"Just another evening, no big deal." Ariel rocked forwards and back. "Just hanging out with a friend, you do that all the time." Her words for herself, trying desperately to convince herself.

"He'll come and I'll go on a little date. It's what people do." Her cheeks darkened. "It's what people do." She stepped left to right. "It's not something I've done." She could feel her past pressing on her. She hadn't had the chance to try dating, and if she had, it would have been on the other end of that line. There she was, about to—

"Hey." Gallus came jogging towards her with a corsage pinned to his chest, where he wore a tuxedo top. "I didn't keep you waiting, did I?" He glanced to a clock nearby and its hands. "Nope, just on time. Ready?"

Ariel's cheeks flushed. "You know, we don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Gallus threaded one arm with one of hers. "I could say the same, but I do want to do this. If we're serious, we should do a date or two, have fun, get to know each other, ya know?" He chuckled gently, trying to not shake her. "It'll be great. If nothing else, you can have some laughs at me."

"I wouldn't." Summoned by speaking it, she could remember some times she did go ahead and laugh when Gallus did something that tickled her. "Ok, maybe. Where did you want to—" Her words stopped when he looped a flower circle over head head and it fell to her shoulders. "Oh, these look nice." Her blush grew worse, thinking of it. "Thank you."

Gallus gave her a quick peck on the cheek and she almost passed out. "You're welcome. Sorry, they didn't have any flower sets as pretty as you are, but you set the bar too high, not my fault, eh?"

"Ah-heh, hoo-hoo!" Ariel was trying to laugh and breathe at the same time, and it wasn't going very well. "Well, we don't want to just stand in the hallway like this. Let's get going." She forced herself through the tension. "Let's have some fun."

Gallus grinned and waved them down the hallway. They came out into Ponyville, where he gestured at the setting sun. "Looks like a nice evening. Figured I'd give you a choice. We could watch the sun finish what it's doing, a little picnic alone in the evening, or, I take you to the local movies and we watch something fun. You know?"

"Oh, wow, that's hard." Ariel considered her choices with a hum, but a thought struck her and she giggled softly. "Both sound like places where you get to get close and do things."

"Guilty." He glanced away and back. "If you're alright with that? I mean, uh, and talk. Quietly, little whispers just for us. It's good fun."

Ariel chuckled softly at the notion. "I think I'd like that." But she had to pick just one. "Mmm, I'd rather be private, so the picnic sounds better than a crowded movie."

Gallus gave a nod to that. "Then, we should find ourselves a nice, quiet, private place, and have ourselves a little picnic." He reached behind himself and produced a basket, already laden with treats for the evening. "Had a feeling you'd pick that one. One point for me." With a gentle chuckle, he led them out of Ponyville proper.

Ariel found a smile on her face. Sure, it was all new, but she felt good about it. She knew Gallus, and she wasn't ashamed of what she was. She would stumble, and they would, hopefully, laugh about it. It's what young people just had to do, right? Learn?

They settled down in a nice field together and had a bite to eat. As they watched the sun setting, they got closer. They talked about little things, but it grew into larger things. "Grandpa insists I have this, like, huge plan for what I do after I go to this 'fancy pony school'." He chuckled softly and put his arms over his knees. "It's just to learn how to get along with others, and you're all doing fine with that."

He rolled his eyes, facing the sun. "It's a lot, you know? Do you have any big plans?"

She took a slow breath. "Wow, plans." Before coming to that world, just waking up each morning felt like she had climbed a mountain of effort. "I, hm. Oh! I want to keep practicing this." She lifted her crystal shard into easy view. "Being a wizard can be a job, and I want to do it, paid or not. That's a plan, right?"

He patted her knee softly. "That sounds great. We can learn magic together." He put on a grin that was mostly fang. "We'll show them our crazy creature magic, put the ponies to shame."

Ariel laughed at the mental image. "Not sure if we'll manage that or not, but it sounds fun to try." She stiffened as he stole a kiss, but went to snatch one back. They flopped over, exchanging the crime back and forth, trying to best each other at being sweet.

As they lay together, his wings came around her body, and she felt warm with him. She was surrounded by his gentle scent, and it felt, hm, comfortable. She nuzzled into a wing and almost purred, though it came out a pleased chirp. "Thank you, for taking me out. This has been sweet."

He nodded slowly. "It's what we do. It's something we should do." He closed his eyes. "Not a classic griffon date, but I doubt either of us would have wanted that, really." He considered that with a smirk. "I'm kinda odd as griffons go."

"You are not." She slid in, beak to beak with him. "In some ways, you are a classic griffon, but you put your own spin on it, because you're you, and I happen to like you, silly."

He gave her a playful shove. "You can't do that!" But he returned to her embrace soon after that. "I haven't met a lot of hippogriffs to compare you against. You're not Silverstream, but I don't think anycreature but her is that. She's kinda special. You're your own thing." He nestled in close with her, the sun sinking to barely a sliver of light. "I like that about you."

They were quiet a moment, gazing into one another's eyes and sharing their warmed breath between them. The rest of the world didn't really matter in that silence. They could forget it for a time, and enjoy the little moment they made together.

Ariel broke the silence at last. "Should we, uh, do." She rolled a hand slowly. "Something? Something else?"

Gallus chuckled and nodded, untangling his wings to let them stand up. "Well, I could walk you home."

She laughed at that. "Easy thing to suggest. We have the same home." She snatched the half-emptied basket up. "I'll carry this."

Gallus put out an elbow, which Ariel snatched with a giggle. "Might as well enjoy the walk, eh?"

The two headed back to the dorms, pleased for the little trip by the expressions on their faces.

***

The Student Six looked with equal confusion. They had surely come to Starlight's office, but she wasn't alone. All the teachers were there, gathered and smiling from behind her desk as the students filed in.

Smolder waved over the line of teachers. "Did we mess something up? This looks bad."

Starlight waved that away with a hoof. "Oh, it isn't like that at all! In fact, just the opposite. I asked them to meet us here today because I have an announcement to make." She paused a beat, letting that sink in. "Your studies here are coming to an end." She clapped her hooves together. "You are no longer learning how to do magic."

Ariel threw her hands wide. "Did we make you angry? I thought we were making good progress."

Starlight made gentle downwards motions. "You did. But you've also graduated." The other teachers started clapping their hooves on that cue. "You are no longer learning how to do magic. You are spellcasters. In fact, I dare say you could all become wizards, if you liked. Creating new spells and teaching others, or making books for later generations to learn from. You've all at least tried it. If it becomes a long-term thing, only for you to decide. But you have completed your study here."

Smolder let out an excited cheer and started clapping for her friends. "Yeah!"

Gallus allowed a smirk, which grew into a smile. "Hay yeah. Griffon air magic for the win."

Yona stomped the ground. "Yak ancestor magic better." The two shared a glare that turned quickly into mutual laughter. They came in for a shared hug, the room filled with excited cheers.

Ariel hugged Silverstream. "We can both be seapony shamans!" Silver returned that hug eagerly.

"Ooo!" Silver considered the idea. "That would be something. The Queen'll be so proud of us, coming back with more magic than she sent us out with." She put a finger to her chin. "We could even teach!"

Ariel had an image of her, in some sort of wizard getup, trying to explain how to cast a spell. "I wouldn't mind that." She could imagine a line of eager hippogriff children, or chicks? Whatever they were, they were adorable in her mind. "That could be kinda nice."

Starlight smiled at them all. "I'm glad you're all excited by the news. We teachers are all proud of you." The teachers bowed in unison. "When our students learn all we put before them, it's a good mark on them, and on us, for teaching it. Thank you for showing us this magical moment."

Applejack nodded firmly. "Ya sure showed us how different creatures can do magic. Ah'll always 'member that." She paused. "Wait." She turned a hoof on herself. "If a griffon's got magic, an' even a yak, what's sayin' an earth pony can't learn their own kind?"

Pinkie Pie bounced. "Ooh! We get a new semester!" She bounded over to Applejack. "Earth pony wizards! I am so ready for this!"

Fluttershy chuckled softly at that. "Well, I suppose there is more for us all to learn. For now, let's be happy for them."

It turned into a little party with refreshments and snacks. It was a poor day for learning, but a great one for celebrating what they had achieved. The Student Six were at the center of it, basking in the light of their accomplishments.

The other teachers wandered off, having things to do, except Starlight and Twilight. Twilight cleared her throat. "If I could have your attention?" The students looked to her quickly. "Thank you. As a resident wizard of Ponyville, I welcome you, now my magical peers. Congratulations on the accomplishment."

Starlight smiled and nodded. "We can all get together and share magic, if you like?

Twilight brightened. "I would love to do exactly that. But, before we get ahead of ourselves, I wanted to say that I accept you, as my peers in magic. Your magic may not be my own, but I accept it, in its new forms. Let us work together to advance magic, for everycreature."

Silverstream raised her crystal. "I am glad to call you a peer, Princess Twilight!"

"Please, just Twilight is fine." The princess gave them all a nod of approval. "We're peers, at least when discussing magic." She cleared her throat. "I'm still your teacher in school, where we are, but for magic, equals."

The student six bowed their heads to her, recognizing the new relationship, which was quickly broken by Silverstream throwing an arm around her shoulders and giving Twilight a tight squeeze. "Equals get hugs whenever they want." Not that she had been terribly shy about when a good hug was needed. "If you don't mind, I think I'll just keep calling you Teacher until we graduate though."

Twilight smiled. "That's fine, I'll be your teacher in school until you do." She returned Silverstream's hug. "I'm glad to call you a friend, too."

Author's Note

Bird romance is best romance?

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