The Canterlot Art Museum had wide steps outside its entrance. Wide enough for ponies to mull around without blocking foot traffic. Sandstone moved with purpose past a filly drawing with sidewalk chalk. Then he stepped gingerly past a tourist Pegasus frowning at her train ticket. Finally, he caught up to Sapphire near the sidewalk. His marefriend was wistfully watching an old unicorn toss crumbs to pecking pigeons.
“The Crystal Empire never had any birds,” she explained. “Except penguins of course. My neighbor Opal Bloom liked to sneak outside the biodome and try to catch one so she could have a pet. She was never quick enough. Boy oh boy, Opal would flip her lid if she could see the way wild Canterlot pigeons eat right out of a pony’s outstretched hoof.”
Sandstone didn't have any avian-related foalhood stories of his own. Except maybe one about owls, but it wasn't a fun memory. He stood idly by, trying to think of something to say. A voice nearby piped up instead.
"Pardon my eavesdropping, but pigeons aren't the only birds out here looking for crumbs."
Plates. That was what Sandstone first noticed about the creature who'd just spoken. He didn't recognize its species, but the thing's front limbs (the ones with claws) gripped four well-worn dowel rods between their digits. And at the end of each rod was a spinning, colorful plate.
"Oh wow, Sandstone! A street performer!"
The hybrid clicked its beak invitingly and flared two densely feathered wings. The dowel rods tumbled to the ground and the plates went from a spinning pattern to a juggling one. By now, Sapphire's rump was on the sidewalk, freeing her forehooves so she could tap them together in foalish applause. Sandstone himself was transfixed by the mishmashed creature's movements. Colors flashed from those rapidly tossed and re-tossed plates. Red, black, blue, green, repeat. The creature was audibly panting from effort, and so the routine ended with a final flourish: The plates dropped into a neat stack near the sticks.
A curtsy from the exhausted performer. A celebratory whistle from Sapphire. Sandstone realized that even he was nodding with approval.
"Whew! Very kind of you both to gimme undivided attention. Though if this were Griffonstone, your pockets would've certainly been picked clean before my distracting act was over."
Sandstone's hoof went reflexively to the coinpurse in his windbreaker pocket. The creature, which he now guessed was a griffon, laughed heartily.
"At ease, Pone Bunyan. I don't steal Bits. Still, if you wanted to toss me a few, they'd be the first ones I earned today."
How was a beak able to smile like that? It wasn't natural. It wasn't like how Sapphire did it. Speaking of whom, she was currently nose deep in her purse.
"I got some Bits! Not a lot, since Sandstone and I have been around town all afternoon, but yeah! You've earned some for sure!" She pinched a few between her teeth and flicked them into the air. The griffon's quick claws made sure no coin hit the ground, earning another impressed whinny from Sapphire.
"You're generous as you are shiny, miss. I'm guessin' you both are tourists?"
"Immigrants," Sandstone corrected. He winced at his unintended harshness. The griffon didn't.
"Cheers to that, ya lovely odd couple. I'm a vagrant griff myself, so the guess was probably just projection on my part."
"Aw, it’s okay." Sapphire's signature smile was back in full force. "And you were kinda-sorta half right. About Sandstone at least. He's newer to town than I am, so we're spending the day sightseeing."
"Sapphire!" Sandstone's rebuke was half embarrassment, half caution. This griffon was a stranger. He hadn't even introduced himself to them.
As if reading Sandstone's mind, the griffon tutted in repentance. "I go by Gabriel. Old world name, I know. But it's the one I was given, so I stick to it. And apologies 'bout being overly friendly. You two're just the first to cough up any charity pay since I set up in this stingy town. So much for rich folk having Bits to spare, eh?"
Sandstone finally pinpointed something about the griffon that made him uneasy. Out of politeness, he chose to not comment and wordlessly pulled his own hoofful of coins.
"Whew. I won't say no to pity pay," Gabriel joked. He accepted the peace offering with a silent swipe of the wing. "Day's winding down, anyhoo. So where've you two been? And where're you going next? Oh fiddlesticks. I'm being friendly again."
"It’s fine," Sandstone assured through tight teeth. "We ate and took a tour. No real itinerary for the day. Just taking the interesting sights as they come." The nomadic griffon nodded approvingly.
"Oh hey, speaking of eating!" Sapphire was bouncing again. "Maybe Gabriel can settle that debate we were having at lunch."
Sandstone blinked, his memory blank.
"Gabe, what do griffons eat? Stuff that looks like you or stuff that doesn't?"
Oh for Faust's sake, how come today's only uniting theme was Sapphire's food fascination? At least Gabriel didn't look offended. In fact, he tapped his beak thoughtfully before supplying answer.
"I'm not a picky eater m'self. Field mice are plentiful between towns. Fruit too, if I look hard enough for it. And anything cheap in the markets I see. Quite flatterin' to know talk of muh humble race came up between a pair of Canterlot fancypantses."
Sandstone reeled from being called 'fancy' for the first time in his life. Sapphire, in better composure, was the one who answered.
"The context is kind of an embarrassing story, but what happened was I'd just ordered... um... oh hey! Sandstone! You mentioned at lunch you'd never actually met a Griffon before!"
"Did he now?" Gabriel smoothed his facial feathers to look more presentable. "That explains all his staring. Hope that -heh heh- hope that I've made a good first impression."
Internally, Sandstone cursed his floundering stoicism. Outwardly, he opted to play dumb. "I've been staring?"
"Like a cornered field mouse from the moment you saw me. Didn't wanna press it, since I was holding out hope the little lady would toss some wages my way." Sapphire blushed. "But hey, now that she has..." a flick of Gabriel's talons presented of his newly earned coins. "Penny for your thoughts, friendo? What is it about my macho physique that has you forgettin' your blink reflex?"
Sapphire pursed her lips, looking between the cocky griffon and her reticent coltfriend. The mood wasn't uncomfortable, but it was certainly expectant.
Sandstone's tail swished once, twice, and then held steady. "You're an owl," he said simply.
That much was true; Gabriel had the face, wings, and forelimbs of a common Equestrian strix. His eyes were bigger than the Saddle Arabian desert breed, which Sandstone was far too familiar with. And the facial feathers framing them weren't as drab. But those features were still familiar enough to bring up certain memories.
"Ooh, an owl. I didn't even notice." Sapphire was musing aloud, as she tended to. "Bet I would've noticed if Opal Bloom were here. Oh wow, I wonder if there are penguin griffons out there too."
Gabriel's oversized eyes surveyed Sandstone. If the Saddle Arabian were more comfortable, he'd have shrugged playfully. He wasn't comfortable.
"You don't like owls, do ya Big Stuff?"
Sandstone flushed with cold. Not from the question, nor from the setting sun behind his back. But because Sapphire's smile disappeared the moment she realized something was up.
"Sandstone? Babydoll? Are you okay?"
"I'm... fine. It's fine. It'd be a long story."
Gabriel clicked his beak in bemusement. "Well now you have to come clean. Give this ramblin' griff a memorable yarn to fly off with." His oversized eyes swiveled to Sapphire now. "Your lady looks ready to faint with worry. Can't you open up for her sake?"
Damn it all. Sandstone could count on one hoof the things he wouldn't do 'for her sake.' He was obligated now.
"My m- ahem!" Sandstone shut his eyes and forced himself to keep talking. "My mom hammered it into my head when I was little: rattlesnakes are dangerous. Rattlesnakes are the worst. The number one thing that can end a foal's life in the desert is a rattlesnake." Words were pouring out like he was a broken hourglass. "So I always watched where I stepped in the sands. Gave every rattler I saw a wide berth, and I saw plenty of them. Then one time, when I was maybe four or five, I saw an owl kill and eat one. Kill a rattlesnake! Like it was nothing! So after that and until I was teen who'd grown out of it, I wasn't so scared anymore of snakes. But did have... because of that... I had this pointlessly intense fear of owls."
Sandstone's eyes were still shut tight, and his tail was swishing again. Then he heard Gabriel burst out laughing. Sapphire joined in, and Sandstone regarded them both, scowling impotently. Gabriel was the first to catch his breath.
"What a roundabout compliment. I'll certainly take it, though. There I was spinning plates on sticks, scaring the living daylights out of a horse twice my size."
"I wasn't scared," Sandstone grunted defensively. "It was just a strong memory is all." He felt a nudge and saw Sapphire leaning against him again.
"Thanks for sharing," she reassured. "I'm sorry we laughed."
Sandstone sighed in exasperation. Gabriel meanwhile was picking up his street performance props.
"Whew! What a wild note to kick off my evening flight. Don't expect anything in this town to top that story, so I'd best be moving on."
"Really? So early in the day?" Sapphire looked around, finally realizing that the street was empty and the sun had set. "Huh. Scratch that last comment, I guess."
"You two are adorable. I can report that much." A few flaps got Gabriel airborne and he jokingly patted his new friends' heads. Sapphire giggled when Sandstone involuntarily flinched.
“I'm off to wherever it is I'm called to," Gabriel announced. He rubbed his hands together, since a few stray mane hairs were stuck to the talons. "Thanks for gifting something to carry with me, lovebirds."
Sandstone nodded curtly. Over the years, he'd gotten comfortable meeting creatures once and then never again. Still, Sapphire looked sad to see this new friend go. Perhaps a stronger goodbye was warranted.
"It was pleasant to meet you, Gabriel."
"D'aww, I appreciate the lie. I really do. But do try to look inwards for some peace and calm, my little pony. I can tell you firsthoof it is no fun to see the world through jaded eyes.”
With a few more flaps, the griffon was gone. Sandstone and Sapphire were alone, staring upwards from the quiet street.
"The stars are pretty today," Sapphire observed.
Sandstone stood reticent. He wanted to look down, to see whether Sapphire was still smiling, but he disciplined himself. He continued stargazing.
Gabriel had left, but his parting advice stayed in Sandstone's mind. Pulling his marefriend close, the Saddle Arabian immigrant took in the skyline of Canterlot. His attention settled on a public terrace far up the cliffside.
"You up for a hike, Saph? I want to make one more stop today."