The Bonds of Love

by Summer Script

Chapter Four: Optimism

Outside the palace windows, the moon began to rise into the heavens, bathing the city of Canterlot in a pale, relaxing light as its sibling slowly sank beneath the horizon.

With the arrival of the night, the various golden armored ponies recognized by many shed their cloaks of metal and made their way home, and in their place stood the slit-eyed bat-ponies of the night, donned in their own indigo armor.

Despite the changing of the ponies, their duties remained the same: To stand guard throughout the halls of the Royal Palace, listening out for disturbances and watching for intruders.

And to give directions to hippogriffs, apparently.

“Her room is down the hall to your left. Third door on the right.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Silverstream,” the fanged stallion replied, nodding solemnly.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Miss Silverstream.”

With that interaction done, Silverstream quickly followed the guard’s directions. Less than a minute later, she found her destination and proceeded to stand before the doorway.

“M-Maybe she’s asleep,” she nervously muttered to herself. “Yeah, she’s totally asleep, and I-I don’t want to disturb her or anything. So, I should just walk away and let her sleep! Yeah, I’m going to walk away and… And… I’m going to walk away…” she trailed off.

Silver stopped her panicked mumbling, staring at the wooden gateway as if it were an eldritch horror from the great beyond. She eventually sighed and said, “No, Silver. He said to just tell someone, and I need to fix this before it gets worse! So, let’s do this!” she exclaimed boldly.

She then knocked on the door as quickly as she could before her burst of courage died.

“Just a minute!” called out the voice from inside.

Silver tapped her talon against the floor anxiously as she waited.

The door soon opened to reveal Starlight Glimmer, still wide awake in spite of the lateness of the hour. “Oh! Hello, Silverstream,” she greeted kindly.

“Hi, Headmare Starlight,” Silver said, trying to ignore the pounding in her ears. “How are you doing, tonight?”

“I’m fine…?” she answered, perplexed by the question. “How are you?”

“I’m… I’m doing great!”

“Uh-huh. That’s good to hear, but, uh, what exactly are you doing here? Shouldn’t you and the others be resting for tomorrow night?”

“Um, well, yeah,” Silver admitted warily. “But I, uh, well…”

Just tell her what happened, Silverstream, she told herself. It’s not that hard. You made it this far, so now you just need to talk to her. She’d know what to do, right?

“I-I wanted to say thank you again for taking us to Canterlot,” Silver lied. “I know you were a little upset about not knowing about it before-talon, but thank you,” she ended, rebuking herself for her cowardice.

Starlight blinked and slowly said, “It wasn’t a big deal or anything…”

“Mhmm! But I still wanted to thank you anyway.”

“Well, you’re certainly welcome. … Are you alright, Silver?” Starlight gently asked. “You seem a little troubled; is everything okay?”

Something inside Silverstream snapped. “What!? No! No-no-no-no-no-no! Absolutely nothing is wrong! Nothing is wrong! Everything is fine!” she vehemently protested, hurriedly backing away.

“Okay, so probably not stage fright,” Starlight muttered to herself. “Silver, what’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing is wrong!” Silver repeated weakly. “Everything is fine; I only wanted to say goodnight to you and everyone else before I went to sleep! See!? Yeah, that’s it! Just saying thank you and goodnight! There’s no need to worry, so don’t worry! Don’t! Worry!” she said more to herself than to Starlight.

“Silverstream!” she called out, causing the hippogriff to pause. She then stepped closer and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder, saying, “It’s okay, Silverstream. Tell me what’s the matter?”

Silver finally cracked under her Headmare’s concerned gaze, admitting, “I’m worried about Gallus. Can I… I know it probably isn’t since it’s so late, but… Is it okay if I talk to you about it?”

“Of course,” she said, nodding warmly. “Why don’t you come in. I have plenty of cocoa, and you look like you need some.”

“That sounds good. Is— Is it really okay? I don’t want to be disturbing you…”

“You’re not disturbing me by any means, Silver,” Starlight assured before she could try to run away. “Now, come on in. Let me get that cocoa ready, and you can tell me everything from the beginning.”

“Thank you, Headmare Starlight,” Silver said, still fighting off her nerves.

***

“Are you sure that would work, Ocellus? Wouldn’t that compromise the alignment?”

“Not if we add an elemental sigil in the boundary between the second and third tiers.”

“Yeah, but then we’d have to completely readjust all the properties in the third one. And we just spent the past two hours figuring out their arrangement,” Gallus reminded her.

“Eughhh,” Ocellus moaned, shivering in disgust. “Fair point.”

The griffon and changeling fell silent. Silverstream looked between the two, understanding only half of what they were saying but enjoying watching them work nonetheless.

“Wait, maybe we— No, no. That wouldn’t fix the spell’s stability.”

“Well, what if we integrate a— No. That would just overload it faster.”

“We could— Actually? On second thought, that’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“What about adding an— Agh! That would just mess up the matrix’s composition even more!”

Every instinct in Silver called for her to offer some kind of input despite having none to offer.

“Okay!” Gallus exclaimed, rubbing his tired eyes. “Let’s go back to the beginning! The problem is that the spell matrix is unstable and keeps overloading, correct?”

“Yes,” Ocellus sighed, straightening her back. “And because it keeps overloading, it keeps discharging raw magic back into the caster. We’ve been over this,” she complained grumpily.

“Hmm. Well, what if instead of focusing on stabilizing the matrix, we figure out how to deal with the discharge? Maybe we could redirect it somewhere else?”

“And where would we redirect it to?” she inquired bluntly. “The strength of the discharge is enough to send the caster into the hospital, and we can’t just dissipate that kind of power into the nearby environment. We’re trying to teleport, not blow things up!”

“I know, Ocellus.” After another minute, he said, “This is a stupid question, but what if we found a way to keep the discharge trapped inside the matrix?” Ocellus deadpanned, so he elaborated, “No, I mean… What if, before the discharge could blow back into the caster’s face, it was pulled back into the matrix as excess energy?”

“An energy recycling effect? Hmm. Sounds plausible. On one hoof, the spell would be able to proceed normally, but on the other, it would be akin to putting a band-aid over an amputation,” she groaned darkly. “Constantly dragging the discharge back into the unstable matrix would not end well.

“Oh,” Gallus sighed wearily.

“Don’t worry, Gallus; I’m sure you and Ocellus will get it eventually,” Silver encouraged.

“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Silver,” he said gratefully. “Say! Do you have any ideas?”

Silver gulped, suddenly imagining Gallus without a head. She then remembered he didn’t have a horn, so he wasn’t likely to fall victim to the issue they had been discussing. Nonetheless, she shook her head sadly, saying, “Sorry, but no.”

“Darn. It’s okay, Silver. Thanks anyway,” he said neutrally.

Please don’t be sad, Gallus! It’s okay; you and Ocellus will figure it out! Just please don’t be upset! Silver fretted behind a perfectly blank smile.

“Are you okay, Silver?” Ocellus asked as she lit her horn up and pulled a book from a nearby shelf. “You, er, seem a little… Anxious?” she added, staring at her in a mixture of both confusion and worry.

Ocellus, shut up; you’re going to make Gallus worried again! she panicked, quickly answering, “What!? No, I’m totally fine!”

As Silver predicted, Gallus looked back at her, raising an eyebrow at her tone.

No, no, no! “W-Well, I suppose I am a little anxious, but with The Epoch of Majesty Serendipity Daydream coming up…?” she offered, hoping it would suffice.

“Ah. I suppose that’s it,” Ocellus conceded, looking back to the book she held in her magic.

Gallus maintained his gaze for only a second longer before looking down at his book too, allowing Silverstream to breathe easier once again.

After some time, Gallus spoke up again, asking, “Is there a way we can weaken the discharge?”

“Hmm? What were you thinking of, Gallus?”

“Well, I don’t know, but… Maybe a shield spell in the tertiary tier? That’s where the discharge is released from, so if we stop it there…?”

“A shield spell?” she echoed, considering the idea.

“Yeah, I know. Shield spell. Teleportation spell. Not exactly a combination you’d expect. But I figured if a shield spell can keep something out past it, it can keep something trapped behind it too.”

“That’s— Actually? Hold on,” she said, whipping out a blank sheet of paper and pen.

And she’s got it, Silver realized with a knowing grin. Phew! See? No reason to be worried or upset; I knew they would get it, she thought happily.

“If we put it in the tertiary tier, the discharge would slam into the shield property and be neutral—wait! Oh,” Ocellus sighed morosely. “Correction: Almost neutralized. The discharge would break anything short of Shield Delta, and anything stronger than Shield Alpha will compromise the matrix,” she explained. “Ugh! For a moment, I thought we had it.”

“But we can add Shield Alpha to the spell, right?” he inquired after a minute.

“Yes? We’d have to adjust a few things, but nothing too serious. Why?”

“Well, isn’t Shield Alpha super basic? I remember reading that it’s one of the easiest spells to mess with when a mage is magic crafting.”

“It and Telekinesis Alpha are the two most malleable spells in existence,” Ocellus answered simply. “Practically anything can be added to them to create something new. I should know; I’ve done it myself,” she admitted, smiling proudly.

“So if that’s the case, could we strengthen Shield Alpha to better endure the discharge?”

“If we did that, we’d need to figure out exactly how to improve—” She froze and swiftly flipped to a different chapter in one of her other books. “Insulation Beta! That’s it!”

“Clue me in, Ocellus. I don’t know that one.”

“Insulation Beta! It’s a spell used to help protect electrical workers from accidents,” she quickly elaborated. “But it’s primary purpose is to resist any kind of uncontrolled energy emission!”

“Of the magical variety?” Gallus asked hopefully.

“Of the electrical variety. But I can still work with that,” she confirmed. “It should be a simple process to alter the spell to protect against magical energy as opposed to electromagnetic energy. See?” Ocellus asked, holding up a freshly drawn web of lines, numbers, and symbols. “I finished altering the spell property before I even finished talking about altering the spell property!” she boasted.

“Woo-hoo!” Gallus cheered. “So we can take that spell, add it to Shield Alpha, and then integrate it into the tertiary tier? And that would work?”

“Well,” she began, marking out and rewriting certain parts of her other papers. “The modified Shield Alpha would be able to withstand the energy, so that’s good. But what’s even better is if we combine it with—” She paused, looked at a page in her book, and resumed, “—Storage Alpha as well, the discharge would be stored within the shield! And if we add another channel into the matrix, we could make it so the energy would be safely distributed back into the spell as additional power! Making it more efficient!” Ocellus joyfully concluded, offering a hoof.

“Yes!” he yelled, bumping said offered hoof. “Hooray for shield spells and their ridiculously malleable compositions!”

“Hooray, indeed! …Although…” she began uncertainly.

“No…! No! Nooooo!”

“The idea would work; I’ve no doubt about that,” she stated resolutely. “But while it is a good makeshift solution, it’s not exactly the best one.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he conceded. “Solving the discharge issue doesn’t negate the overloading problem. And if somepony performs the spell without the shield aspect…?”

“The magic would backfire into them.”

“And if that happens, it’s bye-bye, outside world, and hello, hospital room.”

“Exactly.”

An uncomfortable silence fell across them all.

“But,” Ocellus eventually started. “As a workaround to the issue, it’s not exactly the worst thing we could have come up with. And…? We’ve been at this for so long; I honestly am ready to just forget it and make the shield modification and go from there,” she mumbled, massaging her forehead.

“Well, we still got a while before everything is due… How about this?” he offered consolingly. “We add the shield and deal with it until we finish the practical part of the project. Then we’ll see if we can come up with a better, safer answer to the matrix and use that from then on. Afterward, we can write up a report on both versions of the spell. Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” Ocellus agreed, yawning. “Wake me in an hour,” she groggily requested, lying her head against the table.

“I will if I’m awake enough to remember,” Gallus said, slipping out of his chair and then playfully falling to the ground. “Ahhh! My legs! I can’t feel my legs!” he melodramatically cried.

“Ha-ha, Gallus, very funny,” Ocellus moaned into the desk.

“I thought so,” he replied, winking at Silver.

Said hippogriff giggled and trotted over to them. “Need help, Gallus?”

“That would be very appreciated,” he answered, reaching up with his talon. She grabbed hold and pulled him to his paws/talons. Gallus then arched his back and let loose a thundering crack. “Ohhh, yeah! That helps!” he exclaimed, flapping life back into his wings.

“I bet,” Silver said, smiling. “How about you, Ocellus? You need anything?”

“A nap.”

“Oh yeah, a nap sounds good right about now,” Gallus agreed, covering up his own yawn.

“Heh-heh,” Silver giggled. “You guys have been working pretty hard to get this teleport thingy done. Sorry, I can’t help,” she apologized weakly.

“Don’t sweat it, Silver. I spent a week speed-reading through half of The Starswirlian’s Guide to the Arcane, and I still barely understand half of this junk,” he admitted.

Is he upset at that!? I don’t know if he’s upset about that! Please don’t think less of yourself for not understanding how magic works, Gallus! Silver screamed in her head.

Rather than express that, she instead said, “Thanks, Gallus. I still wish I could help you two more, but hey! At least you’ve got it now! See? I told you guys you would solve it.”

Gallus smirked playfully and said, “And I thanketh thee for yon words of encouragement, Fair Silverstream; they doth reinvigorate mine strength and determination to continue forthwith.”

“I am pleased to know mine words doth reignite yon passion and strength, Sir Gallus,” she replied, tittering. “Shall I continue to speaketh mine words unto thee?”

“Please do, Fair Silverstream, thine words are most enjoyable.”

Silver tittered. “Then I suppose I shall do so, Sir Gallus.”

“Aww,” cooed a new voice.

The three of them turned to see a cream-coated mare with a sunset orange mane standing at the library entrance. With everyone’s gazes locked onto her, she trotted up to them, chuckling awkwardly.

“Sorry to ruin the moment,” Shimmy Shake said, unknowingly making Silver flinch. “But, like, you two are just so cute together, and I couldn’t help myself.”

“Hey, Shimmy,” Gallus greeted casually despite his faint blush. “And thanks for the compliment by the way,” he expressed gratefully.

Silver stared at him blankly, so did Shimmy Shake for that matter.

“Wow,” the mare eventually said, blinking. “I’m surprised, Gallus; you usually brush it under the rug whenever somepony pokes fun at you two finally being a thing,” she half-joked.

Back off, Shimmy! Silver thought angrily, maintaining her polite smile.

“Yeah, well, I got some advice,” Gallus responded, pulling out a letter from his bag. “‘Never be ashamed or frightened of admitting to the existence of your relationship. Doing so can instill a sense of hesitancy and fear between you and her regarding your commitment to each other, and that is obviously not a good thing,’” he read. “As if I didn’t know that already,” he added, mildly affronted.

Did… Did he just read one of Cadence’s letters to someone else?

“Wow. That’s really good advice! … Wait,” Shimmy said, frowning in suspicion. “Have you been reading romance novels and writing down notes like Ocellus does?”

“I do not!” she protested, raising her face from her book-pillow to glare at Shimmy.

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Lighthoof has seen you do it,” Shimmy countered, smirking.

“N-No, she hasn’t,” Ocellus shyly argued, failing to hide her own embarrassed blush. “Shut up, Gallus!” she commanded the snickering griffon.

Don’t yell at Ocellus, Silver. She’s just tired and grumpy, Silver soothed herself, asking, “Which letter was that one, Gallus?”

“Forty-six.”

“You’re on Forty-six already!?” she asked, feeling a tad ashamed of her own current progress.

“Technically, I’m on One Hundred and Seventy-nine, but I wanted to re-read some of them.”

“Ohhh. Gotcha.” Yeah, I have some serious catching-up to do, she realized uncomfortably.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on!” Shimmy interrupted as her eyes widened. “You really have been getting relationship advice!? When!? Why!? From whom!? And one hundred and seventy-nine!?”

“Yes. After Friends and Family Day. Because I asked for it. A ‘friend.’ And technically, I think I’ve received over five hundred letters at this point,” Gallus answered in rapid succession. “It’ll probably be six hundred by the end of the week,” he deadpanned, completely desensitized to that possibility.

“May I!? Thanks!” she said, snatching the letter away before Gallus could speak. Her eyes quickly flowed over the parchment and shot right back at him after finishing it. “Princess Cadence!? You’ve been getting relationship advice from the Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!?”

“Uh, yeah?” he admitted, taken aback by her shock.

“Whelp! That’s another thing Vellum is completely wrong on. Nepotism for the win!” she sarcastically cheered, re-reading the letter.

“I’m sure Scoop will add it to the list,” Gallus joked, glancing at Silverstream.

Silver simply shook her head, choosing to ask, “So, what are you up to, Shimmy?”

“Oh, I had to come find you guys so we could get back to practicing for the big night,” she explained.

“Uh-oh,” Gallus muttered, face-clawing. “What time is it?”

“Half-past five.”

“What!?” the trio shouted.

“But it can’t be that late!” Ocellus objected. “How long have we been sitting here!?”

“Long enough that a panicking Vellum sent me to look for you guys.”

“And how badly is he panicking?” Silver asked fearfully.

“We had to give him the bag again,” she answered, re-re-reading Cadence’s letter.

“And that’s our cue to vamoose,” Gallus said, hurriedly gathering his effects. “Silver?”

“Yep!” she squealed nervously, picking up her bag. Oh, Professor Rarity is going to kill us! And then Vellum will reanimate us so he can get a chance to kill us too! “I’m good; let’s go!”

“Sorry about having to rush out on you like this, Ocellus,” he apologized. “You gonna be okay with figuring out the shield integration without me?”

“I’ll be fine. But when we meet up again, we seriously need to fix the matrix proper. Otherwise, the judges for the Fair might not approve of our project, and if that happens—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” he interrupted dismissively. “We won’t be scientists or whatever. I get it,” he proclaimed, frowning sourly.

Something tells me that’s not the first time he’s heard that from Ocellus, Silver suspected.

“Exactly,” Ocellus agreed bluntly. “Anyway, you two have fun in Drama Club!”

“Right. See ya later, partner; make sure not to burn yourself out,” Gallus parted with a grin, hurrying to the library entrance. “C’mon, Silver!”

“Bye, Ocellus,” Silverstream said, waving to her friend before catching up to her other friend.

“See you two later,” she called after them, trying not to groan at the pun Gallus had made. Ocellus then noticed she still had company and asked, “Um, Shimmy Shake? Shouldn’t you be going too?”

“Huh? Oh! Right!” Shimmy said, pulling her eyes away from the letter she still held. “See ya, Ocellus! Hey, guys, wait for me!”

Five minutes later…

“Wow, Princess Cadence is so verbose in her writing. I LOVE IT!”

“I had no idea your favorite pastime was reading other creature’s mail, Shimmy,” Gallus teased.

“Ha-ha, Gallus,” she drawled, burying a snicker. “But seriously! This is some majorly good advice! … Do you mind if I borrow some more of these letters?” she asked timidly.

He hummed in thought before shrugging and saying, “Eh, sure! So long as neither Silver nor I still need to read them,” he added, pushing open the doors into the theater hall.

“YES!” Shimmy Shake shouted gleefully. Her exaltation echoed in the massive space, causing her to pause and mutter, “Oops,” in embarrassment.

“Happens to the best of us,” Gallus comforted as Peppermint flew up to greet them.

He sounds so confident again. Maybe he is doing better after all? Silver pondered.

“‘I worried you and the others. And I know you don’t want me to say it, but it’s my fault.’” echoed in her mind, making her unconsciously shiver.

Or maybe he’s only pretending just to make me feel better! No, don’t think like that, Silver; he is doing better! He is doing better. For now, Silver sighed, trying to shove away her worries as she joined in on the other’s conversation.

“No way! How come you didn’t tell any of us you were getting advice from Princess Cadence!?” Patty shouted, reading over one of the other letters Gallus had.

“Why would I?”

“Fair point,” she conceded. “Still though, advice from the literal Princess of Love… Or was it ‘Princess of Family’? Eh, whatever. Point still stands: Silver, you’re a lucky girl.”

“Patty!” Silver yelped, reddening.

“Wait. I’m not the lucky one?” Gallus wondered jokingly.

“Of course you’re… Actually? Yeah, you are the lucky one, Gallus,” Patty playfully jeered. “And you better make sure you’re the best special somegriff you can be for our friend, ya hear!?”

“You’re a few weeks late to make that joke, Patty,” he pointed out, smirking.

“I am? Aw nuts,” she cursed to herself.

“If it makes you feel any better, being the best special somegriff I can be is the reason I asked for advice in the first place. Did that help make you feel better?” he asked kindly.

“A little,” Patty murmured. “Hey, Shimmy?” she soon whispered not-so-subtly. “Am I supposed to say the same thing to Silverstream, or would Scoop be mad at me if I did?”

Shimmy shrugged silently.

“You know Silver and I can still hear you, right?” Gallus deadpanned.

Silver was actually a little too busy trying not to gawk at how open Gallus was being about their relationship to care about whatever Patty had said.

“Eh-heh-heh,” Patty weakly chortled. “Oops. Hey, Silver?”

“Huh! Yeah?” she asked, snapping out of her daze.

“You better make sure you’re the best special somegriff you can be for Gallus too, you know.”

“I know,” Silver stated bluntly. “You’re also a few weeks late to make that threat by the way.”

“Am I the only one who didn’t know they were a thing until this week!?”

“Oh come on, Patty,” Shimmy sighed. “Silver’s wanted to hook up with Gallus for months.”

Silver froze, but warmed back up slightly when Gallus shot her a coy smirk.

“I know that; I just didn’t know they were legitimately involved yet! I know now, but still.”

“I suppose I can’t blame you. They haven’t even gone on an official second date yet. Hey, you two, get on that, would ya!” Shimmy suddenly ordered.

Silver shot him her own coy smirk, but immediately recoiled when she noticed that Gallus had apparently decided it was his turn to freeze up in terror.

No, no, no! He’s panicking again! Why won’t he stop panicking! Is it my fault again!? I’m fine with postponing the second date until he’s ready! Please just be okay, Gallus! Silver wanted so much to express; unfortunately, Vellum and Scoop approached them before she could even open her beak.

“Where were you!?” Vellum immediately demanded.

“Hi, Captain Codex. How’s your day been going?” Gallus asked, his confidence restored.

How long will it last this time? Silver despondently thought, trying not to wilt then and there.

“My day has been relatively enjoyable. … Except for the part where you are all over an hour late!” he shrieked indignantly. “Where were you!?”

“Helping Ocellus with her science fair project,” he answered calmly. “We lost track of time.”

Vellum stared at Gallus and Silver intensely for a moment before sighing in defeat.

“Good enough excuse, Vellum?” Scoop asked, giving him a friendly nudge.

“Better than what I was initially thinking. Nonetheless, you two are here now, so we can actually begin practicing for this week’s perform—wait, where’s Yona?” he said, noticing the yak’s absence. “Wasn’t she with you two?”

“Nope,” Gallus answered, shaking his head.

“Scoop?”

“Bag?”

“Please.”

She passed him a paper bag, and he immediately started hyperventilating into it.

“Okay, I’ve learned by now that Vellum is pretty prone to stress most of the time, but is he always this high-strung?” Gallus asked worriedly.

“I take offense to that!” Vellum claimed before going back to hyperventilating.

“Don’t mind him; he always gets antsy before a big performance. And we do only have a week until we finally do The Epoch of Majesty Serendipity Daydream. Frankly, I’m a little jittery myself,” Scoop confessed. “Speaking of which, how’s about it, Gallus? First major performance with us! You excited, or are you crumbling into a ball of terror and nerves like the rest of us?” she asked playfully.

Scoop, if you freak him out, I swear I’m going to—Silver, don’t think those kinds of things; that’s not nice! Why would you even think that!? Silverstream silently admonished herself.

“If you’re asking whether or not I actually know my lines, don’t worry about it, Scoop. I know ‘em all. Except my first one. And my second one. And my third one…”

“Gallus, I swear to Celestia, you had better not mean that!” Vellum screamed hysterically.

“Relax, Vellum. I’m only messing with you; I’ve got everything figured out. Promise.”

“Oh thank Celestia! Please don’t freak me out like that,” he nearly begged.

“Sorry,” Gallus meekly murmured.

“You have really got to learn how to chill, Vellum,” Scoop sorrowfully sighed.

“Don’t pretend you weren’t terrified Gallus was being serious, Scoop.”

“Yeah, but I was smart enough to figure out he was being sarcastic.”

“I did too, but I still suspected he might have not been; I had to double-check.”

“You can’t let your fear and paranoia override your sensibilities and confidence,” she quoted.

“Kindness Lesson Seventy-nine?”

“Yep,” Scoop affirmed, nodding sagely. “Anyway, what were you cheering about, Shimmy?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, check it out, Scoop! Gallus got relationship advice from Princess Cadence!”

Scoop seemingly teleported to the griffon’s side and demanded, “Details! Now!”

“Uhhh…”

“If you’re worried about Professor Rarity overhearing, you don’t need to!” End Zone shouted from down on the stage where he was reading over his script. “She’s not here yet either.”

“She’s not!?”

“Nope!”

“Then why were you— You know what? Nevermind,” Gallus said, much to Vellum’s confusion.

“I still require details!” Scoop yelled, dancing in place.

“I asked for advice from Princess Cadence when I started dating Silverstream,” Gallus explained, annoyed. “Why do I keep having to answer that question?” he muttered to himself.

“Because we just found out,” Scoop answered plainly. “Also, wrong details, griffon-boy! I want to know what advice you got! Must! Know! Please! Tell!” she chanted, hopping excitedly.

“Well, I don’t exactly have all the letters on me right now, but here ya go,” he offered uncertainly, giving her a few more of the papers from his bag.

Scoop instantly took them and began reading greedily; Patty and Shimmy hurried to read over her shoulder while Gallus stepped to the side along with Silver.

“How many of those did you have on you?” Silverstream asked, smiling calmly.

“Eh. Fifteen? Sixteen?” he replied casually.

“Ah. I guess you really like reading them, huh?”

“They are very informative. And very nerve-wracking, considering they highlight just how many different ways I can screw up,” he added bluntly.

No! No, you’re not a screw-up, Gallus! Don’t think that! Don’t think that! Silver wanted to reiterate; however, she decided to only say, “Oh… Yeah?”

“Yeah. But luckily, I’m not going to screw up!” Gallus boldly claimed. “I promised after all,” he reminded her, winking again.

He is doing better! Hallelujah! Silver mentally celebrated. …Except he’s only doing better because I made him promise, so he’s not really doing better because he wants to be better but because he thinks he needs to be for my sake instead of his own! she concluded, horrified.

“Well, I’m glad you’re confident,” she praised, maintaining her tranquil smile despite her fear.

“Woo-hoo! I’m confident!” Gallus rejoiced sarcastically. “It’s a little thing, but it’s the little things in life that matter most, right?” he asked rhetorically, earning a giggle.

“‘Also, remember that if you watch any Romance movies or read any Romance novels to take any and all advice contained within said media with a grain of salt since quite a lot of it isn’t healthy in the slightest,’” Shimmy read quizzically.

“Excuse me!?” Patty yelled. “Romances are amazing! What the hay is she talking about!?”

“‘In fact, it’s scarily abusive most of time,’” Shimmy continued in spite of Patty’s outrage. “‘I’d give you a full breakdown of most of the advice—if you can even call it that—taught in some of the worst examples, but I figured it’d be best if I just gave you a list of which ones to avoid and why.’”

“Where is that list!?” Patty demanded spitefully. “I want to see that list! She better not have said my favorites teach toxic advice, or I swear!”

Gallus rummaged through his bags again and hurriedly passed it over to the perturbed pegasus.

“Thank you!” she snapped, looking it over.

“‘Of course, not all movies and books suffer from this issue. A good number of them do portray genuinely healthy couples as well, so I’ll make sure to send you a list of those too. Might be a good idea for some bonding time with Silverstream,’” Shimmy ended.

All three mares looked at the couple with their own smug, little smirk.

“I haven’t read either list yet,” Gallus explained to Silverstream.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t either,” she admitted reassuringly.

“But that reminds me… It’s been a while since we and the others have had a good, proper movie night,” he commented. “Maybe we should get with Sandbar and ask him about it?”

“That sounds like a nice idea,” she replied, smiling warmly. So long as Sandbar isn’t oblivious enough to pick a movie that features child abandonment…

“Well, I’m reading the good list now,” Scoop interjected. “Don’t worry, Patty, your favorites are all on it. … I think this is the good list anyway,” she muttered uncertainly.

“Oh, I definitely have the bad list,” Patty replied with a disgusted scowl. “I’m pretty sure no good Romance movie would be criticized for…” She cleared her throat and quoted, “‘Male protagonist forces female to enter relationship with him by threatening to commit suicide if she doesn’t. Female gives in to the outrageous demand, and the two are seen engaging in a healthy relationship despite the dangerous implications of such a threat.’”

Everyone was silent for a moment, each wearing looks of varying discomfort.

“Sweet Celestia!” Scoop exclaimed as Shimmy rushed over to read Patty’s list for herself. “All this one says is: Excellent Rom-Com, featuring two well-written ponies with meaningful heart-to-heart scenes.”

Finally breaking his silence, Vellum asked, “Is that not the chief goal for all Romance stories?”

“For the most part, yeah. I think Cadence found a different way to say the exact same thing for every single movie on the list.” Scoop read a little further and snorted. “Listen to this one! ‘Includes a duo of unalloyed, emotive primary characters, engrossing in eloquent gatherings of compassionate tenderness and passionate intimacy.’ … Oh! That’s why she was being verbose,” she said, blushing.

“Because she was trying to mask her redundancy?”

“No. It’s because the movie she’s referring to is Mature-rated.”

“…I’m not going to comment on that,” Vellum whimpered bashfully.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty good one too. Lot of fun action,” she added, giving Vellum a shark-like grin.

“I’m not going to comment on that either!” he squealed.

While Scoop and Vellum continued to banter, Shimmy trotted up to Gallus and Silver. “Here you go,” she said, giving him back all the letters except for the lists the other mares were still reading.

“Thanks,” Gallus replied gratefully, placing them back into his bags. “I thought you wanted to borrow them though?”

“I’ll ask next week. I don’t exactly have time to study that stuff with the big night coming up. But, about the advice…” she began, suddenly looking very timid. “Does Smolder know about it?”

That’s a strange question, Silver pondered. From the look on his face, Gallus thought the same.

“I don’t think so. She and I haven’t, uh… I mean, I haven’t talked talked to her in a while; been a little busy with other things,” Gallus nervously droned.

Smolder still isn’t talking to him!? It’s been weeks! Silver thought, feeling a twinge of anger.

“If that’s the case, er, don’t let her read this one,” she advised. “Or the lists. Especially the bad one! Smolder and I watched some of the movies on that one, and she, er, freaked out during most of them.”

“I didn’t think Smolder hated Romances that much,” he snarked, raising an eyebrow. “What’d she do? Scream at the characters on the screen?”

“Well, it was either that or throwing things at the television. But, well? The movie Cadence made that remark about? We watched that one too, and Smolder, er…”

Before Shimmy could finish, the theater entrance opened, permitting both Yona and Professor Rarity’s presences. Everyone turned to the frazzled duo as End Zone quickly approached the group.

“Ah! Wonderful, you’re all here!” Rarity cheered excitedly. “I fervently apologize for being so terribly late, especially considering what awaits us at the end of this week.”

“No. Trouble. At all. Professor,” Vellum carefully enunciated, struggling to not retort angrily.

“Yona sorry too! Yona helping Professor Rarity finish really important commission, but luckily! Yona and Professor finally finish today!” she declared proudly, shooting Silver a gleeful wink.

Uh-oh, Silver panicked at Yona’s implication. I really hope Vellum doesn’t find out, or he really is going to strangle me! … I hope Gallus will like it at the very least, she thought, smiling to herself.

“In any case, now that I have that commission done, we can properly practice for this Friday. However, I have an important announcement to make concerning it,” she said suspiciously.

“Are we putting it off?” End Zone asked nervously.

“Zone, if you didn’t finish memorizing your part…!” Vellum threatened.

“Hey! Don’t worry about it, Vellum. I’ve got everything but the last paragraph memorized!”

“YOU SHOULD HAVE ALL—” Vellum took a deep breath and let it out. “I will not shout; I will not shout; I will not shout…” he repeated to himself.

“Vellum’s learning, everyone!” Scoop sarcastically squealed.

The others chuckled in spite of Vellum’s angered frown. Eventually, Rarity said, “Settle down, everycreature. Now, End Zone darling? No. We are not postponing the play. But fear not, darling; you still have plenty of time to finish learning your part, and I have faith that you will,” she comforted.

“Thanks, Professor,” he said, still nervous but far less so.

“Of course. So! Onto the big announcement! We are not postponing the play or anything of that nature. However! We are not going to be performing inside the theater hall!”

She fell silent, looking over the students and just itching for one of them to ask for clarification.

“Then where are we performing it, Professor?” Patty finally asked.

“Why! We are performing at the one-and-only! Grand Canterlot Theater!” Rarity proclaimed.

…

Vellum passed out.

“Dang it, Vellum!” Scoop exclaimed, examining her friend. “Zone!”

“Smelling salts?”

“Smelling salts!”

He quickly retrieved his bags from the front and passed a bottle to Scoop. She held it under his nose for a good three seconds before Vellum gasped and bolted up, nearly smacking her in the muzzle.

“…Scoop?”

“Yes, Vellum?”

“Did I pass out?”

“Yes.”

“Was it because I got hit in the head again?”

“No.”

“So that means what Professor Rarity said wasn’t a dream?”

“No, Vellum. It wasn’t.”

“And I heard her right? We’re going to be performing The Epoch of Majesty Serendipity Daydream at the Canterlot Grand Theater?”

“Apparently.”

“Scoop?”

“You’re going to faint again, aren’t you?”

“I’m feeling very light-headed, yes.”

“Okaaay! Take it easy there, buddy,” she soothed, teaming up with Zone to help Vellum wobble to a nearby seat and plop into it. “Just relax and breathe. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.”

Vellum did as she instructed, and Scoop turned to frown at Rarity, asking, “Professor, you know you need to let him know these things gently, right?”

“But that was gently!” she protested faintly. “I even decided not to ask Pinkie to throw a party!”

“Scoop? Let’s be honest, Vellum would have done exactly this even if she had been gentler,” End Zone said on Rarity’s behalf.

“…Fair point,” she admitted. “Sorry, Professor. Okay, Vellum? Are you feeling better now?”

“M-Mildly. Scoop, pass me my water, please.”

“Sure! Here you go.”

“Thank you,” he said appreciatively, downing half of it in a gulp and reeling afterward. “Okay. Okay! I’m good! Now, Professor? Please forgive my loudness and my language, but… WHAT IN THE EVERLASTING BOWELS OF TARTARUS DO YOU MEAN WE ARE PERFORMING AT THE CANTERLOT GRAND THEATER!?” he roared loudly enough to make everyone flinch.

“Owww,” Rarity moaned, rubbing her ear. “Darling, be careful, you don’t want to hurt your throat.”

“Yes! Again, my apologies. I’m just a little stressed that we are to apparently be performing for the elite of Canterlot! In the Grand Theater of Canterlot! By the end of the week! In Canterlot! Scoop!”

“Bag?”

“Bag!”

She passed him that too, and he instantly took to heaving into it. Again.

We really do need to sit Vellum down and talk about his anxiety levels, Silver mused, glancing at Gallus and nearly vomiting when she saw that he looked like he wanted to heave into a paper bag too.

“Okay!” Patty suddenly said, drawing attention to her. “Before anyone yells, faints, or panics again… Professor? We are actually performing in Canterlot?” Rarity nodded excitedly, so Patty slowly asked, “And why are we performing in Canterlot and not here at the school?”

“Quite simple, darling! I’ve been helping all of you in the art of acting for quite some time, and—to be completely honest—I truly believe you are all capable of advancing far beyond in the craft! … Vellum darling? Do I need to take you to Nurse Redheart? You are looking far too pale for comfort.”

“No, no, I’m still listening. Go on,” he said, waving at her to continue.

“Yes, well, as I was saying,” she resumed, keeping an eye on the stallion. “I believe all of you are capable of advancing your places in the craft. However, though it pains me to admit it, you’re not going to be able to go very far if you only ever perform here at the school.”

“Makes sense,” Vellum concurred after regaining his breath. “‘Friendship School,’ not ‘Acting School.’ We don’t exactly make a lot of connections in the craft here.”

“Precisely,” Rarity agreed, wincing at the admission. “But! I know how much you all enjoy doing these performances, big or small! And I didn’t want to let all of your talent go to waste without also providing you an opportunity to show the world just how fabulously skilled you truly are!”

“That is why I’ve spent the past few months pulling a few favors with some friends in the business. Though it took a while, I finally managed to secure a chance for you to perform for more than just your fellow students. Now—as Vellum so rightly put it—you shall all be able to perform for the Canterlot elite! To go forth and demonstrate your remarkable talents to the whole world! And then! AAAND THEN!” she shouted eagerly. … “Aaand then!” she reiterated, waving at them encouragingly.

“Professor, Vellum is the only one who would know the end of that sentence, and he’s currently, er, catatonic,” Patty said, indicating the paralyzed stallion.

“Oh. Sorry, darlings. And then! You can all be noticed by talent scouts, reporters, and the like,” Rarity explained simply. “Resulting in the creation of various connections and whatnot which will allow you all to carve forth a future career in the field of acting,” she ended, beaming widely.

…

Scoop passed out.

“Scoop!?” Zone yelped, checking for her pulse. “Scoop, are you alright!?”

“Future… Future… Future…” she weakly whimpered, curling into a shaking ball.

“And there went the calm one,” Patty droned, sharing a panicked glance with Shimmy. “Scoop! Scoop!? C’mon, girl, say something! Are you okay, or do you need some water, or…?”

“Oh my…! Perhaps I really could have handled this revelation with a fair bit more grace?” Rarity acknowledged, nervously looking to Yona.

“Yona agree. Vellum! Scoop! Are friends okay!?” she yelled, approaching the others.

Future career? Silverstream wondered once Rarity’s words fully registered. What? Me? An actress!? No way! Vellum and Scoop? Yes. Not me. Personally? I think I’d rather be… She then turned to Gallus, wanting to ask of his thoughts, but she instantly froze at what she saw.

“Come on! Come on! Where is it!? Where are you, Two Hundred and Nineteen!?” he asked his bags.

“Uh, Gallus?” she said, trying to ignore the memories of the last time he talked to himself.

He stopped and turned to her, grinning nervously. “Yeah, Silver?”

“Are you okay?”

For a split second, he flinched as if she had slapped him. It quickly vanished as he said, “Aside from the current panic of just finding out we’re performing in Canterlot? Yep, I’m okay.”

Please stop lying, Gallus; It’s okay if you’re not okay, just please stop lying for my sake! Don’t hurt yourself for me!

“That’s good. Glad I’m not the only one who’s nervous and panicky,” she said quietly.

“Are you okay?” Gallus asked softly, putting his bag aside.

You shouldn’t need to ask me that! I shouldn’t need to ask you that! Everything should be fine, but nothing is! Why is nothing okay anymore!? she wanted to scream in frustration.

“Of course,” Silver lied reassuringly. “I’m just a little shocked. I mean… Canterlot! Wow! Who would have thought we’d be doing a big performance in Canterlot?”

“Definitely not Vellum and Scoop, apparently…”

“Apparently.”

“You think the nobles there are as stuck-up as everyone says they are?” he suddenly asked.

If they so much as scoff at Gallus for not being a noble, I’m going to—

“I doubt it. Some might be, but remember, Princess Twilight, Spike, and their family all came from Canterlot, so it can’t be that bad.”

“True. Then again, so did Neighsay…”

If they so much as gawk at Gallus for not being a pony, I’m going to—

“Yeah, but he reformed. Not to mention, he wasn’t really ‘evil,’” Silver defended kindly.

“That is also true,” Gallus conceded. “He wasn’t nice, but he wasn’t evil evil.”

“Plus, we taught him a lesson about friendship, and I like to think it stuck. After all, he was the one opening portals all over Equestria when… They happened,” she pointed out, scowling.

“Once again, true. Hey! You’re three-for-three on true statements, Silver!” he celebrated.

“Hee-hee! Yay, me,” she said, smiling but not feeling better at all.

“…Silver?”

“Yeah, Gallus?”

“You think everything is going to be alright?”

Silver hesitated for all of a second before fervently nodding. “Everything is going to be absolutely fine,” she lied once again.

“Yeah… Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed weakly.

Neither Gallus nor Silverstream were up to continuing that conversation, so they turned their attention to the others, both endeavoring to not succumb to their own fears on behalf of the other.

***

The next day, the group met up with Rarity and Starlight and reassured them they were—for the most part—fine with performing in Canterlot. After saying goodbye to their friends, they all boarded the Friendship Express, practicing twice more along the way.

The train ride and one quick dash through the lustrous city later…

“Wow, Princess Twilight has a really nice home,” Shimmy Shake complimented.

“It certainly is spacious,” End Zone agreed, looking toward the ceiling.

“Yeah, but I think we’d all prefer it be spacious rather than the opposite,” Gallus uttered, shivering slightly at the thought.

“True.”

“Is it just me, or am I smelling lavender?” Patty asked, itching at her nose.

“Oh yeah,” called Starlight from the front. “That’d be a leftover habit of the Palace staff from when Celestia and Luna were in charge. Specifically Luna. I’m glad they kept it up.”

“Yona like it; yaks always say lavender help yaks sleep better at night,” Yona said joyfully.

“I still don’t feel comfortable with this,” Vellum suddenly groaned.

Starlight stopped and rounded on the stallion, asking, “About coming to Canterlot?”

“About sleeping here in the castle,” he clarified.

“Oh. Glad to know we didn’t waste those Bits on train tickets then. … Not the point,” she reprimanded herself. “What is it that makes you uncomfortable with sleeping in the castle, Vellum?”

“It just feels like nepotism,” he answered, frowning at the castle décor around him.

“Uh, well, uh…” Starlight stammered, rubbing at her neck. “Rarity, help!”

“Why do you think it feels like nepotism, Vellum darling?” she swiftly covered for Starlight.

“Well, we’re using your friendship with Princess Sparkle to establish better accommodations than what we have a right too.”

“Excuse me, what do you mean by that last part!?” Scoop inquired indignantly.

“We didn’t exactly earn our lodgings in the Royal Palace for our stay here, Scoop.”

“Darling, you’ve more than earned lodgings in the Palace, and besides, Twilight has already said she’s perfectly fine with providing us rooms for the week.”

“First of all, Professor, we have not earned any lodgings with the Princess. You and Headmare Starlight might have, but we have not. Okay, technically, Silver, Yona, and Gallus have as well, but—”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Vellum,” Scoop said bluntly, shoving a hoof into his mouth. “Are you listening?” He nodded. “Good. Now, you can either loosen your moral code and stay in the beautiful castle, or you can go out there into the city and squat at some filthy, bedbug-ridden motel on your own Bits with noisy. Neighbors,” she stressed darkly.

Vellum trembled as he contemplated that very terrifying possibility.

“Gonna loosen your moral code?” she asked, smirking knowingly.

“Just this one time,” he answered resolutely. “But only because we need to perform perfectly!”

“Of course, Vellum, of course. Don’t worry.”

“I’m going to be worried whether you like it or not, thank you!”

“But if you worry, you might botch a line out of stress,” she countered slyly.

“Do you really think that’s possible?” After Scoop nodded, he quickly announced, “I’m going to stop worrying now! See? Not. Worrying.”

“How did you do that?” Gallus questioned, impressed by her skill.

“Vellum will do anything if you can convince him his acting or writing will suffer otherwise,” she answered, smiling in contrast to Vellum’s scowl.

“…Hey, Vellum?” Starlight beckoned suddenly.

“Yes, Headmare Starlight?”

“When this week is over, I want to see you in my office. We’ll have a nice cup of Empathy Cocoa, and we can talk about some things.”

“O-Okay?” he responded uncertainly. “Like what?”

“Your stress levels,” she answered bluntly.

Vellum blinked.

“Starlight darling? Isn’t Trixie supposed to be the Guidance Counselor now?”

“Not until she finishes those professional therapy and psychology books I got her. And last I checked, she was only halfway done with them.”

“Ah.”

“Alright, everycreature, we are here,” announced their guide.

“Thank you, Ms. Inkwell,” Starlight said, nodding respectfully.

Raven nodded back, opening the throne room doors with her magic. … Or at least, she tried to.

“Ow!” yelped a familiar pony as the door collided with her.

“THAT’S HOW IT FEELS!” shouted another familiar voice from further into the room.

“Zip it, Spike!” Twilight Sparkle retorted, stepping back and opening the door fully while rubbing her muzzle. “Anyway, Rarity! Starlight! It’s so good to… Stop laughing, Starlight!”

“Hee-hee-hee! Sorry, Twi,” she apologized, ceasing her snickering.

“See? Starlight gets it,” Spike said, approaching the group while quickly rolling up a scroll.

“My apologies for whacking your nose, your Highness,” Raven said neutrally. “Perhaps next time your friends visit, you shouldn’t stand behind the door, listening in?”

“But can you blame me for being excited?” Twilight challenged light-heartedly.

“Of course not, your Highness,” she reassured, curtsying.

“Thank you. Now then! Hello, everycreature, how has everything been?”

“Oh, I don’t know?” Starlight began coolly. “School maintenance? Financial stress? Unapproved Canterlot Grand Theater performances…” she ended, sneering at the pony at her side.

“I already apologized on the train, darling,” Rarity bit back.

“Well, I hope you are sorry,” she muttered back. “Thanks to you, Sunburst and I had to do a bunch of financial finagling to make sure everything would be good to go for this Friday.”

“You didn’t tell her about your plan!? Rarity!” Twilight exclaimed reproachfully.

“You didn’t tell me either!”

“That’s because I thought Rarity would!”

“I wanted it to be a surprise for the students, darling!” Rarity defended emphatically.

“And you thought I would ruin the surprise?” Starlight asked, frowning angrily.

“Well, considering you’re still doing counselor work, I was worried it would slip.”

“You’re still doing counselor work!? Ugh, I guess that means I can’t have my books back yet?”

“Not until Trixie finishes them, Twilight! Not until Trixie finishes them!”

“And when will that be? When we’re all seventy?” Twilight guessed, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, that’s my best friend you’re talking about!” Starlight growled.

The three mares proceeded to glare at each other exaggeratedly.

“Should we say something?” Shimmy Shake asked Scoop.

“Uh, Spike?” she asked nervously.

The purple dragon held up his claw. “Three. Two. One,” he counted down

“I missed you so much!” the trio shouted simultaneously, quickly entering a three-way hug.

“…Scoop?”

“Yeah, Vellum?”

“Friendship is weird.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Still magical though, right?” Gallus asked casually.

“…Aughhh,” Vellum groaned painfully.

All but Silverstream laughed.

“That it is, Gallus! That it is,” Twilight answered, giving one last nuzzle to her friends. “So! Apparently, you’ve only just been informed of Rarity’s ‘surprise,’” she began, glancing at the mare.

“Heh-heh. Sorry again, darling.”

“No worries, I’ve had rooms prepped for all of you for the past month. Sorry about the abruptness of the whole thing, but I am very glad to see all of you again!” she sang, bouncing happily. “Scoop, love what you’ve done with your mane,” she commented to her former student.

“Aw, thanks, Professor.”

“End Zone, Shimmy Shake, I see you’ve both been keeping up with Rainbow’s drills. Keep up the good work,” she said, making the pair both stand a tad taller. “Patty, still rocking that bow, I see?”

“Of course!” she laughed, flourishing it proudly.

“Hee-hee. Vellum,” Twilight greeted, nodding. “How are you doing?”

“Well enough,” he murmured, failing to see the others shake their heads in contradiction.

“That’s good. Vellum? There’s a book I personally really enjoy. Perfection: The Impossible Pursuit. You should give it a read some time, okay?” Twilight advised kindly.

“Uh, will do, Princess. Thank you,” Vellum said, bowing his head.

“Of course. Yona!” she expressed loudly. “How are you doing?”

Yona gave Twilight a bone-crushing hug, shouting, “Yona happy to see old Headmare again!”

“I can… See! I can’t… Breathe! But I can… See!” she squeaked out.

“Might wanna ease up a little there, Yona,” Gallus advised. “We don’t want to see you in court being charged with ‘Damage to Private Princess Property.’”

“Heh-heh! Sorry,” she said, releasing Twilight who immediately locked gazes with the griffon.

“Gallus,” Twilight acknowledged gently. “How is everything going?”

“Eh, it’s going. Pretty good so far though,” he said confidently. “But you definitely need to get your sister-in-law a better hobby.”

“Oh no,” she sighed, face-hoofing. “Has she reached three thousand, yet?”

“‘Three thousand’!?” he shouted in shock. “She’s not gonna stop at one!?”

“She hasn’t reached that yet? Oh, wow, Shiny really is holding her back. … Spike?”

“I already added ‘Get Shining another medal for his heroism’ to the itinerary. Tuesday good?”

“Tuesday’s good. What would I do without you, Spike?”

“Forget to raise the sun and moon?”

“That was only funny the first time, Spike, not the tenth.”

“Twilight’s right, Spike,” Starlight agreed, earning a smug nod from the Princess. “She would totally remember to raise the sun and moon. … Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner instead of reading, reading, and reading, on the other hoof? Nope. Eating is for the weak, right, Twi?”

Twilight grumbled as everyone around her laughed.

“I miss you so much, Roomy,” Spike admitted sorrowfully.

“I miss you more,” Starlight replied, winking.

“I miss you the most!” Rarity whined, trapping Spike in a tight hug that he reciprocated.

“Regular ladies’ drake, isn’t he?” Vellum whispered to Scoop, earning a quiet laugh.

“I heard that!” After Rarity released him, Spike said, “By the way, Gallus? I’m still planning out the campaign, but I don’t think I’ll have it done until after Hearth’s Warming Eve. Sorry about that.”

“Eh, it’s fine,” Gallus assured. “Oh, by the way, Sugar Belle did want in on the game, and she said she also sent you a letter saying so. But, well… Discord.”

“He won’t be messing with her mail anymore though,” Starlight guaranteed ominously.

“Uggghhh! Discord, I swear…” Spike softly growled, making another note on his checklist.

“Are you done?” Twilight asked, receiving a curt nod from her assistant. She then looked back at the group and blinked. “Oh! I forgot that November isn’t part of the Club anymore,” she admitted.

“He had… Other commitments,” Vellum elaborated, holding back a scowl.

“You really are learning,” Scoop whispered happily, earning an exasperated smirk.

“That leaves you, Silverstream!” Twilight stated brightly, trotting to the back of the group.

“Huh! Oh! Heh-heh, hey, Princess. Yep, I’m still here,” she greeted, snapping out of her daze.

“I noticed,” she responded far more gently.

Silver got the distinct impression that the Princess was looking her over in worry; immediately, she tried her hardest to appear as non-worrying as possible. It might have backfired.

“Are you okay, Silverstream? You seem a little quiet,” she said, quickly glancing to her friends.

“Oh, good! It’s not just me,” Patty sighed. Everyone stared at her. “What? She’s been quiet ever since we got off the train! Since we got on the train too now that I think about it,” she just had to add.

Gallus glanced at his friend worryingly.

NO! NO! NO! Silver screamed mentally. “Sorry. I’m still a little nervous about performing in Canterlot. That’s all,” she fibbed, praying with every fiber of her being that it would work.

To Silver’s immense relief, Vellum concurred, “I think we’re all a little nervous to be honest.”

“I don’t doubt it. But I am proud of you all for still having the courage to go through with it in spite of the ‘surprise.’ And I also know you’ll all do just fine when you get up onstage. But that’s for another day. For today! Raven?” she called to the mare still standing behind the group. “If you could, please show our guests to their rooms so they may rest for the days ahead.”

“Yes, your Highness,” Raven said, bowing.

“Thank you. Now, all of you off to your rooms for some rest. I doubt any of you want to practice rehearsals while still tired from the train ride.”

“You are, once again, correct, Princess,” Vellum answered for them.

“Then off you go. Raven?”

“Right away, your Highness. Come along, children, this way.”

“I’ll meet with you later, darlings,” Rarity said. “Right now, I have a friend I need to catch up with.”

“Same,” Starlight agreed. “Don’t get into any trouble.”

“We won’t,” Scoop assured, waving as the group began following after Raven.

Silver then ducked her again, noticed only by Gallus and Yona. They shared a glance, and the former slowed down, falling into step beside Silver, and whispered, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Huh!? Oh, yeah! Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered as happily as she could.

“Are you sure? You’ve been quiet all day. Is something wrong?”

“No! No, everything is fine…”

After a moment, he smiled slightly and said, “Alright. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. If you do need anything though, just ask. Okay?” he requested, giving her gentle nuzzle.

“Of course,” she promised, nuzzling him back despite not feeling better at all.

***

“I still think we should go back to the theater and practice again!”

“Vellum, we have rehearsed almost fifty times this week alone and nearly two hundred times this month!” Scoop fired back tiredly. “We know what we’re doing!”

“I know that, but…” he petered off, pawing at the ground uncomfortably.

Scoop sighed and put her hoof on Vellum’s shoulder, saying, “Look, Vellum. I get it. You’re still nervous about the play, and that’s okay. I’m nervous too; we all are!” she added, gesturing to the rest of the group. “But the play is tomorrow night, not this afternoon. Let’s try to relax until then, okay?”

“…Fine,” he grumbled.

“Thank you,” she said, hugging him tightly. After releasing him, she said, “Now, Professor Rarity gave us a ton of Bits to spend, and we’re in the capital of Equestria. What should we do first?”

“Shopping!” Shimmy Shake sang.

“I kinda want to see the Library of Magic,” Patty said eagerly. “None of us may be unicorns, but Ocellus has always spoken wonders about it. Wouldn’t hurt to at least check it out.”

“We could visit the Cloud Stadium,” Zone proposed. “Maybe we can catch a team practicing?”

“I’ve heard the Tasty Treat is a good lunch spot,” Vellum murmured, gaining a grin from Scoop.

“Well, Yona not care what friends do so long as friends do it together,” Yona cheered happily.

“Hee-hee. Of course we will, Yona,” Scoop reassured. She then turned to Gallus and Silver and asked, “What about you two? Got any ideas?”

Silver blinked and shyly admitted, “Um, I don’t really have any. What about you, Gallus?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t putting pressure on him.

He thought for a moment then shrugged. “I’ve got nothing either. I mean, there is Silver Frames’ Art Gallery, but I can’t imagine any of you’d want to go to it…” he suggested aloofly.

“Oh, I’m sure one of us would,” Scoop said, smirking deviously at Silverstream.

Silver chuckled, trying to ignore all of their grins. I almost forgot about Silver Frames’ gallery. That does sound fun, but… I don’t want Gallus to want to go just because of me.

“In any case,” Vellum spoke up, regaining everyone’s attention. “It seems we have an idea for our destinations. Shall we proceed? We don’t want to be out too late tonight.”

“Of course, Vellum. Alright, gang, let’s go!” Scoop decreed, leading the Drama Club forward along their march through the pearly streets of Canterlot.

There were a multitude of various stores to visit, from an ordinary mall loaded with ponies dressed as fancily as possible to dodgy antique shops watched over by shadowy, red-eyed strangers.

Shimmy Shake, Scoop, and Yona seemed determine to buy something every time; whereas, Zone and Vellum often found themselves waiting for the others to finish.

The Library of Magic was next, welcoming them with a comfortable tranquility in spite of its labyrinthine structure and the occasional muffled explosion from someone’s failed spell.

Patty, Vellum, and Gallus happily stalked the maze of books, eager to experience Twilight Sparkle’s old stomping grounds; sadly, neither Shimmy Shake nor End Zone enjoyed the ambiance as they were too busy struggling to remain awake.

The Cloud Stadium did indeed play host to a team of pegasi as well as the dragons, griffons, and hippogriffs they were currently initiating. And as to be expected, a large crowd had also gathered to watch the practice proceed.

Zone, Shimmy, and Patty were quick to join in the crowd’s excitement over the new trainees, but Vellum and Scoop both looked positively bored with the affair. Gallus seemed caught in the middle, enjoying the event like the others but clearly wanting to be elsewhere.

Silver, meanwhile, sat in the far back, watching her friend out of the corner of her eye and trying to figure out why he seemed so antsy. Unfortunately, every thought that crossed her mind was worse than the last, and by the time Yona approached her, the hippogriff looked ready to throw up.

“This seat taken?” Yona asked politely.

“H-Huh!” Silver exclaimed, taken out of her musings. Again. “Oh, n-no, Yona! Of course not!” She scooted over and patted at the seat to her left. “What are you up to?”

“Well, Yona just learned stadium food cost three times more than normal food, so Yona not happy about that,” she grumbled. “But Yona did find this!” she celebrated, flourishing a beautiful scarf bearing the emblem of the flight team currently training.

“Wow, that looks really nice, Yona!” Silver instinctively praised.

“Thank you. Yona considering knitting scarves more often when Yona get back home. Scarves pretty simple, but simplicity just as important as complexity!”

“Hee-hee,” she laughed emptily, looking back at Gallus. “That’s very wise, Yona.”

After about a minute, Yona suddenly stated, “Gallus prefer watching game rather than practice.”

“What!?” Silver yelped, quickly turning back to her friend. “I— I mean— What makes you say that?” she asked with a forced grin.

“Yona asked Gallus why he not enjoy stadium as much as others. Gallus said it because he rather watch actual game than just team practicing.”

“O-Oh! Uh, okay. That’s nice to know,” Silver said. Oh thank goodness! He’s not lonely, upset, or anything else! He’s okay, Silver! He’s okay… she told herself, calming down. For now.

After some time, Yona quietly asked, “Is Silverstream okay?”

“What!? Of— Of course, I’m okay!” she answered unconvincingly.

“Yona notice friend really quiet all day. All week too, now that Yona think about it. Is Silver sure she’s okay?”

“Yep, I’m totally fine, Yona; there’s no need to worry,” she repeated, smiling widely.

“Silverstream sound like Gallus,” Yona acknowledged apprehensively.

After a moment, Silver finally admitted, “I’m still worried about him.”

“But why? Yona see Gallus doing much better now!”

“I know! I know! I’m just being silly,” she said, looking down.

“Silver worried about Gallus! Yona not think that silly; Yona think that kind.”

Silver laughed slightly, saying, “Thanks, Yona. … What do you think though? Do you think that Gallus is doing better? Genuinely better?”

“Yona not given reason to believe otherwise,” she answered simply.

“Yeah, but… Still.”

“Ohhh. Yona know what’s wrong with friend.”

“So there is something wrong!?” Silver squealed as her heart thundered in her ears.

“Yes. That,” Yona said, pointing at her. “What friend doing is wrong.”

“What— What do you mean?”

“Silver not just worried about Gallus. Silver paranoid about Gallus.”

“I’m not paranoid!” Silver argued, affronted.

Yona stared at her disbelievingly.

W-Well… Yeah?” she said after some time. “But come on, Yona! With the play, and Canterlot, and everything…! You’re not the least bit worried about him too?”

“Yona worried about all friends,” she said, patting Silver’s back. “That why Yona asked Gallus if he was okay. Yona noticed Gallus look bored, so Yona ask why. But friend is doing fine. Yona also noticed Silver look afraid, so Yona ask too. But friend clearly not doing fine.”

“But I am doing fine! I-I’m just worried all the pressure of this performance might get to him. Can’t I be a little worried?” she asked, wincing.

“Yaks have saying: Fear is necessary for courage, but too little invokes hubris and too much reaps cowardice,” Yona quoted sagely. “Yona think worry is same. Worrying about friend is fine, but Yona knows it’s not good to worry too much. Silver clearly worrying too much.”

“But how can I not be worried!? I want Gallus to be okay! That’s— That’s all I want.”

“Yona know. But Yona also know Gallus doing much better,” she repeated, smiling.

“But what if Gallus isn’t, and he’s just pretending again!?”

“Yona trust Gallus not pretend. Silver should do the same,” Yona advised serenely.

Silver turned her gaze back to Gallus, watching as he walked over to Zone and Shimmy and talked to them as casually as anyone else would. She then turned back to Yona.

“I… I guess you’re right,” she admitted, smiling properly. “Even if I am worried, I still need to trust that he is doing better. Thanks for reminding me of that,” Silver said, wiping her eyes.

“Yona happy to help friend,” Yona said, beaming. “…Yona still worried too. But Yona know even if Gallus not okay, Yona and friends will be there for him,” she concluded.

“Hee-hee-hee. Right once again, Yona,” Silver agreed, wrapping a wing around her friend.

Maybe I am worried for nothing, Silverstream supposed. I’m sure everything is fine. And like Yona said, even if it’s not, we’ll be there for him. I’ll be there for him. … I just hope things stay fine.

***

After a quick lunch at the Tasty Treat, the group made their way to their final destination as the afternoon sun finally started its descent downward.

“Hello, and welcome to Silver Frames’ Art Gallery. Please enjoy the many beautiful and exquisite exhibits at your leisure and do make sure not to touch any of them,” the guide warned.

“Don’t worry,” Scoop placated. “You’d have to be an idiot to touch one of these things. But out of curiosity? What would happen if we did?” she asked suspiciously.

“Move along, Scoop, you’re angering the pony,” Vellum said, pushing her forward.

“Alright, alright! Stop shoving me!”

As the group split up to browse the Gallery, Silver quickly found herself happy that Gallus had suggested coming there, even if it had been on her behalf rather than his.

“Hey, Silver?” Gallus suddenly called out.

“Yeah, Gallus?” she asked, staring back down at him.

“You might want to stop hovering; I think the security guards over there are getting jumpy.”

“Huh? Oh. Oops!” Silver said, softly landing on the checkered floor. “I, uh, didn’t even realize I was doing that,” she admitted, blushing.

“I’m not the one who’s upset. In fact? I thought it was cute,” he sneakily whispered.

Her blush intensified as she quietly exclaimed, “Gallus!”

“Whaaat?” he asked innocently.

“Nothing,” she sighed. “Thanks for the compliment though.”

“Heh-heh. You’re welcome,” he said, winking. “So then? Do you, uh, like this place?”

“I love it, Gallus, but…” Be honest, Silver. “Do you? I don’t want you to like it just because you think I want you to,” she admitted gently. Please, please, please don’t be upset I asked that!

He winced but quickly recovered to say, “I was being serious, Silver. Art may not be my ‘thing,’ but I know you like it. And I like you! So regardless of whether or not I enjoy the gallery, I definitely will enjoy my time with you,” he ended softly.

“…Dang it! That’s just too sweet!” Silver said, unable to protest her worries any further.

“Yes!” he cheered. “The Lord of All Things Sweet still has it.”

“Oh hush up, milord,” she countered, tittering. “Now let’s go and enjoy our time together.”

“Lead the way, milady,” Gallus replied, gesturing for her to do so.

For as worried and anxious as Silverstream had been for the past few days, all of her woes faded into the distance the moment they ventured forth.

Hundreds of paintings lined the walls of the gallery, all of which were crafted meticulously by the most passionate of souls. From gorgeous landscapes overflowing with an abundance of life, to beautiful portraits capturing the very essence of their subjects’ existences. Even the occasional, expertly sculpted statue stood on display among the various works of art.

“I think I’m going to need to take back what I said earlier,” Gallus soon admitted. “Art might just be one of my ‘things’ after all.”

I could kiss him so much right now! “Hee-hee! I’m happy you like this place too, Gallus!” she rejoiced. “Thanks again for convincing the others to come here.”

“As opposed to the alternative of not coming here?” Gallus asked slyly. “I am kinda surprised you didn’t even mention it though. Don’t tell me… You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” he hesitantly guessed.

“No, I… I haven’t,” she timidly replied. “I’ve always wanted to come here though.”

“Then how come you didn’t suggest this place?” he politely inquired.

C’mon, Silver, be honest! “I didn’t know if you or the others would like it or not. And? I didn’t want to drag you guys here if you didn’t like it. Or make you feel like you needed to stay if you were bored,” she added, thinking back to the Cloud Stadium.

“You are too caring for your own good sometimes, you know that?” Gallus remarked joyfully.

Well, at least he didn’t get upset; that’s a plus, right? “Oh hush!” she retorted, grinning. “C’mon! Next up is the photography exhibit!” Silver sang, bounding forward in a flash.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Gallus laughed, hurrying after her.

The trees of White Tail Woods swayed in a serene spring breeze, and the shores of Silver Shoals sparkled in the shimmering sunset. The valley of Hollow Shades hid beneath an everlasting shadowy sky, and the fiery crags of the Dragon Lands erupted to the pleasure of the surrounding inhabitants. And even these examples weren’t half of what the photography exhibit had to offer.

So many tiny, beautiful moments had been captured for eternity and laid to rest along the walls of the room, and in the center of it all hung the images of two graceful alicorns, each guiding their own heavenly treasure across the firmament.

“It’s nice to know that even if the Princesses are retired, they’re still remembered, don’t you think, Gallus?” she said, smiling warmly.

“…Yeah…”

Alarm bells blared in Silver’s mind at the unfocused tone of his reply, so she immediately turned around only to see that she had lost him.

“Gallus?” she called out as calmly as she could. “Where’d you go?”

“Other side of the wall over here,” he answered, still sounding off.

She followed his voice and came to stand beside him, following his gaze and realizing with a fresh wave of horror what was wrong.

The photo Gallus was staring at depicted three petrified monsters standing in a garden.

Every single paranoid thought flooded back into her mind, yet she made neither a sound nor a motion despite her terror. All she could do was stand there, staring at them alongside her friend.

After some time, Gallus broke the tension by saying, “Looks like Smolder lost the bet.”

“W-What?” she mumbled, barely keeping her voice steady.

“They’re positions are changed,” he commented casually. “Chrysalis was mid-lunge when she was petrified, but now she’s crouching low as if she were getting ready to pounce.”

“Oh, right. I guess Princess Twilight really is holding out hope for them,” Silver whispered. I don’t know why she’s even bothering, she thought to herself.

“Yeah, guess so,” Gallus agreed. “…Cozy changed spots too. I’m pretty sure she made sure to be above the other two, but now she’s at the statue’s base. Right at the bottom,” he shot venomously.

He’s upset! I knew this would happen! Oh no! How do I help him stop being upset!? What do I do; what do I do!? Silver panicked. Gulping, she opted to mutter, “Yep. Right at the bottom…”

Gallus took a deep breath and asked more calmly, “When do you think this was taken?”

“Ummm,” Silver hummed, glancing the photo’s description. “Uh, a little over a month ago, according to this,” she answered. “Looks like it was a week or two after Friends and… Family… Day…” Silver practically whimpered. Ohhh nooo…

A moment of silence passed between the two before Gallus inquired, “What do you think?”

“Um, about what?”

“Do you think Twilight can reform them?”

“I don’t know,” Silver responded, blinking in surprise. “Why would she?”

“I don’t know,” he echoed uncertainly. “I mean, this is Twilight Sparkle we’re talking about; she will if she can, but… Do you think she even can in the first place?”

The image of her and her friends being trapped in a bubble of magic and slowly lowered into a cold, dark void replayed in her mind. “No,” she answered honestly, shivering at the memory.

Gallus only followed up with a quiet, “Hmm.”

…

“I know I probably shouldn’t,” he started hesitantly. “But I kinda feel bad for them.”

“You feel bad for them!?” she snapped, flinching at her own tone.

“Well, not bad for what happened to them,” Gallus swiftly elaborated. “They deserved what they got; I won’t even try to pretend that they didn’t.”

“Then why do you feel bad for them?”

“I…” Gallus paused to think for a moment. “I just wonder what would have happened if they had never met. They could have had everything they ever wanted if they had just… Found better friends,” he explained, sighing.

“How do you figure that?” she asked, trying not to let her cynicism leak into her voice again.

“Well, Tirek wouldn’t have even been locked in Tartarus to begin with if he had just gone back home with his brother,” Gallus began. “If Chrysalis had accepted Headmare Starlight’s offer, she would have had all the love she could hope for and would probably be able to rule over her subjects again. And if Cozy hadn’t seen either of them as parent… As role models,” he corrected himself. “She might not have thought of ‘friendship’ as ‘power’ or whatever it was she considered it to be.”

“They could have had everything. A home, love; family… It all could have been theirs, if they just had better friends,” he concluded, staring at her appreciatively.

…

“Maybe,” Silver eventually said. “But I… I don’t think that would be the case. All three of them were power-hungry psychos. They could have tried being better; they could have tried to learn friendship and compassion! But they didn’t,” she sneered. “They double-downed on their own hatred and cruelty. Maybe they could have been better, but I don’t think they wanted to be…”

“I guess that’s a ‘no’ to my question, huh?”

Silver winced, admitting, “Sorry, Gallus. But I don’t think Twilight can help them. Honestly, I’m not even sure they deserve the chance to be forgiven even if they could reform,” she added, surprised at her own anger.

“Eh, everyone deserves at least one creature willing to give them a chance. Even at the very end,” he stated nonchalantly. “Still, you’re probably right. Considering how much Ocellus avoids the topic, Chrysalis definitely wouldn’t be an easy fix.”

“Yeah, definitely not.”

“But you know what?” he began after some time. “I bet we could reform them if we tried!”

Silver snorted, asking, “Really? You think we could help make Cozy Glow realize murder is wrong?”

“Mmm? Yeah,” Gallus answered, nodding. “Think about it, Silver! We’re the next generation of the Elements of Harmony, and we’ve got the respect and support of the Tree of Harmony! At this point, we could probably do anything, and we’d succeed brilliantly!” he boasted.

“I wish I had your confidence. But when I look at them? All I can see is… All I can see is…” Silver sighed and concluded, “Nevermind.”

“Hey,” he said softly. “It’s okay. What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing!” she claimed. Seeing he clearly didn’t buy it, she quietly confessed, “I just can’t look at them without seeing…him.”

“…Oh.”

“Y-Yeah,” she mumbled, turning away from the painting.

A moment later, Gallus silently wrapped her in his wing, pulling her into a gentle embrace. She placed her own wings around him too, trying not to dwell on the rest of her memories.

For a long while, they stood in that position until Silver sighed and pulled away, whimpering, “Sorry, Gallus. I… Ughhh,” she groaned, looking down. “I just… Sorry.”

He gently raised her chin back up and said, “You don’t need to be sorry, Silver. It’s okay. Don’t forget that he’s gone too! You never have to be afraid of any of them ever again,” Gallus promised happily.

She smiled weakly and said, “I know. It’s just hard to remember that sometimes.”

“Yeah, I hear that. It does get easier with time though.”

Or worse. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“Although?” he began, smirking suspiciously. “If we did try to reform those guys, we would totally succeed!” Gallus promised, pulling out a pocket mirror and turning it toward her. “I mean, how can anyone resist this beautiful face?”

“What the— Gallus!” Silverstream yelped, blushing again. “Where did you even get that!?”

“I bought it when we went shopping,” he answered.

“W-Why?” she asked, grinning abashedly.

“Well, the original plan was to open it behind your back and then ask, ‘Hey, Silver! Check this work of beauty out!’ and then you would turn around. But, I figured doing it this way worked too.”

Silver laughed for a good while. “Oh, Gallus,” she soon said. “You didn’t need to go to all that trouble.”

“What trouble? The only hard part was buying the mirror, and that was just because I didn’t know where the beauty store was in the mall. After that, all I had to do was say a fact.”

“That I have a beautiful face?”

“What? Is that too specific? Should I have just said, ‘You’re beautiful’ and left it at that?” he asked, grinning. “Either one would work of course. You are beautiful, and you have a beautiful face.”

“How did you somehow turn the same compliment into two?” she asked, giggling again.

“Because, Silverstream, no matter how many compliments you receive, you will always deserve twice as many,” he stated matter-of-factly.

If not for Silver’s paranoia that it would screw everything up, she would have definitely kissed him for that one. That didn’t stop her from grabbing him in another hug though.

“You are just the sweetest thing ever, you know that!?” she sang jubilantly.

“Yeah, well. I am the Lord of All of Things Sweet for a reason,” he said, leaning into the hug.

…

“Hey, lovebirds!” called out the newly approached and completely unwelcome Vellum Codex. “We need to go! Scoop was an idiot and… What are you two doing?”

“Having a moment,” they both deadpanned simultaneously.

“What do you want, Vellum?” Gallus then asked as politely as he could.

To ruin everything? Silver suspected.

“Well, um, sorry to interrupt the moment,” he apologized genuinely. “But, uh, Scoop decided it would be a fun idea to touch the paintings, and well? Long story short: We’re getting kicked out.”

It really was only a matter of time before something screwed everything up again, wasn’t it?

“Of course she did,” Gallus groaned, sighing in exasperation. “Sorry, Silver.”

“Eh, it’s okay,” she deflected. “We probably should get going anyway.”

“Yes. The guards certainly want us to do that, so let’s do that,” Vellum emphasized.

A few minutes later…

“Sorry, everycreature,” Scoop apologized, hanging her head.

Everycreature merely stared at her with various degrees of irritation.

“You’re sorry for?” Vellum inquired.

“I’m sorry for touching the paintings and getting us all kicked out,” she continued, wincing.

“Are you!?” Shimmy demanded angrily.

“Yes!”

“Yona wonders if Yona should not believe friend,” she muttered sarcastically.

“I really mean it, guys! I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay, Scoop,” Patty comforted. “We know you didn’t mean to get us all kicked out. And banned. From one of the coolest places in Canterlot. For life,” she finished bitterly.

“Seriously, Scoop! What even possessed you to touch one of the paintings!?” Vellum shouted. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you would have been in had the guards not been lenient!?”

“Oh, like a criminal record matters that much in Equestria!”

“It certainly effects your career in the acting world!”

“Oh really?” Scoop asked disbelievingly.

“It at least matters until after you’ve secured yourself as one of the ‘best-of-the-best’!” Vellum clarified. “Tell me, Scoop! Are you one of the ‘best-of-the-best’ yet?”

“…No.”

“Exactly!”

“Okay, guys,” Gallus began neutrally. “We can all agree that Scoop made a mistake.”

“I’m not sure that word is strong enough to describe the sheer stupidity of her action.”

“Shut up, Vellum!”

“Both of you, stop!” Gallus interrupted. “Look, Scoop? I don’t know what you were thinking—if you even were thinking—but it’s okay. I forgive you. I’m mad at you! But I forgive you.”

“Thanks,” she murmured.

“Don’t thank me. You shouldn’t be thanking me! You shouldn’t need to be thanking me because you shouldn’t have needed to be forgiven in the first place!” he scolded.

She flinched.

“But… It’s over with; we didn’t get arrested; and we didn’t get charged a mountain of Bits for messing with a near-priceless painting. Can we all move on and agree to not tell Rarity about this?”

Everyone nodded.

“Well, now that we’ve got all of that out of the way,” Vellum began. “It’s getting late. Do any of you want to do anything else, or can we finally go back to the Palace and rest for tomorrow night?”

“If it’s alright with you guys, I kinda want to go to bed. I’m tired,” End Zone said, yawning.

“Honestly? I am too,” Patty admitted. “Plus, Vellum’s probably going to get us all up at the crack of dawn to squeeze in twenty more rehearsals.”

“Well… Not quite that early, but…” Vellum mumbled.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shimmy grumbled. “The point is we’ve got a long day ahead of us! But you know what!? We’ve totally got everything down!” she shouted enthusiastically. “We are all going to get on that stage, perform the hay out of The Epoch of Majesty Serendipity Daydream, and become world-famous actors! Whooo’s with me!?” she sang, holding out her hoof.

“Oh Celestia!” Vellum whispered fearfully. “‘World-famous’!? Oh, I can only hope to dream! But you know what, Shimmy? I’m with you,” he said, placing his hoof on hers.

“I doubt I could ever be an actor like you, Vellum, but I did not memorize over a thousand lines to flop the moment I get on that stage!” Zone declared, joining the hoof-stack.

“We are totally going to rock this play!” Patty shouted, following the others’ example.

“No way am I going to leave you guys hanging,” Scoop said meekly. “I can’t imagine what Vellum would do to you guys if I did,” she added, smirking at the annoyed stallion.

“Yona do best Yona can too! All friends will!”

“Yeah,” Silver agreed quietly. “We’ve got this!” she said as confidently as she could.

For a moment, Gallus hesitated to join the hoof-pile; however, he soon smirked and declared, “Yeah, we’re awesome! And everycreature is going to know it too! Even him…” he whispered to himself.

“Alright, everycreature!” Shimmy said, channeling her cheer-leader voice. “‘Drama Club’! In three! Two! One!”

“Drama Club!” everyone shouted, raising their hooves or talons into the air. Afterward, they all laughed and started their journey toward the Palace.

Silver was the first to stop laughing, and she quickly found herself at the back of the group, unable to share in the excitement of everyone else.

C’mon, Silver! You’ve got this! So do they! So does Gallus! Everything is going to be fine! Everything! Is going to be! Fine! she told herself.

…

But what if they suffer from stage fright!? What if I do!? What if Gallus does!? What if he sees that crowd and starts having an anxiety attack or something!? He has claustrophobia, so what if it triggers when he sees how big the audience will be!? What if it does happen, and he loses all of the progress he’s made!? What if he starts talking to himself again!? What if—

Said griffon slowed down to match her pace and gently asked, “Silverstream? Are you okay?”

“Huh!?” she squawked, snapping out of her panic. “Uh, y-yeah, I’m totally fine, Gallus.”

He didn’t buy that—she didn’t even buy that!—but he at least pretended to for her sake, saying, “Okay. I just wanted to make sure since Scoop, uh, you know. Speaking of which, I’m sorry about the gallery trip ending as abruptly as it did.”

“Gallus, you don’t need to be sorry; I’m fine!” Come on, Silver, be honest! “Are you going to be okay with the play!?” she blurted out.

“Yeah?” he answered, not understanding her sudden intensity. “I’ve got my lines memorized and my character studied. I’ll be fine.”

A hundred more questions and worries swam through Silver’s mind, but she dared not utter a single one of them lest she bring them to fruition.

“Okay,” was all she allowed herself to utter.

Gallus stared at her for a moment before blinking, coming to a sudden realization. “Are you okay with the play, Silver?” he asked softly.

“Of course I am!” she answered a little too loudly. “I’m perfectly fine, Gallus; you know me! Optimism and cheeriness for the win!” Silver ended jokingly.

Thank goodness Terramar didn’t hear that; otherwise, he’d never let me live it down.

“Alright, I believe you. And I’m glad you’re doing fine.”

Thank goodness for that too! Silver rejoiced as she said, “Thanks, I’m happy to be fine.”

…

“Silver?” he soon said, freezing her in her place.

No, no, no, no, no! “Yes…?” she asked hesitantly.

“If something is troubling you, and for whatever reason you can’t tell me… Tell someone about it, please?” he calmly pleaded. “The others, our teachers… Just tell someone. Okay?”

“Of— Of course!” Silverstream responded, voice cracking. “But I don’t need to do that because I am fine; I’m not troubled at all! Promise!”

“…And I still believe you. I just want you to be okay too, you know.”

And I want you to be okay, but that’s never going to happen, is it? Nothing will be okay, she thought hopelessly. “How are you so good at being so sweet?” she asked as normally as she could.

“Because you deserve the very sweetest,” Gallus answered playfully.

The two shared a small laugh.

“I really am okay, Silverstream,” he eventually whispered, reading her thoughts.

“…I know,” she replied weakly.

Wordlessly, the two quickly caught up with the rest of the group.

***

“Well, it certainly sounds like you had a fun day,” Starlight said after Silverstream had finished. “I’m sorry about the last part though; Scoop should have known better,” she ended, grimacing.

“You’re not gonna punish her are you?” Silver asked fearfully.

“Oh, I’m going to talk to her about it, but I’ll wait until after we get back. And don’t worry, I won’t tell her you were the one who told me,” she comfortingly assured.

Silver winced, looking away.

“Sooo,” Starlight soon began again. “It really does seem like you had a pretty good day! So did Gallus from what you told me. … Did something else happen after the gallery?” she asked warily.

“N-No,” Silver admitted, shaking her head. “We just came back here, talked with Professor Rarity one more time, and went right to bed. I just couldn’t sleep, so…”

“Ah.”

“So, what do I do?” she asked desperately.

Hiding an uncomfortable shiver, Starlight asked, “About what?”

“About Gallus! What do I do!? How do I help him!?”

“Help him with what?” Starlight inquired, hoping her first thought was wrong.

“What do you mean by that!?” Silver demanded. “You know what he needs help with! Unless… Oh no, has he been avoiding you!?” she asked hysterically. “No-no-no! I thought he actually was seeing you, but if he’s not…! Oh no! Oh no! Oh—”

“Silver!” Starlight shouted, regaining the panicking hippogriff’s attention. “Calm down! He has been visiting me. Almost every day, in fact.”

“He has?”

“Yes!” she affirmed, shocked by her student’s outburst.

Silver hung her head, sighing in relief. After a moment, she looked back up and asked, “Then what do I do? He’s still upset, so… How do I help him be better?”

“Silverstream,” Starlight began, her voice gentle. “He is doing better.”

“No, he’s not!”

“Was he not doing better today? Because it certainly sounded like he was.”

“Yeah, well… What— What about the part where he was bored at the Cloud Stadium?”

“Yona said he was just bored,” she bluntly reminded her. “Most creatures prefer watching a game rather than sitting through a practice, you know.”

“But— But— What about when he was yelling at his bag when Professor Rarity told us we’d be performing in Canterlot!?” she questioned, terrified.

“He said, ‘Two hundred and Nineteen,’ right? Well, Cadence numbered all of her letters, and he was carrying a lot of them at the time. He was likely looking for that one and just talking aloud,” she explained logically.

“Well, but— What— I— But what about in the photography exhibit!? What about when he looked at that photo of them and— And— And felt sorry for them!?” she snarled angrily. “Gallus would never feel sorry for them! Wh-What if Cozy really is messing with him and is trying to make him feel sorry enough to release her, so she can—”

“Silver!” Starlight yelled, cutting off Silver’s panicked rambling yet again. “It’s okay. Cozy is not messing with Gallus. I checked over her room, and Twilight checked with her personally.”

“And… She’s not?”

“She certainly tried pretending she was, but Twilight saw through it. And no. The little brat isn’t messing with him. He’s okay.”

“I… S-Sorry,” Silver whimpered, ashamed of her paranoia.

“It’s okay, Silver; I’m not angry or anything,” she assured, double-checking the air above her horn. “I’m just… Surprised. Gallus said you were scared, but…”

“Of course I’m scared!” she screamed. “Gallus may be fine now, but— But what if something happens, and he stops being fine! What if something happens at the play!? What if something happens when we get back home!? What if he goes back to lying again!? What if— What if—”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Starlight rapidly called, hurrying over to her. “Silver, calm down!”

“But—”

“Calm… Down…” she soothed, placing a hoof on Silver’s shoulder. “It’s okay; just breathe. Just… Breathe…” Starlight commanded slowly.

Silver did as instructed, calming down slightly with every deep breath.

“I’m…” she said after some time. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I… I just…”

“It’s okay, Silver,” Starlight assuaged, sitting beside her. “It’s okay…”

“No! It’s not okay! Nothing is okay! Nothing is ever going to be okay!” Silver stated tearfully.

Starlight blinked in shock before softly asking, “Why do you think nothing is going to be okay?”

“I… I don’t know! I don’t know, but… I know it’s not!” Silver protested grimly. “Something is going to happen! Something is going to happen, and everything is going to be ruined, and— And—”

“Easy, Silver, just breathe,” she repeated cautiously. “It’s okay to talk to me.”

“I know that, it’s just— I’m— He’s— I—” Silver sputtered wildly. She took a shaky breath and admitted, “I’m scared, Headmare! I’m so scared!”

“I understand. And it’s okay to be—”

“No, it’s not!” she interrupted. “It’s not okay that I’m scared because I shouldn’t have needed to be scared in the first place! Gallus should have been perfectly fine and happy, but he wasn’t! And he still isn’t! And if he’s okay now, how long is that going to last before he stops being fine again!?”

Silverstream suddenly flung herself around Starlight, clinging to her like a lifeline. Starlight didn’t hesitate to hug her back.

“Headmare Starlight, what— W-What do I do!? I don’t know what to do! Please tell me what to do; how do I help him!? Please just tell me how to help him!”

“It’s okay, Silver,” Starlight repeated again. “Just let it all out,” she said, fearing just how long Silver had been keeping this bottled up.

“I— I just— I want him to be better, but I don’t know if he is! And— And if he is!? How long is it going to be before something ruins it!? How long is it going to be before— Before—”

“Shh,” Starlight whispered. “It’s okay, Silver; it’s okay. Just let it all out…”

“I— I don’t know what to do!” she continued. “I don’t know how to help him; I don’t know even what is wrong with him! I don’t know what to do to help! And I can’t figure it out either since some…” Silver struggled for a second to find the right words before blurting out, “Since some inconsiderate jerk rented out half of the library’s Psychology section!”

“Wait, what? That’s news to me,” Starlight slowly said, immediately planning to ask Discord about that the instant they got back home.

“Yeah, and they didn’t leave their name in the registry, so I can’t even ask to borrow them,” Silver grumbled. “It’s like the world doesn’t want me to know how to help Gallus!” she lamented tearfully. “It’s like the world wants him to suffer…! I-Is that why everything keeps getting worse?”

“Silverstream, the ‘world’ isn’t out to make Gallus suffer.”

“Well, it certainly seems like it!” Silver protested. “How else do you explain how every time I’ve tried to help him, he just slips back into his worries all over again!?” she asked, panting heavily.

Starlight blinked.

“I tried to help him on Friends and Family Day, but he went right back to running away from everyone! I told our friends what happened, and Smolder decided she wanted to be jerk to Gallus for no reason! I asked him to join Drama Club because I thought he’d like it, and Discord showed up to screw with him! I had fun with him at the gallery, and that got ruined by a stupid photo of a bunch of monsters and Scoop being an idiot!” she ended, furious.

A box of tissues slowly floated in front of her, and Silver went for the offering with gusto.

“I— I’m so worried about him, Headmare Starlight,” she mumbled, sniffling. “Every time I close my eyes, or see him, or even look at my own bed, I… I just see him! Sitting on Cozy’s bed and talking to himself, or running away from me on the field, or trying so hard to say he didn’t deserve our friendship…” she said, shivering at the nightmarish memory.

Starlight was silent.

“And that…! That’s not Gallus,” Silver whimpered. “Gallus is cool, calm, and collected… He’s kind, sweet, and so, so caring!” she praised before frowning again. “But… I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I don’t know if he’s really okay, and I’m so scared he’s not! I just want him to be okay, but I know—I! Know!—something will happen, and… And he won’t be okay anymore…”

For several minutes, they sat in silence as Silver tried once more to regain control of her breathing, and Starlight comfortingly patted her student’s back, contemplating her next words.

Eventually, Starlight took a breath of her own and said, “I’m sorry, Silverstream. I didn’t expect that you would be suffering these same fears, like Gallus or Smo—”

“So Gallus is still afraid!?” Silverstream fearfully shouted.

“…He’s afraid of making you and the others worry,” she reluctantly admitted. “But! And this is the important part,” she emphasized before Silver resumed panicking. “Despite this, he is okay.”

“But—”

Starlight gave her a look that quickly silenced her. “Silver? Just how long have you been holding all of these fears in?” she asked, dreading the answer.

“…Since after Friends and Family Day.”

Starlight sat there for a moment, looking at her student in abject horror. She then took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry, Silverstream.”

“For what?”

“For not realizing how afraid you really were,” she answered. “Gallus said that you were worried about him, but I didn’t know you were this afraid. I should have known, and if I had, I would have already talked to you about this. So, I’m sorry for not realizing sooner.”

“But— But you don’t need to apologize!”

“Well, I’m going to do it anyway. I’m sorry, Silver. I’m sorry that you’ve been so afraid for so long without anyone—especially myself or the other girls—talking to you about it.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Silver said, flinching. “I know I shouldn’t be afraid; I know I’m always the optimistic one, but… I can’t be optimistic about this! I… I can’t,” she sighed glumly.

“It’s okay that you’re afraid, Silverstream,” Starlight soothed. “You don’t need to feel ashamed to be worried about your friend.”

“But Yona said I shouldn’t be so afraid.”

“And she’s right. It’s perfectly okay to be afraid and worried, but it’s not okay to be as such to the point of paranoia,” Starlight elaborated.

Silver looked away.

“Silver? Your fear, worry, anger, and sadness? It’s okay that you feel those things, and it’s okay that you’re worried about Gallus,” she repeated once again.

“The problem,” she continued. “Is that you can’t let these feelings blind you to your other ones. Your worry and fear for Gallus cannot and should not prevent you from being happy and hopeful that he’s getting better. Because he is getting better, Silverstream,” Starlight added, raising Silver’s chin up. “You know he’s getting better. So does Yona. So do I. And so does Gallus himself.”

“…I know. But… I’m just scared that something will happen again, and he’ll… He’ll stop being better, and go back to being…” Silver couldn’t finish her thought.

“I understand,” Starlight assured kindly. “And it’s okay that you’re worried about him; I’m not judging you for being so. But you have to remember that he is okay! If you spend all your time being afraid that he won’t be fine in the future, you won’t be able to appreciate the time you spend with him in the present. Trust me. I have some experience with that…”

“But what if I need to be worried about the future!? What if I don’t, and because I don’t, I fail to prevent whatever bad thing is going to happen to mess with Gallus again, and he—”

“Silver?” Starlight interrupted. “I’m going to stop you right there. Now take a second to think about what you were saying and then think about just how far you had to reach for that justification.”

“I… I…” Silver blinked, realizing the truth behind her Headmare’s words. “But— But can’t I be a little worried!? I don’t want to see Gallus hurting again!”

“It’s okay that you’re worried, Silver,” Starlight echoed. “But it’s not okay to be so worried about him that you hurt yourself in the process. It’s not okay to be so afraid that you can’t trust that he is doing better even if he tells you so himself. And it’s definitely not okay to be so pessimistic that everything will inevitably be ruined that you fail to appreciate everything when it’s fine.”

“But… But I’m not pessimistic!” Silver argued, not even convincing herself.

“Maybe ‘pessimistic’ is too strong a word,” Starlight conceded. “But you’re certainly paranoid.”

Silverstream didn’t even try to dissuade that notion.

After some time, she finally admitted, “I want to be scared. Maybe I shouldn’t be, but… If I’m not scared for Gallus then… What will happen if I’m not? What if I’m not there for him when he needs to be! The others weren’t there when it mattered, and look what happened!”

“Do you not trust your other friends to be there for him?” Starlight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“N-No! Maybe? Do I?” she asked herself. “I think I trust them. I know Yona would be there for him at least, and Ocellus too. … Would Sandbar notice? I don’t know; he was barely even upset when he first found out. And then there’s Smolder,” she snarled furiously. “I’m not even sure she would help him even if he were having another breakdown! In fact! I bet she’d just yell at him and tell him he shouldn’t be—” Silver threw a talon against her beak in revulsion. W-Where did that come from!?

…

“Silverstream?” Starlight began, drawing Silver out of her horrified thoughts. “I’ve said it a lot tonight, but I’ll say it one more time: It is perfectly okay to be worried about your friend. But you have to remain optimistic in spite of that worry. Because otherwise, your fear for his well-being, will overshadow your love, trust, and hope for him.”

“But I do feel those things for him!” Silver protested.

“Then why don’t you believe he’s okay?”

“No, I do! I mean— I think I do; I mean— I— I— I want to believe he’s okay, but what if he stops being okay!? How do I help him; what do I do!?” Silver desperately asked once again.

“Be there for him,” Starlight answered simply.

“But what if that’s not enough!?”

“Then what would be enough?”

“I— I— I don’t know…” she answered, trying to dry her tears.

“Silver, Gallus is doing better. A lot better,” Starlight emphasized after some time. “Do you know why? It’s because of you. You, Ocellus, Yona, Sandbar, and yes, Smolder too. He’s doing better because he knows you are all there for him,” she explained, smiling.

“But you said he was still afraid!”

“Yes, I did. He still has a long way to go before he’s perfectly fine again, but for now? He’s doing far better than he was.”

“‘I am still healing; I fully admit that. But I am doing better; I promise that too,’” Silverstream remembered Gallus saying to her.

Silver hugged Starlight again.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much…”

“I should be saying that to you,” Starlight joked, hugging her student back.

They eventually broke apart, leaving Silver to blow into her tissues and finally start breathing normally again.

“Headmare Starlight?” Silver started. “If he is doing better, how do I help him stay that way?”

“Be there for him,” she said again. “Trust him when he says he’s okay, and be there for him when he’s not. He’s not perfect, but none of us are. So, all you can do is, well? You get the point.”

Silver snorted. “So basically, be his friend?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Starlight admitted, grinning awkwardly. “There’s only so many ways to say it without being deliberately verbose,” she added, shrugging.

“Heh-heh-heh!”

…

“Silverstream?”

“Yes, Headmare Starlight?”

“I want you to promise me something, okay?”

“Um, okay?” she agreed uncertainly.

“Your feelings are just as important as his, Silver,” Starlight stated factually. “It’s okay that you’re worried and want to help him, but it’s just as important that you don’t do so at the cost of yourself. So, please. Promise you’ll never think your own thoughts and feelings matter less than even his. That’s not healthy. And he would not want you to do that.”

“Okay? Um, I don’t think I was doing that though, but—”

“Tell me again why you didn’t suggest the art gallery when you absolutely wanted to go?” Starlight requested, frowning.

“I didn’t want Gallus to go just because of me, and I… Ohhh,” she groaned quietly.

“Exactly. Please, Silver. Even if you don’t want him to be worried about you, please talk to him. He’ll understand if you’re worried about him just as much as you’ll understand if he’s worried about you being worried about him. … Well, that was a mouthful,” Starlight muttered to herself.

“Heh-heh. Magic Lesson One Hundred and Forty-five. I really liked that class,” Silverstream said happily. Maaaybe I should review my notes on that lesson, she considered as Starlight chuckled. She then took another deep breath and let it out, smiling. “You’re right, Headmare Starlight.”

“About?”

“About me. I do need to be more optimistic,” Silver said more to herself than to Starlight. “Even… Even if something bad does happen, I’ll still be there for Gallus. The others will too,” she added, trying not to think of Smolder. “It’s like Yona said: If I weren’t afraid, I couldn’t be brave. So… As hard as it is, I have to be brave in spite of that fear! Right?” she asked tentatively.

“That’s a pretty neat way to look at things, Silverstream.”

“Yeah! Yeah…! Yeah…” she sighed. “I just hope I can be brave…”

“I know you can, Silver,” Starlight said encouragingly.

Silver smiled weakly, muttering, “Thank you, Headmare Starlight.”

“No need to thank me, Silver. I’m just happy I could help, even if only a little.”

“Sorry for dumping all of my problems on you,” Silver apologized, rubbing the back of her head anxiously. “I know you didn’t exactly, er, enjoy that the last time I talked to you…”

“Okay, first of all, that’s because you were asking me how to describe a shower to someone when you could simply compare it to rain,” Starlight retorted indignantly.

Silverstream blinked.

“And secondly, these aren’t ‘problems.’ These are ‘fears.’ And it’s okay that you have them. So don’t be sorry for having them, and don’t be sorry for talking to someone about them,” Starlight sternly ordered. “Least of all me. I am the Guidance Counselor after all,” she added, winking.

“Hee-hee. Then I thank you for letting me talk to you about them.”

“I would never do otherwise.”

Silver sighed in relief. After another minute, she groaned warily. “Ohhh, how am I going to talk to Gallus about this?”

“Honestly?”

“Ha! Thanks, Professor Applejack,” Silver joked.

Starlight doubled-over in laughter. “Oh geez! You two really are made for each other,” she whispered, shaking her head in exasperation.

“Huh?” Silver asked in confusion.

“Just… I hope you and he have so much fun together,” Starlight encouraged teasingly.

“You don’t have to hope, Headmare! We are going to have fun together!” Silver sang happily.

“Hee-hee,” Starlight laughed again, happy to see Silver’s energy returning. “Yeah. … I can’t wait to see you two tomorrow night.”

Silver’s eyes bulged, and she quietly cursed, “Oh sea kelp!”

“Language.”

Silver froze for a second before muttering, “How did you…?”

“I know ‘em all,” she answered smugly.

“Okay, I get the feeling you’re referencing something, but… Eh, whatever. Is… Is it okay if I wait to talk to Gallus until after the play?” she asked hesitantly.

“Do you think it can wait?” Starlight inquired neutrally.

“…Maybe it shouldn’t, but I don’t want to worry him before the play. So, I think I will talk to him after everything is done. Is that okay?”

“When you talk to him is ultimately your decision, Silver. I’m not going to force you do it if you don’t want to. But I will say that you should tell him sooner rather than later,” she warned wisely.

“I understand,” Silver said, nodding. “Thank you again, Headmare Starlight.”

“And you’re welcome again, Silverstream.”

…

“Well, I… I feel a lot better, and at least now I have an idea as to what I should do,” Silver said, rising from the bed. “Thank you again for both the cocoa and for talking to me, but, uh, is it okay if I go? I need to get some sleep before, well? Before Vellum gets us up in about five hours and drags us down to the theater to practice. Again.”

“Yeah, do me a favor and remind him I still want to see him when we get back, would ya?” Starlight requested, getting to her hooves and opening the door for Silver.

“I will,” she promised, moving to the door. She then paused before exiting the room and mumbled, “Headmare Starlight?”

“Yes, Silver?”

“…Why is Smolder angry at Gallus?”

Starlight hesitated for a moment before looking away and saying, “That’s something I don’t think she’s ready to tell you or him yet. And I… I don’t feel comfortable answering that without her permission,” she admitted, frowning sorrowfully. “I’m sorry, Silver.”

“Oh. That’s okay. Thank you again, Headmare Starlight,” she said, bounding forward.

“Silver?”

“Yes?” she asked, stopping halfway down the hallway.

“Are you going to be okay?” Starlight asked worriedly.

“I will be,” Silverstream answered serenely. “Goodnight!”

“Goodnight,” she said, waving. Once her student departed out of sight, Starlight heaved in relief. “I swear…! I really hope I’m doing this right.”

Author's Note:

So, this is a bit of a weird one. When I talked about what writing A Day for Family was like, I mentioned how I was disappointed in how little "screentime" Silver ended up getting. That being said, you can probably guess why this chapter is the way it is.

At first, I was a little nervous about this one focusing solely on Silverstream's perspective, but I wanted Silver to have her own chapter all to herself, and I stuck to that. Hopefully, I did it well enough that no one minds the temporary departure from our lovable blue griffon.

That being said however, Silverstream will have a few scenes focus on her perspective going forward. They'll be brief as Gallus is still technically the main character, but no way am I letting Silver be left in the dust this time. I'm not entirely sure if she'll have another chapter all to herself though.

Side note: I want to offer my thanks to Matthais Unidostres for inspiring that portrait scene by suggesting Cozy get reformed in this story. I'd also like to offer my apologies because that's not going to happen. This story is about Gallus not them.

Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter. Next one will arrive- you guessed it - on the 20th-23rd of August(At this point, I should just confirm that be the default date for all future chapters until I finish the story... )
As always, any thoughts and criticisms are welcome and appreciated!

NEXT TIME: We're back to Gallus as he goes upon a valiant quest across Ponyville in search of good places to take his beloved for their anticipated second date!
Also, Sandbar's there.

Comments

[Summer Script]

I wanted to ask this real quick down in the comments, so I didn't make the Author Note any longer than it was.

I plan to do another "The Writing Of..." for The Bonds of Love when I finish the story. So my question is this: When I do that, should I post it as a chapter attached to this story, so you can read that after finishing the story itself? Or should I make it another Blog Post, so people don't accidentally think it's another chapter when it isn't?
That being said, if it's the latter, should I do the same thing with A Day for Family?

I know it probably doesn't matter which I do, but I wanted to ask what all of you would prefer?

[Great White Prime]

I love how you handled the villain topic. It actually gave me a story idea you could be interested. I could message it to you if like to hear it?

[Summer Script]

10343192
Sure!

[FanficReader920]

“Future… Future… Future…” she weakly whimpered, curling into a shaking ball.

If this isn’t a SpongeBob reference, I’m going to be very disappointed.

[FanficReader920]

“THAT’S HOW IT FEELS!” shouted another familiar voice from further into the room.

Please tell me this was a Thor: Ragnarok reference.

[FanficReader920]

“I miss you more,” Starlight replied, winking.

https://m.

[Matthais Unidostres]

You did read my comment! Wow, I'm honored! This is a very good psychologically based story and I'm proud to be a part of it.

[redsopine]

10344500
I think Loki shouts that as Thor gets pancaked by hulk

[redsopine]

10342871
I might have to pick ya brin sometime for advice on writing stuff like this

[Vardoger]

I'm really enjoying this story!
I particularly liked the part where Silverstream talks about the villains/statues. I was surprised by her reaction at first, because she's such a generally upbeat character, but it didn't feel OOC at all. Considering her history with the storm king, it makes perfect sense for her to feel the way she does about them and forgiveness in general, it's just that not a lot of tackle that. I felt like I saw a side of her I don't get to normally, and not a lot of fics have done that specific thing for me.
Long story short, I'm looking forward to what comes next!

[Summer Script]

10352258
Glad you’re enjoying it so far! Admittedly, I was a little uneasy about how I portrayed Silver in this chapter because of that issue, but I’m relieved to know that I didn’t fall into that pit-trap again.

I suppose now comes the hard part: Keeping it up going forward!

[Kevin Lee]

“Okay, first of all! That’s because you were asking me how to describe a shower to someone in a world where rain exists,” Starlight retorted indignantly.

Possibly s/b “where rain doesn’t exist”? Otherwise, the reference doesn’t make sense.

I like how you well described Silver being trapped in her mental logic loop that she’s just shy of having a total mental breakdown and how hard it is for Starlight to break her out of it.