Chapter 1
Sandbar hated Canterlot.
The ponies were stuck-up snobs, most of the doorways were a too small for him, and he could find nothing tolerable about their fancy haute cuisine.
But, despite this, his visit was necessary. He had an appointment to attend to and it wasn’t one he intended to miss.
Not again.
Turning into the Canterlot Castle, he was met with knowing nods from the guards posted near the entrance.
They let Sandbar through without a word, something he was immensely thankful for.
From there, his destination was only a short walk away.
Just past the Royal Guard Barracks was a small garden normally hidden from view to any but the select few who were privy to its location.
With a deep sigh, and after a bit of hesitation, Sandbar pressed past the entryway to find:
It was peaceful.
It was lush, green, and more well maintained than most other parks in Canterlot, if not Equestria as a whole. A few ponies milled about between the rows of small stone structures, though none of them bothered each other.
Quickly finding the correct row for himself, Sandbar walked a few paces, checking each stone before finally coming across the one he recognized.
Sitting down before it, he set his saddlebags to the side before giving the stone a gentle wave.
“Heya Gally.” Sandbar said softly. “It’s been a little bit, hasn’t it?”
The stone, of course, said nothing as a soft breeze blew past the two. It just sat and stared back at Sandbar.
As the wind blew around them, Sandbar took a moment to look over the stone before him. It was decorated similarly to the stones on either side, a large Royal Guard insignia at the top, then an inscription written into the stone beneath it.
Sandbar grimaced slightly as he began to read the words inscribed on the stone before him. The words he’d helped etch into the stone himself:
Gallus Lulamoon-Glimmer,
Bearer of Courage
Captain of The Guard
Taken Far Too Soon
Tears began to well up in Sandbar’s eyes immediately upon reading the gravestone’s inscription. He was quick to force those feelings down, shaking his head with a gentle, albeit forced chuckle.
To distract himself, he reached over to his saddlebag and rummaged for a bit before finally pulling out a small party hat. He placed it upon the gravestone only for it to fall off and roll away moments later.
It was, in a word, pathetic. Sandbar pursed his lips, breathing out a harsh sigh, before just shrugging and forcing a smile to his face.
“The girls were sorry they couldn’t make it for your birthday. Ocellus and Smolder are busy with the school, Yona’s taking care of the Boutique for me today, and Silver…” Sandbar hesitated, pursing his lips again as he shook his head. “She misses you, Gallus. We all do, obviously, but I think this hurt her and I the most. She's inconsolable, but the girls are gonna try and bring her by soon. But they were nice enough to let us have today to ourselves.”
Another silence.
To break it, Sandbar once again reached for his saddlebag. Instead of rummaging, he merely unclasped a side pocket and extracted the item he was searching for.
It was a small white box, just small enough to fit in Sandbar’s hoof, and wrapped with a red bow. With a soft, sad smile, Sandbar placed the box between himself and Gallus.
“I got this… I dunno, probably a few months after you got promoted to captain?” Sandbar said, his hoof stroking the box gently as he did so. “Silver and I were shopping and missing you like usual, and she wanted to stop by a jewelry shop so she could get something for Yona. So I got you a little birthday gift.”
Looking up at the gravestone, he could almost picture Gallus rolling his eyes. He smiled, then shook his head. “It’s not a ring, I promise. You told me enough how much you hate those. It’s, well…”
Instead of continuing, Sandbar quickly unwrapped the box and opened it, pulling out a small, heart-shaped locket on the end of a short silver chain. Popping it open, on one side was a picture of Gallus looking shocked at the camera while Sandbar nuzzled in close and took their picture. On the other side was an engraving of four words Sandbar couldn’t bring himself to read.
He snapped the locket shut, then hung the chain around the gravestone. It stayed still, obscuring the insignia but hanging just above Gallus’ name.
Another silence, followed by Sandbar breathing a sigh heavy enough that it threatened to put a dent in the dirt beneath him.
“Gallus I-” Sandbar choked on his words as soon as he started, tears already beginning to well in his eyes. “I don’t want to do this anymore! Every night I come home, and I expect to see you asleep on the couch waiting for me. All I get is an empty bed that still smells like you.”
He threw himself down, pressing his forehead against the freshly lain dirt beneath him as his body began to be wracked with sobs. “Just come back to me. Please. Say it was all some stupid joke, and I’ll forgive you. I promise.”
As tears finally began to fall from his eyes in earnest, Sandbar realized he had nothing left to distract him. All he was left with was the pain of emptiness beside him.
As if in response, a stiff breeze blew through the graveyard, brushing against Sandbar as he remained fallen.
For a moment, Sandbar felt it beside him. A warm griffon half his size but twice as bold. A wing wrapped tightly around him. A beak pressed against his cheek.
For a moment, everything was fine.
Righting himself, Sandbar took a moment to wipe the tears from his face. He smiled, softly and sadly, at the gravestone of his beloved.
“I love you too, Bluebird.”