//------------------------------// // Prologue: Gallus' Dark Past // Story: Shooting Star // by Omegathyst //------------------------------// Gallus didn't remember much about the incident besides the way his paws pounded on the dirt, running from a family that were nothing but a blur in his head now. He remembered the voice of his father telling him to steal from the new baker. Gilda, he believed her name was. Gallus refused, and he remembered his father's talon slapping him across the face. He fell face first into the dirt. In the chaos of his "family" screeching at each other, Gallus couldn't remember if his father wanted him to come back, or if he never wanted to see him again. Gallus wasn't concerned about that. He remembered a dear childhood friend that lived on her own, a black and white griffon named Sheila. They hadn't spoken to each other in a few weeks, but Gallus was hoping to stay there. As he was flying, he saw Sheila's small hay hut. Gallus dropped from the sky and landed at her doorstep, knocking on the door. He felt the silence of Griffonstone lingering over him, the fear of his "family" coming back was starting to take over when the door swung open. "Gallus?" Sheila whispered, staring at him with her aquagreen eyes. "What are you doing here?" "My family got into a huge fight, and I can't stay with them." Gallus sighed. "Can I stay here for the night?" "Oh Gally, you can stay here for as long as you need." Sheila hugged Gallus before pulling away. "Come in." Gallus flew inside and closed his friend's door, his heart soaring at the thought of never having to deal with them again. He landed on Sheila's couch, holding one of her pillows and taking deep breaths. "Oh, you don't need to hold one of the pillows, silly!" Sheila giggled. "S-Sorry, it just helps me when-" Sheila climbed onto the couch, pushing the pillow out of Gallus' grip and onto the floor. Before Gallus could move his arms, Sheila sprawled on the couch and tucked her head into the space between his arms where the pillow used to be. She closed her eyes, listening to the quickened beat of Gallus' heart. "Better?" Sheila asked. "A little." Gallus replied, looking at the ceiling. "You could've just asked if you wanted to cuddle." "And what fun would there be in that?" Sheila smirked. "The best kind of affections aren't asked for, they just happen. Like this!" Sheila lurched forward and briefly pressed her beak against Gallus' in a fleeting kiss. Gallus felt something twist in his belly, a weird feeling of fear mixed with the heat that came with Sheila's body being pressed against his own. Did he make the right decision? Of course he did, where else could he go? Gallus gave into his instincts and pressed his beak against Sheila's, allowing his tongue to slip into her beak. Sheila placed both her talons on Gallus and kept his head in place, wiggling her tail in excitement. As the two griffons were having fun, the night slipped away and after they were done, they fell asleep. It was the same routine for several weeks: Sheila would go to work, Gallus would leave the house to search for jobs, and the two would return home and have intimate moments together. For Gallus to ask for safety, and receive that and so much more? It was heaven for him. One night, as he was resting on the couch, he heard a knock on the door. He flipped his body off the couch, and was about to walk towards the door when Sheila flew out of the kitchen. She beat him to the door, cracking it open. Before the other griffon could speak, Sheila pushed herself outside and closed the door. Gallus walked to the door and attempted to push it open. No such luck, the door wouldn't budge. "What the hell is going on?" Gallus felt the fear returning, seeping from his heart to his brain and his legs. Why was he trapped here? What was Sheila hiding? Why why why why- Sheila walked back inside and closed the door behind her. "Babe, are you okay?!" Sheila wrapped her arms around Gallus. "Who was at the door?!" Gallus panicked. "It was just the mail-griffon, he brought a package to the wrong address." Sheila reassured him. "It's okay, no griffon is coming to hurt you." That wasn't it, Gallus had no fear towards the unknown griffon on the other side of the door. "Why was the door locked?" Gallus asked. "Why couldn't I speak to him myself?" "He was an ex of mine, I didn't want him to bother you." Sheila pulled away. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." "It's...it's fine. I trust you." Gallus lied, no longer hyperventilating. He stepped closer to Sheila, pressing his beak against her's. He prodded his tongue at her beak, remembering the intimacy that always calmed him down and made him feel safe. Loved. Sheila moved back. "Not tonight, babe." Sheila ruffled Gallus' head feathers. "Get some sleep." "Oh, okay." Gallus nodded, assuming his position on the couch. Sheila patted his head, flying away from the couch and into her room. Gallus felt a tiny flash of his anxiety, still thudding away in his chest. But he was fine now. After all, Sheila wasn't always going to be in the mood. It was fine. Turns out, this period of "not being in the mood" was more than just a phase. Their routine had changed over time, where Sheila insisted that Gallus didn't need to look for jobs, Gallus would give in and stay home, and Sheila would come back from work. Gallus would stay up till late, receive a cuddle and kiss, and then go to bed, with the anxiety growing like constricting vines in his chest. "There's nothing wrong." Gallus told himself, alone on the couch. "Sheila loves me, and I love her. She cares about me, that's all I need right?" It eventually got to a point where Gallus didn't even want to leave Sheila's hut, the thought of it giving him an anxiety attack after another. He would barely eat the food Sheila prepared for him, and he no longer stayed up late. Instead, he went to bed in the early evening or even late afternoon. One afternoon, as he was preparing to go to bed after eating only one muffin, he stopped and thought about the escalating anxiety. This had to stop, he couldn't live like this any longer. He felt horrible, tears rolling down his face for the fourth time that day. Sheila had been nothing but good to him, so why did he feel this way? Gallus spend the hours he had before Sheila arrived to clean her hut from top to bottom. It was the least he could do for her. Gallus could only hope that she'd be understanding as she's always been. He heard the door close as he was dusting her table, and he dropped the duster and looked at her exhausted state. "Oof, boss was being a real bitch today." Sheila grunted. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." "I just wanted to let you know, that I've been thinking about a lot of things." Gallus admitted. "I'm grateful for all that you've done for me, I'll always be. But, I don't think this is working out for me anymore." "What isn't working?" "Living here, with you." Gallus sighed. "I don't feel like I'm in a real relationship with you anymore, and if I stay here with you, I'll never grow as a griffon. I care about you Sheila, and I want to support you as your friend. I just need to spread my wings." Sheila was frozen, her beak gaping open before she spoke. "Is this cause I don't put out for you?" Sheila glared. "You really need to fuck me so I can keep you?" "What? No! You don't own me!" Gallus gasped. "And it's not like that! I wanted to love you in every way possible, but you keep pushing me away! I don't want to live like this!" "Live like what? Under a roof where you're fed and taken care of?" Sheila snapped. "And all I ask is for you to love me in return, and you can't even do that?" "Not if it only goes one way! I want to be loved too." Gallus frowned. "By who? No one is going to care about you like I do." Sheila said. "We go way back, Gallus. This is just a rough patch, we need each other." "Is that why you didn't want me to get a job? Is that why you sent every visitor away from our home?" Gallus growled. "You wanted me to be dependent on you, didn't you? You never wanted me to grow up and leave!" "Gallus, don't. I love you." Sheila begged, on the verge of tears. "Your crying isn't going to work this time!" Gallus snapped. "I'm done being your prisoner, now I need you to move." Gallus walked towards Sheila, who was standing in the way of the door. "Sheila, please. You need to move, you can't keep me here." Gallus stated. "I don't want to push you." "Y-You're not leaving, you'll have nothing without me." Sheila dug her talons into the carpet. "You touch me and I'll scream for help." "They'll know that you were trapping me here." Gallus said. "And even if they don't, I'd rather be behind bars then here with you. Move." "NO!" Sheila puffed her chest, glaring daggers into Gallus' eyes. "You need me!" "Like hell I do!" Gallus began pushing Sheila with all his strength. "Let me go!" "That griffon? It wasn't an ex by the way, it was your father. I sent him away." "What?" In that moment that Gallus was distracted, Sheila stepped back in front of Gallus and shoved her entire body mass against him, sending him crashing into the wall and breaking a hole in it. Gallus felt his world spinning when he heard something being dragged across the carpet. He tried to move, but his limbs wouldn't let him. After several agonizing minutes, Gallus stood up and saw Sheila moving the table in front of the door. He looked at the window, and knew what he had to do. He quietly spread his wings from his body and lunged at the window, shattering it into pieces. He ignored the blood rolling down his face, flying away from the hut. "NO!" Sheila screamed. "H-HELP, AN INTRUDER BROKE MY WINDOW!" Gallus groaned, flying as far from the scene as he could. He prayed that this whole thing would blow over, and he could live the life he wanted to. However, he wasn't going to look for another place to stay again. He couldn't afford another Sheila situation happening again. Months later After Gallus managed to explain his situation to the authorities the morning after the fight, they let him off with a warning. "And I won't have to see her again?" Gallus asked. "Nope, so long as you avoid talking to her. And we'll tell her to do the same. You should be good." the officer said. Gallus blushed at the memory he had of hugging the officer and flying away. It was the last good memory he had. Now? He was homeless, never keeping a job for long. Either the managers would refuse to employ a homeless creature, or word about his incident with Sheila would reach to them. They'd tell Gallus that they didn't want a "troublemaker" or a "threat to females" as an employee. Gallus felt like he was running out of luck, barely finding enough to eat each night. The only miracle was that he never saw Sheila again. He was sleeping in an alleyway far away from her hut when he felt something prod his head. "Up, you hobo bird!" "Huh? Grampa Gruff?" Gallus opened his eyes. "Unless you're here to give me food, let me go back to sleep." "I have something even better, how would you like to move to a room in Ponyville for free?" Gallus woke up like a bucket of ice water was dumped onto him. He sat up and stared at Grampa Gruff like an owl. "Are you serious?" "Yep, I'm looking for a griffon to represent us at Twilight's new School of Friendship." Grandpa Gruff explained. "Become a student, and the free shelter and food in Ponyville is yours." "Ponies?" Gallus stammered. "Yeah, maybe you'll get along with them better. You've never been like us griffons." Grampa Gruff shrugged. Maybe that's a good thing. "Okay, I'll go." "Good, one less bum in this alleyway." Grampa Gruff huffed. "Meet me at the train station tomorrow morning, we'll take the first train out to Ponyville." Grampa Gruff flew out of the alleyway. As soon as he was out of sight, Gallus wiggled his rump and grinned like a puppy. For the first time in months, he felt life pulsing inside him from the tips of his toes to his cheeks. Tomorrow, he would be in Ponyville. It felt liberating.