Coping, or How to Move On When Given Up On

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This story is a sequel to After-Thoughts, or How to Express Yourself in a Way that Makes Sense

Following a horrendous Guardian/Teacher conference between Grampa Gruff and (The Great and Powerful) Student Counselor Trixie, Gallus wonders what to do next, and where he truly belongs in Equestria. If he belongs there anyway.

Which is made more difficult when trying to be gay covertly with his boyfriend.

Follows Season 9, Episode 20: A Horse Shoe-In.

Cover art is drawn by, uh, "6jjcgf0d1etqx1tp" on Derpibooru. Or gd_inuk. I am unsure.

I didn't mean to base my story on it, but it ended up being perfect for me anyway.

Chapters (4)

Chapter 1 · 26th Nov 2019 · 2,141 words
2,141
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Chapter 2 · 5th Dec 2019 · 3,374 words
3,374
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Chapter 3 · 12th Dec 2019 · 2,455 words
2,455
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Chapter 4 · 19th Dec 2019 · 3,917 words
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Comments ( 13 )

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Great White Prime

Great White Prime #1 · Nov 29th, 2019 · 1 · 1 · Chapter 1 ·

Normally I'm GallusxSilverstream... But I will not deny that this was touching.
Good work 👍

Meteor_Mirage

Meteor_Mirage #2 · Nov 29th, 2019 · 1 · 2 · Chapter 1 ·

9965117
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it despite the pairing.

Parker

Parker #3 · Nov 29th, 2019 · 2 · 2 · Chapter 1 ·

I'm really excited to see where this goes! I really enjoyed their cuddle session, and I hope we get to see more sweetness in the coming chapters.

Meteor_Mirage

Meteor_Mirage #4 · Nov 29th, 2019 · 1 · 2 · Chapter 1 ·

9965157
Haha, I hoped so too!
😔

Kerishen

Kerishen #5 · Jan 9th, 2020 · 1 · 2 · Chapter 4 ·

Hey, just wanted to tell that i like this story sooo much. Good luck with future works!

Meteor_Mirage

Meteor_Mirage #6 · Jan 9th, 2020 · · 2 · Chapter 4 ·

10025202
That means a lot to me.
Thank you very much.

Ice Star

Ice Star #7 · Mar 19th, 2020 · 2 · 2 · Chapter 4 ·

This whole series has been a whirlwind of good gay awesome. I really hope there are more installments. I stopped watching the show quite a bit before the Young Six stepped into the story (I stopped watching regularly around season six and barely touched anything after). Despite, this I've found a lot of good stories about these characters, and no matter how unfamiliar they are to me, I can tell there's a lot of quality in these. Some very great gays you've got here.

Ice Star

Ice Star #8 · Apr 23rd, 2020 · 2 · 2 · Chapter 4 ·

So, as I went back to give this a re-read, I noticed something you might want to consider editing. The acronyms of WLW and MLM just don't work for ponies because they lack women and men. While MLM could reasonably exist as a phrase for them, it would end up meaning mares loving mares, and last time I checked neither Gallus or Sandbar fit the definition of a lesbian/bi girl/etc in-story. I'd have it as FLF (females loving females) if you really wanted to preserve the MLM in order to change the implied definition to 'male' instead of 'men'. Or, I would suggest just replacing both abbreviations with Stallions-loving-Stallions and Mares-loving-Mares in the text. I think that FLF and MLM would be more fitting for general use that's species-inclusive.

Brunostar565

Brunostar565 #9 · Jan 18th, 2021 · 1 · 1 · Chapter 4 ·

I really like this story . Good luck with your future works . ❤

Bicyclette

Bicyclette #10 · Dec 25th, 2023 · · · Chapter 1 ·

As he thanked Trixie for standing up for him, one of the only creatures to accomplish talking back to Gruff and live to tell the tale, he was torn. On one claw he was thankful that a creature he had barely met had went to bat for him in such a way.

as bad a time as Gallus is having, glad Trixie’s in this! she is the best

“C’mon, scoot over. I need to take a break.” Sandbar said softly, gently prodding Gallus with his hoof. With a shared smile, Gallus relented his place and wiggled over to make room, which Sandbar gleefully took within the moment. As he lay alongside his cuddlebuddy, Sandbar wasted no time in wrapping a hoof around his favorite griffon, gently kissing his beak as he did.

aww too adorable!

Useless.
No other words came to mind, as it was all Gallus could think of to describe himself.

oof, poor Gallus!

Sandbar recoiled almost immediately at the suggestion, much to the visible sadness of Gallus. Switching to damage control almost immediately, the stallion cleared his throat. “Well, uh, this is sorta a more solo thing, so I can’t really have you tagging along.” This did nothing to mitigate the damage and, if anything, furthered it as Gallus frowned even harder.

and oof!

“Heeeey, who said you’d be getting a free dinner?” He asked as Gallus giggled playfully.

hehe very Gallus to try that

Gallus knew for a fact that he needed a distraction, but as his favorite distraction left to do whatever he needed to and his other friends AWOL, he was left with no choice but to take extreme measures.
He needed a Pinkie.

at least Gallus knows what he’s doing when it comes to coping mechanisms!

Bicyclette

Bicyclette #11 · Dec 25th, 2023 · · · Chapter 2 ·

Thankfully, his general aloofness and the cold, but not malicious stare that he’d perfected in Griffonstone, out of pure necessity, was useful for the few ponies he did pass.

ah so that explains Gallus’s default facial expression!

Love, Pinkamena Diane Pie, PhD

love that she inexplicably has a PhD, love this entire note, really just love it

Gallus rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Damn, it’s a shame that I can’t read.”

hey that’s just like the meme!

She spent the next few seconds slowly pulling out a cardboard mailing tube from seemingly nowhere, to which Gallus questioned if it was a pony thing or a magician thing that she was able to do it.

that is indeed an unsettled question

The first thing that he saw was just the absolute clutter of the room, with boxes and chests strewn about that Gallus was sure were packed to the brim with props Trixie used in her shows. On top of many of these trunks were, Gallus assumed, whatever she couldn’t fit, or what she found the most use in.

guessing Trixie just dumped her entire wagon’s contents into her office, love her

He may have been a Cool Kid, but he still had respect for others’ property.

that makes him even more Cool Kid! i say, as a responsible and boring adult

“I am truly sorry,” she started simply, “For saying what I did to your guardian. I don’t regret it one bit, but I shouldn’t have said it either way.”

most Trixie apology, i can just hear her nasal voice, love it

For a moment, Gallus had no idea what to say. He wracked his brain for the date, but came up short with only the vague memory of it being somewhere in the latter half of the year. Maybe near the Blue Moon Festival? It would explain why everyone was meaner than usual.

ooh, love this worldbuilding! that griffons are meaner to people with birthdays than usual

He only had 30 minutes left until his appointment with Sandbar, which meant he had 35 minutes to kill so that he could be fashionably late like usual.

definitely Gallus’s style!

While the thought of the date sent a pang of anxiety through his heart, he couldn’t even try to hide the smile on his face.

aww yay!

Bicyclette

Bicyclette #12 · Dec 25th, 2023 · · · Chapter 3 ·

He passed Lyra Heartstrings on his way over to where he was going and, in a move of MLM/WLW solidarity, nodded knowingly in her direction.

nice

Even as he had to ignore the numerous swears that were painted onto the seat he took.

aww i am sad that the gazebo in the Ponyville town park is in such a state :(

He had no accurate way to measure time where he was, but he was sure that, despite being earlier than usual, Sandbar was very much late at this point.

and oof, it is worrying when Sandbar does it!

“Guess it pays to be a griffon sometimes.” Gallus said with a smirk as he helped Sandbar back to a standing position.

hehe nice

“Let’s just go and head on that d-date!” He paused for a moment to clear his throat. “Well, um, I do have to go grab something from the school first though.”

now just what is going on here?

“Ocellus, if you get any closer like that, I won’t hesitate to kill your character in the next D&D session.” He said softly, not wanting to bring too much attention to their conversation.

ah that would explain Sandbar being so weird! i always forget what can happen with a Changeling around

Though, due to Ponyville values, they tried their hardest to ignore it.

that would indeed explain all sorts of weird things that have happened in Ponyville without causing a commotion among the townsponies

Ocellus stood stock-still for quite a few moments, completely shocked at the sudden turn of events. She knew what to expect when she approached Gallus as Sandbar, a large spike of love energy, but she hadn’t expected how suddenly that well of emotion, one that could feed an entire hive and then some, could turn to what was essentially an emotional black hole.

hehe it sure does something to how emotions are depicted in a narrative with a species that has the ability to literally read them like a Geiger counter

“Gallus.” She said softly, pressing a hoof against his shoulder as her best attempt to comfort. “I really can’t tell you exactly what he’s planning, but I wasn’t supposed to replace him for very long. He just got held up in doing something, and sent me to distract you a little.”

now just what is going on here?

Bicyclette

Bicyclette #13 · Dec 25th, 2023 · · · Chapter 4 ·

The way back to the school wasn’t exactly the best in terms of conversation. Ocellus tried, she really did, but she only managed to get short, almost terse responses from Gallus before he clammed up completely. She knew it wasn’t his fault, as there was still a bit of a troubling energy in the air around him, but she tried her hardest to provide at least some form of levity.

ooh, perspective switch!

Ocellus wasn’t sure if she should put on a forced smile to be happy for her griffon friend, or to turn green from the mention of eating meat. She settled on both, with little to do about how sick it made her feel.

oof! relatable pony moment

Fun fact about Griffon anatomy vs Changeling anatomy. Changelings, having evolved to spend most of their time skulking through the night or in caves, developed a very useful form of nightvision to cope with this. Griffons did not.

aww that is a fun fact!

And then all the lights in the room flicked on, blinding Gallus. An attack! Gripping the poster tube he’d forgotten he was even carrying as some sort of makeshift weapon, he prepared for whatever was to come next.

and of course Chekov’s poster tube will surely come into the plot in this final chapter!

Yona was the first to approach the stunned Gallus, giving him a questioning look as she did so. “Why griffon friend scared?” She asked as she placed a hoof harshly against his back, lifting him up and straightening him out in everything but sexuality with her pure strength. “Yona work so hard on party, why not celebrate?”

ahaha love it!

Gallus also looked nervously at the girls, wondering if he should explain the truth and what happened. In a day full of them, another awkward silence broke out.

and Pinkie Pie’s classroom being unused and empty from earlier allowing this to happen, good job in bringing together all these elements!

“I had no clue the line was gonna be so long, and apparently ponies around here don’t like line cutting.”

they’re just not as chill as the ponies where Sandbar is from!

“Yona understand Gallus completely.” She told Gallus. For a moment he was hopeful the lie he wasn’t telling would be seen through and he’d be let off the hook. “Griffon Friend simply not want to make big deal of birthing day.” She concluded.

good ol Yona, love her

Once Sandbar pulled back, he blushed and managed to resist the urge to nuzzle the cute face of his birdy best friend as he was so used to at this point. Not while everyone was around.

and augh, sad that even among his best friends Gallus can’t give a cute nuzzle

It was an immutable fact. Just like how wearing white after Winter Wrap Up was gauche, as Ms. Rarity would tell anyone who listened.

well if Ms. Rarity says it it must be true!

Even despite their shared giggling, Sandbar couldn’t help but wiggle about uncomfortably as he felt a tube of some sort pressing between their chests.“Your, uh, thing is poking me.” He squeaked.

ahaha a perfect way for the poster tube to reappear

“I’m not sure Gilda knows how giving gifts works. She just gives me whatever hurts the most.”

aww that is our Gilda!

Not noticing the look on his friend’s face, Gallus beamed as he looked between the poster and Sandbar. “So The Postbox is probably one of, like, ten Equestrian movies that came to Griffonstone, and Griffonstone movies are usually stupidly depressing so a romance flick like this one didn’t really get much love. I guess Gilda probably got me a ticket as a joke, but I still sat through it. And I loved it.” He explained, shaking his head with a soft, gentle laugh. “I mean, it’s totally bad, but it was great. And it’s sorta the reason I’m even in Equestria, I guess.”

oh i absolutely love this backstory! there is a specificity and a banality here that really adds texture to these characters in a way that is all too rarely seen

A harsh silence fell over the two as Sandbar felt horrible for making fun of the birdboy’s goals.

aww as he should! but only for a moment

We’re always in your corner unless you screw up bad
So don’t do that

ahaha love it, very Gilda

Maybe he had found his place after all.

aww, yay!

on the surface it’s a cute little slice-of-life fluff story as i expected, but i am also impressed by the structure undergirding it, with all of the elements in the previous chapters coming together in this one. it feels very much like a television sitcom episode in fic form. great stuff!

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