Happy New Year, everyone! Sorry this took so long!

“Chancellor, if you’re still not feeling well, you don’t need to be here,” Gwendolyn said softly at the meeting later that same day. “I know you drank heavily last night.”

It was cloudy outside, with the newly restored windows in the throne room showing that light snow was falling and creating a new coat of snow on the ground above the already fallen white stuff. After both of them had fully recovered, Gabby and Gregory had parted ways for their jobs after a private breakfast together. The others had decided that they’d take the day off and rest despite the potion working just as well on them. Gabby and Gregory, however, couldn’t exactly get away from their jobs, especially since Gabby was hoping that she might get a promotion from mail delivery griffon to courier, a new branch of the mail service the government was funding that would work directly under the government and deliver official documents and other things for the government all around the country. She hoped for the promotion even more now since it meant she could be closer to Gregory, something that warmed his heart considerably.

Currently, however, Gregory was watching placidly while Geoffrey was arguing with Gael about how to best utilize government funds for relief efforts that The Salvation Army couldn’t cover. Gregory shook his head, leaned over and whispered back, “Miss Gwendolyn, I’m feeling perfectly fine now. Zecora gave me something that banished that hangover to Tartarus. Besides, I need to be here.”

The young griffoness gave him one more concerned look, then nodded, grabbed his empty clay mug and poured water into it before handing it back to him. “Here you are, Chancellor. Maybe this’ll help.”

“Thanks,” he said gratefully as he took the glass and sipped at it, once more returning to focus as best as he could on the argument between Gael and Geoffrey. In truth, he much rather would be spending the entire day with his girlfriend.

His girlfriend…

He could scarcely believe the fact that he had only a few hours ago started a brand-new relationship with Gabby. His very first friend and his savior. More than anything, he was over the moon happy, because unlike his old abusive cheating ex-girlfriend from back on Earth, he knew Gabby was nothing like her. She was sincere, kind, magnanimous, full of joy and would never betray him. That, and she was the most beautiful griffoness he had ever seen. Her smile lit up a room, her eyes were easy to get lost in, her plumage was comfortable, and…her haunches were so tantalizing and so…

He shook his head, clearing away the sudden lustful thoughts he had about Gabby. He knew that those thoughts weren’t wrong anymore since he’d come to terms with the fact that he’d more than likely never see another human again, but now was neither the time nor the place. He refocused his attention once again towards the council table. Geoffrey was currently speaking. “Gael, I know you’re from Shell Falls, but that new Salvation Army organization has sent at least a thousand bits there to help with the rebuilding and reconstruction. We can’t afford to send much there even if we had the means.”

Gael glared at the Griffon ambassador. “Yes, because you spend all of the money improving Griffonstone and Griffonville,” he scoffed.

“And what about Clawsdale?” Ginna interrupted. “It’s getting even less! The town can’t afford to send for wood or coal!”

“Why don’t you ask that new dragon friend of yours to help?” Gael asked snarkily.

“Enough arguing, everyone,” Gregory said sternly, holding up his hand, the same hand where he now wore a simple markless gold ring. The same ring that had appeared when the Idol of Boreas embedded itself in the large tree stump that now served as their table. Everyone turned to him and gave him their full attention. Swallowing his nervousness, he continued. “This bickering is pointless. I know you two are concerned about your towns. So am I, but insulting each other isn’t called for. Ginna, the council is sending less money to Clawsdale because your town is smaller than Shell Falls. Its needs are less. Don’t think that this means we don’t care, because we do! Our coffers are just limited. We can’t neglect one city for another.”

Ginna frowned and clenched her fists. “I understand that…I really do! But Clawsdale needs help now!” With that, she slammed her fists onto the table, making the clay mugs and clay pitcher on the table jump up slightly. She bit her beak and looked down at the table, her tail drooping slightly. “Sorry…”

Gregory felt badly for the poor griffoness. He had seen the reports on the small little town, which could better be described as a hamlet. It had been improving according to the reports flown in from their somewhat new courier system, but transportation throughout the kingdom was something that would need to be addressed soon. All they had now was the courier system, which was good for long distance letter delivery, but for larger scale transportation wasn’t practical unless a really strong griffon were to undertake it or multiple griffons flew. Aside from Griffonstone Station, the entirety of Griffonia had no rail system. He turned to face her fully. “Miss Ginna, I promise that we are doing everything we can to help as many towns and hamlets as possible, but we just don’t have the means. It’s not like we have horses so we can make horse drawn carriages.”

“There are horses in Griffonia, actually,” Gwendolyn corrected, “but they’re all wild and live far east of here. It would take too long to bring them back and train them to be effective in the immediate relief efforts.”

He raised an eyebrow. This was news to him. He figured that the presence of the aforementioned equines in a world where ponies talked and reasoned would be rare. He then remembered, however, that Applejack had once said “Hold your horses” in the Gala episode. That, and he remembered a small scene in an Equestria Girls short which showed horses on a farm, although the latter was on another world. That was, of course, if Equestria Girls was actually accurate in this world. “Maybe you’re right about the immediate part,” he said, “but for the further future it’s worth looking into trying to round up and tame said horses. I think we should consider using trained horses as beasts of burden until our research department can develop our own steam engine.”

“What about that drake pet of yours?” Ginna asked. “Didn’t the dragons who came here say that they were a whole species? Couldn’t we ask to have some sent here?”

“There’s a difference between training drakes and horses,” Gregory replied. “For one, drakes are incredibly more intelligent than your average horse. Daenerys and I have a rather unique bond. It’s almost like I know what she’s thinking even when I’m not looking at her. And Daenerys isn’t a pet. She’s more like a friend and companion. And don’t forget that horses can’t swallow you up in one gulp if they get hangry.”

Ginna swallowed nervously and nodded. “Okay, that’s a good point…”

“Why not ask the Equestrian visitors?” Gael asked. “Rumors are spreading about them visiting your house yesterday. They have access to that railway and its technology. Think we could establish a trade with them?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I was afraid of that. We weren’t discussing trade at my house. They were telling me about something else. Besides, they’re going to be busy searching the city for a so-called ‘Friendship Problem’.” He used air quotation marks for that, still somewhat bitter over what he’d learned. “And while it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try and establish trade with Equestria, I’m not sure now is the best time. You’ve got to remember that they have their own issues to deal with currently, especially with the aftermath of that changeling attack on Canterlot and the destruction of Ponyville, so asking for a trade from a foreign power going through that might not be a good idea.”

“And besides, they closed the borders to anycreature who wasn’t a pony until just recently,” Gruff growled. “Why would we want to trade with a race who elevate themselves above everycreature else?”

Gregory hid his scowl. Ever since the revelation about Jason, he’d been taking a closer look at the world he’d seen in the show. Griffon The Brush Off, Dragonshy, Dragon Quest, and other episodes and even some of the comics indicated that ponies either made assumptions about other races or just flat out insulted them. That, and the way he’d seen Spike be treated in the show he realized now had not been fair to the poor dragon. Not only that, but Gilda had informed him about the massive amount of time her parents had spent trying to get her into the junior flight camp that she’d gone to in Equestria. According to her, it had been quite an ordeal for them and had cost a pretty penny. “Your point is well seen, Grandpa,” he said. “Ponies aren’t perfect, but then again, does that make us better than they are?”

“Do you know the legal hoops a nonpony has to undergo in order to even be allowed to live in Equestria?” Geoffrey asked as if to drive the point home even more. “The Crystal Empire is better at it than Equestria.”

“Yes, but the Empire only came back a few years ago,” Gwendolyn reminded the ambassador. “Their rulers, Empress Cadance and Emperor-Consort Shining Armor have only been ruling there for a clawful of years.”

“Can we return to the matter at hand, please?” Gregory asked, feeling a headache beginning to form. When everyone else settled down, he resumed and said, “Trade with Equestria should be held off until they are in a position to trade anything with us, so no railway help from them at the moment. However, a few of the books I brought with me from my homeland have some details of steam engines we can work off of. I can give them over to our R&D team for study soon. And we’ll need to send some of our best animal trainers out to gather horses.” He’d downloaded plenty of technological books with precise details in them, in the hopes that he could jumpstart another technological revolution in Equestria, but now that he was Chancellor, he had promised himself that he would use everything at his disposal to improve his nation. And it was his nation now. Not as in he owned it, but that he belonged to the nation, and as a member of the Imperial Council, he would do what he could to protect it.

“And what of the ponies reaction to us using horses as beasts of burden?” Geoffrey asked.

“Ambassador, need I remind you that those ponies have talking farm animals?” Gregory retorted, a bit of his anger showing through. “The cows and sheep there can talk and reason just as much as them, but they live as cattle! There, everyone-no, I take that back-everyPONY is equal, but some are more equal than others!” He was clenching his cup harder now, hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. Unbidden, the image of a smiling and tender Gabby flashed before his mind’s eye and he realized that he was perhaps more flummoxed by this whole Jason Wright abuse thing than he thought. He forced himself to relax. “I…I’m sorry,” he said. “Maybe you’re right, Gwendolyn. Maybe I should go.”

“Yeah, go ahead and rest up,” Gruff said with a scowl, but Gregory knew him well enough to know that he was speaking out of genuine concern.

“In fact, why don’t the rest of us take a break and calm ourselves down,” Gwendolyn, who Gregory was beginning to see was more of the peacekeeper in this council. “We’ve been arguing for three hours straight. We’re all tired and hungry.”

“I could go for some of those scones that Gilda makes,” Ginna said as she put on her gloves after standing up from her chair.

“She stayed home today,” Gregory, who had finished his water with a big gulp, replied as he stood and grabbed his holster with the Colt Peacemaker in it. Despite the safety in the city, he’d begun wearing the ancient pistol whenever he went out. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the inhabitants of the city, but something about having it made him feel a bit safer. That, and it was a sign to him that he was still human, something he didn’t want to let go of in this world where the creatures around him weren’t humans. “I think she just wanted a day to recover.”

“Damn, that’s a shame,” Gael said as he grabbed his scarf and wrapped it around his neck. “Her scones are the talk of the city.”

“Who wants to go to that new Grant’s Burger joint that opened last week? It’ll be on me,” Geoffrey asked as the griffons headed towards the door. This got a chorus of agreement from the other griffons.

All aside from Gwendolyn who remained behind as Gregory pulled on his long black overcoat. When he finally noticed that she was still there, looking up at him with furled brows, he frowned in confusion. “Gwendolyn? Aren’t you going to go with the others?”

“I’ll join them later,” Gwendolyn said as she approached him. “Sir, has something else been on your mind today? Yesterday during our early meeting, you were totally focused on everything. Today, though, you seemed a bit out of it.”

Gregory smiled a little bit. He knew she was more observant than most, but had hoped that he would be able to hide his conflicting emotions from her. She seemed to think of herself as his personal secretary and acted as such, keeping things organized not only for him but for the council as well. She kept the minutes and organized them in a room which she had called the Archives. He also knew she was working on organizing the ancient Archives and copying down some that were too damaged to be kept out anymore. She was one of the most hardworking griffons he’d met and had to admit that she felt like the glue that held the council together. “I do have a few things on my mind,” he admitted, “but I can handle it, I promise.”

“Are you sure?” Gwendolyn asked, moving a bit closer to him. “I know how stressful being on the council is, and you have been working very hard with the rest of us, but I haven’t seen you like this. I know we aren’t really that close, but hope you know I don’t mind listening to whatever’s bothering you.”

His smile widened. “I appreciate it, Gwendolyn, and I’ll keep that in mind, but I promise I’ll be alright. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I do have others to talk to.”

“Like that Gabriella griffoness?” Gwendolyn’s features took on a knowing smirk as she gently gave Gregory a playful push. “You two are always together.”

Gregory immediately relaxed at the mention of his new girlfriend, and his smile became a somewhat dreamy one. “Yeah…you’re right.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes widened. “My, my, my,” she said excitedly, “I know that look. Something’s changed.”

Gregory and Gabby had discussed whether or not to keep their relationship a secret or not. Initially, Gregory was a bit nervous about telling anyone save for their closest friends, but Gabby quickly pointed out that she wasn’t embarrassed about it. Gregory said he wasn’t either, but he realized that his reluctance could be misconstrued as being embarrassed. He felt silly for even thinking about not telling anyone. “Yeah, I guess so,” he chuckled.

“It’s about time you two got together,” Gwendolyn chuckled as she held out her claw. “Congratulations, sir.”

He took her claw in his hand and shook it. “Thank you, Gwendolyn.”

“She has always been a happy griffoness, but she’s been extra cheery after meeting you,” Gwendolyn chuckled as the two of them headed to the doors that led to the hallway which itself led to the castle’s exit.

Opening the door for his coworker, Gregory chuckled. “She’s a treasure,” he said.

“One you wish to keep hidden or display?” Gwendolyn asked.

He shook his head. “If you mean are we gonna keep this relationship hidden, then no. We won’t keep it a secret.”

“Just a piece of advice, sir,” she said with a cautious tone, “don’t be overly boastful about it. Even now, we griffons can get a little annoyed when seeing an overly romantic couple.”

“Gabby did tell me about that earlier,” he replied, “but thank you for your concern.”

“Still, congratulations sir!” she said, and to Gregory’s ears, it sounded like she meant it. “I wish you and her a future full of the good fortune of our ancestors.”

“I appreciate you saying so,” he said as they continued walking down the halls. He looked around at the walls and decided to change the subject. Not because he didn’t want to talk about it more, but because he was thoroughly impressed with what he was seeing around him. “Switching gears for a bit, but I’m impressed with how the keep looks now. The repair guys really know their shit.”

Gwendolyn nodded. “They certainly do, sir. And they said that the keep will be finished by the day of the Blue Moon Festival.”

He whistled in appreciation. “They really work fast. Is there anything we can do for them for Christmas?”

She ran her claw through her top plumage thoughtfully. “I’ll see what I can do, sir,” she said. “What are you going to do for the rest of the day?”

Gregory pursed his lips. He wasn’t sure what else he could do since Gabby was still at work, having volunteered to work extra hours at the post office. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. He chuckled. “I’m gonna let Daenerys get some exercise and go along for the ride.”

When he got home, the snow had stopped, but the temperature had dropped a bit. The sky was just beginning to darken as he pulled out the saddle. Only the one he now owned had been thoroughly improved after he noticed a few things that could be fixed. He’d hired a small griffoness named Gidget who came up with many different improvements to it, such as a way to make the entire thing more comfortable for Daenerys and adding more straps to better keep Gregory from falling off but still leaving plenty of maneuverability for him.

He left a note for Gabby just in case she came home before he did, told the others that he was going for a flight, then changed into something a bit more robust than the dress slacks, button down shirt and tie that he normally wore to the council. He strapped on his goggles and began putting the new and improved saddle on her back. Unlike before, Daenerys didn’t seem to mind the saddle. In fact, she seemed happy to have it on her, even showing her intelligence by helping him put it on. He grabbed the reins after finishing strapping in. He felt her tense up, waiting for the order. Gregory grinned, raised the reins and shouted, “Giddy up!”

Immediately, he felt the familiar rush of his stomach dropping as the excited drake launched up, leaving the land behind in a matter of seconds. He pushed his facemask up further, finding that the aforementioned piece of fabric kept his mouth from drying up fast thanks to the high winds. Not only that, but it kept his face warmer whenever they flew up. Strangely enough, despite his mouth being covered, he’d found that Daenerys always seemed to be able to hear him whenever he said something to her.

They soared over the city, and from this height Gregory saw how many houses were glowing blue, light blue and white along with a few multicolored houses which were mostly around his neighborhood. Blue was the color of the holiday season, after all. The entire city looked like a Christmas tree with blue and white lights decorating every inch of its branches.

He grabbed both reins with one hand and raised his fist to the air, letting out a “WAAHOOOO!” In response, Daenerys roared loudly as they flew down towards the ocean over the vast Evertide Forest. Gregory smiled, since his drake had read his mind. On one of his flights with her, he found a small empty island only a few miles south of the city. He and Daenerys would go there sometimes where he would either think or just walk along the pristine sandy beach. He thought of it as his personal getaway where he could spend some time alone if needed.

He began humming the flight theme from How To Train Your Dragon, and the song seemed to start playing in his head. He smiled as he heard the music crescendo and laughed as in response Daenerys pulled a barrel roll before diving towards the forest. Gregory pulled on the reins at the last minute and she pulled up, roaring and looking back briefly at him with what looked like a smile before facing forward again.

As they flew, Gregory wiped some of the moisture from the front of the goggles and looked ahead. He saw the clouds near the ocean begin to dissipate, and for the first time in a while, he caught a glimpse of the sky. He spotted the waxing gibbous moon in the afternoon sky as well, with the sun moving towards the west. The winds whipping around him picked up slightly and he smelled the sea breeze through his facemask. Taking a deep whiff, he smiled, unable to wait for summer where he and Gabby and his friends could go down and enjoy the normally hot weather and the warm ocean water. That, and Gabby had said she had a few pieces of swimwear. Just imagining her in a bikini made him blush.

He pulled on the reins, sending Daenerys up towards the sky. The heavens were changing from their typical blue to all the typical colors of a winter sunset, and he could already see the unfamiliar constellations coming out. One of the books that he’d found in the old Griffonstone Library was an astronomy book that appeared to have been written only a decade or so ago. It was written by an intelligent griffon astronomer named, ironically enough, Galileo. Unfortunately, his book which he titled Heliocentrism Vs. Magic: A Treatise on the True Nature of the Heavens was never really read. However, Gregory had taken said book and was still reading through it. He was impressed by all of the griffon astronomer’s observations of the night sky and the planetary motions. He had tried asking about the griffon around the city, but all that anyone could tell him was that he’d left the city two or so years prior, leaving behind nothing save for that book. Gregory promised himself that once he’d introduced a printing press to Griffonia, he’d have that book as one of the first to be distributed and endorsed.

He began turning Daenerys down towards a small black speck on the horizon. With a mighty push of her wings, the young drake’s momentum sped up and the black speck began transforming into a small island, with pristine sandy beaches and a small forest of Houseoak trees, each of which had grown wildly but still had hollowed out and livable interiors.

It was here, on the western shores of the as of yet unnamed island, where he landed with Daenerys. He undid the straps on his saddle, turned and climbed off of her back and landed on the beach, his boots kicking up some of the icy sand. He removed his goggles, gloves, facemask and the overcoat he wore more for the coolness factor than anything else. He kept his pistol by his side, however, mostly since despite the island being fairly small he didn’t want to risk being caught without some means to defend himself aside from Daenerys. His now longer hair blew back in the cold winter ocean breeze as he inhaled the salty scent. The same scent that brought back some of the only good memories he had of home.

The few summers he spent at his grandmother’s beach house when he was ten to thirteen were some of the happiest memories of his life. He would play with other children at the beach, eat at the local and old fashioned burger and shake joint, which was so old fashioned that the owner had actually kept his prices similar to the ones he’d started at when he opened it decades earlier. He’d cried for an entire afternoon when his mom coldly told him that his grandma had passed away a month before summer vacation when he was fourteen. Even the small antique Linden Quartz German domed clock she’d willed to him didn’t ease the pain as much as he’d hoped. It had always been his favorite thing to watch, especially the four balls that swung back and forth near the bottom. Said clock was now currently sitting on his mantle back in the mansion in Griffonstone.

He came back out of his memories and looked up at Daenerys, who was facing the setting sun, eyes closed as she took in the little bit of heat of the setting sun. He stroked her underbelly and heard her rumbling in satisfaction as she lay down on her side in the sand, the saddle sitting carefully nearby after she’d removed it with a dexterity and intelligence that even now still surprised him. She curled up, grabbing him with her tail and setting him down near her upper chest which was one of the warmer parts of her body. She made a noise which he came to recognize as an affectionate coo as she put one of her wings around him.

Over the course of the weeks since Gregory and Daenerys had met, the two had developed a bond all their own. Without even saying words to each other, the two could understand each other, and there were even times where he thought he heard the voice of Emilia Clarke saying something to him whenever he was either asleep or dozing, but it was always incoherent and just out of reach. Her purple eyes always seemed to sparkle with excitement whenever she saw him, especially during the times whenever they went flying together. After every flight, it seemed to Gregory that their bond became stronger, and it became especially deeper during their practice flights.

The wing around him tightened a bit and he felt a brief affectionate lick on the side of his face before a rumbling went through her. He closed his eyes, letting the sounds of the surf and the rhythmic breathing of his companion drift him into a relaxing nap…

Celestia had to admit to herself that having sat on her throne for so long had made her slightly out of shape as she flew over the ocean. She had been out among the citizens of Griffonstone all day, traveling with her partner Spike while they searched the city for any sort of friendship problem they could solve. Rainbow Dash had gone out with Fluttershy, the former expressing some concern over the pegasus’ recent behavior, while Pinkie Pie had gone out with Applejack and Twilight had gone out with Rarity. The teams had been picked out by Twilight the night before.

Not only that, but she was mentally drained. She had dressed down Rarity for her more recent behavior. The unicorn had said nothing while Celestia expressed her disappointment, just standing there sullenly. After Celestia had finished, it did seem like she expressed a genuine apology to everypony in the room for her behavior and promised that she would behave more appropriately. Celestia found that she was skeptical of that, and immediately felt guilty over that.

After they’d split into their groups and had left the inn, she and Spike had spent the time searching through the upper levels of the city, asking around about any problems involving friendship. Most of the creatures they spoke to were still griffons, but she was surprised to see some dragons and even a rich pony couple who had managed to find a larger house to live in the richer levels of the city. The pony couple were rather reluctant to speak to Celestia, but they did eventually relay that there wasn’t anything in their lives that could be considered a friendship problem.

Spike, while still being a bit standoffish, was generally polite to Celestia as they talked. They didn’t discuss anything major, however. Mostly about how lovely the city was despite being technologically less advanced than some of the more modern Equestrian cities. Unlike Canterlot, which was opulent and rich, Griffonstone had a rather rustic and natural charm, especially since the entire city was located on the many extremely sturdy branches of a massive tree. She had never visited Griffonstone in her entire life, only ever hearing stories about it from the visits of the griffon ambassadors she had entertained during her time as Equestria’s ruler. In fact, she realized upon thinking back, Celestia had never once visited another nation unless it was absolutely necessary. She’d been to the Crystal Empire of course, and had long ago visited Mt. Aris before the hippogriffs had mysteriously vanished. Other than that, she knew she had failed in establishing better ties with other nations.

However, she vowed by the Maker herself that she would change that in the future. Starting with Griffonstone.

She did learn a bit more about Spike’s own time in Ponyville, and was impressed when she heard about his growing friendships with ponies his own age. She wasn’t the Princess of Love, but she could sense something that passed in front of the young dragon when he spoke of the sister of the Element of Generosity. Despite not having wings yet, Spike was still a teenager by pony years, and having been raised among ponies had found what Celestia presumed was love for the young teenage filly. She was especially happy to hear this, since it seemed as if his time in Ponyville had not especially been as fulfilling as it should have been. Despite not talking about much other than those topics, Celestia felt that she had strengthened her bond with the young dragon and hoped that eventually he could heal from his treatment during his time in Ponyville and even Canterlot.

As she flew over the ocean, she spotted a small black speck in the middle of the water. Curiosity got the better of her as she flew down to investigate. What she thought was at first a large whale was, in fact, an island. She smiled at the pristineness of the small mass of land and flew around it, observing its foliage and pure sandy beaches. She noted that the trees on the island were almost all those same Houseoaks that the Griffonstone Library and even the former Golden Oaks Library had been.

She landed on the northern part of the island and faced the setting sun. Closing her eyes, she reached out with her magic and felt the massive ball of fire with the ancient magic that she had mastered to raise and lower the sun and which she had altered for those thousand years to raise and lower the moon. She let the warmth of the large orb embrace her being and fill her with immeasurable power briefly before she began pushing it towards the horizon. Immediately, the air began cooling even more and she felt the shadows of night fall on her as the sun lowered beneath the horizon.

Immediately after this, she felt the more stalwart magic of her younger sister, Princess Luna, as she took over the ancient spell taught to them both by Star Swirl and the other unicorns who had, at one time, raised and lowered the sun. Opening her eyes, she drank in the now thousands of blazing stars and constellations. The moon above was waxing currently and showered the surroundings with its silvery hue. She saw the now darkened water reflecting said lunar glow along with the stars and the white band above which the ponies knew as Harmony Road. She began walking towards the western shores of the beach, taking in the utter beauty and majesty of the stars above. The sand ran through her hooves as she continued her early night stroll, taking in the utter beauty of the island and the ocean surrounding it.

She turned back towards Griffonstone, which by now was visible since the clouds that had covered the city had cleared away. She saw warm ruddy white and blue lights coming from it with a few patches of multicolored lights from an upper district. In a way, the city reminded her of a blue and white lit Hearth’s Warming tree. But what really stood out to her was Griffonville below. It was lit up brilliantly with white and blue lights. What little she could see from this distance reminded her of her private collection of Hearth’s Warming village models that she’d been collecting for years. Her model town had grown so big, in fact, that she had to have a private room constructed specifically for its use. It might have been a foalish habit, but it was something she looked forward to every year, and especially with Luna’s return as it was something that the two sisters had quickly bonded over. She smiled at the memory as she turned away and resumed her walk.

As she turned a corner near a sand dune, something sitting on the inner edge of the sand caught her eye. Celestia might have been immortal and over a thousand years old, but she was still keen eyed as she had been when she was a young hundred year old. Slowly, cautiously, and on her guard, she peered out and looked at the large creature which slept nearby. Immediately she recognized the drake that belonged to Chancellor Graystone. The same creature which the Chancellor had called Daenerys. She came out slowly and approached the sleeping drake, horn at the ready just in case. She used her brief training in stealth to approach as silently as possible.

After a few steps, however, the young Daenerys’ eyes opened and, turning its head quickly, locked gazes with Celestia, her purple eyes glowed with a bright purple inner light. Celestia stopped and kept her eyes on the massive young creature. The drake’s expression wasn’t hostile, but was more curious at the sight of the ancient alicorn before her. Daenerys stared back at Celestia, unblinking.

Suddenly, from the spot which the drake was curled around there was movement. There was a clicking sound, and then a figure rolled out from the form. A second but smaller pair of glowing purple eyes appeared, but said glow quickly vanished. In the light of the waxing moon and the stars, Celestia saw a gleam of metal that was aimed at her, which was obviously some kind of weapon. Quickly, she raised her hoof as she recognized the being before her. “I mean no harm, Chancellor.”

The human looked at her for a few seconds, and in the moonlight she saw him slowly pull back whatever object he held out towards her. There was another slower clicking noise and he put the metal object away in some kind of carrying case which was at his side after he stood. Daenerys unfurled herself and sat up, stretching her wings and opening her mouth wide as a loud yawn escaped her maw. “Princess Celestia, this is a surprise,” he said as he walked over to the edge of the woods to begin gathering branches and fallen logs. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Neither did I expect to see you here, or for this island to be here either,” she replied as she approached. She watched as he pulled the logs towards the beach.

“I come here whenever I need time to think to myself or to rest away from other people,” the human Chancellor replied. “It’s my own private sanctuary, as it were.” He paused and a thoughtful look appeared on his face. “Sanctuary…yeah, that’s a good name for this island.”

Celestia’s ears flattened a bit at his reasoning. “If it’s any consolation, Chancellor, I can relate.”

He chuckled a bit dryly as he said, “I bet you can.” Looking up at Daenerys, he pointed to a spot on the beach. “Daenerys, could you dig a shallow fire pit?”

As the drake began using her large claws to remove the top sand from the spot where the human had pointed, Celestia began using her own magic to gather wood as well, guessing that he was going to start a fire. “I am well aware that I’m the last being you want to speak to, but I am willing to listen if you wish.” And she meant it. She knew the stresses of being a ruler. With the return of her sister, she realized that there had been so much buried deep that she had to vent. Luna was there to listen as well and even she had her moments to vent. It had helped her to be a better ruler. At least, she thought it had until her utter failure with the first human to set foot on Equus in over a thousand years.

The Chancellor, who now was putting the fallen logs and branches into the quickly dug fire pit, paused at her words. He turned back to her, his hair blowing in the wind along with the long flowing coat he wore. Celestia didn’t know how to read human emotions very well, but if she had to guess, he was debating whether or not to talk to her. In an effort to gain his trust, Celestia revealed something that she had sworn she’d never speak of to anypony or anycreature else. “I am well aware of My Little Pony. Jason Wright told me about it.”

The Chancellor froze, eyes wide in astonishment. The two stared at each other for a while before he slowly turned away, threw more woods into the pit, then looked up at Daenerys, pointed to the fire and said, in what sounded more like an order, “Dracarys.” Celestia watched an inner rumbling come from the drake’s upper chest and saw the areas around the underscales near her mouth light up with an inner fire. Opening her maw, the drake breathed a bright yellow flame onto the logs, igniting them instantly. Smiling up at the drake, he reached up, rubbed her belly, and said “Good girl, Daenerys.” The drake made a pleased rumbling sound before she lay back down and curled up nearby. The Chancellor walked over to the fire and sat in the pristine sand, holding out his hands to bask in the warmth. Without turning to her, he held up his hand and beckoned towards her. “Come join me, Princess,” he said, “the night air gets really chilly out here.”

Celestia did as he said, sitting down in the cool sand and spreading her wings to allow for the heat to catch in her wings. It wasn’t the sun by any means, but it did its job in warming her up. She held up her hooves and rubbed them together, breathing out to help them warm up as well. She heard the human stand up, walk over behind her and drape something over her. Looking up, she saw the placid faced human as he put his coat over her before walking back to his side of the fire and sitting back down on a large log he was using as a seat. Behind him, his drake had already fallen back asleep and was breathing steadily and peacefully. She folded her wings back and put them under the offered coat. “Thank you, Chancellor.”

“You’re welcome, Princess,” he replied automatically as he rubbed his own hands before folding them in front of him, staring into the fire, its warm ruddy glow reflected in his blue eyes.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Celestia’s eyes locked on him while his were in the fire. The only sounds that were audible were the crackling of the logs in the fire, the wind and the waves breaking on the shore behind the Princess. Celestia held her tongue, not wanting to pressure the human before her into spilling anything he didn’t want to. After a while, however, she wasn’t able to stand the tension and said, “Chancellor, I hope you’ll be completely honest with me about what you’re feeling right now. I know I might not deserve it, but I want to hear your thoughts. I need to hear them.”

The human nodded in response. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he continued looking at the fire, blinking rapidly to keep his eyes from being overwhelmed by the heat. He went silent again, and Celestia saw his face take on what she assumed was a thoughtful look. She recognized the look, mostly when somepony back in Canterlot was chewing on their words and forming the next sentence carefully. Inwardly, she approved. A good ruler, at least in her opinion, never was rash in their words or deeds.

Finally, though, he opened his mouth again, but instead of words, he began singing. “Ponies voices fill the night; Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again. Happy hearts so full and bright; Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again. Oh, what a sight, look at the light, all for tonight. Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again.” He paused for a bit, then his expression changed into what she assumed was a wistful look. “You know, I always liked that song from the show and a lot of the others. I always really loved how you ponies randomly break out into song and dance routines. I loved the episode where the Cutie Mark Crusaders got their cutie marks. That, and the Winter Wrap-Up episode too. Everyone was all smiles and joy.” The look in his eyes vanished only to be replaced with a frown. “It’s a shame it was all based on a lie.”

Celestia’s ears flattened at that, but she didn’t look away. He at least deserved that respect as a fellow ruler of a nation, even if he wasn’t at the same level as a monarch. She ran through a number of things she could say in response, but nothing seemed appropriate. However, he was clearly waiting for a response from her. Finally, with a shudder, she nodded. “Yes…it was a lie,” she admitted.

He sighed and then continued, still not looking up at her. “I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I’ve seen on the show, including the finale and the movie and the bits of the next generation show. I’ve been looking at the events from the perspective of an adult instead of a child, and do you know what I’ve found? Speciesism, a herd mentality, a superiority complex, hypocrisy at the highest level and more. Hell, you even keep cows and sheep as farm animals despite their ability to talk. Sounds like slavery if you ask me. But then again, maybe that last part is just me and there’s more to it. Maybe they’re employees, who knows?”

Despite his calm tone, each accusation stung Celestia at her core. It took all of her strength not to look away from him. “Yes. Yes you’re right about the former.”

“Is that all you have to say to me? That I’m right?” he asked her with an incredulous tone as he finally locked eyes with her. Instead of the angry look she expected, she was met with one of confusion. Pointing at her, he continued. “Are you and those ponies going to wallow in your despair and grief all this time or get your heads out of your asses and DO something about it?!” He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. Celestia could sense he was building up to tell her something, and remained silent.

Finally, he stood and began pacing, never once taking his eyes off of her. “Let me tell you a story. A story about a unicorn pony filly. She lived in a small town in the middle of Equestria. She had a childhood colt friend who she loved to spend time with. However, one day said childhood friend received his cutie mark, and everyone was happy for him. However, he was immediately shipped off to Canterlot to study at the unicorn magical school there. Your school. The one that caters only to unicorns. She never saw him again. She blamed it all on him earning his cutie mark and never made another friend because of that experience because she was so afraid of losing another friend that she reasoned that if she never made one again she wouldn’t be hurt again. Solid reasoning, right?” Celestia could tell the remark was dripping with sarcasm.

He continued on. “She hated cutie marks so much because in her mind they stole her friend from her. She began to believe that cutie marks were to blame. This belief eventually led her to create a town and gather ponies around her, teaching them things that which could very well be considered cultish in this world. She used a spell to remove the cutie marks of the ponies in said town. Then, some outsider ponies arrived and discovered this plot. Before they could expose the leader mare’s deception, all of their cutie marks were stolen by her. However, they managed to escape and reveal the truth to the town. They chased this leader pony, who had lied to her followers, out of the town, only for said mare to escape. Months later, this pony discovered a time travel scroll made by Star Swirl and figured out how to use it in order to stop a pivotal moment in the outsider ponies lives, altering the flow of historical events a good number of times. One of these ponies chased the mare through time and space to try and stop her, and eventually managed to stop her through words instead of fighting.”

After that, he took a deep breath, walked over to what looked like a saddle large enough for Daenerys. He reached into a pocket, pulled out a leather pouch, popped the cork and downed some liquid. To Celestia’s surprise, he walked over and offered some to her. As she took it and drank the water within, he continued. “I don’t think I need to say who this mare was, do I?”

After she swallowed the water and returned the pouch to the Chancellor, Celestia simply said, “Starlight Glimmer.”

“Correct,” he replied as he caught the pouch and, without hesitation, took another swig from it before plugging the cork and putting it down beside him on the log where he sat. Staring back into the fire, he continued, but this time with a small smile, the first she’d seen on his face since their first meeting in the tavern the day prior. “Starlight is an exceptional mage. Even here, where magic is less abundant than your country, she has been able to help grow the library and a few other Houseoaks. In the show, Twilight said that during the time travel debacle her magic wasn’t enough to stop Starlight. She had to use her words. And Twilight was an alicorn in the episode. But somehow, in this timeline, Starlight was beaten for her betrayal and ran here. Twilight and the others never met her. When I found her that night in the alleyway, she was starving and eating out of the garbage, half crazed from hunger and abuse.”

“She looks much better now,” Celestia said.

“She is,” Gregory said, and his smile widened a bit. She had to admit to herself that he had a really nice smile. “She’s surrounded by a group of friends who care for her in their own way. Even Gracie, who really has a grudge against ponies, is starting to open up to her.” The smile slowly faded as he added, “I’ve learned something about you ponies from not only that depiction of Starlight’s story, but from what I’m seeing right now. You ponies sometimes have a tendency to let one incident in your life define you. For Starlight it was losing her friend. For you and your companions, it’s this thing with Jason Wright. And for Sunset Shimmer, if she even exists, it was seeing herself as an alicorn in that Star Swirl’s mirror.”

Celestia looked at him in alarm now. She never knew that her old student had seen herself as an alicorn when she’d introduced her to the mirror to other worlds. “You know of my old student?”

“That answers that question,” Gregory muttered to himself before looking back up at her. “I know that she’s gone through a lot ever since she went to that human world. If she was a hidden element of harmony, I suspect she’d be the Element of Redemption or Empathy based off of the magic powers she possesses in that world.”

“She sees the past of whoever she touches,” Celestia confirmed. She had learned of the effect of the introduction of magic into said human world five years prior, mere months before Jason Wright’s arrival.

“Correct,” he replied. “How long has it been since you saw her last?” he asked.

“It has been more than fifteen years,” Celestia said, “and more than five since she attempted to steal Twilight’s crown.”

“She’s probably graduated with her friends by now,” Gregory muttered as he grabbed some logs he’d collected and threw them onto the fire. The flames sprang back to life and the light increased. “But enough of that. We’ve both gotten sidetracked.”

Celestia almost nodded in agreement, and she did agree with him, but her experience told her not to make that move. Instead, she looked at the human in front of her and tried to think of what best to say next. Neither spoke once more, and the alicorn Princess began wishing that there was someone else there with the two of them. She wasn’t sure why, but she had never felt so tense before. Maybe it was the obvious anger from the human. Maybe it was the massive creature behind him. Maybe, maybe, maybe…

She steeled herself when Gregory spoke again. “Back to the topic at hand, though. You ponies seem to get so stuck in your own heads that you fail to realize that you don’t have to stay there forever.” He pointed a finger at the Princess. “Your kind are, with some exceptions, more reactive than proactive. This isn’t an accusation, it’s a rule of nature. Your kind are herbivores and lower on the proverbial food chain.” Lowering his finger, he added, “I know this sounds like I’m just saying ‘Get over it, you bunch of pansies’, but it’s not that at all. I can see that you all feel badly about it. Well, almost all of you, I suppose, but there’s a saying back where I’m from: actions speak louder than words. And from what I’ve seen, you’re only half sorry.”

She winced at the accusation. Her actions after the destruction of Ponyville and invasion of Canterlot had been contradictory. She had caved where she shouldn’t have caved. She was a massive hypocrite. However, she was grateful that she was hearing this from him. It was a slap in the face that she needed. “What would you suggest I do to prove that I am truly repentant?” she asked, genuinely curious.

Leaning back, he folded his hands and looked at her stoically. “Back where I’m from, I read about a concept called the Five Languages of Apology. Ironically enough, I read about it in a fan written story about My Little Pony.”

“Could you explain it further?” Celestia asked.

“Of course,” he said as he took another swallow from the water pouch before offering it to her again. She took it and swallowed some more as he continued. “Everybody has a way of apologizing truly, and it can boil down to five basic types.” He held up his fist and began counting them out. “Number one is expressing regret, something like ‘I feel awful for doing such and such, and I’m sorry.’ Number two is accepting responsibility, something like ‘I’m sorry for such and such. It was wrong and I have no excuse for it.’ There’s nothing worse than saying ‘I’m sorry, but…’ because in that case, anything before the word BUT is complete horseshit. Number three is genuinely repenting, something like ‘I’m truly sorry for such and such. Next time I’ll do this and thus instead so that it won’t happen again.’ Number four is making restitution, something like ‘I’m sorry for such and such. To make up for it, I’ll do this and thus.’ Number five is requesting forgiveness, something like ‘I’m sorry for such and such, and I hope you can forgive me, but I understand if it’ll take some time for you to do so.’”

Celestia pondered his words. She had been around long enough to have experienced each type of those apologies from either her staff or past students at the School for Gifted Unicorns. She could see where he was coming from, of course. “What language do you subscribe to?” she asked curiously.

“I like to think that I would use each of them if I needed to, but everyone tends to lean towards one language or the other,” he replied. “Like I said, actions speak louder than words, but even so, words can also say a lot if they’re genuine. Meaning no excuses, Princess. No saying it was Discord’s fault and trying to pin the blame on him like Applejack was trying to do yesterday. Like I said earlier, anything before the word BUT is horseshit.”

Celestia heard a snort coming from behind the Chancellor. She turned and saw the purple eyed drake looking at the human and nodding slightly. As the drake closed her eyes again, Celestia looked back at the Chancellor, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of her despite her momentary distraction. “I did fail Jason,” she admitted, “and I’ve failed so many more, like young Spike.” She looked deeper into the Chancellor’s eyes as she continued with new conviction in her voice. “I will do something about it, though.” As if to emphasize her point, she stamped her hoof into the sand, sending the light beige substance exploding out from the impact.

Celestia then saw the human’s eyes flash a brief purple, his pupils briefly becoming reptilian slits before returning to their normal blue. He nodded, and a small smile formed on his lips again as he said, “Making restitution. That’s good. But don’t just tell me this. Tell your people. Change begins with a single step, after all.” Once more, he held out the leather bound water pouch. She took it thankfully, swallowed a healthy amount then floated it back to him. He took a swallow of the remaining water himself and stood. “Well, I should probably head back home. It’s late, and I’ve had a long day.” He walked over and gently touched Daenerys’ stomach. “Wakey wakey, eggs and bacey,” he said softly to his drake companion. “Wake up, Dany. We need to get home, and I’m sure you’re eager to go hunting for dinner.”

The large but still juvenile drake opened her eyes blearily, then stood, yawned, stretched and smacked her lips. As Daenerys and the Chancellor began reattaching the saddle, Celestia stood and walked over. “Please allow me to help,” she said, her horn igniting its signature golden hue as she hoofed the human’s coat back to him with her magic.

He turned and looked at her, his face a blank. However, after a few seconds, he smiled, grabbed his coat and put it back on. Then, pointing to the back of the saddle, he said, “Could you tie that around Daenerys’ waist, then?”

For the next few minutes, Celestia helped the human and drake tie the saddle to the latter’s back. It took about ten minutes, and the alicorn listened to the Chancellor’s instructions with care. Finally, the saddle was firmly attached. As the human began climbing up, Celestia once more saw a gleam of metal from the strangely shaped leather holster at his right side. Curious, she spoke up. “Forgive me for asking, but what is that object on your hip there?”

The human turned and looked at where Celestia was pointing. With practiced ease, he reached down and slung out the object from its holster and held it up. “This? It’s called a Colt Single Action Army revolver, more commonly known as a Colt Peacemaker. It’s a pistol used by humans back on Earth over a hundred years ago and was very popular in my home country during the colonization and expansion towards the west.”

“Why did you bring it with you from your world?” Celestia asked, now recognizing it as being a more advanced form of weapon similar to the type that had killed Discord.

He twirled it in his fingers before slipping it into the holster once more. “I didn’t. The new Dragon Lord gave it to me a month or so ago as a sign of hopeful good relationship between our two nations. That, and she brought me and Daenerys together. Isn’t that right, Dany?” He reached up and rubbed her underbelly affectionately. The drake snorted, rolled her eyes and began slowly wagging her tail. “Tsundere,” he snickered as he began climbing on the saddle once more.

Something inside her stirred. Something between them seemed unsaid. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but she knew she didn’t want this to be the last time they spoke. So, as a head of government, she approached the desire as such as she held out a hoof. “Wait! Before you go, could I ask a favor?”

It was a good thing that she’d called out, because he’d just begun putting on a few extra items on his face to better protect it. He’d just put on a facemask and was just about to put on a pair of goggles before she called out. He turned back and pulled his facemask down. “What is it, Princess?” he asked with more of a curious tone.

She paused, suddenly aware of the gravity of what she was about to ask. She was even more aware of the subtle biases bubbling to the surface once more. However, with a great force of will, she stamped them back down, promising herself that she would deal with them personally very soon. Standing tall and proud, she addressed the Chancellor as Princess of Equestria. “Chancellor Gregory Graystone, I would formally request that the Kingdom of Equestria and the Empire of Griffonia open official relations with each other.”

The Chancellor looked down at her for a few seconds, his face once more unreadable for said seconds. However, after that, he replied, “I will bring your request to the Imperial Council tomorrow morning and give you your answer as soon as possible, Princess Celestia Solaris.”

She nodded in appreciation. “Thank you.”

He nodded back and as he put his mask back over his mouth, Celestia saw another small smile beginning to form. “You’re welcome.” As he strapped the goggles over his eyes, he grabbed the reins. “Have a good rest of your night, Princess. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

“I will, and same to you, Chancellor,” she replied.

He gave her a courteous nod, then looked back up into the sky. “Giddyup,” he said, gently pulling back on the reins. Celestia watched in awe as the magnificent creature spread her massive wings and leaped into the air with her hind legs, her eyes glowing a bright purple as she flew up into the night. The wind almost blew Celestia back, but she stood her ground. As the drake and human duo made their way into the cold winter night, she thought she saw, once more, a second pair of glowing purple eyes coming from where the Chancellor sat.

She returned to the fire, lifting a few of the nearby logs and setting them on top of the blaze. She had a lot to think about…

Lady Serenity was bored. Like, super bored. This assignment was already just growing boring for her. She wanted some kind of excitement, and it wasn’t like there were any ponies who worked in the Griffonstone’s Red Light District for her to seduce. She sat outside one of the last types of shops she’d ever expect to find in Griffonstone: a tea shop named the Jasmine Dragon which was run by a teal colored dragoness. Despite the cold night, she much preferred the outside to being inside the shop. She lifted her teacup and took a sip of the surprisingly delicious sweet orange tea she'd ordered.

She hadn’t joined this group to sit around and do nothing, however. She’d joined for the action, and not just getting into fights and such. Smiling, she remembered some of her greatest conquests during the many other jobs she’d taken around Equestria. She remembered bumping hooves, as it were, with that inexperienced nurse who worked at the Mareami Beach orphanage. She remembered the married stallion she’d seduced in Manehattan. She continued remembering all of this as she sipped on her tea.

She’d never even been outside of her own country before, and the ponies who lived here were few and far between. She’d tried to slide into the graces of a light brown earth pony stallion with an hourglass for a cutie mark, but a cream colored earth pony mare with a rose for a cutie mark had quickly called him away. None of the ponies in town seemed interested in a night of fun with her, and that left her feeling frustrated. Tea always seemed to calm her down, and she’d been surprised when she’d been directed to the Jasmine Dragon by a passing griffon when he caught her muttering about needing tea.

The clouds that had covered the town all day had finally vanished, and Lady stared up at the sky which was full of stars and the waxing moon. She’d always loved to get lost in the beauty of the night sky as a filly, and as an adult staring up at it always made her feel like her name: serene. As a mare, it also took a lot of the edge off of her libido whenever she got lost in the night sky.

As she took another sip, something large and winged blotted out the sky for a brief moment. Startled, she nearly dropped her teacup as she turned and watched a large draconic figure flying up towards the richer section of Griffonstone. Curious now, she used a spell that heightened the light all around her, only to gasp when she saw a massive dragon being ridden by a bipedal creature. A creature she immediately recognized as the human they’d been hired to spy on. She watched as the human and dragon flew down towards a rich section of the city before disappearing behind a number of trees.

“Impressive beast, isn’t it?” a rich female voice asked from nearby. “Not as impressive as her master, though.”

Lady dispelled the magic and turned to face the owner of the Jasmine Dragon, who stood before her with a steaming tea kettle. Lady lifted her teacup up and as the dragon poured the drink, Lady asked, “I didn’t know dragons allowed other creatures to ride on their backs.”

The owner chuckled and shook her head. “That’s not a dragon. It’s a drake.”

“What’s a drake?” Lady asked curiously.

“They’re majestic creatures who live in the Dragon Lands,” the dragoness said. “They live mostly around the shores of the Nova America Sea. Dragon Lord Ember brought that drakeling here as a gift to Chancellor Graystone.”

“Drakeling? That thing’s a baby?!” Lady asked incredulously. “How big do those drakes grow?!”

The dragoness chuckled and replied, “The largest I’ve seen them grow is nearly the size of our former Dragon Lord Torch, but I doubt that drakeling is going to get that big. Well, enjoy your tea, and once again it’s alright to come inside. It’s warm in there and empty.”

Lady was about to reply in the negative when a sudden breeze blew over her. She shivered and wrapped her coat around her tightly, but it only helped a little. She looked up at the dragoness. “Only if you tell me more about that Chancellor of yours,” she said as she pulled out her forged card. A card which read RED PRINT: CANTERLOT NEWS DAILY. “I’m curious about him.”

The dragoness looked over the card, then back at Lady. “Well I’ll be…never pegged you for a newspony,” she said as she stepped aside. “I don’t know much, but I can tell you what I do know.”

“That’ll be much appreciated,” Lady said, slipping into her fake newspony persona as she stood and grabbed her teacup and the few teacakes with her magic.

“Here, let me get the door for you,” the dragoness said as she opened the door to the inside of the tea shop.

“Thank you,” Lady said as she walked past and entered the room. Unknown to the dragoness, a smirk appeared on the unicorn’s face. It was time to gather information…