“Hey, Yang?”

“Yes, Sylvia?”

“I don’t know if I’m going crazy or what, but I’m seeing way more griffons than usual coming in, and not the usual guests either.”

“Is there something odd about that?”

Gilda came up to add to the conversation. “Yang, you know what it’s like for the common griffon up there, right?”

“Pretty bad, from what I’ve heard.” Some things started clicking together in my head. “Wait, if things are so bad up there. . .”

“How are we getting so many down here?”

Sylvia chimed back in. “They’ve all said they came by boat to Horseshoe Bay, then took the train to come here.”

“And that’s not cheap,” I concluded.

“It took me a few weeks to pay back what I promised for the boat and train rides to get the griffons here,” Gilda said. “That this many griffons are coming on their own tickets is strange, to say the least, and none of them are the kind that can afford it on their own.”

“So they’re spies?” I saw a few griffons in the dining area tense up slightly at that.

“Espionage agents, probably. What for, I don’t know.”

“Well, we’ll continue on as normal then. Back to work.”

A few days later, the griffon proportion of guests was back to its normal levels. “Yang?”

“Gilda?”

“I think this is the calm before the storm.”

I looked out over the busy crowd in the dining area. “If this is calm, then what would busy be like?”

“Fridays.”

“Oh yeah. I hope it happens on a Sunday then.”

It did not happen on a Sunday. Thankfully, it didn’t happen on a Friday, either. It happened on a Tuesday. “Yang, we have a V.I.P. heading our way.”

“Princesses?” I asked Gilda without looking up from the vegetables I was cutting.

“No.”

“Nobles?”

“Nope.”

“I got nothing.”

“King Gaston, with a dozen armored guards. His elites.”

Silence fell across the kitchen and the knife I was using fell on my fingers, my aura causing the tool to bend out of shape. The griffons that worked with me had been telling stories of King Gaston over the past few days, and had painted a very unfavorable picture of him. He sounded very greedy and egotistical from what I heard. “Details. Now.”

“He’s a couple hours away. Rainbow saw him and his guards get on the train during her flight back from Canterlot. I just found out a couple minutes ago.”

I set the knife aside with a calming breath. “Are you sure he’s coming here specifically?”

“I hope he’s just going to visit Twilight, but I don’t think he is.” There was a tremor of fear in Gilda’s voice I’d never heard before.

“Should we close before he arrives?” Gavan suggested, apparently feeling both afraid and certain of the king’s visit.

I picked out a new knife and went back to the vegetable cutting. “We continue as normal. No special treatment because he’s a king. If his guards are joining him, we go with normal group procedures.”

“So we treat him like we do Celestia and Luna then?” Gilda asked, still sounding a bit scared.

“Just like anyone else.” I finished the vegetables and set the knife to be cleaned. “Gilda, come with me.” I lead my co-owner into the office for privacy. “Alright, you sound like you’re scared of Gaston. All the other griffons seemed mildly frustrated, but not you.”

“I’m not scared of him!” Gilda boldly proclaimed.

“Want me to check with the rest of the kitchen on that claim?”

Gilda’s defense broke with the one question. “Alright. I used to be his. . . Personal assistant.” At my raised eyebrow, she continued. “I was his secretary and followed him everywhere. I also acted as a secret guard.”

“Everywhere?”

“EVERYwhere. Everyday. Even as he. . . Had his way with nightbirds.”

It took me a bit to figure out the term, but when I did, it was suddenly a much uglier picture. “My condolences. Why did you take the position anyways?”

“I was poor and hungry, and he had money and food.”

“Desperation,” I concluded.

“I came over here during my two weeks of off time last year. When the guards met me to send me back here, I had to choose whether to go to the safety of King Gaston or take the risk of staying here.”

I nodded a bit as I made sense of Gilda’s story. “Do you regret it?”

“Oh, not at all,” Gilda confidently answered. “The pay’s better, the food’s better, and I can rest more often, even on days where I don’t have a chance to take a break here. All the griffons here, and their families, we all swear our loyalty to you for what you’ve done for us. We would die for you if we had to.”

“I’d rather none of you died for me. Or even volunteered for that. Can’t exactly get any work or joy out of you if you’re dead. So live for me instead.” I held up a hand as I dismissed the topic. “Anyways, if you want to go home while King Gaston’s here, I won’t blame you. Take some time to think it over.” I patted Gilda on the shoulder a couple times before leaving her in the office to think.

A trio of armored griffons came in through the front door around sunset. Two of them went to the sides of the doors while the third one went ahead and boldly announced, “Presenting his Highness, the King of the Griffon Empire, his Majesty, King Gaston!” As soon as he finished, he stepped aside, and two griffons walked in. One was a guard with larger, spikier armor than the other three. The other was dressed like a king, and held himself as such. He even had the red cape with speckled white fur trim.

I was standing behind the pedestal a waiter normally would. “Hello, sir. How many in your group?” I was as polite as I would have been with anyone else.

He disregarded my question and seemed to scrutinize me. “Take me to your best table.”

Before I could respond, one of the regulars walked past us on his way out, talking to himself as he tried to figure something out. “I order the food and wait, then after the food arrives, it runs off in bits and pieces with my hunger. I get dessert, and it chases the disappeared hunger and food, but which one is it going after? What is the dessert so jealous of?”

The griffons that heard him as he walked out all looked puzzled at his pondering, which I and the rest of the staff had gotten used to. King Gaston turned to me as two more guards came in. “Who was that commoner?”

I gave a plain answer. “One of our regulars. Great guy, if a bit odd. So, table for seven?”

“No, just me. My guards can stand. I will be the only one dining today. And make it your best table.”

I had put my preconceived notions of King Gaston aside when he arrived, but I was already starting to not like him again. The politeness did not leave me, though. “Alright.” I grabbed the full set of menus and showed him to a clear table, four of his guards following. “Here you go, sir.”

As Gaston scrutinized the table, the chatter died down, and all eyes were on us. “This is your best table?”

“They’re all equally good, sir.”

He scrutinized the table before sitting down at it. “If you say so.”

“Is there anything I can get you to drink?” I asked as I set the menus down.

“Your finest wine.”

“Coming up.” I went over to the bar, where Fuzz was cleaning a glass as bartenders do. “Best wine we’ve got.”

Fuzz quickly went to work and handed me a filled wine glass. “Canterlot Reserve.”

“Thanks.” I took the drink back to him. “One glass of Canterlot Reserve.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fuzz rooting around under the bar for something.

Gaston looked at the wine filled glass as if it had spectacularly failed him. “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?”

“We can refill it, though each refill costs extra,” I assured him.

“If you can refill it, then get me the whole bottle! No, three of them!”

I turned back to the bar. “Fuzz!”

“Coming up!” Fuzz tossed an unopened bottle to me, and I caught it with ease. As soon as I set the bottle on the table, Fuzz tossed me the second one. The third one followed suit.

“You just toss bottles of fine wine around like that?” Gaston incredulously asked me.

“We wouldn’t if we weren’t good at it,” I calmly answered, only a hint of a smirk on my lips. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your order.” As I went back to the kitchen, I wrote down his three bottles and one glass of Canterlot Reserve.

“Well?” Gilda asked when I entered the kitchen.

“Treating him well is already a bit of a challenge,” I admitted with a sigh. “But at least this is going to be a good ticket. Three whole bottles of Canterlot Reserve is 75 bits right there.” A ringing sound came from the dining room, catching our attention. King Gaston was ringing a silver bell overhead. “Let me guess. . .”

“He’s calling for service,” Gilda answered.

“I was just about to say that. In all fairness, that’s not the worst way someone’s tried to get our attention. Remember the minotaur that came up to us to make his orders?”

“He was a headache and a half.”

“I’ll see what he wants.” I put on the polite face and went out to the king. “Are you ready to order?”

“You have a meat smoker?” Gaston asked, both questioning and accusatory.

“The first one in Equestria,” I said with no small amount of pride. “I don’t know if it’s the only Equestrian smoker at this point, but it’s very nice.”

Gaston turned to his guards. “We’re seizing it when we leave. Secure it, but let the cooks use it.” Two of his guards went off to follow his order, much to the objections of every guest present. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gavan, Gilda, and a couple other chefs through head out back to defend the smoker.

“He started it, not us.” After quieting down the upset crowd, I turned back to the King. “You know, that’s not very nice.”

“I made a declaration that I would be the only one to have a meat smoker. I never said where that order stops.” He suddenly switched tones from kingly to hungry and placed his order. “I’ll have a barbecue baked potato with brisket, salad with pulled pork and bacon bits, the maximum rib stack, some rolls filled with burnt ends, a whole fried chicken, cheese and bacon covered fries, a sixteen ounce steak, medium rare, and one, no, three sample skewers.” Just as I finished writing down everything, he went and added more. “I’ll also try one of these hot dog things. With ketchup. And make it all smoked. It’s the last time you will.”

“You would make a terrible friend,” I thought as I amended the order. “I’ll get that started immediately.” As I collected the menus and went to the kitchen, I started doing some math. “Four bits per smoked meat, one, two. . . Eight different meats, thirty-two extra bits.” When I entered the kitchen, Gilda, Gavan, and the other chefs came back in. “Big order from his highness. I’ll get some of the smoked stuff.”

Gavan took the ticket and started setting everyone into motion. Gilda looked at the ticket and came with me to get the smoked meat. “Good to see his appetite hasn’t changed,” she sarcastically noted. “But only one hot dog with ketchup?”

“He’s trying it. Apparently, he. . .” I trailed off when I saw two of Gaston’s guards with their helmets off taking a nap with Asada acting as a pillow. “Gilda, what did I miss?”

“Asada came out of the forest when the guards came around, and she almost roared at them when they put their weapons down and took off their helmets. We talked for a bit and Asada decided to act as a pillow. They were out cold in a moment.”

As I collected the meat for the order, an idea started bouncing around. “Gilda, I have an idea. I just need a way to get all of Gaston’s guards outside to where he can’t see them, but I’m kind of stuck serving him right now. I wonder why he hasn’t called me by my name yet? He should know who I am by now.”

“Dunno, but we have some time for you to figure it out. What are you thinking, anyways?”

“I’m willing to use my own bits to get these guards some food. I just have to talk to the guards first. If they’re all as tired as these two, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Good luck. These guards are his elites.” Gilda looked back at the two sleeping guards. “Then again, it might be easier than I’m thinking.”

After bringing in the meats for the order, I went back outside and found eight guards total, excluding the two sleeping ones. I approached one of the two stationed by the doors. “Hey.”

“Need something?” The guard sounded very bored.

“Just an honest answer. What’s it like being one of Gaston’s elite guards? I won’t tell him your answer.”

I had the guard’s attention. “Honestly?”

“I have no reason or desire to do so.”

“It sucks,” the other guard said. “We have to be on vigil all the time, hold posture, not talk to each other beyond what’s needed for the job, and we’re not allowed to eat either. We don’t even get to take breaks.”

“It’s a living,” the first one added with a shrug. “Not much of one, though. Sometimes, I just want to run off and survive off of what I can find.”

“3. . . 2. . . 1. . . And there’s the big heart.” My resolve to help the guards, if it wasn’t rock solid already, just got ironclad. “Hold on a bit longer.” I went back around and into the kitchen. “How’s the king’s order coming along?”

“It’s coming along well,” Gavan reported. “It should be done in about five to ten minutes.”

“Alright. I’ve got some time then.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m going to get the guards inside to go outside and feed them all.”

“Seriously?” Silver asked.

“Yep. I’ll even pay for their meals myself. Gilda?”

“Yeah?” Gilda asked.

“Any ideas on how to get the guards to go outside?”

Gilda shrugged. “I dunno. It’s not like we can call for help without catching his attention.”

An idea flashed across my mind. An idea so crazy, it could work. “I think I know how we can.” I left the kitchen and went up to the roof. “Pinkie Pie!”

A pink blur made its way from town, past the guards, and up to the roof next to me. “You rang, Yang?”

I thought for a moment on how to describe the situation before just giving up. “We have a dozen miserable griffon guards and I need to get the ones inside out so I can get them some food. Please help.”

“Hmm. . .” Pinkie pulled a pair of oversized binoculars out of her mane before looking out over the forest. “How much time do we have?”

“A little over five minutes until King Gaston gets his food. These are his guards, by the way.”

“Okay.” Pinkie thought for a few seconds and looked around a bit. “I’ll need ten minutes to set up the tables. While he’s engrossed by his food-”

“No idea if he will be.”

“I’m sure he will be. While that’s going on, fire a rainnuke out into the forest out that way. The explosion should make him send out his guards while he’s eating. While he’s unguarded, you can come out and serve the guards.”

I considered her plan for a bit. As long as Gaston sent out all his guards, it would work. “Alright. Just come into the kitchen when it’s time. Back door.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” Pinkie took off much like she had come, and I leapt back down to go back into the kitchen.

As soon as I could, I found Gilda. “I got the plan made. They will be fed in ten minutes or so.”

Gilda levelled a look at me. “You got Pinkie, didn’t you?”

“She did all the brainwork. She’s probably setting things up right now.”

“Hey,” one of the guards by the front door said.

“Yeah?” the other guard asked.

“Was that construction barrier there when we arrived?”

The second guard lazily looked at the fabric backed wire mesh fence. “If he asks, it was there when we arrived.”

The first guard shrugged. “Alright.”

“We’re almost done,” Gavan said. “This is a three tray order.”

“I’ll get some volunteers.” I left the kitchen, found Honey Suckle and Ají, and volunteered them to help serve the king. We got back into the kitchen just as they finished piling the food on the trays. After distributing them, we went back out. As we put each dish on the table, I stated what each one was, starting with the whole fried chicken and ending with the lone hot dog and its single squiggly line of ketchup.

Gaston looked down at Ají after the food was delivered. “You have a foal working for you?”

“I’m an adult mare, thank you very much,” Ají retorted.

He glared at her for a moment before looking at me. “You would let her talk to me like that?”

“You should have seen her after Cadence had a bit too much fun with her size once. I’ve never seen a Princess get so flustered before.”

“And you let that happen?”

“On direct orders from her husband. And I didn’t want to interfere anyways. Is there anything else we can get you?”

“. . . No. Off with you.”

“Alright.” Honey Suckle, Ají, and I left him. I went back into the kitchen and saw Pinkie standing there. Before I went outside, I gave an order to the chefs. “Get started on a dozen barbecue loaded baked potatoes. Burnt ends. And side salads with cheese and bacon bits.” After jumping up to my room and getting a band of rainnuke shells, I joined Pinkie on the roof. “Which way again?”

“That way.” Pinkie pointed out the direction she had in mind as I loaded the shells into an open gauntlet.

“Alright.” After getting a good upward angle with the loaded gauntlet, I slam fired one round. I followed its trail through the air for a few seconds before it landed deep in the forest, causing a massive explosion. As I took the shells out and recompacted the gauntlet, I went around to the front and saw three guards run out, followed by the one with spikier armor. “Now. . . What?” When I turned to look for Pinkie on the roof, she was gone.

A glance down to the ground revealed her, in a waiter’s vest, guiding the guards to some neatly decorated picnic tables set up in a row. I took that as my cue to jump back down, toss the rainnuke shells back into my room, and head into the kitchen. “Did it work?” Gilda asked as I started filling up glasses of water.

“The tough part’s done. Now we just need to feed the guards.” Most of the potatoes were done and ready to go, but a few were still cooking. The salads were almost done as well.

Gilda started filling up glasses with me. “You know, this would be considered bribery back in the Griffon Empire, freely giving food and rest to a guard like this.”

“And helping these guys like that?”

“Punishable by death.”

The silence in the kitchen only lasted until I smiled. “Well, let’s go live dangerously and generously for a bit. Mind giving me a hand with the water, Gilda?”

“Well, when you put it that way, heck yeah!”

As soon as we arrived at the table with ten confused and two half awake guards, there was an immediate reaction from them all, voiced by the one who appeared to be the leader of the group. “Gilda? Is that you?”

“Yes, Captain Garrison. It’s me.”

Before any reminiscing could begin, I started handing out the glasses. “Water for everyone!” After the one named Garrison greedily drank his, the rest followed suit with their own. “Refills, anyone?”

“We can have more?” one of the other guards asked, somewhat disbelieving.

“Just give us those glasses and we’ll get you more water.” Gilda and I were soon on our way back to the kitchen with a dozen empty water glasses. “Does he really treat them that badly? I’ve never seen anyone so happy for water before.”

“You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if they defected to become your elite guards.”

“Just because I’m giving them rest, food, and water?” I asked as we started on the water refills. “Anyone who comes here can get that.”

“It’s a luxury for them.”

“Guard food’s done,” Gavan reported as the last of the glasses was filled.

“Good timing,” I said. “Let’s treat these guys better than their own king does. Then I’ll have to come back in to take care of him.”

I’d seen guests happy when they get their food. I’d seen guests satisfied at the end of a meal. I’d even seen Pinkie Pie. But the looks on the guard’s faces when they got the food was a whole other thing. “Miss Xiao Long, you do realize the severity of what you’re doing, right?” Captain Garrison asked me as he happily started on his salad.

“Gilda informed me, so yes. I’m not worried, though.”

“Yang!” Honey Suckle called from near the smoker.

I turned to the waitress I often forgot was a changeling. “Yeah?”

“The king wants to speak to the owners.”

“Both of us?”

“All two of you.”

I turned to Gilda and shrugged. “Might as well face the music.”

Gilda lightly punched my shoulder. “You are the music. I’m not looking forward to this, though.”

“Neither am I.” We went back inside through the back and made our way to King Gaston. “We heard you wanted to see us?” A good portion of his food was already eaten and one of the wine bottles was empty.

“I did say that. Tell me, does the name ‘Jupiter’ mean anything to you, Solar Dragon?” King Gaston produced a broken Gamer Driver and Iron Ring Gashat.

Gilda and I looked at the broken devices, not expecting such a turn of events. “That was you?”

“You ruined my perfect winning streak.” He was starting to sound mad. “If that was all, I would have let it go at that. But you also have a smoker, your little restaurant is pulling precious food away from the Griffon Empire, a number of whole families disappeared, and you even took Gilda away from me.”

“I chose-”

“Silence, Gilda.” Gilda backed away at the stern order in a timid way I’d never seen from her. “As for you, Yang Xiao Long, for what you’ve done to my country, execution would be too good for you. You will be my personal slave.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some ponies I’d come to recognize as retired or off duty guards get up and move closer to us. “I could probably get a whole month’s worth of salt if I slapped him.”

Gaston continued. “As soon as my guards come back, I will have them arrest you for what you’ve done.”

“And what would that be, King Gaston?” Celestia said as she walked in, escorted by a half dozen of her guards. “As far as I know, Yang has done no wrong to you or your nation.”

“Ah, Princess Celestia. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Neither was I,” I admitted as the guards took their places. “Gilda, how about you go see how the king’s guards are doing with whatever they’re investigating? Help them if you think they need it.”

“That is. . .” Gaston looked to Celestia for a moment before continuing. “. . . A good idea,” he said through slightly gritted teeth.

“On it,” Gilda said before going off to check on the guards.

Celestia turned to her guards, which I noticed were all pegasi. “How about you go see if you can help too?”

“Yes, your Highness,” the lead guard said with a wing salute before leading the other five out.

“So, Celestia-” I started before I was cut off.

“That’s Princess Celestia,” King Gaston forcefully corrected me.

“This is a casual place, Gaston,” Celestia informed him before joining him at the table and casually helping herself to the lone hot dog and its single squiggly line of ketchup. “Titles like ours mean little here. Yang, would you mind getting a wine glass for me?”

“Of course.” I got an empty wine glass from Fuzz and returned to the table with it. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, Yang.” As Celestia poured herself some wine and began talking with Gaston, I went into the kitchen.

“How are things in here?”

“We’re just taking a break to clean things up a bit,” Silver said as he wiped down a countertop. “With all our guests occupied with the drama out there, well, it’s calmer in here.”

“Alright. I’ll go check on our better visitors.” I went back outside and to the gaggle of guards. The griffon and pegasus guards were mingling quite nicely, sitting together and talking it up while Gilda finished taking their orders. “How’s the investigation going, Gilda?”

“I found some pegasi in the area,” Gilda reported. “They might even be guards for Celestia herself.”

I glanced over the two groups of guards as they casually talked with each other. “There is a distinct possibility of that. They might want something to eat, though.”

“Way ahead of you.” Gilda showed me their orders, which had very little meat in them. “I’ll get the chefs started on this. You stay here. I’ll get you if we need you.”

Before I could object, Gilda was already gone and back inside, my back to the crowd. “Well. . .”

“Miss Xiao Long?” I turned around and tried figuring out who spoke. A raised claw revealed it to be the griffon guard captain, who I noticed had a black beak compared to the yellows of the many other griffons I’d seen.

“Yes?” I asked back. “Why do I like his voice so much?” I found myself taking in more details about him than I should have. His mahogany eyes, steel blue feathers, white wings with grey swirls, all of it sunk into my memory.

“From myself and all the guards under my command, we say Thanks for what you’ve done for us.” He bowed his head as he looked at me, prompting his guards to bow their heads, though two of them looked like they fell asleep in the process.

“Well, I couldn’t just let you all go hungry, right?” I gave a small nervous laugh as I thought of what to say after that. “It’s probably the most dangerous act of generosity you’ve ever seen, right?”

“I think it’s a beautiful act.” Sixteen sets of eyes, including my own, shot to Captain Garrison. Two sets of eyes remained asleep. “I mean, uh. . .”

“You okay there, Captain?” one of the griffon guards next to him asked.

I slowly turned away as I tried to figure out why the captain was acting uncaptainlike, and why I liked his voice and looks so much. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t figure it out, and it only puzzled me more.

I lost track of time until Gilda came back and gave the pegasi their meals. “You okay there, Yang?”

I spun around to face Gilda. “Huh, what? Oh, yeah. I just have. . . something on my mind, that’s all.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow at my answer and looked over to the guards, some of whom were teasing Garrison for something. “Riiight. How about you go back inside?”

I took a quick calming breath. “Yeah. Yeah, that, that sounds good.” I did my best to clear my mind before arriving in the kitchen, which was yet again in a state of cleanup. “Did I miss anything between the royals?”

“Dunno,” Gavan said. “It looks like Celestia’s winning, though. But you know, I’m wondering, why did he come here?”

“He was Jupiter in Iron Ring and I broke his flawless record, I’m apparently taking away from the food needed for the Griffon Empire, I caused all the griffon families here to leave there, and I apparently took Gilda from him.”

“She used to work for him?” Silver asked.

“Yep. I’ll let her give you the details if she wants to. I’m going out there. Where’s. . . There it is.” I picked up the check and made my way up to Celestia and Gaston’s table. The food was all gone, along with the wine. “Everyone enjoy everything?”

“It was quite good,” Celestia said. “Gaston, did you save any room for dessert? Yang, what’s this month’s apple dessert?”

“Apple tarts.”

A smile came across her face. “Ooh, Gaston and I will each have a piece.”

“You would have gotten the apple dessert, no matter what it was,” I mockingly accused her.

Celestia shrugged and responded before Gaston could fire back at me. “Guilty as charged.”

“I’ll be right back, then.” As I was getting the dessert, I was able to make out a short discussion between the royals with Celestia defending my casual interaction with her, despite Gaston’s protests. It didn’t take long for me to come back and deliver the desserts. “Is everything on one ticket?”

“Ticket?” Gaston asked.

“You know, the slip of paper that tells you how much you owe for what you ordered. And, I haven’t done the math yet, but this order is easily over 200 bits.”

Gaston got in my face, clearly upset and ignoring Celestia’s presence. “For all that you’ve done to me, I should get this for free, along with the smoker, Gilda, your Gamer Driver, Gashats, and you.”

I looked over to Celestia, who simply gestured for me to go ahead with whatever, so I did. “Listen, your Highness.” I pushed him back down into his seat before continuing. “I don’t know what you do at your castle, but if you think that all your meals are free just because you’re the king, then you clearly need a lesson in economics.” Celestia quirked an eyebrow at my choice of words. “You see, uh, geez, I can imagine it, but I can’t figure out the words. Celestia, help me?”

“It’s what I’ve been telling you for a long time, Gaston,” Celestia said as she got up. “An iron grip on all parts of your country is bad. As you’ve seen, some of your subjects, presented with a glimmer of hope here in Ponyville, leapt at the chance, despite the risks.”

Gaston turned to Celestia, clearly incensed. “I will get them back to my Empire. They are my griffons, after all, and no land is better for griffons than the Empire.”

“There is so much wrong with that,” Gilda said as she boldly stepped up, Gaston standing back up and looking down on my co-owner. “We are not your subjects in any way anymore. We are proper citizens of Equestria, and have been for many months. None of us, despite the pain of making such a big move, regret it either. There is nothing you can do, even with your poorly treated elites. Yang?”

“Yes, Gilda?” I asked.

“I’m going to see if the guard party wants any dessert.” Without another word, Gilda left to do as she said.

Gaston looked at me. “You’ve been feeding my guards? Without my approval?”

“I wasn’t aware I needed permission,” I sarcastically responded. “Nor that you talk about them like they’re animals. You know, I think I would make a better king than you. Not that it seems like a challenge, though.” Gaston growled and threw a punch at my face, causing a heavy silence to fall over everything. “Princess?”

“Yes, Yang?” Celestia asked.

“If I throw him out, will it count as an international incident?”

“I’d rather you didn’t, but this is your restaurant. Before you do, though. . .” Celestia got Gaston’s attention. “I’ll pick up the tab this time.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Gaston angrily asked.

“She’s paying for your meal,” I said before grabbing him by the collar of his royal clothes. “Come peacefully, and I won’t have to hurt you.” He punched my face again. “Aura is awesome.” I tossed him up so he was on his back legs, allowing me to land a punch to his gut, subduing him and letting me drag him out. “Congratulations. You’re the first I’ve ever had to throw out.”

“You can’t do this to me. I am a king!” The proclamation’s strength was hindered by a pained moan that crept into it.

“And I’m an upset restaurant owner who’s saved Equestria multiple times.” I opened the front doors, dragged the king out, picked him up, and threw him about thirty feet away. Asada chose that moment to run from her spot at the guard party and up to the king, glaring at him. “I swear you must be psychic, Asada.” Deciding that Asada was enough for Gaston to deal with, I went back inside, stopping in the foyer to take some time to sit down and breathe.

Gilda came by after a bit and saw me. “You okay, Yang?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said with a nod between short breaths. “Just trying to come to grips with the fact that I threw a king out of the place and, thanks to Celestia, won’t be part of an international incident.”

Gilda nodded in agreement. “That is a big thing. If you want to close early, I won’t object or stop you.”

I considered the idea for all of two seconds. “Nah. We go on as normal. I’ll just talk with Celestia for a bit.” I got up and put action to my words, going to the table Celestia was at and slumping down in what was Gaston’s seat. “That wasn’t fun.”

“If it’s any consolation, I would have handled it the same way,” Celestia said. “And with so many customers-”

“Guests,” I corrected.

“-Guests here who witnessed everything, the only one who will really suffer any consequences is King Gaston. As far as I’m concerned, you did nothing wrong.”

“Thanks. I’m probably still going to worry about it for a while, though.”

“That’s understandable. Say, Yang?”

“Yes, Celestia?”

“Could I get another hot dog?”

Celestia not only paid for Gaston’s large quantity of food, but also covered the cost of feeding all his guards and hers as well. I still stuck to my plan of paying for Gaston’s guards’ food, though. Gilda didn’t stick to her plan to pay for Celestia’s guards’ food though when she heard the news, though.

“Hey, Fuzz?” I asked the draconic barkeep as she was cleaning the bar once the last guest was gone after closing.

“Need something strong?”

I sat down at the bar. “A glass of fireball whiskey, please.”

“Coming up.” A minute later, a mug of the stuff was placed in front of me.

“Thanks.” After drinking some of the stuff, a thought crossed my mind and I put the glass down. “Fuzz?” I asked with the drink’s signature steam coming out of my mouth.

“Yeah?”

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner, but what if I’m underage for drinking here?”

“From what I know, different species have different guidelines, and there’s none for you. And they’re guidelines, not laws. I’ve seen skinny teenage fillies hold their liquor better than a tough fifty year old stallion.”

“Huh.” I went back to my drink, concerns about legal drinking ages soon forgotten, and the stresses of the king’s visit melting

Author's Notes:

This chapter contains two ideas presented to me by two different readers. The basic idea behind King Gaston and his visit was provided (I'm fairly certain) by Voldine. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The second idea will really start coming into play in the next few chapters, and was provided by Timeless Celestial.

And finally, yes, Rainbow is fine. She made a good recovery.