Studying (with) You

by PonyPlays2014

Having Fun > Studying

Author's Note:

ATTENTION!
The following two chapters will be longer but they are the only longer one for now.

I want to describe at least one of Gallus and Sandbar's meetings a little more because I want to show how they can go if they aren't fighting and/or screaming at each other.
Also: This date will play a key-element in the story so, yeah....

I hope you'll enjoy it!

Before the two bodies make contact the griffon rises to the sky and flies a big curve before landing right next to Sandbar, who covers his eyes for the entire duration. Still waiting for the, at least in his eyes, inevitable crash but he wonders why it takes so long. Suddenly he feels something touching his shoulder, causing him to tense up.

"You okay? That was really close", Gallus asks his buddy, who finally opens his eyes.

He looks to his side and sees the blue griffon with the blanket around his neck and a smirk on his face.

"What? How did you react so fast?"

"Because I'm super cool and the most awesome dude you know", Gallus gloats and winks at his pony friend.
But he only rolls his eye and smiles back. Now he turns his attention to the blanket and thanks him for getting it but Gallus is more interested in the brown basket on the stallion's back.

"Yes! Food! What did you get?", he asks but now it's Sandbar's turn to tease his friend a little bit.

"You'll see later but now we should get going."

The pony begins his journey across the stone bridge leading away from the school but Gallus has a better idea how to reach their destination. He lifts himself off the ground and dashes in front of Sandbar, stopping him in his way.

"Open your mouth", he orders but his pony friend seems very confused.

"W..w...what did you say?", he stutters, not understand what the blue male wants from him.

"Come on. Open your mouth and close your eyes."

He understood him correctly the first time and now hearing it again startles him even more. He sets his ears back and begins to blush slightly.

Is... is he being serious? This has to be some sort of joke or prank, right?

He studies the face of his feathered friend to find anything that proves that he is just joking but the only thing he notices his how serious the griffon's expression actually is.

Wha...he...wha..., Sandbar's mind begins to malfunction and shuts itself down, leaving him with nothing else but his gut feeling.

And his gut tells him to do what his friend asked for, so he commits. But what he read into it and what actually happens are two entirely different worlds. He feels the weight from his back fading away and shortly afterwards a solid object gets stuffed into his mouth. He opens his eyes abruptly, realizing that the thing in his mouth is the basket's handle.

"Hold on to it tight!", the griffon orders again as he becomes airborne again, puts his claws around the stallions chest and holding it tight.

Sandbar feels the feather-covered body of his friend pressing against his own, increasing the reddish shade his cheeks became.

"Ready?", Gallus asks while observing the male underneath him, who nods while trying his best to hide his face.

W...W...What! Why do I feel so... weak? Why can I hear my heart beating or... is that his heart... I remember this... feeling...

Sandbar closes his eyes and tries his best to remember when he felt like that.

The first day of school when I bumped into him... When he tried to distract the real Timberwolves on Nightmare Night... The days we prepared our presentation for Miss Fluttershy's class... And sometimes when we run into each other by accident... What is that FeEEEEEK!"

His eyes open wide as he feels something moving. The griffon's body comes even closer and the pony feels the griffon's heat and his muscles tensing up to lift him off the ground. But before gaining a feet of height Gallus feels the other males body shake.

He's an Earth Pony. Flying must be scary for him... I remember that it was pure horror for me the first time my mom told me to try it..., he tries to explain the stallion's reaction and, to make his friend feel more safe, he offers him to hold on to his arms.

Sandbar, who was starring at the floor which slowly begins to zoom out, turns his eyes upwards and sees the face of Gallus focused on him. He smiles and nods, placing his hooves on the griffin's claw and holding it in place.

"Thanks Gallus", he says and his friend smiles and winks again before concentrating on gaining more height.

The beat of his heart increases and his feels his cheek heating up more and more.

No matter what this feeling is... it feels... nice

The school underneath them becomes smaller and the clouds get closer and closer but 40 feet seem enough for Gallus so he keeps that height. The two males soar through the sky and Sandbar is busy taking in the view.

So that's how flying feels like... It's amazing! Everything looks so small and I feel so... big and powerful looking down at all those building. No way... is that? Yes! It is!

"Look!", the stallion suddenly shouts as he releases the hold and points his hooves on different buildings and places, "there is Miss Twilight's castle! And there is Sweet Apple Acres! And Sugarcube Corner!"

Gallus, who never really visited Ponyville since he came to the School of Friendship, is fascinated by the ponies wisdom and he enjoys learning about those new places. He moves his eyes from the left to the right, registering more and more things his friend tells him about.

"We're here! Go down Gallus!", Sandbar yells as he points his hoof at a area containing many colorful booths in varying sizes and a big fountain.

They descend carefully and, before touching the ground himself, Gallus releases the pony, who lands on his, still slightly shaking hooves.

"Are you okay?", the griffon asks as he watches his friend, who tries his best not to tumble, "You'll get used to it, you'll see."

Sandbar, who finally feels safe on his hooves again, places the basket on the ground right in front of him and smiles at him but his inner voice doubts those words.

I hope so...

They landed right next to the big fountain, which marks the center of the market area. After making sure both of them are ready to go, they decide to search for a nice place for their picnic. It has to be a quiet place but also not boring so something interesting to look at should be near it.

"There's a brook nearby. I was there with my best friends from school when I was a colt and we always had a great time. Sounds good?", Sandbar suggests and Gallus likes this idea a lot.

"Sounds like a good place for a picnic", he agrees and, to tease his friend a little bit he gives his tutor a special name, "Mister Bar."

No... everything but Mister Bar! What kind of name is that?, the stallion criticizes the new name and asks his student kindly for a better one.

"Let's make a deal. I will think of a better name and you'll take us to the place you mentioned."

They both agree to this deal and the Earth-pony takes the lead.

They make their way across the market and Sandbar notices a few booths selling all sorts of things. Some of them sell vegetables and fruits while others sell water or juice. One booth sells hundreds of different kinds of exotic plants and each of them looks unlike anything he has ever seen before.

I love the market... There is always something going on here! And everypony has a great time I think Gallus likes it too...

He watches Gallus, who is still walking behind him, and notices that he also investigates the booths they pass by. He even stops for a moment to take a closer look at a strange flower with dark-red petals and a very dark peduncle.

"That flower is called 'Aurora's kiss' and it helps people to relax and find things that make them happy. It feeds on the happy feelings and thoughts of those around them and, when it collected enough happy energy or feels an immense amount of happiness, it shows it's full beauty. A very rare but, at the same time, very powerful flower", the mare, who runs the booth, explains to him.

Sandbar comes back and also takes a closer look at the flower.

"It looks very pretty", he admits, "and I like that name. Aurora's Kiss sounds like something from a filly's tale."

"It's gorgeous...", the male griffon mumbles as he stares at one of the seven remaining flowers in front of him.

Wow... I've never seen Gallus so enchanted by something so simple...

"Only six Bits for one flower. A pretty good deal for a pretty flower, as I like to put it", the mare tries to assist her possible customers but her own joke causes her to giggle.

"Are you interested? I have a few more so don't worry, this isn't my last one."

But, despite his obvious signs of interest, Gallus rejects this idea completely and leaves the booth to take a look at a different one he noticed before. Sandbar watches his buddy leave and, after turning his attention back towards the flower, he sighs.

Gallus has never been the kind of guy who spends his money on things expect when they are really necessary and he really needs them. Miss Rainbow Dash mentioned that griffons hate the idea of wasting money but is it really wasting it if you spend it on something you want or enjoy?

"Looks like your friend changed his mind", the salesmare comments on the griffon's actions but Sandbar knows that she's wrong.

"Not really", he explains after sighing again, "He always does that. He wants something but gives it up to safe money... It's a good thing he tries to save as much money as he can but sometimes it wouldn't hurt to use it for his own good."

He observes his friend, who is still investigating the other booth but the mare's voice catches his attention.

"If he changes his mind let him know that I'll be here the entire day until sunset and then I'm off to the Crystal Empire."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"My name is Fauna. It's nice to meet two nice guys like you."

"My name is Sandbar", the stallion introduces himself and, while pointing his his hoof in the blue male's direction, he introduces him as well, "and the miser over there is my good friend Gallus."

They both share a hearty laugh but Sandbar notices someone towards them.

"I'd love to talk more but I think Gallus wants to go."

The two ponies look at the griffon, who stops right next to his pony-friend.

"Can we go?", he asks and Sandbar winks at Flora while forming the words 'Told you' with his mouth.

"Alright, alright", Sandbar gives into his friends request and the two males leave the booth.

"Have fun boys!", shouts the salesmare.

"Good luck with your flowers", he shouts back and waves at her but, after noticing that Gallus increases his speed, he stops waving and follows him.

He quickly catches up to him and, out of nowhere, the griffon slows down again and walks behind Sandbar, who leads him to their destination.

They cross a stone-bridge that leads across the brook and onto a grassy area, which completely lacks any buildings or roads. It's like not a single pony ever came here but the real reason why this small part of the town is still rural is because Mayor Mare agreed to a petition causing it to become an official sight.

"Wow, it's really peaceful here...", the blue male admits as slowly walks towards the big oak tree in the middle of the meadow.

"This is one of Ponyville's most important landmarks. Do you Remember Applejack's stories about how her ancestors founded Ponyville?"

"Of... course...?", Gallus mumbles but it is pretty obvious that he doesn't.

If Sandbar's expression could talk it would probably say something like "Come on Bro, at least be a better liar."

I guess my theory is right after all. Listening and memorizing stuff really isn't his strong suit.

The stallion shakes his, with a smirk decorated, face and decides to tell him the story.

"A long, long, long, LONG time ago a small group of ponies were on their search for a new home. And among those ponies were Granny Smith, her parents and a few other Apple-family members. One fateful and very hot day the group came across this giant tree", he stops his story and points at the big tree Gallus was heading for, "and decided to take a quick break. After settling down for a few minutes they realized how beautiful and peaceful this area was and Granny Smith noticed that the ground would be a great help when growing apples and other fruits or vegetables. So, in unity, the group made this place their new home and that's how Ponyville was founded. That's why this tree and meadow is so special to our town. Pretty interesting, right?"

Gallus, who sat down during Sandbar's re-narration, nods and a quiet "Wow..." escapes from his mouth.

I had no idea pony-history can be interesting... I don't even know how Griffonstone was founded. One day a griffon came and claimed the mountain for himself. After that many griffons went there and invaded the place and now there is a town. Not nearly as cool as their story..."

"Gallus? Are you okay?", the pale lime-green male asks his friend, who seems to be a little bit sad, but the griffon deletes those thoughts and just nods with a smile on his face.

"So... where do WE want to saddle down?"

"Saddle down?!", Sandbar shrieks before realizing what Gallus actually meant, "Oh where we want to have our picnic! How... how about..."

He runs towards the brook and stops right between the big tree and the brook.

"We can look at the water and enjoy the nice view! What do you say?"

The griffon follows the pony and stops right in front of him, looking at him before switching his gaze to the running water and the tree.

"Or we could go-", Sandbar mumbles but Gallus sudden words startle him.

"Good choice. I like it here", he compliments the pony's choice and, before giving Sandbar the chance to do anything, he takes the basket from his back and puts it on the ground. He then takes of the blanket and tries to spread it on the grassy ground but it turns out harder than he thought.

"How about that? You grab this corner and I grab the other one and then we put it down at the same time", Sandbar recommends and, after thinking about it, Gallus actually accepts.

"No harm in trying I guess...", he answers before placing one of the blanket's edges in the pony's mouth and taking the two corners opposite of it in his own claws.

"And now we put it down... slowly and carefully."

The two males move as one and their plan works out perfectly.

"Good job Sandy", the griffon celebrates after putting down his bag and laying down on the, much to his surprise, very comfortable piece of fabric.

Sandy? San...dy... I actually like that name...

Sandbar doesn't notices it but his cheeks begin to turn red again as he sits down next to his friend.

"You too Gallus and, by the way, I like Sandy."

Mentioning this melts away the blue male's coolness as he raises his upper body abruptly and ends up starring in the ponies eyes.

Did I call him that? Argh! I just thought that this would be a great nickname for him but hearing it now sound totally schmaltzy and stupid! Stupid Gallus, Stupid Gallus, Stu... Did he say he likes it?

"You like it?", Gallus asks with a perplexed expression on his face, "You honestly like it?"

Instead of saying yes or no the pale lime-green pony nods and smiles, causing Gallus body to heat up and his tummy to release the butterflies it held captive the entire time. His plan of trying his best to be friends with the pony begin to fail.

Great! I'm falling for him again! How often do I have to realize that we can't work out. He doesn't like guys, he is a pony and the me he sees right now is not the real me. I wanted to insult that stupid salesmare so badly but I held it back because of him. I can't keep it down forever... But... at least when he is with my I will try my best!

"O...okay!", he shouts and, after realizing his own volume, he clears his throat and continues his sentence with a calmer voice, "I mean... Okay. How about I grab the basket and we eat something? I'm starving here!"

And, as if his stomach heard him saying that, his belly begins to rumble. Gallus, who stares at his yellow-feathered belly, blushes crimson.

"I can hear that! And we don't want you to starve, right? Would be boring on my own and I don't really now how to explain your sudden disappearance. Also you have to ace the test so this is not the time for you to die."

So energetic... A little bit too energetic but that's the Sandbar I know. Oh right! I wanted to ask him when we can study?, the griffon thinks as he nods and begins to unpack the basket.

"Speaking of the exams... When do you want to study for it?", the blue male asks but Sandbar, who knows that studying it the old way is not his intention, tries his best to brush it off.

"Oh... well...", he slowly begins to form an answer but also tries to buy himself some time, "I mean... Soon but... It's such a beautiful day! Do you really want to spend it inside with a bunch of boring books? Of course not! Let's enjoy this picnic first. I'm as hungry as a horse, pun intended."

I hope he bought it! I really improved when it comes to lyi- No! It was not a lie! It was more of a riddle. We are currently studying and we will study the upcoming days too. See: Not a lie!

Gallus observes the pony, who shows him a big grin but his pupils look... smaller than usual...

"Yeah, we can do it some other day. This day is way too enjoyable to spend it inside", the griffon agrees and they both laugh.

But something inside of Gallus's brain says what he truly thinks.

I really need to pass the exams but... A day with Sandbar, alone, on this beautiful meadow, and were having a picnic? Sold! Nothing can beat that! Especially not wasting time on studying something I don't need anyway, he quickly silences the voice in his head and tries to concentrate on something else, And now let's see what's inside... Wow! He really thought of everything! He brought some sandwiches for himself, six cupcakes for us and I think those are griffon scones! Awesome! I love them. And he also got us a bottle of juice, which reminds me.

After emptying the basket completely he takes his own bag and grabs the bottle he packed this morning.

"Look what I've brought", he announces as he shows the, with a red liquid filled, bottle to his buddy who takes it and examines it.

What is that? I kinda looks like strawberry juice but it's darker...

After checking out the bottle he looks at the griffon with a puzzled expression.

"Is that... Strawberry juice?"

It was his only guess so why not try it at least. But, as Sandbar expected, his answer only causes his friend to laugh and to shed a tear because his stomach begins to convulse.

"No no no, it's not something you can get here. It can only be bought in Griffonstone and is very expensive. It's Honeysuckle Juice made from the Honeysuckle Berry. Try it! It will blow your mind."

Sandbar, who is intrigued by the new information he just achieved, examines the bottle again and, after receiving a nod from Gallus, he takes of the bottle's cap and takes a quick sip. Immediately his taste buds begin to celebrate their new experience and the juice's flavor increases more and more with each movement of his tongue.

That's... incredible! I never thought something could taste that good! What kind of wonder-berries are those? I need to visit Griffonstone one day to get more of them!

The pony's mind goes crazy and every single thought revolves around the delicious juice. After making sure to taste everything there is to taste, he swallows and with a moan of enjoyment he signals his buddy that he really liked the drink he brought.

"It's good, am I right?", he asks with a smirk on his face and, after his friend's agreement, it turns into a smile that could easily melt a heart in seconds.

I knew he would like it! One more thing I can add to Sandbar's list of favorite things.

Sandbar seals the bottle and makes an attempt to give it back but, instead of taking the bottle, Gallus insists on him keeping it.

"You can have it. I have a few of them in my room and I can get more if I want so it's really no big deal", he explains while sounding as cool and casual as possible.

Even though it's not entirely true. He can have more but only if he passes the exams and they are VERY expensive, at least for bottles of juice. But he doesn't have the time to think about that right now and even if he had it he wouldn't do it anyway.

I'm sure Grandpa Gruff would kill me if he knew about this but... If it's for Sandbar it's worth it!

"Really?", the pale lime-green stallion asks after the griffon's claw pushed his hoof back, "I have apple juice too. You don't have to give m-"

"But I want to give it to you and that's final", Gallus interrupts him and decides this little problem they had, "You can drink apple juice everyday but I want you to enjoy my juice, I mean the Honeysuckle juice."

My... juice... No comment, the griffon thinks but it looks like Sandbar hasn't noticed that yet.

Instead of feeling awkward he thanks his friend with a big smile and takes another sip, spoiling his taste buds even more.

And so their big picnic begins. Sandbar enjoys his juice and the delicious sandwiches Coconut Shell, a different lunch mare, created for him. One of them is with cucumber slices, lettuce and tomatoes and the other one is a traditional Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. In the meantime Gallus savors the griffon scones. Gilda really outdid herself with those ones. Their flavor is more intense but in a good way! Every now and then he takes a sip of apple juice to moisturize his mouth. Gallus even offers his friend a bite but the pony begins to regret it the moment he begins to chew it. Now he understands why Gallus always needs something to drink when he eats them. The clawmade goods are as dry as they are delicious but that's part of the experience. At least that's what he tries to tell himself.

Not bad but I'll stick with my sandwiches...

After finishing their meal they decide to take a break to digest.

"Let's save the cupcakes for later, okay? One more bite and you can roll me back to school", the griffon jokes and Sandbar agrees.

"Can't I leave you here? I promise to visit you and bring you something to drink."

"Sure, why not", Gallus replies and they both laugh.

After placing the empty boxes, which were filled with sandwich and griffon scones when they got here, and bottles back in the basket, the two males lay down on their back on the blanket to restore some energy and help their digestion.

"I've never felt this full before...", Sandbar confesses but then griffon remembers a specific event that took place about two months ago.

"I'm pretty sure I remember you were sick for three days because of all that candy you ate on, what was it called again? Night and scare or something like that?"

Nooo... That was the biggest mistake I have ever made. It's a miracle that I can even eat sweets after that trauma.

The memory causes the pony to shiver and his stomach to ache a bit. He places one of his hooves on it to calm it down a bit.

"Nightmare Night... And it was truly a nightmare for me but the costume you helped me with really ruled that night."
"I barely did anything. I added a bit of fake blood and gave you fake fangs and suddenly your costume became scarier. At least scarier than a pony dressed in a cape and a white shirt. And I remember you were so scared when you saw my costume! You screamed like a baby griffon."

Of course I was afraid! No one told me that Pinkie Pie gave you her hoofmade timberwolf costume. I was sure I would die!

The stallion blushes as he tries to defend himself but this only causes his friend to laugh even louder.

That was so funny! I never noticed how cute someone can look when he thinks he's about to die. His face was priceless!

"That is one holiday I will always come to Ponyville for. I can't wait to scare you again next year. You will faint for sure", Gallus teases him but Sandbar plays it cool and promises him the same fate.

Sandbar raises his upper body a bit and takes a look around. Many ponies are on their way today. Lyra Heartstrings and Bonbon are in a cafe on the other side of the brook and, after noticing him looking, they wave at him. He waves back and continues to scout their surrounding. He can see Mr. and Mrs. Cake delivering a giant cake, the CMC are helping a little filly and a group of colts are playing with a dark red ball. This reminds him of a different event.

"Hey", he begins and nudges the male next to him with his hoof, "do you remember the Ringball Tournament?"

"You mean the one Smolder, you and me totally dominated and won with ease? Hm... maybe a little bit. Why?"

Sandbar tells him to get up and shows him the group of colts he noticed. They are only kicking and tossing it from one pony to the next one but it still reminds him of the game they played.

"Our team was unbeatable! You were our eyes in the sky and you and Smolder scored every point. it was amazing!"

Sandbar begins to praise their actions but Gallus admits that he was also playing an important part.

"And you got every ball for us and defended our ring as good as you possibly could. Our opponents barely scored at all. I was sure you would hold us back before we started playing."

And, of course, he uses the next chance to tease the earth pony without hesitation. He raises his eyebrow and looks at his friend, who smirks and teases him back.

"Oh really? I bet I could still show you some new tricks but sadly we don't have a ball so-"

"Hold that thought", the griffon interrupts before rising to the sky and flying off as fast as he can.

Where is he going? Did I say something wrong? I hope he isn't angry at me... again... But this gives me some time to evaluate today's events. He really does learn by doing! He actually is very generous but I think he doesn't notice that and that's why he can't explain it or name examples. I will let him in on my results later so I can collect more information until then. But I wonder if he really doesn't notice... Oh, he's coming back! And does he have there?

Sandbar stands up and watches his friend land in front of him and he also notices something secured under his arm.

Comments

[Texus]

Okay I give you the short version and more when you ask since I just forgot to post the comment i prepared when I had nothing else to add to it.

I think at some parts of the chapter, maybe even others too, it's hard to tell if someone else is talking/thinking. I mean at some point I notice "oh it was that guy," but once in a while i keep thinking if I was maybe wrong about some other parts to. I mean when I thought he was thinking, was maybe the other one thinking something?

Like when I was suprised why Gallus was saying he was falling for the guy "again", since I thought i saw him having the thought for the first time and only Sandbar having those crazy heartbeat moments.