Three days had passed since Scarlet Dusk had moved in. During that time, not only had I finally resumed watching My Little Pony, but I'd also begun taking Scarlet out for her daily walks and we'd begun some wing therapy with Rainbow Dash. Unlike with me, I'd made the loyal Pegasus be easy on the still somewhat weakened Scarlet. I'd also bribed Rainbow Dash with some cider if she covered my house with some clouds to ease Scarlet into getting her eyes more used to the daylight.

It was during the third day where I was visited in the middle of one of Scarlet's rehabilitation flight lessons by Twilight. She was wearing a saddlebag full of books. The smile on her face and the scroll floating next to her told me all I needed to know. Experimentation time.

"Excuse me, you guys," I said to the two Pegasi as I walked over to Twilight.

"Hi Jethro!" she said, her smile widening. The smile sent shivers down my spine.

"I'm guessing Celestia sent you that spell you're supposed to be researching," I groaned.

"How'd you know?" she asked.

"She visited me, along with Luna and Cadance a few days ago and mentioned it," I said.

"Sh-She was here?!" Her left eye twitched slightly.

"Don't start going all psycho on me," I warned. I'd recently seen the episode where she'd gone all crazy for lack of a friendship lesson. "They were just here to check up on me. I assume you're here to get a few of those feathers from me?"

She shook her head to clear it, and nodded. "Yep! And I'm here for you, too."

"What for?" I asked, but I had a sneaking suspicion I already knew.

"That favor you owe me," she said, and her smile turned into a grin.

Remind me never to get on this mare's bad side, I thought. "Fine, fine. Might as well get this over with. I'll go grab the feathers."

"I'll be waiting!" she called out as I turned and headed to my house.

As I walked back, Rainbow Dash flew down and hovered beside me. "Lemme guess, you got roped into one of Twilight's egghead experiments," she giggled.

"I'm just glad she's not insane enough to shoot me into orbit and make me watch really bad movies with two robots," I sighed. "But yeah. I asked her to bring some books for Scarlet about Pegasus history and culture. She made me promise to visit her so she could learn all she could about my culture. And do some kind of experimenting with some feathers I got during my Poison Joke transformation."

"Ooof, no fun," Rainbow Dash shuddered.

"I doubt she's gonna wait until we're done with our lesson here, so could you make sure nothing happens to Scarlet while I'm gone?" I asked.

"Yeah, I can do that," she said, flying back to Scarlet.

After I retrieved the feathers, I returned to an excited Twilight. If you gave her pink everything, I could easily have mistaken her for Pinkie Pie. I wasn't really looking forward to this, but I didn't want to be rude, so I decided to strike up some casual conversation. "So…is there anything you're looking forward to coming up? Aside from today."

She slowed down a bit, thinking. "Well…there's the Grand Galloping Gala in just over a month," she replied. "And then two weeks after that we have Nightmare Night, then the Running of the Leaves a week after that, and then there's Hearth's Warming," she said, looking more and more excited.

"Wow, fall sure is a busy time of year," I said.

"Hearth's Warming actually happens in the winter. December 25, to be exact."

I almost stopped, but managed to keep on walking. "So…how does one celebrate all of these holidays?" I asked. I did know of them from the episodes I'd watched, but I was curious to hear her thoughts on them.

"Well, the Grand Galloping Gala isn't a holiday. It's a gathering of all the highest nobles in Canterlot," she explained. "It's a ball that celebrates the completion of Canterlot a thousand years ago."

"Oh nice," I said, nodding in approval. "And the other holidays?"

"Nightmare Night is where Ponies dress up in costumes and go door to door collecting candy," Twilight said.

"That sounds a lot like Halloween back home," I said. "And before you ask, I'll tell you later. Go on."

She frowned at being shut down, but did so. "Well, the Running of the Leaves is a race. Ponies run and their running knocks off all the leaves."

"That sounds like fun, actually. You gonna run that?" Of course, I already knew she would, having seen said episode.

"I've been thinking about it," she said. "I have a book about running that I'm gonna look into soon."

"I might join you in running, if you do," I said. "Sounds like a blast. What's Hearth's Warming?"

"It's a winter holiday," she explained. "It celebrates the founding of Equestria by all three Pony tribes. We put up Hearth's Warming trees and decorate them, we exchange presents and sing Hearth's Warming songs."

"Huh, so it's your world's version of Christmas," I said. That was an episode I'd seen as well, ironically enough it was the last one I'd seen recently. "Fall and Winter sound fun. When does Winter Wrap Up happen?"

"The first day of-wait, I didn't mention that. How'd you know?"

I grinned, then began singing, "Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up! Let's finish our holiday cheer! Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up! 'Cuz tomorrow Spring is here! Cuz tomorrow Spring is here!"

"Wait, you saw that on your show, didn't you?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, I did," I chuckled.

She smiled. "I take it our conversation helped?"

"The one I had with you, and the one with Celestia," I replied. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask about something."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, in My Little Pony, I've seen you Ponies break out into song and dance routines randomly. Does that happen here?"

She shook her head. "No, never. That just wouldn't make sense."

I chuckled. "Same here. I was just curious since it happens in the show."

"It's not really a realistic event," Twilight said.

"Should have guessed," I chuckled.

The two of us walked in silence for a bit. After a bit, Twilight asked, "So…is there anything in the near future that I should know about?"

"Whatever happened to the alternate timeline stuff?" I said in a teasing tone.

"I can't help it if I'm curious," she said. "it's just who I am."

"No worries, I get it," I replied. "But to answer your question, nothing you should worry about too much. On another note, mind if I get Spike to send a letter to Celestia later?" I was planning on telling her about the potential for Eris' release, and wanted to prevent that if at all possible.

"Sure, you can do that," Twilight said. "We're here, by the way."

It always fascinated me just how in the world Golden Oaks Library was even possible. The tree didn't even look dead, and as the fall season had come, even its leaves had begun to change. She entered quickly, and I followed, shutting the door behind me. Nearby, I saw Spike sitting and reading a comic I'd printed out for him. "Hey, Spike! Bye Spike!" Twilight said, heading towards a door and opening it.

"Um…what was that about?" Spike asked.

I sighed. "She's gonna be calling in a favor and do some experiments, then ask about my homeworld. Typical nerdy stuff."

"Ooh. Well, good luck with that," he said.

"Off I go to the chopping block…" I muttered as I followed Twilight down the steps.

I never knew what it was like to feel like being wrung dry, but after two hours of Twilight's incessant questioning about my world and its history, I could safely say I knew what it felt like. I was just glad my staticnet signal on my phone managed to be strong this far underground, otherwise I might have been even more mentally drained. My thumbs hurt a little, but not too much.

I was sipping some tea that Spike had brought down for me while she was studying the feathers. Apparently, when Celestia had sent her the spell, she'd also provided a few of her own feathers to be used as a control group. I watched as Twilight looked over three different feathers: my own, the one I'd collected three months ago, and Celestia's.

"So…anyth-" I began, but a loud shushing sound from Twilight shut me up. I watched her continue comparing the three feathers.

She threw up her hooves and groaned. "I can't see anything different between them," she said.

Putting my tea down, I walked over and put a comforting hand on her back. "Twilight, you're driving yourself up a wall," I said. "You've been studying these feathers for two hours. You're exhausted. I'm exhausted. Neither of us have had anything to eat. Let's go upstairs and have some lunch, alright?"

She sighed and nodded. "Alright…"

As we walked up, Spike opened the door. "Twilight, Jethro, I was just about to come and get you guys. I made lunch for us."

I sniffed the air and my mouth watered. "Is that…tomato soup I smell?" I asked.

"Yep! I also made you a grilled cheese and Twilight some daffodil sandwiches."

"Thanks, Spike," Twilight said as we exited the basement. She sat on a couch in the main room and I sat next to her. Spike carried out a platter with two bowls of steaming soup and two plates, each with sandwiches on them.

"Spike, you da man," I grinned, "Pound it and explode it," I said, holding my fist out. Our fists connected, then we made a small explosion sound as we extended our fingers like an explosion. I grabbed one of the bowls as well as a small spoon, then took a taste of the soup. "Well wow, that's gotta be some of the best tomato soup I've ever had!" I grabbed one of the grilled cheeses and dipped it in the soup.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Spike asked.

"Trust me, this is the best way to enjoy grilled cheese and tomato soup in my world," I said. I took a bite and shuddered. "Mmmm…fff…" A glare from Twilight stopped me from swearing. "Wow…this is amazing!"

Twilight, on the other hand, was just stirring her soup quietly, a plaintive look on her face. "There's gotta be an explanation…" she muttered.

"Twilight," I said softly, turning to face her. "I know you're worried, but you need to take a break." I turned to Spike. "Do you have any more of that tea you made for me?"

"Well, you're lucky you went and got some," Spike said. "Although I really wish you'd gone with somepony else."

The day after the party for Scarlet, Twilight had gone to Zecora's to get some more of her favorite tea. When I saw her the day after, she told me she'd been turned into stone by a cockatrice and had been saved by none other than Fluttershy. I knew then that one of the season one episodes had just taken place. The problem I was facing was that the events of the show were happening out of order, if they happened at all. I wasn't sure if it was because of me, but it was a bit confusing. It was another thing I wanted to talk about with Celestia at some point.

"Spike, I'm really alright," Twilight said with a small smile. "A day of bedrest was all I needed."

"Huh, that makes sense," I said. "But emotionally, are you alright? Being turned to stone can't have been fun. Were you conscious of anything?"

She got a thoughtful look in her eyes. "No, not a thing. One moment I'm staring into some red eyes, and the next it's night and I'm hearing Fluttershy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders laughing nearby."

"Oh, phew. That would suck if you remembered," I replied.

"Hey, Twilight? Can I go over to Rarity's for a bit?" Spike asked. "I was gonna ask her about making me something for the Gala."

"Sure, go ahead," Twilight said.

Spike, grinning, rushed out the door faster than you could say Jack Robinson. I shook my head, snickering. "He's got it bad for that mare."

"Well, I just hope she lets him down gently," Twilight said. "She has her eyes set on some prince."

I rolled my eyes. "That'll go over like a fart in church," I muttered, remembering the events of the last episode of Season 1. "Rarity's the Element of Generosity," I replied in a louder voice. "And she doesn't seem like the type to be mean when turning someone down." I looked at a nearby clock. "Hey, after lunch, do you wanna go for a walk? Just enjoy the sunshine for a bit?"

"But…the experiment-"

"Everyone needs fresh air," I interrupted. "Besides, the distraction might help clear your mind. I've learned that focusing on your problems for too long can actually be detrimental. I think a walk will do you good. And I'll go with you."

She looked down at her soup, then slowly nodded. "Maybe you're right…"

"I know I'm right." I ruffled her mane playfully. "Come on, let's eat then go for our walk."

After we'd finished the soup and sandwiches, the two of us went out into the sunny afternoon. A few clouds passed peacefully by overhead, and I saw Ponies going out their daily business. I took in a deep breath and exhaled. "I've gotta say, Spike really does know his stuff," I said, patting my belly. "I really need to learn more about cooking here. My foodstock is getting thin. Especially the meat."

Twilight winced a bit. "Is it really necessary for you to eat meat?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, but humans need a certain amount of protein to be healthy. I'll Google some healthy vegetarian diets when I can."

"Well howdy!" a familiar voice called out from nearby. I turned and saw Applejack waving her front hoof at me. Beside her I saw Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Nearby, Rainbow Dash was flying. We were in the main town square near the Mayoral Office. "Good ta see y'all! Whatcha been up to?"

"Being Twilight's experiment!" Dash laughed.

I sighed. "Not that, RD. She grilled me for two hours, then spent two MORE hours just looking at some feathers she got from me and Celestia."

"I wasn't just staring!" Twilight shouted. "I was studying them to find out if there was something different about them!"

"What did you find?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight deflated. "Nothing…I couldn't find anything different about them. I just can't understand-"

"Ah bup bup bup. Twilight," I said warningly, "We came out here to relax for a bit. Now come on, new subject."

"Oh! I've been working on a new trick!" Rainbow Dash said, smiling proudly. "Wanna see?"

"Eh, I've got a few seconds to watch you crash," I joked, grinning up at her.

She frowned and got in my face. "This coming from the human who still can't fly right. Well, watch and learn, buster! I'll do this trick in ten seconds flat!" With a dash, she flew off towards a nearby cloud. The rest of us watched as the cloud began to morph until the image of Rainbow Dash appeared in the cloud. She came back, strutting her stuff proudly in the air. "Betcha can't top that, mister!"

"Ooooh," I nodded. "So you made Daring Do without her traditional getup?" I teased.

Rainbow Dash sputtered a bit. "N-No! It's me!"

"Relax, sugarcube, he's just teasin' ya," Applejack said, holding in her own snickering.

"I knew it was you," I admitted. "But it needs to be…twenty percent cooler," I added, using one of her own catchphrases against her.

"Hey! That's my line!" the cyan Pegasus glared at me.

Before anyone could continue, Spike ran up to us. He was breathless and panting heavily. "Rarity! Woods. Jewels! Wolves. Holes! Taken. SAVE HER!"

Immediately I spread my wings, glaring at the little Drake. "Where?" I growled.

"Follow! Hurry!" He got onto Twilight's back.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"No time! Go!" He pointed back the way he'd come.

"Uh…sugarcube? Ya know what he's talkin' about?" Applejack asked.

"I'll tell you on the way. I've seen this happen already, but she might be in more danger than you think."

"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Rarity. She's been kidnapped."

That got everyone's attention. Twilight looked up at Spike. "Where?"

I coasted ahead, not sure where the Diamond Dog holes were. All I knew is that I was both scared for Rarity and pissed at the Diamond Dogs. And at myself. Even after watching the episode, I had no idea how things might be different.

When we approached the field of dirt and saw the holes, I felt a sense of relief. I landed next to one and peered in. At first, nothing. Then, a pair of reflective eyes opened and I heard a wolflike growl coming from below.

Before anything could happen, I reached down and grabbed the owner of said eyes in a magical telekinetic grip and pulled it out. What I saw resembled some anthropomorphic wolf being. Its eyes were bright yellow and heavily resembled those of a normal wolf. He, I could see the Diamond Dog was a male, looked like the result of wolf evolution to turn somewhat humanoid. He wore a black collar embedded with gems and a vest that was a darker shade of gray than its fur. He had a look of confusion and terror in his eyes. "What are you, and what do you want?" he asked.

"That's one of the Lycans that took Rarity!" Spike said, glaring angrily at the one in my grip. Lycans? Wait, I thought they were Diamond Dogs? The hell is going on? "Where is she, you cur?" he spat.

"Calm down, Spike," Twilight said.

"What are you talking about?" the Diamond Dog asked. "I didn't kidnap any-ACK!"

Using my magical grip, I began applying just the right amount of pressure around the Diamond Dog's neck to cause breathing to be hard. "Bitch, don't you lie to us," I said in a low and threatening voice. "You captured a Pony recently, and unless you know what's good for you, you'll take us to her at once!"

I eased up on the magical grip to allow my captive to speak. After he gasped, he glared at me. "You…how dare you assault me like that!?"

Unbidden, I felt a whole new language enter into the forefront of my mind. I growled and bared my teeth at the creature in my grasp. "Do you think that your leader would be willing to go to war with the Princesses of the Day and Night?!" I asked angrily. "Do you wish your species to be at war with them?"

The Lycan shut up, then swallowed hard. "P-Please…don't tell the Empress about this," he whimpered softly. Who the hell was this Empress? Why are things slightly different here?!

"Take us to the Pony you kidnapped, and I'll consider it," I replied, barring my teeth in a show of what I hoped was dominance.

"O-Of course," he said.

I released him and put my hands on my hips. "Well? Lead on!"

"What were you saying to him?" Twilight asked as the trembling wolf creature led us to one hole in particular.

"Threatening to tell their Empress about what was happening if he didn't show us to Rarity," I replied.

"Lycans have an Empress?" she said.

"What, you didn't know that?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know much about them," she admitted. "They mostly live to the west of Equestria."

"H-Here it is," the Lycan said nervously. He pointed to a larger hole among the rest.

I looked down it, seeing a set of stairs to my great surprise. I then turned to the Lycan. "Alright, lead us in."

The stairs had an ancient look about them, but despite that, they were still sturdy enough for us. Twilight and I lit the way with both of our magic. The stairs led down to a large hallway that looked just as ancient. Despite that, the hall was well lit with torch sconces on either side. The hallway was curved, but it looked as if it had been excavated that way. Grabbing a torch from the wall, I approached the Lycan. "Alright, you. Take us to the Pony you kidnapped."

"Sugarcube, ah know yer upset about Rarity. Ah am too, but aren't ya bein' a bit harsh?" Applejack asked as we followed the Lycan down the hallway.

"No, if I were being harsh, I'd blow on this." I pulled out a doggie whistle I bought the night after I saw the episode where Rarity got kidnapped. "This creates a sound that only dogs can hear. Besides, kidnapping is a crime, and I want them to know just how pissed I really am."

Applejack looked worriedly at me. "Just don't go doin' somethin' y'all will regret, ya hear?"

"Don't worry, I won't," I promised.

The curved walls around us began growing more and more natural looking, and I saw stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Cracks and holes began to appear in the walls around us. The torches turned into wall lamps instead. It was as if this were some kind of wilder colony of some underground civilization. When we arrived at an intersection, we all heard a female voice crying out, "He called me uglyyyyy!"

"Alright, you son of a bitch, where is she?" I growled in a threatening manner.

"She's down-GET THEM!" the Lycan shouted suddenly, rushing towards an open gate.

"The fu-" I started, before a massive weight fell on me, sending me sprawling across the floor.

"More workhorses," I heard a deep voice say in a triumphant tone.

I glared at the retreating Lycan, who now stood in the entrance to one of the caverns. "Take that thing to the dungeons!" he screeched, pointing at me.

"Yippy ti-yi-yo! Git along, little dogies!" I shouted, pushing my legs up suddenly. The weight on my back vanished as the Lycan guard on my back flew forward, crashing into the smaller Lycan who'd led us unto the trap. I quickly stood and whirled on the others, who now were sitting on the other Ponies with ropes tied around their muzzles. Lifting a boulder from nearby, I held it up. "If you know what's good for you, you'll release my friends," I growled in a low threatening voice.

The guards, looking terrified, quickly removed the ropes and retreated back down the tunnel. Just then we all heard cries coming from down a gated pathway.

"She must be in there!" Rainbow Dash said, pointing. "Let's go!"

I rushed towards the gate and kicked it down with my new strength. Running in, I found we were in a larger cavern. "Heeeere's Jethy!" I called out with a wild grin on my face.

"Ah! Make her stop!" a voice shouted out.

"Too much noise!" a second one said. Soon, two other Lycans were running towards us. To my confusion, they had a similar body type to the other two Lycans I'd seen, some kind of humanoid wolf. The two of them fell at our feet, panting hard.

"Excuse me?" Twilight asked, confusion plain in her tone.

"She won't stop talking!" the one on the left said.

"And crying!" the one on the right added. "Take her back! We're giving her back!"

I looked past them and saw a proud looking Rarity walking towards us. She was hitched to a wagon full of gems. As soon as Spike saw her, he jumped off of Twilight's back and rushed to hug her. "Rarity! You're safe!"

"Why yes!" she exclaimed, before looking up at the rest of us. "Hello girls. Hello, Jethro! You're just in time to assist me!"

"With those?" I pointed to the other carts of gems behind her.

"Why, yes!" she said happily.

Spike stopped hugging her and looked past her at where I was pointing. "You're letting her leave? With all these jewels?" his eyes dilated and I swore I saw him drooling a bit.

"Yes! Take them, and her with them!" one of them called out, trembling as he hid behind a stalagmite.

"Please!" the other begged.

We all looked at each other, then I shrugged. "Alright, sounds good to us," I grinned. "Here, I'll help hitch you all to them," I added, approaching the nearest one and lifting the harness off the ground.

"So…many…gems…" Spike was saying, staring at them, now clearly drooling.

"Jaw off the floor, little drake," I teased as I began hitching the first one to Applejack. We all laughed at that.

Once I was done hitching every Pony to the carts, I turned slowly on the two kidnappers. When they saw me, they shrank back in terror. Huh, now I know how Celestia and Luna must have felt when I used to be afraid of them, I thought as I approached. In their language, I growled, "Now, as for the two of you and your companion lying unconscious in the hallway, I have a very clear message for you. This incident will not go unreported. I personally know the Princesses of Day and Night, and will be informing them of your crimes. Abduction of an innocent Pony, forced labor, and threatening said Pony will not be tolerated. Am I clear?"

"Y-Yes," the two said.

"Good. Now…git!" I blew on the dog whistle and the two ran away, howling in pain and terror as I blew. I rejoined the others, all of whom had confused expressions on their faces. Turning to Twilight, I asked, "Do you mind if I borrow Spike later? I need to send a report to both Princesses."

"What kind of report?" Twilight asked nervously.

"An incident report," I replied. "This can't be unreported. Who knows if they'll do this again? Besides, they have an Empress. The Princesses will probably put some pressure on this ruler for answers."

"Um, are you sure we should?" Fluttershy asked. "I-I mean, Rarity looks alright to me."

"I'm better than fine," Rarity grinned, looking back at the gems. "I can finally make those outfits now!"

"Regardless, they abducted you and forced you to look for gems," I replied. "I can't let that stand. I don't know if this'll happen again or not, but it needs to be nipped in the bud now." Turning to Spike, I said, "I'll need your testimony too."

"Well…" Spike took a gem and chewed on it thoughtfully. After a few moments, he straightened and nodded. "Alright. I'll do it."

To Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,

It's me, Jethro. I know you were probably expecting a letter from Twilight Sparkle, and you'll get one soon, but I'm sending you an incident report involving the kidnapping of one of your subjects by a group of Lycans.

According to Spike, who was there at the time of the incident, he and Rarity were searching for gemstones when a group of Lycans abducted Rarity. Spike attempted to stop the assault, but in vain. He ran back to Ponyville where he enlisted the help of the remaining Elements of Harmony and myself in a rescue attempt.

Fortunately, the rescue attempt was successful, and I informed Rarity's abductors that I would be informing you two of what transpired in the hopes that an incident like this will never occur again.

Yours,

Jethro Bethridge