//------------------------------// // Last Night on Mount Aris Part 1 // Story: Bluebird // by Hammerhead //------------------------------// “Well, everypony, I think I can speak for all when I say this week in Mount Aris and Seaquestria, not bad.” “‘ere ‘ere!” The gang were all relaxing in the apartment, having a celebratory meal on the last night. Lighting Dust and Pound Sterling grabbed a load of ingredients from the market in Hippogriffia and made full use of the kitchen. Everypony had fresh carrot burgers, much sweeter and crunchier than the hayburgers they would have had at home. The only exception was Gallus, who insisted on having a plate full of sushi. Knowing the griffon would be heading back to Equestria, only Grover would know when he’d have fish again. His Academy buddies might not have been fans of eating fish. Still, they did find the Hippogriff’s favourite beverage of salmon juice to be quite lovely, especially when chilled. Lightning Dust raised her glass, “Cheers to our buddy Bluebird and his “friend” Silverstream for setting this up for us.” She gave Gallus a sarcastic smirk. At the same time, the other ponies clinked their glasses. Gallus said nothing but let out a frustrated sigh. “So, wha’ does everyone wanna do t’neet?” Pound Sterling asked the group. “Last evenin’ ‘fore we ‘ead home.” There was a brief pause as the ponies tried to think of ideas. “Maybe check out the Harmonizing Heights…” Scythe’s suggestion fell on deaf ears. “Well, we’ve checked out Seapony nightlife. It makes sense to check out Hippogriff nightlife.” Lightning Dust cut in, and Scythe returned to eating his meal. “Whatever you’re doing, I’ll have to pass,” said Gallus with a slightly gravelly voice. “We’ve already spent the day going around Hippogriffia, and I need to rest, especially after that Screeching Contest…” Despite the sounds of a sore throat and a frustrated glare down at his sushi plate, Lightning Dust scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Come on, Bluebird, are you still complaining about that? You won that contest, after all.” Several hours earlier, it was a sunny spring day in Hippogriffia. Gallus and his friends were going through the market when loud screeching caught their attention. A crowd of colourful hippogriffs gathered around a round stage in the main square. A hippogriff would come up on stage one by one, and everything went quiet. Then, the hippogriff would give a loud, high-pitched screech. The sound would echo across the square, followed by applause and odd cheer. Each cheer was measured by volume, length, and quality, distinguished by medals with blue, red, and green ribbons. Sky Beak emerged on stage after six more hippogriffs screeched to their hearts' content. “That’s all our contestants for this year, folks, all incredible performances”, he proclaimed, followed by generous applause. The princely hippogriff then eyed the four ponies and griffon in the back of the crowd. “Now, we do have some esteemed guests from abroad. Does any of them want to come up and give it a go?” Nicknames, who had been half-asleep through most of the trip around the market and the contest, suddenly got a naughty idea. “Oh, Bluebird wants to!” he yelled out. He figured impressing Silverstream’s dad at the screeching contest would surely help him win his bet. Gallus didn’t have time to realise what he was being forced into until Nicknames held up his arm. “Wait, what? No, I don’t,” he objected, but other ponies had latched on. “Yeah! Go, Bluebird!” “Bluebird! Bluebird! Bluebird!” He was lifted and carried by Nicknames towards the stage, over a crowd of hippogriffs chanting his Bluebird in unison. “Nick, get off me!” he protested, trying to fidget and flap his wings to get out of Nicknames’ hugging grip. Nicknames on the other hoof held on and tried to put him on the stage so he could give a screech himself. “Hey, stop moving about, or we’ll fall!” “Let go of me, or I’ll tell the whole Academy your real name is Moniker.” Nicknames panicked at the thought. “Alright, geez. I’ll take your place!” Unfortunately, as he was about to let go, he lost his balance. Dragging Gallus with him, he fell onto the stage. He landed Rump first, right on Gallus’s tail. The sudden shock and pain caused Gallus to screech. His extended eagle cry echoed throughout Mount Aris, bringing it to a complete standstill. Once he finally stopped, Nicknames and Gallus looked out onto a stage, a sea of wide-eyed hippogriffs in shock and awe of what they just heard. Then, they all cheered. Lightning Dust wasn’t wrong about Gallus winning, as evidenced by a medal hung around the griffon’s neck with a blue ribbon. Yer, she still felt disconcerted at the eagle eyes staring at her like daggers. “…Okay, that could have gone better.” “Shouldn’t have forced Gallus in the first place,” Scythe murmured. “But Nicknames does dumb things all the time,” she excused as if his antics were just expected and accepted. “I’m sure he’s sorry, right Nick?” She then looked along the dining table to realise that her defence wasn’t holding water. “Nick?” She scanned the entire apartment floor to discover Nicknames wasn’t present. This was even a surprise to the others, as they looked around from their seat to discover he was nowhere in sight. “Wasn’t he with us when we got here?” “Ahm sure he was. Ah made him some scran.” Pound Sterling looked across the table before returning to the kitchen to notice an uneaten carrot burger sitting on the kitchen counter, with a glass of salmon juice on the side. It then dawned on them they had spent all day going around Hippogriffia and had lost Nicknames. “When did we last see him?” asked Lightning Dust. “The Screeching Contest…” Gallus muttered. “Any time after that?” There was silence as no one had an answer. Lightning Dust then rested her head in her hooves. “He wandered off sometime within the last four hours. Where could he be?” Scythe quietly listed possible locations around Hippogriffia. “The palace, the coast, markets, Harmonizing Heights, nightclubs…” “We’re not gonna leave ‘im out there, reet?” Pound Sterling asked with concern. Further silence before Lighting Dust groaned and stood up from her seat. Although she hoped to do something fun on the last night in Mount Aris, it looked like one missing pony meant other plans. “Okay, looks like our final night is gonna be a search mission,” she begrudgingly declared. “Here’s the plan; I’ll go up near the top of the mountain and search for him from above. Steppy, you can search around this spot since you know your way around the trees.” Pound Sterling gave a stoic salute, “On it!” she said, then flew up to the bedroom to grab a torch as Lightning Dust turned her attention to Gallus and Scythe. “One of you two should go down to the coast”, she instructed, “and the other should stay here in case the stupid, careless jerk comes back while the rest of us are out.” Both Scythe and Gallus look at each other, perplexed at the well-reasoned plan given spontaneously. Lightning Dust furrowed her brow. “What? I pay attention in classes, you know.” As Lighting Dust and Pound Sterling exited the apartment, Scythe got out of his seat. It quickly flew towards his bedroom to get a satchel. He then returned to the kitchen to grab the uneaten food and drink. “Why are you grabbing those?” Gallus queried out of curiosity. “He might be hungry or thirsty…” “Good point, you know. I can go out to look for Nicknames”, Gallus offered as Scythe approached the door. “I’m not hurt that bad”, he assuredly added. That was when Scythe opened the door and stuck his head outside. The pegasus was frozen for a few seconds, long enough to arouse suspicion from his griffon friend. When Scythe’s head re-emerged from the doors, his eyes were wide. “Uh, I think you’re better off staying here.” “Why?” questioned Gallus, tilting his head. “Just something you need to handle, bye!” Scythe rushed through the door, leaving it open before Gallus could press further. He furrowed his brow. What was so worrying outside that Scythe felt he needed to stay in? To get his answer, Gallus went straight for the door. He pulled it open, and there she was. Silverstream was standing on the other side. “Hey, Gally…” She had her smile, her eyes glistened under the moonlight, and she had a familiar citrus aroma on her. Yet, she looked exhausted. Her hair was a mess, and her necklace needed to be aligned. Gallus wasn’t sure what to make of it, except theorising she rushed to get here. “Hey…” She looked behind her and saw Scythe fly down to the coast. “Is this a bad time?” she asked softly with an air of disappointment, suspecting Gallus was about to head out too. Fortunately, with all his friends out, this was probably the best time the two of them had had. He smiled back and stepped to the side, leaving the doorway open. “Not at all, come in.” Scythe arrived at the coast. He remembered where the fishing docks were, the long beach, and even the naval base. He made sure to scan across the entire edge of the island. It would be bad news if Nicknames were in the water. Celestia forbid if he turned back into a seapony. He had a plausible theory of where Nicknames was, though he was bored for most of the day, only finding fun dragging Gallus onto that stage. He did, however, have fun at the Hidden Cavern down in Seaquestria the night before. It was a lot of fun. Back in their early teens at the Cloudsdale Junior Cadets, Nicknames was always one to party. Scythe remembered how he would make jokes, play games, get songs going, even during lights out. He had a hard time sleeping on some nights. Ergo, what place on Mount Aris was potentially the likeliest place Nicknames would be in the late evening of the last day on the island? Scythe's ears perked up, detecting the muffled sounds of music, the kind with drum and bass thumping across the air. Sounds like another club. “That sounds like it…” He followed the music, and the muffled thumping got louder until he noticed flashing lights coming from a giant round building. Like a colourful beacon or lighthouse, it stood out brightly from the jagged rocks around it. He also noticed a silhouette of a hippogriff standing outside, perhaps a bodyguard. When he made his approach, more details of the figure emerged. The details were more concerning. The hippogriff was a guard alright, but one in a purple-coloured suit of armour that shimmered off the flashing lights. “Uh, excuse me, sir…” Scythe warily got the attention of the guard. “Sir, you wouldn’t happen to have seen a pony go inside?” The guard raised a curious eyebrow, which seemed better than a simple no, but not the response that gave Scythe confidence. “Come with me,” the guard said in a surprisingly deep voice to emphasise the assertion with their instruction. “Yes, sir” Scythe hurriedly followed behind the guard, flying above the translucent building. Above the flashing lights was a separate room that had a warm golden glow from the outside. The guard opened the door and revealed a bland environment. It was a manager’s office. A female hippogriff with brown fur, features, and a short wave of a purple mane was sitting behind a desk. Before Scythe and the guard emerged from the door, she seemed more preoccupied with giving stern glares with a lit cigarette held in her beak. That manager glared at a cyan pegasus, slowly rocking in a chair. His mane was messy; oddly, a rope was tied around his forehooves. The guard asked Scythe, “Is this the pony you’re looking for?” but Scythe knew immediately, with dread, that it was Nicknames. And Nicknames, with a glance, smiled as soon as he saw Scythe. “Eeeey, Mumbles!” he exclaimed with a hiccup. “I waz wonderin’ when somepony would show!” The glaring manager hippogriff shifted her hawk-like gaze to Scythe, resting back in her chair with her arms folded. “So… you two are friends?” she questioned him. Nickname's big drunken mouth made it difficult for Scythe to avoid the question without lying. “We know each other…” he answered uncomfortably. “Well, your friend here has a problem”, she stated with a frustrated sigh. “On top of drinking way too much, he decided to sing on the stage, and then when security dragged him off, he was yelling about being a soldier and friends with the Navy…” “I haff friends in the Navy tho…” Nicknames interjected, slurring his speech and nearly falling off his chair. “Am from the royal guard academy…” “Not helping Nick…” “Do you still want me to take him?” the security guard asked the manager. Scythe tilted his head. “Take him?” “I called the palace guards to let your friend sober up in the cells”, the manager claimed casually, “you can pick him up in the morning.” “What?!” Scythe exclaimed in a panic. Nicknames in trouble for being drunk is one thing, but going to a dungeon or jail? The hassle of getting him out the following morning before the train arrived was the least of his worries at that moment. He Imagined newspaper headlines floating around in his mind about a pony with connections to the E.U.P. Guard being arrested. It’d be bad news not only to Nicknames but to Gallus, who brought him here, and to him. His family knows he’s in Mount Aris. What if his dad or grandad read a newspaper with that headline? “No! Please don’t do that!” Scythe pleaded with the security guard. “I’ll take him instead.” “You know it’s not that simple”, the manager refuted. “He’s drunk, caused a disturbance, and racked up a tab he can’t pay off.” “I’ll pay the tab then.” “You haven’t seen the tab”, the manager scoffed. “I doubt you can afford it.” Scythe ignored the arrogant comment. He was smart enough to bring his satchel. He dug his hoof inside and pulled out a burlap sack that rattled with each move. The bag had some weight to it, as despite attempting to chuck it towards the manager, it landed on the wooden floor. The bag opened on impact, and several gold bits fell out in front of the manager. Her beak fell over agape, and her cigarette fell out as she could count several dozen coins lying across the floor in front of her hooved hind feet. “There, that should cover it”. “Woah, Mumbles, you’re loaded!” remarked Nicknames, as his eyes were locked on the shiny gold coins. “We’re taking a train back to Equestria first thing in the morning”, Scythe followed up. “If my friends and I pick him up from the cells, we’ll miss it.” He looked the manager dead in the eyes and pleaded. “Let him go, please.” The manager picked up one of the gold bits, followed by her cigarette. Something about the bits made her reevaluate the situation she put herself in. Perhaps it was a bit of an overreaction to get the island’s security to deal with a drunken pony. It’s not like she would ever be that rough to a hippogriff. She’d just kick them out and bar them. She exhaled as smoke billowed from her beak and nodded to the security guard. “Alright, you heard the pony,” she said before turning to Scythe with another glare and a simple order. “Get your friend out of here before I change my mind.” After untying Nicknames’ hooves, Scythe got Nicknames out of the office and away from the club. The pair took an extended trot back to the coast as the music faded in the distance. Unable to balance himself, Nicknames leaned on Scythe as he trotted, much to Scythe’s chagrin, considering the weight and the constant interruptions. “Hey, hey, Mumbles, that waz so cool what happened” said Nicknames, still with the drunken, slurred speech and occasional prodding. “That jerk was all like ‘, you can’t afford it’, and then all that money was dumped at her hooves, and she was like, ‘whaaaat?’” “Yes, I was there,” Scythe said irritably. “That was my emergency money.” “Hey, Mumbles,” Nicknames kept prodding, “why are we walking back to the house? We haff wings! Let's fly home!” Nicknames then spread his wings, carelessly pushing Scythe out of the way, and leapt into the air. “No!” Scythe said assertively, jumping up and grabbing onto Nicknames’ hind hooves to drag him back down. “You’re too drunk to fly.” “Ugh, youz like my mom”, Nicknames loudly groaned, rolling his eyes. “Grumpy all the time and telling me not to do stuff.” “After tonight, I don’t blame her.” Even though Scythe was murmuring, Nicknames could tell there was hostility. “Jeez, wass the big deal?” he moaned. “I juss thought we could spend the lass day doin’ somethin’ wild, but the rest of you went ‘round those markets and contests, and then you all wanted to go home”, he excused himself. Scythe only responded with a grumble. “You can’t just spend your life on your own being bored. You need to live a little, buddy,” Nicknames added as he practically rested his entire body onto Scythe, leaving the pegasus with no personal space. “I’m not your buddy!” Scythe shoved Nicknames away, causing him to nearly fall over onto the sandy beach. Although he was slightly surprised to hear Scythe get snappy and see him with creased brows and gritted teeth, his drunken intuition thought it was a joke. “What you talkin’ ‘bout Mumbles?” he laughed. “We’ve been friends since Junior Cadets in Cloudsdale, remember?” However, Scythe wasn’t joking around. He had enough. “I remember being picked on at Junior Cadets by you and YOUR friends. I hated being there because of it! You called me Mumbles to make fun of me, pretended not to hear me whenever I said anything, and told other cadets not to go near me. Somehow, I would have forgiven all that if you had changed for the better, but you haven’t,” he ranted, which left Nicknames befuddled. “Is it actually possible for Mumbles to shout? What’s that Mumbles? I can’t hear you!” Scythe mimicked, recalling the times at the Academy. “Even last night at the Hidden Cavern in Sequestria, I was getting along with Silverstream’s brother when you swam over and humiliated me.” “Wait,” Nicknames paused, his slow mind forming a picture of when they were seaponies and telling what he thought was a funny story to a white seapony. “You mean all that about you reading books and talkin’ gobbledygook? That’s how you got your name,” he argued. “Why would you do that stuff if you didn’t want ponies to call you that?” “I study languages!” Scythe blurted out. “I read books in different languages to relax, and reading aloud helps me learn.” “That’s why you did that?” Nicknames raised an eyebrow. “How was I to know?” “How about asking?” Scythe snapped back. “Get to know me. I mean, you think we’re friends, and yet I didn’t know your real name was Lightning Moniker until a few days ago. Do you know my real name?” “Course I do!” Nicknames refuted harshly. He raised his right hoof and prepared to answer. “…it’sssssssssssssss…” Although he could excuse Nickname’s blank memory because of his booze intake, Scythe remained angry. “It’s Scythe! Scythe Ma…” Despite such anger, Scythe managed to control himself enough not to blurt out his family name. Still, he figured Nicknames might have gotten suspicious. He stopped making a steam-like sound and tilted his head. “Never mind, it’s not like you’ll remember,” he excused himself. “Okay, I don’t know everything about you, so what?” Nicknames admitted callously, dismissing Scythe’s complaints. “If we’re not friends… why did you come and find me?” “Everypony is out trying to find you, you careless, stupid jerk!” Scythe exclaimed loud and clear. “If we didn’t, we’d leave you behind, making me look bad!” Immediately, he put both of his front hooves to his mouth, his face in horror. He didn’t intend to go into Nicknames as much as he did. But it was too late. Nicknames heard what was said loud and clear. He felt his heart crumble, and his eyes started to water. Clearly, even Scythe saw him more as a pain than a friend. “Fine. I’ll save you the trouble.” He spread his wings once again, leapt, and flapped upwards. Still in shock, Scythe didn’t have time to stop him. “Nick, don’t. I’m sor-“ “No, no! You’re right. We’re not friends, and I’m out here being a careless, stupid jerk,” he yelled at Scythe. “Just go find the others and tell them to quit looking for me because I’ll be back at the house when they return.” He then started flying off towards the mountain, aiming for the apartment. Unfortunately, the alcohol in his body was still in effect. Unbeknownst to him, he was flying further and further off-centre. It was far too late for him to realise he had lost control of his flight pattern and started falling towards the ground in the dark. He then felt the right side of his body hit the ground, quickly turning into a tumble. He was eventually stopped by a thorny bush, which was poking its way into every part of his body. “Owww…” The apartment was silent for several minutes. Gallus and Silverstream sat together on the sofa. No words or sounds were uttered apart from the crickets outside. Gallus pondered why, repeatedly tapping his knee, he was not saying something after several days of being unable to speak with her. In fairness, he doesn’t want to mention why his pony friends are not around, imagining she’d get involved in a search and rescue. He doesn’t want to bring up the letters so soon that might drive her away. Same with the whole royal duties, she hadn’t told him directly about those yet. His tapping got faster as the anxiety grew. He needed to say something, anything, casual or not. Anything but this awkward, uncomfortable silence. “So…” Silverstream said suddenly, “have you gotten time to go around Mount Aris?” Gallus breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, we checked out the market in Hippogriffia, the Harmonizing Heights, the fishing docks, and the beach”, he answered, counting the different sites they visited that day. “Even checked out a screeching contest in the main square…” Suddenly, Silverstream’s ears perked up. “There was a screeching contest today?!” she began to beam, “I love those; some of us are really loud when we’re not underwater!” She said in a raised, excited voice. She showed no concern for personal space as her break was inches from Gallus’s face. “Did you take part? PLEASE tell me you took part.” Even if it was a bit much, Gallus couldn’t help but smile. It was the behaviour that brought him back to their youth in Ponyville. As much as it pained him earlier, he wanted to encourage it. “Even better, I won a prize, " he answered, holding his medal. She squee’d, and her grin grew wider. “That’s amazing! You did even better than Headma-I mean Princess Twilight! Daddy told me they gave her a ribbon when she participated in “research”. They only give out medals for the best screechers!” she explained with hardly any breath in between. “A griffon like you must be a natural!” “Guess I am…” Gallus rubbed his still-sore tail. After starting the conversation, Gallus figured it was time to return the favour. “H-how about yourself? What have you been up to…?” Silverstream started to rub her neck. “Oh, I was just in the palace all day,” she admitted sheepishly, sounding nowhere as exciting as a screeching contest. “I did see General Seaspray, though. He talked about you.” “Really!” Gallus kept a fake smile as he felt his heart stop. “Hope he said good things?” he nervously scratched the back of his head. That was when Silverstream oddly decided to run her claws through her mane like a comb. She hurriedly stylised her hair until it was a puffy plume, almost like Seaspray’s mane. She held up her beak high, held a stoic expression, and mimicked his tone and mannerisms. “Gallus and his Equestrian military colleagues demonstrated diligence in their duties and integrating with the naval crew. There were setbacks, but we persevered and found new perspectives that could help improve our Naval ships' working environment.” “Oh,” Gallus wasn’t sure if he was more impressed by the comment or Silverstream’s impressive impersonation skills. “That sounds good, right?” She nodded gleefully. “Mmhm, he even said he’d consider inviting ponies from the Royal Guard Academy to the Navy in the future” She sounded so proud. “He’s so sweet, right? He’s always worked hard and been supportive. He’s only my godfather, but I’ve always thought of him like an uncle.” “That’s one way to describe him.” After a few seconds, neither knew what to say, at least not optimistic. The silence returned, and both of their smiles faded away. “Apparently, you have to go back to Equestria early tomorrow?” said Silverstream, her voice petered out. “Yeah, I’m afraid,” he admitted in defeat. “It’s gonna take a day to get back, even longer for Pound Sterling, given she lives in Trottingham.” When she heard that, she started to slump. Gallus felt he needed to say something, but then… “Sorry I haven’t been able to spend time with you,” Silverstream apologised. Gallus’ beak was left open; he didn’t expect her to apologise. “I wanted to get to know your new friends, show you around Mount Aris and Seaquestria, but…” she sighed. “I’m not home just for spring break. I’m here mainly because my family wants me to think about…” “…your Royal Duties.” Silverstream's head rose up. She didn’t expect Gallus to know, but he knew he couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Your mom told me that in the summer, you’ll be leaving Equestria to work either in Seaquestria or one of the islands.” “I haven’t told our friends yet; I should, but what if they want me to stay? It’s already hard enough being reminded by Aunt Novo and my parents that I’m wanted here.” Hearing what she was saying reminded Gallus of his conversation with Ocean Flow. How it was up to Queen Novo that hippogriffs and seaponies look up to Silverstream’s family, no matter if it makes their lives difficult. Queen Novo might be lenient, and Silverstream could make it work like her parents did. He knew one other detail mattered. “Well, what about what you want?” Silverstream huddled herself into a ball while she thought of her answer. “I love it here. My family is great, and there’s a lot of fun in the skies and underwater. It’s my home. But, after spending time at the School of Friendship, I’ve been to new places, done new things, and made new friends. If I have to stay here and spend less time going to Equestria and other places worldwide, it’ll feel like I’m…” “Trapped?” guessed Gallus. “Exactly… And sure, it turns out being a teacher isn’t all that’s cracked up to be,” she conceded. “I mean, each day I wake up incredibly early to prepare for the day, help Professor Pinkie Pie with her laughter classes, do my own studying so I know the answers that students have, and long after all the students have finished classes for the day, I’m helping grade tests and assignments.” Gallus couldn’t help but smirk. The early start, going back and forth, and lots of studying even after finished classes sounded like the Royal Guard Academy. “Not to mention, it’s hard to know every student and get them to like you. It’s even harder to get their parents to like you, too. Most of them are ponies; there are a few yaks, dragons, changelings, even kirins, but I haven’t met a hippogriff student, so it does feel lonely sometimes.” Alas, that moment sounded a lot like the Royal Guard Academy for Gallus, too. “I know what that’s like…” He put his claws on her shoulder to comfort her. She reciprocated with a smile. “That being said, I have friends who help me out. Professor Pinkie has been a great mentor in her quirky way, and when I feel really down, I would read one of your letters.” Gallus felt his heart skip. She brought it up before he could. It even broke her out of her ball. “They make me think ‘Wow! Gallus came from Griffonstone and is now in Canterlot, training to be a Royal Guard Officer. He must be going through a lot, but he’s fighting his way through it for his friends.” Silverstream turned to look Gallus right into his eyes, inches from his face. “I may not know a lot of griffons, and I know your life hasn’t been easy, but you’re one of the greatest griffons I’ve ever met. You’re funny, thoughtful, smart. You showed me that no matter how scary things can be, you can face them and show them what you’re made of.” An awestruck Gallus started to feel some tingle inside after she said all those things. He thought it was the most admirable words he’d ever heard. He could feel his head getting warm, his heart beating and his claws tightened. Then he looked down and discovered that Silverstream was holding his claw. Silverstream also looked down and noticed and quickly let go. She hid her talons between her legs, and roses bloomed on her cheeks. “Uh yeah, happy to help”, Gallus replied, scratching his head. Guess it was time to finally have that talk he wanted. “So… last winter… I heard you say something like… I love you. How long have you…?” “Let’s just say too long,” Silverstream admitted, the redness of her face became stronger. “It sounds silly, but as much as I like to talk, I didn’t know how to tell you. I mean, I think any creature would wanna go out with you, but you’re also cool, sharp, and laidback.” Gallus could feel his head getting warmer with each compliment. “What does a ditzy, silly chatterbox of a hippogriff like me tell a griffon to show how she feels?” Both eyebrows were raised. Gallus didn’t think an optimistic, cheerful, hyperactive hippogriff like her had insecurities. “I don’t know a hippogriff like that,” he attempted to reassure her, “but you told me… twice even.” “Yeah, I just didn’t think about it…” she said, twirling a strand of her mane around a talon, “ at least until after I said it.” “Not thinking, clever.” “At least the train left before you saw anything else.” “Why? What happened?” “Well…” Meanwhile, last winter back at the train station platform of Ponyville, Gallus’ train to Canterlot had departed. From the perspective of all his friends on the platform, it appeared to shrink as it went further from view. Meanwhile, said friends stood side by side, frozen aghast by what had just happened, except for Silverstream, who held her beak shut. The train was long gone before Sandbar finally spoke up. “Did Silverstream just say…?” “Yay! Silverstream, you finally told him!” softly cheered Ocellus. “Yeah, it took her long enough,” Smolder grumbled. “Smolder, let it go…” “No ‘cel, I won’t. You didn’t share a room with Silverstream at the School of Friendship, hearing in our dorm for years, ‘Oh, he’s so cool and dreamy. I don’t know how I should tell him.’” “Uh, dudes…” “Could have saved my sanity by telling him immediately, but nooo… ‘King Thorax’s Rule number 3: Never spoil another creature’s love,’” Smolder continued to argue. “Dudes…” “Silverstream needed to tell Gallus herself like you needed to tell me, so please be happy that now they both know.” “Dudes!" Sandbar finally got everyone's attention, and the argument stopped. "Is Silverstream okay?” Everyone stopped to see Silverstream had not moved a muscle. A concerned Yona gave a gentle poke, hoping for signs of life. “He said he loved me too…” whispered Silverstream. A grin emerged from behind her talons, drawing caution from her friends. “Yona thinks friends need to run.” "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE" “I guess I got a little excited.” Silverstream excused nervously, not wanting to divulge the screeching of joy and dangerous flying she did around Ponyville. “Uh-huh” “Speaking of, before the train left, I recall you saying, “I love you too”. Is that true?” Gallus’ heart stopped again… “What is?” “Do you love me too?”