How to Teach a Griffon
The morning sun slowly rises and waves the moon goodbye as the first students awake. One of them is Sandbar. The young pony fell asleep on his chair while he was captured in his own thoughts. He lifts his head from the wooden surface and peels a few index cards, that got stuck on his face, off his coat.
"I slept so bad...", he criticizes his not-so-goodnight rest as he gets off his chair to prepare himself for breakfast.
He pays a visit to the male's bathroom and brushes his teeth, combs his mane and washes his face with cold water to wake himself up. Much to his surprise is the room completely empty! Usually at least two other students would be here this early but, since there are no more classes, there is no reason to get up early but Sandbar really likes the breakfast they serve in the cafeteria. Thinking about it makes him stomach rumble in anticipation.
"Alright, time to get something in my stomach."
After checking his reflection one last time he leaves the bathroom and grabs his little sack full of bits. But before hanging it around his neck he peeks into it to see how much money he has left in it.
"12 Bits... More than I thought! Rad! I'm sure this will last until the exams."
With a big grin he hangs the sack around his neck before leaving his room. After a short walk downstairs Sandbar leaves the big building serving as his dorm and makes his way to the school building, where the cafeteria is located. On his way he meets a few other students and among them is Silverstream, who greets him with a big smile and a warm hug.
"Hey! Good Morning Sandbar. I loooove what you did to your mane!"
The, still slightly tired, pony yawns and greets her back, "It looks like it always look."
He blows a small amount of air through his mane, which slightly raises and then falls flat again.
"And you look like you have all the energy in the world... as usual."
They continue their way to the, except for a few other students, empty cafeteria. They each take a tray and grab something they want to eat. Sandbar chooses a salad, a hayburger and a pile of seven cookies while Silverstream decides that she needs something sweet too.
"Uhhh!", the female shrieks as she notices a plate with colorful cupcakes, "I love Cupcakes! Gimme Gimme!"
As quick as a thief in the night she picks a pink-frosted and a chocolate-covered cupcake with sprinkles. They each pay their food and look for an empty table to sit at, which does not take them very long. A few minutes pass by in silence as they both enjoy their food. Sandbar offers to fetch them both a cup of apple juice and after his return he and his friend propose a toast for such a delicious breakfast.
"Have you seen the others?", he asks but Silverstream only knows that Smolder said she wanted to sleep longer today and Ocellus wasn't feeling hungry when she visited her. But she doesn't know where Gallus or Yona are.
"What about Gallus?", she then asks but Sandbar doesn't really know how to answer that.
I can't tell her about our huge fight... But maybe she can help me... And maybe talking about it will help me calm down a bit...
"We", he begins his answer but pauses after that, still figuring out which path he wants to go from there.
"You two?", she repeats, interested in an answer.
"We had an... exhausting day yesterday. I guess he wants to rest."
He decided to not tell her anything but something in the back of his mind tells screams for him to tell her about their conflict.
This isn't her problem... It's mine...
"Oh! You must have studied very hard. I knew you two would get a long well! Called it!"
She really can't be any further from reality. We don't get along at all! There is no way repeating everything will help, Sandbar thinks after hearing his classmate's cheerful version and his worries leave their marks on his expression.
Of course Silverstream notices that too and puts a bit more pressure on the young stallion.
"What's wrong? Tell me! Talking about it will help you."
The pressure becomes to much to handle and, with a sigh of defeat, he begins to tell the entire story: Their attempts to study, their failures and their heated argument with each other.
And, after finish his recap, he sees an expression he never saw before on the hippogriff's face: It wasn't just normal sadness, it was advanced sadness!
"Oh no! Friends shouldn't fight like that, they should be nice to each other and be happy to have each others company. But you two really fell apart! You have to do something!"
But apologizing is no option for the pony. It wasn't his fault after all! He only stood his ground after his friend not only insulted him but his entire race! But he also knows that there is no way that they can keep going like that. He has to find a way to make peace and to show him that generosity isn't just for weaklings! But... how?
"I know", he says, his voice shaking uncontrollably, as his ears slowly lower themselves, "but I don't know how? I tried my best to study and explain it to him. I mean, it works for me but it's like he doesn't even listen or ignores everything I say. Unless it makes him angry of course", he grumbles after saying that but quickly catches himself again and goes on, "so I don't really know what else to try."
"Well", the hippogriff begins to think back to their own study session, "Smolder also had her problems with reading the books and understanding them so we showed her a documentary and it worked! She learns much better with visual input than with books. Maybe Gallus also has his own way of learning?"
She could be onto something..., Sandbar realizes and tries to remember what Gallus best subjects are.
"He has the best grades in P.E. in the entire class and he is also pretty good with Miss Applejack's lesson about how to grow plants. Maybe he learns things by doing them instead of reading and talking about them!"
This must be it!
The stallion finally realizes how he can help his friend but, after thinking about it a bit more, he begins to doubt his own words.
"But if he learns by doing the task... why is he so bad at sewing?"
"Maybe he never really tried it?", Silverstream asks.
This one question causes Sandbar to notice it. He and Gallus were sitting next to each other the entire year and he never really saw him using the sewing machine or working with the fabric Miss Rarity gave them. He always gave up or didn't even started.
"Of course! You're right! That's why he has so much problem with Miss Rarity's class. He can't learn by listening and working with fabrics frustrates him. Now I know how I can help him! But first I have to make up with him but how? How do I talk to a griffon who, most likely, hates me right now?"
"Apologize to him would be the best thing to do", the hippogriff suggests but the pale lime-green male isn't sure if an apology is enough.
Gallus can be really resentful if something or someone bothered or annoyed him enough. And it wasn't my fault anyway so why should I give in? But... I guess I have to make the first step or we will never get anywhere...
Sandbar, who is focusing his cookies, thinks about his friend's idea and, after realizing that there is no other way, he agrees.
"I will apologize to him but first I need to learn more about griffons so I can understand Gallus better. Or do you know something about them that I don't know?"
They spend a few minutes comparing their knowledge on griffons and brainstorming ideas how to follow up Sandbar's excuse. After collecting the ideas they look at them to see how they would work out but not even one of them passes this test. They never dealt with griffons before but they heard from other ponies that they can be very stubborn and grumpy when things don't go their way. Their ways of handling situations are totally different than the way ponies solve their problems. But there's got to be somepony who knows how to connect with them.
"Who do we know who is befriended with a griffon?", Silverstream thinks loudly to herself but this question sparks a light bulb in Sandbar's mind.
"Wait! That's it! Someone, or should I say somepony, who has a griffon as her friend. Someone who is always very loyal and brave!"
His face begins to glow with joy from one ear to the other as she gives one hint after the other.
"Ohhhhh!", the hippogriff yells.
She finally took the hint and realized who he can talk to.
"Miss Fluttershy!"
Or she ignored them and just said what she thinks is correct. With a loud smack the pale-yellow hooves make impact with the stallion's face before slowly sliding down and taking their place next to the almost empty plate.
"No", Sandbar explains, "Miss Fluttershy is good with animals but I'm sure she wouldn't enjoy the temper of the griffons. I meant Miss Rainbow Dash! She told us about her friend Gilda, remember? Do you remember the story about how they fell apart as friends and how they worked things out? I'm sure she can help me with my problem!"
He gulps down the last drops of juice, puts the remaining two cookies in his back for later, returns his tray to Mrs. Frosting, one of the lunch mares, and makes his attempt to leave the food-area of the school.
"She's on the second floor, first door on the right after the Tree of Harmony-sculpture!"
He stays in place, a few meters away from the exit, and thanks his friend sarcastically, but not in a mocking or insulting way.
"I know Silverstream but I appreciate your help."
He makes a few steps towards his desired door but again the hippogriff puts a stop to his actions. She turns herself around so she can look directly at his tail and hindlegs .
"But my right! Not your Right. Mine!!!", she shouts way louder than she really needs to.
He isn't that far away. Sandbar looks at her with confusion written on his face and with slightly narrowed eyes.
"We have the same right, Silverstream! I was there before so I'm sure that I'll find it. Talk to you later!"
He rushes out of the cafeteria and heads for the nearest stairs he can find to get to the 2nd floor. It takes him a bit to find the magnificent piece of art but he eventually finds it and heads for the first door on the right, just like he remembers and Silverstream described it.
He knocks on the door but it takes a while before something happens.
"Come in!", the well-known voice, which belongs to one of his teachers, calls out to him.
Sandbar opens the purple door, which is made entirely out of wood, and steps into an unknown room. It's her office but he has never been there before. He heard about it from other students, who had to go there after causing trouble in or outside of class, and he remembers that Miss Rainbow Dash told them where her office is a few times during her lessons but he never saw it for himself.
It's... pretty underwhelming.
The one object that gains all of his attention is the big, crystal-made desk and a few pictures on the walls showing Rainbow Dash and the rest of his teachers defeating Tirek, a group photo of the entire Wonderbolts-Team and other adventures she went on with her friends.
The Pegasus with the rainbow-colored mane is sitting at her desk with a few papers in front of her. Every teacher is in a lot of stress creating the exam and letting it get permitted by Principal Twilight Sparkle. But Rainbow Dash does not look like she is very busy.She sits in her chair with a "Making School 20% Cooler"-cup filled with presumably apple juice on her desk next to the papers and watches Sandbar, who closes the door and takes the seat on the other side of the desk. The pegasus-mare takes a sip from her cup, puts it back down on the coaster and asks him what brings him here.
"It's about a friend of mine and me. We were studying together Generosity because he really has a lot of trouble with it but we ran into some... difficulties."
While he explained the situation she took another sip and now she's looking at him a little bit confused.
"I teach P.E. and Loyalty, you do know that right? I'm not Rarity. I can inform her that you will come to her next but the way would be the same. I would be there and back before you even had the chance to leave this room but she should be available", the light-blue wonderbolt informs her student about what she could do for him but she lowers his voice for the last part, "unless she's getting a massage or a hooficure."
"No no, there is no problem with the subject or our notes. I just don't know how to handle... someone like him..."
The room turns silent but he seems to caught her attention with those additional information.
She leans forward a little bit and asks, "What exactly do you mean?"
"He", the male begins but stops for a few second to rethink what he wants to say now.
He can't make it sound like he has a problem with WHAT he is, instead he has to make clear that he wants to UNDERSTAND him and help him.
"I'm talking about Gallus. He is the blue griffon and I know that he can be really kind but somehow he wants nothing to do with Generosity. He doesn't even make any attempt to understand what I'm trying to teach him. I want to understand his side and respect it but I also want to help him pass the exam and to achieve that he has to learn how it works and what it's positive effects are!"
His head feels like it just released all his worry at once. Not even his chat with Silverstream made his mind so empty and his chest feel like it's under unbearable pressure. The mare across the table lifts up and lands next to him, keeping her eyes locked on him.
"Griffons, huh? I know what you mean kid. They seem grumpy and greedy on the first look... and the second and third...", Rainbow begins to lose focus and ramble on and on but luckily Sandbar notices that too.
"Miss Rainbow Dash... what are you trying to tell me?"
"Wha... oh sorry", she excuses herself as her hood scratches the back of her head, making it difficult to separate the colours on her head, "I was a little bit too much in my past. Anyway, they may seem to be all that but once you know how to deal with them you'll find a way to teach them everything they need to know about friendship and that includes Generosity too. Gilda, an old friend of mine, was like that too but after she realized how important other people are to her she started to open up and bond with other griffons."
"So", Sandbar asks after taking in the entire lecture and making his own explanation, "I just need to find something that is important to him, use that to connect with him and teach him what I want to teach him?"
His teacher nods but he still doesn't know what that special thing could be. It could be anything and nothing because Gallus almost never talks about himself, except he wants to gloat about how great he is at sports and such stuff.
"Something else?", Rainbow Dash asks her student, who's face shows another kind of worry now without even him noticing it himself.
"I can't think of anything that he could care about so much that I could use it to connect with him", he admits with a hanging head.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash comes closer to his ears as her rough but also comforting voice tells him something he never imagined to ever hear.
"Twilight isn't a big fan of generalization but I made the experience the thing most precious to griffons is their pride and their money. In Griffinstone money rules and having pride is one of their most important traits."
He was very upset when I told him that lending money was an important part of being generous and when I stated that he would be dependent on me he was furious. Maybe she's onto something there..., the stallion thinks as he thanks his teacher.
But before he leaves the room he decides to ask the one question that he kept hidden in his mind for their entire encounter.
"I heard that you hate sitting still and doing nothing or boring stuff but how do you manage to be a teacher then? Isn't sitting in an office and doing boring stuff a huge part of your job?"
The Pegasus looks at him and a big grin appears on her face.
"Easy. Before and after school I'm flying around Ponyville as fast as I can and during the few minutes between my sessions I'm trying to beat my record at flying to Canterlot and back."
"What is your record?", the now very curious pony asks and with a loud laugh she reveals her best time.
"32.8 seconds."
His pupils grow bigger and his jaw drops, leaving his mouth gaping open.
"That's... that's...", he stutters but Rainbow Dash already knows what he was to say.
"I know. I'm awesome! And now go and help your friend."
Sandbar nods and runs his way down the stairs. He has to try it! A teacher like Miss Rainbow Dash can't be wrong. Impossible!
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I'm really excited to see where this story goes, keep up the good work ^^.
8890123
Thank you very much :) I'll try my best. The summaries of the chapters are done so I think I know how this story will go. Hope I don't disappoint anyone ^^
I honestly didn't saw him doing anything like that.
I thought he never did anything in the class at all.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, maybe it's because I don't want to feed her ego, but somehow I think calling her the expert here isn't completely right, but she knows the most I suppose.
well I had nothing to add here.