Gallus stood outside the large hoofball field next to Ponyville's small schoolhouse as a warm breeze drifted by. Fillies and colts that previously had been scattered around the field began to convene on their coach and teacher, a friendly mare that Gallus knew only by name, as they began to round up the day's activities. They gathered in a circle, put their hooves together like a big, friendly team, and all cheered in unison. It was quite adorable, seeing such tiny ponies getting excited over their little game, and even a tough gryphon like Gallus had to crack a smile.
The warm summer breeze snapped him back to reality when it made him think of his friends and classmates. They had planned to take a trip out to the lake to bathe in the sun and go for a swim, and they were probably out there at this very moment. Gallus had wanted very badly to go. It took every ounce of willpower he had to turn them down. When asked, he made up something about wanting to catch up on homework, but he knew that was a thin excuse they would see right through.
"Hiya Mister Gallus! Didja see my goal? Didja?" A short little grey-haired filly with a backwards baseball cap bounded over to him with a giant smile and a flutter of wings, rushing about between his forelegs and giving one of them a hug. "Thanks for coming to pick me up from practice. You didn't have to!"
"Ehehe...no problem squirt. I know you kept telling me to come see you play" Gallus simply rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled awkwardly as she finished her bouncing with a dopey grin. It melted his heart a little, but he wasn't about to lose his cool now. With a short glance around to see that all the other parents and foals were sufficiently distracted, he reached out with a claw and scooped the cap off of the fillies head, ruffling her mane for a few seconds before plopping it back down, askew.
Sweet Pop stuck her tongue out at the gryphon and giggled, nuzzling at his leg. Admittedly, in the time Gallus had known her, he had grown a soft spot for the cute little thing. That was special, indeed, seeing that as far as he was concerned, gryphons never had soft spots for cute things.
A short few months ago Gallus had found himself routinely invited to dinner by a Pony couple he'd run into at the market and they'd quickly made friends. It had been strange to Gallus at first, not only because he was still acclimating to everyone's insistence on making friends, but also the amount of friends he'd made so quickly. He'd never viewed himself as the kind of gryphon who went to dinner with ponies, either, but something about their kindness and insistence on getting to know someone from outside of Equestria endeared him.
The sound of the filly at his hooves chattering away about her schoolday broke him out of his stupor and he ruffled her head again, only to receive another playful giggle. From the first time he'd set foot in that small little cottage he had been greeted by Sweet Pop. It was hard to ignore her presence in the house, from cute little drawings up on the fridge, toys littered around the living room, and sports equipment leaned up against the wall in the foyer. From the get-go she had insisted on being close to him, sitting next to him at the table and bombarding him with questions about the Gryphon Lands and what it was like to have claws.
It shouldn't have been such a surprise to Gallus, then, that when her parents had needed a foalsitter at the last minute when their old one came down with the featherflu, that Gallus had ended up in this situation. Before he even recognized the words coming out of his beak they had thanked him over and over again with a crushing hug. He supposed it wasn't all bad, so long as his friend's didn't find out.
"...And then I swooped in at the last second and stole the ball from Pipsqueak and got a goal!" His charge for the night gave a cheer, and he couldn't help but laugh along. "It was like...something from the movies! Miss Cherilee says I could be a real pro one day if I practice hard enough!"
"Practice does make perfect." Gallus agreed, patting her head with a wing. "Wanna get going? I'm starving."
"Ooh, could we get Ice Cream on the way home? Dad always takes me after practice." She gave him a pleading look complete with pouty lip and adorably large eyes. Gallus groaned, already feeling his coinpurse grow lighter by the minute. His allowance was only so much.
"Alright, kid, sure. I don't see why not." He replied as they walked down the path toward Ponyville center. 'Just don't give me that face again,' he thought. Nestled close to his side, Sweet Pop skipped down the road next to him.
Sugarcube Corner was quiet this time of day and Gallus was thankful for that. Besides the few other parents who'd had similar ideas of after-practice reward, the place was nearly empty. He grabbed them a couple sundaes from the mare behind the counter, coughing up a sorry amount of bits, and sat down in the booth that Sweet Pop was eagerly waiting in.
"Oh wow! Thank you so much!" She barely tried to restrain her giddy excitement as she dove in, wolfing down ice cream with record speed. It was her favourite, as Gallus recalled, and it was evident by the remnants left behind on her muzzle. She barely even came back for air before she'd dove into nearly half of it.
"Enjoying it, huh? You were pretty awesome out there today. You deserve it." With another compulsory glance around the room he reached for a napkin and quickly wiped away her chin. The filly tilted her head and smiled as she allowed him to wipe her clean. "You're making a mess, Sweet. Slow down or you'll get a stomach ache!"
"This isn't my first Sundae, y'know. Did I mention how it's the bestest thing in the whole world?" She took a spoonful and gulped it down with a look of delight. "Mmmn. I know what I'm doing. I'm practically an expert Ice Cream eater," she replied smugly, and dove back in with bites the size of mouthfuls.
A moment later, her ice cream bowl laid empty while Gallus slowly worked on his. Her muzzle was covered in chocolate, and she lay back with a hoof on her tummy, feeling bloated. She let out a groan.
"Uuugh. I think I ate too much." She burped as Gallus passed her some napkins.
"I told you so!" He laughed at her expense. "I know from experience. Trust me."
"My tummy hurts." She whined. "Can I have a tummy rub?" She blinked wistfully at Gallus, who was taken aback.
"Erm, I don't think I'm really the best creature for tha--"
"Pleeeeease? I always feel better when Mom does it." She started making that face again, and Gallus cursed himself mentally. There were way too many ponies around. What if word got out he was giving fillies massages? They'd start calling him a softie for sure. There would be no way out.
"S-sorry, kid. Maybe when we get to your house." He wilted in his seat, feeling horrible. Sweet Pop looked a little dejected but it wasn't like her world was crashing around her. Still, to reject a pony who looked up to him like he was the greatest thing in Equestria in her time of need? Gallus felt rotten.
He finished his ice cream in silence while Sweet Pop rolled around in her chair, suffering from her tummy ache. He barely even finished his own before pushing the bowl away, rising to his paws.
"C'mon, we should get going. You gonna be okay?" He extended a claw to help her up and she nodded, taking it as she hopped off her chair and scampered along behind him. The house wasn't far from where they were in the middle of town, and it seemed as if Sweet Pop would make a full recovery.
"I drew you a picture in class today!" The filly chimed. "It's in my bag. I'll show you when we get home!" She started to skip along the path, adding a bounce to her step and kicking out the opposite leg each time she hopped. She started singing, her light and squeaky voice barely able to hit the right notes, but she barely cared.
"What's that your singing?" Gallus asked as they walked around a corner, passing by rows of colourful pony houses.
"Oh, just a song I learned at school. The other fillies were singing it! It's called 'Canterlot is falling down'. I think it's about the Changeling invasion. Neat, huh?" She did a little spin to face him, walking backwards and ignoring her surroundings.
"Oh? You know, I'm friends with a changeling. At school. They're not at all what you th--hey, watch where you're going!" He pointed to the road in front of them. There was plenty of small rocks and little holes you could trip on in the cobblestone.
"I'm fine, see?" She spun back around with a flourish. "No biggie! You sound like my Mom."
Gallus rolled his eyes, thanking whatever Princess or Diety above that they were finally almost to the house.
Gallus flicked on the kitchen light as he set about fixing them a small meal. Daisy sandwiches were easy enough, and though it was Pony Food, Gallus would survive. Taking the ingredients out of the fridge, he began preparing their snack as he haphazardly glanced at a note on the fridge; instructions left by Sweet Pop's parents.
"Okay, so your Mom says you have to be in bed by Sundown, and to take a bath after dinner. Do you have, like...homework or something?"
"Nope!" The filly shrugged. "Wanna watch TV after my bath?" She was leaning up over the back of the sofa, hooves propped up as she watched him with an eager curiosity, no doubt impressed by his ability to use claws. "Maybe I can get in my pajamas and we can be snugglebugs!"
Gallus paused with a small sigh that wasn't audible enough for her to hear. No doubt she was a cute little pony, but snuggling? That was totally uncool. His mind wandered back to the incident at Sugarcube corner, when he'd coldly rejected giving her a tummy rub simply because ponies were watching. He supposed he owed her, in a way.
"Sure, kid. I guess we can do that. Now come eat!" He brought two plates with the sandwiches and glasses of milk to the table. Sweet Pop appeared in a flash and took her usual seat right next to him. Sweet Pop ate much slower, taking careful bites and sipping at her milk, having learned from the incident at Sugarcube corner and was not eager to experience it again.
When dinner was finished Gallus went about clearing the table and washing what few dishes they'd used. He ushered Sweet upstairs, insisting she take a bath and get ready for bed before they curled up together. His gryphon tendencies meant that he was instinctively trying to think of ways out of snuggling and showing his soft side, excuses running through his mind.
It wasn't until a few minutes later when her cute high-pitched voice called his name from upstairs that he was pulled out of being so deep in thought he realized he'd been washing the same plate for over a minute. He quickly finished up and trotted toward the stairs.
"What's up, Sweet?" He called from the bottom of the steps, head poking upward to listen.
"Um...I need help!" Came the reply. Fearing the worst, he bounded up the stairs as quick as possible, a dozen scenarios running through his head, imagining all the ways she could have hurt herself. He knew which room was Sweet Pop's, as she'd shown him some of her knick knacks many times after dinner. Her door was wide open, and he poked his head in wearing a worried expression.
There was Sweet Pop, on her back, wrapped up clumsily in her pajamas, one hoof in a leghole, another in the wrong spot, shared with a third leg. Her other foreleg, the only one left free, pawed uselessly at her clothes as she struggled to get up, like a trapped turtle. Seeing the absurd sight, her useless wriggling around, and realizing how terrified he'd been just a moment before, Gallus suddenly burst out laughing. Sweet Pop joined in.
"Heehee! Come oooon! You gonna help or what?" The filly snickered as she rolled around.
"Of course. Sorry. It's just...I was so worried you'd hurt yourself or fallen. Don't scare me like that." Gallus quickly helped her out of the pajamas and onto her haunches. Once she was righted, she quickly wrapped her forelegs around him.
"Nope! But thanks for coming to rescue me! My personal gryphon protector!" She grinned, turning around and holding out her hooves. "Can you help me get dressed?"
All of that worry about whether or not he was a proper gryphon, fearsome and tough enough like his family, had left Gallus' mind. His moment of panic faded away, leaving instead an important realization: that he cared about her well being. Sweet Pop was right, in her own silly little way, that he wanted to protect her. Suddenly cuddling didn't seem so bad.
Gallus helped Sweet Pop into her pajamas, one hoof at a time into each corresponding sleeve, and gently pulled up the zipper so that she was nice and cozy. It was a dark blue one piece sleeper with hoofball and sports designs patterned all over. When she was all dressed he ran a claw through her mane, and for once, hugged her back with a squeeze.
"Yup...that's me. Now let's go get that movie started." He cracked a smile looking down at her. Sweet Pop let out a squee.
Gallus returned to the sofa in the living room with a bowl full of buttery popcorn. He grabbed a claw-full and popped some into his mouth to munch away at the buttery, salty goodness, plopping the bowl on the coffee table while he jumped back onto the sofa.
Sweet Pop was wrapped up in a light blanket, covering all her hooves while she cradled the remote. As soon as Gallus settled in, the filly slithered over, wiggling herself underneath of his foreleg. Pressed up against his chest, she laid her head down and gave a massive, sleepy yawn. Gallus responded with a yawn of his own; everyone knows yawns were contagious.
He looked down at the filly next to him and pulled her tighter with his leg. His wing stretched out and he laid it around her, covering her in a feathery blanket. She looked up at him with adorably large eyes. He supposed that was contagious, too.
"Hey Gally?" Sweet Pop nuzzled into his arm, just her head visible under the cocoon of warmth.
"Yeah?" He started stroking her back with his claw in slow, tender strokes, starting from the top between her shoulder blades, trailing down her spine, and ending at her lower back. She cooed at once, her little eyelids fluttering shut.
"Ah. That's nice. I wanted to ask you something."
"Anything, kid." His claw made its way back up and he started to scratch between her ears, at her scalp. She opened an eye between the incessant wiggling of her ears.
"Will you be my big brother? I mean, I know you can't really be my big brother, but you could kind of be one! You could teach me stuff and help me with homework and be like a guardian. Like a big brother!"
Gallus was left stunned. Sweet Pop was an only child, and in that regard he could relate. He hadn't a family back home to speak of, no siblings to help teach him about the world. Just Grampa Gruff and his usual grumpy reluctance.
"I...sure, kid," he finally answered after what felt like a long time. Sweet Pop gave a high-pitched squeal and wrapped him even tighter, squeezing him in her grasp with all her might.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! This means a lot!"
"I...know. It means a lot to me, too." He resumed stroking her mane between her ears, choking back his feelings. He didn't know much about being a brother, how to teach someone younger than himself about growing up, about keeping secrets and how to deal with bullies; none of that brother stuff. He did know about Sweet Pop, though, and maybe that was enough. He squeezed the filly tightly.
"I'll always be here for you, kiddo," Gallus whispered, drawing his wing tighter.
Sweet Pop responded with a loud snore.
Turning off the TV, Gallus stretched himself out across the sofa and let himself get comfortable, making sure to cause as little motion to the filly as possible. He sprawled out, filly nestled against his chest, and brought the blanket around them both.
Kissing her on the back of the head, Gallus whispered goodnight, swearing to protect her forever.
