Gallus and Silverstream hadn't thought anything of it when Queen Novo didn't attend their wedding, and Princess Skystar had attended in her place. Novo wasn't as physically active as she had been in her youth, it was reasonable to assume that a trip to Equestria was too much for her nowadays, even though it would've been to attend the wedding of her niece. She'd already given her blessings for Gallus to take Silverstream's claw in marriage and that was all that mattered.
The wedding itself was a truly glorious and grand affair, especially when you had Supreme Princess Twilight herself officiating it and Gallus' soon to be retiring commanding officer Tempest Shadow serving as Gallus' best mare (it was the least she could after nominating Gallus to succeed her as captain of the royal guard). And of course, the wedding was held in Ponyville, the place where Gallus and Silverstream had met and fallen in love all those years ago.
Soon afterward, thanks to the pay he took home working in the royal guard, Gallus was able to buy a nice little house for himself and Silverstream to move into and settle down. They had their jobs: Gallus as the soon to be captain of the royal guard for Princess Twilight, and Silverstream as a professor at the School of Friendship (the same school she and Gallus had once attended). It also offered them the chance to see their friends every day: Particularly Yona and Sandbar who resided within Carousel Boutique (Ocellus and Smolder worked at the school often, but no one knew where they lived or if they were together).
On one particular day that seemed just like every other day, Gallus arrived home at the humble little two story brick building he and his wife called home. With Princess Twilight's blessing, he'd been given permission to call it an early day and go home. He knew he wouldn't be getting this luxury once her little "friendship retreat" in Ponyville was over, which was fast approaching.
Upon entering through the front door and taking off his royal guard armor, the griffon who had grown into a fine young captain immediately became aware of the faint sound of sobbing and sniffling. Immediately, his protective instincts kicked in! Something was not right, and he was going to find out what it was and fix it. "Honey?" He called out to his wife as his thoughts turned to the one he loved most. It sounded like she was the one crying, but that could mean anything.
Gallus got no reply. But that didn't stop him, not for a second. He just carefully walked about the length of the interior of the house, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny for anything out of the ordinary. And his ears kept concentrating on the sobbing and sniffling, trying to pinpoint its source. It was just like he'd been trained to do in the royal guard under Tempest (boy had she been a hard taskmaster).
Eventually, the blue feathered griffon reached the kitchen. There he saw his wife, who was holding a newspaper firmly in her paws. One look at her eyes conveyed more than words that she was the source of the disturbance he'd heard earlier. But why?
Silverstream turned ever so slowly, apparently having picked up the sound of Gallus' claws on the tiled floor. Her beautiful moderate blue violet eyes were stained red from constant tear shedding, a small puddle had formed directly underneath her as a result. She sniffled again and rubbed her eyes, as if trying to hide her emotions despite knowing it would be a futile gesture.
Gallus was at his sobbing wife's side in a heartbeat, draping a wing over her to comfort and reassure her. "Honey, what's wrong?" He asked in a sympathetic and sincere tone of voice.
"Oh, Gallus," Silverstream spoke in a raspy tone of voice. All her earlier crying had taken a toll on her vocal chords and that beautiful voice of hers. "It's horrible. I mean, I knew it was going to happen someday. But I was convinced it wouldn't be for several years still to come."
It didn't take a genius to figure out what Silverstream was implying. A member of her family had just died. But that still left the mystery of who it was. It had to be important if it was being reported in a paper.
Hoping beyond hope that it wasn't who he thought it was, Gallus carefully took the paper from his wife's paws and held it firmly in his own claws. But one look at the headline was all the confirmation he needed in order to know that it was the worst case scenario. In large letters was the unmistakable headline: "QUEEN NOVO DIES: PRINCESS SKYSTAR TO BE CROWNED QUEEN SKYSTAR I OF MOUNT ARIS"
It was as if he'd been suddenly punched hard in the stomach. Gallus felt the newspaper slip from his grip and fall to the floor. The shock was slow to register, but when it did it was the worst feeling he had ever known. Not even the sudden passing of Grandpa Gruff when he was still just a student hit as hard as this. Novo must've been in poorer health than either he or Silverstream had realized, small wonder she hadn't been able to attend their wedding just over a month and a half prior.
Not since he'd been struggling to tell Silverstream how he'd felt about the hippogriff/seapony had Gallus found himself at a loss for words. He wanted to be able to comfort and reassure his grieving wife about the death of her aunt. But he didn't know what to say. What could he say beyond the obvious "I'm sorry for your loss."?
Silverstream all but buried her head into Gallus' chest even though she was taller than him. "I... I can't believe it," She spoke in a muffled tone of voice. "My Aunt Novo's dead! Cousin Skystar's going to be the next queen. Oh, I wish this was all just a bad dream. I wish I'd have known my Aunt Novo was dying. I never got to say goodbye to her. It's just not fair! Why did she have to die?! Why now?! She never even got to see her grandkids!"
"Grandkids?" Gallus blinked quite slowly. "Your cousin was pregnant?"
Silverstream slowly lifted her head and shook it from side to side. "No. She's not even married. You know what I meant," She started to tear up again. "Why, Gallus?! Why?! There was so much more left for her to do, so much she was looking forward to seeing."
The griffon simply stroked his wife's back to try to comfort her as best he could. "Death is just a part of life, Silverstream. It doesn't care about anything: Age, wealth, species. It comes and goes at will. It takes whenever it decides to take," And then he added. "At least you got to know your aunt. At least she got to see you grow up. My parents died before I even knew who they were. And Grandpa Gruff, he kicked the bucket before I'd even graduated from the School of Friendship. I'm sure your Aunt Novo lived a long and happy life."
"But why didn't she ever tell me she was sick? Why didn't anygriff ever tell me?" Silverstream demanded. "I would've dropped everything if I'd known!"
Gallus put a claw to his chin. "She probably didn't want you to worry. She may not have been sure how much longer she had left to live, and didn't want to upend your life because of that. She was probably just as surprised to live to see your wedding as we were surprised to learn she couldn't make it."
The pink coated hippogriff slowly eased her sobbing. She felt the slightest bit better now. Enough so for her to declare. "I'm going back to Mount Aris! My aunt's sure to have a royal funeral, and every member of the royal family will be expected to be there. Plus, I'm sure my cousin Skystar's going through a lot right now. If I couldn't be there for my Aunt Novo when she was dying, the least I can do is be there for my cousin Skystar and the rest of my family as they all grieve."
To Silverstream's surprise, her husband didn't dispute the suggestion. In fact, he was quick to vow. "I'm going with you! You were there for me when Grandpa Gruff died, so now it's my turn to be there for you. We already lived apart once, and I know how much that made you worry. I won't make us go through it a second time."
"But what about your job?" Silverstream questioned with concern. "What about the royal guard? You're their captain, now. You've already taken a lot of time just to be with me while we settle in."
Gallus immediately replied. "I'm sure I can convince Princess Twilight to be allowed to accompany you back to Mount Aris for a few days. After all, you're technically royalty too, even if you're not next in line for the throne. And escorting royalty is what I do."
So it was that, later that day, Gallus wrote a letter to the supreme princess just as news was starting to break all over Equestria about Queen Novo's death. The letter went something like this:
Dear Supreme Princess Twilight,
I'm sure by now you've heard about the death of Queen Novo and of Princess Skystar's inevitable ascension to the throne as a result. And I'm sure you can imagine what this news has done to Silverstream.
She really wants to be there for her family, cousins and everything. And seeing as she is part of the royal family, it's surely expected of her to come back to Mount Aris for the funeral. Probably for the coronation too.
I know I've already asked for a lot of time off to be able to marry Silverstream, and have already requested several shift changes just so I can be with her as we settle in to married life. But I humbly request that I be given just a little bit more time away so that I might accompany her back to Mount Aris. I promise that as soon as the funeral is over, if the coronation isn't held immediately, I'll return to Equestria and serve you faithfully.
Your loyal captain of the guard,
Gallus
Much to the young captain's surprise, he received a response to his request within a day. Upon reading over it (and then re-reading just to make sure he hadn't misinterpreted anything), his moderate sky blue eyes went wide and lit up with joy! He was quick to share the happy news with his wife! "Princess Twilight has given me permission to go with you back to Mount Aris. And Seaquestria too in case anything is planned down there for your Aunt Novo. In fact, she's going to attend the funeral too. So in a way, it'll be like I'm still on duty as captain even if I'm with you and not her."
Silverstream could hardly believe her ears! "No way! Princess Twilight really said all of that in the letter?"
Gallus gave a firm nod. "Yup. I re-read it just to be sure I wasn't seeing things," Then his tone of voice shifted to a more somber tone as he asked his wife. "So, when do we leave? When's the funeral?"
"We're leaving first thing tomorrow for Mount Aris!" Silverstream firmly vowed. "The funeral's the day after tomorrow. My cousin Skystar is expected to announce her coronation to officially be crowned queen sometime after the funeral. That way, everyone who comes to Mount Aris can pay their respects to the kingdom's old queen without worrying about the new queen. Plus, it'll give my cousin time to grieve properly."
The very next day, Gallus and Silverstream woke bright and early. And after a quick breakfast, they booked and subsequently boarded the first train they could find that was headed back to Mount Aris. Unsurprisingly, the train was packed full of creatures from all walks of life. Both commoners and heads of state alike had heard about Queen Novo's passing and were headed to Mount Aris to pay their respects.
Among the familiar faces onboard the train that day, Gallus and Silverstream saw all of their friends from their School of Friendship days, as well as Gabby who served as the official Queen of Griffonstone (making her Queen Gabby I, the first ruler Griffonstone had had in over a century). There were also the former rulers of Equestria themselves: Celestia and Luna, who had aged quite considerably from when last anyone had seen them. And of course the entire royal Crystal family, including the young Princess Flurry Heart who had yet to officially take the throne from her parents.
Owing to "security reasons", Princess Twilight was not on the train with most of the other rulers and foreign diginitares. She would be traveling to Mount Aris with her own security detail that Gallus had helped to train, and it was rumored that Tempest would be coming out of retirement to oversee them. Any bad blood there might have been between her and the hippogriffs/seaponies, it wasn't enough to convince her not to come. Besides, the new queen was said to be far more favorable to her than the old queen had ever been.
When Gallus and Silverstream departed from the train upon its arrival in Mount Aris, Silverstream's entire family was there to greet her. Her mom had even obtained a Pearl of Transformation necklace so that she could show up as a hippogriff, despite the fact that she had remained a seapony even after most seaponies had gone back to being hippogriffs (including her husband).
And of course, Terramar was there too and he gave his sister a big hug. "Sorry I couldn't tell you about Aunt Novo," He apologized to her. "Mom, Dad, Cousin Skystar and I were all sworn to secrecy about her health once it started to decline. If our enemies had known about Aunt Novo's condition, they would've tried to take advantage of it. We all had to go on acting as if Aunt Novo were still alive and well, even when we knew she wasn't going to recover."
Silverstream just shed a few tears as she replied. "It's okay, Terramar. I know you and the rest of the family did what you had to do because of royal protocol. Plus, Aunt Novo probably figured I'd drop everything and come here if I knew what was happening. She didn't want to be a burden on my happiness. She wanted to let me live my life in Equestria without having to worry about her."
Skybeak then commented. "So, how's married life been for you, sweetie? Gallus has been treating you well, I take it?"
Silverstream nodded. "Oh, he's the best husband a hippogriff/seapony could ask for! Did I mention he's the head of Equestria's royal guard now?"
At that, Skybeak and Ocean Flow both gasped as their eyes went wide! "No way!" They both exclaimed in disbelief!
Gallus bowed his head. "It's true. I'm officially Captain Gallus of Her Majesty's Royal Guard. But please, just call me Gallus. After all, I'm just here with Silverstream. I'm not actually on duty. The old captain's in charge of that."
"Really?" Ocean Flow pondered as she looked around. "Is that why he came here with his wife and his daughter? I thought he'd retired by now."
"He did," Gallus explained. "And he's been retired for a long time now. He's not the one who's in charge of protecting her majesty: Supreme Princess Twilight," With a knowing wink he added. "Let's just say that when the acting captain for the security detail does arrive, you'll probably recognize her. Or at least, Princess Skystar will."
Terramar blinked and whispered. "Are you talking about Miss. Tempest? The one Cousin Skystar mentioned playing with on the night the Storm King tried to attack us here on Mount Aris?"
Silverstream whispered back. "That was long ago. She's changed a lot since then. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been basically taking Gallus under her wing to train him. And she doesn't even have a wing."
Skybeak then opted to put his two bits on the line. "I've interacted with Tempest a few times since we re-established communications with Equestria. She can be a bit of a tough nut to crack, but from what I've seen of her she's trustworthy and dependable. Anycreature who can be like that is worthy of my respect. And I imagine it won't be long before Skystar officially forgives her for any actions she undertook while working for the Storm King." And with that, the matter was soon settled.
That evening, Twilight Sparkle arrived at Mount Aris, accompanied by Tempest and the royal guards. Accompanying her was her royal advisor Spike, along with the members of her official friendship council: Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy. Headmare Starlight had come as well, albiet without Vice Headstallion Sunburst or Counselor Trixie.
Many hippogriffs were understandably quite apprehensive at the site of Tempest Shadow. And Tempest, for her part, said nothing at all as she silently carried out her duties.
But when Princess Skystar appeared to greet all those who come to attend the funeral to be held the next day, she couldn't resist pulling Tempest into a hug. "I'm so glad you of all ponies could come, Miss. Tempest," She said in a sincere and friendly tone of voice. "My mother wanted me to tell you that she forgave you for what you did on that night. And I too forgive you for what you did. In fact, my first royal order will be to make that forgiveness official."
Amidst hushed whispers and murmurs, Tempest bowed her head and replied. "Thank you, your... er... well, I guess... soon to be majesty. I'm... honored to accept your forgiveness. Maybe one day, I'll be able to forgive myself for deceiving you when you were just a child."
"Hey, growing up underwater wasn't all bad," Princess Skystar replied. "I think you'd love being a seapony if you gave it a try. If you'll stick around after the funeral, I'd be happy to show you what it's like."
After noticing a wink from Princess Twilight, Tempest responded to the offer. "I... would be delighted to accept such an offer from Mount Aris' new ruler."
Soon afterward, the gathered crowd dispersed for the evening in order to rest for the funeral of Queen Novo in the morning. Gallus and Silverstream spent the night at Skybeak's place up near the very tip of Mount Aris itself, not far from the Harmonizing Heights.
Yet long after everyone else had gone to bed for the night, Silverstream remained awake. It seemed like sleep wouldn't come to her no matter what she did.
Much to the hippogriff's surprise, the familiar voice of her husband softly called out to her from the darkness. "Can't sleep, sweetie?" And he was by her side in a matter of seconds.
Silverstream nodded and answered quite slowly. "It's so much harder having to come face to face with it. I mean, Aunt Novo never shyed away from mentioning the hard sacrifices she had to make when fighting the Storm King all those years ago. That was how she lost her husband, after all. And that meant I never got to know my uncle. But it's a lot harder to lose someone you knew, someone you've always been used to having around or just being able to talk to."
"Well, you feared the worst when you couldn't get in contact with me during that war against Grogar's forces." Gallus pointed out.
The hippogriff felt her lips begin to quiver, yet she willed herself to be strong and not to cry. "And it was the worst feeling I'd ever known. Yet even then, you survived and you came back to me. This time, I know Aunt Novo's not coming back. She's dead, gone forever. I'll never see her again no matter what. Oh, Gallus," Like she'd done upon first telling her husband the news, she buried her head into his chest. "I... I thought I was stronger than this. I don't know if I can make it through tomorrow."
The off-duty captain simply stroked his wife with a paw, gently reassuring her. "You don't have to do it alone, my darling. I'm here for you now. Always have been and always will be until the day I die. This is not unlike when you had to face your fear of the Storm King, tell him how you really felt about him. You don't have to go through any of this alone. And I think you're quite brave for wanting to go through with this in spite of your uncertainty. If you ever need someone to talk to, or even just a shoulder to cry on for support, I'll happily fill that role."
"Oh, Gallus," Silverstream softly whimpered even as she slowly lifted her head. "You're one of the good ones. How did the niece of Mount Aris' queen ever find a griffon like you?"
Gallus chuckled slightly. "I once asked myself the same question when I wondered what you could ever see in me. But after all we've been through together, I know that our love for each other makes us stronger together than we could ever be on our own. We'll get through this the way we've gotten through so many other hardships: Together!"
The next day dawned unusually sunny across Mount Aris, there wasn't a cloud in sight anywhere and the wind was all but reduced to a standstill. It didn't seem like the kind of weather to go along with the somber, sad mood that covered the entire nation. Even along the shoreline where various seaponies had gathered, the expression upon everycreature's face was one of solemn respect for the deceased: The late Queen Novo.
Although Mount Aris had a few chapels and funeral parlors, none were big enough to accommodate the huge crowd of creatures big and small alike who had gathered for Novo's funeral. So instead, the casket bearing the body of the late queen was brought before a hastily erected pedestal right in the heart of the nation. A podium with rows of chairs behind it was established, and a framed picture of Novo from her younger days (when she had just re-established contact with Equestria following the Storm King's defeat) was placed nearby.
Those who had opted to wear anything all dressed in black suits and black dresses. But even those not wearing any clothing wore a frown as the funeral itself got underway.
General Seaspray took to the podium first in order to address everyone. "Dearly beloved and honored guests," He spoke in that polished, respectful tone of his. "We have gathered here today to mourn the passing of her majesty: Queen Novo. Preceded in death by her husband, King Naval. I shall soon turn the podium over to those who have been invited or chosen to give a few remarks on the life of her majesty. But first, I invite you all in joining me in a moment of silence to reflect upon the great loss the joint kingdoms of Mount Aris and Seaquestria have suffered."
When the moment of silence passed, General Seaspray stepped down and made way for the first of many speakers: Ocean Flow, Novo's sister. Soon afterward, Celestia, Princess Twilight, Queen Gabby I and even Tempest were all invited up to give their speeches about the impact Novo had had on not just her subjects, but also the lives of others. Yet it was Tempest who stole the show when she lamented. "I only wish she had lived to be able to see what will transpire later today, when I shall officially witness the underwater kingdom she created to save her subjects from the Storm King's wrath. A kingdom that would never have existed if not for me."
Princess Skystar was the last to speak up. And when she did so she could hardly hold back her tears. "Mom, you were everything to me! Everything you did, you always said it was because you wanted to protect me and ensure that I grew up right. That's why you didn't tell me about Dad or about how he died until you felt I was old enough to know the truth. That's why you remained so suspicious of outsiders until I showed you how not all outsiders meant us harm. And that's why you spent the last year of your life slowly training me in what it meant to be a queen, knowing that I would soon be your successor."
Pausing to gather her thoughts, Skystar veered from her script ever so slightly as she went on to say. "I wish you could see all the creatures who've turned out here to celebrate your life and mourn your passing. You touched the lives of so many whether you knew it or not. It was always 'one small thing.' But like I showed you, one small thing can make a big difference to someone else, it can mean the world. You endured so many hardships, so many setbacks. Yet you never once faltered in your belief that your subjects could overcome it all. And you turned out to be right. We survived the Storm King's attempts to wipe us out. We rebuilt Mount Aris into an even better kingdom, all the while maintaining Seaquestria."
Skystar paused again to keep herself from getting choked up as she concluded. "So I just want to say to you, Mom, thank you. Thank you for all that you did, all that you taught me. I will do my best to ensure your legacy lives on, that everything you worked so hard for is remembered and not erased. I don't know if I'll ever be able to be the ruler you were, but I know you wouldn't want me to compare myself to you. So I hope you'll finally be at peace, knowing that you died with honor. And that you'll live on in the memories of not just myself, but of all these creatures gathered here today."
With the eulogy concluded, Princess Skystar stepped down from the podium and General Seaspray took her place to announce the start of the funeral procession. All of Novo's kin, blood or otherwise, took their designated places at the head of the procession, just behind the casket. To the steady beat of a drum, all creatures marched along as the procession made its way from the very heart of Mount Aris down to the shoreline. All the while, Gallus marched beside Silverstream with one paw on her shoulder, just to let her know he was with her.
Eventually, the procession halted as the casket reached its intended destination. A small plot of land had been cleared not far from the shoreline. A tombstone rested beside it, bearing the name of the creature who would soon be buried beneath it.
The casket was slowly lowered into the ground next to the tombstone, and then covered with dirt until it was buried completely. Many hippogriffs flew overhead in a special formation prepared just for the occasion, a symbol of the leader that had been laid to rest. As the drum ceased in its beating, cannons fired off a salute that filled the air.
Then, just like that, the funeral was over. Queen Novo had officially been laid to rest. Many creatures slowly but surely parted, some heading to the train station or other means of transportation in order to head back to their home lands. The coronation of Queen Skystar would not be for several days, so some saw no need to stay until then when they could just as easily return for the official coronation day.
Gallus felt greatly relieved when Princess Twilight later told him. "You may stay with your wife for however long she wishes to stay here. Tempest will serve as acting captain until your safe return."
"Thank you, your majesty!" Gallus happily bowed. "What do I owe you for your continued blessings?"
The tall and majestic alicorn just chuckled. "Nothing, Gallus. I'm proud of the fine griffon you've grown into, and you've been a wonderful captain from the day you were given the role. This is the least I can do for you. And you have only to ask if you and your wife are ever in need of more assistance."
That happy declaration lifted Gallus' spirits considerably as he joined his wife by Queen Novo's gravesite. By now, all other creatures had left. Even Silverstream's family had departed. She was the only creature still left. She hadn't moved or said much of anything since the funeral had ended.
The blue feathered griffon made his way over to his wife and sat down beside her. "You feeling okay?" He asked her with sincere concern. "It's alright if you're not. I know this must be hard for you."
Silverstream was not sniffling or snobbing. Her eyes were dry. Yet she still spoke in a slow and somber tone. "I'm... feeling better now than I was this morning. You being there was probably what kept me from breaking down at any point. It really means a lot that you'd do all of this for me. I know it must've brought back memories of Grandpa Gruff's death."
Gallus waved a claw. "Eh, the old gezer made it clear he didn't want me around, not even just to say goodbye. Besides, I had you to be there for me when even Gilda and Gabby couldn't be. Only seemed natural I repay the favor. We both agreed when we exchanged our vows to be there for each other in good times and in bad. And I meant it when I said 'I do' when asked about such hardships."
Silverstream turned and planted a small kiss on Gallus' cheek. "You're such a sweetheart, Gallus. You know that?"
Gallus blushed hard and tried to play it off. "I'm not sweet. I'm just doing my best to be there for the creature who's made my whole life worthwhile."
Author's Note
I had originally planned to write a sort of GallusStream fic later this year involving Grandpa Gruff dying. But when the news broke about Queen Elizabeth II's death, this idea came to me and I had to write it.
