As I woke to the sounds of birds chirping out of the guest room, I had only one thought on my mind: There's no better place to wake up next to than your lover after a late night's session or two of passionate lovemaking. A warm presence enveloped me and I looked down. Zecora had reverted sometime during the night after we'd cleaned ourselves up and went to sleep, and her peaceful face filled my vision. She had a small smile on her face. Her front hooves were on my bare chest. She rose and fell with my breathing since she was lying on my chest.

Thinking back upon our first night of intimacy, I felt a swelling of joy. It had been too long since I'd been with a woman, especially one I loved with all my heart.

As I reached up gently to stroke her mane, Zecora stirred. She opened one eye and then the other. Our eyes met. For an eternity we held each other's gaze before she blushed. Giggling, she slowly rolled off of me, getting entangled in the covers. I laughed as I sat up, helping her out of the sheets until we were both sitting up.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked as we began calming down.

"Like a little filly," she said as she moved closer and nuzzled my face.

"Last night really happened, didn't it?" I asked. "It wasn't a dream?"

She licked my cheek. "No, my dearest. It was no dream. It was one of the happiest nights of my life."

I beamed and kissed her cheek. "Thank God, I whispered. "It was one of mine too."

We held each other in comfortable silence for a few minutes before there was a polite knock at the door. "Um…Jethro? Miss Zecora? Are you awake?" Fluttershy.

"Yeah, but we aren't decent yet," I called out. "We'll be out."

"I-Oh my! Take your time!" she sounded flustered as she quickly retreated.

Zecora and I looked at each other, then burst out laughing. "I think it's time to get up," I said.

Zecora nodded in agreement as we slowed down and began getting ready for breakfast. I grabbed my discarded party suit and pulled the slacks on. As I grabbed my shirt, Zecora dropped another bombshell. "My love, is the offer to move my tree with your magic still open?"

I looked at her. She had a thoughtful look on her face as she looked out of the window at the cityscape below. I slowly pulled my white undershirt over my back, slipping my wings through the wingsleeves. "Yes, it is," I replied. "You're thinking about accepting?"

She nodded as she turned back to me. "I have not decided yet or not, but last night taught me something. I want to be closer to you."

"But what about your access to the Everfree Forest?" I asked.

"I can make it work," she said. "But I have not yet decided on whether to do it or not."

"I'd love to have you close to me," I admitted with a smile as I put my buttoned down shirt on. "I just want to make sure it's what you want."

"What kind of marefriend doesn't want to be near her stallion?" she teased. "Besides, the walk back and forth is growing tiring."

"And doing wonders for that ass of yours," I grinned, reaching down and grasping her flank.

"Eep!" She jumped and glared at me, a blush appearing on her face. "Are you saying I was larger back here before?"

"Not at all, but you look sexier than…" I trailed off, the implications of what I was saying slowly starting to sink in. Did I just find an equine form attractive…? I could appreciate equine attractiveness from a certain standpoint, but for me to find an equine form sexy enough to want to fuck one in that form?

"Jethro?" Zecora was in front of me, worry evident in her ocean blue orbs.

I started to slowly chuckle, and it became a deep belly laugh as I wrapped her in my arms, kissing the surprised mare all over. "Holy shit! I'm starting to find equine forms sexy!"

Zecora's stunned expression became one of joy as she kissed me back. "I was wondering when that would happen," she said happily. "You find me sexy?"

I let her go and stepped back, taking her in. "Oh my, yes," I nodded. "But as much as I'd love to prove that even further, if we went at it again, we'd be interrupted at an inopportune time."

"We will be proving it soon," she cooed as she twirled around for me slowly and seductively, lifting her tail tantilizingly.

"Don't tempt me," I grinned as I grabbed my vest, slipping it on. "I just got my clothes back on."

She giggled and grabbed her discarded clothes with her teeth. I threw my dress jacket over my shoulder and offered to take her dress, which she gave to me gratefully. When the two of us exited our room, I saw the group of our friends at the end of the hall, standing and talking. As we approached, Rainbow Dash was the first to see us. She flew up to us, getting right in my face. "So…you two have fun last night?" She smirked.

A lasso wrapped around her torso and she was pulled back with a yelp. "What they do in the privacy of their room is their business, ya nosey ninny," Applejack chided her.

"I hope we weren't too loud," I said to Zecora. "I haven't learned a sound muffling spell yet."

"Don't fret, my love. I presume these walls kept our secret well," Zecora said.

"I hope everyone slept well," I said to the gathering of Ponies and one Dragon. With replies in the affirmative, I grinned. "Good. Well then, Twilight? You know this palace better than any of us. Where would the Princesses go to eat breakfast?"

"Right! This way, everypony." And with that, we began walking down the halls. Only Twilight and Spike didn't look around in awe at the massive halls and portraits on the walls around us. I saw strange Ponies I didn't recognize standing in portrait poses much like the ones I'd seen of kings and queens back on Earth before photography was invented. There were marble statues of other Ponies in between the large ceiling to floor windows that looked out at the palace grounds.

As I observed, I saw that almost all of them were Unicorns with a few Pegasi spread around. I didn't even see an Earth Pony. "Tenets of Harmony? Yeah, right," I muttered to myself. "Maybe she was right," I murmured.

"Maybe who was right?" Zecora asked.

"Oh! Um…I'll tell you when we get back to Ponyville," I said as we approached a large gray door. Twilight opened it and we all walked into a massive room with a long table in the center. From the ceiling a large burgundy colored tapestry hanging from the ceiling. A large chandelier hung above the table which was covered with a white satin tablecloth. There was a set of golden doors to our right as we entered and the walls had many various types of windows looking outside, each separated by columns.

At the end of the table, Celestia sat, with Luna at her right, the latter once again in her normal Pony form. There were chairs surrounding the table, with plates of delicious looking pancakes before each chair. They were decorated with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on the side and on top. A healthy dollop of whipped cream was placed on top. In the center of the table sat a massive basket of many various other larger fruits, like pineapples, oranges, apples, grapes and even red cherries.

Celestia stood, spreading her wings majestically as her light rainbow mane flowed in the ethereal wind. "Good morning!" she said with a smile. "I trust everypony slept well?" When we all finished replying in the affirmative, she sat back down. "I'm glad to hear it! Please sit!"

As we found a spot, Luna waved me and Zecora over. The two chairs nearest her slid out and I sat next to Luna, with Zecora sitting next to me. Despite looking tired herself, Luna was doing her best to smile in a friendly manner. "We hope that you two slept well?"

I looked at Zecora and chuckled, turning back to the Nocturnal Princess. "We definitely did. That bed is better than anything I've had before."

"Wouldst thou like us to send thee a similar one?" Luna asked.

I smiled at her. "It's alright, I wouldn't want to be a bother."

"'Twould be no bother at all," she said. "We are a princess, after all. We can see it done in ten seconds flat."

"That's my catchphrase!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Ignoring her, I looked at Luna. "It's really alright, I promise. You have plenty to do without worrying about me."

"But…we want to," she said in a more uncertain tone.

"I think Luna just wants to show her appreciation towards you," Celestia said with a small smile. "Why not let her?"

Zecora tapped my shoulder and when I turned to her, she gave me a sagely nod. I sighed, then turned back to Luna, a warm smile on my face. "You spoil me, Luna. I graciously accept your kind offer."

Her face brightened. "We shall have one shipped to thy house straightaway."

"At least enjoy breakfast before you do," Celestia snickered. "You look wiped out."

"Ah, yes," Luna said, taking a fork and cutting out a healthy slice of the pancakes, "we were up earlier than we were used to. But 'twas worth it, we believe." She took a thoughtful bite of her pancakes.

"Hey, on another note," I said, digging into my own pancakes, "I know I mentioned this last night, but I'm thinking about teaming up with Rainbow Dash to make a haunted house for Nightmare Night."

Celestia paused a bit, the fork halfway to her mouth. Luna looked up at me slowly. "Ah yes. Our sister has told us about the origins of Nightmare Night," she said in a much more serious tone. "While we were not pleased with her reasoning behind the holiday, we appreciate the effort."

So Celestia did talk to Luna about it, I thought as I chewed on the fluffy pancakes. Taking a swig of orange juice next to my plate, I cleared my throat. "Now, feel free to turn me down," I said in preface, "but Luna, would you like to be involved in the Nightmare Night celebration at all? I have a few ideas that I think would be really fun for the little foals and the adults."

The room went silent. Luna set her fork down and looked up, stroking her chin with her hoof. Even Celestia was frozen, her eyes on her sister, trepidation on that alabaster face of hers. Finally, Luna turned to me. "What…would thou wish from us?"

I chuckled. "Luna, how'd you like to scare some Ponies?"

She gasped. "What?! We do not wish our subjects to fear us!"

"I knew you'd react that way," I said, "but hear me out. The show had an episode showing your first Nightmare Night. It started out poorly, but it turned out alright in the end. However, I want to try and make some big changes to that. For one, how's your singing voice?"

Luna sat up straighter. "We were…never comfortable singing," she said.

"Give me a Do Re Mi," I said. When Luna and the rest looked confused, I sang, "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do. Like that."

She bit her lip, then cleared her throat. What came out of her mouth was some of the most melodious music I'd ever heard coming from anyone. She even went backwards. "Was that to thy satisfaction?" she asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"And more," I said. "You have a beautiful singing voice."

"We are more comfortable in battle," she admitted. "Why not ask our sister? Her singing voice is superior to my own."

I looked at Celestia, raising an eyebrow. Before she could say anything, Twilight giggled. "She's a great singer! She used to sing me to sleep sometimes when I was just a filly."

I snorted, then looked back at Celestia. "It's Cellie, melodious, she! Princess Celestia! Sing along, a beautiful song, don't you agree?"

Once more, Luna burst out into a fit of laughter, stomping the table as she did so. Zecora also giggled and put a hoof through my arm. Pinkie Pie was also laughing, while the others looked a bit uncomfortable. Celestia, as she had before, looked embarrassed and hid her head under her wing. I just gave the Solar Monarch a triumphant smirk. After a while, Celestia came out and lightly smacked her sister upside the head. "It's not that funny," the princess said with a pout.

"We disagree!" Luna giggled, snorting in a most undignified way, but unable to hold back.

"Well, maybe you two could come down and sing something," I chuckled.

"As much as I wish I could," Celestia said, "I have duties to attend to even on that night."

"Jesus…don't you ever get a chance to take the day off?" I asked, getting a bit concerned, now. "I can't even begin to imagine how mentally drained you are."

"Unfortunately, a princess' work is never complete," she said sadly.

"Sister, did Jethro not say that thou art the fucking princess?" Luna said, trying hard not to laugh.

I groaned. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you? And how'd you hear about that?"

"Our sister told us about her evening before she retired," Luna said. "But perhaps we could get back to the topic at hoof?"

"That wasn't intentional this time, I promise," I said, "but you're right. Look, Luna, I'll be upfront with you: I doubt gaining the trust of the citizens will be as easy as the show made it out to be. That's why I thought that if you sang a song, like that Children of the Night one I showed you last night or something like it, they might begin accepting you. That, and engaging in the games and the scares. Most of the Ponies who participate in Nightmare Night do it because it's fun for them to be scared. They enjoy that rush of adrenaline."

"We are still unsure about this," she said hesitantly.

"I won't force you, I promise," I said. "Just consider it."

Luna nodded silently, a pensive look crossing her face as she ate in silence. As the silence became a bit oppressive, Celestia cleared her throat. "So…how was the Gala for everypony? What was your favorite part?"

"Ooh ooh!" Pinkie Pie said with a face full of pancake, "It waff when Jeffro danched wiff me!"

"Funny, that was my favorite moment too, dancing with two handsome young stallions," Rarity said.

"I'm still older than you," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I got to meet the Wonderbolts and I get to fly with them tomorrow!" Rainbow Dash said in excitement. "So awesome! Jethro introduced me!"

"Ah got tah sell all my products," Applejack said happily. "Heck, Jethro helped!"

"You know what my favorite part was, Princess," Twilight said, smiling happily at her mentor.

"Mine was just that we were all together!" Spike said with glee, although he stole a glance at Rarity when he said it.

Celestia turned to Zecora. "And how about you? What was your favorite part of the Gala?"

Zecora and I exchanged a knowing glance, then she put a hoof on my hand. "The entire evening, my heart was aglow, since I got to spend it with Jethro."

I smiled, blushing hard as a few of the other Ponies at the table made "Awww" noises, and made kissy faces at me. "What are you all, twelve?" I groaned.

"Ooooh! He's blushing!" Rainbow Dash giggled, pointing at me.

"I take that back. You're five, Bainrow," I said, rolling my eyes as I resumed eating. This caused a ripple of laughter to go through the room.

And after that embarrassing moment, the conversation picked up. We discussed various plans for the next couple of weeks up to October 31st, Nightmare Night. When I mentioned Halloween again, I pulled out my phone and found the Wikipedia entry. After summarizing, Twilight observed that there were too many coincidences between my world and hers. "And I refuse to believe that it's just because we're some kind of entertainment for another world," she said.

"I'm putting that issue in the 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' category," I replied.

"Aren't you the least bit curious?" Twilight asked.

"Of course, I am," I said, "but it's not really a big priority for me. I've got more pressing things to think about."

"Oh…yeah, I guess you're right," Twilight said.

"Still," I continued, "I've always found talks like that really entertaining. Just speculating for the fun of it. It's part of what makes me human: my inquisitive nature. My people went to the moon to see what was there. Our people sent out probes to explore our solar system because we wanted to see what was there. We explored the jungles of Africa to see what was there. We traveled to the bottom of our ocean to see what was there. A lot of reasons for human exploration are just to discover what was there." I turned to Twilight. "Maybe when we have some free time we can discuss our ideas about both our worlds. I admit, I have a few ideas."

She squealed in delight. "I can't wait!"

As breakfast wound down, a tired Luna apologized and said she was heading to bed. After the meal wound down, Celestia informed us that she had us on the eleven o'clock train back to Ponyville. We had an hour left until then, so Celestia gave permission for Twilight to show her friends around the palace. However, just as they were leaving, Celestia called me and Zecora back for a private conference. Once we were alone, her smile slowly faded. I knew it was serious then. "Celestia? Is something wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not wrong, per-se. More…of a cultural difference that I feel I should clear up for you sooner rather than later."

"It's not about these, is it?" I asked, touching the medallions the Princesses had given me.

"Oh no! No, no, no," she quickly denied. She walked over to a window and looked up. Curious, I followed and saw that she was looking at a tower which looked like it had been recently painted a dark nighttime blue. Zecora joined me. We stood in silence before Celestia asked, "Jethro, what do you know about herds?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Only what I've been able to infer. It's a Pony's version of a polygamous relationship, or a harem, right?"

"More or less," she said, still staring at the tower. "Our Pony population has always been skewed in favor of females, if you haven't already noticed. It's gotten slightly better in modern times, but in the past, it was a matter of necessity. They aren't as common today. About one in ten stallions are the center of their own herd, which normally consist of three to five mares."

"Where are you going with this?" I asked, almost afraid to hear.

She sighed, then turned back to me. "You've noticed that my sister has taken an interest in you, correct?"

My heart dropped into my feet at that. "Wait, are you saying that Luna-?"

"She doesn't know it herself yet, I'm sure," Celestia said, "but I believe she's starting to develop feelings for you."

Zecora was immediately by my side as I stumbled back, completely stunned. Luna? Falling for me? I steadied myself against a nearby pillar, Zecora and Celestia by my side to help keep me standing. "I…are you asking me to…turn her down gently?" I asked, unsure what Celestia wanted.

"If you decide to avoid the herd route, yes," Celestia said gently. "I admit, I don't want to see my sister hurt. She's never felt this way about anypony before. Well, she might have had a foalish crush on our teacher Starswirl, but that was when we both were fillies."

"I'm going to stop you right there," I said, trying not to lose any resolve. "I…I'm no good for that kind of thing."

"May I ask why?" she asked.

"In my culture, polygamy is pretty much illegal, and while polyamorous relationships exist, on the whole it's harder to maintain that kind of relationship," I explained. "I don't know if I'd be capable of maintaining a herd. Besides, I'd feel like I was cheating on Zecora."

"My love," Zecora said reassuringly, "I told you last night that I wouldn't mind if you formed a herd. Zebras have these as well, and it's a common practice in the world."

"You don't get it!" I shouted, pulling away and pacing, "How can I give my feelings equally to more than one woman? I-"

Zecora threw her front legs around me, stroking my back. "Shhh…" she whispered lovingly. "My love, you've made me beyond happy by your words. But if I might offer my thoughts?"

"Please," I said, looking expectantly at her.

"If last night was any indication," she said, "you have an incredible amount of love to give. You went out of your way to make those six mares happy. I was watching them all night as their dreams for the Gala came true. The looks of gratitude on their faces made me proud to be your marefriend. Yes, you're not perfect. I'm not perfect, either, but one thing I love about you is your big heart. You take the time to spend with your friends, and you try to make others happy, sometimes at the expense of your own happiness."

"Seeing others happy makes me happy, yes," I admitted.

"I'm not saying that you should consider this because you're afraid of breaking Luna's heart," Celestia said, approaching. "All I'm asking is that you think about it before making a decision."

"I'm pretty sure my decision will be the same by the end," I said, "but…I'll give it some serious thought."

"And before you ask," Celestia said, "I'd prefer you didn't tell anypony about this. That includes Twilight and her friends. It's a sensitive topic, and my sister's just made her public debut since coming back."

"I understand," I said.

Celestia bowed, looking apologetic. "Please forgive me for springing this on you right now, but I love my sister. I can't force you to fall in love with her alongside Zecora, but I just thought you should know." Celestia looked back out at the tower. "My sister has always been somewhat awkward, and I've been somewhat protective of her so she can avoid serious embarrassment."

"There's such a thing as too protective," I said, walking up beside her. Reaching up, I began to stroke her mane. "She isn't a filly anymore, you know?"

"I know," she said. "but I promised myself to look after her. I failed once, and I won't fail again…I can't…" She looked away, taking a deep breath.

"I'll think about it seriously, I promise," I said. "But may I ask why you wanted to tell Zecora too?"

"Because, if we decide to open up our love to other mares," Zecora said, "it would be up to you and me, the Prime Mare."

"Traditionally, as a herd grows," Celestia explained, "each member gets a say on whether to add a new member into the fold. Originally, they didn't, but when that lead to conflict within herds, it became an unspoken rule to make a unanimous decision. Either that, or the member of the herd who disagreed could leave."

"So, in a sense, herds came about for similar reasons to why humans had them in ancient times," I said, "to produce sons."

"Indeed," Celestia said. "One of necessity. But in modern times, even though there are still five mares to every stallion, monogamy is becoming something more common. Same sex marriage as well, although that's mostly among mares."

I rubbed my eyes, a sudden weariness overwhelming me. "I'm getting a damned headache…"

Celestia's ears flattened. "I didn't mean for that, I promise."

"I know…I'm not upset at you," I replied. "I just don't know how to approach this."

"Just do what you think is best, Jethro," she said, putting a hoof on my shoulder. She had a guilt-ridden look on her face. "I won't be upset or angry if you turn down my sister's advances."

"…Damn, you're good," I said with a bitter smirk.

She backed away. "This isn't a guilt trip, I promise-"

I held up my hand. "I know, I know."

"I'll follow my sister's example and, in her words, grant you a favor, or boon, of your choice," she quickly replied.

"Calm down there, Celestia," I said. "I'm not upset at you. I'm just upset at the situation. Lord knows I like your sister. We have some things in common that I doubt anyone here would share, but starting a herd is…and with royalty…it's…"

"There is nothing in our laws that forbids Luna being in a herd, or myself for that matter," Celestia said.

"That's surprising," I muttered.

Having apparently heard me, she nodded. "My sister and I had too much to do to even consider romance. I've had plenty of suitors over the years, but most wanted my hoof in marriage to become royalty."

"Political bullshit," I growled. "That's one of the reasons why I'm not sure of becoming a prince. I don't deal well with stuff like that."

"Bullshit indeed," Celestia sighed. "Unfortunately, that's how it is for us." She looked up at the tower again.

"I understand," I said quietly, stepping back. "I'll…take my leave."

Just as I was about to open the door, a hoof on my shoulder stopped me. Turning back, I saw Celestia gazing down at me with a serious face. "For what it's worth," she said, "I think you'd be a great match for any royal." She released me, her grip on my shoulder lingering for a bit. "Thank you for listening. Have a safe trip back."

"Thank you." I took her hoof, kissed it once more, then left with Zecora.

"Ah've never call mah farm's products appletastic!" Applejack was saying as we sat in the train coach later in the day. "Although…ah kinda like that. Maybe ah'll use it somewhere."

Celestia had booked us on a private car back to Ponyville. As promised, I played the Gala episode for everyone, although Zecora snuggled close to me, not really wanting to see it. I was grateful for the distraction, since my mind was all over the place. Zecora seemed to guess what I was feeling, because her grip around me tightened, and she whispered into my ear about how things would work out, how much she loved me, and other things that helped calm me down.

"I-I can't believe I'm going to say this," Fluttershy said, looking down, "but I scared myself at the end."

"Aww, come on, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash replied with a smirk, "I know you'd never go that far."

"Are you sure?" she asked, sounding uncertain.

"Well, of course!" Rainbow Dash giggled. "It's not like you go around every day shouting, 'You're going to LOVE ME!', right?"

"Well…I guess not…" she said.

"After seeing how this other Blueblood reacted," Rarity said with a huff, "I'm glad I avoided that disaster. That, and I got to keep my glass shoes. Those were quite expensive."

"Those pretty party Ponies were party poopers," Pinkie Pie said with a hint of sadness. Her mood improved when she locked eyes with me. "I'm glad I got to dance at the real Gala! Thank you, Jethy!"

"Yes," Twilight said, turning to me as well. "We all owe you a lot for last night."

I chuckled nervously. "I just had potential future knowledge. If anything, I should be thanking you. I had tons of fun hanging out with all of you."

"I'm just glad I didn't end up at Joe's eating all those donuts," Spike grinned. "And that I got to dance with the fairest mare in the land," he added, gazing at Rarity with about as much subtlety as a brick through a window.

Rarity giggled. "Aww, thank you, my little Spikey-wikey!"

We all laughed at the poor drake's expense as he blushed at the nickname. Fluttershy, however, looked closer at me, then came over and put a hand on my leg. "Is everything okay?" she asked, sounding a bit worried now.

"Yeah, I'm alright, why?" I asked.

"You look like you're distracted," she said.

"Ah, yeah. Just got a couple things on my mind, is all," I said.

"We're here if you want to talk about it," Twilight said sincerely.

I smiled at them gratefully. "I appreciate the thought, really," I said, "but this is something I really can't discuss with you all. At least, not yet."

Fluttershy joined me on the bed and put her front hooves on my lap, looking up at me and Zecora. "We can wait," she said with the smile of an angel.

"We know yer stubborn as an Apple," Applejack chuckled, "but we're all here for ya."

As the others gave their affirmations, my smile grew. Zecora moved up and gave my cheek a loving and tender kiss and lick. "They care deeply for you, my love," she said.

"And I for them," I admitted, holding Zecora and a blushing Fluttershy close. As the intercom announced our arrival at Ponyville, the others crowded around me for a group hug. As they did so, I chuckled. "Best…night…ever…at the Gala!"