One hour passes by as he lays on his bed and reads Miss Rarity's paper over and over again but he can't make heads or tails of it. No matter how often he repeats the words in his head, they won't make sense. He spends the last remaining hour to read a 'Griffon Rangers' comic book. The stories are bad but the drawings look very nice. In this issue the Griffon Rangers fight their arch enemy Darkwing, an evil griffon who wants to rule the world by stealing all treasures and money . Suddenly his alarm clock goes off.
"I guess I should get going", Gallus thinks to himself before getting of his bed and making his way to his door.
He hesitates but something inside of him forces him to open the door and leave his room. Luckily Sandbar's room isn't far but every step is harder and harder for him to complete. The thought of someone else, besides his teachers, teaching him because they are better than him strangles his throat and causes it to dry out. It only takes him two minutes to go down the stairs to the 1st floor of the dorm and to reach his friend's door.
"Okay", he whispers to himself, "You can do this. Stay cool and let him help you."
But before he even has the chance to knock on the door it swings open and the lime-green stallion stands in front of him and welcomes him with a smile.
"Right on time! Great. Come in, come in so we can get started", Sandbar says before stepping aside and letting his friend, who is visibly shocked, into his own paradise.
"How... did you know I was here?", the griffon asks as he follows the other male into the room.
Sandbar looks at him and smiles again as he explains, that he just felt like someone was at the door.
"Call it good intuition."
He offers the griffon to sit on his bed, which he accepts, while he fetches the papers and his index cards with his notes he took during class. In the meantime Gallus investigates the room, which he has never seen before. They usually don't hang around in each other's rooms. Their rooms aren't as different as he expected. This room's wallpaper is a pale red but his own one is pale yellow. The interior is very similar though. It contains a wooden bed with white sheets, a desk with a chair, a clock on the wall, a nightstand next to the bed he is sitting on. a big closet and a small, wooden bookshelf with different books. He can read a few of the titles and it looks like there are schoolbooks, comic books and few novels.
"Daring... Do and the... Marked Thief of... Mera...Mare...Marapore?", he mumbles as he tries to read one of the novel's side-cover.
"Did you say something?", Sandbar, who still has his back turned towards him, asks. He must have heared him but couldn't understand him.
"Huh? Me?", Gallus asks startled, "No, no..."
He pauses and silence fills the room until he decides to start a real conversation.
"What is Daring Do?"
"Daring Do? She is the heroine of my favorite book series. She is an adventurer who solved puzzles, finds treasures, outwits the bad guys and saves entire cities. She is awesome!", Sandbar explains as he sits down on his chair to organize his notes on his desk, "I have every book A.K. Yearling ever wrote about Daring Do."
"Ah... Interesting", the griffon replies before silent returns to take over the room.
Sandbar finishes organizing his notes and is ready to start their study session. He turns his chair around so he can face the griffon on his bed and asks him what topics cause him trouble. The griffon thinks but decides to stays silent.
I can't say everything! I would look like a complete idiot. But... that's exactly what I am when I'm confronted with Generosity, he thinks to himself as his body heats up and his eyes to move around in his sockets, not able to focus one thing.
He is getting really nervous
"Well...", the pony interrupts the other male's thoughts, "How about we start with the basics. Okay, what is Generosity?"
Gallus tries to remember the specific definition Miss Rarity used but can't even remember a single word. When it comes to Generosity his brain just blacks out and ignores everything in class that is related to it.
"It... Is something when you do something because of... something?", he guesses, his voice clearly showing signs of doubt and insecurity.
The earth-pony stares at him with wide eyes, then checks the index card in his hoof and returns his eyes to the griffon.
"Erm...", he stutters, "That was... close. But maybe a little bit more specific?"
"Generosity is... is... something when you do something for someone else because of something?", Gallus tries to improve his former statement but it still sounds like something a filly would say a few weeks after learning to speak.
"Better... But I think we can go a bit more specific?", Sandbar suggests but the male across from him does not look like he wants to try that again.
"Or we could take on something else!"
He swaps his index card with a different one and reads the question on it, "Name three examples for showing Generosity. That's simple so I'm sure you can do it."
But again Gallus can't remember anything from class so he tries his best to think of examples he experienced.
"Taking something from someone who doesn't need it. Refrain from telling someone your negative thoughts about them. And giving someone something because it doesn't work anymore?"
Again he totally misses the point of the question and Sandbar again tries to make the best of his answers.
"I don't think that the first thing is really generous and the second one should be obvious and expected from someone. The third one is the closets to be Generosity... Not yet there but at least closer", he explains before taking a look at his card and reading his own answers.
"Examples would've been: Lending someone money because he wants to buy something. Give something you really like to your friend who needs it more. And offer your help when your friend is in need."
"What?", the griffon raises his voice as he hears the correct answers, "That's just stupid! Why should I give someone money? I need my own money. And if someone wants my help he should pay for it, that's how it works! Why does being generous mean being a pushover?"
He just doesn't get what's so great about Generosity. it sounds like a lot of work and a big burden for no reward at all. But his opinion does not come across positive because Sandbar seems to be a bit upset.
"Just because you show Generosity doesn't mean that you become a pushover! And you don't do it because you want a reward but because you want to help someone who needs you right now. I mean, look at us. I'm helping you without demanding anything and you need me to-"
"I don't need you!", Gallus suddenly yells as he raises to the air and spreads his wings, his face showing pure fury.
"I don't need anyone! I can pass the exam on my own. Griffons are smart and awesome after all and we don't need help from gullible ponies who think the world is all rainbows and sunshine!"
He whizzes to the door, opens it and slams it shut before making his way back to his own room.
Who does he even think he is? Treating me like I'm too stupid to understand his sarcasm, his enraged mind complains about his so-called friend.
Gallus reaches and enters his room, wasting no time landing on his bed and punching his pillow as hard as he can.
"You do it because you want to help your friends", he imitates Sandbar's voice, but way more high-pitched, as he finishes his assault on his pillow and the energy leaves his body, causing him to collapse on his soft bed.
"Stupid Jerk...", are the last words that leave his beak before he falls asleep, drained from every little bit of energy.
The stallion, who is still sitting on his chair in his room, places the index card back on the table and begins to read them again and again.
"I don't know what to do...", he mumbles as he starts over with his first card and repeats it's content in his head.