Graff's Inter-Dimensional Adventures

Chapters

Chapter 1: New World, New Body
Chapter 2: What is "Normal" Anymore?
Chapter 3: The Friendliest Place in The Multiverse
Chapter 4: Time Flies
Chapter 5: Return to Earth
Chapter 6: Meeting Rainbooms
Chapter 7: Light As A Feather
Chapter 8: Royally Uncomfortable
Chapter 9: Heart Flutters
Chapter 10: Two Of A Kind
Chapter 11: Lunch With Myself
Chapter 12: Reversal
Chapter 13: Two Worlds, One Idiot
Chapter 14: Chaotic Love
Chapter 16: Sick Joke, And Somebody's Laughing [Mature Content]
Chapter 17: Adjustment
Chapter 18: Truth Or Dare
Chapter 15: Let The Rivalry Begin!

Chapter 1: New World, New Body

My name is Graff, I'm a former a student of Crystal Prep Academy, and this is the story of how I stumbled into the strangest adventure of my life.

It happened on a Sunday of all days, at around 10:23 PM. I was on my nightly jog through the park (I have trouble sleeping without it), when I stopped to catch my breath. I reached out an arm to use a particularly thick tree as support.

Only, instead of my hand stopping at the tree, it kept going, and I fell right into it.

For a moment, it seemed like I was having a seizure. Incredibly vivid colors I couldn't possibly describe swirled in my view, and my body felt like it was being run through a taffy-puller.

Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped, and I found myself tumbling back into the world. My momentum was too great, however, and I began to roll down a steep hill. The world spun as I kept tumbling, before I eventually landed in a rough river.

I instinctively thrashed my legs about, trying to find the way up, but the current was too strong, and my muscles didn't want to work correctly for whatever reason. At the time, I assumed it was because of the doozy of an acid trip I'd just been through, but, as I'd soon find out, I wasn't right in the slightest.

Eventually, I managed to grab a large boulder (it was surprisingly easier than normal), and I hoisted my head above the water. Still out of breath from jogging, I gasped heavily, blinking away the water in my eyes and surveying my surroundings.

I was in a completely different forest from the one I knew and loved. The trees here were much wider, with tendrils of leaves reaching down towards the ground (I think that kind of tree is referred to as "weeping"); over the sound of the river, I could hear birds and insects, as well as a few oddly threatening noises I couldn't identify; and, strangely enough, it was suddenly daytime, even though it was night when I began my run.

I also noted how sore my body felt. It all felt too real to be a dream, but the events seemed too fantastical to be anything but.

Before I could do anything else, however, my grip failed, and I was once again sent down the river.

Eventually, the waters calmed down somewhat, and I was able to keep myself afloat long enough to reach the nearest riverbank. My muscles felt incredibly strange, but I didn't pay much mind; I was too busy trying not to drown.

I hoisted myself onto the shore and collapsed onto my stomach, taking in huge gulps of precious air. The burning in my lungs and the aching of my bruises were proof enough that I was awake.

No longer in immediate danger, I took the moment to figure out why my body felt off. It took only a quick glance to figure out the reason:

I wasn't a human anymore.

Blueish-white feathers (matching my human self's hair) covered my head and neck, interspersed with blue-gray splotches. My nose and mouth were now elongated into a yellow beak that, oddly enough, still had teeth in it.

But that was only the beginning of it. Most of my body was now that of a lion with desaturated mauve fur – I even had a long tail that sported a scruff of darker fur on the end. The exceptions to this were my front legs, which were brownish-yellow eagle talons, and two large wings that hung limply from my shoulder blades.

Naturally, the first thing I did upon realizing all this was scream.

"What the hell!?" I flailed about in a panic, unable to reign control of my new limbs, "I'm a– a... What am I?"

I thought back to my biology classes in school, but I couldn't remember anything that looked half-eagle and half-lion–

Wait. Half-eagle and half-lion?

"...I'm a griffon, aren't I?" I numbly asked myself, receiving a nod in reply.

Now, I was no stranger to odd occurrences; the previous Friendship Games in particular were rather unique. But this...? This was unlike anything I'd ever experienced! My entire worldview was being rocked right before my eyes, and I hadn't a clue of how to react. Not to mention that it felt strange, having three new appendages — especially the tail, which would occasionally twitch on its own.

I sat there for a moment, processing everything, before a bird call snapped me out of my stupor. Sitting here like an idiot wasn't going to help me; I needed to do something. Shakily, I used my new limbs to bring myself to a four-legged standing position. To this griffon body, it felt natural; to my human mind, I felt wrong.

"Okay," I reassured myself, "now I'll try and walk."

Unsurprisingly, it was really difficult. I thought I could just pretend like I was crawling, but that caused my rear knees to hitch up, and I fell onto my rump. I hoisted myself up again, and focused on my back legs. My knee and heel (or rather, my patella and Achilles tendon? I'm not familiar with the terms) were in completely different places than I was used to, and the leg as a whole moved in such a strange way. Not to mention the fact that my center of balance was shifted drastically, and I couldn't get my new tail to cooperate.

After a few failed attempts, I got a decent enough rhythm going, and I found myself wobbling along the riverbank. I considered heading back upstream to find out where I'd come from, but there were a few problems that made me decide against it.

The main one? Everything looked the same, and I had hardly an idea how far I'd been pulled in the current.

The second one was that I was alone in a forest, in a body I could hardly control, and the unfamiliar noises were growing louder.

So with my mind made up, I began to shakily head downstream to try and find help.

Chapter 2: What is "Normal" Anymore?

After who-knows how long, the trees began to thin out, and I stumbled upon a secluded cottage along a path. Thankful to finally see signs of civilization, I began to pick up my pace, only to fall flat on my face as my legs couldn't adjust.

I mumbled a few curses that were muffled by the dirt in my face.

"Are you okay, mister?"

My mind nearly did an excited flip when I finally heard another voice. I peeled myself off the ground and looked up, then froze at the sight.

It was a pony.

A bright yellow, winged, talking pony with long pink hair and an image of three butterflies on each hip (or were they hocks?). Oddly enough, she reminded me of someone I'd seen a while back, during the Friendship Games.

I gaped for a moment, before forcefully snapping myself out of my dazed stupor. "I–I fell into a r-r-river..."

She jumped, concerned for my well-being. "Oh dear, you must be freezing! Come on, let's get you inside!"

Before I could protest, she flapped her wings and leapt up, landing behind me. She used her front to gently but firmly push me towards the cottage.

After fetching a towel and some healing ointments, she proceeded to tend to my wounds, before wrapping said towel around my midsection like a blanket. She flew through a door (from what I could see, it was a kitchen), giving me a moment to look around the room.

The first thing I noticed was all the animal-related stuff. There were birdhouses, birdcages, mouse holes, basket beds, networks of pathways hanging from the ceiling, bags of birdseed leaning against pantries, and even the painting above the couches depicted butterflies.

The second thing I noticed was how pony-friendly it was. The cabinets were low enough for easy reach (not that a pony would be able to open one with hooves), the couches were wide and sturdy, and the doors were made to accommodate for the fact that a pony would be opening them by running face-first into them.

The third thing I noticed was the snow-white rabbit that was scowling at me.

I blinked. Was that right? The bunny looked like it hated my guts, but animals usually didn't have that level of emotional depth.

Then again, I had transformed into something resembling a griffon, and I was standing in a flying and talking pony's forest-side cottage. And somehow, I was still mentally functional.

Before I could figure out what the rabbit was doing, the yellow pony returned, carrying a tray with her teeth. On the tray, there were two teacups and a kettle, as well as a bowl of sugar.

"You know," she began surprisingly coherently, considering the tray in her mouth, "it's not every day you see somepony come out of the Everfree Forest, let alone a griffon!"

'Okay, so I am a griffon,' I noted to myself.

She set the tray on the coffee table near the couches, then continued, "So, what brings you here?"

I considered making up a story, but she was being so kind; it didn't feel right to lie to her.

So after a moment of deliberation, I began: "Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but I promise I'm telling the truth."

She raised an eyebrow warily. "Okay...?"

I took a deep breath, then rambled, "I'm not supposed to be like this. I have no idea how I got here, or why I'm a griffon. I was jogging at a park near my home, and I went to rest against a tree, when I somehow fell through it and ended up in a river in that forest. Now, I don't know what's going on, and I'm kinda freaking out!"

She stared at me for a while, and I started to get the feeling that she didn't believe me.

Then she asked, "So, if you're not supposed to be a griffon, then what are you supposed to be?"

"Well," I tried to think of a way to explain it. "Our species is kinda ape-like, except without most of the –"

"Oh, you're a human?"

I stopped short, dumbfounded. "Wait, you know what humans are?"

"My friend Starlight has a portal that she can use to travel to a parallel dimension where ponies here are humans there."

No joke, I actually squawked in surprise. "She does?!"

She nodded proudly, then elaborated, "Although recently, one of her friends in that world discovered that there are naturally-forming portals that open occasionally. I'm guessing that's how you got here."

I collapsed to my hindquarters, holding my throbbing head. "C-c-could you please slow down a bit? This is a lot to take in all at once."

She quickly backpedaled. "Oh, sorry. Here, let me do something real quick." With that, she left the room to retrieve something.

I sat there, brain working in overdrive. Parallel dimensions with naturally-forming portals between them? That'd certainly explain how I got here. But what did she mean when she said 'ponies here are humans there'? Did that just mean that they simply transformed between worlds, or were there–

Before I could ponder any further, she returned with a small bag of herbs in her mouth's grasp. She shook a small amount into the tea she'd set out for me, then used a small spoon to stir.

Noticing my confused expression, she explained, "This herb relieves headaches. Starlight says that going through the portal can cause pretty bad migraines."

"I'll say," I agreed, carefully focusing on getting my talon to grab the cup. I held it up and tried to drink, but my new beak wouldn't cup around the rim, and a large portion spilled onto the floor. Noticing this, I quickly stopped and stammered out, "S-sorry! I'm not used to having a beak, a-a-and–"

She held up a hoof, "No, no, it's alright. Getting accustomed to a new body is hard; trust me, I know."

I stared at her, dumbfounded.

She blushed. "It's a long story. I'm Fluttershy, by the way; what's your name?"

Still trying to process everything, I replied automatically, "I'm Graff."

She chuckled. "It's nice to meet you."

I nodded, then turned my attention back to my teacup. With my new body, I was gonna have to be creative about how I drank it. I tried to find a suitable angle of approach, twisting and turning my head but not finding any openings.

She watched with bemusement before offering, "Should I get you a straw?"

I sighed in relief. "Yes, please."

She smiled, then headed back into the kitchen.

I set down the cup (managing to only spill a third of it on the way) and let my eyes wander, but my gaze was once again drawn to the bunny. Except now, he wasn't scowling...

Instead, he was holding back laughter.

"What?" I shot out defensively.

The bunny burst out laughing, pointing to my face. I rubbed a hand (Claw? Talon?) along it until I found what he was looking at:

I'd spilt tea all over my face, and he was laughing at the sight of it.

My face flushed. "I'm under a lot of duress; give me a break!"

That only drove the bunny further into hysterics.

Chapter 3: The Friendliest Place in The Multiverse

Once I finished my tea (it was a little difficult working a straw with a beak, but I eventually got the hang of it), Fluttershy led me out the door, and we began walking down a long dirt road. Inwardly, I was thankful; the walk was giving me plenty of time to adjust to four legs, and being able to observe Fluttershy walking also helped a lot. I even managed to move my wings, folding them closed.

Through the trees, I could vaguely see a looming crystalline structure in the distance, glistening in the sunlight. "What's that?" I asked her.

She followed my gaze, and chuckled patiently. "That's the Castle of Friendship."

I did a double-take, stopping in my tracks. "Wait, a Castle?! And it's dedicated to... Friendship?"

She chuckled. "I know it sounds odd, but friendship has a lot of power in both this world and yours."

I considered this for a moment. "I suppose that makes sense. Y'know, in a general sort of way."

She shook her head. "No, I mean that Friendship is literally powerful."

Somehow, I froze even further. What did she mean by that? Literal power? And not just here, but in my world, too?

Then I remembered the last Friendship Games. While I wasn't actively participating, I remembered seeing lots of vine-things attacking the second event, and one of the CHS students – the rainbow-haired one, Rainbow Dash? – was flying around with wings, fighting them. I was so frightened that I'd spent the rest of the Games at home.

And suddenly, pieces clicked into place, and the already flimsy 'trained attack-plants' story shattered into a million pieces.

Fluttershy saw my shocked expression and asked, "Um, are you okay?"

I shook away the dizziness. "Just reconsidering some things I'd seen back home."

She looked me over for another moment before smiling, and we continued on.

Eventually, the trees thinned out enough to where I could see a small town in the distance. Tan houses with thatched roofs were arranged haphazardly around a gazebo-like Town Hall.

Oh, and there was also the gigantic, tree-like Castle made entirely of crystals. I suppose that's noteworthy, too.

My jaw hit the floor – not literally, but it wouldn't have surprised me with the way that today had been going – at the marvelous sight. It looked so real, yet not at all real at the same time. Just beyond it, I could make out the spires of a purple building sitting at the base of a mountain, and even further in the distance, a large city hung from the side of another mountain.

And yet, here was Fluttershy, acting as if this was a normal sight. Well, granted, it probably WAS normal for her, but she was still acting REALLY dismissive of it!

I prompted a response by asking, "So, what is this place?"

She turned back and smirked knowingly. "This is Ponyville."

The moment I stepped within the town limits, my senses were assaulted by a loud blast of candy-scented strips of paper being shot at my face. Instinctively, I leapt back, but my new quadrupedal figure couldn't perform what I intended, and I tripped onto my back.

Then suddenly, everything went pink.

"Ohmigosh, there's a new creature here! And he's a griffon, too! Ooh, I just know Gallus will want to meet him as soon as possible! C'mon, Fluttershy; let's bring him to the school!"

The timid mare tried to say something, but it was already too late; I was hoisted onto a strange-looking vehicle by a pink pony, and we were off.

The wind whipped at my face as we careened through Ponyville at speeds rivaling that of a car. I could vaguely see colorful ponies out and about as we zipped through the streets, but we always passed too quickly for me to make out any features.

Except, of course, for the pink pony pulling the wagon. Her hair was a textbook example of a rat's nest, curling every which way and littered with various candies. An image of 3 blue-and-yellow balloons adorned each hip, and the manic look in her light-blue eye as she glanced back at me told me that she wouldn't stop for ANYTHING.

So I resigned myself to simply cling to the back of the cart and scream.

Two terrifying minutes later, I flew forwards as the cart came to a sudden stop. I sailed through the air for a brief moment before my face plowed into the dirt, and I skidded to a stop.

The pink pony giggled. "Oops, sorry! I thought you were holding on."

I picked my face up and glared back at her. "I WAS."

She blinked. "Then you must not know how to hold on very well, because it should've been easy to stop yourself from flying off – especially with those sharp claws of yours!"

I groaned. "So, who are you, and why did you kidnap me?"

She giggled. "I'm Pinkie Pie, and I didn't kidnap you; I brought you to the School of Friendship!"

"The School of Friendship...?" I began to ask, but trailed off as I looked at where we were.

It was incredible! That purple building I'd seen earlier was sitting right in front of me! Now that I was closer, I could see more details, such as the emblem on the front door, the waterfalls on either side of that door, and the moat surrounding the building.

'Wait, if this is that purple building, then that means the Castle is...'

I turned around and immediately staggered back. The Castle of Friendship stood TOWERING above us, a lot more intimidating up-close.

My jaw hit the floor – LITERALLY this time – and Pinkie started giggling. "I know, isn't it great?! Now come on, let's find Gallus!"

Before I could even recompose myself, she'd slid under my body, picked me up onto her back, and began carrying me into the School.

I couldn't believe my eyes; the halls were filled with so many creatures! Of course, the majority was ponies of all colors, but there were other things there, such as dragons, what looked like yaks, bug-horse-thingies, odd ponies with lion's manes and giant horns...

And other griffons. It reassured me to see that I wasn't the only griffon around, but then I started to think: why WAS I a griffon? Why couldn't I have been a dragon, or a yak, or a bug-horse?

But not one of those lion-ponies. Their horns looked like giant d–

Before my mind could go any further into the gutter, Pinkie unceremoniously dumped me onto the ground in front of a blue-and-yellow griffon.

For some odd reason, he was looking at me with confused recognition.

The pink pony began, "Gallus, I'd like to introduce you to–"

"Graff?" Gallus interrupted, helping me up. "What're you doing here?"

I balked. How did he know my name? Why was he acting like we knew each other?

It was then that Fluttershy caught up to us, huffing and puffing. "Don't... do that... Pinkie!"

Pinkie chuckled abashedly. "Whoopsie. Sorry, Flutters; I was just so excited to introduce Gallus to Graff here, but it seems like they already know each other."

She looked confusedly between us all for a moment before she gasped. "Oh, I see! Gallus knows THIS world's Graff."

"THIS world's?" Both Gallus and I gawked.

She blushed. "I'll explain later."

Gallus looked like he wanted to press further, but relented.

Pinkie looked between Fluttershy and me, before she over-exaggeratedly gasped. "Ohh, RIGHT! Wow, this is so exciting! I haven't met someone that came here from over there before — well, except for the one time with the cruise ship, but that doesn't really count since I already knew them. How're you adjusting? Is it funner over there, or over here? Do you like it so much that you want to move here? Are you gonna visit Sugar Cube Corner every day? Or how about every other day? Every Friday? Every other–?"

Mercifully, Fluttershy stuck a hoof in the pink chatterbox's mouth. "He's just passing through," she explained simply. "We were actually headed to the Castle before you... found us."

Pinkie seemed to calm down (and by that, I mean that she dialed it back from 12 to 11 out of 5). "Oh, I see! Well, can I at least give you the welcoming that comes with my Welcome Wagon?"

I blinked. Was THAT what the vehicle I'd ridden was called? Welcome Wagon.... Ugh, puns; I hate them more than I hate bland colors.

But from the look in Pinkie's eyes, I could tell she wasn't going to take no for an answer – or if she was, it'd have repercussions that I wouldn't want to face. "Sure, why not?" I groused.

She practically exploded with energy as she cheered. Then, with an almost cartoonish motion, she dragged her cart inside and pressed a button on the side. Some small hatches opened, revealing various woodwinds and stringed instruments that began playing an energetic tune.

"Brace yourself," Gallus stage-whispered to me, and I gladly obliged.

♪Welcome welcome welcome
A fine welcome to you!
Welcome welcome welcome
I say "How do you do?"
Welcome welcome welcome
I shout, "Hip Hip Hooray!"
Welcome welcome welcome to Ponyville todaaay!♪

She slid onto her knees, and added a "Wait for it..." as the music began to wind down. When the last note played, an oven on the side of the wagon blasted open, spraying cake batter everywhere. The cannons on the back tried to fire a round of confetti, but only a small flicker of light came out.

Pinkie Pie fell into a laughing fit. "Oops, guess I accidentally put the ammunition in the oven instead of the cannons!"

I wiped cake off of my face. "How does that even happen?"

Fluttershy looked over the scene in front of her.

Then she started laughing, too.

Her laughter was so infectious that I couldn't help myself; I started laughing as well. Even Gallus joined in, and he seemed like he should've been 'too cool' to do so.

I took a glob of the cake batter and popped it into my mouth. While it had the aftertaste of used-up gunpowder, it was still rather delicious; it reminded me of candied pears.

Finally, Fluttershy wound her laughter down. "Alright, we really should be going. Bye, Pinkie Pie; Bye, Gallus."

Gallus waved as she began to leave. "See you in class, Professor Fluttershy. I can't wait to hear the story behind this one!"

I blinked. PROFESSOR Fluttershy? She's a teacher?!

I thought back to our encounters, and I realized that, in a way, that made sense. She was rather kind, like my teacher back in kindergarten.

I smiled as I got up and began walking after her. I may have only been here for an hour at most, but I was already starting to like this place.

Author's Note

Edit (2/23/2024): Changed one of Pinkie's lines to account for the Spring Breakdown special.

Chapter 4: Time Flies

The Castle of Friendship was even prettier on the inside than the outside. I didn't think that was possible, and yet, here we were.

Fluttershy navigated the corridors as if she knew them by heart, eventually leading us into a small bedroom. There were kites by a nightstand, a desk in the corner, framed pictures of crossed-out equal signs (I didn't think to ask), and a bookshelf stood tall next to a coat rack.

Oh, and there was a pinkish-purple pony sitting atop the bed, looking through some papers.

She looked up at us and smiled. "Hey, Fluttershy. Who's your friend?"

Fluttershy immediately cut to the chase: "Hi, Starlight. This is Graff, and he's a human who found a natural portal here."

Her smile disappeared. "I see," she stated simply, getting off of the bed. "Alright, let me contact Sunset Shimmer really quickly."

I looked up at the mention of the name. "Sunset Shimmer? I recognize that name..." She was, after all, one of the most talked-about CHS students amongst the Crystal Prep students while I was there.

Starlight smiled. "Well, then we shouldn't have any trouble getting her to help you get home."

I nodded, feeling oddly optimistic. What could possibly–

"Something's gonna go terribly wrong, isn't it?" Starlight asked in a deadpan.

Fluttershy and I nodded. "Probably."

And go wrong it did.

Turns out that Equestria and Earth don't share a time zone (that explained why it was day here when it was night there), which meant that A) Sunset Shimmer was asleep, and B) the busses wouldn't be running until morning (not that it mattered, considering the fact that I didn't have my bus pass or money with me while I was jogging). Add that to the fact that Starlight's portal led to Canterlot High, over a mile away from my house, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

"Now what'll we do?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

Starlight thought for a minute before having an idea. "Well, we'll want to see the portal you came through at some point anyways. Why not head back through there?"

"I would if I could," I explained, "but when I came through, I immediately tumbled down a hill and into a river, and I lost track of where it was."

Fluttershy blinked. "Oh, is THAT all? I can just ask the nearby animals if they saw anything!"

I stared at her. So, not only was she a flying and talking horse, but she could also talk to animals? What's next, is she also friends with the ruler of this world?

She's also friends with the ruler of this world, isn't she?

"So it's settled, then," Starlight determined. "We'll find the portal you came through, and get you back through it before it closes again."

Suddenly, Fluttershy blurted out, "Wait! I mean, we still have some time left before that happens... I thought maybe I could show Graff around town?"

Starlight blinked. "Well, I suppose we'll need some time to locate the river in the first place... If he's up for it, then sure."

The yellow mare nearly leapt with joy. "Whaddya say, Graff?"

I shrugged, playing it cool. "Sure, why not?"

Honestly, I didn't mind it all too much. This place may have been strange to me, but it was also just so warm and inviting! I figured a couple more hours here wouldn't be so bad.

Fluttershy squealed with delight, "Great! Then follow me; I know exactly where to go!" With that, she began to lead me somewhere fun.

Who knew that Fluttershy liked trivia? I never would've guessed it, yet there we were, at an event called "Trivia Trot". Fluttershy and her teammate, a brown pony with an hourglass symbol on his flank (I'd learned they were called "Cutie Marks"), were leading the pack throughout most of the game. I cheered from the sideline as they continued to answer questions, inadvertently giving me more information about this world.

How many types of ponies are there? Four: Earth Pony, Pegasus, Unicorn, and Alicorn.

Who is depicted as a statue in the Crystal Empire? Spike the Brave and Glorious.

What is the name of the holiday Changelings celebrate during Spring? Gourd-Fest.

Did I know what half of these things were? Nope!

But regardless, I devoured these tidbits of information as if they were cupcakes.

I devoured the cupcakes as though they were tidbits of information. My taste buds danced under the explosion of flavors like cinnamon, strawberry, and vanilla. "Mmm," I moaned pleasurably, "These are some of the best cupcakes I've ever had!"

Pinkie was grinning ear-to-ear. "I'm glad you like 'em!"

Fluttershy, who was also having a cupcake, smiled. "These are extra good today, Pinkie!"

Pinkie blushed. "Aw, you're too kind; I was just trying out one of my pie recipes in cupcake form, that's all..."

Fluttershy nodded, "Because of Dashie, right?"

Pinkie nodded, perhaps a bit TOO proudly. "Yep!"

Fluttershy must've noticed my confused look, because she quickly explained, "Our friend Rainbow Dash doesn't like pies, so Pinkie's trying to work around that."

I looked at her for a moment, but could find no hint of deception, so I opted to just drop it.

"So," I asked in-between activities, "you said something earlier about a 'This world's me'?"

"Oh, that. Well, how do I explain this...?" She twiddled her hooves in a manner analogous to how a human might nervously twirl their hands, then she explained, "So, the way Twilight and Starlight make it sound, the two dimensions are counterparts. This means that, for every pony here, there's a human variant of us over in your world."

I blinked at the first name. "Wait, 'Twilight' says it? As in, Twilight Sparkle? As in, the honors student that transferred to Canterlot High a while ago?"

Fluttershy bobbed her head side-to-side. "That's what I mean. Your world has a Twilight Sparkle, and so does ours. Likewise, your world has you, and our world has its own Graff."

I nodded, mind racing at the thought of there being another version of myself.

But I pushed that aside for the moment. "What's this world's Twilight like?"

"She's essentially the same," she waved a hoof dismissively, "even if the events in her life are different. Oh, except for the fact that our Twilight is the Princess of Equestria."

My jaw, for the third time that day, fell agape. "Holy crap, you're really friends with the ruler of Equestria?"

She nodded. "We knew her before she became a Princess, back when she moved here to Ponyville."

"Why am I surprised?" I mumbled to myself, unsure of how to feel that my off-handed prediction had actually been correct.

Then I blinked. "Wait, 'became a Princess'?"

"Long story..."

"Alright," Gallus repeated, "Let's try this one more time."

I nodded, then began to focus. My wings flared out, and I began to flap them up and down. I could feel the growing breeze they stirred up as I slowly gained lift.

Eventually, that lift overcame gravity, and I actually rose about six inches! I stayed airborne for about 5 seconds before I slowed back down, gently landing on the ground once more.

Gallus patted my back. "Great work, man! At this rate, you might actually be able to fly a few feet before the end of the day!"

Fluttershy concurred, "I've never seen anyone learn so quickly!"

I beamed. "Well, I've got some of the best teachers I could ask for."

Fluttershy's face reddened. "Oh, th-thank you, but I'm really not a great flyer; my friend Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof..."

Gallus pshawed. "Don't sell yourself short, Professor. You may not be a fast flyer, but you're certainly graceful about it, and you're more energy-efficient than anypony I've met!"

Fluttershy and I gawked at Gallus's unfettered compliment.

He raised an eyebrow. "What? I just call it like it is."

Eventually, Starlight tracked us down. "Alright," she began, "I got some pegasi to scan the forest near Fluttershy's Cottage, and we found two different rivers. If you would, could you please come with and identify the one you fell into?"

I nodded solemnly. "I suppose it's time, then."

Fluttershy looked forlorn, but she made no attempt to argue. With that, we began to head back towards the forest.

Chapter 5: Return to Earth

After I identified the correct river, it took a while to walk back upstream to where I'd washed up. Fluttershy quickly found some animals that had seen what happened, and with their help, we were able to locate the portal. On my side, it may have been in a tree, but over here, it was an exposed rock face.

"Well," I began, "I suppose this is it..."

"Yep," Starlight nodded, "Once we've come through and seen where the portal is in your world, we'll go our separate ways."

Fluttershy let out an excited giggle. "I've never actually been to the other world! Now I'll know how you feel! Except, you know, in reverse."

I looked at her, letting out a happy smirk. The way she acted – getting excited over little things, her kind heart, and her soft-spoken nature – was just so cute. If only she weren't a pony...

I shook my head to clear those thoughts. I moved in front of the portal and took a deep breath, before–

Starlight blocked me with a hoof. "Just a tip: try and breathe normally while going through. Holding your breath only amplifies the migraines."

I nodded, releasing the puff of air. She retracted her hoof, and with a moment of hesitation, I stepped through.

I stumbled out of the portal on all fours, disoriented from the travel (though thankfully, not nearly as badly as the first time). Looking down at myself, I was relieved to find my body was human once more. Not only that, but I was back in my jogging outfit, and my phone was, thankfully, lying on the ground next to the tree. "Thank goodness nobody stole it..."

Hoisting myself onto my unsteady legs, I looked around the park. The first signs of dawn were just starting to peek over the horizon, and only now did I realize just how tired I was.

The portal shimmered behind me, and two more bodies plopped out. I turned and gaped.

Starlight and Fluttershy were here, and they were humans.

Starlight's attire was rather surprising. Her mint-streaked purple hair was spilling out of a starry magenta beanie, her mint-green shirt was covered by an opened black vest, she had a watch with her Cutie Mark on it, her grey jeans were ripped in several places, and her boots were gray with hot-pink Velcro straps. Overall, it wasn't bad; a solid 7/10.

But Fluttershy...

I barely kept my jaw from dropping at the angel that was right in front of me. Her shy yet kind demeanor had carried over flawlessly, her long pink hair falling over her face despite the presence of a butterfly-shaped barrette. Her white tank top was simple, but it contrasted greatly with her grass-green skirt. A translucent pink ribbon hemmed the skirt, and her green knee-high boots went well with her pink socks.

Fluttershy blinked, lifting herself off the ground with her fists (kinda like hooves, I noted). She looked around, taking in everything around her. When her teal eyes landed on me, she gasped. "Graff? Is that you?"

I nodded absent-mindedly, still entranced by her beauty.

She looked to herself, experimenting with her new appendages (wiggling her fingers, curling her toes, etc.). "Wow... I've heard descriptions of humans, but this... This is so weird..."

Starlight came to and immediately stood up, adjusting far quicker than I expected. I blinked at this, then remembered that she had her own portal, meaning she's probably been here before.

"You doing alright, Fluttershy?" Starlight asked her friend, grabbing her by the hand and helping her stand.

Fluttershy's balance wobbled, but she soon got the hang of standing. "Yeah, I'm fine. So, this is 'Earth'?"

When I nodded in affirmation, Starlight giggled to herself. "Y'know, It's kinda funny that you call this place 'Earth'; back in Equestria, 'earth' means 'dirt'."

I eyed her confusedly. "But it means that here, too."

Starlight blinked. Then she frowned. "Well, then, why would you name your planet after it?!"

"Because it's made of dirt...?" I retorted, even unsure of it myself.

She went to counter, but found nothing. "Okay, I'll give you that."

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was looking around. "It's a lot greener than you made it sound!"

I rubbed my neck nervously. "Well, this is –"

But Starlight covered my mouth with a hand while Fluttershy was distracted looking at a tree. "Shh, let her have this..."

I nodded.

Eventually, Fluttershy calmed down, and Starlight asked, "So, where is this place in relation to Canterlot High? Sunset will want to see this portal."

I used my phone to look at a map of the place, zooming out until both here and Canterlot High were in view. She examined the map, then gave a thumbs-up. "Alright, I've got it memorized; I'll draw it later. Thank you."

I smiled in appreciation, turning off the phone.

Then my expression turned forlorn. "So, I guess this is goodbye, then?"

Starlight and Fluttershy dropped back to their hands and knees. "I'm afraid so," Starlight affirmed solemnly. "This portal will be closing in a little bit. Please try and continue your life as normal, and don't mention this to anyone who doesn't already know; I don't want any-creature to think you're crazy, okay?"

I nodded sadly. "I'm guessing that means that I'm not allowed to come back..."

Starlight looked to Fluttershy for a second, before a devilish smile graced her face. "I suppose that, when the portal opens again in 30 moons, we wouldn't mind if you dropped by for a visit."

My face brightened. "Really!?"

Fluttershy smiled her sweet smile. "I'd love to get to know you better."

My heart fluttered at this, and I practically leapt for joy. "I can't wait!"

The two girls smiled. Then they turned towards the tree and, with one last parting wave, went back through the portal.

I sat there, keeping an eye on the portal until it eventually closed with a shimmering 'pop'! I reached out my hand, and it met solid bark.

Sighing, I got up and started back towards my apartment.

Chapter 6: Meeting Rainbooms

I sat in my small studio apartment the next day, mindlessly watching the news (apparently, a major economical crisis was narrowly averted while I was gone) and snacking on some potato chips. Rain lightly drizzled outside, setting the ambiance perfectly.

Yet despite it all, the shallow rushes of dopamine just weren't the same.

Maybe it was because I was starting to miss Equestria? Maybe it was because I knew that there was so much I was missing out on, in that other world? Whatever the reason was, it had me in a pretty bad funk.

No longer interested in it, I turned the TV off and began to browse my social media feed. There were some messages from my friends, a few jokes from accounts I followed...

Curious, I searched for Sunset Shimmer. At first glance, her page was pretty normal; she was just a teenager in a band called the Rainbooms.

That is, until I scrolled deep into her history, to before she joined them.

There were some vague messages about lunar cycles, a few pictures of her and her ex-boyfriend...

...and the first message she posted, a picture of the Wondercolts statue outside of CHS. The caption read "Can't go back."

Odd.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. Steeling myself, I opened a private chat room with Sunset and began to type.

If I couldn't go back for another 30 moons, then the least I could do was hear about how they were doing.

Later that Day...

I sat inside a small Café near Canterlot High School, sipping on a raspberry smoothie with extra whipped cream (they didn't have my usual, so I had to settle). The sun had come out, but the air still smelled of rain, and passerby still carried their umbrellas just in case.

Then in walked Sunset Shimmer, dressed in a purple raincoat and carrying an orange umbrella, a large single-strap bag, and a guitar case.

I waved to her from my seat, and she came over, sitting down across from me. "You must be Graff, right?" she began. "I'm Sunset Shimmer."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I replied.

Sunset nodded courteously.

Then, after looking over her shoulders to make sure nobody was listening, her face became serious as she dropped the façade. "So, my friend Starlight has told me a lot about you..."

I nodded. "Yeah, I sorta stumbled into her."

Without warning, she grabbed my wrist, and her eyes glowed white for a moment. It wasn't very long, but I still noticed it.

When they stopped glowing, she was bewildered. "I... I don't believe it..."

"You and me both," I exclaimed, taking a stab at what she was referring to, "I mean, an entire other dimens–"

She clasped a hand over my mouth, stopping my rant before it could get started. "No, I mean that I can't believe you didn't go there on purpose."

I pushed her hand away, raising an eyebrow. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

She sighed, ruminating over something. "It's just that, every other person I've met who's experienced this stuff has turned power-mad...."

I nearly choked on my drink. "Power mad?"

She waved a hand as she explained, "Y'know, trying to take all the magic and use it for their own purposes? Usually, it ends up turning them into some sort of monster that my friends and I have to take down."

I blinked, wanting to change the subject immediately. "So, uhm, what was that whole thing with the touching, and the glowing eyes?"

"Oh, that?" She blushed. "That was just me reading your memories."

My eyes widened considerably. "Wha...?"

She toyed with the gem on the necklace she was wearing. "This gem gives me that power."

Slowly processing, I nodded. "Uh-huh.... So... WHY did you read my memories...?"

She put her hand on her forehead. "I was trying to see whatever ulterior motives you're keeping in there, but you're not scheming, or deceiving, or anything!"

I sucked in my cheek in confusion. "But isn't that a good thing?"

"Well, yeah! It's just... I don't know how to deal with this. From what I can glean, you're a good person – even if you went to Crystal Prep."

I blinked, momentarily taken aback by her knowledge of my alma mater, before realizing: Of course she'd know that, she LITERALLY just read my memories!

Wow, what a weird sentence....

She reached into her bag and pulled out a book. "When I got Starlight's message, I assumed you must've been acting in order to get on her good side, but now..."

I couldn't stand it anymore; I reached over and grabbed her hands with mine. "Sunset, I don't know what others have done, or what you've gone through, but I do know this: I would never jeopardize anyone for my own selfish gains. Not over here, or over there."

'Never again,' I added in my head.

She stared at my self-assured expression, silently bewildered for a good while.

Then she donned a hesitant smile. "Okay, I believe you."

I smiled, letting go of her and sitting back down.

I finished my drink as she wrote back a reply, then stuck the book back into her bag.

Then she stood up and started gathering her things. "Well, it's been interesting meeting you, and I'm sorry for baselessly assuming malintent, but I really should be going; my friends are waiting for me at band practice."

I nodded, sad that we hadn't actually talked about anything.

Then, I had an idea: "Mind if I tag along and watch?"

She looked genuinely surprised. "You wanna see us practice, even after how I acted?"

I shrugged. "I don't really have to work until tomorrow. Besides, it'd give us some more time to talk."

She paused, then smiled slightly. "Alright, lemme just text them to let them know."

I nodded, "Do what you need to do."

Soon, I found myself standing in front of Canterlot High School for the first time since the Friendship Games. It looked almost identical, except that the Wondercolts Statue was missing the... well, the statue part.

"What happened there?" I asked, pointing to the broken sculpture.

She pshawed, "Long story short, Equestrian Magic happened."

I looked back up at the statue and nodded, still confused. "Okay...?"

Sunset quickly turned my attention away from it, ushering me through the front doors of the school.

We walked through the crowded halls for a bit, until we reached the music room. I hesitated for a moment, but Sunset strolled in with a chipper, "Hey girls, we're here."

Immediately, we were swarmed by six teenage girls. The first one was a blonde with a Stetson; the second one I assumed was this world's Pinkie Pie, based on her hair and all the confetti she was throwing everywhere; the third was the rainbow-haired girl I assumed was Rainbow Dash; the fourth was a pale woman with curled purple hair; the fifth I recognized as Twilight Sparkle, seeing as she was a classmate for a while; and the last one...

I stopped dead in my tracks. The sixth one was this world's Fluttershy.

And oh boy, was she cute.

"You must be the guy Sunset mentioned," Fluttershy greeted me. "I'm Fluttershy."

I nodded absently. "Uh-huh..."

She looked at me with concern, then looked around, and started fidgeting nervously. "I-I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

I snapped out of my catatonic state and quickly defended, "No, no, it's not that; it's just... You remind me of someone I recently met."

She seemed to calm down at that. "Oh, okay...."

"So," Rainbow Dash approached casually, "What brings you here, exactly?"

My face flushed red. "Well, y-you see..."

Thankfully, Sunset jumped in. "I invited him! I just met him for lunch today, and he had a really interesting story to tell."

The woman in the hat stepped forward. "What kinda story?" she asked scrupulously.

"Is it about a guy who falls through a portal into Equestria and can't find it again, making friends as he tries to get back home, but when he finally does, he starts missing Equestria?" Pinkie piped up out of the blue.

Sunset and I were bewildered. "How the hay do you always do that, Pinkie?" Sunset asked.

"Isekai is my favorite kind of anime," she replied, which still didn't answer the question, but alright.

One by one, the group's eyes widened as they processed what had just been said, and they began to stare at me in disbelief. I shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

The purple-haired one was first to speak. "So, you stumbled upon another portal to Equestria?"

I nodded sheepishly, withering under their gazes.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward. "That... is SO AWESOME!"

I gaped in disbelief as they gathered around me, excitedly asking questions about my experiences.

Sunset butted in, "Alright, girls, there'll be time for that later. Right now, he's just a normal guy that wanted to tag along to our practice."

The Stetson-wearing one raised an eyebrow, still a little suspicious. "An' why's that?"

Rainbow added, "Other than the fact that we're awesome?"

I shrugged. "I mean, I've got nothing better to do."

That seemed to satisfy them. With all the questions out of the way, they introduced themselves. The hat-wearing one was Applejack, the purple-haired girl was Rarity, and I already knew the other 4.

Sunset nodded, picking up a rhythm guitar. "Okay, enough of that. Let's get to practicing!"

With that, they picked up their instruments and began to play.

And as they played a song about reuniting to be better than ever, I began to feel something I hadn't realized I was missing.

I felt contentment. I felt comfortable, like I belonged.

I felt home.

Chapter 7: Light As A Feather

It was the first Friday after I'd returned, and I was eating a bagel, when I received a text from Sunset. I opened it, then froze when I saw the contents.

"Graff, Starlight just wrote to me. We need you to get back over to Equestria, and stat!"

I typed back, "But won't the portal be closed for a long time?"

After a moment, Sunset replied, "Don't worry; we have a work-around. Meet me at CHS's Wondercolts Statue as quickly as you can."

I quickly scarfed down the rest of my food and high-tailed it out the door.

I managed to catch a bus to Canterlot High, and arrived in a timely fashion. Sunset was standing at the base of the statue, her journal in hand, and a worried look on her face.

I crossed the street from the bus stop and reached her. "What's going on, Sunset?"

She flipped to the most recent page of the journal and shook her head. "I don't know; she just said she needs you over there soon!"

I looked at the message, and raised an eyebrow. "That just says 'I can't wait to see him again'..."

Sunset blinked as she reread the message. Her cheeks grew red, and she smiled awkwardly. "Oh, geez. Sorry, I guess I'm a bit on edge; nothing's happened lately, and I'm just paranoid something's gonna go wrong."

I looked at her, then chuckled a bit. "That's okay; you're just being cautious."

She closed the book. "Sorry for making you come all the way here for nothing."

I thought for a moment. "Actually, it's a good thing you called me over."

That elicited her to raise an eyebrow. "It is?"

I nodded. "I was sorta starting to miss them, too."

She looked incredulously at me, the book, and the Statue. "Are you suggesting...?"

"I mean, if it's okay with them," I clarified.

She thought for a moment, then reopened the book and wrote a short message. After a few moments, a reply came through, and she smirked. "I think they wouldn't mind."

I couldn't help but grin broadly. "Oh, thank you, thank you!"

She stepped aside, gesturing to the Statue.

I blinked. "That's a portal?"

She nodded.

"Cool."

We waved to each other, then I stepped back into Equestria.

"Graff!" was the first thing I heard as I came through the other side of the portal. My head spinning, I collapsed onto all fours, my body now back in its griffon form.

Starlight Glimmer ran up to me and gave me a welcoming hug. "It's so good to see you again!"

I shook off the dizziness and replied, "Same to you, too."

Starlight chuckled nervously, "Sorry about the scare back there."

"No worries," I brushed it off.

After regaining my quadrupedal bearings, we walked down a few hallways, eventually reaching the exit.

"So, what do you want to do?" Starlight asked as we looked over Ponyville.

I shrugged, barely keeping my excitement in check. "You're the local expert; what do you recommend?"

She thought for a moment before smirking. "I think I have an idea..."

I stared down at the clouds.

Yes, I wrote that correctly; I stared DOWN at the CLOUDS.

Before today, the only time I could've said that sentence would be if I were in a plane or hot air balloon or something. But now, although we'd used a hot air balloon to get up here, it was no longer the thing holding us up here.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Starlight asked as she finished casting a cloud-walking spell on herself.

I stared at the clouds beneath me, utterly transfixed at the sight. Back when I was a kid, I'd occasionally dreamed of walking on clouds.

Well, good news for you, younger me.

"I–I can't believe it, I'm walking on a cloud!" My excitement broke out as a series of elated whoops and hollers as I relapsed back to two legs, tried to prance around, flopped onto my face, and giggled at the sensation of the clouds on it. "This is the best day of my life!!"

Starlight chuckled, stepping out of the balloon. "Glad you like it. I remember my first time walking on a cloud, back when I was a teen; pure bliss."

I rolled over to my back, letting my wings spread out reflexively. "You said it! This has been a dream of mine since I was a child, but I never thought I'd get to live it!"

She laid down next to me. "I'm still surprised that the clouds in your world are so different from ours. How do you even live without knowing what the weather's gonna be like, down to the minute?"

I shrugged. "We sorta just deal with it. Although the change between weather conditions is more gradual than it is here, so that helps us prepare."

Starlight nodded. "I suppose that makes sense...."

We both lay there for a while, staring up at the open skies.

Then Starlight got up. "Alright, I think that's enough for right now. There's so much to do in Ponyville, and so little time!"

I sighed, but got up as well. We began to walk back to the balloon.

Then I got an idea. "You go on ahead, Starlight; I wanna try something."

Starlight paused and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I responded by flexing my wings. She looked hesitant, but backed up after a moment.

Alright, moment of truth. Did the things Gallus taught me stick, or would I end up face-first in the dirt?

I spread open my wings and adjusted my stance, ready for takeoff. After taking note of the wind, I let my wings flap down powerfully, taking off into the air. I was rather wobbly at first, but I eventually found a stable pattern.

Starlight cheered, "Way to go, Graff!"

I chuckled joyously, "I'm doing it! I'm flying! I'm–!"

Then a stray bird flew by, a foot away from my face. In that moment of surprise, my wings lost their rhythm, and I began to tumble out of the sky.

Starlight gasped, then used her magic to grab me before I could fall too far. She brought me back over to the cloud and asked, "Are you okay?"

I panted, "Y'know what, I think I'll take the balloon down."

Chapter 8: Royally Uncomfortable

However, before we could reach our destination, Starlight was caught off-guard when a scroll magically appeared in front of her head.

"What the–" I nearly blurted out, but quickly stopped. 'Equestrian Magic,' I reminded myself, 'Equestrian Magic.'

Starlight, confused at the arrival of the scroll, unfurled it in her magic and began reading. Seconds later, she gasped. "Princess Twilight wants to see you immediately, Graff!"

I gawked for a moment. The Princess of Equestria wanted to see me?!

Then my eyes narrowed. "Wait, are you sure you're not misinterpreting the letter, like Sunset did?"

In response, she moved the scroll so that I could read it.

Nope, she was correct. Freak-out time.

"Wha-wha-why does the Princess of Equestria want to see me?! How does she even know I'm here!?"

Starlight shook her head, "I don't know, but we'd better get over there. It's not nice to leave her waiting, after all."

I took in a breath. "Okay, at least I'll have some–"

And suddenly, in a flash of light from Starlight's horn, we were inside the entrance hall to some castle.

"–preparation time..." I trailed off as I registered what'd just happened.

Starlight, realizing what I was saying, mouthed an 'Oh...', but before she could do anything, a nearby door opened. From the other side of it came a small purple dragon, carrying several scrolls and whistling.

As he passed, he glanced over, nonchalantly said, "Hey, Starlight; hey, new guy I don't know," and kept walking.

It took a clearing of Starlight's throat to get Spike to take a second look. "Wait, 'new guy I don't know'? Who are you?"

I was still in a catatonic state from having been teleported directly into a Princess's Castle, so Starlight answered, "This is Graff, and he's visiting from the human world."

Spike jumped, dropping all the parchments he was carrying. "What!? Does Twilight know?!"

"Actually, she asked to meet him personally, and that's why we're here," explained the pinkish-purple unicorn.

"Well then, what're you waiting for!?" Spike quickly moved behind us and began pushing us towards the door he'd come from. "Go in and see her already!"

The sudden movement jostling me out of my shocked stupor, I panicked, "N-n-no, I'm not ready! I'm gonna mess this up for sure, I just know it!"

Starlight pshawed, "Relax, Graff! Twilight's chill; she won't care if it isn't perfect."

Spike went to say something, but Starlight covered his mouth with a hoof.

And so, without further delay, we were scooted into the Throne Room.

The first thing I noticed was the serious amount of construction work happening. Three of the four walls were lined top-to-bottom with scaffolding, supporting unicorns that worked efficiently to repair... Something, I wasn't entirely sure what'd happened to warrant this much construction.

And standing in the middle of the room, managing the construction efforts, was a lavender pony with dark blue hair, wings, and a horn.

I gawked. So that's Twilight? Honestly, she looks less like the 'Ruler-Of-A-Country' type, and more like the 'Principal-Of-A-School' type.

"...and the Nightmare Moon Stained Glass Window should be third from the throne on the south side," she was telling one of the contractors. She wasn't holding anything in her magic or otherwise, so she must've memorized the blueprints or such. Impressive, if I do say so myself.

Spike finished pushing us forward, called out "Twilight, you have visitors!", and retreated back into the hallway (presumably to resume whatever he was doing when we arrived).

Twilight turned, caught sight of us, and her perky exterior somehow grew even perkier. "Starlight, welcome! I see you brought our guest." She teleported the distance between herself and Starlight, giving her a friendly hug.

"Good to see you, too, Twilight," Starlight smiled, then broke off the hug. She addressed me, "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"I-I-I'm Graff Gribble. It's, um, it's an honor to, er, meet you," I stuttered, forcing an awkward bow that nearly caused me to fall over (still not fully used to the whole 'quadruped' thing yet).

The Princess giggled, "Graff, you don't need to act so formal; I may be ruler of Equestria, but I'm still just a pony."

I blinked, then moved to point out the flaw in her logic, but she beat me to it: "It's just a figure of speech, Graff; I know you're not used to ponies yet."

I took in a few deep breaths, but couldn't get over my nerves. Looking for something to get my mind off it, I let my eyes wander around the room. "So, uh," I began, "what's with all the construction?"

Twilight sighed. "We're still rebuilding the Castle after the last attack."

I gulped, "A-attack?"

Twilight nodded. "Thankfully, we've taken care of the perpetrators."

I looked around again, eyes wide. "Who could've possibly caused this?!"

Starlight filled me in, "Three creatures that hated us – a shape-shifter, a Centaur, and a school-age pegasus – got access to some incredibly powerful magic, and attacked all at once."

I blinked. "Wait, a child was part of it?"

She nodded. "Cozy Glow may have seemed sweet and innocent, but she was one of the best manipulators I've ever seen – maybe even better than me, and I brainwashed a town!"

Excuse me, what?

Twilight, reading my increasingly frightened expression, quickly stepped in. "But! Starlight's learned the error of her ways, and has already made up for her mistakes twice over by now."

I calmed down a bit at that, though I still subtly moved to put some distance between us. Just in case.

"But enough about us," Twilight moved to steer the topic back to something positive, "tell us about you! What's your life like? How'd you end up here? And what do you think of your time here so far?"

I shook my head to get the paranoid thoughts out of it. "Well, I suppose I live a normal enough life; I rent an apartment, sell art online for a living, recently graduated from Crystal Prep Academy..."

Twilight blinked. "I think Sunset told me about that school once; isn't it supposedly full of snotty rich kids?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, more often than not. But we're not ALL bad; my world's Twilight, for example, used to go there. I think she initially got in because her brother's dating the dean or something, I dunno; her incredible grades were what allowed her to stay until she transferred."

Twilight blinked. "Is the dean Cadence?"

I nodded.

"That sounds about right."

I chuckled at her bluntness. "Yeah, well, anyways, I only got in because I got a scholarship with my art."

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "It's that impressive, huh?"

I couldn't help myself; I puffed out my chest feathers a bit. "Well, I'm no Picasso, but I like to think I've got skill."

She smirked mischievously at me, and I started to get a sinking feeling. Her horn lit up, and she summoned forth a notepad and a pencil. "Why don't you show us, then?"

I faltered, "W-well, I would, but I'm not exactly in the right, er, state to do it – y'know, physically, what with the species transformation?"

Starlight, catching on to Twilight's game, played. "Oh, nonsense; if anything, a claw is more dexterous than a hand."

I looked anxiously around, finding no escape from the corner I'd backed myself into. "Alright, fine," I finally acquiesced, taking the drawing resources from Twilight's magical grip. "What should I draw?"

Twilight thought for a moment, before replying, "How about you draw your human self?"

I blinked. Really, she wants me to draw that? I know myself like... Well, myself! "Challenge accepted!"

"Argh, why won't it turn out the way I want it!?" I screamed in frustration as I balled up the fifth failed drawing, tossing it into the pile with the others.

Twilight and Starlight were now looking on with concern. "They really weren't that bad, Graff," Starlight reasoned, "I should know; I've actually seen your human self."

I grunted out, "But it's not perfect!"

Twilight began, "I've struggled with obsessing over being perfect bef–"

"I'm not obsessed!" I snapped back, then turned back to the pad and, once again, began to sketch out the rough outline.

"Wow," Twilight whispered to Starlight, "do I really get like this?"

Starlight chuckled sardonically, "Nah, your freak-outs are much more cartoonish."

Author's Note

Edit (2/23/2024): Corrected Dean Cadance's title.

Chapter 9: Heart Flutters

"Does every-creature see the spider on my desk?" Fluttershy asked her class. When the students all nodded, she continued, "Good. Now, on a scrap of paper, I want you all to write down the first word that comes to mind when you see it, then pass them all forward."

The students took a moment to write down their thoughts. Once they were done, they passed the papers to the front row, where Fluttershy collected them.

"Let's see here," Fluttershy began to leaf through the papers. "We've got 'hairy', 'small', 'arthropod' (I'll bet that's Ocellus's), 'web', a–"

Her eyes widened when she saw the next one. "Umm, who wrote 'trauma'?"

One of the students, a white pegasus with light blue hair, raised a shaky hoof. "I did, Professor Fluttershy."

Fluttershy stepped forward, a concerned look on her face. "Sky Daze, why did you choose the word 'trauma'?"

"Well," the pegasus began twiddling her hooves, "when I was a filly, I got lost in the Everfree Forest, and stumbled upon a whole cluster of Star Spiders. I was so scared that I didn't stop running until I tripped over a root. Thankfully, Zecora found me, but I'll never forget that day..."

Fluttershy wrapped a comforting wing around the mare. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Sky."

The Professor then turned to address the class. "I was hoping to use this exercise to show how unique everyone is, but the lesson that's presented itself here seems much more important."

Yona nodded. "Yona used to be scared of spiders, but Tree of Harmony helped show Yona that spiders can be friends, too."

Sky glanced at the spider on Fluttershy's desk, and shuddered. "I know, I know, but... I just don't think I can get past it. I'm sorry, Professor Fluttershy; I just can't forget it."

"And that's perfectly fine," Fluttershy cooed. "I know first-hoof how something can be so scary that it stops you from doing new things. Sometimes, these things can't be helped."

It was at that moment that the bell rang, and the class began to pack up their things. "We'll continue this discussion on Monday! Have a good weekend!" Fluttershy whisper-shouted as the students left.

She turned to head back to her desk, but the sound of clapping grabbed her attention. She turned around, and gasped when she saw me standing in the doorway, applauding her.

"Outstanding work, Professor Fluttershy," I complimented. "I can certainly see why you were chosen for the job."

"Graff!?" She squeaked, rushing over to grab me in a hug. "Oh my goodness! What're you doing here?"

"Twilight wanted to meet me," I half-lied, then admitted, "and I thought I'd drop by while I was in the area."

"Well, it's good to see you," she smiled, before breaking off the hug and returning to her desk. "I wish I could stay and chat, but I really need to get to Sweet Feathers Sanctuary and make sure the volunteers are all set."

I piped up, "Hey, could I possibly help?"

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to spend your visit doing work?"

I shrugged. "Well, it wasn't what I'd pictured, but I wouldn't refuse an opportunity to help. Besides, that 'Sweet Feathers Sanctuary' place sounds interesting."

She chuckled, "Well, aren't you quite the gentlegriff– er, gentleman? Alright, I'll see if I can find you something to do."

I nodded. "Thank you, Fluttershy; you won't regret this."

One look at the scope of Sweet Feathers Sanctuary, with its large variety of animals, made me realize that it wasn't HER that'd be at risk of regretting this.

Fluttershy noticed my slack-jawed expression as I stared at the establishment. "Impressive, huh? Yeah, I can still barely believe that the place turned out even better than I'd envisioned it."

I shook myself out of the shocked state and asked, "Wait, you envisioned the place? I thought you were just the manager or something."

She nodded. "It'd always been a dream of mine to make a place where animals could come and go as they please, and get the care they deserve while staying there. Sweet Feathers Sanctuary is the end result."

"Well, I'll be..." I muttered, absolutely floored.

Fluttershy smiled as she began walking towards the main area, where four volunteers were waiting. I quickly picked myself up and followed.

"Hey, Fluttershy," they all greeted chipperly.

"Hi, every-creature. I'm glad you all could make it today. I'd like you all to meet our newest volunteer: Graff."

I waved a claw. "Hey, everyone."

One of them, a pale purple part-pony part-eagle with light blue hair, rushed forward. "Hey, I saw you around the School! I'm Silverstream, and I make sure the animals are physically healthy."

I offered a claw, then yelped as she vigorously shook it. "Nice to meet you, too."

The second, a light green Earth Pony with mauve dreadlocks, stepped forward. "My name is Tree Hugger, and I work with animals on an emotional level. It's nice to meet someone with, like, such an interesting aura."

'Aura'? I didn't like the sound of that. But I kept up face and replied, "Nice to meet you, too..."

The third, a reddish-black bug-pony, nodded. "Hey, I'm Mandy. I mostly just document what animals come and go."

I gawked at the strangely vibrant creature. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?"

He chuckled. "Don't get out much, huh?"

I blushed, "I'm not really from around here..."

He nodded. "Well, to answer your question, I'm a re-formed Changeling. We use magic to transform our appearance, and we feed on love. Although, now that we share love through Friendship, we hardly need to actively feed anymore."

I blinked, processing all of this. He's a shape-shifter that feeds on love? A small part of my mind was upset that I was a Griffon instead of a Changeling.

But all I could say was, "Huh, whaddya know? I guess that's just more proof of Friendship's power."

"That's why there's a school for it," the last volunteer, a light green Earth Pony with wavy green hair, pointed out from the back of the group. "Hi, I'm Wallflower Blush. I'm in charge of maintaining the flora, as well as general cleaning."

I blinked, vaguely recognizing the name from an intercom announcement that happened during one of my visits to Canterlot High. But she didn't need to know that. "Nice to meet you."

She nodded, then continued to do whatever she was doing before she spoke up.

Fluttershy looked over the list of tasks, eventually finding something suitable for me. "Alright, let's get started on our tasks. Graff, Mandy, follow me if you'd please?"

We moved to follow her down a path until we reached a door in a rock face. She took out the keys and opened the door, revealing a room filled with supplies. "Your task," she began, "will be to help Mandy take inventory of the supplies."

I looked around the room, trembling at the sheer number of supplies. "That's a lot of stuff..."

Mandy slugged me on the shoulder, "But with two of us, it should be a cinch."

I swallowed a lump in my throat and nodded. "I'll do the best I can."

She smiled and nodded. "I know you will."

She handed me a pencil and paper, and left us to do our work.

As we got started, Mandy smirked at me. "You like her, don't you?"

I stumbled, caught off-guard. "What the— how did you—?!"

He chuckled. "Changeling senses. Since we feed on love, we can also sense emotions."

I blushed. That made sense... I think.

"So," Mandy continued, "you like Professor Fluttershy?"

I shrugged, "Well, sort of. See, there's, like, this other place, where—"

"You're from the other dimension, and you like her alternate version?"

What. I gaped, unable to comprehend how he knew.

He sensed my confusion, and clarified, "After your first visit, Gallus got to talking, some of us got curious, so they told us about the human dimension in class."

I nodded, "Ah."

He made a lip-zipping motion with his hoof. "Don't worry, I won't tell her."

I sighed in relief, but still felt worried. Hopefully, I wasn't so transparent around Fluttershy; otherwise, she'd think I was a weirdo.

...right?

Author's Note

No, this story doesn't take place in the "It Takes a Village" timeline; it simply features a cameo by an alternate version of Mandy. If it helps, just think of him as "Mandy if he hadn't crashed into Ponyville, and was instead reformed along with the other Changelings in the Season 6 Finale".

Chapter 10: Two Of A Kind

Almost an hour later, we were done taking inventory. We did a quick double-check, then headed out with the clipboard. Fluttershy was busy tending to a snake, so we waited until she was done.

"Professor Fluttershy, we're done," Mandy informed her as he gave her the clipboard.

"Thank you," she nodded, then began looking over our work.

As she was doing this, I noticed something vibrant blue moving in the corner of my vision. I turned my head, and was pleasantly surprised to see Gallus entering the premises. And it seemed I wasn't the only one, because as soon as Silverstream saw him, she rushed over and gave him a bear hug.

"Hey, Silverstream," Gallus began, "You ready to go?"

She squealed in delight, "Yes! I've always wanted to see Griffonstone!"

My ears perked up at this. They were headed to a Griffon city? Now this, I wanted to see!

Finally, Fluttershy nodded. "Yep, it checks out. Thank you both."

I nodded, "No problem, Fluttershy. I gotta get going, so I'll see you later."

She blinked. "Oh... Well, alright. See you later, Graff."

I gave a wave to Fluttershy before hurrying off after the 'griffs.

Thankfully, I managed to grab their attention before they could fly away. "Hey, guys, wait up!"

Gallus turned, then smiled. "Hey, Graff! I didn't realize you were back."

Silverstream gasped. "You two know each other?!"

Gallus clarified, "Sorta. It's a bit of a long story involving parallel universes."

I blinked. Oh yeah, hadn't they mentioned —

Wait a second.

"Speaking of which," I began, "I was kind of wondering about that."

Silverstream looked confused. "Okay, could some-griff please tell me what you're talking about?"

Gallus stepped forward. "You remember the class on that human world, right?"

She nodded, starting to piece it together in her head.

"And you remember how, for every-creature here, there's a counterpart there?"

She gasped. "Is he—?"

I nodded. "I'm from that world, and Gallus knows this world's me."

Silverstream looked like her head was about to explode. "I didn't even realize!"

Then she gasped again. "Wait, are you wanting to meet yourself?"

Gallus blinked, realizing she was on to something. "Yeah, are ya?"

I admitted, "I am kinda curious about it, yeah."

Gallus grinned broadly. "Well, why didn't ya say so? Come on; I can't wait to see the look on his face — er, your face? — when you meet yourself!"

They both took off, headed back into town. I, on the other claw, ran after them.

When I found them, they were already at the train station. As I approached, I saw them buying three tickets—

Oh shoot.

"Here ya go, Graff," Gallus came over and handed one of the tickets to me.

I took the ticket and looked at it guiltily. "Thanks, Gallus. I promise, as soon as I can, I'll pay you back."

Silverstream pshawed as she rejoined us. "What are you talking about? I was the one who paid, and it wasn't much at all!"

I blinked. "Huh?"

Gallus smirked. "It may not seem like it, but Silverstream here is actually the niece of a Queen."

I gawked, "Really!?"

She nodded. "Auntie Novo's quite benevolent with her inheritance."

Words couldn't describe how bewildered I was. Two royalty in one day?! In the 20 years I'd lived in the human world, I'd never even met my state governor!

Quickly, I recomposed myself. "But still, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't repay you for the train fare."

She shrugged. "Eh, if you want to do it, then go right ahead. No pressure, alright?"

I bowed instinctively. "Of course."

She blushed. "Okay, that's a bit too much."

I stood back up again. "Sorry."

It was a surprisingly short train ride to the base of the mountain holding Griffonstone.

The REAL time-sink was the journey UP the mountain. It took the better part of two hours for us to fly up, mainly because I was so inexperienced in flying. But with their pointers, I was able to figure out how to fly for most of that journey. Good thing, too; the walking path seemed needlessly winding.

Eventually, we reached two griffon statues that reminded me of The Never-Ending Story. And beyond that was...

A rather dumpy town. Several houses were in states of disrepair; griffons of all shapes and colors went to and fro, clearly avoiding one another; and some landmarks were outright falling apart.

I gaped at the sight before me. Not to judge a place on appearances, but... "This place is a dump!" I couldn't help but blurt out.

Gallus, instead of being offended like I thought, merely shrugged. "It's not as bad as it was a year ago, but yeah, it's still really run-down."

Silverstream, however, couldn't be more excited. "I'm finally here! I'm in Griffonstone!!" She leapt up and excitedly flew around, checking everything out up-close and saying hi to the clearly grumpy passerby.

Gallus watched her and chuckled. "She's so optimistic. Kinda reminds me of Gabby."

I blinked. "Who's Gabby?"

He shook his head, "It's not important. C'mon, lemme show you around."

He began to lead me around the town, pointing out the different districts. The residential district was comprised of most of those houses I'd seen from the gate; the market district consisted of shops, stalls, and a scone cart; and finally, the recreation sector, which was comprised of a demolished library and some other miscellaneous buildings.

The more I looked around, the more I realized that the Griffons were in dire straits. And if what Gallus said was true, then they had been even worse off a year ago! Just the thought made me shiver.

Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me. "What happened here?"

Gallus sighed. "Basically, a long time ago, we Griffons had an idol that united us in pride. In that pride, we were one of the greatest civilizations of the Old Age. But when that idol was stolen and lost forever, we lost that pride, and the unity left as a result. Now, most griffons are self-centered cheapskates who won't so much as step out of your way without you paying them first."

"Oh..." I mulled over that. Conceit to the point of self-destruction?

...it sounded way too familiar to me.

Then Gallus shook his head. "But ever since we got in close contact with ponies, they've been helping us relearn friendship without the need of the idol, and we're slowly starting to rebuild ourselves up."

I nodded, "That's certainly good to hear."

Before Gallus could reply, he accidentally bumped into someone. Without even looking, he replied, "Oops, sorry, my —"

"Gallus?"

We both froze at the voice. Gallus finally looked at who he ran into, and jumped.

It was me.

Or rather, it was this world's me. He looked almost exactly like I did at the moment, except his feathers were much more neatly-groomed (likely in service of self-image, seeing as this was not the place where one would expect the residents to look groomed), and he walked around with a more 'I'm better than you' attitude.

Oh no. I could already tell where this was going, and I knew I wasn't gonna like it.

Gallus smiled. "Graff, it's so nice to see you! Funny story, I was actually just looking for –"

However, Graff seemed more interested in me (and I couldn't really blame him, either). "Hey, who's this guy, and why does he look like me?"

I replied flatly, "I'm you from another dimension."

He froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Nice try, poser; you're probably just some wannabe who thought he could —"

"My name is Graff William Gribble, I'm 20 years old, and I like art. I have a grandma named Giselle who raised me since I was 2, and sometimes, when nobody's looking, I pick the gunk out from between my teeth."

His jaw fell open, and he was stunned. "Y-you really are me..."

I smirked, my hunch having been correct. "And you're still the jerky persona I abandoned three years ago."

He sputtered, "W-well, you try living your life without being assertive! No-griff respects anything you do unless you're direct and firm about it!"

I shook my head. "That's what I thought, too. But trust me; a little kindness can go a long way."

He scoffed. "Yeah, whatever."

Gallus, who'd been awkwardly listening from the side, took that moment to butt in. "Hey, uh, Graff?"

Both of us turned and asked "Yeah?" simultaneously.

He flinched, then continued, "Why don't we go and do something? Y'know, to break the ice between you?"

Graff did a double-take. "Gallus, we're already the same person."

Gallus stiffened, before slapping himself.

I pointed out, "But still, it's a decent idea. How does dinner sound?"

Graff rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm hungry anyways."

With that decided, we went off to find Silverstream.

Chapter 11: Lunch With Myself

It wasn't hard to find Silverstream; with her relatively high energy and bright color palette, she stuck out like a sore thumb.

When she spotted us, she gasped at the extra character in our party. "You found him?" I nodded, and she leapt forward to greet him. "Hi, I'm Silverstream! You're this dimension's Graff, right?"

He looked taken aback by the Hippogriff's warm attitude. "Well, yeah..."

She vigorously shook his claw without him even offering it. "It's nice to meet you! Wow, your feathers are so well-groomed; who's your stylist?"

He corrected her, "Actually, I did this myself."

"No way!" She exclaimed. "I've always had trouble with my feathers; you've gotta tell me your secret, dude!"

He blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "You know what? You might actually be tolerable."

Gallus and I looked at each other, and began to chuckle.

We found a decent restaurant, simply called "Fish and Chips". On the outside, it wasn't much different from the other dilapidated buildings; the only thing visually distinct was its larger size and the sign.

On the inside, it was a rather normal restaurant, similar to those in the human world (except this was made for quadrupeds, obviously). We took a corner booth and began to wait for the waiter.

While we waited, I decided to make small-talk. "So, Gallus, what's it like living here in Griffonstone?"

Gallus groaned. "Honestly? I don't particularly like it here."

Silverstream elaborated, "He's an orphan."

I blanched. "You are? Gallus, I'm so sorry!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why? You didn't have anything to do with that."

I clarified, "I mean that I feel bad to hear that."

"Oh," Gallus blinked. "Well, thanks, Graff."

My doppelganger piped up, "Okay, we're gonna have to come up with some way to distinguish between us two."

I offered, "How about we have nicknames while we're around each other?"

He snapped his talons. "Of course! I'll be Graff, and you'll be Graff-2!"

"Alright."

Graff did a double-take. "Really? No argument, no qualms; you're just accepting it like that?"

I shrugged, "Well, I am the outsider in this world. It just makes sense."

He scoffed. "You know, you're way too complacent to be me..."

"And that's another thing I wanted to talk to you about," I admitted. "The differences in our lives?"

He rolled his eyes. "Like what, the fact that you're a wuss?"

I shook my head, "I wasn't always."

Silverstream blinked, curious. "Oh?"

I hesitated. "I used to be just like him," I pointed at Graff.

He beamed, as if it was an accomplishment. "And what's wrong with that?"

I sighed in remembrance. "It's the worst regret of my life."

He looked confused. "It's not THAT bad, is it?"

"It was when Giselle died."

The table went silent. Graff had a look of horror on his face, Gallus was somewhat shocked, and Silverstream was completely in the dark.

"G-Giselle's dead in your world?" My doppelganger finally whimpered weakly, the distant exterior cracking. I nodded.

Silverstream asked, "Who's Giselle?"

Gallus pointed out, "I heard Graff-2 mention her when he first met Graff. Something about raising 2?"

I sighed. "Giselle was my grandmother. My parents died in a car crash when I was two, and she took me in and raised me."

Graff blinked. "What's a car?"

I huffed. "It's like a carriage, except it pulls itself."

He nodded, "Gotcha."

I continued, "I grew up not even remembering my parents, and I began to take her for granted. I adopted that conceited persona when I entered middle school, because I thought it was what all the cool kids did. But it drove a wedge between me and Giselle, so when she fell down those stairs..."

Now, I was openly tearing up. "She broke her neck and died, and I never got to tell her how much I really appreciated her."

Silverstream was clasping her talons over her heart; Gallus was leaning over to comfort me; and Graff...

Graff was sitting there, utterly mortified. His thousand-yard stare told me that he was seriously beginning to re-evaluate his own relationships.

I sat up, wiping the tears away as best I could. "I promised myself I'd be as true to myself as possible from then on, and I've been all the happier for it. Believe me, Graff; I've not once regretted ditching that stupid façade."

He nodded wistfully, as if considering my words.

Thankfully, a waitress chose that moment to appear, four menus in her grasp. "Welcome to Fish and Chips," she recited monotonously, "can I start you off with some drinks?"

Gallus ordered water for the table, giving a bit upfront. She nodded, left the menus at the table, and went back to the kitchen.

Trying to get my breakdown off my mind, I picked up a menu and looked over the options. The list was surprisingly varied, from tuna stir fry to salmon meunière, and side dishes of potatoes in various forms. When the waitress returned with our water, I finally settled on a furikake salmon bowl (it seemed appetizing enough), my doppelganger chose regular fish and chips, Gallus chose glazed salmon, and Silverstream got salmon meunière. Gallus and Silverstream both paid for our food, and the waitress went back to the kitchen.

Gallus tried to start up a new conversation. "So, Graff-2, what's your world like?"

"Y'know," I admitted, "aside from the difference in species and technological advances, it isn't all that different."

Graff blinked. "Wait, different species?"

I blanched, realizing that I hadn't clarified that earlier. "Yeah, guess I forgot to mention that, huh? In my world, I'm what we call a 'human'; they're like apes, except they walk on two legs, have a lot less hair, and wear clothes."

He couldn't help but laugh at the prospect. "That sounds ridiculous!"

I jabbed back, "Says the talking lion-eagle."

He blinked. "Touché."

We made small talk until our food came out, then we began to dig in. I'll admit, the food was much more delicious than I'd envisioned. "Mmm!" I vocalized, "This is great!"

Gallus, too, seemed surprised at the quality. "Dude, this is much better than the last time I ate here!"

Graff nodded, "They've been improving ever since the advent of 'Friendship' in Griffonstone. I guess that, once the chefs start actually giving a damn, the quality will improve."

Silverstream moaned in euphoria. "Oh, Gallus, you HAVE to try this!"

"I don't—" Before Gallus could object, she eagerly stuffed a bite of meunière into his beak. He chewed a bit, then hummed in pleasure. "Wow, you're right!"

I chuckled at the display, but decided against commenting.

My doppelganger, on the other claw, had no qualms against spoiling the moment. "Ooh," he teased, "looks like some-griff's in love!"

Gallus shrugged. "Eh, I can't disagree."

That took the wind right out of Graff's sails. "Wow, that School changed you more than I thought."

Chapter 12: Reversal

Author's Note

I'm back!

Finally got another chapter of something done! Working on three stories at once is a bit draining, but rest assured that I AM actually working on them!

Chapter 12: Reversal

The trees flew by as I stared out the train window, reflecting over the past week. I'd been graciously taken around Equestria by 4 kind individuals after accidentally stumbling into their lives, and they'd asked nothing of me in return.

Despite them saying it was no trouble at all, it just didn't feel right; I had to repay them somehow.

Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Hey Gallus, Silverstream? When are you and Fluttershy next available?"

A few days later...

I paced back and forth across Starlight's library, nervously anticipating the arrival of three friends.

Starlight herself, who had been let in on the surprise, was standing nearby. "Relax, Graff; I'm sure they'll like the surprise."

"I sure hope so," I muttered to myself.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long; Fluttershy, Gallus, and Silverstream entered the room a few moments later. "Alright, we're here," Gallus pointed out. "What'd you want to show us?"

I gestured behind me, where the Mirror Portal waited. "Surprise! I'm taking you to my world!"

Fluttershy and Gallus' eyes widened; Silverstream, surprisingly, grinned, "Called it."

Fluttershy hesitantly spoke up, "A-are you sure about this?"

I nodded. "Sunset already said it'd be okay. Besides, I still feel like I oughta pay you back for the hospitality in my visits, so what better way than letting you visit my world?"

She thought it over for a moment, before smiling. "Thank you, Graff; that's very thoughtful of you."

Gallus concurred coolly, "I'm down for it."

Silverstream cheered, "Interdimensional road trip!"

Without so much as a second thought, she practically dragged Gallus through the portal. Fluttershy hesitated a bit longer, and I chose to capitalize by holding out a talon. "After you, m'lady," I said.

A splash of red played across her face for a moment as she gave me her hoof, and we stepped through.

I swear, I'm never gonna get used to the journey between Earth and Equestria. Regardless, I somehow managed to hold on, even as her hoof turned into a hand.

I stepped out the other side first, dressed in my casual slacks and gray tee. Fluttershy followed shortly after, looking almost exactly as she did when she first came over — with the notable addition of a dark green jacket. I have absolutely no idea why, but whatever; it wasn't the strangest thing I've seen since this all started.

The first thing I noticed was Gallus, in human form, trying not to freak out. He looked almost exactly like I'd imagined: a teenager dressed like a 50's greaser, with an olive bomber jacket, cream sweatshirt with golden hems, light denim jeans, and blue-and-gold sneakers.

Then I noticed Silverstream, who was prancing about, eagerly getting accustomed to bipedal movement. She wore a loose light blue jewel neck shirt, a white undershirt with sleeves down to her elbows, a mermaid-style skirt with seashell patterns, magenta dockside shoes, white calf-high stockings, and a necklace similar to the one she usually wore. Her blue two-toned hair was tied up in her usual style; her deep purple eyes sparkled with wonder at the new world around her; and her freckles took on the color of her beak, tying everything else together with an air of child-like innocence.

"This is so weird!" Silverstream was shouting ecstatically, "I'm used to having two forms and all, but never one like this!"

Wait, what?

But before I could ask what she meant by that, I'm interrupted by Gallus finally losing his cool. He began screaming "Something happened to my talons, WHERE ARE MY TALONS!?" while trying desperately to claw his hands off of his arms. Silverstream and I watch him for a moment, then we both burst out laughing.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, rushed over to him and whisper-shouted, "Gallus, they're just hands!"

He paused for a moment, taking a closer look at his trembling hands. "Wh-what happened to me?"

"The same thing that happened to all of us," I pointed out, drawing his attention.

"Geez, what the—!?" Gallus flinched at the sight of us.

"We're humans in this dimension, remember?" Fluttershy reminded him patiently.

He blinked owlishly, then his face reddened. "R-right, I remembered that."

We all shared a good-humored chuckle, then I stepped forward to help Gallus up. He shakily stood, nearly losing balance, but I kept him upright until he got comfortable. "You good?"

He nodded tentatively. "Yeah, I think so."

"Alright, I'm gonna let go, and I want you to take a step towards Silverstream. Okay?" He nodded, and I stepped away.

And then he fell flat on his face.

A few minutes of practice later, and Gallus was walking decently enough. I brought everyone to the bus stop across the street, where we only had to wait a few minutes for a bus to arrive. I paid for everyone's bus fare, and we took our seats near the back of the bus. Gallus and Silverstream sat across the aisle from Fluttershy and me.

"I've never ridden a bus before," Fluttershy commented hesitantly.

"They're not all that special," I warned. "In fact, they're widely regarded as one of the least pleasant modes of transport."

Gallus blinked. "Then why are we using one?"

I shrugged, "Because I don't have a license to drive a car."

"Oh."

A moment later, the bus door closed, and it began to pull forward. Fluttershy instinctively braced her legs against the seat in front of us, but quickly realized what was happening and relaxed. She peeked out the window and gasped, "We're really moving!"

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "I wish I could say I was just as ecstatic the first time I rode a vehicle, but I was far too young to remember it."

Fluttershy didn't respond; she was too entranced watching the neighborhood pass by out the window.

Gallus was the one to respond instead: "How exactly does all this work?"

I shrugged, "I hardly know myself. All I really know for sure is that gasoline is used as fuel for the engine, and the engine has pistons in it in some form."

He frowned. "That was hardly helpful..."

"Well, I'm sorry I never looked into it; I never thought I'd need to know it."

He held up his hands, "Okay, I get it, sorry. Arguing won't help, so let's just drop it, 'kay?"

I nodded, and we sat in silence for a moment.

Then a new voice piped up, "I can tell you how an engine works."

We all turned around to find a young girl with a laptop on her lap, sitting in the seat behind us. Her light gray skin contrasted with her brilliant green eyes; her curled hair was half pale rose, half grayish mulberry; and she wore a cherry red jacket over a striped pink-and-white shirt, a pale yellow skirt, and knee-high cherry red boots with yellow straps.

Fluttershy, Gallus, and Silverstream all seemed to recognize her immediately. "Sweetie Belle?!"

She, however, only seemed to recognize Fluttershy. "Oh hey, Fluttershy! I didn't expect to see you here; I thought you were still taking Apple Bloom to the mall?"

We all visibly cringed. "Actually," Fluttershy began, "you see, the thing about that is, um...."

Gallus stepped in bluntly, "We're from the alternate universe."

Fluttershy and I blanched at his bluntness. Good job, Gallus; you probably just blew this poor girl's —

"Ah, I get it now."

I did a double-take. "Wha- you KNOW about that whole thing!?"

She casually waved it off, "It's kinda hard to ignore when my sister Rarity is continuously raving on about it."

Now I felt like an idiot; my face reddened, and I slunk back into my seat.

Thankfully, Gallus butted in again: "So, you said you'd explain how an engine works?"

Her face brightened up. "Oh, would I! I'm still in the middle of taking my automotive classes, so I'm not 100% yet, but I can still answer any major questions you have."

Fluttershy smiled sweetly, "You're much more mature than our Sweetie Belle."

She blushed. "Aw, thanks, Fluttershy. Now then, back to the topic at hand: engines. You see, it all starts with the intake..."

"...and the resulting propulsion, or torque, forces the pistons back down. And it's this stroke that provides the power to move things like vehicles!"

For the past half hour, we had sat there, enraptured by her explanation. I never realized just how complex an engine was! And yet, it was still rather easy to grasp the basic concepts — except for one thing.

"So, uh," I piped up, "what exactly gets the pistons moving in the first place?"

She blanched for a moment, then her face reddened. "I'm not entirely sure myself. Like I said, I'm still taking those classes."

I nodded, "Fair enough."

"Now arriving at Maple Court!" The bus driver called out. I looked up; indeed, we were at our stop.

"Alright, this is where we get off. Thank you, Miss..."

"Sweetie Belle."

"Right. Thank you for talking with us."

"No problem!" She smiled, then turned her attention back to her laptop.

Gallus, Silverstream, Fluttershy and I stood up and walked down the aisle, then stepped out onto the cold pavement. Just ahead of us sat my apartment building. I looked upon it with indifference, but I could tell that the others were intrigued, and that kept my spirits up.

We made our way inside, opting to take the stairs (Gallus said he had claustrophobia, so he didn't want to take the elevator) to the second floor. Down the hall we went, until we reached a door that was all-too familiar to me: Apartment 207. I took out my key and unlocked the door, hesitated for a moment, then pushed it open. "Welcome to Casa de la Graff."

The looks on their faces were not what I was expecting: instead of disappointment, confusion, or even horror, they actually seemed rather... intrigued?

"So this is your place, huh?" Gallus commented absently. "It's actually nicer than I'd expected."

I raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged, "You just seem like a guy who's down on his luck, that's all. Besides, you saw how much of a dump Griffonstone is, right?"

I had to admit, he had a point. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Fluttershy and Silverstream, meanwhile, had already ventured further in. On one end of the room, next to the door to the balcony, sat my average-sized bed, covered sloppily with dark grey sheets and a rumpled pillow. My single closet sat next to that, and across the room from that were the living area (consisting of a small armchair, a decent-sized TV, and a small coffee table), the kitchen area (complete with a table and two chairs), and the bathroom.

Silverstream, of course, immediately jumped up onto the sofa. "Wow, this place is so neat!"

I blinked. "You guys actually like it?"

Fluttershy nodded. "It may not be the biggest, but I can still tell that it's a good place to live. You wouldn't keep it so neat if it weren't, now would you?"

I looked around the room, taking in what she'd just said. I suppose I did have a tendency to keep this place organized...

But before I could reply, somebody knocked on the door. I walked over and opened the door, then smiled when I saw who it was.

"I see you have company over," my favorite next-door neighbor smirked her trademark smirk. "That has to be a first for you. Tell me, what's the occasion?"

"Oh hey, Chryssie!" I greeted. "I'm just showing my—"

"CHRYSALIS!?"

Both of us staggered at the sudden shout. We turned to see everyone staring at us, white as sheets. "You know her?" I asked.

Fluttershy pulled me in close. "You remember what we said about that attack on Canterlot a while ago?" I nodded. "Chrysalis was one of the attackers."

I was taken aback momentarily, then I scoffed. "Well, that's your world. I've known Chryssie for years now, and she's great. I couldn't possibly ask for a better neighbor."

Fluttershy stole a glance back towards the door, where Chrysalis was still waiting. Eventually, she sighed. "Alright, I'll give her a chance."

"That's all I ask," I patted her on the shoulder, then turned back to the rest of the room. "Everyone, this is Chrysalis, my next-door neighbor. Chryssie, this here's Fluttershy, Gallus, and Silverstream. They're visiting from out-of-town."

Chrysalis nodded. "Charmed to make your acquaintance, but it seems you've already heard of me?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing; they just mixed you up with someone back home. Right, guys?" I turned my head and looked directly at Gallus and Silverstream as I said this.

Thankfully, they seemed to get the idea, and they calmed down significantly. "Right, sorry about that," Gallus apologized.

"Yeah, me too," Silverstream added.

Chrysalis waved a hand, "It's no big deal."

"Come on in," I gestured to the kitchen table, and she took a seat. I then approached the fridge and asked, "Alright, anyone want anything?"

"I'll take some daisies if you have any," Fluttershy instinctively asked, causing me to internally cringe at her slip.

"Wait, daisies?" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what's going on here?"

I chuckled nervously, "It's a long story..."

"I've still got time before I need to get to work." She raised her eyebrow, knowing she had me cornered.

I sighed. "Alright, fine. Long story short, they're actually from an alternate dimension, which I accidentally stumbled into last week. They were really kind to me while I was there, so I thought I'd bring them here to return the favor."

She took a moment to process, staring straight into my eyes. "Well, that certainly explains that night you didn't come home until morning... Alright, I believe you."

Everyone but me gawped. "Really? Just like that?"

I explained, "She's a psychologist; she has a knack for reading people."

They seemed to accept that explanation.

"So, is there anything different in this alternate universe other than you eating daisies?"

"Actually, that's a side-effect of the main difference," Silverstream piped up, "because where we're from, we're different species entirely."

She raised her eyebrow. "Really? Do tell."

I pointed to each of them as I elaborated, "Fluttershy's a pegasus pony, Gallus and I are griffons, and Silverstream is a hippogriff."

"And your alternate version is a changeling," Fluttershy added.

She nodded her head, "So that's how you knew me, huh? Alternate selves in parallel universes... I'll bet I'm the baddest bitch around there, huh?"

Everyone else visibly cringed, causing her to deflate in worry. "What's with the faces? Did something happen to my counterpart?"

Fluttershy nodded, but nobody dared actually say it. Chrysalis took the hint and decided to change topics: "So, uh... Ponies, huh? Wonder what they're like."

The conversation went on for about an hour, with them answering any questions she had about Equestria and its denizens. I piped in wherever I could, but the native Equestrians provided most of the information. Eventually, the conversation turned to my personal experiences in Equestria, and the other three decided to see what was on TV while I relayed the story.

"...you have no idea what it's like, standing on a cloud!" I sighed wistfully. "It's like being on damp, fluffy cotton."

"Alright, I get it." She chuckled good-naturedly, before getting out of her seat. "Well, this has been fun, but I actually do need to get to work."

I sighed, but nodded in understanding. "Of course. I'll see you later?"

"I'm sure you'll make time to visit."

I did a double-take. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

She chuckled. "You really don't get it, do you?" When I shook my head, she placed a hand on my shoulder. "I've known you since you moved in, and I can say for certain that you've been a lot happier now that you've met these three."

I looked over to my new friends, who were laughing at a cartoon on TV, and smiled slightly. "I suppose so, but..."

She sternly looked me straight in the eye. "No 'but's. Aside from me, what would you be losing?"

I went in for a rebuttal, but froze. What was holding me back from just staying over there?

She took notice of my uncertainty and smiled, patting my shoulder. "Think about it."

And with that, she grabbed her coat and left.

Chapter 13: Two Worlds, One Idiot

I stood there for the longest time, dumbfounded. Was Chrysalis right? Should I really give up my human life and move to Equestria? It was true that I was much happier there than I was here, but something kept nagging at me, screaming that it was a bad idea.

So, for the moment, I pushed it aside. "Alright," I addressed the three piled in front of my TV, "I think we've been here long enough; how about we go out and get some lunch?"

Gallus's stomach grumbled in response, and I smirked knowingly. "I'll take that as a yes."

We settled on a pizza place just down the block, within walking distance. It was a locally-owned joint, one that I liked to go to on the weekends. It had an air about it that screamed 'comfort', and the food was always great. The only reason it was still locally-owned was because the family that ran it wanted to keep it simple and personal.

Once we arrived and got seated, we began to talk. "Wow," Gallus began, sniffing the air, "the food smells delicious already. And— is that meat I smell?"

I nodded, but gave pause when I noticed Fluttershy's expression. "What's wrong, Fluttershy?"

She looked away abashedly, muttering to herself, "No, you're just being stubborn..."

"Stubborn about what?"

She gave out a little yelp. "Did I say that out loud!? Sorry, it's just..."

I put two and two together. "Is it about the meat?"

She nodded meekly. "I know it's natural, and usually, I'm okay with it. But I feel kind of uncomfortable being the only herbivore at a table of omnivores..."

My expression dropped. I hadn't even realized it, but she was right; she was the only vegetarian at a table full of meat-eaters. I could only imagine how uncomfortable she must've been feeling right then.

I came to a decision. "If it helps, I'll order a vegetarian pizza."

Her eyes widened. "You don't have to do that, Graff! It's part of your nature; I'm just being stubborn."

I frowned, more determined. "You are not being stubborn, you're voicing your opinion, and I'm respecting it. That's it, I won't take no for an answer; I shan't consume any meat in your presence."

She looked conflicted for a moment, likely trying to register to what extent I was going. Then she smiled demurely, "Th-thank you, Graff. I can't begin to tell you what this means to me."

I flustered, feelings I hadn't felt since we first parted ways returning. She was just so damn nice! If only she weren't a—

I paused in realization. That was it, wasn't it? The sticking point was that they weren't human. If I were to live in Equestria, I'd have to get over that mental block if I ever wanted to find love in any form.

Then I slapped myself mentally. This situation was completely different; they weren't just wild animals. They had feelings, thoughts, goals, dreams, fears — they were human in every way apart from body, and I was just being stubborn!

But still, that inkling of doubt lingered, so I decided to quell it once and for all. "Hey Fluttershy," I began with the tact of a hippo walking a tightrope, "what's Equestria's stance on inter-species relationships?"

She nearly went bug-eyed, her face turning almost completely red. "Wh-what?"

Thankfully, my brain stopped shitting itself, and I paled when I realized what I'd just asked. "Er, n-nevermind, that just kinda slipped out, and— sorry..."

Gallus raised an eyebrow at me. "Why'd you think of it in the first place?"

I flustered, sinking slightly in my seat. "I-it's nothing, just a– just a silly thought, no deeper... meaning...."

Unfortunately, Gallus seemed to glean what my implications were. His expression turned smug, and I wilted. "Well, to answer your question," he began cheekily, "It's perfectly normal for two creatures of different species to date. I know a pony and a yak who're still going strong after three months."

Silverstream gasped, "You mean Sandbar and Yona, right?"

Gallus blinked. "Uh, yeah..."

She then turned to me and concurred, "Yeah, they're so cute together!"

I quickly took this opportunity, eager to steer the subject away from my blatant idiocy. "R-really? Tell me more about them."

Internally, I was beating myself. What the hell, mouth!? Would you like some butter with that foot?!

Though a small part of my mind was just relieved it'd gotten the information it needed.

Soon afterward, we ordered for the table. True to my word, I ordered a vegetarian option, while Gallus and Silverstream decided to split a large Hawaiian pizza.

A moment after the waitress left, Gallus blinked as an urge made itself known. "Hold on, I've gotta go to the bathroom." He chuckled to himself, "This'll certainly be interesting..."

He stood up and made his way to the restrooms.

A moment later, and Silverstream also excused herself to go to the bathroom. That just left me...

...and Fluttershy.

Neither one of us said anything for the longest time, my social blunder still fresh on our minds. Eventually, I mustered the courage to speak: "C-could we please just forget that I asked what I asked...?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, please."

Then her face turned curious as she hesitated. "But, uh, if you don't mind me asking... why'd you ask in the first place?"

I smiled a bit, "Just settling something in my mind."

She raised an eyebrow at that, but opted not to comment.

We sat there for several minutes, waiting for Gallus and Silverstream to return. In fact, we waited for so long that our pizzas were brought out, but still no sign of them.

I sighed, standing up. "I'll go check on them." She nodded, and I walked towards the back.

I wasn't expecting what I found: Gallus and Silverstream were standing just outside of the restrooms, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

I blinked, then walked straight back to the table. I didn't know what led to them doing that, and it wasn't my business anyways.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "That was quick. What's—"

"They're busy."

Chapter 14: Chaotic Love

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 16: Sick Joke, And Somebody's Laughing [Mature Content]

*RIIIING!*

Normally, I would've been dismayed to hear the sound of an alarm clock.

But today, on my first full day in Equestria? I was ecstatic.

I leapt out of bed, eager to start the day. Stretching the kinks out of my wings, I made my way to the bathroom. Pausing in front of the mirror, I checked my reflection.

...

Were those eyelashes always there?

Meanwhile, in Chaosville, Discord grinned evilly as he felt a high-pitched scream echo through the very fabric of reality.

"What the hell??" I screamed in a much more feminine tone than normal. "Am I a girl!?"

Looking across my body, I noticed several subtle differences; my limbs were slimmer, my feathers were slightly shinier, and my fur coat was smoother.

Oh, and I was also missing a certain thing between my legs.

I paled. I just became a girl overnight. I had no idea how, but it happened nonetheless. I momentarily considered that I might be dreaming, but a quick splash of cold water from the sink disproved that.

What was I supposed to do now? I could certainly still function as a person, and it wasn't as jarring of a change as becoming a griffon, but at least I chose to stay a griffon!

I took some deep breaths; panicking wouldn't help me. I needed to think: what would my friends do? If one of my friends suddenly changed genders, what would they do?

Why, they'd go to their friends for help, of course. But could I even go outside like this? I was still brand-new in town, and something like this might—

Again, I had to breathe. Everyone was friendly enough; they wouldn't ridicule me!

But just in case, I grabbed a blanket from my bed, and tied it around myself as a makeshift cloak. With only a moment's further hesitation, I opened the door and began rushing towards someplace I knew could help.

*Knock knock knock knock!*

Fluttershy paused in the middle of pouring food for her animal friends. Somepony was knocking on the door, and from the sound of it, it was urgent!

The pegasus rushed towards the door, fearing the worst. Upon opening it, however, she found me. "Graff? Is something wrong?"

I nodded.

"What is it?"

I glanced back towards the road, then quickly hurried inside and shut the door.

Fluttershy must've gotten a glance under my hood while I moved, because she said, "You look kinda different."

I cringed. Alright, moment of truth. Slowly, I pulled down my hood, and looked her in the eye. "H-hi, Fluttershy..."

Her expression went from concern to shock, then to confusion. "Are you... a girl?!"

My face flushed red as I nodded furiously. "I have no idea how it happened! Please, please tell me you've got some kind of explanation, or a cure, or anything!"

She took a moment to process this development.

Then something seemed to cross her mind, and she started blushing furiously. "You've really become a girl? Like, um.... fully?"

I blinked, then also blushed even more than I already was. Why'd her mind go straight to that? "Y-yeah?" I managed to stutter.

She looked away, and I could've sworn I saw her wings stiffen slightly. "H-have you, um, come into contact with anything strange recently?"

I shook my head, "Nothing stranger than a parallel dimension with talking ponies, magic, and Discord."

She thought for a moment. "How about flowers? Have you come across any strange flowers?"

"Only the ones you sent me."

She blinked. "I didn't send you any flowers..."

I did a double-take. "Then who sent the flowers that I put on my windowsill?"

Her face grew a bit worried. "Were the flowers blue?" I nodded, and she groaned. "Those were Poison Joke!"

I paled. "P-p-poison!?"

She clarified, "Not actual poison. They're like Poison Oak, but instead of giving a rash, they pull a prank on anypony who touches them."

A prank. A PRANK??

Actually... "Well, I suppose this is kinda funny... Y'know, in the grand scheme of things."

Fluttershy blinked, before continuing. "Luckily, the cure is simple; you just need an herbal bath."

I sighed in relief, "Oh, thank goodness!"

She turned and headed off into another room, leaving me with my thoughts.

Now that I was calmed down, a thought occured to me: I had a rare opportunity on my talons. How many people could say they'd become the opposite gender? If the cure was so simple, and so readily available, then what was stopping me from having a little fun with this?

An extra hour or two wouldn't hurt, right?

I stole a quick peek at my undercarriage. Alongside the non-manhood, I could see two small nubs protruding from my pelvis area. I found that interesting, as I was pretty sure cats had six of those, while birds didn't have any.

I glanced at the doorway that Fluttershy had gone through; she was still gone. Unable to resist, I slowly reached a talon under my cloak and felt myself.

Almost immediately, I had to stifle a gasp. I was so much more sensitive than before! My tougher-than-normal hands made it slightly awkward, but I quickly got adjusted and began feeling my way around the area.

It felt like a set of luxury pillows down there; so many curves, so many places to explore! It was a whole new experience for me; I'd never been with a woman before, and my curiosity was getting the better of me. I continued to trace my fingers along the edges of the sensitive areas, holding in little shudders of pleasure as I—

"Graff?"

I damn near hit the ceiling at the sound of Fluttershy's return. My hand jerked away from my lower section and into a more neutral position as I sweated bullets. "H-heya, Fluttershy!" I tried (and utterly failed) to sound casual.

She blushed, "W-were you just...?"

"N-no!"

Thankfully, she didn't press it. Instead, she held up a paper bag with her wing. "Um, anyway, here's the herbs. Just pour about half a pound into your bath, and it should fix you up. I can, uh, come over later and help you get rid of the Poison Joke, if you want..."

I nodded, taking the bag in my talon. "Thank you so much, Fluttershy. You're a real life-saver."

She smiled demurely at the compliment, which just about melted my heart. After replacing my hood over my head, I waved goodbye and headed back home.

Some time later, Fluttershy arrived at my house. "I'm here, Graff!"

I poked my now normal head down the stairs. "Heya, Flutters! You here to get the Poison Joke?"

When she nodded, I pointed to the kitchen windowsill, which held the vase of flowers. She grabbed a napkin in her mouth, using it to help her grab them without touching them, and took them outside to who-knows where.

"I'm kinda curious," I began off-handedly once she'd returned, "what happens when you touch Poison Joke?"

She froze, blushing slightly. "I, uh... my voice changes."

I raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

She hesitated for a moment. "We, uh, call it 'Flutterguy'."

My eyes widened considerably. I couldn't even imagine something like that! "Are all the pranks related to gender?"

She shook her head, "Not at all. Rarity, for example, had her fur and mane become all long and ratty."

I held back a chuckle. "Wish I could've been there to see it."

Fluttershy gave a light chuckle. "Yeah, we all got pretty messed up that day. Well, I have to go now; see you later!"

I waved goodbye, and she left.

....

After taking a moment to make sure she wasn't coming back, I headed back upstairs to my bedroom. Looking up to the windowsill, I smiled as I checked on the single blue flower I'd saved from the bouquet.

Y'know, for no reason in particular.

Author's Note

It's been a while, huh?

I've been debating releasing this chapter for a while now, because of that rather sexual scene. I've not written anything like it before, and I was kinda unsure how to feel about it.

But now? Screw it; I'll release it anyway and see what you guys think.

Edit (3/10/2023): General polish, colored the dialogue, and added a secondary 'Mature Content' warning in case people don't read the description.

Chapter 17: Adjustment

*RIIIING!*

I groaned, slapping the alarm clock on my nightstand. I was already getting annoyed by the damned thing.

Sliding out of bed, I yawned and stretched, then winced as one of my muscles wouldn't move the way I wanted. A few days in, and I still wasn't fully used to my new body.

After taking a shower and grooming my wings, I headed into the kitchen. While I prepared breakfast (pancakes and eggs), I turned on the radio to see if anything was on.

«...and this element is extremely volatile when exposed to water...»

«...In other news, Yakyakistan just declared that it will begin exporting snow to Cloudsdale...»

«...Good morning ponies and creatures, it's your host DJ PON-3, and you're listening to L-CPV, the one and only station reaching both homes of the Elements of Harmony. This morning, we've got a treat for you: Moves Like Sapphire, by Mare V.»

My eyes widened. Did my ears just deceive me? Did this world have...?

It only took that opening whistle for a grin to split my face. It was!

I couldn't help but dance along to myself as I cooked breakfast. Sure, some of the lyrics were changed, and the instruments weren't exactly the same, but at its core, it was that song I knew and—

"Hiya, Graff!"

I screamed, accidentally flinging the pancake I was cooking into the ceiling. Looking down, I found the source of my surprise: Pinkie Pie, poking her head out from inside the oven.

"Pinkie Pie, you startled me! How'd you even get in there?!"

She blushed, "I got lost on the way to the supply shop."

I stared at her for a moment, unbelieving. Then I shrugged, "Well, I don't know where it is either."

She somehow snapped her hoof, "Darn! Well, thanks anyway, and sorry for the interruption!"

Then, somehow, she rewound the radio so that it was back at the beginning of the song? She proceeded to wave to me, before leaving through the oven. The slam of the oven door dislodged the pancake from the ceiling, landing in my pan without any sign that it'd been on the ceiling in the first place.

I blinked. This world was weird.

After breakfast, I decided to get a headstart on drawing. I sat at my desk, grabbed a pencil, and...

Nothing. My muse was failing me.

I groaned, then glanced outside. Maybe a walk was all I needed to get the creative juices flowing?

I packed up my drawing supplies and left my house, starting down the street.

As I walked through town, ponies and other creatures greeted me, and I greeted back. Seems like the welcoming party was a success, and I was now known in the town. It felt... Nice.

"Hey, Graff!" A turquoise unicorn and cream earth pony approached.

I remembered them from the party, "Lyra and Bon Bon, right?"

"Yep! I'm surprised you remember us," Bon Bon replied.

"So, is it true?" Lyra asked eagerly.

I blinked. "Is what true?"

"That you're from a dimension of humans?"

"Lyra!" Bon Bon chastised, before stepping forward. "You'll have to excuse her; she's been obsessed with humans ever since she was a filly, and there have been rumors going around that you used to be one."

I chuckled, "I see. Though I wouldn't say they're rumors."

Both of them gasped. "It's true?!"

I nodded. "But that's in the past now; all I want to do now is live here in Ponyville and draw art."

Lyra suddenly had an idea. "Ooh, can you draw us as humans?"

I blinked. "Draw you as... Holy crap, that's brilliant!"

"I know, right?!" Lyra was practically dancing out of excitement, while Bon Bon rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Well, then, get posed, and I'll get out my stuff!"

The two moved to the nearest bench, where they sat. Bon Bon sat on her belly like a dog, while Lyra...

Lyra sat on her rump, back against the backrest and legs crossed like a human. What.

I eventually shrugged it off, bringing out my pencils and notebook. "Alright, let's do this."

30 minutes. That's all it took for me to draw them on that bench. When I was done, I called them over to look at it.

"See, Bon Bon?!" Lyra pointed. "That's the pose I'm going for!"

"Wow," Bon Bon ignored the mare, "this is incredible!"

I blushed, "Oh, it's not that special..."

"Are you kidding me?" Lyra interrupted. "You're one of the only artists I know that's willing to even draw humans, and the other guy has never even seen one before!"

"Hey, what's with all the commotion?" Another mare, a pegasus with purple fur and cloud-colored hair, approached.

"It's incredible, Cloud Chaser! Graff here just drew this amazing art of us as humans!" Lyra showed her the art.

If the look on her face was anything to go by, she was impressed. "Huh, so that's what humans look like?"

"More or less," I replied.

"Keep the change," Lyra took back the art, and gave me a few bits and... A piece of paper with a phone number on it??

This world doesn't have cell phones.

As they left with their new art, Cloud Chaser got curious. "I wonder, what would I look like as a human?"

I blinked, then grinned. "Why don't we find out?"

Author's Note

Edit (3/10/2023): General polish, as well as coloring the dialogue.

Chapter 18: Truth Or Dare

"Really? A game night?" I asked the pegasus on my doorstep.

Fluttershy nodded. "Pinkie's hosting it at Sugar Cube Corner on Friday. There's gonna be board games, Bingo, Hangmoon, and more. The girls will all be there; you wanna join us?"

I grinned. "Of course! I can't remember the last time I had a game night with friends."

The demure pegasus smiled. "Wonderful! We'll see you at 7." With that, Fluttershy left.

Friday came sooner than expected, and with it, Game Night began. It started off strong; almost everypony was doing their own thing for a while.

Then we had the brilliant idea to play 'Truth or Dare'. The rules we agreed on were simple: players spun a bottle to choose who they'd ask 'truth or dare' to. If the pony in question told the truth or completed the dare, they'd spin the bottle the next turn; if they didn't, the spinner got to spin again.

Starlight began, spinning the bottle that we were using as a selector. It landed on Pinkie, and Starlight asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Pinkie immediately called out.

Starlight took a moment to come up with an idea. "I dare you... to fit an entire table into your mane."

"Actually, I already have one in there."

All of us blinked, then did a double-take when she actually pulled a folding table out of her mane!

Somehow, I was the first to regain my voice. "B-b-but... why?!"

The pink enigma laughed, "For when I need to set up a party on the fly, duh!"

A moment of silence followed, before everypony laughed. Pinkie was certainly something else.

"My turn!" Pinkie cheered, spinning the bottle. It landed on Rainbow Dash, who Pinkie eyed deviously. "Truth or dare, Dashie?"

"Truth," Rainbow replied nonchalantly.

"Who's your favorite Wonderbolt?"

Rainbow sighed dreamily, "Oh, how can I choose just one? They're all so great!"

"Just pick one," Pinkie waved her hoof.

The mare thought for a moment. "...I'll have to say Blaze, because she's got the most stamina out of everyone."

I blinked, then smirked. "Now, when you say 'stamina'...?"

Rainbow replied, "I mean that she can fly the longest. What'd you think I meant?"

I shook my head innocently. "Oh, nothing important."

Rainbow eyed me, before dropping it. She spun the bottle, which landed on Fluttershy. "Truth or dare?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment before replying, "Truth."

Rainbow asked in turn, "What's the most embarrassing thing at your parents' place?"

The shy mare blushed. "Our apocalypse survival kits."

The rest of us chuckled, but quickly stopped when she didn't join us. "Wait, you're serious?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy nodded meekly, shrinking in on herself. "With how many villains have been attacking in the past few years, we thought it was better to be safe than sorry."

Everypony thought about it for a second, then nodded to themselves.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy," I put a talon on her shoulder, "there's quite a few people in my old world that do the same thing. I was just laughing because I found it so mundane."

She looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Graff."

This exchange didn't go unnoticed by Rarity.

"Well, I guess it's my turn," Fluttershy eventually continued the game. Spinning the bottle, she became excited when it landed. "Oh, Rarity, good for you! Truth or dare?"

"Dare," she replied immediately, not taking her eyes off of me.

"I dare you to, uh..." she looked around for a moment, before spotting something. "I dare you to go over to that punch bowl over there...

"...and dip your bare hoof into it."

Everypony looked at Fluttershy in confusion. What was she playing at?

Rarity blinked. "Well, okay then...?" She stood up, walked over to the counter that housed the punch, and dipped a forehoof in with just a hint of hesitation. "And it's done. What, mind my asking, caused you to choose that as your dare?"

Fluttershy frowned at how easily Rarity had done it. "Well, I thought that you wouldn't want to get your hoof wet, with how you care so much about your appearance. And I certainly didn't think you'd want to contaminate the punch."

"Oh, trust me, Fluttershy," she replied as she levitated a napkin over to dry her hoof, "I wouldn't want to miss this opportunity." She looked at me again, and I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.

The alabaster unicorn spun the bottle, landing on Applejack. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," AJ smiled confidently.

"I dare you to say you love bananas."

Everypony gasped, except for me. What was so shocking about that?

"Rarity, you know Ah can't do that; Ah'd be a liar!"

The unicorn simply shrugged. "Well, then, I guess you forfeit..."

AJ held up a hoof to stop the unicorn. She paused for a moment, before attemting to force it. "Ah... Ah l-l-love... L-l-l-l-lo-o-ove...."

Finally, she stopped, sagging her shoulders. "Alright, ya win. Ah can't do it."

I blinked. Was her pride really that deep, or was that her Honesty flaring up? Either way, it was good to know that she was dependable, but damn, girl.

Rarity smirked, before spinning the bottle again. "Starlight, truth or dare?"

Starlight eyed Rarity. "...truth?"

"If Sunburst and Trixie were stuck on a sinking ship, and you could only save one of them in time, who would you save?"

Starlight gawked. "What!? What kind of question is that?!"

"A question of loyalty," Rarity shrugged dismissively. "Now, who would it be?"

Starlight thought, and she thought, before groaning, "I can't choose; I like them both equally."

Rarity nodded, before spinning the bottle once more.

The moment the neck of the bottle landed on me, Rarity flashed that devious smirk of hers, alerting me that I was in trouble. "Truth or dare?"

I mulled it over, not liking my prospects with either choice. Finally, I sighed, "...dare?"

Rarity grinned almost predatorily, and I knew I was done for.

"I dare you to kiss Fluttershy."

Everypony else gasped, then began admonishing Rarity. "Rarity, this is getting out of hoof!" Starlight frowned. "You can't possibly expect him to—"

Before she could finish that thought, I decided to make my move; I lunged past my insecurities and fears, and planted a kiss on Fluttershy's lips. The sensation was unlike anything I'd experienced before; it felt like fireworks were going off in my heart, while my beak was being caressed by what were likely the softest lips in all of creation.

But it was over all too soon; I pulled back and looked towards the others. Everyone else was staring at me, shock evident across their faces. Fluttershy was also embarrassed, and her wings seemed to be somewhat stiffer than usual.

Rarity managed to say, "I, uh... I meant on the cheek, or something...."

A blush spread across my face. I crossed my forearms in a little pout, "Y-yeah, well, that could very well be my only one, and I, uh... I wanted to make it count, y'know?"

If it was possible, Fluttershy's eyes managed to grow even bigger. "G-Graff, do you... Do you like me?"

I looked away, but the embarrassment was still plainly visible on my face. "...maybe, yeah..."

We all sat there for a moment, unsure of what to say or do.

Then Fluttershy cleared her throat. "I, uh... I like you, too."

"Huh?" I blinked, unsure I'd heard her right.

"I like you, too."

My brain almost froze on the spot. "Y-you do?"

She nodded, her blush spreading. "I just didn't know how to bring it up."

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye; she was looking up at me with adorably hope-filled eyes. My heart was melting all over again; I even completely forgot that the others were still there, now watching curiously.

Eventually, I spoke again. "Do you, uh... Do you wanna, maybe, get some lunch, sometime?"

She nodded, "I'd like that."

For a moment, we just smiled at each other, lost in a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Then Applejack coughed, and we were suddenly reminded that we had an audience. Both of us floundered for a moment, before we noticed the supportive looks on our friends' faces, and we calmed down.

"So," I smiled awkwardly, "it was my turn, right?"

Author's Note

Edit (3/10/2023): General polish, and colored the dialogue.

Chapter 15: Let The Rivalry Begin!

Another awkward preening later, and we were finally headed outside. "Alright, this is really happening," I breathed to myself, my anxiety rising back up. "I'm really moving here to Equestria."

Fluttershy gave a knowing smile, "Nervous?"

"Absolutely terrified," I nodded, and we both shared a chuckle at that.

"I know it's scary moving to a new place," she began reassuringly, "but I also know that everypony here will welcome you with open hooves."

I nodded, my fears just a little bit sated.

Eventually, we reached the front door. I paused, taking a deep breath to try and ease my anxiety. "Alright, this is it," I muttered to myself. "Welcome to your new life in Equestria."

With that, I opened the door and stepped into the—

"SURPRISE!"

"Gah!" I stumbled backward in surprise, tripping over my own tail and promptly landing hard on my back.

Then a familiar pink face came up to help me. "Whoops! Sorry, Graff; didn't mean to scare you!"

Pinkie grabbed my talon with her hoof (I'm not even gonna ask how), and pulled me back onto my feet. I took the opportunity to look around, and blanched.

Everyone I'd met so far, and then some, was standing in the middle of a large welcoming party.

My jaw dropped at the sight. "P-Pinkie, did you..."

"—plan this all for you?" she finished. "Well, of course! I wouldn't be the Super Duper Party Pony if I didn't throw a party to celebrate your big move!"

I stood there for a moment, blinking back tears, before I smiled. "Th-thank you, Pinkie."

"No problem-o, Graff. Now, let's party!"

For the next few hours or so, the party roared on. I got to properly meet Rarity and Applejack, as well as several other Ponyville-ians; plenty of cake and sweet treats were had; and I got drunk on the absolute best Apple Cider I'd ever had.

That was certainly an experience, my first time being drunk in my Griffon form. I don't remember much of the specifics, but other ponies would later tell me that I spent a good chunk of time trying to stand on two legs, only to fall over every time.

But the one thing I do remember from my drunken state is my second meeting with Discord.

I'd just downed my second mug and was feeling my thoughts blur together, when I heard something that sounded remarkably like a motorcycle engine. I, along with several other partygoers, turned around to see a cardboard box with a crudely-drawn motorcycle on the side approaching. I was certainly confused at that point, but all of the alcohol in town couldn't have prepared me for what was sitting inside that box.

It was a hodge-podge of animals, to say the least. Lion's paw, eagle's talon, goat's leg and head, draconic leg, serpentine tail, mismatched antlers and wings, and silver facial hair with a black zebra's mane — it looked like a crazy person's illustration of a monster they thought to be under their bed. In fact, it was so strange that my drunken mind simply decided to accept it rather than have an aneurysm trying to make sense of it.

He was also wearing riding goggles and a black leather jacket, to go along with the 'motorcycle' he rode.

With a screech of gravel, the box slid to a halt just inches from where I stood — and then a moment later, my inebriated mind caught up to what nearly just happened, and I reflexively jumped back.

The strange creature stood up, using his wings to— wait, no, his wings remained completely stationary as he floated out of the box and waved. And by 'stationary', I literally mean 'they stayed in the exact same spot, becoming detached as soon as he'd gotten far enough away'. What the hell.

"Good evening," he stated drolly as he surveyed the scene. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Even in my drunken state, I recognized the voice — how could I not, when he'd scared me awake just a week prior? "Are you Discord?"

He gave a mock bow, "The one and only. Why, have you heard of me?"

I nodded, "How could I possibly forget last week?"

Discord frowned, tone suddenly becoming serious. "Ah yes, that. I hope you've considered what I said?"

Thanks to my drunken state, I just bluntly stated, "Yeah, and frankly, I don't give a damn."

The crowd gasped, and Discord looked like he'd been slapped across the face. "What?"

I staggered to one side as the world lurched. "I understand that you're protective of your friends, and that you have a special connection with Fluttershy. But I've got a connection to her, too — she was the first face I saw here in Equestria, after all.

"And I like her, too!"

Silence. A deadly silence hung in the air for the longest time. The crowd was shocked at my boldness, and Discord had an unreadable expression.

Then he clapped, a slightly-too-wide grin on his face. "Well, when you put it like that, I can't really argue."

I faltered. "Wait, really?"

He nodded, although I distinctly remember that one of his arms was reaching behind his back. "I wish you luck, Graff..."

Then his expression became the most sadistic grin I've ever seen as he finished, "You're going to need it."

And with that, he disappeared.

I blinked, then turned to the crowd. "You all saw that, right? I didn't just imagine that whole thing, did I?"

The members of the crowd nodded their heads, causing my drunken self to shrug. "Alright, I guess I'm the enemy of a Chaos God now. Time to hit the drinks!"

With that, I took a long pull of cider, and the rest of the night became a blur.

The next morning, I woke up in the middle of the venue, which looked like a drunken tornado had blown through. Streamers had come loose and now laid on the ground; the banner was halfway detatched, blowing lazily in the wind; ponies were passed out anywhere they could fit, including (but not limited to) the street, under tables, and even atop the record player.

Oh, and Pinkie Pie was still dancing, despite the lack of music.

I grunted as I got up, wincing at the headache that threatened to shut me back down. Unsteadily, I made my way to the pink mare. "Pinkie?"

No response; she simply kept dancing, eyes closed.

"Pinkie?"

This time, she did respond, but in the last way I could've possibly expected:

She snored.

She FELL ASLEEP WHILE DANCING!

I didn't have the energy to question it. Groaning, I grabbed her with a talon. "Pinkie, wake up!"

She jerked upright, eyes snapping open with a disoriented "Hzz-whah?" She blinked owlishly, then smiled at the sight of me. "Oh hey, Graff. Did you like your party?"

What? That was her immediate concern? "...Pinkie Pie, you're an enigma."

She giggled, "No, I'm a pony, silly!"

My headache intensified.

I was thankful that we'd already gotten everything pre-planned; by the time I got to my new house, all I wanted to do was sleep. I approached the door, only to pause when something caught my eye:

A bouquet of the prettiest flowers I'd ever seen. The way their cerulean petals played with the sunlight was absolutely indescribable; 'beautiful' didn't even begin to cover it!

I picked up the bouquet, wondering where it came from. Turning it over in my talon, I soon found myself an answer in the form of a note:

"To Graff, my favorite griffon in the whole wide world. From, 'Fluttershy'."

I was too hungover to wonder why the name was in quotes. Instead, I gave a dopey smile at the first part, and brought it inside.

Author's Note

Edit (3/10/2023): Colored the dialogue, as well as general polish.