The holidays were approaching fast as the cool fall air transitioned into a chilly winter. At Twilight's School of Friendship, the non-ponies of the Mane Six were introduced to Nightmare Night and the spooky fun involved. After being in the monster world, Ocellus wasn't as scared of the different creepy decorations or costumes some of the ponies wore, although Silver Streams constant screams over every single costume everypony wore was getting on their nerves, despite her enjoying the festivities by said screams. The best part they enjoyed more was the free candy they were able to get during the holiday, wishing they had something like that in their homelands.
With snow fluttering down from the clouds, Ponyville was covered in a blanket of white, fluffy powder. And with winter arriving, so was the time for the more fun holidays and winter break for the educational system for students to enjoy the festivities with family and friends. As much as Twilight wanted to keep teaching her students everything there is to know about friendship, she can't keep them from their homes and the much needed break from school to be with relatives. She was forced to stay at home and spend her Hearth's Warmings with her family as a filly a couple times despite her protests to continue her studies like the nerdy genius she was.
For the brief time before winter break comes, all the Young Six aside from Sandbar learned of not only Hearth's Warming, but Christmas as well. Equestria's winter holiday was of great importance to the founding of the whole kingdom, but with a second winter holiday introduced by Sora and spread all throughout town, having two gift-giving holidays made the whole month of December seem like an endless, but exhaustive celebration. Sadly, they wouldn't really experience much of those holidays when they would have to go home to enjoy their own unique holidays around this time.
The day was nearing its end as the sun was setting, classes cut short early for the student body to enjoy a Hearth's Warming party on the school grounds. Festive decorations lined every hall and classroom as everyone gathered in one of the large lounge rooms in the school for the party. The tree in the corner was covered in tinsel and ornaments as an ethereal pink heart hovered above it, which was known as the Fire of Friendship, radiating warmth from the unity of friendship and a symbol of the three pony tribes coming together.
Sandbar set up the last of the ornaments on the tree with festive glee. "Ponies' voices fill the night, Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again~!" he sang, clearly one of many ponies who enjoys Hearth's Warming the most out of the other holidays. "Come on, everycreature! Sing!" Though he tried getting the current group of parties to join him, they continued on with their own conversations, but he wasn't deterred as he continued singing. He trotted over to his friends as they hung out in a corner of the room, most of them a little bothered by his overly enthusiastic celebrating. "Isn't Hearth's Warming just the best holiday ever!? And after that: Christmas!"
Sora zipped over to the Young Six, startling the non ponies. "You better believe it! No one do anything naughty, otherwise Santa will find out!"
"What in the hay is a 'Santa'?" Gallus questioned, clearly not having any fun as he sat in his seat with deadpanned leer and a frown on his beak.
"Uhh, isn't he a big, jolly, fat pony who climbs down chimneys and gives out presents after eating all your cookies in the house?" Silverstream asked.
"Sounds dumb," Smolder said. "Even though we dragons don't celebrate pony holidays, this 'Sandy Claws' dude can't really fit down anything his gut can't squeeze through."
"Hey, you watch yourself, Smolder," Sora chided the dragoness. "Santa knows when you're sleeping or awake, so be good for goodness sake."
"He knows when creatures sleeping?" Yona asked. "Yona not like that."
"Santa knows everything!" Sora insisted.
"And he's real!" Sandbar added. "I wasn't in Ponyville last year, but when Sora came around and told all of us about Christmas, I left some milk and cookies out near the fireplace, and the next morning, the glass and plate were both empty, and there were more presents under the tree!"
"So, it's like an offering to get gifts?" Ocellus asked curiously.
"More like a snack for the big guy, because traveling all over the world and sliding down and climbing up those chimneys is hungry work," Sora corrected. "That, and he only leaves presents if you've been good all year. If you're naughty, you get a lump of coal in your stockings."
"Again, that sounds dumb," Smolder repeated.
"Then expect some coal when the twenty-fifth comes around, Smolder," Sora playfully scolded, poking her in the chest with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, I hope there isn't a test on everything about Christmas," Ocellus uttered worriedly.
"Thankfully, there isn't," Aqua chimed in. "But the history of Hearth's Warming is. Both holidays, however, are all about spending time with your families, putting aside our differences, and respecting our fellow creatures. Although, for some-" She gave Sora a sideways glance, then to Spike as he snuck himself over to the tree to sneak a peek at some presents that were lying there. Even though the gifts were just decoration, Twilight immediately noticed and magically whisked the baby dragon back over to her. "-they think it's all about presents and toys."
"Hey, I grew out of being selfish and thinking only of how many presents I got when I was a kid," Sora argued. "I am much more mature than that." Overhearing their conversation, Sora heard Donald and Goofy snicker behind his back, quickly turning to face them with an annoyed pout. "I have!"
"Better not pout, Sora, or else Santa's not comin'," Goofy teased with his signature chuckle.
The pegasus stuck his tongue out and walked off in a huff, which made the duo laugh at his "mature" retreat. "Well, whatever holidays we have, I'm glad we get to spend two weeks off from learning," Smolder said as she stretched.
"That mean we get break from training, too?" Yona asked Aqua.
"I suppose it is fair," Aqua said. "You six have been progressing very well with all the dedication you put into your skills. And you've gotten a majority of the beginner spells down faster than I anticipated, especially Stop and Gravity."
"It was funny how you got Lea to be our test dummies for freezing him in time and all the goofy poses he was in when he got Stopped!" Silverstream laughed.
"Master Xion's a really good tutor, too," Sandbar said. "It's weird how she's just like Sora, like a sister he's never had before."
"Except with Master Kairi's face. That's...weirder to imagine," Gallus mumbled.
"Then let's just call her Master Sora's little sister! I sometimes wonder what it'd be like if I was the younger sister and my brother Terramar was the older brother," Silverstream said.
Gallus grumbled, rolling his eyes as he slouched in his seat. "But just because you're on break doesn't mean you all should slack off on your training so you don't get rusty," Aqua reminded her students. "I won't let quality time with family and holiday traditions get in the way, but with how well you've been doing, you all deserve to relax. Especially for some."
Aqua looked at Ocellus, who sheepishly glanced down with a nervous grin. Like Gallus and Smolder, Ocellus told her friends about her encounters in Monster's Inc. and how she fought one of the toughest members of the Organization, Vanitas. She left out how the monster world can travel through other worlds through closet doors so they didn't reveal the reason why the monsters "invade" childrens' bedrooms. When she had recovered, she requested to go back to that world one day and show Boo she was ok, which the little girl was ecstatic over as she seemed glad her new friend was ok. Aqua could tell her physical skills in combat were no longer hesitant or locked up by her nerves, her motions fluid even when she swaps between another wielder's stance.
As the sun was beginning to set, Twilight brought the room's attention as she enhanced her voice for them all to hear. "Attention, everycreature! We're going to be wrapping up the party, and school is officially out! Have a happy holiday, and we'll see you all again after the break!"
The partygoers celebrated the end of the semester, filing out with some taking a plate or two of leftover snacks to munch on later. "I suggest you guys pack up your things and head for the train station," Aqua said to her apprentices. "It's gonna be a long walk or flight back home if you guys miss the last train."
The Young Six hurried off to their dorms while talking excitedly about what they'll do during the break. Gallus, however, looked miserable as he followed his friends, barely showing a glimpse of joy or happiness at the thought of leaving, or enjoying the party that was going on. Once the last of the students were off the school grounds, the others stayed behind to clean up any leftovers and sweep up the floors. In the party room, Twilight and Aqua discussed the lesson plans for both their students, especially the Young Six's, while Spike tried to sneak a peek at one of the presents under the tree.
"Spike, don't bother trying to guess what's in those," Twilight chided. "They're just meant for decoration."
"Yeah, but what if there's something secretly inside that you're hiding from me?" Spike asked curiously.
"I don't want you to have another greedy episode like last time on your birthday," the alicorn said. "At least it never happened when the presents I got you were always books."
"I won't let that happen again, Twilight. No more begging for stuff," Spike promised. "Though, I wonder if one of my presents will be that new bowtie I wanted."
"You got him another book, didn't you, Twilight?" Aqua teased.
"Not telling," Twilight said.
Above them, neither of the mares or baby dragon noticed something moving above the rafters. Hopping from one beam to another, a mysterious figure in a cloak loomed over the trio, though its attention was more focused on the decorated tree, more specifically at the pink Heart of Friendship glowing at the top. Digging under its cloak, the intruder pulled out a pouch, turning it upside down and pouring a purple powder down onto the heart. The magic heart suddenly surged with light and began bubbling, catching the attention of the alicorn, unicorn, and dragon.
"What the-!?" The heart's light flashed brilliantly before it suddenly exploded into a massive torrent of purple goo. Quickly gathering Twilight and Spike toward her, Aqua cast a barrier around them, sparing them from the purple, sticky mass that drenched the tree, the presents, and splotched every corner of the room. She dropped her shield, causing the ooze that struck her magical shield flopping to the floor, the trio were devastated by the state of the room and their decorations. "Who the hell-?"
Before they could get a chance to look around, a sphere of energy suddenly appeared above them, dropped down on them, and quickly slammed them down to the ground with an intense weight. "AH! W-What's happening!? Why do I feel so heavy!?" Spike exclaimed in confusion.
Grunting through the intense weight of gravitational force, Aqua managed to stand up, watching an empty purple pouch fall in front of her. Glancing up, she noticed the intruder jump down to the floor, then make their way toward the window to make their escape.
"Hey! Get back here!" Aqua quickly cast Esuna, freeing the heavy weighted feeling from them and gave chase. "Twilight, gather the others! I'm going after him!" Twilight nodded as she and Spike ran out of the room, being careful not to step on the goo if it's meant to be a sticky trap. Aqua leapt after the intruder as they opened the window and leapt out into the snow. The sun had just gone down and the only lighting around the courtyard was from the lights inside the halls, but Aqua kept on their tail as ice and snow were her natural element. The figure raced around the corner, Aqua summoning her Keyblade in case they thought about attacking her when she popped around the corner after. "Don't even try anything funny with me, you-!"
"Stop." The moment Aqua appeared, she didn't react in time as she suddenly froze on the spot, her Keyblade ready to swing while in her aura, which dropped to the snow-covered ground while in her time-frozen state.
The intruder continued their escape, heading toward the location of the dorm rooms. The spell cast on her wore out, but as she moved, Aqua yelped as she slipped to the ground from where her hooves were while frozen in time. Growling, she got back up, looking around for any sign of the intruder when she spotted the door leading back inside the school to the dorm rooms. While grateful that the cloaked intruder wasn't someone from the Organization, but the spells cast on her and Twilight and Spike were something no other creature in the world is capable of doing unless they were a powerful unicorn. And the only students using those very specific dorm rooms belonged to her apprentices, and there was no back entrance to that part of the school they could sneak out of.
Furious by the fact one of them decided to pull a prank like that, she marched up to the door. "Twilight, false alarm. It's not an outside intruder who messed up the lounge," Aqua said through her communicator.
"Oh, thank goodness. I thought the Organization was here and about to cause trouble for Sora like last year," Twilight said in relief. "But, you said it wasn't an 'outside' intruder...Who did that?"
"We'll find out soon enough," Aqua said, closing the door behind her as she stood in the middle of the hall between the two rooms. "Alright, 'intruder'! Come out here right now!"
Both doors opened as all the Young Six looked out in the hall, surprised to see their master. "What's going on?" Sandbar asked.
"I don't know. Someone tell me exactly what you were doing," Aqua said, vaguely mentioning who among them was responsible.
"We were packing up our stuff and getting ready to leave?" Smolder answered. "Like you told us?"
"Don't get smart with me, Smolder!" Aqua exclaimed, startling the Young Six. "Anyone want to fess up to the mess they made in the lounge where the party was held, AND for attacking me as they made their escape!? Because whoever it was forgot to hide their trail, and I am NOT happy!"
"W-What mess?" Ocellus mumbled nervously.
Aqua teleported all seven of them back to the lounge, pointing her hoof to the mess left behind by the perpetrator. The students gasped at the state of the room and the decorations, nearly every single inch covered in purple, sticky ooze, leaving only a few spots untouched around the walls or floor.
"That is not cool," Sandbar said, utterly appalled by the state of the Hearth's Warming decorations ruined by the prank.
"Yes. It most definitely not cool," Aqua reiterated. She picked up the pouch that was dropped behind with her magic, showing her apprentices the evidence left behind. "Someone had poured some sort of powdered slime that caused the Fire of Friendship to explode and coat every part of this room in slime! I thought this was some kind of attack by some evildoer and I was about ready to kill whoever tried to endanger Twilight, Spike, myself, or anyone else who was still in the school grounds! And whoever it was, they escaped through the hall leading to the dorms, and the six of you are the only ones still here!"
"But how could it be one of us?" Silverstream asked.
"Because whoever tried to slow me down used Gravity on the three of us, and when I gave chase, the moment I turned the corner, I slipped on my own feet without knowing how I got tripped up, until I realized I was afflicted with Stop," Aqua explained. "And the only ones who can use those kinds of spells without a horn is a Key bearer; one of you."
While the Young Six were shocked by the accusation, Twilight and Spike returned with the other Mane Six and Keyblade wielders, the others getting a look at the state of the lounge in shock. "What the heck happened here!?" Kairi exclaimed.
"Great. More messes to clean up," Lea groaned. "I was signed up for guidance counseling, not janitorial service."
"You barely keep your office clean," Starlight grumbled.
"A little dust won't hurt, Miss Cocoa Counselor," Lea jabbed back. "I promised Sweety I'd stop by for a Hearth's Warming feast with her and Axle, and I don't want to disappoint them."
"Is that considered her asking you out for a date?" Xion asked with an impish smile.
"It's just a holiday dinner," Lea emphasized, giving the Nobody a scowl while she stuck her tongue out playfully.
Sora looked at the goo, pressing his hoof into it, testing its stickiness. "Ah. I know this goop all too well," he said. "During my prank war with Pinkie and Rainbow before we teamed up to be the best prankster team in Equestria, they sprinkled the powder on me and threw a bucket of water on me, absorbing the moisture and turning me into a goop monster. Luckily, it's also washable, but super sticky. It took forever to get it out between my feathers."
"Oh yeah! That was funny!" Pinkie said. "He was so confused, and then SPLOOSH, and he looked like the creature from the goopy lagoon!"
"Sadly, this isn't funny," Aqua said. "I'm not sure if you six were paying attention in class, but Hearth's Warming was the first Equestrian holiday that also founded the kingdom with the unity of the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. This 'prank' would NOT be funny if someone like Neighsay witnessed this act and use it as an attack on Equestria's history! Not only would he put the blame on whoever it was and pin it on the other kingdom, but he would use this as a cause to go to war with that kingdom, something that the other kingdoms had attempted to do when you all ran away and made your leaders worry about your disappearance! It's not FUNNY when lives are put in danger as those stuck in the old ways of living want to spark a war and find an attack on Hearth's Warming's symbol of unity tarnished by a stupid slime prank!
"Now, someone better speak up now and admit they did it, because this is not acceptable as a student, as a representative of your kingdoms, and especially as a Key bearer in training. I found you as a threat, and I would not have hesitated to cause any of you serious harm, or worse. And I would never forgive myself if I hurt any of my students." Aqua waited for one of the Young Six to speak up. Sadly, no one said anything, disappointing her. Letting out a sigh, she looked at the others behind her, hoping her idea for a punishment for the lack of admittance from the real troublemaker wouldn't be too harsh. "...Fine. If no one wants to speak up and take responsibility, all of your are staying and cleaning up this mess before you can go home."
"WHAT!?" the Young Six exclaimed.
"I didn't do it! Why do I have to stay!?" Smolder exclaimed.
"Not fair!" Yona protested.
"I'm sorry, everypony, but Aqua has a point," Twilight said. "We don't know who did it, even if you're split in your dorms by gender and can vouch for whoever was really in your rooms between the party's end and the mess. We're going to take each of you one by one to my office while you're cleaning. Since honesty is one of the Elements of Harmony, we're going to give each of you the chance to tell the truth."
"When we find out who did this, they are not going home over the break," Aqua added, the punishment startling the young students. "They'll be staying behind for one-on-one friendship lessons about honesty, and be taught discipline by me via rigorous training until I say you can retire for the night."
It was clear none of them wanted either series of punishments, but they didn't want to be away from their families for two weeks after staying at the school to study friendship for the last several months. "But...what if none of us confess?" Silverstream asked.
"Then all six of you will be staying here for the break and face that culprit's punishment together." Shocked, the Young Six began arguing about the harsher sentence, but Aqua wasn't having any of their bickering. "ENOUGH!" she shouted, silencing the teens, fearing they would trigger her magic surge. Taking a breath, Aqua exhaled, sternly leering at her pupils. "All of you are considered a team while under my tutelage. You work together to fight the enemy. And if one of you falls because of your negligence and disrespect for not only each other, but to others and the worlds you visit, along with their customs and traditions, then all of you will end up paying the price. I will not accept that, and I expect better than this. Do I make myself clear?"
Without hesitation, all six apprentices nodded their heads. Though they were still bitter being forced to stay in Ponyville for the holidays, they didn't question their master's judgement. A moment later, Donald and Goofy went off to gather cleaning supplies for the Young Six to begin cleaning the purple slime off of everything in the lounge. With no need for all of the teachers and wielders to stick around and keep an eye on them, Twilight, Spike, Aqua, Terra, Ventus, and Xion stuck around, the former three heading to Twilight's office to interrogate the young wielders while the latter watched the door and escorted them to Twilight and Aqua.
"Ok, who's willing to be interviewed first?" Terra asked.
"Eh, I'll go," Gallus shrugged, barely giving the others a chance to go first to be questioned. "Beats mop duty."
Terra and Ventus glanced at each other, confused by the griffon's nonchalant attitude, but let him out and guarded the door while Xion guided him to Twilight's office. The others continued cleaning, scrubbing the walls hard with rags and mopping sections of the floor repeatedly to get the sticky slime out. It was hard to clean when the ooze got their rags or mops got stuck, needing to peel them off and soak them in soap water to get back to cleaning.
"Hey, maybe we can make this into a game!" Silverstream said, trying to find a bright side to their unneeded punishment. "First one to finish cleaning wins!"
Smolder growled, wringing out her rag before slamming it into her bucket. "How about we just cut to the chase? Who did it?"
"We were all together in our room packing," Ocellus pointed out.
"Well, Gallus and I didn't do it either. We were packing, too," Sandbar said.
"Well, Master Aqua said someone used Stop on her when they fled," Smolder said. "Whose to say someone else did the same thing to any of us while we weren't paying attention?"
"But the level of Stop spell we learned only lasts for about seven to eight seconds," Ocellus stated. "Maybe a bit longer if one's magic potential is...pretty strong...?" The changeling noticed her other friends giving her an odd look. Her eyes shifted to each of them, suddenly mortified by the accusatory gazes they had. "What!? I would never do something like this! I love Hearth's Warming!"
"Changelings celebrate Hearth's Warming?" Yona asked. "Yona not know that."
"Uhh...well, we haven't really had the chance to truly celebrate it when we never had a holiday to celebrate during Chrysalis's rule," Ocellus said. "Headmare Twilight gave the hive very clear instructions on how to celebrate it properly, and we've practiced it to truly celebrate it when the holiday arrived."
"Oh. That's pretty neat," Sandbar said. "What's your favorite Hearth's Warming carol?"
His question baffled Ocellus. "Uhh...favorite? There's...more than one?"
Confused himself, Sandbar gave the changeling a quizzical look. "...Yeah. Uhh, what...what did Headmare Twilight write down for you?"
"Well, the first thing was families putting up the tree," Ocellus recalled. "It's kind of like the stump chandelier in the Castle of Friendship, only it was much harder keeping an entire tree hanging on the ceiling. I'm confused why the tree in this room is just in one part of the room on the ground."
Sandbar did a double-take, thinking he misheard Ocellus. "Uhh...You did what with your tree?"
"Then we dive into some holiday punch," Ocellus continued. "It takes a while to make enough punch for all the changelings, but the bowl you have was...too small." Sandbar completely ignored cleaning, dumbfounded by Ocellus's complaints and how she was interpreting the instructions Twilight gave the changelings on Hearth's Warming celebratory traditions. "Then there's the gift exchanging before bed, but it was hard to tell when we were supposed to stop exchanging the gifts. So, we all agreed to just let it go on for about ten minutes. The last thing on the list was building a fire, light it up, and sing carols."
The other girls looked at each other, neither knowing exactly how Hearth's Warming was supposed to work, but they were just as confused as Sandbar. The earth pony teen dropped his mop, processing Ocellus's more detailed examples of the traditions he was aware of.
"...Ocellus, I...think you misinterpreted all the guidelines Headmare Twilight wrote," he said.
"I did?" Ocellus asked.
"Yeah. Putting up the tree is just...setting up a Hearth's Warming tree like a normal tree," Sandbar explained. "Diving into some punch means to drink it when throwing a party, not swim in it. Gift exchanging is just giving one of your family members a gift you got for them and not playing catch them them. And the last part...you actually...?" Realizing just how literally they took Twilight's instructions, Ocellus blushed heavily in embarrassment. Sandbar laughed and shook his head, not really faulting Ocellus or her kingdom for mistaking a guide so simple to ponies. "Sorry. I don't mean to laugh, but it just sounded a bit weird to me. You at least made your own traditions, so the changelings can celebrate however they want."
"Yona now thirsty for punch," Yona grumbled.
"Well, we won't be celebrating any parties if we don't get out of here," Smolder pointed out.
The door to the lounge opened as Gallus returned, Xion following behind him. "Ocellus, you're next."
The changeling gulped nervously, setting down her rag in her bucket and followed Xion down the hall. "So what happened?" Silverstream asked Gallus.
"What do you think happened?" he questioned. "I told her I didn't do it."
"Well, someone did," Smolder grumbled.
"Ugh! Yona tired of waiting!" Yona exclaimed. "Yaks always home for holidays!"
"How do you celebrate Hearth's Warming in Yakyakistan, Yona?" Sandbar asked curiously.
"Yaks do not. Our holiday much better," Yona claimed. Gallus rolled his eyes and shook his head, getting tired of hearing Yona say that what the yaks do is better than any other creature. "Is called Snilldar Fest. Night before, yaks gather things to smash and put them in big pile. Then in morning, we smash them! In afternoon, we smash them again! In evening-!"
"So it's just about smashing stuff," Gallus interrupted. "Just like all of your holidays. Big deal."
"No! How griffon get that idea?" Yona questioned. Gallus stared blankly at the yak, barely expecting anything less from the yaks and their love of smashing things. "Snilldar Fest about so much more. Last year, for example. Most perfect Snilldar ever. Whole family - grandpa, grandma yak, Yona's brother, sister, mother, father yak - all go to woods singing yak song."
"Do we dare ask how this song goes?" Smolder asked.
"It best yak song!" Yona claimed. "Yak song~! Yak song~! Not very long~! Sing again! Yak song~! Yak song~! Not very long~! Sing again! Yak song~! Yak so~-!"
"Ok, we get it. It's a very, VERY short song," Gallus interrupted. Sandbar nudged the griffon's arm, shushing him. "What? You're actually interested with a boring song and the same thing yaks always do?"
"Dude, don't be rude. She's sharing her culture with us, and Snilldar Fest actually sounds really interesting," Sandbar said.
Gallus snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sure you are," he muttered.
Yona continued explaining her holiday traditions despite Gallus's grouchy interruption. "Calves in family pick out perfect smashing log. Then yaks smash it! Then yak family build perfect snow fort...and smash it!" The griffon let out an annoyed sigh, already getting bored as he continued mopping while tuning Yona out. The other continued listening, mostly to get out of cleaning as they didn't cause the mess they were all forced to clean up. "Then we hang perfect things on perfect moss pile and-"
"You smash it," Sandbar, Smolder, and Silverstream said, taking a wild guess from what Snilldar Fest sounded like so far.
"What? No. What friends think yaks are, barbarians?" Yona asked, feeling insulted.
"N-No! We just...kinda figured with all the...smashing," Sandbar quickly answered, looking sheepish for offending Yona and her culture's traditions.
"Sandbar likes Yona~," Gallus snickered, teasing the earth pony, only to laugh a bit louder as Sandbar heard him, glancing at him with glare with his cheeks burning bright red.
"So if the moss isn't for smashing, which sounds kinda hard to do with it being all mushy and soft, what's it for?" Silverstream asked.
"Moss pile is for special family rituals. Last year, ritual for Yona," Yona said, grinning joyously as she lifted her braided hair loops. "After decorating moss pile, all yak family gather around Yona and braid Yona hair for first time."
"Your hair was never braided until last year?" Sandbar asked. He imagined how Yona's hair looked, draping down her head free and loose. His blush deepened, but he quickly cleared his throat and looked away bashfully. "W-Well, that's a really nice tradition. But I do like the braided loops Professor Rarity helped tie for you, too."
"Yeah! And you don't have to worry about tripping over your hair when you charge full gallop!" Silverstream added. "Definitely helpful when we fight, because otherwise you'd tumble and squish a Heartless instead."
"So, basically, your holiday is about smashing stuff and family," Gallus said.
"Two most perfect things ever put together. Happy Snilldar Fest!" Yona then grunted and stomped down on her bucket of soap water, splashing the floor while shattering the wooden bucket to pieces.
"Happy Snilldar to you too, Yona!" Silverstream said, then tried smashing her own bucket, but she wasn't as strong as the yak when she tried to break it with her claws. "It's so cool to learn new holiday traditions! I really like this Christmas thing Master Sora loves! I hope Mr. Santa likes my mom's kelp cookies if he ever comes around Mt. Aris."
"I still think that sounds like a dumb holiday," Smolder said. "And someone better confess soon, because I want to go back home."
The door to the room opened again, Ocellus returning as she walked over to Sandbar. "Sandbar, Master Aqua wants to see you next," she said.
Sandbar gulped nervously, heading out to follow Xion as the doors closed behind him. "Why do you want to go back home?" Silverstream asked the dragoness. "Do dragons have any holidays to celebrate?"
"Eh. Not really," Smolder said. "We do have the Feast of Fire. Everydragon gets together and we tell stories. The best one wins a huge pile of gemstones."
"That sounds fun," Ocellus said.
"What story won last year?" Yona asked curiously.
"It was called 'A Dream Come True'," Smolder said. Seeing the eager looks on Silverstream, Yona, and Ocellus's faces, the dragon sighed. "Alright, fine. If it'll get us to continue cleaning faster so Master Aqua doesn't yell at us and keep us here all winter break."
"Yay! Storytime!" Silverstream cheered.
Gallus let out a sigh, splashing his mop in a bucket and leaned against it, partially curious himself to hear the kind of stories dragons tell each other. "Once upon a time, there was this sad little dragon. Her name was Scales. She lived alone in the wilderness with nothing to eat. But one night, as she sat alone in a storm, she heard something. It was the Dragon Lord! Scales was scared, but the Dragon Lord told her not to be afraid, that he was taking her to the Dragon Lands for a great feast."
Gallus was disappointed, already losing interest. "Seriously? How did a boring story like that win?" he muttered.
"Scales sat with the Dragon Lord's family and friends and had the biggest, best dinner of gemstones she'd ever eaten!" Smolder continued. "Then, while the dragons were telling stories, Scales thought it would be so easy to seize power from this feeble and sensitive Dragon Lord. She saw her chance...and took it! She claimed the Bloodstone Scepter and took over the Dragon Lands!" Ocellus, Silverstream, and Yona's grins quickly turned to shocked gaping muzzles as Smolder laughed maniacally, pantomiming the character in her story swiping the Bloodstone Scepter like a villain. Even Gallus did a double-take at the surprising twist. "And she forced the Dragon Lord to live out in the cold, just as she used to!"
Smolder grinned, completing the tale, but the others were mortified. "T-That's a horrible story!" Ocellus exclaimed.
"Maybe to you, but to us dragons, we love hearing about weak, kind creatures getting defeated," Smolder said. "My big brother told us that story and won, but he shared some of those gems with me away from the other dragons."
"Yona not like story, but Yona not know Smolder had brother," Yona said.
"And you might want to rethink telling Sora about your holiday stories," Silverstream added. "He's super kind, but not super weak."
"Yeah, I've seen him in action back in that toy world," Smolder uttered. Sandbar eventually returned while Xion told Silverstream she was next. The hippogriff followed the Nobody, the others wondering who was really responsible for the mess. "So, did you tell them you did it, Sandbar?"
"What!? No way! Why would I want to ruin my favorite holiday!?" Sandbar questioned.
"Dude, you live here in this town!" Smolder exclaimed. "It's not a big deal for you staying here for the break!"
"I'd rather not be stuck here at the school for the break," Sandbar said. "I want to spend it at home with my parents and baby sister." While Gallus was wringing out his mop, he paused when Sandbar mentioned his family. Despite all the delays and distractions with stories and figuring out who blew the room up with goo, he felt a pang of jealousy, but ignored it with a small huff. "Oh, that reminds me! I have the best holiday story ever! It's called, 'The Day My Hearth's Warming Doll Almost Fell into the Fire!'"
"'Hearth's Warming doll'?" Ocellus asked. "I don't remember anything involving dolls in Headmare Twilight's guidelines for Hearth's Warming."
"Oh. I guess she left that part out," Sandbar said. "We make a hoof-stitched doll of ourselves, and we set them on top of the mantle. And before we head to bed, we set our dolls up like we do every year. But THIS year, I put my doll too close to the edge, and it fell!"
Yona and Ocellus gasped in shock, though Smolder and Gallus were a bit bored and barely gave any reaction. "And!?" Ocellus asked.
"My doll hit the floor," Sandbar said, making the changeling and yak slump forward at the lacking suspense he led up to. "But it could have fallen into the fire!"
"Wow. So scary," Gallus stated, his voice drooling with sarcasm. "I thought my feathers were going to molt off in dread."
The group continued cleaning until the next one was called. Silverstream returned, but with how late it was getting, Xion asked for Yona and Smolder to come with her. The last two of the Young Six complied, the anxiety of discovering who the culprit was driving them into a panic.
"The last two," Ocellus mumbled. "If neither of them confesses, then..."
"We're never going home!" Silverstream said. "I can't miss the Three Days of Freedom Celebration!"
"How long does that last?" Gallus asked sarcastically.
"It used to only be one day, but now to commemorate our escape from the Storm King, we're adding two more days of awesome!" Silverstream said. "We even have a book for tourists to show everything we do for the celebration! It's been reworked for the extra two days, but it's all super fun! We spend the first night in Seaquestria, thanking the ocean for protecting us from the Storm King. There's sea-dancing, whale-singing, shell-stringing...Well, a lot of 'ings'. The second day will be on Mt. Aris, with sky-dancing and a wind song in the Harmonizing Heights to celebrate the Storm King's defeat. And on the third day, everyone will party together on land AND sea!"
"Wow. Three whole days of partying sounds exhausting," Ocellus said.
"But it's great!" Silverstream said. "Everyone would be there: grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, acquaintances, and neighbors! And at the end of the night, Queen Novo is gonna give out presents! I never get the chance to hang out with my cousin Skystar since coming here, but I cannot wait to tell her everything about Ponyville! And show her what I can do with my Keyblade!"
"Wait, your 'cousin' Skystar?" Gallus asked, confused. "What're those?"
Silverstream snorted and giggled at the question. "Good one, Gallus. What's a cousin? You're so funny." She waited for him to laugh along with her, but Gallus still had a confused frown on his beak. Silverstream, Sandbar, and Ocellus looked at each other, unsure if the griffon was actually serious about not knowing who his cousins were. "...Wait, you...really don't know?"
"...Should I?" Gallus nervously asked.
"Cousins are your aunts' and uncles' children," Ocellus explained. "They're part of your family. I should know because...well, I have a lot of cousins."
While Gallus took a bit more interest in his mop, despite moving the mophead out of its bucket to resume cleaning, the door opened back up as Yona and Smolder came back. The door closed behind them, leaving the Young Six together and more worried than ever.
"I'm guessing neither of you confessed," Sandbar pondered to the returning females.
"Master Aqua say wait here," Yona said.
"Maybe they're changing their minds about sending us home?" Silverstream hoped.
"No. We're all going to be stuck here," Smolder said. "Neither of them believe us. Someone clearly did it, and no one wants to say anything!"
"B-But I have to go home!" Ocellus cried out miserably. "Who could have done this to get us all in trouble!?"
"Gallus?" Spike questioned Aqua. After interrogating all the apprentices, Aqua had come to the conclusion that the young griffon teen was the real culprit, her answer confusing Twilight, Terra, Ventus, and Xion in the Princess of Friendship's office. "How do you figure he's the one who did this?"
"He was the first to volunteer to be interviewed, and he claimed he didn't do it, but I highly doubt that," Aqua said. Bringing out pictures of the Young Six, she went over her thoughts on who it could have been. "Let's rule out a few obvious ones. First, we'll take Yona out as a suspect, because the cloaked delinquent was much smaller than a yak. Plus, no offense to Yona's size, but she could possibly bend or snap the rafter hanging over the tree with her weight." Tossing Yona's picture aside, she then held up Ocellus and Silverstream's photos. "Ocellus is way too nice to even think about performing any sort of prank, and Silverstream is related to Queen Novo, so she would at least have some knowledge of diplomatic issues involved with her as a representative of the hippogriffs to attack an Equestrian holiday when the two kingdoms have just gotten back on good terms since the Storm King's reign."
"Maybe Sandbar was the one who really did it?" Ventus suggested. "Didn't he gather the others to the Castle of the Two Sisters when they ran away?"
Xion stared blankly at Ventus. "I doubt Sandbar was the culprit," she said. "If he loves Hearth's Warming as much as Sora loves Christmas, then why would he want to ruin his favorite holiday by pouring goo powder on the Fire of Friendship and get all of them in trouble?"
Ventus opened his mouth to argue, but realized Xion had a good point. Both of them knew Sora much more than the others, him living within Sora's heart since he was a child while she inherited a lot of his memories. And it was slightly bothersome being reminded how wild he got whenever Christmas came around.
"I guess you're right," Ventus sighed.
Aqua swiped Sandbar's photo, which only left the remaining two of the Young Six. "Even though they have behaved a bit better than when they first arrived, Gallus and Smolder still have a tendency to being shifty delinquents due to their species' upbringings," Aqua said. Holding up both pictures, she waved Smolder's around. "But, sadly, Smolder most likely has no idea how to use practical joke items like that goo powder. She'd rather burn the tree or tear it out of the stand."
"She could...however, there's also something that prevents her from causing that much damage," Twilight pointed out. "Dragons all follow the Dragon Lord's orders without question. And since Dragon Lord Ember wants to make peace with Equestria thanks to her and Spike getting along-"
"She ordered Smolder not to cause trouble and ruin the planned treaty between Equestria and the Dragon Lands," Aqua finished, setting Smolder's picture down, leaving Gallus's up and pointed to it. "I have no doubt that it was Gallus who did this. From what I could tell with the cloak he veiled himself under, his lighter weight and fast mobility planning the 'prank' and fleeing, and the fact he had been moping around ever since the month began. The selfish and prideful behavior the griffons had since their kingdom's downfall still lingers in him. I thought he learned his lesson back in the Kingdom of Corona."
"But why did he do this in the first place?" Spike asked.
"That's what we're going to find out." Placing Gallus's picture on the desk, Aqua led the others back to the lounge room. When they arrived at the closed doorway, they could hear arguing coming from inside. The tension of the prank and who did it brought the Young Six to bicker and yell at each other, pointing fingers and accusing one or more of them for keeping them here. "Damn it. Gallus, you're really going to get it after you finish cleaning this room."
She brought her hoof to the door handle and turned it. "I said, STOP FIGHTING!" Aqua froze, barely opening the door a crack before Gallus silenced the whole room. Through the slight opening, Aqua watched the griffon teen getting his friends' attention as he hovered in the air, startling them while looking far more frustrated than he had been all day. "This isn't what the holidays are about! No matter what you call them or how you celebrate! D-Do you know how lucky you all are? With all your stories about sharing and-and kindness and getting together with everycreature that you care about?"
"What the heck is going on in-?" Aqua shushed Twilight, continuing to watch while the other wielders tried to peek inside.
Gallus landed back on the ground, his frustration replaced with misery as his argument waned. He looked away from his friends and buried his face in his talons, his sudden mood swing confusing the other Young Six.
"But...don't griffons do that, too?" Ocellus asked.
"Yeah. Some holiday about a moon?" Smolder pondered.
Gallus sighed heavily. "The Blue Moon Festival," he said. "It's the one time of year when griffons are nice to each other...Or, as nice as we can be. Families get together to eat, complain about the food, and give each other presents they don't like while trying not to yell at each other."
"That can't be right," Twilight uttered. "The Blue Moon Festival's supposed to be a holiday where the griffons spend quality time and revel in the prosperity their kingdom has."
"'Had'," Xion corrected. "Griffonstone lost all that prosperity after the Idol of Boreas was taken by the Arimaspi and lost deep in the Abysmal Abyss."
"...Oh. Right. I nearly forgot what Riku and Sora told me about the state of Griffonstone now," Twilight mumbled. "I really hope the griffon kingdom changes for the better so history books don't rewrite it as it is today."
"Well, at least you get to be with your family for the holidays," Silverstream said, trying to be openminded for Gallus and his clear disdain toward his own species' holiday. He glanced back at his friends, his eyes glinting with a hint of sadness rather than offense to what was meant to raise his spirits. "...R-Right? You spend time with them...despite everything bad?"
"He probably doesn't want to be around that old codger he calls a grandpa," Smolder said. "I'd deck that vulture if he treated me like garbage."
"...Grandpa Gruff isn't really my grandfather," Gallus said with a sigh, standing up to face the others. "Everygriff calls him that because...well, it's his name, and he's always an old grump...I was just unlucky enough to be raised by him..."
"So...he's your guardian?" Sandbar asked.
Gallus nodded his head, letting the realization slowly sink in to everyone, including their mentors watching and listening to them behind the doorway. "That mean...Gallus's family not from your...home?" Yona asked.
The griffon looked down at the floor, his heart sinking with another heavy sigh, steeling himself to reveal the truth. "...I don't...have a family to go home to." The Young Six gasped in shock, Aqua's eyes widening as she stifled her own gasp. "Yeah...I'm an orphan. And Grandpa Gruff reminds me about it whenever he gets the chance. Said I was lucky he didn't crack the egg left on his doorstep by whoever had me and scramble me for his next breakfast."
The room and the hallway were struck with silence. Sandbar and Smolder's jaws hung open while Yona, Ocellus, and Silverstream felt like crying for the unfortunate griffon and having to deal with a heartless guardian who would have just abandoned him along with his real parents. The Key bearers outside were just as speechless, Aqua standing frozen in place, her eye glued to the morose griffon teen. A hoof slowly rose to her heart as a stray tear trickled down her cheek, never knowing just how troubling Gallus's upbringing truly was, wishing she knew more about him.
"...Oh...Gallus," Silverstream whimpered as her tears began to fall.
"Well, now you guys know why I've been so bitter about the holidays," Gallus said. "For so long, I felt like I never really belonged in Griffonstone. I even wondered who my parents even were, or if they even cared that they just...abandoned me...until I just forgot about wondering and dealt with all the misery like it was nothing. But, then I was forced to come here, and I met all of you and Master Aqua...I didn't want to go home for the break, which was why...I did it."
"You did all this?" Smolder questioned Gallus, waving her hand around the still slime-covered tree and walls.
Gallus nodded, feeling ashamed of himself. "Yeah. I poured goo powder over the Fire of Friendship. And I 'attacked' Master Aqua, Headmare Twilight, and Spike as I made my escape."
"But...how did you sneak out of our room?" Sandbar asked. "You didn't say anything about heading out to do something...Unless..."
Sandbar and Gallus walked in their dorm room, the latter trudging behind his pony friend with a furrowed brow and a frown on his beak. "Oh man, I cannot wait until I get back home!" Sandbar cheered. "I wonder what mom's cooking up for Hearth's Warming Eve dinner."
"Probably something to do with hay or flowers," Gallus grumbled. "Not exactly appetizing for my standards."
"What do griffons eat besides pastries?" Sandbar asked curiously. Gallus stared blankly at the earth pony, then pointed to his beak. "...Uhh, seeds?"
"I'm a carnivore, you dunce," Gallus stated. "Just be glad we don't eat things that talk and can think for themselves."
Sandbar chuckled sheepishly. "Y-Yeah. Good thing," he uttered. "But you might like some vegetarian dishes if you give them a try. You'd love my mom's food. Especially her brownies." Sandbar turned away as he grabbed his saddlebag and gathered some of his things to bring back home. While his back was turned, he didn't notice, or hear Gallus summoning his Keyblade. "She makes some super chocolaty batches. I even try to sneak big pieces for me and my little sister when it's set out to cool. It tastes soooo good all warm and-"
"Stop." Aiming at the pony, Gallus froze Sandbar with his spell. Without wasting too much time, Gallus reached under his bed, pulling out a cloak and the pouch of goo powder for his grand master plan. "Sorry, dude. Don't want you to rat me out. Hope I make it back in time."
Swiftly donning his cloak, Gallus flew out the door without making too much noise to alert the girls across the hall, sneaking his way through the snow and into the lounge. While undetected, he leapt up onto the rafters, hopping from beam to beam as stealthily as possible before finding his target: the Fire of Friendship. Taking out the goo powder, he poured it all over the heart, watching it sputter and fizzle as the slime began to form. He only intended to splatter the tree, but didn't take account of the fiery heart to explode and splatter the sticky goop all over the room, and almost on his mentors, too. Seeing they were about to look up where the heart was, Gallus quickly cast Gravity Twilight, Aqua, and Spike, using just a little of his mana just to weigh them down before hopping down and escaping out the window, intentionally leading them to where he was escaping to.
"Hey! Get back here!" Aqua called out. Running through the snow, he looked back and watched Aqua chase after him, and was quickly catching up. Ducking around a corner, he panted, grimacing slightly with his Keyblade held tightly. "Don't even try anything funny with me, you-!"
The moment he saw her leap around the corner, he aimed his Keyblade at her. "Stop." Gallus watched the ethereal clocks appear around his master, freezing her in place. He sighed in relief, nearly caught, and he knew he was going to get in so much trouble, but it would be worth the risk for what he wanted. "I'm sorry, master..."
Dismissing his Keyblade, Gallus hurried back to the dorms, leaving the door opened for Aqua to see, then snuck through the hall while shaking the snow off himself and his cloak. Back in his and Sandbar's room, he was surprised to see the stallion was still frozen where he last left him, concerned if first timers afflicted by Stop end up freezing in time a bit longer than usual. Quickly hiding his cloak back under his bed, he winced when he forgot about the pouch he dropped after seeing the Fire of Friendship explode with goop rather than trickle down like a sticky waterfall. He ignored the fault in his plan, getting himself back to where he was before Sandbar began moving again, and just in time as he put on his bored, annoyed scowl as the earth pony continued like nothing happened.
"-gooey, soft enough to melt in your mouth. I got into a lot of trouble with chocolate as a colt," Sandbar laughed.
"Ooh. Devious," he grumbled, kicking a small corner of his cloak sticking out further underneath his bed.
Sandbar gasped and stared at his friend and roommate. "You...You Stopped us, too?"
"Yeah, but just you," Gallus said. "I thought you would have caught me walk back inside, but you were frozen in time longer than Master Aqua had."
"But why would you ruin things for us?" Ocellus questioned.
"I swear I didn't plan for that to happen," Gallus promised. "I just wanted to cause a mess so our teachers would make us stay to clean it up. But not a mess this big. And when Master Aqua threatened to cancel our winter breaks, I thought that was the best possible outcome, even if we had to work our butts off doing drills in the freezing snow."
"You actually WANTED that to happen!?" Smolder exclaimed. "Why!? Because you want us to be just as miserable as you because you don't have a family!?"
Smolder expected Gallus to argue back at her, scream in her face and butt heads, but the griffon just looked down, hanging his head in shame and guilt. "...No. That's not what I wanted at all," he said. "I just...wanted to spend more time with all of you before we had to head home. And being punished together sounded better...but when you all began talking about your holidays, spending them with your families, and...and all of you fighting with each other over who was to blame for what I did..." Gallus sat on his haunches and buried his face in his talons once more. "I only made things worse by being selfish again...I was only thinking about what I wanted, and I don't want you to miss your holidays with your families just because of my selfish choices.
"I just...didn't want to go back home...and be alone again..." After Gallus composed himself, trying not to break down in tears in front of everyone to save face, he looked up, dreading to see some spiteful glares against him. He was surprised to see Sandbar, Yona, Ocellus, Smolder, and Silverstream showing sympathy for him, all by the pony and dragon shedding tears for him. He had to make things right and tell their teachers the truth. He didn't deserve any pity from them, but staying in Ponyville felt much better while being punished for his selfishness than going back to the run down kingdom he hated to call home. He stood up and began walking past his friends, heading toward the door. "I'm going to tell Master Aqua it was my fault. You guys don't deserve me for a friend. Or a trustworthy ally."
He turned the handle and pulled the door open, only to be met with a stoic blue unicorn mare glaring daggers at him. "We heard everything," Aqua said, her tone low and devoid of any sympathy. Gallus stumbled back slightly, startled by his master's harsh, cold, unforgiving gaze, even as Twilight, Spike, Xion, Ventus, and Terra stood behind her, worried about Aqua's attitude and feeling sorry for Gallus's past. Gallus gulped and lowered his head, scared to make eye contact with the Keyblade Master. "Gallus, I am very, very disappointed in you. I had a feeling it was you, but to outright lie to us like that is disgraceful. Along with putting your friends up on a chopping block for all of you to suffer the same exact punishment. Obviously, it seems like you need to learn to put others' needs before your own selfish desires again, even after you had learned that already when you tried to slice Rapunzel's magical hair to use healing magic."
"I'm sorry, master," Gallus apologized.
"Don't apologize to me; apologize to them," Aqua said, telekinetically lifting Gallus's head and forcing him to look back at his friends. She dropped her magical hold, taking in a deep breath through her nose, keeping her cool before freezing everything around her. Grabbing one of the mops, a bucket, and a rag, she held them in front of Gallus, the griffon taking them in his claws without question. "Finish cleaning up your mess. The rest of you, get your things and head to the train station immediately. The last train's going to be leaving soon, and I don't want your families to worry."
Though the rest of the Young Six were free to head back home, they didn't want to leave Gallus alone. "B-But he never meant to-"
Aqua quickly lifted her hoof, silencing Silverstream. "I am NOT letting either of you miss that last train," she said. "The others will escort you to the station once you gather your belongings. Do not make me repeat myself."
Concerned with Aqua's behavior, Terra approached her and grabbed her shoulder. "Aqua, calm do-"
Aqua swiftly whipped her head to glare at Terra. "I know what I'm doing," she uttered.
Despite her tone, the stallion could see his lover's eyes wavering, her face trying to stay stoic and hardened while her eyes expressed how she was truly feeling. Terra relented, letting out a sigh and a silent nod, trusting her. He let go of her shoulder and stepped back into the hall, the others wondering what was going on in the unicorn's mind. Aqua looked back at her apprentices, silently pointing her hoof to the freed Young Six to head back home and enjoy their break. Even though they all wanted to protest, they couldn't argue back if they wanted to. Gallus glanced back at his friends, trying to reassure them with a small grin.
"Just enjoy your breaks, guys," he said. "You all go be with your families...I'll be fine."
Neither of them wanted to leave Gallus behind. Despite his actions, they had a better understanding as to why he wanted to get them all in trouble in the first place. Sadly, much to their own defiance and wanting to stay with Gallus so he wouldn't be alone for the holidays, their mentors didn't want them to and worry their families by staying for the griffon. Reluctantly, they obeyed and began to head out.
"I'll...check in on you after Hearth's Warming," Sandbar promised Gallus. He glanced at Aqua, which he quickly averted from her stoic expression. "If I'm allowed."
The earth pony teen quickly trotted, taking a wild guess from Aqua's expression that no one was allowed to see Gallus while he was punished. Smolder gave Gallus a fist bump as she passed him, muttering a farewell to him. Ocellus mumbled a goodbye as well, but rushed by the griffon to avoid getting into anymore trouble for staying. Yona caught Gallus in a bone-breaking yak hug, squeezing the air out of his skinny frame and knocked the cleaning tools out of his hands. She finally let go as he was starting to see black, flopping to the ground gasping and coughing worse than his claustrophobic anxiety attacks.
Gallus managed to stand back up, giving Yona a small wave with one hand while the other rubbed chest. "Yaks must also like crushing ribs with their hugs," he mumbled to himself. The last one to leave was Silverstream, but the hippogriff stood absolutely still, her gaze filled with sorrow and sympathy. For him. Gallus frowned, sighing as he averted his eyes from her pitiful expression. "...You don't need to worry about me, Silv...I'd rather be stuck here than-"
Faster than he could react, Silverstream flapped over to him and caught him in a tight embrace. She didn't try to crush him like Yona likes to, but she held him really close to her, afraid to leave his side. Shocked, he snapped out of his daze when he felt her shiver against him, her quiet sobs filling his ears as her tears dripped down onto his back.
"...It's not fair," she mumbled. "Y-You don't...deserve to be alone. No one should. Never." Silverstream hugged Gallus tighter as her chest heaved with her sobs. "I-I feel so selfish talking about my family, and-and you...you never had a real family...You deserve a family who loves you, not...not an old, mean bird or...or a mom or dad who...who..."
Gallus clenched his beak, swallowing his sadness as he couldn't bear to see his crush crying over him. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Silverstream, hugging her back, feeling a little comfort knowing she and her friends don't hate him for getting them in trouble. He still felt terrible doing so, and he didn't want Silverstream to miss her holiday celebrations and traditions with her own family.
"...Silv, it's ok," he reassured the hippogriff. "I'm used to-"
"NO! It's not ok!" Silverstream exclaimed, startling Gallus as she pulled back to look at him. Her cheeks were stained with her tears and flowed like a leaking faucet. "You never knew what it's like to be part of a real family! To have fun with them or spend any time with them on days like this! You can't NOT enjoy a good holiday with creatures who love and care about you!" Gallus was speechless. She held him again, looking over to their teachers, Aqua still remaining stoic, Terra and Ven sharing a pitying grimace for Gallus, Xion brought to tears as she had shared a similar experience of never having a real family herself until she met Roxas and Axel, and though Twilight and Spike felt bad for Gallus, they were more worried about Aqua's lack of emotion despite all they heard. "Master Aqua, Headmare Twilight, can Gallus come with me to Mt. Aris and celebrate a real holiday with me and my family? Please? He shouldn't be punished for keeping us together. We don't ever want to be apart from each other ever again."
"We can't," Aqua immediately answered, making Silverstream choke back a sob. She wanted to scream at her master for being so heartless, even if it meant she would get held back just so Gallus wouldn't suffer alone. The unicorn's gaze softened as she let out a sigh. "It's not what you think I'm implying. Not only does Gallus need to clean up this mess, but he can't go anywhere else around the world without his guardian's consent. He's only allowed to be here at the school, or chaperoned by one of us when traversing other worlds."
"But his fake grandpa doesn't even care where he is or what he does!" Silverstream argued, worrying Gallus as he attempted to calm her down.
"Either way, we need a written consent from Grandpa Gruff to allow him to go anywhere else," Aqua stated. "You're all minors as well. If he went 'missing' without his knowledge, then we're going to have another incident involving a kingdom wanting to go to war with Equestria. None of us want that to happen, and neither do you, right?"
Silverstream wilted, whimpering sadly as she held Gallus even tighter. "...I-It's...just not fair..."
"Silverstream, I swear I'll be alright." Gallus pat the hippogriff's back, feeling her ease up on her constrictive, desperate hugging. "I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but it's already getting late. You can't miss that train." She leaned her head back, but any protests she had died when Gallus pressed a talon to her beak, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "You guys at least have a family who would worry about where you've been. I am a little bit jealous, but...I don't ever want to take that away from you." Silverstream sniffled, feeling even more upset for Gallus. "Just...have fun with your celebration back home for me. When we graduate, and when we're old enough, I could...come fly by Mt. Aris and see what your holiday is like."
Silverstream's beak quivered, giving Gallus a small nod as she tried to smile, wanting nothing more than to show him how fun and heartwarming it is to enjoy a real holiday. She gave him one last hug, making it last before Gallus pulled away.
"...Have a happy holiday," she said.
"You too," Gallus said back.
Silverstream had to force herself to turn away and walk toward the doorway. She wanted to look back at Gallus, but Terra gently ushered the hippogriff back to the dorms to get her stuff.
"Escort the others down to the station once their ready," Aqua said to her friends. "I'll make sure Gallus cleans up his mess."
She levitated Gallus's cleaning supplies, the griffon taking the hint as he took them without anymore delays. He got to work with his mop, feeling the hardened gaze from his master's eyes boring into the back of his head.
"Aqua, are you sure you-?" Twilight tried to protest, but Terra placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"Everything's fine, Twilight," he assured the alicorn. Twilight, Spike, and Xion looked at each other, wondering if it really was ok for Aqua to be alone with Gallus. "Come on. We don't want them to be late."
Sighing, Twilight silenced any other complaints, hoping for an answer and Terra not stopping Aqua and her harsh behavior. The group followed Silverstream to help them pack and rush them to the train station before the last train disembarked and the stations shut down for the holidays.