//------------------------------// // Issues and Adjusting // Story: Rise of Griffonstone // by PonyPixel //------------------------------// As the sun rose over Griffonstone, Gilda slept soundly until she could smell something that made her wake up. It smelled like… toast. She opened her eyes and cleared up her blurred vision to find she was back in her bed with sheets of paper scattered on the floor beside her. She saw Greta at a table about to take some contents out of a bag before she saw the future queen was awake. “Ahh. Good morning, Gilda,” Greta spoke. Gilda stood up and groaned while she rubbed her eyes. “Morning,” she mutteringly replied. She got up and ended up stepping on some paper. She looked down and saw it was a note with the phrase ‘Don’t increase taxes too high’ written on it. “What happened?” “When I arrived back home, I saw you lying down on the floor passing out, so I have to carry you onto the bed, although I did have a hard time carrying you there because you’re heavy.” Greta chuckled at her last sentence and took out 2 buns from the white bag as well as some delicious-looking toast. “Here you go. Hope you enjoy Gustave’s breakfast.” “Gustave baked that?” “Yep. I swear he’s a wizard in the kitchen. Gabby even stopped by to grab some of this toast before her morning runs. I’m very sure we’ve got the right guy for the job.” Gilda giggled. “Yeah. Could you imagine if we sold it to Gimme?” “I could. 20 bits for a scone.” Both griffons chuckled as they sat down at the table. As they ate their breakfast, they decided to try and think of something interesting to talk about. “So, do you know how some of the students are doing at that school?” Greta asked. “Uhh… Each one has their own experience,” Gilda responded. “Grace has been doing good on the cheer squad and I’ve heard Gregoria has been doing outstanding in classes.” "What about others like Garry?" "He and Geena are doing good in Physical Education, and they’re also rather average in everything else. Gale and Gus... Those two are kind of trouble to handle.” “Can you blame them though? I mean, you just have to look at the actions of their parents. They only do the bare minimum of what qualifies them to be a parent.” “Ugh, no kidding. I need to seriously do something about this. Like a fine for every time they don’t act like a real parent.” “That sounds kind of vague, you know.” “Well, Greta, I’ve been thinking about it all night. I can’t think of one rule that can neither be explored over does little to nothing to help.” Gilda took a bite of the toast before lying her head down on the table in frustration. “You know, Gilda, I’m quite sure that it’s going to be impossible to have one griffon rule everything. I mean, if you get sick, then the whole kingdom will collapse.” “Then what other griffon would…”. Gilda paused when an idea struck her. Greta tilted her head in confusion. “Would what?” Gilda thought about this idea quickly before she explained it. “Listen, Greta, I doubt I’ll be able to do everything as a queen, so I’m going to need some help. Would you care to be… my royal advisor?” Greta was taken aback by this offer and almost didn’t know how to respond. “Really!? Are you so sure about that?” “You’re one of the few griffons I trust around here. You’re the only one who stuck by me through those hard times.” “Hmm, you’re right. I also do run the bakery when you go to those meetings… but… this is different though. If we screw up with a business like a bakery, that’s fine, we’ll get our money back another way. This is all of Griffonstone we’ll be taking care of.” “I know that. If we don’t get this place back in order, who will?” Greta thought about it a bit further as she and Gilda continued with their breakfast. Meanwhile, Gallus was feeling like he had more energy when met up with his friends in the cafeteria. “Morning, guys,” he said as he walked towards the table with his meal on his claws. “Hey, Gallus,” Silverstream said glumly. Gallus then sat down. “Is there something wrong?” “We didn’t get much luck getting other classmates to like Quartz,” Smolder noted. “Glynn had better luck than him with the hobby hunting.” “Gadget’s still down in the dumps though,” Silverstream added. “I thought she would’ve cheered up by now,” Gallus commented. “She’s been through a lot,” Ocellus noted. The changeling didn’t say anything as her friends all knew and could imagine what kind of horrors Gallus’s mother went through. “Maybe she needs more time to get used to her new life,” Sandbar guessed. “I’m inquisitive about how the minotaurs and ponies are recovering.” “Yona want to know if they’re okay,” Yona said. “Terry said that most of the minotaurs are getting new homes back in his hometown,” Silverstream noted. “He said it was now called Taur-Town.” “That’s odd, I thought I heard some of them were going to move to Ponyville,” Smolder said. “How do you think that’ll go?” “Do minotaurs eat meat?” Yona questioned. “They’re bipedal cows,” Smolder noted, “so they eat herbs and other plants.” “Maybe friends ask Terry.” Sandbar saw the said minotaur pass by as if on cue. “Hey, Terry, can you…” The colt was interrupted by the minotaur. “Not now, Sandbar! I'm under a lot of stress right now,” Terry responded, “Don’t talk to me for a while, please? I’m not in a good mood.” Sandbar respected his intention and just went back to his breakfast. “Okay, then we can do it later,” Gallus shrugged. “So, uhh… you know where my parents are right now?” Glynn and Gadget were taking a walk downtown. A couple of ponies looked towards them and while they had gotten used to seeing more of the non-pony creatures wander around, the metal limbs were another story. The griffons both stayed quiet as they tried not to acknowledge. “Maybe we should try and find a good home to stay here for a while,” Glynn commented. “I doubt we’ll be able to stay in the castle forever.” “Right… but... what job would we get?” Gadget asked. “It’s doubtful that we’ll be given a house for free.” “Yes. I think I might have a chance at the hospital. I’m certain that there’s a repair business around here somewhere.” The two griffons kept looking around and even tried to get a bird’s eye view of the town. When they two passed the post office, they saw a familiar griffon fly inside of it. Feeling that they recognized her, the two landed in front of the office, and walked inside and could see Gabby dropping off her letters from Griffonstone. The mail griffon heard the footsteps that didn’t sound like hooves, before looking behind her to see Glynn and Gadget walk in. “Oh, hello,” Gabby said while waving. “Hello, Gabby,” Gadget said. “How are you?” “You’re better than a couple of days ago,” Glynn admitted. “You seem to be cheerful.” “Oh yes! I just had that great toast. It wasn’t just toast, there were eggs and cinnamon on it. It was made by the new bakery owner, Gustave le Grand!” She paused and looked down at the crumbs that were still on her chest. Gabby felt embarrassed as she brushed them off. Both Glynn and Gadget were confused and even glanced at each other for a moment. “We never heard of this guy,” Gadget confessed. “He’s a great baker. He said he traveled around Equestria and beyond to craft his baking skills. He’s planning on making a grand cake for Gilda's coronation.” Glynn whistled in shock. “That sounds great, and I have a feeling that it’ll be delicious," Glynn commented. Gadget nodded in agreement. “How’s the soon-to-be queen doing?” “As of now, she’s rather stressed. Rainbow Dash and I tried helping her, but… I think she might need more information on how to be a ruler.” “It isn’t a job for everyone. Still, she is the best candidate for being Griffonstone’s new ruler.” “Yeah. Also, she'd be going to Canterlot today. Princess Twilight was going to give her a lecture.” “That's good to hear.” "Oh, I almost forgot." Gabby opened up her mailbags and pulled out a flyer. She handed it to Gadget, who quickly read what it said. Debuting at the coronation of Queen Gilda, Gustave the Grand is opening his new business of baked goods. From simple loaves of bread to cakes fit for a wedding. Whatever you need, Gustave will bake you the best. “Hmm, sounds interesting,” Gadget commented. “These graphics looked moderate too.” “I’m hoping to have some good cake there,” Gabby spoke. “We’ll be sure to be there,” Glynn noted. "And… right now we're just looking for some kind of job.” “Hmm, I saw a repair shop in town when I came here. I can show you real quick.” “Lead the way then, and we’ll follow.” Gabby, Glynn, and Gadget left the mail depot and flew downtown until they made it to a workshop. Walking inside, they found a stallion who was a unicorn with an orange coat and black and yellow mane. He was working on a cart with a broken axel when he noticed the griffons entering. “Ah! Welcome!” he welcomed. “Welcome to Fixing for All. How can I help you?” “Good morning, we’re looking for employment since we’ve got here,” Gadget explained. “And I’m very good with tools, and when I heard about this place, I thought it’d be suitable for me to take this job.” “I see. I’d appreciate the extra help. I just need to get a new axle on this cart and it’ll be good to go.” He showed Gadget where he had a new axle with only one wheel fitted on it. “Just hold it steady while I put the new wheel on.” “Will do.” Gadget listened and held onto the axle, with her metal talon on the side where the new wheel would be fitted. As the stallion tightened the wheel onto the axle, he soon noticed the metal limb. He stopped working and stared a bit of the metal limb, which she noticed. “You saw my arm, did you?” “Yeah… It’s kind of hard to miss.” The stallion felt awkward at the moment. “It’s alright. It’s something I’ve gotten used to.” “Um… Right. On the plus side, you don’t have to worry about hammering your thumb. At least not feeling pain.” “I guess so.” The stallion resumed work until the wheel was probably secure. He and Gadget soon began attaching it to the wagon. After a couple of minutes, the wagon was as good as new. “Whew! That went well.” “Are there any other tasks you need help with?” “There is. I’ve got a job to help fix a roof later today. Care to take this job and tag along?” Gadget managed to smile as she could feel things looking up. “Yes, please. Show me where I need to go.” The stallion smiled as he started to get his toolbox as Gadget looked towards her husband, who gave a thumbs up. “Have a good time, honey,” Glynn said, “I’ll be heading back and check on Gallus.” “Oh, you do that... I’ll just get a feel for this job.” “I should get going too,” Gabby added. “I still got some mail to run.” Gadget understood. The three griffons left to do their tasks with Gadget following the stallion to his next job. Although, she was wishing she could go and check on Gallus with her husband. Glynn didn’t take long to get back to the school and quickly found his son sitting in the cafeteria. “Hi, Dad,” the young griffon said. “Hello, Gallus,” the father responded. “Did you sleep well?” “Did good, I guess. Also got some good food.” “Ah, nice. Now, about your wings.” “I haven’t gotten any exercise yet. Been wanting to but…” “You were going to wear yourself out before I could meet you.” “…Yes. Yes, I am.” “Well, if you want to get that out of the way, we can.” “There’s an open area outside used for outdoor activities. Come on, I’ll show you.” Gallus got up and led his father outside to the buckball field. Out there, they could see Genna and Garry flying around together. They could see Gallus and Glynn exiting the school. “Hey, there’s Glynn,” Garry called Geena. “Yeah, I can see them,” Geena responded, feeling like she heard the obvious. She followed her flying friend down to land and they proceeded to walk over to the father and son. Gallus was starting with his wing push-ups when Glynn noticed the others approaching. “Why, hello there,” he spoke. “Hi,” Garry said. He looked down at Gallus doing push-ups. “How are you doing, Gallus?” “Feeling fine, thank you, Garry,” the blue griffon responded. He slowly did a push-up with his wing and looked to be a little shaky while doing it. “Take it easy,” Glynn warned. “I know, dad.” Gallus slowly kept trying to push himself up. His father turned his attention to Garry and Geena, who Glynn hadn’t interacted with that much until now. “So… Did you two enjoy your days off from school?” Glynn asked. “Yeah, it was relaxing,” Garry admitted. “Kind of wish we had more three-day weekends. That’d be nice.” “I think you’d have more work to do on the remaining days.” “Dang it!” Geena couldn’t help but look at the metal wings, which Glynn started to catch onto. When she realized she was caught staring, Geena tried to change the subject. “Uh… Where’s Gadget?” she questioned. “Currently being tested at her new job,” Glynn responded. “She’s helping a stallion to fix a roof at the moment. It should be a good start to help keep us on our paws.” His attention turned back to Gallus, who was starting to struggle. “Okay, Gallus, I think that’s enough for now.” As he tried to help his son back onto his feet, Gallus tried to keep going. “No…. Dad,” he groaned. “I just need… a few more…” The young griffon groaned as it looked like his wings were about to collapse on him. Not wanting a repeat of yesterday, Glynn picked his son up to prevent him from doing push-ups. “You were barely able to move when you pushed yourself. And I said…” “I know. I felt like I could get some extra progress done.” “I understand that, but you’ll likely do more harm than good.” Gallus sighed as his father placed him back onto his feet. “Well, that was shorter than I was expecting. What do we do now?” “Maybe you could give me an introduction about your friends here.” He looked towards Garry and Geena, who he was wanting to break the ice. “Have you two known each other before or after coming here?” “A little bit before,” Garry responded. “I was kind of desperate for attention, and then I quite ran into Geena, who…” “Why do you have metal wings!?” Genna blurted out. She was given some stares at how blunt that question was. “Ehh… It’s not a very pleasant story,” Glynn noted. “If that’s so, then I don’t want to know," Garry spoke and shivered afterwards. “How do they work, exactly? You’re having an easy time using that.” “It’s because of the shards that Gadget installed in them. You think I should change color?” “I don’t know. I mean… a light yellow might be good," Gallus suggested. Glynn figured that would go better with his colors than red did. “I’d probably go with blue,” Geena muttered. “Well, Gallus already has the colors of a Wonderbolt,” Garry spoke. “Wonderbolt?” Glynn asked. “Yeah, they’re a team of pegasi that perform epic stunt shows. They’re amazing.” “Exactly. I heard Silverstream wants to join them when she gets older,” Gallus added. “Really?” “Oh, yeah, I can see that,” Garry added. “I’ve been wanting to see their shows.” “Me too,” Geena added. “I’ve never heard of them before.” “Professor Rainbow Dash is one of them,” Gallus informed. “We’re bound to see them some time.” “I’ll be happy to see them.” “I’ve done a couple of tricks before,” Garry said. “I kind of want to try out for them after I’m done with school.” “You should start slow, kid. You can’t expect that high of expectations right out of the gate.” “Out of the gate?” “It means doing a task immediately. I’d suggest another job in case things don’t work out… and I’m not saying that you will fail…” “No, I get it.” Gallus soon slowly stood up with a little help from his dad. “So, what do we do now?” the young blue griffon asked. “Hmm, I could try getting to know the other griffs here,” Glynn suggested and then turned to Garry, which he forgot his name. “Uhhhh….” “Garry.” “Garry, right… Do you think you could find your friends?” “Sure thing,” the orange griffon responded. He quickly flew inside as Geena slowly followed behind with Glynn helping his son walk while he regained his energy. “You know what else I like to know?” “What?” Gallus asked. “Where Quartz wandered off to.” Just outside of Canterlot, a train was heading towards the station. Two of its passengers are Gilda and Greta. The soon-to-be queen managed to convince her friend to tag along with her to see if Greta would be a good royal advisor. They decided to pass the time by talking about this idea. “So, I just talk with the dragon who’s also an advisor?” Greta asked. “Yeah,” Gilda confirmed. “His name is Spike, by the way.” “Right, got it. Do you think that I’m suitable for an advisor?” “I mean… I’m becoming a queen, so an advisor doesn’t sound too difficult in comparison.” “…Yeah, it does sound easy in comparison.” They could feel the train starting to slow down as they approached the station. The two griffons got out of the coaches with most of the other passengers then headed straight for Canterlot castle. They arrived at the entrance where two guards were guarding the door. “Hold it!” one guard called. “What brings you here?” “I’m Gilda, sir,” she said to the guard, “I and Greta here wanted to see Princess Twilight.” Two guards then opened the door to let them in to see her. It didn’t take too long to find Princess Twilight as they soon found her in the throne room signing some papers. The alicorn looked up and saw the griffons walk in. “Gilda, I’m glad you can make it,” Twilight spoke. “Though, I wasn’t expecting you to bring Greta with you.” “My apologies, she suggested the idea that I’d become a royal advisor,” Greta explained. “So, is your assistant going to give me pointers, or is this easier than it sounds?” Twilight gave this idea a thought. “It’d be a wise decision to have extra help ruling over Griffonstone. Spike should be back any minute. Until then, let’s discuss the issues that Griffonstone has and what laws could fix them.” “Here’s the list.” Gilda showed a list of the issues her future kingdom had at the moment, which was fairly long. “I doubt we’ll be able to take care of all of them in one session,” the griffon sighed. “Doubtful, but we can make a start.” Twilight took a look at the list and read what was on it. “Aha, tax payments are the most common issue around.” “Right on,” Greta commented. “Yeah. I’ve been trying to think about this one on the way here,” Gilda spoke. “I was thinking that griffons that own businesses would have to pay more taxes than griffons that just work at different jobs.” “That sounds standard,” Twilight commented. “A little more forethought and I think this will be a good one. Now, could you tell me more about this one that says: both parents pull each other’s weight?” “Oh, that one. It’s about the students’ parents. Like Geena’s dad. Her mom’s alright, it’s just him that drags them down. He does nothing but sit on his flank and yells at others when he’s in the serious blunder!” “Then why doesn’t her mother do anything about it?” “Because until now, Griffonstone’s been a place that’s every griff for themselves!” “I was afraid of that. A kingdom without a ruler is like a boat without a steering wheel.” Twilight thought of a good counter for this when she heard somebody else walk in. “I'm back,” Spike announced. The alicorn and griffons looked to the young dragon walk in, along with a kobold who had a metal leg. “Wait, when did he get here?” Greta questioned, pointing to the kobold. “‘He’ has a name,” Quartz informed. “I came here to test the limits of my new leg.” Gilda got a good look at the kobold’s new leg. “Not bad,” she commented. “How does it feel?” “A little hot if I keep it under the sun for too long.” “Then I’m guessing your tongue would stick to it in the winter?” Spike asked jokingly. Gilda couldn’t help but snicker at this and realized the creatures were now looking at her. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Gilda apologized. “Old habits.” “I kind of crossed the line,” Spike admitted. “I felt like some tension was in her and… I don’t know what to say.” “Ignore that,” Greta spoke, “You think you can give me advice on being a royal advisor?” “Really?” “It was Gilda’s suggestion.” The soon-to-be queen gave a nervous grin as she wasn’t sure what to say at this point. “Then she made a right decision,” Spike commented, “every ruler needs to have assistance. Sure, I can give you my advice.” “Thanks a lot.” Spike and Greta began chatting as Quartz decided to speak with Gilda. “You look to be under stress,” the kobold spoke. “You think?” Gilda questioned. “Gilda… I’m not trying to make things worse. I came here to see if I could talk with Princess Twilight.” “What for?” the alicorn asked. Quartz sighed before he explained. “Your majesty, I ain’t having much luck with getting to know other creatures,” he said, “Especially the dragons at your school since… you know… one attacked them before, and they didn’t trust me.” “I was afraid of that.” “Gallus’s friends were supportive though. Especially Silverstream.” “That's good to hear. What about his parents?” “They've been doing fine, your majesty. Last time I checked with them, they were job hunting.” “Ah, that’s nice," Gilda commented. “I doubt they’re moving back to Griffonstone given their history.” “No kidding. You know, come to think of it, I might know one of the ways you could make Griffonstone better. Much like you did with the… despicable one…,” Gilda understood what he’s mentioning, “you should inspire all griffons to do better, and bring back prosperity that’s once lost.” "Well, I have been thinking of punishing bad parents. Usually, the ones that don’t take responsibility for their children.” “Sounds reasonable. Isn’t there anything else you could do?” “Huh…, now that I think of it, we do have a sign that forbids musical numbers. Honestly, I don’t know the reason why we have that quirky rule. Maybe some griffon put it up after the idol was lost.” “Then maybe it’s about time for you to change that rule.” “Hmm, I’ll try that, but I do feel like some rules would be a little more important than that.” “That’s right, Gilda,” Twilight commented. “Though more singing might raise morale.” Gilda made note of that as she and Twilight took a look at more of the rules that the griffon had thought of fixing. Back in Ponyville, Gadget was helping the stallion, who was named Ratchet, work on the roof. There was a gaping hole in it, which the pony and griffon were busy fixing by attaching new rafters. Gadget was working on the rafters on the outside, it would be safer for her to be on the roof since she could fly. "How’s it looking up there?” the stallion asked loudly. “Looks stable,” Gadget confirmed. “Alright. I’ll just grab my harness and meet you up there.” The stallion walked outside just as Rusty walked by the house. “Hi, Dad," the colt called. “Hey, Rusty,” Ratchet responded. “How’s my son doing” “Doing alright, dad. I’m just hanging out with my friend here.” He watched his son walk down the street with Kelpie following him by his side. After the stallion got his harness on and joined Gadget on the roof. The griffon had heard what the two ponies had said to each other. “That’s your son?” the griffon asked. “Sure is. His name’s Rusty,” Ratchet confirmed. He climbed up a ladder while taking some wood and nails with him. He then kneeled beside Gadget and they started patching up the hole as he grabbed two hammers for him and her. As they pound in the nails, Gadget decided to explain something she had on her chest. “You know, sir… my son and I haven’t had the best relationship.” “What kind of trouble have you been facing?” Gadget looked away as she didn’t know how to explain her history. “It’s… It’s complicated. We just... weren’t there when he needed us.” “Ah, I see. Listen here, whatever complications you’re going through, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it. You sound like a nice creature.” Gadget managed to crack a smile at this. “Thank you,” Gadget smiled, and then without realizing it, she swung her hammer and heard a ‘CLUNK!’ Looking down, she and Ratchet saw a dent in her metal arm. “Huh, I guess you had a point not having to worry about hurting my talon with a hammer.” Both workers shared a chuckle as Ratchet looked down at the cart. “Oh, rust buckets,” he groaned. “I forgot the tiles!” “Are they back at the shop?” “Yeah, they should be. It shouldn’t be too hard. Just keep working here, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that, Ratchet mounted down the ladder and hooked up to his cart before running back to his shop to get the missing supplies. Gadget kept working on the roof while he was gone. As she worked, she could hear some chattering down below. She looked down and could see Gallus, Glynn, and practically all of the griffon students she recognized from the school. Curious about what was going on, the griffon flew down to interact with them. “Glynn, what’s going on?” Gadget questioned. “Gallus’s friends wanted to have a chat with me,” Glynn explained. He leaned closer so he could whisper to his wife. “I think they’re enjoying a parent’s company.” Gadget nodded before looking towards their biological son. “Gallus, how are you doing?” “Feeling better,” the young blue griffon responded. “Only got a little bit of exercise with my wings.” “Well, you’re getting there. Much like I am with my new job. And… speaking of which, I should get back to work.” Gadget flew back onto the roof and got some more wood to cover the hole in the roof, though she could see the plank was too long to fit. She quickly got the saw the Ratchet had left behind to cut the board down to size. As she worked, Grace spoke to Glynn. “Do you want me to show you what kind of cheers I have planned?” she asked. “I’d hope you’ll like it.” “Well, maybe in a wider open space,” Glynn said. “There’s plenty of open space right here. I just need something for pom-poms.” Grace thought for a moment before she flew back to the school to retrieve her items. “You know, while we’re waiting, Geena and I could show you the tricks we did,” Garry suggested. “We could make some of those clouds into hoops.” “Um, Glynn,” Gregoria spoke, “I kind of want to talk about the different histories I’ve learned at the school. Do you want to hear about the dragons or the hippogriffs?” Glynn was feeling a little overwhelmed with all the griffons trying to get his attention. Gallus quickly dragged his father away. “Guys, you know he’s my dad, right?” he asked. “Come on, Gallus, we just want to spend some time with him,” Gus spoke. “He’s cool.” “Now, everyone,” Glynn spoke, “Let's take a minute.” Gallus looked back at his father before glancing at the other griffons, all looking angry and upset. “Okay,” Gallus groaned. He walked away from the griffons and sat beside his mother, who had finished cutting the plank. “Are your friends trying to spend time with your dad?” she asked. “Yeah.” "Can you really blame them? I’ve experienced what most of their parents are like. What’s the orange one’s name?" “Garry.” “Yes, I think I met his mother. She’d barely pay attention to whatever I said. And then there was this blonde one who we couldn’t please no matter how hard we tried. She made us feel like dirt.” “Huh, I’m not sure if they have a griff here.” Gallus looked towards Gregoria, who looked familiar with the short description. “Maybe your friends just want some love.” “Probably. They don’t want to go home for the Blue Moon Festival.” “Oh, that boring holiday.” “Yeah. We’re not celebrating it though. Maybe Gilda will make a new holiday. We could just celebrate Hearth’s Warming. It’s a pony holiday.” “I figured.” Gadget flew back onto the roof and started hammering the cut board in place. Gallus was tempted to fly up and join her, but his wings weren't strong enough yet. Instead, he climbed up the ladder and joined his mother. “Gallus, you shouldn’t be up here. You should at least have a harness.” Before he could say anything, Gadget quickly grabbed her son and carried him back onto the ground. “Ah, come on.” “I was responsible for you getting injured before, and I’m not going to let it happen again.” Gadget left her son standing on the ground and took down the ladder so he couldn’t climb up again. She tried to continue her work but had a feeling that Gallus was wanting to spend time with her. Still, she knew the roof needed fixing, and by the time Ratchet came back with the tiles, the griffons were gone. Gadget didn’t under another word until they got the roof retiled. That evening, Twilight had placed a pin on the last problem Gilda had written down. “Okay, I think we can figure these all out tomorrow,” Twilight suggested. Gilda yawned as she was starting to get tired of thinking of different rules. “Right. Do you have any rooms we could stay in tonight?” the future Queen asked. “We do.” Twilight went to find some ponies to prepare the rooms while Greta returned to the throne room. “Hey, Greta. How was it with Spike?” Gilda asked. “Easier than I thought,” Greta answered, “So you don’t have to worry about so much weight on your shoulders.” “That’s good to hear,” Gilda smiled, and rubbed her eyes feeling her need for a rest increase. She suddenly jumped as she felt something wrap around her. Looking to her right, she saw Greta was wrapping her wing around her. “May I help you escort to your room?” Gilda blushed and agreed for assistance. After walking down the hall, Gilda and Greta made it to their room. They walked inside and lay down on the bed. “I think part of my fatigue is boredom,” Gilda guessed. “Eh, I better get used to it. I’ll be kept busy.” “You’ve still got me.” Greta nuzzled against her girlfriend who hugged her tightly. “Thanks for helping me through this, Greta.” Gilda placed a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. The two got comfy before they eventually fell asleep. Other griffons wouldn’t have such an easy time. Gadget had finished her work and returned to Twilight’s old castle and was lying in bed. She looked behind her when she heard a knock on the door. She could see her husband approaching her. “Can’t sleep?” he asked. “…No,” Gadget sighed sadly. Glynn climbed in bed with her to see if he could try a lighten her spirits. “Did you and Gallus have a good time?” “Sort of. We tried to have some father and son time, but his friends were kind of desperate to join in.” “Gallus and I had our theories. They probably wanted to know what it’s like to have a real parent.” Glynn was surprised but it did make sense to him. The nature most griffons had was self-centered. It was only natural the students would want a parental figure after learning about friendship. “We’ll handle our problems one day at a time. Right now, it’s time to rest.” Gadget didn’t respond and just turned over to face towards the window. Glynn didn’t say anything else and tried his best to get some sleep. In one of the dorm rooms, meanwhile, Gallus was grumbling. He was trying to keep quiet so he didn’t disturb Sandbar, who was already fast asleep. “What’s with them?” the blue griffon grumbled. “How would they feel if their parents were the only ones that cared and I steal their attention?” He almost felt himself crying. “Don’t they know what I went through?”