It was eight thirty-two the next morning when I left the house. Zecora had, as promised, stayed in my bed with me. We'd spooned all night long, and the mare's presence had calmed me considerably. Despite the turmoil in my head, I'd slept fairly well thanks in part to her presence and her sleeping tonic. That, and her kisses.
After waking up an hour ago and a shower and breakfast, I'd headed out into the cold autumn morning. Dew lay on the grass and mist was rising from my lawn. I inhaled the brisk and sweet-smelling air as I walked towards my gate.
Despite the early hour, I passed by a few Ponies on the streets, the vast majority of whom gave me a friendly wave or greeting. The only Pony who gave me the stink eye was a heavily made-up Spoiled Rich. I nodded politely and she stuck her ugly nose up in the air as she passed me. Diamond Tiara was with her as well, and she just snorted in amusement.
When I reached the Library, Fluttershy was just arriving from the direction of the Everfree Forest. When she saw me, she smiled softly and waved with one of her wings. To my surprise, Angel was there with her. He gave me a curt nod, but there wasn't any hostility in his face. I waved back. "Hey there, Flutters," I greeted her kindly, "how's the morning treating you?"
"Oh, I can't complain," she said gently, then yawned. God, even her yawning is adorable, I thought.
"Do you get up this early normally?" I asked.
"Oh, yes I do," she said. "I have to feed a lot of my animals early in the morning."
"That makes sense," I said as I knelt down and extended a hand to Angel. "And this little bundle of sunshine looked tired. I know just what you need." I wiggled my hand in front of him. As he'd done before, he jumped into my hand and I began scratching him behind his ears. The bunny shut his eyes in contentment and began thumping my hand with one of his hind legs. "Someone should have named this little guy Thumper," I said with a chuckle.
"Thumper? Why that?" Fluttershy asked.
"Thumper is a fictional character from a movie called Bambi," I explained. "It's about a deer prince and his journey to adulthood in the forest."
Fluttershy's eyes glistened with interest. "I'd love to watch that with you during our next visit," she said with growing excitement.
"Hmm…well, as long as you're okay with some really sad scenes in it," I said cautiously, remembering that scene.
Fluttershy saw my hesitation and walked up, placing a hoof on my chest. "You told me that your movies were fake, right? If there is a sad scene, I think I can handle it."
I smiled wryly. "If you're sure, then I'll bring Bambi over next time."
The door to the library opened and an exhausted looking Spike poked his head out. "Monkey-man? Fluttershy? You're a little early, aren't you?"
"Sup, my little drake," I said. "I like being early to things."
"Ah couldn't agree more," a familiar southern drawl sounded from behind me.
I turned and chuckled. "Two mares after my own heart."
"What about me? What about meeeee?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly as she poked her head out of one of the library's low hanging branches.
"Yes, yes," I chuckled.
"You should make that four, darling," Rarity said, coming up to stand beside Applejack.
"Looks like we all had the same idea," Applejack said, nodding in approval.
"We're just missing one lazybones Pegasus," I said.
"She'll probably be late, as usual," Rarity said.
"Hey! That's rude!" a voice from above said.
I tilted my head. "A voice from above calleth!" I gasped in fake awe.
"We are not worthy!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, giggling as she prostrated herself.
"Spare us from thy wrath! We are poor weary pilgrims from the City of Destruction on our way to the Celestial City!" I chuckled, finally looking up at a confused cyan mare.
"Okay…you lost me," Rainbow Dash said as she landed.
"Earth reference, don't worry about it," I said as I resumed stroking Angel Bunny. "For now, let's go inside. Poor Twilight's probably feeling really anxious about what she wants to tell you all."
"You know something, dontcha?" Applejack asked in a soft voice as we entered.
"Yeah, and you'll soon find out why," I promised as we entered the main library.
Looking around, I saw that a number of chairs had been arranged in a circle in the center of the room. A small table with small refreshments like mini-muffins and mini-cupcakes sat in the middle of the circle of chairs. An uncertain and somewhat frazzled looking Twilight was just coming out of another room, carrying a few glasses and a pitcher of water. When she saw us, she smiled tiredly as she set the glasses and pitcher on the table. "Hello, everypony. Thank you for coming."
"Oh my, you don't look good," Fluttershy said, concern clear in her voice.
"She tossed and turned all night long," Spike said as he took a seat at the table.
"Is it really that serious, darling?" Rarity asked.
Twilight turned to face me. Her eyes were slightly red from lack of sleep and there were bags under them. She approached and looked up at me, a slightly pleading look in her eyes. "Jethro…could you tell them? I'm not sure I can right now."
I quickly handed Angel back to Fluttershy, then led her to one of the chairs. I sat next to her while Fluttershy sat in the other chair next to me. "Of course, Twi," I said reassuringly. Returning my attention to the other mares and Spike, I gestured to the chairs. "Have a seat, everyone. What I have to say is extremely important and cannot leave this room. Is that understood?"
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie said, making the hoof gestures I'd gotten to know from the show and in real life.
"And the rest of you," I said with an authority I didn't feel like I had, "I want your oath, Pinkie Promise, swearing by Celestia or whatever it is you swear by that you will keep this secret."
"Ah swear it, by Celestia's flowing mane," Applejack said after a few seconds.
"I won't tell anypony," Fluttershy said.
"A lady never reveals the secrets of her friends," Rarity said.
"Well, I certainly won't tell," Spike said.
"That depends on what the secret is," Rainbow Dash said skeptically.
"Then leave," I said, pointing to the door. "This secret is too important for half-assed answers like that."
"Jethro! There are little dragons present!" Rarity said, glaring at me.
Whirling on her, I glared back, causing the purple maned mare to flinch. "The future of all of Equestria hangs in the balance, and you're worried about profanity?" She went silent at that as I turned back to Rainbow Dash, who herself had a shocked expression on her face. "What will it be, Rainbow Dash?"
"…You're really serious, aren't you?" she asked.
"Think of it as a matter of national security," I said sternly.
"Fine! Fine! I won't tell anypony about this!" she said, sounding exasperated.
"That's more like it," I said. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my laptop. Using the same spell Celestia had back on the train when we watched the first Lord of the Rings movie, the screen was magically replicated and hovered over us. It was showing a paused video, one of Twilight standing facing the screen, but with her eyes closed and her head down. In the background, it was nighttime in the animated Ponyville. "A few days ago, I was watching the show depicting life in Equestria, specifically life surrounding the Ponies and Dragon in this room," I explained. "This is part of the last episode of Season 3 of said show. In a few seconds, you'll see just why I called you here." I hit play.
The others watched in awe as a mere second later, the deceptively appearing Unicorn spread purple Alicorn wings, a bright white light glowing from behind. I let the scene play out, pausing just before the scene in Canterlot. Closing the video, I stood and faced them. "Before you ask anything, allow me to explain further. Celestia has planned this for many years. She sees an amazing amount of potential in Twilight Sparkle, her most faithful student." I gestured to the exhausted Unicorn and continued. "Now, I didn't exactly like the idea of keeping this a secret from Twilight, so I confronted Celestia about it a few days ago."
"Hold on, you confronted her?!" Rarity asked, aghast.
"Yes," I said. "In the show, this choice wasn't a choice for Twilight. I felt it was forced upon her without consent. I had to see her and hear her side of the story."
"At least ya did that," Applejack said.
"I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid," I said. "Celestia is held in high regard in this country, and from what I've seen in real life and the show, for good reason. That doesn't mean she is without flaws. If I knew about this and did nothing, I would be no better than her when it came to hiding this from Twilight." I gazed at every Pony in the room. "I would do the same for everyone in here if I discovered something like this. Despite our rather rocky first meeting, you've all made it quite clear to me that you're all friends worth sticking up for and protecting. Even if that means standing up to the most powerful being in this universe."
"Weren't you scared?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly.
"Deathly scared," I said. Turning to the yellow mare, I knelt and put a hand on one of her hooves. "But courage isn't about not feeling fear. It's about pressing past that to protect your friends and loved ones. Remember that."
"I will," she said.
Standing again, I faced the others. "Celestia told Twilight her plans and her reasons behind them just yesterday. She called us all here today so we could discuss this. The poor mare's still so conflicted."
Twilight looked up finally, gazing at all of her friends. "I know I've only known you for a few months," she said a bit shakily, "but you're all the best friends I could have ever wanted. I'm not afraid to admit I'm scared."
"'Tain't nothin' a good talk can't fix," Applejack said in an attempt to be reassuring. "C'mon, Twi, we're all here for ya."
"Tell us what you're thinking, dear," Rarity added.
We waited patiently as Twilight gathered her thoughts. Finally, she looked up at the ceiling and began. "I'm so conflicted. I just don't know if I'm qualified to be a princess or not. What makes a good princess? Will I be able to handle it? What if I screw everything up?"
"You won't screw everything up," Spike said, earning him a glare from both Applejack and Rarity. "What?" he asked with an innocent shrug.
"Darling," Rarity said, refocusing her attention on Twilight. "You know the Princess better than anypony else here. Do you think she would make this decision lightly?"
"Well…no, of course not," Twilight said hesitantly.
"Of course not!" Applejack agreed. "Maybe she's fixin' to retire?"
"No, she isn't," I said. "She told me her reasons for finding a candidate for a ruler."
As I told them, Twilight's facial expression changed. When I mentioned Celestia's reasoning for choosing her, she stood and faced me. "So, if I became a princess, I might be able to help with making friends with other nations?"
"The official name for it is establishing treaties," I explained, "but the concept is the same. Celestia hopes that for you, and from what I've seen so far, both in real life and in the show, she's right about you having potential. You might not be ready now, but in the future, with help from your friends, you could become the fourth ruler of Equestria."
"And besides," Pinkie said exuberantly, "Think of all the cool stuff you could do! You could throw some amazing parties! You could help so many other Ponies! Oooh oooh! You could even protect Jethro from that meanie Empress Amber!"
"Whoa there," I said, "don't bring me into this."
"But Princess Celestia mentioned something about me not being the only potential ruler," Twilight said.
"We'll get to that," I promised. "Right now, we're focusing on you."
"Right…" she said.
"Twilight," Applejack said, "ah can't say ah know much about what makes a good Princess, but ah can tell ya what ah think. Ah think yer overthinkin' this."
"Overthinking? OVERTHINKING?!" Twilight shouted, causing everyone to flinch. "None of you understands the position I'm in here!"
"Darling, we do understand," Rarity began, but Twilight cut her off. "It's just that-"
"Just what?!" Twilight shouted back angrily.
"We're trying to help!" a frustrated Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Then when you figure out a way to help me make this decision, I'd love to hear it!"
It began to devolve from there. Fluttershy was the only one not really participating, holding Angel protectively and clinging to me nervously. Pinkie Pie was doing her best to calm the others down, while Twilight was arguing with an increasingly angry Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity.
Now, let it not be said that I didn't try to intervene patiently and calmly. I was no medical man, but I could see the signs of a nervous breakdown on Twilight's face coming from miles away. Ponies, I'd noticed, were much more expressive than humans, and the majority of them held their hearts closer to their chest. I tried getting the mares to separate for a few minutes to cool their heads, but that didn't work. I tried standing between them, but nothing else I tried worked. My temper rising, I felt something rising up within me.
"STAY THY TONGUES!" I shouted, surprising everyone there, especially myself. Now, I'd seen Luna use what was known as the Royal Canterlot Voice, but I just thought it was really loud shouting. In the moment I'd shouted, magic flowed through me, amplifying my voice and making it echo. Behind me, my wings were completely spread. Silence filled the room as I forced my wings back down.
Walking up to a trembling Twilight, I knelt and put a hand on her cheek. "Forgive me," I said sadly, but forcing a smile on my face. "Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, far be it from me to decide your destiny for you, but it would behoove you to listen to your friends. Yes, you have a choice to make, but your friends will be there for you to help in any way they can. Even if they don't understand the situation completely, it breaks their hearts to see you like this. And it does the same for me."
"It…does?" she asked.
"Twilight, in the past few months, I've gone from having no one I could really call a friend, to having several close friends and a girlfriend. One of my faults is that I'm somewhat overprotective of my friends. When I see any friend of mine looking like this, I can only think of ways to help."
Twilight looked back at the others. "Is…that true?" When the others nodded and replied in the affirmative, she lowered her head in shame. "I've been a terrible friend today."
"Don't say that, Twilight," Fluttershy said, standing and walking over to her friend. "I know how you feel. You're scared. I've lashed out when I'm scared before."
"You? Lashing out?" Rainbow Dash asked. Her tone made it sound like she didn't believe her fellow Pegasus.
"It doesn't happen often," she admitted, "but I know how scared somepony has to be to reach that point."
"It's a defense mechanism," I said. "A way to regain control of whatever the situation is. But if there's anything I know about you, Twilight, it's that you're extremely smart. Smarter than I am, and more mature than most other mares your age. Even human women your age pale in comparison to your maturity."
"To quote the other me, Alicorn Party!" Pinkie Pie shouted happily, pulling out a large party popper and shooting shouted happily, pulling out a large party popper and shooting confetti everywhere.
"If that happens, then you can throw a party Pinks," I said. Turning back to Twilight, I continued. "I'm pretty sure Celestia doesn't expect you to make a decision by the end of the day. This is a life altering decision."
She slowly nodded, then turned to the others. "I shouldn't have snapped. I'm really sorry."
"You're just grouchy from no sleep, silly!" Pinkie said, reaching into her mane and pulling out a cupcake. "Here! Sugar helps feed the brain!"
Twilight took it with her magic, smiling slightly. "Thanks, Pinkie."
Hours passed after that. Twilight bared her soul to her friends, expressing her fears about potentially screwing things up for Equestria if she took the job, but also the potential for some unknown future catastrophe that might happen if she didn't take it. She begged me to give her some more details about the show's timeline, but all I could say was that while certain events might still happen, others might not, and Celestia, Luna and I were formulating plans to counter any dangers I might see. One thing I did say, however, was that a benefit to becoming a princess was that she would probably be involved in the strategy meetings Celestia, Luna and myself were planning in the future.
Finally, after everyone had said their peace and their opinions, all of whom thought Twilight would make an excellent princess, she turned to me. "Now…it's your turn."
I frowned, but I had promised her. "First, to explain, I need to show you all something." Reaching into my bag, I pulled out both golden apples as well as an apple slicer, setting them on the table.
Unsurprisingly, Applejack's eyes went wide at the sight first, followed by the rest. The golden apples shimmered in the lamplights around the library. "Well, ah declare," she said, reaching out towards one, "ah've never seen the like."
I took the apple slicer, pressed it down and split the first apple evenly. I did the same for the second apple, then placed it on a nearby empty plate. "Try them. I haven't yet," I said, grabbing one of the slices.
Applejack didn't even hesitate. She grabbed a slice and examined it carefully. Twilight was next, equally as fascinated, but also somewhat salivating. "I've had these before," she said as she took a bite of the apple. "Sweet Celestia…just as good as I remember. What do you think, Spike?"
Spike took another piece and took a bite. He nodded in approval. "Actually, I think they're better than I remember."
I took a bite myself, and my eyes widened. I'd had more apples in my time in Equestria than I ever had back on Earth, and while the apples Applejack and her family grew were absolutely delicious, this Elder Golden was something I seriously couldn't get enough of. Not caring about decorum, I wolfed it down, trying my best to at the same time savor its taste. I couldn't exactly describe it, but the sweetness of this apple dwarfed anything I'd ever had before. It took a lot of self-control to not grab another one, since I planned on sharing with Zecora and Scarlet, and possibly Gemini and Mica as well.
Pinkie Pie, however, didn't have as much self control and was already scarfing down a second apple before I had a chance to grab the remainder of the apples and seal them in a Ziploc bag. "Aww!" she pouted.
"I'm giving one to my girlfriend and roommate," I said, gently placing the remaining apples in my bag. "Everyone got one, right?"
The satisfied moans from the mares in the room answered my question. Grinning, I passed one of the cores over to Applejack. "Here you go. After we're done here, I'll go back to the farm and help you grow one of your own. They won't be exactly the same as the one you just ate, but I've got it on good authority that Luna loves these apples a bunch when they lose their golden sheen."
"I bet these'd make some great cider!" Rainbow Dash said, licking her lips.
"I've certainly never had a better apple in my life," Rarity said.
"How did you get these apples?" Twilight asked. "Princess Celestia told me that the Elder Apples don't fall except for rare circumstances."
"That's the thing I wanted to talk with you about," I said, sitting back down. "Now, once again, I must ask you all to keep this a secret."
"But I already made a Pinkie Promise!" Pinkie said.
"I know, but I want to make this absolute. Especially since there's a specific meaning behind the apples falling," I said. The room went silent as I repeated what Celestia had said to me the day prior. Twilight, not surprisingly, was the most invested, especially when she heard about the ruler potential meaning behind the falling of an Elder Golden. I calmed her as best as I could with mane strokes, and that seemed to help. When I finished, I looked at the room. "So…it's not just Twilight who has this issue. It's me too, but to a lesser extent."
The room was silent as the others digested this news. After about a minute, Spike got out of his chair, walked up, and extended a fist. Slowly, I balled my hand into a fist and touched his with my own. That somehow made me feel a bit better. "Good on you, monkey-man," he smirked.
I snorted and grinned down at him. "Heh, I doubt that'll ever not make me laugh. Thanks, dragon-boyo." I looked back at the others. "But be honest, no Pony would ever look at me as ruler. I'm not a Pony. And, no offense to you all, but Ponies seem to fear anything that isn't a Pony. Look how you reacted to Zecora, not to mention me."
Applejack looked away, a bit guilt stricken. "Jethro, ah'm real sorry about-"
"AJ, I know you were just trying to protect your sister," I interrupted her. Walking over, I gently removed her Stetson and, for the first time, stroked her mane. "Are you still upset about that?"
"Ah've never done anything like it before," she said. "Ah don't know what came over me."
I scratched behind her ear, causing the farmgirl to gasp a bit in surprise. "We can talk more about it later, alright? Promise." I removed my hand, put her Stetson back on her, then turned to the rest. "Be honest with me. Do you believe I'll be accepted as a Prince of Equestria?"
"I would!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing over and landing somehow gracefully in my lap. "You could bring so many cool new desserts to Equestria!"
"Those Jet-things you showed me could really help me and the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash said next, which surprised me. "You'd have my support!"
"How can you be so sure?" I asked. "Forget the fact that I'm not a Pony for a bit. I'm still new to your world. I have the history knowledge of a child. Sure, I know a decent amount, but the more mundane stuff? Not a clue. That, and the only 'leadership' role I know is as a bank manager. That can't be compared to running an entire kingdom."
"But can anything?" Twilight asked.
"Darlings, the fact that Princess Celestia herself has said the two of you have that potential must mean something," Rarity said. "Do you think she'd say such things lightly?"
"Of course not," Twilight exclaimed. "It's just…I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility…"
"Ah doubt anypony would be completely ready," Applejack said. "But we'd be here for ya! Both of ya!"
The other Ponies walked up to Twilight and enveloped her in a group hug. Spike joined in, but I stood apart, smiling at the outpouring of love and support from the group towards the grateful Unicorn.
Fluttershy was the first to look around the group hug, as if looking for something. She turned and locked eyes on me. "Um…Jethro?" she asked.
"Get over here, silly!" Pinkie said. "Or maybe we should come over there?"
"This is your moment, not-oof!"
Fluttershy was the first to jump into my arms. She wrapped all of her legs around me, clinging to me in an affectionate manner. Surprised, I nearly fell backwards, but caught myself as I hugged the yellow Pegasus back. The others quickly joined me and I was enveloped by them in seconds. Twilight was the second to arrive, hugging me as best she could. The others piled on until I could barely see the library anymore. In the dim light, I looked down and found myself inches away from a smiling Fluttershy's face. I slowly extricated my wings and spread them wide, folding them around the group. "Are you feeling better?" Fluttershy asked softly.
"Yeah, but still not closer to a decision," I said.
Twilight, who's muzzle was next to one of my ears, said, "Neither have I. Could we talk about it alone sometime?"
"Of course," I said. "I have a feeling we have quite a lot to discuss."
The group cuddle tightened around me, and I relaxed. The future was growing more and more uncertain, but as long as I had the support and kind words of my new friends, I felt like things would eventually work themselves out.