"Forgive me, but could you repeat that?" Mayor Mare asked, removing her glasses and giving me a completely stunned look.

"I wish to purchase the house formerly owned by Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood," I repeated. "Scootaloo's parents."

The mayor looked at me with a dubious expression. "And just why, pray tell, are you interested in purchasing their house?"

I sighed. "There's nothing nefarious going on, I promise. But if you want an explanation, please promise me you won't say a word about it to anyone."

"It depends on what it is, but I'm listening." She leaned forward and put her chin on her hooves.

"Scootaloo's an orphan now," I said, "and with her parents gone, there's nowhere else she can stay permanently in Ponyville. Sure, her aunts come by to keep an eye on her, but that's not a permanent solution. I don't want her uprooted just yet, so I want to buy the house and continue paying for its upkeep. I've got the bits to spare."

She nodded in understanding and a small smile formed on her face. "I see. Well, I think that is a lovely idea. As a former orphan myself, I know how she's feeling. Vulnerable, in need of some sort of security. I am a bit worried that she might not be ready to go back home right now."

"Living in a house full of memories," I replied. "Yeah. It took me years before I could go back to my childhood home after my own parents died, and by then the new owners had remodeled it so that it wasn't recognizable for me. But I want her to have the option open."

"I understand that," she said with a wistful smile. "Well, if you want to purchase the property, you'd have to visit the Ponyville Real Estate Offices on the corner of Mane and Sixth. They're the only real estate company in town and could help you." She leaned forward, a genuine smile on her face now. "You're an incredible stallion, Sir Jethro. I'm honored to have you as a constituent and hopefully friend?" She sounded a bit unsure about the last one.

"You want to be my friend?" I asked.

"Of course," she said. "I'd have asked earlier, but you always seem to be busy, and being mayor doesn't give me a lot of free time."

I chuckled, then pulled out an imaginary clipboard, grabbing her glasses and putting them on, looking down at said fake clipboard. "Well, I suppose I can squeeze you in for some sort of weekly get together," I said with a grin, looking at the snickering older mare.

"You're a riot," she chuckled as she reached over and grabbed her glasses. She put them on again.

"All jokes aside," I said, "I'd love to be friends with you. After all," and here I lowered my voice and grinned conspiratorially, "it pays to have friends in high places, miss mayor."

She grinned back. "You took the words out of my mouth, sir knight."

We both leaned closer to each other, grinning before we burst out laughing at the same time. I never thought I'd see the older mare laughing like some school girl, and it was kinda nice seeing her letting loose like that. After we finished laughing, I stood and held out a hand to her, smiling. "Thanks for your help, my friend," I said. "That's two I owe you."

"This one's on the house," the mayor said, shaking my hand. Her hoof was softer than I would have expected from an older Pony. "I look forward to seeing you again soon."

"As do I," I replied, and meant it. "Sixth and Mane, correct?"

"Yes sir," she said. "Have a good day!"

"You too!"

I headed back out into the cold late autumn sun, thinking back on my conversation with the mayor. A politician though she might be, Celestia was spot on about her. She cared deeply about the town and her fellow townsfolk. And she was actually pretty attractive in her own right.

I shook my head clear of those thoughts as I took a right down Mane Street. As I walked down the street, I was greeted by a few of the townsfolk with polite smiles, but I could see concern in a few of their eyes. Concern that I appreciated deeply and accepted, since I wasn't sure how other cities or towns in the world might react to me anymore.

I found the building about five or so minutes later. As with most of the business buildings in town, it had a rustic medieval appearance to it, looking like something out of a German fairy tale. It was a two-story thatched roofed building with a miniature house hanging right above the door. I ducked and headed inside where I found a large foyer with chairs lining the outer walls and a few desks at the opposite end of the room. One of the Ponies behind a desk saw me and her eyes widened. "Sir Bethridge?" she asked. She was a Pegasus with a slightly blue-gray coat and a mane and tail with various colors of dark and light purple through it. She had bright azure eyes that were wide in surprise. Her mane style reminded me slightly of Fluttershy's.

"It's just Jethro," I said as a few other Ponies looked up from their desks to gawk at me. "I was told to come here to help solve a little problem I'm having."

The Pegasus beamed and indicated a seat in front of her desk. "Please, have a seat!" she said eagerly. "My name's Diamond Rose and I'll be glad to help you with whatever you need!"

I walked over, then realized that the chair she had indicated was a bit too small for me. "Ah, actually, I can just kneel," I said as I knelt in front of the desk.

Diamond saw the problem and her eyes widened even more, this time in abject apology. "I'm so sorry, sir! I can ask for a larger chair to be brought in-"

I held up my hand. "I'll be fine, Miss Rose. Just relax."

She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Um…ahaha, sorry. It's just…I'm a big fan of you, sir," she said honestly.

I smiled warmly and held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

She made a squee and shook my hand eagerly before clearing her throat and trying her best to bring back her professional appearance. "So, what can I help you with?"

"The mayor told me this was the place to go to purchase a property, but the situation is a bit…tricky," I admitted, scratching the back of my neck.

"How so?" Diamond asked.

"I take it you heard about the unfortunate deaths of Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood?"

Her ears went flat. "I did…I feel so badly for poor Scootaloo."

"Well, that's sort of why I'm here," I said. "I want to purchase their home property and everything inside it."

Her eyes widened a bit. "Really?"

"Really," I replied with a nod. "The poor filly shouldn't have to be uprooted from a place she's called her home all her life. I want to purchase it and maintain its upkeep until she's ready to return."

Diamond's eyes began to get watery, and she took a tissue from her desk, blowing her nose. "I can see why the Princess made you a Knight…well, I'll be glad to help you with it! Just give me a few minutes to get the paperwork for their house." She stood and flew over to a door to the side of the room and went into the room beyond. I could see a bunch of file cabinets in the room. I watched as she flew up to a higher one, opened it with her hooves and looked through it before grabbing a large manila folder with her teeth and flying back to me. She put the paperwork down and used her wings to open it. It always surprised me just how versatile Pegasi wings could be, and I filed away the idea to practice with that at some point as well. "Okay…so it looks like they were actually nearly complete with their mortgage payments," she said. "and their house was worth about… 184,000 bits."

Pulling out my phone, I did a brief calculation, and once more was surprised at how cheap it was. Only 23,000 in the currency I'd grown up with. I could easily afford it, of course. "Okay, I've seen the house in passing, and it sounds reasonable enough for a two-story property in the middle of town," I said. And I actually had seen it in passing a couple of times before then. "What do I need to do?"

"Well, since the property owners have, unfortunately, passed, I believe the only thing standing in your way would be any will they might have written."

"Shit, I completely forgot about a will," I said, smacking my head. "Duuh…"

She looked at me apologetically. "Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Well, that's okay," I said. "I have another idea. How much did they owe on their mortgage?"

She looked down at the file again. "8000 bits. That doesn't include the slight interest, though."

"I wouldn't mind paying that off, too-"

The door behind us burst open, and Diamond looked past me in alarm. I whirled around, and paused when I saw three Ponies in the doorway. Three familiar Ponies. They were panting heavily and had panicked looks on their faces. At least, the two mares did. "Wait…wait Jethro!" Holiday said after recovering.

"Jethro? What are you doing here?" Scootaloo asked. She looked a bit better than I'd seen her the day before, although she was still panting, her scooter by her side.

Lofty rushed over, waving a piece of paper in her wings and slamming it down on the desk between me and Diamond, startling the poor Pegasus. "I…hah…have their will here…" she said, panting hard.

Looking around, I saw a small table with glasses nearby and a large device that looked like a water dispenser. Holding out my hand, I quickly used my magic to fill three glasses with water and brought them over, handing them to each Pony. "Here, drink," I said as I handed the water to each of them.

Holiday finished her water first, then put the glass on the desk hard. "The mayor told us what you were wanting to do," she said quickly, and then a smile crossed her lips. "We had the same idea until we found the will. It was sweet of you to think about Scootaloo like that, though."

I looked down at the young filly, who had a small smile on her face. Reaching down, I stroked her mane gently. "I know how it is," I said. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but I was going to buy the house and everything inside then pay for the upkeep."

"Mighty kind of you," Lofty said, "but maybe you should read the will first."

I sat back up and looked at the will. "Let's see…'In the event of our deaths, we have set aside a fund for Scootaloo's further education worth 80,000 bits and have opened up a life insurance policy in her name worth 200,000 bits'?!" I gaped at it as I continued to read. "'The money in our main bank account is more than enough to pay off the mortgage for our house and whatever is left we'd like to give to our sister Holiday and sister-in-law Lofty for all they've done for us in helping to raise and keep an eye on our daughter'." I looked at the young mare couple. "Ehehe…I guess I jumped the gun here, didn't I?"

"You had the best of intentions," Holiday said kindly, putting a hoof on my shoulder. "It means a lot to me, my wife and my niece that you'd do this for us."

"What's the point in having all that money if I can't use it to make not just me happy, but those I care about happy as well?" I replied, looking down at a smiling but teary eyed Scootaloo.

"You…care about me?" Scootaloo asked softly.

"Sure I do," I said, kneeling before her and stroking her mane again. "You have a love of life that I envy, and you've got passion and drive. You are an amazing little filly. You and the other CMC, but in the show you had so much zest for life. I know you don't feel like that right now, and I understand that, but like I said yesterday, you've got a lot of Ponies in town who care about you."

She sniffed and wiped her tears with her wings. "I…I talked with Applejack last night…"

"Did it help?" I asked.

She nodded. "A little."

"I'm glad to hear it," I replied, then I stood and turned to Holiday and Lofty. "I still want to finish paying off the mortgage. I insist."

Holiday and Lofty looked at each other, then as one they both threw their hooves around me in a massive hug. I stumbled back, laughing as I wrapped them up in my wings and arms. "Thank you so much!" Holiday said, and I could feel her trembling with emotion.

"Anything to make life easier for you two," I said softly as I hugged them tightly.

"We owe ya," Lofty added.

"All you owe me is a promise," I said, looking into their eyes.

"Anything," Holiday said.

"Give Scootaloo the best possible foalhood you can give her," I beamed.

"Deal!" Lofty said.

I smiled wider and released them. Turning to Diamond, I asked, "How do I settle their mortgage?"

It took us only thirty minutes, but Diamond directed us to the Ponyville Bank where a stallion Unicorn named Moneybags was all too eager to accept the rest of the mortgage payment. I walked the family home and then decided to pay Sweet Apple Acres a visit. There was a certain farmmare I needed to see.

Thankfully, the day was clear enough and the wind had died down enough that I could fly there with ease. When I spotted Applejack coming out of the barn, I flew down to her. She must have heard me because she looked up and waved at me as I landed in front of her. "Howdy, sugarcube! What can ah-whoa!"

Before she could say anything further, I lifted her up in a strong hug, which knocked her Stetson off onto the cold ground. I wrapped her in my wings as well, spinning her around with tears in my eyes, tears of gratitude. "Thank you, AJ! Thank you so much!"

Applejack hesitantly put her forelegs around me. "What fer?" she asked.

I smiled and put her back down, grabbing her Stetson and putting it back on her head. "For talking to Scootaloo. She told me it helped."

A look of realization passed over her face and she nodded. "Ain't nothin' ya gotta thank me fer," she replied. "You and ah know just how she feels. Ah'm glad tah help."

Overcome with emotion once more, I hugged her again. "It means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to Scoots, too."

She put one foreleg around me again. "Glad tah help."

"Is there anyway I can repay-" I began, but she stopped me with a hoof to my mouth.

"Don't go talkin' like that," she said. "Ah did it cuz she needed somepony tah talk tah. Just like yah did."

I slowly broke the hug, looking into her eyes. "You're seriously one of the best friends a guy could have."

Applejack blushed and scratched the back of her neck. "Ah, shucks, thanks."

"I mean it," I said as I stood. "It means so much that you talked to her."

"Anytime, sugarcube," she said. "Yer sure in a good mood today. Sleep well?"

"Thanks to something Zecora gave me, yeah, but that's not why I'm happy."

"Oh? Wanna tell me what happened?" Applejack asked. I told her all that had happened since I arrived at the mayor's office. I tried to downplay my own actions, but Applejack wanted the truth out of me, so I did. When I was finished, she had the widest grin on her face. "Why, that was the nicest thing yah could have done fer her. Ah'm proud of ya, Jethro."

"I did the right thing," I said. "I'm rich, so why not use that money for good?"

"Nopony could ask any less of ya," she said with a wide and tender smile.

Just then, someone jumped onto my back and hugged me close from behind. "I heard someone made a sad little filly's day?" Pinkie Pie asked, and it sounded like her normal peppy self was back. "Trying to take my job from me, sexy man?"

I groaned, but chuckled. "I tried. She's still grieving, but at least she doesn't have to worry about a place to stay for the time being."

I heard Pinkie Pie squeal in delight before pushing me to the ground, flipping me onto my back and kissing me all over before planting a very deep kiss on my lips. Once again, I felt tongue. Applejack, who was briefly stunned by this, quickly lassoed Pinkie and pulled her off of me. "Pinkie Pie, simmer down there!" she said.

I sat up, a bit dazed from the affectionate kisses Pinkie Pie had been increasingly giving me. "Why can't I mention Pinkie Pie and the way she kinda acts a bit like me sometimes?" I sang in a slight daze. "You see I used to hate that I liked My Little Pony…not anymore. And I'm proud to be a Brony."

"Foreeeever!" Pinkie added.

"You gonna be alright there, Jethro?" Applejack asked.

"Heh, yeah. I'm getting used to Pinkie's kisses," I said as I stood and brushed myself off. "Anyway, you two definitely look a bit better than before. Nobody's giving you trouble about My Little Pony or anything about yesterday, are they?"

"Nopey!" Pinkie said. "The Cakes gave me the day off to rest, so I've been going around town saying hi to all my friends!"

"Ah've been here all day, so ah can't say fer sure," Applejack said, "but nopony's been houndin' me about it."

"Good, glad to hear it," I said. "It was nice to see both of you today. I'm gonna go check on the others."

"See ya later!" Applejack called out with a wave.

"Later, Jethy!" Pinkie called out as well.

I grinned, and as I headed away, sang, "Why don't you mention Applejack, and talk about her honest southern style power of will?"

My next stop was Carousel Boutique, where I found Rarity and, to my surprise, Twilight and Spike, the latter of whom was giving Rarity gaga eyes. The three turned and all smiled. "Darling, Pinkie just told us about what you did for Scootaloo," she said, walking up to me. "I'm sure that helped the poor filly a bit."

"I did it because I know how she feels," I said. "She needs a little bit of stability right now."

Rarity threw her hooves around me in a hug, nuzzling my face. "Truly, a knight," she whispered in my ear gently before letting me go.

"You rock, monkey-man," Spike said, holding out his fist. "Pound it!"

I fistbumped the young drake before I turned to Twilight. She had the widest smile on her face as she jumped towards me, nuzzling my face affectionately. "We would have all pitched in had we known, but you're amazing," she said.

I smiled. "I just did what was right, but thanks Twi. Thank you everyone."

"Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity said. "Sweetie Belle ran out the door the moment she heard so she could check on Scootaloo."

"Those three are amazing," I chuckled. "I can't wait until they get their cutie marks."

"Do you know what they'll be?" Twilight asked eagerly.

"Yeah, but I don't think I should tell you or them," I said. "It would ruin the experience for them. From what I've noticed, it's more meaningful if you discover your cutie mark on your own, right?"

"Not even a hint?" Spike asked.

I stroked my cheek. "Well, let me see if I can be as vague as I can…they're on the right track with their overall goal. And that's all I'll say." I smirked at Twilight's pout before I added, "What brings you by Rarity's store, you two?"

"We were just checking up on our friends," Twilight said.

"Then we had the same thought," I said. "I was just checking up on Applejack and Pinkie Pie."

"Are they doing well?" Rarity asked.

"Applejack's working on her farm, and she looked like she was doing alright," I said, "And it looks like Pinkie Pie's nearly back to her normal peppy self."

"I'll still go check on them," Twilight said with a smile.

"I'm sure they'd appreciate it," I said.

"Darling, where's Zecora?" Rarity asked. "You two are always together."

"She went back to her house to check on a few things," I said. "She mentioned something about battening down the hatches, although I don't know exactly what that means. And I'm sure she's still tired, so she might be napping too."

"And Scarlet?" Twilight asked.

"Well, today she's working at Sugarcube Corner," I said. "I tried to tell her it was okay to take the day off and rest at least one more day, but she insisted. She's slowly getting back to her old self." I groaned as I remembered the few innuendos she threw my way at breakfast.

"And…what about the two Lycans?" Twilight asked a bit nervously and somewhat reluctantly.

"Call them by their names, please," I said. "And they're doing alright. Gemini is the same as ever, but Mica's actually getting friendlier with me. He's a cool guy, and really brave to boot. He's still kicking my behind anytime we spar, though."

"If you say so, darling," Rarity said with a shudder.

I walked up and put a wing around her. She jumped a bit in surprise, but looked up at me, her smile small but it was enough to brighten up the room. In that moment, I saw more clearly just why Spike was attracted to this mare. She was definitely incredibly attractive, and those gorgeous azure eyes sparkled with a radiance that screamed beauty. "I know so," I said. "Trust me."

Her smile grew a bit and she nuzzled her cheek against my chest. "Okay, I will," she said.

I stroked her mane gently before standing back, removing my wing from Rarity and looking at them all in turn. "But enough about me. Are you three doing alright?"

"Never better," Rarity said. "Sure, I have a few orders I'm behind on, but I'll get those done over the next few days. Jethro, I hope you don't mind if I cancel our weekly tea."

"Not at all. You do what you gotta do," I said.

Twilight was the next to respond. "I'm doing alright. A few Ponies came by to ask me a few questions about yesterday, but for the most part it's been a nice quiet day."

I smiled. "That's good."

"Let's just say there's no place like home," Spike said. "Especially for the holidays."

"I hear that." I snapped and my eyes widened. "Oh! That reminds me, I've gotta break out the Christmas decorations sometime," I chuckled.

"What's Christmas?" Rarity asked, looking at me curiously.

"An Earth holiday celebrated all over the world," I said.

"It's a lot like Hearth's Warming is for us," Twilight said. "They decorate trees, give out presents, sing seasonal songs, and spread peace and goodwill. It has a more religious origin than Hearth's Warming, though." When I gave her a confused look, she smirked. "I didn't just look up My Little Pony fanfictions while you were unconscious."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "Leave it to a nerd to figure out how a laptop works."

"Well…Sunset Shimmer helped me figure it out," Twilight said.

At the mention of her name, the mood in the room seemed to drop a bit. I tilted my head in confusion and concern. "Guys? What's going on?"

Twilight opened her mouth, closed it, then took a deep breath and said, "It's just…after what she did to you on Earth, I'm not sure what the Princess will do with her."

I bit my lower lip. "Yeah…I can see that. But you saw her breaking down and how Celestia comforted her. You need to remember that she was under Eris' influence."

"Influence isn't control, Jethro," Rarity said somberly.

I nodded and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I know that. But if you'd seen just how Celestia cried after watching a MLP fan video called The Fall Of Sunset Shimmer, you'd realize just how much this was tearing her up inside."

Twilight's eyes bugged out. "The Princess…cried?"

I nodded. "Don't go freaking out now. You've seen her cry before just after Luna came back to her."

"Yeah, but those were tears of joy," Rarity said.

I leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Anybody can make mistakes, even gorgeous thousand year old Alicorn princesses," I said. "If I know anything, it's that Celestia won't just ignore that outburst by Sunset. She sounded very sincere. And besides, now that there's a permanent doorway open back to Earth, she could be very useful in dealing with that world."

"Um, how?" Spike asked.

"Think about this: in ten years, she got herself a gorgeous place to live without any preexisting forms of Earth identification. If you think paperwork in Equestria is bad, Earth paperwork is a nightmare. But I digress." I pushed myself off of the wall. "I'm glad you three are doing alright. This past week and a half can't have been easy for any of you."

"We're just glad to be back home, where we belong," Twilight said.

I chuckled. "Hallelujah to that. Well, I'm actually going to check on Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash next. See you guys later?"

"Of course!" Spike said with a smile.

"Ta ta for now," Rarity added.

"See you later," Twilight said.

As I turned towards the door, I sang again, "So I'm gonna mention Rarity and how she's oh so lady like. But even though she's prim and proper, she could make it in a fight! And I'm gonna mention Twilight, and though she's kinda nerdy, boasts a power tucked away, could take an Ursa any day!"

"I know that song!" Twilight shouted out.

"Why am I not surprised?" I called back as I left the boutique, laughing.

Fluttershy's house was next, and I was happy to see her brushing some branches off of her walkway. I saw smoke rising from the chimney, and the smell immediately brought back memories of snow days from back on Earth. Fluttershy was humming something that sounded vaguely familiar as I approached. She was turned away from me, so I was about to call out so I didn't startle her. However, I heard another voice from behind the house calling out, "Hey, Fluttershy! A little help here?"

"Oh? What's wrong, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked, putting the broom down and flying over to behind the house. I caught a glimpse of her eyes widening. "Oh my…what happened?"

I ran over, crossing the bridge over her small creek with one leap and spread of my wings. "Everything okay over there?" I called out.

Fluttershy's ears twisted my way first, then she turned to look over at me. "Oh Jethro! Good to see you!"

"Same to you. Now what hap-whoa…"

The moment I turned a corner, I was greeted with quite a sight. Rainbow Dash was tangled up in a small garden hose, the water spraying everywhere. She was surrounded by animals, some of whom were laughing, especially Angel Bunny. Nearby, I saw a wooden tub and a smaller bucket turned upside down with a bar of soap on top. I rushed over to the faucet and turned it off before helping Rainbow out of the hoses. Deciding to have some fun with her, I leaned down and whispered, "Never pegged you for the bondage type, RD. Kinky. All you need is a ballgag. Or a bridle."

Rainbow's face went red and she slugged my arm, pouting. "That's not what this is!" she said in a huff.

I laughed and continued helping her out of the hose until she was free. When I'd finished, I noticed she was starting to shiver. I lifted her up in my arms and wrapped my wings around her. Turning to Fluttershy, I asked, "We should get her inside and wrapped up in some blankets. Don't want her catching a cold."

"Oh, of course! Bring her inside," Fluttershy said, turning and galloping to the front door.

Rainbow Dash struggled in my grasp. "I never get colds! I…ah…ACHOO!" She sniffed and wiped her nose with her hoof. "Um…hehe…"

"Here," I said, handing her my handkerchief.

"Thanks," she said sheepishly as she blew her nose while we entered Fluttershy's warm living room.

"Put her down on the couch," Fluttershy said as she flew upstairs.

I closed the door behind me and walked over to the large couch in front of the roaring fireplace. Setting her down, I took back the snot-filled handkerchief and, after folding it carefully, put it back in my pocket. I took a seat next to her and said, "Sorry about what I said earlier. It was completely innapropriate."

Rainbow Dash waved her hoof. "It's okay," she said. Turning to me, she grinned. "I'd have said the same thing."

I smirked. "You and Scarlet are my worst nightmare, I swear to God," I chuckled.

"You love it and you know it," Rainbow laughed, slugging my arm again, lighter this time.

At that moment, Fluttershy came downstairs carrying a thick yellow blanket with her cutie mark sewn on it to find the two of us laughing together. "Oh my, is there a joke I didn't hear?" she asked as she put the blanket down on the couch next to Rainbow.

I grabbed it and wrapped the cyan Pegasus up. "Nothing you'd find funny, I think," I said. I continued wrapping Rainbow up. "There we go. A rainburrito."

Fluttershy hid her mouth with one hoof and I heard her tittering behind it just as Rainbow blushed a bit. "That's adorable," she said after a bit.

"You feeling any warmer?" I asked Rainbow.

Rainbow looked down at herself, then looked at me and yawned. "It's comfy," she admitted before she leaned against me a bit. "Is this a cloud blanket?" she asked.

Fluttershy nodded, looking between me and Rainbow with an unreadable expression. "My brother made it during a quilting phase he went through," she said.

"Zephyr Breeze, right?" I asked.

Rainbow shuddered. "Don't…mention him, please," she said.

"Right, he has the hots for you, doesn't he?" I asked. She glared up at me quickly. I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay…subject dropped." Rainbow nodded in approval before closing her eyes, yawning, and laying her head against my left side.

I turned back to Fluttershy, only to find she wasn't there. A second presence on my left caused me to turn only to find the other Pegasus leaning against me, eyes closed and a slight frown on her face. Spreading my wings, I carefully maneuvered them so my two close friends were wrapped up in their warmth. Fluttershy's expression relaxed and she smiled again. I began stroking their manes. "You two seem to be doing alright after yesterday," I said softly.

Rainbow nodded. "I go back to work tomorrow, thank Celestia."

"And my animal friends are doing alright," Fluttershy said happily.

"Glad to hear you're both doing okay," I said. "Nobody's been harassing you or asking you stuff about yesterday's little announcement?"

"Not me," Fluttershy said.

"Nah, nopony's talked to me about that," Rainbow added.

"Glad to hear," I said before I turned to Fluttershy. "Isn't it a bit cold for baths outdoors?"

"The animals don't mind," Fluttershy said. "Besides, they like being clean before hibernation."

"When is that?" I asked curiously.

"On the Winter Solstice, just before the snow starts," Fluttershy said.

"Okay, that makes sense," I said.

The three of us sat in comfortable silence. The two mares beside me were resting comfortably against me while I stared into the fireplace, watching the flames as they performed their exotic dance among the blackening logs. I loved watching the fire in the fireplace during my childhood, and the warmth not only of the fire but of two adorable and beautiful mares on either side of me was enough to make me relax. "If I'm not careful…I'll fall asleep…" I muttered softly.

"Just embrace the nap…" Rainbow Dash chuckled. "I always do."

"That makes way too much sense," I smiled. "But what about the baths?"

"It's too comfy to move," Rainbow said with a yawn. "Goodnight…" And just like that, Rainbow was out for the count, snoring very softly.

I rolled my eyes, smirked, then sang, "Why don't you mention Rainbow Dash and her acrobatic skill? How she will try her hoof at anything just to get a little thrill?"

"Where's that from?" Fluttershy asked, opening one eye to look at me questioningly.

"It's from a My Little Pony song called Proud to be a Brony. And so is this." I sang out once more. "Why can't I mention Fluttershy and her timid loving mind? How she can be herself near animals, but shies away from her own kind?"

Fluttershy blushed and snuggled up closer. "It's still…strange that there are so many humans who like us," she said.

"I can understand that," I said. "But it's true. You all have people back on Earth who absolutely love and all of you because of how amazing you are. And I'm lucky enough to have met you in person. Or Pony, I guess."

Fluttershy snuggled closer to me than before. "We love you too, Jethro," she said softly before she too fell into a soft slumber. Unlike Rainbow, she didn't quite snore, but her breathing was absolutely adorable. It was also…incredibly soothing…

My eyelids felt suddenly heavy, and soon, I was fast asleep.