The train screeched to a halt as it rolled into the station, steam kicking onto the platform.
"Clear the way for ponies exiting the train, please!" a mare at the station shouted, ringing a bell. "Let these ponies off!"
The doors on the train were opened as ponies were ushered through onto the station. Luggage and other items were wheeled out by the staff while ponies moved to claim their things. Behind the crowd of initial passengers disembarking was a massive grey shape, peering over the masses. Wings unfurled as ponies made way for the Griffon that hovered out.
"Ah, ah! Cramp in the wing! Cramp in the wing!" Troy said as he forced his wings out.
He flew out over the ponies and almost crashed into the ground outside of the station, stretching out over the grass as he worked the cramp out of his right wing, rotating and flexing it while hissing in pain.
"Jeez, what do they put in those pillows, bricks?"
Troy sighed as he shook off his wing, looking around the area to see how Ponyville had changed since he had left.
"Can't believe it's been five months. Feels like years."
Troy began to trek through the town, trying to remember certain aspects of the scene. A few benches around the station had been moved around, and a new booth had been erected for checking papers for international travelers. Looking about the nearby stores, some of which had replaced windows with tinted, colored glass. A fountain of Celestia that had stood in the park had been replaced with a statue of both Princesses.
'Huh, wonder if Canvas saw them replace this,' he thought. 'I mean, it is where he first met Lyra and Bon Bon.'
Continuing his walk, Troy eyed up a large crater in the ground just barely out of sight. He quickened his pace and felt his jaw gape in horror. He'd read about Twilight's library being destroyed in the paper after Tirek's attack, as well as letters from Canvas telling him that everything was alright (he would have flown straight to Ponyville himself if he weren't about to go on stage), but to see the actual damage with his own eyes was something else entirely. The edges were still somewhat burned, the soil around the area still glassy from the attack. The roots were all dug out, gone and relocated in Twilight's new castle (that had also been weird to hear about), and what little was left was already starting to grow some sparse weeds and grass.
"Yeah, pretty nasty, huh?"
Troy turned in surprise from the sudden voice, and blinked. Standing next to him was a smaller Griffon, clearly in his late teens. He was covered in blue and yellow fur with blue feathers covering the rest of him. He looked up to Troy and waved.
"Hi. You're Troy Clawston, right? That famous singer guy?"
"Uh... y-yeah, I guess you could say that," Troy said, confused by the Griffon's presence. "Didn't know there were more Griffons in Ponyville. What brought you here, um...." Troy motioned for him to continue.
"Gallus. Gallus Stormclaw," he said. "I'm a student at Princess Twilight's new school for friendship."
Troy nodded, eyes widening at that. He had heard that Twilight had opened a new school by her castle, but he didn't know that Griffons were attending.
"Really? How many other Griffons are attending?"
Gallus sighed and looked away, staring into the pit.
"None. I'm... the only Griffon there. No one else wanted to bother."
"Oh. Well, are you... doing, alright?"
"Yeah, doing great, actually. Got a stable roof over my head and no one's trying to pry my bit stash open while I'm in another room. Felt weird at first, having other creatures actually respecting my privacy. Now, though, I can't imagine going back to Griffonstone."
"Okay, that's good to hear."
"Look, I know this is pretty weird, alright? I'm just trying to not fall apart and run and hide right now, alright? I came to talk to you, specifically, because... UGH!" Gallus shouted, punching the ground. "Look, can we fly and talk, because I don't know how much longer I can hold this in!"
Troy was taken aback from the kid's outburst. Confused but curious, he followed Gallus into the sky and spoke.
"So, what do you want to talk about? I mean, if you know who I am then I'm guessing you're looking for something specific?"
"Yes! I just need a second, alright!? Jeez!" Gallus said, flying in circles. "Damn it, I just need to ask you some stupid crap and get on with my life!"
Troy scowled at the kid. "Seriously? If you're going to be rude then maybe I should just-"
"I NEED YOUR HELP! ALRIGHT!?" Gallus burst.
Troy stopped and sighed.
"Alright. What do you need help with?"
"Gah! Just! Come on!" Gallus said, pounding his head. "Get it out, you idiot!"
"Hey, kid, don't do anything-"
"How did you do it!?"
Troy blinked.
"How did I do... what? Get onto Bridleway? I mean, if you want to sing professionally, I can see if-"
"No, damn it, I meant- URGH!" Gallus growled, pounding his head.
Gallus stopped, took in a deep breath, and did a flip.
"Just fly, just fly," he muttered to himself. "I want to know... how did you make, your... you know... him and you..."
Troy lifted an eyebrow.
"Ugh. Do I really have to say it out loud?"
"I have almost no idea what you're talking about."
Gallus huffed and reached into his schoolbag, a dull brown thing hanging on his side. He pulled out a small square card and showed it to Troy. Grabbing it, Troy flipped it over and examined the picture. There was a colt on the other side, with a greenish-blue mane and tail and sand-colored fur.
"Uh, what do you..." Troy stopped and thought for a moment. "Oh... OH!"
"Yeah, I know," Gallus said in a low voice. "I kinda... got the feelings-stuff going for... him."
"So... you came to me, because-"
"Princess Twilight said that if I needed advice on this, there were two others I could talk to and I thought, 'Hey! He's a Griffon! Maybe he can help me find out where in this shitstorm I'm supposed to understand what I'm doing!' but here I am, doing everything I can to not get a single damn point across! Gah, this is hopeless! I can't even explain this to a Griffon, how am I supposed to explain this to Sandbar!?"
Troy watched as Gallus quivered and growled, clawing his own head in frustration. He looked at the picture and reached out to him.
"Gallus, just calm down," he said. "I want to help, alright?"
Gallus turned to him.
"Can you? Can you actually help, or are you going to say the same crap everyone else has said?"
"It depends on whether or not they're right."
The two found a cloud overlooking the majority of Ponyville, and from up here Troy could see Twilight's new castle and the school. If he squinted, he could also see his and Canvas' house.
"So... what do I do?"
"It depends," Troy said. "How do you actually feel about him? Do you really think you're... well, you know?"
"Gay, and yes, I know. Was before moving to Ponyville, actually. Kinda one of the reasons I left, to be honest. Didn't want to deal with that kind of mess in Griffonstone. Wanted to make a better life for myself by coming here."
"Really? What made you think that coming here would be safer than anywhere else in Equestria?"
"It... it was the newspapers I read about... you and Canvas."
"Wait, seriously!? We made headlines!?"
"In some frilly gossip magazines, yeah. Talked about how you two were a, 'power couple,' whatever in Tartarus that means. Anyways, I read about how you two got together, how you got your parents, one of which, by the way, is a former freaking GENERAL of the GRIFFON ARMY, and I thought, 'hey! Worked out for him, didn't it?' So... when I first came to the school, I was... kind of overwhelmed, I guess? Everyone here's so freaking nice, it's weird, almost creepy. Was pretty lost, but... I met Sandbar, that stallion in the picture. He did his best to make me feel welcome. Shared his room with me, showed me around Ponyville, the beach, the stores, everything that everypony wants to know. Spent a lot of time with him, and... I guess it's just how... warm, he made me feel. Like I was never alone. I got this thing going on in my heart and whenever I think about him, I just... feel good, you know?" Gallus asked, looking up.
Troy looked towards the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, sighing dreamily.
"Yeah, I know exactly how that feels."
"Good! Then what do I do!? How do I make this work!?"
Troy turned to Gallus, planted his claws on his shoulders, and looked him in the eye.
"Tell him."
"But-"
"No! TELL! HIM!"
"But, what if he-"
"Listen to me! I almost flew out on that very same stallion that I'm married to, the night we confessed to one another! I felt like shit kid! I felt terrible! I didn't know what he was feeling and I didn't know what I was doing with my life either! I was scared, probably as much as you are right now, but look at where I ended up! We're married! We have a home and a life together! Don't be afraid of trying and failing to love him, he has to know! You have to know what he thinks too! If you keep playing with, 'what if' in your head your whole life, you'll die never knowing the real answer! Life's too short to worry about tragedy and miss out on love!"
Gallus stared up at the grey Griffon and let loose twin streams of tears.
"You're right."
Troy let him go.
"You're right! I'm not gonna sit here and wait for bad things to happen! I'm gonna go up to Sandbar, grab those wavy locks of his, and show him just how much I REALLY appreciate his kindness!"
Gallus turned to Troy.
"Mr. Clawston, thank you. I needed that."
"You're welcome, but what you really need, is to go down there, and find that Sandbar."
Gallus waved to him before back-flipping off of the cloud.
"Hah, kids," Troy said, shaking his head. "Speaking of, I've got my own stallion to get back to."
With that, he took off for his home.
\\\//////
Troy landed with a solid impact on the dirt road, the cramp in his wing flaring intensely.
"Seriously!? Why!?" he said, clutching the feathery appendage.
He shook it in an attempt to get it to curl properly, walking up to the door. Just as he was about to knock, the door swung open.
"Whoa! Sorry there, mister Griffon dude!" a stallion said.
Peering into the doorway, Troy felt his jaw slack again as he saw who was walking out.
"Troy! I'm so glad you're back!" Canvas said, stepping out to hug the Griffon. "Oh, I missed you so much."
"H-Hi, honey! I missed you too," he said, grappling his husband and nuzzling his mane. "I see we have a guest."
"Oh, don't mind me, guys, I'm leaving right now," Sandbar said. "I was just... interviewing Mr. Canvas for a school project. I've already finished my, report, and now I just need to go back and hoof it in. Have a good night, sirs!"
As Sandbar walked away, Canvas pulled back, gave a kiss to Troy's cheek and started to talk.
"You know, I was surprised to see Sandbar too. Didn't think that Twilight's school would involve anything heavily focused on art, but it turns out that somepony's got a crush!" Canvas said, whispering the last part.
"On a Griffon, named Gallus, right?" Troy said, smirking.
Canvas blinked in surprise.
"Um, y-yes! How did you... OH!"