Chapter 1

Celestia stood in the flowery field with her mane and tail its subdued pink instead of its normal ethereal, quad-color glory, watching her sun closely, counting the seconds going by. Her eyes darted from the sky to the spot before her in the flowery field. Her hoof tapped anxiously with anticipation. Sweat was dripping down her forehead and she bit her lip, she couldn't wait much longer.

Finally, the sun was in the right position and with better precision than any clock on Equus, Celestia knew it was time. She nearly jumped for joy but managed to keep herself restrained to a small hop. Magic was pushed through her, admittedly more than was necessary, and the field was awash with light.

"...and that's why I can't stay on Earth. It's only been a week and I can already feel the effects of not having magic around. I have to… oh, we're here."

Celestia stared at the three before her, only one of which was familiar. All three were humans, one was female, she assumed, and the other two were male. One male was clearly older, and plumper, while the younger one was very athletic. Oh, and the younger one had huge wings, magic, and meant more to her than anything else on Equus. He was her adopted son, Christopher. What worried her was that he might very well mean as much to the others. They were his real parents after all.

Celestia approached the group. "Oh my. She's beautiful," the female said when she spotted Celestia. "Who does she belong to?"

Chris turned to see Celestia causing a huge smile to spread on his face. "Oh, no. this one belongs to no one and yet she's here for everyone." He then wasted no time in running up to and embracing Celestia who nuzzled him lovingly.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" the older male asked.

"Mom, Dad, this is Princess Celestia," Chris replied.

"Well that would certainly explain the crown," the female said sarcastically.

"It's not crooked is it?" Celestia asked while reaching up and feeling the tiara on her head.

Both the older humans froze and their faces blanched. "No, Mom, it looks fine. What's with the pink though? And where's your breastplate? I mean it looks great and everything, but, I just figured you be going all out."

Celestia kissed Chris on the cheek, "I didn't want to come across all showy and upset your birth parents."

"Mom, you live in a giant, white marble castle capped with gold and perched on the side of the mountain, filled with maids and guards. Oh, and the guards are all wearing gold and silver armor," Chris snarked.

Celestia giggled and wrapped her wing around Chris as the two turned back to the other humans, both of whom looked utterly dumbstruck. "Oh, I'm sorry," Chris said as he pulled away from Celestia. "Mom, Allow me to introduce my parents, Barbara and Steven Lachance," Chris indicated each respectively. "Mom, Dad, this is Celestia. She rules all of Equestria alongside her sister, controls the movement of the sun, and is one of the most powerful beings in this world. Also, she's the one who took me in and took care of me for the past sixteen years."

"Greetings," Celestia said as she bowed her head, "and please allow me to be the first to welcome you to our land."

"Uh buh… talking…" was about all Barbara could say.

"Um, thank… you, your, uh, highness," Steven forced out.

"No, no. We are family, and I will not have family address me so formally. Please simply call me Celestia. I hope that you will afford me the same courtesy."

"Muh… horse…" Barbara agreed.

"Oh, no, Mom, she's a pony. Horses come from Saddle Arabia. I mean, uh, Mom here is the biggest pony around, but she's still a pony."

"Oh, Sweetie, speaking of Saddle Arabia, we have some guests that are looking forward to seeing you."

Chris looked around excitedly. "Really? Excellent!" He spread his huge wings and got ready to fly away. "Wait, what about Mom and Dad? We can't expect them to walk all the way back to the palace. Especially with all their bags."

"Don't worry about that, Honey." No sooner had Celestia said that, that a golden chariot pulled by four pegasus guards touched down behind her. "You know your mother always thinks ahead."

"Nice work, but you should probably change first."

"Alright, shield your eyes please." All the guards and humans did as they were instructed. Celestia closed her eyes as well and began to shine blindingly. After a few moments, she stopped glowing and her mane had returned to its normal wavy, colorful brilliance and her breastplate had also returned. "Okay, everypony on board. We are expected."

"Um, al~right… what just happened?" Steven asked.

"It's magic, Dad. You get used to it," Chris answered. "Now get in and take a seat. And don't worry, these four are some of the best fliers in Equestria and they'll take good care of you."

"What about you?" Steven asked as he helped Barbara into the chariot.

Chris spread his wings, "I haven't flown in a week, I need to get my feet off the ground."

"Ooh, would you like some company? I could use a good flight myself."

"Chris, where are you going?" Barbara asked. "Aren't you going with us?"

"Of course I am, Mom. I'm just going to fly with… well, Mom," Chris chuckled. "We won't be that far from the chariot."

"That's right. Also, it's not a long flight and that is one of my best chariots. Please, relax and enjoy the ride," Celestia added as she hovered over them. "And all your luggage will be waiting for you at the palace when we return."

"Um, o-okay," Barbara said as she joined Steven on the overstuffed bench.

"Great, let's get going," Chris said as he lifted off the ground.

At the same time, the pegasus guards all spread their wings and began to gallop up to speed. Thanks to the special spells on the suspension, the field's uneven ground did nothing to make the ride any less comfortable. Shortly after, the chariot lifted off the ground. Both Barbara and Steven nearly tore the armrests off the frame in their near panic.

"Calm down, you two. You couldn't even fall out of that chariot if you wanted to. It's enchanted," one of the pegasus guards told them.

"He's right. Besides, you should really be concerned about the pink one," another guard added.

"Wait," Steven asked, "what 'pink one'?"

"Hiya!" Pinkie Pie hollered out from between the two screaming humans. "Aah yourself! Are you related to Chris? 'Cause you look just like him!"

"Pinkie!" Chris called out as he dive bombed the chariot and plucked her out of it by her tail. With a flick of his wrist, she was flipped like a coin into the air and landed expertly on Chris's back. "You know I love ya, but my parents are still getting used to magic and talking ponies, you need to give them some time before going full… Pinkie. Can you do that for me?"

Pinkie thought about it for a moment or two before answering, "Okie dokie lokie." She then stood on her hindlegs and spring boarded off Chris's feet and disappeared through the clouds.

"Oh my god!" Barbara screamed.

"Don't worry about her. That's just Pinkie being Pinkie," Chris said with a smirk. "Twilight once tried to figure it out and had a nervous breakdown."

"You sure she's gonna be alright?" Steven asked with growing concern.

"That filly has taken on impossible odds and simply laughed in their face. She literally laughed away danger and saved her friends once. I've also personally seen her leap from one of the towers at the palace."

"What happened?" Barbara asked.

"I… don't know. She reappeared behind me when I ran over to see."

"What is with this place?" Steven asked. "Does everything talk, fly, or do magic?"

"No, Dad, of course not. There's a lot of animals that can't do any of that. It's mostly ponies."

Celestia drifted over next to Chris. "Although the zebras do have their own type of magic, the griffons are excellent fliers, and the yaks and buffaloes have some fairly extreme strength just like earth ponies. Oh, speaking of fliers…" Celestia pointed ahead.

The humans looked ahead in time to see five smokey streaks stretch across the sky. The streaks then rose high into the sky and split of in different directions and curled back towards the way they came. No sooner had each streak crossed its own path, missing the others by mere inches, than they each corkscrewed, looped and spiraled to form the shape of a sun rising from behind some clouds. Then, those same streaks came back and formed another image. A smaller sun rising next to the first.

"Wow. The Wonderbolts really went all out," Chris observed.

"Celestia giggled. "They're not the only ones. Look."

Chris turned back to the display just in time to see a streak of rainbow spread in an arc across the whole feature. It would appear that Rainbow Dash had also worked on the show. He knew she must have been close to losing her mind at finally being able to fly with her heroes.

"Amazing. What do you think, Mom and Dad?"

"What were those?" Steven asked.

"Knowing how crazy this place is, those are probably some kind of flying squirrels," Barbara said sarcastically.

"Nah, just pegasi, like these guys," Chris said with a sweeping gesture. "Rocky's a pretty good little flier, but he's no Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, there's only one Rainbow Dash," one of the pegasus guards pulling the chariot said. "She's the best flier in Equestria."

Another one chuckled, "I've seen inside your locker, Cloud. I know exactly how impressed you are with her."

The other guards laughed heatedly at Cloud. Chris stage whispered, "You want me to put in a good word for ya?"

Steven and Barbara just looked at each other in disbelief. Their heads were simply screaming, "Is this place real?"

Celestia drifted over. "I know this must all be new and… bizarre to you, but I assure you, if you give Equestria a chance, you may come to love it as much as Chris does."

"You'll have to forgive us, Princess. Earth doesn't even have magic, let alone animals that can talk, fly and… survive a fall from this high up," Steven replied.

"Well it's not so bad," Barbara said. "Besides, griffons and unicorns aren't so bad. It's not like there's dragons or anything."

Fortuitously, the air was filled with a deafening roar at that very moment. Barbara and Steven froze in terror, then they slid in closer to each other and pretended to not be barely holding their bladders.

"Woah! Is that who I think it is?" Chris asked Celestia with a growing smile on his face. Celestia grinned and nodded. "Awesome! Come on, everypony, get the lead out!" and with a flap of his powerful wings, he was gone.

"I should probably go after him," Celestia said with a smile, "he doesn't even know where we're going." She then took off after him, laughing.

The guards pulling the chariot chuckled as they began their descent. "It looks like she's back to her old self again," one of the guards said to the others.

"Wait, what do you mean 'her old self'?" Barbara asked.

"What Babbles here meant was that while the prince was on your world, the princess was a little… disheartened," another guard replied.

"Yeah, but now that she's got her son back, she's practically giddy," a third guard continued.

"Wow. She really cares about Chris that much?" Barbara asked.

"Hmph, you should have her last spring when-"

"Ahem! Corporal, I believe the princess would call that 'family business'," one of the lead pegasi interrupted. "Besides, I think she'd rather forget that ever happened."

"Understood, Sergeant," the corporal responded with a sheepish look on his face.

The rest of the trip, which wasn't long, was made in silence. The two human passengers simply watched as the pristine countryside passed by around them. Well, for a time they did. The sight of a building-sized dragon tends to draw one's attention.

The huge black dragon with ruby colored spikes down its back was only the first thing that drew their attention. The second thing was the beautiful ship suspended from a large balloon a few hundred feet off the ground. There was the golden coach filled with plush pillows and rugs. Then there were the armored ponies, horses, and other creatures that shouldn't even exist.

It didn't help that their son, who was a normal little boy the last time they saw him, was flying around to each of these monsters in turn and greeting them. He even went so far as to roar at the dragon and then laughing when it blew a smoke ring around him. Though they had nothing to worry about since Celestia was keeping an unwavering eye on him and all potential threats, which was anything and anyone in her opinion.

The guards that had flown the chariot from the field they first arrived in to the valley floor detached themselves from their harnesses and led Barbara and Steven toward the large tent set up near the river. Once there, they found that there was a large buffet set up, cushions and rugs on the ground, and a platoon of ponies dressed as maids and butlers. Strangely, there was also a huge pony that was clearly a blacksmith standing next to a tiny maid with the poofiest mane and tail they had ever seen.

"Are you two doing alright?" a deep voice asked from behind them.

Barbara and Steven turned and jumped back when they came face to face with none other than the king of all griffons. Together, they answered with a joint "Uhh…"

"Haha, I guess it is a lot to take in." Gurfon extended a talon. "My name is Gurfon, and I am ruler of the Griffon Kingdom. I've had the honor of knowing your son for many years and I hope that we can also be friends."

Shakily, Steven reached out his own hand and risked placing it within Gurfon's and shaking. "P-pleased to m-meet you, Sir."

Gurfon laughed heartily again. "No need for that. Christopher has been calling me his uncle longer than I care to admit, I think we can do away with formalities here."

"Oh, o-okay," Barbara said, clearly disturbed by thing, that two hours ago was an impossibility, saying that it knew her son and that they should be friends.

"Speaking of your son, where is he?"

"We, uh, last saw him with the dragon," Steven answered. "Is that, uh, normal around here?"

"Not in the least." Gurfon noticed the look of sheer terror on the humans' faces and amended, "What I meant was that dragons rarely come into Equestria. Especially Elder Blood Onyx there. However, the elder dragons have always respected Celestia, even if the adolescents don't, and Blood Onyx is quite fond of Chris. I, personally, would not suggest approaching any dragon without the princess present for protection."

"Why not?"

"Because we dragons are dangerous, viscous creatures who are not to be messed with."

"Puh-lease, Spike. You spend almost as much time at the spa as Rarity does."

"There is nothing wrong with wanting to look one's best, Rainbow Dash. I have known you to visit there once or twice."

"Yeah, well, sometimes my wings need to be loosened up and a massage is the best way to do that."

Barbara and Steven turned to see four ponies approaching, a white unicorn in a stunning pink dress, a blue pegasus, an orange earth pony with a stetson, and the pink earth pony from before. The strangest thing amongst the group was the purple lizard that had to have been the one referring to itself as a dragon. Even though they were all about half the size of a standard human, it was all a lot to take in at once.

"Oh dear, are you alright? Please, sit down and rest here."

"Thank you, uh…" Steven said as he helped his wife into an overstuffed cushion before he sat down next to her.

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Rarity, this is Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike the dragon. And though we know you must be Christopher's parents, I'm afraid we do not know your names."

"My name's Steven, and this is my wife, Barbara. May I ask how you know our son?"

"He's one of our bestest friends!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"And I've known him my whole life because Twilight hatched me and she her lessons with Princess Celestia," Spike furthered.

"Well," Barbara started, "I'm glad that Chris managed to make some friends."

At that moment, the human in question landed outside the tent and quickly stepped inside with three giggling fillies in his arms. "Hey, the seapony princess is hungry for foal stew. I need one more filly and maybe some dragon for flavor. Sir, may I please barrow your daughter?" The response from the blacksmith was to nudge his daughter's rump before she galloped as fast as she could, Spike keeping pace. Then, with laughter in abundance, Chris was gone again.

"Don't worry," Gurfon said from beside Steven. "Seaponies are actually vegetarian. Chris just wants to play with those foals in the pool we dug down by the river."

"Alright. Who were those kids anyway?" Steven asked.

"They're our sisters," Applejack answered. "'N' the lil one is the daughter uh Iron Hammer here," Iron Hammer nodded, "'n' Dust Bunny, Chris's personal maid."

"Our son has a personal maid?" Barbara was dumbfounded.

"Yes, Lady Lachance. Christopher protected me from a noble who tried to force me into… something I didn't want to do. Since that day, I have worked for him and he has been nothing but friendly and kind to me. He even got my husband a job and our little Cotton Tail thinks the world of him." From somewhere in the distance there was a call of 'fillypault' which was followed by uproarious laughter. "He's also the only one I would trust to throw my daughter like hoofball."

---

*Earlier*

Chris flew toward the roaring with Celestia close behind him. Both were ecstatic, Chris because he could already see the huge party, Celestia because her son was home.

"I can't believe you convinced Elder Blood Onyx to come here. Who else is here?" Chris asked.

"The Element Bearers are here, except for Twilight and Fluttershy, they are away on a mission. The princess of the seaponies is here in that pool next to the river. The Sultan of Saddle Arabia could not come, but he sent his vizier who brought his wife. Cadance and Shining Armor should be here by now, but they could not stay long. Sadly, your aunt could not make it. She's had a very trying night.

"What about everypony's favorite chaos bringer?"

"No, Discord thought it best not to come."

"Well, he did turn the dragons' gems into jellies, the desert into marbles, and put the seapony's palace in a fish bowl. Probably better he did stay home. I'd hate to see what he'd try on my parents for a laugh.

"I would suggest asking Fluttershy to have a word with him, since he seems to value her opinion of him. That may help keep him from scaring them."

"Yeah, or scarring them. For now though, I see a dragon I want to talk to."

Chris flew over to Elder Blood Onyx and proceeded to perform the traditional dragon greeting, which consisted of a roar and some smoke blowing. He then went to the seapony princess and drank from the royal conch shell, which only sounds dirty. From there, he flew off to meet his cousin.

"Cadance! Shining!" he called out.

"Chris! It's so good to see you," Cadance responded.

"Hey there, Chris. How was your trip?"

"It was interesting. So much has changed since I left there. Or, more likely, I just grew up and started seeing things differently." Chris then picked up Cadance and held her in a tight hug. "Either way, I missed you so much."

"Aww, we missed you, too," Cadance said as she returned the hug. However, when she released the hug, she found that she was still being held aloft. "Uh, something wrong, Chris?"

He didn't respond, but rather channeled his magic into his ringed hand and pressed it into her side. His eyes were squinted in concentration. Suddenly, he gasped and hugged her tighter.

"Congratulations. I'm so~ happy for you two."

"Um, what are you talking about?" Shining asked.

Chris set Cadance down, finally. "Oh, um, you may want to visit your physician when you get back. I'll act surprised when you tell everypony officially."

"What are we going to tell everypony?" Shining asked, but before Chris could answer, he was tackled to the ground.

"Chris!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders yelled out in unison as they slammed into his chest.

"Oh no! It's a ravenous pack of fillies, *gasp* that got their cutie marks!" All thoughts of previous conversations were instantly forgotten. Chris jumped to his feet with all three fillies in his arms and ran off, telling everyone he met the exciting news.

"What was he talking about? What would we announce officially to everypony?" Shining asked Cadance.

"I don't know, but I think I should see our physician tomorrow."

---

Celestia, after she was satisfied that no one here was going to injure her son, made her way over to the tent. She returned greetings and bows from many servants and dignitaries, partook in small talk and generally milled about on her way. Before long, she found herself shaded from her sun's rays.

Celestia also found that she was not alone. She saw that Chris's real parents were already here. And they had met the Elements and Dust Bunny. She stopped at the buffet table and made several selections of small cakes disappear.

"Mom," Chris called out before she could approach the others. "Look, they got their cutie marks!"

She was worried, at first, that he was about to shove the fillie's flanks in her face, but he merely held them out at arm's length. "Yes, Dear. Isn't it great? Their marks are lovely, and they match. I've never seen matching marks before either."

"That's awesome! C'mon, girls, let's go meet the seaponies."

"Before you go, you may want to bring along Cotton Tail. I'm sure she would love it for the swimming if nothing else."

"That's a great idea, Mom. Thanks." Chris then darted off to gather more trouble.

Celestia was happy that her son was having fun, but she just her biggest buffer. Now she had to talk to the Lachances alone. She devoured one more piece of cake and made her way over.

"Ah, Princess, won't you please join us?" Rarity asked as she waved to a vacant cushion.

"Thank you, Rarity, I shall." She sat upon the cushion that happened to be between the Element bearers and the Lachance family. "What were you all discussing?"

"I believe Miss Dust Bunny here was just telling us how Chris saved her from some noble and then got her husband a job. She was being a little vague with the details though."

"Yes, I my boy is a hero," Steven said, "then I want to know all about it."

"Ugh, this story again."

"Yer jest jealous 'cause it doesn't involve you, RD," Applejcak teased with a nudge.

"Yeah. That means it's boring."

Celestia giggled at Rainbow Dash's antics and then proceeded to tell the story. The longer she talked, the deeper the scowl on Steven's face grew. "…and since that day, Miss Dust Bunny has worked directly for Chris and he, I'm very proud to say, has treated her exceptionally well."

"I would very much like to meet this Blueblood," Steven said. His fists were so tight, his knuckles were going white.

"If I know my nephew as well as I think I do, you'll meet him a lot sooner than you think. I regret to say that I was unable to raise him as well as Chris."

Barbara muttered something under her breath. "What was that, Darling?" Rarity asked.

"I said, I would have liked to raise my son."

Celestia looked as though she had been slapped. "Yes. Yes, I imagine you would. I can only offer my condolences."

"Screw your condolences. You stole our son away from us."

"Barb, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Steve! This horse took our little boy!"

"She's a pony," Chris's voice corrected from the edge of the tent. He set down the four soggy fillies and the dripping dragon and approached the group. "She's also the one that took me in when I had nowhere to go and no one to trust."

"Sweetie, I-" Barbara started to defend.

"Look, Mom, I would have loved to have grown up on Earth with you and Dad, but that didn't happen. What did happen was that I appeared here, in a field, alone. She took me in, took care of me, loved me like her own blood, and made sure I was always happy and healthy, no matter what it cost her or her reputation. I can't say don't be mad at her, but I can say don't insult her around me."

"Christopher, you shouldn't talk to your mother like that," Steven reprimanded.

Chris simply turned his back and spread his wings, said "I'll see you at the palace," and took off.

Chapter 2

The flight from the party was a quiet one. There was no chatting, no comments, no conversation of any kind. Even when they touched down, the hooves of the guards seemed to be muffled somehow.

The party had been cut short after the 'incident'. Some of the dignitaries returned to either the palace for the night, or their own homes, if they lived close enough. Celestia had remained long enough to oversee the cleanup. She didn't need to, but it gave her an excuse to be alone.

Back at the palace, Steven and Barbara had been led to their suite. Steven was quite impressed with the décor and design. Barbara, on the other hand, was still too upset to enjoy much of anything. She just knew that this horse princess was showing off. Barbara knew how that story went. The leaders make sure they're rich and powerful while their populace suffers in squalor.

Barbara plopped herself down on, arguably, the most comfortable bed she'd ever seen and sulked. Meanwhile, Steven went out onto their private balcony overlooking the valley and took in the beauty before him.

"Barb, you've got to come see this. It's gorgeous."

Reluctantly, Barbara stood and joined her husband. In the light of the setting sun, she could see that, under different circumstances, she might actually fall in love with this place. From her viewpoint in the guest quarters of the palace, she could see a town that seemed to be made entirely of white marble and built like some fairy tale city. Down below, at the foot of the mountain was a village that reminded her of old, German style homes. Next to that was a huge orchard near some kind of jungle. Inside the jungle was some kind of old castle that was in ruins.

While the Lachances were enjoying the visage, something, or rather someone, else caught their attention. At the top of a nearby spire, a blue alicorn stepped out onto a balcony of their own. The alicorn watched patiently as the sun set in the distance. Once the sun disappeared, the alicorn lit its own horn, a brilliant blue hue, and bowed its head. Then, slowly, it raised its head. At the same time and, strangely, the same speed, the moon began to rise. In fact, if one didn't know better, they could almost swear that this new alicorn was raising the moon on its own.

As soon as the moon was on its journey across the night sky, the blue alicorn turned and looked directly at them. The alicorn then leapt from its balcony and glided over to the Lachances.

"Good evening, Lachance family. My name is Luna and I am known as the Princess of the Night. It is a… longwinded title, but one that I guess fits. May I enter?"

"It's your palace," Barbara shrugged as she turned her back.

"I think what my wife meant was please, join us."

"I thank you," Luna said as she landed on the marble without so much as a clink from her silver shoes. Luna looked around the room. "It has been some time since I've been in this guest room for some time. It is where I spent my nights awaiting my own chamber's completion. Young Christopher was very helpful in aiding my transition, despite our… less than favorable first meeting."

"Well, it couldn't have been worse than having your own son yell at you," Barbara said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"No, I can definitely say that did not happen." Luna hoped they wouldn't press the issue further. After all, how do you tell someone you tried to blast a hole through their child the very instant yet met him? "Why did he yell at you?"

"Because he wants that horse more than his own mother," Barbara huffed.

"Barb, please," Steven pleaded.

"Missus Lachance, I do not agree with that. Since I've known Christopher, he has always mentioned you with fondness and longing. I believe he simply sees my sister as more than just a surrogate for you. She has taken care of and protected him since day one and he was never one to take that for granted.

"Hmph," Barbara argued as she crossed her legs and folded her arms.

"I'm sorry, Princess," Steven started.

"Please, call me Luna."

"Luna. You have to understand, when Chris was taken from us, everything in our lives took a nosedive. Barbara was accused of killing him and then hiding the body. The Only reason she didn't wind up in prison was because other witnesses stepped forward. I, as you can see, gave up on taking care of myself. I only just barely avoided becoming a full-blown alcoholic and I gained almost two hundred pounds. Then, out of the blue, he's back but he's different. Not quite human. To top things off, he's not even loyal to his own parents anymore, choosing instead to defend the ones who stole him away from us. It's… not an easy pill to swallow.

"I think I see now. Thank you for explaining. If it helps in any way, Sister is not responsible for Christopher's arrival on Equus."

There was as knock on the door. "Mom. Dad. Can I come in? I wanna talk," Chris's voice came through the wood.

"Come in,… son," Steven replied.

Chris stepped through the open door. "Look, about- oh, hey, Aunt Luna."

"Nephew," Luna bowed her head. "I shall be taking my leave now. I have many duties to attend to."

"Alright. Please, check in on Fluttershy's dreams for me."

"I will. Sleep well Lachance family." With that, Luna walked back out onto the balcony and leapt into the night.

"You know, when Luna says 'sleep well', she can make it happen." Chris crossed the room and sat on an ottoman near the bed. "So, about earlier, I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have yelled at you and I certainly shouldn't have run off like a spoiled foal. I was raised better than that and I'm sorry."

Barbara stood from the bed and crossed the room to embrace her son. "Oh, Honey, it's okay. I was never upset with you anyway. I was just… mad in general."

"Believe me, I get that." Chris returned his mother's hug. When she released him, he stood. "Alright, it's getting late and I need to get to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Late? But it's just past sundown," Steven pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, Dad. Thing is, since my first year here, I haven't been able to stay up past dusk. Came from spending every night with Celestia."

"Why did you do that?"

"Apparently, my crying myself to sleep every night was disturbing a lot of ponies. Celestia would hold me until I finally fell asleep and that put me on her sleep schedule."

"Why were you crying so much?" Barbara asked.

Before closing the door, Chris said over his shoulder, "Because I lost my parents."

---

Owing to the fact that Blueblood was still visiting his parents, breakfast the next day was without drama. There was still awkward silences and a few glares, but nowhere near what Chris was expecting. It was a relief to him. He knew his cousin well enough and he had a pretty good idea as to what would have happened, and beating Blueblood black and blue was not getting along with him like Celestia had asked.

After breakfast, Chris asked his parents, "What would you like to do today? We could tour the palace, walk through the gardens, or how about we journey into the Canterlot? While there, we could visit a museum or see some friends of mine. What do you say?"

"A trip through the city might be fun," Steven said, "besides, I could use the exercise." For emphasis, he slapped his stomach.

"You know, if you want, I could set you up with some of our trainers," Chris offered. "Either way, just stay away from Sugar Cube Corner and Mom's cake stash and you'll be set."

"Hmm, I'll have to think about it." Steven meant it too. He may not be a fan of hard work, but now that things were different, he wanted to go back to the man he once was.

"What about you, Mom?"

"Yeah, I could certainly use the fresh air."

Chris arranged for an open-air carriage to take them out and a squad of pegasus guards to protect them from the clouds. He always hated this kind of treatment being doted on himself, but he was able to protect himself. He wasn't even certain his parents were immune to magic like he is.

They spent the first part of the morning seeing fountains, gardens, shops, and a few shoppes. Barbara and Steven appreciate the beauty of the city, but, like their son, they didn't feel very welcome in Canterlot, and the fact that every citizen they passed was bowing. For lunch, Chris chose a delicatessen near the middle of town. It wasn't long before a certain couple that he was hoping to see arrived.

"Ah, Mister Fancy Pants, Miss Fleur Dis Lee. I was hoping to see you both here. Please, would you join us?"

"Oh, Christopher. I believe we will take you up on your kind offer," Fancy said as a waiter materialized out of thin air, moved another table and two chairs over, and then disappeared back into the ether. Fancy Pants pulled out a chair for Fleur before he sat himself down. "And who are these fine humans you have with you today?"

"Fancy Pants, meet Barbara and Steven Lachance, my parents. Mom, Dad, this is Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee, my first friends outside the palace."

"It is truly an honor," Fancy said with a slight bow that was mirrored by Fleur.

"Thank you, Mister, uh, Fancy Pants." Steven nearly had to force himself to say the name that, to a human, was very odd.

"What do you mean, 'outside the palace'?" Barbara asked.

"Oh, well Mom used to keep me in the palace almost all the time. She was worried that somepony might panic at the sight of a predator nearly twice their size and totally new unknown to the world in general. In short, it was for my own good."

"Didn't stop you from sneaking out though," Fleur said with a small giggle.

"Hey, you got your skylight fixed." Chris's joke got a laugh out of both Fleur and Fancy. Not everyone at the table found it as amusing.

"She locked you away?" Barbara aked in a barely controlled growl. "Like a wild animal."

"Hardly. All those rulers you saw yesterday were ones I met during travels with Mom. Then, I had Twilight, Shining Armor, and their parents visiting me in the palace all the time. Plus, it's a dang palace. It's the size of a small city. I only snuck out because I got bored. Besides, she was kind of right.

"I still think the papers calling you 'The Monster of Canterlot' was a bit harsh," Fancy added as he sipped his tea.

"Monster?" Steven asked with a smirk. "You mean you're a real life bigfoot?"

"Yeah, they even called me 'Bighoof'. Isn't that hilarious?"

"My baby boy is not a monster," Barbara grumbled under her breath.

"Chris dear, have you taken your parents to meet Velvet and Night yet?" Fleur asked. "And what about Fluttershy?"

"No, not yet. Though we did only get back yesterday. As for Fluttershy, she and Twilight are still out on mission. I can't wait to see her again. A week, even one spent reuniting with loved ones, is too long to be without."

Fancy wrapped a fore leg around Fleur and pulled her close, "I agree fully, my boy."

"You make it sound as if you got yourself a girlfriend, Son."

"Not just a girlfriend, a fiancé," Chris said with pride.

"Yes, and a lovely one she is too," Fleur added. "Why, she was able to make ponies everywhere forget about my career in modeling after only a few days."

"Miss Fleur, I've been in the guard barracks and I can promise you that nopony has forgotten your career."

"Oh, ever the sweetheart, this one," Fleur said with a wave of her hoof.

"Dear me, I almost forgot," Fancy Pants interjected. "Christopher, are you aware that Miss Rarity opened a boutique here in Canterlot? Doing quite well, I believe."

"Ooh, we'll have to stop by there and see it for ourselves. Maybe we can talk her into doing a nice dress for Mom."

"I believe you could convince her to make one or two, and, if you wish, I would be happy to create some for yourself, Mister Steven," Fancy Pants offered. "I've made a few for young Christopher here and am familiar with your species' form and function. I could make you something both comfortable and, excuse me for saying so, slimming."

"Thank you very much, Mister Pants, I believe I will take you up on your kind offer. And please, call me Steve."

"And you may address me as Fancy."

The rest of lunch was pleasant. The meal was tasty and filling and the conversation was light. Steven and Fancy Pants shared a few stories about their respective careers while Chris and Fleur talked about what he missed the week he was away. Barbara, however, had little to say.

Barbara was trying her best to come to terms with this huge change in her life. She was sitting in a diner made by ponies for ponies. She was sharing a meal with what, until yesterday, she always knew to be mindless animals. Plus, her long-lost son, whom she had thought lost forever, was not only back in her life, but he was royalty. The worst of it all, Chris, her own flesh and blood, was calling another woman 'Mother', and that woman wasn't even human.

From the diner, the group made the short trek to Fancy Pants's shop. Fancy insisted on taking the measurements himself, even though he hadn't needed to do the work in years. The reason he insisted on was simple; Chris was a friend and this was his father. Fancy felt that he needed to make a good impression, not just for himself, but for all ponies.

After their visit to Fancy's shop, the reunited family journeyed on to Rarity's new Canterlot boutique; the Canterlot Carousel. Sadly, Rarity wasn't there. Instead, they met one Sassy Saddles, a blue unicorn with orange and gold two-tone hair who was built similar to Fleur Dis Lee. When Chris finally convinced her to stop bowing, he managed to convince her to take his mother's measurements and send them and a message to Rarity requesting a few dresses and casual outfits be made.

It wasn't late, but they decided it was time to head back to the palace. Steven and Barbara were starting to feel guilty about having the guards pull them around all day. Chris decided not to tell them about the guards who were watching out for them from the shadows. Before long, they were pulling through the front gates.

"Well, what did you guys think of Canterlot?" Chris asked as he helped the guards unhook themselves from the carriage.

"It's nice, but it seems a little… fancy for my taste," Steven said.

"It's not home," Barbara furthered.

"I know what you mean."

"Good, then you can come back to Earth with us when we leave."

"What are you talking about? Mom, I can't go back to Earth. Equestria is my home now. Besides, why would you want to? This world is amazing."

"But it isn't our world," Barbara argued.

Chris stood there for a moment, then he turned and beckoned his parents to follow. "Come on, I got something to show you." Barbara and Steven followed their son along a gravel path that led around the palace and straight into the gardens. From there, he led them to the top of one of the waterfalls the cascaded off the side of mountain Canterlot was perched on for the past eight hundred years or so. "Don't worry, there's a magical barrier and net to keep anything from going too far and catching anything that gets past the barrier. Now, look down there," they did. "You see that castle down there?" he pointed at Twilight's castle.

"You mean the one that looks like it's giving the world the finger?" Steven asked.

"The what?" Steven held up his fist with his thumb and middle finger fully extended. Chris looked back at the castle with his head tilted ever so slightly. "Huh. It does doesn't it. Anyway, that castle belongs to my cousin, Twilight Sparkle. It's made entirely out of crystal and sprang forth from seed about the size of my head when she and her friends saved the world. The forest over there is called the Everfree Forest. It's the only place in Equestria that can't be tamed. Its weather, plants, and wildlife all do their own things without any intervention from ponies, griffins, or some kind of magic. In fact, if it weren't for the manticores, carnivorous plants, and timber wolves, as in wolves made of timber, it would be exactly like Earth. Equestria is such a peaceful and welcoming place that that forest scares everypony. There hasn't been a war here in almost five hundred years. Equestria is the most amazing, magical, peaceful, and loving country in the universe…"

"Don't forget fun!" a stone reminded.

"Yeah, yeah, fun too," Chris plucked Pinkie Pie from under the stone as nonchalantly as someone picking up a bit from the street and cradled her on her back in one arm. As he spoke, he tickled her tummy. "I just can't imagine why you'd want to leave."

"Because we don't belong here." Barbara's scowl at Pinkie would have been intimidating if circumstances were different. As it was, Pinkie was giggling too hard to notice.

Chris stopped his tickling. "Alright. Pinkie, if you head into the kitchen, you might find some left over cake." He then took her in both hands and threw her straight up without looking. She laughed like mad as she latched onto a pegasus guard who happened to be flying by on his rounds. He didn't think it was nearly as funny, judging by his screams anyway. "I can't go back to Earth."

"What do you mean?" Steven asked.

"We'll talk about it later." Chris turned and started to fly back to the palace. "For now, I'm going to go relax in the baths. Maybe Mom's already in there."

She was. Celestia was floating on her back, using her wings to keep her afloat and her ice mask to relieve her headache. It was practically a standard procedure when the nobles are getting demandy, as Chris always liked to call it.

Chris, who had already changed into his bathing suit, slipped into the water. The waves gently rocked the alicorn princess like a boat in a harbor. Chris paddled over to his adopted mother and draped his arms over her belly like she was a pool float. He laid his head down and simply listened to her heartbeat for a moment or two.

Celestia, who had been awake the whole time, couldn't stop the smile that spread across her lips. It was moments like these that she cherished more than anything in the world. Even when the inevitable happened, like it was now.

Chris started to scratch Celestia's tummy, just below the ribs. She could always stop him, but it felt so good. If only she just stop her darn leg from kicking when he did this. On the upside, his laughter at her expense every time was far too sweet to her ears. Even when they were underwater and she couldn't hear anything.

"So, how'd your day with your parents go?" Celestia asked after she rolled over.

"Not bad. We met up with Fancy and Fleur, got a suit in the works for Dad. Then we stopped by Rarity's new shop, ordered some dresses for Mom." Chris then fell silent and his face seemed to drop.

Celestia's mask floated off her face and turned to face him. "What's wrong, Honey?"

"They… they want to leave. They said they don't belong here."

Celestia snatched her son in a warm hug and held him close to her barrel. She wanted to say something to comfort him, to make him believe everything would be alright. But what does one say to someone who might lose their family… again?

Chapter 3

Once again, Chris's whole family, two and four legged, were seated around the breakfast table. Dust Bunny was standing behind Chris, waiting for orders that he almost never gave, while Cotton Tail sat in her favorite spot, AKA, Chris's lap. Little Cotton Tail would munch on her pancakes while Chris would use her fluffy mane to prop up his own plate of eggs and toast. It was a pretty decent mealtime. It would have been better if a certain somepony hadn't returned from their vacation the night before.

"Ugh, as if it wasn't bad enough we had one monkey running around, now we have three of them."

Chris could normally ignore Blueblood's bigotry, but these were his parents. "Fluffy Butt, hop down and go stand by your mommy." Chris stood and cracked his knuckles. "You may not want to watch this." Chris leapt across the table, his wings keeping him from touching table cloth.

"Christopher." Celestia's voice was neither threatening nor loud, but it was clearly a warning made all the more clear by the inflection she put on it.

Chris was frozen in mid-air, mere inches from getting his hands on his cousin. He straightened up and lowered his hands. "Sorry, Mom."

Celestia was about to turn her vocal lash on Blueblood, when she was interrupted. "Yes, that's a good little monkey. Listen to your master."

Celestia could only facehoof at the determined stupidity of her nephew. It takes a special kind of dumb to constantly poke the Ursa Major like he does. She didn't even need to see Chris's face to know it was already beet red. At this point, she might as well alert the infirmary to get ready for their new patient.

To everyone's astonishment, Chris simply left the room. As soon as the door closed, Blueblood let out the breath he had been holding and returned to his breakfast, feeling quite smug about himself. The others could only stare at the door in confusion. However, that wasn't the door they should have been focusing on.

Chris snuck in through the kitchen door, holding something black and white in his hand. With his ringed hand, Chris forced Blueblood to sit bolt upright and raise his forehooves over his head. In an instant, the thing in Chris's other hand was slid down over Blueblood's body and, thanks to a spell attached to the material, stuck to his fur.

"There you go. Now go show off your pretty new outfit to everypony." Blueblood looked down at the maid uniform that he had been shunted into. He was about to cream in rage, but before he could, Chris shoved a banana in his mouth. "Call my parents monkeys again and I'll feed you another banana," Chris leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "the hard way."

Blueblood jumped from his seat began to tug on the dress's hem. Unfortunately, tugging the dress meant tugging fur. "Ugh, why won't this come off?!"

"Glue spell, courtesy of my assistant in chaos," Chris reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a tiny, "Discord."

Discord stood on Chris's open hand and bowed deeply with a sweep of his arms. "It was my pleasure, your highness."

Both Barbara and Steven stared, dumbfounded at the little chimera before them. Blueblood, however, gave a snort and stomped out of the room. "Don't worry, the spell should wear off in a day or so," Chris reassured. "After all, permanent damage isn't funny. Right, Discord?"

"It depends on the situation."

"Hey! That's bad. Bad, Discord," Chris scolded mockingly.

Discord suddenly appeared full size between Chris's parents. "And who have we here?" He leaned in with a huge monocle. "More humans? I swear you guys are like slow rabbits."

"Discord, these are my parents. My mother, Barbara, and my father, Steven Lechance. Please, go easy on them. They're new to magic and talking critters and all that, let alone someone like you."

Discord was suddenly floating over the table in a white robe with dirty trim and a wire halo on his head. "Now, Christopher, you know I am always on my very best behavior."

"Look, I can tell you're holding back, and I'm very thankful, but you aren't the lord of chaos for no reason."

"Hmm, I suppose that's fair."

"Anyway, not that it isn't nice to see you, but why are you here?"

"Oh-ho-ho, I almost forgot. Fluttershy is on the train to Ponyville as we speak. I'm sure you're as anxious to see her as she is to see you."

"You don't know the half of it. A week is far too long to be away from that little beauty."

Celestia let out a small, polite cough. "Discord, why don't you go and greet dear Fluttershy ahead of Chris? We have some things we need to discuss before he goes out for the day."

Discord bowed, "As you wish, Celestia." Discord was gone in the very next instant.

Normally, Chris would say something smart and trot out the door to do his own thing, but not when he tell how serious she was. She wasn't angry, but what she was going to say needed to be heard. "What's going on, Mom?"

Celestia let slip the slightest hint of a smile at still being referred to by her favorite title before setting her face back to serious. "We need to discuss why Chris cannot return to Earth."

"Excellent. We were starting to get a little frustrated about being kept in the dark," Steven said. "I don't mean to be rude, especially since you've been so generous, but we would like some of our questions to be answered." Barbara nodded in agreement.

"We understand your annoyance, but I promise we haven't withheld information out of malice," Luna defended.

"While what Luna says is true, that does not excuse our not being forward with you. Now, what would you like to know?" Celestia asked.

"First and foremost, why can't Chris return to Earth?" Steven asked. "If he could spend a week there, then why not longer?"

Before Celestia or Luna could answer, Chris stood up and removed his shirt. He then pointed to the scar over his heart. "This. This is why I can't ever leave Equestria. I had been foalnapped and before I could be rescued, I had a spear pushed through my heart. Celestia and Luna, with the help of Discord, literally traveled to Death's doorstep and made a deal. They gave some of their life so that I could live again. Now, the magic that permeates this country is literally keeping me alive. Anything more than a few weeks away from Equestria and I start to grow incredibly weak. And that's while I'm still on Equus. On Earth, I'd be dead within a month or two."

"Hogwash!" Steven growled. "You expect us to believe that?"

"Actually, they were buffalo out there," a maid spoke up, "but I can assure you it's all true. I was there."

"Oh, Willow, I didn't recognize you. Who are you wearing?" Chris asked without any hint of sarcasm in the question.

"Just some mare I saw in the market a few days ago. Do you like it?"

"It's not bad."

"If you were there," Barbara started, "then I suppose you were killed and brought back to life too."

"No, I wasn't. I was… I…" Willow looked to Celestia for support.

"It's alright, Willow. You may tell them."

Willow nodded solemnly. "I was there because… I helped capture him. It was my hive that captured him. I was the one who found him and brought to our queen."

"The one who helped me, too. Don't forget that," Chris said. Willow gave a little grin in appreciation.

"You talk about a hive and a queen like you're some kind of bee or something," Steven half joked.

"You're not too far off, Dad. Would you show them, Willow?"

Willow nodded and stepped back from the table. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she didn't like dropping her disguise without a good reason but she couldn't say no to the only non-changeling who showed concern for her clan. She breathed out and an instant later was surrounded by a ring of green flames that quickly engulfed her entire being.

The gasp that came from Chris's parents at the sight of her true from cut Willow like a knife, but she wasn't there alone. Chris knelt down and wrapped an arm around her chitonous shoulders and whispered his thanks into her ear.

"Mom, Dad, this is what a changeling looks like. Well, a drone at least. The queen is much larger and meaner looking. She lays all the eggs and controls her brood with an iron hoof. However, Willow here risked everything to get me and another pony out of the hive. Only the pony made it out."

"Yes, and it was thanks to her that we found you at all," Celestia added. "If it weren't for Willow's efforts, Chrysalis would have never let you go."

"And every changeling would have suffered greatly for her actions," Luna added darkly while nonchalantly nibbling her cantaloupe.

"What happened to this… Chrysalis?" Barbara asked.

"Mom broke every bone in her hands by rolling her fingers back like a toothpaste tube and was about to start on her arms before Discord stopped her. She's down in the dungeon right now," Chris looked to Celestia and spotted the almost imperceptible twitches in her ears and the corners of her mouth that told him she was hiding her extreme shame at her actions.

"Why is she still alive?" Steven growled.

"What?" the royal family looked at Steven.

"I mean, if I had your power and someone had hurt my son, I would have pulled her inside out by pulling her own tail out her throat. Any human would."

"But we are not humans," Luna defended. "Furthermore, as alicorns, allowing ourselves to succumb to our emotions to that point… There could be global consequences."

Barbara wasn't convinced. "Please. I know you two are rulers of this country and all, but do you honestly think so highly of yourselves that you believe losing your cool could actually effect the whole planet?"

Without looking up from the table, Luna answered, "You may believe what you wish, but that is exactly what happened just over one thousand years ago."

Chris got up from his seat and quickly made his way over to Luna and wrapped her up in his arms. Luna leaned into the embrace and thanked the creator that, despite her horrific errors in the past, she still had family that cared for her. After a few moments, Chris released his grip on his aunt and turned back to his human mother.

"You need to understand, Mom, they're more than just the leaders of this country, they command the heavens. They literally raise and lower the sun and moon. Luna here paints the night sky and can create meteor showers. I've seen sunsets created by Celestia that nearly made my heart stop… again. The three of us, Twilight, and Cadence are the only ones that can move mountains, change the weather, and revitalize the land, all at the same time. It's an awesome responsibility that they both have had to deal with on a daily basis for over five thousand years. If they were to give in to their rage, nothing would survive.

"Fine," Steven said, "but anything that dangerous needs to be put down."

"I'm happy to say that you will not find many on Equus that share your views. Although, I personally still wouldn't mind seeing her chained to a very large stone in Tartarus," Celestia said with a huff. "However, Chris has convinced me that doing so would damn an entire species that is little more than her prisoners. So, against my better judgment, I agreed to his plan." Celestia let out another huff. "Perhaps I do spoil him."

"Your plan is to free a predatory species? That's like inviting lions into your home," Steven pointed out.

"Maybe," Luna responded, "but griffons and minotaurs were once predators of ponies and now, not only are they our allies, but there have been many loving marriages between the different species."

"Ooh, speaking of loving marriages, I need to go. Fluttershy will be arriving at the train station soon and I need my cuddles," Chris stood from his chair and gently flexed his wings in preparation for the flight before leaving.

"Celestia, tell me about this Fluttershy our son is so fixated on," Barbara requested.

"I don't think I've met anypony like her in all my centuries in this world. Her beauty is matched only by her grace. Most importantly, she is so sweet and caring that she is literally the living embodiment of kindness. After what happened with Roseluck, there are few I would even think of allowing to get close to my- ourdarling son."

"Wait, what happened with Roseluck, or whoever?"

Celestia's face contorted into one of pure rage and hatred. Seeing this, Luna answered, "Roseluck was Christopher's first love. However, she began to care more for what being in a relationship with him could bring her rather than what was best for the both of them. She even went so far as to get herself impregnated and claim the foal was his."

"On his bucking birthday no less," Celestia growled.

"Yes, indeed. If it weren't for Christopher being so level headed and caring, we would have happily banished her from Equestria." Luna grinned, "He even set up a trust fund for the child to make sure it was properly cared for."

"Wow, really? Better man than me," Steven said as he looked to the slowly closing doors.

"Enough of this gloom and depressing atmosphere," Celestia declared while standing from her chair. "Come, let's go and meet your future daughter-in-law."

Meanwhile, Chris, having literally flipped out the nearest open window, was now gliding over the Whitetail Wood with Rocky, his pet squirrel, gliding alongside him. Rocky, having been rescued and cared for by Fluttershy until he was adopted by Chris. Since then, Rocky has been living it up in the palace gardens along with the other animals including Celestia's pet phoenix, Philomena, and Luna's opossum, Tiberius (or as she likes to call him, Tibbles).

Thanks to Chris's alicorn vision, he could clearly see Fluttershy climbing off the train, his cousin, Twilight Sparkle, by her side, struggling under the weight of her saddlebags. His heart went out to the little pegasus. Chris, like everypony that knew her, was familiar with the fact that although she was physically unimpressive, performance wise, her inner strength was without limit. Sadly, inner strength does nothing to lighten the weight of a dozen books.

Chris had a clear, buttery target now and started his dive attack, his tiny wingpony close behind. He called out to his lover when he was a few dozen meters from the ground. She looked up, her smile broadened and her eyes watered a little in happiness. In an instant, Fluttershy shed her bags and rocketed into the air. Within a few seconds, she collided with the prince and started to cover him in kisses. The two floated there for several moments, with a squirrel flying rings around the pair.

Once on the ground, Chris gave Fluttershy a firm kiss on the cheek, knowing that she would have been embarrassed by too much more affection. Besides, the sun would be setting eventually. Instead, he settled for nuzzling her impossibly soft and sweet-smelling fur. Fluttershy did the same, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

Despite all the cooing and 'dawww's, Fluttershy's ears perked at the sound of Celestia's chariot touching down nearby. Within the chariot was, of course, Celestia, along with Steven and Barbara. The new comers made Fluttershy shrink. The change in her composure caught Chris's attention and he turned to see what caused it.

"Mom! Dad! … and Mom. I'm surprised to see you here." Chris carefully set Fluttershy down onto the ground, though she kept constant contact between her shoulder and his thigh. "Come on, there's somepony I want you to meet."

The other humans approached, heads twisting to take in their new environs. Places as lively and green as Ponyville are not as common as they should be back on Earth. No one seemed to notice the look of terror on Twilight's face. Chris may have forgiven her for bringing him here, but did his parents even know? What would they do if they did?

"Fluttershy, this is Steven and Barbara. They're my parents. Mom, Dad, this is Fluttershy. She's my fiancé."

"I-It's nice t-to meet you," Fluttershy managed to stammer out as she held up a hoof in greeting.

Steven stood there staring at the hoof while Barbara kept looking from Chris to Fluttershy, her mouth opening and closing silently. Fluttershy started to get more and more nervous as she tried to hide within her mane, hoof slowly dropping back to the ground. Finally, unable to take the silence anymore, Chris spoke up.

"What's wrong? Say something you two."

"Is this a joke?" Steven ask, his voice a growl.

"W-what do you mean?"

"She's a horse." Barbara nodded in agreement with her husband.

Fluttershy whimpered and curled into a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible, her eyes filling with tears. Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Spike where glaring at the new humans. However, the others, who were magically inclined, found their attention being drawn to source of magic that was rising exponentially.

Chris's vision was going red.

Chapter 4

The area surrounding the train station was rapidly filling with a foreboding aura. Ponies were galloping for their lives as fast as they could and birds were taking to the sky. On the platform, three humans and eight ponies stood unmoving. Two of the humans and seven of the ponies were staring in horror at the remaining human. The last pony stood behind him, trying to hold back her tears.

"Wha-what's going on?" Steven asked.

"Fluttershy's crying," Twilight said with a hint of anger in her voice.

Steven and Barbara looked at her in confusion. Celestia clarified for them.

"Chris is fiercely protective of her and anyone makes her cry, he loses control of his Alicorn Instincts. Worse yet, there is only one pony who can reach him when he gets to this point."

The magical pressure being put out from Chris was starting to affect the area physically. Boards were being ripped up from the platform and flung meters away. Rail spikes launched like rockets into the sky. The rails themselves coiled like snakes away from the epicenter.

"Get behind us," Luna shouted at Steven and Barbara as she, Twilight, and Celestia raised shields.

"Rainbow!" Twilight called, but she didn't need to finish her order.

"On it!" Rainbow Dash scooped up Rarity and Pinkie and raced back to town for cover with Applejack hot on her hooves.

Fluttershy looked around her with dead eyes. She sat in the middle of the miasma that acted like the eye of a storm around her and Chris. "What was I thinking?" She asked herself. "How could I ever think I could deserve him?" She looked up and saw the pain within him. He didn't want to do this. Chris didn't like hurting anyone who didn't deserve it.

Chris stood there, fists clenched and teeth bared. His eyes glowed and stared at nothing. The three alicorns, though shielded, were being pushed back by the sheer force of his rage. Celestia didn't know what to do. If he were any other threat to Equestria, she wouldn't hesitate to put him down, but this was her baby. The little boy who clung to her and begged for help when he first arrived. The man who made her proud every day and went out of his way to make her, and everyone around him happier. The child she begged at Death's feet to give back to her. She couldn't hurt him nor would she allow anything else to do so. Unfortunately, she also knew that there was nothing she could do to reach him.

"How do we stop him?" Barbara asked.

"We cannot," Luna answered, sweat dripping down her forehead. "When Christopher reaches this point, there is only one who can calm his ire."

"I can hardly breathe," Steven complained.

"It's his power. If we can't stop it, we can all be in serious trouble," Twilight explained.

"Christopher! You need to stop this, right now!" Steven ordered. The response he got was several planks slamming into the barrier directly in front of him. "What's wrong with him?!"

"I've already told you, it's his Instincts!" Celestia yelled over the storm of anger. "No! None of us can stop him now! We'll be lucky if this platform is the only thing destroyed!"

All eyes turned back to human floating in a whirlwind of his own making. The only one of the seven not affected by the torrent was also the only one who could stop it.

A buttery hoof slowly reached up and pressed on Chris's fist. His head jerked down to see who had touched him. The moment his eyes made contact with hers, his energy receded. Debris rained down around them and the pressure lessened. The three princesses dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Barbara and Steven stood, staring in horror at their child.

What had happened to their sweet little boy? How could he do these things? Where was the child that clung to his mother's leg when meeting people he didn't know? Where was the kid that begged to ride on his father's shoulders? Why was he so angry at them that he would be willing to destroy this whole structure to get at them?

Chris knelt down before Fluttershy, arms spread open toward her. She somberly climbed into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder, eyes shut to hold back tears. Chris stood and spread his massive wings.

"I'll be taking Fluttershy home now. Do not follow me," he growled.

They watched him fly off toward Fluttershy's cottage in stunned silence. Slowly, Princess Celestia got to her hooves. She looked around her at all the damage caused by her son. She sighed and thanked her sun that he normally has a much tighter grip on his Instincts. Celestia fired a magical flare into the sky, summoning her guards.

"Sergeant, bring my chariot and escort the LeChances back to the palace. Luna and I will be along shortly after we clean this mess up."

"But, your highness…"

"Do not argue with me right now, please. I appreciate your concern and dedication to your duty, but we can handle this."

"As you wish, your highness,"

As soon as the guard was gone, Barbara and Steven walked up to Celestia, Barbara asked, "Why are you sending us back to the palace and why aren't we going after my son?"

Celestia rubbed her forehead. "Please, stop talking. We have all used too much magic protecting you and doing so causes a splitting headache and we're about to use more to repair this platform. I cannot deal with any more distractions at this time."

"But-"

"Stop! You two are going back. We are fixing this," she stomped her hoof and a plank that had curled upon itself. "Chris is going to tend to his fiancé and he will do so undisturbed."

"He is our son and you-" Steven started to defend his wife.

"I am the ruler of this nation, the commander of the sun, the oldest being on this world, and the one who has raised your son for the past fifteen years! I and my sister have literally sacrificed centuries of our lives to keep him alive!" Celestia loomed over their heads. "I also know him better than any other creature in any world and I am warning you, back off or he will push you away forever."

Barbara opened her mouth to argue, but she was cut off by Steven. "Fine, but when you get back to the castle, we are going to talk."

Celestia glared at him. "Yes, we will."

Chris had flown all the way back to Fluttershy's cottage with her cradled in his arms in silence. He walked through the door, careful to make sure there were no critters underfoot. Chris set Fluttershy on the couch, scooped up Angel Bunny and placed him in her forehooves, then succumbed to his exhaustion while she clutched her favored pet. He had used up a lot of his stored magic during his tirade and needed to shut down.

As Chris snored softly with his back against the couch, Fluttershy stroked his hair. She had been shunned, belittled, and shamed her whole life for one reason or another. As a filly, she had Rainbow Dash there to back her up. Then, she came to Ponyville and had five more friends to defend her. However, never had she had somepony protect her to such extremes as Chris was, and he wasn't even a pony. He loved her and she was head over hooves for him.

But what would their lives hold for them? Their relationship had been questioned, critiqued, and shunned. Every time it happened, Chris would lash out, sometimes verbally, other times physically, and that was not good. If only there was a way that she could change that.

"Discord, I need your help."

Chris was awoken from his recharge by the sound of clopping hooves. In a world filled with equines, clopping is a very common sound, but these were… different. For one thing, the timing was off, another thing was that they sounded heavier than normal, lastly, there seemed to be only two. A loud thump and a soft whimper of pain pulled Chris fully into the world.

"Fluttershy," Discord said, "take it from someone who shapeshifts for fun, being something other than yourself is… wrong. It's fun at first, but then it just feels," he shuddered, "Weird."

"I don't care," Fluttershy rebutted as she cot up from the floor. "I'll do anything to make him happy." Fluttershy lifted herself back onto two legs and tried to walk some more.

Sadly, she lost her balance and fell again. Luckily, she was caught by Chris. He drew her into his chest and cradled her. "Don't you dare think for one second that I'm not very happy with you exactly how you are. I don't care what anyone else thinks about us either." He kissed her on her forehead. "I will go up against anyone on Equus who tries to stop us from being together, even it's both my moms."

Fluttershy looked into his eyes with tears forming in her own. "R-really?"

"Try and stop me." Fluttershy latched onto him and nuzzled his chest, crying softly and happiness.

Tiny Discord poked out from Chris's hair, "I think you two need some time alone. I'll see myself out." He then proceeded to literally watch himself walk out the front door before his tiny self spiraled into itself and disappeared.

"He can be a good friend," Chris said before a chair he hadn't noticed stopped floating near the ceiling and crashed to floor, "sometimes."

At the same time in the palace, Celestia's horn was powering down and a crystal on a pedestal in the center of the room dimmed as the sconces came back to life. The crystal, when combined with a certain spell, displays the selected memories of the caster for others to see.

Luna approached the Lachances and spoke, "I hope this has allowed you to see why Christopher was so upset earlier."

"I suppose it does… shine some light on the situation," Steven said.

"Still," Barbara added, "It doesn't help us accept that he is marrying what, on our world, would be an animal."

"Is that so?" Discord's menacing voice came from nowhere. "Allow me to show what you've done to that 'animal'." He stepped out from behind the smaller pedestal, snapping to his full height, and snapped his fingers. The crystal practically exploded with light, overwhelmed by the amount of magic being pushed into it.

The room became the main room of a small cottage. Luna recognized it at once as Fluttershy's home. The pony in question was sitting on a green sofa, stroking the hair of a sleeping Christopher and holding a white rabbit to her barrel. Her once vibrant aqua eyes were dead and rimmed in red.

"Fluttershy, what can I help you with? Please tell me you need revenge on whoever made you cry," Discord said as he rung his hands together as a fanged grin spread across his face.

"No, please don't do that." Discord looked a little saddened at that. "I want you to change me into a human."

Discord's face became completely placid and he slowly floated down to the floor. "No," he said with a slight growl.

"Please," Fluttershy pleaded with watery eyes.

"You're fine the way you are. Why would you want to be a… oh," Discord said as he glared at Chris's sleeping form. "It's for him isn't it?" he asked with a raised claw.

Fluttershy shielded Chris by throwing her hooves around his neck and nuzzling him. "Don't blame him. He's been nothing but a perfect gentlecolt to me." Begrudgingly, she released her grip on his neck. "It's just that, he deserves the perfect mare. And the perfect mare for him is a female human. So, please, change me."

"I don't think it's a good idea, and I don't think you would like your new body," Discord argued.

Fluttershy pushed herself up onto her hind legs, wobbling as she did. "Look, I can do it." A few seconds later she tumbled backwards onto her haunches. She then stood up again. "See, I… can…" she fell forward onto her knees, whimpering slightly. She tried again.

"Fluttershy, you need to stop this," Discord nearly begged.

The image faded back into the room they were all standing in before. Discord stood before the Lechances, glaring at them. "Luckily, the young prince was able to cheer her up again, otherwise this meeting would have gone in a completely different direction. Now, explain yourselves." The humans could only stare up at the draconequus in terror.

Celestia stepped in to help. "I believe the issue comes from the fact that, on their world, ponies don't talk and… beings such as yourself do not exist. Chris told me before that there isn't even real magic on Earth."

Luna stood beside her sister. "Perhaps, since young Christopher came here as a child, he was more open to the idea of thinking, speaking, loving animals."

"Ah, so you're saying that the issue simply comes from the shape of your son and his love. Am I correct?" Discord didn't wait for a reply. With a smirk, he raised his talon and snapped his fingers. "There, would this be better?"

Steven and Barbara stared wide-eyed at the two tall human women standing before them wearing nothing but large necklaces, shoes and tiaras, none of which fit. Then they both lost their balance and fell to the floor. They looked at each other and screamed when they realized what had happened to them.

"Now, you are the ponies and they are the humans. Do you feel any less valuable than you were before?" He received no answer. "Stop screaming!" With a snap of his fingers, they were both frozen in place and silent.

"Discord! Stop tormenting them!" Celestia ordered while clinging to her sister for stability.

"Why? They are just animals, after all. Just silly horses. Why should humans, such as yourself, care about how a stupid horse feels?" Discord snapped his fingers again and the LeChances were free again. They huddled together in fear. "Well, answer my question."

"N-n-no, we are n-not any l-less valuable," Steven managed to respond.

"Oh-ho, so then the princesses here must be more valuable than they were before. Is that it? They're human now, so that means you are beneath them."

"Um…"

"That's what I thought." Discord snapped his fingers again, and everyone went back to their original species. "You value the container over the contents. That little pony is so kind that she managed to get me, me, to give up on controlling the world when I easily could have. Again. She makes your son endlessly happy. She has helped save this land many times. You should count yourselves lucky to have even met her."

"Discord," Celestia said in a warning tone.

"If I were Christopher, I would send you back to your crumby world and be done with you forever."

"Discord! That is enough!"

"Just making a point, Princess." Discord spiraled into himself and vanished with a pop.

Celestia walked over to the humans, who were still huddled on the floor, and offered her hoof. I apologize for his… everything. Discord is a being a chaos and still hasn't gotten the hang of tact. Although, while I can't say I agree with his methods, I can't help but agree with the point he has made."

Luna agreed, "You do seem to have trouble seeing past our shapes to see the personality within. You would not be alone in this. In the past, we have been forced to go to war with several species that, though they shared our values, they couldn't see us as equals due to our differing species."

"Yeah, I get it," Steven said as he helped Barbara up off the floor. "Our own history has many similar tales."

"Look, we get it, alright. We're sorry we were being… racist or… speciest or… whatever you want to call it," Barbara sighed deeply. "We are very sorry. This is all new to us and we haven't adjusted to intelligent hor- *ahem* ponies yet."

"We understand," Celestia bowed slightly. "However, it is not our forgiveness you should be seeking."

"Yeah, we know," Steven put an arm around his wife's waist. "This isn't going to be fun."

Chapter 5

Chris was awoken by someone knocking at the front door of Fluttershy's cottage. He went to get up, but his movement was halted by two pairs of hooves wrapped tightly around him. He couldn't help but smile down at her. Each time he tried to move, she tightened her grip. He was pulled out of his swoon by another knock. With a sigh, Chris stood from the bed, holding Fluttershy in place with one hand on her rump, which seemed to make her smile a little. Carefully and quietly, Chris made his way down the stairs without jostling his very precious cargo. Upon reaching the front door, he opened its upper half and looked out.

"Yes? Oh, morning, Twi. What brings you here?"

"Your mother, well, Celestia anyway. She sent me some dragon mail this morning, requesting your presence at the palace."

"Of course she did. Unfortunately, I'm a little preoccupied," Chris indicated with a nod of his head toward the slumbering Fluttershy. "Come on in, we can chat while we wait for her to wake up. Quietly."

Twilight nodded and opened the lower half of the door for herself. She stepped inside only to stop and cover her eyes. "Ugh, one of these days, I'll get to see some bits on a male that I'm not related to."

Chris looked down and noticed a surprising amount of bare flesh. "Huh. What can I say, we both needed some… recuperation."

"Okay, that is way too much information," Twilight protested while summon a towel which she wrapped around Chris's waist. "Made all the worse by the visual aid. Take a seat, I'll make us some tea."

"Thanks." Chris sat on the sofa, leaving plenty of room for Angel Bunny who was already in his favorite spot. "So, what did the letter say anyway?"

Basically, it said that your parents had seen their mistake, something about help from Discord," Chris winced at that. "Celestia wants to get you, your parents, Fluttershy, and her parents all to get together and discuss this whole… thing."

"What 'whole pause thing'?"

"Don't make me say it."

Chris scowled at Twilight, which was something he rarely had to do to her. "Say it."

"The whole different species thing. You know that none of us have any issue with it. All of our friends are ecstatic that you two are together, as are her parents, but there's a lot of ponies out there and not all of them will share our opinion. You are the crowned prince of Equestria, one of the most powerful countries on Equus. The fact that you are not a pony already ruffles some feathers. Now, here you are, marrying one of the Element Bearers. How do you think they're going to take that?"

"I don't give a rat's buttock how anyone else feels about this. I love Fluttershy and she loves me. Our parents have given their consent, not that we needed it. We want to be together, and come Tartarus or high water, we will be. The only one who could stop me from being with Fluttershy forever, is Fluttershy herself. Understand?"

"Yes, and I'm so very happy to see that much dedication. Now, wake her up," Twilight sniffed the air disapprovingly, "shower, for the love of Faust, put on pants, and come to Canterlot with me."

Fluttershy gripped Chris tighter in her sleep. "Why should I do that? Those people hurt her and you saw what that made me do. I hate getting into that state. I could have killed somepony because of what they said. I don't want to risk that nor do I want to see them again… not yet anyway."

"Listen, Chris, I've known you almost your whole life. I know you better than almost anypony on Equus and I know that if you don't put this issue to rest, it will eat at you until it drives you crazy. You have to go to the palace and you have to do it today."

"Yes, you do know me better than almost anypony, so how do you think I will handle it if they make her cry again?"

"I think you would bring the palace down around their ears," Chris pointed at her, signaling her correct answer. "I also think that if you don't go and talk this out with them, you will never stop hating them. Do you really want to go through your incredibly long life hating your own parents?"

"We need to go," Fluttershy's soft voice rose up from her previously alleged sleeping form.

"But, they hurt you, Flutters," Chris argued.

"And you made it better," she nuzzled his cheek. "You always make it better. Besides, Twilight's right. You are going to live a very long life, you will lose a lot of friends and family because of that. You don't want to start going through that now."

Chris leaned down and kissed Fluttershy on her forehead. "I will do anything you ask me to, my little princess."

"Hey, that's right. When you two get married, Fluttershy will become a princess too. I wonder if she'll become an alicorns like I did. What will her title be? *Gasp* I'll get to study a whole plethora of subjects. Oh my, and your foals."

"Twilight, stop, we don't have time for adorkable behavior. Fluttershy and I have to shower, and unless you want to hear things, you have some arrangements to make elsewhere."

"You really need to stop sharing sometimes, you know."

"Maybe, but you're so cute when you blush." Twilight growled as she left, slamming the door behind her. "Now, care to join me in the shower?" Fluttershy leapt from his lap and sprinted up the stairs. Chris chuckled and he ran up behind her, flinging the towel that had served as clothing behind him.

Several hours later, Chris entered the throne room of Canterlot Palace with Fluttershy pressing against his leg for moral support. Chris stood straight and walked with resolution. He stood before both sets of families. On his left stood Barbara and Steven Lachance. To his right, Celestia and Luna. Two worlds linked by a single individual. For her part, Fluttershy was putting on a brave face, but could hardly stop herself from shivering. Chris reached down and scratched her behind the ear before moving his hand down her back to her cutie mark, channeling his magic into it. As soon as he did, Fluttershy stopped shivering and melted into him.

Celestia, having watched all of this, smiled warmly at her son and future daughter-in-law. She could see the bridge between two worlds before her eyes, and she couldn't be happier. However, she wasn't the only one in the room that Chris called 'Mom'. Her heart was telling her that nothing could go come between them. Her head, on the other hoof, was running figures on how many bits it cost to repair this room. Either way, she had been meaning to add a throne for Luna for some time now.

Chris stood, stiff as a board, and looked into the faces of his family one at a time. He turned to Celestia and Luna and nodded, they returned the gesture. He then looked upon his birth parents. "Well?"

The Lachances flinched a little at their son's demeanor and single syllable greeting. They had seen what he was capable of and knew he could cause some serious grief if they upset him again. It was Barbara who stepped forward and braved her son's wrath.

"Honey, we-"

"Don't. You don't get to call me that." He could see the figurative tear in her heart spread and felt one begin in his own. "Not yet at least."

"O-okay. Um, well, we wanted to say that we never meant to insult you or… your girlfriend. This is all new to us and it will take some time to get use to the idea of smart animals."

Steven stepped up beside his wife. "Christopher, we're sorry we upset you. Like your mother said, this will all take some time for us."

Chris stepped away from Fluttershy and stood before the other humans. "I get that this is new. You think it wasn't new for me when I came here?" He let out a single huff of laughter. "The fact is this, I can't leave Equestria, not for long anyway. I don't want to leave Equestria. I have made a family here. I have made friends here." He stepped back and knelt beside Fluttershy. "I have found love here. I will not give it up for anything in this, or any other world. You are the ones with the decision to make. You can either accept this new life, live in a world of magic and prosperity, or we can send you home. If you choose the latter, I promise to come and visit when I can, but that will be all I can do. If you choose to stay here, well," Chris spread his arms and spun in a slow circle, indicating the richly decorated hall around them. "I leave the choice in your hands."

Before they could answer, Chris rested his hand on Fluttershy's withers and led her out of the hall and into the gardens. The Lechances could only watch them walk away. Celestia and Luna walked up and stood on either side of them. Celestia was proud of her son for standing up for himself and Fluttershy, but she knew that now was not the time to show that. Luna, on the other hand, couldn't do that.

"Christopher certainly has grown into a fine stallion."

Celestia facehoofed. "Sister, your timing still needs work."

Barbara stepped quickly up to Celestia and, with tears in her eyes, pleaded, "Celestia, please, you have to help us. I can't' survive losing my baby boy again." Wrapped her arms around Celestia's neck. "Help me be his mommy again."

Celestia was at a loss. She was used to ponies coming to her for all sorts of issues, but nothing like this had ever happened to her in all her many millennia. This woman was basically asking her for her help in coming between her and Christopher. If she were a lesser mare, she would take this opportunity to drive to proverbial wedge. Luckily for Barbara, Celestia was far from a lesser mare.

"Barbara, if there is one thing I know about my-uh-our son, he is not one who likes to hold a grudge. Luckily, we know exactly how to fix it this time."

Chris was sitting beneath his favorite tree with his favorite phoenix in the branches while his favorite maid was nearby with iced tea and sugar cookies while his favorite pony in the whole of this, or any other, universe was sprawled across his lap. Fluttershy's eyes were closed and she was humming beautifully, sweetly, and softly while Chris was rubbing her mane with one hand while the other was resting on her cutie mark, magic coursing through it. Bunny simply stood there, watching her prince enjoy the simplest of pleasures one could ever hope to achieve, a warm day, a shady tree, and a beautiful love.

Bunny watched, a little timidly, as a snake slithered up to the couple. She was about to call out a warning to Chris and Fluttershy when she froze. She couldn't believe it at first, but then she remembered exactly who was sprawled out across whose lap. Chris had seen the snake approach out of the corner of his eye and immediately determined it to be a harmless corn snake. He took his hand from Fluttershy's mane and lowered it to the snake. The snake looked at the proffered hand hesitantly, it flicked its tongue a few times before it slithered up his arm and wrapped itself around the wrist and hand.

Chris smiled at the snake and brought it in front of Fluttershy's face. Now, this act would have scared and then infuriated any other mare one could think of, but this was the Element of Kindness. Fluttershy's eyes lazily opened and then focused on the serpent. A smile broadened across her face, making it shine like the sun. Fluttershy leaned in closer in greeted the little snake, she then nuzzled it. Bunny would have dropped to her haunches if she weren't such a professional. She could only watch as Fluttershy said some more things, giggled, looked up at Chris, blushed and hid her face, spoke some more to it, nuzzled it again, then Chris lowered his hand, and the snake slithered away.

Bunny trotted up to the smiling couple. "You two never cease to amaze me."

"It was just a little snake, not even venomous," Chris shrugged.

"It was still a snake."

"His name is Sammy, Sammy Slithers. He was in the gardens looking for his mate. They were hoping to finally… um, well, baby snakes." Fluttershy blushed again. "But he did say that we made a cute couple."

"Aw, that's nice. Thanks, Mister Slithers!" Chris waved at the bush that Sammy Slithers had slithered away into.

"You do make a cute couple," a masculine voice came from a little up the pathway. Steven and Barbara walked up to the two lovebirds and the pony and human sitting below them.

Fluttershy pushed up against Chris tighter. Dust Bunny stood between the newcomers and her employer. Chris stroked Fluttershy's mane and cooed into her ear.

"It's alright, Bunny. I don't think they came here to cause trouble. Right, Dad?"

"That's right,… son. Your mother and I came here just to talk."

"Son, Celestia made it clear to us what we did wrong and what we stand to lose, again. We're sorry that we failed to see this," Barbara indicated Chris and Fluttershy cuddled up together, "for what it is."

"And that would be?"

"Love. Love between two beings that truly care for one another, regardless of their species or backgrounds. When we first came here, we were… in shock. I mean, look at this place. It's like a kid's cartoon show or something."

Chris looked around for a moment. "Yeah, I can see that. Cool, right?"

Steven chuckled. "Yeah, it is pretty cool."

Barbara stepped forward. "Chris, Fluttershy, the bottom line is… what we're trying to say is… we're sorry. I… we would both be very happy to get to know you better. If we're going to be a family, then we need to get closer to each other." Barbara knelt before the couple and wrapped Chris in a hug, trapping Fluttershy between them. "We will do whatever it takes to not lose you again."

Chris wrapped his own arms around his mother. "I don't want to lose you again either. I want you both to stay here with us." He released her and scooped up Fluttershy. "But you have to accept her too. Can you do that?"

Barbara reached down and took Fluttershy's hoof in her hand. "If you'll let me, I would like to give it a try."

"Try is good," Fluttershy said smiling up at the humans.

Chris smiled back at her and kissed her on the snout. "Yes, try is good."

The sound of hooves approaching grabbed their attention. Celestia was walking up the path, Philomena was perched on her withers before flying over to Chris and landing on his shoulder and nuzzling him. "Well, since you are willing to try new things, perhaps you would like to try something else." Celestia stood proudly before Barbara and Steven, "There is a title given to the ponies who are related to somepony who has joined the royal family. They are given status and privilege, and access to resources not available to the citizenry of Equestria. I will provide you with a villa, staff, and an allowance. You will never want for anything in your life again. What say you?"

Steven and Barbara looked at each other, sharing a conversation through marital telepathy alone. They nodded. Steven told Celestia, "Princess, we graciously accept your offer."

"Excellent. Then welcome to Equestria Duke and Duchess Lachance."