"My God, Jethro, is that Lycan really being that rough with you?" Scarlet asked me with a knowing grin almost a week later as I trudged into her hospital room for our daily talk. "You look like you went six rounds with a Rancor beast."

"That, that would be a restful night compared to the past six nights," I replied while stifling a yawn.

Ever since our first night together, Gemini had become like, well, a wild animal in bed. We only got maybe three or four hours of sleep each night. It was as if she was trying to make up for her dry spell. She had begged to learn more about human sex on our second night, and I showed her a few demonstrations. Her first attempt at giving oral was sloppy and didn't feel too good, but she was a quick learner.

Zecora had joined us on all of our nights together since, and had even joined in often despite her still growing belly, but Gemini had taken me more and more often. I wasn't completely complaining, but it was getting a bit overwhelming.

I sighed as I plopped into the chair that the hospital had placed next to her bed for my specific use. "That girl is like a sponge," I said. "She wants to continue to experiment and do things." I looked at her with a tired smile. "She wants to do things I've never even considered."

Scarlet laughed. She laughed harder than I'd seen her laugh since she woke up. Her laughter turned into winces of pain as she reigned herself in. "So-Sorry," she said when she got control of her emotions, "I shouldn't have laughed." She reached out and took my hand. "You realize you're going to need to talk to her, right? I can understand wanting to hog someone you just claimed, and maybe things work different for Lycans, but-"

"I know," I interrupted her with a nod. "I need to let her know she's not the only woman in this herd. I should thank you and Zecora for being so understanding about this."

Scarlet gestured to herself and smirked. "I can't do much right now, anyway."

"Still, that's not an excuse for letting her continue for this long," I said.

"Well, she must be phenomenal at sex, then," Scarlet teased.

"Like I said, she's a quick learner," I replied, "but I'm going to talk with her later today." I stifled a yawn. "My daily meetings with the new Aelyssian Council are suffering because of it."

Scarlet reached out and put her hand on my shoulder, squeezing me reassuringly. "You want us all to be there to talk to her?"

I almost said no because I wanted to deal with it myself and not put pressure on the other two who already had their own things to deal with, what with Zecora's pregnancy and Scarlet's rapidly healing injuries. Then I paused. This was something that a herd dealt with as a team, right? I said as much right after having the thought. "Is that how things work?"

Scarlet shrugged. "I wouldn't know much, but that does make sense," she said.

"I don't want it to feel like we're ganging up on her," I argued despite myself.

"We won't," Scarlet said. "We'll just be setting up boundaries."

I felt like an idiot. Of course that made sense. I nodded. "I'll be back here after I get back from this big reveal that the others have for me," I said.

Scarlet's red eyes widened in excitement. "Oh, I can't wait to see your reaction!" she exclaimed.

My eyes widened at this. "Are you seriously going to be there?" I asked.

She nodded. "The doctor says that I can be taken there," she replied eagerly. "I promised him that I'd be careful, of course."

I sighed and nodded. "Okay, okay," I said, "I'll be happy to have you there. But you'll be warmly bundled up, right?" The town had been going through a scheduled cold snap which wouldn't end for another week. Snow had continued falling through the cold snap, and I was told that this was considered normal for the season. Winter Wrap-Up wouldn't come for another month.

"Yes, daddy," she said huskily with a wink. "Are you gonna punish me if I misbehave?"

Despite everything, I snorted and said what I expect she wanted me to say. "Oh my God, how horny are you?"

As it turned out, we didn't have to wait until after the reveal of whatever the Mane Six and their human counterparts had been wanting to show me. Zecora showed up several minutes later with a nervous looking Gemini. Of course, my new Lycan girlfriend didn't show nervousness in public the same way. Her posture was stiff, almost a bit too professional, and she had a scowl on her face. It was like she was trying to maintain her stern guard expression.

When the door closed, I saw Zecora nodding at me. I understood what this was going to be about and I cast a privacy spell, the same one I'd been using to hide our noise. Gemini was a howler, as it turned out. When the curtains were drawn, I saw the Lycan visibly relax, although her serious expression didn't immediately fall away. "Is there a reason you called me away from going and performing my duties in Aelyssia?" she asked, looking at Zecora. She sounded genuinely curious, not accusatory.

Before Zecora said anything, I spoke up. "Actually, we all need to talk," I said.

She looked at me, a flicker of worry passing over her face before it was quickly hidden beneath her professional demeanor. "Have I done something wrong?" she asked.

"Not at all," Zecora replied encouragingly.

"She's right, you haven't done anything wrong," I confirmed, "but we need to talk about certain things. Things related to recent actions."

She looked a bit confused, at first, then realization swept over her. "The nights we've spent together," she muttered before she could stop herself. A flicker of what I thought looked like guilt swept over her before she straightened, not out of defiance but of what looked like a soldier prepared to accept a scolding. "I can take it," she said. "I'm a warrior. We can take being dressed down just as much as being praised."

I shook my head. "We're not here to dress you down," I said, "so at ease, soldier." I leaned back in my chair, then patted my lap, encouraging her to sit. "Nobody here is angry at you or upset, I promise."

Gemini looked at me a bit hesitantly, then nodded and took a seat on my lap. She looked a bit embarrassed, but relaxed when I wrapped my arms around her. Zecora sat in a chair in front of me, making us crest a bit of a circle. Before anyone could say anything, Gemini spoke. "If this is because of our nights together," she began, "then I think I know what you want to talk about."

"Why don't you tell us what you think this is about?" Scarlet asked.

Gemini looked at all of us, then nodded. "You're afraid that I may become too possessive and never let you two have him again," she said.

Zecora shook her head quickly. "That's not it," she said.

Gemini looked confused now. "Then, what is it?"

I reached up and began to stroke her hair. She looked down at me, confusion plastered all over her face. "Nobody here is upset with you," I reiterated, "but it's time we established a few rules, I think."

"Nobody's gonna blame you for trying to make up for a dry spell like you've had," Scarlet added. "Believe me, when I'm able to get into bed with him, you'd best believe I'm doing just that for hours. Still, I don't know how packs work in the Lycan Empire, but here, we try and not play too many favorites." She inhaled deeply. "My own birth family was in a herd, albeit a small one. I remember my dad taking one of my moms out for what I now know were weekly dates. Then he'd take all of them out while someone babysat me, and then we would go out once a week as a family for family bonding time." She smiled wistfully. "They were a great example of a healthy herd."

"I have an aunt who is in a larger herd," Zecora explained. "They, too, spend an equal amount of time with their stallion."

Gemini looked between us all, then looked at me. She must have noticed how exhausted I looked because she reached down and actually cupped my cheek. "Have I been keeping you too much to myself this past week?" she asked hesitantly.

"Gem," I said, using the new nickname I'd begun calling her, but only in private, "I'm not angry with you. I'm not upset. I've seriously enjoyed every moment we've spent together these past seven nights." I reached up and began scratching her behind her ear. She relaxed immediately and leaned against me. "Believe me, these past seven nights have been intense but also relaxing. I've loved seeing how open you are to expanding your mind and learning. Still, I think we need to take a step back and discuss how things should be working from here on out."

"Rules that, if more people are added to this herd, will be perfect for them, too," Zecora added.

Gemini nodded. "I suppose I have been…lacking in certain other areas of my life and duties," she said. "I just discovered that my brother is courting a Pony." She didn't look disgusted by the thought, instead she looked a bit guilty about, presumably, not giving her brother the attention she as a sister ought to give him. "And then there's my duty as a Captain of your Imperial Guard," she added.

"I'm very satisfied with your work in regard to the latter," I said as I leaned up and kissed her cheek, "and as for the former, well, I'm curious to meet with the Pony he's been courting. If things between us progress, he'll become my Brother-In-Law, after all."

"It's one of the Ponies who catered the dinner you had with Spoiled Milk," Zecora replied.

I nodded. "Strawberry Rain?" I asked.

"Yes, that mare," Zecora confirmed.

"We're getting off topic," Scarlet said, steering the conversation back on track.

"Right," I said as I looked back up at Gemini. She looked down at me, looking vulnerable. "Hey, don't look like that," I said. "Gemini, I love you. That will never change. But I also love Zecora, Scarlet, and our unborn baby. If we want to be a happy and loving herd, we need to figure out how things will go moving forward. Now, I know that this is easier to say than it is to do, and it will require a lot of work, but I've watched you for these past months. I know that you're strong willed. I know that you are hardworking, capable, the best warrior I know, and I am damn lucky to have you in my life.

Her tail curled up and she gave me a proud look. "Yes, yes I am," she said proudly.

"Keeping that in mind," I continued, "will you be willing to work with us to make sure that this growing family, this herd or pack as your kind calls them, grows closer and to help minimize any conflicts?"

She sat up straighter, then to my surprise, straddled me and put her hands on my shoulders. "I have claimed you as mine," she began, and held up a finger when I opened my mouth to speak. "Let me finish, please." I closed my mouth and let her continue. She nodded and did so. "That means something to me, and it means that I have claimed not just you, but any family you have." She leaned down, pressing her chest against mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I responded by putting my hands on her waist. "I know I can be difficult to deal with," she said softly, "but I will never intentionally go out of my way to interfere with the established relationships in your pack. I will work to become a part of the pack." She took a shuddering breath, sat up, and looked not just at me, but at the other two mares in the room. "I'll be honest, I will probably continue to be difficult to deal with sometimes, so I ask you all please be patient with me. I think that my first night with Jethro showed me something I didn't know I've been craving. My culture is a warrior one, and I was shown so much love that night…I guess I went overboard."

"Jethro does have the magical tongue and co-" Scarlet's words were cut off when Zecora covered her mouth.

Gemini then did something that surprised everyone. She giggled. It was one of the cutest sounds I'd heard from her before. "I won't even pretend to argue," she said. She looked back at me. "He was so giving…I doubt many Lycan he-wolves would be that giving. And," and with that she turned back to the others, "with that being said, I shouldn't be too greedy and keep him for myself. I just…"

Zecora put a hand on Gemini's back. "We understand," she said tenderly, "more than you know. But we are a herd now. Communication is key."

Gemini looked a bit uncomfortable, but then straightened up. Turning to me, she grabbed my shoulders, pulled me to my feet, then kissed me hard. The look on her face, eyes narrowed, a wolfish grin, bedroom eyes, and then the biting of her lower lip in a seductive manner sent a shiver running through me. Whether of pleasure or fear I didn't know. All I knew was that I liked it. She must have liked my reaction because she threw back her head and laughed hard. "As long as I can get that reaction out of the oh, so powerful Emperor of Dragons, I am content," she said before she turned to the others. "And I understand," she added, her face becoming more serious. "I will do my best to talk with you about…what I'm feeling." I felt a shudder run through her.

"Nobody here will judge you," Zecora said reassuringly.

Recovering finally, I looked at her and nodded. "Your feelings are just as important to me as theirs are," I said.

"And yours are important to us," Scarlet replied, looking pointedly at me for a few moments before she turned back to Gemini. "Can we agree on that?"

Gemini nodded fervently. "I do," she said simply.

And just like that, our bonds as a herd/pack deepened.

"Twilight, we've been walking for a while, now," I said about an hour later as Gemini helped lead me through the snow. My eyes were blindfolded as I trudged through the snow. "The snow is so thick. Is Zecora okay?"

"I don't know about human women, dearest," Zecora said from nearby, "but we Zebras can handle ourselves during pregnancies."

"Right, right," I said, feeling chastened. "Sorry."

Next to me, I heard Scarlet giggle. "You are such a worrywart," she teased as she gently slugged my leg.

"Laugh it up, Professor X," I rejoined with a snort of amusement.

I heard her harumph. She was in a chair that had been enchanted not by Twilight, but by Twyla, to be able to float. The young college student had come to visit here with Brandan a lot, it seemed, and she was learning to use her transformed body's Unicorn magic. Just like her Equestrian counterpart, Twyla was able to pick up quickly on magic, and apparently the human and Pony had continued to exchange theories on how magic might work. Of course, Twilight had the benefit of an entire lifetime of study under her belt, but that apparently didn't stop Twyla from coming up with her own ideas. And with her access to more modern technology and her own abilities to apparently develop tech that could detect magic, she and Twilight had quickly become fast friends.

Apparently, the other human counterparts of the Mane Six had become pretty good friends as well. Jackie was ecstatic about the strange types of apples that didn't exist on Earth. I heard that she asked for some samples of each to see if they would grow on Earth. Dashelle and Rainbow had become fast flying buddies and Rainbow took the human under her wing, teaching her about flying. Shye, with the ability to be able to talk to animals in Equestria, was apparently beside herself with happiness as she talked often to animals, getting to know them on a level all animal lovers dream of. Pinkie and Diane spent hours exchanging recipes, and I was told that Pinkie had begged to learn about meat recipes from her human counterpart. Rarity and Trisha, of course, became not just friends, but friendly rivals. Spike and Brandan had begun to bond as well, and I was surprised that when I saw Brandan he didn't look quite the same. In fact, he looked like a slightly shorter twin of Spike somehow, including a pair of Dragon wings. The only other difference was that Brandan's fire was blue instead of green. What that meant nobody seemed to know.

"We're almost there, Jethro, I promise," Twilight said, her voice bringing me back to the present.

"Trust me, you'll love it," Twyla said from nearby. "In fact, I'm surprised that the power grid in this world is able to handle-"

"Hush, Twy-Twy," Diane said childingly, "or you'll ruin the surprise, silly!"

"Ah, um, sorry," Twyla said, sounding a bit chagrined now. "It's just so exciting to know that it worked out better than I hoped."

The power grid? I frowned in thought. They apparently had done something that needed the power grid. But what?

"Okay, we're here," Gemini said. "There's some stairs in front of you and a guardrail."

I reached out and grabbed the metal guardrail. A familiar type of guardrail. I frowned as I reached my foot out, searching for the stairs. I found them and began walking down. There was no snow on them. In fact, they felt hard. Almost like concrete…

"Can I take the blindfolds off now?" I asked.

"When you get to the bottom of the stairs, you can," Zecora replied.

When we got to the bottom, I felt like I was standing not on concrete, but pavement. I removed the blindfold, blinking away the bright light that assaulted my eyes, then looked up. My eyes widened at what I was seeing.

Neon lights shone brightly across the front of the massive brick building, multicolored and illuminating the surrounding pavement parking lot. An actual honest to God parking lot! There were a couple carriages in the lot. I was struck immediately by how retro it felt, at least to my own more modern sensibilities. To the Ponies of this world, however, the building had to be from the future. The front of the building itself was a half circle of raised glass. In big, bold neon lettering, starting from the top and moving down, read the words IMPERIAL CINEMAS AND DRIVE-IN.

They had built, at least from what I could see, an actual movie theater! I turned to the group, and saw that not only were the human visitors there along with the Mane Six, but there were also a large number of Ponies. All of them looked a bit tired as if from long and hard work, but with anticipatory looks on their face. I was, frankly, speechless. I turned around to stare at the building's façade, trying to find the words. It reminded me greatly of a Regal Cinemas building from back on Earth.

"I…I don't…" I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I didn't know what to make of this building. This was definitely not on my bingo list as to what I expected. However, it was clear they were expecting something more than just blank stares and a stammering idiot, so I took a deep breath. "Wow…" I managed to get out. "I…I love it."

A cheer rose from the crowd, and there were words of congratulations between everyone as the silence broke. Truth be told, I did love it. If this was a movie theater, one similar to the ones from Earth, and with the human help I figured it had to be, then it had to be more modern. Not to mention that the sign mentioned a drive-in which, while not as modern, was still something that Ponies could enjoy.

I began to move forward towards the building, wanting not only to see the interior but to also allow those I cared about to get out of the cold temperatures. The building loomed high in front of us, and I wondered just how many theaters were inside, if there were multiple ones, that is. I turned to Twyla, who I figured had to be a big part of this considering that she was clearly a technological genius. "How many theaters are there in here?" I asked.

"Not as many as you'd think," she said, clearly pleased that I was enjoying the fact that I was happy with this.

"Movies don't quite exist in Equestria," Twilight explained. "We have projectors, sure, but unlike the ones that Earth has, they can't project much onto a movie theater canvas."

"With that in mind, we made the theaters larger," Twyla said, "so about…five massive ones and a massive single drive-in theater for the summer."

"Five theaters…" I repeated as we reached the booths where people could order tickets. There was nobody in them at the moment, but the chairs and all the equipment had been adjusted to fit Pony biology. I ran my hand along the metal counter as I walked towards one of the sets of glass doors.

When I walked inside, I was hit by not only a blast of welcome and warm air, but by the smell of a movie theater's interior. A very, very familiar smell. The neon light display hanging from the vaulted ceilings reminded me even more of Regal Cinemas. I'd only been to one once when mine and my Trixie's family had gone north to Portland to spend a few days exploring our state's most famous city and some of the neighboring areas. Our own town's theater was smaller, quaint, but the Regal Cinemas I'd visited had been really nice. The multicolored neon strips of lights blinked and illuminated the front area, which was full of not only Pony video games, but a massive concession stand. A concession stand that had local Pony treats and sweets.

Which included a soda machine with what looked like a mixture of Equestrian and Earth sodas and drinks. I turned to the crowd who had followed me in. "You seriously got Coke and Pepsi products here?" I asked.

"In a way," Twyla admitted.

"She brought me some soda syrups and soda samples!" Pinkie said, popping up from behind the counter, suddenly wearing an old movie theater uniform.

Diane popped up beside her, wearing a similar uniform. "We worked to replicate the flavors!" the beaming human turned anthro added.

"Want a sample?" Pinkie asked, eyes wide in anticipation.

I just decided to go with the flow and nodded, reaching into my pocket for my coin purse. "Sure, how much?" I asked, looking at the menu above the counter for the price of a small soda.

"You're such a silly filly!" Pinkie said as she opened a small side door before giving me a small sample cup. "Try them all!"

Shrugging, I took the cup and walked up to the modern looking soda machine, looking at the options. I saw four large machines, each with labels and varying options. There were options for Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Cherry Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mt. Dew, Sprite, Mug root beer, their diet equivalents, Fanta Orange and Fanta Strawberry.

The other soda fountains, however, had local brands of soda. Cherry Drop, a brand of soda that was quite popular with the population, was on prominent display. It tasted a bit like a cherry cola, a bit more heavy on the cherry flavoring than most, and the cherry flavor was more natural than anything else. The color was also a lot lighter than There was also Bliss, a light purple grape flavored soda that honestly had become a favorite of mine now that grape soda no longer wreaked havoc on my digestive system since I became part Alicorn. Raspberry Mist, a blue raspberry flavored soda, was also there. Strawberry Scoop was also there, its pink label standing out just as much as the other Equestrian brands of soda.

I looked at the many different options, then began tasting them. To my utter shock, the taste of Earth sodas made in Equestria was indistinguishable from the Earth made brands. I looked at Pinkie and Diane, eyes wide. "How on Earth did you do that?" I asked.

"I think you mean how in Equestria did we do this?" Diane's smirk was playful, and Pinkie's was equally as infuriatingly so.

"Okay, I get it, you're both geniuses," I sighed.

"Hey, I work in a 1950's themed diner," Diane said defensively, but with a twinkle in her blue eyes, "so I know how things work there."

"I'll have to visit there sometime," I said.

"Can we go there on our first date?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"That…might be a bit awkward," I said, looking at Diane.

Diane waved a hand dismissively. "I can tell my coworkers that I found a body double and she's bringing a date to our shop," she explained, "but we can talk about that later. Besides, I already have a boyfriend of my own back home and my coworkers know I'm not the type to cheat."

I chuckled and nodded. "Duly noted," I said. "Still, I'm seriously impressed that you managed to replicate the soda flavors here so precisely, especially since there aren't any local equivalents. Perhaps you could rebrand them with new names and sell them across Equestria. You're sitting on a gold mine here, Pinkie."

"I don't care about that," Pinkie said, "just as long as I can help you be happy."

That simple sentence made me blush and I hastily turned around to avoid being seen by the crowd. Gemini, however, didn't miss it. She leaned in and whispered, "if you repeat this to anycreature, I'll deny it fervently, but you look absolutely adorable when you're flustered. As I believe your kind would say, it's a huge turn on."

I turned to her, and her eyes were glistening with amusement. "I normally only say this to Scarlet, but oh my God, how horny are you?"

The rest of the tour was just as impressive as the snack bar. The popcorn tasted identical to movie theater popcorn, and when I asked how they'd replicated it, Twilight admitted she had searched on YouTube for it, finding several similar recipes. They had managed to find the ingredients on the other Earth and had managed to replicate everything.

During that part of the tour, something occurred to me that made my blood run cold. How had the Mane Six explained their duplicates and their change in appearance from their former human forms? The look of dread must have shown and of all Ponies, Rarity was the one who pulled me aside. "Darling," she said in a gentle and reassuring tone, "is everything alright? You looked like you'd just seen a ghost."

I gestured to the anthropomorphic humans, which now included the Cutie Mark Crusader equivalent. "How are you explaining them?" I asked. "I was under the impression that the Stargate was a crown secret."

She patted me gently on the arm. "It still is," she said. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both came down here and told the crowd that there was no danger from the humans who appear as bipedal versions of us. They weren't changelings or anything like that. She also explained that their appearance and how they came to our world was indeed a crown secret."

"But what if news of their existence spreads across Equestria or the world?" I asked.

"I understand your concern," the marshmallow colored mare said reassuringly, "but the princesses are on top of things. Trust them. And trust the Ponies of Ponyville. We won't betray the secret of their existence." I knew I had to have a few words with the princesses, but Rarity's words eased my fears a great deal. I hugged the soft mare, which seemed to shock her. "Jethro? Darling?"

"Thank you," I whispered. "I needed to hear that."

"O-Of course!" Rarity exclaimed before she hugged me back. "Now," she added when we broke the hug, her cheeks a bit flushed, "I think the others are eager to continue the tour?"

The theaters were impressive, to say the least. Somehow, they'd even managed to create an IMAX theater as the center theater, with two others on either side down a dim hallway. The theater seats were the reclining types that I'd heard had become popular in bigger theaters before being teleported away from Earth. I still couldn't believe just how much they'd gotten done in apparently so short a time. The theaters were modern, with digital projectors and dimmable lights, but there was a hint of a retro feeling to them as well. Rarity said she and Trisha had contributed to helping design the old style front of the theater, something I had no complaints about.

The bathrooms were pretty standard for a theater, although they were mostly designed with Ponies in mind, although there were a few specialized stalls which were designed for bipedal creatures like me and my herd.

When we headed out of the theater into the parking lot again, curiosity got the better of me. I turned to Twilight and Twyla. "I have to know." I said, "how did you do this?" I gestured to the theater.

The two exchanged looks, then both grinned in a surprisingly impish manner, something I suspect that Twilight had learned from Celestia the troll, but how Twyla had learned it I couldn't say. "That's our second surprise," Twilight said. "We had some special help from a couple of Ponies who are greatly gifted in magic and magical knowledge."

Twyla put her fingers in her mouth and blew a sharp whistle. From behind me, I heard the telltale sound of a teleportation spell materializing someone behind me. A male voice, one I recognized but couldn't quite place immediately, said, "Did you need to teleport us? My horn still hurts from that procedure."

"Sorry," a female voice, one I definitely recognized, replied sheepishly. "I forgot."

I whirled around; eyes wide in astonishment. My jaw opened and closed a few times, renewed shock passing through me. There, standing next to each other, were two Unicorns, one being a bearded Unicorn stallion who I knew well. However, it was the second one who caught my eye: familiar looking purple Unicorn mare. The latter raised her hoof and gave me a nervous smile. "Hi," she said softly. "I'm Starlight Glimmer. Nice to meet you."