• Published 18th Jun 2022
  • 2,425 Views, 493 Comments

Brave New Pony World - Goldfur



Prince Mark Wells' interdimensional business with Earth is expanding into new locations, and those require managers with knowledge of the existence of the magical nation of Equestria. How will these humans cope with the culture shock?

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Tourists

Rosa led the way to their table in the carnivore section of The Fig Tree. Chairs suitable for the humans had already been placed and everyone quickly seated themselves. An orange-coated pegasus mare wearing a uniform vest stepped up to the table.

“Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Heavenly Aroma and I will be your server today. Can I get you started with some drinks first?”

Caleb spoke up as he put a hand on Vicky’s. “My wife, Vicky, and I will have our usual Sweet Apple Acres Premium Cider, please.”

Heavenly glanced at Vicky who smiled back. “My husband knows my tastes too well.”

The pegasus gave her a nod of understanding. As regulars to the restaurant, Caleb’s herdmates were well known and Vicky’s true nature was not a secret. Heavenly immediately understood that discretion was being requested. “It’s nice to see you and Caleb here again, Vicky.” She turned her attention to the other humans. “I highly recommend the cider if you are not familiar with it. We also have a large choice of other beverages including our signature cocktails.”

Tyrone and Jules took the recommendation, while Shariq asked for coffee. Michelle was the only human to opt for a cocktail.

Heavenly tucked away her notepad and said, “For those who haven’t been here before, the blue menus have the dishes that contain meat while the green menus are vegetarian only.” The mare then left to get their drinks.

“That’s quite an interesting name she has,” commented Michelle. “In fact, so were those of the factory managers. Are all Equestrian names like that?”

“Pretty much,” Phil confirmed. “They’re often descriptive of their personality or their special talent.”

Caleb said, “In Heavenly’s case, it has to do with her baking skills. This restaurant is a herd-owned business and many of the servers are not only family but also skilled in food preparation. I highly recommend her pastries.”

Michelle frowned. “Herd-owned? What exactly do you mean by that?”

Caleb realized that he had slipped up. “They may be sapient beings, but they’re still ponies and they tend to form herds rather than what you would regard as typical families.”

Rosa said, “There’s a lot you will need to learn about the local social conventions, but I recommend that you decide on what you want to order right now. The company is paying for everything, of course.”

Michelle was not put off for long though. As soon as Heavenly Aroma returned with their drinks and had taken everyone’s orders, the woman brought the subject back up. “I’m no expert on horses, but I sense there’s something you’re tiptoeing around with these herds you mentioned.”

Rosa sighed. “First – never call them horses; that’s an insult here. Just add a ‘W’ in front and you’ll understand why. Second – as I mentioned earlier, mares greatly outnumber the stallions. That has led to the necessity of the mares sharing a stallion rather than one to one like on Earth.”

“So, they’re all bigamists, you’re saying?”

“Monogamous marriages can and do happen, but it’s far more common for a stallion to have two, three, or more mares as his herdmates.”

Michelle scowled. “Once again, males get the breaks.”

Rosa chuckled. “Not quite. You see, it’s the lead mare who is the head of every herd, not the stallion. While he has a lot of leeway that human men don’t have in their relationships, it’s the lead mare who decides which other mares may or may not join the herd. It’s her responsibility to see to the strength and unity of the herd as a whole. I told you that it’s a matriarchal society and that applies to the family unit as much as anywhere else.”

Michelle looked thoughtful. “I suppose that makes sense,” she eventually conceded.

Phil said, “We and Prince Mark intend to give you a more in-depth overview of this world, its races, and cultures after dinner this evening. We’ll be happy to answer your questions then – I’m sure you’ll have plenty. We certainly did when we first came to Equestria. For now, though, I recommend that you enjoy what this world has to offer.”

Tyrone said, “I’m happy that we can take a break from it, even if it’s in a restaurant full of mythical creatures. Frankly, it’s all been a bit much to absorb in such a short time.”

Rosa said, “That’s why we don’t expect you to open the branches for business immediately. We want you to settle in for at least a week and get familiar with operations and personnel first.”

The conversation drifted into their impressions of the new branches and the work that they would be doing there in light of what the candidates had learned.

Jules and Tyrone were happy to agree that the cider was the best that they had ever tasted. When Heavenly Aroma arrived with the food, the candidates were freshly boggled by the pegasus mare’s dexterity with her wings as she picked up and placed the dishes. That was soon forgotten as they started eating and were overwhelmed by the delightful flavors of the food.

Jules pushed back his empty plate with a satisfied sigh. “I hope there’s a restaurant like this near the Vanhoover factory. That has to be one of the best meals that I’ve ever eaten.”

Michelle nodded. “We’d all have to watch our figures.”

Shariq said, “My first impressions are that everything is brighter and more intense than on Earth. Colors seem more vivid, scents are headier, and food tastes more delightful. And I swear I heard music coming out of nowhere on occasions while walking here.”

“The magic of Harmony often expresses itself through music, so that comes as no surprise,” Caleb commented. “I’ve caught myself singing to a stray tune occasionally, and believe me, I’m no singer.”

Phil said, “You have much more to learn about how this world works and, now that we’ve all had a good meal, it’s time to do a bit more tourist stuff before we head off to Friendship Castle. You only got to see brief glimpses on the way here, so we’ll take it a bit slower and let you indulge your curiosity.”

Rosa got up from the table. “I’ll take care of the bill. I’ll catch up to you soon.”

Phil smiled. “Any excuse to fly, eh mi querida?”

The griffon’s wings half-opened in anticipation. “¡Por supuesto!

The couple shared a nuzzle and a kiss before they parted. Everyone else pushed back their chairs and headed outside.

“Let’s head downtown,” Caleb said. “There’s a farmer’s market on the way.”


“Ah’m mighty grateful for yer order, folks,” the orange-coated earth pony mare said with a broad smile. “Ah’ll have the bushel of apples and the crate of cider delivered to the factory first thing in the mornin’.”

# # #

“The Flower Sisters are infamous for fainting like that,” Vicky said. “Don’t worry – once they get used to seeing you, you’ll be spared the histrionics.”

# # #

Tyrone grimaced as he took out twenty dollars from his wallet and gave it to Caleb. He looked up at the sky where a rainbow was now fading away. “I still say wing-power shouldn’t be enough to break the sound barrier.”

# # #

“It’s way bigger on the inside than the outside!” Jules exclaimed as he stood in the doorway of the town hall. “Shades of Doctor Who!”

# # #

“They grow libraries?!”

# # #

Michelle sighed. “That was the friendliest pony on the entire planet – you can’t convince me otherwise. I’m also very glad diabetes doesn’t run in my family.”

# # #

“Thanks, Derpy,” Caleb said as he caught the parcel that had been dropped from above. On seeing the other humans’ expressions, he held up the package. “What? Haven’t you heard of air mail?”

# # #

Shariq tilted his head. “A store that sells both quills and sofas? This I have to see!”

# # #

“So, that’s Friendship Castle?” Michelle asked. “Somebody shoot the architect.”

Vicky said, “I’m told that a seed from the Tree of Harmony grew it for Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “Of course it did.”

“I understand it is sentient, so don’t disparage it when you’re inside,” Rosa advised.

“What’s that far nicer-looking building next door?” Jules asked.

“That’s the School of Friendship,” Phil replied. “Teenage students of all races go there to study… well… friendship.”

“And that’s all?” Shariq asked skeptically.

“Of course they teach the regular subjects too. There are just extra classes devoted to social studies and lessons in cooperation and harmony between the species. I’m told that ponies used to be a lot more insular before Twilight took on the mantle of Princess of Friendship. Now Equestria is far more multicultural.”

Caleb said, “Twilight will happily talk your ears off about it if you let her. Be prepared for a lecture if you broach the subject. Trust me – I know.”

Rosa nudged the humans in the direction of the castle. “Time is getting short. If you still want to check out which species you would turn into through the portal adaptation spell, we should do so now. We have to make our way to Canterlot to have la comida with the prince and princesses soon.”

The men and woman were surprised once again when they were admitted to the castle with scarcely more than a nod of recognition from the Royal Guards stationed at the doorway.

“Twilight Sparkle insists on an informal approach to visitors,” Phil explained. “Besides, Caleb, Rosa, and myself are close acquaintances and regular guests. There’s stronger security in the non-public parts, I assure you. We’ll take a quick look around before heading to the portal room.”

Aside from the grand entrance and the castle library, the Map Table Room was the only other place currently open to visitors. The six thrones surrounding an unusual round table bemused the humans until they were explained by their guides. Shariq astonished himself by causing the ghostly representation of Equestria to zoom in on Ponyville. The visitors then took turns panning around the countryside as Phil and Rosa struggled to keep up their commentary with the rapid changes of view. Afterward, everyone went to the portal room which had two more guards stationed outside. A quick scan by a unicorn mare cleared them.

“Prince Mark advised us of your group, Mr. and Mrs. Martine. You may all go in.”

“Thanks, Sergeant,” Rosa said as she led the way.

Caleb and Vicky brought up the rear. As the man drew level with the guards, he smiled at the mare. “How’s the new foal, Swift Gallop?”

Swift smiled. “She’s a hungry filly and growing fast, Mr. Awad. Looking forward to the end of my shift to feed her; you know how it is.”

Caleb grinned and nodded. “I’ve repaired her stroller. I would’ve brought it around today but I was tied up with this lot.”

“Thanks for fixing it. It was a real mess after she surged.”

“No problem, Swift. I’ll drop it off at the barracks sometime tomorrow. Catch you later.”

As Caleb joined the others, Jules said, “You seem to be a lot more familiar to the guards than a mere employee would be.”

“Probably a regular visitor,” Tyrone speculated. “Perhaps a friend of the prince?”

“You got me,” Caleb admitted. “His family and mine socialize regularly.”

Michelle said, “I’m more impressed by your acquaintance with the guards. I’d also like to know why that mare doesn’t have maternity leave to look after her foal. Don’t they have that here?”

“She did for a few weeks, but she wanted to get back to work. You have to realize that things work differently in Equestria. In Swift’s case, her herdmate Diamond Dust is taking a leave of absence from geological work while she is pregnant. You’ll understand once you have time to learn about the culture. Until then, let’s proceed.”

Phil said, “We’ll transition to Canterlot first. Although Princess Twilight has a portal to Earth in her castle, it doesn’t go to the place we want to use.”

The humans were surprised when Phil guided them out of the room in Canterlot filled with a multitude of portal doors and mirrors. Rosa explained, “We have our personal interdimensional access that isn’t available to most. It’s in a nearby room.”

After being cleared by yet another pair of Royal Guards, the group was led into a much smaller room with a single mirror firmly attached to the wall. Rosa turned to face the humans.

“We’ll do this one at a time. Michelle, you come with me first.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Phil said, “It’s ready.”

The griffoness stepped through the glass and Michelle followed. She emerged into what seemed a very ordinary room of an average American home. Curtains covered the window so that she could not see outside, and the room itself contained only a wardrobe and chest of drawers.

“I suppose you wanted to give me privacy while I strip naked?” Michelle queried.

Ajá. I also wanted to give you something.” Rosa opened the wardrobe and pulled out a garment – a simple white housecoat. “When we said that you would have to go back nude, we were having a little joke. This housecoat is enchanted like my clothes. The adaptation spell will ensure that it will either adapt or disappear like mine, depending on what you turn into.”

Michelle sighed in relief. “I really wasn’t looking forward to turning up in front of those men without any clothing, even if most ponies seem to prefer it that way.” She started divesting herself of her garments.

“I’ll let you change in private if you wish.”

“No need. I’m fine with females.”

Michelle quickly changed into the housecoat and tied the sash firmly around her waist. “I’m ready,” she declared.

Rosa gestured toward the mirror. “Go on – there’s nothing special that you need to do.”

Michelle took a deep breath and stepped through. As she emerged and paused, she realized that she was still standing bipedally. Michelle looked down and saw her hands. They were fur-covered paws! Her nose twitched in surprise, then once more when she noticed it. She put her paws to her face and felt the fur on her cheeks and muzzle. She sensed a strange sensation behind her and glanced around to see a tail swishing back there, pulling at the housecoat that had also changed shape to match her new frame.

“Is that you, Michelle?” Jules asked.

“It’s me. What am I?”

“You’re a cat woman!”

“An Abyssinian, to be precise,” Phil clarified. “Check yourself out in the mirror.”

Michelle turned around to face the portal mirror to examine her reflection. The feline visage that returned her gaze was cute and the whiskers twitched once more. She now saw that she had a slinky new body covered in fur that was calico-patterned as far as she could see. She carefully opened the housecoat to look more without being too revealing to the others and determined that the patterning covered her whole body, including her boobs. Only the nipples barely poked through. Looking toward her feet, she saw that she now stood on digitigrade paws, but it still felt quite natural to her. She closed the robe and turned back to the others.

“This wasn’t expected at all, but I really like it.” She held up a paw and wiggled the digits. “And I get to keep my fingers!”

Phil chuckled. “Yeah, that bugged me at first before I learned to use this.” He tapped his horn with his hoof. “Anyway, who’s next?”

“Me!” Tyrone and Jules chorused.

After a quick game of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’, Tyrone strode through the portal.

After a short wait, a new creature stepped back through the mirror. This one was quadrupedal like a pony, but while the hind legs had hooves, the forelegs had talons. A long flowing golden mane and tail complemented his teal coat. His eyes crossed as they focused on the appendage in his view and he raised a leg to tap the beak with a talon. Tyrone also had wings and he instinctively spread the feathered limbs in surprise as he took in his new form.

Phil said, “Looks like we have a hippogriff on the team. How do you like your new species, Tyrone?”

The stallion grinned. “I didn’t expect the beak, but I’m definitely going to learn how to use these beauties!” He gave his wings an experimental flap. Then he held up one foreleg and waved it at Michelle. “These aren’t fingers but I bet I can grasp stuff almost as well.”

“Maybe. Didn’t Rosa give you a housecoat?” Michelle asked.

“And some privacy, but yeah, it seems to have disappeared like it does with Mr. Martine’s clothes. It doesn’t bother me though.” He smirked. “And I think I look cool without it.”

“You look great, Tyrone,” Jules said, “but could you move out of the way? I’m dying to find out what I’ll turn into!”

“Oops. Sorry.” The hippogriff stepped aside to let his colleague through.

Jules went through the portal with almost indecent haste. While waiting for him to return, everyone had a closer look at Tyrone as he tried out his new limbs, familiarizing himself with them. It didn’t take long before Jules returned though.

A unicorn with a light blue coat and a yellow and pink striped mane and tail emerged from the portal. To everyone’s surprise, this unicorn was different from all the others they had seen because their build was taller and leaner. Jules looked down at the bright blue hooves and then up at the horn and grinned.

“Looks like I’ll be able to do magic now.” Jules’ eyes widened. “Why does my voice sound so different?”

Phil was the first to identify the reason. “It’s probably because you’re now a mare.”

She gaped in shock. “What?! Why?”

Phil shrugged. “All I know about the adaptation spell is that it is designed to change you into the form that best suits you here.”

“Has that happened before?” Michelle asked.

“Not to my knowledge. We’re going to have to ask Twilight Sparkle about that. If it bothers you, Jules, just go back through the portal now and you’ll become a man again.”

Jules tried out her legs and swished her tail. “I… well… no.” She blushed a little. “This feels fine.”

Shariq frowned. “How are you not disturbed that you are now female?”

“Is there a reason why I should be? I’m now an entirely different species and that’s what you focus on?”

The man was spared a response as Rosa returned. She had been told what the first two had changed into, but she had to see for herself what Jules had become. Her eyes widened and her beak dropped. “¿Jules – eres una yegua?

“If you’re asking if I’m a female unicorn, then yes, it would seem so.”

The griffoness shook her head in amazement. “I wonder what this means.”

“I have another question,” Michelle said. “Why does she look so different from the unicorns we’ve seen up until now? All the others have had similar builds to Mr. Martine.”

Phil replied, “Rosa and I have seen one other like Jules – a fashion model named Fleur De Lis. She’s considered to be very exotic… and so is Jules now.”

The unicorn mare giggled. “I’m no fashion model.”

Phil privately disagreed, but he wasn’t about to say so in front of his wife. It was time to change the subject. “We had better start heading off to meet Prince Mark for dinner. Anyone who wants to change back to human form had best do so now.”

“I want to enjoy being a cat for a while, if you don’t mind,” Michelle replied.

“As long as I can grasp a knife and fork, I’m good,” Tyrone said.

“Jules?” Rosa prompted when the mare didn’t say or do anything.

“I… Will the prince mind that I’m a mare?”

“Heck, no!” Phil replied with a laugh. “Ask him to show you his party trick.”

“Then I’ll stay like this. Although someone is going to have to show me how to use this horn like you do.”

“Don’t worry about it, Jules. There’s more than one way to use utensils. Anyway, we’d better get moving if you’re going to get a look at any of the castle before dinner.” He turned to Shariq. “Last chance to change your mind… for now.”

The man crossed his arms. “Absolutely not. Especially after what just happened.”

Tyrone raised an eyebrow. “Although the scientific part of your mind is wildly curious about what you would become.”

Shariq opened and closed his mouth then frowned at the new hippogriff who returned his stare. Eventually, the man dropped his arms and sighed. “A bit.” That drew a round of chuckles from the others.

Phil led the group out of the room, Michelle poked Jules in the shoulder to get her attention. “Maybe we should call you Jewel instead if you keep that form,” she joked.

Jules looked thoughtful before replying, “That sounds nice.”

Michelle’s eyebrows rose. “Wow! You’re really into this.”

“It all just feels… right somehow.”


One of the door guards accompanied the group as per standard security protocol, but he made no effort to restrict their access. That impressed upon the candidates how deeply their bosses were involved with the royals. Phil and Rosa took them on a quick tour of the highlights including the throne room which had already emptied due to the Court session having finished for the day. Then they headed for the dining room where they found the green alicorn stallion in conversation with a blue alicorn mare.

Mark turned to face the visitors and smiled. “Welcome, everyone. I see that most of you took advantage of our invitation to try the adaptation spell. I’d like you to meet my wife, Princess Trixie Lulamoon.”

The candidates all formally acknowledged Trixie who smiled benignly at them before turning back to her husband. “Stark Spells, introduce our visitors to us.”

“Well, firstly, this is Shariq Hussein. As for the others, I am a little confused. Why are there two females among you? I swear we started with just one.”

Michelle stepped forward. “I’m Michelle Van Dijk and that mare is Jewel.”

Mark’s eyebrow rose. “Jewel? You mean that she is Jules Petit?” When she nodded, he continued. “That’s very unexpected. I didn’t even know that was possible. It isn’t bothering you, Jules?”

“No, sir. I’m comfortable with the change. And the nickname.”

“That’s good to hear.” He turned to the hippogriff. “That must mean that you’re Tyrone Davis.”

“Guilty,” he replied with a smile.

Jewel said, “If you don’t mind, sir, Mr. Martine said something about a party trick to reassure me about my gender change.”

Mark grinned. “He did, did he? Well, Phil was right about that.” He transformed into Marklestia. “Wouldn’t you agree?” she asked in Celestia’s sweet tones.

Four sets of eyes bugged out at the change before Shariq spoke up.

“This is getting a little ridiculous.”

“Trixie agrees. Husband, please show a little decorum in front of our guests. You may exchange viewpoints with Ms. Petit later.”

Mark switched back to his normal form. “OK. I’ll just say that there’s nothing wrong with liking your change, Jewel.”

“Thanks, sir.”

“Please – just call me Mark. That goes for all of you. This isn’t a formal dinner. Let’s just eat, socialize, and get to know each other better. Let’s start with your impressions of Equestria so far.”

Tyrone said, “I think I can speak for all of us that it’s all been pretty amazing.”

Rosa smiled as much as her beak would allow. “Mark, before dinner, why don’t we show our guests the muy hermosa view of Canterlot? It certainly left an impression on me.”

Phil winced and rubbed his neck. “Me too. A permanent dent, one might say.”

The griffoness rolled her eyes and gave her husband a playful shove with one wing, eliciting chuckles from the Equestrians but confused looks from the humans, transformed and otherwise.

Mark said, “Great idea. Follow me, everyone.”

Soon, he led the party through the great glass doors that led to the balcony. Tyrone, Jewel, and Michelle let out gasps and ran to the railing. Canterlot and the valley below glistened in the evening sun. Changelings, pegasi, griffons, and a young dragon cavorted through the air. The visitors pointed out features of interest and jabbered among themselves. Shariq stood away from the group, a troubled look on his face.

"السلام عليكم"
Peace be upon you.

Everyone turned to the source of the voice. Twilight Sparkle finished her glide to land next to Shariq, a beaming smile upon her face.

The man's eyes went wide and he nodded.
"وعليكم السلام"
Peace be upon you, too.

The purple mare stood up straight and began reciting:

كم جميل لو بقينا أصدقاء
How beautiful would it be if we remained friends
إن كل امراة تحتاج إلى كف صديق
Every woman needs the hand of a friend
كن صديقى
Be my friend.

هواياتى صغيرة
My hobbies are simple
واهتماماتى صغيرة
And my interests are simple
وطموحى أن أمشى ساعات معك
And all I hope for is a walk with you
تحت المطر
For hours, in the rain
عندما يسكننى الحزن
When sadness dwells in me
ويبكينى الوتر
And music brings tears to my eyes.

فلماذا تهتم بشكلى
So, why do you only care about my appearance
ولا تدرك عقلى
And not realize my mind
كن صديقى
Be my friend!

Trixie pointed a wing at the purple alicorn and said. “Well done, Twilight. Your dramatic entrances are improving. Everybeing, may I present Princess Twilight Sparkle. She is the third member of the Equestrian Triarchy, Avatar of Friendship, Element of Magic, and Queen of the Crystal Changeling Hive.”

A grin tugged at Shariq’s lips.

شكرا لك على التحية الحارة ، صاحب السمو
"Thank you for the warm greeting, Your Highness."

The mare put on a sheepish smile. “My apologies – do you mind if we speak English? While I don't yet have mastery of Arabic and your customs, I understood it is traditional to welcome honored guests with a poem.”

“Very true, Your Highness. I praise you for investing so much time and effort. I am greatly pleased by your cultured greeting.”

Twilight's wings fluttered then returned to her sides. “How could I not? The works of so many of your world’s astronomers, scientists, and poets are written in Arabic. Someday I hope to understand the language well enough to pick up the nuances, rhymes, and rhythms of the great poets.”

“May I suggest Al-Mutanabbi? He is considered the greatest poet of the Golden Age.”

The purple mare wrinkled her muzzle. “Mmm… sorry. I tried to appreciate his translations, but there was too much praising of leaders for their military conquests for my taste. Can you suggest someone more… humanistic?”

Shariq nodded. “Of course. Abu Nuwas may be more to your tastes… or Gibran Kahlil Gibran. He writes extensively about friendship.”

“Oh? I haven't heard of the poet Gibran. What can you tell me?”

Mark and Trixie shared a look and then made small talk with the other three guests. Dinner could wait.

After some time, soft chimes filled the air. A minute later, they repeated, louder.

“What is that?” asked Jewel. “Are we expected for dinner?”

Phil said, “No, though I'm sure dinner is almost ready. Those notes are a reminder.”

Trixie raised her voice. “Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

The purple mare blinked. “What? What?” At the third repetition of the chimes, she said, “Oops. Excuse me for a moment please, Shariq.”

She faced outside and lit her horn. The sun descended toward the horizon, filling the valley with shades of yellow, orange, and red. The visitors gasped at the display. Moments later, the moon rose quickly to take its place. At the end of its journey, it shook in silent disapproval of the alicorn's delay.

Twilight looked back at the man before her. “Just performing my nightly duties. You were telling me about your first time reading The Prophet.” When he continued to stare at her, saying nothing, her smile faltered. “Shariq? What's wrong?”

The man scowled and let out a long list of Arabic curses in rapid succession.

Twilight retreated a step. “I'm sorry, I don't—”

“Deviant! Abomination! Perversion of all that is natural and right with the world!”

Mark frowned. “Shariq, ponies have to move the heavenly bodies on Equus.”

أيره فيك
"Screw you!"

He waved his hand toward the horizon. “This is a mockery of all I hold dear! No one but God controls the sun!” He turned to Phil and Rosa. “I quit! I will not associate with unbelievers, heretics, and يا خارا.” Shariq turned on his heel and marched to the glass doors. He threw one open hard enough that it banged against the wall and shattered.

Trixie opened her wings. “I will see that he gets home. Phil, Rosa, attend me.” The three hustled back into the castle.

Mark's horn glowed as he pointed it at the shattered glass. The shards rose upwards, reforming the door. Moments later, the cracks disappeared, leaving the glass whole once more. He turned to Penumbra. “Go get Thorax.”

The frowning batpony walked to the nearest wall while pulling a disk from her saddlebag. She placed it against the marble where it stayed in place. A shimmering oval of silver extended outward, covering an area six feet tall and three wide. The wavering stopped, leaving a mirror with the disk in the center. The disk and mirror vanished, showing a dark room with cabinets on the far wall. Everyone watched Penumbra step through the portal, open the bottom drawer on the closest cabinet, pull out a disk, then move to the left and out of sight.

“Princess?” Michelle moved up to the purple mare who hadn't moved a muscle. “Princess Twilight? Are... are you OK?”

In stages, the alicorn’s expression fell. Twilight collapsed onto the stone tiles, weeping. Michelle knelt, maneuvering so that she could hold Twilight’s head in her lap while stroking her mane. “It's alright, Twilight. Everything is going to be alright.”

The purple mare blinked away tears. “But why would he do that? We were establishing real friendship. I know it!”

Tyrone knelt in front of the pair. “I'm sorry, Twilight, but Shariq has a very… fundamental view of the world. He doesn't socialize with anyone outside his mosque.”

Jewel said, “Princess, the smartest person I know was someone I went to school with – Ahmed Abdullah. Just as devoted to the Muslim faith but with boundless curiosity across all fields of science, and incredibly brilliant. We would set a commercial chess-playing program on the hardest level and let it think about its next move for half an hour. Ahmed would come in from playing basketball, declare ‘Well, the computer made another mistake,’ enter his move on the keyboard, and head back out to play more basketball. He'd win every time.” The man opened his arms, palms up. “I can tell you without reservation that Ahmed would absolutely love it here. He'd be busy scribbling notes and equations on blackboards while theorizing how magic can work with the Laws of Thermodynamics and Conservation of Energy. All while kicking your butt at a side game of chess.”

That drew a laugh out of the alicorn as she wiped her tears with a fetlock. “I… I don't know. I'm rated as a Candidate Master.”

“Not good enough. Trust me on this.”

King Thorax flew through the portal and leaned down by his wife’s side. Every human took a step back at his sudden arrival except Michelle who jerked her hands away from Twilight. The changeling king waved a hoof. “No, everyone keep doing what you are doing. It's helping more than you know.” While he gripped his wife around the barrel, Michelle hesitated before resuming running her hand through Twilight's mane.

During the next minute of silence, Twilight’s sniffles lessened. She nodded to Michelle and Thorax, then regained her hooves. “Thank you, Michelle. I definitely needed that.”

“Glad to be of service, Your High… I mean Twilight.”

The alicorn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Jules, I'd love to meet your friend Ahmed someday.”

“Unfortunately, he lives halfway across the country.” Every being present stared at her. “Although, I suppose that might not be so much of an issue, now that I think about it.”

The chuckles cleared up most of the prevailing gloominess.

Penumbra took care of the rest. She raised her wings and called out, “Who's hungry for dinner?”

# # # # # # # # #

Author's Note:

"Be My Friend! " (كن صديقى) is a beautiful poem by the famous Kuwaiti poet, critic, and writer Suad al-Sabah.
That section was contributed by Airy Words.

Art by Myke Greywolf.

And if you're feeling a little generous, I'd appreciate a tip on Ko-Fi.