The weather had cleared up nicely, holding a pleasant - if somewhat sticky - warmth and a thinning smattering of clouds. I couldn't help feeling particularly pleased as I settled comfortably into the driver's seat and bathed myself in my favorite music. Today had actually been a pretty good one so far, all things considered.

Though when it came to Etherea's and my worries it kind of sucked that I still didn't have any concrete answers. At least we were getting along. That, by itself, felt especially momentous. How many first contacts in history had gone so well? I had no idea. It couldn't be that many, right?

So I must be doing something right. I mean, Etherea was recovering quickly and should be able to get home soon. That was a good thing!

A minor twinge of dismay was rudely stuffed into the back of my thoughts.

And if Etherea got home safe, then Equestria could make a second, less fucked up 'first' contact whenever they were ready. She could do it now, if it proved safe enough, but she still wasn't here in any official capacity. There was precious little that she actually could do other than hurry up and wait. Plus, I did not want to be caught anywhere near the middle of all this!

I just wanted things to go back to normal.

Not that it probably would...

Was I moping by the time I began perusing the supermarket? Damned right I was. There was no helping it because I didn't really care. The whole situation was fucking scary and it didn't look like anything I could do would make it any better!

Fortunately most of the things I needed were easy enough to find. Cucumbers, a 'fancier' white bread than our usual fare, and some provolone cheese went in my cart. This was a birthday so I also stocked up on some good, old mass-market soda.

The decision over a cake was more difficult. Sure you were required - by law I think - to have cake at a birthday, but I didn't really want to buy an entire one. I wasn't a big eater and I wasn't sure if Etherea was. That might leave a ton for Craig, and while I'm sure he could, I really didn't want to feed him that much. A half-dozen very large cupcakes were probably a good compromise.

A box of cheap candles and a lighter later and I was...

Flowers. I couldn't forget that. Unfortunately the supermarket wasn't stocking Chrysanthemums. While cursing my bad luck I noticed that they had something even better: Tulips. Which brought up a whole new question. Did the different colors have different flavors? With a shrug I took an assorted half-dozen.

Also, what about presents? I still hadn't gotten anything. What would a stranded Equestrian princess want? Well, that I could afford, of course. I suppose that, given her constant interest, most anything from Earth would probably be well-received.

It was while passing the checkout that I noticed something that might work: those magazines that I'd never paid much attention to? They almost never had any information that I'd actually want to pay for so they were little more than passing eye candy. But for someone who knew literally nothing about Earth? I skimmed a couple and grabbed a random 'girly' style magazine - for a bit of modern culture - and an issue of Time that didn't appear to have anything that might offend Etherea.

A quick stop by a florist had me awkwardly ordering exactly one Chrysanthemum. Yeah, that got some weird looks. I was tempted to walk right back out but that would have just made it even worse. It's not like I was doing anything that suspicious by buying a single flower but the relief I got from escaping with my prize was incredible.

Partway back, with my treasures secured and in an increasingly upbeat mood, I found myself belting out one of my favorite Sixx A.M. songs alongside the radio. Something I wouldn't be caught dead doing outside the safety of my car. Though 'singing' was a relative term; my voice just didn't have the strength to hold the high notes. I was pretty sure I did pretty well otherwise so I still loved to try.

Being a not very outgoing person meant it had taken me months to work up the courage to do this despite being alone in my car. A 'phantom audience,' or something, it was called. I still had it and even now - when nobody could possibly hear me - I'd still check to see if anyone was looking. It always surprised and relieved me that nobody ever was, which only made it easier to really sing.

A sudden idea choked the words right out of my throat. Nobody in the other vehicles was paying even the least bit of attention to me. The main thing keeping Etherea cooped up in my apartment, and preventing us from following Craig's suggestion - even if he couldn't possibly have been serious - was knowing that someone would see her.

It was hard enough to see much detail in other cars and I was actively searching. For anyone not paying direct attention it would be even harder. And at night... At night shapes were indistinct and colors impossible to tell. A bright golden-yellow pony would be no different than any large dog. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd actually seen a dog in another car at night, much less what kind it was!

It might just be safe to take her out for a drive! Now that would be a birthday present.

I sat up straighter as my heart got into the idea. By the time I'd rushed inside I was vibrating with excitement because the idea seemed just too good to pass up. There were a number of potential problems, but we could probably work around most. The big one might be convincing Etherea.

"Alex?" came the hesitant call of a pleasant female voice from somewhere deeper in the apartment.

"Yeah. It's me."

A short, rounded muzzle poked out around the entry to the hallway and was quickly followed by a curious, brilliantly-purple eye. "Is it safe?"

I blinked and looked toward the window. There were a couple of people outside one of the other buildings but that was nothing unusual. They weren't even particularly close to us. She hadn't been this scared earlier.

My confusion drew out my words. "Yeah... why?"

Finally stepped fully into view, her gait had a slight bounce as slim legs carried her across the living area. "Oh, I just... did not want to spoil any surprises."

Ah! The presents thing for the birthday reason - yes, that's exactly how I thought it. "No, nothing like that. Though I might have a surprise for later."

She hesitated halfway through a step before grinning widely. "Ooooooo! A surprise for me? I cannot wait!" And her smile faltered. "You said earlier that... you were not wealthy. I hope... that you aren't spending very... much on my behalf."

"Oh, no." I turned around to deal with the clingy gray fuzzball wrapping around my lower legs. Damnit, Dimble, just give me one second! "This surprise would be almost free."

"Free?" Her voice picked up a more hesitant tone. "I cannot imagine that anything you have... there would be free. What are you planning Alex?"

When I looked over my shoulder she had tilted her head and her brow was deeply furrowed. The tips of some tulip petals poking out of one bag seemed to be holding her attention, but she managed to break their hold. Her ears perked as her eyes rose to meet mine. With her looking just so damned curious there was no way I couldn't not mess with her a little.

"You'll just have to wait and see." I even sounded like I was smiling.

Then, as I tried to put Dimble's food dish down, I nearly jumped out of my skin as the resident alicorn ninja appeared beside me. If it weren't for her color she'd be an absolute terror at hide-and-go-seek tag in the dark.

"Alex," she said softly, her eyes still fixed on mine. "While I normally appreciate... the occasional surprise on my birthday, are you... certain that it will be appropriate?"

My smile was supposed to be reassuring. "Um, I hope so." Not that I was able to actually sound reassuring.

"That does not make... me any more confident." Her ears rotated fractionally away.

Damnit. "Okay, okay." Taking a deep breath gave me a moment to think. I really liked the idea of being able to surprise her with this but there was still the whole trust issue we hadn't quite resolved. How could I do this without giving everything away? "It's not..." Not like that! "Well, ok, I just kind of like the idea of this being a surprise. I'd like to think I know you well enough to know you'll like it. If it helps, it is something you can just say no to." Yeah, giving her the ability to refuse was probably the only way to boost her confidence.

For some reason she just stared at me, her face impassive except for a faint twitching at one corner of her lips. When she spoke her voice was cautiously soft. "That's... rather... suggestive."

WHAT?! Oh shit! Me giving her a 'surprise' on her birthday that cost no money and I thought she'd 'really enjoy'? CrapcrapcrapCrapCRAP!

I barely realized the step backward I took, one hand going to the island top and the other half-raised and failing to complete any of a number of coherent gestures. A steady burning wormed its way under my skin from the top of my head down to the tips of my fingers. I couldn't...! I...! My brain tripped all over itself, running ragged trying to figure if there was any viable damage control.

Things hadn't been meant that way, but it still sounded like I'd been propositioning her.

Even worse was that part of me was hoping against hope that she'd actually be fine with it! There was no way I was comfortable with that!

A delighted giggle filtered past the rushing in my ears and redirected my unfocused stare back to an entirely too self-satisfied and smiling alicorn. "I-it seems I guessed correctly." She gave a tiny hop that flicked her tail and was just shy of kicking up her hind hooves. "You must forgive me, Alex, but I... could not resist! I know you didn't mean... it like that." Another lighthearted giggle. "And I will trust you."

She stepped away lightly but kept an amused eye on me. "I can hardly... wait to find out what your surprise is!"

What the hell? And she was joking again, just like that! "A-Alright." I guess I'm fine with all that. It was hard to think because I felt like I was still red from head to toe. "I guess if you're... Um." I really needed a moment to get away so I could think. "Okay, just lemme' take a shower. I haven't yet and, um, I really should." Beautiful work there, Alex. "We can eat afterward."

She scoffed theatrically, tossed her mane, and put a hoof to her breast. "You're just going to ruin all of my hard work?! The nerve!" The easy smile that still brightened her face left me conflicted. On one hand her casualness was reassuring, yet on the other I still wasn't feeling very coherent yet.

I mumbled something about being back soon as I retreated. Man, was I glad to get away from her because I really needed a moment. The safety of a nearly sparkling bathroom - there was only so much one could do with a bachelor pad - gave it to me. Sort of.

I mean, the shower itself was nicely relaxing but the more I thought about the past two days the more I questioned everything. Etherea had been increasingly casual around me. What exactly did that mean? Was this just who she really was? I liked that possibility because it meant we'd come a long ways from jumping at every shadow the other cast.

Or was the suggestive joking something else?

She had to be joking. There was no way she was serious. We'd only know each other for like three days and, hell, I was still incredibly uncomfortable. It wasn't possible that she would be looking at me the same way I couldn't seem to help looking at her. It was just too soon.

And yet, if how she'd behaved last night and a few minutes ago was who she actually was... She, Etherea the pony, was kind of fun.

Great. Wonderful. 'Phase 2' in essence. I was moving beyond simple physical attraction to liking who she was. Which meant, since I couldn't have her, that the pining would begin soon-ish.

The me who stepped out of the bathroom and past the impatiently waiting cat was no longer flustered, but that feeling had been replaced wholly by resignation. I finished my post-shower fixing-up on autopilot because I was occupied by the far-too-familiar question of what to do about this. I didn't want to accept it, but the answer was that there really wasn't anything.

Goddamnit, the whole situation sucked.

I still couldn't help feeling a small thrill as I entered the living room. Etherea would be there! However, my feet scuffed the carpet as I registered the situation and stopped just out of the hall. Things were mostly normal. Etherea was already sitting near the kitchen island and facing me, her ears perked, a glass of water and a plate with neatly bisected sandwich on the end table next to her.

The island itself had another setting with a second sandwich prepared the same as hers. Clearly mine since it had an iced tea next to it. The counter under the cabinets held the bread - now sliced - various fixings and condiments, no cupcakes - where'd they go? - and the two magazines. Amazingly there wasn't a single crumb anywhere. Etherea must have cleaned up for me.

And she'd made dinner! Wasn't I supposed to be treating her since it was her birthday?

"I know it is my... birthday but I could not help myself." My eyes came back to her, catching the tail end of a sheepish head bob. "Even if this will... not be as extravagant as I... am used to, it is still exciting. And... I am hungry and everything just looks so good." Her eyes drifted in the direction of the counter - and the tulips if I had to guess - before snapping back. "Now we do not have to wait!"

"You really didn't have to," I began cautiously as I started moving again. She stood and turned in place to keep up with me as I came around to my place setting. "But okay. I'm curious to try this 'authentic Equestrian cuisine' anyways." Yay, finger quotes! "I guess it's alright, since you know how you like it. I'm sure I'd've put too much pepper or something."

The sandwich was about as regular-looking as I could have expected, if more neat than any I might make. Rounded cheese edges and a tiny bit of mayonnaise peeked out from between the slices and even the small divide separating the halves was tidy. Not even so much as a stray chrysanthemum petal.

That got me wondering. Sure enough, when I lifted one edge of the bread I found some small yellow teardrop petals. Etherea's smile was becoming more tentative as I dithered, her ears turning a hair away. Clearly she was hoping I'd enjoy it but I had no idea if I could safely eat the flowers.

"Is something the matter?"

I spoke after a small hesitation, feeling I might be about to kick her. "I... don't know if I can safely eat chrysanthemums." And honestly, even if they were edible, I just wasn't sure I wanted to try them like this.

"Oh! Oh, I did not realize! Of course there are... some things I can eat that you cannot. Just let me..." My sandwich sprang a golden halo, my hand jerking away before I could even think about it.

"Wait." Etherea's head jerked backward, a sudden ripple disturbing her mane, and the glow winked out. I was just making this worse for her! "Ahhh... wait. I got this. It's your birthday after all. Just relax." I cringed internally; that had been so much better.

She didn't protest, but she did remain distressingly passive as I picked out all the little petals. Though as I put my sandwich back together she gave herself a little shake and the ghost of a grin appeared.

"Will you be eating those?"

"No, I just... Umm... More for you then?"

Her smile brightened and she nodded. I held up my plate, tilted toward her, so she could brush the petals off. Instead the plate began glowing and lifted away, and I'm proud to say that I only flinched a teeny, tiny bit.

And the sandwich was actually pretty good. I never, in a million years, would have considered cucumbers with mayonnaise. The cheese didn't taste like much, but the other flavors - the bit of pepper and hint of spices in the crust - complemented everything really well. Etherea devoured hers daintily - don't ask me how - so she clearly loved hers. I freely admit to silently reveling in the lifting mood and sounds of happy eating.

In fact we both went back for more. Though the second time around I made sure she didn't do a damned thing to help. Birthday mare after all.

"Alex," she began from behind me as I was wiping up the crumbs I'd made, "the petals... brought to mind something I feel I should ask about; you feared that we... might suffer ill effects from simply spending time around each other. How are you feeling?"

My hands stopped moving as my brain sorted through my possible answers. "No, thankfully." Wait, that didn't really answer her question. She certainly looked confused. "I mean I've been feeling normal, which I suppose is a good thing. No aches, stuffiness, tiredness," lack of sleep wasn't the same, "or any other symptoms I'd consider bad. I'll take it." I turned around. "What about you?"

She chuckled lightly and ducked her head. "I feel silly simply asking each other... back and forth but I suppose there is not much else we can do. To answer your... question I feel much the same. My flank and hip are a bit... stiff from last night-" a twinge of shame struck between my shoulder blades, "-and my forehead itches a little, but other than that I am also feeling well."

We both felt alright. That was a good sign, right? I just wish I could be more certain that no news was actually good.

"Actually, in that same line, is there anything more we can do to help? Anything diet-wise, comfort-wise," I indicated one of her wings with a finger, "or that would help you recover your, um, Harmony faster?"

She twisted around to follow the direction of my gesture. A shift in place - almost a wiggle, really - and she lifted her wing. "I suppose I have a... list of things I would like to have, but so far there isn't anything that... I'm truly in need of." She brought up a hoof and pressed her chin to it. "Actually, I may... need more leafy or grassy greens."

More salads, got it.

"Getting out and stretching... properly would also be really nice," she said, the muscles around her barrel flexing mightily as she leaned to the side and extended her wing into the living area.

Okay, that was really fucking cool! I'd hardly ever been in a better position to really see something's wings, and never one so large. I don't think anyone had. My heart picked up the pace as I traced the leading edge out and then back across the layered fans of feathers, soaking in every detail. My best guess was that her wing was as long as I was tall - maybe a bit more - so a good six feet or so. If she spread both wings from the center of the living area she might be able to touch both the kitchen island and the far wall!

And then it was gone. Disappointment tore the bottom out of my excitement as her wing folded itself back against her flank.

"...interesting to see whether gems from your world... work the same way." Oh wait, she was still talking! "I don't think I would really be... able to do much since I am relying solely on my... personal ability to recuperate, but if you... had an amethyst about this big," she held up a hoof, showing me the underside, "I might be able to transfer... some Harmony to it for storage. It might be good to... have one or two on hoof so that I have some extra reserves... for when I return to Equestria."

I know her hooves weren't as big as a horse's' but that was still a gem almost as big as my palm! That was huge! Even if it was 'just' an Amethyst, that still had to be expensive as hell. Certainly more than I could ever afford.

"I... don't think I can help you there." Her head tilted as I spread my hands in defeat. "Gems don't normally get that big here, so an amethyst that big, if one exists, would probably cost more than I'll ever make."

"Oh! Oh..." Her ears twitched as her brow furrowed and she lowered her muzzle. "I suppose that even in Equestria a quality gem of... that size would cost quite a bit." She looked back up to me, her eyes narrowed just a hair. "And I'm already costing... you more than I would like. I... I really wish I had just stopped... and thought about what I was doing." She raised a hoof, considered it, and then set it back on the floor. "I even have a choker in my vanity... from Pri... um, my mother with a... charged amethyst already in it."

Great. Now she was upset with herself. It might not have been my fault this time, but that didn't mean I didn't feel just as bad.

"Hey. Hey." I pushed off from the counter and reached out toward her but a sudden pang brought me up short. Sure we were friends, but how comfortable would she really be with this? My hand landed on the island top instead. "Things aren't all that bad, right?"

Her shoulders seemed to collapse in the wake of a heavy sigh. "Yeah... It's just so upsetting! I just wish...! I...! Ugh!"

Okay, there had to be something I could do about this! Today was supposed to be a happy day. "Hey, chin up Etherea. And besides, you have presents!"

It was about the corniest thing anyone has probably said on a birthday. Perhaps ever. Hell, after that one, even my own brain was wondering whether it could somehow escape itself. Etherea looked to be in a similar state: leaning away from me and blinking rapidly with a hoof and an eyebrow raised. I'd probably just made her dumber!

The hand I slapped to my forehead was soon dragging down across my face, and a fully deserved groan wound its way from deep in my chest. For a moment silence reigned, though Etherea eventually broke it, laughter barely concealed behind her brightening tone.

"I suppose there is that. And it is true that good friends can... make any situation better."

"Are you sure you want to stay friends with someone as dumb as me?" Well, that was awfully casual of you there, Alex. "I mean that was painful even for..."

"Oh, hush." She put on a straight face and stood, her chin lifting high. "Not everypony has... the benefit of being trained in poise and subtle... wit by Princess Celestia herself." A small giggle neatly destroyed her facade. "So you were saying something about presents. This would not... happen to have anything to do with your surprise, would it?"

I leapt at the chance she'd given me to avoid any further embarrassment. Still, it took a moment to settle my pulse.

"Nah. Just two magazines for the moment." Etherea leaned over the island to get a closer look as I set the items between us, her ears stiff and eyes eager. I held up the first, the cover having a picture of some woman draped in elaborate cloth that obscured all but her eyes. Probably Indian.

"This one's called 'National Geographic' and it's known for having information on all kinds of things from around the world. Cultures, history, events, interesting people; you name it."

I swapped to the thinner magazine, the cover showing a blonde lady in a fashionable shirt, frilly blouse, and form-fitted tan pants who was posing mid-leap with a huge smile. Etherea tracked the exchange, already enraptured. Imagine how she would feel when I showed what was in the magazines!

"This one's 'Style Now!' and I think it deals with fashions and current trends for human women."

Etherea's head jerked and she looked up at me. "You... think?"

I could only shrug. "Yeah. I don't normally read these kinds of things. But if the blurbs are any indication," I flipped the magazine around, held it out, and cleared my throat, "you can learn the fifty hot new summer fashions for under fifty dollars, how to pick out the right shade of eye shadow, what celebrities are wearing to the latest award show, ten subtle..."

A tremor ran down my back.

Etherea had cocked her head as I struggled to find a way out of this. That... wasn't happening. "Ten subtle what?" Her voice was earnest and completely innocent.

"Ten subtle moves you can do to catch his eye." At least I'd been able to say it evenly.

We stared at each other for a very long, uncomfortable moment - for me at least - before a huge grin spread across her face. "Ah. Sounds like fun!" Her eyes drifted across the magazines. "I assume you will... go over these since I cannot read them. I cannot wait to... hear what differences there are between a mare and, um, a human... female displaying interest."

She flashed another grin at me before stealing both magazines from my hands with a familiar halo. After whipping around she positively sauntered toward the couch. In the interest of self preservation I very regretfully pulled my eyes upward from that extra sway in her hips.

While I mentally stammered my way through conflicting feelings of dread and, well, some amount of interest, Etherea looked back at me over her withers. I'm sure I looked a complete fool because clear laughter bubbled out of her. Oh God, did my cheeks go hot!

My suddenly blank mind did me no favors either. Well, not completely blank. Lacking anything coherent except the desire to get away from being completely unprepared for this. I needed time! Time to think!

"Y-yeah... I'll just be a moment. Gotta' finish up over here." And prepare myself. While I was interested in the possibility of her being attracted back, I was still very uncomfortable. I mean, just like that? Three days and she was already flirting? Well, there was last night but this was different. It wasn't salt this time.

No amount of cajoling on my part could make me any less intimidated by the eventual walk into the living area. Etherea was nestled halfway into the soft cushions with the magazines resting across her forehooves, again taking up most of the couch. When her face rose from examining the style magazine everything about me threatened to lock up. Princess Etherea, a pony and daughter of Cadance and Shining Armor, was looking me dead in the eye after...

Her happy expression was wiped away in an instant to be replaced with folded ears, widening eyes, and sour turn of her mouth.

"A-Alex. Are you alright?" I think we blinked together. I'd let her see my hesitation! "Did I...? Oh, no." She pushed herself up onto her haunches and lifted a hoof toward me, speaking in a rush before I could get a word in. "I-I am sorry! After last night I should have remembered... that you were not comfortable with... suggestive public displays. I was just joking! I did not mean t-to upset you. A-alright?"

Wait, what? I wasn't what? Suggestive displays? Who me? No, I was actually not... But this was...

Hold on a second. She was now upset with herself because she was taking my hesitation as some kind of general aversion to anything suggestive? Oh, damn. That was a slap to the face. And I could see exactly how reactions like mine would lead her to think that. I was going to need to more closely control them.

"No, it's not that." If it hadn't been me, I would never have believed my voice could remain so level after the last couple minutes. "And it's alright. I was just surprised." As tense as my nerves were I forced myself to plop down on the couch right in front of her. "I think... I think some things are pretty similar between our species. Though that probably makes sense - there are... um... only so many ways to draw attention to 'the goods.'"

I wanted to roll my eyes at how stupid my explanation sounded. Etherea, though, was still all concern, her eyes continuing to search mine for affirmation. Meeting her eyes from this close, given the content that had resulted in the situation, was a serious strain.

"You are truly alright?"

"Er..." Confidence, Alex! "Yes. I really am. Craig and I joke about much worse all the time." Oh, please don't ask for an example! "I guess I wasn't expecting so much familiarity so soon. It's probably just me but I'm still expecting more... standoffishness." I sighed internally, feeling like I was still batting a big, fat zero explanation-wise.

As she just looked at me for a bit I grew more and more sure she was going to question it. However, she eventually flicked her head, adjusting her mane further back from her face and relaxing subtly. "A-alright. I understand. And as to such familiarity... you will probably have to forgive... me for that as well. Ponies are very close-knit and without my family and friends around I... have been feeling very alone. You and Craig are the only, um... ones I know here." She paused, her ears inching backwards as she looked away for a moment. "I'm certain I have... been pushing you and Craig to fill that gap. I-if it becomes too... m-much, please let me know. I do not mean to offend."

So she was just lonely. The whole situation with her teasing me wasn't all that I had made it out to be, which did make me feel a little better. Sort of. I had overreacted, which wasn't surprising me anymore, and I knew I needed to stop doing that to myself. It just wasn't as easy as telling that to myself.

The growing knot of sympathy in my gut kind of sucked too, but I could definitely help there. "Shut up," I said gently. "There's no need to apologize for that. Though I do appreciate the thought. We all need some time to adjust." And I needed time to think.

Later though.

Etherea hadn't taken her eyes off me but she nodded as the inkling of a smile tugged at her lips. She then shimmied backward to give a little space as she situated onto her belly again, curling her rear against the far armrest. It wasn't quite enough space for my comfort, placing me back in range of a faint lilac aroma, but that part of me was just going to have to deal with it.

She surprised me as we began going over the magazines. I kind of expected her to be all over the 'prissy' magazine because, well, she was female and seemed the type to be into that kind of thing. And she did so again, much to my everlasting relief, when she paid little attention to a certain suggestive article, focusing instead on the lady gracing the cover of the National Geographic. She understood clothing, but why would someone dress so differently than what she'd seen so far?

The picture related to an article about the Muslim minority in Burma, and it was interesting, to say the least, to try explaining how political boundaries, social structure, and religion played into different clothing styles without actually delving too deep. Tell Etherea that some religions taught that revealing any part of her body was unforgivably indecent? Yeah, not so much. Calling it a 'local custom?' Technically correct, and much easier for the moment given the thin ice that seemed to still be around.

As we went back and forth over a variety of topics inspired by the magazines, I kept a close eye on the outside. It was hard to not just blurt out what her surprise was, especially now that I knew she wanted to get out and about anyways. It was just about as perfect a gift as I could give. I think I was even more excited about this than she was, anticipating just how happy she'd be.

She noticed too - at one point leaning to look behind me and out the window. "Are you waiting for something?"

"Possibly."

Then she was sneaking peeks at the window as well, as though she might see or figure out what I was looking for. It was even harder after that and I was sure I'd never make it. Especially since the sun seemed to be setting extra slowly on purpose! I figured I now knew what Twilight Sparkle had gone through when she thought she was going to be late sending a report to Celestia; that the sun itself was fucking with her.

I mentally sent an ecstatic prayer of thanks to the Good Baby Raptor Jesus when the sun was finally little more than a memory at the edges of the horizon. Hopefully Fizban wouldn't mind me straying momentarily. Etherea was already silent, her ears rigid and eyes locked onto mine, when I turned back. My stupid, happy grin might have tipped her off.

"You ready?"

Her head turned slightly but her eyes didn't waver. "For...?"

"Your surprise." This was so much fun!

She slowly looked around once, her ears flicking madly. "I suppose."

That wasn't excitement. It was more like extreme caution. My thoughts went through a sort of backward snap and some better clarity came through. Yeah, my grin must be reaching epic levels of creepy and/or stupid. That had to stop. Turning away toward the window broke the loop I'd gotten myself into and gave me a moment to think. I needed to take this slow and calm.

"Okay, you've been stuck in here for a couple of days, and you said yourself that you were itching to stretch your wings." I brought myself back to the alicorn - an alicorn! - next to me. "I got to thinking about it. It might be possible to take you out around town! If we went now that it's dark it'd be hard enough to see you, and if you're riding inside my car it'd be even harder. And even if you were seen it still wouldn't be all of you. Nobody's looking for an alicorn so they'll expect something else."

"How's that sound?" It felt a bit anticlimactic to end it like that, but there it was. And it might not have been the best argument, but I was excited.

I had been convincing myself well enough but Etherea didn't jump for joy. All she did was stare for a very long moment, allowing me to look deeply into those lovely violet irises and catch every little nuance. Nuances that spoke only of hesitation. And were then emphasized by her slowly turning toward the window again.

"Outside." It was faint, almost a whisper.

"Yeah."

"Out there, outside?" She nodded her muzzle over my shoulder.

She wasn't buying it. And not just because she didn't like it, but because she was scared! "Yeah. I was thinking that once it was dark it would probably be safe enough. And we wouldn't just be walking around. It'd at least let you see some of Earth while you're here." She hadn't moved except to twitch her ears again, but she was listening at least. "Plus if we get out of town there should be some place you can safely get out and stretch your legs."

"And wings," I added lamely with a nod toward her flank.

She just sat there, like a lump, not even her ears moving as she stared at the window. The silence went on and on. Giddiness faded to trepidation, and that in turn left embarrassment. There were so many things that could go wrong with this after all. Even if she did her best to keep a low profile taking her outside for any reason only multiplied the chances of her being seen.

It was a stupid idea. I should never have suggested it.

"See," I kept my voice quiet, like I might startle her otherwise, "I said you could just say no."

Even so, she twitched, ruffling her wings once and seeming to notice me again. "How would this work? Would it, um, be safe?"

She was considering it? "Well, um..." I needed a moment. "My car is right outside and," a peek between the blinds, "there's a car on each side so you'll be hidden from most sides as long as you're quick. I'd go out and signal you when to come out. Then you just stay in the car and keep low when people are around." When? That was hardly reassuring! "I can also drive carefully so that nobody should be able to get a good look..."

Her head twitched backward. "But how... can they not notice? I am a pony."

"Well, most people shouldn't be paying much attention." Again, that was so reassuring. "And like I said, they also won't be expecting a pony." I realized how that might seem to draw attention at the same time she started frowning. "What I mean is they'll expect something else. Between the dark, the car, and the speed we'd be at, nobody should be able to get a good look." She opened her mouth but hesitated and let me keep going. "At worst they should think you're a large dog." I cringed at that comparison but it was probably the truth.

"So," her brow scrunched as she looked toward the floor, "we would be relying on every... one's perceptions being so hindered that everyone will... make a mistaken assumption?"

Well, when she said it that way... "Yeah... I guess that's about right." And now she was un-convincing me. "It's not foolproof, but I don't think anything will be as long as we're hiding you. This is probably the safest we can make it if you want to go outside."

Taking her outside simply because I thought nobody would be paying enough attention? I was really going to rely on that? What was it Sun Tzu had said? Something about knowing your enemy to control them? And I was relying on a very big assumption about our 'enemies'...

"Will the weather be safe for... us to be outside?"

Why would she...? "Should be. It's cleared up a lot since yesterday."

"Then I will do it," she stated with one of those decision-finalizing nods. It only shook a tiny bit.

I jerked stiffly. Just like that? "Y-you will?"

"Mmhmm." This nod was much stronger. "In fact, even if going... outside is a bit, um, worrisome, I would really like to!" She raised herself back onto her haunches - right in front of me! - her smile growing under eyes that looked ready to dance. I kept my eyes well above anything that could be considered 'below the belt.' "I take it you want to... do this now?"

"Ummm, uhhhh... Yeah. I've just been waiting for the sun to go down." My energy was quickly returning, radiating from my chest outward. With Etherea's growing approval I was feeling more into the idea myself. The problems with this plan didn't seem quite so dire. "It won't take me long to go out and get the car ready. I'll leave the door unlocked and signal you when you're clear. You'll have to be quick though."

She might not have been smiling as much as I had hoped, but her ears and eyes were attentive as she nodded with no small amount of excitement. "Sounds good to me!" Then she sprang off the couch, her wings fluttering animatedly while she looked inches from prancing about.

I couldn't help but chuckle as I got off the couch a bit more sedately and headed for my shoes. As I approached the door I noticed a spot of color on the counter. The tulips! Oh! And the cupcakes and soda! We'd forgotten all about them! I froze, my brain delving deep for answers. I suppose it would be a nice little treat to come back to, but... I looked over at Etherea peering out between the blinds, every lovely line of her body tense. In a good way though. Heck, she even flicked her tail.

Almost like a happy puppy.

"Hey, I just remembered something." Her head came around, one ear cocking sideways. "We never had the cupcakes and soda. Why don't you grab those and the flowers. Oh, and we'll want a couple of glasses." Glowy magic would be really visible at night. "Probably want to carry them in something instead of..." Inspiration! It rained last night and this would solve that problem too!

"Wait. Grab a..." She's still a princess, Alex. "You could put them in a couple of towels. Then when we get out of town it'll kind of be like a picnic. I think I can find us a good spot." My mind was already whirling rapidly with ideas.

"Oooooo! Yes!" Another huge smile flashed across her muzzle and she scampered into the back of the apartment.

This was all coming together. As I put on my shoes I couldn't help worrying that something was going to go wrong. I couldn't let myself dwell on it, as though not thinking about anything bad would make any of it less likely. Still, it was easier to comfort myself with the thought.

Etherea was back before I was ready, standing by the couch with much of the same barely-contained excitement. As our eyes met my brain saw fit to remind me that the towels wouldn't prevent something from glowing if she used her levitation. Just as quickly I found that I shouldn't have worried. Her wings were tilted and bulging a bit, forming impromptu nests to cradle the two little bundles. Thank God for overpowered alicorns!

"Alright?" My heart skipped a beat.

"Yes!"

I ducked out the door before any more insecurity could take hold.

The night was the kind of warm that reminded you that cool existed but wasn't going to leave you wishing for more. It was a bit humid and there was a faint glistening at the edges of the bushes and nearby grass. The towels would be a very good call.

In spite of my attempt to do this before I could waffle any more, my nerves humming by the time I reached my car. Again, there were a few people around in distance which made me doubly-glad for the darkness. I tried to keep my glances secretive. Since it was just me so far I was half-convinced that my caution was foolish. Nobody was just going to start watching me just because I was walking to my car. But I couldn't help it. If anything it was good practice and I was determined to be prepared.

The immediate area was clear. With the nearby cars and my own self three sides were blocked off and most anyone shouldn't be able to see. Like we'd planned. That left one angle...

I couldn't see anyone near any of the other apartments' windows. Good.

The car clicked unlocked from the fob in my hand and I opened the rear passenger door - Etherea would never comfortably fit in the front seat. Another glance around the area ended at my own window. There was a striped cat between perched on this side of the blinds and a gold and violet something watching me from the other. I knew what I was looking for and Etherea was still hard enough to see. Perhaps this would work ou...

Right in front of me a miniature heat distortion erupted mid-air. Or a bending of space-time around... Shit!

I nearly jumped halfway out of my skin as a golden-yellow and blue-on-blue alicorn appeared mere feet from me with a dull thump of displaced air. Thank God my right foot shifted just in time to catch me as I tilted backward. Etherea didn't seem to notice, diving through the open door. The soft sounds of something large sliding across leather were followed by that something lightly impacting the inside of the far door.

Absolute silence followed. My heart lurched up into my throat for the umpteenth time today. I tried to make my look around the area surreptitious but I know I failed horribly. Not that I could help it. I had expected her to use her super pegasus stealth, not break the laws of reality just to hop into a car!

At least nobody was looking. I double-checked just to be sure. Only then did I bend down and check on my pony stowaway. She was rubbing her forehead with a hoof but seemed alright, even flashing a sheepish smile while ducking her head and shrugging.

"You alright?" I got a nod. "And the cupcakes?"

A quick, embarrassed check of her wings showed that only the tulips had suffered any real damage, though I was not opening the sodas any time soon.

"Okay. Hang tight."

"Wait!" came her soft call. I came within an inch of smashing my fingers with the door. She bent around herself and stretched her neck up toward me. "I locked your door for you."

She had? I couldn't help looking toward the apartment anyways. "Oh. Ummm..." I guess that was that then.

"Yes. Now we can simply depart!"

I shut the door gently, minding my fingers, and one last look around the area confirmed that there was still nobody paying any attention. Unless someone was in the shadows or bushes stalking... I shook my head. I didn't need to rile myself with unreasonable paranoia.

The driver's seat welcomed me back; familiar and comfortable as ever. It was one of the reasons I had sunk so much money into a twelve year old vehicle. The car was nice enough on its own and was subtly stylish, which I'd grown to like. But a car that felt like home? Priceless.

It would be even nicer if it would just never break at all though.

"It's a bit small in... here but actually quite comfortable," a feminine voice commented behind me. "The smells...!" A faint crescendo of staggered sniffs followed.

And that's when I remembered where Etherea was now sitting - or laying, I guess. On a leather seat. A seat made out of skin from creatures that might be friends and acquaintances back in her world! It was a veritable throne to morbidity - at least that's how I bet an Equestrian would see it - and was yet another thing to censor for the time being.

There was more shifting about from behind me again, the sounds stretching longer. She was probably getting comfortable. Just as I turned to see if there was anything I could do a be-muzzled face jumped up right next to mine! Too close! I edged toward the door to get a bit more room, a wavy curtain of two-toned blue blocking my view of the passenger's seat. What a time to notice I'd gotten a good whiff of lilac. At least with her eyes darted around at hungrily, trying to look at everything at once, her attention was clearly elsewhere.

"So how does this vehicle work?"

"Ummm... One second." I quickly sorted through the surprise and discomfort of losing my personal space, trying to remember the process of starting and driving a car. "Well first we should buckle up. It goes like this," my hand lifted the item in question for her viewing pleasure, then secured myself in place by sliding it home, "and is to make sure you stay in your seat if we happen to get in an accident." A sudden chill ran down my spine. Please don't let her freak out over that possibility!

"Oh, um, alright." She shifted, withdrawing her head and rolling until her back was toward me as she searched.

"You actually have three back there. But, uhh, only two will probably work for you," not the middle seatbelt, that is, "but I think you'll only fit in one of the others at a time." She twisted further to look over her own back at me. How the hell she didn't fall into the space between the front and back seats I don't know. "The belts are there and there," I directed with a finger, "and the clips are kind of right under you."

She had to lift a wing to see what she was doing. Then, with a little magic, she clipped the buckle in place, the two straps still against the backrest. She was pulling it away and wriggling in behind it before I could finish opening my mouth to comment.

That sounded like a perfect time to check the outside around us again. Again, all clear.

"Alright. It does not feel... very secure, but then it... is clearly not designed for me."

"It'll have to do. And I'll drive as safely as I can." Alright, next step. "This is the key to the car and it goes here to start." She wasn't able to reach so far forward now but she still managed to poke her nose between the front seats to watch.

A click, a turn, and a short mechanical cough turned into a pleasant...

"...LICKS THOSE LIPS AND OFF..."

I don't think I've ever slapped a power button so fast.

Stunned silence wrapped both of us in its awkward embrace. Damnit. Damnit. Damnit! I'd forgotten all about the radio! It was such a stupid little thing, and now... When I finally looked over my shoulder Etherea was as rigidly upright as the seatbelt allowed, twin glimmers in the shadows were her bulging eyes. I even saw, much to my growing dismay, that she'd folded her ears away again.

"Ow." Etherea's head dipped as her left foreleg came up to rub at an ear. "That was much too loud."

"Sor..."

"What was that, um, song?"

I cringed horribly. Fuck! The tune was so distinctive that I knew exactly what it was just from that short blurb. Inside my head I was screaming in denial but I knew I wasn't getting out of explaining this one.

"It... Sorry for the volume but when it's just me and the car I like to turn it up." She nodded in understanding but continued looking expectantly, her ears slowly coming around. "The song... Well. It's, um, called... 'Porn Star Dancing.'"

Her mouth formed a little O-shape while she blinked at me, but no sound emerged for a little. "'Porn... star?'" Her muzzle dropped and took her eyes with it. "You... But I didn't... I-I'm sorry. I had no idea that... you liked to listen to, um, that kind of thing. I did not mean to... intrude on the most... private part of your life! I know how much it bothers you."

What? Again? Oh, wow. I just kept giving her the absolutely wrong impression simply because I was scared of where it might lead. But could I explain my current embarrassment without shoving my foot deep into my mouth? Or without admitting anything?

"I... Well, um." I needed that deep breath. "Ok. We're misunderstanding each other still. The song's definitely very suggestive but it's not like I'm embarrassed by you finding out I'd like something like that." Etherea' somewhat hesitant deadpan stare told me even she didn't quite believe that. "Yeah, okay, that's not quite right. I'm really not against such things, it's just... It's, um, not proper at all, I guess, for polite company."

Another deep breath to steady my nerves. "And really, I think the other part comes from we've only known each other for a few days." I shook my head. "Well, it's more than that. It's just so fast and I'm worried how you'd take it." That got a heavy blink from her.

A third deep breath? Yeah. So far, so good but the words just kept spilling from my mouth. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that, yes, I'm a bit uncomfortable, but that can't be helped. I'm still worried that every little thing," a pointed glance toward the radio, "will upset you simply because I don't know what will and won't. And I'm a pretty private person so," I can't believe I was going to say it, "if you're openly into things like pornography or," heaven help me! "flirting you'll have to be patient while I get used to it."

There. Safe.

And I was prepared to wait for an answer but she immediately began nodding slowly as a gentle smile came over her muzzle. "I understand. And thank you, Alex." For what? My brows furrowed. "Um, for being so considerate." Oh. "It sounds like my, um, natural... pony friendliness is a little at odds with who you are." She groaned and rolled her eyes. "By the stars that sounded stale! But it is... true we are still getting to know each other. As long as we both continue... to be considerate and patient... I know everything will be just fine. So I'm not worried!"

Oh, good! It was so relieving to hear that...

"That said," a quick dip of her muzzle came with an embarrassed softening of her voice, "I am not a very big... fan of pornography, so you... have no fears there. Like I said, that is more the interest of a couple... of my friends." She looked up at me, her nose still down, and her ears twitched. "But, would you allow... me to hear the rest of that music? I have not yet heard much from humans."

"Uh, sure." I noticed she'd said nothing about not flirting if she felt like it, but calling attention to that would only lead to paths I was hesitant to step down. Friends did occasionally flirt without it meaning anything after all. At least after that conversation it was stupid to think that she'd suspect her body was the source of much of my awkwardness. It still felt like I'd just dodged a bullet.

Now, how many bullets had I just given her permission to fire?

"The song's not explicitly pornographic, but it is suggestive. We have rules against that kind of material being shown or, well, played in public. One sec. Watch your ears."

Fortunately the power button and volume control were one and the same. I left it loud enough to follow along with but not so much that we couldn't talk over it. If Etherea wasn't going to be bombarding me with questions tonight then something was really wrong.

"Ah, yes. Ponies might be less concerned... with covering themselves so completely but, yes... we also do not showcase such activities where... foals might witness." Her muzzle again appeared next to my shoulder. "So this is human music."

It was a bit strange just sitting there with a pony looking over my shoulder while a song like 'Porn Star Dancing' played. I tried at one point to start explaining the lyrics, since I knew she couldn't understand them, but she shushed me. She just wanted to listen? Alright then. Who was I to argue with a princess on her birthday? I did like the song anyways.

I half-expected to have to explain what a stripper was but she actually didn't ask many questions about the song. It was just another reminder that though she was from Equestria, she was still nowhere near as innocent as the ponies in the cartoon. And apparently they had a similar style of music called 'Stomp.'

At her request I got to finish pointing out the shifter, gas and brake pedals, and steering wheel, finally getting us underway. Within seconds the music was all but forgotten. It was a shame that a song by Metallica - the station really loved the band - got so much less interest than one by My Darkest Days. But there was an entire new world for Etherea to gape at! By the time we reached the parking lot's exit her eyes and ears were again darting around madly.

Okay, Alex, now what? One direction goes straight to the main roads and into the heart of town, the other to a more residential area. Being less direct would make the second the 'scenic' route. Well, I preferred gradual anyways, and it would give Etherea more time to absorb and adjust. Not that it worked too well. She was constantly shifting around in pursuit of the latest thing to catch her eye, quickly discarding the seatbelt completely.

And one teeny, little problem that I'd never considered reared its head. The back seat wasn't designed with curious alicorns in mind and she kept thwacking her horn on one window or another. Other than making her hide behind her mane - and turn bright orange I assumed - it didn't bother her too much. It's just that laughing at her was still very much a thing to not do and I struggled to maintain my composure for both our sakes.

Strangely enough, I didn't have to field any questions. Every time I glanced backward she was too interested in her surroundings. Just not enough to...

"Oh look, black humans!"

All my control went out the window and I choked. It wasn't physically possible to express that much shock and hilarity.

"What?"

My right hand became a flag, waving furiously above my shoulder as I shook my head. Laugh after laugh finally broke through and rolled up and out of my chest, my poor eyes fighting not to drown in tears. That could have gone on for who knows how long but Etherea's annoyed tone - angry even - gave me strength. I swear it still took a couple minutes.

"Well?"

"I-I-I..." Breath Alex, slow and steady, you'll recover faster. "A-alright. S-sorry, it's j-just that you said that-t s-so... Ummm." Happily? Yes. And innocently. Curious and earnest as well. I needed a good, simple way to say all that. "Chipperly."

"'Chip-er-ly?' Is that a real word?"

"Ahhh... Maybe not, I guess? It means 'in a chipper way.' I just... I'm sorry, but what you said and how you said it was... You were just so happy to see them."

"In my defense," her words were stilted and I felt a glaring digging into the back of my head, "I have never gotten... a good look at any of the... other races of humans."

Don't laugh, Alex! "I-It's f-fine. If I w-were in Equestria I'd be doing the same kind of thing and you could laugh at me." Please be enough to placate her.

Also, how horrible would it be for her to approach a group of African Americans Luna-style and exclaim 'HELLO BLACK HUMANS!' in the Royal Canterlot Voice? "Though some friendly advice, while they are dark-skinned, and they're known as 'black,' the more politically correct term is 'African American.'"

"African American?"

"Yeah. That's the proper term 'cause they're originally from the continent of Africa but now they live in here in America. There's some... bad history there that not everyone has forgotten yet." Good enough, I guess. It got the point across while remaining 'diplomatic.' Then I tensed. She might ask for more...

"Do not worry, Alex," it sounded like she was smiling back there, "I will be on my best behavior... around them. 'African American' was it?"

"Yep."

Then she went back to Quiet Mode. I wondered if she was disappointed that our conversation had made her miss a chance to watch whatever those people had been up to on this Saturday night. Because I'd stuck to a residential area so far there weren't many people to watch. For more humans doing human things I would have to take Etherea deeper into town. So I wound my way back to a main street and slipped into the flow of traffic.

As I tried keeping eyes on everything around us I also caught Etherea in my periphery, crouched and tense with ears folded and head barely poking above the crest of the seat. At least with her head to one side of the car her horn was somewhat in line with the rear support.

Seeing her hunkered down like that made me really want to reach back and reassuringly pat her. This was neither the time nor place for it. I couldn't take my eyes away from the traffic. And since this was where we were really gambling I didn't dare let either hand off the wheel - I'd probably be shaking badly otherwise.

"There are humans right there!" came a hoarse whisper from the back seat. Nothing in the rearview mirror. Another quick turn of my head showed Etherea's quivering eyes on me.

"I know, we..." Why the hell was I whispering?! We were in a car and going about thirty five! "Y'know, they can't hear us." A low groan from behind me. "And this is what I was talking about. It's dark and with the way the lights are, they...," I had to swallow to sort out my growing raspiness, "they shouldn't be able to get a clear look at you. They're not expecting an Equestrian pony. Just stay low if they're close."

What I would give to be more reassuring. Unfortunately I don't think anything could have been since we were mere feet from discovery. I did my best to get some distance from the car behind but this was city driving - well, town driving - and they'd just move in closer! There was just no way.

I steeled myself as best I could since it was about to get worse. Flipping the blinker on led right into me pulling into the turn lane onto the main road, my heart taking off without us as my fingers assumed a death grip on the wheel. I knew I needed to stay calm but I just couldn't. Now cars were in front, behind, and beside us. And everyone was stopped. With the headlights behind us one glance at the wrong time could find Etherea looking right back.

Something large flopped heavily onto the back seat.

"Etherea...?!" I couldn't stop my voice from shaking a little.

"It is alright. I was not seen. There are other humans right there!"

A quick look showed a middle-aged couple in some kind of coupe, their car offset a bit and placing them near even with my back seat. They were thankfully paying too much attention to their conversation to have noticed anything.

Etherea, though, was trying to merge with the seat as far as I could tell. And I had to check again, but yes, she was smiling. At a time like this? She looked way too excited!

"Excited?"

"Very. It is all nervousness but I have never been so... so excited in my life! And they have no idea I am here!" An almost manic giggle followed. "My wings are shaking so... badly right now."

"Just stay calm. We'll be..." Green light, thank God! "Hang on." Okay that was stupid. She had nothing to really grab and no way to hold herself to it. But she must have managed to steady herself because I didn't hear her shifting as we took off again.

Driving through the main drag with a pony hiding in my back seat was beyond strange. Here I'd thought I was nervous before, but now there was that car beside us, or the one coming up on the other side, or the truck - and I mean a semi - behind us... And then there was the motorcycle switching lanes to be closer!

I shifted lanes away. I couldn't tell if it was a he or a she on that crotch-rocket but the person was drifting lazily back and forth, putting them in real danger of coming close enough to look in my rear window!

I never let Etherea out of the edge of my sight for long even as I tried to maintain a safe course and keep a close eye on a dozen different vehicles. She'd slowly lift her head to peek out, her ears swiveling madly about until she found something to fixate on. It never took long. Nor was it long before she'd dart back down, often accompanied by a squeak.

It was like watching the poor, terrified passenger stuck in an action movie car chase. The only things missing were people shooting at us and some insane car stunts that I would never survive. My heart fluttered at the thought. No! None of that was happening and we were fine. We were!

Then we got caught by another red light, bringing the tractor trailer behind us the forefront of all my thoughts. Unlike the other vehicles around but its lights were high enough to illuminate the inside of my car and maybe give the driver, who was higher still, a perfect view down on Etherea.

A long look over my shoulder showed that she was doing everything to hide, her hooves curled under and pushing herself against the back of the seat. Each deep and far too rapid breath flared her nostrils wider. Those violet eyes met mine, flicked upward and toward the back, and then came back. She giggled but it was a little too sharp; a little too high-pitched.

"Just stay still."

Her nod was slight but jerky.

No honking, no blinking headlights, and no people motioning for my attention that I could see. I still pulled off at the next big parking lot because I needed a moment. Etherea likely did too.

Deep in the parking lot, and several empty spaces from the nearest cars, I finally convinced myself to relax enough to let go of the wheel. My knuckles creaked - or that's what it felt like - as I slowly flexed. My legs were next and I twisted back and forth to give them extra room.

"Wo-o-o-w. Phwooo!" Etherea giggled again, though a bit more steadily this time. "All those humans everywhere! I almost can't... believe that this is working! And, and, and... and all those vehicles! Does every human own one?"

I curled my right leg under my left so I could swivel around and look at her more comfortably. "No. But a large number... um, a large chunk of the population around here does. You'll find cars wherever people have built roads and we've built roads nearly everywhere. It's just that not every place is as developed as here."

An emphatic nod shook both her mane and ears. "And to think that even if I... could not easily see them, there... were all manner of humans all around us." Her tone lowered almost wistfully before coming back strong. "Are all the various types... of humans well-represented here? I would like to see more of them if I could."

I blinked at that. "Uh, sort of. You'd have to go to a major city to find a more cosmopolitan mix. Around here it's mostly Caucasian and African American."

"Caw-caysh-an?" Her head tilted adorably. "I remember the one, but not... the other."

"Ummm... Otherwise known and 'white' and 'black.'"

"Ah." Her attention drifted away for a moment. "Are, um, there more colors of human around? Craig mentioned... a few but I cannot remember."

I tried to hold in an amused snort but it was having none of that. "There kind of are other 'colors,'" I finger-quoted that one, "but it's mostly about nationality and, um, place of origin. We range from even paler than me, if from somewhere north and without a lot of sun, to brown so dark that it's pretty much black. There's a wide range of browns and tans in between. Hints of yellow, orange, or red can also come through."

I jerked my head toward the outside. "Around here you'll find mostly white European like me or, um, medium brown - I guess - from former Africans."

"European and African?" She caught herself before I could answer. "Oh! Africa was a continent. Euro... pea? Is a continent as well?"

"It's 'Europe,' and yes."

She nodded and looked away again, her lips scrunching a bit. Probably filing that information away for later.

Etherea's eyes popping open wider was all the warning I got before her nose met the glass about the same time another firm clink sounded from her horn. Even in the dim parking lot lighting I saw additional color washing over her cheeks and muzzle as she pulled back a little. "What is that place? It is huge!"

She'd finally noticed the nearby elephant. A short distance behind the nearby retail outlet was a massive structure of struts and girders just barely visible in the dark. It curved away at both ends, several times wider than even the shopping center and stories taller to boot. At one end, to our left, was a white building nearly as high as the giant structure it abutted. The lights at its base - which we couldn't see it from here - lit it up like the day.

"That? That's the raceway. A couple times a year they take vehicles like mine," I patted the top of the dash, "but designed specifically for speed, and they race them. Not a fan myself, but it draws huge crowds."

"Ooooo. I should have known. Now that I look at it, it does look like a stadium." She giggled again and rolled her eyes. When they settled she was looking at something else. "And what is that?"

It was like a game of 'I Spy' mixed with our morning ritual. She went around pointing out everything and I told her what she was looking at. I'm not sure what she expected, but for some reason stores, restaurants, gas stations, and other random shops were somehow incredibly exciting. I was thrilled that she was enjoying herself, but still... It's not like central Delaware was a Mecca of artistic architecture. They were just some regular, run-of-the-mill buildings.

She was quick to point out that Equestria had similar things - well, not so much the gas stations - but that wasn't the point. These were human things, and that was apparently the greatest thing ever.

In the midst of mentally scrambling over whether to explain human cuisine while pointing out restaurants - was now an alright time to tell her we're omnivorous? - something wormed its way through my distraction. A kind of gravelly tone with very familiar in pacing and inflection. My eyes drifted toward the radio.

"...down here. Really picking up and the crowd's having a good time. Right?" Barely-muted wild cheering sounded. "Hell yeah! That's what I like to hear! The beer's flowing, we got some hotties in here toni..."

"We love you Craig!"

"Just hold up girls, I'll be right there." That was met by raucous whistles. "Hoo, boy! Better Days is gonna' hit the stage in a few, and we're all still ready to party! If you're not here at Oggie's behind The Landing, just off of Black Creek Road, you better be on your way 'cause you don't wanna' miss this! This is..."

Ugh. That left a depressingly sour taste in my mouth. I'd kind of ditched Craig this evening and it felt like I should be there with him; where I'd agreed to be. But he sounded fine without me. More than fine.

And though Craig was probably right that it would do me good to get out more, yet I couldn't help being somewhat happy that I wasn't actually at Oggie's. I could handle deafening music, drinking a bit more than normal, or a few strangers, but a whole screaming, shifting crowd of people was too much. I'd wallflower myself from the overload and that was probably worse than remaining home. It'd just be sad.

"Is that Craig?"

I twisted around again just as Etherea looked up from the radio. "Ah, yeah, it is. That's the station he's a DJ for - the one we've been sort of not listening to." I tapped the display. "He's out at Oggie's right now."

"Ooooo. Is that near here?"

Another wonderfully silly idea came to the fore. We'd been wandering northward while I played chauffeur and now Oggie's was pretty much within spitting distance. There was a long strip of little stores on the other side of The Landing restaurant from Oggie's, and at this time of night most should be closed. It should be safe enough at the far end of the parking lot and we'd still be able to see the outside. It'd be almost like taking Etherea to Oggie's. She'd get her wish to see more people doing people things!

"Yup. It's not that far. Would you like to see?" Though that meant going back into traffic. But, y'know what? We'd have to do that regardless. It just meant a longer wait before cupcakes and soda.

I'd live.

"I-If you think... it will be safe for us to do so." Her nod was hesitant but her tone was so hopeful. She'd probably be able to wait a bit more for dessert.

Our little pit stop had done me a lot of good, yet my nerves were already beginning to hum as the busy road threatened. I was right back to a white-knuckled grip and hasty glances all around before I knew it. Even if the traffic seemed a little thinner than before it still sucked so much.

At the same time, as Etherea cowered below the reach of any headlights, I don't think we would have traded it for anything. This was her best, and perhaps only, chance to see humans first... hoof. We had to take it. I just wished that it didn't make me feel like a fugitive in my own damn hometown.

Pulling in near Oggie's came with two very audible sighs of relief. I'd chosen a spot halfway down the lot and quite a few spaces from the nearest car, even further from the nearest people. And it looked like a hell of a shindig. People of all types were out front in groups that fluidly merged and separated, a riotous mix of outfits bending the eye even as they threatened to burn it. A constant trickle of people came and went - hence our distance away - but most were in and about, having the time of their lives.

Etherea still crouched well below the level of the window but her curiosity had already won. She was so still, the top of her head just barely high enough to look, like she'd forgotten the rest of her body existed. Well, except for the occasional tremor in her wings or tail. Her absolute focus had rendered even her ears rigidly stationary.

I'm not ashamed to have simply basked in the adorable.

Wait... Another idea! The radio went off - we weren't listening anyways - and I set a finger to a button in the door.

"Hey Etherea, hold still a sec."

Her ears twitched just before she turned toward, her lips parting. The window gave a loud sort of sticky pop as it freed itself and began to slide down. The distant cacophony immediately rushed inside and whatever she'd been about to say came out as a strident squeak, her head jerked around and away from the sudden noise. She threw her head back down as her eyes tried to leap from her skull.

Shit! Alex! 'Hold still?' I could have given such a better warning than that! I'd scared her half to death!

"You can move the windows?!" Her whisper was harsh enough to barely fit that description.

"Yeah, sorry. I..." Why was I whispering back? Even with the window open there was still no way anyone could hear us way over here! Plus the party itself was just so damned loud. "I can. I should have given you better warning. But this way..."

Those worried eyes flicked up toward the open window and a ghost of a smile came back. She turned as I was speaking - one alert ear remaining on me - inching herself forward until the tip of her muzzle poked into the open air.

"...you can better hear everything." Her nose began wiggling. "And smell, I guess." A good, lame ending there. Whatever. She wasn't paying attention anymore anyway.

"This place smells like..." Her nose crinkled deeply. "Um. Industry. I can't place a lot of it. Smoke of some kind. Food, I think. There might be a few kinds, but I can't identify them... all together like this."

Please don't be burgers, please don't be burgers, please don't be burgers! I forced myself to take a breath - to act casual. Now wasn't the time to test whether she was okay with such things.

"There are some plants but they're so faint." She withdrew to pass me a look. "There is a lot out there. It is... actually almost, um, 'normal,' but everything... is just a little different."

I grinned right back as she did the same to me. With a barely-heard content little sound in the back of her throat she put her head back to the open window. Yet another idea struck as I watched her watching the crowd; one that I can't believe I hadn't considered even once yet. I should take a picture of this!

Oh! And I could send it to Craig to show off that we'd actually, sort of, shown up! Craig's words from earlier rang in my head before another part of me doused everything in frozen reason.

Craig was hosting a massive party right now. He thrived in the limelight, so even if he wasn't actually in front of the crowd he was probably surrounded by someone. Quite a few someones if the crowd outside was an indication. Who knows how many might see a picture of an alien pony just by proximity?

But I could probably still get him. He would get the message even if I reframed the picture. My phone came up, I made damned sure the flash was off, and I focused through the front passenger window. Front and center, though distant, was the blaringly-lit gold and maroon Oggie's sign.

Guess who stopped by. I attached one picture and sent Craig's phone a gift.

"What was that you just did?"

And now I had an alicorn's attention. Well, not quite all of it - she still had one ear directed through her mane toward the club. I wasn't really surprised since the nearby party had to be hopelessly tantalizing.

That had me wondering whether there was a maximum range on her translation spell. With those ears she might actually be able to hear everything clearly, and I wasn't sure I wanted her listening too closely to a group of drunk partygoers... But she didn't seem to notice, or care and I did my best to let the issue go.

"I let Craig know that we stopped by."

"You sent him a message from... your, um, telephone?"

"Mmmhmmm." An insistent buzzing filled my hand. I was grinning even before opening the new text. That'd been pretty fast, especially from a party, so I must have gotten him good.

dude tell meu didnbring her wuth u

I couldn't help chuckling.

Etherea was still watching though her eyes kept drifting toward the window before snapping back. I waved a hand dismissively at her. "Just teasing him. He freaked..." Would she even get that phrase? "I scared him."

"Because he thinks we are heading in there?" Her muzzle motioned out across the lot.

"Yup." While nodding I whipped up a reply for Craig.

I did! Not coming in though. Just showing her around.

Etherea's smile flashed white in the dim light and she returned to watching the crowd. Some guy jogging out to his car became the center of both our attentions. Etherea was probably just curious but I was busy plotting his exact destination - making dead sure it was nowhere near us.

Another round of soft vibrations drew me back to the phone in my hand.

good scarred m e gopdthin ur not here rachels here

Okay, now I didn't regret not going with Craig at all. It's not that Rachel and I had any particularly bad blood between us but our one sort-of date had still ended poorly. Any interaction was probably going to be awkward to the point of being upsetting. Rachel was pretty enough... but no. An emphatic no.

I shook my head and set it aside. I'd had my fun and was feeling pretty good about hanging out with just Etherea tonight. Certainly a lot more fun than going to a giant party, even if we'd spent most of our time dodging every other human in the town. I suppose 'exciting' would be more appropriate, or 'nerve-wracking.' But that was getting to be such a common thing for me these days that I could appreciate the nuances separating this relatively calmer tension from the initial terror of breaking two worlds.

Plus I kind of liked the quiet moments like this with just me and...

She's taken Alex. And a pony. And a princess. And not even from this world!

I set all that aside with some effort, rejoining Etherea in watching the ebb and flow of the crowd. Well, she spent much of the next little while watching the crowd. I admit keeping an eye out because I half-expected Craig to wander out to look for us but mostly I was keeping an eye on her because I wanted to be ready to field any questions.

I also kept probing the feelings that just wouldn't go away around her. Why her? Why a pony of all things? Why me? There was only so much sense that I could make of them and the general feeling that something was wrong was extremely frustrating.

And to some extent it was just entertaining to watch her. She was just so cute while avidly following each new arriving or departing person, or how she'd duck whenever a car drove by on the road - even if the road wasn't all that close. I received a number of embarrassed half-smiles from that.

Eventually she got bored, I guess, and turned around to ask what was next. After all, the plan wasn't to sit here all night, was it?

Of course not. With some momentary excitement we pulled out of the parking lot, laughing a bit at the oblivious people left behind. My nerves struck again at full force as we reached the intersection with the main road. Back in traffic again was not where I wanted to be and I had to keep telling myself that this was all for a good cause.

And speaking of which, where were we going?

I didn't really have any idea other than 'out of town.' We'd ended up near the northern edge of town, but I didn't really want to head out that way. Other that some general knowledge of swamps and things I didn't know the area nearly as well as I knew the south. From the other end of town I could take us out on the back roads without getting too lost.

One benefit to being up this way was that I could cut back through the old part of town - full of giant, elaborate Victorian houses, smaller colonial ones, large and somewhat less subdued colonial government buildings, and a whole lot of neat history. Even though we'd driven past it earlier Etherea had been too busy hiding to see. Since most everything was closed for the weekend there should be a lot fewer people to distract us if I stayed off the main road.

Chalk one up for me because it worked out really well. We even got caught by the light while on a cross street of an intersection we'd passed through earlier. An almost constant stream of quiet amazement came from the back seat as Etherea got a good, long moment to gawk at a couple of the old multi-story mansions without having to hide.

Shit! I'd forgotten something! We weren't going to be on any magic traffic lines but from this direction we would have to cross a major road for weekend activity - restaurants, pubs, and other evening establishments making it one of the few places to be.

Etherea stayed low as I took a crushing grip on the wheel and tried to keep breathing. It went well enough in spite of my fears, and as we reached a safe distance I saw her head pop up to look back at all the activity.

Just in time for a group of four people to step out from between two cars as we slowly coasted by.

"Eth...!"

"EEEEP!"

"...erea!"

She bodily hit the deck with a resounding whump. I almost - almost - whipped my head around to see whether the group had noticed the pony not fifteen feet from them. The chance that I'd misdirect my car - in the middle of a street enclosed by parked cars and irreplaceable historic buildings - was more than enough motivation to keep my eyes glued forward.

"Shit, shit, shit..."

"ALEX!" was the indignant cry from the rear.

"They might have seen you!"

"I know, but...!" A dark shape took over much of the rearview again. "Alright, I do not think they noticed. They do not seem... to be doing anything different." I sensed something near my shoulder. "That does not excuse... excuse... ewwwwww!"

I spared a very brief look and found a pony shaking her head, eyes firmly clenched and lips curled in disgust. Inches away from discovery and she was more concerned with her offended senses. What the hell was wrong with this pony?! Was this a princess thing - being able to ignore imminent danger in favor of something slightly out of place?

"Look, I'm doing what I can, but that's a pretty common curse around here. Forgive me for being human when stressed!"

The soft 'stretching' sounds of someone shifting on leather seat was followed by a shuddering exhale. "I-I... Y-yes. Th-that-t really was too c-close. I-I did not mean... to belittle that point, but..." A short pause followed before she spoke, this time much quieter. "Never mind. Sometimes it is hard to... remember that things can be very different here."

I guess her head was mostly screwed on straight but...

Extreme stress did strange things to the best of us so it wasn't worth thinking about too much. Though now I had a sullen princess behind me. Lovely.

It only took a few minutes to get out of the town proper and onto more open road. A stolen glance once we were free of any major traffic confirmed that Etherea wasn't paying any attention to me, her chin now resting on the door below the open window and head nestled against the seat. She was content to leave everything in silence which didn't do anything kind to me.

I needed to do something, but again the question was what. That I was asking meant I had no good answer. And if I was honest with myself, I didn't feel like bothering her. She was upset and I didn't want to rehash something that might only make everything worse. So I let her be, figuring that finding some place to have the cupcakes would be the best medicine.

Was it the right choice? I didn't know and that only made it bother me more.

It must have been about the fourth glance backward that Etherea noticed. A shape loomed in the rearview just as I looked away before a dimly-lit golden-yellow presence moved into the edge of my vision.

"Alex?" Her voice was a strange blend of hesitant yet forceful enough to overcome the wind.

It just came right out as natural as breathing. "Etherea, I'm sorry for upsetting you back there."

"Oh, that? Do not..." I looked over as a pause more poignant than her usual struggles with English fell in place. "Do not worry about it. I am a grown mare."

I passed her another look. Honestly, I just wasn't sure what to say next. She gave me an eye roll back.

"Really! We should not have to be doing this again. It may be, um, very different... here, but it is still alright Alex."

I had to give her credit for trying hard. And me taking it poorly was pretty normal. "If you're sure..." Not so indecisive, Alex! Her exasperated groan was all the impetus I needed. "Forget that. It's fine. I got it."

"Good! Ummm... I've been meaning to ask. How did you control the window? Is there some manner... of remote command?" It was amazing how quickly she could go from serious to chipper.

It felt strange to laugh so soon but it was also so good! "No. It's more electricity and there are buttons up here." I exchanged hands on the wheel so she could see me pointing with my right. "And hey, there's another thing I can show you that's like it."

I had never wanted a convertible since too much wind while driving bothered me. But I did have the poor-man's version. Etherea's nose tracked my hand as I reached to the buttons above me. A rolling woosh blasted through the car as the roof split, the sound deepening with the expanding opening.

"You have a window in the top of your vehicle?!" Even with all the wind I had to lean away from her to spare my ear.

"Yup. Moon roof."

"Moon... roof?" Her eyes met mine for a split second before she put a hoof between the seats to step on the passenger seat. Her head went forward and up, the wind changing to hitting me directly now that she was deflecting it. Laughter filtered back into the car as I tried not to stare up under her chin - I was driving after all.

Driving a car with an alicorn sticking her head up through my moon roof. Like a dog. Which was a horrible comparison. Yet the image had such a strikingly similarity that I laughed in spite of myself.

All of that took only a moment. Then there was hair everywhere! Flailing, stinging mane whipped up around me and threatened to completely cut off my view of the road. Etherea must have noticed because she ducked and disappeared backward before I could finish opening my mouth.

"Ss-so-o-rry-y." Uncontained giggles fought for a place in her apology.

If it weren't for the hair I'd be all for her doing that. I'd always wanted to do it myself but I was always the driver. No, brain, I wasn't going to try to get Etherea to drive. I'm not a complete moron.

"It's alright. I've always wanted to do that." And speaking of sticking her head in the wind... "You don't care that you got all, um, mussed up?"

"Ummmmm... Maybe a little." A voluminous yellow glow softly lit the interior from behind me. A glance in the rearview showed that, yes, probably her entire mane was glowing.

Talk about feeling good! Etherea and I had managed to duck under the notice of so many people, snuck into and out of the danger zone, and weathered a few hiccups. Now we were cruising along, probably home free, and my excitement was back in full. This birthday thing was turning out pretty well, all things considered. Neither of us were saying anything but it was a pleasant kind of break with each of us just enjoying the ride.

Turning off through a town barely large enough to be called such led us into what passed for rural around here. In other words it would take a while to walk from one house to the next. I still didn't know exactly where we were going other than 'out into the country' - pretty much I was just looking for a suitable field to stargaze from. I just had to find someplace that was far enough from the nearest houses, wasn't a farmer's crops, wasn't a...

"Are those fireflies?!"

I'd gotten so used to the relative quiet that I twitched at Etherea's happy exclamation. I finally noticed the tiny, slowly dancing lights while easing up on the gas. Well that made my decision easy.

"Looks like it."

On one side was a field of some short crop and on the other was some kind of undeveloped track that rose away into a low hill. The road ran ahead through a split in a line of trees before curving out of sight. I didn't know exactly what was on the other side of the trees but where we were seemed alright. In fact, the rise and the curve of the tree line would lend us some cover from the road. So with a bump and the grinding of gravel I pulled onto the edge of the ditch, stopping this side of the trees.

I looked over my shoulder just as Etherea began nosing around the door, her smile growing to epic proportions. "How do I open this?"

"There's a handle forward near the top there." I snaked my hand around behind the passenger seat to point. "Though if you want it'll only take me a moment to get there and let you out."

"The royal treatment then? Alright." She gave a soft, happy hum.

I guess I had offered. But now that I thought about it I felt pretty silly. I wasn't a chauffeur, nor was I, well, her special somepony. I shook my head at myself as I stepped out; there wasn't much I could do about it now.

Telling myself this was just a friend being nice felt like a hollow sentiment for some reason. But I was probably way over-thinking things. Again.

The latent humidity was again striking. After so much time in the car the air seemed heavy but there was also a sweetness born of freshly sprouted things. Thankfully the clouds had continued to dissipate throughout the evening and now that we were away from the city's lights I couldn't help but stare upward as I trailed my hand around my car.

"Starting without me?" Etherea's question was mockingly friendly as I stepped aside with her door. I just shrugged and she made a cute amused noise through her nose.

Even more adorable was the 'elegant' way she pulled herself to the edge of the seat with her forehooves while wriggling her rump to help. Cars really weren't designed for ponies. Once her forehooves touched the ground it was a much simpler matter for her to step fully clear, then draw herself up like she hadn't just crawled her way out of a hole. A flick cleared her tail from the door and she turned excited eyes on our surroundings, raising her nose high and deeply filling her lungs.

"Haahhhhhh!" Her smile was back and in full bloom. "Hmmm. The air is not as clear... as it is in Canterlot, but do you smell that?" She took a number of short inhales, her nose bouncing a little higher with each one. "All manner of plants, dirt, trees, the rain... It is much more fresh."

I raised an eyebrow when she brought her eyes back to me.

"Do not take this the wrong way, but being... out here reminds me that your place really does smell like a... couple of stallions live there. Not that it is all that bad," she jumped hastily back in, "it is just, um, distinctive."

Her attempt to backtrack wasn't lost on me. "So we stink? Well, it's a good thing..." It was kind of late to not be okay with teasing her. "Then it's a good thing you're here to straighten us out, isn't it?"

I flashed her a friendly grin and immediately got one back.

A glow engulfed her horn and with barely a glace backward she dragged the towels and things out from the floor between the seats. I noted with some trepidation that the illumination cast by the two bundles would be a beacon from a long way away. Again, Etherea was on top of things, quickly tucking our stuff back under her wings.

I took a second and breathed out in relief before extending a hand toward the open ground of the nearby hill. "Well, shall we?"

A little prance in place and another emphatic nod was her reply.

The ditch posed a bit of a problem but with some careful steps we managed. Heading up the slope on the other side was much more pleasant even in spite of the overgrown weeds and things ringing the field. And thank, well, some deity that we'd brought the towels - there was still some moisture on everything.

Etherea was... mostly ecstatic. Getting her hooves damp was apparently bothersome but it still couldn't keep her from prancing along beside me. Kind of like watching a Lipizzaner high-stepping. Her hooves made a rapid staccato of dull impacts and crunches as she turned this way and that, even walking sideways now and again as she alternated between trying to take in every detail and tracking the occasional firefly. Her ears were, if anything, even more mobile and telegraphed every twist and turn.

I'm not sure how she was doing it. The area was rife with random short plants and the occasional baby bush and I had to be careful of my footing. Not to mention that it was really fucking dark. Seriously, where was a moon when you needed one?

Probably in Equestria stressing the fuck out over where Etherea had disappeared to. Damnit. I didn't need that right...

"Now I am very glad that... you have a way to cool your apartment because... this warmth would be very uncomfortable during the day." I got treated to an over-the-shoulder look without her stopping.

"You're welcome?" I couldn't blame myself for that reply - well I could - I'd just been dragged out of my thoughts and into the unexpected!

She giggled, already turning to follow another tiny winking light as it meandered past. Its path brought her all the way around until she was walking completely backwards. "It makes sense. We are at a lower elevation and closer to... the equator than Canterlot."

"Not much I can do about the temperature; I'm just glad that the weather cleared," I said, completely earnest. It's what had allowed this gift to her!

"Me too!" A vigorous nod shook both her ears and mane as the firefly looped around her until she was again pointed forward.

We crested the rise - a whole six or seven feet higher than the roadway - and found the land dipping slowly back down to a large, dark rift separating us from what must be another field. Probably a drainage ditch. Happiness radiated from every line of Etherea's body and mentally I was celebrating my good choice.

"Y'know, if you wanted, since it was a big part of the reason to come out here, you could," I pointedly inclined my head toward her side, "stretch your wings and all that." She was already setting down the towels. "If you'd like... Y'know."

A soft laugh escaped her, growing more excited as she stepped to the side. Her wings unfolded to stretch wide with soft whispers, trembling a bit as she held them. A dozen feet or more for her complete span so I hadn't been far off in my earlier estimation. Her smile was unmistakable despite the shrouding shadow as she drew her wings slightly back and gave them several slow test pumps.

Her wings went rigid. Something was wrong.

"Wait, I do not have... a flight, um, jumper." And she folded them away!

"What?"

"Yesterday you saw, um... Amaranth wearing one. I would be flying... barebelly and with my tail in the wind everything would... be on display. I would be indecent."

Wait, there were limits on pony nudity? Naked flying? But... "You mean the leotard-thing she was wearing?"

"Yes, that!"

But the whole point of getting out here was to let her fly! I know lifting her tail - shut up brain! - like when flying would flash the goods, but that had to already be an occasional thing. In fact, I knew it was! But now it was a problem? When nobody would even be able to see her?

"Y'know, it's night and I can hardly see so it's not like I would see anything. I think you'd be safe." The bite in my words made me flinch. I wasn't here to browbeat her!

She shifted back and forth slowly, her eyes still on me, and the dark left me wishing I could get a better read on her. "Ummmmmmm..." At least the wary glances around us were clear. "I s-suppose y-you are probably right." A giggle escaped her. "Ooo, this would be s-so scandalous! I c-cannot believe I am even thinking o-of doing this!"

I chuckled to cover my frustration with the whole situation and turnabout. "Well, I won't look." And my mouth kept going... "Probably." Damnit! I guess I was flirting back now. I'd have to be more careful about that.

She stiffened, one foreleg landing neatly in front of the other. Even in the dark she head suddenly seemed downright imperious. "See that you do not!"

Then she gave a big hop, let out another louder giggle, and then turned and launched forward. The dark pony shape became a shadowy blur trailing streamers of darkness as she picked up speed. Shapes lifted from her sides and one last resounding thud her hind legs propelled her off the ground as her wings snapped out and down. A few frantic beats lifted her...

Wait...!

Her horn wasn't lit yet faint gold light was blooming outward in all directions. Ephemeral glowing streamers coalesced in an arc stretching dozens of feet in front of her before flowing back and thickening. They twisted about, conforming snugly to her wings and body as they slid past before faded away just behind her.

Like the airflow itself around her was fucking luminescent!

Shit! The effect wasn't all that bright but this late at night she was a goddamned beacon! A glowing, flying, and very visible not human beacon!

Even as I leaped forward and raised my arms in warning I found Etherea twisting about, dropping low and fast right at me. Whatever I'd been about to yell died in my throat as I frantically switched to backpedaling. Etherea's legs, which had been tucked next to her body, unfolded and she skidded to short, hard stop mere feet away, her wings flaring in one last forward push. The last of her momentum blasted around me as a brief rush of wind - and couple poor fireflies - her light fading with the settling air.

"A-A-Alex! I... Oh, nonononono... Lyoesu ila uller?! Lyo esu...?! I-I m-mean did-d... did you...?"

"I... did." My arm had been a hasty shield for my face and now that it was safe enough to lower it I could see her in a half crouch, head down and jerking this way and that.

"Oh, no! Oh, no! I-I..."

"Woah, Etherea. It's alright." It wasn't, not after that display, but we couldn't lose our heads! I joined her in scanning the horizon. Or at least the distant houses with lights on. I made the decision to take those few steps toward her and extended my hand, though I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do.

She halted for a split second while facing me. "How can you be... sure of that? My magic... The air... itself was illuminated! Anypony could have... easily seen me!"

I really didn't have a response. Again, it was true. But there was still an 'if' in there even if she hadn't specifically said it. If anyone had been looking in our direction. And with the tree line blocking everything from behind us there were only about three houses - if I remembered this section of road correctly - that would be in the right places. Very few would have had the opportunity. And even if anyone had seen Etherea flying it would have been at quite a distance and for a very short time. What was the chance that anyone from those houses had happened to be pointing binoculars or a telescope at us just as Etherea took off?

I mentally slapped myself for tempting fate. As astronomical as the likelihood would be, it was still not zero. At least its remoteness was of some small comfort.

But that still left Etherea. I knelt with my hand still out, she tracking the motion with a twitch. With a shake and another glance around she pivoted a step so her back was in easy reach. As good an invitation as any I supposed. My tension gave way to a small but potent thrill as my hand touched her withers.

I carefully let my thoughts speak for themselves. "You're right, it's not a sure thing. But even on the off chance that someone had been looking in our direction I think it's really unlikely that they'd be able to see anything worthwhile. It might be a little strange, but how would they know anything?" I could only hope this was working better for her than it was for me. "Um, so there was a light. There could be any number of normal explanations for that. A firework for example."

Even in the dark I could see the incredulousness in her sideways look. "You think that we... are so safe that I... should simply not worry about this? Alex, tha...!"

"No," I said as gently as I could. "I'm saying we shouldn't panic yet. We're actually pretty sheltered here so let's just keep an eye out and see if anything happens." My hand almost unconsciously rubbed gently at her coat. Since she didn't stop me I let it go, banking on it being soothing.

It took a moment but she slowly nodded. Strangely enough some of the tension left me as well. With things more stable for the moment I took my hand back to unroll the towels. Standing would leave us more visible and we'd want something slightly more comfortable than damp weeds and short brush to sit on. It still took a pointed look and some slight pressure from my hand on Etherea's withers again to convince her to sit.

We must have stayed that way for fifteen or twenty minutes, me carefully watching one direction and Etherea the other. A single car drove by over on the road but it had come through the break in the trees - from the wrong direction to have seen Etherea's flight. Even so, neither of us took our eyes off the glow of its headlights until it disappeared around the next bend.

This is what we'd been reduced to? Spending the last of her birthday in anxious silence? We'd had so much of that over the last few days so this was supposed to be different! Instead Etherea was so tense that there were constant faint vibrations under her coat.

I know I really wasn't really much better. The house on the other side of the nearby field had three lights on - two inside and one over a side door. It was the closest place where other people might be and just because I hadn't seen anything yet didn't mean that they weren't there. I had...

The humming in my nerves was too much. I was quite literally jumping at shadows. Just like I had been all week. Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh on myself - quite a few of the things I'd been worrying about certainly deserved the concern. Still, what we were doing now was becoming unreasonable. It had been so long with nothing but the sounds of crickets and those little peeper frogs so, really, we were just sitting here together. Doing nothing.

"So..." Etherea's whole body jerked at the sudden sound. It was surreal that she might actually be more wound up than me. "Sorry. I just figure we haven't seen or heard anything yet so I think we're probably safe." I gave her a second to respond but she just tilted her head. "Um, just what happened back there when you were flying?"

She turned away, drawing in and exhaling a faint but distinctive breath. "It could only have been... my innate pegasus magic. Our wings," her muzzle dipped toward her side, "are not enough by themselves... so we rely largely on our Harmony... to magically compel our flight. In Equestria it is like..."

A hoof rose to her chin as she again looked off into the distance. The same hoof became a source of aimless gesturing as she tried to find the words. "It is like thinking through the air ahead of you and... and... Ummm, neyalar shi enusar shi kusenlen? Then you flex it... um, almost like a muscle. I don't think I can... explain it any better than that. If you do it right the... air responds more strongly than... it would with wings alone."

It wasn't really possible to imagine just how it felt to 'flex' air but I tried anyways. I even tried tightening one arm for a sympathetic feeling that probably wasn't even close.

"Since there is no ambient Harmony... here I cannot interact with the air the same way... unless I infuse it first. It's the same problem I have... with levitation; I have to devote some of my Harmony to... give myself something to cast on." She turned back to me, her tone both quiet and sharp. "That light show was me literally throwing... Harmony at the air around me."

"Oh. Well, I suppose we won't be doing that again. Sounds like it would take too much out of you." She nodded, clearly unhappy. So now I needed something to turn this back around. "Um, it was really pretty though. I've never seen the air compressed into an airflow for flight." There were wind-tunnels, but a lone stream of smoke was nowhere near the same as seeing the entire process surrounding an entire object from beginning to end. I still had an ace up my sleeve too. "And, well, rather than just sitting here, how about we have some cupcake?"

She ducked her nose and snorted quietly. But I caught a hint of a grin! Her mane rustled softly as she took one last, long look around us. "A-Alright." It was barely more than a whisper but the rest was stronger. "I would like that."

I handed the cupcakes off to her magical grip and then popped the soda open, its fervent hiss making the two of us look around quickly. When we looked back at each other the faint illumination from her horn showed that she wasn't the only one blushing at our mutual silliness. With a sheepish giggle she passed me a cupcake - pink and white swirled frosting with several sizes and shapes of sprinkles. I traded her a glass of soda. Her cupcake lifted up between us at the whim of a golden halo and angled toward me. When I cocked an eyebrow she just grinned, her confection bobbing twice before shifting closer.

"A toast?"

A sweet chuckle this time. "Mmmmhmmm."

I tapped the edge of my cupcake to hers. With a nod and a happy hum her lips parted and a sliver of pink questing toward the dessert.

"Ah, hold on."

She froze, tongue just barely not touching the cupcake, a sliver more white showing around her eyes.

I couldn't believe I was actually going to do this. But it was tradition, damnit! I just, well, couldn't not give her the full human birthday experience.

"There's a song." Her tongue disappeared and I again had her full, eager attention. A deep breath to calm myself, a clearing of my throat, and I sang. Sort of. I could have really tried but it was hard enough to sing for someone by myself, much less attempt to make it a vocal epic.

Etherea was smiling fit to pop when I finished. Yeah, that didn't help at all. I was just glad that she couldn't see... Actually, with her horn lit up she probably could see just how red I was! My thoughts stumbled and fell apart. I... Um... Damn.

"Happy birthday to me." Her eyes met mine one last time as she brought her cupcake back up.

Yeah, that was a good distraction. I bit deeply into mine, heedless of how my cheeks collected small smears of frosting.

Etherea carefully licked all around the outside of hers instead, sculpting the remaining frosting into a slightly neater pile. Only then did she begin taking careful bites. The princess, of course, got no frosting on her immaculate coat. She paused to giggle at one point when her eyes must have drifted across my face. I couldn't help dropping mine to the ground as I made damned sure my own cheeks were clean. It felt like I was breaking some kind of birthday rule though - eating cake too neatly.

By the time we finished the second round of confectionary goodness I was leaning back and propping myself up with one hand. Etherea had gotten comfortable on her belly - after some judicious wiggling to find a good spot - with forelegs stretched out in front of her. It was so peaceful. Just how I'd wanted the night to go.

Minus her getting a chance to really fly. Oh well.

"Wooooooooooow..." The soft, airy exhalation drew my eyes to an alicorn whose neck was bent sharply backward. Somehow she didn't mind the painful-looking pose. Putting it out of my mind I following the direction of her gaze. Other than a few small black splotches that must be lingering clouds the starscape was unblemished.

"I had noticed that your world also had stars but I... had not really seen them. Look at them all!"

I waited a moment for more, wondering what that meant about the vista above us. "This isn't like the sky back home?"

"Oh, no! There are many more stars here. And they are arranged so... randomly!" She swept a hoof out in a line that appeared to mirror a very familiar arc dominating the sky. "Without a Princess of the Night to watch... over them it makes sense."

"That's the Milky Way." My nerves were already preparing me for her response.

She gave a short, questioning hum. "Milky Way?"

Yeah, this was going to be interesting. There was a growing tightness in my chest simply from considering how she'd take the news about the nature of my universe. Human astronomy had revealed so much unimaginable violence out there while showing just how little we understood. Looking up and considering humanity's fortune was awe-inspiring to me. How would someone who was scared of one relatively benign star react?

She was calmer now, though, and had been accepting new bits of information better than initially. Our Sun, the lack of Harmony, human society, and even the weather were becoming less concerning, which was a very good sign. It was not a sure thing though and I felt like I was going to have to place a lot of trust in simple hope. That and her growing trust in me.

"Alex?"

Right, lost in my own thoughts. "Sorry," a soft snort came from my right, "there's just... just so much to say." I took a deep breath and jumped in. "Our Sun is a star."

I turned my head to see her reaction to my allusion. Her return stare lingered. Perhaps I should have just said it plainly but I kind of wanted her to figure it out. When her ears started twitching I knew the gears were turning and dropping thoughts into place.

"Your Sun is a... star? Like those?" She pointed her muzzle back toward the sky.

"Yeah. Each of those spots of light is a star much like our Sun."

"But..." Nothing followed.

"There is so much out there beyond our world that we can't really, truly comprehend it. We're only like five or ten miles from my apartment. The Sun is somewhere around ninety three million miles from the Earth. It takes seven or so minutes for light from the Sun to reach us. The closest star out there..." I raised my right arm to point. "It takes ten years for the light to reach us."

My eyes unconsciously sought Etherea out as a few short, incomprehensible sounds worked their way out of her. She was frozen, her eyes looked on the sky. She definitely needed the long moment I gave her.

"I, ahhh... Uhh..." I almost chuckled but I couldn't upset her. Not now. "Ninety three million?! But that is... And you... They are all self-controlled... explosions and the next nearest one is ten years away?!"

I not sure how her jaw remained hinged. I suppose that was mostly because she was too busy still using it to try and form words. When she turned her head eyes that looked ready to leap from her skull locked onto mine. My helpless shrug was paired with a cringe.

"Ten years for light. It would take us thousands of years of constant travel with our current capability. And that's just the closest one."

It took far too much effort for her to complete one blink before she shook her head vigorously, her mane swishing freely across the towel under her. "Y-yeah-ah. I-I understand that. If it is true." Her disbelief was almost palpable. "How can it possibly be that... that... 'Big' doesn't even begin to describe it!"

"Uhhhhh... I don't know why. It... just is. That's how this universe is built."

Her wide-eyed stare lingered for what felt like minutes, an urge to fidget growing harder and harder to suppress. Other than another shrug I didn't know what to do - she needed to come to grips with this herself. Eventually she very deliberately turned her back to the sky, her ears, which had been focused, slid backward under her mane again.

"All of them were... created through random chance the same as your Sun?" Her voice was quiet again - awestruck.

"Yeah. Different sizes and colors and things, but all formed from the same basic process."

"No wonder." She was quiet for a long moment while I tried to figure out just what she meant by that. "Even if the chances for just the right... circumstances to make this world were... were laughably small, with that many," her forehoof swept across the sky, "then it, um, becomes likely that it will happen somewhere." Got it in one, princess.

She paused again, noticeably breathing in steady but very long breaths. "Are there... Do you know whether there are more worlds... like yours out there?"

I nodded, which was silly because she couldn't see it with her eyes cast upward. "In the past couple decades we've begun finding other planets. Most are uninhabitable - too close to their stars or far too large - but very recently we've discovered a few that are theoretically possible to live on." That got her attention. "And no, I don't know how they do it." Which was a small lie. I knew astronomers detected possible planets by watching stars wobble. How they determined the other attributes I couldn't guess.

"There might be more worlds and creatures out there." Oh, she was getting it! "The chances of... me finding my way here of all places..." Her words petered out with the tail end of a quiet exhale.

There were no words that I could use to adequately communicate either the feelings that came from having had a similar revelation, or the way in which I understood her reaction. It was something else to me, just like it seemed to be for her. Here I was sharing the Earth's night sky with a pony. I still couldn't help but try.

"All of this. It's just so much." Bending my neck all the way back while sitting was getting uncomfortable really quickly. Plus I could only see so much of the sky while facing forward so I freed from arm-prop and settled backwards onto my towel. It took a bit of wiggling but I convinced the underlying plants to accommodate me relatively well.

"Each of those lights is an epicenter for massive barely-controlled violence. They're all at distances that boggle the mind. The amount of happenstance in everything out there is so great that you can hardly believe that you can even exist. And yet right here it's all so calm and just kind of pretty. All of that," I raised an arm that Etherea followed with her eyes, "is simply amazing."

Etherea's head nodded faintly and slowly, her eyes not leaving the sight above us. "Yes... Oh, if Luna could see this. She put so much effort into... Equestria's sky but this is something else."

For a while neither of us did anything other than bask in what was above us and enjoy the peaceful sounds of a warm late spring night. Yet before long Etherea brought her eyes down to look around. She scooted around on her towel, her body twisted so that her rump was on the other end of her towel. I wondered what she was up to as a slow flop followed and for a moment - just briefly - her whole underside was toward me.

A mixture of great relief and an ounce of quickly-suppressed disappointment mixed when her hind legs remained together to keep her decent. Not that I could have seen anything in the dark.

She confirmed my suspicions by rolling onto her back, all four hooves curled above her. A long lash of her tail draped her entire belly and much of her chest with long strands. At least no one would be able to see up between her hind legs that way.

Not that it mattered here in the dark. And not that I really wanted another look.

Stupid brain. She's a pony from another world!

"Comfortable?"

She wriggled in place much like I had and let her wings fall to the ground. "Ahhhhhhh... Pretty much!" After taking a moment to watch the sky she opened her mouth again. "So what is that...? Um, what did you call that streak of stars?"

"The Milky Way? Uhhhh, let me start off by saying that the stars up there aren't just randomly scattered about." I caught her glance at me from the corner of my eye - I don't think she bought it. "All the stars you can see are organized into, um, a shape like a giant disk. We're maybe two-thirds of the way toward the edge and that 'streak of stars' is us looking further into the disk." I waited for a second, my thoughts churning, but Etherea didn't say anything. "There's probably a better way to describe it but I think you get the picture."

"I think I do. That," her hoof reached straight up, "is the disk."

"Yup." I mentally braced myself because there was no way she'd let it go at that.

"How can you tell?" Bingo.

"I don't really know. Astronomers have some way of measuring how the stars are moving and that tells us where to, how fast, and how far away they are."

"They are all moving?! But..." She made a sound like a cough but without any force behind it. "H-how can that be?!"

"Ummm..." How do I simplify something that took us hundreds of years to figure out? "Well, the simple answer is gravity. Gravity pulls things in but since they're in motion they just get stuck going in circles around and around. What's going on up there," I waved toward the sky before putting my hand back behind my head, "is just a bigger version of the same kind of thing that our world and the sun are doing. The disk is spinning so we're all moving around together."

Etherea was quiet for so long I began to worry. When I turned my head to check she had her legs folded and limp against her. Her eye on this side glimmered faintly, showing its width, yet her chest rose and fell with gentle steadiness. Worried or amazed again but alright, I guess. It was a shame that with her mane piled around the back of her head I was unable to see her ears.

It was a strange thought; that I was accustomed enough to gauge her mood by her ears. Also, was it bad of me to want to give her a tummy rub? Not that I was serious about it, it was just her position. I kept myself to a weak headshake though it did nothing to dislodge the thought.

"And..." I didn't even see her mouth move, her voice only a ghost of a sound. "And everything is moving?"

"Yup."

"But it is all balanced somehow. By itself." It wasn't quite a question, but I understood.

"Uh huh. Things are just so far away that it takes a really long time to see any kind of change."

Neither of us spoke for a while. Knowing that she was amazed but otherwise alright I went back to watching the sky. A half-formed desire to start counting the stars was dissuaded by the impossibility of the task so I settled for drawing my own imaginary shapes in the universe's largest game of connect-the-dots. Forget the established constellations, I was never very good at picking out any but the most famous.

"Do you name any of them?" Etherea? Are you reading my thoughts? Get out of my head! "Our stars all have names... and every now and again, when somepony... does something particularly wonderful, Luna creates a new star just for them."

"Yeah." A soft sound next to me made me look over, meeting Etherea's eyes for a moment. "I don't know most of them though."

"Oh."

"Sorry, I really should know more about this." Etherea's snort didn't help me feel any better that for all my fascination with the night sky I couldn't actually name much of what was in it. Sure I knew some of the names like Deneb, Altair, Sirius, and the like, but I couldn't point out which was which. Except... "There is one that pretty much everyone can name."

North wasn't hard to find. Etherea's head followed me as I sat up and rotated around on my butt. My knees came up as a perfect rest for my arms.

"You see those four bright stars in sort of a square shape?" I indicated somewhat north-ish and a ways above the horizon.

"Yes. You know one of those?"

"No, sorry." Another snort from the princess. Yeah, sue me. I apologize a lot when I'm trying to be really nice. At least she didn't call me on it. "If you draw a line through the bottom two and follow it that way," I moved my finger to the side a ways, "there's a bright star right there."

Etherea didn't move initially, instead arching her neck to try and orient her head correctly. Following directions upside down had never worked for me and the same held true for her. With a soft growl she rolled onto her side and twisted so that her rear legs were stretched toward me but her front legs were propping up her neck and head for a better view.

As much as she sort of looked like a horse her contortions were more cat-like.

"I think I see the one."

"That's Polaris. Also known as the North Star. It's bright and about as directly north as any star can be. It's also easily visible from just about anywhere in the northern hemisphere so if you can find it, you can orient yourself." I finished with more than a little pride creeping into my voice. After all, this was something about the wider universe that I knew for certain and had the distinct pleasure of being the first to share with her.

"Neat."

I gave her an exaggerated look, my shoulders rising only to slump back down. Really? Just 'neat'? Damnit. I would have to do better. Let's see now...

I left her still looking northward and sat straighter as I tried to orient myself on any of the few things I could actually identify for her. The problem was that short list was confined to such notables as Venus, the Andromeda Galaxy, and a handful of constellations. It was far too late for Venus and the box of stars that was Pegasus' body didn't seem to be up, so I couldn't use it as a guide to find Andromeda.

That might actually have been a good thing. The Milky Way was astonishing enough but how would she react if I told her that one particular 'fuzzy' star was actually another 'disk?' If she even believed me - which might be pushing it - it would probably blow her mind.

Actually, that might be kind of fun. Oh, well. No luck. Come to think of it, I remembered Pegasus and Andromeda being a feature of the late summer sky. I'd have to settle for what was already up there.

More sounds of shuffling had me cast a look past my right shoulder. Etherea had rolled onto her back, her legs curled above her again, her tail providing some modesty. It was just so tempting to reach over and rub her belly as a joke. Hell, imagine if I foofed...

No. As funny as it might be, touching her anywhere even slightly near her hind legs was far too personal. I couldn't shake the thought of just how funny it would be though. Maybe if I were Craig. And if I had the perfect line to explain and make her okay with it.

Yup, there was no way.

"What?" Of course she was watching me watch her.

Quick, say something! "You're adorable like that." Shit! My breath caught for a second. How far was too far?

A giggle and giant grin were her gifts back. Then she made it even worse and paddled her hooves in the air like she was riding a bicycle upside down. Or maybe, with her four legs, it was one built for two.

"Y'know, that doesn't actually help."

She stopped moving but her smile still shone in the faint light. Another stray desire mess with her by giving her a tummy rub had to be shoved in the back with the rest of them.

"It is one of... the curses of being a princess. We are... exceptionally cute and silly."

My thoughts immediately latched onto Celestia or Luna doing something similar. If they actually acted like that I'd give so much to see it even just once. It seemed far-fetched though - this was Celestia and Luna! I laughed heartily at the image though.

"See!" Etherea waved her forelegs dramatically. "You too have become... Oh!" Her whole body twitched and went rigid, her eyes snapping wide at something above her. "A shooting...!"

"No... I-It is too s-slow." More than a little fear had subsumed her excitement. And just like that my good mood was gone.

I finished turning my head to find the sky just as vast and slightly disorienting as always, uncountable pinpricks of light stretching from one horizon to another. Yet it wasn't hard to find the one out of place. A single pinprick was almost casually scooting across the sky in a very deliberate line. It seemed like it should strike and rebound from the stars in its path but it simply emerged on the other side and kept going.

"What is that-t star d-doing?"

"That?" Steady progress and no blinking lights. I responded automatically as my disjointed thoughts tried to sort out what was scaring her so much. "That's probably a satellite."

"A-and... and wh-what exactly i-is th-that?"

Unrestrained trepidation persisted in her tone and a single, small flick toward me was the only break her eyes took from the object above. Even that instant told me so much. She was terrified and needed me to explain away yet another strange, new thing as 'normal.'

Then it struck me like a sledgehammer. If there was any truth in the cartoon about stars literally moving to assist in the return of Nightmare Moon, then a satellite would seem like a terrible portent to an Equestrian. She had no reference for this sort of thing outside the return of a dark God.

"Relax Etherea. It's okay." Her wing was close enough and I gently set my fingers around the leading edge of her 'hand.' "It's not a star; it's just a device. They're things created by humans and sent into orbit around the world. They use momentum and gravity to stay in place up there. In fact..."

My right hand was occupied but my left was free to dig into my pocket. Apparently Craig had sent another message at some point but that wasn't why I was after my phone. I tapped the screen on and turn it toward her.

"...they're part of the system that makes these phones work. They connect the world by sending information all over the place. Some help us navigate, some look at the stars because of the better view, and some," I think she'd appreciate this, "watch the weather from above so we can see what will happen."

It took a moment before her muzzle bobbed forward and back in a slow nod. She continued to stare but least she wasn't getting any worse - like hyperventilating or anything. She'd probably be fine with a little time. I left my fingers resting among her smallest feathers as I slid my phone back in my pocket and tilted my head back, hoping the gesture really was reassuring. I even gave a tiny squeeze.

Just as a hard ring touched the back of my hand sudden pressure wrapped around it and sent a jolt through me. I snapped my head around as a strange omni-directional force held my hand still against Etherea's wing. The darkness obscured but...

But it was just her hoof set against the back of my hand. She'd reached across herself - a gesture impossible for a regular horse - to 'grasp' it with that pony 'grabbing field' of hers. My heart skipped a second beat before I told it quite firmly that this magic was just fine. In fact, in retrospect my momentary fear was about as silly as hers of the satellite had been.

I didn't say any of that. Instead I made myself smile to let her know I understood. It must have worked because she relaxed. We even released each other's appendages almost as one. It was a bit of a sappy little thing but it left me feeling pretty good. I mean, here we were, only days after first contact, the initial terrors reduced to mere jumpiness. It probably wouldn't be long before we were downright comfortable with each other.

Was that a pony 'thing?' Like did they just have that kind of effect? It was possible if Etherea's fixation with Harmony was any indication of their society. Hell, I suppose that powerful ponies might be able to subtly influence things around them to be more peaceable.

The possibility that Etherea was doing this kind of thing on purpose crossed my mind like a shadow. I poked a few holes in it and waved it away. So what if she was purposely influencing me to make things go more smoothly? I was kind of doing the same thing by censoring her experience until I felt she was ready.

How extensively Etherea had planned events was just one of many questions rattling around my head as we lay back to watch the stars while sipping away the soda. So many kept popping up like little bubbles. Most were astronomic in nature, which kind of figured. Like had Luna truly created their stars? How the hell did that work? Did she control them too? What about meteors, asteroids, auroras, and the like?

But I let them all go. I wanted to relax and that was what I was going to do, damnit! Plus I ended up rather busy with pointing out the constellations I knew. The Big and Little Dippers - and Bears, naturally - Cassiopeia, Draco - I was kind of sure of - and the bird of some kind. At least I'm pretty sure the rather visible cross was a bird.

Etherea was only too happy to plumb the depths of my knowledge of the visible constellations. Unfortunately the shallowness of it also left her rather disappointed.

It didn't really stop her though. The cross, or bird, became an alicorn. Because why not? A chariot that the alicorn was diving toward, a yappy little dog eating a carrot - her idea - a mountain with a ram on top, an upside-down skyscraper - not one of my better-explained ideas - and weirder appeared in the sky. Imagination invented answers for everything beyond the borders of our knowledge. The occasional passing firefly over us only added an element of randomness to it all. Heck, we were in danger of concocting some sort of epic adventure spanning the sky when Etherea, who had been increasingly fidgety as the night wore on, picked a random break in the conversation to roll onto her stomach.

"Gah! Alright, I think I have had too... much sugar. I need to do something!"

She was staring right at me. My brain went in a hundred different directions and came back with even more possible answers. I sorted them into an untidy pile to wait for the real one. It's not like she was suggesting anything suggestive no matter how much my addled mind might suspect otherwise.

"Wha...?"

She zeroed in on a passing firefly, her eyes nearly crossing to track it's approach. A harsh, quick inhale and small puff sent it looping away in a new direction. I couldn't decide which of two to pay attention to as I wondered what to do. Her giggle as she stretched her head closer didn't help at all.

"Come on, let's go running."

That made me sit up - I didn't really feel like doing that. "I, umm..." Running just wasn't something that I found particularly entertaining. Plus, compared to her, I was probably a lightweight and I didn't really want to exhaust myself. Then where would I be?

Then she was standing. And gone. In a manner of speaking. She went after another firefly as she danced away on happy hooves, the poor bug sent on its way with a bop from her nose.

"Alex? Are you coming?" She stopped just long enough to give a look that I couldn't really read in the dark.

"I'm... You go have fun. I'm not much of a runner. I'll just stay here. Um, and guard the drinks." Good work Alex, smooth as the ground you're sitting on.

"Awww. You are no fun." With a hop she spread her stance and lowered her head.

Was that... She looked ready to pounce! I leaned back and placed a hand down, curling my legs under in the hope that I could spring out of the way.

A short raspberry sounded through the night.

Then her head came up, as did her entire posture, she showing all the regal bearing of a true princess. "Hmmmph!" And with that she stalked away.

Which turned into a fast walk. Then a trot. Then a full on gallop.

Shadowy contrails of hair undulated behind and about her as her hooves carried her away with a rapid, ever-shifting staccato. She carved a shallow arc that approached the nearby ditch before angling away and sparing me worries that she'd fall in and really hurt herself. It was night after all. Hopefully her large eyes were as good in the dark as it seemed they should be.

As she came back within easy talking distance she twisted and planted her rear hooves, springing away in a new direction. The same jump took her up in the air where she brought her muzzle up under another slowly drifting light and bounced it straight up. With a laugh she slid to a halt on stationary front hooves, bringing her rear around and down to spring back and push the poor lightning bug even higher.

Now she was just fucking with them. But damn was it fun to see and I laughed with her.

She frolicked and I watched. I know she could talk and reason, and her head and overall shape weren't quite right, but as she scampered back and forth her silhouette was all horse. Hooves, legs, haunches, barrel, neck, mane, and tail. Her head forward as she sprinted, the way her body flowed through its motions, and even her tail lifting like a flag. My eyes told me quite firmly that this wasn't an Equestrian at play, but an equine.

An equine with a horn. And wings that carried her higher than each jump should be possible, sending poor fireflies spinning helplessly away from her as she passed.

She was definitely showing off for me.

Yet as uncomfortable as I was with that thought - what would I do if she actually did like me, ludicrous as that was - her antics were still so beautiful to watch. I was seeing her free and unfettered in both mind and body for the first time in, well, ever. I could get lost just in it. If I let myself. That wasn't going to happen because that wasn't a good line of thought to follow. Not here and not now.

Still, the image of her landing from one high bound as her nose came up under another unsuspecting lightning bug, her eyes shining and she grinning like a fool, was going to stay with me for a very long time.

I'm not sure how long it took but she eventually managed to wear herself out. A final loop while tearing around the area with her wings extended like she was flying at ground level brought her back to me. I know I was smiling to match her face-splitting expression; my cheeks felt the strain. Letting her get out like this was the best idea I'd ever had. Probably.

"That looked like fun."

She came to a stop near her towel, though kept up a brisk stationary walk and continued to raise and lower her partially-folded wings. "Yeah!" I don't know how she found so much strength for her voice while her nose and mouth were audibly trying to keep up with the bellows in her chest. "It was!"

"I don't... Know when... I will... Be able... To get... Out Again... Like..." She twitched, her already perked ears managing just a bit more rigidity. "I had... To make... Themostofit!" I received another quick smile. "Now if... You will... Excuse me." And down she went, landing roughly on her belly before flopping over on her side with a happy groan.

A throaty chuckle was my reply. "Ready to go back then?"

She tried talking but it didn't work.

"Alright. You just take five or so and I'll get this cleaned up."

I only needed around one - it's not like we had a lot of things with us. I still gave her five or ten, watching her exhausted heaves even out into happy sighs and then mere murmurs. After another little span she rolled back upright and her eyes met mine.

"Alright?"

"Do I have to?" The barest hint of a rasp remained, but she sounded much better. She even managed to work in some obvious faux stridence somehow. "Your, um, vehicle is all the... way over there."

We were doing this now? Really? I rolled my eyes then looked back and forth between her and our ride for good measure. "Weeeeellllll... I suppose if you really don't want to." The leftovers and soda were already in my towel so it wasn't hard to cradle them and stand. "I'll see you around then. Don't forget to write."

Pure, crisp laughter sounded behind me as I turned my back and began walking. See? I can play my cards right now and again.

Someone shifting about, the soft crunches of small, sturdy plants being stepped on, and the flapping of a large section of cloth were followed by brisk steps to catch up to me. Etherea matched her pace to mine and hung next to my side. Rather close too - like a foot away or less. I was not sure how I felt about that. Was it too close?

She didn't even seem to notice so clearly not for her. I was reminded of how she had admitted sorely missing the companionship of her fellow ponies. As one of the only beings she knew here, and definitely the closest, I guess her behavior wasn't that surprising. It's not like this was all that intimate so I would be a poor friend to not accept it.

"It is good to see you finally relaxing, Alex."

I had to smile at her chipperness and my eyes drifted over to find her looking sidelong up at me. "What can I say? It has been a good day. I just needed some quality time to collect my thoughts and get used to all this." I looked down fully at her. "You're doing pretty well yourself."

Her head bobbed even more as she worked some nods into her gait. "I too needed some time... to acclimate. It is dismaying to think of all that... I am missing back home and what everypony... must be going through, but not so much as it was. I will see them again and... we will all be so happy when I do! But for now I am here and that is... enjoyable as well."

That was impressively upbeat. I think most humans would be more torn up. Though unlike most human in Equestria stories Etherea could look forward to the time when - not if - she went home. It seemed like such a minor distinction but it likely made a world of difference.

And man was I glad for it. It would suck to see her go though.

"Though I'm so very glad that Lady... Sparkle is not here now. She would probably be passing... me a written test on everything you said about your night sky; due tomorrow morning!"

Careful footwork brought us cautiously to the bottom of the roadway ditch and out the other side. "Is she seriously like that?"

"Mmmhmmm." Etherea's expression went contemplative for a second as she cocked her head. "Maybe not exactly. She would probably pass out copies of her notes so that I... could study for the test tomorrow." A blink later and her eyes widened. "Or is it already later today?"

"Ummmm. Probably 'later today.'"

Soft chuckles found their way out to me as my companion clambered rather inelegantly through the open car door I was holding.

"I am probably exhausted under all this sugar. It has been quite a while since..."

I should have been more careful. Or at least more prepared. Etherea climbing into the back seat head-first meant ass-last. I couldn't help following the gentle curve over her croup, over the rise at the base of her now quite messy tail, and then down the backs of her legs. Hell, Craig had been right earlier about occasionally getting flashed - I was positioned perfectly to catch a hint of pink from under her tail.

And as she lifted one rear leg the enticing roundness was only emphasized, though the more downward angle of her rump hid everything again. Which was good for me; staring was still not an option. Dragging my eyes back as she settled on her side let me follow the lines around the rest of her body.

"Good?" She wiggled in place to get more comfortable and nodded.

All that racing had really done her tail no favors. The normally orderly strands and linear ripples mixed and curled around each other randomly, sending offshoots of her tail splaying in every direction. It looked like something that would normally horrify her and prompt hours of work to return it to its earlier pristine state. Her mane wasn't much better either. Even her coat had the occasional out of place whorl or small cowlick.

I consciously ignored the desire to look at what was right next to me even as I gathered stray blue strands from all over and brought them over to join their brethren over the side of her haunches before shutting the door. As much as it might be fun to play 'brushie brushie' with an actual pony, I couldn't find any real desire to help out with that mess. If she asked me to I probably would. But for my own comfort this was hopefully something she didn't want to risk anyone else messing up.

The ride home was a lot shorter without all the additional detours, and much more relaxed with most of the earlier traffic having headed home for the night. Mostly open roads and companionable silence made it a perfect transition. Etherea didn't need to hide so she ended up resting her chin on the shoulder of the passenger seat to watch out the front of the car. It brought another smile to my face which she soon mirrored.

There was something else too. It wasn't lilacs. Slightly sour that tickled the back of my nose. A couple of glances as I wondered if I should say anything still managed to draw her attention.

"What?"

It wasn't as accusatory as I might have feared. That didn't mean my brain wasn't scrambling to provide a very gentle answer. If it could find one.

"You, um..." My nose wrinkled.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "It took you this long to smell me? I said that it... was quite warm and humid here, and I meant it. It is very warm. As much as I enjoyed the exercise, of course I would work up a lather while... galloping around like a foal who had lost her mind. And now I really need a bath."

Too bad ours wasn't built to at all to house a pony. It would be uncomfortable for even a human to rest in since it was less a bathtub and more a 'shower with somewhat high sides.'

"I will just... have to take a shower when we return." She turned her head without lifting her muzzle from the seat. "Please hurry, Alex, I am absolutely unpleasant and do not... want to ruin this seat of yours."

Unpleasant? Ruin? She was hardly more smelly than she was otherwise - it was just a different subtle odor. Having worked for the paint store for a number of years my seats had faced much worse than a small amount of pony sweat. And she wasn't nearly as bad as anything I'd smelled back in gym class.

I shrugged internally. Princesses. Oh well. I did speed up a little bit since it was fun to have the road to myself.

There was only one other person outside when we pulled in, and someone had taken my previous spot so I was forced to park farther away than I would have liked. I carefully looked around to make damned sure that one guy was still walking away from where we were.

"Can you make it from here?"

She nodded, closed her eyes, and lit her horn. I was finally going to get to see this end of a teleport spell and almost unconsciously arranged myself to catch as much as possible. For a long moment nothing happened - I was afraid to blink for fear of missing it. One of her lovely violet eyes cracked and found me.

"See you inside." A distortion in the air lifted away all around her body. An instant later her horn flared and she simply wasn't there anymore, the roughly pony-shaped distorted air collapsing in on itself with a soft 'fwap.'

Not as exciting as I had expected. Twilight's teleports had always come with a fun light show, some exotic tinkling, and more exciting claps of sound as she departed or arrived. I felt like I should get my money back.

Who am I kidding? This was teleportation! And that had been a pony! It was plenty exciting as is.

Walking back to the apartment with my arms full of towels and empty containers felt like some kind of walk of shame. I hadn't been doing anything like that, but still. But it made me wonder what Craig was up to. Would he be doing an actual walk of shame tomorrow? Probably.

He was probably in some random girl's house right now, doing things to her that I normally wouldn't. And here I was returning home from doing stuff with a mare - perfectly mundane things! - that Craig would never. I chuckled as I approached the door and fished out my key, amused at how our situations were reversed.

I wondered whether Etherea got up to that kind of thing anyway. She'd said as much to Craig, but she didn't strike me as any kind of 'loose.' Of course, if she'd simply fooled around with one stallion one time way back when, well, it would still make her statement true. And as casually friendly as she'd been - almost flirty, even - I suppose it wasn't a big stretch that she'd have a bit of a wild side under that princess-ly exterior.

Hmmmm, the door wasn't locked.

I eased it open and took a quick look around before stepping in. Lights were on again, the shower was running, and... Yup, Dimble slipped out of the back to beg for food. I was coming home from somewhere so it must be time to feed him again. Everything else was normal so Etherea had probably unlocked the door for me.

Sure enough, a golden yellow muzzle poked around the corner from the hallway, the rest of her head and mane following. "I'll be out in a little while."

"Alright." I waved her off. What little I'd seen of her mane in the apartment's better lighting was full of misplaced hairs doing whatever they wanted. She definitely needed a thorough grooming.

She disappeared again and I was left with Dimble. Poor, hungry Dimble. Oh well. Much to his consternation he got wrangled into accompanying me to the couch and watching some television. He put up with being held and coddled for a couple minutes before it was clear he wasn't getting anything else. I was told in no uncertain term that it was time to let him go.

I wasn't about to have him declawed. I was more than happy to accommodate him and the things that brought if it avoided putting him through that kind of unpleasantness. Honestly, it only took a little consideration and the claws weren't too bad.

Not much was on but at least Comedy Central's late night weekend standup was somewhat entertaining. Etherea certainly took her sweet time because I think I'd watched through three different comedians before her happy and slightly damp face again appeared in the entrance to the living area.

"I am done."

I rolled out of the couch and onto my feet before padding into the hallway. Etherea backed up ahead of me to the other side of the bathroom doorway before stopping and meeting my eyes. Something about her expression was expectant so I stopped.

"I think I will simply retire... for the night." Her eyes were a little tight around the edges. I suspected the sugar crash was teaming up with her new late night schedule in unfortunate ways. "It will take a little time to brush everything out, but I... will not bother you and will do it in, um, your room."

She dipped her muzzle briefly but kept her eyes up through her lashes. A faint suspiciousness rose.

"Alex, I have something to ask of you." That didn't sound ominous at all. In multiple ways! My mind began running in aimless loops in preparation of potential damage control. "Would you be willing to accept a small nuzzle? I understand... you have some hesitation, but it is our way of... showing friendship and appreciation. We have shared similar human... gestures and I would like to share a pony one with you."

A... nuzzle? I guess that seemed safe enough. She was a bit shorter than me so it could be a bit awkward. I nodded, hoping that I wasn't letting my trepidation show. I mean, I was being silly, right? It's not like she was trying to kiss me or anything.

A hand on the wall steadied me as I crouched a bit to bring my head down to her level.

Her ears were locked on me as a faint grin formed and faded and she crossed the space between us. She looked as nervous as I felt.

I flinched as her head came forward, expecting more hesitation on her part. True to her word she angled just to the side, her vibrantly purple eye looming large before I found a warm, faintly damp coat of smooth hair pressed against my cheek. I couldn't see anything but blurry yellow though I suspected the tickling near my cheekbone was her lashes. The smell of lilacs was fresh and strong.

For a moment the side of her muzzle pressed a little more firmly just below my ear. I'd never been nuzzled quite like this by something so large but the theory was still the same. My response should be as well. With a burst of courage I nudged back at her with my cheek and the tip of my nose. A very faint happily surprised sound escaped into my ear.

And then she was pulling away, her hair dragging gently backwards against my skin until she was far enough to escape all contact. Her smile was absolutely brilliant.

"You do know how to nuzzle!"

Yup, I was blushing! I felt like I'd just gotten my first kiss all over again... "Well, um, I get lots of practice." Not helping! "Y'know, with Dimble and all that..." I'm just going to shut the fuck up now. Goddamn it!

She laughed full and unashamedly as she backed to a safe distance. "And you... say that I am adorable." Her cheek-splitting smile settled down into a more comfortable grin. "Thank you Alex. My birthday might not have had all the... friends and well-wishers, or the... parade and massive parties that I would get as a princess, but it was still wonderful. I would like to think that knowing even here, in a... completely, um, alien world, that I could find good friends to share it with more than makes... up for what I'm missing."

Yeah, there was no way I could match that eloquence right now. "U-um... You're welcome?"

And she laughed again! Then her look grew distant. "I hope we can do something like this again soon." Her attention drifted backward toward my room before she turned back. I think she'd been biting her lip... "Good night Alex. I will see you... later today."

Oh... kay...

Turning still wasn't an option for her so as she began backing awkwardly down the hall I avoided embarrassing her further by ducking into the bathroom. I needed a moment myself. I was jittery like a teenager just discovering girls. It was such a strange feeling to be experiencing now, so much later in my life.

But it made sense. I was rather reserved, much to Craig's continual amusement. That I was attracted to Etherea did me no favors, but it probably wouldn't have been so bad if she were just a human girl. And then tonight she had been pleasant and fun. I liked that about her. I was coming to like her.

That was a problem I hadn't wanted to face so of course I was overreacting. But there wasn't anything I could do about it. I wanted what I couldn't have and having it dangled so enticingly close was torturous. She was a pony princess with a coltfriend. I was just... me.

I'd expected the next step as well. I couldn't have what I wanted and that was upsetting. I did my best to subdue the various unpleasant feelings that welled up, but no matter how distant I tried to keep myself the realization that I'd moved on to actual pining was an unhappy one.

Pining for a horse... No, an intelligent pony. I was going to drive that fact deep into my skull. Still, what would my parents think? The rest of my family... How about my friends? Better to keep it inside. It's not like I could do anything about it; Etherea would be going home eventually and that was that.

Even after snuggling under the covers on my couch I was restless for quite a while as I turned these thoughts back to front, and back again. I didn't have any good solutions and it left me very unsatisfied.

Author's Note

And more! I split this into two not because I thought it needed to be for itself - it feels like all the action is in the second half - but because I was worried about how Fimfiction was handling near 50k words at once. Though the lag could have been because of using the italics button while editing. It seemed to make things lag.

Anyway. More deleted scenes!

Etherea wanting to help out because mares traditionally are the house caretakers - too blatant and rather unthoughtful on her part -

"I made dinner." My eyes came back to her from exploring the curious scene. "I know as single... um, stallions?"

What? Oh. "Men."

She looked down for a moment to file that away, then nodded. "You two are single... men... and quite capable of caring for yourselves, but I did not feel right continuing to sit idle and not help out. Especially with a meal. You understand, um, don't you?"

"I guess?" I said cautiously as I started moving again. She stood and turned in place to keep up with me as I came around to my place setting. "I already knew you were feeling kind of, well, obligated to help out out of gratitude. But it's your birthday and the point was so you could sit back and just enjoy yourself."

"Ahh..." She shook her head lightly. "Yes and no. I mean it is more that I know a lot of... Um." Her face quickly went from a bit pink around the edges to downright flushed. "I guess you do not."

Okay, now I was really confused. This wasn't another thing like talking bathroom 'activities' was it? She seemed embarrassed enough by something. "Yeah, I'm a bit confused now."

Her head dipped to her left, ears folding as she looked away. I'm pretty sure she was chewing on her lip too. Now I was really curious.

Etherea and Alex discussing number systems - finding out NOW that ponies were base 12 would force me to retcon a bunch of stuff in earlier chapters (like how Etherea stated her age). I came up with a good excuse for ponies using base 10 math which is the simpler option -

"Ninety three million? I am assuming that is a number. It... does not translate at all."

Oh. Well damn. Time to nerd it out I suppose. "Well, we count in base ten." A shake of her head. Fuck! "Um. I have ten fingers. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." I tapped each one in turn. "Then it starts over." And tapped them again. "Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and twenty. And then again... You get the picture. How do you count?"

"Um." A soft laugh escaped her. "This feels so silly. It's like I am back in Foalschool." She shifted, tucking her forehooves back under her, and then stood. "Rou, rahu," her left forehoof stamped twice, "sahn, sen," now her right forehoof, "ereh, arneh," her rear left hoof, "let, liss," and now her rear right hoof, "diom, deyen," this time she lashed her tail to one side and then the other, "amli, amel." The last two were accompanied by her tapping the end of her muzzle twice with a hoof.

She turned her head, holding it low with her ears hiding, and gave me a small grin. I blinked. One, two, three... Twelve?

"So... You count in twleves?" It was her turn to blink. And cock her head a bit, one ear coming around to point at me. "Um. Ten and two more." I held up all my fingers, then curled them all away and held up two more.

"Um, yes. 'Twelves.' I guess? And you count in deyen... ias? I never studied this kind of math."

"Me neither. I just know it exists." Which made me realize that I had no actual experience converting numbers. So ninety three million was what to her? I had no idea! "Actually, as interesting as that is, I have no clue how to go from our numbers to yours."

Etherea and Alex researching horses - because I wanted them researching humans instead -

"Actually, I have an idea if you would be amenable." I inclined my head to get her to go on. "Perhaps now would be a good time to answer... some of the questions I had. Such as... horses; what are they like?"

Thinking on the recent close calls I examined the proverbial minefield between us. The problem was that I wasn't sure anymore which answers were secretly hiding something to upset her, ending in more problems than they'd solve. Was showing her horses going to be one of those things? It was another question that didn't have an answer until we stumbled into it.

At least her still being here was a good sign. I'd just need to be extra delicate if I could.

Oh, and there was a quick message to send to Roamer. "Yeah, okay. Just let me do one thing."

Thanks Roamer. He was getting to me a bit. She thanks you too. I gotta' go though. Hopefully leaving her name out wouldn't be too obvious an edit.

I had just enough time before logging out to catch his message back.

No problem. There have been complaints about some people mouthing off outside the guild so I'm trying to crack down on that kind of thing. Nispee was going too far anyway. You two have a good one.

He hadn't even taken a crack at me having Etherea here. Friendly, supportive, and just plain considerate - the reasons I'd always liked him.

Alright, so this would either be the greatest feat of extraterrestrial relationship building or would forever damn our two worlds. That might have been a bit sensationalist, but this was heavy stuff here! There were so many ways that this could go wrong, especially if this got out of my hands - not like my entire situation wasn't already - and Etherea found out something else she wasn't ready for.

"I can actually answer that question from right here. And probably every other one you can think of." Oh, how her eyebrow was rising at that statement. "Let me introduce...," my fingers tapping away were as good as any drumroll, "...Wikipedia."

Yeah.

"A public repository for everything humans know."

I tried to play in nonchalantly, but inside my stomach was doing flips as it tried to buck my heart into a new position. Etherea's unblinking concentration on the screen was even more unnerving because of the lack of expression elsewhere in her body.

"Every... thing?"

"Pretty much."

Her head came around so slowly I'm sure it creaked. And she still hadn't blinked. Should I say something? As I sorted through my potential options I decided that I probably should. I mean, she seemed to be broken!

"You're not going to tell, um, Lady Naois about this, are you?" Any pride I had at pulling out Twilight Sparkle's real name was lost under shame and anger for that gem of a follow-up. She'd already gotten upset over similar 'casual' treatment of Celestia and Cadance, so a half-joke like that would probably just insult her.

Then came a dainty snort as Etherea's eyes eked out a bit more width. "Oh, no, nonononono, no! Can you imagine her reaction... at finding something containing all of the knowledge of an entire new civilization?" Okay, maybe not all... "We would probably... find her a week later, hooves-up on the floor."

That was... different. The pony who had objected to the 'Nispee incident' was fine with picking on Twilight behind her back? I guess that... No, now I'm just confused. But most likely it wouldn't be worth it to pursue the issue. A different question surfaced as I suppressed my first impulse.

"Really? She's actually like that?" Her laugh as she nodded emphatically was full and happy; a perfect salve for my frayed nerves. If that stereotype about Twilight's thirst for knowledge was true then we'd have to be very careful around her.

"Sooooo... You can use this... What did you call it?"

"Wikipedia."

"Wicky... Peedy... Ah...?" I'd never seen anyone chew on a word so thoroughly. "I will be able to see... actual horses?"

"Uh huh."

Queue 'horse.' And one blown pony mind.

I spared nothing. After all, the problem with the internet was that it also had everything that was bad about humanity, and she was definitely not ready for it. If the 'Nispee Incident' was distressing then anything from humanity's wartorn past would be a quick way to ruin her birthday. Keeping her distracted with horses was for her own good. It still felt kind of like I was lying to her though.

Wikipedia ran us through the basics of anatomy, behavior, development, evolution, and a few more. A constant stream of questions spilled out of Etherea like she was making room for all this new information. She was the only one excited. I think we were playing off each other - 'giddy' wasn't nearly strong enough to describe me as I introduced her to what were apparently her progenitors. Or at least something eerily similar to creatures in her direct past.

And then I cranked it up even further. Expanding the couple of pictures of horses on Wikipedia led us to a Google search for more. But I could still do better. Videos. Thanks to Youtube she was watching horses be horses. I... could only imagine what she was going through as she sat there rigidly, her breathing even but her jaw hanging practically halfway down her neck. Would I react any better if it turned out Equestria had populations of Homo habilis or Neanderthals. I was happy to give her all the time she needed for her brain to reboot.

Horses playing, running, eating, and doing all sorts of other horse-y things. Videos of them being groomed, trained, ridden, showed, and more. And yes, even bred. I cringed all the way through the lone video of that that Etherea managed to sit through. If her blush was any indication, we both were thankful it was so short.

In the midst of our impromptu video marathon the my room's arrangement again proved its worth. The side of a be-hatted head inched past the doorframe in what was probably supposed to be a sneaky manner. Craig would have to try a lot harder; I had excellent peripheral vision.