Silver Wing is one happy pegasus this day. He’s at the healer’s office with his lovely. But they aren’t the only ones there. Princess Cadance and her husband Prince Shining Armor are there as well. Silver is sitting in the chair next to Cayenne, at eight months pregnant, she’s gone beyond starting to show, she’s gotten quite big. The pink mare shifts her body a bit before shooting a venomous glare at Silver. “You did this to me.” She mutters softly.

He chuckles deep in his throat before leaning closer to her. “Didn’t you say give me your baby batter?” He says softly into her ear.

Her ear flicks and her face turns crimson. “Not my fault.” She huffs. “I was in heat.” She mutters.

He nuzzles her ear quickly. “So, it was a mutual decision.”

She bats at him playfully before looking at the two royals sitting across from them. “You know, you didn’t have to come.”

Shining chuckles and Cadance nuzzles her husband before turning to look at the pegasus and unicorn. “I know. But we wanted to come. Finding out more about your foal is always fun.” She rubs her belly a moment. “I mean, I remember going to healer appointments when I was pregnant with Flurry. And with her magical abilities, they thought she was going to be a unicorn. We were all surprised when she was born with wings too.” She leans closer. “What are you hoping for?”

Cayenne absently rubs her distended belly. “I’m really hoping for a unicorn filly. I can’t wait to teach her magic, to help her discover what it means to be a mage.”

Cadance smiles knowingly before inclining her head slightly. “And you, Silver?”

He grins. “I want my foal to be healthy, no matter filly or colt, no matter unicorn, Pegasus, or earth pony.”

“Well, with the start you two are giving it out in life, I have no doubts as to the health of your little one.” She looks around the bustling office. “Twilight was able to pull a few strings, not only one of the best healers offices in Canterlot, but one of the best Obstetrics and birthing specialists in Equestria is going to be here for you.”

Cayenne’s ears flatten to the sides. “I don’t know why all the fuss. Ponies have been having foals for millennia, most of the time with only the help of their herd mates.”

Cadance smiles knowingly. “Oh, sweetie, it’s true that most of the time no real assistance is needed. Your body works very well to push that foal out. The healers are there in case something goes wrong. Occasionally a mare and her foal would die in birthing.” Her own ears flatten. “I would never want that to happen to you.”

“Cayenne Pepper?” A voice calls out, getting everypony’s attention. The approach the other pony and the normal vitals are taken and in minutes they are sitting in the large examination room with Cayenne sitting with her forehooves crossed across her chest petulantly.

“I can’t believe I’ve gained so much weight.” Her eyes shoot to Silver, whose mouth is open with a grin. His mouth shuts with a click of his teeth. They wait in silence until the door is opened by a light grey unicorn.

“And how are we today?” She asks as she guides Cayenne up onto the exam table.

“Fine.” Cayenne grumbles as she lies on her side comfortably.

She looks back at the other three in the room. “I’m so glad to see your herd is here. The last couple of times, it was just you showing up.”

“I just wanted to get the appointment over with.” She stops, her ears flicking. “And today…well…” Her eyes dart to Silver for a long moment, a soft smile appearing on her face. “But you said that the tribe was inconclusive before, and I told you that I didn’t want to know until birth.” She looks down. “Well, Silver has been really curious, and so has the rest of the herd. So, I was hoping you could tell me.”

The mare nods. “I remember you were just happy to have a foal, and our first scans did say your foal was developing nicely. And yes, it was inconclusive, I detected a strong magical resonance, but that’s not always indicative of a unicorn.” Her horn lights. “May I?”

At Cayenne’s nod, the healer’s magical field forms around her, then focuses on her belly. She stands there for a long moment, her eyes closed as her magic works slowly on Cayenne. Finally, her magic fades and she opens her eyes with a bright smile. “Good news. Your foal is developing normally, and I know what I need to know.”

Cayenne nods, looking at Silver.

“You are carrying a healthy pegasus filly.”

Silence reigns for a long moment, before Silver does a hoof pump. “Aww yeah!” He crows. He turns to Shining Armor. “High hoof!”

The white unicorn smiles brightly and taps the pegasus’ hoof with his own. “Congratulations the two of you.”

Cadance’s beaming smile catches Cayenne’s attention. She looks at the alicorn. “What?”

“Strong magical resonance, and a pegasus. Two possibilities, a magic user Pegasus, or a speedster.”

“Awesome!” Silver shouts, his wings taking him in a short loop, his hooves clattering on the ceiling.

The healer looks at the hoofprints on the ceiling. “I have to get the ceiling cleaned from time to time from excited pegasus hoofprints.” She says with a giggle. She turns to Cayenne. “And you are quite healthy as well. Have you been taking your vitamins as I’ve prescribed?” At Cayenne’s nod she continues. “Good, I don’t see any need for any restrictions on your activities. Make sure to keep up the exercise regimen I recommended. You need to be on your hooves, keep moving as much as you want. You are about three months away from delivery, I don’t see any real need for any further appointments. But remember, if you feel any odd pains, or if you get the feeling that something is wrong. Don’t hesitate to contact my office and we’ll get you seen lickety split.” She smiles at the others before quickly exiting the room.

“And I’m going to teach her flying, how to do all the best moves. She’s got a proud tradition of pegasi to uphold.” Silver is talking a mile a minute before he stops, looking at Cayenne. He leaps forward, gathering her into his hooves and holding her tightly as he lifts her up with his wings. “Love you, beautiful.”

Cayenne blushes heavily. “I’m not beautiful like this, I’m heavy, and ugly…” Her diatribe is stopped by the silver pegasus kissing her. The kiss goes on for a long moment, his wings flapping strongly to keep both of them suspended in the air.

When they finally break off for air, Silver nudges her nose with his. “You are beautiful, my lovely. Not just to me, but to our entire herd.”

Cayenne’s red face turns to Cadance, who smiles back. “I’m in agreement with Silver. Nothing more beautiful than a mare with foal.” She glances at Shining. “Shiny had to remind me of that many times while I was carrying Flurry.”

That gets a grin from the white stallion. “Only daily.” He dodges a playful swat from his wife. “But, seriously, you two. We are just so happy for you!”

Cayenne squirms a little bit. “Okay, you can let me down.”

Silver grins brightly. “Nope.”

“She said I need to be on my hooves as much as possible.”

Silver nuzzles her neck. “Later.” He floats towards the door, which Cayenne’s magic opens. She looks back at the other two over the pegasus’ shoulder, a happy grin on her face.

***

North Point looks down at herself. She’s been rather dubious since the first time Twilight had turned the herd into humans, and Citrus has learned the spell to make her into that odd hybrid between pony and human, walking on two hooves, but having hands. They can go nude like that, but the few times she’s tried, she’s always decided to wear something. And today is no exception. Her own magic is not enough to zap herself and change her body like that. She had asked Twilight to do the spell for her today, so she could go out on this date with their herd stallion. She smiles as the human exits the door to their apartment. She stops and spreads the flower patterned sun dress a bit. “So, what do you think?”

Tim smiles brightly. “Beautiful, North. As always. Though aren’t you going to be cold? Winter is coming.”

She reaches up and adjusts her glasses. She was able to adjust the glasses herself, growing the temples and adjusting how they fit on her head with her new shape. She reaches down and grabs the human’s hand and holds it tightly as they walk to the elevator. “Oh, I’ve still got fur, and it’s not that cold out yet. But, are you sure? I’ve thought of asking Twilight to see if she could make my boobs bigger…” She’s stopped by a single finger to her lips.

“North, you are perfect just the way you are. Everyone is different when they change forms like this. You know you don’t have to do that for me.”

She giggles. “But I like to hold your hand, Tim.” She looks down at their hands together. “I can’t do that on four hooves.” She leans up against him as he presses the button to call the elevator. “I like being closer to you, love.”

With a soft ding, the doors open and a small herd walks out of the elevator. Though they note the pony and human, they’ve seen the herd enough to not really react if the ponies are shaped differently than usual. In fact, much of Canterlot has seen the herd’s mares in this shape. To the extent that a few ponies have asked Twilight about that spell. It certainly surprised North to see a couple of ponies walking around on two legs like the human. But Twilight was excited when she saw that. North flicks her ears a couple of times, it’s not a night for the other mares of the herd, this is about North and Tim tonight. The herd goes out on regular date nights, but Tim has also made sure to give special time with each mare individually. The human really goes above and beyond to show his love for all of his mares. She finds herself leaning up against him as they wait for the elevator to descend, running her hand along his arm, admiring the muscles there. She sighs happily as they exit the elevator and walk outside the building. A taxi is waiting there, and Tim gestures for her to board first. She takes a seat as the human joins her. The pony pulling the taxi looks back. “Where ya goin?”

Tim smiles. “I think we will start with some shopping.” He looks at her. “I saw a store that I thought you’d like, love.”

She just snuggles against him tighter, murmuring softly as the taxi pulls off. They relax in the comfortable seats as the pegasus stallion pulls them through the city. In a matter of about half an hour, the taxi lets them off. Tim pulls out his bit bag to pay the stallion. He refuses to call it a purse, much to the amusement of the mares of the herd. The taxi pulls off and they start walking, just enjoying the closeness as they move. North finds herself enjoying the simple touch and feel of the human as they walk. When he stops, she flinches and looks around. Surprised that she’s lost herself so much in thinking about the human. She looks up. “Wow.” She says softly.

“Well, you did mention you wanted to book a trip, and I know heat will be back in a few months, so we have some time now. I’ve already told Cayenne I’ll be taking some time off. And Twilight gave me a massive amount of bits. We are going to do a grand tour.”

North looks around. “You mean, we are going to…” She starts excitedly.

“Tour nearly every major city of Equestria? Yes.”

“In an airship?” She notes the magical sign showing a floating airship, its propellers spinning as it floats across the sign.

He nods. “We leave in a week, sweetheart. We just need to finalize the itinerary and of course, pay for it.” He grunts as the smaller mare leaps onto him, wrapping her arms and legs around him tightly. She raises her mouth for a kiss, and she hugs him even tighter as she loses herself in the kiss.

When they finally break away, she leaps back, her hands ending up behind her back, clenched tightly. “I’m so sorry.” She murmurs.

Tim glances at the ponies staring, he rolls his eyes at the disapproving glances of the ponies as he closes the distance and brings her next to him. “Don’t you worry, North. I’ve talked to Twilight, she has decided to visit her sister in law. Cayenne is coming along, she doesn’t want to be at the restaurant as she is right now. Citrus, of course, is coming with us, and so is Silver. But they simply want to sight see, I’m going to be here, with you, enjoying our time together.”

She squeals softly as they make their way into the small shop.

***

Over an hour later, she’s got a bag full of different pamphlets for where they are going hung on her shoulder, and she’s talking a mile a minute about what she’s wanted to see. “Oh, and we can’t forget Rainbow Falls. I hope you are bringing a camera. I want some great pictures of the falls.”

He grins. “I’ve already ordered plenty of extra film.”

She stops and turns to the human. “Tim, can I ask you something?”

He tilts his head slightly with a quizzical smile on his face. “Hmm?”

She clears her throat awkwardly. “Have you liked having Leah in bed with us the few times she’s visited when we’ve invited her?”

His face turns thoughtful. “You know I do, we’ve all had fun with her in bed.” He chuckles. “Last time, I think you really had her going pretty hard.”

She giggles. “Yeah. We kinda click pretty well, and not just in bed, she’s snuggly too.”

“So, what about Leah?”

North holds her breath for a long moment before she finally works out what she’s thinking. “I want to invite her to join us. I know it’s not just for sex, and it’s not going to be the entire herd with us on this trip. Do you think she’ll want to just…hang out? Explore with us? She’s not a pony, so she thinks differently.” She smiles tremulously. “I mean, we’ve learned with you how different you think, she may find the trip to be boring.”

He shrugs. “North, love, if she doesn’t want to, she doesn’t have to join us. We can schedule a night together before we leave, if you prefer.”

“You do know that she’s dropped everything to visit every time we’ve asked her to, right?”

He nods. “Yeah, she was even at some function for her dad once. And she said she had to talk fast to keep him in the dark.” He stops, thinking. “But why, though? Why does she care what her dad thinks of her relationships?”

North sighs softly. “Her and I talked a few times. We’ve even had lunch together. But her dad is pretty traditional for a griff. He wants her to marry a griff and give him grandchicks. He would be quite upset if he found she was herding with ponies.” She sticks out her tongue. “He really doesn’t like ponies very much. She said he respects Celestia and Luna, but he thinks we are too passive, not really worthy of his respect.” She tilts her head slightly. “But Leah feels differently about the ponies.” She reaches up a finger and taps him gently on the nose. “And it’s all because of you, love.”

“Me?”

She nods. “Oh yeah, if she hadn’t developed that schoolfilly crush and fixated on you so much. She wouldn’t have gotten to know Citrus and the rest of us.” She shrugs her shoulders. “And having Spike, an actual dragon, in service to Twilight, really made her think a lot about ponies. What we mean to her. She likes us all, not just you, now. But you were the start, the catalyst.”

They walk through the shopping district as they are talking. She’s finding she likes this form more and more, being able to walk close to Tim and continue touching him. It’s a good feeling for the mare. She finds her tail swishing from side to side in happiness. And since she’s wearing the sun dress, she doesn’t have to worry about showing off more than she intends. “You know, we usually go to Cookies, or to Spitfire, when we go out to eat. But how about somewhere new?”

“Hayburger?”

He flinches. “No, I can’t eat their food.”

She finds herself blushing. “Oh, sorry. I forgot.”

He smiles briefly. “No worries, love. I was thinking we’d try Tasty Treat.”

North looks dubious. “Are they hoof rated?”

Tim smiles back at her. “Do you really care?”

She stops and thinks for a long moment. “Well…not really. As long as the food is good, right?”

“True.”

***

“Wow, Cayenne could learn a few lessons on the food here.” North says softly as the tangerine mare with the poofy mane gathers up their plates. She nods at the mare as she bustles back to the kitchen. She takes her napkin and cleans off her face daintily. “I’ve been meaning to ask you a question, Tim.”

He looks up at her. “Oh? What?”

She looks down, twiddling the napkin in her fingers. “I was wondering, Twilight knows how to turn you into a pony. And with our next heat, we will have one foal and Citrus has already said she’s going to wait a few years. Twilight says she’s not ready for her own foals yet. I was thinking of having foals myself.” She stops, looking at the napkin in her hand. The human waits patiently as she works up the courage to continue. Finally, she does. “What if Twi were to turn you pony for heat? Maybe you could give me a foal?”

Tim stops breathing for a moment, after a few moments, he takes a big breath. “Um, North, we don’t know if my genetics will be changed over enough, Twilight said it was iffy in the genetics department, it’s likely, but she’s worried about it. Magic sometimes is unpredictable when it comes to such transformations.”

“I know that, Tim. But I’m thinking, I’d like you to try. I mean, if Silver wants to do the deed, I wouldn’t have a problem. But, if I decide I want a foal, could it be yours?”

Tim blinks, trying to wrap his head around her words. “But since I’m lead stallion, technically any foals are mine, in a legal sense, right?”

She nods. “Oh, yeah. I know that. But consider that it looks like this cycle, Cayenne is going to be just off her pregnancy, and probably won’t even go into heat. Twilight isn’t ready for foals, and neither is Citrus. So the only pony probably wanting foals will be…me. We can definitely have a few days where Silver keeps the rest of the mares happy with sterility potions, and you can give me a foal?” She looks up at him, her eyes questioning him.

He clears his throat. “Well, ummm.” In a moment, the decision is made. “Of course, North. If Twilight is sure the magic will work, I’ll give you a foal if you really want one.”

That gets a huge smile from the light blue mare. She reaches out a hand and grabs his and holds it tightly. “I already know you are going to be a great sire, love. But this is so much better. To have life from you, growing inside me.” Her smile widens even further. “That would be heavenly.” She tilts her head. “Anyway, I haven’t decided for certain. I want to see how Cayenne’s filly is. She might be a couple of hoof fulls, and I might want to wait.”

Tim grins. “Okay, love. Whatever you decide.”

She nods. “I’m still kinda on the fence about it. But I do know, if I decide to, I want you to be the sire.”

He squeezes her hand tightly. “Whatever makes you happy, love.”

She leans up against him once again. “Silver’s been so puffed up on learning what Cayenne is having, having you give one of your mares a foal would certainly burst his bubble. Knowing he isn’t the only virile stallion in the herd.”

That gets a bark of a laugh from the human. “He has been full of himself, hasn’t he?”

***

This has been an absolutely magical night for North Point. Spending the evening with her lead stallion has had her over the moon. She’s already decided that when they get home, she’s going to show him exactly how much she appreciates his attention. Visions of what she plans to do with her human spin through her head as they walk through the streets of Canterlot. After finishing at Tasty Treat, they had found an arcade, with all sorts of games of chance and skill as well as just fun little time wasters that they both found enjoyable. He had called one of the games skee ball, and he had said he’d been really good at a very similar version of this game back home. It astounds her at times how many similarities there are with Equestria and his home before he came to live with them. She’s holding a stuffed Princess Celestia that her human stallion had won several games in a row to be able to earn. He has his arm around her as she hugs the oversize plush to her chest as they walk. It’s quite late at night now, much of the shops have closed and most herds are in the process of making their way to their homes.

Suddenly the human stops, sniffing the air. He blinks a few times. “That smells…familiar.”

“Familiar? What do you mean?” North sniffs too, finding her nose crinkling and almost feeling as though a sneeze is coming on. “Ugh.” She huffs. “Fried fish?”

He nods. “Smells like beer battered fried fish.” He walks a few steps drawing her along with him. As they move, they note that several pony herds are keeping rather clear, but there’s several pegasi, and quite a few griffons all crowded around a large wagon that’s parked on the side of the street, smoke wafting from its chimney. As they get close, Tim’s head cocks to the side, trying to read the pony script emblazoned proudly on the top side of the wagon.

“Grizela's Greasy Garnele” He says slowly before smiling. “I’m getting better at reading your script!”

She nods with a smile, though her stomach feels like it’s doing flip-flops. The human walks up to it, sniffing the air and he can feel his stomach is growling with hunger, it’s been a few hours since their last meal. “Deep fried and battered fish and chips, halibut, cod, haddock, bacon wrapped scallops, breaded shrimp.” North supplies helpfully as she reads the chalkboard written menu on the side.

As they get close, a pair of griffons grab their food and flap away, their claws full of fried goodness. The proprietor of the wagon sticks her head out of the window. “What’ll you have?” She snaps.

Tim stops, she’s certainly different than many of the griffs he’s seen before, her head is more streamlined, nearly triangular in shape, though she’s thin and almost lithe. Her feline attributes remind him of a cheetah, thin but muscular, with a spotted coat that makes its way all the way up onto her feathered parts. She blinks at him. “You aren’t a pony…” She tilts her head, a most predatory look on her face. “You look…different.” She blinks at North standing next to him. “And a unicorn standing on two legs. Never seen that before.” She murmurs. “Well, don’t ever say I discriminate when I sell my food. What’ll you be having?”

Tim draws North closer to the large window, he can see inside, a couple of friers have been built into the wall, along with a good prep area with built in bowls for batter and raw material. He can see mushrooms, pickles, mozzarella sticks, and even a few sides, like creamy coleslaw. The human finds himself drooling.

North giggles. “Are you sure you aren’t part pegasus?” She asks gently using her sleeve on the side of his mouth.

He gulps down the extra saliva before he addresses the griff. "Where have you been all my life!"

She looks confused for a moment. “I’ve only been here about a month. But, probably Griffondale.”

Tim blinks at her response. “Oh, wait, no. I mean… I haven’t even thought I was missing this kind of greasy fried food for as long as I’ve been here, I want to try everything.”

She looks back into her wagon for a moment. “I’m running a bit low in stock today, it’s been a busy day. But it’s gonna get expensive, but I can cook a bit of everything. If you don’t mind waiting. You’d better have a hollow leg to eat it all. Don’t want to waste food.”

Tim blinks. “Well, not everything, sorry. I just got excited.” He clears his throat. “I definitely want fried shrimp, and cod, and some of those mozza sticks.”

She nods and turns to the friers. “That I can do lickety split.” She says brightly as she gets to work.

His nose flairs. “I smell something else familiar.”

North tilts her head slightly. "What do you smell, love?"

"I smell...bacon?"

"Yeah? and?"

"Not...some plant thing, bacon."

The griffin shakes her head and huffs while she’s working. "Look, growing up, we didn't have any of the fancy stuff here, like fridges, ice boxes, and such. So the best we could do was smoking, salting, and drying meats. For this, I came up with turkey bacon and salmon bacon. Oh, and maple syrup glazed salmon bacon, it works really well wrapped around cheese stuffed mushroom caps. OK." She shakers her head, "And really over frying the salmon bacon, mixing in salmon skins, then breaking everything up and dusting it on top of salads actually makes them almost palatable for me... at least it gives me something I can fill up on." She finishes her prep work and carefully places his order into the basket before lowering it into the hot oil. The oil bubbles and hisses as the food starts to cook, getting a rumble from the human’s stomach.

"Why are griffins so much more into meat?" North asks.

Apparently the griffs ears are very good. "Taurine." She chirps.

"Bless you?"

"No, Taurine, it’s an amino acid, and a base building block for protein. Ponies, pegasi, and such can synthesize it in their bodies, but griffins and most felines can't. It doesn't appear in plants at all, it only appears in meats, fish, birds, etcetera. Add to that, a griffins digestive system doesn't do well with high sugar, high starch diets like the ponies love. So, that means the only real source of food energy we can survive on well is..."

Tim nods. "Meat. You can eat other stuff, but if you don't have enough meat in your diet..."

"Bingo give the furless, tailless cat a prize!"

"I'm human."

"That’s what I said, furless tailless cat."

"I'm not a cat."

"Nope, you’re not, you don't have any fur, or a tail. but you do eat the same as one."

“I’m actually not from this world. I’m an alien to the ponies here.”

The griff turns and looks at him. “You the only one of your kind here, then?” Absently she shakes the basket as she talks.

He nods. She glances at North. “What’s your story, you look like a pony, but not.”

North flushes. “It’s a spell, I wanted to hold his hand and be close to him as we walk.”

The griff nods as she lifts the basket to check the food, she clacks her beak in pleasure as she lifts the basket and hangs it on the side of the frier to let it drain for a moment. “Almost ready for ya.” She gestures. “Any sauces for you?” He points and she squirts a generous helping onto the fried fish before handing the paper tray to the human. She looks at North who shakes her head quickly. She shrugs and hands the rest to Tim. “Okay, that’ll be ten bits.”

“Eight.”

She fixes him with a stare. “I know the ponies don’t have set prices for pretty much anything. But my prices are fixed. Its ten bits.”

He nods and hands over the thin gold pieces. Picking back up the mozzarella sticks he takes a bite, moaning in pleasure. “That’s almost better than home.” Which gets a smile from the griff. He grabs a piece of fish and stuffs it into his mouth. “Hot…” He huffs around the morsel, breathing in rapidly to cool off the fried goodness.

“Pigs get burnt.” The griff snarks, earning a dirty look from the human. He finally chews the morsel and swallows. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had this kind of food. Ponies don’t tend to have much battered and fried food like I’ve had at home.”

Grizela shrugs. “Sad for them, it’s good, isn’t it?” that gets an enthusiastic nod. She glances around. “Well, it’s pretty late, I have some cleanup to do before the night.” She turns away and gets busy.

Tim slowly works his way through the fish, then he holds out a piece to North. “Try some.” He says through a full mouth.

She holds up a hand. “Oh, no. I’m good.”

“I can fry up some broccoli if you want.” The griff calls out.

“No, I’m fine, really.” North says.

Tim licks his lips. “Okay, this is seriously good, North. Trust me on this.”

She blushes. “Are you sure? You know unicorns and earth ponies really don’t care much for meat.”

“You have the meat dishes that Cayenne makes when she’s figuring out new menu items for the restaurant.” He says with a smile, holding out a fried shrimp. “This is better than many she’s even gotten from me.”

She contemplates the shrimp in his hand, and after a long moment, she shifts the plush to one hand and tentatively reaches out a hand. His smile grows as she grabs the morsel and her teeth crunch into it. She stops for a moment, her eyes widening. “Okay, that’s really good.” She murmurs.

“Told ya.” He crows, getting a smile from her.

The human turns to the griff, who seems to have completed her task and is lounging on the edge of the window, watching them. "Ok, I have to ask, what else can you cook?"

"Whatever I could scrounge up, whatever trash fish the stores had left over. Crab, lobster, they actually go well with garlic butter. Smoked and slow cooked chicken, spiced, and dried till it became tough strips but still full of flavor, great for long flights.”

He grins. “Sounds like I’m going to have to keep coming here.” He says with a wink.

She sighs wistfully. “Bits were always tight. So, I had to be creative just to help mom. While she worked all day, I looked at what she brought back the night before and figured otu how to cook and prepare it with whatever we had."

“It was a pleasure to meet you.” He says, taking a step back, North moving with him.

They move off as North nabs a piece of fish from his tray, getting a smile from him as she pops it in her mouth. Chuckling, Tim uses a napkin to wipe off sauce from the tip of North’s muzzle, when he notices Grizela lowering shutters on her wagon, closing it up for the night apparently. Tim reaches out and runs a finger along North’s muzzle, enjoying her leaning into the touch with a big smile on his face.

The griffin steps out the back door and sits down with some fries in a paper wrap held in her claws. Taking one, she stops and sighs. A small pegasus foal is sitting on the sidewalk, watching wistfully. Tim looks around and notices a couple of mares standing and talking a bit away. The griff watches the foal for a long moment, seeing him drool a bit at the food wagon. Then it seems she makes a decision. She stands up from the stairs of the wagon and walks over to the foal and offers the bag to him. The foal looks at the offering and then at the griffon for a long moment. Grizela shakes it invitingly, and finally the pegasus foal reaches out and grabs it. He scampers a few feet away, then turns around and returns, hugging the griffin before running off.

Turning, the griffin walks, head low. Before punching the side of her wagon once and climbing back inside, with a loud click the back door is locked.

"Whatcha looking at?"

"I... um... that shop keeper, Grizela, I think, she just gave away her own dinner to a foal."

"Oh, come on, a griffin would never give anything away for free."

"Not true, and you know it."

North giggles. “Yeah, we’ve dealt with Ghalileah enough. Griffs can be pretty generous, when the mood strikes them.”

Tim nods as they start making their way home. He takes the last bite of his mozzarella stick and chews quickly. He puts his arm around the smaller mare and they enjoy their walk home, both of them smiling, enjoying their night.

Next Chapter: Chapter 48 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 25 Minutes