1: Lecture and Apologies (Canon)

Twilight Sparkle’s Perspective

Twilight had been Princess Celestia’s student for years. She’d seen the princess pleased with her progress, upset at her for a few things, even slightly morose occasionally, especially during the Sunrise Celebration, but Twilight had to admit to herself that she’d never seen her mentor this angry before. She, along with her new friends, we’re standing before the dual thrones within the old Castle of the Two Sisters. Celestia sat in her old throne and Luna beside. Luna’s face was neutral but it was Celestia’s face that was full of rage.

And rightly so, Twilight thought. Not twelve hours ago, she and her friends had practically stormed the house of a Zebra named Zecora due to their fear that she’d led them into a patch of deadly flowers that had adverse effects on them. But that wasn’t the biggest issue that her mentor was upset about.

No, it had to do with the other creature-no, he’d called himself a human, she reminded herself. Nopony had ever seen anything like him, let along heard of anycreature like him. And what had they done during their first meeting? Assaulted him. Hay, Applejack had practically begun strangling him. Twilight doubted she’d ever be able to forget the look of pure unadulterated terror on the human’s face when Applejack lassoed the human’s neck.

Twilight had wanted to tell Applejack to stop. She really had. But fear had gripped her and stayed her muzzle. And now, she was regretting that decision.

Surprisingly, it was Luna who spoke first. “What giveth thou the right to decide who is worthy of life and who isn’t? We don’t care if thou art the Bearers of the Elements now. Nopony is above the law, not even our royal sister and ourselves.”

Nopony spoke, their heads hung low in shame. Twilight looked up at her mentor, but the look of anger on Princess Celestia’s face shook her to the core of her being and she averted her gaze, looking at the meticulously recreated stone floor. According to the human’s own admission, he possessed a magic hereto unknown to even Twilight, a magic he’d used to recreate the castle they were currently in. A palace that had once housed the Princesses a thousand years ago before Nightmare Moon destroyed it.

Luna continued. “Were it up to us, thou wouldst be cast into the Canterlot dungeons for assault and attempted murder. However, we are not the ones who shall dole out thy punishment. That is for our sister.”

Princess Celestia suddenly stood from her recreated throne. The sudden movement caused Twilight and her friends to flinch as the Princess slowly walked down the raised dais towards them. Twilight winced as she specifically made her way towards Applejack and Rainbow Dash, both of whom were looking anywhere but the princesses. Rainbow Dash didn’t look too happy, but it was Applejack who looked the most upset. Twilight couldn’t blame her. She’s just discovered something about herself that frightened and angered her: the fact that she was capable of cold-blooded murder. Defense of her family or not, Twilight was positive if she were in Applejack’s position, there would be no excuse good enough to escape the guilt and shame.

“Raise your head, Applejack,” Princess Celestia commanded. Everypony in the room flinched. The princess’ tone was pretty much a snarl of barely restrained rage. Twilight watched her Earth Pony friend look up at the princess, fear barely hidden in those green eyes of hers. Princess Celestia leaned down fast, getting directly in Applejack’s face. “I am not just disappointed in you, I. Am. Pissed.”

Twilight’s ears flattened back even more. Her mentor stood back up, spreading her wings regally. “You rushed to judgement against not only that Zebra, which could have caused an incident with Farasi, but you attacked the only member of a species in our land. In our world!” Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but Princess Celestia silenced her with a glare. “I am angry with all of you, but especially with you, Applejack. Would you be able to live with the death of somepony on your hooves? Do you think you’d be able to sleep at night, knowing that the blood of an innocent being was on your head!?”

Without missing a beat, she whirled on Rainbow Dash, who flinched hard under the gaze of Princess Celestia’s regal rage. “And you! You assaulted him without any warning!”

“B-But-he was holding me-” Rainbow Dash began, before Princess Celestia interrupted.

“SILENCE!” she shouted, using a tone Twilight had never heard before, but had heard about. She’d just used the Royal Canterlot Voice on her friend. Rainbow Dash’s wings slammed back to her side, and she knelt in fear.

In that moment, a stray thought passed through Twilight’s head. Maybe this was one reason why Jethro was afraid of the princesses?

The princess loomed over the Pegasus. “Maybe I should throw you in the Canterlot dungeons, or perhaps put you on trial-”

“Princess, wait!” Twilight shouted, rushing forward and standing between her friend and her mentor. “It’s my fault. Please don’t punish them.”

The look of disappointment on Princess Celestia’s face shook Twilight to her very core. It took every bit of her willpower not to break eye contact with the princess. Her legs were shaking, and her emotions were all over the place. Princess Celestia’s voice lowered and her tone shattered Twilight. “Out of all the Ponies here, I expected a lot from you. You allowed baseless rumors and fear to rule your actions. You are the Bearers of Harmony,” she continued, looking angrily at each of the Ponies. “How can you claim those titles when you can’t accept non-Ponies among you? You can accept Spike, but not a Zebra, who looks more like a Pony than anything? Not to mention a being from a whole other world who’s first impression of us is that we are violent and disharmonious?”

Twilight heard Fluttershy softly crying from nearby, Pinkie too looked like she was about to cry, Rarity was looking at the ground, a look of shame on her face, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash were doing the same. Twilight knew her mentor was right. Why had she let herself be swayed? No, I can’t blame the others for this. I’m just as guilty as the others. I didn’t act, and that’s just as bad as acting.

“We…we’re awful sorry,” Applejack said, and Twilight could sense that she was being sincere.

To Twilight’s surprise, however, Princess Celestia sighed. “You six don’t need to apologize to me. There are two other individuals you need to apologize to. As for how I’m going to deal with your actions…will be to do everything in your power to make up for how poorly you treated those two.” The princess turned to Applejack. “Be grateful, Applejack. I was considering revoking the land grant I gave to the Apple family all those years ago.”

Applejack’s eyes widened in horror. “Wait! It was mah fault! Don’t take this out on mah family, please!”

“No, I wouldn’t do that,” the princess said, “but I will be writing to your grandmother about what you tried to do in detail.”

Applejack paled in fear, but slowly nodded, looking down at the ground once more. The princess looked at the others. “I want you to imagine what would have happened if Zecora hadn’t stopped Applejack from her murder attempt. I would have had no choice but to place each and every one of you into custody. Murder hasn’t occurred in Equestria in many years, and as such the punishment is very severe. Life is sacred and should never be taken needlessly and on a whim! Be grateful that we have no death penalty or that I’m not banishing you for your actions!”

Twilight flinched. She’d heard that nations like Griffonstone had the death penalty. The others looked like they had the same thoughts. Execution was completely foreign to Pony thinking. The thought about it normally sickened them. Princess Celestia looked all six mares over slowly, before she stood straighter. “I hope you realize just how lucky all six of you are. I’m breaking so many rules by letting you off so easily, but if this does happen next time, I won’t be so merciful. In fact, if there is a next time, I will let my sister choose your punishment. As it is, you six are going to be making a sincere apology to Jethro Bethridge as soon as possible. However, if you can’t find it in yourselves to be honest and sincere about it, then I will make sure to think of a suitable alternative punishment for you. Depending on Mr. Bethridge’s response, you might have further punishments coming your way. Now, leave my sight. I have prepared a large room for you all to sleep in. Guards, take the Bearers of Harmony to their room.”

Twilight and the others bowed and left the throne room, a cloud of gloom above their heads. All Twilight could think was, What have we done? What do we do?

Applejack’s Perspective

What in tarnation was I thinking? Applejack’s thoughts were all a jumble as the six of them were led down the well-lit hallways. When did I become like this? Oh, Celestia’s flowing mane…what will Granny think? What will she do?!

Applejack was brought out of her thoughts by somepony nearby sniffing and quietly crying. Applejack looked over and saw Fluttershy walking down the hall, tears falling down her face. Applejack wanted to go over to her Pegasus friend and try and reassure her, but she couldn’t find the nerve to do so. She just wanted to close her eyes and pretend that this was a bad dream. How could I have been so gosh-darned stupid? I almost killed sompony…no, some…what’d that creature call himself again? Ponyfeathers! I can’t remember! I need to figure out how to earn his forgiveness. But how? What do I do?

Fluttershy’s Perspective

That human almost died! That human almost died! And it’s all my fault! I didn’t speak up! Oh, good job, Fluttershy! You scaredy-Pony!

Tears of shame, fear, and self-loathing flowed down Fluttershy’s face in a continuous stream as the six silently walked down the hall towards their room for the night. As they continued, she couldn’t keep the image of that look of fear out of her mind. The one on the human’s face. So much like that of a Pony…those eyes were intelligent, and it was all her fault.

He won’t forgive me…he almost died because of me…because of…me…I have to make it up to him! I have to! But…what do I do?

Rarity's Perspective

Rarity walked in silence down the hall, her thoughts a blur. She didn’t even know what to think. She’d been there, she’d seen what happened, and did nothing to help that poor human from Applejack’s noose.

She felt sick. She felt very, very sick. She didn’t know what to do or say when they next saw the human creature-no, creature wasn’t appropriate for a lady to use. Being, yes. Human being worked.

Maybe I can craft some clothes for him as an apology, she thought. He did say humans wore clothes all the time. But…is that really enough? Can’t I do more for the poor human stallion to make up for my lapse? What do I do…?

Rainbow Dash’s Perspective

Damn it, I screwed up a lot, Rainbow Dash thought as they all walked down the hall towards their room for the night. Sure, he could have been dangerous, but I didn’t know that for sure, did I? Rainbow frowned and looked at the ground. She’d been impulsive and quick to judge all her life, and never had gotten in so much trouble for it.

What do I do? Applejack might have almost killed him, but so did I! How can I make up for it? Rainbow Dash thought long and hard. Maybe I can get him some tickets to see a Wonderbolts performance? He might like that. Maybe I can offer to show him what it’s like to fly around and carry him on a flight? What do I do?

Pinkie Pie’s Perspective

I need to make that human smile, somehow! Pinkie Pie’s mind was a complete chaotic jumble now. I just gotta! He’s a new friend to Ponyville! I’ve got to make him the biggest party ever! Then she remembered how she hadn’t even given him a smile when first meeting and her thought turned sour like the sourest of lemon drop candies. Will he even want to be my friend, now? Do I deserve to be his friend?

She looked down and couldn’t help herself. She let a small tear fall. I messed up big time. What do I do? What do I do…?

Twilight Sparkle’s Perspective

Their room was a large six bed affair, with large comfortable beds against the walls. There was a large window looking out at the lower towers and the Everfree Forest below. Twilight looked down at the forest, trying to find the location of Jethro’s house, but finding nothing. Whatever cloaking spell he’d used was perfect. She couldn’t even detect a house in the general direction of where they’d just been.

She looked at her five friends. All of their expressions presumably matched hers. Morose, guilt ridden, completely upset and angry at themselves. All the emotions Twilight herself was feeling.

As if there was a hidden signal, the six mares all began looking at each other, exchanging glances of uncertainty. Twilight wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn’t think of anything that could lift their spirits.

To her surprise, it was Rainbow Dash who spoke up. “If nopony else’s gonna say it, I will. We all fucked up.”

A gasp came from Rarity. “Rainbow Dash! A lady doesn’t use such words!”

“It’s the truth, like it or not!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, stamping her hoof on the floor. She pointed a hoof accusingly at an unusually silent Applejack. “She and I almost murdered that human! And the rest of you?”

“Rainbow, we know what we did,” Twilight said, trying to diffuse the situation, but Rainbow wasn’t done.

“I almost did something that I wouldn’t be able to fly away from, damn it!” She hit the floor again, harder this time. “The princess was right! We all deserve prison time!”

“Rainbow…” Twilight began, but she still wasn’t done.

“No, Twilight! We did something completely fucking stupid and something that could have gotten us in serious trouble!” Rainbow shouted louder.

That began to anger Twilight. “Shouting about it isn’t going to help!” she shouted back.

“Settle down there,” Applejack said, and Twilight was surprised at how much the farmgirl’s voice was trembling. It wasn’t easy to spot, but it was there. “Rainbow, we all messed up big time, but Twilight’s right. We can shout at each other all we want and it ain’t gonna do us a lick of good.”

“We’re all to blame, darling,” Rarity said in an unusually subdued voice, especially from a mare like her. “We all jumped to conclusions without even doing any proper investigation.”

Pinkie Pie, who was lying in one of the beds already, looked over. “And I sang such a meanie song about Zecora, too…And that song about Jethro was even worse…”

Twilight thought back to the time when Pinkie had made up a second verse to the song about Zecora. Something about the slave of Zecora who would help kidnap more Ponies for Zecora’s tasty stew. It had even sent a shiver down Twilight’s back with how far she’d gone in her wild imagination. “Pinkie…we didn’t know-”

“That’s not an excuse ah can live with, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Ah nearly killed a stallion, Twilight. Me!”

“Applejack, we all screwed up,” Twilight tried to assure her. “But Princess Celestia’s given us an extremely generous chance to make things right. So…let’s try and make this right with the human and Zecora.”

“B-But how?” Fluttershy asked, and her voice was hoarse.

Sounds like she’s been crying, Twilight thought with worry. “Well, once we all calm down, maybe we can do something for him tomorrow morning,” Twilight said. “Maybe make him breakfast?”

“With what, darling?” Rarity asked. “I doubt this palace is stocked with anything that we can even begin to cook with.”

Rainbow Dash was still hovering nearby, not looking especially happy. Twilight walked over to her. “Rainbow…”

She glared down at Twilight. “What?” she spat angrily, but Twilight could tell that the anger was directed mostly inward.

“I get that you’re angry, but please…could you help us think of a way to make things right with Jethro?” Twilight practically begged.

“Like it’ll help,” Rainbow Dash said. “But sure, why not?”

Wow, Rainbow Dash is taking this really hard, Twilight thought. She looked at the others, who all had similar self-loathing looks on their faces. She trotted over to the window, once more looking out at the forest. Turning around, she cleared her throat. “Okay, so should we make a breakfast for Jethro as a means of apology?”

Applejack looked up at the ceiling, eyes unfocused. “Yeah…ah don’t know how that is supposed to make up fer things. But…maybe it’s a start…”

Fluttershy just nodded. Pinkie Pie did as well. Rarity sighed. “Applejack’s right. Maybe it could be a start…”

That’s probably as good as it’s going to get, Twilight thought. “Okay, so a breakfast for Jethro tomorrow. Here’s what I was thinking…”

Zecora’s Perspective, The Next Morning…

A bird’s song outside the window woke Zecora from her slumber. She slowly sat up and stretched before looking over at her savior. She and he had finally met with the diarchs of Equestria. After the events of the previous evening, she did not wish to leave him alone. She had never seen him so scared before, and it greatly concerned her. Slowly, she got out of bed, quietly enough that she hoped to let him sleep while she made him a healthy breakfast.

However, that was not to be. Jethro suddenly stirred, and opened his eyes. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and brushed his light brown hair aside. Yawning, he looked at the clock next to his bed. “Damn, ten thirty seven already? We really slept in.” He then turned and looked over at Zecora. “Good morning, Zecora.”

“Good morning, my savior,” Zecora said with a warm smile. “I hope you slept well.”

“As well as I could,” he said as he pushed the covers aside and swung his legs over the side of his bed. Standing, he arched his back and Zecora could hear a cracking. He stretched his arms above his head. “Have you been awake long?”

“No. I was just about to make us breakfast,” Zecora admitted.

“Thank you for thinking of me, but don’t worry,” Jethro said. “I can make breakfast easy enough. I still have some eggs left, and the bread hasn’t gone bad yet, so toast is on the table.”

Zecora felt a bit badly, now. After all he’d gone through, she wanted nothing more than to make his morning relaxing. And yet here he was, all ready to make breakfast for the two of them. “Jethro, my savior, it’s alright to take the day off for once. I can do it.”

Jethro gave Zecora a reassuring smile, one that made Zecora’s heart flutter ever so slightly. “I know what you’re doing, and I appreciate it. But I need to do this. For my own sanity.”

“At least let me help,” Zecora said.

“Alright…I know you’ll continued to bug me otherwise,” he said as he threw on his dark green bathrobe. “Let’s go.”

Zecora smiled and joined her savior in the small kitchen. Just as Jethro was grabbing a frying pan, there was a quiet knock at the door. Zecora saw Jethro stiffen slightly. Putting her hoof on his back, she said, “I can go see who it is.”

“Thank you,” he said, quieter than before.

Zecora walked over to the front door and unlocked it with her teeth. Slowly opening it, she looked through a crack to see, of all Ponies, Twilight Sparkle. Behind her, Zecora saw her other friends. She opened the door more. “Well, what can I do for you Ponies six? Is there another potion you need me to mix?”

Twilight shook her head solemnly. Zecora finally noticed that all the Ponies behind her were carrying small baskets. She could smell various different foodstuffs. She smelled eggs, toast, something made of apples, and a few other dishes. “Is Jethro awake?” Twilight asked. “We wanted to give him something.”

“I’m awake,” Jethro said from behind Zecora, sticking his head out. “What’s going on? Why are you all here?”

The Ponies backed up a bit, looking away from him with various degrees of guilty looks on their faces. All except Twilight, who gave the lonesome human a forlorn and apologetic glance. “We…we never apologized yesterday,” she said softly, “We did things we can never apologize enough for, but even so, we wanted to begin to make things right. We brought you breakfast.”

Zecora looked up as Jethro gave each of the Ponies an unreadable look. Zecora put a hoof on his foot gently, and he looked down at her. The two exchanged a small glance. The night before, Zecora and Jethro had talked long and extensively about each of the Ponies. Even if he’d known about them from his show, he still was a bit nervous around them and upset. Zecora was pleased, however, when Jethro began to reason that he couldn’t be too mad at them for their reasons behind it. He stepped aside and pushed the door open. “Well, come on in, everyone. We’ll have to eat in the living room, since I have no room at the kitchen table for eight of us.”

“Eight…of us?” Twilight asked, sounding more confused now.

“Well, yeah. I can’t eat all that food by myself,” Jethro said. “Besides, it’ll give us time to talk.”

Twilight Sparkle’s Perspective

Twilight had to practically force down the scientist within her so as not to ask the questions burning inside her. All of these strange devices in his home practically screamed worthy of study, but she knew better than to do anything in the present circumstances. She took a seat on the floor near a flat black device. The others filed in and handed their baskets to Jethro and Zecora, who walked into the nearby kitchen. Twilight could hear the two of them talking quietly, but in no language she’d ever heard before.

“Do…you think he’ll forgive us?” Pinkie asked softly. Twilight hadn’t even seen her smile ever since the princesses had dressed the group down the night before.

“Ah wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t,” Applejack said. “‘Specially me.”

“Come on, we can’t give up hope yet,” Twilight said, but she felt like a hypocrite saying that. She was almost ready to give up hope. He hadn’t looked too pleased to see them, and that hurt. Not only had she completely failed in her mission to learn more about friendship, but she had caused injury to a possible new friend, enough that he might hate all of them forever.

It was to this kind of gloomy hopeless mood that Jethro and Zecora came back to. Jethro looked around the room, a look of alarm plastered on his face. “Whoa, what got all of your panties in a bunch?” he asked, and Twilight was surprised to hear a small sense of concern in the human’s voice.

“My savior, it would appear to me that these Ponies all feel badly,” Zecora said. “A terrible sin they committed against you, and now feel terrible they do.”

Twilight winced at those words, then winced again as Jethro put his hand to his neck. To her shock, a thin red line was still visible around the neck. “Yeah…I guess so. Well, why don’t we at least eat something before we discuss that,” he said. He put a large platter down on a small table in front of the couch. The platter contained all of the food the Ponies had managed to all cook together that morning. Zecora was carrying a set of plates which she set down beside the platter. “I’ll pour the apple cider you brought into some glasses,” he said as he walked back into the kitchen.

This…is going better than I imagined, Twilight said, some more hope coming back to her. She hoped it would continue to go better as Jethro came back with eight glasses. He poured them and set them on the small table.

“Let’s dig in, everyone,” Jethro said as he served himself up a modest sample of eggs, a piece of toast, and a small portion of apple pie.

The silence was almost unbearable for Twilight. She wanted to say something, anything, but nothing really seemed appropriate. The mood in the small room was growing more and more uncomfortable by the passing minute. Twilight could see the various feelings of fear and general unease on her friend’s faces. Jethro and Zecora, on the other hand, didn’t have any particular looks on theirs.

The meal seemed to go on forever, and Twilight couldn’t even enjoy it. It was good, but her tastebuds were soured by the overwhelming gloom in the room.

Zecora and Jethro were the first to finish, and the two sat and waited, keeping a watch over the room with cool gazes.

It was Rainbow Dash who cracked first. She put her plate down on the ground, a bit too hard since it spilled bits of egg everywhere. “If nopony else is going to say anything, I will!” She looked up at Jethro. “You hate us, don’t you?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight went cold. That’s not what I wanted him to hear!

Jethro raised an eyebrow. “Now…why would I hate you? Tell me.” He sounded more curious than anything.

“Oh, come on! It’s obvious! We almost murdered you!” Rainbow shouted. Twilight saw Applejack flinch a bit.

Frowning, Twilight watched the human stand and walk over to Rainbow. He knelt before the angry looking mare, then quick as a wink, he lightly chopped her forehead. He stood, and walked around to Pinkie Pie next, doing the same to her. One by one, he lightly hit their heads, even Fluttershy’s. He saved Applejack for last, then stood. Looking over the six of them, he crossed his arms. “Tell me something. And be honest. As honest as the Element of Honesty.”

It still unnerved Twilight as to how he knew their names, but she put that thought aside. “Anything,” Twilight said earnestly.

“How protective of you of your friends and your fellow townsfolk? I want Applejack to answer first.”

That threw her off. Why is he asking that? Twilight watched as Applejack took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “Ah’m mighty protective of them,” she said. “And apparently ah’m willin’ to go to great lengths to protect them…ones ah’m not proud of. Ah can’t apologize enough…”

Jethro nodded, then turned to Rainbow Dash. She snorted derisively, then said, “I’m not the Element of Loyalty for nothing!”

“I want my friends safe,” Fluttershy added.

“Darling, our friends mean everything to us,” Rarity added.

“If they aren’t smiling, we can’t either,” Pinkie said earnestly.

“But even that’s no excuse for what we did,” Twilight cautioned. “We all judged you too quickly and almost ended your life because of our action or, in my case, inaction.”

Jethro took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Then it’s a good thing that I’ll be forgiving you all.”

The looks on all of her friends faces was identical. Shock, disbelief, confusion, all mixed in with incredulity. Rainbow Dash flew up towards him, glaring. “And what’s your angle about it?”

“Rainbow!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Relax, Miss Sparkle,” Jethro said, “Miss Dash has a point. But honestly, I can’t really be that angry at you. Sure, I’m plenty miffed, steamed even, but your reasons for what you did, well, some of them, are completely understandable. Trying to protect your friends and family is a valid reason to try and deal with the issue. Yes, you went completely overboard. Yes, you didn’t do your research. Yes, I’m steamed about it. But I can’t bear seeing anyone looking so self-loathing or upset. Any of you.”

Twilight walked over to a trembling and teary eyed Fluttershy. He knelt and held out his hand towards the Pegasus. “Please don’t look so sad,” he said in a slightly pleading voice.

Fluttershy sniffed and began blubbering. “I-I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed suddenly.

To Twilight’s astonishment, the human slowly wrapped his arms around the crying Pegasus. “It’s okay…”

Pinkie was the next one to burst out crying. She rushed over to Jethro, blubbering out an apology. Jethro reached out and put an arm around the pink Earth Pony. Even Rainbow Dash’s anger was dissolving, being replaced with dull listless look. Twilight herself shed a few tears, but was too nervous to approach the human. Rarity and Applejack looked beside themselves with regret.

This human…why is he being so nice like this? Twilight asked herself as the man who had almost died yesterday comforted two crying mares. It doesn’t make sense. She looked over to Zecora with a questioning glance, but Zecora was watching Jethro. Her own smile was full of warmth and approval. Maybe we have her to thank? Twilight wondered. Or maybe I shouldn’t assume things anymore. Not without researching them first.

After the two mares had calmed down, Jethro stood and faced the others. “I was always taught by…my parents…that forgiving those who’ve wronged you is better in the end. Especially if you feel like those who’ve wronged you are genuinely sorry and won’t repeat those same actions. And it seems like you all feel that way, judging from the doom and gloom I’m feeling here.”

“Is there…any way we can make it up to you?” Twilight asked nervously, afraid of his answer.

“Simple,” he said, looking Twilight directly in the eyes. “Learn from this. Become better Ponies because of it. Don’t go rushing headlong into a situation based off of assumptions. Don’t judge a book by its cover simply. Need I say more?”

Celestia’s Perspective

Princess Celestia stood on the tallest tower balcony, overlooking the Everfree Forest. She’d missed this view. This part of the view hadn’t changed at all. The Everfree, while deadly, had its own unusual beauty that Celestia could appreciate. It was the view behind that had changed. There had once been a large city there, one which had been dismantled and abandoned after the battle with Nightmare Moon. A thousand years had completely hidden anything that might have remained of the foundations of the former city. A new forest had arisen there instead.

However, if Celestia closed her eyes and let her mind wander, she could pretend it was a thousand years ago. She could hear Luna busily training some of the precursors of the Wonderbolts, could smell Blueberry Spark cooking her famous triple chocolate fudge cake, and could see the large cityscape full of her Pony subjects.

“We thought we would find thee here, sister,” Luna’s voice brought Celestia back to the present. Celestia opened her eyes slowly, looking down at her long-lost sister. “Dost thou miss the olden days?”

Celestia looked out at the landscape before her again, then slowly nodded. “Sometimes, yeah. At least, certain aspects of it.”

“We feel the same,” Luna said, walking over and taking a seat next to Celestia. There was silence between them for a bit, the familiar feeling of the breeze at this height blowing through their already flowing manes. Finally, Luna spoke. “Dost thou think it worked? We weren’t sure about using such tactics to teach thy student and her friends a lesson.”

Celestia sighed. “I didn’t like saying those things, but they needed to be said. My student let her assumptions get the better of her, and her friends too. Nopony’s above the law, Lulu. I’m hoping this little display sows a seed in her. A seed that teaches her the dangers of not striking immediately. As well as the dangers of not stopping your friends from doing something foolish. Besides,” Celestia said, this time with a heavy heart, “if something like this does happen again, I will be forced to take action. Bearers of the Elements or not, I won’t be able to overlook it.”

Luna put a wing on Celestia’s back. “We understand, sister. The Elements are our biggest defense, but even their bearers are not flawless. We did not enjoy having to yell at them at all, but it was for their own good.”

Celestia nodded in agreement, then some motion below caught her eye. She saw six familiar Ponies walking out of seemingly nowhere. Even from this viewpoint, she saw that their postures looked more optimistic, if still a bit subdued. She smiled. She had a feeling that Jethro would be able to forgive them. When she thought about Jethro, her smile faltered. The fear in his eyes had hurt to see. She wanted to reassure the lost human, but the world he was from was one without magic, and one which seemed far more dangerous in many ways than Equestria. “I suppose it was…” Celestia said.

“Cellie, what troubles you, now?” Luna asked.

“It’s about Jethro,” Celestia said, not taking her eyes. “I’m worried about him.”

“Because he fears us so?” Luna asked.

“That, and for another reason,” Celestia said. Without being prompted, since she knew her sister would ask anyway, Celestia continued, “He’s been through something terrible, something that causes him some hesitation about friendship. Twilight herself told me she saw something in his eyes. Something that I want to help with, if possible.”

“Thou were always the compassionate one, sister,” Luna said. She spread her wings. “We shall be getting ready to head back to Canterlot. Wilt thou come?”

“In a minute, Lulu,” Celestia said.

“Very well. We shall see you soon.” And with that, the Lunar Princess flew down towards the open gate.

Celestia went back to watching the Bearers of Harmony disappear into the forest on their way back to Ponyville. As they disappeared, she looked back to the spot where they’d appeared from, only to see the aforementioned human and Zecora standing near the entrance, talking. I hope someday, Jethro Bethridge, that you won’t come to fear me, and I sincerely hope that you become friends with the Bearers of Harmony…

With that thought, she spread her wings and flew down…

2: A Thousand Year Difference Pt. 1 (What If?)

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Sunset Shimmer’s Perspective

Sunset Shimmer sighed as she stepped off of the magical transport pad with her young charge, a Unicorn filly with purple fur and a darker purple mane with a streak of pink and another shade of purple through it. Twilight Sparkle was her name, Sunset recalled as she looked around. No matter how one looked at things, Everfree City was one of the crowning achievements of modern Equestrian technology.

Built almost a thousand years ago over what once had been the most deadly and chaotic of forests, the city that spread before the Avalon Palace behind them was nothing short of harmonious. The shimmering towers that pierced the heavens, the many various small parks of trees and grass spread throughout the city, and the flying vehicles together with the Pegasi who flew alongside them seemed to fill the young filly beside her with awe.

Not that Sunset could blame her. She remembered when her three teachers had first taken her to the vast metropolis about five years prior when she’d first started to train under them. She’d had a similar reaction, and even now she couldn’t help but stare. Nopony could have imagined this a thousand years ago, she mused as she moved forward. “Come along, Twilight,” she said, “or else we’ll be late.”

“Sorry Miss Shimmer!” Twilight said as she fell into step next to the older teen.

Sunset chuckled. “You can call me Sunset, you know?”

“Okay, Miss Sunset,” Twilight replied.

Sunset rolled her eyes, smirking at how formal this filly had been. Had she ever been so uptight and formal when she was Twilight’s age? She couldn’t remember a time when her three teachers had always insisted it was okay to call them by their names instead of their titles. Pushing back the thoughts, she led Twilight towards their destination: a large domed structure surrounded by towering trees. Ponies from all walks of life were walking to and from the building, which was labeled Everfree Museum. Various holographic displays were lit up around the entrance, advertising various exhibits, such as A Tour of the Former Everfree Forest, or First Lunar Colony Experience.

Twilight’s eyes were almost bursting out of their sockets as she took in the various exhibits displayed. She pointed her hoof at them. “Can we go see all of those, Miss Sunset? Can we? Can we?!”

Sunset laughed. “If we have the time, Twilight. I’m sure we can go visit them if we have the time. Now let’s get going.”

Twilight rushed forward, getting to the entrance faster than Sunset could blink. She was practically bouncing in place in excitement as Sunset joined her. As the doors slid open, Sunset found herself in the familiar well lit massive entrance to the museum. Hanging above them, she could see the familiar holographic display of the Equestrian solar system in real time, with all of its planets and moons and their orbits superimposed on the celestial bodies. Even she couldn’t help but pause and stare at the display. Once again, she had to marvel at how far the inhabitants of Equestria had come in the time since the Great Industrial Revolution.

She had to use her magic to pull Twilight back to her side as they approached one of the empty front stalls where a young-looking Pegasus mare sat. She could have easily gone to the unponied terminals, but if her training with her mentors had taught her anything, it’s that there was nothing quite like the personal touch.

The nametag on her front read Windy Skies, and she was staring intently at a holographic display. When Sunset and Twilight stepped over a green line, Sunset saw some kind of alert pop up on the display and the mare looked over at them. She smiled and tapped a control on her terminal, making the display go away. “Hello, how may I help you two today?”

Sunset used her magic to pass along two silver cards towards the receptionist mare. “Two all day passes, please.”

Windy looked wide eyed at the cards, which bore the mark of the Triarchy on them, two pairs of wings, one alabaster and one dark blue, encircling a gold-colored asymmetrical, arrowhead-shaped pennant with a star in the center. “O-Of course!” she said, tapping a few controls on her terminal with her wings. “Please put your hooves forward on the scanner.”

Twilight was the first to do so, trembling with excitement. Sunset did the same and there was a small hum. There was a familiar sensation of something being pressed onto the bottom of their hooves, then nothing. Sunset looked at the hoof and saw the strange symbol one of her teachers called the alpha symbol as it glowed a bright blue. “There you are!” the receptionist said. “Now you’re free to visit all the exhibits and get premium access to all holos! Enjoy the museum!”

If it had been up to Twilight, Sunset suspected they’d be heading towards the Lunar Colony exhibit, but her teachers had asked that their first stop be one of the older and permanent exhibits, the History of the Triarchy. After that, they were free to do anything they wished. “Twilight, you know what you were told. This way, alright?”

“Awww, but I know the history of Equestria already,” she pouted.

“You know what our teachers said,” Sunset said.

Twilight sighed and recited one of their mentor’s favorite sayings. “‘Those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it.’ I knoooow!”

Sunset chuckled in amusement. She had been a lot like Twilight in that regard, and she’d even seen this history exhibit a couple of times. “It’s not going to be that bad. When we’re done, we can visit any of the exhibits you want, remember?”

Twilight’s mood perked up and she nodded. “Okay!”

Sunset rolled her eyes in amusement as they walked up to the exhibit entrance. A dark blue Unicorn stallion gave them a pair of headsets and old-fashioned VR goggles, which the two Unicorns placed over themselves. Sunset asked for their goggles to be linked so they could stay together and communicate, and the stallion obliged.

Sunset saw the familiar green outline of the holographic overlay, then the goggles scanned the room in front of them, and her vision was filled with the familiar view of Avalon Palace, but as it had looked all those centuries ago. Sunset allowed her senses to be hijacked by the VR set as she felt the breeze flowing through her mane, could smell the dampness from the apparently midmorning dew on the Everfree Forest recreation behind her, and felt the ancient cobblestone road beneath her hooves. She looked down at the young filly Twilight, who was looking around at the scenery in awe despite her previous boredom and lack of interest in learning more about what she said she already knew.

The familiar soothing voice of the narrator began. “Many Equestrians today believe that the rise to harmony began many thousands of years ago before the joining of the three Pony tribes, but that is not quite the case. Yes, the Ponies of Equestria achieved a great peace after the banishing of the Wendigos, but the rest of planet was still disharmonious and full of strife. And Ponies had yet to learn how to befriend other races. Were it not for the arrival of a certain individual to our world, things might have turned out quite differently.”

There was a flash of light slightly to their left, and Sunset and Twilight both turned. A small house had appeared on the borders of the Everfree Forest, right next to the cobblestone road and the bridge over the Everfree Canyon. The scenery moved towards the unusual house and property and through the door, which opened into a small living area. Sunset recognized the old-style television on the entertainment center as well as a few odd electronic boxes standing next to it. A couch sat opposite the wall where the TV was mounted and next to a large window a single reclining chair sat.

The scenery moved again as they were whisked away to a small bedroom down a hall where a familiar figure lay in an old-styled bed. “Before he was known as the Harmonious Prince or the Architect of the Great Industrial Revolution, our ruler King Jethro was simply the human known as Jethro Bethridge, a lost soul ripped from his world through means still unknown to us.”

The scene moved forward, showing the same individual, now awake, bound in chains and flanked on either side by two Unicorn guards. He was standing before the ancient throne room of then Princesses Celestia and Luna. “He was taken before the Queens, who were then still only Princesses at the time.”

Sunset watched the conversation play out, still surprised that her three mentors had been at odds like this at one point.

The representation of Princess Celestia stood. “Guards, release his bonds,” she commanded.

“Yes, your Grace,” one of them said as his horn glowed. A small key came out of his armor and undid the shackles around my arms, which fell heavily to the floor.

“Now then, creature,” Celestia said, looking down at the then human Jethro, “thou led our guards on quite the chase, it seems. What, pray tell, are you?”

Sunset heard Twilight snort in amusement, and she didn’t blame the filly. Hearing Celestia speak in such archaic Equestrian always amused her as well.

“And art thou a threat to our little Ponies?” Luna added, looking down at Jethro with more suspicion.

Jethro held up his hands and faced Celestia first. “My name is Jethro Bethridge, and I’m what’s known as a human,” he replied, before turning to Luna, “and no, I’m not a threat to any of your Ponies.”

“Address the princesses with respect!” one of the Unicorn guards said, hitting Jethro over the head with his hoof.

Twilight winced, and so did Sunset. Nopony enjoyed seeing this part, but the triarchs had insisted on it being included.

“Stay thy hoof, guard!” Celestia demanded, stomping her hoof on the ground for emphasis.

“A thousand pardons, your Grace,” the Unicorn said, stepping back but giving Jethro another glare.

Celestia returned her gaze to the human. “We have not seen a creature such as thy kind before,” she said. “Where art thou from?”

“That’s…a difficult question to answer,” Jethro said. “I’m from a planet called Earth.”

“Thou art from an alien world?” Luna asked suspiciously.

“That’d be my best guess, yes,” Jethro nodded.

“And how, pray tell, didst thou come to be in our domain?” Celestia asked.

“I…I wish I could tell you,” Jethro said sincerely. “One day I’m relaxing at home enjoying my day off, and the next I’m being chased through some horrifying forest by a platoon of guards.”

“According to Captain Dark Sword, thou ran when thou were summoned to our court,” Luna said.

“Well…yeah, I did,” Jethro said quietly. “Being surrounded by a bunch of armed Ponies caaan terrify a person.”

Celestia smiled slightly. “Indeed. But we hope thou understand our need for caution.”

“I think I can,” Jethro said. “A strange house showing up out of nowhere is something to be cautious about.”

“Sister, we think thou art being too lenient with this creature,” Luna said, glaring at Celestia. “For all we know, it could be another one of Eris’ tricks!”

“Eris is trapped in stone,” Celestia said, “she cannot escape, and we doubt she can breach the barrier between worlds. Star Swirl barely managed to do that, remember?”

“Eris is a being of chaos,” Luna argued, the frustration in her expression clearly visible to Sunset. She’d been told by Luna had the animosity she showed to Celestia continued, something drastic may have happened. “We cannot be too careful! We should lock it up until we are sure.”

“Sister, thou art being hasty in thy judgement once more,” Celestia said sternly, in a tone she recognized as an older sisterly tone.

“Um…forgive me for interrupting, but I might have a suggestion?” Jethro asked quietly.

Celestia and Luna turned back to Jethro, their faces both one of shock. Back then, it was almost unheard of for anypony to interrupt a conversation between the Princesses. Luna looked like she was about to say something in anger, but Celestia held up her hoof. “And what, pray tell, is this suggestion?”

He took a deep breath, then asked, “Have either of you wanted to go to the moon?”

The scene morphed once more and they were standing on one of the balconies of the palace which overlooked the first city, once known as the city of Harmonia before its destruction in the deadly Fireswirl Quake. The narrator continued. “It was this conversation and many afterwards that led to the human becoming one of the most trusted advisors to the Princesses. His access to knowledge and technology was for many years afterwards a secret, but that first contact led to the civilization we live in today.”

Jethro, still without his wings and magic, was sitting around a small table on said balcony and sipping on some tea and enjoying teacakes with the princesses. A holographic indicator above them showed the words ONE MONTH AFTER ARRIVAL. Jethro was showing them a video on his old laptop, showing the now famous human Neil Armstrong as he set hoof-or foot as Sunset had to keep reminding herself-on Earth’s own moon. Luna looked especially interested, and Celestia not far behind. “And this was accomplished using technology that’s pretty much out of date back where I’m from,” he was saying. “Yes, the technology was dangerous, sure, but humans are nothing if not tenacious. You should have seen our first attempts at manned flight before the Wright Brothers developed their airplane.”

“This is…quite the fascinating display,” Luna said, sounding very much in awe.

“We agree,” Celestia said. “And thou art willing to share this knowledge with us? Why?”

Jethro smiled, but this version of him had a bit of sadness in his eyes. “I might have been just a banker back on Earth, but I was always a sucker for science fiction. I would love to at least help another civilization make it to the stars, and hopefully not make the same mistakes ours made in the process. And it’s all on this staticnet.” He tapped the laptop. “I’m a big dreamer, your Highness. I won’t live to see the accomplishments you reach if you apply this knowledge, but I would love to be at least a small part of it.”

The scene shifted, and the indicator above read ONE WEEK LATER. Sunset and Twilight were standing in the Royal Gardens. Jethro was the only one around at the time. He was sitting underneath the Elder Golden Apple tree, reading an ancient book. “Our king was very wrong about his own mortality.”

Jethro paused, wincing. Sunset had seen this scene more often than her visits to this museum, but she wasn’t sure if Twilight had. She watched as Jethro began removing his shirt, looking behind his back in fear. “Ah…AAAAH!” he screamed in fear as his majestic wings finally spread from his back. At the same time, a powerful magical wave emanated from him, spreading out in a sphere in all directions. He began to glow his signature magical color and began writhing on the ground.

“Jethro?!” Luna appeared in a flash of a teleportation spell, rushing to his side in fear. Celestia wasn’t too far behind, rushing over. “Sister, what is happening to him?!”

“We aren’t sure,” Celestia said with an equally worried voice. “Somepony call a healing mage at once!” she ordered in her Royal Canterlot Voice, a voice that hadn’t been used in centuries.

A nearby maid Pony heard the command and galloped off. Sunset watched as Jethro continued to glow. Suddenly, a voice echoed from all around them. “I, Obsidian Star, entrust my faithful student Jethro Bethridge into the care of the two Ponies who have taken him in. I have given him all that I can. And now it is time for me to finally pass on.”

A faded form began appearing in the air, solidifying into the now famous Obsidian Star, one of the Lost Alicorns. Her wings were spread majestically, and she was looking down at the three Ponies. There was slight strain on her face as she smiled, turned and bowed to the princesses. “Celestia, Luna, I’m glad to see you again, for the last time.”

“Obsidian,” Celestia gasped. “You have returned…after all this time?”

“I’ve returned, yes. But it was all leading up to this moment,” she replied.

Jethro, who had by now stopped glowing, looked up at Obsidian. “Leading up to this moment? Athena?”

Turning back to Jethro, the faded ghostly form of the Alicorn smiled sadly. “My faithful student, when we came to Equestria, I had to change your body to better fit into this world. This led to an alteration I did not expect: giving you the powers of an Alicorn as well as the wings of one. I have spent the remainder of my magic to rectify this mistake and give you a life free of as much pain and suffering as possible. I did warn you that I would never be able to take a physical form ever again, but now I’m afraid I can no longer be with you.”

Jethro shook his head, tears forming in his eyes. “No…you’re not…don’t go! I won’t let you go! I can’t lose anyone ever again!”

Obsidian Star moved down and hugged the now weeping Jethro. “I’ve given you everything I can give you, but now it’s time for me to face judgement in the next world.”

She slowly began to vanish, releasing the now crying Jethro. She turned to the princesses. “Please look after him, Tia, Lulu. Teach him all he needs to know.”

Celestia put a hoof to her chest. “We shall do so, old friend. In honor of our old friendship, we shall ensure his safety and comfort.”

The Alicorn ghost vanished in a blinking white light, ascending to the heavens before vanishing into the bright blue sky. Both Celestia and Luna surrounded the sobbing human turned Alicorn and spread both their wings over him, comforting him.

The scene faded. “Years passed, and Jethro became a key figure in the still growing kingdom. He advised the princesses on many different matters. He even helped stave off a war with the once Lycan and Deer enemies and earned a knighthood because of it. Then, five years later to the day of his arrival, Equestria was changed forever.”

The scene shifted once again, and the indicator read FIVE YEARS LATER. The citizens of Harmonia were gathered in the massive royal courtyard of Avalon Palace, looking up at their princesses. Princess Celestia was speaking. “Only five years ago today, a being from another world was transported here through no fault of his own or anypony else. He was lost, scared, and alone in a world not his own. Many of you have seen him and met with him frequently, and he has been instrumental in establishing peace with our Lycan and Deer neighbors. In his world, he was just an ordinary citizen performing an ordinary service. Now, he is the Knight of Everfree, the Warrior of the Arena, and one more thing. Today, my sister and I have a grand announcement.”

From behind her, Jethro, clearly nervous, walked up. He was clothed in what now could only be described as royal garb. Luna walked beside him, giving him a tender, loving smile before turning to the crowd. Celestia turned to Luna and nodded. Luna inhaled, and in one of the last instances of her known to use the Royal Canterlot Voice, said, “As of last evening, our sister and I are engaged to Sir Jethro Bethridge!”

Sunset beamed as the roar and applause from the Ponies nearly deafened her ears once more. There were shouts of “Congratulations, Jethro!” and “Good on you!” from nearby Ponies.

Celestia held up her hoof after a while, and the crowd’s silence died. “Our sister and I are pleased to hear your approval of our fiancé. We shall also be bestowing the title of Prince of Equestria upon him, and not just the title of Prince Consort. He has proven to have the interests of harmony at the forefront of his mind. As of today, we present to you Prince Jethro of Equestria!”

The applause now was louder than before. Sunset sighed, gently pulling her ear pieces away to keep her eardrums from bursting. Looking down, she saw Twilight watching the scene in obvious awe still despite her earlier boredom.

“This was only the beginning,” the narrator said as the scene faded, and real-life images began passing by. One showed a dirty Jethro holding two little foals in his hands after the Fireswirl Quake, shouting out some kind of order and holding the crying foals close, another showed him ceremoniously breaking ground at the new digging site for Everfree City, another showed the famous image of Jethro, Celestia and Luna sitting at a table with a small meeting of various intelligent Everfree creatures as they negotiated a plan to help build a new city within Everfree and break the magical curse within its borders, an image of the triarchs ceremonially breaking ground at the first dig site near the city, One of the building of the Old Everfree City, another of Celestia attempting her hoof at driving in one of the new automobiles of the day, with Luna and Jethro laughing in the background at her obvious inexperience and yet another of the triarchs in safety gear looking out at what would be called New Canaveral, a small section of Everfree where the first rockets to space would be tested and what was now the location of the oldest and most famous space elevator on all of Equestria.

As these images passed, the narrator continued, “Prince Jethro, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, with the help of the knowledge of another world, helped to usher in a new age of technological and magical revolution, building the precursors to the society which we know today. Prince Jethro helped to establish not only these, but he and the rest of the triarchy began establishing lasting ties with neighboring nations, sharing certain technologies and bringing in other scholars and scientists from other nations to build more trust and peaceful coexistence with others, as true harmony taught.”

The scene shifted to a launch pad. On it, the first crewed vehicle on its way to the moon, Artemis 1, gleamed in the sunlight of an early summer’s morning. Many gathered Ponies, along with Griffons, Dragons, Hippogriffs, Lycans, Deer and the other races of Equestria were gathered to watch the launch. In front of the launch pad was a large table where not only did the triarchs sit, but the other various rulers of the other Equestrian nations sat, or in some cases tried to sit. Dragon Lord Torch pretty much blocked the launch. Queen Novo was looking over with great interest at Jethro, who was seated between his two wives, and Emperor Galen of the Griffons was talking Empress Agate of the Lycans. One of the Council of Deer, Saelihn Glynmaris, was talking to the Triarchs about something.

Sunset watched as Jethro stood and clapped his hands, catching the attention of everycreature gathered. He wasn’t wearing anything royal this time, having slowly moved to continue wearing his old clothes from Earth. He looked exactly the same as he had before, but the eyes had begun to show the same wisdom that came with age, the look she associated with her mentor. “Ladies and gentlebeings of all races,” he began, looking down at a stack of notes he’d written. He paused, looked back up at the crowd, then smirked. He threw the notes away, letting them scatter. “Actually, screw a prepared speech. They’re boring anyway, and I know you’d all rather be watching the launch.”

This got a laugh from the crowd gathered, and even Twilight giggled. Jethro smiled that self-deprecating smile Sunset knew, and continued. “Honestly, I’d have never believed that twenty years after I became a Prince of the Kingdom of Equestria that we’d be sending somebody into space, much less the moon of all places. Humans took a lot longer to reach the technological level you were when I first arrived, but you had help. And I don’t just mean my access to Earth’s technology, but you had each other. The power of harmony in this world is strong, and it brought you all together to get the Artemis Project off the ground. I might have given you the ideas and some of the experience from my world, but you made it all possible. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who was involved in this endeavor. And as we finally have somebody setting foot, or hoof, on another world, I’d like to think this is just the beginning for us. We’ll stand on one world, and look to the next one! And we’ll do it all together!”

His majestic wings spread behind him, earning him applause from everycreature in the audience. Jethro raised his hands which glowed, and the table and all the leaders gathered floated up and headed behind the crowd at the top of the hill, not only giving them a better view but clearing up the view for the general public.

Sunset watched as the archaic rocket launched itself into space a few seconds later, slowly passing the cloudbanks where Pegasi had gathered to get a front row seat to the action, continued watching as it vanished into the upper atmosphere.

The scene faded again and more photographs were seen, the image of the Pony Stellar Gaze taking his first hoofsteps on the moon, followed by the dragon Borean and the Lycan Emerald who had been selected to be the first creatures to step foot on the moon. Another image showed Jethro and Luna also stepping their foot and hoof on the lunar surface during the Artemis 13 mission four years later, as well as the establishment of Selene Base, Equestria’s first permanent lunar colony near the lunar south pole where ice had been discovered by Artemis 5.

The narrator continued. “The Artemis missions led to much more than space travel between Equestria and the moon. It was only the beginning of the Great Industrial Revolution. Computers became a common household item, medicine began to expand lifespans and heal ailments that magic had, for so long, not been able to heal, and magic, alongside technology, grew and spread to the rest of the world. And all thanks to the human turned Alicorn Prince Jethro Bethridge.”

The scene before them faded to white and they removed their helmets, finding themselves back in the vast room where they’d been wandering. Sunset took Twilight’s gear off and placed them on a nearby table. As the two walked out into the main museum hallways, Twilight looked super excited. “Can we go to the Lunar Base now? Pleeeease?”

Sunset snorted, but nodded. “Alright, Twilight. But stay close, okay? We don’t want you getting lost again, would we?”

Twilight nodded and the two headed towards the Lunar Base exhibit. Sunset smiled. Today was going to be a really fun day…

3: A Completely Expected Party (Canon)

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Twilight Sparkle’s Perspective

Twilight watched one of her newest friends, Jethro Bethridge, as he straightened the tie around his collar, then brushing off the dust on his pants, then turned to face the door. She, her friends, Zecora, and Jethro were all outside Sugarcube Corner. It was late afternoon and the sun was moving farther down towards the western horizon. Despite this being a party for Jethro’s official welcome to Ponyville, Twilight was still somewhat reeling from all of the revelations she’d heard from Jethro earlier.

How could anypony hold something so painful inside without letting it out for so long? She looked closer at their newest human companion with a mixture of worry and fear. Worry for him, but fear that he might be holding more back. There was still so much she wanted to learn about him, but she knew much better now than to do anything to the human without express permission. He’d been through so much in the past half hour, that all she wanted to do was try and help cheer him up. And hopefully continue to make up for her inaction back at Zecora’s house not so long ago.

“Alright, time to face the music,” Jethro said as he walked inside the sweets venue. Zecora moved close beside him on his right, and Twilight moved to walk in on his left.

“‘Face the music’? What do you mean?” Twilight’s inquiring mind made her mouth speak before she could restrain herself.

Before she could apologize, Jethro chuckled. “Just a human saying that means ‘Let’s start this thing’.”

As they entered, the group of Ponies that had gathered all turned and gave happy and polite nods and greetings to them. Pinkie bounded up in front of Jethro and beamed. Suddenly, confetti exploded from somewhere, showering everypony in the room. “Let’s get this party started! Welcome to Ponyville, Jethro!” she beamed happily at the now stunned and confettied human.

Spread across one of the wooden beams was a pink banner with the words Welcome To Ponyville Jethro! We’re Sorry We Were Meanies Before spread across them. Twilight’s heart leapt into her throat at the second part of the message. She glared at Pinkie. “Pinkie, what were you-?!”

“HAHAHA!”

Twilight turned in shock at the sudden belly laugh that filled the room. All the Ponies in the room were watching the source with some confusion. The source was Jethro. He had his hand on his forehead, laughing hard. She grew concerned as it only grew in intensity. Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees, still laughing hard. Pinkie bounded over to him, laughing as well. When Jethro saw her, he grabbed her and picked her up. Spinning her around, the two laughed in tandem before he started to slow down, putting her down. “Ahaha…aaah…oh Pinkie Pie…never, ever change, you wonderful mare, you.”

“Never!” Pinkie giggled.

“Jethro, are you alright?” Twilight asked, growing a bit concerned for his mental wellbeing.

He wiped his eyes with a kerchief he pulled out of a blazer pocket. “Ah…yeah, don’t worry. I just…that banner made me laugh. It was just so…I don’t know how to describe it.” He turned to the gathered crowd. “Sorry to startle you like that, everyone. But let’s get the party going, eh?”

And with that, the mood of everypony in the room became more jovial. A small smile came to Twilight’s muzzle. Maybe this would be a good party after all…

Applejack’s Perspective

I knew there was something about him that I recognized, Applejack thought as she walked towards the table where all the vittles were. After hearing his story straight from his mouth, she knew just what it had been. The hidden pain and sorrow of losing family and loved ones.

Applejack had lost her mother and father when Apple Bloom was only one or two years old, she remembered. They’d both been fine one morning, and the next both were lying in bed sicker than a dog. The recession they’d been going through at the time hadn’t helped matters, since they could barely afford to pay for the treatments. In the end, it hadn’t done any good for either of them Applejack had tried to find comfort in the fact that they’d died only a few hours apart, so they were in Elysium together, but it still hurt whenever she thought about it. In a way, she envied Apple Bloom, since she’d never had any memories of her parents to miss.

When she’d heard Jethro’s story, her heart reached out to him. She knew just how he felt, but she also felt more compelled to make up for what she’d attempted to do back at Zecora’s hut. He had nopony else, but Applejack still considered herself lucky that she had the rest of her family. Jethro had no family or friends back in his old world. She’d meant what she said after Jethro’s breakdown, about helping him.

As she chowed down on the apple cupcake, she saw her brother Big Mac and Granny Smith walking up to Jethro, who was surrounded by a few curious fillies who were bombarding him with questions. She wasn’t too far away, so she heard her grandma say, “Pardon me, youngun’, but kin ah talk to ya fer a bit?”

Jethro paused and looked down at the old Apple matriarch. Applejack swallowed the last of her cupcake, trying to get the lump in her throat to go away as well. She knew what was coming, and decided that it would be best if she was there, too. After all, one of the Apple rules was that nopony should ever run from discipline.

If Applejack had thought Celestia’s anger had been terrifying, Granny’s had nearly made the poor mare have an accident. It hadn’t been the yelling that had gotten to her. It had been the raw disappointment in the old mare’s eyes that had caused Applejack to crack. The night after that, she’d done something she hadn’t done in many years.

She’d cried herself to sleep.

Coming back to reality, she saw Jethro being moved towards a quieter corner of the room. Applejack rushed over, trying not to run into anypony as she did so. Big Mac saw her running up and his eyes went wide with alarm. “Applejack?”

“Sorry, ah just need tah be here,” she said, and she caught Granny’s eye. Granny simply motioned her over to her side, which she did.

Jethro looked at the three gathered Apples, and Applejack saw the confusion in his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Ah heard what mah foalish granddaughter tried tah do tah ya,” Granny said without any kind of preamble.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said in agreement.

Jethro’s expression changed to become slightly more serious than before. He put his hands in his pockets. “I see.”

“Ah’d like tah deeply apologize for that,” Granny said, looking the human square in the eyes. Another Apple family rule: when you apologize, never look away. “Applejack here might have had good intentions, but that’s no excuse fer harmin’ ya.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed again, before he added, “I’d like to add on we’d be willin’ to give you a place to stay.”

Jethro’s smile returned. “I appreciate the offer, but when I came to this world, my house also came with it.”

“Are yah sure, youngun’?” Granny asked. “Yer in the Everfree Forest, yah know?”

“I’ll be alright there,” he said. “I have a magical shield up around the house, so nothing can get through unless I say they can. But your hospitality is extremely appreciated, and I won’t forget it. And I forgave your granddaughter a while ago.” He finally turned to Applejack and gave her a reassuring smile. Applejack gave a weak one in response, lowering her Stetson in a bow before standing up straighter.

“Well, if yer sure, but if ya change yer mind, come find us,” Granny said. “If y’all will beg mah pardon…ah see a couple old friends tah talk tah.” And with that, Applejack watched as Granny walked towards a couple of older Pony mares.

“Nice meeting you, Mr. Bethridge,” Big Mac said politely.

Jethro held out a hand. Big Mac put his hoof in the hand, and Jethro closed his hand around the hoof as the two shook appendages. “Same to you. I like a guy of few words. See you again, sometime, I hope.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said as he let go and began walking away.

Applejack was about to walk away as well when Jethro cleared his throat. She turned. To her surprise, Jethro’s face was full of concern. “Miss Applejack, are you okay?” Her ears flattened and she shook her head. “Are you still bothered by what you did?” She nodded. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

She motioned him to come closer. Something about his screamed trustworthy. When he was close enough, she whispered, “Ah’m afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” he whispered back.

“Mahself,” she admitted.

He knelt so that he was face to face with her. “Now listen here…sugarcube,” he said, using the same term of endearment that her mom had used, “There’s no sense in beating yourself up so much. It’s just gonna eat away at you day by day. You screwed up, yeah, but you’re learning from it.”

“Aren’t ya scared of me, too?” Applejack asked.

Jethro almost answered, until a devious smile appeared on his face. Quick as a wink, he snatched Applejack’s Stetson off of her head. “Guess you’ve gotta catch me to find out,” as he ran into the crowd.

“Why you little-git back here, ya varmint!” she called after him, chasing him through the crowd of Ponies.

She might have had speed, albeit not as much as Rainbow Dash (Not that she’d admit it to the boastful Pegasus), but she was surprised with just how agile somepony who stood on two hooves-no, feet-could be. He weaved and bobbed through the crowd, now actually wearing the Stetson. She had to admit, he looked kinda nice with it on, almost like it belonged on his head just as much as it had belonged on her father’s. Despite herself, she had to admit that chasing the human around to get her hat back was fun. She could tell he wasn’t doing this to be malicious, and when he stumbled over a small table leg and fell, he was still laughing, especially after Applejack jumped on top of him, pinning him. “Ah got ya now,” she said, panting a bit.

Jethro smiled, reached up, took the hat off, and placed it back on her head. “Did that help you feel better?” he asked.

She paused, thinking. “Well ah’ll be-you did this on purpose?”

“One way Pinkie and I are alike: I don’t like seeing people sad.” He reached up and straightened her Stetson. “Besides, it’s a party. So, relax. Have a cookie. Cut the rug with some stallion. Have fun, would ya?”

Applejack slowly got off of him, a small smile growing on her muzzle. She began to chuckle, then laugh aloud. She couldn’t help it. Something in this stallion’s words, and his eyes made her feel like things would be alright in the end.

Rarity’s Perspective

Rarity was sipping on some of the best punch she’d ever had at one of Pinkie’s little soirees. She’d been wanting to talk to Jethro for a while one on one, but the crowd of Ponies that had been surrounding him had been constant and she hadn’t had the time to catch the human stallion alone. She’d seen him talking to Applejack’s family, and how he’d led Applejack on a merry goose chase around the party room. He was talking to a couple of mares who were asking him a couple questions. She saw Pinkie nearby, carefully keeping an eye on him with a wide smile.

Finally, as he said his goodbyes, Rarity saw an opportunity. She sashayed her way over (ladies didn’t run in this situation), and caught his attention with a wave of her front hoof. “Darling! Over here!”

He turned and smiled. “Rarity! How’re you enjoying this little shindig?”

“Pinkie Pie always knows how to throw a good soiree,” Rarity replied with a smile. “And you?”

“I haven’t been to a real party in many years. I think the last time was for the last birthday before…well, my Trixie left this world,” he said, the slight sparkle in his eye dimming a bit.

Rarity’s ears flattened. She didn’t mean to bring up painful memories for him. Trying to change the subject, she moved closer. “About what I said earlier about the wardrobe offer, I was being serious, you know.”

He smiled a bit more at that. “I’ve seen enough of the show to know you were,” he said softly. “It’s just a bit strange for me to know anyone to be this generous.”

“Why, whatever do you mean?” Rarity asked.

“Back on Earth, generosity isn’t as abundant,” he explained. “You Ponies have a good thing here. Sometimes it’s hard to believe.”

Rarity smiled. “Well, believe it. And I won’t lie: I’m excited to work on a wardrobe for a new being like you.”

He chuckled. “There’s always an angle,” he said.

Rarity blanched. “Darling, that’s not what I meant, I swear-”

He raised his hand, stopping the seamstress mare. “Relax. It was a joke. I know how much you love to work on clothes. It’s an endearing trait. Besides, I’ve seen your work on the show. I wouldn’t want anyone else working on my clothes except for you.”

She felt her cheeks heating up. “I-I don’t know what to say,” she said.

He knelt and held out his hand towards her. “How about ‘A pleasure doing business with you, Jethro’?”

She chuckled, and extended her hoof towards him. He clasped it and gently shook it. “Quite, darling. Quite.”

“I can provide you with a few of my clothes so you can get a feel for what a human is like,” he said, standing up. “Also, how good are you with shoes?”

Rarity felt confused. Why would he want something like shoes? “I’m afraid I’m not in the shoeing business.”

He pointed to the enclosures around his hooves-no, he called them feet, she had to remind herself. “I mean these. Human feet are very fragile compared to hooves.”

“Oh! Those!” She’d been meaning to ask him about them since they were something a bit foreign to her. “Well…I don’t normally do it, but I do know a few other businesses around town that might be able to make something like those shoes for you.”

He looked relieved. “Thank God. I only have a few pairs, and when these inevitably wear out, I’ll be so screwed.”

Rarity smiled. It made her happy to know she could finally help earn back this stallion’s trust. “Why don’t we walk around a bit? I think a few of the owners of those businesses are still here.”

“Lead the way, milady,” he said with a courteous bow.

She blushed a bit, then began heading towards one of the business-stallions…

Rainbow Dash’s Perspective

Rainbow Dash loved to party, and she never missed a Pinkie Pie party. Those were always the best, in her opinion. And this one was one of Pinkie’s best by far. The food was twenty percent cooler than it normally was, the party games were as great as ever, and the company was just plain awesome.

As she took a massive bite of a cake slice, she saw the subject of the party with some punch in his hand. They’d been there at least an hour or so, and she’d seen him constantly surrounded by the other Ponies. She’d seen him talking to Applejack and her family, and then to Rarity. Seeing as he was alone now, she decided the loyal thing to do would be to check on him. After what he’d revealed earlier, she couldn’t help but feel a bit protective of him despite what she had done to him on their first meeting.

Flying up to him quickly, she stopped just shy of his face. The new resident of Equestria jumped in alarm. “Jesus Christ, Rainbow Dash! You startled me!”

“Ehehe, sorry about that,” she said, scratching the back of her neck with her hoof. “Just came over to say hi and see how you’re doing.”

He chuckled. “I’m doing good, actually. This is my very first Pinkie Pie party, and the show didn’t do it justice. Oh, by the way, I’ve gotta ask.” He lowered his voice and grinned. “Did Twilight really eat hot sauce during her Welcome to Ponyville party?”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Damn right she did! It was hilarious! She drank so much before she realized!”

“Sorry I wasn’t there to take a picture of it,” he chuckled.

“You own a camera?” Rainbow Dash hadn’t known this about him.

“A couple. Here, lemme show you.” Rainbow Dash watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black rectangle. He tapped at it, then before she could say anything, he was by her side, his arm around her back. He held the rectangular device out, and to her surprise, she saw a smaller version of herself staring back at it, with Jethro right by her side, smiling. “Say cheese, Dash!” He hit a small white circle on the bottom, and the image on the rectangle froze. It showed a confused Dash looking at the viewer, with Jethro beside her beaming. “There we are. Mankind’s first selfie on an alien world.”

“Wait…that thing is a camera?” she asked, staring at their frozen images.

“That’s part of its function, yes,” he said. “It’s also a telephone, a clock, a small computer, and a means to play games.” He stopped. “Sorry, this stuff would probably be more Twilight’s thing.”

“That’s…awesome!” And Rainbow Dash meant it. Having something like that be all of the things Jethro mentioned. “Can I have one?”

His smile faltered, and he shook his head. “I don’t have any more that I can get for you,” he said. “This is the only one I have that would work. I have an older one, but it’s not worth it. It only lasts for about an hour before it goes dead and needs to be recharged.”

“Awww nuts,” she said, stamping at the ground sadly.

“Sorry, but they only make these on Earth,” he said, a hint of sadness in his voice now.

Rainbow Dash knew that tone. The loyal bit within her screamed to ask the question that the other parts of her, the parts that hated all this sappy feel-good crap, didn’t want to. “Do you still miss Earth?” she asked.

Jethro chuckled. “Certain parts of it, and certain people. Don’t get me wrong,” he added immediately, “I love it here. It’s peaceful, relaxing, and the air is a lot cleaner than back on Earth. Not to mention the starry nights are brilliant and dazzling. But I’m used to a few comforts that might be difficult to come by here. Technology that I took for granted is not in my grasp anymore, not to mention meat.”

Rainbow Dash winced. She knew he ate meat, of course, but it was still weird to know someone other than Gilda who ate meat. It was just such a foreign concept to her. “Do humans really need to eat meat?” she asked hesitantly.

“From what I’ve found, yes. There are ways for humans to eat a vegetarian diet without it, but Equestria doesn’t have what I need to maintain it.”

“Think Twilight could come up with something?” Rainbow asked.

“Maybe,” he admitted.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash remembered something from the night that the Princess had laid into them. She nudged him. “Hey, have you ever seen a Wonderbolt competition before?”

Confused, he shook his head. “Why do you ask?”

“Well…I was thinking it’d be something you’d like to see,” she admitted.

His confused look turned into a grin. “Why, Rainbow Dash, are you asking me out on a little date?” he asked with a smirk.

Her jaw dropped and she smacked him upside the head. “N-No! Not at all!”

“Aaaahahow,” he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. “Relax, Jesus. I’m just teasing. And no, I’ve never seen. Maybe going to see one with a good friend would be fun. It’d be like watching an airshow.”

“It is an airshow, dumbass,” she laughed.

He laughed along with her, then tapped something more into the rectangle. “I mean more like this.”

She watched on the small screen as what she could only describe as metal birds flew across the sky with precision she hadn’t even thought possible for anybeing other than a Pegasus. She’d seen these planes, as Jethro’d called them, before, but she found them utterly fascinating. According to him, they could go much faster than any Pegasus had ever thought possible.

“That’s…so…awesome!”

Fluttershy’s Perspective

Fluttershy was sitting in a corner of the room, contentedly sipping on some of the punch Pinkie had made for the party. She was never really one for parties, of course, but she hardly ever missed one of Pinkie’s. And she was especially happy to be here to support Jethro, the subject of said party.

She was watching him out of the corner of her eye. Currently, he was talking to Rainbow Dash. He was showing her something on a black rectangular device, something that had obviously captured Rainbow’s attention. The smile on his face was a definite genuine one, which contrasted to how much pain she’d seen on his face only an hour ago outside of Ponyville Hospital. She’d never seen anypony so distraught, and it hurt her to see.

Fluttershy had always been a sympathetic crier, but with Jethro, she’d wanted nothing more than to help take all of his pain and suffering away in that one moment of him baring his soul to them. She knew he wasn’t just an animal. He was just as smart and intelligent as anypony she’d met. But she’d never seen such repressed sorrow in anycreature before, not even when she’d first found Angel Bunny crying over his deceased parents all those years ago on the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes. She looked down at her reflection in the punch, trying not to cry once more. She was unaware of the presence in front of her until she felt a warmth embracing her. Looking up in shock, she saw a concerned looking Jethro looking back at her. “Fluttershy? Are you okay?” He dabbed at her face with a kerchief.

She sniffed, grateful for how gentle she was being. “I was…just thinking about Angel.”

Jethro raised an eyebrow and sat next to her. “Are you sure? Looked like a lot more was on your mind.”

Fluttershy might not have been the Element of Honesty, but she never liked to lie to anypony. She shook her head. “I was just…thinking about what you told us before we came here,” she admitted quietly. “You looked so sad, sadder than anypony I’ve ever seen. I wanted to help. Maybe make you smile a bit.”

He chuckled. “Don’t force yourself, Fluttershy. That’s Pinkie’s job. But I really do appreciate the thought. It means a lot to me. Your kindness is unparalleled to any I’ve seen on Earth.” He pulled out that same rectangular device he seemed to fiddle with a lot, then tapped on it. “Here, I know something that’ll cheer you up.”

She looked over at the moving images on the device. As the two of them watched, her heart swelled. She was watching cats and dogs from another world acting all cute and silly. Soon her own sadness was gone, and she was smiling warmly at the antics.

When the images on the screen stopped, Jethro put the device away, a wide smile on his face. “Nothing beats cute animal videos to cheer you up, eh?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Can I see more of these sometime?”

Jethro smiled wider. “Of course!”

Pinkie Pie’s Perspective

Eeee! This party is going great! Pinkie was beaming from ear to ear as she’d watched all of the partygoers mingle and talk among themselves. She bounded among the Ponies, making sure they had enough good food and punch and were all smiling and happy.

Of course, she made sure to keep a close eye on Jethro. She’d pushed him gently to meet new Ponies and get to know others around the party, and he seemed to be smiling more than he had earlier at the hospital. That always put a pep in Pinkie’s step.

As she’d promised herself, she’d made one of the biggest and grandest parties she’d ever thrown. The Cakes had even helped this time around as a means to help apologize not only to Jethro but to Zecora for their treatment of both of them upon first meeting.

Pinkie was just grabbing another cup of punch when she felt a presence behind her. She turned and saw Jethro looking down at her with a warm smile. Yes! He’s smiling! Pinkie was glad to see it. She couldn’t stand when anypony was sad. “H, Jethy!”

He smirked. “That’s a new one,” he chuckled as he reached down towards her, only to stop, then slowly pull back. “Thanks for all the party stuff around, party girl.”

Pinkie was a bit concerned about his hesitation to touch her, but then she remembered what Fluttershy had done. Note to self: check to see if Flutters is doing okay, Pinkie thought to herself. “I promised you an epic bash, and I always deliver!” she beamed.

“And an epic bash it is,” he chuckled.

“Are you having fun?” she asked hopefully.

“Damn right I am!”

“Yay!” Pinkie bounced up and down happily, smiling wide.

She was happy to see Jethro’s own smile broaden in response. “What’s your favorite thing to do at a party?” he asked her.

Pinkie continued bouncing. “Everything, silly! Pin the Tail on The Pony, the food, everything!”

“I shouldn’t be surprised. You make fun and laughter as easy as Pinkie Pie.” He chuckled to himself, like he was telling himself some personal joke.

“Oooh! I like that! Can I use that?” Pinkie asked.

“Knock yourself out,” he chuckled.

“Um…why would I do that?” Pinkie asked, stopping her bouncing and looking at me with a confused expression. “Sounds like it would hurt.”

Jethro laughed. “Sorry, it’s a human expression. It means you can go ahead.”

Her smile returned. “Sweet! I’m gonna go check on everypony else. Have fun, Jethy!” And with that, she bounced away.

Spike’s Perspective

I wonder where Jethro went to? Spike wondered as he removed the blindfold on his head from his most recent Pin the Tail on the Pony game he’d just played with a few of the fillies at the party. He’d arrived a few minutes before the party was supposed to officially start with Twilight, but when the guest of honor hadn’t shown up, she’d gone to try and look for him with the other Elements of Harmony as well as Zecora. Mayor Mare had told them about how he’d taken a seriously wounded mare to the hospital, so they’d all gone. Twilight had insisted that he stay behind and just enjoy the party.

Forty minutes had passed before the resident alien had come back with the others. Spike’s sense of smell was better than that of anypony he knew, and he could smell salt from Jethro. His scent was unlike anything he’d ever smelled before, but the extra salt he was smelling came from his face. He’d smelled that salty type of smell before from Twilight, especially when she’d whipped herself so much into a frenzy that she’d cried a bit. He was concerned for the strange biped.

In a way, he related to Jethro. He wasn’t a Pony, he stood on two legs, had claws, or hands in his case, and even now, there were a few Ponies in town who gave him odd looks. Spike wasn’t a baby, he was smart enough to know when Ponies were judging him. And Jethro probably had it ten times worse.

As he walked over to the picture of the Pony on the wall filled with holes, he heard solid hooffalls behind him. “Pin the Tail on the Donkey? Oh no, wait, it’s Pony,” Jethro’s amused tone said.

Spike turned and looked up at the tall human creature from before. “Yeah, that’s right,” he said.

“Haven’t played that game in years, not since I was, oh, how old…like ten or something?” Jethro stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Really? It’s super fun!” Spike exclaimed.

“Heh, I bet it still is,” he said.

“Wanna play?” Spike held up the purple blindfold he’d been using.

Jethro waved his hand. “Nah, I’ve had too much punch to be spun around. I’ll be sick if I do.”

Spike nodded in understanding. He normally played this game before he ate or drank anything too much so he wouldn’t experience the same thing. “I hear that,” he chuckled.

“You having fun here, dragon-boy?”

Spike stopped, gaping at the human. Nopony had ever called him that before, but judging by the warm smile on Jethro’s face, it wasn’t meant as an insult. He grinned. “Oh, I am, monkey-stallion.”

He threw back his head and laughed hard, causing a few nearby Ponies to look over at the two of them with confusion. Jethro stopped laughing just a bit later, looking down at Spike while wiping some tears from his eyes. Spike’s nostrils were once again assaulted with the smell of salt, and there was no doubt about it. He’d been crying earlier. “Humans don’t use the word stallion or mare. We use man and woman. So the appropriate term is monkey-man. And you’re the only one who gets to use that word with me.”

Spike grinned. “Monkey-man it is.”

Jethro reached down and pat the little drake on the head. “That’s the spirit, little dragon-boy.”

“Hey! You’ll mess up my spines!” Spike glowered at Jethro, who only seemed all the more amused.

“Oh, please. You look good like you are,” he said. “At least you’re not like Smaug.”

“Smaug? Who’s that?” Spike asked.

Jethro grinned. “A fictional dragon from an epic fantasy novel. Whoo, boy. One of these days, Spike, I’ve got to read The Hobbit to you.”

Twilight Sparkle’s Perspective

Twilight had been waiting to get a chance to speak to Jethro all evening, but she’d never gotten the chance. She was still suppressing her natural curiosity, but not all of it could be forced down. She watched as he spoke a bit with Spike. She was happy to see the two bonding, and almost snickered when Jethro messed with his spines. After a while, the human and her number one assistant parted ways. Seeing her chance, Twilight made her way over just as Jethro was refilling his punch. “Jethro!” she called out.

He turned and saw her approaching. “Twilight, how’s it going? Enjoying this party?”

“Better than mine,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Well, I haven’t seen any hot sauce around lately,” he snickered.

Twilight’s cheeks went red from embarrassment. She still couldn’t believe she’d mistaken a bottle of hot sauce for something to drink at her own party. Then again, she had to remind herself that she’d been distracted with the return of Nightmare Moon. “Thank Celestia for that,” she chuckled.

“Did you really burst into flames?” he asked.

“Is that what…the show…showed me doing?” she asked quietly.

He chuckled. “Yeah, pretty much.”

She sighed, then shook her head. “No, I didn’t burst into flames.”

“Ah, I see.” He smiled at her. “You been doing alright in general lately?”

She nodded. “Oh, yes! I’ve been compiling a bunch of questions to-” she stopped herself, and looked away. “Um…sorry, I guess it’s a bit too early for that, isn’t it?”

“I don’t mind answering a few questions about me and my race. You forget,” he said, holding up the device he called a cell phone, “I’ve got access to human history.”

That did it. The excitable mare squealed and jumped up, clapping her hooves excitedly. “I can’t wait!” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “But…it can wait until sometime later.”

“If you don’t mind, yeah,” he chuckled. “I’m having fun, sure, but I’m getting a bit drained from all the events of the day.”

Her ears flattened. She’d never seen anypony so distraught before, and it had hurt her to see. She was new to friendship, but she wanted to help him recover from whatever had happened to him all those years ago. Losing a family and loved one in only a few years couldn’t have been good for his mental health. He needed friends, and she was hoping she’d accept him and hers as his own. “I see,” was all she could say.

“Hey, don’t look upset,” he said softly, kneeling to face the purple Unicorn. “You all were there listening to me when you didn’t need to. I didn’t realize just how badly I needed to tell somebody about this. So don’t be sad.”

“It’s hard not to be,” she admitted. “Your world sounds like a harsh place.”

“Yeah, it can be,” he admitted. “But it’s also a beautiful place. Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, the Grand Canyon, formed over millions of years of erosion, the Marianas Trench, deepest part of the ocean, Crater Lake, an entire lake formed from the collapsed caldera of a volcano that blew itself apart thousands of years ago, and so much more. Equestria has its own dangers too, you know. Case in point, the Everfree Forest.”

“Hmm, I guess you have a point there,” she said. Wanting to change the subject, she asked, “Um, I never got to ask this before, but what do you think about Equestria?”

He looked a bit thoughtful. “It’s…much different than my world. But in many ways, it’s the same. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I didn’t end up in a place like Westeros or Skyrim, but it’s a lot to get used to. I’ve got Zecora to thank for helping me get used to a lot of things around this world. And that was before our meeting. She’s a knowledgeable mare. One thing that I have found surprising is the apparent lack of religion here. Then again, when two Alicorn goddesses literally create the day and night cycle, that’s to be expected.”

“Hmm…I mean, I have heard of some cults that worship Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “Did you ever subscribe to any religion on Earth?”

“When I was younger, I was part of a religion called Christianity,” he said. “My parents and I would go to church every first Sunday of the month as well as religions holidays. They preferred a more personal time of worship. For years, they would keep our TV and computer off on most Sundays so we could have a quiet house. I’d normally just pick up a book to read or go and play with Trixie outside.”

“And do you subscribe to this religion now?” Twilight asked.

“Not so much anymore,” he said. “I don’t really go to church, anyway. But on Sundays, there are times when I stay away from electronics just to decompress from them.”

“Hmm…I see…so what are religions like on Earth, and how many are there?”

“Well, to answer the second question first, there are a lot of religions,” he replied. “There are plenty of religions on Earth. Some follow actual deities, while others are kinda like what your Tenets of Harmony are like, a system of belief that flows out in your day to day dealings.” He stopped at that, a small smile forming on his face. “Come to think of it, your Tenets of Harmony are a lot like something called the Fruits of the Spirit.”

“Really? What are those?” Twilight asked.

“‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.’” To Twilight, it sounded as if he was quoting something. “That’s from the Book of Galatians from the Christian Bible. There’s also the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’”

Twilight was beaming now. So much new and exciting information! “Do you have a copy of this…Bible of yours? One that I can borrow?”

He seemed to hesitate at that, and Twilight was afraid she’d stepped her hoof on something that might offend the human. “I do,” he admitted, “but I’m not sure you’d like everything that’s in it.”

“Why not? I love a lot of books,” she said. “Why wouldn’t I like this one?”

“There are a lot of mature themes in there,” he said. “And some of the stories are pretty gruesome, bloody even. I’m not sure you’d be able to handle it. No offense.”

Twilight hesitated. She’d read plenty of books on ancient wars and stuff like that, but they’d never been detailed enough. Just names of famous generals, dates, locations, and other stuff that made it seem more like a list than anything else. “Oh, I see. No offense taken.”

“However, if you’d like, I can sit down and talk with you more about it,” he offered.

Twilight’s good mood came back. “Yes please!”

Inn Keeper’s Perspective

It had been a slow night that night at the Ponyville Inn. Inn was a middle aged Earth Pony mare with dark gray fur, light mauve mane and tail, and dark purple eyes. Her cutie mark was that of a bed and ledger. She was sitting in front of the desk, counting the day’s profits. Nopony really traveled through Ponyville often enough. A few of the Ponies who came to the inn were looking solely for a romantic rendezvous with more privacy, especially since the rooms were soundproofed and the inn was on the edge of the town.

It was ten minutes until the end of her shift. Her relief, a stallion named Dusty Mane, was due to arrive any minute for the midnight to noon shift, when she heard the door open. Inn turned to greet the newcomer when she saw just what had entered her inn. At first, she didn’t quite recognize the tired looking creature as it stumbled towards the desk, but then she remembered the gathering from a while ago at the edge of town. This was that human creature that had caused so much of a ruckus back when Zecora had visited their town. She’d been invited to his Welcome to Ponyville party by the resident pink party Pony, but had been unable to attend since she’d been at work.

Putting on her best customer service face, she smiled. “Welcome to the Ponyville Inn. Room for how many?”

“One, please,” the human said. “And, if possible, do you have a bed that’ll fit me? I’m a bit taller than Ponies.” He chuckled a bit self-deprecatingly.

Inn Keeper had to think a bit on that. There was a room that could definitely fit him, but it hadn’t been used in ages. She still kept it clean, but it had been a week since she last had done it, so it might have been a bit dirty. That, and she normally charged extra for it, especially since it was for when traveling Griffins came through. “We do have one room like that, but it’s a bit more expensive. If you’d like, I can get you a multiple bed room and we can push the beds together.”

The humans shook his head. “There’s no need to trouble yourself. I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep if I was on two beds like that. I’ll pay extra for the room.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Inn said hesitantly.

“I’m sure, don’t worry,” the human said. “How much do I owe you for one night?”

She named the normal price, which was 160 bits, he handed her the required number of bits, then she handed him the large metal key to the room, told him where it was, then watched as he trudged tiredly up the stairs. She chuckled a bit when she heard him open the door, then shut it behind him. “Another satisfied customer,” she said to herself, taking the bits and making her way to the safe…

4: Remembrance (Non-Canon)

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Celestia’s Perspective

Being immortal, Celestia knew that loss of anypony was an inevitability. She’d lost many Ponies who had meant a great deal to her, and had for a millennium lost the one true family member she had left. Loss was no stranger to the immortal alabaster Alicorn.

That never made the passing of somepony any less hard. Especially when that Pony was her once faithful student and former Alicorn Twilight Sparkle.

The bedchamber where the aging mare lay was surrounded by all those Twilight held dear to her. Not only was Celestia there, but so was her sister Luna as well as her husband Jethro Bethridge. Celestia’s wing was on his back, trying to comfort the ageless human/Alicorn hybrid. Despite the four hundred years he’d been married to Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Zecora and the others of the herd he’d managed to form despite his early fears, loss seemed to come especially hard to him. Her husband’s eyes were bloodshot with tears as he gently clung to Twilight’s hoof.

Twilight’s purple eyes were also full of tears as she weakly reached out to her husband. “Jethro…my dear stallion…please don’t cry.”

Celestia’s wing tightened around Jethro as he put Twilight’s hoof to his cheek. “How…can I not?” he said with a trembling voice that broke Celestia’s heart to hear. “You’re…the last one. Everyone else…”

“They’re in Elysium, waiting for me,” Twilight said, smiling through her tears. “Jethro, it’s time for me to go. Please…remember all of the good times we’ve all spent together.”

Luna came to Jethro’s other side, placing her own wing on his back as well. She looked over at Celestia, and the solar Princess knew the look on her face almost instantly. It had been similar to the one Celestia had seen on her own face many times after a loss. But for Jethro, even though he’d experienced the loss of only a handful when compared to the number Celestia had lost, the Princess knew each loss tore at his soul much more deeply than anything Celestia had gone through. Even now, Celestia fought to keep the tears in her own eyes from falling.

On the other side of the bed, Sunset Shimmer, the newest Alicorn Princess of Friendship as well as a taller Spike, were kneeling and trying their hardest not to shed tears as well. Spike had an arm around the bacon maned Alicorn. Empress Cadance and Princess Flurry Heart both stood nearby, Flurry openly not hiding her own tears as she buried her face into Cadance’s barrel.

Twilight turned to Jethro. “Help me sit up, please,” she said softly. Jethro gently fluffed some of the pillows to make her more comfortable then helped her to a better sitting position. Twilight looked over the gathering, smiling at them all. “I know I don’t have much time left, so I wanted to say something to everyone here.”

She turned first to Cadance. “Cadance…you were the best foalsitter a little filly could ask for. But you were much more to me than that. You were like my older sister, the one I never knew I wanted. And when you eventually married my brother…you even became my older sister. I was so happy when you married my brother, because now I had a real sister I could spend time with. And then when you and Shining had Flurry…I couldn’t have been happier than to be an aunt. I love you, Cadance.”

Cadance took a deep breath, and nodded. “I love you too, Twilight.” She lowered herself, then smiled. “One more time?”

Twilight chuckled. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t stand.”

With that, Cadance began dancing up and down, and Twilight nodded her head in beat. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake,” the two said in unison.

Twilight smiled, then turned to Flurry. “Flurry…”

“Auntie Twilight…” Flurry said with a trembling voice.

“Shhh…” Twilight said softly, “Flurry Heart, you were my first niece. I love you, even if you were a pain in the ass during foalhood.” That got a few chuckles from everyone in the room, even Flurry. “It was a privilege and an honor to watch you grow up into the lovely mare I see before me today. I’m sure you’ve broken plenty of hearts, and that’s just today.”

Celestia smirked. Twilight had been influenced by the now passed Scarlet Dusk. She was proud that Twilight had loosened up over the years thanks to her and Jethro’s influence. Flurry’s eyes were full of tears as she rushed over and hugged the frail purple mare. “Auntie! Don’t go, please!”

Twilight smiled sadly and put her free hoof around Flurry’s back. “I’m sorry, Flurry…but my time is here. I’ve had many wonderful years with everyone in this room. More years than anypony has ever enjoyed before. Please remember those times fondly, not with sadness. I love you, Flurry Heart.”

“I…love you too, Auntie Twilight.”

Flurry finally released Twilight, who then turned to Sunset Shimmer. “Sunset…our first meeting was, to put it bluntly, a complete shit show. I won’t deny I found it hard to forgive you after everything you did, but I’m proud to call you my friend and my eventual successor. You’ve done so much for Equestria. More than I ever could have done.”

Sunset’s eyes glistened with tears. “Twilight…I’ll miss you so much…”

Twilight smiled kindly at the young looking Alicorn. “Keep the idea of friendship alive and well in the world, my friend. I love you.”

“I will,” Sunset said. “I love you too.”

She nodded, then turned to Spike. “Spike. My son. My very first son.”

The now adult dragon, who was a head taller than anyone else in the room, came to the side of the bed and took her hoof. “Twi…mom…”

“You were always there for me, even if I initially never realized it and took you for granted,” Twilight said softly. “You were my very first friend, my number one assistant for many years, and a son I can be immensely proud of. You’ve done so much for Equestria. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom,” Spike whispered, kissing her hoof. “I’ll miss you so much.”

Twilight then turned to Luna. “Luna…we might not have started off very close, but over these past few centuries, I’m proud to have grown to love you as a close friend. All the times we’ve spent together, all the nights we’ve looked up into the sky and wondered what was beyond will be memories I cherish forever. I love you, Luna.”

Luna wiped a small tear with her wing, and smiled. “As shall I, my friend. As shall I. I will miss those nightly sessions with you there. I love you, too.”

Twilight nodded, then turned to Celestia. Celestia couldn’t help it: she smiled. The look on Twilight’s expression was one of pure love for a mentor, a mother figure, and a friend. “Celestia,” she said, and Celestia could hear the aging Unicorn’s voice growing tired, “You were like a second mother to me. You taught me so much about magic, and when you sent me to Ponyville to learn about friendship, my appreciation and love for you only grew. You were my teacher, and now I’m proud to have been allowed to call you my friend. I love you, Celestia.”

Celestia leaned down, nuzzling Twilight’s cheek affectionately. “I love you too, my faithful student, and my friend. I will miss you.”

Twilight smiled, then finally turned to Jethro. “Jethro…”

Jethro was kneeling in front of the bed, unable to look Twilight in the eyes. “Twi…I…”

“Please…look at me,” she begged. When Jethro finally raised his head to meet her eyes, she gave him her most radiant smile. “Jethro Bethridge, don’t let this day go sour. I know how much you’ve lost. Just know that our time together was a joy to me. I am proud to have been married to a man like you. No time was ever wasted between the two of us.” For the last time, her horn glowed and she pulled him close. Jethro finished the motion by planting his lips against the ageing mare’s lips for the last time. “I love you so much, Jethro Bethridge.”

“I…love you so very much, Twilight Sparkle,” Jethro said, kissing her forehead, then cheek, then lips, and then finally releasing her.

Twilight looked around the room at all the gathered individuals. “This…is farewell, everyone. But not a permanent goodbye. I know, one day, my friends and I will see you all once more. We will be together one day…in paradise…”

And with that, Celestia watched as Twilight took her final breath.

Luna’s Perspective

Twilight’s memorial service was attended by the many Ponies, Griffons, Dragons, Lycans, Hippogriffs, Dark Fae, Yaks and the other species who’s lives she had touched thanks to her actions as the first Princess of Friendship. The memorial lasted from morning until night. Jethro led the service, reading many touching words from his religious text the Bible. Many others read from the Book of Harmony and Friendship, written by Twilight and her friends. Still others spoke of their personal experiences with Twilight.

As the night closed around the gathered assembly, Princess Sunset, the current Princess of Friendship, gave the closing speech, where she told of her own experience with Twilight and the passing of the torch. Luna listened to everything that had been said, taking in everything. She sat beside her husband, one of her wings around his shoulders, while Celestia sat on Jethro’s other side, mirroring Luna’s actions.

Jethro had taken Twilight’s death the hardest out of everyone present, it seemed to Luna. He’d lost the mortal members of his herd over the past five years, and it hadn’t been easy for him. Luna and Celestia had tried to comfort him many nights, but it felt like a losing battle. Luna was afraid that he’d do what Twilight had done two hundred years ago, sacrificing her wings to bring her friends back from the brink of death.

Twilight’s sacrifice had given them two hundred extra years with the Bearers of Harmony as well as Zecora and Scarlet, and for a time it had eased Jethro’s aching heart. But then the two hundred years had passed, and the first began to pass into the next life. With every death, Jethro smiled less and less until it became harder for him to smile at all.

Not even the love poured out on him by Celestia and Luna seemed to help. He kept apologizing for it, but nothing seemed to help his own mood.

And so, Luna found herself lying in the bedchamber that she shared with her sister and her husband, all three lying and facing the ceiling. There was silence between all three of them. No words seemed appropriate. Luna wanted to see her husband smile at her once more, just like he had on their very first date. She wouldn’t even have cared if he’d smiled at her sister and fellow herd mate Celestia. All that mattered was that he smile again.

To her surprise, as midnight rolled around, Jethro took a deep breath, and finally said, “It’s finally over…”

Luna turned to face her human lover. “Dearest?” she asked.

Celestia was immediately awake and facing him as well. “What’s over?”

He slowly sat up, reaching out with his magic to slowly turn on the light above their bed. It shone with the shimmering light of the moon, illuminating his features. Luna’s heart broke to see the tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes of her husband, and she immediately pressed herself against him. Celestia did the same. She was rewarded by his arm and wing around her, pulling her and Celestia closer to him. “Cellie, Lulu…” he said hesitantly, finally using the pet names they’d both loved to hear him call them after so many years, “these past five years have been hard…very hard for me. But…they’ve been hard on you too. And I didn’t help, did I?”

Celestia pressed herself against Jethro. “Love, you’ve never lost anypony for centuries…”

“But it wasn’t fair of me to shut you two out of my life because of that,” he said. “Four hundred years later, and I’m still failing at being a good husband.”

Luna immediately sat up straighter, pushing him down and straddling him, her front hooves on his shoulders. “No!” she shouted, angry and sorrowful tears forming in her eyes. “You did not fail us! Never think that, dearest! My sister and I made a promise to you! A promise to remain by your side through the good times and the bad!”

Celestia moved closer, leaning her cheek against Jethro’s chest. “Your heart has been filled with nothing but grief over these past five years, it’s understandable that you would find it hard to find a way to cope with loss around every corner,” she said tenderly.

“Maybe…but I still should have let the two of you in,” he whispered, looking away. “And not just you. Sunset Shimmer, Spike, Flurry Heart and Cadance. I should have let them all in. They’re my family too, and for five years, I shut them all out.”

“We forgive you,” Celestia said. “And I know they do too.”

“Tomorrow, would you like to speak to them?” Luna asked, lying down on top of Jethro and snuggling close. She was once more rewarded by a wing and arm around her body.

“Yes…yes I think I would,” he said. “I am…so tired of running from this.”

Luna’s heart leapt for joy as she snuggled closer. Celestia also pressed herself against Jethro. “My dearest Jethro,” Celestia whispered softly, “we are both here for you. Your family is here for you. We will mourn and heal together. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Jethro snorted. “Foreeever,” he said, in his imitation of Pinkie Pie. “Thank you…both of you.” The light dimmed as he pulled both women in for a kiss. “I’m ready…”

Luna's eyes fluttered closed, and for the first time in five years, she felt the hope within her rising. Her Jethro was coming back to them...

5: Down On The Farm (Canon)

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Applejack’s Perspective

Applejack woke to the sound of the rooster crowing just outside her bedroom window to the right of her bed. She sat up and smiled as she looked out as the rising sun shone its warm light over the farm and the many acres of apple trees. From downstairs she could smell the apple pancakes that Granny Smith always made on Thursdays.

Jumping out of bed, she stretched and yawned before heading to the bathroom. After taking care of what was necessary and brushing her mane, she grabbed her Stetson from the nail in her room, swung it onto her head like she normally did and trotted down the stairs to the kitchen. Granny Smith was at the griddle already making her famous apple flapjacks and Big Mac was sitting at the table, reading over a newspaper and cradling a cup of coffee. “Mornin’ Mac,” she greeted jovially as she took her traditional seat, putting her hat on the back of her chair.

“Mornin’,” he replied in his normal stoic way.

“Anythin’ interestin’ in that there paper?” she asked as she grabbed the comics.

“Eenope,” he said as he turned the page.

Applejack held in a chuckle. It was the same thing that happened almost every morning. She’d ask if there was anything interesting, he’d say no, and the next sound would be a tired Apple Bloom coming down the stairs, yawning. Except that since it was still summer break, the little filly had gotten into the habit of sleeping in.

Just then three perfectly browned apple flapjacks flopped onto the plate in front of Applejack, steaming hot and smelling perfect as normal. The orange Earth Pony grabbed the butter and began slathering the pancakes with it before grabbing a fork and digging in with abandon. She was halfway through eating when Granny Smith trotted over to the stairs and shouted, “Apple Bloom! Git yer behind down those stairs! Yer breakfast is getting’ cold!”

“Comin’, comin’!” the young filly came tiredly trotting down the stairs, yawning and taking her place at the table. Her red mane was a mess, sticking up in different places, and her red bow, a keepsake from her mother, wasn’t on her head.

“Good golly, yer a mess,” Granny huffed as she walked over and began fussing with the little filly’s mane. “Now hold still.”

“Granny! Ah’m fine!” Apple Bloom whined, but she was still not strong enough to push Granny away.

“Hush up, young’un,” Granny ordered as she pulled out a comb from a nearby junk drawer and began to brush the knots out of the filly’s mane.

“Owowow! That smarts!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“Just deal with it, sugarcube,” Applejack said after taking a sip of orange juice to wash down her pancakes. “If ya would comb yer mane, ya wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

“It’s a paaAAin!” Apple Bloom winced as Granny pulled out another stubborn knot.

“Hold still,” Granny said before turning back to Applejack. “Isn’t today the day that Jethro feller comes tah help?”

“Ponyfeathers, yer right!” Applejack said. She’d almost forgotten about the weekly visit from Jethro, Ponyville’s resident alien. It had been almost a month since he’d grown his new wings and gained magic and Earth Pony strength, and ever since then he’d been coming down to the farm to help once a week all day, mostly on Thursdays. She looked at the clock and saw that it read 7:24. He had a habit of showing up early despite Granny’s insistence on him showing up on time. “He’ll probably be here any minute now!”

“Ah swear, that young’un loves tah work himself to the bone,” Granny said.

Applejack inwardly winced. She was instantly reminded of the story he’d told them all about his first marefriend Trixie and how her death had sent him into his own cycle of depression and overworking himself. “Ah’ll keep an eye on ‘im today, Granny.”

“Good. Ah like that stallion, but ah don’t want ‘im collapsin’ on our farm.”

“He won’t, Granny, ah’ll make sure of it,” Applejack promised as she cleaned up her plate and placed them in the sink. Grabbing her Stetson, she headed to the door. “Ah’m gonna go check on the cows, now,” she said as she headed out into the cool morning air.

The familiar smells of the farm around her put her at her ease. The sweet smell of apples on the trees, the rustic smell of hay, and the various other smells she’d grown up with was as familiar to her as anything else in this world. From the side of the house, she heard the sound of barking as her pet Winona rushed up to her, barking happily. “Mornin there, Winona!” Applejack said happily as the young Border Collie jumped up to lick her face happily. “Eager this mornin’ ain’tcha? Well, c’mon then! Time tah check on them cows.”

The dog barked and fell into step with Applejack as they headed to the massive red barn. Even now, Applejack could see how old the structure looked. The paint was peeling, and a few of the window hinges looked as if they were about to fall out. She still hoped that selling her farm’s food at the upcoming Gala would be enough to pay for Granny’s hip surgery and fixing up things around the farm. As she approached the barn, she heard the familiar voices of the cows in the barn laughing at something. Another familiar voice spoke up above the laughter, “…could hear a pin drop in that store, I swear to God! And then Pinkie goes, ‘Oatmeal? Are you crazy??’ That mare is crazy, but in a good way!”

“That mare is a riot, dontcha know?” Daisy Jo, one of the more talkative cows, replied with a laugh. “Thanks for bringing us these oatmeal cookies, Mr. Bethridge.”

“I remember you saying it was your favorite,” Jethro replied. “And call me Jethro.”

“They are my favorite, dontcha know? Oooh! Moooo!” Daisy Jo replied, sounding a bit startled.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Jethro asked, sounding concerned.

“Oh no no,” Daisy giggled. “It just feels weird, is all.”

“I’ve always wanted to try doing this, and I don’t wanna hurt you, miss,” Jethro replied.

“And just what in tarnation are ya doin with our cows?” Applejack called out as she entered the barn, looking around at the cows. “Where in tarnation are ya?”

Jethro’s hand came up from behind Daisy Jo. “Over here, AJ,” he called out before his hand went down. Applejack could hear the familiar sound of milk going into a metal pail. “Daisy Jo was kind enough to let me milk her, just to see if I could do it. Gotta use these hands for something, and since it’s technically not my start time, I wanted to cross something off my bucket list.”

Applejack walked over and found Jethro sitting right next to Daisy Jo’s teats, his fingers wrapped around two of them as he pulled down. He was wearing a pair of brown leather boots, blue jeans, a dark brown T-shirt that looked like it had seen better days, and a large fedora on his head. She gaped as milk shot out more than she’d ever seen before, and her family had been milking them by hoof for years. “But how…?” she asked.

“I saw it in an episode of an old kid’s show called Reading Rainbow,” Jethro chuckled as he continued milking her. “And actually, she wasn’t the first one I milked.”

“He did me first!” Bessie, one of the other cows, chuckled. “Those hands are magic!”

Applejack saw color come to Jethro’s cheeks. “You cows…I swear to God…”

“Jethro, how long have ya been here?” Applejack asked sternly.

“What time is it now?” he asked as he continued milking Daisy.

“Almost seven thirty,” she replied.

“Whoa, already? I got here at, like, six thirty.”

Applejack’s eyes widened. “Jethro!”

“What?” he asked innocently.

“Yah don’t need tah come in that early,” she huffed.

“You do realize that I’ve been getting up before sunrise for the better part of a few years, right?” he asked. “Besides, I like these ladies. They’re fun to talk to. What, when they’re not stampeding through town.” Jethro laughed at that.

“You get spooked by a snake one time and you’re labeled for life,” Moo-riella sighed.

“Listen here, sugarcube,” Applejack said sternly, “ah can appreciate yah wantin’ tah help on the farm, but don’t just go doin’ anythin’ ya want, ya hear?”

“Oh my, now Applejack, don’t go blaming him,” Daisy Jo said. “I invited him to come in yesterday. I was curious about how humans milk cows, dontcha know?”

Applejack sighed. “Ah swear…ah don’t want ya collapsin’, and neither does Granny,” she said.

He smiled and looked up at Applejack. “Thank you for your concern, I mean it,” he said sincerely, “but I really wanted to try this, and these lovely ladies were willing to let me sate my curiosity. Shame you don’t have a way to transform into a humanoid form. Guess the only downside to that would be you’d have to get into some clothes.”

Applejack was about to say something when Winona rushed over to Jethro’s side, tail wagging and looking up expectantly at him. Jethro saw the young dog and grinned. “I didn’t forget about you, Winona,” he said as he stopped milking, reached down for a small bag at his side, then pulled out a strip of meat and handed it to the dog, who eagerly chomped it up, barking happily as Jethro pet her. “Who’s a good dog? Yes you are! Yes you are! Whoa!”

Applejack watched as Winona leaped onto Jethro, licking his face eagerly. She sighed. No matter how much trouble this strange alien stallion caused, she could never find it in her heart to stay mad at him. No matter what his faults were, she admired his honesty and his work ethic. And she was happy for the help on the farm. The incident during Applebucking Season had taught her a major lesson in biting off more than she could chew. “Easy there, girl,” Applejack said, “git off the poor stallion.”

Winona obeyed, and Jethro sat up, laughing hard as he brushed the dirt off of his pants before going right back to milking. Daisy Jo inhaled and mooed in satisfaction. “It’s a shame you guys don’t have the machines we have back on Earth.”

“Ah’d prefer tah do them by hoof, if it’s all the same tah you,” Applejack replied stubbornly, giving him a small swat on the back of his head.

“Ow!”

“That’s what ya get, now come on, it’s time to start the day,” Applejack said, grabbing his shirt by her teeth and pulling him out of the barn.

“Yeow! Hey, watch the shirt! Oof! Well, you ladies have a good day!” he shouted as Applejack pulled him further away.

“Have fun now, you hear?” Daisy Jo called out with a laugh as she returned to her pen. “Thanks for the cookies!”

“My pleasure!”

Applejack dragged him towards the front of the farmhouse where Big Mac and Apple Bloom were both waiting. “Alright, everypony,” Applejack said after dropping Jethro in an undignified heap at their hooves, “we got our work cut out fer us today. Ah checked the apples in the southeastern fields yesterday, and they’re plenty ripe. We’re gonna be buckin’ the apple there, but before that we gotta do our normal chores. Jethro, yer goin’ tah the chicken coop tah get the eggs, Apple Bloom, ah want yah tah sweep up in the barn, and Big Mac, yer gonna be doin’ what ya normally do, right?”

“Eeyup,” was his reply as he chewed on a bit of hay. Every morning, Big Mac would go to the grain silos on the northern side of the farm and check to make sure no wild critters from the Everfree or the White Tail Forests had come sneaking in and chowing on their grain.

“When yer all done, head to southeastern fields and start yer buckin’. Ya hear that, Jethro?” she said, giving Jethro the stink eye.

“Aye aye, ma’am,” he said, saluting and standing up straighter.

Applejack knew he was mocking her in jest, so she kicked some dirt towards him with a snort. “Behave now,” she said. “Now move yer hides!”

One thing Applejack had learned about Jethro and how he worked on a farm was that he bucked with a rhythm. And he kept that rhythm by singing. And she liked his singing voice. It was robust and he knew how to keep a tune very well. She’d taken to stay close to where he was bucking the trees so she could hear the tune he would belt out.

Currently, he was singing the following: “On a summer day in the month of May, a burly bum came hiking, down a shady lane through the sugar cane, he was looking for his liking. As he roamed along, he sang a song of the land of milk and honey, where a bum can stay for many a day and he won't need any money. Oh, the buzzin' of the bees in the cool shade trees to the crystal water fountain! At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings on the Big Rock Candy Mountain!”

Applejack smiled a bit at that. It was a catchy tune he was singing, whatever it was about. She continued to listen and mate a mental note to tell him to sing it to Pinkie Pie.

“Oh, a farmer and his son, they were on the run, to the hayfield they were boundin’. Said the bum to the son, ‘Why dontcha come to that Big Rock Candy Mountain?’ So the very next day they hiked away, the mileposts they kept countin’. But they never arrived at the lemonade tide on the Big Rock Candy Mountain. Oh, the buzzin' of the bees in the cool shade trees to the crystal water fountain! At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings on the Big Rock Candy Mountain! At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings…on the Big Rock Candy Mountain!”

“Mighty fine song ya got there,” Applejack shouted as she bucked another tree, its bountiful treasure falling directly into the two buckets at the base. “Betcha Pinkie would love it!”

“I bet she would!” Jethro replied with a laugh. “You might like this one!” Clearing his throat, he began singing again. Applejack almost chuckled when he sang in some southern twang. The song he sang sounded very much like a country song.

Applejack bobbed her head to the beat of the song, and could almost hear the sounds of a fiddle playing to accompany it. She heard him clapping his hands to the beat as he sang. She had to admit, his attempt at a southern accent was pretty good. She heard him bucking the trees to the beat as well. When he hit the final note, she stomped her hooves on the ground in applause. “Mighty fine song there, pardner. Just one problem.”

“What’s that?” he called back.

“Yah ain’t a country boy, yer a city colt!” she replied with a laugh.

“Hah!”

The day had gone very well, at least Applejack thought so. They’d taken a big bite out of the southeastern portion of the orchard by the time lunch rolled around. They’d had lunch (which consisted of deviled eggs, apple fritters, buttermilk biscuits, plenty of hush puppies, and sweet tea) at the family picnic table. Apple Bloom had really started to take a shine to Jethro, and he even let her sit in his lap while she ate. It warmed Applejack’s heart just how caring the human was with her little sister, keeping her face clean and wiping it with a napkin whenever she got her face extra dirty with those hush puppies. Granny even approved and complimented him on how good he was with foals. Even Big Mac seemed to give his silent approval.

Applejack was really pleased when they finished the apple bucking a half hour before sunset. When she went to look for Jethro at his work area, he was gone, the stacks of apple barrels already sealed and ready to be rolled down in the new apple cellar. “Jethro? Where are ya? Ah was hopin’ yah’d stay fer dinner!” she called out.

“He’s up on the hill, sis!” Apple Bloom called out from a short distance away.

Applejack looked up and, sure enough, the human was sitting and leaning against the lone apple tree that overlooked the farmhouse. He was watching the sunset, as far as she could tell. She narrowed her eyes to get a better look, and saw a faraway look in his eyes along with a wistful smile. “Apple Bloom, tell Granny ta set the table fer one more. Ah’ll be right back!”

“You got it!” Apple Bloom shouted as she galloped back to the farm house.

Applejack slowly made her way up the hill, not wanting to interrupt whatever Jethro was thinking about. She somewhat recognized the look in his eyes. He was thinking back to the past, remembering something good, she reckoned. He had a set of headphones on and she could hear him singing along with whatever he was listening to.

Quietly, Applejack sat down nearby and listened to him singing. She removed her Stetson and placed it beside the fedora he’d removed and set on the green grass. She watched him bob his head back and forth, singing the song he was listening to. When he finally finished, he picked up the small object he’d called a cell phone and tapped on it. When he turned, he saw her sitting there. Startled, he removed his headphones. “Applejack? How long have you been there?”

“Just a couple minutes,” she said, moving to sit next to him. “Ah like that song. What’s it called?”

“S.O.S. by a band called ABBA,” he said.

“Sounds a bit bittersweet,” she admitted.

He chuckled softly and looked back out at the setting sun. “You could say that. ABBA was one of Trixie’s favorite singing groups. Sometimes we’d go and find a spot to watch the sunset and sing the songs together until the stars came out. It was on a hill a lot like this, actually.”

Applejack’s ears flattened. “Ah’m sorry, ah didn’t mean tah interrupt ya,” she said apologetically.

“No, it’s alright,” he said. “I was focusing on the good memories.”

Applejack nodded slowly, then followed his gaze. The sun had just touched the horizon, and the sky was ablaze with bright yellows and oranges, deep reds and purples, and the inky blue of the oncoming night in the far eastern portions of the sky. A slight breeze blew through the trees, blowing through Jethro’s longer hair and Applejack’s blonde mane. She inhaled the sweet scent of the orchard before her. Finally, she said, “Jethro, do ya wanna stay fer dinner? Granny’s makin’ veggie pot pies tonight. Ah asked Apple Bloom ta tell Granny ta save a spot fer ya.”

He chuckled. “Making it hard to say no,” he smiled before he reached over and put his hand in Applejack’s mane, stroking it gently. She allowed it, figuring it brought him some sort of comfort. That, and she couldn’t deny that it actually felt good. “Dinner actually sounds good. I’d be honored to join you.”

Applejack smiled, then stood and grabbed her Stetson. “Come along then, pardner. Granny doesn’t like it when anypony’s late fer dinner.”

He spread his wings. “Guess I’ll have to glide down there, then.” And before she could say anything, he ran down the hill and jumped up, gliding down the hill towards the farmhouse.

She snorted and galloped after him. “Ya cheatin’ varmint!”

“Hah!”

Their laughter could be heard all across the farm as they both made their way down to dinner, their hearts light and jovial, and their stomachs eager to be filled with good wholesome country vittles.

6: Welcome to Aaapleloosa!!! (What if?)

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General Perspective

“Say ‘Uncle’, Braeburn! Say it!”

“Never!”

“You know you’re not gonna win, right?”

“Nnng! Ah’ll beat ya one of these days, Judge!”

“I seriously doubt that. Now say ‘Uncle’! And call me Jethro!”

The majority of Appleloosa’s citizens were gathered around the large mud pit at the edge of the small settlement as were a few Buffalo, cheering for their favorite to win the weekly wrestling match between anypony who wanted to challenge the reigning champion of the mud pit: the strange alien who’d appeared a few months ago on the edge of town.

One morning, the citizens of Appleloosa had woken to discover a small house with a small property line around it, complete with grass. It had been a tense couple of days for everypony as they’d waited for whoever lived there to come out since there’d been a magical barrier set up immediately around it. Finally, the door had opened and a strange bipedal creature stepped out, looking as surprised and scared as the Appleloosans felt. But Braeburn had been the first to step up and welcome the alien stallion to their fair town.

The poor human, as they came to know his species, was carted around town by the happy-go-lucky Braeburn and had treated him to a large welcome meal. That was the icebreaker that the town needed, and soon he was being asked question after question.

Over the course of the first couple weeks, Jethro, which was the human’s name, had slowly relaxed around the townsfolk. Braeburn had stuck close to him, making sure that the newcomer felt welcome despite his unusual appearance.

If his association with Braeburn hadn’t gotten him fully accepted by the Appleloosans, it had definitely been how he handled the Buffalo crisis that began a month after his arrival. Buffalo had begun to demand the removal of all the apple trees on the land, and when Jethro heard about it, he’d gone silent and said he’d look into it. He grabbed a backpack and, despite Braeburn’s protests, headed out into the desert.

A day after he left, he’d come back to the town with two Buffalo, a female named Little Strongheart and a larger male, the chieftain of the Buffaloes. The townsfolk had never seen Jethro look so stern when he gathered Sheriff Silverstar, the mayor of the town and Braeburn and took them into his property. Nopony could hear what was said, but they’d watched as Jethro had mediated between the two with an extremely stern expression.

Barely an hour had passed when the six came stepping out and announced they’d reached an agreement. A portion of the orchard would be replanted and a path made for the Buffalo and in exchange for the remainder of the apple trees being left alone, the Buffalo would be granted some of the apple pies Appleloosa was famous for.

Jethro became a town hero that day, and Chief Thunderhooves had even made him an honorary member of the Buffalo tribe. During the next election for town judge, an anonymous Pony put Jethro on the ballot. The poor stallion was actually voted into office. He wasn’t too happy about it, and despite being told he could decline the posting, he still took the job since he needed bits as his own food was running out.

The town was even further surprised when he sprouted wings sometime later. And not just any kind of wings: the wings of an Alicorn. Despite this, and his apparent new talent for magic and Earth Pony strength, the Appleloosans loved having him in their town.

“Nnnng, goshdern it! Uncle!” Braeburn shouted in defeat.

Jethro, who was wearing something he called swimming trunks, was sitting on Braeburn’s back and pulling his hind legs back, grinning. He finally let go, sending mud flying as Braeburn’s hind legs hit the surface of the mudpit. “And that’s another hundred bits you owe me, dude,” Jethro laughed as he turned to face the crowd. “Who else wants a go?”

On one side of the crowd, Sheriff Silverstar, Hardy Joe, the owner of Hardy’s Hardware Store, and Charity Way, the local schoolmarm, were busy cleaning the mud off of themselves after having lost once again to the human. The other townsfolk looked at each other, nopony wanting to even try. After a few seconds, he chuckled and headed to the edge of the mud pit. “Thanks for coming down, everyone. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go home and take a shower. I’ve got mud everywhere. See you all at the dance tonight?” There was a roar of approval. “Alright! Later!”

Apple Fritter’s Perspective

Appleloosa had one large barn, but it wasn’t your typical barn. It was owned by Apple Fritter, a mare of twenty-eight who’d been one of the first to settle the land. She had a light-yellow fur coat, bright green eyes, emerald green tail and mane, the latter of which was tied in pigtails, tied down with bright red bows. Her cutie mark was of three apple fritters. She’d come from the town of Holstein with her cousin Braeburn and had brought the tradition of Friday barnyard dances with her. She’d spent a lot of her money to build The Dancing Way, a large barn built especially for anypony to cut the rug on the weekends after a long week of hard work.

She was just beginning to set up when the door to the barn opened. “Knock knock, anybody home?”

Apple Fritter smirked and turned to see Jethro standing in the doorway, waving. He was wearing the Stetson that Braeburn had gotten for him as a welcome gift, a pair of jeans, dark brown boots that had been caked with dust, a light brown faux leather shirt and a red kerchief around his neck. “You’re early, you know,” she chuckled as he stepped in and shut the door. “Dance doesn’t start fer another three hours.”

“You say that every time I come, but you never kick me out,” he smiled back at the mare, and that smile made Apple Fritter’s own smile widen. Strange though he might have been to her, she, like her brother, had become quite close with the human.

Especially since she and Braeburn were the only Ponies in town privy to his secret.

After he’d received his wings and other new gifts, Jethro had shut himself away from the world for about a week. Growing worried, she’d convinced her cousin to pay him a visit to check up on him. When they’d arrived, his window was open and the device he’d called a Teevee was on. Showing their cousin Applejack in some sort of moving comic form along with five other simply drawn mares, one Unicorn of whom she recognized as the one who had come to their family reunion at Sweet Apple Acres on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration.

Jethro, having no choice, told them a very unusual story about the moving images they’d seen. Apple Fritter didn’t want to believe it at first, but when he showed the two of them their own cartoon selves, she had to believe it. She’d seen how nervous he was about them potentially asking him to leave town, and had immediately reassured him that they’d never do such a thing. They’d keep his secret ever since that day. He admitted that his idea for the Buffalo had come from an episode of the show, which he then showed them. Apple Fritter was a bit freaked out by it, but had kept her word and hadn’t spoken to anypony else about it.

“Don’t give me any reason to,” she chuckled as she removed her own Stetson and set it aside. “Here to help again?”

He held up his hand, which began to glow. Nearby, a few tables began to roll around to the edges of the barn. “I always do.”

She giggled, holding her hoof up to her mouth. She wasn’t as traditional as the rest of Appleloosa was when it came to the use of magic to do things. She was honestly fascinated that a human could even do magic, especially after he’d explained that normally humans couldn’t perform any magic. “Your help is always appreciated,” she said.

“I’m glad to help,” he said, “and besides, it’s good magical practice.”

She snorted. “Just don’t punch a hole in my barn again.”

“It was one time, Frit. One time, damn it!” he protested. “I swear…you put one hole in a barn on accident and you’re labelled for life!”

She laughed and turned away, a blush forming on her cheek at the nickname she allowed only him to call her. “You’re too easy to tease,” she replied.

Suddenly, she found herself in his arms as the ground fell down. He laughed as she squealed and immediately clung to him as he haltingly flew up to the haybales on the second floor of the building where the foals would play as the adults danced. The two of them landed in a heap, both laughing heartily. Jethro grabbed a pile of hay and tossed it at Apple Fritter. She immediately took some in her hooves and threw them back before launching herself at him, landing on top of him laughing.

As the laughter died down, she looked into his deep blue eyes, and he looked back into her own green ones. As if on cue, the two began kissing each other with passion. Apple Fritter put her hooves around his neck and Jethro put his arms and wings around her. Her heart began beating faster as she deepened the kiss with her coltfriend. She and Jethro had been seeing each other for about three weeks now, and she couldn’t have been happier. He was hardworking, kind, gentle, protective, and a jovial soul. In her mind, he exemplified the Tenets of Harmony very well, perhaps even as much as the Bearers of Harmony themselves.

She squealed in surprise as he pushed her onto her back, his hand running through her mane expertly. She shuddered at his touch and moaned slightly, spreading her legs involuntarily. She waited in anticipation as his hands moved down her stomach.

Unfortunately, the barn door burst open just as things were getting hotter and heavier for the new couple. “Jethro?? Fritter? You two in here?” Braeburn called out.

Quickly the young couple broke away, faces red. Jethro straightened his hair out and peered over the edge. “Up here, Brae.”

Braeburn looked up at him, one eyebrow raised. “And just what the hay were you two doin’ up there?” he asked.

Apple Fritter peered over as well, purposely leaving her mane in the mess it had become during their makeout session. “You sure you wanna know, dear cousin?” she asked with a coy tone and expression.

To his credit, Braeburn blushed and shook his head. “I knew you two were seein’ each other, but I don’t need to know that much!”

Jethro lifted Apple Fritter in his arms and spread his wings, gently gliding back down to the dance floor. Giving his marefriend a kiss on the cheek, he put her down then faced Braeburn. “What’s going on? Something on your mind?” he asked.

Braeburn cleared his throat. “Right! I just got a telegram from my cousin Applejack. Apparently, she’s gonna be comin’ to town next Saturday with one of her favorite trees fer our orchard.”

“Oooh, that would be…Bloomberg,” Jethro replied with a smirk.

“Already?” Apple Fritter asked as she brushed the hay out of her mane and fixed up her ponytails.

“Eeyup,” Jethro said. “If it goes anything like that one episode, she’ll be bringing the other Bearers of Harmony and Spike.”

“I can’t wait to see them,” Braeburn said happily. “I’ve gotta get things ready fer ‘em!”

“Hold your horses, dude,” Jethro replied with a chuckle as he put his hand on Braeburn’s back, “we’ll all give them a welcome they won’t soon forget! But first, we’ve got a barnyard dance to prepare for!”

The sun was far below the horizon and the moon was rising high in the sky when the Friday dance ended. Apple Fritter was pleased to see nearly everypony in town attend that night. Jethro had even broken out some country music from his own world which had gotten the crowd really dancing. He’d gotten better at dancing, and he danced with not only Apple Fritter but with Charity Way and a few other mares, but mostly with Apple Fritter.

After the last Appleloosan had left, it was just Jethro and Apple Fritter who immediately began to clean up the place. After having done it together for a few weeks, they had a system where Jethro used his magic to pick up garbage and Fritter would hold garbage bags to catch them. As they did this, Jethro spoke up. “Next Saturday, huh…?”

“You okay there, sweetie?” Apple Fritter asked.

“I’m just debating whether or not I wanna meet the Bearers of Harmony or not,” the human said.

“Why not?” she asked. “You seemed so gung-ho about it earlier! My cousin Applejack is one of the nicest mares out there!”

“It’s not her I’m worried about,” Jethro replied. “It’s Twilight Sparkle. She’s the personal student to Princess Celestia, and when she sees me, She might just tell the Princess about me.”

Apple Fritter nodded in understanding. Jethro had expressed his worry at having to potentially meet the Princess at some point in the future. “I’ve heard she’s incredibly kind and understanding,” she said.

“And she can move the sun, dear,” Jethro said as he took a seat in one of the nearby folding wooden chairs. “You know how much power would be required back home to do that? Let’s just say it’s a fuckton. If she deems me a threat, well, I’m a novice at magic at best and I can’t really fly all that well yet. I wouldn’t be able to stop her if she tried to take me.”

Apple Fritter stopped her cleaning, walked over, climbed into his lap and snuggled up against him, removing her Stetson in the process. “Jethy,” she said, using the nickname he’d allowed her, and only her, to call him, “You’re overthinking this. Even if the Princess tried to take you, you’ve earned a life among us. We’d never let anything happen to you.” She reached up and gave his cheek an affectionate lick.

He blushed and held her closer in his arms. “You’re right, you’re right,” he said as he buried his face in her mane, kissing her head affectionately.

“I’m always right,” Apple Fritter giggled as she snuggled closer into him, trying her best to comfort her special somepony.

The two of them sat like that for a while, the gas lanterns in the barn their only illumination. Jethro’s hand stroked her mane gently and Apple Fritter’s hoof circled around his chest equally as gently. After a while, she spoke up again. “I met her once, actually.”

“Who? The Princess?” Jethro asked.

“Twilight Sparkle, I mean.”

“Really? When?” Jethro asked.

“During our last family reunion,” she explained. “It was just before the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Hold on,” Jethro said as he pulled out the device he called a cell phone. Apple Fritter watched as he tapped at it. “Ooooh, there you are,” he said as he showed her a cartoonish image of Apple Fritter putting her namesake on a picnic table. “You look good as a cartoon, but you look better in person,” he chuckled as he pulled her into his arms for a kiss.

Blushing hard, she kissed him back, then slowly pulled away. “Come on, sweetie. We’ve got a lot to clean tonight.”

“Right,” he said, standing and putting her back down. “Back to cleaning!”

The next day…

“I swear, I was never an apple fritter fan before you made yours,” Jethro was saying as he leaned against one of the apple trees in the Appleloosan orchard. “Yours are da bomb.”

Apple Fritter blushed and inhaled deeply, exhaling as she lay next to her coltfriend on the picnic blanket underneath the shade of their favorite tree. “I like making them for you,” she said softly as she nuzzled her face into his chest affectionately. She was rewarded by his hand running through her mane. The two lay there in the late morning shade, enjoying each other’s company. Soft instrumental music was playing from a small speaker set which Jethro had connected to his fancy phone. “Are you still scared?” she asked.

“Scared about what?” he asked.

“Meeting the Elements of Harmony?” Apple Fritter asked.

“Eh, I’m still decently scared,” he said, “but I’m not a pussy. I know you Ponies, and they’d hear about me eventually even if I didn’t show up. So I’m gonna meet them on my own terms.”

Apple Fritter’s heart swelled with pride. She knew her coltfriend wasn’t a coward, and it made her happy to see him growing. She remembered when he’d confided in her and Braeburn about his last love and his parents. It had broken her heart to see Jethro so distraught after holding it in for so many years. That moment cemented the fact in her head that he was different from a Pony, but that didn’t stop her from giving out subtle hints to him about wanting to be with him. It had taken longer than expected, and when he’d told her about the species difference being a major part in why he had been so reluctant to become closer than friends, it had been yet another reminder that he wasn’t a Pony.

Still, she’d pushed through, confident that she could win his heart. And on a picnic day similar to this one, she’d broken down and confessed her feelings. The way he’d responded hadn’t quite been the way she’d expected. Instead of accepting her or turning her down, he asked her out on a proper date, just to, in his own words, “Test the waters.” And on the third date, he’d finally confessed that he, too, had fallen in love with Apple Fritter.

“Glad to hear it, Jethy,” she said happily as she stood and kissed his cheek.

He smiled, a bit of pink coloring his suntanned cheeks. “I figured you would,” he replied. “But before then, I wanted some alone time with my girlfriend. Or marefriend. Whichever you prefer.”

“Anything that tells those pesky stallions that I’m a taken mare,” she smirked.

Jethro laughed. “It ain’t easy being the sexiest mare in town, eh?”

Now it was her turn to blush. “Awww,” she giggled as she climbed onto his lap and snuggled up close in a Ponyloaf, “You’re too sweet to me.”

“Sweet as apple pie, cutie,” he grinned, poking her muzzle with his finger, which caused her to scrunch up.

She moved up closer, eyes lidded in a very obvious expression. “Not as sweet as you,” she cooed as she slowly moved her forelegs around his neck. “Now, give Frit some sugar.”

“Your wish is my command,” he smiled as he put his arms around her, their lips locking once again.

Apple Fritter closed her eyes and relaxed in Jethro’s strong, protective hug. She’d had a couple of coltfriends before when she was younger, but none had made her feel as desired and as loved as this human had. And as strange as it was, he was an amazing kisser.

She moaned in surprise when Jethro’s hands began to wander down a bit, finally grasping her flank and giving them a gentle squeeze. She blushed hard, tightening her own grip on Jethro and deepening the kiss as best she could. She found herself pressing her marehood against the bulge she could feel growing in his jeans, moving her hips back and forth.

Just as one hoof went to the zipper on his jeans, he reached down and stopped her. They broke apart from the kiss, and Apple Fritter gave Jethro a questioning look. Both human and Pony were panting heavily from the heavy makeout session. Slowly, Jethro shook her head. “Haaah…not out…haah…here,” he said softly before taking a deep breath and exhaling. “Not in public. Not during the day.”

A feeling of disappointment briefly washed over her, but it was gone in the next instant. She nodded. “I…I’m sorry, Jethy,” she said. “I know how hard it was for you to find a Pony sexy earlier.”

“Actually, not so much anymore,” he admitted. “I…um…I’ve got a confession to make,” he said, suddenly sounding nervous.

Her ears perked up and swiveled towards him. “What?” she asked.

“I’ve…caught myself checking you out more and more, and having very…sensual dreams…about us.”

If she’d been blushing before, she’d be as red as a Red Delicious now. Her heart was over the moon with joy as she began showering his face with kisses. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Jethy??” she asked excitedly.

Jethro chuckled and kissed her back. “I was still coming to terms with it, I guess,” he replied. “And I wanted to be absolutely sure of it. But after Friday’s little session and today, I’m positive. I’m finding the Pony form sexy. And you’re the sexiest.”

Her kisses only increased as she both kissed and licked his face eagerly. “I’m so happy,” she said, and she meant it. Not even her previous coltfriends had called her sexy. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome, babe,” he said as his wings spread over her. The warmth and softness of his wings around her was something that no blanket could match, and she’d experienced Jethro’s heated blanket.

“Better be careful where you wrap those wings, stud,” she said as she yawned, “I might just fall asleep.”

She watched as he reached down and stroked her mane. “That sounds heavenly. A nap with you.”

She curled up under his wings, smiling as she closed her eyes. “Sure…sounds good…” And just like that, she was out.

She woke later to Jethro gently stroking her cheek. She yawned and stretched. “Nnng…what time is it?”

“Just past three, sleepyhead.” Jethro smirked and leaned in close. “You have the cutest snore,” he whispered, ruffling her mane playfully.

Apple Fritter cleared her throat, then in her attempt to imitate the cartoon version of Rarity, harumphed. “A lady doesn’t snore, my good sir!”

He grabbed her Stetson and put it on her head. “Of course, babe. Still cute as hell.”

She blushed and pulled her Stetson over her head. “Well, let’s get cleaned up and head back,” she said.

It took them only a few minutes to pack up the basket and head back into town. The sun was still high in the sky but was beginning to head west. The temperature was at the highest, and Apple Fritter was looking forward to spending time at Jethro’s house. He had something he called central air and heating, which kept the interior of the house at whatever temperature he wanted. Of course, at first, they had to drop of the picnic basket at Apple Fritter’s own cabin.

As they headed back towards Jethro’s house, the green maned mare looked over her shoulder, then lifted her tail and winked. “See anything you like?”

Jethro blushed, and pushed his own Stetson down tighter on his head. “Get back here, you!” he laughed as he began chasing her.

Laughing, Apple Fritter ran towards the town, sticking her tongue out at her colfriend. “Come and get me!”

She ran ahead of him and he continued chasing her, using his own limited flight abilities to keep up, but for the most part running as hard as he could. With one final push, he leaped up and tackled her, sending the two sprawling. A number of other Ponies turned to watch, amused grins on their own faces as Jethro began to tickle the young mare. “Gotcha!” he grinned.

“Eee! Cut it out! That tickles!” she shouted with delight as she squirmed in his grasp.

“Say ‘Uncle’, baby,” he chuckled.

“Never!” She threw some dust into his face and began running away, “Gotta catch me first!”

“When I get my hands on you, you’ll regret it!” he called back as he ran after her.

And the chase continued. She ran through the alleys and even bucked a few obstacles into his way to keep him from catching her. Of course, those damned wings of his made it easier for him to jump over said obstacles without losing ground. The two were laughing hard when Jethro once more caught her right in his grassy yard. They went tumbling, their matching Stetsons going flying as they fell.

“Hah…hah…when are you ever gonna learn…that I’ll always…hah…catch you…no matter how far…you run…?” Jethro gasped between pants.

Apple Fritter giggled and moved closer. “As soon as…you realize…that I’ll never…let you go…?” And with that, she locked lips with him once more, forelegs thrown around his neck happily. She squealed in joy when he kissed back, throwing his own arms around her. As had happened the day before, the young couple deepened the kiss, but with nopony else around to stop them, it only kept on going. Apple Fritter could feel herself growing more aroused, and she finally broke the kiss, giving her stallion a seductive growl. “You. Inside me. Now.”

“You don’t have to ask twice,” he replied with his own growl as he lifted her up with ease. He opened his door and walked into the air-conditioned house, closing and locking the door behind him. “Nobody’s gonna interrupt us now, dear,” he replied as he continued kissing her all over while carrying her to his bedroom. He tossed her onto the bed and closed the door behind him.

She repositioned herself on the bed, sprawling out and displaying everything for him to see. “Get those clothes off and plow me. Right now!”

Jethro licked his lips. “Your wish is my command.” And with that, he began to unbutton his shirt…

7: A Shared Grief (Canon)

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Big Mac’s Perspective

Big Macintosh, otherwise known as Big Mac to those close to him, was a stallion of few words, everypony knew it. His family knew it, and so did all of Ponyville. They also knew him as one of the hardest working Ponies in Ponyville. Hardly a day went down where he wasn’t seen in the apple orchards, or in the barn doing some form of maintenance, or even down at the market selling their wares.

But just because he rarely spoke didn’t mean he couldn’t communicate in other ways. He had very expressive dark green eyes, and when he did speak, he spoke with a wisdom beyond his twenty-nine years. A wisdom of plentiful experience and of the amazing lessons taught by his late parents and grandmother.

Big Mac was also an extremely protective stallion. Having two little sisters tended to bring that out in an older brother, especially after the untimely deaths of their parents all those years ago. He tried his best to be the lead example to both his sisters, especially young Apple Bloom, but he knew that he hadn’t quite been the father figure the younger filly deserved in her life.

Of course, it hadn’t been obvious to him until that strange alien Jethro Bethridge appeared and befriended the young filly. She’d bonded to him quite fast, it seemed. And Big Mac, being the protective big brother that he was, kept a sharp eye on him whenever he played with Apple Bloom. And he was pleased to see that the human had been a good influence on his youngest sister.

Big Mac had warmed up to Jethro, and while he talked more than the red stallion liked, Mac liked that the strange alien never pressed Mac to say anything he didn’t want to whenever the two were working together. And Big Mac had to admit, he did enjoy hearing about some of those American folk tales. His favorite was one about a legendary human called Johnny Appleseed who planted apple trees during a time of colonization so that the colonists spreading west would have food to eat. He’d actually read the story from his fancy device during a dinner to the entire Apple family one evening not too long ago, and they’d all appreciated it.

Big Mac was working extra hard in the farm, milking some of the cows when Jethro stepped in. It was a Saturday, which meant milking day for the cows. Jethro had been actually given this Saturday off since he’d been busy planning for a date with the Pegasus he lived with, Scarlet Dusk. Big Mac tolerated her, only because she was a hard worker, but on the rare occasions where she and Jethro had worked together, Big Mac had heard the gray Pegasus using some innuendos that he felt wasn’t appropriate, especially around Apple Bloom.

Jethro waved at Big Mac. “Hey, Big Mac.”

“Hey,” Big Mac said, not looking up from his milking. Milking a cow took practice, especially with the Earth Pony ability to grip things with their hooves. One had to imagine something like a miniature lasso coming out of their hooves and wrapping around the cow’s teats before pulling down and letting the milk come out. Mac had heard about Jethro’s own superior attempt at milking, but Mac had yet to see it.

“Milking day?” Jethro asked.

“Eeyup.”

“Need help?”

“Eenope, thanks,” Mac said proudly.

“Oh, come on, Big Mac,” Daisy Jo said from behind him, “Jethro does some good work milking, dontcha know?”

“It’s no trouble,” Jethro added. “I just got back from Cloudsdale and needed a break from all that planning anyway.”

Big Mac snorted, then motioned to an empty bucket and stool nearby. Jethro thankefully took the hint. He grabbed both, then looked at the other cows. “Who hasn’t been milked today?”

Daisy Jo raised her hoof. “Do me!” she said eagerly.

Big Mac raised an eyebrow. Cows on Sweet Apple Acres were never that eager to get milked. It was, after all, a chore.

As Jethro led her out to the barn floor and took up a position beside Big Mac, the red stallion curiously looked over at how Jethro was doing it. He was surprised at how much more milk the human could get out, and he wasn’t even using Earth Pony magic, or any magic for that matter. Jethro hummed a tune, then began singing, “Up on the house top reindeer pause, out jumps good old Santa Claus. Down through the chimney with lots of toys. All for the little ones, Christmas joys. Ho ho ho, who wouldn’t go? Ho ho ho, who wouldn't go? Up on the housetop, click-click-click. Down to the chimney with good St. Nick.”

“Who’s Santa Claus?” Moo-riella asked.

“He’s a key figure in Christmas legend,” Jethro said.

“Christmas?” Even Big Mac was curious.

“It’s a holiday that’s a lot like Hearth’s Warming is here,” Jethro explained. “Presents, decorations, spreading goodwill through the world. The origins are different than Hearth’s Warming, but it’s pretty identical in how it’s celebrated. I was singing about a mythical man called Santa Claus. He’s an old man who travels all around the world on Christmas Eve and delivers presents to all the good little girls and boys of the world.”

“That sounds really neat,” Daisy Jo said.

“A lot of children back on Earth believe in him for years, and it adds to the joy they feel during Christmas,” Jethro further explained. “Me? I never believed in him, but I also never denied his existence to other children around me who did believe. That’d be just wrong and steal some joy from them.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed.

“Can you sing some more songs?” Daisy jo asked.

“Sure,” Jethro said, clearing his throat and launching into another tune he later identified as Deck The Halls. Big Mac bobbed his head to the beat. He could understand how this song could be festive. He even began humming the tune when he picked it up.

When the two of them finished milking the cows, about an hour had passed. As Jethro helped Big Mac pour the remaining milk into the milk cannisters, he asked, “Say, Big Mac? Where’s Applejack? I didn’t see your guy’s cart in town today. That’s one reason why I came up here, to see if she was sick or something?”

Big Mac’s ears flattened and he looked down at the floor. In truth, today was the anniversary of their parents’ burial deep in a secluded part of the farm, and it was family tradition to spend at least part of the day at their graves, paying their respects and washing the gravestones. “She’s…payin’ her respects,” was all he could say.

Jethro’s worried expression morphed into slow understanding. He walked over and put a comforting hand on Big Mac’s back. “I know how that goes,” he said. “I lost my parents too.”

Big Mac hadn’t known this about Jethro, and stared at the strange stallion in stunned silence for a bit. He saw the look in Jethro’s eyes, though. The same he saw in himself sometimes whenever he looked in the mirror. A hidden grief. “Ah’m sorry,” Big Mac said.

Jethro shook his head slowly. “Don’t be,” he said. “Not your fault.” He looked out the door at the orchard beyond, his worried look coming back. “Can you tell me where she is? Nobody should really be alone when mourning.”

Big Mac wasn’t sure about that. He knew her sister liked to have time alone with her parents whenever she visited their graves. He also knew Applejack held a lot of her feelings in, much like most other Apples did when it came to grief. But he knew how close Jethro had come to not only Apple Bloom, but to the rest of his family, and Applejack was no exception. He worried about his sister a lot, and if he couldn’t help, maybe this winged alien could. He slowly raised his hoof. “Past the farmhouse, follow the path to the left.”

Jethro nodded, and jogged out of the barn before spreading his wings and flying off. Big Mac watched him go, hoping that he could help his little sister. Shaking his head, he went back to work…

Applejack’s Perspective

Applejack sat back, panting hard. It had taken longer than it normally had, but she’d finished cleaning the gravestones of her deceased parents. She moved away, sitting before each stone. One read Bright Mac – Loving Parent and Husband and the other read Buttercup – Loving Parent and Wife

She removed her hat and set it beside her as she sat on her haunches, looking at the gravestones. “Hi Mom, hi Dad,” she said softly. “It’s been some time, ain’t it?” She put on a smile. “A lot’s happened since ah came by last time. Apple Bloom met a couple other fillies who ain’t got their cutie marks yet. They’re callin’ themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Ain’t that a hoot? They’re doin’ everythin’ but tear out the kitchen sink tah find their special talents.”

She took a deep breath, then continued. “Ah made a new friend this summer, too. Her name’s Twilight Sparkle, and she’s a Unicorn from Canterlot. She’s a funny one, but she’s a good mare. Ah think y’all would like her very much. Oh, ah also managed to save Equestria from a couple of big threats. Ya remember them Nightmare Moon stories y’all would tell us when we were young’uns? Welp, we defeated her. Oh, and we defeated somepony named Eris too.”

After a short pause, she exhaled and looked down at the ground for a bit. She knew what she wanted to say, or rather, needed to say, but had to muster up the courage to do it. Finally, she faced the graves. “And…there’s one more thang…ah met somepony else a while back. He’s an alien…and he somehow knew about our world from his. And…ah’m ashamed ta say ah almost killed him. Ah didn’t even think. Ah just…threw a lasso ‘round his neck and tried ta strangle him. Ah know yer probably ashamed of me, up there in Elysium, and ah am too. He’s a good stallion, and he says it’s water under the bridge, but ah can’t help but feel like ah owe him more than ah can give.”

“I hope you’re not talking about some other alien guy I don’t know about,” a familiar voice said from above.

Applejack jumped in surprise, standing and looking up just as Jethro himself came flying down gently, a small smile on his face. She frowned up at him as he landed and knelt so they were eye to eye. She trotted over and pointed at him. “What’re ya doin’ here?” she asked.

“I didn’t see you in town today, so I was worried you were sick. Big Mac told me you were here, though,” Jethro said, his smile faltering as he turned to look at the graves. Applejack’s anger at being interrupted slowly vanished as he knelt in front of the graves and bowed his head. “Hello, Mr. Mac, Mrs. Butter.”

Applejack sighed, the remainder of her anger vanishing. He knew just how it felt, she knew, and she couldn’t really stay mad at somepony who knew the pain of losing kin. She moved to sit next to him. “Ma, Pa, this is the alien ah was tellin’ ya about,” she said, gesturing to the bowing Jethro. “His name’s Jethro. He’s a hardworkin’ and honest stallion. He’s done a lot fer Equestria.”

“She exaggerates,” Jethro said quickly. “Your daughter’s done a lot for Equestria too. You’d be extra proud of her. I know I’m proud to call her my friend.”

Applejack winced. Even after all these months, she still felt guilt over how she’d first treated him. Guilt and fear at what she was capable of doing in the right circumstances. She looked over at him, and felt more guilt when she saw how genuine his smile was. She looked away, staring at the ground for a while. Thankfully, Jethro didn’t say anything, but instead she felt his hand on her withers, gently massaging her as they sat in reverent silence. Applejack had to admit that his massages felt pretty good. She closed her eyes and allowed the gentle shivers that she felt whenever he did stroke her mane or massaged her run down her body. Finally, she spoke. “How can ya be so forgivin’? How can ya be so patient? How can ya call me friend after what ah did?”

He made a small snorting sound. “Man, now I know what I sound like,” he said. “Look at me Applejack.” She slowly turned, forcing herself to look him in the eyes. What she saw stunned her. He was smiling at her, but there were tears coming out of his eyes. “If you can forgive me for what I did to Eris, why is it so hard to accept that I can forgive you?”

“Ah tried ta kill ya!” Applejack shouted, and for the first time in a long while, her control began to break. “Ah’m supposed ta be the Element of Honesty, for cryin’ out loud, and ah just-” She stomped the ground angrily, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes. “Ah just-”

Just then, she found herself wrapped up in a feeling of warmth. She looked up and saw, to her astonishment, that Jethro had thrown his arms and wings around her. He ran his hand through her mane gently. “Don’t hold onto guilt. Trust me. It burns a hole in your soul.”

She stomped the ground again. “And…ah said ya lied tah us about those…stories about us…but Granny talked tah me about it after…it weren’t our business,” she said.

He nodded. “I got a similar lecture from Celestia a while back,” he said. “I know how guilt can make us apologize over and over, and sometimes it feels like even though we’re forgiven it might not be genuine. But I’m being genuine with you now. Applejack Apple, I completely and totally forgive you for our first meeting. Please…take that to heart. Forgive yourself. Nobody’s perfect, but I love you all anyway.”

Applejack finally burst into tears and buried her face into his shirt, bawling her eyes out like a little filly. All of her grief and mourning of her parents’ death, as well as her shame and her self-hatred at what she’d done to Jethro came boiling up to the surface. She threw her forelegs around Jethro’s midsection, sobbing hard. Her sobs and cries echoed through the nearby orchards, and Jethro’s grip on her only tightened. She hadn’t cried this much since her homesickness when she visited her relatives in Manehatten when she was a filly. She hadn’t even cried that much at her parents’ funeral.

The more she cried, the more she felt as if her soul was being cleansed. Cleansed by a rainstorm of tears, the salty liquid washing away all the filth and grime that had surrounded her heart, bringing it new life. She hadn’t even cried this hard in front of her own family, but with this kindred spirit, one from another world even, she somehow felt as if they shared a specific bond. Maybe it was those small talks after his days on the farm that did it, but she trusted him.

The sun was just beginning head towards the horizon when she finally released him. It was growing colder now, and a part of her missed the warmth and security of his wings. It made her feel like she was being wrapped up in warm hugs from her mom or dad. She’d seen plenty of Pegasi parents hugging their foals in their wings, and now she understood the appeal.

Wiping her eyes with her hooves, she sniffed. “Ah…Ah’m sorry, Jethro. Ah’m sorry ya had ta see that.”

However, when she looked up at him, she was surprised to see that he too had been crying. He took out a hoofkerchief and leaned closer, wiping her eyes tenderly, all while smiling kindly at her. He dabbed at his own eyes before handing it to her. “Go ahead and blow,” he said.

She took it, blew her nose, then handed it back to him after folding it carefully. He put it in his pocket. “Thanks,” Applejack said softly.

“Lemme guess: you feel like a lot of your grief has been washed away,” he said.

Applejack nodded. Of course he’d know, she thought. “Too true,” she said.

He sat down next to her, and continued. “You know, you look more beautiful now than I’ve ever remembered seeing you since I got here,” he said. “Your face is more relaxed, the tension in your forehead is gone, and that grief is starting to vanish.”

Applejack felt her cheeks get hot at those words. No stallion had ever called her beautiful before. She smiled a bit. “Ya mean it?”

He nodded. “I do mean it. A close second and third would have to be your Gala outfit and the one you had during your sleepover, although that was only in cartoon form.”

Despite the situation, Applejack shuddered at the memory of the latter. “Not mah finest moment.”

“Well, maybe someday I can see you in it,” he said. “Here.” He pulled out his phone and tapped on it. He turned it around and she saw an image of herself in what Rarity had called a frou-frou glittery lacey outfit. “Honestly, I’m kinda sorry I missed this in real life. You look stunning in it. And I know it isn’t really your thing, and that’s fine, but I think you pulled it off quite nicely.”

She waved her hoof dismissively. “Nah, that’s more Rarity’s thing.”

“True, but you still pulled it off,” he said, smirking.

Applejack couldn’t help it now. She chuckled, and Jethro laughed along with her. “Thanks fer sayin’ so,” she said. “And thanks fer comin’ here.”

“I know that nobody should really be alone when grieving sometimes,” he said. “And I know how it feels when you hold onto something for so long that it begins to harm you. I’m your friend, Applejack, that’ll never change. And I care deeply about my friends and their wellbeing. That includes emotional wellbeing.”

“Ah appreciate it,” she said. Then, she walked over and tapped my chest. “But if ya ever tell anypony ‘bout me cryin’, ah’ll buck ya into the middle of next week.”

He grabbed her Stetson with his magic and slowly put it on her head. “Noted,” he said with a grin.

She grinned back, then put her hoof on his shoulder. “Ah’ve gotta git back. Soup’s probably on. Yah wanna stay fer dinner? Ah’m sure Granny’d love tah hear more ‘bout those folk stories from Earth.”

He chuckled, then tapped on his phone. “Can Zecora come, too?”

Applejack beamed. “Of course!”

He tapped more on his phone, then held it out. From the phone, a strange song could be heard, then Zecora’s face appeared. “Hello, love. Did you find dear Applejack?”

He turned the phone towards her. “She’s right here, sweetie.”

On the miniature screen, Zecora waved. “Greetings to you, Miss Apple. Poor Jethro was worried.”

Applejack, stunned by this display of Earth technology, could only wave back, and said, “Ah’m fine, Zecora. No need ta worry.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” She smiled, then added, “Jethro, dear, did you need something? You know I’m still growing used to…what did you call it? Skype?”

He chuckled. “Sorry, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come to Sweet Apple Acres for dinner. Applejack invited me, and I wanted you here too.”

Her smile widened. “If I truly have received an invite, I would be delighted to stop by for a bite.”

“Of course!” Applejack said. “Ah’m sure Granny’d love ta have ya!”

“Then I will be there shortly. See you then. Love you, Jethro.”

“Love you too, Zecora.” He reached up and tapped an icon that looked like a phone. Zecora’s image vanished, and he put his phone back in his pocket. Standing, he held out his hand to her. “Come on, soup’s on, everypony.”

She grinned and took his hand. The two walked down the pathway, enjoying the peaceful silence of the evening. Applejack stole glances at Jethro, and couldn’t help but admire this alien from beyond the stars. He was one of the best friends she’d ever had, and she hadn’t had any stallion friends before now.

Having somepony-no, someone-like him around who she could actually talk to about this sort of thing? Now that was something she was truly thankful for.

8: A Thousand Year Difference Pt. 2 (What If?)

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“Thy words mean nothing to us, sister dearest! We shall be denied no longer!”

“Thou art a fool if thou think we shall stand idly by, sister! Lower the moon!”

“Nay! We shall do no such thing! The moon remaineth!”

“LUNA!”

“YAAAAH!”

A single solitary human shot up out of bed, massive wings spread behind him in complete alarm and terror. His bedsheets were soaked with sweat, and not just because of the warm October night. He was sitting in a large cotton bed, his sheets made of the finest silk. A comforter lay at the foot of the bed, still unused as the cold winter months had yet to arrive. The human, one Jethro Bethridge of the planet Earth, had arrived in Equestria a little over a half year ago and had not only earned the trust of Princesses Celestia and Luna, but had also somehow gained the power of an Alicorn.

His Earth house had been teleported into a special space within the castle walls and had a protective shield placed around it not only by the two Princesses, but by him as well using an ancient magic that he had been granted by the benefactor who had given him not only the means by which to live in Equestria but had also been accidentally responsible for his wings and magic.

He had found himself in the world of Equestria, but it had taken him a while to realize that he was living in the distant past, over a thousand years before any of the Ponies from the show were even alive. And just before Celestia had to banish her sister Luna to the moon.

And now, that human was trembling in terror. Because in the time he had been in Equestria, he had seen every episode of My Little Pony, including the episode showing the battle between Celestia and Luna. He’d told Celestia and Luna about the show, of course, even showing them certain parts of episodes that didn’t hint at any of the Nightmare Moon debacle. But even with his attempts at trying to subtly help the sisters come closer, Celestia had only grown prouder when she learned that her reign wasn’t only assured, but that it would last for a thousand years. And now, just twenty minutes before midnight which would signal the first Halloween he would spend in this world, he’d had a nightmare about it.

“No…I won’t let it happen,” he growled as he tossed the sheets away and lit the lantern beside his bed. He rushed over to his dresser and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt with the image of the Andromeda Galaxy printed onto it. After throwing on some shoes and turning the oil lamp off, he threw the doors to his castle bedroom open and rushed out.

The castle hallways were empty currently, but it wasn’t unlit. There were sconces against the walls which held oil lamps that illuminated the hallways. He didn’t see anyone except for the Night Royal Guard, who knew him well enough that his presence didn’t quite alarm them anymore. It had taken them quite a while to at least tolerate his presence, but now that they knew he was a beloved friend of the Princesses, they treated him well enough. They were a bit concerned when they saw him running, but when a couple of them asked if there was some emergency, all he said was, “I just need to see Princess Luna.”

After a good deal of running and sometimes flying, he reached the massive arched double doors that led into the throne room. He burst through them, entering the empty but well-lit throne room. Well, empty save for guards on either side of the twin thrones. As well as a bored looking Luna sitting on her throne.

Relief washed over him as he spread his wings. “Luna!” he called out, leaping into the air and flying directly towards her.

Luna’s bored expression vanished into one of shock, but Jethro didn’t see it as he quickly wrapped his arms around her tightly. “Ah! What is the meaning of this, Sir Jethro?” Luna asked in alarm. “What ails thee so? Is there some attack? Are our Ponies in any mortal danger?”

Jethro tightened his grip on Luna. “You’re alright…thank God you’re alright…”

Taken aback by these words, Luna looked at the young human-Alicorn hybrid with concern. “Why, of course we art well, should we not be?” she asked in a more confused tone than before.

Jethro took a few deep breaths before he slowly extricated himself. He stood before her and swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry…I just…I had a terrible nightmare about you. And I just…I needed to be sure.”

“Sure of what, dear Knight?” Luna asked.

He almost replied, but then looked over at the guards. He could tell that even they were listening. He stood taller, then said, “Guards, leave us until further notice. What I have to say is for Princess Luna’s ears only.”

There weren’t many Knights of Equestria in service to the crown still. The only one Jethro ever knew personally was one Sir Autumn Sparkle, the father of his personal magic tutor Starfall Sparkle. Jethro had only been named one after he managed to stave off war with the Dragons by saving the life of Dragon Lord Torch’s wife, Sapphire, from a deadly disease that had no cure. However, thanks to Jethro’s access to the staticnet, a frozen internet stuck perpetually at the end of February 2022, he managed to give information to the Dragon Healers which helped to save her life. In gratitude, Torch was all too glad to give Jethro half of his Dragon hoard, making him instantly immensely wealthy in both the Dragon Lands and in Equestria.

As the guards saluted me and headed out, Luna gave me a piercing gaze. “Truly, thy mind must be troubled if thou insist on speaking to us alone.”

When the guards had completely vanished, Jethro held up his hand. The walls glowed with his signature silvery golden glow, and the throne room immediately went silent. Before Luna could say anything, he said, “Don’t do it, Luna.”

She froze and looked at Jethro carefully, searching his eyes for answers. However, when they weren’t forthcoming, she said, “What should we not do, good Sir Knight?”

“Just…just lower the moon when the time comes, please,” Jethro pleaded.

Luna’s eyes shot open in alarm. “How did-?”

“Just don’t do it, please!” Jethro grabbed Luna and pulled her closer, eyes wide with terror.

Luna’s expression slowly morphed from alarm into anger. Her eyes turned to reptilian slits and she struggled to escape his grip, but he was stronger than her. “And why should we not? Our sister…she ignores all we do! Our Ponies shun the night! All we want is to see even one Pony come to our court! Is that so wrong!?”

Jethro held onto her tighter. “If you do this, your sister will banish you for a thousand years! I’ve seen it! I don’t want to see it happen for real! I DON’T WANT TO LOSE YOU!”

Luna froze, staring at the human incredulously now. Seconds passed, with neither human or Pony making a move. Finally, Luna’s eyes slowly began to return to their normal shape. “Thou…wouldst miss us?” she asked hesitantly.

“Of course I would!” Jethro shouted desperately. “Yeah, you might have initially said I should have gone to the dungeons when we first met, but I’d like to think we’ve become friends at least.” Jethro spread his wings and looked at them. “Being part Alicorn, I don’t know if I’m immortal or not, but either way, I’d either never get to see you again before my death or have to wait a thousand long and lonely years without you…” With that, he slowly let her go.

Luna, stunned by this admission, slowly adjusted herself in her throne and facing Jethro once again. “Thou hast seen us rebel against our sister and be banished in thy show, we take it?” she asked.

Jethro nodded. “The very first two episodes deal with your return to Equestria after being banished for a thousand years on the moon,” I said.

“Why didst thou not inform us or our sister of this?” she asked sternly.

Jethro’s wings snapped back and he looked down, sighing sadly. “You’re right…I have no excuse-”

“We asked thee why. What wast thy reasoning?” Luna asked.

Jethro sighed, then inhaled deeply. “Initially, I did want to, but in the first few days I was here, I saw just how different Celestia was compared to how I’d seen her in the show. She was arrogant, full of hubris and dismissive of you. I wanted to try and gently help mend the gap between you. But…I made two big mistakes. I…I didn’t tell you about Nightmare Moon. And I told you about the show, but only very certain parts.” He looked up at Luna, eyes pleading. “No more. I don’t want you hurting. It doesn’t just break my heart, my heart shatters whenever I hear Celestia saying something dismissive about you. I’ve tried everything I can think of to bridge the gap between you two, but it’s not enough…”

Luna, startled by these confessions, sat there for a few seconds before she motioned him forward. He approached and she said, “We thank thee for thy candor in this matter, Sir Jethro. We do not hate our sister, even if she can, as we have heard thee so aptly put it, drive us up a wall. But we are more than a little frustrated at her. How wouldst thou describe our anger?”

“Royally pissed off?”

“Quite. We are royally pissed off.”

Jethro smirked. “I can see that,” he said. “Honestly, I’ve been trying to think of ways to help bring Ponies out into the night more often. I’ve had a few ideas, but I was afraid of bringing them up because I wasn’t sure if Equestria was ready.”

“Truly? And what, pray tell, hast thou been hiding from us?” To Jethro’s relief, Luna now sounded more amused than angry.

Jethro’s smirk grew. “Tell me, have you ever heard of something called a nightclub?”

“Mmm, so you are the alien that our Princesses knighted. Come here for a good time, dear?”

“I’m sure we can give you thrice the pleasure of any alien mares of your kind.”

“Don’t listen to those young fools. Us older mares have the experience.”

“You’re also dry as a bone back there, you old coot!”

“An old coot, am I? At least I can take a stallion without crying out in pain!”

“Fuck off, you cunt!”

A week had passed. Jethro was walking through the city of Harmonia, the large city that lay directly to the east of the Castle of the Two Sisters. It was populated by Ponies of every tribe and surrounded by a large wall. Outside the first wall, there was a second wall which belonged to the farmers, mostly Earth Ponies. His Earth Pony instructor, ironically a young mare named Applejack, lived in between the inner and outer wall on a mid-sized apple farm. Five days earlier, he had found a large property that was located in prime real estate and he’d quickly snatched it up before someone else could and had hired members of the local guild to refurbish the place to is specifications, and he was now looking for nightly entertainment.

And what better place than Harmonia’s Red Light District, where Mares of the Night, or even the odd Stallions of the Night, spent most of their times? Those who weren’t connected to a brothel, that is.

Jethro held up his hands. “Ladies please! No fighting! I came to offer you something. And anyone else who isn’t affiliated with a brothel!”

The mares who had by now nearly resorted to blows, turned to him, as did a few others nearby who’d been pretending not to listen. One mare, the older Unicorn with gray mane, white fur and a sundial for a cutie mark, looked at the human more with curiosity than anything else. “What, are you opening a brothel too?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Jethro replied quickly. “I’m opening something that hasn’t ever been seen in Equestria before, and something I’m hoping will catch on. It’s called a night club.”

“A night club? What in Celestia’s name is that?” the younger mare who had first propositioned me asked.

“It’s an establishment where Ponies can go after a long day and dance, eat and enjoy entertainment. Some back on Earth even had strippers or exotic dancers,” Jethro explained.

“What, are you trying to hire us as waitresses?” the older mare asked, sounding insulted.

“Not if you don’t want that,” he said. “I was thinking more along the lines of exotic dancers. Now hear me out before you say no. I’ve heard reports that this section of the city doesn’t get as many customers as the brothels do. You live fuck to fuck, am I right?” When they all reluctantly nodded, Jethro continued. “If you were to come work for me, not only would you be paid a more regular wage, but you would be allowed to keep whatever money Ponies throw at you.”

As Jethro let the mares think about it, a younger mare, someone who could barely be above legal age since there were laws in place that carried stiff penalties for underaged Ponies to engage in such activities, approached Jethro. “What are…exotic dancers?”

He chuckled. “Well, let me explain.” He cleared his throat and began…

“Verily? There art Mares of the Night under thy employ?” Luna asked a couple nights later as Jethro sat in a simple chair next to her throne. The two of them were playing chess since there was plenty of time to do little else. Jethro had introduced her to the game, and she’d thoroughly enjoyed it along with a few other board games. Like Stratego.

“I was just as surprised as you when almost two dozen showed up,” Jethro replied as he took a sip of ginseng tea. Luna was eating a small platter of cheese melted onto small sliced of bread. She’d told Jethro once that as her sister was addicted to sweets and pastries, so she was addicted to things of a saltier nature, such as cheese. She couldn’t get enough of the stuff, it seemed. “I’ve had to double the size of the dorms I’m having built for them. Almost all of them don’t have homes.”

Luna’s ears fell at that. “We had no idea.”

“Harmonia is a great city, don’t get me wrong,” Jethro said, “but there are still homeless Ponies out there who have had to resort to selling their bodies just to survive. A few of them told me their stories. They rely on the kindness of others for food. Many of their clients do provide them with a meal and bath, but there are still some clients who don’t.”

“What hath thou built in these dormitories?” Luna asked curiously as she moved her rook.

Jethro looked at the board and frowned. He might have taught Luna the game and how all the pieces moved, but she had gotten better than him in less than a fortnight. “They’ll each have their own room. There’s a bath house for them, and there are three meals provided. I’m paying them more than the average rate since they’re working at night. The club opens at sundown and closes at sunrise.” He moved a pawn to threaten her rook.

“Thou provide those under thy employ generously, Sir Jethro,” Luna said as she moved her queen to threaten his pawn if he took her rook.

As Jethro stared at the board, he replied, “I used to be the manager of a bank back on Earth. I know how people work and what they need to have a happy working environment. Days off, sick time, accrued vacation time. You don’t have that in this world, yet. Besides, I’m rich enough that I can afford to pay them well and provide them with food.”

“We..we…” Luna took a deep breath, then surprised Jethro by switching her speech patterns. “I hope everything goes well when your night club opens. Hast it a name?”

Jethro grinned as he moved his knight to threaten one of her bishops. “Moonrise Club.”

Luna’s eyes went wide, and she then blushed. She looked over at Jethro, eyes sparkling with gratitude. “We…I thank thee, Sir Jethro.”

“We’re alone right now, Luna,” Jethro said. “Just…just call me Jethro, okay?”

“It shall be as thou sayest…Jethro.” And with that, she placed me in checkmate. “Hah! We win again!”

Jethro smirked, then toppled his king. “Yes you did. Wanna go again?”

“Good morrow, good Sir Jethro,” Celestia said with a wide smile as Jethro, yawning and stretching after having slept the day away after his time with Luna the night before. “Prithee, come sit with us. We have not seen thee in many a day.”

“Good morrow to you, Your Grace,” Jethro said, bowing respectfully as he took a seat to her right. “I’ve been engaged in a new endeavor that has kept me quite busy.” Whenever he was with Celestia, he always seemed to slip into a mixture of his own type of speech and the olden speech that was more prevalent in this time and age.

“Indeed! We had heard of this new establishment of thine,” Celestia said. “Quite an intriguing idea, we must admit. We presume this night club of thine to be one that is only for those of adult age?”

“Indeed so, Your Grace,” Jethro said.

“Please, dispense with the pleasantries,” Celestia said with a wave of her hoof. “Didst we not request thee to call us by our birth name?”

“Apologies, Celestia,” he said as he began grabbing a plate and dishing up some of the dinner Celestia was eating, warm pieced of bread, thick slabs of cheese, potatoes that were roasted over a fire and buttered, and large jugs of wine. She was also eating a hay salad, which he politely declined.

As he took a bite of his warm bread, Celestia swallowed her wine and said, “We are pleased that thy actions seemed to have appeased out sister’s tantrum.”

Jethro stopped, looking over slowly at Celestia as she poured herself another goblet of wine. “I…beg your pardon?”

“Oh, one of our Guards told us that our sister was acting foalish again some nights back,” Celestia said as she grabbed a roll of bread with her magic and tore it in half, buttering it daintily. “She is always like this. Muttering and saying things of no consequence.”

Slowly, Jethro put down the bread roll that was in his hand, pushed his plate away, and stood. “Please forgive me, Celestia. I…I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”

Celestia looked at him with concern. “Art thou ill, my friend? We could send for our Physician-”

Jethro shook his head. “No…no, I’ll be fine. Fare thee well, my Princess.” And with that, he walked out of the dining hall, the doors closing hard behind him.

Jethro was out in the training grounds where he had been receiving combat training from a few of the Royal Guard. Night had fallen hours ago, but he hadn’t noticed. He had been busy for the past couple of hours he had been angrily punching into the magically enhanced battle dummies, trying in vain to vent his rage at Celestia. The pure unadulterated anger. And yet, even then, all he had to show for it were two very bloody knuckles and an even angrier countenance.

He barely noticed as dark black mist began swarming around him. It only seemed to fuel his anger as he tried once more to vent his rage. He didn’t know why he was so angry, but it was beginning to consume him. Anger and rage all directed at someone he thought was his friend. All at Celestia.

By the time he noticed the black mist swirling around him, it had half consumed him. The stars were nearly gone from his vision. Fear gripped him as he tried to dispel it with his magic, but it did nothing. Anytime he tried to hit the spherical barrier it had formed, the mist tore at his skin, causing immense pain. His vision began to darken…and he began giving himself into the hatred…

“JETHRO!”

A clear, angelic voice called out from above, and the misty barrier instantly shattered. As he collapsed to his knees, a warm presence was immediately by his side, large dark blue wings wrapped around him. He was pulled into the chest of a very worried Alicorn who was trembling. “My knight, please say something! Please tell us that thou art uninjured!”

As his strength slowly returned, he looked into the scared and concerned eyes of Luna. He reached up and gently cupped her cheek. “My Princess…” he said weakly.

She looked at his hands, and seeing the injuries, her horn began to glow. His hands were surrounded in a warm blue glow and the pain began to subside. She gently helped him to his feet. “Jethro…what has transpired? We sensed darkness emanating from thee.”

As his skin began to heal rapidly, he shook his head. “Not…not here. Alone. I need to speak to you alone.”

“Of course, my Knight.” Her horn glowed once more, and the two vanished in a pop of displaced air.

“A tantrum?! Our sister called what we were planning merely a tantrum?!” Ten minutes later, Luna and Jethro were together in the throne room alone. She was pacing the throne room while Jethro sat in the chair he normally sat in during his time spent with the lunar princess. “We knew she didn’t understand us, but to hear this!? This is the final straw! We shall make her pay for insulting us!”

“No…please don’t…” Jethro, who had now been purged of any of the negative feelings, now could only feel shame and self loathing for his actions. He’d almost become a Nightmare himself.

Luna turned, her eyes turning to slits and her teeth slightly sharpening. “Why should we not!? She has insulted us for far too long, my Knight! We are sick of it!”

“I…I can’t lose you!” Jethro finally called out. Luna as taken aback by this, but before she could say anything, Jethro stood and approached her. “I’ve lost so much in my life! I lost my parents! I lost my first love! And I lost my world! I can never go home! Right now, you’re the only one I can really care about! Yes, I still like Celestia, but her attitude is nothing like the Celestia from the show I know! If you turn into Nightmare Moon and are banished, it would break me! Please…please don’t…” He collapsed to his knees, looking at the ground with tears in his eyes. “I can’t lose anyone else I hold precious ever again…”

There was silence save for the soft weeping of the human. A half minute passed before there was any other sound, which was a slow trot as Luna approached. Jethro saw her hooves first, then watched as one of her forelegs rose and wrapped around him. “My Knight…I am so sorry, sorry for making thee worry,” she said softly.

He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her chest and sobbing hard. Her wings wrapped around him tightly as he let his emotions out. She held him until he was calm, finally letting go when he gently pulled away. He was relieved to see that she had returned to normal once again, a look of worry on her face. “Luna…I’m sorry if I made you worry…”

“Nay, do not say such things, my knight,” Luna said, holding up a hoof. “In truth, and forgive us if this sounds insensitive, but we have never had anypony express themselves for our sake in such a way. We felt…special.”

Jethro, despite himself, smiled and walked up to her. Putting his hand on her withers, he said, “You are special…more special to me than you know.”

The two stared into each other’s eyes for a good long while, just taking in the other. Then, as one, they both moved closer and immediately locked lips. All of the night spent together, the restraint both of them had held just let loose as their tongues danced around in each other’s mouth, wrestling for dominance as they pulled closer, getting lost in the moment.

They finally broke apart, panting heavily for about ten seconds or so before Luna raised her horn. It glowed and there was a heavy bolt thrown onto the door and locks thrown on other smaller doors leading into the room. Instantly, she teleported the two of them onto the dais, where she shoved Jethro right onto her throne. “My knight, take those cumbersome clothes off,” she ordered.

He was about to comply, when an idea came to his mind. A deliciously evil idea. His grin caught Luna off guard, but before she could say anything, he said, “Why soil your throne? Why don’t we get revenge on your sister and leave her a little present on her throne instead?”

Her shocked expression gave way to a wicked grin. “My dear Jethro, we like the way thy foul little mind works.”

“My mind isn’t little,” he said, then his gaze turned sultry. “And that’s not the only thing not little about me.” With that, he stood, walked over to Celestia’s throne, and sat in it. “Well? What are you waiting for, my Princess? Come over here.”

Luna rushed over, her horn glowing and teleporting Jethro’s clothes completely off. She looked between his legs and her eyes widened. “Thy words weren’t for naught, my knight,” she said breathlessly as she gazed at her prize. Her expression turned to a wicked grin. “Time for us to lose finally become first in something.” As she mounted Jethro, she looked down at him with a wide smile, but loving eyes. “We are grateful for thy company these past few weeks. We care for thee very deeply.”

As she leaned in closer, Jethro smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “I love you too, Luna. So very, very much.”

They locked lips…and Luna lifted her haunches…

9: Ready To Die (What If?)

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Gabriella’s Perspective: Five Years Ago…

It was just another day in Griffonstone for the local mailgriffon Gabriella, or Gabby as she preferred to be called. It was early in the morning and she’d just come from the local mail branch with a bag full of letters. The sun was just beginning to rise and shine its radiance on the once proud city, which had now become dilapidated and run down, but that never stopped Gabby from being her rare, cheerful self as she made her rounds.

However, much like every day, everygriff she came into contact with was their normal, crass and unfriendly selves. As the morning went on, Gabby kept her smile, but at the same time felt more and more down. All she wanted to do was try and brighten everything up around her, but it never seemed to work for her.

Her last stop of the day was to a local named Gilda. Gilda was a little bit different than most Griffons, but only Gabby seemed to be able to tell. It was hard to tell at a glance, but if she had to guess, Gabby would have said that the time that Gilda spent with Ponies seemed to change her, if only slightly. She wasn’t quite as gruff as most others, although she was still gruff and unfriendly. Just never much to Gabby.

“Hi Gilda!” Gabby said as she flew towards her small house near the edge of the city.

Gilda, who was just lying in what little yard she had, looked up lazily at the mailgriffon approaching her. “Hey Gabs, sup?” she asked in a disinterested tone as she looked away.

Gabby took her words in stride. “Not much! Just got done delivering the mail and then I’m gonna go back to work! A mail delivery Griffon’s work is never done! What about you? You gonna make those deeeelicious scones again, huh huh??”

Gilda waved her claw and rolled her eyes. “Nah. Day off today.”

In truth, Gabby knew that Gilda’s scones were not the best on a good day and horrendous most of the time, but she always made a note to buy one from the older Griffon and say how delicious they were to make Gilda feel happy. “Awww, but they’re so good!” Gabby said sadly.

Gilda scoffed. “You and I both know they taste like shit,” she said. “Nogriffon’s forcing you to buy them.”

Gabby was just about to reply in the negative, when she heard something in the distance. A small voice in the distance. She looked around. “Did you hear that?” she asked, landing right next to Gilda.

“Hear what?” Gilda asked with a yawn. “Look, if you don’t have any kind of letter for me, beat it. I’m trying to sleep here.”

“I thought I heard-” And then she heard it again. Louder this time. A voice calling out. It was female, and sounded scared and desperate.

Gilda slowly opened one eye. “Was that you imitating voices again?” she asked.

Gabby shook her head. “Not this time,” she said honestly.

“…help!…” another fell voice on the air. It sounded closer now. Gabby looked around, first to the road leading to Griffonstone, then up in the air. After a few seconds, she saw a form approaching the city. She narrowed her eyes and blocked out the sun to get a better look. Something was flying towards them. After a while, Gabby gasped. It was a Dragon, a smaller one by the looks of it, and female. She was holding a limp form, one that Gabby had never seen before. It looked a lot like a Minotaur, but without the horns and fur. It hung limp in the Dragon’s arms. Gabby’s keen vision saw something that made her eyes go wide in horror. Blood was dripping from the creature’s torn up chest.

She shook Gilda. “Gilda! Gilda! Look!” she pointed up in desperation towards the Dragon and strange creature she held.

Gilda groaned, then opened one eye. “Gabs, I’m trying to-hey!”

Gabby took Gilda’s head and turned it right smack towards the approaching duo of non-Griffon creatures. “Looook!” she exclaimed.

Gilda grumbled but did as she said. And her eyes widened a bit in confusion. “The fuck…?” she said, sounding more confused than anything. “What’s a Dragon doing-?”

“We gotta help them!” Gabby said, pulling Gilda off of the grass. “Come on, help me!”

“What’s this ‘we’ shit?” Gilda snarled, pulling away. “Not our problem, Gabs. Just leave it be!”

“Come on! Come oooon!” Gabby insisted, pulling on Gilda’s tail. “We’ve gotta help!”

“Not interested,” Gilda said.

Gabby frowned, but then an idea came to her head. She absolutely hated stooping to such a level, but she couldn’t very well help a Dragon and whatever she was carrying on her own. Quickly reaching into her bag, she held up a letter. It was in a blue envelope, and had an image of a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt coming out of it. “If you help,” she said in her best attempt at a smug manner, “I’ll give you this letter from Ponyville.”

Gilda’s eyes shot open and she turned to face Gabby. When she saw the letter, she dove for it, but Gabby, being younger, was faster and dodged. “Give it here!” Gilda snarled.

“Not until we help those poor creatures!” Gabby said.

Gilda glared at Gabby for a bit, then, to Gabby’s surprise, she smirked. “Blackmail, huh? You know, maybe you’re a Griffon after all.” She stood up, stretched her wings, and arched her back in a very feline manner. “Fine, guess it wouldn’t kill me to get some exercise in for the morning. It’ll help me sleep better too, I suppose.”

Gabby’s broad smile returned briefly before becoming serious. “Then come on! They’re falling towards the Abysmal Abyss!”

And so the two flew up into the air. Gabby was pumping her wings with all her strength, trying to get to the duo of creatures before they reached the deadly Abyss. Gilda wasn’t too far behind, flapping her wings just as hard as Gabby. As the two approached, Gabby saw some more details about the two strange creatures. The Dragon was definitely a young female, with blue scales and red eyes, which were wide in terror. A small portion of her left wing was cut, leaving her unable to control her descent. She was clutching the strange furless minotauroid creature tightly.

Said creature looked worse than the Dragon. It wore clothes that had been torn up and exposed a multitude of wounds that bled all over said clothes. Its hair was long and full of brambles, dirt and dried blood. Most of its exposed skin was covered in cuts and dirt. Its skin was pale, like it’d lost blood. It had a pair of large feathered wings, but they’d lost a number of feathers and were still losing more.

Gabby finally reached the two. “I’ve gotcha!” she said, reaching out an offering claw to take the weird creature from the Dragon.

Gilda soon reached her side as the weary looking Dragon looked warily between the two Griffons. “Take…him first,” she said, looking down worriedly at the unusual creature she held.

“Gilda! Take him!” Gabby ordered.

Gilda rolled her eyes, but flew up and maneuvered herself so that she had the strange being in her strong arms. As she flew back down, Gabby straightened herself in the air and motioned to her back. “Climb on!”

Relief washed over the Dragon’s features as she climbed onto Gabby’s back. The younger Griffon was horrified to see just how skinny this Dragon was. She was lighter than she should be. Gabby was careful on her flight back down to Gilda’s house. When she reached it, she saw that Gilda had just casually lay the minotauroid creature on the ground and was looking at him with a mixture of disinterest and boredom. After landing next to him, Gabby felt the Dragon on her back quickly slip off and crawl over to the creature, wrapping him in her thin, scaly arms. “Don’t die on me, you hear me…?” she whimpered. “Don’t you fucking die!”

Gabby’s heart sank at the Dragon’s tone. Turning to Gilda, she said, “Gilda! Got anything we can use to help?? Bandages or water or something??”

“What do I look like, a hospital?” Gilda asked.

Gabby held up the letter again, putting it in both her hands and made a threatening motion like she was about to tear it. “Gilda,” she said threateningly.

Gilda’s eyes went wide. “Okay, okay! I’ll go look! Sheesh…” She walked into her house, grumbling to herself.

The Dragon, meanwhile, was pulling the being’s shirt off and used it to try and clean its chest. Gabby’s eyes went wide to see just how many scars and wounds were present on the creature. It, like the dragon, looked malnourished as she could see its ribcage and its eyes looked sunken and weary. Gabby came over, pulling out her clawkerchief and quickly trying to get the worst of the blood and dirt off. She used her own water bottle to help the cleaning process.

Gilda came back out with some towels, a small bucket of water and a bottle of what looked like Griffon Whiskey. When Gabby glared at the other Griffon, Gilda just held up her claws defensively and said, “We can use it to disinfect the wounds, can’t we?”

Gabby snatched the bottle, opened it, then poured some onto a towel before gently applying it to the worst looking wound on the being’s chest. That immediately got a reaction from the strange creature. It opened its eyes wide and screamed in pain. He began thrashing about with surprising strength. “Gilda! Hold this being still for me!” Gabby shouted. As Gilda did her best to hold the struggling being down. Gabby got on top of him and said, “Calm down, we’re trying to help!”

The being looked around wildly, fear ever present in its dark blue eyes. When it finally laid eyes on the worried Dragon, it visibly relaxed, reaching out a weak hand to her. The Dragon quickly grabbed it and held it to her cheek. Finally, the being spoke in a weakened male voice. “Em…ber…did we…make it…?”

The Dragon named Ember nodded, a small smile appearing on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. “We’re out of that Tartarus-damned place,” she said softly, almost lovingly as she cupped the being’s cheeks with her claws.

The being nodded, then turned to Gabby and Gilda. His eyes widened a little bit, almost in recognition before he said, “You sure…we’re not in heaven…? Because…I see angels…”

That caught Gabby off guard and she blushed slightly before she shook her head. “Not angels. Griffons. See?” She spread her wings before returning them to their normal state. “Hold still, okay? This is gonna hurt. A lot.”

The creature took a deep breath, then nodded. Gabby poured more of the whiskey onto a towel, and continued disinfecting the wound. “What’s…your names…?” he asked weakly.

“I’m Gabriella, but call me Gabby,” Gabby said, “and this is Gilda.”

He smiled weakly up at them, then winced a bit before he said. “Jethro…Jethro Bethridge…”

Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Perspective: Present Day

I just wanted this Friendship Festival to go smoothly. Was that too much to ask?

It had been a stressful day for Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle. Planning Equestria’s first ever Friendship Festival had taken a lot out of the poor mare. She’d been running around Canterlot for hours, making sure things were perfect for their guests, asking the other three Princesses for help, and almost drowning in half-baked cake from Pinkie Pie’s Easy Bake Confetti Cake Cannon, and now some Pony calling herself Commander Tempest was standing inside some kind of dirigible to deliver a message to Equestria about somepony called the Storm King.

Just before Twilight herself could say anything, Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadance flew down in front of her, looking up at the dirigible in front of them and more specifically, towards the maroon-colored Unicorn.

Celestia spoke, and Twilight could hear her the tone of a seasoned ruler behind her next words. “Tempest, is it? How may we help you?”

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked,” Tempest said with a small smile, and for a second, Twilight felt like things just might turn out alright after all. However, the Unicorn’s next words quickly dispelled that illusion when she said, “How about we start with your complete and total surrender?”

Twilight swallowed hard. She wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but she knew she had to try something. She snuck around her old foalsitter, and waved, smiling as best she could at the potential new friend. “Hi there…Princess of Friendship. Not exactly sure what’s going on, but I know we can talk things out.” She gave her best smile.

“Oh goodie. All four Princesses,” Tempest said, and something in her tone sent a shudder down Twilight’s spine. The strange Unicorn began walking down the gangplank. “Here’s the deal, ladies. I need your magic. Give it up nicely, please, or we make things difficult.” Her expression hardened and she shouted, “For everyone!”

“And why should we cower before you?” Princess Luna asked, glaring defiantly at the newcomer. “There’s one of you, and hundreds of us!”

Twilight felt a new sense of courage bubbling up within her thanks to Luna’s words, but when Tempest began to chuckle, her courage began to falter. “I was hoping you’d choose…difficult.” From behind her, two large gruesome figures stepped out, towering over even Celestia.

A horn sounded, and two other dirigibles made their presences known from the darkened sky. Twilight could only gasp before she saw more of the massive forms launching themselves from the dirigibles, landing among the Ponies.

Total chaos erupted then, and Ponies began to run in every direction, screaming in terror as other creatures jumped out from other hiding places on rooftops and from other incoming dirigibles.

Twilight didn’t even have a chance to think before she saw Tempest launching herself into the air, and the next thing she knew the Unicorn had kicked some green orb towards Princess Celestia. Cadance jumped in front of the ball and began raising a shield to protect Celestia.

However, that’s when a miracle occurred. Much to the shock of everypony, including, it seemed, Tempest, the green orb froze in a powerful pale silvery golden magical glow, diverting its direction upward towards one of the only clear patches of sky remaining. Amongst the chaos and screaming, a clear male voice boomed. “TEMPEST SHADOW! YOU AND THE UPSTART STORM KING HAVE MUCH TO ANSWER FOR!”

Tempest gaped in the general direction of the voice, which came from the same patch of sky. Suddenly, there was a blinding white light in the shape of a pair of Alicorn wings that filled the air. However, it lasted for only a few seconds before it died down…to reveal a large number of flying creatures, all in a large line. Twilight recognized some as Dragons and others as Griffons, but the one at the forefront was a being she couldn’t quite identify. The shape seemed familiar, albeit with large wings resembling those of an Alicorn. The being flew forward, a large spiked blade with gold and silver wavey patterns on the blade and Dragon wings for a crossguard. There was a fierce looking claw weapon attached to his other hand. The being, who looked male, raised the sword above his head. He was wearing a long blood red overcoat, dark black leather clothes underneath, and had on his head of flowing long hair a helmet with a golden crown emblazoned on it.

Tempest growled angrily. “Crimson Emperor…” she snarled.

Twilight was now utterly confused. She’d never heard of this Storm King or this Crimson Emperor, and right now she wasn’t sure if either were on the side of Equestria. This Crimson Emperor presumably was the bipedal looking creature flying above. He pointed his sword directly at Tempest. “I WILL GIVE YOU ONE WARNING: LEAVE EQUESTRIAN SOIL AT ONCE OR FACE THE MIGHT AND WRATH OF THE IMPERIUM’S ARMY!”

“This isn’t your fight, Crimson Emperor!” Tempest shouted up at him. “Go back to your Imperium! This is YOUR only warning!”

“OH, I WAS HOPING YOU’D CHOOSE…DIFFICULT,” the Crimson Emperor said in a mocking tone, perfectly copying Tempest’s words from earlier. He held out the hand with the claw weapon attached. “TIME FOR YOU TO EXPERIENCE WHAT UNLIMITED POWER FEELS LIKE!” The next instant, bolts of blue lightning shot out of the blades, striking Tempest in the chest and flinging her away into a nearby building. That was when Twilight knew just what this Crimson Emperor looked like.

He was a human, a lot like the ones from Sunset Shimmer’s world. Only, how he had wings and magic and his normal form wasn’t something she could explain.

And there was no time to think anyway. The Crimson Emperor raised his sword and shouted, “SOLDIERS OF THE IMPERIUM, HEED MY ORDERS: PROTECT THE PONIES OF EQUESTRIA WITH YOUR LIVES. BRING ME TEMPEST SHADOW ALIVE. DECIMATE THE REST OF THE STORM KING’S FORCES!” Just then, some strange music began playing, its unusual chords playing from seemingly everywhere, echoing from the houses and towers of Canterlot. As the drums on the song played and the volume shot up, the Griffons and Dragons in the air began to scatter, and Twilight saw for the first time that they were armored, their claws augmented with sharp metal talons similar to the one on the Crimson Emperor’s hand. She saw that they were made for only one thing: killing.

“You’d better get ready to die (Get ready to die!)! You’d better get ready to kill (Get ready to kill!)! You’d better get ready to run cuz here we come! Oooooh! You’d better get ready to diiie (Ready to die!)!”

The screams and shouts began anew, but this time from the Storm King’s forces and those of the Crimson Emperor as they clashed. Many of the Crimson Emperor’s forces made their way to where other Ponies were being cornered and fought the massive creatures who came with the dirigibles. The Crimson Emperor himself stayed in the air for a few more seconds before charging towards a large group of the Storm King’s soldiers who had cornered a group of fillies, including, of all Ponies, the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

With a single swing of his sword, the Crimson Emperor not only killed the three invaders, but decapitated them, their heads rolling neatly off of their heads, blood spurting from their now empty necks. With a blast of his magic, which felt oddly like that of a Pony, he forced the bodies back, spreading his wings so that the fillies behind him didn’t see the gruesome bloodshed.

“Sister, what do we do?!” Celestia said, her face a mixture of horror and anger.

Luna, on the other hand, looked around stoically. “Whoever this Crimson Emperor is, he’s clearly on our side, for the moment. We need to protect our subjects!” And with that, the Lunar Diarch launched herself into the air, firing a blast of magic into a nearby Storm King soldier and sending him directly into a wall.

“Twilight, you and your friends protect the citizens of Canterlot!” Celestia ordered as she spread her wings.

“But how?!” Twilight was more terrified than she’d ever been, even during the Changeling Invasion a few years prior. No lives had been lost then, but this Crimson Emperor and his forces had already killed. Right in front of Ponies, Ponies who hadn’t seen this type of violence or even heard about it except in books.

“Princess Twilight,” Celestia said quickly, turning to her former student, “our duty is to protect our little Ponies. There’s no time to debate. GO!” She launched herself into the air, her horn glowing as she blasted a nearby Storm King soldier with her magic.

Twilight turned to her friends. Applejack had already begun fighting back, as had Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy was curled up in a trembling ball, shivering in fear and shock at the bloodshed. Pinkie was using her massive cannon to blast the enemies away, and Rarity was using some of the gems as projectiles, hitting the nearest of the Storm King’s forces. Spike was beside her, trembling but trying his best to be brave as he blew fire at one of the smaller attackers.

Twilight felt the ground rumble behind her. She whirled and saw a larger creature charging towards her, a mace raised over its head. Twilight charged up her magic and blasted it back, sending it sprawling. However, she hadn’t counted on another coming from the side. It grabbed her in its talons and began crushing her wings together. The pain left her unable to concentrate on using her magic. She heard her friends calling out her name in fear. That is, until the creature’s eyes widened in shock, then the grasp on her lessened and she was able to break free. The Storm King soldier’s eyes rolled back into its head and it fell to its knees, and that’s when Twilight saw the full picture of what had just happened.

There, standing directly beside the soldier, was the grim face of the Crimson Emperor himself, his sword sticking directly into the soldier’s head. With a single pull, the Crimson Emperor pulled the sword out, sending a fountain of blood into the air and splattering his already dark red coat. He watched the soldier fall with grim satisfaction, then turned to Twilight.

The Princess of Friendship backed away, trembling in fear. She had no idea what this particular type of human was capable of, and she’d heard a lot about them from Sunset Shimmer back in the human world where she still lived. However, there was something in his eyes that stunned her out of her fear.

Regret.

He stood taller, swinging his sword and splattering the blood on it all over the ground. “Fight on, Twilight Sparkle. Protect your fellow Ponies,” he said before he spread his wings, which she now saw had blade tips on the wings. He held up his sword and pointed to the dirigibles above. It was suddenly encased in bright and hot blue flames. She heard his mighty voice calling out, “ALPHA AND BETA SQUADS, CAPTURE THOSE SHIPS AND KILL THE SOLDIERS INSIDE! GAMMA SQUAD! DECLOAK!”

A number of Griffons and Dragons nodded and flew towards the ships. Suddenly Twilight saw something she hoped never to see again. A green ring of fire appeared around a nearby filly, spreading up its body to reveal a Changeling. And not just any Changeling. It was Queen Chrysalis herself. As she had back at the wedding, she stood in a bipedal manner unlike her subjects. She glared back at Twilight before walking over to the Crimson Emperor. To her surprise, Chrysalis bowed to him. “My Emperor, all my Fae are in place.”

The Crimson Emperor grinned. “Good. You know the orders. Eliminate the enemy forces with extreme prejudice. Feel free to drain them of any love they have. Do a good job for me and I’ll give you a nice reward tonight.” The grin turned predatory.

Chrysalis shuddered, but Twilight saw it was in some kind of anticipation. “Y-Yes, my Emperor.”

“Good. Now go!” He gave her a swat on her backside with his wing. Chrysalis yelped before spreading her wings and flying into the air. The Crimson Emperor then rushed off towards a group of these enemies who were fighting a female Griffon who looked extremely familiar to Twilight.

However, before she could watch what happened next, another enemy soldier rushed her, raising a mallet. Twilight raised her horn and fired another magic blast at the soldier.

Celestia’s Perspective

The battle was over in just thirty minutes. The enemy soldiers never stood a chance. The Crimson Emperor’s own soldiers, which consisted of three fierce races, Griffons, Dragons and Changelings, overwhelmed the enemy invaders, leaving none alive. Canterlot’s streets were littered with the dead.

Twilight and her friends had fought bravely enough, but now that the battle was over, they returned to the site of the Friendship Festival, collapsing against a wall and panting heavily. They were too tired to move. Celestia had fought as well, but as non-lethally as she could. Not that it mattered much because this Crimson Emperor had ordered no mercy shown to any but the Pony Tempest Shadow. She kept an eye on the Crimson Emperor’s soldiers, who now were busy cleaning up the dead bodies, taking them into the newly captured dirigibles. Others were actually helping injured Ponies towards a makeshift medical tent hastily set up by the Imperium’s forces. Celestia had heard the order given by the Crimson Emperor himself. It was one of the most confusing parts about him. He’d been so fierce and merciless before, but now he was among those actively helping the Ponies.

Currently, however, he’d gathered four of his forces and they were heading to the spot where the Dirigibles had been moved, which was the air docks at the edge of Canterlot. As Celestia approached them, she got a better look at who and what they were.

One was a blue scaled Dragon female with deep red eyes. She wore fierce looking red armor made specifically to fit her slender frame. She was nearly as tall as this Crimson Emperor was, and was standing very close to him as the five walked towards another smaller hastily erected tent. Celestia could see the seriousness in her eyes, but she also saw just how the Dragon’s tail curled up around the Crimson Emperor’s waist. She guessed that they were involved romantically somehow.

Two others were Griffons. One had the look of a warrior in her yellow eyes. She had white feathers on her head and neck and light brown wings and fur elsewhere on her body. She too, wore armor and, similarly to the Crimson Emperor, had fierce looking spikes attached to her wings and claws. She was keeping an eye out all around her.

The other Griffon was a dark gray with wide blue eyes. Out of all of them, she looked the least bit of a warrior. Instead, she was wearing what Celestia could only describe as a nurse’s outfit. She’d seen this Griffon in the few hours after the battle flying around, helping injured Ponies to the makeshift tents erected by the Imperium. She, too, was close to this Emperor and was pressing herself slightly against him.

The fourth member, however, Celestia knew quite well, and a burst of rage spread through the ancient Alicorn. It was Chrysalis herself, although for some strange reason, she looked at this Emperor with a look of subservience which shocked the alabaster Princess.

Suddenly, Luna joined her, landing to her right. Cadance joined on her left, and the latter said, “Auntie, what’s going on? Why are you following them?”

Celestia straightened. “To get some answers.” She cleared her throat, spreading her wings regally as she called out after him, “Pardon me, Crimson Emperor, was it?”

The reactions of the four females surrounding the Emperor were varied. Chrysalis whirled and growled in an almost protective way, placing herself between the Emperor and Celestia. The warrior Griffon and Dragon stiffened, ready for a fight, and the nurse Griffon moved closer to the Emperor himself. However, the Emperor, who had still to turn around, clapped his hands sharply. “At ease, everyone,” he said, looking at them all before turning to face Celestia. “Now this is indeed a surprise. Three of the four Equestrian Princesses.” His tone was cool and collected, nothing at all like the vicious killing machine Celestia had witnessed only a few hours before. “As you’ve guessed, I’m the Crimson Emperor. I’m not really a big fan of it, but it is what it is. I rule over what once was the Griffon, Fae (or Changeling to you) and Dragon territories. And I know your names.” He raised his hand and pointed. “Princess of Love Mi Amore Cadenza, also known as Princess Cadance of the recently returned Crystal Empire.” He turned to Luna. “Princess Luna, younger sister and Diarch of the Night and Dreams.” Then he pointed to Celestia. “Princess Celestia, older sister and Diarch of the Day.” He looked behind her suddenly and grinned. “And I see the Elements of Harmony are approaching as well. And there’s dear old Spike the Dragon. How nice.”

Celestia turned and, to her surprise, the Elements of Harmony, along with a worn-out looking Spike, were approaching the group. Despite their exhaustion, they approach stalwartly. Twilight had a wary expression on her face as she looked at the unusual assemblage of creatures, Rainbow Dash and Applejack both had looks of mistrust on their faces, Fluttershy looked absolutely terrified and was hiding behind a protective Rainbow, Rarity was simply frowning and Spike was more so looking at Ember in shock. Before Celestia could say anything, Applejack stepped forward, eyes narrowed at the Crimson Emperor, looking ready to pounce. “Just what in tarnation are ya?” she snarled angrily.

The Emperor turned and faced the orange Earth Pony with a bemused expression. “Why, my dear Applejack, I’d have thought me being called the Crimson Emperor would identify me quite clearly. Or perhaps you refer to my race? If that’s the case, Twilight Sparkle would know. Wouldn’t you, Princess of Friendship?” He turned to regard Twilight with a cool countenance. “How’s Sunset doing these days, anyway?”

Celestia also knew, based off descriptions Twilight gave of the world beyond Starswirl’s Mirror, what this creature resembled, but she had never described these humans as having wings. Twilight stepped forward, gazing up at the strange human-like being. “How do you know about the human world?”

“Because I’m from a world that’s similar to the one you know. I was once human until I was dragged into this world ten years ago,” the Crimson Emperor said, now growling in anger as he pulled at his dark red garments, pulling them aside. All of the females surrounding him, even Chrysalis, to Celestia’s surprise, looked away with sorrow as the Emperor showed them hideous marks on his chest and stomach. Celestia was sickened by what she saw. Scars of the lashes of a whip, deep gashes where he’d been injured by claws, and more covered his entire chest. He whirled on Twilight. “Ten years ago, mere days before you sent Twilight to Ponyville, she cast a spell that dragged me from my world to this one, only something went wrong! I ended up in the Storm King’s castle instead of Griffonstone where I was meant to go! He captured me, used me in his sick games for five long and miserable years. I was forced to kill to survive in his arena! I almost died multiple times! And the women soldiers of his did things to me that-!”

Chrysalis quickly put a claw on his shoulder, looking at him with a look of deep concern. “My Emperor…please…”

The Emperor put his hand over Chrysalis’ claw and squeezed, looking into her eyes with a small smile as he began to cover himself once more. “I’m sorry, Chryssi,” he said softly, leaning in and touching her forehead with his, putting a hand on the back of her neck. “The nightmares don’t easily stop, you know…”

The Dragon female came up and looked directly at Celestia. “You should be grateful,” she snarled. “If it wasn’t for my Emperor, you would be encased in stone and those Elements of Harmony and hatchling would be all alone looking for the Hippogriffs!”

“And how do you know about them?” Celestia asked, looking at the Dragon suspiciously. “You have knowledge of events in Equestria that you shouldn’t have. How do you know all of this?”

The Emperor stood straighter. “I’m afraid that’s an Imperium secret. But I trust my actions have proven that I am no enemy of yours. Not unless you make me one. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be off. The so-called Storm King must be eliminated at all costs.” And turning, he and his entourage continued down to the docks.

Time seemed to slow for Celestia the moment he turned away. There was so much to absorb here. Five years of intense torture, only for this being to become an Emperor. And of what? She’d somehow never even heard of this stallion before, but now it made sense that the Griffon ambassador slowly pulled away five years ago and why trade had been so unusual between Equestria and Griffonstone.

“He needs help,” a still, small voice said from behind Celestia.

The alabaster princess turned, only to see Fluttershy staring after the retreating Emperor and his four companions. Fluttershy’s right, Celestia thought. He’s obviously been through much since he came to our world…I wonder…

She turned to Twilight. “Princess Twilight.”

“Y-Yes, Princess Celestia?” Twilight turned and faced her former mentor.

“I want you and your friends to go with him.”

“WHAT?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed incredulously. “You can’t be serious! He’s a killer!”

“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia began sternly, which shut the cyan Pegasus up as she listened, “Unfortunately, in battles, deaths occur. This was a battle, pure and simple. And he is obviously incredibly powerful. Fluttershy is right. He needs help. He’s obviously known hardly any happiness since coming here.”

“Despite the amount of love pouring out of those four towards him?” Cadance asked.

“You mean that Changeling is actually feeling love for somepony else??” Rarity asked in shock and disbelief.

“All things are possible,” Luna said. “Second chances especially.”

“She’s right, girls,” Twilight said, turning to look back at the retreating Emperor. “We’re the Elements of Harmony. And I’m the Princess of Friendship. Not just of Pony friendship, but friendship in general. We’ve got to try, at least.”

“He looks so saddy-waddy!” Pinkie exclaimed, and just like that, she zoomed off after him. “Wait uuup!”

“Darn it, Pinkie! Wait up!” Applejack said as she galloped after them.

As the others ran after the Emperor and his apparent lovers, Celestia looked after them. Her heart swelled with pride at all that her faithful student and her friends had accomplished. But she also felt uneasy. She felt that this journey, if this Emperor even allowed it, would change Twilight in ways she couldn’t very well predict. “Be well, Twilight…please be safe all of you…” she whispered to herself more than anything, then she turned to Luna and Cadance. “Come on, you two. We have work to do.” So saying, she turned and headed back to the main square. There was much to be done…

10: Twisted World (What If?)

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A lone, winged bipedal figure sat on the edge of a large cumulus cloud one late summer afternoon, overlooking the town below him as the various creatures living there went about their daily lives. His brown hair was tied up in a ponytail so as to not let it flow in the ethereal wind that it had begun doing a year after he received his Alicorn styled wings. He was wearing a pair of magically treated goggles that would never fog up despite how hot he got, some magically enhanced waterproof gloves and his flying clothes, which were basically a few sets of clothes that had been enchanted by the town’s local fashionista Pony to be completely waterproof.

The figure was the now thirty-two old Jethro Bethridge, known throughout Equestria as its first knight in nearly a thousand years, the Guardian of the Everfree Wastes, a desolate piece of land where nothing could grow despite years of attempts, and most recently the Lord Protector of the town below him, otherwise known as Ponyville, Friendliest Town in Equestria.

Only, this Ponyville had some major differences to the one he’d seen in the show.

For one, from what he’d studied, this town was built more like the kinds he’d seen in his staticnet searches of medieval towns. While he recognized plenty of the buildings, like Carousel Boutique, Golden Oaks Library and Sugarcube Corner to name a few, the entire town was surrounded by a large reinforced stone wall, and the farmland surrounding the town also had walls around as well. There was a village green, a common, and more farms around the inner portion of the town than just Sweet Apple Acres. The current place where he lived, the Lord’s Manor, was also protected by a large stone wall as well as by a few guards under the employ of the crown. He been given all of this by Equestria’s sole monarch, Princess Selene, once known as Princess Luna.

The figure reached through the cloud and pulled up a small handful of water, which he drank quickly. Manufactured, he thought. In the two years that he’d been in Equestria, or rather this mixed-up version of the world he’d seen displayed in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, he’d learned how to distinguish the taste of a manufactured cloud from a natural cloud. One of his closest friends, Lightning Dust, the Pegasus who was in charge of Ponyville’s weather and an extremely loyal Pony, had taught him how to distinguish the differences during his flying lessons.

Said Pegasus was one of his six closest friends in town, five Ponies who were either similar or identical to five of the six main characters he’d seen in the show and one Zebra.

Unsurprisingly to him, the first friend he’d made was a happy party Pony, but what had surprised him was the fact that said Pony wasn’t pink. Instead, she had a curly brown mane and tail, a slightly orange fur coat, and a cutie mark of a slice of cake on a plate. Her name was Cheesecake Slice and she was Ponyville’s party Pony. It had taken Jethro a while to discover that she was most likely a female equivalent to one Cheese Sandwich, especially since her color palate matched the traveling party Pony in the show to a T. That, and Cheesecake loved carrying around a rubber chicken she called Boneless. She’d given him a massive Welcome to Ponyville and Equestria party about a month after he was discovered by one of the Lunarian Guards wandering the grounds of the Castle of the Two Sisters which had been meticulously maintained. Despite that, his unusual appearance did make other Ponies wary of him for a short time.

Applejack Apple, who was identical to her canon counterpart, was the second friend he’d ever made ever since he’d saved her parents from succumbing to Swamp Fever about a month after his arrival thanks to his knowledge of the show. That had won her over immediately and the family had given him his first job on their farm, one that he’d had for his first six months in Equestria. This action in turn had earned him the loyalty and friendship of Lightning, because in her own words, “Anypony who helps a friend or their family is worth it in my book.”

Rarity Belle was the fourth friend he made in town. Like Applejack, she was identical to her counterpart in the show, save for the fact that she had more of a talent for magic than her counterpart. Despite that, fashion was her passion and she had opened a famous clothing store in Ponyville thanks in part to Jethro investing in her enterprise right from the start. When that had happened, she had accepted him as a friend, and as the two years had gone by, they had only grown closer. She had been one of his magic teachers, especially after he’d nearly had a magical surge a month after receiving his wings and magic. She’d been the one to talk him down out of his panic and had made a Cheesecake Covenant to help him learn magic.

The fifth friend he’d made was a plant loving pony named Wallflower Blush, a shy but very loving and kind light green colored Pegasus who lived in a tree cottage near the White Tail Woods where she would tend to a large garden full of rare and/or endangered plants. She was also known as the town apothecary, able to mix healing potions and brews for the hospital. She was so dedicated to her job that she sometimes worked even when she was sick. She was hardly around and Ponies around her always seemed to either not notice her or not remember she was there. When Jethro had discovered her human counterpart in Equestria Girls and saw the similarities between them, he made it one of his missions to make her feel included. That had caught her attention and she had grown quickly attached to him.

His sixth closest friend he’d made about a year ago. He’d been out walking with Wallflower after she’d been teaching him about a new brew she’d been testing when the two noticed a hooded equine figure walking among the crowds of creatures in town. It had taken him a while to recognize said figure since the town wasn’t deserted, but eventually he realized it was Zecora. He decided to greet her and welcome her to Ponyville. Wallflower was trembling with nervousness but had approached the hooded figure, pressing herself against Jethro. Upon speaking to the newcomer Zebra in her own native tongue, Zecora quickly warmed to the strange human. The three had gone to Sugarcube Corner after that and had talked. When Wallflower learned about Zecora’s own talent for potions and brews and knowledge of herbology, she’d immediately come out of her shell and offered to put the Zebra up until the latter could find a place to stay.

As it happened, said place happened to be Wallflower’s own house, and Ponyville received a second apothecary.

The seven had grown close over that year, however, as much as he wanted to share with them the events of the show, he had been sworn to secrecy until the prophesied return of Daybreaker as the friendships between the Elements of Harmony had to be natural. However, he had managed to share the information with Zecora with permission from Selene.

Thanks to Selene, though, along with a few clever questions from Jethro, the ‘canon’ Elements were found. Jethro had given some leading questions to Cheesecake about why she’d become a party pony. She told him about a party Pony who inspired her to make Ponies happy. Said Pony was Pinkie Pie. Cheesecake had spent a few years looking for her until she stopped in Ponyville and realized the town needed someone to help make them laugh. She got a job at Sugarcube Corner and had stayed there ever since. When Jethro asked if Cheesecake had ever found Pinkie Pie, she said that Pinkie had settled down in a northern town called Shady Oaks.

Lightning Dust had known Rainbow Dash years ago, but they had drifted apart. Not out of hostility, but their lives had just gotten busier. The last she’d heard, Rainbow was living in the same town as Pinkie Pie as the captain of its Weather Team.

As for Fluttershy, Selene had found her also living in Shady Oaks, but it was a surprise to her and Jethro that her actual name was Fluttering Breeze. She was the town’s official veterinarian, having gone to school for an official veterinarian degree.

There was a Pony mare who went to Selene’s School for Gifted Ponies named Twilight Sparkle, and while she was indeed a powerful magic user, Selene had discovered another Pony of equal power and skill named Moondancer who had hatched a Dragon’s egg when she was just a filly. The Dragon that had hatched did have an appearance like Spike, but was instead female and named Barb by Selene’s most faithful student.

Jethro was so lost in thought about all of this that he didn’t notice a certain speedster Pegasus land almost in his lap until she lay her head down on said lap, yawning and stretching her wings. Jethro looked down at her startled. “Whoa, Lightning! Don’t startle me like that!”

The speedster demoness opened one of her eyes, looking up at him with that dark orange orb, then closed it again and snuggled up close. “Nah,” she said, “your lap’s too comfortable.”

Jethro smirked, reached down and began stroking her slicked back mane. “If you say so, Crusty.”

Her wing reached up and smacked him automatically. Crusty was a nickname that only Jethro could use with her, and only when the two were alone. “Laugh it up, Breastridge,” she retorted.

Now it was Jethro’s turn to smack the fiery maned Pegasus lightly on her head. She opened her eyes and glared at him briefly before the two burst out laughing. They’d gone through this song and dance before, but neither of them minded. Those nicknames were only for private use, after all, and this cloud was private enough. As the laughter died down, Jethro reached down and resumed stroking Lightning’s mane. “So…one more week until the Harvest Moon Festival, huh? How are things going for the preparation?”

“Very good so far,” she replied. “The weather team’s been keeping an eye on any stray weather from the Wastes and making sure it doesn’t interfere with the big night. What about you?” She opened one eye and gave him a knowing look. “How’s Lord Bethridge helping to prepare for this lovely Festival?”

Jethro rolled his eyes and sighed. “Yeah…it’s been pretty busy. I’m up here taking a little bit of a break before I’ve gotta get back to work. Princess Selene’s asked me to play host to Moondancer and her adopted younger sister Barb for a few days so they can go over the preparations for the Festival.”

“Really? So they’ll be staying in one of those empty guest bedrooms you have there, living the cozy comfortable life until she goes back to Canterlot?” Lightning teased.

“Actually, Princess Selene told me that Moondancer’s a lover of books,” he said, looking down at the Golden Oaks Library. “The current librarian’s gonna be out of town during the Festival and won’t be back for another two weeks after that. I was thinking that she could stay there and help run the library until Avid Reader returns.”

“Oh yeah, she’s going out of town with her family, right?” Lightning asked. “Las Pegasus, right?”

“Las Pegasus,” Jethro confirmed. “She says that the Festival there is something she never misses.”

“How true,” Lightning chuckled. “The library being closed is a Festival tradition nowadays.”

“No shit,” he laughed along with her.

The two sat in silence for a little while, enjoying the fresh breeze blowing in from the west which made the cloud they were sitting on move with them. About a minute or so later, Lightning asked, “By the way, have you heard the rumor? The one about Daybreaker?”

Jethro sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve heard about it. Wallflower told me about it a few days ago. Poor girl told me that story always scared her as a filly.”

Lightning nodded. “Yeah, Wallflower’s always been more nervous than most. It’s why she’s never really seen by the Ponies in town. At least, until you showed up. She’s a lot better now.”

“She’s still introverted, but she enjoys going out with us,” Jethro agreed.

“Yeah, true.”

“Who else is talking about Daybreaker?” Jethro asked.

“Oh, mostly some of the more gossipy Ponies in town,” Lightning shrugged. “Rarity’s talked about it a couple of times. Those three flower mares are the main culprits, though.”

“Ah yeah, Roseluck and her gang,” Jethro sighed. “‘The horror! The horror! I clipped a hoofnail!’”

Lightning laughed. “No, that’s more Rarity’s schtick,” she said.

“Yeah, true. Well, have you heard about any of the non-Ponies in town talking about Daybreaker?” Jethro asked.

Lightning shook her head. “Nah. I asked Gilda and Gabby about what they’d been hearing, and they haven’t heard a thing. Gilda’s content to just run her scone shop and Gabby’s pretty happy just being a mail girl. Neither of them really pay attention to any of the gossip.”

“That’s good,” Jethro said. “Gossip is never a good thing. Remember that stupid gossip column in the Equestria Daily a few months back? And that unflattering picture of Princess Selene surrounded by a fuckton of wheels of cheese?”

Lightning snorted and tried to hold back her laughter. “Ah, sorry,” she said between snorts, “I know I shouldn’t laugh, but it’s just…pffff ahaha!”

Jethro smiled as well. Much as Celestia had a love of cakes in the canon timeline, Princess Selene in this timeline had a love of salty dishes, especially cheese. Jethro had discovered this in his sixth month when he’d found Selene in his Earth house sneaking some of his remaining Earth cheese. “I felt bad for laughing too, but the look of shock on her face was too good to pass up,” he said. “Just the way that enchanted picture showed her blinking in shock was just…pfff…I have it hanging up on my fridge in my Earth house.”

“Does the Princess know?” Lightning asked.

“I sure hope not,” Jethro said. “She’d kill me.”

“Oh, I bet you’d rather be suffocated between those nice sexy flanks of hers, wouldn’t you?” Lightning said with a teasing wink.

“Oh fuck you,” Jethro scoffed.

“Buy me dinner first and take me to a Shadowbolts show and I might be wet enough to mount you, big colt,” Lightning giggled, earning her yet another smack upside the head from her friend.

They both laughed at that and soon went back to relaxing in comfortable silence. Jethro lay back on the cloud and stared up at the deep blue afternoon sky. He felt Lightning shifting her position until she was splayed out across Jethro’s body, snuggling into him like she was wont to do. Jethro wrapped her in his wings to keep her warm and she did her best to wrap her own wings around his midsection in an attempt to do the same. Her head was on his chest and her eyes closed. Absent mindedly, Jethro began to stroke her mane, earning a slight shudder of happiness from her as she snuggled closer to him. Five minutes passed, and the two close friends just enjoyed each other’s presence. After a while, though, Lightning opened one eye and looked up at Jethro. “What do you think about the Daybreaker rumors?”

Jethro shrugged. “I’ve only been in Equestria for two years, Crusty,” he said. “I’ve read about her in stories, about how she was once Princess Selene’s older sister who was corrupted by her feelings of jealousy towards her sister for being able to have a more personal relationship with Ponies whereas she felt jilted. She wanted that same sort of relationship, but Ponies felt like she was too far above them. Eventually, she refused to lower the sun so that Ponies couldn’t sleep and keep their relationship with Selene going. Sadly, Selene was forced to deal with her sister, but not before she tried so many different ways to calm her down and talk things over. Selene banished Daybreaker to the sun and has been raising both sun and moon ever since then.”

Lightning nodded. “Yeah. I’m still surprised the Princess was so transparent with us about that. Her own sister…”

“Princess Selene seems to not like keeping secrets if she can help it,” Jethro said. “That’s why she established the Summer Sun Celebration in her sister’s honor.”

“It’s a fun celebration, I’ll give her that,” Lightning said, “but me personally? I like that Halloween holiday you started. Ponies love being scared sometimes.”

“Not all of them, but I see your point,” Jethro said. When he realized that there wasn’t a holiday like Nightmare Night in this timeline, he decided to introduce the concept of a night dedicated to having scary fun. It was a massive rousing success, especially with the foals who loved the idea of going door to door and getting candy. Selene had completely encouraged it as well just as long as her sister wasn’t vilified. Instead, Jethro had created a mascot for the holiday, Jack-o’-lantern.

The two lay there for another five minutes, enjoying the company of the other in comfortable silence. Jethro was so comfortable, in fact, that he was about to doze off before Lightning began to stir. She slowly sat up and stretched, cracking her neck a bit before stepping off of his chest. “Well, as comfortable as your lap is for naps, I’ve got to get back to work. Cloud Kicker’s been breathing down my neck about some paperwork.”

“Tell me about it,” Jethro groaned as he too stood and stretched his arms and wings. “There’s a lot I’ve gotta take care of too. Besides, my break’s pretty much over anyway.”

Lightning chuckled. “I don’t envy you, Lord Bethridge,” she said with a smirk.

“Sometimes I think Princess Selene made me Lord Protector as some private joke,” he said. “Maybe it was that comment about her love of cheese,” he muttered to himself. “Anyway, are you gonna be stopping by for movie night later tonight? We’re gonna start the Men in Black trilogy tonight.”

“You’re damn right I’ll be there,” Lightning said. “You’re gonna make that sweet dip and provide those Bugles chips, right?”

“Of course!”

“Great! See you then!” With a dash of lightning, she flew off towards the nearby Cloudsdale to head back to work.

After a few more stretches to get the blood flowing again, Jethro spread his wings and arms and fell forward, letting his wings catch the wind at just the right angle for him to soar above the town. Ponies made their way down the streets, talking and generally enjoying the day around them. Not only that, but he saw a good number of Dragons and Griffons walking about, most of them wearing the dark blue armor that belonged to the Lunarian Royal Guard. He saw a couple Griffons and Pegasi in the black uniform of the Shadowbolts, an offshoot branch of the Wonderbolts which were more concerned with security than stunts and had been trained in a few combat arts.

Unlike the show, Ponyville, despite its name, had now become home to creatures of multiple races. While the majority of the town still consisted of Ponies, there were other creatures who had been living there since even before Jethro’s arrival. Most were Equestrian citizens who had become a part of the Lunarian Guard who manned the Ponyville walls. Griffons, Dragons and even a few Hippogriffs manned the walls alongside their Pony compatriots.

The Equestria Jethro had found himself in was more different the more he’d learned about it. For one, it was a lot larger than the Equestria he knew about as the Equestrian borders encompassed the entire continent all the way down to Mt. Aris, and while it was mostly a Pony populated nation, there were still transplants from other nations scattered throughout. Griffons, Dragons, Hippogriffs, Zebras and more had integrated into Equestria for five hundred years and had made very peaceful relations with their Pony neighbors.

And that wasn’t all. Princess Selene had encouraged the development of the military, which included branches like the Lunarian Guard and the Wonderbolts. Not only that, but the Equestrian Navy consisted of many Hippogriffs as their sea technology was far ahead of anyone else’s.

Jethro eventually landed back at his mansion, the Lord’s Manor. Walking up the walkway towards the front door, he spotted his two gardeners, Hedge Clipper and Gardenia, two Earth Pony sisters that had lived on his estate for years. Much like the spa ponies, these two were very similar in appearance. Hedge Clipper was a bright yellow mare with light green mane and tail with a cutie mark of a well-tended bush on her flank while Gardenia was a light green mare with bright yellow tail and mane and a potted plant on her flank. “Hey there, you two,” he said, waving to them.

“Lord Bethridge, sir,” Hedge Clipper said, straightening up and running over from where she’d been running a manual lawnmower over the grass. “You received a visitor while you were gone.”

“Always when I’m gone,” he muttered to himself. “Are they still here?”

“Yes, sir,” Gardenia said.

“Who was it?” he asked.

“Princess Selene,” both sisters said simultaneously.

Jethro nodded in understanding. “Thanks for letting me know,” he said.

“You’re welcome, sir,” they both said before turning as one and heading back to their work.

Jethro steeled himself and headed towards the house. Selene always seemed to visit him at the most random of times, and frequently too. And each and every time she always managed to surprise him with how she either looked, talked or with how he’d found her, much like how he’d found her eating his cheese that one time, or another time when she was swimming in the pond upon his return to his house during one of her visits.

Heading inside, he was greeted by his butler, a dark green Unicorn stallion named Jade Steward with a white mane and tail and wearing a butler’s suit. “Welcome back, sir,” Jade said in a Britmanish accent.

Jethro nodded at him as he removed his coat and hung it on the coat rack next to the door. “Hey, Jade,” he said. “I heard we had a guest.”

“Yes, sir,” Jade said as he used his magic to straighten up Jethro’s coat. “Princess Selene’s in the drawing room.”

“When did she arrive?” Jethro asked as he stepped further into the foyer.

“Five minutes after you left, sir,” Jade said. “I took the liberty of providing her with tea and some cheesecake.”

“Thank you, Jade, that’s exactly what I would have asked you to do,” Jethro said, giving the stallion a sidelong glance and grin.

Jade returned his grin with one of his own. “I know you well enough now, sir,” he said with a slightly amused tone. “Shall I have the kitchen prepare something for you to eat and drink too?”

“I wouldn’t mind having some of that cheesecake as well,” Jethro said. “And that tea you brew so well.”

Jade nodded. “At once, sir.” With that, he trotted off towards the kitchen.

Jethro watched him go with a grin. Jade was professional nearly to a fault, however in the time the two had known each other he’d grown to relax around the human. Jethro appreciated his professionalism, but he’d wanted Jade to relax a bit. He was still a bit stiff sometimes, but not as much as he had been before.

The same couldn’t be said for the dark gray Pegasus mare who was approaching him from the main living room. Red eyed and red maned, Scarlet Dusk was one of the maids in his house and a Pony he considered a friend as well. And she was incredibly flirty with everyone in the house, but especially him. As was normal for her, she had a knowing grin on her face as she approached, a tray with an empty plate sitting in her wing. As she passed him, she swished her tail against his thigh. “I think you’ll like what you see in there, stud,” she cooed softly. “I certainly did.”

“Oh my God, how horny are you?” he muttered almost automatically, but it was too late for her to hear it as they passed. As he approached the double doors to the drawing room, he steeled himself for what he was about to see. Grabbing onto the bronze doorhandles, he twisted and pushed them open.

Now, the drawing room for the manor where he lived was about twice as large as his Earth house, which was sitting about twenty or so yards away from the manor itself. There were a number of comfortable chairs in the room, some near a bookshelf full of both Earth and Equestrian books, the former having come from the parallel Earth that Jethro had discovered through the Stargate, or Starswirl’s unusual mirror. There were a few chairs in front of the fireplace and some near the open window that looked out onto the Lord Protector’s private forest. Jethro’s forest. And it was in one of these chairs that he saw Selene sitting in. The chair was facing away from him, so all he could see was her glowing dark blue and starry mane flowing in the ethereal wind.

As he closed the door, Selene’s head poked out from the chair, her dark blue eyes widening with happiness upon seeing Jethro. However, when the chair she was in, one of the rotating recliners he’d bought in Pendragon, turned to face him, he was rendered speechless. Because Selene was sitting there in an anthropomorphic form.

This wasn’t the first time that he’d seen this sort of spell being cast, however. He’d learned how to cast the spell from Ponyville’s own Rarity, who had volunteered to cast it on herself and show Jethro just how it worked before he could stop her. Of course, seeing an extremely beautiful anthropomorphic Rarity fully naked in front of him had been a shock, especially since he never thought he’d see another human form again. Rarity, however, after quickly crafting some clothes for herself, a short skirt and a mini T-shirt, had quickly warmed up to her new form, especially her hands. However, when noticing how Jethro had reacted so strongly to her, she returned her attentions to him, giving him the first human-type hug he’d had in a long time. The two had sat on her couch, just cuddling and talking about how he missed certain things on Earth. She listened patiently and comforted him.

However, while Rarity might have been a picture perfect model in terms of how she appeared in an anthro form, Selene was a goddess. She wore a long dark purple skirt that reached to the floor and a light blue blouse with a dark blue button sweater over it. Of course, she couldn’t button the sweater due to how large her breasts were. She jumped up. “Jethro! You’re back!” she exclaimed happily. Then, with surprising grace and speed, she rushed over to Jethro and pulled him into a nearly bone crushing and simultaneously affectionate hug.

He was a bit too stunned to return the hug for a while, especially since his head was buried in her cleavage, but he recovered after a few seconds and wrapped his arms and wings around her. “You never cease to surprise me, Sel,” he said with a smile as he looked up at her, using the nickname he’d given her and the one she’d only let him use.

She tightened her hug on him for a while, then pulled away, but never letting him go. Her hands were on his shoulders as she looked down at him. Jethro was only about five foot six inches tall, but Selene was about a foot and a half taller in this form. In her normal Pony form, she was only slightly taller than him by about six or so inches. She gazed down lovingly at him, reaching up and cupping his cheek in her hand. “Do you like it?” she asked, breaking away and turning around, showing off her new form to him.

“I love it!” Jethro said, smiling wide. “I was not expecting you to come in looking like this ever, though.”

“What, and deprive my secret special somepony of seeing me in the form he first found sexy? What kind of marefriend do you take me for?” Selene asked, moving closer, leaning down, and wrapping him up in her arms and wings before lifting him up so the two were face to face. Her eyes were sparkling with joy. “I was always going to show you this temporary form of mine one day, especially so I could do this.” And with that, Selene locked lip with Jethro, kissing him deeply and passionately.

Jethro immediately responded in kind, flinging his arms around her, not caring at all that he was being carried by his secret marefriend. She carried him to a nearby reclining couch from Earth, lying him down and straddling him as the two secret lovers deepened their kiss. It had been almost a month since the two had seen each other, after all, and it showed in how desperate they were in their kiss that they’d missed each other terribly. Sure, they talked over video chat on their phones, but it wasn’t quite the same as seeing each other in person.

After a while, the two broke the kiss, panting heavily as they stared deep into each other’s eyes. Luna had a small blush on her cheeks as she used her magic to make the couch they were on recline. They lay there for a while, Jethro’s arms wrapped around Selene and one hand stroking her soft and flowing mane.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Jethro finally said, looking down at her.

“I’ve missed you more,” Selene retorted, looking up at him with a cheeky grin.

Jethro took her new hand in his, marveling at how silky smooth her fur was there, and brought it up to kiss it tenderly. “I’m really happy you’re here,” he said. “It’s been a stressful couple of weeks getting things ready for the Harvest Moon Festival.”

“It’s even more stressful for me,” Selene said with a sigh as she snuggled closer to him. “I’ve had to bite my tongue and keep myself from Avada Kadavra-ing those foolish nobles.”

“I should never have shown you, Moondancer and Barb Harry Potter,” Jethro sighed. Selene had said that after having seen the first movie, Moondancer and Barb had gone around dressed in wizard garbs, holding fake wands and playing Harry Potter. Selene had admitted that she, too, had caught herself pretending to cast spells on nobles when they were leaving her court.

“Aww, but it’s so much fun to tussle around in bed with a Muggle like you,” Selene said seductively, moving up and kissing his cheek before moving down to his neck.

Jethro gasped and bit his lower lip. “Sel…not now,” he protested although he weakly resisted. Even in this new form of hers, she always knew his weaknesses. They had been together for a year and three months, after all. “There’s too much for both of us to doOOO! Oooh…fuck…” A shudder of pleasure ran down his spine at her kisses. “The door isn’t looocked…someone might see…”

“The house staff know the rules, dear,” Selene said. “Only Miss Dusk can come in when you and I are alone.”

“That’s already suspi…suspicious enough,” he gasped. “They’re talking a-about us.”

“Let them talk,” Selene said seductively in his ear. “I will announce our relationship publicly very soon anyway.”

“It’s about fucking time,” a familiar voice came from the door. Both Alicorn and Humanicorn looked up at that to see the smirking Scarlet Dusk standing in the open door, carrying a platter of two steaming teacups and two plates, each with a generous slice of cheesecake on each in her wing. She set it down on the table and approached the couple. “Ponies in the house have been talking, you know.”

Jethro looked down at Selene. “See?”

“Who I fall in love with is my business,” Selene huffed as she sat up, “but, being who I am, it’s bound to come out eventually. And I want to make the announcement in my own way.”

Scarlet nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I understand that.” She bowed. “Princess, my lord.” Turning, she spread her wings, flew to the door, opened it and left, closing it behind her and leaving the secret couple alone once more.

Immediately, Selene stood, walked over to the table and sat, grabbing one of the plates of cheesecake and beginning to eat. Jethro quickly joined her on the other side of the table, sitting and taking his own plate. This particular slice was chocolate and vanilla swirl cheesecake, some of the best that Cheesecake Slice had to offer. He always kept some on hand just in case Selene decided to visit. He’d always eat one small slice during the day to ensure they never went bad and always purchased one of a different variety every time he ran out. He watched Selene greedily scarfing down her favorite dessert. Her seductive expression was gone, replaced by one of worry. Guessing the topic that was foremost on her mind, Jethro gave her a calm and loving look as he asked, “You’re worried about your plans about the Elements, aren’t you?”

She froze briefly before slowly carving out a generous helping of cheesecake, taking a bite, then swallowing it down with tea. “You know me well, Jethro darling,” she said as she gently pushed the cake away, leaning against her new elbows and rubbing her face with her hands, something that Jethro had done a few times in her presence.

Jethro stood, made his way over behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them affectionately. “You’re really tense,” he observed as he tried to massage her thoroughly.

She arched her back in surprise, then relaxed in his grasp. “A week from now, my older sister will return. She and I will fight. She’ll try and kill me. I don’t…” She looked up at Jethro with a guilty expression on her face. “I know you’ve told me time and time again that I did my best, but what if I didn’t? I can’t shake this guilt…”

“You’re the one who helped me overcome my own guilt in regards to my parents’ and Trixie’s deaths,” Jethro said reassuringly. “I know that you did all you could. You shared your memories with me. I saw what you experienced that day. Three long days of nonstop fighting all while baking underneath the swollen sun. Three days where you desperately tried to reason with her.”

Selene pursed her lips, looking unconvinced. Jethro leaned down and kissed his secret marefriend deeply for a few seconds. With the slow release of the kiss, Selene relaxed and looked down at the table. “Thank you, Jethro,” she said with less of a tremble in her voice than before. “I just hope that I can convince her that I want to talk things out.”

“Are you sure I can’t come with you and help?” Jethro asked.

She shook her head quickly. “You need to ensure that the potential Elements of Harmony reach their destination,” she said. She turned around and reached up, caressing Jethro’s cheek gently. “I know you want to help, my love, but I need you here, protecting the town. And if it happens that the other five Ponies you’ve befriended aren’t this timeline’s Elements of Harmony, then I entrust that you will gather the Ponies in your show and bring them to the Castle.”

Leaning down, Jethro kissed his marefriend tenderly, reaching up and running a hand through her mane. “I promise,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said with a grateful smile on her lips.

He smiled back, then slowly released her and headed back to his chair, sat down and began eating once more. “Hey, I’m inviting the others over for a movie night tonight,” he said in an effort to change topics, “do you think you’d be able to join us?”

“Oh? What are you showing tonight?” Selene asked.

“The first Men in Black movie,” he replied.

“What’s it about?”

“A secret society of humans who keep track of extraterrestrial activity on the planet Earth and who keep the oblivious human race unaware,” Jethro explained. “It’s a really good movie.”

“What time?”

“Oh, they come around five for dinner, and then at six we show the movies,” Jethro explained.

“What’s for dinner?”

“I’m gonna be making some very tasty vegetarian lasagna,” he said, then leaned forward and grinned as he added, “with extra cheese.”

Jethro saw Selene’s eyes widen slightly at that and watched her swallow. “It is quite tempting,” she said honestly, “and as much as I would love to, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it. There’s too much to do back in Canterlot.”

“Selene…come on,” he pleaded with her. “You’re running yourself ragged. I can see it in your eyes. I can tell just by how strongly you came onto me earlier. You need a break. You know them pretty well already. They’re all trustworthy, I promise.”

Selene looked at him thoughtfully, then let out a deep breath. “I suppose you have a point,” she said. “Alright. I’ll be here. Do you mind if I bring Moondancer and Barb? And is this movie suitable for a Dragoness of her age?”

“Please bring them along! And don’t worry, this movie is pretty tame compared to something like The Passion of the Christ.”

Selene shuddered at the memory. “To think that humans can be capable of such cruelty,” she said.

“But we’re also capable of an equal amount of kindness and goodwill,” Jethro reminded her.

“You’re a prime example of that,” Selene said with a chuckle as she resumed eating.

“You flatter me, babe,” Jethro said with a slight blush as he ate as well.

The two talked more about more mundane topics, such as how the Smith family and their friends on the other side of the Stargate were faring. Jethro had made friends with the human counterparts of his Pony and Zebra friends on the other side and had managed to manufacture an identity for himself on the other side as well. He had a car, a bank account, an identity and everything he needed to purchase anything he wanted off of the internet or at local stores in the city of Pendragon. It was a handful to deal with, but with his paycheck from the crown as Lord Protector being a large sum, he wasn’t hurting for cash. That, and the abandoned cache of ancient coins he’d found in the cave up near Ponyville certainly had been a lucky stroke as well, giving him capital early on.

In return, Selene told him about how things were going in Canterlot. With the Harvest Moon Festival fast approaching, the city was busier than ever. Many in Equestria had taken especially to the new flavor of pumpkin spice that Jethro had introduced to them and it had quickly become a favorite. Ponies, Griffons, Dragons, Abyssinians and the like who lived within the borders of Equestria had all grown to love it. They had no idea where it came from, and Jethro intended on keeping it that way.

When both had finished their tea and cheesecake, they both returned to the couch to sit and just enjoy each other’s presence. The curtain to the outside was drawn, and Selene and Jethro snuggled up close, the silence pleasant and peaceful. However, it wasn’t long before Selene’s amorous attitude quickly returned. Jethro, who had been dozing, quickly felt a presence sitting on his lap. Opening his eyes quickly, he saw that a few candles had been lit and the room smelled like sweet incense. Selene was straddling him now, purely naked and presenting herself to him with a seductive smile on her face. Leaning forward, she whispered, “Show me how humans fuck.”

He felt his cheeks get hot as he looked into her eyes, getting lost in them as he reached down and began to remove his pants…

11: Too Many Pinkie Pies? Or Not? (Canon)

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Snow was falling all around Ponyville. Hearth’s Warming, otherwise known to the lone human in town as Christmas, had come and gone. Gifts had been given, carols sung, and little fillies and colts had enjoyed the traditional Hearth’s Warming snowball fight. A few houses had already taken down their Hearth’s Warming decorations, including the two houses at Sunny Acre, but most were still up and would remain up until the first of the year.

Among the Ponies in town who were going to and fro about their business, which consisted of them buying food for their own New Year’s Eve parties, one particularly pink party Pony bounced up and down as she made her way to Sunny Acre. She was carrying a basket of freshly baked and varied frosted cupcakes in her mouth as she hummed a song Jethro had showed her once. She might not have liked the lyrics to The Gypsy Bard, but the tune was one she loved. She was in the middle of rewriting it to be a happier song. She hoped that Jethro would let her record her version.

She made her way through the gate to Jethro’s house, humming louder as she looked at the sign above the gate. She giggled when she saw a temporary change to said sign. Instead of Sunny Acre, it now read Sunny Acres. Bouncing up and down, she made her way to the front door, only to see Jethro and the newly winged and bipedal Zecora sitting in the Sunny Acre’s Manor’s sunroom. Altering her trajectory, she made her way to the window and pressed her face against it, beaming in at the soon to be married couple.

Jethro looked up and jumped, looking startled at the sudden intrusion. He placed his hand on his chest, chuckling as Zecora put her hand on his back and rubbed it affectionately. Pinkie’s heart swelled at that. She might have fallen in love with Jethro, but seeing someone caring for the stallion that she loved was just as wonderful as if she was doing it herself. Zecora looked up and waved at Pinkie, then pointed to the door at the other end of the sunroom. Nodding, Pinkie bounded over and strode in, closing the door behind her. “Hi hi hi!” she said as she trotted over to the table where the happy couple were sitting. She placed the basket on the table. “I brought some samples of cupcakes for you to try for the wedding!”

Jethro grinned. “Oh Pinkie, you’re about as random as Fluffle Puff,” he said as he and Zecora looked at the various cupcakes.

“Is that the fluffy Pony who likes Chrysalis?” Pinkie asked.

“That’s the one,” Jethro said as he began to put the cupcakes out on the table.

“I wish she existed. She sounds fun!” Pinkie giggled. She then began bouncing around the table and sang “Pink, fluffy Unicorns dancing on rainbows! Pink, fluffy Unicorns dancing on rainbows!”

“Pinkie Pie, you are so random,” Jethro replied with a chuckle as he lifted the first cupcake. “Walk us through these cupcakes, would you?” he asked as he grabbed a butter knife and cut it in half, handing one to Zecora.

“Oooh you chose a really good one!” Pinkie said happily. “That’s a chocolate cupcake with mint chip frosting!”

“It certainly looks appetizing,” Zecora said as she brought the cupcake to her lips and took a bite. Her eyes widened and she looked at her husband to be. “Love, this is quite delicious.”

Pinkie watched in anticipation as Jethro brought his half to his lips, opened wide and took a bite. She was satisfied to see his blue eyes widen and a smile form. She lived to see other Ponies smile, and Jethro was no exception. In fact, she loved seeing his wide smile more than most. “Alright, I admit, these are really good,” he said as he put the half eaten half cupcake down, “but I don’t want to get too full before I try the others. What about…this one?” He picked up a nutty brown colored cupcake with light caramel colored frosting.

“That’s my peanut butter surprise!” Pinkie exclaimed eagerly.

He looked at Pinkie with a raised eyebrow. “What kind of surprise?” she asked.

“I promise you’ll like it,” Pinkie said.

Shrugging, Jethro took a bite, and his eyes widened once more, but this time in surprise. “Am I tasting Reese’s Pieces in the frosting?”

She beamed at him. “Surprise!”

“How the hell did you get those?” Jethro asked.

“Um…I borrowed the journal and asked Diane to bring me some,” Pinkie said sheepishly. “Surprise…”

Jethro looked at her, astonished, then sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I’d have appreciated it if you’d asked me before you did that,” he said.

Pinkie’s smile dropped a bit. “But then it wouldn’t be a surprise…”

“I believe Jethro is more concerned with the security around the Stargate,” Zecora explained.

Jethro nodded at that, then looked at Pinkie. “If the Ponies here find out I have access to another world, it could get out to enemies of Equestria and be used against us.”

Pinkie felt her smile start to disappear. “Oh, I…I didn’t know…”

Jethro quickly reached out and put a hand on top of her head and stroked her mane. Pinkie froze, then relaxed as he scratched behind her ear. She always loved whenever he did stuff like that. As she began making that purring noise she did whenever he pet her, he said, “It’s alright, Pinkie. Next time, though, I’d appreciate it if you asked me. I have no problems with you talking to your human counterpart. She’s a big Pinkie Pie fan, after all.”

Pinkie’s smile slowly returned and she looked up at Jethro. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she said, making the motions that normally came with her signature promise.

“I actually might ask Celestia to make journals for all of you so you can talk with your counterparts,” Jethro said as he picked up a blue cupcake with light red frosting. “Now, what’s this one?”

“Blueberry cupcake with strawberry frosting!” Pinkie replied, her normal peppy behavior returning.

And so it continued. Jethro and Zecora tasted the dozen cupcake examples that Pinkie had whipped up for them to try. The rest of the batter and frosting that she’d made was being used in cakes back at work. Pinkie had even tried her hoof at making use of a flavor called matcha green tea, a flavor she found surprising. According to her research, the flavor was quite popular in Neighhon.

When they finished sampling the cupcakes, the couple looked at each other. Pinkie had seen couples before, especially when they looked at each other with those loving eyes. But Jethro’s way of showing how he loved someone was different than that of a Pony. Zecora was the same way. Despite being an equine once, her eyes were different when they gazed lovingly at Jethro.

Pinkie hoped that someday, when Jethro finally took her on a date, that she could have those type of eyes focused on her that way. But for now, she was content to be patient. She looked between them and asked, “So…what do you two think?”

The two tore their gazes away from each other, looking down at the half eaten cupcakes in front of them. “I have…well, it’s hard to choose,” Jethro admitted. “If I could, I’d select all of them, but the wedding is only in a couple of days. Not to mention the bachelor party.”

“I can make them all! It’s gonna be a big party-” Pinkie began, then something that Jethro had just said clicked in her brain. “Wait…bachelor party? You’re having a bachelor party? When??”

“The evening before the wedding,” Jethro explained.

Pinkie paused and thought. The bachelor party would be taking place at the same time as the bachelorette party at Twilight’s library home. Two parties in one night. Two parties that would be amazingly amazing. Two parties that she didn’t want to miss. She began rubbing her head, trying to think. “Are you alright?” Zecora asked after a few moments.

“Two fun parties in one night…” she said softly. “What if there are more fun thing to do that night? What if I miss them all?!”

She turned to Jethro and was about to say something, when she froze in alarm. There was an expression in his eyes that was worrying her. She could see his face going pale, something that was impossible to see with Ponies. She could feel her blood run cold at the expression on his face: pure fear. Pinkie wasn’t the only one who noticed, of course. Zecora grabbed at Jethro’s shirt, a look of worry on her own face. “Dearest? What’s wrong?”

Jethro didn’t respond. Instead, he got up, knelt and grabbed Pinkie. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he said, sounding like he was starting to have some kind of panic attack. “Don’t do anything stupid!”

Pinkie was alarmed by Jethro’s sudden change of tone and she put her hooves on his arms. “Jethy? What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”

His grip on her tightened, causing the Earth Pony to wince. “Don’t do anything stupid!” He was practically shouting now, his wings spread wide. He was also trembling.

Zecora intervened and pulled Jethro away with her new strength. “Jethro! Snap out of it!” She wrapped her arms and wings around him tightly.

At her words and actions, Jethro’s expression immediately changed. His fear ebbed and his body relaxed. He reached up and took Zecora’s hand, holding it tightly and kissing it. After he calmed down considerably, he looked over at Pinkie. “Did I hurt you?” he asked worriedly.

Pinkie’s heart melted at the question. Even if he was hurting on the inside, he still showed worry towards others. She walked over and put a tender hoof on his arm. “Don’t worry about me. I’m alright. But you’re not.” She moved the hoof to his chest. “What’s wrong, Jethy?”

Jethro slowly reached up and took Pinkie’s hoof in his hand. He swallowed and smiled at her. “I…I suppose it has to do with an episode of the show I saw.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, feeling herself tense up as well. Jethro slowly moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her. Confused, she hugged him back. “Jethy?”

“It’s alright to miss one party,” he whispered in her ear.

Even more confused, she replied, “but then I’ll miss experiencing the fun with you and the others. If only there was a way I could be in two places at once.”

She felt him tense up again. After a few seconds, he replied, but with a trembling voice. “There is…”

“Love, you don’t sound happy about it,” Zecora said.

“Because I’m not,” Jethro said as he slowly broke the hug and looked at Pinkie. “I…should show you something.” He stood and motioned for her to follow.

Confused, Pinkie did so as the three headed out of the door and onto the snow covered lawn. She followed as they headed to Jethro’s original Earth house. He unlocked the door, entered, and gestured towards the couch that faced Jethro’s television. “Have a seat. I’ll get things set up,” he said as he went to the TV and began fiddling with it.

While he did that, Pinkie and Zecora both took a seat. Looking over at Zecora, she leaned in and whispered, “Do you know what he’s gonna show us?”

“I’m not sure, but I have an idea what he might want to show you,” Zecora replied.

Pinkie didn’t miss the emphasis on the last word. “Is he mad at me?”

“I doubt he could get seriously mad at you, at least for long,” Zecora said with a reassuring smile. “I think we’re about to watch an episode of the show, though.”

Pinkie perked up. Ever since she’d learned about how their lives were displayed back on Jethro’s Earth along with the Earth on the other side of the mirror, or Stargate as Jethro called it, she’d wanted to see what adventures she and her friends could possibly get involved in. Jethro, however, had continued to say no, so if he was breaking the rule he imposed, then there had to be a reason. She was excited, but also a bit nervous. Nervicited.

Jethro soon rejoined them, a remote in his hand as he sat between the two of them. “Zecora, I know you don’t particularly care much to watch, so if you don’t-”

She put a finger to his lips. “I don’t mind it so much as before, my dear,” she said gently as she put on arm through his and leaned on his shoulder. “I’ll be here for you.”

Pinkie got up and sat in Jethro’s lap, one of her favorite places. “What are we watching?” she asked as he lifted the remote and aimed it at the TV.

“An episode of the show from the third season,” Jethro said. “One called Too Many Pinkie Pies.”

Pinkie watched the show version of herself as she dictated a letter to the show version of Spike. Her mane and tail had deflated the first time the in-show Twilight had blasted the first fake Pinkie Pie which had gone back to the Mirror Pool. She’d also felt Jethro tense up. When she’d looked back towards him, she felt some of the color go out of her. He looked extremely tense. Zecora had one arm and wing around him. Pinkie snuggled up closer to Jethro to try and comfort him and herself at the same time.

With each time Twilight shot magic at the Pinkies, Pinkie could feel Jethro tensing. At one point during that scene, Pinkie paused the episode herself and asked if Jethro wanted to leave the room. He shook his head.

As the episode reached its end and the credits rolled, Jethro slowly grabbed the remote and hit a button. The screen went black, then what he’d called a menu appeared with a list of episode names displayed. Pinkie looked up at Jethro with worry, only to see him looking down at her with fear in those deep blue eyes of his. Adjusting herself, she walked over and flung her front legs around him. She found that he was trembling a bit. He wrapped his arms around her as well, and Zecora put one hand on Pinkie’s withers and the other on the back of Jethro’s neck. Pinkie could hear the sound of Jethro’s breathing pick up a bit. “Jethy…”

“When I…when I first saw that episode,” he began with a tremble in his voice, “I didn’t immediately comprehend it. Especially since I now know the real thing. That didn’t last long, though. I woke the next morning and fully realized just how dark that episode was. I…well let’s just say I had a nice breakdown before Zecora here brought me back.”

Pinkie couldn’t hold back anymore. She grabbed his cheeks with her hooves and planted a deep, passionate kiss on the suddenly stunned human’s lips. Unlike the other times, Pinkie wanted this kiss to be a reassuring one as it was the precursor to her next words. When she broke the kiss, she looked into Jethro’s eyes and said, “Jethro Bethridge, I Pinkie Promise that I won’t ever go looking for the Mirror Pool or duplicate myself.” She hugged him close and buried her face in his chest. She could hear his heart pounding heavily as he wrapped his arms back around her. Hoping to cheer him up, she moved up closer, put her lips up near his ear, and began to softly sing. “Pinkie, wel-wel-welcome spring. You'll see, wel-wel-welcome. When I was a little filly and the sun was going down, the darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown. Pinkie, you've got to stand up tall, learn to face your fears! You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear. Pinkie, you've got to stand up tall, learn to face your fears! You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear.”

Jethro’s grip on the Party Pony only got tighter, but Pinkie was relieved to hear a small chuckle coming from Jethro. He’d shown her that song as well a while back, and unlike with The Gypsy Bard, she liked the tune and the lyrics. “Thanks, Pinkie,” he said, and with that Pinkie felt the stallion she’d fallen for relax in her grasp. As she pulled away and looked at him, he continued, “I know I can trust you. Thank you.” He ran his hand through her still straightened mane. “I like your curly mane, sure, but I think you’re really cute like this too.”

Immediately, her mane and tail returned to their proper form, and color returned to her. “Awww, thanks Jethy! I’d try and keep it straight, but then I couldn’t do this!” Reaching into her mane, she pulled out a small platter of sandwiches cut into fourths. “See? I didn’t just bring desserts! I brought lunch!”

Jethro threw back his head and laughed hard. Even Zecora was shaking her head and snickering as well. Pinkie could tell both of them were being genuine with their own laughter.

It made her happy.

Twilight Sparkle was sitting at her desk in the main room of the Golden Oaks library, using her magic to maneuver the mouse for her new computer. Beside her, Sunset Shimmer was watching as the purple Unicorn moved the mouse up and down the first page of search results on Google. The two Unicorns were studying the staticnet and learning about the different types of magic that humans had come up with for their fiction stories. Sunset was more there to help her fellow Unicorn use her new piece of human technology. “What about that page about the different types of magic used in Dungeons and Dragons?” Sunset suggested, pointing to one of the first search results.

Spike, who was nearby reading one of his comics, looked up. “Dungeons and Dragons? What’s that?” he asked, clearly interested.

Sunset turned to the young winged Dragon. “It’s a roleplaying game that’s pretty much Earth’s version of Ogres and Oubliettes,” she explained.

That got Spike’s attention and he stood, rushing over to the computer. “Really? Did you play it?” he asked Sunset.

Sunset snorted and shook her head. “No way. I was too busy being a massive-well, you know,” she said, her ears lowering a bit in guilt.

Twilight looked over at her fellow student of magic. “Sunset? Are you okay?”

She sighed. “I guess I’m still not quite over what I did on Earth,” she admitted. “It’s hard to accept that Princess Celestia can be so forgiving.”

“That’s just how the Princess is,” Twilight said.

Before anyone could say anything, the door to the library burst open. A warmly dressed Pinkie Pie stood in the doorway. Twilight was about to greet her, but the look on Pinkie’s face gave the Unicorn pause. She looked more serious than Twilight had ever seen Pinkie before. “Pinkie? What’s wrong?” she asked, suddenly worried.

Pinkie came in, closed the door behind her and walked up to Twilight. “Can you send a message to the Princess for me?” Pinkie asked. Her voice was lower and more serious than Twilight had ever heard from the normally happy-go-lucky Pony.

“Um, I can,” Twilight said. “What’s going on, Pinkie?”

“There’s a dangerous pool of water in the Everfree Forest,” she said. “One that could cause trouble in the future. It should be destroyed.”

Twilight was stunned by Pinkie’s choice of words. “Destroyed? A pool of water? But why?”

Pinkie was about to reply but she paused, looking at the computer. Pointing to it, she said, “Twilight, can you look up My Little Pony episodes on that computer thingy?”

Twilight put two and two together. “Did Jethro show you an episode?” she asked.

Pinkie nodded. “Too Many Pinkie Pies is the name of the episode,” she said.

She wasn’t sure why, but Twilight felt a shiver go down her back at the title name. Turning back to the computer, she used her magic to type in the title, then maneuvered to the Videos tab. Scrolling through it, she found a full episode. “This one?” Twilight asked after she hit play and the video began to load. When it began playing, Pinkie nodded emphatically. “What’s this episode about?”

To Twilight’s concern, Pinkie’s mane lost some of its fluff. “I…don’t want to talk about it. But when you watch the episode, I think you’ll understand what I mean. I’ve got to get back to Sugarcube Corner now. See you later.” And with that, Pinkie walked out, opening and closing the door behind her like any other normal Pony would.

Twilight, Sunset and Spike sat and watched the episode as it played out. It seemed innocent at first and showed Pinkie being Pinkie. However, at the first blast of magic from the show’s version of Twilight against a Pinkie copy, the three went silent. Twilight could feel her stomach drop. She felt sick watching this, almost as sick as she felt when Jethro talked to her and the other girls about how the show depicted their treatment of Spike as more like a servant than anything. Since that particular conversation, Twilight had done her best to make up for it. While the episode might have ended on a light note, Twilight couldn’t see it that way.

Sunset looked just as horrified, and Spike had even gone to the bathroom to throw up. “Holy shit,” Sunset said in a whisper, “that’s…fucked up…”

“Damn right,” Spike said as he came out of the bathroom, wiping the water from his mouth with his sleeve.

Twilight sighed. “I see why Pinkie was so serious,” she said as she grabbed a scroll and a pen. “Spike, when I’m done writing this, could you send a letter to the Princess?”

“You don’t want me to write it for you?” Spike asked.

Twilight smiled at him. “You’ve written for me for years, Spike. I’m perfectly capable of writing a letter.” She pulled the cap off of the pen she’d gotten from Jethro, wrote a quick but neat letter to the Princess, sealed it, then floated it over to Spike. “Thank you, Spike,” she said after the letter was sent off. “Do you want to play some Skyrim on the computer for a couple of hours?”

Spike’s expression lifted and he smiled. “Can I?”

“Just for two hours,” she said. “I’ll order us some pizza tonight.”

Spike looked more excited at that. “Double cheesy?”

“Yes, Spike. Double cheesy, just how you like it.” She got up, gave Spike a warm hug before letting him sit at her desk and start up the video game he’d become obsessed with.

As she and Sunset walked away towards the door, Sunset leaned in. “You’ve been spoiling him more so than normal lately. Does that have something to do with what Jethro talked about with you and the other girls?”

Twilight nodded. “He showed us some examples of how the show versions of us treated him. I’ve been treating him less like a brother and more like an assistant. I love him and I’m afraid he might be learning the wrong things. He should have a foalhood, or hatchlinghood, or whatever the Dragon equivalent is. I can’t believe I never realized…”

“You’re overcompensating, Twilight,” Sunset said. “Besides, I see how he looks at you. He loves you like a little brother loves a big sister.”

“What if he realizes what a bad sibling I am? What if he hates me for the rest of his life?! What if-?!”

Sunset put a hoof against her lips. “Easy there, Twilight. Stop worrying. You’ve realized your mistake now, right?” Twilight nodded softly. “Then that’s good. It’s good you’re trying to make up for it, but don’t overcompensate or you’ll make Spike into a second Blueblood. Or a second Blueblood before his fiancée got to him.”

Twilight knew Sunset was right, but she wanted to make things right with Spike, even if all of what had happened to Spike in the show hadn’t happened yet. Still, Sunset’s words did make her feel a bit better. “Thanks, Sunset.”

“Eh, don’t mention it,” the orange Unicorn replied.

“Twilight! Princess Celestia just sent a message!” Spike said, rushing over with a scroll in his claws.

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said as she took the letter and opened it. She quickly read over it and breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank Celestia…she’s going to have a team of Ponies fill the pond with stones and rocks and have the best enchanters try and disenchant the area so nopony else can use it.”

Sunset nodded. “Celestia seems to be more hands on now than when I was her student,” she observed as the two sat on a couch. Sunset grabbed her smartphone and opened it up, connecting to the staticnet.

Twilight sat next to her. “She has been more hooves on. I wonder why…?”

“Well anyway, are you ready to research more magic that humans made up?” Sunset asked, projecting her phone screen.

“Yes please!”

12 The Equality Equation (What If?)

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Celestia’s sun rose over the unusual rock formations that surrounded the walled town of Fair Haven, Equestria. Only a few hundred miles or so west of Manehattan, the fastest growing village in Equestria was covered in an early morning mist which covered the grassy plains and the small forest which had sprung up at the edge of the wall four years prior after a massive magical mishap. The guards along the walled town were the only ones awake at the early hour.

That was, until an alarm went off in a very unusual looking house.

Thirty four year old Jethro Bethridge was woken from sleep by the sound of his phone alarm blaring. “We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.”

The sound stopped and Jethro felt himself being shoved gently by a pair of velvety and very light purple hands from his right. “Nnng…do you really have to play that damned Borg shit as your alarm every morning, dear?” a familiar Unicorn voice asked from beside him.

“Oh, I agree,” a second voice said from his left. A deep azure wing lightly spread and covered Jethro’s face as the second mare in bed with him, a moderate azure furred and white maned and tailed anthropomorphic Pegasus, sat up and stretched, pulling the covers off of her, revealing her perfect nude body and her cutie mark, a crescent moon surrounded by two white feathers. The Pegasus turned and looked back at Jethro. “Can’t you come up with something a little bit cooler?”

“You sound just like Rainbow Dash,” Jethro muttered as he, too, sat up, letting the sheets fall off from him. He stretched his own wings, then turned to the first voice, only to find himself staring into the most beautiful purple blue-ish eyes on the planet. His once normal Unicorn turned Anthro wife, Starlight Glimmer, looked at Jethro with bleary eyed annoyance. He chuckled a bit and sat up, stretching. “Does it bother you that much? I’m sorry, I just like that line.”

“Well, it is getting a bit old,” Starlight said as she sat up, letting the sheets of their bed fall away, revealing her naked top as well. She stretched, arching her back and sighing. “I like that Star Trek show too, don’t get me wrong, but hearing that Borg voice every morning is getting on my nerves.”

Jethro sighed and turned to the other mare in bed with him, the second wife he’d married, an Anthro Pegasus mare. Not only was Night Glider his flight instructor, but a close friend and now his second wife. “What would you like to hear, Nighty?”

Night, who was already up and grabbing some clothes from the dresser, stopped and turned, a thoughtful look on her face as she gave Jethro a full view of her naked body. Jethro could see how slender Night Glider was, but he could also see hints of muscle in her arms and legs. She also had toned stomach muscles. “What about that Dragonborn song from that Skyrim game you like so much?” she suggested.

Starlight stood and arched her back, putting her hands on her back. From where Jethro was sitting, he could see how physically different Starlight was. She had slightly more curves than Night Glider, but she was definitely in shape, especially from the morning calisthenics that Jethro had introduced to the entire town after what had become known as The Change, where the Ponies in town had morphed into their new Anthro forms. He also caught a glimpse of the cutie mark on the side of her buttocks, a purple and white star with two two-toned glimmering streams. She turned to her fellow herdmate and nodded. “Yeah, you know, that’s not a bad idea.”

Jethro pulled the covers off and stood. He was wearing nothing but his boxers. “Okay, okay, you got me convinced,” he chuckled as he grabbed his phone and began changing the alarm settings. “Aaand…done!”

“Why’d you set it, anyway?” Starlight asked. “You have the day off.”

“We all have the day off,” Night Glider said with a frown. “I was looking forward to sleeping in.”

“I forgot to turn it off,” he replied sheepishly. “Sorry. But we can go back to sleep if you want.”

“Nah, I’m already up, so I might as well get ready for the day” Night Glider said as she pulled out a pair of black jogging shorts, a dark green tank top along with a white pair of panties and a purple sports bra. “Besides, I’ve gotta stay in shape. Don’t wanna be lazy. No rest for the weary.”

As Starlight began digging through the dresser for some clothes of her own, Jethro walked over to Night Glider and put his hands on her shoulders, digging his thumbs into her back firmly. Caught off guard, the Pegasus’ wings stiffened a little bit before she relaxed and leaned back against him. “Just because you’re part of Fair Haven’s weather team doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get a break every now and then,” he said softly.

Night turned and looked over her shoulder, giving him a grin. However, it was the eyes that told everything. Those beautiful brilliant cerulean eyes that beamed and were full of love for him. “A mare could get used to this spoiling,” she said, reaching her hand up and cupping the back of his head gently.

Jethro was about to reply when a second presence made themselves known. A pair of slender purple arms wrapped around Jethro’s waist as two mounds pressed against his back. Starlight put her chin on Jethro’s right shoulder and looked up at him with a pouting expression. “Where’s my massage?” she asked. “My back has to carry these all day.” With that, she further pressed her breasts against him.

Night Glider looked at her herdmate and snorted in a very horselike manner. “You think your back hurts? Moving clouds ain’t no picnic. And besides, mine are just as big as yours.” She put one hand on her breast and jiggled it. “See?”

Starlight rolled her eyes and gave Night Glider a playful glare. “It isn’t my fault that your back hurts from lifting that ego of yours.”

“This coming from a Unicorn who won’t stop boasting about how she created a whole section of our town’s wall with her magic?” Night retorted with a sneer. “Look who’s talking about ego!”

Jethro, caught in the middle, just smiled at this banter. Night Glider and Starlight had been playfully adversarial in the two years since the herd had formed. Despite that, however, he knew they were close friends. It always showed on nights where Starlight had nightmares about her time as the Our Town cult leader. Night Glider and Jethro had been there to comfort her until she calmed down, the former showing her tender and caring side in those private moments. Events like that invariably led to tender lovemaking, where both Jethro and Night would comfort Starlight.

“Ladies, ladies, please,” Jethro said, raising his hands, “as fun as it is being between two nubile mares, I’d very much like to use the bathroom. The shower’s all yours.”

The two mares looked at each other, then at Jethro. As one, they briefly pressed themselves closer to him before releasing him. “You don’t know what you’re miiiiisiiiing,” Starlight said in a sing-song tone as she walked to the house’s main bathroom, swaying her hips and raising her tail seductively.

“Oh behave, baby, yeah!” Jethro replied, imitating Austin Powers as he went to grab some clothes as well. He turned and watched Night Glider sway out towards the shower behind Starlight, noting the sway in the Pegasus’ own hips as she joined her fellow herdmate in the now running shower.

Throwing his change of clothes on the bed, which consisted of a gray pair of sweatpants, a dark red zipper hoodie and a dark blue t-shirt with an image of the original U.S.S. Enterprise from Star Trek on the chest, Jethro used the half bath connected to their bedroom, washed his hands, then walked to the closed bathroom door. He could hear the two mares showering together and talking. “What are your plans for today?” he asked.

“I’m planning on going to Sugar Belle’s house to spend some time learning from her,” Starlight said. “I want to learn more.”

Jethro chuckled. “Gonna make some more baked goods with her, eh?”

“What can I say? I like to bake,” Starlight replied.

“Almost as much as you like kites?” Jethro asked, crossing his arms and smirking

Starlight giggled and. “Yes, babe. Almost that much. And almost as much as I love you.”

He stuck his tongue out and made a raspberry noise. “Bite me.”

“Tonight,” Starlight promised. After a few seconds, she added, “Hey, after a shower, I’ll go get breakfast started for us all. Eggs, toast with jam, and orange juice sound good to you?”

Jethro nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good, but are you sure you want to make it? I’m perfectly capable-”

“Jethro, we’ve discussed this,” she called out to him as he heard her get into the shower. “We’re all three of us equal partners in this marriage. You made dinner for all three of us last night, so now it’s my turn to make us breakfast.”

“Don’t forget me,” Night Glider said. “I need the practice.”

“Last time you tried, you somehow burned the cereal,” Starlight retorted.

“Yeah, I’ve no idea how that happened,” Night Glider replied, sounding sheepish. “But I want to practice. Maybe I’ll tag along with you to Sugar Belle’s.”

“We can try, but after last time I’m not sure she’ll be too excited to see you,” Starlight said.

“I paid for the scorched wall, didn’t I?” Night Glider replied. “I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong!”

“Relax, Nighty,” Jethro said, trying to calm her down. “Tell you what, why don’t you and I have a private cooking class sometime soon? I can watch and see what you’re doing wrong.”

“You promise?” Night Glider asked, sounding a bit vulnerable.

“I promise.” Jethro smiled. “On a similar note, I’m making dinner tonight. We’re having the latest citizen of Fair Haven over for dinner, remember?”

“Maud Pie, right?” Starlight called back.

“That’s right. Sister to the Element of Laughter.”

“That pink menace from the cartoon?” Night Glider asked.

“That’s the one,” Jethro chuckled.

“What are you gonna make?” Starlight asked.

“I was thinking a Lobster Thermidor aux crevettes with a Mornay sauce, garnished with truffle pâté, brandy, and a fried egg on top, and Spam,” Jethro joked in a high pitched voice.

Starlight snorted as she said, “I’m sure she’ll enjoy that.”

“No, but in all seriousness, I think I’ll break out some of that garlic bread mix and go get a baguette from Baked Goods place today. Then I was thinking spaghetti and those veggie meatballs with parmesan cheese and possibly wine as a side.”

“Heeey, that sounds good!” Night Glider said.

“Agreed,” Starlight said. “Oh, honey? While you’re out there, do we have any more shampoo and conditioner mix? Looks like we’re almost out. Nighty here used up half the bottle to condition that mane of hers despite the fact that she’s just gonna put on a tone of hair product in anyway.”

“Hey! I’m a Pegasus! Our mane needs to be like that! It’s aerodynamic!”

“On it.” Jethro walked over to the hallway closet. Opening it, he looked through the closet and found one of the bottles. He grabbed it and held it in his hand, which began to glow. The bottle began glowing as well and then a second bottle materialized in the closet where the original bottle had appeared. Putting the first bottle down, he grabbed the duplicate and walked into the bathroom, handing the bottle to Starlight. “Here we are.”

“Thanks, baby,” Starlight said as she grabbed it.

“If I can’t do any baking or cooking practice today, I’ll probably go for a fly,” Night Glider said as Jethro walked out of the bathroom.

“Don’t you already get enough flight exercise?” Starlight asked in a teasing tone.

“That’s work related. I need to let loose and try and recreate that Sonic Rainboom I did,” Night Glider replied. “So nyah!” There was a brief pause, then- “Ow! Don’t bite my tongue, bitch!”

“Don’t make me come back in there,” Jethro said teasingly.

“Promises, promises,” Starlight said in a seductive voice before she began moaning. “Ahh…ahhh! Yameteee!”

“Nerd!” Jethro called out as he returned to his room, the sound of his herdmates laughing following him in. He once more looked out of the window at the cool summer morning sun as it rose over the town and glistened over the northern Crystal Mountains. The morning mist was just beginning to be burned away by the rising sun as thought back to the events that had brought him to Equestria…

Four years. Jethro had been in Equestria for four interesting years. He’d gone to sleep one morning back on Earth in February 2022 and then had woken up the next morning with him and his house displaced in the middle of a dry plain surrounded by unusual rock formation. A plain with a town that was under construction by Ponies. Honest to God Ponies, like the ones from the My Little Pony show he’d just started to watch the night prior. Not only that, but his house had come with him, along with access to a static version of the internet, electricity and water.

Jethro was greeted pleasantly enough by the leader Pony, a Unicorn named Starlight Glimmer. However, something about her had just felt off to him. Not only that, but the smiling Ponies in town were reminiscent of the smiles of people who were either brainwashed or in a cult. He knew at once that he was in a dangerous situation, especially since the Starlight Glimmer Pony was a powerful mage according to Athena, the soul of an Alicorn that had fused with him. She immediately told Jethro to watch the rest of the show, especially a two-part episode named The Cutie Map. When he did watch the show and that particular episode, he knew he was in trouble immediately.

For the first month, Jethro laid low, helping the Ponies of the yet to be named town build their buildings. Starlight seemed to take a particular interest in him, especially about his ideas on equality. He was all too glad to share his thoughts, especially since he was hopeful he could try working to convince her that while equality was a noble goal, she was going about it the wrong way. They had polite conversations about their varied views, and he could see that he was beginning to make some progress.

That was when the magical accident had occurred.

A month later, Jethro was on a lunch break with Starlight and a few other townsponies in the center of town around the communal lunch table that had been set up. Jethro had been experiencing some pain in his back, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. Starlight had even walked on his back a few times to massage the pain away, and it had worked somewhat. However, on that particular day, the pain was less than it had been.

Suddenly, he felt a nearly unbearable pain from two points on his upper back. Screaming, he’d collapsed, unable to move or even think except for the pain. Starlight and the others around him sent for the town physician, a Doctor Charlie Horse. However, before the stallion could arrive, Jethro began glowing the colors of the rainbow. From what he’d been told afterwards, he’d floated up and with a final scream, two massive silvery wings with golden tips had sprung from his back, along with a massive rainbow explosion which spread across the entire town.

Despite their distance from the vault where the cutie marks were stored, the magical explosion released a wave that managed to somehow destroy the specially tempered glass holding the cutie marks in place, releasing them. But that wasn’t all. The vast explosion spread across the town with a radius of about ten miles in every direction, saturating the soil with an unusual magic. A magic that transformed the entire Pony population into anthropomorphic versions of themselves instantly and painlessly.

When everyone came to and saw their cutie marks back, most of them began to panic thanks to Starlight’s indoctrination, but Jethro, quick to act, grabbed the still unconscious Unicorn and brushed the makeup off of her ass, revealing that she had never really gotten rid of her cutie mark. Before she could wake, the town’s sheriff placed a magical dampening ring on her horn. Athena chose that moment to intervene, teaching Jethro the spell she used on the other Ponies. With his new magic, he made her just like the Ponies of her town used to be, markless as a punishment.

Thanks to this, Jethro was named the new Mayor of the town, which was renamed Fair Haven. Because of their new bipedal forms, the Ponies of Fair Haven had to quickly make clothes for themselves to cover up. Initially, the clothes worn were based off of Jethro's own style, which was based more on comfort than anything. For a while, the townsfolk wore hoodies, sweatpants, cargo jeans, and simple t-shirts, but as Jethro introduced the clothes makers in town to human clothing, they developed their own fashion. The main seamstress of the town, one Garter Belt, became wealthy practically overnight thanks to her clothes now needing to be mandatory. It was an unusual transition for them, but nobody wanted to have all of their private areas exposed. Not only that, but their normal fur seemed to have grown shorter, leaving clothes a necessity to keep warm especially in the winter months.

As for Starlight, the townsponies wanted to further punish her for her crimes, but Jethro stood up for her, much to their surprise. It was then that he revealed the show to the entire town, sharing what he knew about Starlight's past, much to her embarrassment and frustration. She broke down after he showed everyone the two-part episode. Jethro took it upon himself to rehabilitate Starlight and become her first true friend after Sunburst. He only gave her cutie mark back after two months, when she had made restitution to the town.

As the months passed, Jethro helped Starlight to overcome her own past trauma. In return, she’d begun to teach him how to use his new magical abilities. Not only that, but she began to fill a hole in his heart that he felt would never be filled again. He also began spending a lot of time learning to fly from Night Glider, the town’s expert on flying and member of their weather team. He began growing closer to each of them until he realized he had begun developing feelings for them both. It came to a head one Hearth’s Warming Eve where he almost had a breakdown.

It was then that the two introduced him about the idea of herds. They explained the idea to him calmly. It had been a shock to learn about that, but the conversation that followed on that snowy evening had eased his frayed nerves. He then began dating them simultaneously and the three became closer.

Winter turned to spring, and when spring came, the entire town woke one morning to find that the area affected by the magic released during Jethro’s ascension had become not only fertile, but hyper fertile. Grass and trees had sprung up practically overnight, the latter especially around the perimeter of the affected land. With a few tests, it was discovered that seeds planted would grow at nearly twice their normal speed and would provide very nutritious fruits and vegetables, many almost twice their normal size. Farms sprang up over the next few months, leading to a vast and plentiful harvest that autumn. Thanks to that, Jethro introduced the holiday of Thanksgiving to the town, a holiday they readily accepted.

The town also learned of one more side effect of the magical burst. It started when they received an unusual visitor in the form of one Sunburst. Jethro, Night Glider and Starlight were on the outside of the affected area having a picnic when they spotted the lone Unicorn. To say that Sunburst was alarmed to see his old friend as an anthropomorphic Pony mare would be an understatement. He was further shocked to learn that the strange creature with her had been accidentally responsible. He joined them in their picnic where Sunburst and Starlight discussed possible explanations. However, since neither of them could determine what had happened with any certainty, Sunburst asked for permission to see the spot where the accident had occurred.

The moment Sunburst had stepped through the new treeline that had sprung up around the town, he’d collapsed, surrounded by a rainbow glow. Jethro, Starlight and Night Glider had watched helplessly as the orange Unicorn began to morph and transform into a full anthropomorphic version of himself. They’d taken him back to their home (Jethro, Starlight and Night Glider were living together in Jethro’s house by this time), given him fresh clothes and treated the injury he’d gotten on his head when he collapsed.

He’d been understandably freaked when he woke in a new body, but had eventually calmed down. He and Starlight studied the epicenter of the magical explosion and after a week of study finally determined that the effect of the magical disturbance was a permanent one. Sunburst, having recently flunked out of Celestia’s School, had been looking for a place where he could settle down. He decided to stay in town and see if he could figure out a means of reversing the transformation.

And eventually, he had. However, it took a considerable amount of power to transform a Pony back, and it had to be done outside the barrier. Even then, the transformation could easily be undone if a Pony crossed back into the affected area.

Not wanting any other Pony to be accidentally affected by this, Jethro authorized the construction of a massive wall around the affected areas and guard towers to warn Ponies from entering the territory.

A year later, construction of the wall as well as an irrigation system for the vast quantities of extremely fertile crops around the town had been completed. The town’s population had also doubled. Fair Haven had become a home for misfits and vagabonds all around Equestria and beyond. Not only did Ponies come, but members of other races as well. The same thing had happened to them the moment they crossed the threshold: all became Anthro versions of themselves. On the same day the wall was christened, Jethro, Starlight and Night Glider were married in a ceremony of special magnificence.

Four years had passed since Jethro had arrived in Equestria, and nearly three years had passed since he’d married Starlight and Night Glider. The town of Fair Haven was now over two thousand strong. Ponies, Griffons, Dragons and more from all walks of life lived in peace with each other. A few Dragons and Griffons patrolled the wall along with some of the stronger Ponies in town to make sure that nobody else accidentally crossed the threshold, which had become known to the townsfolk as the Bethridge Barrier, much to his chagrin. His run as the town’s first mayor was still in effect as he’d won the election two years after his first term started. Nothing else unusual had happened during those years save for the arrival of newcomers from all over the world.

Only two weeks ago, however, a Pony that Jethro had recognized had shown up pulling a large cart. She asked to speak to the leader of the town, and Jethro had gone to meet her. It was Maud Pie, sister to one Pinkie Pie. She’d explained that she had visited this place before and hadn’t expected to find it so changed. Jethro, with the help of Starlight and Night Glider who came to help him explain the situation to her.

To everyone’s surprise, Maud had shown interest in studying the geological aspects of the magical field. She didn’t seem to mind having to undergo a transformation into an anthropomorphic Earth Pony. She decided to take up at least temporary residence in the town so she could study the gems and rocks in it and the surrounding areas. After her transformation, Garter Belt had given Maud a set of clothes and a cloak matching her old one in color and style. She’d been given temporary housing in Starlight’s old house while a new one was constructed some distance away from the town proper.

The day before, Jethro had met and talked with Maud after his shift at Town Hall was done. He found her perfectly pleasant to talk to and had invited her over for dinner the following night. He’d half expected her to turn it down, but she’d accepted.

He was brought out of his reverie by someone poking his cheek. He jumped and turned to see Starlight and Night Glider standing there, manes still a bit wet but fully clothed. “Shower’s free, love,” Starlight said, leaning in and kissing his cheek.

“Thanks,” he said as he grabbed his clothes while the two mares headed out towards the kitchen. “Just don’t burn everything down again, Nighty!”

“Fuck you!” she called back.

“That comes after dinner, sexy!” Jethro called out as he closed the door to the bathroom and started the shower up again. It didn’t take him long to wash his body, but his long hair took time. It grew relatively faster than it had ever since his wings sprouted. Not only that, but unless he tied it up, his hair seemed to flow in the wind like Celestia’s and Luna’s did in the show.

Breakfast was delicious as usual, and Jethro listened mostly to the barbs that Night Glider and Starlight exchanged. Despite that, he knew that the two were close friends now. It had taken them some time to be comfortable around each other, but their antagonism towards each other was how they expressed their friendship. And of course, whenever the three got up to their nightly escapades, they dropped the false antagonism and either ran him ragged or made him feel like a king depending on their mood and his.

After breakfast was over and the table cleaned of dirty dishes, everyone headed out. Night Glider spread her wings and shot off into the air while Starlight teleported out. Since Jethro had the day off, he decided he would just go wandering through town, looking in at the varying shops and businesses that had sprung up ever since the increasing arrivals of newcomers.

He walked through town for most of the morning, casually stopping into a few stores, such as Party Favor’s party supply shop, Double Diamond’s sporting goods store, and Feather Bangs music shop. The last Pony he remembered from the season seven episode where Sugar Belle got together with Big Mac. In secret, he called him the town’s Gaston. mostly because those three mare admirers of his, Swoon Song the Earth Pony, Fond Feather the Pegasus and Dear Darling the Unicorn, had reminded him of the Bimbettes from Beauty and the Beast. Despite the similarities, Feather Bangs didn’t have Gaston’s arrogance. Jethro had encouraged him to talk to the mares, but he had been nervous to talk to them at first. Jethro gave him some gentle encouragement about it and eventually the four had begun their own herd. They were even expecting foals at some point in the future.

As noon came around, he walked through the newly constructed section of the town where the majority of the non-pony population lived. As he did so, he smelled the delicious smell of roasting meat. It had taken some time, but the Ponies in town had grown to accept that other species now living in town had to eat meat to stay healthy. A Griffon farmer named Grant had managed to purchase a few acres of land where he raised cattle and other non-talking animals imported from Griffonstone as food stock. Grant’s farm was out of sight of town since the Ponies and other herbivore races didn’t particularly want to know where the meat came from, especially if it looked like Equestrian cows, pigs, sheep and other creatures that could talk, unlike their Griffonstone counterparts.

He passed by a larger restaurant and caught a whiff of the towns local burger joint. Looking up, Jethro saw that the sign above the door was of a stylized cheeseburger with all the fixings with two pale white horns sticking out of the bun. Below, in blue ink on a white sign, he saw the words Downhome Diner. Grinning, he walked inside, knowing just who this restaurant belonged to.

Inside, he looked around at the well lit burger joint. He had been surprised at how much like a 1950s diner it looked when it first opened up a few months back. There were a few dragons, griffons and a minotaur sitting at the booths or at the barstools. He even saw a small group of Ponies in a corner eating what had to be veggie burgers. And standing behind the counter, with a pen and paper pad in her hand, was Clarabelle, a cow from Equestria who had become what Jethro called a holstaur after moving to Fair Haven after the farm she’d been a part of went under and she had nowhere to go.

That had been the bigger surprise about this place: the fact that a holstaur, a former herbivore cow, ran the place. When he’d asked about it, she shrugged and said it didn’t bother her much. Her reasoning was that a creature’s got to eat, and as long as the source of the food wasn’t talking like her Equestrian counterparts, she didn’t care.

Clarabelle was a twenty seven year old heifer who had white fur with caramel patches, two small pale white horns on her head, a cowbell around her neck, and an incredibly attractive figure to boot. She wore a pair of red overalls with a yellow shirt over it and a soda jerk paper cap on her head. She had shoulder length curly auburn hair.

Her ears perked forward when Jethro walked in. She brightened and waved. “Howdy, Mr. Mayor!” she said with a grin, “what brings you in today?”

“Lunch,” he chuckled as he headed to the corner barstool and took a seat. “The usual, please.”

“Triple cheese with bacon, hold the veggies,” Clarabelle recited as she wrote it down, “and I take it you want the small fries with ranch and a coke with no ice? We’re out of coke, so is Pepsi okay?”

Jethro snorted in amusement. He’d told her about that joke once, and now she used it whenever she could. Clarabelle was a wiz when it came to cooking or baking or even mixing sodas. He’d found a Coca Cola recipe online and had given it to her to replicate and sell in her diner. It had become an instant success and she could hardly keep up with the orders. “Got strawberry lemonade?” he asked.

“Eeyup! No ice, I take it?” she asked.

“Eenope,” Jethro replied. “You know me so well.”

“You’re one of my favorite customers, hon,” she cooed as she finished writing down the order. “It’ll be right out.” She tore off the paper, put it on an order rack and tended to another newcomer customer.

In the back, he heard the rumbling voice of the short order cook, a Griffon named Gilroy. He was fairly average when it came to Griffons, behavior-wise, but if he liked someone, he always treated them well. That was one reason why Clarabelle kept him in the back. He didn’t like too many people. Jethro was one of the lucky ones he did like, however.

A few minutes after Clarabelle handed him his meal order, he was chowing down hungrily on it and looking at his phone when someone sat next to him. Looking over, he saw the half open eyes of one Maud Pie giving him her standard emotionless look. She wore her normal shirt with a pair of sturdy looking black jeans and some hiking boots. Slung across her shoulder was her bag which was also dirty and full of her tools. Jethro had been surprised at how fast Maud had gotten used to her new body. She had actually mentioned that in many ways, the Anthro form she now possessed was far superior to her old form.

He was no expert on how to read her, but he could sense something was a bit off about her today. There was a very slight crease in her brow. Worried, Jethro put swallowed, grabbed a napkin, wiped his face off and said, “Hello, Maud. I didn’t know you came here.”

“Clarabelle’s veggie burgers are good,” she stated plainly, not taking her eyes off of Jethro. “And so is the cola.”

“Unfortunately, she’s out of that right now,” Jethro said.

“Then I’ll get some of that strawberry lemonade you have, light ice,” Maud said.

Clarabelle, who had been nearby, heard the order and wrote it down. As she put it on the order rack, Jethro asked, “Is something wrong? I might me mistaken, but you look a bit…worried.” Instead of answering, Maud reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a folded up pink note with blue fringe. There were a few pieces of confetti on it, which told Jethro everything he needed to know. “Is that a note from your sister?” he asked softly. She nodded. “What does it say?”

“She wants to come visit me here,” Maud said, and just for an instant, Jethro heard a very slight and unusual inflection in her voice at the word ‘here’. A worried tone. “She said she wants to come with her other friends. She wants me to pick a date.” She put it back in her pocket.

Jethro gave her his best reassuring tone. “Maud, it’ll be okay. We have guards posted around the wall and in the air to keep anyone from crossing without knowing the dangers. Starlight’s even been trying to find a way to cast a massive shield around the town so nobody will be accidentally turned Anthro.”

Maud’s eyes narrowed at that ever so slightly, which put Jethro on edge even more. The slight crease on her brow only increased. “That won’t be enough anymore,” she said, and when Jethro saw her eyes open somewhat more than he’d seen her do so either in real life or the show, he knew something was wrong.

“Alright, what’s wrong, Maud?” he asked quietly. “If there’s something that’s a danger to the town, I’d like to know.”

Her bottom lip twitched a bit, and she looked around the room. Jethro did the same, and saw that nobody else was looking their way. Everybody in the diner was more or less engrossed in their own meals or conversations. Returning his attention to Maud, he nodded at her. Leaning in, she whispered something that made his blood run cold. When she was finished, he looked back at her. “You’re sure of this?”

“Yes,” she said in that same monotone voice.

Jethro took a shaky breath. “Do…you mind if I get this confirmed by someone else?”

“Go ahead.”

Jethro nodded, pulled out his money pouch, and slapped down a small pile of bits on the counter. “Lunch is on me today. You’re still coming over tonight, right?”

“Yes. Should I bring anything?”

Jethro shook his head. “You’re our guest, Maud. I appreciate the thought, though. See you tonight, and thanks for bringing this to my attention.”

“No problem.”

Jethro grabbed a few napkins, wrapped the little bit of his meal that remained up in them, downed the remainder of the lemonade, and shot out of the restaurant right after thanking Clarabelle for the meal. He spread his wings and shot up into the air the moment he reached the side street, quickly passing the roofline and zooming back towards the original part of the town. He landed in front of Sugar Belle’s shop and rushed inside. “Starlight! Starlight!!”

I heard a yelp from the back, then a hiss of anger as Starlight, now wearing a somewhat stained apron and a baking hat. A confused Sugar Belle walked out behind the fuming Unicorn. “Jethro! You made me drop some dough everywhere!” Starlight shouted angrily.

However, her expression changed when she saw Jethro’s worried expression. Her anger was replaced with concern as he walked up and leaned in to whisper, “I need your help at the edge of town. Hurry. It’s an emergency.”

Starlight was immediately on alert. She turned to Sugar Belle. “Hey, sorry about this, but I need to go.”

Sugar Belle looked confused, but when she saw the look on Jethro’s face, an expression of understanding appeared on her face as she took the apron and hat Starlight had quickly removed. “Don’t worry about it. You helped me get ahead of schedule. I can handle the rest for today.”

“I’m really sorry,” Starlight repeated.

“Don’t worry about it, alright?” Sugar said with a kind smile.

Once the two were outside, Jethro grabbed Starlight’s hand and charged up a teleportation spell. Before Starlight could object, they were instantly on the road that lead to the main gate that lead out of the affected area of magic that transformed normal creatures into their Anthro counterparts. She stumbled as Jethro pulled her towards the gate. “What’s gotten into you!?” Starlight asked. “What’s wrong!?”

“I need you to confirm something for me,” he said as he rushed out of the gate, much to the confusion of the two Dragon guards standing there. He turned and pointed at the ground near the wall itself. “There. You see that there?” he asked, pointing at a small section of very short grass that was about an inch out from the wall. All parts of the wall.

Starlight walked over, knelt, and frowned as she touched the grass. She turned and narrowed her eyes at Jethro. “If this is another one of your touching grass memes-”

“The magic in the ground. Is there any magic in the ground?” Jethro asked worriedly.

Now confused, Starlight looked down and looked at the grass more closely. She raised her head and her horn began to glow. A patch of the grass also began glowing as she closed her eyes. Jethro watched, the tension in his gut only tightening. If what Maud had told him was really happening, then there was a major problem.

Starlight suddenly gasped and stood, looking down at the newly growing grass in horror. Before Jethro could say anything, she ran back through the gate, horn alight as she looked down at the ground next to the interior of the wall. To be on the safe side, Jethro had ordered that the wall be constructed at least a few feet away from the natural barrier which had spread out from the town. The natural barrier edge could be spotted because within it, grass grew in what had once been desert. The large amount of dust on the inside, however, looked pretty much the same as it had before.

That was, until Jethro saw Starlight walk up to a small patch of grass growing past the barrier. She knelt and performed the same spell she’d cast before. The patch of grass lit up and she concentrated. Finally, she stopped and stood, her face ashen as she turned to Jethro.

When he saw her face, he knew. He knew that Maud had been correct in her hypothesis. He knew that Starlight had confirmed it. He knew even before Starlight said it what had been happening under their very noses for the past four years.

The barrier that would transform any sapient creature into an Anthro was growing. It might be at a very slow pace, but it was growing. It might even begin to speed up, Jethro thought.

He sighed. He didn’t want to do this. He’d been perfectly content staying off of Celestia’s radar for the past four years, and especially Twilight’s. The town had managed to remain a secret from the crown for the past four years, but now? Now he might just have to call in someone who had more knowledge on magic than either him or even Starlight.

“Starlight, I think that it’s finally time. I think it’s finally time to meet the Elements of Harmony…”

13: A Different World (What If?)

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Jethro put down the book he had been reading and leaned back in the chair he’d been sitting in. He stretched and felt his joints popping as he relaxed and looked around the room he’d been sitting in for the past few hours. He was sitting in a large room full of books that stretched up to the ceiling, an arched window that let light in from the wintery scene outside, and a roaring fire in the fireplace in front of him. Above him, unlit, was a large chandelier with small opaque spheres that lit up at night without other sources of light. He reached over to the small table beside him and took a sip of one of Harmonholm’s best beverages, mulled apple cider from the Appledale Farm outside Harmonholm’s walls. He enjoyed the taste of the warm beverage that flowed smoothly down his throat. Looking down, he saw that he was almost out and he could see the bits of cinnamon that had formed near the bottom. Chuckling, he drank the rest, enjoying the cinnamon aftertaste before he stood and stretched. He put the book back in its proper place lest he elicit the wrath of the town’s local librarian Elora, the Elf maiden.

As he walked down the stairs towards the main level of the Gōldac Library, he saw young Prica, Elora’s adopted dragon sister, in a smaller section of said library organizing a few books. Nearby, he heard the voice of Elora muttering something in her native language. Stopping, he turned and entered the room. When Prica saw him, she beamed, dropped what she was doing, and ran over to him, hugging him tightly. “Fæd!” she exclaimed loudly, calling him by an ancient word for father.

Jethro chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, lifting the young drake up. “Hey, Prica,” he said warmly as he held the young dark purple dragoness, “helping Elora with some organizing?”

“Big sis says if I help, she’ll take me to get some spice cake from Halstán Bakery!” Prica said excitedly.

At that moment, Elora of the ancient Blican clan of Elves poked her head out from a nearby shelf. She looked like she was on one of the ladders attached to the shelves. “This is still a library, you two,” the light purple eyed and white-haired Elf woman admonished the two with a wiggle of her finger, “so keep quiet.”

“Sorry, big sis,” Prica said softly.

Elora’s smile returned and she slid down the ladder with the grace and beauty her race was known for in this world. She walked over to the two, looking over at Jethro and smiling warmly at him. “Did you find anything interesting up there?” she asked.

“I actually found some really amazing history books,” he replied, “and they read similarly to The Silmarillion so it held my attention. I read about the War of Three.”

Elora shook her head sadly. “Such a sad waste of life,” she said.

“Yes, yes it was,” he agreed, “but since it led to the founding of Freodlō̆nd, at least it had a good outcome.”

Elora nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I guess so. Still, I wish we’d learned to get along better earlier.”

“Sometimes, these things have to happen so that future generations can learn from them,” Jethro said. “I’m not saying war is a good thing, but people will make mistakes. What we need to do is learn from them.”

Elora sighed and took Prica from his hands, holding the young drake close. “I can see your point,” she agreed, “and I’m just glad High Lady Sunnena and High Lady Mōnena managed to help bring peace to Freodlō̆nd for as long as they have.”

“Two thousand years of rule isn’t anything to sniff at, especially by two Alvs,” Jethro agreed. He looked at his digital watch. “Oh! I’m gonna be late!”

“Where are you off to?” Elora asked.

“Pyria’s place,” Jethro said, “she promised to help me pick out a few clothes to wear around. My winter clothes work for Earth winter, but Eridain’s weather up here can be nippy even for my clothes.”

“Going anywhere after that?”

Jethro shrugged. “Wherever the wind takes me, I suppose,” he said.

Elora chuckled and reached out her soft snow-white hand. It was surrounded in a light purple magic and the empty mug that was still in Jethro’s hands flew out and into her hand. “Then go,” the Elf librarian said with a chuckle, “you know better than to keep that woman waiting.”

Jethro nodded, gave her a quick hug, and headed down the stairs and out into Harmonholm’s streets.

The town of Harmonholm was large, spreading out across the large Drútavale in which the town had been founded five hundred and twenty-three years prior. It was a mix of various styles of buildings, ranging from houses built inside Elvenhome Trees like the library to houses made of hardened and magically infused rock and stone with diamonds for windows. Even the houses of the Fae were unique, being made of massive enduring leaves of the last of the Farsight Forest before its near destruction during the War of Three. There were other more common looking houses that one might expect to see in a medieval town, too, and these were some of the more modern houses.

Even in the bitter cold of midwinter, this close to the Winterwand holiday the streets were decorated with many different colored magical lights which adorned the many medieval looking houses and businesses around the town. There were red and green banners, plenty of holly wreaths hanging on doorframes, and Elves, Dwarves and Fae were walking or flying to and fro, buying many different presents or foods for the Winterwand feast in two days’ time. Jethro could even smell the mouthwatering scent of roast turkey, chicken, ham, and various sweet smells that he’d come to associate with the holiday season around the town.

Many of the inhabitants of the town saw him walking quickly through the snowy winter day and waved at him. It wasn’t hard to spot Jethro among the crowd since he was a human, and they were a race out of myth in this world. Jethro remembered speaking to a teal eyed Elf woman for days about humans. She was an expert on them, at least according to the myths about them in this world, and was eager to learn more and unlearn any false beliefs about them.

As he walked through the snow, he turned a corner and almost collided with three young girls who were running through the snow and playing. “Whoa, there!” he shouted as he stopped. Looking down, he saw who they were. They were a rambunctious trio of girls who called themselves The Three Musketeers. They’d actually met at a party thrown to celebrate the birthday of one of the richest Dwarf girls in town, Tiwaya of Clan Battleborn, and they quickly became fast friends. Jethro had been there as well, and they’d asked what kind of name their new secret society could have. His mind had immediately gone to Alexandre Dumas’ novel, and they’d taken it for their own.

“Oh! Jethro!” one of them, a young Dwarf girl named Blósma Appledale, said as she looked up at the human with light orange eyes. She pushed her dark brown hair aside as it had moved in front of her face. “Sorry about that,” she apologized.

Jethro chuckled and knelt in front of the three. “And where are you three off to in such a rush?” he asked.

Swyit, an Elf of the Gliman clan, who had light blonde hair and green eyes, replied, “Halstán Bakery! We’re getting some spice cake and some of that ice cream stuff you invented!”

“I didn’t invent ice cream,” Jethro chuckled, “but I’m glad you enjoy it.”

“It’s almost as amazing as Flare Swiftwind!” the Fae of the group, a young olive skinned, grayish purple eyed and black-haired little girl named simply Icefeather, said as she hovered above her two friends with a wide smile.

“You never find anything as amazing as Flare,” Swyit said with a roll of her eyes.

Icefeather landed on the Elf girl’s back and giggled, “Because it’s true.”

Jethro chuckled, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a leather pouch. He dug in and pulled out three gold pieces each and handed one to each of them. “Here,” he said with a smile, “have some treats on me today.”

The three girls’ eyes widened at the amount of money they now held in their hands. With a quick “Thank you!” they rushed off to the Halstán Bakery, laughing and telling each other just what they’d get with their new fortune.

Shaking his head, he stood and walked on. Eventually, he made his way to Pyria’s place. Her clothing boutique sat somewhat apart from the other shops and businesses on Harmonholm’s main road. Like most other buildings in the village, Pyria’s Boutique was not only named after its founder, but had a unique style to it. The building itself was built into an Elvenhome tree but the first floor of the tree itself had been shaped by magic to resemble a cut gemstone. He walked up and pushed open the heavy door. From inside, he heard “One moment!”

“Take your time, Pyria,” Jethro chuckled.

“Oh Jethro! It’s you!” the voice of the Elven fashionista said. “I’ll be right down!”

Jethro smiled and took a seat in one of Pyria’s cushioned seats that she’d bought from High Byrin, the capital city of Freodlō̆nd, and looked around the main level of the store. It was large and mostly circular, with massive displays of clothes for men and women of all races. Most were winter gear but there were some Winterwand themed ones, consisting of red and green and some white.

Pyria came rushing down the stairs, her long golden hair tied back in a ponytail and her dark purple eyes glistening as she smiled. “Darling, so glad you could come by!” she said.

Jethro stood and accepted the hug that she gave him. “Well, it is getting too cold for my clothes to handle,” he admitted sheepishly as the two broke the hug, “and I know you’re the best at clothing enchantment in all of Harmonholm.”

Pyria smiled. “Unless you know some other Elf I don’t know about,” she said, “you’ve come to the right place!” She took his hand and began pulling him eagerly towards another door, beyond which her main workstation lay. “I’m sure you know what to do by now,” she said as she closed the door behind them.

“I do,” he said as he began to take off his clothes. Soon he was only in his boxers and a tank-top and standing in the middle of the room. “I’m ready.”

Pyria smiled and began measuring him. This didn’t take long as she was an expert at this already, and soon she was busily sewing a few clothes for him. “This shouldn’t take too long for me to finish,” she said, “so if you have any other place you need to be, you don’t have to stick around. Come back anytime, and bring your own clothes so I can enchant them too. For now, though, I can create some enchanted clothes for you so you won’t have to freeze to death.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said, knowing that the young Elf didn’t particularly like people looking over her shoulder while she worked. “I guess I’ll head over to Luida’s place for something to eat.”

“Do say hi to that happy hardworking Dwarf for me, would you dear?” Pyria asked without looking up from her workstation.

“I will,” he said as he took his leave.

Halstán Bakery, run by a Dwarf couple, was one of the most popular establishments for pastries of all kinds, including cakes and other sweet confectionaries. Luida of the Hardhelm clan, a Dwarf who enjoyed a good party, worked there as one of their chief bakers. Jethro entered and was immediately hit by the smell of baked bread, mead and ale and sweet pastries, some of which were brand new to the bakery, having been introduced by Jethro when he’d arrived.

His presence didn’t go unnoticed as he received a number of hails and greetings from the nearby customers who saw him entered. He was also quickly greeted by the very Dwarf he’d come to see. Luida seemingly appeared out of nowhere and was immediately in Jethro’s face, beaming at him. “Hi, Jethro!” she said happily. She was short as most Dwarves were, about four and a half feet or so tall and very strong. However, she was still very clearly female and had more curves than most other female Dwarves he’d seen. Her bright blue eyes were wide with happiness and her dark brown hair was tied back in a bun. “What brings you by??”

“Just came over for some of that delicious stew inside a bread bowl and some cake,” he replied.

“Anything to drink?” Luida asked.

“A light mead,” Jethro said.

“Over here!” a familiar voice called out from one of the window seats. Jethro turned and saw Elora and Prica sitting with the Musketeers.

“Go ahead and sit down, Jethro,” Luida said, “and I’ll get your order over soon. The beef and potato stew, right?”

“Yep,” he said. As Luida walked away, Jethro walked over to the booth where the five were seated and took a seat on the edge next to Elora. Looking over at the Musketeers, he grinned. “Decided on some holiday treats, I see,” he said, pointing to the eggnog ice cream which he’d helped introduce as a holiday staple.

The three girls nodded. “It’s delicious!” Icefeather said.

“Oh, definitely!” Prica, who was eating a bowl of the same sort of ice cream herself, nodded in agreement.

Elora was eating a holiday fruit bowl along with a couple bread rolls and a soup that, when Jethro had tried it, reminded him of miso. She took one of the bread rolls and offered it to him, which he accepted gratefully. “Thanks,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” she replied warmly. “How was your visit to Pyria’s place?”

“Productive,” he replied. “She’s making me some enchanted clothes and told me to bring some of my own by later so she could enchant them.”

“Order up!” Luida said suddenly as she popped up with a tray. She placed Jethro’s order down in front of him. “Here you are, Jethy,” she said with a wide smile.

“Thanks, Luida,” he said. “Oh, Pyria says hi, by the way.”

Luida giggled. “That Elf is such a sweetie,” she said.

“Lu! There’s a spill at the bar!” a male voice called out from nearby. “Can you help clean it?”

“Coming!” the Dwarf called out. She rushed off, skipping and letting her bar maid outfit bounce around.

Jethro began eating, savoring the juicy meat and potato stew and letting the taste of the Dwarven brewed ale wash it down. As he ate, he heard a lute begin strumming nearby. He turned and saw an Elf playing. He recognized her as the same Elf who had the questions about humans. She sat there and strummed a tune before she started to sing.

In times gone by, in lands of old,
three diff’rent races made abode.
The Dwarves, the Fae and Elven kin
lived separate, till war began.

A war so terrible was fought
that many lands were there unwrought
The War of Three as now it’s called
shall be forever now recalled.

The forest trees, the halls of stone
meadows where fairies made their home
were marred and scared forevermore
which led them all to distant shores.

Across the Sea of Glass they came
a brand new land they wished to tame
and so they separately embarked
to find new homes and make their mark.

For many years distrust among
each race grew strong, with songs unsung
of friendship or of common ground
And animosity abound.

In ancient Hall of Shadowstone
the delving Dwarves did make their home
and there, at once, beheld the fire
of inner peace, which soothed their ire.

The flame was wrought into two rings,
given to those with magic and wings.
And now, those rings do grace the hands
of the two Alvs of Freodlō̆nd

And now we celebrate with glee
of happiness and harmony.
For Dwarves and Fae and Elven kin
are all at peace, until the end.

Jethro left the Halstán Bakery after finishing his meal. He was full and warmer now. Food from that place always kept him warm for hours after he ate it. He wandered through the town until he made his way towards the southern wall. The crowds were less there, but that was where one of his friends lived, and he wanted to wish her a Warm Winterwand, or a Merry Christmas.

As he approached the large Elven Tree where his friend lived, he couldn’t help but marvel at it. It was tall and the branches were currently laden with snow. Fluttering’s windows had three candle candelabras in them, each flame enchanted to be different colors. There were garlands of holly on the windowsills and a wreath on the door. Walking up, he knocked on the door. Inside he heard nothing, but after a bit, the door opened. There, standing in the doorway, was the Fae Fluttering Breeze. Her hair was pink with a few gold streaks which were braided while her pink hair was left straight. Her wings behind her were flapping slightly, shimmering with their magic. She was his height, but also slender with short pointed ears unlike Elven ears which were more elongated. She was wearing a long evergreen colored dress with a holly crown on her head. “Oh, my…Jethro…I didn’t realize it was our weekly tea time today,” she said in a hushed tone.

“Who’s that?” a voice called out from inside the house. A harsh but familiar tone. Another Fae came flying up, her hair shorter and bearing all the colors of the rainbow, with a big emphasis on red, orange and yellow. Her wings were similar in color to Fluttering’s but they flapped harder, making the athletic Fae hover above the ground. She was about as slender as Fluttering, albeit an inch or two shorter, and was wearing a festive red dress in a similar style to Fluttering’s. “Hey Jeth, didn’t expect to see you here,” Flare Swiftwind said.

“Same to you, Flare,” he said, “I just came to see how Flutters was doing and to wish her a Warm Winterwand.”

“Well come on in,” Flare said, grabbing Jethro and tugging him in before he or Fluttering could protest, “You’re probably freezing your ass off.”

Jethro groaned. She’d picked up some of his more unsavory language and now he was regretting it. Still, the warmth of Fluttering’s house was welcoming and he shivered involuntarily. “It is getting pretty cold outside,” he admitted.

“Oh my, I have something for that. Wait here,” Fluttering said as she rushed into her kitchen. The way a Fae ran was even graceful. Even a Fae like Flare was graceful in her own way.

As Jethro rubbed himself to get warm, Flare came over and began doing the same, but much faster. “You really need some new clothes,” she said.

“Yeah, I just got some ordered from Pyria,” he replied.

Flare nodded in approval. “About damn time you did that.”

“Hey, I’m a stubborn bastard sometimes,” he said, “and I like my Earth clothes, thank you.”

She rolled her eyes. “And they call Tara stubborn…”

“What’s this about Tara?” Fluttering asked as she brought a steaming hot mug of something sweet smelling.

“Just saying how this guy here is as stubborn as she is,” Flare said with a grin.

Jethro sighed. “I’m working on it, alright?” He took the mug gratefully, thanked Fluttering, and took a sip. She’d brought him hot vanilla milk with freshly grated nutmeg on top, which he drank slowly, letting the warmth course through his body. “Hot vanilla or hot chocolate, a drink like this is still amazing,” he said as he dabbed at his lips with his handkerchief.

“Flutters does make the best hot nilla out there,” Flare said, patting her fellow Fae on the back.

“Oh…my…you think so?” Fluttering asked, “even more than Luida?”

Flare looked around as if expecting the happy go lucky Dwarf to show up from somewhere, but then leaned in, lowered her voice and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Yep!” She stood back up and added, “She puts too much vanilla in hers. I like a lot of her other sweets, but she tends to go overboard. Yours is more like…oh…what’s the word I’m looking for?” Flare frowned and snapped her fingers, apparently trying to think.

“Comfort food?” Jethro offered.

She snapped louder and pointed at me. “Yes! That’s it!” She turned to Fluttering. “Yours is sweet but not too sweet. It’s just right!”

Fluttering blushed in the cute way she always did whenever someone was giving her a compliment. “Um…thank you,” she said, hiding behind her pink hair.

Jethro and Flare chuckled a bit at Fluttering’s reaction, and soon the shy Fae was laughing along. As the laughter died down, Jethro looked at the kitchen table and saw that there was a card game set up. “Oh, did I interrupt something?” he asked, nodding at the table.

Flare shook her head. “Nah, we were just finishing up a game of Go Fish,” she explained.

“Still can’t believe you like that game,” Jethro said with a shake of his head. “It doesn’t seem like something that you’d like. Too…girly.” He gave her a smirk.

Now it was Flare’s turn to blush. “Well, I do, so shut up,” Flare said, smacking his back with her wings.

“Hey, no judgement from me,” Jethro said defensively, moving away from her while he kept the smirk on his face, “I just said I’m surprised.”

Fluttering giggled cutely before she turned to Jethro. “Would you like to play a round with us?”

Appledale Farm, run by the Dwarven Appledale family, was a vast swath of land that lay just outside Harmonholm’s inner walls, as did many other farms. However, the Appledale Farm was the biggest and oldest in the town, having been the first to have been constructed five hundred and twenty-three years ago. Jethro could see the large stone structure of the Dwarven style house sitting near the inner edge of the town’s second outer walls. The farmland was surrounded itself by a smaller stone wall of its own. There were tall stone silos where the grain was stored, a large barn made of Dwarven bricks where the farm equipment lay, a watermill which used an offshoot of the great Sanguine River (which flowed through Harmonholm) to grind grain and a large building of Dwarven make where farmhands lived.

He, however, was heading towards the main house, a tall brick building where the Appledale family lived. As he approached, he saw the eldest of the Appledale family siblings. Macgrim Appledale, an unusually tall but still muscular Dwarf with dirty blonde hair and deep red eyes, was swinging an axe and chopping a number of pieces of wood in front of the house as Jethro approached. When the Dwarf spotted the human approaching, he put his axe down and removed the protective diamond goggles around his head. “Afternoon,” the stalwart and mostly silent Dwarf said politely.

“Good afternoon, Mac,” Jethro replied, nodding at him before turning to the house. “Is Tara home?”

“Yep,” Macgrim replied, “she’s with our grandmother checking on the brews downstairs.”

“Can I go see her?” Jethro asked, “I came over to pick up the barrels of mulled apple cider I bought.”

“You know the way,” Macgrim said, pointing to one side of the house, “so go ahead.”

Jethro thanked him and headed towards the outer basement door. It was open, and he could hear the echoing voices of two women coming up from the basement. The first one he heard was the voice of the grandmother, a nearly six hundred Dwarf woman named Smyta, as she was saying, “…not quite right yet. The taste is still wrong.”

“I guess so,” Tara’s voice echoed up from the bottom of the basement, and Jethro smiled. Hers was a distinctive voice, clearly feminine but with a strength behind it that I admired. “So…maybe another month?”

“Yes, my child,” Smyta said. Jethro heard the sound of a barrel lid being placed back on top of a barrel.

At that moment, Jethro reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the massive cellar. He was always impressed by the underground cave that the Appledale family had used for centuries to protect the aging caskets of various beverages they brewed for Harmonholm’s citizens. It was lit with torchlight and a few lit lanterns that hung from the ceiling. The barrels all sat on the ground with some lying on their side on shelves that were carved out of the walls themselves. The latter barrels had spigots in them and were labelled by type and barreling date. The cave seemed to go on for about the entire length of a football field.

When Tara and Matriarch Smyta heard the heavy wooden door creaking open, they turned as one. Tara’s eyes widened and she smiled wide. “Jethro! Good to see you!” Smyta was about a few inches taller than Luida. She was a rarity among Dwarves as she actually could tan pretty well even in winter. Her hair was a dark and dirty blonde and was tied up behind her in a bun. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the warm glow of the torches and lanterns.

“Greetings, young lad,” Smyta said warmly as well. Despite being over six centuries old, Smyta didn’t look a day over forty. She was a head shorter than her granddaughter and had pale skin, very light blonde hair with streaks of white in it, and piercing orange eyes. She, like most Dwarves her age, was extremely strong despite being in her golden years. She was actually holding one of the barrels all by herself which she set down among the others. “’Tis good to see you again.”

“And you as well, Matriarch,” Jethro said, bowing respectfully to the elder Appledale Dwarf. “Warm Winterwand to you.”

“And also to you,” Smyta and Tara replied automatically.

“Are you here to get the cider?” Tara asked.

Jethro nodded. “You said come by anytime today to pick it up, but it looks like I’m interrupting something. I can come back-”

“Nay, there’s no need for that,” Smyta said with a wave of her hand, “We are nearly finished here and can complete it later. Tara, provide him with the barrel and help him take it to his house. I shall retire for a brief repose before we finish. And we shall finish it together,” Smyta finished with a warning glare at her granddaughter.

Tara gulped nervously and nodded. “I-I understand,” she said.

“Good.” Smyta looked down the hall. “I shall tend to the lights before I retire. You two can head up without me. Let Macgrim know what we have found before you go, Tara.”

“I will, Grandmother,” Tara said as she turned to Jethro. “Come on, I’ll get the ponies hitched up to the cart and we can take the barrels to your house.”

“Sounds good,” Jethro said as he headed up the stairs beside her.

It didn’t take them long to hitch up two of the best ponies on the farm to the cart. Tara lifted five of the barrels onto the cart with ease, something that always impressed Jethro. He offered to help, but she said, “You’re our customer, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t do all the work.”

Ten minutes later, Jethro was seated on the pony drawn carriage with Tara as she maneuvered them through the holiday rush of Harmonholm’s streets. The two were greeted with many “Warm Winterwand!” and “Happy Holidays!” from the Fae, Elves and Dwarves wandering the busy streets. They greeted them back, but other than that they weren’t bothered much. They eventually reached the property that had been provided for him by the High Ladies where his house had been teleported after its initial deposit at the edge of the nearby Briarwood. The High Ladies had been gracious enough to grant him special dispensation as the only human in the world as well as a monthly stipend of two thousand gold coins as well. Still, he did do odd jobs around the town, such as repairs or helping businesses if they were understaffed. He helped out the most at Appledale Farm, helping with the harvest or reshoeing one of the ponies or horses if a horseshoe was tossed, or even helping Macgrim in his side business of smithing.

Macgrim was one of the best blacksmiths in town and would have gone on to do just that if his and Tara’s parents hadn’t suddenly disappeared without a trace some ten years ago. He stayed on at the farm despite their grandmother saying that it would be okay if he pursued his dream. Still, he persisted, and Smyta had dropped the issue. Jethro was learning a lot from him, and he had even shown Macgrim some techniques from the staticnet that he could incorporate into his smithing.

Tara led the cart to his house’s new stable. Jethro had asked for it to be built in the event that he bought a horse, which he planned on doing in the spring. After that, Tara unloaded the cart and carried the barrels to the also new stone shed which also had a smaller cellar dug underneath it for storage. She quickly took them to the cellar while at the same time bringing the empty barrels up so she could take them back to Appledale. Finally, when she was done, she wiped her brow of sweat. “Phew…you still have two barrels from the last time you bought some from us,” she said.

“I like having a healthy supply,” Jethro said, “especially since Flare tends to buy more from you guys than even I do.”

“That little woodsprite does love her cider,” Tara said with a chuckle.

Jethro joined in at that, and after a few moments, the chuckling died down. The two looked at each other with smiles on their faces. Suddenly, Tara launched herself at Jethro, pinning him to ground and straddling him while pinning his arms to the floor. The two looked at each other before Tara quickly leaned down, closed her eyes and locking lips with him ferociously. Jethro immediately got out of her grip and wrapped his arms around the Dwarf, pulling her closer and kissing her back with equal passion. Jethro felt Tara’s arms snaking around his back and heard her moaning into the kiss.

After a good long minute, they broke the kiss, both panting for breath and looking into each other’s’ eyes with desire. Tara stood and held out a hand to him. He took it and she hoisted him to his feet. “We’ve got time,” she said, pulling me to the door, “and I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Jethro said, “but are you sure?”

“Grandmother’s naps always last a few hours,” Tara said with a saucy grin, “and I know Mac will cover for me. Come on!” She pulled Jethro towards the door with more urgency.

Jethro chuckled and let her pull him towards his house.

Two and a half hours later, Jethro and Tara were cuddling under the covers in Jethro’s bedroom. Both were completely naked and spent, but there were smiles on both their faces. Jethro felt extremely satisfied, and the smile on Tara’s face indicated she felt the same. She pressed her surprisingly silky smooth body against his, tracing his chest with her fingers lovingly. “That was the best coupling yet,” she whispered softly. “You’re learning.”

“I have an amazing teacher,” Jethro replied, reaching down to gently stroke her smooth cheek.

She leaned into it and let her cheek be cupped in his hand. She leaned up after a while and kissed his tenderly. “Jethro…I love you so much…”

Jethro turned and kissed her again. “I love you too, Tara.”

The two lovers lay there, basking in the warmth not only of the heater and the blankets, but in their love for each other and the Winterwand season’s holiday glow.

14: Equestrian Meal Time (Non-Canon and Silly)

View Online

Scene: Sugarcube Corner

Jethro walks up to the counter, looks with seriousness at Cup Cake, and says, “Two dozen assorted cupcakes.”

Title Card: Super Neighopolitan Cupcake Cake! (What You Know About Sugar Comas?)

Scene: Sugarcube Corner Kitchen

Camera cuts to Jethro who’s standing with a serious looking Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash with holding a bottle of what looks like Jack Daniels in her wings while also wearing some aviator glasses, and Scarlet Dusk who’s got a serious look on her face as well. Jethro’s sporting a full beard this time and is looking up towards the camera. On the counter are two dozen assorted cupcakes and a ton of different Earth candies.

Jethro: “Equestrian Meal Time online cooking show, every Tuesday! Today, we’re changing the game again!” He points to the table and scene cuts to all the ingredients as he mentions them. “We’ve got two dozen cupcakes! Gay bacon strips! A liquid rainbow! All this f***ing candy!” Camera cuts back to Jethro. “That’s the real sh**! We’re making the biggest Neighopolitan cake in the history of Neighopolitans! Whatchu know about sugar comas?!”

Epic music starts as the camera cuts to someone mixing up dough, which is someone (with a pink hoof) adding butter and flour to a mixing bowl.

Friendship Counter:
30 points of FUN
50 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “We’re creaming butter like mares cream their pussies when they see this glorious beard. Only this won’t just excite us sexually, it’ll excite our taste buds.”

Cut to closeup of Scarlet adding eggs to the batter and using her hooves to mix.

Friendship Counter:
35 points of FUN
60 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “Hooff*** those chicks, you horny ass bitch!”

Camera pulls up to see a seductive looking Scarlet licking her hooves while giving bedroom eyes to the camera. Camera cuts to Jethro opening a bag of regular M&Ms and pouring it into some of the batter.

Friendship Counter:
64 points of FUN
100 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “M&M infusion in this first cake layer because we suck at cooking and we’re stupid.”

Camera cuts to Rainbow beating another batch, this time of chocolate cake batter.

Friendship Counter:
87 points of FUN
123 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “Rainbow Glasses on that whisking grind.”

Camera cuts to someone pouring in Hershey’s kisses into the batter.

Friendship Counter:
98 points of FUN
156 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “Time to kiss this second layer with an extra shot of chocolate!”

Camera cuts to Jethro and Rainbow with a glass of an amber liquid. Rainbow has a weight in one hoof and she’s doing curls. Both give a toast to each other.

Jethro voiceover: “Applejack Daniels Cider with friends. Whatchu know about friendship and magic?”

The moment they drink, the Epic Meal Time drinking sound begins. Camera cuts back to Pinkie blending some strawberries in a blender.

Friendship Counter:
120 points of FUN
182 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “Next level blending apparatus.”

Camera cuts to another circular level of cake batter. After a bit, the three large layers are placed in the oven.

Jethro voiceover: “Meticulous oven placement.”

Camera cuts to someone creating rainbow frosting.

Friendship Counter:
205 points of FUN
254 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “We hijacked a magical f***ing rainbow for this friendship-colored frosting. F***ing smart.”

Camera cuts to cake layers being pulled out of the oven and placed on the table.

Jethro voiceover: “Some assembly required for this culinary abomination.”

Camera cuts to someone pouring the rainbow frosting on top of the cake, letting it drip down. Music suddenly switches to calming sounds as there’s plenty of slo-mo shots of the frosting dropping down.

Jethro voiceover: Sensual tone “Mmm…I just wanna lick it all off…”

Camera cuts to full view of the towering cake, starting at the bottom, moving to the top, then pulling out. Epic music then comes back and switches to a view of one corner where Jethro is placing multicolored candy sprinkles on the cake.

Friendship Counter:
355 points of FUN
587 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro: “You can never have too many rainbow sprinkles, am I right, haters?”

Friendship Counter:
425 points of FUN
685 points of FRIENDSHIP

Camera cuts to someone putting Air Heads Xtreme candy strips on the frosting.

Friendship Counter:
652 points of FUN
980 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “Gay bacon strips. Gay bacon strips. Gay bacon strips. Gay bacon strips.”

Camera continues viewing the placement of the candy strips before cutting to Scarlet placing Twizzlers on the strawberry layer.

Friendship Counter:
780 points of FUN
1024 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro: “A-hwhatup, Twizzlers!?”

Camera switches to someone placing cupcakes on top of the layers.

Friendship Counter:
1000 points of FUN
1300 points of FRIENDSHIP

Jethro voiceover: “We put these cupcakes on the cake. Cupcake-ception for all the foals.”

Camera switches to a quick moving shot moving up from the bottom of the cake to the top, then moves away to view the entire cake. Camera then cuts to everyone standing in front of the cake and the music stops.

Jethro: “Equestria Meal Time presents the Super Neighopolitan Cupcake Cake! We got the top strawberry layer, the middle chocolate layer, and the big-ass vanilla layer on the bottom holding up all of this deliciousness! We got friendship laser colored frosting! Gay bacon strips! Twizzlers!” Camera zooms in on Jethro’s face. “And speaking of big asses, we’ve got the biggest cake lover this side of Canterlot to help us devour this beast.”

Camera cuts to the entrance to the kitchen where a glowing equine shape appears. Angelic choirs can be heard as Princess Celestia walks in gracefully, a serene smile on her face. A smile that widens when she sees the cake.

Celestia: “Mother of me…”

Epic music begins again. Camera cuts back to Jethro cutting the cake open to reveal its multicolored interior before he cuts a slice and begins devouring it. Camera cuts to Pinkie with a wide grin on her face sticking her face into her own slice, tail swishing as she comes up, face covered in cake and frosting and a massive smile on her face. Camera cuts to Celestia eating hers daintily, but with a satisfied look on her face. Camera cuts to Rainbow Glasses roughly tearing into the cake, chowing down like there’s no tomorrow. As the music crescendos, she turns to the camera and makes a motion with her wings, flipping the camera off with her prehensile wings. Music stops and camera cuts to Jethro.

Jethro: “Next time? We eat a friendship lesson.”

A Cloaked Heart - Side Stories

by morbiusgreen

1: Lecture and Apologies (Canon)

2: A Thousand Year Difference Pt. 1 (What If?)

3: A Completely Expected Party (Canon)

4: Remembrance (Non-Canon)

5: Down On The Farm (Canon)

6: Welcome to Aaapleloosa!!! (What if?)

7: A Shared Grief (Canon)

8: A Thousand Year Difference Pt. 2 (What If?)

9: Ready To Die (What If?)

10: Twisted World (What If?)

11: Too Many Pinkie Pies? Or Not? (Canon)

12 The Equality Equation (What If?)

13: A Different World (What If?)

14: Equestrian Meal Time (Non-Canon and Silly)