Zecora was looking at her new hands in a mixture of amazement, fear and nervousness only a half hour later as we both ate a quiet breakfast at the dining table. However, we weren't alone. Gemini and Mica were both sitting on one side of the table. Ember was sitting across from them. Unsurprisingly, Chrysalis and two of the three Sirens didn't come down, but I was surprised when Sonata herself came down and joined us for the first time. She was too tired at first to notice the now Anthro Zebra sitting near the front of the table next to me, but when she did, she asked, "Wait, I thought Zebras looked a lot like Ponies."

"We're gonna look into it after breakfast," I replied, "and that's all I have to say about it right now."

"Does this mean she's gonna be eating meat like us?" Mica asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why would you think that?"

Mica frowned and looked thoughtful. "I…don't know, really. Something about it makes sense, though. We walk on two feet, and anycreature I know of that does so eats meat."

I turned back to Zecora, who understandably looked a bit nauseous. I stood up and walked over closer to her. "Open your mouth, sweetie." Nervously, she did so. I looked at her teeth, looking for a specific type of tooth. However, when I found nothing, I smiled. "No canine teeth at all."

Zecora breathed a sigh of relief. "That news is most welcome, Jethro. If I had to eat meat, nothing would set down below." She rubbed her stomach to make her point clear.

I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "It's okay to speak like you've normally been," I said in Farasi. I noticed that she'd been speaking more in rhymes since waking up as well as more in Farasi whenever she needed to be clearer.

Zecora took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I know," she said softly, "but this helps me stay calm. I'll be okay when I get some more answers."

I nodded in understanding, leaned down, and kissed her. "We'll go see Twilight as soon as we're done eating. I don't want you fainting from lack of nourishment."

Zecora smiled gratefully at me, then in English said, "Thank you, dearest." Her new wings ruffled a bit. Looking back, she stared at the striped wings and said, "If these new wings are here to stay, I'd love to learn to fly away."

"I can teach you," I replied, "and I'm plenty sure that Rainbow Dash would love to have a new flying student and flying buddy."

Zecora nodded. "To soar is that mare's deep desire. It runs through her like wildfire." She picked up her fork and I noted that she was holding it in the proper manner. Thinking back, I'd only ever seen her eat at the Gala and even that food was easily picked up with fingers.

Breakfast came and went, and after Gemini, who was unusually silent, and Mica, who was actually doing his best to keep the mood somewhat light, both began cleaning up the dishes, Zecora and I grabbed jackets, put on shoes and headed over to the library. Once we walked out into the late morning air, we began getting a few curious stares from the various Ponies in the town. Most of them could see the serious looks in our eyes and were polite enough to leave us alone. However, one gray wall-eyed mare flew right up to us. She had a worried look in her eyes as she fell into step beside me and Zecora. "Jethro? Zecora? Is something wrong?"

"We're just going to see Twilight about something," I said.

Derpy flew up and looked at Zecora's Alicorn wings. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," I replied, "and I'll tell you about it when we have all the answers. Promise."

"Well, if you're sure…sorry if I bothered you," Derpy said, sounding a bit upset.

I stopped, turned, and put a hand on her back. Pulling her close, I said, "You didn't bother any of us," I said. "We're just as confused about what's going on as you are. We'll tell everyone about it later when we figure it out ourselves."

"Do not apologize, my dear Derpy," Zecora said, putting one hand to her breast and smiling up at the still somewhat downcast looking mare, "You concern has greatly touched me."

Derpy's adorable smile returned, and she hugged me. I hugged back, then let her go. "Well, I've got to get to work. Hope you have a good day and that things get better for you!"

"You too," I said.

As Derpy spread her wings and flew up into the cloudless sky, Zecora slowly wrapped her arm through mine and leaned into me. She moved closer, then licked my cheek before kissing me tenderly on the same spot. Leaning her head on my shoulder, she said, "If I never change back, I hope you will be able to teach me how to use these." With that, she put her wings around my back and pulled me closer.

I chuckled. "I said I would, didn't I? And I know you'll love flying. It's really a great way to vent or relax."

She nodded and pressed herself closer. I put my arm around her. Something told me that today was going to be yet another weird one.

Twilight, Sunset and Moondancer were, to say the least, stunned when the two of us walked into the Golden Oaks. Zecora was more than willing to let the two strap her up to the machine in the basement and run tests on her. I was by her side the entire time. The three scientific prodigies took a few baseline readings like before, but when it came time for her to try and cast any kind of magic, or to see if she could at all, we ran into a snag.

According to the three Unicorns, the baseline indicated she now did indeed have magic, but since she had no horn, there was no normal means to cast it. Which was how we found ourselves sitting in the main library, with Zecora listening to me intently as Twilight took notes. I was sitting in the lotus position on the carpet, facing Zecora who was doing the same.

"Okay, so here's how I first felt the flow of magic through me," I said. "I sat on the ground, crossed my legs like we're doing now, then put my hands on my knees and closed my eyes. After that, I tried to focus my attention inward to what Twilight called my magical core. For me, it took at least a couple of tries before I started seeing a glowing orb of light that matches my magical color in my mind's eye. With that I felt a tingling sensation that flowed from that core outward to my extremities. Specifically my hands. Now, the important thing that I need to emphasize is that if you see that glowing orb and feel that magic flowing through you, do not panic. I did my first time and, well, you heard that magical explosion this past summer right? That was me. Scared nearly everyone in town until Twilight and I explained what happened."

Zecora chuckled a little bit at that. She'd been the second one to run up to check to see if I was okay, beaten only by Twilight. "But if I do have magic as you say, how do I stop it from going astray?"

I took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "What you need to do is to allow it to flow through you. So, think of it like this: imagine it as a trickling stream that flows out from a central nexus. That's how I first started seeing it. You don't have a horn like a normal Alicorn, and from what we all saw last night, you can control your magic through your hands."

"And if I change back suddenly, what then? How do I control through a horn's end?" she asked again.

Twilight stepped forward. "Think about it the same way, only focus on this." She pointed to her horn which began to glow her signature purple color. "I'm not sure what it feels like not to have a horn, though."

"I can tell you how it feels to have a horn coming from someone who doesn't normally have one," I said. "It felt like having a finger coming out of the top of my head. Only the finger doesn't move and I'm pretty sure it's made of bone."

"Actually the bone covers a bunch of nerve endings and muscles," Moondancer said.

"The point being it feels like any other part of your body," I explained. "But back to what I was saying before I sidetracked everyone." I took a breath and looked back at my fiancée. "If you just want to do something like this, focus your magic on just your hand." Holding out my own hand, I just made it glow my signature golden silvery hue. "Just like this. Do you understand?"

She looked thoughtful at that, then nodded. "I have studied magic for many hours. I know more than most Zebras about these powers."

"Then rely on that," I said. "Now, are you ready to try it? And fair warning, it might take you a few tries."

She nodded. "I think I'm ready," she said as she put her hands on her knees, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths before settling into a rhythm of breathing.

We all sat there, watching her as she meditated. Moondancer and Twilight had nervous looks in their eyes, Spike watched more curiously than anything, and I watched in anticipation. Minutes passed until finally Zecora slowly opened her eyes. "I believe that I felt the core," she said, "but to be sure, I must meditate more."

I nodded. "What did it look like?"

"Just like you described it, only it was blue," she said without rhyming.

"Like your eyes?" I asked.

She nodded. "How did you know?"

"Something I've noticed is a general rule when it comes to magic is that the color of the magic seems to match eye color," I said. Turning to Sunset, I chuckled. "There are a few exceptions to that rule, like Sunset Shimmer here."

Sunset nodded and raised her head. Her horn began glowing its signature moderate amaranth color for a brief moment before it went away. "Yeah, it seems to be a general rule of thumb."

"Celestia's magic is golden, unlike her magenta eyes," I said. "Not sure why that's the rule and why I'm one of the exceptions, but it seems like your magic matches your beautiful eyes."

Twilight looked slightly jealous, Moondancer giggled, Sunset smirked and Spike just rolled his eyes. Zecora blushed a bit and replied, "Thank you, dearest."

"But you saw it on your first try," I continued. "I did, too, but Twilight told me that it's rare for that to happen."

"So what do I do now?" Zecora asked.

"Well, try visualizing it again, and then for your first time visualize your body forming around it," I said. "For me, my core's located around where the heart is."

"If I visualize my real form, will that work?" Zecora asked.

I frowned. That was something I had no problem with since I'd had this body for my whole life minus the wings and magic. I turned to the three Unicorns, giving them a questioning glance.

Sunset was the first to answer. "Well, I could try," she said. "I had a human body for ten years. Give me a few." So saying, she closed her eyes and a look of concentration appeared on her face. After a while, her horn began glowing its signature color again before vanishing. She opened her eyes. "I'd say it could work."

"But wouldn't it be easier to use your new body to visualize?" Moondancer asked.

"Can you imagine yourself in a human body?" I asked. "I can't imagine myself in any body other than the one I was born with, or that Anthro Alicorn form I had after I got touched by Poison Joke a few months back. But the thing is, if it works for Zecora, then it works."

"Then how will she cast magic if she's imagining it coming from a nonexistent horn?" Spike asked.

I froze. My knight had a good point. If she was indeed an Alicorn/Zebra hybrid with Anthro characteristics, then she wouldn't have a horn. Frowning, I looked at Twilight. "Got a large mirror we can use?"

"Yeah, I have one in my bedroom, but why?" she asked.

"We need to get Zecora accustomed to this body," I said. "Especially if it's permanent."

Thirty minutes later, and after having to have Spike leave the room while Zecora stripped down to her bra and panties so she could get a better look at her new body, she was back in her normal clothes, sitting on the ground, only this time on a large pillow as she'd quickly realized that sitting on a hard floor in this new body was not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. We all waited as she concentrated and attempted to do what I just said. The rest of us went silent and watched once more, all of us now eager to see if she could feel her way through her first conscious use of magic.

Five minutes later or so, she opened her eyes and pursed her lips. Everyone waited in anticipation, but all she said was, "I didn't see anything."

"That's fine," I said reassuringly. "I didn't see anything my first time either. But basically, what you're trying to do is look at your body from outside. Think of it like Magic Sense from that slime anime we watched."

"Every Unicorn foal goes through it," Twilight explained. "Even I did."

"I'll endeavor to try again. I want to do this by day's end," Zecora said.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. "Hey Spike, are you in there?" a little filly's voice called out. "Wanna come out and play?" I immediately identified the voice as belonging to Sweetie Belle.

"We're gonna go to Sweet Apple Acres and get a game of Capture The Flag going!" another filly's voice called out. "It's gonna be awesome!" Scootaloo.

"Yeah, and afterwards, Granny said there'd be hot apple cider!" Apple Bloom.

Spike's eyes widened at the thought of hot apple cider, but then he looked back at the rest of us with a worried expression. Twilight gave him a warm smile. "Go ahead, Spike. I've got things handled here."

"My knight's coming!" I shouted towards the door.

"Daaad!" Spike whispered, a blush coming to his cheeks.

I smirked. "Hey, when you got a title like a knight, flaunt it for the ladies." I patted him on the back, stood and motioned for him to follow me. Sighing, he did so. I reached the door and opened it. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were standing there, all bundled up in various winter gear. "Well, howdy there you three. You all look nice and warm."

Sweetie Belle giggled. "My sister made my scarf and hat! They're really warm!"

"And stylish, darling," I replied in my best Rarity impression before slipping back into my own style of speech. "Well, ladies, here he is. The man of the hour, Sir Spike, Knight of Aelyssia."

"Wait, he's a knight?!" Scootaloo asked incredulously.

I nodded. "I knighted him myself a few days ago. Oh, you know what, that reminds me, here." I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of my many coin purses. I turned and gave it to Spike. "Since you're technically a knight, you get paid. Here's your first paycheck. Four hundred bits."

Spike's jaw wasn't the only one to drop at that. Sure, I'd given him the equivalent of about fifty dollars, but I knew now that in this world that was worth a lot more than Earth, even the Earth of 2010. Spike looked back up at me. "Dad…THANK YOU!" He leaped into my arms and hugged me quickly before pulling away and holding up the bag of bits in his claws. "Come on, girls! I hear that Sugarcube Corner is starting to make eggnog!"

"What's eggnog?" Sweetie Belle asked as the four youngsters headed out to the aforementioned store.

"Jethro, was that a good idea? Giving Spike that much money?" Twilight asked worriedly as I closed the door once more. "He's just going to blow it all on comic books and candy and other kid stuff."

"I like spoiling him," I said as I rejoined the others. "Besides, I get payment from Celestia for being a Knight of Equestria, so I should do the same thing with a Knight of Aelyssia."

"He's just a baby Dragon," Twilight insisted.

I nodded. "Well, let him have this one. You and I can sit him down later and talk to him about good money management."

"This coming from the guy who has enough money to buy Equestria?" Sunset smirked.

"Before coming here, I was a bank manager," I replied. "I know a thing or two about money management. But back to the matter at hand." I returned to my spot in front of Zecora. "You ready to try again?"

She nodded. "I am." With that, she got back into position and closed her eyes. The room went silent as she concentrated. Time passed, and all we could hear was the sound of the fire in the fireplace nearby and the occasional Pony walking by, their hoofsteps making crunching noises in the snow. After a few more minutes, I saw her extend her arm, palm outstretched. Nobody moved. To our astonishment, her hand began to glow the same cyan color we'd seen the night before. Zecora's breathing sped up slightly, but only for a few seconds. She regained control and the glow increased until it reached the intensity of normal magic casting. Slowly, she opened her eyes, which locked onto her hand. Her eyes widened in alarm and astonishment.

"Feel the trickle of magic flowing through you," I said soothingly, moving to sit beside her. I put my wing around her gently. "It feels like a slight tingle in your fingers, right?" She nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off of her glowing hands. "Okay, now to stop it, imagine that same river or stream slowly drying up. With practice, you can do it in the blink of an eye, but until then, make it a slow transition."

She nodded, closed her eyes again and did so. The glowing hand persisted for about ten or so seconds before it began to diminish and finally vanish completely. The moment that happened, she let out a breath and leaned against me, taking in deep breaths.

"This…is…so exciting!" Twilight, who had presumably been holding back for Zecora's sake, finally burst out. "A Zebra who can use magic! I've got to write to Celestia right away! Oh, the research paper this will turn out to be-!"

"Calm down there, Twilight," I said, looking back at the purple mare. "Just give Zecora some time to recover, first."

Twilight's ears flattened back and she nodded. "Um, yeah…sorry," she said sheepishly.

Zecora opened her eyes finally and looked up at me. "I'm thirsty," was all she said.

I chuckled. "Yeah, my first time left me pretty parched, too," I said. Turning to Twilight, I asked, "Can you get her some water, please?"

"On it!" She vanished in a blink of teleportation.

While she was doing that, Sunset and Moondancer walked up to us and knelt down to be on eye level with the two of us. Sunset was the first one to say anything. "So…Miss Zecora, how are you feeling right now?"

Zecora looked thoughtful, then said, "If I'm to be honest, my mind's in a jumble. All of my thoughts and feelings are a tumble."

I nodded. "You're preaching to the choir, babe," I said, rubbing the back of her neck. She leaned against me and I could feel her tension flow out of her through that rare magical transference I'd felt whenever I touched two individuals. "I'm here, though. We all are. We won't let things go bad if we can help it."

I felt a pair of soft lips pressing against my cheek as my Zebricorn marefriend reached over and took my hand in hers. I smiled as I took her hand. Unlike me, she still had fur there. It was velvety and smooth to the touch, the fur so close together that it reflected the light in the room. "I trust you my savior, my friend, my dearest lover," she said.

"You two are absolutely perfect for each other," Sunset said, looking at me. There was no jest in her tone or expression, only sincere honesty and a warm smile.

"It's honestly sickeningly sweet when you think about it," a familiar mare's voice said from the doorway. We all turned to see Scarlet standing there, hoof on the door handle and a wide grin on her face. She closed the door, took off her winter gear, which consisted of four red Pony galoshes, one of my smaller Santa hats that actually fit her, and a white and red striped scarf she borrowed from me. She flew over to me and Zecora, then looked at the Anthro Zebra mare. She smirked, then turned back to me. "Not even one day and she's taking your hoodies, huh?"

Zecora looked up at her fellow herdmate and gave the Pegasus a wry grin. "To steal from him is not my goal, so you can stop acting like a teenage foal."

"Hey Siri, could you get me direction to the Canterlot Burn Center?" Sunset asked, miming holding a phone near her mouth, "Cuz she needs some salve for that sick BURN!"

The tension in the room broke for the most part as most of us laughed. Moondancer didn't get the joke, but she was still smiling and looking a bit relieved as Twilight came back in carrying a large tray of water glasses in her magic. "Is something funny? Did I miss something?"

"Just my herdmates roasting each other," I chuckled as I scooted over and patted the ground next to me for Scarlet to join. As she did so, I took one of the glasses with my magic and held it in my hand. I handed it over to Zecora, who took it and downed the whole glass in a few seconds. When she brought the glass down, I grabbed the larger glass pitcher and poured her another glass, which she downed once more.

After she had four glasses, she breathed out one of those sighs that people get after drinking a lot at one time. "Ah, that feels much better," she said.

"Are you feeling up to going back downstairs and letting Twilight, Sunset and Moondancer take some more readings?" I asked.

Zecora, still holding the glass, looked me directly in the eyes. The level of trust that I saw directed solely at me was both heartwarming and at the same time terrifying. She nodded. "I believe do, dearest."

"Alright, well, let's go," I said.

An hour later, Zecora and I were walking home in silence. Scarlet was still there, but had suggested to me that I spend the rest of the day with Zecora. She promised that when she got back home she'd tell anyone who stopped by that we were both indisposed. She also suggested I spend the day in Zecora's original home.

Thankfully, none of the Ponies who saw us approached us this time. We were all somewhat reeling from the initial conclusion that the three Unicorns had reached.

Unless the readings were in error, Zecora's new form was permanent.

That had been a real blow to my fiancée. She'd hardly spoken as Twilight had initially gone on and on about magic this and magic that for a few minutes until Sunset and Moondancer had stopped her. I hadn't really been paying attention as I'd been holding Zecora close. Scarlet had immediately joined and we'd spent a few minutes just holding each other before Zecora quietly said she'd wanted to go home.

Zecora was shuffling her boots through the snow, hardly lifting her new legs as she leaned against me with her full weight. I held her up as we slowly headed back.

When we reached our gate, I opened it and walked towards Zecora's tree house. The poor Zebricorn continued leaning against me as we walked through the grass towards her hut. I took out the spare key that Zecora had entrusted to me the day after we'd returned from Aelyssia. Unlocking it, I helped her into the house and closed the door. I lead her to her bed, sat her down, took off her boots and lay her down. I covered her with the tiger print blanket then went to start a fire in the fire pit. Once I had a large warm fire going, I walked over to where Zecora was still lying. She'd adjusted herself so she was turned away from me and facing the wall. I sat on the bed next to her. "Sweetie? Do you want to talk about this?"

A sniff of despair was all I needed to know the answer. I moved closer and stroked her mane gently. She slowly turned to me, and the look of despair and fear on her face broke my heart. I pulled her into a tight hug. The trembling mare clung to me with a desperation I never knew possible in such a normally sage and happy individual. I could hear her softly crying. I couldn't help it. I started crying a bit as well. I was so used to being able to fix things that not being able to do anything for the mare I loved was frustrating. I hated this feeling of helplessness, but the rational part of me knew better that not everyone wanted things to be solved. Sometimes, having a listening ear or just being there was enough.

We sat like that for a half an hour, just holding each other as she softly sobbed and clung to me like I was a lifeline. Which, to be fair, I probably was to her at that moment. With a sniff, she finally pulled away, sitting on her knees and looking at the bed. I sat there in front of her, waiting for her to say something. Finally, she looked up at me. "Jethro…I don't know…What do I…fuck."

This was one of the only times I'd heard her swear outside of the bedroom. She'd told me once that she never really cared for swearing in public herself. She never begrudged me my language when I explained that it was a way for me to vent frustration and it was something I'd gotten used to. But I'd never once heard her use any four letter words before. She'd used innuendo but that was a bit different. I wiped my eyes, realizing that I had to be strong for her in this moment. Slowly, I moved closer. She leaned into me again. "We'll get through this the same way we've gotten through the other hard times in our relationship. Together. I know it sounds cliché, but it's true. I will never abandon you. I will always be by your side. This I vow from now until the end of time." I used an old Farasi vow for that last part to emphasize how serious I was.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back on the bed, Zecora straddling me and pinning me down. There was a wild look in her eyes, mixed with desperation. The word scaroused never could apply more to me than in that very moment.

In a surprisingly fluid moment, she'd removed her pants and hoodie along with her socks, leaving her in a pair of black lace panties and one of the bras that we'd gotten on Earth, the latter of which she tore off, breaking the clip which soared into the air and landed on the wooden floor. She leaned down, pressing her breasts against my chest, and said in a worryingly desperate tone, "Put a foal in me! NOW!"

I acted quickly, overpowering her and flipping our positions but making sure I wasn't hurting her. However, I wasn't acting out of lust or desire. I stared into her expectant eyes, which were wide with anticipation. However, I had to shatter that with my next words. "Zecora, I want nothing more than to have a child with you, but I don't want one like this."

Her look changed to one of desperation and she struggled against me. "No! I want a foal with you! Now! Please! Please…just give me a foal…" Once more, she broke down, only now it was the ugly snot filled type of crying.

I pulled her into my arms again and held her tightly. Her screams and wails shattered me. Another fifteen or twenty minutes passed. My shoulder was soaked with her tears and snot. When she finally pulled away, she saw the mess on my shoulder, panicked, and grabbed a nearby cloth and began desperately trying to clean me off. "I am so sorry, dearest! Let me clean-!"

I took her hand in mine, pulled it away, and smiled gently at the poor freaking out mare. "There's nothing to be sorry for, and this is nothing my washing machine can't get out, so don't worry." I removed my own sweater and tossed it to the side. "See? Nothing here now."

Zecora sniffed again, bringing the cloth to her nose and blowing. She put it aside and looked up at me. "Please forgive me for my actions, my love, and thank you for giving me that shove."

I stroked her mane lovingly, leaned in and kissed her. She kissed me back and we locked lips for ten or so seconds. When I broke the kiss, I said, "You're feeling lost and upset. I'm not angry at you for doing what you did or saying what you said." We sat like that for a while, me holding her close. Since I was shirtless, I felt her soft fur against my bare skin. Unlike her old Anthro form and her Zebra form, her fur felt a lot softer and silkier. If I had anything to compare it to, it would have to be close to what Celestia's fur felt like. In a way, I suppose it made sense. If she was a Zebricorn, she'd have aspects of them now.

After a while, Zecora said, "Jethro?"

"Hmm?"

"You do realize I'm coming with you to Aelyssia when you go back, right?"

"Mmhmm."

"…Jethro?"

"Hmm?"

"Before you go to Aelyssia, I want to get married."

I slowly pulled away and looked at her. Unlike before, with her request to impregnate her, she looked calmer and more serious. Like her mind was made up. I knew that face. It was one I had a hard time arguing with. And honestly, after what had just happened and what was continuing to happen, something like this might be nice. "You're not going to back down, are you?" I asked.

"Not on this," she said.

I pursed my lips, trying to think if this is actually a good idea with what's happened or not. On the one hand, I knew I wanted to spend my life with this mare. And if she's, presumably, immortal like I might be, I knew I would want to spend it married to her. On the other hand, though, I didn't want to rush into anything without knowing if she wanted this because of her emotional state, or if she really wanted it to happen so soon. After a few moments of deliberation, I came to a decision.

I put my hand on hers and said, "If by tomorrow morning, you still want to get married before I go back to Aelyssia, then so do I."

Zecora's face took on a thoughtful look, then she nodded. "That did come from out of the blue, so having a night's rest is the least I can do."

The two of us spent the entire rest of that day in bed after I went and grabbed my laptop. We just watched Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, only stopping for a bathroom break or to eat. Watching Will doing stupid things and getting in trouble with Uncle Phil brought our spirits up. After the sun set and after replenishing the fire, I turned my laptop off and spooned with my fiancée until both of us fell asleep.

I woke to find myself staring into those deep azure eyes. And there was no question in my mind that she had her own mind made up. She wanted to marry me before I left for Aelyssia. Or rather, before WE left.

The two of us both sat up simultaneously, her blanket clinging to us in the early morning cold. No words were spoken between us. There was no need. There was only one thought on both of our minds.

We were going to get married before the year was up.