Gabby woke up the next day bright and early, going straight to see her reflection and realizing that she was back to being a griffin, with her round head and small orange beak; the young fledgling was still looking rather glum, but she not only hadn't received her cutie mark but had turned a ton of her friends' classmates into griffins. The griffin looked at her reflection with regret, wondering if she should have come here. Was this really worth all the trouble she's caused? The young griffin looked at her reflection for a while; she then heard Zecora trot over to her and whisper, "What are you looking at, my dear? Is there something wrong here?"
The young griffin shrugged and replied, "No, if you and I are back to normal, that means everypony else is… it's just that I… I'm just wondering if coming here was a mistake."
The zebra looked concerned as she asked, "What do you mean, little one? All that's happened has been undone."
"What I mean is that I didn't earn my cutie mark; I made a mess of things by turning a bunch of foals into griffins! And I even turned you into one! Plus lying to my friends an-"
Zecora sighed and replied, "You made some mistakes, that's true, but Gabby, your visit wasn't all doom and gloom. You came here seeking a purpose in your life? But as you saw a pony or griffin, a cutie mark did not end your strife; it was your heart and passion to show that griffins are dear. If you had not made those mistakes, many foals in your class would still see griffins as something to fear."
Gabby thought about it momentarily, taking in what Zecora said, seeing she had a point where she may have started to bridge the gap between griffins and ponies. "Y… you're right, and I learned that being a pony didn't change who I am. I'm still Gabby!"
"That is right! You are still the curious young griffin tot, which will not change whether you like it or not."
The griffin felt much more relaxed as she flexed her wings and then chirped, "I guess…now I should go see how everyone else is doing?"
She turned to Zecora, who trotted over and ruffled the feathers on her head. "Go find your classmates and make sure they're back to being foals."
The young griffin then flew off to the treehouse and burst through the doors, her heart racing, fearing she would see three griffins squawking about. But instead, three tired fillies were chatting about yesterday's events. Gabby was immensely relieved that all her friends looked fine and were back to their usual selves. "Thank Glover, you're okay!"
The three foals squealed in delight as they ran over and exclaimed, "Hey, it's fine, Gabby," Apple Bloom replied with a giggle.
Scootaloo flapped and chirped, "Yeah, being a griffin was awesome! So if you think we're mad at you about that, we're not!"
Sweetie Belle threw a hoof and said, "Yeah, Gabby, We're perfectly fine!"
The griffin was overwhelmed by their forgiveness as she took the three and held them close. She nuzzled them and said, "I'm so happy to hear that! I hope you all can forgive me!"
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Of course we forgive you!"
Scootaloo chimed in once more. "Yeah, you're too hard on yourself! It wasn't entirely your fault!"
The griffin pondered for a second and then said, "I know, but I fear my obsession with finding a cutie mark blinded me to the consequences of my actions."
The three fillies looked at each other and blinked, then burst out laughing as Gabby stood by, confused by their reaction. Sweetie Belle got up, wiped a tear from her eye, and said, "Gabby, you know how long it took us to learn that lesson?"
Scootaloo scratched the back of her neck and then asked, "Um, have we ever actually learned that lesson?"
Apple Bloom gave her friend a scowl as Gabby laughed, "I get it. You three got yourselves in all sorts of trouble!"
The orange-coated pegasus then asked, "But what about your cutie mark? We still want to help you find it?"
Gabby looked back at her flank and smiled, "You know what? Why don't you three make my cutie mark?"
"Huh!?"
"Yeah! Maybe I won't ever get one because I'm a griffin, which doesn't mean we can make one ourselves!"
The earth pony smiled and exclaimed, "If that's what you want, we'll make that happen!"
"But uh, we should get going to school," Sweetie Belle chirped; she threw a hoof and then led her friends through the streets of Ponyville. As Gabby flew by, ponies waved back at her; some even wished her a "good morning." The griffin was feeling much better, seeing how kind the ponies were despite being different. She then flew to the schoolhouse and ensured all the students were foals again. They all started to clap and cheer as she came into the classroom, blushing, waving a talon. She then turned to see Cheerilee greeting her, "Good morning, Gabby."
"Well, good morning, Mrs. Cheerilee. I wanted to make sure you were all back to normal."
"Thank you. As you see, we are all fine. Now, would you like to attend class?"
Gabby was taken aback by the request and stammered, "Of course…bu…but I'm a griffin."
Cheerillee laughed, "So what!? You can stay and learn if you wish; there's no discrimination in my classroom!"
The griffin flew over and hugged Cheerilee tightly, squealing, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She then flew and sat right along with the rest of her friends, looking up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, eager for whatever lessons Cheerilee gave.
The rest of the day went well, with many of the foals enjoying their time with her, eating lunch (and asking for Griffin Scones), playing together at recess, and enjoying their time at school. Later that evening, Gabby was back at the schoolhouse. It was surprising to see the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders all standing around a small box with red wrapping paper and a bright yellow bow. The griffin put her talons to her cheeks and cried, "Is that a present for me!?"
"Yeah! Come on, open it!" the fillies chirped together. Gabby then took out a red cloak, and on it was a modified version of the cutie mark emblem with wings coming out of a horseshoe. She threw it around her neck, tied it as she admired herself, and said, "This looks amazing. Thank you so much!"
Apple Bloom trotted over and said, "The horseshoe to show deep down you're a pony like us!"
"But the wings to show you're also a griffin and that you can be both!" Scooaloo cried.
Gabby flew up and cried, "This is the best gift ever! Thank you so much!"
Scootaloo replied, "I still feel bad we couldn't find your cutie mark."
The fledgling flew down, put a talon to her chest, and said, "Scootaloo, it's okay. You three did so much for me, and I'm so happy to be here! I wish I could stay, but…" She lowered her head and said, "I have to go, though. My parents are probably worried about me."
Apple Bloom then slowly trotted over and said, "Well, you're always welcome!"
"Yeah, please visit more often!"
"I will!" Gabby waved a talon as she soared off into the evening sky, looking down at Ponyville and wanting more than ever to stay. Maybe she could somehow convince her parents to move here or let her stay to go to school. She tightened the cloak around her neck, then flew off towards Griffinstone, ready to tell all her friends and family about her time here!