Ariel was laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Her friends were around her, doing the same. "This is harder than I thought."

Smolder sat up. "Well, Starlight did say this was something only big wizards did. Maybe thinking of whole new magic isn't as easy as we thought." She scowled with that last part, as if admitting it wasn't pleasing her. "You got it easy, with a new spell that already works with what you do."

Gallus rolled over, flopping down on Ariel's belly. He smirked as she sputtered. "Well, griffon magic is air magic, so some 'spells' for that would make sense. Oh! I got one! What about a spell that just made air move, to make a room cooler and less stuffy?"

Silverstream gave a nod. "Ooh! You could even have different spells for different amounts of wind, or the direction."

Gallus waved a finger at that. "That'd be silly. Just one spell for air moving, and you can focus more or less and in different directions. We've controlled magic before."

Yona groaned. "Why not just open window?" She glared lightly. "Learn magic and forget answer front of you."

The group laughed as one at her joke. Ocellus joined them. "I don't think I'll ever come up with a new changeling spell." She buzzed her wings lightly. "We're already so flexible. I could probably learn all your spells, all the different kinds." She curled a hoof to her chin. "I wonder what calling to changeling ancestors would do?"

Ariel sat up with Gallus on her belly, forcing him off with an annoyed grunt. "It might not work like yak magic, where they are helping. I can't really think of anything you need that you can't already do, Ocellus. You're built-in amazing."

Ocellus colored at the praise. "I didn't earn being a changeling. I just am. I don't want to gloat about that. Um, can I help? I still want to help my friends."

Ariel smiled at her. "Of course. You're not going to be left out of this, silly." She waved Ocellus closer. "We're all in this. Now, hate to be 'that creature', but we do have to keep our grades up and pay attention in all the classes. We're students of the school before we're wizards."

Gallus groaned. "Yeah, yeah, study hard and all that. I was kinda hoping we'd just start coasting now." He made a coasting motion with a hand. "If I plan on going on to be an awesome air wizard, I have what I need, right?"

Ariel chuckled and shoved at his head gently. "No. You also have to pass all your other classes." She lowered her hands to tickle at Gallus. "Besides, I'll be there, don't you want to hang out with your lady friend?"

He blushed and looked aside. "Well, I mean, yeah. Don't go spreading that around, though."

The others snickered at that poorly-hidden secret. Silverstream saw an opening, actually there or not. "So, do you like how hippogriffs look?" She fluttered her lashes, doing a poor job of holding back her giggles.

Gallus blushed at that. "What? I mean, sure, they're fine, but—" He grabbed Ariel's shoulders. "I like her. Sure, she's a, uh, hipppogriff, but not all hippogriffs are her."

Ariel chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'm the best me." She winked to Silverstream. Her other arm drew Gallus into a little hug that seemed to calm him down a little as they settled back.

Yona snorted at the two. "Not only creature with hug friend." She grabbed Sandbar over for a too-tight hug.

Sandbar wheezed, but didn't resist. "Yeah. We're here for each other."

Smolder broke into laughter. "It was bad enough when we had one pair of huggy friends, now we're up to two. She looked to Ocellus and Silverstream with a critical eye. "No offense to either of you, but I don't think we click that way."

Silverstream inclined her head left and right. "Which way is that?"

Ocellus giggled. "I'm not going to hug you just because everyone else is, that would be silly." Despite that, she threw an arm over Silverstream in a hug. "You're all my friends, uhm, platonically. And that's alright."

Gallus chuckled. "That's fine by us. We all kinda find what works for us, eh?"

Ariel bobbed her head quickly. "Exactly. Don't rush these things, or feel like you're missing out, because you're not. Keep making friends and being someone worth being a friend to and you'll trip over that if you want and, you know, you're ready."

Smolder grinned at the thought of tripping into a hug friend. "Maybe someday. Until then, you guys can handle all the hugs we need." She put her hands together. "Now, about that air spell. Get on it. I want that working. This room could use some air flow in it."

Gallus smirked at the challenge and nodded. "I'll keep working on it." He considered something. "So, uh, maybe we should have a little library?"

Ariel perked at the idea. "For our spell books! That would be great. We all have one. We could store them there when we're not writing, for any other creature that wanted to read them to go ahead. I love the idea!"

Yona nodded eagerly. "Library is good. Many book."

Sandbar chuckled softly. "I'm sure we can find the space, somehow. We should probably ask Headmare Twilight. She loves books. She'd know where to keep them."

Smolder's eyes were closed. "Sounds like a great plan. Good idea, Gallus, Sandbar. It'd be funny if they included like part of the wall was rock so I could carve the dragon spells?"

Ariel giggled. "You already carved your own dragon spell wall over there." She pointed to where scratches were etched into the dorm wall. "But that's maybe not the best space, come to think."

Smolder snorted, smoke curling upwards. "Exactly. So, if Twilight makes a little library with some proper rock, that'd be better."

They broke down into chatter about what such a library would look like.

***

Twilight looked from student to student gathered before her. "A library? That sounds like a wonderful idea." Her voice rose slightly, filled with energy. "I've never seen a magic library with magic like yours in it." She clapped her hooves at the notion of it. "And you'd be happy to store your magic books whenever you're not using them? That's quite generous. I might have a look myself." She made soft musing sounds a moment.

The Student Six nodded eagerly at that. Ariel stepped forwards. "It's why we all learned, so that other creatures can learn as well."

Yona stomped once. "Yes. If other yak come, should learn what Yona know."

Smolder chuckled softly. "Maybe I'll get a dragon to do their own book one day."

Gallus smirked broadly at Smolder's line. "I didn't even think of that. That'd be great, if my book encouraged some other chick to start writing their own things. Hah!"

Ocellus giggled at that. "And my book might help another changeling discover the joys of magic." She did a twirl in place, ending on one hoof. "I'd love to help."

Twilight held up a hoof. "I'll do my part. All I ask from you all is that you have your books ready, and you continue being wonderful students. Why don't you all head along, except Ariel. I'd like a word with you."

Ariel perked up at that. She waved off her friends and approached. "Yes, Twilight?"

Twilight smiled at Ariel. "I spoke to Queen Novo." She waggled a floating quill in her magic. "Through letters. She told me how you came to be." She spread her hooves. "A curious tale."

"Oh, that." Ariel gave an awkward chuckle. "I suppose she had to tell somecreature, so you all didn't freak out about another species showing up."

Twilight set a hoof on Ariel's shoulder. "You're a hippogriff. You've made that clear with your actions. Treating you as something else would be rude on my part. But your unique background remains, and I think is at least partially responsible for what's happened to your friends." She moved that hoof to Ariel's beak. "You had new eyes, and looked at things in a way we hadn't thought to look before."

Ariel blushed at the touch, then pulled back. "Thank you, Headmare Twilight. Your praise means a lot."

Twilight flapped her own wings once. "Sometimes, a new set of eyes is all it takes. 'Why can't I do magic too?' you asked without thinking much of it. Your friends rallied behind you, and now I have a class full of eager wizards. It's almost overwhelming, but in a good way. I wanted to say I knew, but not in any bad way. Keep being yourself, Ariel. Your otherworldly perspective is exactly what we needed."

Ariel smiled gently. "I know I don't want to go back to that world." She laughed awkwardly. "Not sure I could. I might be dead." She rubbed behind her head, thinking on it. "I wasn't in a good place at the time. This place, this me. I like it. I..." She sank to her haunches, then slid her legs to be on her butt in a more bipedal way. "Since you know, can I talk to you a little about it?"

Twilight moved around her desk and sat on her haunches as well. "I'm all ears."

Ariel took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. "I like this life. I like the new me." She put a hand on her chest. "The old me was sick and stuck in bed all the time. The new me gets to have friends, go to class, and learn things." Ariel laughed gently. "Even if I know some of it already, it's still so much better than laying in bed. I have friends all around that really care about me, and I care about them!"

She stopped and held her hands over her heart a moment. "And now I get to learn magic! And, um." Her cheeks burned hotly. "Even have a boyfriend, which is new." She glanced away. "I was a boy before, but I'm not now. I'm this me." She waved over herself. "Who is a girl, and doing girl things and having so much fun doing it."

She took a breath, still looking aside. "And, if you're wondering about me being a girl in my head, or if I feel right when I look at myself." She leveled two fingers at her own eyes. "I see me, this me, in the mirror. They're no stranger. That's me. I'm Ariel, a happy hippogriff."

Twilight nodded once, firmly. "Ariel. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm glad to have you here." She went in and hugged Ariel when silent permission was given. "You are a wonderful student, and hippogriff. I want you to be happy here." She pulled back and looked into Ariel's eyes. "You deserve that much."

Ariel blinked, eyes stinging. She reached up to find tears spilling from her. "Dang it. I made it this far without crying." She laughed even as the tears spilled. "Thank you, Headmare Twilight. That really does mean a lot. I love this place, and everyone. I love being me." She hugged herself, rocking a little. "So, thanks, really, for not making too big a deal about what I was."

Author's Note

This one came up a little shorter, but it felt like the spot to stop the chapter. Was I wrong?

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