Breaking Barriers

Chapters

Do I have to graduate?
Griffonstone
A Special Gift
Gallus Gets Fit
First Steps
Training a New Friend
A Day in the Life of a Trainee
Breaking Barriers
Sandbar's Party

Do I have to graduate?

Four years ago, Princess Twilight Sparkle had the idea of opening a friendship school in Ponyville. Despite having a rocky start, her school turned out to become a huge success, mostly due to the fact that the school wasn’t open to one race only; her school was responsible for creating diversity in Equestria all thanks to the first non-pony students: Ocellus the changeling, Silverstream the hippogriff, Smolder the dragon, Yona the yak, and last but most certainly not least, Gallus the griffon, the most changed out of the group. When he first came to the school, he was very rude, but that was because he didn’t know what friendship is and as a result, he grew up around griffons who were hostile. However, very quickly, he started making friends and started being a believer in friendship. So much so that he’s won award after award not because of his academic performance, but because he was such a great friend. It was at the school where he learned how to read and write and what affection was and how to give affection to others. Gallus loved this school because of all the love he received from his teachers and friends, or what he sees them as, his family. In fact, Gallus loved this school so much, he never wanted to leave. Unfortunately, his time at the school will soon be wrapping up. Two weeks before he and his friends are set to graduate, Headmare Starlight Glimmer gave a brief presentation during class.

“I hope you’re keeping track, seniors, because there’s only two more weeks before your big graduation ceremony!” Starlight announced, prompting cheers from all, but one, of the seniors in the room.

Soon, Gallus raised his talon.

“Do you have a question, Gallus?” Starlight asked, pointing at Gallus.

“D-do I have to graduate?” Gallus asked.

“Well, everything looks good, so you’re eligible to graduate!” Starlight cheered, prompting Gallus to fly up to Starlight and break down in front of her.

He started to cry. “B-but I don’t want to graduate! I wanna stay here forever!”

“But Gallus, you can’t stay here forever. You’ve been here for four years and that’s enough for you to graduate. Now, it’s time for you to leave the school and spread the magic of friendship back home” Starlight replied.

“No! I don’t wanna go back to Griffonstone! Everygriff is mean to me there! Especially Grampa Gruff!” Gallus cried.

“Well, maybe if you convince everygriff to be friendly, they won’t be so mean to you” Starlight replied.

“Yes, they will! They’ve always been mean to me, even before I was born! I was born in a smelly dumpster and Grampa Gruff keeps beating me up! I wanna stay here where it’s safe!” Gallus replied.

“Well, maybe if you ask your friends, they can let you live with them and their families” Starlight replied.

Gallus looked to his friends, who have all turned him down.

“Sorry, Gallus, but after I graduate, my aunt is appointing me to governor of Mount Aris. That means that I’m gonna be busy all the time!” Silverstream said.

“Sorry, Gallus, but Thorax is appointing me to the Princess of Friendship in the Changeling Kingdom. I’m gonna be very busy” Ocellus said.

“Sorry, Gallus, but I’m gonna be Dragon Lord soon. Waaaaaaaay too much on my plate! Plus, I wouldn’t want you breathing all that unhealthy air in. Dragon Lands aren’t very safe for non-dragons” Smolder said.

“Sorry, Gallus, but when I’m done at the School of Friendship, I’m going to Manehattan to attend school. I’m studying for my PhD in marine biology” Sandbar said.

“So, can you take me with you?” Gallus asked.

“I would love for you to come live with me, but I’m living in a dorm at the university and I’m not allowed to have anyone else live with me. I’m very sorry” Sandbar replied.

“Sorry, Gallus, but Yakyakistan not safe for griffon. Plus, Yona soon be yak princess” Yona said.

“What about Corn and Peg? Can I still live with them?” Gallus asked.

“Corn and Peg are still going to be enrolling here, so no” Starlight replied.

Now officially out of options, Gallus broke down and started having an emotional meltdown.

“I think we should just leave him be. See ya later, Gallus” Sandbar said as he and the other four creatures walked out of the room.

Finally, graduation day came. Three hours before the ceremony is set to begin, all the seniors are in their seats, awaiting any further instruction…well, almost all the seniors. Gallus wasn’t in the crowd.

“Does anyone know where Gallus is?” Starlight asked.

“No. Yona never see griffon all day” Yona replied.

Sandbar let out an annoyed sigh and said “Last I saw him was this morning. He was throwing a hissy fit about graduation. I have no idea what’s taking him so long. I’m gonna go get him. I’ll be back” Sandbar then left the crowd to find Gallus.

Meanwhile, Gallus was outside his dorm room, attempting to duct tape himself to the door so that he won’t move. And he thought that if he couldn’t move, he wouldn’t be able to walk, and if he wasn’t able to walk, he can’t graduate, and if he can’t graduate, he gets to stay here forever.

Sandbar walked up to Gallus and asked him what he was doing.

“Duct taping myself to the door” Gallus replied.

Sandbar facepalmed and asked “Why?”

“So, I can stay here forever” Gallus replied.

Sandbar facepalmed and said “Gallus, this is ridiculous! Why don’t you just face the music and accept the fact that you’re graduating?”

“Because I don’t want to go to Griffonstone ever again!” Gallus retorted.

“Come on, Gallus, it can’t be that bad. You could run for office there or something” Sandbar suggested.

“And how easy is that? When you’re in Griffonstone, not easy at all! Grampa Gruff made Griffonstone into a total dictatorship, everyone in Griffonstone is required by law to hate my guts, and Grampa Gruff made friendship illegal in Griffonstone!” Gallus retorted.

“Okay, I could see why you’re reluctant to go back to Griffonstone, but I’m sure that someone in Equestria would be willing to adopt you. I’m sure Princess Twilight would hook you up with a job” Sandbar replied.

“What makes you think that? She’s too busy to adopt me! Probably cares more about Spike than me!” Gallus replied.

“Do you really think that, Gallus? She stood up to Grampa Gruff for you, she threw a birthday party for you, she taught you how to read and write, she took you to Rarity’s fashion show in Manehattan, she took you to Hoofalulu for spring break with her family, she did everything for you and you say that she doesn’t care for you?” Sandbar retorted.

“Yes, it was nice of her to do all of that when she was headmare, but now that she’s running a whole country, I should probably just leave her alone” Gallus replied.

“Look, can you cut out the nonsense and come graduate with us? The ceremony’s starting soon! And why aren’t you wearing your cap and gown?” Sandbar retorted.

“I don’t wanna wear my cap and gown!” Gallus retorted.

“Gallus, put on your cap and gown, now!” Sandbar said sternly.

“No!” Gallus retorted.

“PUT IT ON!!” Sandbar yelled.

“Make me!” Gallus retorted.

“Ok, I’ll put it on for you!” Sandbar said as he dragged Gallus by the tail into the dorm room and forcibly put the cap and gown on him.

“And don’t even think of taking that off, do I make myself clear?” Sandbar asked angrily.

“Yes! You’re scaring me!” Gallus cried.

“Well, maybe if you’ve done as you were told, I wouldn’t ‘scare’ you, now would I? Now, let’s get to the ceremony” Sandbar replied.

“I’M NOT GRADUATING!!” Gallus yelled.

“Don’t make me have to drag you there! MOVE IT!” Sandbar raged.

Gallus complied and walked to the graduation ceremony. For the first time ever, he feared Sandbar. He was yelling at him very loudly and kinda reminded him of Grampa Gruff.

When the two got to the graduation ceremony, Sandbar was still barking orders at Gallus.

“Now Gallus, sit down, stay with us, and shut up! Any more nonsense out of you and I’m gonna beat you silly! UNDERSTAND?” Sandbar barked.

A terrified Gallus shook his head.

“Sheesh, Sandbar, pretty intimidating, don’t ya think?” Smolder chimed in.

“Yeah, but can you blame me? My patience is wearing thin with him!” Sandbar retorted.

“Okay, well, can you not make a scene during the ceremony?” Smolder asked.

“Yeah, I’ll try. Sorry you had to experience that” Sandbar replied as he calmed down.

Soon, Starlight walked up to the podium and began speaking.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, as headmare of the School of Friendship, it is my honor and privilege to recognize these outgoing friendship students after four years of their hard work. Now, seniors, when your name is called, please walk up to the stage and pick up your diploma”

When it was Gallus’s turn to be called, he went up on stage and received his diploma…but that’s not all he did. He broke down, began to throw a fit, and even ripped up his diploma, tore off his gown, took his cap off, and smashed it with his paw.

“Gallus, that was your diploma!” Starlight exclaimed, shocked by her former student’s behavior.

“So?” Gallus cried.

“That was it! You’re not getting another one!” Starlight said sternly.

“I don’t want a diploma! I wanna stay at the friendship school!” Gallus cried.

“Gallus, I’ve told you a thousand times, you’re not staying at the friendship school!” Starlight retorted.

“I WANNA STAY!!” Gallus yelled.

“Gallus, you have five seconds to go back to your seat!” Starlight said sternly.

“Lemme stay” Gallus said.

“No” Starlight responded.

“Lemme stay” Gallus said again.

“No” Starlight replied.

“LET. ME. STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!” Gallus screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Gallus Griffon, I have had enough! I’ve told you to go back to your seat numerous times, but you keep insisting on having a temper tantrum like you’re two! You are eighteen years old and I order you to act your age and go back to your seat!” Starlight retorted, her voice rising in anger.

“I WANNA STAY AT THE SCHOOL OF FRIENDSHIP! I WANNA STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! LET ME STAY RIGHT NOW!” Gallus screamed as he stamped his talons and paws on the floor like a four-year-old.

“That’s it! I’ve had it with your atrocious behavior! This is supposed to be a special time for you and your friends, but you’ve ruined it! I’m calling security to escort you off the premises and to the train station where you’ll be boarding the next train straight to Griffonstone! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!” Starlight yelled as security went on stage to drag Gallus away.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Gallus screamed all the way to the train station.

Once he arrived at the train station, Gallus was still being resistant as he attempted to break free and even spat in the security guard’s face. Soon, the train arrived.

“All aboard! Next stop, Griffonstone!” the conductor announced.

“NO! NO! I DON’T WANNA GO! I DON’T WANNA GOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Gallus screamed as the security guard dragged him onto the train, much to the shock of the other passengers on board.

Once Gallus “boarded” the train, it set off to Griffonstone with Gallus screaming and crying for the entire train ride.

Griffonstone

One very long train ride later, Gallus finally arrived in Griffonstone. He only stopped crying because his eyes became dry. He got off the train and as soon as he walked to town central, he was immediately met by Grampa Gruff.

“Oh no!” Gallus murmured to himself.

“Gallus! Here to ruin Griffonstone?” Grampa Gruff asked.

“Please, Gramps! Don’t start with me! I already had to leave the school to come here, I don’t want you and the others to ridicule me!” Gallus retorted.

Grampa Gruff became angry. “Y’know, Starlight Glitterglatter or whatever her name is said that you’d be here and that gave me time to prepare a housewarming gift for you”

Gallus smiled. “Wow! A housewarming gift? You’ve never done anything nice for me before! Thank you, Grampa Gruff fo- “ Gallus paused mid-sentence when he saw Grampa Gruff pointing a gun at him.

“Oh, come on! You’re not gonna kill me, are you?” Gallus asked, now feeling worried.

“Yes, I am! Now that you’ve graduated from the pony school, I’m not taking any risks! I won’t let you turn Griffonstone into another Equestria with your stupid friendship! Any last words?” Grampa Gruff replied.

Instead of saying anything, Gallus pushed Gruff onto the ground and flew right off. He was now nowhere to be seen.

“I swear, Gallus! I’ll find you and I’ll have your head!” Grampa Gruff yelled.

“Phew! That was a close one!” Gallus said.

“Now I gotta find someplace to hide. *gasp* I know, Gabby’s house!” he exclaimed as he made a beeline for Gabby’s house.

He knocked on the door and out came Gabby.

“Hi, Gallus! How are you? Come in! Come in!” Gabby cheered as she dragged Gallus inside her house.

Gallus took a seat on an armchair in the living room.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it to your graduation. Grampa Gruff didn’t allow it. He’s been nastier than ever since he found out you were graduating” Gabby said.

“It’s alright. I don’t think you would want to see how I was during graduation. Looking back, I was being ridiculous. But I made it clear that I didn’t want to leave. That school was a safe haven for me, the staff and my friends were like family to me” Gallus replied.

“I understand. Here, some letters for you” Gabby said as he gave Gallus a couple letters. The first one was from Sandbar.

Dear Gallus,

I’m writing this letter mainly to apologize for being so hard on you. My entire family was there, and I wanted things to be perfect for them. The last thing I wanted was to be embarrassed by your behavior in their presence. I know how much you wanted to stay at the school and/or to live with one of us, but sometimes, you can’t always get what you want. I just wanted to make sure you knew that. I didn’t want you to become scared of me or anything. I’m having a going away party at Sugarcube Corner sometime during the summer before I move to Manehattan. I would really appreciate it if you came. Well, that’s all I’d like to say for now. See you soon, buddy!

Your friend,

Sandbar

And another is from Princess Twilight Sparkle in Canterlot.

Dear Gallus,

Congratulations on graduating from the School of Friendship. However, that’s probably not what you would want to hear. Headmare Starlight told me everything. Although your conduct at the ceremony was far from appropriate, it was completely understandable and honestly, I don’t really blame you for acting that way. That school was your happy place and you made it clear that you wanted to remain in a safe environment. After my conversation with Starlight, she has made the decision to apologize for being angry at you and has left a replacement diploma for you, which is available at my castle in Canterlot for pickup. Hope you can make it, because I have a special surprise waiting for you!

XOXO,

Twilight Sparkle

“Hey! Twilight’s got a surprise for me! I like the sound of that!” Gallus exclaimed.

“I think I have a hunch as to what that surprise probably is, but I think you should go and check it out” Gabby replied.

“You’re right. I’ll go over there first thing tomorrow” Gallus replied.

“Okay. Feel free to spend the night here if you want” Gabby offered.

“Thanks, Gabs! *yawn* Think I’m gonna go off to bed now! Goodnight!” Gallus said as he went off to bed.

A Special Gift

Early the next morning, Gallus woke up and prepared to go to Canterlot. After he packed up all of his belongings, he met Gabby in the living room.

“Morning, Gallus!” Gabby greeted.

“Good morning” replied Gallus.

“Would you like some breakfast before you leave for Canterlot?” Gabby offered.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you” Gallus said as he took his seat and Gabby went back into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Several minutes later, Gabby walked to the table carrying a fat stack of pancakes.

“Here you are, Gallus! A nice, tall stack of chocolate chip pancakes with extra syrup and whipped cream. Just the way you like it!” Gabby said as she presented the stack of pancakes to Gallus.

“Looks yummy! Thanks Gabby!” Gallus said as he tied his napkin to himself to wear it like a bib and began digging right in.

A few moments later, Gallus had finished the entire stack of pancakes. He wiped his beak with his bib.

“Wow! You sure were hungry! I can’t believe you ate that whole thing!” Gabby exclaimed.

“Yeah, but it was so delicious!” Gallus replied immediately before he let out a hiccup.

“Sorry about that” Gallus said sheepishly before hiccupping again.

“Are you okay, Gallus?” Gabby asked.

“Yeah, I am. Just a little- URRRRP!”

Gallus belched and covered his beak with his talon in embarrassment, blushing.

“Excuse me” he said, prompting the two to laugh.

“Anyways, I should probably let you go so that you can make it to the train station on time” Gabby said.

“Yeah, I guess I should be going. Thanks for breakfast, Gabs!” Gallus said as he took the bib off and eft Gabby’s house.

Gallus was too heavy to fly, so he decided to walk to the train station.

“Man, I’m stuffed! But that was a very good breakfast! Now to get to the train station. Hopefully, Grampa Gruff doesn’t find me. Probably still sleeping at this time of day” Gallus said to himself.

Gallus made it to the train station with no incident and several minutes later, his train arrived.

“All aboard! Next stop, Canterlot!” the conductor announced.

Right on que, Gallus boarded the train and fell asleep in his seat.

Several hours later, the train arrived in Canterlot. Gallus woke up, got up to stretch a little, and got off the train. This was his first time in Canterlot, so he had to ask for directiions to Twilight’s kingdom. He went over to the information desk.

“Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the Crystal Empire?” Gallus asked.

“Of course! It’s a couple miles west of here. You can’t miss it. It’s the really shiny building” the information guy replied.

“Thanks!” Gallus said as he flew westward to Twilight’s castle.

After a few wrong turns and getting lost, Galls finally made it to Twilight’s castle…three hours later. But hey, at least he made it! As Gallus was about to go inside, a royal guard stopped him.

“Halt! Identify yourself!” the guard ordered.

“Gallus the Griffon. Princess Twilight told me to come here” Gallus replied.

“Okay. Hang tight for me, Gallus. I’ll check you in” the guard said as he went in to inform Twilight of Gallus’s presence.

“Your majesty, Gallus the Griffon is here” the guard announced.

“Send him in” Twilight replied.

The guard waved at Gallus to tell him to come into the castle. Twilight became very excited when she saw her former student.

“Hi, Gallus! How are you?” Twilight cheered as she hugged the griffon.

“Fine, I guess. Did you want to see me?” Gallus replied.

“I did. We can talk over dinner. This way” Twilight led the griffon to the dining room.

Gallus didn’t know how to feel when he heard Twilight say the word “dinner”. It’s nice that she planned a big feast for him, but he was still a little full from eating that big stack of pancakes this morning. Twilight held the door open for Gallus and he went over and took his seat. This was a big dinner that he was about to have. Five turkeys, ten servings of mashed potatoes, twenty servings of macaroni and cheese, fifty pizzas, thirty hams, a huge platter of sushi, twenty-five helpings of meat and cheese lasagna, thirty-seven sausage links, twenty-nine chocolate cakes, and a 20-liter bottle of Pony Cola. He was shocked!

“A-are you going to eat?” Gallus asked.

“No, of course not! I planned this entire feast just for you, sweetie pie!” Twilight replied.

“Are you crazy? I can’t eat all of this! I had a fat stack of pancakes this morning and I’m still full from that!” Gallus retorted, getting defensive with his teacher.

“Y’know, if you drink enough soda and if you let out a big enough burp, that should make some room” Twilight replied.

“Burp? In your presence? That would be extremely uncouth!” Gallus replied, not feeling comfortable with the idea of burping in front of a princess in such an elegant dining room.

“Don’t worry about it, Gallus. My royal guards burp and fart all the time. I won’t be offended” Twilight assured her favorite griffon.

“Well, okay, here goes” Gallus said as he hesitantly reached for the Pony Cola and looked at Twilight before taking a drink.

Twilight winked at him, which made Gallus a bit more comfortable. He put the bottle up to his mouth and began guzzling down the soda.

As soon as Gallus’s body had enough, he stopped drinking. Suddenly, his stomach began gurgling, churning the food currently in his stomach into gas.

“I think it’s working, Princess. But I think you would want to protect yourself. I can feel a big one coming up!” Gallus announced.

“Don’t worry. I’ve gone through worse things than griffon burps” Twilight replied.

Suddenly, a huge cloud of gas traveled up Gallus’s esophagus and made his cheeks puff up to the size of Pluto. He looks to Twilight again. She grins and makes a thumbs-up gesture with her wing. Then, he opens his beak and lets the gas out in the form of a huge, warm, humid, deep belch. Feeling embarrassed, Gallus’s entire face turned hot pink as he covered his beak with both of his talons.

Twilight giggled as she walked up to the griffon. “Gallus, like I said, it’s okay. No need to feel embarrassed. How do you feel?”

Gallus took his talons off his beak and stopped blushing. “Well, I feel less full. Thanks for the tip, Princess”

Twilight smiled at Gallus. “Anytime, my dear! Enjoy your meal and I’ll check on you in a bit. And feel free to burp as much as you need to!”

Gallus gave the princess a thumbs-up before he began to eat.

Twilight left the dining room to check for final preparations to Gallus’s new room, which currently includes a racecar bed, a nightlight, several pictures that include him with his friends, school pictures, a flat-screen television, a PonyStation 5 with several video games, a desktop computer, a toybox, a Captain Thunderhoof poster (donated to Princess Twilight by Corn and Peg), a bookshelf with a wide assortment of books, videos (including some classic cartoons donated to Princess Twilight by Sandbar and his family), and board games, and of course, his replacement diploma, framed and hung up on the wall. There’s no way Gallus could rip that one up! All in all, his room looks like the average boy’s room and it looks finished.

“Perfect! I can’t wait to see the look on Gallus’s face when he sees his new room!” Twilight said to herself.

Soon, Spike walked over to her. “Twilight, I know that Gallus was malnourished during his childhood, but do you really think it’s healthy to be feeding him all that food?”

“That shouldn’t pose a problem, Spike. I want Gallus to be plump, but not too plump. It’s kinda like the feast Starlight and I gave him when he first came to the school” Twilight replied.

“And then Rainbow Dash got mad at him because he was too fat to do anything during PE” Spike added.

“He tried his best. Besides, Rainbow was nice enough to donate her time to help Gallus lose the weight. And he was very grateful that she did that!” Twilight replied.

“Well, okay then. How’s Gallus’s room looking?” Spike asked.

“It looks finished. I can’t wait until he gets to look at it! He’s gonna be so happy!” Twilight cheered.

“He sure will! Better than living in Griffonstone again!” Spike replied.

“Yeah. I’ll be back, Spike. I’m gonna check in on Gallus” Twilight said as she walked back to the dining room to check on Gallus.

Twilight entered the dining room to see Gallus slurping up the last sausage link like a piece of spaghetti. “How are you doing, Gallus?”

Gallus burped and said “Excellent! Wow, I can’t believe I’ve already ate three quarters of this whole dinner! Hey, can you pass me the bottle of soda. I gotta make more room”

Gallus guzzled more soda and let out a monster belch. “Ahh, that was good! But I still got the turkeys, hams, and cakes left! Wish me luck, Pri-URRP-Princess!”

Twilight chuckled. “Good luck, Gallus. I’m proud of you”

As Twilight made her way out of the dining room, Gallus called her name. “Miss Twilight?”

Her attention drifted to Gallus. “Yes, dear?”

“Can you bring me some more Pony Cola? I’m almost running out” Gallus requested.

“Already? Okay, I’ll bring you a 50-liter bottle this time!” Twilight said as she reached for a 50-liter bottle of Pony Cola from the fridge.

“Here you go!” Twilight said as she gave the bottle to Gallus.

“Can you set it on the table so I can reach it when I need it? Thanks” Gallus said.

“I’ll be back in twenty minutes to check in on you” Twilight said as she left.

“Ok. See you later” Gallus replied.

Twilight walked to her throne. Spike was sitting on his throne, adjacent to Twilight.

“Man, Gallus sure loves to eat!” Twilight remarked.

“I bet. Seems like he’s having fun in there” Spike replied.

Twenty minutes later, Twilight went back to the dining room to see Gallus having finished everything and is now drinking the entire bottle of Pony Cola.

“Wow! Done already?” Twilight said, feeling surprised.

Gallus nodded as all the gas in his bloated stomach traveled up his esophagus and escaped his beak in the form of the biggest belch that Gallus has ever let out. His belch was so loud and so big that it caused an earthquake within the castle: a burpquake.

Twilight and Gallus were shocked. Especially Gallus, who never thought he could burp like that. A royal guard had to come into the dining room to see what was going on.

“Is everything alright in here? I think I felt an earthquake” the guard asked.

“Everything’s fine. I’m just a little gassy” Gallus replied.

“A little? That was the loudest burp I’ve ever heard! What did you eat?” the guard replied.

“Everything” Gallus said.

And everything was right! Gallus ate the entire inventory of food in the castle and as a result, his belly is so swollen, he looks like he’s two years pregnant. He was so fat, he managed to grow a belly button (cartoon logic at its finest!). When the guard found out what Gallus meant when he said “everything”, he whimpered and was even on the verge of tears. He knew that he and the other guards wouldn’t have anything to eat for a while.

“Don’t worry, Houston! I’ll find a way to keep you fed” Twilight assured the guard.

“How? There’s no food left in the castle!” Houston cried.

“Look. I’ll write a shopping list and you’ll be responsible for getting groceries. Does that sound good?” Twilight asked.

Houston let out a disappointed sigh and said “Okay, Princess” as he walked out of the dining room.

“So, what’s the real reason that you called me here?” Gallus asked.

“I’ve been aware of your situation before you came to the school. I knew immediately that something was wrong, but I never found out what it was until the end of you first semester when you admitted to sabotaging the tree with the goo powder. Originally, I was going to have you stay over break as a punishment, but when your friends agreed to stay with you, I decided against it, partially because you’ve gone through so much already. Punishing you for doing something that I don’t partially blame you for wouldn’t be too fair, even though another part of me thought it was” Twilight started her lecture.

“I wouldn’t have minded staying over break. That would’ve been better than staying in Griffonstone” Gallus chimed in.

“Not really. I would’ve had you in the detention room all day for two weeks completing a big, fat, boring packet. No one to talk to, you would’ve had the entire school to yourself, but I would’ve watched your every move from home. If you did anything bad, regardless of the infraction, you would’ve been permanently expelled” Twilight continued, feeling more and more ashamed of herself as she went on.

“Sheesh! That would’ve been not fun! But you knew why I did the deed, right?” Gallus added.

“I know, and that was the biggest reason why I cancelled the punishment. I didn’t want you to go through all of that. I was too busy trying to find out who did it instead of listening to your concerns. I’m sorry, Gallus. I’m partially to blame for the incident. If I took the time to listen to what you had to say, you would’ve never sabotaged the tree. Now that you know my deepest and darkest secret, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?” Twilight asked.

Gallus sighed. This was a hard decision that he was about to make. One part of him is relieved that Twilight forgives him for the Hearth’s Warming incident, but another part of him feels betrayed. He would’ve faced expulsion for what he did? Seriously? Another part of him even feels the guilt from that night coming back. He seriously regretted what he did that night and given the chance; he would’ve gone back in time to stop himself from doing the deed. Heck, had he not stepped in to stop his friends from arguing, their friendship would’ve ended right then and there, and that probably would’ve caused the school’s reputation to crumble, and that would even cause the school to shut down. And it would’ve been all his fault.

A thought bubble forms above his head, depicting Twilight being angry at Gallus for her school shutting down. Celestia becomes aware of what Gallus has done and he is immediately considered a danger to Equestria and he is sent away to Tartarus.

Gallus snaps out of his gaze when he hears Twilight calling his name.

“Gallus, have you made your decision?” Twilight asked.

Gallus sighed again as he pondered Twilight’s request. “Listen, Twilight, I can’t thank you enough for inviting me into your school, for all the things you’ve did for me, the feast you’ve prepared for me tonight, and for everything else. However, when you’ve brought up the incident that happened that one Hearth’s Warming, I’ve had a bunch of feelings swirling in my mind. Relief because you’re forgiving me for the deed, betrayal because of what you were thinking my punishment would’ve been, and guilt because of what I did. I almost ran the school’s reputation into the ground! I kinda feel like I shouldn’t be here right now! If anything, I should be sent to Tartarus where I belong!”

“Gallus, don’t be so hard on yourself!” Twilight exclaimed.

“No, go ahead! Send me to Tartarus!” Gallus yelled.

“Gallus, I’m not going to send you to Tartarus! That’s where the worst creatures go and you’re not a bad creature” Twilight assured Gallus.

“Oh yeah? What about the other bad things I’ve done besides the tree incident? Nearly getting into a fight with Yona, skipping class, pulling pranks that have sent others to the hospital, cheating on numerous tests and quizzes, arguing with teachers and staff, lying, stealing, sneaking into the girls locker room, and there’s probably more things I’ve done that warrant at least a suspension!” Gallus retorted.

“Some of that stuff, you’ve never done. And the stuff that you did do, that was during your first semester. After that first semester, you’ve changed drastically, and the school shaped you into the gifted young man you are. And I am so proud of you!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Look, we’re getting way off topic here. Although that punishment you would’ve had me do was unfair, the things that you’ve done for me like the birthday parties, giving me the extra ticket to Rarity’s fashion show, the Hoofalulu trip with your family, tonight’s feast, were very generous of you. And that makes me hard for me to get mad at you. So, final answer…” Gallus paused to look up and smile at Twilight. “…I forgive you!”

“Thank you, Gallus. It feels so good to hear you say that. Now, let me get to what I’ve been wanting to say for you for a long time. You were an exceptional student at my school, and might I say, the best student I’ve had in all my years as the Princess of Friendship. You’ve come a long way and it was a pleasure to have guided you through this long journey. We’ve had our ups and downs, but nothing has stopped you from expanding your interest in the magic of friendship. You have lots of potential, Gallus. You could break barriers and become the first griffon in a very long time to believe in and care about friendship. I know that you vow to never return to Griffonstone under any circumstances and your friends are all busy with their future endeavors and are unable to accommodate you, so I have provided an alternative solution that I wish to present to you now.” Twilight said as she showed Gallus an adoption certificate.

Upon seeing what Twilight is showing him, Gallus was shocked. His beak was agape, and his talons were covering his beak.

“Oh my gosh! This is it! I finally have a forever home!” Gallus thought to himself.

“Your graduation gave me a perfect opportunity to prepare this for you. Welcome home, Gallus Griffon-Sparkle!” Twilight exclaimed.

Gallus was crying tears of joy. “Twilight, I-I don’t know what to say, I’m speechless!”

“It’s okay, Gallus. Take as much time as you need to take it all in” Twilight replied.

“You’ve done so many great things for me, but this! This is huge! This is life changing! You just gave me a forever home! Thank you!” a choked-up Gallus cheered as he gave his new mother a big hug.

Twilight was the only mother Gallus has ever had. He has always thought of his friends and teachers as family, but now, Twilight gave him a real family!

“Now, let me show you to your very own room!” Twilight cheered.

Gallus took a moment to reflect on what Twilight had just said. “My room. My room. My very own room. An actual bedroom. Just for me” he said to himself as the two left the dining room and made their way to Gallus’s room.

“And here’s your room, Gallus” Twilight announced as she pointed at his room.

Gallus’s eyes became stars. Small, watery stars. “My…room!”

Gallus walked inside the room and looked around. “Wow! This is better than the friendship school! This is all for me?” he looked at Twilight.

Twilight nodded in response.

Gallus let out an excited gasp when he saw the racecar bed. “A racecar bed? I’ve always wanted one of these!” he cheered as he climbed into the bed and drove it as if it was a real racecar. He began playing in it and made racecar noises.

Soon, he got out of the bed and walked up to the entertainment system.

“Oh my gosh! A PonyStation 5! That’s another thing I’ve always wanted! I wonder what games I got! Fortneigh, Captain Thunderhoof: The Game, Twitterponies: The Game, Castle Mane-ia, Neighgo City, Princess Simulator, this is incredible! And what’s this? A toybox?”

Gallus went over to the toybox and opened it.

“*gasp* Neighgos? I love Neighgos! Captain Thunderhoof action figures, squirt guns, building blocks, there’s so much stuff in here!” Gallus cheered. Now, he’s starting to act like Silverstream.

Gallus ran up to Twilight and gave her a big hug. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much! I love you!”

“You’re very welcome, Gallus. Mommy loves you too!” Twilight replied.

“What? Who’s mommy?” Gallus asked, looking at her confused.

“I’m mommy!” Twilight replied.

Gallus giggled and said “No, you’re not! You’re Twilight Sparkle!”

“You’re right, but since I’m your mother now, you’ll have to call me mommy or any other synonym. That’s the politest thing to do” Twilight said.

“Why’s that?” Gallus asked.

“Actually, I don’t know. Just get used to calling me mommy, okay?” Twilight replied.

“Okay, but I might mess up sometimes and call you Twilight by mistake. I remember when Starlight Glimmer replaced you as headmare, I would call her Headmare Twilight out of habit. And I’d call Trixie Starlight!” Gallus replied.

Twilight chuckled. “I remember that. It took you a while to finally get their names right! Anyways, it’s getting late. I think it’s time for you to go to bed”

“My new racecar bed! Vroom vroom!” Gallus replied.

“That’s right, Gallus! You get to sleep in your new racecar bed tonight. Do you want mommy to tuck you in?” Twilight replied.

“Um, I don’t know what that means, but sure!” Gallus replied.

“Okay. Climb into your bed” Twilight replied.

Gallus immediately did as he was told. Such a good boy!

Twilight went into Gallus’s room to put his covers over him.

“Mommy, thanks for adopting me” Gallus said to his mother.

“You’re welcome, Gallus. Thanks for coming to Canterlot to be my son. Sweet dreams.” Twilight replied before she kissed Gallus good night, turned on the night light, turned off the regular light, and left the room.

Gallus Gets Fit

That next morning, Twilight came into Gallus’s room to wake him up.

“Gallus, sweetie, time to get up!” Twilight called.

On cue, Gallus woke up, stretched, and greeted his mother. “Good morning, Twi- I mean, mommy! It’s gonna take a while to get used to that”

“I understand. Spike’s making breakfast right now. I’ll meet you in the dining room in fifteen minutes” Twilight said.

“Ok!” Gallus said as he got out of bed and got ready for the day.

Once Gallus washed up and brushed his teeth, he met Twilight and Spike in the dining room. He took his seat and began eating his breakfast.

“I’ve been thinking, Gallus. Since you’ve graduated from the school, you don’t know what’s next for you, is that correct?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah. That’s another reason why I didn’t want to graduate. I’ve never thought about what I’d do after my academics are done. My friends have gone on to do bigger and better things, but not me” Gallus replied.

“You remember our little talk last night, right?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, I do. It was tough having to relive the memories from my first Hearth’s Warming at the school, but that’s a weight taken off my shoulders. Sort of” Gallus replied.

“And do you remember when I said that you could possibly break barriers?” Twilight asked.

“I think so. I’d really like for the griffons to start believing in friendship again, but under Grampa Gruff’s rule, fat chance!” Gallus responded.

“Well, maybe the griffons are deprived of the magic of friendship, but you certainly aren’t! Adopting you was only the beginning of my plan to change your life for the better” Twilight replied.

“Wait! You’ve been planning this whole thing?” Gallus asked.

“Sort of. Like I said, you’ve gone through so much in your past and I don’t want you to go through that again, and that was why I decided to adopt you. Now, for the next part of my plan: Gallus Griffon-Sparkle, how would you like to be a member of my royal guard?” Twilight offered.

Gallus was utterly shocked. He looked at Twilight like she just grew five extra heads. “You’re kidding! You want me to be a royal guard?”

“Of course! You really enjoyed learning about friendship, I’m one of your favorite people, and you’re looking for work. It’s a dream come true for you!” Twilight replied.

“Well, being a royal guard sounds cool, but really? Me out of everyone? Adopting me was one thing but asking me to be a royal guard?” Gallus asked. He didn’t know how to feel.

“I know it comes as a shock to you, Gallus, but I’d think you’d be the perfect candidate for the job!” Twilight replied.

“I don’t know. That’s gonna take a lot of thought and consideration. Besides, I’m terribly out of shape from last night’s dinner” Gallus said as he rubbed his big, round belly.

“Don’t worry about it! Remember when Rainbow Dash helped you lose a good amount of weight?” Twilight asked.

“I think so” Gallus replied.

“She’ll help you get into shape in no time. Want me to call her over?” Twilight offered.

“Eh, why not? Gives me something to do” Gallus responded.

A couple hours later, Rainbow Dash arrived at the Crystal Kingdom to help Gallus get into shape.

“So, let me get this straight. You adopted Gallus, overfed him again, expect him to be a royal guard, and now you want me to help him get into shape so that he can be a royal guard” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yes. Let me go get him” Twilight said as she went to get Gallus from his room.

Gallus was in his room doing a jigsaw puzzle. He put the last piece in.

“Yes! It took me longer than I wanted, but I finally got it! Yay me!” Gallus cheered as Twilight went into his room.

“Gallus, Rainbow’s here!” Twilight announced.

“Finally!” Gallus replied as the two went to meet Rainbow.

“Hey, Gallus! How ya doing, buddy?” Rainbow greeted the griffon.

“Fine, thanks!” Gallus replied.

“So today, we’re gonna work on keeping you fit, just like the good ol’ days, because your mom just can’t stop feeding you!” Rainbow said as she gave a menacing look at Twilight.

“To be fair, Mommy Twily says that my pudgy belly makes me look cute!” Gallus replied.

“Being fat doesn’t make him look cute, Twilight! He looks like he’s two years pregnant! We went over this the first time!” Rainbow retorted.

“Well, excuse me for making sure that my son is well fed!” Twilight retorted.

“More like overfed!” Rainbow replied.

“Ladies, break it up! We can’t be wasting Rainbow’s time like this! Besides, Twilight can’t have a royal guard who’s fat!” Gallus chimed in as he attempted to break up Twilight and Rainbow’s argument.

“And that’s why I think you’d be a perfect guard, Gallus!” Twilight replied.

“Alright, let’s get started, Gallus. Let’s go outside.” Rainbow said as she dragged Gallus outside the castle.

“Alright, for your warm-up, you’re gonna do ten laps around the castle. Try to go as fast as you can. And running, no flying!” Rainbow Dash announced.

“Ten laps around the castle? On foot? That sounds so hard!” Gallus complained.

“Hey! Less complaining, more running!” Rainbow retorted.

“Fine!” Gallus retorted as he began running his ten laps around the castle.

An hour and a half later, Gallus finished his last lap around the castle.

“Took you long enough! My great grandmother can run faster than that!” Rainbow said.

“Well, at least I finished my laps. I’m surprised! But my gut’s still round!” Gallus replied.

“Exercise alone won’t help you lose weight. You’ll also have to eat a healthy diet, like fruits and vegetables. Protein and dairy products are also important” Rainbow replied.

“What about Pony Cola?” Gallus asked.

“No! Soda’s the worst thing you could drink!” Rainbow retorted.

“Really, because that isn’t what Twilight thinks. In fact, she taught me that when I drink enough soda, I’ll burp really loud and that makes me feel less full” Gallus replied.

“That’s true, but it won’t help you with weight loss. In fact, that’ll have a negative effect on your progress! When I’m here, the only things you’ll drink are milk and water, nothing else! And no more big feasts, either! I’m gonna make sure Twilight gives you three 400-calorie meals a day” Rainbow announced.

“So, you’re gonna have me eat salad for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Don’t you think I would get tired of eating the same thing over and over?” Gallus asked.

“You’ll eat salad, but that’s not the only thing you’ll eat. Like I said, you also need your grains and proteins” Rainbow replied.

“Okay, well, how long will I be doing this?” Gallus asked.

“Until that big gut of yours goes away!” Rainbow responded, pointing at Gallus’s big belly.

Later, they went back into the castle for lunch. Rainbow talked to Twilight about Gallus’s diet and she was willing to comply. For lunch that day, Gallus was served a salad. Twilight’s royal guard, Houston, came into the dining room to eat his rather unhealthy lunch: a microwaved hayburger, a helping of hay fries, a box of cookies, and a can of Diet Pony Cola.

“Do you really have to eat that in front of me?” Gallus asked Houston, feeling annoyed at the guard for eating all that rubbish in front of him. It’s like he’s mocking him.

Twilight walked up to the boys to correct the problem. “Good catch, Gallus. Sorry, Houston, but you can’t be eating this anymore” she said as she knocked Houston’s lunch all over the floor.

“Princess! That was my lunch!” Houston cried, feeling upset at Twilight for knocking over his lunch.

“No, it wasn’t. This is your lunch!” Twilight replied, presenting a small plate of salad to Houston.

“That’s all I get for lunch? You can’t do this to me, Princess!” Houston retorted as he began to cry.

“Houston, you are not going to cry over a salad! You are a royal guard and I expect you to show more maturity! This is what you will eat for lunch and that’s the end of it!” Twilight retorted, feeling cross at her guard for his childish behavior.

“Fine!” Houston replied, crossing his arms and pouting.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Just know that I’m not doing this to punish you, I’m doing this to get you to make healthier decisions in your life, something that I expect all my guards to think about. What do you want to drink: water or milk?” Twilight replied.

Houston let out a disappointed sigh and said “Milk, please”

“I want milk too, please!” Gallus chimed in.

“Coming right up!” Twilight said as she went to get milk for the boys.

Houston wasn’t happy that this change was happening, and he gave Gallus an annoyed look.

Gallus scoffed in annoyance and said “Quit complaining, you big baby, and eat your salad”

“Says the manchild who calls the princess ‘mommy’” Houston replied, wearing a smug grin on his face.

Gallus just ignored him and went back to eating his salad. Twilight came back with two small milk cartons, one for each of the boys.

“Enjoy, you two!” she said.

After lunch, Twilight introduced Gallus to the home gym. This gave her and Rainbow Dash an opportunity to work on his physical exercise some more.

“This is a really big gym!” Gallus remarked.

“Sure is! So, what do you want to do first? We got treadmills, ellipticals, weights, bicycles, etc.” Twilight replied.

“I wanna do bicycles!” Gallus replied.

“Ok then! Let’s do 20 minutes on bicycles, a 5-minute rest, then 20 minutes on the treadmill, another 5-minute rest, then we can do weights” Rainbow replied.

“Sounds good!” Gallus said as he made his way to one of the bicycles.

After a couple hours of exercise, Gallus felt very proud of himself. And Twilight and Rainbow were proud of him too.

“Your stomach is starting to shrink. Good job, Gallus!” Rainbow praised.

Right on cue, Gallus’s stomach growled. “Yeah, it’s shrinking but it’s also growling. We gotta get dinner, and fast!” he said.

The three then made their way to the dining room where they waited for dinner. Several minutes later, Twilight came out of the kitchen, levitating a platter right above her.

“Gallus, I’m sure you’re going to love this. Grilled salmon with rice and broccoli. Good and good for you!” Twilight announced.

“Yum! Thanks, Twilight!” Gallus said as he served himself and began to eat.

When it was time for Gallus to go to bed, Twilight and Rainbow came to say how proud they were.

“We’re very proud of all the progress you’ve made, Gallus” Twilight said.

“Yeah, and tomorrow, we do it all over again!” Rainbow added.

“Good night, sweetie. See you in the morning!” Twilight said before tucking Gallus in, giving him his nightly kiss, turning on the nightlight, turning off his regular light, and leaving the room.

The next morning, Gallus met Twilight and Rainbow in the dining room for breakfast.

“So, what’s for breakfast?” Gallus asked.

“Fiber O’s, small bowl of fruit, and milk to drink. Enjoy!” Rainbow responded.

“Sounds good, I guess. Thanks!” Gallus said before he began to eat. However, after eating, he felt a slight discomfort in his stomach.

“Is something wrong, Gallus?” Twilight asked.

“My tummy feels a little funny” Gallus replied.

“Yeah, fiber can do that to you. It means you have to go poop” Rainbow added.

“Well, if you say so. I’ll be right back” Gallus said as he rushed to the bathroom.

Rainbow looked to Twilight and asked, “You taught him how to wipe, right?”

“Of course! That’s one of the first things he learned. Although, I think it was Sandbar who did most of his potty training” Twilight replied.

A few minutes later, Gallus went back to the dining room.

“Feel better?” Twilight asked.

Gallus nodded in response.

“Good. That means that we get to do more exercise! Wanna go back to the gym?” Rainbow offered.

Gallus nodded.

Today’s workout was going to be harder than yesterday’s workout. Gallus set really high goals for himself: one hour on the treadmill, one hour on the elliptical, one hundred push-ups, and the rest will be weight work. After exercising all day, Gallus felt maximum results. He felt much stronger, had much more stamina, and his belly had completely shrunk. Twilight and Rainbow were amazed at all the progress he made.

“I didn’t think you’d do it, Gallus, but you blew me away! I am so proud of you!” Rainbow cheered.

“As am I. Now, I think you’re ready to become a royal guard. That is, if you still want to become a guard” Twilight added.

“Hmm, I’ll think about it” Gallus replied as the three went to dinner.

First Steps

During the train ride back home to Canterlot, Gallus thought long and hard about becoming a royal guard. From what he’s heard, it seems like a very cool thing to do. However, it also feels like a big responsibility. Equestria, or quite possibly the whole world, would be in his claws. The last thing he would want to do is to let his mother or especially his country down.

“Mommy” Gallus called.

“Yes, Gallus?” Twilight replied.

“I’ve made up my mind” Gallus started.

“About what?” Twilight asked.

“About being a royal guard” Gallus replied.

“So, you want to be a royal guard?” Twilight asked.

Gallus mmm-hmm’ed and nodded.

“Okay, but you know what the job entails, right?” Twilight asked.

“Uhh, kinda?” Gallus replied.

“Being a royal guard is a huge responsibility. My guards are expected to serve me well. One slight misstep and something bad could happen. It also takes a lot of training to actually become a guard” Twilight explained.

“How long is training?” Gallus asked.

“Training is usually one to three months long, but depending on the applicant, it could be longer or shorter. There’s a training base not far from my castle that Tempest Shadow runs” Twilight responded.

“Tempest Shadow? But wasn’t she working against you?” Gallus asked.

“Yes, but she realized the error of her ways and reformed. Ever since she started believing in the magic of friendship, she began to recruit royal guards and train them. This was back when Celestia was still the ruler of Equestria” Twilight explained.

A few days later, Twilight took Gallus to the Royal Guard Training Base to get Gallus set up.

“Twilight Sparkle, it’s been too long! How are you these days?” Tempest greeted Twilight.

“Very well, thank you! And yourself?” Twilight replied.

“I’ve been keeping myself busy. Now that you’ve taken over the throne, I’ve had several people come in wanting to become royal guards. Say, who’s that with you?” Tempest asked, pointing at Gallus.

“This is my adopted son, Gallus. Gallus, this is my friend, Tempest” Twilight replied as Gallus and Tempest shook hands, or claws, or whatever.

“Nice to meet you, Gallus! What brings you and your mom here?” Tempest greeted the griffon.

“I wanna become a royal guard and help my mommy!” Gallus cheered.

“Aw, that’s nice. I’m gonna have you and your mommy come over here” Tempest said as she led Gallus and Twilight to a desk.

“So, I assume that he took up your name?” Tempest asked Twilight.

“Kinda. His surname is hyphenated: Gallus Griffon-Sparkle” Twilight replied.

“Okay, can you spell your first name for me, Gallus?” Tempest asked.

Gallus slowly spelled his name.

“Thank you. Now that I have your name, I’m gonna ask you some more questions about you. If you don’t know them, your mom probably will. First question, how old are you?” Tempest asked.

“Eighteen” Gallus responded.

“Okay. For the next question, you were born in Griffonstone, right?” Tempest asked.

“Yes” Gallus replied.

“Do you have any medical issues?” Tempest asked, prompting Gallus to look at Twilight.

“No, he doesn’t” Twilight answered for him.

“Okay, have you ever been convicted of a felony?” Tempest asked. This was another question that Gallus was unable to answer, since it used big words.

“No, he’s never been convicted of any felonies” Twilight responded.

“Alright then, do you have any tattoos?” Tempest asked.

“Nope” Gallus responded.

“Okay, that’s all the personal questions out of the way, now it’s time to take a quick test. This is a test of your basic intelligence. It should take about thirty minutes and if you score high enough, we’ll move on with the application process. If you score lower than 240 points out of 300, we’re done. Follow me to the testing room” Tempest said as Gallus followed her into the testing room.

“What’s that thing?” Gallus asked as he pointed at the computer.

“That’s a computer. It’s what you’ll be doing your test on. You must move the cursor with your mouse to what you think the correct answer is. Then, you click it by pressing the left button very lightly and it takes you to the next question” Tempest explained.

“Mouse? Did you say mouse? Lemme catch the mouse!” Gallus replied.

As Gallus leaped towards the computer, Tempest stopped him.

“Gallus, no! It’s not a real mouse! It’s what you use to move the cursor” Tempest said.

“Oh, sorry! I get crazy when mice are in the room. It’s a cat thing” Gallus said as he gave Tempest a sheepish smile.

“I understand. You may begin now. You have thirty minutes to complete the test. Good luck!” Tempest said as she left the testing room to let Gallus take his test.

Thirty minutes later, Gallus finished the test and went over to where Twilight was sitting.

“Hi, Gallus! How did you do?” Twilight checked in.

“Think I did good. Hopefully” Gallus replied.

Tempest then walked up to her desk and took a seat.

“So, Gallus, I looked over your results” Tempest said, making Gallus feel nervous.

“Hey, calm down, it’s good. You passed” Tempest assured Gallus.

“I passed?” Gallus asked.

“Sure did! You needed to get a 240, you got a 262, and that is more than enough to keep going with the application process. Congratulations, Gallus!” Tempest cheered.

“Wahoo!” Gallus cheered.

“Wahoo indeed! Now, it’s time to check your height and your weight. Follow me, you two” Tempest said as she led Twilight and Gallus to check Gallus’s height and weight.

“Okay, Gallus. First, we’re gonna check how tall you are. Stand in front of the wall, please” Tempest said as she measured Gallus.

“Only three and a half inches tall” Tempest read.

“Is that good?” Gallus asked, feeling nervous again.

“Don’t worry, we have guards that are a bit shorter. If you were under three inches, you wouldn’t be a guard. Now, walk up to the scale so we can see how much you weigh” Tempest said as Gallus got on the scale.

“260 pounds” Tempest read.

“Sorry, Gallus” Twilight added, feeling ashamed.

“No, don’t be sorry. Weight doesn’t matter as much since we’ll get you in shape at the academy if you’re chosen. 260 pounds is a bit overweight for a griffon like Gallus, but we can fix that no problem. If Gallus can lose more weight before he has to go to the academy, that would be better. Well, that’s it for now. You should hear back from us within a couple of weeks. If any of you need anything before then, please don’t hesitate to contact me” Tempest explained.

“Thank you, Tempest. We look forward to hearing from you soon!” Twilight said as she and Gallus left the recruiting station.

Training a New Friend

About a couple weeks after Gallus applied for royal guard training, a letter was delivered to Twilight’s castle. It was from the recruiting station.

“Mail’s here!” a royal guard called as he gave Twilight the letter.

“Thank you. Hey, it’s from the recruiting station! Can you get Gallus and bring him here? I want him to hear what Tempest has to say about his application” Twilight said.

“Sure thing, your majesty” the guard said as he went over to Gallus’s room.

Gallus was in the middle of playing trains. “Chugga chugga chugga chugga, choo choo! Next stop, Funland!” he announced.

Soon, he heard a knock on the door, and he went over to answer it.

“Gallus, your mother would like a word with you” the guard announced.

“Oh? Am I in trouble?” Gallus asked.

“No. It’s about your application or whatever” the guard replied.

Gallus gasped and said “My application! Of course! Oh boy, oh boy, I hope I got accepted!” Soon, he bolted out of his room and to the common room.

“Hey! You know the rules, no running in the castle!” the guard called out as he tried to catch up to Gallus.

When Gallus made it into the common room, he tried to stop but crashed into a wall.

“Gallus, are you okay?” Twilight asked as she went over to him.

“Yeah, I’m fine” Gallus replied.

“This is why we don’t run in the castle. You know better” Twilight said sternly.

“Sorry, mommy. I’m just so excited to see how well I did!” Gallus replied.

“Well then, I have the letter right here. Want me to read it to you?” Twilight offered.

“Yes please” Gallus replied.

Twilight opened the letter and read:

Dear Gallus,

It is with pleasure that I inform you that you have been accepted to undergo royal guard training at the Canterlot Training Base. You should be proud of yourself as you have chosen to embark on a life-changing journey that will benefit Equestria and, quite possibly, the world. Training will last one to two months and will be in a very strict environment, but I can assure you that it is worth it. In one week, I will come over to help you transition from the home environment to life at training. Once you arrive at the training base, you will be body searched and you will be able to move into your dorm room and meet your roommates. Trainees can call home once every night to make sure that trainees don’t get homesick, because many of our trainees have got homesick and even left the program so that they can go home. I hope that doesn’t happen and that is why we have implemented that policy. Here is a complete list of things you need to bring to the training base with you. Items marked with a * are not required, but are recommended:

· Bedding accessories (bedsheets, blankets, pillows, etc. Mattress protectors are provided.)
· Basic hygiene products (toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.)
· A few things that remind you of home in order to curb homesickness*
· Laptop computer*
· Communication device (cell phone, pager, etc. Laptop computers are also acceptable.) *

And now, here are things that are provided:

· Three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
· Clothing (Uniforms and pajamas are provided.)
· Notebooks and writing utensils
· Transportation to and from the training academy
· Toilet paper

With all that said, we will see you in a week.

Best,

Tempest Shadow

“Wahoo! I’m in!” Gallus cheered.

“Congratulations, Gallus! I’m so proud of you!” Twilight said as she hugged Gallus.

“Say, we should do something to celebrate. Want me to take you out for dinner and ice cream?” Twilight offered.

“Sure” Gallus replied

One week later, training has started for Gallus. Tempest Shadow is coming over to get Gallus ready to go to training. Having packed everything he needed, Gallus went into the common room to meet Tempest, who walked into the castle.

“Hi, Gallus! Ready to go?” Tempest asked.

“Almost. There’s one more thing I need to do first” Gallus replied as he went over to Twilight to give her a farewell kiss.

“Aw, Gallus! You’re such a sweetie!” Twilight said as the two hugged.

“I’m really gonna miss you, mommy” Gallus said.

Twilight gave Gallus a kiss back and said “I’m gonna miss you too, honey. Just remember that you can call home every night. I love you”

After their affectionate moment, Gallus went over to Tempest and made their way out of the castle. It was then that Gallus looked back to wave his mother goodbye. She blew a kiss his direction in response and he caught it and put it to his chest as they left.

When Tempest and Gallus made it to the training base, Gallus was waiting further instruction.

“Ok, Gallus. I’ll put your stuff in your dorm room. Please report to the first room on your right for your body search” Tempest announced as Gallus went into the room for his body search.

“Name?” the officer requested.

“Gallus Griffon” Gallus responded.

“Stand right here, Gallus” the officer said, pointing to an X.

As soon as Gallus stood on the X, the search began. The officer looked everywhere: his wings, beak, eyes, talons, paws, tail, even his…*clears throat*…you know what I mean.

Gallus giggled at one point, saying “That tickles!”

A few minutes later, the search was finished.

“Okay, Gallus. You’re all done, head to the next room so that you can get your picture taken” the officer announced as Gallus went into the next room.

“Name please?” the photographer requested.

“Gallus Griffon” Gallus responded.

“Please stand back here. When it’s your turn to have your picture taken, I’ll call your name and I’ll have you sit on the stool” the photographer announced.

A few moments later, the photographer called Gallus’s name, prompting him to sit on the stool to get his picture taken. He presented a big grin at the camera as his picture was taken. After his picture was taken, the photographer had him wait in the corner to get his ID.

When Gallus received his ID, he began checking into his dorm room where his belongings were. He saw that Tempest had already made his bed for him while he was out doing his other responsibilities. On the other side of the room was his roommate. He was a white earth pony with a black mohawk and muscular build.

“You Gallus?” the pony asked, prompting Gallus to nod in response.

“Name’s Maximus. No offense, but you’re not…what I expected from a roommate” the pony replied.

“Oh?” Gallus asked.

“Thought griffons were frowned upon in Equestria” Maximus replied.

“Well, that’s kinda true. But that’s why I’m here, you see. I’m here to show that not all griffons are bad. I’ve recently graduated from the School of Friendship and I was even adopted by Twilight Sparkle herself. Believe me, Maximus, I hate Griffonstone as much as you do. All my life, I’ve been treated unfairly, ridiculed, and beaten just because I wasn’t like them” Gallus explained.

“Eh, sounds like something they’d do. You seem like a cool guy. Maybe together, we could take the power away from Grampa Gruff and give it to somegriff more deserving” Maximus replied.

“Sounds like a plan!” Gallus agreed. “But I’d like to focus on becoming a royal guard first”

“Well, that’s why we’re here, ain’t it?” Maximus asked sarcastically.

“Now you’re speaking my language!” Gallus replied.

“Sarcastic as well, huh?” Maximus asked.

“Yep. I try to be as cool as possible, but my friends think I’m more sweet than sour” Gallus replied.

“Yeah, I get that a lot too. Mischief is fun, until someone gets hurt. Especially when it’s a friend of yours. I had to learn that the hard way” Maximus replied.

“The hard way? Were you a bully before?” Gallus asked, hoping that Maximus doesn’t get too offended.

“Actually, yes. I thought that friendship was a waste of time. Why befriend people when you could pick on them? That’s what I did. This one time, I thought I’d pull a prank on a classmate who I always thought of them as a nerd, a teacher’s pet. Anyways, I pulled a prank on this kid, it was meant to be a harmless prank. I set up this contraption that if he walked into it, he’d land into a trash can and I’d roll him down a hill. Harmless on paper, but what really happened was that I rolled down a hill and he landed into a nearby lake, a lake that I didn’t know was there. At the end of the day, I tried to find him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Then, I saw that the trash can was on the bottom of the lake and that was when I became worried. I swam down to the trash can and successfully got him out. I tried to revive him, but he didn’t wake up. I tried CPR, but that didn’t work. I took him to the hospital and that was when I found out he passed away. I felt terrible and decided to run away from home. That was when the police found me, and I knew right then and there that I was in deep trouble. The family of the kid who I pranked pressed charges against my family and when my court day arrived, the judge gave me a choice for what my punishment should be: life in prison or having to enroll at the School of Friendship. I didn’t want to be behind bars for the rest of my life and I didn’t really want to learn friendship, either. However, I felt that the School of Friendship was a much lighter punishment in comparison to my other choice, so I chose to enroll. After that, you’d think I would change my ways, but no. The friendship school bored me, so I picked on my classmates” Maximus explained

“Oh yeah, I remember you now. You were the pony that shoved me in my locker three years ago after you found out that I was claustrophobic! That was very mean, and you should be ashamed!” Gallus retorted.

“It was funny at first, but after a good number of pranks, Headmare Twilight threatened to expel me from the school, not only because of how I was treating other students, but also because of my poor grades. My first six or so report cards had straight F’s. Then, at my more recent meeting with her, I found out that she had the nerd’s family’s phone number on speed dial. That family had a condition that I had to follow. When I graduate, my marks had to be straight A’s. If they saw that I had any mark that was below an A, that was enough to lock me up for the rest of my life. And that was my wake-up call to put my misdeeds behind me and work on reforming myself, and my effort got me to third in the class. Sure, you and your changeling friend did better, but it was enough for my victim’s family to drop charges and that was a huge weight taken off my shoulders. Now, I’d like to take this time to make amends with you and apologize for what I did to you. I’m sure you felt traumatized when I shoved you in that locker that one infamous day and I probably gave you emotional scars that you’ll have to live with for the rest of your life. Looking back, I feel terrible knowing that you’re emotionally scarred from that experience, all because of my deplorable actions. I’m sorry, Gallus” Maximus continued, feeling ashamed.

In a very shocking gesture, Gallus went up and hugged Maximus. “I-I’m sorry that you had to go through that. I’m just glad that you changed your ways before it was too late”

“So am I. I wish I never turned into the monster I was. But now that I’ve been exposed to the magic of friendship, I now know how great friendship is. If it changed me, it can surely change everyone. And that’s why I’m here today. I want others to listen to my story and respect one another and if we all come together and perform even a little act of kindness, the world would be a better place” Maximus replied.

“That it will, Maximus, that it will” Gallus replied.

“Say, Gallus, I wanna start doing that right now. Y’see, I-I’ve never had a friend before. Would you like to be my first ever friend?” Maximus offered.

Now, Gallus’s eyes began to water. “Maximus, that’s so sweet. I would love to be your friend!” he said as he gave Maximus a big hug.

“Now, I think we should go to sleep and get ready for tomorrow. Guess they want us up very early” Gallus said.

“Yeah, like 5 in the morning or something like that. It’s crazy!” Maximus replied.

“Anyways, good night” Gallus said as he hopped into his bed.

“Good night, Gallus. And…thanks…for…y’know…being my friend and stuff” Maximus replied as he got into his bed.

“Anytime, my friend. If you need anything at any time, I’ll be right by your side. That’s one of the best perks of having a friend” Gallus replied.

“That it is, Gallus…*yawn*…that it is” Maximus replied as he and Gallus drifted off to sleep.

A Day in the Life of a Trainee

The next morning, royal guard training has officially begun for all trainees. They were to wake up at 5am each morning and they had about 30 minutes to get ready to go to breakfast. After receiving their breakfast, Gallus and Maximus sat down at one of the tables.

“Excited?” Gallus asked.

“Kinda. I’m mostly nervous” Maximus replied.

“Me too” Gallus replied before he went back to eating his oatmeal.

After breakfast, the trainees went outside to the big field for their orientation.

“Alright, everyone! Welcome to Royal Guard Training. I’m Tempest Shadow and I’ll be your head trainer. I will be joined by four other trainers. If any problem arises during your time here, pleas let one of us know. Training will last for about a month and in that month, you’ll be doing some very hard physical activity, so make sure that you’re in shape for that kind of thing. In addition to physical activity, we’ll be doing classroom work where your trainers will be teaching you about the leadership skills you’ll need to become an effective royal guard. At 5am, you are expected to be up and getting ready. At 5:30, breakfast will be served. Then, you have six hours of physical activity leading up to an hour-long lunch break. After that lunch break, you’ll be subject to four hours of community service. After you all get back here from community service, there will be an hour-long break for dinner. After dinner, you’ll be instructed by your trainers in the classroom. That should be for about two hours. After that, you are to go to your rooms for the night. You can call home only once every night and that is when you are sent to your rooms for the night. Are there any questions?” Tempest announced.

One trainee raised his hoof.

“Yes?” Tempest called.

“What should we expect to do during the physical activity?” the trainee asked.

“You can expect to do almost anything during the physical activity. It’s all under your trainer’s discretion. You can expect to do running, push-ups, and sit-ups of course, but depending on who you have as a trainer, you would have to do a bit extra” Tempest answered.

Another trainee raised his hoof.

“Yes?” Tempest called.

“What will we do for community service?” the trainee asked.

“Like the physical activity, it’s up to your trainer. One day, you’d clean the local park; the next day, you’d be working at a food bank. It’s pretty much anything” Tempest answered.

“Are there any more questions?” she asked. No further questions were asked.

“Alright. Now it’s time for you all to meet your trainers. Trainees with surnames that start with A through F, you’ll be with Western Wanderer” Tempest announcer as the trainees that fit in that criteria went over to meet Western Wanderer.

“Those who have surnames G through L will be with Coach Clydesdale. Is that really his real name?” Tempest announced as those trainees went over to meet Coach Clydesdale. Gallus and Maximus were among the trainees that will be trained by him.

“Believe it or not, Tempest, that is my real name. Technically, it’s Coach Clydesdale Jr. I come from a family of coaches” Coach Clydesdale replied.

“Ok, weird name, but okay. Anyways, those with surnames M through R will be with Bulk Biceps” Tempest announced as those with those surnames went over to meet Bulk Biceps.

“YEAH!” Bulk Biceps cheered.

“I feel bad for those trainees. Anyways, everyone else will be with…Discord?” Tempest announced as Discord magically appeared.

“First and foremost, I would like to extend my gratitude for letting me train your trainees, Tempest Shadow. With me, they are in good hands” Discord said as his trainees went over to him.

“Ok then. Weird cast of trainers this year, but let’s see how this works out. Trainers, take your trainees and you got the rest” Tempest said as the four groups left.

“Good morning, everyone! My name is Coach Clydesdale. I’ve had my fair share of training others. I’ve recently moved here from Galloping Grove where I taught younger foals how to play sports. I was also the head counselor of the Trailblazers, which is their version of the Pony Scouts here in Equestria. One thing you should know about me is that since I’ve only worked with children up until now, this is my first time working with anyone whose age is two digits, so if I come off as gentler and sweeter than the other trainers, you know why. Now, let’s get to work! First, I’ll have you do…500 push-ups? Okay, I don’t know about the other trainers, but 500 seems too many, so I’ll have you do 10. Ready, go!” Coach Clydesdale announced as the trainees did their 10 push-ups.

After doing his push-ups, Maximus raised his hoof.

“Do you have a question?” Coach Clydesdale asked.

“Yeah, uh, what does Tempest Shadow think of you, y’know, going easy on us?” Maximus asked.

“Well, like I said, I’ve only worked with children. She was unimpressed by my resume, but it wasn’t an eliminating factor for me. She was willing to train me on training you guys so that was an advantage. If you ask me, I think these exercises are way too extreme. I know that Tempest would disagree with me, but it’s how I’ve done my job and I do things my way. Anyways, next we’ll do 10 sit-ups. Ready, go!” Clydesdale replied.

After the trainees did their 10 sit-ups, Clydesdale recognized Gallus and went up to him.

“Gallus? Is that really you?” Clydesdale asked.

“Yeah, that’s me” Gallus replied.

“Thought it was you! I remember you and your friends helping Corn and Peg on that friendship mission. Thanks again for defeating Cozy Glow!” Clydesdale praised.

“Hey, well, we’re always happy to help others!” Gallus replied.

“I never knew you wanted to become a royal guard” Clydesdale remarked.

“Well, me neither, at least until Twilight Sparkle adopted me. She’s done so much for me, and now I’m here to return the favor” Gallus replied.

“Well, I’m sure she’s very proud of you, Gallus! You know who else is proud of you? Me” Clydesdale replied, smiling.

Gallus smiled back.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s take a lap around the track” Clydesdale said as his trainees went to run around the track.

Soon, Tempest saw what Clydesdale was doing and she wasn’t happy. She walked up to Clydesdale to confront him.

“Clydesdale! What the hay are you doing?” Tempest asked sternly.

“Just doing my job, miss” Clydesdale responded.

“No, you’re not! You’re not following the instructions that I’ve given you!” Tempest retorted.

“There’s a good reason. I believe that these exercises are too much. I’ve modified these exercises to a more reasonable amount of reps” Clydesdale replied.

“Yeah, reasonable for an elementary school PE class! This is the Royal Guard Training Academy, not the Colts and Fillies Club!” Tempest retorted.

“Who said it was? I’m doing this because I care about the mental and physical health and wellness of my trainees, which is more than what I can say for you and the other trainers! Bulk over there is literally yelling in their faces! That could scare them!” Clydesdale retorted.

“Bulk is actually doing his job! You on the other hand are mixing up future royal guards with five-year olds!” Tempest argued.

In the middle of their argument, Clydesdale’s trainees went back from their lap, much to Tempest’s shock and anger.

“You had them do only one lap?” Tempest retorted.

“Well, yeah, I’d say that’s more reasonable than…*checks notes*…100!” Clydesdale retorted.

Tempest facepalmed. “One lap! Really? That’s my problem with you! You lack discipline and what being a royal guard really means! You’re setting these trainees up for failure!”

“How, by not destroying their sanity? I’d say that you’re setting up for failure! You’re giving your trainees a fright, they might get PTSD from this experience, and they can’t do their job effectively if they get the chance to be royal guards. And right before you know it, they could snap, become evil, and that could result in the downfall of Equestria! Do you really want that?” Clydesdale argued.

“Mr. Clydesdale, you are delusional!” Tempest retorted as she walked away.

Clydesdale walked back to his group. “Sorry you all had to hear that. You understand why I’m going easy on you, right? I care for you and I want to see you exceed, not turn your back on Equestria because of a traumatic experience. Anyways, it’s time to do our daily activity. What do you guys want to do?”

“So, you’re saying that you don’t really have a plan for us?” Gallus asked.

“What, uh, of course I do! I just wanted to hear what you want to do” Clydesdale replied.

“I dunno, we could always do that parachute thing we did in elementary school” Maximus replied sarcastically.

“Sounds like a great idea! I just so happen to have a parachute that we can all use!” Clydesdale said as he and his trainees got ready to play the parachute game, much to Maximus’s surprise. He was joking when he made that suggestion.

When the parachute was set up, Clydesdale suggested that the first game they play would be Mushroom in which the trainees just had to move the parachute up and down. Next, they played Number Switch, where two trainees just had to switch places with each other. They continued playing parachute games until it was time to come in for lunch.

During lunch, the groups were to sit together. In fact, they had to be together for the whole day, the whole month.

“So, were the parachute games fun or what?” Clydesdale asked his trainees.

“Boy, they sure were, Mr. Clydesdale!” Gallus replied.

“I’m glad you enjoyed them, Gallus!” Clydesdale replied.

Soon, Tempest walked up to Clydesdale again. “Clydesdale, I got a bone to pick with you!”

“What’s wrong, Tempest?” Clydesdale asked.

“This morning, I saw you and your trainees playing with a parachute! This is something I would expect from a preschool class, not a bunch of future royal guards and their trainer who’s supposed to push his trainees past their limits! You should be ashamed of yourself!” Tempest retorted.

“For what? I should be able to have fun with my trainees!” Clydesdale retorted.

“Oh no! Not this again!” Gallus thought to himself.

“Training isn’t supposed to be fun! Your trainees are supposed to be working extremely hard and I’m not seeing that! The only reason I’m not firing you right now is that you’re still on contract for the whole year, but after this year and unless you change your habits, you’re done!” Tempest retorted as she walked away.

“Couldn’t she just send you to her office or something? Fighting right in front of us is very unnecessary” Maximus remarked.

“It is, Maximus! You shouldn’t have to watch us argue! And Tempest shouldn’t be judging me because I treat you with respect. Earlier this morning, I saw one trainer nearly strangle one of his trainees. And Bulk Biceps was standing on a trainee’s back while he was doing push-ups. And who knows what Discord’s doing with his group? But I digress. Let’s just focus on us as a group and not the other groups” Clydesdale said as he and his group returned to their lunch.

After lunch, Clydesdale and his group went to the local park for their community service.

“Ok, everyone! For our community service today, we’ll be cleaning up this park. We’re gonna start by picking up all the trash in this park, then we’ll grow some new plants” Clydesdale announced as the group got ready for work.

“Hey, I recognize this park. I cleaned here once with my old headmare” Gallus remarked as he began picking up trash.

“Really?” Maximus asked.

“Yeah. It was Friday the 13th and I didn’t have a good day at school that day and that was because there’s apparently some dark magic that comes out every Friday the 13th. The only way you could stop it is that you do some good deed or whatever” Gallus explained.

“Crazy” Maximus replied.

“Got that right. Does anything normal happen around here?” Gallus joked.

“Good one, Gallus! But, ever since Twilight took the throne, things have become smooth sailing” Maximus replied.

Later that night, the trainees were just fed and now it’s time for them to go to class. There were four reasonable-sized classrooms in the whole building; one for each class.

“This is just like the School of Friendship” Gallus remarked.

“Ok, everyone! Now that we’ve had our fill for the evening, it’s time to begin class. During this part of training, you’ll be taught on different leadership techniques that an effective royal guard would use. We’re also going to be doing teamwork excises throughout the class as well. Make sure you have a pen and a notebook ready because you’ll be taking a lot of notes” Clydesdale explained.

After the two-hour class, it’s time for all the trainees to go to their rooms for the night. Gallus promised Twilight that he’d call her every night, and he did just that.

“Hi mommy, it’s Gallus” Gallus introduced.

“Hi, Gallus! It’s so good to hear from you! How’s training?” Twilight replied.

“Training’s great! I had lots of fun today! We played parachute games, cleaned up the Canterlot park, and learned leadership all in one day!” Gallus exclaimed.

“Wow, sounds like you had a busy day today” Twilight replied.

Gallus let out a yawn and said “Sure did. Now, I’m really sleepy so I’m gonna hit the hay. Good night, mommy. I love you”

“I love you too, sweetie” Twilight said before hanging up.

Gallus climbed up to his bed and fell fast asleep.

Breaking Barriers

One month later, the final day of training has arrived. This day was a special day, because today is when that month’s trainees gradate from the program. Unlike the graduation at the School of Friendship, this is the gradation ceremony that Gallus is looking forward to, because he is now one step closer to becoming a royal guard. He and the other trainees are at the big field for the graduation ceremony, surrounded by their families, trainers, and of course, Tempest Shadow.

“Families, trainers, and of course, trainees, it is my honor to recognize this month’s graduates of the Royal Guard Academy. These young mares and stallions have worked tirelessly this past month to train and learn how to become an effective royal guard, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. However, I would like to take this time to recognize a special trainee. This trainee has broken barriers and has taken the initiative to make history. During this past month, he has gone out of his way to impress his trainer and me. He has taken academy expectations and exceed them to a level that I have never seen. And today, I am honored to recognize this month’s valedictorian, the first non-pony graduate of our academy, Gallus Griffon-Sparkle” Tempest announced as Gallus walked up to the stage, being met with cheers and applause from the crowd.

“Thank you, Tempest. Boy, am I glad I overcame my stage fright for this historic moment. Most of you are surprised to see that I’m a griffon graduating from the Royal Guard Academy. Hey, y’know what, I know I’m a griffon and I’m proud to be a griffon! I came here to break barriers, to make history, to become the first griffon to join the royal guard! I came here to show that yes, there are griffons out there that do believe in friendship! Yes, there are creatures that aren’t alicorns or unicorns but still have magical abilities! Yes, there are non-pegasi trying out for the Wonderbolts. Don’t believe me? Go to Wonderbolt Academy and count all the non-pegasi that are trying out. Heck, I know one of those non-pegasi! She’s a good friend of mine and she’ll be the best Wonderbolt to have ever flown the big, blue sky! What I’m trying to say is that, it doesn’t matter what creature or race you are, if you have a goal in mind, go out of your way to complete that goal and don’t let who you are stop you! Thank you!” Gallus said before being met with cheers and applause.

Coach Clydesdale walked up to the griffon to give him a hoof-talonshake and a hug. “Thank you for that wonderful speech! Good luck!”

Then, Galls walked up to Tempest to receive his diploma. “Don’t rip this one up”

Gallus gives a playful eyeroll to Tempest as he walks off the stage.

After the ceremony, Gallus went outside the academy to meet Twilight, who showered him with affection.

“Gallus, I am so proud of you! I really love that speech you gave!” Twilight cheered.

“Thank you, mommy. I really missed you, but I’m so happy to see you now!” Gallus replied.

“Now, let’s take you home. Your friends planned a big party for you” Twilight said as the two made their way home.

When they got home, they were met by two royal guards who were to escort them to where the party was happening. They walked through the hallway to a big ballroom inside the castle. The guards held the door for Twilight and Gallus. As they walked in, they were met with cheers from Gallus’s friends and teachers. Even Tempest and Clydesdale were there.

“Today’s your big day, Gallus!” Silverstream chirped.

“Today, you begin your job as a royal guard” Twilight added.

“Today? I start today?” Gallus asked.

“Of course! And your friends are here to cheer you on during your initiation! Let’s go up to the stage!” Twilight said as she led Gallus to the initiation.

“Ok, Gallus, repeat after me. I, Gallus Griffon-Sparkle” Twilight started.

“I, Gallus Griffon-Sparkle” Gallus repeated.

“Will uphold the six Elements of Harmony” Twilight continued.

“Will uphold the six Elements of Harmony”

“Honesty, loyalty, kindness, generosity, laughter, and magic”

“I will also uphold the six virtues connected to them”

“Strength, bravery, healing, beauty, hope, and sorcery”

“I will always spread the magic of friendship wherever I go and to all creatures”

“From the lands I call home”

“To the ends of the world”

Twilight and Gallus then faced the crowd. “Fillies and gentlecolts, Royal Guard Gallus” Twilight said as they were met with cheers and applause.

“Now, on that table is your armor. Once you put it on, your life-changing career begins” Twilight said, pointing at a table.

Gallus walked up to the table and began to put on his armor. Once his uniform was on, the crowd cheered again. He then went up to Twilight to give her a hug.

“Thank you, mommy. Thank you for everything” Gallus said, his voice now getting choked up as he was crying tears of happiness.

And this concludes the story of how Gallus Griffon-Sparkle broke barriers and made history as the first griffon to join the royal guard.

Sandbar's Party

Sandbar’s going away party is in a few days and he has started handing out invitations to his friends, former teachers, and extended family members. Twilight’s castle received a call from Sandbar. Twilight picked up the phone.

“Hello? This is Princess Twilight” greeted Princess Twilight.

“Hi, Headmare Twilight! It’s Sandbar, how are you doing?” Sandbar replied.

“Sandbar! It’s been so long! How are you doing, my dear?” Twilight asked excitedly.

“Great, thanks! I’m having a farewell party at Sugarcube Corner in a few days before I leave for Manehattan. I called to send you a personal invitation” Sandbar announced.

“I’d love to go, Sandbar! It’s been so long since I saw you and the others. I’m really looking forward to seeing you all again!” Twilight replied.

“So am I. I really miss you, Princess. Say, I heard Gallus lives with you now” Sandbar replied.

“Yeah, I adopted him just a couple days ago” Twilight replied.

“That’s good. I sent him a letter that I hope he got. Um, can I talk to him for a few minutes?” Sandbar asked.

“Of course!” Twilight said as she went to get Gallus, who was in his room.

Twilight gave a few knocks on Gallus’s room and called “Gallus, Sandbar’s on the phone!”

Gallus got out of his room and walked up to the phone. “Hey, Sandbar”

“Hi, Gallus. Did you get my letter?” Sandbar asked.

“Yeah” Gallus replied.

“Good. Y’know, I feel kinda bad for how hostile I was towards you. I’m pretty sure I gave you a fright by how loud I was” Sandbar apologized.

“Yeah. I’ve never seen you that angry before” Gallus replied.

Sandbar sighed and said “Listen, buddy, I know how much you wanted to stay at the school, but you can’t always get your way in life, and resisting everybody and throwing tantrums will only make things worse. I’m sorry I yelled at you, but I just wanted you to know that. You need to work on accepting unfortunate circumstances as they happen, and I think I should work on not taking my anger and frustrations out on people” Sandbar continued.

“Yeah” Gallus replied.

“I’m really happy that Twilight adopted you and things are going good. Do you like living with Twilight?” Sandbar asked.

“I do! A lot!” Gallus replied.

“Good, good! Hey, so, I’m having a going away party in a few days at Sugarcube Corner. You should come. I’d really like to see you again” Sandbar announced.

“I’d really love to go! Did Twilight say that she was gonna go?” Gallus asked.

“She did! So, guess I’ll see you in a few days?” Sandbar asked.

“Yep!” Gallus confirmed.

“Awesome! See you later, buddy! I love you!” Sandbar said before hanging up.

The day of Sandbar’s party, Twilight and Gallus boarded the train to Ponyville, both very excited to see Sandbar. They left Canterlot very early in the morning so that they could make it to the party on time.

A few hours later, they made it to Ponyville and continued to make their way to Sugarcube Corner where they met Pinkie Pie.

“Hey, guys! The party’s in here! Welcome!” Pinkie cheered.

Once the two went inside, they were immediately met by Sandbar and his friends.

Sandbar walked up to Gallus and greeted him. “Hey, Gallus! What’s up?”

Soon, his friends followed suit.

“Hi, Gallus! It’s so good to see you again! Give me a hug!” Ocellus cheered as she and Gallus hugged.

“Hey, buddy! Nice to see you again!” Smolder said as she hugged Gallus.

“Yona so happy to see griffon again!” Yona said as she ran up to Gallus and give him a hug that’s so big, he’s afraid that she might break his most important bones.

“Yona! Too tight!” Gallus warned.

“Sorry. Guess Yona too excited” Yona said sheepishly.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Gallus is here!” Silverstream said as she flew up to Gallus and kissed him all over his face.

It was fine until she started licking his face. That was when he said “Okay, stop! That’s very creepy!”

“Aw, but I’m just so excited that you’re here!” Silverstream replied.

“It’s fine to be excited, but licking my face is too creepy. Don’t do that!” Gallus retorted.

“Sorry, Gallus!” Silverstream said.

“But isn’t that how cats bathe? You’re half cat sooooooo-“ Smolder chimed in.

“No, that is not how I bathe! Because that is disgusting, and it only makes me feel even more dirty!” Gallus retorted.

“Anyways, Sandbar, do you know when the festivities are starting?” Twilight asked.

“Glad you asked, Princess. The festivities are taking place right now. We’ll have dinner and cake in a few hours. Right now, we got light refreshments, games, face painting, card signing, and a photo booth” Sandbar replied.

Twilight went over to Sandbar’s card to sign it. This is what she wrote:

Sandbar,

You have been an exceptional student at my School of Friendship. You have performed well academically, and I give you extra kudos for helping your friend Gallus. He truly appreciates it as well. You are such a good friend and we are all very proud of you. I wish you the best of luck at doctorate school! You got this, sweetie!

XOXO,

Twilight Sparkle

Meanwhile, Silverstream asked Gallus if he wanted to take photos with her, to which he agreed…on one condition: if she promised to never lick his face ever again.

“Oh, Gallus! You’re so silly!” Silverstream said.

Gallus let out a huff and said “I wasn’t be silly! I was serious! Don’t lick me ever again!”

“Ok, Gallus! I won’t lick you again!” Silverstream replied.

“Good. Now, let’s go take some photos!” Gallus said as the two went into the photo booth.

They took a lot of pictures, most of them were them being silly. When they were done, they went out of the photo booth to look at their pictures. They had quite a laugh.

“Look at that picture! You were so silly, Gallus!” said Silverstream as she pointed at a picture of Gallus looking cross eyed and holding his breath.

“Oh yeah! That one looks pretty silly!” Gallus said as he pointed at a picture of Silverstream licking his face. It didn’t take long for him to realize what Silverstream did…again.

“Silverstream, you said you wouldn’t lick me again!” Gallus complained.

Silverstream gasped and said “Oh no! I’m so sorry, Gallus! Guess I couldn’t help myself! I just like that taste of chicken on you!”

“Are you getting hungry?” Gallus asked.

Silverstream’s stomach growled, prompting her to nod in response.

“Well, okay. Sandbar’s getting the food ready so let’s sit down at the table where our friends are. Hopefully, you’ll become full enough to not lick me” Gallus said as the two went to sit down at the table.

A few moments after they went to sit down, Sandbar’s mom opened the banquet server thing…or whatever it’s called. “Dig in, everycreature!” she announced.

Everyone promptly went up to serve themselves. When Gallus picked out what he was going to eat, he felt guilty.

“Is something wrong, Gallus?” Sandbar asked.

“Well, Twilight and Rainbow put me on this diet in case I want to become a royal guard. I feel bad because I’m about to cheat. I actually saw one of her guards getting in trouble for eating junk food” Gallus replied.

“Oh, come on, Gallus! I’m sure Twilight wouldn’t mind if you dug in for just one night. It’s good that you’re making healthy choices, but it’s okay to have special treats every now and then. Just don’t overdo it” Sandbar replied.

“Well, I guess that’s good advice. Thanks, Sandy” Gallus said as he began eating.

A few minutes later, after everyone has eaten their main courses, Sandbar had announced that it’s time for cake. Everyone went over to grab a slice. Some got two or three, others got 5 or 6, or even 10. But guess how many slices Silverstream got. Do you really want to know? 29! 29 slices! But I wouldn’t really blame her. Seeing as how she spent most of her time underwater, she didn’t get to eat much cake. And, how would she? The cake would get all soggy and the frosting would be watered down. And that would ruin the cake! Plus, Sandbar’s family got a really big cake for free, so it didn’t matter all too much.

“Wow, Silvy! That’s a lotta cake you got there!” Gallus commented.

“Sure is! We didn’t have cake where I’m from so Sandbar gave me all the cake I want!” Silverstream said before she started eating sloppily.

“I know that you’re excited, Sil, but do you have to eat so sloppily?” Ocellus asked.

After Silverstream finished her cake, she licked the remaining frosting off her beak. “I’m so *hic* full! Thanks, *hic* Sandbar!” she said as she rubbed her bloated belly.

Soon, Silverstream felt a slight discomfort as all the food she ate was being digested. Her stomach was gurgling and churning all the food into a huge cloud of gas that travelled up her esophagus and escaped her beak in the form of a humongous, humid, deep, masculine belch.

“Woah! That was a big one, Silverstream!” Sandbar commented.

“That bigger than average yak burp!” Yona added.

“I don’t know what’s more disgusting: you licking my face or that” Gallus chimed in.

“Eww, Silverstream! That’s gross!” Ocellus complained.

“Now that’s what I call a belch!” Smolder complimented.

Silverstream giggled. “Guess that was pretty big. That kinda reminded me of back home when Terramar and I would have burping contests. I would win hands down!” Silverstream said.

“A girl winning a burping match against a boy? Well, that’s something I’ve never heard about” Sandbar remarked.

Gallus, now feeling disgusted, barged into the conversation. “Okay, can we change the conversation please?”

“Um, sure. What do you want to share with us, Gallus?” Sandbar replied.

“Glad you asked. I know what I want to do with my life, but you have to promise to not laugh at me, capiche?” Gallus started.

“Gallus, we would never laugh at you, only with you! So, what’s on your mind, toots?” Ocellus replied.

“Okay, here goes” Gallus paused to take a quick breath. “Guys, I want to become a royal guard”

After Gallus spoke, the table was silent for a few moments before Smolder spoke up. “Well, okay. Good for you”

“Yeah, you’d be the best royal guard ever!” Silverstream added.

“Really? You’d think I’d be good at my job?” Gallus asked.

“Of course! You know a lot about friendship. Plus, you already live with Twilight in Canterlot. This job would be perfect for you” Ocellus replied.

“Yeah! You’d get to go around and rescue the princess and even defeat bad guys!” Smolder added.

“This is a big change for you, Gallus. Just remember that you have friends who love and support you! If you want to be a royal guard, go ahead! We got your back!” Sandbar chimed in.

“Can you say anything to me without being so sappy?” Gallus joked.

“Come on, Gallus! I know that deep down, you like when we’re being sappy with you” Sandbar replied.

“Yeah, kinda” Gallus said as he blushed sheepishly.

Twilight went over to the table. “Ready to go, Gallus?” she asked.

“Yes, mommy!” Gallus replied, causing his friends to burst into laughter.

“Mommy? How old are you, four?” Sandbar joked.

“Looks like Gallus’s soft side is showing!” Ocellus added.

Gallus blushed in embarrassment.

“Hey, everyone! Gallus is just showing that he loves his mommy! Isn’t that right, snookums!” Twilight said as she was showering Gallus with affection, causing his friends to laugh even more.

“Mom, you’re embarrassing me!” Gallus retorted.

“Am I? Oh, I’m sorry, pumpkin! I’m just showing my love!” Twilight cooed.

“Enough! My friends are right there!” Gallus said, pointing at his friends.

“Okay, sweetie pie! I’ll stop. It’s getting late anyhow; we should go back to Canterlot” Twilight said as the two left Sugarcube Corner.

“Poor Gallus. He seemed really embarrassed” Ocellus said.

“Yeah, but it was kinda funny” Smolder replied.

“Did see griffon face turn pink? He look like Silverstream almost!” Yona said.

“Yeah. Twilight kinda reminded me of my mom. She’s always trying to find ways to embarrass me in front of my friends” Sandbar added.

Right when he said that, his mom went over to Sandbar to shower him with affection.

“Enjoying having your friends over, honeypie? Do they know how much your mommy loves you?” Sandbar’s mom said before she kissed her son all over his face, which made him irritated.

“Mom, we talked about this! Don’t kiss me in front of my friends!” Sandbar complained.

“What’s wrong, sweetie pie? I’m just trying to show how much I love you!” Sandbar’s mom replied.

“Mom, stop! I’m not a pie!” Sandbar retorted, now pouting and crossing his arms.

“Ok then, snookums! I’ll be helping your father clean up if you need me. I love you, sweetheart” Sandbar’s mom said as she trotted away.

“Love you too” Sandbar murmured.

His friends began to snicker, and eventually burst into laughter.

“See what I mean?” Sandbar retorted.

“Oh, we totally see what you mean, Sandpie!” Smolder replied.

Sandbar hid his completely red face in embarrassment.

“Stop” he murmured as his friends continued to laugh.