Trapped In Darkness, Searching For Light
The sound of his meal door opening alerted Gallus that morning had come again. A single scaled hand poured the ladle of porridge that landed in the rusty wooden bowl before retreating to close the door. Snorting, Gallus decided to put a mark on the stone wall with his talon. Another strike under the letter “P” while beside it was the letters “S” for soup, “B” for bread, and “?” for that strange grey slop they gave every so often. Each with different check marks under it. It was only something he had recently started doing to help pass the time again. He had long grown bored counting the stones in his small prison while naming them. It was for the best since he was starting to talk to them as if they were real.
Gallus had lost count of the days he had been here since his capture. He only knew that he had been here for about eight years. Mostly because the lizardfolk here like to do a special anniversary for the day you arrived in this gods forsaken prison. Scratching his back, he felt the whip marks to make sure he was no longer bleeding on his back. A few nights ago, he pricked his skin again with the rocks and opened up the wounds. He used half of his rags to clean it up while using the rest to sleep. They only gave prisoners new rags every so often, so one was forced to use them as little as possible. The worst mistake he ever made was using them to clean his bum in his first year, and he never did it again after that.
Gallus was still amazed he hadn’t died yet in this place. Even more impressive was the fact he survived that ambush that landed him up here in the first place. When the griffin took that arrow in the chest to save his commanding officer, Gallus thought for sure he was doomed. The world was going dark as he fell while accepting his grim fate. Gallus could still hear his name being cried out by his fellow guards before eating the dirt. When he woke up, he saw the chains and bars of a cage; the kind lizardfolk decided to put him in when they found him alive.
Everything after that was a blur. There was some pain here and yelling there. Numerous curses that he shouted at them until his throat went sore. Then they threw him in here to rot.
A single small cell made of stone with a locked metal door and a small barred window above that occasionally shined sunlight or moonlight from above if he was lucky. They already clipped his wings, so he was forced to stay on the ground, unable to fly and check for himself if it was day or night time. Other than that, it was some rags to sleep on, a bucket to piss or shit in, and a wooden bowl that had splinters on it.
He never thought he’d miss his old childhood home in Griffinstone, but there was a first for everything, right?
Taking the bowl in hand, Gallus dug in slowly with his claw and made sure to get every drop of his first of only two daily meals. Nothing echoed around him but the small sounds of rats hoping for a bite of his breakfast from their hidden holes. He once tried eating them, but his stomach regretted it later, and he nearly died crapping himself. So it was just him and in his imagination to keep him company.
It was a method he used to help keep himself sane. Just close his eyes and think about the barracks during mealtime. Imaging Hermes or Ash Shield making a joke while Captain Edgewaters shook his head but with an amused smile. Then followed by a quick card game before morning patrol while arguing how Gallus kept winning every game. Mostly cause he always played with a few extra cards hidden in his sleeves.
Sometimes he imagined he was back in Ponyville, with all his friends visiting in their annual monthly get together to hang out and chat. He could hear Ocellus and Smolder complaining about how troublesome the students at the Academy were... Well, the former. Gallus knew Smolder was still assisting in pranking once and awhile with her students. Yona would be feeding her and Sandbar’s adopted yak daughter, Yuna, who would make a mess by flinging food at her father’s face, all while laughing at his funny expressions.
Then there was Silverstream.
Silverstream.
Gallus quickly stopped his tear from getting into the porridge. It was salty enough as it is. Eight years. Eight years in this hell and the only reason he still hadn’t killed himself was because of her. It had been so damn tempting just to cut his own throat with a single talon. Or hang himself with the rags tied together. Hay, there was one time he came close to bashing his head against the stone again and again until he was nothing but a mushy corpse in a pool of blood.
There was a dark part of Gallus, deep in his soul, that wanted to die. Heaven. Hell. Nothing. It didn’t matter what came next so long as it just wasn’t here. It was eight years since the ambush, and he didn’t know if the war was in Equestria’s favor or not. The lizardfolk were not like Cozy Glow or any of the other villains he had faced. They used the darkest of magic from manipulating their enemies' blood, to ignite in flames, to raising the dead from their graves. Hundreds of innocents sacrificed to their gods for more power regardless of the age or race. They murdered, raped, and pillaged since the day they came to this side of the world to enslave all under them and their so-called God-King of Siluria.
Gallus remembered the fight he and Silverstream had when he told her he would be fighting in the war. She argued, begged, and screamed at him to not go. Silverstream had lost her Uncle to war when fighting the Storm King. She didn’t want to lose her husband as well. Yet, every time he heard of the sickening deeds the lizardfolk had done, all he could think about was the same fate happening to Silverstream or any of his friends - or worse. The friends who had become family to him. The family he never had.
So Gallus fought, and killed, to protect them. He had seen the ugly side of the war. The losses. The suffering. The hate. Even now, in this cage of stone and steel, he could see the battles so clearly in his mind. Of raining arrows blocking the sun before piercing a thousand dead. Swords were singing in the air as they cut through flesh and bone with blood flowing out of necks and limbs before coloring the earth in crimson red. The large mass graves filled with ponies, griffins, dragons, hippogriffs, diamond dogs, changelings, and lizardfolk because there was just no time to make proper burials. No time to count the dead; nor enough creatures to do the task.
Now here he was—eight years trapped like a rat. Not knowing what was going on and often didn’t care. Others got executed after years of being stuck in here. Not Gallus. They just fed him terrible shit that most likely came out of his ass and whipped him just to remind him he was their bitch. Gallus was strong, but even the strong had its limits. He laughed, cried, begged, prayed, pleaded, and whimpered. Yet, nothing changed in those eight years. No escape. No hope. No life.
Death would be better than this.
Yet, every time Gallus thought about ending it, he thought about the one thing that forced him to hold back his claws. His wife. His Silver. His true home. She was there in his dreams during the day and night. He could see her waiting for him at their unique place in Canterlot. A small cliff that they flew towards to watch the sunset every Thursday. It was at that place that they had made love for the first time, and it was also there that he proposed her claw in marriage.
He would give every limb in his body to be there one more time with Silverstream by his side. With her wing around his shoulder while she started nuzzling his soft feathers with her loving beak. Hearing her sing softly in his ears as he cooed under her touch. He would take Silverstream into his arms and gently bring her down to the grass. Soft as a cloud and warm as a bed while nipping her neck as she stroked him in the right ways from top to bottom. In return, Gallus would touch her in places that made her squawk or gasp before kissing her.
Those sweet and loving lips that could fill him with such warmth that the sun itself couldn’t match it. He would stroke her loving mane, feeling every fiber of her being before pressing himself against her chest. Silverstream would look into his eyes, and he would look into hers. There were no words needed to be said. They had known each other for years. Saved the world together and were as one. He was hers, and she was his. His Silver. Her Gally.
The tears weren’t stopping, and he only had himself to blame. The bowl dropped to the floor; its contents spilled across the floor as the swarm of rats from their hidden holes rushed to devour every drop. Gallus didn’t care. He just hugged himself and sobbed. He never often prayed to the gods because the gods were always cruel to him. After all these years, they still abused him like a toy until there was nothing left to play with. Yet, it was times like this that he prayed to just let it all end.
He tried to convince himself to let go and seek a peaceful and final embrace. Chances were, everyone probably has thought that Gallus was dead by now. It was Equestria’s custom to declare a missing creature dead after three years. Yes, his friends most likely mourned him and his wife must have been heartbroken, but they would have moved on by now. Silverstream could have remarried with some noble hippogriff. One who could give her a new life. To make her forget about him. To provide her with a family, something Gallus wished they could have done before he left. Why bother waiting for hope that would never come?
Yet, despite the darkness all around him. In the mindset of all the pain and shame... He could still see her looking at him with a smile and her beautiful amethyst eyes that glittered like stars. He could still feel her like that night before he set off for war. The last time they made love and were as one together in both passion and sorrow. He could still hear her. Her ghostly voice in the gentle breeze through his barred window. In the echoes of the droplets of water from the ceiling. The same voice in his dreams when he was sleeping in silence.
“Come back home.”
Such a promise was all but a faint hope.
Yet it was all he had left.
***
It was common to hear sounds at night. Usually, it was screaming from the new prisoners begging to be released or the older ones going mad from years of being trapped. Yet, this sound... he never heard ones like this before. Slowly opening his eyes, he listened to the sounds of yelling and panic, but the tone was different. Other sounds echoed around him like that of anger and hate. Something was off, and it was coming closer. Steel clashing against steel. Stone crumbling down as it was torn from the walls or bursting apart. Explosions made his eyes fully awaken as the entire prison shook with rage. Something was wrong. Something was happening.
Rising slowly, he pressed his back against the wall while looking around in the dark as the sounds grew ever closer. Ever louder. Something was coming for him. What it was he didn’t know, but fear enveloped him as he felt his beak begin to chatter.
His door started to move. The wild pounding was getting louder with each waking moment. Gasping, Gallus stood up and retreated to the nearest corner. He held his breath, shivering as he prayed that the darkness would hide him from whatever was coming. The pounding got louder. The door slowly being pushed off its hinges.
He closed his eyes. Were they finally going to kill him? Will they finish him off at long last? Or was this just another nightmare he was having before waking up in his real-life one?
A roar echoed across the room as Gallus opened his eyes to see the door come apart with a big burst of energy. The dust enveloped the small room as he waited to see what was coming. His entire body wracked with terror as he tried to close his eyes and think in his final moments of the one he wanted most: Silverstream’s loving smile. Yet, his eyes couldn’t close. They were glued in place by curiosity and fear.
What came through the door was no lizardfolk. Nor was it a monster or a demon. No, it was something Gallus had not seen for eight years. It walked on four legs. Had a colored coat of red with golden armor decorating his barrel. His bright golden helmet hid his blue mane, but his gentle and confusing yellow eyes held not ill malice. It took a minute for Gallus to realize what he saw and even longer to process it. Because he couldn’t simply believe what was in front of him. It took seeing the glowing horn on its head to confirm it.
A pony.
A real live fucking pony.
“Wait, you’re not a pony. You’re a griffin. Who are you?” The unicorn asked, stepping forward. “Gods… Are you okay? We’re here to rescue all the prisoners, but we thought only ponies were in here. What’s your name?”
“My...name...” Gallus whispered, still shaking. He hadn’t spoken in so long. At least not to some creature not hurting him. “G-G...G-Gall...Gallus-s....”
“Gallus...Gallus...” The unicorn muttered the name under his tongue before realization hit. “No way! The New Element that sacrificed himself?! You’re still alive?! Every creature thought you were dead! Princess Twilight put a statue of you in the Garden of Heroes!”
“...Twilight...” Gallus whispered. His teacher. His princess. “...I...I...want...”
“What? Do you need medical attention?” He said, slowly coming forward. “What do you need?” He was unprepared for Gallus to grab him and scream. Just sob into his shoulders as he shook his rescuer.
“I want to go home!” Gallus cried. “I WANT TO GO HOME!”
“C-Calm down! Just...hold on!” The unicorn said before grabbing Gallus by the shoulders, but he wouldn’t stop screaming or crying.
“Get me out of here! Take me back! I wanted to see her! I need to see her!”He just continued to shout it out until he felt something hard hit him in the face. “I...want...Silver...Stream...”
He felt...so...tired...
“It’s okay… just sleep, okay?” The unicorn said as it became harder to stay away. “Just sleep it off...”
He closed his eyes, but Gallus did so with no fear for the first time in eight years.
***
When Gallus started to feel his mind awaken, he felt something utterly alien to him. He felt warmth instead of the cold wind against his feathers—a soft surface instead of the hard stone floor. There was no pain from any of his bruises, cuts, or wounds. He felt like they had never been there in the first place. There were no aches or pain and no sense of terror or dread.
That meant only one thing.
He was dead.
He had to be dead.
Only death could take away such pain and suffering that lingered in him. Had it been a dying dream? Was the unicorn who burst into his prison just a figment of his imagination? His brain comforting him in his final moments before his spirit left his body? Gallus felt like he could open his eyes and wondered what would greet him in this afterlife.
It was bright and blurry. So much so it hurt to look. Gallus rubbed his eyes and soon turned his head as he heard something. Something sweet and gentle. Turning his head as his vision returned, and he saw...a tree? A real one? Not something in his mind or imagination? On the tree was the source of the sweet sound. It looked like him, but smaller and with some different coloring. It was a bird. A simple bluebird tweeting on a tree next to an open window.
He slowly opened his eyes further and turned his head in the other direction. There were no stone walls, but pure white and red-colored walls. Not of stone or marble, but wood and paint. He slowly felt his surroundings. Warm covers on his body that were not torn up or moldy, but soft and thick. His head was resting, not against a small stone or a dead rat's corpse, but something feathery and delicate. A blanket. A pillow. Which meant this was a bed.
A real bed.
Slowly, Gallus rose and saw machines around him. Some had wires connected to his chest while tubes were in his arm. He felt his jaw drop in amazement upon looking at it. Someone had bandaged his chest. And not just Gallus’ chest, but his arms, legs, and even back.
It was also clean. His feathers and fur were no longer dark and lifeless colors but bright blue like he remembered them. It was like seeing an old friend for the first time in years.
It was then that Gallus realized he was not dead. The dead didn’t need to be hooked to machines, healed of their wounds, or cleaned from head to toe.
No, he was alive. Alive, and in a hospital.
"Oh, you're awake!" A voice cried out that made Gallus jump. A griffin, just like him, but of a light brown color, walked over to him with a smile. She wore a white outfit with a red cap that held a red cross over the top. "Sorry to startle you, it’s just… You've been out for nearly fourteen days. If it wasn't for Princess Twilight personally healing you, I didn't think you were going to make it. All those horrible wounds and malnourishment. The other prisoners they brought back were in horrible shape too, but not as bad as you were."
"Am I… am I back in Canterlot?" Gallus asked in disbelief.
"Yup!" The nurse said, nodding. "I heard that you were declared dead years ago. It's a miracle that you've survived all this time, but I know a lot of creatures are happy to see you. They've been visiting you every day and night. All of them were hoping you'd wake up. They'll be thrilled to hear you're awake now."
Putting a claw to her mouth, she gasped, "I just remembered! Princess Twilight wanted to be notified as soon as you were awake! Please excuse me! I'll have a doctor come check you up as well as a good meal and cold water!"
He watched the nurse griffin leave with haste. The door closed as he slowly turned around to face the white wall. His brain slowly processed what had just happened, but soon the realization hit him like a punch to the face.
He was free.
No more suffering from the whip. No more beatings. No more bad food. No more crying in the dark. No more whispers in Gallus' skull to end it all. He pinched himself twice to make sure, but it was not a dream. It was real.
He was free.
The door opened, and he wondered if it was the nurse again, but the sound of a loud gasp caught his attention. Gallus turned his head to the visitor, and he felt his heart stop beating. It was her—the one who whispered to tell him to come home. The hippogriff, whose memorable smiling face was brighter than any fire in his cold nights. The only reason he kept living and hoping.
Silverstream.
His wife.
His Silver.
Her hair was shorter but still flowed in the air like an aura of beauty. She had tied it into a ponytail that laid on her shoulder. Her tail was still long and graceful, but there were some grey areas he noticed. Not that it stopped her from looking like a goddess in his eyes. Her face showed signs of aging just a bit, but it did nothing to diminish her looks. Gallus could see those amethyst starlike eyes looking at him with shock and then with tears. At first, he tried to say something, but then he saw it.
The smile.
Her smile.
His Silver’s smile.
That smile he loved and dreamed of every night for eight years and what he had wished to see one last time. A unique, loving smile that was his and his alone. He slowly gave one back, his own eyes starting to mist as the two just stood there with tears dripping down their cheeks. No words needed to be said because they were already saying them in their hearts.
Without any further wait, Silverstream dived into his arms, and he embraced her. He took in everything in those beginning moments. The touch of her feathers against his fur. The smell of her hair and scent. The wet tears on his shoulder. The feeling of her wings wrapped around his body like a cacoon. It was just as he remembered, this warm and loving embrace. It was her.
“Silverstream...” Gallus whispered, nearly choking as he nuzzled her neck. Feeling his body sink into her as she raised her head and pressed her beak against his own. Her lips. So sweet. So pure. His lips, who had tasted nothing but dirt, blood, and mush, were singing as he felt them. He pressed against her with his paw around Silverstream’s head. He wanted to taste her forever and never let go.
She pushed him down on the bed, kissing him over and over again as her tears dripped down onto his eyes to mix with his own. Even if he wasn’t dead, this here, at this moment, was heaven to Gallus. For eight years, he longed to see her, feel her, and kiss her.
Eight years later, and at last, it all came true.
The kiss slowly ended. The two of them opened their eyes and stared at each other while pressing their foreheads against one another. Caressing each other’s side, and ignoring everything else, the two just gently cuddled as if nothing had ever changed.
“I thought you were dead...” Silverstream spoke quietly, holding back a sob. “When they said you had died...I thought...I never...all these years...”
“I’m sorry,” Gallus whispered. “I’m sorry I made you sad...I’m sorry I made you suffer, my Silver.”
“I don’t care, Gally,” Silverstream said, kissing him firmly on the lips. “I don’t care about that. You’re here. With me. With...us...”
She slowly lifted herself. Her eyes widened in realization as she stared at Gallus with realization. “Silverstream?” Gallus asked, slowly getting up. He put his paw on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
A few seconds later and she covered her mouth while letting out a small squawk. She shut her eyes with excitement and stood up with a big smile. “I’ll be right back!”
Gallus raised his paw to stop her, but she flew out without a second thought. Confused, he just decided to do what she said and wait. He had waited eight years, what was a few minutes?
He then touched his beak, where she had kissed him, and closed his eyes. The same taste. The taste of passion, love, laughter, and joy. Just like when they first kissed.
She hadn’t changed.
Her heart and love for him hadn’t changed.
Nothing would separate them this time. They would stay together, and nothing would keep him from her. Gallus would not forsake her again. No prison would hold him from his loved ones again. He thought about how everyone else must feel both from his squad and his friends. How old were they now? Did they have children? Was Yuna all grown up and bigger than her father could hold her? Did Ashshield finally tie the knot with his beloved? Had Twilight and Spike finally accepted their feelings for each other?
He looked out the window. It wasn’t just his friends, but the world. The whole world had changed in eight years. What was cool anymore? Did they invent new technology? Was the war finally over, or was it close to ending? He stared into that warm blue sky and felt the need to fly again. To spread his wings and feel the wind against his feathers. Gallus flared them up before remembering the damn lizardfolk clipped them, but he was sure Equestrian magic could cure him. He was probably out of practice and needed to re-learn, but it would be worth it to sail the skies again.
It wasn’t just flying that he wanted to do. His paws ached to feel the grass tickling between his toes. There were new books to read and movies to watch. He wanted to explore the familiar streets of Canterlot and Ponyville while seeing what had changed. All while eating real food. A big fat fish burger with potato fries and an ice-cold beer. A cold Sunday with whipped cream and hot fudge. They would be no more shitting it out into a bucket. He could flush it now.
Gallus pinched himself just to make sure this was real. He even slapped himself a few times, but every time he felt the pain, he smiled. Because that meant this wasn’t a dream. He was home. He was finally home.
“Gallus?” Silverstream asked, arriving back. Just hearing his name from her mouth again was like hearing a chorus of angels. She smiled bright and happy as she sat at the entrance, her hands behind her back. “There’s someone who you should meet. It’s eight years overdue.”
Gallus raised his eyebrows as his wife looked over her shoulder. “Come on. Go on, honey. Say hello.”
Gallus saw a small figure slowly step forward, and his heart took a leap. He had a feathery hippogriff body that looked just like Silverstream’s, but with a familiar blue color. On the child’s head was a mane styled with blue feathers and held white streak at the tips. His lion tail swished back and forth nervously as his eagle-like wings flared up a bit before settling down. Gallus felt his claw covering his mouth in shock. He looked at those bright young eyes. Eyes that Gallus had only ever seen in the mirrors he had looked at throughout his life.
The child was the same as him. He looked so curious, nervous, and hopeful. He was so small, and it wasn’t hard to guess his age. Gallus had been small too as a young cub, and it seemed such a trait spread in his genes. Because there was no mistaking who was in front of him. It was that moment that made Gallus realize just how long eight years had been. Eight years and this child, this cub, had been there without him. Not knowing him or even realizing he was alive. And in those eight years, Gallus didn’t know he existed.
The two stared at each other—both afraid of what to do or say. Silverstream comforted the young cub with a gentle cusp on the shoulder.
“Garrus? This is your father, Gallus.” Silverstream then looked at Gallus with a bright smile. “Gallus? This is your son, Garrus.”
“My D-Dad?” Garrus said, blinking his gentle eyes. He stared at Silverstream in awe before slowly turning towards an equally stunned Gallus.
Slowly, he walked forward and gulped. “A-are you my, Dad?” The young cub’s eyes were starting to get misty. “I thought… M-Mom said you died.”
“I told you, sweetie,” Silverstream said, hugging him from behind. “Those mean lizard creatures captured your Daddy. But he came back. Back to us.”
Gallus just stood there, frozen as Garrus slowly flew up to the bed with his wings and stared at his father. Gallus just looked at the little griffin/hippogriff hybrid in front of him and felt his heart start beating again. He never dreamed that this would be waiting for him outside of that stone prison.
A son.
His son.
Their son.
What could he say? What was he supposed to do? He looked to Silverstream for help, but she just sat there smiling.
“D-Dad?” Garrus asked, getting Gallus’ attention. “Y-You’re not going to leave us again? Are you?”
It was then that Gallus knew what to do. Maybe it was instinct, or perhaps it was just his emotions letting out. He reached out, held Garrus, and brought him to his chest for a hug. Placing his teary-eyed face on his son’s mane, he sobbed before whispering. “Never. I’ll never leave you or your mother ever again. I’m home. I’m home forever.”
Garrus started to sniff before wrapping his tiny arms around Gallus, which made him hug him tighter. Silverstream soon came over and wrapped her arms and wings around them both. Gallus continued to cry, but he was also smiling.
He was finally home.
Author's Note
Really proud of this one, even if its not popular. Again, Gallus x Silverstream is my top new paring and I can't get enough of it.
One Shot Commissions are still open if you are interested.
