"Okay, we need to find somewhere to hide before the night is over," Gallus announced, staring at the lamp in their shared hotel room of two king-sized beds.

After Thorax mentioned the hotel room, Neighsay turned around and placed a magical lock on the school, shutting it down. After Twilight had ran into her castle in a tearful sprint, the guardians took the next train to their respective lands where the students would have to return. It was exactly what Gallus had feared.

"Yona agree, don't want to leave new friends," Yona lamented, sprawled on the creaking bed. As soon as she lowered her head onto the bed, the middle of the bed made a sharp snap, causing Yona to frown and look away from her friends.

"Yeah, the dragonlands are no fun," Smolder mumbled, glancing at Ocellus on the other bed. "But where can we possibly go? All five of them will turn over boulders just to find us!"

"Maybe if we hide in a place they expect," Gallus stated.

"What are you suggesting?" Sandbar asked.

"If we were to...hide in a pony's home, they wouldn't find us there," Gallus smiled, a lightbulb popping over his head. "More specifically, a pony's room."

"Why their room?" Smolder asked. "I don't think we'd all fit."

"Well, I don't know if this will work," Gallus frowned. "But I talked to Starlight Glimmer before today, and she said that she'd tell Twilight about the situation we're in. If it were to happen, of course."

"You expected this shit-storm to happen?" Smolder gawked. "Then why not tell us?"

"I can't say I expected it," Gallus looked away. "I just didn't want to go back to Griffonstone, so I prepared myself for the worst-case scenario."

"Well, I sure as hell didn't want to go back to Ember's whiny ass," Smolder pouted, tapping her foot. "But I wasn't going to put up a fight about it. What's so bad about Griffonstone that you had to tell the guidance counselor in advance?"

"Is that really what matters right now?" Sandbar stepped in between his friends. "Gallus has an idea, and you keep interrupting him."

Smolder opened her mouth, and after a second, closed it and glared at Sandbar. Gallus blinked at Sandbar briefly, exposing a hint of a smile before looking at Smolder again.

"I think we should go to Twilight's castle," Gallus stated.

"That's the shittiest idea I've ever heard," Smolder snorted. "We'll be caught within seconds."

"Not really," Sandbar stated. "If Gallus is right, she'll be expecting us when we get there. And last time I checked, Starlight lives in her castle. Even if Starlight didn't tell her, we can hide in her room."

"But then Twilight will know where we are," Ocellus whimpered. "What if she turns on us?"

"She's the Princess of Friendship," Gallus huffed. "She won't t-turn on us."

Why should I trust her now?

"Maybe we shouldn't walk to the castle in the open," Smolder suggested. "How about we sneak our way to the door, and you knock on the door? Since you're so confident in your featherbrained plan."

"Maybe I will," Gallus retorted. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's haul our asses out of here."

Yona slipped off the broken bed, following the rest of her friends out of the hotel room. Ocellus gave a small smirk before transforming into Grandpa Gruff.

"You're a genius," Smolder grinned, rubbing her friend's currently bald head. "The rest of us should still hide near the castle, but at least Gallus can knock on the door undetected."

And undetected they were. Yona hid behind several of the bushes next to the castle, with Smolder, Silverstream, and Sandbar hidden beneath her shaggy fur as an extra precaution. Gallus flew to the door with the fake Grandpa Gruff by his side, feeling his heart beat faster than his wings.

"Gallus?" Twilight muttered, the castle door creaking open. "G-Grandpa Gruff? What are you two doing here? It's late."

"Gallus wanted to say goodbye to one of his racist pony friends," Ocellus growled, tilting her bald head towards Twilight.

"Her name is Starlight," Gallus glared at 'Grandpa Gruff.' "Hey Headmare Twilight, did Starlight bring up anything I told her?"

"Nope! Everything is confidential," Twilight grinned. "But she doesn't live here in the castle anymore, she moved in with her marefriend a few weeks ago. But I can give you her address, and you two can go there."

"Thank you!" Gallus grinned. "That means a lot to me."

"No worries," Twilight levitated a piece of paper and a feathered quill, writing the address on the former. "But don't be late to the train station!"

"Don't you think I know how to supervise one of my own kind?" Ocellus barked, stretching her wings. "C'mon Gallus, I ain't waiting all day for you."

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes, shutting the door. Ocellus and Gallus ran to the bush, shaking Yona.

"Guys, guys! Starlight Glimmer has her own house now, and we got the address!" Gallus grinned, shoving the paper beneath Yona's fur. "Unfortunately, that means you three will have to travel underneath Yona's gut for a bit longer. Safety first, right?"

"Safety!" Smolder scoffed from under Yona. "This bitch smell like a wet dog."

"That's the spirit!" Gallus squawked. "C'mon! We're losing time!"

After another tedious journey, the Young Six finally reached the cute lavender house that Twilight redirected them to. Gallus told Yona to hide herself and the friends underneath her near the house. Ocellus transformed into Princess Twilight, before knocking on the door.

"Hey, I...Princess Twilight? Gallus?" Starlight whispered. "You got the letter I sent you! I'm so relieved, I didn't know if you were able to help."

Ocellus and Gallus briefly shared a puzzled glance.

"Yes, of course," Ocellus grinned. "I also brought Yona, she wanted help as well. Can we come in?"

"Of course!" Starlight grinned. "Where is she?"

"Leaning against the house, she's got a bad stomach ache," Gallus chuckled. "C'mon Yona, there's a bathroom in here."

"...oh! Of course!" Yona stumbled forward, crawling into Starlight's house without blowing her cover. Gallus flew inside, and Ocellus closed the door and locked it.

"Starlight, please don't tell anyone. But we...got a little desperate after hearing that we'd be going home," Gallus frowned.

"What do you-" before Starlight could finish her question, Ocellus transformed back into her original form. Yona lifted her legs, releasing Smolder, Silverstream, and Sandbar from her fur.

"Disgusting!" Smolder hissed, coughing up a yakball.

"We're sorry, but we had no choice," Gallus frowned. "I thought you would've gotten Twilight to help like you told me."

"I did though, I left a letter on her door!" Starlight gasped. "I'm so sorry guys, she must be grieving from the loss of her school. It's not like her to ignore urgent letters, I swear."

Gallus stopped flying midair, his paws gently landing on Starlight's carpet as he took in everything. Twilight had read Starlight's letter about him and Griffonstone, and she ignored it?

"I knew not to trust that bitch," Gallus growled, sinking his talons into the carpet. "She kept listening to a dumb rulebook over her friends. Her students."

"I was hoping she would keep the six of you in her castle," Starlight pondered. "But plans have changed, and I won't let those guardians of yours tear your friendships apart. I can keep all of you here for a few days, and hopefully Twilight will figure something out by then."

Gallus rushed over, and hugged the pink unicorn. Sure, it was flea-brained of her to still rely on her former teacher for help, but Gallus figured that her help mattered more than anything else.

"If you don't mind, we're going to wash the yak stink off our bodies," Sandbar said. "Me and Silverstream can share the bath; try not to waste too much water."

"Could I bathe too?" Ocellus piped up.

"Totally, you can share the bath with me," Smolder smirked. "No homo, right?"

"N-No, none at all," Ocellus grinned.

"Yona would share bath with you, but Yona usually takes up entire in pony tub." Yona frowned, looking at Gallus. "Yona will sleep on the floor, not break anymore furniture."

"Don't worry," Starlight rested her hoof on Yona's shoulder. "I got a bunch of spare blankets in the closet for you to sleep on. And a few more for your friends."

Yona's green eyes brightened as she stretched her leg around Starlight's shoulder, hugging her. Gallus smiled as his closest friends walked into the bathroom to clean the scent off.

Starlight kicked open the two recliners, and opened the pullout bed underneath the center couch. Gallus called dibs on the pullout bed, stretching out his wings and curling up in the tiny white blanket provided.

"I'm really sorry about Twilight, she's been a wreck ever since Equestria went under fire all those months ago," Starlight whispered.

"Under fire?" Gallus asked.

"A figure of speech, obviously," Starlight rolled her eyes. "It was when the Storm King's minions arrived in Canterlot and turned all the Princesses into stone. When they couldn't catch Twilight, they chased her and her friends throughout different lands. From Klugetown to Mount Aris, until Tempest caught her."

"Mount Aris, that's where Silverstream lives," Gallus gasped.

"Yes, it was a terrible time. But it inspired Twilight to reach out to creatures like you," Starlight smiled. "It's because of the harrowing journey she went on that she created the School of Friendship."

"Yeah, and look what that did her," Gallus scowled, looking at the ceiling.

"I'll admit, things didn't turn out the way any of us pictured it," Starlight confessed. "But think! If Twilight had never opened the school, you wouldn't be here. And I'm going to make sure that means something. I promise you, I'm not giving up on you."

"Not even if all our guardians knock your door down?" Gallus looked at Starlight.

"Not even if they threaten to burn my house down," Starlight puffed her chest. "I don't know about the rest of your friends, but I've thought of a way to keep you from going back to Griffonstone."

"Really?" Gallus whispered. "What is it?"

"Well, if Twilight had paid any decent attention to the letter, she would've received a copy of this," Starlight used her magic to levitate a piece of paper towards him.

Gallus leaned towards the paper in the darkness, his night vision granting him the visibility of the adoption form printed. As soon as he read the words, a cold splash of realization poured over him.

"You're adopting me?" Gallus asked.

"I'm trying to, yes," Starlight grinned. "I don't suppose that your family will have a problem with me and my marefriend doing so, right?"

"Oh, well...when I said they weren't here for me like I wanted them to, I meant that I haven't been in contact with them for months," Gallus admitted. "I don't even think they consider me a part of their family anymore. My father hated that I wouldn't steal food for our family, said I wasn't a true griffon. So, even if they wouldn't like you doing so, there's nothing they can do about it now."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," Starlight frowned. "That's why you were so adamant about adoption, you don't even have them to come back to. Tell you what, when the papers are signed, you can…"

Gallus blinked, holding onto the silence between him and his former guidance counselor. Was she going to say it?

Just as Starlight opened her mouth, several harsh knocks echoed on the other side of the door. Gallus squeaked as he jumped off the pullout bed and hid underneath it.

Starlight glanced at the bathroom door, making sure it was shut, before walking towards the front door and opening it.

"The great and powerful marefriend is back!" Trixie shouted, only to be magically pulled inside the house. "Starry? What's wrong?"

"Well Trixie, we have a lot to talk about." Starlight admitted. "Remember the five creatures from outside Equestria, Twilight's new students? Well, the EEA shut down the school, and they're hiding in our house till everything blows over."

"WHA-" Starlight slapped her hoof over Trixie's mouth. "And, I want to adopt one of them."

Trixie pulled away from her marefriend's hoof, raising an eyebrow at her.

"We can talk about this later," Starlight decided. "He's under the pullout bed. Gallus, it's safe to come out."

"Come out? This is the safest place to do that, believe me," Trixie smirked, leaning against Starlight.

Gallus, oblivious to the joke, peaked his head out from underneath the pullout bed. It was a blue mare with a light blue mane, staring at the griffon.

"A griffon?" Trixie whispered. "And I'm guessing you're hiding an entire zoo in the bathroom, right?"

"You could say that," Starlight said. On cue, the bathroom door opened, and Yona stepped out. Her fur was soaking from top to bottom.

"Good grief," Trixie rolled her eyes. "What have you gotten us into this time?"