> Shooting Star
>  by Omegathyst
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Gallus' Dark Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gallus didn't remember much about the incident besides the way his paws pounded on the dirt, running from a family that were nothing but a blur in his head now. He remembered the voice of his father telling him to steal from the new baker. Gilda, he believed her name was.

Gallus refused, and he remembered his father's talon slapping him across the face. He fell face first into the dirt. In the chaos of his "family" screeching at each other, Gallus couldn't remember if his father wanted him to come back, or if he never wanted to see him again. Gallus wasn't concerned about that.

He remembered a dear childhood friend that lived on her own, a black and white griffon named Sheila. They hadn't spoken to each other in a few weeks, but Gallus was hoping to stay there. As he was flying, he saw Sheila's small hay hut. Gallus dropped from the sky and landed at her doorstep, knocking on the door.

He felt the silence of Griffonstone lingering over him, the fear of his "family" coming back was starting to take over when the door swung open.

"Gallus?" Sheila whispered, staring at him with her aquagreen eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"My family got into a huge fight, and I can't stay with them." Gallus sighed. "Can I stay here for the night?"

"Oh Gally, you can stay here for as long as you need." Sheila hugged Gallus before pulling away. "Come in."

Gallus flew inside and closed his friend's door, his heart soaring at the thought of never having to deal with them again. He landed on Sheila's couch, holding one of her pillows and taking deep breaths.

"Oh, you don't need to hold one of the pillows, silly!" Sheila giggled.

"S-Sorry, it just helps me when-"

Sheila climbed onto the couch, pushing the pillow out of Gallus' grip and onto the floor. Before Gallus could move his arms, Sheila sprawled on the couch and tucked her head into the space between his arms where the pillow used to be. She closed her eyes, listening to the quickened beat of Gallus' heart.

"Better?" Sheila asked.

"A little." Gallus replied, looking at the ceiling. "You could've just asked if you wanted to cuddle."

"And what fun would there be in that?" Sheila smirked. "The best kind of affections aren't asked for, they just happen. Like this!"

Sheila lurched forward and briefly pressed her beak against Gallus' in a fleeting kiss. Gallus felt something twist in his belly, a weird feeling of fear mixed with the heat that came with Sheila's body being pressed against his own.

Did he make the right decision? Of course he did, where else could he go?

Gallus gave into his instincts and pressed his beak against Sheila's, allowing his tongue to slip into her beak. Sheila placed both her talons on Gallus and kept his head in place, wiggling her tail in excitement. As the two griffons were having fun, the night slipped away and after they were done, they fell asleep.

It was the same routine for several weeks: Sheila would go to work, Gallus would leave the house to search for jobs, and the two would return home and have intimate moments together. For Gallus to ask for safety, and receive that and so much more? It was heaven for him.

One night, as he was resting on the couch, he heard a knock on the door. He flipped his body off the couch, and was about to walk towards the door when Sheila flew out of the kitchen. She beat him to the door, cracking it open.

Before the other griffon could speak, Sheila pushed herself outside and closed the door. Gallus walked to the door and attempted to push it open. No such luck, the door wouldn't budge.

"What the hell is going on?" Gallus felt the fear returning, seeping from his heart to his brain and his legs. Why was he trapped here? What was Sheila hiding? Why why why why-

Sheila walked back inside and closed the door behind her.

"Babe, are you okay?!" Sheila wrapped her arms around Gallus.

"Who was at the door?!" Gallus panicked.

"It was just the mail-griffon, he brought a package to the wrong address." Sheila reassured him. "It's okay, no griffon is coming to hurt you."

That wasn't it, Gallus had no fear towards the unknown griffon on the other side of the door.

"Why was the door locked?" Gallus asked. "Why couldn't I speak to him myself?"

"He was an ex of mine, I didn't want him to bother you." Sheila pulled away. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's...it's fine. I trust you." Gallus lied, no longer hyperventilating.

He stepped closer to Sheila, pressing his beak against her's. He prodded his tongue at her beak, remembering the intimacy that always calmed him down and made him feel safe. Loved.

Sheila moved back.

"Not tonight, babe." Sheila ruffled Gallus' head feathers. "Get some sleep."

"Oh, okay." Gallus nodded, assuming his position on the couch. Sheila patted his head, flying away from the couch and into her room. Gallus felt a tiny flash of his anxiety, still thudding away in his chest. But he was fine now. After all, Sheila wasn't always going to be in the mood. It was fine.

Turns out, this period of "not being in the mood" was more than just a phase. Their routine had changed over time, where Sheila insisted that Gallus didn't need to look for jobs, Gallus would give in and stay home, and Sheila would come back from work. Gallus would stay up till late, receive a cuddle and kiss, and then go to bed, with the anxiety growing like constricting vines in his chest.

"There's nothing wrong." Gallus told himself, alone on the couch. "Sheila loves me, and I love her. She cares about me, that's all I need right?"

It eventually got to a point where Gallus didn't even want to leave Sheila's hut, the thought of it giving him an anxiety attack after another. He would barely eat the food Sheila prepared for him, and he no longer stayed up late. Instead, he went to bed in the early evening or even late afternoon.

One afternoon, as he was preparing to go to bed after eating only one muffin, he stopped and thought about the escalating anxiety. This had to stop, he couldn't live like this any longer.

He felt horrible, tears rolling down his face for the fourth time that day. Sheila had been nothing but good to him, so why did he feel this way?

Gallus spend the hours he had before Sheila arrived to clean her hut from top to bottom. It was the least he could do for her. Gallus could only hope that she'd be understanding as she's always been.

He heard the door close as he was dusting her table, and he dropped the duster and looked at her exhausted state.

"Oof, boss was being a real bitch today." Sheila grunted. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I just wanted to let you know, that I've been thinking about a lot of things." Gallus admitted. "I'm grateful for all that you've done for me, I'll always be. But, I don't think this is working out for me anymore."

"What isn't working?"

"Living here, with you." Gallus sighed. "I don't feel like I'm in a real relationship with you anymore, and if I stay here with you, I'll never grow as a griffon. I care about you Sheila, and I want to support you as your friend. I just need to spread my wings."

Sheila was frozen, her beak gaping open before she spoke.

"Is this cause I don't put out for you?" Sheila glared. "You really need to fuck me so I can keep you?"

"What? No! You don't own me!" Gallus gasped. "And it's not like that! I wanted to love you in every way possible, but you keep pushing me away! I don't want to live like this!"

"Live like what? Under a roof where you're fed and taken care of?" Sheila snapped. "And all I ask is for you to love me in return, and you can't even do that?"

"Not if it only goes one way! I want to be loved too." Gallus frowned.

"By who? No one is going to care about you like I do." Sheila said. "We go way back, Gallus. This is just a rough patch, we need each other."

"Is that why you didn't want me to get a job? Is that why you sent every visitor away from our home?" Gallus growled. "You wanted me to be dependent on you, didn't you? You never wanted me to grow up and leave!"

"Gallus, don't. I love you." Sheila begged, on the verge of tears.

"Your crying isn't going to work this time!" Gallus snapped. "I'm done being your prisoner, now I need you to move."

Gallus walked towards Sheila, who was standing in the way of the door.

"Sheila, please. You need to move, you can't keep me here." Gallus stated. "I don't want to push you."

"Y-You're not leaving, you'll have nothing without me." Sheila dug her talons into the carpet. "You touch me and I'll scream for help."

"They'll know that you were trapping me here." Gallus said. "And even if they don't, I'd rather be behind bars then here with you. Move."

"NO!" Sheila puffed her chest, glaring daggers into Gallus' eyes. "You need me!"

"Like hell I do!" Gallus began pushing Sheila with all his strength. "Let me go!"

"That griffon? It wasn't an ex by the way, it was your father. I sent him away."

"What?"

In that moment that Gallus was distracted, Sheila stepped back in front of Gallus and shoved her entire body mass against him, sending him crashing into the wall and breaking a hole in it. Gallus felt his world spinning when he heard something being dragged across the carpet. He tried to move, but his limbs wouldn't let him.

After several agonizing minutes, Gallus stood up and saw Sheila moving the table in front of the door. He looked at the window, and knew what he had to do.

He quietly spread his wings from his body and lunged at the window, shattering it into pieces. He ignored the blood rolling down his face, flying away from the hut.

"NO!" Sheila screamed. "H-HELP, AN INTRUDER BROKE MY WINDOW!"

Gallus groaned, flying as far from the scene as he could. He prayed that this whole thing would blow over, and he could live the life he wanted to. However, he wasn't going to look for another place to stay again. He couldn't afford another Sheila situation happening again.

Months later

After Gallus managed to explain his situation to the authorities the morning after the fight, they let him off with a warning.

"And I won't have to see her again?" Gallus asked.

"Nope, so long as you avoid talking to her. And we'll tell her to do the same. You should be good." the officer said.

Gallus blushed at the memory he had of hugging the officer and flying away. It was the last good memory he had. Now? He was homeless, never keeping a job for long. Either the managers would refuse to employ a homeless creature, or word about his incident with Sheila would reach to them. They'd tell Gallus that they didn't want a "troublemaker" or a "threat to females" as an employee.

Gallus felt like he was running out of luck, barely finding enough to eat each night. The only miracle was that he never saw Sheila again.

He was sleeping in an alleyway far away from her hut when he felt something prod his head.

"Up, you hobo bird!"

"Huh? Grampa Gruff?" Gallus opened his eyes. "Unless you're here to give me food, let me go back to sleep."

"I have something even better, how would you like to move to a room in Ponyville for free?"

Gallus woke up like a bucket of ice water was dumped onto him. He sat up and stared at Grampa Gruff like an owl.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep, I'm looking for a griffon to represent us at Twilight's new School of Friendship." Grandpa Gruff explained. "Become a student, and the free shelter and food in Ponyville is yours."

"Ponies?" Gallus stammered.

"Yeah, maybe you'll get along with them better. You've never been like us griffons." Grampa Gruff shrugged.

Maybe that's a good thing.

"Okay, I'll go."

"Good, one less bum in this alleyway." Grampa Gruff huffed. "Meet me at the train station tomorrow morning, we'll take the first train out to Ponyville."

Grampa Gruff flew out of the alleyway. As soon as he was out of sight, Gallus wiggled his rump and grinned like a puppy. For the first time in months, he felt life pulsing inside him from the tips of his toes to his cheeks.

Tomorrow, he would be in Ponyville.

It felt liberating.
> The Train Station
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gallus had never met a pony in his life, but he had heard of two of them coming to Griffonstone. He even heard that they helped Gilda get her current job. If they preferred that instead of stealing, they must be good creatures.

Gallus could barely sleep through the excitement pulsing through him. Any life that Ponyville would provide him had to be better than this!

When the sun had barely revealed itself over the trees, Gallus got off the cement and took flight. He reached the train station in less than five minutes, grinning and waiting next to the train tracks.

He was early; of course he was early. If somebody offered you a magical ticket outside of your current living situation, would you take your time to decide?

Gallus felt the anxiety blend within his excitement, noticing Grampa Gruff's absence for the past five minutes. Perhaps the old bird was just taking his time with his cereal...

Or maybe he fell out of his chair, and broke something. What if he found a better student than Gallus? Some creature friendlier, or less anxious? What if he was stuck here, with Sheila?

"No no no no, breathe." Gallus took deep breaths. "She can't manipulate me anymore, I'm going to a much happier place."

"Yep, so ridiculously gay that these creatures shoot cotton candy rainbows out of their asses."

Gallus looked behind him, and saw Grampa Gruff landing on the wooden platform of the train station.

"What...are cotton candy rainbows?" Gallus asked.

"Rainbows made out of cotton candy, duh." Grampa Gruff rolled his eyes. "I guess I'm supposed to give you a brief rundown of what this Friendship baloney is going to be like. Do you know what friendship is?"

"I think so." Gallus thought of Sheila, a prickle of fear poking at him. "But I think what I experienced wasn't real friendship. She was very controlling. That's not real friendship, is it?"

"Hell no." Grampa Gruff replied. "It's the gayest shit I've ever seen, they make friendship bracelets, cookies, and sing under the rainbow. I...I think, I'm mostly recounting Gilda's experience last time she went there. I suppose she didn't like it all that much."

"Oh, why's that?" Gallus asked.

"Something about being harassed by multiple ponies at a party, to the point where she had to leave." Grampa Gruff shrugged. "She seems to be on good terms with some of them now, but she doesn't plan on going back there."

"Not to mention, that pink mare told me about the time a zebra came to Ponyville! Oh goodness, the ponies would bolt into their homes!" Grampa Gruff laughed. "But this Twilight seems determined to change all this, ever since she and her friends saved Canterlot. That's what she told me, anyways."

Gallus barely heard the last thing he said, his mind racing over the fifty possible ways that Ponyville would shun him on sight. What if Twilight was the only one trying to make a change, and all the other ponies wouldn't give a shit?

"Hey, don't look so bug-eyed, alright? Twilight and her friends are the most friendly little poofballs I've ever met in my life." Grampa Gruff rubbed Gallus' head feathers. "Maybe a little too friendly, but still. They saved Equestria multiple times and shit."

Before Gallus could ask Grampa Gruff to elaborate, he saw the train arriving. The door opened, allowing a few grumpy griffons to fly out into the baked-heat of Griffonstone. Gallus felt his heart beat at the thought of leaving the heat, the emptiness, and all the griffons behind him. Hopefully for good.

Grampa Gruff and Gallus flew onto the train and sat on seats far away from each other. Gallus' heart sank a little as Grampa Gruff laid down and turned his back to him. He still had so many questions about Twilight and her friends!

What are her friends like? Were they the ones that harassed Gilda? Ran away from the zebra? How would they react to me?

It didn't help that Gallus considered himself a good-hearted creature that fell into the trap of a manipulative friend. What if Twilight was exactly like him, trying to do the right thing, but being hindered by those closest to her?

No, that can't be right. She's saved Equestria alongside them!

Gallus felt his racing mind slowing down, blinking at the seat below him. Perhaps he should be well-rested for the new life ahead of him.

Just rest, trust Grampa Gruff and Twilight. Life is going to get better for you now that she's gone. Trust me.



The nap was great, but as Gallus realized upon waking up, there was no food offered to him on the train ride. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to, but the growling in his stomach left a sour taste.

"Gruff?"

"What?" Grampa Gruff asked, getting up from his nap.

"Do you know how the food is in Ponyville?"

"Sort of." Grampa Gruff replied. "The pink mare, Pinkie, was the one to teach Gilda how to make some decent food. If Gilda's baked goods are half as good as Ponyville's, then you're in luck. You're going to find out very soon."

"What do you mean?"

"We're here, you goof."

Gallus leapt off his seat and looked at the window above his seat, exposing himself to the bright and pastel colors of Ponyville. He walked out of the train and onto the train station platform, taking in the cool air.

In the distance, he saw two fillies kicking a ball around, squealing and laughing. Gallus felt an oncoming warmth flooding into his chest as he grinned. One filly caught the ball, looking at the griffin.

"Come play with us!" the filly giggled.

Gallus didn't hesitate, jumping off the train station platform and catching the ball that was kicked towards him. He jumped, using his back paw to kick the ball into the space between the two fillies. They both took off after the ball.

"What in the hay are you doing with my daughters?!"

It was a white mare with dark green eyes and a mane the color of dark roses, slightly taller than Gallus. Gallus sat on his haunches and gulped as the mare approached him.

"They invited me to play, ma'am." Gallus frowned. "I, uh..."

"They're supposed to play with colts and fillies, not whatever kind of abomination you are! What even are you?" the mare's face was inches away from Gallus'.

"I think that's enough, Ivory Thorns."

Gallus looked behind him, and saw an elegant lavender pony with a horn and wings. She wasn't as tall as Ivory Thorns, but the earth pony shrunk back nonetheless.

"Princess T-Twilight, I don't know what this creature is! I was worried for my foals!" Ivory stammered.

"He's a griffon, so now you know." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "He's a student of mine, so you can trust him."

"But what if I don't want him around my foals?" Ivory protested.

"Cause he's not a pony?"

"Not necessarily, he's got such sharp talons and b-beak..."

"And we have such rough hooves, and powerful magic." Twilight retorted. "There'll be more creatures coming here to attend my school, and I expect you and everypony else to treat them with the utmost respect. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, Princess Twilight." Ivory looked at the ground. "Candy! Pebble! Playtime is over, come back here!"

"Yes Mommy!" they shouted in unison, tumbling towards their mother with the ball. Ivory kicked the ball in the direction of their house, and the family of three left.

"Sorry about that, they moved here recently, so they don't know about all the different creatures that come to Ponyville." Twilight grinned. "So you must be the representative of Griffons for my School of Friendship!"

"Yep, that's me." Gallus looked at the train, watching Grampa Gruff slowly walk off the train station platform.

"I'm so excited!" Twilight sat on her haunches, clapping her hooves. "You'll be learning about Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic!"

"Did you say there were other creatures?" Gallus asked.

"Yup!" Twilight chirped. "Yaks, hippogriffs, changelings, dragons, and lots of ponies! It'll be sure to change your perspective!"

"See what I told ya, these ponies are gay." Grampa Gruff laughed, roughly placing a claw on Gallus' shoulder.

"I think you mean ta say happy, using gay in that context is a little old-fashioned, don't ya think?"

Gallus looked over Twilight's shoulder, spotting the speaker as an orange earth pony with a brown stetson hat.

"Ah yes, the biggest lesbian of them all. How's shagging your unicorn friend going?" Grampa Gruff mocked the orange mare.

"We talked about this, Grampa Gruff. None of your rude remarks will be tolerated around me, my friends, or my school." Twilight stomped her hoof.

"Fine, geez!" Grampa Gruff snapped. "I'll keep my mouth shut."

Gay? Lesbian? No one ever told Gallus what that even meant, he felt like he might've heard his birth father sneer the latter at a pair of griffons once. Gallus wanted to ask, but he felt embarrassed to do so in front of all these ponies.

"What's wrong, Gallus?" Twilight asked.

"Um, it's nothing. Just Grampa Gruff being an asshole, that's all." Gallus lied. Grampa Gruff glared at Gallus before looking away.

"My name's Applejack." the orange mare approached Gallus, sticking her hoof out. "Element of Honesty, dear friend of Twilight Sparkle here, nice to meet ya."

What is shagging, and how does Grampa Gruff know that Applejack is doing it with her unicorn friend?

"Oh, u-uh, nice to meet you too!" Gallus grabbed Applejack's hoof and shook it briefly. "Where are the other Elements?"

"Back at the School of Friendship, talking to the other creatures and their guardians. You're the last to arrive, new bird." Applejack grinned.

"Come with us, we're about to open the doors of the School of Friendship!" Twilight beamed. "Everypony, I mean, creature, is waiting!"

Gallus felt his heart pounding as he followed the two mares galloping towards the beautiful purple building surrounded by water from the waterfalls. Surrounding the door was dozens of ponies mixed in with several other creatures. Gallus' new life was within reach, awaiting adventures and discoveries that even the blue griffon could not fully comprehend.

It was about to begin.
> Destined Connections
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The doors opened, and Gallus flew to the corner of the main room, standing behind one of the pillars. The amount of ponies in one room felt...intense.

Twilight made her confident stride to the center of the room, where she introduced herself as Headmare. She instructed the students to see the guidance counselor to sign in and receive their class schedules.

Gallus looked at the pink unicorn, and noticed the welcoming demeanor she held from the softness in her eyes, her smile, and the gentle wave of her hoof.

Bonk!

Gallus nearly fell as he felt some creature bump into him. He caught his footing just as he heard the creature talking to him.

"Whoa, sorry. I'm Sandbar, are you a student here too?"

Gallus turned to face the light green pony, with many different shades of green from the lightness in his eyes to the dark multiple shades of his mane. He looked like a beautiful garden in the form of a pony.

It was when he was taking in these details that he realized that he hadn't spoken a word. He was staring agape at the first pony student he met.

Shit, say something you dumb fuck!

“No, I thought I'd just randomly stand here and see how many ponies would walk into me.” Gallus huffed, blowing his head feathers into place.

Sandbar simply looked at him, his smile not fading in the slightest at Gallus’ weird introduction. The silence, among the undeterred look that Sandbar gave him, was causing Gallus to blush. He opened his mouth to spea-

“Gallus!”

There goes the smile, Sandbar frowned at the loud voice calling the griffon’s name. Not waiting for a response, Gallus walked past him and towards Grandpa Gruff.

“Grandpa Gruff, what’re you doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Came all the way from Griffonstone to introduce...Gallus.” Grandpa Gruff said with a dramatic wave of his claw.

As he was speaking, Gallus recognized the blue rainbow-maned pegasus in front of him.

“Rainbow Dash?” Gallus asked. “You’re a teacher? Huh, Gilda told me about you, thought you’d be cooler.”

“What the buck?” Rainbow Dash growled. “What kind of smart-mouthed griffon did you bring to our school, Grandpa Gruff?”

“Hehe.” Grandpa Gruff snickered. “He’s your problem now, pony.”

Gallus smirked, reveling in their conversation. The griffons back at Griffonstone were used to his sarcastic comments, but ponies? They were innocent little poofballs, according to Grandpa Gruff. Messing with them could be a lot of fun.

Rainbow Dash gave Gallus a cross look before flying past him.

“Well, I best be taking my leave. I’ll be back for the Friends and Family mumbo jumbo that Twilight told me about to see your progress.” Grandpa Gruff patted Gallus’ shoulder. “See ya.”

“Um, thanks by the way.” Gallus said, looking away. “For everything.”

“Don’t mention it, kid.” Grandpa Gruff said. He flew out the door, leaving Gallus by himself.

There were so many things going on at once: a big brown creature was stumbling into the pillars of the building, losing her footing, a skinny pony-like bug was running away from...another griffon? No, she had hooves at the ends of her legs instead of paws. Wha?

The pony-like bug that Gallus was unfamiliar with abruptly turned into another pony, hiding in the crowds. The griffon-like creature stopped and looked around the room, eventually landing her gaze on Gallus.

“Whoa!!” she shouted. “Are you another hippogriff?!”

Great griffons above, she was the shrillest creature Gallus had ever heard! Definitely not a griffon.

“Uh, no.” Gallus muttered. “Griffon, I got paws instead of hooves. See?”

He sat on his haunches and extended his paws out for the hippogriff to see. She flew right above his legs and felt his paws with her talons.

Her face being inches away from his face and...other body parts, made heat spread throughout his body. Does this girl not know boundaries? She reminded him of…

Don’t think about her right now. Today’s your chance to start over.

“I’m Gallus, by the way.” Gallus broke the silence.

“Silverstream!” the hippogriff held out her other talon, shaking Gallus’. “Thanks for letting me feel your paws.”

Hopefully that’s the only thing you feel from me.

“N-No problem.” Gallus got up. “I’m gonna go check in registration now.”

“Oh my goodness, I almost forgot about that! Where is it again?” Silverstream asked. “Nevermind that, I’ll just follow you!”

“Cool.” Gallus said, looking at the pink unicorn again. The line in front of her was a long one, so long that Gallus considered meeting other creatures while the line dwindled.

“I, um, will probably wait actually.” Gallus decided. “Long lines are boring.”

“Aren’t they?!” Silverstream agreed. “Life is too short for boring lines, let’s go meet more students! Is...IS THAT A YAK?!”

Before Gallus could respond, Silverstream flew towards the big brown creature Gallus saw earlier. Which was a yak, Gallus realized.

Twilight resumed talking again, reminding students of the Friends and Family Day coming up. Gallus frowned. The ponies probably had family to invite, but what about him?

A scrawny yellow mare with a dark blue mane bumped into Gallus. Gallus turned around, recognizing her as the pony-like bug from earlier.

“Hey you!” Gallus leaned closer. “How do you transform like that?”

“I, um. I’m a ch-changeling.” the mare stammered, reverting back to her original form. “My name is Ocellus.”

“Gallus.” the griffon replied.

“Hey! I just realized, I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

Sandbar approached the griffon and changeling, looking at the former with his signature calm smile.

“Gallus.” he felt the heat returning to his face, again.

“Ocellus.” the changeling managed a smile.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sandbar.” Sandbar grinned.

“Yona can’t wait to make pony school better!” the yak shouted, tumbling into the conversation. She nearly knocked Sandbar over, grinning at Gallus and Ocellus.

“Hey, at least you’re in your original form now.”

A tall, orange, and scaly creature approached Ocellus, smirking at her.

“I didn’t get to introduce myself to you, I’m Smolder.” the creature grinned. “Dragons can really be intimidating, I don’t blame ya for running off.”

“I’m uh, Gallus.” Gallus stated, noticing the predatory stare Smolder was giving Ocellus.

The intensifying look disappeared entirely as Smolder looked at the griffon, puzzled.

“Oh, hey.” Smolder gave a slow wave of her claw, looking at the other creatures that were apparently staring at her.

“A little intimidating, isn’t it?” Ocellus mocked her, giggling.

“Oh shut up.” Smolder huffed, walking towards registration.

Gallus found it to be a weird way to meet all the other non-ponies of the School of Friendship, but at least he was on the road to making new friends. And if these friendships stayed strong, perhaps he’ll stay here in Ponyville where he felt welcomed.



“This school sucks ass!”

“Hey now, these heroic mares worked hard to make this school happen.” Sandbar defended their teachers to Gallus.

The griffon and his pony friend were walking down the hallway leading to their dorm rooms, weeks after they had all met each other.

“Maybe, but Twilight’s ruining it with her dumb book!” Gallus hissed. “Pinkie was about to put me in a canon and blast me out the window!”

“And then what? What if you sprained a wing, or broke a leg?” Sandbar stopped, glaring at Gallus.

“Why do you care?!” Gallus squawked. “Let it happen to me then!”

“I...I need to go.” Sandbar sighed, turning his back to Gallus and towards his room.

Gallus exhaled sharply through the nostrils in his beak. Doesn’t that dumb fuck know that he could just fly as soon as he was blasted out the window?

It’s Twilight’s fault that I wanna launch myself out a window to begin with! How am I supposed to pass all my classes and keep my sanity? It’s endless textbook pages and pop quizzes! If I fail, I might be sent back to...oh no.

No, Grandpa Gruff wouldn’t. That old hag knew exactly how bad things were for him, and he wouldn’t want to bring a homeless griffon back to Griffonstone anyway! Right?

Gallus needed to ensure that his citizenship in Ponyville was safe and secure, no matter what happened. He couldn’t go to that alicorn he once trusted, the book and her obsession with it was derailing everything.

Sandbar wasn’t the only one frustrated with him, they were all complaining and having spats with one another. This wasn’t the place he thought it was.

But then he remembered the kind guidance counselor at registration. She was usually packed with erupting students most of the day, but it was about half an hour before she’d leave to go home. He had to see if he could secure his safety.

Gallus flew the other direction, into the hallways until he saw the door of the unicorn’s office, slightly cracked open. There was no line. Gallus breathed in, ebbing some of his anxiety into the air.

He knocked on the door.
> Glimmer of Hope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Come in!” the voice shouted from the other side of the door.

Gallus pushed the door open and slowly stepped inside, watching the pink unicorn put away different documents in the drawers beneath her desk. On the left and right of the counselor was a shelf filled with stacks of papers. Complaints, registration documents, legal fees...Gallus assumed that the papers could be a bunch of things.

“Hey, is now a bad time?” Gallus asked, internally kicking himself for the dumb question.

“No, not at all,” the unicorn grinned. “Could you put the closed sign on the doorknob outside though? You’ll be my last student for the day.”

I came just in time.

Gallus flew outside the door, gently placing the sign on the doorknob, before going back into the guidance counselor’s office.

“I don’t think I ever got your name,” Gallus admitted, landing on the seat in front of her desk and gently tucking his wings in.

“It’s Starlight Glimmer,” the unicorn extended her hoof. “And your name is Gallus, right?”

“Right, surprised you remembered that with all the other students’ names,” Gallus admitted.

“Well, you’re the only griffon student, so it was easy to remember,” Starlight smiled. “What can I help you with?”

“I…” his vision wobbled as he stared at his talons sinking into the chair’s cushion. “This school wasn’t what I thought it was.”

“Hmm.” Starlight responded. “So I’ve been told.”

“And for these ponies, and most of the other creatures there, it’s not much of a loss,” Gallus admitted. “The other non-ponies can go back where they came from, and it’ll just be a blimp in their past.”

“What are you getting at?” Starlight asked.

“I can’t go back to where I came from,” Gallus confessed. “Grandpa Gruff picked me off the streets cause my father hit me, and I stayed with this former friend of mine. And s-she t-t-took advantage-”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Starlight’s voice softened as she nudged the box of tissues in his direction. “Well, not what happened to you, but everything is confidential here. It’ll stay between you and me.”

“Should it though?” Gallus blurted out. “Cause what if this school gets shut down, or I fail? Every creature, including me, would be sent back to where they came from right?”

“The school isn’t going to be shut down, not when Twilight is following the rules at every step,” Starlight shrugged. “And it’s friendship! If your heart’s in it, you’re not going to fail at the School of Friendship.”

“Then why the textbooks?” Gallus asked. “Isn’t friendship a lot more personal? Why aren’t we doing group activities inside or outside the school?”

Starlight opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out.

“F-Forget it, I’m just saying that my family isn’t here for me like I wish they’d be,” Gallus sighed. “I need a failproof plan to fall back on if this all goes to shit, that’s all I’m saying. I can’t go back to Griffonstone.”

“Y’know, I’ve heard this kind of thing has happened before,” Starlight admitted. “Recently, actually. Cranky and Matilda Donkey adopted a male kirin a few months ago. At the Kirin Grove, the females outnumber the males from nine to one. So when this kirin was growing up, the kirin ladies around him were a bit...forceful.”

“Did they hurt him?” Gallus asked.

“In a way,” Starlight elaborated. “They wouldn’t hit him or scratch him, but they’d flirt with him all the time. They would brush up against him during their heat cycles, but he told his mother that he didn’t feel anything.”

“His mother wouldn’t have any of it, and she set him up to be married to three different kirin. Cause the male kirin have harems to even out the numbers,” Starlight explained. “Autumn Blaze was shocked, and took him to Ponyville on a train. On the train ride, he told Autumn that he was gay.”

“This is really embarrassing, but no one’s ever told me what that word meant,” Gallus frowned.

“Gay? It’s like when a guy wants to love another guy in a sexual sense, similar to how guys like girls,” Starlight replied. “Same with a girl loving another girl, although they usually use the term ‘lesbian’ for that. It may not be like this in other lands, but the vast majority of ponies in Equestria aren’t straight. There’s a whole spectrum out here, a rainbow of some sorts.”

“Here,” Starlight walked behind the shelf on her left and levitated a thick rainbow-colored book. “Most creatures only recognize those two terms, but there’s dozens of different terms identified over the years. Some ponies, such as myself, choose not to meddle with the complicated labels used for the sexual spectrum.”

“Why’s that?” Gallus asked.

“I think labels for sexuality are silly,” Starlight shrugged. “I love my marefriend, and that’s it. There doesn’t need to be a label for how I feel.”

Gallus barely heard her, taking in the lengthy paragraphs about one of the most popular potions in Equestria: the Futa Potion. With its contents, it can give a pony both the parts of a mare and a stallion. Then there was another paragraph about magically combining the eggs of two mares, and placing the embryo inside one of the two mares.

“How do two guys have a kid?” Gallus asked. “Does the stallion keep using the potion until they give birth or something?”

“I think so, there’s a different subtype of Futa Potion for that,” Starlight answered.

“How is this kirin doing now? Is he okay?” Gallus asked, lifting his head from the book.

“Oh! Yes, he’s adjusting quite well with the Donkeys,” Starlight smiled. “Autumn wouldn’t have realized that the kirins’ behavior was abnormal had it not been for Applejack and Fluttershy. They taught her that while their traditions are valuable, consent is even more so.”

Even though Gallus didn’t understand what the word consent quite meant, a more pressing question was in the back of his mind.

“So what you’re saying is, I have to be ‘adopted’ by Ponyville citizens to stay here?” Gallus asked. “What does that word even mean?”

“It means when creatures officially take you in as part of their family,” Starlight said. “This kirin is the son of Cranky and Matilda cause they made it so.”

Gallus felt bubbles of happiness from his head down to the tips of his toes. Any creature could be family! It didn’t have to be the family from back in Griffonstone, but…

“How do I find somepony to adopt me?” Gallus asked.

“Um…” Starlight frowned, puzzled. “Well, you don’t need to worry about that at the moment. You have a dorm room here, where nopony will take it away from you.”

She doesn't know that.

"Thanks for telling me," Gallus managed to smile. "Just, if anything happens to the School or m-my grades, you know where to find me."

"Gallus," Starlight put the griffon's talon in her hooves. "Twilight won't let you go back to a place that'll hurt you. If anything dire happens, I'll tell her. Okay?"

"Okay," Gallus sighed a breath of relief. Twilight was not a pony he was fond of at the moment, but he wasn't planning on being picky. "I guess I'll turn in for the night then. Thank you, Starlight."

"No problem, come here if you need anything. No matter what it is," Starlight got up from her desk and hugged Gallus. "Okay?"

"Yeah, of course." Gallus returned the hug briefly, before flying out the door.

Starlight stepped behind her desk, gently levitating a picture from the shelf on her right. It was a picture of Cranky and Matilda, with their dark brown kirin son.

"Adoption…" Starlight whispered curiously to herself.
> Friends and Family Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was Friends and Family Day. Not the best timing for an argument.

Smolder and Yona got into a heated argument about yaks being ‘best at everything,’ and Gallus certainly wasn’t helping. He took the heat of the moment to turn to Sandbar.

“This could’ve all been prevented if it weren’t for you namby-pamby ponies!” Gallus snapped. “A fucking set of textbooks isn’t going to solve everything!”

“Don’t look at me!” Sandbar flinched. “I didn’t invent these textbooks! Maybe the school isn’t the problem, maybe it’s you and Smolder terrorizing everyone with your sharp attitude!”

“What the hell did you just say?!” Smolder turned around, slapping Yona with her tail. “I, FUCK!”

“Yona is best at biting tails,” Yona smirked, still holding the dragon’s tail with her teeth. “Think twice before you insult yaks.”

“Hey! What’s goin’ on here?”

“Shit.” Yona spat out Smolder’s tail, hearing Applejack’s hoofsteps behind her. “I was just lifting my friend’s tail to keep it off the ground. Keep it from collecting dirt.”

“Like hell you were!” Smolder growled. “This dumb cow-whore bit my tail!”

“You dragons may love your vulgar swears, but we don’t,” Applejack scowled. “Come to my office, now. Both you and Yona.”

Smolder kept hissing profanities when Ocellus whispered something to her. Smolder stopped talking, took a deep breath, and nudged Ocellus away.

“Fine.” Smolder sighed. “Let’s go.”

“What are you guys still doing here?” Rainbow Dash flew over Gallus and Sandbar. “Go to your classes!”

“Thank Celestia your loud mouth didn’t get us in trouble.” Sandbar sighed as soon as their teachers left. “I’m sorry this school isn’t what you want it to be. But I’m trying to make the best of it, that’s all I can do.”

“Can’t you drop out?” Gallus asked.

“Can’t you?” Sandbar retorted. “I know Griffonstone isn’t the friendliest of places, but you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to. Right?”

“I…” Gallus opened his mouth, struggling to find the words. “There’s really bad griffons there. I won’t go back there if I can help it.”

“Bad? How bad?” Sandbar said softly, looking at Gallus. “Wha...what did they do to you?”

“It’s a shit-hole, that’s all you need to know,” Gallus frowned. “And Grandpa Gruff is visiting today, so nopony can tell him about the dropping grades.”

“You told me you had a B minus in most of your classes,” Sandbar smiled. “That’s not too bad.”

“I also have a D minus in Kindness class; no surprise there,” Gallus huffed. “I’m a piece of shit anyway.”

“Whoa, hold up.” Sandbar stopped walking, standing in Gallus’ way. “Don’t you ever call yourself that.”

“What? A piece of shit?” Gallus scoffed. “What does it matter if I’m calling myself that? I’m not insulting anybody else.”

“Then why would you say that about yourself?” Sandbar frowned. “It’s hurtful to you, and I’m not okay with anybody hurting my friends. Not even yourself.”

“I’m your friend?” Gallus pointed at himself. “But I thought you couldn’t stand me.”

“I can’t stand how we’ve been talking to each other,” Sandbar admitted. “But this is new terrain for all of us, especially you. Of course I’m your friend, you can’t scare me off that easily.”

Sandbar walked up to him and gently placed his hoof on Gallus’ shoulder.

“Heh, you’ve never let me feel your feathers before,” Sandbar smirked his signature smile. “They’re soft.”

“Thank you?” Gallus whispered. “We should probably g-get to class.”

“Oh, now you want to go to class,” Sandbar pulled away, rolling his eyes. “That’s funny.”

Gallus felt his body heat up, and his wings tense, as Sandbar’s smile never wavered. The green pony turned his back to Gallus and walked to class like a model would walk down a catwalk. Rarity would be proud, Gallus noted.

It was Pinkie’s Laughter class that they went to. But the only funny thing about it was the lack of laughter in the classroom. Halfway into class period, Smolder and Yona returned, taking their seats.

“Yona hate making up class assignments.” the yak grumbled.

“Fuck class, I’m ditching for the day,” Smolder hissed in Gallus’ ear. “Wanna come?”

“I guess?” Gallus whispered back, before turning to Pinkie. “Hey Pinkie Pie, can we take a break? Just to catch some air outside?”

“Oh, sure!” Pinkie smiled, using her mouth to move the chalk on the blackboard. “Don’t take too long!”

Smolder and Gallus got up, only to have Yona, Ocellus, Silverstream, and Sandbar discreetly follow them.

“Are we leaving? What about Friends and Family Day?” Sandbar asked as soon as they walked out.

“Don’t worry,” Smolder smirked. “We can come back for that.”



“Hey Miss Pinkie? I think six of your students left…”

“Oh, I…” Pinkie turned around, only to see six empty desks. “Shit on a cake, I better tell Twilight.”



“I’m sorry I called you a dumb cow-whore.” Smolder apologized, as the six friends were hanging out at the lake.

“I’m sorry I bit your tail,” Yona sighed. “Yona is just scared that she won’t live up to pony expectations, she thought she was best at everything.”

“Hey, don’t cry.” Ocellus transformed into a yak, leaning against a shaking Yona. “No creature is best at everything, that’s not realistic.”

“Transform into a monkey.” Yona sniffled, smiling through her tears.

“Okay.” Ocellus smiled, transforming into a skinny brown-furred primate. She wiggled her long limbs, making loud noises.

“That still gets me,” Gallus laughed, sitting between Sandbar and Silverstream. “I’m sorry I’ve been having a stick up my ass, you guys. This school is a little more than I expected.”

“I get it.” Smolder agreed. “When Ember told me that I’d be sent here, I thought I was just going to snuggle ponies under the rainbow with color books and marshmallows. Gay shit like that.”

“You wanna fuck another girl?” Gallus tilted his head, confused.

“W-Wha?! No!” Smolder blushed, looking away. “I meant gay as in happy!”

“There’s another definition for gay?” Gallus whispered in Sandbar’s ear.

“Yeah, but ponies don’t usually use the old definition anymore,” Sandbar replied. “Happy being the old use for the word.”

“Well, you can still snuggle with a pony perhaps,” Ocellus smirked, transforming into a random light blue mare. “Nevermind the gay part.”

“Yeah, right. Totally not gay.” Smolder smiled as Ocellus rested her head on Smolder’s lap, enjoying the moment.

As Gallus was relaxed, staring at his gentle reflection in the lake, he felt two heads resting on his shoulder. Sandbar rested his head on his right shoulder, and Silverstream rested her head on his left. Gallus smiled, basking in what may be the last time they spend a wonderful moment like this.

“Hey Ocellus?” Smolder asked, running her claws through Ocellus’ pastel blue mane. “What’s the biggest creature you can transform into?”

“Uh...a bugbear maybe?” Ocellus suggested.

“Hell yeah,” Smolder smirked. “Show us, ba...I mean Ocellus.”

Ocellus winked at her dragon friend, shapeshifting into a bugbear moments later. Gallus gasped, moving his occupied shoulder in the process.

“That’s amazing!” Silverstream hugged Gallus in her excitement, pushing Sandbar off him in the process. Sandbar barely noticed, staring at the huge bugbear in awe.

“You were right Ocellus, yaks aren't best at everything...” Yona admitted. “But changelings are best at transforming!”

“Thank you,” Ocellus blushed through her white bear fur. “But I don’t want ponies to see me like this, we should head back to class.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to get in more trouble than we already have.” Smolder admitted, watching Ocellus turn back into her changeling form.



“Twilight, why is there a disgusting yak, a dragon bitch, a radioactive changeling, a grape-looking hippogriff, and a balding griffon?” Neighsay asked, staring at the representatives of their respective Kingdoms standing outside the castle.

“Oh, that’s because they brought students here!” Twilight smiled. “They’re also here for Friends and Family Day. There they are!”

Twilight smiled as her special students arrived, late nonetheless. Gallus smiled back, flying ahead of the rest of his friends.

“It’s great to meet you, Mr. Neighsay,” Gallus greeted the unicorn. “I’m honored to be a student at Twilight’s School of Friendship.”

“You’re a student?!” Neighsay gawked. “Twilight, you said you were opening this school to protect Equestria! To defend ponies from... dangerous creatures who don't have our best interests at heart!”

“Dangerous?!” Thorax gasped. Ember snarled, and Grandpa Gruff scowled.

“What the buck are you talking about? This is a school to learn about friendship!” Twilight scoffed.

“And how do you know these creatures won't take what they have learned here and use it against us?” Neighsay asked.

“You ponies haven’t changed at all!” Grandpa Gruff snapped. “Your town is still a bunch of racist jerks! C’mon Gallus! I’m not letting you spend a second longer with these bigots.”

Nonononononononononono. No!

“Don’t worry, we can get you guys a night in one of the hotels. So the five of you can say goodbye to each other,” Thorax sympathized. “But we’re clearly not welcome here.”

“I’ll come with, unless you guys probably don’t want me around,” Sandbar’s ears drooped. “According to Gruff, I’m just a bigot like all the other ponies.”

“Sandbar,” Gallus lifted his pony friend’s chin with his talon, looking him in the eyes. “Don’t you ever call yourself that.”

Sandbar’s eyes lit up, and despite the heavy situation unfolding around them, he smiled.
> Starlight's House
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, we need to find somewhere to hide before the night is over,” Gallus announced, staring at the lamp in their shared hotel room of two king-sized beds.

After Thorax mentioned the hotel room, Neighsay turned around and placed a magical lock on the school, shutting it down. After Twilight had ran into her castle in a tearful sprint, the guardians took the next train to their respective lands where the students would have to return. It was exactly what Gallus had feared.

“Yona agree, don’t want to leave new friends,” Yona lamented, sprawled on the creaking bed. As soon as she lowered her head onto the bed, the middle of the bed made a sharp snap, causing Yona to frown and look away from her friends.

“Yeah, the dragonlands are no fun,” Smolder mumbled, glancing at Ocellus on the other bed. “But where can we possibly go? All five of them will turn over boulders just to find us!”

“Maybe if we hide in a place they expect,” Gallus stated.

“What are you suggesting?” Sandbar asked.

“If we were to...hide in a pony’s home, they wouldn’t find us there,” Gallus smiled, a lightbulb popping over his head. “More specifically, a pony’s room.”

“Why their room?” Smolder asked. “I don’t think we’d all fit.”

“Well, I don’t know if this will work,” Gallus frowned. “But I talked to Starlight Glimmer before today, and she said that she’d tell Twilight about the situation we’re in. If it were to happen, of course.”

“You expected this shit-storm to happen?” Smolder gawked. “Then why not tell us?”

“I can’t say I expected it,” Gallus looked away. “I just didn’t want to go back to Griffonstone, so I prepared myself for the worst-case scenario.”

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t want to go back to Ember’s whiny ass,” Smolder pouted, tapping her foot. “But I wasn’t going to put up a fight about it. What’s so bad about Griffonstone that you had to tell the guidance counselor in advance?”

“Is that really what matters right now?” Sandbar stepped in between his friends. “Gallus has an idea, and you keep interrupting him.”

Smolder opened her mouth, and after a second, closed it and glared at Sandbar. Gallus blinked at Sandbar briefly, exposing a hint of a smile before looking at Smolder again.

“I think we should go to Twilight’s castle,” Gallus stated.

“That’s the shittiest idea I’ve ever heard,” Smolder snorted. “We’ll be caught within seconds.”

“Not really,” Sandbar stated. “If Gallus is right, she’ll be expecting us when we get there. And last time I checked, Starlight lives in her castle. Even if Starlight didn’t tell her, we can hide in her room.”

“But then Twilight will know where we are,” Ocellus whimpered. “What if she turns on us?”

“She’s the Princess of Friendship,” Gallus huffed. “She won’t t-turn on us.”

Why should I trust her now?

“Maybe we shouldn’t walk to the castle in the open,” Smolder suggested. “How about we sneak our way to the door, and you knock on the door? Since you’re so confident in your featherbrained plan.”

“Maybe I will,” Gallus retorted. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s haul our asses out of here.”

Yona slipped off the broken bed, following the rest of her friends out of the hotel room. Ocellus gave a small smirk before transforming into Grandpa Gruff.

“You’re a genius," Smolder grinned, rubbing her friend’s currently bald head. “The rest of us should still hide near the castle, but at least Gallus can knock on the door undetected.”



And undetected they were. Yona hid behind several of the bushes next to the castle, with Smolder, Silverstream, and Sandbar hidden beneath her shaggy fur as an extra precaution. Gallus flew to the door with the fake Grandpa Gruff by his side, feeling his heart beat faster than his wings.

“Gallus?” Twilight muttered, the castle door creaking open. “G-Grandpa Gruff? What are you two doing here? It’s late.”

“Gallus wanted to say goodbye to one of his racist pony friends,” Ocellus growled, tilting her bald head towards Twilight.

“Her name is Starlight,” Gallus glared at ‘Grandpa Gruff.’ “Hey Headmare Twilight, did Starlight bring up anything I told her?”

“Nope! Everything is confidential,” Twilight grinned. “But she doesn’t live here in the castle anymore, she moved in with her marefriend a few weeks ago. But I can give you her address, and you two can go there.”

“Thank you!” Gallus grinned. “That means a lot to me.”

“No worries,” Twilight levitated a piece of paper and a feathered quill, writing the address on the former. “But don’t be late to the train station!”

“Don’t you think I know how to supervise one of my own kind?” Ocellus barked, stretching her wings. “C’mon Gallus, I ain’t waiting all day for you.”

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes, shutting the door. Ocellus and Gallus ran to the bush, shaking Yona.

“Guys, guys! Starlight Glimmer has her own house now, and we got the address!” Gallus grinned, shoving the paper beneath Yona’s fur. “Unfortunately, that means you three will have to travel underneath Yona’s gut for a bit longer. Safety first, right?”

“Safety!” Smolder scoffed from under Yona. “This bitch smell like a wet dog.”

“That’s the spirit!” Gallus squawked. “C’mon! We’re losing time!”



After another tedious journey, the Young Six finally reached the cute lavender house that Twilight redirected them to. Gallus told Yona to hide herself and the friends underneath her near the house. Ocellus transformed into Princess Twilight, before knocking on the door.

“Hey, I...Princess Twilight? Gallus?” Starlight whispered. “You got the letter I sent you! I’m so relieved, I didn’t know if you were able to help.”

Ocellus and Gallus briefly shared a puzzled glance.

“Yes, of course,” Ocellus grinned. “I also brought Yona, she wanted help as well. Can we come in?”

“Of course!” Starlight grinned. “Where is she?”

“Leaning against the house, she’s got a bad stomach ache,” Gallus chuckled. “C’mon Yona, there’s a bathroom in here.”

“...oh! Of course!” Yona stumbled forward, crawling into Starlight’s house without blowing her cover. Gallus flew inside, and Ocellus closed the door and locked it.

“Starlight, please don’t tell anyone. But we...got a little desperate after hearing that we’d be going home," Gallus frowned.

“What do you-” before Starlight could finish her question, Ocellus transformed back into her original form. Yona lifted her legs, releasing Smolder, Silverstream, and Sandbar from her fur.

“Disgusting!” Smolder hissed, coughing up a yakball.

“We’re sorry, but we had no choice,” Gallus frowned. “I thought you would’ve gotten Twilight to help like you told me.”

“I did though, I left a letter on her door!” Starlight gasped. “I’m so sorry guys, she must be grieving from the loss of her school. It’s not like her to ignore urgent letters, I swear.”

Gallus stopped flying midair, his paws gently landing on Starlight’s carpet as he took in everything. Twilight had read Starlight’s letter about him and Griffonstone, and she ignored it?

“I knew not to trust that bitch,” Gallus growled, sinking his talons into the carpet. “She kept listening to a dumb rulebook over her friends. Her students.”

“I was hoping she would keep the six of you in her castle,” Starlight pondered. “But plans have changed, and I won’t let those guardians of yours tear your friendships apart. I can keep all of you here for a few days, and hopefully Twilight will figure something out by then.”

Gallus rushed over, and hugged the pink unicorn. Sure, it was flea-brained of her to still rely on her former teacher for help, but Gallus figured that her help mattered more than anything else.

“If you don’t mind, we’re going to wash the yak stink off our bodies,” Sandbar said. “Me and Silverstream can share the bath; try not to waste too much water.”

“Could I bathe too?” Ocellus piped up.

“Totally, you can share the bath with me,” Smolder smirked. “No homo, right?”

“N-No, none at all,” Ocellus grinned.

“Yona would share bath with you, but Yona usually takes up entire in pony tub.” Yona frowned, looking at Gallus. “Yona will sleep on the floor, not break anymore furniture.”

“Don’t worry,” Starlight rested her hoof on Yona’s shoulder. “I got a bunch of spare blankets in the closet for you to sleep on. And a few more for your friends.”

Yona’s green eyes brightened as she stretched her leg around Starlight’s shoulder, hugging her. Gallus smiled as his closest friends walked into the bathroom to clean the scent off.

Starlight kicked open the two recliners, and opened the pullout bed underneath the center couch. Gallus called dibs on the pullout bed, stretching out his wings and curling up in the tiny white blanket provided.

“I’m really sorry about Twilight, she’s been a wreck ever since Equestria went under fire all those months ago,” Starlight whispered.

“Under fire?” Gallus asked.

“A figure of speech, obviously,” Starlight rolled her eyes. “It was when the Storm King’s minions arrived in Canterlot and turned all the Princesses into stone. When they couldn’t catch Twilight, they chased her and her friends throughout different lands. From Klugetown to Mount Aris, until Tempest caught her.”

“Mount Aris, that’s where Silverstream lives,” Gallus gasped.

“Yes, it was a terrible time. But it inspired Twilight to reach out to creatures like you," Starlight smiled. “It’s because of the harrowing journey she went on that she created the School of Friendship.”

“Yeah, and look what that did her,” Gallus scowled, looking at the ceiling.

“I’ll admit, things didn’t turn out the way any of us pictured it,” Starlight confessed. “But think! If Twilight had never opened the school, you wouldn’t be here. And I’m going to make sure that means something. I promise you, I’m not giving up on you.”

“Not even if all our guardians knock your door down?” Gallus looked at Starlight.

“Not even if they threaten to burn my house down,” Starlight puffed her chest. “I don’t know about the rest of your friends, but I’ve thought of a way to keep you from going back to Griffonstone."

“Really?” Gallus whispered. “What is it?”

“Well, if Twilight had paid any decent attention to the letter, she would’ve received a copy of this,” Starlight used her magic to levitate a piece of paper towards him.

Gallus leaned towards the paper in the darkness, his night vision granting him the visibility of the adoption form printed. As soon as he read the words, a cold splash of realization poured over him.

“You’re adopting me?” Gallus asked.

“I’m trying to, yes,” Starlight grinned. “I don’t suppose that your family will have a problem with me and my marefriend doing so, right?”

“Oh, well...when I said they weren’t here for me like I wanted them to, I meant that I haven’t been in contact with them for months,” Gallus admitted. “I don’t even think they consider me a part of their family anymore. My father hated that I wouldn’t steal food for our family, said I wasn’t a true griffon. So, even if they wouldn’t like you doing so, there’s nothing they can do about it now.”

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” Starlight frowned. “That’s why you were so adamant about adoption, you don’t even have them to come back to. Tell you what, when the papers are signed, you can…”

Gallus blinked, holding onto the silence between him and his former guidance counselor. Was she going to say it?

Just as Starlight opened her mouth, several harsh knocks echoed on the other side of the door. Gallus squeaked as he jumped off the pullout bed and hid underneath it.

Starlight glanced at the bathroom door, making sure it was shut, before walking towards the front door and opening it.

“The great and powerful marefriend is back!” Trixie shouted, only to be magically pulled inside the house. “Starry? What’s wrong?”

“Well Trixie, we have a lot to talk about.” Starlight admitted. “Remember the five creatures from outside Equestria, Twilight’s new students? Well, the EEA shut down the school, and they’re hiding in our house till everything blows over.”

“WHA-” Starlight slapped her hoof over Trixie’s mouth. “And, I want to adopt one of them.”

Trixie pulled away from her marefriend’s hoof, raising an eyebrow at her.

“We can talk about this later,” Starlight decided. “He’s under the pullout bed. Gallus, it’s safe to come out.”

“Come out? This is the safest place to do that, believe me,” Trixie smirked, leaning against Starlight.

Gallus, oblivious to the joke, peaked his head out from underneath the pullout bed. It was a blue mare with a light blue mane, staring at the griffon.

“A griffon?” Trixie whispered. “And I’m guessing you’re hiding an entire zoo in the bathroom, right?”

“You could say that,” Starlight said. On cue, the bathroom door opened, and Yona stepped out. Her fur was soaking from top to bottom.

“Good grief,” Trixie rolled her eyes. “What have you gotten us into this time?”
> Twilight's Mistakes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several days later

Twilight stared at her school, the sound of the waterfalls doing little to steady her rapid heartbeat. Behind her, Starlight Glimmer walked further down the pathway until Twilight’s ears perked up.

“Oh, hey Starlight,” Twilight managed to say, not meeting the unicorn’s eyes.

Starlight imagined that in some other circumstances, she’d give a small laugh while telling Twilight what she did wrong. The two would hug, and Twilight would be back to her old self. But Starlight thought about the griffon at her home, anxiety threatening to take over his body at the thought of returning to Celestia knows what.

“You read that letter,” Starlight began. “Twilight, do you know what kind of place he could’ve been sent back to? Do you know how they hurt him? For Celestia’s sake, I can’t even imagine what he must be going through. You were supposed to be his lifeline, Twilight Sparkle. And you turned him away.”

Starlight was about to continue when she saw a droplet fall from Twilight’s face and onto the ground. Soft sobs escaped the alicorn, and Starlight frowned as she felt a fraction of the Princess’ pain.

“You gave up too easily, and somecreature could’ve paid the price for it,” Starlight explained. “Now, about that damn EEA book…”





Gallus wandered around Starlight’s home, glancing at the kitchen and the open bathroom door. He didn’t see Starlight, Trixie, Sandbar, or any of his other friends.

“Hello?” Gallus called out, a familiar feeling twisting inside his chest. As he tried to take another step forward, he felt his talons and paws glued to the floor. The feeling doubled, and he couldn’t think his way out of his predicament. The door kicked open, and Gallus felt his blood running cold at the creature staring him down with her sharp green eyes.

“Hello, Gallus,” Sheila grinned, stepping closer and closer. “They already took your friends, and Twilight has those two unicorns. Grandpa Gruff got them to talk, and well, now I’ve found you!”

The griffon said those words in the tone of a filly that had found her friend in a game of hide-and-seek. Gallus felt his limbs shaking as Sheila stepped forward and pressed her talon against his cheek, pressing her beak against his.

“Now that I have you, you won’t be getting away so easily,” Sheila whispered, glancing down at the floor.

Gallus glanced down as well, seeing a leash and a collar near her paws. Feeling his mobility regained, Gallus lunged for the door. Sheila shrieked, jumping for his neck and sinking her talons in. Gallus screamed, kicking her off of him and reaching for the door-

“GALLUS!”





Gallus’ eyes snapped open, staring up at the green stallion’s face. Sandbar’s ears were flattened as he stared down with wide seagreen eyes. Gallus glanced around Sandbar, seeing the rest of their friends staring at him like they had seen a ghost.

“Gallus okay?” Yona whispered.

“I...yeah, why?” Gallus felt his face heat up as he realized that Sandbar’s hooves were pressing against his body. Rolling away from the stallion’s touch, Gallus sat up on the pullout bed. Glancing in the direction of the kitchen, Gallus noticed Trixie watching him as she used her magic to heat up the stove.

“Dude, you were screaming like the hellhounds were after you,” Smolder told him. “What were you even dreaming about?”

Gallus tried to remember the dream, his body freezing up as he remembered Sheila finding him and lunging for him. Pressing a talon against his beak, Gallus felt his body shaking.

“Guys, just clear out and give him a moment,” Sandbar insisted.

Ocellus turned away, and Smolder and Yona followed her. Silverstream stared at him, her body still for a few moments before turning away and following the others.

“Dude, just breathe in and out,” Sandbar pressed his hoof against his shoulder. “In…”

Gallus closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath.

“...and out,” Sandbar finished, smiling at him.

Gallus gave a slow exhale, feeling some of the fear leaving with his breath. Repeating the motion several more times, Sandbar jumped off the pullout bed and was about to walk away when Gallus spoke up.

“Her name was Sheila,” Gallus said. Sandbar turned around, his smile gone.

“Sheila?” Sandbar asked.

“She allowed me a place to stay when my family got out of control,” Gallus explained. “She jumped on me and kissed me that night, and I decided to be in a relationship with her. She then told me that I didn’t need to look for a job, and then after some time…”

Gallus stopped meeting Sandbar’s eyes, glancing at the starry purple blanket that Sandbar had brought him two days ago.

“...she wouldn’t have sex with me anymore,” Gallus admitted. “It was like I was her p-prisoner, and when I broke up with her…”

Gallus felt a tear land onto the blanket, and threw the blanket over his body, collapsing back onto the bed. After a few moments of silence, Sandbar climbed onto the bed.

“Can I hug you?” Sandbar asked.

“Please,” Gallus groaned.

Sandbar wrapped his forelegs around the blanket-covered griffon, resting his head over Gallus.

“You’re very brave for telling me this,” Sandbar whispered. “And you don’t have to tell the others, or tell me anything else, until you’re ready. Okay?”

Sandbar jumped off of Gallus as he managed to get up and shake the blanket off himself. He stepped closer to Sandbar, before embracing the pony and resting his beak against Sandbar’s silky smooth mane.

“Thank you,” Gallus tightened his embrace briefly, before pulling away. Right as he was about to jump off the bed, Sandbar pressed his hoof against his foreleg.

“Ah-ah-ah,” Sandbar smirked. “Don’t you go anywhere, I got just the trick to help you feel better.”

Before Gallus could protest that he was already feeling better, Sandbar jumped off the bed and trotted towards the kitchen, walking past Trixie and standing on his hindlegs, opening the cabinet. As Gallus’ eyes kept following Sandbar’s movements, he heard pawsteps approaching. Snapping his gaze to the source, Gallus looked into Silverstream’s violet eyes.

“Hey Gallus,” Silverstream whispered, her paws playing with her blue mane as she glanced up at him. “If you need anyone to talk to, I’m always here.”

“Oh,” Gallus felt his heart skip a beat for a quick moment. “Thank you, Silverstream.”

Gallus watched the hippogriff’s eyes light up, her grin catching the griffon off-guard. Feeling his face heat up, Gallus grinned back at her.

“H-Hey, if you don’t mind me asking,” Gallus said. “Where is Starlight?”

“Oh! She told Trixie that she had a quick errand to run and-”

“Great Celestia!”

Gallus and Silverstream glanced to where Trixie was glaring inside the open cabinet, the blue unicorn shutting the cabinet door, turning off the stove, and walking towards the door.

“I’ll be right back, we’re all out of hay,” Trixie huffed. “She could’ve told me that we were all out, I swear-”

The door slammed shut behind Trixie as she left, and Gallus and Silverstream snickered.

“Oh whatever will we do without hay!” Gallus cackled.

“I’d catch a fish if we weren’t hiding,” Silverstream commented, glancing at the green pony approaching. “Hmm, Sandbar’s looking pretty tasty right about now…”

“I promise, I’m not,” Sandbar chuckled, holding a cup of hot tea with his mouth. “I’m sure I’d taste very dry. Here Gallus, chamomile tea just for you.”

Gallus took the cup of tea in his talons and leaned his beak towards the cup, taking in the apple undertones and the warmth radiating from the cup.

“Careful, it's really hot,” Sandbar warned him.

Gallus gave a small nod, softly blowing into the cup. After Silverstream walked away to join the others, Gallus slowly dipped his beak into the cup, tasting the sweetness right away. Tilting the cup closer to his beak, Gallus caught several gulps of the tea in his mouth, warm drips landing on his feathers and his legs.

“Damn, this is really good,” Gallus said as he pulled his beak out. “Tea?”

“My Dad tells me it's supposed to be crushed leaves in hot water,” Sandbar explained.

“Must be magical leaves,” Gallus grinned. “I’m feeling better already.”

“That must be the Sandbar touch,” Sandbar winked, causing Gallus’ blush to return full-force. “Hmm.”

“What is it?” Gallus asked as the stallion smiled in the bathroom’s direction. Turning back to look at him with that damn smile, Sandbar opened his mouth.

“You never got to bathe since we got here,” Sandbar pointed out.

“Yeah, I...uh,” Gallus glanced away as he brushed his cheek with his talon. The next words that came out of his mouth was an incoherent string of mumbles, causing Sandbar to step closer.

“What was that?” Sandbar’s ears perked up as he stepped closer.

“I don’t know how,” Gallus admitted. “We didn’t do much beyond grooming our pelts in Griffonstone.”

“Well, perhaps I can help?” Sandbar asked.

Gallus finally met Sandbar’s eyes again, his beak open, but with no words coming out. Sandbar smirked and shrugged, sealing the griffon’s decision.

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” Gallus whispered, drinking the rest of the cup’s contents before jumping off the bed. As Sandbar slowly walked over to the bathroom, both creatures flinched at the sound of the door knocking.

“Trixie’s back already?” Smolder shouted from the other side of the house.

Gallus lowered his body, crawling on all fours until he slowly stood on his hindlegs, pressing his talons against the door as he looked into the peephole. A familiar purple alicorn stood in front of the door.

Gallus jumped back onto the floor, staring at his friends as they stepped closer.

“It’s Twilight,” Gallus told them.

“Fucking hell,” Smolder growled, stomping towards the door. “If that bitch thinks she can take us away, she’s got another thing comi-”

Ocellus grabbed Smolder’s tail firmly with her hooves.

“No,” Ocellus whispered. “She doesn’t have to know we’re here.”

“She’ll rip the door open,” Gallus gulped. “We have to answer.”

“Says who? Yona says we not open door,” Yona huffed.

“What is she going to do against the six of us?” Smolder growled. “Open the door.”

“Was she the only one out there?” Sandbar asked.

“I don’t know,” Gallus frowned. “I could only see her.”

“Alright, I’ll answer the door,” Sandbar decided. “The rest of you can hide until I say it’s okay.”

Ocellus jumped for the bathroom door, opening it for the others. Smolder rolled her eyes, flying into the bathroom behind Ocellus. Yona and Silverstream dashed into the bathroom, Gallus following them and closing the door. Locking it, Gallus leaned his back against the door as he stared at the lights above him.

“They must’ve made Starlight talk,” Gallus told them. “What’re they going to do to Sandbar? Or me? I can’t go back, never.”

Digging his talons into his arms, Gallus stared at the ground and his shaking paws. Seeing a pair of light pink hooves land close to his talons, Gallus glanced up at the hippogriff holding her necklace towards him.

“Here,” Silverstream placed the necklace around the griffon’s neck. “I have n-no idea if this can turn you into a pony, but Twilight can’t catch you this way.”

“Wow,” Gallus glanced down at the necklace around him, staring back up at Silverstream. “Thank you, Silverstream.”

Silverstream grinned, pulling Gallus into a tight hug for a few moments before pulling away.

“Screw it, I’m done hiding,” Smolder decided. “If any of you want to come with me, you’re more than welcome to.”

Smolder flew towards the door, opening it wide open. Ocellus jumped off the floor and followed her, Silverstream and then Yona following them shortly after. Gallus glanced down at the necklace, his lifeline from returning to Griffonstone. With this, he could possibly hide long enough for Starlight to finish the adoption papers for him. But…

Gallus glanced at the open door, making up his mind. Standing up on all fours, Gallus took off the necklace and placed it on the sink. Walking out of the room, Gallus moved past the others to glare at Twilight, who frowned and looked down at the ground. Then, he noticed the other Elements of Harmony and Starlight standing around her. Stepping to Gallus’ side, Sandbar turned to him.

“Twilight says that the school is reopening,” Sandbar explained. “She...she wants us to return.”

“Return?!” Gallus squawked. “I’m not going anywhere near that school’s dumb book-”

“I...got rid of the book, per Starlight’s advice,” Twilight met Gallus’ eyes once more. “I realized that the School of Friendship is in a category of its own, and the book doesn’t belong there. And...I’m so sorry for not responding to your letter, Gallus. Losing my school was one of the hardest trials that I had to deal with. But I think I know how to make it up to you.”

“Really?” Gallus scoffed. “How?”

Twilight allowed a small smile, using her magic to place a sheet of paper in the griffon’s talons. Gallus recalled the form from several days ago, seeing Starlight’s signature, Trixie’s signature…

...and Twilight Sparkle’s signature on the adoption form.

“For you to be properly adopted from Griffonstone, a Princess has to approve the form,” Twilight explained. “And after that is done, the adoption becomes official.”

The words sank in, and Gallus glanced at Sandbar, who hugged him. Gallus wrapped his forelegs around Sandbar, noticing the rest of their friends joining in for a group hug. Gallus thought no moment could beat the one where Grandpa Gruff took him away from Griffonstone, the one where he arrived in Ponyville, or even the one where he met the friends hugging him right now. But he was so wrong. Feeling emotional fireworks sparking inside his chest, Gallus smiled at each and every one of his friends, before turning around and staring at the pink unicorn walking closer to him. His mother.

Gallus lunged for Starlight, knocking her over and hugging her tight. Starlight returned the hug, placing her hooves on his back. Gallus chuckled, jumping off Starlight as she got up. All the fear seemed to fade away in the moments that his friends and his new mother surrounded him, and Gallus finally looked at Twilight once more.

“Okay,” Gallus nodded. “I’ll return to the School of Friendship.”

“Then so will I,” Sandbar decided.

“Yona will give pony school second chance,” Yona said.

“I can’t wait to go back to the School of Friendship!” Silverstream squealed.

After a few silent moments, Gallus and his friends all looked at Smolder.

“Eh, beats being back at home,” Smolder shrugged. “I’m in.”

“Great!” Pinkie spoke up. “Now all your nations won’t go to war with us!”

Gallus and his friends froze, gawking at the pink pony. Sandbar glanced at Gallus’ expression, tilting his head.

“Wait, what’s happening?” Sandbar asked.
> The Final Obstacle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blood dripped from Gallus’ face and into the night sky as he flew away from Sheila’s house, several emotions contradicting each other inside of him. He flew past the hospital, having no bits with him to cover any bills. Maybe he’d find a cloth somewhere to stop the bleeding, but for now, he was covering as much distance between him and his former home as possible. A memory of him and Sheila chasing after each other down the streets, giggling and swiping at each other as other griffons scoffed and looked the other way, played in his head as he flew down to a back alley empty of any other griffons. Gallus felt renewed tears mixing in with the blood as both liquids dripped onto the cement.

He couldn’t understand how the friend that had been his light throughout his hardships had soured and twisted into this creature beyond recognition. He leaned against the dumpster in the back alley, holding himself as he wept for the friend that used to hold him after his parents would yell at him, the friend that made him feel as though he was worth her time and gestures. What, he wondered, did he do or say that led their relationship to this point?

Why did she want to keep him there? Was...was that what he deserved?

Gallus heard a sound in the distance, and shrieked as he ducked and crawled underneath the dumpster. Silence returned to the back alley once more, but Gallus remained in his spot, laying there and closing his eyes. Tomorrow, he would attempt to clean himself up. Tomorrow, he promised himself, would be a new beginning this time.

And next time, he would think twice before letting another creature be the light in his life. He could do without that light.





Gallus walked with both his mothers by his side, occasionally glancing at his friends as they followed Twilight to the School of Friendship. His heart felt full, overflowing even, with the emotions that he’d held back for too long. Resting his wings over his mothers and allowing a small smile to appear on his beak, he witnessed Twilight step to the magical lock over the school’s entrance, before a voice called out behind them.

“Twilight!”

Gallus stopped, tucking his wings back to his sides, as he looked over his shoulder. His beak nearly hit the floor when he saw a pony that resembled a swan with a tri-colored mane that flowed on its own. Sporting a set of wings and horn like Twilight, the tall mare gently landed on the ground as she approached Twilight.

“I was so relieved to get your letter!” Celestia beamed down at Twilight.

The purple mare blushed and glanced the other direction, and before Gallus could think twice of it, he was face-to-face with an old hag that he knew all too well.

“Don’t expect any welcome party from me!” Grandpa Gruff growled, biting Gallus’ head feathers. “It’s time to get you away from these two-faced jerks and back home!”

“This is his home now.”

Gallus felt magic surrounding his entire body as he was pulled out of Grandpa Gruff’s grip and levitated to Starlight’s side. Trixie stood in front of Gallus as she used her magic to shove a paper in Grandpa Gruff’s face. Gallus had a hunch regarding which paper it was, as Grandpa Gruff grabbed the paper and read it over, his already wide and buggy eyes widening even more as he continued reading.

“How...he was…” Grandpa Gruff stammered before throwing the paper back at the unicorns. “Horseshit! You can’t be telling me that you’re a pony now! Quit with these games and return to Griffonstone!”

“Technically, none of us are going back home,” Ocellus pointed out. “Sorry, Thorax.”

“How do you suppose you’re going to get in?” Thorax asked, pointing his hoof in direction of the lock.

“Well, Twilight can when she’s done flirting over there,” Starlight remarked, speaking the last few words louder as she glanced over at her former teacher.

Twilight’s ears perked up as she ceased speaking with Celestia, turning around and snapping the lock with the magic from her horn. Just as Gallus and the creatures around him started to cheer, a portal opened up, revealing Chancellor Neighsay.

“Who dared remove my seal?” Chancellor Neighsay growled.

Gallus wrapped his wings around his mothers once more as Twilight and Chancellor Neighsay went back and forth, the purple alicorn stating that her school would follow its own rules. The fact that she managed her argument without the other leaders declaring a national war astounded the griffon. Chancellor Neighsay’s face eventually twisted before he hissed one final statement about the destruction of Equestria, turning around and jumping back into the portal.





It had been two days since the reopening of the school, and Gallus had finally found himself in Pinkie Pie’s party cannon once more. With the party canon pointed towards the trees in the distance, Gallus kept all of his limbs close to his sides as he braced himself.

“Gallus…” Sandbar frowned, staring at the griffon from several feet away.

“Trust Pinkie Pie, she says that nobody has died from this,” Gallus reassured him.

“Yet,” Pinkie whispered as she lit a match against the cannon’s rope.

Gallus felt his body being launched out of the cannon, another emotional high surging throughout his body as he felt himself spiraling out of control. His heart started racing inside his chest as he thought of Sandbar’s warnings. Just as he saw the trees closing in, he felt something catch him and carry him away from the trees. Glancing up at Silverstream, the hippogriff grinned at him.

“Thank you,” Gallus whispered as she set him down, landing beside him.

She hugged the griffon, nuzzling his neck briefly before pulling away as their friends arrived on the scene.

“Thank Celestia you caught him in time,” Sandbar panted. “Gallus, you’re going to kill me one of these days. Stay safe, okay?”

Gallus stared at each and every one of his friends, their fur and scales shining brightly in the sunlight. They all looked back at him, either wide-eyed at his near injury or grinning in his presence. And he could feel something from the five of them that he hadn’t felt in many months.

In that moment, he felt like he was worth it after all.
> The Start of a Ponyville Tour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Gallus, I think your Mom is at the door.”

“Which one?” Gallus’ eyes flickered open as he lifted his head from the pillows on the top bunk bed he was sleeping in, looking down as Sandbar stood beside the door to their dorm room.

When the School of Friendship reopened, Gallus ultimately decided to spend the weekdays in his dormroom and the weekends with both his mothers. Whenever asked on why he made the decision, Gallus simply told the creature asking that he liked having his independence, nothing to do with the stallion roommate that nearly lured him into sharing a bathtub, or constantly gave him that half-lidded stare. Certainly not.

As Gallus’ gaze drifted towards the windows of their room, glancing at the bright sunlight shining on the water fountain at the School’s fountain square, Gallus remembered it was still Friday and the weekend wouldn’t kick off for several more hours. Standing up, Gallus flew off the top bunk bed and walked to the door, feeling Sandbar’s pelt brushing against him. Gallus’ brain went back to when his mother had given him that book full of different terms, and processing the possibility that males could fall in love with each other. But Sandbar hasn’t expressed which way he felt, whether it was for stallions, mares, or both. He just seemed to be the same smiling dork with everycreature he met, Gallus was 95% positive that it was just Sandbar being a bro as they put it in Ponyville.

So why couldn't he just accept that?

Gallus opened the door and Starlight Glimmer stood there with a gentle smile. Gallus felt himself getting warm, the fact that she was now his mother was still fresh, and something told him that he wouldn't get used to it anytime soon. It was the gift that gave everyday, and knowing that made him smile as he stepped forward and embraced his Mom.

"Mom," the word came from Gallus' mouth, not for the first time, but it still made his heart swell the same. "What brings you here? I wasn't expecting you for another few hours."

"Well, I realized with all that went on the past few weeks, you didn't even get a tour of Ponyville!" Starlight pointed out. "I was hoping to fix that right now and get an early start on our weekend."

"Oh?" Gallus looked at the area around Starlight. "And where is Trixie?"

"Off performing one of her magic shows," Starlight told him. "Though she did say she'd be meeting up with us at Sugarcube Corner later, if all that sounds good to you?"

"Absolutely!" Gallus chirped, feeling Sandbar's eyes staring at him. Wincing as he glanced over, he realized that Sandbar was actually smiling despite his roommate's early departure. “Is it cool that I head out early?”

“Dude, it’s your family,” Sandbar snickered. “And she’s got a point, I would’ve done it myself a long time ago if it wasn’t for…well…a fun first few weeks of school, shall we say.”

“Yeah, thank fuck that’s over with,” Gallus chuckled, fist-bumping Sandbar’s offered hoof before turning back to look at his mother. “Lead the way, Mom. I’ll see you later, Sandbar.”

“Of course, I have no doubt about that,” Sandbar winked, causing Gallus’ face to go redder. Rushing out the door and closing the door behind him with his tail, Gallus didn’t speak a peep as he followed Starlight down the hallway and out of the building. It took Starlight glancing over at her wide-eyed son for a few seconds before the silence was finally broken.

“How has everything been going?” Starlight asked Gallus. “I’m hoping you have a much higher grade in Kindness class now.”

“Yes, Mom,” Gallus smiled while rolling his eyes. “I’ve got a B plus in it now, and most of my classes too. I’ve finally got an A in one class.”

“That’s awesome, which one is it?” Starlight asked.

“Loyalty, Rainbow Dash even pulled me aside to tell me,” Gallus admitted. “Said she was really proud of me for doing better on my assignments.”

“As she should be, that seems fitting of you too,” Starlight smirked. “Shame we’re not showing you her place.”

“What do you mean?” Gallus asked.

“Well, we’re actually visiting another teacher of yours, a mare of the Apple family,” Starlight clarified. “Twilight told me that when she first visited Sweet Apple Acres, she had a whole group of ponies invite her to a potluck!”

“Is that what we’ll be having?” Gallus’ beak dropped as he began salivating at the thought of eating endless apple cuisines. As he realized shortly after arriving in Ponyville, there was very little meat to eat due to most of the residents being vegetarian, except for the occasional fish. Gallus adapted just fine due to there being many other sources of protein, and even took a fancy to some of the dishes. However, he stopped salivating right away when Starlight chuckled and shook her head.

“No silly, we won’t get a full feast,” Starlight told him. “Although when I asked Applejack if I could show you around, she did say she wanted to treat us to dinner. You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”

“Nope!” Gallus grinned. “Hey, I have an idea. We shouldn’t keep them waiting too long, so how about I help?”

“What do you-” Starlight watched as Gallus leapt into the air and grabbed her sides with his talons, lifting her into the air with little effort needed. “Oh wow, I didn’t think you could carry me!”

“Neither did I!” Gallus laughed. “I was just going to play it off as a joke! But might as well fly us there, right?”

“If you’re able to!” Starlight pointed a hoof in the direction of a red barn and a lot of apple trees in the far distance. “Sweet Apple Acres is that way!”

“Right on it, madam,” Gallus flapped his wings with all his might, flying them over all the town buildings as they made it to Sweet Apple Acres within a matter of minutes. As they reached the hillside near the barn, Gallus released his mother onto the grass and flopped on his back, gasping for air.

“That was…harder than I thought it’d be,” Gallus wheezed.

“Don’t worry, we can go inside the barn and get some water,” Starlight placed a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s just a quick walk, do you think you still need a minute?”

“N-No, I think I’ll manage,” Gallus took several deep breaths before hoisting himself back up onto all fours. “Thank goodness, I need to cool off.”

Gallus followed Starlight to the red barn, walking near the apple trees as he heard a faint moaning sound nearby. Turning to face the trees, Gallus saw two ponies in the distance, the orange one kissing the white one’s neck and…

…wait, were those his teachers?

“What’re you-” Starlight began to ask as Gallus moved towards the two ponies, freezing up as he saw it was indeed Applejack kissing Rarity’s neck, the unicorn gasping and giggling as she smiled down at Applejack.

“C’mon Applejack! They’re going to be here anytime now!” Rarity tried to scold the farmpony, only for Applejack to pull back and smirk at her.

“Sure we don’t have time to make out s’more?” Applejack suggested. “Ah mean, the food’s already ready and they’re still not here, so why not?”

“Um…”

As the sound came out of Gallus’ beak, Applejack and Rarity flinched and turned to look at Gallus with wide eyes and dropped jaws. After a minute of silence, Gallus spoke up.

“So I take it this is what Grampa Gruff meant by shagging?” Gallus remarked, watching as the mares both scowled at him.

“Oh Celestia, help me,” Starlight groaned, slapping her face with her own hoof.
> Family and Food
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Gallus heard Starlight groaning behind him, sweat began forming on his forehead as he stared at the two mares. Was it something he said?

Rarity then sighed and turned to look at Applejack.

“That mean ol’ bird still makes those comments?” Rarity asked.

“Ever since he caught us flirting, he hasn’t let it go,” Applejack shook her head, before turning to look at Gallus. “When we invited him and the other leaders here to discuss bringing new students here, he walked to the cafeteria and saw us gettin’ all cuddly. Went on a tirade about how it’s an assault on biology and morals.”

“Biology?” Gallus tilted his head.

“Parts of the body, like your eyes and your beak,” Applejack elaborated. “Here in Equestria, ponies can reproduce in many different ways because of magic. But in Griffonstone, y’all don’t have magic. So only a dick in a vagina can create a baby over there.”

“Language!” Rarity gasped.

“Ah know, but he gotta learn our differences somehow,” Applejack shrugged. “Now Gruff just shouts about how we poop rainbows and hold hooves all day, and have no real values or care in the world.”

“That sounds like something he’d say,” Gallus frowned.

“And for the record, we were making out, not shagging,” Rarity rolled her eyes.

“So what is-”

“Anyways!” Starlight spoke up over her son. “You two already finished making dinner, you said?”

“Sure did!” Applejack’s face brightened as she trotted past the three of them and towards the barn. “We better hurry up before it gets cold!”

“Sure didn’t concern you earlier,” Rarity remarked, catching up to Applejack.

“Hey, ah didn’t see you complaining,” Applejack chuckled.

Gallus felt a little more at ease watching the two mares walking side by side, teasing and staring at each other with an energy that Gallus could feel from where he was walking behind them alongside his mother. He couldn’t quite put his talon on it, but it felt like everything was right in the world just being in their presence. Gallus smiled as they finally reached the barn, Rarity opening the doors with her magic.

“Ah don’t miss opening those rusty doors, this gal here is useful,” Applejack smirked.

“Oh, so you only asked me out just to be your door-opener?” Rarity gasped.

“Well, there’s a few other benefits,” Applejack gave Rarity a half-lidded stare before rubbing her hoof against Rarity’s cheek briefly. “Love ya, sugarcube.”

“Love you too,” Rarity kissed Applejack’s muzzle right before the farmpony turned to enter the barn, with Starlight and Gallus following her. Rarity came in last and closed the doors, and the four walked into the kitchen to see a large red stallion and a smaller pink unicorn talking. Or more specifically, the unicorn talking while the stallion smiled and listened to her every word. Gallus noticed a nearly identical energy with the two, and would’ve gotten lost in it if Applejack didn’t slap him on the shoulder and snap him out of his trance.

“This here is mah brother Big Macintosh and his marefriend, Sugar Belle!” Applejack introduced Gallus to the two. “They’ve been dating for a good while now, and with Hearts and Hooves Day coming up, I hope to see what mah brother has planned for her.”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac nodded, getting up and trotting over to Gallus, offering his enormous hoof that was bigger than the griffon’s head. Gallus chuckled, greeting the stallion and shaking his hoof for a second before turning to Rarity as she spoke.

“Surely I hope you have something planned for me, darling,” Rarity walked over to Applejack and held a hoof to her forehead as she gasped and pretended to fall over. “Goodness, I would just faint if my marefriend didn’t do anything for me!”

“Oh don’t ya worry, mah princess,” Applejack wrapped her foreleg around Rarity and held her close. “Ah didn’t forget about that day, ah promise.”

“So, what did you guys make?” Gallus looked at the three pies and green bowl on the counter.

“Me and Rarity made apple cheddar pie, and a fruit salad,” Applejack explained. “The cows were awfully generous when ah’d stop by and asked for some of their dairy. Gave me several pints to make all kinds of dishes in the future.”

“Cows?” Gallus asked.

“They’re much bigger creatures than us,” Applejack told him. “And they’re spotted with sharp horns.”

“Woah, they sound pretty intimidating,” Gallus commented.

“Well, ah wouldn’t judge them so quickly, we don’t exactly run off because ya got talons, you know?” Applejack winked.

“Oh! Yeah, that’s a good point,” Gallus chuckled, rubbing one of his forelegs with said talon. “Sorry, that wasn’t very nice of me.”

“S’okay, we’ve all had our moments,” Applejack nodded before gesturing her hoof to the food. “Now, ah won’t let us keep conversing on empty stomachs. Come, don’t be shy with your servings. We got plenty to eat, ya hear?”

Gallus’ eyes widened as he stepped towards the sweet and savory aroma of the pies, his heart racing as Applejack’s words echoed in his head. He lunged for the pie closest to him, not bothering to remove a piece as he simply grabbed the warm pie pan with his talons and started eating the pie like his life depended on it.

“Gallus!” Starlight gasped.

“It’s okay, sugarcube,” Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Ah may not know much, but ah know what a ravenous appetite griffons and dragons have. I got three more pies sitting in the oven just in case.”

“Wow, that’s really thoughtful,” Starlight smiled. “Thank you, Applejack.”

“Hey, ever since that incident with Zecora, I bother to read a book every now and then,” Applejack explained. “It helps that we have the biggest nerd in Equestria as our friend.”

“Heh, she is pretty dorky,” Starlight giggled. “But yeah, Twilight has been a much bigger help than we could’ve ever hoped for.”

Gallus would’ve scoffed if he wasn’t beak-deep in the apple cheddar pie. And as he continued chomping down the pie, the conversation faded away as a memory in his mind far suppressed, brought its way back to the surface…





Gallus, a young blue griffon chick, waited at the table within the walls of his rickety wooden house that wasn’t all that different from a cabin. Even the table and chairs were made by his father, although not without their flaws. Nails stuck out in random places in the chairs, and Gallus found himself always feeling the seat with his talons before sitting in it. No need to get a sharp nail up his ass. His father must’ve gotten several sharp nails up his ass, Gallus thought, for what else would explain that constant grimace on his face?

On his right was his older sister, a much taller griffoness with white feathers and a golden yellow fur coat named Leilani, and on his left was his younger brother, a chick with dark blue feathers and light blue fur named Memphis. Memphis cooed in his make-shift high chair as he tried to touch the table with his talons, while Gallus kept an eye on the nails jutting out of the table.

“You don’t think that he’ll…?” Gallus spoke up.

“He’s too far away from the nails,” Leilani told him, her expression stoic until she saw Gallus’ wide eyes. Her face softening, she patted Gallus’ head as she smiled. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”

“Is he bitching about the chick again? I swear, he’s almost as bad as your guys’ mother.”

Leilani instantly moved her talon off her younger brother’s head, sitting up straight as their father walked into the dining room where they were. Towering over the rest of them, the bulky dark blue griffon fixed his amber eyes on his three kids, a scowl twisted on his black beak. Feeling a tug in his heart as he saw his father, Coakley, come in alone, Gallus turned to his Dad.

“Where’s Mom?” Gallus asked.

“Selling her damn jewelry as usual,” Coakley growled. “I don’t get her, why doesn’t she triple the price of those stupid rocks? It’s not like those morons she loves talking to so much know the difference. Besides…”

Coakley walked away, leaving the three griffons to silently wait before he came back in, throwing two plump fishes onto the table before taking a seat. Leilani gasped, her tongue rolling out of her mouth as she stared at the fishes within reaching distance. As she reached for the fish closest to her, Coakley made a sharp sound, causing her to put her talon back at her side.

“You should appreciate the parent who actually feeds you,” Coakley growled, slamming his clenched talon on the table as he glared at Gallus. “When has your Mom ever brought dinner home, who is the one that built this fucking house?!”

Gallus felt his blood run cold as he tightly gripped his tail in his talons, shaking as he answered him.

“Y-You are, sir,” Gallus stammered.

“Don’t stammer in my house,” Coakley sneered. “You’re not a griffoness or a chick, you’re to speak clearly when talking to another griffon, understood?”

“Yes sir,” Gallus managed to say.

“Good,” Coakley nodded. “Now, as irritating as your mother might be, I still need to save her some fish for when she gets back home. This whole fish is for me, and half of the second fish is for your mother.”

As Coakley explained, he pulled both fishes towards himself. Reaching over and slicing one of the fishes in half with his talons, he then tossed the remaining tail half towards his three children.

“Work it out amongst yourselves,” Coakley ordered, taking the fish and a half in his beak as he got out of his chair, leaving the room. “And Gallus?”

“Yes?”

“You want more than two bites of fish, actually be a griffon and not a squirming chicken,” Coakley scoffed. “Grow up.”

Hearing his pawsteps get quieter until there was silence, Leilani sighed as she got out of her chair. She then took the fish half and brought it to Memphis, the chick taking each piece of fish given to him until he eventually stopped. With a few bites left on the bones, Leilani brought it back to the table and sat back down in her chair, a frown evident on her beak as she stared at the fish.

“He’s full,” Leilani gave a brief smile before it fell. “You have it, Gallus. The last time you ate was-”

“No, you need to eat,” Gallus pushed the few bites of fish towards her. “I’ll…sneak out, and maybe I’ll catch something while he’s asleep-”

“Gallus, what are you going to do if he catches you?” Leilani’s green eyes widened. “You know we’re not allowed to leave the house without his permission!”

“I’ll take the bea-I mean consequences!” Gallus corrected himself as Leilani narrowed her eyes at him. “Seriously, sis, it’s fine. It’ll take two seconds to catch a pigeon or something. Eat.”

“Okay…” Leilani brought the remaining fish close and proceeded to eat it as if any moment it might disappear. “T-Thank you, bro.”

“No problem,” Gallus smiled.

Long after his siblings’ went to bed, Gallus escaped his house and walked a distance away. Staring up at the full moon, and then the barren trees below it, Gallus looked for birds or a lake. With no hunting skills taught to him, even though he was sixteen years old now, Gallus could only go off instinct and night vision. Smelling a familiar sweet scent, Gallus rushed towards it and to a lake away from the huts. Spotting a bright yellow and white griffon that was smaller but looked almost exactly like Leilani, Gallus recognized her by the yellow markings around her blue eyes.

“Mom?” Gallus gasped as he saw a full fish underneath her talons. “You’re off work? What’re you doing here?”

“My baby,” Solara smiled, summoning her son forward with a beckoning of her talon. The brightness in her expression was too rare for Gallus to ignore as he rushed forward and embraced his mother. “Yes, I got off a bit ago. Your father will want to eat all his fish, so I went fishing before bed.”

“He saved you half a fish y’know,” Gallus pointed out, to which his mother laughed.

“Ha! He always says that, but I come home to nothing,” Solara shook her head. “Did you eat?”

Gallus felt his blood boiling at the image of his father taking almost all of the fish to his room, processing his mother’s words as he gripped the grass underneath him with his talons. Before he could succumb to the emotions spiraling within him, he shook his head to his mother’s question.

“I gave the last half to Leilani,” Gallus huffed.

“Well, I certainly don’t need to eat all of this fish,” Solara moved aside to make room for the both of them. “Go ahead, if we really need it, I can go catch another one.”

Gallus lunged for the fish and started tearing into it and gulping down as much as he could, barely hearing his mother’s soft laugh as she flew above the lake, diving for another fish near the surface…





Gallus pulled back from the now empty pie tin, his eyes wide as he wiped crumbs off his beak. Ever since he left Sheila, the memories of his family had been pushed down to the darkest spaces of his mind, and now he was remembering the times he spent with them? Why? Sure, his mother and sister might’ve seemed sweet in that memory, but they didn’t stop his father from hitting him.

Most likely, Gallus glared at the counter. Mom probably stayed with him, how many times did she defend him?

“Gallus?” Starlight spoke up. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Gallus moved away from the counter, turning around to look at his mother and the two Apple siblings at the table. “I just had a memory come back to me, one about my parents. Speaking of which, are your guys’ parents coming tonight, or is it just us?”

Applejack winced, staring at her untouched pie slice on the table. Big Mac’s ears flattened as he looked away, and Rarity wrapped her forelegs around Applejack and nuzzled right under her ear.

“Was it…something I said?” Gallus approached Applejack. “I’m sorry, I seem to keep upsetting you two.”

“No, that’s not it,” Applejack sighed. “Why don’t y’all start eating? There’s…something ah want to show Gallus, if that’s okay.”

“Sure, I could go for a few minutes before eating another pie,” Gallus chuckled. Rarity removed herself from her lover as Applejack got out of her seat and made her way out the door with Gallus right behind her. Before leaving, Applejack glanced at the four ponies at the table.

“And if Apple Bloom gets home before ah do, just tell her ah took Gallus out to show him the tree,” Applejack explained. “We’ll be back soon.”

The tree?

Gallus remained quiet as he followed Applejack out the door, walking out to the many apple trees nearby. At first, that was all it appeared to be, but then as they continued, Gallus saw pear trees nearby. And after a few more steps, Gallus saw it: an enormous pair of trees intertwined with one another; one apple and one pear tree. The energy that came from the pair of trees alone was enough to capture Gallus’ soul in its warm embrace and never let go. Even though Gallus stopped walking and just stared at the tree, Applejack continued walking towards the tree until she sat right beside it and placed her hoof on the surface, shaking as tears rolled down her face.

“This never gets any easier,” Applejack sighed. “It’s okay, Gallus, you can touch the tree.”

Gallus rushed forward, sitting beside Applejack and placing his talon on the tree as he stared at her teary eyes and trembling frown.

“Mah parents were the greatest love story ever told,” Applejack explained. “Mah Pa was an Apple and mah Ma was a Pear, and despite the feud between our families, they ended up together and had three foals. They even planted the seeds to this tree during their wedding. But shortly after Apple Bloom was born, they went through the Everfree Forest to deliver apples, and never came back.”

Gallus gasped, but didn’t say another word as Applejack continued.

“After ponies went searching, they found p-parts of their bodies, they believed Timberwolves got them,” Applejack shakily inhaled as she continued. “Granny told them going that way was a stupid idea! And now we’ve got no parents. Nothing but this here tree and a couple of photos to remember them by.”

“I’m really sorry,” Gallus placed his other talon on Applejack’s shoulder. “I promise I didn’t know.”

“Ah know you didn’t,” Applejack looked up at Gallus, a tear falling from her chin. “Your Ma didn’t tell me anything, but something hadta have happened for you to be legally adopted from Griffonstone. Did they…?”

“No, they’re not dead,” Gallus shook his head. “At least, I don’t think that they are.”

“You don’t gotta tell me anythin’ at all,” Applejack assured him.

“This,” Gallus removed his talon from Applejack’s shoulder to wave it towards the tree. “Is so beautiful, and my parents’ relationship was nothing like yours. They stayed together because my ‘father’ knocked up my ‘mother,’ so to speak.”

Applejack winced as Gallus used quote symbols with his talons. Gallus glared at the grass below them and growled with a shake of his head.

“I wish I had your parents,” Gallus scoffed.

“Ah wish I had them too,” Applejack wrapped her foreleg around Gallus, and Gallus slowly looked up at her.

“Hey, I’m sorry I made this about me,” Gallus apologized. “Thank you for showing me this tree, again.”

“Don’t worry about it, and no need ta apologize,” Applejack insisted, looking back at him. “Ah wanted to pull you aside to ask ya about it properly, no need to talk about all your history in front of everypony.”

“Thank you,” Gallus smiled as he stared at the sunset’s orange and pink skies. “I think I’m ready for that second pie now.”

“Hey, ah hadn’t even had one slice yet!” Applejack laughed, pulling away from their embrace and galloping towards the barn. “Ya gotta beat me to it!”

“You’re on!” Gallus shouted, getting up and leaping to the air, flying past Applejack and into the barn with ease. Rushing over to the one remaining pie on the counter, Gallus lunged and began wolfing it down.

“Ah, no fair!”

“Applejack, dear, your slice is still at the table.”

“Oh thank you, Rares. Let me just start the oven for the rest of the pies…”

As the two mares conversed, Gallus paused mid-feasting and brought his second pie to the table, sitting next to Big Mac and Sugar Belle and sitting across from his mother who smiled at him.

“So how was your talk?” Starlight asked.

“It went really well,” Gallus nodded, the bright yellow pears and red apples of the tree still clear in his mind. “I liked learning about the Apple family, when are we gonna get pear pies next?”

“When Grand Pear gives us the dang recipe!” Granny Smith shouted as she came into the kitchen. The whole room rumbled with laughter, including Gallus, who felt everypony’s energy combined into a colorful warm glow in his heart.

It was very lovely getting to meet the Apple family.
> Surprises at Sugarcube Corner
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the time spent at Sweet Apple Acres went by smoothly, with Big Mac and Sugar Belle telling Gallus the story of how they met, and Applejack and Rarity following it up with their slow-burn from being frenemies at a sleepover to the lovebirds that Gallus saw today. As all but one pie was eaten during the course of dinner, Starlight got out of her chair and looked to her son.

“So, are you ready to head out?” Starlight asked.

“Sure am!” Gallus got out of his seat, turning to look at the Apple family, including Granny Smith who had joined in for the past few conversations. “Thank you guys again, for having us over.”

“Absolutely, ah wish more residents could stop here and try our food!” Applejack told him. “Er, one at a time though. Ah don’t want a whole crowd of them comin’ in at once to eat our food.”

“So I can’t have my friends come over?” Gallus smirked at Applejack.

“Isn’t one of them a yak?” Sugar Belle asked. “How many pies do you think she’ll eat?”

“A lot more than me, I’m sure,” Gallus snickered. “Don’t worry, Applejack, I’m kidding. I won’t invite all my friends over.”

“Phew,” Applejack wiped her forehead with a hoof, and as he followed Starlight to the door, he looked over his shoulder and smirked.

“I’ll just invite Yona over,” Gallus chuckled.

“Oh Celestia,” Gallus heard Applejack groan as he turned away and walked out the barn, Starlight waving goodbye at them and also thanking them for having the two over. The sunset had turned into a light blue night, with the moon just barely visible above the trees. 

“Hopefully I didn’t keep Trixie waiting too long,” Starlight said to herself as the mother and son left Sweet Apple Acres and made their way to Sugarcube Corner. “Though knowing her, she’ll probably take her sweet precious time looking for fans’ wanting her signature.”

“Wait, she looks for fans wanting her to sign something?” Gallus asked.

“Yeah! I saw her doing that one time when I brought her coffee after her show,” Starlight snickered, rolling her eyes. “I keep telling her that she’s gotta at least try to play it cool if she wants more ponies to come to her shows, but she insists its to ‘engage with your audience.’”

“Guess I can see both sides,” Gallus replied. “Ponies might be more likely to come back if they see the performer is really friendly.”

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Starlight snorted, walking up to Sugarcube Corner and opening the door. “Anyways, it’s fine. I already know what to get-”

Starlight stopped talking as her and Gallus entered the establishment, watching as Trixie had her forelegs stretched out on the counter as she spoke to Pinkie Pie.

“Well,” Pinkie smiled at Trixie. “I suppose I can include your shows in a few of my birthday parties. Although I would have to ask the recipient ahead of time, considering how not every pony wants to watch your shows.”

“Yeah, Trixie knows,” Trixie sighed. “You don’t have to remind Trixie.”

“Trixie?” Starlight huffed. “Are you bullying ponies into watching your shows again?”

Gallus felt a strange energy, not as warm, radiate from Starlight as she walked over to Trixie and scowled at her.

“This is different!” Trixie protested. “Pinkie would be getting something out of this too! Trixie was going to provide her services for free!”

“For free?!” Starlight’s eye twitched. “I’m the only one of us that has a regular income, and you’re providing the service you get paid…for free?”

“Trixie doesn’t get why that is difficult to understand,” Trixie removed her forelegs from the counter to properly face Starlight, tilting her head. “It’s a long-term solution. Sure Trixie doesn’t earn anything now, but ponies who wouldn’t normally go see Trixie’s shows would see them for free and pay to see them again!”

“And nice to see you too,” Trixie scoffed, looking away from Starlight. “Trixie even bothers not to show up late this time, and this is how you act? Trixie even bought us dessert!”

“It’s true,” Pinkie spoke up. “I just had it in the back for when you guys got here.”

Starlight gave a sharp glare to Pinkie, and Pinkie shrugged before bouncing out the door leading to the kitchen, leaving Starlight and Trixie in the cold silence.

“Trixie, I-”

“Save it,” Trixie walked past Starlight, and as Gallus turned to look at the tables, his heart skipped a beat as he noticed the only table occupied with customers had a familiar orange dragon and green pony talking to each other. His gaze zeroed in on Sandbar as he smiled and nodded to whatever Smolder was going on about, the butterflies fluttering throughout his body as he felt the situation’s intensity melt away a little. He could get lost staring at the earth pony’s expression, if it weren’t for the fact that his mother was poking him on the shoulder.

“Gallus? Gallus?”

“Oh, sorry, I just realized some of my friends are here,” Gallus pointed out, flicking his tail over in the direction of said friends.

“You’re okay, I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry you had to see that,” Starlight frowned, glancing in the direction where Trixie stormed off.

“Er, are you two breaking up?” Gallus turned to properly face his mother, scratching his neck with his talon as he frowned. “I just…I understand if you’re not happy, but I hope I don’t lose-”

“Woah,” Starlight waved her hoof at him. “We’re just having a disagreement, it happens all the time, even with couples.”

“B-But Applejack and Rarity seemed fine, Big Mac and Sugar Belle too!” Gallus pointed out. “I didn’t see them acting this way with each other.”

“Gallus, you think they never have problems? That they never got frustrated with one another?” Starlight narrowed her eyes at her son. “Gallus, you’re barely an adult, and I don’t even know if you’ve been in a relationship before…”

Gallus winced at the realization, he hadn’t told her. But instead of saying anything, Gallus looked down and listened to what his mother was saying.

“...but relationships aren’t always twisted and bad for you,” Starlight explained. “Sometimes, they’re just normal relationships with problems.”

We go way back, Gallus. This is just a rough patch, we need each other.

Gallus gasped and flinched as he heard the familiar chilling voice ringing in his head, seeing a black and white shadow laughing in the corner of his vision. Shaking his head and feeling tears coming to his eyes, Gallus turned away and walked towards his friends.

“Hey Gallus!” Sandbar’s eyes lit up as he gestured at an empty spot beside him. “I thought that-oh boy.”

Sandbar’s smile dropped as he saw Gallus’ trembling beak and wide eyes, jumping out of his seat and rushing over to Gallus.

“Oh Celestia, are you okay? What happened?” Sandbar asked.

“I just h-heard her voice,” Gallus shook his head. “I need to sit down.”

“Please do,” Sandbar insisted, watching as the griffon walked past Smolder and took his seat in the other empty chair. As Smolder leaned forward and spoke to him, Sandbar turned around and looked at Starlight. “Did something happen at Sweet Apple Acres?”

“I don’t think so,” Starlight told him. “Me and Trixie had a disagreement, and I was just trying to explain that those type of things just happen in relationships. And he just…acted as if he saw a ghost! I hope I didn’t scare him off.”

“You didn’t,” Sandbar assured her. “I think Gallus is just getting over stuff that happened in Griffonstone, that’s all. I’ll talk to him, okay?”

“Thank you, I already need to talk to somepony after all,” Starlight sighed, her ears flattening for a moment before they perked back up. “After I get our desserts, of course.”

As Starlight turned around and walked back to the counter, Sandbar smiled as he walked back to his table and sat in the seat between Smolder and Gallus. Gallus was no longer shaking, his gaze transfixed on Sandbar as the green pony glanced at the both of them.

“Did you guys talk?” Sandbar asked.

“I was just seeing if I need to kick someone’s ass,” Smolder growled, holding one fist with her other claw. “Sounds like I just might, with what Gallus was hinting at. He says he remembered hearing someone he knew back at Griffonstone. He…wouldn’t get into the specifics.”

“Oh Gallus,” Sandbar reached over and embraced Gallus tightly. “You can’t let her run you when she’s gone now. I know it’s hard, considering what she did to you…”

Gallus opened his eyes, and saw Smolder staring over his shoulder, with a sharp wide-eyed glare and crossed arms, as if Sheila was right behind him.

“...but you’re safe here now,” Sandbar patted Gallus’ shoulder briefly, then pulled away from the embrace and smiled at him. “None of us would hurt you, I promise.”

“Who is this she?” Smolder’s eyes turned into slits as she looked at Gallus. “I swear to the Dragon Lord, if I find this evil bitch-”

“You won’t do anything, Smolder.”

“WHAT?!” Smolder bellowed, slamming her fists on the table as she glared at Sandbar. “Are you kidding me? For all we know, she could’ve abused our friend, and you just want to sit there and do nothing?!”

“Does it look like I’m doing nothing? This isn’t about her, she isn’t even here,” Sandbar pointed out, placing a hoof on Gallus’ talon. “Gallus is my main concern right now, not this griffon nobody.”

Gallus felt sparks inside his talon as he felt the warmth of Sandbar’s hoof pressing against it, the tension inside him melting away as he took a few seconds to stare at the contact before Smolder’s voice snapped him out of the trance.

“Fine,” Smolder huffed. “But if I ever meet her, she’ll be lucky if she even has wings to fly back to Griffonstone with.”

“Honestly?” Gallus spoke up, causing Smolder and Sandbar to cease their conversation and look at him. “I just want to enjoy myself and not think about it anymore.”

“Oh!” Sandbar’s ears perked up as he removed his hoof from Gallus’ talon, leaving the griffon to miss the touch for only a moment before Sandbar spoke to him. “There’s certainly a few events that’ll help you with that. For one, I was thinking of planning a party in our dormroom. Nothing too crowded, is that okay that we do it in our dormroom?”

“Well, am I invited?” Gallus asked.

“Are you invited?” Sandbar snickered. “Gallus, it wouldn't be any fun without you. Of course I’m inviting you!”

Gallus felt heat rushing to his cheeks at Sandbar’s words, and smiled wide and nodded his head as he felt the rush throughout his whole body.

“Then y-yeah, that sounds fun,” Gallus agreed. “Although, the only kind of parties I know about are the ones Pinkie throws. Will she be there?”

“Goodness no!” Smolder answered. “This’ll be the kind of party with drinks and games.”

“Oh, you mean alcohol?” Gallus chuckled. “I’m eighteen, Smolder. I’m too young to drink.”

“Dude, eighteen is the minimum drinking age in Equestria,” Smolder pointed out. “Yeah, I get that look. I was just as shocked when Sandbar explained it to me.”

“Really?” Gallus’ beak dropped at that statement. “Because the minimum drinking age in Griffonstone is twenty-one.”

“That’s nothing!” Smolder laughed. “In the Dragon Lands, you have to wait at least several hundred years before you can drink!”

“Wait a second,” Gallus’ eyes widened as he processed her words. “You live that long?!”

“Yeah!” Smolder snickered. “No one told you? Many dragons live for thousands of years! They’ll even take a fucking nap for several centuries, just so they don’t have to wait to drink!”

“W-Wow,” Gallus stammered. “That’s truly something, just…you’re not going to accidentally just pass out on us for that long, are you?”

“Of course not!” Smolder replied. “I’m way too young to even be able to fall asleep for that long, and even if I could, Silverstream wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. She’s always shaking me awake with the newest discovery. Remember when she found out about stairs?”

“Oh right!” Gallus smiled. “But I do get that in a way, I’ve been learning about a lot of stuff here in Equestria myself.”

“There’s one more thing,” Sandbar added. “Headmare Twilight posted sign ups for a play celebrating the ‘Ones-versary’ of when Princess Celestia first raised the sun! I already auditioned and got the part of Starswirl the Bearded, and the rest of our friends signed up as well. That just leaves…well, you two.”

“Oh c’mon!” Smolder protested, crossing her arms. “I’m not good at acting, I’ll look like a moron up there!”

“Have you ever tried acting?” Sandbar frowned.

“No! That’s how I’ll know I’ll be terrible at it,” Smolder huffed, glaring in a separate direction from her friends.

“Hey now, it could be fun,” Gallus assured Smolder. “Especially since the rest of our friends already have roles in it, why not try something new with them?”

“That’s the spirit,” Sandbar’s ears flickered as he smiled warmly at Gallus for a few seconds before turning to Smolder. “It’s not about being good at it, at least not for me. This is a shared experience with our friends! And besides, we get to spend more time with Princess Celestia herself~”

“Wait,” Smolder gawked, turning to stare at Sandbar. “Princess Celestia will be in the play?!”

“That’s what Twilight told me!” Sandbar pressed a hoof to Smolder’s muzzle. “But keep it a secret, could you? Twilight wants to wait till maybe a week or two before the play happens to give Ponyville the big reveal.”

“Y-Yeah, and I guess I’ll sign up then,” Smolder blushed, staring off into the distance with a little drool hanging off her muzzle.

“Everything alright, Smolder? You look like me when I’m offered a fish from the lake near Fluttershy’s cottage,” Gallus chuckled. “Did you not eat anything yet?”

“N-No!” Smolder stammered. “I ate a few mint brownies a while ago, I’m just craving some gems right now. That’s all.”

“So Sandbar,” Gallus addressed his pony friend, who looked back at him with a calm smile. “When will this party be, and when will the play happen?”

“The play will be happening in two months, and I was hoping to have the party next Saturday, if that works with you?” Sandbar tilted his head, the silence stretching through each second until Gallus realized his question and nodded his head.

“That works perfect for me,” Gallus agreed. “I’m gonna go check on my Moms and see how everything is going.”

“Of course,” Sandbar patted Gallus’ shoulder, and Gallus felt an energy full of fiery sparks coming from the stallion’s touch, leaving Gallus breathless. Nodding and getting out of his chair without another word, Gallus pushed the chair back in and walked over to the back where Starlight and Trixie had their chairs right next to each other, with Starlight holding Trixie in her embrace while Trixie looked up at her with bright purple eyes. As Gallus approached them, he felt a sweet and calming energy, very different from earlier, in the air just as his mothers took their eyes off each other and smiled at their son.

“Hey Gallus, we saved a cupcake for you,” Starlight released one of her forelegs to point her hoof at the dark blue cupcake with star patterns on it. “We waited for you to eat our desserts.”

“Oh you didn’t have to do that,” Gallus chuckled.

“Trixie knows,” Trixie smiled. “But we had stuff to talk about, so it was no problem waiting for you.”

“Okay then!” Gallus pulled the chair across his parents open and sat in it, quickly scarfing down all of his cupcake before either mare could pick up their own cupcakes. “That was so good! What flavor was it?”

“Blueberry cheesecake!” Gallus flinched as he heard Pinkie’s screech from the other side of the bakery. “Glad you liked it!”

“That mare,” Starlight chuckled as she stopped embracing her marefriend, pulling her chocolate cupcake with pink frosting close to her. “I’m pretty sure if somepony in Canterlot complimented her treats, she would hear it.”

“Did your friends tell you about the play already?” Trixie asked. “Trixie would’ve loved to participate in such an event, but your egghead-mare doesn’t want ‘dangerous’ stunts in the play? Doesn’t she want ponies to come?”

“Well maybe if…actually, I understand where you’re coming from,” Starlight placed her hoof on Trixie’s shoulder as the blue mare ate her white and blue cupcake. “You want to make the play exciting for the audience, but I think Twilight is looking to have a more casual play. It is the School of Friendship’s first play after all.”

“Very well then,” Trixie sighed. “Hopefully Trixie’s talents will be desired another time.”

“Believe me…” Starlight stared at Trixie with a half-lidded gaze as she whispered something in Trixie’s ear. Trixie’s eyes widened as a deep red blush appeared on her cheeks. As Trixie stood still, her blush still evident on her face, Starlight smiled at her son.

“So,” Starlight spoke up. “I heard Sandbar was going to play Starswirl the Bearded?”

“Yeah, why?” Gallus tilted his head.

“Oh nothing,” Starlight smirked. “I just know that Starswirl had a lover during the time Celestia raised the sun for the first time, and Twilight is looking for who will do his role during the play.”

Just like his mother Trixie in front of him, Gallus also went silent as a blush appeared on his face.
> Gallus' Audition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within the house of Starlight Glimmer and Trixie was a former Guest room that was transformed into Gallus’ room only a few days after the two mares had officially adopted the young griffon. The walls were painted the exact same shade of blue as Gallus, with a queen sized bed generously donated by Princess Twilight herself. It was Saturday morning, not the day of the party, but exactly a week before. Gallus was sleeping soundly underneath his covers, gently kneading the mattress with his talons when the door swung open, revealing Starlight Glimmer as she used her magic to prod Gallus awake.

“H-Hwuh?” Gallus’ eyes flickered open for a brief moment before he threw the covers over his face. “Just ten more minutes, Mom…”

“I would love to give you ten more minutes, but you know how Twilight is,” Starlight explained, walking to her son’s bed and removing the covers. Gallus’ eyes were tightly closed as he softly hissed at his mother. As he opened his eyes once more, he sighed as he was met with his Mom’s unamused stare.

“Alright, I’m getting up,” Gallus groaned, getting up and jumping off his bed. “I’m surprised Twilight was able to plan an audition for me on such short notice.”

“Well, we were already planning to have a tour of her castle,” Starlight smirked. “Worked out pretty well, don’t you think?”

“I’ll say,” Gallus chuckled, following his mother out the door and to the dining table where a box full of donuts was awaiting him. “Wow, thanks Mom.”

“Thank Pinkie, she was willing to give them half off because they were going to expire soon,” Starlight told him. “Pick your favorite.”

“I will,” Gallus sat at the table and snatched up a glazed donut, eating the entire donut within three bites. “Can I have another?”

“Sure, just save two of them for us,” Starlight smiled. “Thanks for asking.”

“No problem,” Gallus smiled, feeling his tail wagging briefly before he reached for a cream-filled donut and taking a big bite out of it. After swallowing it, he continued to talk to his mother. “I um…don’t know if I have enough experience to get the part.”

“Gallus, it’s a school play, not Bridleway,” Starlight laughed. “You’ll get a part in the play, don’t worry.”

“But I don’t know if I’ll get the part that I’m hoping for,” Gallus frowned.

“What part would that be?” Starlight smirked. “Does it have anything to do with what I said yesterday?”

Gallus set his half-eaten donut back down on the table, blushing as he stared at his mother’s expression.

“I…um…” Gallus stared down at his donut, feeling his words get caught in his throat.

“Don’t hurt yourself, Gallus,” Starlight’s smirk faded away as she approached the donut box. “You don’t have to say anything.”

“Oh thank Celestia,” Gallus gasped, burying his face in his talons for a few seconds before looking up at his Mom. “Y’know I’m just curious to try the role, right? I’m not gay.”

Starlight tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at Gallus.

“I’m not!”

“Okay, okay,” Starlight raised her hoof at him. “You don’t need to get all snippy about it. There’s nothing wrong with being curious about Equestrian history.”

“Do you think Sandbar would be okay with kissing a dude?” Gallus asked.

Starlight gave the same deadpan expression she gave Gallus earlier.

“Gallus, you do realize most of the ponies in Equestria are either gay or bi?” Starlight reminded him.

“I know!” Gallus threw his talons in the air. “That doesn’t mean that I’m just going to assume!”

“It’s a pretty safe assumption, seeing as how he auditioned for the role of a gay stallion,” Starlight pointed out.

“Do you…” Gallus gulped, imagining Sandbar’s smile twisting into a very unusual scowl upon seeing Gallus playing the role. “Do you think he’d be okay with kissing me?”

“I highly doubt he’s that afraid of your beak,” Starlight snickered. “C’mon now, quit stalling and eat your donut.”

Gallus sighed, picking up the rest of his donut and scarfing it down. Wiping the crumbs off his talons with his fur, Gallus got out from his chair and followed Starlight. Just as they were heading out the door, Starlight looked over her shoulder at her room door cracked open.

“I’m heading out, Trixie!” Starlight shouted.

“Kay, good…good luck Gallus,” Gallus barely heard Trixie’s muttering before hearing a loud snore coming from inside the room.

“Such a deep sleeper,” Starlight giggled, her half-lidded stare on the room door lasting for two seconds before she faced the front door, trotting towards it and exiting the house with Gallus right behind her. “Got that energy in you, today?”

“Yeah, I sure do,” Gallus flew over Starlight and grabbed her, holding her close as he took them above the houses and towards Twilight’s castle. After a good ten minutes of flying, Gallus landed in front of the huge glittery castle, gently dropping Starlight on the ground before rolling over flat on his back gasping and panting.

“I c-can have a few minutes before this audition, right?” Gallus wheezed.

“Obviously!” Starlight used her magic to lift Gallus up and carry him towards the castle, with the blue griffon floating in her magical aura. Approaching the door and knocking on it, Starlight didn’t have to wait long as Twilight opened the door less than a minute later, her eyes widening as she looked up at the floating Gallus.

“Is he alright?” Twilight asked. “You didn’t have to drag him here, did you?”

“Of course not!” Starlight waved her hoof. “Gallus is eager to get this role in the play, trust me.”

Gallus glared down at his mother, before looking at Twilight and giving a loud sigh.

“Her wording is a bit exaggerated, but she’s telling the truth,” Gallus assured his Headmare. “I just got really exhausted flying us here, b-but I can walk now! I just need some water.”

Starlight nodded, setting her son back on the ground and releasing him from her magical hold. Gallus smiled at her before turning to Twilight.

“So, I don’t need to do a lot of performances, do I?” Gallus tilted his head.

“Oh no! We’re just having you look over the lines and see if this is a role that you’re comfortable with,” Twilight explained. “All the performing will be during rehearsals, unless your friends would like to practice on your own time of course. I mean, who could blame you? You will be performing right beside Princess Celestia, only one of the most powerful alicorns known to-”

“Ahem.”

“Right! The audition!” Twilight jolted back into focus, grinning at Starlight before she ran into the castle. “Spike made some extra blueberry pancakes if you two are hungry.”

“Are you still hungry?” Starlight turned to Gallus, and Gallus quickly nodded before making a beeline to the kitchen. Grabbing an empty glass, Gallus filled it with water from the fridge and downed it several times until he was no longer dehydrated. Licking his beak, Gallus placed the glass in the sink before turning to the pancakes that remained. Marching over to them, Gallus pulled one to himself and ate it in three bites. Walking out of the kitchen, Gallus saw Twilight and Starlight talking to each other.

“She’s…never acted before?” Starlight asked slowly, staring at Twilight’s wide grin.

“I know! Isn’t it exciting? She gets to have her debut role in a play celebrating her Ones-versary!” Twilight squealed, stomping her hooves in place. “And I get to be there to witness it take place! Oh my stars, and I get to be the director too!”

“Twilight!” Starlight shouted, stopping the alicorn in her excitement. “Obviously it makes sense that the students don’t have any acting experience, but if Celestia’s acting sucks? Twilight, they’ll have that all over the papers.”

“It won’t suck,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “How could an alicorn be terrible at anything?”

“Um, Princess Luna wasn’t exactly the best co-ruler over a thousand years ago,” Starlight pointed out. “I’d think you of all ponies would remember something like that.”

“And you didn’t exactly handle my situation the best either,” Gallus interjected, walking within sight of the two mares. The both of them turned to him with wide eyes, and Twilight had her jaw dropped as she stared at Gallus.

“What? It’s true,” Gallus shrugged. “But you more than made up for it, so I’m not bitter about it anymore. Maybe you could give us all acting lessons before the play?”

“Pssh, you guys will be fine,” Twilight waved her hoof. “That’s what the rehearsals are for! Trust me, I’ve got everything taken care of, even the transcript right here!”

Gallus thought that Twilight hadn’t processed what he said to her at all, that is, until he saw her eye twitch briefly despite the grin she gave to him. Using her magic to place a paper packet in his talons, Gallus brought the paper closer as he read the lines. Since the play was centered around Princess Celestia, only her and the narrator had a lot of lines, leaving the Young Six with few to no lines. Although, there was a scene where Starswirl and his stallion kissed after celebrating Celestia successfully raising the sun for the first time…

…Gallus reread the lines, and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

“Everything okay, Gallus?” Twilight asked.

“Y-Yeah, I mean, I had a hunch that there was a kiss scene,” Gallus explained as his eyes never left the paper. “I just didn’t know for sure.”

“Starlight mentioned that to you, right?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, she did,” Gallus nodded, giving Twilight back the transcript. “And I’m um…comfortable with it.”

“Oh good!” Twilight smiled as she took the papers back. “Did you have any more questions about your role or the play?”

“N-No, I’m all good,” Gallus felt sweat rolling down his face as he turned to his mother. “Shall we get going? Before Trixie accidentally sets something on fire.”

“Good point,” Starlight agreed, stretching her hoof out towards Twilight. “Well, here’s to hoping that this play doesn’t crash and burn.”

“C’mon Starlight, have a little more faith in this,” Twilight pouted, reaching out and shaking Starlight’s hoof. “Please?”

“Hey, I’m helping you out, aren’t I?” Starlight tilted her head. “I suppose I’ll try.”

“Thank you!” Twilight let go of Starlight’s hoof and waved the two goodbye as they approached the front doors. “See you both on Monday!”

“The play won’t be that bad, will it?” Gallus asked Starlight as they left the castle.

“All depends on how good Celestia’s acting is,” Starlight shrugged. “It’s all out of my hooves now.”

Gallus thought about how Celestia could flop at acting, which would most likely mean no play and no kiss with Sandbar. Gallus gulped, shaking the thought and walking with his mother back home.