Author's Note: This takes place between Chapters 148 and 149 of the main story and references one of the first paragraphs of Chapter 149.

Snow was falling all around Ponyville. Hearth's Warming, otherwise known to the lone human in town as Christmas, had come and gone. Gifts had been given, carols sung, and little fillies and colts had enjoyed the traditional Hearth's Warming snowball fight. A few houses had already taken down their Hearth's Warming decorations, including the two houses at Sunny Acre, but most were still up and would remain up until the first of the year.

Among the Ponies in town who were going to and fro about their business, which consisted of them buying food for their own New Year's Eve parties, one particularly pink party Pony bounced up and down as she made her way to Sunny Acre. She was carrying a basket of freshly baked and varied frosted cupcakes in her mouth as she hummed a song Jethro had showed her once. She might not have liked the lyrics to The Gypsy Bard, but the tune was one she loved. She was in the middle of rewriting it to be a happier song. She hoped that Jethro would let her record her version.

She made her way through the gate to Jethro's house, humming louder as she looked at the sign above the gate. She giggled when she saw a temporary change to said sign. Instead of Sunny Acre, it now read Sunny Acres. Bouncing up and down, she made her way to the front door, only to see Jethro and the newly winged and bipedal Zecora sitting in the Sunny Acre's Manor's sunroom. Altering her trajectory, she made her way to the window and pressed her face against it, beaming in at the soon to be married couple.

Jethro looked up and jumped, looking startled at the sudden intrusion. He placed his hand on his chest, chuckling as Zecora put her hand on his back and rubbed it affectionately. Pinkie's heart swelled at that. She might have fallen in love with Jethro, but seeing someone caring for the stallion that she loved was just as wonderful as if she was doing it herself. Zecora looked up and waved at Pinkie, then pointed to the door at the other end of the sunroom. Nodding, Pinkie bounded over and strode in, closing the door behind her. "Hi hi hi!" she said as she trotted over to the table where the happy couple were sitting. She placed the basket on the table. "I brought some samples of cupcakes for you to try for the wedding!"

Jethro grinned. "Oh Pinkie, you're about as random as Fluffle Puff," he said as he and Zecora looked at the various cupcakes.

"Is that the fluffy Pony who likes Chrysalis?" Pinkie asked.

"That's the one," Jethro said as he began to put the cupcakes out on the table.

"I wish she existed. She sounds fun!" Pinkie giggled. She then began bouncing around the table and sang "Pink, fluffy Unicorns dancing on rainbows! Pink, fluffy Unicorns dancing on rainbows!"

"Pinkie Pie, you are so random," Jethro replied with a chuckle as he lifted the first cupcake. "Walk us through these cupcakes, would you?" he asked as he grabbed a butter knife and cut it in half, handing one to Zecora.

"Oooh you chose a really good one!" Pinkie said happily. "That's a chocolate cupcake with mint chip frosting!"

"It certainly looks appetizing," Zecora said as she brought the cupcake to her lips and took a bite. Her eyes widened and she looked at her husband to be. "Love, this is quite delicious."

Pinkie watched in anticipation as Jethro brought his half to his lips, opened wide and took a bite. She was satisfied to see his blue eyes widen and a smile form. She lived to see other Ponies smile, and Jethro was no exception. In fact, she loved seeing his wide smile more than most. "Alright, I admit, these are really good," he said as he put the half eaten half cupcake down, "but I don't want to get too full before I try the others. What about…this one?" He picked up a nutty brown colored cupcake with light caramel colored frosting.

"That's my peanut butter surprise!" Pinkie exclaimed eagerly.

He looked at Pinkie with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of surprise?" she asked.

"I promise you'll like it," Pinkie said.

Shrugging, Jethro took a bite, and his eyes widened once more, but this time in surprise. "Am I tasting Reese's Pieces in the frosting?"

She beamed at him. "Surprise!"

"How the hell did you get those?" Jethro asked.

"Um…I borrowed the journal and asked Diane to bring me some," Pinkie said sheepishly. "Surprise…"

Jethro looked at her, astonished, then sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'd have appreciated it if you'd asked me before you did that," he said.

Pinkie's smile dropped a bit. "But then it wouldn't be a surprise…"

"I believe Jethro is more concerned with the security around the Stargate," Zecora explained.

Jethro nodded at that, then looked at Pinkie. "If the Ponies here find out I have access to another world, it could get out to enemies of Equestria and be used against us."

Pinkie felt her smile start to disappear. "Oh, I…I didn't know…"

Jethro quickly reached out and put a hand on top of her head and stroked her mane. Pinkie froze, then relaxed as he scratched behind her ear. She always loved whenever he did stuff like that. As she began making that purring noise she did whenever he pet her, he said, "It's alright, Pinkie. Next time, though, I'd appreciate it if you asked me. I have no problems with you talking to your human counterpart. She's a big Pinkie Pie fan, after all."

Pinkie's smile slowly returned and she looked up at Jethro. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she said, making the motions that normally came with her signature promise.

"I actually might ask Celestia to make journals for all of you so you can talk with your counterparts," Jethro said as he picked up a blue cupcake with light red frosting. "Now, what's this one?"

"Blueberry cupcake with strawberry frosting!" Pinkie replied, her normal peppy behavior returning.

And so it continued. Jethro and Zecora tasted the dozen cupcake examples that Pinkie had whipped up for them to try. The rest of the batter and frosting that she'd made was being used in cakes back at work. Pinkie had even tried her hoof at making use of a flavor called matcha green tea, a flavor she found surprising. According to her research, the flavor was quite popular in Neighhon.

When they finished sampling the cupcakes, the couple looked at each other. Pinkie had seen couples before, especially when they looked at each other with those loving eyes. But Jethro's way of showing how he loved someone was different than that of a Pony. Zecora was the same way. Despite being an equine once, her eyes were different when they gazed lovingly at Jethro.

Pinkie hoped that someday, when Jethro finally took her on a date, that she could have those type of eyes focused on her that way. But for now, she was content to be patient. She looked between them and asked, "So…what do you two think?"

The two tore their gazes away from each other, looking down at the half eaten cupcakes in front of them. "I have…well, it's hard to choose," Jethro admitted. "If I could, I'd select all of them, but the wedding is only in a couple of days. Not to mention the bachelor party."

"I can make them all! It's gonna be a big party-" Pinkie began, then something that Jethro had just said clicked in her brain. "Wait…bachelor party? You're having a bachelor party? When?"

"The evening before the wedding," Jethro explained.

Pinkie paused and thought. The bachelor party would be taking place at the same time as the bachelorette party at Twilight's library home. Two parties in one night. Two parties that would be amazingly amazing. Two parties that she didn't want to miss. She began rubbing her head, trying to think. "Are you alright?" Zecora asked after a few moments.

"Two fun parties in one night…" she said softly. "What if there are more fun thing to do that night? What if I miss them all?!"

She turned to Jethro and was about to say something, when she froze in alarm. There was an expression in his eyes that was worrying her. She could see his face going pale, something that was impossible to see with Ponies. She could feel her blood run cold at the expression on his face: pure fear. Pinkie wasn't the only one who noticed, of course. Zecora grabbed at Jethro's shirt, a look of worry on her own face. "Dearest? What's wrong?"

Jethro didn't respond. Instead, he got up, knelt and grabbed Pinkie. "Don't do anything stupid," he said, sounding like he was starting to have some kind of panic attack. "Don't do anything stupid!"

Pinkie was alarmed by Jethro's sudden change of tone and she put her hooves on his arms. "Jethy? What's wrong? You're scaring me."

His grip on her tightened, causing the Earth Pony to wince. "Don't do anything stupid!" He was practically shouting now, his wings spread wide. He was also trembling.

Zecora intervened and pulled Jethro away with her new strength. "Jethro! Snap out of it!" She wrapped her arms and wings around him tightly.

At her words and actions, Jethro's expression immediately changed. His fear ebbed and his body relaxed. He reached up and took Zecora's hand, holding it tightly and kissing it. After he calmed down considerably, he looked over at Pinkie. "Did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly.

Pinkie's heart melted at the question. Even if he was hurting on the inside, he still showed worry towards others. She walked over and put a tender hoof on his arm. "Don't worry about me. I'm alright. But you're not." She moved the hoof to his chest. "What's wrong, Jethy?"

Jethro slowly reached up and took Pinkie's hoof in his hand. He swallowed and smiled at her. "I…I suppose it has to do with an episode of the show I saw."

"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling herself tense up as well. Jethro slowly moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her. Confused, she hugged him back. "Jethy?"

"It's alright to miss one party," he whispered in her ear.

Even more confused, she replied, "but then I'll miss experiencing the fun with you and the others. If only there was a way I could be in two places at once."

She felt him tense up again. After a few seconds, he replied, but with a trembling voice. "There is…"

"Love, you don't sound happy about it," Zecora said.

"Because I'm not," Jethro said as he slowly broke the hug and looked at Pinkie. "I…should show you something." He stood and motioned for her to follow.

Confused, Pinkie did so as the three headed out of the door and onto the snow covered lawn. She followed as they headed to Jethro's original Earth house. He unlocked the door, entered, and gestured towards the couch that faced Jethro's television. "Have a seat. I'll get things set up," he said as he went to the TV and began fiddling with it.

While he did that, Pinkie and Zecora both took a seat. Looking over at Zecora, she leaned in and whispered, "Do you know what he's gonna show us?"

"I'm not sure, but I have an idea what he might want to show you," Zecora replied.

Pinkie didn't miss the emphasis on the last word. "Is he mad at me?"

"I doubt he could get seriously mad at you, at least for long," Zecora said with a reassuring smile. "I think we're about to watch an episode of the show, though."

Pinkie perked up. Ever since she'd learned about how their lives were displayed back on Jethro's Earth along with the Earth on the other side of the mirror, or Stargate as Jethro called it, she'd wanted to see what adventures she and her friends could possibly get involved in. Jethro, however, had continued to say no, so if he was breaking the rule he imposed, then there had to be a reason. She was excited, but also a bit nervous. Nervicited.

Jethro soon rejoined them, a remote in his hand as he sat between the two of them. "Zecora, I know you don't particularly care much to watch, so if you don't-"

She put a finger to his lips. "I don't mind it so much as before, my dear," she said gently as she put on arm through his and leaned on his shoulder. "I'll be here for you."

Pinkie got up and sat in Jethro's lap, one of her favorite places. "What are we watching?" she asked as he lifted the remote and aimed it at the TV.

"An episode of the show from the third season," Jethro said. "One called Too Many Pinkie Pies."

Pinkie watched the show version of herself as she dictated a letter to the show version of Spike. Her mane and tail had deflated the first time the in-show Twilight had blasted the first fake Pinkie Pie which had gone back to the Mirror Pool. She'd also felt Jethro tense up. When she'd looked back towards him, she felt some of the color go out of her. He looked extremely tense. Zecora had one arm and wing around him. Pinkie snuggled up closer to Jethro to try and comfort him and herself at the same time.

With each time Twilight shot magic at the Pinkies, Pinkie could feel Jethro tensing. At one point during that scene, Pinkie paused the episode herself and asked if Jethro wanted to leave the room. He shook his head.

As the episode reached its end and the credits rolled, Jethro slowly grabbed the remote and hit a button. The screen went black, then what he'd called a menu appeared with a list of episode names displayed. Pinkie looked up at Jethro with worry, only to see him looking down at her with fear in those deep blue eyes of his. Adjusting herself, she walked over and flung her front legs around him. She found that he was trembling a bit. He wrapped his arms around her as well, and Zecora put one hand on Pinkie's withers and the other on the back of Jethro's neck. Pinkie could hear the sound of Jethro's breathing pick up a bit. "Jethy…"

"When I…when I first saw that episode," he began with a tremble in his voice, "I didn't immediately comprehend it. Especially since I now know the real thing. That didn't last long, though. I woke the next morning and fully realized just how dark that episode was. I…well let's just say I had a nice breakdown before Zecora here brought me back."

Pinkie couldn't hold back anymore. She grabbed his cheeks with her hooves and planted a deep, passionate kiss on the suddenly stunned human's lips. Unlike the other times, Pinkie wanted this kiss to be a reassuring one as it was the precursor to her next words. When she broke the kiss, she looked into Jethro's eyes and said, "Jethro Bethridge, I Pinkie Promise that I won't ever go looking for the Mirror Pool or duplicate myself." She hugged him close and buried her face in his chest. She could hear his heart pounding heavily as he wrapped his arms back around her. Hoping to cheer him up, she moved up closer, put her lips up near his ear, and began to softly sing. "Pinkie, wel-wel-welcome spring. You'll see, wel-wel-welcome. When I was a little filly and the sun was going down, the darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown. Pinkie, you've got to stand up tall, learn to face your fears! You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear. Pinkie, you've got to stand up tall, learn to face your fears! You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear."

Jethro's grip on the Party Pony only got tighter, but Pinkie was relieved to hear a small chuckle coming from Jethro. He'd shown her that song as well a while back, and unlike with The Gypsy Bard, she liked the tune and the lyrics. "Thanks, Pinkie," he said, and with that Pinkie felt the stallion she'd fallen for relax in her grasp. As she pulled away and looked at him, he continued, "I know I can trust you. Thank you." He ran his hand through her still straightened mane. "I like your curly mane, sure, but I think you're really cute like this too."

Immediately, her mane and tail returned to their proper form, and color returned to her. "Awww, thanks Jethy! I'd try and keep it straight, but then I couldn't do this!" Reaching into her mane, she pulled out a small platter of sandwiches cut into fourths. "See? I didn't just bring desserts! I brought lunch!"

Jethro threw back his head and laughed hard. Even Zecora was shaking her head and snickering as well. Pinkie could tell both of them were being genuine with their own laughter.

It made her happy.

Twilight Sparkle was sitting at her desk in the main room of the Golden Oaks library, using her magic to maneuver the mouse for her new computer. Beside her, Sunset Shimmer was watching as the purple Unicorn moved the mouse up and down the first page of search results on Google. The two Unicorns were studying the staticnet and learning about the different types of magic that humans had come up with for their fiction stories. Sunset was more there to help her fellow Unicorn use her new piece of human technology. "What about that page about the different types of magic used in Dungeons and Dragons?" Sunset suggested, pointing to one of the first search results.

Spike, who was nearby reading one of his comics, looked up. "Dungeons and Dragons? What's that?" he asked, clearly interested.

Sunset turned to the young winged Dragon. "It's a roleplaying game that's pretty much Earth's version of Ogres and Oubliettes," she explained.

That got Spike's attention and he stood, rushing over to the computer. "Really? Did you play it?" he asked Sunset.

Sunset snorted and shook her head. "No way. I was too busy being a massive-well, you know," she said, her ears lowering a bit in guilt.

Twilight looked over at her fellow student of magic. "Sunset? Are you okay?"

She sighed. "I guess I'm still not quite over what I did on Earth," she admitted. "It's hard to accept that Princess Celestia can be so forgiving."

"That's just how the Princess is," Twilight said.

Before anyone could say anything, the door to the library burst open. A warmly dressed Pinkie Pie stood in the doorway. Twilight was about to greet her, but the look on Pinkie's face gave the Unicorn pause. She looked more serious than Twilight had ever seen Pinkie before. "Pinkie? What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly worried.

Pinkie came in, closed the door behind her and walked up to Twilight. "Can you send a message to the Princess for me?" Pinkie asked. Her voice was lower and more serious than Twilight had ever heard from the normally happy-go-lucky Pony.

"Um, I can," Twilight said. "What's going on, Pinkie?"

"There's a dangerous pool of water in the Everfree Forest," she said. "One that could cause trouble in the future. It should be destroyed."

Twilight was stunned by Pinkie's choice of words. "Destroyed? A pool of water? But why?"

Pinkie was about to reply but she paused, looking at the computer. Pointing to it, she said, "Twilight, can you look up My Little Pony episodes on that computer thingy?"

Twilight put two and two together. "Did Jethro show you an episode?" she asked.

Pinkie nodded. "Too Many Pinkie Pies is the name of the episode," she said.

She wasn't sure why, but Twilight felt a shiver go down her back at the title name. Turning back to the computer, she used her magic to type in the title, then maneuvered to the Videos tab. Scrolling through it, she found a full episode. "This one?" Twilight asked after she hit play and the video began to load. When it began playing, Pinkie nodded emphatically. "What's this episode about?"

To Twilight's concern, Pinkie's mane lost some of its fluff. "I…don't want to talk about it. But when you watch the episode, I think you'll understand what I mean. I've got to get back to Sugarcube Corner now. See you later." And with that, Pinkie walked out, opening and closing the door behind her like any other normal Pony would.

Twilight, Sunset and Spike sat and watched the episode as it played out. It seemed innocent at first and showed Pinkie being Pinkie. However, at the first blast of magic from the show's version of Twilight against a Pinkie copy, the three went silent. Twilight could feel her stomach drop. She felt sick watching this, almost as sick as she felt when Jethro talked to her and the other girls about how the show depicted their treatment of Spike as more like a servant than anything. Since that particular conversation, Twilight had done her best to make up for it. While the episode might have ended on a light note, Twilight couldn't see it that way.

Sunset looked just as horrified, and Spike had even gone to the bathroom to throw up. "Holy shit," Sunset said in a whisper, "that's…fucked up…"

"Damn right," Spike said as he came out of the bathroom, wiping the water from his mouth with his sleeve.

Twilight sighed. "I see why Pinkie was so serious," she said as she grabbed a scroll and a pen. "Spike, when I'm done writing this, could you send a letter to the Princess?"

"You don't want me to write it for you?" Spike asked.

Twilight smiled at him. "You've written for me for years, Spike. I'm perfectly capable of writing a letter." She pulled the cap off of the pen she'd gotten from Jethro, wrote a quick but neat letter to the Princess, sealed it, then floated it over to Spike. "Thank you, Spike," she said after the letter was sent off. "Do you want to play some Skyrim on the computer for a couple of hours?"

Spike's expression lifted and he smiled. "Can I?"

"Just for two hours," she said. "I'll order us some pizza tonight."

Spike looked more excited at that. "Double cheesy?"

"Yes, Spike. Double cheesy, just how you like it." She got up, gave Spike a warm hug before letting him sit at her desk and start up the video game he'd become obsessed with.

As she and Sunset walked away towards the door, Sunset leaned in. "You've been spoiling him more so than normal lately. Does that have something to do with what Jethro talked about with you and the other girls?"

Twilight nodded. "He showed us some examples of how the show versions of us treated him. I've been treating him less like a brother and more like an assistant. I love him and I'm afraid he might be learning the wrong things. He should have a foalhood, or hatchlinghood, or whatever the Dragon equivalent is. I can't believe I never realized…"

"You're overcompensating, Twilight," Sunset said. "Besides, I see how he looks at you. He loves you like a little brother loves a big sister."

"What if he realizes what a bad sibling I am? What if he hates me for the rest of his life?! What if-?!"

Sunset put a hoof against her lips. "Easy there, Twilight. Stop worrying. You've realized your mistake now, right?" Twilight nodded softly. "Then that's good. It's good you're trying to make up for it, but don't overcompensate or you'll make Spike into a second Blueblood. Or a second Blueblood before his fiancée got to him."

Twilight knew Sunset was right, but she wanted to make things right with Spike, even if all of what had happened to Spike in the show hadn't happened yet. Still, Sunset's words did make her feel a bit better. "Thanks, Sunset."

"Eh, don't mention it," the orange Unicorn replied.

"Twilight! Princess Celestia just sent a message!" Spike said, rushing over with a scroll in his claws.

"Thanks, Spike," Twilight said as she took the letter and opened it. She quickly read over it and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Celestia…she's going to have a team of Ponies fill the pond with stones and rocks and have the best enchanters try and disenchant the area so nopony else can use it."

Sunset nodded. "Celestia seems to be more hands on now than when I was her student," she observed as the two sat on a couch. Sunset grabbed her smartphone and opened it up, connecting to the staticnet.

Twilight sat next to her. "She has been more hooves on. I wonder why…?"

"Well anyway, are you ready to research more magic that humans made up?" Sunset asked, projecting her phone screen.

"Yes please!"