Chapter 16: A Matter of Perspective
A hurricane of thoughts, worries, fears, and anxieties blew around Gallus’s mind as he made his way towards Applejack’s neighbor’s. Whispers in his head of prophecies that spoke of dread and uncertainty. Was any of it true? Even if it was, what does it mean for them now? How would he guarantee for their safety? Or did Sandbar hear it right? Maybe he misunderstood and he’s freaking out over nothing?
And to top it all off, Sandbar doesn’t want to get divorced. Part of him was relieved to hear this, but at the same time, if any of this was true, could it be possible that they were making a mistake? Or what if Sandbar was being shortsighted by his own emotions?
In his claw, he carried with him the dishes, silverware, and cups as he approached the colorful barn. As expected, the sign on the double doors read “Closed” as it wasn’t noon yet. He knocked and waited for a moment before he heard hoofsteps approaching. Locks were undone, then Canvas’s face stuck out.
“Hey there!” He opened one of the double doors wider. “I’ve heard you did your coming of age ritual not too long ago.”
Gallus couldn’t help but be proud of this. “Well yeah, finally have been able to pull it off. And by the way,” he held up the dishes, “thanks for breakfast.”
“And thanks for bringing them back. Let me take those.”
The young griffon gingerly placed the dishes onto one extended hoof, making sure that the stallion was able to balance it. Canvas invited him into the studio but warned him to watch his step as he was working on a Pollack painting. Gallus stepped in and noticed the rather large canvas on the floor. While the pony took the remains of breakfast away, the griffon looked at the confusing spread of color being displayed. Here splotches of metallic copper, there tangled line of turquoise, in the middle rings of black and at the edges a drunken attempt at geometry in white.
“It’s not quite finished yet.” Gallus looked up from the floor at Canvas who returned from the kitchen. “There’s still a good amount of colors that need to go into it before it’s done.”
The young griffon raised an eyebrow. “And you know this… how? All I see is a confusing mess.”
Canvas laughed. “Believe me, I get it. I don’t do this kind of art often, but when I do have it displayed, I often get responses that ‘My cat can do that.’ Often times I hear that with these kinds of paintings that they look like they weren’t given any thought to make. But that’s the point.”
“What do you mean?”
The stallion didn’t answer right away, but instead opened up a can of pink paint and took out a stick in which he dipped it into the liquid and pulling it out, letting the dripping lines fall onto the canvas. He held his end of the stick by his teeth, letting his head movements guide the direction of the falling paint. The only time he spoke was when he placed the stick down.
“The idea is that it’s supposed to be abstract. Without form or method. In theory, just these movements and where the paint splats on reflects my subconscious. Sure, anypony can do what I do, but with this, only I can actually do it as the movements are mine alone.”
“Uh-huh…” Gallus at this point had taken notice of how quiet the barn was. “Where’s your spouse?”
“Should be in Manehattan by now,” Canvas replied. “After your guy’s wedding, he had to leave so he could catch that audition being held over there. In the meantime, I’m working on this commission you see here.”
“Oh…”
Canvas paused at how distant the young griffon was. “Is something wrong?”
“Remember a couple of months back that you said that if I needed someone to talk to, I could come to one of you guys?” He nodded. Gallus sighed. “I uh… I need help.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, it’s kind of a long story. There’s so much on my mind that it’s not even funny with so many complications to the point where it’s ridiculous.”
“Hey, I got all morning,” Canvas said, choosing out a new paint can, “so how about you begin at the beginning, go on until you get to the end and then stop.”
So Gallus went on to tell him as much as he could of the past week. From the wedding to his breakfast with Sandbar, he told him the details of his troubles. Canvas listened, occasionally flicking paint on the piece he was working on. He listened to the young griffon as he described the changes and complications to the original plan, including going into detail as to why they might be in danger.
When they reached that part, the artist paused and raised his eyebrow. “But aren’t you guys the same age?”
“Yes, but apparently that doesn’t matter now! To the griffons, I’m an adult that’s in a relationship with someone who isn’t.”
“But that’s stupid.”
“I know!” Gallus flung his arms and wings. “And to top it all off, now I found out this morning that Sandbar has changed his mind and doesn’t want to get divorced, even if it means saving his own hide!” He plopped down on the ground. “I just… I don’t know what to do anymore. Even if we wanted to, they wouldn’t see us as divorced that, to us griffons, there’s no such thing as divorce which… you know, now that I think of it, how come neither of you brought that up to begin with?”
Canvas shrugged. “It’s not something that we would think about doing. I don’t know about you, but I and Troy aren’t planning to separate anytime soon. Either we’ve forgotten all about that or just didn’t think about it as it’s something we never considered. So with that being said,” he placed a hoof on his shoulder, “don’t you think that you might be making all of this more complicated than it needs to be?”
“What are you talking about?”
“For one, let me just say that coming from me and knowing Troy, there’s no possible way in Tartarus that we would consider you as a pedo. Now would older griffons have an issue with what you and Sandbar are in? Sure. But let’s face it – how likely are you gonna have to deal with this kind of prejudice or bigotry in Equestria? As far as I’m concerned, you’re both the same age. I mean, as long as you don’t have sex until the both of you are old enough or do anything inappropriate in public, I think you should be fine.”
“Sex…” He rubbed the back of his head. “Ya know, I don’t think either of us had brought that up yet. I mean, we didn’t exactly well… do it but I don’t think we have a clue how to bring it up. And frankly, I don’t think I’m exactly… well… ready yet.” He shook his head to try to stay on topic. “But even if what you’ve said is true, that’s not why I came here.”
“Oh?” Canvas put his paint-covered stick down. “So what exactly did you come to know about?”
Gallus took in a deep breath. “The thing is… there’s a part of me that wants to stay married to him. I think… I think I might love him back. But at the same time with all that I’ve heard, if I did somehow find a way, should we get divorced out of our safety? Now before you say anything, believe it or not, I don’t want to do this. At all. But if we’re an open target for any griff or bigot that might find us out, I still want to protect him by any way I can. Even if I’m way over thinking this, or that maybe none of the crap that Grandpa Gruff has said would happen at all. However, after giving me the chance to be free, can you blame me if I would sell my soul if it means keeping him safe? And not just that, but let’s face the fact that we’re 16, we don’t have the best reputation of making the best decisions. Even if we were guaranteed protection, I don’t know if we’ll still love each other in a few months or years from now. The truth is…” he rubbed his arm, “I’m just scared.”
“Scared? Of what?”
“That even if we were absolutely safe and all, what if he falls in love with someone else but I’m the one that’ll keep him captive in our marriage? For Goddesses sake, we’ve been kinda dating for like a few months without realizing it. I mean, he freed me after all, I can’t live with myself thinking that I ironically imprisoned him in a relationship that he couldn’t get out of. What if later on, he develops feelings for one of our friends like… I don’t know… Yona let’s say. Even in his heart would yearn for someone else, we both know that I would be that barrier that would trap him in guilt or whatever. Sure, he loves me now, but I’m looking at the bigger picture here. But with all of this going on… I just don’t know what to do.”
Sympathy compelled Canvas to bring him into a hug. “Deep down, you’re afraid of losing him, aren’t ya?”
He nodded.
“Before I say anything, let me just say that I’m honored that you trust me enough to come to me with something like this.”
“Well you’re the only couple I know that’s like what Sandbar and I have, so I didn’t much of a choice.”
“True. But telling me about this at all is still admirable. You might not know it, but you’ve taken your first step about being an adult."
“What’s that?”
“Just because you’re an adult, doesn’t mean you have to do things completely on your own.” Canvas smiled. “It’s good to take advantage of what support you got to help you out.”
“Yet somehow, I’m sensing a gigantic ‘but’ in all of this.”
He nodded. “A couple of things, but one thing at a time, starting with the whole protection thing. First off, you said that you’re planning on immigrating over here anyway, right?” Gallus nodded. “Once you become a full-fledged citizen, I don’t think there’s much anything the griffons could really do to you. Besides, in case you’ve forgotten, you have allies, probably the most important would be from Twilight. Even if that Grandpa Gruff’s warnings became true, do you honestly think that someone like her would allow anything to happen to you or your husband? Plus, from what Twilight has told me about you guys, you have friends that are too connected to powerful individuals. I mean, if they were about to go to war because you guys disappeared, do you really think they won’t do anything if word gets out that someone has attacked either of you.”
Gallus blinked. “I… I didn’t really think of that.”
“Second.” Canvas went on. “While I have to give you points for self-awareness about your relationship, I for one don’t think it’ll turn out disastrous.”
The young griffon raised an eyebrow. “And how would you know?”
“How long do you think that Troy and I were dating before we got engaged?”
Gallus shrugged. “I don’t know… a couple of years maybe?”
“Nope!” Canvas laughed. “Two and a half months.”
The artist enjoyed watching the griffon’s eyes widen in surprise. “You’re kidding!”
“It’s the truth! We were a couple for a few months before we’ve decided that we should get married. I met Troy when I was fresh out of High School, a little older than your age but it still stands. My point is that I totally get where you and Sandbar are coming from. However, to be blunt, I don’t think that you’re giving your husband enough credit here.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Sandbar that we’ve been told about, and the pony that we’ve met, is someone who is much more mature than most teenagers at his age. And he can be smart when he needs to be. I mean, who would have thought about that loophole so you can undergo that coming of age ritual? This is someone who would bend over backward and twist himself into a pretzel for you.
“So, if you really want my advice, it would be this – every successful marriage is based on two things: love, and trust. Of course, as a couple, you should have a healthy communication between you two to decide on whatever you both wanted to do. Of course, at times you will find something that you’ll disagree, and you’ll fight for the sake of being in the right. If you’re gonna go down that route, your relationship will end pretty quickly. The important thing here is that you have to learn to trust the other’s judgment. With a pony like Sandbar, sometimes you have to take that leap of faith and trust him when he says that he wants to keep the marriage going.”
“And if it doesn’t work out?”
“Well, if Sandbar wants to have a divorce, you should trust in him that he would ask for it first. Of course, feelings will change over time, but you have to realize that this goes both ways too. If you have a gut feeling that this relationship is going nowhere, surely Sandbar would come to that same conclusion to calling it off. But as long as you keep an open communication between you and maintain that trust, that love won’t go away. The real question is – do you want this marriage to keep going?”
Gallus’s cheeks turn pink. “I don’t want to lose him… I don’t want this to end.”
Canvas patted him on the back. “I think what matters most is how you feel for each other, and whether they’ll have that support for your friends and family to stay true to who you are without judgment.”
The griffon looked down at the painting, his ears folded back against his head. “All this time… I’ve been doing things on my own for so long doing things the griffon way that… I’ve become blinded by it all. All these traditions, these hoops that had to jump through. I’ve spent so much time worrying about what the griffons that have looked down on me would do that I’ve forgotten about those that truly helped me. And Sandbar…” He suddenly stood up. “I need to find him. And uh, again, thanks for the breakfast. And the advice.”
“Hey, you can always talk to me with these sorts of things.”
“Yeah… Ya know, maybe you should consider being a teacher at our school.”
“Me?”
“Why not? This whole thing on trust… I think you’ll fit right in. Still, I gotta go. Thanks for everything.”
After telling each other goodbye, Gallus went out of the barn, wings spread and taking flight.
Gallus was speeding through the air towards the school, but along the way he looked down at the town park, he was flying over and spotted a certain sea green pony. He had to pause for a moment to register that it was indeed Sandbar before flying down, calling out his name. Landing in front of him, the two of them paused in awkward silence.
“…. H-Hey…”
“Hi.” Sandbar nodded.
Another pause.
“Sand, can I talk to you?”
“Sure.” He looked over at their surroundings before pointing. “How about under that tree over there?”
The husbands walked over together and took a seat, their backs against the bark of an oak tree. At first, neither of them said a word until Sandbar spoke up. “Hey, I uh… I thought about what you said this morning and-”
“Before you start.” Gallus interrupted. “I just want you to hear me out on something, alright? Before you say that I was right and we should probably figure out how to get a divorce, just stop for a moment and hear me out on something, okay?”
“Okay…? What is it?”
He took in a deep breath. “I want to apologize.”
Sandbar tilted his head in confusion. “What for?”
“Oh, let me count the ways.” He held up his claw as he raised a talon to list off. “For taking you for granted. For being blinded by doing everything the Griffon way. For not placing my trust in you. Really, all this crap just to make me an official adult is all on me. I was so focused on earning that freedom and thinking that I have to do all of this alone that I have forgotten about the friends and family that made it all possible. I’ve forgotten about our friends that supported us and throw us that bachelor party that I don’t think either of us are gonna forget. I’ve forgotten about the family that not only made the effort of putting together the wedding but seem to accept me as one of their own. But most all, I’ve forgotten about you – of the amazing pony that was smart, kind, selfless, mature, charitable that has done everything to help me. And this morning, I had no excuse for doubting you and the trust you placed on me that we could be together. For all of this, Sandbar, I’m so sorry.”
He felt a hoof touching his claw.
“Dude, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“But I do! I mean, I think we got both of us worried over what Grandpa Gruff said that I’ve forgotten about the resources that I have now. Not just you, but your family, our friends, and Headmare Twilight. I’ve been so blindsided to the point where it’s stupid. No, correction, I’m stupid for not realizing this sooner.” He looked over to Sandbar’s eyes. “I’m going to become an Equestrian citizen, and with the friends that we have, it should send a clear enough message to anygriff that if they mess with us, no one will get away that easily. They can grumble all they want, but as long I have friends like what we have, I think we’ll be okay.”
“You really think so?”
Gallus smiled. “We almost started a world war over us disappearing, I think if any griffon so much as lay a claw on us, they have entire nations to answer for.”
“Agreed.”
“But there’s one thing I need to know though. Above all else.”
“What’s that?”
The young griffon scooted closer. “I need you to be honest with me here because I’m going to place my trust in what you’re about to say. If given the chance, do you want to have a divorce?”
Sandbar shook his head. “No. But I thought you wanted it.”
“Only because I thought it was the only way to keep you safe. However, after speaking to someone who’s been down this road, I realized that I had nothing to be afraid of at all.”
“Afraid?”
He sighed. “Yeah… I hate to admit this, but I was scared after hearing that threat. I was scared of losing you one way or another. If the lynch mob didn’t finish us off, then perhaps time would. I was scared of trapping you in a marriage that won’t allow you to realize who’s your special someone really is. I mean, what if down the road you have your eye on someone else that isn’t me? The last thing I want is for you to be miserable and restricted… like I was. I don’t want to be the same creature that you’ve freed to be the one that imprisons you. I was afraid that regardless of how I feel about you, that I’m eternally damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”
“Gallus.” The griffon felt a hoof on his cheek, turning him towards the stallion’s eyes. “You’re my friend. My best friend, and if you allow me, more than that. When I came up with the idea, I wanted to make sure I didn’t cause any harm to you. But by the looks of it, I didn’t exactly do a good job at it recently.”
“No. You’ve done an amazing job. I just let my own mindset blind me. I should have placed more trust in you when you said that you don’t think we should separate. But then again, even when I don’t want to either, what about the future? I mean, we’re still teenagers, and chances are that we might want to date someone else.”
“Well, why not?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, on that you’re right. We may be married but there’s still a bunch of stuff that I think we still need to figure out. Such as can we could be attracted to girls too or find someone that might be better suited to us. I think that as long as we let each other know that we want to date someone else, we should be fine.”
“So like a… what do you call it?”
“An open relationship?”
Gallus shrugged. “I guess. But what if we do decide to separate?”
Sandbar thought about this for a moment. “Tell you what: how about instead waiting until the end of the month, let’s extend it until both of us are twenty-one? We can still date each other and, as long as we let the other know, other ponies or creatures. If we think that maybe what we have won’t last any longer, then we can try to divorce. But if not… at least we still have each other.”
The griffon thought about this for a moment. “Would you be okay sticking to this? I mean, you won’t get jealous if I decide to go out with one of our friends, would you?”
“Just as long as you tell me first, then not really. If anything, I think I might cheer you on. Only if you do the same for me.”
Gallus lifted a claw to the back of Sandbar’s head, letting his messy mane run through his talons. “Deal. Still, for taking you for granted, is there anything I can do to make it up.”
“Well yeah,” Sandbar smirked. “I can think of one way.”
“A kiss?”
“You really do know me.”
Gallus leaned in his beak against lips. On that quiet afternoon in the park, underneath the shade of a tree, they shared an honest embrace that was without fear, worry or anxiety. There was blissful peace between the two husbands. Even after they parted, cheeks red and smiles, they had nothing to be afraid of.
“So…” Gallus said lifting his husband up. “You doing anything for tonight?”
“Well, I was hoping to ask you if you wanted to go see that new spy movie that just came out. That is unless you got something better to do.”
The griffon unfolded a wing and placed it on the stallion’s back, with the two walking out of the park, Gallus told him. “I’m a free Griffon, Sand, I think I have plenty of free time for you.”
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9623122
9622842
Your wish has been granted.
Let me just say first and foremost, I'm really happy that you finished this story on such a high and positive note. Even though the timing might be a little awkward with the whole YonaBar thing in Season 9's canon (although to be perfectly honest, I don't hate the ship), this story really gave a unique and beautiful perspective on Gallus and Sandbar being a cute and mature couple. All of their actions made sense, and the story as a whole showed a lot of variety and fun with the inclusion of thier friends and family for support. Not to mention, you did an amazing job writing out my OCs Troy and Canvas for this story! They were written perfectly in tune to how I would've done it, and you have my earnest respect.
Also, I'm really glad you took my suggestions for this chapter to heart when it comes to Canvas' dialogue. Even though Gallus' worries are very understandable, I'm grateful that my stallion was able to give him the slap of logic he needed. Once again, this story was fantastic, and you have my support for any and all future projects.
9625383
This was the best way for it to end for sure. It ends on a hopeful note with them having an actual plan in mind for the future, there's no new and crazy law, and it is nicely paced without dragging on longer than needed.
I might nitpick at times and offer criticism, but I truly did enjoy the story and I appreciate you writing and sharing it with everyone. You did a splendid job for sure.
I was sad it ended, would have liked to see how it went. But other then that good story.
Little sad to see it end so soon, but was getting nervous with the complications.
However, overall a very sweet ending.
Perhaps the only thing I would have like to have seen would have been some kind of an epilogue showing where their relationship was down the line.
a very satisfying ending to a great story!
9625383
Thank you. This story started out good, and for the most part it, it stayed that way but the so many ludicrous complications introduced as a consequence of the marriage kinda ruined the story a bit. It just felt like forced drama, or padding at times. But that said, the character interactions were very adorable and made sense for everyone involved. (Well, except for Gruff, screw him.) All in all, the story isn't that bad, a few things could have been done differently yes, but not a bad piece of work in the end.
7.5 out of ten stars.
9625422
What could I say, Your Holiness, great minds think alike. It was a challenge to write and I'm relieved that at least with your characters that I've managed to pull it off. I must say that it's humbling to have a writer that I respect to get their approval.
If it's not too much to ask, but could you write up a blog to recommend your followers of this story? I know that you're most likely busy on your end, but it would be an honor to have you cast a spotlight on something that I've put a good amount of effort into. If you don't want to I completely understand.
9626323
I'll be sure to put one up later tonight when I'm on my laptop.
9625592
images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28300000/Pinkie-Pie-and-Gilda-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-28315720-638-358.png
Yes and I'm pretty sure that some Griffons don't have teeth either since they already have a beak. It's as if the anatomy of these creatures have certain conveniences to the plot of a story. But I'm sure it's just us writers being inconsistent.
This was a wonderful story, one which reminds me why I like your writing so much.
pbs.twimg.com/media/DmTQHHZUcAAOwIB.jpg
They really did do all that huh?
For what it's worth, I enjoyed the story
AAAWWWWWW
SO CUTE!!!
Imma be honest I tend to avoid romance stuff because half the time it's not that good but you are good at this and I'm plesently surprised even more so with how much you put into gallus and his background and into sandbar and how he is willing to do anything to help his friends (also her I'm in RL leaning to how sandbar is romantically if he feels a true connection to Somone)
Ok even i found the description of the dance a bit arousing so thats a good bit of writing but damn thats a akward way to find out A there both into guys B the both popped a stiffy infront of there girl friends who id be suprised if they didnt tease them for it or compliment them
Il be honest id like to see this continued plus you also forgot by extension of the students befrending there teachers if a internatinal inncident was to occur or uf fluttershy saw them being attacked and tried to stop it and got hurt there opuld be a pissed off reality warping god on a warpath
9619543
Well... Yeah, she did. But that was one of those big exceptions given the situation.
This was a great story! I loved it.
Such a great story. I lpve gallbar and brushed away is in my top 5. Seeing them both connecting here makes it a really masterpiece. It's 8am and I didn't sleep but I don't regret it!
This was a well rounded story that was rather enjoyable. Plus it was a blast to read about Troy and Canvas again, they are great role models. (Though I really would have liked to see the kind of bachelor party Troy's brothers would have thrown.