Chapter Six –
“So Volturi is a stallion now?” Spike said walking with Sweetie Belle through the market. It was market day where all the organic farmers sold their produce. There were even a stand where an odd looking Gryffin was selling an array of farm raised meat. Walking towards the Gryffin’s stand he noticed something was off with him.
“Basically, Scootaloo told me they are going to try for another foal. Wow,” Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up. She elbowed Spike hard in the ribs. “That’s a Hybrid Gryffin!”
“Really?” Spike said rubbing his ribs. Now that he was closer he could tell that the stand owner was definitely no ordinary Gryffin. The stand owner did indeed have the forequarters and head of a Gryffin, but the hindquarters was from a Pony. Looking closer to the stand owner’s head he saw, not feathers, but coat hairs and a light golden mane. “Careful don’t point…” he trailed off when he saw Sweetie Belle already speaking to the stand owner.
“Are you a Gryffin Pony hybrid?” Sweetie Belle asked eagerly.
The stand owner just laughed. “Why yes I am! Let me guess, was it my hindquarters? My ma always told me I had a big bum.”
“No, no, no!” Sweetie Belle said waving her hoof dismissively. Then she saw the cutie mark on his flank.
When the hybrid Gryffin saw the look on her face he couldn’t help, but to laugh. Spike rushed up beside her and was ready to apologize for Sweetie Belle. The Hybrid Gryffin waved it off with his Taloned hand. “Don’t worry about it, mate. I had to go all through my young life with all sorts of beings acting like this to me. Used to bother me,” he shrugged. “but now not so much. Hey when you’re a bit odd, beings naturally will be curious. So ask away. Want to know how I was conceived?”
“Sure,” Sweetie Belle said. Spike blush a little at the idea of hearing how somepony came to be.”
“Naturally Gryffins can reproduce with Pegasi, but it’s extremely hard. Most hatchlings conceived do not survive. The mother usually will abort the hatchling within the first month if it isn’t viable. However in a few rare cases the mother will carry the hatchling through the seven months, but when the hatchling is delivered she will need to have medical professionals at her side. If she doesn’t either she or the hatchling will die,” the Gryffin leaned up against the stand.
“What about you?” Sweetie Belle asked now enthralled.
“My parents got lucky as you can tell. My mother was a Gryffin and my father was a Pegasus. They met at the international games as competitors. Meeting one night in a bar they hit it off and from there they’d eventually conceive me. However by the time my mother got pregnant with me, she didn’t really have any hope left. She had lost three hatchlings before I came along. The later she got in her pregnancy, she got more hope,” the hybrid Gryffin paused to help a Gryffin who had just flown over. After his customer was gone he said down on his haunches and continued. “The funny thing was when I was born I was born live.”
“Oh you mean you weren’t born in an egg?” Sweetie Belle said and the hybrid Gryffin nodded.
“All the other times my mother had gotten pregnant she had delivered an egg that never hatched. So when I came out without a shell over me she was quite shocked. Heck even the doctors were. I was put into the intensive care unit for about two months. My parents and the doctors were certain something was wrong with me,” a grin spread across his beak. “You can bet your tail hairs the doctors were at an end when they couldn’t find anything wrong with me. Nearing the third month my mom finally withdrew me certain that I was fine. As you can see I am pretty fine,” Spike threw him a look that only caused him to laugh.
“Did your parents ever have any other…hatchlings?” Sweetie Belle asked trying to get the right term.
“They tried twice after I turned two with no luck. Then after my fifth birthday my mother finally got pregnant again and delivered a healthy daughter. The doctors wanted to keep her in the NIC-U to ‘make sure’ she was doing alright. However my father knew they wanted to keep her to study her and possibly forbid my parents from taking her home. My father wasn’t having that and when the hospital refused to release my sister he sued the Hospital for all it was worth.”
“Did he win the lawsuit?” Spike asked now interested. Ever since learning what Ponies back in the day had done to his own kin, he was keen on learning more about the injustice they do.
“Ever heard of Rainbow Clouds Hospital?” They both shook their heads. The hybrid Gryffin snapped his taloned hand at them. “My father won the lawsuit. Lawyers and officials in the process had uncovered more ill practices the hospital had done way before I had been born. So it wasn’t just my parent’s case that did the hospital in. After winning the lawsuit my parents got rich quick, but they quickly donated and or spent it on renovating the Rainbow Clouds area.”
“Oh!” Sweetie Belle said making both the hybrid Gryffin’s head and Spike’s head turn. “I’ve heard of Rainbow Clouds! My friend’s mentor’s wife is from there. She’s a black mare with a velvet red mane, do you know her?”
The hybrid Gryffin thought for a moment and then he snapped his taloned hand again. “Volturi?” Sweetie Belle nodded. “No way! We used to be sweethearts in high school! What’s she up to now?”
Spike snickered as Sweetie Belle blushed. “She’s currently a stallion,” Spike laughed at his dumbstruck expression. “Her wife and she are trying for another foal.”
“Huh, I didn’t know her barn door swung that way,” the hybrid Gryffin grunted and then shrugged. “Life’s a mystery, isn’t it?”
Spike looked at Sweetie Belle. “It sure is,” then he looked at the hybrid Gryffin. “How long are you here for?”
“Just another day and then I’m going up to Rainbow Clouds to see my wife and kids. I travel for my work and I’m usually gone for long periods of time. So I spend my breaks with my family,” the hybrid Gryffin said.
A couple moments later Spike bought some game meat and was preparing to leave when he stopped. Turning around he said to the hybrid Gryffin, “What’s your name?”
“Buck Feathers, but everyone calls me Buck. Why do you ask?” he said.
“Me, this young mare, and my mom,” Sweetie Belle chuckled, but Spike ignored her. “Are going on a trip across Equestria and beyond. If she likes the idea, we’ll come visit.”
Buck Feathers gave a small fatherly grin. “Alright, I’ll hold you to it. My daughter will blow a hole through our wall when she hears a dragon and a Princess is coming.”
“You know who I am?” Spike said surprised.
“Who doesn’t?” he waited for him to say something about Twilight, but his eyebrows shot higher when he said, “You’re the only known Pony raised dragon in current history. Plus your ma is an Alicorn princess. When you have a daughter who is obsessed with the princesses in Equestria and a son who dreams of becoming a dragon, long story there, you learn some stuff.”
Sweetie Belle smirked pushing Spike away. “He’s ego will puff up more if we don’t leave. Maybe we’ll see you later!” she called as she walked off pulling Spike with her.
Buck Feathers smiled and returned to his stand.
“You’ll never guess who we met!” Twilight jumped when she heard Spike’s and Sweetie Belle’s voices come blasting through the doors of the castle. They got into the throne room and stopped when they saw all of the Mane Six sitting around the round table in their chairs. Applejack was sitting sideways, Pinkie Pie was surprisingly not doing much, Fluttershy sat in her chair with Discord behind her, Rainbow Dash sat with a stallion Volturi looking tired, and Rarity was sitting sending a glare Sweetie Belle’s way. Spike wrapped his wing around her to keep her calm.
“Good timing Spike,” Twilight said. “This meeting is actually about you,” she motioned for him to sit beside her. When he didn’t move she sighed. “Yes Sweetie Belle can join—”
“But she isn’t of the Mane Six!” Rarity hissed cutting Twilight off. Her ears were pinned back. “I forbid her from—” Sweetie Belle cut her off.
The young mare’s ears were pinned back as well. “You cannot forbid me from doing anything! For the millionth time you aren’t my keeper!”
Rarity got up with her ears pinned flat against her head and her eyes full of anger. “Don’t you dare speak to me like that you ungrateful filly,” Rarity drew her hoof back in preparation to slap Sweetie Belle. Drawing it down she almost hit Sweetie Belle when Spike jumped in between them.
He coiled around the young mare with his sharp teeth showing. His forked tongue flicked towards her. The black slit in his green eyes narrowed and his scales rose. Rarity slowly backed away terrified and slightly enraged. Advancing on the well-kept mare he quickly drew a clawed hand down her side. Rarity screamed and tried to scamper away from the enraged Spike.
“Discord! Do something!” Fluttershy cried.
At the same moment Spike was enveloped in a purple and light gold magic aura. He quickly calmed down and fell to his side. Releasing her magic Twilight flew forward to check on Spike. “Fast asleep,” then she turned on Rarity. “You are hereby banned from any Mane Six meeting until you can relearn the value of friendship that you lost.”
“It was his fault!” she complained, but soon backed away again clutching her side when Twilight advanced on her.
“No it isn’t. You invoked his anger, you knew Sweetie Belle was involved with him. Dragons are protective of their mates,” this hurt Twilight to ban her own friend, but she didn’t show her true emotion. “You are banned from now until you can prove to me that you have relearned the value of friendship. If you break or cause any more disturbances I will consult Princess Celestia to get your Element of Harmony removed.”
Rarity’s eyes widened. “You cannot do that! It will ruin me!”
“It is my duty to uphold the laws of a princess and enforce them when needed. Now you will be escorted from the castle by guards and brought to the clinic where you will be given treatment,” she motioned for the guards to haul the well-kept mare away.
“You cannot do this!” Rarity screamed through the hallways until one of the guards covered her mouth.
For nearly two minutes Twilight stood there attempting to gather herself again. “We need to find somepony to hold her place until she gets better or we need to replace her Element,” she said walking back to her throne.
“Ah say Sweetie Belle,” Applejack said simply. Everypony turned to look at her. “From watching her grow up and what Applebloom has said, the filly deserves it.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie said bouncing up an inch. “Sweetie Belle helped me carry some boxes into the shop a few weeks ago! I could do it because of cupcake here,” she showed her round stomach.
“Is everypony is favor of this?” Everypony nodded. Then she turned to look at the young mare who was crouched beside Spike. “Will you hold her spot until something happens?”
The young mare thought for a long moment. This could possibly help her advance in the music industry and get some good contacts. “Yes I will.”
“Then it is settled Sweetie Belle is the new holder of the Element of Generosity until Rarity recovers or a new holder is needed,” Everypony clapped their hooves in support.
Twilight came to the kitchen late that night after tucking Sweetie Belle and Spike in. Walking into the kitchen she saw the rest of the Mane Six sitting at the table, minus Rarity and plus Volturi. “I thought you guys had left already.”
“We were going to leave until Applejack thought of something,” Volturi said in her newly deepened voice.
“The way Rarity is actin makes me think the greed has come back,” Applejack said referring to the time when the well-kept mare had learned a spell that gave her anything that she wanted, but with a twist. “Ah don’t think it’ll be this easy to remove this time.”
Twilight thought for a moment and the more she thought the more it made sense. “So you think this is why she’s treating her sister like this?”
“Yeah, look at it. She’s livin in Canterlot, hitched to a rich husband, and is livin her dream. The greed might have manifested during her time there without her or anypony noticing,” Applejack said. “It’s only a matter of time till she does something drastic because of the greed.”
Twilight had to admit this was true. “Alright I’ll consult the princesses about it and see what they want to do.”
A few minutes later everypony left heading their own ways. Twilight lingered in the kitchen for a moment longer before slowly making her way to her bedroom.