My next memory was of waking up in a soft and comfortable bed. I groaned as I slowly sat up and looked around. I was in a large canopy bed with all the curtains drawn to keep the light out. I frowned and concentrated, trying to remember what had happened and why I was in this room.

When the memory rushed back to me, I fell back onto my back, staring up into the darkness once more. Athena, the Alicorn who had provided me with my house and the powers I now possessed, was gone. I would never see her again. My eyes already hurt, but that didn't stop me from crying once more.

I'd lost someone again. The pain was almost too much to bear this time around. I covered my face and buried it in the pillow. I didn't want to face the world at the moment, but I also had no job to go to where I could bury my grief.

I wasn't sure how long I was lying there, but a pressure on my back startled me back to reality. Turning, I saw a worried looking Celestia peering in, her hoof on my back. I wasn't sure, but she looked like she might have been crying too. "Jethro…are you alright?"

I wanted to snap at her. I wanted to be angry. Instead, I felt empty as I slowly sat up. "No…I'm not," I looked down.

She pulled more of the curtains aside. "May I come in?"

I moved aside and she climbed in, lying down in her own version of a ponyloaf. I looked down at my lap, hands folded. I couldn't think of something to say. I wasn't even sure where to begin. My mind was all twisted up and my stomach in knots. Just then, a loving wing spread over my back and pulled me a bit closer. I turned and saw Celestia looking at me with her own tearful expression. "Jethro…you might not believe me, but I do know how you feel. I truly do."

I wanted to once again yell at her, tell her she was wrong. But I knew better. I remembered the look on her face when Athena finally passed on. Plus, she was immortal. Of course she knows how I feel. She's probably lost so many Ponies important to her. And she just lost Obsidian Star like me. Her and Luna. I looked at her imploringly. "How…how can you go on like that? I…" I trailed off, not sure what else to say.

"When I sent Luna away, that was the first time I was truly alone," she replied sadly, looking down at the bedding. "Normal Ponies can live to be about two or three hundred of our years at best, but Luna, Cadance and I will live forever. I've made many friends throughout the thousand years Luna was away, but I had to watch them grow old and die in front of me. I've done my fair share of working myself to the bone to distract myself from the pain. I've also fallen to the temptation of not letting anypony close to me. But that just leads to even more pain. As painful as it is to lose somepony, it's even more painful to be alone. And believe it or not, there are more than a few individuals outside this room who are extremely scared for you. They care about you so much. As do I. I don't want you falling into the despair I fell into after losing Luna. Those were the worst first hundred years of my life without her."

She pulled me closer with her wing, lowering her head and touching my forehead with hers as best she could. "You're not alone here. The Elements of Harmony, Spike, Zecora, my sister, my niece and myself are all here. Let us help heal your broken heart and soul."

My fear of the princess began to slowly dissipate. After such a display, how could I be afraid of her anymore? She was baring her own sorrows to me, a simple human. Or was I human anymore? Closing my eyes, I put a hand in her mane once more. "I…I would like that very much, Celestia. You honor me with your kind offer."

The wing around me tightened and she breathed out what sounded like a sigh of relief. "You've no idea how relieved I am to hear that." The two of us broke apart and looked at each other. "Are you ready to see the others?"

I almost said yes, but something stopped me. "Not yet. I…I have something else I want to discuss with you."

"Oh? What is it?"

I frowned and looked down. "It's just…with what happened in Cloudsdale…I know we discussed me looking ahead at possible future events in the show, but what happened to Rarity taught me something."

"What did it teach you?" she asked.

"Well, last night, I broke down and watched what happened in My Little Pony, and lack of a human aside, things played out pretty much the same. With one exception: Rarity wasn't injured. Rainbow Dash saved her and the Wonderbolts just fine."

"I see." She looked thoughtfully up at the canopy of my bed. Turning back, she said, "Go on."

"We were lucky," I said. "Rarity only had a sprained hoof. But what if next time something worse happens? What if my presence here causes a more serious injury, or worse? Someone's death." I swallowed nervously.

Celestia looked at me again. "Jethro Bethridge," she began, "when you first brought these concerns to me, do you remember what I said?" I nodded. "My advice still stands, but let me clarify. Events ever since you've arrived have changed enough that even I highly doubt you watching this show of yours would be a foolish endeavor. You said yourself it was entertainment for children."

"Yeah, I guess, but-"

"No buts about it," she interrupted me. "Jethro, it's clear you want to make the right call, and I can respect that. But I think that, like Twilight, you can sometimes get so stuck in your own head that you become indecisive. And that's never a good thing." She brushed her wing against my cheek and her tone softened. "You have friends who can help you. Talk with them about it too."

"I already have," I admitted. "And they basically told me the same thing. I was just…so unsure."

"I can tell," she said with a small grin. "Are you closer to a decision now? Or do you need to talk to somepony else?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm getting closer to a decision. I'll make one very soon, and that's a promise."

She giggled softly. "Good. Now, are you ready to see the others?"

I smiled a bit. "As long as I'm not assaulted with ten billion questions at once," I replied.

She gave out a cute giggle. "I'll let them know. Would you like them to come in one at a time?"

"It's alright, they can all come in all at once," I replied, slowly pulling my blankets off.

"Are you sure you're alright to stand," she asked. "After Obsidian Star cast her final spell, you passed out. You've been asleep for three days."

I gaped at her. "What…how…?"

Celestia sighed. "Jethro, whatever she cast on you caused you to experience magical overload. It took all the magic we had to stabilize you. Don't worry, you're alright now," she quickly added when she saw the fear on my face. "but I am going to ask that you visit Twilight once a week so she can check on your new magic levels." She frowned. "I…I'd like to explain more, but I want the rest to hear it as well. Is that okay?"

I set my jaw, thinking. She was my host, presuming I was still in the palace. I nodded. "Yeah, I think I can live with that."

She smiled gratefully, then came to my side, helping me to my feet. I realized then that I was actually wearing some clothes I didn't actually own. What I was wearing was simple enough: a dark red pair of silk pants and a shirt embroidered with a golden circle surrounded by wings that matched my own. Within the circle I saw the letters JB embroidered in silver threads. I looked down and around at my new attire. When I looked questioningly at Celestia, she had a grin on her face. Immediately, I guessed who'd made these for me. "Rarity?"

"Rarity," she replied with a nod. She led me over to a chair and I sat, my wings spreading so as to not be squished behind me. I folded them back as much as was possible and sighed. That's gonna take some getting used to, I thought as I got a better look at the room. The roof was domed and at the apex a chandelier with glowing crystals hung. There were two bookshelves on one end of the room with the bed on the other. I was seated in a large chair next to an empty fireplace. There was a large vertical window to my right that looked out over the city.

Celestia walked over and the door magically opened just a crack. She stuck her head out and I heard her talking to someone outside. "He's awake, but he's still a bit weak. Please go easy on him for the time being."

The door opened more to reveal several worried faces. However, one burst into the room and soon I found myself being hugged tight by my favorite Zebra friend. "My savior! Are you alright!? Are you hurting anywhere?"

I threw my arms around her and held her close. "I'm still a bit tired, but I'm feeling alright. Nothing hurts. But you're squeezing me a bit tightly," I chuckled.

Zecora eased up, but didn't quite let go. "Sorry, my friend."

"Don't be. I'm not angry."

Everyone else came in slowly, gathering around me. Even Pinkie Pie had a worried look on her face, and her mane and tail were completely straight. Twilight stepped forward nervously. "H-Hey, you're alright, aren't you? Please say you are."

I smiled slightly at her and nodded. "I'm physically alright," I qualified.

"I see…" her ears flattened a bit and she lowered her head. "I…I can't imagine what you must be going through…"

"Ah can," Applejack said, approaching beside her and giving me an understanding glance. "Ah know that look in yer eye. And ah just wanna say that we'll all be here to give ya a willin' listen."

"Well…" Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously.

I smiled. "I know, RD. That kind of mushy stuff isn't your thing. Which is why I have something else I wanna do with you." I slowly spread my wings again. "You're wanna train me on how to use these?" I asked as I retracted them.

Her eyes widened and she had a practically giddy look on her face. "Awww yeah!" She beamed at me. "You'll be a speed demon in no time!"

Chuckling, I looked back at Applejack. "I appreciate your offer, and I'll probably take you up on it. Just know that it's probably gonna take me a lot longer to recover from losing Obsidian Star than most."

"Y-You can talk to me too," Fluttershy said, stepping forward. "Th-that is, if you want to," she added.

"Gladly," I replied.

"Anything we can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask," Rarity said.

I pulled on my clothes and smiled warmly at her. "I look forward to it."

"Jethro, if it's okay, can I stop by twice a week for a while instead of once?" Cadance asked. "At least for a little while."

I looked over at Celestia, who nodded slightly. Turning back, I chuckled. "I'd be glad to have you over twice a week."

Luna approached me next, giving me a small smile of her own. "Once again, we ask that you forgive us for our earlier behavior when thou wast telling us about Obsidian Star."

"There's nothing to forgive," I replied. "From what your sister mentioned, it was an understandable reaction. I'm not upset at you."

"Even so, it was rude of us, and we want you to know that we shall grant thee a boon of thy choice," she added.

I chuckled a little bit. "I've got a feeling you won't accept no for an answer, will you?" Her lack of response was all the answer I needed. "Well then…can I get back to you on that?"

"Feel free to send us a letter anytime," she said.

"Um, Jethro?" Twilight looked at me. "Is there…anything I can do to help?"

"Perhaps there is," Celestia finally said, approaching us with the regal gait I'd come accustomed to seeing from her. "Twilight, out of all my students, you were the most gifted I have ever seen. Your knack for learning spells more quickly than any other Pony is one of the reasons I selected you as my personal student." She turned to me. "Thanks to recent events, Jethro Bethridge has not only been granted the wings of an Alicorn, but the magical potential of one. Potentially more powerful than even myself or my sister. And I believe there's no one more qualified to teach him magic than you."

My jaw dropped, as did the jaws of almost everyone else, save for Luna and Cadance. Closing my mouth, I cleared my throat. "Can I ask what you mean?"

Celestia turned to me. "You saw the horn, didn't you? That was the horn of an Alicorn. When Obsidian Star took refuge within you to come back to Equestria, your body underwent a change, and not just the ones she provided for you."

Realization began to dawn. "So…she was right. I do have magic now."

Celestia nodded. "For all intents and purposes, you're a human version of an Alicorn."

I swallowed hard. I wasn't even sure how to respond or what questions to ask. Twilight, however, was the first to ask a question. "So what can we expect? Is he immortal?"

Celestia looked thoughtful. "That I can't say. He is unlike anything ever seen in Equestria."

I…Immortal?! I felt the blood drain from my face at that. Zecora was the only one who noticed and held me tighter. Everyone else was focused on Celestia.

"But wait, your Highnesses," Rarity said nervously, "I thought Alicorns were royalty. What does that make Jethro?"

This was becoming too much. I felt sick to my stomach. First immortal, and now royalty?

"The royalty part remains to be seen," Celestia said before she looked at me and noticed my panicked state. "Are you alright?" I slowly shook my head. The solar princess looked apologetic. "I'm sorry for all of this."

"I…I think I'm gonna be sick," I said honestly.

As fast as I could blink, Rainbow Dash was at my side with a glass of water which she'd gotten from a nearby table. I took it and gulped the cooling liquid down my throat greedily. Thankfully, it helped and my nausea went down to a tolerable level, some water even flowing down my newly forming beard. "Now we're even," the Pegasus said with a small grin.

I smirked despite myself. "Yeah…yeah we are." I turned to Celestia. "About the immortality thing…" I trailed off, not even sure what to ask or where to begin.

"There's no way to know for sure how this transformation will affect you," she said. "I can have some of my best minds working on determining what long-term effects this will have on you."

"I'll look into it too!" Twilight said earnestly.

Celestia smiled at her student. "I know you will, whether I ask if of you or not." She turned to me again. "Jethro, once again, I will do whatever I can to help you. As will the other Ponies here, I'm sure."

The others quickly agreed, and despite my own torrent of thoughts on the matter, I was grateful to them all for their offer. "Thank you…that means a lot to me," I replied. "And…about this royalty business…?"

Celestia frowned a bit. "While it is tradition for an Alicorn to be royalty, you're not precisely an Alicorn even if you have all the potential abilities of one. That is a subject my sister, niece and I will discuss at a later time, I promise. And we won't leave you out of the discussion either."

I nodded. "I'd appreciate that."

"Are you up to eating something?" Cadance asked.

I shrugged. "I probably should."

"There's no need to force it," Celestia said, but she stopped when I shook my head.

"No, I should eat something. Got any tomato soup?"

The first half of the journey back to Ponyville was more of a blur than the one I experienced when taking the train to Canterlot. We'd eaten lunch with the Princesses before we headed back to Ponyville. I ate slowly, my stomach still in knots but I ate everything served to me regardless. We were escorted back to the train by Shining Armor, who had quietly apologized for his words to me, explaining that he was merely doing his duty. I forgave him of course, and he promised that when the two of us next met, it would be in better circumstances.

All through the day, Zecora had hardly left my side. The fact that she was so deeply worried for me warmed my heart considerably, and I told her that if she wanted, she could lie on my lap on the way home. She did just that while I was on my phone, looking through some manga over my staticnet. The others were all busy with something or other. Rarity was drawing something on a piece of paper, Twilight was reading some sort of magic book on Alicorns that Celestia had given her, Spike was reading a comic book, Rainbow Dash was sleeping, Applejack was watching the scene out of her window, Pinkie Pie was eating some sweets she'd bought in Canterlot, and Fluttershy-

I looked over at her bed, which was strangely empty. I shrugged, assuming she just went to the lavatory. I went back to reading manga, when I felt a presence next to me. Turning, I found myself gazing into the most beautiful blue eyes I'd ever seen. "Fluttershy?"

The shy Pegasus backed off, face nervous. "Oh, um…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

I chuckled. "It's alright. Is there something on your mind?"

Approaching once more, she looked at my phone with some curiosity. "Um…I was just wondering what you were reading on that…cellphone, was it?"

I chuckled. "It's one of my favorite manga. Sweetness and Lightning. It's about a single father raising the most adorable little girl and their sweet little adventures in cooking with one of the father's high school students. It's a pretty wholesome little manga, and after all that's happened, I needed a pick-me-up."

She looked at me worriedly. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? That was quite a shock when the Princess told us about…well…"

I rubbed my eyes, putting down my phone and absently stroking Zecora's mane as she slept. "Right now, I'm a mixture of depressed, terrified, excited, and a whole bunch of other emotions. I'm more confused than anything. That's why I was reading: to distract myself for a bit just long enough to get back home and sleep. For a long time. I need it."

She put a hoof on my hand. "Could…Could I read it with you? The art style of that story is similar to manega."

"Of course it's called that here," I chuckled softly as I picked up the phone and returned to the very first page. "Just let me know when you want to see the next page."

For the rest of the trip home, she and I read together. I did have to pause every so often to explain something she didn't understand, but for the most part, she seemed to enjoy the story. When we arrived at Ponyville Station, Zecora told the others she would take me back to my house, but they all insisted on coming with me.

When we reached my house, I all but collapsed onto the couch, mentally drained. Zecora was immediately by my side. The others stood around me for a bit. I looked at them all and smiled a bit. "You girls don't have to stick around for me, you know. I'll be fine after a while."

"Ain't nice of ya to lie," Applejack said a bit sternly.

"She's right," Twilight said softly, approaching and putting a hoof on my knee. "And even worse, you're lying to yourself."

I sighed, my smile vanishing. "Yeah, you're right."

"You've had a pretty rough few days, monkey man," Spike said, looking at me with his own brand of concern. "I don't really understand all of that Obsidian Star stuff, and I was there all three days when Twilight went through the Canterlot Library researching them all."

I turned to Twilight and smirked. "Of course you did."

"H-Hey! I wanted to get to know everything about them!" she defended, and then her expression softened. "So I could tell you more about her. I think you'd like what I found out. At least, before Discord did whatever she did."

I smiled, forcing down my grief at her final passing. "I'd like to hear, please."

She took out a large notebook and opened it. Clearing her throat, she began.

Twilight warned me that she hadn't learned much, but what she did learn I was glad she did. Obsidian Star was one of the wisest of the hidden Alicorn clan, according to Twilight's research. She might have been younger, but her wisdom knew no bounds. Many Ponies would go to her for advice, which she freely gave. Even her fellow Alicorns would go to her for advice. She was known as Obsidian the Wise or the Wise Warrior. She told me a couple of anecdotal tales about her wisdom, one of which reminded me of the tale of Solomon and the two widows. When she stopped, I was crying softly, but with a big grin on my face. I couldn't be prouder of her, and glad she was my benefactor.

"Thank you…thank you for telling me about her," I told her.

"I…you're welcome," Twilight said hesitantly, but with a smile.

I wiped my eyes and chuckled slightly. "Well, after the time I've had, I could certainly use a movie."

"What's a movie?" Twilight asked, putting on her eager learning cap. A notebook and pencil were floating in front of her immediately.

Grinning, happy that I could distract her and myself a bit longer, I explained in a manner similar to how I'd explained it to Zecora. When she was finished, she had an even more excited look on her face. "Are you gonna watch one now, and if so, can I watch it with you?"

"Of course you can," I replied. "In fact, I can get everyone here some popcorn."

"Already on it!" Pinkie Pie shouted, pulling a large bucket of streaming buttered popcorn out of her mane and placing it on the table.

"I…I'm just never gonna question that," I chuckled as I stood. "Let me look for a movie for us to watch. And yes, before you ask, I won't be grabbing a cartoon, Zecora." The Zebra chuckled as I walked over to my DVD shelf next to the couch. When I found one of my favorite movies, I grinned and brought it over to my entertainment center. I set up the movie and rejoined Zecora on the couch.

"What movie did you select?" Twilight asked as the rest of them either sat on the couch or in my love seat and recliner.

"Oh, it's a fictional tale," I replied. "It's a story that takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far far away…"

By the time we'd finished the first movie, it was late afternoon turning into early evening. The group was practically bursting with questions, and I promised to answer them all over dinner. I took them all out to The Hay Burger where I answered their questions as comprehensively as I could. As that was the first time they'd seen other humans, albeit on a screen, I could see the curiosity in their eyes, but especially in the cute purple unicorn who sat to my left. I felt the tension of my current situation begin fading away. Not that it was gone completely, but the distraction definitely helped.

It was dark out when we parted ways. Unsurprisingly, Zecora stuck with me as I walked back to my house. I already knew the routine: she would stay with me that night. And she would probably insist on sleeping in the same bed as I did, which I had no objection to. Soon the lights were off and we were both under the covers.

But I also could sense the oncoming conversation between us. Zecora turned to face me almost at the same time as I turned to her. I chuckled and nodded at her. "Ladies first."

She chuckled, and reached her hoof out to my hand. I clasped it in my hand as she began, "My savior, how are you faring? This news of you becoming an Alicorn cannot have been easy to hear."

I nodded slowly. "My emotions are all over the place right now," I replied. "I've lost someone I cared about more than I realized…she reminded me so much of my mother. It was like losing her a second time." I took a deep breath.

Zecora moved closer and put her hoof on my cheek. I felt the magic that Zebras and Ponies used to grip things caress my face. "You are not alone even now. You have the others. And you have me. I know the pain of loss all too well." There was a small hint of grief in her eyes.

When I didn't say anything, she continued. "I once had a brother, Kimba. We both were orphans, but he protected me and stayed with me after we were adopted. Our adopted parents were kind and loving, but were ill equipped to house the two of us. Kimba tried to help our adopted parents by finding odd jobs around our city, and while it helped somewhat, it wasn't enough. That's when he turned to the darker side of the city. He became a runner, transporting illegal goods from place to place. He was desperate, and that desperation is what led to his murder."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This world just keeps becoming more and more real, I thought as I wrapped my arms and wings instinctively around Zecora. I could hear her breathing harder as she continued. "I know the pain of loss. I know how it feels to be alone. Why do you think I set up my house in the Everfree Forest? When I came here, I was not in the mindset I am now. I didn't want to make friends. I was so scared of feeling that pain again that I locked my heart away. But as I continued living in Everfree, I began to realize that nozebra can live truly alone. I saw animal families among the beasts in the forest and even a Deerfolk company or two looking out for each other in the face of danger."

She buried her face in my chest. "I realized then that I wanted companionship. I wanted friends. But whenever I went to Ponyville, no Pony was ever around. You were the first who wasn't scared of me. The first who accepted me, even if it took you a while to admit that we were friends. Just know that we are all here for you. We want you to start healing from all the pain and loss you've experienced."

I ran my hand through her mane, her slightly rougher hair a familiar feeling and something that brought me a certain comfort. We lay there in silence for a bit before I replied. "I hope you all are ready. I'm pretty broken, you know."

"We could tell, and we talked plenty of times about how best to help you while you were unconscious," she replied. "We decided to help you at your own pace, but we also want to give you gentle nudges in the right direction. We won't just abandon you."

"I hope you're in it for the long haul," I smiled sheepishly.

"We all are."

I felt that same warmth swell within me once more as I looked down at the Zebra, who looked back up at me with a teary-eyed smile. "You all have done so much for me already," I smiled.

"And we'll keep on doing it. We're your friends, and you're a foreign being in a land alien to you. And with what else has happened to you lately, you're going to need all the help you can get."

I sighed. "Yeah, there's that too. Now I have greater magical potential than even the most powerful beings in Equestria? And a potential immortal and Equestrian Royal? I'm scared of that. How are you not? How are any of you not scared of me?"

"We know you well enough to know you would never abuse such powers," Zecora said in a reassuring tone. "Besides, from what I have heard about Twilight, she will be an excellent teacher for you. And you'll be able to learn best from Rainbow Dash about flight, and then from Applejack about the ways of Earth Ponies."

"It's just happening all so fast," I replied. "I go from being some normal human who helps run a bank to a being with the potential magic of a demigod." I refused to think of myself as having godlike abilities. Even if I hadn't been to a church in years, my Christian upbringing made me recoil in disgust at the thought.

"As with your emotional turmoil, you have friends who are willing to assist you here. Even the princesses have promised to assist in any way possible," Zecora said reassuringly. She sat up just then. "Wait here for a moment." She threw the blankets aside and trotted out of the room. After a couple minutes, she came back with a dark green liquid in one of my glasses. She held it up to me. "Drink this. It might have a bitter taste, but it will help you sleep soundly."

Bitter was a polite way of describing it, but I forced it down. After taking a swig of water to wash out the taste, I felt a warmth wash over my body which seemed to banish all of my worries and fears away. My eyelids fluttered and I lay down, a small smile on my face. A pair of front legs wrapped around me. It only took a few seconds, but I was instantly asleep.