A Griffon's Farewell

Chapters

Notifying the others
Hope's Shredded Pages
The Funeral
Visitors in the Dream Realm: Pt.2
A Surprise from Twilight
Neighsay strikes again
Holiday Hell
Visitors in the Dream Realm: Pt.1

Notifying the others

The Castle of Friendship
6:30 P.M.

Starlight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were just packing up inside the castle when they heard Twilight and Spike walk in.

“Howdy, Twi. Howdy, Spike,” greeted Applejack.

“We need the five of you in the map room now,” said Twilight, her tone sounding serious and urgent.

The cheerful smiles from the five ponies faded looking at Spike and Twilight’s expressions. Not only did they look serious, they also seemed like they were badly shaken up. Without a word, they shuffled into the map room and sat down in their respective chairs. Once they were all seated, Twilight took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Girls,” she began. “This isn’t going to be easy for me to tell any of you this.”

Twilight began to tear up again and the others began to worry about what she was going to say. Eventually, Twilight steadied her emotions long enough to say the next three words.

“Gallus committed suicide.”

For a moment, everyone just stared at the Alicorn.

“N-No,” stammered Rarity. “This has to be some sort of cruel joke.”

She turned to Spike, “Spikey-Wikey, please tell me that you and Twilight are joking.”

“We’re not, Rarity,” Spike responded, his voice cracking as he spoke.

Both Dragon and Pony then proceeded to recap everything that had unfolded in the last two hours, from the prank that ruined the tree and decorations to helping Silverstream to the nurse’s office. When they had finished, everyone had begun to tear up, even Applejack.

“Oh, my Celestia,” Fluttershy whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "That's horrible.”

“I’ve closed off his room until a coroner gets there," Twilight said. "I also need to notify Grampa Gruff of what’s happened.”

“I can write a letter to Celestia and Luna to tell them what happened,” Spike offered.

“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said.

With that, Spike dashed off to write the letter, while the Ponies stayed in the map room. He returned ten minutes later with a note from the Princess.

“Celestia said that Luna and she are on their way,” Spike explained as he read the letter over. “Unfortunately, it’ll probably take them longer than usual to get here because of the storm. They’re also picking up Grampa Gruff in Griffonstone.”

Twilight didn’t care. As long as the Princesses got here, she didn’t care if it took until midnight. However, the Alicorn gulped upon hearing Grampa Gruff’s name.

“I don’t know how hard he’s going to take this. Gallus may not be related to him, but he still does deeply care for him,” she said to herself.

Griffonstone, Equestria
Grampa Gruff's House
7:15 P.M.

Grampa Gruff let out a groan as he sat on the couch in the living room. He didn't understand it. Throughout the whole day, he was feeling perfectly healthy. Then, at about six o' clock, the old Griffon was hit out of nowhere with a terrible feeling inside his stomach that had stuck with him for the past hour. His discomfort was only heightened as he looked up at the clock. It was a quarter after seven and there was still no sign of the Griffon he considered his grandson, Gallus. He should've been home at least two hours ago. The blue Griffon was to be helping him set up for the Blue Moon Festival.

“Where could he be?” he asked himself.

Presently, there was a knock at the front door and the old Griffon felt his nervousness fade away.

“That must be him now,” he said, his face lighting up with a rare smile.

Grampa Gruff let out a groan as his claws and paws made contact with the hardwood floor. His unexpected illness had weakened him considerably and it had limited his ability to move at his normal speed. Slowly and carefully, Grampa Gruff trudged to the front door, mindful not to jostle his stomach.

"When we're finished setting up, I need to have a talk with that kid about being on time," Grampa Gruff thought grumpily as he approached his front door. "I understand he has friends at the school, but he knows how important it is to-"

Grampa Gruff's thoughts stopped dead in their tracks when he saw who was waiting for him on the other side of his front door. Instead of Gallus, there were four stallions, all wearing golden armor and stoic expressions.

“Are you Grampa Gruff?” one of them asked.

“Yes, I am,” Grampa Gruff said.

“Do you know this Griffon?” asked the same guard, holding up a picture of none other than Gallus.

“Yes, his name is Gallus. He lives with me,” said Grampa Gruff.

The guard looked down at the ground, his expression saddened, and he let out a sigh. Then, he looked back up at the old Griffon.

“We’ve come here by the order of the Princesses. You need to come with us,” he said. “There’s been an incident. Gallus has died.”

"W-What?" The old Griffon stammered.

"There has been an incident. Gallus has died."

Grampa Gruff couldn't reconcile that in his head with a young and healthy Griffon like Gallus. This couldn't be right. Gallus couldn't be dead.

“I-I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I think I misheard you. Could you please repeat that?”

“There’s been an incident. Gallus has died,” repeated the guard for the third time.

Grampa Gruff started to feel his whole world beginning to crumble around him as the last three words uttered by the guard kept replaying in his head.

"H-How? What happened?" he asked.

"We don't know exactly," the Guard replied. "From all indications, though, it sounds like it was a suicide."

Grampa Gruff went pale. No longer was his stomach plagued with the unrelenting ache that it'd been dealing with for the past 75 minutes. It was now completely numb along with the rest of his body. His mind slowly shut down as he stared wide-eyed and beak slightly agape at the picture for what felt like the last two weeks of the year. Then, a surge of energy shot through the old Griffon's whole body as his mind instantly restarted and began to race with all sorts of different scenarios of why this was happening. At first, he thought this was some cruel prank or they had the wrong house, but the picture looked exactly like Gallus and these Guards didn't seem like the types of creatures to joke with such a serious matter like this.

“Give me a second, please,” he said. “I need to grab a coat.”

The guard nodded and Grampa Gruff closed the door. Quickly, he grabbed a coat, scarf, and gloves before running back to the front door. He was led to a covered, white chariot with a golden trim. It was Celestia and Luna’s back-up chariot for whenever it was raining or snowing out and they didn’t want to be subjected to the weather conditions. The old Griffon walked inside, was given a quick greeting from Celestia and Luna, took a seat between the two of them quickly, and the Royal guards took flight and set off for the School of Friendship.

Ponyville, Equestria
Twilight Sparkle's School of Friendship
8:15 P.M.

The Element Bearers had returned to the student dorm rooms, nervously anticipating the arrival of Celestia, Luna, and Grampa Gruff any minute. A medical team had just pulled up and was just starting to assess Silverstream’s injuries. Twilight peeked out the front door, hoping to see any sign of the Princesses. Through the thick snowfall and dark sky, she could see a chariot pulled by four white Pegasi with golden armor preparing to land. She felt both a sense of relief and of dread as she watched them approach.

The moment the chariot stopped, Grandpa Gruff and Princesses were out the doors. As they stepped outside, they noticed the silhouette of another chariot. They could also see the silhouettes of two ponies carrying a stretcher walking toward the school building itself. Grandpa Gruff could feel himself getting nauseous as he approached the front door of the students’ quarters. It was like the icy chill of death that had previously enveloped Twilight and the others earlier had now found its way to Grampa Gruff. The Princesses and he walked inside and were immediately greeted by the sight of the Element Bearers, Starlight, and Spike, all of whom were looking sad and worried.

“Please tell me this is some type of joke,” pleaded Grampa Gruff. “I won’t be mad with any of you if it is.”

The looks of sadness from the eight creatures confirmed it wasn’t.

“Twilight, what happened?” asked Celestia.

As she did for the others, Twilight began to recap everything that had led to the Griffon ultimately ending his own life.

“The coroner is on their way here,” the Alicorn finished.

Luna, Celestia, and Grampa Gruff just stood there with blank expressions, processing every word. Then, Twilight spoke up again.

“Has he expressed any depression back home or possibly some suicidal thoughts?” she asked Grampa Gruff.

“No, he hasn’t,” Grampa Gruff recalled. “I rescued him out of a winter storm in January of 2011. He had a high fever and would’ve likely died had I not taken him inside. When I asked him why he was out there with no mom or dad, he told me that he had never known his parents. He was hatched at an orphanage on the other side of town. He said he escaped because the staff was cruel to the kids. All he had with him was a small pillow. No food. No winter clothing. He was outright terrified of going back there and he begged me to let him stay at my house. I felt sorry for him, and I decided to take the role as his grandpa. He was a well-behaved kid who was mostly quiet and kept to himself. Most of the time, I could barely get an answer on how his day at school was. I found out in January of this year that he was frequently bullied, and the staff did nothing to prevent it. In fact, they expelled him for finally fighting back. I was so angry with how poorly the staff acted there and I hired a tutor for him for the rest of the year. I was on the verge of hiring another tutor for this year until I ascertained of your school opening. So, I sent him here instead. He did open up and sent me a few letters home telling me how great it was over here.”

His usual crabby, demanding tone was gone. In its place was a tone that was about as quiet as Fluttershy’s and his voice was cracking as he spoke, almost as if he was about to burst into tears in front of everyone.

"This makes no sense," Twilight said. "Why would he lie about his past like that to you?"

"It doesn't make any sense to me either," Grampa Gruff sniffled, tearing up. "Although, there were some days when he didn't even want to get out of bed or he had shown a general disinterest in activities as he entered his teenage years, but I had just brushed it off as him going through a phase."

The others pondered over the last sentence Grampa Gruff had said. While all teenagers were moody and went through phases, it also could also be a possibility that these changes in attitude may reflect that things may not be going so well in their lives.

“I need to see him,” said Grampa Gruff. "Will you please take me to him?"

Twilight hesitated to answer for a second before speaking, “Yes, I will.”

Slowly, the old Griffon followed Twilight to Gallus’ dorm room. She slowly opened the door and let Grampa Gruff inside. She flipped on the lights and straight ahead of them both, lying on his back on his bed, his eyes peacefully closed, and body motionless, was Gallus. It was almost enough to make the old Griffon puke. He walked over toward the lifeless body and caressed his cheek. It felt cold and hollow. He could simply not comprehend it. The Griffon he had taken in almost seven years ago could not have been the same Griffon that was laying before him. At that point, Grampa Gruff couldn’t hold back his emotions. He buried his face into Gallus’ still chest and sobbed silently. The Princesses walked over and wrapped him in a hug.

They were only able to do this for a few minutes before a pony entered the room. She was a yellow Unicorn with a moderate blue mane. She was wearing a black vest that read, “Coroner,” on the front. She was wheeling a stretcher of her own in front of her. On top of the stretcher was a black body bag. The Unicorn sighed heavily as she looked at the sight before her.

“Poor kid,” she said to herself.

She opened the body bag, placed Gallus inside of it, levitated it back on the stretcher, and pushed the stretcher out of the room. Grampa Gruff followed her out the door until she stepped outside back into the cold. Just before the door closed, Grampa Gruff caught it and stepped outside right after her. He took a few steps before stopping dead in his tracks. He watched through the thick snowfall as the coroner loaded Gallus’ body into the back of another chariot before walking to the front, hitching herself to the vehicle, turning on her horn to act as a light, and riding off toward the medical examiner’s office. The old Griffon just stood there, staring blankly as he watched the coroner disappear from sight. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned around and slowly plodded his way back inside. The moment he closed the door behind him, Grampa Gruff was wrapped into a hug by Twilight.

“I’m so, so sorry,” she whispered.

The others joined the hug as Grampa Gruff began to cry again. All eleven creatures stood in the hug for a full five minutes without saying a word or moving. At last, they, reluctantly, broke away from each other.

“You’ll be staying in the guest bedroom in the castle tonight,” Twilight said. “Tomorrow, we're searching his room to see if we can maybe find why he never told the truth to anyone about his past."

“OK,” said Grampa Gruff. He would’ve insisted on doing it tonight, but he, as well as everyone else, knew that they needed time and a night of sleep to fully digest everything that had transpired.

“We’ll also be staying,” announced Celestia. “We’re going to be assisting you all in the healing process.”

With that, the Ponies, Dragon, and Griffon all made their way back to the castle.

Hope's Shredded Pages

The Castle of Friendship
December 16, 2017, 8:00 A.M.

By sunup, the snowstorm had passed. In its place was a light flurry. All throughout the castle, the place was eerily silent as the Element Bearers, Starlight, Grandpa Gruff, and Spike began to prepare themselves to search Gallus’ room for further answers as to why he kept his past a secret. Sandbar, Yona, Smolder, and Ocellus had all gotten up at this point and had offered to help with their search.

Presently, there was a knock on the front door. The fourteen creatures went to answer it and found two Changelings, two Hippogriffs, two Earth Ponies, and two yaks standing before them. Twilight wasn’t sure, but it looked like a red Dragon was in the back of the crowd. It seemed like he was trying to lay low and not be noticed by anyone. Beachcomber was about to speak when he saw his son out of the corner of his eye and called out to him.

“Sandbar!” called the older Earth pony. “There you are!”

The other parents were able to see their kids toward the back of the crowd and began to make their way toward them. Twilight and the others stepped aside so the four students and their parents could be reunited.

“There you are, Ocellus!” Spiracle cried.

As the parents barged in, Twilight’s suspicions about a Dragon in the back of the crowd were confirmed. Spike got a good look at him and gasped.

“Garble?!” he cried.

Garble let out an exasperated sigh.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he said. “Listen, I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m here to get Smolder and get out.”

Rainbow eyed him suspiciously.

“Why?” she asked. “How do you know her?”

“She’s my sister,” Garble retorted simply. “Both our mom and dad are too big to fit in here. So, they sent me to come get her.”

The ponies and Spike still didn’t seem convinced until Smolder spoke up.

“You know my brother too?” she asked Spike.

“It’s a long story,” both Dragons grunted simultaneously.

“A story that I’m more interested in is why you didn’t come home last night,” Garble said, turning to Smolder. “Mom, dad, and I were worried sick about you. None of us got wink of sleep last night.”

All four students swallowed hard as they looked up at their parents. Concern fell over everyone’s faces as they looked at Sandbar, Smolder, Ocellus, and Yona beginning to tear up. They all took a deep breath and began to explain. It didn’t take them long to tell the story to their parents and brother, albeit through choked sobs, about what had befallen the late Gallus no more than fourteen hours ago. Shock was the first emotion to hit everyone as they listened to the Dragon, Yak, Pony, and Changeling recap what had happened. It quickly turned to sadness and sympathy towards the deceased Griffon and his tragic situation, as well as their own kids and, in Garble’s case, sibling for having to witness such a traumatizing ordeal unfold right in front of them. Even Garble felt bad.

Then, Skybeak spoke up.

“I hate to divert attention away from mourning Gallus,” he said. “But, where’s Silverstream? If her friends are here, she should be here too.”

Twilight gulped, “She hurt herself trying to save Gallus. She’s at the Ponyville hospital right now.”

Skybeak and Ocean Flow’s faces turned pale.

“My little Silverstream is in the HOSPITAL?!!” Ocean Flow shrieked.

“She’s not gravely injured,” Twilight assured. “I can give you an escort there if you want.”

“Thank you, Princess,” said Skybeak.

Twilight spun back around to face the others.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” she told them. “I need to get Skybeak and Ocean Flow to the Ponyville hospital. Can you manage the search without me for a bit?”

“Will do, Twilight,” assured Starlight.

“We’ll be taking our kids home too,” Spiracle announced, turning to her daughter. “Come, Ocellus.”

Ocellus, as well as Smolder, Sandbar, and Yona, had other ideas.

“No,” said Ocellus firmly. “I’m sorry, mom and dad. I can’t. I want to help out in the search.”

“Griffon was Yak’s friend,” Yona's voice cracked as she fought back more tears.

“We owe it to him,” said Smolder. “He was suffering in the dark and we were oblivious to it until it was too late."

"It turned out that he wasn’t completely upfront about his past with anyone. Not even Grampa Gruff," added Sandbar. "We need to find out why. Not just for context, but to provide closure for everyone, Grampa Gruff especially.”

“Y-You’d do that for me?” Grampa Gruff stammered.

“Of course,” said Smolder firmly. “You were just as close to Gallus as we were.”

Grampa Gruff smiled sadly, “Thank you. All of you.”

“You’re welcome,” replied Sandbar.

“We also need to pay Silverstream a visit and see how she’s doing,” added Ocellus. “Being stuck in a hospital overnight doesn’t exactly sound fun.”

The parents and Garble looked a little unsure of what to do, but, in the end, decided to let their kids and sister help out. They agreed to take their loved ones home after the investigation was finished and Silverstream was paid a visit at the hospital. In the meantime, the three pairs of parents and Garble would stay at the castle until it was time to go.

With that, the dozen creatures left the castle and headed back to the dorm rooms.

It hadn't taken everyone had found themselves standing in front of Gallus’ dorm room. Memories of last night flooded everycreature’s minds. Their eyes filled with tears, and they hesitated for a moment to open the door, before they all looked at one another, nodded, and slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. As they stepped inside Gallus’ room, a sense of uneasiness came over everyone. It felt as if Gallus’ spirit was still lingering in the room as they walked inside, and he was watching all of them intently. It felt like they were exploring a three-story abandoned, haunted house rather than a roughly 400-square-foot dorm room. Slowly, the teachers, Grampa Gruff, and Gallus’ friends began to look through Gallus’ stuff to see if he had left any clues behind that might have hinted at him leading up to wanting to end his life. Unfortunately, all they were able to come up with was the cloak from the night before. Soon, they had searched every part of his room except for one place, his nightstand.

At that moment, Twilight came into view in the doorway, a bandaged, silent, and sad-looking Silverstream standing right behind her. Upon seeing their friend, Ocellus, Smolder, Sandbar, and Yona rushed over to her.

“You’re out of the hospital!” exclaimed Ocellus.

“Yeah,” said Silverstream softly.

“How Hippogriff feeling?” asked Yona cautiously.

“I broke both my wrist and my wing, and bruised four of my ribs,” Silverstream explained. “The doctors released me with just a bottle of painkillers because there was nothing else wrong with me, aside from my injuries, and said that the best bet for me would be to go home and get some rest. However, I was able to convince my parents to let me come here and help out. Then, they’re going to take me home so I can start healing. They’re at the castle with the other parents until I return.”

Silverstream’s friends wrapped her in a comforting hug as Twilight turned to Starlight.

“Have any of you been able to find anything?” asked Twilight.

“So far, no,” Starlight sighed sadly. “We’ve searched every place except his nightstand.”

Starlight pointed to a table made of cherry wood that had two drawers on it that were facing Gallus’ bed. It was resting in the corner that was farthest from the door in his room. They walked slowly over to it and began to cautiously peek through it. The top drawer only contained a small pillow. The bottom drawer, however, contained a large, dark green book, the title of which attracted everyone's eyes like a magnet.

My Diary

Grampa Gruff remembered that book. He had given it to Gallus on his thirteenth birthday. If anything, this was probably their best shot to search for a motive as to why he kept his past a secret from a Griffon he considered his grandfather, as well as everyone else. The teachers, Gallus’ friends, and he all looked at one another with nervous glances before swallowing hard as Twilight cautiously opened it and the thirteen creatures began to look through it.

October 21, 2014

Dear Diary,

This is my first entry writing to you. My name is Gallus and today is my 13th birthday. You were given to me as a gift for this exact occasion. As much as I wish this was a joyous day, it wasn’t. Nothing’s ever been joyful for me since I lost my family almost six years ago to a house fire. My mom, my dad, my older sister, Gracie, and younger sister, Gwen, were all killed, and I was left with nothing except my own pillow. Every holiday and milestone in my life is just something I want to live through as fast as possible and forget as soon as possible. I was successful in forcing a smile and thanking Grandpa Gruff for you, as well as for a few other things he got me. There were so many instances throughout today that I wanted to just kill myself to end this nightmare. Sadly, these thoughts are nothing new. I’ve felt this way for about two years now. You’re really the only one I’ve ever told this too. Not even Grampa Gruff knows about my struggle. I’ve lived with him since he had taken me into his house after he spotted me in the middle of a fierce snowstorm when I was nine. I was running a really high fever and I likely would’ve died if it weren’t for him. When I look back on it now, I wish he would’ve just let me freeze to death. He would’ve done everyone a favor if he did. I managed to fabricate a tale of how I was hatched in an orphanage on the other side of Griffonstone and how I had snuck out of there late one night in order to escape the clutches of the cruel staff there and I had wandered my way up here. Thankfully, he bought it, and I’ve been successful at keeping my true past a secret ever since. In reality, I had spent the last two years on the streets fighting to stay alive. Despite a few close calls, Grampa Gruff has, so far, suspected nothing of my struggle and I hope it stays that way. I don’t want him dealing with my problems. He’d never understand. Neither would anyone else. If they did, I’d just end up bringing them down with my issues and they really don’t deserve to have that on their plate. Hopefully, I’ll be writing to you more, if the sweet embrace of death doesn’t get to me first.

December 24, 2014

Tomorrow marks the six-year-anniversary of my family’s death. This time of year is supposed to be filled with happiness. Yet, it just opens up old wounds and I cry myself to sleep every night for the entire month of December. I can’t even begin to describe how deep my pain or sadness is every time this holiday rolls around. Grandpa Gruff is barely any help. He does try to be good-natured around this time, but we’re Griffons. We’re naturally just downers. Well, most of us. My family was the only one in my old town who was actually joyful. We sang carols and spread cheer throughout the town. It was an old family tradition that dated all the way back for generations. Now, however, when I think about it, it just leaves me wanting for this nightmare to end, but with each passing day, it’s a cruel reminder that I’ll never be away from this. At the same time, though, I’m also angry at other Griffons for acting so grumpy during the holidays. Even though it’s hell for me, I try to fake a smile for the Blue Moon Festival just to please Grampa Gruff and everyone even though it’s always a painful reminder that I lost my family on this day. The other Griffons all have families, but they still act like total downers. What’s their excuse?

Grandpa Gruff winced as he read the last sentence. Even through the holidays, Griffons were always cantankerous with one another, despite the fact that it was a time for cheer and good will. It also made him think over him acting the way he had over the past during holidays, as well as over other special occasions. Granted, he did try and play nice, but what did he have to complain about? Despite the fact that they were only scratching the surface of Gallus’ situation, Grandpa Gruff began to remember old memories of him trying to smile and attempting to find at least a shred of enjoyment at every holiday and special occasion to the fullest, even if it was all just a mask for everyone else.

March 30, 2015

Another unhappy day at school today. It’s usually the same thing. Being mocked for having no family, having food thrown at my face, being called every kind of derogatory name imaginable, or being stuffed in a trash can, usually all by that monster, Geoff. No matter how many times I tell the teachers or principal, they just brush it off as typical boy behavior or they just tell me to toughen up. With each day that passes, I feel my will to live slowly dripping out of me. I don’t know how much more of this torment I can take. What’s ultimately stopping me is if I fail to kill myself, Grampa Gruff will make me tell him why I did this, and he may find out about the other secrets I’m hiding. I really don’t want to have him involved with my struggle. He doesn’t deserve it. This isn’t his fight. It’s mine and mine alone.

One after another, each entry contained some level of his depressed state or details of several bullying incidents that were left ignored. Each one they went through, Grampa Gruff began to remember more and more signs that Gallus wasn’t doing well, but the Griffon had assured him he was fine. The further they delved into the blue Griffon’s diary, the sadder they became. They had to stop a few times to let a few creatures cry.

July 6, 2015

Gwen would’ve turned 11 today. Every birthday that I go through without my family is bad, but going through the birthdays of my parents and sister is hell. Here I am at 13, getting closer to 14, while Gwen didn’t even get the chance to experience the fun of Kindergarten or any grade above that. My parents will never get to grow old or see me, Gracie, or Gwen graduate high school, get married, and have grandkids. I spent the whole morning just crying and I guess it was pretty hard because my eyes were red, and my nose was runny. As you can imagine, that caught the attention of Grampa Gruff. Fortunately, I had gotten most of my tears out by that point and I said that I was having allergies and he bought it. Days where I spend hours just sobbing my eyes out and wishing it would all just end are, unfortunately, becoming more and more common and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

December 25, 2015

It's officially been seven years since I lost my family and life's only gotten harder for me. I managed to trick Grampa Gruff into thinking I was sick today, as I had spent all of last night sobbing my eyes out and my eyes were bloodshot when he saw me that morning. So, he sent me back to bed and it's basically where I stayed throughout the course of today. Unfortunately, because the other Griffons were busy helping Grampa Gruff out with the finishing touches of the Blue Moon Festival, I had no one, but my thoughts, to keep me company. All that was on my mind was my family. At this point, they're all that I think about for every moment of every day, and it just drags me deeper and deeper into this bottomless pit of despair. Each day that passes without them here just leaves me with terrible headaches and a searing pain in my chest as my heart is smashed into smithereens over and over again.

February 9, 2016

I got bullied again today. Geoff had shoved me into my own locker and thought he had locked it, but he didn’t realize his rough treatment of the locker door had caused the lock to only engage halfway. I was able to fiddle with it and free myself within a few minutes, but now the lock’s permanently messed up as I couldn’t make it engage all the way anymore either. At this point, I don’t even bother trying to report the bullies to teachers anymore. They always defend the actions of the bully while blaming the victim. If anything, I should just be grateful that I escaped with just a few bumps and bruises for once.

At last, the fourteen creatures reached an entry that Gallus had written detailing his expulsion from school.

January 17, 2017

Well, I’ve been expelled from school for standing up for myself. Geoff dumped trash on me for the last time and, after three years of teasing and bullying, I finally fought back. I ended up giving him a black eye and a bloody nose. Of course, when I tried to tell the teachers who took me into the principal’s office about why I did it, they wouldn't listen. They expelled me without a second thought and called Grampa Gruff to come and pick me up. When Grampa Gruff arrived, he immediately noticed the smell of garbage coming from me and asked me what happened. I told him all about Geoff and what he’d done to me from three years ago up until now. When he asked me if I had told the teachers, I said I did and they either brushed it off or told me to just toughen up. Needless to say, his anger immediately turned toward the principal. He yelled at him for over 20 minutes before grabbing me and pulling me out of the building, neither of us saying a word on the way back home. When we did get back home, Grandpa Gruff told me to go take a shower and relax for the rest of the day, while he figured out what to do for the rest of this school year. He came to me later tonight and told me that he was hiring a tutor for me until June. As that would occur, he’d look around for another school I could go to, one, he said, that would actually care about the well-being of its students.

Reading that entry made Grampa Gruff recall every detail of that day. He remembered it all too well. If anything, it should've tipped him off that maybe Gallus wasn't telling him the truth about everything in the past. Unfortunately, he had been so preoccupied by the mistakes made by the principal and teachers that he had completely neglected to stop and think if that was the only thing Gallus was keeping in the dark from him. As he progressed through the rest of the school year with the help of his tutor, Gallus’ entries seemed to show a more relaxed attitude from the Griffon.

January 24, 2017

Well, I’ve started with my tutor. I have to say it’s a lot better than going to school itself. While I do have to get up around the same time in the morning, I don’t have to put up as big a mask as I did at school to avoid other kids from having to find out about my struggle and I don’t have to constantly worry about being victimized by bullies. The tutor himself is a nice guy, nicer than any of my teachers ever were. Maybe if I had done something like that sooner, a lot more of my school life would’ve been easier for me to navigate.

March 31, 2017

I've got to say this whole tutor thing is really working out for me. He always explains the assignments to me thoroughly and makes sure I understand them before moving on. Back then, the teachers explained the lesson once and only once and if you weren't listening or didn't understand it, it was tough luck. My grades are better than usual, which is mainly due to my anxiety not holding me by my throat. I think Grampa Gruff is going to be very pleased when he sees my final report card when the school year's over in June.

June 26, 2017

The school year is finally up. Grandpa Gruff is still having a hard time finding a school for me to go to, but to be honest, I hope he’s forced to hire another tutor when September rolls around. These last five months have actually been quite peaceful. I don’t have to feel the need to constantly look back over my shoulder for fear of another bully coming after me or have to put up as big a mask for my depressed state for seven grueling hours when I’m at school.

July 18, 2017

Grampa Gruff has still been unable to decide on a school. They’re all either private schools that are too expensive for me to be enrolled in or they have the same problem I have at my old school, uncaring teachers and bullies running amok. I overheard him considering hiring the same tutor for this year. So far, everything is looking promising for an easy-going school year. I’ll keep you updated.

August 30, 2017

Well my hopes of having a tutor are dashed. Grampa Gruff told me about this school in Ponyville that’s supposed to be opening soon. It’s rumored to be revolving around friendship, something I haven’t achieved in a long time. I don't know what he’s thinking. If anything, I’ll probably just be a downer at every event and end up being treated like an outcast all over again. I’ve already gone through enough trauma as it is. I really don’t need to go through another school year of being bullied and masking my depression.

In spite of his negative attitude at the idea of being enrolled in Twilight’s then-soon-to-be-opening School, the entries seemed to show Gallus’ attitude taking a more positive turn when he actually went there himself.

September 9, 2017

It seems I was completely wrong about this school. For once in my life, things may be finally looking up. I’ve got real friends now. It’s hard for me to comprehend it, but I’m finally developing a social life. I’ve got five friends who actually care about me. A yak named Yona, a Dragon named Smolder, an earth pony named Sandbar, and a changeling named Ocellus. There’s also a Hippogriff named Silverstream and there’s something about her that really clicks with me, in a good way. I feel weird around her, and I don’t know how to describe it. I feel warm all over and my heart starts to flutter. I wonder if she feels the same way about me. Only time will tell. We’re planning on hanging out tomorrow at this place called Sugarcube Corner. I’ve never heard of it, but from what I understand, it’s supposed to be the best sweets shop in town.

September 10, 2017

Well, I had a blast with my friends at Sugarcube Corner. When they said that Sugarcube Corner was the best sweets shop in town, they weren’t kidding. The cupcakes were easily the best I’ve had in my life. After eating a few cupcakes, Silverstream and I shared a milkshake. Towards the end of it, we locked eyes for a few seconds, and we couldn’t look away from each other. We did eventually look away. I felt that weird feeling return to me and I couldn’t shake it this time. I still feel this way and I don’t know what to think about it.

Silverstream felt a dull ache in her chest as she read the first two passages mentioning her. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Gallus was feeling towards her was love.

“He loved me too,” the Hippogriff whispered.

All Smolder, Yona, Ocellus, and Sandbar could do was rub Silverstream’s back and hug her as she began to cry, regretting ever hiding her feelings toward Gallus to begin with.

September 26, 2017

I landed myself in detention again today. I set up pull-string fireworks on the doors of every classroom and, needless to say, the teachers weren't happy about it. All I could really do for the time I was in Twilight's office and in detention was just keep a stoic expression. I don't mean to be a burden like this. I just wanted to do a harmless joke to make others laugh. Instead, I just come off as the nuisance I am. None of them can ever know the reason why I do these things. I'd rather have them be annoyed with my antics and think I'm just a mischievous teenager rather than have them being forced to put up with my problems.

Upon reading that entry, Twilight began to have flashbacks of the times Gallus was called into her office for a prank he had pulled. Every time was the same things. The Alicorn lecturing him about school rules, while the Griffon always kept a seemingly bored or uninterested expression on his face. Not once had she ever recall him even attempting to defend his actions about how no one was ever hurt in his antics. At the time, the Alicorn could have only thought he was being a typical teenage trickster. Now, however, the realization, alongside the guilt from yesterday, had slapped her harder than the whipping wind from last evening. Even in a happier environment, Gallus' inner turmoil still raged within him whenever he made even the smallest mistakes.

Despite the rather sad tunes of the Griffon's entries after he had been busted for a prank, Gallus’ passages reflected a more positive turn on his whole attitude and mental state.

October 11, 2017

Silverstream, Ocellus, Sandbar, Yona, Smolder, and I all got to be a part of a play tonight. Sandbar got to be Starswirl the Bearded and the rest of us dressed as Unicorns. Professor Fluttershy got to play Princess Celestia and at the end, we all got to witness Princess Celestia herself raise the sun, even though it was the evening. The whole crowd cheered at the end, and I went back to my dorm feeling that I actually accomplished something big for once in a long time in my life. I have to say it was pretty draining preparing for the play, but in the end, it was all worth it.

October 21, 2017

I think this is the first birthday in a long while that I haven’t felt completely sad. Smolder, Sandbar, Ocellus, Yona, and Silverstream actually threw me a real birthday party. It was a lot more cheerful than I could’ve ever imagined. I had the most delicious birthday cake and even a few gifts. I got a new talon sharpener from Ocellus. Silverstream, Yona, and Smolder made me a few of these things called friendship bracelets. They’re actually pretty cool. Sandbar got me this comic about a Griffon who saves his city and becomes a hero. Silverstream was the last to give me her gift. She gave me 16 “Birthday kisses,” eight on each cheek, but she insisted it was an old family tradition that her parents always did with her, although she was blushing slightly as she explained her actions. Honestly, I’m starting to think I’m falling in love with her, but I don’t know how to say it. Even if I did, she’d, sooner or later, find out about my depression and I don’t want her having to put up with that.

November 2, 2017

Have I got a story for you today. Professors Applejack and Rainbow Dash took Sandbar, Smolder, Ocellus, Yona, Silverstream, and me on a teamwork learning field trip, but they got into a competition because they both wanted to win the "Teacher of The Month," award. As you can imagine, Headmare Twilight wasn't pleased and they both ended up having to promise not to compete anymore and actually teach us teamwork. She begrudgingly agreed but chose our next activity: a nature walk. During that said walk, Applejack and Rainbow Dash tried to let the other decide where to go when we came to a fork in the road, but that worked about as well as when they didn't want the other to take the lead and Yona ended up choosing a path out of frustration. Not long after that, we came across a ravine. After even further lack of agreement between Rainbow and Applejack, they eventually decided to build a bridge across the ravine, resulting in yet another disagreement over what to build the bridge out of. Applejack ended up building a bridge out of vines while Rainbow built one out of tree branches. Turned out neither bridge could support much weight, and one eventually collapsed onto the other, causing leaving them both to dangle helplessly over a stream of ravenous Bite-Acudas. Guess who ended up having to come to their rescue? The six of us. Ocellus transformed into a giant bite-acuda to chase the other bite-acudas away while Silverstream and I carried Applejack and Rainbow to safety. Neither of them, unsurprisingly, won the "Teacher of The Month," award. It went to Fluttershy. Again.

It wasn't until after Thanksgiving that the Griffon’s entries showing him becoming sad again.

November 27, 2017

It's not even December yet, and I’m already seeing creatures putting up decorations on buildings and getting together with their loved ones early for the holidays. Seeing families all together having a happy time just makes me want to crawl in bed again and never want to get back up. Even my friends are already getting festive. I’m just in the dark, suffering silently. They don’t know that though, and I hope it stays that way. They don’t deserve to have to endure the burden of dealing with my issues. All I can really do is force a smile and go through the next month one grueling day at a time.

December 1, 2017

December has finally arrived, and the whole school's covered with decorations. It's just making me sadder and sadder by the second. I want to pull another prank to try and ease my struggle, but I've already landed myself in enough trouble with the teachers because of them and I can't remember the last time more than a clawful of students actually laughed at one of my tricks. The holidays are also a time for good will and I've decided that avoiding mischief is really the only way I can contribute to that, but it comes at the expense of my own happiness. Once again, I'm stuck in an emotionally taxing rut with no way out. Why can't this nightmare end just for one year? Why does it always have to be this way?

December 7, 2017

I can’t take this anymore. I’ve never felt so depressed in all my life. In an ordinary situation, the holidays always take their toll on me emotionally, but this is worse. Faking a smile is becoming harder and harder and it adds stress on top of my already dismal state of affairs. That, in turn, is starting to have an effect on my grades. We had a test on Wednesday in Professor Applejack’s class and she handed them back today. Usually, I would’ve studied for this, but because of the holidays my main focus was just trying to get through this month one day at a time. As you can imagine, because I’ve been slacking off, I ended up bombing the test. To make things worse, I’m one of her top students and she confronted me after class about it. I just told her I forgot to study and said it wouldn’t happen again. Thankfully, she accepted my explanation and that was the end of it. With everyone being cheerier here than in Griffonstone and watching more families having a good time than I’ve ever seen before, it’s honestly making me feel like I’m slowly dying inside. I have one last idea in mind to make this holiday season, at least, slightly tolerable, but I have only one shot to make it work. Not only that, but I'd also be breaking my vow that I wouldn't pull any pranks this month.

The teachers all looked mortified as they read over the entry, especially Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Applejack remembered Gallus looking slightly nervous and fiddling with his claws while giving his explanation, but just assumed he was nervous about telling her about forgetting to study. The Apple Farmer mentally chided herself for ignoring a possible warning sign that one of her students was in despair. A small pool of water was forming on the water, courtesy of the teardrops falling off of the face of a now crying Rainbow Dash. Each entry that the others and she read filled her with regret at ever agreeing to go through with that plan, but there was still worse to come.

December 10, 2017

I’ve spent the whole weekend pondering on how to make my situation better and decided to go through with my idea and go back on the promise I made to myself not to pull any pranks for this month. I don’t want to go through with helping Grampa Gruff set up while dealing with even more heartache from missing my family. I want to stay here at the school until it’s finished being set up. Back then, I really had no choice, but to suffer through it. Now, however, I do have a choice. Go back and withstand another torturous session helping Grampa Gruff set up Blue Moon Festival, while feeling alone or stay here and actually try to suck up a couple extra hours of happiness for the first time in nine years. I don’t think Grampa Gruff will be happy about me skipping out, but it’s for his own good. He doesn’t deserve to deal with me, especially for a time that’s supposed to be for joy and happiness. Sometimes, I don’t know why he even considers me his grandson. He honestly deserves better.

Grandpa Gruff looked pale as the last sentence flashed across his vision. He couldn't even believe what he was reading. He couldn't wrap his head around how much Gallus had gone through or how he had missed so many signs. From his desire to just stay in bed, to the times the now deceased Griffon had lied about being sick or having allergies to cover up the fact that he had been crying profusely.

December 14, 2017

Well, I’ve got all the supplies I need for the plan. If all goes well, I should hopefully have an extra hour or two with my friends. Wish me luck. I’m going to need it. Sorry for keeping this short. I need to get my bearings tonight.

That was the last entry Gallus had written in his diary. There was a piece of paper taped to the next page and folded in half. Grandpa Gruff unstuck it, unfolded it, and everyone began to read it over.

Friends and teachers

If you’ve found this letter, you’ve, more than likely, found me. You’ve probably also read through my diary and found out about my true colors. I just wanted to be happy for the holidays and all I ended up doing was making everyone else miserable. I don’t blame any of you for being angry or upset with me. My actions have demonstrated that I don’t belong here, or anywhere in the world for that matter. I never did. Throughout my whole life, I’ve been worthless and, as much as I didn’t want to believe it, it would’ve been a trend that continued throughout the course of my existence, and I don’t want any of you to deal with that. Don’t waste your time missing me. Think of how much better your lives will be now that I'm out of the way. I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you all through. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I just hope your holidays are happier than mine would have been and that the new year brings you nothing but good luck. All I ask of you is that you bury me with my family. My Mom, Dad, and sisters are all buried at the Celestial Beach Cemetery, which is located just west of Griffonstone itself. They're all on top of a hill that overlooks the beach and the Celestial Sea. It was our favorite spot to go when it was summertime. Thank you all for opening your hearts and welcoming me inside this place, even though I didn’t deserve any of it. Tell Grampa Gruff I love him. I wish all of you nothing but the best in life. Until we meet again.

Your friend and student, Gallus.

For what felt like forever, everyone just stood frozen in place and teary-eyed as they read the letter over and over again. Some of them felt like breaking down right then and there, only to find that they no longer possessed the strength to do so. A few others tried to open their mouths to speak, only to find that they had lost the ability to do that as well, leaving them with no other alternative than to just at the shell-shocked, heartbroken faces of one another as they tried to comprehend the sheer amount of horror they had been subjected to in less than a single day, as well as the sheer horror that one creature had been subjected to for almost a decade. It didn’t even seem real. Nothing in this situation did. In the end, they all just wordlessly wrapped each other in a large hug, as the tears began streaming down their faces. Their festive spirits were now completely crushed. With the investigation now wrapped up, there was nothing for Gallus’ friends to do now except return to their families. They said a tearful goodbye to their teachers, Grampa Gruff, and each other, before walking out of the student dorms.

The moment Sandbar, Yona, Silverstream, Smolder, and Ocellus walked back into the castle, all it took was one look at their faces for the four pairs of parents and one sibling to figure out that something was very, very wrong.

“Smolder, what happened?” asked Garble, looking down at his sister’s sad face.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Smolder said softly. "Just take me home."

Presently, the teachers, Spike, Starlight, and Grampa Gruff walked in after the students. They all looked as shaken up as their loved ones.

“Twilight, why are our kids like this?” asked High Tide, gesturing to the teary-eyed face of her son.

Twilight swallowed hard as she looked at the Hippogriffs, Ponies, Changelings, Yaks, and Dragon that stood before her. She then slowly explained all that they had found in Gallus’ diary, as well as recapping what his suicide note contained.

Everyone just stood there in stunned silence. Staring blankly at the Princess as they processed what they had just heard.

“Thank you all for your patience,” Twilight finished, holding back a sob. “You are all free to go home now. I wish all of you a happy holiday season and happy new year.”

Without another word, the five students were escorted out of the friendship castle by their loved ones for the trip back home. Grampa Gruff also made a beeline for the door without looking back or saying goodbye to anyone, leaving only a few drops of water on the ground behind as he took off toward the sky with speeds that would've rivaled Rainbow Dash.

Twilight and the others could only watch them all grow smaller and smaller in their lines of sight until they had disappeared over the horizon entirely. They knew the holidays would be anything but merry with the death of their friend and grandson fresh on their minds.

Author's Note

Just in case any of you are confused to where the cemetery is:

The Funeral

Author's Note

The boundaries of the cemetery are highlighted in red. Sorry I didn't mention that.

The Funeral

Griffonstone, Equestria
Celestial Beach Cemetery
December 21, 2017, 11:30 A.M.

The mood that could best describe Griffonstone as a whole on this chilly December day was joyless. It was known that Griffonstone wasn’t exactly the happiest place in Equestria, but today, it was worse. Word about Gallus’ suicide had spread like wildfire and creatures from all parts of Equestria couldn't help but feel sad and sorry for the now deceased Griffon upon hearing of his story. Easily, however, there was no creature that felt more heartbroken or guilty than Grampa Gruff.

It didn’t take long for the Element Bearers, Starlight, Spike, Grandpa Gruff, and Gallus’ friends to find the place where Gallus’ family was buried. It was a cemetery that was rather secluded. Located below and west of Griffonstone and just east of Celestial Beach itself. There were two main ways to the cemetery. The first one was from the east, but the only mode of transportation for creatures unfortunate enough to lack the ability to fly was down a hiking path that was rarely, if at all, traveled at this time of year. It was roughly a one-and-a-half-mile trek down a dirt road that was now caked in fresh snow to the eastern entrance. The second entrance was on the south side. The main way that most creatures could get there would be for them to travel across the water and then walk a quarter-mile to the north of where the boats would dock on the pier.

There was only one hill within the cemetery. So, it didn’t take a genius to figure out where Gallus’ parents and sisters were buried. When they reached the top, the view they had of the sea was nothing short of breathtaking. There was a clear view out towards the water and, as it was facing west, it was almost guaranteed that a beautiful sunset would be on display for any creature to take in when the sky was clear. The Ponies swore they could see Baltimare if they squinted hard enough. They could only imagine how beautiful this place looked in the summertime.

Or how beautiful Gallus thought it looked. Back when he was a kid with a family. Back when he was a kid full of happiness. Back when he was a kid full of innocence. Back when he was a kid full of hope.

For Grampa Gruff, however, finding just the cemetery wasn’t enough. He wanted to, at least, visit the place where Gallus had lived and maybe see if he couldn’t persuade the Griffons there to come to the funeral as well. As luck would have it, a few of his neighbors used to live there and volunteered to take him, as well as the others, up there, which they all accepted without a second thought.

The journey took them to a part of the kingdom where it seemed that everyone went out of their way to avoid. In fact, as they drew closer to Gallus’ old town, it felt like the whole atmosphere became as gloomy as it was the night Gallus had passed. At last, they came upon a weathered, wooden sign that read, “Yellow Ridge Village.” What everyone found once they were past the sign could only be summed up with one word. Lonely. There was not a single creature inhabiting any part of the small town. The buildings were abandoned and boarded up, left at the mercy of the weather conditions or any mischievous tagger looking for a place to mark their territory. Some squirrels and birds had made their nests in some of the old houses and were the only signs of life that were observed by anyone.

Within minutes of arriving at the ghost town, the pack of creatures found Gallus' old home. Or, at least, what was left of it. The whole place was completely destroyed. Only part of a wall, the contorted skeleton of a staircase, and a corroded mailbox stood as silent witnesses to the events of the day when everything went to hell. It looked like no one had touched anything inside the place since it had burned down. The sight of it brought everyone to tears. They could only imagine what that young little fledgling witnessed that day.

The only Griffons who could actually attest to the full extent of the horror were now represented by the quartet of headstones that stood at the peak of the hill. All were simple in bearing the names, ages, and positions in the family each Griffon served.

Gared Terrence Griffon
Beloved husband, father, brother, son, and friend
May 30, 1970 - December 25, 2008

Galena Claire Griffon
Beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend
November 18, 1970 - December 25, 2008

While reading the first two gravestones was sad, reading the tombstones of the children had really brought everyone to tears.

Gracie Petunia Griffon
Beloved sister, daughter, granddaughter, and friend
April 3, 1997 - December 25, 2008

Gwendolyn Victoria “Gwen” Griffon
Beloved sister, daughter, granddaughter, and friend
July 6, 2004 - December 25, 2008

Now, there stood a large, rectangular hole to the right of Gwen’s grave with a fifth gravestone marking the final resting place of her older brother.

Gallus Gage Griffon
Beloved brother, son, grandson, and friend
October 21, 2001 - December 15, 2017

Just behind Gracie's grave, stood an object that was obscured by a white sheet. That would be revealed at the end of the tragic event. In front of the headstones and unknown object stood a podium made from cherry wood with a microphone.

The crowd that had gathered for the funeral was larger than expected. In addition to all of Griffonstone turning out for the funeral, there was a sizable number of other creatures from other parts of Equestria who had come to say a final goodbye to a Griffon they barely, if at all, knew. In the front row sat Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, the Element Bearers, Starlight, Spike, Gallus’ friends and their families, and Grandpa Gruff. On a stand in front of them just behind the covered object stood a coffin as white as the snow with golden accents. As the last of the attendees took their seats, Twilight got up from her seat, stepped up to the podium, and turned to face the crowd.

For a brief second, the Alicorn just stared at the sea of bright colors, taking in just how many creatures had arrived. A tinge of anger crept through her when she laid eyes upon the other Griffons. She wanted to know which specific Griffons were from Gallus' old town so she could ask them why they had decided to show up to express their support now instead of leaving him to fend for himself for two full years. That tinge of anger soon turned to guilt when she remembered how she wasn't any better. If she had just been honest with Gallus the first time he had been at her office, the others and she could have had the chance to get the truth about his past. It would've changed everything. Twilight pushed her internal emotions aside with a deep, shaken breath and began to slowly speak.

“Thank all of you for attending today,” Twilight spoke into the microphone. “It really means a lot to all of us that you came here today to say a final goodbye to a Griffon who has touched so many lives by the age of sixteen. I first met Gallus when I had opened my School of Friendship just three short months ago. He was initially resistant to the idea of friendship until he got to know five creatures just as special as he was. A Hippogriff named Silverstream, a Dragon named Smolder, an Earth Pony named Sandbar, a Changeling named Ocellus, and a Yak named Yona. The six of them soon became inseparable and were an unbeatable team. Among the six of them, Gallus was always known as the prankster of the group. Whether it was putting non-toxic food coloring in the water system or filling up the hallways with balloons, we always couldn’t help but laugh at his antics, no matter how annoyed we seemed with him when we first found out about it.”

Gallus’ friends and the other teachers couldn’t help but let out a few sad chuckles, remembering all the Griffon’s past mischief. While they always expressed their irritation at Gallus for his antics, they were all harmless and in good fun and they’d usually be over it by next morning. At the same time, however, it made everyone feel sadder, especially Gallus’ friends and the teachers. It was going to be different at the School of Friendship without its star trickster pulling his usual stunts. It was an especially hard topic for Smolder. Gallus and she had often pulled pranks on each other and some of the things they had done to each other were pretty funny. Once, they were memories that would’ve made her laugh. Now, they were memories that made her want to cry and she wanted nothing more than to forget about them.

“However, while he seemed like your typical, happy, mischievous teenager, Gallus had a side that none of us would’ve ever thought he possessed. The others and I ascertained that his family had been killed in a house fire on the day of the Blue Moon Festival, leaving him homeless and orphaned. Next Monday will mark the nine-year anniversary. He had spent two years living on the streets before being taken in by Grampa Gruff. He had lied to everyone about his past to avoid anyone finding out about it because he felt like he'd just be an issue for everyone to deal with if they did know. He was successful at keeping it a secret until a prank pulled by him six days earlier revealed that he had wanted to stay at school just long enough to miss out on helping Grampa Gruff set up for the Blue Moon Festival. Bad feelings eventually boiled over into an argument between his friends about who had done the prank, during which he chastised them for how they acted. The argument ultimately sparked a tearful confession from him saying that he had done the prank and how he didn’t have a family to go home to. Rainbow, Spike, and I all pitched in to help patch things up between him and the others.

Silverstream, Smolder, Ocellus, Yona, and Sandbar had embraced each other by this point and were crying tenderly. The teachers could only rub their backs and join the hug as Twilight continued on.

“Unfortunately, we came to the realization too late that years of fighting his grief and demons had been slowly building up over time and the events of that fateful December day had finally pushed him past his breaking point. He had kept a diary in his nightstand, which revealed that he had been severely depressed. He said in his suicide note that he felt that he was worthless and had no place not only at school, but in the world in general. He viewed himself as a nuisance and felt like no one should have to fight his battles for him."

Twilight paused for a second to wipe away tears that had begun to well up in her eyes.

“As my friends and I were reeling from the events of both his suicide and finding out his true colors in his diary, I began to realize just how lucky I was to have a family and friends of my own. While Gallus’ story doesn’t have a happy ending, it does have a moral that is very important. It teaches us to really appreciate what we have in life. So, this holiday season, I implore you all to please hug your loved ones a little tighter and realize how lucky you are to have a family. There are so many more creatures in this world that are in the exact same situation he was in.”

Twilight turned to face the casket and the top half of it was bathed in her purple aura. Everyone felt their guts drop as they prepared themselves for what they were about to see. The casket was opened to reveal Gallus wearing a tuxedo. His arms were folded over his chest, resembling an “X.” The small pillow that they had found in the Gallus’ nightstand now stood propped up in the top left corner of the casket. Just below the pillow was the Griffon’s diary.

Twilight winced slightly as she heard the pained cries of Gallus' friends and Grampa Gruff as they lost control of their emotions at the sight of the deceased Griffon. However, she pushed it back for the time being as she walked to the casket and looked at her demised student.

“Gallus,” she began. “I wish you could see how many creatures came here just for you. You were a great student, friend, Grandson, and creature through and through. You were never a problem, you were never a burden, you were never a screw-up, and you were most certainly never a failure. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were a troubled soul in this world, but now, you are free. Free from the grief you were forced to endure for almost nine years. Free to go home to the heavens above and be with your family. Free to finally experience peace. I hope you’re living every second of it to the fullest. You’ve more than earned it.”

She spun around to face the crowd.

“Anyone is now free to say their final goodbyes,” she announced.

Without another word, the Alicorn trotted back to her seat to let the others speak.

The first to speak was Smolder. She took a deep, shaken breath as she gazed down at Gallus’ still face.

“Gallus, let me just begin this by saying you were the best friend a Dragon could ask for. You always brought out the best in everyone, including me. All those memories we made together, including our prank war, are all things that should put a smile on my face or make me laugh. Now, they just fill me with sadness and guilt. I was supposed to be your friend and I wasn’t there for you when you needed the others and me the most. For nine years, you sat in the dark with only your own demons for company, feeling sad, alone, and like you were better off dead,” she paused to wipe away tears. “Sometimes, I think about what would’ve changed if we had checked up on you more often. Would we have been able to stop you from going through with this? Would we have been able to help you find peace? All these questions race through my mind and each one hurts me more than the last.”

Smolder teared up as she locked eyes with the small pillow located in the top-left corner of the casket, fighting the urge to break down as she remembered her friend’s final words.

“I hope you and your family are putting together the best Blue Moon Festival in heaven, Gallus,” she whispered into his ear. “If you can hear us, please know that we don’t blame you for anything that’s happened over this past week. We just wish we could’ve helped you before your grief finally consumed you completely.”

The orange Dragon wrapped her arms and wings around Gallus, hugging his corpse for a few seconds, before reluctantly breaking away. She wasn’t looking forward as she made her way back to her seat. She was looking over her shoulder the whole time, never peeling her eyes away from the open casket.

After Smolder was Ocellus.

“I-I guess this is goodbye, Gallus,” the Changeling stammered, tearing up as she looked at Gallus. “I don’t know what to think right now. It’s all so much to process. It feels like this is all some horrible nightmare, but every night I wake up to the sound of you crying and screaming at us about how easy we have it for the Holidays. I realize all over again that this isn’t a nightmare. It’s reality and I hate it. I absolutely hate it. I hate that your demons had been tormenting you day in and day out and you felt like you had no one to turn to. I hate that the others and I were unable to do anything to ease your anguish. I hate that we were unable to save you that day. I don’t know what to think or do now. You were always there for me. You always put a smile on my face, e-especially…”

Ocellus’ words faltered in her throat, as she remembered every good memory that she had made with the Griffon hit her all at once. The tears that had welled up in her eyes were now leaving streaks down her cheeks.

“E-Especially…*sniffle*...through your…*hic*...pranks.”

Saying these four words made the young Changeling finally lose control of her emotions completely. She crossed her arms over the rim of the casket, buried her face into them, and began to sob hysterically.

“It’s not fair!” she wailed. “You did nothing to deserve this! You were such a great creature!”

After crying her eyes out for a solid minute, Ocellus got herself back together and looked back at her deceased friend.

“I-In spite of how sad this is, the others and I know that you’re in a better place now, Gallus. While we’re all happy that you’re no longer suffering, we just wish we could be with you. Just for one more day. Just for one more adventure. Just for one more happy memory.”

With that, Ocellus nuzzled Gallus’ still cheek before walking slowly back to her seat.

Yona got up next. She trudged slowly through the fresh snow before coming to a stop in front of the Griffon’s coffin.

“Yona will always treasure memories made with Gallus,” she spoke softly. “Gallus wasn’t worthless. Gallus wasn't problem. Gallus was great friend to many creatures. Gallus always made Yona laugh with pranks and jokes. Yona will carry Gallus inside here.”

She pressed a hoof against her chest, just above her heart.

"Yona sorry for Griffon’s situation. Yona sometimes wonder if she could've done more to prevent Gallus' death. Yona thinks about Gallus every day. Yona wish that Griffon and his family are reunited in heaven. Yona wish that Gallus find peace in afterlife."

The Yak nuzzled her right cheek against Gallus’ right cheek before turning around and trudging back to her seat.

After Yona was Sandbar. The green Earth Pony felt weak as he stood up and walked over to Gallus’ casket.

“It’s hard to believe that today is the last day I'll spend with you, Gallus. Never in my life did I think that I’d have to say a final goodbye to you this fast. Things aren’t going to be the same around here without you. You helped make not just the School of Friendship, but all of Equestria, a better place for everyone, especially for me. I don’t think there was ever a time that I wasn’t smiling when I was around you. Your sarcastic remarks and your pranks always brightened my day. My favorite one was when you set up a rubber spider inside one of the drawers on Professor Applejack’s desk. With you gone, my life is going to be a lot blander. The worst part of it is because it wasn’t a sickness or a freak accident that called you away from this world. It was from years of living with a broken heart and feeling like you’d never amount to anything. Even though the prank was your doing, and you didn’t want it to go this far, I can’t help but feel like I went wrong somewhere. I replay every memory, trying to construct and deconstruct every moment to try and see where I made a mistake anywhere that may have made you feel sad or left out and it ultimately snowballed into this.”

The green Earth Pony stared sadly at Gallus’ still face.

“If your soul can hear me, please know that I hope you’re well taken care of wherever you are now and I wish you nothing but the best for your journey in the afterlife,” he finished.

With his speech finished, there was nothing more Sandbar could do except go back to his seat. The Earth Pony’s mind was still flooded with memories that he was deconstructing moment by moment all at once, desperately trying to find any possible screw-up he had made or any red flags relating to Gallus that he might have missed in the three months that he had known the Griffon.

The last of Gallus’ friends to speak was Silverstream. While Gallus’ suicide was obviously sad for his friends, it seemed the Hippogriff was easily the most crushed out of all of them. Her fur, feathers, and mane were a matted mess, her eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags under them, and the bitter taste of vomit lingered inside of her mouth.

“Y-You p-poor Griffon,” she choked out through sobs. “You deserved so much better in life. You were the best friend I could’ve ever asked for, Gallus. You always knew how to brighten a room. You always knew how to make a creature laugh. You were kind, you were faithful, and you were true to the bitter end. I can’t put into words the shame I feel toward myself or how much my world has changed for the worst in the span of less than a week. While my physical wounds will eventually heal, my emotional wounds won’t.”

Silverstream paused for a brief moment, took a deep breath, and readied herself to finally confess how she really felt about the Griffon that now lay deceased right before her eyes.

“If the truth be told, I thought of you as more than just my friend, Gallus. The moment I laid eyes on you, you stole my heart. It wasn't just some crush. I loved you, Gallus. I loved you beyond what I could ever put into words. You weren't an encumbrance to anyone in this world. You were a smart, funny, and beautiful creature inside and out. Unfortunately, every time I tried to tell you, my courage died at the last second. The worst part about it is that you loved me too, but you held off on telling me just because you felt like you would bring me down with what you thought were your issues.”

With each word she spoke, Silverstream felt worse and worse.

“If anything, I didn’t deserve you, Gallus. I was a blatant coward to my own feelings. If I had just sucked it up and came clean with you about how I felt, maybe it could have been something that ultimately helped you through that day. It could've changed everything, but I just kept putting it off all because I was so scared about being rejected. Now, I can never be with you, and you can never be with me. I failed you, Gallus, and this is what it's led to. I'm sorry. I’m so, so sorry. You didn’t need those extra friendship lessons over the break. We did.”

Smolder, Sandbar, Yona. and Ocellus didn’t even bother defending themselves from Silverstream’s statement. As much as they hated to admit it, the Hippogriff was telling the cold, hard truth in their minds, and it was just another reminder of why they were here. The more they thought about Gallus, the more they blamed themselves for his suicide. A soft thud pulled them back to reality and they looked back in the direction of where Gallus' casket stood on its perch, before their eyes fell upon Silverstream, now sprawled on the ground and sobbing hysterically. She tried to get back up, but her knees buckled, and she fell right back onto the snow. She felt weak both physically and mentally. Her whole body ached from both her physical injuries and the sharp ache that surged through her insides with every beat of her broken heart.

“Please, come back,” she croaked. “You're my best friend. I need you. Don’t leave me, please.”

Seeing that Silverstream could go no further, her parents, Terramar, Smolder, Ocellus, Sandbar, and Yona immediately sprang from their seats and rushed over to the devastated Hippogriff. Carefully, they hoisted their daughter, sister, and friend back up onto her claw and hooves. They started to pull her back to her seat, but the Hippogriff resisted.

"No," she said, taking deep breaths to steady herself. "I need to finish this. I-It's the least I can do."

Silverstream's friends and family gave each other uneasy looks but, nevertheless, fulfilled her request and helped her back toward Gallus' coffin. It wasn't long before Silverstream soon found herself looking back down at her best friend's still face. For a few long seconds, the Hippogriff just stood there in dead silence, before she slowly craned her neck down and puckered her lips to leave a kiss right on Gallus' lips.

"I-I've wanted to do that for so long," Silverstream's voice started to crack as tears streamed down her face like a river of sorrow, her unbandaged hand caressing Gallus' cheek.

Then, she turned her attention toward the gravestones that served as the resting places for Gallus' family.

"I-I also have something to say to the four of you as well," she continued. "Although, I've never met any of you, I know, from the behavior of your son and brother, that you were all amazing creatures. I want to extend my apologies to you all as well. For everything. From the terror you must've felt when you realized that you weren't going to make it out of your own house alive to the others and me being blind to your son's ordeal when he needed someone to be with him the most."

All Smolder, Sandbar, Ocellus, and Yona could do was stare at the gravestones, then toward the ground. Before a loud, agonizing wail splitting the sky brought their attention back to Silverstream as she collapsed into the bitter cold snow once again. The Hippogriff's friends and family were at her side in a split-second. Knowing that she didn't have the strength to go back to her seat on her own, Ocean Flow carefully scraped her sobbing daughter off of the ground and placed her on Sky Beak's back for the short walk back. Terramar and Silverstream's friends followed close behind.

With the students finished, Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were up next. The eight creatures had all decided to go at once.

“H-Hey, Gallus,” Rainbow started. "I can’t express how much the others and I are going to miss you. You were always there being sarcastic, but friendly, outgoing, and loveable to everyone you met. It’s not going to be the same without your pranks or antics. Even though they were rather annoying, I did always look back on them later and laugh. There were some instances where I almost didn't want to punish you for when we found out you did a prank because some of them were actually pretty funny, and no one was ever hurt. In a way, you and I shared a lot personality wise. Now, I feel like a piece of me is gone. Not only that, but I was partially responsible for what you did that night. Even though the others and I didn't know how you were struggling emotionally, I was still in on the plan to get you to crack, and it ultimately pushed you off the edge. I want to say sorry, but no apology I could give will ever make up for what happened. It won’t take back the fact that my actions had a hoof in driving you to this. It won’t take back the fact that I didn’t do enough as a teacher to reach out to you as a student. It won’t take back the fact that the others and I were unable to show you that we loved and appreciated you for who you were.“

A lump formed in Rainbow’s throat as she said her last sentence as tears began to well up in her eyes.

“O-Or who we thought you were,” she finished, choking on her words as she fought the urge to break down.

Rainbow stepped back so Applejack could speak next.

"They say that every once in a while, an angel will come into your life and leave a mark on your heart that never goes away," the Apple farmer swallowed hard as she continued, a single tear escaping out of her eye and rolling down her cheek. "I never would've imagined that angel was one of my own students. Gallus, you were a stubborn, persistent, little spitfire. At the same time, however, you were also a hard-working, dedicated, and good-hearted Griffon. I've never admitted this to anyone, but you were always my favorite student because I, like Rainbow, thought that you and I connected a lot of ways in how we acted. Not only that, but I also know what it’s like to lose a loved one. I don't have parents to go home to back on the farm as well. Unfortunately, as sad as my family situation is, I've still got an older brother that looks after me, a younger sister that I look after, and a grandmother that all three of us look after. You didn't have any extended family to take you in and the only sibling you did have also died. Now, though, you no longer have to be forced to agonize over them. I know that the five of y'all are back together and are catching up on good times as we speak."

The apple farmer took off her hat and pulled a fake spider out of it. She placed it inside the casket just under where his diary rested inside of it.

"There you go, sugarcube," she spoke softly. "I figured you'd want that back."

It took a few seconds of coaxing from Applejack, as well as the others, for Rarity to get her emotions together long enough to step up to the open casket. The alabaster Unicorn wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the emotionally taxing task of saying goodbye to her student.

"This isn't right!" wailed the fashionista. "You had so much in this world to look forward to and now you'll never get to experience it! You were among friends here, Gallus. You were never a nuisance. You were an exemplary creature to all who knew you. You were a devoted friend. You were the best student any teacher could ever ask for. It hurts me even more knowing, like Twilight said, that there are so more creatures out there who are just like you, feeling like they're in the dark and have no one to talk to because they'd feel like they were nothing more than a nuisance to everyone who knew them if they revealed their struggle."

She turned around to face the crowd.

"Th-This is a message I want to make clear to everyone," she choked through her tears. "If someone you know may be showing signs of feeling like they're alone or not wanted, take it upon yourself to show them that they are wanted and that you do care for them, and to anyone who may be feeling alone or unwanted, please know that there are people out there who do care about you. They just aren't always visible."

At that point, Rarity began to completely break down and sob hysterically. She was wrapped into a hug by the other six ponies and Dragon, before Starlight reluctantly broke away from the hug and stepped up to the coffin to speak next.

"Gallus, I just want to say that Applejack and Rainbow Dash aren’t the only ones who felt like they shared common personality traits with you. Your struggles with the holidays, relate to me as well. I'd say your situation about family also related to me as well, but I still have my dad here with me. You didn't have anyone to turn to. My mother had ended up passing away from a fatal illness right after I had graduated Kindergarten and my childhood was never the same since. My grief over losing my mother soon turned to bitterness, resentment, and anger and I often directed it toward my dad. My relationship with him grew more and more strained as the years progressed until I eventually ran away from home. When I was in charge of my village, Our Town, while Ponies there did still exchange gifts and spread cheer during Hearth's Warming, I was never really into it. While I did still participate and even host activities during that time, there was always a place in my heart that just didn't seem full. Looking back now, I realized that it was because I missed my Sunburst and my parents. I want to say that was probably what you felt when you spent all those years alone and in the dark, but I had the advantage of making amends with both my dad and Sunburst. It hurts me knowing that it wasn't the same case for you."

She leaned down and whispered her last sentences in Gallus' ear.

"I hope you, as well as the rest of your family, get to meet my mom one day on the other side, Gallus. She'd always crack the funniest jokes whenever anyone was down. I know that the two of you would make fast friends with your personality."

After Starlight was Spike.

“Next to Smolder, I connect with you now in a lot of ways too, Gallus. You're not the only one who doesn’t have a family to go home to either. To this day, I still don’t have my real parents or siblings beside me either, but, even then, I still have it easier than you,” the Dragon paused for a few seconds to cry before continuing. “While there’s still a possibility my family is out there, you literally had to witness them die in the worst way possible. I can’t even imagine how horrific that was for you.”

The usually joyous, upbeat, positive Pinkie Pie looked beyond crestfallen as she stepped up to share what she had to say about the young Griffon. Her mane was deflated, and her usual, vibrant pink coat was now faded.

“The world isn’t a better place without you, Gallus," sobbed Pinkie. "It’s a worse place. You always brightened other creatures’ days with your jokes and tricks. Some of them even rivaled the pranks that Dash and I pulled. I could never be mad at you for the shenanigans you pulled. If anything, every time we confronted you about them, it took a lot of my self-restraint not to just laugh. They were all harmless and in good fun. Now, we can’t share a good laugh over them anymore. You may have not realized it, but you’ve touched a lot more people in their hearts than you might have thought with your jokes, laughter, and joy.”

She paused, almost breaking down in tears.

“B-But all this time, we never bothered to think that maybe we should’ve given some of that light back to you, even just a little bit. E-Especially since all the jokes and pranks was all just because you just didn’t want others to see how you were truly feeling inside. Maybe it could’ve changed the outcome of all of this. We could’ve had a chance to put a real smile on your face.”

The Pink party Pony began to cry silently as Fluttershy walked up to say her piece.

"Gallus, I can't even begin to describe what I feel right now. You were always there for another creature in their time of need, and you always made everyone's troubles feel so small. Unfortunately, it seemed that all this time, despite all your kindness, you needed it far more. I know what it’s like to lose someone close to you, but for you to have to witness them being taken in the worst way possible honestly just makes my heart break over and over for you. I’ve always wondered if I could’ve changed the outcome of this if I had done something even slightly different.”

The animal caretaker paused as she too began to replay past memories of her interactions with Gallus, wondering if he would still be here if she had just said, “hello,” to him one more time or asked how he was feeling. Then, she turned her attention back to finishing her speech.

“However, despite the fact that we couldn’t prevent your despair from destroying you from the inside out, we are all comforted by the fact that you're at peace and having a great time in heaven as we speak. Fly high, Gallus. May you be eternally blessed in the safe, loving grasps of not just your family, but also the gods and goddesses above." finished the Pegasus, a small, sad, but warm smile, playing her lips.

Fluttershy stepped back to let Twilight speak and finish off the speeches.

“I find it truly ironic that, even though the girls, Spike, and I were supposed to teach you about friendship, you were ultimately the one who taught us all a lesson about friendship, as well as family, in more ways than one,” she wiped away her tears as she looked at Gallus’ still face. "You really did possess a lot more knowledge than I could've ever imagined. I just wish we didn't have to learn it due to the fact that your story ended so quickly and unhappily, but we cannot control when the Gods and Goddesses choose their next angel. You were truly a special creature and I promise that I'll always think of you and your family whenever possible. I have no doubt in my mind that you’re up in heaven making fast friends with everyone you meet.”

Twilight used her magic to open a saddlebag that she had brought along with her and levitate a piece of paper out into view for the others and her to see. It was rolled up and secured with a bright red ribbon. The Alicorn held the scroll in place as she used her magic to untie the ribbon and unroll the paper, examining it thoroughly through blurred vision.

Certificate of Graduation
Presented to: Gallus Griffon
Dated: December 21, 2017
Signed: Twilight Sparkle

A purple aura surrounded Gallus’ arms as Twilight lifted them just high enough to slide the diploma in between his claws and his chest. Once it was in the right spot, Twilight set Gallus’ arms back down and released her magical hold on them, looking tearfully at the finished product. It was a perfect fit.

“The others and I have agreed that the only way to truly acknowledge just how much you’ve taught us all is to give you the honor of being the first official graduate of our school,“ Twilight whispered into his ear. "Consider it just the first of many steps we’re taking to ensure you’re never forgotten.”

With the diploma now settled in place, the octet made their way back to their seats.

After the teachers took their seats, all eyes turned to Grampa Gruff, the last one to speak. Next to Silverstream, he was easily the most devastated out of everyone there.

“I-I don't even know how to start this,” he choked out. “N-No grandparent is expected to have to say goodbye to their only grandchild when they're still a teenager, much less because of their own mistakes. I can’t even put into words how sorry I am for what you’ve gone through or how my own failures led you to taking your own life. I created this mess. I was always cantankerous during the Blue Moon Festival even when I had nothing to complain about. If anyone had a right to complain during the holiday season, it was you. You spent more of your life feeling sad, scared, and alone than you did happy. I was completely blind to the fact that you were suffering in the dark for years. You put on a mask to please me for over six years, but there were numerous moments that you weren’t doing well, and what did I do? I ignored the signs. I went about my life when I should’ve stopped to think about you more often. I’ve failed you as a grandfather. I’ve failed you as a caretaker. I-I…”

The old Griffon choked on his words as he fought back from breaking down.

“I’ve failed you as a friend.”

By this point, Grampa Gruff couldn’t keep his composure any longer. He began to do nothing but just sob and sob as he leaned against his grandson’s coffin. The other Griffons just looked at him with a mix of sympathy and shock. In all the years they had known Grampa Gruff, they had never seen him this emotionally distraught before.

“I hope you’re living a happy life in Heaven with your family, the one I didn't give you,” Grampa Gruff finished. "I love with all my heart. Please forgive me for my mistakes."

He wrapped his arms around Gallus' head, stroking the trio of feathers that stood up on top of it, before letting go and planting a kiss on his cheek. With that, the old Griffon ran back to his seat in a fit of choked sobs.

With everyone having said their piece, the top half of the casket was enveloped in Twilight’s purple aura and closed once again. The quiet “click” that followed indicated that it had been locked. It was bathed in Twilight’s purple aura and lifted off of its stand. It was levitated over the rectangular hole and slowly lowered inside of it. As the casket sank from sight, the hearts of Gallus’ friends, Grampa Gruff, and his teachers sank inside their chests, following the casket into the dark, lifeless abyss. Once it touched the earth, the grim task of refilling the hole began. Little by little, the large clump of dirt became smaller and smaller. The hole that the casket now resided in became shallower and shallower.

As the last clump of dirt was piled onto the mound of earth, Grampa Gruff wiped away his tears, got up from his seat, trudged slowly toward the object that was still obscured by the white sheet, and pulled it away, revealing the object to the audience. It was another headstone that towered two feet over the other four graves made of the same gray stone that the graves were made from. The only difference was that the top of the headstone was heart-shaped. The heart had black letters carved into it just like the tombstones. Its message stood out bold and proud against the gray color and it made over half the crowd cry as they read it.

Grampa Gruff walked back around and stared sadly at the quartet of graves and the heart. Everyone else did the same. The last chapter of a tragic story and situation had reached its final page, and the book could now be closed for good, but the moral of the story would forever linger in everyone’s minds.

With each second, he looked at the six headstones, Grampa Gruff’s guilt ate away inside of him more and more until, at last, it pushed him to make a drastic decision. He wasn’t the only one either. As Gallus’ friends read the words of the heart-shaped marker over and over again, memories from that night swarmed around in their minds like angry bees, until, one by one, they too came to a drastic conclusion of their own. Before they could say anything, however, Grampa Gruff spun around to face the crowd.

“Attention, Griffons,” he announced. “I will not be joining you this year for the Blue Moon Festival.”

The Griffons were rather shocked by this, but before they could ask why, Sandbar, Yona, Smolder, Ocellus, and Silverstream also spoke up.

“I’ve also decided I’m not going to be celebrating the holidays this year as well,” Sandbar said to his parents.

“Count me out of the Feast of Fire,” Smolder said to Garble.

“Yona not participating in holidays either,” said Yona.

“I’m not going to be celebrating Hearth’s Warming either,” said Ocellus.

“I think I’ll sit the Three Days of Freedom out this year as well,” said Silverstream.

The parents, Garble, and the teachers all gave each other alarmed looks.

“Are you sure?” asked Garble.

“We’ve got a lot of great gifts for you, honey,” Carapace tried to persuade his daughter.

“I don't want any gifts for the holidays,” Ocellus retorted, her eyes filled with tears. "I want my friend back."

“What about us, though?” asked Garble. “What are mom and dad going to think when they find out you’re skipping out?”

“I need some time to think, Garble,” said Smolder firmly. “I can’t enjoy the holidays with all this on my mind. I’ve thought this over for the past six days and I’ve made my decision.”

The other four students agreed.

Everyone just stared in shock at the five students before it turned into looks of sympathy and defeat. It seemed that, in the end, the kids needed some time to think and cope over the events over the past week.

“Well, if you ever change your mind, we’ll be more than happy to welcome you back,” Ocean Flow told her daughter as Silverstream climbed onto Sky Beak’s back for the trip home.

With the funeral over, there wasn’t much that anyone could do except go back home. Looking around at the heartbroken students leaving the cemetery with their families worse off than when they started, as well as watching Grampa Gruff fly back to Griffonstone while crying profusely, the Element Bearers, Spike, and Starlight all felt the same thing. Failure.

Unbeknownst to anyone, however, Celestia and Luna weren’t about to let things end off on such a low note. The two Royal Sisters looked at each other.

“You know what to do, right?” asked Celestia.

“Indeed, I do, sister,” Luna replied.

The two Princesses turned toward the Element Bearers, who were now whispering amongst each other.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Twilight. "How are they going to move past this event?"

"Not to worry, Twilight," announced Celestia. "Luna and I have a plan to help them."

The Element Bearers listened intently as Celestia and Luna explained their plan. By the time they were finished, Twilight and her friends did feel more hopeful in getting their students out of their misery, but they were still uneasy.

"I really hope this works," said Starlight. "What if this traumatizes them further?"

"It won't, Starlight," Luna assured. "We're positive that it will help them, as well as Grampa Gruff, move past their guilt and grief."

The Ponies and Spike nodded and headed back for home, praying that their students would be back to their old selves after tonight.

Visitors in the Dream Realm: Pt.2

11:05 P.M.

Gallus and Princess Luna lead the way to the dreams of the School of Friendship's teachers. Gallus' family, friends, and Grampa Gruff followed close behind. It didn't take them long to reach the dreams of Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Gallus and his family already knew the plan for the teachers and had briefed Silverstream, Sandbar, Yona, Smolder, and Ocellus on what they were going to do.

"Everyone ready?" asked Gallus.

The nods from the other ten creatures answered his question.

"Excellent," said the angel Griffon.

Pinkie Pie's Dream

Pinkie Pie was lining up her party cannons for the big Hearth's Warming celebration at the Castle of Friendship.

"Okie Dokie!" she chirped in her usual upbeat tone. "Just need to test them!"

She walked over to the first cannon and set it off. As the confetti dispersed, a bright, white light illuminated from the barrel of the cannon.

"Huh," said Pinkie. "That's odd. None of my cannons have ever emitted light."

She walked around the front of the cannon to inspect what was going on, only to be pulled off of her hooves and sucked into the barrel without warning.

Rarity's Dream

Rarity grinned as she finished setting up the decorations. The Hearth’s Warming party at the castle was just a few short days away. She stopped for a second to admire the beauty of the decorations. They were her own work and, as always, they looked flawless.

"Perfect," she said. "Now for the finishing touch."

She walked over to a bag that was filled with gems the Spike and she had collected a few days ago. The fashionista opened the top of the bag, expecting to be met with the sight of the flawless, colorful rocks. What met her instead, however, was a blinding white light. She was pulled off of her hooves and sucked inside of the bag in the span of less than a second.

Fluttershy's Dream

The sun was starting to set as Fluttershy was preparing some tea for herself inside her cottage. Soon, it would be time for her to leave for the big hearth's Warming celebration at the Castle of Friendship. The cream-colored Pegasus looked outside, watching the snowflakes gently falling from the sky as she waited patiently for the kettle to boil.

"Wintertime is always so beautiful," she said to herself.

Presently, there was the sound of whistling coming from the kitchen, signaling that the water was now ready. Fluttershy walked into the kitchen and turned off the stove. As she tipped the kettle into her teacup a bright, white light began to come out of its spout.

Confused by what she was seeing, Fluttershy set the kettle down, took off the lid, and looked inside to see where the source of the light was coming from. As she looked, an invisible force began to pull her inside the kettle without warning. She tried to fight the force, but it was no use. The Pegasus was sucked inside the kettle almost instantly.

Applejack's Dream

Applejack rolled the last barrel of apples off of her cart. The barrels of apples would be either sold during the Hearth's Warming Celebration or baked into pies and other goodies by the apple farmer herself with the help of Pinkie Pie.

"These apples are going to taste better than a glass of cider on a summer day," she said as she tipped the barrel back onto its header.

Applejack opened the barrels one by one to make sure all the apples were still ripe and not bruised. Soon, she was down to the last one. When the orange Earth Pony pulled the top of the last barrel, a blinding, white light met her eyes.

"What the-?!" she exclaimed as she was abruptly pulled off of her hooves and sucked inside the barrel.

Starlight's Dream

It was the morning of Hearth's Warming and Starlight Glimmer was at her dad's house. Firelight and she were preparing to open the gifts under the tree.

"This first one's for you, sweetie," said Firelight, as he gave Starlight a present with red wrapping paper and a yellow bow.

Starlight gave her father a quick hug and nuzzle before she used her magic to pull off the wrapping paper and opened the box underneath. Her excited expression immediately went away as her eyes were hit with a blinding, white light. Without warning, the pink Unicorn was sucked inside the box.

Twilight and Spike's Dream

Although, Spike and Twilight could not have known it, they were both sharing the same dream. In the dream, the Dragon and Pony were in the teachers' lounge after dismissing the students for winter break. Alongside them was Rainbow Dash. Spike was busy shaking presents under the tree, trying to guess what was inside each one. Rainbow and Twilight just sat there and smiled as they watched the little Dragon shake each gift.

Unfortunately, the Ponies were so focused on Spike that they had failed to notice a cloaked figure sneaking up onto the rafters and with a jar of magic powder. The cloaked figure dumped the jar of powder onto the fire of Friendship without hesitation. The contents of the jar reacted of the bright pink heart instantly. It began to spark and glow brighter and brighter. Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash looked up to see the Fire of Friendship exploding into a large wave of purple goo that rapidly began to cover the whole tree and the presents underneath. Some of it had even gotten on the walls and furniture.

While Rainbow had been flying out of the blast radius and Twilight had protected herself with a magical shield, Spike wasn't so lucky. He was covered from head to toe in purple goo. Using her magic, Twilight quickly freed the Dragon before the trio turned their attention back to the tree.

"What-What happened?!" asked Spike.

"Everything's ruined," cried Twilight, looking over the now goo-covered tree and decorations. "That's what's happened."

Then, Rainbow caught sight of something up in the rafters. She flew up to have a better look at what it was. Upon seeing the jar of powder tipped over, her expression soured.

"And I don't think it was an accident," she growled, turning back to face Twilight and Spike. "Somepony was up here!"

Right as she said that, Spike caught sight of a cloaked figure making their getaway.

"Over there!" he exclaimed.

Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow watched as the cloaked figure hastily made their way to the windows. They opened the windows and ran outside, the two Ponies and Dragon following close behind. The snowfall was thick, and the wind howled, but that didn't stop them from chasing after the mystery creature. They lost sight of the cloaked figure for a few seconds, until Spike spotted a door closing.

"That's the students’ quarters!" he said.

The trio raced to the door and flung it open, only to be met with a bright, white light. Before either Spike or Twilight could even process what they were seeing, they were both sucked into the light.

Rainbow Dash's Dream

Darkness. That was all that surrounded Rainbow Dash. She had no clue where she even was and had spent what had felt like the whole night wandering around aimlessly, trying to make sense of what was going on or finding an exit out of the black void.

"Damn it, what is this?" Rainbow let out an annoyed grunt. "Why can't I get out of here?"

"I-I can't take this anymore."

Rainbow froze when she heard that voice. It sounded strangely familiar. It also sounded like the creature that it was coming from was on the verge of breaking down crying.

"H-Hello?" she called out softly. "Wh-Who's there?"

No response.

Rainbow tried again, "Is there anycreature there? If there is, please say something. I won't hurt you. I promise."

A single beam of soft white light stabbed the darkness in front of her. The Cyan Pegasus' whole body grew cold and numb when she laid eyes at what the beam of light was shining on. It was Gallus, sitting on his haunches with his face buried into his crossed arms, his sobs now becoming more vivid and painful. In Gallus' left claw was a shiny, metal object. A sharp glare from the stainless metal hit Rainbow right in her eye and temporarily blinded her, before she got a good look at what the object was. A large knife. She turned her attention back to Gallus himself, only to find him now looking right at her with bloodshot eyes. The fur on his cheeks was matted with his own tears and his whole body was shivering.

"G-Gallus?" Rainbow stammered, hesitant for the answer to the question she was about to ask. "What are you doing with that knife?"

For a few tense seconds, there was silence as Gallus just stared right into Rainbow's worried eyes. Until the knife's handle was gripped by both his claws and held level with his throat. It was only then did one word, and only one word, leave his beak.

"This."

The sickening sound of flesh being stabbed could be heard for miles around as Rainbow staggered backwards in horror, watching her student yank the knife out of his neck and the streaks of dark red that came pouring out of the large, fresh gash seconds after, staining the light grayish amber fur on his underbelly.

"Someone, please help!" Tears began to stream down Rainbow's face as she looked around frantically, desperate for any sign of another creature in the void. "He's hurt!"

Silence was the only thing that responded to her. Rainbow turned her attention back to Gallus only to see him now crumpled on the ground, blood still spraying from his open wound. Left with no other choice, Rainbow Dash raced over to him and began applying pressure to his neck.

"H-Hang in there, Gallus," she choked through sobs as she looked into his fading azure blue eyes. "Everything's going to be okay, buddy. I'm here. Please just don't die on me. I'm going to make this up to you. I promise. Y-You're going to have a happy time just like everyone else this holiday season. I-I'm going to make sure of that."

Without warning, Gallus' whole body suddenly engulfed in a bright, white light that blinded the Pegasus even worse than the glare of the knife's stainless-steel blade. Rainbow had no time to express the shock that washed over her as she was sucked in toward it. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

When the Ponies and Spike opened their eyes, they found themselves in a dark blue room. In front of them stood Princess Luna, Silverstream, Smolder, Sandbar, Ocellus, Yona, and Grampa Gruff. They all seemed huddled together in front of someone or something.

"Princess Luna?" asked Twilight. "What's going on? Why are we here?"

Rather than answering Twilight's question, Luna and the other creatures split off from their huddle, revealing none other than Gallus, his parents, and his sisters to the other eight creatures. Upon seeing the five Griffons for themselves, mainly Gallus, the Ponies and Spike were all rather taken aback. While they knew Luna's plan was mainly for providing closure for Gallus' friends and Grampa Gruff, they weren't expecting the Griffon and his family to pay them a visit as well. They all began to wrack their heads to wonder why Gallus was here to see them. All except one. Rainbow Dash began to feel her stomach being tied into an octuple knot. She already had a feeling what Gallus was going to say to them. Or so she thought.

"Hello, everyone," Gallus said simply, calmly walking toward his teachers to get a better look at them.

"U-Uh, hey, Gallus," Rainbow Dash stammered.

"Why are we getting a visit from you, Gallus?" asked Starlight. "We thought you were just going to talk to your friends."

"Because, Starlight, it has also come to my attention that all of you have taken my death as hard as my friends have," replied Gallus.

"You could say that,” said Rainbow Dash despondently.

Gallus turned to face Rainbow Dash and looked at her from head to hoof. This once cocky, headstrong, overconfident Pegasus now looked like a foal that had been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

"However," continued the Griffon. "It seems that, out of the eight of you, there's one pony who seems to have taken my death the hardest."

Rainbow Dash began to tear up as the angel Griffon looked her square in the eyes. Right as Gallus was about to speak, it finally became too much to bear for the cyan Pegasus. She fell onto her haunches, buried her face into her hooves, and began to cry as her guilt hit her at full force. Everyone winced as they watched her break down.

“I’m sorry, Gallus,” Rainbow sobbed. “I never wanted this to happen. I didn’t know you were suffering, but that still doesn't excuse what I did."

Gallus' expression saddened as he watched the Pegasus begin to cry. He cupped Rainbow Dash's chin with his right claw and pulled her head up until her nose was level with his beak.

“Rainbow, look at me,” Gallus said, his tone soft as Fluttershy's as he locked eyes with the rainbow-maned Pegasus once more.

“I don’t want your forgiveness, Gallus,” croaked Rainbow as she met eyes the Griffon’s. “I don’t deserve it.”

"Rainbow, listen to me," Gallus said, his tone now becoming firmer. "You have to stop this."

Rainbow became confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked, wiping away her tears. "Stop what?"

"Blaming yourself for my suicide," said Gallus. "I've said this to my friends and Grampa Gruff, and I'll say it to you. You didn't do anything to contribute to my actions that night. I don't harbor any feelings of enmity against you, Rainbow."

Rainbow just stared in shock as she processed what Gallus had just said to her. While the Pegasus did that, the Griffon turned to face the six other Ponies and Spike.

"This goes for the rest of you as well," he announced. "I don't want any of you feeling like you were responsible for what happened that night either."

"I was still in on the plan to get you to crack, though," said Rainbow mournfully. "I can't help but feel I was too hard on you that night and it drove you to this."

"You weren't too hard on me, Rainbow," Gallus said firmly. "You and the other teachers did not, in any way, shape, or form, drive me to suicide. From the day my family was killed to the day I died, I was locked in a constant state of grief that just would not go away no matter what I did or where I went. There was literally no one in town I could turn to for any sliver of comfort. Any extended family members I did have were all dead and gone by the time I was five. I had no choice but to live my life on the streets."

“Why did you have to do that?” asked Fluttershy. “Certainly, other Griffons would’ve been kind enough to take you in or, at least, give you some morsel of food or money.”

“I thought the same thing too, Fluttershy,” said Gallus, letting out a sad sigh. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Griffons of my own town didn't give me any food or money. They just pushed me aside and called me names. I was a homeless, orphaned, and still only a child and not one Griffon of my own hometown showed me an ounce of sympathy."

Fluttershy let out a soft gasp upon hearing that. The other Ponies and Spike were also appalled.

"They didn't care if you starved or froze to death on the street?" asked Rainbow, now becoming angry.

"Nope," said Gallus simply. "That's ultimately where my self-hatred stemmed from. Each time other Griffons acted rude or dismissive toward me, I was left wondering why they were treating me like this, but each time, I couldn't come up with an answer. All it led me to was more questions. Eventually. the only explanation I could think of was that everyone in town blamed me for the death of my parents and sisters because I didn't do enough to save them and, as time went on, I began to feel that their reactions to me were justified. I gave up on trying to beg strangers for resources and began to just steal food and build tents using sticks and leaves to keep myself alive."

Gallus turned to face Luna.

"Luna," he asked. "Could you please cast a memory spell on me?"

"Certainly," said Luna.

Gallus closed his eyes as Luna's horn lit up.

A large screen appeared before the fourteen creatures just above Gallus' head. It showed a brown Griffon with a beige underbelly and cold, hazel eyes being approached by a blue Griffon with a light grayish amber underbelly who was much smaller than the brown Griffon. It didn't take a detective to figure out the small, blue Griffon was a much younger Gallus.

"U-Um, excuse me, sir," the younger Gallus asked. "I'm really hungry, but I don't have any money. Do you have anything you could spare for me? Anything helps."

Instead of a sad or sympathetic look from the brown Griffon, all the blue Griffon got was a cold, hateful glare and a harsh shove.

"Get lost," scowled the brown Griffon. "I have no patience to be dealing with little brats like you."

The little blue Griffon found himself tumbling hard into the cold, snow-covered ground. He pulled himself back up to see the brown Griffon spreading his wings to fly away.

"Wait, please!" cried the Blue Griffon. "You don't understand!"

The brown Griffon ignored him and took off toward the sky without another word or a look back at the little fledgling.

"Come back!" cried the blue Griffon.

It was no use. The brown Griffon was already too far away to hear him, and the blue Griffon hadn't completely learned how to fly yet. The younger Gallus fell onto his haunches and began to cry as the memory ended.

The next memories played on the screen were all showed the same result. With the little, blue fledgling on the screen begging strangers for food, money, or shelter, only to be turned down in the harshest way possible.

After showing a few memories of Gallus being rejected, the screen cut to a memory of a slightly older Gallus crying under a tree. He just couldn't understand why this was happening. Why were they all being so cruel to him? What had he done to warrant this treatment? He was trying to wrack his brain for any sort of explanation.

"Was I mean to anyone in the past? No. Has anyone seen me stealing food yet? No, that can't be it either. What could I have done to make me such a bad Griffon in the eyes of so many creatures? I wish mom and dad were here, they'd..."

Gallus trailed off as he said, "mom and dad," recalling that house fire that had taken both their lives, as well as the life of his little sister, Gwen. He burst into another fresh fit of tears the traumatic memories began to come flooding back to him. As he cried, however, a thought began to form inside his mind. It was one that made him sick to his stomach, but the more he thought about it, the more he began to feel it was the truth. His heart began to hurt more and more with each beat.

"M-Maybe they're angry at me because I didn't do enough to save my family that night. I did promise to protect Gwen, like any big brother would, and I let her down. I let them all down."

The distraught fledgling looked up toward the sky, as if he could somehow see the spirits of his parents and little sister looking back down at him,

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I wish I wasn't such a screw-up. I failed all of you."

The memory ended as the younger Gallus buried his face into his claws as he continued to cry and cry.

Gallus' friends and teachers, Grampa Gruff, and Spike all stood there. Their expressions were all a mix of shock and sadness as they watched the memories of what Gallus' life was like out on the streets.

"From that moment onward, the self-blame and the anguish fully set in, and it never left me until the day I died," explained Gallus. "My demons and grief thrived in the hole in my heart, and they led me closer and closer to the edge over the course of when I had just turned eleven to that fateful December night."

The same rectangular screen appeared above the angel Griffon's head once more.

Griffonstone, Equestria
Grampa Gruff's House
August 29, 2015, 12:41 A.M.

Gallus shuffled his way into the kitchen of Grampa Gruff's house. He was having trouble sleeping that night. School was set to start in less than a week, and he wasn't looking forward to it in the slightest. It was just going to be another nine months of masking his depression and dealing with relentless bullying. It didn't help that he was thinking about the death of his family thanks to his supposed failures like had done so many times before. The young Griffon gazed up at the night sky. The moon was full and provided a soft glow for the room. He gazed up at the night sky for what felt like forever before he eventually turned his attention to turning on the faucet and filling up his cup.

As Gallus turned off the faucet, he caught something out of the corner of his eye on the counter just to the left of the sink itself. The Griffon reached over and picked up the object. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was a bottle of painkillers. He stared at it for about thirty seconds before a grainy voice inside his head that he knew all too well began to speak.

"Well?" it asked. "What are you waiting for?"

"I don't know if I should do this," Gallus said in his mind. "I-I mean what if I fail?"

"You'll never know until you try," the voice said. "Or do you really want to try and go through another day of being reminded of the constant torture that your family is dead thanks to your own screw-ups?"

Gallus began to tear up. For a split second, the Griffon did reach out to open the bottle of pills, but he fought against the urge hard.

"I just can't do this," the Griffon said in his mind, his voice shaky.

"Why not?"

"I-I just can't. I don't want Grampa Gruff to deal with my issues in the event that I'm unsuccessful. I'm sorry, but I'm not doing it."

"Fine, then," the voice said scornfully. "Stay alive. Continue to be reminded of why you're here to begin with. Continue to be a burden to everyone around you.

Gallus slammed the bottle back down, dropped his glass in the sink, and tore off back to his bedroom, tears streaming down his face. He hid himself under the covers as he finally broke down into a fit of tears as the voice uttered two final words that made cut deeply into his already scarred soul.

"You coward."

The memory ended with the younger Gallus continuing to cry once more. Everyone was feeling queasy as they listened to the conversation between Gallus and the voice. The way it spoke to the Griffon made everyone's blood run cold.

"It was even worse when the Blue Moon Festival rolled around," sighed Gallus.

As the Angel Griffon said that, a new memory began to play.

December 19, 2015, 7:23 A.M.

"NOOOO!!" screamed Gallus as he shot up out of bed.

The Griffon was sweating profusely as he frantically looked around his room. After a few seconds, he realized that he had just experienced another nightmare about losing his parents and little sister yet again. He buried his face into his claws and began to cry and cry.

"I can't take this," he choked out through sobs. "There has to be a way out of this."

He got up out of bed and steadied himself as he stood on the floor.

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt it if I told Grampa Gruff about all this," he thought aloud, wiping away his tears.

Gallus made his way to the front door of his bedroom and was just about to open it when the voice called out to him.

"So, you're going to tell Grampa Gruff, eh?" it asked in its usual, grainy tone.

"Yes, I am," Gallus said in his mind, trying to sound firm.

"So, you're going to inflict your problems on another Griffon?" the voice said. "An elderly one at that?"

Gallus began to tear up, but, like so many times before, tried not to give up right away.

"I can't keep this all in the dark forever. I need help."

"Are you forgetting the only one responsible for your situation is you? If you tell him about your past, all you'll end up doing is revealing what type of creature you really are. There is an easier way to end all this pain and anguish, though."

"N-No."

"It's the only way out."

"Stop. P-Please."

Gallus began to cry on the outside as the voice continued on inside his head.

"Why? Don't you want to achieve peace from this world?"

"I-I do."

"So, why won't you do it?"

"Because I don't want to inflict that trauma on Grampa Gruff. Plus, if I do attempt to do it and fail, I'll be forced to come clean about my past anyway."

"By that logic, you shouldn't tell him the story about your past either. By that logic, you'd be inflicting trauma on him either. If you take my advice, however, you won't be able to witness his reaction, although I doubt he, or anyone else, would miss you considering all the things you've done. The choice is yours. Continue to live and be a failure to everyone around you, or quit while you're ahead so the Gods and Goddesses above can see if you have, at least, a sliver of good inside of you."

"I said I'm not doing that."

"Choosing to live and continuing to be a nuisance, huh? I expected nothing less from a disappointment like you."

Gallus gritted his teeth and punched the wall hard, before he finally broke down. He curled into a tiny ball and began to just bawl and bawl in agony.

By this point, a few creatures were crying as they watched the second memory play out. Gallus just allowed them to let their emotions flow before he spoke up again.

"Now, this last memory I'm going to play is from the night I died. I'm going to give all of you a heads up, this one's obviously going to be the hardest one to watch for everyone here, myself included," he sighed.

The screen appeared above Gallus' head once more as the fourteen creatures prepared to relive the night of horror.

"GO AHEAD! PUNISH ME! SEE IF I CARE!!” Gallus screamed at Rainbow, Twilight, and Spike, finishing his confession about his involvement in ruining the decorations.

Gallus didn't even bother waiting for a reaction from either Pony or Dragon as he abruptly spun around and took flight, blazing out the windows he had tried to escape out of earlier. He just wanted to be alone. The moment he was out of range from his friends and teachers, Gallus' chest began to ache, as more fresh tears welled up in his eyes and fell off his face as he made a beeline for the student's quarters, not once looking back to see if his friends and teachers were following him. He gritted his teeth as he felt the frigid weather hit every inch of his body. He made it inside and quickly bolted into his dorm room, slamming the door hard on his way inside. Another surge of emotions shot through the Griffon the moment he did this, causing his knees to buckle, and he collapsed on the floor, breaking down into a fit of even more dolorous sobs.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid," the Griffon choked out through sobs.

It wasn't long after Gallus started sobbing that the voice inside his head began to speak to him once more in its usual grainy tone.

“Now look at what you’ve done. Your friends are being forced to stay here at the school because of your mistake,” the voice said.

“I’m sorry,” Gallus thought. In spite of him crying on the outside, the Griffon's internal dialogue tried to keep a level tone. “I never meant for everything to end up like this.”

“It’s your fault the holidays are ruined,” the voice continued scornfully. “It’s always so typical for a worthless little nothing like you to wreck everything with your issues."

”What was I supposed to do?” Gallus asked in his mind. ”Go back to Grampa Gruff again and just force another smile like I did for the past eight Blue Moon Festivals? I can’t keep doing that forever. At some point, he’s going to find out where I really came from. Then, what?”

”Well, he doesn’t have to find out. All you’d have to do is end it all and no one would ever know the full extent of your pain or how much of a problem you are,” the voice replied. ”You’d be doing both yourself and the whole world a favor if you did.”

“N-No,” Gallus stammered in his mind. “I-I can’t.”

“Why not? Do you want to endure another holiday without your family and be reminded yet again of what happened on that tragic day?”

“What would my friends think if I did that?”

“They’d probably be too busy celebrating the holidays to notice. They all have families. You don’t.”

“Sh-Shut up.”

“You can deny it all you want, but, at the end of the day, you know I’m telling the truth. The only one responsible for your situation is you. You didn't do enough to save them. Now, you've drug everyone else down with you. You’re worthless. This is your fault and no one else’s.”

“S-Stop. Go away. Please just leave me alone.”

“I’m trying to help you. You can end your suffering here tonight. After all, has your life been the same since that day?”

“N-No, it hasn’t. I miss my family more with each passing holiday season. It’s only gotten harder for me as the years go on.”

“Exactly my point. Do you really want to continue on with this grueling existence?"

There was a long pause as Gallus began to contemplate what the voice had said to him. For years, this same voice had told him this exact same thing, but the fear of failure if he had actually followed the voice's advice ultimately stopped him every time. This time, however, was different. Recounting all the holiday stories that his friends told made him realize just how alone he truly was in this world. While the holiday seasons, as well as other special events, he had experienced since the day of his family's death were sheer torture, being in a cheerier place than Griffonstone and watching all the happy Ponies setting up for the holidays with their families just rubbed salt in the Griffon's unhealable wounds. The more he analyzed just how tragic his situation was, the more Gallus felt that the voice's advice was, indeed, the only way out. He started to cry as he began to finally give into his grief and misery.

If I were you, I’d say, “no”," the voice continued. "Give up. Let go. It’s wonderful.”

By this point Gallus was bawling, both internally and externally. The pain of losing his family began to completely consume him as he remembered hearing the screaming of the smoke alarm, smelling the sickening scent of wood and metal burning, tumbling out his bedroom window, and being forced to do nothing but watch as his whole world was completely decimated in the span of one night at only seven years old. He hated it all. He wanted nothing more than for his suffering to end in any way possible. He had reached his breaking point. Even with his friends by his side, he couldn’t bear it anymore. They didn’t deserve to go through any sort of punishment because of him. At that point, he made up his mind on what he wanted to do.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry, Gracie. I'm sorry, Gwen. I failed all of you. I could’ve saved you that day. I screwed up. I’m a horrible brother and son. I'm just as bad as a friend too. I've held everyone up from going home to be with their families. I really am worthless. These five don't deserve to be stuck here with me. They deserve better. They all do.”

Gallus got back up, wiped away his tears, and began to search through his room. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for, a piece of paper and a pen. Through blurred vision, he began to write on it. He did this for a few minutes, all the while keeping an eye on the door to make sure that it didn’t open on him. As he finished, the Griffon opened up the bottom drawer on his nightstand and pulled out a large book. He ripped a piece of tape off a roll from the top of his nightstand, folded the piece of paper in half, and taped it inside one of the pages. He then quickly closed the book, put it back into its drawer, and raced back out his dorm room door.

With no real reason to continue playing the memory, as everyone already knew what would happen next, the screen disappeared, leaving the fourteen creatures to digest everything they had just seen.

"So, that is what I want to make clear to everyone here, especially to you, Rainbow Dash," Gallus announced. "None of you had a part to play in any of this. I was lost. I knew needed help, but I just didn’t know how to ask. It all just became too much for me to handle. That, along with being in a cheerier place than Griffonstone, listening to all my friends' Hearth’s Warming stories, and watching my worst fear, which was of all of you fighting, play out, finally drove me off the edge. I thought everyone's problems would've vanished if I just removed myself entirely from the equation. I never really understood how much all of you cared for, and appreciated, me. My own grief blinded me, and I ended up catching all of you in the middle unintentionally.”

"Gallus, I'm so sorry," sniffled Silverstream. "No one should ever have to go through even an ounce of what you went through."

"Well, we can help make sure that doesn't happen," Gallus said firmly. "Like I said to you all before, Silverstream, if you can share my story with the world and let others who are in the exact same situation I was in that they're not alone in this world. We may not be able to save everyone, but if, at least, one creature is able to see the claw or hoof reaching for them through the darkness before it's too late, I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that there's one more creature who knows life really is fighting for."

"We promise to share your story, Gallus," said Smolder.

"Yeah," said Rainbow Dash, now regaining some of her confidence. "We won't let you down, buddy. You can count on us."

"I know I can," Gallus smiled warmly. "My family and I have complete faith in all of you. We know that you will make us all proud."

The Griffon and his family wrapped were all enveloped by the other fourteen creatures in a tight hug. The atmosphere stood peacefully silent as the group all held onto each other tightly for a full two minutes.

“It’s time for us to go now,” Gallus said, as they broke away from the hug. “I hope that life brings all of you nothing but good luck.”

“Do you really have to?” asked Ocellus sadly.

“As much as I wish my family and I could stay with all of you tonight, we can’t,” sighed Gallus. “The spell Luna cast on us only lasts for an hour and there’s only a few minutes left before it expires.”

The others weren’t eager to see Gallus and his family go away so soon, but they knew that the lessons that the Griffon had taught them, as well as the happy memories that they had made with him, from saving Applejack and Rainbow Dash from the Bite-Acuda’s to performing in the play, would stick with them until the end of time.

"Goodbye, Gallus," said Silverstream. "We hope you enjoy your new life in heaven."

"Hey, don't consider this a goodbye," said Gallus, taking a hold of Silverstream's claw. "Think of it more as a, "see you later." My family and I will always be watching over you all and we can still visit you here in the dream realm if any of you ever feel lost. Plus, we still have that date tomorrow night."

Silverstream blushed and giggled, "Oh, that's right."

Gallus and his family all waved toward Gallus’ friends, the Element Bearers, Starlight, Spike, and Grampa Gruff and they waved back as a bright white light surrounded all five Griffons. After ten seconds, it slowly began to fade away, revealing that the hour-long spell had expired and they were gone.

With the meeting wrapped up, there was nothing more for Gallus’ friends, teachers, and Grampa Gruff to do except go back to their individual dreams. They gave each other one last hug, before Luna transported them one by one out of the dark blue room and back to their own dreams.

Although they could not have known it, as they dozed in their beds, Twilight, Starlight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Smolder, Ocellus, Sandbar, Silverstream, Yona, and Grampa Gruff had began to tear up in their sleep. However, it wasn’t due to sadness. As tears began to peak from their eyes, they all had begun to smile, and in their sleep, they all mumbled the same three words simultaneously.

”Thank you, Gallus.”

A Surprise from Twilight

December 25, 2017

The last thing the families of Smolder, Silverstream, Ocellus, Sandbar, and Yona were expecting was to see them asking to rejoin the holidays the morning after Gallus' funeral. When they were asked what had caused such a dramatic one-eighty on their demeanors overnight, all five creatures said the same response.

"Let's just say the spirits of the holidays paid me a visit last night."

While they did help out with finishing setting up for their respective holidays over the next three days, all five creatures would often stop and silently gaze up toward the sky. Their family members would sometimes gaze up alongside them. They all could've sworn that, if they had looked upward long and hard enough, they could almost see four Griffon spirits flying in the sky.

Griffonstone

Grampa Gruff smiled softly as he set the last of the food for the Blue Moon Festival. Gilda, Gabby, and Grizzle had also stopped by to help out. However, like with his Grandson's friends, Grampa Gruff would often stare up toward the sky from his kitchen window. The other three Griffons would join him in doing so, knowing full well what the elderly Griffon was still healing from what had happened less than two weeks ago. Even through the feast, though, Grampa Gruff was still out of it. While he did engage in small talk every now and again, the older Griffon was, for the most part, zoned out as the other three Griffons spoke to one another. The trio knew better than to interrupt him. They knew, out of everyone who knew Gallus, he needed the most space and time to think.

They were honestly quite surprised with Grampa Gruff's change of demeanor over the course of one night. The last thing they expected when they had woken up the morning after Gallus’ funeral was for Grampa Gruff asking them to come to his place for the Blue Moon Festival, as usual. They were rather cautious to ask why had caused a change of mind in such a short period of time. To their surprise, Grampa Gruff's usually crabby demeanor was gone when he issued his response.

"I had a change of heart thanks to the spirits of the holidays."

Gabby, Gilda, and Grizzle were rather confused, but decided not to press further. They were just happy to see Grampa Gruff at least somewhat back to his normal self.

The feast itself was uneventful. After it was over Grampa Gruff was expecting Gabby, Gilda, and Grizzle to go back home, but they told him that there was someplace that they wanted to go in Ponyville and they insisted on him coming along. When he asked why, they all answered, "It's a surprise."

Dragonlands

The Feast of Fire was had just wrapped up and Smolder, Garble, and their parents, Blaze and Amethyst, were on their way home with a large bag of gems in tow. Garble had won first place with his story and the bag of gems was his prize. As each Dragon told their story, there were several times when Smolder's mind wandered elsewhere. The sad tones of the stories had reminded her of Gallus and his situation. It didn't help that it today had marked nine years since his family's death and how it had forever changed the griffon's life for the worst until he died. The orange Dragon was pulled away from her thoughts when she heard her brother speak up.

"Oh, man," said Garble excitedly. "I can practically taste how good those gems are going to be."

Smolder and her parents could only roll their eyes, but they did find the bag of gems very enticing to eat themselves.

It wasn't long before Garble, Smolder, and their parents landed in front of their cave and Garble quickly dropped off the gems as all four Dragons settled down inside their home.

“Well, this has been a somewhat fun day, but I'm heading to bed early tonight,” announced Smolder as she headed to her bedroom. "I've got a few things on my mind that I need to digest, and I think a few extra hours of sleep will do me some good."

“Actually, Smolder,” said Garble. “We’ve received word from Ponyville that there seems to be some sort of event to which you are invited to.”

He pulled out a piece of paper, gave it to his sister, and Smolder read it over.

December 22, 2017

Dear Smolder

You and your family are invited to attend a special event on December 25 at 7:30 P.M. outside of the Castle of Friendship. Sorry for the short notice, but I instructed your parents to keep this message a secret because the others and I wanted to keep this event a surprise.

Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle

Smolder was rather confused, but, at the same time, had become interested in what this event was about.

“Well,” she said. “I guess I’m headed back to Ponyville.”

“Since the event is being held outside your mother and I will be coming along this time,” said Blaze.

With that, the four Dragons took to the sky once more.

Changeling Kingdom

Ocellus and her family had just completed singing their last carol for the night. The sun had gone down by this point and most of the Changelings were retiring for their homes for the evening. While Ocellus had fun celebrating her second Hearth's Warming, her mind was now wandering elsewhere. The young Changeling was thinking about none other than her deceased friend. The memories from ten days ago still burned brightly in her mind. She looked toward her parents and baby siblings, Auxilla and Lumbar. A small, warm smile began to form on her lips.

"I really am lucky to have all of you in my life," she thought.

She was only in her trance for a few seconds before the voice of her mother, Spiracle, pulled her back to reality.

"Ocellus? Honey?" she asked softly.

"Huh? What? Oh, sorry, mom. I blanked out for a second," said Ocellus sheepishly. "Do you have something to tell me?

"Yes, dear," said Spiracle as she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her daughter. "It seems that the Princess of Friendship has invited you to some sort of event in Ponyville."

December 22, 2017

Dear Ocellus

You and your parents are invited to attend a special event on December 25 at 7:30 P.M. outside of the Castle of Friendship. Sorry for the short notice, but I instructed your parents to keep this message a secret because the others and I wanted to keep this event a surprise.

Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle

"A special event at the castle?" Ocellus thought aloud. "What could Twilight possibly have planned?"

"Well, we're about to go see," said Spiracle as Carapace and she began to make their way to the front door. "Come, Ocellus. We mustn't keep the Princess waiting."

Ocellus was about to follow them until a thought stopped her.

"Wait," said Ocellus. "Who's going to look after Auxilla and Lumbar?"

"We hired a babysitter to come look after them while we're away," explained Spiracle. "She should be arriving any minute-"

Before Spiracle could finish her sentence, there was a knock on the front door.

"I'll get it," said Carapace.

The blue Changeling quickly went to the door and opened it to reveal a changeling with a yellow head and hooves with a pair of purple wings, a green abdomen, and sky-blue eyes. She looked to be a little older than Ocellus.

"Hello," said the yellow Changeling. "I've come to babysit Auxilla and Lumbar. Am I at the right place?"

"Yes, you are," said Carapace. "Thank you for coming."

The yellow Changeling stepped inside, and Ocellus' little siblings immediately ran up to greet her.

"Now, Auxilla, Lumbar," said Carapace in a firm but gentle tone. "I want you both on your very best behavior while we're gone. Do you both understand?"

Both of the baby Changelings nodded rapidly as Ocellus and her parents quickly gave them both a hug and a kiss goodbye before they flew out the front door for the journey back to Ponyville.

Hippogriffia

Queen Novo had finished handing out presents to all the Hippogriffs and Seaponies to finish off the Three Days of Freedom and everyone was now heading back home. Among them were Silverstream and her family. Sky Beak and Ocean Flow were each carrying a gift of their own. Due to her injured wrist and wing, Silverstream was unable to fly or hold her own gift. So, she was, once again, hitching a ride on Sky Beak's back, while her brother, Terramar, carried both his gift and Silverstream's gift.

Even though she did have fun, Silverstream had been thinking about Gallus and his family throughout the day. She hadn't forgotten that today marked nine years since the horrific house fire that had taken the lives of Gallus' parents and sisters. There were several instances where she had zoned out and it took her parents and brother a few tries to bring her back to reality. No one could blame the Hippogriff for her behavior. However, while the tragic situation of the house fire, the recent suicide her friend turned crush, and her own physical injuries still weighed heavily on her, Silverstream took a sliver of comfort knowing that Gallus was now in a better place.

"Silverstream? Sweetie?" called Ocean Flow.

Silverstream didn't respond. Once again, the pink Hippogriff just lay on Sky Beak's back, continuing to stare blankly into space. It wasn't until Terramar gently tapped her shoulder that she was brought out of her daydream.

"Huh?" she asked.

"We're back home," said Terramar.

Silverstream looked up to see that they were, indeed, in front of Sky Beak's house. The flight itself wasn't too long as Sky Beak's house was also in Mount Aris.

"Oh," she said. "Thanks, Terramar. I guess I blanked out again."

"Don't worry about it," said Sky Beak

The four Hippogriffs headed inside and dropped off their gifts on the living room table.

"So, which gift should we open first?" asked Silverstream as her parents, brother, and she sat on the couch.

"None yet," said Ocean Flow.

Silverstream became confused.

"Why?" she asked.

Ocean Flow turned to Sky Beak.

"Get the letter," she said.

Sky Beak quickly got up and headed toward the kitchen, leaving Silverstream even more confused. He returned less than a minute later, a piece of paper in hand. The blue Hippogriff dropped it on the table and Silverstream began to read it over.

December 22, 2017

Dear Silverstream

Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle

Questions began to flood Silverstream's mind as to what this event could possibly entail. That was until she had a thought of the Griffon who had stolen her heart for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"Maybe Twilight's going to throw some type of memorial party for Gallus," she thought as she climbed back onto Sky Beak's back for the long haul to Ponyville.

Yakyakistan

The Snilldar Fest was finished in Yakyakistan and Yona, her grandparents, Yarrow and Yasmine, her parents, Yale and Yvette, and her siblings, Yaamir and Yakira, were now heading back home.

From the moment they were finished with their moss pile, Yona had begun to daydream. Her mind had been flooded with images and thoughts of Gallus since she had woken up. It had taken her longer than usual to smash up the log and snow fort, as well as finding her fair share of things to hang on the moss pile. Her family took notice of her lack of engagement in the usual holiday activities that the Snilldar Fest entailed but didn't say anything. They all knew she still needed time to cope with the tragedy of her friend's untimely demise. It wasn't long until the seven Yaks had reached their house. Once they were all inside, they made their way to the living room, settling comfortably on the couch. After a few minutes, Yona, who hadn't said a word since her family and she had finished decorating the moss pile, got back up and turned to face her parents.

"Yona heading to bedroom," she said to them.

"Why?" asked Yale.

"Because there are few things Yona need to think about," responded Yona curtly.

She was about to turn around until her mother spoke up.

"Wait," called Yvette. "Yvette and Yale one last thing for Yona."

Yona's ears perked up at this as Yona's parents both went into their bedroom and returned to the living room a minute later, a piece of paper in Yvette's mouth.

December 22, 2017

Dear Yona

Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle

"Headmare Twilight want Yona for special event?" Yona asked.

Thoughts raced through Yona's mind as she wracked her brain for what Twilight could possibly be planning. Then, she stopped on one particular thought.

"Could event involve Gallus?" she thought aloud.

"Yona will have find out," said Yale as Yvette and he began to make their way to the front door.

As Yona and her parents walked past the couch where Yasmine, Yarrow, Yaamir, and Yakira were still sitting, she turned to face them.

"Yona hope Grandma and Grandpa don't mind that Yak has to go," she said.

Her grandparents and siblings just smiled warmly back at Yona.

"Grandma and Grandpa look after Yaamir and Yakira," Yasmine said reassuringly. "Go see what Pony Princess want."

Yona, Yale, and Yvette quickly gave the four other Yaks a hug, nuzzle, and kiss goodbye before they headed outside into the bitter cold for the long haul to Ponyville.

Ponyville

Sandbar and his parents had just finished up dinner and were now all relaxing on the living room couch. With the holiday celebrations wrapped up, Sandbar could now have a moment to himself. He closed his eyes as he let his mind drift away from reality. It wasn't long before his thoughts drifted to none other than Gallus.

For a few long minutes, the green Earth Pony sat on the couch, eyes closed and silent as he thought about every good memory he had made with the Griffon. A small smile played his lips as he did so. The smile on Sandbar's face faded away when his thoughts turned over to the fact that today was the anniversary of the tragic house fire that took the lives of his parents and sisters, how it had started Gallus' downward spiral, and how it had ultimately led to the Griffon's death. Thinking about the events from ten days ago up until this moment eventually began to make Sandbar think about his own parents and sister. It really hit home for him just how big a part they played in his life. He couldn't imagine losing them, especially at such a young age.

"I hope you're having a great Blue Moon Festival in the sky, Gallus," Sandbar thought. "Promise me you'll be safe up there, buddy."

Sandbar was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard his mother begin to speak to him.

"Did you have a good Hearth's Warming, dear?" High Tide asked her son.

"Yeah, I did," Sandbar responded. "Thanks for a good time, mom and dad."

He turned back to look back up at the ceiling. High Tide and Beachcomber could both tell there was something that seemed to be bothering him.

"Is there something on your mind, son?" Beachcomber asked cautiously.

For a moment, Sandbar said nothing, unsure of whether or not to tell his parents about his intrusive thoughts. However, it seemed High Tide's motherly instincts had already helped her decipher it.

"It's about Gallus, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Sandbar. "He's been on my mind all day."

High Tide and Beachcomber both wrapped Sandbar into a hug.

"Honey, I know it's hard," said High Tide. "But you should always remember that he's up in the sky right now having a wonderful time."

"It's not just that, mom," sighed Sandbar. "Gallus has also made me realize just how big a role that you two play in my life. You've all been there for me from the day I was born. Then, Coral came along and made me a big brother and she's aided in shaping me into the Pony I am now. I love all three of you more than anything in this world and I couldn't imagine a life without any of you."

High Tide and Beachcomber began to tear up with pride as they listened to their son's speech.

"I just wish there was something I could do that would honor him and spread the word about his story, as well as what we, as a community, can do to prevent others from feeling the same way he did," Sandbar finished.

At this, both High Tide and Beachcomber exchanged smiles.

"Well, maybe you will get that chance tonight, dear," said High Tide.

"What do you mean?" asked Sandbar.

"Wait here," instructed Beachcomber. "Your mother and I will be right back."

They left the living room and returned a minute later with a piece of paper in hoof. They gave it to their son, who immediately began to read it over.

December 22, 2017

Dear Sandbar

Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle

While the subject of the event wasn't mentioned, Sandbar couldn't help but think back Gallus once more. He was about to head to his room to grab his hat and scarf for the trip to the Friendship Castle until a thought stopped him.

"Wait," he said, turning back to face his parents. "Who's going to watch Coral while we're gone?"

Before either of his parents could respond, there was a knock at the front door and both of the older Ponies went to answer it, leaving Sandbar alone in the living room. They returned a minute later with a Pegasus with a magenta coat, apple green eyes, and a purple mane. She wore a pink bow in her mane and her face was adorned with a pair of black, round glasses. Sandbar recognized the Pony almost immediately as one of his old friends from middle school.

"Petunia!" he beamed as he wrapped her in a hug. "How's it going?

"Everything's going great," smiled Petunia.

"What brings you here tonight?" asked Sandbar.

"Your parents hired me to foalsit Coral," Petunia responded. "From what I understand, the three of you are headed to some sort of event?"

"Yeah, we are," said Sandbar, handing the note to Petunia to read over herself.

"Wow, being invited by the Princess of Friendship. That sounds so cool!" said Petunia. "Hope you have fun."

"Thanks," said Sandbar, wrapping Petunia into a hug.

While High Tide and Beachcomber briefed Petunia on what to do to take care of Coral, Sandbar went up to his room to retrieve his scarf and hat for the walk to Castle. Once he was finished putting on his winter gear, Sandbar left his room to see his parents already standing outside the front door of his room wearing their own winter clothing.

The Earth Pony was about to follow his parents out the door when he locked eyes with the door of his sister's bedroom. He thought back to the day of the Funeral, remembering seeing the grave of Gallus' little sister, Gwen. Even though his little sister was tucked away in her crib, Sandbar couldn't resist going inside to make sure she was safe. He turned back to face his parents.

"Could I say goodbye to Coral first?" Sandbar asked his parents.

"Absolutely," said High Tide.

Sandbar quietly crept to the door of Coral's room and cracked it open. He sidled up to the crib to see Coral, eyes closed and wrapped in the blankets, dozing the evening away without a care in the world. The Green Earth Pony smiled warmly at the sight before he leaned into Coral's crib to give his sister a kiss on her forehead before quietly exiting her room to follow his parents out the door to the Friendship Castle.

The Castle of Friendship
7:30 P.M.

The five students and their families, Grampa Gruff, Grizzle, Gabby, and Gilda had arrived in front of the Castle of Friendship just in time for the start of the special event. Grampa Gruff, Silverstream, Smolder, Ocellus, Sandbar, and Yona were pleasantly surprised to each other at the event, but it didn’t take them all long to ascertain that Twilight had given them all invitations.

It didn't take too long for the twenty-one creatures to reach the Friendship Castle. Because the sun had already gone down by this point, a few temporary streetlamps had been put up down the dirt road that led to the castle, courtesy of Discord, to help light up the area so that the students, their families, and the Griffons could see as they made their way down the path toward their destination. As they drew closer, they could see the faces of Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Starlight, Spike, and Discord. Behind the teachers and Discord were several rows of chairs, enough for everyone in the crowd to take a seat. In front of the rows of chairs stood a large podium made of walnut and had a microphone sitting on top of it. To the left of the podium stood an object obscured by a white sheet. Behind the podium stood the Friendship Castle itself.

""Greetings, everyone," Twilight smiled warmly as the group of creatures approached them. “The others and I are happy you all could make it here tonight."

"Yeah," said Ocellus. "We're happy to have made it too, but, if you don't mind us asking, why did you invite us all here tonight?"

Despite her question, Ocellus, as well as the other four students and Grampa Gruff, already felt like they had an idea as to what this event was about.

"Well, the others and I have put a memorial ceremony for Gallus together and we just couldn't leave any of you out of it," Twilight explained.

Twilight's explanation confirmed the six creatures' suspicions. The students, the parents and siblings, and the four Griffons quickly took a seat as Twilight took a position behind the podium, while the other six Ponies, Dragon, and Draconequus stood off to the right of it. A wooden wagon that was obscured by a white sheet stood behind the other eight creatures.

"Good evening, everycreature," Twilight cleared her throat. "We are all gathered here tonight to remember a very special creature. In the span of just three months, there was a Griffon named Gallus who brought so much into my life, the lives of my friends, and the lives of the many creatures seated before me today. He brought laughter and joy to all who knew him, especially to his five best friends, Yona, Sandbar, Smolder, Ocellus, and Silverstream, his adopted grandfather, Grampa Gruff, and to the teachers at the School of Friendship, whether it be through a prank or a kind gesture. Sadly, it seemed that while those around him were always in a happy mood whenever he was nearby, he was never able to experience the same level of happiness he gave to others. However, as I've said before, while Gallus' story had an abrupt and tragic ending, the morals that it has left behind are crucial for us to analyze. We can use it for the future to help others just like Gallus see that they aren't alone and that there are creatures out there that really care for them.”

Twilight paused to use her magic to levitate the white sheet away, revealing a poster that had big, bold letters on it.

SIXTEEN STRONG
The Gallus Griffon Foundation

"The others and I had decided that the only way we can truly honor Gallus and all that he's taught us was to open a foundation in his name to carry on his legacy. The name we picked has two meanings behind it. The number sixteen represents Gallus' age, while six represents the number of friends that he was a part of. With each other's help, I know we can make sure Gallus isn't forgotten and that his memory and story live on for generations to come," Twilight finished.

The whole crowd erupted into applause as Twilight finished her speech. Tears had begun to brim the eyes of Gallus' friends and Grampa Gruff. Twilight waited for the applause to die down before she continued to speak.

"Before we all part our ways here tonight to go home and celebrate the new year, the others and I have one last event that we would like everyone to participate in," said Twilight.

She stepped off the podium to help the other Elements, Spike, Starlight, and Discord push the covered wagon in front of the crowd. Spike pulled away the white sheet that was on top of it, revealing its contents to the crowd. On the wagon were numerous sky lanterns that were as white as the snow they stood upon.

"We're going to do a sky lantern light off to honor Gallus and his family," explained Twilight. "There's one for each of us."

Each of the 29 creatures took one sky lantern off the wagon they were each lit one by one. All that was left now was the signal from Twilight to release them into the night sky.

"Alright, everyone," said Twilight. "One. Two. Three. Release the lanterns!"

"Wait!" called out Discord. "Something's not right here."

Everyone looked at the Draconequus in confusion until he snapped his fingers and the flames inside each of the lanterns simultaneously and instantly changed from a yellowish-orange color to a brilliant cerulean tone of blue that matched Gallus' feathers and fur perfectly.

"There we go," smiled Discord. "That's better."

With that, the group of creatures released their lanterns and watched them float higher and higher into the air, tears welling in their eyes. However, they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of hope and strength. While everyone knew that it would be a lengthy healing process, they also knew that, with each other's help, they could come out the other end of the dark tunnel stronger than when they entered.

Gared, Galena, Gallus, Gracie, and Gwen all watched the scene play out from above with warm smiles on their faces. They had been on the ground for the whole time Twilight was giving her speech and announcing the opening of the foundation in his name and were truly touched by how the Princess had chosen to honor the fallen Griffon. Now, however, they had flocked to a cloud high above the ground to watch the lanterns rise to the heavens above. It wasn't long before the lanterns had reached the cloud where the five angel Griffons were now gathered. Gallus and his family all watched through blurred vision as each of the twenty-nine blue-glowing lanterns passed them as they rose higher and higher in the sky, becoming smaller and smaller until they were no longer visible to the naked eye. Once the lanterns were out of sight, Gallus and his family turned their attention back to the crowd of creatures below.

"A foundation to help those like me in need," Gallus whispered, the powerful words from Twilight's speech still echoing in his head. "Well done, guys. I'm so proud of all of you."

"It may take a long time, but it seems that they're on the healing process," smiled Galena.

"Yeah," sighed Gallus, the small smile on his beak fading. "I just wish that things could've gone differently, though. Don't get me wrong. I'm beyond happy that I get to see the four of you again, but I'm still sorry that my friends and teachers had to go through hell for me to get here."

Gared walked up and placed a claw on his son's shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Gallus," he reassured. "If anyone should be saying sorry, it should be the Griffons in the town we lived in. They were always spiteful and cantankerous no matter what the occasion was, but your mother and I always held out hope that they could eventually come around because we were both taught to believe that everycreature has at least a spark of good inside them, but each time they left you to fend for yourself on the streets made us realize that what we were taught could not have been further from the truth. We know you tried to fight, but the environment you were forced to endure for two years led you to a dark place you couldn't climb out of. While your mother, Gwen, Gracie, and I wished you would have carried on, we also know that there wouldn't be as much attention drawn to the mental health and the emotional struggles of others if it weren't for you."

Gallus smiled and teared up as he listened to his father's speech.

"Thanks, dad," he sniffled. "I really needed that."

"You're welcome," replied Gared as Galena, Gracie, Gwen, and he all wrapped their brother and son into a tight hug.

For a few long minutes, all the four Griffons did was just hug it out on the cloud they stood upon, before they reluctantly broke away as Gared spoke up again.

"Is everyone ready to go home?" asked the orange and amber Griffon.

"Yeah," said Gracie. "It is getting kind of late."

With that, the five Griffons spread their white wings and began their flight back home. While his parents and sisters were looking forward as they traveled across the night sky, Gallus kept his eyes glued to the spot where his friends, teachers, and his friends' families had now gathered until they were out of sight.

Neighsay strikes again

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long. I’ve been dealing with school and writer’s block.

Neighsay strikes again

The Castle of Friendship
January 2, 2018, 8:25 A.M.

Winter break had officially ended at the School of Friendship and at the castle, Twilight, Starlight, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were all preparing to head back to their usual positions at the school. Deep down, however, they were all weary. The last two weeks had given them a lot to digest, and they all knew that the remainder of the school year wasn't going to be the same.

"It feels so different walking into school now knowing there won't be any more pranks that we have to look out for," said Rainbow Dash quietly as they all prepared to head out the door.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Starlight sighed sadly. "We always expressed annoyance over Gallus' antics. Now, we'd give anything to experience them all over again."

"It's sad that he's gone, girls," Fluttershy spoke up. "However, we should all remember, and take comfort in the fact, that he's in a better place now. The best way we can honor him is to make sure Sixteen Strong thrives and that other creatures are helped with their own emotional struggles."

The others realized that Fluttershy was right. They knew they needed to be strong for each other and the other students if they wanted any hope of moving on, while honoring their fallen student and friend.

The seven Ponies and one Dragon stepped outside and made their way towards the school, the crisp morning air hitting their faces. It wasn't long until they reached the front door. However, when they arrived, they found what appeared to be a magical seal in the dead center of the front entrance. Three light blue chains were connected to either side of the center of the magical seal. It was as if someone had put a spell on the door to prevent anyone from entering the building. They eight creatures looked very puzzled.

Presently, the students had also started to arrive at the school. Among them were Silverstream, Smolder, Ocellus, Yona, and Sandbar. They too saw the seal and were confused as well.

"What's this?" asked Smolder as her friends and she approached the group of teachers.

"I don't know," said Starlight. "This wasn't here last night."

"It seems to be some sort of magical seal," said Twilight.

"But if the entrance is blocked, we won't be able to attend our classes," Silverstream said, growing worried.

"Oh, don't you worry, Silverstream," assured Twilight. "I'm not letting that happen."

Twilight charged up her horn and fired a blast of magic at the centerpiece of the enchanted lock, causing it to shatter on contact. The light blue chains that were being held together by it fell to the ground and vanished.

No sooner did that occur than did a large, dark blue portal appear where the centerpiece of the magical spell once stood adorned on the front doors. Twilight turned back to see a grey Unicorn with a black mane and tail that everyone in the crowd knew all too well step out of it. It was the head of the Equestrian Education Association, Chancellor Neighsay, and he did not look happy. The sour Unicorn looked down and snarled at the sight of what was left of his magical spell on the ground before he turned his attention toward the crowd of creatures that stood before him.

"Who dared remove my seal?!" the grey Unicorn boomed.

Upon seeing Neighsay, everything clicked into place instantly and the expressions of everyone in the crowd immediately soured.

"You again?!" exclaimed Sandbar.

"What Neighsay doing here?!" demanded Yona, stomping her hoof.

"I'm here because somecreature in this crowd has destroyed the lock I put on here," Neighsay snapped back.

"I did," said Twilight. "I would also ask for you to humbly step aside and allow us inside, or classes will start late."

"Classes won't be starting at all," Neighsay said sternly. "If what happened here two weeks ago is any indication of how you or your friends are running this school, then it's clear that none of you should be in a position to teach friendship to anycreature. The EEA has spoken."

"Wait a second," said Starlight. "What do you mean the EEA has spoken?"

"I called a private meeting with the EEA yesterday and we all agreed that it was for the greater good that this school be shut down immediately," Neighsay explained.

Hearing this made Smolder, Ocellus, Silverstream, Yona, and Sandbar grow very, very angry. They knew full well that Neighsay didn't like Twilight's ways of running things at the School of Friendship, but to use Gallus' suicide as an excuse to try and close it down was low, even for the grey Unicorn. Before they could voice their thoughts, however, an equally angry Rainbow Dash immediately flew in close to Neighsay's face.

"We didn't know Gallus was depressed, though!" the cyan Pegasus shot back. "How can you shut this place down because of something we were unaware of until it was too late?!"

"Well, if the teachers can't see the signs that a student is suicidal," Neighsay shot a cold stare in Rainbow Dash's direction. "Or have a hoof in driving them to it, then I see that the EEA made the right choice in having no other option then to shut this school down."

Neighsay finished by slamming his hoof down on the ground, sending a shockwave through the crowd. Most of the creatures winced as they felt the shockwave pass through. Sandbar, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream didn't. They just snarled at the grey Unicorn. The five creatures looked at each other, nodded curtly, and began to make their way through the crowd toward Neighsay. He wanted a reason to close down the school? They'd give him a damn good one.

Right before they could reach him, however, a voice that came from above got everyone's attention.

"Now, hold on just a minute!"

Everyone turned up to see Grampa Gruff flying down towards them. Behind him were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Neither Princess looked very happy. Upon seeing the old Griffon and two Alicorns land, everyone immediately moved aside to allow them to pass.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Luna, glaring down Neighsay.

Neighsay's snooty expression faded, and he could feel himself growing a little uneasy as the he looked back up at the perturbed expressions. Despite that, however, the Grey Unicorn held his ground.

"Well, you see, Princesses, I'm shutting down the School of Friendship," Neighsay explained. "The clear negligence of the teachers has demonstrated that they aren't fit to be in any position to be teaching friendship, especially after it's led to a student taking their own life. I called a meeting last night with the other EEA scholars and we all agreed to close the school for the safety of Equestria."

"Seems more to me that you forced them to say, "yes," rather than allowing them to make their own decision on a vote," scowled Grampa Gruff.

Neighsay was taken aback, "I did no such thing!"

"That’s not what I saw!" Grampa Gruff snapped.

"Where's your proof?!" demanded Neighsay.

Rather than offering another retort to the snobby Unicorn, Grampa Gruff turned back to face Celestia and Luna.

"Could you please fire up the memory spell?" he asked politely.

"Certainly," replied Celestia.

Luna and she lit up their horns and a screen appeared above everyone's head.

Canterlot, Equestria
January 1, 2018, 12:50 A.M.

Grampa Gruff smiled slightly, enjoying the feeling of the wind hitting his face as he flew silently though the skies of Canterlot. Gilda, Gabby, and he had been invited to celebrate the New Year's Eve party thanks to the auspices of Twilight and her friends at the Canterlot Castle, and the trio of Griffons were more than happy to take the Princess up on her offer. Needless to say, the party was a blast, and all three Griffons had a great time. There were party games and all sorts of goodies baked by Pinkie and Applejack, enough to feed almost all of Canterlot. Lastly, there was a fireworks show as the clock struck midnight to officially kick off the new year.

Now, however, the party had let out and Grampa Gruff was now on his way back home. Gabby and Gilda would've come with him, but towards the end of the party, Gilda had been challenged to a cider drinking competition by her old pal Rainbow Dash. The tomboyish Griffon, not being one to back down from a challenge, gladly accepted the offer. It ultimately ended with Gilda winning when Rainbow passed out after the Pegasus and Griffon both guzzled down their tenth cup. Despite the fact that she won, Gilda didn't want to stop drinking cider anytime soon and had an additional three cups before passing out herself when she tripped on an uneven rug while making her way to get a fourth.

While Grampa Gruff was more than willing to fly back home, Gabby, sensing that Gilda wouldn't be able to get home in her impaired state, had offered to stay behind to cart her back to the Friendship Castle for a sleepover, promising to be back in Griffonstone with Gilda in tow by the afternoon.

It seemed that the majority, if not, all, of Canterlot's residents had decided to call it a night and go to bed. The whole city now stood peacefully silent, and every building was bathed in the darkness of the night with only the moon's glow and a few lit streetlamps to help guide the way for anyone who might still be outside. The tranquility of the night was enough to make even a cantankerous old-timer like Grampa Gruff flash a small smile. However, he wouldn't have it for long.

As the old Griffon made his way toward the outskirts of Canterlot, he spotted something out of the corner of his right eye. Grampa Gruff stopped in the sky and looked in the direction of what had caught his attention. It seemed to be a light of some sort. However, from where he was hovering in the sky Grampa Gruff couldn't identify the source of where it was coming from.

The old Griffon's curiosity overtook him, and he decided to fly toward the light to see where it was coming from. As he drew closer, Grampa Gruff could see that the light was coming from inside of what looked like a rather large building. Upon getting a better look, Grampa Gruff realized that the building he was looking at wasn't just any old building. It was the EEA tribune, where all the decisions were made as to what rules a school needed to follow in order to be approved by the EEA scholars. Upon this revelation, Grampa Gruff became even more confused. Since the new year was a holiday, the EEA tribune should've been closed like every other business. Even if it wasn't, the scholars didn't exactly seem like the kind of Ponies to have a party.

"Something's not right here," he thought.

Grampa Gruff looked up at the roof of the building and noticed that there were several windows on it that would give him a bird's eye view to anything that seemed suspicious. The old Griffon began to slowly fly overhead, looking down each roof window to see if anyone was inside. However, each window he passed showed no signs of anyone residing inside the EEA tribune. Right when he was about to give up and continue on his way back to Griffonstone, Grampa Gruff passed a window on the roof near the back of the building and stopped when he spotted a flash of burgundy for a brief moment. Grampa Gruff wasn't sure, but he could've sworn the creature he saw was a Pony. The old Griffon immediately swooped down towards the roof window and cautiously looked down into the hallway to see what had piqued his interest. It turned out there was more than just one Pony standing in the hallway below him. There were actually ten of them and it was the burgundy color of their robes that has caught his eye. They seemed to be having a conversation.

"What are they doing here at this hour of the night?" he asked himself.

As he watched them continue to talk, Grampa Gruff's eyes looked over each Pony carefully until they fell on one that looked quite familiar. The old Griffon looked at him for a few seconds before his eyes widened as he looked at the patches of grey on his coat and the horn that stuck out of his black mane. Although Grampa Gruff was unable to get a look at his face, the physical features of the Unicorn already revealed to him who the Pony was, Chancellor Neighsay. Upon seeing him, more and more questions began to flood Grampa Gruff's mind as to what the other scholars and he were doing here at this time of night. Whatever the reason was, it wasn't good. He watched as Neighsay turned around and used his magic to open the door that the other scholars and he had been standing in front of, allowing the ten Ponies to step inside and out of Grampa Gruff's sight.

"I've got to see what they're up to," he thought.

Quick on his talons and paws, Grampa Gruff realized the only way that he'd be able to get a general idea of what Neighsay was planning was to sneak inside the building itself. With that in mind, he tried to open the roof hatch, but it wouldn't budge. Determined not to give up, he raced around to the front of the building to try the front door, only to find it was also locked. Grampa Gruff knew he was running out of options and began to think of another possible way of ingress.

The old Griffon looked down the side of the EEA tribune building to see that it had a long row of windows that were just big enough for him to climb through. Thinking quickly, Grampa Gruff realized that his last possible hope of getting inside was if one of the windows was left unlocked. He began to try each window one by one to see if they would grant him access to the inside of the building. The first two windows the old Griffon tried were securely closed. The third one he tried, however, opened without resistance, allowing him to enter with ease.

After warming himself up for a few seconds, Grampa Gruff quietly closed the window and quickly made his way down the hall until he reached the meeting room door. Knowing he couldn't just walk in, the old Griffon peered through the keyhole slot with his good eye and saw Neighsay and the other scholars in their chairs preparing for the meeting to start.

"What are you up to, Neighsay?" Grampa Gruff thought as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

***

Inside the meeting room. Neighsay sat on his usual spot high above the other scholars. However, while the grey Unicorn maintained his usual stoic expression, the expressions of other ponies in the room seemed to suggest that they were a little nervous.

"Alright," announced Neighsay. "The room will come to order for the meeting."

There were a few seconds of silence as Neighsay cleared his throat before addressing the other ponies in the room.

"As you all know, there has been an incident at Twilight's School of Friendship where a student took his own life after a prank gone wrong as winter break was starting. We, as the leaders of the EEA, cannot overlook this for what it is, a complete failure on the staff's end to reach out to all of its students and make them feel welcome. It is clear that Twilight and her friends aren’t qualified to be in a position to teach friendship. I believe that the only course of action now is to shut down the school before break is over in order to prevent more creatures from being harmed or killed."

No sooner did Neighsay finish than did an Earth Pony scholar with a salmon pink coat and apple green eyes, speak up.

"Now, hold up just a minute," interjected the scholar. "You can't just go and blame Twilight or her friends for what happened."

"As teachers, it is their job to ensure that everycreature is accounted for, Silver Waves" Neighsay retorted. "The fact that one of their own students has died due to their negligence only confirms my suspicion that Twilight and her friends were never fit to run that school to begin with."

"It wasn't their fault, or anycreature else's, to begin with, though," Silver Waves insisted. "The report said that it wasn't just the teachers who weren't aware that Gallus was suicidal. His friends, as well as all the other students, weren't aware that something was wrong either. If we were to apply that logic, we'd also need to punish Gallus' friends too, but we aren't doing that. So, why act that way towards Twilight and her friends?"

"Agreed," added Rosy Pearl, another scholar. "This has nothing to do with how they teach."

"I also heard they set up a foundation in Gallus' name to help-" a scholar named Desert Wind started to say.

"I don't want to hear it," Neighsay interrupted dismissively.

"B-But, Neighsay-" Desert tried to interject.

"I said I don't want to hear it!" Neighsay barked harshly.

Desert Wind and the other scholars flinched upon hearing Neighsay raise his voice and quickly fell silent. Once he made sure that no one else would interrupt him, Neighsay took a deep breath to calm himself to be ready to move onto the next phase of the meeting.

"Alright, now, we're going to take a vote," explained Neighsay. "All who oppose say, "no"."

"No," said Desert, Rosy, and Silver almost immediately.

The two mares and one stallion looked around at the other six scholars, hoping they'd back them up. Unfortunately, they just looked at each other with uneasy expressions but said nothing.

"All in favor, say, "Yes"," said Neighsay.

The other six scholars said yes. Although, they'd be lying if they said they were completely sure that they were making the right call. Desert Wind, Rosy Pearl, and Silver Waves could only give them appalled and disappointed expressions.

"Well, that settles it," said Neighsay. "Twilight's School of Friendship is hereby shut down effective immediately."

Unbeknownst to them, however, a certain Griffon had been peering through the keyhole of the door the whole time. He had seen and heard everything.

***

Grampa Gruff glared at Neighsay as he finished up his ruling. Of course he'd try to use Gallus' death as an excuse for his own nefarious schemes. As much as he wanted to confront the stuck-up Unicorn, the old Griffon knew that now was not the time or the place for it. He turned around, spread his wings, and made a beeline for the window he had entered through earlier. He made it out of site just as Neighsay and the other EEA scholars walked out into the hallway themselves.

Grampa Gruff didn't look back once as he widened the distance between himself and the EEA Tribunal. He knew that he had to get to alert Celestia and Luna of what was going on as soon as possible. Fortunately for him, the Canterlot Castle wasn't too far away from where he currently was.

"You won't get away with this, Neighsay," snarled the Griffon as he flew over the night sky as fast as his wings could carry him.

By the time the memory ended, the whole crowd was now glaring at Neighsay, who, by this point, was looking very nervous.

"You didn't even mention Gallus' name once," Grampa Gruff growled. "Sounds really caring to me. Not."

The crowd also began to voice their disgust for Neighsay's actions.

"Not cool!" said one Earth Pony in the crowd.

"Shame on you!" called a Pegasus.

"N-Now, everycreature remain calm," Neighsay gulped. "This isn't what it looks like."

"I'd say it is!" yelled Smolder.

The more the crowd jeered at Neighsay, the less powerful and snooty the Unicorn felt. For once in his life, he was at a loss of what to do. That was until Grampa Gruff walked up to him and stared him down. Neighsay quivered slightly as the Griffon's eyes locked with his. It felt like he was staring into the Unicorn's soul.

"I think it's best if you leave," Grampa Gruff said curtly before he pointed at Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and her friends, all of whom were also glaring down Neighsay. "Unless, of course, you want to be subjected to whatever these fine creatures have in store for you."

The usually arrogant Unicorn didn't have to be told twice. He instantly reactivated the portal on the front doors of the school with his EEA medallion, stepped inside of it, and it began to slowly shrink the moment Neighsay stepped inside. No one stopped glaring until the portal vanished completely.

Once it was, Grampa Gruff turned around to face Twilight and was just about to speak when he found himself wrapped in a tight hug by Sandbar, Yona, Smolder, and Ocellus. Silverstream would've raced up as well, but she was unable to do so due to her injuries. The Dragon, Pony, Changeling, and Yak all saw this and made sure to leave a space large enough to allow the Hippogriff to carefully squeeze her way into the huddle to wrap her uninjured right arm around the old Griffon. All five creatures were crying tears of joy as they embraced Grampa Gruff, who was rather shocked at the five students' sudden actions, before his facial expression melted back into another warm smile. Eventually, the quintet broke away to allow Grampa Gruff to recover from their surprise gesture. He barely had any time to do so before the five students turned to face the crowd.

"Attention everyone," announced Smolder. "Grampa Gruff's actions today have demonstrated what it truly means to be a great friend and what it means to be an example for others to lead by. My friends and I cannot put into words how much his actions to stop Neighsay from closing down the school mean to us and I'm sure you all feel the same way as well. So, as a token of our appreciation, we would like all of you to join us in saying a heartfelt, "thank you." Three cheers for Grampa Gruff!"

"Hip hip!" said Smolder, Silverstream, Yona, Ocellus, and Sandbar together.

"HOORAY!" yelled the crowd.

"Hip hip!" said the five students.

"HOORAY!" yelled the crowd.

"Hip hip!" said the five students.

"HOORAY!" yelled the crowd.

Grampa Gruff just stood there in shocked silence as the crowd cheered. No one had ever congratulated him like this before. He was honestly at a loss for words. Gallus' friends and the teachers all crowded around him once more to continue expressing their gratitude for the old Griffon's good deed.

"Griffon did great thing!" said Yona as she nuzzled Grampa Gruff.

"Wow," Grampa Gruff said quietly. "Didn't think I'd get this much praise."

"You saved the whole school, dude," said Sandbar. "That's not something to be overlooked."

"Yeah," agreed Smolder. "We can continue fulfilling Gallus' wish thanks to you."

Upon hearing Smolder's statement, Grampa Gruff began to tear up. It was still a little sad to think of Gallus and the struggles he had suffered through up until the end of his life, it also served as a reminder. A reminder to speak up for those who had trouble making their voices heard or no longer had a voice in the world.

"Well I can't argue with that," agreed the old Griffon as he wiped away his tears. "However, it would be foolish of me not to say a thank you of my own to all of you. You supported me and helped walk me through this whole process and you strengthened the bonds between all of us and made us into a family. Not only that, but you also taught me a lesson too by making me realize just how much a little bit of kindness goes a long way. If it weren't for you all, I don't know where I'd be right now if Gallus was gone. There's no doubt in my mind that Gallus smiling down at all of us right now and hoping nothing but the best for all our journeys."

The crowd erupted into another fit of cheers as they listened to Grampa Gruff's speech, filling him with pride once more. Once they settled back down, the old Griffon began to make his way down the front steps, followed by Celestia and Luna.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I'm heading back to Griffonstone," he replied, turning back to face the thirteen creatures.

“Celestia and I heading back to our Castle in Canterlot,” added Luna.

"Aww," Pinkie's smile drooped slightly. "Do you really have to go?"

"As much as I, as well as the royal sisters, would love to stick around, we can't. Celestia and Luna have their own royal businesses to attend to back in Canterlot and I have to go back to Griffonstone to check up on Gilda," Grampa Gruff shot an unamused look in Rainbow Dash's direction. "She's still got a little bit of a hangover from the little game you two played at the New Year's party."

"Oh," Rainbow blushed slightly and let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I might've gotten too carried away that night."

The others just rolled their eyes.

"Rest assured, though, I will be dropping by to see how things are going with you all," Grampa Gruff finished.

Gallus' friends, the teachers, the Princesses and Grampa Gruff all shared another group hug before Celestia, Luna, and he spread their wings and took to the sky back to Griffonstone and the Canterlot Castle. No one peeled their eyes away from them as they ascended in altitude until they were out of sight.

Once the old Griffon and the Princesses were gone, Twilight turned around and opened the front doors to her school.

"School is now back in session!" Twilight announced, turning toward the crowd of students. "Welcome back, everycreature!"

With that, the students all raced inside the school to start their first class of the new year.

Holiday Hell

Ponyville, Equestria
Twilight Sparkle's School of Friendship
December 15, 2017, 5:50 P.M.

Hearth’s Warming was only ten days away. All throughout Equestria, lights of every color and sparkling tinsel decorated the buildings and every creature was in a cheery mood. It was the season to spread joy.

However, at Twilight’s School of Friendship, the mood was anything but cheery. Right after school was let out for winter break, a cloaked figure had snuck into the teacher’s lounge, where the Hearth’s Warming tree and decorations had been set up, and onto the rafters and poured magical powder onto the Hearth's Warming tree, causing the Fire of Friendship to fizzle out and the Hearth's Warming decorations were left covered in purple, glue-like slime. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike were all present when the prank had occurred, spotted a cloaked figure escaping out of the lounge, and quickly gave chase. They saw the hooded creature retreating to the student dorms. Smolder, Ocellus, Gallus, Yona, Silverstream, and Sandbar were just finishing packing up when they heard the three teachers come inside.

When confronted about the mess, all six students denied any involvement. When they didn’t confess, Twilight had ordered them to clean up the mess while she interrogated them to see if the culprit would crack if they were one on one with her. As it stood, no one had confessed, and the six students were still stuck in the lounge. They still had a lot to clean up and they were becoming increasingly impatient and agitated with their predicament.

“I’m guessing neither one of you confessed,” said Sandbar as Smolder and Yona walked through the door.

“Headmare Twilight say wait here,” Yona grunted, stomping her hoof.

“Maybe they're changing their minds about sending us home,” Silverstream thought aloud.

“Why would they?” Smolder asked. “Face it. We’re stuck here.”

“But-But, I have to go home!” Ocellus cried, tearing up.

“My mom makes the best kelp fritters,” said Silverstream.

Sandbar turned to Smolder.

“How can you be so cool about this?” he asked the orange Dragon.

Gallus looked at the ground.

“We’re mad,” Smolder responded. “We just show it differently.”

“More like you don’t show it at all,” Sandbar shot back.

“What pony getting at?!” a now angry Yona snapped, her normally mild olive-green eyes now blazing with fury as she went nose to nose with the Earth pony.

“Maybe it wasn't just one prankster. Maybe there were three of you, and you're trying to hide your guilt by not being upset!” Silverstream accused.

“It does make sense,” said Ocellus.

“Guys, stop it,” Gallus said simply.

“Or maybe whoever did it is only pretending to be upset to throw us off,” Smolder growled, pointing at Ocellus.

“Me?!” exclaimed Ocellus. “But I didn't!”

“Come on,” Gallus said. “Let it go.”

It was no use. A full-blown argument had broken out and the five students were now at each other’s throats.

“Come on, Ocellus!” barked Sandbar. “You know you did it! Just fess up!”

Gallus’ heart shattered inside his chest. He wanted to just curl up and cry. His hopes of a good holiday had been completely squashed and now, he had ruined his friends’ holidays in the process.

"G-Guys, p-please stop," Gallus choked out, trying, but failing miserably, to stop the hot tears that had welled up in his eyes from rolling down his face.

Gallus' plea went unanswered as the angry voices of his friends began to grow louder and louder and louder. The Griffon lowered his head toward the ground, unable to look at the result of what his actions had led to. With it went his eyebrows as a new feeling began to boil inside Gallus. Anger. He felt anger at the fact that his friends had no clue how good they had it. They had families. He didn’t. His family had been taken from him in the worst way possible during the Blue Moon Festival, leaving him with nothing except his pillow. While he miraculously walked away with no physical injuries and had been taken in by Grampa Gruff, the emotional wounds from that day had cut deeply into his soul and only grew worse as the years wore on. His urge to curl up and cry now turned into an urge to just scream out in agony as his face twisted into an expression of grief-blinded rage. He gritted his teeth as he felt his cheeks begin to grow wet from the streaks his tears left behind. The Griffon’s breath hitched his throat, his chest began to tighten, and his whole body began to sweat feverishly and tremble with fury and despair. With each second that Gallus watched his friends continue to fight with each other, it became more and more apparent to him that words alone wouldn’t be enough to stop the argument. So, through blurred vision, he began to look around the room for another way to get their attention. He soon found it when he looked to his left and locked eyes with a small table that was sitting in the corner of the room. On top of the table stood a pale blue vase that held a single flower with five pink petals.

CRASH!

Sandbar, Silverstream, Yona, Smolder, and Ocellus all stopped arguing the moment they heard the sound of glass shattering. They looked behind them to the last few pieces of what used to be a pale blue vase falling from just inches above their heads toward the floor. In the center of it stood a mound of dirt with a pink flower sticking out of the top of it. The five creatures looked back in the other direction to see where it was thrown from, only to lay eyes on Gallus. They looked back and forth between Gallus and the flower with wide-eyed expressions, trying to digest what the Griffon had just done. After doing this a few times, the reality of Gallus’ actions fully sunk in. Smolder was the first to voice her shock.

“Dude, are you crazy?!” exclaimed the orange Dragon as she marched up to Gallus, her snout mere inches from his beak. “Twilight’s going-”

“SHUT UP!!”

Smolder and the others reeled back at the Griffon’s outburst. Then, the anger they had toward each other started to be directed towards Gallus. They were all stuck in the same situation he was. What did he have to whine about? Little did any of them know, however, that this was just the start of what would be an event that would change not just their lives, but also the lives of the teachers, forever.

“Don’t talk to us like that!” Smolder snapped. “We’re stuck in the same predicament as you are! In case you haven’t noticed our families are probably worried sick about us as we all should’ve arrived home by now!”

“Yeah!” agreed Sandbar. “What do you have to complain about?!”

“Oh, you want to know?!” yelled Gallus. “You want to know what I’m angry about?! I’m angry that you all are fighting like this! That’s not what the holidays are about! No matter what you call them, or how you celebrate!!”

Gallus’ voice was echoing around the room as he continued on. The looks on Smolder, Silverstream, Ocellus, Sandbar, and Yona's faces started to soften. Gallus had brought up a valid point.

"Do you know how damn lucky you all are?! Have any of you even stopped to think about how fortunate you all are to have the ability to share these stories with each other about getting together with everycreature you care about?!" Gallus continued, his eyes beginning to mist ever so slightly.

“Griffons do that too, don’t they?” Ocellus asked cautiously.

“Yeah, they do, during the Blue Moon Festival,” Gallus sighed.

Gallus’ gaze dropped to the floor for a few seconds as his angry expression softened into one of sadness. For a moment, the Griffon found his voice had disappeared. A searing pain had taken up residence inside his chest as the urge to just start breaking down and crying right then and there became greater and greater. Then, the anger that he harbored toward his friends’ behavior returned to him as he glared back up at Ocellus and the others.

“But it sure as hell isn’t a joyous time at all!” the distraught Griffon continued on. “All Griffons do during the holidays is eat together because we’re forced to and just try not to yell at each other!”

“W-Well, certainly your family would want to make sure you have a happy time during the holidays,” Silverstream reassured with a small comforting smile.

Gallus' emotions had overridden his ability to think clearly, leaving him with no way to prevent him from feeling his stress increase ten-fold. The speed of his scarred heart increased abruptly and rapidly as more fresh tears welled up in his eyes as more sweat began to mat his fur and feathers. His breathing became deep, slow, and forced. Yet, at the same time, he felt like he was being strangled from the inside out. His muscles tightened as he bared his teeth like a rabid dog. Silverstream’s small smile faded upon seeing Gallus’ breathing beginning to grow heavy.

“Did you seriously just say that I could have a good time for the holidays because I have a family just like all the rest of you?” a pained growl left Gallus’ beak as he said his final word, his ability to hold back his grief waning rapidly.

“Y-Yeah, I did,” Silverstream could feel an uneasy feeling beginning to brew in her stomach. She had a really bad feeling about where this was going. So did the others, “Y-You do have a family, right?”

By this point, it was taking every ounce of strength Gallus could muster to keep himself from completely losing it, but the moment he heard the word, “family,” exit Silverstream’s mouth, the last of his self-restraint vanished. He knew, at that moment, he couldn’t hide the truth from Silverstream or the others any longer and it felt like everything was set against him. Gallus squeezed his eyes shut and balled up his fists as he inhaled deeply, opened his beak, and let out a loud, “NO!”

Silverstream, Sandbar, Ocellus, Yona, and Smolder all gasped in shock at this revelation.

“I don’t have a family! None whatsoever!” Gallus yelled, his voice starting to break.

“What about Grampa Gruff?” asked Sandbar. “Certainly he-”

“He’s not my grandfather!” Gallus wailed, cutting Sandbar off. “Everyone just calls him that!”

That was the final straw. Gallus could no longer hold back any of his emotions by this point, and he began to just sob and sob. Smolder, Ocellus, Sandbar, Yona, and Silverstream stood frozen in place, staring at the scene unfolding before them with worry and regret. Any anger they had been harboring was now completely drained. What was worse was that none of them could think of anything to say or do to comfort the downtrodden Griffon. Eventually, Gallus managed to gather his composure, stand back up, although his knees were quivering, and look back at his friends, all of whom were looking very nervous. For a few long seconds, all six creatures just stood there staring at each other, but none dared to say a word, blanketing the atmosphere with a thick layer of silence.

That was until the door to the teacher’s lounge flew open and another voice rang out, getting the six students’ attention.

“What is going on in here?”

Sandbar, Silverstream, Yona, Smolder, and Ocellus looked back to see Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike standing in the doorway. They didn’t look happy. Twilight was about to speak again when she noticed something out of the corner of her right eye. She turned her head to look in the direction of what had caught her attention and found herself looking at the shattered vase and the now vulnerable flower that lay in the center of it. Rainbow and Spike also took notice of it too.

“My vase!” cried Twilight, before she turned to face the six students. “Which one of you did-?!”

Twilight's words died in her throat when Spike, Rainbow, and she locked eyes with Gallus. He was breathing heavily, his whole body was shivering, his jaw was shaking, and tear after tear was falling from his face and onto the floor. He looked like he was on the verge of having a full-blown mental breakdown. Sympathy quickly replaced anger in all three creatures.

“Gallus?” Twilight asked cautiously as she approached her distraught student. “Are you okay?”

“NO! I AM NOT OKAY!!” screamed Gallus. “I WAS THE ONE WHO SABOTAGED THE TREE! I PUT GOO POWDER IN THE FIRE OF FRIENDSHIP! I JUST WANTED TO BE HAPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALMOST A DECADE, BUT NOW EVERYTHING’S RUINED AND ALL MY FRIENDS ARE FIGHTING BECAUSE OF MY ACTIONS! GO AHEAD! PUNISH ME! SEE IF I CARE!!”

Before the teachers even had time to react to Gallus’ outburst, The Griffon did an abrupt one-eighty and flew out of the teacher’s lounge through the windows he had tried to escape from previously, slamming them hard on his way outside.

For a few seconds, the group of creatures just stood there, staring with shock at the windows as they replayed everything that had just happened. They had never seen Gallus act like that before and were at a loss of what to do. Then, Twilight turned around to face the five students to see that tears of their own were beginning to well up in their eyes. More sympathy built up inside Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike and they quickly rushed to comfort their students.

“Are you all okay?” Twilight asked softly.

“Y-Yeah,” sniffled Silverstream as she wiped away her tears. “We’re fine. We’re just a little shaken up.”

“Yona more worried about Gallus,” said Yona.

“We all are,” sighed Sandbar.

“What happened?” asked Spike. “How did he end up like that?”

Silverstream, Ocellus, Sandbar, Yona, and Smolder all exchanged guilty and nervous glances with one another before looking back at the two Ponies and Dragon.

“Well, Silverstream, Yona, Sandbar, Ocellus, and I all got into an argument over who was the culprit for the prank,” Smolder started.

“Griffon pick up vase and throw it at wall to get Yak and friends’ attention,” Yona spoke up.

“He started yelling at us for how we were acting because that wasn’t what the holidays were about,” said Silversteam.

“I asked him about what he did to celebrate the holidays back home and he filled us in on a holiday called the Blue Moon Festival,” Ocellus explained. “However, he told us that it was never joyous like all our holidays were. All that Griffons do during that time was, in his words, eat together because they were forced to and try not to yell at each other.”

“I was under the assumption that his family would want to make sure he had a happy time during the holidays,” Silverstream gulped, biting her lip. “B-But when I brought that up, he just gave me this really angry, pained look, and told us that he had no family.”

“I asked him about Grampa Gruff, but it turns out that everyone just calls him that. He’s not actually Gallus’ grandfather,” added Sandbar.

“I was able to read his emotions for a few seconds,” Ocellus spoke up. “All I could sense was anger, sadness, and grief.”

“Did he tell you anything about what might have happened to them?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“No, he didn’t,” said Smolder. “Whatever happened to them, though, obviously must’ve hit him hard.”

By this point, Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike were all mirroring the worried expressions of their students. However, they also began to feel guilty at how far this had gone.

“Well, while we don’t condone fighting, we’re also partially to blame for this,” admitted Rainbow Dash.

“What do you mean?” asked Ocellus.

Now, it was Spike, Twilight, and Rainbow’s turn to exchange nervous glances with each other.

Twilight let out a heavy sigh, “Deep down, we all suspected Gallus was the culprit.”

All five students gasped.

“Headmare knew about Griffon messing up decorations?!” exclaimed Yona.

“Why didn’t you tell him about it the first time he was in your office?” asked a now annoyed Smolder.

“We didn’t want to call him out right away,” explained Twilight. “We hoped that he would tell the truth on his own terms.”

“We’re sorry,” said Rainbow. “We didn’t want things to get taken this far. We’ll arrange for your families to come and pick you all up as soon as possible.”

“What about Gallus?” asked Sandbar. “We can’t just leave him here alone.”

The other four students agreed. In spite of their annoyance toward their teachers for holding them up, all five creatures knew that they needed their help to make amends with Gallus.

“Well, we’ll talk with him and see if we can’t dig deeper about his past,” explained Twilight.

“Maybe I could stay over here at school and spend the holidays with him,” Silverstream thought aloud.

“Maybe, if I’m really lucky, I could take him out on a date,” the Hippogriff thought.

“Me, too!” said Ocellus.

“Yona stay also!” Yona added.

“I'm staying!” said Sandbar firmly.

“I guess pony holidays can’t be that bad,” Smolder shrugged. “Count me in.”

“Looks like they don't really need any extra lessons,” Rainbow whispered to Twilight.

Spike, however, didn’t seem to share the same joy as the other seven creatures.

“I hate to dampen the mood here, but we have a problem,” the purple Dragon spoke up. “In order for us to actually go comfort Gallus, we need to find him first. Unfortunately, we have no idea where he could be now and, in these conditions, spotting him would be almost impossible.”

Spike was right. By now, the sun had gone down, and visibility had been made poor by heavy snow and whipping winds.

“If anything, he probably went back to the student dorms,” Smolder thought aloud. “If the weather conditions are too extreme for us to travel in, there’s a good chance the same could be said for him too.”

The others thought over Smolder’s theory for a few seconds before agreeing with it.

“Alright, everyone,” said Rainbow. “Let’s go and put a smile back on that Griffon’s face.”

The eight creatures nodded to each other and quickly to the windows Gallus had exited out of a few minutes earlier and began stepping outside one by one.

No sooner had the last creature stepped outside than did the doors to the students’ quarters fly open to reveal Gallus. The Griffon took a few steps outside before coming to a stop.

“Gallus!” Silverstream called, waving to her friend. “Over here!”

Rather than turning to face the Hippogriff, Gallus just wiped his face, spread his wings, and took off into the sky.

“Where’s he going?” asked Ocellus, becoming worried about the Griffon’s possible intentions.

“I don’t know,” said Smolder. “But it’s best we follow him and find out. Whatever he’s up to, I have a feeling that it’s not good.”

With that, Smolder, Ocellus, and Silverstream took off to the sky after their friend, with Twilight, Rainbow, Spike, Sandbar, and Yona all following close behind.

Gallus had heard Silverstream call out to him but ignored it. His eyes were locked straight ahead as he flew higher into the sky.

“Don’t worry, you guys,” he sniffled softly. “None of you will have to put up with me anymo-Woah!“

Gallus’ sentence was interrupted when a huge gust of wind slammed hard into his right side, blowing him jarringly off course. The Griffon tried desperately to straighten himself out, but to no avail. In fact, it seemed the harder he tried, the wonkier his flight pattern became. This eventually caused him to start descending in altitude and it wasn’t long before the ground greeted the Griffon’s sight. At the last possible second, however, Gallus managed to regain control over himself as he slammed his wings to his sides for a split second, then opened them back up, successfully correcting his flight pattern back into a straight line. Although, that didn’t stop him from continuing to hurdle toward the ground, leaving him with no other choice but to stick out his limbs to cushion the impending crash. A harsh, sharp breath exited the Griffon’s beak as he nosedived hard into the fresh, white powder.

After dusting the snow off of his body and making sure he was uninjured, Gallus looked around at his surroundings and realized that he had landed in front of the school. Knowing the weather conditions were too severe for him to travel any further, he began to look around. The pool in front of the school had frozen over. The Griffon stared at it for a few seconds before quickly deciding that it wouldn’t be the right candidate to assist him in what he wanted to do thanks to the weather conditions. Gallus began to peer through the snowfall and locked eyes with the large mountain that stood behind the main school building. He could make out the outline of it through the blizzard and, at that moment, made a plan in his head. He wiped away his tears, spread his wings, and took flight for the top. As Gallus left the ground, he could hear voices in the distance and could see a faint orange glow and purple glow, both of which grew brighter as the voices grew louder. He knew he had to be fast.

Meanwhile, Smolder, Silverstream, and Ocellus were pushing their way through blinding snow. Smolder had begun to use her fire breath as a torch, making it easier the Dragon, Changeling, and Hippogriff to navigate through the air. As they raced after their distraught friend, Silverstream caught a purple glow out of the corner of her right eye. She looked down to see that the light was coming from Twilight’s horn. Behind the lilac Alicorn were Rainbow, Spike, Yona, and Sandbar. Realizing that they too would need a visual once Smolder, Ocellus, and she caught up to Gallus, Silverstream decided to hang back, acting as a beacon for them, although she still kept Ocellus and the orange glow of Smolder’s fire breath up ahead in her sight.

Soon, the octet found themselves approaching the front of the school. They could see Gallus had landed and was looking around for something. They noticed that he had tears in his eyes. His whole facial expression seemed to signal that he was emotionally crushed.

“There he is!” said Ocellus.

Silverstream spun around and found the three ponies, Dragon, and Yak following not far behind them.

“He’s at the front of the school!” Silverstream yelled down to them.

No sooner did the Hippogriff notify the others of Gallus’ location, however, then did the Griffon spread his wings and begin to take flight. The eight creatures could only watch as Gallus disappeared into the dark clouds, their worry mounting.

“Gallus!” Sandbar called out. “Come ba-!”

Sandbar was cut off when he felt a pair of hooves wrap around his waist and pull him off the ground. He turned his head and found that Rainbow Dash was responsible for why he was now airborne.

"What are you doing?!" exclaimed a now startled Sandbar.

"Helping you get up in the air with the rest of us," Rainbow responded. "We're going to need everyone to help out, so this doesn't have a tragic outcome."

"A-Are you suggesting..." Silverstream trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as the realization hit the rest of her friends and her as to why Gallus had was even headed to the top of the mountain to begin with.

"Yes, I am, Silverstream," the Cyan Pegasus replied.

That was all that everyone needed to hear. Yona found herself being grabbed ahold of by Silverstream on her left and Ocellus on her right and together, the eight creatures took off to the sky to battle their way to top of the mountain, their determination and fear for Gallus overriding any amount of snow or wind that hit their bodies. Two huge streaks of fire, one orange and the other green, stood out bold against the darkening sky, courtesy of Spike and Smolder.

Gallus' joints ached as he blazed upward towards the top of the mountain. The snow grew thicker as the blue Griffon climbed in altitude and the bitter cold wind stung his cheeks. In spite of that, he didn’t slow down. In fact, the conditions only motivated him to go faster. At this point, his adrenaline had kicked in and it was the only thing keeping him moving.

“H-Hold tight, mom. Hold tight, dad. Hold tight, Gracie and Gwen,” he choked through sobs. “I-I’m coming.”

After a few more minutes of climbing, the weather conditions became too severe for him to travel on, stopping the Griffon dead in his tracks again. So, Gallus had no choice but to stop flying upward. So, he began to search for a nearby ledge to land. He soon found one and he quickly made his way to it. As he touched the ground, the icy chill of the fresh snow surged through his limbs, making his whole body shiver. He knew if he’d jump back down from where he had ascended, the others would most certainly be able to see him and catch him before he'd hit the ground. Left with no other choice, the blue Griffon began to slowly trudge through the blizzard. He had only traveled roughly 150 feet before he spotted a large pine tree. He ran under it to shelter from the heavy snowfall and get his energy back to continue onward. After wiping away his tears and recovering for a few seconds, Gallus was back out into the thick snowfall. As he progressed further into the storm, the Griffon began to look around for another ledge. He traveled another 800 feet before he spotted a ledge through the harsh conditions and began to make his way towards it. After what seemed like forever, he finally made it toward the edge and looked down. It was, at least, a five-hundred-foot drop to the ground.

More tears began to well up in Gallus’ eyes and stream down his face as he began to recall all the happy memories that he had made with all his friends. From hanging out at the Castle of The Two Sisters, to saving Applejack and Rainbow Dash from the Bite-acudas, to performing in the play. Each memory that was once happy now tore his heart to shreds. This was supposed to be a new opportunity for him, and he had blown it.

“Goodbye, guys,” he whispered to no one through quiet crying. “I’m sorry for everything. Please forgive me for being such a screw-up.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he prepared himself for the fall that would finally end his suffering. Until he heard a voice call out his name, stopping the suicidal creature dead in his tracks.

Smolder, Ocellus, Silverstream, Yona, Sanbar, and their teachers tried to keep pace with their distressed friend and student, but as the conditions grew worse the higher they went, the slower they seemed to be going. Even with the help of Smolder and Spike’s fire breath, they found themselves slowly losing sight of Gallus. Eventually, the octet couldn’t see him at all. Eventually, they were forced to land on a ledge that was roughly five hundred feet off the ground in order to catch their breath and get their strength back.

"Listen, you guys," came the voice of Rainbow Dash. "I think it's best if Twilight, Spike, and I head up to the mountain on our own."

As one could imagine, this statement didn't sit well with the five creatures that Rainbow's comment was addressed to.

"No!" protested Smolder. "We have to go with you guys! You need our help just as much as we need yours to save Gallus!"

"We understand, Smolder, but the conditions are too dangerous," Twilight insisted. "It's better for your safety that you all stay put here rather than continuing onward. One of you could end up seriously hurt in these conditions."

With that, the pair of Ponies and Dragon took off to continue their trek to the top of the mountain.

"Wait!" cried Ocellus, but it was no good. Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow were already out of sight and out of earshot of the protests of their students.

"Great!" Yona stomped on the ground in frustration and anger, "Now, Yak and friends stuck up here and can't help save Griffon!"

“Wait, you guys. Look!” came the voice of Smolder.

Sandbar, Yona, Ocellus, and Silverstream spun around to see the orange Dragon pointing to the ground. They raced over to see what she had discovered, only to lay eyes on what looked like tracks in the snow, but they were being covered up fast.

“You think that could be Gallus?” asked Sandbar.

“They do look like his claw and paw prints,” said Ocellus. “We should follow them.”

“Come on,” said Smolder. “We’re wasting time.”

Smolder used her fire breath to help provide light once more, and the five creatures, through blazing snow, began to follow the tracks. They had only traveled 850 feet before the heavy snowfall had made the tracks almost invisible.

“Can you see anything?” asked Smolder.

“No, I can’t!” cried Silverstream. “The tracks are covered up! The snow’s too thick!”

“Wait a second,” said Ocellus as she peered straight ahead. “Look, everycreature!”

The other four creatures turned their attention to where Ocellus was looking and instantly saw what looked like a silhouette in the distance. They made their way toward it only to discover it was Gallus. They could hear quiet crying. As they drew closer, they could hear him quietly talking to himself.

“Please forgive me for being such a screw-up.”

Then, the quintet could see that no more than six inches in front of their friend was the edge of a cliff. Almost instantly, the worst thoughts raced through everyone's minds, and they knew they needed to act fast. Silverstream took a deep breath and called out her friend’s name.

“GALLUS!!” yelled Silverstream.

The blue Griffon in question looked back to see Smolder, Ocellus, Silverstream, Yona, and Sandbar racing toward him, skidding to a stop just a few feet away from where he was. The group of friends could now get a better view of his face. The Griffon looked like he had seen hell itself with how forlorn he was. With Gallus back in her sights, Ocellus immediately picked up where she left off on reading his emotions. The moment she did, the Changeling felt her gut drop into a bottomless pit. The Griffon’s feelings of sadness, anger, and grief had increased a thousandfold since when they were in the teacher’s lounge.

“Dude, stop!” cried Smolder. “Gallus, don’t do this!”

“Don’t bother, you guys,” Gallus held up a claw. “I’m not going to be talked out of this.”

"Yak not letting it happen," said Yona firmly. "Yona not letting Gallus jump."

"Neither are the rest of us," added Silverstream. “Whatever you’re going through, there has to be a solution for it, and we will do everything we can to find it and help you.”

“I really wish that was the case,” the depressed Griffon began to cry again. “Sadly, it isn’t. It never will be. You’d never understand the full magnitude of what I’ve gone through or the pain I’m in, and I preferred it stayed that way. If you did, I’m certain I’d just wreck the holidays even more for you. I’ve already done more than enough damage.”

The Dragon, Hippogriff, Changeling, Yak, and Earth Pony felt like they were talking to an entirely different creature as they listened to Gallus speak. The mischievous, cheeky prankster they all knew seemed like he was a distant memory. In his place stood a creature that just wanted a way, any way, for everything to end. Tears of their own were beginning to brim in their eyes. They could feel their own hearts breaking for Gallus as they continued to look into his pain-filled eyes. Ocellus had delved deeper in his emotions and, by this point, could also sense that Gallus was not only in deep emotional pain, but he was also extremely traumatized.

“Even if it did, we’d work through it,” Sandbar tried to reassure the distraught Griffon.

"It's a lost cause," Gallus sniffled. "I've tried to get myself out of this abyss time and time again, and each time I end up worse off than when I started. I'm not dragging the rest of you down with me. This decision is for the better."

"No, it's not," said Silverstream. "There are other alternatives out there."

"Just stay out of it, Silverstream," Gallus retorted, tears still stinging his eyes. "This isn't your fight."

“No, we won't," Silverstream said defiantly. "You're our friend and we're not letting you go alone in the dark for a second longer, especially so close to the holidays."

"Agreed," added Smolder. "No one deserves to be sad or alone during this time of year.”

“IT’S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!!” Gallus suddenly screamed, startling them all. “ALL OF YOU HAVE FAMILIES TO GO BACK TO! I DON’T! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY?!! WELL, DO YOU?!”

A sickening feeling began to brew inside the stomachs of the five creatures. By this point, the Griffon’s behavior had already made them come to a mutual conclusion about what had happened to his family, but that didn’t stop Ocellus from confirming their suspicions.

“Wh-What happened to them?” the Changeling asked, her voice stammering as she fought to swallow the lump forming in her throat.

“THEY’RE DEAD!!” Gallus continued on, his voice only rising as his anguish became more evident. “THEY DIED ON THE DAY OF THE BLUE MOON FESTIVAL! MY MOM, MY DAD, AND MY SISTERS! ALL BURNED ALIVE IN A HOUSE FIRE, WHILE I JUST STOOD OUTSIDE GAWKING LIKE AN IDIOT AS MY ENTIRE WORLD SHATTERED BEFORE MY EYES IN THE SPAN OF AN HOUR! ALL I HAVE LEFT TO REMIND ME OF MY OLD LIFE IS A PILLOW! I HAVE NO PICTURES I CAN REMEMBER THEM BY! I HAVE NO BELONGINGS OF THEIRS I CAN HOLD ON TO! NOTHING! EVERY TIME THE HOLIDAYS COME AROUND, THEY JUST PUT ME THROUGH HELL ALL OVER AGAIN, WITH EACH HOLIDAY SEASON BEING MORE GRUELING FOR ME TO EXPERIENCE THAN THE LAST! ALL I'VE WANTED SINCE THAT DAY WAS TO JUST EXPERIENCE ONE MOMENT OF PEACE AWAY FROM MY GRIEF! JUST ONE DAMN BIRTHDAY WHERE I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE BURSTING INTO TEARS! JUST ONE DAMN HOLIDAY WHERE I DIDN'T FEEL THE ACHE IN MY CHEST FROM MY HEART BEING SMASHED INTO A MILLION PIECES OVER AND OVER AGAIN! BUT I GUESS IT WAS JUST TOO MUCH TO ASK BECAUSE NO MATTER WHERE I WENT OR WHAT I DID, I WAS ALWAYS PLAGUED WITH THOSE SAME TRAUMATIC MEMORIES, INCLUDING HERE! WHEN I MADE FRIENDS WITH ALL OF YOU, I THOUGHT I COULD FINALLY ESCAPE FROM MY MISERY AT LAST, BUT IT STILL FOUND ME HERE AND ATE ME ALIVE FROM THE INSIDE OUT JUST LIKE IT HAS SO MANY TIMES BEFORE! THE ONLY WAY I WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE IT WAS THROUGH PULLING PRANKS, HOPING I COULD GET OTHERS TO LAUGH SO THAT I COULD FEEL BETTER ABOUT MY SAD SELF, BUT ALL I DID WAS TIE UP THE TEACHERS' SCHEDULES AND CAUSE ENDLESS FRUSTRATIONS FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED! I COULD NEVER TAKE THE HINT AND QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD BECAUSE ALL I WAS FOCUSED ON WAS TRYING TO ABSCOND THIS ORDEAL IN ANY WAY I COULD! NOW, IT'S LED ME TO BECOME SO DESPERATE TO ACTUALLY HAVE A HAPPY DAY FOR ONCE THAT I'VE ENDED UP RUINING EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE ELSE! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I’M SICK AND TIRED OF CONSTANTLY BEING A SCREW-UP, A PROBLEM, A FAILURE, AND A BURDEN!! I JUST WANT THIS NIGHTMARE I CALL MY PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A LIFE TO END!!!”

Gallus fell onto his haunches, buried his face into his claws, and began to cry the hardest he had ever done in his entire life. The pain and emotional scars that he had been bottling up for all these years had been fully unleashed by this point and it was rapidly destroying what was left of him from the inside out. His friends could only stare with sorrow and shock as they processed his rant. The tears that had been welling up in their eyes were now falling onto the snow. They had never seen a creature look so devastated in all their lives and had nothing but empathy leaking toward the heartsore Griffon. The quintet looked on towards the cliff’s edge, then back at the bawling Griffon, and then toward each other. At that moment, all five concomitantly realized that this was likely their only shot at intercepting Gallus and in a situation like this, every second counted. Without a word, they all wiped away their tears, took a deep breath to steady themselves, and began to advance toward Gallus. Their pace was slow, at first, but grew faster as they drew closer to him. They were just inches away from grabbing their friend when Gallus regained his composure, saw them approaching him, jumped back up, and immediately backpedaled from them. Now, the inconsolable Griffon was no more than an inch from the cliff’s edge. Gallus looked back over his shoulder, saw how close he was to being free of his pain, and was about to turn around, until he heard Ocellus' pleading voice calling out to him through her own choked sobs.

“Gallus, please!” cried the changeling. “It doesn’t have to be this way! You're not alone in this battle! We're your friends! We can help you get through this!”

"You can't help me if I'm the main thing that's wrong with this situation, Ocellus! None of you can!" Gallus sobbed. "My despair has had me by my neck and the one chance I had to finally break free from it only made things worse! I have no reason to continue to live, nor do I deserve to! I can never be free of my pain in this world, and I'll just keep scotching more events and making more creatures miserable if I keep trying to escape! I'm done with this! I'm done running in circles hoping something will be different the next time I complete a lap! Why can't the five of you see the writing on the walls?! Why can't you three get it through your heads?! I'm nothing but a nuisance and an obstacle in everyone's lives! I always have been, and I always will be!"

Smolder, Ocellus, Yona, Sandbar, and Silverstream all exchanged looks of horror with one another. With each word Gallus spoke, they could feel the agonizing, emotional pain that resided inside of their friend reaching inside of them and cutting into every inch of their insides and no matter what they said, it only seemed to make Gallus feel worse and worse. It was becoming harder and harder not to break down themselves as they listened to the Griffon's lament. By this point, all five creatures were growing desperate in their attempt to provide succor for Gallus and get him to come back from the edge.

“You’re not a nuisance and you're not what's wrong with any situation, Gallus,” Smolder said, voice shaking, but trying to sound firm. “We don’t care how many days it’ll take, or how many tears have to be shed, we won't stop until your grief and demons are quashed, and you are able to find peace. No matter what happens, none of us will give up on you. Not now, not ever. That’s what friends are for.”

For a few seconds, everything was dead silent with the exception of the howling wind. Gallus wiped away his tears and looked at his three friends and they all looked back at him with looks of sympathy and dread. The Griffon could feel his heart being stabbed repeatedly as Smolder's words circled inside his mind. They were all up here dealing with a nuisance that clearly didn't deserve any of their time. Finally, he locked eyes with Smolder and began to speak again.

“I know you won’t give up on me. Because it's obvious you still don't understand."

Smolder, Ocellus, Yona, Sandbar, and Silverstream all felt their blood run colder than the snow they stood upon. The voice that was coming from Gallus' beak didn’t sound like him. While the tone that was filled with sadness, pain, trauma, and anger had now vanished, what took its place was even more unsettling. It was almost monotone, like a robot. It sounded like it was devoid of all life, from a creature that had finally reached the end of his rope. Then, the final eight words Gallus uttered would forever haunt the creatures that stood before him on this dreary December evening.

“So, I won’t let you waste your time.”

Before any of them had a sliver of a chance to react, Gallus spun around, shut his eyes, and leapt off of the ledge in a way that could only be described as an angel attempting to take flight. The five creatures watched in horror as their friend jumped off the edge and disappeared from sight. They peered over the edge just in time to see Gallus’ body being swallowed by the black abyss of the night.

“GALLUS, NO!!!” screamed Ocellus.

Smolder, Yona, Sandbar, and Ocellus felt like they wanted to throw up as the realization simultaneously hit them all at a stroke. The worst-case scenario that could've come out of this situation had happened. They had failed to save Gallus. Now, they could do nothing to stop the tragedy from unfolding. Silverstream, however, wasn’t one to give up so easily. No sooner did Ocellus scream than did she leap off the cliff edge herself, determined not to let the Griffon die.

“Silverstream, what are you doing?!” yelled Smolder.

The Hippogriff ignored her. She had tuned out all her senses, except sight, as she barreled toward the ground, determined to save the Griffon that was her best friend. The Griffon that was her soulmate. The Griffon that she had fallen in love with.

“Hold on, Gallus,” she whispered. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Breathe in. Breathe out.”

Each breath that entered and left Gallus’ nostrils was slow and shaky, but steady, as he let all the tension that had been trapped in his muscles finally release. With his mission now complete, all Gallus could do now was relax and wait for the sweet embrace of death to envelop him and officially mark the end of his struggle.

“So close.”

Gallus’ mouth slowly began to go from a frown to a smile as a new feeling washed over him. It was one the Griffon hadn’t felt in a long time. Relief. It was like the weight of the world was being lifted off of his shoulders. Despite the fact that tears were still streaming down Gallus’ face, they weren’t because he was sad. They were because he was happy. The Griffon could feel his grief being shredded into tiny, little pieces and pulled away from his fractured soul, exposing it in preparation for the final blow. No longer did the cold, whipping wind feel bitter or stinging against him as he plummeted to the ground. It felt satisfying, as if it were a cool summer breeze.

“This must be what it’s like to finally find pea-”

Gallus' thoughts were interrupted when a surge of the worst pain he had ever felt shot through his whole body for a millisecond, before all feelings, both physically and emotionally, were cut off. Permanently.

Every drop of strength Silverstream could muster was being channeled to her wings as they flapped faster and faster. Her breaths came out forced and shallow through her clenched teeth as her eyes narrowed further and further. She could feel the ache in every part of her body as the physical strain became greater and greater, but the Hippogriff would not give up as that would mean subjecting Gallus to a death sentence. Thankfully, Silverstream could see him though the thick cloud cover as she was slowly, but surely, closing the gap between herself and Gallus. She could feel the fire in the pit of her stomach growing hotter and hotter as she grew nearer and nearer to the Griffon.

"Almost there."

Silverstream's mouth curled into a slight smile when she saw that Gallus' tail was now almost within her reach. She stuck out her right arm and opened her clenched fist, her fingers preparing close in on their target so she could grab ahold of her friend and pull him back up to safety at a moment's notice.

"You're mine now."

The possibility of victory in Silverstream's mind was short-lived when the clouds abruptly broke away, revealing that she was no more than 150 feet above the ground. Instinct for survival kicked in as Silverstream spread her wings out in an attempt to pull up. The realization that she had failed her mission hit her almost concurrently and the Hippogriff squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to look at what was going to happen next. The sickening, “thud,” rang loudly in the Hippogriff's ears. The terrible sound was simultaneous with her heart finally hitting the bottom of the despairing pit inside her chest and shattering to pieces.

Unfortunately, Silverstream would have no time to dwell on her failure to save Gallus as something rough, robust, and hard smashed into her left side, ripping the air out of the Hippogriff's lungs. Her whole body began to roll as she free-fell through the air, colliding with much smaller, sturdy, icy, and stiff objects, and landing on the ground with a “thud,” of her own. She had enough momentum to do two full barrel rolls through the fresh, white powder before coming to a crashing halt, lying on her back.

She was out for a few seconds before coming back around. The Hippogriff sat up and looked to her right and was greeted by what she had run into, a tall, sturdy tree. Its bare branches looming over her as if it was a giant creature getting ready to pounce onto its defenseless prey. A dull ache began to bud on left side between her front and hind leg and her left wrist and wing didn’t seem as mobile as before. The Hippogriff moaned on pain as she slowly and carefully hoisted herself out of the snow and onto her good claw and hooves and steadied herself. Silverstream felt like passing out. The last bit of her energy she had within her was used to pull herself up. Until her eyes fell upon a patch of blue roughly fifteen feet away from her, still and unmoving.

“No,” Silverstream whimpered, trying to keep herself together as she began to advance toward the patch of blue. “No. He can’t be dead. He can’t be dead!”

Ignoring the now searing pain on her left side, Silverstream's limbs made contact with and left the ground faster and faster as a new surge of energy and adrenaline began coursing through her veins before, at long last, the Hippogriff had finally made it toward where Gallus now lay. The moment Silverstream laid eyes on him, nausea flowed through the shell-shocked Hippogriff as she fought the urge to puke right then and there. There, laying in front of her, on his back, his eyes peacefully closed, and facial expression relaxed, was Gallus. There were tear streaks soaked into his cheek feathers. Several parts of his body were in an odd position, as if the shields of flesh and feathers had failed to save the bones hidden underneath from being broken. Blood had begun to seep out of his ears, nostrils, and mouth. His abdomen also seemed bloated in several places. Trying to push away the likelihood that this was the end of her best friend, Silverstream placed her ear against Gallus’ still chest, praying that the heavens above hadn't called him home at such a young age. No such luxury. She didn’t hear anything. No breathing. No heartbeat. At this point, the Hippogriff completely lost it. She buried her face in her now deceased friend’s chest and began to bawl like no tomorrow.

“Silverstream!”

The Hippogriff looked up to see Smolder and Ocellus racing down toward her. Neither Changeling nor Dragon had even landed on the ground when they saw the crumpled body that lay in Silverstream's grasp. Their faces instantly turned whiter than the snow that continued to fall around them.

“I-Is he?...” Smolder stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

“He’s gone!” wailed Silverstream. “I-I was so close to saving him!”

Smolder turned to face Ocellus, hot tears already streaming down her face, "Ocellus, you're coming with me. We need to get Sandbar and Yona down from the mountain and then we need to alert the teachers of where we are."

Without another word, the pair took off to the sky and began the strenuous task of transporting their friends five hundred feet down through blinding snow. One look at Smolder and Ocellus' faces told Sandbar and Yona all they needed to know. Neither dared to say anything on the way down. Once Smolder and she had completed the task of transporting the Yak and Earth Pony down to where Silverstream now sat, Ocellus raced back up to the sky in search of her teachers.

“Twilight!” she called. “Someone! Anyone! HELP, PLEASE!!”

Near the top of the mountain, Twilight and Spike both looked around frantically, desperate for any sign that their distraught student was nearby. Rainbow did help out at first, but there was a faint sound that she could hear in the distance, even with the harsh howling of wind. It sounded like a creature in distress crying out for any sort of help. It wasn't long before Twilight and Spike took notice of her focusing elsewhere.

“Rainbow, what are you-?” Spike started to ask.

“Shh!” shushed Rainbow. “Listen.”

The Dragon and Alicorn were confused until they heard it too. It was faint, but it did indeed sound like someone crying out for help.

“Someone! Anyone! Help, please!”

“That sounds like Ocellus!” said Twilight.

“I think it’s coming from this way,” Spike said pointing to his left.

The trio began to fly in the direction Spike had pointed toward and, indeed, the voice became louder and louder. Eventually, the source of the voice came barreling toward them in the form of none other than the changeling in question.

“Professor Twilight!” bawled Ocellus. “G-Gallus. H-He-”

She got no further before she broke down into another fit of tears.

Spike, Rainbow, and Twilight all felt their hearts sink into their chests and a sickening feeling immediately began to brew in their stomachs.

"No," whispered Spike. "O-Ocellus, he didn't."

“HE DID!” screamed Ocellus through sobs. “HE JUMPED OFF THE MOUNTAIN! GALLUS IS GONE!!”

The trio could do nothing to stop the feeling of their blood running colder than the weather as Ocellus’ final three words echoed loudly inside their heads.

“H-He’s *hic* d-down th-that way,” Ocellus choked out, pointing down from where she had just flown from. “Th-The others are already with him.”

Without another word, Ocellus did an abrupt one-eighty and made her way back down toward the ground, her teachers following close behind. As they made their way toward where Gallus was, they could hear more crying. At first, it was faint, but it grew louder and more anguished as they drew closer. The wind still felt cold, but this time it had a different effect. It felt less like a typical December chill and more as if the icy fingers of death had descended upon the whole area, blanketing the area with a sheet of melancholy on top of the increasingly thickening blanket of snow. Using her horn as a light and following the sound of the crying, Twilight Rainbow, Spike, and Ocellus eventually found the other four creatures huddled around their fallen friend. Silverstream had picked up Gallus' crumpled body by this point and was cradling him in her arms. Looking upon the scene herself sent an enormous wave of guilt through Twilight’s body. She was the cause of all of this. She had tried to set the record straight between the six of them by pressuring Gallus into coming clean. Instead, it had all gone horrifically wrong. Now, her hooves would forever be stained by the Griffon's blood and his suicide would ride on her conscience until the end of her days. She just stood there, staring blankly ahead of her. It all felt like a dream. She was snapped out of her trance when she heard Silverstream choking out words.

“I-I’m *Hic* s-so s-sorry, Twilight!” Silverstream sniveled. “I-I *sniffle* w-was so cl-close *hic* to saving him!”

“Silverstream, no. I know you tried. This is my fault. I knew Gallus had destroyed the tree. I was trying to pressure him to come clean about it,” Twilight sniffled. “I thought I could teach him, as well as the rest of you, a friendship lesson in honesty. I’ve really, really messed up.”

“Twilight, you had no way of knowing he’d do this,” Ocellus croaked through tears. “N-None of us did.”

“I still could’ve done more to save him,” whimpered Twilight. “Rainbow, Spike, and I shouldn’t have been so hasty to leave you on that trail alone. We could’ve had the chance to go down there with you and this would never have happened.”

“Even if you had followed us down that trail, it wouldn’t have helped,” said Silverstream. “The Gallus that the five of us saw on that mountain was nothing like the Gallus we thought we knew.”

“What do you mean?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“He looked absolutely destroyed. His eyes were filled with pain. I had another chance to sense his distress and what I found was far beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a creature look so sad or hurt. His sobs were even worse. It honestly sounded like his spirit was breaking right before our eyes,” Ocellus said.

Smolder, Silverstream, Sandbar, and Yona all joined Ocellus in slowly recapping Gallus' final moments toward their teachers. With each word that left their mouths, the weight upon the shoulders of Twilight and Rainbow Dash grew heavier and heavier.

“I-I was s-so-so close!” Silverstream sobbed as she went into detail on how she had tried to catch Gallus. “I was no more than a centimeter from grabbing him before I was forced to pull up and I ended up crashing into a tree. I-I heard him hit the ground a-and I-I…”

The Hippogriff got no further before she began to bawl in agony. She looked back down at the still face of her deceased friend, caressing it with her uninjured hand.

“G-Gallus,” she croaked out. “I-I’m so sorry. I tried to save you. I really did!”

The other four students, Spike, Twilight, and Rainbow all embraced Silverstream and began to all cry with her. They were unable to do it for very long as they felt the bitter sting of the wind pummeling their bodies return to them, hitting them all like a fully loaded freight train. They were so focused on the fate that had befallen Gallus that they had tuned out the worsening conditions. They began to feel weak, and their joints ached. Twilight put up a forcefield around them and they slowly made their way back to the student’s quarters, with Silverstream volunteering to cart Gallus’ shattered body back with them. The others noticed that she had a limp and there seemed to be a large bruise on her left side. Her left wing looked like it was practically hanging off of her side.

After what felt like the slowest and most agonizing walk they had ever experienced, the eight creatures had made their way back to the front door of the student’s quarters. Smolder, Sandbar, Ocellus, and Yona all went straight to their rooms, walked inside without saying a word, and locked the doors immediately after shutting them behind them. Silverstream, however, stayed with the teachers and Spike. They went to Gallus’ dorm room, placed the Griffon on his bed, and said that no one was allowed inside the room until a coroner could come down to the school to take Gallus away. Twilight placed a spell on his body to preserve it until then. As Spike, Twilight, and Rainbow turned to leave, they noticed Silverstream wasn’t following them. They looked back to see the pink Hippogriff just staring at Gallus’ lifeless corpse.

“Silverstream?” Rainbow asked cautiously.

“Leave me alone,” Silverstream said back. “I need some time with him.”

The two ponies and Dragon were reluctant to leave the grieving Hippogriff alone, but eventually they fulfilled her request. They left the room without a word and quietly closed the door. The second they were outside, Twilight immediately sat in her haunches, buried her face in her hooves, and began to sob and sob. Rainbow Dash and Spike both wrapped her in a hug and began to cry themselves. They all just sat there in the hallway not saying a word and not breaking the hug as they let their emotions flow. Eventually, they were pulled away when Silverstream creaked open the dorm room door. She still had a limp, and her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying she had done.

“T-Twilight?” she asked timidly. “C-Could you get me some ice packs? My wing, side, and wrist really hurt.”

“Certainly,” said Twilight, as Spike, Rainbow, and she helped the Hippogriff limp her way to the nurse's office.

With her focus on Gallus now wearing off, Silverstream began to feel the pain that was shooting through her wrist, wing, and side becoming more and more vivid. However, no physical pain even came close to the pain inside her chest from her heart being broken in the worst way imaginable. Not only had she lost her love interest in the most traumatizing way possible, but she had also witnessed a side to him that would most certainly haunt her for the rest of her life. As the Hippogriff sat down on a bed inside the nurse’s office, the two Ponies and Dragon noticed her left side looked a little swollen and it had a dark bruise on it. Her wing also seemed to be in an unusual position, and it was missing a few feathers. Upon inspecting Silverstream’s injuries closer, Twilight spoke up.

“You know what, Silverstream? I’m sending a medical team to have a look at you. It seems that your injuries may be worse than I assumed.”

Silverstream winced hearing that but said nothing in return. She just nodded her head.

Twilight used her magic to levitate a trio of ice packs and placed them on the Hippogriff’s wing, wrist, and side and uttered a spell to keep them in place so they wouldn’t have to be held on. Then, she turned her attention to Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow,” she said. “You stay here and keep Silverstream company. Spike, you’re coming with me to get a medical team and coroner, alert the girls of what’s happened, and notify the families of the students.”

Neither Dragon nor Pegasus needed to be told twice. Twilight and Spike raced off while Rainbow stayed behind to comfort the heartbroken Hippogriff.

Visitors in the Dream Realm: Pt.1

Not one peep was heard out of Sandbar, Smolder, Yona, Ocellus, or Silverstream as they made their way back home with their families. They just looked blankly forward and grew sadder as they drew further and further from the cemetery. The moment each of the five creatures stepped inside their individual abodes, they made a beeline straight for their bedrooms and refused to come out until it was dinnertime. When they did come down to eat, all their parents and siblings immediately began to feel more worried as they noticed that their eyes were bloodshot. After dinner, the five creatures went back to their bedrooms. It was where they stayed until, one by one, they finally cried themselves to sleep.

Grampa Gruff peered sadly into the permanently empty bedroom that belonged to his grandson. No matter how many times he looked into it to see it vacant, he always expected to see Gallus in there. Each time he did look in there just shattered his heart and it reminded him of his own bitter failures in the six years, closer to seven, when he was taking care of the young Griffon. The old Griffon had barely touched his dinner that night. He really didn't have an appetite after what had happened today. No matter what activity he did, the only thing that was on his mind was Gallus.

"What have I done?" he would often mumble to himself. "How did I go so wrong?"

Eventually, Grampa Gruff checked out for the night. He trudged slowly to his bed and climbed inside. The moment he closed his eyes, an image of Gallus appeared in his mind. He didn’t bother trying to shake the memory. He knew any attempt at escaping his thoughts were futile. Eventually, like Gallus' friends, he cried himself to sleep.

Luna's Dream Realm
10:30 P.M.

It was ordinary for Luna to be doing her usual job around this time, watching over the dreams over the numerous creatures that inhabited Equestria. However, it wasn't normal for her to not be alone. This was one of those abnormal times. Behind her were five Griffons. The first two Griffons looked middle-aged. Behind them was a third griffon, who looked to be in their mid-teens. To the right of the teenage Griffon were the fourth and fifth Griffons. The fourth Griffon stood as tall as the teenaged Griffon's chest and looked like they were about eleven or twelve. The fifth Griffon stood as tall as the fourth Griffon's knees and looked no older than five. They had been taken to the dreams of six specific creatures at the request of the teenage Griffon.

"Thank you for doing this," said the teenage Griffon.

"Anytime," smiled Luna.

The teenage Griffon turned back to face the other four Griffons.

"Are you four ready?" they asked.

The other four Griffons nodded.

The teenage Griffon turned back to face Princess Luna.

"Alright, then," said the teenage Griffon. "Let's go."

Grampa Gruff's Dream

Grampa Gruff flashed a small smile as Gallus and he prepped the table for the food that was to be served at the Blue Moon Festival. Gallus looked like he was enjoying it, but Grampa Gruff could see that there was something on the back of the younger Griffon's mind that seemed to be bothering him. He was about to open his mouth to ask if everything was okay when, everything suddenly went black. Nothing was around him and it felt as if all life, excluding his own, had stopped. Instantly, the older Griffon realized that what he was experiencing was nothing more than just a cruel reminder that nothing would never be the same.

He was about to start crying once more when a blinding, white light suddenly appeared in front of him. Before he even had time to react, Grampa Gruff was lifted off his paws and claws and pulled into the white light. The old Griffon shut his eyes and waited for the end.

Smolder's Dream

Smolder sat in class, eagerly waiting for the bell to ring to signal that school was out for winter break. At that moment, the harsh ringing of the bell echoed throughout the whole school. Smolder was out of her seat like a rocket and was racing toward the classroom door. As she opened it, however, what she found in front of her wasn't a crowded hallway. Instead, it was a blinding, white light.

"What the-?!" was all she had time to say before she was abruptly pulled into the air and sucked towards the light without warning.

Ocellus' Dream

Ocellus was in the middle of a gift exchange with her parents and siblings. The tempo of how they handed gifts off to one another was just right. The young Changeling was having a blast and nothing could possibly ruin this event.

Then, as she was handed a gift from her mother, the wrapping paper suddenly turned from dark green to a blinding white. Ocellus barely had anytime to realize what was happening before the gift abruptly sucked her into the white light.

Yona's Dream

Yona was on top of the world doing her usual holiday tradition in Yakyakistan, smashing things.

“Yak holiday always so fun!” she laughed.

Then, without warning, as she landed back on the pile of debris she had made, the ground gave way beneath her without warning. Below the ground was nothing but a bright white abyss. Yona could do nothing but shut her eyes to shield them from the light as she fell through the ground and into the abyss.

Sandbar's Dream

Sandbar let out a yawn and stretched as he got up. He wasn't exactly eager to shake his fatigue that morning, until he took a look at the calendar on his wall. Instantly, his face lit up.

"It's Hearth's Warming!" he said aloud.

The Earth Pony quickly freshened up before racing down to the living room where his parents and little sister were waiting by all the presents.

"Who's ready to open presents?" asked Beachcomber.

"I am!" said Sandbar.

High Tide handed the giddy Pony the first gift and he ripped off the wrapping paper without hesitation. As Sandbar pulled the top off of the box underneath, what met his eyes was a blinding, white light. He felt a force of some kind pulling him off his hooves and into the box. He tried to pull himself out of it, but his attempts were futile. He was sucked inside within the span of a second.

Silverstream's Dream

While her friends' dreams were relatively cheery, Silverstream wasn't so lucky. In her dream, she was chasing down Gallus as he raced toward the same mountain that he had jumped off of just six days earlier.

"Gallus, stop!" she cried.

Gallus wouldn’t listen. He just flapped his wings faster in an attempt to widen the gap between himself and the Hippogriff.

Eventually, the two creatures had flown their way to a ledge that was easily five-hundred feet off the ground. Gallus landed on the ledge and took off down a dirt path that was now covered in snow. Silverstream was right on his tail. The two creatures soon found themselves coming another ledge and Silverstream turned pale upon seeing Gallus making his way to the edge of it. The Griffon had stopped to let out a few tears before he turned around at the sound of Silverstream’s voice.

“Gallus, please!” pled the Hippogriff. “We can help you!”

“You can’t help me, Silverstream!” said Gallus.

“You’re my friend, Gallus! I’m not letting you be alone for the holidays,” Silverstream said firmly.

“You can say that because you actually have a family to go back to, Silverstream!” Gallus began to cry again. “My family is dead! DEAD! I just wanted to skip out of setting up for the Blue Moon Festival! Instead, I’ve wrecked the holidays for everyone! I can’t do this anymore! I can’t live like this!”

Before Silverstream could stop him, Gallus leapt off the ledge and began to plummet to the ground below.

“No!” yelled Silverstream.

She jumped off the ledge and raced downward toward the ground right after her friend, determined to pull him back up to safety. As she raced toward the ground, a blinding, white light appeared between Gallus and her without warning. Silverstream had no time to react as she flew directly into the light. She disappeared from sight and the white light immediately vanished afterward.

Silverstream, Sandbar, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Grampa Gruff all opened their eyes to find themselves no longer in the blinding, white abyss. Instead, they were all in an empty, dark blue room. There was nothing around them except the other creatures. Before they could ask themselves, as well as each other, what they were doing here. Princess Luna landed before them.

“Greetings,” she said simply.

“Princess Luna?” asked Ocellus. “Did you bring us here?”

“Yes, Ocellus,” Luna responded calmly. “I have.”

“Why?” asked Smolder.

Luna didn’t respond to this question. Instead, she stepped off to the side and her horn lit up.

Five silhouettes began to appear just a few feet ahead of the ahead of the six creatures. At first, no one could recognize what they were. Then, after a few seconds, they could see that they were taking the shapes of Griffons. Two of them looked like they were fully grown Griffons. The third one looked a little smaller than the first two. The fourth silhouette topped out at the third silhouette's shoulder level. However, it still towered over the fifth silhouette, which stood as tall as the fourth silhouette’s knees.

Then, the silhouettes were abruptly enveloped in a cloud of white smoke. The cloud of smoke lingered in the air for about ten seconds before it began to disappear, revealing the four silhouettes had now become four Griffons. Instantly, Grampa Gruff, Sandbar, Smolder, Ocellus, Silverstream, and Yona locked eyes with the third silhouette upon seeing his body gain its color. The majority of his body was brilliant cerulean blue with his underbelly being a light grayish amber and his eyes were a moderate azure blue. There were a trio of feathers that stuck up on top of his head. They matched the blue color on the rest of his body on the bottom but faded to a bright amber near the tips of each feather. His wings were snow white and he had a glowing, yellow halo hovering just above his head.

"GALLUS?!!” the six creatures exclaimed simultaneously.

Gallus' facial expression was a mix of concern and relief.

"Yeah, it's me," he said.

"How did you even get here?" asked Smolder.

"I don't just manage the dreams of living creatures," explained Luna. "I also manage the dreams of spirits as well. Celestia and I were able to find a spell to merge the dreams between Gallus and his family with all of yours."

Upon hearing the word, "Family," Gallus' friends and Grampa Gruff began to take a better look at the other Griffons that stood beside Gallus. The first of the other three Griffons had brilliant orange fur and feathers covering the majority of his body. His underbelly was a light grayish amber, and he had scarlet eyes. The second Griffon had cerulean blue fur and feathers covering the majority of her body. Her underbelly was as white as snow, and she had moderate cerulean blue eyes. The third Griffon was almost completely white from beak to tail, with only a few small teal and orange spots sprinkling the area just above her beak. Her left eye was scarlet like the first Griffon, but her right eye had the same tone of blue as the second Griffon's eyes. The fourth and smallest of the three Griffons had brilliant orange fur and feathers covering the majority of her body and had scarlet eyes, matching that of the first Griffon, while her white underbelly matched that of the second griffon. Like Gallus, they too all had snow white wings and golden, yellow halos hovering above their heads. Their expressions all showed concern for the half dozen creatures that stood before them.

"That's your family?" asked Sandbar.

"Yes," said Gallus.

He gestured to the orange and amber Griffon.

"That's my dad..."

He gestured to the blue and white Griffon next.

"...that's my mom..."

He gestured to the smaller, spotted white Griffon.

"...that's my big sister, Gracie..."

Finally, he gestured to the small, orange and white Griffon.

"...and that's my little sister, Gwen," Gallus finished.

After introducing each of his family members, Gallus spun around and was about to open his beak to speak when he was abruptly tackled to the ground in a tight hug by his friends and Grampa Gruff. All six of them were softly crying by this point. Gallus could only sigh softly as he let them embrace him as long as they needed to and get their emotions out before he talked to them. After about a minute of hugging, Gallus’ friends and Grampa Gruff reluctantly broke away so that Gallus could get back up. As he got back up onto his paws and claws, Gallus was about to speak again, only for Silverstream beat him to the punch.

“We know what you’re going to say, Gallus,” she sniffled. “Our mistakes led you to this and there’s no two ways about it. It’s perfectly understandable if you’re not willing to forgive us, especially me. If I had just confessed how much I loved you, I could’ve maybe changed the whole outcome of this. I could've shown you that your depression wasn't an issue and that you weren't a problem to anyone, especially not to me.”

“I’m mainly to blame for this too,” added a crestfallen Grampa Gruff. “I had numerous red flags presented to me and I ignored every single one of them. I was supposed to take care of you, and I did the exact opposite. I made you create a mask to hide your feelings. If I had just picked up on signs that you were depressed, I could've intervened and gotten you the help you needed when it was most crucial. I'm a horrible grandfather."

Sympathy quickly built up inside Gallus as he listened to Silverstream and Grampa Gruff’s lament, as well as looking at the sad, guilt-ridden faces of the rest of his friends. The Griffon’s parents and sister also grew more worried as well.

"W-We messed up too," choked out Ocellus through soft sobs. "We weren't there for you when you needed us the most either."

Upon hearing that, a fire was lit in the pit of Gallus' stomach. A newfound determination washed over him as he listened to his friends continue to put blame upon themselves for his suicide. The angel Griffon knew he needed to make this right here and now.

"None of you messed up on anything," Gallus said firmly. "I hold no ill will or anger towards any of you."

All six creatures were taken aback by this.

"Wh-What?" stammered Sandbar.

"You heard me," Gallus said simply. "My family and I don't harbor any resentment to you over what happened that night.”

“Why?” asked Ocellus.

“Because you had no control over what happened that night,” replied Gallus. "You even said it yourself, Ocellus. No one knew what I was going through or that I had any intention of doing what I did."

"You were among friends at school, though," said Smolder. "The only reason we can think of as to why you hid your past from us was because somewhere along the line in the three months we knew you was because we did something that hurt you to the point where you didn't trust us, and we didn't realize it."

"I'm still analyzing memories I made with you moment by moment to try and see if there was anything I did to unintentionally hurt you or if there was a red flag I may have missed,” added Sandbar.

Gallus winced as he heard that. His family and he had seen how hard Grampa Gruff and the five students had taken his death, as well as how they had acted at his funeral.

"None of you did anything to hurt me or make me lose trust in you," Gallus assured. "My family's death left a hole in my heart that my demons thrived in, and it slowly overwhelmed me over the years."

"Demons?" asked Smolder, confused.

The Griffon let out a heavy sigh, "I think it's time I told you all a story about my life on the streets and what it led me to become."

Smolder, Ocellus, Yona, Sandbar, Silverstream, and Grampa Gruff immediately perked up their ears as the angel Griffon cleared his throat and began to speak.

"In the first few months that I was on the street, I had tried countless times to ask other griffons for help in the forms of either money, so I could go buy food or for one night of sleep in their homes. Every time I asked, they just blew me off. Even though I was an orphaned child, the Griffons of my own town treated me like I was dirt. So, I had to resort to stealing food just to stay alive and sleeping in tents I made from sticks and leaves. Each day that I had found myself waking up inside those tents, the reality quickly set in for me that I was on my own and I had no one to turn to. The extended family I did have had all died through either illnesses or old age by the time I had turned five. As Griffons continued blowing me off, self-blame began to set in. I started to think that, somehow, I didn't do enough to get my parents and sister out of there and everyone was mad at me for what had happened. Eventually, as I continued stealing food to keep myself alive, I became careless in my attempts to be sneaky, and more Griffons began to get better looks at me. Some had even gone out of their way to track me down and I had to relocate where I set up my tents several times to avoid them getting a hold of me. Each time I relocated was just another bitter reminder of how hopeless my situation was and how the town I had once considered a dream come true had now become my worst nightmare."

The other creatures' eyes were glued to Gallus. They didn't dare say a word as he continued on.

"By the time, I experienced my second Blue Moon Festival without mom, dad, Gracie, and Gwen, I wanted out of there. So, on the morning after the new year celebration, I spent my time gathering a few days' worth of food to help me survive. I left my hometown two days later. I really didn't have any set destination in mind. I just wanted to get as far away as possible. Unfortunately, I ended up getting caught in a fierce snowstorm. The memories from that night are now mostly a blur. The only thing I do remember is burning through all my food in one night just to stay warm and have enough energy to keep going. I don't know how long I went after that, but at some point, I ended up passing out due to how extreme the weather conditions were."

Gallus turned to face Grampa Gruff.

"When I had woken up in your house, I honestly thought that I was dreaming. With my experience interacting with Griffons of my own town, I thought that I'd never find someone who'd be kind enough to take me in. When I told you my name when you had asked me who I was, I thought for sure you were either going to throw me out or take me to the authorities because I was under the assumption that everyone had heard of me. When you had offered me to live with you so you could take care of me, I felt like I was in debt to you for what you did. I didn't just fabricate that tale about me escaping an orphanage with a cruel staff just because I wanted to forget about what had happened on that day and I thought myself to be a problem for you to deal with. I also didn't want you to know about the fact that I was a thief. As the days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, I began to worry less and less about being found by authorities and I had less nightmares about losing my family inside your house than I did fighting for my life on the streets. I thought I could finally start over with a grandfather. That was until I had my first birthday with you. I woke up that morning feeling sad and empty inside, and I didn't know why, but I put on a smile, and try my best to enjoy that day. It was the same story when the Blue Moon Festival came two-and-a-half months later. As time went on, I realized that I was feeling sad and empty because I still missed my parents and sister. My grief, as well as my self-blame, only grew worse and worse as the years progressed. I kept it bottled up because my worst fear was that the holidays would be ruined if I had told anyone. While I didn't mention this in my diary because, in the back of my mind, I was afraid that you'd read it one day, Grampa Gruff, I felt like I had owed you everything for taking me in when I didn't deserve an ounce of kindness. There were so many times that I wanted to come clean about my past, but each time, my self-blame and demons always convinced me to keep my issues out of your life because they made me believe that I was the one at fault for my situation."

Grampa Gruff and Gallus' friends just stood there, mouths and beak agape as they continued to process the Griffon's story.

"So, that is what I want to make it clear to all of you. You did nothing to make me feel sad or unwanted. On that day, I was locked in a battle with my demons as my worst fear had played out right in front of me, which was watching my five best friends going at each other's throats because I wanted to escape my own private hell. They convinced me that everything was my fault and that you all didn't deserve to be stuck here with me and I gave into them. I allowed my grief to finally destroy me from the inside out completely and it led to take my own life," Gallus finished.

Gallus' parents and sister stepped up to speak as well.

"We never got the chance to truly teach this to Gallus or Gwendolyn, but when someone you know and love dies, regardless of if they're a friend, lover, or family member, they're always still there beside you. Not physically, but spiritually," Galena explained. "We felt that they were too young at the time to fully understand the concept of death and we had decided to wait until they were both about Gracie's to fully explain it. It was a decision that ultimately hurt all of us rather than help us. Even if we had to put it into a rather simple, summarized version, it could've ultimately been something that helped out Gallus move on from what had happened on that fateful day."

"It hurt us more than anything watching Gallus being drug down a dark path and we couldn't do anything to prevent it," said Gared. "We could do nothing as we witnessed him being pushed aside and growing more and more depressed with each day that passed. All we could do was just pray that he could find some shred of peace in his life, but it seems that it wasn't meant to be."

"However, you all have the chance to help both yourselves and each other move on," said Gallus. "We all saw how sad you, as well as the teachers, were going home after finding my diary and suicide note. I prayed that, somehow, there could be a way, any way that I could talk to you all and stop you all from going down the same, self-destructive path that I went down, When I had ascertained that Luna was able to patch us into the dream realm to do just that, I could not even describe how much of a weight was taken off my chest. If you really want to me to find peace, I ask only three favors from the six of you. The first one, obviously, is don't blame yourselves for my suicide. None of you contributed anything to push me to this. Second, I want you to not skip out on celebrating your respective holidays with your families. You're only going to cause them to worry over you if you continue to battle your grief alone. The third thing I want you all to do is share my story to the world and use it as an example for others. Like Twilight said, there are so many more creatures in this world who are in the exact same predicament I was in. Let them know that asking for help does not make you weak or seem like a problem. Let them know that they matter and are loved."

As Gallus finished off his speech, a fire was lit in the pit of the stomachs of Smolder, Ocellus, Sandbar, Yona, Silverstream, and Grampa Gruff. They knew the Griffon and his parents were right. The six creatures stepped up and wrapped the Griffon and his family in another tight hug.

"Thank you, Gallus," whispered Ocellus. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ocellus," Gallus whispered back.

After a solid minute of hugging, everyone broke away.

"Before we wrap this up, there's one last thing I need to say," Gallus said, turning to Silverstream.

The Griffon slowly made his way toward the Hippogriff, cheeks on both creatures beginning to dawn a shade of red. He stopped directly in front of her, his beak being no more than two inches from her nose.

"Silverstream," he began softly. "This is something I've wanted to say to you since the day I met-"

Gallus would never get the chance to finish his sentence. Silverstream abruptly leaned forward and captured his beak in a passionate kiss. Gallus stood stunned for a full second before he melted into it. Gallus' claw found Silverstream's claw, and their fingers intertwined. No one said a word as the two creatures shared their first kiss. After two minutes, Gallus and Silverstream both needed to break away for oxygen. They pressed their foreheads against together and enjoyed the heat the other gave off.

"I love you, Gallus," Silverstream whispered.

"I love you too, Silverstream," Gallus whispered back.

The two creatures just stood silently for another thirty seconds, looking into each other's eyes lovingly, before Gallus spoke up again.

"You know, I was kind of hoping to have a dream of going back to Sugarcube Corner and I was wondering if you'd be willing to accompany me."

"Are you asking me on a date?" asked Silverstream.

"If that's what you want to call it, yes," said Gallus. "Tomorrow night?"

"Absolutely," beamed Silverstream.

"My little Gallus has a date!" squealed Galena as she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so proud!"

"Mom, not here, please," Gallus groaned as the others snickered.

"Oh, sorry," giggled Galena as she let her son go. "I got a little excited."

After getting his breath back and recovering from the hug, Gallus looked back at his friends and Grampa Gruff.

"My family and I still have one more stop to make before we officially call it a night," he said. "If you want, you could come with us."

"Where Griffon going?" asked Yona.

"We've still got to visit our teachers," explained Gallus. "They took my death just as hard as you all did."

"He's right," said Sandbar. "They need closure just as much as we did. I want to come to."

"Yona going too!" said Yona.

"I'm in," said Smolder.

"Me too," said Ocellus.

"Me three," said Silverstream.

"Count me in too," said Grampa Gruff.

Gallus looked at his parents and Gwen, "I guess we've got some more company, you three."

"I don't see why they can't come along," said Gared.

"Ooh!" squeaked Gwendolyn, jumping up to meet the gaze of the taller creatures, her small wings flapping rapidly. "Maybe I can tell them about all the fun games that Gallus and I play in Heaven!"

The others could help but smile at the chipper fledgling as Gallus spun around to face Princess Luna.

"Luna, could you please take us to the teachers' dreams?"

"Absolutely," smiled Luna.

The eleven creatures crowded around Luna as the Night Princess' horn lit up and enveloped them all in a ball of white light.

Within seconds, the dark blue room was empty once more as Gallus, his friends, his family, and Luna made all made their way toward the dreams of Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.