//------------------------------//
// Chapter 99 - Friends And Family 
// Story: Off The Mark 
// by Goldfur 
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Phil and Rosa told me how they had met when he had visited the company she worked for a few years back.  They were the supplier of the cutting-edge batteries that my friend’s business needed and he had to coordinate with their technical expert.  That was Rosa.  The two hit it off immediately and a date soon followed.  A year and a half later, they got married.  As they filled in the details, it became apparent to me that, without me constantly in his life, my best friend had found someone else to fill the void just like Trixie had initially done for me, and then my other marefriends.  Far from ruining our lives, my immigration to Equestria had changed everything for the better.  And now, we had our friendship restored.  Our lives would never be the same, but who wanted that?  Everything was better for us both now.

I’m not sure how long we chatted before Penumbra emerged from the mirror. Because she had previously visited Sunset’s world with me, she owned a set of appropriate human clothing which she was wearing now, thank goodness!  I didn’t want to explain a naked woman in Phil and Rosa’s boudoir. The erstwhile bat-pony had a dark complexion reminiscent of Middle-Eastern people and her hair had the exact same shades of brown and gray as her mane.  The piercing gaze was unchanged and the way she frowned at me was all too familiar.  After giving the others a curt acknowledging nod, she turned her attention to me.

“Were you planning on leaving us hanging all night?  You should have reported back long ago.”

“Sorry, Penny.  I got caught up in Phil’s tale of how he met Rosa.”

“Who is this strange woman, Phillipe?” my friend’s spouse asked with a frown.

“One of Mark’s wives, apparently,” he replied.

Rosa’s eyebrows practically levitated.  “One of them?” She turned her frown on me. “How many wives do you have?”

“Before I answer, let me point out that we’re all ponies over there and herds often form around a single stallion.  Plus, mares outnumber stallions about four-to-one.”

The way she set her mouth told me she was not mollified by my qualification. “How many?” she repeated.

“Four,” Penny answered for me.  Then she added with a smirk, “And there are quite a number of other mares who want to bed him.”

Oh, twist the knife, why don’t you?  Even Phil looked surprised by that revelation.  Then he grinned mischievously.

“So – how many mares are waiting in line to be rutted by you?  They’ve asked but you haven’t said yes yet?  Or you are the best pony option because of that class thing?”

I thought of Rainbow Dash and a few more mares, Apicula, countless hive princesses...

“I’d... rather not talk about it.”

Phil started busting a gut laughing.  Rosa rolled her eyes before getting off the bed.  She said, “Time for you to become un hombre again.  Only one esposa for you!”

Still chuckling, Phil clambered off the bed and headed for the mirror.  “I’ll be back in a minute, mi amor.”  He paused. “Unless you would like to find out what kind of mare you would make?”

That gave Rosa pause.  She thought for a moment before giving me a questioning look.

I shrugged.  “It’s up to you.  While traveling between the universes is something we like to keep under control, I see no harm in allowing you to visit.”

She nodded.  “I will see for myself this magical world that Phillipe has described.”

“Great!  In fact, we’ll treat you to dinner if you’d like?  Just let Penny and me go through and then you and Phil come next.”

“Clothes!” exclaimed Phil.

“Oh, right.”  I considered. “Rosa, I suggest you go through nude – unless you want to look as hilarious as your husband did in oversize sweatpants tripping him up every step.  Phil, I recommend full plate armor for you.  Let’s go, Penny.”  I heard sputtering and a giggle behind me as I trotted for the mirror.

My bodyguard, watching my back, let me go through the portal first before bringing up the rear.  A minute later, Phil came next with barely a wobble upon his exit, then turned to watch as his wife followed.  When she emerged, our collective jaws dropped.

Rosa was not a pony.  While she was winged like a pegasus, that’s where the resemblance came to a screeching halt.  Golden eagle plumage matched the aquiline beak and talons while her rear half was definitely leonine.  Phil’s wife was a magnificent griffoness!  She stood about a head taller than him too.

A smile slowly grew on Phil’s face as Rosa craned her neck around to look at herself.  “Whoa! Eres muy hermosa!” he said admiringly.

Twilight murmured to me, “Who is this?”

“That’s Phil’s wife, Rosa.  Is there any reason why she became a griffon rather than a pony?”

“The adaptation spell is designed to transform a person into the species best suited to the world they are entering.  As an educated guess, the spell has interpreted this to mean as a griffon for her.”

“Well, I kind of promised them dinner, so fish will need to be on the menu tonight.”

“Oh, joy,” my co-ruler grumped.

“So, I am what you call a griffon?” Rosa asked.  At our nods of confirmation, she continued.  “Why am I so much bigger than you?”

Twilight replied, “Griffons come in various sizes just like humans do. However, the average one is larger than the average pony.”

Rosa tapped her beak with a talon, her eyes crossing as she focused on the action. “This is most odd, and yet it feels right for me.”

The purple alicorn nodded in satisfaction.  “The adaptation spell seems to be working well then.”

I gave Twilight a keen stare.  “Have you been tweaking Star Swirl’s enchantments again?”

She gave me a cheesy grin.  “Mmmmaybe. I merely added an optimizing algorithm to the receiving portal to enable the transmogrified person to adapt better to their new form.”

I chuckled.  “Don’t let the old mage know that you’ve improved another of his spells.  He might get an inferiority complex!”  I held up a hoof to stop the inevitable protest. “No, I don’t wanna hear it. There’s a new Master of the Mystic Arts in town.”

Twilight rolled her eyes.  “Where do you come up with those outlandish titles?”

Phil smirked and said, “It’s very Strange, isn’t it, Doc?”

I gave him a wink before I gestured toward the door.  “Shall we head upstairs?  We can chat more over dinner.”

My wife said, “An excellent idea, Dowser.  Trixie is feeling quite peckish. Please, follow Trixie.”

While she led the way, I took up the rear.  That allowed me to observe Rosa’s movement.  There wasn’t a hint of the troubles that I’d had when I first tried walking with a quadrupedal gait.  Actually, Phil seemed more confident on his hooves as well.  I wished I’d had the benefit of Twilight’s optimizing spell back when I had arrived in Equestria.

We had reached the dining room floor when I thought of something.  I said to Phil and Rosa, “Neither of you has had a good look at where you are yet.  Let’s step outside for a moment so you can take in the sight of Canterlot City.”

I used my horn to open the great glass doors that led to the balcony. Rosa stared in wonder at that minor magical feat before stepping outside.  Her eyes grew even wider as the view of the city and country in the valley below filled her vision.  Her husband was gaping too.  I admit that I never tired of the vista so it was easy to empathize with them.

Rosa gaped and said, “Magnífico!”  She threw her left arm around Phil’s shoulders and pulled him close, not realizing her strength in that form.  “This world is muy maravilloso, don’t you think?”

“Urk!” Phil replied, his eyes bulging and tongue sticking out as she nearly strangled him.



I said, “Yes, it’s quite breathtaking, isn’t it, Phil?”  I struggled to keep down my snickers.

“Guh!” he replied.

“You might want to let your hubby breathe,” I told Rosa after a suitable interval.

She looked down, squawked, and released my poor friend.  “Oh, I’m sorry mi pequeño pony!”

Phil coughed briefly and gasped for breath.  Soon, he looked up at his wife.  “No harm done, mi amor, but easy on the hugs next time, please.”

She nodded and then turned back to the view just as a pegasus and changeling patrol flew past.  “Look at them!  Do you think I could fly like that?”  She half-spread her wings.

I hastily put a forehoof on her shoulder to restrain her.  “Yes, you have the capability, but it is something that you need to learn how to do properly first unless you are a fan of crash-landings. Believe me – I know.”

“You have a point, Marcus.  Perhaps later.”

Well, she’s keen.  It also boded well for future visits.  I let them get their fill of the view before reminding them that the others were waiting for us.

Trixie already had the dinner process underway.  Lace Doily waited to take Phil and Rosa’s order.  As expected, Rosa asked for the grilled trout, but even she was surprised at how enticing the thought of the dish was.

“I am not normally a huge fan of fish,” Rosa said.  “I suppose it’s a consequence of my change of species.”

That was very perceptive of her.  Phil hadn’t married a dummy, that’s for sure.

Our children started arriving after being summoned for the slightly earlier than usual mealtime.  Diadem was the first to be introduced and Rosa complimented Chrysalis on having such a beautiful daughter.



Sally was startled but pleased, not expecting such praise from someone who had never even seen a changeling before.  Rosa had a new instant friend from that moment.

Gemini arrived in the company of Verdant and Allura.  My firstborn was in their filly form and I decided not to tell our visitors about her dual nature.  If they changed during the meal, it would add a talking point.  Otherwise, our child was rather tired of it being mentioned every time they met someone new.  Allura was curious about the unfamiliar griffon and Rosa found her adorable.

Pearl elicited some questions, of course, and when Thorax turned up with Regis, that provoked a flurry of queries.  But when Gallus showed up with Smolder, that really caused a stir.  The young dragoness was a little embarrassed by all the attention. The conversation about our complex relationship and multiplicity of species slowed down everyone’s consumption of their meals.  It turned out to be quite a lengthy repast as the chatting continued unabated through dessert and coffee afterwards.

The younger children soon grew bored and left in the company of their nannies. I would have to make it up to a couple of them later by reading them a bedtime story.  Verdant fell asleep underneath Penny’s wing.

The conversation was relentlessly steered by the ever-curious Twilight in the direction of Phil and Rosa’s work.  Only I was able to follow all the details although I think Trixie was marefully trying to keep on top of the concepts judging by her comments and questions. It was during an intense and enthusiastic discussion of control systems for the electric airplane that the unexpected happened.

At first, Phil started glowing.  He didn’t notice, but Twilight’s eyes widened.  I saw the excited looks on the faces of the other mares and wondered what was going on.  Then he rose into the air.  Phil squeaked in surprise as his head whipped around, trying to figure out what was happening.  He even galloped in place, vainly trying to get away from whatever was happening to him. I was torn between laughing at his predicament and feeling genuinely concerned.

“Whoever is doing this, can you put me down, please?” my friend pleaded.

“It's okay, Phil,” Twilight replied.  “It’s something wonderful.”

I didn’t have time to query what she meant by that because there was a burst of blinding light before my best friend floated back to the floor.

“Wh–what was that all about?” Phil asked dazedly.

I grinned.  I could now see what had happened.  “Take a look at your butt.”

Phil craned his neck around and saw the dark blue silhouette of a bird emblazoned upon it. A martin, specifically.  I had only seen it once before on a mare in another dimension.

“Congratulations!  You just got your cutie mark.”

“My what?!”

That provoked a long explanation of what cutie marks were, their significance, and why ponies got them and not griffons.  The hardest question to answer though was why I had turned up in Equestria with one already.  I could only put it down to the destiny that Harmony had in mind for me.

That’s when I slapped my forehead with a hoof.  “Oh, no!  Phil, by getting your cutie mark, you just normalized!”

My friend turned to me, missing Twilight's confused expression.  “I did what?”

I sighed.  “It’s one of the side-effects of manifesting your special talent.  You’re filled with the magic of Harmony right now.  Long story short, you’re going to stay in pony form for the next eight days no matter what.”

“No way!”  His eyes grew huge and he got right in my face.  “That… that can’t be right!  I’ve got a customer presentation on Wednesday that I can’t miss!”

I grinned.  “Just messing with you.  It’s been a while.”

I heard chuckles all around me as Phil’s eyes narrowed down to slits.  Rosa said, “Ah, yes, I remember now.  You two would prank each other todo el tiempo, no?”

Phil said, “Ha, ha.  Almost funny. Keep trying and you might get all the way to ‘mildly amusing’.”

Through the far window, I saw Celestia gliding past.  From her direction of flight, she was flying toward her tower balcony.  Because everyone was looking at me and Phil, I was the only one who knew about her unexpected arrival.  I put on a wooden smile that Phil would recognize as suspicious.  “I just remembered something.  I’ll be right back.”  I held my friend’s gaze for just a second too long.  My lackluster attempt at convincing him of my sincerity done, I trotted out of the room.  

Twenty seconds later, I knocked on the door to Celestia’s chambers.  

Her familiar aura surrounded the double doors and they swung inward, revealing the smiling Solar Alicorn.  “Prince Mark! So much for me sneaking into Canterlot again undetected.”

I waved a hoof.  “Just Mark, please.  I promise that I wasn’t spying on you… too much.”

She laughed and came up and hugged me.  After she pulled away, she said, “I take it there is something you want of me? Some emergency, perhaps?”

“Nothing of the sort.  There are a couple of very special visitors in the Sun Room.  I would greatly appreciate it if you would swing by and say hello, assuming you don’t have anything pressing right now.”

She stepped into the corridor, closing the doors behind her.  “Not at all.  May I ask who these ponies are?”

I smiled.  “That’s part of the surprise.  I’ll give you a clue.  You are either half-right or not-right at all depending on how you look at it.”  Her ears swiveled forward, interest sparkling in her eyes.  

I opened my wings.  “I need to grab one more thing.  I’ll meet you there in a minute.”  Without waiting for an answer, I zoomed down the corridor.  Such was my haste that I caused an earth pony maid to scream and dive out of the way when I turned a blind corner.  I’d have to apologize to Whisk Broom later.

I landed in the hallway thirty feet from the entrance at the far side of the Sun Room.  I used spells from Twilight’s lessons to muffle my hooves and hide my scent.  Just before peeking in the open doorway, I used a Notice-Me-Not spell to avoid the eyes of others.  

I saw Princess Celestia complimenting Rosa on her plumage and playfully comparing it to her own.  Phil’s head was pulled back slightly and he frowned at the Day Alicorn.

Twilight diplomatically redirected her former teacher.  “Celestia, I’d like you to meet Mark’s best friend from his home dimension.  This is Phillip Martine.  Philip, this is Celestia.”

My friend deadpanned.  “Oh, we’ve met.”

Celestia froze and stared.  Whatever she meant to say had been derailed.  “Ex.. excuse me?”

Phil huffed, flaring his nostrils.  “Yep.  Many times. Known each other intimately for years.” 

The white alicorn stammered.  “I’m sorry?” Her mane started whipping a bit faster in the non-existent wind.

I stifled a laugh and silently crept forward.  From Chrysalis’ spot relaxing on a couch, one of her ears pointed my direction.  Crap. Hadn’t thought about masking my emotions.



Phil continued.  “Oh, yes. You could honestly say we’ve slept together so many times I’ve lost count.”

Celestia’s mane stopped moving and her mouth hung open.

Twilight looked between the two.  “Phil, I assure you—”

He wasn’t listening.  “You’d think after all this time, I’d be worthy of a kiss. But no.  Am I truly that ugly?” 

Penny smiled, showing off her fangs.  She got it.

The white alicorn’s horn began to glow and she scowled.  “Do not put words in my mouth.”

OK, this was getting potentially dangerous, time to intervene.  Before I could speak, Phil had boldly strode to within an inch of the angry mare.  “Did you really think I wouldn’t remember you wiggling your shapely rump on the far side of the mirror three years ago?  Nice try.”

“My rump?  Wait…” Celestia’s horn winked out. “Mirror?  You saw me in a mirror?”

Phil waved a hoof.  “Of course I did.  That’s when you told me to search for Celestia Faust and Luna Faust with a VPN. Your cutie mark was different, though.”

Twilight and Trixie both let out a little “Oooooo” sound.  The purple mare said, “Phil, didn’t Mark tell you? Celestia and Luna recently returned to Equestria.  They were lost for years, but now they are back.”

I dropped my concealment spells and took the last few steps forward.  “Twilight, I was retelling everything in chronological order.  We didn’t get past the Storm King’s invasion.”

Phil pursed his lips.  After several seconds, he pointed at me then leaned toward Chrysalis.  “Not a changeling?”  

“Not a changeling,” my newest herdmate acknowledged with a laugh as she stood up from the couch.

The silence stretched out longer this time.  While the beaks of griffons make it hard to read their expressions, the crinkles around Rosa’s eyes spoke volumes.  

Phil looked at me.  “On a scale of one to ten—”

“If Princess Celestia was still a reigning diarch, about a twenty.  Since she is a private citizen, you just need to square it with her.”

My friend lowered his hoof.  “First of all – Mark, that was a good one.”  He turned around and started to look up.  “Your Highness, I … mmmmfff!”  

The Solar Alicorn had cut him off with an aggressive kiss.  Only her wing pinning Phil in place kept him from falling onto his back.  Trixie and Chrysalis whooped it up an even Twilight couldn’t suppress a smile.

Several seconds later, Celestia pulled back, releasing Phil to drop panting to the floor.  “He fought back… or at least tried to.  Definitely a worthy kisser.”  She turned to Rosa.  “Quite the fearless stallion you have!  Well chosen.”

Rosa closed her eyes and bowed in acknowledgment.  

I helped my friend get back onto his hooves.  I could have imagined it, but I think some of his mane hairs were singed. While he fought to get his balance back, I asked Rosa, “No squawking in protest?  I remember you saying something about Phil needing only one esposa.” 

The griffoness shrugged.  “Let my husband learn from his mistakes.  Besides, mares obviously run this world.  Who am I to argue?”

Chrysalis wrapped a foreleg around Rosa’s shoulder.  “This one is smart.  I like her.”

Phil caught my eye.  “You put up with this all the time?”

That’s the Phil I remembered – already clear-headed and connecting the dots. I shrugged.  “You get used to it.  Now come on.  Let’s get you re-hydrated.  If you ask nicely, Celestia might model her oriental-style armor while telling the story of her time away from Equestria.”

“No sparring?” he asked with a look of concern.

He’d been pranked enough… for this trip. “No sparring, I promise.”

I think our conversation could have continued all night but, unfortunately, we all had to go to work the next day.  Phil and Rosa were already a few hours ahead of us, daytime-wise, so they reluctantly made their farewells to everyone.  I led them back to the portal room and we discussed the best time for them to come back for an extended visit.  Their Saturday happened to coincide with our Sunday, so that was convenient. I would have cheerfully taken a day off royal duties otherwise.

I promised Rosa that I would find her a tutor to learn how to fly before I gave Phil one long parting hug.

“Mi casa, su casa,” I said.

Phil chuckled.  “Never thought my other home would be a fairytale castle!”

I laughed and waved goodbye as he followed his wife back to his world. I stared at the enchanted mirror for a long moment before I felt Penny’s wing slip around my barrel and hug me.

In an unusually soft tone, she said, “It’s good to have your family whole once more, isn’t it?”

I nodded, feeling too choked up to speak.

My batpony wife gently guided me to the door.  “Let’s celebrate that with our herdmates, shall we?”





That was the first of what was to become many visits by Phil and Rosa to Equestria.  While we did occasionally go to Earth for a change, it suited everyone best for them to come here.  A suite was permanently assigned for their use whenever they needed it.  The griffoness instantly fitted into our family as if she had always been there.  I had fully expected that to happen.  I knew Phil and I knew he wouldn’t have married anyone who was not open-minded and did not like or appreciate the things that he did.  Rosa also happened to adore flying.  She learned quickly and was soon soloing. Trixie and I celebrated her progress by giving her an aerial tour of Canterlot.





Fluttershy was the next mare to join the party of new moms.  Her lilac-hued pegasus daughter charmed everyone with her adorable eyes that radiated cuteness.  Definitely got that from her mom.  One odd aspect of her appearance was the coloration of her mane and tail. They were bright yellow with streaks of red and black.  It wasn’t until I looked at Discord’s eyes that I saw where that coloration came from. 

The foal also had a snaggle-toothed fang on one side of her mouth.  Auntie Penumbra promised to teach the little one how to drain mangos and apples when she got older.  That would have to wait until Fluttershy was done breastfeeding. When asked about the fang, Discord confirmed it was hollow.  The draconequus assured us any chaotic aspects of her heritage would not appear until puberty in a manner very similar to cutie mark magic.  That meant her poison sacs would not appear for years.

Probably.





Having produced her heir, Chrysalis turned all her spare time toward building her new hive.  I had already gotten a team of earth pony miners to construct a new tunnel from the castle down to the crystal caverns inside the mountain.  From the Canterlot side, the entrance was consistent with the décor of the castle although it boasted a set of double doors marked with the symbol of the future hive.


 


The passageway was warmly lit with magic glowstones but was otherwise undecorated for the moment.  We planned to remedy that situation when the hive was up and running properly.  At a point around sixty yards down the tunnel, the walls, floor, and ceiling merged with the natural crystalline structure of the caverns.  The walls emitted their own light as a byproduct of the mana that seeped down here from the profusion on the surface.  Several branches had already been in place due to mining back when the city was being built.  Chrysalis intended to make good use of those for various sections such as a nursery, love storage, and residences for the drones.

“Is the hive going to resemble the one in the Badlands when you’re done?” I asked as we inspected the caverns.

“No, husband,” Chrysalis replied.  “This is a completely new start which will be a fusion of our heritages to begin a new dynasty.  If the Canterlot Hive is to grow to be the greatest in Equestria, it must embrace the best that each has to offer – changeling and pony.”

Some things about my most junior wife had not changed; her ambition was chief among them.  Now, however, it was aligned with the Triarchy’s goals instead of in conflict with them.

“Also, as you are the hive’s king, I want you to be comfortable with it as much as possible.  I will be laying eggs for the new drones as soon as the nursery is ready.”  She gave me a smirk.  “Knowing you and your dedication to your foals, do you believe you will be prepared to be the father figure for a dozen or so nymphs?”

I blinked.  “I didn’t think you needed me to create drones, only princesses.”

“Yet another tradition I am discarding.  These drones will be a step above those I can create by myself.  Our next clutch will be smarter, stronger, and have a better chance at succeeding at whatever they set their minds to accomplish. Speaking of which, I do not plan to assign our children to their professions.  They will be free to choose their destinies.”

I thought about suddenly having a dozen or so new children all at once.  “I admit that it’s going to be a bit weird but I’ll do what I can.  It will be a learning experience for both of us, I reckon.”

Unexpectedly, she nuzzled me.  “You are correct but, between us all, we will make our new hive the envy of Equestria.”

And that’s why I love my changeling mare.  She was utterly dedicated to us. Everything she did now, she did for the herd.  Her pride was inextricably linked with what was best for our family and, through our positions of power, Equestria.  Enlightened self-interest at its best.  I looked forward to seeing what she would build in her new stronghold.





As the months passed and the work progressed, Chrysalis regularly took me down to the caverns to show me what had been completed and ask my opinion on her intentions for the next sections.  If I didn’t understand their function, she would patiently explain her reasoning and I would offer my suggestions.  Occasionally, I would reject a proposal and give my reasons.  Many times it was simply because they made me feel uncomfortable, and if they did that to me, the average citizen would feel worse.

The example that comes to mind was the ‘bone fields’.  Changelings needed to augment their diets with calcium and phosphates.  The traditional way to get these involved collecting the bones of vertebrates and allowing mushrooms to grow on them.  No matter what animal the bones came from, the common pony would find the practice off-putting if not horrific.  If we were going to normalize the relationship between unevolved changelings and others, especially ponies, compromises had to be made.  

In this case, after consulting with Twilight, I recommended changing the source material to coconut shells and fiber.  The purple mare also found a tropical mushroom that extracted the needed nutrients.  Thankfully, my wife more often than not conceded to me, although not always without intense debate.  Sally was strong-willed and knew what she wanted, so I had to have good solid reasons to back me up.  She certainly kept me on my toes!  Er… hooves!





The first batch of drone eggs was laid after a night spent fertilizing them. A stallion’s duties never end. Thankfully.


# # #


When the eggs hatched, I was encouraged to visit the grubs and give them a little love.  Chrysalis explained that it would help them bond with me like with Diadem.  I bowed to my wife’s experience in these matters. I think I’m beginning to find them cute in a weird sort of way.


# # #


The nymphs emerged from their pupas today.  Although they had the same black carapaces and glowing eyes of the changelings that we had encountered in the Badlands Hive, the resemblance stopped there. Due to getting a steady diet of love from birth and even during their pupating period, they completely lacked the voids that characterized malnutrition in their species.  Their glossy chitin tended to break beams of sunlight into a spectrum and their wings sparkled greatly like their mother’s.

They were love sponges.  By that, I mean that they could hardly be kept away from their mother and me.  They adored being in our presence, almost like puppies.  This was significantly different from Diadem who had a much more restrained if no less loving relationship with her parents.  Chrysalis explained that this is what made the drones so loyal.  I got used to having two or three snuggling up to me while I held court, much to the bemusement of the nobles.

Meanwhile, Chrysalis laid another batch of eggs.  Upon being asked how many she intended to lay, she replied, “Oh, two or three hundred will do for now.”

Thank goodness I won’t have to throw birthday parties for them all.  And for heaven’s sake, don’t point this out to Pinkie!





The first stage was completed.  The hive could currently cope with all the needs of several hundred occupants.  Not that the nymphs would be spending all their waking hours there.  Secrecy and isolation were things of the past.  Ponies visited the hive, and the nymphs were brought up to interact with foals and chicks.  Naturally, there were some objections from the mothers and fathers but I pretty much told them to deal with the new normal.  The changelings were as much citizens of our nation as any other species. Racism would be ruthlessly suppressed. Education was key to this and, as soon as they were old enough, the nymphs attended normal school as well as special classes that would teach them how to do traditional changeling activities. I never realized that drones needed to be trained in shape-shifting to be adept at it.  That kind of thing came naturally to the royal changelings but competence varied wildly among the others.  Because the ability to shapeshift had always been integral to sustaining a hive, a lot of importance was placed on this training.  And while it would hopefully be a lesser need for our hive members, my wife still expected them to try their hardest at everything.





Interactions between the universes grew as each world learned what they could acquire from the others.  Like all of its counterparts, the anthro world had several devices that nopony had thought to create here and vice versa.  Unlike the other dimensions, though, we actively encouraged immigration from there, particularly to reside and work in Canterlot.  While we had a sound commercial rationale to back this policy, I admit that they weren’t the main reason why we did it.  Our daughter Pearl was unique among the ponies of this world. Having other anthro ponies in the community gave the locals time to adjust to them and normalize their presence. Hopefully, our beautiful filly would never know rejection or bullying for being different.  If not, well, the dungeons were currently empty.  Don’t tempt this protective father.  And no, we would not use the portal’s adaptation spell to make her into a four-hooved pony.  If she wanted to do that when she was old enough to make a responsible and informed decision, that would be her choice, not ours.





Mating Season came around as usual.  Unsurprisingly, Trixie reminded me that she intended to give me a son this time. Although I figured that it would be futile, nevertheless, I tried to persuade her to put it off for another year or so.

“Gemini is already part colt,” I pointed out.

Trixie shook her head.  “They spend the majority of the day as a filly.”

It was true even if Gemini always had time to have a flight with their father. Not a good enough reason for my wife though.  I tried my next objection.  “Gallus is my son too.”

“And he is a wonderful son and I am glad we adopted him, but he’s not a colt of your blood.”

“That would be Verdant,” I replied, laying down my trump card.

“But I am not his mother,” she replied as if that was highly significant.

I sighed.  “Are you ready to have another foal so soon after giving birth to Allura?”

My wife raised her head proudly.  “Trixie is an excellent broodmare and is ready to give you all the foals she promised you.”

It was no use.  While she was genuine in her determination to give me a son, it was quite evident that my beautiful mare simply loved being a mother.  She wanted another foal and she would brook no excuses for me not giving her one.  “Okay. So – happy fun times until I turn into a mare?”

“Trixie is glad that her husband has seen the light.”

There were worse ways to lose an argument.

Neither Rarity nor Penny wanted another foal so they spent the last couple of nights sleeping elsewhere.  Chrysalis was a special case – she controlled her fertility, so the Season made no difference to her.  Crimson Boulder and Steady left for a seaside resort outside Fillydelphia this time. Penumbra took over bodyguard duties full-time until I woke up as Marklestia.

But I didn’t change.  Even after Penny informed us through our closed and barred door that every mare was in the grip of the Season, I stubbornly remained a stallion which was wreaking havoc with our usual arrangements.  Every previous year, Trixie and I were lounging with our friends at the Ponyville Spa by now!  Having run out of patience, I deliberately changed to my Celestial form. Then, I tried to turn back to a stallion and was surprised when I succeeded.  Trixie merely grinned and insisted on ensuring she was well and truly fertilized.  Twist my arm… leg… why don’t you?  After obliging her, I became a mare again and dropped the barriers, both physical and magical, on the door to our suite.  Trixie pushed her way past me to stride into the corridor.  Looking around, there were a suspicious number of female guards, maids, messengers, and other various random castle staff standing around.  All threw me a hungry gaze but then sighed in disappointment.

I gulped.  Judging by their flagging tails, this mob didn’t appear to care a whit about the restrictions imposed by my social status.  I think they were highly motivated by knowing where to find the one available stallion.  Judging by the amount of perfume I smelled and the immaculate state of every mane and tail, all had been hoping to gain my attention for a short fling.

Trixie raised her voice, “Your Great and Glorious Princess Trixie thanks all of you for your consideration.  However, the Royal Suite does not need any pipes repaired, windows replaced, firewood restocked, closet shelves installed, or other sundry tasks performed.  We do require fresh linens and the floors and carpet scrubbed, however.”  She turned to a nearby earth pony.  “Gilded Tapestry, please attend to this.”  When several other maids also moved to comply, my wife added, “Only Gilded is required for this task.”  More disappointed sighs.

The throng broke up and headed down the hallways, my wife glaring at their retreating forms.  After the last was out of sight, she looked at the four guardsmares in turn.  “Ensure that Gilded leaves when her duties are complete.  Come, Dowser.”

I chuckled as I matched my wife’s pace.  “A bit cruel of you to wave the messy linens and floor in their faces, don’t you think?”

She raised her head even higher.  “It is good to be Princess.  Next season, doubtless I shall tell these avaricious mares that all the furniture needs to be replaced on account of it being broken.”

I laughed until I had a thought.  I stopped in my tracks and looked at my wife who continued without me. “Wait.  Are you serious?”

Trixie turned her head so I could see her lascivious grin.  “We both need to grow into our newly-acquired earth pony strength.  You get a pass this year but I expect lots of splintered wood in our future.”

The rest of the day was spent engaging in some fun and games with the rest of my herd.  It was one of the few times of the year when we got to put work almost completely aside and indulge ourselves for a while.

The next day, I visited Twilight and showed her that I could still revert to my normal stallion form.  She stiffened, her nostrils flared, and in a slightly strangled voice insisted that I change back immediately.  Damn, those pheromones work quickly.  After a few tests (with wine corks hilariously shoved up the bookmare’s nostrils), the purple nerd declared that her best guess was that the enforced gender-change side-effect had worn off.  As that hadn’t been a part of the original poison joke curse, it apparently wasn’t permanent.  That suited me just fine.  I could still enjoy the best of both worlds without being confined to one by hormones. Everything worked out great!

Then Rainbow Dash heard the news.  She and Applejack came visiting about halfway through the Season.  As usual, my colorful friend was blunt about her reason for coming.

I had been in my long-maned Marklestia body but switched to the short-haired form upon seeing my friend.  I spread my wings.  “Ah, the un-ascended return to try to retain their crown.  Know that I have grown stronger, faster, and more awesome in the past year.  Are you ready to get your colorful tail hoofed to you by—”

The Element of Loyalty waved a hoof.  “Maybe later. We're here now 'cause we want you to sire the foal you promised me.”

I blinked in surprise.  “But… your career…  I thought you had no intention of having a foal this soon because it would interfere with your flight abilities and thus your position in the Wonderbolts.”

“Yeah, but AJ really wants a foal, so we’re scheduling the show for an earlier date.”

“Well, if that’s what you want, I made a promise and Trixie has already given her blessing, so do you want to do this right now?”

Dash stared at me with a furrowed brow for a moment before bursting out laughing. “Not me.  Like I said, Applejack wants to bear our foal.”

My eyebrows rose and I looked at the farm pony.  “You want me to rut AJ?”

Applejack gave me a lopsided smile.  “Ah know it’s a bit of a surprise for ya, but it makes sense.  We earth ponies can carry a foal right easily up until we give birth, so if’n we want to start a family, Ah’m the one who should bear the burden until Rainbow is ready for her turn.”

“I get that,” I replied.  “It’s just that I made the promise to her, not you.”

Trixie poked me in the side with the edge of her hoof.  “Stop being so stubborn, Minipark Presells.  The promise is to give her a foal.  If that’s through her wife, then that’s her choice.”

I am never going to understand all the rules about pony relationships.  I turned back to Applejack.  “Umm… although we got off to a bit of a rocky start, we’ve been friends for a long while now, but I never really was interested in you romantically the way I was with Dash.  And I know the feeling has been mutual.  Are you sure you want to do this with me?”

Applejack nodded.  “Ah know how you feel, but Ah tell you honestly that Ah would be right honored if you would be the sire for our foal.”

I thought about it for a long moment.  “Okay, I’ll do it on two conditions.”

Both mares cocked their heads and looked at me quizzically.  “What are they?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“First – you know me.  You know that I would want to be a part of the life of any foal that I beget despite the law that says I don’t automatically have that right.  I want the foal to know I am her sire and will at least be happy to have me in her life, even if just occasionally.”

“Well, duh!” Rainbow replied.

Applejack glared at her before adding, “Family is everything to us Apples. We won’t exclude you, Ah promise.”

“Great!  That just leaves condition number two.”  I looked at Rainbow sternly.  “I want you to join in.”  Both mares were stunned and I continued.  “I expected to do this with you, Dash, and that’s how I intend to fulfill my promise.  You can use all the contraceptives you like though.”

“But they’re not 100% guaranteed to work during the Season!” the pegasus objected.

“I know, but that’s the risk that you will have to take if you want me to go through with this alteration to my promise.”

The two mares glanced at each other.  Applejack looked as if she was pleading and I saw Dash wince.  The blue pegasus sighed.  “Okay, you have a deal.”

I must admit that I half expected her to call it off.  However, her commitment to AJ outweighed her personal desires and that impressed me.  I turned to my wife and kissed her.  “Pardon us, love.  A stallion’s gotta do what a stallion’s gotta do.”

“Indeed.  Come back when you’re finished with them.  Trixie has a special new trick she wants to show you.”

That’s my kinky mare!

I took Rainbow and Applejack to the Ponyville Hospital to pick up contraceptives – both the magical and the physical types.  The prismatic mare complained that they would be cheaper at Rich’s Barnyard Bargains.  When I pointed out that these types of medical supplies were free to anypony that asked a qualified doctor or nurse, she huffed.

Applejack picked up on the cause right away.  “What’s wrong, sugarcube?  Tired of this here stallion getting’ the best of ya again?”  That just earned a scowl from her wife.

As we strode into the entry hall of the Castle of Friendship, I recommended we travel by daggerscale portal to Canterlot.  Twilight overheard us and suggested we use one of her rooms instead.

I smirked.  “Well, there is one room that certainly has seen use for that purpose.”  I raised my voice.  “Castle!  Show us the way to Twilight and Thorax’s love shack!”

“Oh no, no, no, no, no!” said the purple mare while Applejack and Rainbow had a good laugh.

Twilight took a deep breath then placed her hoof on the nearest wall.  The spot lit with a dull orange glow.  I glanced at Applejack.  She nodded.  “Ah showed her how it’s done.”

The purple alicorn smiled sweetly.  “Castle – would you mind pointing my friends to a chamber suitable for procreation?”

An orange dotted line zoomed away from the spot on the wall, heading into a corridor on the third floor.

Twilight growled.  “One that is not my room.”  More chuckling from the couple.

The dots retreated back to where my co-ruler’s hoof touched the wall.  They then reappeared, this time leading to a staircase that I knew went to the sub-basement.

Applejack turned to me.  “Alrighty. Let me see if’n the Season makes any difference.”  She waved her hooves in a very poor imitation of one of my wife’s acts.  “Presto! Change-o!”

I dutifully switched to my stallion body and posed in what I hoped was a handsome manner.  Behind me, I heard Twilight take a deep breath—doubtless to avoid any more hormones.

The Element of Honesty looked me up and down then trotted to my side.  She shoved her nose into my mane and took a long sniff.  Pulling her head back, she sneezed then shrugged.  “Better, but yer still kinda homely.”  However, the farm mare’s flagging tail told me wasn’t entirely immune to a stallion’s hormones.

I said, “I thought that was a high compliment for farm folk.”

That earned me an angry stare.  “Oh. So it’s gonna be one of those sessions.”

I laughed.  “Sorry, not sorry.  I promise to make it up to you.”

Applejack said, “That’s fine by me.”  She turned to the purple mare.  “We’ll letcha know how it goes, Twi.”

Rainbow didn’t miss a beat.  “Don’t go to sleep yet.  We might have to go back to Plan A.  Coming, Mark?”

I trotted over and gave Twilight a nuzzle.  “Thanks.”

Her smile lost some of its strain.  “No prob—GRK!”

Twilight’s eyes went wide.  Oops, my bad. Forgot about the hormones.

The purple mare said in a rush, “GottaGoSeeThoraxRightNowBye!”  In a flash of magic, she was gone.  I guess she took out the wine cork nose plugs too soon.

Applejack’s voice carried up from the stairwell.  “Ya comin’ or not, Mark?”

I hurried to catch up.

The dots led to a corridor I had never visited.  If the mares’ facial expressions were any judge, neither of my companions had been here either.

Rainbow Dash asked, “This is the bottom level, right?  The basement?  Twilight’s wind tunnel is down the other way.”

I said, “Yes it is.”  I picked up my pace to reach the entrance indicated by the dashed line running along the floor.  I turned back to face the mares as I used my magic to open the double doors.  “And now ladies, please step into my boudoir.”

That earned me a chuckle which turned into open-mouthed shock at the scene behind me.

I spun around.  “Whoa!”

The room was lit only by the angry red flames dancing in the room’s fireplace. Handles for branding irons stuck out of a glowing bed of coals.  Scattered around the room were an X-cross, benches, cages of all sizes, collars, straps, whips…

I closed the doors and tried not to sound panicked.  “Nothing to see here.  Move along.  Move along.”

Rainbow Dash rolled onto her back, laughing.  Applejack shook her head.  “Ah had no idea that this here castle had a sense a humor.”

The farm mare put her hoof on a crystal wall, causing the spot to glow orange. She raised her head to look at the ceiling.  “Ah’m sorry we wasn’t bein’ clear!  Ah want an Apple Family romantic honeymoon suite, not a Rarity casual date tryout room!”

A low rumble came from everywhere around us.  An orange dashed line spiraled across the wall until it stopped at the next set of double doors.

Rainbow got back on her hooves.  “Didya just get the castle to laugh, Applesmack?”

The Element of Honesty lowered her hoof.  “Ah believe so, and don’t call me Applesmack.”

“Made ya say it.”

I trotted over to the indicated double doors.  Cautiously, I peered inside.  A princess-sized four-poster bed, lots of throw pillows, and an elegant décor in peach and shades of white.

I sighed.  “Much better.”


# # #


Making love with an earth pony was unusual but pleasant.  I was able to use my full alicorn strength without fear of harming her, and she seemed to get quite a kick out of that.  I was a bit more careful with Rainbow Dash though, but we enjoyed ourselves.  Then I rutted AJ again to be extra sure.  Okay, that wasn’t really necessary but we did it as a threesome and it was great fun. And although I knew that this fulfilled my promise, I was pretty sure that Rainbow would come calling again one day. And I wouldn’t say no.


# # #


Applejack successfully conceived as expected.  Much to Rainbow’s relief, she didn’t.





The day came when the farm mare dropped her tools and said, “It’s time.”  Word came to me during the afternoon Court session which I concluded at the normal time.  Experience told me that the foal’s birth would be a few hours away as yet. I collected my herd and we went visiting Sweet Apple Acres.  Everypony gathered in the living room downstairs.  It was a tight fit, with only Big Mac, the CMC, and Granny Smith occupying the furniture.  The rest of us made use of the floor.  Granny had the good sense to take a nap in her rocking chair.

It was about midnight when we heard the squalls of the newborn emanating from Applejack’s room upstairs.  Granny Smith woke up immediately and, with a little help from Apple Bloom, went up to see her great-grandchild.  Big Mac gave us a knowing wink as everyone waited patiently.  Let the matriarch have her moment.

When we eventually joined the others, we finally had our curiosity assuaged. Applejack was propped up against some pillows with Rainbow Dash’s wing around her shoulders.  She had their foal in her forelegs – a filly, we were informed. She was an earth pony with a pale pink coat.  But her most outstanding features were her mane and tail – they were colored like an aurora, just like Marklestia’s.  Rainbow gave me a chagrined smile but Applejack only had eyes for her foal. She didn’t care about the unusual hues – she had the daughter that she had longed for.

And me?  I was a proud sire.  I looked forward to spending some quality time with Breezy in the future.  Oh!  They named her Orchard Breeze.  Dash nicknamed her Breezy.  Don’t blame me!  Okay, I suggested the name, but Rainbow ran with it.







Because Trixie had conceived immediately after Applejack, naturally our latest foal arrived later that week.  To our pleasure, it was a colt – a pegacorn this time.  I had secretly been hoping for a pegasus because Trixie had her unicorn daughter, and a brother for Gemini who could fly was very desirable.  At least this time we got two traits without two forms.  He had an orange coat which reminded me of Trixie’s mother, but with a golden mane and tail with green and brown stripes running through both. Green eyes too.  And like Allura, he seemed quite normal.

“Nice to see some other coloration than green or blue, don’t you think?” I asked my tired wife.

“Trixie only cared that she would bear a colt this time.  Candy stripes would have been acceptable.”  She frowned a little.  “Although Trixie swears that the foal looked redder when she first laid eyes on him.”

“Trick of the light, I suppose.  Are you ready for visitors yet?”

“Give Trixie fifteen more minutes and then you may show them in.”

The midwife passed a restorative drink to her patient and Trixie quaffed the entire contents in seconds.  Childbirth was thirsty business.  After she passed the glass back, I began brushing her frazzled mane.  I knew Trixie would want to look her best for the others, and she had earned some TLC.  The new foal would be hogging all of that soon enough.  For now though, the colt’s only interest was the contents of his mother’s udder, so while he was occupied, I made sure that my wife felt loved.

Trixie eventually nudged me away and told me to fetch everyone.  I threw open the door and shouted, “It’s a colt!”

There was a flurry of congratulations and a surge of ponies into the room.  Even earth pony strength could not have prevented me from being pushed aside.  I then went over to the window to open the curtains further to let in more sunlight.

As I rejoined the others, Rarity said, “How perfectly darling he is!  Oh, but quite the challenge to make an outfit to suit that green mane.”

Say what?  Green? I moved my fashion-loving mare gently out of the way to see what the heck she was talking about.  The foal did have a green mane and a lemon-yellow coat too! I looked up to meet Trixie’s eyes. She just shook her head in disbelief.

“Only you, Dowser.  It could only ever be you.”

While that remark puzzled everyone else, it didn’t take long for them to figure it out.  Over the period of an hour or so, the now-sleeping colt gradually shifted hue through green, blue, violet, red, and back to the orange that I had first seen. 



Everyone debated our foal’s name for a long time with his remarkable trait in mind before settling on Spotlight.  Yeah, that was Trixie’s suggestion.  It was still a lot better than our guests’ other picks – Carnival and Circus Day.  No pony had the slightest clue why I suggested the name ‘Andy Warhol.’  I quit while I was ahead.





A week later, our herd was unceremoniously summoned to Sweet Apple Acres. Luna joined us in the daggerscale portal room, informing us that she also had been roused from bed by an urgent summons thanks to Spike’s dragonfire scroll delivery.

In very little time, all of us stood in the yard in front of the farmhouse. Applejack held her daughter in her hooves, bundled up in a blanket gifted by Fluttershy at the baby shower. For the moment, none of us could see the foal’s face.  The farm mare seemed displeased while Rainbow Dash had an eyebrow raised.  Both were looking directly at me.

Applejack said, “Ah figured this needed to come to the attention of all y’all.”

Rainbow Dash said, “Every morning, Breezy’s—”

“Her name is Orchard Breeze!” interrupted Applejack.

“Yeah, yeah.  That’s what I said.  So – Breezy’s mane and tail…”  The pegasus got a smile out of her wife’s growl.  “… has been different every morning.  No doubt 'cause her father's kinda odd.”

Penny said, “Yes.  Just like the sea is ‘kinda wet’.”

Rainbow smiled then continued.  “First, it was Trixie’s platinum tresses, then Rarity’s overly-curly purple hair. Yesterday was Penumbra’s colors.”

My bodyguard gasped and smiled.  “Fangs, too?”

Applejack said, “Nope.  Sorry.”

Rainbow glared at the interruption.  “A-a-a-anyway.  All that made some sense 'cause of Mark’s dilly-dallying and all that.”

I frowned.

Applejack said, “Ah was half-expectin’ ta see Chrysalis’ sparkly hair today.  Turns out this mornin’ was different.”  She swiveled the foal around so we could see her face and dark blue mane.  A mane that waved in a non-existent wind.  A mane with stars that twinkled even in the bright sunlight.  I was speechless.

Luna looked at the foal, then each of my wives.  “'Tis apparent that this is a herd matter.”  With a flash, she was gone.

That left every mare’s eyes fixed squarely on me.  That included a happy burbling Breezy.  None of the other stares were as friendly.

I stammered.  “Look… obviously, Orchard Breeze inherited some amount of shape-changing ability from me. She’s just better at it in some ways.” This was met by silence.  I may have imagined it, but even the birds seemed to have stopped making noise.  “Luna and I have never done any… anything like that.  We’ve barely hugged.”

A single cough from Penumbra, then more silence.

“I mean, don’t we want our foals to exceed us in every way?  Applejack, you should be proud of your foal!”

“Oh, ah am, sugarcube.  Just thought yer herdmates might be plum interested.  Sure looks like Ah was right.”

I sputtered for a few more seconds before it finally hit me.  I sighed.  “I fell for it again, didn’t I?”

Every mare cracked up, some of them rolling on the ground.

Luna teleported back in.  “What did I miss?  Did Mark surmise I visited Orchard Breeze earlier this week? What sayeth he?”

Chrysalis stood up and green flames covered her.  In a moment, she had taken on my appearance.

My faux-self stammered and looked around wildly, ears splayed back onto ‘his’ head.  “Why are you all looking at me like that?  We’re just friends!  Friends with lots of benefits!”  More waves of laughter.  “We’ve never even kissed!  Except for that one time we were both drunk… and that time behind the circus tent… and that time we woke half of Baltimare… and that time—”

I sat down and waved to the new parents with a hoof.  I levitated Breezy out of her mother’s grasp so Applejack could freely join in on the merriment.  As I cradled the foal in my forelegs, the imaginative retelling and raucous laughter continued all around us.  I leaned closer to my daughter.  “Don’t you worry, little one.  Uncle Mark will keep you safe from all these crazy mares.”  I felt Penumbra kiss my ear.  I knew it was her because she nipped it a bit, too.

I sighed.  “At least, I’ll try.”





I sat motionless on the floor as my teacher circled me.

Penumbra said, “Feel the energy.  It surrounds us and penetrates us.  It binds the universe together.  Discord knows this innately, which is why he does not require my training.  Twilight Sparkle only understands this intellectually. She does not allow the knowledge to permeate her very soul—to reach the untapped well of creativity within her. You, my apprentice, must learn that every moment is an opportunity.  Every being is a potential target or collaborator.  Let go of the restrictions holding you back.”

The bamboo wand struck my withers but I did not flinch.  It still hurt, but my focus allowed the pain to drift away without even a twitch.  I heard the familiar WHOOMP of a scroll appearing by dragonfire.  Without opening my eyes, I reached out a hoof and let it drop into my grasp.

“The contents of that scroll will be your catalyst.  Do not fail me, my apprentice.”

Dutifully, I opened the scroll and scanned its contents.  My mind rapidly created and discarded various correlations until one stuck.  A smile grew on my face.

I stood and rolled up the scroll.  “This lines up very well with upcoming events.  I’ll need to make some arrangements…”





The following Saturday, Trixie woke me well before sunrise.  I had no complaints given how she did so.  A half-hour later, I followed my wife to the entrance of the Sun Room, This was our go-to location for entertaining fellow royals, whether from our dimension or others.  Penumbra and the changeling guard Iridescence were our escorts as was standard for Saturdays.

I blinked when I saw the Royal Sisters trotting up the opposite corridor. I said, “Good morning Luna, Celestia.” I nodded to the Solar Alicorn.  “I heard you were back in town.  Getting a resupply for your next gallivant with Daring Do?”

The alabaster mare laughed.  “That’s part of the reason.  If Daring had not packed a supply of red rubber balls, we might not have escaped the feral diamond dogs under the Solitary Mountain.  We will need to prepare better if we want to reach the bottommost chambers.”

I followed the former diarchs through the doorway.  I heard Twilight Sparkle before I saw her.

“Eeeeeee!”

Our co-ruler practically flew into Celestia’s embrace.  Actually, she probably did.

“I need to hear all about your adventures!  Plus I have exciting news about exactly how similar ponies are to changelings.  The Plague Dimension’s advances in genetic sequencing have opened up a whole new field of research!  My studies also show that plant and animal species—”

Trixie’s horn glowed and her blue field forced the purple mare’s mouth closed. “Enough with the science, please. Remember that we are here for a reason at this early hour.”

I moved forward.  “And what reason is that?  I forgot to ask.”

Luna turned to me.  “Thy continuing education, certes.”

I looked between her and her sister.  Both wore the same expectant smile.  I said, “I need to learn how to move the sun and moon.  That’s the only explanation given how close we are to moonset and sunrise.”  I turned to my wife.  “But why wasn’t I told in advance?  And aren’t you going to join in?”

Trixie closed her eyes and waved a hoof.  “Miss Twilight recommended you not go in with expectations that would cloud your ability to learn properly.  Also, this way you can then instruct your Great and Powerful wife on how to avoid the dangers of such an endeavor.”

Joy. Relegated to a combination of Royal Taste Tester and Crash Test Dummy.  Again.

I sighed.  “I suppose the first part makes sense.  I simply don’t have any time to make assumptions.”  I turned to my alicorn teachers.  “OK, ladies.  I’m definitely approaching this with an open mind.  Although if I didn’t know better, I’d almost swear this was yet another chance to get in a laugh at my expense.”

Luna chortled while Celestia put on a hurt expression.  “Why Mark!  Would we ever do that to you?”

“In a heartbeat.”

Luna said, “Thou dost wound us most unjustly.”

I rolled my eyes.  “Yeah, yeah. What do I do?”

“Beginest thou with a clear mind and full heart.  Gently reach out and touch the celestial object.  Ask it respectfully to do thy bidding.”

Celestia added.  “Wait patiently and without judgment.  The sun and moon need much time to gauge your worth and character.”

I took a deep breath and cleared my thoughts before lighting my horn.  I concentrated on the moon that rested near the horizon.  No pony interrupted me as I set to the task.

After a minute, I said aloud.  “Wait. It can’t be that simple.”  I raised my right hoof and the moon trembled. “Could it?”

As I gently lowered my outstretched hoof, the moon dropped out of sight.

Luna’s voice sounded confused.  “So soon? But thy link—”

Before anypony could say anything, I snapped my left hoof above my head.  The sun bounced into the sky.  Abruptly, it was mid-day.

“Oops.  Too high.” I jerked my hoof lower, making the solar orb touch the horizon.

Celestia said, “But… but you can’t have…”

I yelled.  “Hey! This is fun!”  Lifting both hooves, I made the sun and moon rise upward then dance in the sky as I swayed to and fro.

“Bookmark Barbells, please stop showing off.”

I heard Twilight’s voice next.  “Mark, we get the point.  You’re a natural.”

I smiled and looked over my shoulder.  My co-rulers frowned at me.  Neither’s horn was lit.  For their part, the Royal Sisters snapped their gaze out the window then to each Triarch in turn.  Their irises had shrunk to pinpricks and I detected a look of panic on their faces.

Celestia stammered.  “Ahhhh, Mark? Would you… stop, please?”

Luna added in a rush, “Indeed!  Desist posthaste.”

“Nah.  Twilight tells me that practice makes perfect, and besides – I’m having a great time.”  I looked out the window again.  “I could do this all day and all night.”

Both sisters let out a squeak that would do a mouse proud.  Snickers and snorts emanated from the empty space at the far side of the room.  I turned back in time to see Celestia and Luna whip their heads in that direction. A curtain shimmered in mid-air then disappeared, revealing three sets of Celestias and Lunas, all different. Well, not altogether different. All were laughing uproariously.

I walked over to the gaping alicorns and put a wing around each.  “By happy coincidence, the Triarchy is hosting a trade meeting with the rulers of three parallel universes.  The Equestrian Diarchs of the House Path, Gender-Swapped, and Recently Reformed Discord dimensions were all glad to help prank you too.”

The House Path Luna stopped laughing long enough to say, “That squeak!  I haven’t heard that since I was a foal!”

The male Celestia said, “Twilight, you have to make us all a copy of your speak-and-see crystal.”

“No problem.”  My co-ruler levitated the diamond from its carrier on top of the room’s central table.

I pulled the two sisters closer to me with my wings.  “Well, since we went through all the trouble of getting you to the castle early this morning, I only think it’s right that you two stay for breakfast.  Does that sound fair?”

I noticed a wordless exchange between Celestia and Luna.  It reminded me of what Flim and Flam could do, but the communication between sisters seemed more nuanced somehow.  I guess that’s something over a century of working as a team could develop.

Celestia looked down at me with a fake smile.  “Of course, Prince Mark.  That sounds fair.  Fair as can be.”

Luna had the same look, but her stare was more piercing.  “Verily, 'tis the sporting thing to do.”

Now it was my turn to stammer.  “Ahhhh. OK then.  Come on.  Let's find a spot to sit.”  Somehow, their letting me guide them to the table didn’t help me feel that I had convinced them.





Let it be known that the Astronomers Union picketed the castle for almost an hour the following evening.  They were quite put out by my “rash and careless actions”, but not enough to change their sleep schedule.  By the time I arrived to watch the curious event, the out-of-shape and largely aged ponies had run out of gas and were leaning on their signs.  The group was debating whether to continue their chants, choose shorter slogans to conserve their breath, or just go home.

I strode out to the group, apologized to each member, promised not to play with the heavenly bodies in such a manner ever again.  After that, I offered to buy them a round of drinks or three.

Those astronomers were not the most raucous crowd when they got tipsy, but they did reveal their passion for friendship and science.  The only downside happened the next morning when an excited Twilight quizzed me about the scientific research and theories I had heard the night before.  Let me tell you, a non-stop chattering alicorn that gets louder the more excited she gets is no fun when you are a stallion with a hangover.





“Your wife would like to hold your hoof.”

I looked up with a start.  “What?”

Trixie’s midwife Calming Hooves frowned at me.  “I said, ‘Princess Trixie needs your help.  Now.’ ”

“Yes!  Of course!”

I trotted over to the bed in our herd’s chambers.  Trixie waved her left hoof in my direction, grunting and groaning. I quickly grabbed hold, only to be reminded my wife was an alicorn now with the requisite strength.  After getting back on my hooves, I braced myself for the ordeal to come.

I looked around our otherwise empty bedroom.  “Wait, where are Doctor Bellows and Nurse Gentle Touch?”

My wife let out a growl and nearly toppled me over again.

I said, “Don’t worry, dear.  I’m here for you.”

The midwife shook her head.  “Sometimes these deliveries happens much sooner than anypony expects.  Your little one is in a bit of a hurry.”

I tried to remember.  Didn’t Trixie want the other herdmares with her?  A second hoof grabbing mine and pulling downward interrupted my musings. All my attention was back on my wife… or at least trying to arm wrestle with her while she loudly suffered through her contractions.

Just as I was getting winded, I heard crying followed a few seconds later by Trixie going limp.  I looked up to see Calming Hooves beaming down at my child.  She held them out, bundled up in a blanket.

With trembling hooves, I took my baby and turned it around… only to see the happy face of a blue baby goat staring up at me.  The curving horns and goatee beard removed any doubt.  Grogar cooed adorably before saying, “Dada?”

I gaped, my mouth working but no words coming out.

“What vexes thee, my husband?”  I turned to look at Trixie.  “Dost thou not approve of thy spawn?”

Everything fell into place.  The confusion that addled my brain disappeared.  “Luna!”

My accusation was met with riotous laughter.  ‘Calming Hooves’ rushed onto the bed to embrace my ‘wife’.  The forms of the two hugging mares slowly shifted into the Royal Sisters.  The baby in my arms blew a raspberry at me before dissolving into mist.

Celestia stopped laughing long enough to say, “That face!  Oh, by the sun and moon, that face!”

Luna wiped tears from her eyes.  “A laudable prank, my sister.  I wish his herd beheld Mark so afeared.”

Scowling, I looked around the surroundings.  The areas of the room in my peripheral vision were strangely out of focus.  The parts that were in focus looked flat and lacked detail.  Well, then if this was a lucid dream…

I willed a large wooden bucket into existence above the bed and upended it. A moment later, I was sitting in Luna’s previous spot on the bed getting drenched. When I wiped my sodden mane out of my eyes, the sisters had stopped laughing but seemed no less amused from their spot at the foot of the bed.

Luna said, “A worthy attempt.  It might have succeeded against aught but the Mistress of Dreams.”

I growled.  Not even close to a level playing field.  More like playing on a cliff face with an ibex.  That’s when a thought hit me that made my ire disappear.  “Wait, so you can make any two people share a dream?  Could you bring Trixie into mine?”

Celestia tapped the frame of the room’s full-length mirror.  The glass popped like a bubble, showing a beach complete with palm trees and a couple of lounge chairs.

“You were right, Luna.  That was buckets of fun!  But now we are done exacting our just revenge.  Let’s leave poor wet Mark in peace.”  She stepped through.

Luna trotted after her sister.  “Certes. If she be willing.  Try not to say I oweth thee.  ‘Tis simply just payback.  Enjoy your defeat.”  The night alicorn stuck her head through the now-portal.

“Hot dogs!” I yelled.

Luna stopped in her tracks.  She pulled back far enough to give me a skeptical look over her shoulder.  “What meanest thou?”

I got out of bed and moved closer.  “Hot dogs.  Hot dogs like you’ve never tasted before.”

I caught a glimpse of Celestia tilting her head.  She was already lying on a lounge chair with a coconut drink in one hoof.  “Coming, sister?”

Luna retreated the rest of the way into my room and tapped the mirror frame. The reappearance of the glass cut off whatever protest Celestia was about to voice.

With a flash of dark fire, Nightmare Moon stood before me.  She put her face up to mine and smiled.  “Explain.”

I rolled my eyes.  “I find fangs and slit pupils to be sexy, not intimidating, remember?”

The dark mare in front of me blinked then stepped back, reverting to the blue alicorn’s form.  “We may flirt later.  For now, thou mentioned matters most serious.”

I smiled.  “Hot dogs roasted on a stick, but cut in a spiral.  The fire crisps up so much more of the frankfurter that way.”

“And the quality?”

“Abysmally low.  The cheapest I can find.  Not even pork or beef byproducts.  One hundred percent turkey.”

Luna swallowed.  “Onions?”

“Cooked slowly in an iron skillet until they are practically see-through… then caramelized with a flash of heat.  And that’s not mentioning the sautéed bell peppers or the twenty varieties of mustard.”

Drool escaped the side of her mouth as she swallowed again.  “All this for bringing thy wife hence.  Very well, I –”

I had her now.  Might as well ask for the moon.  “No, no, no. You want much more than just a single package of hot dogs.  You want this delicacy on a regular basis.  In return, I will need Trixie’s and my dreams to be joined once per month.” I smirked.  “And the first night needs to be special.”





My wife glared at me from across the table.  Big Mac and Discord sat to my left while Rainbow Dash and Spike occupied seats to my right.  “The tired and contented Trixie has told you before that she has no time for your Ogres and Oubliettes game.”

Luna stood behind me, waving a hoof.  Obligingly, the surroundings changed to a dark and seedy bar.  I smelled saltwater, rotting fish, and spilled beer.  The other patrons stood or sat immobile, frozen in time.

The Night Alicorn said, “Which is why thy husband found a period with no activity scheduled.  Come, come, Your Highness.  Thou art asleep.  There is no better opportunity for gentle merriment.”

Spike waved his clawed hand.  “You can be someone else for a change.  It’s pretty awesome!”

Rainbow clopped him gently on the head.  “That’s my line.”

My wife shrugged.  “The hardworking Trixie is quite comfortable being herself.”

Big Mac leaned forward.  “What Spike means is that you can let loose.  Become someone completely different for a while.”

My wife frowned but her ears pointed directly at Big Mac.

Discord’s entire body shifted between color, greyscale, and black and white. “Take a risk, young mare.  The worst that can happen is you don’t participate a second time.”

I adjusted my dungeon master’s screen and picked up two ten-sided dice. “Think of this as a new kind of performance.  How convincing can you act out the role of a…”  I rolled the dice and looked at my character generation instructions. “Chaotic Neutral Assassin?”

The light-hearted mood at the table came to an end.  Darkness swirled about Trixie for a moment before retreating. The light blue alicorn now wore a cloak and wide-brimmed hat that blended into the background, showing only her eyes.  Trixie threw it to the side and stood.  Leather boots covered the lower half of her rear legs.  Her thighs held scabbards for three throwing daggers each. The patterns in her cloak and hat shifted twice more until they showed blue and yellow stars on a purple field. She smiled coldly.  “I take it ‘chaotic neutral’ means Gleaming Blade is unpredictable?  Even I don’t know what dangerous whim will strike my fancy, moment by moment.”



Big Mac shared a worried look with Discord.  “Uhhh… yes, Gleaming Blade.  That’s right.  Are you OK with that?”

Trixie only had eyes for me.  She did not acknowledge that the big earth stallion had spoken to her.

I tore my eyes away.  “OK! Everyone else can continue with your characters from the last session.”  Flurries of white fog sprang up to cover the rest of the adventurers.  When the mist cleared, the four wore familiar guises.  Both Big Mac and Discord were ax-wielding barbarians.  Rainbow Dash carried a cleric’s staff and short sword.  Black mage robes billowed around Spike who lifted a miniature version of the Staff of Sacanas.  Luna levitated me and a portion of the table.  As the dungeon master, I would watch the party’s progress and roll for special events as needed.  Because this was my dream fabric, I had some control over the background.  Fight scenes with more than one opponent were beyond my abilities, however.  That’s when I would be relying on Luna’s help.  Around us, the tavern came to life.  Laughter and curses filled the air.

I raised my voice to be heard.  “We’ll have a short, introductory adventure.  Last session was more cerebral, so tonight you get action.  A fanatic cult of minotaurs slew the inhabitants of the nearest village.  The seneschal of the feudal lord’s castle has offered a thousand pieces of gold for the group that routs out this infection…”





In the end, it was a close thing.  Discord and Spike fell to the final charge of the cultists, reducing both to translucent representations of their characters.  That gave Big Mac and Rainbow enough time to assault the Great Leader from the front.  Two of Trixie’s blades emerged from the massive bull’s throat.  When he fell, Trixie strode off his back, let out a blood-curdling scream, and assaulted the few remaining minotaurs.  Big Mac and Rainbow followed suit.  A minute later, only the three adventurers remained standing.

While the earth pony and pegasus caught their breath, Trixie strode up to the dais.  Rather than searching the large minotaurs’ body for a key, she picked up a discarded mace and mounted the makeshift throne.  Trixie smashed the small bejeweled chest.

I rolled a twenty-sided die and looked at my relic table.

Trixie gasped when she pulled a jet black horn-sheath from the wreckage. Pulses of dark purple light raced around the silver wires adorning the piece.

Rainbow Dash landed next to Trixie.  “Ha!  That’s gotta be worth a castle or two!  Come on, Gleamy.  Let’s sell it, pick up our reward, and get our party members revived.”

Trixie/Gleaming Blade cackled as she slid the horn sheath into place.  “I have a better idea.”





Four translucent adventurers sat around the same table at the seedy bar. All hung their heads morosely. Spike reached out a hand for his root beer, only to have his appendage pass right through.

Trixie beamed triumphantly, dropping the oversized bag of gold bits between the tankards, knocking them all over in the process.

I groused as I erased a line of penciled text on her character sheet. “Well, there’s no denying it.  You have officially changed alignment. Congratulations.  You are now Chaotic Evil.”  Looking up, I found my wife had silently closed the distance by climbing onto the table.  She moved my dungeon master’s screen to the side and grabbed my head so she could kiss me deeply.

When she let go, her eyes danced with dark magic.  “A most enjoyable adventure, Dowser.  You have convinced Trixie.  Expect me to attend your future sessions.”  She booped me gently on the nose with a throwing dagger.  “Only, do not believe I shall be so gentle and friendly next time.”

Trixie closed her eyes and disappeared with a pop.  I knew that meant she had chosen to wake up.

Luna clopped me on the shoulder.  “Such delicious evil!  Thou art verily a most fortunate stallion.”

I looked up to see four unhappy stares.  By the rules of the O&O club, all levels and equipment were now reset. Everyone would have to roll new characters for the next adventure.

I sat back in my chair.  I’m pretty sure I had the million-mile stare on my face.  “What have I done?”





As part of our efforts to support Princess Gilda’s work to rebuild Griffonstone, the Triarchy had sent her many skilled workers.  Wherever possible, we included Equestrian griffons knowing full well that ponies would earn less respect from the surly citizens of that country.  We had also sent Royal Guards to train Gilda’s.  That had already started paying off when the battle with Grogar had happened and we had some troops from Griffonstone supporting ours.

One unexpected result turned up in the form of an envelope that Gabby dropped off today during my stint at Day Court.  That was unusual in itself as business between our kingdoms was normally done via the RCS – Royal Courier Service.  It was addressed to all three Triarchs, so I waited until we all met for lunch.  Twilight used her magic to slit the envelope and extract the letter and then started reading it out to us.

“Princess Gilda of Griffonstone wishes to announce to the Triarchs of Equestria her engagement to Major Satin Plume of Canterlot.  You are formally invited to a celebration to be held the evening of Wednesday 23rd—”

Penny burst out incredulously, “Ol’ Stick-Up-His-Plot got landed?!”

My wife smirked.  “It would seem so.  Trixie is already looking forward to learning how Gilda managed it.”

I chuckled.  “Me too. I remember his utter disdain for the Griffonstonian soldiers and his complaints about how he would have to spend all day teaching them how to find their own talons.  I wonder when he found the time to date Gilda?”

Chrysalis said, “Obviously Princess Gilda saw something she liked in the cock. There is a reason why he always accompanied her to meetings here in Canterlot.”

I arched an eyebrow at her.  “So, it’s not a surprise for you?”

“Of course not.  Their efforts to keep their relationship quiet added a tasty tang to their feelings for each other.”

Trixie said, “You could have told us about that.”

“Yes, but your astonishment was more entertaining.”

We all went to the soiree and saw for ourselves how smitten the two were with each other now that they weren’t hiding the fact.  If it wasn’t for how long it takes to arrange a royal wedding, I figured they would tie the knot on the spot.  Nevertheless, it was only a few weeks later that we were back in Griffonstone for the nuptials.  Griffon wedding receptions are raucous but fun.

Exactly one normal griffon gestation period after the wedding day, Gilda gave birth to a son whom they named Glenn.  His fur and some wing feathers were various shades of brown like his mother’s.  The feathers on his head and neck, and also his wing primaries, were purple except for a yellow crest and patches around the eyes. A new dynasty had begun.







Speaking of weddings, I would be remiss to not mention the marriage of one of my oldest Equestrian friends.  Let me give you a clue – Pinkie did not cater the reception party.  That was because she was too busy organizing her nuptials which was not her normal forte. That gave us the opportunity to change things up.  But I am getting a bit ahead of myself.

Pinkie had taken on an apprentice.  The party business had grown to the point where even the frenetic pink pony could not cope anymore by herself.  Help had come in the form of one of Thorax’s evolved changeling subjects who expressed genuine passion in that line of work.  He gave his name as Guffaw.  While I am fairly sure that wasn’t his original name, that’s the only one we ever learned.  Well, it’s not difficult to see how some being sensitive to emotions would get caught up in Pinkie’s joy and pleasure by making ponies (and others) happy. With the time saved because of two sets of hooves working on the jobs, the duo found the opportunity to get to know each other a lot better.  Pinkie gives so much of herself to others that I think she was pleased to get some personal attention from him.  They were a perfect couple.  Better Guffaw than that other party-planner, Cheese Sandwich, I reckon.  From what Rarity told me, there was a certain degree of competitiveness between those two that could have affected their relationship. And by “a certain degree,” of course I mean “Pinkie Pie-level insanity.”

Anyway, Applejack was the one who threw the reception for Pinkie because “She’s family!”  Plenty of apple treats and cider flowed that evening.  I got up on stage to do a guitar set with Rarity and AJ.  That was a lesser-known talent of my second wife. It turned out that it was good dexterity practice for her needlework.  I had to agree.  Once I had mastered manipulating my frog to pick out tunes on my guitar, the quality of my playing vastly improved.  As for the farm mare, she had been plucking strings on the banjo since fillyhood.

We were all curious as to whether Pinkie and Guffaw will have children.  Neither was in a hurry to find out yet.  Too many parties to plan!





At long last, I was finally able to fulfill a promise to Scootaloo.

The filly had never been able to fly due to a birth defect that prevented her from using her pegasus magic for flight.  While small, her wings were still within the range of what was normal (I’m looking at you, Bulk Biceps!) and she certainly had enough muscle strength. The problem was how to create an alternate path to channel mana into her wings to achieve what physics alone would not. The solution was twofold.

First of all, I arranged with Techbird from the House Path dimension to create a set of prosthetics to attach to her wings.  These replaced the defective mana conduits and energized the wings.  However, the network that touched every feather in a normal pegasus’ appendages was atrophied in the young mare and the magic could not do its job properly.  So, while Scootaloo could now get lift, she had little control.  The artificial wings that Techbird had built for Long Path and the jet-powered armor made for the Royal Sisters bypassed this problem, but it was still incredibly crude compared to the real deal.

That’s where Phil came in.  My best friend had taken a strong interest in magitek and had been exploring ways of integrating his area of expertise with that.  The result was a magitek neural link that was implanted in Scootaloo’s neck. Phil programmed and calibrated the system that converted her brain’s instructions into commands for the artificial network projected into her wings by the prostheses.  You should have heard the scream of joy when the filly first took off under her own power and control.  The laughter after she crashed a little later relieved our minds. She was almost exactly like I had been when I first arrived in Equestria.  Scootaloo had to learn how to fly.  There were probably many crashes in her future, but Rainbow Dash had agreed not to be her first flight instructor, so maybe she would get off more lightly than I had.





On one of those rare occasions when Trixie and I could take a day off, relax, and forget about running an empire for a while, I fell asleep in a chair out in the Royal Gardens, beneath the shade of the gazebo. I woke to the sensation of something tickling my hind hooves.  I pried open my eyes to see a huge timberwolf licking the frogs of my hooves as they stuck out over the edge of the deckchair.  It looked up at me with its big glowing green eyes and opened its mouth to expose its wooden fangs.

“WURF!”

“Gah!” I cried as I fell out of my chair before the creature started licking my face.  “Gallus!  Come and get your pet!  He’s tasting me again!”

Twilight’s experiment in raising my son’s timberwolf pup using pony magic had proven to be spectacularly successful.  The fearsome creature was the friendliest pet in the world and the only person he liked almost as much as my son was me for some unknown reason.  Also a mystery was why Twiggy loved to lick me all the time.  Fortunately, his breath was minty and far more pleasant than dog-slobber.  The only way to stop the tongue bath was to scratch his ears.  He leaned into my ministrations with his tongue lolling contentedly.  It occurred to me that this was why he licked me – he had me well trained.

Gallus flew up looking quite embarrassed.  “Sorry, Dad.  As soon as we came through the portal from Ponyville, he shot off looking for you. Umm… seeing as you’re free, wanna play flying discs with us?”

Playing Frisbee with my son and his dog – what more normal thing could a father do? “Sure!  Let’s go!”





Two and a half years after I was reunited with Phil, Rosa gave birth to a hippogriff. Well, actually a normal cute human girl, but when the proud parents brought Yolanda over to Equestria, we learned that she was truly a child of two worlds.  Her Uncle Mark looked forward to flying with her.





Gallus graduated with honors!  As he vowed he would, he immediately signed up for Royal Guard training.  He would have a head start on most if not all of his fellow recruits.  Penny had been giving him lessons ever since the young griffon had stated his intentions. His instructors would be in for a bit of a surprise.  Nevertheless, he was starting from the bottom like everyone else.  No nepotism in this family!  Not that he asked for or expected any favors.  He had every intention of proving himself worthy of being Captain of the Guard sometime in the future on his own merit.

However, the next induction date was not for another month.  That gave him and Smolder the opportunity to spend some time together before he had to leave her for several weeks until the conclusion of boot camp.  After all, they were now officially engaged.  Gallus had proposed marriage immediately after the graduation ceremony.  Funnily enough, she had been intending to do the same thing, figuring that if the mares in Equestrian society usually did the proposing, it would be up to her. Unsurprisingly, she had instantly answered yes.  They planned to have the nuptials after he completed his training.

Smolder had no intention of moping around waiting for him though.  She applied for a junior position on the Triarchy’s staff.  It required her to dress smartly and learn court etiquette, but she took to it like a duck to water.  If I hadn’t learned earlier about her secret love of girly things, I might have been shocked.  Instead, I was impressed by how quickly she started to fit in, and that’s saying something. She was the first ever dragon who wanted to associate constantly with ponies and deal with the nobles.  Actually, her dragon instincts worked in her favor when dealing with the latter.  Between training from Raven, Twilight, Trixie, and Chrysalis, she soon had the upper crust treating her with due respect.  If not, she wasn’t afraid to turn up the heat on them.  Sometimes literally.  I enjoyed those moments.

Rarity and Trixie were already working on the wedding plans.  Frankly, I think the fashionista had been secretly designing gowns for Smolder since it became obvious that the dragon and the griffon were smitten with each other.  Trixie intended the wedding to be spectacular.  Knowing my wife, that would probably be an understatement.





A new class of drone had become apparent amid the second wave that Chrysalis had laid.  While it remained to be seen if the trait would continue in the next waves when these matured, the idiosyncrasy was consistent from the first batch of eggs to the last.  Sally and I decided to call them Companions.  These particular drones never grew out of the love-sponge phase of their growth and attached themselves to a person both emotionally and psychologically.  As best as we could determine, if a drone encountered someone who was a perfect match for them, a bond was formed between them. And this bond was not just one-way. Anypony… no any being who acquired a Companion cared deeply for them to the point where both soon became miserable without the presence of the other.  While it would have been cruel to deliberately keep a pair apart to determine the consequences of long-term separation, as the years passed, that inevitably happened by accident anyway. We found that, on average, they were merely unhappy for the first week, turning surly by the second, and inconsolable by the third.  We hoped not to find out what happened for longer periods.

Aside from that drawback, the relationship seemed mutually beneficial. There was an utter lack of selfishness between the pairs.  Each one acted for the benefit of both in all things.  I had direct learning experience due to one bonding with Allura.  While they were both young, the drone Lacewing (nicknamed Lacy) was my daughter’s constant play companion.  As they grew up, they went to school together, studied together, socialized together… you get the gist.  And yes, they slept in the same bed.  Not that we had intended that – they each had their own beds.  It’s just that they were invariably found the next morning cuddled together in just one of them.  They were adorable, really, but I wondered what it would mean when Allura would be old enough to become sexually interested in someone.  That hurdle remained to be straddled in the future.

Children were not the only ones to acquire Companions.  A number of the castle staff got one and some of the Royal Guards.  In fact, anyone, regardless of species, risked the possibility of a lifelong partner if they encountered an unbonded Companion class drone.  So far, it had only happened to single, unattached individuals which we were thinking might be a prerequisite for the match to be made. The catch was that there was no consistent physical trait to tell them apart from the other drones, so we had to raise them all the same way.  It was entirely possible that a fully grown changeling would suddenly find themselves irresistibly drawn to someone they just met.  Thus far, though, every bond had been a mutually joyous one.

Chrysalis said it ’s all part of her new plan to take over Equestria one cuddle-bug at a time.  We’re doomed!





Pearl very quickly showed a talent for telekinesis and, in particular, self-levitation.  I reached out to the best exponent of the latter to help train her.  Starlight Glimmer was immensely pleased to be asked.  If my filly was going to fly around the castle, I preferred that she would do that without crashing into things and hurting herself.


# # #


Phil introduced Pearl to comics from Earth.  Not long after, she asked her mother to make a superhero costume for her to wear for Nightmare Night.  I almost had a heart attack from the cuteness.  She’s going to be the next champion of Truth, Justice, and the Equestrian Way!


# # #


Pearl was accepted into Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns.  Tia already had her eye on my daughter as a potential mage. Pearl seemed keen and she was happy that her sister Diadem would be joining her there.  The school hoped to learn more about changeling magic even as they taught the young princess pony magic.  Sally was immensely pleased about this, but what mother doesn’t want the best for her children?





My pal, Spike, had grown into quite a handsome drake.  However, because he had been a frequent associate since I had arrived in Equestria, it didn’t really hit me how much he had matured until the day he came asking me for dating advice.  After I got over my surprise, I asked him why he had come to me.  He wanted to talk “man-to-man” and since I had been so successful with the mares, I surely could help.  How could I let him down?  I didn’t want to disillusion him by telling him that I’d gained most of them by circumstance rather than actively pursuing a relationship.  Instead, I highlighted what worked best between each of my wives and me, and to figure out what made his fillyfriend happy.  I hope I got it right because Sweetie Belle might be upset with me, and that would make Rarity unhappy… and you get the picture.


# # #


Phew!  Safe! Hearts And Hooves Day passed and Spike and Sweetie are now formally engaged.  I’m glad that my pal grew out of his early obsession with Rarity and fixated on somepony closer to his age.  I admit that I didn’t see the little filly eventually falling for a dragon, but I put it down to the success of our program to integrate the species.

Or Sweetie is just as kinky as her sister!





You know how siblings can get cranky with each other sometimes?  And puberty can hit ponies just as hard as humans. Now put those together with Gemini. Their filly self was annoyed with their colt self and vice versa.  Both aspects were feeling sexual urges that bugged their other half.  I’m praying that this phase doesn’t last too long or else I might go nuts.  There are no books written on how to deal with this unique problem.  Trixie was tearing her mane out too occasionally. She would demand that I fix the problem and I had to remind her that she was the one who wanted a foal so badly. Of course, she pointed out that my exotic genes were responsible for this mess.

Marriage and family is definitely not all sunshine and roses.  I will survive this.





Gemini got a coltfriend.  Given the previous problems, I guess you’re wondering how a single pony could solve a dual problem.  Well, it’s simple when the coltfriend is an alicorn changeling.  Yes, Shiny Button found Gemini’s dual nature fascinating, and while he now stayed in alicorn form permanently, he was not adverse to swapping gender whenever our offspring was in male mode.  I suppose I should have seen it coming.  Prince Button had been making frequent visits to Canterlot, often with specious reasons.  Naturally, he would often stay for dinner and, while he was here, Gemini’s behavior was much improved.  I think I was too grateful for the reprieve to question his motives.


# # #


Prince Button formally asked for Gemini’s hoof in marriage.  He even transformed into a biped and got down on bended knee to do it.  I wonder where he picked up that idea?  Gemini accepted and Shining Armor and I celebrated together with a bottle of the finest Eyrish whiskey.  Our respective wives had to carry us home.  Worth it!





Knock!  Knock!

I looked up from the morning paper and set down my scone.  Trixie spoke before I had the chance.

“Ah! This morning’s special visitor has arrived!”

That made me prick up my ears.  At least one of us knew to expect someone at our morning repast.

Penny opened the door and I recognized the pink unicorn mare who shyly entered the small sunroom where Trixie and I always had our breakfast. Luster Dawn had graduated at the top of her class at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.  I scooted over a seat to allow the young mare to sit next to my wife.

“Trixie is glad you could make time to see us so promptly, Miss Dawn.  Would you care for some tea or a scone?”

“No, thank you, Your Highness.  I already had breakfast.  You said you wanted to teach me a special lesson?  Maybe advanced inanimate transmogrification theory?”

Luster Dawn refused my wife’s hospitality and hadn’t acknowledged that I existed.  That matched my impressions of her from earlier meetings.  She was wicked smart, able to concentrate to the exclusion of all other ponies, but socially inept.  I wondered idly if Twilight Sparkle was the same way while a student?  I smirked.  Who was I kidding?  Of course, she was!

The faux pas didn’t cause my wife to skip a beat.  “Not today, I’m afraid.  Tell me, my little pony.  How much time have you spent with your friends since graduation last month?”

The pink mare shrugged.  “Well, none. Friendship looks like more of a distraction than anything else and ultimately a waste of time.”

I suppressed a snort.  Didn’t that sound familiar?

“I see.  What is it that you want to do with your life, now that you have the freedom to choose your destiny?”

“Well, I’m not sure.  I know I want to make a difference in the life of everypony… everyone.  I’d like to be known as a mare that did great things.”

My wife smiled.  “When did Sunset Shimmer become an accomplished pony?”

The pink mare shifted uneasily in her seat.  “Thank you for arranging that meeting, Your Highness.  She told me that during her time in Equestria, she didn’t do anything of note.  Only after she made friends in her new home dimension did she make a difference.”

“And when you talked with Twilight Sparkle?”

“After befriending the other Elements.”

“And Moon Dancer?”

Luster Dawn’s ears drooped.  “After you forced her to stop spending all of her time studying.”

Trixie leaned closer to the young mare.  “In short, their greatness did not manifest until circumstances forced them to interact with others.  Now then – do you have the courage to do the same, but of your own free will?”

Luster Dawn looked down at her forehooves.  After a long pause, she said, “I’ve been concentrating on just learning for so long… I don’t have the slightest idea where to begin.”  Her head jerked up and her eyes focused on my wife. “Is there a book I can read that will tell me?”

Trixie put a wing around the latest incarnation of brilliant but friendless mares. “No.  There is no book.  But if you allow it, Trixie will teach you how to become Great and Powerful… all while interacting with others.”

Penny and I exchanged knowing glances.  We had a good idea where this was going.

The pink mare nodded her head.  “Sure! Sounds like an adventure!  How do I start?”

My wife pulled Luster Dawn a bit closer with her wing.  “With the easiest audience to please.  Trixie will help you develop your magic act to confound and amaze foals.”





I felt wind blow across my face and heard birds chirping from all directions. I was torn.  Should I open my eyes or not?

On one hoof, the bed felt wonderful-- softer than cirrus clouds. On the other hoof, since when did birds come to rest on clouds?  

In the end, my curiosity won out.  What I saw made me sit up in bed with a gasp.  I was on the roof above the Canterlot Castle Great Hall.  The first thing I noticed was the distant countryside which showed the deep greens of mid-summer.  Nearly see-through columns stood at the four corners of the bed.  The material appeared to be a compromise between magic and clear glass.  Together, they held up a sunshade fashioned from a shimmering, silver fabric.  A brief gust of wind made sections blur and waver for a few seconds.  Perhaps ten strides away, dozens of small picture frames hung from a wall made from the same material.  A full-length sheet of mirrored glass – I think – floated nearby. My ears told me Trixie snoozed under the blankets to my side.  

The shock of this unexpected scene jolted my brain into self-awareness.  I said, “I’m in Trixie’s dream.  Luna chose the beginning of the month this time.”

My wife groaned and shifted under the blankets.  I smiled.  It took true dedication to enjoy your sleep while asleep.  

When I moved to get out of bed, I  saw something that brought me up short.  Lengthy fetlock hairs flowed like banners from my elongated, slender legs.  Glancing up, I saw that my horn now outreached the one on my Marklestia form by a wide margin.  

I practically galloped to the mirror, spreading my wings in surprise. The leading feathers of my larger wings retained my familiar green coat color, though now with a slight blue iridescence.  Next came my coverts which matched the blue of Trixie’s coat. Finally, my primaries and secondaries gleamed with the yellow-gold of my mane before each feather ended with  white tips. My body was sleek and I could feel the magic of all three tribes course through me.  The most remarkable aspect of my appearance had to be the sparkles of light that emanated from my coat and feathers.  It was as if some part of Luna’s starry mane effect had been adopted by my body.

I heard the whoomf of teleportation then felt my wife’s forelegs wrapping around my neck.  In the mirror, I saw the blue alicorn had similarly been transformed.  Her entire body from muzzle to back hoof now appeared as lithe as a greyhound or gazelle.  Yellow and purple stars glistened from her coat and feathers.  

“Wow.”  It was all I could say.

She smiled.  “Trixie is glad her beauty can still leave you speechless, even on the Triarchy’s Eleventy-eleventh anniversary.”  

I blinked.  “Wait, what?”

My wife let go and walked toward the wall of framed photographs.  “Have you forgotten, Dowser?  One thousand, one hundred, and eleven years ago today, you swore your oath to serve Equestria alongside Trixie and Twilight.”  

She held up her right foreleg and glanced at a charm hanging from a thin gold chain.  “You are always remembered, my beautiful Spotlight.”  Glancing at the wall, I recognized some of the images: Spotlight, Penumbra, Rarity, Allura. I couldn’t focus on the remaining photographs in this section.  

Before I could study them further, Trixie kissed me.  When she pulled back, she smiled and pointed to the charm. “Our son gave this token to Trixie on her one-hundredth birthday!” 

I looked over the many festooned chains that decorated my wife’s form then studied the ones that I wore.  It clicked. “This way, they are always with us. Trixie, you’re a genius.  This is such a beautiful tradition.  We’re definitely keeping it after we wake up.”

My wife cocked her head.  “After we—” She blinked and focused on me. The aloofness behind her eyes disappeared.  “Oh. It’s that time of month, isn’t it?”

She gasped, looking me up and down.  “Wow!”  I struck a sexy pose, complete with knowing smirk, only to be bodily shoved out of the way. Trixie stood before the mirror with her wings outstretched.  “WOW! Trixie outdid all her previous performances with this dream!”

I got back on my hooves and walked behind my wife.  “Do you feel the power singing through your body?”  I punctuated the sentence by nipping her neck, drawing out another gasp.  “Tell me, do you think we could get you pregnant in a shared dream?  If nothing else, I’m quite sure we can break all sorts of endurance records.”  I peppered the back of her ear with small kisses.

The blue mare said, “You are most perspicacious, Earmark Clamshells.”  My next kiss landed on nothing but in-rushing air. “But first…”  I turned to follow her voice.  “… you need to catch me.”

Uncounted minutes of high-speed maneuvers and teleports later, we flew over Ponyville.  Both of us reveled in the strength and grace of our new bodies.  Every wingbeat of our aerial dance proclaimed the love we held for each other.  Combine that with the sheer joy of flight that filled both of us and we might never want to touch ground again.  

Trixie and I spiraled upward in the thermals over the Castle of Friendship. I smiled up at my soulmate.  Of all the years I had spent in Equestria, this moment above all others felt perfect.






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