+*+ A/N +*+
Hello. This is the first time I'm placing an Author's Note at the start of a chapter, isn't it? Well, that is because my mini-book, Edge of Friendship, is already finished, which means I don't have to deal with it anymore. That also means that I can go back to writing one-shots
I know that you have written requests before, but this is a one-shot idea that had stayed in my brain for such a long time now. Also, I may change the amount of words in a one-shot now, so they may either be extremely long, or just last a few hundred words.
I hope you enjoy
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Also, to hit two birds with one stone, I'm just gonna put my drawing of Gallus in a skirt here already. I also changed the character design for Torch and tried to make it more androgynous
Gallus01
It's bad... I know...
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Silverstream was practically screaming the moment she had woken up that day. It was the first of September, which meant the School of Friendship was starting. She was extremely excited and completely ready to start heading to her school. She got out of bed with a spring in her step.
She had flew down for breakfast with her father and ate so quickly that it had only took five minutes. Her father told her to pace herself but she could not wait. It was the first day of school, after all! She immediately went back to her room after eating and tried to tame her wild light blue mane, but to no extent.
She eventually gave up trying. It didn't really matter anyway. She grabbed her bag which she had packed the night before and checked around the room. She scanned her drawers to see if there was still anything she missed that she would also like to go to school. She packed her favorite set of coloured pencils and bounded back downstairs.
"Silverstream! You're sure you packed everything?" her father, Stratus Skyranger, asked. He was quite an old Hippogriff still with the strength of a young one. Being the queen's brother and part of the Royal Guard could to wonders to an old Griff. Silverstream had inherited his colours, but that was it.
"Yep!" Silverstream replied enthusiastically. The older Griff turned to look at the backpack that she would wear to school. It was so full that it was bulging at places and seemed to almost burst. Stratus took note of it but said nothing and faced Silverstream again.
He walked towards her and gave her a hug. Silverstream beamed. She had really wanted to go back to school and finally see her friends again, but she had to admit that she would also sincerely miss her father. Terramar was starting a new term in his school as well. She would miss him, too.
"Take care, Silverstream. Don't forget that you can ask your Headmare Starlight Glimmer to send me a message if you need anything," Stratus said as he held his daughter tight, pecking her light pink forehead. A single tear slipped down his eyes. It would always happen everyday.
"I will. Thanks. Bye, dad!" Silverstream said as the pulled away. She flashed him a sweet smile and he motioned for her to get a move on. She smiled again and headed out the door. She looked up at the sky first thing. She was really going to miss the sky here. It always seemed so blue, and the wisps of clouds were beautiful.
She then looked around the the plants and trees that littered the area. She smiled, albeit a little sadly. She was going to miss them as well, and the song coming from the Harmonising Heights were the most beautiful. The shops littered around the street she was on were shops that she was going to miss dearly, especially the little ice cream stall where she would get free ice cream every half an hour.
She shook her head. She was going to be late if she stayed around reminiscing for a little while longer. It was just eight in the morning, and the first day of school would start later than an average day, but the journey by train would still take a few hours, so she had better get going if she wanted to arrive in time.
She was already walking uo the wooden steps of the train station by the beach before realising that she had promised her father to say goodbye to her mother as well. Terramar had already left for school a few minutes ago, so it was just Ocean Flow to talk to.
Groaning under the heavy weight of her books and art materials in her backpack, she hopped off the train station, nevermind if she missed this hour's train. She would still be able to make it to school even if she took the train later in the day. She would be just in time if she were lucky.
She stood on the edge of the water, relishing the way the wind felt on her feathers, dipping her claws and hooves lightly in the water, being careful not to get her backpack wet, as she stared out into the open seas and awaited her mother. Eventually, the surface of the water started to ripple and a Seapony broke to the surface.
"Mom!" Silverstream exclaimed, all thoughts of her art materials evaporating from her mind as she wade into the water, running to her mother and giving her a quick hug. Her mother and father still very much love each other, of course, but both had agreed that they both belonged to different worlds.
"Stay safe, alright, sweetheart? I know I don't really get to see you that often in the year, but I love you, and if you ever need anything from me, just ask, alright?" Ocean Flow said as she held her daughter in her flippers. Unlike her father though, she was freely crying.
"I will, mum. I love you," Silverstream said as she pulled away. They stared at each other for a few seconds, wondering who would retreat back home first. Silverstream frowned. She would love to stay here longer, but she had already missed the previous train.
"Bye, mum!" Silverstream called out once again as she began walking away from the beach and onto the train platform. She could see from the corner of her eye that her mother was still watching her, but when she was nothing more than a dot in the sea, her mother seemed to have finally bobbed her head back into the water.
Silverstream stared at the empty platform and frowned a little bit. She was the only one this year who was signed up from the Hippogriff to be sent to the School of Friendship on the orders of the Queen. After the incident last time, most Hippogriff thought it safe to not let their child enter, but she had no choice.
She had sat down on the empty bench. A few meters from her was the railway and then past that was the sea. No other Hippogriff seemed to be keen on travelling to Ponyville at this time of the year. She sighed as she slumped down on her bench. Her eyes widened as she saw another female Hippogriff take the seat next to her.
The Hippogriff had a wavy blonde mane and her feathers were all a nice, soft blue that reminded her of how the sky looked. The Hippogriff seemed to be around the same age as Silverstream, and she was currently tapping absentmindedly on the bench, seeming to be confused.
"Ummm... Excuse me?" Silverstream piped up. The female Hippogriff immediately stopped tapping on the bench and looked up to her with the mintiest green eyes she had ever seen. She supposed that the Griff looked alright based on average Griff beauty, but she didn't really care.
"May I ask... What are you doing here?" Silverstream asked, putting on a kind smile for the Hippogriff. The Griff seemed to be tapping on the bench once again, seeming to be lost in thought. She had to clear her throat again to gain the attention of the Griff for good.
"I'm going to the School of Friendship..." the Hippogriff replied, momentarily looking at Silverstream with wide eyes before turning back to staring at the sea while absentmindedly tapping her claws once again. The pink Griff's eyes widened. She thought she was the only one going to the school this year.
"May I ask for your name? I'm Silverstream!" she said with a smile, trying to engage the other Griff in conversation once again. It was not like she had anything interesting to do as she sat on the bench and waited for the next train, which would hopefully come in twenty minutes.
"I'm Wavybeach," the sky blue Hippogriff replied with a small glance towards Silverstream before she resumed tapping her claws on the bench again. She spoke up again and stopped tapping her claws, facing her directly this time. "You were there last year, weren't you?"
"Why yes, I was!" Silverstream replied, beaming with pride for having been there last time. Truth be told, she had only really known one Hippogriff there, and there was another who just attended classes for a short time there before leaving. Honestly, she was not even sure if there were other Hippogriff than the ones she knew.
"Coralhill told me about you. She said that you were overactive and had ADHD," Wavybeach said, looking at the pink Hippogriff as if she were expectomg an answe. When she recived none, however, she just went back to staring at the sea and tapping her claws on the bench.
"I mean, I guess I was quite energetic," Silverstream said with a nervous laugh and a shrug. It wasn't that she wanted a good reputation or image with Wavybeach, or maybe it was, but she also did not want her to hate her. She would be okay with dislike, and maybe a little bothered by it...
"I wouldn't believe it unless I would see it for myself, of course," Wavybeach uneededly added as she continued to stare at the sea and tapped her claw. This was one of those days with the blue-maned Hippogriff would wish that the train back to Ponyville will come way sooner.
After a few more minutes in silence, the whistle of the Friendship Express could be heard and it pulled up at the station. Wavybeach seemed to have brought a trunk but spoke no word to her when she had boarded the train. Silverstream entered the train right after her.
The train was empty, for the most part, just as Silverstream had expected it. Wavybeach sat in a bench near the door. The pink Griff frowned. She did not know whether she should sit with her or not. One choice would be awkward while the other would be rude.
Deciding that she would much rather be awkward than rude, she took the spot next to Wavybeach, but the Hippogriff showed no sign of awknowledging her and was tapping her claws on the window, watching the view zoom past, which mostly composed of the sea and sky.
They eventually pulled up at the Ponyville Station and Wavybeach walked off without another word, carrying her trunk behind her. Silverstream wore her backpack again and made her way out of the train. She immediately saw her five other friends whol she had not seen since the end of the school term.
The five friends seemed to be watching Wavybeach with great interest before realising that another Hippogriff was also standing in the same platform as they were. Silverstream felt a smile make its way onto her face as she saw her friends again. She had really missed them.
"Sandbar! Ocellus! Gallus! Smolder! Yona!" Silverstream exclaimed each of their names loudly as she rushed to hug them, and she was immediately enveloped in the hooves, wings and claws of her other friends. She smiled. While she was doing great during her summer holidays, she still wished she could have been with them as well.
"Who's that Hippogriff?" Smolder asked once they had all pulled away. She pointed to Wavybeach with a questioming expression upon her face. The Dragon herself seemed to be doing great. She was carrying a small backpack that seemed to weigh nothing at all, but they all knew otherwise.
"That's Wavybeach," Silverstream said with a smile, whipping her head around to face the other Hippogriff, but she had realised the other Griff had walked off the platform. She assumed that classes were almost starting or have already started, but she did not care.
"That's weird..." Smolder remarked, and the pink Hippogriff whipped her head back to the Dragon, her eyes widening. The orange Dragon surely secretly criticised everything, but she usually had the decency to not say it out loud unless it was something really bad.
"Why?" Silverstream asked, tilting her head. She did not really see what was weird with the entire situation. Ocellus spoke up.
"It's just that... No creature else from any of our kingdoms went to sign up for this term..." the Changeling stated with a small smile. The Hippogriff's eyes widened. She had thought that it was only at Mt. Aris, but turns out she was mistaken. Why did they all think to do precautionary measures?
"Well, I don't know about you but I'd already get going to the School. We're already late, but Headmare Starlight Glimmer let us off, but judging by how she looked..." Gallus said, but trailed off as he picked up his own backpack which seemed to have been barely feeled.
"Judging by how she looked, she wasn't going to let us off in the future, as it should be. We had already squeezed our way past so many things before," Sandbar asked, face scrunching up in disgust for a moment as he picked up his saddle bag and started heading to the school as well.
"But Princess Twilight Sparkle always let friends off if Princess Twilight thinks it help friends!" Yona said with small grunt, finding it much harder to contain her frustrations as the rest of her friends as she picked up quite a large messenger bag and went through a lot of trouble to put it on.
"Well, Headmare Starlight's more strict than she is and I think that would be better for all of us," Gallus said as they all made their way towards the school.
Silverstream stopped a few metres in front of Twilight's Castle, now known as the Castle of Friendship. It had been a long time since she had last seen it and it felt really refreshing to see it all over again. She had nearly forgotten how beautiful it looked up close.
The School of Friendship was as magnificent as ever, with the waterfall slowly cascading over the school's entrance and opened up to reveal it. There were stepping stones helping to guide their way to the stable heart-shaped platform where one would stand before entering the school.
The interior was just as beautiful. There was a deep purple carpet on the cold marble floor. The stone pillars were exceptional as always. There was a line of crystals that bridged the white walls to the white ceiling. There was also a gap in the ceiling, revealing the second floor.
She had waited as eagerly as any other student for Twilight's start-of-term speeh and she had sent them all off for a quick lunch before resting in their dormitories. Monday was truly a busy day and she found herself drifting off to sleep the moment her head hit the pillow, not bothering to unpack.
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Silverstream woke up to the sound of an alarm clock that morning. She groaned, wondering who in the world would be using an alarm clock. Alarm clocks were annoying and not her ideal way of waking up. Nevertheless, she groaned and tore the sheets off of her and sat up in her bed.
She had looked around the room a few times before remembering that she had been assigned with a roomate and the roomate was none other than the Hippogriff she had met on the train some hours ago. She groaned. She wanted to stay in bed for a little longer, but knew she should probably get going.
She was surprised to see that the other half of the room was neat and tidy. Wavybeach didn't really give off the vibe, but maybe that was where she was wrong for immediately assuming things. She contemplated whether she should head to the bathroom first or not.
Deciding that she did not want to show up at the outdoor dining area stinky, dirty and groggy from the morning, she made her way to the bathroom. Wavybeach didn't seem to mind. She was still in her bed, reading. The pink Hipoogriff wondered why and what she was reading.
Silverstream had brushed her beak for two minutes and gargled before stepping into the bath. The school was lucky enough to be able to afford bath tubs and she had quite a pleasant time there. She eventually dried herself off and tried taming the wild blue mane on her head but to no avail as well.
She stepped out of the bathroom, the morning's grogginess almost completely gone.
"Morning, Wavybeach!" Silverstream said with a smile at the other Hippogrifd, but she had shown no sign of having heard her or wanting to converse. She bit her lip and tried again.
"I'm just going to go to the outdoor dining area. I'll meet you there, alright?" Silverstream asked with a smile. She lingered a few seconds for an answer and the other Griff mumbled an agreement. The pink Hippogriff smiled and grabbed her backpack, carrying it lazily with her claw, before heading out the door.
Breakfast that day was great. It was some really good chicken nuggets and some really good sausages. The sky was also as clear and as blue as it can be. The smell of trees was amazing. The light chatter of the students had never been more relaxing. She wished it would be this way everyday, but she knew it wasn't possible.
She pulled out her timetable which she had received yesterday and examined it. She had Loyalty first. She smiled. Nothing like a good exercise to start the day. Not to mention she was going to be with Yona, so that should be fun. She may need to help the Yak catch up from time to time, but it never really took that much hard work.
She had Magic next. While Magic was surely hard, it was also fun. She was also going to be with Smolder and Gallus. On their own, they were both amazing companions, but together with her, she was assured a really fun time in class. They definitely won't come short with what would make her laugh and smile.
After that was recess followed by Generosity. She wasn't the biggest fan of it, but she supposed it would be nice to have a change of pace after Magic and Loyalty. She also had it alone. While she enjoyed her friends' company, she had to admit that she would also need a little alone time from time to time.
She had Kindness next and she had to admit it was one of the best classes. Not something she would deliberately look forward to, but it was nice. She also had it alone, but Professor Fluttershy was just always so kind so she doubted she would feel that lonely.
After that was lunch which was always something to look forward to. She had Honesty next. Not exactly one of her favorites, but something that she definitely liked. She did not really hve anyone with her, but she had to admit she would rather spend Honesty alone without anycreature else curious as to what her answers may be.
She had Laughter before recess which she could say was an exceptional way to end the day. She was with Smolder, so that was also a nice way to end the day. She would do it with a friend. She also wished the rest of her friends were there, but she supposed she could never really get everything she would ever want in one day.
Sure, after recess was Guidance Class with the rest of her friends, so maybe she could get everything she wished in one day, or at least most things she wished. Then after that was a good long dinner and a long period of time in which they can either study or rest, and she would try to do both.
Silverstream couldn't help but smile as she clutched her timetable to her chest and looked around. She had really missed being at the school, seeing her friends, and being taught by the teachers. She smiled as she looked at each of her friend's faces again and listened in as they talked about how stupid monarchy was.
She smiled. She couldn't ask for anything more for this day. Tuesday was going to be great.