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…