//------------------------------//
// Chapter 78 - And Now For Something Completely Different 
// Story: Off The Mark 
// by Goldfur 
//------------------------------//

Dear Prince Mark Wells,

I’m sorry I didn’t write earlier, but I’ve been super-busy learning everything there is to know about the Power of Friendship and how the school is run.  To be honest, I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that I only got the vice-headmare position, but I’m determined to make myself completely indispensable to both Twilight and especially Starlight Glimmer!

Right now I’ve taken it upon myself to make suggestions to Twilight’s first draft for the bylaws of the Equestrian Board of Education, resolve scheduling conflicts with the Element Bearers, and renegotiate most of the school’s subcontracts for necessary supplies and maintenance work.  I also put a bug in Starlight’s ear to let me take care of the performance reviews and raises for the school employees at the end of the term.  She’s not agreed to that yet, but I’m evaluating everyone’s work in preparation for that day!

The jobs Starlight HAS assigned to me are:

1) Preparing an on-call substitute teacher list,

2) Making sure the upcoming Spell-Venger Hunt goes off without a hitch

3) After all the above are done, If I have time, I’ll reach out to a Mr. Discord to see if he can help in some way. I haven’t met the pony yet, but I understand he has a unique perspective on Friendship that might be worth a guest talk to the students.

So, in short, everything is going pretty great and I’m certainly feeling useful.  Please let me know when you can visit so I can give you a special tour!

Your Vice-headmare in Friendship,

Cozy Glow





For a being of immeasurable power, the Lord of Chaos certainly had thin skin.  This evening, it was Princess Diadem’s turn to learn this fact the hard way.

Today was my stint to preside over Night Court.  Early this session, I was listening to Count Chalk Cola describe in minute detail why he should be advanced in the Peerage of Equestria to the rank of Baron.  I was tempted to acquiesce to his request, not because of deeds done for the welfare of the nation, which were minor and infrequent, but because I had to blink away tears every time I heard him say his name.  So far, I had kept from laughing out loud, but my advisor’s head tilt and confounded expression at my emotional state were not making it any easier. She just wasn’t in on the joke.

I pricked up my ears as a familiar sound filled the throne room. I held up a hoof to stop the unicorn as he related a particularly embellished recounting of his heroics during the Storm King’s invasion.  The good Count had opened an evacuation portal.  Big deal.  Perhaps I should likewise raise dozens of schoolfoals to the same station or higher. The sound of bubbles being released underwater bounced off of every wall and surface.

Looking up, I felt a smile tug on the corners of my mouth. With big, exaggerated movements, Discord swam down from the ceiling fountain while upside down.  He wore oversized flippers and a primitive scuba tank on his back.  His wide eyes beneath diving goggles and unused snorkel completed the look.  Over the sound of the respirator and air bubbles, I heard a voice from my childhood.

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

Jacques Cousteau.  I hadn’t heard his voice in ages but I could never forget that combination of French accent and earnest intent.

I watched Discord slowly float downwards until he entered the pool on the right of the throne.  Having a hunch about what would happen next, I saw Discord’s head and neck emerge from the left pool.

The draconequus spit out his regulator and gasped theatrically. “Point to remember.  Never mix TriOx and laughing gas, no matter how good of an idea it seems at the time.”

I laughed.  “Well, thanks for that, Discord.  You’ve made my evening.”

The unicorn noblepony stammered and made various sounds of polite outrage.  Had to get that out of the way first.  I turned to the stallion.  “Count Chocu— Count Chalk Cola.  I will review your request with the other Triarchs at the next Peerage Council. Thank you for the… exhaustive rundown of your qualifications.”  Hopefully, that would do it.

It didn’t.  The Count said, “And will I receive your endorsement?”

My smile turned much more formal.  “I make it a practice to no longer give out my endorsement except in cases that relate to the continued security of Equestria.”

Discord slithered up to sit on Trixie’s throne.  He wore my wife’s ‘Night Court Formal’ cloak and ‘show off to minor nobility’ crown.  He said, “Say!  That’s exactly the subject I came here to discuss with you.  You really are clever.”  He turned to my advisor.  “Have you been training him?  Goodness knows Trixie has been trying and failing for years.”

The nonplussed changeling princess looked up from her clipboard.  I had to hand it to her – the mildly disapproving stare hadn’t changed one iota even after the Lord of Chaos arrived.  “Are you on the list of approved supplicants to the Throne?”

Discord gasped happily.  “I can supply all sorts of thrones!”  He then proceeded to demonstrate this with a wave of his clawed hand.  A downpour of gilded royal chairs cascaded into the pools on both sides of the raised platform.

Her eyes narrowed.  “Then you need to get in line like everybeing else.”

I needed to stop this battle of stubbornness before it started. “I’m always willing to make time for an unscheduled visit from the second-best Ogres & Oubliettes Dungeon Master on Equus.”

The draconequus clapped.  “Oh, you tried to make a funny, didn’t you?  Perhaps you got your wires crossed in that double-personality brain of yours.  Vous better than moi?  Pshaw and double pshaw!”  He plopped a bowler hat onto his head and removed it, revealing a much smaller Discord going through the same motions to uncover an even smaller Discord, and so on and so on.  Together, they chanted, “Quantity over quality, that’s what I always say!”

Well, I’d admit that Discord took his turn at DM more often than the rest of us combined, in no small part because of his endless creativity and ability to bring worlds to life.  Still, his phrasing could have been better.  “So you and Fluttershy plan to out-beget changeling queens at their own game?  Fine. I’ll expect a few score mini-Discords in your first round of kids.”

The Lord of Chaos slammed the hat back onto his head and crushed it flat.  “Better to do something right once than wrong a thousand times, I always say!”

I chuckled.  “What’s on your mind, Discord?”

The flattened hat zoomed behind him and expanded around the Lord of Chaos.  In a moment, he was sitting in a floating space pod chair that would have felt at home in the 60s.  “Well, if you must know, I understand you are giving out endorsements willy-nilly, left-and-right, and slantways-and-sideways for the vice-headmare position at Twilight’s School of Adolescent Chaos.  Just thought I’d add your thum… ah, hoof’s up to the references section of my résumé.” He pulled a scroll out of Diadem’s ear and unrolled it in front of us.  It contained a list of names, one on each line with two checkboxes labeled “Nice” and “Naughty.”

I chuckled.  “I don’t think Santa Hooves’ checklist will impress anyone but Twilight Sparkle… and that’s only because she loves checklists.”

Discord’s eyes doubled in size as he turned the scroll so he could look at it.  “Egads! I’d best return this before that ancient reindeer notices it’s missing!  A couple of corrections first, though.”  He let out the scroll until it showed names starting with the letter ‘D’.  “Blah, blah, blah …‘Derpy Hooves: Nice’ … yada, yada … ‘Diadem: Nice’”  He squinted at my advisor.  “Mmmm... no. Can’t have that.”

A pink eraser in the shape of Discord’s head appeared in his paw.   The draconequus furiously scraped the offending checkbox clean, much to the displeasure of the protesting eraser.  He winked at Diadem.  “Nothing but anthracite for you, young lady.”  The eraser transformed into a self-inking stamp that rotates in the center when pressed down.  When Discord did so, a large black checkmark was left in Diadem’s ‘Naughty’ box.

“Foalish,” said the changeling with a roll of her eyes.

“But fun!” countered Discord, returning his gaze to the list. “Anyway, on to… Dis… cord.”  His voice fell when he saw what was on the scroll. A black rectangle filled the space normally held by two checkboxes.  The heading for the box was three times as large as that for any other name on the list: ‘FOREVER NAUGHTY.’

Diadem snickered, bringing a hoof up to hide her mouth.

Discord looked sad for only a moment before he recovered. “Aha!  I see the problem.  I’ll translate from Ye Eldest Druidish.  I had forgotten how old that bearded ungulate was.”  The ink on the page flowed until Discord’s label read: ‘FOREVER NICEST.’

He smiled.  “There we go!”

The scroll whirled at high speed until the full length of the paper was once again rolled up.  It continued to spin with a “thwack, thwack, thwack” sound until it disappeared in a flash of magic.

With a burst of light, Discord was wearing an argyle sweater and glasses. Yes, the pattern on the frames and lenses of the glasses was argyle as well.  The Einstein hairstyle was a bit much.  “Back to the matter at paw.  I know, I know.  You don’t have to remind me.  Twilight turned me down for the headmare spot, but you must admit that as vice-headmare I would keep things stimulating for the students at Twilight’s school.  And nothing is more important for early brain development.”

I smiled.  “Sorry to burst your bubble, Discord, but Twilight has already chosen Cozy Glow for that job.”

“Whoooo?”  Discord turned to face Princess Diadem who transformed into Cozy Glow with a jump and squawk of surprise.  Her clipboard went flying and I heard a splash from one of the pools.

The draconequus rubbed his chin.  “Can’t say we’ve ever met.  I just bet the little mare won’t mind being reassigned to something more useful, like head groundskeeper.”

I sighed. “Discord, please let my advisor transform on her own.”

Both he and Diadem disappeared with a pop.  When the light faded, a wide-eyed Diadem sat on Trixie’s throne, now wearing my wife’s cape and crown.  She cradled a golden scepter in one hoof topped with the smiling likeness of Twilight’s head.  When the disembodied head said “Hi” in a perfect imitation of Twilight’s voice, Diadem squeaked and tossed it away from herself.  It spun off the stage and clattered on the marble floor, declaring “Ow” every time it bounced.  Discord stood next to me, a dripping wet clipboard in his paw.  He gave Diadem a mildly disapproving stare that was a spot-on mimicry of the changeling princess.

As my advisor took off the regalia and scrambled back to her hooves, I said.  “Sorry, friend.  No endorsement.  I bet you would give a great guest lecture, though.”

Discord’s face went slack and his ears drooped in obvious boredom. “Too blasé.  Too predictable.  Too little chance of glorious sustained chaos.”

Diadem yanked the clipboard away from the draconequus with her magic.  “You’ve got your answer.  Now you need to leave.  Stop wasting the time of His Highness and all the ponies in Night Court.”

His face came alight with interest, and not in a friendly way if I recognized that gleam in his eyes.  Discord shrugged his shoulders and he was wearing a long brown jacket that reached to his knees.  The floppy hat and scarf with stripes of varying width completed the ‘Fourth Doctor’ look.  “Ah, so it is worthwhile time management you are worried about, is it?”

This could not end well.  I said, “Discord—”

He talked right over me, staring into Diadem’s eyes.  “You need to lighten up a bit.  Fortunately for you, I’m always ready to help those in need.”

In another flash, Discord, the pools, and the dais were gone. My throne now sat on a wide wooden stage, illuminated by spotlights beaming down from overhead scaffolding.  All the magic lanterns around the chamber were gone, leaving the spotlights as the only source of illumination.  One rather dim light illuminated me while the rest clearly designated my advisor as the star of the show.  Princess Diadem now wore a very snazzy tuxedo top complete with a starched white dress shirt, black bow tie, and dark red jacket with tails.

She raised a hoof and shook it furiously before belting out the finest tenor vibrato I had ever heard.

“Discooooooooooord!  I find this has no amuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUuuusmeeeeeeent.”  It wasn’t just the voice that effortlessly zoomed between window-rattling strength and an ending whisper.  Nor the captivating phrasing and color of her vocalization. It was her stage presence that made me lose my train of thought entirely.  I had never sat in the front row of the Met or any other opera house on Earth, but I could only imagine this is what a rich patron would have experienced when Luciano Pavarotti performed.  Well, assuming Pavarotti suddenly picked up Meryl Streep-level acting skills.  Trixie had fallen asleep at the few opera performances she had dragged me to in Canterlot, but it would be literally impossible to do so here.  It may have been my imagination, but I think the very walls of the throne room had vibrated with the resonant power of her voice.

Looking around, I saw every eye on every pony was staring at Diadem. Apparently, I had recovered before anypony else.  Even Crimson Boulder had turned around, forgetting he was supposed to be watching the room and petitioners.

I leaned my head toward my advisor.  “If you like, you can take a break.  Or I can cancel the rest of this session.”

“NO!”  Diadem punctuated the word with a stamp of a front hoof. I saw every member of the audience, for that’s what they were now, rock backward.

“NO!” She repeated.  “I shall not beg!  I shall not yield!  I shall not bend a knee to that knave of a fool!  I… shall… overCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!”

I had to cast a quick sound-deadening spell on my ears when Diadem reached that last, drawn-out note.  When it ended, I heard a cracking noise.  Glancing to the side I saw the stained-glass image of Tirek’s defeat now had a piece missing.  Discord’s fictional presence as an active participant in the final battle had just been deleted.  Maybe I’d cast the restoration spell later.  Maybe.

“Very well.”  I turned my head to Crimson who continued to stare slack-jawed at my advisor.  Since I didn’t have a bucket of water, or even waterfalls or pools to work with, I had to snap my bodyguard out of his trance in a different way.  “Please summon the next petitioner to the throne.”

The earth pony jumped and blinked rapidly.  After an apologetic look to me with his ears flattened back, he turned around.  “Sergeant-at-arms!  Announce the next petitioner!”

A single spotlight flicked on, illuminating a space in front of the stage.  From the petitioner’s doorway, I heard the Sergeant-at-arms call out, “Presenting Lord Jet Set!”

Wonderful.  The one noble who made Count Chocula seem like a saint in comparison.  

I forced a smile as the stallion stepped into the spotlight, blinking at the brilliance of the illumination.  I said, “How may the Triarchy help you, my little pony?”

The petitioner stammered for a moment, looking only at my advisor. “Umm… If it pleases the Court, I would ask that Princess Diadem proclaim my request.”  Jet Set then bowed respectfully.

Well, that was unexpected.  “Only if you are willing,” I told her softly.

In answer, Diadem rose dramatically onto her rear hooves.  One forehoof reached for the ceiling and her gaze followed.  “Let it be knoooooooown in the great lands of EquEEEEEEEstriaaaaaa….”





Over the next couple of hours, the petitioners didn’t react at all to my ruling at the end of each spontaneous performance.  That got me wondering.  The next supplicant didn’t bat an eye when I suggested she eat a pint of strawberries instead of expecting the Crown to do anything about her neighbor’s unkempt lawn.  Dame Proper Place curtseyed, thanked me and my advisor, and trotted out with a happily swishing tail.  Glancing over at the Court Recorder, I saw that Majestic Quill didn’t have a sheet of paper on her clipboard, or a quill in her hoof for that matter.  Ah well.  It was going to be one of those times when no royal business was accomplished. 

That’s when I noticed tears at the corners of Princess Diadem’s eyes. She held the same proud bearing as she had all night, but her ears twitched and her hooves shook noticeably.

I said to the Sergeant-at-arms.  “Night Court will take a brief recess.  My advisor and I will require privacy.”  

Without waiting for his response, I covered the changeling princess and myself with an opaque privacy bubble.  Diadem collapsed onto the stage, reminding me of a marionette whose strings had been cut.  I had hoped that shutting her off from the audience would stop the glamour or spell that Discord had placed on her.  

She ran a hoof over her eyes, sniffling.  “That…. that…”  My advisor let out a series of clicks and chirps that did not sound complimentary at all. “… excuse for a Lord of Chaos. He’s ruined me.”

I blinked in surprise and put a comforting hoof on her withers. “In what way?”

The changeling princess knocked my hoof away.  “Don’t touch me!  All I have is my reputation and he’s destroyed it.  No pony will respect me ever again.”  She looked down.  “They will all point their hooves and laugh at the pathetic sideshow that he made out of me.” 

Time to put on my counselor's hat.  “Princess, were you sampling the emotions of the ponies at court today?  Did you detect any amusement or derision from them.”

Diadem paused for a moment then shook her head.  

“What was that?”

“I… No, I didn’t think to do so.”

“That’s because you were focusing on yourself.  Diadem, ponies love music, and you have given each and every one of these supplicants a once-in-a-lifetime gift that they never could have imagined before they arrived at Night Court.”

She looked up at me with wide eyes. 

I said, “Now, all pranks from Discord have a time limit.  Do you think you could sing this well after the effect expires?  Do you think you could hold an audience enraptured with your voice, creating all the positive emotions that you haven’t noticed until now because you’ve been too wrapped up in yourself?” 

The princess blinked then slowly shook her head.  “I could repeat the voice, but not the skill that makes the music.  And I’ve never acted on stage before.  I don’t know the first thing about it.”

“Would you like to know what it feels like to walk out on stage and captivate ponies with your own skill and presence?”

Diadem took a couple of deep breaths.  In a soft voice, she said, “Yes, Your Highness.”

I smiled.  “OK, I think this will work.  Brace yourself just in case you go back into showpony mode.”

After dispelling the privacy bubble, I saw all the doors were closed and every guard was resolutely looking anywhere except at the throne. Only Crimson Boulder moved, and that was to glare at the others present, apparently to make sure they didn’t waver in their duties.

A glance showed me Diadem was still herself.  No audience paying attention to her, no performer.

I said, “Discord!  Discord! Discord!”

Crimson Boulder turned around from his position at the bottom of the stage, revealing Discord’s face on an earth pony body.  He said, “Yeeeeeeeesssss?”  Splashing noises brought my attention upwards.  My bodyguard looked down at me from the fountain pool.  The white swan floaty ring around his barrel helped lighten up his frown just a little.  

When I looked back, the draconequus was himself again, lounging on a hammock set between two palm trees.  

“You’re in rare form today, Discord.  Anyway, I believe my advisor has something to say to you.”

In a burst of light, Diadem’s outfit was gone and Discord was standing between my advisor and myself.  He wrapped an arm around each of us.  The princess shuffled her hooves before quietly asking, “Would you teach me how to sing and act … please?”





Between reining in the excesses of the self-entitled nobles, dealing with the ministers who handled the day-to-day intricacies of running a country, and keeping a Chaos Lord amused, it wasn’t easy to find the time to fit in the more interesting duties.  One of them was keeping up diplomatic relations between our world and the various others that Twilight and I had visited when chasing Starlight.  It was fascinating to see the diversity between our Equestrias and how various events had played out differently.  However, it was those very differences that enabled us to do trade to our mutual benefit.  There were very few physical items that one world had that the other didn’t, but knowledge was an extremely valuable commodity.  For example, I was able to license the aluminum production method we had developed to several worlds while we gained in other areas. The House Path dimension was very adept at blending technologies from a multitude of species which was revolutionizing our aeronautics industry.

The exceptions to the rule for physical item exports were the unique artifacts created by the Southern Wastes Hive.  Communication hubs like the one worn by Chrysalis during her second invasion and the two-way communication plates were extremely popular.  The methods of production were kept secret and even Twilight had to be shown how they were created by her resident Southern Wastes Hive scientist, Crisp Berry.  If the Alicorn of Magic couldn’t reverse engineer these enchanted items, I didn’t expect any of her counterparts would do so either.  At Queen Apicula’s insistence, revenue from their sale was equally split between the Equestrian Crown and her hive. 

Anyway, this required the occasional visits back and forth between the worlds which were always fun, especially when we ended up in one of the very different Equestrias.  Therefore, it was exceedingly strange that a certain anomaly had never occurred to me before.

“Hey, Twilight, I have a question for you about the mirror portals.”

The alicorn looked up from the paperwork on her desk.  “Sure – what is it?”

“You know how when I came to Equestria, I was transformed into a pony, and when I went to Sunset Shimmer's Earth, I became a green-skinned humanoid?”

“Uh-huh.”

“How come when we were chasing Starlight Glimmer through all those alternate worlds, we never changed despite ending up in places where ponies were anthros or were all deer instead?”

I could almost see her teacher’s hat being donned.  “Oh, that's easy.  The time portal didn't have an auxiliary accommodation spell.”

“A what?”

“It's a secondary spell applied to a portal that adapts the user to the target dimension.  When you set up a portal to an unknown destination, you can't always be sure of the conditions there, so the accommodation spell transforms you into the optimum lifeform at the end-point in order to cope.”

“That makes sense.  I assume the reverse is true?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I smirked.  “Some of the other species on this world might dispute the idea that ponies are the optimum lifeform.”

Twilight gave me an embarrassed smile.  “Well, Star Swirl may have been a t-e-e-e-nsy bit biased when he made the auxiliary accommodation spell for the mirror portals.”

“You don’t say,” I replied drolly.

“Anyway, why did this suddenly come up?”

“I was just wondering what it's like to be some of the other lifeforms.”

Twilight arched an eyebrow.  “Oh?  Anything in particular?”

“W-e-l-l, maybe the anthro world for starters.”

“And why that one?  Want to see what it's like to be as well-hung as that Mark was?”

I blushed a little.  When I first arrived in Equestria, I had to learn to deal with all my privates being exposed to these habitual nudists.  The fact that the mares seemed to expect stallions to “show their breeding potential” hadn’t made it any easier, but I’d gotten used to it eventually.  I could still get thrown by innocent casual remarks like Twilight’s though.  “Actually, I want to see if Marklestia is as sexy as I imagine she could be as an anthro.”

Twilight giggled.  “Honestly, Mark, sometimes you’re more girly than half my mare friends.”

I shrugged.  “Guilty. No complaints from Rarity though.”

“I’m beside myself that she and you found love together.  After her experience with Blueblood, I wondered if her perception of stallions was permanently tainted.”

“I’m just happy that Rarity and my wife get along together so well. It made it a lot easier for me that it was Trixie who suggested that Rarity would make a good herdmate.”

Twilight nodded.  “Sometimes we mares need to nudge our stallions to do the right thing.  With your lack of upbringing in our culture, it’s even more important that you listen to Trixie when it comes to your relationships. Don’t think that you’ve learned everything there is to know yet.”

“I’ll keep that in mind but you know me when it comes to relationships – Mr. Hoof-in-Mouth.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight said with a laugh.  “We always make allowances for clueless stallions.”

“Gee, thanks, Snarkles.”

She giggled some more before replying, “You’re welcome.  But we got off-topic, didn’t we?  I’m guessing that you’re wondering if I could put an accommodation spell on the portal to the anthro-pony world.”

“Yeah.”

The alicorn looked thoughtful for a moment.  “Hmm…  I could do that easily enough but I don’t think that it’s a good idea to do so on the existing portal.  It’s important to differentiate between our worlds and some ponies might not appreciate being forced to undergo a change.  However, there’s nothing stopping us from setting up a second portal specifically for this purpose.  I’ll contact that world’s Twilight and make arrangements.”

I grinned.  “That’d be great, Twi.  Thank you for indulging me.”

She returned the grin.  “Hey, it sounds like fun.  And after my experience in Sunset’s world, I reckon I could handle being a biped pony too.”

I suddenly found myself very curious about what a nude anthro Twilight would look like.  And then I was afflicted by that very problem that being a naked stallion had caused me from day one in Equestria.  I made a hasty exit from Twilight’s office and hoped that I wouldn’t bump into any of the staff as I headed for mine.





Due to prior commitments and her time filled with being both a princess and a mother, Twilight didn’t get around to working on the new portal for a few weeks.  However, the day came when she announced that it was ready.  The alicorn stood next to the new mirror that she had set up in the room reserved for all the portals and gestured towards it.

“After you,” Twilight said with a grin.

Knowing the mare, I was positive that she had already tested it. The only question was ‘how many times?’ I stepped through the portal and emerged into an identical room on the other side.  I swayed briefly as I adjusted my balance for a biped stance and then looked around.  An anthro Twilight smiled at me, looking just as sexy as I thought she would.  I clamped down on those thoughts though and looked over my new body.  Still a small stallion but nicely toned.  I had kept up my training with Crimson and it showed.  However, something else was conspicuous and I wondered if all stallions in this world were well-endowed regardless of size.

Twilight giggled.  “You’re like a colt with a new toy.”

I smirked.  “Curious wording there, Twilight.”

Her eyes went wide.  This time it was her turn to blush.  She stammered a bit before she recovered.  “A-a-anyway, as I said, I didn't have much trouble adapting to standing on two legs despite the differences between humanoids and ponies.”

I blinked.  “Wait. Does that mean…?”  I pointed to the mirror.

The anthro alicorn grinned.  “Yep.  That was the Twilight from this world who wanted to experience what it was like being a quadruped.  Fair exchange, I reckon.”

“Knowing you, I suppose I should have expected it.  Anyway, now that I’m here, it’s time to answer the question…”  With a surge of my magic, I assumed the taller Marklestia form.  “Yep, it still works.”  I used the portal as an actual mirror and looked myself over.  Nice boobs – large without being too big. Broad hips and pleasing curves with just the right amount of padding.  Pretty much identical to the local Celestia, I reckoned, including the full-length wavy pastel-rainbow of hair although still with my own cutie mark. I posed with one hand on my hip. “What do you think?”

“Nice, but you better stick to the pink short-mane version while you’re here.  Don’t want to have somepony mistake you for their princess.”

“Good point,” I replied as I changed hair and tail lengths and colors. I looked at the result in the portal mirror and nodded in satisfaction.  “I’ll make sure that Celestia is aware of this form before I take it out in public.”  I switched back to being a stallion.  “Okay, curiosity satisfied.  Let’s go visit Ponyville in our new bodies for a while.”





“A while” turned out to be all morning which included a visit to Sugarcube Corner.  Let’s just say that Pinkie Pie bouncing everywhere was the same in both dimensions but the effect on me was exponentially greater in the anthro world. After returning to my Equestria, I found being in my pony form helped me regain control of my libido.

It was later that afternoon when I ambled into Rarity’s guest room to find her swooning on the divan, sighing theatrically.  I smiled.  “Have you been practicing your pout all day while waiting for me?”

Rarity scoffed.  “Please, dear.  I don't need to practice.  A lady is perfectly capable of garnering sympathy from her stallion at any time.” She plopped a throw pillow over her face and struck it half-heartedly.  “No.  I am beset by an affliction more terrible than swamp fever or feather flu.  I lack... inspiration!”  She threw the pillow dramatically away from her. Somewhat ruining the effect of the tantrum, it landed directly at its designated spot in between the pillows at the top of the guest room’s bed.

I yawned and scratched my neck with a rear hoof.  “Well, it's a good thing you don't have feather flu. That would mean you've been masquerading as a unicorn this whole time.”

The fashionista gave me a narrow-eyed frown.  “Don't scratch like a dog, dear.  It is unbecoming.”

Of course, I then lolled my tongue out and started panting.  I put on a goofy, empty-eyed grin as my rear hoof scratched harder than ever.

The unicorn mare sighed and rolled away from me.  “Please, darling.  You make it so difficult for a mare to have a good sulk.  My Muse has escaped my grasp and I must mourn the loss of my talent for designing nighttime apparel.  I would prefer you to leave me to wallow in my state of perpetual mediocrity.”

I sat down.  So it was inspiration she was looking for?  Perhaps she needed a new perspective?  “Want me to tell you about how Twilight and I spent half the day today?”

“If you must,” she replied in a long-suffering tone.

“You know that other dimension where all the ponies are anthros?” The unicorn turned her head to give me a blank look.  I expounded, “They walk upright on just their hind legs and instead of forelegs, they have arms with hands.”

“Ah, yes, I am with you now.”

“Twilight figured out how to apply an accommodation spell to a portal that switches our body type just like when we visit Sunset Shimmer’s world. She and I spent the morning wandering around their Ponyville with hardly anypony realizing we weren’t the local versions.  Although I had to admit the truth to Snips when he asked me if my presence meant that the Great and Powerful Trixie was back in town for another show.  My counterpart and his wife are presumably touring elsewhere at the moment.”

“What moved Twilight to do such a thing?  What is wrong with visiting in our perfectly wonderful natural forms?”

I held up a hoof.  “Guilty. I wanted to see what Marklestia would be like as an anthro.”

Rarity gave me a sly grin.  “My dear, if you’re not careful, you are going to get altogether too self-enamored.”

I chuckled and switched to Celestial form.  “Who?  Me? Nah!  I’m just a sexy exhibitionist when I’m a mare.”  I made a graceful twirl in front of her before bending down to give my herdmate a kiss.  “I just love to share it with you and my friends, so what’s the point in only pleasing myself?”

Rarity giggled.  “So, you had fun as Marklestia then?”

I shook my head.  “I didn’t want to be the cause of confusion considering they still have their Celestia, so I kept strictly to stallion form while in public for my first visit.”  I paused to stare into the distance for a moment. “Although, I possibly missed an opportunity to pick up something nice.  Perhaps some lace gloves that go down below the elbow.”  I indicated what I meant then shrugged.  “Though the effect is somewhat lost without fingers.”

“I'm sorry, what?” asked Rarity.

“You know – the wiggly appendages on the end of the hands.  Like on a minotaur.”  I looked down, feeling kind of dumb.  “But, I guess that only works for anthropomorphs, though.”  I changed back to stallion form and sighed.

I heard Rarity's singsong voice chime out. “IDEEEEEAAAAA!”

I looked up to see her beaming smile just an inch in front of my muzzle.  I hadn't heard her get up off the couch.  

She said, “Mark, darling, you and I will be visiting their fashion district in Canterlot.  The new body shape is exactly what I need to kick my laziness back into the hole it climbed out of.  I foresee dozens of pages of sketches in our near future!”

I let Rarity gently but firmly guide me toward the door.  “Our future?”

She beamed.  “But of course, Mark dear.  You will have to model for me in your mare form.  I'm just dying to see what you look like in their native style of lingerie!”

Well, that did sound enticing.  Specifically, Rarity's reactions to her own private fashion show and seeing her get “in the zone” of her inspiration.  There was no more vivacious and lively mare than the fashionista caught in the whirlwind of her creativity.  Still, I felt honor-bound to point something out.  “Rares, even more so than in our Equestria, clothing serves a decorative function there.  I don’t even know if they have the concept of lingerie.  It’s not like Sunset Shimmer’s world where clothing is mandatory.  Even nobles being seen in public without clothes is standard.  In fact, the two of us will be walking around in anthropomorphic form, completely nude.”

She let out her bright and silvery laugh.  “Don't be ridiculous.  You will have me draped on your arm, and I will be wearing a hat.”





It was actually too late in the day to take the train to Canterlot to check out the stores in the fashion district, but we already had the next best thing.  As promised, Rarity had found herself a sunhat and we strolled arm-in-arm from Twilight’s castle towards Carousel Boutique.  The unicorn was not yet quite steady on just two legs as her experience in Sunset’s world was several months ago.  There was also a significant difference between walking on a dainty hoof and a foot.  The latter was far better suited to bipedal locomotion but I knew it wouldn’t take her as long to adapt as I had to quadrupedal locomotion.  Meanwhile, I inconspicuously supported her when she occasionally wobbled.

Rarity said, “It’s much brisker than I thought it would be.  I regret not bringing something warm to wear.”

“Sorry, Rares.  I should have thought of that.  Like back in our world, it’s close to Hearth’s Warming but winter was scheduled a bit sooner here.  Because of my pegasus genes, I’m adapted to the cold so I didn’t really notice it. As an alicorn, Twilight has pegasus traits too and was equally unaffected.  However…”  I swept my free arm to indicate several earth and unicorn ponies.  “As you can see, winter apparel isn’t unknown here.”

Rarity drew closer to share in my warmth.  “No matter, darling.  It’s a good reason to cuddle up to you.”

I gave her a playful smile.  “As if you need an excuse anyway.”

I think the fact that Rarity was leaning possessively on my arm raised more eyebrows than any missteps.  The local Rarity might have to contend with some gossip later.  Anthro Mark might be surprised to learn that he’d been seen with the local fashionista, but stallions were expected to attract several mares.  It was this unavoidable confusion that made me suggest that I talk to the local Rarity first before confronting her with a doppelganger.  And so, I entered the boutique by myself while my herdmate cooled her heels outside.

Anthro Rarity was fussing with a dress on a mannequin when the bell rang announcing her visitor.  She looked up and gave me a pleasant smile.  In deference to the cooler weather, she was wearing a long, light blue scarf which, coincidentally or not, hid her naughty bits much of the time. However, as she walked over, she managed to make it look sexy and she was as drop-dead gorgeous as my mate.





“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique.”  She paused as her eyes lit up with recognition.  “Mark Wells, isn’t it?  Does this mean that Trixie is back in town?  Are you looking for something for your wife?”

I smiled.  “Right name but wrong stallion.  You know those quadrupedal ponies that have been visiting lately?”

She tilted her head and gave me a cute frown.  “Yes, I do indeed.”

“Well, I asked Twilight if it was possible to get the portal to change us to match the locals.  She could and here I am.”

Rarity pursed her lips.  “Hmm… While that does sound like something Twilight would do, it also sounds a lot like one of Trixie’s tall tales.  What proof have you?”

I grinned.  “Easy – I brought my herdmate with me.  I think you’ll know her.”  I opened the door and gave a nod to my Rarity and then stood aside.

My mate strode confidently into the boutique and said, “Hello, darling. So pleased to meet you.”

Anthro Rarity’s eyes widened.  “Oh my!  It’s almost like looking in a mirror.  To what do I owe the pleasure of this unusual meeting?”

“A little proposal.  I have found my Muse lacking lately and I seek inspiration in a new body form. First, though, I need to get a fuller understanding of it and who better to ask?”

“Heavens!  That’s a marvelous idea, and I imagine the reverse might be true too.”  Her lips pursed and she looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully.  “I do wonder what it would be like to walk on all fours, and now you have me curious about your fashions, especially after seeing your exquisite sunhat.  Exactly the right shade of yellow for your natural coloration. Canary, I believe?”

My Rarity smiled.  “Precisely.”

Anthro Rarity shook her head.  “But that’s food for thought later.  Did you come here with anything specific in mind?”

“Yes, actually.  Tell me – have you ever considered designing intimate apparel for Princess Celestia?”

Anthro Rarity blushed a little.  “If you are just like me, you would know it’s a guilty pleasure.  Not that I could ever dare to show it to the Princess, even if I ventured to make them.”

My mate smiled slyly.  “How would you like to make those dreams come true?”

“You’re not just teasing me, darling?”

“I would never make promises I couldn’t keep, although it does require the assistance of my lovely stallion’s special trick.  Oh, and for the record, he’s not a changeling.”

Anthro Rarity frowned.  “What do you mean by—”

I took the cue to transform into Marklestia – full-maned version. The unicorn’s eyes widened and jaw dropped as I gracefully stepped up to her and said, “Would you do this princess the honor of designing a new range of intimate apparel to suit my royal personage?”

The fashionista stared at me in stunned silence for a long moment. Then, without taking her eyes off me for an instant, she said, “Rarity?”

“Yes, Rarity?” answered my herdmate as she took off her hat. That was a sure sign that the designing was about to get serious.

Anthro Rarity likewise removed her scarf and took a moment to stretch and crack her knuckles, which I found very distracting.  “You have my undivided attention.  I hope you’re prepared for a late night.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, darling.”





The next few hours were spent measuring and brainstorming.  I was somewhat amused by how quickly Anthro Rarity got into the spirit of bossing me around.  “Raise that arm.”  “Hold the fabric here – no, with your magic, not your hands.”  “Twist your torso.”  “Walk gracefully, not like a hoofball player on her way to a buffet.” Both Rarities kept me hopping with orders.  While this wasn’t my first time as a live ponyquin, it was the most intense because of two designers giving directions.  I didn’t mind the attention, though.  More than a few of my feminine sensibilities were flattered at being the focus of their design talent.

It was interesting to watch their varied techniques for assembling apparel.  Anthro Rarity was very nimble-fingered while my herdmate barely used her hands to do more than hold things.  However, her horn-work far outmatched that of her counterpart.  I, of course, was somewhere in between, although I had grown more adept with my levitation lately due to frequent practice.  That was thanks to the diligence of my wife who insisted that I work on it for at least as long as she pursued her magic studies.  I believe we egged each other on a lot, not wishing to be outdone.

After yet another ensemble had been deemed complete, my Rarity surprised me with a long and sensuous kiss, which I happily returned. I do like making my marefriend happy, and I knew this fashion adventure was doing exactly that.

Right when it was starting to get steamy, I heard from my left. “Mark, darling, I need to stop by Spools and Shovels for… **gasp**!”

I broke the kiss to see the other Rarity wearing her yellow sunhat, her mouth open in shock.  My eyes must have gone as wide as hers.  “Rarity?”

My Rarity stomped up as I retreated a couple of steps.  Now I could see Anthro Rarity smirking with the unabashed expression of a cat who had eaten the canary right under the nose of the bird’s owner.

My Rarity stopped next to the mare, glaring at me.  “Do… you… mind?  Do I have to put a collar on you to get you to behave?”

The other Rarity looked upward and raised her pointing finger in the air.  “IDEEEEEAAAAA!”

I stammered out, “Why are you angry at me?  She’s the one who started it!  If anything, you should be mad at her for kissing me!”

My Rarity frowned and tilted her head.  “Now why should I be angry, darling?”  She transferred the hat over to the other mare.  “After all, she is your herdmate.”

I gawked for a few seconds as the mares held onto each other to keep from falling over in their laughter.  Now that I was paying attention, I could see that the Rarity that kissed me did not have the balance, coordination, and grace that the other mare possessed.  I’d been had.

Anthro Rarity trotted away, grabbing a clutch purse from a work table. “Back in a few minutes, dears.  Do try to keep out of trouble.”  With a flirtatious wave of her tail, she practically sashayed out the front door.

The remaining fashionista walked up to me, her arms stretched out a bit to her sides to help keep her balance.  Her smile beamed and her eyes sparkled.  “Now that wasn’t so terrible, was it?”  She wrapped her arms around my neck.  “Now where were we?”

I clasped my hands around her waist.  She certainly felt nice in this form.  Her breasts pressing into me made everything even better.  My leering smile made Rarity smile wider, then she shrank back slightly when I didn’t say anything or move to kiss her.

I said, “Well, before we were so rudely interrupted, I believe I was about to show you how ticklish this anthro form can be.”

She gasped and tried to pull out of my embrace to no avail.  If she thought she had been laughing hard at my expense before, she had not seen anything yet.

With my experience at anthro-form tickle fights, Rarity didn’t stand a chance.





Eventually, I had to drag away my herdmate as we both needed to get some sleep.  I assured our hostess that I would still be available for at least some of tomorrow before we headed back to Twilight’s castle.  This time, Rarity was clad in a warm cloak given to her by her double.  We bumped into the local Twilight who was surprised to see us, so we had to explain ourselves.  I made a strenuous effort to focus my attention solely on the princess’ eyes.  Then Rarity gave me a mischievous look before turning back to the alicorn.

“Twilight, darling, would you mind terribly if Mark and I stay the night here?”

The purple anthro mare looked back and forth between us and smirked. “Third guestroom on the left.  Try not to wake Spike.  Have a good night.”

Twilight then headed back to her study, clutching her mug of coffee in one hand and a book in the other.  It seemed none of us were likely to get to sleep anytime soon.





While I did spend a couple of hours after breakfast with the fashionista twins, I had obligations to others in my home dimension.  I was assured that they both had plenty of work ahead of them that didn’t require my presence, so I headed back through the portal. Amazingly, Rarity turned up in time for dinner that evening with me, Trixie, and our friends.  After verifying that she was my herdmate and not the anthro version trying to prank me again, I gave her a kiss and inquired about their progress.

“Oh, we’re far from finished, darling.  Your anthro form has been extremely inspiring and our collaboration has been most fruitful.  Nevertheless, if we’re going to have a fashion show for our bipedal acquaintances next weekend, we will focus on a selection of the finest of the creations. We will need your cooperation for the final fittings next Saturday morning in order to have a post-dinner show ready.”

I raised an eyebrow.  “Do I get a say in this at all?  I might have plans for next weekend already.”

Rarity tittered.  “Mark, dear, are you really going to try to tell me that you aren’t champing at the bit to strut down the catwalk again, this time with the novelty of a new style of fashion and on two legs?”

I shook my head with chagrin.  “I’ve gotten too predictable, haven’t I?”

My wife paused lifting her spoon to say, “Trixie penciled it into her husband’s diary the moment she heard where you had gone.”  She resumed slurping her spicy tomato soup.

Yep, entirely too easy to predict.  I might have to have a chat with Discord and figure out a surprise for next time.

“So,” I said, “Who wants to come?  I’m not sure if you’ll appreciate fashions designed for anthros.”

Twilight was the first to confirm that she would be there, and even Rainbow Dash said she would try to make it.

When I expressed my surprise, Fluttershy said, “Umm… are you forgetting that we’ve all been to Sunset Shimmer’s world several times?”

I remembered then when all of us went on a clothes shopping expedition. Of course, their choices were widely different such as Rainbow’s athletic gear versus Applejack’s jeans and shirt or Pinkie’s party frock.  The fact that they were unable to wear them anywhere but in that world hadn’t deterred them at all.

“They’re not going to be those kinds of fashions,” I pointed out.

Everyone laughed.

“We know, dude,” Rainbow said with a smirk.  “We know.”

Okay, I blushed.





We had quite a crowd for the first-ever cross-dimension fashion show. Anthro Rarity had convinced all her friends to attend and it was a bit startling to see two of everybody in the audience except Penny and Trixie.  I was kind of glad that my wife wasn’t paired with her twin because it would have meant that Anthro Mark would have been in town.  Considering what I was going to model this evening, that could have been awkward in spite of the fact that I’d be in Marklestia form.  As for my primary bodyguard, it was impossible to keep Penny away once she found out where I’d be sneaking away to on Saturday and Sunday.

Anthro Rarity let mine take the lead with running the production due to knowing how we worked together for these events.  I was particularly eager to strut my stuff as this was going to be quite a departure from the previous fashion shows.  It was interesting to see the differences between what the Raritys had created and the human equivalents from my world of origin.  Whereas items of this nature were designed to skillfully reveal on a human, for habitual nudists such as these anthro ponies, the art was in how the apparel concealed and drew the eyes.

We started off on the tame side with a slinky black dress that hugged all my curves and split at the hips to reveal my cutie mark.  For the anthro guests who had not seen my Marklestia form as yet, it was quite the jaw-dropping moment when I pushed through the curtain to slink sexily down the catwalk.  From that point, the amount of material in the creations gradually got less and less.  I varied my mane and tail length to suit the outfit, and for the final (and favorite!) lingerie design, I kept them short so the focus was entirely on the lacy blue creation with its accompanying stockings and see-through robe. 





The applause was most gratifying, and so was the contented smile on my herdmate’s face.  As for Anthro Rarity – I could almost see her counting the bits already.  I also overheard her strategizing with both Twilights about bringing the new fashion to the attention of their monarch. Belatedly, I realized my world’s Twilight was waving around a speak-and-see crystal.  Cool.  I needed to get a copy of that.

I ended up taking home a couple of anthro Rarity’s mannequins as my “modeling fee”.  After all, I might not be ever able to wear any of those designs back in my world, but I sure as hell wanted to put some of them on display in my growing collection!





A squad of griffons in Griffonstone Guard armor marched through the doors of the throne room.  As they proceeded down the carpeted approach to the dais, individuals peeled off to take up positions beside the walkway.  When the last of the griffons had placed himself near the thrones, they simultaneously slammed the butt of their spears onto the marble floor and gave an eagle scream.

The guard closest to Trixie, Twilight, and me then bellowed, “Announcing Her Royal Highness, Princess Gilda, Supreme Ruler of Griffonstone.”

The aforementioned royal cat-bird made an appearance in the doorway, bedecked in a variety of regal accouterments.  She wore a purple cape ringed in white fur, a platinum crown that was a bit askew, and rather snazzy gold talon sheaths on right claws.  The air of royalty was somewhat muted by the way she dragged a jeweled scepter behind her with all the enthusiasm of a high-schooler on her way to final exams.  She stalked down the carpet followed two paces behind by Greta, her personal assistant.  Gilda stopped at the base of the steps and inclined her head slightly in deference to us. While she was a princess too, her dominion was a protectorate of Equestria thus making us Triarchs her superiors.

“Welcome, Princess Gilda,” Trixie said regally.  “It pleases us to have you visit Canterlot once more.”

Gilda replied, “Thank you, Your Highness.  It has been too long since I enjoyed your hospitality.”

I noticed that the griffoness was struggling to keep a serious expression and I smirked.  “How long did you practice that impressive entrance?”

Gilda grimaced and rolled her eyes.  “It took those birdbrains a week to get it right.”  She turned around and squawked, “Dismissed!  Go get some lunch!”

The soldiers’ exit was far less polished but a whole lot more enthusiastic.  When the throne room was cleared but for our advisors and one personal guard for each of us, the doors were closed for private talks.

“So, how’s ruling a nation of griffons coming along, Gilda?” I asked as Trixie, Twilight, and I stepped down from the dais.

We all moved off to the side where a table was set up with refreshments and comfortable chairs were provided.

The Griffonstone Princess shrugged and replied, “About as well as you can expect for a bunch of argumentative, greedy birds.”

“So – progress then?”

Gilda chuckled.  “Yeah. Sometimes it’s like bashing my beak repeatedly into a brick wall but we’re beginning to see the fruits of our labor. One of these days I’m going to get even with you for sticking me with this headache though.”

“As I recall, that was self-inflicted.  You were the one who came to us with the proposal of Griffonstone joining the Equestrian Commonwealth.  Can’t blame us that your citizens made you a princess to put you on our level.”

“Yeah, and dumped all their troubles onto my wings,” she griped. She sampled a smoked salmon sushi roll and her eyebrows rose.  “Although I might just forgive you a little bit if you supply me with more of these.”

Twilight said, “We were surprised when we got word that you were going to pay us a visit so close to Hearth’s Warming.  To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Gilda replied, “A bit of this and a bit of that.  Greta here wanted to sort out a few supply problems that we’ve been having.  I also wanted to get away from court for a while, especially as the Blue Moon Festival is coming up.”  She piled up a plate with three of every sushi roll on the table and settled into one of the chairs.

Twilight’s eyes widened.  “But isn’t that when you get together with your family as we do for Hearth’s Warming?”

“Have you met my relatives?  Pass!  Besides, I preferred spending the time here when I was a student in Equestria years back. A lot more fun than putting up with a bunch of snarky relatives.”

“But… they’re still your family!” Twilight objected.

“Trixie reckons that you should give it a rest, Sparkle,” my wife said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie made the mistake of believing that the Blue Moon Festival would be a good time to perform one of her incredible shows.  She barely made it out of the kingdom with the last of her bits.”

Gilda chuckled.  “Let me guess – fined for disturbing the peace during the festival?”

“And parking fees for her wagon among other usurious charges,” Trixie confirmed.  “Griffons manage to tolerate each other for one day by taking out their frustrations on anypony else.”

“Trixie’s got it right,” Gilda confirmed between chews, spraying a little bit of rice at the same time.  “There ain’t much love lost between me and my family.  Umm… Gabby excepted, perhaps.  Too damn cheerful though.  Anyway, rather than forcing an uncomfortable reunion, I decided it’d be more fun spending the time here.  Besides, I reckon Gallus could do with the company.”

Twilight frowned.  “Wouldn’t he be going back to Griffonstone to be with his family for Blue Moon?”

“Nah.  He hasn’t got a family.  Parents got the feather flu a couple of years back and didn’t survive.”

“What?!  How about Grandpa Gruff?”

“That’s his name, not his relationship.  Gruff is Gallus’s reluctant guardian.  Why do you think I chose Gallus to come to your school? He’s way better off here.”

I said, “So, he has no family at all?  That really sucks.  Hmm…” I carefully weighed the consequences of the idea that popped into my head.  After doing so, I decided to trust my gut… and my heart.  

I broke into the ongoing conversation that had gone on without me. “Twi – can you arrange to have Gallus meet me sometime before your school closes for Hearth’s Warming?”

The purple mare raised an eyebrow.  “I could do that.  Did you have something in mind?”

“Something in common, actually.”





As Gallus entered Twilight’s office, he looked about nervously, unsure why he had been summoned here.  He immediately spotted me sitting to one side and stiffened in surprise.  I had hoped Trixie could be here as well but she had a prior engagement scheduled weeks ago to visit patients at Ponyville Hospital.

As Twilight closed the door with her magic, she said, “Prince Mark Wells would like to have a chat with you, Gallus.”

“M-me?” squeaked the young griffon.

“Relax, Gallus,” I assured him.  “It’s nothing bad.  I learned recently from Princess Gilda that you are an orphan.”

“Yeah, so?” he replied suspiciously.

“Me too.  My parents died in a… uh… carriage accident.  Their insurance paid for my upbringing and college education.  My older sister was a legal adult and reluctantly took care of me until I was old enough to be independent.  Didn’t see her much after that.  The one thing that made a big difference during those years is that I had a best friend who shared everything with me.”

Gallus turned away and stared down at his talons.  “At least your friend didn’t leave you at Hearth’s Warming,” he mumbled.

“No, he didn’t.  In fact, each year, I spent the previous evening and the whole next day at his place. His parents treated me like part of the family.”  I didn’t waste time trying to explain that we were celebrating Christmas rather than Hearth’s Warming.  My inter-dimensional origins were still secret, much to the frustration of the paparazzi.

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“Headmare Twilight informs me that at least one of the friends that you made here lives in Ponyville.  How would you like to skip the Blue Moon Festival and spend the Hearth’s Warming holidays here instead?”

Gallus looked up at me, his eyes widening.  “I… I can do that?”  Then doubt set in again.  “But I can’t stay with Sandbar.  His family has no room for guests, even if they wanted to take a griffon in for the holidays.”

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting you to stay at Sandbar’s place.  Tell me something, Gallus – do you see a future for yourself in Griffonstone?”

His expression turned bitter.  “No way!”

“Even with Princess Gilda turning the society on its collective ear and rebuilding the kingdom?”

“Ask me again when the common griffon changes their attitude. I’ve learned more about friendship in the months I’ve spent here than they’ll ever learn.  I don’t want any part of that place.”

I smiled.  “Princess Gilda thought you’d say that.  I have a proposal for you, young cock.  How would you feel if I took you in as Ward of the State?”

Gallus frowned.  “What would that mean?”

“Legal mumbo-jumbo aside, Trixie and I would basically be adopting you.  Twilight has agreed to give you your own room here in her palace.  I’d take personal responsibility for your upbringing and Trixie and I would be here for you anytime you need us.  In other words, you would be in our family.”  I chuckled. “And not the kind that barely tolerates each other for one day of the year either.”

The griffon gaped at me, probably finding it hard to believe what I had just told him.  “Why? Why would you do that?”

I gave him a reassuring smile.  “Because everyone, whether they are a pony, a griffon, or any other being, deserves friends and family.  Phil and his parents were mine while I grew up – I’m passing on the favor to the next generation.  So – how about it?”

His eyes lit up and a grin slowly spread across his face… to the extent it can on a griffon with a fixed beak.  “That sounds amazing.  So, what do I have to do?”

I held up my forelegs invitingly.  “How about sealing the deal with a hug?”

He stared for a moment before rushing into my embrace.  “Thank you!  Thank you!”  I saw tears squeezing past his eyelids and I let him hold onto me long enough for him to regain his composure.  He swiped a foreleg across his eyes in a furtive attempt to hide the fact that he had been crying which both Twilight and I ignored.  “What happens now?”

“Well, technically, you and I need to sign the paperwork that Princess Gilda and Princess Twilight arranged to formalize your adoption, but that can wait a bit.  Let’s make sure that you’re going to be happy with the arrangement first.  Want to see your new room?”

“Yeah!”

Twilight said, “Spike tells me the castle has it ready for you.”

Gallus blinked at that statement.  “The castle has it ready?”

The alicorn smiled.  “Friendship Castle has an uncanny ability to mold itself for the benefit of its occupants. It adapts to the needs of those who reside in it.  You should see my husband’s study!  Anyway, when it configured a room to suit a young griffon, we were pretty sure that you would agree to Mark’s proposal.”

As we made our way to the residential area, Gallus hesitantly said, “Umm… if you’re adopting me, Your Highness, what am I supposed to call you now?”

I chuckled.  “Well, for starters, unless it’s a very formal occasion, drop the ‘Your Highness’. In fact, just call me Mark.  A word of advice though – call my wife ‘Princess Trixie’ unless she tells you otherwise.”

“Gotcha.”

“Here we are,” Twilight announced, stopping outside a door.

Gallus looked around at the row of identical doorways.  “How do you tell them apart?”

I laughed.  “You count the doors from the entry point.  Don’t worry – we’ll stick a sign on yours so you don’t mix it up.  Go on in.”

Gallus opened the door, stepped inside, and stopped.  We watched as he gazed in awe at the spacious room. It was lightly furnished with a bed, chest of drawers, a desk, and a chair.  It had several shelves for books and other personal items.  Unlike other guest rooms, this one was both double-sized and twice the height. The rooms on the level above this had apparently been repurposed by the castle.  A long cylinder stretched from wall to wall on one side and a wide platform bordered the opposite wall.  Both were halfway between the ceiling and floor to serve as ideal perches for the young griffon.  More shelves lined these upper areas, some already containing volumes likely absconded from the library.  Most importantly, the room had a small balcony that a winged creature could use as a means of coming and going.  The room also had plenty of space to fit an extra bed if Gallus had a friend here for a sleepover.

Twilight said, “It’s a bit sparse on decoration yet, but I think we can leave that to you to fix up to suit your tastes.”

“This is so cool!  When do I move in?”

“As soon as you want, although I suggest that you do the big move the same day as the rest of the students leave for the holidays.  You can bring everything from your dorm room then.”

“Can I bring my friends around to see it?”

“Of course,” Twilight replied.

“Awesome!”  He bounded over to the balcony and was gone in a flash of tail feathers.

Twilight blinked.  “Well, that was a bit abrupt.”

I chuckled.  “He’s still a griffon, Sparkles.  We’re both going to have to get used to that.”

She smiled in return.  “True.  It will be a learning experience for both of us.”

“Thanks again for giving Gallus a place to stay.”

The alicorn waved it off.  “How could I not?  This is everything that I preach.  It’s you who should be thanked for doing this for him.”

I shook my head.  “Like I told Gallus, I’m paying a debt forward.  I could have had a terrible childhood growing up without my dad and mom but Phil and his parents made a new family for me.  I knew this was the right thing to do the moment that Gilda told us about Gallus’ situation.”

“Think he’ll ever call you ‘Dad’?”

I blinked, a little stunned.  That possibility hadn’t really occurred to me.  I gave Twilight a lopsided smile.  “Stranger things have happened to me, Twi.”

“That, Mark Wells, is the understatement of the century.”


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