It takes a few minutes but eventually Sandbar's sobbing ceases and the tears, which ran down his cheeks, stop forming. Slowly, the stallions removes his hooves from his slightly swollen reddish eyes. He stays silent as he tries his best to dodge the griffon's gaze, which is targeting the male in his arms.
"How are you feeling?", the griffon-boy asks but, for a moment he doesn't get an answer.
Eventually he can hear a weaker voice say something, accompanied by a few quiet sniffles.
"A bit better", Sandbar mumbles before staying quiet once more.
His mind is still a complete mess, a tornado of thoughts, fears, hopes and voices that reek havoc and disable his ability to think.
He hears how a sigh escapes the feather-covered male and his eyes try to catch a quick glimpse of his face, which, much to his surprise, shows a frown instead of the worried expression he had when he caught him.
"Good, so let me ask you... What were you thinking?! That was super dangerous and one of the worst ideas you've ever had! Not only is the floor as hard as rocks but, thanks to the box, there are so many sharp wooden flinders you could have landed on. You scared me half to death, you know that?"
The sudden outburst completely paralyzes Sandbar who, with a blank expression, watches how his classmate goes on and on with his scolding. Even the storm in his head, which, in comparison to the griffon's outburst, feels like a gentle breeze, begins to calm down as all the voices and thoughts get drowned out by the griffon's voice. After what felt like an hour of non-stop talking, Gallus sharply inhales to restore the air in his lungs, returning silence to the room and giving Sandbar a chance to analyze the words the griffon spat out and the meaning they carry.
Again I caused him problems and made him mad... I should have just left when I saw him and listened to Hotshot...
These thoughts torment his head and body, causing a stinging pain in his chest and a feeling in his stomach that could rival a stomachache in terms of unpleasantness. In an attempt to lift the sickening feeling, he attempts something he wanted to do for so long but never got the chance again until now.
"I'm sorry...", he begins to mumble with a shaking voice, much like the voice he used when he thanked his friend earlier.
Those words capture Gallus' attention and, especially the tearful undertone, push the anger he felt aside and make place for all the concern he has for the pony to return.
"I'm sorry...for everything... For not telling you... for annoying you... for not leaving you alo..."
Once again tears roll down Sandbar's cheeks and the words he tries to form get replaced with louder sniffles and sobbing as his body and mind completely relinquishes control. Gallus notices how the little spheres of water leave the stallion's eyes and feels how the pony's body trembles weakly, giving him another hint at how much his classmate is truly fighting with their current situation and with the past events, which he carried all this time close to his heart. Hoping to take some of the burden from him, he spreads his wings and uses one to gently brushes the two-toned mane while the other catches some of the tears and wipe them away. Sandbar, who notices the movement in his mane and the soft object pressed against his cheek, can feel how he slowly regains control over his body, stopping it from trembling and trying his best to reduce the amount of sniffling and the volume of his sobbing. Even though he is only mildly successful, Gallus' worry shrink when he becomes aware of the change in body-language but it does not stop him from continuing his treatment.
"Shhh... Stop saying nonsense like that", he whispers just loud enough for the pony to hear, "You and annoying me? Nonsense! Why would you even think that?"
The lack of mind-control prevents Sandbar from really thinking about what to and what not to say so he just vocalizes anything that comes his mind.
"I... y...", the pony attempts to form a sentence but only a few sounds come out accompanied by multiple, quiet sobs, "Ho-Hot...shot... he-
"Hotshot?!", Gallus almost yells when he hears the name of that well-known pony, who bothered him before, "That pony causes trouble wherever he goes! He should be called Hot Mess, would be way more fitting. What did he do to you?"
The unexpected raise in volume shocks Sandbar a bit, silencing him for a few seconds before he continues his stammering explanation.
"He... he told me... to stay out of... of your way... He said that you talked... to him about what happened."
Hearing all of this enrages the griffon even more, proven by how his claws begin to tremble and the way he clenches his teeth as he begins to mumble something under his own breath.
"I swear... When I see him I wi- No... That doesn't matter now"
He realizes that this is not the right moment to let his emotions get the better of him, not again. Slowly he breaths in and out to reduce the effect his boiling temper has and, luckily, he is able to control it and, finally, cool it down again, making rational thinking as well as appropriate talking possible.
"I'd rather face eight hours of detention before voluntarily talking to him. Before the exam he just kept on annoying me so I advised him to keep his muzzle out of our business, that's all. Why would you even beli- "
He swallows the last part of the sentence when the familiar flashback pops up in his mind, showing himself aggressively ordering the pony he currently holds in his arms to leave him alone and ending with a sound of a door being slammed shut. A flashback he had multiple times since then followed by the feeling of regret and self-loathing.
"Of course you believed it... After all, why wouldn't you have? After what I said and how I acted", the griffon quietly answers his previous question followed by an audible gulp, as if he just swallowed a rock he kept in his beak for a long time.
The conversation falls silent once again as the two males are trapped in their own thoughts. Gallus is busy blaming himself for how their situation escalated and is ashamed of his lack of actions and guts while Sandbar tries to understand the overall meaning of the recently spoken words. But something else gains his attention when the blue male continues to talk.
"I... never really meant what I said back there, you know... I was confused and angry... I just lost complete control and just wanted to get away, to find a spot to think, to understand and to calm down but you kept... you kept on trying to explain something I couldn't, I did not want to understand in that moment and then... I heard that voice in my head and it kept on talking to me, yelling and I just wanted it to shut up, to leave, to disappear... It's true that I partly meant you but my main target was that voice in my head. After that I flew up to my room and tried to calm down but something inside of me just... snapped. I pitched a fit... Eventually, I blew off my steam and was able to think straight again but the damage was already done. I did something I had no idea how to fix, if it can be fixed... I should have gone back, I should have apologized that day... But I didn't and I dodged every other chance ever since... I'm sorry..."
Sandbar, who couldn't help but stare at the griffon, who averted his sad eyes halfway through his explanation, begins to understand what all those words are supposed to spell out and, without even realizing it, gives this thought a sound and a ring.
"So... You don't... hate me?"
This question catches the griffon off-guard and, with a clear sign of panic, he tries to form a sentence of confirmation.
"What?! N-No, o-o-of course not! I could never hate you! Quite the opposite actul-", but before he can completely spill the beans he can stop himself and turn the rest of the sentence into a pretty awkward sounding laughter, "hehe"
He shows his equine classmate a smile, a smile that only lasts a few seconds before disappearing as he opens his beak to add a question that he needs answered.
"What about you? After what I said... Do you... hate m-"
Sandbar, who blushes faintly as he shows his friend an honest smile , places one of his hooves on the feathers which are brushing against his cheek and applies a small amount of pressure, just enough to stop his friend from continuing the sentence and sending a wave of heat through his entire body, causing him to blush as well. The two males stare into each others eyes as silence returns and dominates the room once more.
"Never... It was my fault too. I'm just glad... to have you back", the pony answers in a gentle voice. Gallus, overwhelmed by the thought of finally being reunited with Sandbar, can feel how tears begin to form in his eyes so, in order to hide it, he offers his friend to take a little break and catch some air.
"I... could really go for some fresh air right now. All this dust in here is really rubbing me the wrong way. Sandy, do you want to take a quick walk before getting this job done?"
Sandbar, who noticed the growing glimmer in the other male's eyes, theorizes the reason for the sudden request and giggles before nodding.
"Sounds great, let's go."
Carefully, Gallus puts the pony back on his own four hooves and together the two aim for the door but before the griffon can even reach for the knob, the wooden object suddenly swings open and a yellow-coated Pegasus mare stands in its frame. Her greenish eyes grow a bit when she notices the two males in front of her and a little shriek escapes her as she jumps back a bit.
"Miss Fluttersyh!?", Sandbar asks, "Sorry, we didn't mean to startle you like that. Are you okay?"
The mare takes a deep breath before showing them her well-known lovely smile followed by a nod.
"Oh, of course. I just thought that this room would be empty. What are you even doing here? Why aren't you upstairs?"
"Miss Pinkie Pie asked for our help", the blue and yellow feathered male answers the teacher's first question, "She needed to find something for the party. It was a... um..."
"A special blue balloon with the school's crest on it! She called it a key object for the Dance. We just wanted to go for a quick walk before getting back to searching", the stallion continues the sentence followed by a smile from both of them.
Fluttershy, who is clearly a bit overwhelmed by the sudden burst of information, blinks two times before covering her mouth with her left front hoof and giggling quietly into it. The two males look at each other for a second before refocusing on the mare, who excuses herself for her reaction and begins to explain why she found it funny.
"I am really sorry boys but it looks like Pinkie Pie wasted your time with this. She must have taken Spike's joke a bit too serious. So sorry you two got dragged into this mess. This 'oh so special balloon' is just a blue balloon like any other and they are all hanging in the party room with the rest of the decorations."
What, the two males think simultaneously and both of their mouths drop open.
"So", Sandbar stammers with an obvious hint of disappointment in his voice, "There was no real crisis to avert? No rare item to find?"
"I'm afraid not... really sorry. I will talk to her later and tell her to apologize, okay?"
"That's not necessary! It wasn't that bad and no one got hurt", the stallion argues, much to his fellow classmate surprise.
"But you al-"
Sandbar nudges him with his shoulder, sending him a clear message that way.
"I mean... Yeah, it's fine. No harm was done so let's just forget it ever happened."
"Miss Fluttershy", the earth-stallion asks, "what exactly do you mean when you said 'why aren't you upstairs'?"
The yellow-coated mare's smile disappears when she hears that question and a confused expression takes its place as she tries to explain the meaning behind that sentence.
"I mean why aren't you at the party? So many students are already dancing and Twilight already started her big talk. I came down here because one of the kitchen mares asked for a specific utensil for the cupcakes."
"Wait... What?", the pony interrupts the mare with a question she has a bit of trouble understanding so she decides to go with the first answer that comes to her mind.
"I don't really know what it does. Something to fill them I think or maybe for the glaze-"
"Not that! The dance! It already started?", Gallus tries to define his friend's question a bit better and, thanks to that, Fluttershy can completely understand and answer it now.
"Oh yes, half an hour ago or so. Wait... How long have you been down here?"
Once again the two males look at each other as they form the word 'wow' with their mouths.
"Long enough apparently"
"Then better get upstairs as quick as possible! See you upstairs after I'm done searching", the pegasus mare sees the two off with a friendly smile before passing them and focusing entirely on the shelves surrounding her.
With no other task at hand, Sandbar and Gallus decide to see what their teacher just told them about with their own eyes and head upstairs. With every step the music they couldn't hear before grows louder and louder.
"Wow... We must have been searching for hours and hours", the stallion wonders while they make their way up the stairs and Gallus agrees with a nod.
"No wonder. That room was huge and with so many shelves full of junk and without windows... Time can fly by like nothing. I should have known something was off with that task. Ponies can be strange but there is no chance they need a specific balloon for something like a dance."
"There was a magical party hat in one of the books I saw at the library but a balloon? That's just too weird", the pony with the two-toned mane adds and the two laugh until they reach the first floor of the building, the floor where the dance is taking place. The moment they arrive, they spot a group of mares and stallions in different clothes entering the room where loud music and colorful light erupts from.
They make their way to the room's opening and peek inside to see how many students have already arrived and if their friends are among them. It doesn't take them long to find the colorful group near the buffet, who, thanks to Yona, also notices them and make their way across the room to the entrance. Yona is wearing a yellow A-Line dress with a flower crown on her head. Silverstream rocks a sparkling light-pink sundress and Smolder a black jumpsuit with a white belt.
"There you are! We couldn't find you anywhere! We were all so worried!", Silverstream shouts as she hugs the two and Yona nods in agreement.
"Not all of us were that worried but it's good to see you're okay", the female dragon mumbles but her comment gets drown out by Yona's question.
"Where have pony and griffon been?"
"In the cellar... Long story", Gallus answers and rolls his eyes, "It was... really something. Luckily we bumped into Fluttershy a minute ago."
Sandbar takes a closer look at the group and then quickly scans the room once more to confirm his results.
"Fluttershy?", Smolder repeats in a questioning tone, but before she can go on, Sandbar interrupts her with a question of his own.
"Where is Ocellus? Wasn't she with you girls?"
Gallus, who has not even realized it, also takes a look at the group before scanning the room and, after noticing someone in particular, asks his female friends the same thing.
"Yeah? Where is she? Did she go missing too?"
"Wha... Oh, not really. Little fillies room... I think... She's been missing a lot today though", Smolder answers but Silverstream has a different version.
"She told me that she would go to the nurse's office. Headache and stomachache."
"Ocellus told Yona she needed to take care of something. That's all."
"Strange", Sandbar mumbles but, while scanning the room once more he notices something important.
Neither Gallus nor himself are wearing the right clothes for an event like that and some ponies are already looking at them, mostly those fashionista ponies like Ruby Ribbon and Solar Gown.
"So...", the stallion begins as he pokes the griffon next to him, "We better get back to the dorms and change. Don't really want to attract anymore attention than necessary."
But, much to his surprise, Gallus asks him if he could go ahead and wait outside for him. A bit unsure Sandbar agrees to the request and turns around to head for the exit of the building, but before he can even reach it he hears a familiar voice shouting something. Only a few seconds later, Gallus joins him with a white plastic cup full of punch in his one hand, grabs one of his hooves with the other one as he tells him to hurry and drags him outside as fast as they both can. With that, the two males take their leave and begin their little journey to the dorms.
"What... was that all about?", Silverstream, who was watching Gallus the entire time, asks her friends but no one has any idea.
"No idea. He just went over to drinks and dumped a full cup of water over that pony's head... It was funny and all but... a bit random", Smolder admits but Yona, who recognizes the pony immediately, can't hold back but giggle.
"What's so funny?", the Hippogriff asks her friend who answers in a whispering manner.
"That pony's a real bully! Made fun of us behind our back. Yona heard him. Hotshot. Griffon did good!"
"Oh! That explains a lot! That's so Gallus", Silverstream comments and a smile decorates her face, "Too bad Ocellus missed it."
"About that... Didn't they say that they ran into Miss Fluttershy?", Smolder asks the two remaining friends, "Doesn't that sound, I don't know... impossible to you?"
"What Dragon mean?" the yak asks her scaled friend.
"I was just wondering how they managed to run into each other in the cellar. Miss Fluttershy was on stage with the rest of the teachers during principal Twilight's opening speech and right after that she took over the food table alongside Miss Applejack. Look, she is still there!"
Smolder points at the pegasus mare, who is currently talking to a group of students in front of one of the food tables..
"Are you saying they lied to us?", Silverstream asks her friend worriedly but Smolder shakes her head.
"Hmmm..."
"I'm back!"
A sudden voice interrupts Smolder's thought process and a fellow classmate enters the room in a running fashion. A Changeling wearing white Qipao dress with green and yellow markings in the shape of swirls and flowers.
"What did I miss?"
"Sandbar and Gallus! We found them!", Yona shouts while jumping up and down a few times.
"Oh really? That's great! When? How? Where? Tell me everything", the Changeling asks excitedly.
"Not necessarily...", the dragon mumbles under her own breath, just loud enough for the female Hippogriff right next to her to hear, as her thoughts continue where they left off.
Gallus continues to pull Sandbar until they made some distance between themselves and the Town Hall, and, after deeming it enough, lets go of him. Sandbar, who has to catch his breath first, looks at his friend before asking him the reason for his strange behavior.
"Oh, let's just say... Revenge is wet", the griffon-male answers with a smirk on his face as he holds the cup out for Sandbar to take, which the latter does.
"Isn't it revenge is sweet?"
"Not this time", the griffon answers with the same look.
The pony eyes the feathered creature for a moment as he puts two and two together.
"You didn't... Did you?", he asks with a clear hint of excitement in his voice and, after receiving a nod as the answer, bursts out in a hearty laugh.
"I'm probably gonna get in trouble for that", Gallus admits as he scratches the back of his head, "but it was so worth it. No one messes with you, especially not that jerk!"
"I'm sure he will leave the both of us and the rest of our friends alone, now that he knows that he would go up against you", Sandbar adds to his friend's explanation before taking a sip from the cup and tasting the warm and fruity liquid.
"That's a really good punch. Here, try it!"
He holds the cup close to his friend's face and offers him to take a sip as well. Much to his surprise, Gallus does not take the cup into his own hand. Instead, he opens his beak and places the rim of the cup between it, making it possible for Sandbar to give him a taste by tilting the container. With a giggle, Sandbar does exactly that, giving his friend a taste of the sweet beverage. The two continue talking and joking for a while, trying their best to leave behind what happened but a few things are a bit harder to let go. Still, they enjoy getting to spend time and laugh together, something they haven't done ever since that day. Completely invested in their conversation, neither of them notices that they are going the completely wrong way as they begin to move further and further away from their actual destination.
The town is quiet and most of the houses aren't lit anymore. Only the lanterns outside fill the streets and squares with a dim light, enough to see where one is going but not enough to rival the moon's shine or the stars' sparkle. Their talk, which started all the way back at Town Hall, begins to fall silent and the two just smile at each other and look around, seemingly trying to orientate themselves, which is not as easy as one would think after being in this town for almost half a year or, in Sandbar's case, most of his life. The darkness causes houses to look almost identical and the colorful roofs, often used to point out specific buildings, took on slightly different shades of gray and purple. Suddenly, Sandbar stops as he notices something in the distant, something he recognizes from that day that holds a special place in his heart. Gallus continues to go for a few steps, checking out the upcoming buildings from afar, before he hears the sound of something hitting the ground and, almost like a reflex, looks back at the pony, who dropped the empty cup and is just standing there with no way for the griffon to know why.
"What's wrong Sandy? Did you step on something?"
But the earth-pony just shakes his head and points with his hoof into the distance, seemingly aiming for something. This gesture does not answer the griffon's question but, after following the direction his friends shows him, he begins to understand the sudden surprise. He can see a big tree in the middle of an empty meadow, a big oak tree. He recognizes the place and the giant structure itself and, almost as if in trance, he begins to make his way towards it, followed by his pony-friend. The closer the two come, the more details they can make out. The whole tree looks a bit more naked than it did before, most likely because of the lack of sunshine that got even worse the last few days, but the rest looks exactly the same. After a bit of walking they reach the stone-bridge that leads over the same small creek and the good memories of that day return bit by bit, almost as if they are reliving it all over again. Their walk continues until they reach the spot they once covered with their blanket and all of their delicious food. The two look at the ground, the tree and, finally, at each other with smiles on their faces.
"We must have been going the wrong way the whole time", Gallus realizes and begins to joke and snicker about it but Sandbar does not respond to any of that.
Instead, he sits down in the grass and pats the place next to him with one of his hooves, signaling Gallus to join him. Not even thinking about rejecting that offer, the griffon-boy places his rump on the surprisingly soft grass and he continues to stare at the tree. A slight shiver runs through his body, starting from his backside all the to the tips of his wings and the longer feathers on his head, but after it goes by the feeling of comfort overcomes him, a feeling of safety and belonging here on this day at this moment. Sandbar spends a bit of time silently looking around until he focuses his eyes on the giant tree next to them, staring it up and down over and over again.
"Is it just me or does the tree look way bigger now?", Sandbar suddenly asks but, a bit confused by that question, Gallus can't come up with a real answer so he uses that opportunity for one of his jokes.
"Don't know. Why don't I fly up there like last time and I can tell you. Got anything to throw up there for me to find?"
This joke catches the pony by surprise but the thought of that moment amuses him as well and he begins to giggle a bit.
"So you can go and clean yourself again? Sorry but not right now. It was a good chance for me last time though."
"A chance? For what?", Gallus asks his friend but the way he looks at him already tells him what he needs to know, "Oh... yeah... Thanks again for that..."
Sandbar, who changed his glimpse from the gigantic plant to the male next to him, notices the sudden change in his friend's voice and he begins to worry a bit.
"Is something wrong? You suddenly seem... a bit glum. Did I say something wrong? Did something happen?"
The griffon answers the worried look and, after a bit of struggle, decides it's the time to come clean now.
"You know, I really loved the flower and I still do but...", Gallus tries to explain but he doesn't know how to start.
Luckily for him, Sandbar's guess hits the mark and lifts a bit of the burden from the griffon's shoulders.
"Does it have something to do with what you said back there?"
Upon hearing that, the griffon swallows something that felt like a big boulder which manifested in his throat the moment this topic came up, making breathing harder and harder, and, after taking a deep breath, he begins to talk from the moment it all started.
"Yeah... Remember when I told you about me losing control in my room?"
Sandbar nods.
"I did something... horrible back then. Something I couldn't forgive, something that wouldn't let go of me."
He feels a hoof on his shoulder, followed by the pony's gentle voice in his ears.
"If you want to talk about it... I'm here for you."
Without even answering the idea, Gallus begins to continue his explanation, going more into detail.
"I can't remember much of it or how I did it but... After I got myself back under control I noticed the pot was no longer where it used to be. Instead, it was on the floor, broken, and the Aurora's Kiss next to it. After finding something I could keep it in until I found a fitting pod, I learned that it wasn't damaged or anything like that and I was glad about it but... I still couldn't forget about it..."
Sandbar, who hasn't removed his hoof from his friend's body part, feels how it slightly tremors and, fearing for the impact it must have had on his friend, he tries to support him as best as possible.
"Gallus... It was an accident and plants are tough so it will be fine. And even if it was damaged, one can always replace them. Don't be so hard o-"
"NO!", the griffon-boy suddenly shouts as he grips the hoof on his shoulder and turns his head towards the pony it belongs to, "I know that the flower is fine and it will recover, I know that okay. It's not about that! Any other flower wouldn't have been half as bad, I could have replaced just like that but... it was not just any random flower! It was your flower! It was the flower YOU gave me after we spend that amazing day here! That flower reminds me of that! It means so much to me because... be...cause... you..."
Almost as if his brain caught up with his words, Gallus, with watery, glistering eyes, lets go of his friend and turns his head away. This topic must have really worked him up, causing him to act without thinking and, now that he realized what he said, he regrets it, knowing that it was a risky and strange topic to just babble about.
Sandbar, who still can't believe what just happened, hears the last few words echoing in his ears, repeating themselves over and over again and, even though he don't know it for sure, completes them. He can't even believe what he is thinking but that doesn't matter right now. The passion he felt in his friend's words and the way he talked about his present sparked his heart and send it into overcharge, not being able to contain the emotion he feels, the emotion that he wanted to keep hidden and locked away, the feeling he tried his hardest to choke just to protect their friendship. Gently he brushes the back of the griffon's head with the same hoof that stayed in contact with him the entire time and, upon gaining the griffon's attention and causing him to turn his head a bit his way, he uses the other hoof to turn it a bit more, enough to place his lips on the yellow beak. He closes his eyes and tries to feel how the other male reacts to it but, after feeling the pressure of a claw on the back of his head, waves of joy and excitement rush through his body as if it were a highway, and he loses himself in the sensation he longed for ever since realizing the meaning of those feelings.
Gallus, who is ashamed of the way he just screamed his real feelings into the face of the pony they are targeted at, is a bit confused when he feels something on the back of his head but that confusion is quickly replaced by panic as he feels soft lips being pressed against his beak and the picture of Sandbar's closed eyes right in front of him. Only seconds later, he begins to lose himself and, in the end, relinquishes the fight he already lost from day one, not that he even intended to fight in the first place. He has enough time to ask question after it ends, now he wants to enjoy himself.
Their lips stay connected for only eight seconds, seconds that go from feeling like minutes to hours to days until it matches the concept of infinity. Uncountable different thoughts, feelings and hormones fill the males' heads, ranging from happiness, to worry, to confusion and satisfaction, and occupy them, taking complete control over it. Slowly but surely, breathing gets harder and, to refill their lungs with oxygen, the two ultimately break the kiss, just staring into each other's slightly open eyes, taking in the blushing picture in front of them, softly breathing in and out through their nostrils as their closed mouth form a pleasant smile. Gallus is the first to turn his head away, followed by dropping his upper body onto the grass below, changing into a lying position. He focuses his eyes on the star-filled sky above, not really knowing what to say or if he really has to say anything at all. His mind is complete chaos. Sandbar, who watches the other creature, mimics his actions and ends up right next to him, also staring into the glittering firmament. They stay silent for a moment, unsure about where to go from here but, tired of staying silent, Sandbar decides to take the lead.
"You mean a lot to me, Gallus. More than any classmate ever did and way more than a friend possibly can... I can't explain it myself but who cares, right?. It just feels right... This felt right and this right here feels right. Hopefully, you feel the same."
He pauses for a moment, hoping for Gallus to give him a reaction or maybe even say a few words but the griffon stays silent, possibly overwhelmed by the whole situation, possibly confused or maybe even disturbed, even though Sandbar rules this possible explanation out immediately. The way he gave into the kiss and his lack of resistance exposed his enjoyment. Then again, a bit of doubt creeps up inside of the pony. After all, he has no idea how his friend deals and reacts to such things.
"And if not, I hope... you didn't min-", he tries to carefully cover that newfound area as well but the feeling of a claw gently, but at the same time tightly and with a clear hint of determination, grabbing his own hoof stops him. To get a better view of it, Sandbar slightly raises his upper-body, which also gives him a better angle to see the griffon's deeply red face, who notices his eyes almost immediately and, a bit embarrassed by his gesture, tries to avert them.
He's... surprisingly shy and timid. It's rare to see him like that... it's really cute.
Sandbar giggles, knowing that he must be looking equally colored, and lays back down before gently sliding closer until their bodies touch in several areas. The two males stay like that for a moment until Gallus' body, much to Sandbar's surprise, begins to shift a bit and, eventually, get up. To make it easier for his friend, he attempts to let go but the griffon keeps the hoof in his grasp, not giving any room to escape. As soon as he stands steadily on his three limbs, Gallus finally says the first words since their sign of deep affection.
"Sandy... Let's go back", he says with an obvious tremble in his voice.
"To the dance?", the pony, who also began to get up, asks but the feathered male shakes his head.
"To the dorms. Forget the Dance."
The choice of words may sound rude and mean to others but the stallion knows that there must be a reason behind that decision and, when he's completely honest with himself, Sandbar already thought the same thing. Getting ready for and returning to the Dance is not the way he wants to spend the rest of this night so, without even thinking about it, he nods and, within a few seconds, he stands next to Gallus in a similar fashion but with the opposite front limb on the ground, still using the other one to stay connected with the other male. Both of them turn their heads once more to take in the picture of the big plant behind them before going into the direction they expect the school to be, creating distance between themselves and the big oak tree in the process.
The way home is, compared to the walk before, awfully quiet and, with everything that just happened, a bit awkward. Once in a while Gallus turn his head to face the equine, ready to say something, but the moment their eyes meet he blushes and immediately turns away again, pretending to be completely focused on the path even though it was quite obvious that his eyes were still glued to the pony's face. Sandbar got a bit nervous and unsure about the griffon's behavior but he he figures that he just needs some time to really comprehend what just happened. The moment was pretty abrupt after all. The moment they reach the bridge that leads to the school, Gallus actually tries to form a real sentence but he stops right in the middle of it, resulting in a question with more than enough possible meanings.
"Hey... do you..."
Sandbar doesn't try to force it out, he appreciates his attempts of communicating. In silence, they finally reach the completely dark school building and, after walking around it and up the path, the only partly illuminated dorm building. Except for the main hall and the hallways, the building is absent of any light, making it look almost as abandoned as the school itself right now. The two enter the building and reach the point where their ways usually separate as Gallus goes up the stairs while Sandbar stays on this floor but, before this event occurs, Gallus decides to take it into his own claws and change that path.
"Sandy... Do you mind... staying in my room tonight?"
This question eases the pony's weak but still existing worries and, with an mental sigh of relief, the teal-maned male nods with a smile on his face, a smile the griffon copies, showing one for the first time since their kiss. Secretly, Sandbar knew that either he had to ask Gallus for staying over at his place or, much preferred, Gallus asking him to stay with him the night, giving them more time to talk and really define their current relationship. He was also very sure that, if he had to spend the night alone, he wouldn't get any shuteye at all or, in the best case scenario, two or three hours. Therefore, Gallus actually asking him was in many ways a blessing. The griffon leads the way, despite knowing that Sandbar knows his room's location, and, after opening the door, lets his pony-pal into his own four walls. A feeling of nervousness, which he never felt when entering this room, runs through Sandbar's body, causing his heartbeat to increase a bit, but the feeling of unease ceases when he sees a certain object on the other side of the room.
The Aurora's Kiss!
Without even paying attention to the rest of the room, he immediately closes the distance between himself and the plant and, after hesitating a bit, the griffon follows his classmate.
Is it just me or does it look a bit bigger since the last time I saw it? It looks good though! No cracks, no tears and no spots missing pallets but, is it just me or do the blossom look paler? And not only them but the leaves and stem as well...
While analyzing the plant, the object it sits in catches his attention. The former pot is gone and is now replaced by a dark-purple container, something he saw before.
"Is... that one of Miss Pinkie Pie's pots?"
"One of the smaller soup pots she couldn't use anymore. She made a few holes in it and gave it to me. Its better than nothing", the male answers the question.
Sandbar takes a closer look at the pot before returning his attention to the flower itself , smelling it and carefully touching it with his nose and hoof.
"I'll go get some water. Be right back", Gallus announces before he grabs the closest empty bottle and leaves the room, closing the door in the process.
Waiting for the griffon to return, Sandbar tries to kill some time by taking a look around the room. He notices a few torn papers in the bin next to the desk not far from his position, and a book, which is in a very bad condition. The picture of Gallus freaking out pops into his mind but, as soon as it completely formed, Sandbar forces it to disappear again by shaking his head, not wanting to think about it because he is ready to leave it in the past. He lets his attention drift through the room, looking out for anything interesting and, after a bit of scanning, he actually notices something on the bed. Before he can even attempt to get closer, Gallus returns. Upon hearing the door opening, Sandbar flinches a bit and, a bit embarrassed by almost getting caught snooping around, he quickly refocuses on the flower and pretends like nothing happened.
"I'm back with some water", the griffon announces and comes closer, ready to give it to his floral possession, but before he can even do it, the pony next to him indirectly interferes.
"Thanks, I could use some right now"
With those words Sandbar takes the bottle out of Gallus' claw and, in one session, chugs half of it's content before taking a break to exhale louder than usual, something one does sometimes when drinking something refreshing.
"Glad you liked it", the blue-yellow feathered male says accompanied by a snicker, "Drink up, I'll just get some more for the plant."
Now knowing that the water was never meant for him, the stallion titters with a clear hint of embarrassment and carefully pours the rest of the water onto the petals and leaves, which ultimately ends up on the soil, slowly sinking into it.
"No, no, no! Sorry, I hope that's enough for you", he apologizes to the little flower before leaving it alone and concentrating on the other creature in the room, who, in the time it took Sandbar to water the plant, moved to the bed and picked something up. The pony watches as his friend carries the thing he saw earlier to the closet and carefully places it there.
My jacket...
Upon noticing the pony looking at him, he closes the closet again and scratches the back of his head.
"Just put something away I thought about wearing tonight but that's not necessary anymore."
That's... so sweet of him...
He then returns to the bed and sits on it, patting the spot next to him, almost mimicking Sandbar back at the tree.
A bit hesitant, the pony shows him a smile and takes the place, sitting down next to the other male. They remain silent for a few seconds until Gallus, surprisingly, takes the lead.
"Did... Did you mean it? What you said back at the tree?", the griffon asks in an unusual shy manner but strangely matching his behavior ever since the incident.
Without even thinking about it, Sandbar nods as he answers the question.
"Every single word... What about you? Do you... you know."
He turns his head and meets the griffon's blue eyes, which, after a few seconds of staring, dodge his own as a reddish hue surrounds them. Awaiting words from the beak in front of him, Sandbar is caught off-guard when he feels how one of the dark blue wings covers his shoulder and pulls him closer. Taking this as the answer he asked for, the stallion closes his eyes and begins to gently rub his neck against the griffon's fluffy neck. Gallus uses this chance to plant a kiss on the pony's mane-covered head and catch him in an embrace, never wanting to let his new mate go. Both of them know that their current relationship has officially changed from just friends to mates, bringing new chances but also new challenges they will need to overcome but they are certain that they will manage that as long as they have each other.
"Sandy?", the griffon mumbles, "What will we tell the others?"
"I'll think of an excuse for why we couldn't make it back to the Dance. Don't you worry about that now."
"Not that", Gallus answers with a little chuckle, "Us... this.
To emphasis what he means, he tightens his hold for a brief moment.
"Oh... Well, we could tell them what happened or we could tell them nothing... at least not yet", the pony suggests, leaving the choice to the griffon who thinks for moment.
"This is... so new for me... Maybe it's better to just keep it between the two of us, at least for now. What do you think?"
The stallion looks up to the griffon's face and smiles, showing his approval. Upon noticing the smile, Gallus smiles back and they come together in another kiss, shorter but by no means less passionate and impactful.
They stay like this for moment before the excitement of the entire day, from the strenuous morning to the tumultuous afternoon to the overwhelming evening, catch up to them and begins to pull them into a deep slumber. Before completely succumbing to it, the two males change their position from on top of the blanket to under it. Now knowing that all the problems they had to go through were worth the trouble in the end, the two fall asleep, still staying connected through the griffon's claws holding the pony in front of him close to his chest. The sound of their heartbeats create a calming rhythm that helps them find the rest they need.