John Sampson Returns Chapter Thirteen

AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!

I wake with my wings spread against the ceiling being held there by my own levitation and looking for something that needs killing.

I exclaim, “What the fuck is going on?!”

Smooth is backed into a corner and looking shaken, “I don’t know.”

Galinda is laying in the middle of the pad shaking. I fold my wings and drop down next to her.

“Galinda, speak to me. Are you alright?”

Smooth walks up softly. Then I realize that I have been seeing another Alicorn in the room with my magic.

“It’s okay, Smooth. Her horn just broke through. She probably made the mistake of touching it.”

“Everything is so bright and hollow. How do you make sense out of it?” Galinda wails.

“You focus on the parts that are useful to you and ignore the rest. You are doing very well for a first timer. My first time I spewed magic like fountain.”

Smooth nuzzles her shoulder and asks, “Can you walk? Lean on me if you need to.”

Galinda gets carefully to her feet, “I’m alright. I can balance and move just fine. It’s seeing where I’m going that is tricky. There are just so many new things to see.”

Smooth nudges her around a little bit, “Now you’re aimed at the toilet. Just walk that way and I’ll keep you on course.”

While they use the room toilet, I slip out to the hall toilet. It’s close to zero four hundred anyway. When I come out, I hear something in the kitchen. This requires investigation because they couldn’t have made it by me. Luna is sitting at the table while Sam makes tea.

Luna smiles at me, “You don’t think I could miss the birth of a new Alicorn, do you?”

Smiling back, “No, but I expected Twilight to beat you here because I warned her.”

Laughing, Luna responds, “I think she’s waiting on Cadance and you know what getting Cadance out of bed early is like.”

Galinda walks in side by side with Smooth, “Whoa. Everything is so complicated.”

I reassure her, “Just take your time. Learn to select out the parts you need and let the rest fade into the background.”

Luna greets her, “Welcome to our world, young Alicorn. You will learn and grow and we will help you.”

The door to the Throne Room opens and, “Honey, I’m home.” And Cadance is right behind her.

It’s getting a little crowded in the kitchen and Galinda is bewildered by all the attention, “Why is the whole Royal Herd here?”

Twilight points out, “You are the sixth Alicorn in the history of Equestria. That makes you a big deal.”

Cadance adds, “And we can all see your magic. It’s hard to ignore a new arrival in such a small world.”

I contribute, “And the first from Giffonstone. Move around as much as you can. I am planning to see your father this morning. This would be a wonderful surprise to take him if you feel up to it.”

Luna chides me, “Let her get her balance, John. If you must go, we will stay with her.”

“I must go. I’m actually late as it is but it won’t take long.” I plead.

Smooth has something important, “If we could have a little table room, the tea is waiting.”

A couple of brewings and much small talk later, I ask, “Galinda, how do you feel?”

Galinda thinks for a moment, “I feel great. I can move and talk and anything but fly with ease. I am getting better seeing things but everypony is so complicated and there’s so much to see.”

I continue, “How about the appetite? Still hungry?”

Surprised, she answers, “No. For the first time in what seems like forever, I’m not starving.”

Smooth immediately speaks up, “I am, a lot.”

My organizing kicks in, “Okay, who is going to the cafeteria in the first wave?”

Galinda makes me proud, “I want to go. As long as Smooth is beside me, I can orient on her to get me over the changes. I want to practice in the Castle.”

So we form up as a true herd, Me and Luna in front, Sam, Galinda, and Smooth across in the middle and Twilight and Cadance bringing up the rear. When we get to the cafeteria, I open the double doors wide and we march in. Suddenly there is total silence. We pick a table and surround it.

A ripple of sound begins to spread so I raise my voice and announce, “It’s official, we have a new Alicorn. Galinda has her horn.”

The cheering is deafening. Galinda can’t do much but nod her head and look shocked.

I lean over and tell Galinda, “It’s official, your Ponies love you.”

Sam takes orders for everypony while I watch Galinda.

“How is it looking now?”

She replies, “It’s getting a lot better. I’m getting used to many of the distractions.”

“Good. Just be warned, when you go outside for the first time, all of the plants and small creatures will be confusing.”

Our food arrives and I catch Galinda staring at hers, “Don’t try to use your magic yet. You need to practice with empty teacups and things like that first. Later today we will try an experiment that may give you a shortcut but it will still take practice to gauge how much force to use.”

When we are finished, I stack the trays and send them to the kitchen. As we rise there is a general rush. Everypony in the room is forming a lane from our table to the door.

Galinda looks at me so I explain, “They all want to be the first to bow to you. Welcome to the life of a Princess.”

Galinda stands proudly with her head high and strides regally to the door. I stay for last so I can salute the room but I can see Smooth rushing to her side in the hall. We form our herd again and march back to my quarters.

I announce, “Luna, fifteen minutes. Just go up this side and across.”

Luna and I go and start the day then come back down to organize our days. I decide a test is in order.

“Galinda, come with me. We are going to look at the courtyard.”

It’s simple enough to do, just open the door and step out. I escort her carefully.

As Galinda steps out into the sunlight, “Oh! Everything is so alive. And it loves me. This is wonderful! I see what you mean now. My eyes see a bare courtyard but there are tiny plants and insects everywhere. They are all loving the sun and the sun is loving all of us.”

“That confirms what I suspected. When you saw the magic world through my memories, you got the world through my filter, not the raw world. My filter was well developed before I arrived in Equestria so I never see the world like this unless I make an effort. You will have to explore and grow your filter for days before you get back to normal navigation. A foal with magic does it as a part of growing up.”

Galinda smiles, “I don’t mind. It’s all so pretty.”

“Let’s go back inside and tell the others,” as I herd her back towards the door.

Back at the kitchen table I explain Galinda’s ‘condition’ to the others and my need to visit Griffonstone. A schedule is quickly worked out and I take my leave. My first stop is the Royal Jeweler.

He’s ready, “Here’s the two finished. . . And three blanks. . . And four silks each.”

I compliment him, “You are very good and thorough. I like that. Give me a list of all the stones you need and give me a separate wish list, the kinds of stones you want for things you wish to create.”

He answers, “Thank you, Your Majesty. I do need more of the same small stones to make four more breastplates and all I want is unique and unusual stones.”

“I’ll be back shortly.”

Just outside his door I teleport to the front door of Granger’s castle.

Walking in, “Awake and alert, the Terrible Pony Monster is here.”

I hear laughter from the back as Gerald emerges from Granger’s office, “Hello, John. Still no Galinda?”

“I was planning to bring her but she is indisposed at the moment. Her horn erupted last night.”

That brought Granger out, “Did she hurt herself?”

I reassure him, “No. She nearly hurt me when she touched her new horn and woke me from a sound sleep. I was plastered against the ceiling looking for what needed killing. Right now she is adjusting to the sensory overload. Give her a couple of days or you can hitch a ride back with me.”

Gerald likes that idea, “I’ll go for that.”

“I have business first, starting with Granger, and Granger gets first bite if he wants to go. But you can help me right now.”

I call Galinda’s breastplate out and hold it against Gerald, “Model this for me. This one is for Galinda. There is a Pony version for Smooth and the rest of the Royal Herd are going to be wearing similar with the Herd listed across the bottom. The question is, do you want a set with the Flock across the bottom?”

Granger is emphatic, “Who do I have to conquer?”

“It’s already paid for. I told you part of the deal for protecting a closet full of jewels was using some for yourself. We need to go get some before I leave. And I would really like it if you could go with me to the jeweler to design it.”

“To Canterlot?”

“No. Galinda’s was made by a jeweler here in Griffonstone. My vision is Griffon regalia made by Griffons and Pony regalia made by Ponies using a common pattern.”

Granger is ready, “Let’s go.”

In the jewel room, I select four big diamonds and two big piles of small stones. Then I dig around for a while finding strange stones. Everything safely stowed, we lock up and head for the jeweler.

I greet him as once again, he comes rushing out of the back, “I told you I would be back and this time I brought help.”

He’s a little flustered, “Your Majesties, how may I serve you.”

I call out Smooth’s breastplate and show him, “This is how the first Pony version turned out. In fact, it’s so popular we need more. The second Pony version has the Royal Herd on it across the bottom with myself on the left and Twilight on the right and the rest in descending seniority to the middle. I want the same design but with King Granger’s Flock on it. King Granger is here to approve the design of the Griffon version.”

Granger looks at me and asks, “Where is Galinda on that version?”

I reply, “From left to right it’s Me, Luna, Galinda, Sam, Smooth, Cadance, and Twilight.”

Granger says, “I like that, neither greater nor lesser, appropriate for a rising newcomer. I want myself, Gertrude, Gerald, Germain, Galinda, and John across the bottom in similar design.”

The jeweler turns to me, “What is your rune?”

I’m confused, “Rune? Please explain.”

Granger picks it up, “All Griffons have a signature mark called a ‘rune’. It’s a mark quickly made with a claw yet hard to imitate. It identifies each individual.”

Nodding, “I understand. Ponies use their cutie mark,” pointing to my flank. “That’s how I’m identified on the Pony version. When I return, I’ll make sure they get Galinda’s rune right.”

I call out the diamonds and small stones while he sketches my cutie. When I call out the blanks, he smiles big.

“Thank you! Getting the gold ready is the most time consuming part. This is perfect.”

I smile too, “Deliver them to King Granger when they are done. We have the same deal as the last one?”

He nods enthusiastically so I call out a bag of gold coins and float it to him, “Make it fast and make it good. Granger, if you have any ideas, get something for Germain. I know she can’t wear anything this big but I hate to leave her out.”

Granger expands my idea, “I’ll let her pick something after these are done. It’ll be her consolation for not going to the big ceremony.”

As we walk back to his castle, I ask, “Do you want to visit Galinda? You can be back here in an hour to a week, your choice.”

He says, “I’d like that. I understand that this is a big change for her. She’s your mate but she’s still my daughter.”

“I never imagined anything different. Though you should know that the entire Royal Herd is attending her right now. All the Princesses are doting over the newest Princess.”

Granger is surprised, “Is a Griffon Princess that important?”

“No. But the sixth Alicorn in recorded history is, especially when one of the six is currently out of commission.”

We are at Granger’s castle, “Let me tell Gerald where I’m going.”

A minute later and we are walking in the main gate of Canterlot Castle. Up the hall and around the corner, I point to a very inconspicuous door, “This is home. Remember it because this is where you will be staying whenever you are here.”

We walk into my private office and find Smooth tinkering with her file system, “John! I’m glad to see you. Galinda is going nuts being mothered by Luna.”

“So why aren’t you in there helping her?”

Smooth is defensive, “Oh no, not me. You know what disagreeing with Luna is like.”

I explain to Granger, “Luna is very wise, very calm, very polite, and very very impossible to contradict.”

“That sounds like a Pony I’d like to meet,” Granger exclaims.

I agree, “She’s a Pony you need to get to know. Luna has all of Celestia’s experience and wisdom without the extreme inward focus. Come on.”

We go up the hall to the kitchen and no mares. So I look for their magic and we double back to the main room to find them neatly arranged on bean bags. Luna is humming and Twilight and Cadance are laughing. Galinda is serene.

“Granger, I think we walked in on a mare conference,” I joke.

Galinda gets smoothly to her feet and glides our way, “Hello, Father.”

Granger is staring at his daughter.

Galinda asks, “Is something wrong, Father?”

Granger blinks, “No. Something is very right. When John told me of his hopes, I thought of my fierce little Griffon lost in the land of the Ponies. Now I see what he meant. You’re a Princess among Princesses.”

We talk a while. Cadance has to hear the story of how I backed down the Lord of Dragons. Luna tells us of Celestia’s previous dealings with him. Plans for the succession ceremony are being kicked around, when suddenly every head but Granger’s snaps in the same direction.

“And there’s the other one, a little ahead of schedule. I’ll go get her,” I announce.

Twilight is explaining it to Granger as I leave for my office.

Smooth is at her desk just sitting with little sparkles of magic popping off her new horn, “John! You are so bright.”

“You too now. Can you clamp down on it a little? You’re leaking magic.”

“Galinda is right, it’s pretty and complicated,” Smooth is astonished.

“Can you walk?”

Smooth confidently says, “Sure. It’s distracting but not obscuring.”

“Good, let’s go to the main room and join the party,” I suggest.

“Okay,” Smooth agrees and we head up the hall. She’s navigating much better than Galinda.

As we walk in, “Welcome, New Sister,” from Luna.

Twilight and Cadance nod and smile but Galinda is annoyed, “How come you’re getting around so much better than I did?”

I can’t resist, “It’s her feet. See how they’re all white? Our foals will have white feet so they will be the same.”

“Smart ass. So it’s part of your bloodline,” Galinda declares.

“Yep.”

We get in a little more small talk then a heated argument develops over who gets the next pregnancy. Luna says seniority rules. Galinda claims fecundity gets priority because she can have more young faster. And Smooth claims it’s her turn to be covered.

Turning to Granger, “I need to stop by the Royal Jeweler to drop off some stones and check that he has Galinda’s rune. Can you help me with that?”

“Please?” Granger replies.

When we get out in the hall, Granger asks, “They’re not all going to be here when we come for the ceremony, right?”

I laugh, “No. It’ll be just me, Galinda, and Smooth with enough room in the master bedroom for everypony and then some plus four empty smaller bedrooms.”

A much reassured Granger says, “Thank you.”

At the Jeweler’s, I pass him the big diamond and, “Put this on a shelf marked ‘for Celestia’s return’. Here are plenty of small stones and some just for you. King Granger is going to show you Galinda’s rune.”

Four minutes later everypony is happy and we’re on our way to the next stop.

“When I promised you this, I expected it to take years but you’re going to get to see it now,” as we step up to the Royal Carpenter.

I order, “I need two new Thrones. One brown over white and one white over brown. The brown on top gets Smooth Trail’s cutie and the white on top gets the rune King Granger will show you. Both should be subsidiary to me and I’ll need them for the big ceremony.”

“No problem, Your Majesty. Do you know if Luna will need a subsidiary Throne?” he asks.

“I do not, but I will ask her very soon,” I reply.

Granger sketches the rune and the carpenter double checks to be sure he gets it right side up then we head back to my quarters to relay the message to Luna. “My Good Friend Luna, I have just come from ordering chairs from the Royal Carpenter. He would like to know if you need any before the big ceremony.”

Luna asks, “What do you think, John? Would you?”

I think a minute, “You have a high level approval. The final choice is yours but you can add my approval.”

“I believe that I shall take care of that right now. Come with me, Sam,” Luna orders.

After they leave, I have a question for Twilight, “Who, among the foreign visitors, has made it in yet?”

Twilight responds, “Zebras and Minotaurs are in Ambassadors one and two. Both should be just settling in.”

“Oh, this could be fun. Granger, would you like to help me welcome the Minotaurs?” I invite.

Twilight warns sternly, “John, be nice. Granger, his last interaction with Minotaurs was to geld five of them.”

I’m hurt, “Twilight, I want to be polite but I also don’t want them to walk into the big ceremony blind. That was four centuries ago anyway.”

Granger offers, “Twilight, I’ve found his candor refreshing. It’s a rare thing among governments.”

Twilight focuses on Granger, “You want to be responsible for keeping him out of trouble?”

Granger chuckles, “If you can’t, how could you think I might?”

Feeling abused, “Hey, finding and eliminating trouble is in my job description.”

So, properly admonished, we go to welcome the Minotaurs. The Guardponies at the door assure me they are all in there so I knock and we are invited in.

“Hello. I’m Prince John and this is King Granger. We’d like to welcome you to Canterlot and answer any questions you may have.”

A large, obviously male Minotaur returns my greeting, “Hello. I’m Prince Fuller Bull, son and heir to King Pila Bull. I’m curious why we rate a personal welcome.”

“Because I remember when the Minotaurs had an embassy in Canterlot and I’m curious why you withdrew it.”

Fuller replies, “Because Celestia mutilated or killed most of the embassy staff and sent them home for no reason that we were ever able to discover. It wasn’t safe to be a Minotaur in Equestria.”

Uh oh, “Was that one beheaded, one vanished, and five gelded about four centuries ago?”

Fuller perks up, “You know about the incident?”

“Would you like to experience the entire incident in complete detail?” I ask.

“What? Do you have some kind of time travel spell?” he asks.

“No, I have memories. Have you ever mind walked?” I reply.

He’s worried, “What is ‘mind walk’?”

I explain, “It’s one of the fun things I can do with this horn. I touch you with it and I can invite you into my mind. You can watch my memories like through a window or step into them and experience them as though you are me.”

Granger speaks up, “I’ve done it. It’s how he talked me into giving him my daughter for a mate. I experienced exactly how he felt about her and what he wanted for her.”

Fuller is interested now, “And just what will I see? Were you there with Celestia?”

Deep breath, “You’ll get to see how my mare Swift Trail was kidnapped and Guard Captain Dark Sword killed by demons while I was attacked by six armed Minotaurs as a diversion. The one that vanished was their contact with the demons and the demons killed him to cover their tracks.”

Fuller asks, “Just how safe is this ‘mind walk’?”

I explain, “Physically, it’s completely safe. Mentally, because I’m a high power wizard, you are trusting me.”

Fuller is struggling with it, “I really want to know. One of them was an ancestor of mine. But can I trust you?”

Sighing, “That’s a question you have to answer for yourself. But I will tell you one more thing, I did it. I beheaded the attacker with the sword I am carrying today and I ordered the rest of the group gelded. They had attacked multiple members of the Royal Herd on the Castle grounds and killed a Guardpony. The consensus was to behead them all. And I directly ordered the Ambassador to report every detail to his government after he repudiated the lot of them.”

Fuller is focused now, “What would you do if I demanded satisfaction?”

“Explain some of the things I am just now beginning to understand and hope I could talk you out of it.”

Fuller is hesitant, “What do you mean?”

I speculate, “The Minotaur that I beheaded was a member of the Royal Herd, wasn’t he. I’ve always wondered why he bellowed and charged me with drawn blade while the rest just stood there. He was spelled by the demons to die so I could take the blame. I didn’t even know that demons existed at that point much less that they were behind it all. The Ambassador didn’t identify him because I had already threatened him with war if the Minotaur government had any part in kidnapping my mare. So he just covered it up and played dumb. We were both being played by the demons.”

Fuller nods, “That does explain a lot because you are right. I will withhold judgment for a while on this and ask some questions about this ‘mind walk’.”

I offer, “Fuller, if it’s any consolation, in the following months I fed every single demon in existence into the sun. They didn’t go quietly but they all went. That’s why the demons were desperate to get rid of me. I was in mid ascension and already as strong as Celestia. They knew they were toast when I came into my full strength.”

Fuller turns to Granger, “Now I understand why Prince John is here but what about you?”

Granger explains, “We have joined Flock and Herd, sworn that our bloodlines are forever united. I am here as his friend.”

Fuller shakes his head, “I never imagined I’d see a Griffon submit to a Pony.”

Granger stiffens, “Who said anything about submit? He came alone to Griffonstone and met every single Griffon law and custom to win my daughter. She wants him at least as much as he wants her and she has a Throne in Canterlot. I’d call that an alliance of equals.”

Fuller is really confused now, “I thought only Ponies could rule in Equestria because only Ponies have the magic?”

Granger smiles, “So did I but John has proven that Griffons have magic too. He’s changing a lot of things we all thought we knew for certain. You should try that mind walk and ask him what his goals are for Equestria.”

Fuller says thoughtfully, “I’d like it better if you hadn’t then turned into such an advocate.”

Granger nods, “Don’t you think that I haven’t asked myself that question? Then I look at my daughter. He’s given her real power and the Ponies have welcomed her as one of their own. You’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

I have to correct part of that, “Just one thing; I haven’t given Galinda anything but an opportunity, she’s doing the rest. Her potential is one of her big attractions for me. It’s not easy to find a mate that can live at my level.”

Fuller wonders, “What do mean by ‘live at my level’?”

So I tell him about the Dragon hunt and Galinda’s part in it.

Fuller is confused. “And that actually lead to a treaty with the Dragons?”

I elaborate, “You’ve got to remember that wild Dragons have a simple society based one hundred percent on brute strength. The terms of the treaty are that if a Dragon eats a Pony or Griffon, Ponies and Griffons get to eat that Dragon, starting with me. Simple and easy to understand.”

Fuller is shocked, “I’d like to see that. That is not like anything I’ve ever heard about about a Pony.”

I can’t resist, “You can mind walk or just stick around.”

Fuller focuses, “Stick around?”

Granger caught it, “Griffons have to prove they are able hunters and can provide for a mate before they can court. He did it by personally serving Dragon at a feast in my hall. There’s no telling when he might do it again.”

Fuller declares, “There is no way I’m going to miss this ceremony. You two put on quite a show and I can’t wait to see the whole bunch together.”

Back out in the hall, “Let’s go get lunch in my kitchen. The choices include smoked salmon and I can tell Twilight how well this turned out.”

I should have known, Twilight is in ‘glass half empty mode’ and focuses on how close I came to a duel, like renewing diplomatic relations wasn’t worth a little risk. There’s still enough smoked salmon left to satisfy both of us so that much is an acknowledged success.

After lunch, “Granger, I need to see about some business in the Crystal Empire. Want to sightsee?”

“Can we talk along the way?”

“Of course. We can even stay right here and talk if you need to,” I assure him.

“No, I need to move around and think. You have shown me things today that I did not expect,” Granger ruminates.

“The bank has a comfortable conference pit. It’s where Sam discovered his fate. We can spend as much time there as you wish. Would you rather fly or walk?”

“The fastest way”

I say, “Okay, hang on,” and teleport us to the square in front of the bank. When we walk in the front door a young Unicorn at the front desk jumps up and gallops full speed to the back of the bank.

Granger is startled, “Damn, John. She’s really scared of one of us.”

I chuckle, “No, she’ll be back in about three seconds with the bank manager. She got in trouble for not recognizing me the first time I was here.”

By the time I finish that statement, the bank manager is halfway across the floor coming to us.

“Your Majesty, we’re glad to see you. How may we help you today?”

I list, “I have some news. We have two new Princesses. Smooth Trail and Galinda have both ascended. The Equestrian Royal Herd and Griffon Royal Flock are merging. We need to get King Granger here registered. And I want to know how the verification is going and if the merchants have made any progress.”

The Unicorn sprints for the back again and I move us over to a big table. The big book is here shortly.

I order, “First, update Smooth Trail to Princess and add her to my small spending account. Then start a page for Galinda with a description of Griffon Alicorn Princess and a rune King Granger will show you. Add her to my small spending account also.”

We get that done and I approve it, then, “Start another page for King Granger. He’ll give you all the ID. Add him to both small and large spending accounts.”

Granger is staring at me, “John, what are you doing?”

With a big grin, “I’m paying that ‘bribe’ I promised you. If you need a railroad, order one and charge it to the large account. If you want a private rail car, order it and charge it to the small account.”

Granger is worried, “John, I know you’re in charge but how can you just open the Treasury to anypony?

“I’m not. These are my personal accounts.”

“John, how much money do you have?”

“Granger, I don’t know. That’s what the verification is all about. When I beat the head demon in a stallion challenge, I inherited all of the collected wealth of four Noble herds and the demons. The demons hoarded money like Dragons hoard jewels. Then I ordered a team of managers to invest it for growth so that I would have the resources to build a new Equestria from scratch. That was four centuries ago. Now I’m having to build offices and hire more managers just to count it.”

Granger is very confused now, “Why would you need to build a new Equestria?”

“Because I couldn’t force Celestia out without her and Luna coming back for revenge and killing an immortal is filled with uncertainties. She wouldn’t leave me be because she sees me as a threat. So I was planning to travel until I found a place where nopony had ever heard of Celestia and start New Equestria.”

Granger nods, “And she couldn’t even wait for you to get out of town.”

“A lot of Ponies begged me to make one last try at ‘fixing’ Celestia. She reacted badly. Now I have a new use for the money.”

Granger is worried now, “John, you yourself have said that you can’t not plan. So where do Griffons figure in your plan?”

“Why, I’m using you, of course, the way I like to use my friends. My goal is to eliminate all possible enemies by consolidating everypony into one prosperous alliance. Galinda is the happy coincidence that makes Griffons my first ally. Now we need to show all the other races and nations how good it is to be an ally of the Ponies. Griffons get power, wealth, and magic. The goal is to make everypony else jealous and eager to join. I told you back at the beginning that I needed somepony among the Griffons who knew what the Griffons need. Unsaid was ‘and can have without ruining the essential nature of Griffons’. That’s your job. You put your name in that book and you have access to more resources than you can stack on Griffonstone. Use them wisely and school Gerald to do the same then Griffonkind is guaranteed survival forever.”

“Who knows about this,” Granger asks.

“You, me, and the bank. After all the celebration is over, I will tell Twilight so I have a backup. I suggest you do the same with Gerald as soon as you are confident he can do the job. I’ll tell Galinda when she’s outgrown her mortality.”

Granger shakes his head, “John, you should warn a Griffon about things like this.”

“I did. I just thought it would take so long to develop that Gerald would get it. Then the sun accelerated the program. Granger, it has been my experience that when things like this happen, it’s better to go along with them. You can see where going along got me.”

Granger’s page is filled out and I approve it then we move to the ring of overstuffed bean bags.

Granger is intent, “Damn it, John. I was going to tell you how much I admire the tight family you have and how well Galinda has fitted into it. Then I was going to tell you that she is absolutely yours now and how much of an outsider I feel when you all can see and hear things I can’t. But you ruined that, you made me a different kind of insider. Now I don’t know what to say.”

Softly, I say, “You know you volunteered? And I shamelessly grabbed the gift and ran with it, knowing that you didn’t have a clue but also knowing that you would step up. When you took that oath joining the Royal Herd, your fate was set because this is what we do. We manage Equestria.”

Granger questions, “Okay, John, but what exactly can I do? You implied that there is a lot of money in those accounts but surely there are limits.”

“The small account is maintained at around two hundred and fifty thousand bits, the large account at around twenty million. But there is a lot more behind them. Those are really just emergency funds. Griffonstone isn’t big enough to absorb what’s possible. Your job is to limit the use of this money to things that won’t weaken Griffons. That is where Celestia screwed up to the point of needing outside help. She became a hover dam to an entire race and in the process took much of the strength out of them.”

“So you’re giving me unlimited resources and telling me not to use them?” Granger asks.

“Close. I’m telling you not to use them openly or without a real need. You will have the ability to rescue Griffonstone from any disaster other than a hyperactive ruler. That will be my job,” I explain.

Granger is unhappy, “That sounds like a torture. You give me a huge meal then stand there and keep me from eating it.”

I reassure him, “Not that bad. For example, you can build a magic school but the money has to come from ‘an anonymous foreign donor’ and it has to be maintained and run by Griffons. The absolute number one priority is to keep Griffons from depending on the money. I don’t want anypony to ever find out that this connection exists. There is a fable in the land of my birth about the value of teaching a Pony how to catch fish versus giving him a fish to eat. That’s where the line is. I want Griffons to be happy and prosperous, I most strongly do not want Griffons to depend on me or anypony else.”

Granger stands and extends a claw to me so I stand and hoofbump. Granger hugs me and, “Thank you, John.”

With that taken care of, we go back to the manager’s office.

She’s excited, “Your Majesty, we are getting close to half of the accounts verified and are already more than halfway to a billion bits value. We can’t promise anything because for all we know the accounts we haven’t verified all went bankrupt but the trend is good. Do you want to put the reports in the vault?”

I decide, “Not today. How are the merchants doing with their project?”

A lot of the excitement leaks out, “They are doing a lot of talking and very little deciding. They all want to build something but can’t agree on what.”

“Alright, here’s what I want. I want a school and town dedicated to developing magic in all tribes. I expect the cold to limit it to mostly our bloodline as permanent residents but anypony that can figure out how to use magic to keep warm will be welcome. The merchants can build stores and hotels and restaurants and apartments and anything else they can think of to support the school and staff. Start the engineers on that and see what they come up with.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I think that may be a solution. Each merchant can have his own little project around your larger primary project. That gives everypony something to celebrate.”

As we walk out the front door of the bank I remind Granger, “It’s getting close to sun lowering time. Do you want to eat at my place or can I drop you at your place on the way to Canterlot?”

Granger decides, “Take me to Griffonstone. I have a lot of thinking to do and I need to have it right before I get to your ceremony.”

“Hang on,” and we are walking into Granger’s castle.

Gerald is coming down the stairs, “Hello wanderers. How is my Little Sister doing.”

Granger looks sad, “Gone. There’s no mistaking, she’s one of them now.”

Gerald isn’t buying it, “What are you talking about.”

“She looks like them. She moves like them. She sounds like them. I watched the whole herd of them move as one and Galinda was right there with them. My little spitfire is gone.”

Gerald looks at me, “John, what is he on about?”

I shrug, “I don’t know. She looks great to me. I’m going back there right now if you want to ride along. You can even spend the night.”

Gerald passes me on the way to the door, “Let’s go.”

I nod to the smiling Granger and take off after Gerald. We walk out of Granger’s castle and into the main gate in Canterlot. I’ve got nineteen minutes to go when we get to the main room and all five mares and Sam are still there.

I announce, “In nineteen minutes I am going to lower the sun. Did you get in any horn lessons while I was gone?”

I get one ‘not me’ and five ‘who me’ looks.

Continuing, “After that we are going to eat, then horn lessons and bed. Everypony can stay or go as they please but that is the schedule. Twilight, if you want to exercise Galinda, I’m going to give Smooth hands.”

Smooth wonders, “I know you are the expert, but why would I want hands?”

“Magic hands, the best instruments for fine manipulation,” I explain.

Luna is offended, “John, don’t you think Galinda might want to spend a little time with her brother?”

“He can watch. First time horn use is frequently entertaining,” but I couldn’t keep the grin from creeping in.

Twilight is mad, “Oh!! Damn you, John. That’s no joking matter.”

“Says the mares that run Galinda’s father off with vagina debates,” I quip.

Poor Gerald is dismayed, “Dammit, John, is your herd always like this?”

I smile, “Only when we’re all together in private and celebrating. Two Alicorns in one day is a big first.”

Exasperated, Gerald asks, “Why can’t you just party like everypony else?”

Sadly, I answer, “It’s our fate. Look at how much wizard power is sitting in this room. Would you want to be here with all of us drunk? You could wake up a mare and me pregnant with your cubs.”

Gerald opens his beak to say something several times but finally gives up. It’s time anyway so I beckon to Luna and head for the back stairs. It’s a normal changing with a spectacularly happy sun then Luna comes back down on my side. Dinner is surprisingly happy too. Not a word is said when I bring out two bags of Dragon and share them between Galinda, Smooth, Gerald, and me. After dinner we return to the big room.

Smooth and I settle off to one side and I make the horn touch. In a few minutes we have transferred copies of my magic hands and our work is done for the night.

“I can tell something is there but I can’t really do anything with it,” Smooth says.

“Don’t worry, tomorrow morning will be better. Right now, I’m going to bed,” I declare.

It’s a complicated proceeding but we manage to arrange the entire Royal Herd so everypony could have some part of covering Gerald. It is a pleasant surprise to find Luna included.