//------------------------------// // Chapter 79 - Hearth's Warming // Story: Off The Mark // by Goldfur //------------------------------// Dear Mark Wells, The so-called Lord of Chaos may have been important in the distant past, but this is today. Frankly, I’d never heard of him. Maybe he made a big splash in Ponyville when he returned to a world that left him behind a millennium ago, but that didn’t make a saltlick of difference to everypony’s lives out in Baltimare. He’s got an exaggerated sense of self-importance, throws fits like a teenage mare, and obviously doesn’t care about any being but himself. When I protested that he was destroying all the hard work I put in to make the Spell-venger hunt a success, he had the gall to tell me to my face that I need to “lighten up”. This Discord is a menace and needs to be locked away again wherever… Maybe I should back up a bit. I suppose it was inevitable. Twilight and the rest of her friends got a call from the Map Table to attend to a Friendship Problem mere days before the end of the school term and Fall Wrap-up. The alicorn came to me during the lunch break in Day Court to explain the situation. I sighed. “So, you want Starlight to take over as headmare of the school while you’re away?” She gave me a smile of embarrassment. “Yes, I know I promised not to take her until the next term, but I really need her right now. With all our friends going too, there’s no pony left to fill in for me.” I knew there was no getting around this, so I nodded. “Alright, if Starlight is okay with this, you can have her.” We both turned to the pink mare who looked slightly nervous. “I don’t know. I was going to go over the procedures during winter break to make sure I was ready to oversee the school. I have nothing prepared for filling in at the last minute.” “Don’t worry,” Twilight reassured her as she pulled out a huge scroll. “I’ve planned for this possibility and everything that you need to know is listed here. Spike has already finished the school meal schedule for the remainder of the term. Also, Cozy Glow has been immensely helpful to me and will be able to assist you with everything else. You can trust her as your right hoof mare.” Starlight smiled. “You’re right. I definitely should be able to handle this for at least a few days until you get back.” I said, “Good luck, Starlight. Diadem – you’re on full-time advisor duty until Starlight returns.” “I am prepared, Your Highness,” the changeling princess replied in a melodious contralto. Those singing lessons were really paying off, not to mention her dedication to practicing at all times. Although I expected that Starlight might have a bit of difficulty due to having to take over with no notice, I felt sure that she would cope. It wasn’t unexpected then that I didn’t hear of anything from her. What came as a surprise were some comments from Gallus. As our new relationship was still in the stage where we were learning each other’s boundaries, I was making the effort to at least have a chat with him after school each day. Thanks go to Twilight for insisting a portal remain open between the two castles at all times. That changed the commute from an hour-long flight or even longer train trip into a five-minute trot. It also made sense for our ever-busier royal lifestyle. I didn’t try to force things. If all Gallus wanted to do was tell me that he had no problems and could he go play with his friends now, then that was fine. I had made a point with him earlier that weekends were family time and I expected a little more interaction then. However, during the week, he could carry on much as he had since starting school if nothing called for a change. This afternoon turned out to be different. “Discord is driving us nuts!” I blinked in surprise. “Discord? What’s he been doing? I’ve heard nothing from Starlight.” “Mucking with gravity for a start. Yona didn’t like floating around the ceiling.” “Was anyone hurt?” Gallus shook his head. “Nope, just a little frightened. The other pranks didn’t help though.” I frowned. “I wonder why he’s doing that? While the pranks are pretty standard, he normally has a reason for them.” “Ocellus says she overheard something about how he wanted to be acting headmare while Twilight was away.” “Odd. He should have known that Starlight already was lined up for the job when he…” I trailed off when it suddenly occurred to me that I’d never seen him at the school or talked about it with him. I’d told him that Cozy Glow got the vice-headmare spot, but nothing about Twilight’s plans for Starlight. “Uh, oh.” Gallus looked at me keenly. “What do you mean by that? Are my friends in trouble?” “If by that, do I reckon that they’ll get hurt? No, Discord won’t do that. They might be in for a lot more chaos though.” “Why? What did we do?” “Nothing. And that’s the problem. Discord’s ego won’t allow him to be ignored, but I can’t recall any of us formally inviting him to participate in the school in any manner. I told him that I thought he’d make a great guest lecturer, but I never followed up by arranging for him to do so. I’d have to check with Twilight, but I think our resident draconequus is jealous.” The young griffon looked uneasy. “What are you going to do about it?” I sighed. “The hardest thing I can do – butt out.” Confusion reigned on Gallus’ face. “What?” “I would only be seen as interfering, and this is Starlight’s responsibility. Discord is her friend too, so they need to sort this out between themselves. I’m afraid she’s in for a bit of trial by fire.” “What about the rest of us?” “If things get too out of hoof, let me know, but try to put up with Discord’s antics for the time being. While his pranks are annoying sometimes, they aren’t really dangerous.” “That’s all you can offer?” I gave the griffon a reassuring wing hug. “In the end, I am just a pony while he’s the Spirit of Chaos. Battles with him are won by the mind and the heart, not by force. Once you understand where his motivations are, work with those. In the end, Discord just wants to be included.” “Yeah, lay a heavy trip on us, Mark,” he replied drolly. I chuckled. “Just wait until it’s up to you to save Equestria a couple of times before complaining.” In the end, that’s pretty much how things played out. I hear the Spell-venger Hunt had been nothing short of wild until Starlight sorted out Discord’s problem. The angriest pony at the school had to be Cozy Glow. She was livid about how the draconequus had ruined her arrangements for hunting the magical artifacts which had all been thrown into chaos, literally! I received a thirteen-page letter on the matter. Because the Spell-venger hunt was Cozy’s responsibility, she took the Lord of Chaos’ antics personally. It seems that when Discord wasn’t “doing everything in his power to make me look bad,” he was “ignoring me completely.” I believe she was even more outraged than Twilight and her companions who had discovered that they had been tricked into a phony Friendship Quest by the Lord of Chaos. I advised Cozy to take a chill pill and to try to see the matter from Discord’s perspective. Gallus admitted later that the scavenger hunt (I hated the silly name Twilight had given it) had actually been more fun with the flying paintings, animated armor, and so forth making the somewhat boring event about ancient history a lot more interesting… and exciting. Trying to remember facts you had read a week ago while dodging at a full sprint proved to be exhilarating for the students. When every creature realized what was happening, they played along with the pranks instead of fearing them. Starlight told me that she asked Discord to work with her to do similar events in the future. I knew that mare was smart. I’m really going to miss my advisor. As I had promised Chrysalis, she was now allowed weekly supervised visits around Canterlot. While the first had been only as far as the castle grounds, the next was as a result of a visit from Twilight Sparkle’s mother. Twilight Velvet took every opportunity to visit her grandfoal and, upon learning that Regis was doing the same to spend time with Chrysalis, suggested the two grandparents spend an afternoon together. They could bond over their grandson that way. Naturally, I was leery of the idea. Nevertheless, Velvet wore me down. I could see where Twi got her streak of stubbornness. It was Velvet’s idea that they take Regis to the nearest playground and give him the opportunity to interact with other foals. While it was going to be difficult to provide security, I reckoned that it sounded like a good idea. After Twilight was informed and her mother calmed her down, I told Chrysalis about the playdate and warned her about trying to manipulate Velvet. Of course, she treated my words with disdain but at least she acknowledged them. As Velvet was about to leave, I offered to come and help keep an eye on the changeling queen. She politely but firmly told me that while she could not prevent me from going where I wanted in the city, I was to have no part in their conversation. This was going to be between just Chrysalis and her. Tirek I could defeat but not a determined grandmother. I turned up at the playground with Crimson Boulder to inform Chrysalis that her allotted time was done. I found her deep in discussion with Velvet while Regis played on the jungle gym with a pegasus filly. However, all the other parents were keeping the rest of the foals far away from the infamous changeling queen. Several guards were stationed nearby but they all seemed at ease with the situation, so that boded well. The filly’s mother was lying on the grass nearby and watching with a contented smile on her face. Evidently, she was not concerned about Chrysalis or the hybrid foal. I wondered what differentiated her from all the other adult ponies. Perhaps her filly could be regular playmates with Twilight’s son? They seemed to be of similar age and obviously enjoyed each other’s company. She and Regis were having a great time zooming in and out of the bars and rings, playing a high-speed game of tag. As I approached the grandparents who were seated on a nearby park bench, I overheard their discussion. Chrysalis said, “Velvet, I do not understand why you insist my grandnymph play with the rabble like this. It is unbecoming of their station.” The unicorn gave the queen a pointed stare. “Chrysalis. Dear. You are letting your prejudice cloud your judgment. Again. What do all of the alicorns excluding Flurry Heart have in common?” The changeling gave the question some thought before replying, “They were born as simple ponies then ascended.” “Precisely. Now consider Mark Wells. While he is not a true alicorn, it could be argued that Harmony arranged for his alternate form to signify his right to rule. The service he has done for Equestria since then only makes my point stronger.” Chrysalis frowned. “So, at its heart, you are saying that Equestria is a meritocracy?” Twilight Velvet beamed. “Exactly! Now, how much faith do you have in your grandfoal to rise to his potential?” After a brief pause, the queen turned to face the jungle gym. “Regis! Feel free to debase yourself with the inconsequential commoners. It will do you no permanent damage.” The foal called back, “OK, grandma!” I spoke up. “Good afternoon, ladies. I’m afraid that it’s time for Regis to rejoin his mother.” Unspoken was the implication that it was also time for Chrysalis to return to her cell. Velvet got up and gave Chrysalis a smile. “It has been most elucidating chatting with you, dear. We must do so again soon.” The smile that the changeling queen gave in return was a lot smugger. “I look forward to it, Twilight Velvet.” Velvet called to Regis to come along and the foal reluctantly said goodbye to his new friend. As they walked off towards the castle, four of the Royal Guards accompanied them but at a discrete distance. The remainder closed in around us. Chrysalis sighed and rose from the bench. She kept her head held regally as we began to follow the others, Crimson two paces behind us. “Did you enjoy your chat with Twilight Velvet?” I asked curiously. “It was… illuminating,” she conceded. “As I expected, Twilight Sparkle’s mother is not easily intimidated. She is a formidable mare.” “Agreed. Do you know who the mother of Regis’ playmate is?” “Yes. She is a former Royal Guard who retired to have a family.” I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “She assessed your threat level and determined that you weren’t one, didn’t she? That’s why she was happy to let her filly play with Regis.” Chrysalis’ lip curled in a small snarl. “You are correct.” I chuckled, tickled that Chrysalis was irked by the fact that she was considered harmless. “Don’t stress over it too much – you obviously had the rest of the parents properly cowed.” Her expression resumed its normal supercilious look. “Yes. Yes, I did.” Her smile fell and she gave me a sharp look. “Stop trying to manipulate my emotions, stallion.” I snorted, unable to hold in my amusement. “But it’s so easy… and so much fun!” For some reason, I was not able to get the changeling queen to converse with me further on our way back to the castle dungeons. Fall Wrap-up came and along with it the first scheduled dumping of snow. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to how the weather is almost perfectly controlled here in Equestria, but it’s convenient to know in advance what to prepare for with certainty. The School of Friendship closed for the Hearth’s Warming holiday break and Gallus officially moved into his room in Twilight’s castle. Pinkie Pie threw him a “Welcome To Your New Home” party which he celebrated with all his school chums. Some of them had delayed returning to their own homes just for this occasion. My ward certainly had made some very good friends in the time he’d been here. Silverstream, Ocellus, and Yona had to leave the next day to join their own families’ celebrations but they promised to come back a few days before the break ended. Sandbar lived locally, of course, but Smolder reckoned she would rather spend the holidays with Gallus. To no one’s surprise, Friendship Castle prepared a guest room suitable for the young dragon next to Gallus’ quarters. Although schools were closed all over Equestria for the holidays, work went on for the Triarchy. I couldn’t be in Ponyville any more than normal but I was confident that Gallus and his friends could keep themselves amused for a few days until Hearth’s Warming Eve. He managed to surprise me though. “Can I visit you at your court?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to do that? It’s usually quite boring for youngsters.” “I just want to see where you work and what you do when you’re not goofing around as a mare in Ponyville.” I laughed. “Okay, I’ll pay that. How about this? I’m scheduled to do the afternoon session of Day Court tomorrow. If you can be ready before noon, I can arrange for somepony to escort you from Ponyville to Canterlot and you can have lunch with Trixie and me. Then you can accompany me to the throne room and watch the proceedings until you get bored. After that, you can be shown around the castle. I planned to do that anyway on Hearth’s Warming Eve but it won’t hurt to bring that forward. I just won’t be able to join you until Day Court ends.” “Sounds cool. Can Smolder and Sandbar come too?” “Sure! Your friends are welcome to join you.” “Awesome! Seeya at dinner!” And he was off like a shot to rejoin his friends. God, he reminded me of myself when I was his age. Note to self – when your ward asks if he can bring friends, don’t give him carte blanche. His friends brought their friends and the group grew considerably. Steady Flight did not appreciate playing tour guide to a dozen excitable youngsters and the nobles at Day Court don’t appreciate the snickering and comments from a bunch of foals. Aside from lunch, I didn’t have to deal with any of them because they went home before Day Court ended. I think I owe Steady a drink or three. Speaking of lunchtime though, it was a barrel of laughs because the chef had to cater to their whims when they were told they could order anything they wanted. I might have to try some of the things they dreamed up! Ever hear those stories about mothers-in-law? That’s all they were to me... just stories. I hadn’t even seen my in-laws since the wedding. So it was quite a shock when Spectacle turned up at the castle and invited herself to our Hearth’s Warming celebrations. She had visited briefly when news of the birth of Gemini reached her but we hadn’t seen nor heard from her since then. I suppose she wasn’t under any obligation to be part of our lives, but her stand-offish attitude toward her grandfoal did seem unusual for a pony. That was until I learned the reason why. Trixie had always been uncomfortable in the presence of her mother, at least in private situations. As part of the wedding crowd, Trixie could ignore her. Because Spectacle would be our guest for a few days, that option was not available to Trixie right now. My wife was in a particularly bad mood all day and once we were in bed that evening, I wrapped my forelegs around her. “OK, dear – what is it exactly between you and Spectacle?” Trixie shifted her weight as if to get out of bed rather than answer but I pulled her back into my barrel. She looked over her shoulder to glare at me for a long moment, then she lowered her eyes and sighed. “Trixie’s mother hates foals.” I blinked in confusion for a long moment. “Why? And how does that pertain to us?” This time, there was a much longer pause. Trixie nuzzled the mane of our sleeping foal. She rarely ever brought Gemini to bed with us, which showed me exactly how protective their mother was feeling. My wife said, “Because Trixie was the foal who ruined her mother’s career.” I took a few seconds to process this. “I’m not sure I can believe that.” This time, Trixie scooted back into me and I gripped her tightly for a moment to reassure her. “Trixie nev… I never met my grandparents on her side of the family and doubt I ever will. Vanquished Will could tame any beast into some level of compliance, excluding thinking creatures like dragons and anything larger than a full-grown manticore. His wife, Spring Bouquet, had a natural affinity for birds and woodland creatures similar to Fluttershy’s, though she could not directly converse with them. Between the two, they supplied all of Equestria with both exotic and mundane animals for circuses, zoos, and research that was safe for both the scientist and animal being tested. My mother inherited natural talent from both of them and worked hard to make up the difference. As the only child, she was the perfect pony to carry on the family legacy.” I had a hunch what happened next. “And that’s when she met your father.” Trixie nodded. “Spectacle delivered a well-trained juvenile manticore to Jackpot for use in his stage act. They fell in love and my father asked her to join him as his stage assistant and animal handler for the stops on his Spring Tour. My mother accepted. When summer rolled in, she was pregnant and had fallen in love with life on the stage. Spectacle set the manticore free, doubtless to symbolize her own freedom from the life her parents had chosen for her.” “When I was born the following spring, my mother had been living on the road with Jackpot for a year. With no place to call home, she didn’t have a support network of friends to help with childcare. Because the stage was no place for a foal, Spectacle couldn’t take part in the shows or train dangerous animals.” When Trixie stopped, I nuzzled her neck, letting her know I was here for her. “Eventually, my parents bought a run-down house at a military base outside of Neighagra Falls. The community of ponies waiting for their spouses to return from deployment had nothing in common with Spectacle and shunned her. The foals took their cue from their parents and no pony would be my friend at school or talk to my mother. I would live for the days when my father would return home. He’d give me my own private show, dazzling his number one fan with the newest tricks he’d come up with. Meanwhile, Spectacle was stuck being the disciplinarian at home. She would tell me ‘no’ all the time while my father never did. And the fights!” Gemini stirred at Trixie’s raised voice. She murmured softly to our foal until they settled down again. Trixie continued. “Both of my parents were not very mature ponies. They settled every disagreement with shouting matches sometimes followed by lovemaking while I tried to hide from it all. A lack of bits and Jackpot’s marefriends in every town didn’t help matters. When I was eight, my father left for the last time. Spectacle threw me on her back and we moved straight to Canterlot. She worked as a maid for three years until I could test for Celestia’s school. I got in but… I’m a terrible student. Soon after Twilight Sparkle blew up the school, I dropped out to learn how to be a show pony. Now my mother felt as betrayed by me as she had been by Jackpot. Rather than yelling back, I just left. Spectacle has apologized since then, but the special bond between mother and daughter is gone.” I took it all in and let my heart do the talking for me. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that. Know that I’ll always be there for you…” I grinned. “… even if I can’t live forever because I’m only two-thirds alicorn.” Trixie snorted and playfully bucked me with a rear hoof. “The Great and Wise Trixie knows this already, Dowser – with every fiber of Trixie’s being.” She leaned back to give me a long kiss. “And I will always love you too.” As Trixie turned to face Gemini, I felt accomplished. I knew my wife was feeling better by how she switched to third person again... even if for just a little while. After a long silence, I said, “You're not like your mother – you love foals. I’ve never seen you so alive as when you were performing for the colts and fillies at the resort in the Crystal Empire.” “Of course I love foals.” My wife wrapped her body a bit tighter around Gemini and she got a faraway look. “Seeing their smiling faces… every one of them reminds me of how happy I felt every time my father came home.” I was learning the hard way what it meant to be a foster parent of a young teen. When I told Gallus that we would be attending the traditional Hearth’s Warming Eve play, naturally he wanted Smolder to come along too. That was not unexpected as the young dragoness had stayed in Ponyville basically because of the griffon. Then Sandbar had been invited too. Again, that was reasonable because he’s one of Gallus’ best friends, but I honestly thought the colt would be spending that time with his family. Apparently, I was wrong. His parents were delighted that he had such a good friend. Maybe Sandbar had been too much of a loner before? I’d have to ask Twilight at some time to find out if she knew his background. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a real problem bringing two guests. Then Nyx found out that Gallus had gotten to bring his friends and begged Twilight to let her bring some too. Long story short, we had a full quorum of Cutie Mark Crusaders tagging along. Even though I was made an honorary CMC, I could never live up to the manic energy of Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. Not to mention how terrifying it was when the four got quiet all at once. Inevitably, when that happened they were staring at something with a glint in their eyes. The kind of glint that said, “what’s the most dangerous way to weaponize that?” The Diamond Tiara relationship pendulum had apparently swung back to the “friend” side. She came along with the promise of having a chance to mingle with the elite of Canterlot. The young earth pony kept being sidetracked when she spotted nobles and celebrities in the crowd waiting to be seated at the “event of the season to be seen attending.” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon kept gravitating away from our group towards whichever member of the upper crust was on top of their stack of parlor cards. Nyx kept trying to drag everypony away to see something interesting in the castle. Herding cats? Pshaw! Try herding foals! I was afraid my young, energetic charge would be bored to tears when it was just me, him, and Trixie going to the play. I thought I had dodged an arrow when Gallus had brought so many friends to Canterlot, but now karma was having its revenge. Trixie and Twilight had their hooves full with Gemini and Regis, so it was up to Thorax and me to keep this mob relatively under control. Trixie’s mother washed her hooves of any responsibility. Spike would have helped but he was involved with the production of the play this year and had to be backstage preparing. Our guards just smirked and made a point of surveilling the crowd whenever I tried to get them to lend a hoof with the foals. The message was loud and clear – not their job; not their problem. I overheard Smolder talking to the jabbering earth pony friends. “Who are you two gushing about now?” Silver Spoon adjusted her glasses. “That’s Countess Coloratura up on the balcony!” Diamond Tiara added, “Did you hear that Princess Trixie gave her the real rank of countess after she raised everybeing’s spirits with the concert after the Storm King’s invasion?” Smolder smiled at Diamond. “Just like she did for Sapphire Shores and Songbird Serenade. Yes, I heard. I see you have a picture card for the pegasus diva as well. She’s close by. Did you want her to sign it?” ‘They’re parlor cards. But… I couldn’t go over to Songbird and just…” Smolder placed a clawed hand on the earth pony’s shoulder. “You need to think like a dragon. Find a common point of interest and just go up there. Come on.” The young dragon practically dragged Diamond through the crowd until she got the singer’s attention. “Excuse me, Miss Serenade. Aren’t those opals in your necklace from the Sheltered Valley? It’s just about impossible to get the kirin to part with them.” The pegasus pop star turned her head to point her muzzle at the three youths. The two-tone manestyle that fell over her face made it impossible to tell exactly where she was looking. “They are indeed. I hope you don’t find them appetizing.” The dragoness laughed. “Hardly. Opals are an acquired taste. Besides, dragons appreciate the beauty of jewelry even more than they like the taste of jewels. You should see my uncle Shatterhorn’s collection. Maybe not the biggest in the Dragon Lands but he has the largest collection of necklaces and bracelets anywhere.” From the sound of her voice, I bet the diva’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t say?” Smolder gave a theatrical little gasp. “Oh, but where are my manners? Let me introduce you to Diamond Tiara of the Rich family in Ponyville and her bestie Silver Spoon.” Diamond Tiara held out her parlor card. “H.. Hi. Would you mind signing this for me, please?” The singer held a hoof out to her side and one of her well-suited bodyguards slapped a gold-colored marker into her hoof. “Of course, my dear. Shall I make it out to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?” Both fillies gasped. “Oh, yes please!” they chorused. Despite sidetracks like these, by some miracle, we managed to get everyone to their seats in time for the show to start. While the play was the main feature of the night, this was Canterlot and nothing was ever done in a small way. There were skits, musicians, and comedians who entertained us for the first half of the program, then came intermission. Ever try to arrange snacks and drinks for nine foals, a griffon, a dragoness, a changeling, and four adult ponies? Me neither. Thankfully, Twilight was better prepared than I was and had some castle servants on standby to take orders and get food. Not that Trixie and I had it easy. The alicorn delegated us to watch out for the youngsters who needed to go to the restroom. *sigh* Despite the tribulations, the evening was quite a success. Everyone enjoyed the event and there were no disasters. A small miracle, if you know the Crusaders. Eventually, we saw all the foals safely back to their respective homes and that just left Gallus and Smolder with us at Twilight’s castle. We were finishing the night with hot chocolate prepared by a very chuffed Spike whose hard work with the play had borne fruit. At least, he couldn’t stop bragging about it. He certainly had more success than when he was trying to help me act! Gallus had gone into the kitchen to fetch snacks to go with the drinks and he passed them around before taking a plate of sapphire chip cookies to Smolder. He then sat on the sofa next to the dragoness, nibbling on a piece of jerky and watching while Smolder happily munched on her gem-encrusted treats. We chatted for a while about our favorite parts of the show. Eventually, it was time to send Gallus and Smolder to bed. I made sure that they settled down before I went back to join the others. It was going to be a big day tomorrow and I had no doubt that it would be hectic for all of us. I returned to snuggle up to my wife and drape a wing around her. “Is it my imagination or does Gallus have a crush on Smolder?” My wife rolled her eyes. “Truly, Hark Knells, you are the epitome of observation. The crush is mutual. Why do you think Smolder elected to stay with Gallus during the holidays?” “Because she preferred being with her friend rather than some grumpy dragons?” I offered weakly. Trixie snorted but didn’t bother saying anything more. That was telling enough. Great. I’d had a foster son for mere days and I already had to deal with a potential girlfriend, and a dragon at that. Maybe I needed to enroll in the School of Friendship and learn a bit more about how that works. While Trixie and I had enjoyed celebrating previous Hearth’s Warmings together, I hadn’t realized how much I missed the Christmas gatherings with Phil’s family until this morning. Twilight’s living room was lavishly decorated and it included a huge tree festooned with lights and baubles. Underneath it were presents for everyone, but especially for the new additions to the family. Twilight, Thorax, Trixie, and I watched as Regis and Gemini were going nuts with their gifts from Santa Hooves, but it was the reaction from Gallus that made my heart ache. The young griffon was on the verge of tears when he saw the presents waiting for him. I knew from the chats that I’d had with him that he had never experienced the like. Life in Griffonstone was often harsh and, for this orphan, especially so. Even after weeks spent boarding at Twilight’s school, he was still not accustomed to the open friendship and joy of Equestrian society. And then he opened his gifts… The first few were the kind of presents that a typical young male teenager would like, although we tried to adjust our thinking for a griffon rather than a pony. Fortunately, many of his tastes were similar to those of a pegasus and I think we scored with each of them: a genuine Wonderbolts pin, a league-sanctioned hoofball, two fine-toothed feather-combs, and a set of steel talon-extensions for catching fish on the fly. I personally levitated the last one to him. It was a very small box but his air of anticipation was no less as he untied the ribbon holding it closed. He lifted the lid and his eyes widened. His talons closed upon the object within and he pulled out a golden medallion. Gallus held it up and asked, “This is nice, but what exactly does it mean?” I replied, “My and Trixie’s cutie marks embossed upon it indicate that this belongs to our royal family. The silhouette of a griffon represents you being part of that family. The medallion is magically attuned to your aura and, if scanned, identifies you in a manner that can’t be forged. It’s your key to Canterlot Castle. With it, you may go anywhere within reason in the castle and its grounds without needing to seek permission or clearance. It’s a symbol of our trust in you as our adopted son.” Gallus’ beak dropped in shock and he stared at the medallion for a moment as if he could not believe that such a thing was real. Then he rushed over and gave me and Trixie a huge hug. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” the young griffon kept repeating. “You are most welcome,” Trixie replied. “But please don’t abuse this privilege.” I added, “As I said, you can go anywhere within reason. There are some places such as the dungeons that are out of bounds to everyone including you for now without special permission. The Royal Guards are under instruction in those cases to politely but firmly deny you entrance.” “Gotcha, Mark. It’s enough that you trust me this much.” He put the medallion on and posed proudly as I took a photograph. “Heh! Lookin’ good, Gallus,” Smolder said with a grin. “She’s right,” I said, turning to the dragoness. “And don’t think we’re going to ignore you, Smolder. While you are staying with us, you’re an honorary member of the family. We have a little something for you too.” Again, this hearkened back to my days with Phil’s family and, despite the fact that Smolder was a dragon, I didn’t think this was so different. However, because I couldn’t think of what Smolder might like, Trixie had agreed to arrange something. Even I didn’t know what it was until the dragoness opened her small box. Smolder lifted out a card and I saw her lips move silently as she read it. Then her eyes opened wide and a blush bloomed on her face as she stared at the card, stunned. “What’s it say, Smolder?” Gallus asked, plucking it out of her claws. “Wait! Don’t—” she started to object, reaching out to grab the card. Gallus held her back with a wing as he began to read aloud, “This coupon is good for one complete en-sem-ble from Rarity’s Carousel Boutique. With love from Princess Trixie Lulamoon, Prince Mark Wells, and Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He looked up at her. “Jeez, Smolder, what are you going to do with this?” The dragoness frowned and snatched the coupon back while sticking her tongue out at him. I looked at Trixie and raised an eyebrow. I whispered, “Really? Smolder in a dress?” My wife looked at me smugly. “Trust the Great and Perceptive Trixie.” Not that I had a choice, but I did anyway. There were many reasons why I was a bachelor for so long and not knowing how to read females was one of them. After the youngsters finished opening their presents, it was the adults’ turn. We even had a gift each for Penumbra and Steady Flight. While Crimson Boulder was spending the day with his family, Penny maintained that just because it was Hearth’s Warming, that didn’t mean she was excused from her duty. I’m sure she had plans to join her marefriend later when she was relieved. Steady was more than just my valet nowadays and his help with Gemini, while Trixie and I were busy getting ready in the morning, was invaluable. Besides, I wanted my best friend to share this family event with me. Everything was so wonderfully perfect and reminiscent of my life back on Earth that, for the first time in many months, I felt a touch of homesickness. But then I looked around me and realized that I had gained so much more since then. I had a Great and Powerful Wife, a wonderful family, and friends that meant the world to me. I knew with utter certainty that I was the luckiest stallion in Equestria. # # # # # # # # #