"Hey! It's Jethy! The guy who says I'm sexy!" Pinkie Pie bounded up to me about an hour later and looked up at me expectantly. "Am I still sexy?" she giggled cutely.

I rolled my eyes, but smirked and reached down to stroke her mane. "Yes, Pinkie. You're still sexy."

She purred and I swore she moved her behind back and forth a bit. "Yay! What can I get for you, today? And I'm afraid I'm not on the menu, at least not today." She whispered that last part with a cute wink.

I facepalmed, but chuckled. "Well, a small slice of ice cream cake and some bubble gum soda, please?" I asked, taking a seat at one of the tables.

"Coming right up!" She bounded back to the kitchen, and I shook my head. That mare was an enigma wrapped up in a chaotic mystery. And yet, at least for me, I couldn't help but smile whenever I saw her. It was very hard to be sad in her presence.

"My, I never thought I'd hear the day when anypony would call Pinkie Pie sexy," a familiar female voice said from behind me. Turning around, I saw two chuckling mares by the names of Lyra and Bon Bon/Sweetie Drops sitting at a nearby table with a small platter of cupcakes and two glasses of what looked like lemonade. It was Bon Bon who said it, and she and Lyra, who was still sitting in that unusual humanlike way, were both grinning at me.

I shrugged. "Just because I came from a world where humans were the only sapient species doesn't mean I can't find other sapient forms attractive."

Lyra stood up just then, and turned around. "What about mine?" she giggled. "This flank do anything for you, mister alien boy?"

"Mine, too," Bon Bon got up and mimicked her friend.

"Oh, God…not you guys too…" I sighed, but nodded. "Yes, you two are pretty attractive."

The two laughed at my embarrassment and sat down. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself," Lyra said after their laughter died down. "Scarlet told us you liked being teased like that."

I facepalmed. "Remind me to have words with that damned Pegasus later."

They both giggled, then Lyra pulled another chair over. "Do you want to join us?"

I shrugged. "As long as I'm not interrupting anything," I said.

Bon Bon shook her head. "No, not at all. We're just on our daily friends get-together."

This must be before they started their romantic relationship, I thought, having already looked ahead and seen their relationship status on the wiki. I stood and headed over to their table. I sat down. "How've you two ladies been lately? I just realized I never asked what you two actually do."

I saw a very small hesitation in Bon Bon's face, but it was gone when I looked a little close, replaced with a smile. "I run a small shop on the corner of Seventh and Neighsay called Sweet Drops," she said.

"A sweets shop?" I asked.

"We're not as popular as Sugarcube Corner, but we do pretty well," Bon Bon said, chuckling.

"I'll stop by sometime," I said. Turning to Lyra, I asked, "and what about you?"

"I live with Bon Bon, and I'm a musician, like I told you before," Lyra said.

"I did see you and Octavia on my first date with Zecora," I said.

Lyra chuckled. "I do gigs at the Prancing Pony often enough to help pay the bills at our place," Lyra said. "The job of a musician is never steady, but the pay is good when I do get a gig."

"Do you play anything else besides the lyre?" I asked.

"I can play the harp as well, and a few other instruments like it," she admitted, taking a small bite of a cupcake. "Oh! Shpeaking ov dat, can I hear shome more mushic from Earf?"

"Lyra, swallow your food," Bon Bon giggled.

I laughed, then pulled up YouTube. "Well, last time I chose a rock song. What would you like today?"

"How about…something slower and romantic?" Lyra asked.

"Hmm…slower and romantic? Let me see…" I looked through my music library, and settled on Enya. I grinned. "Found the perfect artist." I selected my favorite song of hers, Flora's Secret, and cast the spell that allowed for the music to be heard in stereo. I closed my eyes and bobbed my head around in rhythm to the song, slowly following along by lip syncing the words. Halfway through the song, I heard a plate put in front of me, then a large fluffy mass on top of me. Opening one eye, I saw a smiling Pinkie sitting on my lap, bobbing her head along with me. She snuggled up close, humming the tune softly. Lyra and Bon Bon were also bobbing their heads to the melody, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Cake couple looking at each other with affectionate gazes. As the song ended, I heard the stomping of hooves from the other denizens. I waved at them with a smile, then hit pause. "How was that?"

"She has the voice of an angel," Bon Bon said. "Who is she?"

"She's an artist named Enya," I said. "She's one of my favorite singers, and she has a ton of music."

"Could we hear another?" Lyra asked.

"Of course, but after I have some cake. It'll melt otherwise," I said, picking up my plate which was harder to do with a still snuggling Pinkie Pie on my lap. "Hey, strawberry!"

After sharing a couple more songs (and a few more snuggles from Pinkie), I decided it was long past time to head to Twilight's house. Lyra and Bon Bon had thanked me for the songs and the conversation, and after paying for my cake, I made my way to the Golden Oaks Library. By this time, it was just past two. As I walked up to the treebrary, I saw Spike outside with a broom, brushing away some of the fallen leaves from the library. "Dragon-boy!" I waved my hand over at him.

Spike turned, saw me and grinned. "Monkey-man!" He rushed up and we fist bumped. "What's shakin'?"

"Not much, just enjoying the day before I go stargazing tonight," I said.

"Did somepony say stargazing?!" Twilight rushed out of the library, looking up eagerly at me. "You're going stargazing? Where? When? With whom?"

"Relax, nerdy girl," I chuckled, pointing to the inside of the library. "I'll tell you later. But for now, I thought it'd be fun to come by so we could do what I promised we would do, bounce ideas off of each other for fun."

Her eyes widened in even more excitement. "Finally!" She grabbed my shirt with her teeth and began pulling me inside.

Spike waved at me, grinning. "Have fuuun!"

"Traitor!" I called out with a grin of my own as Twilight pulled me into her basement.

Once the two of us were seated on a small couch in the corner, she lifted up a large notebook and pen. "Okay! So, where should we start?"

"Hmm…" I thought a bit, then chuckled. "So, we both know that this world is portrayed in mine as a television show for little girls, but the fact that I'm here in this world means that it's not fiction. But the thing is, My Little Pony was a toy franchise on Earth first."

"Toys?" she asked.

"Yeah, here." I pulled up YouTube on my laptop then expanded the screen. I searched for commercials for My Little Pony and found a compilation video from 2013 and clicked on it. We watched a couple before stopping it. "You get the point? The My Little Pony toy franchise is actually older than I am."

"Wow…" she said. "Were…there any toys made about us? My friends and I, I mean," she asked.

"Sure, there were. Here, lemme check." I looked ahead and skipped to the commercials about Generation Four. To my amusement, and Twilight's shock, the first commercial was one that depicted Celestia. By the time that commercial was over, I paused it and doubled over in laughter. "Oh…my…GOD! Now I wish I could go back to Earth JUST to buy that toy! I'll bet Celestia would love it!"

Twilight looked at me, then at the screen, then back at me. "Ah, buh…buh…that…uh…"

I reached over and closed her muzzle. "Come on, Twi, let's get back to serious talk."

"R…Right," she said, clearing her throat. "Sorry, it's just…a bit surreal to see that."

"I don't blame you," I said. "If I found out my life was a TV show and a fan of said show came to see me, showing me all of the merchandise based off of me, I'd be stunned, too. Not as stunned as ending up in the same world of the show, mind you, but still…"

"Well…I guess. By the way, I saw some other cartoons that didn't look like the ones you showed us earlier," she said, her curious look reforming.

"Ah, yes. That would be the very first television show," I said. I held up a hand. "Let me explain. There were other television shows before the one about you and your friends. In fact, the show about Equestria was called Generation Four. Here, let me show you Generation One."

I pulled up the video on my laptop, then expanded the screen. We watched as a rainbow appeared on the screen, then as two Pegasi slid down it. "My Little Pony! My Little Pony! Isn't the world a lovely place? My Little Pony! My Little Pony! Everywhere you go, a smiling face," the song began. Twilight watched in awe as the song continued. When one of the Ponies on the screen shouted, "Look out, Twilight! Here I go!" Twilight asked me to pause so she could get a better look at the Unicorn on the screen.

"Is that…supposed to be me?" Twilight asked, staring at G1 Twilight on the screen.

"No, it's not," I said. "I read somewhere that the creator of the Friendship is Magic show, Lauren Faust, was inspired to make your character based off of this character, though. But it's not you. In fact, after I show you this, I'll show you something else and I think you'll find mention of a few familiar names."

I hit play again, and a little while later, Twilight asked me to pause again. "Is that Applejack?!"

"That's the Generation One Applejack, yes," I said.

"It's weird hearing her without her southern accent," Twilight said.

"No kidding," I chuckled, "but I think I prefer her with the Stetson and the accent."

"So…what is this version of the show about?" Twilight asked.

"From what I've been able to find out," I began, "it's about a group of Ponies who live in a place called Ponyland. They live in harmony like here, but they sometimes have to face off against evil witches and trolls and such. Sometimes, they bring a human from across the rainbow to their land to help, someone named Megan Williams. But don't quote me on that. I haven't really done too much research into them since I've been focusing on stuff from Friendship is Magic, which is the fourth generation My Little Pony." I took a breath, realizing I'd just given an information dumb. "Um…should I slow down?"

She shook her head. "Megan…Williams…got it! Nope! I got it." She put down her pen and looked up at the paused video, looking suddenly thoughtful. "So, the inspiration for my character in this show came from this other Twilight, right?" When I nodded, she continued. "So, that brings up another point. I know you said we're real, and I feel real enough, but how did we show up as cartoons?"

"I could spout a bunch of hypotheses," I said. "Maybe whoever created the show was from Equestria? Maybe the hypothesis of multiple universes is a thing, and this is just one that miraculously emulates the famous show. Maybe, maybe, maybe," I continued. "I wish I had an answer for you, but all I have are hypotheses and guesses. And that's all. You could probably come up with a better hypothesis than I could."

"Hmm…" she tapped her quill pen against her muzzle with her magic, then her eyes widened. "What about Athena?"

"Athena? What about her?" I asked.

"She arrived on your Earth thousands of years ago, right?" Twilight asked. I nodded, and she continued, "well, maybe she somehow influenced the creation of these toys and the show?"

"Hmm…but you're overlooking one important fact, aren't you?" I asked.

"What do-oh, wait, you're right," she said. "She wouldn't have known about the stuff that happened after the Nightmare Moon incident, would she?"

"That's true," I agreed. "It's very possible she might have somehow inspire the creation of the My Little Pony franchise in the beginning, but she couldn't have known about the events in Equestria after her banishment."

"So…we're back to square one, then?" Twilight asked.

"Pretty much," I said. "Oh, wait, it couldn't have been her."

"Why-oh, she would have had to know about Applejack, at least."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. And Spike, too. And Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, and the others. Here." I pulled up the Generation 3.5 introduction on YouTube, and we watched. Despite everything, Twilight bobbed her head to the beat. When that song finished, I said, "According to what I've found, and I've done limited research mind you, this version of the show is just plain fluff. Slice of life stuff. No big dangers, just Ponies having a good time in this version of Ponyville."

She rubbed her forehead with her hooves. "Grr…this is frustrating! There has to be a logical explanation for this!"

"Magic isn't inherently logical to me, and yet here we are," I replied.

She sighed. "Why don't we talk about something else?"

"Hmm, well, what about something easier, then," I said. I pointed up. "The night sky."

She looked confused. "Why that?"

"It's the same as Earth's. And not only that. The names of the days of the week and the names of the months are identical. And the names of certain plants and animals, too. Perhaps there's something to be said for parallel world development."

Twilight grinned. "Oh, this is going to be fun!"

It was just past five twenty in the afternoon when I finally left the library. Just like every time Twilight and I hung out one on one, I felt like my brain had been in a press, but this time in a good way. I'd let my inner nerd out completely, and it was extremely fun to discuss hypotheses. I would put something forward, and she'd counter with another idea, and we'd discuss the probabilities of each. At some points, I felt a bit intimidated by her own scientific knowledge but at the same time seeing her excited got me excited, too. When I expressed concern that I wasn't bringing anything useful to the table, she quickly reassured me that the ideas I had were still plenty valid even if my knowledge wasn't as widespread as hers.

I got back home a little while later where I saw my two Lycan housemates still going strong in their training. Gemini told me that since I was taking the day off, I should expect an all day training session tomorrow, which I agreed to. I dropped off my bag before I grabbed the custom goggles Rainbow Dash had specially ordered for me. After my day, I decided to go for a flight and see how my practice had been paying off. I threw on a jacket and spread my wings, launching myself vertically into the sky. The ground fell away quickly, the wind flowing through my ever lengthening hair.

"Woohoo!" I shouted with a laugh as I zoomed off towards Rainbow Dash's house. I'd never been there, and I wanted to see her to wrap up the magnificent day I'd been having. I knew Scarlet would be there, too, and her constant pervy character trope aside, I enjoyed hanging out with her too.

As I flew towards Rainbow's cloudominium, I saw two Pegasi flying around the house. A cyan form was being followed close behind by a gray form with crimson streak. As I approached, the two forms stopped moving, then grew in appearance. Rainbow Dash was the first to reach me. "Well damn there, Private! You're getting better by the day!"

I stopped and hovered, with Scarlet coming to join us. "She's right," the gray Pegasus said, "You've gotten pretty good there."

"Thank you, ladies," I said, looking between them with a grateful smile. "So, Rainbow, how's Scarlet's flying coming along?"

"She's a born natural!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "She could actually become a member of the Wonderbolts if she wanted!"

Scarlet blushed a bit. "Ah…I'm not sure if I'm really Wonderbolt material, but thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Aww, c'mon," Rainbow urged, "You're getting pretty fast!"

"I've got to agree," I added. "You've surpassed me in flying skills, and I started training first."

"Yeah, but you're not a Pony," Scarlet said. "Didn't you mention that Twilight said something about that once when I was still in the hospital?"

"I suppose that's true," I said, "but I've got the developing senses of a Pegasus, or at least, that's what Twilight says."

"Oh?" Rainbow Dash was immediately in my face, front legs on her hips in another human-like gesture. "Prove it. What did you see when coming here?"

"Nothing of interest," I said, "I saw Octavia and Vinyl walking down the street together, Octavia with her cello on her back and Vinyl signing something about her next gig. Next, I saw the CMC running up and down the street, and I think they were pretending to fly since I took Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle flying today. There was an older couple cleaning up a small yard sale, and plenty of other Ponies I still don't know the names of walking up and down the street. Hell, I think I even saw an older female donkey talking to Filthy Rich about something."

Rainbow actually looked impressed, whereas Scarlet looked a bit shocked. "Well, by Celestia's flowing mane," the cyan Pegasus said, "you are learning!"

"You've been working hard," Scarlet said, before flying up and whispering in my ear, "is that why you and Zecora fucked so hard last night?"

Thrown off by her complete lack of subtlety (even though I should have expected it), I wobbled in the air before stabilizing myself. "Were you spying on us?" I asked with a darkening frown.

Scarlet shook her head. "Nope! You just confirmed it for me, though! 'Thanks and bye!" With a laugh, she zoomed off towards a large bank of clouds.

"You get back here!" I shouted, flying as fast as I could right after her. I could hear Rainbow laughing behind me, and I saw Scarlet turn and stick her tongue out at me before zooming away faster, wiggling her ass playfully at me.

With a thrust of my wings, I pushed up faster, pumping the wings as hard as I was currently able to, which was a vast improvement over day one's training sessions with Rainbow Dash. Scarlet landed on a nearby cloud and began running on it, laughing. I landed a few seconds later, running after her and using my wings to run at a faster pace than normal.

Scarlet was just turning back to stick her tongue out at me when I managed to tackle the gray Pegasus. We went tumbling across the cloud bank, finally stopping with her on her back, wings spread, and me on top of her. Both of us were heavily panting. After a bit, Scarlet took a deep breath. "Heh…you gonna ask me if we can join the Mile High Club together? Gonna make me a part of that ever growing potential herd of yours?"

"Hnng…damn you, Scarlet…you're…" I trailed off, stood up, and helped her to her feet. "Serious time for a second," I said, sitting next to her so we were at eye level.

Her grin slowly vanished and she sat her haunches on the cloud as well. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, sounding a bit uncertain now.

I shook my head. "No, not at all. You might be a monster of my own creation, what with you spouting memes and quotes and a newly dirty mind, but that's just who you are. I know you're smart enough not to talk about that kind of stuff with foals around."

"Well, duh!" Scarlet said, chuckling.

"It's mostly the herd thing you mentioned," I said. "There's just so much up here that's confusing me," I added, poking my head.

Scarlet nodded, and it looked like she understood. "Yeah…I remember parts of my early childhood and how I was raised in a small herd family," she said, looking out at the setting sun. From nearby, Rainbow Dash flew up and landed by my other side. Undeterred, Scarlet continued. "My own mother, I think, was the Third Mare and the last one my father married." She turned to face us, smiling wistfully. "I don't remember much about them, but I do know my moms and dad were a very loving family."

There was something in her eyes, something that caught my attention. Some kind of sadness. A sadness that I knew. Because I saw it in my reflections sometimes. The sadness of loss. I was surprised that she was opening up, and with Rainbow Dash of all Ponies there. "I see…" was all I could say.

Scarlet shook her head, and the sadness was gone. Gone, but not forgotten by either me or, presumably, Rainbow Dash, assuming she'd seen it. "Dad worked a lot to provide for our little herd family, although since I was the only foal in the family, it wasn't too hard for him to keep food on the table. Herds are a lot of work, sure, but I've heard that it's pretty rewarding to be in one, surrounded by so many others who love and appreciate each other very much. I know I was happy there."

Rainbow Dash was about to say something, but apparently thought better of it. Instead, she smiled. "I know somepony who's in a herd," she said. "It's a three Pony herd, but she really loves it. I'm not sure if it's for me, or if any stallion would catch my eye."

Scarlet grinned, her playful nature back. "Oh? And here I thought you had the hots for our resident flying alien boy, here," she laughed.

Rainbow Dash sputtered. "N-No! He'd have to do a Sonic Rainboom to even impress me," she said quickly.

Scarlet bumped my shoulder. "Hear that, big boy? Wanna get in the sheets with this tomcolt, then train that ass off and do a Rainboom!"

I smirked. "Well, as cool as it would be to do that, I'm not even sure it's possible to do a Sonic Rainboom. At least, for me."

"There's nopony who can do it as awesome as me," Rainbow boasted.

Scarlet chuckled. "You know, why not make that a goal for your training," she asked. "I mean, you can't say you can't do a Sonic Rainboom unless you try?"

I looked back at Rainbow Dash, who locked eyes with me. Her expression became one I recognized, one where she had been issued a challenge and wouldn't back down until she'd won said challenge. "Hmm…what do you say there, Jethro? Think you're up to the challenge?"

I shrugged. "I mean, I don't see the harm in trying, I suppose."

"Perfect! Then during our next training session, the training wings come off! The next few weeks I won't be as easy on you!"

Damn, she calls her training up until now easy? I'm so fucking doomed…

The sun was setting as Scarlet and I landed back in my front yard. Unlike this morning, the front was completely clear of any of last night's stands. Gemini and Mica were gone, presumably inside. I saw Zecora sitting on the swinging bench on my front porch in her Zebraloaf form, her eyes closed contentedly. Scarlet yawned and stretched. "Well, I've had a very long day, so I'll have a quick dinner and head to bed," she said.

"Sleep well, Scarlet," I said, waving at her.

"You too, lover boy," she said teasingly, heading up the stairs and opening the door, closing it behind her.

"That mare's insane," I said to myself as I walked up and sat next to Zecora. She looked so peaceful there, eyes closed and breathing normally. I reached out and stroked her back affectionately. "Are you asleep, dearest?" I asked.

Zecora stirred, yawned, then opened one eye and looked back at me. "No, I was simply resting my eyes as I waited for you," she said. "Judging by your smile, you had a great day?"

I nodded. "Let me get my telescope out and I'll tell you all about it."

She stood and stretched, yawning. God, she's cute even when yawning, I thought. As the two of us headed to my old Earth house, I inwardly smiled. Today might have been exhausting, but it was a very relaxing one, too.