Gallus' Party of One

by Matthais Unidostres

Chapter Seven

The door to the party room swung open, and all of Gallus' closest friends entered, already in the midst of their conversation.

"Trust me, nothing beats a gift that you can use," Smolder said as she tapped the rectangular present she held under her right arm, "A sharpening stone for his talons is the ideal gift!"

Silverstream smiled, but waved her claw dismissively and said, "Well, yeah, you're not wrong about that; but what about gifts that make you feel something inside?" She then bobbed up and down like a buoy in the sea with excitement and said, "Like the extra special photo album I got him! It even already has a few pictures of us that I got from Headmare Twilight! There's pictures of us after we nearly got the school closed, and after we saved Equestria, and a couple of moments in between too. And there's lots of room for more!"

"Yona got Gallus metal armbands!" the yak declared proudly, "Yona would've gotten Gallus yak horn rings, but Gallus not have yak horns. But armbands still show off strength of creature who wears them, just like yak horn rings! Armbands also have nice engraved decoration on them too."

"What about the gift I got for him?" Ocellus said as she held up the wrapped present in question with her magic, "It's functional like Smolder's and Silverstream's, but also looks nice like Yona's. What strong flier doesn't need a pair of flight-googles? I even managed to find a color that matches his fur and feathers."

Sandbar nodded and smiled as he said, "Pretty cool! Pretty cool, Ocellus. But just wait until he see this!" Sandbar walked over the table, set down the present he was holding, and quickly untied the ribbon so he could lift off the lid. "Take a look at that!" he said eagerly as he motioned to the open box.

The other creatures all gathered round to see what Sandbar had chosen to give to Gallus.

Smolder looked the least impressed of the group. "A Power Ponies comic?"

Sandbar shook his head and said, "Not just any Power Ponies comic. This issue focuses on a brand new superhero in Maretropolis: The Great Godric!" *

Sandbar pointed at the figure that dominated the cover. It was a strong looking griffon with feathers of pure gold, and silver fur. The griffon also wore a crimson vest with a large collar that was sticking outward, giving him a more imposing appearance. All around him, the other Power Ponies stared at him with expressions that ranged from amazement, to surprise, to utter awe.

"He was abducted by aliens when he was younger, and given superpowers to fight in their army," Sandbar explained, "But he escaped and came back to Maretropolis to use his powers for good! He likes to help out the Power Ponies whenever they get in trouble."

Silverstream nodded excitedly and said, "Oooh, that sounds really cool!"

Smolder smirked and said, "Heh. A story where an awesome griffon does awesome stuff. I guess I can see why Gallus would like something like that."

As Sandbar closed the box and retied the ribbon, Ocellus said, "Well, now that everything is finally ready, I think someone should hurry and bring Gallus over here."

"I'll go!" Silverstream said energetically, throwing her right claw into the air.

"Ahh, no," Sandbar said as he turned around to face Silverstream, "You're way too excited, Silverstream. Gallus will get too suspicious. Anyway, I think it would be best if I handled this."

Smolder nodded and said, "Yeah, it probably would be better to let the chill guy handle this. Just sayin'."

Silverstream relented and nodded understandingly as she brought her claw back down. "Oh, alright. But be quick! Gallus deserves plenty of time to party." Silverstream then began to visibly panic and said, "Oh no! What if we can't find him in time!?"

Sandbar winked and said, "No problem. I know exactly the kinds of places a guy like Gallus would hang out at. Hang tight! We'll be back before you know it!"

---

Just to be safe, Sandbar checked Gallus' dorm room first, and he wasn't surprised when he wasn't there. So, off he went to Ponyville. After he had checked the Hayburger restaurant and the bowling alley, Sandbar found the griffon he was searching for.

Sandbar zeroed in on the blue griffon playing the arcade cabinet, and quickly trotted over to him and said, "Hey, Gallus! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Uh-huh," Gallus said flatly, not at all looking away from the game he was playing.

Sandbar smiled and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his right forehoof. "Yeah, sorry for splitting up from you earlier. I had already looked around the entire school when I finally realized you'd probably given up and gone into Ponyville. Silly me, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Right, I don't know what I was thinking. Anyway, I finally did meet up with Silverstream and Smolder, and they're almost done with their project. They just need a little help from us."

"Uh-huh."

Sandbar paused, and took a long look at Gallus, who still focused intently on the screen as his claws worked the joystick and clicked buttons. Sandbar frowned and said, "You're not listening to me, are you?"

"Uh-huh."

Sandbar actually chuckled as he rolled his eyes at Gallus remark. "Okay, that time was totally on purpose! But seriously, Gallus come on! Your friends need you!"

"Ahem!"

Sandbar turned to see the pony that he been standing on the opposite side of Gallus, but had gone unnoticed by Sandbar due to his focus on the griffon.

"You know, I hardly think it friendly for somepony to annoy somecreature when they are focused on a task," the pony replied.

Sandbar cocked his head at him and asked, "Oh, um. . . do I know you? Like, maybe from the School of Friendship?"

"You might have seen me. Rey Faux is my name," the pony replied.

Suddenly, the arcade cabinet let out a victory fanfare, and Gallus laughed out loud as he turned to Rey and pointed triumphantly at the screen. "Aha! See! I beat your score! I really beat it!"

Indeed, Gallus name was displayed in the second place spot. Rey was now in third place, while Button Mash prominently remained in first place.

Rey's eyes went wide, and he said, "No way! I mean, I had felt that you had a chance, but to actually do it. . . woah. . ." Rey then smiled and held out his right forehoof "I am honored to have been bested by a worthy opponent."

Gallus smiled back and said, "Well, I'm glad you gave me a worthy challenge, pal."

The pair then solidly bumped hoof and fist like longtime friends, which actually brought a smile to Sandbar's face. "Well, it's good to see he wasn't all alone all day," he thought to himself.

Sandbar then said aloud, "This is great! You've made another friend, Gallus. Cool. How about all three of us go back and give Silverstream and Smolder a hand. Maybe Ocellus and Yona will be there too."

Gallus then narrowed his eyes at Smolder, and opened his beak to tell him exactly what he thought of Sandbar's request, when all of a sudden Rey wrapped a hoof around his foreleg and began to pull him back.

"Hold that thought, Sandbar," Rey said politely, "There's just a little something I'd like to clear up with Gallus. Just give us a minute."

Once the pair were out of Sandbar's earshot, Rey looked at Gallus and said softly, "Gallus, my friend, we have to go with him."

"What?" Gallus hissed, "Are you serious? They just want to use me to help them with some project after lying to me and avoiding me all day."

Rey smiled smugly and said, "Exactly. So, what better time to tell them all off all at once? Am I right?"

Gallus blinked his eyes, and then smiled a slightly less smug smile back and replied, "Oh, I like the way you think, Rey. With you on my side, I'll be able to really tell them what I think of 'em. They way they've been acting, it's almost like they think those friendship lessons don't apply to me or something. Well, just wait until I set them straight!"

"And cut ties with them completely," Rey thought to himself, all while smiling in a more friendly manner and saying, "You got that right, Gallus. I'm just glad I could be a better friend to you. Well then, let's get to it!"

The pair then turned and walked back over to Sandbar, who had been watching with a inquisitive look on his face, but all in all none the wiser.

"Okay then," Rey said cheerfully, "Turns out I've got time enough for this. Let's go!"

---

Rey, Gallus, and Sandbar approached the door to the classroom, and Sandbar said rather loudly, "Well, here we are!"

Gallus swallowed a lump in his throat. Strangely, he didn't feel as angry at his friends now as he was earlier. In fact, he wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say to them. However, he felt a nudge in the side by Rey, and turned to see the pony give him a dutiful nod, as if silently communicated that he'd be right there guiding him during the confrontation.

Slightly bolstered, but still feeling an uncomfortable weight in his stomach, Gallus looked forward to see Sandbar open the door halfway and then quickly slip inside. Gallus took a deep breath, and then walked right through the door as well.

Much to his confusion, Gallus found the room to be quite dark to the point that he could barely see. However, in the next moment, the room was fully lit in an instant.

"SURPRISE!"

Gallus was frozen solid, almost as if he had been turned to stone right then and there. His beak hung open slightly as he took in the amazing sight before him. The entire room bore his colors of blue and yellow, there were balloons and streamers, and a long table held various food and drink, a cake topped with candles, and a pile of wrapped presents. Around the room there were various party games and accoutrements; including a piñata, pin the tail on the pony, some ping pony balls and cups, and a phonograph with a record ready to be played.

By the time Gallus had finally taken everything in and regained most of his senses, his friends had already nearly finished singing "Happy Birthday" to him. He watched his friends cheering for him and smiling at him, and he blinked his eyes as tears of gratitude and joy obstructed his vision.

"I. . ." was all Gallus could manage to say, then he closed his eyes and wiped away his tears with his right wrist. He then, felt himself being hugged tightly. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Silverstream.

The hippogriff smiled and looked deep into Gallus' eyes and said, "What kind of friends would we be if we didn't celebrate your birthday, Gallus?"

Gallus sniffled, smiling in spite of his wet, shiny eyes. "You. . . all of you. . ." he said as he looked at all of his friends, "I'm so glad I met you. . ."

Yona and Ocellus found themselves tearing up at this, while Smolder just smiled and gave Gallus a thumbs-up.

Sandbar nodded and said, "Well, on that note, how about we all start celebrating the day that a creature very near and dear and important to all of us was born on!"

Gallus' smile grew as Silverstream lead him further into the room. However, something suddenly came to mind, and he turned back towards Rey, who had stopped in the doorway. The pony's eyes were wide, yet blinking; and his mouth was gaping like a fish out of water.

"Hey, Rey!" Gallus called out, "Come on in and join the fun!"

"Um. . ." Rey said, his eyes darting back and forth nervously. However, in his peripheral vision, Rey spotted none other than Pinkie Pie standing down the hall, eyeing him severely. The pink mare gestured towards the room, then slowly lifted a cupcake in her left forehoof and slowly took a bite out of it, all while staring directly into Rey's very soul.

Rey forced a smile, although a bead of sweat still ran down the side of his head, and he stepped further into the room and said, "Well, if you'll have me, why not? Happy birthday, Gallus."

And as the party truly began, Smolder smiled with the purest satisfaction and said, "It's like I said earlier: In the end, things always work out in Equestria."

Author's Note:

* Based on an eponymous 6 issue mini-series called Griffin created by Dan Vado and published by DC Comics in 1992. It was originally released by Slave Labor in 1988. The story is now available as a trade paperback from Slave Labor Graphics.

Comments

[RainbowSparkle3]

The ending felt just a liiiitle rushed, but all around, this was a really fun and sweet story that felt a lot like the show.

[Dan]

The power of fluffyboys shines within them all.

[GpMaR]

Yeah, the ending felt a bit rushed. The question that’s on my mind is, will Rey remain his friend? Because in previous chapters it was reavealed he is evil. Other than that, good story.

[Scyphi]

"He was abducted by aliens when he was younger, and given superpowers to fight in their army,"

I bet he and Captain Marvel get along nice.

However, in his peripheral vision, Rey spotted none other than Pinkie Pie standing down the hall, eyeing him severely. The pink mare gestured towards the room, then slowly lifted a cupcake in her left forehoof and slowly took a bite out of it, all while staring directly into Rey's very soul.

She knows.

[canehdianbacon]

9408830
OMG EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT!!

[Godslittleprincess]

WOOOOOOO! And once again, friendship wins!

[Matthais Unidostres]

9407917
Well, since Pinkie Pie, and thus the other teachers, know about him, they'll be sure to pay him a little extra attention to keep him from becoming Cozy Glow 2.0. Also, he's not as much as a sociopath as Cozy Glow, so there's home for him.

[Applefai]

A good conclusion to a good story, but a few misspellings and grammatical errors.

Sandbar nodded and smiled as he said, "Pretty cool! Pretty cool, Ocellus. But just wait until he see this !" Sandbar walked over the table, set down the present he was holding, and quickly untied the ribbon so he could lift off the lid. "Take a look at that!" he said eagerly as he motioned to the open box.

Need to add to between the and table

Sandbar turned to see the pony that he been standing on the opposite side of Gallus, but had gone unnoticed by Sandbar due to his focus on the griffon.

Need to make he had

Gallus then narrowed his eyes at Smolder, and opened his beak to tell him exactly what he thought of Sandbar's request, when all of a sudden Rey wrapped a hoof around his foreleg and began to pull him back.

I'm confused here

But I think you might have accidentally mixed up the names so maybe reword it like

Gallus then narrowed his eyes at Sandbar, and opened his beak to tell him exactly what he thought of his request, when all of a sudden Rey wrapped a hoof around his foreleg and began to pull him back.

[A Wild Magikarp]

Of all the student 6, cat-bird deserved this the most. Gotta love Gallus man. Fuffy Boi indeed.

[spoonlol]

This fic was heart warming and funny but I think I could have been a bit better with the villain, felt like an unneeded element to the story. If you were looking for something for Gallus to do while he was alone, why not just have pinkie hang with him for a boy knowing how he feels but also knowing how much it’s gunna pay off.

[Switch Swap]

Exactly like party of one

[redsopine]

I just love pinkies ability to convey fear with a cupcake bite lol

[redsopine]

9407917
I'd say less evil more politically ambitious by trying to befriend one of 5-6 (if sandbar goes into politics to see his friends often) then he is simply trying to gain a foothold of power because he wants the easy life

[Yoshifan30]

Well this was a very fun story here so Sandbar and the other has finally got everything all set up now he's about to get Gallus and get him to the room where the others are waiting for him but Gallus didn't want to but Rey convince him to do that ( even though that would be his undoing ) so all three of them made it to the room and just like that they yell surprise for him and gallus saw all the birthday stuff and he got so emotional knowing that his friends will never abandon him like that and with that everybody started to celebrate his birthday but it looks like Pinkie Pie knows what's going on about Rey and they need to keep an eye on him including his other friend lady I wonder if there's any story like that of him and her again but anyway this was a very good story and gallus deserve to be happy