Gallus gazed out the window of the train car he was riding in, tapping a claw against it in a nervous tell. His eyes weren't really focused on any one thing in particular, though there was something they hoped never to see but feared they would: Mount Aris.
Ask any creature on the block and by now you'd probably get a response like "That's where the hippogriffs live". But to Gallus he knew it as the home (or one of the homes anyway) of Silverstream, the hippogriff/seapony who he was currently in a relationship with. To think it all had started after a test by the Tree of Harmony, if not for that Gallus might never have given Silverstream even a second glance. He found her cheerfulness to be cute, but at first he'd been comfortable solely knowing her as a friend.
Now he wondered how he'd ever looked at her and not found her attractive. She seemed to know just what to say or do whenever he was in one of his gloomy moods (which was quite often), delighted in sharing all the details about her homes in the coral reef and on Mount Aris proper, and even flew with him whenever Smolder wasn't in the mood for a race.
But unfortunately, Gallus wasn't in the comfortable confines of the School of Friendship anymore. No, against his better judgement he'd allowed himself to be talked into going on a train ride to Mount Aris with Silverstream. Specifically so she could introduce him to her family.
Silverstream was too busy gushing about home to take much notice. "It'll be wonderful, Gallus! I'll get to see Terramar again, brush up on my whale singing, and maybe Dad will let me into a screech off in the Harmonizing Heights! Heck, maybe Aunt Novo will stop by for a visit, won't that be lovely?!"
"Yeah, lovely." Gallus sarcastically grumbled, the young griffon nervously drumming his claws against the window.
The hippogriff easily noticed Gallus' troubled look. She fluttered close to him and wrapped a wing around him, comforting her boyfriend to the best of her ability. "Hey, come on now, Gallus. Don't be such a gloomy gus, or I guess gloomy griffon in this case. You're gonna love Mount Aris, and Seaquestria too! Worse comes to worse, I can just give you an air bubble while you're underwater."
The griffon with feathers of blue just continued to gaze out the window. "It's not that, Silverstream. I'm just worried about what your family's going to think of me, think of us."
"Gallus, why in the world would they ever think anything other than positive thoughts?" Silverstream commented. "I've already written several letters to them about our relationship. You even helped me get Edith house trained."
Gallus shivered ever so slightly as his wings bristled outward. "I still find it weird you befriend a cockatrice, and even weirder that it decided to stay with you as a pet."
"It helps that I'm part bird, kind of like you," Silverstream chirped. "Maybe someday we'll even get married, and have little chicks of our own to take care of."
"It's too early to be thinking about family, especially because I never had one. For now, I just wanna get through this trip back to your home without somehow screwing it up for both of us." The young griffon growled even as he forced his eyes to turn towards Silverstream and away from the window.
The hippogriff only laughed, pulling Gallus close and kissing him on his beak. "Stop being such a silly griffon, Gallus. You worry too much. My family says they've been looking forward to meeting you."
A gulp left Gallus' mouth. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I'm sure they plan to interrogate me to within an inch of my life. Or at least your aunt will."
"And why would they do anything like that?" Silverstream innocently inquired.
Gallus put a claw to his face. "Because you're the queen's niece, and the official hippogriff ambassador to Equestria. Of all our friends, you're the one with the closest connections to your leader. It's a big deal if even one of us goes missing, but when you go missing they have to form search parties to find you."
At that Silverstream's face flushed redder than a tomato. "Oh, you heard about my staying in Equestria during Spring Break to finish my project?"
Gallus nodded his head. "I'd expect that from Ocellus, not from you. Still, at least you've got others who care about you. If I disappeared off the face of the world, Grandpa Gruff wouldn't care," He sighed. "That's exactly what I'm so worried, I'm a nobody. Just some random orphan the griffons tossed at Headmare Twilight. You on the other claw, you're the queen's niece, and you've got the head of the navy as your chaperone."
"But that doesn't matter, I love you for who you are and you love me for who I am," Silverstream insisted. "That's all that should be needed to convince my family. Besides, I'm old enough to be on land and attend school in Equestria, I can make my own decisions. Even Aunt Novo knows that, or she wouldn't have let me go," She stomped a paw down. "Look, Gallus, I know you're nervous. But everything is going to be just fine! We've had to face our worst fears, and a crazy filly who wanted to take over all of Equestria! If we can handle stuff like that, a visit with my family should be a piece of cake."
"It's not like I have a choice in the matter anyways." Gallus declared. Just as he'd finished delivering that sentence, the train pulled into the station at the base of Mount Aris and slowed to a halt in a cloud of steam.
"We've arrived at Mount Aris, everycreature off!" The conductor shouted as the car doors slid open. There was no turning back now, even if Gallus wanted nothing more than to fly off. Holding onto Silverstream's paw, he reluctantly plucked up courage and walked with her out onto the station platform. Somehow he resisted the urge to run back inside the car and lock the door until the train had left the station.
Silverstream's eyes lit up! "We made it, Gallus! I'm home!"
As soon as the young couple had left the train station they were greeted by a very recognizable (to Silverstream anyway) hippogriff. He sported a pale, light grayish-blue coat that glistened in the sunlight. His eyes were the kind of orange you'd see in the sky at sunset. And his mane was a light bluish-white and light whitish-gray.
Silverstream flew up and hugged him at once! "Dad!"
The hippogriff simply smiled as his daughter nuzzled into his chest. "So good to see you again, Silverstream. I must say, you're getting pretty big. Almost as tall as yours truly."
"Oh come on, Dad, you always say that," Silverstream waved a paw as she ended the embrace and turned to Gallus. "Gallus, meet my dad, Sky Beak. He's head of the hippogriff army."
Gallus gulped anew as he swallowed a lump in his throat. It wasn't that hot out, but the griffon still found himself breaking out into a cold sweat. "H-hello Mr. Spy Beak, sir." He tried to salute.
Sky Beak's cheerful attitude and look didn't falter or fade as he extended a paw to Gallus. "Hey now, there's no need to be nervous. I know all about you from Silverstream's letters. I must say, you're a pretty lucky griffon to be dating my daughter. I tend to give her some space to be herself, but every so often there have been potential suitors I've had to turn down."
"R-really?" Gallus nervously asked. The fact that Sky Beak said it so calmly only further unnerved him.
Sky Beak winked. "Just kidding, that's not my thing. As long as anycreature treats her right, I'm fine with them dating my daughter. And I know you'll treat her right, because it sounds like you two have known each other for quite some time. I especially owe you for helping her overcome her fear of the Storm King. You'd never guess from the way she acts, but growing up she was downright terrified of him coming back."
"Well, from what I heard of him the Storm King was a real monster. I'd probably be scared of him too if I didn't know he was dead." Gallus commented as he somehow found the courage to speak.
Sky Beak flashed an exceptionally bright smile at Gallus. "All the same, I'm glad you were there for her when she needed it. Silverstream even says that while you like to act tough, you can be a real sweetie on the inside. And you're cute when you try to hide it."
The griffon groaned. "Figures she'd say something like that," Then he eyed Sky Beak's neck, more specifically the object that was fastened around his neck. "So, do all hippogriffs and seaponies have those little necklace thingies?"
Sky Beak grinned as he held his necklace up. "Not all of them, some like being hippogriffs or seaponies so much that they choose to stay in one form all the time. Heck, my wife's one of them."
"Oh, I see. Wasn't working out, so you two went your separate ways." Gallus remarked.
Silverstream flew over and protested. "No no no, it's nothing like that, Gallus! It's just that someone had to take over Aunt Novo's duties in Seaquestria while she rules over Mount Aris. Since my mom is Aunt Novo's sister, she volunteered to stay behind and be Seaquestria's acting queen. She still turns into a hippogriff as necessary, like for the Three Days of Freedom Celebration."
Sky Beak smiled again as he nodded his head. "Couldn't have put it better myself. I fully respect my wife's decision, but just as she enjoys being a seapony, I enjoy being a hippogriff. I still come back to visit her as much as possible though, and she can see me whenever she wants. All she has to do is come up to the beach."
"Speaking of beach," Silverstream chimed in. "I think it's about time I took Gallus down there, so we can go see Mom in Seaquestria. Is Terramar gonna be there?"
"Probably, haven't seen him on land all day," Sky Beak suggested to the two. "Feel free to come back up and see all Mount Aris has to offer though. I'd especially recommend the Harmonizing Heights, you can't come to Mount Aris and not see them." Then with that, he spread his wings and flew away.
"Come on, Gallus!" Silverstream encouraged as she lead her boyfriend down to the beach. "You've gotta meet my mom, Ocean Flow! And Terramar too! Classes aren't going to start up again for another week, and the sooner you meet my parents the sooner you can see everything Mount Aris and Seaquestria have to offer."
Gallus eyed the water with concern. "Uh, I'm not a terrible swimmer, but how am I even supposed to get to Seaquestria without one of your necklace thingies? Do we even know if it works on griffons?"
"Can't hurt to try," Silverstream declared with a grin. "And they're fragments of the Pearl of Transformation, it's what allowed us to turn into seaponies in the first place. Otherwise the Storm King would've driven us to extinction."
"It's true," An unfamiliar voice called out with a splash. "And it's not exactly easy to come by the pearl fragments either. Usually you need Queen Novo's permission." Suddenly, who should come swimming up to the young couple but a seapony with a coat of apple greenish white? His fins were the same moderate cyan as his mane, just without the added pale turquoise. His eyes were the same moderate cyan. And in his fins was clutched a necklace similar to the ones he and Silverstream were currently wearing.
Of course to Silverstream the seapony was instantly recognizable. Clutching her own necklace, she transformed into a seapony and swam out to meet him. "Terramar!" She greeted him. "So good to see you again, little brother!"
Terramar hugged Silverstream tightly. "Same to you, big sis!" Then he turned to Gallus. "Hello, name's Terramar, Silverstream's brother. I'm sure she's told me about you."
Gallus waved a claw. "Yeah, she has. Hard to believe she's a big sister with the way she acts sometimes."
Terramar appeared to blush. "I get that a lot," He held up the necklace. "Aunt Novo says you can borrow this Pearl of Transformation necklace as long as you're here. But you can't take it back to Equestria or Griffonstone with you." Swimming over, he leapt up and tossed it to Gallus who was standing on the beach.
The griffon blinked, examining the necklace. "How... does it work?" He nervously asked, dipping one of his claws into the water. It wasn't warm and it wasn't cold, it felt wet (but then, it was water).
Silverstream swam up to the shore, clutching her necklace as in a flash of light she transformed back to her hippogriff state. "Well, you gotta put it on first, silly. Let me help you," In no time at all she had tied it around Gallus' neck so the pearl fragment now dangled beneath his chin. "Now, just hold it and think about transforming. It should activate automatically," She demonstrated this by flying back over the water, transforming in mid flight as she landed in the water with a splash. "See? It's easy!"
"Go ahead, try it! It's tons of fun!" Terramar encouraged.
Taking a deep breath, Gallus stood at the edge of the water. The griffon didn't move. He had no idea if the necklace would work for him the same way it did for Silverstream. Griffons weren't exactly the same as hippogriffs or even ponies. But Silverstream clearly wanted him to come with her to Seaquestria, and this seemed to be the best way to do so. "What the heck, what have I got to lose?" Gallus thought to himself as the young griffon clutched the necklace he'd been given and stepped into the water.
A dazzling flash lit up the sky! When it faded, Gallus looked at himself and nearly gasped in surprise! His entire body had changed, instead of feathers and claws he now had fins. His beak had been replaced with a snout. And his fins now matched the color of his claws and his wings. In short, if one looked at him now, they would see a seapony version of him and not a griffon.
But looking like a seapony and being a seapony were two very different things. He flapped a fin or two, trying out his new appendages. They didn't seem to respond very well, he couldn't do much besides tread water.
Silverstream swam over to him. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. What's most important is that you can swim and breath while underwater. Now come on, Seaquestria awaits!"
Like before, Gallus was whisked away before he could say anything in protest.
Gallus relied on Silverstream and Terramar to guide him, mostly because he still getting used to be a seapony. Learning how to flip and flap his fins was a difficult process, to say nothing of how he didn't know where he was going.
At last, his eyes fell upon what could be said to resemble a city but built underwater. There were coral reefs serving as houses, and various seaponies swimming about with whales, squids, and other sea creatures for company. He'd never seen anything like it before.
Swimming up into one particular reef, the trio of seaponies met a female seapony with a beautiful pale, light grayish olive coat. Her mane and fins were a lovely grayish pink and moderate magenta in color, and her eyes were a gentle purple in color. The seapony immediately swam out to greet them, embracing Silverstream and Terramar in a hug. "Welcome back!" She greeted.
"Good to see you again, Mom." Silverstream and Terramar both said at once. Gallus remained silent.
The unidentified seapony waved a fin, ushering Gallus over. "Come on, there's no need to be shy. You're a guest, and guests are always welcome here in Seaquestria," She warmly greeted. "I'm Ocean Flow, but you probably know me as Silverstream's mother, and the acting queen of Seaquestria."
Gallus nodded slowly. "Yeah, I do. You're not going to pretend to intimidate me like your husband did, are you?"
"Oh, did Sky Beak give you a hard time?" Ocean Flow seemed to tease. "Don't worry, he does that a lot. It's his way of having fun. Plus, I think he's even more excited than I am that you're dating our daughter."
"It's not exactly a secret when Silverstream sends letters home," Terramar explained. "At this point, every hippogriff on Mount Aris, and every seapony here in Seaquestria probably knows."
"Does that mean Queen Novo knows too?" Gallus nervously asked with a gulp.
Ocean Flow nodded. "Don't worry, she'll be here eventually. She's currently holding court on Mount Aris, but you're sure to run into her either up there or down here. You're staying for the week, right?" Gallus nodded again. "Good!" Ocean Flow clapped her fins together. "Then you're staying for dinner with my children, I won't take no for an answer."
"Uh, what's for dinner, exactly?" Gallus questioned. "I don't suppose you've got any meat?"
"Not at the moment, no," Ocean Flow shook her head. "It's my homemade specialties: Kelp fritters topped with whale oil, and seaweed stew. It gives you extra fiber."
Silverstream flashed a grin. "My mom makes the best kelp fritters, Gallus. I mean it, you take one bite of them and you'll wonder how you ever lived your life not trying them."
Terramar added. "And don't worry about making a mess, it's only kelp and seaweed. It's nothing compared to the time I accidentally spilled squid ink all over myself, that stuff takes forever to wash off."
Ocean Flow swam over to Gallus. "And as long as you're staying here, you can tell me everything that's happened between you and my daughter since you two hooked up," She waved a fin. "I've even made special seashell necklaces for you and Silverstream, you have to stay for those."
Gallus reluctantly replied. "I guess it can't hurt to stay and try some new things," He looked to Silverstream. "What do you guys like to do for fun while you're down here?"
"How about a game of hide and go seek?" Terramar suggested. "There's a lot of great hiding places you can find down here, it's actually really easy to get lost."
"Ooh! Ooh! Can I be the seeker this time, Terramar?!" Silverstream eagerly commented as she put her fins to her face. "You always get to be seeker!"
"Sure sis, that way I can help your boyfriend find some good hiding places." Terramar said with a cheeky grin.
Silverstream beamed! "Great idea! You two better get going now, because I'm gonna start counting!" Gallus and Terramar took off the moment they saw her put a fin over her face.
All things considered, Gallus' trip had turned out to be pretty good so far. Silverstream's parents and even her brother seemed to have accepted him without quarrel. But there was still the matter of her aunt, Queen Novo. And Gallus was still dreading the inevitable encounter. "She's going to be a hippogriff or seapony of an entirely different color." He thought to himself.
Author's Note
Seeing as I've done something this year for YonaBar and SmoldCellus, I decided to do something for GallusStream as well. Especially considering the show doesn't seem to be teasing it as much this time around.
The encounter with Queen Novo will be in its own chapter.
Bonus Chapter: Gallus Meets the Queen
As much as Gallus enjoyed the experience of being a seapony, he was incredibly relieved when he and Silverstream went back up to Mount Aris and he turned back into being a griffon.
Of course, there was still the matter of the visit from Silverstream's aunt, the queen. The young griffon knew that sooner or later their paths would cross, and the conversation would surely turn to Silverstream. Gallus didn't know how protective Queen Novo was and dreaded finding out first claw.
The air of inevitably hung over him as he spent the rest of his day on Mount Aris, touring all the sights and sounds as Silverstream pointed them out. Not even the tranquility of the Harmonizing Heights could fully quell Gallus' quaking nerves.
It was of little surprise that he slept poorly that night, constantly waking up after suffering nightmare after nightmare related to Queen Novo and her disapproving of him dating her niece.
All too soon, the next day came for the young griffon and with it came the news he had been dreading to hear. "Aunt Novo wants to see us, you specifically." Silverstream told Gallus over a breakfast of freshly caught fish.
Gallus gulped. "Great, I can hardly wait to find out what she thinks about us being together." He sarcastically remarked.
"Oh Gallus, you big silly griff, don't be like that!" Silverstream protested. "Aunt Novo's nice. Most of the time, anyway."
"Yeah, around you she is, because you're her niece," Gallus pointed out. "Who knows what she'll be like around me? She could practically drill into every aspect of me, and I wouldn't blame her."
Silverstream frowned. "You've got Aunt Novo all wrong. Trust me, when you meet her for yourself, you'll see."
After breakfast, Gallus had only about half an hour to compose himself before he was brought before the royal court of Queen Novo. Several armored hippogriffs stood at attention on either side, spears at the ready.
And there, perched atop a throne that seemed to rest at the very top of Mount Aris, was a hippogriff with a coat of light purplish-gray. She had a brilliant light purple mane with some strong purple shades poking through. Her eyes were a strong magenta in color, which seemed to be staring straight into Gallus' soul and casting daggers.
Even though he had Silverstream by his side, Gallus was anything but confident. Queen Novo wasn't even all that tall, but she made him feel incredibly small.
Naturally, it was Queen Novo herself who broke the silence. "Silverstream, so lovely to see you again. How's my favorite niece doing?"
Silverstream either didn't notice the growing tension in the court, or if she did she chose to ignore it. She just smiled and waved a paw. "Doing great, Aunt Novo," Then she gestured to Gallus. "This is Gallus, my boyfriend. But you probably already knew that."
"Indeed I did, Silverstream," Novo commented in a tone that made it difficult to guess how she was feeling. "I must say, Gallus is certainly an... unusual choice for a boyfriend. You two have just been dating, right? You haven't gone and secretly gotten engaged behind my back, have you?"
Gallus gulped and swallowed hard. "N-no, your majesty! We're not looking to move that fast! Just dating is enough for now."
Novo nodded her head. "Good, that's just the sort of thing I like to hear. I know love young is precious, but that doesn't mean rushing into things before you're ready is a good idea," She looked back at Gallus. "Is it true what my niece has been writing? You helped her get over her fear of the Storm King?"
The griffon nodded very slowly. "Well, I can't take all the credit. It was actually because of the Tree of Harmony, I just kind of gave her a little nudge in the right direction."
"Gallus, you don't have to be so modest," Silverstream happily replied. "Even after that test, I kept having nightmares and you kept comforting me. It was such a sweet thing for you to do. And don't forget how we got partnered up for that spellvenger hunt Headmare Twilight organized. It's just too bad we never got to find if we won."
"Eh, Ocellus probably would've carried her team to victory. She's the smart one." Gallus massaged the back of his neck with a claw.
"Seems like there's never a dull moment with you two lovebirds," Novo spoke up, appearing to suppress a giggle. "You almost remind me of myself when I was your age, before I was Queen Novo if you know what I mean," She coughed into a paw and recovered. "But I'm getting ahead of myself," She motioned a paw to Gallus. "Boy, you mind coming closer? There's something we need to discuss, alone if you wouldn't mind."
Silverstream flew in front of Gallus and puffed up her wings! "Don't be too hard on him, Aunt Novo! I assure you, whatever you think he's done wrong, he hasn't! Stop trying to scare my boyfriend."
Novo shook her head. "I ain't hopin' to scare him, Silverstream. But if he's gonna be dating you, there's a few things I need to make sure he knows. I promise, I won't be too hard on him."
"Aunt Novo, please, why can't you just let us be happy together?!" Silverstream complained. "I love him and he loves me, and that's all there is to it! Nothing else should matter!"
But to the surprise of everyone in the court, Gallus raised up a claw and tapped the hippogriff on her shoulder. "It's okay, Silverstream. I don't need you to fight my battles for me. If your aunt's got a problem with me, well she can say it to my face." He declared as a look of determination crossed his eyes and he puffed out his chest.
"Settle down, boy," Novo cautioned as she raised up a claw. "I ain't lookin' to start something here."
"Well, what was it you're so determined to talk to me about?" Gallus inquired. "Sounds like you think I can't be trusted."
The elder hippogriff was silent for but a second or two before she answered. "Well, what I was hoping to say in private, is that you better treat my niece right. You hear me? If you're even so much as thinking about settling down with her, you'd better be willing to put a ring around her paw first."
"Trust me, if we ever do get married, you'll be the first to know." The young griffon nervously replied.
"That's good," Novo declared with a smile, which faded as she added in a serious tone of voice. "And if you dare break my niece's heart, you'll answer to me. And you don't wanna what I'll do to you," What looked like a sinister grin crossed her face as she delivered the last line. "Though I'm thinking turning you into a newt for the rest of your days would suffice."
Somehow, Gallus managed to keep his composure as he told Novo. "Well, when you put it like that, I most definitely will watch my step around your niece. And be extra sure I treat her with the respect and care she deserves."
Novo put her paws together. "I'd expect nothing less, Gallus," And then she sat back down on her throne. "That's all I wanted to say. I've seen enough to know that you'll keep that promise you just made. Please enjoy the rest of your stay on Mount Aris."
"Will do, Queen Novo." Gallus saluted.
"Honey, just Novo will do," Novo insisted to Gallus. "We're pretty much family now as far as I'm concerned. So there's no need for such formalities."
Author's Note
Considering what we saw of Novo in the movie, I think it's safe to say she would be the most protective of Silverstream. But since she lets Silverstream attend Twilight's School of Friendship, she probably at least trusts Silverstream to make some of her own decisions.
