “I’m pleased to hear it.”

“If you would accompany us,” Luna said, standing a bit more regally than she normally would, “My sister and I would have words with you before we take you to where you wish to go. There are things we must discuss. And matters like this are best done in private, especially considering the circumstances.”

“Of course,” I said, putting a reassuring hand on Applejack’s withers. “Lead the way.”

About ten minutes later, we were in what could only be described as a private study. The room itself was circular in shape, with a large oak desk at one end where Celestia was currently seated, with Luna sitting in a chair beside her. The rest of us were all seated in large comfortable chairs, including the custom one someone had crafted to fit me perfectly. There were neatly stacked piles of paper and scrolls sitting on the desk itself with a few fancy gold plated quills situated nearby. There was a large fireplace to the left of the desk and a few oil lamps on sconces around the room, making the place feel even warmer and inviting. There were a few holiday themed paintings on the wall, all oil paintings which depicted scenes like the founding of Equestria, the first flames of Friendship being created, and even the first meeting of each tribe. They looked like they’d been painted by some of the greatest Renaissance painters, all fairly realistic. There was a window to the right of the desk which showed the entirety of Canterlot, a circular city nestled against the mountain. Currently, it was snowing moderately.

After we had gotten comfortable and were each given cups of warm tea or hot chocolate according to our requests (I had requested tea since I felt this was a serious topic), Celestia put her hooves together and leaned forward. “Now then, before we head over to the Canterlot Library, I would like to tell you a bit about what we know and we’d like to see that passage you found.”

“Let’s do the second thing first,” I said, turning to Moondancer. “You brought the book?”

She nodded and hovered it over to the desk and opened it to the passage. The two sisters read over it, frowning when they presumably reached the untranslatable text. Luna was the first to speak. “I only recognize one word from this: Friþhengest. It’s an ancient name for Pony, older than Old Ponish even. I can’t read the rest, but I have heard the word Scúrboga before.”

“I can read a lot of it,” I said. “A few of the words there were probably proper nouns. Like Mætan Sæl, Scúrboga or Eoh Eorðdenu.”

“Is there anypony who could translate those words?” Twilight asked the Princesses hopefully.

“Had this been a thousand years ago, many would have known and studied the ancient languages,” Luna said sadly.

“True,” Celestia said. “Unfortunately, when Harmonia burned, a lot of the old scrolls from the Pre-Equestrian Era went with it.” Luna’s ears flattened guiltily at that, but Celestia put a wing over her sister’s back. “Don’t look like that, sister. Not all was lost. What we could save was kept securely hidden in that place you referenced, Jethro. There might be something there that could help.”

I nodded. “I hope so. But you said something about Earth Pony magic?”

Celestia nodded and leaned back, a wistful smile appearing on her face. “When we were being taught by Starswirl before we ascended the throne, we could easily get him distracted so he could tell us stories. One of the stories he mentioned was an old Pony’s tale about an Earth Pony mare named Milscapuldor Gebéorscipe. She was said to have lived long before the tribes of Ponies even moved to our old homeland. She was able to bless the ground so that the plants she tended would grow fast, just like what happened to Miss Applejack. It was a nice story, especially since she managed to keep her entire village from starving by growing a large vine up to an evil sorcerer’s castle which flew through the sky and take back their village’s magic golden egg. She then destroyed the vine which the sorcerer was climbing down which sent him plummeting to his death.”

“That sounds like a very odd version of Jack and the Beanstalk,” I said, “but is that all you heard about this kind of Earth Pony magic?”

“When we asked Starswirl if such a thing was possible, he did concede that there may have been at one point before the disappearance of some ancient artifact he called Scúrboga Légeléoht,” Luna said.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Even he didn’t know,” he said. “He knew very little about that time in our history.”

“It must have been out of the reach of even Athena if I can’t read it or even translate what they might mean,” I said as I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

Celestia nodded. “She was a smart mare, but nopony’s omniscient.”

“How does this help with Applejack?” I asked, looking over at the mare who was sitting next to me.

“It’s a starting point,” Luna said. “If the tale of Milscapuldor Gebéorscipe is more than just an old Pony’s tale, then perhaps there’s something there you can use.”

“We did manage to save a few genealogical records from the Harmonia Library,” Celestia said. “If you can find Milscapuldor Gebéorscipe somewhere there, then perhaps there’s something to the old tale. I should warn you, however, that the Archive’s mechanical catalogue-”

“-hasn’t been well maintained, I know,” I finished. “We’ll have to go through everything. Oh, and Twilight? They have Canterlot Cantabiles Volume Thirty One. You heard me, Twilight. Thirty. One.”

“No…way…that’s when it gets guuuud!” said purple Unicorn exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hooves together happily.

“You’ve seen it in the show, didn’t you?” Sunset smirked.

“I have, but briefly,” I said. “I also saw it the first day I came here.” I turned to Celestia. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”

“Nothing that comes to mind,” Celestia said sadly. “We might be old, my dear knight, but we still know next to nothing about the era even before the Pre-Equestrian era. However, there’s something to be said about fresh eyes looking over the old scrolls and books. You might find something there that’s helpful. Even I have not gone through everything in that Archive.”

“Well, unlike how I saw it in the show, there are more than twice the number of individuals here willing to read through them and help,” I said, gesturing to Twilight, Sunset, Moondancer and Applejack.

“Just them? Why darling, you wound me,” a familiar posh sounding voice said from behind me.

I jumped out of my chair and whirled around to face the other Mane Six as well as Spike, Zecora and even Scarlet, who were standing in the doorway to the study. Rarity had a hoof over her chest in a gesture of mock hurt. I opened my mouth, closed it again, then turned back to Celestia and Luna, both of whom were now smirking. “I should be surprised about this, but somehow I’m not,” I said.

“Did you think, my love, that we would let you take this task on alone?” Zecora asked as she walked up and stood on both hind legs, nuzzling my face affectionately as she did so. “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

“Did you really think we’d leave Applejack hanging like that?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to me and poking me in the chest. “I might tease Twilight about reading, but I can suffer through reading some stuff if it means one of my friends gets some answers for her freaky new magic.”

“What kind of friends would that make us?” Fluttershy asked, joining her Pegasus friend and smiling at both me and Applejack.

The orange Earth Pony mare looked extremely touched at the sentiment, smiling at her friends with a grateful smile. “Yer the best friends a mare could ask fer,” she said happily.

Behind them, a tired but serious looking Cadance strode in. She was followed closely by Shining Armor. “I’ve briefed them and Captain Shining on the seriousness of going into the Restricted Archives,” she said.

“Thank you, Cadance,” Celestia said as she turned to the rest of us. “As the others already know, there is a reason the place my sister and I will be taking you to is restricted. A lot of the books there are old and need to be treated delicately. Some contain secrets best left hidden for the time being. In fact, we recently moved some books there after some warnings from Jethro.” She gave me a grateful nod.

“Well, what are we waiting for then??” Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down until she reached me and landed in my lap. “We’ve got some books to read!”

“Very well,” Celestia said as she stood. “Come with us, everyone.”

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! So many books, all unread! Ancient historical artifacts!” Twilight gasped as we all entered the ancient underground section of the Canterlot Library. Grabbing three nearby books, she opened them and looked at them with wide eyed excitement. “I just…I can’t…hah…hah…”

“You sure you’re up for helping look through all this stuff?” I said automatically. “I mean, we’ve got plenty of people here-”

“DON’T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!” Twilight gasped, running up and hugging me, looking up at me with pleading eyes.

“Breathe, Twilight,” I said, pushing her mouth closed and running my hand through her mane. Although, truth be told, I was impressed with what I was seeing as well. Unlike how it was depicted in the show, this archive was larger than what I’d seen in the show. The Greek style was still present in any of the architecture which held up the massive moss covered stone walls, and there were archways that led into vast caverns full of books, scrolls and artifacts. The entire room was well lit by a massive fireplace. Now that I got a good look at the fire, I could feel magic coming from it, so I had to assume it was enchanted.

“My stars…this is mighty big,” Applejack said as she slowly and gingerly walked in, noticing the moss nearby and wincing in worry.

“Indeed so,” Luna said, “much larger than the library at our old castle.”

“Speaking of that, are those books still there?” I asked curiously.

“We have been making copies of them and bringing the originals here over the past few months,” Celestia explained as she stopped in front of the center table. “They’re in the chamber to my right, your left,” she said, pointing towards one of the archways leading into another section of the archives.

“Wow…this is really big,” Spike, who was walking beside me, said.

“Pretty sure ah just said that,” Applejack said with a smirk.

Celestia clapped her hooves, getting the attention of everyone in the room. “Now, before we leave you to researching, my sister and I wish to ensure that everyone here understands just how much trust we are placing in you all.” Her tone caused even me to stand straighter at attention. Everyone else did similarly. Even Pinkie wasn’t smiling but looked completely serious. Once our attention was given to all three Alicorns, Celestia continued. “This archive is restricted for a reason. We have placed the ancient artifacts and tomes away because they were either too worn to be held even by the gentlest of hooves or because there are secrets within that are best kept hidden from Equestria’s enemies. Only an Alicorn can open the doors to this place and there are hundreds of enchantments that protect the archive from outside intrusion.”

“We ask that you please keep this place a secret from anypony, or anycreature, else,” Luna added. “Nay, this is a royal decree from all three of us.”

“Except for you, Emperor Jethro,” Cadance said, turning to me and approaching. The young Alicorn stopped in front of me and gazed into my eyes with a seriousness I hadn’t seen from her before. “We’re placing a lot of trust in you by showing the imperial side of you these secrets. We can’t really order you as the Emperor. We can order you as a citizen of Equestria and as its only living knight, but as the Emperor-”

I held out my hand to silence her. “I understand. As the Emperor of Aelyssia, my word is my bond, just as it is as your Knight and a citizen of this country. What I see here shall never leave this room. All three of me swear it.”

All three Alicorns nodded, then Luna and Celestia both spread their wings. “We need to go,” Celestia said, “but Cadance can remain behind and help with the search. She is the only other one who can lock the doors behind her.”

“If Alicorns can open those doors, does that mean I have the capacity?” I asked before they left.

Celestia nodded. “Yes, but not the training. Maybe one day we will teach you.” With that, both Alicorn sisters lifted their heads and vanished in a flash of teleportation light and a pop of displaced air.

I turned to the gathered Equestrians. “Alright, everyone, Study Hall is now in session.” I mimed pushing up a pair of glasses on my nose and said, “Find a place to start and let’s crack open those books.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “It’s like I’m back in school.”

“Oh, my dear Rainbow Dash…you never left,” I grinned.

“Wait, what?” she asked, raising a worried eyebrow at me.

“Never mind, just me being silly,” I said. “We’re looking for a few things. References to Earth Ponies and their magic, a Pony named Milscapuldor Gebéorscipe if possible, anything about fast growth of plants. Even if it was caused by a Unicorn, bring anything you find to this table. Oh, and try and keep them as organized as possible. I don’t know how the Princesses organized this place, but I think they’d appreciate it kept as neat as possible. Looking at you, Pinkie, Rainbow AND Scarlet,” I said, giving each mare a glare and a smirk.

“I can be neat and tidy when I want to be!” Rainbow huffed, causing the others to chuckle in amusement. “What? It’s true!”

“Settle down there, Sally,” Applejack said, and hearing her say that phrase made me wonder if she’d gotten that from me, Jackie or if there’d been some saying in this world that predated my arrival. How she’d gotten that human expression was beyond me, but not important at the time.

“Twilight, you’re probably the best among us who can organize things,” I said, turning to the purple Unicorn, “so how would you like us to do this? Just scatter and find a section to look over, or what?”

“Well…I think that’s a good idea,” she said. “I don’t know how this is organized, either.”

“That device over there does,” I said, pointing to a large contraption with large cylinders hanging off of some gears. The same device that I’d seen on the Forgotten Friendship Equestria Girls special. “But don’t touch it. If I ever go into my Morphean state again, I’ll try and fully repair it.”

“Why haven’t you been doing that?” Twilight asked.

“For some reason, it’s getting harder and harder to stay in that state,” I said. “Anyway, it’s time to search! Let’s get cracking, everyone.” And with that, I spread my wings, flew as gently as I could up to the third level, grabbed a book and began.

For the next three hours, everyone spent their time looking through the books. Zecora hardly left my side as we spent those hours browsing the entire collection of books. It was then that I learned that I was a faster reader than I ever had been. I could also retain much more than I ever could. I learned a lot about the Pre-Equestrian Era that day.

For one, I learned that the three tribes of Ponies lived in a land called Hōslōnd, a land to the east of Equestria. I noticed that the maps created during this time period seemed to have a lot more land than modern day maps, leading me to believe that Equestria had gone through an ice age at some point. In fact, I noticed that the landmass where Griffonstone was now and Equestria were at one time joined together by a land bridge, and had more land near the shorelines. I noted that Hōslōnd’s continent had a massive inland sea as well and that they’d all lived in the northern area of the continent. I didn’t find any concrete reasons as to why, mostly superstitions about how the southern lands were cursed, especially the inland sea, Cwélmmere, which was apparently the site of some great calamity long since forgotten.

The three tribes had an uneasy peace between them, exchanging goods for services rendered. Other than that, there was no exchange between the three tribes. Pegasi lived mostly in the northern mountains nearer to the clouds, the Earth Ponies lived near the richest part of the soil they could find, and the Unicorns lived in cities and strongholds of stone near caverns where they mined gems and jewels. They lived in that land for hundreds of years, although the exact number was apparently unknown. Some sources claimed it was at least four hundred years while I saw other sources claiming it was at least seven hundred years or even longer. With how long Pony lives were, it made sense that those in power could hold onto it and maintain the status quo.

All I read about Earth Ponies was stuff that I pretty much had either already learned or guessed about them. Earth Ponies had a special connection to the ground, allowing them to grow and shape the land to fit their needs. They owed their great strength, apparently, to their connection to, for lack of a better word, Mother Earth. Stalwart and stubborn was the Earth Pony way.

Anything I could find that even mentioned Earth Ponies I read, from famous recipe books (which confused me as to why they were down here) to long forgotten tomes in the same language I’d seen in that Earth Pony book. However, there wasn’t much I could find. The others seemed to have just as much trouble as I did, and it showed in their faces just how frustrated they were becoming.

I was reading one of the older historical book from the Pre-Equestrian Era when the mare I was sitting next to, Sunset, closed a particularly large book. “Did you know that Chancellor Puddinghead tried to pass a law mandating Earth Ponies drink carrot juice at every meal? I do. Know that. Now.”

“I knew that too,” I said as I put down the book I was reading. “Did you also know that Princess Platinum was the actual one who translated the Epic of Gilgamare? Apparently, she wanted to credit Clover the Clever since she was a bit embarrassed about it. Not sure why, though.”

“The more time I spent on Earth, the more I wondered about the vast similarities between our worlds,” Sunset admitted.

Zecora, who had hardly left my side, put down a book and said, “A mystery that we cannot solve, tis true. But perhaps one day, it will be clear to you.”

“Hey, I think I found something,” Rainbow Dash, who looked exhausted, flew up with a very, VERY old stone tablet in her hooves. “Can somepony take this from-”

I reached out and took the tablet with my magic and gently lifted it over to me. Rainbow flew down and sat on a cushion, laying her head on the table. I put it down and looked it over. “Hmm…okay, this is the same language we saw in the book,” I said. “Does anyone have a brush? There’s dust in some of the words.”

“Right here!” Twilight said as she floated a small brush over to me. By this time, everyone else was gathering around the table in the middle of the room.

I grabbed the brush and very gently began brushing the dust off. As I did, I recognized a part of the passage as being the exact same one I’d seen in the book. “You’ve got a sharp eye, Rainbow,” I said.

“Of course, I’m awesome!” she said as she gave me a winning smile before sitting in one of the chairs. “That thing’s heavy, though.”

“Where’d you find it?” Cadance asked.

“On an old shelf that was about to fall,” Rainbow said.

“Could you show me?” the Princess of Love asked.

“Yeah…follow me,” Rainbow said, tiredly spreading her wings and flying towards one of the arched entryways into another room.

“That writing looks familiar,” Moondancer said as she moved closer to observe the large slab.

“It’s the same language as that writing in that book,” I said, “and it’s part of the same passage.”

Her eyes widened. “Really!? Can you read it?”

“In a minute, once I get the dust off,” I said.

While I was gently brushing the dust aside, Rainbow and Cadance came back. “She found it in the oldest section of the Archives,” Cadance said after Twilight gave her an eager look. “She was right, too. That shelf was pretty much hours away from falling. We moved everything.”

“So…anything yet?” Rainbow asked.

“Not yet,” I said. “Give me, like, five or so minutes to clean this off.”

“Alright.”

For the next five minutes, I carefully removed every last bit of dust from the stone slab as I could. It required a lot of patience, but eventually the writing was legible. I put down the brush, which Twilight took and put back in her saddlebag. “Alright…give me a moment to read it over a few times, then I’ll read out the translation. Someone prepare to take some notes.”

“On it!” Twilight said, taking out a pen and a notebook.

“Alright, hang on,” I said. I cleared my throat, relaxed, and began reading the stone again. It took me a while to come up with a translation I liked.

A Brief History of Eoh Eorðdenu

By Sǒnnī Blican

The Friþhengest of old were once a great civilization. In the early days of the Age of Efenheortnes, the Friþhengest lived in the Mætan Sæl, the mightiest fortress known to exist in the lands to the east of Hōslōnd before the Great Sinking and the destruction of the land. Many relics were lost, such as the Scúrboga Légeléoht and the Siex Gierd, both of which were kept in the Mætan Sæl, which were used by the Friþhengest princesses to protect their land from outside threats. The Friþhengest were of five tribes, those which lived in tune with the ground, those that lived in tune with the skies, those who were also in tune with the skies but with the wings of magic, those who lived under the waters, and those which lived in tune with the magic of the world. In times of crisis, the Friþhengest would call on three beings from beyond the Scúrboga, who were known as the Freoðuweardas. Their land, Eoh Eorðdenu, lay east of the great mountains and west of the vast sea where the fifth Friþhengest tribe once lived before the Great Sinking.

During the Age of Efenheortnes, the ancient Friþhengest possessed great magical prowess. Those horned Friþhengest who were in tune with the magic of the world could perform feats of the arcane now lost. Those Friþhengest who lived under the waters could themselves brave the deepest depths of the ocean and had the singing voice of such sweetness that any who heard it would be revived. Those Friþhengest who lived with the wings of magic could create vast winds using said wings. Those Friþhengest with feathered wings could manipulate and create weather patterns, and those in tune with the land, the most common of all the Friþhengest, could channel magic through their hooves to create the vast farmlands throughout the land of Eoh Eorðdenu.

Magic in Eoh Eorðdenu came from the Heortscræf, a large gemstone which was said to have been connected to the center of the world. It was the source of not only all magic in Eoh Eorðdenu as well as the Siex Gierd. However, as of this writing, the Heortscræf was destroyed by the enemies of Eoh Eorðdenu which spread magic all across the world, diluting its effects and sinking the land, destroying everything. Three of the five Friþhengest tribes found each other again, but the other two were either lost or were buried beneath the rubble. These three tribes began a long trek eastwards until they came out of the large chasm that is now the Cwélmmere.

I plan on writing a longer history of our original homeland someday, but I wanted this to be a testament to how we were once a happy and peaceful society. And how, someday, perhaps we will be again. One can only hope.

After I was finished, having read it out slowly so that Twilight, Sunset and Moondancer could all record it, I leaned back and looked at Applejack. There was only one passage on that tablet that mattered. The one about the tribe that could control the growth of plants. I felt like we’d gotten a massive information dump and yet nothing at all. Something about this was odd to me. How had Applejack regained some magic that had been lost to Earth Ponies for however long ago this had happened? And what are these words that I can’t really translate? There’s something very fishy about this. Pony culture is ancient. Maybe not as old as Dragon culture, but still, very old. Older than what the show depicted. It’s good to know this magic isn’t a new thing, but some of these words seem not to fit the rest of the words and phrases.

“Jethro? Are you alright, love?” Zecora asked, gently nudging me and breaking me out of my reverie.

“Huh? What? Oh, sorry,” I said, shaking my head quickly. “Just…trying to think about things here. All this new information…I mean, if what’s written here is true, then we just uncovered some really big historical data on you Ponies. And if we can find out who this Sǒnnī Blican is, maybe we can find this book they wrote.”

“You know, Cwélmmere kinda reminds me of Mirrormere from Lord of the Rings,” Scarlet said offhandedly.

“Huh…that’s a good point,” I said as I pulled out my phone. I was surprised that I had a signal down here. “It’s a long shot, but let’s see here…” I typed in mere meaning and got an autocompleted search result that said mere meaning lake. I hit that, and went to the Wikipedia entry for mere. “Hmm…okay, so this says that mere can also be an Old English word for Sea or Lake, similar to the Old Saxon word for it.”

“Old English? Is that similar to Old Ponish?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve actually never compared the Old Ponish to Old English.”

“Here’s a thought,” Sunset said, “what if those words you can’t translate are identical to some Earth language?”

“That’s a bit of a stretch, dontcha think?” Scarlet asked.

“With how similar our worlds are? I don’t know, babe,” I said. “Hang on, I’m gonna Google one of these words.” So saying, I Googled Old English Translator, clicked on the first result, then typed in Friþhengest. I raised an eyebrow when I found that it meant Friesian horse or stallion. “That’s a very odd coincidence, but why does it mean that?”

“What did you translate?” Moondancer asked.

“Friþhengest. According to the staticnet it means Friesian horse or stallion,” I replied. “Hang on, I’m gonna try translating a few other words.”

As I went in order, I was stunned to discover that not only did the words translate, but they translated to very familiar words. Efenheortnes translated to Harmony and Mætan Sæl translated loosely to Dream Castle, but it all clicked into place when I translated Scúrboga Légeléoht. “No fucking way! RAINBOW LIGHT?!” I shouted in astonishment, standing so fast that my chair went crashing behind me.

“Jethro?! What’s wrong?!” Twilight asked.

“If…If I’m translating this right,” I said, “then what I’m seeing here is that the First Generation of My Little Pony is real too! Hold on! Someone hand me a pen and paper!”

Twilight quickly handed me the pen and a blank sheet of paper, the latter of which I slammed onto the table. With that, I continued translating.

This was what I found.

Siex Gierd basically translated to “Six Staffs”, which could have been a reference to the wands used by the Princess Ponies mentioned on the Generation One wiki. Freoðuweardas translated to “A Guardian of Peace”, which I didn’t understand until I translated beyond the Scúrboga, which meant “Beyond the Rainbow,” which only raised more questions than answers. Eoh Eorðdenu translated loosely to “Horse Valley”, which could also easily have been Ponyland. Heortscræf was literally “Heart”. Lastly, Cwélmmere was the combination of Cwélm, which translated to “Death and Destruction” and “Lake or Sea.”

“It’s real…it’s fucking real…” I said with complete shock. “Generation One…Dream Valley, Flutter Ponies…all…real…”

“You’re shitting me,” Sunset said.

I looked up at the bacon haired Pony. “No…no I’m not. The First Generation of My Little Pony…there’s no other explanation. It’s real.” I leaned back and dropped the pen, letting it roll off of the table, clattering onto the floor which echoed throughout the vast chamber. “Fuck.”

139: A Cloaked Heart's G1 Explanation

The human body is a marvelous thing. The result of millions of years of evolution to fit into the world of its origin. The peak of the evolutionary ladder, the human body was built to be the top predator. But they did have to earn it. Tens of thousands of years of progress from chasing prey down until it stopped to the information age, humanity had come far.

But even then, there are times when the human body can malfunction despite the long years of evolution.

There are two types of shock that a human can experience. One is the medical condition which could be fatal if left untreated. It can happen when someone’s blood pressure is too low and/or where there isn’t enough oxygen in the blood to go to the major organs. The symptoms include but aren’t limited to: cold or sweaty skin, weak but rapid pulse, anxiety, confusion, nausea and profuse sweating.

The second type of shock isn’t medical in nature but more a response to anxiety, fear or a sudden change that the mind isn’t able to comprehend right away. Unlike the former, all that’s needed to treat this type of shock is to calm the afflicted individual down. The symptoms might be almost the same as the former but to a somewhat less severe extent.

I’d only experienced the latter type of shock a handful of times in my life. When my parents died, when Trixie passed on, and when I first realized I was in what used to be a fictional world. Now I was going through it again. I could barely hear the alarmed voices of my friends as I stared off into space, trying and failing to wrap my head around the revelation that another generation of the famous Pony show was real. I heard Cadance’s tone of authority and Twilight’s response. Zecora and Scarlet were both saying something to me with fear in their voices but I was so zoned out that I didn’t understand what they’d just said.

After a few minutes, or maybe an hour (I had lost all sense of time), a pair of extremely beautiful magenta eyes filled my vision and I heard Celestia’s voice said something. But even then I didn’t understand what was being said. Everything sounded so far away, like I was on one end of a very long tunnel listening to them speaking from the other end. I could hear my heartbeat thrumming away like some powerful engine on overdrive.

The light changed around me and I felt myself being wrapped in warmth that felt like I had a toasty cloud around me. I grabbed at the warmth and wrapped it tighter around me. A pair of hooves wrapped around me and I was pulled back into even more warmth, but warmth that belonged to a living being. Zecora’s heavenly and soft voice filled my hearing and someone even put a warm towel over my eyes. The lack of vision caused me to exhale a breath I didn’t know I was holding and I relaxed against the barrel of whoever I was leaning against.

As I slowly snapped back to reality, I began to comprehend the words being spoken. The first who’s words I could wrap my head around belonged to Zecora. She was softly singing a song in Farasi to me. An old lullaby she’d shared with me once. One she’d sang to her brother when they were foals.

I reached up and removed the towel and looked around. We had all returned to Celestia’s study and I was sitting on a large couch. The others were watching me with concern on their faces. Slowly, I moved around and looked up to face Zecora’s piercing deep blue eyes, which locked onto my own. They were full of warmth and love. Slowly I reached out and grabbed her free hoof. She wrapped her own leg around my hand lovingly, leaned down and kissed me tenderly. “My love? How are you feeling?” she asked gently.

“Th…Thirsty,” I croaked out, just then realizing just how dry my throat had become due to my mouth hanging open for so long. I closed it and tried to use my saliva to moisten it.

Someone floated a glass of what could only be cider over to me. The glow of the magic indicated that it was Luna. I reached an unsteady hand out only for the glass to move away. “Be still, good sir knight,” Luna’s voice called out. “You are still weak from shock. Let me do it.”

Despite myself, some of my male pride showed through as I began to say, “I’ll do it,” but one look from the dark blue Alicorn shut me up. I put my hand down in defeat. She floated the glass over and tilted it towards me. The cool and refreshing beverage slid down my throat and I drank like a dying man.

To my right I heard a very equine snort as Sunset said, “You even have the thirst of an emperor.”

“Bring on the mead!” Scarlet joked.

“You joke, but after what just happened, I could go for a stiff one or three,” I replied with a small smile as I finished the glass. “Thank you, Luna. That helped.”

“But of course,” Luna said with a gentle smile.

“What happened down there, Jethro?” Celestia asked with a slightly worried expression on her face. “What did you find?”

I exhaled slowly. “Something that just raises more questions,” I replied. “Too many, and ones I don’t really want to think about.”

“You sure you’re okay, babe?” Scarlet asked.

“I’m not surprised you reacted like that,” Sunset said. “If Generation One is really prehistorical, then could the other two generations be historical, too?”

I shook my head. “I doubt it. Especially Generation Three.” Clearing my throat, I sang, “We'll plan a party with Pinkie Pie and watch her balloons lift her up to the sky. Scootaloo will show us games to play, and Toola-Roola will be painting away. Rainbow Dash always dresses in style. Sweetie Belle's magic brings a great big smile. I hope we hear a story from Cheerilee, and a beautiful Starsong melody.” I paused to take a breath, then continued, “Generation Three takes place in another place called Ponyville, and the characters are all mixed up. Our Rainbow Dash is if you took Generation Three Rainbow Dash and put Generation One Firefly’s personality in.”

“Hey, are you insulting me?” Rainbow asked, putting her front hooves on her hips.

I shook my head. “Not at all. I’m just saying that out of all the generations of My Little Pony, show or toys, Generation One would make the most sense.”

“Twilight did write to me once about other versions of this line of toys,” Celestia said, “but can you explain it more?”

“Oh, I can do more than that. You’re gonna want to sit down for this, Celestia. Same with all of you,” I said as I slowly pulled out my phone. “I’ve got something I need to show you.” So saying, I opened YouTube, pulled up Rescue At Midnight Castle, then began to project it. Pausing it before it really started, I looked back at the individuals in the room. “Now, before I show you this, I’d like you to hold off all questions until the end. What I’m about to show you is short, but it’ll provide some context to what we found.” And with that, I hit play.

“My Little Pony! My Little Pony! Isn’t the world a lovely place? My Little Pony! My Little Pony! Everywhere you go a smiling face!”

“My Little Pony! My Little Pony! Isn’t it time we started home? My Little Pony! My Little Pony! Whoever dreamed how far we’d roam?”

Thirty minutes later, everyone was staring at the ending credits as they rolled on the projected screen in the center of the room. Firefly was flying Megan back home as the ending song was being sung. When the credits were over, I ended the projection and turned back to the others. There were varying degrees of confusion and worry on their faces. Some looked thoughtful, like Twilight and Rarity. Others, like Rainbow Dash, looked just plain confused. Spike, having seen his Generation One self, looked equally as confused.

It was Applejack who first spoke up. “Was that Pony supposed tah be me?”

I shook my head. “I doubt it,” I said. “You’ve gotta remember, this was made back in 1984. Friendship is Magic started airing back in 2010, which is what the year is in Pendragon now. Hell, the human version of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are fans of the show.”

“So why show us this?” Luna asked. “What could it have to do with whatever you found?”

“We found an ancient stone tablet written by a Pony named Sǒnnī Blican,” I said, waving the projection away with my hand.

“I made a charcoal copy of the tablet,” Twilight said, holding up a large piece of paper which had a copy of the stone tablet on it. She must have put the paper down on it and rubbed a piece of charcoal onto it to make the copy, I reasoned as she placed it down on the table.

Celestia and Luna both looked at the paper. “I’ve seen writing like this before in Starswirl’s old room back at our old Castle,” Celestia said.

“I concur,” Luna said. “It is indeed an ancient language even you and I do not know, sister.”

“I can read it,” I said, “and the words I couldn’t read I could translate on my phone. Like, here. Lemme translate the author’s name.” I pulled out my phone and placed both words into the Old English translator. The first name meant nothing, but Blican stood out to me. “Blican means To Sparkle,” I said, looking over at Twilight immediately.

Twilight looked at the paper in astonishment. “Do…you think that this was written by one of my ancestors?” she asked in awe.

“It’s possible,” I said as I was furiously looking for a translation for Sǒnnī. “Hang on, I might have found something about that first name…”

“Is that really important at the moment,” Spike asked.

“It could be,” I said as I went to a Middle English translator site and plugged the name in. “Okay…so the name is Sunny or Sunlight Sparkle,” I said as I put the phone down. “Does that name ring any bells?”

Twilight shook her head. “No…I don’t think so,” she said. “I’ll look through the genealogical records later.”

“What of the name Milscapuldor Gebéorscipe?” Luna asked. “Could that be of any import?”

“Do you know how to spell it?” I asked, going back to the Old English translator.

Luna raised her horn and the name began spelling itself in the air. “Like this,” she said.

“Okay, hold that up for a bit,” I said as I put both words into the translator. “Okay, so Milscapuldor means Sweet Apple Tree and Gebéorscipe means Feast, Banquet, or Party.” I looked over at Applejack, then at Pinkie Pie, the events of one of the Season 4 episodes coming quickly to my mind. “No way…”

“What’s on yer mind, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“Well…spoiler alert, but there’s an episode in the fourth season of My Little Pony where Pinkie Pie here finds out that she’s possibly related to the Apple family. Fourth cousin twice removed by a fifth cousin. The episode ended kind of up in the air, but if this name means anything, it could indicate some common ancestry. Or it could be a massive coincidence. But we’re getting sidetracked.” I pointed to the paper. “There are words on here that roughly translate to Rainbow of Light, Dream Castle, Ponyland, Three Guardians and more.”

“Are you suggesting humans have been to Equestria before?” Rarity asked.

“It’s possible,” I said. “In the My Little Pony movie, three humans came to Ponyland. Megan Williams was one, and her two siblings came. Danny and Molly.” I pulled up the Wikipedia entry for the summary. “Here, this article explains the plot in detail.” I read the plotline over for everyone, then put the phone away. “Three humans from over the rainbow? Three guardians? Sounds like they could be one and the same.”

Celestia frowned. “You’re talking about ancient history, Jethro,” she said. “And from what I just saw, it couldn’t have happened quite like you said.”

“No, you’re probably right,” I replied. “I don’t know just how it could have happened, but the names I’m seeing are too big of a coincidence to ignore. Plus, this tablet mentions two other tribes of Ponies, and from what I know of Generation One, that could only be Sea Ponies and Flutter Ponies.”

“By Sea Ponies, are you referring to the Hippogriffs?” Luna asked.

“I don’t know, maybe,” I replied.

“What are Flutter Ponies?” Fluttershy asked.

I chuckled at the irony that Fluttershy would ask about Flutter Ponies, but it was quick. “Well, they’re a race of flying ponies,” I explained, “but instead of wings like those of a Pegasus, they have wings more like those of butterflies. And they have the means to create a powerful wind. At least, that’s what I found on the staticnet when I researched them.”

“Do you think they exist?” Rainbow asked.

“The tablet mentions five tribes of Ponies, and their description matches with what I’ve found about them on the Generation One wiki,” I said. “But for the moment, I think there’s one thing we can gather from what we’ve learned. And that is that Applejack’s new magic isn’t new.” I pointed to the passage in question. “Here, it reads ‘…those in tune with the land, the most common of all the Friþhengest, could channel magic through their hooves to create the vast farmlands throughout the land of Eoh Eorðdenu’. If what I saw was any indication, what she did matches what’s being described here. She channeled magic through her hooves and made the Hearth’s Warming Tree grow.”

“But it wasn’t even in the ground,” Applejack replied. “It was touchin’ the ground, sure, but there weren’t no roots or nothin’.”

“Maybe contact is all you need,” I conjectured. “Think about it. As opposed to Alicorns and Unicorns who don’t need to touch something to cast magic on it, Earth Ponies might need to. I mean, that’s how it works for Pegasi. They need to touch the clouds for their own brand of magic to activate. Bounce on the cloud and make it rain or snow. Push the clouds into place to make a storm or something. That kind of thing.”

“Well, we Earth Ponies do have our own connection to the ground,” Pinkie said thoughtfully. “When I was back on my family’s farm, my sisters would always be able to tell where the best gems were. I can kinda tell, but not as much as my sisters. Especially Maud. She’s a prodigy.”

“And Granny Smith said she was able tah know when the next season was comin’ weeks before just by feelin’ the earth beneath her hooves when she was younger,” Applejack said. “She can still feel it, but only a few days before now.”

“I’ve felt similar types of magic through my life,” Celestia said. “Sometimes, whenever I walk through the Canterlot Palace Gardens, I can close my eyes and feel the life around me. It’s very relaxing after a long day.”

“I have felt the same way sometimes,” Luna added. “It’s not often I feel that connection, but it’s there.”

“But why did it appear now?” Applejack asked. “Ah don’t get it.”

“I don’t know,” I said. I turned then to Moondancer. “You said there was Alicorn magic in her? What did you mean?”

“I meant that some sort of Alicorn magic passed through her,” Moondancer explained. “Raw magic. Only Alicorns can wield raw magic in its purest form.”

“Okay, let’s pretend Jethro knows jack-shit about magic stuff like this,” I said. “How is raw magic different from the magic I’ve been using so far?”

Moondancer pointed to her horn. “A Unicorn’s horn is what gives us the ability to use magic. We channel the raw magic that permeates the world through it while casting spells.”

“Exactly,” Twilight added. “Every part of the world has magic in it. All that we Unicorns do is funnel it through our horns whenever we cast it.”

“So how did raw magic appear in Applejack?” I asked. “If Alicorns can wield this raw magic, how’d it enter her?”

The room went silent as we all tried thinking about what could have possibly happened. The answer came from one of the most unlikely of sources. “Um…here’s a thought,” Spike said after a few minutes of thought. “Remember back on Earth where you tried casting magic and it shot out of you? It went into everyone there. Including Applejack.”

“But that was on Earth,” I said, confused. “If what I cast was raw magic, how’d I do that?”

“Jethro, the magic you cast was a rainbow color, remember?” Twilight said. “What’s your normal magic color?”

“A kinda silvery golden one, like my wings,” I said.

Celestia stepped forward, then raised her horn. She began gritting her teeth and I thought I saw beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Her horn began to glow, only instead of its normal glow I saw a swirling rainbow around the base of her horn. It began moving up until it enveloped her entire horn. Unlike the normal sound of magic being cast, this sounded like wind blowing through the trees. She took a few deep breaths, then clenched her teeth again. The magic began to vanish, finally ending at the tip. She took a few stumbling steps back, only to be caught by her younger sister. “Sister, why did you do that? You know it consumes too much of your magic,” Luna said worriedly. “Now I shall have to be the one to lower the sun.”

“No, sister,” Celestia said, “I have enough juice left to do that before I go to bed.” She turned to me. “Did that look familiar?”

“Yeah,” I said. “It looked a lot like the magic that came out of me back on Earth.”

“That must have been raw magic, then,” she said. “If it passed through Applejack, it could very well have boosted her natural magical abilities.”

“Damn it…” I said, turning to Applejack apologetically. “I’m really sorry about-”

“Now don’t ya go talkin’ like that,” she interrupted me. “Ya couldn’t have known this would happen. All we can do now is live with it.”

I smiled gratefully at her, then turned back to Twilight. “The problem, though, is that the magic I accidentally cast didn’t just hit Applejack. It hit Shye, Jackie, Trisha, Diane, Dash, Zecora, Scarlet, Twilight AND Spike. And I know Zecora, Scarlet, Twilight and Spike haven’t experienced anything weird. At least, unless you four have something to tell us.” I looked at the four in turn with a raised eyebrow.

Twilight shook her head. “I haven’t noticed anything odd. Spike?”

The young drake also shook his head. “Nothing weird here. Then again, I’m still kinda getting used to this new body.”

“I have not felt anything unusual, dearest,” Zecora said.

“Yeah, nothing weird here,” Scarlet said, spreading her wings and looking at them carefully. “I still feel the same as ever.”

“Ah felt the same before whatever happened,” Applejack said, “and ah feel the same now.”

“So could this thing with Applejack be an isolated incident?” Rarity asked.

“Well, perhaps,” Twilight said as she began pacing the room.

“Do you think we should test everypony here who was affected?” Moondancer asked.

“I’ve already put in an order for the latest Magiscan device,” Celestia said. “I’m having it delivered to Golden Oaks as soon as possible. But for now, yes. I’d suggest you get those hit by the raw magic tested. Even if what Twilight has is out of date, I know she takes very good care of her Magiscan since she got it.”

“Well, if that’s the case, we can probably still use it,” Moondancer said.

“If my sister’s student is as meticulous as she claims,” Luna said, “then this device of hers should be sufficient to bring more answers.”

“And for your sanity, Jethro, focus on one mystery at a time,” Celestia said. “I don’t want my favorite knight falling into shock researching prehistorical Pony legends.”

“I’m your only knight,” I replied, “but yeah, you’re right…I don’t wanna think about this right now. One problem at a time.”

“This historical issue is not as pressing as young Applejack here being given magic unknown to her,” Luna said.

“I can have some of our historians look at this tablet and see if they can find something useful from it,” Celestia said, “but for you all, I suggest you return to Ponyville. It’s not quite sunset, but it is getting late. You should all head back. I can provide you all with chariots again if you want.”

“Oh yes, please,” Rarity said. “Flying over here earlier was simply divine!”

“It’s faster than the train,” I said, “and plus, I don’t like leaving the Sirens and Chrysalis alone in that house with Ember, Gemini and Mica.”

“I’ll call them right away,” Celestia said as she stood. She walked over to me and put a hoof on my shoulder and gave me a sorrowful and knowing smile. “You know, I wish I could give you a time of rest. You never seem to, what’s the phrase that’s so in vogue these days? Catch a break?”

“That’s the phrase, and so do I, Celestia. So do I.”

“So, this won’t hurt Zecora, will it?” I asked about an hour later. After returning to Ponyville, the other Mane Six had gone home since it was getting dark. Sunset told us that she had a very long day and while she really did want to help didn’t feel she was quite up to snuff in her state. Twilight had understood and said she could rest. The rest of us, Moondancer, Twilight, Zecora, Scarlet and Spike were all down in Twilight’s laboratory surrounding her Magiscan. Zecora was strapped into the machine, having volunteered to be tested by the machine first. Everyone else was standing near the walls to give Twilight and Moondancer space to work.

“Not at all,” Twilight said. “You’ve seen it work before, so why are you asking?”

“Just worried, is all,” I said. “I mean, Zecora’s a Zebra, and this machine was designed for Ponies only.”

“I will be fine, beloved,” Zecora said, giving me a reassuring smile. “Don’t fret.”

“From my research, Zebras and Ponies are similar physically,” Twilight said. “They don’t have quite the same connection to magic as any kind of Pony does, but they do still have it.”

“We’re more like Earth Ponies than any other type,” Zecora explained. “Our bodies are strong and resilient.”

“That’s why Twilight and I have this set to Earth Pony,” Moondancer said, pointing at the control panel for the machine. She looked back at Twilight and nodded. “We’re all set here.”

Twilight nodded in return. It felt nice to see those two getting along again. It was also kind of cool to see Moondancer’s old mane style back. Twilight turned back and gently tightened the straps. “You’ll let me know if this hurts, right?” she asked the Zebra mare.

“It doesn’t hurt at all,” Zecora said. “In fact, you can tighten it up a bit more.”

Twilight nodded and did so. Turning back to Moondancer, she approached the console and stood beside her old friend. “Okay, I’m turning on the Magiscan. Zecora, you don’t need to do anything, just sit there.”

“I understand, Miss Twilight,” Zecora said.

Twilight nodded then used her magic to turn a few dials and knobs. The device began to hum as the console lit up. “Okay…Moondancer, did you find that book that talks about other creature’s magical resonances?”

“Right here,” Moondancer replied, levitating a green book up and placing it on a nearby bookstand and opening it. “Now let’s see…Zebra…chapter twelve…uh huh…normal resonance frequencies are pretty close to Earth Ponies, uh huh…Twilight? Give me a reading on the alpha wavelength.”

“Twelve…point three, I think,” she said. “The needle is wavering a bit.”

“Huh…that’s about five points off from what I’m seeing here,” Moondancer said. “Okay, beta wavelength.”

“Thirty six,” Twilight replied. “Holding steady there.”

“That’s within normal tolerance,” Moondancer said. “Now, heart rate?”

“Seventy three BPM,” Twilight replied.

“Well within tolerance,” Moondancer said, “Now for the big question: Is there anything on the magical output? With this Magiscan, it would be negligible, between five and ten is the average.”

However, Twilight was just gaping at the control panel, purple eyes wide in what looked like shock. “Sweet Celestia…how is that possible?”

Moondancer was right by her side, looking at something only she and Twilight could see. I could feel the tension in the room rising. Not wanting to be like those guys who just waits for an answer, I walked over and looked at the dial they were looking at.

Now, I didn’t have to be an expert on magic to understand just why the two magical students were astonished. Ponies seemed to be the only race with any kind of substantial type of magic. Well them, and me, a weird hairless ape who sprouted wings and learned magic because of an accident. I frowned. “Normally, I don’t need to state the obvious, but that’s nowhere near normal, is it?”

Twilight and Moondancer both shook their heads. I looked back up at a now worried looking Zecora. “My love, what is it?”

The dial I was looking at had numbers from zero to a hundred with a red needle which was slightly trembling. I looked back up at her, then walked over and put a hand over her hoof, which I noted was trembling slightly. “Dearest, your magical output is way above normal. It’s almost at fifty.”

Zecora’s eyes went wide. “Wait…it is?” she asked in a surprisingly calm tone.

I nodded. “It is, sweetie.” I squeezed her hoof then turned to the two Unicorns. “Twi? Moondancer? What does this mean?”

The two Unicorns looked at each other, then began whispering to each other. Moondancer was talking a bit more calmly than Twilight, who looked like she was freaking out. The conversation lasted a few minutes before they turned back. Moondancer was the first to talk. “Let me preface this by saying neither of us are experts when it comes to Zebra magical output. However, from what we’re both seeing, yes, your magical output is much higher than it should be, Miss Zecora. Higher than most Unicorns, even.”

“But that’s not the biggest part,” Twilight said sharply and with a worried tremor in her voice. “It looks like…” She trailed off, looking at the control console again. “It just can’t be…”

“Just tell us, please,” I said, now holding onto Zecora’s hoof tighter.

Twilight took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Well, it looks like your magic…it looks like the output is only increasing.”

There was silence through the underground lab. Everyone looked at everyone with varying expressions of concern (which came from Twilight, Moondancer and Zecora) and confusion (which came from me, Scarlet and Spike). I looked back at the two Unicorns. “What are we missing here, you guys? Is her having this much magic a bad thing?”

“If it were steady, I’d say no, just unusual,” Moondancer said, and her tone sounded much more clinical than normal. “However, her magic is only increasing, and that could lead to severe problems.”

I was about to ask something, when I heard Zecora take a sharp increase in breath. Turning, I saw that she was breathing heavily all of the sudden. She had her eyes closed and was sweating profusely. “Zecora?! What’s wrong!? Talk to me!”

“She’s having a panic attack!” Moondancer said as she looked down at the console. “And her magical output is spiking like crazy!”

“She’s almost on the verge of a magical surge!” Twilight said in a panic.

I quickly undid the straps on her hooves and lifted her up. She was burning up and her eyes were wide in terror. Those eyes locked on me. “Jethro…help…”

Holding her close to me, I ignored the heat coming from her body and the shouts of alarm from everyone else and rushed upstairs, opening the door with my magic and rushing out into the now darkened but festive looking streets. Spreading my wings, I shot up into the air, holding the terrified Zebra close to me. She clung to me tightly as I flew towards the burned down portions of the Everfree Forest. A part of me noticed that the portion of the forest that had burned down had been cleaned, leaving a large ashy plain covered by snow. I flew down towards a thick snowbank and placed her into the snow.

“Jethro!” Scarlet’s voice called out from behind me as my Pegasus marefriend landed beside me, carrying Moondancer in her hooves. Spike was behind her, carrying Twilight in his arms. The four landed beside me.

“Stay back, everypony!” Twilight shouted.

However, I ignored her and knelt beside the twitching Zebra. “Zecora! Hang in there!” Turning back to Twilight, I shouted, “What do we do?!”

“She needs to release the magic inside her, but since she doesn’t have a horn, I don’t know what she can do!” Twilight said in a panic.

“It hurts! IT HURTS!” Zecora shouted. Her eyes were shut, but from behind her eyelids, I saw a dark blue glow.

“What do we do!?” I shouted, ignoring just how hot she was and holding her as close as I could.

Twilight clenched her teeth and looked like she was doing her best to think. But it was Scarlet who came up with an idea. “Change her into an Anthro form! She might not have a horn, but what if she had hands!?”

Twilight’s eyes widened in realization. “Good idea!” She looked over at me then at my wings. “Jethro! I need one of your feathers! Now!” I plucked one from my back and handed it to her. She took it and hovered it into the air between her and Zecora. She grit her teeth and aimed her horn at the poor Zebra. A beam of bright purple magic shot out towards the feather and struck it, making it explode into bright golden silvery light mixed with Twilight’s own magical color which then hit Zecora.

Now, I had never seen the Anthro spell in action before, but what I saw I will never forget. The mixture of colors swirled around the twitching and terrified Zebra. She began to glow brightly, the light hiding everything but her head. He eyes shot open and I saw them glowing the same color as her eyes. That gorgeous blue that captivated me every night before bed and every morning whenever I woke up. The same eyes that were consumed with terror and pain as her normally equine body was surrounded by magic which took on the shape of her normal Anthro form. Her forelegs took on the slender shape of human arms, her back legs took on the shapely appearance of attractive human legs minus feet. Her middle formed into the same attractive shape I had seen a few times before.

Suddenly, Zecora spread her new arms up to the heavens. Two large blasts of cyan magic shot out from her hands and burst through the clouds. Cyan lightning bolts shot through the clouds, lighting up the snow covered plain. And, to top it off, a blast of golden silver magic erupted from her back which spread out in a magical bubble. This sent everyone flying back onto the ground except for me, since it just felt like a large soap bubble had passed through me.

Just like that, the light and magic vanished, and the now naked Anthro version of Zecora fell onto the snowbank. I rushed over and wrapped her in my arms and wings. To my surprise, she was still conscious and shivering in my wings and arms. She wasn’t hot anymore, however. She reached out and clung to me tightly. “Dear…est…” she said in a trembling voice.

“I’m here, babe,” I said softly. “I’m here.”

She looked up at me, and the trust in those eyes made me smile wider. I stroked her mane lovingly and poured some Phoenix warmth through my wings. She shuddered a bit and leaned in, placing her head on my chest. “I…I feel much better now, love,” she said, sounding very relieved.

I nodded, feeling myself relaxing as well. The others surrounded us, varying degrees of worry on their faces. “Zecora? What happened? We couldn’t really see?” Twilight asked.

I held out my hand. “Not right now, Twilight,” I said. “She needs some rest. We can discuss what happened tomorrow, okay?”

“Including that?” Spike asked, pointing to Zecora’s back.

“What are you-oooh…” I said, looking at Zecora’s bare back.

“Is something wrong?” Zecora asked, now looking worried again.

“I don’t think so,” I said, “but you’ll wanna look behind you.”

Zecora slowly did so, and her eyes went wide. “What…but…how? I’m not a Pony!”

Nobody could answer her. How could they? The truth of what we were seeing on the Anthro Zebra’s back was impossible to comprehend at the time. Because we all were staring at a pair of large white and black streaked Alicorn wings spread from her back.

140: A Cloaked Heart's Late Night Talks

Author's Note

Writer's block is a bitch. Sorry.

140: A Cloaked Heart's Late Night Talks

I closed the door to my house’s main bedroom where Zecora, now wearing one of my slacks and a white t-shirt, was sleeping thanks to some tea I’d made for her. After her transformation, I’d flown her home while Scarlet and Spike flew Moondancer and Twilight behind me. We made it back to my house where I brewed her some tea to help her calm down enough so she could sleep and I’d stayed with her while she’d calmed down after her freak out at seeing a new pair of wings. While I’d held her there, I noticed that the hooves that had been on her legs during the initial transformation had changed into furred human-like feet. The poor mare was terrified about what had happened to her, and to be honest so was I, but I needed to be strong for her at the moment so I held her close and we listened to Enya until that and the tea had helped her fall asleep. I stayed with her for about five minutes afterwards to make sure she was okay, then put a thick warm blanket over her and her new wings and left.

As I walked down the stairs to the living room where Moondancer, Twilight, Scarlet and Spike were waiting, I realized that I was angry. Angry at life for being such a monumental douche to keep piling on the crap on me. Angry at the beings here who’d caused me trouble, like Torch, Chrysalis, the Sirens and Amber. And that anger continued to grow as I walked slowly downstairs into the living room.

The three Ponies and Dragon recoiled when they saw my face. But the Alicorn Princess of the Sun, who was also in the room, noted my anger with a somber and sorrowful expression. Slowly and carefully, she sat up and walked over to me. Spreading her wings, she wrapped me into a tender embrace as I buried my face into her chest. As she stroked my back gently, she whispered, “It’s okay to scream.”

Taking a deep breath, I screamed loudly into her warm and soft chest. Her grip on me only tightened and she nuzzled me as I wrapped my arms around her neck. I felt magic passing between her and me as I screamed and shouted incoherently into her. The anger slowly dissipated and all that was left was exhaustion. Too much was happening to me all at once, and I was just sick of it. Sick and tired. As me legs started to give out, Celestia knelt with me. “Let it out,” she said gently into my ear.

After a good few minutes of screaming, I slowly moved away, looking at the ground with tears streaming down my cheeks. My fists, which had been clenched for those minutes, were hard to unclench, but I forced them to relax. Celestia held me still in her wings, and I felt a gentle hoof placed on my shoulder. “I am so sorry,” she whispered.

I shook my head. “Don’t apologize,” I said in a broken voice. And I felt like I was breaking apart at the seams. I had too much to deal with all at once. “I just…I can’t…”

“You need rest,” she said gently. “You need to take a long vacation.”

I inhaled then exhaled slowly. “What I need is to deal with everything that’s going on in my life right now,” I said. “But I don’t know where to start…I’ve got an entire empire to run, a trio of three Siren ex-Princesses to deal with, Chrysalis, and now Zecora becoming a Zebra version of an Alicorn? God must be punishing me for something.”

“Would you feel better if I took Chrysalis and the Sirens back to Canterlot with me and kept them there for a while?” Celestia asked. “My sister and I could keep an eye on them.”

I bit my lower lip. I had to admit, the prospect of having the four former villains out of my hair was really tempting. They were being looked after currently by Gemini, Mica and Ember and for the most part had been silent, keeping to themselves, but on the other hand, I felt a sense of duty to keep them close. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as the old saying went. Slowly, realization dawned on me as I stood uncertainly. Celestia stood with me, and I could see the look of recognition in her eyes. The look that said she knew what I was thinking. “No, as tempting as that offer is, I need to deal with them right here. But it is a bit late. And I have a scared Zebra to help.” I walked over to my chair and collapsed into it. “What the hell do I do now?”

“Why not talk to the others?” Spike asked quickly. “Chrysalis, the Sirens and the rest.”

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. He had a point. I hadn’t spoken to many of the houseguests under my roof in a couple days. Not about the issues between us, anyway. Perhaps now was the time to do that.

Twilight must have seen the decision in my eyes, because she was instantly by my side and pressing against me affectionately. “You don’t have to do this alone,” she said as she looked up at me with pleading eyes. “Please, Jethro, let us help.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Moondancer asked.

“Jethro, I’m your girlfriend now,” Scarlet said, “so I’m helping whether you like it or not.”

“Don’t forget me!” Spike said, raising his claw.

“What kind of Princess would abandon her knight and a fellow monarch in his time of need?” Celestia asked.

I smiled at them all. It felt relieving to have so much support. The other Mane Six weren’t there, but even then I could sense their own support. I nodded. “I’d appreciate the help, yes. But what can we do?”

“When was the last time you talked to them?” Celestia asked. “Any of them? Even Ember and Gemini.”

I paused. For Chrysalis, Ember and Gemini, it had been after giving out those gifts. For the three Siren Princesses, it had been after they came to live with me until I could think of something to do with them. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it was only a few days prior. I looked at the hallway on the first floor and the stairs which led to the second floor where their rooms were located. Frowning, I steeled myself. “I guess it’s time for another talk with all of them, isn’t it?”

“Do you want any of us with you?” Twilight asked.

I pursed my lips. “Right now? I think I need to do this part of it alone,” I said. “I’m not only supposed to look after them, but need to deal with the relationship between me and them.” Turning to them all, I said, “Maybe dealing with them will help clear my mind somewhat so I can focus on what just happened to Zecora.”

“We can discuss that down here while you’re talking to the others,” Celestia said. “Although we’ll need to try and come up with a way to reveal what just happened. That beam of magic could be seen through a lot of Equestria.”

“And another headache,” I sighed, rubbing my temples.

Celestia put a reassuring hoof on my shoulder again. “Let my sister and I deal with that, okay?” she said with a kindly smile. “We’ll have something for the morning papers. You go and do what needs to be done.” She removed her hoof and nodded at me knowingly.

I turned away after nodding back. “Wish me luck.” And with that, I took the first step. In more ways than one.

I decided to start easy by checking on Phlogiston and Aurora first, and it was a good thing I did. When she opened the door, the older Dragon female was holding a crying Aurora in her arms. The room itself was a mess, but I had made it quite clear that I didn’t mind it just as long as Aurora was safe. Phlogiston herself looked utterly exhausted, but when she saw me, she straightened up. “Your Grace?”

I held out my arms. “Here, give her to me for a bit,” I said.

Aurora, who now was wearing a diaper, wailed as Phlogiston handed her over to me. I cradled her in my arms, supporting her head with my hand. Phlogiston sat on the edge of her bed and sighed. “She didn’t want to go down for a nap this afternoon and she’s tired and cranky,” she said. “Princess Ember did the same thing.”

I looked at her and the crying baby Dragon looked up at me, still crying hard as I gently rocked her back and forth. “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay, sweetie,” I said in a tender tone as I walked up to a chair and sat down. She was still crying, but as I rocked her gently back and forth, she began to calm down just a little bit. “I’m no expert with children, but let me try something,” I said. After calmly clearing my throat, I began to sing. “Hush, little baby, don’t say a word. Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring turns to brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass. If that looking glass should crack, Papa's gonna buy you a jumping jack. If that jumping jack won’t hop, Papa’s gonna buy you a lollipop. When that lollipop is done, Papa’s gonna buy you another one. When that lollipop is all eaten up, Papa’s gonna buy you a real life pup. If that real live pup won’t bark, Papa’s gonna buy you a horse and cart. If that horse and cart fall down, you’ll still be the prettiest girl in town.”

When I finished, little Aurora had stopped crying and was just staring at me with wide eyes full of wonder. She began to giggle and gabble in that cute baby language. She even clapped her claws together a few times. Phlogiston looked both astonished and impressed. “She really seems to enjoy singing.”

“I’m starting to think that was what caused her to hatch,” I said. “I bet she loves music.”

“I never sang any Dragon hatchling to sleep,” she admitted. “Then again, I’m a horrible singer.”

I smiled up at her. “Well then, I’ll try and come and help you put her to sleep as often as I can,” I said as I looked back down at the little Dragon Princess. Standing up, I made my way over to the crib that Twilight’s parents had actually sent to me, since it had been Spike’s old crib. The normal frame was made of metal instead of wood and the blankets and bedding were made of a special fire retardant material. Soft, yet durable. As I approached the crib and put her into it, I sang again. “Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are? Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are? When the blazing sun is gone, when she nothing shines upon, then you show your little light, twinkle twinkle, all the night. Twinkle twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are. Twinkle twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are?”

“Bah, gah?” Aurora tilted her head as I tucked her in the old but still soft and warm sheets and blankets.

Reaching up, I booped Aurora’s cute nose, making the adorable Dragon hatchling to giggle. “Time to sleep, little Princess,” I said softly. “Goodnight, sweet dreams, tomorrow’s another day. Till then, sweet dreams sweetheart.” I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before I realized what I was doing.

Phlogiston crossed her arms as I came back up and continued tucking her in. She had a knowing smirk on her face as I watched the now yawning little hatchling close her eyes. After I was sure that Aurora was asleep, I slowly and quietly stepped back to join her. The room was quiet now save for the cutest breathing sound. We stepped into another corner of the room and as we did, Phlogiston asked, “Are you a father, Your Grace?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’ve wanted to be one for years.”

She smiled wider. “I know you are quite busy currently, but any that a Dragon first sees like she saw you is special to a dragon.”

Like how Spike is to Twilight, I thought. “Honestly, I wish I could spend so much more time with the little cutie,” I said, and meant it. “Unlike with Right Hand Ember, Aurora needs and deserves to have a father in her life.”

“Your Grace, you have duties and responsibilities,” Phlogiston said reassuringly. “Nocreature could blame you for that.”

“Even so, I should make some time each day to spend with her, especially if I decide to officially adopt her,” I replied. “Right now, it’s an unofficial adoption.”

“All you would need to do is announce her as your daughter by Imperial Decree and that would solve things,” she replied.

“That’s something I should talk about with Ember,” I said. I turned to her. “Phlogiston, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve been doing for me. And I want to thank you. If there’s anything you want from me within reason, name it and it’s yours.”

“Anything within reason?” she asked.

“Anything within reason,” I repeated.

She looked thoughtful, then looked over at Aurora. Turning back to me, she knelt and lowered her head. “Your Grace, all I want right now is to see young Aurora safe and taken care of. Please allow me to stay by her side and help to raise her.”

I smiled widely at her devotion to a child she had only known for a few days. Standing taller, I took on the persona of a ruler. Taking some inspiration from the Bible, I said, “Because your request was made on behalf of another and not for personal gain, I shall grant not only your request, but you shall be given a suite in Ignu’s Keep and paid a hefty sum of bits. You shall also be granted a good sized plot of land and a quiet house if and when you so desire it.”

Phlogiston looked up at me with wide eyes. “My Emperor, you honor me too much.”

“I give you what you deserve,” I said. “You have put your own job and life on hold to help raise young Princess Aurora. That shows a strength of character that I admire. And it’s something that I intent to reward.”

The lovely older Dragon female stood and smiled at me. “I will do everything I can to earn these rewards.”

I smiled back at her. “Well, you’ve already done so, but I appreciate the sentiment.” I looked at the clock on the wall then back at her. “Now, why don’t you try and get some sleep. It looks like you’ve had a tiring day.”

“Same with you, Your Grace,” she said.

“You’ve no idea,” I sighed as I made my way towards the door. “Sleep well, Lady Phlogiston.”

“And you as well, my Emperor.”

Next, I decided to go for Chrysalis. I stood in front of her door and took a few quiet but deep breaths before I knocked. I heard some shuffling before the door’s lock unlatched and it opened, revealing Chrysalis’ somewhat scowling face. She was wearing one of my spare bathrobes and her hair looked wet. Her scowl vanished and turned into only confusion when she saw it was me. “Um, what is it?” she asked.

“Chrysalis, I’d like to revisit the conversation we had the other day,” I said, standing up straighter and hiding how tired I felt. “There’s a lot we didn’t say.”

Chrysalis stared at me for a few seconds before she moved aside and opened the door. “I think so, yeah,” she said in a surprising move.

Just like I’d seen before, her room was still pretty bare and nothing else was touched except the bed which looked slept in. Sitting on one of the endtables near the bed was the same crown I’d given to her a few days ago. There was a small dying fire in her fireplace. She walked over and sat in one of the chairs facing said fireplace. I walked over and put a few more small logs in, which started to bring the fire back to life. When I joined her, she stared into the fire for a while. The logs crackled and sparked a bit as the seconds passed. Finally, I turned to her and broke the silence. “You look calmer than before. How are you feeling?”

She put her hands on her lap and sighed. She didn’t face me, but she replied, “Just tired.” She stared into the fire, looking unsure about what to do now. She looked lost. “All that anger…it’s there still, and yet it’s not. I don’t know what to do now. I don’t have a kingdom anymore. I’m just useless…” After a bit, she turned to me. “What did you want to talk about now?”

“I know we haven’t been interacting much lately, but I wanted to check in to see how you were doing,” I said.

“You must have been really busy,” Chrysalis said. “No one’s telling me anything about what’s been happening. That building showing up in your yard, and then those strange winged humans appearing? And then tonight there was that magic.” She pointed to the ring still around her horn. “This thing is strong, but that magic I felt was Alicorn level. I can feel that even with it on.”

“Let me worry about those things,” I said, “I’m just here to try and continue that conversation we had a few days ago.” Chrysalis nodded and looked back into the fire. When she didn’t venture anything, I continued. “I don’t want to sound insensitive, but…about your parents, how are you feeling about their deaths?”

She didn’t answer for a while, and just when I was about to rescind the question, she said, “I really don’t know. I was young when they were killed. I barely knew them, to be honest. I have a few depictions of them in my room back in the castle, but that and a few memories that might or might not be dreams are all I have.” Her wings fluttered a bit and she folded her hands. “All I’ve ever been told about them was that they were very important High Fae in the community. And that was from my caretaker before she died. Honestly, my mind’s been clearer than it feels like it’s been in decades. Do I have a purpose now?”

“Everybody has a purpose,” I said. “Even you.”

She turned to me. “But what? To be your teacher and nominal slave? Would the Fae even accept me back into their new community?”

“That’s up to them, not me,” I said.

She frowned. “I never said it was.”

“Sorry, it’s a force of habit to say that,” I said. “But here’s the thing, Chrysalis, you have a second chance here. You can find a new purpose. I don’t know what, but you can find something. Don’t make light of this second chance. In the show, you squandered it. I don’t want that for you here.”

She turned back and stared into the fire again. “Right, I forgot your world has a glimpse into this one.”

“I’ve seen another version of you at your worst,” I said. “Hell-bent on causing pain and suffering in the name of revenge. It didn’t end well for you. You can be a better person than that, I know it.”

The hands in her lap began clenching. “I don’t…know if that’s possible. Look, Bethridge, I’ve been full of anger and hatred for longer than you’ve been alive. Now that it isn’t controlling me as aggressively as it did before, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

I nodded. “I think I can understand. Losing motivation can make anyone go through a crisis of identity.”

“Crisis of identity?” she asked, turning to me suddenly. “I think having a more human body goes waaaay beyond crisis of identity!”

I held up my hands. “Yeah, no, you’re right, I’m sorry,” I said. “But you can make a new identity now. You can become a better person. A better High Fae.”

“How?” she asked, visibly looking like she was trying to calm down.

“I did say that you’d be training me on how to use my new Fae powers,” I said. “I have a bunch of different teachers who’ve been helping to train me to better myself in all the new areas of my life. My Earth Pony strength, my Pegasus flight and soon control over weather, my Unicorn magic, and basic combat training. It’s a start. And perhaps, one day, you can help your own kind become better. Right now, they have Thorax as a leader. He’s doing his best, but I fear he might cave to the pressures of rule. Your anger driven leadership aside, you have experience. Not just anybody can rule a nation and keep it intact for as long as you have.”

“If you can call that ruling,” she muttered. “I don’t know if you’ve seen our homeland, but it’s a mess. We can’t grow any kind of plants there and the love we manage to acquire is so low it can barely feed everyfae.”

“That’s why you were planning on invading Equestria sometime soon, weren’t you?” I asked.

She didn’t even look surprised at the revelation. She only nodded. “There’s so much love and happiness here. I knew the Ponies wouldn’t help, so I was planning on finding somepony to impersonate. Possibly that Celestia or Cadance Pony.”

“Did you think about asking at least?” I asked.

“Why bother? They wouldn’t believe me,” she said sadly.

“How do you know?” I asked again. I somewhat felt like Socrates now, questioning her and making her think. “What was the worst that they could have said?”

“If I had asked, they’d have said no, but that doesn’t matter now, does it? You did for them in one night what I failed to do for them in so many hundreds of years.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I only knew something about Fae biology that you didn’t because of the show. I know better than to pat my back about that.”

“Knowledge or not, you helped them,” Chrysalis said.

“And we’re getting off track a bit,” I said. “Look, Chrysalis, all I came here to ask was how you’ve been. Last time you were angry and upset.”

“I’m feeling better now,” she admitted. “Not so much angry as lost and confused, like I said.”

“I think after the new year and after I get back from Aelyssia, you can start training me,” I said. “There’s a lot going on in my life right now.”

“I can tell,” Chrysalis said, looking at me with a knowing expression. “I’ve seen that look on my face many times in the mirror. Especially when multiple issues crop up. I normally just drink to help.”

I couldn’t help myself. I snorted in amusement at the thought of a drunk Chrysalis. “Yeah, well, that’s not how I like dealing with my issues,” I said. “I don’t drink too often.”

“Yeah, you do seem like the clean type,” she smirked finally, and I had to admit, seeing any kind of smile on her face was a relief. Especially since she looked really nice while smiling.

“Eh, I can get dirty if I want,” I replied.

“Funny, I’ve only ever smelled two mares on you when we last talked,” she said with a wave of her hand. “With the love and lust I’ve smelled directed at you, I half expected you to have engaged in a session with multiple partners.”

I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing and held my stomach. It felt good to laugh so hard. But all that I could get out after a half minute of laughing was one questioning word. “Smelled?”

Chrysalis, who had her arms crossed and was smirking now, said, “Oh, Fae have excellent senses of smell. We use it to find sources of love.”

I wiped the tears from my eyes and nodded. “I’m really not surprised.”

“We are more related to insects than mammals,” Chrysalis said with a shrug as she put her arms on the armrests. The two of us sat like that for a while, just watching the ever growing fire in silence for a bit. She spoke again after a few minutes. “You know, that Luna Pony visited me in my dreams the same night you came to talk to me.”

Now that surprised me. I turned my head slowly to her. “Oh, word? What did you two talk about?”

“Well, I’ll tell you what she told me,” she said. “She told me about her time as Nightmare Moon and what she did to the city of Harmonia. We talked a lot about anger and revenge.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “By the Helper…that Alicorn can pack a really mean dream punch, too. Especially in that form where she looks a lot like you and me.”

“Anthro form, yeah,” I said. “She hit you, huh?”

“In my dream, but I was yelling at her, so it’s not like I didn’t deserve it,” Chrysalis replied. “Actually, she’s been visiting my dreams for the past few nights to talk. Believe it or not, it’s helped a bit.”

I made a mental note to give that mare a massive hug the next time I saw her. “That explains your more relaxed demeanor.”

“Well…yeah, I guess so,” she said with a shrug. “I’m still just tired and lost.”

“I understand,” I said, and I did. I stood then. I was about to give her the friendship will help speech, but I wasn’t too sure that she wanted to hear it right now. “Listen, I’ll let you be for now,” I continued, “but I’d like to try and talk again, if you’re okay with it.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, sure thing.” She stood as well and stretched. “I’m going to sleep now, so unless you want to see a naked High Fae queen, I suggest you leave.” The way she said it sounded more amused than anything.

“Sleep well, Chrysalis,” I said. And with that, I left the room.

I found myself now standing in front of the room of all three Sirens. I actually had a large spare room rearranged with three beds so they could sleep. I had been pleasantly surprised by Chrysalis’ change in attitude, but after hearing about Luna’s intervention it made sense. She was an expert on the internal psyche of the mind. Pony minds, for sure, but if anyone could relate to how Chrysalis felt it was Luna. Raising my hand, I knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened and a loose haired Sonata answered the door. She looked sleepy, and behind her I saw the room was dark. “Nnnng…what is it, Your Grace?” she asked tiredly. She was wearing a pair of my light blue sweats and a white t-shirt of mine as well.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said, and meant it. “You know what, it’s nothing that can’t be discussed in the morning.”

Sonata saw the look in my eyes and shook her head. “N-No, if it’s important, I can wake the others-”

I held up a hand. “No, don’t wake them,” I said. “I can talk to you three later.”

Sonata, to my surprise, stepped out and closed the door. “Are you angry at us for something?” she asked nervously.

I sighed. “Not…well, yes and no,” I admitted. “But it’s a really long story. I’ve got a lot on my plate all crashing down on me, and I was hoping to talk to all three of you about things going forward.”

“If you want, I really can go and wake the others,” Sonata said.

Looking at her, I noticed how scared she looked. I forced myself to relax and pointed to one of the empty spare rooms across the hall. “It’s alright. But as long as I’m here, you and I can talk. Come on.” With that, we both headed into the spare room. I turned on the light and the two of us sat at a small table together. When we were set up, I faced her. “Sonata, I want to say first that I’m really sorry about scaring you back on Earth. My own emotions aside, it was wrong of me to do so. I also wanted to check on you and the others and make sure you were okay.”

Sonata looked shocked by this. “We’re all okay,” she said after a while.

“Are you sure? You called your new form bastardized,” I said, recalling her first impressions of her new form.

She swallowed hard and looked down at the table. “I…I still don’t like my body,” she said shakily. “I just want my old one back…”

“Like I said, there are Ponies looking into the issue,” I said. “However, I meant what I said back in Canterlot. You’re a very beautiful woman. You and the other two.”

She looked down bitterly. “And I said that was because I’m in a human-like form. You wouldn’t find me pretty if I was in my original form.”

“Miss Dusk, I’m from another Earth where humans are the only sapient beings,” I said. “We’re hardwired to find human forms attractive, yes, but since I got here, I’ve begun finding other forms attractive. I have a Zebra fiancée and a Pony marefriend, and I’ve found other sapient beings attractive since then. And I’m not just attracted to looks. I’m attracted to what’s inside. But that’s not what I wanted to discuss. I just wanted to make sure you were all doing okay.”

Sonata looked up at me. There were a few tears in her eyes. Just like I had in the hospital, I stood, made my way quickly to her side and hugged her. Unlike before, she actually wrapped her arms around me while she also buried her face into my chest. “I’m scared,” she admitted after a while. She wasn’t crying, really, but she was trembling. “The others won’t admit it, but they’re just as scared. I hate feeling this way. I hate feeling like such a coward. I used to be scared of nothing. Hell, I once tried to break away from the others by settling down in a small community on Avalon a couple of hundred years ago but they chased me and the others out and made up some lies about us to keep us away…”

I felt like a glorified therapist as I held her closer. She clung to me like a lifeline. “Sonata Dusk, I’m not like those other humans. You’re safe as long as you’re under my protection. I’ll make it known you are not to be harassed.”

Silence permeated the room. Finally, Sonata slowly smiled. “You know, I believe you…”

“How you became Emperor of anything is beyond me!” a muffled female voice said from behind the door. One that sounded like Adagio.

I sighed, lifted my hand, and opened the door with my magic. Adagio, who was wearing a black mini-t-shirt that she owned and a surprisingly racy pair of black lace panties and nothing else, walked into the room followed by Aria, who had on one of my light blue t-shirts and a pair of purple panties and nothing else. Both of them had their hair down, which looked a bit unusual on them, but not altogether unattractive. In fact, all three of them were exceedingly gorgeous. I ignored their half naked appearances as the two slowly approached me. Their leader pointed at me. “Seriously, you’re too soft to be a ruler!”

Slowly I stood and faced her, looking the half human half Siren girl in the eye. We glared at each other for what seemed like forever until I finally said in a calm and collected voice, “Well, would you think me a better ruler if I gave all of you a public flogging? Need I remind you that you have skin now. Ever seen Passion Of The Christ?”

Adagio scowled and was about to say something when Sonata stood between us, looking at her fellow Sirens with a pleading look. “Dagi, Aria, please! We’re really getting off light! Can’t we all just calm down?”

I looked at the young looking Siren, impressed. She was doing all she could to keep the peace. That was, to me, the sign of a good leader. I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “Miss Dusk, thank you.” Turning to the other two, I said, “Do either of you have anything you want to talk to me about?”

Adagio was clenching her fists tightly, her teeth clenched as well. “Damn you,” she snarled as she seemed to visibly deflate and look down at the floor.

Seeing this, I made myself relax and put a firm hand on her shoulder. She tensed up, but didn’t move. “Damn me all you want,” I said firmly, “but as long as you’re under my care and protection, I will make sure you’re safe and provided for.”

“A gilded cage is still a cage, Your Grace,” Aria said with a scowl, putting the wrong kind of emphasis on my title.

“Yes it is, but you won’t be caged up forever,” I said.

“And what will we do after your city is complete?” Adagio asked with a frown.

“That all depends on you,” I said. “I’m more than open to having you stay in the city and not having to work another day in your lives. I’d be more than willing to give you an imperial stipend from my own pockets so you could live comfortably.”

“And our crimes against Ponies?” Sonata asked.

“I’d say that over a thousand years in exile is punishment enough for that,” I said, “but I’ll discuss it with Celestia. If reparations need to be made, I’ll negotiate them with her.”

Adagio looked at me closely. I matched her gaze with an even one of my own. Sonata looked nervous and Aria had her arms folded. We stared at each other for a while until she finally asked, in a surprisingly soft voice, “Why are you being so nice to us?”

I squeezed her shoulder before letting go and looking at all three of them. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

The three didn’t respond for a while. Finally, Adagio and Aria both turned back to the door. “It’s too late for this shit,” Adagio said softly. “I’m going to bed.”

“You coming, Sonata?” Aria asked.

“Um…in a bit,” the aforementioned Siren said as the two half naked Sirens walked out of the door. She watched them go, then I saw a small smile form on her face. “They might not show it, but I think they’re beginning to warm up to you.” She turned to me with one of the loveliest smiles I’d seen on any of their faces. “Your Grace, thank you for your generosity and your kindness. None of us would have expected this from you.”

“I might need to punish you for what you did,” I said, “but like I said, being on an alien world in a strange body that you hate just seems like the majority of your punishment already done. For the most part. I do still need you to finish off the debt to society.”

Sonata nodded. “Of course, Your Grace.”

“You know, even if you’re all not really royalty anymore, it’s okay for you to call me by my first name,” I replied with a kind smile.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Being an Emperor is still pretty new to me,” I said. “It’s fine to call me by my first name.”

To my surprise, she smiled wider. “Well…thank you then…Jethro.” She looked back at the door. “I should probably get some sleep here, too.” She turned back to me. “See you later, Your Gra-I mean Jethro.”

“Sleep well,” I said. She turned and walked out, and as she did I swore there was an extra sway in her hips as she walked. After she walked out of the room and closed the door to her room, I sighed. “Damn sexy Sirens…”

Ember, Gemini and Mica were already asleep, so I went downstairs. The four Ponies and Dragon were waiting down there for me as I walked down. Celestia was the first to say anything. “How did things go?”

“Eh, they went alright,” I said. “I talked to Chrysalis and the Sirens and Phlogiston. The others were already asleep. What about you guys? Find out anything?”

“Well, nothing new,” Twilight said. “Whatever happened back on Earth gave Applejack and Zecora a boost of magic, but since Zebra magic is not quite the same as Pony magic, I don’t know why she has wings. Or magic.”

“Leave it to us to figure out, okay?” Celestia said. “First thing in the morning, I’ll have my best Ponies look over everyone who was hit by this magic.”

“God…this is stressing me the fuck out,” I said, holding my head.

“Jethro, my dear knight,” Celestia said, slowly approaching me, “go and sleep. You’ve had a long and trying day. And your fiancée needs you by her side.”

I nodded, then turned to Scarlet. “Scarlet? Are you coming?”

She looked stunned by the question, but finally nodded and stood up. “Right behind you, babe.”

Smiling, I turned to the others. “Thank you for everything.”

Twilight came up, stood on her hind legs, and nuzzled my face. “We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

“I know you will,” I said as I ran my hand through her mane. “But Celestia’s right. We all need to get some sleep.”

Moondancer stood and grabbed her saddlebags, placing them back on her. “Twilight, what time tomorrow should we start?”

“Nine in the morning, sharp,” Twilight replied.

“Should I bring Zecora with me?” I asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No. She’s been through enough as it is.”

“Thanks. Oh, how long is that Anthro spell you cast on her supposed to last?” I asked.

“I cast it so it should last until eleven PM or one AM,” Twilight said.

“Alright, thanks,” I said.

“Of course,” Twilight said, before turning to Scarlet. “Scarlet? If you’re free, could you come by sometime tomorrow so Moondancer and I can check you over?”

“I work over at Sugarcube Corner until noon tomorrow,” Scarlet said, “so I can be over there sometime in the afternoon. How does one sound?”

“That works,” Twilight said.

“I’ll be there,” the Pegasus said before she flew up to me, wrapping her forelegs around me and nuzzling my face. Yawning, she said, “Onward, noble steed,” while she smacked me on the behind with her tail.

I broke out into a smile. “A Pony riding a human, huh? I guess the tables have turned on me. Hold on a bit.”

After I saw the others out, walking down with them to the edge of my property line, I headed back inside, locked up and went upstairs. Zecora was still asleep, curled up tightly under the covers. I put Scarlet down on one side and got into some dark blue silk pajamas Rarity had made for me. I got into bed and wrapped my arms around her. To my surprise, she turned around, opening her eyes and gazing at me with some trepidation, but there was plenty of trust and love in said eyes. “Thank you,” she said softly, leaning in for a kiss.

I kissed her back and wrapped her in my wings. “You’re welcome.”

With her buried in my chest and with Scarlet pressing herself against her fellow herdmate to try and comfort her, the three of us fell asleep.

A sliver of light struck my eye late the following morning. I knew it was late because I could hear some wind hitting the window, and the weather team had only said that the wind would pick up slightly in the late morning. The curtains were still drawn, but a small opening between them let in the morning sunlight.

The warm presence beside me felt interlocked with my own, and my waking brain realized that during the night Zecora and I had gotten entangled. I pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. Only to realize that I hadn’t grabbed her normal forelegs to do so.

Instantly awake, I slowly undid myself from her, only to find myself staring in complete shock at the very much still anthropomorphic Zebra mare. She was still wearing my clothes and breathing normally enough. Her hands were folded underneath her head in one of the most adorable and cliché sleeping forms I’d seen in a while. A sleeping form I knew I had to wake up. I bit my lower lip. “Whoo boy…she’s not gonna like this…”

141: A Cloaked Heart’s Zebricorn Fiancée

Zecora was looking at her new hands in a mixture of amazement, fear and nervousness only a half hour later as we both ate a quiet breakfast at the dining table. However, we weren’t alone. Gemini and Mica were both sitting on one side of the table. Ember was sitting across from them. Unsurprisingly, Chrysalis and two of the three Sirens didn’t come down, but I was surprised when Sonata herself came down and joined us for the first time. She was too tired at first to notice the now Anthro Zebra sitting near the front of the table next to me, but when she did, she asked, “Wait, I thought Zebras looked a lot like Ponies.”

“We’re gonna look into it after breakfast,” I replied, “and that’s all I have to say about it right now.”

“Does this mean she’s gonna be eating meat like us?” Mica asked.

I raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Why would you think that?”

Mica frowned and looked thoughtful. “I…don’t know, really. Something about it makes sense, though. We walk on two feet, and anycreature I know of that does so eats meat.”

I turned back to Zecora, who understandably looked a bit nauseous. I stood up and walked over closer to her. “Open your mouth, sweetie.” Nervously, she did so. I looked at her teeth, looking for a specific type of tooth. However, when I found nothing, I smiled. “No canine teeth at all.”

Zecora breathed a sigh of relief. “That news is most welcome, Jethro. If I had to eat meat, nothing would set down below.” She rubbed her stomach to make her point clear.

I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “It’s okay to speak like you’ve normally been,” I said in Farasi. I noticed that she’d been speaking more in rhymes since waking up as well as more in Farasi whenever she needed to be clearer.

Zecora took a deep breath, then exhaled. “I know,” she said softly, “but this helps me stay calm. I’ll be okay when I get some more answers.”

I nodded in understanding, leaned down, and kissed her. “We’ll go see Twilight as soon as we’re done eating. I don’t want you fainting from lack of nourishment.”

Zecora smiled gratefully at me, then in English said, “Thank you, dearest.” Her new wings ruffled a bit. Looking back, she stared at the striped wings and said, “If these new wings are here to stay, I’d love to learn to fly away.”

“I can teach you,” I replied, “and I’m plenty sure that Rainbow Dash would love to have a new flying student and flying buddy.”

Zecora nodded. “To soar is that mare’s deep desire. It runs through her like wildfire.” She picked up her fork and I noted that she was holding it in the proper manner. Thinking back, I’d only ever seen her eat at the Gala and even that food was easily picked up with fingers.

Breakfast came and went, and after Gemini, who was unusually silent, and Mica, who was actually doing his best to keep the mood somewhat light, both began cleaning up the dishes, Zecora and I grabbed jackets, put on shoes and headed over to the library. Once we walked out into the late morning air, we began getting a few curious stares from the various Ponies in the town. Most of them could see the serious looks in our eyes and were polite enough to leave us alone. However, one gray wall-eyed mare flew right up to us. She had a worried look in her eyes as she fell into step beside me and Zecora. “Jethro? Zecora? Is something wrong?”

“We’re just going to see Twilight about something,” I said.

Derpy flew up and looked at Zecora’s Alicorn wings. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story,” I replied, “and I’ll tell you about it when we have all the answers. Promise.”

“Well, if you’re sure…sorry if I bothered you,” Derpy said, sounding a bit upset.

I stopped, turned, and put a hand on her back. Pulling her close, I said, “You didn’t bother any of us,” I said. “We’re just as confused about what’s going on as you are. We’ll tell everyone about it later when we figure it out ourselves.”

“Do not apologize, my dear Derpy,” Zecora said, putting one hand to her breast and smiling up at the still somewhat downcast looking mare, “You concern has greatly touched me.”

Derpy’s adorable smile returned, and she hugged me. I hugged back, then let her go. “Well, I’ve got to get to work. Hope you have a good day and that things get better for you!”

“You too,” I said.

As Derpy spread her wings and flew up into the cloudless sky, Zecora slowly wrapped her arm through mine and leaned into me. She moved closer, then licked my cheek before kissing me tenderly on the same spot. Leaning her head on my shoulder, she said, “If I never change back, I hope you will be able to teach me how to use these.” With that, she put her wings around my back and pulled me closer.

I chuckled. “I said I would, didn’t I? And I know you’ll love flying. It’s really a great way to vent or relax.”

She nodded and pressed herself closer. I put my arm around her. Something told me that today was going to be yet another weird one.

Twilight, Sunset and Moondancer were, to say the least, stunned when the two of us walked into the Golden Oaks. Zecora was more than willing to let the two strap her up to the machine in the basement and run tests on her. I was by her side the entire time. The three scientific prodigies took a few baseline readings like before, but when it came time for her to try and cast any kind of magic, or to see if she could at all, we ran into a snag.

According to the three Unicorns, the baseline indicated she now did indeed have magic, but since she had no horn, there was no normal means to cast it. Which was how we found ourselves sitting in the main library, with Zecora listening to me intently as Twilight took notes. I was sitting in the lotus position on the carpet, facing Zecora who was doing the same.

“Okay, so here’s how I first felt the flow of magic through me,” I said. “I sat on the ground, crossed my legs like we’re doing now, then put my hands on my knees and closed my eyes. After that, I tried to focus my attention inward to what Twilight called my magical core. For me, it took at least a couple of tries before I started seeing a glowing orb of light that matches my magical color in my mind’s eye. With that I felt a tingling sensation that flowed from that core outward to my extremities. Specifically my hands. Now, the important thing that I need to emphasize is that if you see that glowing orb and feel that magic flowing through you, do not panic. I did my first time and, well, you heard that magical explosion this past summer right? That was me. Scared nearly everyone in town until Twilight and I explained what happened.”

Zecora chuckled a little bit at that. She’d been the second one to run up to check to see if I was okay, beaten only by Twilight. “But if I do have magic as you say, how do I stop it from going astray?”

I took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “What you need to do is to allow it to flow through you. So, think of it like this: imagine it as a trickling stream that flows out from a central nexus. That’s how I first started seeing it. You don’t have a horn like a normal Alicorn, and from what we all saw last night, you can control your magic through your hands.”

“And if I change back suddenly, what then? How do I control through a horn’s end?” she asked again.

Twilight stepped forward. “Think about it the same way, only focus on this.” She pointed to her horn which began to glow her signature purple color. “I’m not sure what it feels like not to have a horn, though.”

“I can tell you how it feels to have a horn coming from someone who doesn’t normally have one,” I said. “It felt like having a finger coming out of the top of my head. Only the finger doesn’t move and I’m pretty sure it’s made of bone.”

“Actually the bone covers a bunch of nerve endings and muscles,” Moondancer said.

“The point being it feels like any other part of your body,” I explained. “But back to what I was saying before I sidetracked everyone.” I took a breath and looked back at my fiancée. “If you just want to do something like this, focus your magic on just your hand.” Holding out my own hand, I just made it glow my signature golden silvery hue. “Just like this. Do you understand?”

She looked thoughtful at that, then nodded. “I have studied magic for many hours. I know more than most Zebras about these powers.”

“Then rely on that,” I said. “Now, are you ready to try it? And fair warning, it might take you a few tries.”

She nodded. “I think I’m ready,” she said as she put her hands on her knees, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths before settling into a rhythm of breathing.

We all sat there, watching her as she meditated. Moondancer and Twilight had nervous looks in their eyes, Spike watched more curiously than anything, and I watched in anticipation. Minutes passed until finally Zecora slowly opened her eyes. “I believe that I felt the core,” she said, “but to be sure, I must meditate more.”

I nodded. “What did it look like?”

“Just like you described it, only it was blue,” she said without rhyming.

“Like your eyes?” I asked.

She nodded. “How did you know?”

“Something I’ve noticed is a general rule when it comes to magic is that the color of the magic seems to match eye color,” I said. Turning to Sunset, I chuckled. “There are a few exceptions to that rule, like Sunset Shimmer here.”

Sunset nodded and raised her head. Her horn began glowing its signature moderate amaranth color for a brief moment before it went away. “Yeah, it seems to be a general rule of thumb.”

“Celestia’s magic is golden, unlike her magenta eyes,” I said. “Not sure why that’s the rule and why I’m one of the exceptions, but it seems like your magic matches your beautiful eyes.”

Twilight looked slightly jealous, Moondancer giggled, Sunset smirked and Spike just rolled his eyes. Zecora blushed a bit and replied, “Thank you, dearest.”

“But you saw it on your first try,” I continued. “I did, too, but Twilight told me that it’s rare for that to happen.”

“So what do I do now?” Zecora asked.

“Well, try visualizing it again, and then for your first time visualize your body forming around it,” I said. “For me, my core’s located around where the heart is.”

“If I visualize my real form, will that work?” Zecora asked.

I frowned. That was something I had no problem with since I’d had this body for my whole life minus the wings and magic. I turned to the three Unicorns, giving them a questioning glance.

Sunset was the first to answer. “Well, I could try,” she said. “I had a human body for ten years. Give me a few.” So saying, she closed her eyes and a look of concentration appeared on her face. After a while, her horn began glowing its signature color again before vanishing. She opened her eyes. “I’d say it could work.”

“But wouldn’t it be easier to use your new body to visualize?” Moondancer asked.

“Can you imagine yourself in a human body?” I asked. “I can’t imagine myself in any body other than the one I was born with, or that Anthro Alicorn form I had after I got touched by Poison Joke a few months back. But the thing is, if it works for Zecora, then it works.”

“Then how will she cast magic if she’s imagining it coming from a nonexistent horn?” Spike asked.

I froze. My knight had a good point. If she was indeed an Alicorn/Zebra hybrid with Anthro characteristics, then she wouldn’t have a horn. Frowning, I looked at Twilight. “Got a large mirror we can use?”

“Yeah, I have one in my bedroom, but why?” she asked.

“We need to get Zecora accustomed to this body,” I said. “Especially if it’s permanent.”

Thirty minutes later, and after having to have Spike leave the room while Zecora stripped down to her bra and panties so she could get a better look at her new body, she was back in her normal clothes, sitting on the ground, only this time on a large pillow as she’d quickly realized that sitting on a hard floor in this new body was not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. We all waited as she concentrated and attempted to do what I just said. The rest of us went silent and watched once more, all of us now eager to see if she could feel her way through her first conscious use of magic.

Five minutes later or so, she opened her eyes and pursed her lips. Everyone waited in anticipation, but all she said was, “I didn’t see anything.”

“That’s fine,” I said reassuringly. “I didn’t see anything my first time either. But basically, what you’re trying to do is look at your body from outside. Think of it like Magic Sense from that slime anime we watched.”

“Every Unicorn foal goes through it,” Twilight explained. “Even I did.”

“I’ll endeavor to try again. I want to do this by day’s end,” Zecora said.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. “Hey Spike, are you in there?” a little filly’s voice called out. “Wanna come out and play?” I immediately identified the voice as belonging to Sweetie Belle.

“We’re gonna go to Sweet Apple Acres and get a game of Capture The Flag going!” another filly’s voice called out. “It’s gonna be awesome!” Scootaloo.

“Yeah, and afterwards, Granny said there’d be hot apple cider!” Apple Bloom.

Spike’s eyes widened at the thought of hot apple cider, but then he looked back at the rest of us with a worried expression. Twilight gave him a warm smile. “Go ahead, Spike. I’ve got things handled here.”

“My knight’s coming!” I shouted towards the door.

“Daaad!” Spike whispered, a blush coming to his cheeks.

I smirked. “Hey, when you got a title like a knight, flaunt it for the ladies.” I patted him on the back, stood and motioned for him to follow me. Sighing, he did so. I reached the door and opened it. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were standing there, all bundled up in various winter gear. “Well, howdy there you three. You all look nice and warm.”

Sweetie Belle giggled. “My sister made my scarf and hat! They’re really warm!”

“And stylish, darling,” I replied in my best Rarity impression before slipping back into my own style of speech. “Well, ladies, here he is. The man of the hour, Sir Spike, Knight of Aelyssia.”

“Wait, he’s a knight?!” Scootaloo asked incredulously.

I nodded. “I knighted him myself a few days ago. Oh, you know what, that reminds me, here.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of my many coin purses. I turned and gave it to Spike. “Since you’re technically a knight, you get paid. Here’s your first paycheck. Four hundred bits.”

Spike’s jaw wasn’t the only one to drop at that. Sure, I’d given him the equivalent of about fifty dollars, but I knew now that in this world that was worth a lot more than Earth, even the Earth of 2010. Spike looked back up at me. “Dad…THANK YOU!” He leaped into my arms and hugged me quickly before pulling away and holding up the bag of bits in his claws. “Come on, girls! I hear that Sugarcube Corner is starting to make eggnog!”

“What’s eggnog?” Sweetie Belle asked as the four youngsters headed out to the aforementioned store.

“Jethro, was that a good idea? Giving Spike that much money?” Twilight asked worriedly as I closed the door once more. “He’s just going to blow it all on comic books and candy and other kid stuff.”

“I like spoiling him,” I said as I rejoined the others. “Besides, I get payment from Celestia for being a Knight of Equestria, so I should do the same thing with a Knight of Aelyssia.”

“He’s just a baby Dragon,” Twilight insisted.

I nodded. “Well, let him have this one. You and I can sit him down later and talk to him about good money management.”

“This coming from the guy who has enough money to buy Equestria?” Sunset smirked.

“Before coming here, I was a bank manager,” I replied. “I know a thing or two about money management. But back to the matter at hand.” I returned to my spot in front of Zecora. “You ready to try again?”

She nodded. “I am.” With that, she got back into position and closed her eyes. The room went silent as she concentrated. Time passed, and all we could hear was the sound of the fire in the fireplace nearby and the occasional Pony walking by, their hoofsteps making crunching noises in the snow. After a few more minutes, I saw her extend her arm, palm outstretched. Nobody moved. To our astonishment, her hand began to glow the same cyan color we’d seen the night before. Zecora’s breathing sped up slightly, but only for a few seconds. She regained control and the glow increased until it reached the intensity of normal magic casting. Slowly, she opened her eyes, which locked onto her hand. Her eyes widened in alarm and astonishment.

“Feel the trickle of magic flowing through you,” I said soothingly, moving to sit beside her. I put my wing around her gently. “It feels like a slight tingle in your fingers, right?” She nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off of her glowing hands. “Okay, now to stop it, imagine that same river or stream slowly drying up. With practice, you can do it in the blink of an eye, but until then, make it a slow transition.”

She nodded, closed her eyes again and did so. The glowing hand persisted for about ten or so seconds before it began to diminish and finally vanish completely. The moment that happened, she let out a breath and leaned against me, taking in deep breaths.

“This…is…so exciting!” Twilight, who had presumably been holding back for Zecora’s sake, finally burst out. “A Zebra who can use magic! I’ve got to write to Celestia right away! Oh, the research paper this will turn out to be-!”

“Calm down there, Twilight,” I said, looking back at the purple mare. “Just give Zecora some time to recover, first.”

Twilight’s ears flattened back and she nodded. “Um, yeah…sorry,” she said sheepishly.

Zecora opened her eyes finally and looked up at me. “I’m thirsty,” was all she said.

I chuckled. “Yeah, my first time left me pretty parched, too,” I said. Turning to Twilight, I asked, “Can you get her some water, please?”

“On it!” She vanished in a blink of teleportation.

While she was doing that, Sunset and Moondancer walked up to us and knelt down to be on eye level with the two of us. Sunset was the first one to say anything. “So…Miss Zecora, how are you feeling right now?”

Zecora looked thoughtful, then said, “If I’m to be honest, my mind’s in a jumble. All of my thoughts and feelings are a tumble.”

I nodded. “You’re preaching to the choir, babe,” I said, rubbing the back of her neck. She leaned against me and I could feel her tension flow out of her through that rare magical transference I’d felt whenever I touched two individuals. “I’m here, though. We all are. We won’t let things go bad if we can help it.”

I felt a pair of soft lips pressing against my cheek as my Zebricorn marefriend reached over and took my hand in hers. I smiled as I took her hand. Unlike me, she still had fur there. It was velvety and smooth to the touch, the fur so close together that it reflected the light in the room. “I trust you my savior, my friend, my dearest lover,” she said.

“You two are absolutely perfect for each other,” Sunset said, looking at me. There was no jest in her tone or expression, only sincere honesty and a warm smile.

“It’s honestly sickeningly sweet when you think about it,” a familiar mare’s voice said from the doorway. We all turned to see Scarlet standing there, hoof on the door handle and a wide grin on her face. She closed the door, took off her winter gear, which consisted of four red Pony galoshes, one of my smaller Santa hats that actually fit her, and a white and red striped scarf she borrowed from me. She flew over to me and Zecora, then looked at the Anthro Zebra mare. She smirked, then turned back to me. “Not even one day and she’s taking your hoodies, huh?”

Zecora looked up at her fellow herdmate and gave the Pegasus a wry grin. “To steal from him is not my goal, so you can stop acting like a teenage foal.”

“Hey Siri, could you get me direction to the Canterlot Burn Center?” Sunset asked, miming holding a phone near her mouth, “Cuz she needs some salve for that sick BURN!”

The tension in the room broke for the most part as most of us laughed. Moondancer didn’t get the joke, but she was still smiling and looking a bit relieved as Twilight came back in carrying a large tray of water glasses in her magic. “Is something funny? Did I miss something?”

“Just my herdmates roasting each other,” I chuckled as I scooted over and patted the ground next to me for Scarlet to join. As she did so, I took one of the glasses with my magic and held it in my hand. I handed it over to Zecora, who took it and downed the whole glass in a few seconds. When she brought the glass down, I grabbed the larger glass pitcher and poured her another glass, which she downed once more.

After she had four glasses, she breathed out one of those sighs that people get after drinking a lot at one time. “Ah, that feels much better,” she said.

“Are you feeling up to going back downstairs and letting Twilight, Sunset and Moondancer take some more readings?” I asked.

Zecora, still holding the glass, looked me directly in the eyes. The level of trust that I saw directed solely at me was both heartwarming and at the same time terrifying. She nodded. “I believe do, dearest.”

“Alright, well, let’s go,” I said.

An hour later, Zecora and I were walking home in silence. Scarlet was still there, but had suggested to me that I spend the rest of the day with Zecora. She promised that when she got back home she’d tell anyone who stopped by that we were both indisposed. She also suggested I spend the day in Zecora’s original home.

Thankfully, none of the Ponies who saw us approached us this time. We were all somewhat reeling from the initial conclusion that the three Unicorns had reached.

Unless the readings were in error, Zecora’s new form was permanent.

That had been a real blow to my fiancée. She’d hardly spoken as Twilight had initially gone on and on about magic this and magic that for a few minutes until Sunset and Moondancer had stopped her. I hadn’t really been paying attention as I’d been holding Zecora close. Scarlet had immediately joined and we’d spent a few minutes just holding each other before Zecora quietly said she’d wanted to go home.

Zecora was shuffling her boots through the snow, hardly lifting her new legs as she leaned against me with her full weight. I held her up as we slowly headed back.

When we reached our gate, I opened it and walked towards Zecora’s tree house. The poor Zebricorn continued leaning against me as we walked through the grass towards her hut. I took out the spare key that Zecora had entrusted to me the day after we’d returned from Aelyssia. Unlocking it, I helped her into the house and closed the door. I lead her to her bed, sat her down, took off her boots and lay her down. I covered her with the tiger print blanket then went to start a fire in the fire pit. Once I had a large warm fire going, I walked over to where Zecora was still lying. She’d adjusted herself so she was turned away from me and facing the wall. I sat on the bed next to her. “Sweetie? Do you want to talk about this?”

A sniff of despair was all I needed to know the answer. I moved closer and stroked her mane gently. She slowly turned to me, and the look of despair and fear on her face broke my heart. I pulled her into a tight hug. The trembling mare clung to me with a desperation I never knew possible in such a normally sage and happy individual. I could hear her softly crying. I couldn’t help it. I started crying a bit as well. I was so used to being able to fix things that not being able to do anything for the mare I loved was frustrating. I hated this feeling of helplessness, but the rational part of me knew better that not everyone wanted things to be solved. Sometimes, having a listening ear or just being there was enough.

We sat like that for a half an hour, just holding each other as she softly sobbed and clung to me like I was a lifeline. Which, to be fair, I probably was to her at that moment. With a sniff, she finally pulled away, sitting on her knees and looking at the bed. I sat there in front of her, waiting for her to say something. Finally, she looked up at me. “Jethro…I don’t know…What do I…fuck.”

This was one of the only times I’d heard her swear outside of the bedroom. She’d told me once that she never really cared for swearing in public herself. She never begrudged me my language when I explained that it was a way for me to vent frustration and it was something I’d gotten used to. But I’d never once heard her use any four letter words before. She’d used innuendo but that was a bit different. I wiped my eyes, realizing that I had to be strong for her in this moment. Slowly, I moved closer. She leaned into me again. “We’ll get through this the same way we’ve gotten through the other hard times in our relationship. Together. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. I will never abandon you. I will always be by your side. This I vow from now until the end of time.” I used an old Farasi vow for that last part to emphasize how serious I was.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back on the bed, Zecora straddling me and pinning me down. There was a wild look in her eyes, mixed with desperation. The word scaroused never could apply more to me than in that very moment.

In a surprisingly fluid moment, she’d removed her pants and hoodie along with her socks, leaving her in a pair of black lace panties and one of the bras that we’d gotten on Earth, the latter of which she tore off, breaking the clip which soared into the air and landed on the wooden floor. She leaned down, pressing her breasts against my chest, and said in a worryingly desperate tone, “Put a foal in me! NOW!”

I acted quickly, overpowering her and flipping our positions but making sure I wasn’t hurting her. However, I wasn’t acting out of lust or desire. I stared into her expectant eyes, which were wide with anticipation. However, I had to shatter that with my next words. “Zecora, I want nothing more than to have a child with you, but I don’t want one like this.”

Her look changed to one of desperation and she struggled against me. “No! I want a foal with you! Now! Please! Please…just give me a foal…” Once more, she broke down, only now it was the ugly snot filled type of crying.

I pulled her into my arms again and held her tightly. Her screams and wails shattered me. Another fifteen or twenty minutes passed. My shoulder was soaked with her tears and snot. When she finally pulled away, she saw the mess on my shoulder, panicked, and grabbed a nearby cloth and began desperately trying to clean me off. “I am so sorry, dearest! Let me clean-!”

I took her hand in mine, pulled it away, and smiled gently at the poor freaking out mare. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, and this is nothing my washing machine can’t get out, so don’t worry.” I removed my own sweater and tossed it to the side. “See? Nothing here now.”

Zecora sniffed again, bringing the cloth to her nose and blowing. She put it aside and looked up at me. “Please forgive me for my actions, my love, and thank you for giving me that shove.”

I stroked her mane lovingly, leaned in and kissed her. She kissed me back and we locked lips for ten or so seconds. When I broke the kiss, I said, “You’re feeling lost and upset. I’m not angry at you for doing what you did or saying what you said.” We sat like that for a while, me holding her close. Since I was shirtless, I felt her soft fur against my bare skin. Unlike her old Anthro form and her Zebra form, her fur felt a lot softer and silkier. If I had anything to compare it to, it would have to be close to what Celestia’s fur felt like. In a way, I suppose it made sense. If she was a Zebricorn, she’d have aspects of them now.

After a while, Zecora said, “Jethro?”

“Hmm?”

“You do realize I’m coming with you to Aelyssia when you go back, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

“…Jethro?”

“Hmm?”

“Before you go to Aelyssia, I want to get married.”

I slowly pulled away and looked at her. Unlike before, with her request to impregnate her, she looked calmer and more serious. Like her mind was made up. I knew that face. It was one I had a hard time arguing with. And honestly, after what had just happened and what was continuing to happen, something like this might be nice. “You’re not going to back down, are you?” I asked.

“Not on this,” she said.

I pursed my lips, trying to think if this is actually a good idea with what’s happened or not. On the one hand, I knew I wanted to spend my life with this mare. And if she’s, presumably, immortal like I might be, I knew I would want to spend it married to her. On the other hand, though, I didn’t want to rush into anything without knowing if she wanted this because of her emotional state, or if she really wanted it to happen so soon. After a few moments of deliberation, I came to a decision.

I put my hand on hers and said, “If by tomorrow morning, you still want to get married before I go back to Aelyssia, then so do I.”

Zecora’s face took on a thoughtful look, then she nodded. “That did come from out of the blue, so having a night’s rest is the least I can do.”

The two of us spent the entire rest of that day in bed after I went and grabbed my laptop. We just watched Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, only stopping for a bathroom break or to eat. Watching Will doing stupid things and getting in trouble with Uncle Phil brought our spirits up. After the sun set and after replenishing the fire, I turned my laptop off and spooned with my fiancée until both of us fell asleep.

I woke to find myself staring into those deep azure eyes. And there was no question in my mind that she had her own mind made up. She wanted to marry me before I left for Aelyssia. Or rather, before WE left.

The two of us both sat up simultaneously, her blanket clinging to us in the early morning cold. No words were spoken between us. There was no need. There was only one thought on both of our minds.

We were going to get married before the year was up.

142: A Cloaked Heart's Wedding Talks

Zecora and I both sat at a small table in my mansion’s sunroom. It was a nice quiet spot that had been refitted with noise cancelling windows all around and gave a great view of the garden and the two trees in my acre of land. The sun was shining brightly through the eastern side of the window. We were both eating a quiet breakfast of vegetarian eggah, ful medames, and bessara, each of them traditional Farasi breakfast item. Both of us were drinking some hot steaming tea. Like almost every dish she’d made, each breakfast item was delicious, and the tea was sweet without being overpowering.

I looked up at my lovely fiancée, who was wearing some more of my clothes currently, which included a gray hoodie and some jeans along with a pair of my warm wool socks and a spare pair of slippers. Earlier that morning, I’d taken a shower with her, which would have been a sensual experience for the both of us had she not had some trouble in the slippery tub. The poor mare was as humiliated as I felt when I became an Anthro version of myself and had that accident in her own toilet.

After she recovered from her meltdown, I helped wash her body with a lot of my shampoo/conditioner combo. I constantly reassured her that I didn’t see her as any less of a zebra or a person in general just because she might need to relearn a few things. I was, however, a bit worried. I knew that equines, at least back on Earth, didn’t get anything like a menstrual cycle, but with Zecora being an Anthro now, I was concerned that she might. Where did the human part of her end and the Zebra part of her begin now? Especially if this was permanent? I was the only human here and was only a guy. I didn’t know much about periods and stuff like that.

Maybe I can ask one of the girls on Earth to come and explain it to us, I thought as I took another bite of the eggah. And if she does have a period now, does that mean she won’t go into heat? And does that mean she can be fertile all year round?

“You look troubled, love,” Zecora said in Farasi. “What ails you?”

Slowly, I swallowed, then took a sip of tea to wash the Farasi version of an omelet down, all the while trying to think of an answer. I exhaled. “There’s a lot on my mind, my little star,” I replied, using a pet name that Zebras used.

“Please enlighten me, my strength,” she replied, putting down her fork as she used another pet name for me in Farasi.

“It’s a discussion not suited for breakfast,” I replied. “I will talk with you about it later.”

She nodded and took a cut out of her eggah. I’d noticed that she’d quickly gotten used to using silverware properly, at least. She took another bite, then took a sip of tea. I almost smirked when I saw her extend her pinkie finger as she did so, but realized it would be the right thing to do at that time. “Love, can we talk about the wedding?” she asked suddenly.

I nodded. “I was about to ask you the same thing. What did you want to discuss?”

“Well, um…why don’t you go first?” she asked, sounding a bit nervous suddenly.

Taking the offer, I nodded and said, “Well, I know you said you wanted to be married, and I do to, but I wanted to be sure that we were doing the right thing and not just because of what’s happened. Believe me, I want to marry you so much, but I want to make absolutely sure that we aren’t making a mistake having a wedding now.”

She sighed, put down her fork and, leaning her new elbows onto the table, leaned her chin on her hands as she looked at me calmly. “I have wanted you to be my husband and I have wanted to be your wife for a long time, my strength. I want to be with you through our brightest and darkest moments. I want to share my life with you. I will admit, being changed into this new form is still terrifying for me, but you have been by my side ever since I changed. What I care about most in the world right now is becoming one with you and even taking your last name as my own as your kind does.”

That surprised me. I knew from our discussions that, in Farasi culture, names never changed even after marriage. They remained the same, and the only sign that a mare had been married was a small earring on the right ears of both husband and wife. It was like a wedding ring for them, and was made to match. The fact that she would willingly take on the human (and in some cases, Pony) tradition of changing her last name to match mine sent waves of loving warmth through my body. I couldn’t help but smile at her, incredibly touched. “You would do that for me? My little star, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

From behind her, her large Alicorn wings spread and she smiled back at me. “I’m not really a Zebra anymore, am I?”

“And I’m not really a human anymore,” I replied, “but I still hold on to my traditions as a means of remembering.”

She nodded in understanding. “I want to be Mrs. Bethridge, though.”

Seeing that she was not going to be changing her mind about this anytime soon, I nodded and decided it was best to drop the issue for the moment. “Alright, sorry. I just wanted to be sure. But just out of curiosity, when do you want the wedding?”

“Before the years is up,” she replied, taking a spoonful of bessara.

“Well, I don’t think we can have it on Hearth’s Warming, as romantic as that would be,” I replied. “What about on the day before the New Year?”

“Ponyville does have a large celebration on that day, from what I remember from years past,” Zecora said.

“Well, how about the day before? The thirtieth of December?”

Zecora nodded. “Maybe…yeah! I like that date!”

“Then how about this: we try for the thirty first, and if we can’t get it, we can do the thirtieth.”

She then did something I didn’t expect her to do: gave me a thumbs up. “Sounds like a good idea to me, my strength.”

I smiled back at her, feeling a bit relieved that she was looking better. “And speaking of the wedding and traditions, are there any others you’d like to do.” I reached up and touched my ear. “I would be fine receiving an earring.”

The smile on her face lit up the room more than the sun did. She reached over and put her hand over mine. “Truly? You would follow that tradition with me?”

“Of course! I can’t have you following my traditions all the time, can I?” I gave her a knowing smile.

She giggled and gave my hand a squeeze before letting go. As she did so, she looked down at her own hand, specifically her right ring finger. “If you are going to do that, then I would like to wear a ring as well. One with our birthstones on them.”

“If you keep making me smile, my face is going to stay that way,” I replied.

“Good. I like seeing you smile,” Zecora said happily. Standing, she walked over, leaned down and ran her hands through my flowing hair before moving in and kissing me deeply. “I love you,” she said as she sat in my lap and lay her head on top of mine, placing her hand on my chest.

“And I love you too,” I said, putting my wing and arm around her and holding her close.

The two of us sat like that for a few minutes before she pulled away and stood. Walking back, she sat back at the table and took a sip of her cooling tea before she said, “Dearest, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to go down and get a couple of clothes made up for me from Rarity after breakfast. I can’t keep borrowing your clothes all the time.”

“You’ll need more than just a couple,” I said. “I’ll buy you a whole wardrobe.”

She looked at me with a worried look. “Are you sure?”

“You’re my wife to be, my little star,” I said, “and now that you’re in this form, you’ll need to wear clothes practically all the time.”

“Bet that disappoints you, doesn’t it?” she asked with lidded eyes as she pressed her breasts together with her arms to accentuate her cleavage.

“Scarlet has been a bad influence on you,” I groaned, but inwardly I was happy to see her feeling better enough to make sexual jokes with me. “But it’s settled. I’ll place an order with Rarity so you can have a wardrobe all your own.”

“Well, if you’re sure…then thank you,” she said. “Will that include a wedding dress?”

I grinned. “Only the best dress for my little star.”

She blushed a bit and went back to eating, as did I. Today was going to be a very interesting day. I could feel it…

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is-Oh my stars! Jethro, darling! What brings you and Zecora…by…?” Rarity, who had her back turned at one of the displays in her main lobby, had turned around when Zecora and I entered. The fashionista mare was looking up at Zecora in confusion and astonishment.

To my surprise, she wasn’t the only friend of mine there. The rest of the Mane Six, along with Spike, Moondancer, Sunset and Scarlet were also there, the latter of whom had work at the Boutique that day. Those who hadn’t seen the Anthro Zecora all had similar expression to Rarity, utter shock.

After a few seconds, Applejack, who was wearing a strange golden bracelet around one hoof, turned to me. “Sorry fer starin’,” she said, “but when Twilight told me and the other gals about what happened and how Zecora’s new form was permanent, ah was plum shocked. But seein’ it in Pony, it makes it all real.”

“You’re so tall now!” Pinkie said, bouncing over to her and looking her in the eye with each bounce. “How’s the weather up there?! Are we gonna have more snow?”

I caught the pink Pony in my magic, carried her over to me and placed her on my back. She immediately clung to me and nuzzled my face. I chuckled. “Calm down there, Ponks.”

“Your wings are pretty awesome!” Rainbow said, zooming over and looking at Zecora’s new wings with an appraising eye. “Have you tried flying with them yet?”

“You’re really pretty,” Fluttershy said softly from where she stood next to the still gaping Rarity.

The aforementioned fashionista Unicorn snapped out of her reverie, then cleared her throat. “I needed to see it to believe it,” she said, “but you really have changed forms! I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before!”

“My new form is exactly why we’re here,” Zecora said, “we’re here to procure some clothes, my dear.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide again, only this time with excitement. “Oh my! Are you serious?”

“Well, now that she’s in this form permanently, presumably,” I said, “She’s going to need a wardrobe, after all. Something for every occasion.”

Rarity squealed happily, then galloped up to Zecora. “Come come, my dear Zecora! I need to measure your new body so I can make the wardrobe!”

As Zecora was being dragged away, I found myself surrounded by the others in the room. Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy who was the first to speak. “Um, Jethro? Are you and Zecora doing okay with all of this? The change to her, I mean?”

I bit my lip. “Well, we’re both trying not to lose our cool,” I said with a sigh. “She’s fallen back onto a few of her older habits, like talking in rhyme or speaking in Farasi, but that’s due to the fact that it brings her comfort.”

“And what about you?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m…conflicted,” I admitted. “Is it hypocritical of me that I find her more physically attractive now? God, just saying that out loud makes me feel like a heel.”

Fluttershy spread her wings, hovered up to my eye level and grabbed my cheeks with her hooves. She turned me towards her. “No, you’re not a heel,” she said. “You’re just as imperfect as the rest of us.”

“Speak for yourself, I’m awesome!” Rainbow said.

Ignoring that, Fluttershy continued. “You were born in a world where you found your own kind attractive, so of course you’ll find Zecora more attractive now that she has more human features.”

A few seconds passed, and I smiled. “You know, sometimes I forget that you work with animals for a living and you know things like this. And I forget how smart you really are.”

“Well, you’d better keep it in mind from now on, mister,” she said, poking my chest with her hoof before she landed and her nervous demeanor returned. “Um…please?”

“She’s right, yah know,” Applejack said. “Ah can admit that ah’ve found mahself starin’ at a few handsome stallions in the past. But yah fell in love with Zecora before this, so ah know it’s the real deal. And ah ain’t Princess Cadance!”

“And don’t forget I’ve caught you staring at Zecora’s flanks,” Rainbow smirked, which earned her a smack in the back of the head by Twilight. “Ow! It’s true!”

“It really is,” Scarlet added, earning her a smack from Twilight as well. “Worth it!”

“Not in front of Spike, you two!” Twilight hissed.

“And you called me sexy, too!” Pinkie said with a wide grin.

“Why are you feeling guilty, though?” Spike asked.

“Because this is such a huge change for her,” I said. “One she didn’t ask for. One she didn’t want. And me finding her more attractive this way could very well be a slap to the face for her. If we find a way to return her to her old self and she knew about it, I wouldn’t want her to refuse just to make me happy.”

“Sir Jethro, this kind of change is probably permanent, like we’ve said,” Moondancer said. “Twilight, Sunset and I have been researching this problem ever since it happened, and we can’t find anything.”

Sunset nodded. “I know it sucks, and we’ll keep on looking to see if we can find anything, but it’s probably best if you just start accepting it.”

“No punches pulled with you, huh?” I asked.

“Not really my style,” Sunset said with a smirk.

I took a breath and exhaled slowly. “I know you’re all right, but I’m really still conflicted. Mind and heart just keep on arguing in there.”

“I don’t care if I ever change back,” the voice of an angel said from behind me, “as long as you’re with me, my tasty snack.”

As a pair of arms wrapped around me and two large melons were pressed against me, a collective “Awwww,” went up as Zecora nuzzled me. I reached up and put my hand to her cheek. “You heard that, huh?”

“I heard enough,” she whispered, “and I’m not upset that you find me more attractive this way. It would make sense. So don’t feel guilty.”

I smiled and leaned against her cheek. “Thank you, my little star.”

“You’re welcome, my strength,” she said before she released me and walked to stand beside me.

Rarity rejoined us. “Alright, measurements are all taken care of,” she said, “and now all I need is details on what you want.”

“Well, clothes for every occasion, like I said,” I replied, “along with a good number of undergarments.” I held up a small brown paper bag. “I have a couple of examples in here of the kind she’ll be needing.”

Rarity quickly snatched it with her magic, looked inside, then closed it and looked up at me with understanding. “Understood. And for every occasion, I assume you mean casual, professional, stuff like that?”

“All seasons, too. Oh, and one more thing,” I added, making it sound like an afterthought, “We’ll need a wedding dress. And could you make that a priority?”

“Of course, darling, now let me just-” She paused as the last part of my sentence apparently registered with her. She slowly turned back to me. “I’m sorry, there must be some cotton in my ears. Could you repeat that last part?”

“You mean the wedding dress?” I asked. “Well, do you expect me to marry her wearing jeans and a hoodie?”

Silence permeated the room as everyone stared at me and Zecora with wide eyes. Rarity was the first to say anything. “Did you say…marriage? As in wedding?”

I nodded. “We’ve decided we’re gonna tie the knot before the year is up and get married.”

Rarity gaped at me, then finally shouted, “A wedding?! At such short notice?! Darling, are you serious?!”

I winced as I stuck my pinkie finger in my ear to try and get rid of the ringing that normally came with Rarity’s screeching. Zecora’s ears were flat against her head as she, too, winced at the Unicorn mare’s shout. “Indeed, a wedding is what we desire,” she said, “it’s what we want after all that’s transpired.”

Rarity was staring at me and Zecora with a dumbfounded expression. The others had similar shocked expression on their own faces. Twilight was the first one to speak, this time sounding a bit worried. “And what date, exactly, did you want this wedding to take place?”

“Well, let me just recover my hearing and I’ll answer that question,” I said as I cleared my ear again. Finally I faced the purple unicorn. “Zecora and I discussed it earlier and we thought that December 31st would be our first choice of dates. I’m pretty sure Hearth’s Warming wouldn’t work for any guests we’d want there.”

“And if that doesn’t work, the 30th will be perfect for us,” Zecora added.

I nodded in agreement. “We don’t wanna interrupt anyone’s holiday plans,” I said. “Needless to say, everyone here is invited. And yes, that includes you, Moondancer,” I added when I saw said Unicorn beginning to raise her hoof.

Pinkie Pie climbed off of my back and began bouncing around the room, looking like she was hopped up on caffeine. “This is gonna be the biggest bash ever! I’ll have to invite everypony in town! And the Princesses! Oh! I’ve gotta help the Cakes to make the most splendiforous wedding cake evar!”

“Pinks, slow your roll,” I chuckled as I caught the pink mare. “This is our wedding. Zecora and I will do the inviting. You can write the letters, but we’ll choose who comes.”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna have everypony come?” she asked with a pout.

“We’ll get back to you on that.” I began stroking her mane and she relaxed, purring contentedly as she closed her eyes and nuzzled my hand. I turned to Rarity and continued, “I’m sorry for the short notice, but after everything the two of us have been through, we really don’t want to wait too much longer.”

A look of understanding appeared on Rarity’s face, and she walked up, stood on her hind legs and put her forelegs on my shoulders. Her gorgeous blue eyes looked into my own as she said, “Nopony would blame you for wanting this, but I want to be absolutely sure you two aren’t rushing into this.”

“Ah’ve got tah agree,” Applejack said, stepping forward. “Ah know yah both love each other somethin’ fierce, but are yah really sure now is the best time?”

Zecora and I looked at each other. Truth be told, when the two of us had the private conversation in my house’s sunroom for our private breakfast, we’d expressed similar concerns. Even then I hadn’t entirely sure we were rushing it. But then I remembered the moment afterwards, when the sun came out and shone on Zecora as she looked out into the yard. Celestia’s sun had illuminated her and made her look not only angelic but surprisingly regal. Doubt was pushed aside as I’d stared at my princess-nay, my queen. Zecora’s warm smile was all the answer I needed. I turned back to Rarity. “Yes, Rarity. We’re both one hundred percent sure.”

“I hope you don’t mind if I call in an expert just to be sure,” Twilight said.

“An expert?” I asked. “An expert on marriage-?” I paused the moment I realized who she met. “Cadance.”

Twilight nodded. “I know you both want to get married, and I support that, but it just seems a bit sudden. Could you at least talk to her about it?”

I looked at Zecora, and the look in her azure eyes was all the answer I needed. Turning back to Twilight, I nodded. “If it’ll make you feel better, Zecora and I will talk with her.”

“My aunt is right, there’s never a dull moment with you around,” Cadance said to me as she, Zecora and I all sat in the sunroom of my mansion sipping tea and eggnog, which Cadance had taken an immediate liking to and had all but demanded a recipe for so she could get the cooks in Canterlot to make it. “But a wedding? I know the love you two share is pretty much unbreakable, but Twilight has some valid concerns, and so do I. Are you sure you’re not rushing into it because of all that’s been happening?”

I leaned back in the couch where Zecora and I sat close beside each other, her hand clasping mine. Looking at the Princess of Love calmly and collectedly, I replied, “Cadance, ever since I’ve come to Equestria, I’ve been involved in so many things it’s not even funny. Got involved in the near start of a couple of wars, became a bastardization of humanity, Pony, Phoenix and Fae all wrapped into a neurotic box, become a Goddamned emperor of a foreign nation while simultaneously being the only Knight of Equestria in the world, and formed a herd. I’ve had some good times and I’ve had some bad times. Lately, there’s just so much stress piling up that I want a release.” I saw a smirk appear on Cadance’s face, so I quickly added, “Don’t you fucking say it-”

“That’s what she said.”

“Goddamn it! I knew I shouldn’t have told you that phrase,” I sighed as I looked up at the vaulted ceiling for a bit. After a while, I looked back towards her. “Back to the matter at hand, please?”

“You make it too easy,” she smirked, then her expression softened. “Jethro, I’m your friend, and as your friend AND as the Princess of Love, I am a bit worried that you and Zecora are jumping into this. I want to just be absolutely sure your reasons are good ones.”

“She’s my oldest friend in this world,” I insisted, “and the first woman I’ve fallen in love with since my Trixie. I’ve known I wanted to marry her for a while now.”

“I want him to be my husband too,” Zecora said.

Cadance looked at her, then at me. She closed her eyes, raised her horn and cast a spell. Our bodies were both encased in her signature magic for a few seconds before she let go. Opening her eyes again, she smiled. “I believe you two,” she said. “Sorry for the interrogation, you two.”

“You weren’t the only one worried,” I said. “It’s gonna be a lot of work, but I’m just happy to finally be tying the knot with Zecora.”

“And what of Scarlet?” Cadance asked, “and the other girls?”

“I’ve only been dating Scarlet for a little while, so getting married to her now seems a bit fast,” I said, “and as for the others, when I get back from Aelyssia, I’ve promised myself that I will focus my attention on them and give them dates. Besides, I’ve got a month before I go to the Deerfolk homeland.”

Cadance nodded. “And what about the Sirens? And Chrysalis?”

“They’re coming with me to Aelyssia to help rebuilt the capital city,” I explained, “and as such will be underneath Ember’s command once I’ve established her as the new Right Hand of the Emperor, meaning she’s second in command to me.”

“What about Zecora?” Cadance asked. “She’s going to be your wife, which technically means she’s the Empress.”

Zecora quickly raised her hand. “To rule over Dragons is not what I desire. Between Zebras and Dragons is unresolved ire.”

“Remember what we learned in the Council?” I asked.

Cadance nodded. “That’s a fair point.” She stood and walked over to me and Zecora. Smiling, she put one hoof around us each and hugged us close. “I’m happy that you two are finally gonna tie the knot, though. It’s rare that a love as strong as yours comes along.”

I smiled, then looked over at Zecora. “Well, what do you think, baby? Should we invite Cadance here?”

Zecora chuckled. “Of course she’s invited,” she said.

Cadance broke the hug and squealed in delight. “I’d love to come! Can I bring Shining Armor??”

I smirked. “Just as long as you keep him from crying until after the ceremony. A little secret, he cries at weddings.”

Her smile turned sinister. “Ohoho? That’s good to know.” The sinister smile returned to a normal happy one. “Thank you for inviting me!”

“We will send you details in an official invite later,” I said. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

She shook her head. “Nope! Oh, only the date of the wedding, when is it?”

“Either the 30th or the 31st,” I replied.

“Not much time, but I can make it work,” she said. She smiled at me and Zecora. “Congratulations, I know you’ll have an amazing marriage.” Raising her head, her horn glowed and she vanished in a flash that looked an awful lot like a red heart.

I chuckled. “Damned Alicorn Princesses, they all loooove to make entrances and exits so flashy,” I said.

Zecora smiled, then leaned against me, laying her head on my shoulder. “Speaking of Princesses, my dearest of loves, what of the ones who move the skies above?”

“I’d like to invite them if they’re able to come,” I said. “I mean, I am a Knight of Equestria, so it’s entirely possible that Celestia and/or Luna might want to actually officiate.”

“In Farasi culture, the weddings are different than here,” Zecora explained.

“Well, we don’t have much time,” I said, “so why don’t we get started on planning? It’s only a couple days until Christmas, after all.”

“Agreed.” She got off my lap, walked to the door with a rather exaggerated swaying of her hips and swishing of her tail. Looking back over her shoulder, she grinned. “Are you coming?”

“Right behind you.”

143: A Cloaked Heart’s Fifth Joining*

Author's Note

Hmm...this feels less like a lovemaking session and more of a porno chapter to me, but maybe you'll see something different. Anyway, this chapter can be skipped if you want, although there is a bit at the beginning BEFORE the sex that you might want to read. Who knows?

Enjoy, I guess?

143: A Cloaked Heart’s Fifth Joining*

“Phew! That was more stressful than I was expecting!” I said as I collapsed onto Zecora’s bed in her original house later that night after she let me use her bath to clean up. We’d gone back to her place after Cadance left and began to strategize just what the wedding might look like. We both knew we wanted it to be a split between human and Zebra traditions, and that was pretty much what we’d been discussing all that afternoon and evening, stopping only to eat something when needed.

Zecora, who was in her personal bathroom doing something before bed, chuckled. “We made good progress today, my dearest,” she said happily.

“Yes, yes we did,” I said. “We still have a long way to go, but the only way to plan things out is to take it one step at a time.”

“How wise,” Zecora said. I heard her take a sharp intake of breath.

I slowly sat up. “Babe? Are you okay in there? Need help?”

“No, I’m alright,” she said quickly. “Parts of my new body are a bit hard to get used to. Like nails. Will I need to get rid of my hoofclips?”

“Hmm, maybe,” I said. “If yours are anything like mine, they will grow and need to be clipped every so often. I’ve seen those hoofclips of those, and they won’t work with human-like nails.”

I heard her sigh. “Well, I’ll store it away for the time being,” she said. “Dearest, I’m going to bathe myself before bed too.”

“Sure, go ahead,” I said as I pulled out my phone from my discarded pants on the floor and began browsing the staticnet. It felt good to just let my mind veg out a little bit after all the thinking and planning we’d been doing for the latter half of the day.

I was so engrossed that I didn’t notice Zecora coming over to me, sliding into bed beside me and pressing her surprisingly silken soft and very naked body against my own naked form. “What are you observing, my dearest?” she asked as she nuzzled my cheek with hers affectionately as she put one of her wings over my bare chest.

I reached over and stroked her long mane. She hadn’t styled hers like a mohawk for months, letting it hang loose ever since I’d mentioned how I liked that look on her. It only made her more beautiful in my eyes, and with her new transformation it made her all the more attractive to me. “Just reading a few short stories.”

“About Equestria?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No, they’re short stories about how humans think the future of Earth and humanity might become,” I said, turning the screen to show a r/HFY thread on Reddit called When World’s Collide. “Although this really isn’t a short story. From what I’m seeing, this is a full fledged novel. But that’s enough reading for now.” I turned off my phone and set it on her nightstand before facing her. Her deep azure eyes gazed into mine. I was once again struck by how extremely beautiful she looked now that she was, presumably, a permanent Anthro.

And I simultaneously felt immediately guilty.

Zecora noticed this and moved closer, putting her hand on my cheek. “Love, what’s wrong?”

Knowing I couldn’t very well hide anything from her for long, I looked down for a bit, then back up at her. “I guess…I’m feeling bad that I find you so attractive now that you’re in this form…n-not that I don’t find your attractive in your original form! I…I’m making this worse, aren’t I?”

Zecora shook her head, moved forward and kissed me gently. “My love, I don’t begrudge you your preferences,” she said. “I know you have always found this form of mine more appealing physically.” She noticed my face falling and reacted by gripping my cheeks and making me look at her. “Don’t look like that,” she scolded me with a frown. “I was happy to change into that form for those dates of ours. And…if I may confess something, I have had dreams where you turned temporarily into a Zebra stallion,” she admitted, a blush creeping onto her face.

I gaped at her in complete astonishment. “For real?” I asked.

She put her hands over her face. “Yes…I have had sensual dreams about our encounters while you were in that form. Or even in the form of a Pony stallion. But!” And here she stopped and looked at me with a surprising serious expression, “I’ve had the most dreams of you and me being together in both of our natural forms. Because I love more than just your physical appearance, which I’ve become more attracted to since I changed. I love every aspect of you. Heart, mind, soul, and body.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I moved closer and threw my arms around her. The guilt began lifting as I whispered, “I’ve been a real idiot, haven’t I? I’m sorry, and thank you for your words.”

She held me back. “You’ve been there for me ever since this unexpected change. Now it’s my turn to repay that.” She slowly moved to lay her head on my chest, with my hands still moving through her wavy black, dark gray and white mane. The two of us laid there for quite some time, just enjoying each other’s company. If I was honest, I could fall asleep just like this and be happy.

However, Zecora had other plans.

“My love,” she began, “do you think that there might be a way for the two of us to have a foal together? A magical solution?”

Opening my eyes, I looked down at her. She looked up at me with a curious expression on her face. I took a deep breath. “If there is, I’m sure either of the Princesses, Twilight or even Sunset could find some solution. Does this have anything to do with what happened last night?”

Her ears lowered and she looked away. “I wasn’t completely lying when I said I wanted you to give me foals,” she said. “I want to give you some in the future, but since we’re different creatures, I wasn’t sure if it was possible.”

“When things calm down for me, I’ll have someone find out,” I reassured her, reaching down and stroking her mane.

She buried her face into my chest and let out a contented sigh. “Thank you…my king.”

I was about to ask her what she meant by that but just then I felt a hand reaching down between my legs and wrap around my member. I looked down at Zecora, only to see her giving me incredibly seductive bedroom eyes. I gasped as she grasped my now growing manhood. “Nnng! Oh my, someone’s eager tonight,” I said before a wave of pleasure went through me.

“I want you tonight,” was all that she said as she got on top of me, straddling me and rubbing her crotch against mine, her marehood grazing against my increasingly enlarging shaft. Leaning down, she locked lips with me, placing her hands on my cheek.

I reacted at once, throwing my arms around her and pulling her deeper into the kiss. A shudder of pleasure and happiness went through me. Any tiredness that I felt before was banished by the rush of endorphins and the blood rushing from my brain to down below. Zecora pressed her silken smooth but still furry body against me, and I reacted by deepening the kiss, slowly pushing my tongue towards her and asking permission to enter. Her teeth parted and I pushed in, wrestling with her for dominance. A moan escaped her as our tongues danced together for a good few minutes.

By this time, I was at full mast, and she must have felt it since she slowly broke the kiss and moved down slowly, purposely sliding her body down against mine. My manhood sprang up, hard and throbbing. She took it in her hand and began slowly stroking, looking at it with a hungry expression while giving it a few licks. I couldn’t be sure how, but even her hoofjob couldn’t compare to how amazing this handjob felt. “You feeling better now, love?” she cooed as she gave my shaft a long lick.

I inhaled sharply as waves of pleasure rushed through me again. I nodded. “God…how are you so good at this?” I asked.

“I put your computer to good use,” Zecora grinned before suddenly opening her mouth and taking in my entire length.

Unable to hold back, I gasped again. “Fuck! Your mouth feels amazing!” I shouted as I thrust upwards automatically and gripped the bedsheets.

“Mmm…” she hummed around me as she pushed herself even further down onto my cock.

Waves of pleasure and love washed over me again as she continued to pleasure me with surprising skill. Had she really looked up ways to pleasure a man on the staticnet? Said thoughts were banished as she reached down to massage my balls with her free hand. “Oh fuck! Zecora, you’re too good at this!” I shouted.

She looked up at me, then slowly moved up and began swirling her tongue around my tip. “Come now, where’s that big strong warrior I love?” she said, lifting her ass and tail up in the air and wiggling it playfully.

Once more, the more animalistic portion of me surfaced. I shot up, grabbed her mane, and grinned down at her before shoving myself balls deep in her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise, but that was brief as an excited look came over her. I grinned wider as I thrust in and out of her mouth greedily. “You are mine! All mine!” I growled lustily as I pulled back and pushed myself as far into her as was possible.

Her excited look turned lustful as she took every inch of me eagerly, eyes rolling up in pleasure as she reached down with her hands down between her legs to rub herself. I grinned and shoved in deeper. “You want more, then you’re gonna get more,” I promised. I felt the rise of my first orgasm approaching and moaned. “Mmm…oh fuck! Here I come, baby! I hope you’re hungry, because here’s a late night snack!”

Zecora’s eyes widened in anticipation and she bobbed her head up and down faster, trying her best to make me cum. After a good half a minute, I pulled her closer, holding her head close and watching her with a lustful grin as I unleashed my first load down her throat. I could hear her squealing and swallowing everything. After I was finished, I pulled her head back, bringing her mouth out with a wet pop and a gasp from her. Pulling her to her feet I turned her around, pressing myself against her and nuzzling her neck while at the same time reaching down to rub her now wet marehood. I was rewarded by her whimpering in anticipation. Finally, I turned her around and began kissing her breasts.

She wrapped her arms around me as I attacked them with my tongue and lips. “Mmm…does my king like them?” she asked.

I looked up at her, seeing her smirking down at me. Reaching around, I gave her ass a nice smack, watching it jiggle with just the right amount of wiggle. Even when she had not been an Anthro, I had always had a hard time NOT staring at her posterior. In EITHER form. “Did your king ask you to talk?” I asked.

“My apologies, my king,” she said.

“That’s a good girl.” I slowly went lower and kissed her stomach, making sure to be tantalizingly slow as I moved downwards. When I heard her whimpering again, I stood up and put my hands on her shoulders. “Such a needy little Zebra,” I said as I pushed her onto her back onto her bed, moving closer to spread her legs to get a better view of her glistening marehood. “Looking delicious as always, my queen. Time to dig in.” Moving down, I began kissing her inner thighs gently, earning a gasp from my lover. I felt her hands on my head, running through my long hair. “Hmm…I suppose you’ve earned this,” I said before I began kissing and gently licking her marehood.

“Oh my…oh my king…fuck!” she gasped as she began grinding automatically on my face, her love juices almost pouring out of her as she fondled her breasts with one of her hands while the other was still in my hair.

I repositioned myself so I could get a better angle, moved closer and stuck my tongue in deeper, reaching in more towards her G-spot. Her breath hitched in her throat as I continued pleasuring her there. Her legs wrapped around my head and squeezed as I reached inside, swirling my tongue and paying close attention to how she reacted. I was rewarded by her moans and gasps of pleasure as I continued.

It didn’t take too long for a shudder to go through her body and a scream of pleasure to escape Zecora’s lips as her own orgasm rippled through her. Her legs went limp and I heard her panting as I pulled away. I grinned in satisfaction, but my manhood was back up and running, and I wanted more. I loomed over her and she locked eyes with me. There wasn’t any need for me to say or do anything. The look in my eyes seemed to say enough as she slowly flipped over and got on all fours, lifting her tail to reveal her gorgeous, striped posterior. She looked over back at me, giving me the most pleading look I’d seen all night while simultaneously swaying her ass back and forth. Moving behind her, I reached up and gave her behind a nice smack, making her gasp. “Mmm…you want it?” I cooed, running my hands along her gorgeous posterior.

“P-Please, my king, I beg you,” she pleaded, “stuff me!”

“Hehe, good girl,” I said as I spread her pussy lips and very slowly and teasingly began pushing myself inside her.

“Hnng! Fuck! You’re such a tease!” she whined as I moved in closer.

“Believe it,” I grinned before taking a deep breath and plunging my entire length inside her all at once. She tensed around me as I did so, barely letting out a breath as a shudder went through her body. Grabbing her tail, I slowly pulled out of her only to thrust in hard once again. This time, she released a loud moan, which only began getting louder as I began pumping in and out of her. “God, you feel so good!” I shuddered as I slammed deep and hard into her.

She grinded on me and moaned even louder. “Yes, my king! Use me! I’m yours to command!” Her wings spread out almost on reflex. Reaching down. I grabbed her arms and pulled her up so she was on her knees. Reaching around, I grasped her larger than before melons, squeezing them and gently twisting the nipples. She squealed and looked back at me eagerly as I my hips slammed against her asscheeks. Turning around, she locked lips with me, putting her arm around my head and pulling me closer. I reciprocated the kiss eagerly, getting even more aroused by the moans escaping her lips.

One hand released her breasts and I reached up, smacking her behind once more. She shuddered in anticipation as she pressed herself back against me, her tail wrapping itself around my waist and tightening. As I sped up, I slowly broke the kiss, then pressed my forehead against her, staring into her deep azure eyes. “You’d better not spill a single drop,” I grinned.

“Never, my king!” she promised as she clenched around me, arching her back and looking up at the ceiling. Her tongue hung out of her mouth and I saw her drooling as her eyes rolled back into her head. Another orgasm passed through her, and she barely managed to get out a gasp as I felt her squeeze around me. “B-Breed me! GIVE ME YOUR ROYAL FOALS!”

Despite our earlier conversation the day before about giving her foals, I was too lost in the throes of passion to care. Just the thought of me impregnating my mare, my horny Zebricorn fiancée got me even more excited. Mere seconds later, I unleashed a second, and surprisingly larger, explosion of my seed deep inside her. I grunted and she gasped as my warmness coated her entire insides. As the first one ended, I pulled back and slammed once more inside her, gasping as a second burst filled her.

After my orgasm ended, I fell back into a sitting position, panting heavily and sweating. Zecora collapsed onto her stomach, her tail raised and my seed seeping out of her gaping pussy. She, too, was panting heavily, and I noted with some satisfaction the fucked stupid look that lingered on her face.

However, she had one more surprise for me, it seemed.

I watched as, to my surprise, she weakly reached out to the nightstand and grabbed a dark blue tinted vial filled with some kind of gel inside. She shakily held it out to me. I grabbed it in my magic and caught it. “What is this?” she asked.

Her tail reached out and slowly moved up and down my now limp staff. “This is a little aphrodisiac I made earlier. It will help you stay steadfast, my dear. Just rub it along your stallionhood and you will be back as you should.” She looked at me, the did something unexpected. She reached back and spread her asscheeks. “You have one more hole that you’ve never touched, so for disobeying your orders, punish this lewd slut!”

My eyes went wide at that and I couldn’t help myself. I locked eyes with her ass. I could see her trembling with anticipation. Slowly, I removed the cap on the vial and poured out a clear gel onto my hands. It was warm, to my surprise and I rubbed it on my manhood. There was a brief tingling sensation and I was back at full mast. Waves of lust and pleasure washed over me. “Holy shit!” I gasped in explanation, nearly dropping the vial in surprise. I was locked onto her ass. I’d never done anal with anyone before, not even with Trixie. However, I knew enough about it to know there was cleaning involved.

As if anticipating my question, Zecora wiggled her posterior at me invitingly, smacking her ass with her tail. “Why do you think I was in my bathroom for so long? I wanted to surprise you tonight! Just be gentle at first, please my king? It is my first time.”

I grinned wider and nodded as I slowly approached, pouring some of the gel onto my hand. I heard her gasp as I began preparing her hole as well. Some of her lovejuice mixed with my last load came gushing out the moment contact was made. “Some aphrodisiac,” I said as I continued lubing her up liberally, inside and out.

“N-Not too much!” she begged, “Or we shall be up all night!”

Emboldened by the effects of the aphrodisiac, I leaned down and whispered, “Are you complaining, my little Zebra slut?” I bit her ear gently.

She shuddered as I did so, whimpering, but at the same time shaking her head. “N-No…punish me, my king…I am yours!”

Slowly, I got behind her, grasping her fleshy rear mounds and spreading them, exposing my prize. I was a bit nervous, despite the effects of the aphrodisiac. I lined myself up, swallowing said nervousness and putting up a bold front. Zecora had proven that she loved to be manhandled in the bedroom, and the power rush I felt was empowering. However, since this was my first time, I forced myself to hold back. At least until Zecora told me it was okay.

Thus, for the first time in my life, I entered inside the forbidden hole. Thanks to the lube on my cock and inside her, it was easier to enter, but it was still incredibly tight. Zecora bit her lip and buried her face into the pillow, gasping and squealing. I stopped, waiting for her to relax, but when she gave me a pleading look, I knew there was no turning back. She wanted this so much, and I loved seeing her so full of pleasure. So, I resumed, pushing myself deeper inside her slowly. After a while, I was all the way inside her.

“So…full…” Zecora said after she’d recovered.

“Time for your king to punish you,” I said.

She nodded weakly. “Yes…I’ve been a bad mare!” She squealed as I smacked her ass. “Nnng! Fuck!”

I slowly pulled out, her inner walls clenching around me as if they were trying to push me out, then with a faster thrust than the first time, I slid it back inside. I held back my desire to just jackhammer myself inside her. It felt way too good not to, but I made an effort to slowly get her used to me. She gripped the pillow and bit into it and screamed in pleasure when I began speeding up even more. I moaned along with her as her inner walls clenched even harder around me, almost like they were trying to milk every last bit of my seed out of me. I grabbed her arms again and pulled her into a kneeling position, although now that we were so near to the wall she held her hands against it. I held the position there, looking up at the stunned expression on her face as I paused. “Mmm…do you want more, my delicious, naughty mare?” I asked.

Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, so I waited. Finally, I heard a warbling, “Y-Yes…”

“Your wish is my command,” I replied as I slowly pulled out, then with a mighty thrust forced it all the way back in.

“NNNG! SO BIG!” she gasped.

Reaching around her, I found her marehood to be dripping more than normal. As I pumped in and out of her, I rubbed her clit as I bit down gently into her neck. She wrapped one of her arms around my head and held me there, arching her head sideways to give me better access. Her other hand was against the wall for support, her mane shaking and becoming more frazzled with each passing minute.

Whatever that aphrodisiac did to me not only made sex with Zecora twice as enjoyable, but made her experience release harder. She was a drooling and smiling mess by the time I began to feel my third orgasm of the night coming on. “I’m almost there!” I announced as I felt the rising of pleasure. By this time I had two fingers inside her vagina and was rubbing her G-spot like crazy. “I hope you can hold this in better!”

“I will, my king!” she promised as she pressed herself more against me. She put both hands on the wall now, panting heavily as I drilled her.

“Fuuuck! I’m cumming!” I shouted as I sped up more and more. “Here it coooooomes! Take it!”

“Yes! Give it to me!” she begged.

Instantly, I felt the best orgasm of my life pass through me as I unleashed my third load of the night inside her back door. My eyes widened at the incredible waves of pleasure that passed through me at that moment. It started at my nether regions, yes, but it moved up and out from there. When it reached my head, I had a sense of euphoric clarity pass over me. I was looking at Zecora at that moment, and the feeling of euphoria only increased at the source of said feeling which mixed with my deep love for her. All sound vanished for that moment, and even the bed we were on vanished from my sight. All I could see right there, in that moment, was my azure eyed angel. My Zecora Mtunga Dawa. My Zebricorn fiancée.

As my orgasm began to subside, I fell forward and collapsed on top of Zecora, who in turn collapsed onto her stomach again. We were both panting heavily. We lay like that for what could have been hours or a minute or so, but eventually, she and I looked at each other. The smile on her face banished all of the negative feelings and emotions I’d felt throughout the day. There was reassurance in that lovely face.

As sound came back, I looked down and realized that not only was I still inside her ass, but I was still rock hard. Slowly, I pulled out until, with a loud pop, I was completely out of her. Once more, my seed came pouring out of her. She looked at me with a sheepish grin. “I suppose my king wishes to punish me more?” With that, she reached over and dug out a pair of iron manacles from her nightstand along with a set of keys. She also grabbed a riding crop.

Slowly I grabbed them, then back down at her. “This is going to be a veeery fun night,” I said with a grin. “Time for round four!” Leaning down, I said, “The safety word is BANANA,” right before I unlocked the shackles, then moved to chain her up…

144: A Cloaked Heart's Christmas Eve Pt. 1

Author's Note

It's a shame. I found the PERFECT image that shows what I think of when I see Zecora's new mane style in my mind, but I can't post a link to it since it's NSFW.

Also YAY I managed to pass 700k words I've NEVER written this much for a single story before!

144: A Cloaked Heart's Christmas Eve Pt. 1

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Fa la la la la, la la, la la! Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la, la la!”

I found myself singing merrily early on the morning of December 24th as I continued to prepare a traditional Christmas feast, with emphasis on the vegetarian options although I did have meat options for the omnivores. It had been a busy couple of days since I discussed the idea of a wedding with all of my friends.

Ever since that day, Zecora and I had been planning the type of wedding we’d be having, mixing human and Zebra traditional aspects. She’d been more than willing to wear a traditional wedding gown which Rarity had really wanted to create. I would, of course, be wearing a suit as well. Not only would the two of us be wearing wedding rings, but we would also be getting matching piercings directly imported from Farasi.

Zecora and I had pretty much caved in to Pinkie’s pleas of inviting all of Ponyville to the wedding. And that was okay. The two of us had been welcomed and accepted so graciously after out disastrous first encounter that it felt disingenuous not to invite them. We’d also invited all three princesses and Shining Armor as well. We were still debating on whether to invite the Zebra delegates from the council. Zecora was leaning towards yes, since traditionally there were meant to be Zebra witnesses at a wedding no matter what. I was a bit hesitant, but I was beginning to lean toward yes as well, seeing as how Zecora herself had no family to come.

Zecora had chosen Scarlet to be her maid of honor, and had also asked each Element of Harmony to be her bridesmaids. Each of them had readily accepted, of course. I’d asked Spike to be the ring bearer and the Cutie Mark Crusaders to be the flower girls. I’d not yet chosen a best man, mostly because I didn’t really know any stallions around my age. I was considering asking either Big Mac or Shining Armor, but hadn’t really decided yet.

When I’d sent off the invitations to the princesses, Zecora and I received a surprise visit from an eager Celestia, who wasn’t too subtle at hinting that she wanted to officiate the wedding. Luna had appeared a few minutes later, also wanting to officiate. Cadance appeared right as the sisters began arguing. The Princess of Love was over the moon overjoyed that I was getting married to Zecora and offered to help plan the wedding with us. Zecora and I thanked her, but politely declined. All we asked was that she just show up and be a part of our magical day. She was a bit disappointed, but nevertheless she was excited.

As for Celestia and Luna, Zecora and I discussed it and asked that the two of them both officiate. They both agreed, and as they teleported back to Canterlot they were both still arguing as siblings are wont to do. Cadance hugged me and Zecora, reassuring us that she’d calm them both down before teleporting back.

Any time that Zecora and I went into town, we would receive heartfelt congratulations for our upcoming wedding. Ponies like Lyra and Derpy were completely over the moon excited and practically tackled me and Zecora in the streets. I even got a promise from Bon Bon that she’d make something delicious for the wedding.

As for the venue, Zecora and I decided that we would have the wedding in the Town Hall and the after party in my yard. Rainbow Dash promised that she would make sure that the weather above my house would be clear and bright that day and Twilight promised that the ground would be clear of any snow before that.

There was much more to determine, but I had promised that I would take Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off so I could spend a joy filled holiday with my friends.

“Faaa!”

I was brought out of my reverie by Aurora’s call. She was sitting on the floor, looking up at me with a wide smile and playing with some toys I’d bought for her from Barnyard Bargains. I looked down and grinned. “Yes, Aurora! Fa la la la la!”

“Faa! Faa!”

Phlogiston, who was actually helping me prepare some of the meat dishes for the omnivores I was hoping to show up, smiled warmly. “Like I thought, Your Grace, she’s really taken a shine to you.”

Zecora, who was busy preparing some traditional holiday dishes from Farasi, stopped and walked over to the young Dragon baby, picked her up and held her gently just like I’d showed her how to hold her earlier. Aurora looked up at Zecora with wide curious eyes. Reaching up, she tried to grab at Zecora’s mane, babbling something. “She truly is a remarkable young Dragon,” she said.

I watched this interaction with a warm smile. She looked so natural, and if I stared long enough, she could easily have been this young Dragon’s mother. Ever since our latest night of passion, which lasted until three in the morning before the effects of the aphrodisiac that Zecora had given me wore off, my fiancée had been in a much better mood. She had returned to her new normal way of speaking, and had been more affectionate with me. As had Scarlet, of course, but that was nothing new. “She really is,” I said, walking over and kissing my fiancée and then moving to kiss Aurora’s forehead. As she giggled and reached out towards me and Zecora, I immediately felt like there was a sense of family growing between Aurora, Zecora and myself.

I heard the snapping of an iPhone camera going off just then. Turning, I saw Scarlet, who had just entered the room, holding my phone and pointing it at me with a cheeky grin on her face. “Proof that the stalwart Emperor Jethro of Aelyssia and the vaulted Knight of Equestria Sir Jethro has a soft spot,” she giggled.

I grabbed the phone from her and frowned. “Bad girl,” I said in a scolding manner.

I saw her hold back some smart aleck remark, but she gave me a sultry wink nonetheless. “Yeah, I am,” she said.

Ignoring her, I opened the photo app and looked at the most recent picture. Zecora looked over my shoulder at it, and Aurora tried to grab at the phone with her ever curious claws. My heart melted at the image. I was on the left of the image, one arm around Zecora who was on the right and leaning her head against my shoulder while she held the giggling and smiling Aurora, who was gazing up at the two of us, reaching out with her claws. “It’s beautiful…” I said breathlessly.

Zecora licked my face affectionately at that and pressed herself closer against me. Aurora watched us with a curious expression as she said, “One day, I hope that we will take another image like that with our own foal,” she said softly.

“Well, once you and I are married and once I adopt this little cutie as my own daughter, she’ll be your child too,” I replied. “If you want to, that is.” Zecora looked down at the young Dragon baby. I could see her thoughts churning. Carefully, I took Aurora in my arms and cradled her close. “What do you think, wittle Awowa? You want this Zebwa here to be your Mommy? Or maybe one of your mommies? Huh? Would you wike dat? Huuuh? Hmmm?”

Aurora presumably didn’t understand what I said, but she smiled again and began babbling. “Fa! Fa!”

“Oh no, she’s too cute,” Scarlet said, putting a hoof over her chest. “Must…suppress…the HNNNG!” She clenched her eyes shut.

I snorted. “What video did you see that from?”

“Some fan video related to Doki Doki Literature Club,” Scarlet said.

“Oh dear, you played that?” I asked.

“Yep! What a mindfu…mindfreak that was,” she said.

I was about to reply when Zecora reached over, took Aurora in her arms, and looked down at her. I could see a brand new look in her eyes, one of maternal joy. She held the baby close to her, cradling her. “I would…would love to be this baby’s adopted mother,” she said in a whisper.

“You aren’t leaving me out of this!” Scarlet said, galloping forward and jumping onto my back, looking down at the young Dragon.

I smirked. “With you I think you’d be better suited to be her older sister figure.”

“Hey! I can be a mother too!” she whined. “After all-” and here she lowered her voice, leaned in close to my ear and in a surprisingly sincere whisper, said, “-I want to have a family with you, too.”

That warmed my heart even more than I thought possible. I reached up and stroked her mane gently. “Well, when the time is right, that would be amazing,” I said. “But right now, it’s time to celebrate Christmas!” I gently pulled away and looked over at the dishes. “Phlogiston, do Dragons celebrate any sort of winter festival?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Not in recent memory, Your Grace,” she said. “However, if I may make a suggestion?”

“By all means, please do,” I said. “I hope you don’t mind if I continue preparing while I listen.” So saying, I went back to preparing the bag for the turkey that I had imported from Griffonstone for Thanksgiving, lining it with a little bit of flour.

“Your Grace is returning to Aelyssia after the first of the Pony new year and after your wedding, correct?” she asked.

“I promised them I would return to help them relocate to Virynth Atheos,” I replied as I finished the bag prep. “Could you hold this bag open for me?”

“Of course,” she said as she held it open. As I lifted the large turkey, she continued, “My point is that this will be a triumphant return for all the Dragons there. It will go down in Dragon history as a time to be celebrated. A date that could become one of great feasting and celebration.”

As I put the bird into the bag, I pondered her words. She was right, after all. Dragons had been living poorly for centuries. Now I had the wealth of the world not only around my neck but back at Duzoroth Tower and in the yard of my Earth house. “Yes, a feast would be a good morale booster,” I admitted, “but the problem is that Aelyssia right now has no means of food production. We’d have to rely on food being imported until we can get our food production back on track. But as for a feast, I have enough money to import food personally. I’ll work on that soon.”

Phlogiston chuckled. “I understand. Being a ruler is not easy, is it?”

“It’s the furthest thing from it,” I said as I opened the preheated oven and placed the turkey inside it. “But for today I really want to focus on this and not on domestic affairs of state. It’s a holiday for humans and Ponies.”

“How many guests are coming over?” Zecora asked.

I was about to answer, when a sudden slight burst of magic came from one of the cabinets. Smirking, I walked over and opened the door. “Why don’t you tell them, Pinkie?”

The aforementioned Earth Pony came stumbling out of the cabinet, landing deftly on her hooves before pulling a scroll out of her mane. Phlogiston raised an eyebrow. “Your Grace, how did that Pony get in here?”

“In all the months I’ve been here, and from watching the real deal and seeing the one from the television show, I’ve learned not to question Pinkie Pie’s abilities,” I said. “She’s a mystery wrapped in a crepe.”

“That…doesn’t make any sense,” the Dragoness said.

“Exactly,” I replied before turning to Pinkie. “Well, Ponkers?”

“Weeell,” the eager Pony said, “I reeeeaaalllllyyyy wanted to invite soooo many more guests, but you said only a hoofful, so here’s the list.” She handed the scroll to me.

Opening it, I chuckled. “On the omnivore side, we have Chrysalis, Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Gemini, Mica, Aurora, Ember and you, Phlogiston,” I began. “And on the herbivore side, we have Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Spike, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.”

“Wow, does the dining room have enough seats for everyone?” Scarlet asked. “And you didn’t invite the Princesses?”

“Well, Mica, Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders can sit at what we call the kids table back on Earth,” I said, “but if some of the people on this list don’t show up they can sit at the adult table. As for the Princesses, I did try, but they said they were having a castle wide Hearth’s Warming Eve feast they couldn’t get out of unfortunately.”

“Ah, I guess that makes sense,” Scarlet said.

“Can I sit at the kids table too??” Pinkie Pie asked.

“If you want to,” I said. “But enough about that. What brings you by?”

“I came here to help of course!” Pinkie said.

“Well in that case, could you peel those potatoes over there?” I asked, pointing to a sack of potatoes I’d bought from Barnyard Bargains the day before. “I’m gonna make some mashed potatoes with chives and sour cream.”

“Oki dokie lokie!” the excited Pony said before grabbing the bag and opening it deftly. She grabbed a potato peeler, then found a place to sit where she could get to work.

Zecora, who was now back to preparing her own native dishes, smiled. “That mare is something else. You had better treat her to a nice date when the time comes.”

“Yes, I promise you that I will,” I said. “Now then, we have a feast to prepare for! Let’s get cracking, huh?” Rolling up my sleeves, I got to work on the next dish.

The sun was just setting when I began setting the table with every dish that had been prepared. On Zecora’s end, she’d prepared a large portion of her Jollhoof rice and an okra with tomatoes in a stew. She’d also brewed some Karkanji tea and had made some small single portion of what she called Marelva Pudding.

Pinkie, after she’d helped me peel the potatoes, began preparing a few desserts for after the feast. She made a triple chocolate decker pie with a dark chocolate crust along with a pumpkin pie. She told me when I asked about apple pie that she would never presume to make that, since according to her Pinkie Sense there was apple pie coming anyway. She also actually churned milk into cream, then made what she called neighopolitan ice cream. When that was done, she put everything away, cleaned up, then said she was heading back home so she could get ready for the evening.

Meanwhile, Phlogiston, Gemini (who joined us later) and I worked on the main dishes of the feast. I made a large bowl of the mashed potatoes with gravy made with vegetarian stock, vegetarian stuffing, a string bean casserole, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and a traditional Christmas pudding.

Outside, snow was coming down and all of the lights on my houses were on, lighting up my front lawn. The table, which was now much longer and could seat all the invited guests comfortably now, was set and I was now in my bedroom, looking over my dinner attire once more. Normally I didn’t think about dressing up for any kind of dinner other than a date, but today I felt like surprising everyone. I wasn’t wearing anything too fancy, just a pair of my dress shoes, black socks, khaki dress pants, a white dress shirt with a red and green Christmas tie and a burgundy blazer. I had tied my hair back so it didn’t move and had put a small amount of hair gel in it, especially the stuff on the crown of my head.

Beside me, Zecora was actually wearing the dress that Rarity had made for her for the Gala. Only now, it seemed slightly too small for her. It wasn’t tight, according to her, but it was a bit harder to maneuver in. Still, it was snug enough to show her new curves and I did everything but tear that dress off and fuck her right then and there to assure her that she looked radiant.

What surprised me further was the fact that at around four thirty that afternoon, while Zecora, Scarlet and I were reading in the living room and just as the sun was beginning to head towards the horizon, Chrysalis made her way downstairs. She wasn’t as dressed up as Zecora or I were, but she still didn’t look too shabby. She had on a pair of my jeans and a dark brown hoodie. “So…where’s the booze?” she asked as she came downstairs. “The invite that exploded in my face earlier promised me that there’d be booze.”

Damn it, Pinkie, I thought. “Well, we have all kinds of alcoholic beverages here,” I said, “but I’d rather you not drink too much tonight. There are children coming.”

She sighed. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get too drunk around the little ones,” she said as she walked into the dining room.

A few minutes later, the three Sirens came down. Adagio and Aria were wearing similar getup to what Chrysalis had on, but it was Sonata who stood out. She wore a pair of jeans, sure, but she was also wearing one of my few Christmas sweaters, a red sweater with white snowflakes, red and green holly, and a large Santa Claus on the chest. She was also wearing a red and green striped stocking hat. As the three came downstairs, Adagio was commenting, “Seriously, Sonata, you look like Christmas threw up all over you.”

“Come on, Dagi! This is our first real Christmas! I’m not gonna waste it!” Sonata replied with a smile. She saw Zecora and I and waved. “Merry Christmas Eve!”

I smiled and waved at her back. “Same to you, Miss Dusk.”

“Whoa, I just realized you and I have the same last name,” Scarlet said.

Sonata’s gasp lasted for at least ten seconds. “No. Way! That’s so cool!”

“So…you didn’t prepare some kind of holiday tacos for this insane Siren, did you?” Aria asked with a smirk, pointing her thumb at the excited Siren.

“No, they’re not really holiday foods,” I said. “Besides, it’s not like I have a Chipotle or Juan Colorado around here in Pony country. But I do make some kickass tacos, if I do say so myself.”

“Can I try some??” Sonata asked.

I chuckled. “Sure, but not tonight.”

She nodded, then sniffed the air. “I smell meat,” she said.

Adagio sniffed as well. “Um…not that I care, but aren’t Ponies coming? Won’t they, you know, throw up or something?”

“I made sure that they knew that I was making meat for my omnivore guests,” I said. “And I made certain unbreakable promises that I wasn’t using animals taken from this continent.” I shuddered at the conversation I had with Fluttershy, who made me promise not to use any animals from Equestria using a Pinkie Promise. She’d been extremely adamant and had even used The Stare on me, and even though it didn’t have as big of an effect on me as it normally did, it still sent shudders down my spine.

“Why not from this continent?” Adagio asked.

“Because every animal on this continent knows the Phoenix language,” a very familiar voice said from the second floor. Hestia flew down and landed on my shoulder, followed close behind by Eve. The former looked down at my clothes and chuckled. “Nice clothes.”

The Sirens were staring in awe at the talking Phoenix. Adagio was the first to say anything. “I-Is that…a Phoenix? TALKING?!”

Hestia turned to face the three Sirens. She smirked as she said, “Now now, I know it’s been a while since I saw you three, but I think my voice hasn’t changed that much, has it?”

The Sirens looked closer at her, then a few seconds later Sonata gasped. A big smile passed over her face and she rushed forward. “Hestia!”

“Wait, you’re HESTIA!?” Adagio asked with an incredulous tone.

This was a surprise to me. I turned to the aforementioned bird. “Care to explain?”

“She know them!” Eve said, pointing to the Sirens.

Hestia chuckled. “You forgot the S there, Eve, but yes, I do know them.” She turned back to me. “I’m responsible for them managing an escape from their respective lands before they were to be wed.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Huh…so it was your fault they abandoned their-” I stopped myself and shook my head. “No, today’s not the day for that.”

“How do you know Hestia?” Aria asked, this time with more curiosity than the normal hostility.

“That’s a little bit of a long story,” Hestia said. “It started when I was recruited by the last great Dragon Emperor to guard his treasure trove…”

“…And the next thing I remembered, I was waking up in a smaller body. This body, to be precise,” Hestia finished a little while later. The three Sirens had taken seats on the other couch and were listening eagerly. During that time, Ember had come downstairs and had listened in, sitting on the same couch where I was with Zecora and Scarlet. Hestia had spent the past ten or so minutes explaining how she’d been recruited by the last Dragon Emperor to guard the Sunsword and the hoard surrounding it, then the meeting with me, her near death, and then she recounted how I saved her by giving her some of my water and stroking her feathers.

The three Sirens slowly looked back up at me, their faces awash with astonishment, and what I thought was respect, at least from Sonata. There was something new in Adagio’s and Aria’s eyes, but I couldn’t readily identify them. They all stared long enough for me to feel a bit uncomfortable. “Um…is there something on my face?” I asked.

“You saved the Phoenix who saved us,” Sonata said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“It does seem that way,” I said, turning back to Hestia. Suddenly, an idea came into my head. “Hestia, a word if I may?”

“What is it?” she asked, slipping back into the Phoenix tongue.

“It seems these three women have a good deal of respect for you,” I replied in the same language, “so would you be opposed to keeping a watchful eye over them after they return to Aelyssia? I think it might help them.”

She smiled a bit and nodded. “I would be honored to, Master.”

“No ‘Master’ stuff, please,” I replied with a groan.

“Well, I can’t really use your name in Phoenix, can I?” she retorted, sticking her tongue out at me.

“But what about my language lessons?” Eve asked from nearby where she was sitting on Zecora’s shoulder.

“If Master here can find a way to use those magic doors to open a portal between Aelyssia and Equestria, then I can visit anytime,” Hestia replied.

“I’ll work on it,” I said. Turning back to the other Sirens, I cleared my throat. “I’ve decided that when we return to Aelyssia, I’ll be sending Hestia along to keep you company.”

Sonata’s smile returned full force, and Adagio and Aria both loosened up on their frowns, nodding in acknowledgment. “That is…a generous offer, Your Grace,” Adagio said, and I didn’t hear as much sarcasm in her tone this time. She inclined her head slightly as did Aria.

“Yay! She’ll be coming with us back home!” Sonata giggled, clapping her hands excitedly.

I smiled a bit. “Yes, Sonata. She’ll be going back home with you. But anyway, it’s almost five,” I added, looking at the grandfather clock. “I told the other guests that the party started around then. So I think it’s time to get things set up-”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

I turned to the large front door and smirked. “Right on cue,” I said as I stood and walked over. Behind me, I heard the Sirens and Ember quickly vacate the room and head into the dining hall. Opening the door, I was greeted by a bouncing Pinkie Pie, wearing her signature winter getup. “Heeey, sexy Jethy!” she giggled, leaping into my arms and nuzzling my face like a cat. “I’m here! Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve!”

I smiled wide and hugged Pinkie close. “Glad to see you could make it, and Merry Christmas Eve to you too,” I said as I put her down. “Come on in! It’s cold out there!”

“No kidding!” she said as she got in, shook off some of the snow that had dusted her coat and mane, then took off her winter gear and hung them up. She then sniffed the air. “Oooh, I can smell the good stuff through the meat smell!” she said as she hopped towards the kitchen.

Just as I was about to close the door, I heard the very familiar sound of Rainbow Dash flying towards my house. Looking out of the door, I saw the prismatic Pegasus barreling towards me. I was about to shout at her to slow down, but she began doing so the moment she was halfway between the gate and the house. When she arrived, she trotted in, panting a bit. “Hah…hah…and that’s how you do a sonic snowboom,” she said with a grin.

“A Merry Christmas Eve to you too, Rainbow,” I chuckled as I closed the door behind her. “You’re the second guest to arrive.”

“What?! Only second?!” Her ears flattened in disappointment. “Awww man! And here I was hoping to beat Applejack!” Rainbow said, stomping her hoof on the floor.

“You did,” I chuckled. “Pinkie Pie’s the one you beat.”

“Oh,” she said, her ears coming back up. “Well, that’s Pinkie Pie. She doesn’t count. Did you bring some cider??”

I sighed. “Yes, Rainy. I brought some of that Dragon cider you aren’t supposed to touch until you finish a book, remember?”

I saw her begin sweating a bit and look away nervously. “Ahaha…yeah, that…”

“Rainbow…what happened?” I asked, although I could pretty much guess just judging by how nervous she was acting.

“Oh! Nothing happened! Nope! Nope nope nope! Not a single thing happened, ahaha!” Rainbow replied, a bit too quickly and clearly very nervous.

At that moment, Pinkie poked her head out of the kitchen. “She drank some of that cider you gave her before she finished the book,” she replied.

Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie with a glare. “Piinkiiiie!” As the pink mare zipped back into the kitchen, the loyal if not poor lying mare turned to me, looking anywhere BUT at me. “So…um…yes…she’s right…I did taste some…but I couldn’t help it!” she quickly added, looking up at me with a pleading expression and her ears plastered to her side. “It was just calling out to me! ‘Rainbow Dash! Come and have a taste of me! I’m delicious! Come on, Jethro will never know if you take a little lick!’ Honest!” I put my hands on my hips, looking down at her sternly. She deflated and looked back down. “Okay…you win…I’ll go to Earth with you and ride a roller coaster.”

I smirked, then leaned down and whispered, “And I’ll roll around in Poison Joke and show you just what happened to me, but only for a single day. Got it?”

She turned and looked up at me with shock. “Wait…you’re serious?”

“If you have to suffer, then I’ll suffer with you,” I replied, standing back up.

Her ears shot back up and a grin popped onto her face. “Awww yeah! This is gonna be soooo cool!”

At that moment, there was another solid knock at the door. Turning, I opened it only to see Applejack, Apple Bloom and Fluttershy standing at the door. The Apple siblings both were holding what could only be freshly baked apple pies in their hooves. “Howdy there, Jethro, and Happy Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve tah yah!” Applejack said with a smile. “Are we too early?”

“Just in time,” I said, stepping aside. “Please come in. If you want, I can take those pies for you.”

“No need, ah know where the kitchen in this old place is,” Applejack said as she walked in.

“Hey, Jethro!” Apple Bloom said, looking up at me with a wide smile. “Are Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo or Spike here yet?”

“Not yet,” I said, “but they should be coming along soon.”

As the Apple siblings walked in, Fluttershy came up close behind them. She looked up at me and smiled before flying slowly up to me and giving me the warmest and kindest of hugs. “Merry Christmas Eve, Jethro,” she said. “Am I getting that right?”

“Yes you are,” I said, touched that she would use the traditional greeting of my people. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve to you, too.”

She squeezed a bit tighter before she released me and landed. She sniffed the air a bit, and I saw her wince a little bit, but then she relaxed. “Is that cranberry sauce I smell?” she asked.

I nodded. “It’s part of a traditional Christmas dinner,” I said.

She clapped her hooves eagerly. “I haven’t had that in so long,” she said excitedly.

I was just about to close the door when the chimes on my clock began going off. At precisely the stroke of five, Twilight and Spike both appeared in a flash of the former’s teleportation magic. The purple unicorn looked up at me with a smile. And, on her back, was the very same piece of fabric I’d given her that lead to her new library. “Hi, Jethro!” she said. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve!”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Twilight. And the same to you, Sir Spike of Aelyssia,” I said, unable to stop myself.

Spike groaned. “Daaad…” he sighed, then gave me a small smile. “Same to you, though,” he said.

“Yoohoo! Darlings! I’m heeeere!” Rarity’s voice called out from behind Twilight and Spike. Walking alongside her, I saw Sweetie Belle and, to my surprise, Scootaloo. The latter Pegasus filly looked much better than the last time I’d seen her, smiling and waving along with Rarity. As Twilight and Spike vacated the porch and headed inside, Rarity finally made it. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, everypony,” she said.

“Merry Christmas Eve to you too,” I replied. “Please, get inside and away from that horrid freezing weather.”

“Such a gentlecolt,” she smiled at me as she walked in. As I shut the door after having not seeing anyone else, she continued. “My, the weather team certainly outdid themselves with the snowfall this year. It came past my knees almost everywhere!”

“Well, I am dreaming of a White Christmas,” I chuckled. “It’s part of the holiday’s charm. You’re the last Element of Harmony to arrive, though. Fashionably late, I see?” I smirked at the marshmallow Unicorn

She made a humph noise as she replied, “Of course! The party can start, now!”

Rolling my eyes, I patted her mane. “How generous of you, darling,” I said in an imitation of her voice and mannerisms.

She brushed my hand aside. “I just finished my mane! You’ll ruin it!” she said.

I leaned down and whispered, “No matter what, your mane is always gorgeous.”

I caught a blush creep up on her cheeks. “You’re looking handsome tonight yourself, my good stallion,” she replied softly.

It was my turn to blush. “Thanks, beautiful.” So saying, I next looked down at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “Hey there! Merry Christmas Eve to you.”

“Don’t you mean Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve?” Scootaloo asked.

“They’re similar holidays,” I explained as I ran my hands through her mane. “I prefer saying it, but I do also wish you a Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve. And welcome to my home.” I pulled the young Pegasus into a hug. “Glad to see you here.”

“What about me?” Sweetie Belle asked, pointing at herself with her hoof.

I chuckled and pulled her into the hug as well. “Yes, you too Sweetie Belle,” I replied.

“My aunts are sorry they couldn’t come,” Scootaloo said as I stood back up and put the two fillies back down, “but they wanted me to give you this.” She handed me a small present, which I took. “They said not to open it until presents time, though,” she said.

I smiled. “I’ll put it under the tree, then,” I said. After doing so, I turned to the gathered Ponies. “Well, now that everyone’s here, who’s ready for some food, huh?”

“Awww yeah! It’s time for feasting until I puke!” Rainbow grinned.

“Show some decorum at least!” Rarity scolded her.

“Ah’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” Applejack said as she returned from the kitchen, “Jethro, yah made a ton of food!”

“I have hungry mouths to feed,” I said. Standing taller, I gestured to the dining room. “Now, before I lead you in there, you’re all aware of who else I invited, right?” When they all nodded, I continued, “I did that because I wanted them to experience a fun and festive meal. I know I don’t have to repeat this for most of you, but I still want to. Please don’t antagonize Chrysalis, Adagio, Aria, Sonata or Ember please?” I gave Rainbow Dash a sideways glance, and she looked away, pretending to whistle nonchalantly. When I got no replies, I nodded. “Thank you. Well then, how about we head to dinner, shall we?”

145: A Cloaked Heart's Christmas Eve Pt. 2

Author's Note

So, here is what the new Zecora looks like, at least her new mane style. Ignore the fact that this depiction doesn't have wings. I can't link the original because it's NSFW.

145: A Cloaked Heart's Christmas Eve Pt. 2

“And then I said ‘Pie, right?’” Pinkie was giggling as we all sat in the living room about an hour and a half later. Zecora and Scarlet were both sitting on my lap, snuggling up close to me as I sat in my custom built single person chair facing the now roaring fire. The Elements of Harmony were sitting on the couch to my left and right of me. Phlogiston, who was holding Aurora, was sitting on one of the couches while feeding the young Dragon some warm milk. Ember, Adagio, Aria and Chrysalis had clearly been feeling more and more uncomfortable throughout dinner, so after they’d finished they’d excused themselves to head back upstairs. Sonata had gone up with the other two Sirens, not wanting to leave them alone for the holidays, or so she explained to me. Spike, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were sitting on the floor leaning against the couch.

The meal itself was, without a doubt, one of the best ones I’d ever had before. Everything just seemed to explode with flavor. It surprised me that the turkey itself was as juicy and full of flavor as it was. Anytime I’d tried to make turkey before for Thanskgiving, I’d never quite gotten it right, which was why in my latter years on Earth I’d just bought some freshly made turkey from the local shopping center. I’d always had better luck with ham, for some reason.

If the food itself was phenomenal, then the desserts were all superb. I’d never quite been an apple pie fan back on Earth, or a pie fan in general except for those Marie Callender’s chocolate pies. However, Applejack’s apple pie was something that I couldn’t get enough of, it seemed. Pinkie’s own chocolate pie was just as delicious, and I could feel my arteries hardening just looking at it and the side of her neighopolitan ice cream. Zecora’s Marelva Pudding was just as good as the other dessert dishes, with its apricot jam and the cream sauce and custard.

After cleaning up, we all went out to the living room where we were about to open presents, but as we were walking out, Pinkie began telling everyone about her thirteenth birthday. We were all sitting out in the living room as she continued the story. I was laughing along with most of the others as she continued. “I couldn’t stop laughing! Mom and Dad were super duper confused. Mom then goes ‘Nay, little one. For thine thirteenth year of birth, we shall engage in the tradition of our own family which hath been passed down from many generations past.’”

I couldn’t help myself. I snorted as I said, “I completely forgot your family is like Pony Amish!”

“What’s an Amish?” Pinkie asked.

“They’re a group of humans who live on the eastern coast of my home country,” I explained with a chuckle. “They shun all modern technology and live as if time stopped two hundred or so years ago.”

“Oooooh!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Well, my family aren’t Amish,” she explained, “but I guess they’re preeeetty similar.”

“Are they Maneish?” Twilight asked.

“What are they?” I asked, curious now.

“The Manish are Ponies who tend to live like all modern conveniences don’t exist, like the Amish do,” Twilight explained. “Most of them are farmers.”

“Apple Bloom and ah have a third cousin who’s Maneish,” Applejack said. “She and her husband live down south on a smaller farm.”

“I don’t think my parents are Maneish,” Pinkie Pie said, looking thoughtful now.

“Well anyway, go on with your story,” I said. “I’m curious now.”

“Oh yeah! Well, I was uuuupset. I mean, it was my thirteenth birthday and they weren’t gonna get me a pie? I mean, it’s in my name! I love pie, and I was just about to become a mare, not a filly anymore! But Mom and Dad are super big on tradition so they said they were gonna get me a rock pound cake! A rock. Pound. Cake! I mean, I know my family loves rocks, especially Maud, but we normally only ever have rocks for a meal at Hearth’s Warming.”

“Rock soup, right?” I asked.

“Exactly! I was really mad! Like super ultra mad! Like hold my breath until I turned blue mad! Actually I think I did turn blue!” She giggled.

“I’d pay good money to see that!” Rainbow laughed.

“Well, I think I have some spare blue paint in the basement from when the construction company painted the main bathroom,” I chuckled. “But keep going, Ponkers.”

Nodding, Pinkie continued. “So anyway, I spent the whole evening in bed crying. Nopony could cheer me up. I was acting like a real stinker! Well, the next day was my birthday, so I decided I should be a big mare and just go down. And what do you think I find? A pie! An honest to Celestia pie! A massive rock candy pie!”

“Rock candy pie? How does that work?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“Hardened and grown sugar crystals?” Twilight guessed.

“Exactarooni!” Pinkie said.

“Sounds really delicious,” Spike said, licking his lips.

“I’d love to have the recipe if your parents would be willing to share,” I said.

“Maybe you can ask when you see them next!” Pinkie said.

The way she said it gave me pause. I raised an eyebrow at the pink Pony. “‘When I see them next?’ Is there something you wanna share, Pinks?”

She gave me a sheepish grin. “Ahaha, well, I maaaay have told them about you in a letter or two…” she said, poking her hooves together nervously.

“Or two?” I repeated, crossing my arms.

“Nnng…okay, seven!” she admitted. “You know, they actually bought their very first telephone after my sixth letter so they could talk about you with me?”

“They did? But aren’t they out in the middle of nowhere?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah but they wanted to talk to me more often,” Pinkie said. “Dad and Mom want to meet you, and so do my sisters.”

“You didn’t invite them to the wedding, did you?” I asked.

Pinkie quickly shook her head. “No, not at all!”

“Well, someday I’d love to meet your family,” I said. “I’ve seen them on the show a couple of times.”

“Well…maybe we can see them next year?” she suggested.

“I’ll set some time aside,” I promised.

“Yay! Thanks, Jethy! I know my family will love you!”

I smiled and gave a thumbs up, before turning back to the rest of the group. “So, I take it from the satisfied looks on your faces that you all really enjoyed the food tonight?” I asked.

To my surprise, Fluttershy was the first to reply. She smiled over at me and said, “It was really good.”

“I must agree,” Rarity said, nodding over in my direction with a wide smile. “It was by far one of the finest Hearth’s Warming meals I have ever eaten. Certainly better than anything my own mother tend to make.” The Unicorn fashionista shuddered.

“Yeah! She burns almost everything,” Sweetie Belle said with a giggle.

Like mother, like daughter, I thought. “Well, I wanted tonight to be special for everyone here,” I said.

“Ah ain’t gonna complain,” Applejack said. “Those dishes were really somethin’ else! Especially what Zecora done made! That stew was really good! Can ah get the recipe?”

Zecora looked over at the orange mare, then a small grin formed on her face as she leaned on her hand. “Why, my dear Applejack, are you saying you like something like this better than an apple dish? There are no apples in that stew, you know?”

Scarlet put her foreleg over her forehead. “How scandalous! An Apple girl likes a stew without apples?? What will the newspapers say, huh?”

Applejack just sighed. “Hey, ah can like somethin’ without apples in it, yah know?” She turned to me and frowned. “Those two are leanin’ too much from yah.”

“What can I say, my dear friend? That’s just what happens in the end,” I said. “Spend enough time with these two and you’ll see that you begin to act similarly, don’t you agree?”

Zecora laughed and clapped her hands. Turning to me, she moved closer and said, “Now tell me, my love, was that a spontaneous rhyme, or was it something you thought of ahead of time?”

“Well, just like you’ve told me once before, to come up with rhymes doesn’t have to be a chore,” I replied, my mind working overtime. “In fact, it’s quite fun once you begin, and look! It seems to have made them all grin!” I gestured to the rest of the group, who were all watching this impromptu poetry battle with grins and knowing smiles.

Zecora turned and drank in their amused expressions before she chuckled and turned back to me. Putting her hand on my chest, she cooed, “My husband to be, as impressed as I am, none can match me in poetry throughout the land.”

“Au contraire, I know of one creature who could. A young Dragon lad who’s really quite good. Garble is his name, and his skills are quite big. He rhymes are really quite cool, ya dig?” I snapped and pointed at her, giving her the wink and the gun.

“Okay, enough with the rhyming for now,” Scarlet said, giggling.

“Garble, isn’t he that one Dragon with that younger Dragon sister who came up with their mother during your speech back in Aelyssia?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah,” I replied. “He showed up in the show. He’s a beat poet.”

“Can we open presents now?” Scootaloo asked.

I turned to the young Pegasus and chuckled. “You’re really anxious to see everything you got, aren’t you Scoots?” I asked.

She looked a bit embarrassed, but nodded. “Yeah…”

“Well, if everyone is ready for presents, I don’t see why we can’t start now?” I said as I stood along with Zecora and Scarlet. “Anyone else have any objections?”

“Presents time! Presents time!” Pinkie exclaimed eagerly.

Twilight lifted the folded fabric that I’d given her up to a wall with her magic. As she set it up, I asked, “I never did ask, but why did you bring that with you today?”

Twilight finished putting it up, watching as it began morphing into a door once more. When it was completely finished, she turned back to me. “That’s a secret for now,” she said with a sly smile.

I raised an eyebrow at her, then put my hands on my hips and sighed. “Alright then, keep your secrets you nerd,” I said playfully as I ruffled her mane briefly. Turning back to the others, I said, “Well, since you all want to be so secretive, is it okay if I give you all your presents first?”

Immediately, Pinkie, Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were in front of the tree, looking around it for their presents. I’d spent the day before selecting presents for each guest I’d invited, including the ones who’d gone to bed early. In fact, once they did go upstairs to their rooms, I’d given them their presents to open whenever they felt like it. For the Sirens, I’d actually found something surprising for them in my new repertoire of belongings: letters addressed to them from their parents, written after they fled and were banished by Starswirl. I thought briefly back to their reactions:

I held out a large light blue wooden chest to the three Sirens after I walked them back to their rooms. The chest was decorated to look like the wood was actually scales. It was locked with a key that had a handle like a seashell. I set it down on the ground next to the window, then handed the key to Adagio. “I know you probably never celebrated Christmas before, but I wanted to give you something for the occasion. So here you are, and Merry Christmas.”

Adagio grabbed the key from me, then looked down at the chest. Slowly, silently, she walked up to the chest and unlocked it. Opening it, the inside revealed ancient looking jewelry, a small knife, coins that were more than likely not used anywhere anymore, and three scrolls, each having a unique seal. “Hestia told me that these once belonged to the Siren Duchy,” I said, stepping aside.

The three Sirens stared at the contents of the chest in stunned silence. After a while, Sonata slowly approached, reached out to one of the scrolls, lifted it up, and broke the seal. The others watched her with trepidation as she read. Tears began pouring down her cheeks. “Daddy…” was all she said as she clutched the scroll to her chest.

Hearing this, the other two looked at each other, then grabbed one of the scrolls each. Breaking the seals, they both read. Silence reigned as the two read. After a while, Aria began trembling and looking angrily at the letter. “Damn you, father,” she hissed, “Don’t you fucking dare get all sentimental on me with this…” However, despite her anger, I could see her holding back her own tears.

Adagio’s face was blank as she read the letter. I’d found this chest after being alerted to its presence by Hestia when she was telling me about the gift potentials for the others. She just stared at it, reading it over a few times before she slowly rolled it up, put it back into the chest, then lifted the knife. She looked at it carefully. “Reed…” was all she said as she stared at the letter. Turning quickly to me, she pointed to the door shakily. “Out. Now.” She hadn’t yelled at me, but the cracking in her voice told me she didn’t want me seeing whatever was going to happen next.

I’d quickly left the room, closing the door behind me, but not before I heard something surprising…

Adagio crying.

For Ember, I’d found her a suit of armor that would fit her perfectly. In fact, according to Hestia who had helped me pick out the gifts, they had once belonged to a former female Dragon Lord and had been enhanced magically by the Emperor at the time. Hestia told me that the armor itself would bond with the owner and enhance their natural abilities tenfold. Speed, strength, reflexes, thought processes and more would be ten times better than anydragon’s natural abilities. Her reaction was a lot tamer than the Sirens. She just gave me one of the sincerest words of gratitude that I’d ever heard from her before she slowly closed the door.

For Chrysalis, it had taken me a bit longer to find her anything in my belongings, however I did find something unusual that looked like they’d been designed for her: an entire rack of clothes that fit her. Slacks, shirts, skirts, dresses, and more. There were no shoes, socks or any kind of underwear there, but the clothes were able to fit her. Chrysalis hadn’t really reacted at first when I made the rack of clothes materialize, however I did see her eyes lock onto a dark green and black striped dress. She’d slowly approached it, touching it almost reverently. I’d quickly left the room then, since I figured she needed time alone.

Coming out of my brief reverie, I turned and lifted Pinkie, the Crusaders and Spike up with my magic, pulling them away and setting them down. “Hold your horses, everyone, and I’ll get you all your presents.”

“There’s a lot of ‘em under the tree, sugarcube,” Applejack said as I began floating the many different presents onto the floor in front of the fire, “are yah sure yah haven’t gone a mite overboard? Ah mean, yah did just give us presents already.”

I chuckled. “Well, I might have gone overboard, but what’s the use of having all this money and gems if I can’t use it to make my friends and loved ones smile?” I asked. “But, I do have to admit, I got everyone here two gifts.”

“Can I go first?! Can I? Can I?!” Pinkie begged, giving me the biggest and widest puppy dog eyes.

“Patience, Pinks,” I said, before I pointed to the CMC and Spike. “Let the younger ones go first, okay?” Turning to them, I held up my hands. “Okay, you four. I’m gonna put my hands behind my back and use my fingers to pick a number between one and ten. Whoever picks the number either closest to it or picks the exact number first will get to open their presents first.” I put my hands behind my back and picked a random number, which so happened to be eight. “Okay, pick a number.”

“Five!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“Uh…seven!” Scootaloo shouted.

“Three!” Spike said.

“Eight!” Sweetie Belle declared.

I smiled, then showed them my fingers. “Sweetie Belle wins,” I said.

“Yes!” Sweetie Belle said happily before she quickly began looking through the presents.

“Scootaloo, you’ll be next after her, then Apple Bloom, then you, Spike,” I said. “Go ahead and find your presents, but don’t open them yet.”

A few minutes later, Sweetie Belle had found her presents. One of them was a smaller box, while the second was one bigger than her. Sweetie immediately began tearing the paper off of the smaller box, only to stop and stare in disappointment at the three books that I’d gotten for her. She turned to me with a frown. “Books? Really?”

“Read the titles first,” I said, pointing to them.

The small Unicorn filly sighed, but turned and read the title of the first book, a brown hardcover book. Her eyes widened as she read aloud, “A Unicorn Foal’s Guide To Basic Magic?” She turned back to me with a now astonished look in her eyes. “Mr. Bethridge, how’d you know?”

“Let’s just say I have an inside source,” I grinned, glancing over at Rarity who gave me a wink. Turning back to Sweetie, I pointed to the second book. “Look at the second one.” Curious now, she pushed the first book aside, looking at the second title. It, too, was a hardcover book, only with a light blue cover and the title Teach Yourself To Sing. When she turned to me in more confusion, I smiled. “I’ve heard you singing around town, little filly. You have an amazing talent for it. One you could nurture. Oh, open the front cover.”

When she did, a small card with a cello on it fell out. She picked it up and looked at it. “Wait…isn’t this Miss Melody’s logo?” Sweetie asked.

I nodded. “Octavia actually sometimes tutors fillies and colts in her spare time on how to play cello or how to sing well. I’ve heard her sing and she’s really good. I talked to her, and if you want to take some singing lessons from her, I’ll gladly pay for it. It’s your call, though. But you have one more book.”

Sweetie Belle nodded and slowly pulled the third book up. She gaped when she saw the title: 3 in 1 Vegetarian Cookbook. She slowly opened it and looked through it, reading through some of the recipes. Rarity looked a bit nervous, but I just continued smiling as I said, “I know you’ve wanted to try and expand your baking chops for a while, so I found this. It’s a human cookbook. Now, I just want to warn you not to try and make anything in this book without adult supervision. Is that understood, young filly?”

Sweetie Belle was still too happy with the three rapidly different books to really register what I’d said. Still, she nodded and said, “Sure thing, Mr. Bethridge! Thank you!”

I smiled once more, reached down and stroked the young filly’s mane. “Merry Christmas, Sweetie Belle.”

“I can’t say I’m too thrilled about that choice of book, darling,” Rarity said, suddenly by my side and watching as she looked over the books eagerly, “but thank you for getting her those. She looks really happy.”

“Just wait until she opens her second box,” I grinned.

Sweetie Belle turned to the second box and began tearing into it. When the holiday paper was scattered and shredded, she stared at a massive Barbie dollhouse along with a few Barbie dolls and a lot of the accessories for it. She looked a bit more confused as she turned to me. “What’s this?”

I grinned and put my hand on the box. “This, Miss Belle, is Barbie’s Dream House. Barbie is a popular toy with human girls your age. Rarity told me you like having things like this, so I decided to get you one that humans like.”

“Wow…human fillies like this stuff too?” the now smiling filly asked as she stared at the massive cardboard box with the image of a couple girls playing with Barbie in the Dream House.

“They like all sorts of stuff, but yes, a lot like dollhouses and dolls,” I said.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Bethridge!” Sweetie exclaimed happily.

I chuckled, then turned to Scootaloo. “Scoots, you’re next. Go ahead.”

With speed that probably rivaled Rainbow Dash when she was a filly, the orange Pegasus grabbed and tore open her own smaller package, only to stop and gape at the plastic covered Rainbow Dash figure with the My Little Pony logo on it. She tried to pull the plastic off of it before I knelt, took it from her and pulled it open before handing the figure to her. She looked at the prismatic toy version of her hero. “How did you get this…?” she asked in awe.

“Whoa, is that me?” Rainbow Dash was sitting next to Scootaloo, looking at the small toy between Scootaloo’s hooves.

I grinned and nodded. “One of the very first toys made of her,” I said.

“So…awesome…” Rainbow said as she gently touched the toy with her hooves.

“Thank you…thank you so much,” Scootaloo sniffed, trying her best to hold back her tears.

“If you like that, just wait until you see what’s in here,” I said, pointing to the larger box.

Scootaloo gently put down the toy Rainbow Dash before she quickly took the wrapping paper off of the larger box. When she finished, she was staring at the ‘latest’ Razor scooter with those front shock absorbers. I’d picked out one with red hand holds and blue wheels for her. The image on the box showed a boy about twelve or so years old scooting along. She looked at the box, then back at me. “Is…that really a new…a new scooter?” she asked.

I nodded. “I’ve seen how your old one’s not doing so well,” I said, and it was true. She did plenty of neat tricks on her old one, but since it was made of wood the poor thing couldn’t take as much punishment as a metal one. “So I decided to get you this one instead. It’s a lot sturdier and-WHOA!”

Scootaloo jumped into my arms, hugging me tightly as her wings buzzed behind her. I could hear her sniffing back tears, happy ones of course, as she clung to my neck. I wrapped my arms and wings around her. “Thank you so much!” she exclaimed happily.

I held her for a while before I put her back down. “Merry Christmas, Scoots. Just be sure to wear a helmet when you ride. This is a two wheeler, not the four wheeler you’re used to, you understand?” She nodded quickly then began trying to tear off the cardboard to get at the scooter itself. I chuckled, then turned to Apple Bloom. “Your turn, Apple Bloom. And just to be clear, one of the presents for you is from both Zecora and me.”

The Earth Pony filly looked at her two presents, and saw mine and Zecora’s name on one of them. She quickly tore into it just like her fellow Crusaders, only to stop and stare at a book titled A Foal’s Beginner’s Guide To Brewing Potions. Looking up at me, she couldn’t help but smile as she asked, “How did you know?”

“Well, from the show for one, and I’ve seen you around a few times trying to mix things up,” I said.

“This gift comes with something else,” Zecora added as she came and stood next to me. “Just like with Sweetie Belle’s gift, I am willing to give you potion brewing lessons. If you want them, of course, and if your family approves.”

“Can I, Applejack?!” Apple Bloom asked, looking over at the aforementioned orange Pony.

“Ah’ll have tah talk tah Granny and Big Mac about it, Bloom,” Applejack said. “and if we say yes, we’re gonna set up some ground rules for yer doin’ that. Understood?”

She nodded as she turned to the larger package. Quickly, she began tearing the wrapping paper off, only to pause and gasp as she saw a full on chemistry set for kids. There were two human children sitting at a table with the kit, each wearing goggles and messing with a couple beakers. Twilight was by her side looking at the writing on the box, which promised forty experiments. If Apple Bloom’s eyes were wide at the sight, Twilight was practically drooling over it, eyes shining with eagerness. I rolled my eyes, lifted her up in my magic and caught her in my grasp. Booping her snout, I said, “If you want a science kit, all you got to do is ask. But this one is Apple Bloom’s.”

“But…science…” she muttered.

“I’ll get you one too later, I promise,” I said as I ruffled her mane before setting her back down and turning back to Apple Bloom. “Merry Christmas, Apple Bloom.”

The young yellow filly leaped into my arms, hugging me with her bone crushing Earth Pony strength. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Hey, where did you get these bigger presents, anyway?” Sweetie Belle asked curiously, looking over at me from where she sat next to the cardboard box which held her new Dream House.

I looked over at the others, who each had varying degrees of concern on their faces. It was Applejack who spoke first, however. “It’s bound tah come out eventually, sugarcube,” she said. “Might as well tell ‘em.”

When everyone else began slowly agreeing, I pursed my lips. I knew that they hadn’t yet undergone the Gabby Gums incident, and if I had anything to say about it not only would they not go through that, but the parents and older folks would learn not to act so poorly. So I made the call. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the CMC. “Listen up, you three,” I said, “This is Jethro Bethridge, Knight of Equestria talking now. What I’m about to tell you all now is something that you three need to keep secret. I want you to Pinkie Promise that you’ll not tell a single soul. Understood?”

The CMC looked at each other nervously, then as one they nodded and made the signature movements while saying, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

I grinned and nodded. “Good. First of all, did you three notice the new barn outside my house when you came here?”

“I was wonderin’ ‘bout that,” Apple Bloom said.

“Well, here’s the thing,” I said, “do you three remember that human girl who took care of you at Sweet Apple Acres?”

“The one who acted and sounded like Fluttershy?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“That’s the one,” I said. “Well, the short version of it is that inside the barn is something I’ve called the Stargate. It’s basically a portal to another version of my home world. Another version of Earth. That was where the five humans came from a month ago, and I went to Earth yesterday and bought the Earth presents there.”

The Crusaders could only gape at me in astonishment as they soaked that information in. After a half a minute, Scootaloo spoke up. “Can…can anypony go through?”

“Right now, I’m not letting anyone other than myself and a select few number of Ponies through,” I said. “Besides, if anyone here goes through, they’re always turned into a human.”

“Does that mean we can see that human girl again?” Sweetie Belle asked hopefully. “She was really nice.”

“Maybe someday,” I said. “I’ll let her know you want to see her. She seemed to really like you girls.”

“Well, we are pretty awesome,” Scootaloo said, spreading her tiny wings and puffing out her chest.

“She picked up on that,” I chuckled. “But I’m serious. Don’t tell anyone about what I just told you. At least, not yet, because Applejack’s right. This secret might just eventually be spread to the town, but I want to prevent that from happening if I can. So, I never thought I’d say this, but Cutie Mark Crusaders, this is an order from the Knight of Equestria: Do not reveal what I’ve just told you. Am I clear?”

“Yes sir!” they all said, saluting.

I nodded, then smiled and leaned down to stroke their manes gently. “I know I can trust you,” I said. After a while I stood then turned to Spike. “And last, but certainly not least, Sir Spike of Aelyssia. I hope you didn’t think I forgot about you.” I handed him two presents, one small and one large. “Merry Christmas, son.”

Spike walked up and took the small one almost reverently, and just like the fillies, tore open the present. He stared at the black leather bound volume that Hestia had actually found in my hoard. Like the books I’d given to Twilight in her pocket dimension library, the title began translating until it read: A Dragon’s Guide to the Magic Within. He looked up at me with wide eyes. “…Does this mean…that Dragons have magic?”

“You’re a special Dragon, Spike,” I said. “I have a feeling that you have more abilities waiting to be unlocked inside you than the average Dragon. This book should help you in exploring what type of magic you most likely have. This way, you won’t ever have to feel useless ever again.”

He leaped into the air, wings spread as he flew over to me remarkably well as he hugged me. I hugged him back as he whispered, “Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re welcome, kiddo,” I said, hugging him close before putting him down. “There’s one more present for you, you know.”

He looked excited as he opened the larger package, which was the largest of all the packages that I’d given to the other three. That was because, as everyone around the room soon found out, the present actually consisted of six smaller boxes. The smallest box contained a set of Thomas the Tank Engine trains, the type with the magnet attachments. Not only that, but there were freight and coach cars with the same magnetic attachments. The second and third had a large number of train tracks specifically designed for these trains, including a turntable and various tracks with buildings attached. The fourth box had a large number of Hot Wheels cars inside, while the fifth and sixth had a lot of custom Hot Wheels tracks, the red and blue ones with the boosters attached to certain parts. “Wow…” was all he could say as he took everything in.

“I was going to get you just some Thomas the Tank Engine toys,” I said, “buuuut I thought you’d like both of them. I can show you how they work sometime, or you and Twilight can figure it out together. It’s not too hard to figure out.”

“I love them! Thanks Dad!” he said as he looked at the parts inside, the wheels in his head evidently turning already as he turned to Twilight. “Twilight, do you think I can play with these upstairs back home?”

Twilight, who had joined Spike and who was herself looking over the collection, turned to Spike with a warm smile and nodded. “I’m sure we can find space up in our room for all this,” she said. Turning to me, I saw her with a grateful expression on her face as she said, “Thank you for this.”

“Hey, this guy should have some chances to be a kid,” I said, ruffling Spike’s spines playfully. “I remember when I was a kid I had a ton of toy Thomas trains and train tracks. Trixie and I would make different tracks and push the trains along. Sometimes we’d pretend to crash them, sometimes we’d pretend to have them on a schedule. It was really fun, and I kind of wanted to share that joy with Spike here.” Turning to him, I smiled. “Just be careful not to leave these lying around if you’re not playing with them. Mom and Dad would step on them sometimes.”

“I’ll be careful!” he promised.

I nodded, satisfied, and was about to say something when I heard a knock at the door. I raised an eyebrow, turning to the door. “I wonder who that could be?”

“Somepony delivering last minute Hearth’s Warming presents?” Pinkie surmised excitedly.

“Nobody should have to work on the holidays,” I said as I stood and walked to the door. “Still, I wonder who it could be?” I grabbed the handle and opened it…

…only to come face to face with the last Ponies I ever expected to see. “I hope we’re not too late for opening presents,” a gentle and now amused Alicorn asked as she stood out on the porch.

“Indeed, we would so hate to miss the festivities,” the second Alicorn said with an equally amused expression.

All I could do was stare at them for a while before my voice returned to me. “Celestia and Luna?!”

146: A Cloaked Heart's Christmas Eve Pt. 3

Author's Note

I wanted this out by Christmas Day. Technically in my timezone it still is Christmas Day, but that's not what the timestamp will say on this thing. Merry Christmas, everyone/everypony/everycreature!

146: A Cloaked Heart's Christmas Eve Pt. 3

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but I thought you two were too busy to come here?” I asked a few minutes later as I handed them both a glass of eggnog and gave them both a slice of the Christmas cake.

“We managed to get away from the Hearth’s Warming party early,” Celestia said as she lifted the beverage and eyed it with curiosity.

“Indeed,” Luna added. “As festive as Canterlot Palace is during this holiday season, we both wished to escape the nobility and see our friends.” She lifted the glass to her lips and took a test sip. Her eyes widened as she swished the eggnog around in her mouth, swallowed, then took a bigger swig. “My, this beverage is quite sweet and delectable! What did you call it again, Jethro?”

“Eggnog,” I said. “It’s a traditional Christmas drink on Earth, and I’m thinking that it could become a holiday themed drink here.”

Celestia, who had taken a sip during my explanation, now practically gulped down the entire glass and set it down in seconds. “This is quite a delicious drink. May I have the recipe to give to my cooking staff?”

“Of course! I’ll get you the recipe by the end of the night,” I said. “Actually, I’m really glad you’re both here. Now I won’t have to send your presents in the mail.”

The two Princesses looked a bit surprised by this, and Celestia said, “You got us both presents?”

“Hey, ‘tis the season after all,” I said. “And like I keep saying, what’s the use of having all this money if I can’t use it to make my friends happy?”

The princesses both smiled warmly at me as I got up and walked over to the tree. “Such a gentlecolt,” Celestia said.

“Nah, I’m just a banker who knows the value of a buck,” I said as I knelt to look for their presents.

“What is a young deer worth, dear knight?” Luna asked.

I snorted. “Sorry, the word buck on Earth has also come to mean a dollar, a unit of American currency.” I found the four packages I’d gotten for the princess and lifted them up, carrying them over to the table and setting them down on the coffee table. As the Ponies in the room gathered around to look at the festively wrapped presents, I presented each of them with the boxes. They were a bit smaller than most, but I had managed to pick out what I thought would be perfect gifts for them both. “Merry Christmas, you two.” Pulling out my phone, I turned on the camera function and began recording. “I hope you don’t mind if I record this for future generations.”

The two Alicorns looked at me, then at each other, then down at the presents. To my amusement, Luna quickly grabbed hers and began tearing into them like a child eager to see what Santa brought her. Her lovely deep blue eyes were full of excitement as she pulled out both gifts. Celestia simply lifted her presents up and began gently unwrapping it, undoing the paper meticulously with her magic.

Luna was the first to actually finish opening her presents. One was a human cookbook titled Cheese: Sumptuous Cheese Recipes for All Occasions with a picture of many different cheeses on the cover. I had been informed a couple times by Celestia that, just like she had a weakness for cake, Luna had a weakness for salty meals, especially cheese. She couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Along with the book I had included an extra large block of Tillamook extra sharp cheddar cheese, one of my all time favorites. However, Luna’s eyes were locked on the small toy version of her that sat on the table in front of her.

Celestia was staring at a similar toy that she had opened. Beside said toy, there was another cookbook called A World of Cake: 150 Recipes for Sweet Traditions from Cultures Near and Far and a small single person Christmas cake decorated with red and green Hershey-ets, a staple candy of my own childhood. The two princesses were staring at the toys in awe, picking them up with their magic and staring at them. Slowly, they both removed the packaging and set it aside, looking closer at their respective toys.

Celestia turned the toy around in her magic, gently reaching out to touch at the toy’s cutie mark. She nearly jumped when the plastic wings lit up with a golden glow and a voice from the toy said “I am Princess Celestia.” Curious, Celestia touched the cutie mark again. “I love to make new friends.” “I’m a princess. Are you a princess too?” “You’re beautiful.” “Hahaha! Flying is so much fun!” “I love when you comb my hair.” “Oh, my hair looks beautiful!” “You’re my best friend.” “My wings are so pretty.” “I will light the way.” “Spectacular!” “Let’s fly to the castle!”

“Does mine talk too?” Luna wondered, touching her cutie mark.

To her delight, the toy’s wings lit up a dark blue and a voice said “I am Princess Luna.”

“How delightful!” Luna said as she poked the cutie mark again, listening to everything her doll said.

“Let’s look at the moon together!” “From this moment forth, our friendship will last forever!” “Did you know that the sun is a star?” “Even if you love the night, it’s good to get some rest.” “Hahaha, I love flying at night!” “The moon isn’t made of cheese sadly.” “Do you love the night as much as I do?” “My crown looks so pretty in the moonlight!”

“Where did you get these?” Celestia asked as she put her toy down and looked over at me.

I smiled. “Yesterday, I went to Earth and went Christmas shopping at one of the malls there. I’m just glad Jackie was willing to drive me around. I went to the local Toys “R” Us, Barnes & Noble and a few other stores for these gifts. She even helped me carry the packages through the portal multiple times.”

“Sounds like somethin’ ah’d do,” Applejack said with a wry smile.

“You and her are more alike than you think,” I said, reaching down and running my hand through her mane gently. She reacted by arching her head up into my hand, closing her eyes and relaxing immediately. “I hope she and her family and friends are having as good a time there as we are here.”

“Is it our turn to open presents now? Huh? Huh?!” Pinkie asked, suddenly in my face and practically touching noses with me.

“Okay, okay hold on a moment and let me get them,” I chuckled as I began lifting the gifts up from beneath the tree. I floated them over to where I stood, looked at the name on it, then floated the gifts over to their respective recipients. “Don’t open them yet,” I said as I floated Fluttershy’s second gift over to her, “I want to see your reactions.”

“Hurry hurry hurry!” Pinkie said, the pink mare practically bursting with excitement. “I can hardly wait!”

“Patience is a virtue, darling,” Rarity scolded her friend as she looked in curiosity at the gifts I’d given her.

“Time is presents!” Pinkie retorted.

“I’m almost done, so hold your horses Ponks,” I said as I found the last of the presents and placed them down. However, I held up my hand to stop the Ponies from starting. “Hold on, I need to get one thing before you start.” I quickly retreated to the kitchen, grabbed a large glass bowl of red and green Hershey-ets that I’d hidden. Beside it, there was another bowl of various Christmas candies that I’d gotten in the WinCo Foods bulk section in Pendragon. Carrying both of them out, I placed them on the coffee table. “You can’t have Christmas without candy.”

The three fillies and Spike stared in awe at the massive bowls of sweets, and I could practically see them drooling over the candies. Pinkie quickly joined in, and the other Ponies also began looking at the candy with curiosity and excitement. As I sat back down in my chair and retrieved my camera again, Zecora walked up and sat in my lap, snuggling against me. “That is quite a lot of sweets, my dearest. How are we going to eat them all?”

“Simple: by giving a portion of them to each of our guests before they go home,” I said as I gestured to the Ponies in the room.

The three fillies and Spike all looked excited at the prospect. “We can?” Scootaloo asked excitedly.

“Why not? It’s the holiday season,” I replied with a smile. “But don’t eat too much at once or you’ll get sick,” I cautioned.

“That’s mighty kind of yah tah offer this candy,” Applejack said, “but are yah sure?”

“Of course I am,” I said. “Think I could eat all of this before it went bad? Eenope, share the wealth, I say!”

“Well, as long as yer sure,” the orange mare said before turning to Apple Bloom. “Just don’t go eatin’ too much at one time or like Jethro said, yah’ll get sick.”

“Thanks sis!” Apple Bloom said as she walked over to look at the candies.

Holding out my camera, I looked at the other Ponies in the room, then gestured to them. “Okay, I’m ready. Go nuts.”

The next half a minute was mess of flying paper and ribbons as some of the Ponies tore into their gifts. Pinkie being the first, of course. I wasn’t surprised to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash both eagerly opening her presents as well, the former being quick but neat at the same time while Rainbow Dash could rival Pinkie in terms of speed and messiness. Fluttershy and Rarity were slower and a bit more precise. Applejack was slower than Pinkie, but she wasn’t as neat.

I zoomed out and took in their reactions as they opened their gifts. This was what they were.

Pinkie Pie was the first to open her presents. Her eyes almost bugged out of her skull when she saw what I had gotten her. Her smile was infectious as she picked up and looked over the multiple board games I’d gotten for her, which consisted of Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Clue and Monopoly. Her eyes went wider when she saw the second gift I’d gotten her, which was a Pinkie Pie toy. She looked between the presents, and I could only assume that she was unsure what she wanted to play with first.

For Rarity, I’d gotten her some of the finest fabric from Earth with the help of Trisha, who Jackie had called the day prior. She’d suggested Rayon Challis fabric for loose fitting clothes and Cotton Lycra Jersey for form fitting garments. I’d gotten three of each. For the former, I bought rose pattern, plain white which could be dyed, and a blue and white striped one which closely matched her color scheme. For the latter, I found a rose red fabric along with a lovely floral pattern and a plain white that could be dyed. I could already see her mind working on what she could do with these fabrics with a wide grin before she turned to her second and third gift. I’d gotten her one of the latest and best sewing machines from Earth on Trisha’s recommendation as well: a Janome Memory Craft 6600. It was a bit more computerized than anything Rarity was used to, but it came with a note that said that I would help her figure out how to use it. Along with that and plenty of different colored threads, her third gift was a small toy version of herself, which she set aside to further admire the other gifts. I wasn’t surprised when Sweetie Belle picked up the box with the toy of her sister to look at it curiously.

For Fluttershy, I got her not only a toy of her, but a few books that went into great detail about animals back on Earth, both extinct and non extinct ones. I’d learned from one of our tea sessions together that while she did find it sad that some animal species on both Earth and Equestria had gone extinct, she knew that it was just the way of life. Not only had I gotten her those books, but I’d gotten her the entire boxed set of one of her favorite Earth manga that I could find: Ouran High School Host Club. She gave me a teary eyed but smiling look as she mouthed a “Thank you” before peeling the plastic off of the manga and opening the first volume to read it.

For Rainbow Dash, I’d gotten her one of the latest RC remote control airplanes and an RC remote control car. Not only that, but I’d gotten her some Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider glass bottles for her to try. I knew the cider addiction was a problem for her, but I was curious to see how she compared the taste. She was constantly whispering “So awesome! So awesome!” as she looked at those new toys along with the small toy version of her that matched the one I’d gotten for Scootaloo.

For Applejack, I’d gotten her a rather funny gag gift because I was feeling cheeky while I was at WinCo. I’d gotten her a family sized bag of Apple Jacks cereal, which she’d given me a narrowed expression. However, when she saw a human cookbook that I’d gotten her titled The Apple Orchard Cookbook along with a banjo and an Applejack toy, her eyes brightened and she began looking over the book eagerly. I had written a small note on the book that warned that some of the recipes did have meat in them, but I’d learned that Applejack didn’t particularly care about my carnivorous tendencies. In her own words, “Yah gotta eat what yah gotta eat, sugarcube.”

Lastly, for Twilight Sparkle, there was only one thing that I could get for her, and that was even more books. However, since I knew that she wanted so much more than a few volumes, I had gotten her not just a toy of herself, but a state of the art gaming personal computer along with ten of the latest Kindles with the highest capacity of space that I could find. I was beaming when I saw Twilight’s brain practically shut down at the sight of the Alienware Area-51 ALX with two curved monitors, a backlit gaming keyboard and one of the best gaming mouses on the market. With the PC and the Kindles came a note from me, promising to teach her how to download books from the staticnet and install them onto the aforementioned Kindles.

Of course, she wasn’t the only one excited about the PC. Spike was staring at the computer with eagerness. Looking up at me, he asked, “Can…can that thing play Skyrim?”

I grinned. “Yes it can, Spike. But you should always ask for permission from Twilight to use it, got it?”

Spike nodded in understanding. “Yes, Dad,” he said before turning and looking over the pictures on the box with Twilight.

I chuckled. “Boys are the same everywhere. They always want more power.” I looked up at Zecora and Scarlet. “Don’t you want to open your gifts?”

Zecora leaned down and kissed my cheek. “All we want for Hearth’s Warming-”

“-is you,” Scarlet finished as she kissed my other cheek.

I smiled at them, but not wanting them to miss out, floated over their presents to them. “Still, Merry Christmas, you two.” Both of my mares smiled gratefully as they both began opening their gifts.

I’d almost gotten Zecora a human book on potions, but instead got said book for myself so I could try them first and see if, in a world of magic, they would work. It was sitting currently in my Earth home waiting to be tried. Instead, I’d gotten her an Astronomy Technologies AT8IN 8-inch f/4 imaging Newtonian telescope along with all of the appropriate equipment necessary to take astrophotography images in the night sky. She was completely flabbergasted by this and thanked me profusely. I apologized that I couldn’t find a Zecora toy, but she shook her head and told me that the present I’d gotten her was more than enough.

For Scarlet, I’d gotten her two five hundred dollar Visa gift cards which she could use on herself back on Earth, along with one of the very first drones to hit the market, the Parrot AR.Drone. Ever since she’d seen my own personal drone, she’d been really fascinated by it and had wanted one of her own. Unfortunately, since back on the other Earth the drone market was just beginning all I could buy was one of the very first drones that came out along with all the accoutrements. I cautioned her that she would probably have to be in her Anthro form to use it properly, but she pointed to her wings and spread them, manipulating them like fingers.

I watched everyone admiring their gifts in their own way, and a sense of euphoria washed over me. I always loved seeing people’s reactions to the gifts I got. Giving, at least to me, was incredibly rewarding. I thought back to my past Christmases and other celebratory occasions on Earth where I’d either made or purchased a gift for someone I cared about. I smiled as I remembered getting my Trixie a dress that she’d been eyeing in a shop window during the few months leading up to one of her birthdays. The wide eyed look of happiness on her face when she opened my gift on her birthday and the subsequent lovemaking session that evening after the party told me all I needed to know about how she felt about it.

I also remembered the smile on Dad’s face after Mom and I both pitched in and got him a brand new tactical watch after the one he’d used for twenty years finally died. It was one which had analog and digital time on it and was gold plated like his old one had been.

“Jethro? Something wrong?”

I came back to the present only to see a concerned Fluttershy who was standing on her hind legs, her forelegs on my thighs and looking at me with concern. I smiled and shook my head. “Just remembering a bit of the past,” I replied as I reached over and scratched her behind the ears.

“Anything good?” Twilight asked.

“Just times I’ve given gifts to those close to me,” I admitted. “I love giving gifts, if you haven’t already guessed.”

“Not as much as we love getting them!” Rainbow Dash said with a grin before getting smacked upside the head by Applejack. “Ow! Do you feel a lump forming back there?” she asked, rubbing the back of her head.

“Don’t think yer getting’ out of the gift department, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she stood and turned to Twilight. “Yah ready, Twi?”

Twilight nodded excitedly and lifted the fabric over to one wall. Placing it up, the door to the other dimensional library appeared and she opened it. As one, each Pony in the room walked into the library, even Celestia and Luna. As they did so, Twilight turned to me and said, “Close your eyes, Jethro.”

“Oh? Well, alright,” I said as I did so. I felt a pair of velvety hands covering my eyes. “Really, Zecora?”

“Really, dearest,” she said as I felt a bunch of feathers covering my ears as well.

“What are you doing now?” I asked, my voice muffled a bit.

“You’ll see,” she said in a muffled tone.

I sighed and leaned back. Zecora wrapped her wings further around me and pulled me closer to her, burying my face in her ample bosom as she finally had her wings around my ears and eyes. She ran one hand through my hair and I heard her ask in Farasi, “Has this Hearth’s Warming been pleasant for you, beloved?”

I smiled and nodded. “It’s definitely been a nice reprieve from everything that’s been happening to me lately.”

“I am pleased to hear it, dearest.” She reached down and licked the side of my face affectionately. “Has anything else been bothering you lately?”

“What do you mean?” I asked in confusion.

“I feel like something more troubles you other than what has been happening on the surface,” she said. “Especially since I became this new form, something about you feels different. It’s okay to tell me,” she added in a reassuring tone.

I smiled and took her hand in mine, kissing it in the dark that her wings provided. “Well, aside from one of my more useful powers being unusually absent from me, nothing else is happening.”

“What do you mean, dearest?” she asked.

I sighed and leaned back, leaning further into her bosom, her breasts covering my ears even more. “Well, remember that dreamwalking power I had?” I asked. “The same one that helped me repair the Castle of the Two Sisters?”

“I do,” she replied.

“I’m a bit worried about not having as much access to it as I used to,” I said. “I last used it to repair my naval vessel, but for a month or so now I’m having a harder time entering that state. In fact, I haven’t entered it ever since I used it last to repair my vessel.”

“And that bothers you?” she asked.

“Yes, because it’s a really useful power,” I replied. “I had plans on using it around the world. Maybe retrieve the Griffon’s idol or erect a free wall around Ponyville to better protect it or something. But it’s gotten harder to make anything. I’m worried I might be losing it.”

“I understand,” she said kindly, holding me closer. “When things have begun to settle down, please allow me to help you in determining what might have happened.”

“I know better than to say no to you,” I replied with a chuckle. “I will gladly accept help.”

“We’re almost ready!” Twilight shouted from the direction of the door.

“Ah still can’t believe yah talked us into this,” Applejack said. “It’s a bit unusual tah be like this.”

“Darling, don’t be ridiculous!” Rarity replied. “There are so many possibilities when it comes to this. Twilight, do you think you can teach me how to do this too?”

“It’s a pretty difficult spell, Rarity, but I can give you the instructions,” Twilight said.

“I hope he’ll like it,” Fluttershy added hopefully.

“Wow! Look at this, Crusaders! My wings are big!” Scootaloo said.

I raised an eyebrow, suspicion settling in. It sounded like they’d done something to themselves to make a big surprise for me, and I could only guess as to what they’d done. “What did you guys do?” I asked.

“Something pretty awesome!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oooh! I’m all squishy here!” Pinkie said, and I almost heard the sound of something springing back. “Boingy, boingy, boingy!”

“Not in front of the young foals, Miss Pie,” Luna admonished.

“But it’s so squishy!”

“Miss Pie, stop,” Luna repeated more sternly.

“Ehehe, sorry…”

“How did I get roped into this, too?” Apple Bloom said.

“I don’t know, girls, I kinda like it,” Sweetie Belle said.

I heard hoofsteps coming out of the library and into the living room. Not only that, but I heard the unmistakable rustling of clothes. I heard Spike gasp and whisper “Wow…” as they walked out.

Listening to the pattern of the hoofsteps, I noted that they were either unusually slow, or they were walking on their hind legs. And that’s when it hit me. I took a deep breath, the answer to my previous question now being obvious. “You guys didn’t…”

“Show him, dear Zecora,” Celestia said.

“Yes, your Highness,” the Zebra said as she began to remove the wings around my eyes.

And I took in the now fully clothed Anthro Pony mares all looking at me, varying smiles on their faces. All I could say at that moment was, "Whoa..."

147: A Cloaked Heart's Christmas Eve Pt. 4

I had seen Celestia, Luna and Scarlet as Anthros, and was, indeed, blown away once more by how beautiful they looked, especially in their outfits. Celestia was wearing a lovely red dress with white faux fur fringe with a black belt around her waist and wearing a small crown of holly on her head. Luna was wearing a dark blue dress with white faux fur fringe as well. She was wearing, unlike her sister, a dark blue Santa hat with light blue snowflakes and stars sewn into the fabric. I wasn’t surprised when I saw what Scarlet was wearing: a short Santa skirt, a Santa hat and a pair of black leggings.

I took a few moments to take in their appearances. What surprised me the most was that they were fairly similar in height, with Rainbow being the tallest of the Mane Six and Twilight being the shortest, but since they were all so close in height the difference wasn’t that noticeable. In fact, they all, with the exception of the taller Alicorn Princesses, were more or less comparable in height to me.

I drank in their appearances, starting with Pinkie Pie. The smiling Element of Laughter looked at me expectantly. Like other Ponies who used the transformation spell, she had hooves instead of feet, which led up to a pair of curvy but not overly unhealthy legs. She was wearing a pair of green and red striped pants along with a white sweater that had a Pony version of Santa sitting in a sleigh with presents in the back. She wore a pink version of a Santa hat on her head, and on one side I could see her cutie mark sewn into the side but surrounded by a wreath. Thanks to this ensemble, I could see that she was somewhat plump, but in all the right ways. The clothes practically hugged her body, emphasizing her plentiful curves. Her mane looked exactly the same as before, and her ears and tail were all twitching in excitement as I looked her over. If I had to describe her in one word, it would be curvy. Her large breasts, which looked to be at least double D-cups, maybe even more, threatened to pop out of her new sweater and I thought I could see the outline of a bra beneath, but if Rarity made said garments, I was confident nothing like that would happen.

And speaking of said fashionista mare, if I had to describe her new body, it would be supermodel. She was a bit slenderer than Pinkie, but her own curves were perfect. She was wearing a sleeveless off the shoulder red dress with green and white ribbons attached near the bottom of the skirt. Unlike Pinkie Pie’s clothes, this dress looked like it had been designed to hug her body, showing her figure to me. She was also wearing a pair of Christmas tree earrings. She might not have had as large of a chest as Pinkie, but she was pretty much the total package. She probably had the golden ratio when it came to humanoid body types. She had stylized her mane a bit differently, almost exactly like how she’d styled it in Make New Friends But Keep Discord, to be precise. She looked at me with a warm smile, and with her free hand brushed against the front of her skirt.

If I had to describe Rainbow Dash’s new appearance, it would be athletically slender. Out of all the Ponies I saw there, she had the smallest chest size (probably around an A-cup), but that didn’t mean she wasn’t attractive by any means. She was wearing a pair of candy cane colored pants and a light green sweater with the words HAVE AN AWESOME CHRISTMAS sewn into the chest with red lettering. She was wearing a rainbow colored Santa hat as well. It was a bit harder to tell just by looking, but since she had her sleeves on her sweater rolled up, I could at least see her arms. They were definitely in shape, but while I didn’t see any visible muscle I did notice a lack of flab, especially on the upper arms. She hovered slightly over the ground and I noted that her wings now were about as big as mine were. She had a large grin on her face as she seemed to effortlessly hold the bag in her hands.

I turned to Fluttershy, and to my surprise the butter colored Pegasus was hiding behind her pink mane, smiling shyly. She was wearing a pair of what looked like bright red yoga pants and a comfortable looking green angora sweater. On her head, she wore a plain red Santa hat. Unlike her fellow Pegasus, her features were curvier, with her breast size being about a D-cup. But unlike Pinkie Pie, she had a smaller waist. She had what I could only describe as childbearing hips which hugged her yoga pants. Her wings were about the same size as Rainbow Dash’s but which were folded behind her like mine were. I could see her using her new fingers to twirl her hair in a nervous habit, but I saw color come to her cheeks when she and I locked eyes.

Applejack, to my surprise, was wearing a pair of tight blue denim jeans and a white shirt with a red vest over it, the vest pockets of which were embroidered with white, red and green striped apples. On her head she wore a Stetson that was nearly identical to Jackie’s Christmas one back on Earth. Her arms were exposed, and much like Rainbow Dash, said arms had no visible muscle, but neither did they have any flab. However, unlike Rainbow Dash, she had sturdy but still feminine legs and a pair of what looked like D-cups as well. With her free hand, she tipped her hat at me.

Twilight Sparkle was wearing a lovely red and green flannel patterned dress with a white blouse underneath the shoulder straps that were buttoned in place. She wore a pair of black leggings as well as a purple Santa hat on her head. In a way, she looked a bit nerdier like that, especially with her wearing a pair of glasses over her eyes that were a lot like the type Sci-Twi wore. She had a bit more of a slender form with C-cup breasts and thinner legs.

What surprised me much more was the fact that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were in an Anthro form as well and all were about as tall as Spike. Apple Bloom was wearing a pair of denim overalls and a red sweater underneath it with a smaller Santa hat on her head. Sweetie Belle was wearing a really cute white dress with holly and wreaths sewn into the fabric. Scootaloo was pretty much wearing clothes that were nearly identical to Rainbow’s own, a pair of red, green and white striped pants with a red sweater that had the words HAVE YOURSELF AN AWESOME LITTLE CHRISTMAS written on the front of the chest with green lettering.

And to my further surprise, Scootaloo’s wings looked proportional to her body unlike how her wings looked on her normal body. It warmed my heart when I saw that she was hovering with her new wings with the widest smile I’d seen on her face in a long time.

There was silence as I looked over them more quickly for a second time. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned and saw Zecora giving me one of the widest smiles I’d ever seen on her face. Moving close, she nuzzled my face and whispered, “Merry Christmas, my dearest love.”

I nuzzled her back, then turned back to the expectant Ponies and Dragon. I couldn’t stop smiling as I finally managed to say, “Well…I wasn’t expecting this, but I have to say, you all look amazing as Anthros.”

Rainbow Dash, ever the boastful one, landed, put her bag down and put her fists on her hips. “Of course! We’re awesome!” she said as she struck what she apparently thought was a heroic pose, but which on her looked rather silly.

Rarity held up her hands and looked at them curiously, moving them as she said, “I can certainly see the appeal of these fingers. So dexterous.”

“That they are,” Scarlet said with a grin and a subtle wink in my direction.

“So this is what it’s like tah see from yer level, eh Jethro?” Applejack asked. She looked back at her legs and grabbed the wall, lifting one leg up. “Ah wonder how buckin’ apples would be with this body instead…? And yer right, Rarity! These hands are useful. Ah can think of a few things ah could use em fer ‘round the farm!”

“I’m all bouncy! Bouncy bounce bounce!” Pinkie giggled, setting down her bag and jumping up and down. She watched as her large breasts jiggled along with her movements. She was bouncing so high, however, that she almost hit the slanted ceiling from where she was. “So jiggly!”

“Pinkie, I don’t think that’s appropriate,” Twilight said as she set her bag down and faced her Earth Pony friend with a frown.

“Um, I agree with Twilight,” Fluttershy added, looking down at her own breasts before looking over at the still bouncing Pinkie.

Pinkie halted in midair, then slowly landed back on her hooves. “Hehe, sorry. This is just so exciting, though!”

“Feels like you’re as tall as a tree, doesn’t it?” I asked with a smirk.

Fluttershy’s expression perked up at that and she smiled. “Oh! Yes it does, doesn’t it?”

“I wonder if I could do a Sonic Rainboom in this form?” Rainbow wondered as she spread her wings behind her, looking at them curiously.

“If you do, you’d probably need some kind of flight suit,” I said. “Those clothes would tear off easily and expose you to the world.”

“I could make something for you after the holidays if you wanted, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. “I know some fabric that would keep you warm and secure without tearing easily.”

“I’d love to watch that, too!” Pinkie said.

“I hope you like this, Jethro,” Twilight said, putting her hands in front of her nervously. “We figured that you might be a bit homesick, so we wanted to give you a taste of home by changing into these forms.”

“I’ll admit I’m a bit surprised at this, but I love it nonetheless,” I replied with a wide smile.

“I can’t wait to try out new things in this body!” Pinkie exclaimed right before she grabbed her bag and rushed over to me, holding it out to me. “But presents first!”

“Presents?” I asked, gently taking the bag, only to realize that it was heavier than it looked. “Whoa! What did you put in here, a bunch of rocks?”

“Wait, did I get your Hearth’s Warming present confused with Maud’s?” Pinkie asked, pulling the bag away quickly and looking into it with a concerned look, which turned to relief as she smiled and pulled out a present, putting it on the coffee table. “Nnnope! Not a bunch of rocks, Jethy!”

The others all reached into their Santa bags, pulling out various presents of different sizes and placing them all on the large coffee table in the room. All of them looked at me with expectant looks in their eyes as they stepped away from the large pile of gifts sitting on the table. Even the Crusaders had apparently gotten me a present, although it seemed as if there was one from all three of them. Looking back at the group, I found myself at a loss for words. I truly wasn’t expecting anything from them. It had been years since anyone had gotten me a Christmas present. Normally, it was me who got the gifts. Gifts for my coworkers at the bank, sure, but I always tried to personalize the gifts as best I could. I would have been happy just being with the friends I’d made in Equestria for the evening, but they’d gone above and beyond. “You didn’t have to do this, you know,” I said as I approached the pile of presents.

“We wanted to, dear knight,” Luna said, stepping forward and putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. “You deserve it, after all.” She looked down at me and gave me a warm and tender smile.

“Go on and open them, darling,” Rarity encouraged me with a smile.

“Oh! Oh! Does anypony have a camera?” Pinkie asked excitedly.

“Here,” Scarlet said, pulling out her smartphone and aiming it at me, tapping the screen and grinning as she gestured for me to go. “Go on, babe. I’m recording.”

I blushed. Being in front of a camera was never really something I was a fan of, but I knew Scarlet wanted to make memories, so I was perfectly fine with it. Pinkie pulled out an older style camera from her mane somehow and held it up towards me, grinning expectantly. I smirked, then reached down and grabbed the smallest gift on the table. It was actually from the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and they all gasped when I picked it up. Their eyes widened and their smiled matched the ones that their cartoon counterparts had when they were watching Big Mac and Cheerilee in anticipation during the Heart’s and Hooves episode. I pulled the hastily wrapped paper off of the present which revealed a picture frame. Within it, I saw a piece of paper with neatly written words. I felt myself tearing up when I read what was said:

THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS

HEREBY GRANT THE TITLE OF HONORARY CUTIE MARK CRUSADER TO:

SIR JETHRO BETHRIDGE, KNIGHT OF EQUESTRIA

SIGNED:

APPLE BLOOM SWEETIE BELLE SCOOTALOO

Judging from the hoofwriting, I guessed that this diploma of sorts was written mostly by Sweetie Belle. The other CMC members had signed their names on the bottom of the paper, and I could tell that they had practiced. There wasn’t much spilled ink on the signatures. I was touched by this. I looked down at the wide eyed and smiling CMC before kneeling and wrapping my arms and wings around all three of them. “You girls…I love it! Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” Sweetie Belle replied.

“I told you he’d like it!” I heard Apple Bloom whispering to Scootaloo.

“I still think we should have gotten him a signed picture of Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said.

I snickered and released them. “Knowing Rainbow, she got me that already,” I whispered to the orange Pegasus filly as I stood. Walking over to the mantle, I pulled out the stand on the back of the frame and set it down in the middle. “There, now everyone will know that I’m an honorary Crusader.”

“Knight of Equestria, Emperor of Aelyssia and now an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader,” Celestia said with an arched eyebrow and a small knowing smile. “Don’t you think you’re taking on a bit too much?” she asked with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

I looked down at the happy looking fillies. I always had a soft spot in my heart for children, and these adorable girls were no exception. Looking back at Celestia, I crossed my arms as well and replied, “I want these girls to be happy, and I’ll gladly be a member of the CMC, honorary or otherwise, especially if it means they smile. Besides, even if I never get a cutie mark, this makes me the first non-Pony member of the Crusaders. Isn’t that right, fellow Crusaders?” I put my hand in.

Excitedly, the others put their hands on mine, then all three of them took a deep breath. I did the same, and we all shouted as one, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FOREVER!”

“My word, darling, and I thought three of them were bad enough,” Rarity said, removing both hands from her flattened ears as the others, save for Luna and Celestia, did the same.

I chuckled and turned back to the pile of presents. Reaching out, I grabbed a larger one, looking over the tag. The box, despite being larger, was rather light. Smiling, I pulled the paper off along with the ribbon tied around it. The paper surrounded a cardboard-esque box, which was lightly taped shut. I pulled the tape off and opened it, looking inside. Putting the box down on one of the couches, I reached in and pulled out a brand new black Stetson had that looked nearly identical to Applejack’s own along with a long well woven rope that was a lot like hers. But that wasn’t all. I pulled out a black bullwhip. Flipping the Stetson up, I placed it firmly on my head and discovered that it fit perfectly. I walked to the wall mirror right beside the front door and admired myself in the mirror. It really did look good on me. Turning, I ran my hand along the rim of the hat and gazed back at Applejack. “I was right,” I said as I walked back and placed the rope and bullwhip back in the box. “You and I both make these hats look good…sugarcube.” Walking over, I wrapped my arms around her, startling the farmmare. “I love it, Applejack. Thank you.”

Slowly, she returned the favor and hugged me back. “Ah hoped ya’d like it. Yer welcome, Jethro.”

After a few seconds, I pulled away, tipping the hat at her. She did the same as I turned back and picked up a thick and heavier package. Immediately, I assumed that these were clothes from Rarity, and the meticulous way said present was wrapped along with the name on the tag only confirmed it. I turned to her and saw her smiling at me. Turning back to the gift, I pulled off the paper and ribbon quickly. When I saw just what she had made for me, I was flabbergasted. “Well,” I said, “you certainly didn’t waste any time using those Dragon fabrics I gave you.”

What I held in my hands could only be described as a garment made for royalty. The outermost garment was a thick crimson cloak with a gold chain holding it together. The clothes that I would wear beneath said cloak were surprisingly both elegant but also functional. There was a long-sleeved black shirt with the same sigil that was on the Resplendent’s sails sewn onto the chest. The pants were made of the same black material and there was a gold sash wrapped around the waist. I looked back at Rarity, then put the set of clothes down, walked over and wrapped her in a hug. “I love it, Rarity. Thank you.”

She hugged me back. “You should always look your best in front of your subjects, darling,” she whispered in my ear. After a few seconds, I released her, but not before taking her hand, bowing and kissing the back of it reverently. I smiled up at her as her eyes widened and a blush formed on her cheeks. “Ah, well, thank you,” she stammered as I stood.

“You deserve it, dear,” I replied as I gave her a wink, then turned back to the gift pile. Picking up a tall cylindrical present, I looked it over and judging from the Wonderbolt wrapping paper I immediately knew who this gift was from. I opened the present and saw a wrapped up poster. Or rather, two posters. I unwrapped the first one, and wasn’t at all surprised when it was a blown up picture of Rainbow Dash right at the moment she performed a Sonic Rainboom. One hoof was thrust forward while the prismatic Pegasus looked forward with a narrowed eyed smirk. At the bottom, I saw Rainbow Dash’s signature along with a message that read STAY AWESOME!

The other poster, however, was one of the Wonderbolts. Three Pegasi stallions in the official uniform sat and looked up towards the left corner of the poster while five bright lights illuminated five flying Pegasi shadows. At the bottom, the Wonderbolts insignia was located, along with a number of what looked like signatures. I saw signatures from Ponies like Spitfire, Soarin, Fleetfoot, Rapidfire and many other names I didn’t recognize.

As I began rolling them back up, something fell out from between them: a small sky blue booklet with the Wonderbolts logo on the front. Curious, I picked it up with my magic and opened it. My jaw dropped when I saw that Rainbow had gotten me a season pass for me and a plus one to the Wonderbolts shows throughout the next year. I read the instructions, and it seemed that I could now see a show with the Wonderbolts in a pair of private seats picked out especially for the owners of this seasonal pass. I turned to Rainbow, who had a massive grin on her face. That grin turned into a gasp as I pulled her into a massive hug. I knew this couldn’t have been a cheap gift, and I made a promise to not only use as many as I could, but to take Rainbow to as many as possible as well. “Thank you, Rainbow,” I said gratefully as I spun the surprised Pegasus around before placing her down. Looking at her stunned expression, I added, “The first day they have a flight routine this spring, I’m taking the coolest flying teacher I’ve had.”

Her expression changed to an excited grin. Raising her hand, she clenched her fist and pumped the air with it. “Awesome!” Turning back to me, she grinned. “I can’t wait! It’s gonna be so epic!”

Smirking, I ruffled her mane a bit before turning back to the dwindling pile. I reached for a larger rectangular one. Hearing a squeaking from a certain butter colored Pegasus told me who the giver was, and the meticulous cursive on the card that came with the present only confirmed that this was Fluttershy’s present. I opened the card first, which had a manga version of a Pony Santa sitting in a sleigh. Said Santa was surrounded by reindeer, rabbits, squirrels and a large bear among other woodland creatures. All were waving and saying MERRY CHRISTMAS JETHRO!

I smiled over at a blushing Fluttershy and held up the card. “You really should consider entering art contests, Flutters,” I said as I put the card gently on the mantle before turning back to her present. When I touched the edges, I thought I felt another picture frame, only this one was much larger than the one the Crusaders had given to me. Turning back to Fluttershy, I held the present up and said, “Is it okay to open this in front of everyone else?” The blushing Pony didn’t say anything, only nodded with a shy smile. Turning back to the present, I began removing the wrapping paper. The first tear revealed a pair of ocean blue eyes looking upwards with a rather heroic gaze. I continued to remove the wrapping paper, only to see a portrait of not only myself, but of every Element of Harmony standing beside me along with Spike, Scarlet and an Anthro Zecora. We were all standing in a grassy plain with snowcapped mountains behind us, storm clouds looming in the background with a long bolt of blue lightning streaking across said clouds. My wings were spread wide as I stood there wearing armor with a white cape flowing in the wind, Eclipse in my hand which was glowing with an inner fire. The other Elements of Harmony were wearing their Elements, all which are glowing as well. Scarlet was wearing similar armor to the one I’d given her. Zecora was wearing what could only be described as a shamaness outfit, her own wings spread. One hand was outstretched, glowing her new signature magical color while she held a flask of something else in her remaining hand, a dark green potion which she looked ready to throw at some enemy off to the side. Spike was wearing the armor I’d given him and was standing beside me, his sword drawn and fire coming from his mouth.

Looking at the right hand corner of the painting, which resembled one of those by artists from the Renaissance period, I half expected to find a name like a Ponyized version of Michelangelo or Raphael. However I was blown away when I saw, written in plain white, the signature of Fluttershy. I knew she had the ability to draw manega since she’d shared that part of her life with me, but I had no idea she was a painter as good as or superior to artists like Leonardo De Vinci.

Everyone else in the room was silent as they, too, drank in the remarkable painting in my hands. Nobody spoke, not even the Princesses, who looked in awe at the remarkable artistic abilities of one Fluttershy, Element of Kindness. After a full minute of appreciating the portrait, I turned, used my magic to remove the random picture that I had hanging from the wall over the fireplace (which had been a restored painting from the old house), set it aside, then floated the painting to the hook. Reverently, I placed it on the hook, then released it from my grasp.

We all stared at it in silence once more. That is, until it shifted a bit on the hook. Immediately, a purple glow surrounded it and righted it. Turning, I saw Twilight’s horn glowing the same purple before she stopped. When she noticed our eyes on her, she shrugged. “What?”

I couldn’t help it. I snorted, then burst out laughing. Rainbow was the next to start, and eventually everyone in the room was laughing. Twilight initially looked hurt, but when Celestia put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, the Anthro Unicorn broke into a smile and joined in on the laughter.

As it began to die down, I walked over and pulled Fluttershy into a hug. “I love it, Flutters. Thank you,” I said gratefully.

I felt her slender arms wrapping around me and pull me closer into the hug. She leaned forward and whispered, “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

“I had no idea you were such an amazing artist, Fluttershy,” Twilight said after the two of us broke the hug. “Why don’t you paint more? Your art could be in a museum with how good it is!”

“Or even in the Royal Art Gallery at the palace,” Luna added.

Fluttershy looked a bit nervous at that. “Oh…having my art on display in a museum or a palace? Oh…that’s a bit…”

“Super duper exciting?” Pinkie asked.

“Awesome to the max?” Rainbow added.

“Nerve wracking,” I finished, looking into Fluttershy’s eyes with a knowing smile.

She nodded. “All those Ponies and other creatures looking at my art and judging it…it’s a scary thought. What if they don’t like it?”

“Fluttershy, you can’t really please everyone,” Scarlet said in a surprisingly reassuring tone. “I mean, look at me and Jethro. Sure, we like the same things, but there are things that we disagree on. Like me? I love those fake reality TV shows because I can laugh at how pathetic they all are, but Jethro doesn’t care for them. And that’s okay.”

I rolled my eyes, but smiled in agreement. “All in all, though, it’s up to you. I had no idea you were such a talented artist, though, and I’m honored that you would paint this for me.”

“I didn’t know this, either,” Celestia said, stepping forward and looking down warmly at the blushing Pegasus. “If you don’t mind, could my sister and I hire you to do a few pieces for us? We would pay you well and you wouldn’t be identified as the artist, of course.”

Fluttershy looked a bit overwhelmed by this, but to my surprise looked thoughtful. “Um…may I think about it?”

“Of course,” Celestia said.

“Open my present now!” Pinkie exclaimed, pointing to a rather large package on the table. “Hurry hurry hurry!”

“Hold yer horses there, Pinkie,” Applejack said, putting a hand on Pinkie’s shoulder and steadying her.

“Patience is a virtue, after all,” Rarity added.

I smiled and lifted the box, setting it on the ground. I began to open it up. The moment I tore into it, I saw a glint of metal coming from within. I had no idea how Pinkie did it, but somehow she wrapped the paper around so it looked like a plain box. However, the moment there was a tear, the box shape deflated. I pulled the rest of it off, only to find myself staring at a gold version of Pinkie Pie’s party cannon. There were red stars painted on it along with multicolored bits of confetti as well. There was a light gold rope at the end along with a dial that had a number of different settings on it, all party related. I walked over and read the settings: General Happiness, Birthday, Christmas/Hearth’s Warming, Welcome to Ponyville, Wedding, Dragon Stuff, Baby Shower, and many others were on the dial. Beside it, I saw a number of cannon ball sized spheres, all with similar labels on them.

Turning to the wide smiling Pinkie, I grinned and motioned her forward. Squeeing, she leaped up, arms extended. I caught the excited Pony and hugged her tightly. “Should have expected this from you,” I chuckled as I held her. “I love it, Pinkie.”

“Yay! Glad you like it, Jethy!” She looked at me and kissed me all over before finally letting me go. “If you ever run out of the ammo, I can tell you who makes my stuff! But you’d better Pinkie Promise that you won’t tell.” She said the latter while jabbing my chest with her finger.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” I replied with the appropriate motions.

Looking around at the others, she leaned in and with a whisper she said “It’s meeee!”

As she moved away, I gave her a thumbs up and pushed the cannon to the side with my magic while at the same time grabbing a smaller but heavier box. Judging by the way they felt, I knew immediately that the books I felt within had to be from Twilight, and the tag on the present only confirmed that suspicion. I pulled the packages off and found myself looking at some new books. I put them all down on the table and looked at the titles.

From right to left, I read the following: Advanced Magic Spells by Blue Prism, A Treatise On Magic’s Effects On The Natural World by Amber Glaze, History Of The Seven Wonders Of Equestria by Herald Vox, and the entire Daring Do book series to date, each book even signed by the author herself. From behind me, I heard Rainbow scoffing. “Great, another egghead.”

“Need I remind you that Daring Do is a real Pony?” I asked as I lifted the books and placed them on an empty space on a bookshelf behind my personal chair. “You saw her, yourself. And I’m pretty sure if you gave her books a chance, you’d actually enjoy them. I know I do.” I’d read the first two books and despite them being a blatant rip off of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, the writing was superb. The pacing was always perfect, the characters believable and the descriptions and drawings in the book (which Daring also did) were always phenomenal. I honestly could see why someone like Rainbow might like it.

After putting the books on the shelf, I turned and walked over to Twilight, wrapping my arms around the awkward bookworm Pony. “Thank you, Twilight, I love them. I can’t wait to find free time and read them.”

She gently hugged me back and relaxed in my arms. “I’m glad you like them, Jethro,” she replied as she nuzzled my face affectionately before stopping and pulling away, blushing.

In an attempt to reassure her, I ruffled her mane gently before turning and grabbing the gift that Scootaloo’s aunts had given to Scootaloo to give to me. It was light and could fit in the palm of my hands. I could hear a small metallic object inside. Curious, I opened the wrapping paper and removed the lid to the box. Inside, I found a normal looking key with a small note inside. Taking the note, I opened it and read the following:

Dear Sir Bethridge,

Lofty Craft and I have wanted to properly thank you for helping us and Scootaloo earlier this year by paying off the mortgage on the house, but we never could find the proper way to do so until now. This is a house key to our house. Scootaloo has expressed interest in you being around more. She looks up to you as a fatherly figure, and truth be told, you’ve been more of a father figure to her than my brother was, no matter how hard he tried. My wife and I would like you to be a bigger part of Scootaloo’s life.

Thank you once again, and have a Happy Hearth’s Warming!

Holiday Song

I held up the key in my hand, a bit surprised by this. I had maybe a handful of interactions with Scootaloo ever since her parent’s untimely deaths, but they hadn’t been that much. Every time, I would let her talk and vent her still lingering grief at the loss of her parents, but each subsequent time we’d met, those talks had become shorter and shorter, switching to talks about Rainbow Dash and what sort of awesome things she’d been up to lately. I would listen and smile along with her, even sharing some stories about Rainbow Dash from my own adventures. She was all ears whenever I told those, and she even begged me to tell them again and again.

Scootaloo saw me looking at the key, and she stood from where she was sitting with the other Crusaders and Spike. “What’s the key for?” she asked. “Is that what my aunties got for you?”

Looking down at the little filly, I nodded and smiled, pulling out my own keys and slipping it on to the ring before putting it back in my pocket. “It’s a key to your house, Scoots,” I said, reaching down and patting her back. “Your aunts wanted me to have some more time with you.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened and a big smile formed on her face. “You mean it?”

“Once things settle down for me, sure,” I replied. “Heck, I think with the wings you have right now, you can fly with practice, and I know a certain Pegasus would love to help train you in this form.”

Scootaloo turned back to Rainbow Dash, the latter of whom gave the filly two thumbs up. Scootaloo jumped up, flapping her wings fast enough that she actually began hovering in the air. Looking down, she gasped, then turned and looked at her wings. “Am I…I’m flying? I’m really flying!”

“Any idea why she can fly in this form and not her normal form?” I asked Twilight.

Twilight shook her head. “Let me do some research into it,” she said.

“Just don’t use Scootaloo,” I said.

Twilight shook her head quickly. “Of course not!”

“Calm down there, kid,” Rainbow said, grabbing Scootaloo as she started to fly towards the door, “It’s way too dark outside to fly.”

“She’s right, kiddo,” I added, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder and looking down at the slightly disappointed filly. “Just be patient for a little longer, okay little one?”

“I’ll try…” she said.

I gave her one more smile and a pat on the back. Then, I turned around only to find Spike holding out something to me with an excited look on his face. It was a small present, wrapped hastily, but that didn’t matter to me. I took it and realized that it was pretty heavy. “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Dad,” Spike said. “I made it for you all by myself. I hope you like it.”

“Thank you, Spike. Happy Hearth’s Warming and Merry Christmas to you too,” I replied. as I began pulling the paper away. This revealed a small but remarkably well carved emerald statue of me on a marble pedestal. It was no masterpiece by any means, but there was a small plaque on the front which read BEST DAD EVER which warmed my heart. Looking down at him, I held it up and asked, “You really made this by yourself?”

“Weeelll…” he looked away a bit nervously. “Mostly…”

“I helped him with it a bit,” Twilight said, stepping forward, “but he carved the statue and chose the pedestal all by himself. I just helped attach them both together, is all.”

Thoroughly impressed by his skill, I walked to the mantle and placed the statue on it, facing outward, then turned and knelt to hug the waiting Dragon, who hugged me back happily. “I love it, Spike. Thanks, son. I’ll treasure it forever.”

He clung to me tightly and hugged me back. “Thanks, Dad,” he said with a happy tone in his voice.

After a bit, something tapped my shoulder. I slowly released a reluctant Spike from the hug and turned, only to find a large envelope hovering in front of me, encased in the same magical color as its owner’s horn. Princess Celestia hovered it towards my outstretched hands, placing it there. I raised a suspicious eyebrow at her and her sister. “Do I even want to know?” I asked.

Both sisters looked a bit sheepish, but Celestia spoke up. “I know our previous gifts to you have been more problematic for you, but I promise you that this one is something my sister and I believe you will love.”

“Trust us,” Luna added, her eyes sparkling in anticipation.

I looked between both sisters, searching for any deception. However, when I saw the genuine looks in their eyes, I shrugged and began undoing the string that held the envelope closed. I reached in and pulled out three official looking pieces of paper. I read the first one over, and my eyes widened. The first paper was a deed. A deed to the large plot of land that was to the left of my house. The same one I had been hoping to buy for Zecora so she could plant seeds which she could harvest for her brews and potions. Flipping the papers, I saw that the second was yet another deed. A deed to the property to the right of my house which was where I hoped to build an artificial lake where I could store the Phoenix Resplendent. The third was yet another deed. This one a deed to a larger property that existed behind my house. It had always surprised me that the properties around me had been abandoned, but I’d been a bit too busy to think about that. This third property was much bigger than my current one and the other two and was overgrown with old and partially dying trees. I felt a smile come to my mouth as I said, “Well, I guess I need to rename my property from Sunny Acre to Sunny Acres instead. And I’ll need to expand the fence. Like a lot.”

Zecora and Scarlet both came up and looked over the paperwork as well. Zecora was the first to react, knowing my plans to buy that first property for her use. She smiled wide, then turned and bowed to Celestia and Luna deeply. “Thank you, your Highnesses,” she said.

“Awww, I knew we should have put a cap on presents,” Pinkie groaned.

“Hey, I loved all of your gifts,” I said reassuringly as I pulled out a pen from my pocket, sat down and began signing each deed. As I held them up and waited for the ink to dry, I looked around at all of my friends in the room. They all had warm and tender smiles on their faces. Overwhelmed, I could only smile back, opened my mouth and sang, “I used to wonder what friendship could be, until you all shared its magic with me.” Clearing my throat, I could only say, “Thank you all…this has been one of the best Christmases ever.”

“But it’s not over yet!” Pinkie exclaimed. “It’s still early! Let’s play games or watch a movie or something! You can’t have Hearth’s Warming Eve without games!”

“Same with Christmas Eve,” I replied. “Well, what do you all want to play?”

“Oooh, I have a few ideas…” Pinkie grinned, turning to her new board games.

I chuckled. “Guess the night ain’t over yet…alright, let’s play!”

148: A Cloaked Heart's Glimmering Report

The rest of that Christmas Eve party had gone really well. We’d opened up the board games that I’d gotten for Pinkie and played a few of them.

Rarity took to the first game we played, which was Clue, like a fish in water. However, since there were so many players, we had to play in teams. Well, I say we, but I stayed out of it since I wanted them to enjoy the game first. Pinkie and Applejack were one team, Rarity and Twilight were a second, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were a third, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were a fourth, Fluttershy and Scarlet were a fifth, to my surprise, and the royal sisters were a sixth. Zecora had played it a few times with me and Scarlet, so she knew what to expect. Instead, she curled up on the couch and lay her head on my lap, dozing comfortably as I stroked her mane and watched the game commence.

After two games, both of which Rarity and Twilight won, the group actually asked me if there was anything we could watch for the holiday. Since I’d already shown many of them some holiday themed videos, I decided to open up YouTube and search for another of my all-time favorite Claymation animations, a short film called The Little Drummer Boy. Projecting my phone’s screen up above the fireplace, I dimmed the lights and we watched the half hour special. Afterwards, I explained the religious background of the Christmas holiday once more, this time for the Cutie Mark Crusaders benefit since they had not really understood the significance of the short.

After the short ended, Scootaloo saw one of the recommended videos and pointed it out. It was titled The BEST of Rainbow Dash! - MLP Baby Comic/Animation Compilation. It was uploaded by a user named Magpiepony. With a grin, I selected it as the next video to play.

Rainbow was utterly embarrassed at the first one, and Applejack was the one who laughed the loudest at all the silliness that followed, but when the next recommended video was titled The BEST of Applejack! - MLP Baby Comic/Animation Compilation, I saw a grin spread across Rainbow’s face as she begged me to play that one next. And so I did. It was her turn to laugh at a red faced Applejack, and later in the video a blushing Apple Bloom got some friendly flack from her other CMC friends when she appeared in some of the skits.

The next video I selected was one that Applejack asked me to pick, mostly since Rarity was laughing at the videos as well. I quickly selected The BEST of Rarity! - MLP Baby Comic/Animation Compilation. As Rarity turned bright red, the others laughed and giggled at her antics, but especially Pinkie Pie.

In a possible attempt to get some revenge on Pinkie, Rarity suggested we find the video that featured her baby self, and so I looked and found The BEST of Pinkie Pie! - MLP Baby Comic/Animation Compilation. But, to nobody’s surprise, Pinkie just laughed along, much to Rarity’s consternation.

She did get some semblance of revenge on Twilight, however, who had laughed almost as hard. I selected The BEST of Twilight Sparkle! - MLP Baby Comic/Animation Compilation. However, then the video got to the sappier parts, Rarity’s laughter vanished and she couldn’t help but smile and tear up at the display. She even hugged her sister afterwards.

Rainbow begged me to play the Fluttershy video that was in the recommended, The BEST of Fluttershy! - MLP Baby Comic/Animation Compilation, but I was a bit hesitant to share it. To my surprise, though, Fluttershy gave me permission as long as she could sit next to me for it just in case. And she was glad she had because some of the small comics scared her, especially ones that featured Flutterbat.

The last video we watched was titled The BEST of The Princesses! - MLP Baby Comic/Animation Compilation. Both princesses that watched were cute then they had an embarrassed look on their faces. Soon the entire room was in stitches.

By the time the video ended, it was getting late. Everyone was looking tired, especially the CMC and Spike. Everyone thanked me for a pleasant time and I saw them to the door. Despite my worries about some of the presents being too heavy to carry home in the dark, those present reassured me that they would be fine. Spike was especially worried about Twilight’s present, but I could see right through him and I resolved that I would get the young drake some top of the line equipment from earth for his birthday in the next couple months.

Christmas Day came and went, and I received a brief and welcome visit from Jackie, who had saved me some leftovers from her family Christmas feast, which she said involved her friends and their families, including the Sparkle family to my surprise. She also informed me that Sunset had come through the portal on the same day that Applejack had begun displaying her new magical abilities. She had apparently gone back to try and apologize to the five girls for what she’d done. Jackie said that while a couple of them were willing to forgive her, she was still on the fence, and she wasn’t the only one. Trisha and Dash were also a bit suspicious, but I asked Jackie to try and give Sunset a chance. Jackie didn’t quite like the idea, but she said that she would try, and that she’d tell the other three to do the same.

I spent the entirety of Christmas Day with Zecora, Scarlet, Phlogiston and Aurora. I’d gotten the young dragon girl a few presents for her to play with, mostly some crayons and a few coloring books for her to use when she could better control her fire. Phlogiston told me that many dragon hatchlings would play with gems and rocks. When I’d asked if she knew what hatchlings might have played with during the Aelyssian Empire’s rule, she admitted that she wasn’t aware of anything like that, so I made a mental note to check through the abandoned houses in the capital city to see if there were any remnants of children’s toys to examine.

In the afternoon, I made another large meal, delivering it to Chrysalis, the Sirens and Ember in their rooms. I noted that Chrysalis had begun looking much healthier than before and the constant supply of food seemed to be helping her recover from what I could only guess was a slight case of malnutrition. I’d actually found her reading something, one of the books that I’d given her. The Sirens had been playing some sort of game on their phones, which had managed to survive the journey through the Stargate. I’d given them the staticnet password and they’d spent a lot of time online, surfing the never to be updated again staticnet and playing games. Ember, to my surprise as well, was carving a piece of wood with her claws.

I spent the rest of the day playing with the ever so smiling Aurora, helping change her diapers when she needed it, putting her to bed for her naps, and generally acting a lot like a parent. Zecora and Scarlet were there for a lot of the time too, especially Zecora. She was incredibly maternal, from what I saw, and Aurora took to her right away, giggling when she played Peek-a-Boo with the young drake.

After the day ended, I put her to bed, but not before Aurora did something amazing. While I was holding her in my arms and helping to burp her, she moved in and gave me the sweetest little kiss on my cheek. The moment was added to when she spit up only about five seconds later, but it sent waves of warmth through my being that this young drake would show such affection to me.

Two more days passed, and Zecora and I began working double time on our wedding. By this time, the entire town had heard about it thanks to Pinkie. Whenever I went out, I received many congratulations and happy wishes for us, as did Zecora whenever she left the house as well. The Elements of Harmony, Scarlet, and a few of my other newer friends stepped up and volunteered to help better organize things, which I gladly accepted.

It was the twenty eighth of December when I received an unusual visit. Not because of who was visiting, but because of how the duo came. I was outside trying to get a better idea of where to place the tables when I heard the flapping of wings above. Looking up, I saw four Pegasi in royal armor pulling a flying horse drawn carriage, one that was enclosed on all sides and which had the curtains drawn. Judging from the way it was decorated, I guessed it was some noble. However, the visitor came around for a pass and landed in front of my gate. Curious, I walked over and opened my gate only to see one of the Pegasi trotting over and opening the carriage door. Stepping out of the carriage, I saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Both were back in their natural forms and wearing their formal regalia.

Celestia locked eyes with me, then smiled kindly. “Jethro, nice to see you again.”

“Same to you,” I said as I stepped aside. “Please, come in. Your guards are also welcome to come in as well.”

“You are too kind,” Luna said, “but I am afraid they cannot follow us. What we have to say to you must be kept secret. And they must guard our carriage.”

I felt my heart drop at that. “Oh no…am I about to be whisked away on another adventure just a few days before my wedding?”

Celestia and Luna both quickly shook their heads. “Not at all,” Celestia promised, “but we have news for you that really couldn’t wait any longer. May we come in?”

“Of course!” I said, feeling relieved that I wasn’t about to be Murphy’s bitch. Stepping aside, I allowed them entrance.

As the diarchs of Equestria stepped through, they looked at the lawn, which had been cleared of almost all snow. There were many tables sitting around already with benches and chairs at the ends of each. “Is this where you will be holding your wedding reception, dear knight?” Luna asked. “I am impressed if it is.”

“Same here,” Celestia added with a nod of approval before turning back to me. “Not anypony can get the weather team to alter their schedules for a specific event.”

“Well, I had help,” I admitted. “Help in the form of one of the most loyal friends I have.”

A few days prior, I had asked Rainbow to keep any extra snow off of this portion of my property until the wedding was over. I had thought that since she was captain of the weather team she could pull that off, but she said that I would need to submit a written request to her higher ups in Cloudsdale, which I had in earnest. Fortunately, Rainbow had put in a really good word for me and my request was granted, but I was told that after the wedding day my property line would have to receive more snow than the surroundings due to the temporary imbalance. I gave plenty of apologies for making this harder for them, but to my surprise I received nothing but kind words and reassurances that, while this request was unusual, it wasn’t something that they couldn’t do. It would just require some rearranging, something that Rainbow, who had been with me at the time, said she could do easily.

“That mare truly does embody loyalty, does she not, sister?” Luna asked.

“Yes, she really does,” Celestia agreed.

“Oh, she’s not perfect by any means,” I added, “but yes. She is very loyal. But come on in. It’s warm inside, and I can get you some warm cocoa or something.”

“Do you have any more of that eggnog drink we had at your Hearth’s Warming party?” Celestia asked hopefully. “I, for one, really enjoyed it.”

“As did I,” Luna agreed.

“I think I have some left, yeah,” I said. “I also have some leftover Christmas cake and I can slice up some Tillamook extra sharp cheddar cheese for you, Luna. Please take a seat and I’ll get you all some refreshments.”

About ten minutes later, I had made a small platter of cheese cubes from the massive brick of Tillamook cheese that I’d bought earlier. Not only that, but I’d sliced up some Christmas cake slices for Celestia and had poured them both a healthy helping of homemade eggnog. Luna praised the cheese I had given her, admitting that she had not enjoyed such a sharp cheese in years. She asked if I could purchase some more cheeses from Earth for her to sample, and I had agreed.

“But enough cheesy talk,” I said with a grin as I picked up my own glass of eggnog. “You two came here for something serious. Did something happen?”

The two sisters went silent for a bit, looking at each other with barely readable expressions. Finally, Celestia turned back to me. “We found Starlight Glimmer.

The eggnog that was near my lips stopped. I slowly lowered the glass and leaned back. At that moment, I was glad that the majority of the house was empty. Ember, Phlogiston and Aurora had all gone out with Zecora and Scarlet to let the young baby dragon see the city earlier that day. Zecora was with Rarity currently, getting better fit for her wedding dress which the latter fashionista promised would be an extravagant affair, and the Sirens and Chrysalis were still secluding themselves in their rooms, although I’d noticed that they had gone out more often into the yard to get exercise, especially when I told them where my new property line was. Celestia’s face was grim while Luna’s was stoic. I felt a lump forming in my throat at their expressions and I took a deep breath. “Is she alright?” I asked a bit hesitantly.

Celestia nodded. “She’s alright.” Her features relaxed and she smiled. “Actually, she was spotted by a patrol guard up north near Manehattan.”

“My sister and I gave the guards the descriptions of many of the possible future villains of the show,” Luna added, “and Starlight was one of them. They spotted her there.”

“I take it things didn’t go well the first time around?” I asked. “I mean in the show, Twilight had trouble defeating her with her magic, and she was an Alicorn at the time.”

“We took that into account,” Celestia said. “We wanted to resolve this peacefully, so I went to my school and looked up a student there.”

“Sunburst?” I asked.

Celestia nodded. “Fortunately, he is still in my school. I approached him and asked for his help in talking to Starlight.”

I nodded. Starlight might currently be hurting and angry at what happened, but that didn’t mean she was a fool. As evidenced in the show, she could be made to see reason. “What happened?”

“We’d like to show you, if that’s alright,” Celestia said. “I wasn’t there when Sunburst met with Starlight, but my sister was.”

“I wished to be there for her, since I know something of what she was going through,” Luna explained.

“Well…if you want to show me, then I won’t stop you,” I said. I admitted that I was mildly curious about what Starlight in this world was like. I was also rather excited to meet the young mare since I liked her in the show despite her flaws.

Luna closed her eyes, her horn began to glow, and a screen formed in the middle of the room. A scene began to form, and what I saw stunned me.

From Luna’s perspective, I saw that she was standing on a small cliff overlooking a large snow covered plain surrounded by large rocks. There was a larger portion of the plain that had no rocks anywhere. In the center, Luna was watching a light purple unicorn moving rocks around and out of the way, the snow falling off of them as they were hastily removed. Luna turned and looked over at an orange stallion wearing a very familiar cloak.

Sunburst was a little different than I had anticipated. For one, he looked slightly younger and I couldn’t place the reason why until I noticed that he had no goatee. Other than that, he looked identical to the Pony I’d seen in the show. He had a stunned expression on his face as he watched his foalhood friend moving large rocks around like it was nothing. “I had no idea she was that powerful,” he said.

“According to our source, she is an extremely powerful unicorn, young Sunburst,” Luna’s voice said. “She is also a very troubled young mare, traumatized by an event in her past.”

Sunburst turned to Luna. “But your Highness, why am I here?”

“Because the incident in her past involves you.”

Sunburst’s ears flattened. “What did I do to her?” he asked in worry.

“You did nothing wrong,” Luna quickly explained to placate the poor stallion, “but she is upset. Watch and you will see.” I heard someone casting magic, and in the memory Luna showed an earlier memory of hers to Sunburst.

I recognized myself sitting in Canterlot’s garden, looking seriously at someone offscreen. Sunburst immediately recognized me. “Is that Sir Jethro Bethridge?!”

“Yes it is, but hush, and listen young Sunburst,” Luna said.

I watched as the earlier version of me held up my phone, showing an image of Starlight Glimmer on it. “Now, let me get to this mare here. Her name is Starlight Glimmer. She grew up in a town called Sire’s Hollow.” My past self swiped right and the image of a cartoon filly Starlight appeared. “She was friends with this young colt here.” My past self swiped again only to reveal the cartoon version of Sunburst. “The two were pretty close until Sunburst got his cutie mark. After that, he was sent to your school for Gifted Unicorns.” Here I saw myself looking at Celestia. “Unfortunately, his knowledge of magic never allowed him to succeed and he dropped out of the school, but back to Starlight.” I swiped back to the pre-reformed Starlight image. “She lost Sunburst that day, and because of that never made another friend because she was afraid a cutie mark would come between her and whatever friend she made. I don’t know how far she’s gotten now, but in the show’s fifth season opening two parter story and ending two parter story, she played a major role. In the show’s opening, she was the antagonist.”

“How so?” Celestia asked worriedly.

“She created a town called Our Town just west of Manehattan,” my past self said, swiping right a few times to display the sameness of the cartoon version of Our Town. I swiped again, showing the unhinged smiles of the town’s inhabitants. “Then, using some powerful magic, she took away the cutie marks of the ponies who came to her and stored them away.”

“Why would anypony wish their cutie mark removed?!” Luna asked in alarm.

“Starlight did it because she thought that cutie marks would only lead to unhappiness and would tear Ponies apart, so she created a community without cutie marks so that the inhabitants could, in her own mind, experience true friendship. But in the end, she never got rid of hers since she basically wanted control.”

“That simply isn’t true! Cutie marks are a wonderful thing!” Celestia said. Luna, who was looking over at Celestia, put a hoof on her older sister’s hoof. Celestia took a deep breath and exhaled. “Sorry, Jethro. Please continue.”

“In the opening of Season Five of the show, the Mane Six are all tasked by something called the Cutie Map to go to Our Town to find a friendship problem,” my past self explained. “However, they had their own cutie marks stolen. Eventually, however, they managed to get theirs back as well as give the cutie marks back to everyone in the town. Starlight ran away from the town and began stalking Twilight in an attempt to get revenge. Finally, she managed to get her hooves on one of Starswirl’s time travel scrolls and rework it to work for her. She then went back and stopped Rainbow’s sonic rainboom. The last two episodes of the series shows just how Starlight’s actions affect the present. In one timeline, the Fae take over Equestria, in another, Nightmare Moon rules over Equestria, in another Discord rules, and in yet another Tirek reigns. It goes on and on while Twilight and Spike try and stop Starlight. By some miracle, Starlight is shown the error of her ways, and surrenders.”

In the memory within a memory, Celestia and Luna looked at each other. Finally, Celestia turned back to the past me. “May I see her cutie mark more closely?”

My past self pulled up a higher resolution image of the cutie mark and showed it to both princesses. Luna had leaned forward and raised an eyebrow in alarm. “Sister, that cutie mark is one that would allow anypony to accel in magic, just like your student!”

“Not quite, but it is very close,” the past Celestia replied. “I’m no expert on cutie marks by any means, I leave that to professionals, but I do know a decent amount about magical cutie marks. This means Starlight Glimmer could very well be one of the highest level magical unicorns in existence. I’m not sure how our Starlight could compare to Twilight, but I do believe she would be worth tutoring at my school. Twilight’s cutie mark has to do with the magic of friendship, but I believe Starlight’s has to do with having a talent for magic in its purest form. But like I said, I’m no expert.”

“And the danger she poses?” Luna asked.

“I believe I know a way to help Starlight overcome her anger and hurt,” Celestia said.

The memory within the memory vanished, leaving Sunburst’s jaw agape at all the information he had just seen. Slowly, he fell onto his rump and turned to Luna. “Did…will she really travel through time just to get revenge?”

“Fortunately, Twilight and her friends have not yet discovered this mare,” Luna said, “but thanks to Sir Jethro’s help, we are now aware of the danger she poses, but we also want to help her overcome her foalhood trauma. That is where you come in.”

“How can I help?!” Sunburst asked fearfully. “I’m no magical genius! I can barely cast the normal spells! I was about to be thrown out of Princess Celestia’s school before she stepped in and stopped it!”

“Calm yourself, young Sunburst,” Luna said. “My sister and I trust you to be able to help your old friend. Right now, she is angry and bitter.” Luna reached out and put a hoof on Sunburst’s back reassuringly. “Besides, you have more magical talent within you than you know. It might not show in what you can cast now, but from what we have been shown by Sir Jethro, your knowledge of magic far surpasses those of your peers.”

“I…I’ve always wanted to be a wizard, but I can’t even cast some of the more basic spells,” Sunburst lamented.

Luna sighed, but lifted Sunburst’s chin to face her. “Fear not then, young Sunburst, for when this is over, my sister and I can have our best mages look over you and see if there is something that might be done about it.”

There was a shift in Sunburst’s expression, and he looked up at Luna with a new expression. “I…do you mean it, your Highness?” he asked with a glint of hope in his voice.

“Indeed so, young Sunburst,” she replied. “And if there is nothing else, my sister and I can find a place in the palace where you can feel useful. That is what you desire above most, is it not?”

Sunburst slowly nodded. “I’m tired of knowing so much and not being able to cast magic.” Slowly, he turned and looked back at the valley below. Luna also turned and saw Starlight lifting yet another large boulder. “Is she really hurting?” he asked, a hint of worry now in his voice, but this worry directed towards Starlight.

“Indeed so,” Luna said.

I heard the sound of someone standing up. Luna turned to see Sunburst standing tall. “Then let’s get going, I suppose,” he said.

“I shall accompany you, but only in case Miss Glimmer does anything,” Luna said. She turned back to a small group of guards. “Remain behind and out of sight. If Miss Glimmer manages to injure me or young Sunburst, move in. Do not strike to kill or maim, only to incapacitate. Is that understood, Lieutenant?”

The Lieutenant, a tall burly gray stallion with white tail and mane and with a cutie mark that showed three parallel spears, saluted. “Yes, your highness.”

The memory screen warped and I saw that Luna was now standing on the valley floor. I got a better look now at the bright purple mare. She had her back turned to Luna and Sunburst as they approached, apparently unable to hear their approach. Luna stopped and turned to Sunburst, who turned back to look up at Luna. “This is as far as I will go. I will be keeping an eye and ear on things from here, but if I were to approach with you, she might flee. I will cast a spell of invisibility on myself, but know that I am here with you in case things take a turn for the worse.”

Sunburst bit his lower lip, clearly thinking, but after a while, he nodded and faced Starlight. Steeling himself, I watched as he trotted forward. Then, to my confusion, the memory seemed to zoom in. Looking over at Luna with a raised eyebrow, I gestured towards the memory and was about to ask what was going on but Luna just smiled and said, “It’s a spell we use that can act like a telescope or binoculars.”

“Oh…I’ve got to learn it someday,” I muttered as I watched the memory unfold once more.

As Sunburst approached Starlight, the latter set down the massive three to four story boulder aside, wiping her brow. Then, she turned and caught sight of Sunburst. Just like in the show, her mane was cut into bangs and wasn’t pushed to the side like it was after her in-show reformation. Starlight’s eyes went wide in alarm, then recognition as she backed away. Opening her mouth, I heard her say, “S-Sunburst?! Wha-what are you doing here?!”

“Hello, Starlight,” Sunburst said in his best attempt at being calm, but I could hear the trembling in his voice. “It’s nice to see you again.”

Not taking her eyes off of Sunburst, she backed away a bit. From what Luna’s past self had seen, I saw that Starlight was a bit dirty and she had some snotcicles coming out of her nose. “B-But…how did you find me here?” She looked around quickly as if searching for something.

“Here, take this,” Sunburst said. In the memory, Sunburst reached up and touched the clasp around his cloak. It fell away, revealing his orange mane, cream white legs, and his cutie mark. He floated it over to her and wrapped it around her. He then floated a kerchief out of one of the cloak’s small pockets and gave it to Starlight, who took it with a blush and ran it across her nose.

“Th-Thank you,” she said with a shiver as she wrapped the cloak closer around her.

“You’re welcome,” he said as he walked up and sat next to his foalhood friend. There was silence as Starlight warmed herself up in Sunburst’s cloak. Finally, Sunburst spoke up again. “Starlight, what are you doing out here all alone? You can’t be staying out here, right?”

Starlight stiffened a bit, looking away. Sunburst waited patiently, until finally Starlight replied, “I…I’m living in a warm cave nearby.” Looking back and seeing Sunburst’s alarmed expression, she quickly added, “Oh, but don’t worry! It’s only temporary! And the cave’s really comfortable and warm! After I get the bits necessary, I’ll build a town here!”

“A town?” Sunburst asked.

“Y-Yeah,” Starlight said.

“Well, wouldn’t it be easier to do it during the spring or summer?” Sunburst asked. “It’s way too cold. And what about land permits? And construction permits?”

Starlight bit her lower lip. “I…well…”

“You were just going to ignore that all?” Sunburst asked, then stopped himself. “No, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about…sorry.”

Starlight looked at her foalhood friend. “Wait, you were looking for me?”

“Starlight, I…Ugh, I’m terrible at this,” Sunburst said. He turned to her. “I came because I was worried about you. I heard a little bit about what happened after I was sent to Celestia’s school. I know I haven’t reached out to you, and that’s my fault. But since it’s winter break, I decided I wanted to come and find you and make things up to you.”

Starlight frowned. “What, and rub it in my face that you got sent off to Celestia’s school?”

Sunburst’s ears flattened and he looked down, away from Starlight’s accusatory glance. “Honestly, I wish I was never sent to Canterlot.”

That caught the Unicorn mare off guard. “Wait, what? But why?”

Sunburst took a deep breath and sighed. “Starlight, I’m the last in my class. I’m just about to drop out. I might know a lot about magic, but I can’t cast magic like I hoped.”

“But…what about your cutie mark?” Starlight asked. “Your parents were so sure it meant you were a magical prodigy.”

Sunburst shook his head. “Well, I’m not,” he said. “I doubt I could lift the rocks I saw you lifting earlier without being magically exhausted. I’m one failed test away from being flunked out of the school…”

Starlight looked stunned at this. “I…I didn’t realize…”

“How could you know?” Sunburst asked. “I never reached out. I could say I was so busy that I forgot, but that’s no real excuse. I…I was so…”

Starlight’s ears flattened at seeing her old friend like this. “Sunburst? Why are you blaming yourself?”

“Because we were friends!” he said, stomping the ground. “I should have written you! I should have made the effort! Maybe then…things would be different.”

Starlight opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself. She then stood and stepped in front of him, a smile on her face. “Well, do you want to join me?”

Sunburst looked up. “Join you? In what?”

She made a sweeping gesture to the landscape around her. “In building the town I’m planning, of course!”

Sunburst stood. “You mean the town where you’re going to take the cutie marks of the entire village and promote true equality?” he asked, looking at her calmly. “While at the same time keeping yours?”

Starlight backed away, eyes wide in alarm. “I…I don’t…how…?”

“Who else in the world do you think would know of your plans?” Sunburst asked as he took a very bold step forward.

“I…I don’t know who-” Then she stopped and her eyes widened in realization. “The human…”

“Sir Jethro Bethridge, Knight of Equestria,” Sunburst said. “He’s seen this, and it doesn’t end up well for you.”

Starlight grit her teeth in anger. “You mean…everything I’ve spent the past decade working for, all the money I’ve saved, all of it means nothing since that creature claims he saw the future?!” Her anger quickly turned into realization as she looked around quickly, suddenly locking onto the still invisible Luna. “You lied to me Sunburst…You didn’t come alone! I can detect a magical presence over there!”

Sunburst immediately jumped in front of Starlight, his back to Luna. “Starlight, please calm down!”

Starlight lit up her horn and moved Sunburst aside with ease, staring at the still invisible Luna. “I thought we were friends, Sunburst. So why did you lie to me!?”

“I didn’t lie to you!” he said as he tried to move, but Starlight’s hold on him was strong. “I meant every word of it! I’ve been a terrible friend! I should have reached out to you! Maybe if I did, you could have joined me at Celestia’s school! You still can!”

“And risk being separated from a friend again because of a cutie mark? Not a chance!” Starlight said angrily. However, despite that, tears were falling from her eyes. “I finally have you back, and I won’t let you be taken away from me again!”

The Luna in the memory sighed and dropped the disguise. Starlight’s anger turned to shock when she saw who had been hiding. Before she could speak, Luna began approaching, slowly reducing the spell on her eyes. “Greetings to you, Starlight Glimmer. I am Princess Luna.”

Starlight’s shock turned back to anger as she let Sunburst go and faced Luna. “What are you doing here? I haven’t done anything wrong! I’m just building a town where everypony who feels like I do will be equal!”

“By stealing what makes a Pony unique in the world?” Luna asked calmly.

Starlight pointed an accusing hoof at Luna. “It’s because of those cutie marks that I lost my friend! The only friend I ever had in the world then or since!”

Sunburst looked stunned at that. “I’d heard that, but I didn’t realize it was that bad,” he said.

“Yeah, well, it was!” Starlight snapped back angrily. I saw a small red mist beginning to emerge from Starlight’s horn and form a large red cloud over her. She seemed unaware of it, however, as she continued, “Do you know where I was when I got my cutie mark? ALONE! I was all alone when I cast that spell! Dad wasn’t there! Nopony was there! I was ALONE!” Tears were flowing freely now as her horn began charging for some kind of attack. “I can’t be alone again!”

Luna began casting a spell, but just then Sunburst jumped on top of Starlight, putting his hooves on her horn. A spark shot out and ran through Sunburst, who yelped in alarm as he was flung back, hitting the ground hard. Luna gasped in alarm and rushed to his side, but Starlight was faster. She rushed over and began checking him over. “Sunburst? Sunburst!? Are you okay?”

“Stand aside, Miss Glimmer,” Luna said with authority as she approached.

Starlight whirled on the princess and stood between her and Sunburst. “Don’t you lay a hoof on him!”

“That was powerful magic you cast,” Luna said patiently, “and with how weak Sunburst is in casting magic, he is not as immune to it as either you or I. I must look at him and make sure he is alright. Now stand aside. This is an order from your princess!”

Starlight’s ears flattened and she looked back at Sunburst. Finally, after a few seconds, she stepped aside. Luna was quickly by Sunburst’s side and looking him over. From what I was seeing from the memory, it looked like he was a bit singed, but other than that, I didn’t see anything else wrong. Luna’s magic played over the stallion. As she did so, Starlight watched with worry. “Is he alright?”

Luna didn’t reply for a bit, but finally she finished casting her magic. “He is alright, just stunned. He will be weak for a few days, but will recover.” Luna quickly turned. “As for you, Starlight Glimmer, do you realize that you were about to assault a member of royalty? Back one thousand years ago, the punishment for such a crime would be quite severe!” Starlight backed away, her previous bravado gone as her ears pinned back and she lowered herself like a cornered animal. Luna, however, took a deep breath. “However, you failed in your attempt. That, and our knight has asked that you be given a chance to prove yourself. You are a gifted Pony, Starlight Glimmer. More than you possibly could know.”

Starlight looked down at the ground. “I…why would that human care what happens to me? We’ve never met.”

“You are aware of that worldwide broadcast that Eris shared?” Luna asked. When Starlight nodded, Luna continued. “In the entertainment that depicted our world, your story is shown. It was one reason why I asked Sunburst to come. We want to help you through your pain. My sister especially. From what Sir Jethro has shown us and from what I have seen here, you have a remarkable talent, putting you far above most other Unicorns your age.” Starlight looked up and saw that Luna was offering her hoof to the young mare. “You and I are more alike than you realize, Starlight Glimmer. We have both lost something, but unlike me, you can rebuild what you have lost.” She turned and lifted Sunburst in her magic and lay him comfortably across her back, spreading her wings so he was lying on a comfortable surface. “You still have your old friend. Maybe things have changed, but such is life. You cannot go back to the past. But you can go to the future. If you wish, I can help you in that regard, just as other Ponies have been helping me.”

Starlight covered her eyes with her hoof, and for the first time in that memory, she allowed herself to cry. Luna lowered herself down and put one hoof over the young mare as she continued to softly cry.

The memory began to fast forward. “She wept prodigiously,” Luna said in explanation.

“Ah, got it,” I replied.

Finally, the memory resumed in real time, and Starlight stood up. “I…I don’t know what to do anymore…” she said.

“Perhaps you would like to come back to Canterlot with me and become a student in my sister’s school,” Luna suggested. “Or perhaps you and Sunburst can move to Ponyville and find work there. I believe I know of somehuman who could use your expertise. After all, he has just inherited a kingdom and a great number of magical artifacts and books that you two can go through.”

“It’s someone, not somehuman,” I told Luna with an amused smile.

Luna simply winked at me with a twinkle in those lovely cyan eyes of hers as she turned back to the memory. In it, Starlight looked up at the past Luna. “Me? Help Equestria’s knight? But…why me?”

“You and Sunburst could very well become quite a team,” Luna said. “I believe that this young stallion has a nearly perfect memory. It’s a common occurrence in a Pony with powerful magic potential. And you have a power beyond almost any Unicorn I have ever seen. Together, with his knowledge and your skills, you could do great things not only for Equestria, but for the world. And I am not exaggerating this.”

Starlight looked up behind Luna at the still unconscious form of Sunburst. Slowly, she removed the cloak that he’d given her and lay it down on the stallion. “What…what should I do?” she asked.

“That is for you to decide,” Luna said as she turned. “There are many who can help you through this dilemma. That is, if you let them in. If you continue shutting others out, well…you are aware of what happened to me, correct? And while that is an extreme case, it is never healthy to hold in that anger. Look at what happened because of yours.” She nudged her head towards Sunburst.

Starlight looked down in guilt and shame. “I didn’t mean to hurt him…I was just so angry…”

“And I never meant to hurt my sister a thousand years ago,” Luna said, “but I did. I hurt many Ponies back then. I will not say the blame rests entirely with me, because, as a dear friend of mine has told me, a relationship is a two way street. Still, my actions are my own, not anypony elses. Know this though, Starlight Glimmer. Young Sunburst would not have come out here if he did not care for you. When he heard of your struggles, he came out because he does care.”

“Then why didn’t he write?” Starlight asked.

“That is something I cannot answer,” Luna replied. “But I do believe that you two can discuss this in the future. Will you come with me back to Canterlot?”

Starlight looked up hesitantly. She was scared, I could see it in her eyes. However, slowly, she stood. “Lead the way, Princess…”

The memory faded and both Princesses looked at me expectantly. It was a lot to take in, that was for sure, and I sat there, nursing my eggnog and looking down at the table thoughtfully. I was thoroughly impressed with how both Sunburst and Luna handled the situation. Sunburst was definitely a brave stallion, and Luna was definitely a wise leader, having apparently learned to utilize her words almost as well as Celestia had. “Wow…well, that’s one villain down,” I said. I looked up at the princesses. “Where is she now?”

“She has been spending time in Canterlot trying to reconnect with Sunburst,” Celestia said. “Well, that, and helping him with his magical studies. It turns out that the reason he was unable to cast higher magical spells was due to a blockage in his horn, which was allowing only about a fifth of his magical potential to flow. Our medical mages can undo this blockage, but it must be done carefully.”

That surprised me, but it also made me happy to hear. I’d always felt a bit bad for Sunburst. Having all that knowledge and not being able to do anything with it seemed like torture to me. “Well, I’m glad to hear that he’s going to be doing better,” I said. “And what about Starlight?”

“Starlight…she has a lot of anger and even some self-hatred within her,” Luna said. “She reminds me of what I was like a thousand years ago. I will be talking with her as will a counselor Pony, one I have been seeing ever since I returned from my exile. Starlight does, however, wish to meet you at some point.”

“So would I,” I said. “When I get back from Aelyssia, I think I’ll have enough time for a meeting with her and Sunburst.”

Celestia smiled. “We’ll pass along the message to her,” she said.

“Did you show Starlight the same memories that you showed Sunburst?” I asked.

“Actually, we almost showed her more,” Luna replied, “but Celestia made a good point about showing her what I wanted to show.”

“What do you mea-? Oooh…the episodes I showed you…” I said. At one point after I had finished Season Five a few months back, I had taken my laptop to Canterlot where I had played the first two and last two episodes of that season, mostly to give them a good idea as to why Starlight became what she became. Both princesses had been horrified at first, but at the end their expressions had changed to that of worry for this mare. I could tell that Luna could relate to Starlight, and what I’d just seen in her memory only confirmed my suspicions. “So what did you show her?”

“Just what Luna showed Sunburst,” Celestia said. “The poor mare was inconsolable for a while, but her friend helped her through it.”

“Both of them will be watched over and helped,” Luna said, “and that is a promise.”

I took note of Luna’s eagerness to try and help Starlight. Inwardly, I smiled. Maybe helping another will be beneficial to Luna’s own recovery, I thought. “And Sunburst is okay after that magical mishap, right?” I asked.

“This happened just two days ago,” Luna said as she grabbed the last of the cheese squares with her magic. “He has made a full recovery.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

Celestia and Luna both nodded in agreement. “We would have come down to tell you sooner, but we wished to make sure the two would be okay on their own.”

“It’s a good thing you caught her when you did,” I said. “Despite her methods and what she did, I believe Starlight has some impressive leadership potential. Especially if she’s nudged in the right direction.”

Luna and Celestia both gave me odd looks before the latter asked, “Are you suggesting she would be a good fit to become a princess?”

“Whoa there, I just said leadership role, not a princess,” I backtracked.

The two sisters stared at me for a bit before bursting out laughing. I knew then that they were both messing with me and soon joined them. As the laughter died out, Celestia and Luna both stood. “Thank you for taking the time out of your day to speak to us, Jethro,” Luna said gratefully as she took a bite of the last cheese square. Looking at the now empty toothpick, she frowned in disappointment.

Celestia finished her cake and lifted the plate up. “Where should we put these?”

“Just set them down on the couch and I’ll take care of them after you leave,” I said. “And thank you two for telling me about Starlight. I’m glad to hear she’s safe. Oh, and before you go, I’d like to give you something to give to her. Wait here, please?”

“Of course, Jethro.”

I rushed upstairs and to my closet. I pulled out three large but thin rectangular packages with a note attached to the largest. I walked back downstairs. As I did so, I smiled and began humming a tune. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I couldn’t help it. I burst out singing. “Let's go fly a kite up to the highest height. Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring. Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear. Oh, let's go fly a kite.”

As I handed the package out to the princesses, they took it and looked over the images on the front. “Why would you give Starlight kites from your world?” Luna asked.

“When did you get this for her?” Celestia added.

“I got it when I went to Earth to get presents for everybody,” I said, “and I wrote the note after I got home. I was going to give it to her when she was found, but I didn’t expect her to show up this soon. I know from the show that she likes kites, or she will begin to like them after her in-show reformation.”

The two sisters looked down at the packages for a few moments, then looked back at me with a warm smile. “I believe this is a nice gesture,” Celestia said. “My sister and I will deliver them.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll escort you out to your carriage.” And with that, I went to the door and opened it, stepping aside. “After you, ladies.”

Dear Starlight Glimmer

You don’t know me, but you might know of me. My name is Jethro Bethridge, and I’m Equestria’s first resident human inhabitant. I was teleported to your world a couple of days before the thousandth anniversary of the Summer Sun Celebration and became a part of one of the friendliest communities in Equestria.

I’m writing this note to you in the hopes that you’ve received the gifts accompanying this note and that the message it sends won’t be misconstrued. That message being that I wish to befriend you. You must have seen Eris’ message about me that she spread all across the world. Well, in that show I saw, you quickly grew on me. You displayed a strength and growth of character that I admire. I saw you make mistakes and then work desperately to correct them, something I greatly approve of, and I hope someday to meet the mare that displayed such amazing capabilities. And I’m not talking about your magical prowess.

I know that hearing that some strange alien from a distant universe knowing about you would freak anyone out, and I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to meet with me, but just know that you don’t just have Sunburst as a friend. I hope that someday you and I can become friends too. I don’t know how the events of your life will change thanks to me being in this world, but I can only hope that things go better for you now than they did in the events I saw. I wish only the best for you.

Your hopeful friend,

Jethro Bethridge.

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait. Writer's block is a bitch. I was going to continue the party in more detail, but couldn't think of anything productive to do. Then I was going to jump right into the wedding or bachelor party, but that seemed to big of a leap, so I decided to do this instead. It got my creative juices flowing at any rate.

The next chapter, however, I will be getting closer to the wedding, and then after that? Aelyssian Empire time!

149: A Cloaked Heart's Bachelor Party

I had faced down my own share of adventures in my time in Equestria. I had stared down and fought the best warrior in the Lycan Empire and won by sheer luck. I had ended the life of the tyrannical Dragon Lord Torch and been given the Aelyssian Empire as a result of it. I had become a Knight of Equestria and was the richest being on the planet as far as I knew.

Nevertheless, I was more nervous on that day, December 29th, than I had been during any of those other times. Because today was the day before my wedding to Zecora.

My bride to be, in accordance with traditions that seemed to be the same in both worlds, had left the house more than twenty-four hours before the wedding ceremony, which would take place at ten the next morning at the Town Hall. She and I had given each other a deep kiss farewell before she headed off to spend the next twenty-four hours at Twilight’s house where I had heard that plenty of the mares in town would be giving her a bachelorette party.

Poor Pinkie was beside herself when she realized that there would be two parties going on at the same time, but I’d calmed her down and reassured her that things would be alright. She wanted to be there for both, but I immediately cut her off at the pass for that one. I saw the signs of her possibly attempting to clone herself, so I broke down and showed her the Too Many Pinkie Pies episode. When it finished, she was a bit more somber, but when she noticed my reaction she immediately Pinkie Promised that she would never go and look for the mirror pool. In fact, she held me in her hooves for a while. That episode messed me up even more than it probably would have had I watched it back on Earth. Watching any version of Pinkie Pie getting destroyed had rattled me to my core when I first watched it.

After she held me and told me that she wasn’t going anywhere, she made the decision to go to Twilight’s party but begged me to take pictures. She gave me her personal camera, full of film, and asked that it be empty before the night was done. I promised, and she planted a big wet kiss on my lips before prancing away.

I was told by Spike that he would be part of the planning committee for my bachelor party, so I wasn’t to worry about it, which ironically made me worry all the more. However, he also mentioned that other older stallions would be helping, so some of my worry went away. All that was required of me was to show up at the Sweet Apple Acres barn at sundown.

With nothing to do except wait all day, I spent some time with Ember and the Sirens in the hopes that she and I could plan the return to Aelyssia. I was grateful for Ember’s help, especially since she was over a hundred years old and had seen a lot. She gave me some insights into how modern Dragons thought, which gave me some insight into what I might say in a rallying speech. Adagio and Aria didn’t say too much, but Sonata was more curious about modern Dragon culture. She asked questions and even asked about any news, old or new, about the old Siren dukedoms. Ember admitted that she hadn’t heard anything about them, only that after the fall of Aelyssia, no Siren had been seen save for the Dazzlings.

Phlogiston joined us after lunch to provide further insight into Dragon culture. She was around three hundred years old so had seen more, but had also not heard too much about the Siren dukedoms. I could tell that this greatly upset the Dazzlings.

Something that surprised me, however, was how playful Aurora was with the Sirens themselves. She especially took to Adagio, babbling and grabbing at her hair playfully. I was worried that the Siren would do something to upset the Dragon baby, but to my surprise she was tender and patient with Aurora, cradling her in her arms and rocking her gently. It was almost like she had some experience with babies.

However, when I mentioned this, I could see a hint of grief pass over her face. She slowly handed Aurora over to Aria, stood, and quickly left the room. Aria sent me a glare, but said nothing. It was Sonata who reassured me that I didn’t do anything wrong.

I found her in the living room staring at the fire. I sat next to her and waited patiently. Finally, she told me the saddest story I’d ever heard. It turned out that there was one upside to her being a human: she was able to have offspring. There had been a part of her, long ago, that had wanted a child. At one point during her time on Earth, she had seduced many different men, but had never gotten pregnant from them except one time during the Middle Ages. She was so stunned by this, but at the same time was happy and had given birth to a healthy baby boy. However, two years later the baby unfortunately passed away from the Plague, and not even her magic and the magic of her fellow Sirens could stop it.

It was the first time I had ever seen her show any emotion other than anger and rage. She shed a few tears in front of me, but not much. When she was finished, she warned me never to reveal what I’d shared with anyone. I promised, then asked if there was anything I could do to help. I told her that it might still be possible for her to get pregnant, especially if she was a winged human now. She warned me not to get her hopes up, but we reached an understanding and she said that she’d think about having an examination performed on her to see if it was possible for her to have a child.

After that, and after Adagio talked a bit in private with Sonata and Aria, I noticed that the Sirens began treating me with less hostility. This, in turn, seemed to be reflected in how Aurora treated them, laughing and playing with them. I even thought I caught Adagio smiling briefly down at Aurora.

After that, I tried to talk with Chrysalis about the return to Aelyssia, but she didn’t quite want to see me. She did say, however, that she would be alright talking to me after the wedding, and I told her that I’d hold her to that promise.

Soon, it was nearly time…

The sky was clear and full of stars over Ponyville that evening as I trudged through the nearly empty streets. The lights on the roads illuminated the surrounding area as well as the snowfall. Despite that, the stars above blazed brilliantly. The moon hadn’t risen yet, but I saw one of the Equestrian system’s planets, named Artemis, hovering high in the sky, blazing a brilliant blue/green color.

I was wearing a pair of light but durable boots, warm sweatpants, a dark green zipper hoodie with a button down flannel t-shirt underneath and the Stetson hat that Applejack had gotten for me for Christmas. I felt it appropriate, especially if I was going to have a bachelor party in a barn.

As I walked, I continued to think about the wedding I was about to go through the following day. As I thought, I felt a bit like Twilight, going over everything that had been planned over and over just to make sure things would be perfect. It was my very first wedding, and if things progressed with Scarlet and anyone else, presumably not my last. It was going to be a very odd wedding, seeing as we were blending two traditions into one, human and Zebra, but it was going to be a wedding of special magnificence.

As I continued to walk, it took me a while to notice the young drake as he continuously tried to get my attention. He finally got it when he flew up and tapped my forehead. Coming out of my reverie quickly, I saw a pair of green worried eyes looking at me. “Gah! Spike?! How long have you been standing there?” I asked as I paused in the road.

“A few minutes,” he said as he flew up and sat on my shoulders, looking down at me upside down as he added, “What were you thinking about?”

“I was worrying about tomorrow,” I admitted.

Spike rolled his eyes and snickered. “Just like Twilight was doing earlier. I swear to Celestia, you two are more similar every day,” he said. He reached down and flicked my nose. “You need to calm down there, Dad. Things are gonna be alright. You and Zecora have been working really hard to plan this out, right? Hell, even Twilight stopped her studies to help.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said, ignoring Spike’s newfound human curse vocabulary, “and I’m trying to relax, but-”

“No buts,” Spike said, “that’s what the bachelor party is for! Now come on! Everypony’s waiting for you! And there are a few surprise guests!”

That made me raise an eyebrow as I looked up at the young drake. “Surprise guests? Who?”

“Ah ah ah, you’ll have to wait and see!” he smiled as he flew off of my back, grabbed my hand and began pulling me on ahead. “Come on!”

“I just hope that nobody there’s gone full Anthro on me this time,” I muttered, hoping that I hadn’t just triggered a flag.

The excited young Dragon pulled me ever closer towards the farm, which was lit up brightly from inside. I could hear voices coming from the closed barn door and laughter as well. Spike continued pulling me closer to the barn, his wings flapping behind him in excitement as we both approached. When we were only a few feet away, he let me go, rushed up and pulled the door open. The sound of voices spiked in volume but quickly died down when Spike announced, “Here’s the human of the hour!”

I walked in behind Spike and saw many different stallions, fortunately looking normal and not Anthro, standing around the barn, many with mugs and/or plates of food in their hooves, magic or wings. When I stepped in, I was greeted by a nearly deafening cheer from everyone.

The first guy to approach me was a clearly already tipsy Big Mac. He had a mug in his hoof full of a frothy liquid which he shoved into my hand. “Here ya go!” he said with a wide grin and louder than he normally was.

I could smell the hard apple cider from the mug, sweet and with barely any alcoholic taste from it. The room had gone strangely silent, all the eyes on me. With a wide smile, I brought the mug to my lips and took a deep long drink. After swallowing, I looked around, then with a very silly grin, released a loud uninterrupted burp. This got a loud cheer from the silent crowd, laughter and Pony styled applause. I laughed along with them, then held up Pinkie’s camera. “Can I ask someone to be the photographer for the party? I made a promise to a certain party Pony!”

“I can take care of that for you,” a familiar brown Earth Pony stallion said as he walked up and held out his hoof towards the camera.

“Thanks, Time Turner,” I said as I handed the camera over to him, then turned to the other party guests. “I’ve gotta say,” I said in a louder voice, “I didn’t expect this many Ponies to turn up for me.”

“You underestimate how many Ponies like you, Sir Bethridge,” a very familiar voice said from nearby. A white stallion with a dirty blonde mane walked out from the crowd, a wide smile on his face.

My jaw dropped and a smile broke out on my face as I bowed. “Prince Blueblood! This is a surprise!” I said as I bowed to him.

Blueblood laughed, a jovial friendly laugh as he replied, “There’s no need for that here. After all, we are both royalty in a sense, haha! Just call me Blueblood!”

“Then you can call me Jethro,” I replied, reaching out my hand to shake his hoof. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here, though.”

“Any excuse to get away from the politics of Canterlot and enjoy good food is something I’ll take,” Blueblood replied. All around me, the party guests were going back to their conversations or the party games that had been set up. “Ever since Aunt Celestia adopted me, I’ve been raised to understand the politics of the kingdom far too well.”

“Ah, the joys of being royalty,” I sighed. “I haven’t been emperor long and my own empire is a mess, so you can only imagine the headaches I’ve gotten just thinking about having to deal with it.”

“Well, just ignore those thoughts for tonight,” Blueblood advised. “It’s a party! Your party! Have fun!”

“I intend to,” I smiled.

“Good! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I saw some delicious snacks by the snack table and I intend to devour as much as I possibly can,” Blueblood said as he turned and headed over to the snack table.

With him leaving, I took the opportunity to get a closer look at the barn. The hay on the ground looked fresh enough. There were party lantern lights strung on the roof which illuminated the entire barn. There were large tables on the left and right of the barn, each containing many different sweets and hor'dourves along with a few barrels of either normal apple cider or the hard apple cider I now held in my hand. Near the back of the barn I saw a few party games, including, to my surprise, Twister. And not a Pony version, but an actual, bonefide Twister game. Not only that, but I saw a couple dart games set up along with a ping pong table and more.

“Jethro! Good to see you again!” a voice said from behind me.

Turning, I saw Star Hunter, the Pegasus astronomer I’d seen in front of Bon Bon’s shop approaching me with a happy smile on his face. I turned to face him and raised my hand in greeting. “Star Hunter! How’s it hanging?”

“A little to the left, but that’s not important now, is it?” Star said with a cheeky grin.

That was when I noticed the nearly empty mug of hard cider in his wing. I chuckled. “You know what I meant. How’ve you been? How’s the astronomy going?”

“Oh, pretty good,” he said as he lifted his mug and drained it completely before wiping his muzzle and continuing, “I discovered a comet a few days ago!”

“Hey, awesome!” I congratulated him. “Oh, and speaking of astronomy, I haven’t forgotten my promise to get you some books on human discoveries, ones that I bet you can confirm.”

“Confirm, what do you mean?” Star asked.

“Well, from what I’ve seen,” I began, “the stars of this world are completely identical to the ones from Earth. The only differences I’ve found astronomy-wise are the planets. Different names, different colors, hell, I’m almost positive Artemis is a living, breathing world just like Equestria.”

Star’s eyes widened. “You think so?”

“Unless I’m missing my mark completely,” I replied. “Hell, it’s possible that the second planet is one big jungle.”

“Apollo? I mean maybe,” Star said, “but it could just as easily be green clouds.”

“I suppose with the technology we have now we won’t know for a while,” I replied. “I mean, the brightest planet in our sky and the biggest in our solar system is Juno, and that could be a brown dwarf for all I know!”

“I have come up with a rather unusual theory,” Star said suddenly, lowering his voice and motioning me closer. I leaned in and he whispered, “I don’t think the princesses move the sun and moon. I think they move Equestria.”

I raised an eyebrow. In truth, I’d been considering such a theory myself, but had yet to bring it up with the princesses. With the rising of the sun, moon and stars having once been automatic, it seemed to make more sense that the magic the Dragons had first learned moved the planet instead of the sun, moon and stars. Besides, I had seen the curvature of the planet during my fight with Torch. I knew this world was round. I’d also looked at the sun through my solar telescope. It was an exact duplicate of my old world’s sun in appearance. I’d even seen a prominence and a sunspot or two. However, I needed more proof and I was only a stargazer, not an amateur astronomer. I pulled Star aside. “Can you provide evidence to support your claims?”

“With enough research, yeah,” Star said, “but I don’t have the funding or an observatory.”

“You want funding? Look no further,” I said with a grin. “You do know I’m practically rolling in it, as they say, right? I can get you the biggest telescope and observatory that money can buy. It might take a while with some of the more pressing matters I have at hand, but I can have someone build an observatory on a hill near Ponyville if you want.”

Star’s eyes widened in excitement as he reached out and shook my hand gratefully. “I’d love that! I’d love that a lot!”

“Good, now, let’s get back to the party,” I said a bit louder, looking over in anticipation towards the snack table. “I see deviled eggs!”

Star chuckled. “I’ll excuse myself, then. I’m sure I’m not the only stallion here who wants to talk to you.” With that, he turned and headed to the games section of the barn.

Afterwards, I grabbed a plate and filled it with the goodies on the table, including the aforementioned deviled eggs. Plenty of the snacks were apple based sure, but others weren’t. All were vegetarian, which didn’t bother me since they were all good. When I had finished loading up my plate, I turned and saw another familiar face approaching me. I was a bit struck by his being here, but I was glad to see him. “Mr. Rich! Good to see you!”

Filthy Rich smiled warmly at me and held out a hoof. “Sir Bethridge, I believe some congratulations are in order for you,” he said genuinely as I took his hoof and shook it. “It’s not every day we have a wedding in this town, and any wedding is definitely a cause for celebration.”

“All the Ponies in town are definitely excited,” I agreed with him. “I hope you’re having a good time here. And call me Jethro, please.”

“It’s a nice distraction from home life,” he said with a chuckle. I almost asked him right then and there how things were going between him, Spoiled and Diamond, but held back. Not only was it not my business, but from what I’d heard from the rumor grapevine, things had not been going well for Spoiled. I’d heard varying rumors ranging from the two having a trial separation to a full-on divorce. Whatever the case might have been, the few times I’d seen Spoiled, she’d given me a sullen look with bloodshot eyes.

So instead, I decided to briefly acknowledge his words before changing topics. “Yeah, I can only imagine. But I’m glad to see you here. A busy guy like you definitely needs a break. I mean hell, the last time I was in Barnyard Bargains it was buuusy!”

“The holiday season is our best time of year,” he replied, looking relieved that I hadn’t asked anything about his personal life, “and this year’s been busier than most. I’m actually considering opening up a branch store somewhere else. Maybe in Manehattan.”

“If Manehattan is like it’s Earth counterpart, it’ll be expensive,” I replied.

“Manehattan has an Earth counterpart?” Filthy asked curiously.

I pulled out my phone and showed him images of New York City. “It’s one of the biggest cities in my former home nation,” I explained, “and it’s expensive to live there, from what I’ve heard. I was only there once about fifteen or so years ago.”

“It certainly does look a lot like Manehattan,” Filthy Rich said in awe as I continued showing him images of the tall buildings, the taxis clogging the street and more. As I put my phone away, he asked, “Speaking of, do you think you’d ever go visit there?”

“What, Manehattan?” I asked. When he nodded, I smiled. “I’d love to go visit there sometime. Hell, I’d love to see other cities around Equestria. When things settle down and the weather gets better, of course.”

“Of course,” Filthy said with a chuckle. “I hear that Manehattan pizza is not a thing to miss.”

“New York style pizza is the same,” I laughed. “I tried my hand at making some once. It didn’t turn out as good as authentic New York pizza. It was still good, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t compare.”

“You cook?”

“As often as I can,” I replied. “It’s a good skill to have, at least I think so. Still, I can’t put a candle to Zecora’s Farasi meals. I mean that girl has some skill!”

“We have a chef at our house who cooks our meals for us,” Filthy replied, “so I’ve never tried my hoof at cooking myself. But I’m fairly confident I could make something simple if I put my mind to it.”

“Maybe your cook could teach you a thing or two,” I suggested. “I mean, I’ve watched many videos on how to cook from people who knew what they were doing, and that’s how I got better.”

“I might just do that,” Filthy said, “and not just for me, but for Diamond as well.”

“It doesn’t hurt to know how to cook,” I said in agreement. “Anyway, a new shop, eh? Where else have you considered setting one up?”

“Mostly in bigger cities,” Filthy replied. “I doubt anypony would want one in, say, Appleloosa.”

“Nah, I’d say stay away from smaller towns like that,” I advised. “Capitalist though you may be, it’s not a good idea with the way your economy works. It’s possible you might run other mom and pop stores out of business.”

“Mom and pop stores?” Filthy tilted his head curiously, almost like a curious dog.

“Ah, it’s a way of describing family run stores, like Carousel Boutique or Sugarcube Corner,” I explained. “I mean, back on Earth there are stores like that all around, but not as many as there were fifty or more years ago. Companies like Sears and Wal-Mart and Amazon have put a lot of those type of stores out of business thanks to their products being cheaper and more plentiful.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Filthy replied, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Maybe it’s because I grew up in a smaller town where there were more mom and pop stores,” I replied, “but to be honest, it’s a slippery slope. My old town didn’t escape it. We had a Wal-Mart grocery store in town, but we also had a place called McFinnigan’s. The latter was a bit more expensive, sure, but the customer service there was definitely better. I didn’t mind spending a bit more there because I value good service. Not to say that Wal-Mart’s wasn’t good. I did sometimes have to go shopping there for stuff that McFinnigan’s didn’t have, but it felt more sterile there, if that makes sense.” He took a pause to breathe, then continued, “What I guess I’m trying to say is that the bigger a company gets the more it can push out other similar businesses. I could do some research into it and give you the results.”

“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” Filthy admitted. “I’m a businesspony, Sir Bethridge-I mean Jethro, and what I do is for the benefit of my business.”

“I just hope your employees don’t suffer for it,” I replied. “I was a boss once, and I started from the bottom. I did everything in my power to make my employees happy to come to work instead of dreading it. Sure, there were always those Karens who’d come in and ruin someone’s day, and whenever that happened I would offer them an early day and a day off the next day, but for the most part, I think I succeeded in making the employees happy.”

“Karens?” Filthy asked.

“‘Let me talk to your manager, right now!’” I replied in a higher pitched and entitled voice.

“Ah, those,” Filthy replied in understanding. “Here, we call them…Spoiled Rottens.”

And just like that, the tension between us came back. I could see the pain in the poor guy’s eyes, and my heart reached out to him. Before I could stop myself, I heard myself asking, “Are you alright?”

Filthy pursed his lips and nodded slowly. “I’m trying to be,” he said shakily. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors spreading around town. If there’s anything we Ponies are good at, it’s spreading gossip.”

“Humans do it too,” I said in an attempt to be reassuring, “and I have heard conflicting things, but I put no credence in rumors until I hear something from the source. Which you don’t need to tell me.”

Filthy sighed. “I appreciate that, but I need to talk to someone. Another stallion…might as well be you, huh?” He looked up hopefully at me.

I suppressed the snarky remark that threatened to erupt from me, and instead gave him a tender smile. “I’m all ears.”

“I’ve…filed for a divorce from Spoiled and have filed for full custody of Diamond,” he finally admitted after a few false starts. “She’s not happy about it, but it’s for the best. I was hesitant to do it because I didn’t want to have Diamond be without a mother, but she needs a good mother, not the manipulative woman I married.”

I put a reassuring hand on his withers. “I’ve seen what happens when a couple stay together for their child. I think you’re making the right call.”

“Then why am I so afraid I’m not?” he wondered aloud.

“Divorce is a scary concept,” I said, trying my best to reassure the poor stallion. “Whether you’re human or Pony or anything else, it’s a scary thing to go through. It’s a big life change.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that,” he replied with a small smile. “I hope to Celestia I’m doing the right thing, but I know there’s a small part of me that will miss her. I tried to make it work, I really did, but it didn’t work. The worst part is talking about this to Diamond. I’m afraid she’ll start to hate me.” Clearing his throat, he looked up at me apologetically. “But enough about this. I came here to support you and escape thoughts like that for the evening. So here’s to you, good sir. To a happy and healthy marriage for you.” He held up the mug in his hoof and we clinked them before downing the toast.

“Thank you, and I wish you all the best as well,” I replied in kind, removing my hand from his withers.

“I appreciate that,” he smiled. “Well, I should let you go. I’m sure others want to talk to you, and there are certainly some fun games to play.”

For the next few hours, I had a hell of a time. I talked with everyone there, played a few games, ate and drank plenty, and even graced them with some songs from Earth. It was embarrassing but judging from the applause I got, it was certainly worth it.

As the party wound down at around nine (Spike and Big Mac told me that it was best I get a good night’s sleep before the wedding), they brought out a pile of gifts for me which ranged from a book that was actually titled The Pony Sutra (Blueblood’s gift to me) and a sturdy and very sharp saw and axe (Big Mac’s gift). Using the Eclipse Necklace, I stored them all for shipment back to my house later.

As the guests began heading out, I tried to volunteer to stay and help clean up, but Big Mac and a couple of the other farmers who’d been there told me that they’d handle it. I was just about to leave when Big Mac, who’d just taken Spike to their guest bedroom, called me over to him.

We were standing beneath the now darker night sky, the rising Juno bright enough to illuminate the snow in its glow. We were both standing near the entrance to the farm. Being a stallion of few words, Big Mac stayed silent as he presumably was forming his words carefully, and judging by the look on his face, I had a guess about what he wanted to talk about.

Finally, he cleared his throat, and in his deep rumbling voice, he asked, “I hear that my sister confessed to you recently.”

“She did,” I replied.

“Mmm,” he replied simply with a nod. Some more moments passed and he spoke again. “What did you say to her?”

“The truth,” I replied honestly. “Nothing less would satisfy her or any of your family. I told her that I was willing to go out on a date with her and see where this relationship might go. Can I ask a question?”

“Eeyup.”

“Ever since she discovered her new…magic, I guess, how’s she been? Nervous? Stalwart?”

Big Mac didn’t reply for a bit. Finally, he sighed. “She’s had some long talks with Granny. I think she’s scared, but her talks with Granny seem to help. And anytime she meets you, too.”

When I heard that, I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad. Has she managed to use that magic yet?”

He shook his head as he looked up at the farm behind him. I leaned against the sturdy gatepost and looked out at the vast landscape that was the farm. There were other farms around Ponyville, but the biggest by far was still Sweet Apple Acres. And it was definitely the most beautiful in my opinion. After a bit, he looked up at me. “Jethro Bethridge,” he began in a serious tone, “I know I’m gonna sound like an overprotective brother, but I don’t care. I know that my sister cares for you in a way she ain’t ever felt about any other stallion, but she’s still my sister. Don’t go breakin’ her heart, or you’ll answer to me, understood?”

“Big Macintosh Apple, I would never intentionally hurt your sister,” I promised solemnly. “She’s one of my best friends, and I love her like such. That being said, I’m still new to this whole herd thing, and it’s only been recently that I’ve opened my heart and mind to the possibility of dating multiple women. It’s a scary thing for me, but I’m doing my best. And if things go well between your sister and me, I’d be a lucky man to have her by my side. That, and I’d gain a whole new family and one of, if not the best, brother-in-law on the planet.”

Big Mac remained silent for a bit, then raised an eyebrow slowly. “Ain’t you jumpin’ the fence a bit fast there?”

I chuckled a little. “Yeah, I suppose I am. But I mean it. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent on this farm. I love talking with all of you. Apple Bloom is really sweet and excitable. Granny’s got the wisdom of the ages, AJ and I love to just talk while we work, and what time I spend with you is always peaceful.”

A smile began growing on Big Mac’s face. “I do like havin’ you around the farm. Yer a good stallion, hardworkin’ too. But she’s my family. My kin. I don’t want her hurtin’ again.”

“I don’t want that either,” I replied, remembering the time I’d seen her cry her eyes out near her parents’ graves, “I give you my oath that I’ll never do anything to intentionally hurt her.”

“…I believe you,” he said after a short pause. “My family means the world to me, and if that eventually includes you, then you’d mean a great deal to me too.”

“So would you,” I replied. “I’ve always wanted a brother.”

Big Mac gave me a little grin. “Same here.” He held up his hoof and I bumped it with my fist. “Now then, you’d best be headin’ home. Nopony wants an exhausted groom at a weddin’.”

I chuckled. “Duly noted. And thanks for looking after Spike. Poor guy partied himself to sleep.”

“Apple Bloom likes hangin’ out with him,” Big Mac said with a smile. “It’s good seein’ her makin’ new friends.”

“The Crusaders have been spending a lot of time with him lately,” I observed. “For now, though, I think I will head home. Thank you for a magnificent party, and sleep well.”

“See you tomorrow, Jethro,” Big Mac said with a friendly wave before turning and heading back towards the house.

I turned and headed back into town, the light of the biggest planet or brown dwarf in the solar system illuminating the snow. With it’s light illuminating the way, I had no problem making my way back to town.

It was almost time. It was almost here.

Tomorrow, I would be officially married to Zecora Mtunga Dawa.

150: A Cloaked Heart's Wedding Day Pt. 1

“Play a song for me Apple Jack, Apple Jack. Play a song for me and I'll sing. Play a song for me Apple Jack, Apple Jack. Play a song, let your banjo ring. Jesus Christ, why is that song stuck in my head? I’d rather have that MandoPony song about Zecora stuck in my head. Walk a hundred miles, then walk a hundred more, away from the place you used to know. Ugh, nope. Still got Apple Jack stuck in my head.”

I was standing in front of my full sized mirror, tying my tie once more. I had already eaten a light breakfast (I hadn’t been too hungry, but I’d forced myself to eat something so I didn’t collapse out of hunger) and could feel my nerves tensing up at the thought of actually going through with this wedding. I wasn’t having second thoughts. Far from it. I was never more sure about anything in my life. I was just nervous about beginning a brand new chapter of my life.

Beside me, Spike was fiddling with his own suit. I’d asked him to be the ring and earring bearer for the wedding while the CMC would be the flower fillies and all six of the Elements of Harmony along with Scarlet would be the maids. I didn’t really have any close friends of the male persuasion to be my best man, so I had also asked if Spike was willing to fill that role. Twilight and I had both simplified the job description for him. He’d been all for it but looked super stressed now. Smiling at the nervous drake’s expression of frustration, I knelt down and began adjusting his tie. “Deep breaths, Spike Sparkle.”

He looked at me. “I’ve never been to a wedding before. I’ve never been a ring bearer or best stallion before!” The poor guy looked frazzled, and in that moment I could see a family resemblance between him and Twilight despite not being blood related. Living with her certainly rubbed off on the young drake.

I chuckled. “I’ve never been married before,” I replied. “Trust me, we’ve practiced the wedding ceremony already. You did very well then, and you’ll do fine now.” I finished adjusting the tie and nodded. Rarity had insisted on making brand new suits for the two of us, and I was honored to accept her help. The few times that I’d visited her to check on how she was doing personally, she had a few other mares and a couple stallions who she’d temporarily hired to help make clothes for the various guests who were coming. Pretty much the entire town was going to come. I even remember seeing an invitation for a donkey named Matilda.

“If you say so,” Spike said. He looked at himself in the mirror. “Do I look good?”

I patted him on the head. “You look very handsome, Sir Spike of Aelyssia.” Removing my hand, I turned and made a few final adjustments to my suit. “Yes, very handsome indeed.”

“You think Rarity will like it?” Spike asked hopefully, looking into the mirror with a wide smile.

I almost began talking to him about why I personally thought him being in a relationship with Rarity wouldn’t work, but I didn’t want to ruin the day for me and for him. Instead, I smiled wider and squeezed his shoulder. “She made the suit, Spike. I’m positive she’ll love it.”

He swallowed and looked back up at me expectantly. “You think Zecora will like your suit?”

“Spike, she’s been my marefriend for months,” I smiled. “We love each other based on more than our looks. Sure, looks are important in certain areas of a relationship, but I love Zecora for who she is. My best friend. My confidant. My-oh, I’m reciting my personal vows again,” I said sheepishly as I patted my coat pocket where I had written my prepared words for later. “My point is, we love each other on a deeper level than appearances. But yes, I think that she’ll think I’m handsome. And I’m not saying that to be smug.”

Spike nodded. “I think she will, too. And I think you’ll love her wedding dress.”

“Oh? Have you seen it?” Spike grinned and crossed his arms, and that was all the answer I needed. “You cheeky devil, you,” I laughed. “But I agree. I’ve seen some of the Farasi wedding garb from her books. And I also know Rarity’s skill and her eye for detail. She’ll make Zecora look like a queen.”

“Well when she marries you, she technically will be, my Emperor,” Spike giggled.

I rolled my eyes. “Eh, she doesn’t want that responsibility.”

There was a knock at the door and Scarlet’s voice called out, “Hey, you ladies done gabbing like a bunch of old hens? It’s thirty minutes to showtime!”

“We’ll be out in a few,” I shouted back. “Shouldn’t you be there already?”

“Someone needs to make sure you make it to your own wedding!” Scarlet said with some snark. “You’d be late to wake up if it weren’t for me and Zecora.”

God, how horny was that mare? I thought. “Acknowledged,” I replied in my best impression of Captain Picard.

“Just get to the bridge at once, Captain Bethridge,” Scarlet laughed as she trotted off, humming the Star Trek: The Next Generation theme song. She had recently gotten into Star Trek and was devouring every bit of media she could find. She was even discussing going to Earth and trying to find a Star Trek convention at one point.

“That mare is a nightmare,” I muttered as I walked over to the door and grabbed my walking shoes. Sitting down, I put them on, tying the laces securely, then stood and threw on my overcoat to protect my clothes just in case. I grabbed my dress shoes, which I would put on at City Hall, and looked back at Spike who was at the door waiting. “Alright, you ready?”

“Yes, Dad.”

“Then let’s go.” I stepped out of my room and headed out, Spike in tow behind me. He wasn’t wearing shoes, but he didn’t need to. His feet were perfectly able to walk on most anything, unlike mine which were fleshy and vulnerable, much to Zecora’s utter frustration. Especially when I learned that both her feet were very ticklish.

Near the front door, Scarlet stood waiting. She was wearing a light blue dress with dark blue stripes like those of a Zebra. There was a gold circlet on her forehead with red gems encrusted on them. These were replicas of traditional Farasi wedding ringlets that were worn by their version of bridesmaids. Ponyville’s resident smith, Iron Forge, had worked long and hard to craft the best replicas he could. I’d paid him three times what he asked in gratitude. “Took you two long enough,” she replied with a fake glare. “Come on, you lazy boys. Time’s a wasting!”

“Yeah yeah, don’t get your feathers in a twist,” I retorted as I took a look at Phlogiston and Aurora. Both were in the living room along with the three Sirens. Adagio and Sonata were sitting on the floor, the latter babbling nonsense at the giggling baby dragon and the former watching with a stoic expression. Aria was sitting on one of the couches reading one of my Earth books. Perched on a bookshelf and keeping an eye on them was Hestia. Eve had already left and was at the ceremony venue. She wasn’t the only one, however. Gemini and Mica had also gone ahead to Town Hall while I was dressing, mostly to act as security. I knew Chrysalis was in her room still, presumably watching something on the staticnet laptop I’d loaned to her. Ember was in another version of the library I’d given Twilight, reading over some of the books in the hoard. “Phlogiston, I’m heading out now. Last chance to come. You’re more than welcome.”

Phlogiston shook her head. “I need to keep an eye on Aurora. Besides, mixing hatchlings with weddings is a bad idea.”

“Well, then at least come to the reception,” I replied. “I know the Ponies and other creatures would love to see you and Aurora. And that invitation is extended to everyone else here as well.”

“Will there be tacos?” Sonata asked hopefully.

I snorted. “I can make some for you later, but tacos and ponies don’t mix. Meat and all.”

Sonata’s wings lowered, but she nodded. “Right, sorry.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I can get you the ingredients for tacos later,” I replied, “but for now I need to go.”

Before I did, however, Adagio looked up from where she’d been playing with Aurora. “Um…congratulations on your wedding,” she said, much to my surprise.

“Thank you,” I replied with a warm smile. Turning to the others, I added, “I’ll see you all later. Remember, you’re all invited to the reception.”

“We’ll be there,” Sonata promised.

With that, I nodded, turned, opened the front door and stepped out into the brisk and sunny winter day. I stared up at the cobalt blue sky above my property. As promised, the clouds around my property had been cleared away by Rainbow Dash and her team. The rest of the town was still experiencing a winter snowfall. It always impressed me how organized the weather was in this world. I stepped out onto the porch, Spike and Scarlet close behind me. The door closed behind me and I walked down the porch stairs towards the now snow free lawn, which was covered with empty tables and chairs.

As I walked towards the gate, there was a slight rustling sound from just beyond the gate. I paused, raising an eyebrow as I called out, “Hello? Anyone there?”

“What is it?” Spike asked, by my side in an instant and looking at the gate protectively.

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I opened the gate quickly and looked out in both directions. However, I only saw the street covered in the still falling snow and a good number of hoofprints. There was nobody there. “Huh…could have sworn I heard something,” I muttered. Turning back to Scarlet and Spike, I smiled. “Probably just snow falling off of a tree.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Scarlet smirked as she walked out of the gate first, then lifted up so as not to get her hooves all covered in snow.

“Yeah, good call,” I chuckled as Spike exited my property as well. I closed my gate and we began walking down the street.

I was glad in that moment to have put on my snow boots because the snow that was falling around us now had made it hard to walk. Not wanting to ruin my clothes, I lifted Spike with my magic and spread my wings, lifting a few feet off of the ground and began flying down the street.

The journey to Town Hall was a quick one, especially since there were absolutely no Ponies on the streets. That was, until I reached Town Hall where I saw practically the entire town in the Town Square waiting. When I landed near the front of the Town Hall, I heard a familiar mare shout out, “There he is! There’s the stallion of the hour!”

Turning, I saw the mint colored Unicorn staring and waving at me with the widest grin on her face. She was wearing a light blue dress and had adjusted her mane so that it was in a bun. Beside her, Bon Bon wore a dark purple dress and had put her mane back in a ponytail. As the crowd of Ponies turned to look at me, I raised my hand and smiled warmly at them. “I’m glad to see all of you here for our wedding,” I said, “but what are you all doing out here?”

“We wanted to wait for you!” a random stallion shouted from the crowd.

I smiled wider as the crowd began moving closer. I heard various calls of congratulations and well wishes, along with even a few innuendoes which came from some of the teenage Ponies. Mostly stallion teens. I held up my hands to silence the crowd. When I felt like I could be heard, I elevated my voice and shouted, “You all honor me with your presence here today! I see that even those of you I’ve hardly spoken to are here! But let’s go inside and out of the snow! It’s cold out here!” That got a chorus of laughter as I headed inside, opening the purple and pink doors.

Inside, the scene before me took my breath away. Apparently, someone had been busy making some last minute adjustments because the assembly hall looked completely decked out. It reminded me a lot of the way it looked in the episode Slice of Life. There were large white chairs on either side of the red carpet with pink fringe that went from the door to the platform where Zecora and I would be standing during the ceremony. The balconies were decorated with banners that were varying colors, but which each bore the Zebra stripe patterns that seemed to be a large portion of Farasi clothing. Not only that, however, but the bows also bore the spiral pattern that was on Zecora’s flanks and which now graced her buttocks.

The flowers that decorated the sconces weren’t the type that exploded, however. Thanks to some help from Celestia, the Zebra ambassador had gotten access to various flowers that were in bloom on the equatorial Farasi, such as Farasi Violets, Carnations and Wild Hibiscus. It was also thanks to the ambassador that Spike and I both were able to wear real corsages made out of Carnations which were sitting on a table nearby waiting.

There was also a flower I had not expected to see in some of the sconces, my former state’s state flower, the Oregon Grape. In Equestria, it was known as a Holly-Leaved Barberry, which was what it was also called on Earth. I had a feeling I had Roseluck to thank for managing to scrounge up the state flower of my original state and made a note to ask her later.

There was a wedding archway on the stand at the front of the room, a light cream colored one with dark gray stripes decorating it. Hanging from both sides were two distinct banners. One was light gray with a darker gray spiral while the other was a banner mimicking the flag of the United States of America. I was touched by the gesture as I headed to the table with the corsages.

As the others began filing in and taking their seats, the sound of a door opening nearby caught my attention. Turning, I saw two lovely Alicorn princesses walking out of a nearby room followed closely by Mayor Mare, who gave me a wave and a smile as she took her place at the very front. Celestia caught sight of me and walked quickly over, followed by Luna. Both were actually wearing some kind of robes, Celestia’s being white with gold fringe and Luna’s being dark blue with silver fringe and swirls sewn into the fabric. “My dear knight, it’s so wonderful to see you here,” Celestia said as she approached the table where I was standing, wrapping one wing around me and pulling me into a hug.

I smiled back and returned her hug. “It is my wedding, after all,” I joked.

She slowly released me, only for Luna to approach and wrap her own wings around me. “It’s a wonderful occasion, and my sister and I are honored you are involving us.”

“Hey, you two are my friends,” I replied as Luna slowly broke the hug, “I wouldn’t leave you out of this. Not that you’d let me,” I added with a wry grin.

The Princesses actually looked a bit embarrassed at that. “We haven’t been officiates of a wedding in so many years,” Celestia replied, “and we both missed being able to do that.”

“And besides,” Luna added with a friendly nudge, “you are a fellow monarch. It seems only fitting.”

“I’m not complaining,” I replied with a smile. “I’m very honored that you two are officiating. It makes this day extra special for the two of us. I am surprised that the Zebra ambassadors couldn’t attend.”

“With the events of the Council, they couldn’t spare much more time,” Celestia explained. “They wanted to get started on this intercountry roadway.”

“An ambassador’s work is never done,” I grinned as I grabbed the corsages which had been specifically made for me and Spike. I knelt and began placing one on the young drake.

“Young Spike looks quite handsome in his clothes,” Luna observed, causing Spike to blush. “As do you, Sir Jethro.”

My smile only widened at that and I turned back briefly to Luna. Both she and Celestia were smiling at me with admiration in their eyes. “Thank you, that means a lot,” I replied before turning back to Spike. Once I finished with his corsage, I stood and began placing mine on.

However, Celestia lifted her horn and adjusted it faster than I could blink. “There you are,” she said, “your bride will be very happy with how you look.”

I grinned, then took a deep breath, suddenly overwhelmed with nerves. Looking out to the crowd, I saw absolutely no empty seats now. The balconies above were starting to fill with latecomer Ponies. At one point, I thought I caught a glimpse of a familiar green haired Unicorn botanist mare, but when I looked again, she was gone. I let out a breath slowly to calm myself before turning back to the Princesses. “It still surprises me that even after learning about My Little Pony, the entire town would come out to support me.”

Celestia and Luna’s smiles fell a bit at that. “Do you not feel worthy?” Luna asked.

“Oh no, I’m just surprised at how accepting your Ponies are,” I replied. “Much better than certain fanfictions.”

“Ah, we did read a few of the shorter ones when you were unconscious, such as some of those stories referred to as the Endingverse,” Luna whispered, ears drooping a bit. “Is that how humans see us? Xenophobic to the point of abuse?”

“I’ll explain more later,” I replied, “but for today, it’s a happy day. Let’s not ruin it for everyone.”

“Of course,” Luna said sheepishly before her smile returned. “We have a few minutes before the procession starts. Where are you planning on going for your honeymoon and when?”

“Actually, I was hoping to take her to Farasi,” I replied. “It won’t be an immediate honeymoon because I need to return to Aelyssia on the first of next year, but I’m hoping sometime after I return from the Citadel. I’ve heard some great things about the place and I was hoping to see where Zecora’s from. She’s pretty much seen my world, so it’s only fair.”

Celestia chuckled. “I was there once about three hundred years ago. It was a lovely nation, full of a rich culture. There are a lot of rituals there, but the Zebras I encountered were forgiving of any faux pas I accidentally committed.”

“I hope they’re the same,” I replied, “especially since I’m now the Emperor of all Dragons. And Zebras do have a bad history with them.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Celestia replied.

“I do wonder how they’ll react when they see Zecora’s new form,” I muttered.

“What they think will not matter to Zecora,” Luna replied. “Trust me, I have spoken to her a few times in her dreams. What matters to her is you. She loves you.”

I relaxed at that. “I know. I’m just a worrier.”

“I’m sure she appreciates it,” Celestia said, “but don’t go too far. I did, and it might have stunted Twilight’s emotional growth somewhat.”

“I understand,” I replied.

Celestia and Luna both smiled, then Celestia looked up at the clock above the door. “Time is almost here,” she said as she turned back to me and Spike. “It’s time for us to get ready.”

Nodding, I followed the two Princesses down the outer hall and into a side door which led to a waiting room. There, I caught my first glimpse of each of the bridesmaids aside from Scarlet. They were all wearing identical dresses to what Scarlet was wearing. They also each wore a golden circlet on their heads as well. I also saw some of the groomsmen sitting around. Carrot Cake was there as was Big Mac, the latter of whom looked exceptionally nervous.

When I walked in, I was immediately assaulted by a pink blur. Moving my wings I caught an incredibly excited Pinkie Pie and held her in my arms as she beamed down at me with the biggest smile on her face. Her mane had been permed somehow and was tied up neatly. “Jethy! How’s the handsomest groom in the room!”

I chuckled and leaned in, touching her nose with my own before giving her an Eskimo kiss. One which she returned with a giggle before I placed her down. “I’m doing alright.” I turned to the others, who were all looking at me expectantly. “How are you all doing?”

“Um, we’re alright,” Fluttershy replied softly. The butter colored pegasus had her mane tied up halfway down and it hung over her left side.

“What about you, sugarcube? Still nervous?” Applajack asked. Her mane had been curled up slightly and hung loosely on either side of her face.

“I won’t be not nervous until probably after the day is over,” I chuckled,

“Just take deep breaths, darling,” Rarity, who had her mane curled slightly more than it normally was, said with a reassuring smile as she walked up and put her hoof on my side.

“I know how stressful a change can be,” Twilight said. Her mane actually matched the way it had looked during the episode Castle Sweet Castle. I had no idea why Spike hadn’t seemed to like that style, to be honest. I’d loved it. “I might have been happy when Princess Celestia decreed that I live down here, but I still had time adjusting. Change is…scary for me.”

“Eh, change is pretty cool once you realize that it makes your life twenty percent cooler,” Rainbow Dash observed. Her mane had been combed considerably and looked nearly identical to how it had appeared at the Gala.

“Oh definitely,” I agreed.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said in agreement.

Mr. Cake walked over to me and put a hoof on my shoulder. He smiled as he said, “I remember when Cup and I got married. I was a nervous wreck. I love her so much and felt the same back then, but going from a bachelor to a married man was scary. My father sat me down the night before the wedding and told me, ‘Son, this is the biggest decision of your life. There’s no going back from this. Now I know you’re scared, but I guarantee you that Chiffon’s just as scared. Maybe more. I can’t promise that it’ll be a cake walk, but what I can say is if you put the work in, living life as a married stallion is one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. You’ve been a good son, now go be a good husband and future father.’”

“Yeah, I know it’ll be a lot of work,” I replied, “but I know what a good marriage looks like. I’ve seen how my parents used to work through their own difficulties, and I saw how a couple at my last job on Earth acted. And I’ve seen you and Cup.” I smiled down at Carrot. “You two are the goal of any couple. Sure, you might argue, but the argument is always resolved with communication.”

“Did you see that in your show?” Carrot asked curiously.

“No, I learned about it from Pinkie,” I said.

Pinkie waved at Carrot nervously. “I, um…needed somepony to talk to when you two were arguing last week…”

Carrot looked apologetically at the younger mare. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, Pinkie,” he said as he walked up to her. He hugged her close. “We were discussing something important and it got heated. We’ll try and keep it down from now on.”

Pinkie hugged her employer back. “It’s alright,” she said softly.

After Pinkie and Carrot broke the hug, there was a bit of silence. A silence that was broken about ten seconds later by Rarity. “Jethro! I almost forgot! Here!” She rushed over to a nearby saddlebag that was on the couch and rummaged through it. She pulled out a thin piece of fabric and floated it over to me. “Here, I managed to finish it late last night,” she said.

I plucked it out of the air and held it up. It was a simple ceremonial headband, dark green with light Zebra stripes along it. On one end was sewn a golden coin shaped medallion with a large tree engraved on it. In older Farasi cultures, they believed in something similar to Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Even though the myth of an actual tree was dispelled years ago, they believed currently in a number of different worlds both above and below the one they lived on.

I walked over to a nearby mirror and slowly put the band around my head, adjusting my hair so it didn’t get too messed up. It looked a bit odd in comparison to my human wedding tuxedo, but I didn’t care. I just couldn’t wait to see the surprise on Zecora’s face when she saw it. Turning to Rarity, I walked over, knelt and hugged the stunned Unicorn before she could react. “Thank you so much for this,” I whispered in her ear.

I felt the warm return of a Pony hug moments later. “I will admit, Iron Forge made the medallion, but I was honored to make a traditional wedding headband for you.”

“I certainly believe that your future wife will love it,” Celestia said.

Just then, the belltower nearby began to ring the time. It was ten o’clock in the morning. I straightened and looked around at the gathered Ponies and Dragon around me. “It’s showtime…everypony.”

Everyone seemed shocked by my choice of words, but then their eyes sparkled and their smiles widened. “Does this mean you’re gonna use words like somepony and anypony now?” Twilight asked.

I chuckled. “No, but I felt like the situation called for it. Now, why don’t we get ready, huh?” I walked over to the side door that led outside. Opening it, I looked back. “After you all.”

The procession went as well as could be expected. Celestia and Luna walked down the aisle first to stand at the archway. I followed the two and stood on the right side of the platform. The wedding party went next, with Scarlet appearing as the maid of honor. Spike took his spot right next to me, with Big Mac and Carrot Cake standing beside him.

Next, the Cutie Mark Crusaders walked down the aisle. All three were wearing the cutest little dresses as they spread roses along the path.

Then the music ceased. The crowd all stood and looked at the doorway expectantly. I put my hands in front of me, clasping them so as to not let it show that they were trembling. Beside me, I saw Spike put his claw worriedly in his pocket and pulled out a small box. Looking relieved, he put it back. The gathered crowd began quieting as nearby, a cello began to play The Wedding March, followed by the sound of an accompanying organ. Looking around, I spotted Octavia Melody playing her cello while Lyra Heartstrings sat at a large organ, playing said instrument with incredible skill.

The door opened, letting light stream in. A figure stood in the doorway, their shadow falling over the rose petal covered carpet. As the figure strolled down the walkway, my breath was taken away. There, wearing a replica of a traditional Farasi wedding dress made specifically for her, was my future wife. Zecora Mtunga Dawa.

The dress itself wasn’t white, but it was made of the finest silk. Purple flowers were sewn in patterns around yellow honeycombs. Wrapped around her waist was a black sash. There was a white veil over her head and I saw the glint of something on her head. A glint of gold. A matching wedding headband. Her wings were spread wide behind her, and she held in her hands a bouquet of traditional Farasi flowers. Her hands were covered with white wedding gloves.

As she walked closer, I found myself falling in love with her all over again. Her movements were all I could watch. They were graceful, stunning, and quite alluring. She walked down alone, and I could see her radiant smile even beneath the white veil. As she walked up, she stood on the left side of the platform, We both looked at each other as the traditional Wedding March finally came to a close and only silence remained.

A few seconds passed, and then Celestia and Luna stepped forward. Celestia spoke. “Dearly beloved…we are all gathered here in the spirit of harmony and love to join this man, Sir Jethro Edward Bethridge, and this mare, Zecora Mtunga Dawa, in the bonds of eternal and loving matrimony.” She stood straighter and looked out at the gathered crowd. “As I stand here with my sister to officiate this wedding, I am reminded of the many other couples my sister and I have officiated for over the years. Their ceremonies were ones of great pomp and circumstance, but I believe I can safely say that this is already, by far, my favorite wedding. The love that this town has poured out for this loving couple has been beyond anything I or my sister could have ever hoped would happen for the creatures before me. Both outsiders to your community and our nation, but both welcomed as one of our own and included in your day to day lives. Truly, Ponyville is the friendship capital of Equestria.”

Luna took over as Celestia stepped back. She looked at the crowd as she continued, “A marriage is a tender and loving bond, one that is one of the greatest blessings of life. To have two or more individuals joined together metaphorically as one should not be thought of lightly. These two have a powerful love that connects them and has continued to connect them for the past few months. Even a thousand years ago, marriage was what Ponies today would refer to as ‘a big deal, bro’.” This caused the crowd to laugh. Luna smirked, then continued. “Marriage is what brings us together, today. It is a blessed arrangement and a dream within a dream.” She then looked at the two of us, and with an innocent look, said directly to me and Zecora. “I charge the two of you to treasure your love. It is more valuable than all that you both own.”

I bit my lips in order not to laugh. Scarlet didn’t have as much success and she made rather horselike snort. I briefly glanced at Luna, who winked at me briefly. Celestia looked like she, too, was holding back laughter. She stepped forward and continued the introductory remarks. “When Jethro first came to our world, he was scared and alone. He feared greatly for his life so much that he kept his property shielded from outsiders. Zecora was the first creature he met and the two became close because of their similar situations. They were both aliens in this land, and in Jethro’s case this world. The bonds of friendship, one of Equestria’s founding principles, worked its magic on them and the two became the closest of friends. Those bonds became deeper until the bonds of love were added. Not replaced, but added. The best couples are also those who start out as the best of friends. And these two are certainly best friends.”

“Friends who have spent their time together and among their other friends, many of whom are standing here with us on this platform,” Luna added, gesturing to the Elements of Harmony, Spike and even Big Mac and Carrot, the latter of whom had begun to join the guys night out. “Each of these two have written their own vows and promises.”

I gestured to Zecora to go first, who produced a slip of paper from the inside of one of her gloves and held it up. She opened it, and spoke. “My dearest Jethro, my love, my savior, my friend, I promise to be with you until the finish.” She paused and under that veil, I saw her give me a cheeky grin. “I bet you thought I was going to say end and rhyme, didn’t you?” I heard the crowd laugh at this, and I smiled wide, a lot of the tension going out of me then. She giggled softly, and then continued when the laughter died down. “In all seriousness, however, I want you to know that I mean it. You are my strength and my mpenzi. Nothing will ever keep us apart, not even if we were as far from each other as the east is from the west. I love you more than Punda Mila loved Tai. I have never felt this way about any other creature alive. I will be there to bring you up in your darkest times and be with there to celebrate in your brightest. I will uphold the virtues of harmony around you. I will never fail to be honest, loyal, generous, and kind. I will fill the house with laughter and be your friend and lover. This I swear by all I hold dear.”

As she slipped the paper back into her glove, it took me a few minutes to react. It felt like my heart was going to burst. I resisted the urge to take her in my arms and kiss her right there. Slowly, I brought out my piece of paper. Opening it, I looked briefly at it before looking back at an expectant Zecora. “My beloved Zecora…practically from day one since I arrived on Equestrian soil, and even if I denied it for the longest time, we have been closer than I have been to anyone in a long time. You have become my best friend, my confidant and my lover. Before I came here, I had almost given up on the thought of ever finding someone to love, but you have proven me quite wrong. And I couldn’t be happier to be wrong. Being with you for the time I’ve been on this world has been nothing short of a blessing. My coming to this world might have been an accident-” I saw Twilight blush out of the corner of my eyes, “-but that accident led me to you. I will not take that blessing for granted. I will never take you for granted. I will be there for you and be your support in any endeavor you decide to take. I will uphold the virtues of harmony around you. I will never fail to be honest, loyal, generous, and kind. I will fill the house with laughter and be your friend and lover. I will love and cherish you forever. This I swear by all I hold dear.”

I could hear some sniffling sounds from the audience, including one captain of the Royal Guards. I saw some of the bridesmaids also tearing up. Luna was the next to speak. “These two have exchanged their personal vows, and now it is time for us to ask the traditional questions.”

Turning to me, Celestia asked, “Do you, Jethro Edward Bethridge, take this mare to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in harmonious matrimony, to have and to hold, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” I replied without hesitation.

Luna then turned to Zecora. “And do you, Zecora Mtunga Dawa, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in harmonious matrimony, to have and to hold, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” came Zecora’s reply.

Celestia smiled. “Do you have the rings and earrings?”

“Right here!” an excited Spike said, bringing out the black box and handing it to me. I took it and opened the box. Inside were two wedding rings and two cuff earrings with chains. Both of the rings were gold bands with our birthstones engraved at seven equidistant points apart. Mine was a garnet while Zecora’s was an emerald. The cuff earrings were more elaborate. Zecora’s was larger than my own as it had to accommodate her Zebra ears. The chain was made of sterling silver and the decorations that hung from them, a pair of Alicorn shaped wings, were made of diamond. Mine were identical to hers, only shrunken to fit my ears.

“The bride and groom have decided to engage in two rituals from both their cultures,” Celestia explained. “In the human culture, exchanging a ring is a symbol of eternal love and commitment. In Zebra culture, the earring is the same symbol, only it is more permanent as it involves the piercing of an ear. Jethro, if you would take the ring first?” I did so and took Zecora’s waiting hand, which was now bare as she had removed the white glove. “Now repeat after me: The fitting of this ring with its unending circle, symbolizes my everlasting love for you. The placing of this ring on your finger is the fulfillment of my dreams to have you as my friend, my love, my wife, to live as one forever.”

I repeated it as I placed the ring on her ring finger. Luna then took over. “Zecora, would you pick up the other ring and repeat after me? The fitting of this ring with its unending circle, symbolizes my everlasting love for you. The placing of this ring on your finger is the fulfillment of my dreams to have you as my friend, my love, my husband, to live as one forever.”

The moment she repeated those words, I knew that even if I wanted to, there was no going back. Celestia stood taller as she nodded towards the earrings. “The bride and groom will exchange traditional Farasi vows on the exchange and piercing of their earrings. Luna and I will provide a translation.”

And so began the traditional exchange of and the piercing of our earrings. Unlike the ring exchange, the piercing was done simultaneously. I lifted her veil slightly so that only her ear was visible, and she reached up to take my ear as well. As we had practiced before, we both said, with Celestia and Luna both translating, “This marring of our bodies with its permanence is a symbol of how your love has permanently changed me. It is also a promise and a pledge to never remove you from my life lest I leave a gaping hole that will never truly be filled again. It shall be a symbol to others and to each other that I am yours and you are mine, now and forever.”

There was a prick, a small bit of blood, but as I attached the earring and kept it there while Celestia and Luna both cast a rapid healing spell on the new holes, I felt the new weight on my right ear and welcomed its embrace. As we stepped back, Celestia and Luna said as one, “By the power vested in us, we now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

I looked down at my wife and lifted the veil, revealing for the first time the beaming and crying face of my new wife. I leaned forward and she put her arms around my neck. I placed my hands on her hips and pulled her closer.

Our lips locked, and as the thunderous applause of the crowd echoed in my ears, I deepened the kiss. I was now married. Married to my beloved Zecora.

151: A Cloaked Heart's Wedding Day Pt. 2

The entire town couldn’t stop cheering for me and Zecora as we walked down the walkway towards the exit. Somehow, and I suspected I had a nerdicorn with staticnet access to thank for this, they knew about the rice throwing tradition because the gathered crowd of Ponies threw rice at us as we walked out. I was laughing at that as was Zecora. I couldn’t help it.

When we reached the outside, I spread my wings, intent on flying my new wife towards the reception, but she surprised me by spreading her own wings and flying a few feet off the ground with amazing ease. Turning to Rainbow, the prismatic Pegasus gave me a wink and a grin. “She learns faster than you, private.”

I rolled my eyes and smirked as I took Zecora’s hand. “Then let’s fly, sweetheart. We have a meal to eat and a party to enjoy.”

She smiled back and squeezed my hand back. “Come fly with me,” she said as she pulled me higher into the air. As she did so, she took the bouquet in her hand and flung it behind her. I heard a number of shouts, and then a groan of embarrassment.

Looking back behind us, I saw that Rainbow Dash had somehow managed to catch it. She was looking at the flowers and blushing hard. “Why me…?” she muttered.

“Call it instant karma for mocking my husband, my dear Miss Dash,” Zecora said in a teasing tone, eliciting a laugh from the surrounding crowd.

Laughing along with them, I flew up and joined Zecora and the two of us slowly flew towards my, or rather our, house. The Ponies followed close behind us, talking animatedly. Many Pegasi were flying alongside us, offering us their congratulations and wishes for a long and happy life and marriage. Just like my body, my heart soared even higher and higher at each compliment and well-wishes. I lost track of how many Ponies I thanked, and judging from the plea in Zecora’s eyes she felt the same way.

Finally, we reached my front gate. I landed near the edge, opened it, and stepped through. Gemini and Mica immediately took up guard positions on the inside as the two of us walked in and directly over to the front table where my bride and I, along with our bridesmaids, groomsmen and the two Princesses would sit. I pulled the chairs out for all of them, then took my seat last. I watched as the Ponies poured in from either the gate or flew in above it. The tables were empty of food but not of plates, bowls and silverware. It took them a few minutes to come in.

As they were doing so, I felt an arm go through mine. Looking to my right, I saw my new wife looking up at me with a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes. I grabbed my handkerchief and began dabbing at her eyes. “Happy enough to cry, my dearest?” I asked with a wide smile.

She nodded. “That, and I don’t want this day to end.”

I leaned in and kissed her tenderly. “The day might come to an end, but our lives will be forever changed.”

She leaned against my shoulder, relaxing and sighing contentedly. From her side, I heard a few of the Ponies making a “D’awww” sound. I turned and smiled at the Mane Six, Scarlet and the two Princesses who were all looking at me with the widest smiles on their faces. Rarity spoke first. “You two look perfect together.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said from my left in agreement.

“I feel perfect with her,” I replied, running my hand through her long flowing mane. She relaxed at my touch and made a small humming sound. This elicited another round of “D’awwws” from the mares at the table. Even the Princesses got in on it.

Looking out at the crowd, I saw that nearly everyone was seated. A few more stragglers were running through the gate and finding last minute seats. I leaned my head against Zecora’s own and relaxed, closing my eyes and enjoying the moment with her. We sat like that for probably a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity of bliss. The eternity was broken, however, when someone jabbed my arm. Looking down, I saw that Spike was poking me. “Everypony’s here, Dad,” he whispered.

I slowly nodded then turned back to Zecora. “Baby, it’s time.”

She slowly and reluctantly sat back up, opening her eyes and looking out at the crowd. “Who would have thought that the Ponies who once ran away from me would be sitting here celebrating our wedding?” she softly said.

“I know, right?” I said as I stood, grabbed a glass and spoon and tapped at it, enhancing the sound it made with a bit of my magic. The sound of talking began to die down and everyone gave me their attention. When all was silent, I took a deep breath. “Hello, everybody!” I waited for the greetings to die down before I continued. “My wife and I are really happy to see all of you here. It means a lot that everyone here can share in the magic of this special day for us.” There was a thunderous applause that followed which even moved the glasses on the tables. I held up a hand for silence, and it eventually calmed down. “I’m sure a lot of you are eager to eat something, so I’ll try and make this brief.” Laughter spread through the crowd briefly. Then came my little joke. I reached underneath my chair, brought out a scroll and let it fall. It fell to the ground and I looked at the top as if I was reading something. Clearing my throat, I opened my mouth to say something, stopped, looked out at the crowd, then began crumpling up the paper and tossing it away, much to the apparent relief of the crowd. “All my wife and I really want to say is thank you for taking the time out of your day to come and spend the day with us. Celebrating our union with the town and the Ponies who have made us both feel as welcome as one of your own is a dream come true. And now, let the feast begin.”

I held up my hands, both of which began to glow with my signature magic. There was a flash, and the once empty tables were suddenly filled with food. Those seated at the table looked in awe at the variety of dishes. There was, of course, Baked Jollhoof Rice, Fried Noodles, Sandwiches, Egg Rolls, Salads, Deviled Eggs, Mashed Potatoes, Bread Rolls, Vegetarian Pizzas, and even some of the Veggie Burgers that Scarlet had created were included among the Farasi and human dishes. There were bottles of wine for the adults and barrels of cider for everyone. There were large pitchers of ice water on the tables as well.

“You got that from Harry Potter, didn’t you?” Twilight asked as she and everyone else at the table began to fill their plates with food.

“What, and Luna got that Princess Bride reference out of thin air?” I retorted, giving the now embarrassed Twilight a smirk before turning to Luna. “When did you watch that?”

“During Zecora’s bachelorette party,” Luna replied with a cheeky grin. “I was hoping to include the little lisp, but Celestia told me it would be inappropriate.”

“And nobody would get the reference anyway,” Celestia added.

“No, but I’ve been thinking about that,” I said with a wry grin. “I’ve been considering starting a weekly movie night here for anyone who wants to experience human cinema.”

“How so?” Twilight asked excitedly.

“Well, you do have projector technology, albeit one that relies on film and isn’t quite digital,” I explained. “I might construct a movie theater here in Ponyville, bringing some of the technology for more modern day projectors from Earth to make the theater.”

Everyone at the table looked excited at the prospect. Down near one of the tables, I saw Sunset looking up. “If you need help choosing movies that Ponies might like, I’m your mare.”

I looked down at her and chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind, Sunset, thanks.”

“I wouldn’t start with Lord of the Rings or anything with too much violence,” Sunset said.

“Oh of course not,” I agreed. “I’m thinking more along the lines of Disney movies first.”

“Good idea,” Fluttershy said with a small smile.

“Oh I can’t wait!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Movie dates will become a thing here too! And then there will be so many lovey dovey couples around there’ll be weddings galore and those parties will be so fun to plan and-”

“Hush there, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack chuckled, putting a hoof on the excitable party Pony’s lips to silence her.

“Well, in a sense she’s right,” I said. “On Earth, movie dates became quite common. Not as much now, but they’re still a thing. It’s a great first date option because after you go see it, you can head down to a restaurant and talk about the movie itself. It’s a good way to break the ice.”

“I look forward to enjoying a movie in this future theater,” Luna said. “And you said it is a movie night?”

“Nighttime is the best time for it, in my opinion,” I said. “Everyone’s done working and needs a way to unwind before bed. And there’s no better way than to just relax and enjoy some entertainment.”

“Wait, why not use the Ponyville Theater?” Rarity asked.

“I actually visited there once,” I replied. “The chairs aren’t really that comfortable and the wiring there is a few decades out of date even by Equestrian standards. I could blow the circuits if I tried to install a projector.”

Before anyone else could continue the conversation, I heard the sound of the house door opening. Turning, I saw Phlogiston walking out with Ember behind her. Phlogiston was holding a wide eyed and curious looking Aurora who was looking around. The others who followed did so looking a bit nervous, although Sonata looked more excited. I wasn’t surprised that Chrysalis hadn’t come out, so I decided to save some food for her, especially the meat dishes that had been prepared especially for me and any other omnivores who would come.

I nudged Zecora, who turned and looked at the newcomers with me. I stood and walked over to them, smiling. “You decided to join us after all,” I said happily.

Phlogiston beamed and nodded. “It’s not every day that your Emperor gets married,” she said. “I’m just sorry that I missed the ceremony.”

“I’m sure Scarlet recorded everything on her phone,” I replied as I looked down at the still awestruck Aurora. “And how did she behave while we were gone?”

“She was playing a lot with Auntie Adagio and Auntie Sonata,” Phlogiston said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Don’t call me that,” Adagio grumbled.

Sonata just giggled. “Hey, I think it suits you,” she said, giving Adagio a nudge with her elbow.

Aria just groaned. “Morons…” she muttered.

By this time, the guests had begun to take notice of the newcomers and were looking a bit nervous themselves. Not wanting to break the good mood, I stepped forward back to my chair and held up my hands for silence. “Allow me to introduce some more guests that Zecora and I have invited personally.” I turned and gestured for everyone standing on my porch to come forward. There was a brief moments hesitation from them before Ember, standing tall and proud, walked forward and stood on the platform where the main table stood. I looked out at the crowd. “This is Princess Ember of the Empire of Aelyssia. She is the Hand of the Emperor, meaning that she is like a regent to the Empire. It is thanks in part to her actions that the war between the Dragons and Ponies was averted.”

I then gestured for her to take a seat at one of the empty chairs at the main table. She did so, still sitting tall and proud. I then gestured to Phlogiston, who came forward with Aurora still in her claws. “This is Lady Phlogiston of Aelyssia. She is, well, I suppose you could call her a wet nurse. She has been taking care of this little cutie who was born very recently. The baby’s name is Aurora. Phlogiston has been staying with me ever since Aurora was born.” I gently took Aurora and lifted her up for everyone to see. “Isn’t she just the cutest child you’ve ever seen?”

The crowd all smiled and some even giggled at the cute sounds that Aurora was making. The little hatchling laughed as she looked out at the Ponies and tried to reach out to them. I eventually handed Aurora back to Phlogiston and then gestured for her to sit down. I then gestured to the Sirens. “These three might look human, but they were once three Siren Princesses in the old Aelyssian Empire. They were banished far away and underwent this metamorphosis. They will be returning with me to Aelyssia on the first of the new year. Their names are Adagio Dazzling, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk.”

As the three Sirens took a seat at the table, I walked back to my chair. “These are my honored guests, so I ask that you please treat them with all courtesy. That is all. Please enjoy the meal.”

The Ponies at the tables resumed their eating, but I did notice a few looking at the newcomers with some nervousness and curiosity. I kept an eye on the newcomers for a little while longer. Sonata seemed to be the most eager to eat. I had included some meat dishes on the main table for myself and for the others if they had joined us.

“Jeffro, dis party needsh shome moosic,” Pinkie Pie suddenly said with a mouthful of food.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, little miss chipmunk,” I chuckled as I pulled out my phone, opened my music, and began searching through my My Little Pony themed playlist. I smiled as I found a song that would definitely fit the mood. I cast the spell which would allow everyone to hear it in stereo, then stood. Once more, the crowd lowered their voices and focused on me. Smiling, I said, “As everyone here is aware, my old world created an entertainment for children called My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. It describes the adventures of the Elements of Harmony and at the same time teaches children good moral lessons on how to be a good friend. The television show was so popular that more than children became enthralled by the characters and the stories told. Many creators on my world began creating works of music and art based off of Equestria. I want to share some of the music from an amazing composer who created a number of pieces based off of this world. I think he’d be proud to know that his music is being heard by the Ponies he so adored.” And with that, I hit play.

Marcus Warner’s composition, Friendship Is Magic, began playing all around us. The Ponies tilted their heads and listened with curiosity as the music grew in intensity. Before it got too loud, I quickly informed the crowd what the title was. They all smiled at that and ate in silence as they listened to the orchestral piece.

As it played, I felt something unusual in the air. Nothing dangerous, but something unexpected. The sun might have been shining down on the party grounds, but the warmth I felt wasn’t from that. I looked around, wondering if anyone else was feeling said warmth. Everyone else seemed to be waving their heads back and forth as they listened to the music. All except for Zecora, who was looking up at me with the warmest of expressions on her face. Her eyes were sparkling with love, joy, gladness and more as she gently put her hand on my right cheek. Her silky smooth fingers moved my head upwards.

And I saw it. A glowing rainbow orb of light hovering above the property. Dead center above it, in fact. The colors swirled as if they were made of multicolored gasses. I saw every color conceivable, and even possibly some that were new to me altogether. I felt a surge of unwavering love wash over me like a wave, only the feeling didn’t seem to go away. In fact, the feeling only seemed to grow. I felt the presence of Zecora leaning against me on one side, and Spike leaning against me on the other. I felt their hands in mine, and the feeling tripled. It continued to grow, and despite me not looking, I somehow knew that everyone was joining hooves, claws and hands. Even the non-Pony guests.

The music that was playing began growing louder, but not so much as to damage eardrums. It seemed to permeate through me and presumably everyone around me. As the song reached the climax, the orb of light seemed to expand and shine brighter than the sun. Despite that, my eyes didn’t hurt or burn as I stared into the light. I felt the happiness, joy, and love of everyone else around me. The happiness and joy they felt about the day and the love they felt not just towards me and my bride, but for everyone around them. There was even a brief moment where I felt a feeling of love that the Sirens had for each other. A love bordering on protectiveness and familial bond.

I felt the deep love of the Apple family for each other, a love that honored the loss of Pear Butter and Bright Mac. One that I knew the two would be proud of were they here. I felt the deep bonds of friendship between the Elements of Harmony, the bonds which allowed them to wield the Equestrian artifacts. I felt the bonds between the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their growing crushes on Spike. I could feel the overwhelming love that Spike felt for his adopted family and for me as a father figure. I felt the deep bond between Lyra and Bon Bon and the bond between Octavia and Vinyl. I felt the familial love that existed between Celestia and Luna. I felt every bond of love and friendship and family in the moment that the orb was at its largest.

But above all, the bond that was the strongest in my mind was the bonds of love, romantic love, all directed at me. The strongest belonged to Zecora, and I latched onto it and responded in kind, pouring all my own feelings of love and desire into the bond. A bond that became trinary as I included a crying Scarlet. Her tears of joy only increased, and I felt my own feelings spill out in the form of tears.

As the song came to a close, and the feelings of those bonds slowly faded, I saw the orb decrease in size. A female voice, one I didn’t hear so much as feel the words. More importantly, I felt their intent. The words were ones that felt imprinted on my very soul. I would never forget them.

Love one another, as you have been loved. Bless one another, as you have been blessed. Join as one. Sing the song in harmonious resonance.

As the song ended, the orb vanished in a white flash. The spell was broken, leaving me feeling almost empty inside. That was, until I felt Spike’s claw and Zecora’s hand squeeze my own. I came back to the present and looked around. Everyone was looking stunned and dazed, but at the same time there were lingering smiles on their faces. I quickly paused my playlist and looked over at Zecora. There was a wide smile on her face but there were tears streaming down her face, much like the tears flowing from my eyes. Slowly, I brought her hand up and kissed the back of it. “Zecora…I love you so much,” I whispered, breaking the silence that everyone had slipped into.

Slowly, she reached up and wrapped her arms around me, leaning in and kissing me deeply. When she broke the kiss some time later, she said, “I love you too.”

With that, the conversation began again, only this time the voices were full of overwhelming emotion. Ponies were hugging each other, kind words were being spoken, tears were being shed, and there was laughter.

Suddenly, from beside me, I heard a wailing noise. Turning, I saw that the sound of crying came from one of the most unlikely sources I had ever expected. There, sitting near the edge of our table, Aria Blaze had her head lifted to the sky, eyes closed, and sobbing like there was no end to her tears.

Worried, I stood to check on her, but Adagio and Sonata were faster. The two stood and gently lifted Aria by her arms. Sonata looked over at me and nodded. “We’ll take care of her,” she said softly as she and Adagio led the still sobbing Aria back to the house.

Nodding towards them, I slowly sat back down. There was something in Sonata’s tone that said I could trust them. I turned back to look around. I next looked at Spike, who was looking up at me with the widest smile on his face. “I love you, Dad…”

“I love you too, kiddo,” I replied as I wrapped an arm around him. As he leaned into the hug, curiosity got the better of me. I turned to look at Celestia. “Do you know what just happened?”

Celestia, who was in the midst of hugging Luna, looked up at me with tears coming from her own eyes. Quickly she dabbed at her tears with a napkin. “I think…I think that was another form of the Fires of Friendship,” she replied.

“Did you hear the voice?” I asked.

She nodded. “I don’t know who or what that was, but I don’t think it meant us any harm.”

“Me neither,” I said as I turned to the crowd. Slowly, I poured a glass of wine for me and Zecora then poured a glass of cider for Spike. With that, I grabbed the glass and stood. I raised the glass. “My friends, in light of the events that have just transpired, I want to raise a toast.” I smiled and waited while everyone poured themselves a glass of either wine, cider or juice. When they had all raised their glasses, I cleared my throat. “I know this is going to sound corny, but I wanted to raise a toast to everyone here. This has been the best day of our lives.”

Here, I looked down at Zecora, who smiled up at me and promptly stood. She continued. “The feelings that I felt here will be ones that I will hold most dear.”

“I am gonna sound so corny for saying this,” I said with a smile, “but right now I don’t care. To the magic of friendship!”

As we all drank the toast, I felt a sliver of the same feelings I’d just experienced. Today was quickly turning into even more of an unforgettable day for me.

The rest of the day was equally as unforgettable as the appearance of the orb. Dessert was equally as amazing as the early lunch we celebrated. The Cakes had baked one of the biggest wedding cakes I had ever seen. Bon Bon had made some exquisite candies of various types, and I’d brought some Earth candies for the guests to enjoy, like Skittles, M&M’s and various snack sized candy bars.

My first dance with Zecora was to a slow-moving instrumental song composed by Octavia herself, one she’d called Love Conquers. Everyone’s eyes were on us as we danced on the temporary dance floor built for us. Our practice paid off, especially since we’d gotten some instructions on classical dancing from Trisha who’d come to visit a few days prior to help us. She was happy for us and extremely apologetic that neither she nor her friends could attend the wedding despite me having invited them. Apparently they all had volunteered for a charity event at Pendragon Presbyterian Church and didn’t want to break it. I told her that charity was something important and encouraged her to do so.

After a few other dances, including a traditional Farasi dance and a group dance, Pinkie Pie practically dragged me and Zecora to a large pile of wedding presents. She hardly gave either of us time to enjoy the presents that we did unwrap or unbag before shoving the next one into our hands. This didn’t last very long, however, as Pinkie was dragged away by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. That didn’t dampen her spirits, however, as she was practically hopping for the entire time that Zecora and I were opening presents.

We were given plenty of different presents from everyone, from a discount certificate from Ponyville Landscaped for any work on my property to twelve barrels of various apple products from the Apple family. New furniture, clothes, books, even toys for foals from the owner of the local toy store were only samples of the gifts that we were given by all of Ponyville’s citizens and its businesses.

Near the end, I spotted a small present that was sitting a bit out of the way from the others. I approached it and lifted it up. It felt heavy in my hands. Walking over to the nearest table, I set it down and opened it, only to see a lovely Aloe Vera plant, along with a small booklet on how to properly take care of it. I looked all around the wrapping paper to see who might have sent it, only to find a small message written in a very beautiful script that read Congratulations on your wedding, W.B.

W.B.…? Who could that be? I thought as I looked around the gathered Ponies who were watching. Suddenly, I spotted a lock of dark green hair moving behind the Younger Golden Apple tree. Turning, I handed the plant to Zecora. “Hang on, I’ll be right back,” I said as I turned back to the tree and walked up to it. Clearing my throat, I called out quietly, “Hello?”

I heard a gasp and then a familiar head popped out from behind the tree. Wallflower Blush locked eyes with me and froze. “Ah, um, I…hello.”

I smiled down at the shy Unicorn mare. “Did you give us that Aloe Vera plant?” She nodded shyly, hiding a bit behind her mane. Boy, she could give Fluttershy a run for her money in the shy department, I thought. I knelt and held out my hand to her. “Thank you for the gift, Wallflower.”

“You remember me?” she asked in alarm as she looked at me.

“Of course I do,” I replied in a reassuring tone.

She looked down at my still outstretched hand at that, and shied away temporarily before she returned and placed her hoof in my hand. I shook her hoof gratefully. “You’re…You’re welcome,” she said. “I hope you and your wife enjoy it…”

“We will,” I said with a final shake as I let go of her hoof. She seemed reluctant to let go, but she did. “Oh, did you ever manage to replant that Neighhon bonsai tree?”

She looked startled. “You remember that too?” I nodded. She then added, “Well…I did manage to save it. It’s growing in my greenhouse now.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I replied with a smile as I stood. “Sorry to cut this short, but my wife and I have more presents to open and a certain pink party Pony would explode if she had to wait even more.”

Wallflower giggled in an extremely cute voice and held her hoof to her mouth. “Ah, yes, I can imagine. And congratulations once again.”

“Thanks, and thank you for the gift.”

We parted ways and I went back to where Zecora was now opening something else. It took us a little over an hour to open every single present, and by that time the front of the yard had been cleared of tables. There were a few tables nearby with leftovers of food and dessert, but in the middle of the lawn was a massive pile of wood. This was one of the traditions of Farasi that I especially liked: a bonfire. Pinkie gathered up all the wrapping paper and stuffed it into the bottom of the pile in record time and folded the gift bags and set them on the porch swing.

Much like the cutting of the cake was done by both husband and wife in human culture, which we had done earlier, the lighting of the fire was done traditionally by a torch held by the husband and wife of Farasi culture. No magic was used. Instead, the two of us had to start a fire by using flint and tinder.

It took us a few minutes but eventually we lit the torch and approached the pile of wood and paper, our hands on the wooden torch. As we lowered the flaming stick, we looked at each other and, in Farasi, spoke the traditional words, “As this flame ignites a brighter flame, may the flames of our love only ever grow.”

We both stepped away and the flames spread quickly thanks to the paper within. Soon, the wood caught fire and the flames reached up higher and brighter. I took the time to look around at the gathered guests. They were spreading apart now, getting into smaller groups. Some were surrounding Phlogiston and Aurora and were cooing over the latter, calling her cute. Others were talking with an increasingly uncomfortable looking Ember, and the children had started up a rousing game of tag. This included Spike, who was running around and laughing as he played with the children his age.

I felt a hand slowly intertwine with my own. Looking down at my new wife, I smiled, leaned down and kissed her. Despite my earlier words, I too didn’t want this day to end.

Eventually, however, the day did have to end. It was five o’clock by the time the party had wound down and most of the guests had gone home. My closer friends stayed behind to help clean up the rest of the party grounds and to help me and Zecora put our new gifts away. I knew there wouldn’t be time to put them away properly until I got back from Aelyssia, but Scarlet, who had elected to remain behind, promised that she would take care of it.

The sun had set by the time everything was cleared away and the lawn looked pristine again. Our fridges were both bulging with leftover food despite the fact that we’d let Ponies take home leftovers. I decided that Zecora and I would take some of that food with us, if not a majority of it, when we left.

It was just past seven when I lifted Zecora up bridal style and carried her up to my, now our, bedroom. The look in her eyes told me that she wanted the night to be just as good as the day. Her arms were around my neck and she was running her hands through my hair as I opened the door with my magic. I stepped through and closed the door. Setting her on the bed, I cast a noise cancelling spell around the bedroom.

As Best Princess once had said, the night would last forever.

152: A Cloaked Heart's Wedding Night*

Author's Note

I'm wondering if I should even do more of these sex scenes. I mostly do them for practice, to be honest.

As always, you can skip this chapter. It's mostly clop anyway.

152: A Cloaked Heart's Wedding Night*

When I turned back after casting the noise cancelling spell, I saw my bride sitting up, hands on the side of the bed and her legs dangling over the side. She kicked a leg up, revealing the very erotic lingerie underneath for a brief moment before she lowered her leg. As I approached and removed my jacket, hanging it up nearby, she crossed one leg over the other, placing her hands on her knee and giving me a look of false innocence. She tilted her head before she reached back and began to undo her mane. As it fell down around her shoulders, her innocent look slowly morphed into one of complete seduction as she motioned me forward with one finger.

I slowly took a seat next to her, reaching down and taking her hand. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I could see that aside from the seductive desire in those eyes, there was a deeper need. A wanting. A yearning, and it was completely focused on me.

Bringing her hand up to my lips, I kissed the still gloved hand before slowly removing it. Zecora watched with an embarrassed expression as I began kissing up her arm slowly. “So,” I began, “how does it feel to be Mrs. Zecora Bethridge?”

A smile that went deeper and wider than any I’d ever seen from her before spread on her lips. Not physically, but more so emotionally. I gazed up at her, still kissing her arm as I moved upwards towards her shoulder. She opened her mouth, closed it again, opened it once more only for a soft moan to escape, closed it one more time, then finally in a shuddering tone replied, “A-About the same as it must feel for you to be Mr. Jethro Mtunga Dawa.”

I slowly pushed the shoulder straps of her wedding dress down, kissing her shoulder before moving to the nape of her neck. “Mmm…that good, huh?” I asked as I put both my hands on her upper arms.

With one hand, she reached back and placed her hand on the back of my head, craning her neck to give me better access. “A-Ah, you tease,” she whimpered, “you c-can’t wait until I get undressed?”

“Let me work my magic, dearest,” I insisted as I began moving upwards, slowly nibbling on her ear. This elicited a shudder of pleasure from my wife, one I could feel pass through her entire body. “Oh? You like that, huh?” I repeated the process, earning the same result from her.

“J-Jethro,” she gasped, arching her back with her wings shuddering. “Stop te-teasing me…you kn-know what I like…”

“Mmm,” was all I said as I slowly began to unzip the back of her dress.

“J-Jethro,” she whined, and I knew then that I had her. She was putty in my hands, and I hadn’t even gotten to the best part of the wedding night. I ran my hands up her slender frame, feeling her shuddering at my touch. She leaned back against me, looking up at me with pleading eyes. “P-Please…”

I smiled widely and moved my hands up to caress her breasts. I heard her breath catch as I ran my fingers along her nipples, feeling them stiffen at his touch even through the dress and bra she was wearing. I resumed kissing and nibbling her at the nape of her neck. I slowly began pulling her dress off, revealing a black and gray striped lace bra. She slowly turned around, mounted me and wrapped her arms around me. Her dress was around her waist as she leaned down and locked lips with me. A moan escaped her lips as I reached down and groped her asscheeks through her dress.

That did it. That sent her over the edge as she began to frantically pull at my clothes to get them off. Her kiss only deepened as she began to unbutton my shirt with surprising dexterity for someone who had only recently gotten hands permanently. She removed it and then we had to break the kiss as she removed my undershirt. While she was doing this, I helped her off with her dress, leaving her only in the lingerie she had worn.

As she began pulling my pants off, I looked her over. “You’re bold, wearing such slutty lingerie for me,” I said with a grin.

She looked up at me, eyelids narrowed and a seductive grin on her face. When I was only in my boxers, she stood and began slowly posing for me. “Do you like what you see?” she asked, bending over and lifting her tail to give me a perfect look at her ass.

“I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again,” I said, reaching out and grabbing her perfectly soft but firm mounds, “you’ve ruined human women for me.”

She moaned at my touch before she turned around and pounced on me, kissing me deeply and running her velvety hands across my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, my wings spread across the bed and twitching slightly as our tongues danced around inside each other’s mouths. Behind her, Zecora had her wings spread wide. After she broke the kiss, she reached behind her to remove her bra. “Prove it to me,” she demanded, licking her lips as her bra fell away, revealing her absolutely perfect breasts. “Prove it,” she repeated.

“Gladly, and for the rest of our lives,” I promised as I grabbed her and threw her onto her back, quickly pinning her down and looming over her, grinning at her and displaying my canines purposefully. I saw and felt another shudder passing through Zecora as I intertwined my fingers with her own. “I will keep on proving it to you.”

She blushed hard but smiled up at me with a look of deep love and desire in those blue eyes of hers. “I can’t wait.”

I squeezed her hands tightly as I locked lips with her again, pressing myself against her. She moaned and began grinding up against me almost instinctively, locking her legs around my hips despite the fact that we weren’t yet completely undressed. After another good makeout session, I began kissing down her body. Neck, upper chest, and finally her breasts. She gasped as I began to nibble at her nipples, swirling my tongue around her areolas and even sucking ever so slightly. She wrapped her arms around my head and pushed me down. “More…” she begged breathily. I obliged as I took more in her mouth. She inhaled sharply and clung to my head.

After a while, I pulled away. She whined and gave me a pleading look. “So needy,” I grinned as I began to remove the rest of her lingerie. After I was done, I pulled my boxers off, and my member sprang out, standing at full attention. Zecora looked at it with desire in her eyes as I continued moving down, teasing her stomach with my tongue as I kissed down further. I heard her whining as I moved further down. Her marehood was soaked already, and I grinned as I kissed her inner thighs. As I moved closer, I could hear her breathing increase in intensity.

Finally, my lips reached her lower ones. I gave her clit a quick lick which caused her to shudder. I let the pleasure run its course through her before I lick quickly once again. The shudder of pleasure that ran through her the second time lasted almost twice as long. “Love…please…” she whimpered.

Nodding, I moved closer and stuck my tongue deep inside her. I could feel her instant orgasm as she wrapped her legs around my head, locking them there. “Fuuuck…that’s it…” she moaned lustily as I moved my tongue around inside her. I felt her hands running through my long hair. She then pulled my head forward deeper. “Don’t stop!”

Why would I stop when you aren’t the only one in heaven right now? I thought to myself. And I was. I’d found that I absolutely loved doing this to her. Not only did she have a very earthy and robust musk that I found intoxicating, but there was an emotional factor. Just knowing that I could make my new bride feel good physically and emotionally from a few swirls of the tongue inside her made me feel joy that a simple orgasm could only hope to achieve.

As Zecora began grinding against my face, I could hear her breathing become more lustful. I could tell she was reaching yet another orgasm. Her legs locked around my head tighter as her grip on me tightened, her new nails digging into my head. As her second orgasm continued building up, I heard her breathless words as she said, “I can’t stop…oh Jethro…I’m so close…keep going…this is…fuck…”

I didn’t stop until I felt a quiver from the thighs wrapped around my head. I felt my face becoming wet with her second orgasm of the evening. She let out a contented sigh and her grip on my head relaxed. I slowly sat up and wiped my face dry. She was laying there, her eyes rolled back and her tongue handing out as she breathed heavily. I smirked and moved on top of her. “I hope you’re not too tired, babe,” I said, “because I’m not done.”

Shakily, she pointed to the end table. I followed her gesture and saw a crystal vial on the table. It was filled with a dark green liquid. I grabbed it and held it out to her. She tried to grab it but apparently two orgasms left her a bit shaky. I popped the cork and helped her drink it. It smelled a bit like mint mixed with Sakura blossoms. When she finished it, she took a deep breath, then exhaled. I put the now empty vial back on the end table, only to turn back and find that Zecora was on all fours in bed, tail lifted high to give me easy access. She still looked tired, but there was determination in those deep cyan eyes. “I…I want you to…rut me until I can’t walk!” she begged as she swayed her divine hips in my direction.

I grinned. “Rut you, huh? My plan exactly.”

She squirmed in anticipation as I got behind her, grasped her asscheeks in my hand and with one thrust, entered her. The moment I did so, her wings spread wide and a few feathers fell out. I gasped. She felt better than she had before. “Damn, what was in that vial?” I asked as I began moving in and out.

“S-Something that will intensify o-our time,” she said, moaning louder with each thrust.

And then I felt it. A wave of pleasure unlike anything I’d felt before washed over me. I would have cum right then and there had I not paused. It was an indescribable feeling to me. The closest I could come to describe it afterwards was if I had seen the face of God Himself, it was that pleasurable.

Zecora must have felt the same thing because she slammed her hips back against me, shot up into a kneeling position and reached back to grab the back of my head. “FUCK ME HARD!” she all but demanded.

I bit my lower lip as I shoved her down, burying her head into the pillow. She lost her balance and lay flat on her stomach now as I began thrusting down into her. She screamed into the pillow in pleasure as she gripped the sheets. “Who are you to give me orders??” I demanded of her, fully into the role now. That, and I found myself unable to stop slamming my manhood deep into her waiting and dripping pussy.

“Aaaah! Punish me! Make me earn my place!” she said as she once again seemed to cum around me.

Whatever she’d taken had obviously done its job very well. I felt waves of intense pleasure passing through me, and not just from my cock. My entire body was afire with feelings of deep desire, all directed at my lover. My dearest wife. I reached back and swatted her asscheeks, feeling her tense even more around me. “You are mine! ALL MINE!”

She squealed as I grabbed her wrists, pulled her up and thrust in and out greedily. Her wings were spread wide and she was looking up at the ceiling above the bed, eyes rolled back and tongue hanging out as I railed her. She couldn’t make any coherent words anymore, only moaning and screaming in ecstasy.

Finally, with one final massive thrust, I felt my first load filling her up. Whatever had been in that vial seemed to have increased the amount I came because I saw a good amount of my seed coming out of her after a few moments. She gasped, tensed up, then collapsed onto her stomach. I fell with her, not letting her spill anything she couldn’t take. Even if we were unable to have children naturally, the thought of me breeding her always excited me, and with whatever she’d taken earlier that feeling only intensified.

After what felt like an eternity of pleasure, I felt my orgasm subsiding. Shakily, I pulled out and saw my seed leaking from her gaping hole. When the fuck did I become a porn star, I thought as I balanced myself by pushing against the bed with my wings. I slowly brought myself to my feet and walked around to her. She was breathing heavily but had the biggest and happiest smile on her face. Her eyes were unfocused, but when I came into her field of vision, she focused on me, smiling and reaching a shaky hand out towards me. I took it and brought it to my cheek. “…love…you…” she said between deep breaths.

“I love you too, dearest,” I replied. “Come on, we’re both sweaty. I think we deserve a nice warm and slooow shower.”

Slowly, and with my help, she rolled over onto her back, legs spread apart wide and still quivering a bit. I reached down, picked her up bridal style, and carried her to the bathroom. I used my magic to turn on the shower to a comfortable temperature as we both stepped into the large area where the shower was. I closed the glass door and sat her down at the built in bench, letting the water wash over the two of us. She leaned against me and sighed contentedly as the warm water rinsed away the sweat and other bodily fluids. The showerhead had been replaced from one I’d gotten from Earth. It had taken a bit of adjusting, but now the shower could fit any from Earth. I had it set to a nice mist which reached us even on the bench. After we were both sufficiently wet, I grabbed the shampoo/conditioner mix I’d bought for her on Earth and began lathering up her mane, eliciting a moan from her as I massaged her temples. “Oh love…that feels like Elysium,” she said happily. “And it isn’t…even sex…”

I chuckled as I continued to lather her mane up. As I lathered up her tail next, I said, “Yeah, I remember getting my hair washed on Earth after a haircut. It was the best part of any professional haircut.”

She turned towards the shower’s shelf where all the shampoo and soap was, reached out, and used her budding telekinesis to bring my large shampoo/conditioner over. “Then let me return the favor,” she pleaded.

I smiled and turned around, letting her take the hairbands out of my hair, letting the flowing strands loose. I felt her hands running through my hair lovingly as she began washing my hair. I shuddered at her touch, the stress of the day melting away as she massaged my scalp. “Love, how do you keep all of this hair clean?” she asked as she poured some more shampoo into her hand.

“Let’s just say there’s a reason I tend to take most of my showers in my other house where water is free and unlimited,” I chuckled. “The water bill on this house can be high.”

She giggled and continued washing my long and wavy hair. After a while, it was too heavy to move and hung behind me all covered in the smell of Old Spice. “All clean,” she said.

After the two of us rinsed out the shampoo, I grabbed the soap and lathered up the shower puff. As the scent of the avocado soap bar that I’d gotten from Pendragon’s Whole Foods filled the air, I gestured for Zecora to come up. “Turn around, baby,” I said as I finished lathering up.

She did so, spreading her wings. I began to slowly and sensually wash her back. With one hand wrapped around her waist caressing her, I made sure to get every bit of her back. She shuddered and leaned back against me again. “Mmm…your touch is heavenly,” she said as I moved around and began washing her front.

I felt her pressing her perfect ass against my crotch as I began lathering up her large breasts. I leaned down and kissed her neck again as she grinded against me, making me hard once more. Her tail wrapped around my lower waist tightly as the effects of whatever she’d taken seemed to come back in full force. “Oh my husband…I need you again…please…” She grabbed the puff and tossed it aside, pulling me closer with her tail.

I grinned and pushed her against the wall. She spread her legs a bit to give me access, and as I slammed deep inside her, the sensation of intense pleasure returned. She screamed in ecstasy as her pussy walls clenched around my throbbing manhood. I immediately started ramming her hard, keeping my balance as with each thrust, wave after wave of desire for my wife passing through me and building up.

Zecora pressed her ass against me, grinding on me as she held onto one of the grips installed on the wall. I placed one hand over hers and the other grabbed her ass. She gasped as I smacked her ass, tightening around me as I ravaged her eagerly. “Yes, my husband! Wreck me! Plow this filthy sow!”

Her pleas spurred me on and I complied, slamming into her. “Yes! TAKE MY COCK!” I ordered, smacking her behind once more as I roughly fucked her.

I watched with satisfaction as her tongue hung out of her mouth and her eyes rolled back as she moaned louder. “Fill me, husband! Fill me until I buuurst!”

“You’re wish is my command!” I shouted as I sped up. I could feel her own orgasm approaching and mine was definitely not far behind. As we both finished at nearly the exact same time, it felt like fireworks were going off inside my head since the pleasure was that intense. She was gripping the handhold so hard that I could see her knuckles getting white.

When I was finished unleashing my second load of the night inside her, I felt Zecora’s knees buckling so I caught her and led her quickly back to the bench. She leaned against me, panting heavily.

As we both recovered, I gazed lovingly down at her. Her eyes were half closed, a goofy smile on her face, and her chest was heaving as she drank in the steamy air around us. Her wings were lowered and I could see her legs quivering. I put my arm around her and leaned my head on hers. I was really married to her, now. I was a bachelor no more. I was a happily married man. My wife was the most beautiful Zebra, or Zebricorn, in the world. My worries and fears for the following days melted away. They were future Jethro’s problem. For now, I was basking in the afterglow of our first lovemaking session as husband and wife.

As the water washed over us, I felt Zecora’s hands running up my chest. I looked down at her. She was giving me a deep loving gaze. I raised an eyebrow. “You’re not done yet, are you?” I asked.

She shook her head. “You haven’t even tied me up?” she whined.

I licked my lips in anticipation. This freaky Zebra mare… I cleared my throat. “Let’s finish up here, then it’s time for round three.”

She hummed happily and nuzzled her face into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her. It was going to be a long night…

154: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 2

During the latter part of the trip, I learned that Wallflower had brought a few bags with her as well, all disguised as supplies. However, she reassured me that she hadn’t taken any of the other supplies given to me and had simply added herself and her bags. She tried to explain why she had come, but I cut her off, telling her that she could explain herself when we got to her destination.

Sunset seemed to recognize Wallflower after a while and said that Wallflower reminded her of a very shy college student at Camelot Community College named Abigail. For the rest of the trip to Aelyssia, she spoke to Wallflower, although in fairness it was mostly Sunset doing the talking. Zecora and Scarlet joined the two after a while, and after a half hour, it seemed as if Wallflower was slowly starting to open up.

The Sirens all seemed anxious to see Aelyssia once again. For a while, Sonata talked my ear off. She might have had a smile on her face, but I could see she was just as nervous as the other two. When I felt she was on the verge of a breakdown, I stopped her and directed the conversation towards Aelyssia. She admitted that she was scared to see her old homeland again. She felt like she’d failed it by running away with the other two. I reassured her and the other two who were eavesdropping in that their actions at the time were understandable.

To my complete surprise, Chrysalis and Ember spoke to each other after the Sleeping Beauty movie. I couldn’t hear what they were discussing, but from where I stood, it looked as if they were at least being cordial. I kept an eye on them just in case, however.

Gemini and Mica never left my side as I steered the helm. It took a while, but I did manage to strike up some kind of conversation with them. Mica was the more talkative one and informed me that he had been speaking more and more often with the waitress who had visited my house during the unfortunate Rich family visit. I could see his feelings for Strawberry had only developed more. Gemini told me while Mica was in the ship’s head that she wasn’t too enthused about the potential couple, but I encouraged her to lighten up and let things progress.

Some time before sunset, we reached the shores of Aelyssia. It might have only been a short time since I’d seen this barren land, but it felt like an eternity. We passed over the once capital city, where Sunset informed me that whatever magical barrier had once surrounded it and had been repelling Dragons had now vanished. It looked the same as it had before, including the recently demolished tower. The Sirens all looked over the side as we passed over, and I could see them talking to each other, pointing and appearing to reminisce, although it was actually Sonata doing most of the reminiscing. Chrysalis and Ember both watched it pass in silence while Zecora, Scarlet, Wallflower and Sunset all looked over the side at it with varying degrees of wonder, the latter having never seen it before.

We reached our first destination right as the sun was reaching the western horizon. Duzoroth Tower hadn’t changed much since I’d first found myself there after my fight with the former Dragon Lord. When I landed the Resplendent just off of the coast of Duzoroth Island, I was greeted by the four guards who had traveled with me to the council, Lahar, Strato, Scoria and Silica. They led us to our rooms in the tower where we would stay for the night. Zecora, Scarlet and I would be staying in the main suite where Torch had once slept and the others were each given rooms of their own. Even though I hadn’t planned on Wallflower being with us, Lahar informed me that there was one room for her, which I ordered the guards to make up for her. After that, I ordered them, along with Gemini and Mica, to begin unloading the supplies and place them in the tower for the time being where they could be guarded until I could distribute them the following day as I had planned.

Once more, we were treated to a magnificent feast in the tower’s dining hall. It was a quiet affair, with most of the participants remaining silent. After one of the most uncomfortable dinners I’d ever had, everyone went to their rooms to rest up. However, I asked Wallflower to remain.

The two of us walked out into the cool night air. Due to Aelyssia being closer to Equestria’s equator, the temperature outside was a number of degrees warmer than back in Ponyville. The night sky was clear and the stars shone brilliantly above us. I saw the constellation Orion hanging prominently in the southern portion of the sky. Beside me, Wallflower looked down at the sand nervously.

Casting a Candlelight spell directly over the two of us, I took a seat in the sand and motioned for her to sit as well after I removed my cloak and set it down for her. When she did so, I crossed my legs and looked directly at her. “Wallflower Blush, look at me.”

Slowly, she looked up, her bright brown eyes looking scared as she faced me. “Y-Yes?” she finally stammered out.

“I want to know the truth. Why did you come following me?” I asked sternly, arms crossed. “To be honest, this could very well be considered a crime. Stalking is a crime, you know.”

Wallflower winced and lowered her head, but I gently used my magic to make her look back up at me. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, however, so I gently released her and softened my tone. “Wallflower, please tell me what your plan was,” I requested instead. “Why did you sneak on board my ship?”

After a few false starts, Wallflower sighed. Looking up at me, she said, “I…ever since you talked to me that day, I’ve…been watching you. You’re one of the first in a long time who’s ever seemed to notice me aside from my family. Nopony in Ponyville really knows me. Sure, they stop by my shop for plants, but I…I have nopony to talk to. You were the first who actually noticed me.”

I internally winced. Just like her Equestria Girls counterpart in the show, she was a loner who wasn’t noticed by anyone. And now it turned out one positive interaction from me was enough to put me on her radar. I thought back to the few times lately that I had felt or heard something nearby and wondered whether or not it was her. She continued as she said, “I know I’ve been watching you, and I know how wrong it is, but I just wanted to try and help you in any way that I can. When I heard you were going back to Aelyssia, I figured I could volunteer and help with plant growing, but I never got a chance to get close to you. I was desperate!”

Whoo boy, this mare has issues, I thought with an internal sigh as I uncrossed my arms and looked at her closely. On the one hand, I couldn’t just send her home, but on the other she needed some kind of counseling. This was a worrying development. However, something she said stuck with me. I looked back at her. “Wallflower, what’s your cutie mark mean? What’s your special skill?”

She looked at her flank, then back at me. “Well…I’m skilled in magic related to plants,” she replied. “I know several spells that can make plants grow even in the harshest of environments and can brew up potions that do the same.”

“Potions, huh…?” I muttered to myself. Looking up at her, I saw a pleading look in her tear-stained eyes. A part of me felt badly for her, but at the same time I knew she needed help. If only being acknowledged once was enough for her to go full stalker on me, she needed looking after while she was here. Still, while she was here, perhaps she could be of some use to my new empire. I had not seen many plants around Aelyssia, although I did know of some that had to have been somewhere on the continent, especially the forests where the Phoenixes lived and the place where the Kirin’s lived. Still, having a stable source of food would eventually help in the long run.

I sighed and looked up at her. “Honestly, I really should send you back home-”

“Please don’t!” Wallflower begged. “I want to thank you somehow! I know what I did was wrong, but I was hoping that if I watched you enough, I could find a way to repay you!” She poked at the ground with her hoof, digging up the sand. “I’m not very good at being social,” she admitted. “So please, let me stay?” She gave me her best cute Pony pout, one that others had used on me a few times.

I frowned at her, thinking. Here was yet another test of my leadership abilities. If I just let her off the hook, it might encourage more behavior like this from her. However, I realized that one of the major things we would need in creating a functioning nation would be crops, and if she was as skilled as she claimed and was offering her services to me freely, I’d be a fool to refuse. Still, she was an Equestrian citizen. I finally sighed. “You realize you’d be aiding a foreign nation on your own. I’m not entirely sure how the Princesses will react when I tell them you stowed away. And I’ll have to tell them, you know?”

Wallflower froze, but nodded after a while. “I-I understand,” she said. “I’m really sorry…”

“I’m sure you are,” I replied, slowly standing. She stood as well, floating my cloak over towards me with her light brown-ish magic. I took it, shook off the sand, and put it back on. “You better come back with me. I’m about to make my nightly report back to my friends, and I’ll need to tell them about you. And one of them has direct access to Princess Celestia.”

“Really, Celestia? Are you sure about?” I asked about a half hour later.

“Yes, I’m sure, Jethro,” Celestia said on my laptop screen. Thanks to my loaning Celestia and Luna the laptop I’d bought in Pendragon on my first visit, we were able to have conference calls on, ironically enough, the Discord app. It seemed to me that Discord was a better app to use than Skype, so I’d loaned my laptop to the Princesses until I could go back to Earth and purchase one on their behalf. She and Luna were both sitting in what appeared to be Celestia’s bedroom. “I don’t mind if young Wallflower assists you. It was her own decision, after all. Although you did go about it in a worrying way, my little Pony,” she added, looking over at the now embarrassed Wallflower who was sitting next to me at the desk that was now in my temporary bedroom.

Beside me, Wallflower looked at the screen. “I-I know, Princess,” she said, “b-but I wanted to help him to repay his kindness.”

“There were many other ways you could have done so,” Celestia replied. “Did you ever think of asking?”

“But what if he’d said no?” Wallflower asked.

“What if I’d said yes?” I asked back, looking down at her. “Wallflower, the Princess just told me about your time at her school for gifted Unicorns and I have assurances from Zecora that your potions are top notch. I knew one of my biggest problems in this country would be growing our own food so we wouldn’t have to completely rely on foreign exports. If you’d asked me, I’d have seriously considered your help. I was only a banker and a manager back on Earth and my knowledge of plants is rudimentary at best. I don’t know if any Dragons here are plant experts either.”

“My little Pony, sometimes the simplest solutions are the correct ones,” Celestia added. She gave Wallflower a smile, staring directly at the camera instead of the laptop screen. “I remember you from my school quite well, Wallflower Blush. You greatly surpassed your peers in the study of plants and herbs. If anypony could help in the revitalization of the land of our new Aelyssian allies, it would be you. However, when you inevitably return to Equestria, I would like you to come speak with a counselor once a week. It would be a good outlet for you.”

Wallflower nodded. “I understand, your Highness.”

Luna spoke up. “I recommend the counselor I have been seeing lately, Doctor Diagnosis. She is quite the excellent listener and has helped me to better adjust to this new modern world.”

Wallflower nodded once again. “Thank you for the suggestion, your Highness.”

“Anytime, young Pony,” Luna replied. “And now, Miss Wallflower, if you wouldn’t mind leaving the room now, there are things we need to talk with the Emperor about alone.”

She stood and bowed to the laptop before giving me a grateful smile and heading out of the room. Once she’d closed the door behind her, I locked it temporarily before turning back to the laptop screen. “Okay, she’s out of the room. What do you need to talk about?” I asked.

“We wanted to help give you some advice,” Celestia said. “My sister and I are well aware that this will be a new test for you, and we wanted to give you as much help as we could.”

“What are your plans for your time in Aelyssia?” Luna asked.

“Well, for one, I’m going to be leading the Dragons back to Virynth Atheos,” I said. “The city’s shield is down, so we should be able to begin the reconstruction process without that issue. We’ll also be searching for sites we can use as quarries to help shape new stones. Ember tells me that the city itself is capable of holding many Dragons within its walls. From what I remember, it’s held up remarkably well, but we’ll be double checking everything just to be sure of that. Second, we’ll begin not only putting the supplies that Ponyville gave me to good use, but we’ll probably be scouting for more food. With Wallflower here, she may be able to help with our agricultural problems. Ember and I will also be scouting the Dragons for talents that can be utilized in the restructuring and rebirth of our empire. She knows many of the Dragons here as well as their talents. I’ll be giving a speech tomorrow before we leave based off of something used by a Chinese leader back in the third century.”

“What kind of speech?” Celestia asked.

“I’ll be issuing an edict calling for those with talents to help out the empire and issuing a reward to anyone who can prove they have a skill needed to aid in our reconstruction,” I replied. I figured that whoever wrote How A Realist Rebuilt The Kingdom wouldn’t mind if I borrowed the speech, especially since it was based off of something in real life China anyway. “We’ll need all the help we can get, and you know just how stubborn Dragons can be when accepting help.”

Luna nodded. “An excellent idea,” she said.

“I agree,” Celestia added. “A good leader knows when to pass on responsibilities for certain tasks.”

“Yeah, delegating is something I’ll be getting used to,” I replied, “but I’ll basically be pushing a lot of responsibility onto Ember. Sure, she’s about seventy years older than I am, but I know she has what it takes to be a great leader. Not only because of what I saw in the show, but because of what I’ve been seeing lately. She’s come up with ideas I wouldn’t have been able to think of since she’s lived in Old Aelyssia her entire life. She’s still young by Dragon standards, but she has a maturity of someone twice her age. Sure, neither of us have the experience and years you have, Celestia, or even what you have, Luna, but I hope as time goes on and the rebuilding continues, we’ll grow as leaders.”

Celestia and Luna both gave me a warm smile, before the former smirked. “My dear Emperor, are you calling us old?”

I smirked back. “I prefer the term more experienced.” Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. “Oh my…”

“It looks as if you’ve come up with a new idea,” Celestia said.

“I just had a thought about Twilight Sparkle,” I replied.

“What about her?” Celestia asked, sounding intrigued.

“Well, she’s still a bit on the fence about ascension to becoming an Alicorn, right?” I began. “See, the problem I had with how it was portrayed in the show wasn’t just that she didn’t get a choice, no offense, but that she didn’t have quite the experience you two have. You two were there at the beginnings of Equestria. You helped build up a nation, just like I’m about to do-”

“And you feel like having Twilight spending some of her time helping would give her some experience in this matter? Along, perhaps, with Sunset Shimmer?” Celestia finished.

“Exactly,” I replied. “If I can figure out how to open up a doorway portal between Virynth Atheos and Ponyville, she can come spend a bit of time here in an advisory position. She’s very well read, so she could perhaps come up with ideas that someone like me or Ember might not be able to think of right away. Of course, it wouldn’t be much time on her part, since she’s still learning about friendship in Ponyville, but there’s no better way to experience leadership than in helping to build up something from the ground up. Sure, it won’t exactly be the same as building up a nation based around friendship and harmony, but the experience she gains from being an advisor would be greatly helpful.”

Celestia took on a thoughtful look, while Luna seemed to be nodding in approval. Celestia finally slowly nodded. “I can see your point, Your Grace,” she said, slipping into her Princess persona. As I slipped into my Emperor persona, she continued. “Twilight would benefit greatly at being an advisor and learning how to properly rule. However, regardless of whether or not she decides she wishes to ascend, I believe that Twilight Sparkle is not quite the right fit for advising the Aelyssian Empire.” She placed particular emphasis on her final word. Before I could say anything, however, she raised a hoof. “Please let me explain my reasons. Twilight is young and while she might be knowledgeable about many different leaders and their histories thanks to her love of books and your access to the staticnet, she does not quite have as much real world experience as would befit becoming an advisor. She needs to be eased into a ruler role if she chooses the path of ascension. Now my student Sunset Shimmer, on the other hand, has ten years of real world experience. She is stronger, more independent, and closer to becoming an Alicorn than she was ten years ago. Plus, she has always had a fascination with Dragons. If she, too, decides she wants to attempt the ascension, I believe she would be a good counterpoint to Twilight. The two are similar in many ways, but different in the ways that count. Now unlike what you say happens to me in the show, I have no intention of retiring from my Princess duties anytime soon, but having two other princesses would certainly ease the pressures on me and my sister. Yes, I know that sounds lazy, but I know they are capable of growing in this manner. Your thoughts?”

I leaned back, thinking about all that she had just laid on me. I couldn’t deny that Sunset had most definitely gained more experience than she ever could have gotten back in Canterlot. The twenty-six year old mare had to figure out how to live in a foreign world, for God’s sake! And in the end, she had a place of her own, had sold everything she came to Earth with and had earned a solid chunk of change to live off of among other things. She’d even managed to create identification for herself, which I intended to put to good use somewhere down the line so I could get products from Earth more easily as well as a car. Twilight had plenty of talents and in certain areas could potentially be a good leader. Of Ponies. But Sunset? She’d seen the best and worst of what humanity had to offer, and Dragons were more similar to humans than humans were to Ponies. I stroked my chin thoughtfully, making a mental note to shave sometime. Finally, I nodded. “Yes, I agree. I see your point. Alright, I’ll talk to Sunset about becoming a part time advisor to me and Ember. She might thrive here doing that as well as researching any archives we dig up in Virynth Atheos.”

Celestia smiled. “She was always more of a hooves on student than Twilight. She would always head out into the field and get her hooves dirty, as she put it.”

“I remember seeing that in an Equestria Girls short,” I said, “but I can definitely talk to her about this at some point.”

“Could you also tell her that I’m going to miss her?” Celestia asked with a slightly worried expression on her face.

I nodded. “I will, I promise. And thank you for this talk. I know you’re tired, Celestia, and I know you need to be in the dream world now, Luna, but it means a lot that you set time aside for this call.”

The two smiled at me. “It is always a pleasure to speak with you,” Luna replied.

“Well, I shouldn’t keep you,” I said as I moved to end the call.

“Wait one moment,” Celestia said, extending her hoof. “We wanted to give you a special farewell sendoff since we won’t be available for the next few nights to talk except in an emergency.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What kind of sendoff?”

Luna began casting some sort of spell and I heard the sound of a mouse clicking off screen, but I noticed that she looked embarrassed. She looked up at Celestia. “Sister, do we really have to? It’s embarrassing…”

“You were the one who came up with it, Lu,” Celestia smiled as she nudged her sister.

“I said it in jest after we watched that series on YouTube,” Luna moaned.

“Still, it’s a fun little thing. Come on!”

Luna pursed her lips and groaned. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Just wait and see,” Celestia said, and I saw a brief smirk pass over her lips as Luna, clearly the more tech savvy of the two, stopped clicking and typed out something using her magic. When she finished, she clicked on something.

After a few seconds, a second screen appeared and Twilight Sparkle appeared. She was sitting at her desk and her eyes widened happily when she looked at her screen. “Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Jethro! I’m so glad to see you all!”

“Dad’s there!?” a familiar voice called out from nearby, and soon Spike pushed himself onto the screen as well, looking at it. “Wow, I still can’t get over how this computer can send messages without magic or even show everypony in real time! Not even I can do that!”

“There’s some magic involved in how the staticnet works, but yes,” I replied as I chuckled. “And there are those crystals, but that’s neither here nor there.”

“My faithful student,” Celestia said, smiling warmly at Twilight, “Are you ready for that thing we discussed earlier? The one with my sister?”

Twilight looked confused for a bit, then understanding crept onto her face as she nodded. “I’m ready!”

Spike reached over and tapped something on the keyboard before Twilight could say anything, but Twilight didn’t seem to notice. Celestia looked at Luna and grinned. “Take it away, Princess of the night.”

There was something in the way she said it that sent off alarm bells in my head. “No…you didn’t…” I muttered.

Celestia tapped a key on the laptop’s keyboard. As a piece of familiar music came out of the speakers, Luna’s face looked more embarrassed. However, a few moments later, she took a deep breath. “I’m the princess of the night, so of course they run in fright! They feel threatened and unsure!”

Twilight suddenly broke in and sang, with a smile, “So let’s heighten your allure.”

Luna frowned as she stared at, presumably, Twilight on the screen. “I don’t think you understand I bring darkness to their land-”

Twilight butted in again as she sang, “-but what causes them to flee-”

“Must be my supremacy,” Luna added.

“Make it so they can’t resist-”

“So that we can coexist-”

“You’ll be welcome in their clique.”

“TALKING LOUD SHOULD DO THE TRICK!” Luna had used a small portion of her Royal Canterlot Voice for that, judging by how the mic cut out.

“Turn your social life around, ditch those boots and homely crown. I can help with one small fee. Give your princesshood to me!”

Luna then began speaking, but she was clearly embarrassed. “But how can I become more sexy?”

“I’ll show you! Come on, Princess Luna, we have work to do!” Twilight finished.

Celestia tapped a key on the keyboard with her magic and the music paused. Luna had her hooves over her face in complete embarrassment. Her horn lit up and she vanished. Celestia giggled behind her own bare hoof. “Isn’t she adorable when she’s embarrassed?”

“You guys watched Friendship is Witchcraft? Even I haven’t watched that yet,” I said. “I know that song and a few others, but that’s it.”

Celestia smirked. “Luna has been fascinated with this laptop you’ve loaned us ever since we got it,” she said, “and she was curious about human fan works about our world. She found Princess of the Night and showed it to me. She then mentioned it would be hilarious if she sang it with Twilight as a joke, but I decided it would be fun to do for real.”

“And I agreed, too,” Twilight said.

“I bet you did,” I muttered with a smirk of my own. “You’re not gonna go and start helping Spike get to sleep by asking Rarity to come over and sing ‘I am not messing up the covers. Sliding in, so as not to wrinkle all the sheets; making sure the quilt stays nice and clean. Have you ever seen a bed so neat? I’m getting into beeed.’”

Spike blushed as Twilight and Celestia both laughed at that. “Twilight showed me that clip, actually,” Spike admitted after everyone had calmed down.

“And this is where I must say goodnight to you all,” Celestia said. “There are many things I need to take care of in the morning and I need to be at my best. Sleep well, and good luck Jethro.”

“Good night, Celestia,” I said.

“Good night, Princess!” Twilight said as she waved at the camera.

When Celestia waved back and disconnected the call on her end, I focused on Twilight, who was now looking at Spike. “Hey, Spike? Can I talk with Jethro here alone for a little bit? When I’m done, you can have an hour playing before bed.” Spike gave a thumbs up, waved at me, then walked out of frame. As the offscreen door closed behind him, Twilight relaxed a bit then looked over at the webcam instead of the screen. “How are you doing over there?”

“Things are already off to an interesting start, actually,” I said as I repeated the story of how Wallflower had snuck onto the Resplendent.

When I was finished, I saw a hint of jealousy pass over Twilight’s face, but she quickly repressed it. “What are you going to do with her? Send her back to Ponyville if we figure out how to use the portal door you mentioned?”

“No. She could actually be useful to me,” I said. “However, if we do manage to get that portal door open I’m going to insist she at least go home to sleep. The less Ponies around here, the better. I hope that makes sense.”

She nodded. “I know Dragons don’t really like Ponies, and right now the feeling’s mutual. Spike is an exception since he’s still a child.”

“In human terms he’s reaching his teenage years, so good luck with explaining the birds and the bees to him,” I said.

Twilight winced. “I wish I knew the first thing about that, but I don’t know enough about Dragon biology yet. I’ve been looking through that library you gave me, but I can’t find anything yet.”

“Well, if nothing else, I can ask Phlogiston to talk with him,” I said. “She’s a caretaker and knows how to take care of infant Dragons, so I’d assume she knows a thing or two.”

“I like her. She’s been nice to me,” Twilight said. However, after a few seconds, her features twisted once more into worry. “Are you sure you don’t want more help? I can pack fast and-”

“Twi, relax,” I said, smiling at her. “I know you’re worried. I know you all are. But you’re needed there.”

She bit her lower lip but didn’t say anything for a while. Finally, she whispered, “I…I love you, Jethro. I’ve never felt this way about any other stallion before. I…”

“I know, Twilight, I know,” I said calmly. “I promised that I would be taking you out on a date when I got back. We’ll go to Pendragon and a local history museum Sunset told me about. Then we can go to the Pendragon Public Library, and-”

“I want to do things you like doing, too,” she interrupted me, giving me pleading purple eyes. “What do you like doing? Sunset told me there’s a lot to do there even during winter. There’s an indoor arcade, a pool, and maybe we could, well…ride horses?”

I raised an eyebrow. “A Pony riding a horse? That’s new. But are you sure?”

“I’ve done a lot of research on what to do on a date,” Twilight said with a little bit of an air of authority, “and a lot of them say that a first date should be fun for both stallion and mare. It should help the two get to know one another.” She looked at me with a sincere look in her eyes. “I know you want to take me to a museum and library, and I’d love to see them, but I want to spend time doing things you like doing. I want to get to know you even more than I do now.”

I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness at her words. I thought back to my dates with Trixie back on my Earth and more recently with dates I had with Zecora. Sure, we’d do things she liked, but we also did things I liked. I felt myself smiling widely. “You’re right, Twi. You’re right. Well, there is something I’ve always wanted to try.”

“What is it?” she asked, eager to know.

“There’s something called indoor skydiving,” I grinned as I proceeded to explain…

“Are you ready for this speech?” Sunset asked me as we both stood on the massive throne that had once been the Dragon Lord’s. The two of us weren’t alone, however. The Sirens, Chrysalis and Ember were all there as well. Zecora and Scarlet, along with Wallflower Blush, were both standing on the beach watching. The latter wanted to see the speech but was too scared to show her face, and I didn’t blame her, so Scarlet and Zecora offered to stay with her.

“I spent two whole hours last night perfecting what I want to say and how I want to say it,” I replied as I pulled out a small stack of notecards attached by a keychain. “I woke up an hour before breakfast to refresh my memory as well.”

After spending time talking to Twilight about our future first date, and watching her take plenty of notes, I spent time writing a speech to give to the population I’d be speaking to before our move to Virynth Atheos. I wrote it on my laptop, rewrote certain parts, tightened up other parts, and writing down highlights on the cards. When I was sure I had the speech memorized, I purposely stopped and went to bed, joined by Zecora and Scarlet who snuggled close to me. After waking up, I practiced the speech again, only this time in front of Zecora and Scarlet. Both of them helped me add in or take out some things to help the speech.

After breakfast, I went back to my room and put on the royal outfit I had selected for the speech, which was actually the set of clothes that Rarity had sewn for me and given to me for Christmas. I grabbed the Staff of Ignu and strapped Eclipse to my side as well before heading to the throne room with my apparently self-appointed honor guard, which consisted of the four Dragon guards that had met me upon my arrival and the two Lycans. The entire entourage that had come with me was also there, but I had them sitting out of sight, or as out of sight as was possible. Down below, Dragons were responding to the Call of the Emperor as they flew in from everywhere. Unlike before, the number of Dragons coming seemed only to have increased. Lahar told me that news of the Dragon Lord’s death at my hands had spread across the microcontinent to Dragons who hadn’t been able to make it to the fight.

“I was up half the night,” Sunset admitted with a sigh, and she looked tired. “And before you ask, I slept poorly. I really did try.”

“We slept pretty badly too,” Adagio said. The three were still wearing some of my spare clothes. Adagio sighed and looked down at herself. “God, I guess one thing I miss about Earth is the fact that they have hair products that can deal with my damned hair.” She pulled on her simple ponytail in frustration.

“Well, for the work you’ll be doing, having curly hair as large as yours was wouldn’t be recommended,” Sunset said.

“Yeah, I know…still, I liked my hair,” she admitted. “I didn’t have any as a Siren, and there’s something about it that I like. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Eh, mine always gets in my mouth when I sleep,” Aria complained.

“I like mine! It’s really fun to play with!” Sonata giggled as the three continued talking about their hair.

“Those three are really nervous,” Chrysalis said as she walked over to me, arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

“Look at the pot calling the kettle black,” I retorted, which caused Chrysalis to start sputtering. Smirking, I put a hand on her shoulder. “Just relax, alright? I’ll be assigning a couple of guards to keep you company and protect you from any kind of vigilantism.”

Chrysalis reached up and touched the magical suppression ring around her new horn with her hand. It gave her a gentle but memorable shock as it always did. “As a former ruler, I get why you put this on me, but I think I’d be more useful with it. That’s what you’re hoping for, right? Usefulness from your new subjects? I know you think I was a horrible ruler, but I do have a lot of experience.”

I looked over at her. In truth, I had considered asking for her advise off the records, and was still considering it. However, I had to take the Dragon’s feelings into account as I sighed and said, “You know why I can’t. Not officially,” I added the last two words in a whisper.

“I’m technically an enemy of the state and a slave, so I get it,” Chrysalis said.

I nodded. “I see your nightly talks with Luna have gone well.”

“Believe me, they have,” Chrysalis said before she gave me a curious look. “By the way, what exactly is Halo: Combat Evolved anyway? That Pony have been showing me some strange landscapes and contraptions recently. And they seem…fun.”

I internally facepalmed. Welp, I’ve inadvertently created gamer Luna, I thought. “I’ll explain later,” I said as I caught a glimpse of a very familiar red scaled and yellow eyed Dragon landing near the shore. “For now, it’s time for Ember and I to prepare to speak.”

She nodded and walked away. I headed over to Ember, who was now wearing her armor without her helmet. In one hand she held the Bloodstone Scepter and in the other was a piece of parchment paper with hastily written scribbles on it. She was looking it over, mouthing words and looking nervous. “No…that sounds wrong now,” I heard her muttering as I approached. Not only did she look nervous, but she looked tired as well. “By the gods, I can’t do this…Why did I agree to this?!”

“Didn’t get any sleep last night?” I asked with concern.

“Gah!” She jumped, spreading her wings wide and looking back at me. I could see some bags under her eyes as she calmed herself down. “Don’t do that!”

“Sorry, I was just coming to check on you.” I looked at my phone and saw it was nearly noon, the time when the speeches would begin. “You look about as nervous as I feel.”

“What do you expect?! I’ve never given a speech in my life!” Ember hissed, holding up her paper. “I don’t have anything!”

“From what you’ve told me about Dragon culture, these Dragons are more interested in deeds than words,” I replied, putting a reassuring hand on her armor-clad shoulder. “While this speech is necessary for the rebuilding of our Empire, it’s the deeds afterwards that they’ll be more interested in.”

Ember nodded. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean words mean nothing to us,” she replied.

“Of course. Words and deeds go hand in hand,” I replied as I released her. “They’ll be more looking at me anyway, that is, until I announce you as my Right Hand.”

“Is it bad that I’m having second thoughts about this?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No. I understand, but I really do believe you’re the right person for the job. You’ve got more experience than I do in matters of modern Dragons, and you’re technically one of the last blood relatives of Ignu. Yes, you’re from the Dragon Lord bloodline, but by ancient law you have a claim to the Dragon Lord’s position, or rather the Hand’s position. And you know many Dragons here who might be able to help in rebuilding our Empire. Which is one part of the speech today.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Ember said.

So do I, I thought as my noon alarm went off on my phone. So do I…

I approached the edge of the throne and looked down at the crowd. There seemed to be at least three times the number of Dragons. Some were massive and others were more my size. Many were talking among themselves. I raised the Staff of Ignu and slammed it down three solid times. The noise echoed around the surrounding area, causing everyone to stop and stare up at me. Once the noise stopped completely, I cast a spell to amplify my voice. Taking a deep breath, I began.

“Dragons young and old-no, let me rephrase. My fellow Aelyssians!” My voice boomed over the landscape below me as I started by addressing them as Dragons first before ‘correcting’ myself and switching to their national name. “I am pleased that you have answered my summons today! Some of you know me by my face, while others here know me by reputation only. So let me introduce myself fully. I am your new Emperor, Jethro Bethridge. I am a human who was brought here from another world. I have summoned you here today for two major reasons.” I held up my hand and brought up one finger for each point I made. “One: to inform you of the plans I have for Aelyssia, and two, to make a request of you, my subjects!”

The second point seemed to cause the Dragons below to look more confused than anything, but before anyone could ask anything I held up a hand. “Hold off on any questions until the very end!” I stood straighter, raised the Staff of Ignu and thrust it into the throne, digging it deep enough into the ground that it remained standing. This caught their attention as the gem within only began to glow even more. In response, so did the Dragons, but none showed any sign of discomfort. I stepped forward and behind me a smaller patch of the throne began to ascend, forming a stone chair that faced the crowd. I took a seat as carefully as I could after I removed Eclipse and leaned it against one side of the smaller throne. “Firstly, as of this moment, the Aelyssian Empire has been acknowledged as its own independent nation,” I began with a smile. “We are back as a sovereign state!”

This led to cheers from most of the Dragons, but some seemed a bit skeptical. I sat up straighter as I continued. “I won’t lie: our nation as of now is not what it once was. Yes, I know I’m stating the obvious, but what you won’t know is that it won’t be exactly the same as it once was. Understand, I fully intend to rebuild this nation into a prosperous and powerful one, but we can never go back truly to the days of yore. Things have changed too much since the Fall of Old Aelyssia for us to go back. We have more neighboring nations now, and we must keep that in mind! Now, for my plans for this nation. I intend to reach out to the lost tribes who were once a part of Old Aelyssia and invite them back into the fold if they are still around! The Loongs, Sirens, Sea Serpents, and even the Wyverns!”

The mention of the last race caused the crowd to erupt into an angry uproar. It seemed as if the hatred of the Wyvern race was not lost despite the centuries. I allowed myself to adopt an angry expression as I stood and drew in a deep breath. “BE SILENT!” I ordered, letting my voice send out a shockwave that caused many dragons to fall back on their behinds. I glared at them, wings spread. I let them burst into Phoenix flame as I surveyed them. “I am well aware of your distrust of Wyverns, but I will have you know I have knighted a Wyvern already! If any of you harm my first Royal Knight of Aelyssia, those responsible shall be summarily punished severely! Their history of betrayal was long ago! I will not punish a race for the sins of their ancestors! They were instrumental in the growth of Old Aelyssia, and if they are still around, I would ask them to return!”

“And what about us!?” an older sounding female voice called out from below. “What about what we suffered?”

I looked for the source of the voice, and found that it belonged to a dark gray Loong female. She had the appearance of an Eastern Dragon from images I’d seen online. She had ancient but passionate and angry red eyes. She was curled up on a large stone near the shore. I pointed at her. “You there! What is your name?”

“Qinglong!” she called back up.

“Miss Qinglong, I will give my vow here and now that for as long as I rule, each race who lives within these borders will be all equal!” I replied to her. “No race shall be superior to another, and I don’t just mean the races of the Dragonkin! If other races wish to come and live in our nation, they will be granted the same rights as any other Dragonkin. Now, I have one more thing to say before I reach my second main point.”

As I sat down, I saw that the Dragons were all on the edge of their seats, looking up at me more with curiosity now. I motioned for those hidden to step forward. I heard murmurs as each of the people stepped forward. I looked at each of those who had stepped forward, then faced the crowd. “My plan for the coming days is for all Dragonkin to make a return to the ancient Aelyssian city of Virynth Atheos. You all know it as the Ruins of Dormog, but the barrier keeping any Dragon out has been dispelled. The city was once a symbol of Aelyssia. It still stands tall, waiting for us to return and inhabit it once more. These people standing beside me will be helpful in the rebirth of our nation’s old capital city. Now, I shall introduce them all.”

Nobody seemed to react when I introduced Sunset Shimmer, which didn’t surprise me. I heard a few murmurs of surprise when I introduced Ember and even more when I introduced the Dazzlings. However, as I did anticipate, when I introduced Chrysalis, the crowd went wild with rage. A few Dragons even made sudden runs towards her, hatred burning in their eyes, but I grabbed the Staff of Ignu and thrust it out at the oncoming Dragons, sending them flying. Even Ember held out her Bloodstone Scepter at the oncoming Dragons. I looked down at the angry faces below. Raising my staff, I struck the ground three times, and on the last one a crack appeared on the beach, splitting the crowd in two. That caused everyone to go silent in awe and fear. “BE SILENT, I SAY!” I bellowed. Once I had everyone else’s attention, I sat back down. “I know of your hatred for Chrysalis, and I don’t blame you for it! However, right now, she is serving me. She was given to me as part of the reparations from Equestria for the Eris matter, and as such she will be working to rebuild Virynth Atheos. It’s only fitting since she attempted to start a war that would have ended in bloodshed both here and in Equestria. She will have no magic, no political power, and will only be used as labor. However, she is also under my protection! Her punishment is mine to deliver and mine alone! If any of you attempt harm on her, your punishments will be severe! We are not savages! Is that understood?!”

I could hear the grumbling of acceptance from the crowd. “Now, I know many of you know Princess Ember here. She’s the daughter of the late Dragon Lord Torch. She is also going to be assigned to become the Hand of the Emperor.” When the murmurs in the crowd turned to confusion, I continued. “In the days of old, the Dragon Lord acted as a regent for the crown. The Hand of the Emperor will fulfill a similar task. However, it won’t be exactly the same. And this leads me into my second point.” I stood and grabbed the Staff of Ignu once again. It glowed brighter. “If any of you possess an aptitude or a skill, then the imperial crown can make use of it!”

This elicited even more confusion. I looked down at them. “My fellow Aelyssians, rebuilding a nation is more than just rebuilding an ancient capital city! We must rebuild everything! I’ll be honest, as we are now, we are barely scraping by! Under your previous leader, this nation has fallen into squalor and decay. You even lost your name. You may be Dragonkin, but at your core you are all Aelyssians, descendants of a great Empire! If we want to ascend from the ashes, we must work hard to rebuild! But nobody is an island! That is why I am seeking help from among you! I don’t care about your social status or anything like that! If you possess a skill you can safely say will surpass those of others and will help the Empire, the imperial crown can put it to good use in rebuilding our great nation! And before you begin thinking to yourself that your skill won’t be useful, that is not for you to decide! It’s up for ME to decide! If you possess a talent that is useful in helping to rebuild our Empire, you will be afforded the courtesy as befitting an advisor to the throne!” I spread my arms wide as I continued. “If any of you hearing this are still unsure of this, then let me provide some more incentive to come forward! If your skills and talents are deemed essential, not only will I personally grant those of you a special place in the Palace to live, but a large monetary reward will be granted to you!”

I knew that I was blatantly imitating the realistic hero anime, but it was a good strategy. The Dragons below were looking a bit more excited now as they talked among themselves for a bit. I continued, regaining their attention. “I am well aware of just how your kind have suffered under the rule of the previous Dragon Lord, but with all of your help in the reconstruction of our capital city and our Empire, but I swear to you I will work to ensure that this generation and those to come will live life in peace! Everyone will have a means to support their families! Everyone will be secure and free here! Long live Aelyssia! Long live the Empire!”

As the crowd responded with the same words along with the chant of ‘Long live the Emperor’, I looked over at everyone else. Sunset was giving me a look of approval, the Sirens looked a bit unsure, Chrysalis had no expression on her face, and Ember’s face was rigid. I walked over and put a hand on Ember’s shoulders, giving her a reassuring smile. I turned to the crowd and once more struck the ground with the Staff of Ignu three times. The cheers slowly died down. “Before I end this speech and we begin our preparations for travel to Virynth Atheos, Princess Ember, Hand of the Emperor, has a few words she wants to say to you!”

Ember gave me the stink eye briefly before turning to the crowd. She saw that all eyes were on her and she froze briefly. I watched as the small piece of parchment in her hand slipped out and began falling. I caught it surreptitiously in my magic and floated it slowly back to her hand, but she shoved it aside. Taking a deep breath, Ember stepped forward. “Alright, I’m not good at speeches, so unlike our Emperor, mine’s gonna be short!” This got a laugh out of the crowd, and even I allowed myself a chuckle. This seemed to put Ember at her ease and she continued. “A lot of you know who I am, and you know I don’t go around lying or bullshit you. I know a lot of you are probably thinking that this human here isn’t up to the task, but I’ve worked with him when he was preparing to come back. I know he really does care about this Empire and the Dragons here! If you all trust me, then let me say he isn’t lying! He really does want to help our Empire! I will be doing my best to help him so you can rest easy knowing he won’t do anything stupid because he doesn’t know how things work here right now!” Another laugh, and I smirked at her, nudging her playfully which earned another laugh. She swiped at me with a frown before resuming. “I know we’ve all gotten used to life here, but I also know we’re all pretty sick of it! You know I saw my da-no, the Dragon Lord’s old hoard room, and it’s full of wealth beyond anything I’ve seen in even our biggest hoard! And I’m sure you all know what else it was full of.” She looked around and spotted someone below. Following her gaze, I saw Fumerole sitting on the soft sand with Garble and Smolder sitting protectively close to her. “The old Dragon Lord was a sick and twisted bastard, but I know this human more than any of you. He’s got his flaws, but his determination isn’t one of them! Just listen to what he said and we can make our Empire as great as it was once again!”

I internally winced at her last words as they reminded me of a certain orange man’s own slogan. Still, despite their similarities, I really did want to make Aelyssia a prosperous nation and a major player in the political field. I might have had this job thrust upon me, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me from doing what I needed to do.

Aelyssia would rise again. I would make sure of it!

Author's Note

This took a while to finish, sorry. I wanted the speech to be a good one. Hope I succeeded and hope you enjoy.

155: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 3

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait and Happy Fourth to all my fellow Americans out there.

155: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 3

“These many have applied to help rebuild? Are you serious?”

I groaned as I sat at a large conference table inside Duzoroth Tower. The room had initially looked like it hadn’t seen any sort of use in hundreds of years, but thanks to Sunset’s skill with magic, the room was now spotless. I wasn’t alone, of course. Ember, Sunset, Zecora and Scarlet were with me, with Eve perched on my shoulder. Wallflower was spending time with Phlogiston and Aurora in the Dragoness’ bedroom. The Sirens were on a supervised tour of my new hoard room in search of any sort of Siren artifacts. Hestia had gone with them. Chrysalis was doing the same with a tour of her own. Gemini and Mica were both inspecting the guards and what their capabilities were.

It had been only a couple of days since we’d arrived at Duzoroth. Many of the Dragons had begun packing up their belongings and setting up a temporary camp on the shores of the inland lake in preparation of the journey. Hunting parties had gone out in search of food to sustain the group for the journey and the rebuilding. I had the guards pass around the supplies gifted to the Dragons by Ponyville. I’d heard that some Dragons had grumbled, but for the most part that was it. They’d accepted the vegetarian meals well enough.

There was one more being in the room with us, however. Sitting in one of the chairs was a larger older Loong male named Huǒshān. Ember had recommended him immediately as he was not only one of the oldest Dragons she knew, but he’d been one of the more helpful ones after her father had kicked her out of their house after her molting. He had yellow scales, bright green eyes and a distinct lack of wings like the dragons of eastern myth.

“The list of volunteers we’ve received is one thing,” I said as I patted the stack of paper to my left, “but the list YOU brought me, Ember? Yeah, I know it’s smaller, but still, there’s a lot here!” I took a deep breath as I looked through the list again. Earlier, I had prepared a form that I’d printed up back home. On the form, I’d listed out the following:

Name:
Age:
Species:
Desired Job:
Job Qualifications:

For the sake of having enough, I’d printed out fifty of these forms, each one taking up a little bit of the paper and not a whole page. I’d given the forms and a pen to Ember and asked her to think of any Dragons who would be a good fit for jobs that the Empire might need. I’d expected at least ten or so, but Ember had filled out the entire batch, all while complaining that she didn’t have enough forms.

“My liege,” Huǒshān said with a bow, “I have looked over the list that the Princess wrote. All of the Dragons she mentioned have skills that would be beneficial to us.”

“I don’t doubt that that,” I said, “but more than fifty?!” I sighed. “Look, I’m all for delegating, but the thing is if I delegate too much progress will slow down too much. Arguments will rise up and there could be overlap. What we need right now is to determine just what we need in the more immediate future. Off the top of my head, that list includes food and shelter along with determining just how sturdy Virynth Atheos’ buildings are. When I was there last time, the city itself seemed pretty sturdy for the most part, but I want it to be able to withstand a hurricane or an earthquake or even a possible volcanic eruption. This continent is volcanic, after all.”

“Probably because the entire continent is like a reverse Ring of Fire,” Sunset said, lifting a map with her magic and displaying the entire continent. “Aelyssia is basically sitting on a tectonic plate of its own. Yes, the volcanic activity is relegated to the mountains on the shores, but there are mountains I’ve read about that seem to be regularly active.”

“Volcanic soil is good for plant growth, I think,” I replied, “but on the other hand any beach towns we build in the future would have to be built up on higher ground to prevent them from being washed away from a tsunami. But that’s a future project.” I held up the stack of papers. “Ember, I am seeing some potential help from these Dragons, but we need someone who can help with construction.” I turned to the Loong. “Master Huǒshān, what about you? Ember highly recommended you to be one of my advisors. Can you think of any Dragon who might know anything about construction?”

He shook his head. “Nodragon I know has any knowledge of construction,” he said, “but I don’t know all Dragons, my Liege.”

“I was afraid of that,” I said. “Well, that leaves us with two options. One, we hold out hope that one of the volunteers has knowledge of construction techniques from over a thousand years ago, or two, we hire help from outside the country.”

Ember scowled at that, and Huǒshān didn’t look too pleased either. “My Liege, I don’t think your subjects would approve of option two. Especially if Ponies are involved.”

“Yes, I know,” I said, rubbing my forehead. Suddenly, inspiration struck. I sat back up. “Unless it wasn’t Ponies who were involved.”

“What do you mean?” Ember asked.

I turned to her. “Ponies aren’t the only race in the world with access to architecture. The Lycans built an entire underground city. They would be our best bet. Either them or the Griffons. I know the Deerfolk have cities, and Farasi certainly does, but those two probably wouldn’t work as well.”

“Dude, the Lycan Empress hates your guts,” Scarlet reminded me.

“Yes, she does, but I doubt she’s a complete idiot,” I replied.

“She could really use this to lord over you,” Scarlet insisted.

I paused. She was right. The Empress might very well use the fact that we had to hire from outside of our own nation to try and get one over me. “Okay, fair point,” I said. “We’ll hold out hope that somebody here knows how things about construction. For now. If we can’t find anyone, we might need to hire someone to train some Dragons here or we begin establishing apprenticeships between Dragons with the skill and mentality and matching them with equivalent people from other races.”

“An apprenticeship might work for certain Dragons,” Ember said, “but a lot of us are stubborn. Accepting the help of some other creature might be very hard.”

“Correct, Lady Hand,” Huǒshān said in agreement before turning back to me. “My Liege, Aelyssia was a lot larger than it is now even before its fall. The other islands have not had contact with us in many centuries. It’s possible that there are Dragonkin there who would be skilled enough to help us.”

“I would have broadcast my speech all across Aelyssia’s former territory, but I’m not sure if that’s possible,” I replied, looking at the Staff of Agnu which was mounted on the wall currently. “If there is a way I can do that, I’ll broadcast another speech to the other islands. Maybe that will bring us some help. But all we can hope for now is that the word spreads to those lands and that help comes from there.”

“Love, you should not count on that,” Zecora finally said, speaking up for the first time. She put her hand on my shoulder as she turned to the Dragons in the room. “I am willing to help in any way I can using my potions and brews, but I can’t speak for other Zebras.”

“There’s a lot of anger against the Dragons from Farasi,” I added. “Dragons in the past did steal Zebrica from the Zebras, something we’re going to have to account for at some point. I’d like to invite a few Zebra negotiators to Virynth Atheos so we can discuss the return of Zebras to their ancestral homeland at some point.” I grabbed my notepad and wrote down ZEBRICA RETURNED TO ZEBRAS on the growing list of my duties. “Now then, we’ve been tip toeing around the biggest concern right now, and I admit, I have too, but the amount of Dragons outside is growing as more and more come. We need to set a date for our return to the city itself.”

“My Liege, I suggest that we leave sooner rather than later,” Huǒshān said. “I have been among them the past two days, and many are growing anxious. We as a species and nation are more nomadic than we were before. Yes, we have hoards where we stay, but many Dragons tend to roam for food and to try and find ways to liven their lives. It’s one reason why they have been known to attack other settlements.”

“That shit stops now,” I said with finality. “We are better than that.”

“While I understand your thoughts on the matter, my Liege,” Huǒshān replied, “there are many who would not listen. Yes, we haven’t attacked any neighboring races or nations in my recent memory, but that does not mean they won’t.”

“Then they will be severely punished for their crimes,” I replied, “but back to the topic at hand. Leaving this place and traveling westward…Master Huǒshān is right. The sooner the better. Even so, there are more Dragons coming. Sunset, I gave you one of those fabric interdimensional doors to experiment with yesterday. Have you managed to create a portal to Ponyville yet through the one in my house?”

Sunset shook her head. “Dragon magic isn’t something I’m used to dealing with. I feel like I’m close, but I’m missing something.”

“Nevertheless, I’ll be setting one up back here just in case,” I replied. “That way, if there are stragglers, they can stay here until either the doorway portal is open or until someone can come back to retrieve them and bring them to the capital.”

“My Liege, if I may make a suggestion?” Huǒshān said, raising his claw.

“Go ahead,” I replied, giving him my attention.

“Perhaps it would be prudent to leave some of your Imperial Guard behind to look after the stragglers, as you so put them,” he said. “When the first wave of Dragons reaches the capital, another group of the Guard can return and give the first group directions on where to go, then that group stays and waits for more stragglers.”

“So, rinse and repeat?” I asked to clarify.

Huǒshān smiled. “If I gather your meaning right, my Liege, then yes.”

“It’s not the best solution to the problem, but unless Sunset can figure out these doorway portals, it’s the best one we have,” I said, “Thank you, Master Huǒshān.”

The Loong bowed. “I live to serve, my Liege.”

“Very well, so we’re in agreement to leave in the next, what, two to three days?” Ember asked.

“That sounds like a reasonable time frame,” I said. “Three days at the very latest.”

“What about elderly Dragons?” Zecora asked. “What about the sick ones? Can they survive the trip?”

“Dragons hardly ever get sick when they pass their molting,” Ember explained, “and even the oldest among us are strong enough for long flights.”

“What about the infirmed ones?” Zecora asked.

“Infirmed?” Ember asked, looking confused.

“We have a few of those,” Huǒshān admitted. “Some Dragons have injuries that they have had to bear for years and cannot make the journey.”

“What about the as of yet unhatched eggs?” I asked, “is it safe to transport them? I don’t really want them left alone without any sort of guard. They are the future of this nation.”

“It isn’t Baby Dragon Hatching Season yet,” Ember said, “so the Hatchlands are currently empty.”

“Do you know if there’s a place where they can hatch closer to Virynth Atheos instead of where you’ve been doing it up until now?” I asked, looking at Huǒshān and Ember.

Huǒshān frowned. “My knowledge of that city is only slightly better than others, but I did hear Torch mention that he was hatched in the mountain itself, the one where Virynth Atheos is built near.”

“That means there’s probably an underground cavern to find,” I said, adding it to his growing list of notes. “Is there anything else we’re missing, here? We have three days to come up with more.”

“There is something that I remember hearing about from Torch,” Huǒshān said. “The land surrounding Virynth Atheos was notorious for not being able to grow crops very well. Yes, Dragons of the past grew their own food,” he added quickly when he saw my raised eyebrow. “Food was imported from across the continent. How will we feed these Dragons who come with us?”

“That’s where I come in,” a familiar voice called out from the door. Everyone turned and saw Wallflower Blush standing in the doorway, Phlogiston behind her holding Princess Aurora in her arms. With a boldness that surprised everyone, she strode up with a pot of soil in her magic. She placed it on the table in front of us, then turned to me. “Emperor Jethro, I came to help. I know I’m not as magically gifted as Ponies like Twilight Sparkle, but my talent is in helping plants grow in places they normally can’t. I’d be more than willing to look at the soil surrounding the city and see what I can do with it.”

I looked at the unicorn mare and saw that, despite her brave tone, her legs were trembling. The two of us shared a glance for about five or so seconds before I nodded. “I’d appreciate that. I’ll assign you two Dragon guards when we get there.” He then turned back to Huǒshān. “Master Huǒshān, do you think Dragons would object to a single Pony helping?”

Huǒshān slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so, my Liege, but I would suggest that if this young Pony does find a magical solution to the problem that she instead teach you how to fix it instead. The less anydragon sees of a Pony helping, the better. At least for the time being. Maybe someday the animosity between Pony and Dragon will go away, but as was said earlier, Dragons are stubborn.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” I said, looking down at Wallflower. “Would you be willing to teach me?”

She nodded quickly. “Of course!”

“Good, because I’m counting on you,” I said before I turned back to the others. “So…back to the matters at hand…”

I ended the meeting with the others about an hour or so later and had headed to the hoard room to check on the four who were still inside it. Zecora had gone back to Torch’s former room, which was now my room, to star brewing some medicinal potions for some of the sick Dragons. Scarlet had gone to help her in any way she could. Wallflower had gone back with Phlogiston and Huǒshān had volunteered to head out and speak to the common Dragon about when would be the best time for them to leave.

“No matter how many times I see this place, it always reminds me of how the treasure trove of Erebor was depicted in The Hobbit movies,” I said to Sunset as she and I, along with Ember, Gemini and Mica stared down at the vast treasure trove from the top of the stairs. Unlike how I’d first encountered it, there were now torches lit everywhere which illuminated the many piles of coins and jewels and other treasures in the vast underground caverns.

Sunset simply smirked. “Gold…gold beyond measure,” she said in a deep voice, “beyond sorrow…and grief…” she then looked up at me with a chuckle.

Unable to resist, I completed the quote. “Behold…the great treasure hoard of Thrór.” I paused, looking around the room before spotting something in the cavern. Reaching down with my magic, I grabbed it and brought it towards Sunset. It was a large red gemstone, finely cut and gleaming in the firelight. “Welcome, my sister’s sons, to the kingdom…of Erebor,” I finished, making my voice echo and deepen at the last words.

As the echo died down, I looked at Sunset, who was still holding the gem in her magic. She floated it over to me and I took it. There was silence for a few moments before the two of us burst out laughing. Sunset had obviously downloaded The Hobbit trilogy, since on the other Earth they hadn’t yet come out. The two guards behind us and Ember looked at the two of us as if we’d completely lost our minds. I turned and waved a hand. “Sorry, it’s just a reference to something she and I know,” I told the Dragons. “Anyway, let’s get everyone out of here.” I touched the gemstone necklace around my neck. “It’s time to collect all of this gold and treasure for transport.”

“What are you going to do with it?” Ember asked, staring out at the cavern before turning back to me.

I reached down and picked up a random coin that was sitting on the stairs. It was one of the Dragon coins I’d seen before. It was heavy and unevenly cut in a circle, with the edges melted to be smooth unlike the sharper edges of bits. “I have a few ideas,” I said as I slipped the coin into my pocket, “but for the time being, I’ll be keeping them safe until needed. I might have been a banker on my old world, but I want to wait until we find a skilled treasurer or two to discuss my ideas and see if there’s any merit to them.”

“And if you use those gems around your neck to store them, I’ll be able to know what exactly is here,” Hestia’s voice called out from below.

I raised the Staff of Agnu and it lit up brightly. I saw Hestia flying over towards me, with the Sirens, Chrysalis, and their respective guards in tow. “That’ll be a bit help.” Turning back to the others who were still coming up the landing, I asked, “Did you ladies find anything else in here?”

Hestia flew over and landed on my free shoulder (Eve was on my other one, having remained there silently listening during the meeting) and nuzzled my cheek. “There were a few things they found,” she explained.

Chrysalis came forward, the two guards assigned to her holding a large black chest coated in obsidian. Around her neck there hung a large black metal key. The guards put the chest down and the High Fae looked at me. “This was all I could find so far,” she admitted, “but I’m pretty sure there was more that the Dragons took from us.”

“What’s inside?” I asked curiously.

The former queen removed the key from around her neck, knelt down and opened the chest. Inside, I saw a number of objects such as a few small curved silvery blades, rings, circlets, and even some silver coins that seemed to shimmer with a rainbow hue in the right light. I grabbed one of those with my magic and looked at it. On one side was the depiction of a flowing river that came out of a mountain from two sides, ending on the other side in a large lake depicted in the center of the coin itself. On the other side of said coin was the image of a High Fae head in profile with a familiar crown on his or her head. Underneath, in a language I quickly identified as being the Fae’s native language, I read Queen Coleoptera. She looked similar to how Chrysalis had once looked, at least in the face. The coin itself was heavy and a bit uneven, presumably made entirely of silver or at least mostly made of silver. I floated it back to her chest and set it back down. “That can’t be everything in here,” I said.

Chrysalis frowned. “If I know Dragons, they probably melted a lot of the treasures they stole from us, or more likely there are other treasures in other Dragon hoards I’ll never see again.”

The two guards next to her glared at her with contempt, but I looked at them with a glare of my own, causing them to back off. I turned back to her. “I’m about to collect the treasures in this hoard for shipment,” I said, fingering my necklace absent mindedly. “If we find more Fae artifacts after unloading all of them back in Virynth Atheos’ treasury, I’ll make sure to let you know.”

Chrysalis nodded. At that moment, the Sirens came climbing up the stairs from the hoard below. They and the Dragon guards with them were carrying a number of chests and other items in their arms, which they tiredly placed on the landing near the door to the hoard room. Sonata looked at me, sweating but with a grin on her face. “We found so much!” she exclaimed victoriously.

“Apparently that bastard took a lot from whatever Sirens he could find,” Adagio snapped angrily as she sat on the floor with the others to catch her breath.

“Anything of interest?” I asked.

“Old scrolls and books, pearls harvested from the large oysters back home, coins, and even a few pieces of clothing that really won’t fit us anymore,” Aria said as she took a long drink from the water pouch she was carrying. “That one pony can have the clothes. We don’t really need them.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Aria gazed up at me. “The rest of the Sirens are probably all gone by now, and since we’ll probably be stuck in these forms forever, why would we want clothes like these?”

I could see their faces all fall. Even Sonata seemed to look glum. I frowned as well and shook my head. “We’ll find out what happened to them, for good or not,” I promised. “You three deserve that much.”

Sonata looked up at me. “I…don’t know if I want to know,” she said hesitantly.

To my surprise, it was Adagio who moved closer and put a hand on the Siren’s shoulder. “Hey, none of that talk, now,” she said, “we might not be princesses anymore, but we’re still Sirens. We need to stick together and find out what could have happened.”

From behind us, a young looking Dragon guard suddenly flew over towards us, carrying a large chest in her arms. “Your Grace…haah…haah…” she was panting as she set the chest down in front of the Sirens, “I’m sorry for interrupting, but I…aah…found this as well…it has the Siren sigil on it.”

I looked at the front of the chest. Sure enough, there was a sigil on it depicting a Siren coming out of stylized waves imprinted onto the old wooden chest. I knelt and looked at the ancient looking lock. The wood was damp, the metal heavily rusted, and the lock keeping the chest shut looked about ready to break. I reached down and pulled on the lock. It came undone in my hands, disintegrating. The Sirens gathered around and I slowly opened it. Inside, I saw many different coins which apparently the Sirens recognized. They were made of some glistening red metal. There were massive pearls inside and other jewelry inside. There were also three large envelopes, sealed with old wax and with the names of all three Sirens written on them in the Siren language. I reached down and grabbed them, handing them to the aforementioned Sirens.

I watched as the three hastily opened the letters. There was silence as they looked over the letters. Each envelope held multiple pieces of stained paper inside and were large, almost like a poster size. I watched as the Siren’s faces went from shock, to grief, and finally to regret. All any of them said was, “Father…you’re a fool…” and that came from a frowning, but still crying Adagio.

I turned to the guards who had been escorting the Sirens. “Take the Sirens back to their rooms along with what they found. Keep guard over them and give them a hearty meal when they ask for it. They’re not to be disturbed unless of an emergency.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” they said as they began to gather up the trunks and brought the Sirens away with what they’d collected.

As the still somewhat crying Sirens were led away, Chrysalis looked over at me. “So…what now?”

I didn’t answer at first. Instead, I reached down and touched the bottom gem on my necklace, bringing it out and holding it up. It began to glow bright golden white. As I flew up into the air above the treasure trove, I saw every piece of treasure beginning to light up with light of the same color. As the treasure of Hestia had a couple of months ago, all of the hoard inside began moving towards me. The treasure began whirlpooling into the gemstones, more coming from deeper the cavern.

It took a whole five or so minutes for that first chamber to be emptied, and when it does the cave looked as barren as any other normal cave. I flew around each cavern, collecting every bit of treasure I could find. I saw chambers I hadn’t yet seen before and explored them briefly before collecting the hoard inside. About an hour later, I landed on the ground. There wasn’t a speck of treasure left. Had I been back on Earth, I had no doubt all of this wealth I now possessed would have made me the world’s first trillionaire.

As I flew back, however, I saw that one gem hadn’t been collected like the others. A very familiar gem. I flew down towards where it still stood on its pedestal. Like when I had first seen it, the large gem was inert and not glowing. I quickly grabbed the pedestal itself and lifted it. I was a bit surprised at how light it was. I flew back to the stairs which were now completely exposed since the treasure had gone up about three fourths of the way to the top of the cavern. When I reached them, Sunset saw what I was carrying and her eyes widened. “You’re taking that?” she asked.

“Why shouldn’t I?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t. It’s probably a good idea to-wait!” she paused and looked at it with a renewed sense of excitement. “Can I study that? Maybe that’s what I’ve been missing in my research?”

I looked at the crystal, remembering my brief out of body experience with the crystal and how it sent me to many different places around the world. I nodded and looked back down at her. “You be very, very careful with this, Sunset Shimmer,” I warned, “this isn’t just something we can replace at Wal-Mart.”

She nodded. “I’ll be very careful,” she promised as she looked at it with wide eyed anticipation.

“Your Grace, I thought I saw some bones down there,” one of the guards said, pointing. “Shouldn’t we gather them up and burn them?”

I stopped and turned, looking down at the now very empty former hoard room. Sure enough, I saw a few skeletons strewn about the ground. I felt the rage against Torch returning, but took a few deep breaths to quell my anger. “Yes,” I said, “tell Lahar to gather as many guards as he needs to search through the caverns. Gather the bones and give them a proper Dragon burial.”

The guard looked relieved, nodded, spread his wings and flew out. Ember came up to me. “I still can’t believe I’m related to that monster…” she muttered bitterly.

“You can’t choose who your blood relatives are,” I replied, “but you can choose your family.”

Ember gave me a narrowed eyed look, then smirked and rolled her eyes. “You’re such a Pony lover,” she muttered.

“Nah, he’s a Zebra and Pony lover,” Sunset said, giving me a playful nudge with her flank.

“Not now,” I groaned, throwing my hands in the air as we began heading up the stairs. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the coin I’d picked up earlier. I looked it over, holding it in my hand as we walked out of the former hoard room. The doors closed behind us.

At that moment, Lahar came running up to us, looking out of breath. He stopped and knelt before me, his fist on his chest. “Your…hah…Grace…there’s been a…hah…discovery…”

“Take a drink and collect yourself,” I said.

He stood, grabbed the leather water pouch at his side and took a large swallow before answering. “Apologies, Your Grace,” he said after he’d recovered, “but there’s been a discovery in the kitchens. One of your chefs was trying to find something and discovered a hidden chamber. Your Grace…there is an entire hidden cavern full of foodstuffs.”

When we all made it to the kitchen, we were shown the massive hidden door, one that Torch could obviously fit through. It led to yet another hidden cave, only this one was full of many different types of foodstuffs that could last for a long time. Cheese wheels, slabs of salted meat, some type of bread that seemed to have a slightly sweetened taste, and more. The moment I stepped in, I felt like I had stepped through some magical bubble. Sunset stopped and lifted her horn the moment she entered the room. “I’m detecting a powerful Unicorn spell,” she said, “one that greatly slows down the decay of any food.”

I picked up a nearby piece of bread and squeezed it gently. It was soft to the touch like most bread should be. Looking around the room, I saw that there were symbols carved onto the wall itself. Turning back to Sunset, I asked, “Does that mean that this bread could be a few years old?”

“Possibly more,” Sunset said. “I’ve used this spell once or twice, but it’s rare for any Unicorn to master and is very draining on a Pony’s magic. I don’t know how old this food is, but it could be decades old if not maybe even a hundred.”

I set the bread down and looked around the room. “Would the food start aging at the normal rate if we moved it out of the room?” I asked. She nodded. “Alright…we have a lot more food to take with us now,” I added. “Let’s get this out to the Dragons. They’re going to need their strength. What we don’t use we’ll take with us to Virynth Atheos.” I turned down to Sunset. “Think you could teach me that spell when you get a minute?”

She grinned. “Got an idea?”

“The beginnings of one, at least,” I said. “For now, though, let’s get out of here and let the guards do their work. There’s a lot we need to do.”

“…some sort of power coming from that ore you gave me to research,” Twilight was eagerly saying later that evening during our nightly Skype call, “and I can’t determine what it is. I can tell you that the dagger you gave Spike has traces of that ore inside it, though!”

“What kind of power?” I asked, genuinely curious as I held up another piece of the metal in my hand.

On the other end, Twilight lifted one of the three pieces I’d given her. “I don’t know, yet,” she said, “but if I turn off the light…like so,” and here she flipped the lights off in her room, “then look at the metal itself! It’s glowing brighter! I left one out in the sun and one out in the moonlight, and the metal seems to soak up their light the best.” She turned the lights back on and looked back at me. “If we found the source of this metal, I think that Princess Celestia would definitely be willing to negotiate trade for it.”

“If other kingdoms discover that we have a plentiful supply of Mythril, they might come down on us and try and take it by force,” I replied. “Twilight, Aelyssia isn’t ready for war of any kind. This metal needs to be kept a secret. I know Celestia and Luna both know about it, but until we know where this vein of ore is and until we’re ready to defend our borders we can’t let other nations know about it.”

“I’ve actually been developing a tracking spell of my own,” Twilight replied with a proud smile. “I think that with Moondancer’s help, I could be able to find out where they came from.”

I frowned. “I’d like to keep as few people from knowing about this ore as possible,” I said.

“Moondancer isn’t just any standard Pony,” Twilight replied with a frown. “She’s one of my friends. I know she can keep a secret.”

“I know you trust her, but this is a matter of national security, Twi,” I said gently. “There are things that should be kept close to the chest.” I went silent for a bit, and so did she, staring at the screen intently. “However,” I added, “I think that I can make one exception. If Moondancer is willing to swear to keep this ore a secret, you can bring her in and help you.”

Twilight’s eyes widened gratefully. “Thank you! Thank you! We won’t tell anypony or anyone else! I promise by Celestia herself!”

I nodded, knowing that she meant her word. “Good. Well, now that that’s out of the way, how’s everyone else doing?”

“Oh! They’re doing pretty good,” Twilight replied. “Applejack’s been actually practicing her new magic and is getting pretty good with it. Rarity’s been experimenting with those fabrics you gave her from Earth and from Aelyssia, Pinkie’s been making some strange but tasty new treats, Rainbow Dash actually started reading Daring Do and can’t stop raving about them. She also read those books you gave her and she’s raving about them, too. Fluttershy’s been more or less the same, but I think she’s really worried about you. She asked me to ask you if she could come talk to you sometime during our calls.”

“Of course she can,” I said quickly, “I’d love to see her. What about everyone else? Spike? The Crusaders? The other Ponies in town?”

“Spike’s been spending time with the Crusaders a bit more,” Twilight replied, “and tonight they actually asked if they could visit his O&O group with him to see if they’d get a cutie mark in playing games like that.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure those three didn’t just go for their cutie marks,” I said in a teasing tone.

Twilight gave me a frown. “What are you implying?”

“Do you really need me to say?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Spike’s growth spurt does seem to have…well, attracted those three fillies,” she admitted. “Even so, he’s still got his crush on Rarity, and she’ll probably never see him the same way because of the age difference.”

“Just make sure she doesn’t take advantage of his crush on her,” I replied.

Twilight’s ears flattened. “Do you really think that’ll happen?” she asked, sounding a bit hurt.

“This version of Rarity? I doubt it,” I said, “but when I get back from Virynth Atheos, you and I should probably sit him down and talk with him about it. Not only that, but I think we should talk to him about the birds and the bees.”

Twilight looked down. “I know I should, but I’m scared,” she said hesitantly. “I don’t want to give him the wrong information. And I really don’t want to break his innocence.”

“It has to happen to us one time or another,” I insisted. “Besides, there are biology textbooks in that library I gave you. You can study those.”

“I have,” she replied, looking up at me, “but I’m just scared.”

“Why do you think I’ll be there?” I asked. “I know it’s a scary thought. I’m nervous, too. I bet your parents were nervous when they had to do the same for you and your brother.”

“Couldn’t we ask them to do it?” Twilight asked with slight hope in her voice and eyes.

“No, it has to be us,” I replied. “You helped raise him more often, and he’s started to call me dad. We should be the ones to talk about it.”

There was silence for a bit, then finally Twilight nodded. “Understood,” she said with a heavy tone in her voice.

“Let’s switch subjects for a while,” I said. “How are the others in town? You haven’t talked about them, yet.”

Twilight smiled again, her mood getting better. “Everypony else is doing great! Lyra and Bon Bon are starting to sell some new candies in their store…”

“Love, you look completely exhausted,” Zecora said an hour later as she and Scarlet snuggled up to me in bed. The fireplace was brightly lit an the room was warm. Zecora was wearing practically nothing and I was in my boxers.

“Long day at the office?” Scarlet teased gently, nudging me with her snout.

I put my arms around them both. “It’s been a long few days,” I said, “but thankfully productive.”

Scarlet leaned over and kissed me deeply before moving away and letting Zecora do the same. I kissed them both back and held them close. Zecora put one hand on my chest and leaned against me while Scarlet put a hoof on my chest as well. “Get as much sleep as you can,” Scarlet said, “because when all of this is over, Zecora and I are going to chain you to the bed back home.”

I faux shuddered. “Oh my God, how horny are you?”

She giggled and snuck up closer to me. “You’re the only stallion I will ever feel this way about,” she whispered in my ear sincerely.

Zecora must have heard this, because she leaned in, took my hand in hers, and whispered, “We both love you, dearest. And that won't ever change.”

I smiled and, for a moment, my worries as Emperor melted away. I closed my eyes, still smiling, and drifted off into a comfortable and peaceful sleep.

156: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 4

Author's Note

Wow, it's been a minute, I know. Sorry for the delay.

156: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 4

One week. It had been one week since I’d returned to Aelyssia. From what I’d been told, the Dragons who had gathered were growing restless and itching to move again. The food that had been found had been brought out and distributed among the Dragons. Huǒshān had reported that the grumbling against Torch had begun anew after the food had been distributed, mostly about what a selfish asshole he’d been.

I’d been too busy to keep in much touch with Twilight aside from a couple of calls and a nightly text wishing her a good night. It was during these texts that I noticed Twilight had discovered emojis as she used them more and more often in her replies, which consisted of varying ways of saying I Love You with hearts and such added after.

It was the seventh night after my arrival and I found that I had more time than usual in the evening. I was talking to Twilight over Discord now, and she had a lot to tell me about happenings back in Ponyville. Things seemed to be calm over. She told me that she’d received news from Celestia that two new ponies were going to be coming to town, those being Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst. Celestia herself had actually called me about them an hour earlier and had asked if they could stay at my house until they could find a new place. I’d agreed, but only after I was finished in Aelyssia.

Aside from that, things had been rather peaceful in my hometown. The CMC had been continuing to search for their cutie marks and had invited Spike out more and more often to play. Apparently, a few days before, they’d caught him while he was playing Skyrim and had appeared quite intrigued with the game, so now Twilight had been casting the Anthro spell on the CMC after they came so they could take turns playing video games. I resolved to get Spike a video game console or two on his birthday when it rolled around.

That wasn’t all that had happened. Apparently, Celestia and Luna had both created a number of journals for each of the Elements of Harmony and their human counterparts back on Earth. The books had been sent through and now they were all talking back and forth with each other. Pinkie and Diane were eagerly exchanging recipes, Jackie and Applejack were talking about the different ways they handled things on their farms, Rarity and Trisha were of course discussing fashion, Dash and Rainbow were actually discussing plans for the former to come to Equestria for the summer and practice flying, Fluttershy and Shye were exchanging notes on various creatures that didn’t exist in each world, and Twyla and Twilight were discussing magic and science. Spike and Brandan had both gotten a journal as well and were both talking about general stuff that young boys talk about, like video games or sports and even girls.

I had a few things to report as well. The first thing I had to tell her was that Wallflower had been exploring the surrounding land and testing it with her magic. According to her, she could very likely create good soil in the volcanic lands, but it would take Earth Pony magic to do so. When I asked how she had known about Earth Pony magic, she confessed that she had seen Applejack testing her abilities when Wallflower had gone to the part of the Everfree that was now burned down to study its soil. Being a unicorn, she had sensed the magic coming from Applejack’s hooves and determined that it was a powerful type that could accelerate the growth of plants in a way far superior to any spell she knew. Twilight was excited to learn about this, of course, and said that she would go down to Sweet Apple Acres the next morning to ask Applejack if she could run some more tests to see what progress her friend was making in the further developing of her magic.

The second bit of news I relayed came from Sunset, who was extremely close to cracking the portal between the fabric doors similar to the one I’d given Twilight. During lunch break earlier that day, I had been talking to Sunset in the large dining hall about it. She seemed excited to tell me all about it, but as I was no magical expert by any means, I asked plenty of questions and took as many notes as I could. To Sunset’s credit, she patiently explained things to me in a way I could understand, using Earth terms and ideas to help. Even though I was no expert, she still asked me for some ideas, because one of the things she admired best about humans from her experience was their ingenuity and cleverness. I gave a few offhanded suggestions that I didn’t think would work after discussing them, but Sunset still wrote them down. By the end of that conversation, Sunset looked even more excited and said that she thought that she’d solved it. She galloped out immediately before I could ask what she meant.

Twilight was smiling on the screen. It was still somewhat light outside where she was, whereas the sun had set for Aelyssia about a half hour ago. I could see the sun illuminating one of the walls of books behind her and offscreen I heard Spike and the CMC playing something on the main computer nearby, and it sounded like they were playing some video game. “Well, from what I’ve read about human history, your kind are very ingenious for a species that doesn’t have magic to make things easier,” she was saying.

I shrugged. “When you don’t have or need wings or magic, you’ve got to find other ways to make life easier,” I replied, while pointing to my laptop. “Case in point, computers.”

Twilight beamed. “Such a marvelous invention! I’ve managed to write so much faster with this keyboard! Although I’m jealous that you can type so fast with your hands.” She looked up at her horn. “I can only type so much with this, and I’m slower when I try and change into an Anthro form.” She looked at me and a hopeful look appeared in her eyes. “I’ve found this…program, I think it’s called…named Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. I’m thinking of using it to help. You think I should?”

“Sure, go for it,” I replied. “I actually taught myself, but I’ve heard that program is good.”

Twilight nodded and picked up one of the pens I’d given her, using it to write something down. “By the way,” she said, “Twyla mentioned that it might be a good idea for me to get a printer. I looked that up online. You think I should get one?”

“Yeah, that’s probably something we should get you,” I agreed. “Just leave a note and when I have time, I’ll send some money through and ask Twyla to get you one. She’s the most technologically inclined out of them all, so she’ll know just what to get you.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. A hurried knock. Behind the door, I heard Sunset calling “Jethro! Jethro! Let me in! I’ve got big news!”

“Is that Sunset?” Twilight asked.

“Yep,” I said as I turned. “Door’s open, Sunset!”

The door opened hard and I saw a wide eyed and smiling Sunset on the other side. In her magic she held a large piece of fabric and the crystal that I’d given to her. She rushed in and set the crystal down on my lap. “Hold this,” she said as she rushed over to a wall with the fabric.

“What’s going on? I can’t see,” Twilight said.

I turned the laptop around so the camera was looking directly at Sunset. We both watched as she put it up on the wall. I saw that it was the fabric door that I’d lent to Sunset to experiment with. I watched as the fabric slowly formed into the door. “Did you figure out how to connect two doors?” I asked when the door had been formed.

She galloped back over and retrieved the crystal in my lap. “Watch this,” she said excitedly, then turned to the laptop. “Twilight! Where are you right now?”

“Up on the library’s main floor, why?” the unicorn asked.

“Is your door in place and where is it?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah…it’s safe down in the basement still.”

“Good! Go to it and make sure it’s closed tightly,” Sunset said.

Twilight nodded and went off screen for a bit. I could hear the sound of a door opening and hooftrots heading down a set of stairs. We both waited until said hoofsteps came back up and Twilight returned. “It’s closed and locked,” she said.

“I don’t think you had to lock it, but it shouldn’t matter,” Sunset said as she faced the door, the crystal in her magic. “Go downstairs again and take the laptop with you this time,” Sunset instructed.

Twilight nodded and I saw her turn to one side. “Spike, I’m going to the basement in case you and the Crusaders need anything more.”

“Alright,” I heard the young drake reply before shouting in victory “Hah! Sniped him!”

“Nice shot!” Scootaloo’s voice said from nearby.

“Thanks!” Spike said.

“Go git ‘em!” Apple Bloom’s voice said.

As the three encouraged Spike in whatever game they were playing, I heard the sound of magic surrounding the laptop. The screen moved and eventually Twilight was down in the basement. She set the laptop down on a nearby table and had the camera facing the doorway. “Ready!”

“Okay, here goes nothing,” Sunset said. With that, she lifted the crystal and put it between her and the door. She shot a blast of magic through the crystal, startling me, but that was all it took. She put the crystal aside on the nearby bed and we both watched as the door frame began glowing. On the screen, I saw the same thing happening to Twilight’s door frame.

“Hey, is the door frame supposed to be glowing?” Twilight asked in alarm.

“That’s normal, let it happen,” Sunset said.

“Same thing’s happening over here,” I added reassuringly.

The light only grew brighter, and on the screen I saw a bright white light illuminated on Twilight’s now astonished face. She covered her eyes with a hoof just as I brought my wing up to cover my own eyes. Sunset had to do the same. There was a flash, and then the light receded. I pulled my wing back and the glow was gone. We were once more looking at a doorway. On the Discord call, Twilight was bringing her hoof down and looking at the now normal looking door. “Did…that do it?” she asked.

Sunset rushed forward and threw open the door. There, on the other side, was a large room with tall bookshelves and a lit fire. She galloped forward, took a right, and rushed off. I turned when I heard a door open on the laptop mic. Twilight’s eyes widened as her door was flung open from the inside and Sunset came barreling out. She waved at me. “Eureka!” was all that she could say. She had a sparkle in her eyes and the widest and happiest smile on her face.

I heard Twilight gasping, then there was a smile on her face too. She rushed off and I could hear the sound of hooves galloping in the room beyond. Twilight came into view and rushed towards me. Jumping through the door, she leaped onto me, hugging me tightly and burying her face into my neck. “Jethro!” she shouted with joy.

I wrapped my arms and wings around the happy unicorn while Sunset, watching this on the other side of the portal, merely smirked. “From what I’ve managed to surmise, the connection is permanent so we can’t just break it and make new ones with two different doors,” Sunset explained.

“So if I were to move this door and place it back somewhere else, it would now automatically connect back to Twilight’s new microdimensional library? Like some kind of Remember Me feature?”

Sunset nodded. “Exactly!”

“Hey, Sunset! Do you think if somepony made a connection between two of these and sent one to Earth it would bypass the species change?” Twilight asked with equal excitement.

“If we could make it work, I don’t see why it wouldn’t,” Sunset replied, “but I don’t know much about Star Swirl’s mirror to say. Plus, there’s no magic on Earth.”

“I saw Jethro cast some magic there,” Twilight countered.

“Right, forgot about that,” Sunset said. “Well, it’s worth looking into. Anyway, I’m coming back.”

As Sunset left the screen, Twilight looked over at me and smiled, nuzzling my face happily. “I’m so happy to see you,” she said, her hooves wrapped around me tightly.

“Me too, Twi,” I replied with a smile of my own.

As Twilight relaxed in my arms, I heard Sunset approaching from beyond the door. She took a look at the two of us and smirked. “Get a room, you two,” she said in a teasing tone.

“We are in a room,” I replied quickly, gesturing to the bedroom we were in. “My room, as a matter of fact.”

“Then I’ll leave you be,” Sunset said as she headed to the door.

“Wait!” I called out. She stopped and turned, a curious expression on her face. I touched the necklace around my neck and summoned four more of the fabric doors. I placed them on the bed next to the gem. “Could you make two sets of doorway portals? And be careful, two of those are on the bigger side, so connect those two so that bigger Dragons can step through.” Sunset nodded eagerly, grabbed the four pieces of fabric along with the crystal and rushed out, leaving me and Twilight alone.

Once the door closed, I felt Twilight pressing herself closer into me, clinging tighter. I rubbed her back gently. “You okay?” I asked after a while.

She nodded. “I’m fine. I just missed you.”

Smiling more, I held her closer. “I’ve missed you too,” I replied, “and now we can visit each other in person.”

Twilight nodded. From the still active Discord call, I heard the basement door open. “Twilight? You down here?” Spike’s voice called out from upstairs. “Do we have any more of Pinkie’s cookies left?”

“I don’t know, Spike,” Twilight replied.

There was a pause, then the sound of footsteps coming down. “What was that, Twilight? I didn’t hear you.”

“I said I don’t know if we do,” Twilight repeated.

“Your voice sounds weird. You okay?” Spike asked as his voice drew nearer.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Twilight said, “you’re just hearing my voice through the laptop.”

A few moments passed, and then Spike came into view on the screen. His eyes widened when he looked at the screen. “Dad?! Is that you with Twilight?!” he exclaimed.

“That it is,” I smiled and waved. “Sunset managed to open a portal between two doors.”

Spike turned towards the still open door and with a shout, he ran into the room. I watched him turn the corner again and run through towards where Twilight and I were. “Dad!” he shouted as he joined in on the hug, throwing his arms around me and Twilight.

“Hey, little drake,” I smiled as I put an arm and wing around him. The three of us sat like this, hugging it out for a long while.

We were still hugging when the Crusaders joined as well. I was made aware of them when I heard Scootaloo’s voice saying, “Whoa…that’s one huuuuge bed!”

I looked up and saw that the Crusaders, all in an Anthro form and wearing some wintery clothes. Scootaloo’s wings were spread behind her and she jumped up. I saw, to my astonishment, that she had gained some skills in flying, but only for a little while. She flew around the room and landed on my huge bed. “Fluffy!” she said as she began bouncing on it.

“Howdy, Jethro!” Apple Bloom said, “I didn’t know you were back yet.”

I smiled and shook my head, releasing Spike and Twilight from my grip. “I’m not back yet,” I explained, “I’m still in Aelyssia.”

“But how?” Sweetie asked in her cute and still squeaking voice.

“Well, let’s just say that Sunset Shimmer managed to create a portal between Equestria and Aelyssia,” I explained.

The Crusader’s eyes widened and they looked around the room, now in awe. “So we’re in the Dragon Lands now?” Scootaloo asked after a while. When I nodded, she smiled and her wings buzzed behind her. “Awesome!”

“Yes it is, but you should get going,” I said as I stood and stretched. “It’s later here than it is where you are. I’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Aww, but I wanted to see the Dragon Lands,” Apple Bloom said with a pout.

“Not right now, little filly,” I said, “because if I let you go exploring, I’d get in trouble with your sister and brother, or worse, your grandma. I might be an Emperor, but that mare’s got plenty of kick in her for someone her age.”

“Don’t let her hear you sayin’ that,” Apple Bloom said, “or she’ll tan yer hide.”

“Duly noted,” I replied. “Anyway, when things settle down, and if your families give you all permission, then you can come back. For now, though, time to go back home.”

“Awww,” the three girls said, but they still complied and walked back through the door.

After one final hug from Spike, he too went back, leaving me and Twilight. She stood on her hind legs and hugged me once more as well. “Can I come back?” she asked hopefully.

“We’ll see,” I said after a few moments of contemplation.

She nodded, then there was a look of indecision on her face. It looked like she wanted to do something or say something but wasn’t sure how. I was about to ask what she was thinking about when she leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips. I froze, stunned by this bold move. Her face went red and she looked away. “Ah…I-I wanted t-to see what it was l-like to kiss the stallion you l-l-love,” she stammered out quickly. “S-Sorry about-eep!”

A smile crossed over my face and I wrapped her into a tight hug. “It’s alright, Twi,” I said softly as my hand ran through her mane, “I’m not mad.”

She melted into my embrace and I felt her relax. “Thank Celestia…” she said softly. “I was afraid you’d be mad or would hate me.”

“I love you, Twilight,” I said gently, “nothing would make me hate you.”

She tightened her hug around me. “Thank you…” she whispered. After a while, she broke the hug. “W-Well,” she said as she adjusted her mane with her magic, “I should get going. I’ve got a lot to tell Twyla tonight.”

I chuckled. “Tell her and Brandan I said hi, would you?” I asked.

“I will.” With that, she gave me one final smile before she headed back through the door.

“Wait a moment!” I called out, making her pause and turn. “Stay there for a bit. I want to try something.” She nodded and I closed the door. I pulled at the corner, turning the door into a piece of fabric again. I put it up against another part of the wall, watched it form into a door again, then opened it. On the other side, I saw Twilight looking expectantly at me. “Okay, phew…it worked,” I said.

“What did you do?” Twilight asked.

“Just moved the door somewhere else,” I explained.

She nodded. “Good call. Alright, talk to you same time tomorrow? In pony this time?”

“Sure, that sounds good,” I said. “See you then.”

With a wave, she headed off. I closed the door and pulled it off the wall. I folded it and set it down on a nearby table. I quickly got ready for bed and after putting some extra logs on the fire was nearly ready.

Just then, Zecora and Scarlet came in, both yawning. “We heard that Sunset managed to open a portal back to Ponyville?” Scarlet asked as she jumped into bed, getting comfortable under the covers.

“That she did,” I said as I got into bed next to her.

“That is quite an accomplishment, love,” Zecora said as she slipped under the covers on my other side, taking my hand in hers. “Can we see it?”

“Maybe tomorrow,” I said. “For now, I’m beat, and if Sunset finishes what I asked her to do by tomorrow, we’ll be extremely busy.” I gave her a goodnight kiss, then did the same for Scarlet. “Goodnight, you two. I love you both.”

“We love you too, studmuffin,” Scarlet grinned as she wrapped her front hooves around my arm and snuggled in close.

“Sleep well, my dear,” Zecora said as she too snuggled up close.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

“Thanks for doing this for me, Sunset,” I said as I put the Palantir-esque gemstone in my backpack the next morning right after breakfast, “I owe you big time.” I was in the dining room with Zecora, Scarlet, Wallflower, Sunset, Gemini, Mica, Ember and Huǒshān. Chrysalis and the Dazzlings didn’t exactly want to join us for breakfast so I had some of the newer servants deliver a meal to their room. Gemini and Mica were at the table with me despite the former’s protests.

“Just let me at any old books in Virynth Atheos, and we’ll be even,” the unicorn chuckled.

“Deal,” I chuckled.

Ember looked at me. “So…what exactly did this Pony do?” she asked.

I turned to my new Hand. “She came up with an easy way for us to travel from here to the city,” I explained.

“And how will that happen?” she asked.

“Through a pair of magical doorways,” I replied. I then proceeded to explain in simple terms what would be happening.

“That will be quite helpful, My Liege,” Huǒshān said, “especially for those among us who are old or infirmed and can’t make the flight. But these doors…are they big enough for our largest of Dragons?”

Sunset raised her hoof. “Mr. Huǒshān, please leave that to me,” she said, “these doors can grow or shrink in conjunction with each other when connected. I made sure of that before I went to tell Jeth-the Emperor about it.”

Huǒshān looked carefully at the young Unicorn, then slowly nodded. “I suppose that’s possible,” he said, “I was only a young hatchling when we escaped the palace, so I never knew much about these doors.” He turned to Jethro. “So, what is the plan, My Liege?”

I nodded. “I’m gonna use the Resplendent to go there with a few of the guards and those who came with me so we can find a place to set up the doors near Virynth Atheos, but while I’d like to leave as soon as possible, the Dragons who came here are gonna have to know what’s going on.”

“Yeah…leave that to me and Huǒshān,” Ember said. “No offense to you, Your Grace, but you tend to talk a lot. Dragons prefer less words and more action.” She hit her chest hard.

“We can get the Dragons here organized and ready, My Liege,” Huǒshān added in agreement. “How long will it take until you reach the city?”

“Last time it took me about…a few hours to get from there to here, so if I leave in the next half hour, I can have the doors open some time in the afternoon.” I looked at the two Dragons in the room. “Have them ready before then. It’ll definitely be before sundown.”

“As you command, My Liege,” Huǒshān replied with a bow, the ancient looking Dragon looking slightly excited. I thought he heard the older Dragon say, “I can go home…”

I smiled, then turned to Ember. “Thanks for staying behind, too.”

Ember scoffed and waved her claw. “Don’t say it like it’s a chore. I chose this, and I’m a Dragon of my word.”

I nodded. “I trust you.” I turned once more to Sunset. “I’d like you to stay behind, too, just in case something happens.” I pulled out the spare cellphone I had brought with me and handed it to her. “Call me if anything happens.”

Sunset nodded, took the cellphone, placed it on the table, then raised her horn. It began to glow, and her body did the same. Her form began to grow and morph until she became an Anthro version of herself, albeit completely naked. She covered herself briefly before grabbing the phone with her hand and vanishing in a blink of magic. Everyone else just stared at where she had been standing in confusion. “Um…since when were Ponies able to change at will?” Huǒshān asked.

I put my arm around Zecora, who leaned against me. “You’ve seen my wife here, correct?” he asked. “She’s not like other Zebras. It’s a magic spell that one of my friends discovered.”

Sunset appeared once more in a flash of her magic. She was now wearing a pair of jeans, a light blue blouse and a black leather jacket. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “I forgot about being naked like that.” She turned back to me. “I’ll keep you updated in case things go wrong.”

“What about me?” Wallflower asked nervously, raising her hoof.

“You can come with me, Zecora, Scarlet and the guards I’ll be taking with me,” I said. “Besides, I’m gonna need some of your expertise in finding fertile fields where we can grow crops.”

Ember sighed. “We don’t exactly like veggies,” she said.

“Spike has eaten them before,” I argued, “and he’s been alright.”

She rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t expect Dragons to be bouncing off the walls.”

“I don’t,” I said as I stood, “but we’re going to need more of a steady supply of food if we’re hoping to settle down and begin rebuilding the old capital to its former glory. There might be animals around that can be hunted, but that’s no guarantee.” I looked back at Ember. “Dragons did used to eat apples once upon a time, so we know your ancient diets were different than now. And let’s not forget what your father once stored away from other Dragons. Trust me, we’ll figure it out.”

Ember ran her claw back across her head spines and nodded. “Alright…I guess it’s worth a shot.”

I smiled, then turned back to the others. “Now then, it’s time to get started. We have work to do.”

The flight back to Virynth Atheos was a rather quiet one. The Dazzlings and Chrysalis joined us, mostly because they didn’t want to be left with Dragons who hated them, or at least that was what Chrysalis said. The High Fae woman sat near me on a chair most of the time, looking over the side at the passing landscape. Lahar, Strato, Scoria and Silica were the four guards I chose to come with me, which they did without question. I decided that since their devotion was apparently without question that I would grant them the title of my Honor Guards, along with Gemini and Mica.

The Dazzlings, meanwhile, wandered the ship while at the same time experimenting with their new wings. I asked that some of the guards who accompanied me to keep an eye on them since they didn’t seem all that confident on their flying abilities.

Wallflower and Scarlet seemed to form a bond rather fast, since I saw them mostly sitting and talking on the main deck. Sometimes I would catch Wallflower looking over the side and pointing at some part of the ground. Scarlet would then fly down, then return with some dust in her hooves. Wallflower would examine it. I’d never seen the green Unicorn so excited each time.

Gemini and Mica stood by me, fully armed and ready to go. I could see in their eyes that they took their duties more seriously than normal. Gemini stood near me, scanning the skies with a devotion I hadn’t seen in her except possibly when she was in the employ of the Lycan Empress. Mica did the same.

Zecora, unsurprisingly, stood by me as I navigated the Resplendent across the wastes of Aelyssia. She would even take the wheel whenever I needed to use the head or if I needed time to rest. She managed to fly the ship rather well, so much so that she joked about learning how to drive my car. I chuckled at that and said that I might just let her when things settled down. She seemed pretty excited by that, which made me smile.

When the local time was about four in the afternoon (my phone somehow automatically switched time zones when I came to Aelyssia) my Pegasus eyesight spotted the ancient battlements of Virynth Atheos. I sent two of the guards, Strato and Silica ahead to scout out the area and to make sure that the shield that had been kept up around it was down. As I waited for them to return, the ancient ruined city continued to gain prominence in front of us. It was just as magnificent as I remembered it. Tall towers, the ancient spikes coming from the battlements, the same Dragonfire scorches on the walls, the still mostly standing city within the walls, and the vast empty plains just outside of said walls.

My guards came back after a half hour and knelt before me. “Your Grace, the shield is down,” Strato said.

“Very good. You may stand,” I said, “Anything else to report?”

Silica was the one to speak as the two stood. “The buildings are in surprisingly good shape, Your Grace,” she said. “The buildings seem to be able to withstand the elements without any problems.”

“You think they’re capable of living in?” I asked.

Silica and Strato looked back at each other, a look of uncertainty passing over their faces. Strato turned to me first. “The outward buildings might not be alright, but we both found large cave systems underneath the city.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Cave systems?” I repeated. “How big?”

“I couldn’t exactly tell, Your Grace,” Silica admitted, “but it seems that many of the buildings have an opening which leads to an underground chamber. I couldn’t tell if they were individual ones, or if they were connected to each other, but the caves I saw seemed sturdy enough.”

“They were big enough for a Dragon family to live in if need be,” Strato agreed.

That wasn’t something I had anticipated, but it was another stroke of good luck. In the event of a storm, and if they were as sturdy as these two were saying, we could use them as emergency shelters. “And what about the castle itself?” I asked, “did you two explore it?”

Silica and Strato nodded simultaneously. “It’s in much better shape than the rest of the city,” Strato said.

“Did you find any entrances to underground caves in the castle itself?” I asked. “There should be one somewhere, especially if the last of Old Aelyssia escaped from the palace.”

“We couldn’t find anything,” Silica said.

I waved my hand. “Well, we’ll conduct a more in-depth exploration of the city later,” I said, “our first priority is getting the other Dragons here and set up.” I turned the Resplendent down towards a large body of water near the gates. Thankfully, it was just large enough to hold the ship comfortably, and after dropping anchor and getting things in order, we all disembarked and approached the city walls. We flew, and those who couldn’t fly were carried by the guards. As we did so, I turned to Silica and Strato. “Did you see which part of the walls were the strongest?”

Strato, who was carrying Wallflower, nodded. “The eastern portion of the wall seemed the most intact,” he said.

“The southern walls are pretty strong looking too, and they’re taller,” Silica added.

I nodded and looked down at the walls. Every part I saw looked strong, but the southern walls were the tallest. I flew down towards the tallest portion of the wall and landed. Everyone else followed behind me. I walked up and put my hand on the stone, touching it and trying to get a feel for it. Beside me, Zecora walked up and put her own hand on the wall before turning to me. “These walls are very solid, dearest.”

Scarlet came up, turned, and bucked at the wall. She winced as she hovered up in the air. “Oh yeah, solid as hell,” she said.

I heard a fist hitting the wall from nearby. Turning, I saw Gemini with her fist still against the wall. She turned to me. “It’s solidly built,” she said.

I nodded, then touched the necklace around my neck. In front of me, two large pieces of fabric appeared, one substantially larger than the other. I turned and looked back out at the southern portion of the land we were standing in. There were vast empty plains for miles around, plenty of space to create camps and possibly farmland in the future. I turned to the four Dragon guards, then took the first piece of fabric. “I need your help,” I said.

Lahar stepped forward. “What is it you command, Your Grace?” he asked.

“I need you to set these fabric doors up,” I said. He and the others listened as I explained just how these fabric doors worked.

When I finished, he nodded. “We understand.” He turned to the others. “Scoria, you’re with me with the larger one. Strato, Silica, set up the smaller one right next to it.”

I stood back and watched as the four Dragon guards carefully lifted the two large pieces of fabric and unfolded them before moving them towards the wall. One was approximately the entire height of the wall itself, give or take a few feet. The other was a third of that size. I watched as they set up both, and smiled as both doors solidified. The guards returned to my side, and I lifted my hand. The Staff of Ignu appeared in a flash, and the gemstone glowed brightly as power coursed through it. The doors began to open. Sunlight came in from the other side since both doors had been facing west on the other side. Unlike the door to Equestria, these two didn’t have any intermediary room. Instead, they were just two doors between one place and another. On the other side of the smaller one, I could see a grinning Sunset along with Ember, Huǒshān and the other Dragons, all of whom were staring through the doors in awe.

Lifting my staff, I brought it down loudly, and a burst of energy flew from it. In a booming voice, I said, “Welcome to Virynth Atheos! Welcome home!”

157: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 5

It had been three days since the Dragons had arrived from their old home to their new home. The once empty fields outside the walls were now covered with large temporary shelters for Dragons while some others had found caves nearby to live in temporarily. Some of the better hunters had discovered plenty of game nearby, so food wasn’t a problem for the immediate future at least.

Over the course of the last three days, my guards, Ember, Sunset, Zecora and I had been exploring the entire city, getting a better feel for it. I saw just what Silica and Strato meant by underground caves. Each building had two types of living situations. There were residences and tall buildings above ground, of course, but each building had below ground constructions. None of them seemed to be connected as far as anyone could tell, but it seemed as if they were sturdy enough. Some were damp with centuries of neglect and decay, but Sunset found a few that were in very good shape, dry and even warm. She found what she called runestones placed in the corners of these caves which she thought could be the reason why those particular basement levels were in such good condition. This was only confirmed when she found broken runestones in the other damp caves.

When Sunset and I told this to Twilight during her visit the night after, Twilight retreated back into her dimensional library and returned with an ancient looking Dragon book. She showed me a depiction of one of the runestones halfway through the book along with the spells necessary to activate the stones. Unlike Unicorn magic, Dragon, or rather Wyvern, magic required magical words of power. She hadn’t tried using one of the spells yet, but Spike had. The efforts of a simple magic spell had left the young drake very weak, but otherwise unharmed. Still, he really wanted to learn more about his Wyvern heritage, so Spike had given him one of the introductory books but only if he Pinkie Promised not to cast any spell without Twilight there to keep an eye on him.

Wallflower, guarded by two of the new Dragon Royal Guard along with her new friend Scarlet, explored the landscape surrounding the castle. She used her Unicorn magic to find the best place for growing crops, but to her disappointment, there wasn’t much fertile ground. She explained to me later that first day that the ground felt corrupted and sick. On a hunch, I called Chrysalis to me then and we went to the nearest spot where Wallflower had felt the corruption, Chrysalis knelt and put her hand on the ground. She confirmed my suspicion that Fae magic was working through the ground, but admitted she wasn’t sure how to undo it. The magic was old, and she claimed it felt like it was fading. I suggested she try to absorb it, but she vehemently shook her head, claiming that the magic had a nasty smell to it. The smell of hatred. When I touched the soil, I nearly recoiled. There was something evil about it, but it was barely there. Still, even if it was barely there, I didn’t like the fact that the soil had that feel to it.

Huǒshān had volunteered to keep order in the Dragon camp outside of the city, a job which he did very well. He was quite an accomplished mediator. He told me that when he was a hatchling he had lived in Virynth Atheos before its fall and his father had been a Royal Advisor. He learned all of his skills and knowledge from his father. I was beginning to like Huǒshān more and more and asked if he’d be willing, once things settled down, to be a Royal Advisor to the Imperial Crown. He asked to think about it, but for the meantime he was happy enough keeping the peace in the camp.

Gemini and Mica had been both dealing more with the new Dragon Royal Guard with Captain Lahar, getting a feel for how they operated and where they could improve. Gemini told me a couple of times that despite the years of stagnation, the younger guards had plenty of potential. The older guards had experience and were, in her words, more than adequate, something I knew was high praise for her. Mica used more colorful words, such as “superb” and “could give the Lycan Imperial Guard a run for their money,” a phrase he’d learned from me. I had Captain Lahar, Gemini, and Mica working close together to come up with training regimens for potential new guards. My plan was that eventually the Empire’s army would undergo a complete overhaul and become much more organized because Gemini and Mica had also reported to me that they were more rag tag than anything else.

On the second day, Sunset found what she’d been looking for: the ancient library. It was its own wing in the castle, with an upper and lower hall, the latter being underground. It was in the best shape out of every other room in the castle aside from the throne room. The windows were intact, and there were a few large arched stained-glass windows on the walls, each seeming to display some scene or another that I couldn’t identify, but which Huǒshān explained were depictions of ancient Dragon myths and stories. There were tables with ancient candles sitting on them along with large reading chairs. The books were in pristine condition and organized by what Sunset guessed was a Dragon version of the Dewey Decimal System.

Speaking of Sunset, she was in heaven. When I showed Twilight some of the pictures I took that day, she practically had a nerdgasm. She begged me to let her see the books, but I held off because I wasn’t sure just what was there. She was disappointed but understood. Sunset had pretty much sequestered herself in the library, having changed to her Anthro form to better be able to search through the books.

That same day, Zecora, Ember and I found a hidden cave system which was about twice as large as the hoard caverns that Torch had back at Duzoroth. The only way the doors could be opened was if both the Staff of Ignu and the Bloodstone Scepter were placed into two notches on the floor. Inside, we found yet another vast hoard of treasure, including the same denominations of coins I’d seen in the Duzoroth hoard room. The entire hoard was in practically pristine condition thanks in part to the many runestones we found in various corners and on sconces. We spent most of the day exploring that cavern system, finding all kinds of interesting artifacts, which included something surprising.

Among the many different objects we found, I managed to stumble upon a large black staff with a very familiar two pronged design and a tall gemstone in the center. It looked remarkably like the staff used by the Storm King in the MLP movie, the Staff of Sarcanas. When I touched it, I felt a powerful magic inside of it. Not wanting it to fall into the wrong hands, especially if this Kör Elzarin I’d heard about was anything like the Storm King, I stored it inside the necklace.

We also found a vast storage room similar to the one where Torch had stored his hoard of food. Unlike the one from Durzoroth, this one was pretty much empty save for some rotten and spoiled meat in the far back. There were runestones in this storage area as well, and while they were working, Sunset later explained to me that their preservation job wasn’t meant to last indefinitely, which made sense considering the fact that the meat looked like it had been going bad only for a few months.

There was one more round chamber within the caverns that was completely empty. There were shelves all around it and runestones everywhere. It looked like the entirety of my personal wealth could fit inside. On the arched entryway above it I could read the Aelyssian words Emperor’s Hoard carved into the stone. Only I seemed to be able to pass through, even if I wasn’t holding the Staff of Ignu.

On the third day, I walked around the shelters for the first time with Ember, Scarlet, Zecora, Phlogiston and Aurora, wanting to make sure that the Dragons were okay. Every Dragon bowed to me, although I did see that some were doing so begrudgingly. I did learn from Huǒshān that a few of the older Dragons did remain behind near Durzoroth out of habit, which troubled me a bit until Huǒshān explained that even in their golden years, Dragons were still strong and in shape and could defend themselves from any creature.

For most of that day, I walked among the Dragons, talking to those who wanted to talk. I even met Smolder and Garble with their still recovering mother. She looked better than she had before, and when she saw me she gave me a grateful smile. Smolder and Garble thanked me as well.

Aurora was having the time of her life, giggling and laughing as she met Dragon upon Dragon. I told everyone who asked who she was and they bowed to her in respect. Aurora, however, was more interested in playing with any little hatchling she saw. Phlogiston told me later that she found a group of hatchlings about a year older than her to play with and had a ball. It left her exhausted, but happy.

Wallflower came to me with a new idea. She asked to go back to Ponyville to visit someone. I was a bit confused, but opened the doorway back to Equestria. She grabbed a large sample of topsoil from the fields around the castle. When she came back, she had a wide grin on her face. She explained that she’d gone to visit Applejack and asked her to try and grow a plant in the soil. The Earth Pony wasn’t too enthusiastic about it, but she did just that. Wallflower’s hypothesis, which was that Earth Pony magic could purify the soil, was confirmed because when Applejack made a small flower grow in the Aelyssian soil, not only did the flower grow but the malice within was purified. When she and I showed the pot to Chrysalis for confirmation, she seemed surprised that the Fae curse had been broken.

On the third night, I called Twilight, only to see that she’d brought the other Elements of Harmony with her this time. Apparently, Twilight had spilled the beans about the new doorway and my friends wanted to come visit me. I was practically glomped by Pinkie in my new bedroom, a very well preserved room that was twice as large as Torch’s old room. I told them everything that had been happening for the past near week and a half, and they listened with rapt attention. Sometimes Zecora and Scarlet, who were with me, chimed in if I forgot something, but for the most part I did the talking over a barrel of Sweet Apple Acres cider made with Younger Goldens.

The girls were impressed, to say the least. Rainbow really wanted to explore the castle along with Pinkie, but I forbade it seeing as it was late in Aelyssia and the Dragons who were sleeping in the castle might not take kindly to their antics. Still, the two mares begged me constantly until I finally caved and promised them a tour the next day.

That was where we were at the moment. It was about nine local time and I was showing the Mane Six and Spike around the more public areas. Zecora was with us as was Scarlet and a still Anthro Sunset. Gemini and Mica were nearby guarding us. We were walking down one of the main hallways. Ironically enough, it was the same hallway that I’d discovered the Resplendent in and the hole it had crashed in was still open to the elements outside.

Rainbow Dash flew down from where she’d been looking at the ceiling. She looked at the rest of her friends, then crossed her front hooves. “Okay, if nopony else is gonna say it, I am. This place is freaking huge!”

Scarlet chuckled. “Damn right it is,” she said, “I bet it’d take a day to fly through it. And I mean the public areas only!”

“Rainbow, you have to remember this castle was built for Dragons, not Ponies,” Twilight said as she lifted up a small piece of discarded armor with her magic and examined it curiously. “Fascinating…this must be over a thousand years old and it looks practically brand new…”

“Yeah, it’s like that almost everywhere,” Sunset said.

Applejack tapped a nearby wall with her hoof. “Ouch, that’s a solid wall,” she said.

“Hey AJ, don’t hurt your hooves,” I said, “you need those for your job back at the farm, dontcha?”

Applejack smiled a bit and nodded. “Sorry, sugarcube. Just testin’ the walls.”

“Darling, I’m not as much of a magic expert as either Twilight or Sunset here,” Rarity began, “but I can feel a strange magic in the air. Can’t you?”

In truth I could. It had only seemed to get stronger as my magical sense grew inside me. I had felt it back when I first came to this place with Spike, but I hadn’t really taken the time to focus on what it was. I looked at Rarity. “There has to be some kind of magic here that’s kept the castle and the city in as good of shape as it has,” I said, “but I haven’t found any runestones in the public places.”

“Maybe they’re built into the walls themselves?” Twilight suggested. “I don’t know much about runestones, but I think I remember reading back when I was in Canterlot that runes could be carved into a rock and then the rock could be resealed.”

“Providing better protection against any sort of damage to the runes,” Sunset concluded.

“But how would they reseal a rock?” I asked. “Unless they etched runes into something like obsidian.”

“Obsidian doesn’t conduct magic runes as well as other stones,” Sunset explained.

“And it’s too easy to kick open,” Pinkie added. This led to her getting a few confused stares from some of her friends. The party Pony shrugged. “What? I grew up on a rock farm, remember?”

“Well, what kind of stone would best conduct magic?” I asked.

“Not a stone, more like a metal,” Sunset said, “and that would be iron.”

I raised an eyebrow. “For real?” I asked with bemusement.

The Unicorn grinned and nodded. “I know, seems like that would be the worst conductor of magic, right? But it really is the best conductor of magic.”

“Perhaps the walls were reinforced with iron?” Twilight suggested.

“Maybe,” Sunset replied, “but I don’t think so.” She walked up to the wall and put her hand against it, rubbing it experimentally. “I couldn’t feel any metal inside the walls with my magic earlier, just those spikes.”

“Somepony call me?” Spike called out from a nearby room, poking his head out from the top where he was flying.

“Oh, no no, sorry,” Sunset replied, “I was talking about those spikes outside the castle walls.”

Spike chuckled. “No worries,” he said as he flew out and landed next to Twilight. “I’ll say one thing that needs upgrading here are the bathrooms.”

I winced. “They were state of the art when they were built,” I admitted, “but yes, the bathrooms around here could use some upgrades. We don’t need a pandemic from poor hygiene to break out.”

“What are the others doing right now, Jethro?” Fluttershy asked.

“Ember and Huǒshān are with the Dragon camp right now,” I explained, “and so are Phlogiston and Aurora. Chrysalis is with her guards somewhere, and the Dazzlings are with their guards going through some of the treasure we found. I think they’re looking for Siren artifacts.”

“Speakin’ of her, ah guess ah’d better go find her,” Applejack said. She lifted her hoof and looked at it. It began to glow green briefly before vanishing moments later. “She said ah got the magic tah fix yer land.”

“Earth Pony magic has to be pretty powerful,” Rainbow Dash said.

Fluttershy walked up to Applejack’s side and putting a kindly wing around her. “Are you nervous?” she asked. Applejack pursed her lips and didn’t say anything for a while. Finally, she nodded. “We’ll all be there for you, right girls?”

After everyone replied in the affirmative, Applejack smiled a bit more. “Thank yah, everypony. Ah admit, ah’m a mite nervous ‘bout this, but ah’m happy yer all here.”

“We wouldn’t leave you hanging,” Rainbow Dash said with a winning grin.

“Of course not, darling,” Rarity added, “perish the thought!”

“We’re friends to the end!” Pinkie added.

“You girls really are the Elements of Harmony, aren’t you?” Sunset said aloud with a bemused but somewhat saddened expression on her face.

“That they are,” I said, patting the young Unicorn on the back. “Come on, everyone. Let’s go and find Wallflower and Chrysalis.”

“A pot of soil is one thing, but an entire field?” Applejack asked, looking up at me with uncertainty in her voice. “Ah dunno, sugarcube, ah doubt ah can do that.”

“Nobody’s asking you to force yourself,” I replied reassuringly as I put a hand on her withers. “Just do your best. You’ve been practicing a lot, right?”

Applejack nodded. “Sure have, but ah dunno if ah have what it takes yet.”

I looked out at the barren fields we were standing in. Nearby the Elements, Zecora, Scarlet, Spike, Sunset, Wallflower, Chrysalis, Ember, Gemini and Mica were all watching me and Applejack as we talked. I turned back to Applejack. “If it gets too much for you, let me know, okay?”

“Ah will.”

I took out my phone and switched to my camera. “Do you mind if I record this?” I asked.

Applejack shook her head. “Nah, go fer it.” I hit record just as Applejack turned towards the field. She leaned her head from side to side and I heard her crack her neck. “Alrighty then, earth. Yer gonna meet yer match!”

She raised her hoof and it began to glow bright green. She pressed it against the ground. We all watched as a large number of what I could only describe as glowing bright green lines spread out from where her hoof had touched the ground. The lines weren’t straight, but looked like vines extending from her hoof. Each one had some sort of spiral pattern to it. As the glowing lines spread, a fine evergreen mist rose above the affected areas. There were brief sparks of glowing bright green magic among the mists. Soon, it seemed like the entire field was enveloped in the glowing patterns and the sparkling evergreen mists.

I captured it all on video, taking it all in as I panned the camera around while at the same time taking in everything with my own eyes instead of looking at the view on my phone. The mists intensified and rose higher above the ground, filling the air with its magic and a sound I’d never heard before. However, after about ten seconds, the magical mist receded as did the bright green lines. When both had vanished, what had once been a desolate landscape was now a large grassland blowing gently in the breeze. I briefly recorded this before finally ending the video and putting my phone back in my pocket.

Everyone was silent as we looked out at the brand new grasslands before us. Nobody spoke for at least half a minute. Finally, the last person I expected to speak spoke up. “Well now, that’s something you don’t see every day.”

I turned to the speaker. Chrysalis had her arms folded and looked genuinely impressed by what had just happened. I looked at everyone else. They looked as shocked as I did. Quickly I turned back to Applejack, and I noticed how exhausted she looked. I moved to her side and knelt beside her. I put a wing across her back and instantly she leaned, putting her full weight against me. I sat on the ground and let her rest her head in my lap before giving her a sip from my canteen.

She drank gratefully then looked up at me with an exhausted smile, her green eyes full of warmth. “Thanks,” she said softly.

“You’re welcome,” I said, running my hand through her blonde mane before looking back out into the new grassy field. “That is definitely more than I was expecting. I don’t recognize the grass, though.”

Twilight was the first to react. She walked up to the edge, picked a blade of grass, looked at it, then walked over to where Ember stood. She lifted the blade up to the Dragoness with her magic. “Do you know what this grass is?”

Ember took the piece of grass from Twilight and examined it closely. After a few moments, she sighed, shook her head, and handed it back. “Nope, but I’m sure somedragon does,” she said. “I’m only a century old.”

“I haven’t seen this grass in a long time,” Zecora said. She was kneeling beside the edge of the field, feeling the grass in her hands. “Zebras call it Muwa grass. It has a sweet taste to it, like sugar.” She plucked a blade and put it in her mouth. She chewed on it, then after a while spat it out. “You don’t eat the grass itself, but you can chew on it and enjoy the flavor.”

“Ooooh!” Pinkie immediately grabbed a hoofful and stuffed it in her mouth. She beamed and chewed on it before spitting the chewed grass out. “Wooow…that’s tasty! I wonder if I can use this to make some kind of new dessert??”

As Pinkie gathered some more of the grass and Twilight returned to studying the grass blade, Fluttershy came over to where Applejack and I were. “Applejack, are you okay?” she asked.

“Ah’m fine, sugarcube,” Applejack replied, “just a bit tuckered out right now. Nothin’ a good apple can’t fix.”

“Why don’t you try growing one??” Pinkie asked.

“Right now she’s probably too tired to do so,” I admonished the young fluffy maned goofball, “but we can go back to the castle where you gals can take her to Ponyville to recover.”

Before I finished speaking, I heard the telltale sound of Earth Pony magic once more being cast. I turned and saw that Applejack was, once again, placing her hoof (the other one this time) on the ground. The lines this time seemed more focused than before as they entered the grassland, heading directly towards the center. We all watched, speechless, as a large tower of sparkling evergreen mist formed at the center. When the mists dissipated, there were ten trees standing in a circle. Each one was laden with heavy looking and ripe apples. Apples I recognized as being the same five types I’d given to Applejack a month or so ago. There were two trees of each type. Two Star Apples, two Cinder Apples, two Rose Apples, two Desert Apples, and two Winter Apples.

I felt Applejack relax even more against me and a sigh escaped her lips. I looked down and her eyes were closed, but she had a smile on her face. As if knowing I was looking at her, she turned to me, opened one eye halfway, and said, “Ah’ve been practicin’ a lot.”

“I’ll bet,” I chuckled as I stroked her mane and looked back up at the trees. Unsurprisingly, Pinkie Pie was already bounding through the field towards the circle of trees, humming a familiar tune to herself.

“What kind of trees are those?” Ember asked, coming to stand beside me.

“Those?” I chuckled. “Those are apple trees that once existed in Aelyssia.” I listed the names off for her.

As she listened, her eyes widened. “How…those trees went extinct during our battle with the Dark Fae over a thousand years ago!”

“Some of each of their fruits survived,” I replied as I watched Pinkie going between each tree and grabbing a bunch of each before placing them in a basket that had appeared out of nowhere.

“Mom told me stories about them,” Ember said. “She said that there was once a Royal Garden where one of each tree grew, but that the garden was burned down during the siege.”

“Those don’t look like any apples I’ve ever seen,” Chrysalis said.

Ember turned and glowered at her, but I reached out and touched her leg. “Not here,” I said warningly.

She looked back down at me with a glare, but I returned it with one of my own. After a bit, she nodded. “Fine, Your Grace…” She turned away and walked off, getting some distance between her and Chrysalis before stopping and facing the trees again.

“I must say, that is quite an impressive display of magic, darling,” Rarity said as she came up and looked down at her friend.

“Thanks,” Applejack replied.

“How big can you make plants anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Ah don’t rightly know,” Applejack admitted, “but ah think ah’m getting less tired with each use.”

“That does tend to happen with magic,” Twilight said. “It’s like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. But for some Unicorns you only have a set amount of magic.”

Wallflower walked up to the grass and used her magic to pluck out a piece of soil. She encased it in her magic, concentrating on it. She then opened her saddlebag, pulled out a small clay pot then placed the soil inside it. She returned to us, a look of awe on her face. “I don’t know how you did it, but you created a layer of topsoil in seconds. That’s…wow…”

“I’m back!” Pinkie said out of nowhere, her mouth stuffed with an apple as the juices ran down her cheek. She placed the large basket down. “Which kind of apple do you want, AJ?”

“Winter, please.” After Pinkie Pie gave one to Applejack, the Earth Pony farmer took a bite, then her eyes opened. Slowly, she sat up onto her haunches and began to chew down. “Aaah…now this is a good apple.”

“I brought enough for eeeeveryboooody!” Pinkie exclaimed in a singsong tone.

“Why don’t we head back for now?” I suggested. “We can eat back at the castle.”

“A mighty good idea,” Rarity said, “this dirt is doing nothing for my hooves.”

I rolled my eyes, stood, and looked down at Applejack. “You good to walk back?”

“Ah’m good,” she said as she stood, only to wobble a bit. I reached out and steadied her. She looked up at me and gave me a grateful look. “Thanks, sugarcube.”

“Anytime,” I replied as I turned back to the castle.

We had hardly taken a half dozen steps when I felt something glomping onto my back. A pink muzzle leaned in beside me and its owner said, “Jethyyy! Can you give me that magic too??”

I looked over at the pouting Pinkie Pie. I chuckled. “I don’t even know what I did to give it to Applejack,” I said, “or rather, I don’t know how to replicate it, and I don’t want to risk hurting you.”

“But if more Earth Ponies had this magic, then maybe they could help purify more of the land,” Wallflower said from nearby.

“Wallflower, I don’t know how to do what I did to Applejack,” I explained, being vague. “It was an accident that led to her developing Earth Pony magic, and I don’t know how to replicate it. Still, it might not be a bad idea to try.” I looked down at the Earth Pony farmer. “Having this ability could be useful for Earth Ponies.”

“Maybe fer some,” Applejack conceded, “but ah dunno.”

“I know Roseluck would love it. Her and her two friends,” I said. “Flower power, after all.”

Applejack snorted with a smile. “They definitely would. Ah know fer me it might be helpful when spring comes ‘round.”

“Oh oh! You think it’ll work for farms like the Pie Farm?” Pinkie asked.

“A rock farm?” I pondered this. “I mean, maybe? Applejack’s a farmer, so it stands to reason that her magic would relate to plants. If someone like your sister Maud were to get Earth Pony magic, maybe she’d have some sort of rock related magic?”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight said as she came up closer. “Yes, Earth Ponies are naturally more attune to earth, but even a rock farmer has a sense of the live in the soil. They always search for a place where that life is the least likely to interfere with that work.”

“So all Earth Pony magic will look the same to what Applejack’s doing?” I asked.

“I think so, but I could be wrong,” Twilight said.

“Let’s not think too much about it now,” Scarlet said from nearby. “Honestly, it’s giving me a headache just hearing you talk about it. You came to explore the city, so let’s do that.”

“Ah, right,” Twilight said sheepishly as we entered the city. She looked up to me. “So…where to now?”

I looked back at her. “Well, how about lunch?”

It was early evening now. The day was over and my Ponyville friends had all returned home. I was walking through the new grassy field with Zecora by my side. My hand was in hers as we wandered through the sweet smelling grass towards the ring of newly grown apple trees. Ahead of us, Scarlet flew, exploring the brand new field of Muwa grass. I had tried some of the grass, and it did have a very sweet taste to it. I was chewing some currently as I walked with my wife. Gemini and Mica were staying behind us, keeping an eye on the two of us.

Zecora leaned in and laid her head against my shoulder. “Today was a nice break,” she said, “it was good to see our friends again.”

“It was,” I agreed, “and it was really amazing seeing this grown.” I ran my hands along the soft grass stems which blew gently in the evening breeze. “I wonder if I can learn how to use Earth Magic too someday.”

“I do too,” Zecora said, looking down at her hand, which began to glow its signature blue. She reached out and plucked a blade of grass with her new magic, bringing it up to her hand and catching it. “It would help me with furthering my studies of magic.”

“What? Having the powers of an alicorn isn’t enough for you?” Scarlet asked as she landed on my free side.

“I simply meant that if I had Earth Magic, I could grow my ingredients with ease instead of relying on the Everfree,” Zecora replied.

“Oh relax, I’m just joshing you,” Scarlet replied. She then moved closer and pressed herself against my legs, rubbing against me like a cat in heat. She looked up at me with a cheeky grin on her muzzle, her red eyes narrowed at me. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” I replied as I reached down with my free hand to stroke her mane.

“What, no ‘Oh my God, how horny are you?’ wisecrack?” Scarlet asked with some snark.

I smirked. “You’re horny 24/7. It’s something I’ve gotten used to, so nope. No horny jokes.”

“Not even if I do this?” With that, Scarlet lifted her tail and trotted ahead, turning back and giving me a glaring view of her marehood.

“Bold of you to do that in front of my guards,” I replied without missing a beat.

She slowly lowered her tail and retreated back to me, a blush on her dark gray cheeks. “You’re no fun anymore,” she said with a pout.

I reached down and ran my hand through her crimson mane once more. “I’m sorry,” I apologized, “I guess I’ve been so caught up in the day to day aspects of being a goddamned emperor that I’ve gotten worn out.”

Scarlet sighed, but pressed herself closer against me. “I can tell,” she said before moving away, flying into the aid and sitting her haunches on my shoulders, her forelegs around my forehead. “I guess I just miss us being home.”

“Well, hopefully we can go home soon, at least once everything’s more or less set in motion here,” I said, reaching up and squeezing one of her flanks. “I want to go home too. Sure, the royal bed in this castle held up surprisingly well and is comfortable, but I miss having a bed that doesn’t remind me of the one the king has in Cinderella.”

She giggled a bit. “I know what you mean.”

I was about to say something when I was aware of someone beside me. I turned and saw Gemini and Mica on either side of me, staring ahead, teeth barred. I was about to ask what they were doing when I heard it. The sound of something shuffling through the grass ahead was now clearly audible. Slowly I turned, tensing up as I raised my wings slowly. My hand went down to Eclipse, which I never kept away from me whenever I went out lately. I saw a depression in the grass ahead of us and a path that wandered through the grass coming from the other end. “Nobody move,” I whispered.

We watched and waited for an agonizing five minutes. Scarlet had climbed down off of my back and was standing by me, tensed and wings spread wide. Zecora was crouched, her own wings spread. Gemini and Mica were tensed, pawlike hands on their swords. Finally, something poked up from the grass, looking at us with what looked like a terrified expression on its face. From beside me, I heard Zecora gasping and she stood up. “I never thought I’d see the day…how did a giraffe come all this way?”

A giraffe was indeed standing there, or rather crouching in the center of the ring of apple trees, ears flattened, dark amber eyes wide and tail clearly twitching. Slowly, I removed my hand from the sword hilt. “Stand down, Gemini, Mica,” I said, standing taller and forcing my wings back down.

Mica, Scarlet and Zecora relaxed, but Gemini didn’t move. She kept glaring at the giraffe. “That creature snuck up on us,” she snapped, “and I want to know how it did so.”

“You’re frightening the poor giraffe, so stand down now,” I said more loudly now and in a commanding tone.

She looked at me sidelong, then with a huff, she stood at half ease, but kept her hand on her sword hilt. “Soft heart…” she whispered.

I ignored her as I looked at Zecora. “Are giraffes from Farasi?”

Zecora nodded. “They live mostly in a savannah woodland area,” she said, “and they’re rarely seen. Nozebra’s ever gone exploring those woods, or if they have I’ve never heard of it. We generally leave them be because they are too much of a mystery.”

“The question is, how did one come all the way out here?” I asked. I’d only ever seen a giraffe once in the show, and that was in a Season 9 episode.

“I wish I knew,” Zecora said.

I looked up at the giraffe once more, then raised a hand in greeting. “Hello there,” I said in a friendly tone. “Are you lost? Do you need help?” Belatedly I realized that the Phoenixes had not taught creatures on other continents how to talk, just on the Equestrian continent.

The giraffe only tilted its head and stood up, and in a language that was clearly not the same one that animals spoke, said, “That’s an interesting creature there. And the Zebra beside it is not a normal Zebra. I can detect a powerful aura from them both. Very unusual.”

I froze. The language I had just heard was NOT the same one that the Phoenixes had taught the Equestrian animals. Instead, it was a series of varying deep throated humming noises. I’d heard sounds like that before when I once looked up what giraffe noises were, but these were more precise. And I could understand it, or rather, her. I cleared my throat, took a sip of water, then called on the strange humming language of this giraffe cow to reply, “What brings you this far?”

The giraffe’s eyes widened in surprise, and she locked eyes with me. “How do you know our tongue?!” she asked.

“That is a long story,” I replied. “Can you speak my language?”

She looked between all of us, then let forth a sigh. “I can,” the Giraffe said as she began walking forward, passing through the trees. Her voice was deep, but unmistakably female.

Zecora’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. “Giraffe’s can speak?!” she asked.

The Giraffe looked at Zecora. “When we wish it,” she said, “but I did not think any creature spoke the Hum.” She turned back to me. “I am surprised that any can speak the Hum besides our kind.”

“That is a long story,” I explained.

“There is time enough to speak of it,” the Giraffe cow said, sitting down and looking at me from above.

I looked up at her, contemplating my next move. Clearly this Giraffe had been pretending to be a wild animal while in Aelyssia. She looked somewhat exhausted and malnourished too. I could see some pieces of apple around her mouth in the setting sun. Her amber eyes, which had once seemed to be animalistic, now were full of intelligence. Clearly, she had hidden her intelligence for a reason, and I’d accidentally spoiled that. So, the best thing for me to do was to be diplomatic about things. “And I will tell you this story, but I think it should wait until we are in a more proper setting.” I gestured towards Virynth Atheos. “As Emperor of Aelyssia, I humbly invite you to spend the night in safety in my city. I can provide you with hopefully suitable accommodations and provide you with a meal.”

The Giraffe sniffed at that. “This is as proper a setting as any,” she said. “Are you stalling?”

“No, not at all,” I said, “but if I were to tell you how I know your language, we might be here a while.”

The Giraffe seemed to consider this for a while, then she stood on all fours. “You are an unusual creature,” she said, “but in deference to your customs, I will let you take me to your city. We may discuss things better if you are in a place of comfort for you.”

I raised an eyebrow at how she had phrased that, but I didn’t say anything else. “Then please come walk with me,” I said. The Giraffe did so, coming up beside me and falling into step as we all made our way back to Virynth Atheos. As we walked, there was an uncomfortable silence that only seemed to grow the more we approached the city. After about five minutes, I looked up at her. “My name is Jethro Bethridge, by the way,” I said. “May I ask who you are?”

The Giraffe contemplated this for a moment, then turned to me. “My real name would take too long to share with you even if you can speak the Hum,” she said, “but for the sake of our talks, you may call me…Miora.”

158: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 6

If anyone had told me that I’d be spending my thirty first birthday sitting in a private room with a Giraffe scout and my Zebra wife, I’d have told them they were insane. Nuts. Loco in the coco. And yet, here I was, sitting at a table the morning after Miora had appeared, staring up at the long necked creature who regarded me with a cool, almost detached countenance. Unlike the day before, Miora was actually wearing some sort of clothes, all seeming to be made of silky-smooth leaves which draped over her. She wore four shoes on each of her cloven hooves, each of which were made of twigs and branches fashioned to fit perfectly. Surprisingly, whenever she walked with them, they made absolutely no sound.

It was mid-morning now, and the table was set with vegetarian cuisine which she was eating without complaint. None of us had really said anything other than some general pleasantries like “Good morning” and such. I found myself to be doing more of the talking, and it quickly became awkward, so eventually I slipped into silence.

The night before, Zecora had told me all she knew about Giraffes, which wasn’t much. They were thought to be wild animals like lions or tigers of the Farasi microcontinent. Zebrica and Maredagascar didn’t have Giraffes, but Farasi did. For the most part, Zebras left them alone because their forest, known as the Nyeusi, was vast and covered nearly a third of the microcontinent, reaching from the northern portion all the way down. They weren’t seen often, and when they were it was brief.

Something I learned without needing to ask was that the Giraffes of this world seemed to have some kind of magic. Miora’s two small horns lit up slightly, causing a small aura to move from her horn down to what she wanted to move. She would grab it and her food would lift from her plate to her mouth. When I thought about it, it made sense since otherwise she’d have to lower her neck to eat.

Finally, I decided to start the conversation. “Miss Miora, I’d like to express my apologies for not being able to accommodate you better. Is there any way I can make your stay in Virynth Atheos more comfortable?”

She seemed to pause when I mentioned the name of the city, but slowly she resumed her eating. “You have been very gracious in letting me stay here,” she said after a few seconds, “and I cannot complain. The facilities might be a bit crude compared to what I am used to, but they are sufficient.”

“Still, if there’s anything you need, please let me or one of my servants know,” I insisted, “and I’ll see to it we try and accommodate.”

She nodded at me. “I will do that.”

With that, the silence resumed. I looked over at Zecora, but she looked just as confused as I felt. Still, she turned back to Miora and asked, “I hope the food is to your liking.”

“It is sufficient,” Miora said calmly as she took another bite of her fruit before setting it down with her strange magical aura and sipping at a glass of apricot juice we’d found in Torch’s storeroom. “I am surprised that you have fresh fruits here. The Dragon Lands are not exactly known for their vegetation.”

“We had some magical assistance,” I explained.

“You mean that small patch of vegetation you found me in,” Miora said without blinking. “I did sense a magic unknown to me there.”

“Indeed,” I confirmed for her.

“The magic used is new,” Zecora added.

“I see,” was all Miora said before dabbing at her mouth with a silk napkin.

After another brief bout of silence, I decided to bite the bullet and plunge ahead. “So, Miss Miora, is it alright for me to ask you some questions?”

“I have some questions of my own, as well,” Zecora added, “if you don’t mind.”

Miora looked down at me placidly before placing her napkin down on the table with her telekinesis. “You two may ask,” she clarified.

Meaning she doesn’t have to answer, I thought with a nod. “Very well, I’ll start. Did your kind see the broadcast that Eris showed to the whole world a few months ago?”

Miora tilted her head slightly, as if in thought. “Of that, I am not certain,” she admitted. “I was not in the Shadewood when it happened, so I do not know if they all saw it. I did see it, however.”

Ah, an in! I thought with some triumph. “The Shadewood, huh? Is that your home?”

“It is where we live, yes,” Miora said before she turned to Zecora. “Before you ask, we know you Zebras call it the Nyeusi. It is a fitting name.”

Zecora nodded. “I have set hoof in it when I was younger,” she said, “and it is quite dark.”

“Indeed it is,” Miora said. “Giraffes have been living there since the beginning.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So you call yourselves Giraffes?”

“Only when we must speak your tongue,” she clarified. “Our name for ourselves is a secret we do not share with outsiders.”

“Understandable,” I said. Of course, I knew the name they called themselves thanks to knowing their language, but I decided not to say. There was silence as I took a sip of the same apricot juice before I asked, “What brings you all the way from Farasi to this place?”

She frowned and turned first to Zecora. “First of all, Farasi is what we call our land, and yes, the continent was once ours before the arrival of the Zebras.” She then turned back to me. “As for why I am here, that is not something I can share yet for reasons I will keep to myself.”

I nodded. “Alright, I understand.” The more she told me, the more I felt like the Giraffes were a secretive race of creatures. The appearance of the one in a couple of later MLP episodes was unusual, however. I could think of a couple of reason why they’d be there, though. Maybe the Giraffe in the show got lost and blended in by pretending to be an animal, or perhaps she was doing whatever Miora was doing. I wasn’t sure why a reclusive species like Giraffes would be in other nations, but my biggest guess was some sort of reconnaissance. Sadly, I had to assume the worst, so I decided not to give away any major national secrets.

Miora then turned to Zecora once more. “Your mate here said that the story of how you became the way you are is a long story,” she said, “and I believe I have waited patiently enough for an answer. How did you gain such an unusual form?”

Zecora frowned, but I put a hand over hers. She relaxed as I replied, “I accidentally changed her from her equine form to this form. It’s called an Anthro form.”

“Anthro…why that particular term?”

“It’s short for Anthropomorphic,” I explained, “which means having human-like features. Case in point, bipedal locomotion, hands and feet, and generally looking more like a human female than a Zebra mare.”

Miora leaned in closer and looked Zecora over curiously, drinking in every feature she now possessed. She leaned back and stared at her wings. “Do humans like yourself have Alicorn wings?” she asked after a time.

“No,” I replied, “and that was another accident altogether.”

Miora turned back to me. “Yet another accident?”

I couldn’t help it. I chuckled slightly and nodded. “I seem to have a plethora of good and bad luck since I arrived in this world,” I said. “Long story short, the spirit of a dead being of great power took up residence in my body when I arrived in this world and adjusted my body to better be able to live here. The unintentional side effects were my access to Pony magic and wings.” I slowly spread one for her to examine.

She closely examined it once more, then turned her head back to me. “You are being quite careful in your replies,” she observed. “You say being of great power who accidentally gave you access to Pony magic and wings, which means a dead Alicorn. The only Alicorns who I know to be dead are the ones who once lived in Skyros.”

“Skyros…I’ve never heard of that place before,” I admitted.

She leaned back, took a slice of apricot, and took a bite of it. “I am surprised,” she said. “Skyros is, or was, a vast floating city in the clouds where a race of Alicorns once lived. That is all we know about this city, other than after Eris was defeated it was no longer seen again and neither were the Alicorns who lived there.”

Curiouser and curiouser, I thought, making a mental note to ask Celestia and Luna about it. “Interesting,” I said, “but I think we’re getting off topic here.”

“Correct,” Miora said. “So, you said that you accidentally changed your mate’s form from her natural form to this form. I take it you used some kind of magic to do so. I also take it you can’t replicate this accident.”

“I did, and I can’t,” I replied, “at least not at the moment.”

She narrowed her eyes at me for a few seconds then nodded, returning to a neutral expression. “I see.”

Zecora took the chance to speak up. “You seem to want to know about us, but why should we tell you any more than what my husband has already told you?” She looked suspiciously at Miora.

Miora didn’t even have to think twice when she responded by saying, “I keep the secrets of Giraffes hidden for very good reasons. Ones I cannot share with you.”

“You’re making it difficult to share anything more,” Zecora retorted.

In that moment, I saw Miora’s façade slip slightly. Her eyes seemed to flash as she said, “If you were being constantly hunted by the predatory species of this world, would you share your secrets with the first creature you met? I think not!”

“Hey, whoa whoa, nobody’s going to be hunting you here,” I said in my best placating tone. “You’re my guest for as long as you want to be here, and whenever you wish to depart, I will gladly send some guards with you to escort you back to Farasi or wherever else you’d like to go.”

Miora returned to her neutral demeanor and sat back. “That is a generous offer, but not necessary,” she said. “I can find my own way back to my kind when the time comes. But enough about that. Events in this country have moved along a path that none of my kind expected. A new Emperor now sits on the Crimson Throne and Old Aelyssia is starting to rebuild after more than a thousand years. Tell me, how did a creature like you become the Emperor of this land? And do not tell me it is a long story. I wish to hear it.”

I took a few moments to think about it. The information wasn’t exactly top secret or anything, so I decided to divulge the story. I started by explaining the Council of Equestria, then the Fae infiltration and the near war between Dragons and Ponies which was averted by my duel with Torch. Miora listened attentively while slowly still eating her breakfast. When I finished, she swallowed what she’d been chewing, dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, took a small sip of her drink, and said, “That is indeed quite a tale. How long ago was this?”

“Only a couple of months,” I replied, barely noticing when Zecora apologetically excused herself rather suddenly to rush to the nearby bathroom. As the bathroom door closed quickly, I added, “I’ve been at my home in Equestria wrapping things up before I came here to get the ball rolling and get my new empire back on track.”

“Get the ball rolling?” Miora asked with some confusion in her voice.

“To start to change things so that this empire can have a better future,” I explained.

Miora nodded. “I see.” She took a few more bites of her food before facing me fully. “I will be honest, Emperor Jethro, this sort of development is a bit concerning to me, and I have no doubt it will be similarly worrying to my kind as well.”

“Why?” I asked, genuinely curious. “Until yesterday, I didn’t even know your kind had a society. You’re far outside of our borders too.”

“A change in leadership in any world territory is always concerning for us,” Miora explained, “because it has always led to change within our borders. I made an error in speaking in front of you, because now the word will spread that our society exists.”

She had a point. I had tried to take proper precautions to bringing her into the palace earlier, but I wasn’t sure the word wouldn’t spread. Giraffes were big creatures, after all, and the use of one of the extra new rooms had most certainly raised some eyebrows, especially among the slowly increasing palace staff. “Well then, in that case,” I said, “since the cat’s already out of the bag, as a representative of your people and culture, I would like to extend a hand of peace and friendship towards your people.”

She gave me a cool calculating expression as I gave her as friendly a smile as I could. After a little while, Zecora rejoined us and sat back down. Miora didn’t even acknowledge her return as she continued staring at me. Finally, she said, “Even if I could believe you, you are not a Dragon. They are known to us as harbingers of death and destruction. We cannot trust them as they are now.”

My smile faded and I cursed myself for an idiot. It was the predator/prey argument all over again. What I said next here would probably shape the course of my empire’s relationship with the Giraffes for years to come. Slowly, I stood and faced Miora with more of an eye level than before, although she was still taller than I was. “I understand what you’re saying, and I can empathize with the situation you and your kind are now in,” I said, “and I apologize for asking this of any one of your race so soon. You’re right. It’s far too soon to be asking anything of the Giraffes in regards to a friendship between Aelyssia and the Shadewood. I would offer for a representative of the Giraffes to come to the Council of Equestria, but that would expose you further.”

Miora nodded. “We did hear of the Council,” she said. “Perhaps, in time, we will reach out. Right now, though, we do not wish to be known to the world. Not yet. Unfortunately, though…” and with that she went silent.

Zecora finished for her. “Unfortunately, now that we know, your kind might be forced to reveal themselves, right?”

Miora nodded. “I was seen by several Dragons here. I cannot exactly be hidden.”

“Are you sure I can’t give you an escort through Aelyssia to the border?” I asked. “I’d be more than willing to send you off with some of the Imperial Guard.”

“No, but the offer is much appreciated.” She finished her meal then and stood. “I thank you for your generosity and hospitality,” she continued, “but it is time for me to leave.”

I stood, a bit confused now. “Already? You can’t be rested enough to make that long journey back to Farasi? Why don’t you stay until you’re all recovered?”

“Your concern is touching,” Miora said, “but I am serious. I must report all I have seen and experienced here.”

“Well, then at least let me give you some supplies for the return trip,” I offered. “Food, water, and some bedding.”

Miora paused, a thoughtful expression on her face. Finally, she nodded. “That would be acceptable, thank you.”

I smiled, walked to the door, opened it, and spoke to the two guards, giving the orders to prepare food, water and bedding for Miora. One went off to relay the order while the other remained behind. I returned back to see Zecora speaking to Miora. However, my wife had one hand on her stomach like she was in pain, but other than that she seemed fine. Zecora was just finishing a question when I came back. “…think that our two species could become friends?”

Miora considered it. “Friends? That I do not know. Allies? That might be the more likely scenario for the future. You must understand, I am simply a scout. I cannot make the decisions.”

“Oh, I understand,” Zecora said. “Despite my appearance, I’m not Zebra royalty or anything, but I believe they would be open to an alliance.”

“We will see,” Miora said noncommittally.

“Please excuse me,” Zecora said quickly as she left the room to the bathroom.

When Zecora was gone, I turned back to Miora. “I’ve given the order to provide you with food, water, and bedding for your trip back.”

She nodded, then looked back at the bathroom. Slowly, she looked back at me. “Emperor Jethro, this is the second time your wife has left the room. I am no physician, but your wife seems to be ill.”

That sent off alarm bells in my head. I thought back to the past few days. I had noticed sometimes that Zecora would get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. It had happened multiple times throughout the day. I replayed the past near week and a half. Other than what I’d remembered, she’d been eating more lately, or so it seemed. Once I’d gotten the portal back to Ponyville open, she’d gone back to eat food there so as not to take away from the Dragons. I looked back to the bathroom with worry. “I hope it’s nothing serious,” I said.

Miora then did something I didn’t expect. Her lips curled up very slightly. It wasn’t much, but on the normally stoic looking Giraffe, it was one of the most expressive faces she’d made aside from her momentary lapse of anger earlier. “It is most likely a minor illness,” she said. She then turned and walked to the door, but not before turning back and nodding in my direction. “I offer you my thanks, as well as my congratulations. You have been truly blessed.”

As she walked out with her head held high, I watched her go, unsure of what to make of what she’d just said. I quickly recovered just as Zecora walked out of the bathroom. I turned and my worry returned when I saw her looking a bit shaky. I rushed over to her, took her hand, and led her to one of the chairs at the table. She tried waving me away, but I was too worried to leave her alone. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t notice this before,” I said, a wave of guilt washing over me as I poured her some of the juice.

“Don’t apologize, dearest,” Zecora said with a reassuring smile, “you’ve had plenty on your mind.”

“Still, you’re my wife,” I said, “so I should have noticed that you were feeling sick.”

She turned and took my hand, looking me square in the eye. Bringing my hand up to her cheek, she placed my hand there and leaned into it, all without breaking eye contact. “Love, you do not have to apologize for this. I made it easy for you to miss.” She smiled, leaned in, and kissed me tenderly. “I knew you were having a tough time ruling. I can handle this.”

“Well, then why don’t you go home and rest?” I asked. “If you have a stomach bug, then you should be resting.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to let that stop me from supporting you,” she said. She stood, walked over and sat in my lap. “I’m your wife now, Jethro. I promised to stay by your side in sickness and in health.”

“That’s not what those vows meant,” I argued, wrapping my arms and wings around her. I rocked her gently back and forth, caressing her stomach gently. “I want you to be safe and secure.”

“I don’t want to leave you,” she insisted.

She’s as stubborn as I am, I thought. I sighed and said, “Okay, tell you what, what if I ask you to at least go see a doctor about it? The one back in Ponyville?”

She looked at me for a few seconds, then smiled, leaned in, and gave me an extremely passionate and sensual makeout session that pretty much blew my socks off. After she broke the kiss, she said, “Then I will go back home to see the good doctor.” Slowly, she slid off of me, giving me a grin as she stood. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” And with that, she strode out of the room, swaying her hips enticingly in my direction.

“How has Ember been doing lately?” I asked Huǒshān later that afternoon as the two of us stood on the outskirts of the impromptu Dragon camp.

Huǒshān looked thoughtful at the question. After several moments, he said, “She’s over a hundred years old, but for Dragons that is still young. She’s handled herself well despite her youth. She won’t admit it, but she is still nervous about becoming your Hand.”

“Well, that’s one reason why I asked if you wanted to be an advisor,” I said. “From what I’ve seen of you so far, you’re level headed and knowledgeable.”

Huǒshān chuckled a bit and waved his claw dismissively. “I’m just an old Dragon, My Liege,” he said, “I’m not worthy of becoming an advisor.”

“I beg to differ,” I argued with a smile. “From what I’ve seen of you, you’ve got a great head on your shoulders.”

Huǒshān looked at me confused. “What does my head have to do with this?” he asked.

I gave him an apologetic smile. “It’s a human expression,” I explained. “It means you’re a very wise and smart guy. You can see what’s truly important for this Empire to be reborn. I’m seriously hoping you say yes to my offer. You would be given your own private room in the castle, a plot of land to call your own and a generous stipend from the crown.”

Huǒshān sighed. “I’ll think about it, My Liege.”

“That’s all I ask,” I said.

Huǒshān nodded. “Is there anything else you wish of me, My Liege?”

“For the moment, no,” I said. “You’ve been doing a fantastic job here.”

“Then I will take my leave and go back to the camp,” he said. With that he headed off.

I turned and spread my wings to head back to the castle when I saw a familiar Anthro Zebra approaching me, “Beloved!”

Zecora was flying towards me, a big smile on her face and what looked like tears streaming down her cheeks. She landed a few steps in front of me and launched herself at me, wrapping her arms and legs around me, clinging tightly to me. I was so surprised I fell down into the dirt, sending up a small bit of dust. She was trembling a bit as I held her in my arms. “Hey babe,” I said, holding her close to me, a bit lost for words. “You were gone for a while. Did the doctor find out what it was?”

All I could hear for a while was the sound of crying, but when she finally looked at me, the look of pure joy on her face threw me for a loop. Reaching down, she cupped my cheeks in her hands, then her lips crashed into mine. There was pure happiness in that kiss which startled me enough that I froze for a moment before returning said kiss. After a while, she broke the kiss and gave me a teary eyed smile. “My love, a miracle has taken place!” she said breathlessly.

I panted, trying to catch my breath from the sudden onslaught. “What…happened…?” I asked as I regained my voice.

She leaned down, placing her head on my chest. She then grabbed my right hand and placed it on her stomach. “I don’t know how, and the doctor doesn’t either, but…he says I’m pregnant!”

159: A Cloaked Heart's Miracles

Author's Note

Happy Late Thanksgiving to my fellow American readers!

159: A Cloaked Heart's Miracles

I hadn’t been able to get away to go back to Ponyville since Zecora had told me the news despite wanting to speak to the doctor. Zecora had insisted that my place was here and that she could handle it. We actually had an argument about it until we reached a compromise. The two of us set up an appointment with the doctor to talk about things as soon as possible. Scarlet had volunteered to set up the appointment, and when she came back two hours later she said the earliest we could talk with the doctor was a week. Something about that seemed suspicious, but I trusted Scarlet.

To say that the celebratory lovemaking that night was amazing couldn’t even cover it. Zecora and Scarlet both were extra into the deed that all three of us were both tired and inseparable for the rest of the following day.

For that week, I threw myself into the work of helping to rebuild. The construction had begun in earnest with Sunset having discovered ancient instructions on old Dragon building techniques which she and I both translated into modern common speech. A couple older Dragons among the group of refugees were slightly familiar with how things worked, having been hatchlings when Old Aelyssia fell.

During our exploratory missions into the ancient hoard beneath Virynth Atheos, we found a room full of pristine clothing made for Dragons of all sizes and sexes. I made an announcement to them that I would be distributing most of it to them if they so wished. I was surprised when about three fourths of them took the clothes and began to wear it. They were made of a material I couldn’t readily identify, but it was loose and tough, perfect for flying. Most of those who didn’t accept the clothes were the younger generation, who had been used to walking around naked their entire lives. Still, I wasn’t too surprised when Smolder accepted several female made clothes, while Garble took some for him and his mother.

Chrysalis and the Dazzlings remained around, of course. The former was relegated to cleaning up the debris filled streets. At first I’d made her use her normal physical strength until she collapsed and had a bit of a breakdown. The two of us had a serious talk where she said she felt helpless and useless without her magic. I spoke to Sunset about the issue, and she explained that there was a specific magic dampening ring that allowed for certain spells to be used, but not others. I contacted Celestia about it, and in a day she’d send me one which I put on Chrysalis’ finger. She was now able to use the most basic of magic: telekinesis, but I still had her watched.

The Dazzlings felt similarly useless, at least until Sonata discovered how to use her wings properly. She used it to fly around and get a feel for the land and where the worst of the debris in the city lay. The others soon figured out how to use their own wings. That was when they came to me and asked for permission to travel east. They were hoping to find any news of their kind. It took me some time to think it over, but I eventually agreed, on the condition that they were accompanied by some of my best guards to ensure they didn’t escape. I saw some indignation in Adagio’s and Aria’s eyes, but Sonata quickly calmed them both down. The former two reluctantly agreed and on the fourteenth, they left with an attachment of six guards accompanying them.

Gemini and Mica, along with Captain Lahar, had been making great strides in teaching the new Imperial Guard how to best defend a castle and their new ruler, me. They were all now wearing ancient Aelyssian armor and every time I encountered my two guards, they were in a field training with staves and wooden swords. When I asked why they weren’t training in the air, Gemini snorted and told me that she taught what she knew, not what she didn’t. “To know how an enemy fights is the surest way to victory,” she said. With that, I left her and Mica be, trusting that they were doing what was best for the new members of the Guard.

For the most part, I spent my time visiting with the reclamation teams and speaking to many Dragons in the camp. I would spend hours speaking to young and old Dragons about a great many things. Mostly about what they wanted for the newly restored Empire. Older Dragons were surprisingly nostalgic in their own way. They spoke a lot of how things were when they were hatchlings, how they didn’t need to scrounge for scraps or fight for territory. Everyone lived well. Many of the young folks, having heard the many great stories about Old Aelyssia, wanted the new Empire to become a beacon of strength in a world they felt had grown soft. They didn’t seem to hold much hope for that, seeing as I was now their new Emperor.

Ember was with me at the time one of them said those words and was about to throw hands but I stopped her. I’d asked the young Dragoness why she’d thought that and she explained that I was friends with Ponies, who she viewed as soft and weak. I was quick to remind her that there were two powerful Ponies who raised the sun and moon for the entire world. Not only that, but Ponies had powerful magic. She argued that magic couldn’t do much to a Dragon, and while she argued about it, Ember had leaned in and told me to show her up. So I did. I surprised the young Dragoness with a powerful wind attack out of nowhere, sending her sprawling. I stood, looming over her, and calmly explained that if used properly, magic could easily take down a Dragon. I reminded her of a Pegasus named Flash Magnus who had defeated some Dragons without needing Unicorn magic.

According to Ember, during breakfast on the seventh day after I received the news about my child, the general consensus on me was that while they would honor my claim to the throne, I needed to continue proving my worth to them, which I felt was fair. Still, apparently the fact that I spoke to Dragons every day spoke volumes about me. Zecora, Scarlet and Sunset agreed with me, but I just thought that I needed the opinions of as many as I could meet so I could better meet their needs in the coming months and years.

After breakfast and doing my normal rounds throughout the palace, Zecora, Scarlet and I went back through the doorway portal back to Ponyville, making our way to its hospital. It was time for answers.

“I triple checked your wife when she was here last time, Sir Bethridge,” Ponyville’s residential doctor, the same one who had treated Scarlet all those months ago, said in a calm tone. His name was Charlie Horse. I was sitting in his office with Zecora sitting next to me and Scarlet on my other side. “I’m no expert when it comes to humans, Zebras, or the combination that your wife is, but we have magical means to see inside the body. There is a mass growing in what I assume is your wife’s womb. If those human biology books of yours are anything to go by, then it’s definitely a living fetus.” He lifted his horn and floated over a piece of paper that had what looked like an ultrasound. There was a small black patch with a smaller black mass of random shape sitting in the center.

I took the paper and looked at it while digging into my pocket. I pulled out my phone, opened Google, typed in ultrasound of a month old fetus in the search bar and pulled up several images. They looked fairly similar to what the photograph in my hand was showing. I looked back at the doctor. “I…I’m honestly at a loss here,” I admitted. “It’s been a week since I heard the news and I’m still trying to wrap my head around how this is possible.” I felt Zecora’s hand tighten in mine. Quickly turning, I saw a slightly hurt expression on her face, so I immediately added, “Oh, don’t get me wrong, sweetie. I’m happy beyond my wildest dreams. I really am.”

And I meant it. I had always wanted to be a father and sire children with my wife, but when I came to Equestria I thought that dream was dead. Even when I discovered that the human world beyond was basically Earth, I wasn’t sure if impregnating Zecora in human form would do anything. Still, the shock was still there. And it was now beginning to be replaced with worry. I’d placed that worry aside during the past week, focusing on my new Imperial duties, but now that I was back in Ponyville, it was starting to settle in a bit more. Squeezing Zecora’s hand back, I turned once more to the doctor. “Doc, can you tell if the baby is healthy or not?”

The doctor pursed his lips. “If your wife was a Pony or a normal Zebra, I would say yes despite how different her wombscan looks,” he said, “but this is entirely new territory for me and I’m pretty sure it’d be new territory for any doctor.” He took a deep breath, and exhaled. “I’ll be honest, Sir Bethridge, I’m in way over my head here. I’m a Pony doctor, not a human one.” He then turned to address Zecora. “Like I said, Mrs. Bethridge, your symptoms are pretty much in line with a Pony pregnancy and even a Zebra one. Morning sickness, unusual cravings, and the mood swings all fit in with how a pregnancy can affect a mare’s body.”

“Human women have similar symptoms,” I admitted. “I still can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.”

“Hey, don’t blame yourself,” Scarlet said, putting a wing around me gently and giving me a reassuring smile, “you’ve been busy with helping to rebuild things in Aelyssia.”

“She’s right, dearest,” Zecora added, putting her arm through mine and leaning against me. “No one blames you.”

I took a few moments to collect my thoughts, trying to calm down and not fall back into my old habit of blaming myself. After calming down, I gave my wife and my girlfriend a wry smile. “You’re the one who’s pregnant, but I’m the one freaking out,” I said to Zecora. I looked at both of my mares. “Thank you both.”

Zecora and Scarlet both leaned in and kissed my cheeks. Zecora was the first to speak as she said, “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried, but the fact that I am bearing your child at all makes me happy beyond anything I could have ever hoped.”

I smiled at her, hiding my own worries. My mind was racing with dozens of different scenarios. What if this child was some horrifying amalgamation of human and Zebra? What if they were in pain for their entire lives? What if there was some kind of brain damage for them? What if they somehow died in the womb? The what ifs bounced around in my mind for a while before I got a hold of myself and pushed those thoughts down. One thing at a time. I looked at the doctor. “Doc, I hope you won’t be offended if I have some other physicians look at her. I don’t doubt you when you say that she’s pregnant, but I just want to be sure the baby is healthy.”

The doctor smiled, almost in what looked like relief. “I was actually about to suggest something similar,” he said. “A union between two entirely different species isn’t something I’ve ever heard of before. I would highly recommend Doctor Healing Note up in Canterlot. She’s one of the most accomplished physicians out there.”

“Healing Note, got it,” I said, making a brief note in my phone.

“And since you’re a Knight of Equestria, you should have access to some of the Royal Healers, too,” the doctor said.

“I’ll ask the Princesses,” I nodded. “Hell, while I’m at it, I might ask some of the Dragon healers if they could take a look.”

Zecora’s hand, the one that was in mine, squeezed tighter. I looked and saw her giving me a reassuring look. “Dearest, you are worrying too much about this,” she said with a kind tone, one she used whenever I was especially upset.

Scarlet jumped onto my lap and gave my cheek an affectionate lick before nuzzling my face. “She’ll be alright,” my marefriend said.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. “I really hope so,” I said a bit shakily, “but I know I’d feel better if we got second opinions.”

“And we will,” Zecora reassured me, letting a bit of her own worry show again. “I’m worried, too. I want our foal to be healthy, but you’re right. We are different species. But I’m also excited for the possibilities. I’ve wanted to be a mother ever since I was a teenage filly, and now, against all odds, I have the chance.”

Scarlet joined in as well. “If either of you need anything from me, just say the word and I’ll be there. I won’t leave either of you hanging.”

I looked at my marefriend and a warn smile came to my lips. “You’re beginning to sound like Rainbow Dash.”

Scarlet’s smile turned into a saucy grin. “Oh trust me, I’ll do things that little skittle won’t do.”

A wave of relief washed over me, and I said the words she was probably hoping to hear. “Oh my God, how horny are you?”

As the three of us walked down the snowy streets of Ponyville, the sun shone down from the sky onto the white blanket covering the sleepy town, but since it was so low in the sky, it didn’t warm anything up. There were snow clouds approaching from the west, and my weather app said that there were three to five inches of snow forecast for the next five hours. We received many different greetings of surprise and welcome. Those I saw were all surprised to see me back so soon, so I briefly explained that I’d managed to create a portal from Aelyssia to Equestria, and how I was coming back for a visit for the day. Surprisingly, I didn’t see the Mane Six around despite me having come through the Golden Oaks Library to come home. Then again, I wasn’t too worried about it.

As we walked through the gate that separated my house from the rest of the town and approached the house, I blurted out, “I’ve gotta say, getting the news on my birthday was a stroke of pure amazing coincidence.”

My wife and marefriend shot me a surprised look. “Wait, last week was your birthday??” Scarlet asked in surprise.

“By the calendar, yeah,” I replied. “Timeline wise, not really.”

“What do you mean?” Zecora asked, slipping her arm through mine as Scarlet landed on my back and wrapped her forelegs around my neck.

“Well, when I came here, the date back on my Earth was February,” I explained, “but when I got here, by Equestria time it was late June. So technically I have a few more months before I turn thirty-one. But timeline-wise, the eleventh would be my birthday.”

I felt Scarlet squeezing me tightly. “Well, then happy late pseudo-birthday,” she said sweetly.

Zecora turned me towards her and gave me a deep kiss for a good ten seconds before breaking it, giving me a lidded look. “If I’d know, I’d have prepared a nice surprise for you,” she said sultrily.

Scarlet leaped off of my back and tackled me, sending the both of us sprawling onto the ground as she kissed me hard as well. She eventually released me, giving me a grin. “We’ll give you a nice surprise tonight regardless.”

I smiled. “You both gave me an amazing surprise that night regardless.” I ran my hand through Scarlet’s crimson mane, then slowly sat up, brushing snow off of my chest as Scarlet jumped off of me. Zecora walked up, held out her hand, and helped me to my feet. I looked at the two mares I’d fallen in love with, then gave them the biggest smile I could muster. “Thank you for caring so much for me.”

“That’s what wives and marefriends are for, you silly man,” Scarlet said, hovering nearby as she retook her spot on my back. “I know I act silly and raunchy, but I know when to be serious. I meant what I said back at the hospital. I’ll be there when you need me. Both of you.”

Zecora smiled at her. “We appreciate the sentiment,” she said, “and the same can be said of us about you.”

I nodded. “If you need anything, we’ll be there for you too.”

Scarlet looked between the two of us, her smile widening as she flew next to us while we made our way to the house. As we did, I noticed that it was a bit quieter than I would have expected. Part of me attributed it to the snow absorbing the noise, but something else popped into my mind. As I slowed and stared at the house, Zecora noticed this and looked at me curiously. “Dearest, is something wrong?”

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, a small grin formed on my face as I cleared my throat. “Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me! Come on out, Pinkamena Diane Pie! I know you’re in there!”

There was silence for a bit. Then, my door was flung open and a pink blur rushed out, tackling me. I felt the warm affectionate embrace of the pink party pony then a few affectionate kisses. I laughed as Pinkie’s hug tightened around me while she nuzzled my face in between kisses. “Whoa there, you pink menace!”

“I can’t believe you and Zecora are having a foal!” she exclaimed happily, her blue eyes wide with joy and excitement. “I was walking down the street when I had the biggest combo I’ve ever had! I says to myself, I says, ‘Pinkie, somepony’s gotten the biggest news of their lives!’ And then I just knew! I also knew it was somepony’s birthday a week ago and I didn’t know who, until I remembered I didn’t know your birthday, so I knew it was your birthday, but you’re also having a baby too!” She bounced up and down on my chest, and I was afraid she would burst something with how excited she was.

“Jesus, how much sugar has this mare had today?” Scarlet said as she landed and smirked.

“Actually, not too much,” a new voice said from the door.

I looked and saw a welcome sight. Twilight Sparkle stood in the doorway, a wide grin on her lips. I waved. “Can someone help get this pink maniac off of me?” I asked in a teasing tone.

Not two seconds later, I heard someone galloping up and begin to pry the clingy Earth Pony off. “Alright, sugarcube, up and at ‘em,” Applejack said as she hoisted Pinkie off of me. She gave me an apologetic look. “She’s been like this all mornin’,” she said as she placed Pinkie down on all fours again. Applejack then held out a hoof to me. “Here, lemme help ya up.”

I gratefully took her hoof and she pulled me to my feet. “Thanks, AJ.”

“Shoot, ain’t gotta thank me fer nothin’,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hoof.

I smiled, then turned to see the others coming out of the house. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity all stepped out. But it was who came out next that surprised me. Not only did Princess Cadance and Shining Armor step out, but so did Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. None of them were even wearing their normal outfits. Their smiles were beaming wide as the solar and lunar princesses strode up to me, Zecora, and Scarlet. Celestia was the first to speak as she lifted up on her hind legs, wrapping her hooves around me in a tight bear hug. “Congratulations, dear friend,” she said, a tone of total joy escaping her. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Let us not forget that we missed your day of many happy returns to you as well,” Luna said, giving me a smile of her own before she turned to Zecora. “Congratulations to you as well, Mrs. Bethridge.”

Zecora, looking a bit overwhelmed by this, could only nod dumbly for a bit before she stammered out, “Th-Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Nay, don’t call me that here,” Luna said. “Right now, my sister and I are visiting you all as friends and common ponies.”

Celestia’s grip on me tightened a bit. Had I not been endowed with Earth Pony strength, I’m sure she would have broken several bones. Still, I had a slight suspicion that there was more to her actions than met the eye. I hugged her back, letting the warmth of her embrace wash over me. It was like being wrapped up in a warm summer’s day. “I didn’t expect to see you and Luna here, but I’m glad to see you,” I said.

I felt her smile as she nuzzled my face affectionately before she slowly pulled away, only for Luna to take her place, giving me an equally tight hug. Unlike Celestia’s, hers felt like I was being embraced by the cool summer night. She nuzzled me affectionately as she said, “We’re both happy to see you as well.”

After she let me go, Cadance came up next. She reached up and put a hoof on my shoulder, giving me a knowing look and a smile. “Who’d have thought you had it in you?” she asked in a surprisingly raunchy grin.

“Right?” Scarlet replied, exchanging a look with Cadance before both burst out laughing.

“Scarlet, have you been corrupting the Princess of Love?” I asked in a scolding tone.

Scarlet faked a gasp and put a hoof to her chest. “Moi? You must have me confused with some other mare.”

“In all seriousness, Jethro, I am really happy for you,” Cadance said with utter sincerity, her eyes locking onto mine. “Having a foal is one of the ultimate forms of love out there. If you ever need a foalsitter, don’t hesitate.”

“She’s the best foalsitter in the world!” Twilight perked up from behind Cadance.

“So I’ve been told,” I said.

Next up was Shining Armor. I guessed that he was a plus one with Cadance, but I was glad to have another guy there. He and I exchanged a hoof/fistbump and he said, “Congratulations, Sir Bethridge.”

“Just Jethro, please,” I replied, “and thank you, Captain. It’s good to see you again.”

“You can call me Shining,” he said with a smile of his own.

I looked at them all. Each of them had smiles on their faces. Pinkie’s was definitely the widest as she stood on her back legs and pushed me towards the door with her front hooves on my back. “Come on! Come on! You’re missing your party, all of you!”

“Ah! Not so hard!” I said with a laugh as Pinkie pushed me onward.

That didn’t stop her, however. “You ruined the surprise, so the least you can do is enjoy the party!” she exclaimed with a giggle.

“Okay, okay, I give,” I chuckled as I was pushed into my house.

As I entered, The Cutie Mark Crusaders suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a large envelope in Apple Bloom’s hoof. “Here ya go!” she said, “It’s for the foal!”

“Really? Thank you!” I took the envelope and looked at it. To my surprise, they’d painted a blue shield on it with a small pony foal painted in the center. Said foal was rearing up on its hind legs, a smile on its face and a small cloak around its neck. I looked down at them. “Can I open it for the baby?”

“Knock yourself out!” Scootaloo said.

I looked over at Zecora, who nodded at me as she took one side of the envelope in her hand. “Together,” was all she said.

I nodded back, and the two of us opened the manila envelope. Inside was a rather sturdy looking sheet of white paper with some gold fringe on it. Written in gold letters was the following:

On this date, January 18, the foal of Jethro Bethridge and Zecora Bethridge is hereby given a permanent place among the roster of the Cutie Mark Crusaders

Signed: Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo

I looked down at the CMC, looking over their expectant faces. Kneeling, I held out a fist and said, “Cutie Mark Crusaders…”

As one, they placed their hooves on my fist, and we all shouted, “Forever!” Then, as one again, they glomped onto me, hugging me tightly but with enough force to send me sprawling onto my back. Soon the four of us were all giggling and I was hugging them all close in my arms and wings. We were surrounded by everyone else, all watching with approving smiles. Pinkie sat down next to us, getting into a ponyloaf position before getting into my face, wide eyed and all smiles before saying, “Come on! There’s so many presents to open and so many games to play!”

Pinkie wasn’t wrong. I don’t know how she knew it was my birthday, but I decided to accept it as something Pinkie had figured out with her Pinkie Sense. That was, until she revealed sheepishly that she’d stumbled onto my wallet and saw my birthday on my Oregon license. She was all ready to apologize, but I stopped her and forgave her, asking her not to do it again and to ask if she wanted to know something about me. She Pinkie Promised, of course.

When we entered the dining room, there was a massive multilayered cake sitting on the table and two piles of presents in the corner, one for my birthday and the other for me and Zecora to help with our child. Pinkie insisted that Zecora and I sit and let the rest of them pamper us. To our surprise and delight, they had also made some traditional Farasi desserts, including South Farasi Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart and Mareoccan Shortbread Cookies. They’d prepared other things besides the cake, too, such as chocolate mint chip ice cream (my personal favorite), chocolate chip cookies, and more.

We gorged ourselves, especially the three fillies and Spike. For the first time, I thought Celestia had met her match in terms of cake lust in Zecora. Since she was eating for two, she ate several plates. I ate more than I thought I could, but those two seemed to start an impromptu competition. Celestia won, of course, but it was close for a while.

After devouring most of the treats, Pinkie zoomed over to the presents and began piling them onto the table in front of me and Zecora. She had a major grin on her face as she and the other stepped back and waited for us to open it.

Zecora started first with the gifts for the two of us for our baby. She picked up a large envelope which had the words Congratulations on your new bundle of joy – Rarity Belle written on the front in impeccable cursive. She opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside, reading out, “Good for a lifetime: custom made clothing for your new foal at a discount.”

When we both looked at Rarity, she gave me a smirk. “I knew better than to say for free with you. You would never have accepted it, even if I did offer, which I wanted to do.”

I walked over to her, hugging her tightly. “You know me well, my friend,” I said.

Zecora too came and hugged her. “Thank you very much.”

Rarity blushed a bit, then waved a hoof. “Pish posh, darlings,” she said, “it’s the least I could do for you both.”

Rarity had also given us something else. When Zecora opened the soft bundle, we were greeted by a warm looking blanket made specifically for the foal. It looked an awful lot like the one the show’s version of Rarity had made for the yet to be born Flurry Heart, but I said nothing about that, only thanked her again.

The next present Zecora opened was from Twilight. To nobody’s surprise, she had given us several parenting books as well as children’s books that were both fun and educational. I even saw copied of a few human children’s books among them, such as Goodnight Moon and Grandfather Twilight. When I asked, Twilight admitted that she’d spoken to Twyla and she’d suggested buying several human children’s storybooks to get the best of both worlds. Twyla had bought several classics, including said book, and Twilight had paid her back by bringing her bits which turned into cash. Twilight sheepishly admitted that she’d asked for copies of the books for herself, causing everyone else to laugh. We both thanked her gratefully and promised to use them appropriately.

Next, Zecora opened a massive bundle from Pinkie, who was growing more and more impatient. The box had a lid which she opened. Inside we saw dozens of foal toys, each organized by age. There were toys which taught shapes, blocks, toy trains, dolls/action figures, and so much more. A part of me dreaded the idea of all of our child’s toys being strewn about the house, but that dread melted away because seeing all of these toys made the reality of our miracle all the more prominent. We hugged and thanked Pinkie so much that she blushed as well.

Rainbow Dash’s present was opened next. She’d found some Wonderbolt toys that Pinkie had either somehow missed or deliberately excluded. There were figures of Spirfire, Thunderlane, and various other famous members of the team. There was also a pack of what looked like Wonderbolt trading cards as well as a book that had all of their stats and win/loss ratios. Nobody was surprised, but we weren’t any less grateful. She even gave us a hastily written note that read “If your baby has wings, I’ll teach him or her how to be twenty percent cooler like me! -RD.”

Applejack’s gift was large and covered in a large blanket. When we removed the blanket, we saw a brand new crib made from applewood. The sweet smell of apples instantly permeated the air. Inside the crib were a number of hoofwoven quilts and blankets, apparently made by Applejack and Granny Smith. The crib had been made by Big Mac with a bit of help from the Crusaders who had hoped to get their cutie marks in construction. The crib also had a mattress in it and a baby mobile above it, the latter having small apples and apple trees hanging from them. I hugged Applejack and thanked her, promising to come down and thank the others when time allowed.

Fluttershy was nervous to give me her gift, but Zecora eventually opened it. We both gasped when we saw an exquisite painting depicting me and Zecora. I was standing next to her while Zecora sat in a rocking chair, her hands over a pregnant looking stomach. The two of us were looking at the pregnant belly with smiles full of love and warmth. We were sitting in a cloud with the sun shining down, illuminating her stomach. One of my wings was around her and one of hers around mine. It was truly a masterpiece, and I immediately hugged Fluttershy tightly, Zecora quickly joining. I promised to put it up where I would see it often, causing the butter colored Pegasus to blush.

When it came to the present from the Princesses, I had to admit I was a bit apprehensive, but all three of them reassured me that we would love the present they’d given to me. The box they floated over to the two of us was small, but it was heavy. Zecora and I looked at each other, then back at the box. Slowly, we both opened it. What we saw inside made both of our jaws drop.

Sitting inside was a snow globe. The stand was made of gold with silver swirling patterns around it. Inside the sphere, aside from the glittering false snowflakes, was a depiction of my two houses, painstakingly recreated. There were miniatures of myself, Zecora, Scarlet, the Mane Six, Spike, and Celestia and Luna. They were all standing in front of the house, smiling up at us. There was a brass panel on one side with an engraving that read Friendship is Magic. I could feel magic emanating from it and apparently so did Zecora, because she asked the princesses about it.

Celestia was the first to answer. “The magic within will ensure that it never breaks or fades and will also protect anypony in close proximity to it.”

“’Tis also able to glow in the dark and project the starry night on the ceiling,” Luna said with glee.

“You can also add in any other creature to that scene with some magic,” Cadance finished.

We both looked at it once more. On the bottom, I noticed that they’d installed a music box on it. I twisted the knob, and to my astonishment, a music box rendition of the My Little Pony theme came out of it. Zecora and I looked at each other, then both of us smiled before turning back and thanking the princesses.

After that, I was immediately inundated with presents for my belated birthday. Everyone watched as I picked among the presents, keeping an eye on Pinkie as she grew more and more impatient. Inwardly, I grinned. Teasing her was fun, but eventually I picked her present first. Opening the large heavy box, I saw several large jars full of candy inside, but not just any candy. I unscrewed the lid of one and picked out what looked like an M&M, only instead of a big M on it, there was a J. I picked up another, seeing that there was a Z on it. I looked over at Pinkie, and she gestured for me to take a bite. Shrugging, I did so.

Now, one of my favorite candies was M&Ms. I thought for sure when I arrived in Equestria I’d never see them again, so I had hardly touched the large bag I had stuffed away in the cupboard. However, the candy I tasted was by far better than any M&M I’d ever tasted. It took all of my willpower not to devour them all. I looked at the lid and noticed that there was a label on it. It read Pinkie’s M&Ms. I looked up at her and she was beaming proudly. “Weeeell??”

I looked at the other jars. Each were filled with homemade bite sized versions of Earth candy. Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, Butterfingers, and more. They were about the size of Halloween candy, and all looked homemade. I opened the jar of the Butterfingers one, taking a bite. An explosion of flavor washed over me and I had to force myself to slow down so as not to choke. After swallowing, I looked at Pinkie. “I don’t know how you did it,” I said, “but you made snacks from home ten times better! How’d you do it?”

“Ah ah ah, that’s a Pinkie Pie and Diane secret,” she said with a wink.

I opened Twilight’s present next. Once more, there were several books among them, which she described as ancient tomes regarding magic. There was even a history book called Legends of Skyros. That was the second time I’d heard the name, but I decided not to ask about it right now. I promised to read them.

Rarity’s gift was a number of yet more new clothes. I almost made a joke about my closets being full to bursting, but I realized belatedly that the clothes were royal in appearance. Not only that, but they had remarkably Old Aelyssian style to it. I then remembered that a few days ago Sunset had reported a book that she’d misplaced. I looked at Rarity and grinned. “Did someone go stealing a fashion book from my Empire?”

Rarity’s face went red and she sputtered. “Ah, I, well…” Her ears lowered and she bowed. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I just really wanted to make something worthy of your title. And I didn’t know anything about Dragon fashion, so I, well…asked Scarlet to borrow a book from your new palace.”

I shook my head, my smirk growing. “Who knew the Element of Generosity was so devious?” I asked in a teasing tone, which made Rarity sputter again. I held up a hand. “Just give the book back when you’re done. Our Imperial Library isn’t quite open for business yet, and you don’t have a library card.” That caused a laugh to pass around the room, making Rarity blush. I walked over to her and hugged her. “I love the gift,” I added. “Thank you.”

My next gift was from Fluttershy. She had gotten me a large very comfortable looking bird cage for Eve, who I had seen on and off all week. She was currently back in Aelyssia, having gone with the Dazzlings when they left. Hestia had insisted on tagging along, and Eve wanted to spend time learning the common tongue with Hestia.

Rainbow Dash was up next. She got me personal signed posters of the Wonderbolts, including Spitfire, although the picture of her was surprisingly…risqué. I had to hide it from Spike’s eyes. Zecora had spotted it, though, and she gave me a knowing smirk before saying in Farasi, “Already have eyes for a certain yellow mare?”

“I hardly know her,” I retorted with a chuckle.

I knew Celestia and Luna could understand what I was saying, but I was surprised to see Cadance smirking a bit before she too added “Soon you’ll have half of the mares in this town under your charm.” And she had spoken in perfect, if slightly accented, Farasi.

Applejack’s gift was, unsurprisingly, an apple related one. She’d gave me several large jars full of jam made from the apple trees from Aelyssia. I tasted them all, and wasn’t surprised to learn that they were indeed very delicious.

Spike apologized for not getting me a gift for the new foal, but he gave me another sculpture he’d made of crystal. This one, to my surprise, was a depiction of the Dragonborn from Skyrim, of all things. It looked a bit hastily made, but he definitely had the hand, or claw in his case, of a craftsman. I smiled, gave him a hug, and thanked him.

To my surprise, Shining had actually gotten me a gift as well. It was a brand new forged sword. He explained that it was one made of something called magisteel. It could cut through things normal swords couldn’t and could create shields and magical armor around its bearer whenever magic was poured through it.

After that, it was time for the princesses gift for my birthday. They gave me a manila envelope and I hesitantly opened it. Inside, I saw that there was a deed to yet another plot of land, but this plot was in Canterlot. Specifically, there was a plot with an apparently fantastic view of the valley below, judging from the images of the plot. There was even an amazing view of the castle to the north and Ponyville to the south. I gave them a bit of a glare. “We really should be setting a limit for the amount of bits needed for a gift,” I said.

“You’re welcome, dear friend,” was Celestia’s coy reply.

I walked over, spread my wings, and engulfed all three princesses in a hug with them. They hugged me back. Only to be interrupted by a party cannon going off, spreading confetti everywhere. A particularly bouncy pink Pony jumped up. “Now let’s kick this party up another notch!”

Pinkie undersold it. She had a lot planned for the party. We played all sorts of games indoors and outdoors, including a long overdue snowball fight where the only rules were you couldn’t use magic or flight. We even did some karaoke, which included Spike singing Sugar, Sugar by The Archies, Luna singing Children of the Night and Celestia singing Lullaby for a Princess. I decided to sing Land of Equestria by Marcus Warner and everyone was so struck by its beauty that I thought I once overheard Celestia and Luna discussing its being sung at public events.

By the time the party was winding down, I was dog tired, as was everyone else. Everyone except Pinkie it seemed, who had boundless energy as she helped clean up the party. She even helped put the presents away in the places I wanted them, as did everyone else, except for the CMC and Spike, all of whom were asleep on the couches in the living room.

Scarlet, Zecora and I headed back to Aelyssia despite Scarlet wanting to sleep in the bed back in the mansion. However, she accepted my reasoning that I wasn’t done in Aelyssia yet, and she was turning out to be almost as loyal as Rainbow Dash in never leaving my side. When we got back to the castle, it was late, at least late by Aelyssian time. It took all of our energy to get into comfortable pajamas and slide into bed. We were asleep instantly.

I found myself flying through Virynth Atheos’ many halls without any memory of how I’d gotten there. I looked down at my body and saw that it was translucent. I was ecstatic. I was back in Morphean form!

I moved along the hallways, making myself invisible and taking stock of everything around me. I would occasionally use my Morphean magic to restore some bits of the castle that had fallen into disrepair back to their former glory. I tried expending more of the Morphean energy, but every time I tried it felt as if I was being pulled back to my body, so I did little bits here and there. It sucked, because I knew that if I had the power that I’d had before, I could restore the entire palace in days instead of the months it would probably take manually.

But ever since the time Eris had hit me with her last blast of magic…

My thoughts trailed off. I had gotten scanned by magical experts and checked by even the Princesses. They said there was nothing wrong with my magic. Still, I couldn’t help but feel that something was affecting my Morphean powers.

Suddenly, I felt my astral body being pulled, but not back towards the bedroom. It felt as if a hand had taken my shirt and was tugging me, as if to get my attention. I turned and saw a strange glowing light. It floated in front of me, looking completely out of place, but I couldn’t understand why. After a few moments of staring at it, I realized what it was that was off. The light it emitted didn’t touch anything else other than my astral form.

It moved away from me slowly then stopped. It felt like it was waiting for me. I tried to detect magic from it, but felt nothing. I experimentally moved closer to it. It stayed still, then moved away again. I stopped, and it went on for a bit until it reached a point in space where it slowed and stopped. The distance between me and this light was the same as where it had stopped the first time.

Yeah, this thing’s definitely leading me somewhere, I thought. I put up several different magical shields around my body like a few extra layers of skin before I approached it again. This time, I didn’t stop, but followed as it made its way towards a fork in the corridor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two guards patrolling the hallways, not noticing the light above their heads. The light took a left turn, heading towards the deeper sections of the castle. Heading towards the door that Sunset had found that held the hoard room.

As the light and I both passed through the door, I saw that there were some candles lit in a corner of the room. The light headed towards the room where only the Emperor could enter, but it was away from the candlelight. Curious, I headed first towards the candlelight. The light from before stopped and followed me, making a straight line from me to the Emperor’s private room. I had to smirk when I saw Sunset Shimmer sitting at a desk, her nose buried in a book.

I landed and made myself visible, my astral form glowing silvery white. “Sunset, what are you doing up? It’s past midnight.”

Sunset jumped in alarm, a candle falling and going out as it hit the floor. She looked around then spotted me. “Jethro, don’t scare me like…that…?” She got up and peered more closely at me. “Um…I can see right through you.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, that makes sense. I’m currently in my Morphean form.”

She was instantly by my side, eyes wide as she reached out to touch me. However, her hoof went right through my stomach. She pulled it back, an alarmed expression on her face. “But…how?”

“I told you about it, remember?”

She nodded. “I know, but still, I’ve never heard of any kind of magic like this before.” She looked up at me. “I thought you said you couldn’t go into your Morphean state anymore?”

“Rarely,” I corrected. “It’s random, so I don’t know when it’ll happen again. The last time it happened was when I fixed the Resplendent.”

“Hmm…and you said no magical scans picked anything up that could be affecting it?” Sunset asked.

“Nothing at all,” I replied. “Honestly, I’m a bit worried. I don’t know anything about Morphean magic. I don’t even know what it’s really called.”

“Yeah…” Sunset trailed off, looking thoughtful. After a bit, she said, “I can try and do some research on it when I can, or maybe Twilight can?”

“I’m pretty sure she scoured every book she could get her hooves on,” I smirked.

“That sounds like someone Celestia would choose for a student,” Sunset smirked back. “So what brings you down here?”

“Oh, I was being led here by this orb of light,” I replied, pointing to the light.

Her eyebrows shot up. “Light? What light?”

“Oh, right, I forgot only I seem to see it,” I said.

After briefly explaining what had happened, Sunset frowned. “I’ve never read anything about magic light orbs leading someone somewhere,” she admitted, “but then again, I didn’t know anything about your Morphean magic before meeting you. Maybe it’s some kind of extension of your abilities?”

I had to admit, I hadn’t thought about that. It made a little bit of sense, but I couldn’t be sure. “Maybe,” I said.

I felt myself being tugged again. Sunset might not have been able to see the orb, but she saw me being pulled. “You okay?” she asked, lighting up her horn.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” I said, looking back at the light which was standing in the entrance to the Emperor’s private hoard. “That light thing seems to be leading me to the hoard room for me. I’d better go and see what’s going on.”

“I’m coming to watch,” Sunset said. “I know I can’t go through the entryway, but if something happens, I can at least get help.”

I smiled gratefully at her. “I appreciate that,” I said.

The two of us mare our way to the hoard room. I passed through and Sunset stopped at the entryway, watching carefully as her light illuminated the room. I used my Morphean skills to light the ancient but somehow still functional torches lined on the walls. Soon the whole area was filled with the warm ruddy light. Sunset stopped her spell and continued to watch as the light led me to a very familiar artifact. It touched the black staff and vanished into the crystal at the top.

“What’s that?” Sunset called out, having to raise her voice to be heard.

“It’s the Staff of Sarcanas,” I shouted back, looking back at the ancient looking magical artifact. “But how’d you get out of my necklace?” I asked, a bit more quietly to myself, “I know I put you in there.”

“What’s the Staff of Sarcanas?” Sunset asked.

“I’ll explain later!” I looked over at the staff again, and even in my astral form I felt the power it radiated. I reached over and picked it up, looking at it curiously. The staff itself was made of a pure black piece of wood, seemingly as hard as metal. The crystal on top was glowing ever so slightly, pulsating very lightly. I floated back over to the entrance to the hoard room and landed on the other side, looking at the staff with wariness.

Sunset must have seen the expression on my face because she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You know that necklace I always wear that can store things inside it?” I asked. When she nodded, I continued, “I put this inside earlier because this is a dangerous artifact if it falls into the wrong hands. I don’t know why it’s back where it was, though.”

“Hey, is it just me, or is that crystal getting brighter?” Sunset asked.

I looked at the slender crystal on top of the staff. Sure enough, the crystal was glowing a bit brighter. The magical output I could detect had increased as well. “What the fuck?”

“What the fuck indeed,” Sunset said worriedly. “And, um…Jethro? You’re glowing brighter too.”

Looking down at my body, I saw she was right. A wave of concern washed over me, one which quickly turned into fear as a mist came out of the crystal and my astral chest, connecting in the middle. “Oh…shit…” I tried letting go of the staff, but I now found I couldn’t. With my free hand, I tried to pry the hand on the staff away, but it too became stuck.

“What’s wrong?” Sunset’s voice was rising in panic.

“I can’t let go!” I shouted.

She tried pulling it away with her magic, but it was like I was stuck with super glue. The light coming from the crystal kept on growing, as did my glowing body. “What do we do?!” she shouted in terror.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My astral body was suddenly stiff, unable to move. My eyes were locked on the crystal. I could hear Sunset’s shouts, but it was as if they were coming from miles away at the end of a long tunnel. The light became almost blinding, but I still couldn’t look away. Just before everything turned white, I thought I caught a glimpse of a wisp of black shooting out of my chest-

I shot awake, full control of my body back. Sitting up, the scream that had been in my throat was finally unleashed. This, in turn, woke up Zecora and Scarlet who were immediately by my side. Zecora used her new magic to light the candles on either side of the bed and Scarlet wrapped her wings around me. She was soon joined by Zecora, who flung her arms and wings around me.

The doors to my room opened and two Dragon Imperial Guards burst in, spears out and eyes wide with laser sharp focus. “Where’s the danger, Your Grace?” one of them demanded to know, eyes peeled.

My breath came in labored gasps as I gulped in deep and hard. Slowly, I began to calm down, looking over apologetically at the guards. “Sorry,” I apologized, “I had a nightmare. Return to your posts, and thank you for your vigilance.”

Both of them placed their right fists on their chests. “It is our duty as your guards, Your Grace,” the second guard said. They were just about to close the door when they stopped and whirled around, aiming their spears at something I couldn’t see. “Halt! Who goes there?”

“I have to see the Emperor!” I heard Sunset’s frantic voice from outside.

“His Grace is not to be disturbed,” one of the guards said.

“Let her pass,” I ordered. “She’s a friend.” The guards relaxed and straightened, letting her pass. “Close the door,” I said.

When we were alone, Sunset looked at me, still wide eyed. “Are you alright??” she asked. “You’re not hurt, are you??”

“Dearest, what’s going on?” Zecora asked.

“And what’s with that freaky staff you’re holding?” Scarlet asked.

I then became conscious of my hands clasped tightly around something. I looked down and found myself holding onto the Staff of Sarcanas. The crystal wasn’t glowing at all, but the power I felt from it was intense. I looked down at my hands and saw that I was holding onto it so tightly that the knuckles were white. I forced myself to let go, which thankfully I could do now. The staff fell onto the bed beside me.

Sunset jumped onto the bed, worry clear in her eyes as she looked me over. “Jethro? Are you okay? You’re not hurt or anything, are you?”

I took quick stock of myself. Aside from my heart rate racing at a mile a minute, I didn’t feel any different from when I’d gone to sleep. I put my hand on my bare chest, feeling my heart rate slowly decrease. “I think I’m alright.”

Seeming to realize I wasn’t wearing a shirt, Sunset’s cheeks went red and she quickly turned away. “Ah, sorry,” she said, clearly embarrassed.

I chuckled. Having been on Earth for ten years certainly had done a number on her. “It’s alright,” I said as I lifted up a t-shirt that I’d laid out on the chair nearby. I quickly slipped it on, then stood up and grabbed the staff.

“Love, what happened?” Zecora asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

“Babe, you’re shaking,” Scarlet said.

“I’m alright, just give me a moment to calm down,” I said as I slowly walked around the room, the staff still in my hand. The three mares watched me with varying degrees of worry as I paced. Finally, after about five or so minutes, my heartbeat reached a manageable rate and I stopped. I looked at the three mares. “Okay, I’m feeling better now.”

“Great. Now you can tell us what happened,” Scarlet said.

I sat down in a chair and faced them. I told them what had happened, with Sunset chiming in when I didn’t have the information she had. Apparently, I’d vanished in a flash of light and a light had shot out of the room, vanishing through the ceiling. She’d tracked it back to my room and had guessed that my astral form had gone back to my body. She was relieved to see that I was okay.

My wife and marefriend were by my side immediately, holding me and checking me over until I chuckled and told them that I was fine now.

That was, until the room around me began to shift.

Sunset was the first to notice it as she raised a trembling hood, pointing behind me. “Um…guys…?” she said.

I stood and turned, freezing when I saw what was happening. My room, while having been cleaned of dust and grime, had once sported a mosaic, but since my priority had been cleaning things up and getting things ready for the city to be inhabited safely, artwork on the walls wasn’t really a priority. Which was why the fact that the mural on the wall rearranging itself stunned me so much.

“Whaaat theee heeell…?” Scarlet said, looking around with a wide eyed expression of fear.

There was a frantic knock on the door. “Your Grace!” one of the guards said in a muffled worried tone, “Something is happening out here!”

I turned away from the impossible scene of a mural rearranging itself and rushed to the door. I flung it open to see my guards staring ahead, jaws agape. I stepped out and looked around. I soon joined them in what I was seeing.

The entire hallway, which had some sign of decay and damage earlier, seemed to be vanishing. In fact, some debris on the floor was floating slowly up, placing itself back on the wall where it had fallen from. I went to the nearest window and looked out. My jaw dropped even further as I pushed the window open.

Virynth Atheos was moving.

The entire city seemed to be magically rearranging itself, fixing itself. Buildings that had been destroyed were moving around and rebuilding to their old glory. Windows that were broken were reformed, flags that had been nearly rotted away reformed and floated up to the towers of the castle.

As I watched, I noticed something from my right. Looking up, I saw that the crystal on the Staff of Sarcanas was glowing brightly again. Suddenly, an idea came to me. I looked back down at the reforming city. Holding up the staff, I closed my eyes and imagined that the entire city reconstruction would just halt. Instantly, the sounds stopped. I opened my eyes again and the rubble that hadn’t yet been returned to its former place was just hovering there, like it was waiting. I focused again, and the reconstruction resumed. Zecora, Scarlet and Sunset were beside me, watching this with wide eyed astonishment.

As the city continued to revert to its old form, I reached a startling conclusion. I wasn’t sure how I knew this to be true, but there was absolutely no doubt in my mind, and it scared me. The Morphean magic had been transferred into the Staff of Sarcanas.

160: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Finale

If I had to describe the city of Virynth Atheos in one word, it would be ENORMOUS. Tokyo was probably bigger, but Virynth Atheos was certainly no slouch. Even that word seemed inadequate when I got my first real glimpse of the city the following morning. The completely rebuilt city. The city that had apparently been bigger than anyone could have even imagined.

For starters, the part of the city that had been in ruins had been completely reconstructed minus the two towers that had held the Sunsword and Moonsword. The castle stood over everything even more now, with new spires and towers having been constructed, or reconstructed rather, by the Morphean power that now resided in the Staff or Sarcanas. It had even reconstructed the flags that flew from the towers and parapets along with the color of the palace itself, which gleamed with a shimmering white. Portcullises, battlements, turrets, ramparts and more had been restored to what looked to be their strongest.

Inside the castle itself, all damage to each and every portion had been repaired, leaving nothing undamaged. The murals were repaired, rooms were pristine, windows fixed etc. The throne room looked even more magnificent than before and had undergone a few changes, including the dais. There were three thrones instead of the one. Said thrones seemed to have been sized perfectly for me, Ember, and unless I missed my guess, Zecora. When I’d tried mine, it was beyond comfortable.

One other change of note in the castle was the Emperor’s private bedroom. The bed size hadn’t changed, but the wardrobe in the closet had shrunken to perfectly match my size. Before, the clothes in the formerly broken down closet had been nothing more than tattered garments, but now there were clothes made perfectly for me, with dresses and other female garb for Zecora as well.

Ember herself had the room that once belonged to the Dragon Lord, but it was now the room of the Emperor’s Hand. She’d moved her entire hoard into the area beneath the castle that had once been the hoard room of the Dragon Lord as well. I took note that her attitude and saw that it had greatly improved. Her temper was, well, tempered, and she became calmer. It spoke to what having a soft bed and a good night’s sleep could do for one’s mental health.

Yes, the ancient capital of Old Aelyssia was big even in ruin, but what we had failed to see was that there were entire sections that had been lost to time. Virynth Atheos was a city with three parts. The center was the castle, which was now surrounded by tall walls of polished deep red stone. Outside the walls and past the fully reformed metal gates was what had to be the section for richer Dragons, if the houses that had been reconstructed were any indication. More than houses, these were full blown mansions, with pieces of ancient art, tiled floors, and even carpeting. The streets were made of perfectly smooth cobblestone.

Outside what I thought had been the outermost wall was another section of the city that had sprung up literally overnight. This section was larger than the center, and it was full of many different buildings. There were hundreds of houses that could comfortably hold a family of Dragons if need be, along with other buildings that one would normally associate with civilized society, like a library, bank, and even something that looked like the Roman Coliseum. There was even a marketplace with a fountain in the center.

The third section wasn’t quite a section. Instead, it was a large plot of land where what looked like farmhouses had sprung up. Each had plots of land cornered off by small stone walls. Thanks to the Fae’s spell on the ground, the farms looked dead.

The Dragons had woken up to find that they had been displaced during the night and that entire new sections of the city had appeared. Unfortunately, I was not awake to see this, as the moment that the transformation had finished, I had passed out. I was asleep for two days, recovering from what I later learned was magical exhaustion. In my absence, Ember and Huǒshān had to act quickly, ordering the Imperial Guard barring the Dragons from entering the city until they could determine that things were indeed safe. Both had promised that once things had been cleared, they would be allowed in and given proper housing.

During those two days, Ember had apparently swallowed her pride and had Sunset contact Twilight to ask for help. When Twilight had been informed about what had happened, she came back and helped with the investigation without hesitation, but not before bringing the Ponyville doctor through to examine me, which was how it was determined that I was suffering from magical exhaustion. What I hadn’t counted on but should have realized would happen was that the rest of the Mane Six plus Spike would show up, with Spike wearing Imperial Guard armor. With their help, the small group, including Wallflower, along with the Imperial Guard, looked over every square inch of the newly reformed city, looking for anything out of the ordinary. After I woke on the second day and had learned what had happened, I joined in, going with Zecora and Scarlet as we explored the brand new city. It took us a good number of days, but eventually we all determined that things looked normal enough.

While we had been doing this, Twilight had been doing some mapping of the entire city. She had given each of the search party, including the Imperial Guards, a small crystal that recorded everything around it in a two meter radius or so. Ember told our search parties to not miss anything, and by the time we were done, Twilight’s little recording devices gave us an incredibly detailed map of the city.

It had been a week since the city had been reconstructed. A large number of creatures, myself included, were back at the castle, all sitting in a massive room with a large circular table in the center. The table had a map of all of Old Aelyssia on it, the continents made of solid gold and the oceans made of flat silver. The continents visible were ones I’d only seen a handful of times, only now they showed altitudes in shocking detail. Twilight had placed a large crystal on the center of the table which was now displaying a hovering three dimensional magical rendering of the entire city, including the underground caverns that were part of each house, the outlying farmhouses outside the farthermost walls surrounding the city and the temporary campsite. It didn’t escape my notice that this hologram looked more like those from Star Wars than anything.

Sitting around the table were myself, Ember, Sunset, Twilight and Huǒshān. Aside from them and the guards around the room including Gemini and Mica, Huǒshān had gathered a few Dragons from the camp who had risen up to become something of community leaders during the past couple of months since the death of Torch.

In total, there were five Dragons that had become said leaders. The first two were actually a married couple. Both were about a three hundred years old. The female Dragon named was named Moraine. She was a dark greenish-blue female with fierce light blue eyes, wide draconic wings, a set of horns and fierce looking teeth. Her husband was a Dragon male named Cinder. He was three hundred or so years old and was actually married to Moraine. The two were apparently expecting to have their eggs hatching within the next couple of weeks and spoke for the expecting parents in the camp.

The third was another female Dragon, this one named Delta. She was just about to reach her five hundredth year. She was taller and bulkier than Moraine, had deep crimson scales, deep purple eyes, and had a deeper but clearly feminine voice. Her horns were similar in appearance to Ember’s. She spoke for the generations that had lived for centuries under Torch’s rule.

The fourth was a young Dragon male who spoke for the youth of the group. His name was Feldspar. He was a tall but lanky twenty eight year old Dragon with grayish yellow scales, dark brown eyes, and had two sets of light brown spines instead of horns.

The fifth was an older Dragon male named Rex. The second oldest of the Dragons, with Huǒshān being the oldest, he was a dark gray Dragon with two large horns, light yellow eyes, and pretty much towered over everyone else in the room. He was in his early 800s and was one of the first born after the destruction of Virynth Atheos. He spoke for the older generations, including those who remembered Old Aelyssia.

All of us were staring at the hovering image as it slowly circled around the table, glowing its slight blue and flickering. In a weird way, it reminded me of holograms from Star Wars. I reached down and touched the crystal Twilight had given me which was able to control the scene shown. Looking around the room, I focused on the five newcomer Dragons. I stood, the royal robes of my new office falling down against me as I looked at them. “Before we start this meeting, I want to say thank you to the five of you for joining us,” I said. “I am well aware that the refugees out there are growing restless and hoping to occupy the houses, but I am pleased to announce that after a thorough investigation, the city has been deemed safe for habitation, if a bit outdated by modern standards. The structures are sound, the walls secure, and it would appear that the food that the former Dragon Lord hoarded will be enough to last us for one year. That is, if we decided not to hunt for food, which I don’t anticipate many Dragons stopping.”

“So why have you called us here, my Liege?” Huǒshān asked.

I slowly sat down in the chair made specifically for the Emperor in this room. “Because I want the advice of everyone here,” I replied. “We have enough space for each Dragon here, but we need to establish where in the city they will be going. The houses all seem to be stocked with furniture, silverware, clothing and everything else necessary for habitation. There are even some houses that have toys for young ones.” I looked at Huǒshān. “That’s why I asked you to bring these five here. They speak for the people, and I want to hear what they want now that the housing situation has been resolved.”

Rex raised a claw. “Your Grace, may I ask a question?”

I gestured towards him. “Please do.”

Rex nodded. “Why not let the other Dragons choose which houses to live in? We might have been wandering and roaming throughout the Dragon Lands for centuries, but we all feel a longing. A longing for a home. Most of us don’t remember this city before its destruction, but we’ve heard stories of its splendor and majesty. We want to be here.”

I sighed. “Rex, I hear you, I really do, but as of now, we have absolutely no official governmental structure. Sure, we have me as the Emperor and Ember as the Emperor’s Hand, but there’s no other structure in place. No economy, which we definitely will need if we’re to be prosperous. We don’t have much of a standing army, something we should have in reserve just in case. We need healthcare, education, laws, some kind of police force, and more that escape me right now. I don’t know if having Dragons choosing a home is the right way to go about it.”

“What about a lottery of sorts?” Sunset suggested. Everyone turned to her, and she looked a bit nervous, but continued. She pointed to the outer section of the city where the houses were. “Number the houses. Have each Dragon and Dragons family units select a number randomly from a hat or something.”

“You’re forgetting the different sizes of Dragons, little Pony,” Delta replied. “Some of these houses are for the smaller variety while others are for the larger ones.”

“And let’s not forget those of us with expecting hatchlings on the way,” Moraine added.

“Are you expecting us to all fight about where to live?” Cinder asked, giving Sunset a narrow look. “We’re not all the monsters you Ponies seem to think we are!”

“Enough!” I shouted, standing and looking over the table at everyone. “I didn’t bring you all here so we could bicker.” I looked down at the magical hologram. “Still, you have a good point, Moraine and Cinder. I don’t like the idea of separating families. I know it’s been a tradition to kick hatchlings out after they go through their molt, but I don’t want that to be something we do in our Empire.” I pointed at the hologram and the outer section brightened. “This section here has more than enough housing for each Dragon here, so I think we should start there.” I then pointed to the inner city. “There are definitely larger houses here, but those seem to be made for some sort of nobility.” I looked at the five new Dragons in the room. “If you five decide you want to help in the government’s affairs, I can give you a house in the inner section if you want.” So saying, I sat back down.

Every Dragon but Rex looked excited by the prospect. However, the older Dragon shook his head. “That wouldn’t be a good idea, Your Grace. It would be seen as favoritism among the Dragons. Not only that, but we need to be among the people more to see what issues appear to bring to your attention.”

When he said that, the other Dragons paused. I looked at Rex stunned. He made a good point. I nodded. “Alright, that makes sense.”

“Let’s not forget our dealings with the Council of Equestria,” Huǒshān said, “especially with the Lycan Empire.” He gave me a knowing look. I had told him about my encounter with the Lycans during one of our excursions through the newly rebuilt city. He had several dealings with them over his lifetime. “The Lycans have been allies of ours for centuries, but now with new leadership that may change.”

“I’ve actually been invited to speak to the Lycan Empress at some point,” I replied, “and not only that, but High Lady Valindra of the Deerfolk has invited me to Cervinia Citadel in the next week in my capacity as Emperor. I hope with these meetings we can establish some good relationships with these two races.”

The room went silent as the various creatures around the table digested this new information. Some knew already, but the five new Dragons didn’t know. After a while, Feldspar spoke up. “Okay, so what are you going to do next?” he asked, looking at me.

“My long term plans, you mean?” When the young Dragon nodded, I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. “I want to make this Empire strong as it was in the old times. At one time, our Empire was a powerhouse in the world. We had a plentiful bounty of exports and were prosperous. Now look at the state we’re in. We only have this city to our name, the land around us is poisoned by ancient Fae magic until we can purify it, and our people live much more poorly than we did before. Hell, Dragons of Aelyssia wore clothes.”

The seemed to shock the five newcomer Dragons. “Are we gonna have to wear clothes too?” Feldspar asked, looking a bit worried.

“I don’t think that’s the most important thing to worry about now,” I replied, pointing to the city. “Each house has sets of clothes in them, so if you all decide to wear clothes, I won’t stop you. Our most important task right now is to get the Dragons on the outskirts of the city into houses and to rebuild civilization. It will be hard work, and it may mean some changes to thinking, but I believe it can be done.”

“You can’t just force change,” Rex interjected. “We Dragons are long lived and the older ones of us are proud.”

“I understand that,” I replied, “but ever since the Fall of Aelyssia, the Dragons have been seen in a negative light by other races in the world. From what Sunset here has told me about their past, the old Dragons were civilized.” I looked around the room. “I’ve lived in a civilized world for most of my life,” I explained, “and for the past half year I’ve lived in Equestria. There are good reasons why the Ponies are so successful in what they do.”

“Are you saying we imitate Ponies?” Delta asked with a frown.

“God no,” I replied. “I’m saying we look at what makes a good civilization and try and adopt it to best fit the mindset of the Dragons. Why do you think I asked you five here? I’m a human, and while I can guess what Dragons think based off the My Little Pony show, that’s not accurate. I need Dragons near me who can help gauge the response of the citizens of this Empire. Regardless of what they think of me right now, I am their Emperor. It’s my duty and responsibility to make sure they’re all taken care of and prosperous. I need Dragons who can teach me about how Dragons think so I can make the best decisions that I can.”

The five Dragons looked at each other, then back at me. Rex was the first to speak. “I remember Aelyssia from when it was once great. I recall how great our civilization once was before the fall. May I speak with the others here in private?”

“Of course,” I replied.

As the five Dragons left the room, I sank back into the chair and sighed. Ember, who was seated to my right, looked at me. “What is it?” the hundred year old Dragoness asked.

“Just wondering how the hell Celestia and Luna deal with the stresses of rule,” I replied.

“I could tell you how my dad dealt with it,” Ember said, “but I don’t think that’d be helpful.”

Huǒshān nodded. He was seated on my left. “My Liege,” he said, “I don’t know much about how the old Emperors ruled, but I do remember my father mentioning something called the…Imperial Assembly.”

“I remember reading about that,” Sunset said, “but what I learned wasn’t much. It sounded kinda like a mix of the Senate and the House of Representatives. They help the Emperor to govern, but this was back when Aelyssia had more territory.”

“I think for now you and the Emperor’s Hand are more than enough to rule the Dragons, My Liege,” Huǒshān said, “although you’re wise to ask for a court of advisors.”

“A good ruler listens to the people they rule over and tries to do what is best for them,” I said. I looked over at Twilight, giving her a small knowing smile. She smiled and nodded back at me.

We fell into silence, waiting as we heard muffled and indistinct voices coming from outside the room. After about ten minutes, the door opened and the five Dragons came walking in, Rex leading the way. They reached their chairs, but didn’t sit. Rex faced me and took a breath. “Your Grace, we’ve talked about it, and if you can guarantee that you will keep the Dragons first in any decisions you make in the future, we will be glad to aid you.”

I stood and faced them all, then reached down, lifted my sword, and drew it. Holding it up, I spoke. “My Hand and I will do everything in our power to ensure the safety and happiness of every Dragon under our rule. I swear this on Eclipse.”

The five Dragons placed their fists on their chests and bowed their heads. I slowly sheathed my sword and we all sat. There was silence before Feldspar said, “So…should there be a banquet to celebrate?”

I couldn’t help it. I smirked and gave the young Dragon a grin. “I think we can arrange that.”

Several days later, two days before February 1st, a large grassy field in the second section of the city was filled with Dragons who all sat at various tables that had been set up in the field. Similar to a village green, this place seemed to serve a similar purpose, but much larger. Applejack had used her Earth Pony magic to purify the area despite my protests (she said that this was the perfect opportunity to practice and to be of use) and now the city was looking more vibrant, with parts of the farmland looking green. Wallflower had managed to purify other sections with her own magic, although she was only able to make viable soil for future growth and not grow plants. Still, it was helpful.

The entire city green was packed full of hundreds of Dragons, alongside Sunset, Chrysalis, Gemini, Mica, the recently returned Sirens who had been called back from the as of yet unproductive search, the Mane Six, Spike, Scarlet, and Zecora. The tables were packed with various different foodstuffs. Most were from the food hoard I’d found, but some were fresh vegetables and gems from Equestria along with special meat products I’d asked Sunset to buy back on Earth, such as turkey, chicken, steaks and more. There were bottles of different types of alcoholic beverages for the adults and non-alcoholic ones for the younger ones, including many different barrels of cider from Sweet Apple Acres. The above guests, along with Huǒshān, Ember, Phlogiston, Aurora, Lahar, Feldspar, Moraine, Cinder, Rex, and Delta, all sat at my table near the front.

The party was in full swing, and I was admittedly a bit tipsy from the ancient Dragon wine, which was surprisingly sweet to the taste, having a slight Concord grape taste to it. I’d eaten a lot during that meal, more than I’d been able to eat before, but so had Zecora. The mood of the day was jovial, and the Dragons didn’t even seem to care that inhabitants of a foreign nation had appeared to join. When Huǒshān had asked why I’d invited them, I said it was to show how grateful I was to them for their help in scouting out the city. They were honored guests, I told him, and they’d done a lot to help, especially Sunset, Twilight and Applejack.

I was wearing some of the regal Dragon clothes that Rarity had made for me. I was wearing a dark evergreen regal surcoat with the symbol of Aelyssia sewn onto both sides, a belt made of pure gold around my waist, a royal purple cape with white fur sewn onto the shoulders and edges, a pair of thick but comfortable leather pants and boots. Eclipse was attached to my belt and underneath the surcoat, I wore a loose-fitting undershirt and some chainmail over said undershirt to keep the metal from chafing my skin. The Staff of Ignu was sitting beside me, standing in a special stand I’d found in my new hoard made specifically for it. I wore the crown of the Emperor on my head, the deep crimson gemstone glistening in the afternoon sunlight.

While most of the other Dragons weren’t wearing clothes, I did notice that a few had begun wearing some older Aelyssian clothes. Ember, despite her initial complaints back at the Council of Equestria, had begun wearing clothes more often, although she was more tomboyish in appearance, having found some brown leather pants, an open vest made of durable dark blue fabric with the symbol of Aelyssia on it and two short swords for weapons. On her head was a silver circlet with a blue diadem embedded in it, the new crown of the Emperor’s Hand. The other Dragons at the table were also now wearing clothes, although Feldspar was only wearing a pair of pants. Being a part of the younger generation, it made sense.

In the middle of the meal, I decided it was time to address the people, seeing as I would be heading back to Ponyville in the coming days to embark on yet another trip to Cervinia Citadel to meet with the Deerfolk. I stood and spread my wings, catching the attention of the nearer Dragons. When other Dragons around the field heard their fellows go quiet, they did so as well. In about a minute, every Dragon at the banquet was silent and looking towards me. I had to admit, I felt a bit nervous, but I soldiered on.

“My fellow Aelyssians,” I began, using a slightly softer version of the Royal Canterlot Voice, “I’m happy to see that everybody here is enjoying their food. At least, if the messy faces here are any indication.” This earned a chuckle from the crowd along with some of them wiping their lips with their arms. “This month has been monumental for the rebirth of the Empire,” I continued, “as not only has Virynth Atheos been reborn from the ashes, but the hurts of the last war the Fae placed on the land have begun to be healed.” This earned numerous sounds and nods of approval from the crowd.

I took a deep breath, then began flying up to be better seen. “I’m aware that there are those out there who don’t think that I’m up to the task of being your Emperor, and to those of you thinking this, I must say that I don’t blame you. After all, I’m an outsider, not a Dragon.” I focused my magic and a burst of hot flame spread from my wings for a brief moment before the flames vanished. “But I assure you, my resolve to help this reborn Empire is strong!” I announced, wincing inwardly at who I was imitating. “I have been forming an Imperial Assembly consisting of representatives from among the citizens of this Empire to give me insights and perspectives that I might not understand without their aid! Your voices will be heard!”

I saw a wave of surprised faces in the crowd below me, and after their voices had settled, I continued, “Many of you know that the title of Dragon Lord was held in Old Aelyssia before and after its fall. The title is no more. Instead, I have created a new position as the head of the Imperial Assembly, the Emperor’s Hand. The Hand will be superseded only by me in terms of authority. I have named Princess Ember as my Hand. As for the members of the Assembly aside from the Princess, I have named seven to the current Assembly, those being Huǒshān, Captain Lahar of the Imperial Guard, Feldspar, Moraine, Cinder, Rex, and Delta. They represent the voices of the citizens of the Empire.”

“You’re taking too long again!” Ember shouted up at me. This caused a ripple of laughter to spread through the crowd.

“Right, right,” I chuckled, “I’ve said what I’ve needed to say, so I’ll let you get back to it. Enjoy!” I landed, raised the golden goblet at my place, and shouted,“Long live Aelyssia! Long live the Empire!”

The crowd all raised their goblets. “Long live Aelyssia! Long live the Empire! Long live the Emperor!”

After the feast was ended, it was nearly sunset. The area was cleared rather fast by some of the Dragons as everyone at my table walked with me back to the castle. I was talking with Ember, giving her instructions on what needed to be done in my absence. “You’ve been practicing with the cellphone I gave you, right?” When she nodded, I smiled. “Good. If anything comes up when I’m at the Cervinia Citadel, don’t hesitate to make the call. I’m going to be bringing one of the newer fabric doors with me so I can be back there in case of an emergency. While I’m gone, we need to have the Dragons here settled in as best as we can. There are plenty of empty houses available. Also, we’re gonna need to restart the economy at some point. Right now, we follow the value of the Equestrian bit, which we should try and grow out of. There’s also the deal we made with other nations about the trade routes through our lands.”

“Sheesh, leave all that on my plate, why don’t you?” Ember said sarcastically.

I turned and gave her an apologetic look. “I know you’re capable of this,” I said, “and you will have help. The Assembly is here to help, and you do have authority to bring on new trial members if you see fit. If you know a Dragon with good sense of money and trade, bring them in. There’s a lot that needs to be done if we’re to rise to global prominence again.”

Ember sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, and nodded. “Alright, where should I start?”

“Housing is the most important thing right now,” I said. “The people need to have a secure place to live. We have enough food in our stores to last for a year, but I don’t want to rely on it for that year. When spring comes around, we’ll need to start up our agricultural production. We may need to rely on exports too just in case.” I turned to Lahar. “Captain, how are we on the military front? I know you and Gemini have been working together.”

Lahar came up to me. “We’ve had several younger Dragons come and ask to become Guards,” he said, “but we need a place to train them.”

“There were some barracks in the inner circle of the city,” Huǒshān said. “At least, if my memory of the old city is still correct.”

“You’re correct,” I said. “I remember seeing them a couple days after I woke up. Captain, you and the Guard are to relocate to those barracks. They’re near the south in a large circular building. It has a training area, quarters for soldiers, a mess hall, a fully stocked weapons room, a map room, and more. You shouldn’t be able to miss it.”

“It shall be done, Your Grace.” He paused for a bit, then added, “Your Grace? Which guards will you be taking with you to the Citadel?”

“Gemini and Mica,” I replied.

He frowned. “I must protest, Your Grace. I would prefer it if you had two of your Honor Guard with you as well as those two.”

Gemini, having overheard this, snapped up at Lahar, “You think my brother and I can’t protect him?”

“With all due respect,” Lahar began, “you may be a strong warrior, and your brother equally so, but you can’t fly. What if His Grace is attacked from above?”

“I was once Captain of the Imperial Guard for the Lycan Empire,” she snarled angrily, “I can fight any assault from the air.”

“Enough, you two,” I said. I turned to Lahar. “I need all of the guards here to keep the peace, including you and the other Honor Guards.”

Lahar frowned, then said, “I’m sorry, Your Grace, but as Captain of the Guard, I can’t allow that. You named me your Captain, and it’s my job to ensure your safety. I’m sending Scoria and Silica to join you.”

I nodded slowly. “Very well. Tell them to pack for a long journey, then meet me in my quarters as soon as possible. I’m heading back to my house in Ponyville tonight.”

As the two guards flew off, I looked back at the newest members of the Assembly. “While I’m gone, I want you all to put together a list of things you believe the citizens would like to see in the Empire plus things needed that might have been missed. I also want you to listen to Sunset Shimmer here in case she finds something of note in her research through the Virynth Atheos archives.” Turning to Sunset, I said, “If you find something you think might be important, let my Hand and the Assembly know. Also, place a copy of said discovery on the desk in my room and I’ll look at it when I can.”

“What about us?” Adagio asked.

I turned back to the Dazzlings. “You three can go with some of my guards and Hestia to continue your search for other Sirens,” I replied. “If you find Dragons there, invite them to Virynth Atheos if they want to go.”

“I really don’t wanna ask, but what about me?” Chrysalis asked reluctantly.

I looked at her. “You’ll be helping Sunset with her research, under guard of course.”

The Fae sighed, but simply nodded and said, “Figured it’d be something tedious…”

“Jethro?”

I looked down at the source of the new voice. Fluttershy was looking up at me with a both worried and expectant look on her face. “What is it, Flutters?” I asked.

“Are you coming home now?” she asked.

I resisted the urge to stroke her mane as I nodded. “Yes, Fluttershy. Tonight, I’m coming home.”

Some time later, we all returned to Ponyville through the portal doorway, the sun had been setting in Aelyssia. However, in Ponyville it was still an hour away from sunset. I walked through the snow covered streets of my hometown, surrounded by the Mane Six, Spike, Zecora, Scarlet, Scoria, Silica, Gemini and Mica. I was greeted by a lot of the townsponies, and I greeted them all back. Soon, we were in my living room. I gave the two Dragon guards rooms for them to stay in until the 31st, the day where I’d be leaving for the Cervinia Citadel. The girls and Spike wanted to stay with me, but I told them I would be alright, so they all went home. I took a long soak in the bath in my room before crawling into bed between my wife and girlfriend. Soon, I fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.

161: A Cloaked Heart's Next Date

When I woke the next morning after my return to Ponyville, I was surprised to see that it was just past eleven in the morning. Zecora and Scarlet had already gotten up it seemed, but judging from the note they’d left on the nightstand, they had gone out into town to do a bit of food shopping for the house. I got up and took a long shower, then went downstairs. I saw Gemini and Mica in the living room along with Scoria and Silica. The two Dragons, still in full armor, were looking around the room with some curiosity, Gemini was cleaning her armor and sword while Mica was reading a local newspaper. Mica looked up and smiled at me. “Good morning,” he said.

Gemini looked over from her work and frowned. “It’s about time you woke up,” she said.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I said. “Guess I was a bit more tired than I thought.”

The two Dragons were at attention the moment they saw me. They came to me and gave an Imperial salute, a fist to the chest. “Did you sleep well, Your Grace?” Scoria asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, very well.”

“Guess you needed it,” Silica said with some slight amusement.

“Heh, yeah I did,” I said. I looked at the two Dragons and frowned a bit. “You know, you don’t have to be in full armor inside my house. Feel free to relax.”

“But Your Grace-” Scoria began.

“Don’t bother trying to reason with him,” Gemini interrupted as she sheathed her now cleaned and polished sword with a loud snap, “he’s a massive softie.”

“Bite me,” I replied in a teasing tone before my hand went to my neck. “Oh wait…”

Gemini growled at me, but I could see an embarrassed look on her face. Mica snorted a bit. “He got you good, sister.”

I decided to ease up on the poor Lycan and changed the subject. “I take it you’ve eaten already?”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Scoria said.

“Your mates told us you wouldn’t mind if we ate some of your meat supply,” Silica said.

“They were right,” I said as I began heading to the kitchen.

The two Dragon guards immediately moved to intercept me. “We were given the tour of the house earlier, Your Grace,” Scoria said, “and we can prepare you something.”

I raised a hand to stop them. “At ease, you two,” I said, “I just want to get some cereal. As a matter of fact, why don’t the two of you change out of those suits of armor. If you walk around the town like that, you’ll make the Ponies nervous.”

As the Dragons made their way back to their rooms, Mica walked in. “There’s some leftover breakfast on the counter. I can zap it in the microwave if you want.”

“Oh? That sounds good,” I said, “but I can do it.”

Mica was right. There were a few small platters of breakfast sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. I nuked them and sat at the table to eat. While I was eating, the two Dragons came back from their rooms. They were still armed with weapons (Scoria with two short blades from her back and Silica with a longer sword) but both were dressed in Old Aelyssian clothes. Both were wearing leather pants of sorts, although Scoria’s was a dark brown and Silica’s was a deep green. Silica wore a dark green jerkin on top of a white shirt while Scoria wore just a black jerkin. Both wore belts around their waists and no shoes. Not like they needed any. I was a bit surprised they were wearing clothes, but didn’t say anything about it. As I ate, the two stood by me. The silence was a bit uncomfortable, so I decided to make some conversation. “Did you two sleep well last night?”

“Very well, Your Grace,” Scoria said.

“Those are some very comfy beds,” Silica said.

I was beginning to get a feel for these two. Scoria struck me as the more formal of the group, while Silica was a bit more informal. “They are comfortable, aren’t they?” I agreed. “One of the Equestrian Princesses provided them for me. They’re some of the best in this country, although I’ve tested some of the beds back in Virynth Atheos. They’re nothing to slouch at, metaphorically speaking.”

“It’s nice not to sleep on rocks anymore,” Silica said, giving me a small smile.

“I’m sorry it took so long for me to open the city for habitation,” I apologized, “but we had to be sure that things were safe for every Dragon.”

“And are they?” Silica asked.

“We haven’t found anything wrong with the city,” I explained, “so yeah, we can begin moving Dragons in immediately.”

Silica looked excited by this. “Finally! I can find a house!”

“But aren’t we living in the barracks in the inner city?” Scoria asked.

That seemed to take some of the wind out of Silica’s sails before I replied, “Well, while you’re on duty you’ll have rooms in the barracks, but I wouldn’t want you to feel left out. I’m sure that when things are rolling along back in Aelyssia, each of you can find a nice house in the outer ring.”

That made Silica smile again, and she bowed gratefully. “Thank you,” she said.

Scoria also bowed, and I saw a small smile form on her own lips. “You are too kind to us, Your Grace.”

“A happy military is a good military in my opinion,” I replied. “I don’t plan on treating you like chattel or like slaves.”

As I was finishing my meal, however, I heard the sound of a familiar voice calling out, “Look out below!” from my backyard, followed by the sound of someone crashing into the snow. I paused, placing my fork down silently. “How the hell does Rainbow Dash make this look so easy?” the voice said in annoyance.

“Years of experience, rookie!” the same voice called from above. “Come on, get up!”

Curious, I walked to the double doors in the dining room that opened up to the backyard, only to see two versions of Rainbow Dash in the field near the storage barn. One was definitely my Rainbow Dash, but the other was an Anthro version of Rainbow. The latter was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a darker blue jacket with a rainbow striped lightning bolt sewn diagonally across it and a bright blue beanie on her head. She was standing up and brushing snow off of her, which was a bit harder since it was snowing. “Is that…Dashelle?” I unlocked the door and flung it open. “Dash? Rainbow? What’s going on out here?”

Both the Pony and the converted human flinched and turned to me, both looking a bit nervous now. “Ehehe…hey there,” Rainbow said sheepishly. “Welcome home.”

“You finally back from that Dragon country or wherever you were at?” Dash asked.

“For a couple days at least,” I said, “at least until I need to go somewhere else for a meeting.”

“Wow, you’re a busy Emperor,” Dash said with a smirk.

“Don’t change the subject,” I said, hands on my hips. “I’m an expert at that. What are you doing here?”

Dash seemed to deflate a bit at this, but she replied, “Well…I had some free time and I wanted to learn how to fly here,” she said. “I mean, come on!” Her wings spread wide. “Who wouldn’t want to learn to fly?? Besides, it’s the weekend and I had nothing planned.”

I relaxed a bit. If Dash was anything like her Pony counterpart, I honestly couldn’t blame her. “Okay, I guess that’s a fair point,” I said, “but still, I wish you’d have told me about it first.”

“But then we would’ve spoiled the surprise!” two voices on either side of my ear said loudly.

“Gah! Fucking Jesus!” I jumped in alarm, causing me to fall back on my ass. I looked up and saw Pinkie Pie and Diane, both poking their heads in through the door, matching happy smiles on their faces. “You’re here too, Diane?”

“Of course!” Diane said with a giggle as she walked in and held out her hand to help me up. “I had some free time and I said to myself, ‘Diane,’ I says, ‘What better way to spend your weekend than finding new recipes from your favorite Pony and sharing your recipes with her?’ So I came here with the others! I also wanted to learn how to be more like Pinkie!”

I felt my jaw clench automatically before I forced myself to calm down. “Others?”

“Well, yeah! I brought the gang with me!” Diane said. “Even Brandan and Marigold are here!”

I frowned a bit at this, but before I could say anything, Rainbow spoke up. “Don’t get your panties in a twist,” she said, “Twyla’s just as good at keeping an eye on him as Twilight is at keeping an eye on Spike. And Marigold is with Jackie. We’re not stupid.”

“Rainbow, bringing adults here is one thing,” I said, “but Brandan and Marigold are just kids. I know Mrs. Smith knows about our world, but what about Brandan’s parents?”

“Wait a moment, Jethro,” a soft and familiar voice called out from nearby. I turned to the left and saw two newcomers walking around the corner. One was Fluttershy with Angel sitting on her back, and the other had to be Shye. Shye walked up to me as she continued, “Twyla told us that her parents trust her to look after Brandan. Besides, Brandan apparently hasn’t been able to make too many friends back home. He’s already made a friend with Marigold, and the Crusaders seem to like hanging around with him too.”

“Spike has been having a blast showing Brandan how to be a Dragon,” Pinkie giggled.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes. “And is there a reason why you didn’t tell me this?”

“They’ve got some sort of grand surprise for you,” I heard Angel say with a roll of his eyes. He jumped off of Fluttershy and clambered up my back, landing on my shoulder. “Now shut up and get with using those fingers already!”

“Angel! Be nice!” Fluttershy said, sounding horrified. She turned to me apologetically. “I am so sorry, Jethro.”

“Does he always talk like that?” Shye asked.

“Yeah, this little guy likes to talk tough,” I said as I reached up, grabbed Angel, placed him in my hand and began scratching his head.

“Fucker, who you calling little??” Angel asked defiantly before he stiffened and melted in my hand. “Awww yesss…that’s the good shit…” His back leg began thumping again in delight.

“I wonder if my Angel talks like that?” Shye asked herself. “He certainly acts entitled.”

“What kind of surprise are you talking about?” I asked, a bit wary.

“Eh, you’ll just have to see for yourself later,” Rainbow said, scratching the back of her head with her hoof nervously.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” I said a bit more warily.

“Oh, it’s nothing bad,” Shye said reassuringly.

“In fact, Twilight and Twyla both think you and the town will love it,” Fluttershy added.

I heard alarm bells going off in my head. “Um, the town too?” I asked.

“Dude, chillax,” Dash said, patting me on the back hard, “it’ll be a great surprise, I promise. They said they’d have it done before you come back from that deer place or wherever you're going, man.”

“In the meantime, why don’t you go have some fun somewhere?” Rainbow suggested, not so gently pushing me back into the house.

“Hey, not so hard,” I said, as I found myself stumbling back into the house. “Okay, okay, I get it, you wanna distract me.” I looked back at them, then sighed. “Just tell me what part of town to avoid.”

“The west side,” Fluttershy responded.

“Good to know.” I looked around the kitchen, then my eyes locked on Gemini. I pointed to her. “Hey, let’s go out, just you and me.”

Gemini was taken aback by this, as were my two Dragon guards and Mica, although the latter’s face broadened into a smile as he said, “I can hold down the fort, sir.”

“No need,” I smiled at the young Lycan, “Why don’t you go out and find Strawberry? Have a good time with her.” Turning to Scoria and Silica, I finished with, “You two keep an eye on things here and relax.”

Gemini still hadn’t managed to say anything as I grabbed my coat, threw it on, then looked expectantly at the former Captain of the Lycan Empire’s Imperial Guard. “I…what?” she managed to squeak out.

“Come on, let’s get going,” I said as I opened the door and gestured outside. “It’s long past time I got to know my personal guard more intimately.”

She gave me a growl, but didn’t object as she grabbed her own coat and threw it on. She turned back to Mica and said, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Mica smiled. “Come on, you know me.”

“Exactly.” She put on a pair of leather gloves, then grabbed my coat collar. “Come on!”

I found myself being dragged out of the house, only to see my two Dragon guards coming out to presumably rescue me from Gemini’s clutches. I held up a hand and shook my head, making them stop. Standing up, I removed Gemini’s claw from my collar, instead taking her claw in my hand. “Rarity would be really upset if you tore this coat,” I said as I fell into step next to her.

“Like I care what that female thinks about me,” Gemini snapped back.

I sighed, then took the lead again. “Come on,” I said, pulling her towards the small restaurant district.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You and I are gonna get something to eat and we’re gonna talk,” I replied.

Ten or so minutes later, we were seated in a corner booth in the Prancing Pony. Ever since I’d begun to frequent it, they’d actually hired a Griffon cook/chef and added a few meat dishes for me and the two Lycans in town along with any meat eating travelers. The Griffon, a younger female named Gale, was a rather gruff individual, but I’d learned from stories that if you could get on her good side, she’d respect you. I hadn’t met her yet, but I also knew she personally served the meat dishes she made.

Gemini had been visibly uncomfortable the moment we’d come into the restaurant, which was why I’d requested a booth a bit away from the others. I even saw her running her claw through her white and gray striped hair. I’d noticed that ever since autumn had started, her fur had seemed to bulk up a bit. The same had happened with Mica. Now, though, it was hard to tell since she was wearing clothes that hid it rather well. I could see her feminine curves which were remarkably similar to those of human women. Lycans were remarkably humanoid in appearance were it not for their wolflike nature. I saw her reach for her weapon several times, but since she’d left it at home it wasn’t there.

When we were seated and both given large glasses of water and menus, we both looked over them. I thought I could hear Gemini muttering a few things to herself, but I ignored it as I looked over the menu. I knew what I liked here, of course, but I decided I would try something new today. Apparently, this new Griffon cook had some experience cooking Lycan dishes, and while there wasn’t a large number of meat dishes, there was one that was labeled as being made for Lycans. I put my menu down. “I think I’ll try the imported bison steak.”

That got Gemini’s attention as she looked up at me with a confused look. “This Pony restaurant serves meat?”

“Not much, but I frequent this place,” I replied truthfully, “so they expanded their menu a bit. It still mainly serves Ponies, but they hired a cook who makes meat dishes for people like me and you.”

Gemini looked back at the menu, a somewhat surprised look on her face. “I had no idea…”

“You hardly leave the house unless it’s to guard me, so I’m not surprised,” I replied.

She stiffened at that. “Ponies don’t trust me here,” she said in an accusing tone.

“You don’t give them reason to,” I replied, narrowing her eyes at her.

She bared her fangs at me before looking back at the menu again. After a bit, she spotted something that gave her pause and she pointed at it. “Hey, what’s this thing called a ‘cheeseburger’?”

I smiled. “It’s a ground beef patty with a slice of cheese on top placed between a sesame seed bun. There are a few other toppings on it, like lettuce, tomato, onion, and condiments. It’s really good.”

“Is it a human dish?”

“I mean, humans eat it back on Earth,” I replied.

She seemed to ponder this for a bit before she said, “I’ll try that, with extra meat as well.” I was a bit surprised by this, and it must have showed since she gave me a glare and added, “You’re trying a Lycan dish, so it’s only fair I try a human dish.”

I raised my hands in surrender as I put my menu down. “Fair enough.” I flagged down one of the wait staff and we placed our orders. I was surprised when Gemini asked for a mug of ale, but figured it would be alright.

As we waited, Gemini looked around the restaurant. I noticed her looking uncomfortable again and decided to try and ease her emotional burden. “Gemini, are you alright?”

She stiffened a bit. “I don’t like this,” she said.

“Don’t like what?”

She took a deep breath and her eyes snapped up to me. “Any of this,” she hissed. “This isn’t the way a Lycan claims a mate!”

“How do Lycans claim a mate?” I asked.

She pointed to my neck. “I marked you as mine, didn’t I? That should be enough!”

We were getting looks from some other people, so I put my finger to my lips. “I understand, but I’m not Lycan.”

“No shit,” she said, thankfully a bit more quietly as she took a deep gulp of her water.

“Look at me,” I ordered her. Slowly, reluctantly, she did so. “Gemini Grayfur, despite some of your attitude towards me and others, I owe you a lot. You’ve taught me a lot about how to properly fight without magic, you and your brother have been my protectors, and you’ve helped me take care of my house. I know we met under tense circumstances but you’ve been very helpful to me. Your contributions to the household can’t be understated.”

“Do all humans talk this much?” she asked.

“I’m trying to make a point,” I replied, “so please let me finish.” She nodded begrudgingly, and I continued. “I want to get to know you better. The real you, not just the stalwart warrior I see all the time.”

She scoffed. “That’s all I’ve been since I was a pup,” she said. “I had to be.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Are you stupid?” she asked point blank. “You know damn well that Lycan females are warriors! We have to be!” She took a deep breath to calm herself, then in a quieter voice, she said, “I had to become strong to protect my family…my empire…” Her claws, which were wrapped around her glass, trembled slightly before she forced them to steady. “You only saw a taste of what our empire is like. I had to rise to the top to protect my brother. Males in our society might be lower, but there was once a time when they were at least treated well. Now, they’re nothing but second or even third class citizens. Empress Amber and her mother before her, Empress Agate, began stripping rights away from males. A lot of the females either didn’t care or were too stupid to see the changes, but by the time they did it was too late. We once had an Imperial Senate which Empress Amber dissolved twenty years ago. You can’t understand how our Empire has changed for the worse.” She made a sweeping gesture towards the restaurant, although I figured she was making a grander gesture. “Imagine how hard it is for me to see males and females here get along so well. Equal rights? That’s a dream for males here! Even my brother made a friend in that Strawberry Pony. She doesn’t treat him like some animal…”

I could tell that this wasn’t easy for her to express, so I acted instinctively. Reaching over, I put my hand over her claw. “You really love the Lycan Empire, don’t you?”

She whipped her head up. “I love what it was…when I was young, Mother and Father would tell us stories about the older times. Yeah, they said it wasn’t perfect, but we had good lives. Our mines were always productive, there was good food, and we lived well. Sure, there was tensions with the Deerfolk, but our leaders weren’t idiots.” She sighed. “We had honor. We were strong. But now…” she trailed off. After a bit, she continued. “I tried my best to make the Imperial Guard one of honor and strength, dedicated to justice, but I could only do so much. The Empress and Princess had authority over me and my Guard, and a lot of the changes I tried to implement were reversed.”

I gave her claw a squeeze then released it. “You want things to go back to the way they were. I get it. There are times when even I fantasize about managing to return to Earth. My Earth.”

She dug her nails into the table, a look of frustration on her face. “And then you beat me…and made me into your servant…I was so angry…so bitter…so when you wanted me to train you, I let out that anger and trained you hard to try and make you give up, but you didn’t. You still don’t.”

“If I did that, I won’t be able to defend myself, my loved ones, and the nations I now call home,” I replied.

She scowled at this, looking up at me with those teal eyes. “Soft heart,” she said, “but also strong…just like our Guardian…”

I chuckled a little. “I’m sure I’m soft compared to you, but I’ll admit, I’m envious of you.”

Her head snapped up. “What? Why?”

“You’re a strong warrior,” I explained. “You have incredible strength and skill in combat I can only dream of. I’ve seen you fighting with Ember, Chrysalis and the Dazzlings. Even if Lycans don’t have magic, it’s really impressive that you held your own with nothing but your skills.” I moved my wings behind me a bit. “I have wings and magic now, so I’ve been relying on them to defend myself, but I’m still pretty much a novice when it comes to magic and advanced flight. I was only a banker and manager back on Earth, and since you’re one of my teachers, I’ve been learning a lot and growing stronger.” I smirked. “I’m not losing as much to Mica anymore.”

She gave me a devilish smirk of her own. “Is that so? When things settle down, I think it’ll be time to bring your training up another level.”

I swallowed nervously. “Well, shit…”

She pointed a finger at me. “I won’t allow an Emperor of Dragons to be a weakling, and even more than that, I won’t allow the male I’ve marked to be weak.”

“Then why did you mark me?” I asked.

She actually looked a bit embarrassed. Looking down at the table, she opened her mouth, then closed it again. “I’ve thought about that a lot since then. When I marked you, I did it because you were being a fucking idiot. You were going out on some stupid mission and I was…” she bit her lip, and it looked like she was having a hard time getting the words out, but eventually she did. “I was…afraid you’d die.” I was stunned by her confession, but I kept my mouth shut. “I was always told by my father to be honest with myself and my feelings. Still, do you know how hard that is for a warrior?”

“I can only imagine it’s really hard.”

“Try impossible!” She looked up at me again. “I was never good at showing my emotions! That was always Mica’s strong point! It makes me feel weak. Emotions can be used against somewolf!”

“I can understand why a warrior would feel like that,” I said. “Remember when we all sat down and watched Revenge of the Sith?”

She pointed at me and nodded. “Exactly! If that Anakin guy hadn’t told anyone about his feelings for…Padamame or whatever her name was, then that Dark Lord couldn’t have manipulated him!”

“Maybe so,” I conceded, “but we all have emotions. We shouldn’t be a slave to them, but we shouldn’t deny them either. You have feelings for me, yes?” She stiffened a bit, then slowly nodded. “Feelings of affection and love can be used to make someone stronger. For me, I love Zecora and Scarlet with everything I have. It’s strange, but when I realized I loved Scarlet after I was already in love with Zecora, it made me feel stronger. They give me strength in their own ways.”

“But what if something happens to them?” Gemini asked. “What if they were to die or something?”

“Then I’d live in memory of them,” I replied without hesitation. “I know those two well enough that they wouldn’t want me to live in sadness and grief. I’d grieve them, of course, but I would move forward, keeping their memory close in my heart.” I chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds flowery, but I’d do just that.”

She exhaled slowly. “I don’t know if I could do that…” She put a hand on her chest and took a deep but somewhat shaky breath. “I don’t like feeling like this. It terrifies me.”

“When I realized I was in love with my first crush back on Earth, it terrified me too,” I replied, “but it’s a great feeling just as much. It’s worth the fear. More than worth it.”

She had a contemplative look on her face at those words. At that moment, our meal came, served by the cook herself. She was as gruff as the stories said, but I was polite enough. After she left, the two of us began to eat. My meal was incredibly delicious, although when Gemini tried some she said that there were better versions back in the Lycan Empire. Coincidentally, I said the same about her burger when she offered some to me, although it was still a good burger. Other than that, we ate in silence. She ate and maintained that thoughtful expression. Finally, when she finished her meal, she spoke again. “What about our stations in life?”

I swallowed the steak and looked at her. “I honestly don’t think love should be blocked by jobs or stations. If a queen falls in love with a peasant and he responds in kind, I don’t see any reason why they can’t be together.”

She wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “I’m not surprised…”

“Does it bother you that much?”

She nodded. “It just doesn’t seem right to me. I’ve heard stories about nobles of old marrying other nobles in order to bind houses together. There was even a story Father told us about two ancient kingdoms who joined after a prince from one and princess from another married and joined the kingdoms together. Like in that Sleeping Beauty movie.”

“I’m not interested in using a marriage to join the Empire with another nation,” I said. “There’s always another hidden motive, I feel.”

She nodded. “I think that when you next meet Empress Amber, she’ll try something like that.”

“Yeah, she probably will,” I agreed, “but let’s not talk about that while we’re here.”

She nodded, then took a sip of her water. After a bit more silence, she said, “How do humans females claim their males?”

I had to hold back my laughter. “Well, honestly, for a lot of human history it’s been the other way around. Males traditionally do the courting, although lately women have been doing it too.”

“Then how do humans males claim their females?”

“Claim is a strong word,” I said. “It depends on the people. Lots of times, a human couple will go out on dates like we’re on right now. The couple engage in activities like going to a theater, having a meal together, or just spending time together. It’s all about getting to know the other and eventually opening up emotionally to one another.”

She looked down at her empty plate. “I see…”

I finished my steak a few minutes later, and when the waitress asked if we wanted dessert, Gemini said no, so I said the same. I paid the bill, left a hefty tip for the waitress and the cook, and the two of us walked into the snowy town again. The snow had eased up a bit and Ponies went about their business as usual. I looked over at Gemini, and saw that she was staring ahead, but was also still thinking.

I decided to just wander town for a few hours with her. When I asked her what kind of place she wanted to go to, she asked to go to the smith shop to see what kind of weapons Ponies made. I told her she’d probably be disappointed, but she insisted. I took her to Iron Forge’s shop where she perused the wares. I knew he didn’t make many weapons, but he did make knives for other purposes. She seemed surprised at how well they were made.

We visited other places as well, until finally the skies started getting dark. We returned to the mansion. The snow had picked up a bit and I was getting cold. When we arrived at the door, she stopped me and turned me to face her. “Listen,” she said, “I don’t normally do stuff like this. It’s not how I was raised to claim a male. Mother and Father always told me I’d be able to claim a male easily, but you’re not a Lycan. I don’t know much about this courting or dating stuff, but today wasn’t unpleasant.” She turned and opened the door, but not before giving my chest a light smack with her tail. She walked up the stairs quickly and I heard the door to her room open and shut.

I walked in behind her, only to find Scarlet and Zecora sitting in front of the fire. Zecora was reading something and Scarlet was on her laptop with earphones on watching YouTube. When I entered, the two turned to me and gave me similar grins. “How was your date with Gemini, beloved?” Zecora asked as I took a seat next to my wife.

“Give us all the juicy deets,” Scarlet said as she flew over and perched herself on my lap, giggling up at me.

I sighed, then smiled and put my arms around both of them. “You’re both incorrigible,” I said before telling them all about it.

162: A Cloaked Heart's Next Departure

“Are you sure you want me staying behind, dearest?” Zecora asked as I once more began stuffing a bag full of now freshly cleaned and dried clothes and toiletries. On one other side of the room, Scarlet was doing the same thing. Zecora watched the two of us as we packed, a look of concern in her gorgeous deep cyan eyes.

I paused what I was doing, stood, and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’re pregnant with our child, sweetie,” I said tenderly as I placed a hand on her stomach. She placed her hand over mine as I continued. “I’m pretty sure the Deerfolk are a more peaceful race than most, but I want to make sure there’s no undue stress placed on you.” My expression became more serious. “Besides, I’ve checked the route to their Citadel, and while we can start by using the trains, the rest of the way we’re gonna have to go on foot.”

“Those Deerfolk haven’t joined the 21st century yet,” Scarlet smirked.

I turned to my marefriend. “Equestria hasn’t even joined the 21st century, so you’ve no room to talk,” I said with a grin before turning back to Zecora. “I don’t want you exerting yourself.”

Zecora reached up and placed a finger on my nose briefly. “You’re being overprotective, my love,” she said. “We Zebras are stronger than that.”

“Zecora…” I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Looking into her eyes again, I repeated my plea. “I don’t know how this pregnancy is going to affect you. We’re two different species. This pregnancy shouldn’t even technically be possible.”

“Magic is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be…unnatural,” Scarlet said with a chuckle before her face softened when she saw me glaring. She paused her packing, flew over, and wrapped her forehooves around my neck. “Jethro, you need to chill, alright? You think you’re the only one worried about her? I am too. I know that Twilight and the others are worried too. You saw all the gifts they got for her for that party? They’re worried, but they’re also excited. But they’re also worried about you. You barely stopped by back home and now you have to go back out. The Elements might be okay staying behind, but you know Zecora. She won’t give up so easily.”

“She is right, beloved,” Zecora replied. She spread her wings and enveloped me and Scarlet. “You are my husband now. Scarlet is my herdmate. I worry about you both. I want to be by your side.”

I felt the warmth of her feelings spreading through me. The warmth of both of my herdmates love for me and for each other, and for the unborn child in Zecora’s womb. I relaxed and hugged her back, arms around her pulling her in tightly. Slowly, however, I pulled away. “I understand,” I said, “but I still would feel better if you stayed behind. What about this? I could bring one of those doorway fabrics with me. I’ll set one up here and when I arrive at the Citadel, I’ll open the door. If the Deerfolk will allow it, of course. Meanwhile, I’ll call you every night on Skype.”

Zecora simply chuckled and kissed me deeply. “You won’t be dissuaded, I can tell. Alright. You’d better keep that promise.”

“I will.” I smiled warmly at her, giving her a kiss once more.

Zecora kissed back, then gave my back a gentle swat with one of her wings. “Now get packing, my love. You have a long journey ahead of you.”

“Speaking of journeys, would you be okay if I called that doctor Healing Note and asked her to give you a checkup?” I asked Zecora.

Zecora gave a small sigh. “I can go to Canterlot, you know?”

I could tell from her tone she was becoming exasperated, so I eased up. I was letting my worries and fears get the better of me, I knew it, but it was hard not to feel that way. “Right, you’re right,” I said.

“I’ll go and visit her while you’re away,” she promised.

I almost asked if she’d be willing to visit the royal healers, but knew that would be crossing the line. I nodded and zipped up my bag. “Okay, sounds good.”

About fifteen minutes later, I was walking up to the train station with my entourage. Zecora was walking us there to see us off, which I was grateful for. I received a few greetings from some of my closer acquaintances throughout the town as well as some questions as to where I was going this time. I gave those who asked a brief summary, and they accepted it, telling me that I’d better come back soon.

When the train station came into view, I almost stopped in surprise. There was a small crowd of Ponies and Anthro Ponies waiting for me at the steps to the platform. The train was already there, the only two cars being the royal passenger coach, a baggage car, and the caboose. I recognized the Anthro Ponies as being the human equivalents of the Mane Six and, to my further surprise, three younger Anthro Ponies who looked like the CMC. Twyla was also there. I hadn’t yet met the bespectacled young college student in this form, but aside from her ponytail and glasses she looked identical to how Twilight looked at Christmas when she was in her Anthro form. I also saw two Spikes standing side by side, both looking identical including having wings. Princess Luna was also there, and she was the first to approach me. “Greetings, Sir Jethro. We are pleased to see thee well.” She wrapped her wings around me, pulling me into a hug.

I hugged her back before stepping back and saying, “You’re slipping into Ye Olde Equestrian,” I teased, “but I’m glad to see you too.”

She tittered and replied, “That was on purpose,” she said. Her smile faded slightly as she continued, “My sister wanted to see you off, but she was unable to escape the dull day that is her Day Court. She does send her warmest wishes. She also says she hopes for you to have a safe and productive journey. As do I.”

The sentiment touched my heart as I replied, “Please tell your sister that I wish her well and that I hope to see her again very soon.”

Luna nodded. “We shall do so, but I should not keep your other friends waiting.”

Luna turned and stepped away as the Mane Six, along with Spike, came up to me. As they all looked up at me, I took in each and every one of them, memorizing their features and their warm but worried smiles. “Hello ladies, and Dragon boy,” I quickly added, looking at Spike.

“Seems like yah can’t catch a break, can ya?” Applejack said with a wry smile.

“Seems like it,” I said, “but hopefully by the end of this month at the very latest things can settle down.”

“I hope you stay safe,” Fluttershy said with a worried tone, standing on her back hooves and nuzzling my face gently.

“I have four of the best guards with me here, and Scarlet’s no slouch, so I’ll be fine,” I replied, running a hand through Fluttershy’s pink mane.

“Scarlet can kick anycreature’s ass!” Rainbow Dash said, hovering nearby with a proud smirk on her face, “After all, yours truly trained her to fly and be awesome!”

“You do have enough clothing packed, don’t you dear?” Rarity asked.

“I have enough clothes for a good long stay just in case it comes to that,” I said.

“Got plenty of sweets to keep up your energy??” Pinkie asked.

“Yes, Ponkers,” I replied.

Finally, Twilight came up, a worried look on her own face. “Are you sure we can’t come with you? I wouldn’t need too much time to pack up.”

“Twi, we’ve talked ‘bout this,” Applejack said, walking up to her friend and putting a reassuring hoof around her back. “Ah know how much yah care ‘bout ‘im. Ah care ‘bout ‘im too, but he’s a grown stallion and an Emperor now. He can take care of himself.”

“Besides, we have that super-duper awesome surprise we’re cooking up for him for when he comes back!” Pinkie exclaimed happily.

I chuckled, reached down, and ran a hand through Twilight’s mane affectionately. “Twily, I’ll be careful. But if circumstances allow, and if the Deerfolk are okay with it, I’ll use the portal doorway so you and the others can come for a visit.”

She nodded, then gave my cheek a chaste kiss before stepping back, cheeks red. “Thank you,” she said, an embarrassed smile on her muzzle.

I stood back up and looked back at the Anthro Pony-Human hybrids in front of me along with Brandan the Dragon. “It’s good to see you guys again,” I said, “but how are you covering this back home?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Twyla said with a reassuring tone, “Brandan and I told our parents that we were going somewhere without any signal, but that we would find a place to call them all through the weekend.”

“We’re calling it a Friendship Soirée,” Trisha said with a smirk. “We’re taking the time to get to know each other and become closer as friends.”

“And what about Brandan?” I asked, pointing at the other version of Spike who was standing near the Anthro CMC, “won’t your parents be suspicious when they learn you’ve been hanging with only girls?”

“But I’m technically not,” Brandan said, pointing at Spike. “I’m spending time with him, aren’t I?”

“Touché,” I said before turning to the rest. “And the rest of you?”

“I live in an apartment I partly pay for with help from my part time job and my parents,” Trisha said, “so I have more freedom.”

“Shye and I share an apartment,” Dash said, putting an arm around the butter colored Anthro Pegasus, “and our families live in Vancouver Washington so we’re fine.”

“I’m renting a small apartment above a bakery where I work part time, so I’m okay too,” Diane said.

“And yah already know mah story,” Jackie said with a chuckle.

“Okay, got it,” I said before turning to the Anthro CMC. “I understand why Marigold might be here, but who are the other two?”

“These are my friends Deanne and Anne!” Marigold said, gesturing to the Scootaloo lookalike and the Sweetie Belle lookalike respectively. “I couldn’t just not tell them about this place! Anne’s a big Pony fan!”

Anne smiled nervously and raised her hand. “Hello, Mister Bethridge,” she said politely, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Sup, man, I’m Deanne,” the Scootaloo lookalike said with a salute.

I looked at them, then back to the other Anthro’s. “You six coming here I can understand. I can even understand Marigold, but these three?”

“My aunts know about this place already,” Deanne said. “They’re friends with Mrs. Smith. They even came by for a little bit.”

“I told my parents I’d be going with my big sister Ra-I mean Trish, to the retreat,” Anne said.

Nearby, Rarity giggled, looking up at Trisha. “She’s already calling you Rarity, darling.”

Trisha rolled her eyes, but smiled down at her Pony counterpart. “Your sister almost called me Rarity too.”

While Rarity and Trisha talked, Jackie came up and put a strong hand on my shoulder. Looking at me with her green eyes, she said, “We wanted tah come wish ya a safe journey. Ah’m just a farmgal and don’t know much ‘bout what this world’s really like, but if mah counterpart trusts yah tah be safe, then ah trust her. Just come back soon so we can show yah our surprise.” With a sudden gesture, Jackie pulled me into a tight hug.

I smiled at this, hugging her back before letting the college farmgirl go. “Thank you, Jackie,” I said before turning to everyone else. “Thank you all for coming to see me off.”

“We can’t just ignore a fellow Crusader when they’re on an epic quest!” Scootaloo said.

“Be safe, Jethro,” Sweetie Belle said with the most adorable look on her face.

We all said our goodbyes to each other, or at least Scarlet, Mica and I did. Mica and Strawberry Rain, the strawberry red Unicorn mare with light green eyes, were even talking nearby. I briefly caught the young Unicorn give the Lycan male a brief nuzzle before they separated. and soon we were all on the train. The conductor helped us in, and soon we were departing. Scarlet, Mica and I were waving while the other three were sitting on the opposite side, not really doing anything other than sitting. When the train station was out of sight, Scarlet climbed into my lap and formed herself into a Ponyloaf, closing her eyes and leaning against me before falling asleep. We were on our way.

Several hours later, I was sitting in the private car that Princess Celestia had loaned to me for the trip west. We were close approaching the last station where we’d have to disembark and walk Scarlet was still a Ponyloaf on my lap and had been asleep for hours. Gemini, Mica, Scoria and Silica were sitting nearby, the latter two looking out at the passing landscape in awe. Gemini was leaning back with her eyes closed, but I could tell by her stature that she wasn’t asleep, instead being a bit more alert. Mica sat across from me, reading a book he’d bought from Ponyville’s only bookstore.

Seeing the book brought back a memory of said bookstore which was a large two storied building owned by a Pegasus mare named Notebook Pages. I’d visited it a couple times with Twilight Sparkle and Spike during times whenever a new shipment of books arrived. The bookstore looked like a mix between a Powell’s Books and a medieval library. Notebook was an older mare in her late eighties, but because Ponies aged a bit more slowly than humans after they reached adulthood, she looked much younger. She was a white furred mare with light yellow mane and tail, and the tips of her wings were golden. Her cutie mark was of the profile of an open book with one page being turned. I wasn’t surprised that Twilight immediately bonded with the older mare.

Coming back to the present, I looked over at the two Dragoness guards. I knew a little bit about them, mostly that they were twins who were some of the best guards in the Imperial Guard, at least according to Gemini’s report. Her words were, “For Dragons with no formal training, they’re adequate,” which I knew was high praise from the Lycan. Both dragons had crimson scales, gold spikes, and pure black horns, each sticking down similar to how Ember’s were. The only difference between them were their eye colors. Scoria’s eyes were a darker shade of blue while Silica’s were a light teal. Their armor was identical, but on their breastplates were small symbols carved in with Aelyssian runes, each matching their names.

I was becoming a bit tired of the silence, so I took a deep breath. “Never seen so much green before, you two?” I asked.

Startled, the two Dragoness guards turned to me.

“Ah, we’re not used to seeing that much green,” Scoria said.

“The only place in the Dragon Lands-er, sorry, in Aelyssia-that we’ve visited that has any plant life are the Scale Islands,” Silica added.

I thought back to my study on Old Aelyssia’s former borders. The Scale Islands rang a bell, and I soon remembered. They were an archipelago of five islands east of the mainland where Virynth Atheos existed. “I remember seeing them on a map once,” I said. “What are they like?”

“Well, we only visited the Isle of Scaly when we were there,” Scoria said, “but the plants there aren’t like anything we’ve seen here. They’re…” she trailed off, apparently trying to think of the words, “…um, how would you describe them, Sil?”

“Well, there are pretty big trees with green leaves like here,” Silica said, “but there are also trees with blue leaves, large flowers that are bigger than any I’ve seen here.”

“There’s a few mountains there that have the best lava to soak in,” Scoria added with a reminiscent smile.

“And there’s some ruins there that I think are Aelyssian,” Silica concluded, “at least, if what I’ve seen in Virynth Atheos matches up with what I remember about what the ruins looked like when mother and father took us in.”

“In fact, there may be some places that can only be entered by the Emperor, or perhaps even the Dragon Lord-I mean, Emperor’s Hand,” Scoria said. “There were rooms inside that cave that we couldn’t enter, like there was an invisible wall there.”

“Hmm, sounds like a place I should visit,” I said. “There may be ancient Aelyssian artifacts in there that could help restore Aelyssia to its rightful place on the map. Were there any Dragons living there?”

“No,” Silica replied, “none of the islands are inhabited, at least that’s what mother and father told us.”

“It’s a really beautiful island, at least the Isle of Scaly was,” Scoria finished.

Mica, who’d been quietly listening in, spoke up. “I had no idea that there was any place in Aelyssia with green. We have the Guardian’s Garden back in the Lycan Empire, but that’s the only green we have.”

“There’s a lot about the former Dragon Lands a lot of creatures don’t know,” Silica said.

“According to some old tales and songs, it was once green and lush like Equestria,” Scoria said.

“From what I’ve learned, you’re right,” I said in confirmation. “Dragons were actually the first to possess the ability to control the motions of the sun and moon before Ponies.”

This caught the attention of the two Dragons and the younger Lycan. “I’d heard that too,” Silica said, “but I always thought that was an old Dragon’s tale.”

“It’s a long story,” I said as I looked out of the window, noticing that the train was beginning to slow, “but our stop’s coming up. We can talk more about the history of Old Aelyssia later. We need to get our things and move.”

Immediately, Gemini was up and on her feet. “I’ll go start getting our luggage ready,” she said before looking down at Mica. “Come on, you’re helping.”

“Sure thing,” Mica said as closed his book and stood, walking through the back door towards the luggage car with his sister.

Looking down at the Pegasus mare in my lap, I gently reached down and began scratching the back of her ear. “Scarlet, time to get up,” I said in a singsong tone.

She groaned and one of her back legs began to tremble a bit. “Nnng…that feels so good,” she muttered in her sleep.

“Up and at ‘em, sleepyhead,” I said, giving her a bit more of a nudge.

Scarlet opened one of her eyelids, looking up at me with her crimson eye before looking out of the window. “We’re not there yet,” she complained as she closed her eye again. “Wake me when we get there.”

“Get moving, lazy ass,” I said, reaching up and smacking her flank gently but firmly.

Scarlet’s eyes shot open wide and she looked over at me with a frown before a smirk crossed her features. “Naughty boy, and in the Royal Coach of all places.”

“Oh my God, how horny are you?!”

Ten minutes later, and with each of us carrying our belongings on our backs, we found ourselves in a town located on the edge of the western part of Equestrian territory. In fact, the town was actually called Utmost West. It was smaller than Ponyville, although the architecture was pretty much identical to the architecture of the town I called home. The only difference between Ponyville and Utmost West was a large stone wall that surrounded the town, with another wall surrounding farmland up north.

Our stop in Utmost West was brief, but we did purchase some extra supplies from a local shop owned by a Griffon and Pegasus couple. I was taken aback by this, as I had not seen an interspecies couple like this aside from me and Zecora. I knew there were some hints about such a thing with the potential future Young Six, not to mention Mica’s clear infatuation with Strawberry, but in my time in Equestria I hadn’t heard of such a thing being common. Sure, Ponies of different tribes would intermarry, but the tribes always called themselves Ponies.

Soon after gathering some food, extra blankets just in case, and some water, we were on our way. The road we found looked ancient, made of some kind of dark gray stones that had been flattened rather well. There were cracks in some and grass grew through said cracks, but the road itself was easy to walk on. Scoria and Silica flew above us, Scoria in front and Silica behind, keeping an eye on the forest to our left and the tall fields of grass to our right. To the northwest I saw massive snowcapped peaks rising into the clouds, while to the east I saw smaller but still snowcapped peaks. I knew the latter were the mountains which held the underground Lycan Empire.

While we walked, I passed the time by talking about the little I knew about ancient Aelyssian history. The two Dragonesses moved closer to the ground while I talked, and Scarlet and Mica clearly listened in. Gemini might not have overtly shown it, but I knew she was listening, mostly from how her ears swiveled back, and from a couple of the questions she actually asked. Most were about more militaristic aspects of Aelyssian history, and she seemed upset that I didn’t know much about it. I did tell her that I believed Twilight would know more about that sort of thing, or at least what books held that information, and this seemed to satisfy them.

When I was finished, an idea came to mind. I turned to Gemini and Mica and said, “Say, I don’t know too much about the Lycan Empire and its history. Do you two know anything?”

Gemini turned back to me and raised an eyebrow. “Why would you be interested?”

“Just because I had a bad experience there doesn’t mean I don’t want to learn more about it,” I said. “Besides, I’m going to be meeting with your old Empress after my visit with the Deerfolk. It’d be best if I had a basic understanding of your history and culture at the very least.”

Gemini’s brows furled a bit at this, but then she pointed back at Mica. “He knows more than I would,” she said. “He read a lot with our father about ancient history and shit like that.”

Mica smiled a bit sheepishly. “She’s right, I did,” he said, “but I don’t know too much.”

“Well, tell us what you do know,” I said, “even a little information is still information.”

And so, with a nod, Mica began. To my surprise, he seemed to know a lot more than he let on. With brief interruptions and corrections from Gemini, he explained that the Lycans had not always lived under the mountain. They hadn’t even been known as Lycans. Their ancient name translated into the modern tongue as Diamond Dogs. They had once lived in the forests surrounding the mountain, hunting prey there and living in primitive tribes. Even then, they were prolific diggers, and it helped that the forest they were in was full of gemstones and precious minerals. Each tribe within the forest was constantly at war with one another for food, gems, and strategic watering holes.

Thousands of years ago, however, their Guardian appeared out of the east. None of the Diamond Dogs could recall what he looked like or even what his name was, but while he was young, he was smart. He was captured by one of the smaller tribes, and said tribe was led by the First Empress, Empress Quartz the Glorious. Even back then, the Lycans were a very matriarchal society.

The Guardian, during his imprisonment and duties as the Quartz’s servant, began to talk with her about the possibility of uniting each tribe under a common goal. He had noticed the Diamond Dogs’ incredibly propensity for digging and that their ability to mine and create sturdy caves in some of the rock formations in the forest was way more advanced than their other primitive technology. Not only that, but their weapons crafting was apparently next level. Slowly, Quartz began to listen, and at some point, the two headed towards the mountains with some of her guards on an expedition to see if there was a way inside the mountain itself. The closer to the mountains one was, the more likely that gems could be found.

Eventually, after a month, the group found a large cave entrance in the northern side of the mountain range. Inside were gems of many different kinds, kinds that even Quartz had never seen. Glowing gems, gems that could help wounds heal faster, and even ores that Quartz believed could be made into even stronger weapons or armor.

There was one brief story that Mica told that caught my attention. Apparently, this Guardian took notice of a strain of ore in one natural passageway and he immediately called it Mythril. I knew from my brief history lesson months earlier that I was not the actual first human to have arrived in this world. That honor belonged to Megan Williams, at least as far as I knew. I did know, however, that Megan had two younger siblings who had come to Ponyland, at least in the cartoons. I filed this nugget of information away in the back of my mind for later.

Mica continued the history lesson after that, explaining how Quartz, upon her return, found that her younger sister had usurped her place despite Quartz’s explicit orders not to replace her unless she didn’t come back in a year. Here Mica admitted that he didn’t quite know much about how things went between both sisters, but he did know that the tribe split apart temporarily until Quartz used some of the Mythril that she’d brought back and had her best blacksmith forge her a short sword made of the material. It helped her defeat her sister, killing her in a ritualistic duel.

Quartz had her now reunited tribe move from their original home into the cave systems where they began mining. The Guardian at that time began calling the Diamond Dogs Lycans instead, and Quartz immediately adapted the name. They built one of the first permanent Lycan settlements in the cave system that would eventually become the Lycan Empire. Quartz, with help from her now advisor and at the time secret lover the Guardian, used the materials in the cave systems to bolster her militia. She wanted to try and unite the other tribes of her people under one banner.

It took years, but eventually thanks to their superior weaponry, the tribe leaders of the biggest tribes in the forest saw that they were no match for this smaller tribe. They met up for a truce, and it was here that Quartz made her biggest challenge. She challenged each and every tribe leader to a match, a match that would leave the last one standing as the leader of the entire population. Quartz won, but barely, and all with that small Mythril sword.

With the now renamed Lycan tribes under her command, she had the now dead tribal leaders buried in a ceremony of respect and remembrance. Their names were remembered in the ancient annals of history according to Mica, but he couldn’t remember them. With the number of Lycans in the new cave systems increased by a large number, the creation of the first city of the empire began to be formed.

As the now open lover of their first Empress, the Guardian taught them many different things that he knew, such as the importance of keeping records and keeping history secure. He instilled some of his own beliefs into the brand new culture until his death some one hundred and twenty or so years after the founding of the empire. Quartz died a month later, and tradition said that she was unable to live without her greatest companion. Her daughter, who was born from her first mate before his death, took the mantle of Empress.

The rest, of course, I was aware of somewhat, but Mica filled in some details. The Empire, buried underground, was kept safe from the horrors of Grogar, Eris, Tirek and Sombra. Hundreds of years passed, and scouts found a group of Deerfolk who had settled down in a large valley and had built a large town far north of their borders. The first meeting was rocky at best, but there was a tentative peace until tensions boiled over and a war broke out fifty years after their first meeting. I knew the rest of the story. Celestia and Luna stopped the war and forced a treaty of peace between both nations.

“And since then, there’s been a cold war of sorts between you two?” I concluded.

“What’s a cold war?” Scoria asked.

“It’s a war that’s not a war,” I began before stopping. I pulled out my phone and googled the term. “Ah, here it is, right from Wikipedia. ‘A cold war is a state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action but is pursued primarily through economic and political actions, propaganda, acts of espionage or proxy wars waged by surrogates.’” I looked up and saw the blank stares of everyone around me. “Basically, your two nations aren’t going into battles, but instead have a conflict through other means.”

“That doesn’t sound quite right,” Mica said, “but it’s close.”

“We can’t exactly do any espionage,” Gemini said, “we’re not Furchangers.”

“We pretty much avoid any contact unless there’s no other choice,” Mica explained, “just like the Council of Equestria.”

“But both nations have a common belief,” Gemini added, turning back with a scowl. “We both resent the princesses for what they did to our nations. They had no right!”

“While they had good intentions, you’re right, they had no right,” I agreed.

She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. She fell back and to my surprise fell into step beside me. “I guess that they didn’t want us going to war,” she admitted, “but what happened was way worse. I still hate them for what they did, though.”

“Hey, at least they acknowledged what they did was wrong,” Scarlet said, “doesn’t that count for something?”

She let out a soft sigh, looking over at the Pegasus with tired eyes. “Yes, I suppose that’s a start…good or bad, I don’t know, but it’s a start.”

We continued walking down the stone road in silence, Gemini on my left and Scarlet on my right. Mica took point on the ground while the two Dragonesses resumed their own guard in the sky. Hours passed without any word. I sometimes flew a bit to give my feet a rest, but mostly kept to the ground, partly to save strength and partly because I didn’t want the two Lycans to feel like I was leaving them out.

By the time the sun was reaching the western horizon, we had to stop. Gemini and Mica, who knew the way towards the Deerfolk’s borders, said that it was another half day away, so we set up a camp. Scoria started a fire while Scarlet used the doorway portal I brought with us to head back to Ponyville to get something to eat for herself. The rest of us, since we could eat meat, were going to enjoy a stew that Mica was generous enough to offer to make for us. He could have easily gone back home to do it but I to at least see what kind of food was eaten when traveling. I did offer for everyone else to go back home to eat, but aside from Scarlet, the others decided to stick with travel fare.

As Mica was busily roasting some freshly caught rabbits for the stew, Scarlet returned, and following close behind her with the happiest smile on her face was Zecora. I had been helping the twin Dragonesses set up the tent but when I saw my wife, I excused myself and rushed over to her, taking her in my arms and kissing her deeply. She kissed me back and held me close, her eyes sparkling with love. “I missed you so much,” I said.

Zecora held me tighter. “I’ve missed you too, beloved,” she said, “but it’s only been a day.” She gave me a smirk.

I chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, I know, but I still missed you.”

We released each other after sharing a few more kisses before she turned and looked around at the landscape. “My my, this is a rather wild looking country,” she said.

“The Deerfolk prefer wild country,” Mica said.

“Maybe that’s why we saw some of them in the Everfree last year,” I said, looking to Zecora.

Zecora shrugged, a remarkably human gesture she’d learned from me. “I saw some wandering through the Everfree once or twice when I lived there, but the biggest group was the one you and I saw that morning.”

I nodded, then decided to change subjects. I’d been distracted from my worries about Zecora’s pregnancy thanks to the history lessons Mica and I had shared, but with her here now, my anxieties resurfaced. However, remembering Scarlet’s words to me earlier, I calmed myself with a deep breath, turned back to her, and asked, “How was your day?”

Zecora saw right through me. I knew it immediately judging from her sideways glance towards me before she replied, “I went to Canterlot to see Healing Note. Twilight and Spike came with me, too. That mare is quite the worrywart, as you would say. She’s worse than you.”

I gave her an apologetic smile. “She does tend to get in her own head sometimes,” I said, “and I’m working on my own anxieties.”

Her frown softened and she put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it affectionately as she pulled me aside so we could talk in more privacy. Scarlet quickly came and joined us, holding a sandwich in her wings. “The doctor said that in her professional opinion, our foal is coming along nicely. She even gave me a secondary checkup. Apparently, I’m a biological marvel. She did want me to come back for a couple other checkups. I told her that human women’s gestation period is nine months and she wanted to see if I kept the Zebra timeframe or now have a more human timeframe.” She rubbed her stomach. “I’ll be honest, I’d much rather have a nine month pregnancy than an eleven month one.”

“Understandable,” I said, placing my hand over hers.

“That’d be pretty sweet,” Scarlet added, placing her free wing over both of our hands. “I can’t wait to be an…auntie? Second mother?”

“Second mother,” Zecora said, “although if this were Zebra culture, I’d be called the dam and you would be the mother.”

“I think there are still some Pony families with herds who use that term,” Scarlet said. “My family didn’t, but a couple of others in our village did.”

“Would that make me the sire?” I asked.

“You’re a sire in another way already,” Scarlet teased.

I rolled my eyes, leaned down, and kissed Scarlet deeply. “You are such a goof, and I love you.”

“I love you too, you big stud,” she said, bumping her flank against my legs before flying up and putting one foreleg around the two of our necks. I reached over and caught her so she could be held up without flying. Zecora did the same. “One big happy family, all of us. This sexy human here, me, and one dynamite smoking hot Zebra here.” She leaned over and kissed Zecora’s lips, although not as deeply.

Zecora, caught a bit off guard by this, stammered over her words a bit before she said, “That was unexpected.”

“Sorry, I won’t do it again,” Scarlet said before turning back to me, “but I bet it’s giving Jethy here some naughty ideas.”

I groaned. “If the autumn heat season was missed last year like Twilight said, I’d hate to see a double heat season in you.”

Scarlet smiled, then nuzzled my cheek. “But I’ll have you to help me, stud,” she said.

Zecora laughed softly at this before she gave Scarlet a light smack with one of her wings before letting go. This caused Scarlet to fly up and cling to my back only, wrapping her forelegs around my neck. “You are quite an insatiable mare,” she said, “but I still enjoy you being in my hair.”

“Just let me know if I ever go too far, alright?” Scarlet said.

“We will,” I said, “after all, communication is key in any relationship.”

Zecora nodded before she stretched and yawned. “I should get back home soon, but before I go, how was your day, you two?” She listened as we relayed the short version of our trip, the discussions of certain parts of Dragon and Lycan history along with the mentioning of the Isle of Scaly. “Hmm, the Isle of Scaly sounds vaguely familiar,” she said after we finished, “I may have read about it in one of my books. I’ll look into it tomorrow.”

“I’m sure Twilight would be all over it after hearing about this,” I said. “Speaking of, where is she? I actually kind of expected her to come here.”

“She’s out with the other girls having fun for the night with their visiting human counterparts,” Zecora said, “and Spike is off with some of his other friends playing their O&O game with Spike’s human counterpart Brandan. Or was it bowling tonight…? Anyway, everyone’s having a good time.”

“I guess it is Sunday, so it’s the weekend for the human students,” I said. “If you see them, tell them I said hello and that I miss them. I’d call them, but I wouldn’t want to disturb them.”

“I’m sure they’d understand,” Zecora said.

I chuckled. “You’re probably right.”

“Soup’s done!” Mica called out from the fire as he brought out some wooden bowls from his pack.

“I’ll head back home now,” Zecora said as she leaned in and kissed me deeply. Then, to both my surprise as well as Scarlet’s, she grabbed Scarlet’s cheeks and planted a big, deep kiss on the Pegasus’ lips. She broke away after a few seconds, licking her own lips with a triumphant grin on her face as she turned and headed back to the portal door.

We both stood there, stunned by what had just happened. Finally, Scarlet said with a daze slur, “Zomeone get ze number ov zat truck? Zhe flattened my lipz…”

I broke out laughing as we headed back to our camp.

The stew, while a bit on the plainer side, was still good and filling. I ate with the rest while Scarlet clung to my back and silently ate her sandwich. After we all ate our fill, we went to bed. I slept with Scarlet, spooning with her all night. In the morning, the soup was reheated and we polished it off. After striking camp, we headed out again. Scarlet walked very close to me, and the two of us talked about random things, everything from various Earth cultural references that we enjoyed to things about her Pegasus heritage that she had learned about that she found interesting.

When we stopped at noon to eat a quick bite, Gemini told us that we were about an hour away from the Deerfolk’s borders, which was located right where the road entered into a forest. Mica said that there was a large pair of trees on the path that formed an archway. Since Scoria and Silica had already eaten something before we’d stopped, I ordered them to scout the path ahead, but to not get too close to the forest border.

As the remaining four of us ate, I felt a strange pressure building up in my head. I winced a bit, and this was noticed by Scarlet, who was immediately by my side as I massaged my forehead. “Babe? You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” I said as the pressure in my head went away, “I just felt a bit weird for a bit, that’s all.”

“Apologies, that was probably my doing,” a new but familiar voice said from the road.

We all turned to see a very familiar creature standing there. The long neck and twin horns were unmistakable, especially since the creature in front of us was taller than even Celestia. There was silence for a bit before anyone spoke, and when someone did, I was the first. "Miora?"

The Giraffe nodded her head in greeting. “Hello there, your Grace and company. It is agreeable to see you again.”

Author's Note

I know that in the letter High Lady Valindra sent said to meet at the end of February originally in Chapter 120, but I changed it to the first of February because I can.

Also, sorry for the delay. I've really gotta get better at focusing on my own stories more. Anyway, enjoy!

163: A Cloaked Heart At The Citadel

Gemini and Mica were immediately on their feet and reaching for their weapons, but I ordered them to stand down. I stood, Scarlet hovering close to my side, and walked up to the Giraffe. “Miss Miora, it’s nice to see you again. I wasn’t expecting it to be so soon, though.”

Miora looked down at me for a couple seconds before replying, “The Council asked me to observe your meeting with the Deerfolk,” she said. “Our two species have a good working relationship with one another. They are the only race to know of our secret, so I doubt High Lady Valindra will think twice about letting me through.”

“Observe us? What for?” Gemini asked in a suspicious tone.

Miora didn’t even turn to acknowledge Gemini, but she answered the question, directing it towards me. “In short, the Shadwood Elderium wish to know how you are diplomatically. I am not to help or hinder you in your talks. I am simply to watch and see how the proceedings go.”

“Those proceedings are probably gonna be private,” I said.

“Likely so,” Miora said, “but I can still observe the results and observe anything that could be discussed in a less private setting. As I said, I am not to help or hinder you. The Elderium are quite interested to see what kind of creature you are and how you handle certain sorts of pressure.”

I frowned. “It’s like I’m being put under a microscope, and I don’t like it,” I muttered.

“You told me the last time that we met that you are interested in a relationship with our kind,” Miora reminded me. “I must remind you that we are very cautious when dealing with nations aside from our own and the Cervinia Citadel. The Citadel and the Deerfolk have earned our trust. We wish to see what sort of Empire you intend on ruling.”

I was silent for a little while as I pondered this. I had to admit that she was making some sense. From what I’d learned about the Giraffes from Miora, their trust wasn’t easily given. I understood that their trust was likely going to be the hardest to earn. It might take months or even years, and there was no guarantee I wouldn’t make some kind of mistake, but if this was part of earning that trust, I knew I had to be smart and wise about this. I turned back to her after staring at the ground in thought for a while. “I understand.”

“Good, I am appreciative that you can see reason.” She then lowered herself onto the ground in a resting position. She observed us briefly before saying, “Do you travel with such meager protection often?”

“I have two more guards who I sent ahead to scout out the Deerfolk’s borders,” I explained. “We’re taking a short break here to eat some lunch. We don’t have anything in the way of fruit, but would you care for some cheese, bread, or some nuts?”

“Your offer is appreciated, but I am not hungry at the moment,” Miora replied. “I nibbled on some leaves on my way here.”

“Of course,” I said as I went back to eating. I saw Miora lay her head down on the grass we were sitting in and close her eyes. The silence was a bit awkward, but some ten minutes later I heard the approaching flapping of Dragon wings along with the sound of a few hooffalls on stone. Everyone, including Miora, looked up, and saw not only Scoria and Silica returning, but what looked to be about twelve Deerfolk, each wearing slender looking armor with those strange weapons I’d seen during my astral journey in Torch’s hoard room strapped to their side. Each of them wore a simple dark evergreen cloak around themselves. They all looked fairly identical save for a slightly taller Deer who wore a slightly greener shade of armor than the rest. As I stood along with the others and brushed myself off, said Deer approached me and addressed me by asking, “Are you the Emperor of Dragons known as Jethro Bethridge?”

“I am,” I said, standing in front of the Deer, who sounded like a buck judging from his male voice.

The Deer stood straighter. “Commander Eldrin, at your service,” he said with a polite bow. “My High Lady has tasked me and my patrol to lead you and your companions through the Eldenwilds to the Cervinia Citadel.” It was then that he turned and noticed Miora. His eyes went wide briefly before he turned back to me. “You bring a giraffe with you?”

“Be at ease, Commander Eldrin,” Miora said, startling the patrol of Deer, “the Emperor here is aware of my identity.”

The commander, clearly stunned by this, took a few moments to recover before nodding. Turning back to the group, he set his focus on one of them and said, in the Deerfolk language, “Fly back to the Citadel and inform them of what species the High Lady’s guest is bringing.”

With a nod, the Deerfolk soldier turned. His horns began to glow a soft blue, and then he launched himself into the air. The moment he began flying over the forest, his speed increased dramatically and he was out of sight.

“Whoa, what kind of Deerfolk was that?” Mica asked.

Eldrin then turned back towards us and focused his attention briefly on Mica. “That was Vesryn, one of my fastest Reindeer scouts.” Turning back to me, he continued. “The High Lady has been informed of your party and has prepared you all with accommodations to fit your statures, as well as these.” He turned towards a soldier who had a large saddlebag on their back. The commander lifted his head and both of his horns glowed a light brown. The saddlebags opened, and a number of large cloth wrappings appeared. They floated over to each of us, and we each took hold of the wrapping.

I undid it, and as the wrapping fell away, I found myself holding a thin but sturdy looking dark brown cloak with a broach designed in the shape of a tree. Looking over to the others, I saw that they, too, had similar cloaks that would fit them. Scarlet already had hers on and was flying around with it a bit to test out her maneuverability, and Miora was standing nearby without one on, but the two Lycans and Dragoness guards were trying to put theirs on with no success, mostly due to their armor making them too big. I walked over to them and said, “Maybe you should remove your armor before putting the cloaks on.”

Nodding in understanding, Mica removed his armor and slipped the robe on before putting his light armor back on. Gemini did the same, but the two Dragonesses actually didn’t. Instead, Silica and Scoria approached me with their armor in their arms, their cloaks already on but with their weapons by their side. “We can protect you without armor better,” Silica said softly.

“We’re more agile this way,” Scoria agreed.

I nodded and placed their armor inside of the necklace around my neck. I looked back at Gemini and Mica. Mica was already finished and was helping Gemini out of her armor temporarily. The older Lycan, however, was staring at the nearby Deerfolk with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. The patrol was watching her warily. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. I walked up to Gemini, slowly placing a hand on her shoulders. She jumped a bit, looking over at me, then her expression went from suspicious to confused. I turned back to Mica and said, “I’ll take it from here.”

Mica backed away, and in front of the soldiers, I helped Gemini out of the armor on her upper body, strapped the cloak onto her, then helped her back into her armor. The look in her eyes was still there, however it was greatly diminished. When I finished, she looked back at me, and there seemed to be genuine gratitude in her eyes. She didn’t say anything, however. Instead, she picked up her sword and strapped it to her back again. “I’m ready,” she said.

“Are you sure?” I asked, switching to Lycan.

Gemini looked at me with an angry look, one that slowly turned to resignation as she let out a breath. “I will do my best to hold back for your sake,” she said in Lycan.

“Good,” I replied, “because I don’t want to cause an international incident because one of my best soldiers and a good friend lost her temper.”

She straightened and put a fist on her chest. “I serve you, Emperor, and nowolf else.”

Nodding in approval, I returned the salute before turning back to the Deerfolk commander. “Commander Eldrin, we’re ready to go.”

“Very well,” he said before turning and facing the road. “Please follow me, Emperor.” And with that, we all began moving.

“So, out of curiosity, how long will it take us to get to the Citadel?” Scarlet asked after we’d been inside the Eldenwilds for about an hour.

“We should be there by the time the sun sets,” the Deerfolk commander replied.

An hour ago, our group had arrived at the edge of the forest that marked the edge of the Deerfolk’s territory. To my confusion, Miora was given an evergreen-colored cloak similar to the ones that the Deerfolk patrol members wore instead of a brown one like the rest of us were given. From the point where we’d started out, with our Deerfolk escort, the road had been quickly expanding and when we reached a massive wooden archway built right at the tree line, it was wide enough for me and my entire group to walk abreast with plenty of elbow room between us.

The moment I entered the forest, I’d nearly stumbled back. The magic that came from this forest was pretty overwhelming. It took me a few minutes to get used to it, but eventually we resumed our walk. The forest itself had an ancient feeling to it, and it felt thick with history. To my surprise, many of the trees were deciduous, and despite it being the middle of winter, their leaves were still on the trees, each being a dark green which covered the light from the sun. The temperature in the forest was much warmer than the wintery conditions outside. There wasn’t even a hint of ice or snow within. However, we still had light within. Aside from the frequent poles which aided in the growth of a light-yellow vine, the leaves of which glowed brightly, some of the flora in the forest had a bioluminescence to them. There were even butterflies that glowed every conceivable color of the rainbow. Not only that, but there were crystals scattered throughout the underbrush that glowed a bright teal. When I’d asked, Commander Eldrin had given permission for me to take pictures and video, although I had to patiently explain to him what I was doing.

As the pathway winded through the forest, I found myself doing most of the talking, with Scarlet and Mica joining in sometimes, although it was more me questioning the Commander about all I was seeing. He was patient with me and explained the names of the local flora and fauna with me. I recorded them and took pictures to show Twilight later while at the same time taking notes in something that Twilight had recently discovered and had gone nuts over, the ever-useful Google Docs. I apologized once for all of the questions, but Eldrin reassured me that he understood where I was coming from. “After all,” he had said, “Agartha does not receive many visitors, and our land is quite unique,” and this was where I learned the name of the land that the Deerfolk occupied.

Back in the present, we were passing a large waterfall that fell into a pool. Here, we spotted our first sign of habitation in the Eldenwilds. A number of young fawns were splashing and playing in the water, which had to have had some sort of bioluminescent life in there because whenever the water was disturbed, it glowed a striking blue. On the shores, a number of older deer stood or lay, watching the younger ones play. Most of those not playing wore the same type of evergreen-colored cloak our escorts wore. I even saw some different looking Deer who had multicolored glowing horns and who looked like they were running on an invisible road in the air.

“Can all Reindeer fly??” Mica asked quietly.

“Yes they can,” Eldrin replied back just as quietly. “They are one of the tribes of Deerfolk. Just like Ponies have three tribes, so do Deerfolk have a number of different tribes.”

“How many?” Scarlet asked.

“Four,” Eldrin replied. “Moose, Elk, Reindeer, and White-Tailed Deer, or Deer for short, like us.”

“Aww, you have us beat by one,” Scarlet said.

To my surprise, Eldrin actually gave her a smile. “If my historical knowledge is accurate, you once had another tribe or possibly more now lost to history. At least, if the Caretaker’s old texts can be taken accurately.”

That gave me pause. First a Guardian for the Lycans and now a Caretaker for the Deerfolk? My curiosity got the better of me, and I asked, “And who is this Caretaker?”

Eldrin was about to speak, when another voice rang out. “She’s the being who saved us in our darkest hour.”

I turned towards the voice, seeing a doe member of the patrol looking at me with intense deep amber eyes. I turned my attention to her. “Please forgive my ignorance,” I said to her, “but I’ve only just begun to learn about the histories of your race and those of the Lycans.”

Eldrin stepped up and put a hoof on the doe’s back. “Peace, Adria,” he said. The doe named Adria slowly nodded and we resumed walking. Eldrin turned back to me. "High Lady Valindra can tell you much more about our Caretaker when you two meet tomorrow morning,” he said, “but Adria is correct. She is the one who helped us during a dark time in our history, long before we came to the Hidden Vale.”

I nodded, deciding to be patient before changing the subject. “I notice that most Deerfolk wear the same green cloak on their person. What’s the significance?”

Eldrin looked back at the group of Deerfolk that we were leaving behind, then turned back to me. “It signifies our closeness to the natural world and the natural order.” He gestured to his own cloak, lifting it with his hoof. “They are thin enough to be blown in any breeze, but they are also strong enough to deflect any weapon and to not be snagged on any bramble.”

“Just as nature is strong it is also a fragile thing,” another older sounding buck said from within the squad.

“Well said,” Eldrin said.

“I didn’t see the two representatives sent to the Council of Equestria wearing them,” I said.

“We have the choice to wear them anywhere we are,” Eldrin said, “and while most choose to wear them, some don’t and remain free of body.”

“It’s mostly the younger generations who do it,” another member of the patrol said. I thought I heard a hint of disdain from him but couldn’t be sure.

“So why are we wearing brown ones?” Mica asked.

“Is it to let everydeer know we’re outsiders?” Gemini asked with a scowl.

Eldrin looked back at the Lycan. “No,” he explained with a surprising amount of patience in his tone, “the green tones is a symbol for how we live in true balance with it the nature around us. Brown signifies soil and the potential for a growth of trust between anyone wearing it and the Deerfolk, just like soil has the capacity to produce the tallest tree or a single beautiful rose. It’s not just outsiders who wear different colored cloaks. There are those who wear gray cloaks, which represent those who have lost the trust of our community and who wish to earn it back. Those who wear black or red cloaks are criminals, with black being for those of less severe crimes and red being the most heinous.”

I put a steadying hand on Gemini's shoulder to help calm her. She stiffened a bit before relaxing. “I see,” was all she said before looking down at the cloak she wore a bit more closely.

We walked in silence for several minutes. I was busy digesting the information I’d just learned as I looked at the cloak that flowed behind me with much more interest. My thoughts drifted suddenly to Rarity, and a smile crossed my lips. She’d have a few choice words to say about this attire, I was sure of that.

As we continued moving through the forest, I continued taking pictures and asking the occasional questions about the lifeforms we encountered, adding more to the Google Docs I shared with Twilight. I noticed that newer trees began to pop up as we moved in deeper. The trees, having once been normal green, began giving way to trees of different colored leave and needles. Red, deep blue, and even purple shaded trees became more and more common, and even the normal brown bark of some trees became brighter, mostly purple and deep blue. The number of crystals coming up from the ground began to increase as well.

By the time the little bit of sunlight from above began to move down west, it was nearly five in the afternoon. The cobblestone path began to expand further and began to descend slowly. When I asked, Eldrin said, “We’re nearly at the Citadel.”

The pathway began to twist and turn, weaving down an ever increasingly steep incline until it leveled out once more some thirty minutes later. The pathway led towards what looked like an archway carved out of the trees similar to the one we’d seen before, and from the archway we could see sunlight. Eldrin turned to me and said, “Beyond the Firestar Gate yonder you will get your first glimpse of the Citadel.”

“It is quite a sight to behold,” Miora, who had remained silent throughout the entire journey, finally said, joining me without me even noticing.

The moment we all stepped out into the light, most of us had to cover our eyes to let them adjust to the setting sun in front of us. After our eyes adjusted, I opened my eyes, and they kept on opening. We all drank in the view before us with stunned silence. Scarlet was the first to speak as she said, “Canterlot ain’t got shit on this place.”

She was pretty much correct. We were staring at large valley below us, which itself was surrounded by the forest on the southern side and massive mountains to the north, all covered in snow. There was a massive cliff to the northwest where an enormous waterfall fell into a lake. Said lake fed into a river that went north through a canyon and out of sight. While the sights below us were incredibly beautiful, what drew our attention the most was the Cervinia Citadel. The citadel before us was not a traditional city or any traditional structure I knew about.

My mind was taken back to what Eldrin said about the cloaks we now wore. It seemed as if the Deerfolk embraced a life living among nature, because what stood before us, towering over our heads and even higher than the cliff, was a golden leaved tree that reached high into the clouds.

I took photograph after photograph, even needing to take a panoramic one just to take in the valley and the tree itself. The tree reached straight up, with smaller branches beginning near the bottom, which only grew longer and wider the further up they appeared. Using my phone camera’s zoom features, I zoomed in to get a better look. I started at the very visible root system, which spread out far into the valley before being buried into the ground, only to see what looked like smaller trees growing out of the tops of the roots. Trees that looked somewhat similar to the Golden Oaks Library. There were windows and doors on each of the smaller trees, and said trees only grew taller and more elaborate and colorful the further up the tree I looked.

When I reached the top of the tree, or rather the spot where the longest branches existed, I saw a massive set of natural looking stairs moving up towards a large white tree growing out of the larger tree’s bark. This smaller tree grew at a slight angle and had silver and gold leaves with some pink and white blossoms scattered throughout its many branches. The stairs, which had large crystalline walls on either side, led to a set of wooden double doors which were currently closed.

After staring at it for what seemed like hours, I pulled my eyes away and looked down at the valley. There were smaller trees scattered around, but from the heights we were observing from, I could tell that even these were massive and held either small villages in their branches or large mansions. I did note that these smaller trees seemed to grow in a pattern that might have matched up with the buried roots of the main tree in front of us.

“Behold, the Hidden Vale of the Deerfolk,” Eldrin said, his voice now filled with reverence as he stood next to me and looked at everything before us, “the jewel of our lands on Narda. Ruled over by our benevolent and wise High Lady Valindra.”

Instantly, my Deerfolk language skills surfaced. Narda was the name the Deerfolk gave to the planet itself. But those thoughts were soon buried when Miora actually reached up and put a hoof on my back. “As majestic as their Hidden Vale is, we should move on.”

The pathway down to the Vale took about an hour, and we were soon back within the Eldenwilds, but eventually we reached the valley floor and stepped back out. The Citadel itself looked much taller than before and when I looked at the smaller trees surrounding the Citadel I noted that they were as tall as the tallest skyscrapers I had ever seen, perhaps even rivaling the Burj Khalifa in terms of height. The sun by this point had gone behind the cliffs, and half of the Citadel’s tree leaves themselves began to glow a lovely silvery aura, almost mimicking the color of moonlight. There were more of those glowing golden vines growing on large wooden poles, but the darker the sky got, the more that the color on the vines changed from gold to silver, emitting the identical silver aura that the Citadel’s leaves emitted. The Deerfolk patrol with us, upon entering the Vale, began to act a lot more relaxed, and I even heard them joking amongst themselves. They even greeted passersby warmly, and Eldrin would reassure them that we were not enemies but had instead been summoned by the High Lady herself.

I noticed something else as we continued walking down the road. The magic that I felt when entering the Eldenwilds had only continued to grow while walking. I may not have had a yet fine attuned ability to detect magic, but with the massive waves of magic practically pouring out of the tree, it made sense as to why I had been caught off guard by the wave of magic I’d felt at the edge of the forest.

“I was wondering when you would finally notice,” Miora said, coming up to stand beside me and looking up at the Citadel. “The Cervinia Citadel is not just known for its splendor and grandeur. It is also a source of great magic throughout the world of Azibol.”

I held up my hand, then looked around. Spotting a small rock nearby, I held my arm towards it, casting a normal telekinesis spell. The rock shot into my hand, so hard that I fell backwards, only managing to steady myself by using my wings, but when I did that I shot into the air like a rocket. As I was flailing around, I felt something wrapping around my legs and the base of my wings. I was slowly brought back down to earth, and when I looked down I saw the same sort of magical aura that Miora had cast back in Virynth Atheos wrapped around my legs and the base of my wings.

Miora looked amused as she placed me back on the ground. “You will grow used to it in time,” she assured me as we resumed walking.

Scarlet came running up and stopping me. “Babe?! You okay??”

“I’m fine,” I reassured her, running my hand through her crimson mane, “just unused to massive amounts of the magic around here.”

Scarlet raised an eyebrow at that, then looked at her wings. Spreading them, she gingerly gave a very light flap, only to launch about five feet into the air. Startled, she held her wings out as she glided to the ground. “Wow! That normally wouldn’t do anything!”

“You must be wary when utilizing your magic here,” Miora said. “In fact, I would recommend against using it until you have some time to become adjusted to it. There are many Deerfolk here who can help, especially the High Lady. However, here is your first lesson. Do not use the normal amount of magic you use. Use only a fraction.”

I nodded in understanding, looking down at the rock in my hands. It was a small glowing blue crystal, and it had magic coming from it as well. I held out my palm and focused, letting only the smallest amount of magic I could summon. The crystal in my hand began floating, just as if I was casting a normal amount of magic. I held up my other hand and moved the crystal back and forth between them, utilizing my twin foci before catching the crystal and slipping it into my pocket. “That was pretty hard to do,” I said.

“You will become used to it in time,” Miora said.

The news about us must have spread fast, at least judging by the number of Reindeer who would gallop away through the air whenever they saw me. Soon, we began encountering small groups and even a couple crowds of curious onlookers who came to watch us as we walked up towards the towering Citadel. The younger fawns looked more curious than their adult counterparts, who looked at us, and especially Gemini and Mica, with a hint of apprehension. I would greet some, making sure to give a closed lip smile so as not to reveal my canines.

By the time we had all reached the base of the Citadel, the stars were out. We were standing in front of a set of pure white wooden stairs. Two burly looking Moose stood at the top of the stairs on either side of a similarly white set of gates. Eldrin told us to wait while he spoke with the guards. After about a minute, the Moose both lifted their horns and grabbed onto one of the large metal rungs that hung on the side of the door. Using their brute strength, they pulled the massive gates open. Eldrin turned and gestured for us to follow.

If the outside was amazing, the inside of the Citadel was even more incredible. There was a small but very wide hallway we passed through, but when we did, I once more found myself stunned by what I saw.

“Welcome to the City of Osis, Emperor,” Miora said in amusement, leaning down to be heard.

We were in what could only be described as a metropolis, but a metropolis unlike anything I’d seen before. The walls surrounding the entire city had to be as big around as the entire trunk of the tree. The ceiling was incredibly high up with a glowing silvery white gem at its apex. That wasn’t the only source of light, however. There were more of the glowing vines on the streets below along with glowing leaves from smaller trees similar to those of the Golden Oaks Library that grew from the smooth wooden ground. There were larger plants that grew up the sides of the wall, and even these seemed to have residences, although they seemed to be set aside for Reindeer.

And it was crowded.

Deerfolk walked through the streets or in the case of Reindeer flew through the air. The sounds of a bustling city were all-too familiar, and the smells of both freshly cut grass and various foodstuffs assaulted our nostrils as Eldrin and his patrol led us down a massive walkway towards the floor level.

At that moment, the Reindeer guard who had left, Vesryn, appeared and landed in front of Eldrin. “I bring news from the High Lady for the Emperor and his party,” he said in the Deerfolk language.

“Oh? Well, speak up, young buck,” Eldrin ordered his subordinate.

Vesryn turned towards me, having to raise his voice to be heard over the echoes of the crowds below. “The High Lady has set aside a private residence for you in the upper levels of this city for the night as well as having provided you with food according to your dietary requirements. It’s too late to see the High Lady now.”

“Not only that, but I’m sure we stink to high heaven and are pretty dirty,” Scarlet said, looking herself over then sniffing one of her forelegs. “Phew! Yep! Can’t see the ruler of a big tree all sweaty and stinky.”

“The house you have been provided has bathing facilities,” Vesryn said. “In the morning, the High Lady has summoned all of you to her personal morning meal.”

“What time will that be?” I asked.

“By the time the sun is on its third cycle,” Vesryn replied.

“That translates to about three hours or so after sunrise,” Miora explained.

“We’ll be ready by then,” I said.

Vesryn nodded. “I’ll show you to your lodgings for the night. The High Lady apologizes for the meager accommodations, but when she heard when you had arrived at our borders, she knew it would take longer to reach the Citadel.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” I said, “as long as we have a bed and four walls and a ceiling above our heads, we’ll be okay.”

Vesryn smiled a little bit, then turned and began galloping into the air. “Come, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying tonight!”

The house where we were put up for the evening was by no means meager by any definition. In fact, it was a lot more than I expected to be placed in for the night. Like every other building around here, a living hollowed out tree, although it was twice as tall as Twilight’s home back in Ponyville. The interiors were made entirely of wood, although there were very comfortable and very well-made articles of furniture. Their couches were incredibly comfortable, and the entire place smelled like a forest.

Eldrin hadn’t been kidding when he said the High Lady had ordered food for us based off of our dietary requirements. To my surprise, she'd gotten us all some of the juiciest steaks that I’d ever tasted along with a bowl of fruits and even baked potatoes with butter. For Scarlet, she was given several pasta dishes, and Miora was given a bowl of what she called chilled apricot soup along with a bowl of other various fruits, including one that looked like dragon fruit.

There were enough bedrooms in the house for each of us to have our own room, although Scarlet insisted that she and I share a bed, not that I would complain. Each bedroom had a large bath and a private toilet and sink.

When our dinner was done, we all went our separate ways in order to clean up. Scarlet told me to wash up first, and so I did. The bath didn’t have anything like a shower, but there was running hot and cold water, so while I was filling the tub, which was made of incredibly smoothed out wood, I used the shampoo and soap that was provided to wash myself. It left me smelling like apples, and I made a mental note to ask for more to take to Applejack before I left.

Just before I was about to enter the bath, the door opened and Scarlet strode in. She had a towel around her lower body, and when she closed the door behind her, she removed it, letting it fall slowly to the floor. Her hair was wet and hung loose around her neck. She, too, smelled of apples, and the dirt around her hooves, fetlocks and lower legs was gone. “Mind if I join you?” she asked.

I stood and walked over, gently lifting her into the air before turning back and climbing into the bath. The tub itself was massive and could fit the two of us easily, so there was no issue with us sharing a bath together. We both slid comfortably into the steaming water, Scarlet sighing contentedly as she wrapped her wings and forelegs around me. She placed her head right under my chin and nuzzled it as we enjoyed the warm liquid easing our sore muscles. I had one arm around her waist and the other on her left flank.

After about five or so minutes of silence, Scarlet spoke. “Nervous about tomorrow?” she asked.

“Very,” I said.

She pressed herself closer to me, leaning up and kissing me deeply and lovingly. I relaxed and kissed her back with the same amount of love. When we broke the kiss, she had a all-too familiar look on her face. “Would you like to have some…stress relief before we go to bed?” she said sultrily.

I chuckled, then reached up and bit her ear gently. “As much as I would love to bend you over the bed and make you a blubbering, giggling mess, I think that’s highly inappropriate in this setting.”

She blushed at this, but her smile warmed my heart as she replied, “You’re right. Doesn’t mean we can’t suck face though, right?”

I responded by pulling her closer into an even deeper kiss, which she happily reciprocated. We clung to each other, water dripping from her fur and my skin as we did so. After a good number of minutes, we slowed down and relaxed once more. Our little makeout session had relaxed me in a few ways. My nervousness was dwindling away. Not gone, just dwindled. In those few minutes of kissing, I knew that Scarlet had my back and would support me through these next few days I would be spending here. “Thank you, Scarlet Dusk, for being here for me.”

“Well, someone has to, and you wouldn’t let Zecora come,” she said, poking my nose with one of her feathers. “Silly man.”

I nodded, holding her closer. “I know, I’m overprotective,” I admitted, “and that’s something I’m working on.”

“We love that you care enough about us to want to protect us,” Scarlet said, nuzzling my cheek and licking it affectionately, “but we want to make sure you’re safe too. Don’t be going too macho now, ya dig?”

“I’ll work on it, I promise,” I said.

After our soak in the tub, which was mostly spent in comfortable silence aside from the frequent kisses we gave each other, we got back out and drained the tub. Scarlet and I brushed our teeth, then I set out the royal robes that I’d brought to meet the High Lady in on a nearby chair as neatly as I could along with my new brown cloak. I was surprised when I saw that Scarlet was actually putting some sort of clothing out as well. “I want to put my best hoof forward,” she said when I asked about it.

After that, I got into some pajamas before climbing into one of the most comfortable beds I’d ever slept in. Scarlet snuggled up to me, and soon the two of us were snuggling underneath the blankets. Pulling out my phone, I shot off a text to Zecora. Hey love, you available to call?

The response I got was the familiar Skype incoming ring. I sat up, Scarlet still pressed against me, and answered. Zecora was seated in her treehouse. I could see a green flickering of flames being cast on her face as she said, “Dearest, I see you have finally found a way to have some alone time with our herdmate in a bed and not in a tent.”

I smiled and nodded. “We just got to the Citadel today,” I explained. “I don’t want to breach their trust by opening a portal here until I have permission. Besides, the magic here is so much stronger than it is in Equestria. It also feels different in a way.”

“Indeed? I do believe young Miss Twilight will be more than eager to hear more when you return,” Zecora chuckled. “I’m curious myself.”

“So am I,” I said.

“I almost shot myself into orbit when I tried flying,” Scarlet exaggerated, waving at Zecora.

“Are you alright?” Zecora asked worriedly.

“Psh, I’m fine,” Scarlet chuckled with a dismissive wave of her hoof, “It’ll take a lot more than nearly becoming a second moon to put this Pegasus down!”

“You’re beginning to sound a lot like Rainbow Dash,” Zecora chuckled softly.

“Heh, I do hang out with her a lot, so I guess so,” Scarlet said.

“What did you do today?” I asked.

“Oh, I spent some time helping with the surprise for you and the entire town on your return,” Zecora said. “After that, I came back here to try some new potions.”

“You never lost track of your roots,” I chuckled.

“Now that I have magic somewhat like that of an Alicorn, my range of potions has only increased,” Zecora said. “I’m working on that potion that allows one to see into the past. I’ll save you some for later.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“How’s that surprise coming along?” Scarlet asked.

“Faster than anticipated,” Zecora said happily. “It should be done well before the end of February.”

“Surprise for the entire town, huh?” I repeated. “It’s gotta be something big then.”

“Very,” Zecora agreed, “but what about you? What did you two do today aside from travel?” Scarlet and I recounted our day to Zecora, who listened intently. She was surprised when she heard about Miora’s sudden appearance, was pleasantly surprised when we told her what the Citadel actually was. I even shared some of the pictures I took, although I did mention that the pictures didn’t do it or the Hidden Vale true justice. When we finished, she was silent for a bit before she said, “I wish I could be there with you. This Citadel and this Hidden Vale sound incredible.”

“I’ll ask the High Lady tomorrow if you can come visit,” I promised, “because I wish you could have seen it too. It’s unlike anything I could have ever imagined.” The instant after I said that, I yawned and stretched. “Nnng…sorry, long day of walking.”

“My hooves hurt too,” Scarlet agreed.

“I understand, my love,” Zecora said, “but thank you for calling me and letting me know how things are going.”

“I did promise I would,” I said.

“Yes you did,” Zecora agreed before putting her hand over her lips and blowing me a kiss. “I love you, Jethro, and I can’t wait for you all to come back.”

“Miss you too, Zeek,” Scarlet said with a grin.

“I love you too, Zecora, and we’ll be back as soon as we can be,” I replied, blowing a kiss back into the camera for her.

After we hung up, I plugged my phone into my power pack since it was low, then turned down the crystal lamps on both sides of our beds. Now in the dark, I snuggled up close to Scarlet. “Goodnight, Scarlet,” I said after giving her a goodnight kiss. “Love you.”

She kissed me back. “Love you too, Jethro,” she murmured sleepily. The two of us, holding each other close, soon fell asleep.

164: A Cloaked Heart And The High Lady

While the High Lady had invited us to her morning meal, we were provided with a small meal earlier to tide us over until we reached the palace above. Our breakfast that morning consisted of a small bowl of assorted fruits, such as sliced apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and more, eggs served scrambled along with some perfectly brown toast. We were even given slices of what smelled like and what tasted remarkably similar to bacon. I thanked the Deerfolk who brought us our meals, and he simply responded with, “We try to ensure that any of the guests from outside our borders are fed according to their dietary needs.”

Miora further explained it to me as our small breakfast was ending. “The Deerfolk may be a reclusive species, but they also try and learn much about the outside world, mostly for situations like this and that Council of Equestria you held.”

“Well, how did they know about my dietary requirements?” I asked as I cleaned my plate as best as I could.

“They most likely went off of the assumption that you are a carnivore based off of your teeth,” Miora replied.

“Right, duh,” I said, feeling a bit sheepish now. “Well, it’s definitely a nice gesture.”

“Indeed, it is,” she replied as she finished off an apricot before dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. “They do try their best to be hospitable.”

“They’re doing a better job than the Lycans did,” I replied. This earned me a glare from Gemini, but Mica placed a paw on her shoulders to calm her down. I turned to Gemini. “I’m not going to pretend it’s not true, you know?”

Gemini let out a loud and long breath before she nodded. “I know,” she said. I made a note to try and make up for that later.

Miora chuckled dryly. “The Lycans are a hardy folk, but they are not all bad people. There are many within their society who feel that the recent misandrist attitude of the crown is going too far. While yes, the dominant sex of the Lycans has traditionally been the she-wolves, a number of modern day Lycans believe that the he-wolves are more equals than the Empress and the Princess proclaim.”

“But they're oppressed by the Empress,” Gemini interjected with a frown as she looked over at Mica. “We could be so much stronger if she didn’t limit us. Mica is a good example…”

“He is a strong warrior,” I agreed, “and not only that, but he is wise beyond his years.”

Mica looked a bit embarrassed by the praise, but the embarrassment vanished when Gemini said, “But you have so much more to learn, young pup!”

As we watched Gemini lay out the flaws in her brother, Scarlet giggled cutely as she nuzzled me. “It’s nice to see her be so proud of her brother, isn’t it?”

I chuckled as well and stroked her crimson mane with my hand. “It is, yes.”

“It does seem as if she wishes for him to succeed in her own way,” Miora said.

“Hey, have either of you sparred with Gemini or Mica?” I asked, turning to the two Dragon guards.

Scoria and Silica, who had been watching the conversation silently, looked at each other, then back at me. “I have,” Scoria said, “but Silica hasn’t.”

“What was it like?” I asked.

Scoria pondered this for a few moments. “It wasn’t like sparring with another Dragon, or even my sister. She had a ferocity that I hadn’t experienced before, but there was some kind of…I think the word is grace? Yes, grace. There is a grace to her movements.”

Gemini turned and now I saw that it was her turn to look embarrassed. She sputtered a bit, but I put a hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re a remarkable warrior, one of the best I’ve ever seen.” She looked at me with a stunned expression, then quietly thanked me before going back to finish her own breakfast.

About twenty minutes later, we received a visitor in the form of a tall and elegant looking Reindeer buck. He had dark gray fur and long well-tended to black horns. He was also wearing some kind of armor and was flanked by six other deer also wearing armor. Unlike the Deerfolk from before, the armor these Deerfolk wore looked somewhat ceremonial. The Reindeer looked at me and inclined his head. “I am Captain Alaerys of the High Lady’s Guard. I was sent to escort you and your party to the throne room, sir.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain Alaerys,” I greeted, then stepped aside. “These are my companions. Scarlet Dusk, a member of my herd, Captain Gemini Grayfur of my Imperial Guard, Scoria, Silica and Mica, also members of my Imperial Guard, and Miora, a recent addition to our group who is going to be observing us.”

The captain nodded at each in turn with politeness, although when he bowed to the Lycans, the politeness was a bit restrained. He then turned back to me. “Are you and your party ready to go, sir?”

“Yes, we are,” I said as I instinctively touched the necklace around my neck, the one that now held all of our belongings. I straightened the elegant but somewhat simplistic imperial royal robes I now wore under the cloak that I’d been given. “Please, lead the way.”

As our group was escorted through the streets of the large interior city, I noticed that just like the night before we gathered several stares, and while the Deerfolk who stared at my two Lycan guards had looks of trepidation on their faces, I mostly noticed that the majority of them were looking at me. I didn’t think anything of it at first since I was probably the first human they’d ever seen before, but the looks on their faces were ones of some kind of anticipation. At least, if my newfound ability to read the facial expressions of other creatures besides humans was any indication.

When I asked Captain Alaerys if the stares meant anything, he gave me a small smile. “I think you should ask the High Lady about it when we reach the palace. She can tell you better than us. After all, she was there when the Guardian arrived and when he left.”

“Wait, is the High Lady immortal?” I asked.

Alaerys chuckled a bit. “She was here when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna interjected in our battle with the Lycans. I don’t know if she’s immortal like the Pony Princessess, but she has been around a long while.”

This was news to me, but I decided to table that conversation for a time when the High Lady and I had built up a rapport. As we walked down the streets, I saw some younger Deerfolk actually waving at me with excited smiles on their faces. I nodded in their direction and waved back.

Soon we were out of the city and walking in the late morning sunlight on our way to the palace. The weather for the morning was cold, but unlike the cold of a winter morning this was the cold of an early spring one.

Scarlet was the one to broach that subject. She flew up and hovered next to Alaerys before asking, “So…where’s all the snow? Normally, a lot of Equestria is blanketed by snow by this time.”

The captain nodded. “While that might be true where you’re from, the tree here protects us from that, so we don’t need to go into hibernation like the others of us around the world.”

“Whoa, Deerfolk hibernate?” Scarlet asked in shock.

“Not surprising,” I said as I stepped forward. “Back in my old world, deer are known to hibernate.”

The captain looked at me with a curious expression. “You have deer on your old world? What are they like?”

“Well, unlike here, the deer I know in my old world are like a less intelligent breed of animal,” I explained. “You know how in Equestria, pretty much all animals have some semblance of sapience but outside of Equestria they don’t?” When he nodded, I continued my explanation. “Deer in my world are like animals outside of Equestria. Where I’m from, humans are the only form of life like you and me.”

“One form of life that can talk?” a random guard asked with some incredulity. “That sounds hard to believe.”

A slender looking Reindeer stepped forward, and in a soft, feminine voice, said, “I wouldn’t be so dismissive, Revil. He comes from another world, so who’s to say that things wouldn’t be, well, alien there?”

“Imagine how I felt when I came to a world where a bunch of mythical creatures live,” I mentioned. “Sure, Earth has deer, ponies, zebras, and even giraffes, but we don’t have Pegasi, Unicorns, Griffons, Dragons, magic, and more. All of those are myths to us.”

The Reindeer who’d spoken up looked at me with a thoughtful expression. “Well, could it be possible that our worlds once were more in contact with each other?” she pondered.

I looked at her and shrugged. “I mean, perhaps? I’m not a big student of Earth history but I do have the culmination of all human knowledge with me. I could look and see at some point.” I decided not to mention Athena and her banished Alicorns for the time being. After all, I was here to build a good relationship with the Deerfolk.

In the light of the morning sun, the tree that was the Citadel looked even more majestic than before. Its golden leaves seeming to glisten in the morning light. When we began walking underneath its branches, a rain began to fall despite there being no clouds in the sky. I assumed that this was some kind of dew falling off of the leaves, and to my further surprise the guards all removed their helmets to bask in the falling moisture. I almost put the hood over my head, but the captain stopped me, explaining that the Citadel rain was a blessing for those who were washed by it.

The further we got towards the entrance, the heavier the rain became, and bits of golden leaves began falling around us. I grabbed a few and kept them but only after being reassured that it was okay to do so, as the tradition was that if a leaf was caught in the air by someone that they could be kept, but the leaves that fell on the ground were to remain. So, using my hands only, as I was told it was forbidden to use magic to catch them, I caught a good number of different sized and shaped leaves. Leaves that looked like they came from different types of trees, but all of which had a golden tint to them. I stored them in my necklace before we reached the front entrance.

The interior of the Citadel itself was beyond big. Canterlot Palace and even the Castle of the Two Sisters looked like a children’s toy in comparison. When we stepped through the massive doors, we entered into a city that even made the one we stayed in the night before look tiny. The ceiling arched up until it was hidden away by a golden glowing cloud that had formed. The buildings were of a similar fluid-like design as those of the town we’d stayed in the night before, although this city had an even larger population. Reindeer were flying in the skies while others walked through the streets.

In the center of the city was a massive pillar that resembled a tree trunk with multiple clear creases that ran up the trunk all the way to the ceiling. At the bottom of each of these creases was a door. Not only that, but there were three sets of massive spiral ramps against the side of the trunk, each moving from the bottom of the pillar up into the clouds. At each door there stood a pair of Moose, each wearing armor similar to the ones our escorts wore.

As we stood there, taking in the splendor of this first city, I saw what looked like a large group of Deer approaching one of the doors. The doors slid open and the group entered, the doors closing behind them. I turned to the captain and pointed at the doors. “Do those doors lead to elevators?”

“I don’t know that term,” Alaerys said, “but those doors lead to specialized compartments that use air to lift said compartments from one level to another.”

“Ah, so they are elevators,” I said. “That’s basically what I meant.”

Alaerys nodded in understanding. “Quite a simple term for the lifts, but a good one too. We will be going up through the many levels using the lifts to reach the palace level.”

It wasn’t long before we were all standing in a large spherical lift with bars on the walls. I quickly realized what the creases in the trunk were: a crystalline tube where the spherical lift traveled through. The doors were see-through so we could all watch as we were lifted up quietly through the pneumatic lift. There was also a large circular glowing crystal in the ceiling that glowed a warm white glow. We watched as we went from level to level. We passed through a level of a massive valley covered by mushrooms as tall as trees, a vast dark forest with a ceiling that seemed to mimic the night sky, a large lake with sandy beaches on the edges and a tropical-looking island, a hilly level covered in white with snow falling from the ceiling, a level with farmland, and a few other cities scattered between. I took a long video of everything, which included a narration from Alaerys about each level.

Eventually, we reached the tallest and largest level I’d seen and the lift stopped. The doors silently opened and Alaerys told us to follow him. This level was a lush garden with flowers, well-trimmed bushes, trees, streams, small ponds, and even a large waterfall that poured down from the ceiling. There were clouds in this level. In the very center of the garden stood a tree that looked like the ones on the ground floor, only this one had pure white bark and a staircase leading up to a set of doors. The leaves of said tree seemed to glow with the same golden light that the Citadel itself did. It was the source of light for the entire garden.

I thought back suddenly to the two trees in Valinor that were described in The Silmarillion. The Citadel, this palace, and the trees outside the Citadel all reminded me somewhat of those two trees. The light from the bioluminescent leaves was like that of sunlight, and since it was so high up above the cloud level it illuminated everything. There were even floating platforms where large vines hung down as they moved around. I saw a number of Deerfolk meandering around and enjoying the garden. Some were lounging and reading, others were walking around and basking in the warm glow of the tree’s golden light, and still others were gathered around each other and talking and laughing.

As we walked down the unbroken stone path, we received looks from those we passed by. It wasn’t all that different from the stares we’d been receiving throughout our time in this nation, but I was quickly getting used to it. Nevertheless, I stood close to Gemini, a bit worried that something might set her off. A lifetime of prejudice and hatred from a warrior race like hers wasn’t something she could just get rid of. I made a point to try and help her work through her feelings on the matter at some point.

When we began our approach to the massive tree palace, Alaerys moved over to me. “When we reach the throne room, I think it’d be best if your party doesn’t speak first. Since you’re an Emperor, I don’t think that rule will apply to you.”

I nodded in understanding. “Thank you for escorting us as far as you have, Captain Alaerys,” I said gratefully.

He inclined his head. “You’re a foreign dignitary, Emperor Jethro,” he said, “so it was our duty and honor to do so.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gemini give the Deer captain a glare, but I ignored it as I nodded back at him. “Still, we all appreciate it.”

When we reached the steps of the palace, the guards at the front pulled the doors open with their magic, leading us all inside. Much like the exterior, the interior of the palace was covered in pure white. The hallway we found ourselves in was very organic in appearance with absolutely no sharp corners everywhere. There were paintings on the walls along with sculptures of multiple Deerfolk. Each one seemed to be not carved, but grown out of different colored trees with leaves growing only from the horns. It was unusual, but when I thought about it, I realized that it made sense. The paintings and sculptures were situated between ceiling to floor windows that either were clear and looked out at the garden below or were stained glass depictions of what I could only assume were moments in Deerfolk history.

Alaerys and his guards led us down a large corridor that led to a staircase that led up towards a set of gold and white double doors that were decorated with carvings of four Deerfolk rearing up and facing each other, one from each tribe. When the guards opened the door, a Master of Ceremonies shouted out, “Announcing the Emperor of Aelyssia Jethro Bethridge and his party!”

“They couldn’t bother to learn our names?” Gemini muttered.

“Shush,” I whispered to her as we walked towards the throne where the High Lady sat.

As we approached, I subtly looked around the room, drinking in the details of the room once more. I’d seen it once briefly, but now I could look at everything. The twelve white trees that rose from the ground into the ceiling gave the interior of this throne room a natural golden canopy thanks in part to the leaves that had changed from green to gold since I had last been in this place. The glowing silver gems that were embedded in the trees I now saw actually looked like there was some kind of motion going on in them.

The High Lady herself sat on the massive white throne; the golden furred doe’s sparkling blue eyes fixed on me. The crown on her head seemed to shimmer with captured starlight which emanated from the silver and golden leaves crafted into said crown. Unlike the time before, not only were there Deerfolk bucks in green armor on either side of us, but there were a number of other Deerfolk from every race, all dressed in lovely flowing attire with the same white cloaks. Even the guards wore them as did the High Lady. Beside her throne on her right was a raised dais with a floating crystal beneath a glass dome.

Valindra wasn’t the only Deerfolk I recognized there. On the High Lady’s side were two other familiar faces. Lady Arathyra, daughter of Valindra, and her husband Ambassador Ebiner each nodded at me and smiled. I inclined my head in their direction politely as we stopped in front of the throne. There were several other Deerfolk standing next to Arathyra and Ebiner and I wondered if these were more of Valindra’s children and their loved ones or simply some form of nobility.

Miora was the first to incline her head in a sign of respect. Scarlet and the two Dragon guards quickly followed, with Mica bowing as well. He grabbed his sister and pushed her head down as well. I knew I came here as a monarch and that it’d do me a great disservice if I did that, so I stood and looked at the High Lady with a calm expression.

Neither of us made a move for a few moments, until High Lady Valindra spoke. “Emperor Jethro Bethridge of the Empire Aelyssia, I welcome you in the spirit of peace to the Cervinia Citadel.”

“It is a great honor to be here, High Lady Valindra,” I said in a diplomatic tone. I then looked around, drinking in the sights around me once more as I added, “I must say, this is the most unique citadel and palace I have ever seen.” I turned back to her. “You have a very beautiful country.”

The golden doe smiled warmly at me and looked around as well. “Yes, it is quite a beautiful place. The rest of you may raise your heads, by the way,” she added, addressing the others.

As they began to lift their heads, I stepped to the side. “Please allow me to introduce the members of my entourage. This is Scarlet Dusk, my marefriend and member of my herd. These two Lycans are Gemini and Mica Grayfur, the former is the captain of my Imperial Guard and the latter is a member of my personal guard. These two Dragons are Scoria and Silica who are also members of my personal guard. And this Giraffe is Miora, an impartial third party who wished to observe our talks.”

As I introduced the group to her, Valindra inclined her head towards each of them with a polite nod and smile. “Well, I must say that I was not expecting a Giraffe here,” Valindra said.

Miora bowed her head. “I am here at the behest of my superiors to observe the Emperor of Aelyssia,” she explained, “and to see what kind of creature he is.”

Valindra nodded. “I have no issue with you observing, as long as that is all you do.”

Miora nodded. “That is my duty.”

Valindra turned back to me. “I take it you have no issue with this?” she asked.

“None whatsoever, as long as she doesn’t share what we say in private.” I gave Miora a questioning look.

“The Elderium only told me to use my discretion and judgment,” Miora explained. “I will not share the details, and if you wish, I will leave and observe the results of your negotiations afterwards.”

“Very well,” Valindra said as she then turned her attention towards the Lycans. “I must say, I’m surprised that any Lycans would willingly step into our borders without any hostile intent.”

Gemini bristled a bit but Mica stepped up. “His Grace is one to whom we both owe our lives, High Lady,” he explained. “Were it not for him, my older sister may have been dead and I would be something less than a slave. He has treated us both kindly enough that he has earned our trust.”

Valindra looked surprised by this, looking between the two Lycans and me before looking at Gemini. “And what say you, Captain Gemini Grayfur?”

She stood tall and proud as she placed a paw on the hilt of her sword. “He is my Emperor,” she declared in a loud voice, “and anybody who attempts to cause him harm will meet my blade.”

This caused several guards in the room to stiffen in response, but to my surprise, Valindra simply put a hoof to her mouth, tittering warmly. “Stand down, guards,” she said before turning to the now bewildered Gemini. “I know there is bad blood between the Lycans and the Deerfolk, but I can appreciate your loyalty to him. It shows a great strength of character. I can assure you, though, that your Emperor is in no danger here.”

Once more, I walked over and put a hand on Gemini’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She looked back at me quickly, then nodded and released her grip on her sword. I turned back to the High Lady. Not wanting to put Gemini on the spot in front of the Deerfolk around us, I said, “So, my lady, when would you prefer to start our talks?”

“Well, how about over a late morning meal, just the two of us?” She looked at Miora. “Sorry to keep you out of our initial talks.”

“It is no matter,” Miora said, “I was hoping to spend some time exploring the High Garden.”

Game of Thrones much? I thought with an inner smirk as the High Lady nodded before turning to the rest of my entourage. “Rooms have been prepared for all of you, so my guards will take you to them. You will each be assigned a guide to show you around-”

“Ah, excuse me,” Scarlet said, interrupting the High Lady much to my horror, “but I would like to be there with my coltfriend.”

To my relief, the High Lady looked more intrigued than upset at this blatant disrespect. “Oh? And what would you wish to be there for, if I may ask?”

“Your Ladyship,” Scarlet said, “I mean, you probably already know about how my coltfriend is from a world that sees ours through a cartoon lens.”

“Yes, I am aware of the truth behind how humans view Narda,” the High Lady said.

“Well, I’ve seen every single episode and read all of the comics pertaining to the show My Little Pony,” she said, which surprised me greatly. “The only mention of Deerfolk is in the comics, and those are a group that live in the Everfree led by somebody named King Aspen. You’re not mentioned.”

Valindra, to her credit, seemed to take this in stride as she leaned back and asked, “That doesn’t quite answer my question, young Pony,” she said.

“I don’t want him to face this world or anything unknown to him alone,” Scarlet said, standing tall and determined, moving to my side and pressing herself against me. In that moment, my love for her deepened. Her resolve to be by my side was something I appreciated more than words could express.

“Admirable, my young one,” the High Lady said with a warm smile, “and for that reason alone, I will allow it.” She turned to me and nodded as she stood. “Follow me. Guards, don’t follow.”

While the others were being led away by a number of Deerfolk, Scarlet and I followed the High Lady through a set of doors that led to a smaller but nonetheless just as magnificent hallway. Only this time, there were no statues, paintings, or even windows. There were wooden carvings on the walls, however. As we continued walking down, I focused and began to activate the Pegasus part of my brain, the one that Rainbow Dash had been teaching me about during our flight lessons. The wooden etchings on the walls depicted very realistic scenes of what I once again could only assume was Deerfolk history. I saw a group of twelve Deerfolk sitting around a round table, three from each tribe, with a strange looking three piece crystal floating above said table. There was a battle scene between Reindeer and Moose during what looked like a blizzard. There was even a scene depicting Celestia and Luna flying above an army of all four Deerfolk tribes who were facing off against a Lycan army.

When I looked down to see what Scarlet was doing, I found that she was gone. I quickly looked around and saw her sitting in front of one of the carvings, staring at it in what looked like complete shock. I ran over to her. “Scarlet, honey? What’s wrong?” She didn’t answer. Instead, all she did was point at the carving in front of her with her wing. I turned and it was my jaw’s turn to go dark.

Standing in the middle of a vertical wood carving was the unmistakable image of a clean shaven human male with his arms wrapped around what could only be Valindra, who was standing on her hind legs and looking into his eyes with a look of love that the carver had captured quite well.

Quickly I turned to Valindra, who had quietly approached us as she to was now looking at the carving. “Yes,” she said, turning to me slowly with a sad smile on her face. “you’re not the first human I’ve known.” She turned back and to my surprise I saw a tear fall. “This man was my first and only husband. He lived to be over a hundred years old before he passed.”

“Whoa, you just dropped a damned bombshell on me!” I said without thinking. I was trying hard to process this. While I was about ninety percent sure that I wasn’t the first human in this world, having it confirmed was still a big shock. I took a deep breath to calm myself. “Ah, sorry. I’m sorry for your loss, High Lady.”

“I’ve made my peace with it,” she began, “but I imagine knowing that you’re not the first is a shock.” Valindra said this with a surprising amount of understanding in her tone.

“Well…not as much as you might think,” I admitted, “but it’s still pretty shocking.” I looked back at the human and took in his features. He was wearing a pair of what looked like thick boots, jeans with a belt, a polo shirt with a stripe around the chest, an unzipped hoodie, one of those cloaks similar to what the Deerfolk wore, and a baseball cap with a B on the front. His eyes were quite expressive and I even thought I saw some freckles on his face. On his belt was a slightly curved sword with ancient writing on the There was something familiar about him, which I found strange. I looked down at Valindra, a sneaking suspicion growing inside me. “High Lady, may I ask what this man’s name was?” Despite my suspicion, I was not prepared for the next two words out of Valindra’s mouth.

“Daniel Williams.”

165: A Cloaked Heart's Next History Lesson

The room where Valindra led us to was silent as the High Lady, Scarlet Dusk, and I sat at a small round table. The room we were in was a domed one with light coming down from above us thanks to a skylight. The walls were covered with more etchings of ancient Deerfolk history, which included a few more drawings of Daniel Williams, or as I knew him, Danny.

I had a lot to come to grips with, and Valindra told me that she’d let me think on what I’d just learned for a bit. And think I did. Danny not only came here more than was seen in the old cartoons, but apparently came and stayed as an adult and married an immortal Deerfolk doe. There was even writing on the walls, quite literally in fact, that called him Guardian in the Deerfolk written language. Even if that mystery was solved, it only raised so many more questions for me. Why did he stay in this world and not travel home? Did his sisters also remain? If so, where had they gone? If the television series that I had only just begun watching was accurate, where had the Rainbow of Light gone? Were there other humanoid races like those of the Moochick or the human prince or that elf-like race?

As I was slowly getting my thoughts together, Scarlet, who was apparently ahead of me in the thoughts department, spoke up. “Your Ladyship, did your, um, late husband…did he ever talk about his sisters?”

Valindra slowly nodded, looking up at the ceiling with a wistful smile. “Megan and Mary Williams, yes, although he called the latter Molly most of the time. He told me about many of their adventures they partook in while they were just young children in a place he called Ponyland.”

“My God…they really were children…” I muttered in shock. Sure, the cartoons had shown this as being the case, but when I’d learned about the possibility of them being actually real, I’d assumed that they had been older. At the least, I’d assumed they’d been teenagers. Or rather hoped.

Valindra, apparently sensing my ill ease, jumped in. “They managed to survive the flood that destroyed Ponyland, as far as I know.”

“Whoa, that’s another bombshell,” Scarlet said with both eyes wide.

“If I take your meaning for ‘bombshell’ correctly, then I do apologize,” she said in an apologetic tone. “I will admit, I had assumed that the stories of the Williams siblings would have been told in Equestria.”

“Well, I think it happened so long ago that the Ponies have forgotten about it,” I explained, deciding right then and there that sometime in the future I would travel to the former Ponyland and explore it.

“A shame,” Valindra said. “Daniel always spoke very highly about the Ponies of Ponyland.”

“The historical records from that time have largely been lost,” I explained, “but there are some older cartoons from Earth that show one version of events back in Ponyland. Tirac’s invasion, the witches, the Smooze, and many other stories involving Megan and her siblings.”

“Indeed? May I see those at some point?” Valindra asked.

“Another time, but I don’t see why not?” I said.

“Hun, maybe we should switch gears here,” Scarlet advised me. “History lessons are one thing, but we should keep our focus on the here and now where it belongs.”

She may have said it in a serious tone, but I smiled at her quotation of Qui-Gon. I nodded and turned to Valindra. “As much as I’d love to keep on asking questions, and I definitely will later, my marefriend’s right. I assume that part of the reason you invited me here is because you wanted to tell me about Danny-er, Daniel?”

“That was part of my reasoning, but not the main one,” she admitted. “My main reason was to hopefully come to get to know you better and to know what kind of Empire you plan on ruling. Deerfolk have not gotten along too well with a predator species. We haven’t had many dealings with Dragons thanks to our distance from each other, but any dealings we have had haven’t been exactly favorable towards us.”

“I know that Dragons have been wild ever since the Fall of Aelyssia,” I explained, “and I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with such unruly behavior from them, to say the least, however, if any Dragons under my rule ever cause trouble here then I won’t hesitate to punish them.”

“And what about those who aren’t under your rule?” she asked.

That was actually a good point. I’d thought a bit about it and how I would address that issue, so I leaned back and began to think like a ruler. While yes, I was the Emperor of Aelyssia now, I wasn’t entirely sure if that meant I was Emperor of Dragons. Khaleesi I am not, I thought as I looked at the High Lady. “Let me answer your question with a question: the magic that I’ve sensed in your kingdom: does it affect Dragons who come here?”

Valindra didn’t reply for a bit, continuing to look at me before she slowly nodded. “Dragon fire and their ancient magic are greatly amplified within our borders,” she explained.

“The same can be said about our magic,” Scarlet replied, spreading her wings and slowly moving them, making her move quickly into the air before she glided back into her seat.

Valindra nodded. “Our land has secrets we do not willingly share with outsiders. Not even the Shadwood Elderium knows about some of the secrets. But how does this line of questioning answer mine?”

“I was trying to think of a solution to it, and I needed more information,” I informed her.

She chuckled a bit. “You do strike me as the type to look for solutions to problems before they might occur. What were you thinking about?”

“Hmm, perhaps a trade of personnel, at least temporarily,” I suggested. “I do have a means of instantaneous travel between great distances, and I can show them to you sometime, if you wish.”

Valindra looked intrigued. “Go on,” she said.

I nodded. “I believe that perhaps there is something we can offer each other. The Dragons are much more of a warrior race, and in that vein they could become much more efficient at protecting this land. Meanwhile, it strikes me that your kind are more in touch with nature than any race I know. The Empire could use some assistance in certain areas such as agriculture. Our lands were once verdant but now there’s only desert on our main continent. We are working to purge the curse that the Fae cast on our soil so we can grow crops and other plants again.”

She gave me a smirk. “Be wary, young man,” she said, “especially when giving away national secrets.”

I shook my head. “This isn’t a national secret. It’s a fact that the former Dragon Lands are mostly a desert when we’ve discovered that Aelyssia used to be much more fertile. Aelyssia is on a volcanic continent, so the soil should be fertile and growing plants, but it’s mostly a desert. There has been some progress made by the help of Equestria, but that help is unfortunately minuscule, not due to the fault of Equestria, of course.”

“What are you offering in exchange for some assistance in that area?” Valindra asked.

“I can offer to send a contingent of Imperial Guards to patrol the skies above your borders for any rogue Dragon or other rogue elements,” I explained. “Perhaps I could even have these guards teach your own to better defend against Dragons. Reindeer are the only ones among you who can fly, correct?” Valindra nodded. “Then perhaps the Dragons I send here could help not just the Reindeer soldiers, but other races.”

“We are not a warrior race. Emperor Jethro,” Valindra said.

“And I hope you never need to be, High Lady Valindra,” I replied, “but fortune favors the prepared. It’s best to be prepared and not need to use said preparations than to be unprepared and need the preparations.”

Valindra considered this for a bit. “You are young, but you do bring up good points,” she finally said. “I will have to consider this very carefully.”

“I understand,” I said. “I can also offer fruits and vegetables that we can only grow in our land.”

“In exchange for food from our own fields in trade, I assume?” Valindra asked.

“Indeed,” I replied.

“That will likely be a more welcome opening to our trade than what you offered before,” Valindra said with a hint of amusement. “A word of advice from an experienced leader to an inexperienced one such as yourself. Playing things safe early on will reward you in the future.”

I felt foolish. “Well, damn. I’m learning a lot.”

“Fear not, young Emperor,” she said in a bemused tone, “I am not one to take advantage of another, as I’m sure Miss Miora would tell you.”

“Thank you for that,” I said gratefully.

“That being said,” she continued, her smile fading, “I will not put my nation at a disadvantage in any negotiaions.”

“I feel the same about my Empire,” I replied just as seriously.

“Good.” She looked at me, then smiled. “In the meantime, my daughter and her husband have told me some things about you from the Council of Equestria. If we are to continue these talks, I wish to know you more.”

“I wish the same,” I replied.

She gave me a soft smile, then nodded. “Then why don’t we begin, shall we?”

Several hours later, I was sitting on a bench in the patch of the garden at the top of the Citadel eating some bread that had been provided for lunch. It looked like naan, and judging by the way steam came out of it when I broke it, the bread had been freshly baked. It had a savory taste I couldn’t identify, but it was definitely delicious. Even more so if I dipped pieces of it into a steaming broth the Deerfolk had provided for me. They also had provided me with an unusual tasting butter that was delicious as well.

Next to me, Scarlet was also eating some of the bread and broth. She also had a salad that she was eating as well. Gemini, Mica, Silica, and Scoria were sitting near me on several other benches, eating the same thing along with some meat rations. Miora was also nearby, chewing thoughtfully on an apricot. I made a note to have Ember and the Council prepare apricot trees when our farming infrastructure was restored.

The four guards each had thoughtful looks on their faces. During our meeting, they had been shown around the garden. A part of me envied them because they got to see the entire garden, or more of it than I had, but I had likely days ahead of me to speak with Valindra. I took another bite of the bread, chewing thoughtfully on it as I drank in the sights, sounds, and smells around me.

“Pardon me, but may we join you?” a familiar female voice asked from behind us.

I turned to see the familiar smiling faces of the two Deerfolk who had come to the Council. “Lady Arathyra! Ambassador Ebiner!” I stood and smiled at them, gesturing to an empty bench next to ours. “Of course you may join us.”

Ambassador Ebiner, upon sitting, looked at what I was eating, and smiled. “Ah, greenwood bread,” he said with a smile. “Only a select few Deerfolk can bake this bread. It is valued because it can not only restore the body, but the weary soul.”

I looked once more at the flatbread, eyebrow raised. Beside me, Scarlet asked, “Is one small bite enough to fill the stomach of a grown buck?”

I chuckled in amusement, and to my surprise so did Mica. That told me that he, at least, had watched the movies. Ebiner raised an eyebrow. “If you mean does it require less to fill the stomach, then no. It is meant to be eaten with other foods, but its benefits are ample. It restores the body, mind, and soul.”

I had noticed that I was quickly feeling more refreshed than I had in a while. I looked at the bread, then chuckled. “If this were available in Equestria, I’ve no doubt Pinkie Pie would find a way to make it into a dessert,” I said.

“The recipe is a well-guarded secret by the bakers,” Arathyra said. “They will not share it.”

“How long does it last?” I asked. The bread, despite having been given to me ten or so minutes ago, was still hot.

“The heat never dissipates,” Ebiner explained.

“Not until you consume it,” Arathyra added.

I nodded as I took another part of the bread and dipped it in the broth. After swallowing it, I turned back to them. “You didn’t come here just to talk about greenwood bread, did you?”

The husband and wife duo exchanged a look, then chuckled. “We didn’t exactly have any plans when we decided to join you,” Ebiner said. “Right now, we’re just two Deerfolk interested to get to know the two of you.”

“Oh,” I said, a bit surprised. Perhaps my new political office was making me more paranoid than need be. “Well, it’s definitely good to see you again. Thank you again for your help in our battle against the Fae. What have you two been up to since coming back?”

The two exchanged a proud smile, then turned. “We are both expecting a few more members of our family in the future,” Ebiner said, putting one hoof around his wife who leaned in to press her head into Ebiner’s neck.

My eyes widened. “Wow, really? Congratulations! When are you two expecting?”

“When most other fawns are born for our kind,” Arathyra said, “this coming May or June by the Equestrian calendar.”

I nodded. “Well, congratulations,” I repeated.

“Jethro’s expecting a child, too,” Scarlet announced.

I inwardly winced. I didn’t want to appear to be boasting, but the two Deerfolk leaned forward, interested. “Indeed? That is quite intriguing,” Ebiner said. “Congratulations to you. But I thought that you were the only human here.”

“I am,” I replied. “My wife Zecora and I are expecting a child.”

Arathyra and Ebiner both looked shocked by this, but then their smiles returned. “A miracle, a true miracle,” Arathyra said in a breathless tone. “I never thought I would see a day like this.”

“Do either of you know how it could have happened?” Ebiner asked, sounding genuinely curious. “She is a Zebra, is she not?”

“She has…undergone a slight metamorphosis,” I explained. “It’s a long story.”

“No need to tell us details right now,” Arathyra said, and Ebiner nodded in agreement. “Still, we are happy for the two of you. A fawn is a blessing.”

“And a hell of a lot of work,” Scarlet said with a wry chuckle.

“That is correct,” Ebiner agreed, “but worth the work. These will be our first fawns.”

“It’s my first child too,” I said. “Well, my first biological child.”

“Oh?” Ebiner asked, “have you adopted a fawn of your own?”

“Unofficially, I have taken two dragons into my family,” I explained, then proceeded to explain how I had somehow become a father figure to Spike and how I had been there for the hatching of Princess Aurora and how I had named her.

When I finished, Arathyra smiled widely, as did her husband. “You certainly have an expanding family,” she said. “Not to mention an Empire to run. I certainly hope you are not running yourself ragged.”

“I’m hanging in there,” I replied. “But back to the two of you. Are either of you nervous?”

“Yes,” Arathyra said, “but we are also eager to welcome our new fawns into the world. The Fawning is a time of great joy among our kind.”

“And a good excuse to throw a festival,” Ebiner said with a cheeky grin. This earned him a bump on his rump by his scowling but clearly amused wife.

“The Fawning Festival is one of our biggest celebrations throughout our year,” Arathyra added. “There are special foods made only for the Festival, the fawns are introduced to their communities, games are played with them, and more.”

“Sounds like a lovely time,” I said.

“If things go well here between you and mother, perhaps you and your family, and perhaps your friends, can come to the Fawning Festival,” Arathyra suggested.

“That sounds like fun,” I said.

“I’m sure our friends would absolutely love it for their own reasons,” Scarlet remarked with a chuckle.

“If that does happen, and if your mother and I come to an agreement, perhaps that could be in our future,” I replied.

Arathyra and Ebiner nodded. Then, Arathyra’s smile faded a bit as she asked, “I understand that my mother may have revealed the true nature of our knowledge of your kind,” she said, “although from the drawings and the personal painting in mother’s chambers, I had no idea humans had wings or could wield magic other than the Rainbow of Light.”

“I’m an anomaly,” I said. “Certain events that pertain to my method of arrival in this world led to this change.” I fluttered my wings behind me, barely remembering to be gentle due to the vast magic in the air here.

“I see,” Arathyra said with a nod. “Is it some secret?”

“A lot of it is an Equestrian secret,” I admitted, “because these are Alicorn wings.”

Ebiner nodded. “Then we won’t pry,” he promised.

“Thank you,” I said gratefully.

There was silence as we all ate our meals. Then Arathyra leaned forward, and asked a question I was not expecting. “Could you tell us what Equestria is like? The modern day Equestria, I mean.”

I leaned back, chewing thoughtfully on my greenwood bread. “Well, my experience is limited since I’ve only been to a few places. Ponyville, Canterlot, the Everfree Forest, and Cloudsdale.”

“Tell us about your hometown in Equestria, then,” Ebiner said.

“That would be Ponyville,” I explained. “It’s a small town just south of Canterlot. When I last checked, the town had a population of…I think just over six hundred or so, mostly ponies, of course. I’d describe it as a rustic type of town, the type where everybody knows everybody. I’m still kind of new there, so I don’t quite know everyone yet, but you get my meaning. There are a few farms on the outskirts of the town which provide most of the food for the town itself. It’s located on the northern edge of the Everfree Forest.”

“Ah yes, that’s what you call the Wildwood,” Ebiner said.

“Wildwood, huh?” I pondered that briefly before I chuckled. “That’s a fitting name, actually. It is wild and dangerous. My wife lived there for years, and I lived there for a few weeks. It’s not a place for the lighthearted. I saw a group of Deerfolk in the forest last summer. They were singing.”

Arathyra and Ebiner looked at me with wide eyed fascination. “What sort of Deerfolk?” Arathyra asked curiously.

“And what were they singing?” Ebiner asked.

I thought back to that day. It was shortly before my first trip to Ponyville, so I could remember it quite clearly. I described what I had seen and what they had sung. When I was finished, Arathyra looked at me with wide eyed shock. “They sang of how the Equestrian princesses forced peace on us and the Lycans,” she said. “I believe I know the song you refer to.” She cleared her throat and began singing a similar song that I had heard the other Deerfolk singing. Ebiner joined in, and some other Deerfolk quietly sang or hummed the tune.

“In Elden times, the fair ones lay,
Beneath the silvery light of day.
Unto the seas, their gazes strayed,
And they, our kin, did sail away.

“To distant lands, they traveled thus,
On fairy wings and moonlit dust.
Their ships would sail from morn till dusk,
The seas of gold their only trust.

“To lands far younger than the old,
Cervinia was their abode.
Their songs were gay, their hearts were gold,
Their home was lovely to behold.

“The ages passed, their numbers grew.
Their magic kept their new land new.
In days long past, they drank the brew
Of untouched streams and fruits of blue.

“Then threats appeared, a looming squall
Of beings from their mountain halls.
For from beyond the mountain’s walls,
Barbarity their only call.

“The lines were drawn, the banners flown,
The weapons sharp, the magic sewn.
The battle raged, until alone
The Alicorns blew on their horn.

“Harmonious their words, their gazes kind,
The sun and moon were on their minds.
The battle ceased, lines redefined.
And peace between us we did find.

“A peace that’s forced is never one,
Despite all that the two have done.
Our memories are still quite long.
And thus, we end our ancient song.”

While the tune was the same, the history behind it felt slightly different. There was no mention of the Everfree or even Wildwood. When they finished, I nodded. “That was the tune they sang, yes,” I agreed, “but their history seems a lot different than yours.”

“That is…unsettling,” Arathyra said with a frown.

“Could they have forgotten their origins?” Ebiner asked.

“Mother probably knows about the history,” Arathyra replied. “She was one of the first of the Deerfolk to step foot into the Cervinia Citadel.”

“I’m just surprised the Deerfolk there haven’t made any moves since a large part of the Everfree was burned down recently,” I said.

Arathyra and Ebiner looked stricken when I mentioned that particular news. “Yes,” Arathyra said somberly, “that was a tragedy.”

“When my wife and I walked through the Wildwood during our time there, it filled us with a peace we normally only feel here,” Ebiner said.

“Funny, we don’t feel that,” Scarlet said wryly.

“We are creatures of the forest, Miss Dusk,” Arathyra said with a smile, “and as such, we find peace in the trees. Peace and security.”

“Even the Reindeer?” Scarlet asked.

“Even the Reindeer,” Arathyra confirmed.

I nodded, then looked over at Miora. She was still eating her apricots but kept her eyes on us with curiosity. I raised my hand and beckoned her over. “Won’t you join us, Miora?” I asked. “Surely you have something to say about forests.”

The Giraffe cow only raised an eyebrow, then picked up her plate of apricots with her magic, walked over, and sat down in our circle. “Our forest is more like the Everfree,” she said, “so I am afraid I will not be able to say much about forests.”

“I’ve always been curious about the Shadwood, to be honest,” Ebiner said. “Nodeer has even been there, as far as I know.”

“Even though your two species are on good terms?” I asked.

Ebiner nodded, but it was Miora who spoke. “We allow no one in our forest unless there is no other choice,” she said.

“You might as well call your forest kingdom Doriath and your hidden city Gondolin,” Scarlet muttered with a chuckle.

Miora looked at Scarlet with an expression that I would describe as polite curiosity. “I have not heard those names before,” she said. “What might they mean?”

“They’re fictional locations in a book series that she and I have been reading together with my wife recently,” I explained. “Doriath is a forest kingdom where the elves of a continent called Middle-Earth live, and Gondolin is a hidden elf city surrounded by tall mountains. Both were destroyed at the end of that fictional world’s First Age.”

Miora looked curious, now, but it was Arathyra’s and Ebiner’s expressions that caught my attention. They were stunned, eyes wide. “Did you say…elves?” the latter asked almost breathlessly.

My attention was focused on them, eyes narrowed. “Yes…” I said cautiously. “Why? Does that name mean something to you?”

Arathyra smacked Ebiner’s backside and gave him a glare. He stiffened. “Ah, sorry,” he said, “I shouldn’t have said anything.” He stood abruptly, as did his wife. “Please excuse us.”

As the two walked away, I watched them go with some trepidation. What the hell had that been about?

I discovered the reason behind their swift departure when Scarlet and I returned to the private chambers with Valindra. She had an expression of intense curiosity as we sat down. “My daughter and son-in-law have told me that you mentioned a fictitious race of beings called elves. Is this true?”

“Yes, I did,” I said, frowning in confusion now. “Have you heard about such a race?”

Valinda didn’t speak for a few seconds, contemplating me and then Scarlet. Finally, she turned to the mare. “Miss Dusk, I’m afraid I must ask you to leave the room for a few moments,” she said. “I have something quite important to tell to the Emperor.”

Scarlet looked like she was about to protest, but she paused. Clearly she had heard the High Lady referring to me as Emperor just like I had. She nodded, stood, bowed respectfully, then said, “Of course.” She turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.

When she was gone, Valindra stood, then walked over to a bookshelf where there were many books bound in what looked like a deep green leaf instead of the standard leather. She picked one up with her magic and floated it over towards me. As it came over, the book opened and the pages began to turn. When the book was in front of me, it was on a specific page. “My husband and I wrote a journal together in our years together,” she explained, “and in one particular instance he spoke of the races that he knew from his days in Ponyland.” She reached over and pointed at the journal, which to me looked more like a dictionary. She pointed to a certain entry. “Here,” was all that she said. “He wrote this before the destruction of Ponyland.”

I leaned in and looked at the entry, and my eyes widened. This was what I read.

Elven: Also known as Elvenfolk or Elf/Elves. They are a race of furless bipedal beings with distinguishing features such as sharply pointed ears, a skin tone ranging from pale white to dark brown, and universally light emerald green or light sapphire blue eyes. They are extremely long lived, some may even say immortal as their current king, Phylai, has sat on the Throne of Branches for nearly one thousand years as of this writing.

From what little I’ve learned of them from Megan’s visit to their homeland when those pony foals were abducted, they don’t reproduce as fast as humans, having a reproductive cycle once every hundred years. They can have children with the other bipedal races, but those unions are few and far between. They live in the Álvan Tree, a massive tree similar to the Cervinia Citadel of the Deerfolk far to the west, the Deep Palace of the Dragons, or the long-lost Yggdrasil on the continent west of here.

There are other branches of Elven who don’t live in the Álvan Tree, such as those of the Green Mountains who helped us find the Golden Horseshoes which once belonged to Mimic’s ancestor Queen Majesty. These Elven are distinguished by their green hair, pale green skin, and playful demeanor.

Megan spoke very highly of the Elven, and it seems as if the Deerfolk of the Citadel have taken after the manner of the Elven of the Álvan Tree. I’ll still always call them Elves, of course.

I’ve been getting sidetracked. Sorry.

The Elven are also known for their nature-based magic. Megan told me that she once saw some Elven placing their hands on the ground and creating an entire garden in minutes after planting seeds in the ground. She even told me that the Elven have offered to teach a select few of the Earth Ponies said magic since they apparently have the capacity to learn it.

While that may sound peaceful, forests are naturally dangerous, so it’s always a good idea never to underestimate how tough the Elven are despite their serene or playful behavior. They are expert archers, wield swords with a finesse and grace unable to be replicated, and know a nearly unbeatable martial art style known as Álf style.

From what Sage Moochick told us, there is a legend which goes that many modern-day races owe their very sapience in part to the Elven and their close allies, the Dwarven and Human.

I paused when I read that last part, eyes wide. Looking up at Valindra, her expression was one of grave seriousness. She nodded to the page again, and I looked back down, finding another entry.

Dwarven: Also known as Dwarvenfolk or Dwarves. They are a race of diminutive furless bipedal beings with distinguishing features such as pointed ears highly placed on their head, long hair and beards of dark to light brown, a skin tone ranging from pale white to dark brown, and nearly universally hazel eyes of every hue. They are able to live for approximately 400 to 600 years. Sage Moochick is 564 years old. They are natural miners, which is why their homeland is the Myrk, an underground realm that only they have the ability to access through their own incantations. No other race can access the Myrk without aid from a Dwarven. From what the Moochick told me, the Myrk sounds more like some other dimension than anything else. He’s promised to take me, Megan, and Molly there at some point.

Despite that, there are settlements of Dwarven in Narda that are not in the Myrk. Their biggest city is located in the vast caverns beneath the Mountains of Light. Other Dwarven do live underneath the sun like Sage Moochick lives in his mushram.

Dwarven can utilize enchantment magic, using that ability to enhance any weapons they craft in the Myrk or their Nardan mountain halls. Their weapons crafting is second to none, and my own sword Excalibur is of Dwarven make. They also create magically enchanted jewelry which the Humans of Narda can use with their own natural magic.

“This is…” I trailed off as I looked up in stunned silence at the placid looking doe in front of me.

“Read the last entry,” she said, “the one about Humans.”

I nodded slowly, mouth dry as I looked down.

Humans: Much like my sister and I, Humans of Narda are furless bipedal beings with rounded ears, a multitude of hair colors ranging from blonde to brown to black, a skin tone ranging from pale white to dark brown, and eye colors ranging from green, blue, and brown. Among the three main bipedal races, they live the shortest, with lifespans ranging from 150 to 200 naturally, although there have been those who have lived for decades after those lifespans in their history.

Like humans from Earth, Humans here are capable of living in a wide variety of environments. Deserts, forests, plains, tundras, you name it, Humans here can survive in them quite handily. They have access to magic, but their magic, unlike Pony magic, requires a catalyst, such as a magic wand, a staff, or magic jewelry. They also require incantations in a language that sounds a lot like Latin.

Molly and I haven’t met any Humans, but the one Megan met, Prince Alwyn, was once captured by Tirac and changed into a monster while being forced to serve him. He is part of the royal family of the largest of the Human kingdoms, Eallgréne.

I put the journal down, trying to wrap my head around the fact that three ancient races out of fantasy live in-well, a world of fantasy. Honestly, since I had done more research on the G1 incarnation of the MLP show, I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Still, the amount of history that I’d just read about from a man long dead was something I needed to think long and hard about. Closing it reverently, as it was ancient, I floated it over to Valindra, who took it with the same care and placed it back on the bookshelf. She turned back and gave me an empathetic look. “I believe that, at least for today, we can stop our discussions. I have shown you much that you need to ponder. This was not how I anticipated matters going.”

“You and me both,” I managed to stammer out before regaining my composure. “Thank you for sharing this with me. I appreciate it. May I ask, though, if this is information you wish to remain secret?”

Valindra considered this, then looked at me with a serious expression. “Your knowledge of this world from your own includes the mention of Daniel and his sisters, correct?”

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“If anyone you know shares this knowledge, then what you have been shown today may be shared with them,” Valindra said, “but with a caveat. Please be sure that they are trustworthy.”

“I can definitely promise that,” I replied with a serious look of my own along with a nod.

“Thank you.” She then stood, as did I. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Emperor Jethro Bethridge. May you find it peaceful.” She inclinded her head politely towards me.

“May you find it peaceful as well, High Lady Valindra,” I said, giving her a polite nod as well before I straightened my royal clothing. “Same time tomorrow?”

Author's Note

This story is back! Yay!

I'm currently debating whether or not to alternate between some stories going forward. Perhaps this one and New Blood for one week and my Endingverse stories for another week. I haven't yet decided.

Anyway, enjoy!

166: A Cloaked Heart's Next Transformation

Author's Note

For the foreseeable future, until and unless I become burnt out again, I'm going to try and go back and forth between my Endingverse stories and two other non-Endingverse stories each week, so this week will be the non-Endingverse stories, this one being the one I plan on working on alongside New Blood, and next week will be two of my Endingverse stories. Variety being the spice of life and all. If that doesn't work, I'll go back to this and my other story once a week until they're done.

166: A Cloaked Heart's Next Transformation

The house that I had been provided was both opulent and simple. It was somewhat larger than my room at Sunny Acres, although the Imperial Suite in Virynth Atheos was still larger.

They had provided me and my entourage with one of the larger tree mansions outside of the Citadel. Miora, however, had requested her own private housing, as she claimed that she didn’t want to intrude on our privacy that far. Her tree mansion was smaller than ours, but it was all hers.

The interior of our mansion, however, was nothing to sneer at, and a part of it reminded me of Twilight’s treebrary.

The bottom level had a large living room area with furniture that grew out of the wooden floor. The couches and chairs were covered by plush cushions, and there was a massive fireplace to one side. There was also a kitchen, dining room, and a bathroom on the first floor. Unlike Ponies, the Deerfolk didn’t seem to use outlets or plugs. Instead, the tree mansion seemed to be brimming with magic which flowed into the lamps, sconces, and into the plumbing. I wondered if they used something similar to whatever Athena used to keep my water, electricity, and staticnet running, but decided that I had more important things to worry about instead.

On the second level was a massive domed room with doors on the walls, each of which led to sizable and comfortable bedrooms. The biggest one was given to me by my Deerfolk guide who led me through the house. There were half baths in each room, but there were also two full sized baths on the walls, and in my suite there was a massive full bath. The third floor was a massive attic, but after the events of the day, I needed a long and hot bath so I could process everything I’d just learned.

I was lying in the massive bathtub, which could easily fit three to four humans. The tub itself was made of wood which had been sealed with some clear substance that kept it watertight. The faucet itself was also made of wood and covered with the same material. I watched as steam rose from the pristine hot water around me, then looked back at my phone to my contacts list. My thumb was hovering over the one that was labeled CELESTIA. It was evening by this time, and even though the sun was still up here, it had set in Equestria already. She was probably already getting ready for bed.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t notice a warm and silky smooth presence sitting next to me until a certain gray furred pony began licking my face gently and affectionately. I jumped and nearly dropped my phone into the water. “Goddamn it, Scarlet! You scared me!”

Scarlet’s bright red eyes twinkled with amusement as she pressed her body against mine, nuzzling my face gently. “Sorry, babe,” she said apologetically. “I couldn’t get your attention.” She reached up with her prehensile wings and poked my forehead. “At least the wrinkle on your forehead is gone.”

My hand instinctively went to my forehead, and I realized that I must have been frowning for so long that a small headache had been forming. I took a deep breath, put my phone down on the small wooden stand next to the tub, and splashed some warm water over my face before I splashed her as well. “That’s for scaring me earlier,” I said.

She spluttered, then laughed softly. “I’ll take my licks like a good filly,” she said, then her expression became one of concern. “What’s wrong, babe? Ever since you came out of that meeting, you’ve been silent. Even during dinner, you didn’t say much.”

I sighed. “I learned some interesting history from the High Lady about this world and I’m still trying to process everything I learned.”

She snuggled closer, wrapping her forelegs around me and placing her head against my shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

“More than anything,” I admitted in a tone I realized was desperate, “but…I don’t know who I can tell. I was about to contact Celestia and talk with her and Luna about it.”

“While you’re bathing?” Scarlet asked with what sounded like a hint of amusement. “That’s kinda-” she paused, then shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t be teasing you right now. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, please don’t,” I implored her.

She nodded and snuggled up closer, wrapping her hind legs around my lower body but nothing more. “How can I help?” she asked. “I know I tease you a lot, but I want to hope that I’ve earned enough of your trust to be able to help shoulder your burdens.”

I looked at her, and the sincerity in those cherry red eyes melted my heart. I reached up and stroked her mane lovingly. “You’ve earned my trust just as much as you’ve earned Zecora’s and many others,” I responded with utter sincerity. “And I can say the same in kind.” I gave her a loving gaze. “I want to help shoulder your own burdens, whatever those might be. I know Zecora wants to help, too, especially since she’s the Prime.”

She looked at me, eyes wide, then her smile returned, broad and full of joy and what looked like relief. She leaned in and kissed me deeply and passionately. Her kiss was hungry as well and she moaned softly as my hand instinctively went to her rear, but slowly, we both pulled away, seeming to be on the same page that this was not what we should be doing at a time like this. “You’ve no idea how much that means to me,” she replied with joy. “Hearing you say that means everything to me. There’s so much I want to tell you, but right now I want to focus my attention on you. When we get back to Ponyville, I’ll tell you something I should have told you long ago.”

That got my attention, but I simply smiled and kissed her nose lovingly. “I’ll hold you to that,” I said.

“So…what were you told today?” Scarlet asked.

I was about to reply, when I paused. It was nearly time to call up Zecora and check on her. If there was anyone I trusted implicitly, it was her. Her, and the mare clinging to my naked body in the wooden tub. Plus, there was someone else I should talk to about this. “Why don’t I set up a conference call with Zecora and the princesses after we get out of the bath? I’ll tell you all then.”

She nodded and closed her eyes as I picked up my phone. I sent off a text to Zecora, asking her if she was available for a meeting on Skype in about thirty or so minutes, then sent a Skype message to Celestia saying the same thing. I was surprised to see that the latter was online with a status that read LAPTOPS ARE FUN next to her icon, which itself was fanart of herself. Twilight was also online, with a status that read BOOKS ARE FUN, TOO. Her icon was a picture of a library. I laughed at this, then showed Scarlet what I had seen. She looked, snorted, and shook her head. “If you’re not careful, you might make Celestia into a gamer.”

“Nah, Luna would be the better candidate,” I replied just as I got a reply from Celestia.

I’ll be there when you’re ready. Going to let my sister know. Brb :).

Scarlet and I exchanged looks, then burst out laughing. “Where and when the hell did she learn internet slang and how to use emojis??” Scarlet asked, snorting loudly.

“Maybe I was wrong,” I laughed along with her just as Zecora replied.

I’ll get on Skype in half an hour, my love.

“It’s cute how she continues calling you things like ‘My love’ or ‘Dearest’ or things that are a bit more old-fashioned.”

“In a few ways, I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy,” I replied as I put my phone back down and slid deeper into the warm water. “At least it smells nice in here.”

“It smells like a forest,” Scarlet said with a shrug. “It’s nice, I guess, but I smelled it for years.”

I pursed my lips thoughtfully and pulled her into a hug. We rarely ever talked about her life when she lived as a homeless pony in the ruins of my now restored mansion. She snuggled closer to me, obviously still not quite over that stage of her life. She relaxed as we soaked in the tub. I turned on a playlist of songs from my phone and lightly cast what I’d dubbed the Stereo Spell. Instantly, the songs became crystal clear instead of sounding tiny from my phone speaker.

Twenty minutes later, an alarm I’d set began going off. Scarlet slowly crawled off of me, not being subtle about where she rubbed, either. She gave me a saucy grin as I flicked some water in her direction. She turned, raising her tail to flick water at me as well, giving me a plentiful view of her…assets…before wrapping one of the towels we had been provided around her waist, then another around her head. I stood, grabbed another towel, and began drying myself off before I grabbed the change of clothes I’d brought in, a gray t-shirt and dark blue sweatpants. Then, we headed to the desk in the room with five minutes to spare. Scarlet leaned in close to me as I set up the call. The phone was set up in front of us, I cast the spell that let the screen be projected above us in high quality, then made the call.

Zecora was the first to answer. From the background, she must have been sitting at the desk in our bedroom. “Hello, dearest,” she said before a wry smile formed on her lips. “I see you have not taken any time in claiming your spot beside him, Scarlet.”

“Hey, my boyfriend is an Alicorn,” Scarlet defended, “and as such he has Alicorn sized…appetites, as it were.”

“Satisfy him well,” Zecora said, “because when you both get home, I’ll show you my own appetite has…grown.” Her eyes twinkled in anticipation.

“Noted,” I chuckled as I rubbed Scarlet’s mane gently.

Celestia was the next to answer the call, only, she wasn’t alone. Luna was there as well. They looked like they were in Celestia’s private bedchambers. Celestia spoke up first. “I see we’re all calling from our bedrooms,” she said with a warm smile.

“You certainly look quite cozy there, Miss Dusk,” Luna added.

Scarlet inclined her head in polite reverence. “I am, your Highnesses,” she said. “The Emperor here makes for quite a comfortable pillow.”

“How the mighty have fallen, your Grace,” Luna laughed. “An emperor, reduced to a mere pillow.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said with a grin, then the grin faded. “Still, I’d like to discuss something serious.”

The mood shifted, and everyone looked at me, or at their screens, with seriousness. “First off, if you’re calling us about something that happened in Cervinia, then may I assume that it’s not good news?” Celestia asked.

“I wouldn’t call it that,” I said with a frown. “It’s more like…I learned some unexpected history from the High Lady here. The immortal High Lady.”

Celestia and Luna nodded. “Like ourselves, the High Lady is what you might describe as an ascended member of the Deerfolk society,” the former explained.

“I see,” I replied dryly, then I cleared my throat. “I had a shorter day speaking with her than I expected, but I also learned a few things that, frankly, stunned me. Most of it being ancient history, stuff that was never mentioned in the G4 show.” That caught the attention of everyone there. Everyone was focusing intently on their screens, now. When nobody spoke, I cleared my throat and pressed forward. “As it turns out, the High Lady was…involved with someone from the distant past. Someone who was crucial to early Pony history.”

“Pray tell, who may that be?” Luna asked, showing how anxious she was to know much more obviously than her more practiced sister, whose face was a mask of control and calm.

“Danny Williams.”

The simple answer seemed to send shockwaves of alarm through the call. Zecora’s bright blue eyes widened in shock. Luna and Celestia kept their reactions more controlled, although in Luna’s case, her surprise was more evident. Beside me, Scarlet’s jaw was on the floor. It was Celestia who spoke first, however. “She and the young Danny had a connection of a personal nature?”

“When he was an adult, yes,” I replied. “I don’t know how, but I think Danny, er, Daniel I guess, spent his remaining life here as Valindra’s husband. There were drawings of him as an adult in the meeting room where I met with her. He died in this world, too.”

The expressive ears of all four equines drooped. Even Celestia looked saddened by that. “How did that come to pass, though?” Luna asked in a much more somber tone. “It was my understanding that the Williams siblings had a means to get back to their homeland. Over the rainbow, if that cartoon is correct.”

“We don’t know how correct that cartoon is,” I said. “I mean, even the G4 cartoon I know has shown things that aren’t quite the same. Discord being replaced by Eris and Torch being a massive abusive asshole come to mind.”

Scarlet put a comforting wing around my back as she saw me tense up at the mention of both individuals who could arouse my fury. “Easy there, big boy,” she said in a soothing tone.

“Your point is well taken,” Celestia said, “but even so, it is upsetting to hear that Daniel may have lost his way back to his homeworld.”

“At least I have a near carbon copy I can visit if I ever feel homesick,” I conceded, although I knew it wouldn’t be the same since Trixie’s parents were still there and I considered them the only family I had left after losing my own parents and Trixie, “but it looks like Daniel was stuck here for some reason. I’m guessing it has to do with whatever cataclysm afflicted Ponyland.”

“Did you hear anything more about that?” Zecora asked.

“Only that it must have been some sort of flood disaster,” I explained. “The High Lady showed me snippets of Daniel’s journal and told me things he had told her. And before you ask, I did get express permission from her to speak to you about this, but this must be kept secret. At least for now.”

“I won’t be telling a single soul, of that you can be sure,” Zecora said.

“Neither will my sister or I,” Celestia said.

“I’ll make that unanimous,” Scarlet said.

I smiled softly, giving the screen a grateful nod, then became serious again. “There’s something else. Something that we kind of knew about already, but something which can be expanded upon with much more certainty. There exist, or once existed, I should say, three races on Narda.”

“You use the Deerfolk name of the world?” Luna asked.

“It’s as good a name as any,” I said, feeling slightly irritated at being interrupted, “and Daniel used it, so perhaps it’s the universal name of the world.”

Luna must have sensed my irritation, because she simply nodded. “A fair point. Do continue.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Listen, from that first episode we all watched, the know, or could assume at least, that humans and gnomelike humanoids existed, at least in the cartoon.”

“You refer to that human prince who took on the form of Scorpan and that smaller humanoid called the Moochick?” Celestia asked.

“Exactly,” I replied. “I’ve also been doing some of my own research into G1 ever since we discovered that stone tablet. Turns out, in one episode, there was a third race of humanoids, these ones were more like elves. Humanoids with pointed ears. You know, like the elves from the movie we watched when we were coming back from the Lycan Empire?”

Everyone nodded in acknowledgment. “But surely these can’t be the same types of creatures?” Luna asked. “Fair skinned, long hair, fair features.”

“That I can’t really say,” I admitted. “The elf-like beings from the G1 cartoon looked more human, only with a set of pointed ears. Their ruler even had a human name: Prince Philip. Her sister was named Suzette. But according to what I learned, their ruler when Daniel was around was someone called Phylai. He’d sat on something called the Throne of Branches for one thousand years when he’d wrote it. According to what Daniel wrote, they’re called the Elven, and they were a secretive race of beings who live in a tree called the Álvan Tree. It’s apparently similar to the Cervinia Citadel.” I described the Citadel in great detail for the next few minutes to a rapt audience.

When I’d finished, including an explanation on the massive boost of magic, it looked like a light bulb went off in Celestia’s head. “That might explain why the High Lady has never permitted me into the Citadel or within their borders and why our meetings are always elsewhere, as few as those meetings have been.”

“That’s not all,” I said. “You know the Earth Pony magic that Applejack now knows and is practicing? The Elven used it first and taught it to some Earth Ponies back in the day, at least according to Daniel.”

“That is eye opening news,” Luna said.

“Ever since Applejack showed signs of it, Luna and I have been trying to see if I could replicate said magic,” Celestia said. She held up her hoof and a look of concentration formed on her brow. At first, nothing happened. Then, despite the lower resolution of the cameras on their laptop, I saw a very dim green glow surrounding Celestia’s hoof. She gasped and lowered her hoof. “That’s all I can accomplish based on what Applejack told Twilight about her magic.”

“I have had similar results,” Luna said.

“We’re getting off topic, though,” Zecora said, resting her folded hands across her stomach.

I got the message, then nodded. “Long story short, the Elven were forest dwellers who lived with nature, but that also made them quite hardy folk. They were expert archers, wielded swords very well, and practiced hand to hand martial arts.”

“They sound like quite the species,” Celestia said, “but you speak of them as if they’re extinct. Did that topic come up?”

“Not quite,” I said, “but it’s possible that they, along with the Humans and the Dwarven, were swallowed up by whatever catastrophe occurred to Ponyland.”

“Why does this sound a lot like the sinking of Beleriand in the War of Wrath against Morgoth?” Scarlet muttered.

“War of Wrath? Beleriand? Morgoth?” Luna looked intrigued and leaned forward. “Is this from one of your fictitious stories, Jethro?”

“Remind me to buy you and Celestia a copy of all things Tolkien, including The Silmarillion, sometime soon,” I said. “In short, there’s a book called The Silmarillion which depicts the creation of the world of Middle-Earth and its early history. The War of Wrath was a major battle, forces of good versus forces of evil. Basically, the was was so devastating that Beleriand, a part of Middle-Earth on the western front, sank beneath the waves.”

“I would very much like to read this tale,” Luna said, clearly intrigued.

“As would I, but we're straying from the topic,” Celestia said. “You are saying that it’s possible, even highly likely, that these three races you mentioned, are long gone.”

“It’s possible,” I conceded, “but to be honest, they could very well be around somewhere. According to Daniel’s journal, the Dwarven can access a place they called the Myrk. Form what I understood, it seemed as if the Myrk is some…maybe pocket dimension, other universe, or something like that. The description sounds like the mythical St. Martin’s Land from that Woolpit story. I’ll explain that later,” I added quickly when Luna opened her mouth to speak. “Basically, it’s an underground realm that only they have the magic to enter. If it is a pocket dimension or something like that, then it’s possible that the Dwarven helped some survivors escape into the Myrk. Humans, Dwarven, Elven, perhaps even Ponies and other races are in there.” I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Phew, that was a mouthful.”

“Drink some water, dearest,” Zecora encouraged.

“I’ll get some,” Scarlet said before I could move. She rushed over to a small dining area where a pitcher of perpetually cool water sat along with two wooden cups.

As she was pouring the water, Luna spoke up. “So there were Humans, Dwarven, and Elven races in our world at some point in the distant past,” she muttered. “I wish we could have met them before they disappeared.”

“I read something else of interest in the journal,” I said.

“Pray tell, what is it?” Luna asked.

“The Moochick, the Dwarven man you saw in the G1 episode I showed you, said that there’s a legend that many of the races may have been uplifted by the Humans, Elven, and Dwarven.”

“Uplifted? You mean given sapience?” Celestia’s eyes were wide.

“That’s the legend,” I said as Scarlet returned with our waters.

As I took a sip, the two sisters exchanged a look. I couldn’t really tell what they were thinking, mostly because of the camera quality, but also because the two were experts at controlling their emotions. Zecora had her eyes closed. She wasn’t asleep, that I could tell, but she was deep in thought. Her lips moved softly. Finally, she opened her eyes and shook her head. “I cannot think of any Zebra legends or myths that could corroborate this tale,” she said.

“That doesn’t mean there is no merit to them,” Celestia said. “Still, our original homeland has been lost, and this Ponyland, wherever it has to be, is also lost. This is quite a puzzle.”

I couldn’t help myself. I grinned as I said, “I know a certain Pony who loves puzzles and studying.”

Celestia smiled back at me, but shook her head. “She would get lost in the pursuit of answers, you know that,” she reminded me.

“I know,” I replied, “but what about a certain fiery stallion who is still recovering from that magic surgery you gave him to give him access to his magic completely?”

“Sunburst?” Celestia asked.

“And Starlight Glimmer,” I added. “She could probably be of help.”

“Yes, she very well could,” Luna said, “and even perchance young Moondancer. She is just as studious as young Twilight.”

“You’ve given us a lot to think about,” Celestia said, “and I get the feeling that you’ve barely scratched the surface in your explanations.”

“It feels that way for me, too,” I acknowledged. “Knowing someone who is older than you and who knows Daniel from the time after Ponyland’s destruction is a bit hard to wrap my head around.”

“Not to mention there being two Spikes in history who look nearly identical and who are baby dragons during the show,” Scarlet muttered.

“That is a valid point as well,” Celestia said, “but the existence of an earlier Spike is a mystery for another day. As are all other mysteries.” She smiled warmly at me. “You look tired. You should get some rest.”

“I’ll certainly try,” I promised.

“My sister and I thank you for calling despite your exhaustion,” Luna said regally.

“You sound as if you’ve had quite a rough day,” Celestia added. “I’m guessing you discussed other things aside from history?”

“Most of what we talked about was history,” I admitted, “but tomorrow I’m going to focus only on the relationship between Aelyssia and Cervinia.”

“Good luck with that,” Celestia said, “and may Harmony be with you.”

I almost replied with ‘And also with you’ but held back. “I’ll definitely need it,” I chuckled dryly.

After we said our goodbyes, Celestia and Luna logged off, but Zecora remained. She looked at the screen, a look of longing on her face. “Dearest, were you able to get permission from the High Lady about using that door?”

I exhaled slowly, then nodded. “Only on the caveat that we keep its usage to an hour a day and that we never leave this room,” I explained. A little after the meeting had broken up, I had remembered the door fabrics and had asked the High Lady if I could use them to see my pregnant wife. Surprisingly, she knew about them and how they worked and had given me the aforementioned permission. “I’ll go set it up now. Oh, just some warning before you come through. The magic on this side is much stronger, so try not to use any.”

“I’m still a magic novice, so that should be no problem,” Zecora said.

I rushed to my bags, pulled out the fabric, and found a wall that was blank. I put the fabric against the wall, and the door solidified. I opened the door only to be greeted by a warm and radiant smile from my wife. “Zecora…”

“Jethro…” She walked gingerly through the door, and her eyes widened as she, too, felt the wave of immense magical pressure around us. “Oh my…”

She started to stumble, but I caught her, holding her close in my arms. Scarlet came up with a cup of water for her as well. “It took us by surprise, too,” she said, “but you’ll adjust.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” Zecora said as I took the water from Scarlet and held it to Zecora’s lips. She tasted it, and her eyes went wide. “This water is incredibly pure!”

“Pure and crisp,“ I said as I continued helping her drink until she got her bearing. “Feel better?”

“Much,” Zecora said as she let go of me and looked around the room, now holding the cup of water in her hand. “Your accommodations are lovely,” she said.

I looked around the room and nodded. “A place fit for an Emperor.” I then turned to Scarlet and decided to get a bit of revenge. “And his concubine, of course.”

Scarlet bit her lower lips and then stood on her hind legs, moving like she was some Arabian harem dancer girl before standing back on all fours. “I know what I’m ordering next,” she purred as she walked up to me. “Saddle Arabian…nightwear.”

“Oh my God, how horny are you??” I exclaimed, but to my surprise, at the same time, Zecora had said the same thing. I turned to her, eyes wide.

“Well, you’ve said it so often to her that it may as well be one of your catchphrases,” Zecora teased.

“Collect the Jethro Bethridge doll from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, in stores now!” Scarlet said in a commercial voice.

I sat on the bed, my face threatening to split from the broad grin on my face. This was what I was missing. This was all I really wanted. My wife. My girlfriend. Even my friends. All of them around, teasing me, playing with me, talking, going on fun adventures. My spirits were rising swiftly, and as the two sat on opposite sides of me, I hugged them in my wings and put an arm around each of them, pulling them close. The two of them reacted instinctively, kissing my cheek, then kissing me more, Zecora first, then Scarlet in turn. “I’ve needed this,” I admitted.

“What you need is a break,” Scarlet said. “Once this business in Cervinia is over, and same with the one in the Lycan Empire, you are taking a week off.”

“I wish I could afford to,” I said, “but I just got myself established as the Aelyssian Emperor, and I need to show my presence there for a little while. Don’t worry,” I amended when I saw the worried faces of my lovers, “I’ll maintain a good work-life balance.”

“You’d better,” Scarlet said, “because if you don’t, Zecora and I are tying you to the bed and fucking you until the cows come home and then some.”

“Well, maybe not that extreme, but she has a point,” Zecora said soothingly as she nuzzled my cheek affectionately, her soft face instantly relaxing me as I leaned in against her. She pulled me close to her bosom and stroked my hair lovingly while Scarlet rubbed my back. “You’re only one man, my love. My darling husband. My savior.”

“It’s been a while since you called me that last one,” I chuckled.

“You saved me too,” Scarlet said, “and I guarantee you that neither of us will ever forget what you did.”

For a long while, the three of us lay on the bed, snuggling and listening to some nature sounds I found on YouTube. We didn’t say much, just enjoyed the company we had with each other. However, fifty minutes later, an alarm I had set went off. We sat back up, and I helped Zecora to her feet. “Thank you for coming, babe,” I said. “Just seeing you in person and seeing that you’re alright makes me feel more at ease.”

“Don’t worry too much about me,” she admonished me as she booped my nose, “I have access to the Ponyville Library and the staticnet. I have been studying pregnancies for humans and Zebras and Ponies just so I can be somewhat aware.”

I nodded and smiled at her. “Glad to hear it,” I said.

The two of us looked at each other, then we wrapped arms and wings around each other. This wasn’t some chaste kiss this time. This was a full blown make out session. In the corner of my mind I heard Scarlet giggling, but I was lost in the moment.

When our hands started moving downwards, however, I knew we had to stop. I gently pulled away, and she responded in kind, albeit reluctantly. My heart was pounding and my face was hot. She was panting softly, as was I. “When I get back, we’re continuing that little conversation,” I promised.

“Count on that,” Zecora said before she turned and headed to the door. When she passed through the threshold, she stumbled a bit, but before I could instinctively reach out to catch her, she caught herself. “Wow…that was an experience, too.” She turned to me. “When you leave Cervinia, be careful.”

“I will,” I promised. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Zecora smiled, then turned to Scarlet. “I miss you, too, and I’m grateful you’re there with him.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Scarlet said. “See you tomorrow this same time?”

“It’s a date,” Zecora giggled before she turned and made her way to the bed on the other side. The other door exit was located in my mansion bedroom, after all.

As she was turning out the lights, I closed the door, getting one last look at my darling wife before I closed the door tightly, then pulled at a corner of the door. It flattened out and became a piece of heavy fabric once more. Scarlet came and silently helped me roll it back up before placing it back into my luggage. Soon, I was lying under the soft and warm blankets, Scarlet pressing her body next to me as best as she could. We lay there for a while, enjoying each other’s presences. She nuzzled my face again after a while, giving it an affectionate lick before asking, “Everything will turn out okay in the end, I promise.”

I looked over at her, and despite it being dark in the room, I could almost feel her reassuring emotions being pointed at me. I smiled despite knowing that she wouldn’t be able to see it. “Thanks,” I whispered as I kissed her.

She kissed back, then snuggled up close to me. “Goodnight,”

“Goodnight, and sleep well,” I replied.

Underneath the warm covers, right there in the darkened room, the two of us fell asleep fast.

My alarm woke us up at around eight-thirty the next morning. I was the first to get up, groggy and a little bit grumpy. Scarlet stumbled out of bed, her crimson mane and tail a mess. “Mornin’,” she said in a slurred and tired tone all her own.

“Sup?” I replied.

Scarlet stretched and arched her back in a very catlike way. “Damn, but those beds are comfy,” she said. “Just as good as our bed back home.”

“Mmhmm,” I nodded as I sat on the side of the bed and blearily tried to rub sleep from my eyes. As I did so, I felt a pair of lips pressing against me. Opening my eyes, I saw that Scarlet had gotten in front of me and was kissing me. I kissed back, then the two of us separated after a few seconds.

“Nice morning breath,” she teased me.

I scoffed a bit. “And yours can melt metal,” I retorted.

Scarlet stuck her tongue out at me, then put a hoof to her mouth and breathed on it, sniffing immediately after. “Fuck you,” she said, although I could see the amused twinkle in her eyes when she said it.

“Tonight,” I promised.

That seemed to perk her right up. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

Her tail swished slightly back and forth at this as the two of us went into the bathroom. We splashed water on our face, brushed our teeth, and combed our hair, although in my case, since my hair was long and moved in the breeze like Celestia’s and Luna’s, it took a longer time to not only comb it but tie it back so it didn’t get in the way. “You should really consider cutting it a bit,” Scarlet said at the end, as she had to help me with it.

“Mmhmm, maybe later,” I said absently as I adjusted the clothes I’d chosen for today. It may have been considered a bit less regal than the clothes I wore the day before, but there was no mistaking the Aelyssian flare. They were also made by Rarity, so I felt it prudent to show off her skills.

As I was putting on the cloak that we had been given, Scarlet was fumbling with hers. She sighed, then looked up at me. “Jethro, do you think that today, instead of going out as I am, you could turn me into an Anthro?”

I looked at her, a bit of confusion creeping into my still sleep-addled brain. “Why?” I asked.

“I want you to not feel left out,” she said.

I felt a sense of gratitude wash over me at her words. She might have been a horny mare who spouted more Earth slang and lingo than even Sunset did, but when she was sincere, I knew I could trust her to be sincere. So, without another thought, I raised my hand and cast the spell.

Too late did my tired brain remember that I was in a magically rich land. I tried to hold back, but it was too late. The magic surrounded her, and her body began to morph and change. I also saw that the magic I had cast on her was raw magic instead of the magic natural to me. Her body shifted and glowed, and I saw her beginning to change into her Anthro form. She rose into the air above the floor, and I was immediately reminded of the time when Zecora became a permanent Anthro. “Scarlet?! Are you okay??” I shouted in alarm.

“I’m fine.” Her voice sounded distorted, but other than that it was calm and controlled. “It’s like…there’s something surging through me…”

“Just stay calm, alright!” I said not so calmly.

She chuckled. “Shouldn’t you be telling yourself that?”

I swallowed hard and took in a few deep breaths. “You’re right, you’re right…but you’re not hurting anywhere, are you?”

“It doesn’t normally take this long, right?” Scarlet asked as she floated in the air, her body a pure white anthro body. I saw no features other than her glowing body’s outline.

“N-No, it doesn’t,” I said, trying not to panic.

Scarlet then spread her arms and new wings wide. Her head looked up and she said, “Oh…wow…”

A bright cherry red light enveloped her body, causing me to turn away. Scarlet took in a sharp intake of breath, exhaled slowly. The light began to fade, then she fell onto the bed where she had floated over, eyes closed. I rushed over and checked her pulse and breathing. ”Thank God she still has those,” I muttered as I turned her gently over onto her back.

As I did so, she began to stir and groan, and I began taking note of a few changes to her body. The last time she had been in her Anthro form, she'd had hooves for feet. However, now, she had a pair of human-like feet like Zecora now had. She looked slightly taller than Zecora, but still shorter than I was. She was a bit more slender than Zecora, but with an amazing figure.

And there was an unmistakable cherry red glow of magic around her hands, which thankfully was quickly dissipating.

She began to stir, then opened one eye, then the other. “Scarlet?”

She groaned as she put her new hand to her head and tried sitting up, but being in an unfamiliar body, she only succeeded in moving around and getting in an unflattering position. I quickly helped her to a sitting position. “Talk about your hangovers from Hell,” she groaned.

I sat her up against the headrest of the bed. “Stay right there. I’ll get you some water.” So saying, I poured her another cup of water, which she downed instantly.

After a few more cups, she leaned back, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. “That helped,” she acknowledged, giving me a grateful smile.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I wrapped my arms around her. She did the same, clinging tightly to me. Despite her calm demeanor, she was trembling, so I enveloped her in my wins as well. “Scarlet…please tell me that you’re okay?” I asked in a nervous tone.

“I’m fine,” she said reassuringly into my chest, and judging from the way her body was starting to stop trembling, she meant it. “Just…let’s stay like this for a while, yeah?”

“Of course,“ I reassured her, and the two of us sat like that for a good half hour.

My heart rate began to slow considerably, but then I began to process what had just happened. Was Scarlet just like Zecora, now? A permanent Anthro? Was she an Alicorn? She didn’t have a horn, but neither did Zecora. Then again, she’s a Zebra. Celestia and Luna had a horn when they were in their Anthro forms, but their temporary Anthro forms.

The tension was broken slightly when she pulled away and looked at me with those beautiful cherry red eyes. She gave me a nervous smile as she said, “Um, well, looks like you did it again.” She gently flapped her now Alicorn style wings. “I’m just like you and Zecora, now.”

167: A Cloaked Heart's Marefriend's Past

“I must admit, when I felt that surge of magic earlier this morning, I was not expecting this,” High Lady Valindra said as she drank in Scarlet’s new appearance. Scarlet was borrowing some of my clothes, which were a bit large on her, but Zecora’s clothes wouldn’t have fit. She was wearing a pair of dark blue sweatpants, a red hoodie, and a pair of my shoes, a pair of white sneakers with red laces. All of which Zecora had brought through the portal for us when she heard about what happened.

“Neither was I,” Scarlet admitted, still looking a bit shaken by the incident.

I reached over and put my hand over her new one. “I’m so sorry,” I said softly.

She squeezed my hand. “You didn’t do it on purpose,” she said.

“Still, I should have been more careful,” I chided myself.

“That’s in the past, now,” she replied.

Valindra looked between us, then let out a small sigh. “If this is going to hamper our discussions, we can postpone them if you want.”

“No,” Scarlet shook her head. “I plan on heading back home after today. On my coltfriend’s insistence, I should add.” She gave my hand another squeeze. That had been an argument we’d had earlier that morning. Scarlet wanted to stay and be moral support for me, but I had wanted her to go home so that she wouldn’t accidentally use her new magic in this magically rich land. Zecora had helped us compromise: Scarlet would spend one more day here, and then she’d return home.

“Well, if you’re sure, then would you like to proceed, your Grace?” Valindra asked.

I nodded. “Yes, of course.”

“Very well,” Valindra said. “I know that most of the day yesterday was spent talking about ancient history, but today I think it would behoove us to talk more about the future.”

“That sounds good to me,” I said. “I believe yesterday we spoke about an exchange of personnel between our kingdoms as well as favors.”

“Correct, your Grace,” Valindra replied.

I focused more on the conversation. “We also discussed trade deals, at least in general. I should point out, however, that we are a recovering empire. We only just got back our former capital city.”

“The ruins of Virynth Atheos?” Valindra asked. When I nodded, she smiled. “I have seen it a few times and I’ve seen the throne room many times through the Semaphore.”

I raised an eyebrow. “The Semaphore?” I’d heard of a semaphore system, but only first from David Weber’s Safehold series.

“You used it once when your astral form visited our throne room,” Valindra explained. “The Semaphore system was set up many centuries before Equestria was even founded. Unlike the system of flags and signals of the same name, this allows for instant communication across hundreds, nay, thousands, of miles.”

I remembered the crystal I’d found in Torch’s cave and how I had been teleported to the frozen Crystal Empire, Griffonstone, Canterlot, and even the Lycan Empire. “If such a system exists,” I said, “then why hasn’t it been used more frequently?”

“The Polýtimos Republic created the Semaphore,” Valindra replied. “They were the ancient precursor civilization to the Crystal Empire. The Semaphore could only really be used effectively while the either side still existed. Have you heard of the Pétra Kardiá?”

“No, I haven’t,” I said, trying to think what that could mean.

“Roughly translated, it means Heart Stone,” Valindra replied. “It was the heart of the Semaphore. It was also lost when Sombra took over the Crystal Empire and said empire was lost.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Scarlet tensed up at the mention of the tyrant’s name. “Now, if anyone tries to use the Semaphore, we can’t actually direct the link to where we want it to go, as I’m sure you saw. Not even if both sides try and reach out to one another. It rarely works.”

So the Pétra Kardiá works like an old style operator switchboard, I thought. I wonder if the Semaphore can get back up and running once Sombra’s defeated and Cadance is put on the throne. “I see,” I noted. “Fascinating new history lesson.”

Valindra tittered gently. “We do seem to be distracted by those,” she said. “Still, shall we return to our discussions now?”

I nodded and leaned forward. “Where should we begin?”

“Well, I doubt we need to worry about territorial disputes,” Valindra said. “Our borders are too far apart for that. We’ve discussed military cooperation to a point. Perhaps we should put any more discussions on hold until your government has been more formally shaped. I mean no offense, of course.”

“No offense taken, my lady,” I said. “Still, there has to be more we can talk about before we part ways, right?”

Valindra leaned backwards, looking at me with a contemplative expression. “Your Grace, you are a newly crowned Emperor, hardly even half a year into your reign. Other less reputable nations may try to take advantage of your supposed naïvety. Now, I know you’re not naïve, but I also know you’re new to this. I do not want your subjects to view us negatively because of an agreement that we might reach that could be misconstrued as leaning heavily in our favor. In your time here, you have shown yourself to be conscientious. You also care for your new subjects despite having the job practically thrust upon you. In the future, I deeply hope that our kingdoms can work together and become allies. The old Aelyssian Empire was a place of great majesty and splendor. I look forward to seeing how you and the current dragons rebuild it.”

Well, this meeting’s certainly taking a turn I wasn’t expecting, I thought. Still, it was nice to know that Valindra was such a lady of high standards. “Thank you, High Lady,” I said, inclining my head politely. “I’m grateful you want there to be an amicable relationship between our two nations.”

She smiled at me and nodded back. “As a token of good faith, I will provide you and yours with a precious gift, one that may very well prove extremely useful in your endeavors to rebuild Aelyssia.” She lifted her head and her horns began glowing. A large acorn the size of a bowling ball floated up from beneath the table. It floated over to my awaiting hands.

When she released it, I felt its weight in my hands. It was heavier than it looked, almost like a heavy bowling ball as well. I looked it over, and it was just like any other acorn I’d seen before, just bigger. Looking over, I asked, “What kind of seed is this?”

She chuckled softly. “It is a seed that will grow into a tree fortress like this one, given the correct circumstances,” she said. “I have had it in my keeping for centuries.”

I looked at the seed with great wonder now. “You’re telling me,” I said, “that if I plant this tree, it will grow to be like the Citadel?” I could hardly believe what she was giving me.

“Correct, your Grace,” Valindra said. “In fact, I received it before the founding of Aelyssia from a Dragon named…I believe his name was Spike.”

I held my reaction, but inside I was completely shocked. Was she talking about the Spike from the G1 show? The one from Ponyland? I put the acorn down. “Why did this Spike give you this acorn? And when did he bring it?”

“The Dragon named Spike brought me this after the same calamity that destroyed Ponyland also destroyed the land of the Dragons at that time,” she explained. “The Dragons also lived in a tree like the Citadel back then, and it was destroyed in the catastrophe. Many Dragons fled to Aelyssia and after many years, founded their kingdom there.” Valindra gestured to the acorn on the table. “Trees such as the Citadel only drop one viable acorn like this in their lives. Other acorns do drop, but they are always smaller and can only produce normal trees. The Citadel has not yet dropped hers, but this one was already dropped. Since it was given to me by a Dragon and it was from the Dragon’s own tree, I return it to its proper owner in good faith.”

I looked at the bowling ball shaped acorn, filled with awe. If I could find a way for this tree to grow in Aelyssia, it could become a beacon of hope. Not to mention the boost of magic…

I looked back up and put my hands on the acorn. “Thank you,” she said. “I honestly don’t know what to say, here.”

“Your gratitude is appreciated,” Valindra acknowledged, “but I must ask that you not misuse the unique abilities that come from living under the tree’s protection.”

“You mean the enhanced magical abilities, the mild weather, and that sort of thing?” I asked.

“Especially the first one,” Valindra said. “I know you have several beings of magic around to help, and their magic may be too hard to control without proper training and restraint.”

“So even the least magical of Unicorns could become incredibly strong?” I asked.

She nodded. “Pegasi could reach speeds unheard of, and Earth Ponies…well, their strength could increase. Dragon fire could also become incredibly powerful, and if you have a Wyvern with you, their magic will make them extremely powerful.”

”How long do these trees take to grow?” I asked.

“The Citadel was already grown when we arrived here,” Valindra explained, “so I don’t know for sure how long it took. The stories surrounding the Zebra tree they call Yggdrasil, however, claim that it grew as tall as a mountain in a little over a year.”

“That is…scarily fast,” I admitted, looking at the acorn in worry, now. “What’s needed for it to grow?”

“Magically rich soil,” Valindra explained, “as well as water and sunlight, just like any other normal tree. At least, that’s what Spike told me. He didn’t know anything else about it before he left.”

Curiosity got the better of me and I asked, “Where was he going? Did he say?”

“He said that he was going to search for his queen,” Valindra said.

“His queen?” I asked, curious now. “Ponyland had a queen?”

“Ten years before Megan, Daniel, and Mary appeared on Narda, yes,” Valindra said. “A powerful Unicorn ruled before she disappeared after ruling Ponyland for over twenty years.”

Spike was a baby for ten years? I thought. That doesn’t make sense, Dragons don’t age that slowly until puberty. That I had learned from Phlogiston when I asked about Dragon life cycles. Clearly, there was more to the story, but I guessed that was something I would likely never know. “I see,” was all I could say.

Scarlet, who was beside me and hadn’t spoken much since we talked about her transformation, put a hand over mine. “Just another mystery we may never solve, babe,” she said softly.

Valindra chuckled a bit. “You humans are a curious race,” she said.

“It’s one reason why we became the dominant species on our planet,” I explained. “We like knowing things.”

“You like drinking and knowing things,” Scarlet quoted with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and grinned back at her. “No more Game of Thrones for you,” I chided her before I turned back to Valindra. “Again, thank you for this. I will make sure that this gift is not misused.”

“That’s all I ask,” Valindra said as she stood. Scarlet and I stood as well. “I know today’s meeting was short, but I have asked that you be given a guide around the Citadel for the rest of the day. You and all of your entourage.”

“That does sound lovely,” I said, “thank you again.”

“Not at all,” she said. “Of course, we won’t be showing you sensitive areas, but we can show you many of the common levels. All of our cities, artwork, and many things like that. You are free to remain in the city for the next week if you wish.”

“I will…have to get back to you on that,” I admitted. “I do have another appointment with the Lycan Empress.”

Valindra’s smile never wavered, but there was a hardness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. “She asked to see you, too?”

I didn’t detect a change in her tone, but I still felt a shiver run down my spine. “Yes, yes she did,” I said.

“I see,” Valindra said. Her face softened a bit and she gave me a concerned look along with a smile. “Just be wary around her. She is young, but she is also incredibly clever. Smart, that is, as long as her emotions don’t get the better of her.”

“You think this may be a trap?” I asked.

“That is very likely.” Valindra said. “Keep your wits about you.”

“That was my plan,” I said seriously.

She nodded. “Good.” With that, the veil of tension seemed to lift from the room and her smile broadened. “Now then, I believe I promised you a tour of the Citadel.”

Our tour was one of the highlights of the entire trip. Even Gemini had to admit, at least grudgingly, that the place was impressive. It held many thousands of Deerfolk within each level. We visited many of the levels, including the beach and the nighttime one. The nighttime one seemed to mimic the night sky so perfectly that I had to wonder just how Luna would react to seeing it. According to the High Lady, the stars mimicked the current position of the stars regardless of the time of day. They had even used spyglasses to look at the stars, spotting nebulae, galaxies, and globular clusters. The sun didn’t show up here, of course, but the moon and the planets of the solar system did. The temperature there was always the same, nice and cool and reminding me of a cool summer night.

The beach level, on the other hand, mimicked a day/night cycle in accordance with the outside. The temperature would rise and fall as it normally would. It was also always sunny and summery, as opposed to the winter level which mimicked an eternal winter.

A part of me wondered if any tree that grew from the acorn I was given would have floors like these, but I put the questions aside as the day turned late. As we returned to the mansion for the night before we left in the morning, I thought back to the day’s events. A lot had happened, but something that stuck out to me, unusually more than even being given the acorn, was Scarlet’s reaction to Sombra. The two of us went into our private suite after a delicious and filling meal, and that was when I decided to ask her about it. But she beat me to it, although her choice of topic was different from the one I was going to talk about.

“Jethro? Are you okay?” Scarlet asked, a hint of concern in her voice as we lay in bed together, not quite ready for a bath. She reached down, grabbed my hand, and held it up. “You kept your hands in your pockets a lot today. You normally don’t.”

I chuckled a bit dryly. “You noticed that, huh?” I asked.

She nodded. “You were also a little bit jumpy during the tour. What’s going on?”

I inhaled deeply, then sighed. “Babe, I somehow changed you and Zecora into anthropomorphic Alicorn-like creatures,” I said. “I was careless this morning, and now you may be stuck like this forever.” I gestured to her anthro form.

She sat up and turned to me, the sweatshirt she was wearing not hiding her new curves very well. “I admit,” she said with a bit of a tremble in her voice, “this wasn’t on my bingo card of things to happen during my life.” My heart sank at her tone, but she turned to me, reached out, and cupped my cheeks as she straddled me, but not in a sexual gesture. Her bright red eyes seemed to shine with love and warmth. “If this is permanent,” she said, “it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I would be able to get used to it, especially with you and Zecora with me.” She took both my hands in hers now and pinned them both to my side, leaning in with a sincere look in her eyes. “Are you scared?” she asked tenderly.

“I’d call it concerned,” I said, although I wasn’t sure if that was the full truth.

Scarlet saw through that right away. “Jethro…” she said sternly.

I gave her a brief wry smile before it fell. “Yeah, I’m scared,” I said. “What if, as my magic grows, I cast that spell on someone and accidentally turn them into another Alicorn anthro?” I swallowed a bit. “I can’t just go around creating them,” I added, cutting myself off before I mentioned immortality.

She lay on top of me, her breasts pressed against my chest, but she never broke her gaze with me. “I know Zecora doesn’t blame you for what happened to her. For that matter, neither do I.” Leaning in, she locked lips with me, and I responded in kind. Her lips tasted like a faint hint of the finest cherries. After a minute, she broke the kiss. “When we leave tomorrow and after we leave the Eldenwilds, I’m sure your magic will be reduced back to normal,” she finished with a teasing tone.

“Promises, promises,” I replied with a roll of the eyes.

She snickered, then gave my face an affectionate lick before she lay her head on my chest. “Eeyup,” she said, doing a passable imitation of Big Mac.

We lay like that for a little while before I suggested that we take a bath. As we were both undressing for it, I decided to try again at mentioning her earlier behavior. I turned to her and asked, “Hey, Scarlet?”

“Yes?” Scarlet turned to face me, her larger breasts already free of the bra Zecora had lent to her, one of the only pieces of clothing that had fit from Zecora’s new wardrobe.

“I noticed something earlier,” I admitted. “Something when the High Lady was talking about Sombra.”

Once more, she stiffened a bit at the name, but only briefly before she seemed to force herself to relax. “What do you mean?” she asked.

I inclined my head at her. “You did it again, babe,” I said. “You reacted to his name.”

Scarlet stared at me for a while, then slowly, her shoulder slumped and she looked down at the ground. “I’ll…I’ll tell you about it while we’re soaking,” she said. “It’s about time I told somebody…”

“Do you want me to call Zecora so she can-?”

“NO!” The vehemence in her tone startled me, and apparently it startled her too, because she took a deep breath, exhaled, and shook her head. “No,” she repeated. “I don’t want to tell anyone about it except for you, at least not right now.”

I nodded, a bit alarmed by her reaction. I decided to give her an out. “Listen, if you don’t want to talk about it, then I won’t force you,” I said.

She shook her head again as she began to remove the rest of her clothes, albeit more slowly than before, like she was stalling or playing for time. “Thanks,” she said, and I was reminded of the Scarlet I knew before she became the horny meme spouting Earth culture weeb that I knew today, “but…I’ve kept this secret from you for far too long, and when you told me and Zecora about that episode where Sombra and the Crystal Empire return, I knew it was only a matter of time before I needed to talk to you about it.”

“Okay…if you’re sure,” I said.

She nodded, then we both resumed getting ready for our bath in silence. No more than fifteen minutes later, the two of us were sitting in the tub, enjoying, or trying to enjoy it. The atmosphere felt heavy. Scarlet was clinging to me tightly, pressing her naked body against mine, but not in a seductive manner. No, this was a manner of someone seeking comfort when they were scared. No, she was terrified. I just wrapped her in my arms and wings, comforting her as best as I could, my fingers tracing her body tenderly. I couldn’t tell if it helped too much, but eventually she did speak. “I…I haven’t talked much about my past,” she said.

“Only that your family was a small herd family,” I said, “and that you were the only foal in your family despite there being multiple wives.”

She nodded, then looked up at me, her red eyes filled with nervousness. “My father was the only one of his siblings alive when he had me,” she said. “I had two uncles and an aunt who I never knew because…well, because they, along with my grandparents on my father’s side, died in a fire.”

I held her tightly. “I’m so sorry to hear that,” I said.

She buried her face into my chest, clutching onto my free hand with hers. She took a while, but eventually she lay her head on my chest again so she could talk. “I also found out that I wasn’t a planned pregnancy,” she said. “I wasn’t supposed to know that, to be honest. I wasn’t supposed to know a lot of things that I learned…that I learned that night.”

“‘That night’?” I repeated inquisitively before I could stop myself.

To her credit, she seemed not to take notice as she nodded. “One night when I was around thirteen, I woke up from a nightmare feeling thirsty. So, I went downstairs to get a glass of water before I went back to sleep. But I…I overheard my parents, my moms and my dad, talking about me and his ancestry. I learned what I told you just now, but there was more.”

I rubbed her back gently. “Take your time,” I whispered, kissing her hand lovingly.

She nodded, took a shuddering breath, then exhaled just as shakily. “There was…there was a reason why my family never meant to have me. They believe that my bloodline on my father’s side is cursed.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Cursed?”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “C-Cursed.” She was clinging to me tighter now and the tremble in her body only increased. I didn’t say a word and just let her speak when she needed to. After a while she did calm down and spoke again. “It…It has to do with our…our family history…”

I waited once more, letting her get this out. My heart was breaking as I saw her like this. I hated seeing her so scared, and my wings began to warm as I put some of the Phoenix warmth into it. She looked up at me and gave me a grateful smile before she continued. “They…they talked about how…how with every generation on my father’s bloodline’s side, there was always a disaster that claimed the lives of all but one of the bloodline. Dad…he wanted the curse to end with him, so he got a magical vasectomy years before I was born. But apparently…apparently it didn’t work. My parents loved me, don’t get me wrong, and until that night I never thought that I was never meant to be born.”

“I’m sorry you had to hear all that,” I said softly.

“There’s more,” she said, and the hint of fear in her tone put me on alert. “I…my dad’s family line can be traced back for over a thousand years, according to what he told my moms. It was cast on the maternal ancestor by our paternal ancestor. And it’s the latter that you really should know about.”

My eyebrows furled, then they shot up as what was blindingly obvious hit me. “Sombra…?”

Scarlet simply nodded. “He’s my distant ancestor…” she whimpered, eyes wide in terror now. “After that night, I went to the local library to look him up, and I did find a few things…” She clung to me tighter now, and now her trembling was a mixture of fear and rage. “He…He forced himself onto my maternal ancestor!” she shouted into my chest, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. “What kind of sick fuck does that?! He also mind controlled thousands of the Crystal Ponies, many of whom were KILLED! BUT EVEN WORSE WAS THAT HE DID THAT TO MY ANCESTOR!” When she looked up at me, her eyes were blazing with pure rage, and I could feel magic starting to seep out of her. “I HATE THAT I’M RELATED TO THAT BASTARD!”

Fearing that she might cast some magic that could hurt her or even cause some damage, I grabbed her hands and squeezed them. “Deep breaths, Scarlet,” I said as soothingly as I could.

She began to inhale sharply then exhaled with that same sharpness. The amount of magic being cast around her only increased, and anything loose began to float in a cherry red glow. I quickly turned her head to face me with one hand, cupping her cheek in my hand. “Look at me, Scarlet,” I said as calmly as I could. “I love you. Your ancestry doesn’t define who you are as a person. It never does.”

Her magical output began to drop, but not by much. The anger in her eyes changed to desperation, a need for something. “What if it does?” she asked, terror coursing through her. “What if I become…just like him?” She pointed to her gray fur and her red eyes. “I look a lot like him already…” She trembled a bit. “What if I become just as evil as him?”

I ran a hand through her dark red mane. “Your appearance doesn’t make you evil,” I said. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never once shown any signs of being evil. I know that you will never become like Sombra. You care too much.”

That did it. She broke, burying her face into my chest as the magic around us settled down, making the floating objects slowly move back down to where they were. She wrapped her arms and her Alicorn wings around me, sobbing heavily and speaking incoherently every so often. I held her tightly, being there for her when she needed it the most. It hurt seeing her so scared about herself. A part of me wondered if this fear could have influenced her teasing and lustful comments, but I put those thoughts aside. I kissed her forehead and placed my chin on top of her head while my hands ran up and down her back.

After a while, she began to calm down. Her cheeks were stained with tears and she had snot coming from her nose. I grabbed a small towel from the counter with my magic and floated it over, offering it to her. She cleaned her face up, looking a bit embarrassed now. She sniffed as she spoke. “Thank you…” she said with a trembling voice.

“That must have been hard to talk about,” I said, “so thank you for trusting me to talk about it.”

She looked up at me, her eyes glistening. “I wanted to tell you for so long,” she said, “b-but I was scared.”

“I understand,” I replied. “I won’t tell anyone.”

She swallowed a bit. “Well…perhaps we should tell someone else…”

That piqued my interest. “Who do you think we should tell?” I asked.

“Maybe…Zecora, for one?” Scarlet suggested. “She’s a part of the herd, and I don’t want to keep anything from her forever. And the princesses, too…” When she suggested the latter, I felt her tense up again.

“We can tell all of them if you want,” I agreed. “There’s no pressure.”

“Thank you,” she muttered gratefully.

The two of us soaked in the tub in silence for the remainder of our soak together. One thing about the baths here was that the water not only didn’t leak, but it also remained the same temperature. It was so comfortable that, despite her earlier emotional state, poor Scarlet actually managed to fall asleep in the tub.

“Again, please accept my apologies for the direction that our talks took,” Valindra said as my entourage and I prepared to leave. It was early in the morning, and there was still dew on the leaves of the mansion where we had stayed. Everyone was there and packed, even Miora. “It was never my intention for things to take that turn.”

“I’m pretty sure there have been worse ways for beginning talks to go,” I replied with a small smile. “It was very informative and a good starting point for our nations’ relationship with each other.”

Valindra tittered softly. Beside her, Arathyra and Ebiner along with Commander Eldrin and his squad of Deerfolk who would be escorting us out of the Eldenwilds. “No doubt of that,” the High Lady replied. “Still, I hope that when next our nations interact, our relationship will only improve.”

“When that time comes, my lady, I hope so as well,” I replied. I then walked up to her, knelt, took her hoof, and kissed the back of it gently before standing up. “Fare well, my lady, and thank you for your gracious hospitality.”

Valindra’s eyes were wide in surprise, and then her cheeks darkened with a blush. “You’re a very unusual Emperor,” she said in a teasing tone, “but then again, every creature is their own person. I wish you well on your next endeavor and in your travels and future.”

“And I wish you and your lands well as well,” I replied. “May we meet sooner rather than later.”

“May we meet again,” she replied before turning to Eldrin. “Commander, please escort our honored guests to the edge of the Eldenwilds.”

“As you command, High Lady,” Eldrin said, putting one hoof to his chest, then turned to us. “Are you all ready to depart?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Then please follow me,” the commander said before turning and heading down the road towards the cliff which led to the Eldenwilds. Our entourage followed him. It was time to make our next scheduled meeting, and I didn’t anticipate that this one would be as easy as the other. As we walked, my hand holding Scarlet’s own, I let my mind wander a bit. I had to plan.

168: A Cloaked Heart's Walk To Peace

“Where exactly is this Revelin Arch?” I asked as I followed behind Gemini and Mica who were in the lead. We had left the forest the past morning and it was already nearly three in the afternoon. A few snow flurries had hit us on our walk, but nothing too serious. All of us had been walking there not because we had problems with our wings but because Miora had informed us that it was an ancient tradition to walk there, so that’s what we were doing.

“I told you before,” Gemini said sharply, “that it’s between the Eldenwilds and the entrance to the Empire.”

“Directly between, actually,” Mica said.

“Not exactly between,” Miora said. “It was exactly between the nations at the time of its construction, but now that isn’t as exact as the Eldenwilds and Agartha have expanded southward.”

Curious, I pulled out my phone and Googled revelin. “Huh…it’s an actual word,” I muttered before I put my phone back in my pocket. “I did say that we’d meet there on the tenth, but we have a few more days to go before that deadline is met. Still, I’d like to get there early so we can at least set up a camp.”

“Why would you set up a camp when you have the ability to travel to your homeland with the ancient Aelyssian portals?” Miora asked.

“While that is a valid point,” I began, “you said that I should be walking towards the arch. I think, in the interests of good faith, we should remain nearby just in case they arrive early. Sure, I will likely open a portal door back to Ponyville, but only to see my wife and friends.”

Miora didn’t reply. Instead, she looked contemplative as we continued to walk. Scarlet, who had quickly gotten used to her new bipedal locomotion, still found any excuse she could to go arm in arm with me. Not that I was complaining, of course. At the moment, she was to my right, leaning her head against my shoulder. I looked down at her, my worry for her spiking again. “How are you feeling?” I asked softly.

She looked up at me, her cherry red eyes full of love and gratitude. “I’m doing better,” she said, reaching up and cupping my cheek with her new velvety soft hand before it fell back down. “Thanks for worrying about me, babe.”

Gemini looked back at the two of us, her brow furled with confusion. “So,” she began, “just how in Tartarus did you manage to transform both your mares into that…human-like form?”

“Do you think it would work on non-equines?” Mica asked curiously. “Perhaps on Miora here?”

“Now hold on, there,” I said before Miora could react, “that’s not really something that’s too important right now. Besides, I think it only worked on Zecora because she’s an equine, and the transformation has only ever been tried on equines. I don't want to try it without further assurances that it won't hurt anyone.”

“I must admit, I have been curious about that magic of yours,” Miora said calmly. “Where did you find it?”

Surprised by her question, I shrugged and cleared my throat. “I didn’t find it, actually. My friend Twilight Sparkle managed to figure it out when I went on my first date with Zecora.” I raised my left wing. “She had a feather of mine from a time when I was accidentally transformed into an anthropomorphic pony when I stepped in Poison Joke. I don’t know how she figured it out, but apparently at the time she used my feather as some sort of catalyst for the spell. She’s since perfected it so we don’t need a feather anymore.”

Miora looked intrigued by this. “Interesting,” she said. “Perhaps someday I will speak to this Twilight Sparkle and get the details of the spell.”

“Jethro knows it now, too,” Scarlet explained.

“While that may be true, even he is still a novice when it comes to magic,” Miora said. “I mean no offense by that, Your Grace.”

“None taken,” I said with a dismissive wave. “I’m still a novice and need to learn more about the magic I possess. Flying I’ve nearly gotten down, and I can nearly control my Earth Pony strength but magic is a lot more complicated.”

Miora nodded, raising her head as her own horns glowed briefly before stopping. “I do not know how our magic compares to Unicorn and Alicorn magic,” she said, “but I believe that with time, we will be allowed to compare.” She looked at me. “Do you believe that, if we revealed ourselves to the Equestrian princesses and them alone, they may allow somegiraffe to speak to that Sunset Shimmer you spoke of?”

“That’s not my call,” I admitted, “but I think they may allow it in time. That is, of course, when they get over the fact that there’s a Giraffe living in Ponyville as an…observer.” I didn’t use the word ‘Spy’ so as not to insult the Giraffe people. “I believe her name from the show was Clementine?”

Miora looked at me warily, but then nodded. “She has taken very much to the one called Fluttershy from what I have heard,” she said. “She has not made open contact with anypony there, but I suspect now that you know, she will approach you at some point after you return.”

“And she will be welcome to do so,” I said. “Nearly everyone at my Ponyville home knows your kind are sapient.”

With that, we all went silent. I put one wing around Scarlet to keep her warm. Ahead of us, though, I saw that Gemini seemed to be struggling with the cold. Concerned, I moved ahead, then moved my right wing around her, pulling her into a warm embrace. She looked up at me with alarm, but I silenced her with a look. She glared away from me, but the fact that she actually took a step closer to me was telling.

Mica, upon seeing this, smirked. “What, no extra wing for me?” he teased.

“Would you like one of us to keep you warm?” Silica asked from beside me.

Mica waved his paw with a chuckle. “No need,” he said. “Male Lycans have a better tolerance for the cold. I’m doing fine with these furs.” He pointed to the large black fur cloak he wore over himself which reminded me of the one John Snow wore in Game of Thrones. In fact, I knew full well that the cloak was based off of the one from the show. He had ordered it from Rarity, who had used wool from the sheep to make it look like fur. It was a special spell that she knew as a seamstress, one that even Twilight seemed to have a hard time with.

“Showoff,” Gemini muttered.

I replied by tightening my grip over her body. “All boys his age love to show off,” I whispered.

To my surprise, she snorted and actually smiled briefly. “You have no idea,” she said. Still, I felt her tail wrapping around my waist.

I looked at Silica and Scoria, who were standing to either side of me. “Are you two doing alright with the cold?” I asked.

The two of them, now wearing their armor again along with thick white cloaks I had taken out of the necklace’s storage for them, both nodded. “These cloaks are very warm, Your Grace,” Scoria said.

“And they’re perfect for us Dragons,” Silica added, spreading her wings through the holes in the cloaks.

“I should think so,” I smiled. “They were made for Aelyssian Dragons, after all.”

Again, the group fell into silence, and in fact, it remained that way for the rest of our walk.

“Wow…you can see so many stars from here,” Twilight said an hour after we had made camp as she lay to my left. “Of course, if Rainbow wasn’t being such a show off up there, we could actually enjoy it without a rainbow streak across the night sky every second,” she added with a frown.

I chuckled at this. We had made camp near a cluster of large trees as soon as the sun set. Equestria didn’t follow Daylight Savings Time, which meant that the sun set earlier all year round. The moment we had set up camp, I had placed the door on one of the large trees and opened it, only to find that the Mane Six, along with Spike, were waiting eagerly for me, each of them having some sort of food or drink item with them.

Twilight had brought some partially burnt banana bread which, when the burnt parts were scraped off, was actually pretty good, while Rarity brought some warm tea. Pinkie Pie brought some hot chocolate with marshmallows while Applejack brought a hot apple pie for dessert and cool, refreshing apple cider to quench our thirst. Rainbow Dash actually brought us all some steaks from The Prancing Pony, while Fluttershy brought several baked potatoes with butter and chives along with a salad. Spike, bless his soul, had made some sourdough bread and some butter that he had actually churned with help from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

I chuckled and ran a hand through Twilight’s mane playfully. “Hey, nighttime rainbows like this are new to me, so let her show off and clear the sky for the night for us,” I said.

Twilight sighed, but nodded as she snuggled closer into me. I wrapped my wing more tightly around her body in response. “Okay, fine,” the young mare said with a cute pout.

Lying on top of me, I saw young Spike stir, having strategically placed himself underneath my coat to keep warm. He may have grown up a lot and lost his baby appearance, but he was still adorable. Scarlet, who was on my right, smiled. “He must have really missed you, dear,” she said softly.

Twilight, having heard this, smiled. “He always saw my parents as grandparents, I think,” she said, “and now I know he saw me more like a mother figure. Him having a father figure is only natural.”

I patted the sleeping Wyvern’s head with a warm smile. “So,” I said as I turned to Twilight with a wry grin, “he’s spending time with the CMC a lot more lately, I hear?”

Twilight nodded. “They really seem to like spending time with him,” she said. “I can’t guess quite why, though.”

“Why, darling, can’t you guess?” Rarity asked as she came up, holding a cup of tea in her magic while she was wrapped up in warm clothes.

“They’re twitterpated,” Fluttershy giggled as she, too, walked up with a cup of tea in her wings.

I chuckled and nodded. I had shown Bambi to Fluttershy at her insistence when she learned about the basic plot of the movie. She had taken a certain scene poorly, and I felt like shit for showing it to her, but she never once blamed me. “I think the CMC might all have crushes on him.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and she looked at Spike. “Really? But…why not?”

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight,” Pinkie said as she came up, shaking her head with a knowing smile and sounding like she was about to smack some knowledge on the younger Unicorn mare, “come on, now. To you, he may be the cute baby Dragon you hatched, but to those three fillies, he’s eighty six pounds of pure Dragon studmuffin.”

Rarity sputtered, Twilight’s eyes went wide with shock, Applejack, who was nearby, hid behind her hat, Pinkie just stood there grinning, Fluttershy’s face went beet red, and Scarlet and I could hardly contain our laughter. “Damn, Pinke,” I said after I recovered, “I think you broke Twilight.”

“…Whu…?” was all that the purple Unicorn mare could say in response.

“Still, he’s just reaching Dragon puberty, I think,” I said as I patted the sleeping Wyvern’s head gently, causing Spike to react by smiling in his sleep. “I really need to speak to Phlogiston about that and how to help him deal with it.”

“That sounds like a fine idea, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she came and ponyloafed right above my head, her green eyes looking down at me from above. “Ah don’t doubt givin’ ‘’im The Talk is gonna be easy.”

“I’ve been on the receiving end, so I can only imagine how hard it was for my own dad,” I said with a wry smile.

Applejack removed her Stetson and nodded. “Mah mom told me everythin’ ah know ‘bout bein’ a mare,” she said, “and even back then ah could tell it was hard for her.”

I reached out and ran a hand through Applejack’s beautiful blonde mane, then picked up my own teacup with my magic. “To parents, yeah?”

“Ah can drink tah that,” she nodded with a knowing smile as our cups clinked.

As I drank to that toast, Rainbow Dash came walking up, holding a cup of cider. “Well, that should keep any snow clouds out of your hair for the night,” she said before she took a nice gulp of cider. “Aaah…that’s the good stuff.”

“Thanks, Rainbow,” I said.

“Just doing what a good and loyal friend would do,” she said, her chest fluff puffed out proudly.

“Darling, how has your trip been so far?” Rarity asked.

“Um…eventful for one,” I said as I looked over at Scarlet and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, “but also informative.”

“How does it feel to be another Alicorn, huh? Huh? Huh?” Pinkie, probably hopped up on chocolate, asked eagerly.

Scarlet chuckled a bit. “Honestly, I’m still getting used to it. I haven’t flown much since we’re walking to this Arch, but once we’re done, I’m going to be flying almost all of the way back home.”

“You do realize that I can just send everyone home via that portal after this is done, right?” I asked.

She sighed. “Babe, I may be an Alicorn now, but I was born a Pegasus. We’re born to fly.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rainbow grinned as she nodded in approval at her student.

“I wonder what would happen if you cast that same spell on one of the Princesses?” Twilight muttered.

“A Super-Mega-Ultra Alicorn?” Pinkie asked.

“I’m not going to find out,” I said, “because the fact that I’ve done it twice is scary enough. I don’t want to make a habit of it if changing someone back isn’t an option.”

“Which it looks like it isn’t,” Twilight said, “at least not yet. Maybe one of those two other Unicorns you mentioned earlier might know?”

“Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst,” I nodded. “Sunburst is a fount of magical knowledge and Starlight Glimmer is just as much of a magical prodigy as you and Sunset. I think that if you put all of your heads together when things calm down, you could find something.”

“If I want to change back at all,” Scarlet said.

“Why wouldn’t ya want tah change back?” Applejack asked.

Scarlet sighed. “Ever since Jethro found me and helped get me treated, I’ve devoured human media. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I don’t really use Pony words like everypony or somepony lately, right?”

“Ah did notice,” Applejack nodded.

“Well, the point is, even though there’s a portal to another Earth with billions of humans, he’s still kind of alone here,” Scarlet said. “Any humans who come through now will look more like me. I know Zecora is also an Anthro Zebra, now, but I don’t want him or her feeling alone. Especially if there isn’t a way to reverse this.”

I was immediately touched by this and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Thank you for thinking about me,” I said, “but I wouldn’t want you to give up that for me.”

“I want to,” Scarlet insisted. “Babe, I may have been born a Pony, but I fell in love with you, you lanky monkey.” She grinned at me before it changed into a more genuine smile. “I don’t want you or Zecora feeling alone, so I want to be by both of your sides.”

“Ah wonder where she learned tah be so loyal?” Applejack pondered, giving Rainbow a grin.

“No idea,” Twilight replied in a half sardonic smile.

“Besides,” Scarlet said before leaning in and whispering, “with this body, think of all of the positions we could try. Google has been really helpful for me.”

I gazed at her, eyes wide. “Oh my God, how horny are you??”

“Hah!” Rainbow giggled before she turned to Applejack. “You owe me a hundred bits!”

Applejack sighed. “Ah’ll pay ya when we get back tah Ponyville.”

“Were you betting on whether or not I’d say, ‘Oh my God, how horny are you?’?” I asked incredulously.

“Come on, dude,” Rainbow said, “it’s inevitable that you’ll say it! It’s become one of your catchphrases!”

“Like yours is either ‘ten seconds flat’, ‘OMIGOSH!’ a billion times in rapid succession, ‘twenty percent cooler’ or ‘awesome’?” I teased.

“Why are you singling me out?” Rainbow pouted. “Applejack says ‘Sugarcube’ all the time! Rarity says ‘Darling’ like it’s going out of style, too.”

“I tease you because it’s fun seeing a cute but awesome mare like you all flustered,” I teased further.

That caught her off guard. Her eyes widened and she sputtered out something, but Fluttershy came to her rescue. “Now now, everyone,” she said, “let’s talk about something else. This is supposed to be a nice night for stargazing and seeing our friend again.” She looked over at me, her eyes warm.

I smiled back. “Okay, fair enough.” I looked back up at the stars, taking in a deep breath. “Back on Earth, it was becoming harder and harder to find a view like this. So many city lights kept the night sky from being seen.” I chuckled a bit. “Actually, I remember a story I read online somewhere. In a city called Los Angeles there was a big blackout and the police were inundated with calls from citizens who said that they were seeing a weird silver cloud in the sky. The police had to explain that they were seeing the Milky Way for the first time.”

“Fascinating,” Twilight said.

“I wonder how Woona would like that story?” Pinkie asked, suddenly curling around my head.

“I don’t know who Woona is or how you found that fandom reference,” I said, “but I don’t think Luna would find that story too amusing.”

“Well, you never know,” Pinkie said. “Didn’t she wield the Element of Laughter before me?”

“Yeah,” I said, “but I think her type of laughter is different than what you encompass, Lil’ Pink.”

Pinkie’s eyes filled my vision, wide as saucers. “What kind of laughter does she have, then??” she asked eagerly.

I shrugged. “Why not send her a letter and ask about it?” I asked, gesturing to Spike. “I’m sure this handsome young drake here would be okay with sending a letter.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie giggled before she leaned down and gave my nose a lick. “Salty.”

I groaned. “Really, Ponkers?” She giggled and then curled around my head, covering my ears to keep them warm with her incredibly soft body. I shook my head a bit. “You’re an enigma wrapped in a Pop Tart.”

“Those are delicious!” Pinkie exclamimed. “Diane sent some to me!”

“Of course she did,” I chuckled.

“Jethro?” Twilight came up and looked down, her purple eyes now full of concern. “You’re getting to this arch tomorrow sometime, right?”

“That’s right,” I said.

“Are you all going to be okay when meeting with Empress Amber?” she asked, and I heard a hint of a tremor in her voice.

Everyone, except for Spike, tensed up at the mention of that name. I looked at the group of ponies around me. Each of them, even Pinkie, had looks of concern on their faces. I took in a deep breath. “I’ll be honest,” I said. “I’m a bit scared. Okay, I’m a lot scared. Lady Valindra was a very kind and understanding doe and I’ve grown to like her. She knows I’m new at this and has given me more leeway than I think is proper in these situations. Amber won’t do that. And given how we parted ways, I doubt she will actually want some sort of peaceful relationship with the Empire. No, not one with me,” I corrected.

Everyone winced at that, but I continued regardless. “She’ll look for any way possible to sour relationships with the Lycan Empire and Aelyssia. I will need to be on my best behavior. I’ve been getting coached a lot by Gemini and Mica and Silica and Scoria have offered a bit of advice, but while I am going to try my best, I’m not too hopeful.”

“Bad Jethro,” Pinkie said, sticking her cold hoof against my nose. “You can’t think like that going in. Sure, she may be planning that, but keep your thoughts positive.”

I sighed heavily. “I’m trying, Pinkie,” I said, “but being an Emperor is not a picnic.”

“Well, duh!” Pinkie said. “There’s no sandwiches and cakes and hot chocolate or cold iced tea.” Despite myself, I laughed. Pinkie nuzzled my face. “There it is,” she said in a more tender tone, “there’s the laugh that made this party mare’s heart race.”

I actually nuzzled her back, my smile remaining. “Thanks, Pinkie. I feel a bit better.”

“We all know yer gonna do fine, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “If anypony’s gonna cause trouble, it’ll be that backstabbin’ Lycan…well, that Lycan bitch.”

My eyes widened. “I never knew you were one to swear, Applejack,” I teased.

“Ah was usin’ the proper term for a dog like her,” Applejack said with a frown.

“Her language aside, Applejack is right,” Rarity said. “We all believe you will act like a proper gentlecolt, even if she doesn’t deserve it, the brute,” she added with a disdainful look.

“And if she doesn’t, I know you’ll be able to kick her ass,” Rainbow grinned.

“Even if we can’t be there, just know that you will be in our thoughts, and I believe you would also say that you are in our prayers,” Fluttershy added warmly.

“You’ve become dear to all of us,” Twilight concluded. “We believe in you. And I know that Scarlet and Zecora also do, too.”

I had never felt so full of positive emotions as I had in that moment. I thought that, for a moment, I could almost taste the love in the air. I saw something pink in the air for the briefest of seconds, but then it vanished. I felt stronger, more assured of myself now. I looked at the group, tears swelling in my eyes. “You guys are…are just the best.”

“We’re yer friends,” Applejack said. “Friendship is magic, right?”

That made us all laugh, which actually woke Spike up. He looked up, his green reptilian eyes reflecting in the nearby firelight. “Did I miss something funny?” he asked as he stuck his head out from beneath my coat.

“Just an affirmation of our friendships,” I said.

“Oh…okay.” And with that, he put his head back underneath my clothes. “Nice and warm…” he muttered.

The rest of us chuckled at that. “Spike, we can’t stay here tonight, you know,” Twilight said. “Tonight is the night that we were going to watch the next episode of that nanny show you found.”

“The Nanny with Fran Drescher?” I asked.

“He found it during his time on the computer,” Twilight said, “and now the two of us watch an episode a night before bed.”

“Good show,” I said.

“Rarity might have a thing or two to say about what Fran wears, though,” Spike said in a muffled voice beneath my clothes.

That caught the unicorn mare’s attention. “Why is that?”

“Her outfits are rather interesting, to say the least,” Twilight explained. “I admit, I’m not a fashion expert, so I can’t tell whether or not what she’s wearing is any good or not.”

“Perhaps I could come and see this show for myself at some point?” Rarity asked.

This caught Spike’s attention and he once more poked his head out from beneath my shirt. “Of course you can! Can’t she, Twilight??”

Twilight smirked and sighed. “I don’t see why not? You want to come over tonight after we go home?”

“That sounds lovely,” she said. “Would it be okay if Sweetie Belle also comes over, though? I wouldn’t have anypony ready to foalsit her on this short notice.”

“Sure, that sounds good to me.”

As the two hammered out details for this impromptu television show session, I lay there and listened. This was just what the doctor ordered. Being surrounded by friends, eating up the positive emotions to help empower me, figuratively of course, and just enjoying the moment. Tomorrow, things would definitely be a lot more tense, but for now, I could forget and enjoy the time.

“Okay, who ordered Aslan’s Stone Table?” Scarlet asked as we arrived at the Revelin Arch late in the morning the following day.

I couldn’t help but agree. The arch was more than just a simple arch. I half expected it to be like the Arch of Triumph in Paris, but what I saw was more than that. What we found were four pillars, all arched, along with a domed roof, and underneath said roof a massive table made of stone. The stone itself looked like it had been made of one massive slab. The top was smoothed and had absolutely no markings on it, but I could sense magic coming from it. A powerful and somehow ancient magic.

I didn’t need to look at the others to feel their own tension. One which matched my own. There were stone chairs surrounding the table, with two of them being larger than the others and having larger backrests.

I approached and was just about to pass through one of the arches when something pushed me back. I frowned and walked back towards the table, extending my hand towards the threshold. Some sort of barrier was in place, and the harder I pushed, the harder it pushed back. I stepped back, circling around the arched building. It didn’t take me long to find some ancient letters written on the archway in an older Equish dialect. I let my brain do its auto-translation. “Never shall weapons be allowed within this hallowed hall,” I read, “for this is a place of peacemaking. Only leaders of kingdoms may enter here.” I looked at Eclipse, which I had strapped to my side. I took it off and placed it inside my necklace, then tried passing through again.

When I was denied access, I pursed my lips. Slowly, I turned to Scarlet. “Hold this for me,” I said.

“Of course,” she said as she walked up and took the large crystal necklace from me. I turned back, then walked through the barrier as if nothing was even there. The moment I passed through, I saw that the inner ceiling was also arched. I saw nothing painted on any surface of the interior. Not even faded paint. In fact, everything inside the domed building looked impeccably clean. The stone table itself was as smooth as marble. I chuckled a bit at the simplicity of the meeting place and tried to think of possible meanings behind it.

Seeing nothing else, I stepped back out and retrieved my necklace from Scarlet, I heard a distant horn blowing. We all turned in the direction of the blast and saw a large number of banners on the horizon to the south. I pulled out a pair of binoculars from my magic necklace and looked through them. The banners were all a deep orange with the silver sideways relief of a wolf’s head placed in the center. Despite the situation, I chuckled. “Winter is coming indeed,” I said as I handed the binoculars to a waiting Scarlet.

When she looked through them, she chuckled dryly as well. “We might as well call their capital city Winterfell,” she said. However, she paused suddenly and her jaw dropped. “No…fucking…way…”

I felt fresh alarm flaring up. “Scarlet? What is it?”

“How on Earth did they get those?” Scarlet asked, passing the binoculars back over to me.

I took them and looked closer at the approaching bannermen, or bannerwolves, or whatever I was supposed to call them. All of them were female Lycans, obviously, all wearing silvery gray armor and golden cloaks. But what they were riding was what had apparently caught the attention of my marefriend. “Those had better be simple horses they’re riding, or I swear to God, heads will roll!” I snarled as I tossed the binoculars over to Gemini. “Gemini, tell me those are horses!”

Gemini looked at the binoculars briefly, then put them to her eyes as she looked in the same direction. She grimaced, but nodded. “The Empire does use horses in deeper parts of the mines,” she said as she handed the binoculars over to me.

I looked back at the approaching envoy, this time looking closer at the horses. The ones I could see had saddles, bridles, reins and more. I looked more closely at the eyes, and saw that they seemed to lack the intelligence I had seen in even the other animals in Equestria.

In front of them I saw two horses, both pure white with golden manes and tails. Mounted on them I saw Empress Amber and Princess Amethyst. Both royals, along with four of their guards, were approaching us, all on horseback. I frowned at this and put the necklace away. “This feels like a deliberate ploy,” I said.

I got confirmation of that fact from the most unlikely of places. In particular, from a white something which popped out of a bag that Miora was carrying. The white something landed next on my shoulder and glared towards the approaching Lycans. Why the fuck are those bitches riding on Ponies?! Angel Bunny growled, crossing his arms in a very humanlike gesture. Are they fools??

I looked down at the young bunny on my shoulder in astonishment, then alarm. “Angel?? The hell are you doing here??”

He turned to me, beady eyes seeming to burrow into my soul. Because the yellow one worries about you for who knows what reason, he said, and the last thing I want is for her to cry because you did something stupid!

“Because I did something stupid??” I hissed, grabbing the young bunny by his scruff. “I’m sending you home, now! Fluttershy is probably freaking out about you being missing!”

I left her a note, he said, waving a dismissive paw at me.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You can write?” I asked.

She’s been trying to teach us all, but she doesn’t know how well I’ve learned, Angel replied.

I facepalmed, pulled out my phone, and sent off a quick text to Twilight. If Fluttershy hasn’t already come to looking for Angel Bunny, tell her that he somehow ended up with me. I can’t send him home right now, though. I put my phone away and gave the troublesome bunny a final glare. “Fluttershy and I are going to have words with you when this is over,” I muttered.

Angel rolled his eyes and thumped on my shoulder. Whatever, he said.

At that moment, the six Lycans on horseback arrived on the other side of the Revelin Arch. The dark gray female Lycan looked down at me, a smile on her face. A smile which didn’t reach her yellow eyes. We stared at each other for a while before she dismounted, followed quickly by her daughter and the other four guards. She pointed at a large nearby set of trees. “Tie the horses over there,” she ordered.

Can you hear me? Angel asked in what had to be the equivalent of an animal whisper. When the horses didn’t react at all, he shook his head and looked at me. Not Equestrian animals.

I simply nodded as I watched the Empress and Princess approaching. She inclined her head in polite greeting, and I did the same. “Your…Grace, I believe you prefer to be called?” she asked.

“You are correct, Your Imperial Majesty,” I replied. “We weren’t expecting you to come so soon, though.”

Amber simply shrugged. “We didn’t want to keep you and your company waiting,” she replied. “Better early, correct?”

“Agreed,” I replied. I looked at the stone table, then back at her. “Would you and yours care to rest before our meetings begin?”

She looked at the table as well, then looked back at me. “That would be most appreciated, Your Grace,” she said. “Would an hour be sufficient for both our parties?”

“An hour will be more than enough time for us,” I replied.

Amber nodded, then shot a look towards Gemini and Mica. “Captain, whelp,” she greeted them somewhat less courteously before she and Amethyst turned and headed towards an empty patch of ground covered in snow where they could sit and rest.

That told me everything I needed to know. This meeting is not going to be pleasant…

169: A Cloaked Heart And The Empress

The tension was palpable as Empress Amber and I sat at the peace table opposite each other. We had decided to sit on the long way section of the table so we could sit closer despite my misgivings on that notion. The others were sitting a fair distance away so we could get some privacy. The two of us reached out and placed our hands on the table. I had learned from Miora that there was a pledge that had to be said before any negotiations could begin, and she had taught it to me. We both inhaled and said, “I promise that these proceedings will focus on the goal of peace to our nations and understand that if no resolution can be reached, then we will part from eyesight so as not to stain this site with blood or harsh actions.”

The center of the table seemed to shimmer the moment we spoke and it vanished, revealing a glowing blue spherical gem which rose and settled on a pedestal. It flashed, and crystal sconces on the pillars, which hadn’t been there before, suddenly appeared and shone warm white. A blue shield surrounded the arched roof and all sound from the outside vanished. Both of us removed our hand/claw from the table. “And with that, let our negotiations begin,” Amber said in a sweet tone and smile. A smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

I nodded, then folded my hands on the table and leaned forward. “Why don’t we start with this: what is the current agreement between your empire and the former Dragon Lord? Or I suppose I should say what was the agreement?”

Amber nodded. “We would pay any Dragon who wanted the bits for certain minerals that only exist in the Dragon Lands,” she explained. “We, in turn, craft weapons and other objects using those materials and sell them around the world. The Caribou are our chief customers in that regard.”

I nodded at that. “And what currency do you use?” I asked, “because going forward, bits might not be used as Aelyssian currency.”

“Some Dragons do ask for bits,” Amber said, “but many just ask for gems that only we can find in the Empire.”

I nodded in understanding. They probably use it as a snack, I thought. “Okay, well what rates are these gems normally sold for?”

“800 bits for each gem,” she said.

“And what’s the average price for objects sold using these materials you buy?” I asked, having quickly done the math and realizing that the Earth equivalent was 100 USD.

“Anywhere from…8000 to 16000 bits per item,” she said, “and before you say anything, that includes the work involved, the other materials we use, and the hours.”

One to two thousand USD, I said, but then I mentally had to smack myself. This wasn’t Earth, not the one I knew where inflation had yet hit. Still, selling for that cheap just felt wrong. “Your artificers must be good if you can turn that big of a profit,” I said.

“Good? Good??” She looked a bit insulted, but then calmed down. “The very first artificers were trained by the last of the Dvergr themselves before they vanished. They were the true craft masters.”

“Dvergr, huh?” I muttered. I resisted the temptation to pull out my phone and Google that word. Instead, I wrote the word down on the paper in front of me. “So, your artificers are some of the best, you would say?”

“If you don’t believe me, I have a sample of their work with me,” she said.

“From what little I have been told of them, I do believe you,” I said, “but I would like to look at the examples regardless. You’ve piqued my interest.”

She chuckled dryly, then reached into the bag slung onto the back of the chair. She grabbed a small leather pouch and pushed it across the table. “There aren’t any weapons in here,” she said, “but there are a few articles of jewelry and clothing.”

The latter caught my attention more than the former, so I opened the pouch and gently tipped it over. A few rings, bracelets, a large necklace, and a couple short sleeve shirts fell out. I put on a pair of gloves so as not to damage them and looked at the rings, first. They were made of gold with gems of different hues encrusted onto it. The bracelets were similar, although I could feel magic flowing from them. The necklace was made of interlinking chains that were extremely small and there was a single red teardrop gem hanging from it.

It was the clothes, however, that caught my attention. They shimmered as if made of metal, but when I took off one glove to feel it, they felt like the softest shirts I had ever worn. I held them to my ears and heard a slight metallic clinking, and upon closer inspection with a small magnifying spell I had learned, the shirt wasn’t made with any sort of fabric, but instead lines of metal that acted as fabric.

Amber noticed my attention to the shirts and smiled. “Those are not only comfortable to wear, but they also can stop most bladed attacks as well as arrows and magic,” she explained, sounding rather proud. “Most of the Imperial Guard wear these shirts underneath their armor as another layer of protection, but some of the nobility wear them as what you might consider a fashion statement.” She gestured to the shirt I was currently holding. “These are simpler, but there are others who want their shirts embroidered with gems, gold, or emblems to make them stand out. They take years to craft, and only a claw full of artificers know the secret art. There are three known examples of these shirts which were made by the Dvergr, and those are able to stop any weapon.”

Don’t call it a mythril shirt, I cautioned myself as I nodded before folding the shirt back up and placing it, along with the others, inside the pouch and handing it back to her. “How much would a simple shirt like that cost?” I asked.

“Caught your attention, have I?” She chuckled. “You’d have to talk with the artificers about that, but I know that the crown pays a discount price for them. A 4000 bit equivalent in our own currency, but I have seen them sold for hundreds of thousands of bits to others.”

Note to self, find a Dragon who can help with setting up an economy and how much our Dragon currency is worth, I said as I wrote that down. “Duly noted,” I said as I put my pen down again. “So, as for our current negotiations, what is it that you would want from the Empire now? Because as of last year, we have returned, so there’s a new player your artificers will need to negotiate with.”

She nodded in agreement. “The gems and minerals that your continent provides are well known to be unique to that land itself,” she said, “but there are also other things from your land that we might want to purchase. Certain animals that roam the deserts there like the roc bird, the jackalope, the sandworm, and the tripodero just to name a few.”

“Meat products, I see,” I nodded, once more jotting down the animals she had mentioned. “And what are you willing to provide in return for these foodstuffs?”

“We have our own foodstuffs we can provide in exchange,” she explained. “Chupacabras, smoke wolves, or even a direwolf or two if we can catch those slippery beasts.”

I didn’t react to the thought of Lycans eating wolves of any kind, but I did note down the names she had mentioned. “Okay, and what else do you want from Aelyssia?”

“At the moment, nothing aside from that,” she said.

She’s being reasonable, it seems, I thought. What is she up to? I cleared my throat and nodded. “Then I believe that it’s my turn to list what we would like.”

She nodded. “By all means, please do.”

“First,” I began, “a nonaggression pact between our two nations. In the future we can have embassies built in the nations of the other that can help in future peaceful cooperation between our empires.”

It was her turn to write, only she had a scroll, ink bottle and feather pen. “And what else?” she asked.

“Respect of our autonomy and our borders,” I added. “We are not just some backwater, anymore. We are an empire. We may be across the ocean, but we still will demand respect and if that respect is given by you, it will be given by us in return.”

“Noted,” she said as she wrote that down. She was writing in the blocky rune-like letters of Lycan, and I had to admit that her handwriting was quite neat and beautiful. If only her insides were as beautiful as her handwriting and her physical appearance, though…

“And one more thing, and this is a bit more personal, and one that can be accomplished now,” I added, deciding to stop beating around the bush.

I saw her tense slightly, but other than that she kept her composure. “What would that be?” she asked.

“An apology from you and your daughter for how I was treated when I did nothing wrong and you had no proof,” I said.

Her tail stiffened slightly, but then it relaxed. “Our actions against you were…extreme, to say the least,” she said, although it felt like she was doing so through clenched teeth, “and for that, I am sorry. Clearly, the gods favored you in your trial and I have scolded my daughter.” Somehow, I sensed that was a lie, but didn’t say anything. “I will speak with her after this meeting is over and have her apologize.”

I nodded, knowing better than to push. Part of me wanted to humiliate her in a more public setting, but I knew we were at a severe disadvantage when it came to the military. The Lycan Empire clearly was much more organized than Aelyssia was at the moment, so I had to both tread lightly but also not show weakness. “Good,” I said. “Going back to the negotiation, the next thing…”

“If I know the Empress, she has to be plotting something,” Gemini muttered a few hours later after she and I stopped for a break.

“Agreed,” I said as I took a bite of the greenwood bread that the Deerfolk had given to us upon our departure. The naan lookalike bread was still plenty warm and still had the freshly baked feeling and taste to it. “Still, I’m surprised that Princess Amethyst actually apologized.” Which she had, but I could tell she was grumpy about it.

“There’s not a chance in hell she meant it,” Scarlet said with a dangerous glint in her eyes as she tore into her own greenwood bread.

“Agreed,” Mica said.

“I don’t expect them to be truly sorry, but I know better than to push them on anything like that,” I said. Miora gave me a curious look, but I ignored it as I continued. “The fact that the Empress was actually willing to entertain the idea was more than I was expecting. Where I expect there to be some pushback, though, is in how I plan to make a deal with her in regards to the Lycan male rebellion.”

That caught the attention of everyone, and Miora’s eyes narrowed slightly, but once more she said nothing. Silica spoke up first. “Your Grace,” she said, “is it wise to interfere in that?”

“I’m not going to be a fool about it,” I said. “I have a plan.”

Gemini suddenly stood, walked over to me, hoisted me up by my arm, making me drop the leaf wrapping which held my bread. “You. Me. Private. Now.”

Surprised by her sudden vigor, I reached out to grab my water bottle with my magic. “Hey, at least give me time to swallow my breaaaad!”

She pulled me away before I could take a sip to wash my mouth out. I took a small sip, tossed the water bottle back, and swirled the water around in my mouth before we were soon standing in the small grove. She grabbed my jacket and pushed me none too gently against the nearest tree. “You’d better not be doing something extremely stupid,” she said through clenched teeth.

I wrapped my hands around her wrists, once more marveling at how soft and silky her fur was. “Relax,” I said, “I don’t intend to say anything that will jeopardize these talks.”

She pressed closer until her nose was touching mine. “Then what do you intend to say to her?” she asked.

“I don’t intend to say anything to her specifically,” I said as I reached out with one hand and put it on top of her head, running it through her beautiful hair. Oh God, am I…? I let that thought trail off. “Aelyssia is simply going to become not just a nation of Dragons, but for any race. Remember when I told you about my former homeland America?”

She frowned deeper, but nodded. “Keep going,” she said.

“I want Aelyssia to become a nation like that,” I replied. “I intend to bring the notion up with the others back in Virynth Atheos. Aelyssia was once home to five races, albeit draconian in nature. I believe variety is the spice of life. You Lycans are experts when it comes to mining. If that secret cell of Lycan rebels near Ponyville is any indication, there have to be more, and I would be willing to offer them a place to live away from the Empire where they don’t have to hide.”

“You think that’ll make her happy??” Gemini said, pulling my hand away from her head, but not letting go. “You think she is rational at this point??”

“Obviously not,” I said, “but I don’t intend to make it that obvious. I will be issuing an imperial proclamation in the near future. One that will invite anyone who wants to live in our Empire to come and do so at any time. ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses’ as the saying goes.”

She clenched her hands tighter briefly before she relaxed, but not by much. “You believe that she won’t see what you’re planning?” Gemini asked.

“That woman isn’t a fool,” I acknowledged, “and I don’t plan on talking to her about it here. Not in so many words and not when negotiations seem to be going as well as they are. I am, however, waiting for the other shoe to drop.” I looked over through the trees at the horses in the distance. “She made a deliberate choice to come here on horseback, that I can tell.”

Gemini looked where I was looking, then slowly released me. “She never does much without hidden reasons,” she said.

I grabbed Gemini’s hands before she fully let go. She looked back at me with confusion. “You know,” I said with an amused grin, “most other rulers would have had you taken to the dungeons or at best stripped of your rank for how you just manhandled an Emperor.” I saw her eyes narrowing at this, but my grin turned into a genuine smile. “However, you are the biggest exception to this. I trust your judgment and highly expect you to call me out if you think I’m doing something stupid that can hurt my imperial ass.”

She looked deep into my eyes, then her own mouth curled into a wolfish grin. “I won’t let your naïvety be your downfall, Your Grace,” she said.

My grin returned and I pulled her closer. “Good,” I said in a whisper, just as I leaned in and gave her a kiss.

Our kiss was…interesting, to say the least. It lasted only a few seconds, and was a bit awkward, but when it broke and I saw the darkening around Gemini’s cheeks, I knew then that I had made her happy. A few seconds later, we broke apart. “D-Don’t think that this means I still won’t go easy on you during future training sessions,” she stammered.

I groaned. “We’re still doing that, aren’t we…?”

She pointed at me. “That was your idea,” she chastised me, “and an Emperor who can’t fight is just stupid!”

“Relax, relax, I don’t intend on slacking,” I replied. “You can bash me around when we get back to Ponyville later.”

She walked up swiftly to me again. “I intend to do more than that,” she said before she gave my neck, the same part of my neck she had bitten earlier, a nip. “Remember, I have claimed you, but only in part.” She stepped back. “However, time to get back.” And with that, she turned and began walking out of the grove, but I wasn’t blind enough not to notice the extra sway in her hips.

Welp, I’d better be prepared for another heartfelt conversation with my wife and marefriend later, I thought as I followed her back to the others.

When we reached the others, I saw Mica sniffing the air a few times, but he mercifully said nothing. I grabbed my bread and took another bite before I sat on the grass again next to Scarlet, who immediately scooted closer. “Everything okay?” she whispered.

“Oh, everything’s fine,” I reassured her. “Just had a brief conversation with Captain Gemini about something.”

“What about?” Scarlet pressed.

“I’ll tell you later,” I promised before taking a bite of jerky next.

“Oh, you’d better,” she warned before she took a sip of the broth the Deerfolk had provided for us. “Fuuu…still nice and warm,” she said, letting loose a long satisfied breath, which created a larger cloud of her hot breath. Something I’d noted about Ponies, and Zebras for that matter, was that their internal temperatures were a degree or two higher than humans. I was cool to them and they were warm to me. And as for Lycans? They were even hotter.

“I beg pardon, Your Grace,” a male voice said from behind us.

I turned and saw a rather poorly dressed he-wolf Lycan stood behind me. He wore a pair of slightly ragged brown pant, a thick black coat with some tears in them, and a cap over his head. “Yes?” I said, standing to face the he-wolf.

“Beg Your Grace’s pardon for disturbing you,” he said, “but I was sent by My Empress to give you this.” He held out the same small leather bag that she had showed me earlier.

I raised an eyebrow before I reached out and took it, looking inside carefully. The contents remained the same, and I slowly closed it again. “Well, then, please tell your Empress-”

“Hold on,” Gemini said, interrupting me before she turned to the he-wolf. “Stay here for a bit.”

“Y-yes, Captain,” he said nervously.

She pulled me aside once more, a much more serious look on her face. When we were out of earshot, she lowered her voice. “Mica and I forgot to tell you, but an exchange of gifts is traditional for any sort of meeting between us and other races.”

“Even Deerfolk?” I asked.

She nodded slowly. “Even Deerfolk. And it would be considered rude not to respond in kind.”

“It would have been nice to know that beforehand,” I grumbled before reaching down and touching my necklace. “As it happens, though, I think I have ancient Lycan artifacts in here.”

Gemini shook her head. “No, that sort of gift will be seen as an insult,” she said. “It would be like the human custom of regifting.”

“Oooh,” I nodded in understanding. “And Lycans don’t like that?”

“It shows that you wouldn’t care enough to give something new,” she explained. “Does that make sense?”

“I think so,” I said as I touched my necklace again. “Okay, so something new…hmm…”

I closed my eyes, focusing on the necklace. In a way, it acted like an Item Box from those damned isekai anime. The same type of life I was living, now. After a while, I opened my eyes and a very small chest appeared in one hand. Opening it, I was greeted by the sight of a number of ancient earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings, all made of different materials. I had plenty of other chests like it, and these were likely worn by whatever Aelyssian aristocracy existed. I looked at Gemini. “Will she like these instead?”

Gemini looked in, eyes widening, then she looked back up at me. “That…should be sufficient,” she said.

Nodding, I put a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you,” I said, then turned back and walked up to the Lycan he-wolf who was still standing patiently near our group. I held out the chest. “This is a gift for Her Majesty with my good wishes,” I said. “Make sure she gets it.”

The he-wolf took it reverently. “I will, Your Grace.”

“Thank you,” I said.

The he-wolf’s eyes widened at that, reminding me briefly of the first time I had thanked a Lycan he-wolf. The same he-wolf who was in my employ as a bodyguard. “Y-You’re welcome, Your Grace,” he said, bowing before he turned and headed back the way he had come.

“Do males really not receive any gratitude?” Scoria asked between bites of meat.

Gemini sat next to me and shook her head. “Males are seen as second class in the Empire,” she said. “It wasn’t always like that. Back when the Guardian was with us, he insisted on equal rights for all, but somehow it seems like we’re going back to a matriarchy, and not in a good way.”

“And that is why I want to open Aelyssia up to not just Dragons, but to all races,” I said.

Silica and Scoria looked a bit shocked by this revelation. Silica spoke first. “Um…Your Grace, are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked.

I turned to the two Dragons. “You don’t think it is?”

“I mean, there are reasons why races are separated by kingdoms and nations,” Scoria said.

I crossed my arms and gave them a thoughtful look. “What reasons?” I made it clear in my tone that I was curious only and not that I was sounding accusatory.

The two young Dragon women looked at each other, then turned back to me. “Your Grace,” Silica said, “Dragons are a race of warriors.”

“Not to mention that we eat meat, something that half the world doesn’t do,” Scoria added.

“We’re also territorial,” Silica added.

“Okay, I see,” I nodded in understanding. “Let me ask, though, how many races lived in Old Aelyssia?”

The two paused to ponder my question, but then Scoria responded. “Five,” she said.

“But Your Grace, those were all Dragons,” Silica said.

“And one of those races is hated by everydragon else,” Scoria concluded. “The Wyverns betrayed-”

I held up a hand to silence them. “The Wyverns, as far as I know, are almost all extinct except for Sir Spike, a Wyvern who I knighted, I may remind you. And he is still young and innocent. Would you judge him for what members of his race did in the past?”

“Well, of course we wouldn’t, Your Grace,” Scoria said, “but others might.”

“I understand that,” I agreed, “but Sir Spike is under my protection. If anyone brings harm to him, they will be severely punished. But back to the point.” I cleared my throat. “The land that once belonged to Old Aelyssia is empty, right? There are many places where anyone who wants to make a fresh start can do so. Let me ask, how many Dragons know how to till a field? How many know construction? How many can lay down phone lines and power lines? How many can mine? How many can cook?”

“Do we need all of that, Your Grace?” Silica asked. “Despite everything, Dragons have done just fine, more or less.”

“I want to make Aelyssia into a nation that isn’t just powerful,” I said, “but one that is prosperous in many ways. One where everyone has access to good food, clean water, good jobs, and more. I want a strong economy, too. If we open our borders to other races, ones with gifts and talents that Dragons might not have, that will only make our nation stronger. There is strength in diversity.” I stood up straighter. “Back in my old world, the nation I came from started out like that. It was a nation for the people. They welcomed humans from different nationalities. Oh, there were major problems in the beginning, and there still are, but I want a nation that welcomes all of the races of Narda. One where anyone can help build our collective strength but one where they can live peacefully among other races.”

I looked at the two Dragons with utter sincerity. “I understand that will be a challenge for some races, like the Zebras and Ponies. I’m not that naïve. Still, I want to work towards a future where Aelyssia isn’t just a place for Dragons to have a refuge, but where others can find safe haven. However, I understand that Aelyssia is a nation founded by Dragons. If you think that because I started living in a Pony town that I will favor them or other races above Dragons, let me assure you that I won’t. No matter what the differences are between the races, I want to try and help bridge some gaps. Some may never be bridged, but if these,” and here I gestured to my wings, “mean anything, they mean that I’m either very long lived or immortal. I have time to help things work. That doesn’t mean I won’t listen to you or other Dragons. My desire for this nation might not be the desire of others, and I will always take those into account whenever I make my decisions. A leader should always work for the betterment of the people he rules over, as contrary as that sounds. And with that, my rambling is over.”

There was silence around the circle of creatures. The two Dragons exchanged looks, then back at me. They placed their fists over their breastplates and bowed. “Mu hon ahrk thaar, hin vahlin,” they said simultaneously. “Yein faal Do’vah Ulokuun.”

I frowned in confusion until I heard Scarlet clapping giddily. “Yay! You said it!” she exclaimed happily.

“Do’vah…?” I turned and faced her with confusion which quickly turned to realization. “Thuum? Really?” I gave her an eye roll.

Scarlet shrugged innocently. “What? It’s a Dragon language. They’re Dragons. I asked them to say it.”

“What does it mean?” I asked.

“Well…roughly translated, it means ‘We hear and obey’ and. ‘All hail the Dragon Emperor’,” she explained.

I facepalmed, but then I heard something I never could have expected. Gemini was snickering. I looked up and saw her trying to cover her mouth, but the twinkle in her eyes gave away her amusement. Miora also had an amused expression on her face. Mica was holding back his own amusement, the two Dragons were still standing there stoically and Scarlet was giving me an impish grin. I shook my head. “If you tell them that my name in Thuum is Alduin, I will punish you.”

She grinned and leaned in, putting her lips to my ears before she whispered, “I still haven’t used that gift card you got me. I can buy some chains and a whip you can use on this slutty sow.”

I felt my cheeks go hot as I opened my mouth. “Oh my God, how horny are you!?”

“I think you mean ‘Naal rah, vir pogaas ko praag los hi?’” Scarlet replied with a giggle.

I threw up my hands. “You’re a lost cause,” I said.

She giggled. “Uloz zey, in,” she whispered in a pleading tone. “That means ‘Wreck me, Master.’”

”Dear God, you’re hopeless,” I groaned.

The two Dragon sisters both chuckled softly at that. “You two seem to have a healthy relationship, if you don’t mind me saying so, Your Grace,” Silica said.

“She’s a great partner,” I said. “If only she knew the time and place.”

Now it was Scarlet’s turn to blush. “Sorry,” she said sincerely. She ran a hand through her hair. “I guess I’m still coping with this new form I have.”

I put a hand on her shoulder. “Someone will figure it out, I promise.”

She gave me a smile, then pressed her shoulder against mine and leaned onto it. “Thanks,” she whispered sincerely.

We all went back to eating and drinking in silence for a bit, then Mica looked at the small pouch Amber had given me. “Hey, may I see what’s in there?” he asked.

I looked at the pouch, then back at him. “Sure, why not?” I replied, grabbing it and tossing it in his direction.

That’s when I heard a crack from a distance. Something came whizzing past us, hitting the pouch and causing it to explode. Everyone quickly dove to the ground and I turned to face the direction where the loud crack had come. Because it sounded suspiciously to me like a firearm.

170: A Cloaked Heart's Battle

The small puff of smoke quickly dissipating in the air from the direction of where the Empress and her entourage had situated themselves confirmed my suspicions, and using magic to zoom in my vision further confirmed it. The guards all held muskets and they were lighting fuses on them while several others were reloading. “Matchlocks,” I muttered before I called out the pistols I had taken from the Dazzlings. “Nobody get up! They have guns!”

The fuck was that?! Angel asked from beside me, eyes wide.

Gemini, who was beside me, looked over at the guards, eyes narrowed. “What are they holding?” she muttered.

“You’ve never seen those before?” I asked, turning to her.

She shook her head. “Never. Why, have you?”

“They look like matchlock muskets,” I replied as the guards aimed. “Everyone, cover your ears!” I took aim at one of the guards and fired. I heard the howl of pain as the bullet made contact. It also startled the guards long enough for all of their matchlocks to go off moments after they jumped, causing their shots to go wild. I aimed again and shot at another guard. The bullet shot one of her ears off and she collapsed, holding her ear and howling.

“Fools! Charge them! They can’t fire again!” I heard their queen shout in a shrill tone. “Kill them all except the human!”

Just as the guards grabbed some pikes, I aimed and fired again. This time, I saw a guard clutching at her stomach as she collapsed, dropping her pike. Seeing that nobody else had a matchlock and that those who were reloading hadn’t finished, I fired again and again. I hit three more guards, dropping them like flies. I could hear Amber swearing from a hidden location. From a hidden pocket, I heard Angel cheering me on. KILL THE FUCKING DOGS!

Then I saw the crossbows. I swore and fired at the bowmen. That was how I got my first kill of the day. One of them fell back, her brains splattering out of her head as one of my bullets shot clean through. She fell forward, dropping the crossbow as she crashed to the ground. Amber bellowed at them. “SHOOT! SHOOT, DAMN YOU! SHOOT!”

They shot. The arrows came towards us, and I reached out my hand, trying to summon a shield of magic. A golden aura surrounded the front of us, and the arrows slowed considerably, but didn’t stop. I swore under my breath. If I got out of this, I was going to demand that Shining Armor teach me defense magic!

A wall of flame shot down from the heavens as two dragons breathed their deadly fire onto the guards. I looked up and grinned. Silica and Scoria hadn’t been idle either. I turned to Gemini, but she too was gone. She and Mica had gotten up and used the distraction from the dragon fire to charge towards us, their weapons out as they rushed at the now disorganized enemy.

I looked over at Scarlet, and the blood drained from my face. One of the bullets had hit her in the stomach and she was holding it, gritting her teeth in pain as she tried to stop the bleeding. She looked up at me, fear on her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. “It hurts,” she said before coughing up blood.

“Shit!” I swore as I turned towards the guards, who were now in a melee with the Lycan guards. I could feel my anger rising. They had hurt my marefriend, a Pony I was eventually going to marry in the future. They hurt her. “They’ll pay…” I snarled, teeth clenched in raw rage. I turned back to her, then I heard someone else coughing. I then looked over at where Miora was, and saw her lying slumped over. “SHIT!” I crawled over and looked at her. Her eyes were shut, teeth clenched in pain, and blood pouring from a clear arrow wound to the neck. “Miora!”

The Giraffe looked up at me, eyes narrowed, but a small smile on her face. “This…is nothing…” she gasped.

I hit the ground angrily. “Damn it! MICA!”

“Yes, Your Grace?” The Lycan he-wolf appeared out of nowhere.

“Get Miora and Scarlet out of here, now!” I pointed to the still forming door. “Get them to the hospital! Hurry!”

“What about you, Your Grace?” he asked as the fabric finally solidified into a door.

I turned to the Lycan enemies, my rage beginning to seep into every fabric of my being. “I have unfinished business with a certain bitch and her whore of a daughter,” I said as I slowly stood, drawing Eclipse. I could vaguely feel the concern and worry from the two sisters as I did so, but I channeled magic through it, and it began glowing, one side the burning blaze of the sun and the other the silvery gleam of the moon. I turned back to Mica. “Go! Get them to safety!”

He looked at me briefly, fear etched onto his face, but then he nodded, saluted, and opened the door, helping the two injured members of my party into the room below. Knowing that they were safe for the moment, I turned and looked at the melee. While my now three guards were outnumbered, the Lycans were clearly outmatched. I saw on the horizon, however, that a larger number of Lycan guards were standing on a distant hill. I saw puffs of smoke erupt, then a large explosion of gunfire rocked across the plain. One of the Lycan guards went down, being hit by friendly fire. That was when I knew that Amber had to be insane.

I spread my wings, which burst into flames as I let my Phoenix powers flow through me. As my four guards dispatched the last of the guards, another explosion of fire rang from the line. Something bounced off of one of the Dragon’s armor, hitting the ground. I ran up and picked up the object. It was a piece of smooth pointed metal, clearly a bullet. I turned to see that it was Silica who had been hit. She held her chest, gasping. “You okay?” I asked.

”Just…winded, Your Grace,” she said.

“Snap out of it, and quickly,” Scoria said, “because we’re going to have company soon.” She gestured to the Lycans who were now grabbing pikes along with crossbows. I also saw some larger weapons being pulled up.

“Arbalests,” I snarled angrily.

“They’re preparing to charge,” Gemini growled, “and they’re preparing for an incoming aerial assault.”

“Is she insane?!” Scoria asked. “She knows how this will look!”

“We can discuss her mental faculties later,” I said, “for now, we should probably-”

“You need to get out of here, Your Grace!” Silica interrupted me. “It’s you they’re after, not us!”

“She’s right,” Gemini said, turning and grabbing my collar before I could say or do anything else. “You need to get out of here! If you’re killed, things may get ten times worse!”

I looked at the three who had been my personal guards for the past few days. I had gotten to like Silica and Scoria quite a lot, and had considered making them a part of the Honor Guard, my Honor Guard, upon our return to Virynth Atheos. And then there was Gemini. Her? Well, while our relationship was complicated, I didn’t want to think of a life without her in it. She had taught me so much. I shook my head, turning to the army approaching us. “I can’t just leave-”

Hey! Let me help!

I looked briefly down at the bunny who was still in my chest pocket. “You should get the hell out of here!” I shouted, pointing at the open door.

Use that spell you used on Fluttershy on me! Angel demanded. The one that made her stand on two hooves!

“The Anthro spell isn’t for animals!” I replied as I downed yet another guard before trying to grab him.

Angel jumped away from me, glaring up at me. JUST DO IT!

I growled, and in the state I was in, I actually did it. I went prone, held my hand out, and cast the spell.

His transformation was…not what I expected. I thought that he would turn into some sort of pony. However, he instead grew to be about a head shorter than Spike. He became an Anthro white rabbit male with a light gray patch over his stomach. His tail was still puffy and he now had human-like hands. His feet were still those of a rabbit, however, and he looked pissed. His eyes, which were a deep grayish blue, flashed with anger. He turned to the Lycans, and actually spoke. “I’m gonna kill those fuckers!” His voice was that of a prepubescent boy.

Before I could stop him, he stood and launched himself into the air, his powerful hind legs now able to launch him extremely high. I watched as he arced over the approaching Lycans. When he landed among them, there was a flurry of activity as he began kicking at them. The screams of the enemy told me that whatever he was doing was working.

I grinned. The kid had guts, I’d give him that. I knew I’d get an earful from Fluttershy later, but I drew Eclipse. “I am the Dragon Emperor,” I declared, “and I will not run away when any of my subjects are threatened! NEVER!”

The flames on my wings burst into green, and my flaming Alicorn wings were suddenly replaced with flaming Draconian ones. I felt heat rising up from inside me, my vision became much clearer, and colors became much more enhanced. I held up the sword in my hand and aimed it at them. “FOLLOW ME! FOR AELYSSIA AND NO QUARTER!” I bellowed, my voice sounding much deeper and more draconic.

The two Dragons roared with me and the two Lycans howled their own battle cry before we rushed them. I spread my new Dragon wings and shot into the air, rushing forward with my sword in both hands. Gemini was on all fours, charging like her feral counterpart. The Dragons were on either side of me, their own blades out and their mouths open. I could see them starting to charge up their fire breath. I opened my mouth, letting loose a mighty roar which surprised even me. The pikemen who were charging faltered at this, but quickly recovered and charged, howling their own war cry.

The Lycans launched their arbalest bolts, the arrows arcing through the air towards us. I held my sword up and paused, waiting for the metal bolts to reach me so I could use my sword to deflect. My sword moved like a blur, cutting through the metal bolts and sending them towards the ground. I shot lightning out of my fingers at them. This threw them further into disarray.

And then I landed in the middle of them, stabbing one of the guards through the heart. Her eyes widened in shock, then all life left them. I turned and raised my sword, cleaving the arm off of another Lycan she-wolf guard. She screamed and went down, holding her new stump as I cut my way towards where I saw Angel. I couldn’t just leave him alone.

I spread my wings and leapt into the air, landing next to Angel. He had actually managed to grab a fallen dagger and was using his extreme agility to slash and stab at the clearly confused but still ferocious Lycan guards. “I see you found a weapon,” I said with a grin as I stood back to back with the Anthro bunny.

“Having these hands of yours is fucking helpful,” he said. His normally pure white fur was stained with blood, none of it his own. He turned to the Lycans. “Come and get it, bitches! I’d love to put you down like the dogs you are!”

The bloodlust in his eyes was concerning, but I set that aside. I had my own bloodlust. I raised my sword. “I’ll take your surrender, now,” I said with a snarl as a breath of fire escaped my mouth.

“There will be no surrender,” one of them said, and they all agreed. “For the Empire, and no quarter!”

I didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say. Instead, I raised my head and roared, the sound echoing through the once peaceful valley. I stared at them, gritting my teeth. “BRING IT!” I launched myself at the first Lycan soldier, bringing my blade down and slicing clean through it. The blade dug through her shoulder and she screamed, blood spurting out from the wound as I dug the blade out and punched her away before turning to the rest. “Who’s next?!”

Sudden;y, a brilliant piercing light shone down from above. Something in my eye closed and I saw the charging Lycans falling down, holding their eyes and screaming loudly. I paused, confused. Looking down, I saw that Gemini and Angel were covering their eyes as well, but Silica and Scoria weren’t. In fact, their own eyes were as black as night, and they were looking up behind us. I turned and saw something that nearly made me drop my sword.

Daybreaker flew above the valley, eyes blazing with a fiery red fury. Beside her, Nightmare Moon flew, icy blue eyes slotted with cold rage. Both were armored and bore swords, one of which was in flames and the other made of a bright ice which leaked a mist which fell to the ground like the mist that came off of dry ice. I looked down at Eclipse, noticing that its blade had gone darker as well. I could feel the utter rage and disgust the two of them now felt. “YOU DARE TO BRING HARM TO ONE OF OUR ALLIES!?” Daybreaker bellowed.

“THY ACTIONS SHALL NOT GO UNPUNISHED, VERMIN!” Nightmare Moon declared with finality.

The power rushing through Eclipse made me feel much stronger. I turned towards the Lycans, who were still clearly affected by the light. What made no sense to me was why? It wasn’t like it was as bright as that. Right?

That was when I noticed my arm. Instead of skin, I saw scales. Silvery scales with gold around their edges. My hands had been turned into claws, and I suddenly noticed that my face had become much more…Dragon-like. I summoned a handheld mirror from my treasure’s inventory and I saw a black eyed and silver scaled Dragon looking back at me.

The day started to dim as the two transformed Alicorns landed. The earth was singed where Daybreaker walked, leaving the grass dead and somewhat burnt, and the grass was frozen around where Nightmare Moon stepped. Then, as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes, light returned. I saw that Silica and Scoria also had their eyes return to normal. It had to be some sort of inner dark eyelid, I surmised, but I put that thought out of my mind as I saw the two approaching me. When they looked at me, both of them grinned and nodded, looking at me appreciatively. “As a Dragon, you look regal indeed,” Daybreaker said with a lopsided grin.

“Indeed, sister,” Nightmare Moon agreed, “he looks, shall we say, delicious?” She licked her lips.

“We can play later, sister dear,” Daybreaker said, “Right now, we have some dogs to put down.”

As the two turned away, they both bumped their flanks against me, and I could tell from the surge of emotion that it was a deliberate choice on their parts. I clenched my hand around the hilt of Eclipse. I could feel the torrent of emotions radiating off of it. The worry, the relief at seeing me okay, the anger and hatred at the Lycans, and the bloodlust. Not that I could blame them for their last few emotions. I was still plenty angry about them injuring the mare I loved. The sword’s blade ignited in a mix of fire and ice and I moved to join the two transformed Alicorns, but I paused.

This isn’t them, I thought to myself. This couldn’t be them. They’re letting their emotions get the better of them.

Oh, and you weren't about to, either? a voice in my head asked.

I looked at the blade, then concentrated on calming down. The ice and fire dissipated and the blackness that had surrounded it vanished. The two Alicorns paused, turning to look back at me, and I saw that their eyes had returned to their normal hues despite the rest of their body staying the same. I walked up to them, shaking my head. “Thank you Celestia, Luna, but they’ll be punished in a way that’s much better than simply killing them.”

The worry on their faces was evident, and it was Daybreaker who spoke first. “They did harm to your marefriend and another of your traveling companions,” she hissed, “and for that, they must suffer!”

“And they will,” I assured them, “but to quote a cheesy movie, if you kill ‘em, they won’t learn nothin’.” I grinned, a grin that might even make the Riddler or even the Joker jealous. The flames around my wings flashed a brilliant green once more, and the world around me made much more sense. My scales were gone, my face was back to normal, and I could now feel the intense heat and cold, but from where I stood, the combination of both just felt like a cool dawn or dusk. I walked between the two of them, making my way to where Amber and Amethyst were still on the ground nearby, hands over their eyes. I held my blade in one hand and one of the pistols, which I had pulled out for just this occasion, in the other.

Amber was the first to see me approach, the look on her face a mixture of fear and rage. The latter of which dissipated when she saw me raise my pistol towards not her, but her daughter who was still writhing nearby. To her credit, the older she-wolf crawled over and placed herself between the gun and her daughter. “I won’t let you harm her,” she snarled.

Before I could speak, however, Angel came up from behind Amethyst and grabbed her by the shoulder, putting the blade at her neck. His blue-gray eyes blazed with venom as he stared daggers at the Empress. “Bitch, give us a fucking excuse,” her said darkly.

Amethyst looked back at Angel, terror passing over her face. She turned back to Amber. “Mother…help…” she sounded like a terrified child.

Amber turned to me, eyes pleading now. “Please don’t harm my daughter,” she said. “She’s all I have.”

“You should have thought about that long before you attacked us on sacred ground like that,” I replied, my expression and tone dark, “and before you injured my marefriend and another companion of my party!” The flames on my wings flashed brightly as I did so, and I moved them forward, surrounding her.

The Lycan she-wolf began panting as the heat encompassed her. She backed up, eyes full of hatred. “Are you going to kill me, you fool? Kill me and my daughter and take over our Empire?”

I shook my head as I put my gun back in the necklace. At the same time, I lowered my blade but not my guard. “No, we won’t kill you or your daughter,” I said, my head racing with the adrenaline rush of the past few minutes, which to me still felt like a lot longer. I had switched to the royal We as I spoke to emphasize my point. “However, your actions against me have shown that you are a clear and present danger to not only us and our royal family, but just as importantly to our Empire. You thought that your matchlock muskets were enough to harm us, and in any other situation, you may have been right.”

I reached out and picked up a discarded matchlock musket, brought it over my knee, and snapped the stock from the rest of it, then tossed it aside. “Unfortunately, humans have long since moved past such primitive firearms,” I growled, reaching out and lifting her up with my magic, bringing her to my grasp. My hand went around her throat and tightened. “By all rights, your actions do merit the death penalty,” I growled, and I could hear the small Dragon-like part of my voice returning. I held back a smile when I started smelling piss coming from her, but I ignored it and tossed her to the ground before leveling Eclipse at her. “I am offering you a choice. Surrender here, and I will be…generous…with my new terms.”

She looked up at me, eyes full of loathing, but I pressed the blade against her neck, causing her eyes to widen. She raised her paws. “I…surrender…” It sounded as if it was painful for her to say, and at the moment I didn’t care.

I nodded and removed the tip of Eclipse from her neck. “Good.” I turned to Silica and Scoria, who had joined me on either side, their own weapons drawn, mouths smoking with rage. Without looking away from the two Dragons I pointed to Amethyst, who looked like she had just recovered her eyesight. “Seize her,” I ordered, “but do no harm to her. Angel, come over here.”

Amber’s eyes widened as the two Dragon sisters obeyed my orders. “Wait, what are you-?!” She was cut off when my blade tip touched her throat again.

I watched as the two Dragons hoisted Amethyst to her feet. They weren’t too gentle about it, and I found myself inwardly smirking in satisfaction at that, although I knew I’d have to scold them later. As Angel came to stand beside me again, I turned back to Amber. “This first term is non-negotiable,” I said. “Your daughter will be our guest in our royal capital to ensure that no further foolishness occurs.”

“A political prisoner…” Amber snarled.

“Call it what you will,” I said, “but I promise that under our care she shall be well treated, fed well, and be given guards to ensure her safety. Perhaps, in time, she will be returned to you, but for the time being you have shown that we of the House of Bethridge and all citizens of the Aelyssian Empire cannot trust you. Is that understood?”

“At least let me send her personal chambermaid, and her personal guards,” Amber pleaded.

“We believe that is a fair concession we can make,” I said, “but she will also have Dragon guards to watch over them. She and the rest of her personal staff must earn our trust.”

Amber seemed to deflate at this, and she nodded. “I understand,” she said.

“You also attacked members of our kingdom without any provocation,” a new voice said from beside me. I turned to see Celestia, now returned to normal, glaring down at Amber with a look that I hadn’t seen on her before, pure, unadulterated rage. Seeing it on Daybreaker was one thing, but on Celestia? It was almost somehow worse. Seeing the normally Dumbledore like serenity on her face be broken into pure unadulterated rage reminded me that she was the Princess of the Sun for a reason.

“We will not be taking the attack on two of our citizens and on a Knight of the Realm lightly,” Luna, who also had returned to normal save for the Nightmare slits of her eyes, said as she joined me on the other side, glaring down at Amber. “We will be demanding compensation for this atrocity.”

Amber glowered at the two. “What else is Equestria going to take from us, huh?” she demanded, slowly getting to her feet despite my blade still at her throat. I pulled back a bit as she stood and looked at the two sisters angrily. “What else are you going to demand of us!? He-!” and here she pointed at me, “killed several of my soldiers!”

“In self-defense,” Celestia said with a low growl, “and my sister and I have admitted our mistakes when it came to how we handled the enforced peace treaty between you and the Deerfolk. We are sorry about that.”

“Sorry doesn’t undo the anger!” Amber snapped. “Sorry doesn’t undo the centuries of oppression-!”

“Look who’s talking about oppression!” a familiar male voice shouted from behind us. I turned and saw Mica, eyes burning with anger and determination as he stepped forward, his own weapon clenched in his hands as he stormed up to the Empress. I held a hand up to stop him, and while he did stop, his words pierced the air with their fury. “You talk all the time about oppression, but the way you treat the he-wolves in our empire is the very definition of oppression! We are second rate citizens! We have no rights! All we’re used for is manual labor and to carry on the oh-so-superior she-wolves line! Tell my Emperor what you did to your mate! TELL HIM!”

Amber’s eyes were wide with shock at the sudden fury that came from the he-wolf. “N-Now listen here, young whelp-” she began, but he interrupted him.

“He was poisoned at a dinner celebrating Amethyst’s birth!” Mica shouted. “She blamed a male servant and had him flayed in public for all to see!”

“Th-That’s a lie!” Amber shouted in desperation. “That servant did poison my husband! I loved him!”

“Funny way of showing it on the day of his death, then,” Gemini said, stepping beside her brother and glaring down at Amber. “It’s a celebration.”

“It’s my daughter’s birthday!” Amber screamed.

“And yet, no mourning of any kind or mention of him,” Gemini argued in a surprisingly calm tone. “If you loved him, surely you’d mention him in your yearly speech. Other Emperors and Empresses have in the past.”

Amber’s teeth clenched and her fist tightened. “Males…they’re useless,” she snarled. “They go sniffing around other she-wolves and follow their own desires. They’re nothing but pathetic excuses for Lycans!”

“The Guardian said that all are equal in the sight of heaven, correct?” Mica asked.

This caught my attention, and I turned to the young Lycan. “She did?” I asked.

“I believe her exact words were, ‘All Lycans are created equal with certain unalienable rights.’”

“‘That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’” I concluded.

The Lycans all looked at me in shock. “How do you know that?” Gemini asked. “I never told you.” She turned to Mica and gave him a questioning look. “Did you-?”

“Nope, not me,” he said.

“Those words are a part of my old country’s Declaration of Independence,” I said, “and only a human from Earth would know them, or a human from my home country.” I looked down at Amber. “We know there were humans on Narda before, and we know some of their names thanks to the shows that Eris mentioned. One of them became a guide for the Deerfolk, the other became one for you. If I’m right, then the one who helped you was the sister of the one who helped the Deerfolk. Your Guardian and their own protector were blood related.”

Amber’s face went pale at this. “No…I refuse to believe it,” she stammered. “No, I won’t believe it. It can’t be true! NO!” She brought up her fists and struck the ground.

We watched her denial tantrum until she tired herself out. Angel crossed his arms, smirking down at her. He looked up at me. “What a bitch, huh?” he asked.

“Since Fluttershy’s not here, I’m going to tell her that you used the proper use of that word and not the foul language you mean it to be,” I said. “And I’ll get you some V8 from Earth.”

“The fuck is V8?” he asked.

“A blended vegetable drink,” I explained as I reached down and patted him. It was then that I noticed that something else about him had changed when I hadn’t been paying attention. He had hair. Straight and messy, a lot like anime protagonist hair.

“I’d rather settle for carrots,” he said.

“I’ll get those, too,” I promised before looking back at the continuous meltdown of a certain Lycan she-wolf empress. A part of me, a very small part, felt sorry for her. The way she talked about he-wolves made it seem as if she had some personal reason for hating them. Maybe a he-wolf Lycan hurt her in some way or someone she knew. Still, it was a minuscule part, and one wrong didn’t constitute another. I pulled out another fabric door, this one the one that led to Virynth Atheos, and slapped it onto a nearby tree. As it was forming, I turned to Gemini and Mica. “Take Princess Amethyst to Aelyssia and find her a room,” I said. “Have two of the Imperial Guard keep watch over her until I get back.”

Gemini and Mica saluted, then took custody of the Princess, who struggled and cried for her mom to save her even when she passed through the threshold of the door. I put the fabric door away, then turned back to Amber. “Everything we discussed earlier is off the table for the time being,” I replied. “If you want to renegotiate, you will appear before our throne with no firearms, a minimum of guards, and truly peaceful intentions this time around. We may even let you see your daughter upon your visit. However, as of now, we will not tolerate your presence in our chambers. Do you understand us?”

Amber was helped to her feet by two of her now recovered Lycan guards. She had an angry but defeated look in her eyes. “Yes, I understand,” she said.

“Good, and with that our business is concluded,” I said. “You may send your daughter’s handmaiden and two of her best guards to Virynth Atheos to attend to her needs, but that is all the concession we are willing to make for her. Oh!” I added, snapping my fingers as if I’d just remembered something. “You and your soldiers are to drop all of your weapons and leave them behind.”

She bristled at this, but eventually nodded. “Understood,” she repeated. She turned to the soldiers, who I now saw were all female. “Drop your weapons and gather our dead,” she ordered before she was helped away, back to her horse.

As she left, I slowly sheathed my blade, watching her and the others of her impromptu army riding back. My knees felt like they would buckle, but I refused to let them. I wouldn’t let her see me weak. When they were far enough away that I was sure they couldn’t hear us, I turned to the brief battlefield. Dozens of matchlocks, swords, daggers, and even several pistols. I touched my necklace, and the weapons were gathered up into the abyss wherever they stayed. I kept one out, though, examining it briefly. “Smoothbore,” I noted before I turned back to those who remained. I leaned against the musket as I was barely able to hold on.

Celestia and Luna noticed this because they came and pressed themselves against me on either side, keeping me up. “Are you injured?” Luna asked with worry.

“Nah, Princess,” Angel said. “He kicked flank earlier!”

Celestia turned to Angel, eyebrows furled. “You helped our knight in his time of need, good sir,” she said, “and for that you’ll be rewarded.”

“Sweet! More carrots,” Angel said.

“What is your name, young one?” Luna asked.

“Angel Bunny at your service,” he said, bowing in an exaggerated motion.

“Isn’t that the name of Fluttershy’s pet-?” Celestia’s eyes widened and she turned to me. “You didn’t…”

“Yell at me later,” I said through my exhaustion.

Celestia sighed, then looked more closely at me. “Are you injured anywhere?” she repeated.

“Not that I know of,” I admitted before I turned back to the door to Ponyville. “Scarlet!” I spread my wings and flew towards the door. If she dies, so help me God, someone is seriously going to pay…

171: A Cloaked Heart's Agony

My heart shattered the moment I stepped into the observation room of Ponyville Hospital where doctors and nurses were swarming around the now unconscious Scarlet. Celestia, Luna, and Angel were beside me, the latter still covered in blood. Gemini was also beside me, and she was actually wrapping a tail around me in a rare gesture of support. I looked down at her, and the look she gave me back reminded me of those sad dog videos on YouTube. Her ears were splayed, eyes wide with sorrow, and mouth shut tightly. She pulled on my waist more with her tail.

Behind me, I felt a large and warm wing placed on my back. I looked back and saw the now white with fire red tipped wings that belonged to Celestia. Her eyes were full of reassurance as she said, “I’ve brought the best doctors in from Canterlot for her and the Giraffe cow you brought. They’ll know what to do.”

I took little comfort from that. Miora’s injuries, while just as severe as Scarlet’s, had been caused by an arbalest’s bolt, but Scarlet’s had been caused by a smoothbore matchlock musket. It wasn’t exactly the same, and bullet wounds hadn’t ever been seen before on Narda until today. Nobody on Narda could…

My thoughts cut off abruptly as my eyes widened. “Nobody on Narda…” I muttered.

“Jethro?” Celestia looked at me curiously.

I looked up at the princess with eyes wide, now full of hope. “I’ll be right back!” I shouted as I turned and ran out of the hospital.

As I did so, I nearly ran into the Mane Six and Spike who were just arriving. “Jethro, we just-whoa!” Twilight exclaimed as I rushed past them.

“Where are y’all goin’?!” Applejack called out.

“I’m going to try and get help!” I shouted back as I spread my wings and flew into the sky, ignoring the biting cold and the small snow flurry that was falling. I could barely hear Fluttershy’s screams of shock as she, presumably, saw the state Angel was in.

When I landed in front of the large barn-shaped structure in my backyard, Zecora was just walking out of the front door. She ran back to me as I unlocked the gate. “I just heard what happened to Scarlet, love,” she said. “How’s she doing?”

“Not good,” I admitted, “but I’m going to try and find help.”

“Help from where?” she asked.

“Help from Earth,” I explained hastily as I pulled the large door open, revealing the Stargate. I turned to her. “If she wakes up before I return, tell her I went to try and get help.”

“I will, dearest,” Zecora said as she spread her own wings and flew into the air, heading towards the hospital.

I looked towards the Stargate, its watery mirrored surface moving slowly. I approached the gate, and pushed my hand through-

-just as a ball of fur tackled me and Gemini and I tumbled through the Stargate.

I shot out of the massive statue of King Arthur, tumbling with my unanticipated fellow interdimensional traveler onto a large patch of snow. My face was buried in said snow, and I heard a familiar voice grumbling. I pushed myself out of the snow and turned, only to see a human face looking back at me. If it wasn’t for her teal eyes, I wouldn’t have recognized her. “Gemini?? The fuck are you doing here??”

Gemini, having passed through the Stargate, had now become human. Her hair was slightly wavy, brown with naturally lighter brown highlights. Her skin tone was darker than I would have anticipated, almost a honey color. She wore a pair of black jeans, a thick fur coat with a fur lined hood, and wore fingerless gloves. There was a large hunting knife strapped to her belt. Despite what she was wearing, I could tell that in her human form she was muscular. She reached out and grabbed me by my coat and hoisted me to my feet, then slammed me onto the ground, fury etched into her now human features. “What are you thinking, abandoning your mate in a time of need?!” she asked with a hiss.

I grabbed her by the wrists. “Nobody on Narda knows how to treat a gunshot wound,” I snapped back, “and I’ve been treated by someone locally here! I need to find him and bring him back! That way, there’s a better chance of saving Scarlet!”

“Jethro? That you over there?” a familiar voice called from just out of sight. We both looked up and I saw Jackie walking over, a pile of wood in her arms. Wood which she dropped when she saw what was going on. “Let go of ‘im right now!”

“Relax! She’s with me!” I shouted before Jackie could do anything foolish.

Gemini stood up, then hoisted me to my feet none too gently. “This had better be important, Your Grace,” she said, using the title like a weapon. “Your mate lies dying and you travel elsewhere?”

Jackie’s eyes widened in alarm. “Yer mate?” she asked. “What’s goin’ on back there?”

“Scarlet got shot by a musket,” I hastily explained. “Is Mac around??”

Jackie didn’t hesitate. She pulled out her phone and hastily dialed someone. Putting the phone to her ear, she waited, then when someone responded, she spoke. “Mac, it’s Jackie. Jethro’s here and needs yer medical help…someone got shot in Equestria…ah know, but he looks desperate…alright, I’ll give him the phone.” She turned and handed the phone to me. “He’s tendin’ tah somethin’ on the other side of the farm, but he wants tah talk to ya.”

Nodding, I took the phone and held it up to my ear. “Mac, I know this is super sudden, but I could really use your help,” I said, feeling the desperation flowing out of me more and more.

There was a small pause, and then, “What kind of help?”

Mac’s tone sounded calmer than mine, and I felt myself growing unusually angry at his seeming nonchalance. “Scarlet got shot by a bullet. I need your help to treat her! Please! You helped that doctor treat me when I got shot!”

“I just helped him,” Mac replied. “I’m not the expert you think I am.”

“There are doctors in Equestria who have magic and know what they’re doing,” I said, finding myself stumbling over my words as my thoughts rambled. “You can help them just by telling them what they should do! Please! She got shot in the stomach! I can’t lose her!”

The pause on the other end felt like an eternity, but then I heard a sigh. “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said, “but I need to grab some medical books from my room first.”

“Please hurry!” I pleaded, eyes wide and tears threatening to fall.

“I will.” And with that, he hung up.

Several minutes later, almost ten, Mac came up, dressed warmly and carrying a backpack that looked stuffed with books. Gemini had spent the entire time there trying to calm me down, but it wasn’t working. When I saw Mac approaching, it took everything within me not to grab him and shove him through the portal to Equestria. “You ready??” I asked frantically.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said.

“Then let’s go!” I grabbed Gemini’s hand, which a small part of me noted was surprisingly warm, and rushed back through the portal.

I sat in the lobby of the hospital several hours later, sitting on a chair and staring down at the floor. Zecora sat to my right, Spike in front of me watching YouTube videos on my phone, Gemini on my left, and the rest of the Mane Six around me, almost in a protective huddle. Angel, who was still in his Anthro form and now wrapped in a warm blanket, lay next to Spike and was watching the video alongside him. I was surprised that the two had actually hit it off, after the shock of hearing an actual bunny talk wore off, of course.

As for Fluttershy, though, she’d been so distraught by what could have happened to her precious pet bunny that when she scolded me and Angel, her words tumbled out of her so fast that she didn’t make sense. Afterwards, she apologized for everything, but I reassured her that everything was okay. I had deserved it. Celestia and Luna had gone back to Canterlot already to recover from their use of magic from earlier, but had promised to return as soon as they could.

The past few hours had been a blur, first of hasty activity, and now just silent waiting. Mac, after getting used to his new Anthro form, had gone to the hospital with me and Gemini. After I explained the situation to the surprised doctors, Mac put on a surgical mask and gloves, along with a large smock the hospital provided for him, and got to work helping. The reports I kept getting from Nurse Redheart kept saying that things were inconclusive yet. She was bleeding internally and had lost a lot of blood as a result.

The doctors, having never operated on an Anthro before, had been at a loss until Mac came and began guiding them. I made a mental note to thank Twilight for having suggested a full medical scan of me and Zecora to compare, since it had been discovered that, with very minor differences, the scans were remarkably similar. Zecora’s internal organs were nearly identical to a human female’s with the exception of the stomach, which was exactly where Scarlet had been hit, sadly. The bullet had been removed without any incident, but now the doctors were looking for any other shrapnel and tears inside her to plug. According to the nurse, Mac’s help had been a Godsend, although she’d used the term Celestiasend.

Spike looked up at me, his green eyes full of worry. “Are you okay?” he asked timidly. It hadn’t been the first time he’d asked, and in my exhausted and terrified state, I found myself growing more and more irritated with the young drake.

Still, I kept my temper in check as best as I could and sighed. “Like I said before, not really,” I replied.

“Hey, that Pegasus will be fine,” Angel said with a grin. “She’s a fucking survivor.”

“Angel Bunny! Language!” Fluttershy scolded him.

He flinched a bit, then nodded. “Sorry, Mom.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Good kit.”

Spike stood and wrapped his arms around me, holding me. “She’ll make it,” he said before he broke the hug.

“Of course she will,” Applejack said. “That there mare’s a fighter. If she can survive in that old haunted mansion fer years, then she can pull through here.”

Fluttershy walked over to me, put her hooves on my knees, and stood to nuzzle me reassuringly. “She’ll make it,” she said with a smile.

“She’s a tough bitch,” Rainbow said with a smirk.

“Darling, language!” Rarity chided her before turning to me. “Still, everypony’s right, dear. She’ll pull through.”

“I wish I could get my hooves on that Lycan bitch, though,” Rainbow said, her expression dark and her teeth clenched. “I’d show her a thing or two about hurting one of my friends and one of my two best students.”

“Git in line, Rainbow,” Applejack said equally as darkly, eyes narrowed.

“You two won’t get the chance,” Gemini said, teeth barred and snarling with rage. “I’ll tear her throat and heart out and make Amethyst eat both!”

“That’s enough, everyone.” Twilight said, trying to calm everyone in a tone she probably hoped was reasonable. Since she hadn’t become quite as neurotic as she eventually became in the show, she still was more of a voice of reason. “We can’t do anything about it now.”

Just then, the front door to the hospital opened. We all turned, then saw a younger and smaller looking Giraffe walking in. Fluttershy saw her first, and her eyes widened. “Clementine? What are you doing here?”

The Giraffe looked around, then spotted me. She rose up taller, then spoke. Unlike Miora, her voice was higher pitched and younger. “Where is my fellow Giraffe?” she asked.

“Still in surgery, last I heard,” I replied, ignoring the shocked faces of those who weren’t quite in the know. “They won’t let anyone see her, yet.”

“I see,” the younger Giraffe said, nodding. She then walked over to an empty chair and took a seat. “Then I will wait.”

Nobody spoke for a good long while, until Fluttershy, who still had her hooves on my legs, looked up at me. “They…can talk?”

“Later,” I said. I then looked back over at Clementine. Switching to the Hum, I quickly said, “Please extend my most sincere apologies for what has transpired to your elders as well as a well wish for a full recovery.”

“You honor me by speaking in the Hum,” Clementine replied, “and I will relay your words and well wishes. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied. “If she does not make it, may she forever walk in the Fields of Golden Grass where she may gain her eternal reward.”

“In the One-In-All’s name, I agree,” Clementine replied with a respectful nod.

“Was that a song you two were singing?” Twilight asked.

“Later, please,” I pleaded.

“It must have been some sort of language,” Fluttershy replied.

Why that particular sentence made me snap will forever confuse me, but it did. I stood sharply, fists clenched. “I need some air,” I said through clenched teeth, and before anyone could say anything, I stormed out into the winter night.

The moon was in its waxing crescent phase, its silvery light glistening off of freshly fallen snow. I sat on a bench after wiping the snow off of it, head in my hands. I had never felt this terrified with my parents’ deaths or my Trixie’s descent. Maybe it was because, unlike their deaths, Scarlet’s was still uncertain. I was terrified of feeling too much hope only to have it snatched away from me. Life’s been good to me in many ways since I came here, I thought, so I guess Murphy had to step in and fuck things up. I had it too good.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the footsteps crunching through the snow as they approached. I was only aware of the presence of the unexpected guest when he spoke. “Shiiit…that was quite the fucking scene in there,” Angel said.

“Go away, Angel,” I said without looking up, “I’m not in the mood.”

However, instead of leaving, I felt someone hop up onto the bench. I looked up to see the form of Angel, still wearing the blanket around him like a cloak, narrowing his eyes at me. He thumped onto the bench. “Listen here,” he said, pointing a finger at me, “I won’t tolerate anyone, monkey or pony, making Fluttershy cry! You left her and the others so fast that she almost cried.”

Well, now I feel like a heel, I thought, the pit in my stomach deepening. “I…I’m not angry at her,” I said softly.

“Could have fucking fooled me,” the diminutive Anthro rabbit kit said.

I looked away, feeling foolish for being chastised by a rabbit of all creatures. My mind was a jumble and I couldn’t straighten anything out. I clenched my teeth. “I can’t lose her…”

“You don’t have a monopoly on losing family,” Angel said, and the tone in his voice had grown oddly sympathetic while not losing much of its biting tone. When I looked up at him, he continued. “I lost my birth parents and all my siblings to a timberwolf attack. Fluttershy doesn’t think I remember it, but I do.” He took a deep breath, his eyes appearing to be haunted by that memory. “Winona’s told us about how sometimes that orange pony will either talk to her about her dead parents or how she’ll cry herself to sleep. Fluttershy wants you for a mate for God knows what reason.” I turned to him sharply when he used the word ‘God’, and seeing that, he shrugged. “I heard you use that word. A lot better than saying ‘Celestia’.”

Despite myself, I chuckled. “I guess so.” My smile faded as I turned away and looked at my hands. “It’s not just Scarlet, though,” I added. I began rubbing my hands as if trying to wash something away. “I guess I’m still a bit in shock at all the Lycans I killed.”

“I spent my early days in the Everfree Forest,” Angel said, “and in there it’s kill or be killed. Do I regret hurting the dogs I did hurt? Sure, but it was necessary. They wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you, me, those lizard guards of yours, and the dog guard.”

“I know it was necessary,” I admitted, “but the fact that I…I partly enjoyed it…that scares me.”

A small hand patted my shoulder. “Talk to someone,” he said. “Fluttershy lets us talk to her whenever we have something on our minds.”

I exhaled. I probably should do just that, I mused. I hoped that Cadance would be willing for a visit. I forced myself to relax. “You know, Angel,” I said, turning back to him, “you’ve got to be the most foul mouthed and irritating shithead out there, and your bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired, but you’re not wrong.”

He thumped onto the bench again. “Damn right I’m not wrong.” He reached over and tugged hard at my coat. “Now let’s get the fuck back inside. It’s cold as Tartarus out here!”

When I returned, I looked directly over at Fluttershy, who stood and rushed over to me. “I-I’m sorry for whatever I said,” she said.

I knelt and hugged her tightly. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry,” I replied. “I’m not angry or upset with you. I’m just scared.”

She tightened her hug and stroked my hair with her hooves. “It’s okay,” she said, nuzzling me before kissing my cheek. We stood like that before she broke the hug. “I’m just glad you’re okay right now.”

I nodded somberly before feeling a hand slap me on the back. Looking back I saw Angel standing beside me, a grin on his face. “This monkey just needed some sense knocked into him,” he said.

“It’s still so weird hearin’ ‘im talkin’,” Applejack muttered.

Angel looked over at her. “Be glad it’s me and not Winona,” he said. “She’d talk at you a mile a minute and be ultra hyper.”

Applejack seemed to consider that for a moment, then nodded with a small chuckle. “Aah guess yer right,” she said.

Twilight looked like she was about to say something, but seemed to think better of it as her mouth closed again, and she went back to waiting. She wasn’t even reading, which told me just how rattled she was. Sure, she was still curious, but that was probably her trying to find a distraction for either herself, me, or everyone.

Pinkie, who’s mane was almost flat now and who’s color had drained a bit, spoke up after not speaking. Her blue eyes were full of tears and her ears were splayed against her head. “I hope we can see Scarlet’s unique smile again,” she whispered before walking over, getting on her hind legs, and kissing my cheek tenderly.

I put a hand on the back of her head, leaned in, and touched her forehead to mine. She nuzzled me affectionately, and after holding back, the tears finally started to flow. She hugged me first, followed close behind by Spike, who hugged my midsection, and Zecora and Gemini, each of whom hugged me from the side. Soon, everyone came in for a warm hug. I quietly wept, the stresses of the entire day and the entire last few weeks starting to catch up to me. Their warm embraces gave me some comfort, but the fear was still there. I couldn’t lose anyone else, I just…I just couldn’t…

I must have cried myself to sleep because the next thing I remember, a dark red hand was gently shaking me awake. I bolted awake, barely remembering in time that Spike, who was now asleep, was still sitting right below me. I looked up and saw a tired looking Malcom, still wearing scrubs and a half removed surgical mask.I felt my heart beating rapidly. “Where’s Scarlet?” I asked. “Is…is she safe? Is she…alright?” The moment I said those words, I winced. I hadn’t meant to make that reference. I smacked my cheeks. “Please tell me she’s going to be okay, Mac, please…”

Mac inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “Yer gonna have to talk to the actual doctors here fer more information, Jethro,” the human turned Anthro pony said. “I did what I could, and they did all the heavy lifting.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag. Inside were a few pieces of metal. He handed it to me. “Here’s the bullet,” he said. “They got it out at least, and I think they found all of the holes and plugged them up.” He sighed again. “She’s still unconscious, but still alive. I don’t know if their magic will do anythin’, but if they have healin’ spells, I reckon she’ll be okay.”

“I believe she’s out of danger,” a familiar voice said. Malcom and I turned and saw the Unicorn doctor who had treated Scarlet before.

“Doctor Stable,” I said, anxiety creeping back into my tone, “are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?”

The doctor nodded. “The doctors that the Princesses brought down are extremely talented, and this stallion here,” he gestured to Malcom, “was instrumental in treating this unique wound. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“But she’s okay, yeah?” I asked again.

“She needs some sleep and round the clock healing spells to speed up the recovery process,” he explained, “but for the moment, we found all the shrapnel, as this stallion called it. All of the places where the shrapnel cut her open are stitched up, too. There’s no sign of any further internal bleeding. All she needs right now, like I said, is rest and time for the healing spells to help her recover. It may be a while, but our estimates are that she’ll make a full recovery.”

Tears fell again, only these were tears of relief. A huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. A heavy and somewhat calloused but still furry hand rested on my shoulder. “She’ll be perfectly fine,” Mac said in a perfect bedside manner.

“Thank you,” I said, looking between Malcom and Doctor Stable. “Both of you.”

“You’re welcome,” the doctor replied.

“Eeyup.” Mac added. He then yawned and stretched. “Will you need anythin’ else?” he asked both me and the doctor.

“Those medical books you brought with you should be very helpful for how we treat Scarlet,” Doctor Stable said, “so thank you. And we don’t need anything else right now. Feel free to go home. You’ve earned it.”

Mac nodded and yawned again. “Jethro, everyone,” he said, inclining his head politely.

“I’ll show you back to my place,” I said as I stood.

The others, who were almost all asleep except for Gemini, woke as I stood. I helped Zecora to her feet and held her close. “Do you want us to stay with you tonight?” Fluttershy asked softly.

I shook my head. “No, but I appreciate the offer,” I said. “They just told me Scarlet should make a full recovery.”

Sighs of relief and happy smiles passed over the crowd of ponies. There were happy tears and hugs all around.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Doctor Stable talking to Clementine, who had not moved from her spot until just now. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about at first, but judging from the small smile on the doctor’s face, I had to assume that Miora was going to recover as well. Not wanting to take the chance that I was wrong, however, I turned and walked up to the two. “Doctor, Ms. Clementine,” I greeted them again.

“Emperor Bethridge,” Clementine said with a polite nod.

“I thought you were going home,” the doctor added with confusion.

“I should have asked this earlier, but how is Miora doing?” I asked. “The Giraffe in your care, I mean,” I added when the doctor looked at me in confusion.

“Oh, yes,” the doctor said as he adjusted his glasses. “Fortunately, the metal arrow that was inside her missed anything vital.” He turned and gave an apologetic nod to Clementine. “I’m afraid that we had to call in a veterinary expert. I’m sorry if that’s an insult-”

“No insult is taken, good doctor,” Clementine interrupted with a shake of her head. “Miora is one of my superiors, and she has looked after me quite well. We have hidden our ability to speak quite well, it seems.” She sighed and shook her head. “There are some among us who dislike our extreme secrecy, but even so, I must ask that no Pony in this hospital who has seen or heard me or Miora speak repeat what they have seen here.”

“I’ll let my staff know,” the doctor promised, “but I can’t speak for other patients.”

“Please do what you can, doctor,” she said before she turned to me and inclined her head. “Emperor.”

As she was turning to leave, I called out, “Miss Clementine, do you have a place to stay?”

She paused, her hooves half up before turning back to me, standing back down on all fours. “I have been sleeping in the forest you call Everfree,” she said.

I shook my head. “I have enough rooms in my house for you to have your choice of them,” I said. “Why don’t you stay with me for now? You won’t be out in the bitter cold and snow.”

She looked at me carefully for a moment, considering, then slowly nodded her assent. “That would be…most appreciated. Sleeping under fall leaves is quite uncomfortable.”

I nodded, then looked at Gemini and Zecora. “Come on,” I said, feeling more exhausted than even before. “Let’s go home.”

I lay in bed, my own bed in the mansion’s bedroom, with Zecora holding me close in her arms. The silence between us was soothing. I had led Malcom back to my home and he’d gone back through the Stargate with a gift of a hefty reward, ten thousand dollars worth of gems. I’d wanted to give him so much more, but the humble farmhand had only accepted the ten grand.

Zecora’s warm and soothing presence helped relax me, but the bed still felt empty without Scarlet there. I looked over at the empty side of the bed where the once feral Pegasus had curled up and slept with me and Zecora. When she did come home, I’d have to get used to her sleeping as an Anthro. Somehow, though, I didn’t think I’d have that much trouble getting used to it.

There was a knock at my bedroom door. It was slightly hesitant, but also a determined one. I exchanged a look with Zecora, who just shrugged. “Enter,” my wife said.

The door opened, and standing in the doorway, wearing a bathrobe and with her normally tied up hair now hanging loosely around her, stood Gemini. She had a nervous look on her face as she stood there. “May I enter?” she asked.

I nodded, gesturing for her to come in as I sat up and turned on a nearby light. As Gemini entered and shut the door behind her, I asked, “Is everything okay?”

Gemini flinched a bit, but then straightened. “I know you have not officially responded to my declaration,” she said, “but even if you reply in the negative, as your personal guard, I feel it to be my duty to protect you, even from your grief.”

This girl…I thought wryly despite myself. It’s so cute when she tries to be kind and it comes out like this. “Are you saying you want to comfort me?” I asked.

Gemini looked embarrassed, but soon wiped that expression off of her face. “You nearly suffered a severe loss today, Your Grace,” she said, and I could hear the sincerity in her tone, “and as you are the one I have declared as mine, it is my duty to ensure that your emotional state returns to normal.”

“That’s a yes,” Zecora said with some amusement.

Gemini bristled at this, looking even more humiliated. I was sincerely touched by how far she was going out of her comfort zone. I removed the empty side of the covers. “Please join us,” I said with a small smile.

She reached to remove her robe, then paused. “Before I remove this, I want your solemn vow not to tell anycreature what you’re about to see underneath,” she said, her tone anxious.

“I swear it,” I replied.

“As do I,” Zecora said.

Gemini exhaled slowly, then removed her robe. Underneath, her breasts, surprisingly big now that I got a better look at them without them being covered by her clothes, were covered by a fabric bra and she wore a pair of what looked like skin tight booty shorts. This was the first time I had seen her this undressed, and she definitely had an amazing figure. There was some muscle there, but it didn’t detract from her feminine physique. She walked quickly over to the bed and crawled underneath the covers. “This is so embarrassing,” she muttered.

I chuckled softly, then reached out with one hand and took her paw in it. She looked surprised, but took it back. “Thank you for coming here,” I said sincerely. “It means a lot that you went out of your comfort zone to try and help me feel better.”

All she could do was nod and crawl even further under the covers. However, she didn’t let go of my hand. I lay back down and she immediately pressed her warm body against mine. Zecora took my other free hand and pressed her own body against mine as well. “Sleep well, beloved,” my wife whispered into my ear.

“May your dreams be of you conquering all your enemies in glorious combat,” Gemini added with sincerity.

Despite the horrendous events of the day, I went to sleep with a small smile on my face.

1: A Cloaked Heart Dreams of Ponies

Damn, that was an amazing finale! I chuckled to myself as I leaned back in my bed, watching the credits for the final episode of The Book of Boba Fett fade in and out across the TV on the dresser opposite my bed. I seriously don’t know why anyone else seems to think it’s not as good as The Mandalorian, I thought again as I grabbed my remote and began browsing through Netflix instead. “No…no…hell no!” I said aloud as I continued scrolling through some cartoons. The new ones just looked completely infantile. I much preferred older cartoons, ones that had a bit more substance.

Having just turned 30, one might have considered it unusual for someone of my age to actually still watch cartoons, but I didn’t care too much about what others might have thought. I liked cartoons! That wasn’t to say I didn’t appreciate more mature media too, but even someone my age needed some kind of childish stress relief.

“Hello, what’s this?” I muttered aloud, pausing on a particular title. “No way, I didn’t realize they had My Little Pony on this thing!”

At work, I knew a couple people who were closet fans of the show, and I’d promised I’d never tell others about their love from the girl-oriented program. Of course, they’d asked me a couple times if I’d take the time to check out the show, but I’d never really actively searched for a way to legally watch the series. I looked closer at the series and to my disappointment, it said that the show would only be around for a few more days. “Ah well, I suppose there’s no harm in checking it out,” I said, clicking play.

Whenever I watch a new show, I always do my best to give it a fair trial. I watch the first few episodes at the very least before deciding whether or not to binge watch. However, it was later than I realized when the second episode was finished. I watched as Pinkie Pie began her Porky Pig-like outro, chuckling at her antics. Looking at the clock I noticed that it was just past 10:30 in the evening.

Despite being a day off from work the next day, I decided that sleep was a bit more important. I closed out of Netflix and began my nighttime routine of getting ready for bed. I shaved the parts of my beard I didn’t want growing, showered, changed into a fresh pair of pajamas, and climbed back into bed, grabbing my latest book. I’d gotten into the habit of getting tired by reading a book instead of facing a screen.

The nightlight illuminated the pages of my novel just enough for me to see comfortably, but began dimming after approximately a half hour of reading. With the dimming of the light came the tiredness of my eyes. I tried to stay awake long enough to finish the chapter, but the words kept on dancing along the pages, blurring and zooming around everywhere. Eventually, I put the bookmark in and put the book on my nightstand, closing my eyes and drifting off into peaceful slumber.

I was flying. Flying over a peaceful and colorful looking landscape. A small town came into view ahead of me through a bank of clouds. The houses were all of a similar construction, and in fact appeared to be somewhat medieval in appearance. A shimmering blue river flowed through the center of the town. Nearer to me I saw a large red barn and an orchard of large delectable looking apple trees of different hues.

The moment a blue Pegasus with rainbow mane and tail shot passed me towards the center of the town, I smiled. I knew I was dreaming immediately. Lucid dreaming was always one of my favorite pastimes, whenever I did get the chance to dream. I flew down towards the town, making my dream self invisible as I landed at the edge of the little town. My smile grew wider as I saw various Equestrian forms moving back and forth. “Never thought I’d ever end up dreaming about that Ponyville place,” I muttered to myself as I walked past a few of the ponies.

Jumping up, I hovered slightly above the ponies in the town, watching them go about their daily lives. I was sorely tempted to start singing the beginning song from Beauty and the Beast, but refrained.

What astonished me the most, however, was that the world didn’t even look like a cartoon. Instead, it looked as real as my own world. The sights, the smells, the sounds, everything was incredibly lifelike. The ponies, however, looked like a mixture between realistic and their cartoon forms. Their proportions were more realistic and they had the muscular and structure of real ponies, but their faces retained that childlike innocence that I’d seen in the first episode of the show. For some reason, however, it just looked right on them. I couldn’t exactly explain it.

I didn’t have much time to think about it before I was dragged away by some kind of unknown force. Ponyville drifted away and I found myself in the clouds, flying towards a massive colorful castle. It looked something like the palace I’d seen in the show, however it was built into the side of a massive cliff. Unlike the show, however, its dimensions seemed sturdier and more realistic. I actually received Rivendell vibes from it after seeing a large waterfall falling next to it which poured into a pool nearby. The pool itself drained out with a second waterfall that fell to the valley floor below.

As I flew towards it, I heard the unmistakable whistle of a steam engine. Looking down towards the sound, I saw a large set of dual train tracks and a multicar steam train riding along one of them. I flew towards it, looking into the cabins. Each one was full of excited little ponies, including some children. No wait…the show called them fillies, right? Yeah, that’s it.

I flew above them, following the tracks towards the palace. I flew around the towers, looking at them in great detail. This dream of mind was pulling out all the stops, it seemed. The walls of the palace walls were a slight purple while the spires themselves were a pale yellow. I flew through the streets, observing the wealth and prosperity within the royal capital.

The ponies here were obviously rich, or at least well-off. It made sense, considering a place like this would be prime real estate. It was here I saw more signs of this being a more realistic world than the children’s show.

Down one of the smaller streets of the city, I saw multiple business establishments. Curious at the raucous laughter I heard from some, I floated into one and looked around. To my surprise, I began smelling cider everywhere. Different ponies were holding mugs of something and drinking it using their hooves or telekinetic magic. I floated over to one of the mugs which belonged to a pony who was lying face first on a corner booth. I dipped my finger in and tasted it. Apple Cider? I tilted my head curiously. That wasn’t really something I’d anticipated, but perhaps my more realistic mind had begun conjuring up stuff like this to help me relate more. I silently flew away, dismissing the thoughts about a pony Red Light District.

I flew away from the bar street and wandered around the vast streets of the capital, until in an instant I felt myself being dragged into an underground cave. It was lit by a large fireplace which appeared to be decorated in an odd Greek-looking style. The walls were covered in green moss. In the middle of the room stood a larger pony than the rest. Her pale white fur only seemed to accentuate the rainbow of her tail and fur. She had long wings which were at her side, and a large horn which was glowing. All around, books were flying towards her and opening of their own accord. She had some sort of shoes on her hooves, a golden necklace with an amethyst crystal on it, as well as a large crown on her head, similarly carved. I’d only seen her once, but this had to be the famous Princess Celestia.

“Where is it?” she said. Her amethyst eyes looked worried as her flowing mane flew in some sort of magical wind. “I know I saw it here! Where is that tome!?”

Tome? I wonder which one she means, I thought as I floated closer. I only caught glimpses of the words on each page, but they appeared to be in English.

“No…no…NO!” Celestia sounded terrified. Whatever tome she was looking for, it was probably dangerous in the wrong hands. Just then her horn stopped glowing. Her eyes widened even more in horror. “No…it’s in Twilight Sparkle’s room!”

With that, I was dragged through the stone and was instantly in a large tower room filled with bookshelves. A large window looked out onto other towers. Next to said window was a large hourglass. There were two levels to this place, one more or less a living area and the second the library portion. I saw a purple-colored pony sitting at the second level desk, peering over a large and ancient looking book. She was alone in the room as far as I could see. Floating over to the pony known as Twilight Sparkle, I peered over her shoulder. I nearly chuckled when I saw how concentrated she looked. She probably wouldn’t have noticed me even IF I was visible.

“Interdimensional magic teleportation spell,” she muttered to herself. “The first in a long line of experiments by Star Aurora,” she continued. “I think…I think I have that spell nearly finished.” Her horn began to glow. A nearby paper, one I hadn’t noticed before, began glowing. Black runic letters on the page began to glow.

Even in the dream, I felt my hairs standing on end. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. This spell just felt dangerous to even be messing with. Twilight began floating up, magic seeming to flow from her towards the paper. She winced, then screamed in obvious pain.

From behind me, the doorway burst open. A horrified Celestia froze as she witnessed this happening. Her pause was short, however, as she flew up and aimed her horn at the paper. It burst into flames, causing a vast quantity of magic to fly everywhere, sending books flying. She caught the now unconscious Twilight Sparkle and took her to her bed, looking her over. The little purple pony still had an expression of pain on her face, but Celestia’s horn began glowing, as did Twilight Sparkle’s body. The unicorn’s painful expression eased.

Smiling, Celestia made her way back up to the second level and looked at the book. “I can’t believe I left it up here,” she said in a guilty sounding voice. Using that telekinetic magic, she grabbed a piece of paper and pen. I watched her write.

My dearest, most faithful student Twilight,

When you awaken in a few hours, the book you were reading will have disappeared. It is not a book meant for you, at least not yet. Had you cast the spell you were attempting correctly, your magic would have been completely drained. This kind of magic is dangerous due to its chaotic nature and unpredictability. Just know I am not angry at you, and am merely glad of your safety. We shall discuss this incident in person later.

Yours truly,

Princess Celestia

She left the letter, then took the book and walked downstairs. Just then I found myself flying out of the window back towards Ponyville. I was high above them as I flew past towards a large and dark forest. I flew through it, crossing a river, and appearing in front of a dilapidated old palace. I recognized it from the second episode of the show as the palace where those Elements of Harmony were.

However, that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. Just before the bridge, I saw something glowing in the shape of a house. I floated towards it, seeing the vague green outline of a house on the side of the road. The trees within the outline began to fall to the side, leaving room for…

“That’s my house?!” I shouted in alarm as I made my way towards it. My entire property line, which wasn’t much considering I lived in a very small one bedroom one bath house, began to acquire more substance until the house and the resulting property, a small patch of grass, a fire pit and a multipurpose garden I tended to, took full shape.

“The hell is this kind of dream?” I wondered to myself as I phased through the door. Looking around, I saw the house was dark as it normally was thanks to my windows being covered by dark shades. I floated down the small hallway to my bedroom. Nothing was amiss, even the electricity worked. I couldn’t grab anything so I couldn’t test the water. “Ah, what am I doing?” I chuckled. “It’s my dream. Everything would be able to work just fine. Hell! Even the internet!” I imagined that everything would work as it should, and then snapped. I didn't even see my hand in front of my face. “Right, still invisible.”

Closing my eyes, I regained my dream form. Floating through the house, I looked into places that my normal body couldn’t normally. I saw the normal. Dust bunnies in places I hadn’t cleaned in months, a couple pencils I’d dropped, but something I never thought I’d see again was a class ring. It was in the living room directly underneath my desk. I’d lost it about ten years ago. I’d lost it at my five-year high school class reunion, but even in my dreams, it was nice to see it again. It brought back pleasant and unpleasant memories for me.

I last went to my room, where to my surprise I saw myself sleeping in bed, a book lying on the nightstand beside me. I reached out and, to my surprise, picked up the book. Just as I was beginning to open it, I felt myself being sucked into the sleeping body-

Groaning, I opened my eyes. I slowly sat up and rubbed the cobwebs from my eyes and looked around the dark room. The clock said 8:34 in the morning. “Right…weekend,” I said. I looked over at my nightstand to grab my book for some early morning reading before my day began, but stopped. “Hold the phone…where’s the book?” I looked around briefly before finding it on the floor. “Ah, damn it,” I said. “How’d you get there? I was sure I didn’t leave you in a precarious position last night,” I said. “Then again, I was tired. Yeah, that’s probably it.” I picked it up and turned on my light again, opening the book and backtracking to the last spot in the book I remembered.

After I finished the chapter and read the next one, forty or so minutes had passed. My stomach growled at me. Closing the book and placing it on the bed, I got out and quickly made it before heading into the kitchen.

My bank job salary was enough that I was actually able to afford the mortgage on the small one-bedroom house I’d purchased a few years ago. Lately I preferred the solitude that came with living alone. Not to say I didn’t enjoy interacting with people. I was the manager of a bank, after all. My employees were, more or less, a competent bunch, and I tried my best to be fair. But being around them did drain me, and being around customers who would complain a lot was even more draining. Of course, being in the small town I lived in, I didn’t get that many new faces, and the vast majority of the denizens of the bank were polite and understanding if something went wrong.

I made myself some sunny side up eggs and two pieces of buttered toast for breakfast, browsing through my phone. The weather for today was apparently sunny but with a ten percent chance of rain. After I finished eating, I went into the living room and turned on the main TV in there. However, to my surprise, the cable was out.

Sighing, I turned on my Netflix account again, selecting the next two episodes of My Little Pony. I laughed at the simple lessons it was teaching about jealousy among friends and letting go of one’s pride to accept the help of others when it was needed. I had to admit, the show was growing on me, but despite that, I could only take so much cutesy stuff at a time. I plugged my laptop in and began watching Star Wars. After watching episodes one through three, with a break for lunch and a snack, it was around four in the afternoon. Taking a break from that, I decided to play a few video games for a few hours.

I was so engrossed in my game that I almost missed the fact that it was past seven. I fixed myself a quick dinner, then prepared for the night. Being the manager of a bank might have had its perks but there were downsides, such as me having to be the first one there to unlock it for the morning employees. My day started normally around five and I would get home at around 1:15 or so. I wasn’t much of a morning person, but I absolutely hated swing shifts even more.

By the time I was finished with dinner and my evening routines, it was just past 8:30. Despite having not done much physically, I was still pretty tired. By the time I hit the pillow, I was out like a light…

I was floating again. Only this time I was next to a small pond in the middle of what looked like Canterlot again. No one was around, but I still made myself invisible. Another dream, I thought to myself. Weird that it’s about that pony show. But hey, it’s been entertaining at least. I stuck my foot in the water. To my surprise, it wasn’t too cold or too hot, but a perfect temperature for a foot soak. Of course, I made sure to keep an eye out for any interlopers. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t want to interfere in the events happening. Maybe that was why my dream house appeared in the Everfree Forest.

Just then I heard someone approaching down the pathway. I quickly but quietly floated up. A familiar looking purple pony with a horn was carrying a book using that telekinetic magic of hers. She placed it on the ground near a tree, and opened its pages. She opened the first page and began to read. “Let’s see…the Book of the Moon. Chapter One…’Before the Banishment of Nightmare Moon, the Castle of the Two Sisters thrived. All Ponykind rejoiced and lived in harmony with one another underneath the benevolent rule of the two sisters.’”

No Once Upon a Time?, I thought as I listened. The story was essentially the same, but it read more like an entry in the Bible. When she reached the end, I watched as she looked up at the sky. “Hmm, Elements of Harmony. I know I’ve heard of those before…but where?” She looked up at the sky, a thoughtful expression on her face.

I smiled, knowing that this was the beginning of her journey into friendship. In a sense, I was a bit envious of her position. She was not only an extremely intelligent woman, or mare I suppose, but she was also about to receive five amazing friends. I hadn’t had friends in a while. Not since…her. Not since I lost her.

I inhaled deeply and exhaled. Unfortunately, it was a bit too loud, since Twilight shot up and looked around. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

Welp, time to make myself scarce, I thought, flying away once again, leaving a confused Twilight looking around. I flew once more around the city, exploring more than I had the night before. This is one very, VERY elaborate dream, I thought again as I continued exploring the city.

After flying around, I made my way towards the main castle. Once more phasing through the doors, I saw that I was in an elaborate looking throne room. The throne room was everything one would expect from one in a medieval fantasy. A gold dais stood at the end of a large red carpet. To the left and right were walls covered with stained-glass windows which most likely depicted the history of this land.

Sitting on a throne situated on the dais was none other than Princess Celestia. Standing before her was Twilight Sparkle. Between them, a very familiar book floated. Celestia was looking down at Twilight with a frown.

Twilight lowered herself, ears flat with shame. “Princess Celestia, I-”

“My faithful student,” Celestia said, and her voice had a hint of kindness behind the frown. “I’m not upset at you. It was my own oversight that led to that book being in your room. It was my error that caused this, and I’m merely glad you’re alright.”

Twilight looked confused. “But…”

“Listen to me,” Celestia interrupted her once more. “the spells within this book are both incomplete and extremely dangerous. Specifically, the one you chose to attempt. The only other time it has been cast it brought a dangerous creature from another world to Equestria. It took a mighty effort to defeat it.” I saw behind her expression a hint of…grief? Regret? “And the way it was defeated…was…” she trailed off, looking down with her eyes closed. She quickly recovered from whatever memory she was reliving (she was ages old, after all, so it was very likely she and Luna were involved in whatever happened) and looked at Twilight. “I’m encouraging you to be more cautious in your studies. There are many secrets of magic that are simply too dangerous to study at your current level.”

Twilight bowed in respect, looking slightly relieved, but still guilty. Celestia made her way out of her throne and down to Twilight. Putting one of her front hooves on her student, her warm smile returned. “Don’t be so upset. I said I’m not angry with you, merely glad that you’re alright. Now, go ahead and run along.”

Twilight bowed and rushed out, running out of the main hall. I watched as Celestia took her place at her throne. Her expression turned somber. She looked at one of the nearby mosaics. Her somber expression turned sad. “Dearest sister…” she lowered her head, a tear falling from it.

As much as I wanted to, I knew I shouldn’t go hugging her, especially since I was still invisible. Flying out of the throne room, I flew back towards my dream house location. When I reached it, the sun was still high in the sky, but beginning to set. I landed in front of the disturbed forest where my house sat, nestled in the forest near the half-destroyed rope bridge that led to the ancient ruined palace. Turning myself visible, I took a closer look at it. Unlike the palace at Canterlot, this ruin was dark, consisting of twin spires on either side. I saw scorch marks from where I sat although some were overgrown with ancient looking trees. The stone doors were shut, however anyone could get in by climbing over the walls. “Must have been a darker time in history?” I wondered aloud. “Eh, it’s a dream. I wonder if…” I raised my hand. Stones began moving from the palace towards me. Holding out another hand, I undid the rope bridge and set it aside nearby.

Over the next half hour or so, I constructed a wide stone pathway. As I cleaned, I realized that the darkness on the stones was actually the result of ash. “Must have been a big fire,” I muttered as I finished the bridge. It looked sturdy enough, but I would never be able to tell. “Ah screw it!” I said, hand outstretched again. “It’s my dream. It’s as sturdy as I want it to be! It should last for ten thousand years!”

The bridge glowed a bit, the rocks tightening up around each other until I couldn’t even see the creases between each rock anymore. I nodded in appreciation, then as a side note, used the wood and rope from the former bridge to create handholds on each side. “Not that anybody, or anypony, I suppose, would need them,” I muttered.

I looked up at the setting sun, then noticed the moon starting to rise in the other direction. I saw a dark unicorn shaped maria in the moon. I inhaled the crisp evening air and smiled. Returning to my house, I noticed how it stood out as looking much too modern in the location it was. “Right…let’s see…ah!” I raised my hand and watched as the air shimmered around the house. Soon, the area around my house blended in perfectly with the surroundings. In my dream, I knew no one could detect the type of magic I used. Walking through the magical hologram, it shimmered as I passed through a scene that resembled a dense brush. Looking up, I smiled wistfully. “It’s a shame I’m going to miss the stars here. I much prefer the night than the day,” I said, not sure what possessed me to talk like this. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy both thoroughly, but I prefer the night. You could call me a night owl.” I bowed towards the moon. “Maybe I’ll see you soon, Princess Luna.”

I began hearing an alarm ringing softly…then it grew louder as the world around me swirled into nothingness…

The alarm on my phone blared incessantly around me. Blearily, I reached over and turned it off, sitting up. My phone read 4:02 AM. “Damn, I slept through that?” I muttered to myself as I swung my legs out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to brush my teeth and dress up in my work clothes. I walked down the small hallway and entered my kitchen, turning on the light. Outside, it was fairly dark save for some early morning moonlight coming in through the small bits the shades didn’t cover. I threw a couple pieces of bread in the toaster and the last four slices of microwave bacon. While I was waiting, I looked at my phone app. The weather once again said it was gonna be a nice day, only this time with ten percent chance of…

“What the hell?” I frowned at the weather app. “Ten percent chance of eternal night?!” I groaned. “Someone really screwed up over there,” I said as I opened my book and began reading. Five minutes later the toaster released perfectly toasted bread. After buttering them and pulling out the bacon from the microwave, I quickly ate.

It was just past 4:30 when I finished, so I threw on my jacket and went out to my garage. As the automatic door was opening, I remembered something. “It’s trash day!” I exclaimed. I normally didn’t roll my garbage out to the curb until I left the house. I walked out into the early morning air.

And froze. My neighborhood was gone, replaced with a dark outline of a forest against a sea of stars.

“What? The? Fuck?”

Author's Note

Alright, so this is my first MLP fanfic. The ironic thing is? I've only watched half of season 1! I'm still watching, believe me! I've read a few fanfics on this site and have heard of some of the fandom's theories and such. Well, I'll either use them or turn them on their head.

Anyway, please enjoy!

3: A Cloaked Heart Meets a Neighbor

If waking up the first day in this fictitious world turned real was jarring enough, the second day was even worse. I slept poorly, with no dreams throughout the rest of that day. Near midnight, a soothing presence seemed to fill my mind and I fell into a better sleep. Not perfect, but I wasn't waking up every ten to fifteen minutes in a cold sweat. It was more like every hour or so instead. By the time I was more fully awake, I wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed. The clock on my nightstand said it was just past eleven in the morning.

And I. Was. Famished.

Groaning, I slipped on a bathrobe over my thin pajamas and shuffled out to the kitchen. Peering out of the window, I saw it was a gorgeous spring day, a few clouds floating by overhead. My stomach growled again, so I closed the shades and went to see what kind of food I had left in the fridge. I grabbed some eggs and scrambled them while throwing three slices of bread in the toaster oven. Eventually I had a healthy portion of scrambled eggs and toast on my plate.

Out of habit, I pulled out my phone and looked at the weather app. "Sunny and warm…no chance of rain, huh?" I looked at the location indicator again, then looked at the extended forecast. To my surprise, the forecast for the next seven days was exactly the same, down to the temperature and barometric pressure predicted. "That's…a little creepy," I muttered as I put down the phone and resumed eating.

Once finished, I stood and stretched. "What to do today?" I wondered aloud as I cleaned everything up and put the dirty dishes in my dishwasher. Noting how full it was, I put cleaner in the slot and turned it on. I could hear the water jets spraying already.

I decided next thing to do was air out the house. Back home, it had been midwinter, so the place felt a bit stuffy. However, if the impossible forecast on my phone was any indication, it was gonna be warm today. I connected my iPhone to the speaker system and put on some music. Soon every window is open in my house. A cool breeze from the outdoors blows in.

"Welp, guess it's a bit early, but some spring cleaning is in order," I said with a small smile. If I had been honest with myself at the time, I was trying desperately to distract myself from the predicament I found myself in. And it worked. I spent the day completely organizing everything that had been scattered around my house haphazardly since fall ended and winter began.

The highlight of my day was when I was cleaning under my desk. Looking underneath with a flashlight, I saw a glimmer of something. Just then I remembered the dream I'd had a couple nights earlier. Reaching over, I grabbed a small metallic object and pulled it out. It was my old class ring. I felt my eyes mist up as I held it close to me, a small teary smile forming on my face. Slipping it on, I chuckled when I found it was a bit snugger than I'd remembered, but it still moved around slightly as it had when I received it.

With a bit more of a pep in my step, I ate lunch (two ham and cheese sandwiches), then took my cleaning outside. It was in the light of day I noted some of the fallen trees on all sides of my property line. The time on the phone said it was just past one in the afternoon. I decided next to do some wood chopping. "Could come in handy whenever winter comes around here, whenever that is," I said to myself as I grabbed the axe and saw from the nearby shed.

Until the sun began setting, I was busily sawing large branches off the tree and chopping them into useable firewood. I had a good amount collected in the shed by the time dinner rolled around. Heading inside, I opened one of the cans of soup and warmed it on the stove for dinner. When I was finished, the stars were out, shining brightly. The moon was rising over the forest and illuminating it with its light. Smiling, I looked up at the sky again. "Welp, you're free now, your Highness," I said, imagining I was talking to Luna. Or rather, perhaps it was more that I was praying to her in a very unconventional way. "I'm glad the Elements of Harmony were able to help you." I looked up at the sky again, and the small smile on my tired face widened a little bit. "Look at that, the sky looks brighter now, more beautiful than before. I hope you make a good life for yourself at your sister's side."

As I looked up, I saw a shooting star flash across the sky. I smiled, nodding at the heavens before I went back to eating. Once I was finished, I went back inside, put the bowl in the sink for tomorrow, shut up everything again, and crawled happily but sleepily into bed.

I found myself standing in a ruined looking room. I was sitting on a throne situated on a dais. In the center of the room in front of me, I saw a large stone structure resembling a tree with five massive limbs. Despite the ruins, it looked to have seen some action recently.

Standing, I looked around, trying to determine where exactly I was. It looked vaguely familiar…

"This is the throne room of the Castle of the Two Sisters," a familiar female voice said from beside me. Turning, I saw the Alicorn from the day before flying around in a glowing form. "More specifically, it is where the Elements of Harmony recently defeated Nightmare Moon."

Immediately, I understood. I was dreaming again. I walked around, observing everything closely. "So, this is where it happened, huh?" I said aloud, a small smile crossing my lips. Turning back to Athena, I chuckled. "It looked so much cleaner in the show."

"Well, of course it did," she said, a smile on her face as well. "It was a cartoon, after all."

I ran my hands along the tree in the center of the throne room. The stone was ages old and covered in dust and cobwebs. "Such a shame…" I said quietly.

"What is?" Athena asked, a curious smile on her face now.

"It's a shame that this castle has fallen into such ruin," I said. "It must have been magnificent in its day."

The Alicorn only smiled, but it became wistful. "From what I have seen, yes. It was a beautiful place. But you can fix it up, you know." Her smile became a grin as she flew up, eyes close to him. "Remember what I said? You have powers here that most would kill to gain. Just remember this." She held her hoof off to the side of my vision.

Looking to where she was pointing, my eyes widened when I saw a blue bar stretching across my vision. I peered at it, waving my hands in front of it. I was unable to touch it, though. Turning back to Athena, I raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"I figured you would need to use this so you could get a feel for how much power you have in your astral form," she explained. "It's a Magic Point bar, like in video games."

I facepalmed. "Of course it is…" Reaching out, I used the my dreamlike willpower to lift one of the nearby stones. When I did, I saw a small bit of the MP bar vanish. I dropped it, but unlike in games, it didn't regenerate. At least, not to the naked eye. Turning, I asked, "It doesn't regenerate?"

"No. Not while you're in this state," she explained. "But you can work to expand it."

"Expand it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." She flew around and sat lazily on the throne. "Think of your current magical ability in your dream form as a water balloon. The more you fill it with water, the wetter you can get someone when you hit them with it. In the waking world, you can do certain things that expand the amount of magic you have every time you're asleep."

"Like what?"

"Being healthier, for one. Exercise too."

"Well…I think I get it," I began, "but using that analogy, isn't there a point where the balloon pops?"

She giggled and flew up towards me again, putting her wings on my shoulders. "Not in this case," she explained. "The more you do in real life, the stronger your astral dream powers become." She leaned forward, touching my forehead with her horn. "Believe me, you have great potential to be a powerful being, and perhaps an ally of Princess Celestia and all of Equestria."

"An ally, huh…?" I watched as the small bit of magic in that MP meter went back up, then turned away. "I'm not sure…do you think they would accept me? I'm unusual to them."

Her wings turned me back to her. In her eyes was a look I hadn't seen in ten years. The look of motherly love. "You will fare well, I promise you this. You have the blessing of the last naturally born Alicorn with you." She closed her eyes and pressed her horn against my forehead again. "It might not be easy at first, adjusting to a new land and new people, but I encourage you to go out and see the world. Travel to Ponyville. Meet new people. Regain what was lost to you."

With a flash of light, she was gone before I could ask her what she meant. I reached up and touched my forehead, but felt nothing. I heard a dripping sound beside me. Looking down, I saw a small droplet of water. Reaching up slowly, I felt a slight dampness on the side of my cheek.

Her eyes…they reminded me so much of my mother in that moment. I held back my tears as I slowly stood. Wiping my eyes, I clapped my hands, rubbing them together as I looked around the room. "Well then," I grinned, "I think it's time to get some cleaning done!"

Instantly, I was floating above the ruins of the palace. I rolled up my sleeves, raised my hands, and began my symphony of recreations…

It was just past eight o'clock that morning when I woke. Groaning, I sat up and stretched, cracking my back a few times. Thinking back to the dream I had the night before, a wide grin began spreading over my face. "I can't wait to see what I managed to make," I chuckled, rubbing my hands together. Swinging my legs out of bed, I almost didn't see the small scroll on my nightstand. However, my sudden movement caused it to fall onto the floor. Frowning, I reached down and opened the seal around it.

My Dearest Jethro,

I forgot to mention this last night, however I have given your body some much needed adjustments to this world. Not only will you be able to fully digest most food here safely, but you also now will have the ability to read, speak and understand other languages in this world, the ones that do not look like English. Any allergies your body also once had have now been purged and your immune system will have adapted to any diseases in this world. I apologize for not being able to speak to you about this last night, but you were having so much fun I didn't want to interrupt.

I also wished to inform you that due to our connection, we will be able to see each other briefly each night in your dreams. I wish it could be longer, but your magical abilities are currently limited. The more you expand your magical reservoir, the longer I will be able to stay.

See you soon, my dear.

Obsidian Star/Athena

I rolled the scroll back up, silently thanking her for the much-needed help. My body did feel a lot better than it had the day before when I had been working outside. I threw on a bathrobe, got into some slippers, then walked out into the cold morning air where the smell of dew on grass filled my nostrils as I walked down the walkway towards the edge of my driveway. Grinning, I looked at what I'd accomplished overnight.

A small portion of the palace had been restored already. Unfortunately, I had to remove the stones in place on the bridge in order to do it, but I'd quickly rebuilt the bridge by carving out some stones from the river below. Instead of the white stones, the bridge was made of a mixture of gray and dark orange stones, glued together by some clay I'd found which was hardened instantly through the use of my dream control.

Around the time I'd woken, I had run out of MP and was thrust back into my body. I grinned wider as I admired the work I'd done the night before. It would take a while, but I was sure I could recreate the palace as it had been in the distant past.

And what a magnificent palace! I found ancient looking books that, to my surprise, were actually still useful. Not that I could read them at the time, but with the adjustments I'd gotten from Athena, I was sure I could read them now.

Heading back inside, I whipped up breakfast for myself once again, feeling just as famished as I had the day before. The weather forecast, still the same as before, didn't really surprise me anymore. What did surprise me, though, was the sudden sound of rain outside as I was putting dishes away. Peering out the window, I noticed it had gotten dark all of a sudden. The rain was pouring down now, really hard. Looking at the weather app on my phone, it still showed that it was a sunny day currently.

I opened up the locations on the weather app, then began typing in EVERFREE FOREST. An option appeared for that location, and I selected it. Using it for my main location, I refreshed and looked at the weather again. I smiled when it looked more normal, with various temperature highs and lows as well as different forecasts for each day. Putting my phone down, I got up and placed the dishes in the sink before I began emptying the dishwasher.

When that had been taken care of, I put dirty dishes inside, grabbed the glass of orange juice I'd poured earlier, and stepped outside to look at the rain after changing into my daytime clothes. I was underneath the awning of my walkway, keeping well protected from the rain itself. Thankfully it wasn't too windy, so the rain stuck to the grass.

I wasn't about to go out exploring the forest that day, so I turned to head in when I froze. Something had moved on the road nearby. Quietly turning back, I tried getting a good look, but saw nothing. I stood there for about a minute, just waiting. When I heard nothing else, I began turning back when I heard something else. It was a combination of something falling onto a wet road and a sound of a pained female grunt.

I rushed to the edge of my property line and peered out, making sure not to pass the camouflage line. I saw some kind of creature in the distance. It might have been a Pony but it was hard to tell because some sort of cloth lay on its head. It had some kind of pack on its back.

That wasn't all I saw, however. Three unusual creatures were approaching the fallen being. Large creatures with green glowing eyes were slowly stalking up towards the fallen creature. I saw the smaller being try to crawl away, the larger monsters breathing out dark green mist from their noses. From where I was, I couldn't tell what they were made of, but they looked like they were made of wood.

I saw the smaller being lift its head. In a weak but distinct female voice, it called out, "If any near can hear my cry, please assist me before I die." Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.

Quickly, I grabbed the axe I'd left outside and rushed out into the road. Holding it up menacingly, I screamed at them with the most animalistic cry I could muster. I had three sets of eyes on me in an instant and all three wooden monsters growled at me. "Well…shit." I barred my teeth at them and growled back. "Time to…COME AND GET SOME, MOTHERFUCKERS!"

At that, all three of them charged. I ran towards the bridge, then turned when I reached the other side, holding up my axe in a defensive position. To my relief, I saw that they were too big to cross the bridge at the same time.

The first one approached me, and I saw that it was, indeed, made of wood. Then again, I was too terrified to even be surprised. I held up my axe, growling to try and make myself more menacing, but all it did was make me feel stupid. The wooden monster opened its mouth and roared at me louder than I ever could. I nearly shit my pants in terror. In that moment, I froze. And that was a big mistake.

The wooden creature lifted its paw and swiped at me. Its paw hit me and threw me back a few feet. I landed heavily on my back. Having the wind knocked out of me, I had no breath to scream in pain. Looking down, the shirt I was wearing was now torn open, the exposed skin bleeding now. So much for this being a kid's type world, I thought as I groaned and tried to sit up. However, I was pinned down by the approaching monster, which immediately roared in my face.

"Well, what large teeth you have," I managed to gasp out as I stared up into its gaping maw. I looked around as fast as I could, and saw the axe lying a few feet from me. Doing my best to ignore the pain in my chest, I reached out as best as I could. However, it was out of reach. I spared a quick glance upwards. The wooden monster was opening its jaws wider now, as if it was savoring the moment. I winced as I made a last-ditch effort to grab the axe. Fortunately, this time I managed to grab it. With as loud a roar as I could muster, I slammed the axe directly into the creature's head. It made a screaming noise, then, to my astonishment, fell apart with the exception of the bit of wood which the axe was embedded in.

The other two wood monsters, which had been circling me in anticipation, stopped and barred their wooden fangs at me. The adrenaline pumping thick through me now, I got back to my feet and held the axe up in my hands, staring down the two monsters. In the open air, I saw they resembled some form of wolf.

One to the left of me leapt at me. I swung at it, embedding the axe in its head which caused it to disintegrate. However, the other had taken the opportunity to leap at me. Its jaws dug into my shoulder. I screamed in agony as I felt wooden teeth dig deeper and deeper inside my skin. Enraged, I brought the axe up once again and buried it into the creature's back. With a howl of pain, the creature disintegrated into pieces of wood. I fell back onto the ground, panting heavily.

After a while, the pain began to return even stronger as the adrenaline wore off. Wincing, I used the axe to get to my feet. I felt weakened by my fight, but I needed to get back to my house.

Weakly, I stumbled across the bridge, the rain falling harder now all around me. As I did so, I saw the Pony from before, only it, or rather she, was now standing. And she wasn't a Pony. She was a Zebra. She had four golden necklaces around her neck and two large circlet earrings hanging from her ears. Her mane looked more like a mohawk than a normal horse mane. She saw me and her dark blue eyes widened. In a somewhat African sounding accent, she spoke. "Oh my, you're hurt, I see. Did you distract them to protect me?"

I leaned against the axe, using it as a crutch. "Yeah, well…when someone cries out for help near my new home, it's…rude to ignore it, don't you think?"

The Zebra galloped up to me in a hurry and looked over my wounds. "Quickly, we must find a place that's dry," she began, "My house is not far, in fact it's close by."

"Mine is closer," I croaked out.

The Zebra looked around, a confused look on her face. "Where? I see no house nearby." I couldn't help but notice the look of shock on her face. One of her hooves went to her mouth.

"Follow me," I grunted as I used the axe as support.

The Zebra came up beside me, looking up at me with a determined look in her eyes. "Lead me to your house, if you please. You need some serious treatment. And lean on me."

The look in the Zebra's eyes told me not to argue. I put a hand on her to steady myself on the other side. "Towards that thicket there," I said weakly. I could feel myself slipping away slowly, but I couldn't do it right now. Not when I was so close to my house.

The moment we passed through the barrier, the Zebra beside me gaped. "Oh my…a house hidden away like this? Are you a-? Whoa!"

I stumbled and fell to my knees. "Just gonna…sleep here…" I said as I fell face first into the wet grass, passing out immediately.

17: A Cloaked Heart is Great and Powerful Part 2

I was on my way to Rarity’s when I saw Rainbow Dash lying on a bench. The poor mare still looked a little woozy as I approached her. She was groaning as I sat down on the grass beside her. “Rainbow Dash?”

“Not so loud,” the Pegasus said softly as she held her head in both her hooves. “Gotta wait for the world to stop spinning.”

Despite myself, I smiled a bit. “I’d have thought the best flyer in all of Equestria would be more immune to motion sickness. Especially with all those whirling tricks you do.”

She moaned as she held her stomach. “I’m not really in the mood for jokes.”

My smile faded. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” I reached up and stroked her back gently. “You want to get something to drink? Some cool, refreshing water perhaps?”

“I don’t wanna move,” she said.

“I understand,” I replied. Looking around, I saw Sugarcube Corner a couple buildings down. “Just rest here. I’ll go get you a glass of water.”

I rushed over to the sweets shop. As I walked in, I saw Pinkie Pie behind the counter helping a gray Pegasus with a small bag of what looked like muffins. As the Pegasus walked towards the door, Pinkie Pie saw me and waved happily. “Jethro! Hey! Did you come to get some sweets too? We’ve got some great maple bars made fresh today!”

“Actually, I just came on behalf of our Rainbow speed demoness,” I said. “She’s feeling a bit queasy after something that happened earlier today, so I was hoping to get her a glass of water.”

Pinkie Pie’s smile faded and a look of worry spread on her face. “Rainbow Dash is sick? Oh no! Shouldn’t we get her to a doctor? I can get her there! Oh but I can’t leave the store! The Cakes are gone for a few days, and-”

“Pinkie, relax,” I interrupted her. “She’s got some motion sickness, that’s all. I just need a glass of water to help calm her stomach.”

“Oki dokie loki!” Pinkie Pie said, rushing into the back of the shop. A half minute later she came back with two glasses and a jug of ice water. “Here you go!”

“Thanks, Pinkie,” I said, taking the jug. “But why’d you give me two glasses?”

“One’s for you, silly!” Pinkie gave me a wide smile.

“Well…thanks. I’ll see you later, Pinkie.”

“Toodleoo!” she giggled. “Hope Rainbow Dash feels better soon!”

I took the water and glass back to Rainbow Dash, who accepted the water gratefully. I helped her slowly sit up on the bench then sat next to her, the two of us just sipping on our water for a while. I could tell something was bothering her, and it wasn’t hard to figure out. After taking another sip of the water, I cleared my throat softly. “Trixie’s still getting to you, isn’t she?”

She frowned. “Doesn’t she bother you too?? Or was Fluttershy right?”

“Rainbow, that’s not fair,” I said, looking down at her in disapproval.

Her ears flattened and she looked down, swirling the water with her hoof. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m not angry at you.”

“You’re forgiven,” I said, smiling a bit. “And I get it. You’re frustrated and angry at Trixie. I am too.”

“She’s such a blowhard!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed before putting a hoof to her head. “Nnng…”

“Just relax.” I rubbed her back, trying to help her feel better. She took a sip of water as I continued. “I’m just as upset as you are. Showboating aside, using you guys as pawns is not something she should have done.”

She finished her glass and I poured her some more. She scoffed. “She handed our flanks to us,” she said angrily.

“She did, but that kind of behavior will bite her in the ass someday,” I replied. “She’s gonna encounter someone who’ll best her and humiliate her. There’s always a bigger fish.”

“I hope I’m there to see that,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I’m pretty sure there are at least two other girls who’d agree with you,” I chuckled.

“Yeah…I should go check on them. See if they’re alright,” Rainbow Dash said, trying once again to stand. She wobbled around a bit, and nearly stumbled had I not caught her.

“Whoa there, speed demon,” I cautioned, “you’re still recovering. You should rest.”

“I’ve got to see them, Jethro,” she insisted, pushing me gently away, but almost falling down again.

“Not like that, you’re not,” I argued. “You can barely walk still. Here.” I turned around. “I can carry you on my back.”

“Uh uh, no way,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ll fly there in ten seconds flat.” Flapping her wings, she started to hover before groaning again, putting a hoof to her mouth. She fell directly into my waiting arms.

“You’re as stubborn as Applejack during Applebucking Season,” I scolded her gently. “Now come on, let’s go see our friends.”

Grumbling, Rainbow Dash nevertheless finally, if begrudgingly, accepted my help. We made our way in silence first to Rarity’s place. I saw a sign on the door that said SORRY, WE’RE CLOSED. I listened, and heard Rarity’s voice inside. It sounded like she was crying. Rainbow Dash and I exchanged a worried glance before I turned back and knocked. From inside, I heard a voice calling out “Go away! We’re closed!”

“Rarity? It’s Jethro and Rainbow Dash. Can we come in?” I asked.

“No! I’m too hideous to be seen!” a distraught sounding Rarity called out.

After trying to open the door while simultaneously trying to convince Rarity to open up, I considered looking for a hidden spare key, but decided against it. Sighing, I decided to give Rarity some space while we went to Applejack’s place to check on her.

“Rarity’ll be fine,” Rainbow Dash said in what was probably her attempt at cheering me up.

I looked over my shoulder at her. Smiling a little, I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go check on Applejack.”

When we found her, she was busy bucking some apples off of the trees, but the look on her face showed just how angry she really was. She was so engrossed in hitting the trees that she didn’t hear or see us approach until I spoke up. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

Startled, the orange farmgirl whirled to face us. When she saw who we were, she relaxed. “Howdy, you two. What are y’all doin’ here? And why are ya carrying Rainbow there, pardner?”

“We came to check on you,” I replied, “and I’m carrying Rainbow Dash because she’s still a bit dizzy from Trixie’s little trick.”

At the mention of Trixie, Applejack’s face darkened. “That show-offy mare…ah hope she gets what’s comin’ tah her!”

“Um…wow,” Rainbow Dash said, looking around the field. “You did all this already?”

Applejack nodded. I followed Rainbow Dash’s eyes and saw that the Earth Pony had been really busy. Rows of trees were now bare of apples. I put Rainbow Dash down gently, then looked back at Applejack who was taking a brief break, panting heavily. I walked over and sat next to her. “Applejack?”

She glared at me, but I held her gaze. After a few seconds, she sighed and leaned against one of the trees. “Ah’m sorry…ah’m just madder than a wet hen.”

“You aren’t the only one,” I said, pointing to Rainbow Dash who was still sipping water.

“You feelin’ okay there, sugarcube?” Applejack called out with concern in her voice.

“Nothing some cider wouldn’t fix!” she replied with a small grin.

Applejack rolled her eyes, smiling a bit as well before sighing and looking at the ground. “Ah’ll be alright. Don’t worry ‘bout me none.”

“Yeah, no can do…sugarcube,” I chuckled. “But you do have every right to be angry. Audience participation in performances like Trixie’s do happen, but the way she went around it was wrong. Very wrong. I seriously believe that someday it’ll come back to bite her in the ass.”

Applejack frowned at my use of language, but said nothing about it as she nodded. “Ah reckon yer right,” she said. “It just can’t come soon enough.”

“I know, AJ…I know…”

The town was quiet as I walked around the nearly empty town. The sun was almost setting, and I was exhausted. Physically, at least.

I walked to Town Hall and sat next to a statue of a Pony, staring at the source of my frustrations. Or rather, the cart parked shamelessly in front of government property. Frankly, I was surprised the mayor hadn’t had it towed already.

I leaned back and sighed, trying to think. I had no idea why this was bothering me so much. This Trixie was nothing like mine, and there was absolutely no relation to mine, either. Her mane didn’t look the same, her voice was higher pitched, her eyes were the wrong color, and my Trixie was an extremely humble woman. She didn’t even like going to magic stage performances.

“So why is it bothering me?” I wondered aloud softly.

“Why does what bother you, my savior?” a familiar feminine voice said from behind me.

I whipped my head around in shock. “Zecora? What are you doing here? I though you had a potion to keep an eye on.”

She smiled. “All the preparations are made already, so I decided to come see my favorite human,” she replied with amusement in her eyes.

“I’m the only human you know,” I snarked back with a chuckle. “But I’m glad to see you. Especially after what happened today.”

“What did happen today?” Zecora asked, a hint of worry in her voice. Sighing, I told her the events of the day. After I finished, she nodded sagely. “I’m sorry that happened to you and your friends,” she said, “but I might have a theory about your reaction. Would you like to hear it?”

“Please do,” I replied.

“Have you ever considered that it might have to do with her tarnishing a name you hold in such high regard?”

I frowned, considering her words. After a while, I asked, “Do you really think I’m upset because of her just being called Trixie?”

“What do you think?” she asked, crossing her front arms in a remarkably human gesture.

I looked up at the clouds, looking for shapes among them. “I don’t know…I’ve tried not to compare the two since all they share is a name, but hearing her calling herself that in the third person…I guess it keeps reminding me of my own Trixie. Pretty damn stupid, right?”

“Emotions themselves aren’t stupid, my friend,” Zecora said. “You and Trixie spent many years together. Your mind has associated that name with happiness and pleasant times, and seeing a Pony with the same name acting as she did earlier today pains you.”

I frowned and nodded slowly. “Yeah…perhaps that’s it. That, and her humiliating my new friends like she did.”

“Indeed,” Zecora said, looking over at Trixie’s cart. “I’m sure she’ll get her comeuppance soon enough, my friend.”

I nodded. “Here’s hoping, anyway.”

The two of us sat there for a while, not even noticing that it got dark. We talked about many different things that evening. She told me that she’d been performing some research into some ancient alchemaic formulas she’d found in the Golden Oak’s Library a while ago. The way her eyes lit up as she excitedly talked about her passion always made me smile. And I was also genuinely excited to see this too. Despite being in Equestria for all this time, magic always fascinated me and made me feel giddier than a child at Christmas.

Even when the sun set completely and the street lanterns were lit by some passing Pegasi, we didn’t stop talking, not until I heard two pairs of panicked hoofsteps rushing up.

Looking up, Zecora and I saw two colts rushing up towards Trixie’s cart. I recognized them as two of the most easily influenced children I’d ever seen from Trixie’s earlier performance. However, unlike before, they both had looks of terror on their faces as they rushed up and began pounding on the door to the cart. “Trixie! Come out! You gotta help!” they both cried in genuine fear.

A few moments later, I heard an annoyed Trixie’s reply. “Trixie thought she said the Great and Powerful Trixie did not want to be disturbed.”

The smaller Unicorn colt chuckled nervously. “We…we have a…tiny problem.”

“Actually, it’s a big one,” the taller colt added.

“What is so important that you cannot wait until morning to disturb Trixie?” the mare demanded.

Just then, I heard a large roar from the distance. Zecora and I looked up and saw a monstrous form walking through the trees towards the center of town. It resembled a bear in appearance, with transparent blue skin that showed pinpoints of light within. The dark red and yellow eyes glared directly at the colts and Trixie. On its forehead, a glowing white star beamed.

“That’s an Ursa Minor,” Zecora said in fright. “A baby Ursa Major.”

Trixie screamed in fright as she ran away from her cart along with the two colts. I watched with trepidation as the massive Ursa Minor raised its paw to stomp on the cart. It shattered into pieces, and I winced. “Zecora, please tell me you have something with you that can calm that baby!” I said as I rushed after it with her by my side.

“I didn’t bring anything with me!” she replied.

The massive creature had already begun to chase Trixie and the colts. All around me and Zecora, I saw house lights turning on and concerned Ponies looking out of their windows and doors. “Stay inside!” I shouted at them. “I’ll take care of this!”

Of course, being the curious Ponies they were, a lot of them didn’t listen to me and instead some of the more adventurous and curious among them followed me. I turned the corner to see Trixie and the two colts. To her credit she looked like she was protecting the little colts behind her. Either that, or they were just hiding behind her and she was too scared to move.

“Great and Powerful Trixie, you’ve got to vanquish the Ursa!” one of the colts was shouting.

“Yeah! Vanquish so we can watch!” the second one said.

“It took a lotta trouble to get that thing here,” the first one added.

“Wait! You brought this here?!” Trixie exclaimed in disbelief. Whirling on the two, she added, “Are you out of your little Pony minds?!”

“Nah, they’re just children,” I called out, causing the three of them to turn my way. That, and the baby Ursa. “Who will be dealt with severely when this is all over,” I added with a warning glare. The two colts lowered themselves, terrified. Ignoring them, I turned to Trixie. “Get these two out of here.”

“My friend, what are you doing?” Zecora asked.

“You said this is a baby, right?” She nodded. “Then I’m guessing that this guy’s just scared. I’m going to try and calm him down.”

“I’m helping,” Zecora said resolutely.

I nodded, knowing when not to argue with her. Turning, I waved at the angry looking Ursa Minor. “Yoohoo! Hey there, buddy! You lost?”

What happened next startled me completely. It began to growl, but out of the growling, I heard something that might have been words. “Mama…where Mama?”

Ursa Major’s have their own language?! I thought. I held up my hands. I tried to switch gears. Athena, if you can hear me, help me speak this guy’s language. And just like that, it was like a switch was thrown in my mind. In his own language, I tried to reason with him. “Hey there, little guy, are you lost?”

A look of surprise appeared on the Ursa Minor’s face. It came down and looked at me. “Where…where Mama?” he asked again. This time, his anger was replaced with fear. It almost looked like he was about to cry too.

“Hey now, don’t cry,” I said quickly, slowly approaching him. Zecora stepped close beside me. “It’s okay. We can find your Mama.”

The big beast sniffed, then said again, “You find Mama? No lie? Mama says lies are bad.”

“We’ll find her, I promise.”

“Jethro!” A familiar unicorn’s voice rushed up to me. Looking behind the Ursa Minor, I saw her come to a halt when she saw the massive creature. “What’s going on?”

“Just a second, Twilight,” I said, then looked back up. “What’s your name, lad?”

“Be… Berūn,” he said, sniffing like he was about to cry.

“A good name for a strong lad like you,” I said, smiling. Turning to Zecora, I asked, “This guy’s lost. Do you know where his cave is?”

“I know where we can start looking,” Zecora replied.

“Good enough for me,’ I said. Turning back, I continued, “My friend and I will help you look for your Mama.”

“Jethro, what’s going on?” Twilight replied, coming up slowly beside me. Spike was on her back “Are you…talking to that Ursa Minor?”

“Chalk it up to Athena giving me access to a bunch of Equestrian languages,” I replied. “I’m gonna try and get this little guy home. He misses his Mama.”

“What you say to little Pony?” Berūn asked.

“Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you,” I promised. “Now come on, let’s go find your Mama. Follow us, okay?”

“You…you promise to go to Mama?” the scared looking Ursa asked.

“Yes, lad. I promise.” I looked back at Zecora. “Let’s go. This guy misses his Mama.”

The now quiet Ursa Minor followed the two of us as we headed down the street towards the Everfree Forest. On both sides of the street, scared Ponies watched as Zecora and I walked the Ursa Minor down the street. I was praying nothing would happen that would cause the child to lash out again, and as we continued walking, I began feeling more and more relieved.

As we came to the edge of town, the ground beneath us began to shake, almost knocking me off my feet. Zecora practically fell on her side. Berūn, however, looked around with an almost glad expression on his face. “Mama!”

“Oh…shit…” I muttered. If Berūn was as big as he was and only a baby, I could only guess just how big its mother was.

“Berūn!” A clearly feminine, but loud and worried voice called out. “Where are you!?”

“Mama!” Berūn’s face broke out into an excited smile as he looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

“Berūn??”

“Over here, Mama!”

The ground shook again as a towering figure, this one purple instead of blue. The mother leaned down and picked up her child. “Where did you go, lad?? You know better than to leave the cave!” She then noticed Zecora and I standing nearby. “Berūn, I told you not to go near the Pony village.”

“Milady, don’t blame your cub,” I said, clearly startling the massive Ursa Major. “He was rudely woken by two Ponies. They will be punished accordingly.”

“…What manner of creature are you, and how do you know our language?” the Ursa Major asked.

“He promised to bring me home!” Berūn said. “Don’t hurt him, Mama!”

The Ursa Major leaned down closer to me, causing a gust of air to blow in my face. Her light blue forehead star glowed brighter and her red and yellow eyes seemed to pierce my being. “Is this true, creature?”

“My companion and I were going to try and find your cave and return your cub to you unharmed,” I said earnestly.

“And what of these Ponies who would dare terrorize my cub?” she growled.

Before I could answer, I heard the familiar galloping of Pony hooves approaching. The three of us turned simultaneously to see all six Elements of Harmony running up, Twilight in the lead with Spike on her back. “Jethro!” Her tone was one of fear and concern as she halted upon seeing the massive Ursa Major.

The latter stood tall and threatening, glaring down at the Ponies. “Creature, are these the Ponies who hurt my cub?”

I shook my head. “No, milady. Two Pony cubs in town are responsible. However, they will be suitably punished for this, I can assure you.”

“And how do I know you can be trusted?” the Ursa Major scowled down at me. “I want them to be severely punished, or there will be consequences.”

She had a point. I cleared my throat. “May I speak to my friends here for a bit about that?”

She glared for a bit, but nodded. “Be quick. My Berūn needs his sleep.”

I nodded, then turned to the other six. “Those two colts who woke up Berūn there, where are they?”

“Safe for now,” Twilight said. “They’re at the Library waiting for their parents.”

“D-D-Did you just t-talk to that Ursa Major?” Fluttershy asked, clearly terrified of the massive creature beside us.

“Yes, and I’ll explain later.” I turned to Twilight. “Berūn’s mother is absolutely pissed, and I don’t blame her. Her child was terrorized by two stupid colts. She probably won’t be satisfied unless there are severe consequences laid on them.”

“Ah’m sure there will be, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“They’re lucky they aren’t my foals,” Rarity said with disdain. “I just got this mane back to normal, too!”

“What about that Ursa Minor?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing to Berūn with an accusing hoof. “He could have hurt a bunch of Ponies!”

“Calm down there, speed demon,” I said, “I’m sure his mom will punish him. But he was scared by two idiots. Honestly, I can’t completely blame the poor guy.”

Fluttershy looked up at Berūn with a hint of sympathy in those kindly eyes of hers. “That poor, poor creature,” she said.

“Would a party cheer him up?” Pinkie asked hopefully.

“Not right now,” I said. “Poor cub is exhausted as it is. And his mom is plenty upset at the Ponyvillians. She wants the two colts punished for their actions.”

“Tell her they will be,” Twilight said.

“Problem is, she doesn’t really trust that I’m telling the truth, and can you blame her?” I asked. “But I’ll try again.” Turning back up to Berūn’s mother, I cleared my throat. “Milady, I have the assurances of these Ponies that the two who disturbed your cub will be harshly punished.”

“What kind of punishment?” she asked, frowning.

“I’ll make sure the punishment fits their actions.” A small grin on my face became wider and more malevolent. “If nothing else, I can scare them so badly that they won’t even want to come near your cave again without pissing themselves in terror.”

The two of us looked at each other for a bit, myself not flinching from her gaze. Suddenly, Berūn’s mother threw her head back and roared, this time in laughter. I looked back at the Ponies and Zecora with incredulity. I looked back at the Ursa Major. After she was finished laughing, she looked down at me. “Now that I can believe. Very well, strange creature. The stars cannot sense any untruth within you. I will take my son back home.” Her smile slowly went away. “Just make sure to keep the Ponies away from our cave. We just want to be left alone.”

“I will inform them of this,” I promised. Turning, the Ursa Major began to walk away back into the forest. I saw a sleepy Berūn waving goodbye at us. Once they were out of sight, I exhaled deeply, leaning against Zecora, who held me up for support. “Well…that was…”

“That…was…AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly as she zoomed around me. “You looked so cool staring down that Ursa Major!”

“Rainbow Dash is right, darling,” Rarity said. “Things could have gotten out of hoof had you not stepped in.”

“Heh…well…call me a sap, but I like children. No matter what size they are. And when Zecora told me that was an Ursa Minor, I had to try something.” I stood back up and cracked my knuckles. “Now then…where are those two troublemakers? They’re in for a world of punishment once I’ve told their parents what they did.”

To say the two colts were punished severely would be an understatement. After returning to the library, I did indeed keep my promise to scare them into not going anywhere near the cave or the forest ever again. Their parents, after they were told what had happened, were more livid than even the Ursa Major had been. They were practically dragged back to their homes.

Trixie, however, had disappeared. According to eyewitnesses, she’d said something about how that human creature might have stopped the rampage of an Ursa Minor, but would never have the magic she possessed before running away behind a smoke cloud.

Pinkie Pie promised to throw me a Thanks for Saving the Town From an Ursa Minor party, but since it was late she said she’d do it the next day. I tiredly chuckled and thanked her before turning to Twilight and asking her to talk to her friends about the fears she’d had before.

Since it was too late for us to go back to either of our homes, Zecora and I spent the night at the Ponyville Inn. One relaxing bath later, I was lying in the same bed I’d stayed in the last time I was here. I fell asleep just as a freshly washed Zecora slid into bed beside me.

40: A Cloaked Heart At The Gala Pt. 3

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long. From above, I heard the telltale song of a bird. Looking up, I saw a yellow breasted bird with white tailfeathers and black eyes flying around. Fluttershy also looked up, and her cyan eyes widened. “A meadowlark!” she exclaimed happily.

The rest of us looked up and watched as the bird flew towards a glade. This gave me an idea. I put my hand on Fluttershy’s withers and gently pushed her along. “Come on,” I whispered.

“Wait, where are we going?” she asked, looking up at me nervously.

“I wanna get a good look at the animals for a bit,” I said. Pulling out my phone, I looked at it. “We’ve got forty minutes until Celestia’s announcement.”

“Are ya sure ya wanna do that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“Hey, I like animals too. Not as much as Fluttershy, but I still like them. I’m even thinking about getting a pet at some point,” I said as I continued leading Fluttershy towards the glade.

Unsurprisingly, the rest of them followed. Zecora was at my side, taking my hand with hers. “You aren’t telling them everything, are you?” she said.

“I do want to see the animals,” I said honestly, “And I also want to make sure that this Gala goes better than the one I saw. And so far, it’s gone much better.”

She snorted, then licked my face quickly. “You are quite the stallion.”

I blushed as we headed deeper into another part of the courtyard. As the sounds of the party died down, I turned to the others, walking backwards as I did. “Okay, everyone.” I put one hand on my hip and held the other one up in what was called the President Monika pose. “These animals aren’t like the ones Fluttershy takes care of. We need to be extra patient and quiet. That means you, Rainbow Dash,” I finished, looking at her.

“I can be quiet when I need to be!” she exclaimed. All around us, I heard rustling in the leaves of the nearby trees and the well-kept hedge we were walking past. Everyone looked at her, and she shrank back. “Um…oops.”

“You just proved my point,” I said. “Come on, just keep your mouth shut or I’ll ask Applejack here to lasso it shut. And I know that’d make her happier than a Sunday barnyard dance.”

Applejack snickered at my failed attempt at a southern-ism. The others laughed quietly and Rainbow Dash just snorted and pawed at the ground. “Fine, fine, I’ll be quiet.”

As we turned a corner, we came to a large a metal fence. The fence surrounded a clearing full of open grass and surrounded by trees and flowering bushes. Fluttershy stared excitedly at all the animals. “Oooh! There’s a toco toucan! And a spider monkey! And, oh! Is that a wallaroo?”

I put my hand on her back again, keeping her from running in. “Alright, just calm down, okay? These animals are a lot more skittish than the ones you know. Anyone got anything we can feed them?”

Applejack produced a couple small apples from somewhere in her dress. “Here ya go.”

I used some of my Earth Pony strength to split it open, then into smaller slices, then broke them up into little bits. “Follow my lead,” I said, slowly walking into the cornered off area. As we all slowly walked in, the animals all turned to look at us with trepidation in their expressive faces. I handed a small apple to Fluttershy. “Why not try to gain their trust with food?” I asked.

Admittedly, I didn’t get this idea from my own mind. I got it from a fimfiction story called Spike the Brony Dragon. It was a guilty pleasure story of mine, and I was halfway through it already. I wasn’t really a fan of how Discord said that destiny couldn’t be changed, since it reminded me of my own foolish attempts to keep things the same by ignoring the mountain of knowledge that was the TV show.

Fluttershy nodded, then slowly made her way over to a small group of frightened animals. “It’s okay, little ones,” she said, putting the apple on the ground.

The animals moved away a bit, and a nervous Fluttershy backed away. We waited for a bit. And waited. And waited. Just as Fluttershy was turning around, giving up, a small squirrel-like creature with horns made a move to approach the apple. The yellow Pegasus’ eyes went wide. “Oh my, a reinsquirrel,” she said excitedly.

“Shh, let it approach,” I chuckled.

The rainsquirrel jumped closer, then closer again. Sniffing at the piece of apple in the grass, it finally picked it up with its paws and began nibbling at it. Fluttershy could barely contain her excitement, and I was smiling as well. Seeing her this happy always brought a smile to my face.

A larger animal, something that looked like a miniature kangaroo approached. Slowly, I took another bit of apple and held it out to it. “Be careful,” Fluttershy said softly, “Wallaroo’s have some sharp paws.”

“Noted,” I said softly back as the wallaroo came closer. It sniffed at the apple bit in my hand, then hopped one step closer before leaning down and nibbling on the apple. Slowly, I reached up with my other hand and stroked the wallaroo’s head gently. It paused, giving me an unsure look before relaxing as I found a spot it apparently liked. Unsurprisingly, it was behind its ear.

That seemed to be enough for the other animals. They all approached, hoping for a little nibble of apple or maybe even a petting or two. Some even approached the others, albeit hesitantly. Zecora even saw an animal she recognized from Farasi and let the hornbill sit on her shoulders while it preened its wings.

At that moment, a question popped into my mind, one I felt either Rainbow Dash could answer. I made my way over to the Cyan Pegasus who was hovering next to a hummingbird. The bird was flying circles around an increasingly frustrated Rainbow Dash. “Having fun there, little speed demon?” I chuckled.

She threw her hooves up in frustration. “This little bird’s mocking me, I just know it!”

“Now you play nice,” I said. “Don’t wanna scare the other creatures away. Anyway, got a question for you.”

“Fine fine, I’ll play nice, and what’s up?” she asked, landing slowly.

“Do Pegasi need to preen their wings?” I asked.

“Nope!” she said, causing a few animals to back away.

“Shhh,” Fluttershy, who by now was in paradise. She was surrounded by animals now, all of whom were chirping, chittering and nibbling at the apple bits.

“Sorry,” Rainbow Dash whispered loudly.

Just then, I heard something like a “Raaaooor!” Then, to my surprise, something landed on my head. A burst of heat followed. The others looked at my head, their faces a mix of confusion and trepidation. Fluttershy looked a bit nervous as she looked at my head.

“What do I have on my head?” I asked, gently pulling out my phone. Opening the camera, I held it out and looked at the creature on my head. “No…way…is that you, Philomena?”

“Craaaw!” the Phoenix, who looked majestic with her red and orange feathers. I held out my arm, and she jumped onto it, stretching her feathers and preening them.

“Wait, how do you know its name?” Twilight asked.

“You really need to ask?” I chuckled as I reached up to scratch the Phoenix’s feathered head. “And Philomena is a she, by the way.”

“Right…your show,” she sighed. “I doubt I’ll ever get used to that.”

I looked the Phoenix over, and saw a few bare spots on her feathers. “Huh…looks like she’s starting to reach the end of this life cycle.”

Fluttershy was by my side immediately, looking at the Phoenix worriedly. “She’s dying?” she asked in fear.

“You’ve never heard of a Phoenix, have you?” I asked. When she shook her head, I chuckled and stroked her mane lovingly. “Don’t worry. Phoenixes are functionally immortal birds. They go through a normal life cycle before finally shedding their wings and bursting into flames. But-” I quickly added, seeing the look of horror on her face, “but, from the ashes she rises again with a brand-new body.” I smirked, then turned to Twilight. “Should I start calling her Fawkes, and then call Celestia Dumbledora and you Harriet Potter?”

Twilight stamped her hoof on the ground, but there was a grin on her face. “Absolutely not,” she said. “Besides, who’d be Ron Weasley?”

“Rainbow Dash,” I laughed.

“And Hermione?”

“That’s easy. Rarity.”

“Hmm…I can see Rainbow as Ron, but Rarity as Hermione?”

“Try this one for size,” I said, clearing my throat, then doing my best Rarity impersonation. “It’s LeviOsa, darling. Not LeviosAA!”

The others looked at us in confusion as Twilight and I laughed. “Whatever are you talking about?” Rarity asked, looking a bit miffed now at being imitated.

I grinned. “For our next movie nights, I’ll be showing all of you the Harry Potter series. Twilight’s seen them already, but I’m pretty sure you’ll all find something enjoyable about it.”

“Craaawww!” Philomena began pulling at her feathers suddenly, pulling a bunch of them out, then lowering her head towards me. I slowly reached out and let her drop them in my hand. Then, to my utter surprise, she pulled out more and more until an entire side of her body was bare. When she was done, she reached out, nuzzling my head before she flew over to Fluttershy and landed in front of her.

“Well, um…what do I do with these?” I asked, looking at the long, slender pile of Phoenix feathers in my hand. “Make a magic wand or staff out of them? Twilight, is that even possible?”

“I…don’t know,” she admitted. “Maybe Princess Celestia knows something about it.”

“We can ask her later,” I said as I looked back at Philomena. She was pulling more feathers out, handing them off to each Pony, Spike, and lastly Zecora, who she handed another small pile. Flying over to Fluttershy again, she gave the Pegasus a small nuzzle, then flew to me to nip my ear before flying off. “That was…certainly something.”

“What the hay are we supposed to do with these?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Don’t lose them,” I said. “I’m not sure, but I think she gave these to us for a good reason. We’ll have to ask Celestia later. Now then, how are you doing there, Fluttershy?” I asked, placing the feathers in a large inner coat pocket.

“I’m…oh my…” she said, suddenly swarmed by the animals. I heard her giggling underneath the mass. “Best…night…ever!”

We spent about twenty minutes in total among the animals. Fluttershy had the absolute time of her life. Since she didn’t need any more help to attract their attention, the others and I backed away and let her have her moment. I stood near one of the hedges, Zecora in my arms as we softly sang A Smile and a Song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A lot of the animals seemed to love it, some birds even joining in. After we finished, I made a joke about Zecora being a Disney Princess, causing the lovely mare to blush. After that, we stuck around until some of the animals began yawning.

Fluttershy was, of course, a bit reluctant to leave the animals, but finally we left the animal shelter and headed back to the main event.

“So what next?” Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing along.

Mentally, I went over the checklist. I’d helped Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy, albeit the latter was the only one I really helped intentionally. That left Twilight, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. “Hmm, you know, I wanted to talk to a certain captain about a few things for a bit. Now, where’s the Wonderbolt VIP section?”

Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up. “I’ll go find them!” she exclaimed happily as she zoomed off, leaving a rainbow in her wake.

“Ya ain’t real subtle, ya know,” Applejack said.

“I’m telling the truth,” I said. “I wanted to talk to Captain Spitfire about a couple things.”

“But…?” she gestured.

I sighed. “You caught me. I’m using that as an excuse. I wanted to see you all happy. Although the thing with yours and Rarity’s was an accident, I swear.”

“Ah know, sugarcube,” she said. “Ah just hope yer having a good time.”

“I helped you earn some big bucks and gave Fluttershy a night to remember,” I said with a grin. “Seeing all you happy definitely makes me happy.”

“But what about what you want to do?” Fluttershy came up and asked.

“Well…when we’re all done with the rest, I’ve got something I’m sure I’ll enjoy. Twilight, in your old room, is there a telescope?”

“Um, there is, but why?” she asked curiously.

Before I could explain, a familiar male voice called out to our left. “Twily? Is that you?”

We all turned, but Twilight was the first to speak. “Shiny! And…Cadance?!”

Sure enough, Cadance and Shining were both approaching us. The captain of the guard was wearing only a collar and cravat, whereas Cadance was wearing a flowing cream, purple and red ensemble as well as her crown. Both mares locked eyes, grinned, then began dancing in front of each other. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

The two mares giggled as the rest of us approached. Cadance turned to me, and her warm smile seemed to broaden. “Jethro! A pleasure to see you again!”

“Heh, it’s great to see you too,” I said, beaming wide. Turning to Shining Armor, I grinned. “Hello to you too, Captain.”

“Shining, please,” he chuckled.

“And here I half expected you to be in your Anthro forms,” I teased.

“We’ve actually tried that already,” Cadance said. “Shining wasn’t quite a fan, but I really was! Those hands of yours are really something!”

“Everyone seems to find my hands fascinating,” I chuckled, holding one of them up. The one I did hold up was the one which held Zecora’s own, our fingers intertwined. “Makes for a great romantic gesture.”

“We should have tried that, too!” Cadance chuckled.

Shining only shrugged. “I’m still not really big on that form. It was…disconcerting.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with the form?”

Shining sighed. “Well, mostly because I’d have to wear something around the bottom to cover up…you know.”

“Aaah. No, I get you. But there had to be something you enjoyed, right?”

Shining tilted his head, thinking. “I’d have to agree with Cadance. Having hands was pretty amazing.”

“In more ways than you can imagine,” Cadance said with a straight face. When a small blush crept up on his face, I knew the meaning behind it. I gave her a small wink, and she winked back.

“Like what??” Twilight looked eager to learn more. Ahh, Twilight. Still so innocent.

“Massages,” I replied, reaching down to massage her head. Shining gave me a grateful look. Twilight shuddered and stamped her back hoof. “Grabbing onto things better as well. Hands are good for a number of things.”

“Agreed, my darling,” Zecora said, her hand running down my back. Her tone had a somewhat sultry tone to it. “Did I forget to mention Twilight managed to make it so that this form lasts until morning this time around?”

“Later, dearest. Later,” I chuckled in response. Turning back to the new couple, I beamed. “How are you two enjoying the Gala?”

“Eeeh, I’d much rather be guarding it to be honest,” Shining said. “I feel out of place and exposed without my armor. And being around these nobles is a bit of a bore.”

“Shiny, you promised me you’d come,” Cadance said.

“You’re the only reason I’m enjoying the evening as much as I am,” Shining said with a warm smile, the kind that would make any mare blush. Which it did for Cadance.

Twilight didn’t miss the implications. “Wait, are you two…special someponies?”

Shining blushed again. “Surpriiise,” he said weakly.

“Pinkie? Got any popcorn?” I chuckled.

“What for?” she asked with a curious look.

“Twilight’s gonna dress down her brother.”

A small bucket of popcorn appeared in my hand. This was gonna be fun to watch.

Twilight was, understandably, upset that her brother hadn’t even sent a letter telling her about this. He tried defending himself, saying that he thought I would have told him. I laughed, telling him it wasn’t my place to say anything to him. Twilight agreed and continued chewing him out. He apologized over and over again until I walked forward and put a hand on Twilight’s withers. “Give the poor stallion a break. Us guys are weak to females when you chew us out.”

She huffed. “Fine…but you’d better be on your hooves, Shiny.”

He gulped. “Yes sis.”

She then turned to Cadance. “Keep an eye on him for me, will you? Mom always said he could be a bit willful.”

“I’ll keep him on a tight leash,” Cadance said.

Beside me, I heard Zecora snicker. I sputtered a bit as well, but tried hard not to laugh. Fortunately, no one else seemed to notice. Twilight nodded. “Good.”

“If you’ve forgiven me already, can we meet your friends?” Shining asked.

Twilight’s smile returned and she introduced all the other Bearers of Harmony. “Rainbow Dash went off to find the Wonderbolts,” Twilight said.

“They’re not an easy organization to get into,” Shining said.

“She’s a determined young mare,” I said. “I’m sure she’ll work harder than she ever has to get in.”

Cadance and Shining chuckled before she locked eyes with Zecora. “So, Jethro, this is your marefriend.”

“This is Zecora Mtunga Dawa,” I said, putting my arm around her again.

Cadance’s horn glowed a bit, and I felt a small tingling around my body for a bit. Her eyes widened and her smile returned. “You have a strong bond; stronger than most others I’ve seen. Just don’t sacrifice too much for the other. But I sense something that causes one of you worry.”

I raised my hand sheepishly. “That would be me.”

“My love?” Zecora turned to me with worry.

“I’ll tell you later tonight, I promise,” I said honestly.

“I’ll hold you to that,” she said, leaning against my shoulder.

Just then, Rainbow Dash came flying back. I could see how giddy she was from the way she was bouncing up and down in the air. “Jethro! I found the Wonderbolt area!”

“Rainbow Dash! Show some decorum!” Rarity said. “You’re in the presence of another Princess!”

Rainbow Dash looked around, then saw Cadance. She landed sheepishly and bowed. “Ahaha, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she chuckled. “Shining and I were about ready to get something to eat before Princess Celestia’s announcement. We’ll see you all later, I hope?”

“Of course,” Twilight said happily, hugging her former foalsitter.

As the Princess and Captain walked towards the food, Rainbow Dash flew over to me, smiling and nearly squealing with excitement. “Come on! Come on!”

“Don’t touch the suit or you’ll piss Rarity off,” I chuckled. “Just lead the way, you silly filly.”

Rainbow flew off, doing loop de loops and other small tricks as we approached a large and well-lit area surrounded by VIP rope. On the other side I saw a bunch of different Ponies. In front of the ropes separating the VIP section from the rest, I saw two Pegasi talking. One I recognized as Spitfire, but the other I didn’t recognize. It was a Stallion with white wings and dark blue mane and fur. His eyes were a dark green. I gave a wave, then called out, “Hey! Spitfire!”

Spitfire and the other Pony turned to me. Her smile widened and she flew over. “Hey there, Jethro! Didn’t expect to see you here!”

“Nice to see you too,” I grinned, holding out a fist, which she tapped with her hoof. “Let me introduce you to my friends.” I grinned as I introduced the others, but since I was feeling a bit cheeky, I pretended to forget about Rainbow Dash. “And…I could have sworn there was another mare with us…but I can’t remember.” Rainbow Dash looked pissed and was about to shout at me when I snapped my fingers and grinned. “Ah, yes! Now I remember. She’s practically your number one fan. Captain, meet a future member of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash, the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty.”

“Ah yes, I remember you,” Spitfire said. “You’re the Pony who saved us in Cloudsdale and who won The Best Flyer Competition, right?”

“Hay yeah!” she smiled nervously, raising one hoof off the ground.

“But you also didn’t collect your prize, you know,” Spitfire added.

Rainbow Dash shot a look in my direction, then chuckled. “Yeah…somepony had to make sure that this guy over here was okay,” she said, pointing at me.

“Well, I owe him a favor,” Spitfire said, “and he asked me to let you hang out with us sometime. Wanna do that now? I’d love to see what kind of tricks you have to show us.”

“Yes! I’d love to!” she said instinctively, but then paused. “But…rain check? Um…I’m making sure that this guy over here isn’t feeling alone. And I hate breaking a promise.”

Spitfire nodded approvingly. “That loyalty of yours will get you really far in the Wonderbolts if you make it in,” she complimented. “How does two days from now sound? Say…nine in the morning?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes became the size of dinner plates and she bounced in place in a manner similar to Pinkie. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!” she said excitedly. “Yes yes yes!”

“Oh, but before you go, let me introduce another member of the Wonderbolts,” Spitfire said, gesturing to the other Pony with her. “This is Soarin, my second in command.”

The stallion bowed, smiling. “Pleasure to meet you all. I’ve heard good things about all of you!”

“Nice to meet you too,” I said, and all the others greeted him in kind. Rainbow Dash looked like she was about to have a fangasm from pure joy. I spread one wing, wrapped it around her, and pulled her down. “Simmer down there, Sally,” I chuckled, earning me a sharp glance from Applejack. “Don’t want you fainting.”

“She’s really a fanmare, isn’t she?” Soarin chuckled.

“She really idolizes you,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “More so than anypony else I’ve met.”

“I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me,” I added, “but I really think she’s Wonderbolt material. Sure, she’s a bit rough around the edges, but I prefer to think of her as a diamond in the rough. And she’s extremely loyal and skilled at flying. I doubt I’d be where I am in my own flight today if it hadn’t been for her, admittedly, rough training.”

“Oh? Mind showing us the results of this training?” Spitfire asked.

I released Rainbow Dash. “I’ll do something simple. Lady Rarity would thrash me if I ruined this suit.”

“A lady doesn’t thrash, darling!” Rarity said as the others giggled.

“Of course not, milady,” I said with a bow. “Now, how about something like a triple flip? Simple enough.”

“Go ahead,” Spitfire said, watching me with a raised eyebrow. Almost as if she was challenging me.

“Can I borrow someone’s goggles?” I asked. “I left mine at home.” Soarin handed me his, which I adjusted and placed on my head. “Thanks, Commander. Okay then, everyone, please stand back. I need some space to do my magic,” I said. Everyone stood back. I cracked my neck, knuckles, and surprisingly, my wings. After spreading my wings behind me, I bent my knees. Using my Earth Pony strength, I jumped higher than I ever could as a normal human before pushing up with my wings.

Utilizing the techniques Rainbow taught me, I gained plenty of speed as I soared above the party. Grinning, I angled my wings so that I did a sharp curve. The world began spinning as I began my triple flip. I could swear I heard Rainbow Dash shouting out “Very good, Private!”

After I saw the garden below come into view three times, I re-angled my wings, spread them wide after stabilizing, and slowly glided down to the ground. Slowly removing the goggles and handing them back to Soarin, I brushed my hair back into its normal position and folded my wings behind me. “Admittedly,” I said, “not my best one, but without Rainbow Dash’s help, I’d still be flapping like a baby bird.”

“For a non-Pony, you flew pretty well,” Spitfire said. “Rainbow, you sure know your stuff. I look forward to seeing you in action in a couple days.”

Rainbow Dash tried to look nonchalant. “I mean, sure, why not? Sounds cool to me.”

Spitfire rolled her eyes, but chuckled. “Remember, two days from now, nine in the morning. Be there.”

“I’ll be there!” Rainbow Dash said, beaming now.

“Spitfire, before you go, gotta question for you,” I said.

“Sure, what’s up?” she asked, focusing her attention on me.

“I heard from Derpy that you’re working on getting her some admin work. Is that true?”

Spitfire nodded. “The Wonderbolts might be the best fliers in Equestria, but not every member of our staff are meant for flight. Derpy is incredibly good with numbers, so I’m pushing to get her on our treasury staff. We’ve been having issues ever since that recession, and I’m confident she can be a great addition to the staff.”

I smiled. “I’m glad to hear it."

"Speaking of her, is she here?” Spitfire looked around. “I was going to ask her to join us in the VIP section tonight.”

“She’s back at my house with Scarlet Dusk, another one of Rainbow’s students,” I chuckled. “They’ve gotten to be good friends recently.”

“That’s a shame,” she said, “I was hoping to see her.”

“I’ll let her know she was missed,” I said.

“Captain?” a random Wonderbolt mare approached hesitantly. “Sprint’s asking for you. She’s being swamped by a bunch of the rich Ponies.”

Spitfire looked at us with an apologetic smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you all. And Jethro?”

I looked at her. “Yeah?”

“Consider us even,” she said with a grin.

“What about the show I just gave?” I replied with a teasing tone.

“That was good, I’ll admit, but not favor-worthy,” she laughed as she walked away. “See you all later, everypony!”

With that, the Wonderbolt captain and commander headed back into the VIP section of the Wonderbolts area. I turned to Rainbow Dash once more, who was watching Spitfire walk away with a fangirl look on her face. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? I wouldn’t begrudge you if you did.”

She snapped out of whatever dream she had, then shook her head as if to clear it then flew over to me. “You’re stuck with me, mister,” she said, poking my chest.

“Alright, alright! You got me! I was just making sure.” Looking at my phone, I saw that there was about seven minutes before Celestia’s announcement. “Hey, why don’t we all grab a bit to eat before Celestia’s big announcement?”

We headed over to the food area. The fancy vittles, as Applejack called them, all looked fancy enough. Twilight, since she’d been living at the palace for years, was actually able to name a few of the hors d'oeuvres. I tried whipped feta with marinated olives, then some whipped ricotta with herbs and honey, then some sourdough bread with herby roasted garlic olive oil dip. To my delight, they even had garlic bread, which I had more of than the others.

“Don’t eat too fast there, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Don’t want ya getting’ sick.”

“Garlic bread is amazing,” I chuckled, wiping my mouth with the kerchief. “Sorry, I just haven’t had it in years. I’d ask the chef how they prepare it, but I bet it’s some kind of palace secret.”

“Hey, I think it’s starting!” Twilight said as a crowd began gathering in the main hall inside the palace.

I took out a couple of mints from my pocket and popped them in my mouth as we headed back inside. “Anyone have any idea what she wants to announce?” I asked as we found a good spot near the front of the crowd.

“I bet it’s something super duper surprising!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly.

“Pinkie Sense telling you that?” I asked.

“Nope!”

I rolled my eyes, amused at her antics, then turned to Zecora. “How are you enjoying the Gala? Is there anything here you wish to see after this announcement?”

Zecora moved closer, wrapping her arms around me and laying her head on my chest. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care what we do. I’m really enjoying myself.”

I wrapped my arms around her in return. “To echo your words, you’re quite the woman.”

Just then, the Master of Ceremonies walked up the stairs and faced the gathering crowd. Hitting the staff on the ground, he got the attention of the gathered Ponies. “Filles and Gentlecolts,” he announced, “Princess Celestia has asked you to gather here to make some special announcements! Take heed!”

With that, the M.C. walked down the stairs and Celestia took the center stage. She looked down at the gathered crowd, and for a few brief seconds, our eyes locked. A small crook of her lips didn’t escape my sight as she resumed looking at the crowd before speaking. “My little Ponies,” she said, her tone regal but motherly at the same time, “I am pleased to see everypony enjoying the Grand Galloping Gala. However, tonight is a very special Gala for two major reasons. Now, allow me to announce the first.”

She looked up the stairs, beaming as two Ponies began walking down. Murmurs spread among the crowd as Prince Blueblood and Sharp Point began descending, hoof in hoof. When they reached Celestia’s left, they stopped and took a spot next to her. Sharp looked somewhat embarrassed, but a gentle nudge from Blueblood seemed to help. Celestia looked lovingly down at her nephew and fiancée before turning back to the crowd. “The first announcement is the engagement of my nephew Prince Blueblood to Commander Sharp Point of the Royal Guard. I have approved this union, and the wedding date will be announced within the month.” She turned to the two, a warm smile on her muzzle. “I offer my most sincere congratulations.”

From somewhere nearby, a pair of hooves began thumping the ground. Turning, I saw Princess Cadance among the crowd stomping. Raising my hands, I began applauding, and soon Zecora joined me. My other friends quickly joined in, which prompted the other guests to join in. Soon the room was a roar of Pony applause. Blueblood smiled, as did Sharp Point, the latter of whom blushed a bit.

Once the applause died down, Celestia faced the crowd again. “And now, for my second announcement. As you are all very much aware, recently the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony stood as one against Nightmare Moon and defeated her. What you might not realize, however, is that Nightmare Moon is, in fact, my sister Princess Luna. Some of you might have seen her recently in your dreams if you suffered from a nightmare. She is the Princess of the Night and of Dreams. She has been purified of all the negative magic that flowed within her and has returned to rule by my side. She has been secluded for a time to acclimate to the new world she has found herself in, but tonight she wishes to present herself to you.”

Again, this wasn’t something I expected. She hadn’t even appeared in the episode, so I was thoroughly confused, but I listened as Celestia continued. “However, she wished to appear to you in a manner rather unique. So, please welcome for the first time at the Grand Galloping Gala, Princess Luna!” She gestured towards the stairs to her right.

We all turned to where she was pointing. A few seconds passed, before a single hoof stepped through. Then another. The room went silent as Luna stepped out. She looked around, then caught sight of me.

Raising her hand, she gave me a gentle wave before waving to the crowd. “We greet thee, our royal subjects,” she said.

What…the…fuck…CELESTIA!!!

50: A Cloaked Heart's Nightmare Night Finale

The three of us made our way towards the gathering of Ponies around the pile of wood and straw that would eventually become the bonfire. Most of the stalls had by this time already closed or were in the process of doing so in anticipation of the fire. A few members of the weather team were on standby, sitting on nearby rain clouds just in case the fire spread in a direction that could endanger others.

As we approached, we were greeted by Rarity, who I hadn’t interacted with all night. “Darling,” she said, looking at me with an accusing glance, “why didn’t you tell me that you invited the princess?” she asked before turning to Luna and bowing low. “Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to see you here.”

“No need to be on ceremony with me, Miss Rarity,” Luna said, raising a hoof. “I came here to enjoy the festivities.” She looked around. “Pardon me for asking, but where is the one called Fluttershy? I have not seen her all evening.”

“She doesn’t really celebrate Nightmare Night,” Rainbow Dash explained, flying down to land beside Rarity. “She gets scared easily so she stays home.”

“That is unfortunate, but I understand. I was hoping to say hello to her,” Luna said. “But perhaps another time. Meanwhile, when will this bonfire start?”

“Just a few more minutes,” Rainbow Dash said. “The Mayor’s gonna make a speech.”

Just then I felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves slowly around me from behind as two large pillowy mounds pressed against me. “Did you miss me, love?” Zecora asked, kissing my cheek.

I lowered myself, grabbed her thighs and lifted her up so I was giving her a piggyback ride. She laughed and wrapped her arms and legs around me. “I really did. How was your night?”

“I enjoyed it, but it was missing you,” she said, putting her chin on my head.

“Miss Zecora, it is a pleasure to see you once again,” Luna said.

“Greetings again, your Highness. Did you enjoy the night?” Zecora asked.

Luna smiled. “It was very fun!”

“The night isn’t over yet,” I chuckled. “Time to wind it down with a nice bonfire.”

I watched as the mayor approached a large stool. Standing on it, she cleared her throat. “Attention, everypony!” As the voices of the gathered crowd died down, she smiled. “How was everyone’s Nightmare Night?” Cheers of joy and celebration ran through the crowd, and I joined in. “Sounds as if everypony had a great time! Now, before we finish off the night with this bonfire, I’d like to thank a couple individuals. First, Mr. Jethro Bethridge, for generously allowing the festival to take place on his property!”

The crowd went nuts, stomping the ground so hard it felt like an earthquake. I smiled and waved. The mayor continued. “Second, I would like to especially thank Princess Luna for attending our humble celebration!”

The cheers were louder this time, and I saw Luna looking so touched that I was afraid she might cry. However, she presumably had plenty of practice holding onto her composure, and it showed when she waved her hoof at the crowd. The mayor continued. “Third, I’d like to thank each and every one of you who worked so hard to make this night possible! I’ve lived in Ponyville my whole life, and I have never seen a Nightmare Night this amazing before. You have not only my thanks, but I’m sure you have the thanks of everypony here who enjoyed this festive night!”

The applause was a thunder, and I even heard some actual thunder from some of the nearby weather team. I whistled as well, extremely grateful for all the work put in as well. The mayor turned to Twilight Sparkle, who stood nearby next to the rest of her friends sans Fluttershy. “Miss Sparkle, would you mind lighting this bonfire?”

Twilight smiled. “I’d be more than happy to!” Her horn glowed, and the hay nearby was set ablaze.

There must have been some kind of accelerant poured over the hay, since it spread more quickly than I was expecting it to. Soon a massive blaze was going and Ponies had to step back or risk excessive heat. I found a dry patch of grass and sat down. Zecora, who was still on my back, climbed off and sat on my lap. An ocean blue Unicorn mare came by and offered us either hot chocolate or hot cider, the former of which we both took gratefully. Luna was seated at my left, Scarlet on my right. A certain party Pony bounded over and plopped herself down right on my legs, digging right into her large bag of goodies and sipping on her hot chocolate.

“So, love,” Zecora said softly in my ear, “how was your evening with the princess?”

“I really enjoyed myself, and I think she did too,” I replied. “It definitely went better than in the show.”

Zecora nodded, smiling happily. “I’m glad you had fun. But is there something on your mind? Especially in regards to a certain pink mare?” She turned and looked at Pinkie, who was still devouring her food, although she’d ditched her costume, presumably since it was warm now. She was facing away from me, staring at the fire now with her backside on full view. I really hope that isn’t intentional. Ah, it’s Pinkie. It’s probably extremely intentional…

“Right…yeah, I guess there is.” I explained the situation that Scarlet had put me in, and how Pinkie had reacted. “I really hope that doesn’t mean anything…”

“Perhaps it does, or perhaps it doesn’t,” Zecora said. “From what I have seen of her, most Ponies find it hard to handle her, even though she’s well liked. You’re one of the few who seems to be able to handle her for longer periods of time.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said. “I just expect the absurd from her. Her optimism and happiness is infectious, too. I can’t help but smile whenever I see her.”

“I would just be patient and watch,” Zecora said. “Who knows?”

“Ugh…back burner matter,” I grumbled, but was immediately silenced by Zecora’s lips crashing into mine, banishing any of my worries. “Heeeh…” was all I could say when she broke away.

“Feel better, beloved?” she grinned.

“Much. Thank you, dear.”

She lay her head on my chest and closed her eyes. “You’re welcome.”

I held her there in silence for a long while, feeling the familiar burning sensation I got whenever I stared for too long at a bonfire and basking in the glow of memories that the sensation brought back. I remembered sitting next to my Trixie on a different patch of grass beneath an identical clear autumn sky, the voices of my parents, Trixie’s parents, and other churchgoers in medieval costumes filling my memories.

I could almost see her again, the last time she and I went together. She’d worn a peasant girl costume, complete with a red bodice, white flowing dress and a flower headband that only made her blue eyes pop. I’d been in an expensive knight costume, complete with flowing cape and metal sword strapped to my side. Much like Zecora was now, my Trixie had been in my lap, my hand stroking her hair lovingly as we both sipped on hot apple cider and just stared at the fire in contented silence.

As the memory played, I felt a few tears falling, only for a hoof to gently begin rubbing at my eyes. Coming back to reality, I found myself looking into the worried eyes of Pinkie Pie. “Jethy?” she asked hesitantly.

“Ah, damn, I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my eyes quickly. “Did you say something?”

She shook her head. “No. Are you alright? You looked sad again.” She rubbed her cheek against mine. “Please tell us if something’s wrong.”

“I was just remembering Trixie,” I admitted, then immediately turned to Zecora. “I’m sorry.”

“Do not apologize for remembering a former love,” Zecora said softly. “She’ll be a part of you for your whole life. I’m not upset.”

Pinkie put her hooves around my neck. “Tonight’s a time for fun, silly,” she said in a kind voice that reminded me more of Fluttershy than anything.

“Pinkie Pie,” an unusually serious Scarlet said, scooting closer to us, “I’m guessing he’s remembering something special. Right, Jethro?”

I smiled. “Yeah. I’m remembering the last time I sat in front of a bonfire.”

“Do you want to tell us about it?” Zecora asked. “I wouldn’t mind.”

I looked up at the stars above. “It was when Trixie and I were seventeen,” I explained. “The family who owned the farm where we would hold our little Reformation Party celebration was moving by the end of the year, so we’d have no other place to do it, meaning it was the last time. She and I had gone together for as long as we’d been friends, and we wanted to make it a special one. We spent all evening pretty much stuck to each other. I was dressed as a knight and she was dressed as a peasant woman. We partook in all of the games with pretty much extra gusto since it was our last time doing that sort of thing. The evening ended in front of the bonfire, much like tonight’s.”

“Jethro, forgive me for assuming, but may I ask if this was one reason why you wished for a bonfire?” Luna, who’d been listening in next to me, asked.

“You caught me,” I said with a sheepish smile. “It brought back a lot of good memories, but also bittersweet.”

“Then you’re just gonna have to make some new memories!” Pinkie said, squeezing me tighter.

“I already have,” I said, putting one arm around Pinkie and the other around Zecora. I looked at the friends surrounding me. “It’s almost impossible to be sad when surrounded by everyone here.”

Pinkie made that ‘squee’ sound again as the Mane Six, Zecora, and Luna all smiled at me. Pinkie raised her mug. “To making new happy memories with our bestie for resties, Jethro!”

We all raised our mugs, clinking them together before taking a long gulp each. As Luna levitated her mug down, she looked at me curiously. “Jethro, I am curious about something you said earlier.”

“Oh? What’s that?” I asked.

“You implied that Equestria has a different form of video games than Earth. How do you mean?”

I chuckled. “Well, allow me to explain…”

As the fire went on, I explained to Luna and, surprisingly, the other Mane Six and my marefriend, how from what little I’d seen about Equestrian video games, they were a few decades out of date from the ones I was used to. When I compared them to games from my world, I brought up early Nintendo systems and games like Pac-Man and lower bit games like that. I was surprised that a young brown colt wearing an outfit that reminded me a bit of Mario came and joined us. I recognized him as a minor background character called Button Mash. An older mare joined us, a pink furred yellow maned woman who was dressed as a bumblebee. She identified herself as Cherry Berry, Button Mash’s mother. There goes that fandom character Cream Heart, I thought.

Button Mash’s questions about my own world’s video games were pretty standard, how many were there, what were the graphics like and others in that vein. As the fire died down, so did the questions. I did warn Button Mash that some of our video games were for a more mature audience, but that if it was possible, I would try and find games from Earth that I could share at some point. At this point, I was gathering more and more reasons to go to Sunset Shimmer’s world.

Finally, Cherry called her son away, thanked me for helping make her son’s evening more exciting, and headed home. I stood and saw others starting to head home as well. Looking at my phone, I saw the time was a few minutes past nine forty in the evening. “Damn, how time flies,” I said as I stood. “Did everyone here have fun?”

“This was the first time I’ve ever enjoyed fun in this setting,” Luna said happily. “I’d like to thank all of you for allowing me to attend this celebration.”

“It was our pleasure, Princess,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Are you planning on heading back to Canterlot tonight?” I asked. “I could put you up at my house for the night.”

“Thank you for your kind offer,” Luna said, “but my chariot is capable of taking me back to the palace.”

Out of nowhere, a chariot appeared and landed on a large patch of empty lawn. Two Ponies with batlike wings and slitted eyes stood at attention. Luna approached, then looked at the two Ponies. Turning back, she asked, “What do you think of their costumes?”

Costumes? I approached and tilted my head curiously at them. Their batlike wings looked strangely…off. One of the Ponies, seeing my confusion, laughed and lifted the wing. “They’re fake, sir.”

“Fake? May I touch?” I asked.

“Go ahead,” he said as I approached.

I took the wing in my hand, looking it over carefully. Just then, I remembered the other Nightmare Night episode I saw where Fluttershy put on fake wings. The ones this Pegasus was wearing were pretty much identical. “Fake wings, huh?” I asked.

“Indeed,” Luna said. “It is apparently a tradition among the Pegasus Royal Guards to wear these costumes and wear contacts to change their eyes to appear as the mythical Vampire Pony.”

I guess that’s one explanation as to why they only appear in one episode, I thought. “You could have fooled me,” I chuckled. “Good costumes, you two.”

The two guards saluted me with their wings. “Thank you, sir,” they both said.

Luna climbed onto the chariot and looked out at all of us. Spreading her wings, she spoke, “Farewell, citizens of Ponyville! I look forward to celebrating this holiday next year!” As her chariot flew off, a cheer came from the Ponies who remained.

“Tonight was amazing,” Twilight said, “but I should get Spike home. Poor guy’s all tuckered out.”

“I should do the same with Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said.

“I’m guessing they’re all strung out on candy,” I chuckled. Looking around, I saw the Crusaders sitting on another patch of grass, talking animatedly. Standing nearby I saw two mares, one an Earth Pony with a light amber coat and light scarlet curly mane and tail. The other was a Pegasus who had a short cut light blue mane and tail.

When the Crusaders saw me and the others approach, they all jumped up and rushed to me. “That was the coolest haunted house ever!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her small wings buzzing behind her excitedly. She was wearing a wolf’s head over her face.

“I aim to please,” I chuckled.

“I was plenty scared,” Apple Bloom, who looked like the Bride of Frankenstein, chuckled.

“Me too!” a vampiric looking Sweetie Belle added.

“I’ve got to admit, it was a fun house,” the mare with the light scarlet mane said in a distinct Australian accent. “It’s your house, correct?” she asked me.

“Correct, ma’am,” I said. “Jethro Bethridge at your service.”

She giggled. “Such a gentlecolt.”

“Holiday, don’t start that again,” the other mare, who had an accent I couldn’t quite place, said. There was a slight gravely hint to her voice, as well. She turned to me. “Sorry ‘bout my wife, here.”

“Don’t be sorry,” I chuckled, inwardly surprised to be meeting my first Equestrian lesbian couple. “I somehow get that a lot,” I added sheepishly.

“I’m Lofty Thread, and this is Holiday Breeze,” Lofty said by way of greeting. “We’re Scootaloo’s aunts.”

“So, you’re the alien we’ve heard about,” Holiday said, smiling warmly as she offered her hoof to me.

“That’s me,” I chuckled as I shook her hoof, then Lofty’s in turn. “Pleasure to meet you both.”

“He’s almost as cool as Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said excitedly, hovering slowly in place.

“He isn’t that cool, yet,” Rainbow Dash laughed. “He still has a bit of trouble flying.”

“Oh, trust me, one of these days, I’ll do a Sonic Rainboom!” I shot back at the Pegasus.

“Pssh! Yeah, right!” Rainbow Dash scoffed playfully.

“Well, I’ll be, I’ve never heard Scootaloo praise anypony else other than Rainbow Dash like that,” Holiday said.

“He stopped a war and saved Ponyville from that Ursa Minor!” she said, beaming up at me.

I couldn’t help myself. I picked the little filly up and lifted her above my head, letting her sit on my shoulders. “Thanks, kiddo.”

“Whoa…so this is how you see the world??” she asked in awe.

“I can see a whole lot more thanks to these,” I said, spreading my wings.

“Those are so big!” she said in astonishment.

“That they are,” I chuckled as I began to use them to hover a bit off the ground.

“Whoa!” the young filly said, wrapping her front legs around my head tightly.

“Be careful, Private,” Rainbow Dash called out. “We haven’t gotten to you carrying things or Ponies yet!”

“I’m not going far,” I said as I hovered around the yard. Reaching up, I took her and held her in my arms as I flew around a few feet above the ground. “How does it look down there, huh?”

Scootaloo was beside herself with joy. Her wings were vibrating happily as I hovered around. “So cool! Can you go as fast as Rainbow Dash?”

“Not yet, but when I get that fast, I’m sure you’ll know,” I grinned. “Well, let’s get you down.”

“Awww? Five more minutes?” she begged.

I shook my head. “I’m sure your aunts wanna get you home so you can sleep.”

“Aww, okay,” she said, sounding disappointed.

“Hey, buck up sweetie. I’ll give you a flight another time, alright? Or perhaps I’ll convince Rainbow Dash to give you one.”

She perked up. “Yay!”

As I landed, the other two Crusaders came over to me, begging for a flight as well, but their guardians insisted on taking them home for bed. As the Crusaders were saying their goodbyes, I walked over to Scootaloo’s aunts. I lowered my voice. “Forgive me for asking, but where are Scootaloo’s parents? They aren’t, um…gone, are they?”

“We get that a lot, so don’t worry,” Holiday said. “Her parents are currently abroad. They’re adventurers.”

“What, like Daring Do?” I asked.

“Something like that,” Lofty said, “but more realistic.”

If only they knew, I inwardly smirked. “Ah, so she stays with you two?” I asked.

“That would be hard to do since Lofty and I live in Westfield, a small town a few train stops away from Ponyville,” Holiday said.

My heart immediately went out to Scootaloo then. “So…she jumps around from house to house?”

“Oh, Elysium, no!” Holiday said. “She has a home, and we stay there with her during the main part of the week, but on weekends we have to go back home.”

“That’s…I mean, I’m glad she has a home, but still…” I wasn’t sure why, but I suddenly had the urge to do something for Scootaloo. I’d seen how, in some fanfics, she was an orphan, and that had been sad enough, but having absentee parents? It was a bit sad to see. “Damn…I wish I could do something for her,” I said aloud before I could keep the words from escaping.

“You’re a sweet stallion,” Holiday said, “but it’s really alright. She’s got her friends, and we keep careful eyes on her as often as we can.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” I said. “It’s gotta be tough, though. Do you have any time to yourselves?”

“Oh, don’t worry ‘bout it,” Lofty said, “we love that little gal tah death.”

“Well, if you two ever need like a romantic week or two to yourselves, I can take Scootaloo in temporarily,” I offered. “I’ve got tons of bedrooms just going to waste.”

“That’s a very generous offer,” Holiday said with a smile. “We’ll think about it.”

“Ready to go, aunties!” Scootaloo bounded up, holding her bag of candy in her teeth.

“Did you say thank you to Mr. Bethridge for giving you a little lift?” Holiday asked.

She turned and beamed up at me. “Thank you, Mr. Bethridge.”

“You’re welcome, and call me Jethro, please,” I said, chuckling. “Have a safe trip home, everybody!”

As the Crusaders and their guardians left, I looked around and smiled. But something was missing, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Zecora came up to me and leaned against me. “Love? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know…there’s something missing, it feels like,” I said. “I can’t figure out what…”

“Hmmm, maybe we should head inside and find out,” she whispered seductively in my ear.

A shudder went down my back in anticipation, and I looked down at her. “You’re so naughty, sweetie. And we will, I promise. But that’s not what I-” Just then, it hit me. My eyes widened. “Fluttershy!”

“Ponies aren't just for girls! Let this tail unfurl! Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy! Do not be afraid, we will never fade! Rainbow Dash and Rarity! Join the herd, and you will see!” I sang to myself as I flew above the town. I was on my way to Fluttershy’s house to check in on her. Zecora had encouraged me to go visit her, and said she’d be waiting for me in my Earth house. It didn’t feel right to leave the yellow Pegasus out of the Nightmare Night festivities, even if I could understand why. As I landed in front of the dark cottage, I furled my wings and hummed as I walked up to her door. I knocked, then immediately announced, “Fluttershy, it’s me, Jethro. Are you still awake?”

I heard someone inside scuttling around, then a squeak, then an unlatching sound from the door. It opened, and a trembling Fluttershy peeked out. “J-Jethro? Are you alone?” she asked.

“Yep, just came to check-”

She threw her door open, grabbed me and pulled me in, closing and locking the door immediately. She collapsed against the door when she finished. “Phew! That was a close one,” she said.

“Wow, you really hate Nightmare Night, don’t you?” I asked, standing and stretching before grabbing the small bag I had carried with me.

“It’s the most awful night of the year,” she said, then looked up curiously at me. “But what are you doing here? Weren’t you celebrating the night?”

“It’s almost ten,” I said, “the festivities are pretty much over.” I lifted the bag up. “I come bearing gifts. I know you hate Nightmare Night, but it just didn’t feel right to end the night without seeing you.”

She inched away from the bag. “I-It’s not something scary, is it?” she asked.

I reached into the bag and pulled out a stuffed bear. “I won this at one of the games. I wanted you to have it.”

She approached, poking it a bit nervously. She relaxed and took it in her hooves, hugging it close. “Thank you, Jethro,” she said. “I love it!”

I smiled, then pulled out a handful of candy. “I’m not sure how much you like candy, but I brought you some of the leftover stuff from my house.” Before I’d flown over, I’d made sure to choose only candies without any scary images on them.

“You’re so sweet,” Fluttershy said with one of her lovely smiles.

“Can I see your hiding space?” I asked.

“Of course!” she said, heading upstairs. I followed, and she led me to her bedroom. I saw a few animals sitting around, including Angel, who, when he saw me, approached and jumped up, pointing at his head. I reached down, picked him up and began scratching his head as Fluttershy lifted the covers from her bed. I knelt and looked underneath. “Here we are,” she said. Just as like I’d seen in the show, the underside of her bed was stocked with books, manega, pillows, snacks, a lantern, and a small spot for a bed. She looked back at me, smiling. “What do you think?” she asked.

“Damn, Flutters, this place is really cozy. Don’t you think so, Angel?” I asked, looking down at the bunny still in my hand. The little bunny nodded, but continued pointing to his head.

“I still can’t believe he likes you,” Fluttershy said. “He never opens up to anypony else besides me.”

“Eh, I’m pretty sure he only likes me because I give headpats with these hands,” I chuckled, holding up the hand I was using to scratch behind his ears. He made an angry squeaking noise, grabbed my hand and put it forcibly back on his head. As I resumed, his contented expression returned, and I turned back to Fluttershy. “See?”

“Oh my,” she said. “Well, um…”

“Don’t worry,” I said, “I like petting him. He’s adorable.” He looked up at me, squeaking angrily. “Beg pardon, I mean that you’re the most macho male bunny out there, and all the female bunnies love you.” He nodded in approval and went back to relaxing in my arms.

“How did you understand what he said?” Fluttershy asked in shock.

“I didn’t,” I said. “I just took an educated guess. Most guys don’t like being called adorable.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I know that,” she said.

“Well, I’m glad to see you doing alright,” I said, “but I should get going. I just wanted to see you tonight. It didn’t feel the same without seeing you.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “You mean that?” she asked.

“Of course,” I said. “I know you hate Nightmare Night, and that’s okay. It’s not for everyone. But I still wanted to see you, at least before the night was over.”

She blushed and hid behind a book. “Th-Thank you,” she said shyly.

“Well, I hope to see you tomorrow for our get together,” I said, gently putting Angel down on the floor.

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, putting her book down. “I’ll see you out.”

We both made our way to the door, where she unlocked it and opened it wide enough for me to leave. I stepped through, then put my hand on the door. “Before you go, could you come out here for a bit? I wanna show you something.”

She looked around nervously. “A-Are you sure?” she asked.

“Do I look like the kind of person who’d scare someone if I knew they absolutely hated it?” I asked.

She quickly shook her head. “O-Of course not!” She stepped out, but froze when she made it all the way outside. I saw her trembling, so I reached out and took her front hoof. “Come fly with me for a bit. Above the trees.” I spread my wings and waited. Eventually, Fluttershy did the same and I lightly flew up. She followed me until we were above the trees.

When we reached beyond the treeline, I looked up and pointed. “Have a look.”

Fluttershy did look up, and her eyes went wide. Not with fear, but with awe. “Oh wow…” she said.

The night was ablaze with thousands of bright twinkling stars. The Milky Way spread out across the dark autumn sky, shining through despite the full moon that shone on the landscape below. I felt Fluttershy’s hoof cling tighter to me as we watched a stray shooting star arc across the sky from south to north. I took a deep breath, then said, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”

“What’s that from?” Fluttershy asked.

“It’s a verse from the Bible, one of my favorites since it mentions stars,” I admitted.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, and her voice was closer to me now. Turning, I saw that she had moved closer to me. “I like it.”

I smiled, then saw a nearby stray cloud. I used my magic to move it closer. I flew up and sat on it, motioning for her to join me. Fluttershy did so, sitting close and gazing up with me. “Stargazing has always been a favorite hobby of mine,” I said after a while. “Trix…Trixie and I would stargaze almost every day during our summer vacations. I have a lot of good memories I associate with the night sky.”

I felt a warm presence pressing against me, and I looked down to see Fluttershy leaning against me. She looked up at me, eyes smiling along with her muzzle. “I think she’d be happy for you, now,” Fluttershy said, her inner kindness on full display for me to bask in.

I smiled back, nodding. “I’d like to think so, too,” I said. “She would have loved to be here, too.”

“Oh? Did she like the show?” Fluttershy asked.

“Actually, she never watched it,” I said, “but I know she’d love to have met all of you.”

She pressed herself against me a bit more, and her warm presence banished all sadness about Trixie. We resumed looking at the stars…

It was just after ten thirty when I flew down towards my Earth house. I stretched and took in a few deep breaths before I walked in. Fluttershy and I had stargazed for about twenty minutes before a bird had flown up to inform the mare that Angel was getting antsy. We parted after that, with her thanking me for letting her stargaze with me and for the gifts. I flew back home after that.

“Honey, I’m home,” I called out as I entered and closed the door, locking it behind me.

“In heeere, darling,” Zecora called out from my bedroom.

Oh dear, that’s her seductive voice. I took off my hoodie and hung it up on a nearby coat hanger. Slipping my shoes off, I headed down the small hall to my bedroom. “I hope you weren’t waiting…long…” My breath caught when I saw my marefriend. She was lying away from me, reading one of my science fiction books. She wasn’t naked and she was still in her Anthro form, but her clothes surprised me. She was wearing black skintight yoga pants, which only accentuated her perfect ass. For a shirt, she was wearing a light green sweater which clung to her body in a tantalizing manner. She looked over her shoulder. “Come on in and close the door, dear,” she said. “You’re letting the warm air out.”

I smirked, stepping in and closed the door behind me…

56: A Cloaked Heart's Golden Hour

“Are ya sure this contraption of yers is safe tah be drivin’ ‘round mah farm?” Applejack asked, looking over my dark blue 2004 Ford Escape as Twilight and I both lowered it to the ground using our combined magic. We’d floated it over to Applejack’s farm after getting permission from the family’s matriarch to drive it around on a small patch of land near the southern portion of the farm. Aside from starting it and letting it run for a bit every couple of days, I hadn’t really touched my car and Twilight had been bugging me about letting her watch me drive it for the past few days, especially ever since I talked about it at the celebration after the Running of the Leaves.

“I won’t be going at full speed, and you have a good enough space in this part of the farm to do some driving,” I explained as I put the car down. I looked past the car to see a small crowd of curious Ponies who’d followed. “Besides, this is turning into an impromptu show. Maybe you can sell these Ponies something.”

Applejack snorted, shaking her head with a small smile on her face. “Yer hopeless.”

“Nooo, I’m Jethro,” I laughed as I opened the driver’s side door. After making sure the car started, much to the curiosity of the gathered Ponies. I turned the car back off then turned back to the crowd. “I doubt I’ll be showing you how this all works for very long! So enjoy it while it lasts!”

Twilight stood by the passenger side door, eager to get in. I walked up and opened the door. She bounded in and sat in the chair, looking around excitedly. I reached up and brought the seatbelt down. “What’s this?” she asked.

“A seatbelt,” I explained. “If there’s a sudden change in momentum this is meant to hold you in place. Watch.” I moved it slowly back and forth once, then pulled hard on it. Twilight’s eyes widened when it stopped moving. “If there’s a crash, these things have saved more lives than before they were out in cars.”

“Oooh! What’s this thing?” Pinkie Pie popped up beside me and looked in the car. “A new carriage? I love carriage rides! Can I come along??”

“Pinkie, this isn’t for fun,” Twilight admonished.

“I don’t mind if she sits in the back,” I said as I opened the door behind the passenger side. Pinkie bounced in and sat down, looking at everything with wide eyed curiosity.

“Applejack, what about you?” I asked. “There’s room for one more next to Pinkie,” I said.

She shook her head. “Another time. Ah’ll be fine right here.”

“Suit yourself,” I said as I returned to buckle Twilight in. I tightened it so it held her as securely as it could. “Cars weren’t designed for Ponies. But I won’t be going too fast.” I closed the door then went to buckle Pinkie up.

As I leaned over her to buckle her securely in, I heard Pinkie whisper into my ear, “Getting a good look at my sexy butt, Jethy?”

I looked up at Pinkie, who was giving me her version of a sultry wink. Rolling my eyes, I sat up after strapping her in securely. “You’re never gonna let me forget that, are you?”

“Nope!” Grabbing both my cheeks, she pulled me forward and planted a big playful kiss on my lips. I was so startled that I didn’t move, giving her enough time to slip in a little bit of tongue. Coming to my senses, I pulled away and coughed as she grabbed a carrot from nowhere and began chomping on it. “Eeeerm, what’s up, Doc?”

“I should never have shown you Looney Tunes,” I gasped, wiping my mouth.

“Never!”

“My my, love, that looked fun,” a familiar Zebra said from behind me.

I turned and saw my marefriend looking at me with a knowing smirk. Before I could say anything, she held up her hoof. “I know why she did it, Jethro. Don’t worry.” She looked at my car. “So, you’re finally taking this car out for a drive?”

I nodded. “Twilight kept on bugging me about it, and I need to take a little drive to keep the skills intact. And besides, wings aside, I like the feeling of driving. Wanna join? There’s one more seat available.”

She shook her head. “Not today, dearest. Another time.”

“Alright, well sit back and enjoy the view.” I closed Pinkie’s door and headed to the driver’s seat, only to be met by Rainbow Dash who hovered in front of me, glaring. “Um…yes?” I asked.

“Why didn’t you ask me to come?” she pouted.

“RD, this thing doesn’t fly,” I said. “And I’m not going that fast. I didn’t think you’d be interested-”

“Well I am, so let me in!” She pulled on the other passenger side door.

“Okay okay! Calm down, would ya? Back away and I’ll let you in!” She backed away and I opened the other door. She zoomed in and sat down. After I buckled her in, I stood and looked at the gathered crowd. “Listen up, everyone! This vehicle can be dangerous. Do not get in front of it under any circumstances, understand? Just keep a respectful distance from it at all times, okay?” With that, I finally got back in the driver’s seat. “Please don’t touch anything without asking first,” I told them all. “Driving takes a lot of concentration.” I started the car. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were looking around at everything they could in the car while Twilight was watching me and taking notes. I put the car in gear and put my foot on the gas.

Twilight was the first to say anything. “If we could replicate this technology, it could jump start a technological revolution!”

“As long as you find something other than gasoline to help run them,” I said. “It’s a pollutant and dangerous to the planet.”

“But in small doses it’s harmless enough, right?” Rainbow asked. I was surprised she was even listening.

“There’s only one car in Equestria right now,” I said, “but even so we should be careful. I’d like it if somebody could find a cleaner resource to use than gasoline.”

“I’ll look into the problem,” Twilight promised.

“Can this thing go faster?” Rainbow asked.

“It can, but the road would have to be smooth,” I said. “Even though Applejack’s farm was the closest I could come to a flat surface, we’re gonna be still experiencing some bumps.”

As if on cue, we hit a clump of dirt. Pinkie squealed in delight as she was thrown up a bit, Twilight held her pen (a non-quill which I’d given her from my collection of bank pens) and muttered a bit in frustration, and Rainbow Dash used a minor expletive, earning her a glare from Twilight. “Like that?” Twilight asked a few seconds later.

“Like that,” I said. “Now then, there’s a flat stretch of land just ahead. Twilight, can you flatten it more? Possibly make it firmer?”

Nodding, the Unicorn’s horn glowed and the ground ahead did as well, rearranging the ground to make it flatter. “There. Does that work?”

“Poifect,” I said as I pushed down on the gas more. We sped up and the two mares in the back made happy anticipation noises. “Okay, let’s make some trails!” I floored it and I felt the tires catch and spray dirt behind me before they caught and we jolted forward. “Whoo!”

“Okay, that was preeeetty awesome,” Rainbow said.

“I wish you guys had some nice open roads that I could drive on,” I said as I put the brakes on, slowing us down and turning back around. “Then I could break some road rules and put the pedal to the medal! But your roads are dirt and cobblestone. Not the kind that are ideal for my kind of vehicle.”

“What kind of roads do you have?” Twilight asked. “What are they made of?”

“They’re made of something called concrete,” I said. “I’ll google how to make it later. And maybe this time around we can make some roads that actually are built to last.” I laughed. “I feel like I’m playing the Civilization games. And I never played them!”

“What are those games? Are they fun?” Pinkie asked.

“Not sure you’d enjoy them,” I said. “From what I know of the video game franchise, the goal is to create a civilization that doesn’t fall. Then again, like I said, I never played them.”

Twilight perked up. “That sounds like a fun game!”

“I’ll try and find it, then,” I said. “For now, let’s give the gathered Ponies a bit of a show. Nothing fancy, though.”

For the next ten minutes, I showed the girls what the car could do. I accelerated, braked hard, braked softly, turning, backing up, parking in a temporary parking spot I’d made, and more. Just as I was about to pull another acceleration maneuver, I saw a purple and green blur rush out in front of the car, waving a scroll. I braked hard, throwing everyone forward a bit. I put the car in park and got out of the car quickly, anger building inside me. “SPIKE! What the hell were you thinking!?” I yelled at the now startled dragon. “You don’t jump in front of a carriage, so why did you jump in front of my car?!”

“Jethro! Don’t yell at him!” Rarity, who’d arrived a few minutes ago, rushed over to Spike’s defense.

“Rarity, this vehicle can easily kill someone in the right circumstances,” I said. “If I hadn’t been on firm ground and my brakes weren’t in good shape, I could have hit him.” I looked down at Spike sternly. “You could have been seriously hurt, Spike.”

Twilight rushed over and began looking the trembling Dragon over. “Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?”

“N-No,” Spike said, still looking up at me with teary eyes.

Damn it, now I feel bad…but he needs to learn this lesson. Yelling might have been a bad choice, though. I took a deep breath, and knelt in front of Spike. Putting a hand on his shoulder, I pulled him forward. “Sorry for yelling, kiddo,” I said as I pulled him into a hug. “I don’t want to hurt you, is all.”

I heard the poor drake sniff and slowly hug me back. “I’m sorry…”

I tightened my grip on him. Stardust Balance/Jack I am not, but this kid is growing on me, I thought. “Tell you what, sometime in the future, I’ll show you some car racing video games I have. And then you can sit in front like Twilight was doing and we can go for a small drive. Sound good?”

He sniffed and I felt him nodding. “Sure…”

I broke the hug and rubbed his head playfully. “Now, what did you interrupt us for? It seemed important.”

His eyes widened and he handed me a sealed scroll, with the words JETHRO’S EYES ONLY written on it. It bore the seals of Celestia, Luna, and Cadance on them. I broke them and opened it.

Golden hour approaches. Seven days of good weather comes.

Attend to us. Come the morrow, the mirror awakens.

My expression didn’t change, but inwardly alarms were ringing in my head. Four lines. All meaning one simple thing…

“The mirror is about to open already, isn’t it?” I asked a few hours later. I was sitting in the living room of my Earth house with Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Zecora who I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide the truth from anyway.

“That’s correct,” Celestia said in a grave tone. “The thirty moons since the last time it was open ends tomorrow at noon. Once it does, the mirror will be open for seven days until the moon reaches its peak on the seventh day.”

“I remember that from the Equestria Girls movie,” I said, “but I also remember that when it first appeared in the show, Twilight was a Princess already. I also know that Twilight found a way to make the portal between the worlds open permanently thanks to the book Sunset took with her acting as a link to keep the portal open.” Something about the time frame for the portal’s opening didn’t sit right with me since I remembered it being three days in the movie, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Celestia looked thoughtful at this revelation. “Hmm…fascinating.”

“Sister, perhaps it would be prudent to bring Twilight in on this to see if she can mirror the success she found in the show,” Luna offered.

“For the time being, I would prefer her not to know,” Celestia said. “At least until the seven days have passed. Either way, having the portal open to another world at all times is a dangerous prospect. If the mission fails, I will ask her to make opening this portal between worlds a top priority, and if it succeeds, well, I would ask the same of her.” She looked up at the ceiling. “Sunset…”

“I’ll certainly do my best to keep the events of Equestria Girls from happening, and to bring Sunset to her senses,” I said.

“I will be going with you, love,” Zecora said.

“I can’t allow that,” Celestia said. “You could easily upset the balance of the other world.”

“Yeah, that’s a load of bull,” I said. “I remember seeing parts of an episode where Sunset and two humans make their way to Equestria through another natural portal. At the end of the episode, a bunch of humans come through that natural portal to Equestria. No balance upset. No worldwide destruction. Not a thing.”

“Other humans in Equestria?” Cadance asked, sounding worried.

“Remember what I said about the Crystal Mirror changing the forms of Ponies to humans, and vice versa when coming back?” I asked. The princesses nodded, so I continued. “Well, the same thing happened in the case of this portal. All the humans changed to Ponies, or rather, their Pony counterparts. This other human world is nothing like Earth. Not the Earth I knew. Hell, Celestia, you and Luna exist as Principal and Vice Principal of Canterlot High.”

“Do you recall where this natural portal was?” Luna asked.

“Not specifically,” I replied. “All I know is that it was in some kind of cave. Canterlot was in the background, and it had to be near Ponyville. And it was around a forest, if I recall correctly. Not the Everfree, I don’t think.”

“That does help narrow the search pattern down,” Celestia said. “Perhaps it’s in the White Tail Forest.”

“But we can think about that later, can’t we?” I asked. “Our main concern should be mitigating any interpersonal damage Sunset might have caused in the human world.”

“From what I saw, part of it was breaking up the friendships between the human versions of Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy,” I said. “She also took the time to run the high school she ended up in at the top of the popularity chain. Complete and utter teen drama shit.”

“There are human versions of the Bearers?” Luna asked.

“Not just them,” I said. “You have a human version, and so do you, Celestia.”

“And me?” Cadance asked. “Am I there, too?”

“You work at another high school called Crystal Prep which is where the human Twilight Sparkle is currently studying,” I explained.

“Have you seen me there, love?” Zecora asked.

“Not yet,” I said, “so I think it’s okay if she comes with me.”

“I will not let him go alone,” Zecora said, facing Celestia. I almost saw a hint of defiance in her eyes .

Celestia sighed, but nodded. “Alright, I understand. Just be careful.”

I nodded in agreement. “Now…the big question: how to tell my friends…?”

It had taken a lot of convincing, but two and a half hours later, all of the Mane Six, Spike, and even Scarlet were sitting in my Earth house living room. I’d finally decided that Scarlet had earned enough of my trust to learn about the My Little Pony television show, which is where I started, since it had taken more time to convince the princesses to tell all the friends I had the truth.

Scarlet was unusually somber after learning the truth, and had taken a half hour alone in her room to initially process it. When she came back out, I felt my heart shatter when I saw her tear-stained eyes. I apologized profusely for keeping the truth from her, but she came up and silenced me with a hoof to my mouth. “Hush,” she said softly, and to my surprise a small smile formed on her face. “I’m not angry at you for keeping it from me, just at how long it took for you to tell me. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

I gave her a small but sad smile of my own. “Who else am I gonna quote Earth memes and culture with,” I replied. “I’m sorry it took so long. Guess I was afraid.”

Scarlet threw her forelegs around me, and I hugged her back. “I know I can come off as a bit of a pervert at times, but I’d like to think I’ve done enough to earn your trust.”

“I should have told you a while ago, because yes you did,” I replied.

“Well…better late than never,” she said as she broke the hug, then she turned to the princesses. She bowed and added, “This secret shall go to my grave.”

“Your candor is most appreciated,” Luna said appreciatively.

“So…was this why we were called here?” Rainbow Dash asked, sounding a bit bored.

I shook my head. “It’s one reason, but it’s not the main one.” I looked to Celestia, who gave me a nod. Facing the others, I took a deep breath. “I’ll be heading out of town for the next seven days.”

“You’re going away again?!” Twilight Sparkle’s expression was one of incredulous fear as she rushed over to me, her nose mere inches from mine. “Where? When? How long? I need to pack my bags, and-”

“You’re not going with him,” Celestia said.

That stopped her immediately. Her eyes went even wider, her mouth open in shock. Shaking her head, she looked back at her mentor. “What…why? Princess, what’s going on?”

“That is a long story,” Celestia said. “In a word, Jethro is heading to another world, one he knows more about than anypony here.”

“You found a way for him to go back to his world?” Rarity asked in shock.

Celestia shook her head. “No, the world he is going to is not the same as his Earth. But it is one inhabited by humans. And it’s the world where a former student of mine, Sunset Shimmer, has been living ever since she fled Equestria.”

“There’s a movie series that was made called Equestria Girls,” I went on to further explain. “The movies and a subsequent series of short videos depict the adventures of Sunset Shimmer and…well, your human counterparts.” I turned on the TV to show a group image of the human versions of the Mane Six along with the individual the fandom had called Sci-Twi as well as the dog Spike. I spent the next half hour briefly going over what I knew about this human world. I showed images of Canterlot High, other human versions of the Ponies they knew, other places in the human world, and a bit more. By the time I was done, I felt exhausted, but I stayed the course. “Sunset Shimmer is not lost to us forever. She just needs a guiding hand, or hoof I guess, back in the right direction. Besides, she still has princess potential.”

“But why are you telling us this?” Twilight asked. “Especially if we can’t go with you?”

“Because of this.” I showed them an image of the mirror portal surrounded by all sorts of machinery. “Twilight, your cartoon counterpart discovered a way to keep the portal open permanently. If something goes wrong, and I hope nothing does, you’re the only Pony I know of who can recreate this. And you’ll need the time.”

“But…we can’t just let you go on your own!” Twilight shouted. “Last time you went off alone, you almost died! Somepony needs to make sure you’re safe!”

“She right, sugarcube,” Applejack said, stepping up to stand beside Twilight. “We ain’t gonna leave ya behind again. Not after what happened last time.”

“You’ll have to,” I said, then I put an arm around Zecora. “And don’t worry. She’s going with me, so I won’t be going alone.”

“Are you kidding?” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying down into my face as well, “Why is she so special?”

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted.

Rainbow Dash backed away, looking down in frustration. She landed and tapped at the ground. “Aren’t we your friends…?”

“Don’t play that card with me, RD,” I said sternly. “You all are my friends, but this isn’t something that you can join me on. Unlike most of you, Sunset Shimmer doesn’t know me. I’m a complete unknown to her. I have no counterpart over there, so she won’t see me coming.”

“But how will you find her?” Fluttershy asked.

I chuckled. “I know what she looks like, remember? All I need to do is namedrop Equestria and I’ll gain her attention.”

“Oh…right.”

“I still think we should go with you!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Do you have any experience in being human?” I asked. “The moment you step through that mirror, your body becomes human. Zecora has experience with a humanoid form.”

“Then we can learn! Twilight has that spell she uses on Zecora sometimes and on Princess Luna that other time!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She grabbed my collar and pulled me closer. “I’m not leaving you behind a third time!”

“Third time? What do…oh…” was all I could say. “RD…are you still upset about the Cloudsdale incident? Seriously, it wasn’t your fault.”

“You could have died!” Rainbow Dash shouted at me, and I could see a small hint of a tear escape one of her eyes.

“Rainbow, Jethro’s right,” Applejack said sincerely. “Ya couldn’t have done more.”

“I could have! I could have…” Rainbow Dash floated down, looking away from me.

Acting on instinct, I wrapped my arms around the poor mare, holding her close. “I’m sorry, RD, but right now, you need to stay behind. I appreciate your concern, I really do. But if things go wrong, I’ll need you all back here. You’re the Element of Loyalty. The planet needs you. It would make me feel better knowing you’re here, keeping the inhabitants of Ponyville save for the next thirty moons.” Rainbow clung to me hard, surprising me with how she was acting. I looked at the others. “It needs all of you.”

Twilight looked just as distraught as Rainbow, Fluttershy even more so, and the others didn’t look too happy to be seeing me go either. To my surprise, Fluttershy came forward and stood on her hind legs. She got in my face, giving me her first look of her famous Stare. “You had better come back to us, damn it,” she said.

We all stared in shock at Fluttershy. None of us had ever heard her swearing before, and I certainly didn’t expect her to either. I swallowed, a chill running down my spine. Guess even I’m not immune to her Stare, I thought. “Y-Yes, miss,” I said.

Canterlot during autumn was slightly different than during the summer months. For one, as with the trees in Ponyville, the deciduous ones were losing their leaves. As I walked down the street with Scarlet, Zecora, the Mane Six and Spike, I also saw many of the fancy city Ponies wearing warmer clothing than anything else. The streets were crowded with city Ponies, most of whom gave me the same looks they’d given me before, but a good number gave me looks of curiosity and I swore I saw a couple of mares winking at me. The excessive makeup and the clothes told me they were either very rich or belonged to the oldest profession in the world.

Rarity moved to my side and pushed me along. “Move your behind, darling. Those are mares of the night,” she whispered.

“Seriously?” I whispered back. “Never thought Equestria would have prostitutes.”

“A vulgar profession,” she said seething.

I didn’t answer, just continued walking. I didn’t quite agree that it was a vulgar profession, but she probably wouldn’t have wanted to hear that. Especially with the mood of the Mane Six being somber. I hated seeing them like this, but I knew that I was doing the right thing by keeping them out of the Sunset Shimmer operation. Even after Fluttershy gave me her Stare, the others weren’t so keen on giving up. They begged the princesses, pleaded with them to let them come along. But the princesses wouldn’t budge.

When we reached the palace proper, Shining Armor was there with a few other soldiers. They all led us inside and down a flight of dark stairs. One concession the princesses had given to those not going was the chance to see me and Zecora off, and that was after Twilight pleaded her hardest. It would appear not even Celestia was immune to the puppy dog eyes that the Element Bearers could give.

We reached the bottom in silence and were greeted by all three princesses waiting for us. Celestia dismissed the guards who all left, all except for Shining Armor. Celestia and Luna used their magic to open up a set of stone doors, which led into a dark room. When the doors were completely open, the princesses used their magic to ignite a bunch of different torches around the mostly empty domed room.

My jaw hit the floor when I saw the mirror standing in the center of the room. It looked absolutely nothing like the mirror I’d seen in the show. For one, it was a lot larger, and the frame was completely ring shaped. A large eighteen-wheeler truck could fit through it with plenty of room to spare.

As the torches further lit up the room, I walked up to take a closer look. The frame, unlike the pink I’d seen on the show, was made of a dark gray stone with black crystals embedded in equidistant intervals around the mirror. Nine intervals, to be precise, seven crystals at each interval arranged in a V shape pointing towards the center of the mirror. It was held in place on either side by two large support struts which kept it standing in place. A stone ramp led up towards the mirror on the side facing the door we’d just come through. Pulling out my phone, I pulled up the images I had saved and found the mirror image. I looked up at the mirror before me, then back at the one on the screen.

I couldn’t help myself. “Okay…who the fuck ordered a Stargate?”

“No shit,” Scarlet said, staring at it beside me. “Sure, there’s no DHD, and the frame is a lot…simpler, but this has Stargate written all over it.”

“This is Star Swirl’s mirror,” Luna said, looking confused. “He and a Unicorn apprentice of his worked tirelessly on it for many moons.”

“No, I believe you,” I said, putting my hands on the frame, “It just looks way too similar to a device from a TV show Scarlet and I have watched.” I looked at the time and saw we had seven more minutes until noon. I took my backpack off and opened it once more to quickly look through what I was taking with me.

I had two spare changes of clothes, all unaltered since I pretty much expected my wings to vanish when I stepped through the portal, three large purses full of bits that I hoped I could exchange somewhere for local currency, and if that didn’t work, I had a few diamonds and a few large gold nuggets I could trade for cash. Toiletries were also there, double and triple checked, as was a small sleeping bag. I almost brought my old Earth wallet with what little cash I had on me, but I reasoned that since this world was so different from the Earth I knew, none of my money would work. I brought along a couple hunting knife with me as well, just in case I needed to rough it.

And then, there was my backup plan. I patted the side of the brown cover of the journal Celestia had given me the day before. In case something went wrong, or in case Sunset burned the journal she took with her, this was my bargaining chip and means of communicating with Equestria.

I zipped my bag back up and looked at Celestia. “When you mentioned that the mirror looked slightly different, I didn’t expect this” I smirked. “If this is your definition of slightly different, I’d hate to see what your definition of vastly different is.”

She actually looked a bit embarrassed. “Forgive me, Jethro. I didn’t expect the mirror to open for a while longer. I did plan on showing you soon, I promise. Just…under better circumstances.”

I walked over and put my arms around her neck. She lowered her head and wrapped her own wings around me. “I understand.” We broke the hug and smiled at each other. After a few seconds, I turned away and faced the others. “Jesus, you all look like I’m going to my funeral. What’s going on? We’ll be gone seven days max, and if we somehow fail to come back through, I’m confident in your abilities to permanently open the portal so I can come home.”

Twilight came forward first after a long moment of silence, and lifted herself on her hind legs. She looked directly in my eyes. “That’s the first time I heard you call Equestria home,” she whispered, hugging me close.

I hugged her back. “Yeah…I guess it is.”

“We’re really worried,” Twilight continued, holding me tighter. “Last time you left, you almost died.”

“I know, I know,” I said, stroking her mane, “but I know this world better than most and how to blend in, so I need to go.”

“Ah still don’t like it,” Applejack said, her frown clearly one of frustration.

“At least we agree on something for once,” Rainbow Dash said, sounding equally as frustrated as Applejack looked.

“Princess, are you sure we can’t go?” Rarity asked.

“Why can’t we go with Jethy?” Pinkie asked, sounding a bit more somber than normal.

Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but looked over at me with a worried look. Celestia shook her head. “If what he told me is true, you have younger counterparts in this other world. Time passes differently between the worlds when the portal is closed, so it’s possible she’ll be younger than even you, Twilight. I hate sending even Jethro through, but if there’s a chance for Sunset Shimmer to come back, I can fix what I damaged in her.”

“And I’m volunteering,” I added. I looked at them all, letting Twilight go. “I’m not going to lie; I’m scared beyond belief. Scared that I’ll fail and be trapped in that world for a time, scared that I’ll fail to convince Sunset to at least come back and see Celestia. Scared of being found by the authorities in that world and arrested. But she’s still a threat as she is, and we need to stop her before she tries something drastic.”

“‘Courage isn’t about not feeling fear. It’s about pressing past that to protect your friends and loved ones,’” Fluttershy finally said, with a sad smile on her face.

I nodded, proud to see her taking my words to heart. “Feel free to add country to that as well,” I said. “Like I said earlier, Equestria is now my home. I may not yet be a naturalized citizen yet, but in time I will take the oath. Even before then, I will take action to protect everyone in this room, and all the Ponies outside of it, regardless of their personal feelings towards me.”

“That’s all anypony can ask of you,” Luna said.

From behind me I heard a soft tone. I turned to see one of the collections of crystals lighting up with an orange glow. I stepped back as a second one lit up with the same tone. We watched as a third one lit up, then a fourth, fifth, all the way up to the ninth symbol, which ironically was the one directly at the apex of the mirror. As each cluster of crystals lit up, the ground below us shook slightly and I could hear a rumbling noise from below the ground. When the final cluster lit up, the rumbling stopped as did the shaking. The mirror shimmered a bit, then its surface began to glow with an inner light and began to warp and distort constantly, almost as if I was looking at the surface of a pool from above. I chuckled, walked up, touched the surface and pulled my hand back. “Chevron nine locked, I suppose,” I said, stepping back down the ramp towards the other Ponies. Zecora was by my side in moments.

“The portal is open,” Celestia said. “We will await your return. Be safe over there.”

“I will,” I said, grabbing my backpack and slinging it over my shoulder. Looking down at Zecora, I turned and made my way up the ramp. I was terrified as all hell, but I forced my trembling legs forward. I knew it was safe. Celestia had told me herself that Sunset had written a scathing message to her only once through the journal she took, so I knew she’d made it through. I took a deep breath, then looked down and took Zecora’s hoof in my hand.

Just as I was about to step through, I heard a commotion from behind me. Alarmed Ponies were shouting at someone to stop. Turning quickly, I saw a dark gray and crimson blur flying towards me. “For Narnia!” Scarlet shouted as she shoved Zecora and I through the portal.

My world became a mass of colors and chaotic sounds. I was in a winding tunnel of rainbow light and stars, parts of which parted to reveal stars. I couldn’t move my body and it felt as if I was being stretched like taffy. I screamed…

…And found myself rolling through some thick undergrowth, tumbling until I hit something and came to a sudden stop. I heard two other voices shouting in alarm as they too fell through leafy brush.

I groaned as I opened my eyes, rubbing the shoulder that had hit whatever I was leaning against. And I knew something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

We weren’t in front of a high school at all. I stood and looked around only to discover we were in a densely packed forest. The only thing that looked out of place was a massive stone statue of a human riding a horse with a sword in his hand. The statue was massive and looked weather worn. The platform on which it sat was large enough to fit an eighteen-wheeler through, much like the mirror portal was as well. A rusted metal plaque on the statue read KING ARTHUR AND LLAMREI.

Slowly, I approached it and put my hand through the one side with a circular design on it. My hand went through it easily enough, so I pulled it back. Looking behind my back, I saw my wings were now gone, but that my clothes, which had been altered for my use with wings, were now as normal as could be.

Hearing Zecora groaning nearby as well as Scarlet, I turned and rushed towards them, and nearly froze when I saw what they looked like. Yes, they were human, but not in quite the way I was expecting.

Scarlet was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a dark gray pullover hoodie with a red lightning bolt streak across the chest. She had a beanie on with crimson flames rising from the bottom. She had a somewhat yellowish-brown skin complexion that reminded me of Native Americans. Her hair was loose around her head and completely black and her eyes were a dark brown.

Zecora was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a loose t-shirt with a multitude of colors on it that reminded me vaguely of African clothing styles. She wore an unzipped red jacket over said t-shirt. Her skin color, unlike the gray I was expecting, was ebony instead. Her eyes were the same deep blue I remembered, and her hair was also black and hanging loosely down her head.

I was flabbergasted. This wasn’t anything like what I expected. My marefriend, now girlfriend, and one of my good friends, looked like normal humans, not the colorful ones from Canterlot. Overwhelmed with the influx of new information assaulting my brain, I could only say one word.

“Fuck.”

Author's Note

For reference, "golden hour" is the name of the first hour of sunlight after sunrise and the last hour of sunlight before sunsetwhere everything is enveloped in a golden glow.

Here's what the new Starswirl's Mirror Portal looks like.

Sorry I couldn't show it with the image shortcut. FimFiction doesn't like imgur for some reason.

74: A Cloaked Heart's Follow Up With Friends

“Forgive me, but could you repeat that?” Mayor Mare asked, removing her glasses and giving me a completely stunned look.

“I said I wanna purchase the house formerly owned by Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood,” I repeated. “Scootaloo’s parents.”

The mayor looked at me with a dubious expression. “And just why, pray tell, are you interested in purchasing their house?”

I sighed. “There’s nothing nefarious going on, I promise. But if you want an explanation, please promise me you won’t say a word about it to anyone.”

“It depends on what it is, but I’m listening.” She leaned forward and put her chin on her hooves.

“Scootaloo’s an orphan now,” I said, “and with her parents gone, there’s nowhere else she can stay permanently in Ponyville. Sure, her aunts come by to keep an eye on her, but that’s not a permanent solution. I don’t want her uprooted just yet, so I want to buy the house and continue paying for its upkeep. I’ve got the bits to spare.”

She nodded in understanding and a small smile formed on her face. “I see. Well, I think that is a lovely idea. As a former orphan myself, I know how she’s feeling. Vulnerable, in need of some sort of security. I am a bit worried that she might not be ready to go back home right now.”

“Living in a house full of memories,” I replied. “Yeah. It took me years before I could go back to my childhood home after my own parents died, and by then the new owners had remodeled it so that it wasn’t recognizable for me. But I want her to have the option open.”

“I understand that,” she said with a wistful smile. “Well, if you want to purchase the property, you’d have to visit the Ponyville Real Estate Offices on the corner of Mane and Sixth. They’re the only real estate company in town and could help you.” She leaned forward, a genuine smile on her face now. “You’re an incredible stallion, Sir Jethro. I’m honored to have you as a constituent and hopefully friend?” She sounded a bit unsure about the last one.

“You want to be my friend?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said. “I’d have asked earlier, but you always seem to be busy, and being mayor doesn’t give me a lot of free time.”

I chuckled, then pulled out an imaginary clipboard, grabbing her glasses and putting them on, looking down at said fake clipboard. “Well, I suppose I can squeeze you in for some sort of weekly get together,” I said with a grin, looking at the snickering older mare.

“You’re a riot,” she chuckled as she reached over and grabbed her glasses. She put them on again.

“All jokes aside,” I said, “I’d love to be friends with you. After all,” and here I lowered my voice and grinned conspiratorially, “it pays to have friends in high places, miss mayor.”

She grinned back. “You took the words out of my mouth, sir knight.”

We both leaned closer to each other, grinning before we burst out laughing at the same time. I never thought I’d see the older mare laughing like some school girl, and it was kinda nice seeing her letting loose like that. After we finished laughing, I stood and held out a hand to her, smiling. “Thanks for your help, my friend,” I said. “That’s two I owe you.”

“This one’s on the house,” the mayor said, shaking my hand. Her hoof was softer than I would have expected from an older Pony. “I look forward to seeing you again soon.”

“As do I,” I replied, and meant it. “Sixth and Mane, correct?”

“Yes sir,” she said. “Have a good day!”

“You too!”

I headed back out into the cold late autumn sun, thinking back on my conversation with the mayor. A politician though she might be, Celestia was spot on about her. She cared deeply about the town and her fellow townsfolk. And she was actually pretty attractive in her own right.

I shook my head clear of those thoughts as I took a right down Mane Street. As I walked down the street, I was greeted by a few of the townsfolk with polite smiles, but I could see concern in a few of their eyes. Concern that I appreciated deeply and accepted, since I wasn’t sure how other cities or towns in the world might react to me anymore.

I found the building about five or so minutes later. As with most of the business buildings in town, it had a rustic medieval appearance to it, looking like something out of a German fairy tale. It was a two-story thatched roofed building with a miniature house hanging right above the door. I ducked and headed inside where I found a large foyer with chairs lining the outer walls and a few desks at the opposite end of the room. One of the Ponies behind a desk saw me and her eyes widened. “Sir Bethridge?” she asked. She was a Pegasus with a slightly blue-gray coat and a mane and tail with various colors of dark and light purple through it. She had bright azure eyes that were wide in surprise. Her mane style reminded me slightly of Fluttershy’s.

“It’s just Jethro,” I said as a few other Ponies looked up from their desks to gawk at me. “I was told to come here to help solve a little problem I’m having.”

The Pegasus beamed and indicated a seat in front of her desk. “Please, have a seat!” she said eagerly. “My name’s Diamond Rose and I’ll be glad to help you with whatever you need!”

I walked over, then realized that the chair she had indicated was a bit too small for me. “Ah, actually, I can just kneel,” I said as I knelt in front of the desk.

Diamond saw the problem and her eyes widened even more, this time in abject apology. “I’m so sorry, sir! I can ask for a larger chair to be brought in-”

I held up my hand. “I’ll be fine, Miss Rose. Just relax.”

She took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Um…ahaha, sorry. It’s just…I’m a big fan of you, sir,” she said honestly.

I smiled warmly and held out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She made a squee and shook my hand eagerly before clearing her throat and trying her best to bring back her professional appearance. “So, what can I help you with?”

“The mayor told me this was the place to go to purchase a property, but the situation is a bit…tricky,” I admitted, scratching the back of my neck.

“How so?” Diamond asked.

“I take it you heard about the unfortunate deaths of Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood?”

Her ears went flat. “I did…I feel so badly for poor Scootaloo.”

“Well, that’s sort of why I’m here,” I said. “I want to purchase their home property and everything inside it.”

Her eyes widened a bit. “Really?”

“Really,” I replied with a nod. “The poor filly shouldn’t have to be uprooted from a place she’s called her home all her life. I want to purchase it and maintain its upkeep until she’s ready to return.”

Diamond’s eyes began to get watery, and she took a tissue from her desk, blowing her nose. “I can see why the Princess made you a Knight…well, I’ll be glad to help you with it! Just give me a few minutes to get the paperwork for their house.” She stood and flew over to a door to the side of the room and went into the room beyond. I could see a bunch of file cabinets in the room. I watched as she flew up to a higher one, opened it with her hooves and looked through it before grabbing a large manila folder with her teeth and flying back to me. She put the paperwork down and used her wings to open it. It always surprised me just how versatile Pegasi wings could be, and I filed away the idea to practice with that at some point as well. “Okay…so it looks like they were actually nearly complete with their mortgage payments,” she said. “and their house was worth about… 184,000 bits.”

Pulling out my phone, I did a brief calculation, and once more was surprised at how cheap it was. Only 23,000 in the currency I’d grown up with. I could easily afford it, of course. “Okay, I’ve seen the house in passing, and it sounds reasonable enough for a two-story property in the middle of town,” I said. And I actually had seen it in passing a couple of times before then. “What do I need to do?”

“Well, since the property owners have, unfortunately, passed, I believe the only thing standing in your way would be any will they might have written.”

“Shit, I completely forgot about a will,” I said, smacking my head. “Duuh…”

She looked at me apologetically. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Well, that’s okay,” I said. “I have another idea. How much did they owe on their mortgage?”

She looked down at the file again. “8000 bits. That doesn’t include the slight interest, though.”

“I wouldn’t mind paying that off, too-”

The door behind us burst open, and Diamond looked past me in alarm. I whirled around, and paused when I saw three Ponies in the doorway. Three familiar Ponies. They were panting heavily and had panicked looks on their faces. At least, the two mares did. “Wait…wait Jethro!” Holiday said after recovering.

“Jethro? What are you doing here?” Scootaloo asked. She looked a bit better than I’d seen her the day before, although she was still panting, her scooter by her side.

Lofty rushed over, waving a piece of paper in her wings and slamming it down on the desk between me and Diamond, startling the poor Pegasus. “I…hah…have their will here…” she said, panting hard.

Looking around, I saw a small table with glasses nearby and a large device that looked like a water dispenser. Holding out my hand, I quickly used my magic to fill three glasses with water and brought them over, handing them to each Pony. “Here, drink,” I said as I handed the water to each of them.

Holiday finished her water first, then put the glass on the desk hard. “The mayor told us what you were wanting to do,” she said quickly, and then a smile crossed her lips. “We had the same idea until we found the will. It was sweet of you to think about Scootaloo like that, though.”

I looked down at the young filly, who had a small smile on her face. Reaching down, I stroked her mane gently. “I know how it is,” I said. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but I was going to buy the house and everything inside then pay for the upkeep.”

“Mighty kind of you,” Lofty said, “but maybe you should read the will first.”

I sat back up and looked at the will. “Let’s see…‘In the event of our deaths, we have set aside a fund for Scootaloo’s further education worth 80,000 bits and have opened up a life insurance policy in her name worth 200,000 bits’?!” I gaped at it as I continued to read. “‘The money in our main bank account is more than enough to pay off the mortgage for our house and whatever is left we’d like to give to our sister Holiday and sister-in-law Lofty for all they’ve done for us in helping to raise and keep an eye on our daughter’.” I looked at the young mare couple. “Ehehe…I guess I jumped the gun here, didn’t I?”

“You had the best of intentions,” Holiday said kindly, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “It means a lot to me, my wife and my niece that you’d do this for us.”

“What’s the point in having all that money if I can’t use it to make not just me happy, but those I care about happy as well?” I replied, looking down at a smiling but teary eyed Scootaloo.

“You…care about me?” Scootaloo asked softly.

“Sure I do,” I said, kneeling before her and stroking her mane again. “You have a love of life that I envy, and you’ve got passion and drive. You are an amazing little filly. You and the other CMC, but in the show you had so much zest for life. I know you don’t feel like that right now, and I understand that, but like I said yesterday, you’ve got a lot of Ponies in town who care about you.”

She sniffed and wiped her tears with her wings. “I…I talked with Applejack last night…”

“Did it help?” I asked.

She nodded. “A little.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I replied, then I stood and turned to Holiday and Lofty. “I still want to finish paying off the mortgage. I insist.”

Holiday and Lofty looked at each other, then as one they both threw their hooves around me in a massive hug. I stumbled back, laughing as I wrapped them up in my wings and arms. “Thank you so much!” Holiday said, and I could feel her trembling with emotion.

“Anything to make life easier for you two,” I said softly as I hugged them tightly.

“We owe ya,” Lofty added.

“All you owe me is a promise,” I said, looking into their eyes.

“Anything,” Holiday said.

“Give Scootaloo the best possible foalhood you can give her,” I beamed.

“Deal!” Lofty said.

I smiled wider and released them. Turning to Diamond, I asked, “How do I settle their mortgage?”

It took us only thirty minutes, but Diamond directed us to the Ponyville Bank where a stallion Unicorn named Moneybags was all too eager to accept the rest of the mortgage payment. I walked the family home and then decided to pay Sweet Apple Acres a visit. There was a certain farmmare I needed to see.

Thankfully, the day was clear enough and the wind had died down enough that I could fly there with ease. When I spotted Applejack coming out of the barn, I flew down to her. She must have heard me because she looked up and waved at me as I landed in front of her. “Howdy, sugarcube! What can ah-whoa!!”

Before she could say anything further, I lifted her up in a strong hug, which knocked her Stetson off onto the cold ground. I wrapped her in my wings as well, spinning her around with tears in my eyes, tears of gratitude. “Thank you, AJ! Thank you so much!”

Applejack hesitantly put her forelegs around me. “What fer?” she asked.

I smiled and put her back down, grabbing her Stetson and putting it back on her head. “For talking to Scootaloo. She told me it helped.”

A look of realization passed over her face and she nodded. “Ain’t nothin’ ya gotta thank me fer,” she replied. “You and ah know just how she feels. Ah’m glad tah help.”

Overcome with emotion once more, I hugged her again. “It means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to Scoots, too.”

She put one foreleg around me again. “Glad tah help.”

“Is there anyway I can repay-” I began, but she stopped me with a hoof to my mouth.

“Don’t go talkin’ like that,” she said. “Ah did it cuz she needed somepony tah talk tah. Just like yah did.”

I slowly broke the hug, looking into her eyes. “You’re seriously one of the best friends a guy could have.”

Applejack blushed and scratched the back of her neck. “Ah, shucks, thanks.”

“I mean it,” I said as I stood. “It means so much that you talked to her.”

“Anytime, sugarcube,” she said. “Yer sure in a good mood today. Sleep well?”

“Thanks to something Zecora gave me, yeah, but that’s not why I’m happy.”

“Oh? Wanna tell me what happened?” Applejack asked. I told her all that had happened since I arrived at the mayor’s office. I tried to downplay my own actions, but Applejack wanted the truth out of me, so I did. When I was finished, she had the widest grin on her face. “Why, that was the nicest thing yah could have done fer her. Ah’m proud of ya, Jethro.”

“I did the right thing,” I said. “I’m rich, so why not use that money for good?”

“Nopony could ask any less of ya,” she said with a wide and tender smile.

Just then, someone jumped onto my back and hugged me close from behind. “I heard someone made a sad little filly’s day?” Pinkie Pie asked, and it sounded like her normal peppy self was back. “Trying to take my job from me, sexy man?”

I groaned, but chuckled. “I tried. She’s still grieving, but at least she doesn’t have to worry about a place to stay for the time being.”

I heard Pinkie Pie squeal in delight before pushing me to the ground, flipping me onto my back and kissing me all over before planting a very deep kiss on my lips. Once again, I felt tongue. Applejack, who was briefly stunned by this, quickly lassoed Pinkie and pulled her off of me. “Pinkie Pie, simmer down there!” she said.

I sat up, a bit dazed from the affectionate kisses Pinkie Pie had been increasingly giving me. “Why can’t I mention Pinkie Pie and the way she kinda acts a bit like me sometimes?” I sang in a slight daze. “You see I used to hate that I liked My Little Pony…not anymore. And I’m proud to be a Brony.”

“Foreeeever!” Pinkie added.

“You gonna be alright there, Jethro?” Applejack asked.

“Heh, yeah. I’m getting used to Pinkie’s kisses,” I said as I stood and brushed myself off. “Anyway, you two definitely look a bit better than before. Nobody’s giving you trouble about My Little Pony or anything about yesterday, are they?”

“Nopey!” Pinkie said. “The Cakes gave me the day off to rest, so I’ve been going around town saying hi to all my friends!”

“Ah’ve been here all day, so ah can’t say fer sure,” Applejack said, “but nopony’s been houndin’ me about it.”

“Good, glad to hear it,” I said. “It was nice to see both of you today. I’m gonna go check on the others.”

“See ya later!” Applejack called out with a wave.

“Later, Jethy!” Pinkie called out as well.

I grinned, and as I headed away, sang, “Why don't you mention Applejack, and talk about her honest southern style power of will?”

My next stop was Carousel Boutique, where I found Rarity and, to my surprise, Twilight and Spike, the latter of whom was giving Rarity gaga eyes. The three turned and all smiled. “Darling, Pinkie just told us about what you did for Scootaloo,” she said, walking up to me. “I’m sure that helped the poor filly a bit.”

“I did it because I know how she feels,” I said. “She needs a little bit of stability right now.”

Rarity threw her hooves around me in a hug, nuzzling my face. “Truly, a knight,” she whispered in my ear gently before letting me go.

“You rock, monkey-man,” Spike said, holding out his fist. “Pound it!”

I fistbumped the young drake before I turned to Twilight. She had the widest smile on her face as she jumped towards me, nuzzling my face affectionately. “We would have all pitched in had we known, but you’re amazing,” she said.

I smiled. “I just did what was right, but thanks Twi. Thank you everyone.”

“Think nothing of it, darling,” Rarity said. “Sweetie Belle ran out the door the moment she heard so she could check on Scootaloo.”

“Those three are amazing,” I chuckled. “I can’t wait until they get their cutie marks.”

“Do you know what they’ll be?” Twilight asked eagerly.

“Yeah, but I don’t think I should tell you or them,” I said. “It would ruin the experience for them. From what I’ve noticed, it’s more meaningful if you discover your cutie mark on your own, right?”

“Not even a hint?” Spike asked.

I stroked my cheek. “Well, let me see if I can be as vague as I can…they’re on the right track with their overall goal. And that’s all I’ll say.” I smirked at Twilight’s pout before I added, “What brings you by Rarity’s store, you two?”

“We were just checking up on our friends,” Twilight said.

“Then we had the same thought,” I said. “I was just checking up on Applejack and Pinkie Pie.”

“Are they doing well?” Rarity asked.

“Applejack’s working on her farm, and she looked like she was doing alright,” I said, “And it looks like Pinkie Pie’s nearly back to her normal peppy self.”

“I’ll still go check on them,” Twilight said with a smile.

“I’m sure they’d appreciate it,” I said.

“Darling, where’s Zecora?” Rarity asked. “You two are always together.”

“She went back to her house to check on a few things,” I said. “She mentioned something about battening down the hatches, although I don’t know exactly what that means. And I’m sure she’s still tired, so she might be napping too.”

“And Scarlet?” Twilight asked.

“Well, today she’s working at Sugarcube Corner,” I said. “I tried to tell her it was okay to take the day off and rest at least one more day, but she insisted. She’s slowly getting back to her old self.” I groaned as I remembered the few innuendos she threw my way at breakfast.

“And…what about the two Lycans?” Twilight asked a bit nervously and somewhat reluctantly.

“Call them by their names, please,” I said. “And they’re doing alright. Gemini is the same as ever, but Mica’s actually getting friendlier with me. He’s a cool guy, and really brave to boot. He’s still kicking my behind anytime we spar, though.”

“If you say so, darling,” Rarity said with a shudder.

I walked up and put a wing around her. She jumped a bit in surprise, but looked up at me, her smile small but it was enough to brighten up the room. In that moment, I saw more clearly just why Spike was attracted to this mare. She was definitely incredibly attractive, and those gorgeous azure eyes sparkled with a radiance that screamed beauty. “I know so,” I said. “Trust me.”

Her smile grew a bit and she nuzzled her cheek against my chest. “Okay, I will,” she said.

I stroked her mane gently before standing back, removing my wing from Rarity and looking at them all in turn. “But enough about me. Are you three doing alright?”

“Never better,” Rarity said. “Sure, I have a few orders I’m behind on, but I’ll get those done over the next few days. Jethro, I hope you don’t mind if I cancel our weekly tea.”

“Not at all. You do what you gotta do,” I said.

Twilight was the next to respond. “I’m doing alright. A few Ponies came by to ask me a few questions about yesterday, but for the most part it’s been a nice quiet day.”

I smiled. “That’s good.”

“Let’s just say there’s no place like home,” Spike said. “Especially for the holidays.”

“I hear that.” I snapped and my eyes widened. “Oh! That reminds me, I’ve gotta break out the Christmas decorations sometime,” I chuckled.

“What’s Christmas?” Rarity asked, looking at me curiously.

“An Earth holiday celebrated all over the world,” I said.

“It’s a lot like Hearth’s Warming is for us,” Twilight said. “They decorate trees, give out presents, sing seasonal songs, and spread peace and goodwill. It has a more religious origin than Hearth’s Warming, though.” When I gave her a confused look, she smirked. “I didn’t just look up My Little Pony fanfictions while you were unconscious.”

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “Leave it to a nerd to figure out how a laptop works.”

“Well…Sunset Shimmer helped me figure it out,” Twilight said.

At the mention of her name, the mood in the room seemed to drop a bit. I tilted my head in confusion and concern. “Guys? What’s going on?”

Twilight opened her mouth, closed it, then took a deep breath and said, “It’s just…after what she did to you on Earth, I’m not sure what the Princess will do with her.”

I bit my lower lip. “Yeah…I can see that. But you saw her breaking down and how Celestia comforted her. You need to remember that she was under Eris’ influence.”

“Influence isn’t control, Jethro,” Rarity said somberly.

I nodded and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “I know that. But if you’d seen just how Celestia cried after watching a MLP fan video called The Fall Of Sunset Shimmer, you’d realize just how much this was tearing her up inside.”

Twilight’s eyes bugged out. “The Princess…cried?”

I nodded. “Don’t go freaking out now. You’ve seen her cry before just after Luna came back to her.”

“Yeah, but those were tears of joy,” Rarity said.

I leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Anybody can make mistakes, even gorgeous thousand year old Alicorn princesses,” I said. “If I know anything, it’s that Celestia won’t just ignore that outburst by Sunset. She sounded very sincere. And besides, now that there’s a permanent doorway open back to Earth, she could be very useful in dealing with that world.”

“Um, how?” Spike asked.

“Think about this: in ten years, she got herself a gorgeous place to live without any preexisting forms of Earth identification. If you think paperwork in Equestria is bad, Earth paperwork is a nightmare. But I digress.” I pushed myself off of the wall. “I’m glad you three are doing alright. This past week and a half can’t have been easy for any of you.”

“We’re just glad to be back home, where we belong,” Twilight said.

I chuckled. “Hallelujah to that. Well, I’m actually going to check on Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash next. See you guys later?”

“Of course!” Spike said with a smile.

“Ta ta for now,” Rarity added.

“See you later,” Twilight said.

As I turned towards the door, I sang again, “So I'm gonna mention Rarity and how she's oh so lady like. But even though she's prim and proper, she could make it in a fight! And I'm gonna mention Twilight, and though she's kinda nerdy, boasts a power tucked away, could take an Ursa any day!”

“I know that song!” Twilight shouted out.

“Why am I not surprised?” I called back as I left the boutique, laughing.

Fluttershy’s house was next, and I was happy to see her brushing some branches off of her walkway. I saw smoke rising from the chimney, and the smell immediately brought back memories of snow days from back on Earth. Fluttershy was humming something that sounded vaguely familiar as I approached. She was turned away from me, so I was about to call out so I didn’t startle her. However, I heard another voice from behind the house calling out, “Hey, Fluttershy! A little help here?”

“Oh? What’s wrong, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked, putting the broom down and flying over to behind the house. I caught a glimpse of her eyes widening. “Oh my…what happened?”

I ran over, crossing the bridge over her small creek with one leap and spread of my wings. “Everything okay over there?” I called out.

Fluttershy’s ears twisted my way first, then she turned to look over at me. “Oh Jethro! Good to see you!”

“Same to you. Now what hap-whoa…”

The moment I turned a corner, I was greeted with quite a sight. Rainbow Dash was tangled up in a small garden hose, the water spraying everywhere. She was surrounded by animals, some of whom were laughing, especially Angel Bunny. Nearby, I saw a wooden tub and a smaller bucket turned upside down with a bar of soap on top. I rushed over to the faucet and turned it off before helping Rainbow out of the hoses. Deciding to have some fun with her, I leaned down and whispered, “Never pegged you for the bondage type, RD. Kinky. All you need is a ballgag. Or a bridle.”

Rainbow’s face went red and she slugged my arm, pouting. “That’s not what this is!” she said in a huff.

I laughed and continued helping her out of the hose until she was free. When I’d finished, I noticed she was starting to shiver. I lifted her up in my arms and wrapped my wings around her. Turning to Fluttershy, I asked, “We should get her inside and wrapped up in some blankets. Don’t want her catching a cold.”

“Oh, of course! Bring her inside,” Fluttershy said, turning and galloping to the front door.

Rainbow Dash struggled in my grasp. “I never get colds! I…ah…ACHOO!” She sniffed and wiped her nose with her hoof. “Um…hehe…”

“Here,” I said, handing her my handkerchief.

“Thanks,” she said sheepishly as she blew her nose while we entered Fluttershy’s warm living room.

“Put her down on the couch,” Fluttershy said as she flew upstairs.

I closed the door behind me and walked over to the large couch in front of the roaring fireplace. Setting her down, I took back the snot-filled handkerchief and, after folding it carefully, put it back in my pocket. I took a seat next to her and said, “Sorry about what I said earlier. It was completely innapropriate.”

Rainbow Dash waved her hoof. “It’s okay,” she said. Turning to me, she grinned. “I’d have said the same thing.”

I smirked. “You and Scarlet are my worst nightmare, I swear to God,” I chuckled.

“You love it and you know it,” Rainbow laughed, slugging my arm again, lighter this time.

At that moment, Fluttershy came downstairs carrying a thick yellow blanket with her cutie mark sewn on it to find the two of us laughing together. “Oh my, is there a joke I didn’t hear?” she asked as she put the blanket down on the couch next to Rainbow.

I grabbed it and wrapped the cyan Pegasus up. “Nothing you’d find funny, I think,” I said. I continued wrapping Rainbow up. “There we go. A rainburrito.”

Fluttershy hid her mouth with one hoof and I heard her tittering behind it just as Rainbow blushed a bit. “That’s adorable,” she said after a bit.

“You feeling any warmer?” I asked Rainbow.

Rainbow looked down at herself, then looked at me and yawned. “It’s comfy,” she admitted before she leaned against me a bit. “Is this a cloud blanket?” she asked.

Fluttershy nodded, looking between me and Rainbow with an unreadable expression. “My brother made it during a quilting phase he went through,” she said.

“Zephyr Breeze, right?” I asked.

Rainbow shuddered. “Don’t…mention him, please,” she said.

“Right, he has the hots for you, doesn’t he?” I asked. She glared up at me quickly. I raised my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay…subject dropped.” Rainbow nodded in approval before closing her eyes, yawning, and laying her head against my left side.

I turned back to Fluttershy, only to find she wasn’t there. A second presence on my left caused me to turn only to find the other Pegasus leaning against me, eyes closed and a slight frown on her face. Spreading my wings, I carefully maneuvered them so my two close friends were wrapped up in their warmth. Fluttershy’s expression relaxed and she smiled again. I began stroking their manes. “You two seem to be doing alright after yesterday,” I said softly.

Rainbow nodded. “I go back to work tomorrow, thank Celestia.”

“And my animal friends are doing alright,” Fluttershy said happily.

“Glad to hear you’re both doing okay,” I said. “Nobody’s been harassing you or asking you stuff about yesterday’s little announcement?”

“Not me,” Fluttershy said.

“Nah, nopony’s talked to me about that,” Rainbow added.

“Glad to hear,” I said before I turned to Fluttershy. “Isn’t it a bit cold for baths outdoors?”

“The animals don’t mind,” Fluttershy said. “Besides, they like being clean before hibernation.”

“When is that?” I asked curiously.

“On the Winter Solstice, just before the snow starts,” Fluttershy said.

“Okay, that makes sense,” I said.

The three of us sat in comfortable silence. The two mares beside me were resting comfortably against me while I stared into the fireplace, watching the flames as they performed their exotic dance among the blackening logs. I loved watching the fire in the fireplace during my childhood, and the warmth not only of the fire but of two adorable and beautiful mares on either side of me was enough to make me relax. “If I’m not careful…I’ll fall asleep…” I muttered softly.

“Just embrace the nap…” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “I always do.”

“That makes way too much sense,” I smiled. “But what about the baths?”

“It’s too comfy to move,” Rainbow said with a yawn. “Goodnight…” And just like that, Rainbow was out for the count, snoring very softly.

I rolled my eyes, smirked, then sang, “Why don't you mention Rainbow Dash and her acrobatic skill? How she will try her hoof at anything just to get a little thrill?”

“Where’s that from?” Fluttershy asked, opening one eye to look at me questioningly.

“It’s from a My Little Pony song called Proud to be a Brony. And so is this.” I sang out once more. “Why can't I mention Fluttershy and her timid loving mind? How she can be herself near animals, but shies away from her own kind?”

Fluttershy blushed and snuggled up closer. “It’s still…strange that there are so many humans who like us,” she said.

“I can understand that,” I said. “But it’s true. You all have people back on Earth who absolutely love and all of you because of how amazing you are. And I’m lucky enough to have met you in person. Or Pony, I guess.”

Fluttershy snuggled closer to me than before. “We love you too, Jethro,” she said softly before she too fell into a soft slumber. Unlike Rainbow, she didn’t quite snore, but her breathing was absolutely adorable. It was also…incredibly soothing…

My eyelids felt suddenly heavy, and soon, I was fast asleep.

Author's Note

It'd be so cool if this story had a TV Tropes page...ah well, a new Brony can dream! Hope you enjoyed this little reprieve of a chapter!

93: A Cloaked Heart's First Battle Pt. 2

I rushed up towards her before Scarlet could do anything, deflecting Chrysalis’ blade with plenty of force before pouring more magic into my own sword, pushing her back into the sky as hard as I could.

Deciding to press the advantage, I flew after her fast, raising my sword and arcing it down hard towards her horn, but she quickly deflected my attack and unleashed a flurry of attacks. I did my best to deflect them, and thanks to my training, I’d like to think I did alright for my first real fight, but I was working now on pure adrenaline and reflex.

I winced as two more smaller cuts formed on my cheek and chest, tearing open my clothes. Fortunately, they seemed minor in comparison to my first cut, so I pushed through the pain and tried looking for an opening. However, Chrysalis was too good a fighter to have any kind of obvious opening.

While I was locked in a duel with her, I saw Scarlet trying to stealthily bring a small cloud over towards us. I kept my eyes locked on Chrysalis so as not to alert her to the approaching small thundercloud. When Scarlet jumped up, I slammed my sword forward towards Chrysalis, sending her back into the path of the lightning bolt that shot directly into the High Fae’s chest. She screamed and began falling.

Knowing better than to miss an opportunity, I shot down, quickly swinging and finally landing a blow on her own arm. She screamed in pain as disgusting green blood shot out of her wound. But the next few seconds, the blood from her wound began to staunch, then the wound itself closed up, leaving nothing but dried blood caked to her chitin. Her scream turned to laughter as she steadied herself in the air. “You thought that would stop me, human fool?” She swung her blade at me again and I blocked it, sending more sparks flying everywhere once again. “Thanks to all of Celestia’s love, I’m unstoppable!”

Her laughter was cut off by Scarlet slamming into Chrysalis’ back, sending her spiraling away. “God, I hate that speech. So cliché.”

“Like the paper cutout caricature she is!” I added, encasing Chrysalis in my telekinetic grasp and pushing her down towards the ground again.

Unfortunately, the magic Chrysalis must have absorbed from Celestia caused her to shatter my grip on her as she shot back up towards me, sword up and teeth bared. I flew down towards her, wings at my side to increase my speed.

This time, I took the initiative and slammed my sword down onto hers, but without giving her a chance to recover, I put enough force as I could into a punch from my wounded arm, slamming her down towards the ground.

Her horn glowed and she vanished in a flash of green light. I spread my wings, slowing my descent as fast as I could and looking around. Only to see a green flash appear near where Scarlet was. The Pegasus had barely enough time to dodge the sword slash, but I heard her grunt in pain as Chrysalis cut her somewhere.

I forced my rage down, but kept some of it awake to use as a tool. Flying up, I caught Scarlet in my arms and flew out of range of Chrysalis’ sword. “Are you alright?” I asked fearfully.

“She just cut my chest a bit,” she grunted in pain. “I’m fine.”

I looked down and saw a large cut on her chest. I removed my hoodie and flew down to the ground, wrapping her up in it. “Stay here. I’m not going to lose anyone.”

Scarlet stubbornly shook her head. “It’s just a scratch,” she said.

“You’ve been hanging with Rainbow Dash too long,” I said as I quickly used my magic to tie her wound up. “This is no time to play the hero-”

“Look out!” Scarlet shouted, kicking me out of the way and sending me sprawling just as a dark green blast of magic engulfed her. Her screams of agony filled the night air until they suddenly began to weaken as the magical glow began moving in reverse. A pink mist began to flow out from her chest, heading towards Chrysalis. Scarlet looked over at me, a weak smile on her face.

That cunt is so dead! I glared up at Chrysalis and launched into the air, sword behind me and ready to make a decisive blow. When I reached her, I swung at her neck, but she blocked it. However, the blow was enough to cause her to stop eating Scarlet’s love and flung us higher and higher into the air.

She flew out of my reach, grinning triumphantly. “My my, such feelings of love for this one. Planning on forming a hive of your own, are you?”

“None your damned business, whore,” I retorted as I raised my hand again, firing off more bolts of blue lightning.

She held up her sword, and to my shock it absorbed the magic, lighting up briefly. I stopped and gaped for a bit before backing away, raising my sword in defense and trying to think as to why she hadn’t used that sword’s ability before. She just laughed at my confusion before flying back down. I saw her sword now glowing a deeper green as it collided with mine.

That was when I noticed it. A slight draining in the magic within me. She pushed me down, starting to overpower me with her strength. I flapped my wings harder to fight back, but it felt harder to push her back than before. I glanced briefly at the sword, then I remembered her throne. She saw me glance at it, and laughed. “Finally figured it out, did you?” She swung her legs forward and kicked me in the chest, causing me to careen down and impact the ground hard.

I groaned and tried to recover my breath, just in time for Chrysalis to launch herself at me, blade aimed at me. I spun out of the way, keeping my wings close to me so as not to give her a wide target. I heard her grunt as her sword dug deep into the ground.

Getting to my feet, I charged at her and brought my fist up, aiming for her face. She turned and caught my fist in her claw, smirking as she lifted a knee up towards my crotch. I quickly deflected it with my own knee. The next thing I knew, I was reeling back thanks to her headbutt. The world spun around me as I tried to shake it off, but a fist to my jaw sent me sprawling once again, my sword flying out of my hand.

I had just enough time to sit up and shake off most of the pain when a claw wrapped around my neck and began to squeeze. Chrysalis was straddling me now, claw around my neck. She smirked. “Looks like I have the upper claw now,” she said, right before her horn began to glow. Opening her mouth, I saw a very potent pink mist begin flowing out of my chest and into her mouth.

The will to kill…the will to kill…why can’t I get it?! I shouted in my head. I had it with Eris! Why can’t I get it here?!

As I felt myself growing weaker, I looked around, finally spotting my sword a few meters out of reach. I slowly held out my hand, but Chrysalis grabbed it and pinned me down, moving closer as all the love energy within me continued to be drained. “Mmm…so potent. I’m going to enjoy draining you daily, and in more ways than one.” She bit her lip and looked me up and down. “Yes…you’ll do perfectly.”

And suddenly, she opened her mouth wide. Quickly pushing my head to the side, she exposed my neck and bit into it like some sort of vampire. I screamed in agony as she bit down harder, moaning in what sounded like ecstasy before she pulled away, licking her surprisingly clean lips. “That’s quite the delectable taste.”

“NO!” a familiar male voice shouted before Chrysalis was forced off of me, the pink mist vanishing as Thorax slammed himself into the queen, sending the two tumbling.

As I felt my strength coming back to me, I sat up and put a hand to my neck, half expecting to find a bloody mess where she bit me. But I only saw the wetness of some sort of thick saliva. I turned and saw Thorax standing in front of Chrysalis, his horn glowing. To my surprise, his wings now were glowing a sparkling aquamarine color just like they had in the Season six finale episode. Chrysalis glowered down at Thorax, pure rage filling her face as she summoned her sword to her side. “Traitorous drone!” she bellowed.

“I won’t let you hurt my new friend!” Thorax said, wings extended as he put himself between me and the queen before he launched himself at her.

Caught off guard, Chrysalis flew back out of Thorax’s reach. Thorax was clearly scared, but the amount of bravery in him clearly meant more than his fear as he tried to fight off the queen. He did manage to get a few blows in, but for the most part she easily blocked him once she recovered. “You’re a fool if you think we can become friends with Ponies and their pets,” she snarled.

“We never tried!” Thorax said desperately. “Don’t do this, please!” He looked pleadingly at her, but a kick sent him sprawling.

As he coughed, trying to regain his strength, she walked up to him slowly, sword raised. “Then I suppose I’ve no further use for you.” And with that, she moved and her sword impaled the Fae drone.

“THORAX!” I shouted in horror as Chrysalis callously removed the sword from his chest and kicked her former subject away towards the castle. He landed against the wall, collapsing into a heap.

Chrysalis turned to me, Thorax’s green blood dripping off of her sword. “Awww, is someone angry?”

Don’t rise to her challenge, part of me thought. Focus on putting her out of commission. However, a darker part of me thought No, fuck that! Put her out of commission permanently! I summoned my sword, which came to me a bit slower than it normally would, and caught it with my remaining good hand. “You…BITCH!” I bellowed in my Canterlot Voice.

“Oooh, now that’s a nice mouth,” she crooned. “Like I said, no brain.”

I started letting some more of my rage loose, and I began seeing red. Quite literally as a mist began forming around my forehead. I thought I glimpsed some of the red mist pass over an invisible horn sticking out of my head, but it was gone before I could see anything. I lifted up a few dozen rocks about the size of a pebble nearby. “Just as David did against Goliath, I will end you!” I shouted as I flung the rocks towards her as fast as I could.

Since they weren’t magical, her sword couldn’t absorb the magic, but she was still able to repel most of them by deflecting them with her sword like some Jedi. A few rocks, however, did hit their mark, but not in anyplace that would do serious damage. I was pleased, however, to see one had hit her on the forehead, making her bleed down into her eyes. Unfortunately, as had happened before, her wounds closed up, and her rage turned to glee. “Nice try,” she smirked. Then she charged again.

I jumped up, flying out of range of her sword. I realized now that it had nearly identical properties to her throne as seen on the show. It could absorb my magic, but at a smaller level than her throne. It was probably due to its size, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it didn’t work on me before.

“Come back here, coward!” Chrysalis shouted, spreading her wings and buzzing after me.

“Catch me first!” I replied, keeping my distance while my mind raced to formulate a plan. I had to get that sword away from her. But magic wouldn’t work, and I felt my strength waver whenever I was close, so my only option was to knock it of her claw using something else. Quickly looking around, I saw a flaming tree just beginning to fall. I grabbed it in my magic and brought it towards Chrysalis fast.

Seeing it approach, she swung her sword at it, splitting it in half. She turned to me, grinning. “That the best you’ve got?! Pathetic for a so-called knight!”

“And yet, you’ve still gotten hit by me, a Pegasus and a drone!” I replied mockingly.

She snarled. “Don’t push your luck, fool!” And she vanished in a teleportation spell before appearing in front of Scarlet.

My heart sank as she raised her sword. If there was ever a time to master teleportation, it was now! The world seemed to stop as I tried to follow Twilight’s instructions on how to teleport. Put a clear picture in my mind…as clear as I could make it. Then let the magic flow through you. I flew down fast, just in case it didn’t work.

I felt magic flow around my entire body and sword, and just before Chrysalis could bring the sword down, my vision was filled with a bright glow. Then I was standing in front of Scarlet. And a searing pain shot up through my shoulder blade. Scarlet’s eyes widened and she too screamed my name in terror.

I turned back, gritting my teeth and holding back my subsequent screams. Chrysalis’ eyes were glowing brightly and had a triumphant glint within them. Her sword was digging deep into my shoulder. She pulled it out and kicked me right in the wound. I fell forward, feeling my magic drain away as Chrysalis stomped her hoof on my wound, digging it in. “Mmmm…can’t have you dying yet. Your love is too delectable to let slip away.”

I heard fabric tearing, then to my disgust I felt something slimy on my wound. Someone smacked their lips, and I realized she’d actually licked me. The pain began to subside before she kicked me onto my back and held her sword against my neck. “Brave, but foolish, my new human toy. I am going to enjoy making you mine.”

“I don’t…think so…bitch!” a new voice shouted as a magical blast struck Chrysalis from behind. She flew over me and landed a few meters away. I heard her sword fall on the ground. Standing protectively in front of Scarlet was Sunset Shimmer, her horn glowing brightly and her face contorted into pure rage.

Before Chrysalis could recover, I rushed to where her sword was and used what strength I had to kick it away. Fortunately, the effects of the draining hadn’t left me completely without Earth Pony strength as it went sailing towards the ravine. It fell down said ravine, and the farther away it sailed, the more my magic began to return. Chrysalis whirled towards me, snarling. “I don’t need a sword to fight!”

I brought up my sword and winced as the pain in my shoulder increased again, but I grit down the pain. “Then you won’t mind if I do this!” I shot out lightning at her again.

She raised a shield and deflected it, appearing nonchalant about it. “Seriously? Is that all you have?”

“It works for Darth Sideous, and it’ll work for you,” I snarled.

She ignored the reference and held out her horn. It glowed and a blast of magical energy shot out towards me. Sunset raised a shield around me, but it didn’t last long since Chrysalis’ magic was still too powerful. Her shield shattered faster than Luna’s did, and she went sprawling as well. The moment she hit the castle wall, I heard a bone snap and an ear-piercing scream from her as one of her forelegs bent backward at an awkward angle. She collapsed, holding her leg with the other.

The part of me that was trying to get me to use dark magic was screaming at me. Fight fire with fire! I should use it! I forced the voice down, staring at Chrysalis. “You…are…DEAD!” And I spread my wings, charging at her.

Only to find myself engulfed in a green glow, throwing me back against the castle wall near where Sunset was still cradling her broken leg. The wind was once more knocked out of my lungs as a claw grabbed my neck. Chrysalis lifted me up, focusing her eyes on me. Into me. “Become mine, human,” she whispered in a sickeningly sweet sensual tone.

My mind locked up, and all I could see was her eyes. Her gorgeous…green…eyes…

Chrysalis grinned and moved closer. “The love you can produce can work so many miracles within my race. It might be what I need to bring the High Fae back. Become mine, human, and in time we shall make this world into a glorious paradise.” She moved my head aside and bit into my neck once again. Only, instead of the immense pain from before, it was pure bliss.

Wake up, Jethro! Wake up! Part of my mind fought back, but the other part thought why would I want to fight against pure joy and bliss? She’s a Fae! More than that, a High Fae!

Fight it! FIGHT IT!

Why fight the inevitable?

She’s a skank! She’s using us! She doesn’t love us!

She can give us anything we want. A throne. Prestige beyond our understanding.

Shut…up…

She can make us a king!

Shuuut…uuup…

The power she can give us will-YEOW!

Sudden pain rushed up from my shoulder. I looked down at it, my senses clear again. I saw a pair of talons digging in, and looking up I saw a worried looking Eve glancing down at me. I blinked, and I found myself staring once more into Chrysalis’ glowing eyes. Only the seductive gaze was slowly turning into rage. I had barely enough time to question why I was talking like Smeagol when she slammed me back into the wall. “Such strength…impressive for a weak human pretending to be a knight! Well, perhaps I should just do this!” She opened her mouth and the pink mist began flowing out of my chest to her mouth again.

As I felt the love within me draining once more. My hands felt weak, and I tried to grip my sword with what strength I had left, but it continued to seep away from me. In the moment, every part of my body was screaming at me to just give in. Just sleep…it’s so much easier to give in, so why fight it?

Fight it…I have to…for my friends…for…for…EQUESTRIA!

With the final bit of strength I had left, I gripped my sword and brought it up, thrusting it through her abdomen. It didn’t penetrate through much, but thankfully it was enough to break her concentration. She screamed in satisfying agony and dropped me.

Taking in deep breaths of air to try and clear my head, I tried summoning my sword back to me, but Chrysalis still had too much strength. She grabbed it by the blade itself, then to my horror, shattered it with her green magic, tossing the bits and pieces aside before she charged me, claws extended.

Grunting in pain, I threw myself to the side, barely avoiding her grasp. Quickly standing, I moved away from her, feeling my strength and love returning to me. I heard Chrysalis hiss before giving chase. “I will have you, willing or no!”

I flipped her the bird as I sped up, spreading my wings and taking flight again. “I always figured Fae were sexual predators!” I shouted back in as defiant a voice as I could muster, but what came out was something more like a croak.

As I continued flying back up into the sky, Chrysalis giving chase, she only laughed. “Oh trust me, I can give you so much pleasure. One night with me will ruin you for other females!”

“I’ve already been ruined for human women!” I shouted back, finally feeling confident enough in my strength to spin around. Only for Chrysalis to collide with me at top speed. I quickly wrapped my arm around her waist, then grabbed her neck, squeezing with more and more strength. “And you won’t EVER change that, you diseased mosquito!”

Just then, an idea came to mind. I looked up at the cold winter sky, then back at her. Insectoid or not, she couldn’t be immune to the cold. If it works for Iron Man, it’ll work on her, I thought as I began to fly up, higher and higher into the atmosphere.

She whirled on me, fury in her eyes as she grasped my arm with her free hand, trying to tear it off and tear into it, but I let more and more of my rage build up to stave off the pain, pushing us higher into the cold winter night air. We broke through a bank of clouds briefly, drenching my clothes and her chitin. The cold began to become intense but I didn’t care. I was bleeding from my left hand now, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was freezing Chrysalis.

Seeing my determination, the queen raised her claw and tried to scratch at me, but I grabbed it with the hand that was around her waist, holding it in place. She hissed at me, her red tongue slithering in rage as the temperature around us began plummeting faster and faster. I took three deep breaths, holding the last one in place. When Chrysalis saw this, her eyes widened and for the first time I saw fear in those green orbs of hers. She struggled against me more, digging deeper into the hand locked around her neck.

Finally, I saw ice crystals forming around Chrysalis’ chitin, which she tried to break off with her magic, but the more she did the faster the ice crystals formed. She began gasping for breath, eyes becoming bloodshot, which was unusual since her blood was green. She looked at me in terror. “Mer…cy…” she managed to gasp out.

“No mercy from me, bitch!” I shouted as best as I could, but I could feel hypothermia beginning to set in. Not deterred, I continued flying higher and higher. Despite some of my Pegasus abilities keeping me warm, it wasn’t enough since I didn’t have fur like a Pony. I squeezed my hand around her neck harder, and saw her chitin starting to crack. She thrashed around in pure terror and reflex now, but I continued holding her in place. Finally, she began to gasp as the air around us began to thin.

Then, her eyes rolled back into her skull and she went limp, her wings and limps just flailing around in the high winds of Equestria’s upper atmosphere. I was so relieved, that I just let her go. She floated briefly in the air before beginning to fall to the ground below. Followed closely by me.

I struggled to maintain consciousness, but the winds buffeting against me as I fell were too cold and too hard for me to even attempt to fly in. I fell, unable to move thanks to hypothermia. I tried moving around to see where I was falling to, but the more I twisted my body the faster I spun. I only caught brief glimpses of the rising ground, but it looked like I was falling right towards the ravine where the Tree of Harmony resided.

The harder I fought to stay awake, the more tired I became until finally, I started seeing black spots on the outskirts of my vision, which quickly moved in closer, forming a tunnel. I saw a glimpse of red and orange in my receding vision, then blackness.

Author's Note

Eeeh, still feel like this battle scene was kinda...meh. Hope you enjoy regardless.

108: A Cloaked Heart Writes Home

Author's Note

Once more, I decided to try something a bit different with my storytelling. Next time it's back to our regular type of storytelling.

108: A Cloaked Heart Writes Home

To my dearest friends in Equestria,

Please forgive the manner in which this message was sent, but I needed you to know this right away: Dragon Lord Torch set me up. He knew that someone had to touch the Sunsword in order to retrieve it. He might very well invade Equestria very soon, but he is giving me a “final chance” to stop a war. I put the words final chance in quotes because I’m not entirely sure he’s being honest, in fact I’m pretty sure he’s lying through his rotten blood stained teeth.

He has challenged me to an ancient Dragon duel called a Volrif’nel. Translated, it means Fire Fight. From what I know of it, it’s a duel to either the death or surrender, but knowing Torch and having seen him in action, he probably won’t surrender.

I’m writing to those of you I consider one of my closest friends a personal letter. Please forgive me if they sound like a last letter. I don’t intend to lose to him, but it would give me some peace of mind writing these next few letters. But please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t write these with the intent that they be the last words I say to you. That would be cliché.

I’ll be home as soon as I possibly can, and we will celebrate the holidays as one big, happy mess of friends and family, because that’s what every one of you mean to me.

I’ll see you all soon.

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Princess Celestia,

From the first time we met, you have been nothing but kind and gracious with me. You welcomed me into your kingdom without a second thought. You offered me shelter and comfort and so much more. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me. You gave me citizenship and more of a purpose with the knighthood, for which I am forever grateful. It always makes me laugh whenever I hear you swearing like a sailor, too. I will always consider you one of my closest friends, and I look forward to spending some one on one time getting to actually know you better.

Your Friend and Knight,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Princess Luna,

You and I are more alike than you realize. We are both stranger in a land unknown to us, and we both have a deep appreciation for the starry night. We might not have spent as much time together as I would have liked, but any time we did spend I remember with great fondness. I especially am grateful for your help with the nightmare I had. Your kind words are some I will never forget. Even if we don’t spend much time together, I will always think of you as one of my closest friends and look forward to our future time spent together.

Your Friend and Knight,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I’ve always admired your tenacity and love of the pursuit of knowledge. Even if half of the stuff you say is something I don’t completely understand, I can always see the passion and drive behind your words. Any time I spend with you is a joy and a privilege and I look forward to spending even more time with you in future days. You are an excellent magic tutor whether you believe it or not. I look forward to the date I have no doubt you’ve planned down to the last detail.

Your friend, future date and faithful student in the arcane arts,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Applejack,

You’ve been like a rock in the crazy adventure that’s become my life ever since I first arrived in Equestria. Any time I hear that familiar southern twang of yours, it always feels like I’m coming home to a stable family friendly environment. I know that doesn’t make sense, and I’m sorry for that, but I mean it as one of my highest forms of compliment. Anytime we talk, I treasure every word passed between us. You’ve listened to my troubles and I’ve been privileged to be able to help you with yours. Training with my Earth Pony strength with you as well as working on your farm, even if it’s once or twice a week, is always a time I treasure, and I look forward to spending more time like that with you.

Your friend and faithful student in the way of the Earth Pony,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Rainbow Dash,

By now, I’m sure you’re all but demanding to come and help me in my fight against Torch, and to hell with the consequences, right? That’s one thing I really like about you: your undying loyalty to your friends. Even if you are a slave driver, your training is something I will never forget. It’s all thanks to you that I can go flying anytime I want now, and for that I am extremely grateful. Yeah, this letter is sappy, I know, but don’t judge me. I look forward to even further training and eventually performing a sonic rainboom with you.

Your friend and faithful student in the aerodynamic arts,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Fluttershy,

Truly, the kindness you possess has been nothing short of overflowing. All the time we spend in quiet enjoyment together during our tea time are some of the most relaxing moments I’ve ever known since coming here. Your voice is always so soothing even when you get to talking about your own interests. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have met Eve. The courage you possess is far beyond what you believe you have. I relish the time you and I spend reading manga and manega. When I get back, I am greatly looking forward to the date I have planned for us, and don’t worry: it will be quiet and won’t involve going someplace crowded.

Your friend and future date,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Rarity,

I always knew you had a generous nature, but even now the amount of work you’ve put into remastering almost all of my wardrobe for me along with the new clothes you’ve made for me astounds me. You are ten times, no, a hundred times better than any Canterlot noble or Pony of high class standing. Anytime we spend together discussing human fashion, I can see your passion spring to life, one I envy because I never quite had that passion for anything, or if I do I haven’t discovered it yet. Truly, you are a mare of fine taste and exquisite beauty. I look forward to telling you more about Earth fashions.

Your friend and constant wearer of garments,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Pinkie Pie,

Hi, you silly, sexy, goofy mare you. Even while I’m writing this letter, I’m smiling from ear to ear as I remember all the times you’ve made me smile or laugh, which you do every time I see you. Even when I feel lowest of the low, you never fail to put a smile on my face. And you have some amazing kissing skills too. Anytime we are together, you make me feel energized. My cheeks always hurt after our baking experiments from all the smiling I do. I hope you’re ready for the most awesome, splenderific and bestest date ever when I get back!

Your friend and lover of party mare kisses,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Scarlet Dusk,

No matter how horny you get, I can tell that you’ve learned so much from each Bearer of the Elements. Your loyalty, kindness, generosity, honesty and propensity to make me laugh despite how you do it has only grown since we’ve met. I love the time we spend together, especially since you’re the only Pony who gets my Earth meme humor. Even if you don’t have a cutie mark yet, you’ve undergone a major change since we first met that fateful morning in the house. I hope you’re ready for another date, because one of them will take place on the Earth through the Stargate!

Your friend and lover of internet memes,

Jethro Bethridge

Dear Sunset Shimmer,

I know we haven’t known each other very long, and our first impressions of the other was terrible, but I wanted to write to you and tell you how glad I am to have met you. I know you’ve done some horrible things you regret in the past, but even if it doesn’t mean much to you, I forgive you for everything you’ve done. I really look forward to kicking your ass in whatever video game you so choose to challenge me at.

Your (hopeful) friend and fellow gamer,

LordMidnight, AKA Jethro Bethridge

Dear Gemini and Mica Grayfur,

Gemini, I know you and I never really became close, but I want to say I appreciate all you do around the house, and while I am dearly sorry for how you came to this country, I am grateful you are here. I am also very grateful for your intense training. I would be dead if not for your help, even if it was an order I gave you. I do remember my promise to you, and I will endeavor to keep it. I’m sure you’re planning out harsher training as you read this, but I will work through it.

Mica, your arrival in Ponyville might not have been planned, but I am really glad you’re here. Even if you still kick my ass every time we spar, you’re a really fun guy. By the way, I’m glad you’ve found a new friend with Strawberry Rain. I’ve heard you a couple times on the phone with her. When she eventually moves to Ponyville, ask her out! Seriously, do it pup!

Your employer and hopeful future friend,

Jethro Bethridge

To my beloved Zecora Mtunga Dawa,

Words and even deeds alone cannot express just how much I love and cherish you. Pretty much from day one, you’ve been there for me. You’ve been my very best friend, one I will always cherish and love with all my heart and soul and strength, as the saying goes. Anytime you enter the same room as me, it lights up, and your voice to me is angelic. I could go on and on about every specific detail I love about you, but I only have so much scroll. When I get back, I will personally let you know just what I want to say. I love you so very much, my dearest. Save some of your delicious jollhoof rice for me, would you?

Your lover and dear friend,

Jethro Bethridge

Well, that’s that. I would have written more, so much more, but I wanted to talk to you all in Pony about what I want to tell you all. I’ll be home as soon as I possibly can, and we will celebrate the holidays as one big, happy mess of friends and family, because that’s what every one of you mean to me.

I’ll see you all soon.

The Volrif’nel, otherwise known as the Fire Fight, was, according to the definition I’d been given in my head, a one-on-one duel between at least two Dragons. According to Daring Do, it was used before the war between the Fae and Dragons as a means to settle disputes without the loss of too much blood. At the time, according to her, Dragon hatchlings had a very low survival rate, so wars were rare among the Dragons, especially since the last war that Dragons fought nearly rendered their race extinct before finally uniting. At least, that was what she’d heard about in Fillydelphia from a Dragon professor at Hooferson University. Professor Flintstone, she called him. One of the only few Dragons to make a life for himself outside of Dragontown.

Ever since the fall of the last great Dragon civilization centered around Dormog, the Dragons had slowly grown in number, having found many lava fields where they could hatch their young, thus Volrif’nel had not been invoked for a long time and was only ever remembered due to the many plays Dragontown Dragons would put on of their old history.

I was standing on the deck of the Howling Raider, surrounded by many different Phoenixes. We had found a mid-sized lake nearby where we landed the galleon so we wouldn’t be wasting precious magic. My temporary pirate hat was hanging against the railing at the helm while the coat had been discarded, draped over the very same railing right next to the hat. The many different Phoenixes were helping to adjust an ancient suit of Dragon armor they’d carried from the ruins. Some were using their wings to temporarily melt the armor then adjusting it to fit me. It was nearing midday, and I could see Torch preparing himself, strapping on some massive metal armor, which didn’t make much sense to me seeing as Dragons had scales already. Hestia had disappeared below decks, having been followed by a large flock of Phoenixes as well, but Thalia and Adranus were nearby, giving instructions to the other newcomer Phoenixes.

Daring Do, meanwhile, was looking down at her supplies, checking over every little thing she had on her. While she was doing this, I noted the look of worry on her face, so I called out, “Daring, are you okay?”

She jumped a bit in surprise, then looked over at me. “I’m doing just fine, mister knight,” she said. She looked down at her stuff once more. “Just making sure I’ve got enough to fight if need be. You already took plenty of my paper.”

I looked at my phone one final time. Right after I accepted the Volrif’nel, I asked Daring for some paper. Afterwards, I sent off a large number of letters to the princesses, the Mane Six, Zecora, Scarlet, Sunset and even Gemini and Mica then sent them off with Spike’s help. However, so far, I hadn’t received any reply from any of them.

“I said I’d replace the paper, didn’t I?” I replied. “Don’t worry, I’m good for it.”

“You’d better be,” Daring said, then reached into her coat and pulled out a pocketwatch. Opening it, she looked at the time, then looked back at me. “There’s one more hour until midday, mister knight. Hope you’re ready.”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied. I took the saber that was now leaning against the railing and handed it to her. “Look after the Phoenix Resplendent, would you?”

That got a few looks my way, but none so confused as the one Daring gave me. “I beg your pardon, the what?”

“Phoenix Resplendent. I’m trying to rename this galleon, and that’s one of the ideas. I did have a few others. Phoenix’s Revenge, Phoenix Rising, Phoenix Ascendent, Queen Anne’s Revenge, Black Pearl and other names, so I’m trying them all on for size. Thoughts?”

“I think you have bigger things on your mind than renaming an old flying galleon,” she muttered as she grabbed the saber and made her way to the helm.

Beside me, Spike was also being helped into a smaller custom suit of armor which was being molded to fit his diminutive stature. Despite being short, he looked extremely gallant in his armor. Four Phoenixes were just finishing affixing a helmet to his head, his fins fitting perfectly through the small openings. Curious, I looked at Thalia and Adranus. “Where did you two find a suit of armor that would fit Spike?” I asked.

“Squires of the old kingdom once wore these when serving under their knights,” Thalia explained. “Sometimes pages as well. A good number of them were the same size as the young hatchling here.”

“We were lucky to find one that would fit him,” Adranus added. “Then again, we’ve been living at the old castle for centuries.”

After a while, Spike and I were finished being outfitted. The young drake then looked up at me and asked, “Hey, do you think if Rarity saw me, she’d find me handsome and knightly?”

Looking down at him, I grinned. His childish pudge aside, I had no doubt Rarity would find him quite handsome. In reply, I cleared my throat and sang, “A Dragon is the finest creature ever! There's more to him than just guarding treasure! He'll brush your mane, he'll clean your room, he'll harmonize to any tune! Name a time, whatever the weather with Spike "At your service" always better!”

Spike’s eyes widened. “Somepony made a song about me?!”

“Oh yes they did,” I chuckled, winking at him. “It’s called Finest Creatures Ever. I’ll let you have a listen sometime. And yes, I think Rarity would call you absolutely handsome.”

He blushed. “I hope so.”

“Hold on, strike a pose for me,” I said, grabbing my phone from where it sat leaning against the deck. I opened up the camera and held it up. “Give me your warrior pose!”

As Spike drew his sword and held it aloft, I took a few images, then took a few selfies with him before standing before him. “You look strong, Spike, but I really hope you never have to use that sword.”

He looked at it, a grim expression in his features. He slowly sheathed it and nodded. “I do too,” he said.

I nodded, patted him on the back gently then turned back to Thalia and Adranus. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us, you two,” I replied. “You both and Hestia.”

“Yeah…well, when your own mother chews you out for not letting a simple Dragon hatchling in, you tend to become…very terrified,” Thalia said, shuddering.

I looked at the Phoenix female over a little bit. “Yeah…you do look a bit like her,” I admitted. “Don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”

From behind me, I heard a strange sound coming up the stairs. Thalia turned, her eyes widening a bit, then she chuckled. “Well, I might be her daughter, but I was never able to do what she’s doing now.”

Curious, I turned, and saw Hestia flying up the stairs, her wings aflame with blue fire. She wasn’t even using them, but instead was hovering there. Her eyes had the same color blue to them as well as she floated up to about seven feet above the deck. I leaned down towards Thalia and asked, “What’s she up to?”

Thalia put a wing up to my mouth. “Be quiet and you’ll see,” she replied in a hushed whisper.

I stood back up and watched while the other Phoenixes around me put the finishing touches on my new armor. Hestia looked over at me, then smiled. However, the smile I saw on her face sent shivers down my spine and even more when she said, “Someone’s in trouble,” in a singsong voice.

Before I could ask what she meant, she landed directly on the deck and spread her wings wider. “Stand back,” she commanded, “and stay out of the circle.” Instantly, blue flames spread outwards from her wings, slowly moving outward around the deck in a circle. However, the old wood didn’t seem to be burning at all. Spike and I watched in awe as the large circle of blue flames spread across the deck, moving out of the way as it approached us. I watched as the two ends began to reach each other, wondering just what was about to happen.

The moment the circle was complete, a blinding light was emitted from the entirety of the circle’s area. Spike and I covered our eyes, but the light quickly dimmed. I suddenly heard a very familiar voice calling out, “Thank you for your help, Philomena.”

Ah…well, I’m fucked, I thought as I turned towards the source of the voice. There, standing right in the center of the circle, was an extremely pissed Celestia, but she wasn’t the only one who had that look in her eyes. Next to her I saw Luna, glaring at me. Both Princesses wore slick and Romanesque style armor, holding their helmets to their side with their magic. Gathered close to them, I saw the Mane Six, Scarlet, Zecora, Sunset Shimmer, Gemini and Mica, the latter two wearing their armor and armed with their normal swords. Each and every one of them had their eyes locked on me. From behind Celestia, I saw two very familiar Phoenixes poke their heads out and look directly at me. The younger one waved her wings. “Hi,” she said nervously.

I held up my hand and waved, but that was all that I would get out before Celestia stormed over to me. I stood my ground as she held up her hoof and jabbed at my chest, armor against armor. “You have a lot of explaining to do, my dear knight,” she said.

“I don’t doubt it,” I replied, standing taller.

She glared at me for a few seconds, before slowly her expression softened. She threw her hooves around me, startling me as she pulled me into the tightest hug she’d ever given me. I hugged her back. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” she whispered in my ear.

“I couldn’t wait for nightfall,” I replied, “so an old-fashioned letter had to do.”

Slowly, she released me, looking down at me. “You scared the shit out of me, you know that right?”

I stiffened my jaw. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, but I had to let you know what was going on and wanted to write to each one of you.” I looked past her where I saw the others still looking at me. I swallowed a bit nervously when I saw each of them holding a small piece of paper either in their magic, their teeth, their wings or claws. I stepped towards them. “Listen…about those letters-”

“Yer an idiot if you think ah’d just sit back at home all nice an’ cozy when one of mah friends is about to go fightin’ fer us,” Applejack said, a scowl over her normally calm and collected face.

“I did more than just demand to come help, you bastard! I threatened to fly all the way here!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“How could I keep smiling knowing you were about to fight a meanie Dragon?” Pinkie asked, her mane partially deflated.

“Darling, we couldn’t just stand back and do nothing,” Rarity added.

“FUCK YOU!!”

Everyone went silent at that. Gemini, the one who had said it, stepped forward. Even Celestia moved out of the way as the Lycan stormed up to me and put her claws around my neck. Fortunately, I had armor around there so she couldn’t do much damage. She was still strong enough, however, to be able to lift me into the air. The pure rage in her teal eyes was inescapable. She barred her teeth at me. “Fuck you, Jethro!” She held up the letter in her free claw. “You think you can write such drivel and get away with it?!” She tossed it aside, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Mica retrieving it. Gemini grabbed my neck with her other free hand, squeezing harder despite the armor protecting me. “You promised me you wouldn’t do anything foolish! YOU PROMISED, DAMN IT! And the moment you do, you accept a duel with a Dragon who can end your life with his pinkie claw!?”

She threw me down, sending me sprawling across the deck. I heard shouts of concern from the other mares behind her, but Mica quickly spoke up and said, “She won’t hurt him. Just stand back and watch.”

I started to sit up, but Gemini was quicker. She grabbed both my wrists and pinned me down hard. Those battle-hardened teal eyes of hers were instantly directly in my face. She was breathing heavily, which was the only sound aside from the water lapping at the ship that anyone could hear. After about half a minute, she slowly calmed down and sat up. “You are insufferable, you know that?”

“You keep reminding me every day,” I said with a smile.

“Out of all the creatures I’ve met in this world, you are such a damned paradox! You make friends with Ponies, for Guardian’s sake, but you fight like a Lycan!”

“Well I should, you’ve been training me,” I retorted.

She pointed at me quickly. “Don’t get smart with me, whelp! You might be learning faster than any of those former recruits for the Imperial Guard, but you’re still just a trainee! And as your trainer, it’s my job to make sure you STAY ALIVE!”

From behind her, Scarlet spoke up. “Oh, stop being such a tsundere and tell him how you really feel!”

“Hush!” Mica said.

Gemini ignored them both and pulled me into a sitting position. “The only one who gets to kill you is me, is that understood??”

Mica quickly joined his older sister. “Gem, he doesn’t know the customs, so ease up!”

“You don’t think I know that?!” she snarled at her brother. “You don’t think I know just what to say that will get through this moron’s thick skull!?” She whirled on me again, then pulled me close. To my surprise, her face got very red as she said, “You are mine, got it?! I don’t care if you are forming a pack, or herd or whatever those pansy Ponies call it! You! Are! MINE!”

My eyes widened in surprise. Was that…was that a confession? I thought. Gemini quickly stood and stormed away, heading portside. She was followed close behind by Mica. Immediately I was surrounded by the rest of the newcomers along with Spike, Daring Do and my new Phoenix friends along with my old ones. I stood, brushed my new armor off, then looked down at each and every Pony there. When I last locked eyes with Zecora, I raised an eyebrow at her. “Was that a confession she just gave me?”

“In her own way, yes,” she replied, my letter to her still in her mouth. She slowly removed it, then leaped into my arms, kissing me deeply before she let go. “She and I had a long talk afterwards last night. You’d better talk with her after you win this duel.”

Zecora might have been giving me a small confident smile, but even through the armor I could feel her trembling. I held her tighter, then whispered, “I will win. That’s a promise.”

“You’d better win,” she whispered back, “because when you do, I will have such a reward waiting for you when we get back home.”

“And here I thought I didn’t need any extra incentive,” I joked, and received a smack upside the head for my efforts.

“Well, what do we have here?” a loud male voice boomed overhead, which made the smile on my face immediately drop. “Seems we have some unwanted guests.”

I slowly put Zecora down, then turned to look up at the massive Dragon who looked down at us. However, before I could say anything, Celestia spread her wings and flew directly towards Torch. Even when she reached him and began to talk, we could all hear her thanks to her using the Royal Canterlot Voice to be heard. “We are invoking the Rit’ovac,” Celestia’s voice boomed over the surrounding area. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”

Torch just grinned. “You realize fully what that means, don’t you? You and your precious Ponies down there?”

“We do!”

“What’s a Rit’ovac?” Spike asked.

“Roughly translated, it means Right to Watch,” I replied.

“Princess Celestia explained it to us,” Twilight said. “If there’s a Volrif’nel, anydragon who knows one or both of the duelists can invoke Rit’ovac so they can watch and support the duelist. But only in complete silence.”

I nodded and looked back up. Celestia was just beginning to descend, while Torch was walking away. When she landed, everyone surrounded her and pelted her with questions. She held up a hoof, silencing them all. “At ease, my little Ponies. The Dragon Lord has agreed to allow us to stay and watch the duel. Just remember the rules. Be silent.”

I sighed. “You are all insane…”

“Jethro?”

I looked down at the source of the voice, which happened to be a very worried but beautiful yellow Pegasus mare who had somehow appeared before me. She poked my chest, a sudden serious expression on her face. “Flutters, I-”

“Shh,” she said, putting her wing over my mouth for a bit before removing it and continuing. “Thank you for telling us what was happening. I know almost everypony here is angry, but you know we’re only angry because we all care about you.”

I nodded. “I sent letters because I knew they’d reach you sooner than a Skype call.”

She hovered up a bit, then threw her arms around me, her lips locking with mine. I was stunned, but I was soon caught up in the moment and wrapped my own arms around her, kissing the trembling Pegasus back. After about fifteen or so seconds she slowly pulled away. There was a sudden fire in her gorgeous blue eyes as she gently poked my chest. “Promise me something?”

“Anything.”

She leaned in, her mouth close to my ear, and uttered the last words I ever expected to hear pass those kind, gentle lips. “Jethro Edward Bethridge, kick that fucking Dragon Lord’s ass.”

111: A Cloaked Heart Is The Dragon Emperor?!

Warm air and warm presences all around me. Soft bed, almost as if they were made of the finest Cloudsdale clouds. Comforting pressure from a thick blanket, the kind that might just be weighted. Those were the first sensations that came to me when consciousness slowly began to come back to me.

As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw a large half domed ceiling above me thanks to the ruddy glow of a nearby crackling fire. I was enveloped in a thick blanket which was surprisingly soft, thick and warm. Since I was lying flat on my back, my wings were spread to either side, although it felt like they were wrapped around something. The warmth, however, wasn’t just coming from the fire.

It also came from a particular Zebra who was directly on top of me, eyes closed, sleeping in the Zebraloaf position. There was a worried look in her sleeping expression, but it wasn’t as bad as the last time I woke up after a battle. But when I tried to move my arm so I could stroke her mane, I discovered it was underneath another warm presence.

I slowly turned to my right and saw Scarlet, curled up close and holding my hand close to her protectively. She was sleeping as well, and snoring ever so cutely. I smiled slightly, then squeezed her hoof in my hand before very gently prying it away. Even in her sleep, she tried to grasp at the retreating hand, but missed. Instead, she surreptitiously crawled closer and nuzzled her face against my neck.

On my left, to my complete surprise, Gemini was lying as well. She was fairly rigid, wearing a pair of gray shorts, a small white shirt which showed off her slender but still fit midriff, and a belt which had a long dagger attached to it. One of her claws was very close to my left hand, her pinkie slightly extended towards mine. If I had any doubts about her apparent confession before my fight, they vanished at this act of pure loyalty. After all, no one who hated me would even be this close to me.

I slowly raised my right hand and placed it on Zecora’s head, slowly running my fingers through her soft and lengthening mane. The look of worry on her face melted away and she nuzzled directly into my hand. Slowly, she opened one eye, blearily looking around for a couple seconds before locking onto me. “Love…?”

I cleared my throat, then smirked. “You know, I’m getting really tired of passing out after every major fight, but the one good thing about it is I get to wake up next to you.”

Now fully awake, Zecora quickly moved closer, wrapping her forelegs around me and kissing me happily and deeply for almost thirty or so seconds. I melted into the kiss, throwing my arms around her and holding her tightly. “My darling!” she exclaimed in pure joy after breaking the kiss, “you’re finally awake!”

With that exclamation, the females on either side of me began to stir as I slowly wrapped my arms around Zecora in return. “I take it I’ve been out for a while, then,” I asked.

“Only about a day, you moron,” Scarlet said, slowly standing and stretching before looking down at me. “Zecora made a brew to help restore your magic more quickly and the Princesses, Twilight and Rarity poured some of their own into you until you could replenish yours.”

I started to sit up, and to my surprise, Gemini moved to help me into a sitting position. She was surprisingly tender about it, too. When that happened, I felt something brush against my shoulders. Startled, I looked down only to see a long lock of my hair flowing as if in a slight breeze, or perhaps as if I was underwater. Slowly, I reached up and grasped the long tuft, running my fingers through my surprisingly waist length hair. “How the hell…what…?”

Zecora chuckled. “It happened after you came out of your Legion form,” she explained.

“That, and the constant moving hair, dude,” Scarlet smirked. “I kinda like it. Makes you look even more badass.”

“I’ll…have to take your word for it, I guess,” I said, resolving to get a good long look at myself in a mirror later. With that, I looked away from my hair and found myself staring at one of the biggest beds I’d ever seen. It reminded me of the bed I saw the king in Disney’s Cinderella sleep in, at least in terms of size. In fact, everything about said bed screamed Torch sized. The mattress, presumably sitting directly on the floor, could hold Torch and then some. It wasn’t only firm, but it had a softness about it that somehow emulated clouds. The thick blanket I was lying under was a deep crimson and extremely soft to the touch.

And a section of the lower part of the bed was occupied, once again, by all of the Elements of Harmony. Each of them had smaller blankets covering them along with pillows for their heads.

Looking around the room, I took in everything I saw. We were in a cave, that was for certain, but it was one of the biggest caves I’d ever seen. If I had to guess, it was where Torch had lived seeing as the ceiling was large enough for him as was the bed I was in somehow. And it had an artificial look about it, especially the slanted ceiling above and some of the faded carvings on the wall directly to my right. Said drawings had a few words written in the tongue of Old Draconic, but since many of the words had been scratched out, I couldn’t read exactly what they were meant to say.

Turning to the left, I saw a massive set of arched double doors in the wall opposite the bed. Golden double doors. On the door’s left side, I saw the Bloodstone Scepter hanging on two large hooks. Unlike in the show, however, the scepter I saw before me appeared as more of an ancient relic than something slapped together. It looked like it had been intricately carved with great care. Even the crimson gem at the top, held in place by four carved crystal Dragons, each one with their eyes closed with their heads turned directly towards the perfectly spherical crystal gem. I could feel intense power coming from said gem, and from the center of the sphere I saw a slight pinprick of light glowing from within. Yellow, and it shimmered as if with an inner fire.

On the door’s right side was a massive longsword, sheathed in a simple golden sheath and hanging on a large hook by a strap. I didn’t need to get a good look closer to know that this was the result of what happened then the Sunsword and Moonsword combined. The amount of power I could feel emanating from it was a raging torrent, whereas the power from the Bloodstone Scepter was more like a large stream. Both held power in their own rights, but there was definitely a large difference in power between each artifact.

The wall on the left might not have been as high as the one on my right, but it had an entire fireplace carved out of the curving wall face along with a massive cushion in front of said fire. And sitting on those cushions, I was hardly surprised to find a very much awake Celestia and Luna, both Ponyloafing and looking over at me with relief on their faces.

It surprised me, however, when both stood, then bowed to me. “Your Imperial Majesty,” Celestia began, “it is wonderful to see you up and about.”

My confusion was short lived as the memory of the ending of my fight came back to me. I tensed up, anger filling me as I realized that even if I’d managed to kill Torch, he’d made it so that I was now the Emperor of all Dragons. Fuck you, Torch, I thought before trying to collect myself. I slowly pulled the covers aside, only to discover that I wasn’t wearing my normal attire. I was wearing golden silk pants and a matching shirt with an embroidered bright yellow sun and moon directly on my chest. Putting my new wardrobe aside, I held up my hand. “Please, raise your head. We’re alone now.”

The Princesses both stood, a look of immense relief in their eyes as they slowly walked towards me. When they reached the marble floor, their hoofsteps echoed all around, which caused the others to stir. However, I was barely aware of this as the two Princesses pulled me into a threeway hug, wings and forelegs wrapped around me. “You scared us,” Celestia whispered, her voice shaky as she held back tears.

“I had hoped you would never fall into darkness as I did,” Luna said sadly, “but I am glad to see you back.”

I wrapped my arms and wings around them as well. “Even the most righteous man can fall into darkness and shadow,” I replied, “and I’m not the most righteous man in the world. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“We are simply glad to have you back,” Luna said happily.

As they slowly let go of me, I turned towards the now woken Mane Six, all of whom were looking at me with a bit of trepidation. Even Pinkie looked unsure. It broke my heart to see them like this, but I could easily understand why they’d act like this. Getting on my knees, I held my head up high and said, “Words alone can’t really express how sorry I am for what you saw me go through. There’s no excuse I can give that can-OOF!”

A butter-colored blur crashed into me, sending me sprawling onto my back. Briefly, I found myself looking into the shimmering azure eyes of Ponyville’s resident animal expert before she quickly closed them, closing the distance between us and locking lips with me. My eyes widened in surprise, then I reached up and cupped her cheeks in my hands, returning the kiss. Unlike the one I’d just had with Zecora, this lasted only ten seconds or so before she quickly broke away, looking down at me with tearful relief. “Thank Elysium you’re okay,” she said, her voice trembling in joy.

I was shocked. I had half expected her to be terrified of me after what she saw, but the moment that thought crossed my mind, I inwardly smacked myself. Sure, Fluttershy could be timid and scared, but she was also almost as loyal to her friends as Rainbow was. That, and her own kindness knew no bounds. “Oh, Flutters…”

“You gave us quite the scare,” Rarity said, walking up to my left as Fluttershy slowly moved away from me. Like her friend, she had a relieved expression on her face. “Oh, beg pardon, I should say, I am pleased to see you well, your Imperial Majesty.”

As she began to bow, I held up a hand. “Please, please let’s not make a big deal out of this right now. Especially since we’re alone. Right now, I’m just Jethro. Your friend.”

Rarity looked like she wanted to protest, but Pinkie put a hoof on the Unicorn’s back. “If Jethy wants it, let’s just do it.” She turned to me, and her mane, which looked significantly flatter, began coming back to life as she walked over, hugging me and kissing my face all over gently. “Welcome back. I missed my baking buddy.”

I chuckled, rubbing her back. “I was only out for a day, Pinks,” I said, “but thank you. I’m glad to be back.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Twilight asked, approaching with a worried expression. “No more traces of dark magic anywhere?”

“My dear student, we all cleansed him of any remaining darkness, remember?” Celestia said calmly.

“It’s alright, Celestia,” I said reassuringly, “I know Twilight means well.” Turning to her, I opened my free arm (Pinkie was still holding me and I her with my right arm and wing) towards her. “I feel perfectly fine.”

Twilight made her way over and lay her head on the left part of my chest. “I was so worried,” she whispered softly as I wrapped her in my wing.

Applejack came forward next, taking off her hat and pulling out a few bright red hairbands and handing them to me. “Ah imagine that flowin’ mane o’ yers is getting a mite troublesome,” she said with a warm smile.

I chuckled, then pulled my hair back to tie it down. “Only until I get it cut,” I said. “Thank you, Applejack.”

“Yer welcome.”

“Are you kidding? You look cool like that!” Rainbow Dash said, wings flapping behind her and a wide smile on her face.

“Cool I may look, but if I fly or fight with it loose like that, it’ll just get in the way,” I said as I wrapped my hair up at the top end, then used a second one to tie down the middle portion. “I used to have long hair back when it was cooler back on Earth before I needed to cut it shorter to look more professional.” I quickly finished tying my hair down in three places, near the top, the middle and the end, then focused my attention on Gemini, who had still yet to speak.

She straightened when I locked eyes with her. “Your Imperial Majesty,” she said in a professional manner.

I sighed, shaking my head. “Gemini…don’t be like that. I meant you too when I said you could drop the Imperial Majesty stuff.”

She looked at me with a quick look of incredulity, then I was relieved to see her normal angry look return. “Alright, then. You’re a fucking moron.”

Among the gasps that came from the younger Ponies, I shrugged. “So what else is new?”

“You might have gotten a bit better thanks to my training, but you let your rage get the better of you,” she growled, getting straight into my face. “You gave me the order to train you, and I will keep on training you until you are the best warrior in history! I will not have you be a weakling!”

“Now see here, you brute! Jethro is most certainly not a weakling!” Rarity shouted angrily.

Gemini whirled on Rarity. “He spends time with Ponies, doesn’t he?”

“Why, I never!” Rarity said in a huff. “We are not weak!”

“Rarity, Gemini, enough,” I said above the arguing. I put a hand on Rarity’s withers and the other on Gemini’s shoulder. Both froze and looked over at me. I turned to Rarity first. “Rarity, Gemini’s right in a way. I’m still fairly weak in terms of non-magical combat prowess.” Before the triumphant look could fully form on Gemini’s face, I turned to her. “And Gemini, Ponies are far from weak. The Ponies in this room have so much strength.”

“Even that shy one??” Gemini asked incredulously.

I pulled Fluttershy closer to me. “Especially her. It takes a very special brand of courage to come to the Dragon Lands, especially with her crippling fear of Dragons. I know you have reasons to hate Ponies, especially the Princesses, but what I won’t tolerate is you bashing any of my friends. And everyone in here is my friend. Including you.”

She snorted. “You’re the Dragon Emperor, now. We can never be…friends…” she stood quickly moving to the fireplace and leaning against the wall, staring into the flames.

I looked up at Celestia, who slowly moved aside, gesturing her head in the direction of the lone wolf. I slowly let go of Fluttershy and Twilight, then moved to the edge of the bed. I stood, helped up by both Princesses, and when I was sure of my footing, I walked over to Gemini. She didn’t look my way as I walked across the large marble floor. She didn’t react as I put both hands on her shoulders. There was silence in the room for a good number of minutes. I knew we didn’t exactly have the best relationship, but for some reason or another, she apparently had some kind of feelings for me.

I knew at some point, I needed to have a very long talk with her, but I had a feeling things were about to get a whole lot weirder for me in the next few hours. Still, I needed to say something to her. Gathering my thoughts, I gently turned her around, holding her arms firmly. “Gemini, look up at me.” When she didn’t move, I reached out, took her chin in my hand, and gently lifted her up to face me. I’d felt her fur before whenever she would hit me, but this was one of the first times I’d had any extended contact with her. I was surprised to find she had short but soft fur everywhere. This close to the Lycan female, I could smell her scent. Strangely enough, she had an earthy, autumn scent. I detected a hint of cinnamon along with the lingering scent of a windy autumn afternoon just before the onset of a rainstorm. It was altogether a pleasant smell. “Gemini Grayfur, we might not be on good terms, but you have shown a loyalty to me that has impressed me. There’s nothing stopping us from at least attempting to be friends.”

She grimaced, looking away forcefully. “You don’t understand…”

“Of course I don’t. I can’t understand if you don’t talk to me,” I said.

She glared at me. “You’re a fucking Emperor now! I’m just your slave! It’s completely inappropriate to be anything other than what we are now! Even before, master and servant could never be friends!”

I was about to answer, when there was a knock at the door. The knock echoed through the massive room, and as one we all turned to the door. A muffled and familiar male voice came from the other side. “Your Majesty,” Mica said, “Young Spike is awake.”

I looked confused, then locked eyes with Twilight. “Where is he?”

“He…he wanted his own room,” Twilight admitted, ears flattening.

“He was ashamed of his actions during the fight,” Celestia added.

“Hold the phone…” I looked back at Twilight. “Spike was the one who got seriously wounded, and he’s ashamed?!”

Before Twilight could say anything, Luna quickly said, “He said that he betrayed his own individual Dragon Code by interfering in the Volrif’nel. He feels the changes he received after being healed feel undeserved, too.”

“Changes? What changes? He’s alright, isn’t he?” I asked, a hint of concern creeping into my voice.

Rarity spoke up next. “Spikey-wikey is perfectly alright, darling. Aside from the scar.”

I bit my lower lip, then breathed a sigh of relief. I took a small step backwards, directly into Celestia’s waiting alabaster and Phoenix-orange striped wing. She pulled me closer, looking down at me with those perfect, light purple eyes of hers. “Jethro…Spike underwent what you and I went through. He’s…he’s a Phoenixborn. And his body underwent some…unusual changes.”

“What kind of changes?” I asked, heart sinking.

“I…think it’s best if you see for yourself,” Celestia replied.

I walked directly to the door before anyone in the room had a chance to say anything or stop me. However, just as my hand reached out to open the door, I felt myself being enveloped in dark blue magic and pulled back. I was turned around to face Luna, who had a stern expression on her face. “Are you planning on going out there in nothing but your sleeping wear?” she asked.

“Is that really important right now?!” I asked incredulously.

Luna nodded gravely. “For all intents and purposes, you are the Emperor, the first to appear since Old Aelyssia fell. Do you think my sister and I came here in full battle armor for show? Ever since the Kingdom of Aelyssia fell during their war with the Fae, the Dragons have become wild and dangerous. You might be their new Emperor, but I highly doubt you will be instantly welcomed. Especially since you’re friends with all of us. Trust me on this, I know the feeling all too well.”

Silence filled the room as I digested what she said. In a sense, she was right. I wasn’t a Dragon, and being named Emperor of all their kind would surely be a slap to the face to them all. I looked at the rest of them, and a lot of them were nodding in agreement. Nodding, I turned to the door. “Wait there, Mica! I’ll be right out!” Turning back to the others, I asked, “What clothes should I wear?”

“Over here, darling,” Rarity said, pointing at the bed. I turned to where she was pointing to see that she had taken the liberty of placing a few clothing items on the farthest edge of the bed. She stepped aside, then looked up at me. “These…were brought from the Ruins by the Phoenixes,” the purple maned Unicorn explained.

“Hestia said that they were worn by the very last Dragon Emperor,” Twilight explained.

I walked over and picked up the shirt first. Unlike what I was wearing, the material from this was thicker than what I was wearing. It was a button-down long-sleeved shirt, colored a deep burgundy with about five golden sigils sewn in a circle around the chest area. There were silver cuffs with gold cufflinks at the ends of each arm, each cufflink emblazoned with mirroring Dragon heads. The buttons on the shirt itself had the same unusual sigils carved into them, each one different The pants were also a deep burgundy, with the area around the ankles also silver. Next to the pants I saw the golden cloak from before, a thin silvery chain keeping it in place. Next to that, I saw a small golden ringlet crown which was surprisingly simple in design, the only ornament on it being a deep crimson gemstone at the front. On the floor were a pair of shoes that looked a lot like the dress shoes I had on Earth, only they were high laced. And they all looked like they would fit me perfectly.

Looking down at Rarity, I noticed for the first time since waking up how exhausted the poor mare actually looked. Looking down at the clothes again, I peered closer at some of the stitching. I’d been around her boutique long enough to know what her work looked like, even if I would remain a permanent novice in that area. I looked down at her again. “Did you…did you really fix these clothes?”

“I’ve never had the chance to work on royal clothes before,” she said. “And Princess Luna is right, darling.”

“You gotta go out there and show ‘em who’s boss!” Rainbow said as she hovered over us, jabbing at the air with her front hooves like she was boxing an imaginary opponent.

I smirked as I began dressing. “My first priority is making sure Spike is okay. If he is a Phoenixborn, then…that means he died.”

“Verily,” Luna affirmed.

“It was…scary,” Fluttershy admitted, having gotten onto the bed near me.

“Imagine it from our perspective,” I said softly, looking back at my feathers. “Dying isn’t really a cakewalk.”

“I agree,” Celestia said gravely.

Everyone’s ears flattened. Even Gemini, who was still leaning against the wall and looking at the fire, stiffened. I slowly turned to Celestia, eyes wide. “You weren’t…” I said in denial, but one look from her was all the answer I needed. The look of one of us. “You were. Oh God…” I began speeding up, hastily throwing the clothes on.

“Darling, careful!” Rarity said anxiously, “you’ll hurt yourself!”

“A ten-year-old Dragon just died and came back to life!” I said anxiously. “I need to see him right away!”

I felt Rarity’s magic around my chest as she quickly buttoned my shirt, then put the cloak on me with a deftness in telekinesis that spoke of hundreds of hours of experience in dressing ponyquins. I almost protested, but a glare from the lovely mare shut me up, and I let her work her magic. She even put the shoes on my feet and tied the laces. When I stood, the gold cloak I wore slid down my back, rustling slightly as it fell across me.

I looked down at the gold ringlet. There was silence through the room as I turned to stare at it fully. More specifically, at the dark red gem embedded in the gold. My mind was racing, now. I could easily pass and go out wearing what I was wearing, but if what the others told me was true, I needed to show strength to this race. Which made complete sense when I thought deeper about everything.

“Fuck you, Torch,” I growled as I grabbed the circlet and placed it firmly on my head. I felt it tighten around me, fitting snuggly but not tight enough to cause a headache. Turning around, I put my hands on my hips. “Well, how do I look?”

Despite the situation, Celestia smirked. “Like a prince,” she said in her best Robin Williams impersonation.

“Kind of a demotion, dontcha think?” I said, smiling back. The mood in the room shifted, and smiles and soft giggles came from everyone save for Gemini. I turned to the door, and firmly walked towards it, head held high. I reached out and grabbed the Bloodstone Scepter, which was slightly taller than I was.

The moment I touched it, my eyes must have dilated because the light in the room became uncomfortably bright momentarily before returning to normal. Power flowed into me and I had to steady myself to keep from falling over from the unexpected surge. A pair of claws grabbed me, steadying me as Gemini came to my side. I looked over at her only to catch a brief glimpse of a worried expression on her face which quickly gave way to annoyed neutrality. I nodded in gratitude at her, then noticed her gaze move away from me towards the other side of the door. I looked over and saw the new sword just hanging there. Another time, I said as I reached out, patting the scabbard briefly before I grabbed one door and flung it open with surprising ease. Mica stood at the door, once more wearing his Lycan armor. On either side of my door, two large and burly Dragons stood, each holding large spears and wearing the same armor I’d seen on them from before. “Take us to Spike immediately,” I said.

Mica straightened and nodded. “At once, Your Imperial Majesty,” he said smartly.

As he turned and headed down the hallway, I bit back my tongue, holding back the desire to correct him. The guards that flanked me on either side were taller than I was and very well equipped. Their metal armor made plenty of noise as we walked down the massive domed hallway, the size and shape only helping to make it sound louder than it actually was.

I was surprised to see that we were passing a few large doors on either side of the well-lit hallway. Wall sconces, each with massive and ancient looking lanterns, hung between each door as we continued walking. In the distance, I could see a sliver of daylight slowly growing ever closer, but just five doors shy of the exit, Mica stopped and stood in front of one smaller door. “He’s in here, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“If you have to call me anything, just call me Your Grace,” I said.

One of the guards slowly turned to me. “Are you sure, Your Imperial Majesty? That’s an older way of addressing the Emperor,” he said bluntly.

I turned to him. “I’d much rather be called that than Imperial Majesty.”

Both guards both bowed. “As you wish, Your Grace,” the same guard replied. “I’ll let the other guards know.”

“Very good. Stand guard out here while we enter,” I ordered. I doubted that I would forget my first imperial order to a Dragon. They both straightened and stood at attention on either side of the door. Turning to Mica, I motioned for him to stand aside. “Mica, you stand out here with Gemini.” He nodded and did so, standing on the opposite wall along with Gemini. I straightened up and walked right into the room.

The room Spike had gotten was actually fairly smaller than the one I’d woken up in earlier. It was still a fairly large room, but nowhere near as big as mine. It was shaped much like mine, with a slanted ceiling, a large bed and a cushion right in front of a roaring fire on one side of the room which kept the bedroom well lit. Lying in bed, underneath a thick dark green quilt, lay Spike. I could only see his head as the quilt covered the rest of him, but even a glimpse at his head told me something about him was really different.

For one, his face looked a bit thinner than before. That, and the lump I saw under the quilt was a lot taller than I remembered him being.

We locked eyes. Spike’s expression changed from surprise, to guilt. As he looked away, I quickly rushed to his side, kneeling at the head of the bed. As the others made their way in, I said, “Hey, Spike. How are you feeling?”

He continued looking away from me. A few moments passed before he opened his mouth to say, “I’m sorry…”

I moved to try and look at him in the eyes but he moved away again. “Sorry? Why, Dragon-boy?”

He sniffed, and closed his eyes as a tear shed. “I…I lost control…I was an idiot…I could have ruined everything.”

I sighed. “I’ve been a bad influence on you,” I said sadly as I reached out, grabbed him by the chin and turned him towards me. “Spike, you can’t keep on focusing on the what if. Focus on the here and now. You didn’t ruin anything. You were trying to protect me. And you pretty much saved me. Yes, you were reckless. I won’t say you’re an idiot. You’ve just got a very big heart. And loyalty to burn. Right, Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Damn right!” This, of course, earned her a glare from Twilight.

To my relief, a smile appeared on Spike’s face. “I…thank you, Monkey-man.”

I gently ruffled his spines. “You’re welcome.” The smile on my face slowly faded, however, as I moved a bit closer. “I heard you were reborn.”

His smile faded too, and he nodded. “Yes…the Phoenixes saved me using some of the feathers Zecora had.”

“It was an honor to part with said gift in order to save you,” Zecora said, coming to sit next to me and smiling warmly at the little drake.

“Thank you,” Spike said, sounding very grateful.

“If it is to help a friend, my own house I would gladly upend,” Zecora replied.

A smattering of chuckles ran through the crowd in the room. As the chuckles began to die down, I became serious again. “I want you to know that if you ever want to talk to anyone about this, you can come to me anytime. I know what it’s like.”

“Come to me, too, if you want,” Celestia added, stepping forward and looking down with a motherly smile at the young drake.

“I-I will, thank you,” he said shakily.

“Spike,” I began after a quick silence, “Celestia said that you had something happen to you. What is it?”

He looked nervous. “I…”

“My little Dragon, go ahead and show Jethro what happened to you,” Celestia said, smiling at him.

Nervously, Spike slowly sat up, and as he pulled the quilted blanket away from him, I couldn’t help but stare at the scar on his chest. Or his body in general, for that matter. Spike had gone through some kind of unprecedented growth spurt. Astonished, I grabbed the blanket and pulled it off, revealing a thinner, taller Spike.

A thinner, taller Spike with purple Dragon wings with Phoenix red stripes on the outside and inside.

Just from looking at him, Spike was now probably almost four feet tall now, with wings that were proportionate to his new size. He’d lost a lot of the baby pudge he’d had before and was now fairly trim. There was still a hint of his pudge in the stomach, but for the most part he looked about as tall as any other ten year old I’d seen back on Earth. “I’ll be damned…” I said, “how the hell did you becoming a Phoenixborn cause this?”

Spike grabbed his arm and rubbed it nervously. “Um…I met with the Phoenix King,” he explained. “I told him what happened and he remembered you. He told me he’d send me back but with the ability to better protect my friends.”

“So he gave you the age appropriate body size?” I asked in disbelief.

“You hate it, don’t you?” he asked, reaching down to grab the blanket.

I grabbed his wrist. “Whoa there! I never said that! I do like it, honest!” And I actually did. I’d seen the depiction of him in the last episode of the show, and I wasn’t much of a fan of Chad Spike. This version of him seemed a bit more realistic. Slimmer, with the same childish appearance as a ten-year-old human, only on a Dragon. His face matched his body, too. “Sure, it’s new, but I like it. You’re about as tall as you were back on Earth. And now Rainbow can have a third trainee to teach how to fly.”

Rainbow brightened at that. “Awww hell yeah!”

Spike smiled a bit. “It is nice to have wings,” he said, spreading them. Then he jumped when flames burst forth from them just like it did for me and Celestia. “Ah!”

“Don’t worry,” I smirked. “You’ll learn to control that. I promise. For now, just keep them folded back.”

“Right,” he nodded as he did just that. He looked at an endtable on the side of his bed, reaching over and grabbing the dagger sitting on it. “Pretty hard to believe this was a sword to me just yesterday.”

I chuckled. “Keep it as a souvenir.”

With that, his relaxed demeanor changed. He turned and faced me with a determined look in those reptilian bright green eyes. “Jethro? Can I ask a favor?”

“You can ask,” I said, not sure what he could want, but I wasn’t sure I’d like it.

He took a deep breath, exhaled, then said, “Can I train with you?”

“Spike! You’re too young for that!” Twilight said, galloping to my side and looking at Spike worriedly.

He turned to Twilight, and a frustrated look appeared on his face. “Twilight, I’m so sick and tired of being weak. You saw what happened out there! I didn’t even last a minute against Torch! How can I protect my friends when I’m so…so…FUCKING WEAK!”

“Language, Spike,” I said softly as I wrapped my arms around the trembling distraught Dragon child while Twilight joined me, her hooves around him as well. He clung to me and Twilight as I continued. “I know how you feel. I felt that way for a while after coming here. Sometimes I still do. If you really want to learn how to fight, then that’s fine with me, but it also has to be something you discuss with your guardian here.”

“And we will talk about it, Spike,” Twilight promised, “and I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”

Sniffling, Spike smiled and said, “Thank you, Twilight.”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. A deep voice said, “Your Grace, Princess Ember is requesting an audience with you.”

Ah yes, the elephant in the metaphorical room, I thought as I slowly let go of Spike. “I’m coming!” I pulled my shirt down a bit like Picard normally did, then went to the door, grabbing the scepter before reaching for the door handle.

“Jethro? Can I give you some advice? Monarch to monarch?” Celestia asked.

I turned, giving her a pleading look. “Please!”

“Be firm, strong, just and kind when it comes to dealing with somedragon like Ember,” Celestia said. “I only caught a glimpse of her, but she is hurting deeply and she might be furious with you.”

“I was already planning on it.”

“Good.”

I put my hand on the door handle, then paused again. “You know, when Melora told me that I had the potential to rule Equestria, this isn’t what I thought she had in mind.”

I turned the handle, opened the door, and closed it shut behind me. Looking up at the two Dragon guards, I said, “Where is Princess Ember?”

115: A Cloaked Heart's Breakfast With A Princess

After a happy reunion with all of my closest friends the night prior, Celestia had offered to teleport me back to my houses, which had been watched over by Sweetie Drops as well as a few other normal citizens in Ponyville, but I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed. I ate a small meal then walked to the room provided for me the first time I came to the Castle for the Council. I didn’t sleep alone, of course. Zecora insisted on spending some alone time with me. After Twilight cast the Anthro spell on her, the two of us curled up in each other’s’ arms, falling fast asleep after a brief makeout session. Sleeping next to Zecora in her normal form was very relaxing and all, but I needed a pair of arms wrapped around me at that moment, and apparently Zecora sensed that. All night long, she held me close and I held her close, her hands running through my long and still waving locks of hair. I ran my own hands through her own lengthening mane, and that was how the two of us went to sleep.

Earlier the next morning, I had been invited to a very private breakfast with Celestia in her room. Not even Zecora was allowed in, much to her annoyance. As I was dressing, Zecora, who had changed back into a normal Zebra sometime during the early morning hours, was helping me into my new royal garb. “Are you absolutely sure I can’t come with you?” she asked.

“I’d love to have you there with me,” I replied honestly, “but Celestia’s note was very clear. No one else can come with me. It’s just a one on one breakfast.”

“I hope there’s nothing wrong,” Zecora said as she held my small gold crown out to me.

I took it and placed it carefully on my forehead. It still surprised me just how perfectly this crown fit. “I have a feeling I’m going to find out just what it’s about when I get there. I do have a few guesses, though.”

“As do I,” Zecora said.

I quickly turned to her, kneeling a bit so I could be on eye level with her. “Aren’t you a bit freaked out about all this? I’m a fucking Emperor, now. You’re dating a monarch. What happens in the event that we get married? What about-?”

Zecora threw her forelegs around me, tackled me to the floor and kissed me with more passion and desire than was normal for her. I quickly reacted, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her back. It felt like she was pouring all of her love, desire, admiration and even her friendship into said kiss, so I did my best to respond in kind. Her grip tightened and I did the same in response. I heard a small moan escape her throat as she pressed her body close against mine. With this reassurance, I felt the tension and frustration escape me slowly. Finally, she relaxed and broke the kiss, gazing down at me with the most beautiful look in her eyes I’d ever seen. In that moment, it felt like I’d fallen in love with her twice over. For the moment, all other cares and worries vanished. It was just her. Just Zecora.

That thought immediately reminded me of Doki Doki Literature Club and I let a small snort escape me. Zecora’s sharp ears didn’t miss this, and she raised an eyebrow. “Is something amusing, my love?”

“Sorry, I just had a random thought that made me laugh,” I replied as I slowly sat up, Zecora sitting firmly on my lap. I reached out and stoked her mane lovingly. “Thank you. Thank you for constantly being there for me.”

“I wouldn’t be a good girlfriend otherwise,” she said, once more using an Earth term instead of an Equestrian one. “You know I worry.”

“You’re not the only one,” I smiled. “Although, now that I think about it, in the event of our marriage and if I’m still the Emperor, you’d become Empress Zecora. Now wouldn’t that be a hoot?”

She laughed good naturedly and nuzzled my face affectionately. “A ruler of Dragons you may be, but as for me? Well, we shall see.”

Much like Luna’s own room, Celestia’s old Castle bedroom lay on top of a tower, and there were two Unicorn Royal Guards standing at her door. They both saluted when they saw me, but I raised my hand. “At ease, you two. Right now, I’ve got a feeling I’m not having dinner with the Princess as her Knight, but as the Dragon Emperor.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” one of the soldiers said as he knocked on the door. “Your Highness, Emperor Jethro is here.”

“Let him in,” Celestia said with an air of authority.

The Unicorn guard who had spoken raised his head and the door opened. I stepped in and as the door closed behind me, I looked around. In many ways, this room was the mirror of Luna’s room, albeit slightly bigger. I’d taken notice of this during my time reconstructing it, but as I took a closer look at the room itself, I saw that there were more personal belongings. Portraits of noble looking Ponies, with one even looking like a younger Starswirl the Bearded as well as another portrait of the Pillars of Equestria.

One picture in particular that sat on an endtable next to the bed caught my eye. It was a portrait of a younger Celestia and Luna sitting in front of a Unicorn stallion and Pegasus mare. The Unicorn had an amber colored coat with white fetlocks, bright blue eyes and a lit torch for a cutie mark. Sitting next to him, the Pegasus mare sat. She had a light pink mane, a darker blue coat of fur with white spots, pink eyes that matched her mane and her cutie mark was of an eye looking up at two stars, one rainbow colored and one a darker shave of blue with stars within.

As I was looking at the image, I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. I looked down in confusion, then in shock as I noticed that the pair of hands had alabaster colored fur on them. Before I could say anything, Celestia’s voice, still coming to me from a place of great height, spoke. “Mother and Father had that portrait of us painted when we were just fillies.”

Slowly, I turned back to the portrait, then picked it up and looked closer at it. Celestia and Luna both looked a bit antsy, but they had wide smiles on their faces. They still hadn’t gotten their cutie marks yet, but both looked absolutely adorable. The father had his hooves on Celestia’s withers while the mother had her hooves on Luna’s withers. The father looked proud and the mother had a motherly warm smile on her face. They were standing in a forest thicket, with the sun coming down through the trees, being illuminated by a mist. “I’d have really liked to meet them,” I admitted as I put the portrait down. “What were their names?”

“Mother was Sweetheart Starwatcher and Father was Blaze Run,” Celestia said as she wrapped her new arms around me, and I felt two massive pillowy weights lowered onto my head. “They would have liked you, I’m sure of it,” she said softly.

I wrapped my hands around her wrists and she pulled me back against her chest. I couldn’t see them, but if the shadow that fell over my face was any indication, her breasts were exceptionally large. But this was no time for anything like that, so I just squeezed her wrists gently. “They would have been very proud of you if they could see what you’ve accomplished today, you and Luna,” I said.

She tensed up slightly, but that was the only reaction I got. She held me there for a while, then released me. I turned and finally got a good look at her.

If a goddess had descended to the realm of the living and taken on a mortal form, her beauty would still pale in comparison to Celestia’s own radiance. She still stood taller than me, although now by a foot and a half, if not more. She was wearing a white silk gown, which to my surprise was not at all see through. However, it still clung to her body to perfectly show off her perfect modelesque form. Her legs were slender, but not skinny, her hips were absolutely divine in their shape, her waist was trim but feminine and her breasts were the largest I’d ever seen on any Anthro version of anyone I had seen, and that included Zecora. Her arms were also not too skinny but neither was there any hint of flab on them. Lauren Faust was right, I thought as I stared, Celestia is the epitome of Pony beauty.

I must have been staring for longer than I thought, because Celestia put her hands on her hips in a fluid motion and smirked at me, making me blush immediately. “I hope you like what you see,” she grinned, “I’m not exactly acquainted with what humans find attractive.”

I cleared my throat. “Trust me, you are nothing short of drop dead gorgeous,” I said. “Honestly, I think even that isn’t enough. I know it sounds super cliché, but words alone can’t do your beauty justice.”

A small blush came to her face, and her grin turned into a warm smile. “I’m glad to hear it.” She stepped aside and motioned to a two Pony table standing in front of a large window. “Please join me.”

The table was set with not only an expensive looking China tea set (which made me wonder what that was called here), but exquisite plates and bowls all made of gold and emblazoned with a sun and moon within their circle. And the silverware? Sterling silver, with the handles made to resemble a tree. On large platters sat an assortment of breakfast foods, some scrambled eggs, about six slices of toast, four large pancakes, a small plate with room temperature butter, a small jug of honey and a platter of five sausages which had to have been roasted over an open flame if the holes in the sides were any indication.

She sat down at the larger chair, and I took the smaller. Before I could say or do anything else, she reached over, grabbed the teapot and asked, “Would you care for some tea, Your Grace?”

When she said that, I knew that she wanted to speak to me as my role of Emperor and not as her Knight. I nodded. “Please, Your Highness.”

She smiled and poured me a decent helping of the tea. Its fragrance filled the air with a sweet melon-y scent. When she had finished, she poured some for herself. I took notice of how graceful she seemed to be with her new body, much like how Luna had been when I saw her. She must have practiced, I thought as she held up the honey jug. “Honey?”

“Yes, please, but not too much, if I could,” I replied. I watched as Celestia poured in the perfect amount of honey into my tea than into hers.

When she finished, she turned to me and smiled. “Please help yourself. Guests of the crown are always allowed to serve themselves first.”

I bowed my head in acknowledgment and first grabbed the sausages, then took two pieces of toast, two of the pancakes and a healthy portion of eggs. However, I left the better portions to Celestia, who gave me a grateful smile and took the rest onto her own plate. As we began, I took a bite of the sausage, and was surprised to find that it had a sweet but smoked taste to it. It had been cooked perfectly down to its core. I swallowed, then took a sup of the melon and honey tea before I said, “Give my highest compliments to the chef. I’d steal them away if I could,” I said in jest.

Celestia’s face went red again. “Why, Your Grace, was that a proposal?” she asked coyly despite her blush.

I paused, having a forkful of egg halfway to my mouth. I raised an eyebrow and lowered the fork. “You made all of this?”

“I did. I’ve enjoyed cooking ever since I was a little filly,” she said as she took the teacup in her hands daintily, took a quiet sip, then put it down. “It’s a small way to say ‘I care’.”

“Even the sausages?” I asked curiously, looking down at them.

She nodded. “Including them. You forget, sometimes I’ve hosted ambassadors from Griffonstone. They’re omnivores like you, so I’ve learned how to cook meat to their satisfaction.”

“Well then, my highest compliments to you, Your Highness,” I said, raising my teacup in a salute. “I doubt even Gordon Ramsay could find anything wrong with this.”

“Who?”

I chuckled. “He’s a celebrity chef from Earth who has a reputation of having exceptionally high standards when it comes to cooking. I’ve never watched any of his stuff, but he’s famous enough that even those of us who don’t watch him know of him by reputation alone.”

“Indeed. Perhaps I could watch this Gordon Ramsay sometime,” she said.

“I’ll show you when I can,” I replied with a chuckle.

She smiled warmly at me, then raised her head. Her horn glowed, and the sound of morning birds chirping outside the room instantly cut off. I could still see the outside, but silence fell. “Let’s drop the royal pretense for a while, shall we?” she asked, taking a healthy helping of egg and putting it in her mouth.

I smirked, cut a slice of sausage and ate it as well before swallowing it down with some more tea. “Okay, fair enough. I can only guess why you actually changed into an Anthro form.”

Celestia smiled, then reached into her dress, pulling out a golden necklace with a teardrop shaped rainbow colored gem which glowed ever so slightly. “One of my best enchanters discovered a way to create this. I can maintain this form for as long as I am wearing this necklace. I have to provide it with magic every twenty four hours in order for it to keep its charge, but it’s a small price to pay to experience this form. I’ve kept it secret from Twilight for the moment.”

“Good call,” I chuckled. “Besides, I’ve brought back plenty of Aelyssian artifacts that should keep her busy for weeks. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“You didn’t ask a question,” she said with a smirk. “You just said, and I quote, ‘I can only guess why you actually changed into an Anthro form.’”

I groaned. “Trollestia…” I said, but smirked as I said, “Alright, fair point. So why did you decided to come to our breakfast in this form?”

Her smirk morphed into a smile. “I wanted to make you comfortable,” she said. “And…I suppose I wanted to show you how I looked as an Anthro. You already saw my sister, so I wanted to show you mine.”

“Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?” I asked with a smirk, putting my hand to my ear and tilting my head up as if listening. I was rewarded by Celestia actually sputtering to come up with a response, but before she could, I threw back my head and laughed loudly. “Oh, relax, Sunbutt. I’m just teasing!”

“Sunbutt…?” she asked, her face going an even deeper shade of red.

“It’s a name that the My Little Pony fandom came up with for you,” I explained as I took out my phone. “Sun cutie mark on your flank, ergo Princess Sunbutt. They call Luna Princess Moonbutt as well.”

Despite her still blushing, she laughed along with me as I opened FimFiction.net and searched for a particular story. When I found it, I held up the screen for her to see. Celestia looked at it, then her eyes widened. “'Dear Princess Sunbutt'? What’s this particular fanfiction about?”

“Heh, it’s a set of letters written to you from Twilight, but penned by a snarky human named Anonymous, or Anon as the fandom calls the character,” I explained. “Want me to read you a few of the letters, and some of the responses from the other you?”

Celestia’s eyebrow shot up. “Well…yes, please do. Color me intrigued.”

“Hope you’re ready to laugh,” I said. “I can’t stop laughing whenever I read it.” And with that, I opened the first chapter and began. “Dear Princess Sunbutt, Spike is off doing dragon shit for who knows how long, so I’m making my fuckmonkey write this for me…”

“By Harmony, how many names can this author come up with to call me and Twilight!?” Celestia said, who was laughing so hard that tears had begun to fall. “I mean, Princess Hotcheeks?! Cake ‘n Bake?! Twiddle Fiddle?! Tinky Winky?! AHAHAHA!”

I was laughing hard as well. Despite having read these fictional letters a few times, I couldn’t read them and not laugh. We’d barely gotten to the sixth letter and the responses, and already about fifteen minutes had passed. A part of me realized just how rare it was to see Celestia letting loose like any other Pony. I actually found her laughter quite enjoyable and lovely. “Hah…hah…this version of Twilight is…hah…just trouble!”

“My sides…my sides!” she gasped, holding onto her stomach as she tried to calm down. “I…I can’t take much more! HAHAHA!”

I almost took video or a few pictures of her laughing like this, but thought better of it. Instead, I exited my Firefox app and put my phone away. “We’d be here all day laughing if I continued,” I said as I wiped my own eyes.

“Heh…heh…yeah, just give…give me a minute,” Celestia said as she took one of the napkins at her place and dabbed at it daintily with her magic.

“You do realize you have hands now, right?” I asked, waving mine up then taking my own cloth napkin and dabbing at my mouth.

“Right…I’m still getting used to this new body,” she said as she grabbed her own napkin and resumed wiping her eyes. After she was finished, she cleared her throat. “Right, there we are. I think I’ve gotten all the giggles out of me now.”

“Are you sure, Princess Smacks-a-lot?”

“AHAHA! Damn you, Jethro!” she said, bursting once more into a fit of giggles.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” I replied, “Seeing you laugh like this makes me happy.”

She smiled through her mirth filled tears and began composing herself once more. “You mean it?”

“I do,” I said. “You put on your Princess persona so much that hardly anyone gets to see the real you. I might be Emperor of Aelyssia now, but I still feel very privileged to see this side of you.”

“I only ever share it with those I treasure deeply,” she said warmly, “and you’re one of those I treasure.”

I felt my face heat up a bit. “That means a lot to me. Thank you.”

“Speaking of Aelyssia, I have a question for you,” Celestia said.

“Sure, go ahead,” I said as I took a bite of my buttered toast.

“Are you here currently as a representative of the Empire of Aelyssia or the Kingdom of Equestria?”

I paused for a moment, then began chewing thoughtfully on my toast. I swallowed, then washed my mouth out with more tea. I grabbed the teapot and poured myself more while saying, “I figured this kind of question would come up. If you want to take away my status as a Knight of Equestria, I’d understand-”

“I won’t do that,” she said sternly.

“Then you’re making this harder for me and for you,” I replied plainly. I pointed to my new crown. “Like it or not, I’m the monarch of a country which, until just a few days ago, was about ready to invade your kingdom. I’m also a Knight of Equestria. How the fuck am I supposed to reconcile this?”

Celestia looked down at her plate, a contemplative look in her eyes. After a while, she looked up at me. “Jethro…you’ve been put in a very hard position. I don’t envy you, and I wish I could do something to help. I can’t just take away your Knight status unless you did something to threaten Equestria, and you haven’t done anything like that. There is an option that could help solve this issue, but I doubt you’d like it, and I very much can guarantee that Princess Ember and the other Dragons will hate it.”

I pointed my fork at her. “You’re talking about a political marriage, aren’t you?”

She sighed and nodded. “I’m not particularly sure what the Aelyssian laws are about that, since the Aelyssian Empire of old fell long before Equestria came into being, but there are ancient laws still applicable in Equestria that state that a Princess, either myself or Luna, can marry a foreign monarch if they wish to form a lasting alliance, or in a rarer case, merge their countries.”

“See, this is one big reason why I was so hesitant to become a ruler of anything,” I said as I angrily stabbed my fork into one of the sausage and jammed it in my mouth, chewing fast and swallowing before continuing. “If I had my way, I’d give the throne to someone like, say, Ember, and abdicate. But something tells me that it isn’t quite that simple. The only other option I can see is to promote someone to become Dragon Lord who can rule like a Regent or something in my stead. But even that just seems like I’d be shirking my duties.”

“You have a very good work ethic,” Celestia said kindly, “and I know you want to do the right thing. I’m sorry I’m making things harder for you.”

I shook my head. “It’s alright. Maybe there’s some ancient law in my new library that can help, but as far as I know, only I know Aelyssian perfectly.”

“There are some artifacts in the Restricted Section that can allow anypony wearing them to be able to read a foreign language,” Celestia explained. “If new sets of eyes is all you require, I can authorize their use by either Twilight, Sunset, or anypony else you want. I also know an ancient spell that can do the same for anypony within the perimeter of its effect.”

“I’d really like that, yeah,” I replied, “but that’s just a small portion of my problems.” I looked at her once more. “The moment I enter the Council room, I can’t be your Knight. I have to be the Emperor.”

“I’m well aware,” she said. “I still wish I could keep you close and protect you. You’re still a citizen of Equestria even if you’re a foreign monarch.”

“And when word gets out that the strange human whose face was plastered all over the world is an Emperor, what then? What happens when the Lycans discover what I am now? The world is changing around me too quickly! All I want to do is go home, spend some relaxing alone time my marefriend, go out on dates with potential members of my potential herd, and live a quiet life!” I found myself clenching onto the sterling silver fork in my hand so hard it was starting to bend. “DOES THE UNIVERSE HATE ME?!”

Celestia stood, rushed over and wrapped one arm around me and placed the other on my head, stroking my long hair gently. My frustration began melting away at her touch and I slowly put down the fork. “I…I’m sorry about the fork,” I said softly. “I’ve got plenty of replacements back in Aelyssia I can give to you as replacements-”

“Hush,” Celestia said softly, “I have plenty spare pieces of silverware that can replace this, but there’s only one you in this world. Regardless of whether or not you’re my Knight or a foreign monarch, aren’t we friends?”

I put my hand over hers, taking it and squeezing. “We will never not be friends, Cellie,” I replied, looking up at her. “I’m sorry for my outburst.”

“You’re frustrated and upset,” Celestia said reassuringly. “I completely understand.” With that, she gave me a gentle squeeze, then released me and returned to her seat.

Surprisingly, I did feel a lot better. Whether it was because of Celestia or the fact that I’d vented a little remained to be seen. I took a deep breath, exhaled and said, “Because we’re friends, I’d like to further apologize in advance.”

“In advance?” she repeated, “What for?”

“If I make you angry or upset by anything I request of the Council or of the Equestrian government as the Emperor of Aelyssia.”

“You’re talking about Chrysalis, aren’t you?” Celestia said.

“I won’t confirm or deny that,” I replied, “but I may make some requests on behalf of my new empire that I’m not sure you’ll like.”

Celestia nodded. “I see. If I do get angry, then I hope you’ll forgive me in advance as well.”

“Always, Cellie.”

She smiled in relief. “Good. Now then, I have another question. How did you appear in my throne room?”

“Ah yes, that,” I said. “Well, why don’t I tell you about all that happened after you left?” I cleared my throat. “So, after I slept that night, I issued the Call of the Dragon Emperor the next morning at breakfast…”

134: A Cloaked Heart's Rankin & Bass Marathon

“So, is this movie meant to be a representation of how Santa might have come to be?” Twilight asked.

“It’s a fictitious account,” I replied. “In reality, Santa Claus was based initially off of a Christian Saint called St. Nicholas. The modern day version of Santa Claus was actually based off of an advertisement for Coca-Cola. I’ll do some more research on that, or you can use that laptop you still have at the library to look stuff up.”

Twilight blushed a bit. “Heh, sorry…it’s just so fascinating! An entire world’s library right at my hooves! And not just books! Videos, research papers, sooo much!”

“Well, computers are pretty cool,” Sunset said. “I wonder if Ponies will ever be able to recreate them?”

“Now that we have access to another Earth, I can go and buy a few and let you examine them,” I said, “but for now, Christmas movies await us.” So saying, I began navigating my folders to the location of the videos. “And this isn’t as scary as A Christmas Carol, Fluttershy.”

The yellow Pegasus, who was now sitting right in my lap, looked up at me and smiled. “I still want to stay here,” she said softly.

“Awww! I wanna cuddle him too!” Pinkie pouted. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Twilight looking a bit eager as well.

I snorted. “Alright, how about this? There are three movies. Fluttershy gets first dibs on my lap since she was here first. Then Pinkie Pie. Then Twilight Sparkle.”

Pinkie beamed happily while Twilight looked nervous, but also excited. “I like that plan!” Pinkie said.

Fluttershy pressed herself closer to me, and I wrapped her in my wings along with a Christmas blanket. “Here we are. Let’s watch, shall we?” I clicked on the video.

“Hang on, isn’t opening a letter not addressed to you a federal offense?” Sunset asked as narrator postman opened the many letters to Santa.

“Shhh, don’t ruin it,” I whispered, “It’s just a children’s film.”

“Yeah, sorry,” she whispered back.

“Awww, those animals are adorable,” Fluttershy whispered at me.

“Yes, yes they are,” I said with a smile.

“His name is really Burgermeister Meisterburger?” Rainbow Dash snorted in amusement as the antagonist was introduced. “That’s like calling me Rainbow Dash Dash Rainbow!”

“It’s probably just some funny name,” I said.

“But aren’t those old German helmets?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah, you’re right, but hush,” I said.

“I don’t like him already,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Winter Warlock?” Twilight muttered. “Huh…interesting name.”

“Aww, those animals saved little Claus,” Fluttershy cooed happily.

“I do hope the little darling wasn’t hurt in that fall,” Rarity said.

“He’s fine,” I chuckled.

“Haha! Those elves have such silly voices,” Pinkie giggled. “Did they inhale helium?”

“They’re elves,” I replied. “They’re meant to have silly voices.”

“I must say, those elves have simple but somehow festive clothes,” Rarity said. “I wonder if I could use that color scheme…”

I rolled my eyes and continued watching.

“Awww…all those unplayed with toys,” Pinkie said sadly.

“Couldn’t they just go around the mountain?” Scarlet asked. “Sure, it’d take longer, but it would be worth it.”

“And there’d be no story,” Sunset smirked.

“Hehe, the soldiers are standing erect,” Scarlet whispered into my ears seductively.

“You behave or you get a spanking,” I whispered back.

“Promise?” she winked.

I sighed and ignored the giggling horndog mare.

“When you’re the first toymaker to the king!” Pinkie sang out loudly.

“Aww, animals teach me a lot too,” Fluttershy said with the most adorable voice as Kris learned how to laugh from them.

“I’ve got a feeling I’ll begin learning some things too,” I whispered.

“That’s a mighty unusual critter,” Applejack said as Topper appeared on the screen. “what’s a penguin, anyway?”

“They’re flightless birds that live in the south pole back on Earth,” I explained.

“That one looks adorable in that scarf,” Fluttershy cooed.

“I wonder why the penguin wore black and yellow,” Rarity muttered.

“Wow, he actually made toys illegal?” Spike asked. “That’s like if Princess Celestia made books illegal.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “Don’t even joke about that!”

“That dress that human mare is wearing is simply gorgeous!” Rarity said. “And why am I seeing sparks flying between her and Kris?”

“Are you gonna make new clothes for every film we watch?” I teased. “I still have that Aragorn cosplay outfit you made for me after you watched The Fellowship Of The Ring.”

“I can’t help it, darling! Your culture has been an amazing muse!”

“Is it just me, or is this song a bit creepy?” Scarlet whispered to me as Kris Kringle was singing If You Sit On My Lap Today. “A kiss for a toy? Screams creep to me.”

“This was made back in 1970,” I whispered back. “It was a different time. It’s meant to be more innocent I think.”

“Why is this song so creepy?” Sunset echoed.

“Ugh…”

“Oh dear, he’s about to meet the Winter Warlock again, isn’t he?” Mica asked as Kris fled from the Burgermeister’s soldiers.

“I hope he turns out okay,” Fluttershy murmured.

I reached down and stroked her mane gently. “He’ll be fine,” I said. “Just watch.”

“Why can I see Fluttershy doing something like this to get the Winter Warlock to turn good?” Rainbow Dash asked.

I stroked Fluttershy’s mane again. “Because she’s the epitome of kindness. She turned a manticore from a growling menace to a happy kitten.”

Fluttershy blushed.

As Kris, Topper and the other animals walked through the snow door, a few of the mares in the room all went “Aww!”

“I really think this movie would go over well with the foals in town,” Zecora said. She’d been silent most of the time, simply enjoying the movie and snuggling close to me. “They might even hope to see Santa Claus.”

“That gives me an idea,” I said, “but I’ll look into it later.”

“What do you get if you’ve been naughty?” Pinkie asked.

I paused the movie for a bit, then turned to the pink mare. “They won’t share it here, but traditionally, if Santa though you were naughty, you’d get coal for a present,” I explained.

“Why coal?” Twilight asked. “That’s a useful gift.”

“Useful and finite,” I said. “I’m not sure where that tradition came from, to be honest. Good girls and boys would get presents, and bad ones got lumps of coal in their stockings.”

“Stockings? What do you mean by that?” Rarity asked curiously.

I pointed to the mantle, where I’d hung a large red and white stocking with my name on it. It was my old stocking, made by my mother and the writing on it bore her handwriting. “It’s a Christmas tradition to hang stockings by the fireplace or somewhere so that Santa can stuff them with more presents,” I said. “It comes from a legend about the original Saint Nicholas. Apparently, he saved three young girls from going down a path of ill deeds by dropping bags of gold into them so that their father could pay a dowry so they could get married. Again, this is just a story. The real origins of the traditions come from many different events.”

“Ooooh, I can’t wait to research them!” Twilight exclaimed eagerly.

“Egghead,” Rainbow smirked.

“Well-read!” Twilight and I both said simultaneously.

“Jinx! You owe each other a Coke!” Scarlet grinned.

“You’re so weird,” I grinned.

“Holidays are comin’! Holidays are comin’! Always Coca-Cola!” Sunset sang as I resumed the movie.

“Jesus, now I’m craving a Coke,” I sighed.

“Normally, I would be against stockings being used in such a manner,” Rarity said, “but this Kris is ingenious, hiding toys in stockings like that.”

“I should do the same with my family!” Pinkie giggled. “Nopony’d know!”

“Heh, have fun there, Pinkie,” I said.

“I really don’t like this Burgermeister,” Pinkie said, her ears flattened as the animated villain burned the pile of toys.

“He was being cruel to that poor penguin, too,” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“I wonder why he’s like that?” Twilight wondered in a subdued voice.

“Ah can’t rightly say,” Applejack said, “but ah can’t help but wanna knock some sense into him.”

“It’s just a movie, guys,” I said.

“Did Jessica just go full Pinkie Pie?” Scarlet asked during Jessica’s song.

“What do you mean?” I asked. Pinkie also looked curious.

“She’s more colorful than before,” Scarlet explained, “just like how Pinkie was after she got her cutie mark.”

“Oooh, she did get more colorful!” Pinkie said in realization.

“Guess you’re right about that part,” I said.

“I must make a dress like hers,” Rarity said. “It’s quite lovely.”

“I really wanna know how Winter became disenchanted,” Twilight muttered to herself. “Was it a result of him becoming good? I mean, we saw the same thing with Princess Luna…”

“You know, it’s weird that they have flying reindeer there,” Sunset said. “I know we have them here, too.”

“Hehe, good,” I said.

“You’re planning something, aren’t you dearest?” Zecora whispered.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“I do love a good romance,” Rarity said, “but it is going a bit fast.”

“It’s a children’s program, Rares,” I said. “Short programs held attention better.”

“I suppose,” she shrugged.

“Jethro, isn’t Earth’s North Pole directly over ocean?” Twilight asked. “Why there? Wouldn’t the castle be structurally unsound?”

“Twilight, don’t ruin the story!” Rainbow said in annoyance.

“Oh, sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“That’s just the legend,” I chuckled.

“That’s a beautiful message,” Rarity said during the ending before Fred Astaire began singing. “I can see how this Christmas and Hearth’s Warming are similar.”

“Ah wholeheartedly agree.” Applejack said.

“Peace on Equestria, good will towards all,” Twilight said.

“Think Princess Celestia would go for that being Hearth’s Warming’s motto?” Spike asked.

“Pretty sure that’d be an amazing way to spread it,” I said.

“I can make banners saying that,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy snuggled closer. “It’s a beautiful message,” she said.

“Eh, normally I’m not into the mushy stuff, but yeah, it’s a good message,” Rainbow said.

“So, what’s the next movie?” Spike asked eagerly as the first movie ended.

I smiled. “Well, the second one is a favorite of mine. One with a message all its own.” I maneuvered towards the second video. “This one is titled The Year Without A Santa Claus.”

“That doesn’t sound like a happy story,” Pinkie said worriedly as she came over and climbed onto my lap while Fluttershy reluctantly vacated. She looked up at me. “It’s not too bad, is it?”

I ran my hand through her soft fluffy mane. “Well, you’ll just watch and see what it’s about,” I said as I clicked on it. The screen hovering in front of us went black and the movie began.

“Poor Santa doesn’t sound too good,” Pinkie observed during the first scene as Santa lay back in bed.

“Overworking can have negative effects on somepony,” Twilight said.

“Don’t I know that,” Spike said softly.

Twilight’s ears flattened a bit at that. A while ago, I’d talked to Twilight about how the show version of her had treated Spike. Her and her friends. Ever since then, she’d been trying her best not to go down a similar path. “Spike, I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s fine,” he said reassuringly.

“That doctor really is crotchety,” Applejack observed as the scene shifted to the elf doctor looking a sick Santa over.

“I’m not sure just anyone can be Santa Claus,” Scarlet said with a frown as Mrs. Claus sang.

“I think she’s just trying to help,” Fluttershy, who now sat in the same pink bean bag Pinkie had, said.

“Still, it’s kind of a weird message, especially when Santa’s feeling so low,” Pinkie said.

“Maybe so, but I still think she’s trying to help,” Fluttershy retorted.

“Maybe,” Scarlet trailed off thoughtfully.

“Those Miser brothers sound pretty mean,” Pinkie said.

“Here they are,” I said as the two brothers appeared on screen.

“Quite the clashing pair,” Rarity said as Mrs. Claus talked about them.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy exclaimed as Heat Miser shot down Jingle, Jangle and Vixen.

“That’s just wrong!” Rainbow frowned. “Even I wouldn’t do that!”

“Poor Vixen,” Fluttershy said when Jangle observed that the young doe was looking sick. “She shouldn’t be so far south.”

“Deer are northern animals back on Earth,” I said, “and I suspect the Deerfolk here are similar.”

“From what I know about them and their culture, yes.” Twilight said.

“Believing in Santa isn’t for little kids!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’d like to believe in him!”

I pulled Pinkie down and turned her to face me. She didn’t look too happy, but I reached and scratched behind her ear. “Relax, Pinks,” I smiled. “Just keep watching. And congrats. You’re the first Pony to believe in Santa Claus.”

“He’s a nice human,” she said, nuzzling into my hand affectionately.

“Yes he is,” I said as the movie continued.

“Well ah’ll be…ah like Iggy’s father already,” Applejack said after Iggy’s dad admitted he believed in Santa. “Iggy’s kind of a brat right now.”

“Just wait,” I said, “He gets better.”

“Ah hope so,” Applejack said.

“You know, even if Santa doesn’t exist,” Twilight said softly, “he’s a good symbol. That’s the impression I’m getting. Am I wrong?” She looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.

“He’s one symbol for all things wonderful during the Christmas season,” I agreed.

“A perfect example of the generosity of the season, Christmas or Hearth’s Warming,” Rarity observed with approval. “Giving without asking for anything in return.”

“I wish I could be Santa,” Pinkie said.

“You’d make a great Santa,” I said, wrapping her closer to me. I heard her purring contentedly.

“Why aren’t those three going to the pound to check to see if Vixen’s actually there?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, I’m with you there,” Mica agreed.

“Nobody’s perfect,” I reminded them.

“Snow Miser’s a fun guy,” Pinkie giggled during the Snow Miser song. “He’s Mr. White Christmas, He’s Mr. Snow. He’s Mr. Icicle! He’s Mr. Ten Below!”

“He does seem like a plum pleasant-ish feller,” Applejack said, “but ah dunno…there’s somethin’ about him that seems weird.”

“You never told me Heat Miser lived in Mount Doom,” Scarlet giggled.

“Where else would he live?” I chuckled.

“Princess Luna would have a fit if she saw him melting the moon,” Twilight said.

“Yes, yes she would,” I agreed.

“Wouldn’t having a summer day at the North Pole be disastrous for the environment?” Twilight asked.

“Oh trust me, humans are doing a fine job ruining the North Pole without his help,” Sunset smirked.

“Yet another reason why I’m glad I’m here and not there,” I admitted.

“Is it weird that ah don’t like it when them brothers are fightin’?” Applejack asked.

“I might fight with Sweetie Belle sometimes, but I always try and make up,” Rarity added.

“Did Mrs. Claus really tell on the brothers by going to their mother?” Scarlet asked with an amused smile.

“Yes, yes she did,” Sunset laughed.

“That’s harsh.”

I shook my head in amusement and pulled both Scarlet and Zecora closer. Pinkie nuzzled closer. “I hated being told on as a filly,” she said softly.

I stroked her mane. “Yeah, I can only imagine.”

“You can tell this was made decades ago,” Sunset said. “Look at the racial stereotypes for those children.”

“Don’t ruin it, phoenix girl,” I muttered with a playful glare. One she matched back.

“After all that effort, Santa goes back to his job?” Twilight asked.

“He’s got a big heart,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah…yeah he does,” Pinkie said with a smile.

“Ah might be a workin’ Pony,” Applejack said as the credits rolled, “but even ah need a breather now and then. And travelin’ the world in a single night? Ah doubt even Rainbow Dash could pull that off.”

“I’m fast, but I’d need to go really fast to do what Santa does,” Rainbow admitted.

“And he’d need to break so many scientific laws, too,” Twilight said.

“Magic really has no rules,” I said.

“Maybe in your myths,” Twilight argued, “but here there are plenty of rules! We can’t just go breaking every scientific law!”

I held out my hand, pointing towards a pillow. “Teacup.” With that, a beam of magic shot out and the pillow changed into a pink teacup with a purple swirling pattern around it. The base and handle were a similar shade of purple. I floated it over to me and caught it. “This can’t just happen, Twilight. That pillow was bigger than the teacup.” I pointed again. “Pillow.” The teacup reverted to the same pillow as before.

“You…just did a transfiguration spell!?” Twilight gaped in awe at me.

“Nothing fancy,” I said. “Just something I saw in an episode of the show.”

“This is huge! You’re learning so fast!” Twilight said excitedly.

“Think you could transform something into a glass of eggnog?” Pinkie asked sheepishly.

“I’ve made an eggnog addict,” I groaned as I stroked her mane. “I don’t think I can do that quite yet,” I added. “So…sorry.”

“It’s okay! I’ll make more later!” Pinkie giggled, jumping out of my lap and bouncing over to Twilight. “Okay, Twilight! Your turn! His lap is cooomfy! And he gives some of the best ear scritches!” She all but hoisted the startled Unicorn up and a few seconds later plopped her in my lap. “Have fuuuun!” And with that, she jumped into the bean bag where Twilight had just been, snuggling into it.

Twilight looked up at me, an awkward smile on her face. I reached down and put a hand on her head. “Sorry,” I said softly.

“N-No, it’s alright,” she said reassuringly. “It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.” Her tail fluttered a bit as I began stroking her mane. “Oh…I forgot how good that feels. It’s so…relaxing.”

“Well, don’t go relaxing just yet,” I chuckled. “We still have one more film to watch. Ladies and gentlemen-”

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” Twilight automatically corrected me.

“…Don’t start,” I teased before I maneuvered the mouse to the third and final Rankin & Bass film, “may I present one of my favorite stop motion Christmas animations of all time: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

“That Mrs. Claus looks kinda mean,” Pinkie observed when Santa and Mrs. Claus appeared.

“Are these stories not in the same continuity?” Sunset asked.

“This isn’t the MCU, Sunny,” I chuckled.

“Fine, fine,” Sunset said, waving her hoof.

“How in the bloomin’ apples does that reindeer have a shinin’ nose?” Applejack asked.

“I’ve no idea,” I said, “but I’ve seen in the show that you guys not only have flying reindeer, but that their horns glow when they fly.”

“Did Santa really say that he hopes his nose stops glowing?” Scarlet asked.

“That’s pretty mean,” Pinkie said. “Who wants to be normal?”

“Certainly not you, darling,” Rarity giggled.

“Why do I have a feeling that this is gonna be a story about accepting other differences?” Sunset said as Hermie appeared on the screen.

“He didn’t get a break? That’s a toxic work environment,” Rarity said.

This coming from the same Pony who had her friends work in sweat shop-like conditions to make clothes out of window shades, I thought, but I immediately had to remind myself that this wasn’t the same Rarity. I nodded. “Everyone needs a break.”

“I…wanna hug that poor buck,” Pinkie said. “He needs a big party!”

“Yes, yes he does,” Fluttershy said.

“Hiding such a beautiful gift is criminal,” Rarity said.

“How is this a children’s program?” Scarlet asked.

“Different time, remember?” I said.

“Am I seeing sparks again between Rudolph and Clarise?” Rarity asked.

“That’s what I’m seeing,” Pinkie said.

“Why is Santa being so mean in this movie?” Pinkie asked, her ears deflated a bit. “Isn’t he meant to be a nice guy?”

“The story called for it, I guess,” Twilight replied, a sad look in her eyes. “Reminds me of…well, of how we all treated Zecora.” She looked past me at my fiancée with a sorrowful and apologetic look in her eyes.

Zecora only smiled down at her. “My dear mare, be not distressed. That is all in the past. You learned the lesson already.”

The Ponies in the room all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at her words.

“Is that Bumble monster really as big as a mountain?!” Applejack asked incredulously.

“Not sure why you’re surprised,” I said. “Plenty of beings here are massive. And he isn’t that big. You’ll see later on.”

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said.

“I like Yukon Cornelius. He’s funny,” Pinkie giggled as the aforementioned character was introduced.

“He’s definitely a solid character,” I said. “Just wait.”

“Superior intelligence equals running like crazy?” Twilight chuckled.

“Now ah see how big that Bumble is,” Applejack said.

“So now Donner feels bad? He should have been better than that before,” Fluttershy said in a surprisingly angry tone. “I wouldn’t do that if I had a foal!”

I didn’t miss the sideways glance she gave me. I nodded. “I know how you feel, Flutters. I’m the same way.”

“Man, they’re really shoving the misfit lesson down your throat, aren’t they?” Sunset chuckled.

“Coming from a misfit in Equestria, it’s a good lesson to learn,” I said.

“But you’re not a misfit,” Rarity said.

“Heh, I’ve been lucky,” I said.

“Those toys all look really fun,” Pinkie said. “I’d play with them, and I know other foals would too.”

“I should start a weekly movie night or something and show you all the Toy Story movies,” I said out of nowhere. “I think the foals would enjoy that.”

“I can ask the mayor about it,” Twilight said helpfully.

Her smile returned when I stroked her mane. “I’ll do that later, Twi.”

“Wow…Rudolph’s attitude reminds me of somepony here,” Rarity said as she gave me a knowing look. “Self-sacrificial much?”

“You Ponies would tear me a new one if I did that,” I said sheepishly.

Twilight snuggled up closer. “You’re never alone here, you know that right?” she asked softly.

“I do,” I said gently as I stroked her mane.

“Wow, talk about rotten luck,” Rainbow said as the storm hit. “Shame they didn’t have me there. I’d have taken care of that storm in ten seconds flat!”

“I don’t doubt it,” I agreed with her.

“They’ve been looking for months? That’s real loyalty!” Rainbow said again as Burl Ives talked about how Yukon and Hermie had been searching.

“True friendship means sticking by them through thick and thin,” Twilight agreed.

“Damn right!” Spike said, giving me a knowing nod.

Twilight gave me a sharp look. “You’ve been a bad influence on him,” she said quietly.

“Yes, dear,” I said with a sigh.

That put her off her guard and she blushed.

“Did…Hermie really pull out all of the Bumble’s teeth?!” Fluttershy asked in horror. “That poor creature! How will he eat??”

“Yeah, that is a bit dark,” I agreed. “But plenty of children’s stories have dark parts in them. Human ones, anyway.”

“Yay! Yukon’s alive!” Pinkie squealed happily at the reveal. “But how did he survive?”

“Didn’t I ever tell you about Bumbles? Bumble’s bounce!”

“Never mind.”

“He still has no teeth,” Fluttershy said mournfully.

“It’s just a movie, Flutters,” I said. “It’s not real.”

“Yeah…I guess.” I made a mental note to hug the poor Pegasus later.

“So…what’s the lesson? If you’re a misfit, it’s best to have a useful talent for society?” Sunset asked.

“I think it’s more that there’s always a place for someone in society no matter what,” I replied.

“That’s just a more positive spin on it,” Sunset said.

“Again, different time,” I said.

“I liked those films,” Pinkie said as we began to reset the living room. “They’re cute.”

“When they’re not making sense,” Twilight said.

“Making sense? But where’s the fun in making sense?” I asked in my best John de Lancie impression. Clearing my throat, I continued, “Again, these were made for human children. Just like My Little Pony, they’re meant to teach them life lessons and be entertaining.”

Twilight, who really didn’t want to get off my lap, looked up at me. “Speaking of, can we watch any more of those episodes sometime?”

“Maybe,” I said. “It’ll have to be from the first season. But that’s about it.”

“Awww, I wanted to see more!” Pinkie pouted.

“Like what? A lot of the events from the first season have already happened. Out of order, but they’ve happened. Fluttershy being a model, the CMC forming, Trixie, the thing with Gilda-”

“You saw Gilda?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

“Not in person, but on the show,” I said. “And I should probably say something about that.” I looked up at Rainbow. “I have a feeling that the reason for Gilda’s attitude isn’t as clear cut as you think. I don’t know her, but from what I saw in the episode and from what I saw in another episode featuring her, she probably wanted to spend time with you and Pinkie was getting in the way of that. How long was she in town for?”

“Not long,” Rainbow admitted.

“Was I really getting in the way?” Pinkie asked.

“Don’t beat yourself up about that, Pinks,” I quickly said, “I know how excitable you can get. And yes, Gilda did some mean pranks in the episode I saw, so she isn’t completely at fault here. There’s fault on both sides, I think. But I know something about her that no one here does. She lives in Griffonstone, and currently that place is a dump. It’s fallen into disrepair ever since they lost the Idol of Boreas. They don’t even have a king anymore.”

Twilight looked up at me in shock. “They…don’t?”

Rainbow and Pinkie both looked a bit unsettled by this news as well. “She lives in a dump?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m sure the show glossed over how bad it might have been,” I said, “but yes. Griffons aren’t really living very well. Remember what the Griffon ambassadors said at the council? They couldn’t help since they had their own issues. If I had to guess, the Griffons are all suffering from either some kind of communal depression or an identity crisis.”

“I…I think I’ll write her a letter,” Rainbow said softly.

“Good idea,” I said. “Shame I couldn’t meet her. She turns out okay in the show in the end. I know deep down she misses you.”

“Yeah…I guess I miss her too,” Rainbow said.

“Dashy, I’m sorry.” Pinkie said.

“Gilda isn’t guiltless either,” I repeated. “Remember, she pretty much terrorized Fluttershy. Living in a gutter and selling scones without baking powder or not, there’s no excuse for some of her behavior. Still, I’d like to meet her sometime,” I admitted.

Rainbow smiled a bit. “I’ll tell her you said that. I’m sure that’ll surprise her. Jethro, Emperor of all Dragons, wants to meet a simple Griffon.”

“Indeed,” I chuckled as I finally stood, lifting Twilight up and holding her in my arms. “But it’s getting late, and I’m sure everyone here is getting tired. So let’s break out the sleeping bags or blankets and bedding or whatever you want and we can get some shuteye, huh?”

“I call dibs on sleeping next to Jethy!” Pinkie said, zooming to my side.

“Um…can I do that too?” Fluttershy asked. “He has two sides, you know.”

“What about the actual members of his herd?” Scarlet asked in a teasing tone.

“Oh, um, then…never mind,” Fluttershy said, quickly retracting her statement.

“Relax, Flutters,” Scarlet said, flying up next to her and putting her hoof on Fluttershy’s back. “We get to sleep with Jethro all the time. This week is gonna be special for everyone. You all can snuggle him as much as you want.”

“Provided he is okay with it,” Zecora added.

“Cuddling with the most adorable Ponies in the universe?” I asked. “Who could say no to that?”

“Yay!” Pinkie said excitedly.

“Yay…” Fluttershy said with a warm and excited smile of her own.

Twilight looked up at me, smiling a bit as well. “Thank you, Jethro,” she said softly.

“You all are too cute to deny,” I said with a smile. “So let’s get things set up, okay?”

And that was how I found myself surrounded by the most adorable mares in Equestria. I was lying on a comfortable mat in front of the fireplace, which was still roaring with a massive fire which Twilight had enchanted to keep going for at least half the night. I was lying on my back, with Pinkie Pie lying right under my blanket to my right, both her forelegs wrapped around one arm, Fluttershy to my left with one wing placed on my chest, and Twilight lying directly on top of me, curled up under a blanket of her own. I’d always loved the feeling of something heavy being on top of me whenever I lay down, and while Twilight wasn’t really heavy, the presence of three amazing and beautiful Ponies all around me made me feel safe and secure.

The others were scattered around the room. Rarity was sleeping on one of the couches underneath a fancy looking quilt. Spike was on the floor next to her, lying underneath one of my spare blankets and a mat as well, already snoring. Rainbow Dash was on one of the other couches as well, curled up in one of the cutest poses I’d seen her in.

To my surprise, Applejack had made a spot very near me. She made the excuse that it was for my protection. I knew better than to say anything whenever she was this stubborn, so I let it go. She was lying on a mat of her own and an old quilt with an apple tree image sewn into it.

Mica had actually returned to his room to sleep. When Spike had asked if he wanted to stay, he politely declined, stating that he had a hard time sleeping in a new spot.

Sunset had taken the last couch and was already completely sound asleep, breathing regularly. Her mane was already a mess, and I remembered the small Equestria Girls short that showed her hair being a mess.

Zecora and Scarlet were sleeping near me as well, curled up each under blankets of their own. Zecora wasn’t using a mat, proving to me how tough my fiancée really was. Scarlet, too, was sleeping on the carpet. I had to remind myself that she had lived alone in this house when it was falling apart, so she was tougher than she looked.

I was the only one awake, the only sounds coming from the roaring fire near my head and the breathing (and snoring) of those around me. It was so relaxing that I was about to fall asleep. My eyes were closed and I was just about to pass into dreamland when something soft and warm pressed against my lips.

Opening my eyes wide, I found myself staring into two gorgeous purple eyes. Eyes which widened in fear as their owner moved away. “Ah, I’m sorry,” Twilight said with a terrified tone. “I just…I didn’t-”

I put a wing over her mouth gently. “Shhh…you were just curious, right?” I asked softly. When she nodded, I smiled. “Well? How was it?”

She relaxed and lay back down on top of me. “Best…feeling…ever…” and with a peaceful smile on her lips, she fell asleep instantly.

I stroked her mane gently with my wing. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, Twilight…very glad…”

153: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 1

Author's Note

Finally finished these two chapters. Time for the Aelyssian Rebuilding Arc.

153: A Cloaked Heart's Return to Aelyssia Pt. 1

“Jethy, are you sure you can’t stay for the New Years Bash?” Pinkie asked the next afternoon as Zecora, Scarlet and were packing enough for an extended journey. The living room was a mess, one which Twilight was frantically trying to organize with her magic. “It’s one of the biggest, most funnest super duper parties in Ponyville!”

“She’s right, yah know,” Applejack added as I threw a pair of jeans into one of my suitcases, only for it to be surrounded by a blue magical aura as Rarity folded and placed it neatly on top of the other clothes. “Pinkie here pulls out all the stops. Ah even hear she’s invitin’ the Princesses this year.”

“I really wish I could, believe me,” I replied as I grabbed another shirt and tossed it in, with Rarity immediately folding it in a huff. “But I swore that I’d return to the Dragons by the first of the year. I need to be there. Besides, if I manage it, I can use those instant doors to create a shortcut between Aelyssia and Equestria, meaning I can rule from here.”

“You sure you can’t let us come along?” Rainbow asked. She might not have shown it, but I could tell she was worried. She wore her emotions on her sleeve.

“I’ll need to do this without official help from Equestria,” I replied as I heard someone walking down the stairs. I saw a bipedal blue Dragoness walking into the living room with a suitcase full of whatever she’d thrown in. “Dragons are rather independent. They might be willing to accept some help in the future, but as long as I am their Emperor, I’ll respect their feelings on the matter. Right, Lady Hand?”

Ember turned and faced the Ponies in the room. She put her hands on her hips and said, “Dragons don’t like accepting help from others. We have a certain pride to maintain.”

“What pride?” Adagio asked as she and the other two Sirens came downstairs, also carrying suitcases. “From what I’ve been told, the Dragon Lands went to shit with your father.”

Ember whirled on the Dazzling leader. “We still have some pride left, bitch!”

“Knock it off, you two,” I said with a warning tone as my front door opened and Sunset, who was carrying a few bags of her own, walked in. “Hey, Sunset. You could have just waited at the docks for us, you know?”

“And miss being warm for a little while longer?” she retorted with a smirk. “Nah, I’m good.”

I smirked and shook my head. From the staircase, someone else began walking down. I turned and saw Chrysalis, wearing a pair of black sweatpants which only seemed to hug her curves and a gray hoodie with a depiction of the original U.S.S. Enterprise from Star Trek on the chest. She pulled down on the hoodie and grimaced. “I was once a leader of a great nation,” she muttered as she put her bags down and stretched, showing off her cleavage. “Now? Now I’m reduced to this freaky form and wearing these constricting clothes.”

“Do be careful!” Rarity shouted, looking at Chrysalis with narrowed eyes, “I altered those clothes for Jethro, and I won’t have you tearing them!”

“Ladies, no fighting in my house,” I warned.

“At least wait until we make the mud pit for you to wrestle in,” Scarlet joked with a grin.

I smacked her upside the head. “Not the time, babe,” I warned.

“Sorry, force of habit,” she said as she went back to her packing.

I sighed and turned to the group of women who would be joining me. “Sunset, Chrysalis, Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Gemini, Mica and Ember, please have a seat,” I said, gesturing to the couches. They all did so, focusing their attention on me. I stood in front of my lounge chair then turned to the Mane Six and Spike. “Girls, Spike, could I have the living room for a bit? I need to say something to everyone else here.”

Twilight was about to say something, but stopped, then nodded. She grabbed the suitcases with her magic and headed down the hall towards the sunroom with the others. Spike was the last to leave, looking almost reluctant to do so. However, Rarity put a hoof on his back, gave him a reassuring look, and headed out.

When they were gone, I turned back to the mismatched assortment. Zecora stood to my right and Scarlet to my left as moral support as I began. “Right. As of now, I’m talking to you as the Emperor of Aelyssia.” I stood taller and looked at them all. Ember had a look of stoic obedience, Sunset looked at me curiously, Adagio and Aria had a somewhat resigned look on their faces, Sonata was more curious than the other two, and Chrysalis just looked bored; the physical embodiment of ‘Let’s get this over with’. I continued. “Today, we head back to Aelyssia and begin the first steps of its reconstruction and eventual return to greatness as it was all those years ago. Everyone here will have a part in the reconstruction of Virynth Atheos. Some of you are heading there to pay a penance back to those you have wronged in the form of community service, but be forewarned: This will not be an easy task. Some of you may have had it easy in the past, but there may come a time when you beg to be thrown in the dungeons. I won’t let you. The city of Virynth Atheos was once a beautiful city. It housed many Dragons from each part of the old Empire, and the lands surrounding it were once fertile and green. Aelyssia will rise from the ashes once more and become a respected nation. I am well aware of the stereotypes that follow modern Dragons around like a curse: how they attack and eat other sentient creatures or how they hoard treasure. I have it on good authority that Dragons didn’t always have that stereotype. The old Emperors were once stewards of the rising of the sun and moon before the Ponies formed Equestria. Five Dragon races once lived in, and I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but they lived in harmony with each other. Yes, I know it sounds corny, but it’s true. It was only due to their fear of the Wyvern race of Dragon that things fell. There is only one Wyvern in existence as far as I’m aware, and I have knighted him. He is the Hero of Aelyssia because he saved my life from certain death, and for that he has received the gift of a new body and the gifts of the Phoenix.”

I took a deep breath and looked at the gathered group of various creatures. Everyone was looking at me now, and even Chrysalis now looked at me with a somewhat more serious look than before. “Allow me to clarify what everyone here will be doing for the beginning of this reconstruction.” I gestured for Ember to stand and join me. Confused, she did just that. I put my hand on her shoulder and felt her tense up a bit at the unbidden contact. “This, as you all know, is Princess Ember. She is the daughter of former Dragon Lord Torch. Torch was a member of the family who served as the Emperor’s regent of sorts for the duration of the Empire’s history. As such, now that he is dead the task of Dragon Lord goes to her by blood. However, the title Dragon Lord has been outdated for centuries. Now, she is the Hand of the Emperor. She will rule over Aelyssia in my absence. She is a capable leader and I trust that those here who will be spending time rebuilding will listen to her as if she is me.”

I turned next to Gemini. “Gemini, you were once the general of the Lycan military. This isn’t an order yet, but would you at some point in the future willing to start training some willing Dragons how to properly fight? Right now, there is no standing army, only guards. and I would like to have one in place just in case. Mica, too if possible.”

Gemini looked thoughtful at the thought, then said, “Not sure how I can do that. I can’t fly.”

“I know, but you can at least teach them some of the fighting styles you’ve been teaching me,” I replied. “And besides, you can introduce some order into their ranks. If anyone can keep an army in line, it’s you.”

“I suppose I can teach them a few things,” Gemini said.

“Mica could be your partner in showing them,” I replied.

“I’ll…think about that one,” she said.

“I’d be okay with it if it means they’ll learn something,” Mica said.

Gemini looked at her brother and a look of sisterly worry passed over her face. Finally, however, she sighed and nodded. “Alright, that’s fine. What should we do in the meantime?”

“There are Dragon guards,” I explained. “I’d like you to talk to my guard Lahar about how they are trained and observe them to see how well they can work and if they need more training.”

Gemini nodded. “I can do that.”

Next, I turned to Chrysalis and the Dazzlings. “Adagio Dazzling, Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk and Chrysalis. You four will be working to help rebuild the capital. I will personally see to it, however, that none of you are harassed by any of the Dragons. Especially you, Chrysalis.” I turned to her. “The Dragons will not be pleased to see you.”

“That’s an understatement,” Ember said, glowering at Chrysalis. “A lot of them will call for your head on a pike.”

“Jesus Christ…isn’t that a bit harsh?” Sunset asked.

“Stop right there,” I said before Ember could say anything. Chrysalis had a look of worry on her face now as I turned to the Dragon. “Ember, I get it. You’re angry at her for what she did. She’s no saint, I know, but I believe she deserves another chance. She needs to know what it’s like at the bottom. She’s never been humbled before. Not in the way that you have. You’ve lived in a cave for a hundred years, taking care of yourself. It matured you. She needs to learn that type of maturity. Besides, nominally, she’s my slave. Even so, I want you to ensure that she is protected.”

Ember glared at me, but after a few seconds of me not looking away and matching her stare, she nodded. “I understand, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“I know,” I replied before turning to the Dazzlings. “You three are also guilty of crimes against Equestria, but thanks to a deal worked out between me and Princesses Celestia and Luna, you will be working out your punishment the same way Chrysalis will be. That, and I will be asking for your help at some point down the line to search for other Sirens. I want to know if they’re still around and if so I want to extend a hand to them and help. Especially if they’re still dwindling in number. Having an all-female race can’t be easy.”

“You’ve no idea,” Adagio grumbled.

Sonata smacked her lightly upside the head, then she straightened ant looked at me. “I know we’ve committed crimes on Earth and on Equestria,” she said, “so just…we’ll gladly help. Right girls? Riiiight?” She looked at the other two with a warning glare.

Adagio sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I know…”

“Good.” I turned to Sunset. “Sunset Shimmer, you’re coming with me on orders from Princess Celestia to make up for your crimes against Equestria and the world. You will be helping organizing the ancient library underneath the city. And you will be sworn to secrecy about the contents,” I quickly added when I saw the look of worry on Ember’s face. “Even from the Princesses of Equestria.”

Sunset looked at me with a frown. “A secret from Equestria?”

“Yes. I don’t know what Aelyssian secrets might be in that library, but even if Aelyssia and Equestria are allies currently, national security is still a thing I take seriously,” I said. “Don’t worry, Celestia and Luna both know about this and approve. They want a friendly relationship with Aelyssia and don’t want to break their trust.”

“I’ll be surprised if there’s anything down there,” Ember said. “Probably all rotten.”

“That’s what we’ll be checking out when we get there,” I replied. “I know most of you aren’t happy with what’s going to happen, but since you’re all my responsibility, I expect you to be on your best behavior.”

“We aren’t children,” Adagio grumbled, before turning to Sonata. “Well, I know I’m not…”

“Hey!” Sonata said with a pout.

“Are there any questions?” I asked, looking around the room.

“Are we working dawn till dusk?” Aria asked, a hint of worry in her tone.

I shook my head. “I’ve worked it so that the reconstruction of the capital city will be in shifts,” I said. “If you want to work longer, that’s your call. Any other questions?” When there was nothing else, I nodded. “Okay, I assume you’re all packed up and ready to go. We’ll be leaving the house in half an hour.” I turned to the stairs. “I need to change…”

About fifteen minutes later, I came back downstairs. The Mane Six and Spike had since rejoined the others in the living room. I came down wearing the royal clothes that Rarity had touched up, both the Phoenix Resplendent’s sword and Eclipse strapped to me, and a large overcoat covering everything to keep the royal clothes clean while we were flying. I looked around at the many faces looking my way. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the gathered crowd. “Okay…time to go. I can store all of our luggage in here.” I touched the necklace around my neck, and all the luggage on the floor began hovering before vanishing in a small pop, entering whatever micro-dimension the Phoenix hoard had been transported in.

And speaking of Phoenixes, Eve and Hestia had appeared and were now standing on my shoulders. “You didn’t think you’d be leaving without us, did you?” Hestia asked, smacking me a bit on the head with her wing.

“We go you go,” Eve said in her broken English before switching to Phoenix. “We aren’t leaving you.”

I smiled. “Who else can keep the Dazzlings in line?” I smirked.

“Hey! I resent that!” Adagio shouted.

Ignoring them, I walked to the door, grabbed the Staff of Ignu which had been leaning against the door, and headed out into the crisp clear sunny winter day. The others followed, each carrying their bags. Ember had the Bloodstone Scepter in one claw while her bags were in the other claw. Like she had been doing lately, she was wearing clothes, some thick ancient Dragon style clothes I’d discovered in her size in the Phoenix Hoard around my neck. She looked like someone who was about to go LARPing, thick boots, light beige pants, a dark leather jerkin, a black long sleeved shirt and a dark green cloak around her. Her royal clothes were packed away because she didn’t want them to get ruined before she needed to start wearing them.

Gemini and Mica were dressed for travel, both armed as well. Each wore thick leather pants and boots, a matching dark red shirt and a black hooded cloak with the head of a wolf sewn onto the back. Chrysalis was now wearing one of my long leather overcoats over her other clothes, wrapping it and a thick purple scarf around her neck. The Dazzlings were wearing their newly redone Earth clothes, which Rarity had generously altered for them after I’d asked. Aurora was bundled up warmly with some children’s clothing I’d bought for her back on Earth. Phlogiston was dressed similarly to Ember.

I was a bit confused when we began walking down the street only to see no Pony in sight. Although it didn’t take me long to realize something was afoot when I turned to Twilight with a raised eyebrow and asked, “Where’s everybody?” Her reaction, which was to smile nervously, told me all I needed to know. “Aaand, they’re waiting for me at the docks, aren’t they?”

“Ah, um…yeah,” she finally admitted after a few moments.

I smiled, reached down and ran a hand through her mane. “You didn’t have to organize that, you know?”

“Actually, I didn’t,” Twilight admitted, looking over at the town’s party Pony who was bouncing up and down nearby.

“Whaaaat?” Pinkie asked as I looked over at her. “I didn’t have time to organize a Good Luck on Rebuilding a City and Empire party!”

I laughed and ruffled her fluffy mane. “You’re too much, sometimes. How many Ponies did you invite?”

“You’ll just have to wait and seeee!” she giggled as she bounded ahead.

I smirked and continued walking, staff in hand as we walked through the snow. I turned to Phlogiston. “How’s Aurora holding up? I know Dragons absolutely hate the cold.”

“She’s all bundled up and warm,” the nurse said, smiling down at the young dragon hatchling, who was being a bit fussy today, making complaining noises and growls. “How long until this ship reaches Aelyssia?”

“We’re heading to Duzoroth,” I said, “so it will take most of the day. Hopefully we can reach the old fortress by sundown. I just hope she won’t get seasick.”

“I have a remedy for that for foals,” Zecora said from beside me, “but I don’t know if it will work on a Dragon hatchling.”

“Dragons don’t get seasick,” Phlogiston explained, “but thanks for your concern, Your Grace, and thank you for your offer…um…do I call you Your Grace too?” she asked, looking unsure at Zecora.

She quickly shook her head. “I’m not Empress. I only wish to be with my husband for moral support. Just call me Zecora.”

“If you marry me, can I become Empress?” Scarlet asked teasingly.

I rolled my eyes and smacked her lightly upside the head. “Behave,” I sighed.

“Heh, sorry,” she said.

We turned the corner, and we all stopped, but me especially. My jaw dropped at what I saw. I was expecting a farewell at the docks when I boarded the ship with the others. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was for the entire town, along with both Princesses, to be there waiting for me. I was blown away by the amount of Ponies standing there. And when they all turned my way and began cheering for me, I was further blown away and touched by the gesture.

I paused as Celestia and Luna stepped forward and spread both their wings majestically. The cheering took a while to die down, but eventually it did. The two Princesses took positions up on either side of me and faced the crowd. “My little Ponies,” Celestia said, “I am heartened that you have all come here to see Jethro Bethridge off on his journey to Aelyssia. As many of you are aware, he became the Emperor of the Dragons through an ancient Dragon trial by combat. He has decided to leave us for a time to tend to matters in Aelyssia. As to when he’ll be back in town, that is hard to say, but if it’s a while, I can tell just by the crowd gathered that he will be missed greatly.”

“Three cheers for our knight and the Emperor of Aelyssia!” Luna shouted with a raised hoof. “Huzzah on three! One, two, three-!”

The cheers that followed dwarfed the cheers from before. My smile threatened to split my face in half as emotions washed over me. Ones of gratitude and love for the Ponies in town, even those I had hardly spoken to, filled me almost to bursting. Then again, I remembered that they had been at the wedding just the day before, so I really shouldn’t have been surprised. Still, it was heartwarming. I looked at Celestia and Luna, both of whom were looking at me with the warmest smiles. They both gently nudged me forward towards the crowd. As the cheers began to die down, I spread my wings and cleared my throat. “Citizens of Ponyville…my friends…I’m overwhelmed by this departing gift you’ve given me. Just seeing all of your smiling faces here will keep me going for as long as I need to be over there. And I more than look forward to coming back home. To my hometown.”

As the town all cheered, I saw a particular gray wall-eyed Pegasus walking forward, a covered basket in her mouth. She placed it down, looked up at me, and said in the most adorable voice I’d heard from her, “Muffin?”

It was too much. I rushed over and wrapped Derpy up in a hug, letting happy tears fall down my cheeks. She wrapped her own hooves around me, stroking my head gently as she said, “We’ll miss you, Jethro. Even if you’re only gone for a day, we’ll miss you.”

I tightened my grip on her, and she replied in kind. We were interrupted a few moments later by someone tapping my shoulder. I slowly pulled away and looked up to find myself staring into a pair of grayish mulberry eyes. Octavia was standing close to me, with Vinyl standing next to her. Coming up, I saw Lyra and Bon Bon coming up as well, all of them smiling warmly at me. Octavia held out a hoof. “Here, let me lend you a hoof,” she said with the same English accent I’d come to know her for. In fact, it almost precisely matched the voice she had in the fan video Epic Wub Time.

I reached up and took her hoof. She helped me to my feet with surprising strength. Then again, I quickly remembered that she was an Earth Pony. I smiled down at her. “Thank you, Octavia.”

Take care of yourself, dude, Vinyl signed at me with her signature smile.

“Be sure to come home in one piece,” Bon Bon said, “and with those hands intact. Lyra would be distraught otherwise,” she added with a grin.

“That’s not me!” Lyra groaned at her friend before she turned to me. “Be safe out there, okay?”

I reached down and ran my hands through their manes, smiling. “I will.” I picked up Derpy’s basket then turned to the crowd of Ponies who were watching me with varying smiles. “I wish I knew what to say right now, but all I can think of to say is thank you. Thank you for this wonderful sendoff. Thank you for welcoming me into your community. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me ever since I moved here. I’ll find a way to make it up to you somehow!”

Twilight stepped forward, smiling up at me before she flung her hooves around me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and soon found myself surrounded by the other five Elements of Harmony along with Spike. They all hugged me close as best they could. Twilight slowly pulled away, looking into my eyes as she said aloud, “Just be the best friend and neighbor you can be, just like you’ve been doing. That’s enough for anypony here, right?”

“Darn tootin’, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“Got that right!” Rainbow Dash added.

“She’s right, darling,” Rarity smiled.

“That’s all anypony can ask of you,” Fluttershy said kindly.

“Just be your good old sexy self!” Pinkie giggled.

I smiled and put Twilight down. “Thank you everyone. Thank you all. Well, I should now be going. Time waits for no man, after all.” I looked around for the others, only to see the majority of them already on the Resplendent.

All except for Phlogiston who was standing by the gangplank with Aurora, the latter of whom was looking out at the Ponies with wide eyes and a bright smile. Zecora and Scarlet were there as well. I also saw that Sunset Shimmer was talking with Celestia a ways off. The two were hugging, both looking saddened to part ways. However, Sunset straightened, grabbed her bags again, and trotted over to me while Celestia watched her go, a proud look in her eyes. She stopped in front of me. “I’m ready to go, now.”

I nodded, then turned to the gangplank. As I walked towards it, the crowd parted to let me and Sunset pass. I saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing near the gangplank, waving at me with wide smiles. They all shouted, “Cutie Mark Crusaders forever!” as I passed, earning them some amused laughs from the crowd.

“Yeah, they made me an honorary Crusader,” I told the crowd as I reached down and petted each of them. “Keep up the search, cuties, but just remember not to force it, okay? Try things but don’t go destroying the town, okay? When I get back, we can go crusading.”

The three looked extra excited. It made me happy to see Scootaloo smiling again. She’d been smiling more and more often, especially now that she had some actual stable adults around in her life. I’d heard through the grapevine that Lofty had gotten a job making bedding quilts at a small bedding store in town. Holiday had yet to find a job, or so I’d last heard.

I turned to Aurora and reached out a finger. She grabbed onto it and began playing with it as I turned, reached into my pocket with my other hand, fished out my house spare key and tossed it towards Twilight, who caught it in midair with her magic. “Would you and the others look after my houses for me?” I asked.

She nodded eagerly. “You bet!”

“Try not to break my stuff while I’m gone from over-studying it all,” I called out, eliciting laughter from the crowd. Even Celestia stifled a giggle at the blushing and sputtering Twilight. I looked at the crowd, raised the Staff of Ignu I held in my hand, and shouted, “My friends, I bid you a farewell! Until I return!”

As the crowd cheered, I turned, only for Twilight to teleport in front of me once more. “Before you go,” she shouted over the cheers, “everypony put together some supplies for the Dragons!” She pointed to a large and empty cart that was attached to Big Mac who was walking away from the ship. “They just finished loading it! There’s plenty of food, water and toiletries in there to help keep the Dragons going for a while!”

I smiled widely and put my hand on her head. “Thank you! That should be a great gesture for future friendly relations between Dragons and Ponies!”

She beamed happily. “Think this would make me a good future Princess of Friendship??”

“You’ve got potential!” I shouted back, smiling as I walked past her. “I’ll see you later! Hopefully soon if I can figure out the portal trick with the doors!”

“It should work fine!” Twilight replied. “You have the fibers, right?”

I chuckled and patted my chest. “Put them in a small sack around my neck!”

“That should work then!” she called back. “See you soon, Jethro! I love you!”

I waved back. “See you soon too, Twilight!”

I boarded the ship and after putting all my luggage in the hold next to the many different bags and boxes that had already been loaded on, I headed to the helm. Zecora and Scarlet were there waiting while the others were just standing on the main deck, holding onto the railing in anticipation. I looked over and saw Sunset coming up from below decks. She turned to face me and gave me a salute. “Engines ur at full power, keptin!” she said in her best Scottish accent, “Ah cannae gitcha any mair!”

“Nerd!” I shouted as I looked down at the five dials. “Here we go!” I placed my hand on the middle dial and began turning it. The ship came to life and we began to rise slowly out of the water. “Can someone hoist anchor?” I shouted down.

Gemini and Mica were immediately on it, pulling the anchor up. When it was up, we moved up faster. Drawing the cutlass, I saw that it was glowing green as it had the first time I saw it. I raised it up and the sails unfurled. Thrusting it forward, we shot forward, Ponyville falling behind us fast. And with that, we were on our way.

I set a direct course for Duzoroth, and with that there was really not much to do. Zecora seemed to have developed a mild case of airsickness with her new body since about a half hour after we left, she was hurling up her breakfast. She made a seasickness remedy, but to her dismay, it only lasted for half the trip before she had to take another.

There wasn’t much to do, so we kept ourselves entertained. I brought out a large pack of Uno and we played that for a while before Chrysalis and Ember got into an argument. I decided to next pull out my spare laptop and play a movie. I put up the ship’s shields and put on Sleeping Beauty. The Dazzlings, Sunset, Zecora and Scarlet had seen it already, but the others hadn’t. Phlogiston soon came to realize why I had chosen the name Aurora for the young Dragon hatchling. To my surprise, Chrysalis had a bit of a fascination with Maleficent, even at one point trying to create a realistic version of the character until I showed her the Angelina Jolie version which she emulated perfectly, including the staff. Aurora seemed to really enjoy it. She laughed at the scene where Flora and Merryweather were having their magic duel and hid a bit in Phlogiston’s arms when Maleficent was on the screen.

After that, I realized it was just about time to eat lunch. I went down to the lower decks where I’d placed a cooler. Zecora and I had made plenty of different types of sandwiches for everyone for lunch, along with small bags of chips and some water or sodas to drink.

As I was heading up, the ship lurched ever so slightly, but it was enough for me to stumble and trip over a large burlap bag. A bag which yelped.

“What the…?” I muttered to myself as I turned to the bag. The bag looked just like any other, but the rope tying the top off seemed looser than the others. Plus, the bag itself was about a foot distant from the other bags and wooden boxes. And it was gray instead of the brown that the other bags were. A sneaking suspicion grew in me as I slowly approached, right hand out as I charged up some magic. I slowly undid the ropes, and in an instant pulled the bag open, only to see a very familiar turtleneck wearing green maned Unicorn curled up, looking at me with two light coffee brown eyes.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. “If I had a bit for every time someone snuck into a bag to follow me, I’d have two bits. Which isn’t much, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.” I crossed my arms and gave the stowaway a disapproving look. “What are you doing here, Wallflower?”