I wasn't there for this part, but Gabby told me about it. She was excited to learn about fire, and wandered into the back halls with Gallus. "So, do we play with lighters?"

"You wish." Gallus leaned agains the frame of a door heading into what looked like a big plush area with way too many pillows. "The last griffon had to meditate on it, a lot. I'm hoping we don't have to do that with you. You're wired different.

Gabby frowned a little. "Yeah... Sorry. I am a little odd as griffons go. Are you upset?"

"Nah." He waved Gabby closer. "Truth is, I'm not exactly normal, or I wouldn't be at a pony school getting friendship lessons, now would I?"

"That sounds so fun!" Gabby shook her trembling fists. "Can I try that?"

"One thing at a time." Gallus poked the older, taller, griffon in the belly. "We're here to learn about fire, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Gabby seemed to remember the purpose of the visit, her attention turning back to the subject at hand. "I'm ready. Teach me."

Gallus clapped his hands. "Great, good. So, fire." He waved downwards where fire erupted into being on the stone floor, casually burning despite nothing actually burning.

Gabby stared at the flames with a gasp of wonder and awe, her eyes sparkling as she reached a claw to touch it, then pulled back, then reached again, and pulled back again, and then, with a deep breath, she touched the fire and smiled at the warmth that greeted her, even as the fire died away to nothing, leaving the stone untouched by the flame, as if it had never been there at all.

Gallus seemed impressed. "You really wanted to touch that fire, huh?" He wriggled his fingers, lightning and fire dancing over them fitfully. "That's a good start. You're barely afraid of it." With a snap, he focused on just the flame, dancing at the tip of one of his fingers. "Fire's done a lot for griffons. Think about how, and how it's reached into your life."

"Um..." Gabby put a claw to her beak, thinking hard and long, before her face brightened with a smile and she looked to Gallus again. "I know! I know what fire does. It makes things smell good."

Gallus wrinkled his beak. "Sure, it does that, but think a bit deeper. It cooks our food. It keeps us warm in winter. Fire does a lot. Think about all of those things and your place right next to that fire."

"Oh, okay." Gabby closed her eyes and breathed slowly, deeply, and calmly, as if meditating, and then, she began to glow softly, golden light washing over her feathers and fur, and then, the light burst forth with a wave of heat, and when the light faded, Gabby was standing there, holding a ball of fire between her cupped hands. "Look, look, I did it! Did I win?"

Gallus looked properly impressed. "Wow, seriously, good stuff." He leaned in towards the flame. "But just using one fire spell doesn't mean anything. It's a step, a good step! But you're not a phoenix. We can't leave here until you're all the way phoenix, got it?"

Gabby nodded quickly, looking down at the fire in her hands. "So, how do I do that? What comes next?"

Gallus casually swatted Gabby's fire away, the elemental power fading in the air. "Well, you have some control, and that's good. We just have to turn it towards the inside. You have to focus on you being a part of the fire, instead of just the fire. You are the fire. You breathe the fire. All is fire."

Gabby seemed confused by that. "But I don't breathe fire." She patted her chest. "I'm not a dragon. I'm a griffon."

Gallus put a hand to his face. "You're not wrong. Neither of us are a dragon, but we do want to be phoenixes, and they are very on fire, all the time."

"Oh, yeah." Gabby nodded quickly, and then, she focused on her own body, and began to glow again, even brighter than before, the light so bright that Gallus had to shield his eyes, and when the light faded, Gabby was glowing like a bonfire, but she was still herself, and not a phoenix, and the light faded to nothing, leaving her looking frustrated and upset. "Why didn't it work?"

Gallus, unlike Gabby, looked positively amazed. "That's not a phoenix, but you're making great progress. Seriously, I'm kinda impressed." He stroked along his beak. "You're a natural. I had help and it wasn't that fast. Okay, okay, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Next step, a drink of water. That much fire magic must have you really thirsty, but I bet you didn't even notice until I reminded you."

Gabby blinked slowly, as if realizing something for the first time. "Oh, yeah. I am thirsty. I could use a drink." She pushed past Gallus and spotted a pitcher in the room. Rushing over to it, she poured herself a glass and chugged down the lifegiving water. "That is way better. Are you sure I'm doing good?"

"Very good. You're still glowing. Now, cut that out. All on fire, or it doesn't count." Gallus followed her into the room, stepping over the bright pillows on the way. The scent of sandlewood incense floated around them. "Feel the fire, because you are the fire. Breathe it."

Gabby closed her eyes again, breathing deeply and evenly, and with each breath, she glowed more and more, the light growing brighter and brighter, until she was a bonfire again, and then, she opened her eyes and smiled at Gallus. "This is amazing! I feel so hot!"

"You're bright, but not exactly there. So close." He swatted Gabby on the side. "You want to beat Giselle in this, huh? Keep it up!"

"I will!" Gabby closed her eyes again, focusing on herself, and breathing deeply, and then, the glow began to fade, and she opened her eyes, looking confused and upset. "Why did it stop?"

"Well, a couple of reasons maybe." Gallus shrugged. "When I first learned fire magic, I could only do it slowly and a little at a time. You have to build up fire stamina. Like air stamina, but fire, get it? Relax, eat some of these snacks, and try again later. You're already way ahead of the game, so don't stress about it.

Gabby nodded slowly, grabbing a handful of nuts and munching on them slowly. "Okay, I can do that. I'll just relax and eat some food and then try again." She chomped eagerly on those nuts just to swap to a pear. "Mmm, fresh. You try one of these?"

Gallus snatched up one, but didn't bite it right away. "You're awfully relaxed for being in a life or death situation, you know that." He waved the pear at her. "Giselle was a little more tense about it. For you, this is just a fun little training camp, with provided snacks."

"That's because I'm not worried." Gabby smiled at Gallus as she chewed on her pear. "I know I'm going to win."

Gallus stared at her with a slack beak. "Wow, that is some intense confidence you have going on there." He burst into laughter, finally chomping into that pear. "Good. Maybe that's why you're doing as good as you're doing so far. If we walk out of here phoenixes, I call dibs on a fire flight over the city."

"What's that?" Gabby tilted her head curiously. "I've never heard of that."

"I just made it up." He shrugged. "Figure there should be a name for when two or more phoenixes take a big showy flight over the city, that all the other griffons can see. It'll be fun, or at least it'll stick in their heads for a while.

Gabby smiled brightly. "Sounds like fun. I want to do that too." She popped the remainder of the pear in. "So you're on! Let's finish this fire thing, then do the very first fire flight ever! Think they'll join us? Imagine it, a huge wing of griffons, headed by some phoenixes? That'd be a sight worth remembering." She sighed with the future thoughts of such a dramatic spectacle.

"You're a strange one, Gabby." Gallus grabbed another pear, and tossed it to Gabby. "But I like you. You just might make it out of this." He reached up tall in a slow stretch. "Ready for another try, or should we chill out a little longer?"

Gabby was giggling. "Chill out, I get it. If you're not burning, you're chilling. You're funny."

Gallus rolled his eyes, not having been trying to make a joke. "Ha. Ha. Seriously, which is it?"

"Seriously, I'm ready to go again." Gabby seemed to still herself closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and then, she began to glow, brighter and brighter, until she was a bonfire again, and then, with a final flare, she burst into flame, her feathers and fur vanishing in the sudden blaze of light and heat, and from that fire, a phoenix emerged, Gabby's form shining with the glory of the phoenix, and she spread her wings wide and gave a cry of triumph and victory.

Gallus grabbed a few nuts to chew. "I'm not even beleiving this, but they won't either. Not even one day? Gabby?! Seriously. Okay, Okay, Okay." He took a breath himself. "Put yourself out. You may look funny because--" He didn't get to finish as Gabby's flames guttered out and she was left without feathers. "--Because that. That happened to me the first time too, don't feel bad."

"Oh, I don't mind." Gabby reached a claw to touch her bare skin, feeling the smoothness of it. "It feels weird, but it's not bad. It's kinda fun, actually. I think I'll keep it."

Gallus scowled at her. "You're joking, right?"

"Yes." She giggled as she came in to grab Gallus in a big hug. "Thank you so much! Okay, what was that last part you were trying to get at?"

"Right." Gallus snapped his fingers with a touch of a smile. "Before we go out there, you have to be able to ignite more than the once you did for me, so, now that you're not burning, you have to get burning again. I suggest we not go out there until you can go back and forth like it's easy."

Gabby nodded quickly, stepping back and closing her eyes, focusing on herself, and breathing deeply, and then, she glowed, and the glow grew, and she opened her eyes, looking up at Gallus with a bright smile. "How's this?"

"That's pretty good." He patted her on the head with a smile. "But you're not actually on fire. You have to be able to go full phoenix and back. Keep trying. You're so close I'm feeling burned."

Gabby giggled at that. "You're not actually on fire," she taunted, as if anycreature there was unsure of that fact. "Okay, phoenix, feel that phoenix." She drew her arms in close and spread them out with her released breath, fire spreading along with the motion, washing over her. "Phoenix!"

Gallus clapped with a chuckle. "Phoenix. Now put phoenix away. Back and forth until it feels easy."

Gabby closed her eyes and focused, breathing slowly and evenly, and then, the fire guttered out, leaving her naked again, and she smiled at Gallus. "I did it."

"We're almost ready." They met, hand to hand with a firm clap of a high-five. "Do that half a dozen more times and we can go out there to face them."

That was where I came in, waiting with the others when the door opened and Gallus emerged, looking far less haggard than the first time. Conversation picked up quickly. Surely something had gone wrong, that he was emerging so quickly that second time. How had Gabby failed? They all wanted to know.

Author's Note

Gabby, in all her fluffy innocence, figures this out nice and fast. Firebird! It felt proper to move the focus over to Gabby and Gallus for this instead of sticking with David. Thoughts?

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