I slowly turned back to the others, who were nearly upon me. Twilight was the first to speak. "What did you talk about?"

"Mostly about her reasons behind this, then I showed her a couple songs about her," I said quietly. "But for now, let's continue enjoying the Gala."

"Where to next?" Twilight asked, and I could swear I heard a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Well, let's see…we've done what Applejack wanted, made Rarity feel like a true lady, Pinkie and I cut the rug, gave Fluttershy her best night ever, got Rainbow Dash a date with the Wonderbolts…what else was there…?" I pantomimed thinking, then snapped my fingers multiple times. "How does that part of the song go again? Ah, yes!" I began to sing. "At the Gala, with the Princess is where I'm going to be. We will talk all about magic and what I've learned and seen. It is going to be so special as she takes time just for me."

Twilight frowned at me. "That's no fair," she pouted.

"Not sure how that makes sense, but hey. Let's go find Celestia and get some time with her, eh?"

Twilight squealed in joy as she began bouncing up and down as we wandered once more through the Gala. I felt Zecora kissing my cheek affectionately, as if to assure me I'd been doing a great job so far.

Celestia wasn't hard to find. She was in the main area, speaking to a few other Ponies of higher standing. I merely chuckled. I was sorely tempted to leave her be, make her suffer for a bit longer, but that wasn't fair to Twilight. And besides, I'd promised Luna to overlook the incident. I approached, followed by what felt increasingly like my entourage. Celestia heard me and turned. Her smile brightened. "Jethro! Pleased to see you!"

"Nice to see you too," I chuckled, then turned and bowed to the three rich looking Ponies who were speaking to Celestia. It was an older couple and a younger mare, presumably their daughter. "Forgive my intrusion."

"Not at all," the stallion, a brown furred Unicorn with darker brown mane and tail, gave me a polite smile. He wore a black tuxedo and his wife, a light-yellow Unicorn mare, wore a sky blue gown. The young mare, a Unicorn like her parents, was an orange creamsicle color with a dark blood orange mane and tail. She batted her yellow eyes at me in a childish effort to flirt. The stallion continued, "So, you're the mysterious creature from Ponyville making waves and stopping wars, I see."

I bowed politely enough. "You honor me with such words. But I did what anyone in my place would do."

"And that is?" his wife asked in a curious voice.

"What was necessary," I stated bluntly.

"Nopony could ask anything less of you," Celestia said.

"Indeed," the stallion said. Turning, he bowed to the princess. "If you'll pardon us, your Highness, my family and I wish to find our good friends. Thank you for indulging us in conversation."

"Not at all," Celestia said. "It was my pleasure."

The young teenager's eyes lingered on me, giving me a slight wink before turning and strolling away. I sighed when she was out of range. "Something tells me that girl was only doing that because of the special attention I'm getting," I said, grasping my new necklace and displaying it.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, then shook her head in amusement. "Luna got to you before I did, I see," she chuckled as her horn began to glow. From beneath one of her wings, a gold chain and medallion approached me. It was the same dimensions as Luna's but both sides had Celestia's cutie mark engraved on it with a fiery red ruby in the center.

I reached out, took it, and looked at it. A sudden fear came over me, and I looked suspiciously at Celestia. "What do these mean, exactly? They're not anything like a marriage proposal, are they?"

Celestia looked shocked for a bit, then threw her head back and laughed. "Oh! Oh my, Jethro! No no! They're nothing like that, I promise!"

"Then what are they?" I asked, now more confused.

After she stopped laughing, she cleared her throat and explained, "These little medallions are signs that you are recognized as a special friend of the crown, nothing more. Trust me, as royalty, we actually don't have an official way to show that anypony has caught our attention in a romantic way." Celestia had a far-off look in her eyes for a few moments before looking back at me. "I haven't given one out of these in hundreds of years, Luna even longer. Don't worry, there are no other meanings behind these."

I was a bit overwhelmed, looking at the two medallions around my neck with new reverence. I looked back at Celestia, my previous anger at her greatly diminished. "I'm not sure what to say," I admitted. "A simple thank you doesn't seem adequate."

"Don't," she said, a flash of warning in her eyes, before her expression softened. She approached and put a hoof on my shoulder. "You've more than earned these badges from us. Besides," and here she lowered her voice, "this way, you won't be ostracized by other Ponies for being different. I think that's one reason why the tree chose you as a potential Prince candidate, since you have the potential to be a bridge between Ponies and other races."

"Hmm…maybe," I said. "I'm still unsure about what that tree sees in me, but that's why Twilight and I are studying. And speaking of Twilight, I've come to save you from the dull night for some time," I added. "Twilight was desperately hoping to spend some quality time with you."

Celestia looked down happily at her student. "Is that right?"

Twilight beamed and nodded. "Oh yes, please!"

Celestia's smile became a saddened one. "As much as I wish I could, this Gala demands-"

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit," I interrupted her. Everyone save for Zecora gasped at my language. "Celestia, you're the fucking princess. Who's gonna begrudge you some private time with your most faithful student without looking foolish? Seriously, you moved the sun and moon for a thousand years. You've worked tirelessly, finding two potential Princess candidates and doing your damndest to raise them right. I'm sure your guests will forgive you for taking time to spend with Twilight. Besides, what can they do about it?"

Celestia stood, stunned at my words. After a bit, she walked up and tapped my forehead, not too hard, but hard enough to sting a bit. She grinned. "Your point is taken." She leaned in and whispered, "I am the fucking princess."

I snickered. I never thought I'd hear the princess of all Ponies swearing. "Damn right."

Snickering, Celestia turned back to her student. "Twilight, would you and your friends care to walk with me for a while?"

"Yes yes yes!" Twilight exclaimed, before stopping and clearing her throat. "I mean, um…yes please."

Celestia grinned, then turned and headed back towards the stairs. Twilight walked beside her teacher and eagerly began talking. Celestia relaxed and eagerly conversed with her student. I took Zecora's arm in mine and we walked behind the two. Behind us, the other Bearers of Harmony struck up conversations of their own behind me. Zecora and I didn't talk, just walked arm in arm in comfortable silence as Celestia led us back towards the Royal Gardens.

Unlike when I'd visited it before at night, the garden was lit with lanterns. All we could hear was the evening breeze among the trees and brush. As we walked up to the Golden Apple tree, I stopped and pulled Zecora aside. "This is the tree," I said.

The others stopped and made their way over as I put my hand on the trunk of Melora's tree. Celestia came beside me, smiling. "One of my most prized trees," she said, looking up at it with a serene smile.

"That she is," I said. "Speaking of her, Celestia, there's something about this tree I should tell you at some point. Something you might find interesting. This tree, and another."

"Oh?" Her ears perked up, and she smiled. "I look forward to it."

I chuckled, nodded, then turned back to the tree. In a low whisper, I said, "Hello, Melora. Your apples look delectable as always. And no, that was not an innuendo." A small shudder went through the tree. It almost sounded like laughter. I put my hand on the trunk again. As I was still holding onto Zecora's arm, I felt another surge of energy flowing between us, one from Zecora to the tree, the other from the tree to Zecora. It was faster than before, and it completed itself before I could pull away.

"What was that?" Zecora asked, looking at me with uncertainty. "I felt something leave me and enter me at the same time."

"Wait, you felt that too?" I asked. When she nodded, I frowned. "That's the third time I've felt something like that happen. It happened with Celestia and Luna, then with you and Scarlet. But now you've felt it." I looked at my hands, scrutinizing them as if staring would get me an answer. "Something to research, I believe."

"I will help," Zecora said, wrapping her arms around me and pressing herself against me with a tender smile.

"I know better than to argue with you, beloved," I said softly, leaning in and kissing her. She kissed me back happily.

The two of us walked towards the small stone wall that overlooked Canterlot, looking not down at the city, but up at the sky. And there they were. The northern autumn constellations. I pointed out Pegasus, Capricorn, Aries, Taurus and others. Zecora taught me some of the names her kind came up with for those same constellations. I didn't realize that the others had come to join us, until I turned to Zecora and said, "Shame that nobody on the planet has a space program. You'd really enjoy having something like the Hubble Space Telescope, International Space Station, and communication satellites in orbit."

"You have all that?" Twilight, who'd snuck up on us along with the rest, asked eagerly. "A space telescope…" she said in awe.

"What kinda contraption is that?" Applejack asked.

I pointed to a tower where a telescope was visible. "Think of something like that, but launched into orbit around your planet, and much, much bigger. It's able to see billions of light years away."

Poor Twilight's eyes were bulging out of their sockets now. Rainbow Dash, upon seeing this, flew down and put a hoof on her back. "Calm down there, you egghead."

"You know," I said, deciding to tease her more, "I bet with all of your magic, and potentially my Morphean powers, we can create a space program and even potentially land somebody on the moon."

"I think Luna would be the first to volunteer for that mission," Celestia giggled.

"As would this excitable Unicorn," I laughed, as Twilight was hyperventilating excitedly while Spike rubbed her back, trying to get her to calm down. "I wonder if Athena downloaded the specs for the Apollo missions, or the proposed Artemis missions. I'll look later."

"Is going into space fun?!" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"I haven't been to space," I admitted, "but if you get far enough from the surface of the planet, you float."

Pinkie's eyes widened. "No way! I wanna float!"

I reached out, my hand glowing with my magical signature. A glow surrounded Pinkie and she began floating up. She giggled and did flips and loop-de-loops in the air. "How's that?"

"Wheee!" she giggled.

"Now that I'm, presumably, immortal, I'd love to see Equestria achieve a space program," I admitted, my inner science fiction nerd coming out. "Perhaps we can even crack faster than light travel."

"I suspect my faithful student would be more than willing to discuss such plans with you," Celestia chuckled softly.

As I caught a giggling Pinkie, who snuggled up close to me surprisingly, I chuckled. "I'll be sure to put that on the growing list. It's not too important right now, but I'd love to be involved."

I began putting Pinkie down, but she insisted on clinging to me, so I just held her. She purred again and rubbed her head against my chest. I raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you become a kitten?" I asked with amusement.

"Mmm, since I discovered how good headpats feel," she giggled.

Celestia looked intrigued. "Indeed? Perhaps I should experience this myself."

"Hmm…in front of everyone here?" I asked with a smirk.

"It's like you said earlier. I'm the Princess," she chuckled. "Besides, we're alone at the moment."

I burst out laughing, followed by Pinkie and Zecora next, who laughed along with me. The others soon joined in. I gently put Pinkie Pie down, then faced Celestia. "Alright, let's see what I can do here." Reaching out, I stroked her mane gently before finding what I quickly found to be equine sweet spots behind their ears. I began scratching there.

"Oooh myyyy…" Celestia cooed, arching her back a bit. "This is…perhaps I should have my personal masseuse use the humanification spell on herself."

I winced at that. "Call it the Anthro spell, please. What you used reminds me of…a less than stellar fanfiction about you."

"Noted," Celestia said, humming something softly as I continued scratching behind her ear.

After a while, I slowly winded down and removed my hand. When she whined a bit, I poked her snout slightly. "Later, Princess. I'm not very good at this. I'm better at massaging a human form. Watch." Turning, I walked behind Zecora and began massaging her shoulders.

"Nnng…" Zecora gasped, then relaxed. "Oh my…love, that feels simply amazing."

I slowly eased up, much to Zecora's frustration. Oh, I'm gonna pay for that later, I know it, I thought. "I'll give you a longer massage later," I whispered.

"You'd better," she grinned. "For teasing me like that, that is."

Yep, I'm in trouble, I thought with a small smile before I turned to the others. I decided to change the subject. "So, what's everyone doing for Halloween-no, it's called Nightmare Night here, that's right."

"I'm going as Starswirl the Bearded!" Twilight announced.

"With the bells?" I chuckled.

"Of course-wait, how'd you know?" Twilight asked before holding up a hoof. "Wait, never mind, you saw it already, didn't you?"

"When are you just gonna accept it?" I snickered.

"I'm going as a chicken!" Pinkie Pie said. I saw Celestia stiffen at the mention of chicken, but I thought nothing of it.

"Of course you are," I laughed.

"I'm going as a dragon!" Spike said excitedly.

"So…you're going as yourself?" I smirked.

"No, I have a dragon costume!" He said in a huff, crossing his arms.

"Isn't that…redundant?" I asked.

"It's the prin…prin…Twilight?" he turned to her, gesturing for her to finish the sentence.

"Principle of the thing?" she said.

"Yeah, that!"

I nodded. "Yeah, okay, I can see that," I said.

"Ah'm gonna be goin' as a scarecrow," Applejack said.

"I'm still unsure yet," Rarity said, "but it will be fabulous. I'll make sure of it."

"I'm going as a Wonderbolt, obviously!" Rainbow Dash said.

"No trying to scare other Ponies with a thundercloud," I said, shaking my finger at her.

"No fair! That's what makes Nightmare Night fun!" Rainbow Dash said, flying down and sitting down on the grass in a huff.

"I don't know how lightning works here," I said, "but back home, one bolt of lightning can kill."

That made Rainbow Dash gulp, and she looked at the ground, pawing at it. "N-Noted," she said.

Feeling a bit bad for ruining her fun, I walked up and sat beside her. Putting a hand in her mane, I stroked it gently. "I'm not saying pranks are a bad thing, but you've got to pull them on Ponies who would actually appreciate it. And throwing lightning at everyone isn't just dangerous, it's life threatening. Why not try something a bit tamer, like…oh…I don't know…making a haunted house for the little fillies and colts."

She looked a bit happier at that, and nodded. "That…sounds fun, actually."

"You can use my house, and I can help." I grinned, then made my voice spooky. "When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candle lights flicker, where the air is deathly still…that is the time when ghosts are present. Practicing their terror with ghoulish delight. Welcome, foolish mortals, to the haunted mansion. I am your host, your ghost host. Kindly step this way…there's no turning back now. You will not be harmed, but you will not be released until you take a tour of my home. We have so few visitors…live ones, that is!"

I laughed, then began singing. "When the crypt doors creek and the tombstones quake, spooks come out for a swinging wake. Happy haunts materialize, and begin to vocalize. Grim grinning ghosts, come out to socialize! Now don't close your eyes and don't try to hide, or a silly spook may sit by your side! Shrouded in a daft disguise, they pretend to terrorize! Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!"

"Oooh! Sounds spooky fun! Can I help?" Pinkie asked.

"Of course," I chuckled. "The more the merrier. Anyone else? Spike?"

"Count me in!" he said.

"Rarity?" I turned to her.

"Oh, do forgive me, darling, but I'm not sure how I could help," she said.

"Well, perhaps you could create some ghostly clothing that we could move around using a pulley system or something?" I asked.

She put a hoof on her chin., clearly thinking. "Hmm…an intriguing opportunity. I'll consider it."

"Glad to hear it. Applejack?" I turned to her next. "How'd you like to help?"

"Ah'd love to, sugarcube, but mah family does a corn maze fer the town every year," she said. "It's an Apple family tradition."

I chuckled. "Far be it from me to get in the way of tradition, but how about this: why not do it at my house this year? You do a maze in my yard, and at the end of it, you reach the haunted house."

"Say, that ain't a bad idea," Applejack said. "Ah'll ask Granny, but no promises. Ah'll definitely visit, though!"

"Great! Look forward to it! Twilight?" I turned to her. "Would you like to help?"

She nodded. "Making a haunted house sounds like it could be fun, sure! But, are you sure you want to use your house?"

"Why not?" I asked. "It's got a reputation for being haunted. And who doesn't love a good scare…I mean, aside from you, Fluttershy." Turning, I saw the poor Pegasus mare had moved away from the rest of us, looking nervous. I walked over to her next and knelt. "I'm sorry if I scared you," I said, reaching to scratch behind her ears. "I know you don't care for Nightmare Night."

The poor mare was trembling, so I wrapped her in my wings. "I-It's scary," she admitted, "I'm sorry, but I don't think it'd be fun for me."

"Nopony thinks any less of you for that, my little Pony," Celestia said. "Plenty of Ponies don't enjoy Nightmare Night."

As she spoke, that reminded me of something that I had a gripe with her about. I stood and slowly turned on her. The other Ponies sensed my change of mood and looks of worry appeared on their faces. Celestia's smile turned into a confused look as I approached. "Speaking of Nightmare Night, I've gotta bone to pick with you about it."

"I'm listening," she said, giving me an even look.

"Let me ask you something: what was the reason Luna became Nightmare Moon?" I asked.

Her ears flattened, but that was all the reaction I got. "She grew jealous of me, and just wanted to be appreciated for her night. That…and I failed to be there for her."

"Okay, now how did Nightmare Night come into being?" I asked.

"I…wanted something good to come from my banishing her," Celestia said. "I knew I couldn't be happy, but at least my subjects could have a night of fun. It was…well…" and here she leaned in and whispered, "It was a way of punishing myself."

I tensed, then glared angrily at her. "I am sorely tempted to tell Luna this," I said. "That's a pretty flimsy reason."

"I am aware," she said, looking up at the rising moon.

I took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Celestia," I said, "I've seen the events of Luna's first Nightmare Night. It's not exactly a pretty one. Sure, it turns out alright in the end, but she almost cancels Nightmare Night. There's a damned statue of Nightmare Moon in Ponyville."

She looked up at me. "You really are protective of your friends, aren't you?" she asked with a sad smile.

"And that includes you," I said softly. She looked surprised at that, but I held up my hand. "Sure, I'm angry at you for a few things tonight, but that doesn't mean I hate you or think any less of you. We're from two different worlds, you and I. Just because we've clashed heads a few times doesn't mean we aren't friends. Your sister spared you a lecture about her Anthro form, by the way."

Celestia chuckled. "I was wondering when you'd talk to me about that."

"I've let it go," I said. "Luna asked me to." I took a deep breath. "Although, judging from what I've seen, Luna's actually easing herself into modern society faster than in the show. She never showed up to the Gala there. Then again, neither did Cadance and Shining. That, and Blueblood was…to put it frankly, a royal pain."

Celestia chuckled. "I took the advice of a Pony I once knew over a thousand years ago. He told me 'To cure a spoiled Pony, break them down and build them up afterwards.' I'm just glad it worked with Blueblood."

"Better than you expected, I'm sure," I chuckled.

"I'm really happy for him," she said. She looked up at the sky once more, eyes closed. "He deserves it with how he's improved." Looking back at us, she smiled apologetically. "Please forgive me, everypo-no, everyone, but I should get back. I've arranged for you all to stay in guest rooms for the night."

"Thank you for spending time with us, Princess," Twilight said happily.

"I always enjoy time with my most faithful student," Celestia said. "Enjoy the rest of the Gala. You've made it more enjoyable than it normally has been in the past."

We all said our goodbyes, and Celestia left, heading back to the main gathering. When she vanished down the steps, I turned back to the group. "So, what should we do now? Is there anything more about the Gala you ladies want from it?"

The others all looked at each other, obviously thinking. Finally, Spike spoke up. "So…donuts?"

"Twilight Sparkle, as I live and breathe," a deep voiced Unicorn stallion chuckled as the group of us entered the donut shop. If I had to describe the stallion, it was that he was stout, but not overly so. He had a pink frosted sprinkled donut on his flank, which nearly made me chuckle since it reminded me of Smosh. He wore an outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place in a soda fountain shop from the previous century on Earth. "And Spike, too? It's good to see you again! Who are your…friends?" he faltered when he caught a glimpse of me and, to a lesser extent, Zecora.

I bowed. "Hello, sir, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jethro Bethridge, a friend of these lovely ladies and this lovely woman's coltfriend," I said, pulling Zecora close.

The stallion looked me over for a bit, before his smile returned. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too. I'm Donut Joe, the owner of this little establishment. So, you're the one the tabloids have been speculating about," he chuckled.

I raised an eyebrow. "Tabloids, huh? What do they see about me?"

"What else do tabloids say about anypony?" Joe chuckled in amusement as we all gathered around the front display and looked at the donut options. "They make stuff up."

"Even so, some take that stuff seriously," I said. "I get that those tabloids are all fake news, but some Ponies might read them and think what they're saying is true. Especially if that something is LOCAL ALIEN ADMITS TO EATING PONIES or something like that," I said, pantomiming another headline.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Rainbow Dash said, flying over and hitting my shoulder playfully. "Those tabloids are stupid anyway. Nopony would believe silly stuff like that."

"This comin' from a certain Pony who believed what The Mare's Journal said about a pot of bits at the end of a rainbow?" Applejack teased.

"Who told you that!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Uh uh, not tellin'," Applejack grinned.

"Not in here, ladies. It's time to ruin our diets with some delicious donuts," I said, turning back to the donut shop owner. "Do you have cream filled donuts?" I asked.

"Indeed I do," Donut Joe said. "We've got chocolate filling, vanilla filling, chocolate filling with chocolate glaze, vanilla filling with chocolate glaze, and more. We have eclairs, too."

Behind him, a large metal door opened, and a cream-colored Unicorn mare walked out. Unlike Joe, she was slender, almost akin to Fleur De Lis. She had a bright pink and blue striped mane and tail, and there was a lovely daisy as her cutie mark. Upon seeing me, her eyes widened and a smile formed. "Oh my! Are you the human from Ponyville?" She sounded excited.

"Yes ma'am, that's me," I said politely, bowing.

She beamed happily and jumped up and down. "Joe! He's really here, isn't he? I'm not dreaming?"

"No, Daisy, you aren't." Joe turned and gave me an apologetic look. "Believe it or not, you have a small fanclub here, sir. This is my sister, Daisy Fields, a member."

"A…fan club? But…why?" I asked, confused and a bit unnerved.

"Are…you…kidding?" she asked, practically flying over the counter and landing before me. "You stopped an Ursa Minor and halted a war between Equestria and the Lycan Empire! We've wanted to meet you for so long! Oh, Sunflower Seeds is going to be soooo jealous!"

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I took a step back. "I see…"

Joe sighed, then pulled his sister back with his magic. "Daisy, you're scaring him."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry," Daisy said, ears flattening and backing away to a respectful distance. "I'm just so excited!"

"I can tell," I chuckled nervously.

"Somepony's mister popular," Rainbow Dash teased.

"Shut it, Dainbow," I replied, giving her an annoyed look. She just stuck her tongue out at me. "Real mature there."

"Daisy, let the poor stallion be for now," Joe said.

"Can I at least have an autograph?" she asked, giving me pleading eyes.

I sighed, but smiled. "Of course, Miss Fields."

Squealing, she floated a pen and piece of paper over to me. I took both, walked over to a nearby table and signed the paper. I walked back over once the ink had dried, and handed them back to her. She took them with her magic and dashed off, heading towards a nearby set of stairs. Joe facehooved. "I'm really sorry about her," he said. "Anything you want is on the house for the trouble."

"No, it's alright," I said. "I'll pay for everyone here."

As I reached for my money purse, Twilight put a hoof on my hand. Looking down, I saw the purple mare give me a small smile. "It's alright," she said.

"I insist," Joe said.

"But-" Zecora put a hand on my shoulder, and I knew I wouldn't be winning this one. I smiled. "Your generosity is most appreciated. Thank you."

We all placed our orders. I got a pink frosted sprinkled donut and a cream filled chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles with some cold milk to wash it down with. We all found a table. Unfortunately, the tables were all too small for me and Zecora, so the two of us stood nearby as the others sat in the chairs provided. As we ate, we all discussed the evening's events and the highlights. When Twilight asked if I still wanted to look through the telescope, I responded by yawning and shaking my head. "I'm getting a bit tired."

"Hopefully not too tired, my stallion," Zecora whispered.

I chuckled. "We'll spend some alone time together, I promise," I whispered back.

"We'd better, love."

Spike caught my yawn and soon the others around the table were also yawning. Twilight finished her donut, a blue frosted donut with white sprinkles, then stood. "It's getting late, everypony. I think we should all get back to the palace. Joe, thanks for the donuts. They were amazing as always."

"You're more than welcome, Twilight," Joe chuckled. "Have a good night!"

I walked behind the Elements of Harmony, Zecora beside me as we made our way back to the palace. She wasn't saying anything, but I could tell she felt very amorous tonight and I was feeling the same way.

When we arrived back at the palace, we were met by both Luna and Celestia as the two of them were saying farewell to the now departing guests. I saw that more Ponies were actually acknowledging Luna, at least. When the two saw us, Luna asked to be temporarily excused as she approached. "Greetings, everypony," she said. "We hope thou all enjoyed the Gala."

"It was certainly one for the books," I chuckled.

Luna nodded, then looked at my chest. "Ah, we see that our sister has given thee her token as well. Never in history has this happened before. Thou art truly blessed, Sir Jethro."

"It seems like a bit much for a simple human from Oregon," I said.

"What's an Oregon?" Applejack asked.

"It's one of the fifty territories that Jethro's home country, the United States of America, controls," Twilight answered with an air of authority. "It's not a kingdom, it's a system unlike anything we have in Equestria. They elect their own rulers!"

Just wait until you see Sunset Shimmer's Earth, I chuckled, although thinking further about it made me unsure if the world beyond the mirror was another version of Earth or just a random Earthlike world. I knew I had to get there, of course.

"Indeed? That is quite an intriguing idea," Luna said. "How did anypony-nay, anyone-come up with such an idea."

Twilight turned the question over to me. I chuckled. "The idea isn't a new one for humans. It was made popular by the ancient Greeks somewhere around two thousand Earth years ago. A few Greek philosophers believed that authority derives from the people, since that's who a ruler should think of first and foremost. I'll find more on the idea later, Twilight."

"We would be interested as well," Luna said.

"I'll print some stuff out for you two," I said. "But for now, our little party is nearing its conclusion. Unless you want to watch that certain episode I told you all about before bed?"

"Ah'm plum tuckered out," Applejack said.

"A lady needs her rest, darling," Rarity added.

"Perhaps tomorrow?" Fluttershy offered.

"Sure, that's fine with me," I said.

"We shall show thee to thy rooms," Luna said.

"Good night, everypony," Celestia said as we walked past her. "My sister and I will see you at breakfast tomorrow morning before you head back to Ponyville."

With that, Luna led us deep into the palace until we found ourselves in a well-lit hallway filled with doors on either side. A massive wall sized window filled the edge of the hallway, looking out at the brilliant starscape outside. "Thy rooms have been labeled," Luna said, turning to us and giving a royal curtsy. "We are pleased to have seen thee all again, and we hope to see thee once more in the morning."

As she watched us head to the rooms, I caught her glimpse lingering on me for a bit. She waved, and I waved back. Then she turned and walked purposefully down the hallway.

Zecora and I entered a room with our names on it. The room was similar in layout to the one I had slept in after Athena's final death. The bed was king sized and comfortable beyond compare. I collapsed onto it, a lamp in the room illuminating everything. "My God," I said, "tonight was…beyond amazing. Sure, there were a few hiccups, but all in all, I enjoyed myself."

Zecora strode over to me, then straddled me, looking down at me with lidded eyes. Her smirk told me all I needed to know. "The night has one more surprise in it, my love." With a swift motion, she removed her dress, tossing it aside and letting it float to the carpet. She was wearing nothing underneath but Rarity's new bra and a pair of black lace panties. I couldn't help but stare at her, my own body inadvertently reacting to her incredibly sexy form. With a grin, she reached behind her to undo her bra…

So the next chapter might be a little delayed since the very next chapter is going to be my poor attempt at clop, so in order to maintain some semblance of what little dignity I have left, I'll be releasing two chapters next time, one clop which you can skip if you want, and the next a non-clop one.