An Alternative Beginning

by ultrapoknee

Chapter 12 - The Arrival

The cutie map/throne room, one of the last places anypony in the room had ever thought they’d be in again, was once more lit up. The windows were clean and the memory gemstones that hung from the chandelier that had been made from the roots of the old Golden Oaks Library were illuminated with old memories of better times for the six. The cutie map wasn’t illuminated, however, and nopony in the room really cared. 

Everypony except Twilight was sitting in their assigned thrones, looking down at the table in bitter silence. In front of the five mares sitting down were the various gifts that Gregory had given them, sitting neatly and untouched. Celestia and Sunset were standing to one side, watching as Twilight paced the room. There was a look of pure rage mixed with frustration on her face. The only sounds heard were the harsh stomping of the former alicorn princess as she paced around the purple floor.

At that moment, there was a bold knock at the door. This startled everypony, including Twilight, who paused as she turned to the door. Taking a deep breath, she said, “We’re busy! Come back later!”

“Not even if your Princess orders you to open the door?” a familiar but muffled voice said from behind the door.

Twilight’s eyes widened in alarm, but Celestia was the first to act. She raised her horn and unlocked the door. It opened, and standing there was Luna with a small contingent of guards behind her. When the princess of the night saw the former solar princess, her eyes widened. “T-Tia…?” she said in shock. She teared up a bit.

Celestia did the same as she walked over and hugged her sister, who hugged her back. “Hello, Lulu…” she said. “You really grew. You might even be taller than me.”

Princess Luna stood up straighter and looked back at her sister. “I might be taller, but you’ve certainly lost some weight. Not enough cakes on the road?”

Celestia’s blush crept up and she gave her sister a playful glare. “Shut up,” she said.

“Princess Luna…what are you doing here?” Twilight asked.

As the two sisters broke apart, Princess Luna turned back to Twilight. Her expression became somber. “I was just now made aware of certain events that transpired here,” she said. “The guards I assigned to him sent me a letter. Apparently, our newest human was chased out of town and is now on his way to the school made by Starlight Glimmer.”

“Starlight’s makin’ a school?” Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. “It’s called Seeds of Yggdrasil. Spike and I talked a bit and he told me about it. It’s gonna be a multicultural school.”

“So that mare’s stealing your idea now, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked, only to receive a warning glare from Fluttershy. Rainbow’s ears flattened. “Sorry, sorry…force of habit. I’ll work on it.”

“From what Spike told me, she’s made a big improvement on my idea,” Twilight said.

“Back to the matter at hoof, young Twilight,” Princess Luna said, “I only received a few details of what happened. Can you tell me what has transpired?”

“I wasn’t here for some of it,” Twilight admitted, “but we got some firsthoof account details from one of the other adults here.” With that, she repeated everything that Spoiled Rich, now Spoiled Milk once more, had relayed to the group.

The Princess listened patiently, but everypony in the room could feel the growing wroth emanating from her even if she didn’t show it outwardly. When Twilight had finished, Luna took a breath and exhaled slowly. “It would seem that only a minority of ponies in this town have learned from their grievous errors in judgment in this town and verily across Equestria,” she said, “but then again, it has only been one year. Although I am surprised that this Spoiled Milk pony is one of them, considering the new crimes for which her former husband is being taken into custody.”

That caught everypony’s attention. They all knew Filthy Rich’s actions against Jason, and while legally they couldn’t do anything for that, the news that he was responsible for a new crime sent them all reeling. “What crime is that?” Celestia asked.

“The attack on the new human, Gregory Graystone,” the Princess said.

Sunset scowled at this. “What attack?” she snarled.

Twilight swallowed and told what had happened. Everypony in the room who hadn’t heard the details listened with rapt attention. When she finished, there was dead silence for a bit. Finally, the last voice anypony would expect to hear spoke up. “He managed to take down two former guards and permanently injure them? That’s…really impressive.”

Everypony else turned. Rainbow Dash was the one who’d spoken, and the pegasus looked thoroughly impressed. Princess Luna nodded. “And since these weapons he carries can damage magic, their injuries are permanent. Unfortunately, during their trial yesterday, it was discovered that their memories were wiped clean.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. “What…? Who would do such a thing?!”

“All evidence currently points to Filthy Rich as the perpetrator behind these attacks,” the Princess said.

“Ah can’t believe our family used to do business with that stallion’s family,” Applejack spat.

“And I’m surprised they did, considering what Stinking Rich did to those zebras when they were helping build Ponyville at its founding,” Sunset said. All eyes turned to her. She pointed to her head. “Thank the Gjallarhorn. I saw every sin and crime against non-ponies when I entered the town earlier, including what you all did to Spike and those Pinkie Pie clones.” She glared at the ponies. “Guess not even clones of your friend were safe from your cruelty!” 

This caused a fresh wave of guilt and regret to pass over the ponies. Celestia turned to Sunset and took on a stern countenance. “Sunset Shimmer, that’s quite enough,” she said, “you’re throwing oil onto a flame when you should be dousing it with water.”

“It’s alright, Princess,” Twilight said, “I know we deserve that and more. But I want you to know that we have taken steps to bettering ourselves. It won’t happen overnight, but I promise you this Sunset; we’ll be worthy of your friendship the same as our human counterparts sometime soon.”

Sunset arched a brow at Twilight and looked to the other elements, noting that all of them had the same expression and determination. It brought a small smile to her muzzle as she nodded. “Well, see that you do.”

“It’s a shame that we missed this new human,” Celestia said, “I was looking forward to meeting him despite the circumstances.”

“I’m sure we can visit him at the school. Although, it might be another day before we get there.” Sunset stated.

“I shall organize the transport for all of you,” Princess Luna said. “It will be good for you to reconnect with your wayward friend and see the boon of her efforts. Be ready by tomorrow morning at 8 A.M. sharp.”

This lifted the mood of the ponies there. Applejack was the first to speak. “Ah’ll go and pack fer the trip.” So saying, she grabbed the small packet of apple seeds that Gregory had given her in her teeth and headed out.

“I wonder if Discord will want to come?” Fluttershy pondered as she followed suit, grabbing the gift that Gregory had given her as well.

One by one, the remaining Elements, minus Twilight, exited the room to go and pack. Twilight, however, hesitated. She looked around at the throne room. “But…who will look after the shelter while I’m gone?” she asked.

“Fret not, young Twilight,” Princess Luna said, “I shall hire one of my most trusted ponies to come and look after things here whilst you are absent.”

Twilight still looked unsure, so Celestia intervened. “What about Raven Inkwell? She’d be perfect for taking temporary control of this shelter.”

Twilight brightened a bit at this, looking expectantly at Luna. The Equestrian princess nodded at once. “Quite. I shall see that it is taken care of posthaste.”

“I’m gonna go pack!” Twilight said, and with that, she grabbed the still unopened books she’d been given and rushed out of the room, leaving Princess Luna, Celestia and Sunset alone. But not for long, as a few moments later a sheepish Twilight came back in. “Um…Pr-Celestia, Sunset, you can stay here if you want. I’ll show you to your rooms.”

Celestia chuckled. “Thank you, Twilight.” She turned back to Luna and hugged her sister. “I’ll see you later, sister. Hopefully we can have more time to catch up.”

“I’ll keep a cake or three ready,” Luna said with a chuckle as she returned the hug. “It’s still so strange to hug you now that we are practically the same height.”

“But it isn’t unpleasant,” Celestia replied as she hugged Luna closer. Eventually, they broke the hug. “Have a safe trip back to Canterlot.”

“And you have a safe trip up north to the Yggdrasil school,” Luna said as she turned and walked towards the door.

As Twilight led Sunset and Celestia down the hallways, Sunset looked up at Celestia. “I wish we were here for longer. Maybe then I could go visit my friends in the human world.”

Twilight overheard that and turned. “The mirror portal is still open if you want to go through,” she said.

Sunset shook her head. “No, it’s too late right now. I’m tired and just need sleep. Maybe when we come back I’ll go through.”

Twilight nodded in understanding. “Of course.” However, in her mind, she had an idea. An idea that might start to make things right between her and Sunset.

“Couldn’t humans have invented a more efficient way to get around?” Ember shouted down as she hovered above Gregory’s car which was moving slowly on the grassy plains where the train station had let them off. 

Gregory looked out of the window. “There’s no way I’m leaving this thing behind!” he shouted back up at her, “and besides, I won’t be getting an opportunity like this much anyway! You have the wrong type of road.”

“I wish I could ride around in it!” Cozy said from nearby, “it looks fun!”

“It is. Right Starlight?” Gregory asked, turning to his only companion in the car.

Gregory wasn’t alone in the car. Starlight was seated in the passenger’s seat beside him. Outside the car, the others were walking or flying beside it since almost all of their belongings were packed in the car itself. Gregory’s group had been joined by Gabby and Feather Duster before heading onto the train the night before. “This is a pretty bumpy ride,” she said as she was jostled around in her seat.

“Like I said, you’ve got the wrong type of roads,” Gregory repeated, “and we’re heading up a hill so I have to be slow. Especially with all our stuff inside.”

“I should’ve just teleported,” Starlight grumbled.

“You’re the one who wanted to see what it was like in a car,” Gregory retorted.

“But it’s so amazing!” Starlight whined before an idea entered her head. “Hang on, I got it…” Starlight’s horn glowed before the dirt room in front of them became smoother. The car no longer jerked and shifted as they moved.

“Huh, I remember seeing that done in another MLP fanfic once,” Gregory muttered. “Thanks, Starlight.” He sped up and finally crested the hill. 

When the group saw the massive walled campus down below, those who hadn’t seen it were struck dumb with awe. Even Cozy Glow landed and her eyes widened in astonishment at what she saw. Gregory got out of the car after turning it off and stood on the hill looking down and around the landscape. He took note of the high outer wall and the inner circular wall which seemed to double as student dormitories. The landscape too was one of unmitigated beauty, and not just the landscape inside the walls, which Gregory had been told were artificially constructed to accommodate other species and their native habitats. 

The largest tower itself, just like Starlight had said, had a large glowing orb at the top. Its glow reminded him somewhat of the moon’s silvery glow, which made sense considering that Princess Luna herself had personally crafted the gem and imbued it with her protective magic. He could see that as the light of sunrise grew, the orb’s light dimmed, but even now there was a very slight glistening dome that came out from the gemstone and ended at the walls of the campus. The light itself seemed to cast a calming spell on him, almost like it was alive and assuring him that all was well.

Within the walls, he saw by the light of the protective gem a number of artificially created environments from around the known world. He saw an artificial forest, a small lake, some sandy area surrounded by a hill, a grassy plain, and even the beginnings of what looked like farmland between the outer wall and the inner wall. However, as impressive as the inside of the campus was, it was the landscape outside the walled area that drew his gaze more, because all around them lay the neutral lands between the Crystal Empire and Equestria. 

Starlight had given Gregory a brief rundown of the entire land itself, which consisted of a few hundred square miles of unexplored and wild land. The land was known by many different names, such as The Wilds, the Untamed Lands, the Neutral Territories, the Unknown Lands, and more. Only a very small portion of it was ever explored, and that was because of the train tracks which had been laid from the northernmost portion of Equestria to the Crystal Empire. At one point, before The Trial, there were waystations along the railways where guards were stationed to protect the trains from monster attacks, but ever since the Empire broke off ties with Equestria, those waystations were abandoned by ponies and instead were manned by crystal ponies.

Just south of the walled campus was a massive and densely populated forest with a small but deep blue lake within its borders. Starlight had given him a map of the region earlier the night before and he knew that the as of yet unnamed lake was fed by a glacial river that came down from the Crystal Mountains. He saw the aforementioned Crystal Mountains to the north, their high peaks covered in snow that hadn’t yet melted from the winter storms. One peak stuck out and far surpassed any of the others in height and majesty. He guessed that it was Mt. Everhoof. There was a vast flat plain to the east with the southward flowing river that fed the lake. He even caught a glimpse of a large waterfall a ways up north.

When he directed his gaze south, he saw that the outward flowing river that came out of the lake flowed down into yet another lower valley with scatterings of trees and grasslands. There were some smaller mountain ranges below as well. The sun was almost ready to rise, but even in the early morning light he saw the sun had already peaked on these mountains. They had traveled quite far during the night, and just as Starlight had said, he couldn’t even see the Canterhorn where Canterlot was located. However, he could see the shining lights and gleaming crystals of the Crystal Empire’s main city far in the north.

The only other evidence of artificial structure came in the form of the train tracks and the large train station which stuck out like a sore thumb near the bottom of the hill. Aside from that, the campus and the distant Crystal Empire, there was no other sign of habitation. Starlight had explained that the land which the school had been built on was part of a vast swathe of neutral territory that no kingdom had laid claim to in any known time. Starlight, in a surprising moment of vulnerability, had admitted that she had almost created her village within the lands, even at the same spot where the school was, but had decided against it, remaining in Equestrian borders instead. 

In an effort to distract Starlight from a clearly troubling memory, Gregory had asked more about these neutral lands. Starlight had explained that the land stretched from the borders of the Crystal Empire and Yakyakistan in the Frozen North all the way to the northern borders of Equestria. It was wild and untamed territory that no ponies had wanted to attempt to colonize due to it being so far from civilization. She’d said that the same could be said of the Undiscovered West, which Gregory knew about from his own incomplete map of Equestria. The neutral lands in the north hadn’t even been mapped out save for the lone stretch of railways that had led from the Empire to Equestria. There had been rumors of the forests being full of various monsters, especially timberwolves, leftovers of Grogar’s cruel experiments and mockery of life.

As they stood and stared, Cozy was the first to speak. “Gee golly…that’s a really big campus, Miss Starlight.”

“I’ll say,” Feather Duster added, clearly impressed.

“Is that a griffon tree down there?” an excited Gabby asked, pointing to the northern edge of the campus towards a particularly unusually tall tree.

Starlight nodded. “We had it imported from Griffonstone and we’re hoping that a few more will be showing up soon.”

“Good! We need those trees for when we preen our wings,” Gabby said approvingly.

“I remember seeing Twilight’s plans for her school, and this is definitely ten times better,” Spike said, sounding very impressed.

“Thanks, Spike.” Starlight then looked up expectantly at Gregory. “What about you, my new human culture teacher? What do you think?”

Gregory shook his head then looked down at the purple mare. “Honestly, I’m at a loss for words here. It’s hard to believe you got this done in a year.”

“We had plenty of help from other nations,” Starlight said. She looked at Ember. “The Dragon Lord here was kind enough to send some of her best to help with the building.” 

“Dragons have more control over our fire than any smiths,” Ember said with a smirk as she landed next to Gregory and crossed her arms. “Our best built most of the wall and reinforced it with dragon fire.”

“Impressive,” Gregory nodded.

“The griffins have a special skill when it comes to building,” Starlight continued. “Griffonstone sent their best architects and they came up with a plan that I challenge any pony to beat.”

Gabby grinned. “I might be just a mail delivery griffin, but I’ve seen some really amazing buildings in my country!”

As the light from the sun continued growing, the gem on the tall tower finally blinked slightly and went out. At the same time, the sun crested the horizon, sending its golden glow across the top of Yggdrasil Tower. The first light of morning struck the gem and it reflected the sun’s light on the landscape below. The barely visible shield vanished, but according to what Starlight had told him, it still remained.

Everyone there eventually broke their eyes away when they heard the sounds of galloping hooves coming from below them. He looked down and saw three equine forms approaching. He smiled as he recognized a number of them. “Hey, looks like we’ve got a welcome committee coming up the hill. Looks like…Sunburst…Trixie…and is that Zecora?”

“Zecora is my Zebrican culture and potions teacher here,” Starlight explained, “and before you ask, that large forest to the south of us is a lot like the Everfree. It’s where she gets her potion ingredients from.”

“A potions master? You really went all out for this school,” Gregory said. On the long overnight ride to the school, Gregory and Starlight had sat up while she told him about her plans for her school. Unlike the one Twilight had made in the show, Starlight’s was more focused on academia of all sorts along with a good deal of cultural exchanges. He was both looking forward to and nervous to become a teacher there. He waved at them with a small friendly smile.

“Forgive me, but do my eyes deceive? Another human do I perceive.” Zecora rhymed as she and the other staff members got closer.

“Hello, everyone. I’d like you to meet our guests and the newest member of the faculty.” Starlight said. She went around and introduced everyone who’d come visiting, coming last to Gregory. “And this is our newest teacher, Gregory Graystone. He’ll be teaching about human culture and history from his world.”

Gregory nodded at them. “Hello everyone, it’s nice to meet all of you.”

Trixie was the first to approach as she circled Gregory with a curious expression. She looked him up and down before she spoke. “Hmm, you’re different from Jason,” she said, “but judging from those scars, you received a warm welcome from Ponyville, huh?”

“Trixie!!!” Starlight scolded.

Gregory chuckled dryly. “It’s alright, but she’s not wrong. I got these from when three former guards attacked me. I can tell you more about it later if you want, miss Great and Powerful.”

“Ah, someone who recognizes talent,” Trixie said proudly, “Trixie is quite pleased.”

Gregory chuckled, then said, “One of these days I’d like to see you perform. Starlight told me a bit about you on the train ride up here.”

“Yes, yes. Trixie is amazing,” Trixie replied with a flourish as she thrust her cloak back. “Fret not, the Great and Powerful guidance counselor shall always have her door open.”

Gregory smiled, then turned to Sunburst. “Hello there,” he said, “you must be Sunburst.”

“O-Oh, good morning,” Sunburst said a bit nervously, “Um, yes. I’m Sunburst. I work with attendance and administration. I’ve - uh - never actually spoken with a human before.”

“Well, I’ll be glad to sit down and talk with you anytime,” Gregory said. He then turned to Zecora. “Hello, Miss Zecora, It’s very nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, good sir, but how do you know my moniker?” Zecora asked.

“I saw you in the visions that the Gjallarhorn showed me about Ponyville, and Starlight just told me your name,” Gregory said, not mentioning how she’d been a character in the show. “I hear you’re the potion’s master and Zebrican culture and history teacher at this school. Is it alright if I ask a favor of you?”

“A request you would ask of me? And what can that possibly be?” Zecora asked curiously.

“Would it be possible for you to teach me potion and brew crafting?” Gregory asked. “I’d like to try and learn.”

Zecora took on a thoughtful expression as she replied, “Hmm, that request is far from meek. Crafting brews are not for the weak. Even one single mistake can certainly leave a lot at stake. However, I see that you are quite eager, so my department of knowledge shall not be meager.”

“I appreciate that,” Gregory said, “and I know that mixing potions is dangerous. I won’t take the warning lightly.” 

“Can we go inside now? I want to meet the other creatures. Maybe we can start a student charter here, if that’s alright?” Cozy asked.

Gregory chuckled. “Yeah, it is a bit chilly, and I’m sure Starlight and everyone else here wouldn’t mind some breakfast. I just need a place to park my car. Starlight, you said there was an empty storage house where I can temporarily park?” He got back into his vehicle and started it up, which startled the three newcomers, even more so when his headlights turned on.

“Whoa! What is that?!” Sunburst asked, running up to the car.

Gregory chuckled. “I’ll explain later. For now, I need a place to park it and then breakfast sounds absolutely lovely.”

“Alright, I’ll show you where to go,” Starlight said as she once more got into the passenger seat.

As Gregory slowly drove around the school, the staff members watched in awe. “That’s amazing. How is it moving like this?” Sunburst asked while trying to keep pace with the vehicle.

“It runs on a liquid fuel called gasoline,” Gregory explained, “although sadly it will eventually run out of that fuel since I doubt this world has gasoline. The other human world might, the one that Sunset Shimmer once lived in, but that’s another story altogether. I actually brought a couple books about how cars work if you and Starlight want to look at them.”

“Fascinating. I’ll make room in my schedule,” Sunburst said eagerly.

Starlight chuckled and told Gregory where to go. However, as they headed through the western gate towards the center tower where Starlight had said the storage space was, Gregory noted that there were a few creatures awake already despite the early morning hour. “Hey, are those yaks over there?” he asked, pointing towards a small group of quadrupeds running around.

“Yes they are,” Starlight confirmed, “we also have a few diamond dogs, griffins, dragons, and hippogriffs already here, with more who’ve written that they’ll be coming within the next couple of weeks. I think just about every creature you can name has promised to send a few students except for changelings. It’s been next to impossible to find them or extend any invitations to them.”

“Why not put out some kind of advertisement in some of the more open minded newspapers?” Gregory suggested, “or find someone to pass out fliers in Equestria?”

“That could work, but I doubt Chrysalis would be willing to let her changelings attend,” Starlight replied.

“You never know unless you try,” he saod. “I’m sure there are some who might want to come, especially if you make the promise to let them go undisguised. I don’t know much about changelings, but I can only imagine that it’s draining to be in disguise all the time.”

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt, but I’m not holding my breath,” Starlight said.

“I understand that,” Gregory said. “Still, you’ve accomplished a hell of a lot in a year, and that’s saying something.”

“Thank you.”

After a while, they passed through the inner gates and Starlight led him to an empty storage space on one side of the tower where he could park his car until they could have a more permanent space placed. Just as Starlight was opening the door to the storage area with her magic, Gregory, who was watching the yaks out of curiosity, saw a younger yak pause, then turn towards them. The yak began running towards them. “Oooh dear…is that yak charging me? She’d better not hit this car.”

Gregory took a closer look at the yak approaching then and saw that it was none other than Yona of the Young Six. The aforementioned yak narrowed her eyes at the car and pawed at the ground. Before Gregory could say a word, she took off at full speed with a yell. Thankfully, Starlight’s magic flared outward and caught the young yak moments before impact.

“Huh?” Yona said in confusion as she was floating in the air. She looked around before she saw Starlight. “Oh, hello Head Teacher Starlight. Yona was protecting school from metal monster!”

“Thank you, Yona, but that isn’t a monster. It’s a transportation vehicle. You know, like the steam trains,” Starlight explained.

“Oh,” was all that Yona said. 

“So this young lady is one of the students I’ll be teaching?” Gregory asked after he parked his car inside and got out. He walked around towards where Yona was still floating and looked up at her. “Yona, correct?”

Starlight lowered Yona back on the ground. The yak looked at Gregory quizzically before responding. “You look familiar to Yona. What are you?”

“My name is Gregory Graystone, and I’m a human,” Gregory explained.

“Hooman?” Yona looked at him with her head tilted.

“Human. There’s a hyu in there,” Gregory clarified. “Nice to meet you, Yona.”

Yona inspected Gregory top to bottom before making an observation. “You skinny. You need more meat on bones like yaks. Yona know family favorite food to build muscle.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Gregory asked.

“Lichen soup.” Yona licked her lips at that and smiled in anticipation.

Gregory winced a bit. “Yeah…humans can’t eat lichen,” he said, “we’re omnivores, but there are some things we can’t eat, and I’m pretty sure lichen isn’t one of them.” 

“Omnivores? Oh! Like griffin friend. He can help.” Yona moved behind Gregory and started pushing him. “We go see him.”

“Hey, whoa there! I can walk!” Gregory said in alarm.

“She’s right! You need more meat on your bones,” Ember called down from above, a look of amusement on her face.

“It’s way too early for this,” Gregory sighed. However, he let himself be led by Yona into the nearest doorway to the inside. 

The group went further inside the school to a lunchroom where a few dragons and griffins were eating. “Welcome to the cafeteria,” Starlight said. “We have all the dietary needs for both carnivores and herbivores. Right now, we have the students on separate lunch schedules. We want to ease the two groups slowly so that they can get used to each other.”

“This is the biggest cafeteria we have,” Sunburst explained, “but there are two others which aren’t in use.”

Gregory inhaled and exhaled. “Even between worlds, the smell of a cafeteria never changes. Although this one smells nicer.”

“Of course, we only serve the best quality food here!” Trixie stated.

Gregory nodded, then looked at Starlight. “So, I saw the entirety of Jason’s Trial, and I remember that he mentioned that fish is the only source of meat available for meat eaters on this planet. Is that really true?”

“Not quite,” Sunburst explained, “it’s the only known meat safe for consumption by meat eating species in Equestria, yes, but there are other animals safe to eat, like hydra.”

“Huh…hydra meat. Do you have any here?” Gregory asked.

“Yona friend Gallus is eating some now,” Yona said, pointing to one corner of the cafeteria where a lone griffin was sitting and eating something. “Go say hello to Yona’s griffin friend. Yona will get pony friend also.” At that, Yona turned and ran out of the cafeteria.

Gregory looked in the direction where Yona had pointed. Sure enough, a young blue griffin was sitting and eating at a corner table. “That blue griffin, huh?” he said.

“Hey, Gallus!!!” Gabby called out, causing Gallus to nearly choke. She rushed over and pulled him into a hug, lifting him into the air with a wide smile on her face.

“Gabby!!!” Gallus choked out. She broke the hug and gave him a sheepish smile while Gallus glared at her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m here with some friends,” Gabby explained, “and  we’re showing your new teacher around the school.”

“Hello, there,” Gregory said as he approached along with everyone else. As he did so, however, he caught the scent of the hydra meat. Instantly, he began to salivate. “Oh my God…that smells incredible…”

“Because it is,” Gallus said. “Roasted hydra steak with baked potato. You’d better get a tray before the dragons eat it all.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Gregory said with a grin as he rushed towards the cafeteria line. Ember quickly followed behind him, managing to get in line before him, much to Gregory’s apparent consternation.

“So who's the string bean?” Gallus asked, gesturing towards the human.

“That’s your new teacher,” Starlight stated.

“New teacher, huh?” Gallus said, looking more closely at Gregory, who was now in a conversation with Ember about something. “Huh…what’s he gonna teach?”

“Human history and culture,” Starlight explained.

“Huh…” Gallus watched him briefly before turning away. “Well, whatever I guess.”

Gregory came back just then with a plate of a steaming steak and a baked potato with butter and a glass of juice. “Okay, if the smell is anything to go by, this is gonna be heavenly.” He sat down, Ember sitting beside him, and cut a slice before taking a bite. “And I’m in heaven,” he finished. “I bet I can make burgers out of this meat.”

“So, you’re a human like Jason Wright?” Gallus asked. When Gregory nodded, Gallus continued. “Why become a teacher?” 

After swallowing his first bite, he turned to the young grifin. “Well, I figured I could do the most good up here, plus the first town I ended up kicked me out anyway.”

“From the looks of it, they used you as a heavy bag before tossing you out,” Gallus said, looking him up and down.

“Gallus, that’s rude!” Gabby scolded.

“It’s alright, Gabby. I’ll tell the story later, if my new boss permits it,” Gregory added, looking down at Starlight. “She knows the whole story.” He’d told her about the attack during their dinner at The Tasty Treat.

“We’ll see,” Starlight said, “and just call me Starlight. Don’t call me boss, please.”

“Got it.”

“Yona back with friends!” Yona called out as she came back, but not just with a pony. 

Gregory looked up from his breakfast only to come face to face with a pair of purple wide and excited eyes. A bright purple hippogriff with dark bluish violet eyes and striped blue and light blue mane and tail. “Whoa there!” he shouted in alarm, backing off instinctively.

“Ooh! You’re new!” the hippogriff exclaimed. “Are you an ape? No, a monkey. Oh, oh! A hairless diamond-taur!!!”

“Um, yes, I’m new,” he chuckled a bit as the hippogriff moved closer once more. Gregory did a double take at her last words. “A diamond-taur? Oooh, mix of diamond dog and minotaur. No, nothing like that. I’m a human.”

“Oh, that’s even better,” Silverstream said excitedly before she landed and gave him an inquisitive expression. “What’s a human?”

Gregory couldn’t help it. Her enthusiasm and curiosity were infectious and he smiled. “I’m the same species as Jason Wright. I came to this world from another one. Humans are, well you were partially right about us being related to apes and monkeys. We evolved from them over millions of years, but I can go into more detail about that in class.”

“Alright, save the biology lesson for when class starts,” Starlight said with an amused grin. “I believe you two should introduce yourselves now.” 

“Aye aye, boss lady,” Gregory smirked with a salute.

“Gregory…” Starlight groaned.

“Couldn’t help it, sorry,” Gregory chuckled.

“Oh, right, hehe,” Silverstream said. She turned to Gregory and smiled again. “I’m Silverstream of Seaquestria and Mt. Aris!”

“Pleased to meet you, Silverstream,” Gregory said, “I’m Gregory Graystone, your new human culture and history teacher.”

Silverstream squealed in delight before turning to the others. “Did you hear that? We’re going to learn about humans! Isn’t that great?!”

“Cool,” Gallus said with disinterest.

“That’s - uh - totally cool,” the pony said nervously.

Gregory turned, seeing yet another familiar face. Sandbar stood there, looking at him warily. “I take it you’re Yona’s friend too?” he asked.

“Oh, um, yes. The name’s Sandbar, dude…” Sandbar weakly offered a nervous hoof to Gregory.

Gregory took his hoof and shook it gently but firmly. “Am I scary to you?” he asked with a curious tone.

“What? No! You’re not scary. I mean, meeting new creatures is a little scary. But, you’re cool. Yep, totally cool. Hehe…”

He raised an eyebrow, but let it go. “Well, my name’s Gregory Graystone. I’m the school’s new human history and culture teacher,” he said with a warm smile. He let Sandbar’s hoof go. “It’s nice to meet you, young stallion. Where are you from?”

Sandbar retreated into himself as he began to sweat. “Um, Equestria?”

“I meant what city or town,” Gregory clarified.

Sandbar was growing more nervous until he suddenly brightened, like an idea had come to him. “Oh, I totally just remembered I kept my address in my stuff. Let me go check.” With that said, Sandbar quickly vacated the area.

Gregory watched him go, a sneaking suspicion growing in him. Slowly, he turned to Starlight. “He’s from Ponyville, isn’t he?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, I think he’s afraid of how you’ll react to that,” Starlight replied. “Don’t worry though. His parents were one of the ponies that disagreed with Jason’s treatment and moved away. He’s a good pony, but let him get used to you first. It’s best not to force a confrontation.”

Gregory nodded. “Of course, I understand that,” he said. “Still, I think it might be a good idea if he talks to someone about it. Best not to let it fester. But for the time being, I think I’ll enjoy this delicious meal.” He turned and saw that Ember was already more than halfway done with her steak. “Jesus Christ, hungry there?” he asked.

“What? Is that a problem? Meals like this must be eaten quickly before any other dragon tries to steal it,” Ember replied.

“Fair enough,” he said as he took another bite. “Seriously, this is better than any steak I’ve had before.”

Ember looked down at his plate and smirked. She moved her tail behind Gregory and patted his back. When the human turned around, Ember quickly swiped his plate. “See? You have to eat faster to ward off thieves!”

“Remind me to eat alone from now on,” Gregory said as he put his fork and knife down.

“Oh? Is the human quitting already?” Ember teased, “You’d rather go to bed hungry instead of fighting for your claim?”

“I think it’s been well established that you’d beat me every time,” Gregory chuckled good naturedly.

“Bah. You’re no fun,” she said before handing his plate back.

“Nah, I’m just a pragmatist,” he said as he took his plate back before turning to his two guards. “Which is why I asked these two to train me.”

"What good will pony training do against any other creature?” Ember asked. “At least with dragons, we stand on two legs like you. No, I’ll be training you.”

“Lucky me,” Gregory deadpanned.

At this time, Cozy Glow walked up to Gregory and pulled on his sleeve. “Say, Mister Graystone. I have a question.”

He turned and looked down at the little filly. “What is it?” he asked.

“I was wondering about that show you talked about and I want to know if I could see it? The one where we’re all in it.” Cozy gave him what Gregory felt was her cutest pleading look.

Gregory paused, looking down at the young pegasus. “I’ve hardly talked about it,” he said, “and I’m not sure if I should show you. It’s not accurate to real life anymore, but I don’t think I should.” He was aware now that everyone else at the table, including those members of the Young Six who were still there were listening in. Even Gallus was pretending not to be interested.

Cozy intensified her adorable look. “Pleeease!!!”

He pursed his lips. “I suppose there’s no harm in showing you events that have already happened,” he reasoned, “but that’s…about it.” He looked at Starlight. “I’m pretty sure the Head Teacher here wouldn’t appreciate me showing episodes that she’s in.”

“Actually, I would be very curious to see how accurate of a portrayal this show has of us,” Starlight said with a curious expression on her face. “It couldn’t hurt since it is technically fiction.” 

“Trixie wants to see herself too,” Trixie added.

Gregory took a deep breath and exhaled. “Very well,” he said, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to show an earlier episode or so to anyone here who’s interested.” He looked at Starlight. “Where should we watch it?”

“Ah, a little time away from the hive does wonders for the complexion,” Chrysalis said as she walked through the ever changing halls of the hive with Jason by her side. “Even so, what was that saying you used? There’s no place like home.”

“We hardly went sunbathing,” Jason grunted. “All we did was antagonize the nobles in Canterlot.”

“Yes, such a relaxing endeavor,” Chrysalis smirked. “Tell me you didn’t find it funny when one of those stuffy flankholes tried to run you through with their precious family sword?”

“Yeah, they must have a short term memory since the horn is still in play,” Jason scoffed. “I hope his money can pay for that new scar.” 

“And yet, the horn didn’t save that Gregory human from receiving injuries,” Chrysalis said.

“He wasn’t a part of the original stipulation,” Jason replied, “and besides, he only got those injuries for being an idiot. I told him to leave Ponyville, but he didn’t listen.”

Chrysalis chuckled. “Well, I should let you know that agent Ocellus told me that he did leave Ponyville. He went north to Starlight’s school.”

“Then have her go there as well as a new student.” Jason said.

“Why? From all I’ve heard that place is much safer than Equestria for a human,” Chrysalis said.

“Better safe than sorry,” Jason said.

Chrysalis sighed. “Fine, I’ll let her know,” she said, “but she’s going in disguise. I know that Starlight pony would say that she’d be alright with our changelings going undisguised, but still…” she shuddered.

“I know that sigh. What’s bothering you now?” Jason asked, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.

“Oh, nothing. I’m completely comfortable with sending my drones into a melting pot of creatures run by Twilight’s dubious friends,” Chrysalis snarked back at him.

Jason deadpanned at her. “Sarcasm is unbecoming of a queen,” he said in an equally sarcastic tone, “but it’s not like she’ll expose herself.”

“And why do you insist on keeping an eye on that other human when you clearly don’t like him?” Chrysalis asked.

“He’s naive,” Jason said, “and he’ll get himself hurt.”

“So he’s a child to you, got it,” Chrysalis said.

“Whatever.”

Chrysalis was about to retort when she felt a sharp migraine. She stumbled a bit before collapsing on her barrel. Jason arched a brow and moved to her while she panted. “No. No. It can’t be!!!” Chrysalis shouted.

“What? What’s wrong?” Jason asked.

“My drones!” Chrysalis shouted in alarm, “The ones in the Dragon Lands! I can’t feel their minds! They’ve gone dark!!!”

“Were they discovered?” Jason asked in a grim tone.

Chrysalis shook her head vehemently. “No. The memories came rushing at me. They sent a distress signal before everything went blank.” She then froze, her eyes widening even more. “No…not them…they’re back!!!”

“Whose back? What’s happening?!” Jason was growing a bit worried now. He’d never seen Chrysalis like this.

Chrysalis jumped up and grabbed Jason’s shoulder with a tight grip, a look of sheer horror etched on her features. “The Windigos!!!”

Jason looked at her and there was silence for a bit. Finally, he took a deep breath and exhaled. “Well, fuck.”

“My Little Pony!” The show’s credits began to roll after the episode was over. The projector was displaying the show on an empty wall in a classroom and the sound was coming out of Gregory’s two portable speakers. There was a small crowd of curious onlookers who had come to see the My Little Pony show. It had taken Gregory a little while to set things up in the room where the showing had just finished, but eventually everything was ready. Those who came to see the showing of My Little Pony were Starlight, Trixie, Sunburst, Ember, Swift, Moonlight, Spike, Cozy, Gabby, Feather, Yona, Silverstream and Gallus. Zecora had politely declined and had instead decided to go to the forest to search for more of her rare herbs and roots.

Gregory didn’t want to show them shows involving Seasons 8 and 9, so he decided it would be best to show from some of the earlier seasons. He chose Gauntlet of Fire first, mostly to see Ember’s reaction, then The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, and lastly, at Starlight’s insistence, he showed two episodes featuring Starlight, A Royal Problem and All Bottled Up. On a whim, he decided to show a fan song called Magic, mostly because Trixie wanted to see more of herself. Lastly, he showed them the two parter episode Shadow Play, mostly because he knew that Starswirl and the other Pillars still hadn’t returned. Gregory closed the window, showing his desktop background which currently was showing a picture of the Orion Nebula taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. He faced the others. “Alright, so I think that’s enough for now. We’ve been sitting here for a while. So…thoughts?”

What he got was an expected stunned silence from everyone. Even Ember didn’t have anything to say, at least at first. Then, Ember spoke. “I don’t sound like that!” She said flatly.

"My voice sounds a little hitch pitched,” Spike said. “It’s almost like a female is playing me.”

“Because that’s exactly what happened,” Gregory said. “Your voice in the show was provided by a woman. Although, from what I’ve noticed, Twilight’s voice along with Pinkie’s, Fluttershy’s, Rarity’s and Rainbow Dash’s are pretty much the same. Yeah, there are some differences, but not much.”

“Well, I can say the timeline nearly matches everything we’ve been through,” Starlight said. “That Royal Problem episode was close enough but there were some aspects missing from it. For example, Celestia did notice the flowers Luna left, but she brushed them off because she was tired. And, Luna didn’t just eat a banana. She ate the whole fruit bowl. But, how could they know about what happened in the dream?”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Gregory said. “I could list a number of hypotheses about that, but it’s just speculation.”

“Hmph. Trixie did not appreciate that Shadow Play episode. She was nowhere to be seen in it. Oh, and Starlight portrayal was horribly underselled. She practically had the whole issue solved but Twilight refused to listen!”

“One of Twilight’s main faults is her tendency to hero worship and be blind to the truth in those cases,” Gregory explained. “Look at the incident when she hypnotized Ponyville with the Want It, Need It spell.”

“I guess it’s a good thing the Pillars are not here,” Spike said as he crossed his arms. “I doubt they’d adjust well after a thousand years.”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t,” Gregory agreed, “especially Starswirl.” He turned back to Trixie. “But you see just how much humans were fans of this show. That music video of you, Trixie, was just one fan animation of hundreds made by talented people.”

“Is there anything else in this show about us?” Sunburst asked. “Does it know our secrets? Or our personal diaries?” 

“Not in so much details,” Gregory explained. “I know bits and pieces, but it’s not too intrusive.”

“What about our less than honest moments? Show us the ones where we are in a bad light.” Starlight requested.

“You mean like how you brainwashed the Elements of Harmony to do everything you said? Or how you tried to bottle your anger at Trixie so you didn’t lose her as a friend?” Gregory asked.

“Sure, let's go with those,” Starlight said.

“You’re a braver person than I would be in your shoes,” Gregory said.

“Hey, can we watch my episodes after hers?” Cozy asked with a grin. “I want to see if they got my talents right.”

Gregory frowned. “I’d really much rather not. Mostly because the events showing you won’t happen anymore, seeing as you show up at Twilight’s School of Friendship.”

“We aren’t curious because of arrogance, Gregory,” Starlight explained. “This is nothing more than a bunch of friends hanging out with each other. We want the same experience you had with this show. We are all past any hang ups or darker moments in our lives now.”

“Basically, she’s telling you to stop trying to coddle folks and play the show. We can take it,” Ember said with a huff.

He looked at them all, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, you’re right, I guess. Alright, I’ll show you more, but let’s take maybe a fifteen minute break to stretch our legs first, huh? I need to walk around for a little bit to get the blood flowing.” He stretched slowly. “Oh, and please don’t touch my computer. I can’t replace it.”

“You can use our break room if you want,” Starlight said. “We have a few gym machines for fitness.”

“I’ll have a look later,” Gregory said, “for now, I just want to walk and think.”

“I’ll go with you then. This is a good opportunity to show you some moves.” Ember said.

He chuckled. “Sure, let’s go.” With that, he headed towards the door. “You know, there are a couple other episodes with you in it.”

“As long as they depict how a Dragon Lord operates, we can watch them,” she said.

As the two left the room, Spike noticed Cozy lagging behind, the young filly looking at the laptop screen. “Um, Cozy, are you coming?”

“Well, I want to watch some more. I’m not tired yet. Maybe, the show has some version of the CFE we could use.”

Spike came over and sat next to her, looking at the screen. “Hmm, maybe,” he said. Nervously, he reached out and grabbed the computer mouse and moved it around experimentally. He had been watching how Gregory had maneuvered it between episodes. “Okay…let’s see here…” He clicked around a few times and by sheer chance managed to open a folder named MLP Clips. He scrolled down until he saw one that caught his eye. “9 Full Minutes Of Cozy Glow?”

“Oh? Cozy came and saw herself in the thumbnail. Her eyes widened excitedly. “Play that one. We don’t know how long the other videos will be so this is quicker!”

He nodded and clicked the video. The two watched as the video started with a clip of the Cutie Mark Crusaders talking to Cozy just outside their clubhouse. However, as the scenes continued, Spike felt himself tensing up. There was something about this version of Cozy Glow that sent shivers down his spine. When the video reached the point where Cozy was laughing maniacally after having Chancellor Neighsay locked up, he paused the video and looked at the little filly. “Cozy…I think we should stop.”

There was a brief pause as no sound came from the filly. However, Spike heard her speak in a low tone. “...Keep playing it…”

“Cozy, I think–”

“Keep playing it,” she repeated more loudly now.

Spike nodded and did so. The scenes continued, showing Cozy growing more and more maniacal. Spike noticed Cozy beginning to shiver at each instance she was on screen. She flinched when she saw how she strung the heroes along and how everyone seemed to hang off her every word. She winced when she saw how ponies much smarter than her were easily fooled by her adorable face and devious smile. It was near the middle of the video where Cozy started to cry. It showed her utilizing several magical artifacts while head Teacher Starlight and the creatures she just met were held hostage.

Spike reached over and pulled the young filly into a hug. “Cozy…”

Before she could respond, Gregory and the others came back. “Hey, it turns out Gregory forgot to get some…thing.” Starlight started to say, only to notice the computer was playing again and Spike and Cozy were watching it.

Gregory looked at the screen and saw the video that was still playing. He looked down at the young ones before he walked over, closed the video, and turned back to them. There was a moment of silence for a few moments. “So now you know,” Gregory said, “or at the very least, you know why I didn’t want you seeing certain episodes featuring you.”

“...” Cozy said nothing as she ran past everyone with tears flowing freely from her eyes.

Gregory ran after her. “Cozy Glow! Wait!” he called out, trying to catch her up.

Cozy flapped her little wings harder to gain some altitude and managed to outpace Gregory while flying through the halls. Gregory stopped running after her and quickly headed back to the group. “Did you find her?” Starlight asked in concern.

He shook his head. “No…” He looked down at Spike. “If you see her, could you let her know I want to talk to her?”

“That won’t do,” Trixie interjected, “she could get lost. Trixie suggests we form a search party!”

“Yeah, good idea,” Gregory said. “Let’s find her quickly.”

“Sunburst, go tell the rest of the staff to be on the lookout for Cozy Glow,” Starlight said, immediately taking charge. “Trixie, go and get as many students as you can find and ask them to help as well. I’ll lead the rest of us through the halls.”

As Sunburst rushed away, Starlight ran ahead, the others trailing behind. They spent a good half hour searching high and low all over the school. At some point, however, Gregory suggested that they split up to cover more ground. Starlight agreed, but made everyone promise not to hurt Cozy if they found her. With that, they all split apart. Gregory headed outside and looked around for any sign of her near the main tower. When he reached the storage area where he’d parked his car, he noticed that it was open whereas before it was closed. Slowly he approached, only to hear the soft muffles of a young girl sniffling and crying. He crept up and listened to whatever this girl was saying to herself. He heard the voice saying, “No, it’s not true. It’s not true. You’re different, Cozy. You’re not like them! I’m not that monster!”

He listened for a few minutes while she said some more similar things while occasionally hyperventilating and crying. He wasn’t sure why, but unlike the Cozy in the show, this one felt more genuine. Since he suspected that she thought nobody was around, he reasoned that she wasn’t putting up an act. Gregory’s heart went out to the filly. Even so, he had to be absolutely sure. He slowly stood up and walked towards the source of the crying. He saw that Cozy was curled up in a ball right on the hood of his car. “Cozy Glow?”

“...Go away…” she replied, her voice sounded pitiful.

Gregory slowly walked up. “Cozy…please talk to me,” he urged softly. He knew he was taking a major risk, but he also had to know if the Cozy Glow he was talking to now was similar in temperament as the one from the show.

“That–I’m different. I’m not like that! I’m not like them!” Cozy hiccupped.

He continued approaching, noting her use of the word them. “You're not like who, Cozy?” he asked gently.

Cozy trembled as she continued. “My parents. They act like that Cozy from the show. They always tried to teach me to be mean. To try and use my cutie mark to make others do what they want. I-I hated it. I didn’t have any real friends! They were all the same back home. So…so I ran away…”

In that moment, Gregory found himself presented with two choices. On the one hand, he didn’t know this Cozy very well, and all he knew about her was from the show. On the other hand, all he knew about her was from the show. Even so, she could be very well acting now that she’d been caught. He was torn. His experience in this world had left him somewhat jaded, he realized, but he also had to keep reminding himself that this was not the world from the show. If ponies like the ones he’d pretty much idolized could torment and torture a human, then why couldn’t the opposite be true of one of the show’s biggest villains. 

He took a deep breath, exhaled, then made his choice. He took off his hoodie, walked up to Cozy, reached down, and picked her up. He wrapped her in his hoodie and held the stunned pegasus filly close. He gave her a small smile. “It’s okay now,” he said, running his hand through her mane gently to try and calm her down, “let it out if you need to.” 

“D-Do you hate me now?” she stuttered.

The way she said it moved him. Looking down at the vulnerable looking filly, he shook his head. “No, no I don’t hate you,” he said, “I’m just concerned.”

“But, you think I am evil,” she whimpered. “That’s why you didn’t want to show us those episodes.”

Gregory felt a wave of guilt passing over him. “I have a pretty big flaw,” he said, “and it’s that a lot of the time I still expect things to be like the show. I didn’t want to show you because I was afraid things might end up badly or worse if I did. Still, I’ve decided that I’d like to learn everything about this world for myself instead of trusting the show. Besides, I don’t think you’re evil.”

“How can you tell?” she asked.

“Truthfully, because if you were like the Cozy from the show, you wouldn’t be crying when you thought nobody else was around,” he said. “I know what it’s like to have bad parents, too.”

“You do? What happened?” she asked a bit more curiously, wiping her nose with her hoof.

Gregory sighed. “Mine were the type who just didn’t care about me,” he said. “I could have stayed out all night when I was ten and they wouldn’t have cared. Sure, they fed me and kept a roof over my head, but they just didn’t care much else about me. They pretty much did the bare minimum.” He walked over to the back of his car, unlocked it, and opened it. He reached in and grabbed a small plastic bottle of Gatorade that he’d brought, opened it, and handed it to Cozy. “Here.”

Taking it, Cozy took a tentative sip before her eyes sparkled and she drank it down with gusto. “This is yummy!”

He chuckled. “I’m glad you like it.” He walked to the driver side door, opened it, grabbed a few tissues and handed them to her before closing and locking his car up again. “Use these, too.”

“Thank you…” She said while wiping her face. “Do you think the others hate me now?”

“I doubt it,” he said as he began carrying her back to the school.

“But you’re not sure,” she said nervously. “You’ve seen how ponies do things. They might chase me away like they did you.”

“If they chase you away, there are other ways you can help raise awareness for equal rights among races,” Gregory said, “but I seriously doubt that the ponies here hate you. Starlight made this school to help spread cultural awareness of every race on the planet. I don’t think she’d chase you out because of what the version of you in the show did. Remember, she was a villain too and she’s reformed now.”

Cozy looked up at him with wide eyes before a smile formed on her lips. “Golly, you’re good at this,” she said. “Do you have any foals? I bet they’re lucky you’re their dad.”

He smiled ruefully and shook his head. “No, I don’t have any children of my own,” he said.

Cozy stared at Gregory for a long time before she spread her wings and flew out of Gregory’s hoodie. She hovered in front of him, and with a new look of determination she declared, “Then I’ll be your daughter starting now.”

Gregory paused, looking at the hovering pegasus filly with a look of shock on his face. All he could manage to get out at that moment was “...What?”