• Published 28th Aug 2019
  • 2,728 Views, 53 Comments

Free To Study - Wanderer D



Desperate situations call for desperate actions.

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The Perfect Night

Free To Study
By Wanderer D

For Present Perfect

-o-

It was late at night when Twilight finally closed the door to her office—no, Principal Starlight's office. She had cleaned up everything personal inside, teleporting the last of her possessions to her castle. It was a bittersweet moment. The end of something amazing, and yet it would continue on without her.

She sighed, placing her hoof against the door and smiling a little as memories flooded her mind. It was time to let go, and become something else. She turned, slowly making her way down the hall until she noticed the figure sitting next to the hall doors, waiting for her.

"Gallus?" she called out, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"Heh," Gallus laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his claw. "Funny you should ask that."

Twilight shook her head, smiling fondly at her former student. "It's late, and your friends might want to spend some time with you. Let me close the door here…"

"Um. They're okay with me being here, I just… uh, you know." He shrugged and waved at the hall, towards her office. "It's a bit surreal."

"Yeah," Twilight chuckled nervously. "It is. I can't believe that now I just… rule the country I guess. There goes most of my free time."

"Yeah…" Gallus trailed off, looking decidedly uncomfortable, and by extension making her slightly uncomfortable too.

She cleared her throat. "So, how about we each retire for the night? I'm sure you have things to do…"

"I do." Gallus took a deep breath. "Um… Twilight?"

She felt a slight shiver up her spine. This seemed like it was headed somewhere Twilight wasn't entirely comfortable with, but she didn't know how to stop it, or worse, if she wanted to, damn that morbid curiosity of hers.

"Since you're, you know… not the principal of the school anymore…"

"Uh… yeah?"

"And it seems like we won't be seeing much of you here, I was wondering…"

"Gallus…"

He looked up at her, his eyes wide and vulnerable, like she'd never seen the cocky griffon before: pleading and fearful. "Twilight? Can we—could you..." he trailed of and cringed at her look. "Can I go out with you? On a date? At least once?"

-o-

Twilight sat in front of the mirror, powdering her cheeks a little. She didn't need blush. She needed to blush less.

"Okay, so this is the part where I ask: what. The. Hay. Twilight?" Spike said, pacing behind her. "You can't date Gallus! He's your student!"

"Former student, Spike," Twilight said with a conviction that didn't really fit how she was feeling inside. "Besides, this is the one time."

"Really?"

She couldn't see him, but she could feel the raised eyebrow, crossed arms and skeptical look from her assistant.

"Look, I admit he's a bit younger than me…"

"He is!" he agreed.

"...by a couple of years."

Spike came into view on the mirror. He did not look amused. "If by that you mean 'a couple of years multiplied by five so it averages ten or so', I could also agree with that."

Twilight turned to glare at him. "Look, he's a young adult that confessed that he's had a crush on me for a while, Spike, what was I supposed to tell him?"

"Um… 'No?'" Spike offered. "Maybe followed by: 'I'm your former teacher and it would be weird?'"

"He's more mature than you give him credit for," Twilight said testily. Then she looked away into the night sky. "Have you seen how much he bench-presses?"

Spike stared at her for a moment. "...Oh. My. Celestia."

"Spike!"

"What else could you possibly expect me to say to that!?"

"I don't know! Something nice! It's not like I wasn't supportive for you and Rarity, even if never went anywhere!"

Spike growled and crossed his arms disapprovingly again. "I wasn't trying to date her."

Twilight blinked at that. "Wait. You weren't?"

"No. I'm a dragon, Twilight! She was going to be part of my hoard!" Spike exclaimed, giving her an exasperated look. "You don't think I would have asked her out otherwise? It's more complicated to tell a mare that you want them petrified in that moment of perfect beauty so that they can decorate your bathroom—without you know, offending them—than it is asking them out for a date! I was nervous for a real reason!"

"So what was that conversation about her pegging you?!"

Spike sighed. "To the floor, Twilight. With a net, when dragon migration happened so I wouldn't fly away. I had chores to do." He paused and gave her a confused look. "What did you think we meant?"

There was a moment of awkward silence that prolonged far too long.

"Anyway," Twilight said, shifting in her seat. "Gallus might be a bit younger than I, but he's a sweet griffon, Spike. I know this is weird, and even though I think he's cute… it's weird. But when he asked, I didn't want to hurt his feelings. You understand this, right?"

Spike sighed. "When was the last time you went on a date?"

Twilight pressed her lips, refusing to look at him. "Never."

"What was the last time somecreature asked you out?"

Twilight turned away, and heard him sigh.

"That's what I'm worried about," he said.

-o-

"So," Smolder fiddled with Gallus' bowtie. "Twilight Sparkle, huh?" She smirked, nodding in approval. "You really do go for the big prize. I can't believe I'm saying it, but that's dragon lord-level of greed right there."

Gallus ignored the quietly sobbing Sandbar, who had huddled in the corner and was giving him betrayed looks while being patted on the back by Ocellus. "Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is!" Smolder said, frowning at him.

"How did you get her to agree in the first place?" Silverstream asked from where she was looking down at a picture book of race tracks. "Princess Twilight is a bit nerdy, so I would have thought her immediate reaction would have been 'no.'"

Gallus smirked. "Oh, you know me. I walked up to her, stared her right in the eyes and said: you and me babe, we're going on a date."

Smolder snorted. "Yeah, right. You probably were shaking when you asked her out."

"I mean," Ocellus spoke up from where she had a comforting hoof placed on Sandbar's quivering shoulder, "Princess Twilight always had a bit of a crush on you so…"

"Wait, what?!" Gallus turned around to face her. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh, I just didn't want to hurt Sandbar's feelings," she raised her volume as the pony wailed louder. "He was hoping your feelings for him were more than platonic."

"Huh." Gallus had already turned to the mirror to check how he looked. Nodding when he saw he was all set, he claw-bumped Smolder, shoulder-bumped the grinning Yona, hoof-bumped Ocellus, hugged Silverstream, and decided that Sandbar looked too miserable for some reason to interrupt.

He swallowed the nervousness and, taking a deep breath, marched out of their room.

Behind him, he barely heard Ocellus' voice. "There, there, I can turn myself into a nice, strong stallion for you to hug. Or even a griffon! I don't mind. Would you like that?" she cooed. "Would that be okay, Sandbar?"

He didn't wait to hear his response. He had a princess to pick up.

-o-

Gallus had met Twilight just outside her castle, and like a real gentlebird, had walked with her downtown, all the time admiring her quietly. Twilight didn't know how to take it. He looked good. Dressed up even; with a bow tie and everything. He was really adorable, making sure to take note of everything or anything that was along their way to ensure that she was comfortable, safe, and unlikely to get dirty with muddy water.

He was showing his age, a little, but Twilight reminded herself that Gallus was not a child at all, just young. She had always been excitable herself, exuding a child-like energy whenever new knowledge was to be had. Even now, the thought of books fluffed her wings and made her giddy, but also the fact that he thought she was attractive. It was hard to miss in his eyes, and it made her feel warm and pleased.

He looked handsome too. He was dashing, quite honestly, and confident. He had the smile of someone that was sure of who they were and also proud to be in her company. At no point did he make her feel like she was an addition or decoration to show off. If anything, he behaved as if it was his responsibility to ensure she was in the limelight; that her efforts to pretty-up were not wasted.

Eventually, however, their pleasant stroll ended, and they stood at their destination. The venue was nice, Twilight decided. One of the newer restaurants in Ponyville, the Midnight Rose was a casual diner that catered to many creatures, a result in part of her opening the School of Friendship and Equestria's growing international relations.

Thus it had cuisine from every kingdom, from the subaquatic sea pony fares, to the meat-heavy griffon diet. It was a perfect place to go for anycreature—especially interspecies couples—and somewhat hard to get reservations at. He might have been preparing for this for a while.

Next to her, Gallus squirmed a little in place despite his earlier confidence, and she couldn't blame him. In truth, it made her nervous to walk in too. The quiet companionship of their walk was very different than publicly admitting they were on an actual date.

A date! This would be the first time ever she had gone out on a date with anycreature… and this particular creature was none other than her former student! She could already imagine the tabloids! Maybe this was a bad idea, she shouldn't. She shook her head, looking at him… but he looked so cute!

Twilight gulped down the nervousness. 'True, Gallus is a bit younger than me, but not too much… and I'm immortal too. In the end, we can take it as slow or fast as we want, if we want to continue with this idea.' She took a deep breath, using her breathing exercise surreptitiously before she smiled at him. "Well, are you ready?"

Gallus coughed, and drew a deep breath as well before that charming smile of his that had caught her eye every time was back on the beak. For what little their age difference mattered right now, they both had so much in common. Like putting a brave face when they were terrified. "Yeah, I did make a reservation, after all!" He offered her his arm as they approached.

Twilight giggled and took his arm as they reached the maitre'd, an elderly brown earth pony who slowly raised his eyebrow at them. "Your highness," he bowed slightly in Twilight's direction, immediately recognizing her. "It is an honor to have you and… your guest?"

"We have a reservation," Gallus said, voice slightly squeaky before clearing his throat. "It's under my name," he clarified with a bit more confidence. "Gallus of Griffonstone."

"Ah, yes," the maitre'd looked down at the list. "Table for two. This way, please."

The pair followed after the pony, taking a seat at a mostly secluded area with low lighting. The maitre'd, whilst still giving them doubtful looks, made sure they were seated and left. Menus were brought soon after by a waiter who introduced himself as Mango Perfect—a gray thestral pony with a rusty-red mane and black wings—and after a few minutes studying the listed food, Twilight had no idea what she should order.

Everything looked too good.

She hummed, tapping her chin with her hoof. Should she order something with a bit of meat in it to make Gallus comfortable? She wasn't too keen on it, but had tried it on a couple of occasions… one didn't get to be Princess Celestia's personal student without having to learn how to eat meat. And if Rarity could eat Fruit Bats, well, she could eat a bit of it to make him comfortable.

'Wait,' she thought suddenly, her eyes going wide. 'What if he thinks I'm trying too hard to impress him? What if he thinks I'm just making fun of him? Oh no. Nonononono. What would Rarity do?!'

She glanced at Gallus, who was studying the menu intensely, and forced a smile. "Gallus? Everything looks too good. How about you choose for both of us?"

-o-

Gallus studied the menu, and couldn't make sense of what was in front of him. Well. He could. For the most part. The mostly griffon part, to be exact. Like... meat. Lots of meat. Beak-watering meat. But ponies didn't eat meat.

Well. For the most part. He could have sworn Sweetie Belle ate bacon. But she was an odd one. He had never seen Twilight eat anything resembling meat. But… would she be willing to try? She was going out on a date with a griffon, surely she had considered the diet—he heard his name spoken aloud by Twilight and looked up.

"...how about you choose for both of us?" she asked, her eyes locked onto his, a smile confident in her face, her hoof touching his claw.

Gallus inwardly cringed, and his eyes scanned every other section but the meat-eaters. Yep. Not risking it! Nope. Just as he swallowed his pride and was opening his beak to ask what looked good to her...

"Have we decided what we want for dinner?" the waiter's voice almost made him jump.

"Uh, yeah!" Gallus stammered, pointing at something with his claw. "We're each of us having the Mamang Keeew sai wey salad?"

The waiter grinned, showing his fangs. "Mamuang kiew sa wei salad, excellent choice! And to drink?"

"Just water, thank you," Twilight said, smiling.

"S-same!" Gallus forced a smile.

"Your meal will be ready soon," the thestral said, an unusual glint to his eyes.

As he left them alone, Gallus glanced at Twilight, truly taking her in at that moment. It was clear she had made sure to look good. Unlike Rarity, she hadn't suddenly put on make up, but it was clear she had paid attention to her mane and coat. She looked adorably shy, right now, sitting across from him.

Of course he had noticed all of this on their walk together, but to have her there, sitting across the table, with him, well it made everything just so… he could kiss her right now.

"So!" Twilight said, shifting in her seat with a blush now clearly visible under her fur. "How's school going?"

Gallus cursed under his breath. 'Was I staring? I was staring, wasn't I? Dammit. Gallus. Focus on her! Wait! But I was focused on her! If I keep doing that I'm going to—'

"Gallus?" Twilight asked, slightly concerned. "You're twitching."

"Uh, sorry. School. Yeah—um… pretty much the same as when you left? I mean… that was yesterday."

"Oh," Twilight chuckled. "Of course. Things… wouldn't have changed much, would they?"

"Yeah, I don't think so," he said, laughing as well. "Unless—" He looked up, and to the side when he felt a presence, finding the thestral staring at him intently. "Gah!"

"Your meal, your highness, young griffon," The plate of food had pretty much materialized in front of them, their waiter grinning wildly, eyes focused on the salad.

It was a mango salad. Who knew? Gallus had accidentally ordered something they might both enjoy. He exchanged an awkward smile with Twilight, then they both realized the waiter was still there.

"Uh… thanks?" Gallus ventured.

The waiter blinked, his tiny irises regressing to their normal, slitted size. "My apologies. Let me know if you need mango." Then he turned and slipped away into the crowded restaurant.

"Well. That was unusual." Gallus chuckled, lifting his glass up to his beak to take a sip of water. Now that they had been interrupted, it felt too weird to go back to the previous con—

"So," Twilight spoke up, giggling nervously and looking to the side. "Griffons. Do you guys lay eggs or—"

Gallus barely had time to put the glass down before he almost snorted water all over Twilight. Still, it was painful to hold it in. He started coughing, eyes tearing up before he looked at her. "What… where did that come from?"

"W-Well..." Twilight coughed. "I mean, I've been slightly curious about your biology an—"

"Is the mango good?" the waiter interrupted.

Gallus gave him an irritated look. "We haven't even started." He waved his claw in front of the waiter's face, which was hovering quite close to the salad. "We'll let you know if we need anything."

"Right, right," the waiter said, blinking before slinking back into the shadows, leaving them staring at each other with uncertain grins.

Twilight cleared her throat. "I thought we might have to discuss that eventually an—"

It took a moment for Gallus to understand. His eyes went wide and his wings suddenly snapped open, accidentally knocking back the waiter, who was sneaking in again, eyes set on the salad.

Twilight's own wings raised slightly at the display, her chest fluffing up as well and they both stared helplessly—and admiringly—at each other, trying to ignore the looks (both, knowing and confused) of the other diners. Gallus tried to ignore the particularly interested look a pair of pegasi gave them by concentrating on the knocked-out waiter. "Uh. You okay there?"

"What happened here?" the maitre'd demanded, walking up to them, gazing from the knocked out waiter to the them, then noticing the salad. "Oh. Of course." He glared at Gallus. "As annoying as Mango Perfect can be when our salad is displayed on the table, it is excruciatingly bad manners to knock him out, young sir!"

Gallus felt his stomach grow cold. "B-but I didn't—"

"I'm afraid I must ask you to leave," the maitre'd said, glaring at him, his eyes turned to Twilight. "You of course can stay if you wish, your—"

"No," Twilight said interrupting him as she stood up. "I don't think I will. This was a misunderstanding that could have been solved with kindness and honesty," she said. "I have lost my appetite, send the bill to the castle.'

Gallus didn't say a word as Twilight walked up to him and rubbed his shoulder with her own. He smiled and followed her out.

-o-

Twilight and Gallus sat on a cloud, side by side, staring at the distant, star-covered horizon, which was slowly shifting from dark blue to pink as Celestia and Luna raised and lowered their respective heavenly bodies.

"Well, that was a thing," Gallus said, sighing miserably.

"Yes, it certainly was," Twilight agreed, smiling at him.

The pair stayed silent for a moment in companionable silence, but Gallus grew more and more restless, his tail flapping from side to side as he kept glancing at her.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered.

Twilight blinked and looked at him. "Whatever for?"

"Everything?" Gallus said, not meeting her eyes. "Asking you out? Messing up dinner? Dragging you here?" He sighed. "I know you accepted just to not hurt my feelings… I'm just a student, after all."

Twilight leaned a little on him, spreading a wing over his shoulders. "I've never been on a date before."

Gallus cringed. "Go me, making it awkward and embarrassing—"

"No, no," Twilight interrupted. "I've never been asked. I always thought I was… more of a conventional beauty. Certainly not like Rarity, or Applejack." She smiled, looking down at the trees and town below. "I never thought I'd be asked out by the cutest guy in school."

Gallus gulped. "B-but that doesn't make sense! You're smart and cute and kind—"

Twilight giggled. "Well, I wasn't always the Princess of Friendship, you know? I used to be kinda grumpy."

"Well, you still are if you're not allowed to submit paperwork."

Twilight gave him a look, then grinned. "That's the snark I love."

Gallus swallowed. "Um. Y-you like that?"

"Yes," Twilight said, leaning over to kiss him gently on the beak, where she lingered for a few seconds. "I do."

"So..." Gallus licked his lips. "You'd be okay with going out on a date again?"

"You know that I'm older than you, right?" she teased, her smile and tone giving away how comfortable she felt right now.

"Only by a couple of years! Besides, I'm legally an adult in Griffonstone," he said proudly. "I mean, granted, you're pretty much an adult from the moment you can hunt, and I still technically have a legal guardian, but—" He stopped talking when Twilight pressed a hoof to his beak.

"You're rambling," Twilight said, "That's what I do. Just take a deep breath."

"Yeah," Gallus said, doing just that. "Alright. Yeah… enjoy the present."

Twilight leaned on him, pecking him on the side of the beak as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. For now it's just perfect."

The End

Author's Note:

This story and anything it inspires is dedicated to that most excellent of Thestral lovers: Present Perfect. The internet would not be the same without him.

Comments ( 53 )

"I don't know! Something nice! It's not like I wasn't supportive for you and Rarity, even if never went anywhere!"

Spike growled and crossed disapprovingly his arm again. "I wasn't trying to date her."

Twilight blinked at that. "Wait. You weren't?"

"No. I'm a dragon, Twilight! She was going to be part of my hoard!" Spike exclaimed, giving her an exasperated look. "You don't think I would have asked her out otherwise? It's more complicated to tell a mare that you want them petrified in that moment of perfect beauty so that they can decorate your bathroom—without you know, offending them—than it is asking them out for a date! I was nervous for a real reason!"

:rainbowlaugh:

This was sweet :heart: I loved the Spike bits!

Nodding when he saw he was all set, he claw-bumped Smolder, shoulder-bumped the grinning Yona, hoof-bumped Ocellus, hugged Silverstream, and decided that Sandbar looked too miserable for some reason to interrupt.

for some reason

Gallus gives exactly the right amount of importance to Sandbar’s feelings :rainbowlaugh:

This exceeded all of my expectations. Great work!

That was 20% less crackfic-y than I was expecting it to be.

I think I liked it.

That screencap with you and PresentPerfect, what were you talking about? What vote?

Good lord that ending. I'm dying. :rainbowlaugh:

You know... if you wrote this as a serious romance, this could be even better...

And if Rarity could eat Fruit Bats,

Always love the references to your other stories.

Cute and got a laugh out of me. I'd ship it.

Good job, D man.

"If by that you mean 'a couple of years multiplied by five so it averages ten or so', I could also agree with that."

"Well, when I'm sixty, he'll be fifty, and that's okay! Right?" :twilightsheepish:

9804324
Oh yeah. Nowhere near as cracky as the idea and description suggested, yet with enough cracks throughout!

This was cute. Also worth noting that my paternal grandfather is actually seven years younger than my paternal grandmother, so I don’t think the age thing is that big a deal. For that matter there’s some evidence to suggest that Spike and Rarity aren’t that far apart in age either (maybe five or seven years), despite appearances.

And if Rarity could eat Fruit Bats

Stealth Three Sisters canon confirmation?

9804697
What is three sisters?

9804726
An earlier, excellent story also by Wanderer D, with an equally excellent sequel.

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer

Why are you like this

Interesting ship story

"Oh, I just didn't want to hurt Sandbar's feelings," she raised her volume as the pony wailed louder. "He was hoping your feelings for him were more than platonic."

Gallus: "I'm not gay."
Ocellis: "That's okay; Sandbar is."

9804839
Reminds me of an anime/light novel I wish existed but doesn’t: I’m a Heroine but my Reward is a Princess?!

Heroine: “I’m straight!”
Princess: “So’s spaghetti ‘til it gets wet~!”

Wanderer D
Moderator

9804308 9804839 I mean, I'm sure that will garner me some disapproval from the Gallus/Sandbar shippers, even though it's all just having fun. :pinkiecrazy:

9804400 dunno, man. Real romance-writing takes some skill. I can do the comedy-romance a bit just because it's amusing but a whole real story? That's better left to the pros like Bookplayer, 9804308, or Monochromatic

9804335 not quite a feghoot ending, but I'm hoping 9804833 caught it.

9804697 seemed like a perfect moment for them both to think on Rarity and Sweetie's unusual diet. :raritywink:

I was going to mention the Sparity age difference, but you did so far more effectively than I could hope to.

Menus were brought soon after by a waiter who introduced himself as Mango Perfect—a gray thestral pony with a rusty-red mane and black wings

This has officially become an attack against PP, and I love it.

And if Rarity could eat Fruit Bats, well, she could eat a bit of it to make him comfortable.

Ah, it's that universe. Good to know.

Delightful madness throughout. Thank you for it.

Oof. An actual K.O. by wing. But I suppose swans will break your freaking arms, so that's fair.

Well, that was kinda cute.

Wanderer D
Moderator

9804327 Ugh. I saw this earlier and forgot to answer. PP posted a blog about who he should pair Twilight with for a short, awkward date. You know the rest.

9804324
9804594
Not cracky enough. I was fine up until Twilight actually accepted the date. Even that cool stuff with Spike and the Student Six couldn’t stop me from feeling angry and gross.

9804697
Besides the large age difference of 10 years, it’s so massive in proportion to their actual current age. Then there’s the fact that Gallus himself acts so young and emotionally vulnerable, hasn’t graduated from the School, is clearly smaller than most every other Griffin in the show, and still needs to live with an adult. This isn’t like an 18-year-old pursuing a 28-year-old. Or like 9804539 suggested. Even stories of Twilight and Celestia dating doesn’t bother me as much, because even at the series pilot, Twilight felt more adult than Gallus.

Wanderer D
Moderator

9805100 Well, too bad you didn't like it, although ages are clearly tweaked in the story. Thanks for reading.

Not raritwi...


I dig it tho

I love the maturity you gave to Spike during his moment with Twilight here :twilightsmile:

That was interesting ship and a sweet story.
Wished there's more.

Wow. That's new. A Twilight Sparkle x Gallus story. This is like a new start from the Twilestia stories.

So... should we expect a GallusXTwilight shipping group solely for the sake of antagonizing Present Perfect?

That is, uh, a ship.

Gallus ignored the quietly sobbing Sandbar, who had huddled in the corner and was giving him betrayed looks while being patted on the back by Ocellus. "Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

Oh, don't give me that! We all know Sandbar wants that shaggy yak ass

It’s nice when a hit piece on another author turns out as a fun story for the rest of us. This was cute

This kinda reminds me of a batgirl robin relationship

Also as a

(Spoiler: don't read reply if you don't want to)

I saw a picture of Gallus in the future working in twilights division as a guard

Maybe you could try something like that for a sequel?

ROBCakeran53
Moderator

Well, that was sweet. Cute, even. That bat pony needs his own story, filled with love, loss, adventure and mangos.

This was neat. Some of the parts that (I'm presuming here, but that's always dangerous territory in the online wilds) relate to other stories/verses (users?) passed me by, but the central date element itself was really enjoyable and sensitively done. Thanks for writing and sharing your work. Have another like, and all that jazz! :twilightsmile:

Wanderer D
Moderator

9806670 They were vague references, but if you didn't even notice them that's even better! The best references don't interrupt the reader, amirite? :twilightsmile: Thanks for reading!

Besides the large age difference of 10 years, it’s so massive in proportion to their actual current age. Then there’s the fact that Gallus himself acts so young and emotionally vulnerable, hasn’t graduated from the School, is clearly smaller than most every other Griffin in the show, and still needs to live with an adult. This isn’t like an 18-year-old pursuing a 28-year-old. Or like Raugos suggested. Even stories of Twilight and Celestia dating doesn’t bother me as much, because even at the series pilot, Twilight felt more adult than Gallus.

My parents are twelve years apart so the ten-year gap doesn't look that bad to me. That being said, you do bring up a good point about the whole emotional thing.

Wanderer D
Moderator

9807370 No he doesn't. The Student Six are basically the same age as Twilight and co were at the start of the series. At the series inception, Faust actually admitted their ages ranged from about what, like, 15 to 20 depending on the pony? Pinkie Pie has always acted like a child when happy, and a perturbed, deeply worrying individual when sad. Twilight breaks down because she's tardy. They all have flaws. When it came to them, there was never a question of whether they were old enough to date anyone.

Gallus is vulnerable in the series only when he's faced with his phobia. So the argument falls flat when compared to everything that didn't matter at the time for the ponies themselves. They're not in primary school either... we see adult ponies studying in Twilight's School of Friendship. Also, Gallus doesn't live with an adult. In fact, he needed a guardian for international relations only. In the show, he's shown to not actually live with that old griffon, and also shown to live in the school.

He's a young man, she's a young woman. And she's makeing a big deal out of a two-year age gap?

But I guess it is like Twilight to make mountains out of molehills, on the first romantic date she's ever had.

9807381
If we're going to talk about ages, here's my take: The Mane 6 (at least, at the start of the series) seem like young adults. They're probably in their teens or twenties.

Probably later teens, if they're teens. Equestria isn't exactly modern America (modern Americans take ridiculously long to grow up, compared to the historic norm). But I doubt Equestria has too many 13-year-olds who live on their own.

However, Pinkie and AJ live with their families. So they could be 13, or they could be 23. The Student Six live in a boring school. So like Pinkie and AJ: They could be 13 or 23.

If three years have passed from the start of the series: A 16-year-old Applejack might be teaching a 23-year-old Gallus. Or a 26-year-old Applejack might be teaching a 13-year-old Gallus.

A crackship fic isn't supposed to make me want to ship them for real.

How could you do this to me?

9807829
How's this a crackship fic? Seems to me that it's about a young man and woman, who don't have a lot of romantic experience, so they're nervous about their date. At least, that's why the woman's nervous.

9804883
While technically not exactly that, Enduro!, is the anime you're looking for (if you haven't already seen it).

9807870
Isn't Gallus a teenager while Twilight is in her late twenties?

9809266
In this story: There's a two-year age-gap between them. One that Twilight makes way too big a deal out of.

But even ignoring that: What makes you think that Twilight is in her late twenties, and not her early twenties or late teens? And what makes you think that Gallus is in his teens, and not his early twenties?

9809433
*shrug* Gallus is in school? I honestly have no clue on the ages.

9805473

*rolls dice* Next up: Stellar Flare x Trixie's fan from Saddle Arabia

I reviewed this story as part of Read It Now Reviews #115.

My review can be found here.

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.

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