I was on my way to Rarity's when I saw Rainbow Dash lying on a bench. The poor mare still looked a little woozy as I approached her. She was groaning as I sat down on the grass beside her. "Rainbow Dash?"

"Not so loud," the Pegasus said softly as she held her head in both her hooves. "Gotta wait for the world to stop spinning."

Despite myself, I smiled a bit. "I'd have thought the best flyer in all of Equestria would be more immune to motion sickness. Especially with all those whirling tricks you do."

She moaned as she held her stomach. "I'm not really in the mood for jokes."

My smile faded. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry." I reached up and stroked her back gently. "You want to get something to drink? Some cool, refreshing water perhaps?"

"I don't wanna move," she said.

"I understand," I replied. Looking around, I saw Sugarcube Corner a couple buildings down. "Just rest here. I'll go get you a glass of water."

I rushed over to the sweets shop. As I walked in, I saw Pinkie Pie behind the counter helping a gray Pegasus with a small bag of what looked like muffins. As the Pegasus walked towards the door, Pinkie Pie saw me and waved happily. "Jethro! Hey! Did you come to get some sweets too? We've got some great maple bars made fresh today!"

"Actually, I just came on behalf of our Rainbow speed demoness," I said. "She's feeling a bit queasy after something that happened earlier today, so I was hoping to get her a glass of water."

Pinkie Pie's smile faded and a look of worry spread on her face. "Rainbow Dash is sick? Oh no! Shouldn't we get her to a doctor? I can get her there! Oh but I can't leave the store! The Cakes are gone for a few days, and-"

"Pinkie, relax," I interrupted her. "She's got some motion sickness, that's all. I just need a glass of water to help calm her stomach."

"Oki dokie loki!" Pinkie Pie said, rushing into the back of the shop. A half minute later she came back with two glasses and a jug of ice water. "Here you go!"

"Thanks, Pinkie," I said, taking the jug. "But why'd you give me two glasses?"

"One's for you, silly!" Pinkie gave me a wide smile.

"Well…thanks. I'll see you later, Pinkie."

"Toodleoo!" she giggled. "Hope Rainbow Dash feels better soon!"

I took the water and glass back to Rainbow Dash, who accepted the water gratefully. I helped her slowly sit up on the bench then sat next to her, the two of us just sipping on our water for a while. I could tell something was bothering her, and it wasn't hard to figure out. After taking another sip of the water, I cleared my throat softly. "Trixie's still getting to you, isn't she?"

She frowned. "Doesn't she bother you too? Or was Fluttershy right?"

"Rainbow, that's not fair," I said, looking down at her in disapproval.

Her ears flattened and she looked down, swirling the water with her hoof. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you."

"You're forgiven," I said, smiling a bit. "And I get it. You're frustrated and angry at Trixie. I am too."

"She's such a blowhard!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before putting a hoof to her head. "Nnng…"

"Just relax." I rubbed her back, trying to help her feel better. She took a sip of water as I continued. "I'm just as upset as you are. Showboating aside, using you guys as pawns is not something she should have done."

She finished her glass and I poured her some more. She scoffed. "She handed our flanks to us," she said angrily.

"She did, but that kind of behavior will bite her in the ass someday," I replied. "She's gonna encounter someone who'll best her and humiliate her. There's always a bigger fish."

"I hope I'm there to see that," Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm pretty sure there are at least two other girls who'd agree with you," I chuckled.

"Yeah…I should go check on them. See if they're alright," Rainbow Dash said, trying once again to stand. She wobbled around a bit, and nearly stumbled had I not caught her.

"Whoa there, speed demon," I cautioned, "you're still recovering. You should rest."

"I've got to see them, Jethro," she insisted, pushing me gently away, but almost falling down again.

"Not like that, you're not," I argued. "You can barely walk still. Here." I turned around. "I can carry you on my back."

"Uh uh, no way," Rainbow Dash said. "I'll fly there in ten seconds flat." Flapping her wings, she started to hover before groaning again, putting a hoof to her mouth. She fell directly into my waiting arms.

"You're as stubborn as Applejack during Applebucking Season," I scolded her gently. "Now come on, let's go see our friends."

Grumbling, Rainbow Dash nevertheless finally, if begrudgingly, accepted my help. We made our way in silence first to Rarity's place. I saw a sign on the door that said SORRY, WE'RE CLOSED. I listened, and heard Rarity's voice inside. It sounded like she was crying. Rainbow Dash and I exchanged a worried glance before I turned back and knocked. From inside, I heard a voice calling out "Go away! We're closed!"

"Rarity? It's Jethro and Rainbow Dash. Can we come in?" I asked.

"No! I'm too hideous to be seen!" a distraught sounding Rarity called out.

After trying to open the door while simultaneously trying to convince Rarity to open up, I considered looking for a hidden spare key, but decided against it. Sighing, I decided to give Rarity some space while we went to Applejack's place to check on her.

"Rarity'll be fine," Rainbow Dash said in what was probably her attempt at cheering me up.

I looked over my shoulder at her. Smiling a little, I nodded. "Yeah. Let's go check on Applejack."

When we found her, she was busy bucking some apples off of the trees, but the look on her face showed just how angry she really was. She was so engrossed in hitting the trees that she didn't hear or see us approach until I spoke up. "Remind me never to piss you off."

Startled, the orange farmgirl whirled to face us. When she saw who we were, she relaxed. "Howdy, you two. What are y'all doin' here? And why are ya carrying Rainbow there, pardner?"

"We came to check on you," I replied, "and I'm carrying Rainbow Dash because she's still a bit dizzy from Trixie's little trick."

At the mention of Trixie, Applejack's face darkened. "That show-offy mare…ah hope she gets what's comin' tah her!"

"Um…wow," Rainbow Dash said, looking around the field. "You did all this already?"

Applejack nodded. I followed Rainbow Dash's eyes and saw that the Earth Pony had been really busy. Rows of trees were now bare of apples. I put Rainbow Dash down gently, then looked back at Applejack who was taking a brief break, panting heavily. I walked over and sat next to her. "Applejack?"

She glared at me, but I held her gaze. After a few seconds, she sighed and leaned against one of the trees. "Ah'm sorry…ah'm just madder than a wet hen."

"You aren't the only one," I said, pointing to Rainbow Dash who was still sipping water.

"You feelin' okay there, sugarcube?" Applejack called out with concern in her voice.

"Nothing some cider wouldn't fix!" she replied with a small grin.

Applejack rolled her eyes, smiling a bit as well before sighing and looking at the ground. "Ah'll be alright. Don't worry 'bout me none."

"Yeah, no can do…sugarcube," I chuckled. "But you do have every right to be angry. Audience participation in performances like Trixie's do happen, but the way she went around it was wrong. Very wrong. I seriously believe that someday it'll come back to bite her in the ass."

Applejack frowned at my use of language, but said nothing about it as she nodded. "Ah reckon yer right," she said. "It just can't come soon enough."

"I know, AJ…I know…"

The town was quiet as I walked around the nearly empty town. The sun was almost setting, and I was exhausted. Physically, at least.

I walked to Town Hall and sat next to a statue of a Pony, staring at the source of my frustrations. Or rather, the cart parked shamelessly in front of government property. Frankly, I was surprised the mayor hadn't had it towed already.

I leaned back and sighed, trying to think. I had no idea why this was bothering me so much. This Trixie was nothing like mine, and there was absolutely no relation to mine, either. Her mane didn't look the same, her voice was higher pitched, her eyes were the wrong color, and my Trixie was an extremely humble woman. She didn't even like going to magic stage performances.

"So why is it bothering me?" I wondered aloud softly.

"Why does what bother you, my savior?" a familiar feminine voice said from behind me.

I whipped my head around in shock. "Zecora? What are you doing here? I though you had a potion to keep an eye on."

She smiled. "All the preparations are made already, so I decided to come see my favorite human," she replied with amusement in her eyes.

"I'm the only human you know," I snarked back with a chuckle. "But I'm glad to see you. Especially after what happened today."

"What did happen today?" Zecora asked, a hint of worry in her voice. Sighing, I told her the events of the day. After I finished, she nodded sagely. "I'm sorry that happened to you and your friends," she said, "but I might have a theory about your reaction. Would you like to hear it?"

"Please do," I replied.

"Have you ever considered that it might have to do with her tarnishing a name you hold in such high regard?"

I frowned, considering her words. After a while, I asked, "Do you really think I'm upset because of her just being called Trixie?"

"What do you think?" she asked, crossing her front arms in a remarkably human gesture.

I looked up at the clouds, looking for shapes among them. "I don't know…I've tried not to compare the two since all they share is a name, but hearing her calling herself that in the third person…I guess it keeps reminding me of my own Trixie. Pretty damn stupid, right?"

"Emotions themselves aren't stupid, my friend," Athena said. "You and Trixie spent many years together. Your mind has associated that name with happiness and pleasant times, and seeing a Pony with the same name acting as she did earlier today pains you."

I frowned and nodded slowly. "Yeah…perhaps that's it. That, and her humiliating my new friends like she did."

"Indeed," Zecora said, looking over at Trixie's cart. "I'm sure she'll get her comeuppance soon enough, my friend."

I nodded. "Here's hoping, anyway."

The two of us sat there for a while, not even noticing that it got dark. We talked about many different things that evening. She told me that she'd been performing some research into some ancient alchemaic formulas she'd found in the Golden Oak's Library a while ago. The way her eyes lit up as she excitedly talked about her passion always made me smile. And I was also genuinely excited to see this too. Despite being in Equestria for all this time, magic always fascinated me and made me feel giddier than a child at Christmas.

Even when the sun set completely and the street lanterns were lit by some passing Pegasi, we didn't stop talking, not until I heard two pairs of panicked hoofsteps rushing up.

Looking up, Zecora and I saw two colts rushing up towards Trixie's cart. I recognized them as two of the most easily influenced children I'd ever seen from Trixie's earlier performance. However, unlike before, they both had looks of terror on their faces as they rushed up and began pounding on the door to the cart. "Trixie! Come out! You gotta help!" they both cried in genuine fear.

A few moments later, I heard an annoyed Trixie's reply. "Trixie thought she said the Great and Powerful Trixie did not want to be disturbed."

The smaller Unicorn colt chuckled nervously. "We…we have a…tiny problem."

"Actually, it's a big one," the taller colt added.

"What is so important that you cannot wait until morning to disturb Trixie?" the mare demanded.

Just then, I heard a large roar from the distance. Zecora and I looked up and saw a monstrous form walking through the trees towards the center of town. It resembled a bear in appearance, with transparent blue skin that showed pinpoints of light within. The dark red and yellow eyes glared directly at the colts and Trixie. On its forehead, a glowing white star beamed.

"That's an Ursa Minor," Zecora said in fright. "A baby Ursa Major."

Trixie screamed in fright as she ran away from her cart along with the two colts. I watched with trepidation as the massive Ursa Minor raised its hoof to stomp on the cart. It shattered into pieces, and I winced. "Zecora, please tell me you have something with you that can calm that baby!" I said as I rushed after it with her by my side.

"I didn't bring anything with me!" she replied.

The massive creature had already begun to chase Trixie and the colts. All around me and Zecora, I saw house lights turning on and concerned Ponies looking out of their windows and doors. "Stay inside!" I shouted at them. "I'll take care of this!"

Of course, being the curious Ponies they were, a lot of them didn't listen to me and instead some of the more adventurous and curious among them followed me. I turned the corner to see Trixie and the two colts. To her credit she looked like she was protecting the little colts behind her. Either that, or they were just hiding behind her and she was too scared to move.

"Great and Powerful Trixie, you've got to vanquish the Ursa!" one of the colts was shouting.

"Yeah! Vanquish so we can watch!" the second one said.

"It took a lotta trouble to get that thing here," the first one added.

"Wait! You brought this here?!" Trixie exclaimed in disbelief. Whirling on the two, she added, "Are you out of your little Pony minds?!"

"Nah, they're just children," I called out, causing the three of them to turn my way. That, and the baby Ursa. "Who will be dealt with severely when this is all over," I added with a warning glare. The two colts lowered themselves, terrified. Ignoring them, I turned to Trixie. "Get these two out of here."

"My friend, what are you doing?" Zecora asked.

"You said this is a baby, right?" She nodded. "Then I'm guessing that this guy's just scared. I'm going to try and calm him down."

"I'm helping," Zecora said resolutely.

I nodded, knowing when not to argue with her. Turning, I waved at the angry looking Ursa Minor. "Yoohoo! Hey there, buddy! You lost?"

What happened next startled me completely. It began to growl, but out of the growling, I heard something that might have been words. "Mama…where Mama?"

Ursa Major's have their own language?! I thought. I held up my hands. I tried to switch gears. Athena, if you can hear me, help me speak this guy's language. And just like that, it was like a switch was thrown in my mind. In his own language, I tried to reason with him. "Hey there, little guy, are you lost?"

A look of surprise appeared on the Ursa Minor's face. It came down and looked at me. "Where…where Mama?" he asked again. This time, his anger was replaced with fear. It almost looked like he was about to cry too.

"Hey now, don't cry," I said quickly, slowly approaching him. Zecora stepped close beside me. "It's okay. We can find your Mama."

The big beast sniffed, then said again, "You find Mama? No lie? Mama says lies are bad."

"We'll find her, I promise."

"Jethro!" A familiar unicorn's voice rushed up to me. Looking behind the Ursa Minor, I saw her come to a halt when she saw the massive creature. "What's going on?"

"Just a second, Twilight," I said, then looked back up. "What's your name, lad?"

"Be… Berūn," he said, sniffing like he was about to cry.

"A good name for a strong lad like you," I said, smiling. Turning to Zecora, I asked, "This guy's lost. Do you know where his cave is?"

"I know where we can start looking," Zecora replied.

"Good enough for me,' I said. Turning back, I continued, "My friend and I will help you look for your Mama."

"Jethro, what's going on?" Twilight replied, coming up slowly beside me. Spike was on her back "Are you…talking to that Ursa Minor?"

"Chalk it up to Athena giving me access to a bunch of Equestrian languages," I replied. "I'm gonna try and get this little guy home. He misses his Mama."

"What you say to little Pony?" Berūn asked.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you," I promised. "Now come on, let's go find your Mama. Follow us, okay?"

"You…you promise to go to Mama?" the scared looking Ursa asked.

"Yes, lad. I promise." I looked back at Zecora. "Let's go. This guy misses his Mama."

The now quiet Ursa Minor followed the two of us as we headed down the street towards the Everfree Forest. On both sides of the street, scared Ponies watched as Zecora and I walked the Ursa Minor down the street. I was praying nothing would happen that would cause the child to lash out again, and as we continued walking, I began feeling more and more relieved.

As we came to the edge of town, the ground beneath us began to shake, almost knocking me off my feet. Zecora practically fell on her side. Beruun, however, looked around with an almost glad expression on his face. "Mama!"

"Oh…shit…" I muttered. If Berūn was as big as he was and only a baby, I could only guess just how big its mother was.

"Berūn!" A clearly feminine, but loud and worried voice called out. "Where are you!?"

"Mama!" Berūn's face broke out into an excited smile as he looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Berūn?"

"Over here, Mama!"

The ground shook again as a towering figure, this one purple instead of blue. The mother leaned down and picked up her child. "Where did you go, lad? You know better than to leave the cave!" She then noticed Zecora and I standing nearby. "Berūn, I told you not to go near the Pony village."

"Milady, don't blame your cub," I said, clearly startling the massive Ursa Major. "He was rudely woken by two Ponies. They will be punished accordingly."

"…What manner of creature are you, and how do you know our language?" the Ursa Major asked.

"He promised to bring me home!" Berūn said. "Don't hurt him, Mama!"

The Ursa Major leaned down closer to me, causing a gust of air to blow in my face. Her light blue forehead star glowed brighter and her red and yellow eyes seemed to pierce my being. "Is this true, creature?"

"My companion and I were going to try and find your cave and return your cub to you unharmed," I said earnestly.

"And what of these Ponies who would dare terrorize my cub?" she growled.

Before I could answer, I heard the familiar galloping of Pony hooves approaching. The three of us turned simultaneously to see all six Elements of Harmony running up, Twilight in the lead with Spike on her back. "Jethro!" Her tone was one of fear and concern as she halted upon seeing the massive Ursa Major.

The latter stood tall and threatening, glaring down at the Ponies. "Creature, are these the Ponies who hurt my cub?"

I shook my head. "No, milady. Two Pony cubs in town are responsible. However, they will be suitably punished for this, I can assure you."

"And how do I know you can be trusted?" the Ursa Major scowled down at me. "I want them to be severely punished, or there will be consequences."

She had a point. I cleared my throat. "May I speak to my friends here for a bit about that?"

She glared for a bit, but nodded. "Be quick. My Berūn needs his sleep."

I nodded, then turned to the other six. "Those two colts who woke up Berūn there, where are they?"

"Safe for now," Twilight said. "They're at the Library waiting for their parents."

"D-D-Did you just t-talk to that Ursa Major?" Fluttershy asked, clearly terrified of the massive creature beside us.

"Yes, and I'll explain later." I turned to Twilight. "Berūn's mother is absolutely pissed, and I don't blame her. Her child was terrorized by two stupid colts. She probably won't be satisfied unless there are severe consequences laid on them."

"Ah'm sure there will be, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"They're lucky they aren't my foals," Rarity said with disdain. "I just got this mane back to normal, too!"

"What about that Ursa Minor?" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing to Berūn with an accusing hoof. "He could have hurt a bunch of Ponies!"

"Calm down there, speed demon," I said, "I'm sure his mom will punish him. But he was scared by two idiots. Honestly, I can't completely blame the poor guy."

Fluttershy looked up at Berūn with a hint of sympathy in those kindly eyes of hers. "That poor, poor creature," she said.

"Would a party cheer him up?" Pinkie asked hopefully.

"Not right now," I said. "Poor cub is exhausted as it is. And his mom is plenty upset at the Ponyvillians. She wants the two colts punished for their actions."

"Tell her they will be," Twilight said.

"Problem is, she doesn't really trust that I'm telling the truth, and can you blame her?" I asked. "But I'll try again." Turning back up to Berūn's mother, I cleared my throat. "Milady, I have the assurances of these Ponies that the two who disturbed your cub will be harshly punished."

"What kind of punishment?" she asked, frowning.

"I'll make sure the punishment fits their actions." A small grin on my face became wider and more malevolent. "If nothing else, I can scare them so badly that they won't even want to come near your cave again without pissing themselves in terror."

The two of us looked at each other for a bit, myself not flinching from her gaze. Suddenly, Berūn's mother threw her head back and roared, this time in laughter. I looked back at the Ponies and Zecora with incredulity. I looked back at the Ursa Major. After she was finished laughing, she looked down at me. "Now that I can believe. Very well, strange creature. The stars cannot sense any untruth within you. I will take my son back home." Her smile slowly went away. "Just make sure to keep the Ponies away from our cave. We just want to be left alone."

"I will inform them of this," I promised. Turning, the Ursa Major began to walk away back into the forest. I saw a sleepy Berūn waving goodbye at us. Once they were out of sight, I exhaled deeply, leaning against Zecora, who held me up for support. "Well…that was…"

"That…was…AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly as she zoomed around me. "You looked so cool staring down that Ursa Major!"

"Rainbow Dash is right, darling," Rarity said. "Things could have gotten out of hand had you not stepped in."

"Heh…well…call me a sap, but I like children. No matter what size they are. And when Zecora told me that was an Ursa Minor, I had to try something." I stood back up and cracked my knuckles. "Now then…where are those two troublemakers? They're in for a world of punishment once I've told their parents what they did."

To say the two colts were punished severely would be an understatement. After returning to the library, I did indeed keep my promise to scare them into not going anywhere near the cave or the forest ever again. Their parents, after they were told what had happened, were more livid than even the Ursa Major had been. They were practically dragged back to their homes.

Trixie, however, had disappeared. According to eyewitnesses, she'd said something about how that human creature might have stopped the rampage of an Ursa Minor, but would never have the magic she possessed before running away behind a smoke cloud.

Pinkie Pie promised to throw me a Thanks for Saving the Town From an Ursa Minor party, but since it was late she said she'd do it the next day. I tiredly chuckled and thanked her before turning to Twilight and asking her to talk to her friends about the fears she'd had before.

Since it was too late for us to go back to either of our homes, Zecora and I spent the night at the Ponyville Inn. One relaxing bath later, I was lying in the same bed I'd stayed in the last time I was here. I fell asleep just as a freshly washed Zecora slid into bed beside me.