Studying (with) You

How to Teach a Griffon

I changed my style a little bit:

Sentences written like that are now thoughts! I hope it's obvious which thoughts belong to which character!

The morning sun slowly rises and waves the moon goodbye as the first students awake. One of them is Sandbar. The young pony fell asleep on his chair while he was captured in his own thoughts. He lifts his head from the wooden surface and peels a few index cards, that got stuck on his face, off his coat.
"I slept so bad...", he criticizes his not-so-goodnight rest as he gets off his chair to prepare himself for breakfast. He pays a visit to the male's bathroom and brushes his teeth, combs his mane and washes his face with cold water to wake himself up. Much to his surprise is the room completely empty! Usually at least two other students would be here this early but, since there are no more classes, there is no reason to get up early but Sandbar really likes the breakfast they serve in the cafeteria. Thinking about it makes him stomach rumble in anticipation.
"Alright, time to get something in my stomach."
After checking his reflection one last time he leaves the bathroom and grabs his little sack full of bits. But before hanging it around his neck he peeks into it to see how much money he has left in it.
"12 Bits... More than I thought! Rad! I'm sure this will last until the exams."
With a big grin he hangs the sack around his neck before leaving his room. After a short walk downstairs Sandbar leaves the big building serving as his dorm and makes his way to the school building, where the cafeteria is located. On his way he meets a few other students and among them is Silverstream, who greets him with a big smile and a warm hug.
"Hey! Good Morning Sandbar. I loooove what you did to your mane!"
The, still slightly tired, pony yawns and greets her back, "It looks like it always look." He blows a small amount of air through his mane, which slightly raises and then falls flat again. "And you look like you have all the energy in the world... as usual."
They continue their way to the, except for a few other students, empty cafeteria. They each take a tray and grab something they want to eat. Sandbar chooses a salad, a hayburger and a pile of seven cookies while Silverstream decides that she needs something sweet too.
"Uhhh!", the female shrieks as she notices a plate with colorful cupcakes, "I love Cupcakes! Gimme Gimme!"
As quick as a thief in the night she picks a pink-frosted and a chocolate-covered cupcake with sprinkles.
They each pay their food and look for an empty table to sit at, which does not take them very long.
A few minutes pass by in silence as they both enjoy their food. Sandbar offers to fetch them both a cup of apple juice and after his return he and his friend propose a toast for such a delicious breakfast.
"Have you seen the others?", he asks but Silverstream only knows that Smolder said she wanted to sleep longer today and Ocellus wasn't feeling hungry when she visited her. But she doesn't know where Gallus or Yona are.

"What about Gallus?", she then asks but Sandbar doesn't really know how to answer that.
I can't tell her about our huge fight... But maybe she can help me... And maybe talking about it will help me calm down a bit...
"We", he begins his answer but pauses after that, still figuring out which path he wants to go from there.
"You two?", she repeats, interested in an answer.
"We had an... exhausting day yesterday. I guess he wants to rest."
He decided to not tell her anything but something in the back of his mind tells screams for him to tell her about their conflict.
This isn't her problem... it's mine...
"Oh! You must have studied very hard. I knew you two would get a long well! Called it!"
She really can't be any further from reality. We don't get along at all! There is no way repeating everything will help, Sandbar thinks after hearing his classmate's cheerful version and his worries leave their marks on his expression.
Of course Silverstream notices that too and puts a bit more pressure on the young stallion.
"What's wrong? Tell me! Talking about it will help you."
The pressure becomes to much to handle and, with a sigh of defeat, he begins to tell the entire story: Their attempts to study, their failures and their heated argument with each other.
And, after finish his recap, he sees an expression he never saw before on the hippogriff's face: It wasn't just normal sadness, it was advanced sadness!
"Oh no! Friends shouldn't fight like that, they should be nice to each other and be happy to have each others company. But you two really fell apart! You have to do something!"
But apologizing is no option for the pony. It wasn't his fault after all! He only stood his ground after his friend not only insulted him but his entire race! But he also knows that there is no way that they can keep going like that. He has to find a way to make peace and to show him that generosity isn't just for weaklings! But... how?