New York Life Chief Editor’s Note:

Well, folks, with our collective bellies now stuffed as much as the birds we ate were, we return to work happy if a little hungover. Cayenne and his new staff threw, as Equestrians say, one HAY of a party! It was certainly rather gratifying seeing Prince Blueblood more than a little soused as well, firing off a flurry of rather interesting toasts following his ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new restaurant and subsequent speech as dinner was served. He thanked us for ‘showing such stiffness of spine’ in the face of our many adversaries, saying he greatly appreciated those who are as willing to ‘tell it like it is’ and not be constrained by such ‘useless civilities’ as protocol and politeness when our many adversaries refused to apply the same rules to themselves they demanded for us.

That was one of many lines in his speech that earned a rousing round of applause, and he stunned us further by carving up one of the turkeys himself and partaking of it to the raucous calls of the griffons present. Cayenne, our food critic wishes you to know that, though his full review of your new restaurant can also be found in later pages of this issue, he had ‘never tasted a better bird’ and was doubly impressed by some of griffon festival dishes served, saying he’d never imagined that a slow-roasted flying boar could taste so good! “I’ll eat griffon food when pigs fly!” he had said once before, but ate his words as well as a flying pig!

So to make a long story short, the party was wonderful, the food was excellent, the restaurant well-appointed, and our hosts quite gracious as well as very skilled. Cayenne himself came out to put on a show as he threw together a series of drinks and dishes right in front of us; it was rather remarkable seeing a pegasus chef in action, watching him use both his hooves and power of flight to make food!

There were some protestors outside, of course, but their numbers were few on a raw and rainy November day, and we kept the local police on our side by bringing them warm drinks and some hot food. In any event, Prince Blueblood had little time for them when they tried to barricade the entrance. Rather than have them arrested, he simply requested they be left to him and for a change didn’t even bother arguing with them; he just just levitated the lot of them up and deposited them in a large and rather dirty puddle.

“But that’s assault!” one of them screamed afterwards. “We’re gonna sue your fucking flank!”

“Diplomatic immunity,” he answered with a smug grin, then to emphasize the point dumped the contents of several trash cans all over them as everyone applauded, then simply strode inside, telling the nearest policemen he would pay the fine for littering later.

Needless to say, our mood is quite good as we enter the holiday season, and why shouldn’t it be? We’ve had a hell of year, we’re finishing up these articles, we’ve made far more friends than enemies, and there’s other good news as well, which I’ll leave to my counterpart at the Manehattan Post to tell. Welcome back, Hot Topic!

—Kalido Tenna, Chief Editor, New York Life Magazine

Manehattan Post Owner’s Note:

Thank you, Kalido, and I’m very sorry to have made everyone worry so much. Yes, I’m back… and so is my Gentleman!!!! As I’m sure all have read by now in the front page article, I stumbled upon a Changeling plot to kidnap humans and ponies to harvest love from them orchestrated by no less than Queen Chrysalis, who, though not involved in the earlier attacks on us, was a rank opportunist who took immediate advantage of them. In fact, it would appear that it was she who leaked some of the names of our exposed Gentlemen, not the HERD crowd, trying to cause them to flee and thus become easy to capture and not be missed if it was simply assumed they were in hiding. He and several other humans were found in a Changeling hive, contained in these… pods… that kept them in a dreamlike state to extract love from them to power her army.

To my great relief, Chris was alive and unharmed along with the others—they needed them alive to get love from them, after all. But in that state they had little sense of anything including the passage of time; he had no idea how long he’d been there, but immediately recognized me, saying he was just continually dreaming about making love to various clients, but mostly me the whole time! How could I not hug him for that? The last thing he could remember was getting off a train in Hoofington late at night when he was fleeing Manehattan after having his identity revealed, feeling magic wash over him, and then nothing.

I couldn’t have done it without the help of Lady Delta Requiem, who acted as both my bodyguard and liaison to the authorities; she was there to protect me when I was finally confronted by Chrysalis’ agents and defeated them, I swear, by simply singing! But I hasten to add that my investigation was also aided, hard as it may be for some to believe, by other Changelings opposed to Chrysalis, drones belonging to rival hives who approached me to warn me I was in danger. They hid me and passed me information as needed, and in the end led us to where the kidnap victims were kept. The lab, for lack of a better term, was raided by the Royal Guard, and their prisoners freed. Several Changelings were captured, and the information they’ve given up is leading to other labs as well.

Whatever Chrysalis was planning is thwarted now, and I take no small amount of pride in the fact that it was my stubbornness and good reporter sense that helped bring her down. I’ve heard it said that a pony is defined by not just their friends but the enemies they’ve made, and I know I’ve made a few major ones over the past year, from the HERD crowd to these social justice idiots to now Queen Chrysalis herself. Well, queenie, you can bluster at me all you want, but you’re exposed now. And that’s my job as a journalist.

Regardless, my wonderful Chris is back now, and was greeted with many cheers and hugs by his friends when I returned with him to the G4M office. Not surprisingly, he wishes to leave the life now, and just proposed to me! I have eagerly accepted, needless to say, and now look forward to having him all to myself.

But enough about me, it’s time once again for the mistress of men to tell her tale, as we approach what I assume to be the final act, with Platinum Corona’s introduction. My Gentleman and I are both looking forward to what happens next, Five Stars!

—Hot Topic, Owner and Founder, Manehattan Post magazine

I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear this, Hot Topic, to say nothing of how relieved I was to see him upon his return! I hugged and kissed him myself—I helped train him, after all—and was very happy I got to witness him getting on his knee and proposing to you in the human manner, presenting you with a ring. G4M has lost one of its best Gentlemen, but a mare has gained companionship for life. And that’s ultimately what this job is about and what makes it so gratifying, seeing scenes like this happen.

I admit I felt a bit guilty that it was my articles that helped set these events in motion, but that heartfelt hug I got from him made it all go away. In fact, the first thing he asked for from me was a copy of the articles he’d missed over the past several months! We were only too happy to provide them, and threw a party in his honor.

Not all endings are happy ones, I know from personal experience. But this one was. Welcome home, Hot Topic! I’m not sure what to think of the idea that dissident Changelings actually helped you, but I am suddenly reminded of that letter Aurora and Corona left for Rising Star in the aftermath of the Changeling attack on Canterlot. Two Changelings I knew without knowing it, who were perfectly friendly, if a bit secretive, and who complained that all Changelings were NOT the same but were being treated like it. As much as I get on Equestrian society for not being as tolerant as it should be at times, this is one instance where my own biases keep creeping in. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if I suddenly discovered that someone I knew was in fact seeing a Changeling, but clearly, it happens, and it’s difficult to fault them for doing what they have to in order to survive.

But… I’m not going to linger on that for now. As November closes out and these articles near their end, it’s time to to describe the events that led to the establishment of Gentlemen for Mares proper, and the role I’m proud to say I played in it. To be sure, I’m going to condense it down somewhat—I doubt anypony really cares to hear about all the tax and legal issues which plagued us during the G4M founding, some of which I feel to this day were the result of various ponies trying to stop the company from getting off the ground—but there were plenty of interesting things to happen as well, and I’ll touch on them all in turn.

A Business Proposal

So there I was in Delta’s private studio, standing before her and her Saddle Arabian guest in some confusion. Far from being a liaison for Delta’s coming tour of her homeland, the large veiled Saddle Arabian said she had come specifically to see me!

“A business proposal?” I repeated the stranger’s words back, looking between her and Delta repeatedly. “I’m not sure I understand…”

“Then by all means, let me explain, Miss Five Stars,” she said with a second bow. I could just see the hints of a smile beneath her veil, though I wasn’t quite sure why Delta seemed to be positively mirthful, smiling like she was trying to stifle giggles. “I believe that you would be the perfect pony to help me a start a new business; one that would take advantage of the opening of the portal, and the many new human visitors and workers we now expect. A business that will need considerable dedication and business acumen to get off the ground—both of which are qualities I’m told you indisputably possess.”

“I see, but… why me?” I said, somehow less concerned at that moment with what the business might be then the fact she was asking me to leave Delta’s employ, which was something I really didn’t want to do. I’d not just enjoyed working for her, but she’d helped me greatly as well over that time, which earned a great deal of loyalty in my book.

“I was referred to you by no less than Princess Cadance herself, who was apparently very impressed by your professionalism and organizational skills during the first visit of humanity to our world… to say nothing of what you told her about your human coltfriend.”

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain at that, and our guest must have noticed, as her eyes softened. “I see you still miss him. Well, perchance that can soon be helped…” she told me, making me immediately perk up. “For my idea is to establish a business called Gentleman for Mares.” She paused to let the name sink in. “One that, as its name suggests, provides human male company to the lonely mares among us…”

A Business Case

My jaw fell slack as her words registered and I read between the lines. I have to admit, I didn’t immediately know what to say or do. Certainly, my first reaction was one of revulsion—I mean, you were planning to turn human men into comfort horses? I had way too much respect for them to do that! How could I look Shaun in the eye if I got involved with something like that? Or even myself in the mirror? Again, my expression betrayed me, so she held up a hoof.

“Please hear me out, Miss Five Stars. I know how it must sound, and how it must first feel. So let me start by assuring you, I do not intend to impress human stallions into bedroom service as was the case in some olden times. I merely wish to establish a company that offers very willing, well-paid and well-versed human escorts up for an evening of companionship, and whether or not it turns sexual is completely up to the client.”

I wasn’t sure I believed her, and suddenly wondered if Saddle Arabia was so backwards in comparison to Equestria as to allow such things. “And… what do you get out of this?” I finally asked, more wary than ever. If this was a joke, I didn’t find it that funny, and apparently even Delta’s mirth had worn off as she saw my reaction.

The large veiled mare met my gaze evenly. “It is not simply money, if that is what you are thinking. I assure you, I have plenty. I simply see a need that can finally be filled thanks to this new world we are now neighbors with. I seek to take advantage of what humanity can offer—a large number of males who, as I believe you yourself have proven, are perfectly compatible with ponies, both physically and emotionally,” she told me. “Tell me, if you could share what you felt with your human lover with the many lonely mares out there… would you?”

That gave me some pause. Part of me interpreted that as sharing Shaun, which I had no wish to do regardless of how selfish some might find it. But to share the experience of human love, which to my best knowledge only myself and Lyra Heartstrings had known to the point… “I… might, yes…” I said cautiously, still far from convinced about this idea or the motivation behind it. “But… I really don’t know I feel about… turning men into comfort horses,” I finally spat out the distasteful term. “It seems demeaning and I can’t get over the idea that we’d be treating them same way as house-kept stallions of old.”

“I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth, my dear,” she passed me a sheet showing proposed salaries and benefits for a typical… ‘Gentleman’ was the word she used; an odd play on gentlecolt, I thought. Needless to say, their salary was very healthy, and so was that of the ‘trainers’ they would need. “Wait…” I tapped the next sheet. “Trainers?”

This time, she hesitated slightly. “Those we hire would not be immediately knowledgeable in pony culture, either societal or sexual, Miss Five Stars. So they will have to be… taught… by those who are.”

Again, I read between the lines and found myself having to sit back heavily as I suddenly realized what she was saying. To my shock, I found the idea of it surprisingly heady—she wanted pony mares to teach human men how to have sex with them! But the only way to do that was…

“Indeed, Miss Five Stars,” She bowed her head fractionally as if she read the thoughts going through my head. “They will learn by doing, and then, if all goes well, bring that knowledge forth to provide the satisfaction and companionship that so many other mares miss. And I see that that part of the job appeals to you.” She smiled again beneath her veil.

How could I deny it? It did. Part of me was disgusted that I could so easily discard thoughts of Shaun in favor of anonymous males we’d be recruiting somehow, but… after a year-plus away from him, I really, really wanted to feel a human’s touch again. Those hands, their warm, smooth skin, that sweet and spicy smell they had, their willingness to dote and do things few stallions ever did… the more sensible part of me tried to tell me that there was no guarantee that other humans would be as good or friendly as Shaun, but Lyra Heartstring’s experience was quite close to mine with a different human entirely. Once was fluke, twice was a coincidence. And if it had happened a third time…?

The more I thought about it the more I realized I really did want it to happen a third time.

Meeting a Need

Though this may surprise some to hear, I did not accept her offer right away, asking for some time to think it over. A full week, in fact, where I neither slept that well or, with apologies to Delta, I wasn’t all that focused on my work. I ended up apologizing to her, but she just chuckled like she’d been expecting it, asking if I wanted to talk it over with her.

Indeed, I did. We discussed it a great length in a private booth over a surprisingly good dinner at a recently opened and slightly off-the-beaten-path restaurant called simply the ‘Tasty Treat’. The food was certainly delicious and quite different—their spice levels would even give yours a run, Cayenne!—and I hadn’t been idle even before this; I’d examined Platinum’s business plan, done some planning of my own in my head, mentally stepping through everything that would need to happen and even written it down in rough order it would need to happen in. I’d reviewed her documents over and over, and no matter how many holes I poked in her business plan itself, I kept coming back to one simple fact of business:

Supply and demand.

There were many times more mares than stallions…

Thus, there was a huge demand for male companionship that stallions could simply not meet…

But we had just met a world full of males, even if they were bipedal primates…

Ones I had personally proven were very adaptable and compatible with ponies, willing to do things for mares few stallions ever would.

In short, as insane as it initially seemed… her plan could actually work! She’d clearly put a great deal of thought into it, and from the funding sheets she’d given me was willing to invest an equal amount of capital to make it happen. She even had the backing of Princess Cadance, who I greatly liked—how could I not after all she’d done for me?—and the only thing she was missing was a pony to act point for her who knew Equestrian business laws and had experience setting up a new one.

In other words, me! Trust Delta to notice, asking me gently if I wanted to do this. I still wasn’t 100% certain I was at that point, but I told her the truth—yes, I was starting to seriously consider it, but I had to know—was she okay with this entire crazy idea?

In response, she smiled a bit sadly, reaching across to put her hoof over mine. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think it was crazy to start, Five Stars… but just like you, the more I think about it, the less insane it seems. Platinum Corona really wants to make this happen, and I certainly know that there’d be more than a few mares who would jump at the chance to be attended by stallion… instead of always attending them. And besides, if you think about it, the biggest market for this might be mares in heat. Imagine being attended by a male who couldn’t get you pregnant?” she chuckled, causing me to start—I hadn’t even thought about that! She was right!

We talked some more, and I told her that as increasingly tempted as I was, I really didn’t want to leave her after all she’d done for me. “I don’t want to lose you either, Five Stars. You’ve been the best business manager I’ve ever had,” she told me, giving me a sad smile again like she knew my decision was already a foregone conclusion… which, as I look back on it now, it probably on some level was. “But… she may need you more. I’m proud of you, Five Stars. You hit bottom and then bounced back, and now I have no reservation about recommending you for something like this. So if this is what you wish… I will not stand in your way.”

I thanked her and asked her, as I often did when I felt troubled, to sing me a song to help settle my mind. She smiled and did so, offering an improvised melody about forks in the road, of choices made and regrets for paths not taken. She wasn’t trying to make me decide either way, just think about one or two things I hadn’t, and one of them was: would I have more regrets if I didn’t take this offer and make the attempt, even if it didn’t work out? She promised me that if it didn’t, she would welcome me back just as she had before—that I always had a home with her.

Knowing that made things much easier for me, and two days after that dinner, I went to the Saddle Arabian embassy and left a note for Platinum Corona saying I wished to meet with her face to face.

A Business Plan

I didn’t have long to wait. She found me the very next day, inviting me to dinner at the Saddle Arabian embassy. While we were served a royal feast by oversized stallions—they do grow them big out there!—I told her I was leaning towards accepting, but I had some definite concerns that needed to be addressed first based on her business proposal. Some were simply legal items—I wasn’t entirely sure what laws would apply here; whether human males would fall under the heavily restricted ‘comfort horse’ category, and I was also curious exactly how she thought we were going to find enough willing men to make this any more than a small operation serving a few mares.

I mean, at that point we couldn’t exactly advertise for them, given I was fully aware (I thought) of the backlash such a business could generate on both sides of the portal, and to that end I also wanted to know how she was going to handle the negative publicity and stigma such an operation was certain to garner, which could be the kiss of death for a new business—particularly one in a field that didn’t even yet exist. “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” I reminded her, and my own first impression to the very idea of Gentleman for Mares was overwhelmingly negative.

“I am aware, Miss Five Stars,” she said as she poured me some jasmine tea, “and thus I was thinking that we do not go public right away, until we have an established and very satisfied client base. It can be small at first; what is important is that we gain a dedicated clientele. Be assured I am playing a long game here, and I don’t mind a year or two of losses before turning our first profit.”

That brought up another point. How was she planning to structure the prices for our… offerings? Were we charging by the hour, or by the night? Would we have different levels of service? Would different Gentleman garner different rates?

My questions came quickly now; I wasn’t even bothering to read from the list of concerns I’d written down earlier. What were the terms of payment? Did we expect it all up front, or afterwards? What if a mare was unsatisfied? What was their recourse, and what was to stop them from simply claiming they didn’t enjoy an encounter to not pay?

I admit I was trying to trip her up a bit, simply because I really didn’t believe she’d thought a lot of this through, but it turned out she already had. “Your eye for organization and detail is not lacking, Miss Five Stars,” she grinned again beneath her veil and passed me a new scroll, one that hadn’t been in her original packet. I felt a bit sandbagged as I scanned through it, realizing that it contained the answers to most of my questions laid out in exact terms. And the fact that she had withheld it…

“Yes, I was testing you, Miss Five Stars,” she granted with a bow of her head. “Please forgive me, but I wanted to see if your business acumen was truly as good as I was told and could pick out obvious problems with my proposal. Be assured, you have passed this test with flying colors, and you have satisfied me that you are indeed the right mare for the job. So it is my great hope that you will join me in bringing Gentleman for Mares to life.”

I didn’t accept the offer that night, or the next one either. In fact, I took two entire months to make my decision, running through endless scenarios in my head, spending most of my time at the library researching Equestrian law and trying to anticipate what roadblocks we might run into, as well as everything that would have to happen in what order. I filled out page after page of notes, even sketched out a rough timeline and necessary progression of events that would bring us our first clients in the space of a year…

If I accepted the offer. As impressed as I was by Platinum Corona I couldn’t help but feel she was being deliberately coy and still holding some things back from me. It wasn’t that I thought she wanted to treat males like commodities like comfort stallions of old—I mean, if that were the case, she just needed to find some backwater towns or villages with some down-on-their luck colts she could pay a pittance—it was that I couldn’t shake the sense that there was more happening here than I knew.

A couple times I started to write Shaun to ask him his opinion of the matter, only to realize it would take a month or more to get an answer back, and then he’d probably just feel guilty again about not being there for me. No, I wasn’t going to put him through that; this decision had to be mine and mine alone. But uncertainty still stood over me, as it had often in the past over difficult choices I had to make. Typically, I’d reacted to them by avoidance or escape… until the last time, anyway, when Delta had been forced to set me straight over my bad reaction to what happened with Miral.

And as it happened, it would be the memory of him that finally pushed me to accept.

The Cloven War

Ten days after my dinner with Platinum, there was a fresh uproar in the streets, and no little consternation for it. Word had reached us that the Gryphon Kingdom had suffered a surprise attack and was now at war, in a struggle for survival against an ancient and implacable enemy called the Cloven of the Sun… one that had nearly annihilated them a millennium past. Human soldiers—marines, I’m quickly corrected by a Gentleman who was present there (“Ooo-rah!” said Gentleman salutes and shouts)—were apparently involved as the attack had happened during a diplomatic trade mission from one of the major nations of Earth, and they had sent a sizable military detachment with their diplomats, having heard (I guessed) that the griffons respected power and combat prowess. They were said to be fighting quite well, and the griffons themselves were putting up a very stout resistance.

My thoughts immediately went to Miral. Was he okay? Was he fighting? I still couldn’t fathom the idea of males in combat to the extent that we now knew humans had them involved, but the gryphons did so as well as they lacked our skewed gender ratios. Initial reports were not good, and the Royal Guard and Wonderbolts were trying to find a way to get there fast enough to help. As is well known, they and the Princesses eventually did arrive at the end, assisting in the climactic battle that, as it turned out, was only made possible by the presence of human soldiers who brought weapons and tactics to the table the Cloven were not ready for, buying sufficient time for the gryphons to solidify their defenses and Equestrian forces to help turn the tide.

It was but a three-week war, but countless griffons and ponies fell in it, including many Caleponians; I later learned that many of the places I’d visited during Delta’s tour of the Kingdom were captured by the Cloven, and all inside killed or… converted, shall we say.

The thought still gives me chills to this day. But even without knowing it, I couldn’t sleep during that period. For all the carnage said to be happening, my thoughts were of just one individual. What had happened to Miral? I’d nearly forgotten about him in the wake of what had happened with Shaun, but I still had strong feelings for him, and I found myself poring over news reports and even visiting the gryphon consulate asking for news. I was told there was long list of ponies and griffons who lived in Equestria asking the same question as me, and I could only be given the same answer—they had no information and likely wouldn’t for some time. I prayed for his safety and swore on the sun and moon that if he survived, I would get in touch with him again, meet him and hug him, apologize for how I’d treated him…

But it was already too late. When the war ended in triumph for the Kingdom, news of individual griffons filtered back slowly. Eventually, the long list of individual inquiries the gryphon embassy was answering finally caught up to mine, and I received a brief statement:

Miral was listed as missing, having not been seen since having taken a group of human visitors out on a tour of a steadholt on the first day of the attack.

I felt a tightness in my chest and sense of intense coldness clutch at my heart. It didn’t say he was dead, and my mind tried to spin all sorts of fantasy scenarios where he had somehow survived, fighting heroically, and yet… I knew then and there he was gone, and all I could do for it was cry.

In the end, that letter was what pushed me to accept Platinum’s offer. In the end, life was too short to vacillate endlessly like I was doing, a fact now driven home by the Cloven War, and in an odd way, I reasoned that I’d be honoring Miral’s memory by helping to build a business that would offer interspecies affairs such as we had shared. I had no idea what he would think of me for doing it, but it was the only way I could think to give his death and our time together meaning, by helping other mares to find happiness in the arms of other races as he had once done for me.

Thus, I went to the Saddle Arabian embassy and told Platinum Corona I would accept her offer the following day.

An Offer Accepted

Far from being delighted, Platinum was actually quite concerned at first, saying Delta had informed her about the letter I’d received, as I had opened it in her presence, wanting her emotional support in case it said the worst. She said she understood if I was upset and in mourning, and didn’t want me to make this decision out of grief. My response was instant: that I wasn’t doing so out of grief, but out of love, both for Miral and Shaun, seeking to honor all they’d done for me. I told her that I was through endlessly agonizing over a decision that should be easy, and the letter had simply shocked me to my senses. That I would do everything in my power to bring Gentleman for Mares to life, if she would still have me.

Her response was to bow deeply, saying she was honored to have me with her. She then asked me to come by the next day so we could start the process in earnest, even offering me an office and quarters in the embassy. But before I could do that, one other matter had to be addressed. And that was to tender my resignation to Delta.

For as much as I ended up agonizing over the wording of it, trying to thank her as profusely as I could for all she’d done for me and apologizing for leaving her employ, in the end, she accepted it with surprising ease. “I knew this would happen since pretty much day one, Five Stars,” she told me with a slightly wan grin, and immediately wrote me a very fat severance cheque. I offered to stay on until she could hire somepony else, but she said no—that if she couldn’t handle her own affairs for at least a few weeks, then she was just as helpless as the pretentious Canterlot ponies she disdained.

She hugged me goodbye, told me to come to her if I ever needed anything—an offer I did not avail myself of until just recently when I asked her to help out with security and finding Hot Topic’s missing Gentleman—and wished me well. And just like that, my long tenure as her business manager was done. In its place, I was now heading into the unknown, having no idea what awaited me. And yet, somehow, deep down I at least knew this:

For all I’d been through and as far as I’d come, I was now up to the challenge.

Full Circle

After taking a few days off to clear my head fully and make sure all my thoughts and ideas were in order, I started work, taking Platinum up on her offer to give me an office and apartment in the Saddle Arabian embassy. It was bit of an adjustment at first, suddenly finding myself in a slightly alien culture again—there were times I felt like a small foal among all these much larger mares and stallions wearing exotic dress—but I also couldn’t argue with my well-appointed office and suite.

The first thing we needed to do was secure a headquarters. And though I initially thought Canterlot would be the natural choice since just about every other major company had theirs in the capital city, I quickly realized that would dramatically raise our rent costs and perhaps subject us to more stringent oversight. No, for our purposes we needed a city that was more laid back, one that had a lower cost of property or at least cost of doing business, something that was reasonably close to the portal but also had many other attractions close by, a place located aside major travel lanes and offering a very wide variety of entertainment options. And given that list, there were but two real options: Manehattan, or Las Pegasus.

The former I didn’t want anything to do with at first, having started my journey there and left it in the unhappy manner I had all those years earlier; there was also a definite danger, I feared, that if Harvest got wind that I was attempting to put together a new business venture in the city, she’d try to shut it down out of spite. But Las Pegasus had bad associations with it as well; just the thought of going back there caused me to break out in a cold sweat. Ember and Acacia were there, to be certain, but so were Aces Up and Double Down, who I still could not forgive at the time and did not want to see. Rising Star would help us if asked, of that I had no doubt, but…

I finally smacked my forehead hard with my hoof to cut off these thoughts. I couldn’t make this decision based on my personal feelings, so I set about looking for buildings for rent or sale in both locations, or at least lots we could build on. The latter would mean a delay, but also give us more control over what we needed. Land was at a premium in Manehattan, while some was still available in Las Pegasus, but rental and building rates there were astronomical anywhere near a favorable location.

The more research I did, the more Manehattan looked like the right place. More cosmopolitan and less of a resort city, a vibrant metropolis that had just about anything you could want short of massive interspecies orgies. Okay, that’s an exaggeration (or at least it only happens on New Year’s!), but the point was, it was a bit more down-to-earth, as humans say, and it seemed more likely we’d be able to do things on our terms there. It had the added advantage of being on both sea and air travel routes with a constant stream of ponies in and out, to say nothing of proximity to attractions like Antlertic City, Neighagra Falls or the scenic Foal Mountains. And if Harvest objected? Well, I had the backing of a Royal Court Bard and a wealthy Saddle Arabian diplomat, so I rather hoped she would. In that case, I’d happily use my new friends to rub her face in the fact that she no longer held power over me.

My decision made, I presented my findings to Platinum and headed off to Manehattan at her expense. The train ride took but a day, and I stepped off at midtown to behold a city I hadn’t seen in nearly ten years. I’d be lying to say I didn’t have some flashbacks to many memories as I saw the skyline again, both good and bad, but I quashed them by reminding myself that I was not even remotely the mare I was back then. Before, I was just a hotel concierge chased out of her herd and trying to leave her pain behind. But now…?

Now, I was a far older, wiser and in some ways sadder mare, but also one who finally knew exactly who and what she was. Harvest could kiss my flank; I was going to make this city our new home and headquarters.

I could go on, but this seems like a natural stopping point, and as it turns out, duty calls. G4M is opening a brand new branch office, and I’m actually due to head out to it and teach a few classes there to newly-hired Gentlemen. I look forward to meeting them, and their new trainers as well. No, I will not be training them myself, as I don’t want to impose on the mares assigned that duty; I’m simply giving a few seminars on pony culture and how to deal with the peculiar pressures of being a Gentleman.

So where is this branch office? You’ll find out in due course… as well as what happened in the first year of G4M’s existence. Hard as it is to believe, just two more articles remain, and I once again remind all readers that we will be having a final Q&A session to cap off this year-long run, so be sure and submit your questions to the magazines! It’s been a blast despite all the low points we encountered, and I cannot thank both magazines and all our many readers enough. Truly, I had no idea how my life would change (yet again!) for writing all this; the celebrity I would find and all the reunions this trip down memory lane would lead to.

Maybe I should be saving these thank-yous for later, but I’m already feeling nostalgic now. Our Gentleman just had ‘Thanksgiving’, after all, and now I find plenty to be thankful for myself… though you’ll forgive me, Cayenne and everyone else, if I decline the offer to actually eat a flying boar or bread-stuffed bird!

It amazed me how fast this chapter came out. Started typing, and just didn’t stop. Hopefully that bodes well for what’s left, which isn’t much! I’m going to try to knock this out completely over the next month, so expect the final chapters to come fairly quickly now.

Thanks as always to my prereading cadre of AJ_Aficionado, SilentWoodFire, Denim_Blue, and Leo Archon, who added a paragraph or two in places. Their rapid response is the reason you’re getting this now a day early, and it’s always a joy to read the comments on the parent google doc they leave. So hope you enjoyed, and be ready for more within a week or two! And oh yes, don’t forget that we’re still collecting Q&A questions here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M_NG22xR9Fgv2uGdF0g4zz9zPkwJzrq5Ugb8Xb2BCXU/edit