Somewhere In The Between

Chapters

Chapter 1: Invitation
Chapter 2: Sink To The Bottom
Chapter 3: In Too Deep
Chapter 4: Be Comfortable, Creature

Chapter 1: Invitation

“So….this is a thing?”

Silverstream happily replied, “Yup!”

Smolder looked at both the hippogriff and the griffon before asking again, “I’m sorry, I don’t believe I heard this right, you two are seriously dating?”

“Yes,” Gallus answered, already sounding exhausted, partly because he knew his friends were going to have a reaction along these lines, “we are dating.”

Seated across from Silverstream and Gallus was their friend Smolder, and next to her on one side was the earth pony Sandbar, and the other was their changeling friend Ocellus. The light blue changeling spoke up, “Oh, I’m so excited for you two! It’s so nice to see my friends find happiness together!”

“Yeah, congrats,” Sandbar stated as he took a bite from his dinner plate.

“Thanks, Sandbar!” Silverstream happily said as she leaned next to her, onto Gallus’ body. The griffon, while he didn’t mind the affection, did not care for the attention from his friends.

The dragon smirked as she noticed Gallus was getting annoyed, “Are you gonna tell us how it happened? Who asked who first? Come on, Gallus, give me the details.”

“No,” he flatly replied.

“Please?” Ocellus asked with curiosity.

Before any other creature could also ask for more details, a familiar yak made her way up to the mess hall table with her tray of food, “Hello, friends! Sorry Yona late, what Yona miss?”

The pony answered, “We just learned that Gallus and Silverstream have been dating under our noses for a while.”

A groan escaped from Gallus’ beak, which caused snickering from Smolder.

Yona happily took the free seat next to Silverstream as she placed the tray on the table, “Ooo! Yona want to know how friends started dating! Please tell!”

“Can we….not do this?” he asked.

The rest of the table didn’t share his interest in dropping the subject.

“Come on!”

“Please tell us?”

“Tell us, Gallus!”

The griffon sighed and gave up, “Fine.” Gallus thought for a moment as he looked down at his almost empty plate, only cauliflower remaining, something he hated eating. He looked back up at the eager faces waiting for an answer, “I guess….it sorta just happened.”

The answer didn’t seem to appease the rest of the table. There were a few different reactions, particularly Ocellus leaning in waiting for more details while Yona and Smolder groaned in disappointment. Silverstream seemed to find all of the various attitudes humorous.

“Come on, give us some details at least?” Sandbar asked.

Gallus shrugged, “I don’t know, what do you want me to say? It just happened. Like, I don’t know, you know when you’re on a trip and you’re so focused on getting to the destination that you don’t realize you pass a five cart pile-up and you’re covered in ticks until you stop?”

Smolder raised an eyebrow, “I….huh?”

“Wait,” Yona thought aloud, “is Gallus' relationship the wreckage or the ticks?”

“Silverstream and I just started dating without really realizing it, make sense?” Gallus insisted.

“I think we’re still unpacking your analogy….” Sandbar commented as he reflected on what Gallus said.

Ocellus looked as if she wanted to try and spend more time on figuring out what Gallus meant, she gave up and focused on something else, “Well, either way, I’m so happy for you two!”

“Yona so happy for friends!”

Silverstream smiled as she responded to all of her friends, “Thank you, every creature!”

Despite the rest of the table happy and celebratory for Silverstream and Gallus, “It’s not that big of a deal. We’ve been dating for a few weeks now….”

“A few weeks, then you got to tell us about your first official date!” Smolder verbally nudged.

Before Gallus could shut down the talk about such, Silverstream quickly interrupted, “Oh, it was so fun! Gallus actually suggested it for me!”

“Did he now?” Sandbar had a bit of sly smile toward the griffin, who glared back daggers.

“Yes, he did! He recommended that we go to the Museum of Stairs in Manehattan!” Silverstream explained. “It was so neat! There were stairs from all over Equestria, and even some exhibits from other places! It was so informative and fascinating! I took so many photos!”

“It’s true,” Gallus quickly interjected in an almost bored tone, “she went through five disposable cameras.”

Silverstream quickly finished, “But what was really neat was they actually had some stairs from my home back at Mount Aris. It actually made me a little homesick.”

Again, Gallus spoke up to the rest of the table, “I assure you, it was just a simple date and wasn’t all that extravagant.”

Ocellus was the first to speak, “It still sounds like a really nice time for the two of you.”

“Yona agree, that sound like fun time,” Yona said as she took a bite of her food.

“Yeah, didn’t know you had a romantic feather in either of your wings,” Smolder joked.

Gallus stood up from his seat, “Well, as much as I like being given the business by my friends, I do have some homework to finish. If you’ll excuse me,” Gallus took his tray and started his way to the return area.

“Come on, Gallus, we’re just poking fun at you a little,” Sandbar said, hoping his friend would stay.

“Or a lot. Probably more a lot,” Smolder added.

Silverstream grabbed her tray and followed behind him, “Wait up, I’ll come with you. I have to finish my homework too.”

After Gallus and Silverstream returned their trays, the two started trotting back to the dormitories. They chatted aimlessly for a bit until Silverstream spoke up.

“Hey Gallus, I’m sorry about that,” she apologized with a smile, “I hope you weren’t too embarrassed.” A small giggle followed.

“It’s okay, I just don’t really like having all sorts of attention on me,” Gallus admitted. “It’s not you, trust me. Whenever I’m put on the spot….I don’t know, I just get defensive or something.”

The hippogriff giggled a bit, “I can tell.” They continued to make their way through the hallway for a bit before Silverstream spoke up again, “Actually, speaking of surprises, there is something I have to tell you.”

“Oh no, this can’t be good,” Gallus muttered to himself.

“My parents found out about us and….”

Gallus quickly interrupted, “How did they find out we were dating?”

“Because I told them?” Silverstream admitted with a smile.

The griffon was at a loss for words he wanted to say to express exactly how he was feeling. But the smile on the hippogriff’s face eased his annoyance, and he also knew there was going to be more to what she had to say, “Alright, they know we’re dating, and….?”

“They invited us over for dinner tomorrow, they would like to meet you!” Silverstream finished.

Gallus stopped in his tracks. For a moment, it seems he was paralyzed at the thought. “What.”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun! I always wanted to show you Seaquestria!”

A number of things went through Gallus’ mind. What were Silverstream’s parents like? Did they really have to go all the way to Seaquestria? Would her parents like him? What did he just get himself into?

The hippogriff continued, “We’ll leave tomorrow, if you’re okay with going!”

“I’m not sure about going, Silverstream,” Gallus said, “You know I’m not really the one to be the center of attention.”

“It’s just my parents! I don’t even think Terramar will be home. Besides, they just want to meet you, and it’s not every day that my mom and dad get together like this, you see with my dad being so busy on Mount Aris and with my mom helping out Auntie Novo!”

Another realization hit Gallus as his expression dropped further, “Oh yeah….you’re related to Queen Novo….”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Silverstream obliviously smiled, “She’s a fun aunt, when she’s not worried about governing and all of that!”

Gallus raised a talon up to his head as he leaned up against a nearby wall, “I guess you all really want me to stop by for a visit, huh?” He was massaging his forehead as if it would alleviate his headache.

Silverstream nodded with a smile on her beak, “Totally! It’s gonna be so much fun!”

With a sigh, Gallus finally relented, “Alright, tomorrow it is.”

“Oh, I’m so excited! I don’t want to jinx it, but I feel like this is going to be a great trip!”

Chapter 2: Sink To The Bottom

“Gallus! Gallus, wake up!”

The griffon jolted awake in his seat and opened his eyes to see a very happy and restless looking hippogriff seated across from him. “Huh, wha?”

She giggled to herself, “Good morning, sleepy!”

“Are we there yet?” Gallus asked as he rubbed his head with one of his talons and looked out the window.

To answer his question, both he and Silverstream overheard on the loudspeaker, “Next stop, Basalt Beach. Basalt Beach is next. Disembark here for Mount Aris and Seaquestria.”

True to what the loudspeaker said, Gallus saw the blue sea that stretched out to the horizon right outside of his window. The gray, stony beach reached to the shore, but it certainly didn’t look all that inviting for any creature to enjoy the afternoon sun.

“Guess we’re almost there, huh?” Gallus asked.

“Yeah, and I’m so excited! I haven’t visited mom and dad in so long! And that one of my bestest friends is visiting as well, it’s going to be so fun!” Silverstream was bouncing in her seat.

Gallus couldn’t match her excitement but still gave a small smile, “Glad you’re happy, Silverstream. I’m a bit worried about what they think of me.”

Silverstream gave a puzzled look to the griffon, “Huh? Why are you worried about that? They’re gonna like you, I just know it!”

“Yeah, the thing is….” Gallus’ smile disappeared as he started, “I’ve never been all that great with authority figures, particularly parental figures. Like Grampa Gruff, or Professor Rainbow Dash that time she didn’t believe me when I told her Smolder burnt my homework.”

This didn’t seem to bother Silverstream, and she brushed it off, “You got nothing to worry about, I know my mom and dad will just love you! And besides, Smolder came and admitted it to Professor Rainbow Dash so it was all okay!”

Before Gallus could object or make another comment, the train started to slow to a stop. Again, the voice on the speaker boomed loudly, “Now arriving, Basalt Beach. Disembark here for Mount Aris and Seaquestria.”

Silverstram hopped off her seat, “This is us!” She led the way off the train with Gallus following behind.

On the train platform, both creatures waited for the train to continue traveling on the tracks, leaving behind a view of the ocean and Mount Aris out on the water. The tang of the salt in the air tickled Gallus’ nostrils. As for Silverstream, it seemed like a welcome scent.

“Ahh, I missed that salty smell!” the hippogriff smiled. She then went to the track crossing to head down to the beach. “Let’s go, Gallus! We don’t want to be late!”

Reluctantly, Gallus followed. A number of things were running through his head as they made their way down towards the gray sanded beach, so much that he couldn’t hear anything that Silverstream was saying. As Gallus tried to say earlier to Silverstream, he wasn’t great with authority figures. Back in Griffonstone, he would butt heads with Grampa Gruff over almost anything. It was more than just that, though. When it came to just the parent’s of friends, Gallus had a habit of saying things that usually placed him on any creature’s bad side. It also extended to just about any sort of authority figure. After all, there was a reason he was not allowed at the Ponyville bowling alley. Now he had to worry about making a bad impression on the parents of the hippogriff he was dating.

Silverstream stopped at the shore and looked outward the water, waiting for Gallus to catch up. She smiled as she took in the air again. “Ahh, I missed you salty air! Did you miss me?” As Gallus closed the gap, she turned her attention to him, “Alright, ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Gallus sighed.

“Great! Here you go,” Silverstream said, offering a necklace to Gallus. On the necklace, there was what appeared to be a shard of some sort of jewel.

He took the necklace, but was confused, “Huh? What’s this for?”

“You wear it, silly!” Silverstream explained, “Then we swim down to Seaquestria to meet up with my family!”

Gallus’ face turned pale, “Wait, what? I thought we were going to Mount Aris, to Hippogriffia or whatever.”

“Nope! We’re going underwater to have dinner at my mom’s place!”

The griffon’s entire body was frozen in panic. His talons still held the necklace he was given. However, Silverstream took it upon herself to place the necklace around the petrified Gallus.

“There! It looks nice on you!” she complimented.

Finally thawing himself out of his panic, Gallus spoke, “Silverstream, I don’t know how to exactly say this, but….I’m not sure I can go through with this….”

“Hmm? Now why do you say that?”

“I….have a bit of a fear of water….” he sheepishly answered.

Silverstream tilted her head, “Really? But I’ve seen you swim before. We even went canoeing that one time.”

“Yeah, that’s because I had a life vest, or something else helping put my mind at ease. But this….I’ve never been to the ocean, much less underwater in one,” Gallus continued.

“Are you sure you’re not just a scaredy cat?” the hippogriff said with a small smirk.

“I am part cat!” he quickly retorted with a hint of anger.

Silverstream couldn’t help but laugh. She apologized, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. How about I help you?”

He didn’t reply with words, but his expression did soften at that suggestion.

“Yeah, I can help ease you into the water,” Silverstream offered. She extended one of her talons out to Gallus.

Hesitant, Gallus looked at Silverstream and her extended talon, and then to small waves that were crashing onto the shore. Against everything that his phobia was telling him, he placed his talon in hers, “Okay.”

Silverstream smiled as she led him towards the water. The waves hit their limbs, causing Gallus to shiver at both the temperature and the shock of touching water. Silverstream took note of this and tightened her grip on Gallus’ talon. He turned to look at the hippogriff, who was already looking at him. She had a smile on her face as she spoke with a calm voice, “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere.”

That statement did help Gallus as they continued to slowly move into the water. Before long, the water had almost reached their bodies and Silverstream motioned for them to stop. The gentle waves brushed against both of their bodies, which was a completely alien feeling for Gallus. It seemed that it was taking everything in him to simply breathe calmly.

“Ready?” Silverstream asked. Her voice was gentle and relaxed, as if she were a teacher guiding their pupil.

Gallus simply nodded. His face was trying it’s best to hide his fear.

Silverstream nodded back with a smile, “Good. Now, just think about transforming really hard and let the necklace do it’s work.”

Taking a deep breath, Gallus replied, “Alright.” He subconsciously held his breath as he focused on trying to transform.

Both Silverstream and Gallus had their bodies transform in a flash into that of aquatic creatures. Gallus opened his eyes to see the familiar seapony Silverstream he had come to know. He then looked down at his own body. He let go of what was now Silverstream’s hoof as he looked down at his body. His hindlimbs were gone and the fluffy fur and feathers on his body were replaced with a sleek cloak. His tail was also now something that was similar to Silverstream’s, but his wings were now replaced with large fins. He raised his talons up to his beak, which was still there to his surprise, as were most of the feathers on his head.

“Yay, you did it!” Silverstream cheered. “I’m surprised that you still have your talons and beak though. Maybe it’s a griffon thing?”

Gallus didn’t respond to what she said. Instead, he mumbled to himself, “This is so weird….I don’t feel like I’m in my skin….”

“You look great, Gallus,” the hippogriff insisted, “Now, ready to swim down to Seaquestria?”

The question didn’t sit well with Gallus, as he was still getting used to his new body.

Again, Silverstream offered her hoof to Gallus again. “Don’t worry, I got you.”

Just like before, Gallus extended his talon to Silverstream and grabbed on for her to lead the way. The hippogriff smiled warmly as she began to swim ahead into the ocean, towing Gallus along with her. After a bit, she began to submerge her body a bit in water. This caused Gallus to struggle a bit.

Silverstream stopped swimming and surfaced back up to Gallus. She could tell from the talon that gripped her that Gallus was hesitant. “Just take a deep breath and let your body do what comes naturally.”

“Easier said than done….” Gallus snarked. His words might have been calm and collected, but he certainly wasn’t within.

Slowly, Silverstream submerged herself, and guided Gallus down with her. He took a deep breath, shut his eyes tightly, and sunk down to the bottom with her. There, Gallus held his breath for several moments, refusing to open his eyes or anything else. Finally, upon opening them, he saw a smiling Silverstream, waiting for him. Releasing the air from his lungs, Gallus started to gasp for air for a few moments.

“Gallus, Gallus, it’s okay!” Silverstream instructed, placing her free hoof on his chest, “Just take a deep breath of the water. You’re okay.”

Gallus did just that and, while the shock was still written on his face, he was breathing underwater. “How….How is this even possible?” he asked.

“I told you, just let the body do what it’s supposed to do, and you’ll be okay!” Silverstream smiled.

Despite being still a bit panicky, Gallus eventually calmed his breathing down as he got used to his new surroundings. “I….I’m underwater.”

“That’s right! I’m so proud of you!” the hippogriff cheered and gave a quick hug to the newly transformed griffon, “I’m also happy to see that your claustrophobia isn’t setting in!”

“Please don’t remind me of that,” Gallus quickly requested as his breathing and racing heartbeat steadied to a normal pace. He took a moment to assess his new surroundings, “This is so amazing though. Huh, it smells kinda weird down here.”

“It smells weird everywhere!” Silverstream commented, “That’s how you know you’re alive!”

A smile crept across Gallus’ beak at Silverstream’s words. While she might have been patient and comforting as she guided Gallus through the transformation, Silverstream was still the hippogriff that Gallus knew and loved.

“I have to admit, this is pretty cool.”

“See? It wasn’t so scary!”

“By the way, don’t ever mention any of what just happened to any other creature. Got it?”

Swimming through the ocean was absolutely alien for Gallus. If he still had his coat of fur around his body, it would be standing on end just feeling all the water all over him. He tried his best to not think hard about it, which he was able to because he was struggling to properly swim. Thankfully for him, Silverstream was guiding him through the currents as he used his talon to hang on to one of her limbs.

“This feels so weird….” Gallus commented about his new body.

“It’s okay, you’ll get used to it!” Silverstream insisted.

“Will I?”

“I’m sure of it! It just takes some getting used to, which is completely understandable,” Silverstream continued, “But with a little practice, you’ll be swimming like a true hippogriff in no time!”

Gallus mumbled, “But I don’t want to be swimming. I don’t like water. By the way, how much longer until we get to your parent’s place?”

Without answering, Silverstream picked up her swimming speed to the top of a small mound. As they reached the peak, the drop below showed all of Seaquestria that laid below. The underwater city rose from the seafloor with majestic architecture. From the buildings to the pillars, to the flora and to landscape of the seafloor, the entire cityscape was marvelous and magnificent. The dark blue scape was illuminated by the numerous lamps throughout the city, brightly showing it’s beauty. The city was bustling with various hippogriffs, and even other creatures. In the distance, Queen Novo’s palace towered regally over the city skyline.

“Surprise,” Silverstream softly said.

“By King Gideon the Great….it’s….breathtaking….” Gallus uttered in awe.

Silverstream couldn’t help but smirk as she added, “Was it worth coming underwater?”

“Almost,” he joked back, “I have a feeling I’m going to be coughing up seawater for a week after this.”

The two continued to swim towards the palace. However, just before entering the gates to the manor, they arrived at their location.

“Here we are! My childhood home!” the hippogriff smiled as they swam up to the door. Gallus didn’t follow. Instead, he floated behind her. “What’s wrong, Gallus? Are you still feeling a little queasy after transforming?”

“I still don’t know about this, Silverstream,” Gallus stated. He rubbed one of his limbs with the other’s talon as he looked down at the seafloor below him. “This whole thing seems like a mistake. Is it too late to back out now?”

Silverstream swam back to Gallus and smiled, “Come on, Gallus. It’s going to be great, I just know it.”

Gallus looked at his friend as she drew closer, “Can we just call it off? Can you tell them that I got attacked by a bear and can’t make it? Wait, do they know what a bear is?”

The hippogriff still smiled warmly, “It’s okay, Gallus. It’s just a dinner with my parents, and I’ll be here with you the whole time.”

“I’m actually afraid of how this dinner will go over,” Gallus spoke, his voice filled with doubt.

“Really? Cause I’m afraid of the Storm King. He’s absolutely terrifying!” Silverstream replied.

With a sigh, the griffon asked, “Can we at least come up with a plan or something for all of this in case it gets weird?”

“Yes, a plan!” Silverstream became delighted at the idea, “I was just gonna say let stuff happen, but a plan is better!”

Gallus didn’t really know how he was supposed to react to Silverstream’s excitement. “Well….how about if things get too much, we say there’s an emergency or something and leave? I just really don’t want to get on their bad side.”

“Oh, I like that idea!”

“Unless you got another idea,” Gallus was up for taking suggestions.

“Ooo!” Silverstram raised her limb up in the air as if she was about to explore if she didn’t answer, “I have an idea!”

Gallus was quick to add, “And it has to be based in reality.”

She lowered her limb, still smiling, “Oh, then no.”

Sighing one last time in an effort to get his fears out, Gallus motioned for Silverstream to lead the way. “Well, I'm as ready as I’ll ever be. Shall we?”

“We shall!” Silverstream proudly proclaimed as they swam to the front door together.

The hippogriff knocked on the door. The two waited for a few moments, but did hear some movement from within. Finally, the door opened, revealing a yellow hippogriff mare on the other side. Her fins had a magenta tint to them and a turquoise crest around her neck. Her eyes were purple, and accompanying them was a bright and sunny smile which reflected in her voice.

“Silverstream, you made it!” she greeted with a quick hug, “How’s my favorite daughter?”

The pink hippogriff giggled as she returned the hug, “Mom, I’m your only daughter! Oh, by the way mom, let me officially introduce you to Gallus.”

As she let go of Silverstream, she looked at the transformed griffon next to her. “So you’re the fabled Gallus that Silverstream has been talking so much about?”

Gallus put forth one of his talons to shake her hoof. “That’s right, ma’am,” his voice was shaking a bit, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh please, call me Ocean Flow,” she insisted, “And no need to be shy!” Before Gallus knew what was happening, Ocean Flow had wrapped her limbs around Gallus and picked him up in a big hug. After she let go, she apologized, “Oh, I’m so sorry! I figured Silverstream would have warned you that I’m a bit of a hugger! Anyway, come on in, you two! Your father is already here, Silverstream.” Ocean Flow moved to the side as she allowed for Silverstream and Gallus to enter.

“My mom gives great hugs, huh?” Silverstream asked as they entered.

Gallus commented, “Somehow, I wasn’t expecting that, and yet I was.”

The two entered the house and Silverstream guided Gallus through the hallways to the dining room. Gallus took note of the hippogriff household. Various pictures hung on the wall, including family photos, pictures of a young Silverstream and Terramar, a few pieces of pottery on the tables that lined the hallways, and various other family mementos. He also caught glimpses of other rooms as they went through. It was a very nice home.

They arrived in the dining room where Silverstream’s dad was finishing the preparation of the table.

“Daddy!” Silverstream swam ahead to give her father a hug.

“Whoa, hey there, Silverstream! You’re both right on time!” he said as he finished placing a few items down before being attacked by a hug from Silverstream.

“Oh, daddy, this is Gallus,” Silverstream let go of her hug and motioned to Gallus, who was slowly swimming up to both of them.

“Pleased to meet you, sir,” Gallus again offered his talon to shake. Behind his seemingly cool expression, the griffon was already beginning to grow anxious

“Sir? I already like him,” he chuckled to himself as he reached out his hoof to meet the talon, “Feel free to call me Sky Beak, Gallus.”

Gallus nodded as his talon and Sky Beak’s hoof shook, “Right, it’s great to finally meet you, Sky Beak.”

“And same to you,” Sky Beak smiled, “Silverstream has been very eager to have you stop on by for a visit. With Ocean Flow down here for the royal court and my own schedule keeping me up on Mount Aris, it can be quite tricky. We were really quite lucky that it worked out that our schedules lined up.”

“Almost all of them,” a voice called out from behind them. All turned their attention to the hallway, revealing Silverstream’s younger sibling, Terramar.

“Terramar! I haven’t seen you in forever!” Silverstream called out as she swam up to her brother for a hug, “You have work tonight?”

The white hippogriff returned the hug with a smile, “It’s only been maybe two months, Silverstream. But yeah, I tried to trade shifts but my boss said no.”

“Just be safe tonight. You know how I worry when you take the late shifts,” Ocean Flow requested before turning her attention to her husband, “Sky Beak, can you help me finish settling up the table?”

“Of course, dear,” he replied as he swam with her to the kitchen.

Terramar scoffed a bit, “It’s just stocking shelves, mom.”

“Hey, Terramar. It’s been a while,” Gallus swam up to the hippogriff siblings.

“Gallus!” he replied, “Yeah, not since I stopped by the school some time ago. It’s pretty cool that you’re stopping by.”

“Heh, glad you think so,” the griffon scoffed. “It’s nice to at least see one familiar face down here.”

“By the way, I see that you’re here underwater, which is really cool and all, but what’s with your….form?” Terramar tried to politely use the right words to describe Gallus’ new body.

Gallus looked down at his transformed body and then back to Terramar. “Honestly, I’m still trying not to panic at the fact that I’m both underwater and breathing down here. I’m trying not to think about too much right now.”

Both Silverstream and Terramar laughed at Gallus’ comment.

“But you look so cute with fins and a tail!” Silverstream insisted.

His sister’s comment caused Terramar to laugh even more. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Just relax, and your body will do what it’s supposed to do. It’s getting used to being under the weight of all the water.”

“You know, Silverstream said basically the same thing after I transformed,” Gallus said, “I just don’t think I ever can though. It feels so weird being like this.”

“Just don’t worry about it! Because if you do, you might start thinking about how all of the water pressure pushing down on your normal griffon body would immediately crush your bones and you’ll blackout before you even reach the surface!” Silverstream spoke with a very cheerful demeanor.

While Gallus’ face was not comforted by the pink hippogriff’s comments. Her brother, on the other hoof, was laughing as he swam towards the door. “Have fun with dinner,” he bid farewell to Silverstream and Gallus before calling out loudly, “Okay, mom, I’m heading off to work!”

“Okay, be safe!” Ocean Flow called out from the kitchen.

Sky Beak also spoke up, “Take care, Terramar!”

The white hippogriff opened the front door. He then turned to face both Silverstream and Gallus as he began to close the door behind him. “Good luck, Gallus. You’re gonna need it.” With that, he closed the door.

“Wait, what does he mean by that?” Gallus asked.

Before he could get an answer, Ocean Flow called from the kitchen, “Dinner is ready~!”

Chapter 3: In Too Deep

The four were seated at the table in their dining room. On one side, Gallus and Silverstream were seated next to each other, while her parents were seated on the opposite side. Before each of them were flatware and some silverware. In the center of the table, a platter and two other bowls holding the food for the meal. On the platter, grilled seaweed was presented, while the two bowls held broccoli and mashed potatoes.

“I hope you’re all hungry~!” Ocean Flow said with a slight song in her voice as she began to dish out a small amount of food to each creature’s plate from each container.

“I, for one, certainly am,” Sky Beak said as a scoop of mashed potatoes was placed on his plate. “I’ve been looking forward to your grilled seaweed all day,” he said, directing his words at Ocean Flow, and smiled back.

Silverstream also agreed, “I’ve been looking forward to eating a home cooked meal for so long!”

“Oh, you’re all flattering me!” Ocean Flow was enjoying the praise as she continued serving food to each of the plates on the table. She had started setting pieces of grilled seaweed to each plate.

For some reason, Gallus felt a joke was appropriate, “It certainly looks good. And I’m sure it’s far better than the food we get back at the school.”

While Gallus wasn’t expecting laughter for his snarky comment, he also wasn’t expecting a genuine concerned look from Silverstream’s parents.

“Oh dear, is there something wrong with their cooking?” Ocean Flow asked as she picked up the bowl of broccoli to begin to serve, but she paused as she looked at the pink hippogriff.

“Silverstream, you never told us about this!” Sky Beak turned to look at his daughter, “Is everything okay? Are they feeding you well over there? Do I need to go talk to the Headmare?”

“No, no! It’s okay, I promise!” Silverstream insisted as she waved her hooves in front of her in an effort to calm her father’s worries.

Gallus spoke up as well, “Yeah, sorry. It was just a joke. Honestly, this all looks really good. We just have a bit of a running joke at the school that the food in the mess hall….has a lot to be desired.” The griffon gave a bit of a nervous chuckle.

“He’s right! After a while, the food seems to lose its appeal,” Silverstream explained.

“Like how our oatmeal is more like wet cement,” Gallus quickly said.

Silverstream nodded, “Yeah, and remember when they served us the waffles that were still frozen? I almost chipped my beak!

With a laugh, Gallus added one last statement, “And the sweet potatoes? They somehow were able to cook the sweet out of the sweet potatoes.”

An expression of both confusion and concern were on both Ocean Flow and Sky Beak’s face as the two reminisced about the food at the School of Friendship’s mess hall. However, they did exchange a smile to one another as they saw Gallus and Silverstream happily reminiscing.

“Well,” Sky Beak cleared his throat, “as long as everything is okay at the school, that’s what we are both worried about most.”

“Everything’s going well! It’s really fun there!” Silverstream said with a smile.

Ocean Flow smiled at her daughter as she finished adding broccoli to each of the plates on the table. “That’s good to hear. After all, the two worst things in this world are being hungry and being alone,” Ocean Flow commented.

Gallus took a look down at his plate after all the food was loaded on. The content smile that was on his face more or less vanished as he looked down at the last item that was added to plate: broccoli. There was one food that Gallus never liked eating growing up, and it was what he considered the demonic, edible trees. Cooked, raw, whatever, he couldn’t handle it.

“Forgive my surprise, but I certainly wasn’t expecting to see potatoes or broccoli being served,” Gallus commented.

Ocean Flow answered, “Oh, it’s a bit of a cuisine carry-over from when hippogriffs lived solely on Mount Aris.”

“There’s a bit of a history to it, which is so interesting. Also, I thought it would be a nice little treat to have you experience both sides of hippogriff cuisine, so I brought the fresh vegetables down from the peak of Mount Aris for the occasion,” Sky Beak explained.

Silverstream added as well, “Mom makes some of the best mashed potatoes too, especially when she makes croquettes!”

“Oh, Silverstream, enough about my cooking,” Ocean Flow was bashful as she picked up her own utensil to begin eating, signalling for the rest of the table to start, “So Gallus, why don’t you tell us about yourself?”

Sky Beak added, “Yes, please do! I’m very interested to hear about you and Griffonstone, if you don’t mind. Who is Gallus and what are his life goals?”

The griffon looked up from his plate and at the two hippogriffs who asked him questions. Nervously, he picked up his utensil so he could both begin to eat in a moment, but also so he could have something to grip in his talons to help calm him a bit. “Well,” he tried to start talking, his voice doing it’s best to mask his nerves, “Well, my life has been more about regret management than goal achievement. But I’m not really sure what Silverstream has already told ya.” He hoped his jokes would help.

Both Ocean Flow and Sky Beak seemed to enjoy his line. Ocean Flow spoke with a smile, “Oh, she’s told us a great deal about you and the rest of your friends, but we would like to hear from you, too!”

“That’s right,” Sky Beak added, “because you really get to know a creature when you see them talk about themselves after you meet them for the first time.”

“Ah, right….” Gallus said, “well, I’m the only griffon currently at the School of Friendship. I guess I’m the test student for my kind?” He laughed nervously as he started to eat his potatoes. The texture of the mashed potatoes were light and fluffy while the taste was amazingly flavorful for the griffon. “Either way, I’m at the School of Friendship and I’m trying.”

Sky Beak spoke, “Your best?”

“Oh, I certainly hope not,” Gallus admitted, “but probably.”

Silverstream tried her hardest not to laugh aloud at Gallus’ snarky comment with food in her mouth.

“First griffon at the school? That must be awfully lonely for you, Gallus,” Ocean Flow commented.

“He’s not lonely,” Silverstream spoke up, her mouth filled with broccoli, “he has us with him!”

“Silverstream, no talking with your mouth full,” her mother stated with a slightly stern tone.

“Oh good, glad to know that she has to be reminded here at home, too,” Gallus couldn’t help but make a wisecrack before responding to Ocean Flow, “Well, I do have to admit, it is quite a bit of an adjustment from living back in Griffonstone. But Silverstream is right, our whole group has made our homesickness much easier.”

Ocean Flow smiled, “Oh, that’s so wonderful that all of you are supportive of each other!”

“It really is, especially considering the first letters that Silverstream sent us from the school,” Sky Beak recalled as he paused his eating. “She was so scared about being away from home for so long. Dear, do you remember when she talked about trying to find her way back home from Ponyville?” His beak had a smile as he reminisced.

“I do! I think I know exactly where I put all of her letters!” Ocean Flow stated as she shared in the smile. “She talked about sneaking onto the train back to Mount Aris!”

“And she even said she would still try and fly her way back through the storm that was brewing when she left!”

“That still makes me laugh when I think about that!”

Both of her parents went back and forth a bit as they recalled Silverstream’s various letters to home. They both smiled and laughed, Gallus looked to see Silverstream, who didn’t seem to mind that they were bringing up what would normally be embarrassing moments. In fact, she seemed to be happy eating and enjoying each the company of the creatures seated around the table.

Gallus turned his attention to Silverstream and spoke in a soft tone to hopefully not be heard by her parents, “You know, I think I see where you get it from.”

“Get what?” Silverstream asked, her mouth filled with mashed potatoes.

“Everything.”

Sky Beak broke off the one-on-one chat he was having with Ocean Flow, “Sorry, that was rude of us. Why don’t you tell us about Griffonstone? I’ve always been hoping to visit one of these days.”

This was a question Gallus wasn’t expecting to get. In fact, he never had to explain his home to any creature before, not even at school. But he didn’t want to be rude to his hosts, “It’s more or less a giant dead tree surrounded by rundown thatched roof cottages. Almost the entire populace filled with crabby griffons who aren’t exactly all that known to be welcoming,” as he finished, Gallus regretted everything he just said, “It’s uhh….it’s not exactly a destination for a family getaway.”

His words seemed to baffle all of the hippogriffs, particularly Silverstream, as they were unsure if he was making a joke or not.

Gallus decided to add an additional comment, “Well, it has gotten better in recent times though. After all, Grandpa Gruff is letting me go to the School of Friendship and recently Gabby has been acting as a postal courier for Equestria, Griffonstone, and all over. One step at a time, right?”

Despite the slight awkwardness, Ocean Flow spoke, “Well, perhaps we can visit Griffonstone sometime? I’m sure we’d love to get a personal tour from you!”

The griffon replied before he took a bite of his grilled seaweed, “I’d be more than happy to, but I’ll be sure to steer you clear for Grandpa Gruff.” It had a crunchy texture to it that surprised Gallus, while he enjoyed the salty and savory taste.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who is this Grandpa Gruff?” Sky Beak asked curiously.

“Oh, him?” Gallus asked, “He’s sort of like a parent. In fact, he’s sorta like every single griffon’s parent, now that I think about it. I seriously think he’s been living in the past way too long, and he can’t cook to save his life. I should know, if I didn’t dread his grumpiness, it was his brussel sprouts,” The griffon sighed as he remembered being raised by him, “He’s always a bit of a….pain at times, but he’s our pain.”

“What was it like to be raised by him?” Ocean Flow asked.

Gallus paused for a second before answering, “Well, he taught me a lot of words I’m not allowed to say at the school, so there’s that.”

Silverstream was the first to speak up after, “Grandpa Gruff? You never told us about him to the rest of us!”

“What? You met him, Silverstream!” Gallus said, “Don’t you remember he threatened to mobilize the griffon army after we ditched classes when we all met!”

The pink hippogriff remembered, “Oh yeah!”

The sound of two utensils dropping onto plates rang out as both of Silverstream’s parents were caught off guard.

“What was that?”

“You skipped classes?”

Seemingly oblivious to their surprise, Silverstream simply answered, “Yup!”

Gallus made a small comment to himself, “Huh, I thought the ‘mobilization of the griffon army’ would have been more of a cause for alarm.”

“Silverstream, you should not be cutting any classes whatsoever!” Sky Beak firmly stated.

Ocean Flow also chimed in, “Why would you do something like that, dear? It’s not like you at all!”

“If I may,” Gallus raised his talon up to interject, “it was an idea that Smolder and I had, then Silverstream and the rest of our friends came with. She just joined in.”

Neither seemed completely pleased with Gallus’ explanation. Sky Beak picked up his utensil and took another bite from his plate.

“Well, I still don’t think that is something any of you students should be doing. Education is important,” Ocean Flow explained.

“Your mother is right, Silverstream,” Sky Beak nodded.

“I know! Don’t worry, none of us have skipped any of our classes since!” Silverstream said, her mouth filled with food again.

“Despite some of the professors giving us lectures that might bore us out of our mind,” the griffon snarked.

Silverstream swallowed her food and nodded in agreement, “He is right. Some of the classes are a bit dull, but we’re there every day!”

“Even if some of the professors might not like it,” Gallus added with a small smirk.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think Counselor Trixie likes you all that much,” Silverstream thought aloud toward Gallus.

The griffon shrugged, “No creature does. That’s the way I like it.”

Silverstream smiled toward Gallus, “But I like you!”

Gallus immediately snarked back, “Well, quit it.”

“Come on, Gallus, don’t be such a grumpy kitty!” Silverstream spoke with a large smile on her face.

As the blue griffon and the pink hippogriff went back and forth with each other, both Sky Beak and Ocean Flow exchanged glances and smiles at each other. Both parents were able to tell with their exchange that even if they might get on each other's nerves once in a while and their personalities might clash every so often, they deeply cared for each other.

Silverstream continued with her playful teasing, “Don’t act like you don’t like it when we sleep together!”

There was a clanking sound that echoed through the air as Ocean Flow dropped her utensil. Both Sky Beak and Ocean Flow had stunned expressions on their faces as they looked at the two younger creatures. Both Gallus and Silverstream, however, looked back in a bit of confusion.

Sky Beak looked at his daughter, “Silverstream, are you and Gallus….”

While he trailed off, Gallus figured out exactly what Sky Beak was asking about. His face quickly went from puzzlement to a mild panic, “What? Oh, no! No, no, we aren’t doing anything like that! We aren’t sleeping together.”

“What? Yes, we are. We like to sleep in the same bed together once in a while!” Silverstream happily said.

Ocean Flow raised her hoof up to her muzzle to cover her mouth in a gasping motion. Sky Beak’s face had a mixture of shock and annoyance.

“No, Silverstream,” Gallus was quick to correct, “We’re not talking about us just literally sleeping in the same bed. We’re talking about something….something else….”

Sky Beak cautiously raised an eyebrow, “So, you two aren’t actually….”

“Goodness no. I don’t think either of us are ready for that step….in fact, I don’t think Silverstream really understands what that would constitute,” Gallus insisted as he explained himself, “The only thing that really happens is just her hugs.”

“Gallus’ fur is so soft and fluffy and I just love hugging him!” Silverstream explained.

“It’s true, she likes to give me sleepy hugs,” the griffon confirmed to the chorus of both of Silverstream’s parents breathing a big sigh of relief. “Trust me when I say we aren’t doing anything more than that.”

“Is this true, Silverstream?” Ocean Flow asked with a bit of concern.

The pink hippogriff nodded happily, “Yup! He gives great hugs!”

Gallus and Silverstream’s words seemed to help appease Sky Beak, even if his daughter’s attitude was puzzling to him, “Well, as long as you two are responsible, that’s what’s important here.”

“Don’t worry, daddy, we are!” Silverstream claimed

In a mixture of frustration and exhaustion of the topic, Gallus lowered his head to the table, setting it next to the plate, which still housed some food. An audible sigh escaped his lungs.

“Are you dead, Gallus?” Silverstream asked with both concern and playfulness.

“No, I’m not dead,” he replied, “I mean, I don’t think so….no, sadly I’m still alive.”

Sky Beak cleared his throat, “Head off the table, please.”

Gallus quickly lifted his head up off the table and sat properly,“Yes, sir.” The griffon could tell the need to change the subject to something else, anything else really, “Uh….so, if I may ask, what do you two do?”

Because Sky Beak had taken a bite of his food, Ocean Flow was the first to answer, “Oh, well, you might already know that I’m Queen Novo’s younger sister. That means I work with her as well as our advisors and others for all matters relating to all hippogriffs.”

Silverstream added, “My mom and Auntie Novo are always so busy, but they always do such a great job at all that governing stuff!”

“It’s not an exactly easy job, but it’s something I take pride in, working side-by-side with my sister and the rest of the royal court,” Ocean Flow said with a bit of pride in her voice.

“And no one can backup the Queen quite like you can, Ocean Flow,” Sky Beak praised, “As for me, since I’m currently living in Hippogriffia on Mount Aris, I’m assisting with the governing of the settlement there. Mount Aris was my home in my youth and I am more than eager to help it shine brighter than ever for all hippogriffs. It’s such a beautiful mountain, rising above the sea into the clouds allowing those in Hippogriffia to literally touch the sky itself.”

“Oh, Sky Beak, you could go on and on about Aris all night and you would only scratch the surface of how much you love that mountain,” Ocean Flow chuckled softly.

Sky Beak gave an embarrassed smile as he nodded, “Yes, it’s true. The entire mountain is truly a monument to all hippogriffs everywhere, and I’m really happy to assist Queen Novo in running Hippogriffia.”

“Daddy really loves Mount Aris and being able to fly through the clouds there,” Silverstream leaned toward Gallus to explain, almost as if it was a secret.

“I can tell,” Gallus gave a small laugh. “I was actually hoping our dinner would have been up there.”

“Oh, perhaps it would be to experience the majesty of the mountain for yourself?” Sky Beak asked with a bit of excitement.

“No, it was actually more in that I’m not really great in water,” Gallus admitted. He then looked at his limbs, which still looked weird to him with their sleek appearance and lacking his fur, “I will have to admit that it feels strange feeling water all over me right now.”

“Not much of a swimmer, are you?” Sky Beak asked with a small smirk.

Gallus shook his head, “Not by a longshot.”

Ocean Flow gave a small but polite giggle at Gallus’ answer, “I do hope that doesn’t stop you from wanting to visit in the future. Most of the visitors to Seaquestria do have some issues when the first visit such as seasickness or even decompression sickness along with issues with swimming. I must say that you seem to be faring pretty well for your very first time here.

“I believe that’s by sheer will-power alone,” Gallus joked, doing his best not to think about whatever negative effects that could happen from him being underwater. All three hippogriffs laughed at his comment.

“Oh, by the way!” Silverstream spoke up to change the subject, turning her attention to her parents, “Mom, dad, you two should come and visit the school sometime! We started having regular sports again after all the excitement a while back. Maybe you can watch one of our hockey games!”

“Hockey, huh?” Sky Beak thought aloud, “That does sound pretty fun. I might be able to get away from work and catch a game or two.”

Ocean Flow nodded, “It does. How is the school’s team?”

“Well, it turns out Sandbar is pretty good on ice, which was a bit of a shock, and Yona knows how to be a great goalie.” Gallus answered. He then had a slight chuckle, “And no creature makes the mistake of trying to pick a fight with Yona or any of us more than once, in or out of the rink.”

Again, Ocean Flow and Sky Beak had horrified and worried expressions on their faces.

“Fighting out of the hockey rink?”

“Goodness, are you all picking fights?”

Silverstream seemed a bit surprised at her parent’s comments, “What? No, we weren’t fighting! We were just there to support our friends at the hockey game.”

“Yeah, the fighting that broke out was just the bonus when it comes to hockey,” Gallus said, but his snarky comment didn’t appear to help matters. “Honestly, if there isn’t a fight on the ice, usually some creature in the audience starts one.”

“It’s true. Last time we played against Canterlot, one of the ponies from their side started calling Coach Rainbow Dash names. She ignored them, but then Professor Rarity went up to them and they started arguing,” Silverstream explained.

Gallus continued the story, “One thing led to another and the night ended with the game being rescheduled, twelve arrests, four hospitalizations, half the bleachers destroyed, and Professor Rarity serving community service.”

“She was back teaching on Monday,” Silverstream added, “I’m still surprised that of all our professors, she’s the hockey fan.”

“I’m still surprised she’s allowed near the arena after that.”

The look of shock was still on her parent’s faces. As much as they wanted to push the subject further with their concern, they exchanged looks to one another and silently agreed against it.

Instead, Ocean Flow changed the subject again. “Oh, well, maybe we can visit for a game sometime in the future? But let’s change the subject, shall we? How do you like Seaquestria, Gallus?”

“Well, it’s quite remarkable down here, I have to say that,” Gallus stated. He then looked down at his plate of food, where he got a glimpse of his talon and his newly transformed body, “Though I’m still getting used to my new body at the moment. I think my lack of swimming talent transferred over.”

Sky Beak brought his hoof up to his mouth to think for a moment before speaking, “I do have to say, I have never seen any creature with a body like that when underwater.”

“I have to agree, it’s quite surprising,” Ocean Flow added.

“Do you think it’s the same for all griffons? After all, he still has his talons.”

“I’m not entirely sure. No griffon has visited Seaquestria in ages. Maybe it’s something I can bring up to Novo after she gets back from her diplomatic visit to the changelings?”

“Please do, it’s very interesting. He looks a bit like a salmon with that tail of his.”

“No, it looks more like a shark’s tail. See, if you look at the way his scales are….”

The two continued to muse amongst themselves about Gallus’ new body as the griffon looked at each part of the body that they were talking about. It was starting to bother him a bit as he nervously took a few more bites of his grilled seaweed. After a bit more from both of them, he turned to Silverstream. Without a word, he motioned for her to say something in an effort to help defuse the situation and get the subject off of him.

Silverstream had her mouth full, as she was already on her second helping of mashed potatoes. It took her a moment to understand what he was pantomiming, but she did figure it out and spoke up. Unfortunately for the griffon, it was not helpful, “He also doesn’t have all of his fluff fur anymore, it’s so different now that he has all these scales! And he only has a little bit of fluff on his chest!”

Both of Silverstream’s parents sounded very fascinated by the new information that their daughter gave them. They continued to chat amongst themselves about their opinions and theories of how Gallus’ transformation worked.

Gallus sighed and turned to the pink hippogriff, “Just how much work does it take to be that dumb?”

“Quite a bit!” she answered cheerfully.

After a bit more conversing amongst themselves, both Ocean Flow and Sky Beak finished and turned their attention back to both Gallus and Silverstream.

“Sorry, it seems we got carried away with ourselves!” Ocean Flow apologized, “It’s just not something we’d normally see everyday.”

Sky Beak agreed, “It’s true, it has been quite some time since we’ve seen a non-hippogriff or non-pony visit down in Seaquestria and it just is so wonderful to have you visit. In fact, I believe you might be the very first griffon to visit our kingdom.”

This surprised both Silverstream and Gallus a bit, as they both looked at the griffon’s transformed body. While there was still no proper answer of exactly what he had become, both felt there was something very unique about the griffon’s current transformed state.

Ocean Flow spoke up and changed the subject, “Oh, speaking of visiting: next time you stop by, we can have you visit the palace since your Silverstream’s special friend!”

Gallus’ face had a bit of surprised expression to it. “The palace? Yeah, I did see that as we were swimming to your home. It’s very regal and majestic-looking. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it before,” the griffon commented as he moved the remaining food around his plate, which was mostly broccoli and small specks of mashed potatoes.

“Isn’t there something similar back in Griffonstone?” Sky Beak asked.

“Not really. I mean, there’s that dead tree, but that’s about it.”

While both Ocean Flow and Sky Beak seemed unsure how to respond to Gallus’ blunt answer, Silverstream happily interjected, “Ooo! Can you take me when you visit? Pretty please?”

The griffon looked at the excited pink hippogriff for a moment before turning his attention back to her parents. “On an unrelated note, I do have a question. Your family is technically royalty, correct?”

Ocean Flow nodded, “That’s right. My sister is Queen Novo.”

“So,” Gallus continued, “it’s possible that Silverstream could ascend to the throne and rule all of the hippogriffs?”

Again, she nodded and answered, “Yes, it is possible.”

Gallus pointed to Silverstream, “Let me repeat that one more time: her?”

All eyes fell to Silverstream. The pink hippogriff had taken a few pieces of grilled seaweed off of her plate and somehow attached it to the bottom of her beak as well as above her eyes, giving the impression she had a beard and bushy eyebrows. “Hey Gallus, look! I’m Discord!” she said happily.

Without saying a word, Gallus simply turned to look at her parents. Both Sky Beak and Ocean Flow had uneasy smiles on their faces.

“Yeah, we try not to think about it too hard,” Sky Beak admitted.

Ocean Flow gave a small sigh, “I do hope she hasn’t been doing such things at the school.”

Gallus answered, even if she didn’t want the answer, “Oh, she has. It’s why the cafeteria is not allowed to serve corn chowder anymore.”

“I feel like there is a story there, but I’m not sure I want to know,” Sky Beak thought aloud.

“Yeah, you don’t,” Gallus insisted. “I seriously wonder what goes on in that head of hers.”

“The doctors say that I have a ‘rich inner life’!”

Chapter 4: Be Comfortable, Creature

“Thank you for visiting, Gallus. It was quite a treat to have you both stop by for dinner,” Ocean Flow said with a smile.

Gallus, Silverstream, and her parents were all swimming back towards the shore. The rest of the meal had been filled with small talk, and both Ocean Flow and Sky Beak insisted on swimming with them back to the shore for the last train home. As they neared the shore and the water’s surface, it was apparent that the sun was beginning to set.

“It was an honor to visit, ma’am,” Gallus replied. He was still not completely getting the hang of swimming with his new body.

“We do hope you come by again, it was really nice to finally meet you,” Sky Beak spoke. “You’re always welcome at our places, both in Seaquestria and on Mount Aris.”

Silverstream cheered as she gave a hug to the transformed griffon, “That’s so great! I can’t wait to have you visit again!”

“How about I get used to swimming before we start planning my next undersea adventure?” Gallus cracked a joke, which caused all three of the hippogriffs to laugh. “Now, I’m sure I’m going to regret asking this, but how do I change back?”

After being given the instructions, Gallus turned back into a normal griffon. Unfortunately for him, he was still underwater and he quickly flailed around until he reached the water’s surface, gasping for air. Doing her best to not chuckle at her friend’s struggle, Silverstream aided him by guiding him to the shore, where they both stood on the sand. It took Gallus a few moments of coughing and gagging at the water that was once in his lungs before his breathing returned to normal.

“Now be sure to study hard, both of you,” Ocean Flow instructed as only a mother would.

“And don’t forget to eat healthy when you’re at school, Silverstream,” Sky Beak added.

“We will!” Silverstream replied

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t eat only ice cream, again,” Gallus insisted as he also nodded at instructions given by both parents, “Thank you both for having me. I had a wonderful time.”

Sky Beak couldn’t help but give a chuckle, “You really don’t have to be so formal, Gallus. We already like you!” Sky Beak then turned towards his daughter, “You better keep your eye on this one Silverstream, he’s a keeper.”

Gallus’ face grew a bright pink at the comment.

Ocean Flow smiled and nodded in agreement, “Now you two shouldn’t dilly-dally, you both have a train to catch!”

“Right,” Silverstream nodded, “bye, mom! Bye daddy!” The pink hippogriff waved her talon at her parents as the both dived below the water’s surface, leaving Silverstream and Gallus on the shore.

Once the surface of the water settled from the submerging hippogriffs, Gallus let out a sigh of relief that seemed to be held in since the day began. “Well,” he mumbled with a slightly relaxed tone, “I guess that could have gone a whole lot worse….”

“That was really fun, wasn’t it Gallus?” Silverstream happily asked, “I’m actually surprised my dad didn’t talk about flying stuff with you! If he knew about you being interested in the royal guard, he wouldn’t stop talking about all the athletics you’d need to be able to do! Maybe he’s saving it for next time?”

Gallus turned to look at Silverstream and smiled at her. He then turned his head upward at the cloudless sky above that was beginning to turn darker as the sun sunk beyond the horizon. The stars were starting to peek through and begin their evening shining.

Silverstream saw that Gallus was looking upwards, so the hippogriff looked up as well. “What’cha see up there? Are the stars out yet?”

“Hey Silverstream, I want to say thank you for today. It was nice meeting your parents and visiting your home, even with all the transformations and water, and….” Gallus started to trail off before he lowered his head and looked at the hippogriff, “out of all the dumb and goofy creatures there are in this world, I can happily say that you are my favorite.” His face still had turned a slight pink tint.

With an excited gasp, Silverstream looked back at him, “That’s the nicest thing you ever said to me! Do you really mean that?”

“Yes! What else do you want me to say? That I love you and that I’m head over talons for you?” Gallus retorted in a flustered manner and his face burning.

“I knew it!” Silverstream cheered.

Gallus looked down at the sand that was below his talons, trying his best to shake off the red on his cheeks.

Silverstream, however, returned her gaze upwards at the evening sky. She then said something softly, “You know, I might be an airhead, but I’m not stupid.”

The griffon looked up at his friend in puzzlement.

A smile was still on Silverstream’s face as she continued, her eyes still fixed upward, “I think I get you, Gallus. You were raised in a harsh place. Somehow you survived, and toughened yourself up to keep yourself safe. But I don’t think you’re that griffon anymore. You’re much more than what you show others. Beneath that rough exterior, you’re a kind and gentle soul who cares deeply for others.” Silverstream then lowered her sight down to Gallus with a smile on her face, “And that’s the Gallus I love. And that’s the Gallus I want to keep in my life along with every creature I love. And that’s why I wanted you to meet my family tonight and hope that you’d see what it’s like to be part of a loving family. A family that I hope you will join one day.”

Gallus smiled back, his face with a pink flush again. He then looked elsewhere for a bit, trying to hide his embarrassment, but to no avail. “Thanks for being my rock.”

“Your rock?” Silverstream asked.

“Yeah,” Gallus answered, still looking anywhere else, “for being the most constant thing in my life right now. But I have to admit, it kinda scares me.”

“Scared? Why?” she turned to look at the griffon, who’s gaze was anywhere else.

“Because, I’ve never had anyone like you in my life before,” the griffon answered, “So warm, friendly, happy, loving, and so much more. I guess I’m kinda scared that I might lose you somehow.”

Silverstream smiled, “Why would you lose me? I’m not going anywhere!”

“I don’t know, I’m just worried because I already know how lonely it would be without you. Your random thoughts, your laugh, your smile, and your love,” Gallus’ face was becoming more flushed as he spoke. “I’m lucky to have you in my life, Silverstream, and even more lucky to have you as a girlfriend….”

“You don’t have to be scared, Gallus,” the hippogriff insisted, placing a talon on Gallus’ shoulder blade, causing the griffon to make eye contact with her, “When I first came to the school, I was scared too, and being on land still scares me a little. But I’m less scared with all of you.”

Gallus smiled back to Silverstream, his face still with a tint of pink. “I guess we all have something that makes us a little worried, huh?”

Wrapping her limbs around the griffon, Silverstream gave Gallus a hug, “Well, you don’t ever have to worry about feeling alone. It doesn’t matter who you are, no creature is ever born to be alone. And you will never be, Gallus, not if I have anything to say about it.”

Feeling the warmth from Silverstream, Gallus returned the hug for a moment. Without saying a word, both creatures broke their embrace and turned their sights upward at the stars that were starting to emerge in the sky.

“The stars look different here than they do at school, don’t they?” Gallus commented to himself.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and see a shooting star?” Silverstream hoped.

“Maybe, maybe….by the way, Silverstream, I finally understand why you often stare so homesickly at the different aquariums back at school. And I can totally see why; your home is beautiful.” Gallus spoke bashfully, but with a sincere smile to the hippogriff, “I hope you can show me around next time.”

Silverstream gasped excitedly at the thought, “We’d love to have you back! I can show you all of the different sights and places of where I grew up!”

“I’d really like that.”

“And maybe I can visit Griffonstone and meet your family!”

Gallus paused for a moment, “I think I might have to explain to you why that might be a bit tricky.”

END