//------------------------------// // Chapter Sixteen: Moving House. Castle to E-5 // Story: Prison of Ice with Silver Keys // by RadBunny //------------------------------// As the sun rose over Twilight’s school, a group of four young students sat in front of Headmare Twilight with wide eyes in the general lounge. Her words had been few- only that Silverstream and Gallus had been captured. Apparently it was no longer necessary to keep such matters a secret. Ocellus, Sandbar, Yona and Smolder already had heard of the strange new empire regardless. What they hadn’t been able to find out for sure was where their other two friends had gone ever since the Mount Aris visit. “Yona no like this.” The young yak muttered, Sandbar then looking up to Twilight. “Are they going to be ok Headmare Twilight?” He asked with a hopeful gaze. The other three watched the Alicorn closely- as though preparing for their hopes to be dashed on spotting a lie. To their surprise, Twilight simply nodded, a determined smile on her features. “I think so, I really do.” After a few moments of silence, Smolder finally let out a slight huff of amusement. “Really guys? We’re talking about Gallus and Silverstream. Those two are so head over tails for each other I doubt some freaky monkey could separate them. And we’ve all seen how well Gallus can fight after that Squire training…” The other three were staring at the dragoness with surprised if not hopeful smiles on their faces. “Huh. Upbeat, that’s new.” Sandbar chuckled, the dragoness then waving him off. “Eh. Just stating the facts. Wouldn’t surprise me if Gallus had already punched a few guys over there already.” “Well, actually….” Twilight grinned, Yona then bouncing up and down. “GALLUS SMASHED? HEADMARE TELL US?” She yelled excitedly, the other three students looking at the Alicorn hopefully. “Wellllllll, it’s going to be broadcast later today in an announcement across all the kingdoms. But I see no harm in letting you know first.” Twilight mused. “He did in fact punch the monkey, buuut with a sword. So what the announcement will detail is…” The students were captivated by Twilights brief explanation- all looking forward to the afternoon broadcast. From what Twilight had said, Smolder was certainly right. They were going to be ok. At least, they hoped. ----- For hiding in a cave, Gallus woke up feeling pretty good. The aches and pains had dulled to a simple annoyance, and his current pillow blanket combo was fantastic. “You’re comfy.” The gryphon whispered to the hippogriff next to him- Silverstream having passed out after their talk nestled against his side. “Mutual comfy.” Was her returning reply, Silverstream reaching over to nuzzle his cheek with a slight giggle, then looking down and gasping. “Hey! The pearl is almost better! That weird dark magic is almost gone…and I feel pretty good.” She then let out a slight hum. “Feels nice, but still weird.” “Morning to you too.” Gallus whispered as the two sat up and stretched, Silverstream retracting her wing from Gallus’ back. From what they could tell, it was about noon- the pair trying to sleep later and stay up when it was safe to move about. Which was the plan today of course. “Mooooorning indeed. Or noon ish. Norning? Nish?” Silver remarked as Gallus let out an amused huff. “Nish it is, a new time.” After sharing a drink of water, Gallus took a deep breath and looked around. Taking off the pieces of armor, the gryphon massaged a few of the sore contact points. “Haven’t taken that stuff off in days. Pretty sure it wasn’t meant to wear like that- but I was so tired…” “Someone needs a bath. Or rather, we both do I think.” Silver added as Gallus nodded in agreement. “Well I’m scouting the wall plan today- so that might help. I at least was able to dunk in the river. Maybe there’ll be a pool farther down?” “Hope so, but until then, I guess we’ll both stink.” Casually sauntering over, Gallus couldn’t help but grin as he nudged Silverstream’s beak with his own, their eyes meeting. “Eh. Stinky or not, still love you.” Silver’s reply was promptly lost in the deep kiss Gallus yanked her into, the hippogriff eagerly returning the gesture. Gallus actually let out a soft squeak as she pulled him closer, then grinning as they both finally had to breath. “I can’t say that was a very attractive lead into a kiss, but wooooooooooow.” She grinned, poking Gallus’ fluffed cheeks with a claw. “And that squeak! Oh my goooooooosh!” “Shush.” “I wanna hear that more!” “Does that mean I get more kisses?” “Yup!” “Awesome.” The two couldn’t help but laugh, just enjoying each other’s company for the time. A few cattails were torn apart for lunch as Gallus clearly was deep in thought. “Hopefully we can move to the wall today, if I can find a place quick enough. The faster we get out of here the better.” He muttered, Silverstream nodding in agreement. “Sounds like a good plan, more detailed than mine at least.” “What’s your plan?” “Um…escape.” The hippogriff chirped, prompting a chuckle from Gallus. “Well, it’s a good plan, just needs some elaborating.” Gallus looked at the squiggly map still on the floor from the previous day and doodled a few lines, wings drooping slightly. “I hate leaving you again, but the last thing I want is to get to the wall and have nowhere to hide. It’s a good few hours journey each way, even with the river.” Silverstream didn’t appear any more thrilled about the idea than he did, but still scooted over to rest her head on Gallus’ shoulder. “I’ll probably say this a ton more, but thank you for being there for me.” She whispered, then feeling Gallus stiffen. “I just wish I had gotten there sooner.” She blinked, looking at the gryphon curiously and then sighed. “Wouldn’t have mattered, as much as I wish it could have. That monkey was pacing before- you wouldn’t have been able to sneak up on him earlier. Then you’d be captured again too…” Silverstream pressed into Gallus’ neck feathers with a huff and a shake of her head. “No. You did amazing. You’re still doing amazing. So thank you.” Gallus wrapped the unsettled hippogriff up in a hug, enjoying the warmth of the one he loved for a good few minutes. “You are most welcome then. And I’d do it a million times again to keep you safe.” “What about a million plus one?” “Oh such a tough choice- but yeah.” He chuckled. The gryphon felt Silver let out a slight giggle, and he gave her a final squeeze before starting to buckle on his armor once again. “I’ll leave the crystal stuff here in case you need it, my normal metal armor should be enough.” Gallus remarked, wincing as he heard Silver sniffle. “Just b-be safe, ok?” She asked, looking up to meet his gaze with worried tears building in her eyes. “I promise. The goal is to just find another cave close to the wall and water. Then I’m coming right back.” After a quick bite of cattails and another hug, Gallus slipped out the concealed entrance of the cave and aimed towards the stream. Silver didn’t miss how the gryphon’s eyes were wet with worry of his own though. Be safe Gallus, please… ----- Gallus kept only a portion of his beak above water, the gryphon letting the current carry him along. Occasionally he would carefully surface to look around, and then return to his streamline traveling position as the jungle sped by. It must have been a good hour I think, maybe two? Indeed the ice wall was looming closer, towering over the river more and more. It must be easily five or six stories tall, and appeared two stories thick. In other words, lots and lots of ice. And yet this river is flowing. So either it was diverted, or dug under. Considering how unbalanced the necromancer is, I can’t imagine him foreseeing this- at least for now. With the wall a few miles away, Gallus changed his course to the shore, slowly letting himself drift closer with scant bits of paddling. A few large boulders helped him escape the riverbanks without leaving too much of a mark, and he proceeded to hunt around the area. The trees had looked like little mounds- possibly small miniature hills underneath each outcropping. At least, that’s what Gallus hoped. After a good twenty minutes of looking over the small mounds of dirt, Gallus felt his hopes slipping. It was rocky, but no caves. Maybe I need to backtrack. Just head up the- Gallus bit back a surprised squawk as his back right leg vanished into the ground. Pulling it out, the gryphon examined the concealed indentation. The hole appeared to be cut at an angle under one of the mounds- just big enough to squeeze through with some room. The upside was that the crack was almost invisible unless you were looking at it from a certain angle. The downside was he had no idea how deep it went, if anywhere. Well. The alternative isn’t too great. Soooooo here we go. Pulling the majority of his torso through the hole, Gallus shoved aside a few loose rocks and got his bearings. The small tunnel appeared to angle downwards, still big enough to almost stand in. As the Squire cautiously went forward, sword in claw, the gryphon’s nervous features then split into a wide grin as his head popped out of a tunnel exit halfway to the actual floor. “Oh Silver, you’re going to love this.” The gryphon quickly scrambled his way down, doing a quick survey the area for additional exits and any animals before starting his trek back. Hopefully he’d be able to get Silver here before nightfall- and he wanted to keep it a surprise. ----- Left alone once again, Silverstream quickly grew bored now that her body didn’t feel like it was trying to eat itself. Stomach still…eh, could be better. But I feel better at least. She organized and re-organized the cattails a few times, and even tried her claw at weaving some of the strands into a pad. Silver made a passable one, but creative stuff was definitely more of Skystar’s forte. Not that the pair hadn’t tried multiple times on their friendly outings though. Heh, and Gallus has shown me a ton of stuff too. Like carving a stick into an ice cream cone! Looking at the glowing crystal chunk, Silverstream sighed and watched the magical pulse slowly. I just want him back, and admitting I want to marry him just made saying goodbye all the harder! The crystal seemed to glow in response, prompting a slight smile from Silverstream. But he’s done so much for me. I just hope I can repay him somehow. She then rolled her eyes at the thought. That’s not how love works though, but he soooooo deserves a break. A vacation. Some good food. SOMETHING to make him happy. ….like kisses. I can start there. “Why are we checking here? It was marked off as clear!” A gruff voice caused Silver’s hackles to rise, the hippogriff immediately tapping the crystal three times and pressing it to her chest. As the comforting armor wrapped her frame in a love-powered embrace, she kept her ears perked up as three or more voices chimed in. “Yeah, but the boss wants us to double check using these detector things. Apparently he’s suuuuuper mad about those staff crystals.” “Well, it’s supposed to blink if we’re close, right? I see no blinking on that hunk of crystal.” “This swamp reeks, yuck!” “Yeah well, at least our pony friend over there can use his horn to make a clean air bubble, any chance you want to share that clean air?” “Fat chance. This transformation deal made my magic a bit weaker anyhow. But hey, no more illness, so not complaining!” What are they talking about? Wait, the crystals in Gallus’ bag over there! But a pony? Transformation deal? Illness? “Hey look, it’s blinking!” “Really!?” “No. Let’s get this sweep done and move on.” A chorus of groans sounded as the search party left, leaving a very confused but somehow informed hippogriff musing over their words. Wait. The crystals… Walking over to Gallus’ satchel, Silverstream looked at the items inside. There were the oblong dark teal crystals, and surrounding them were chucks of… Pieces of the changeling throne! I knew I recognized those from somewhere! So they blocked the magic of the search thingy… The three blue crystals sat amidst the changeling rocks- Silverstream narrowing her eyes at them. Whatever they were, apparently the necromancer was mad they were gone. Awesome. ----- Hauling himself out onto his favorite boulder, Gallus shook water from his coat and carefully made his way back to the cave. It was a short jaunt back inside, and he blinked as Silverstream waved to him, sitting with the crystal armor on once again. “…more visitors?” He asked, seeing her nod. “Uh huh. But I heard some pretty interesting stuff!” She chirped, then not able to restrain herself as she wrapped her special somegriff in a tight hug. Any interested words Gallus had were quickly lost as Silverstream preoccupied him with a deep kiss. A rather dopey grin on his face, Gallus blinked as he nuzzled Silver’s cheek, the hippogriff giggling at the effect her affection had. “So. Interesting things? Not that I don’t love your kisses.” Silver nodded, taking off the armor and placing the crystal chunk on the ground. She relayed what the scouting party had said- causing Gallus to drum his talons on the rock in thought. “Hmm. I guess those crystals are really important. All the more reason to get them to…someone, who isn’t us.” He mused. “I wonder what they were talking about though. A transformation thing and a pony that used to be sick? That’s weird…” Silver nodded, then gesturing outside with a set of claws. “So, what did you find? You’re back sooner than I thought!” Gallus was all smiles, scooping together their few remaining supplies to stuff it all in the side satchels that contained the crystals. “Somewhere safe and totally awesome. We can get there before nightfall! I didn’t see a single patrol on my way down.” Another break for us in terms of luck! Yay! Silver mused, helping Gallus sweep the cave clear of most traces of habitation. “Just follow me- and you may as well wear the armor if it makes you able to move better.” Nodding, Silver attached the warm crystal to her chest and followed Gallus out of the cave as the gryphon double-checked the satchels hanging at his side. “It’s a few hours down the creek, and then-” The gryphon then froze, hearing the crunch of more footsteps a short distance off. Silverstream didn’t move a muscle until Gallus crept forward with a beckoning gesture. “Too close. Let’s go!” He whispered, the two trotting quietly to the river and a large boulder. Silver followed on his heels, slipping into the water quietly as they let the current carry them away. “Bye safe cave. Thanks for the help.” She whispered, Gallus nodding in agreement. “It was a nice cave. But this one is tooootally better.” He whispered as they bobbed along. “Oh?” “Yup. Let’s just stay quiet though. That patrol was pretty close.” Silverstream nodded, keeping her hippogriff form still due to the dark magic remnants on the pearl. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a magical mishap when they were traveling. The water doesn’t feel half bad on my fur and feathers either. And is Gallus blushing? Oh he totally is. I’ll ask him about that when we’re safe again… ----- -Meanwhile- “This can’t be a coincidence.” Celestia muttered as she looked through reports of three major cities. “Are you saying the crime rate has practically dropped to zero in two days?” She asked a stallion sitting at a desk monitoring a radio receiver. “That’s right- the reports we got at least.” He confirmed, Celestia shaking her head. “That’s- I have a theory at least. And you said our scout is on his way with a strange object?” “Eh, he was. But the crystal he was carrying self-destructed. Some sort of failsafe, sorry Princess.” Celestia let out a huff, then nodding to the ponies as she took a break to the war-room balcony. “I’ll be outside for a few minutes. I have a theory about all this.” Pondering the new data, Celestia couldn’t help but sigh. A broadcast had been sent out today- warning citizens of the new rising threat. She did however, not mince words when it came to the necromancer’s intentions. Also mentioned was Gallus’ successful efforts and the deflection of the attack on Ponyville thanks to Discord. Her own attack had been omitted however. Her ponies could only absorb so much information at a time… As she pondered and overlooked the afternoon sun a familiar voice whispered into her ear. “You know, you could just ask for help, as much as you dislike it.” Discord chuckled, the God of Chaos appearing and leaning on the balcony railing. “But would I get a straight answer from you? I have a war to run and two creatures to save.” Celestia replied, Discord appearing wounded by the answer. “The shame Celestia!” He groaned, throwing a paw over his forehead- A paw that was firmly wrapped in some bandages that sparked with angry black magic. “Discord, your paw.” The Alicorn remarked, prompting him to wave dismissively. “Just a bad reaction. It is fading more and more each day, nothing to worry about. I would rather avoid playing that sort of golf again though.” He shrugged, meeting her concerned gaze with a nod. “In case you’re wondering about those crime reports- I believe this will shed some light on the situation. A bunch of ugly crystals rained down on Manehatten and cities and began to broadcast this…” Projected from his un-bandaged set of talons, a small portal sprouted to life as a familiar face leered at the viewers. “This message is to any creature wanting a new outlook on life! Past crimes you can’t escape of, bound by physical infirmities, or maybe you just want a change of pace? Tap the crystal and become a part of a rising empire in the badlands!” A simple diagram then flashed up, appearing to have been made from colored paper. “On activation, your physical bodies will be dissolved into pure energy- and you’ll get a brand new one!” A simple outline of a pony was shown with an arrow pointing to a new purple form across the page. “All the same good sensations, and much less the pain! Only sleep if you feel like it, eat if it’s pleasurable- but no longer do you have to rely on such things! Any physical maladies you might have will be remedied! Lost limbs, terminal illness, all will be erased! The diagram now showed a pony outline without a limb being made whole with a few black sparkling effects. “You will have a job, but have to be willing to get your hooves, claws, or paws a bit dirty to build this new empire! Nothing is free after all. Don’t delay! We are under threat from multiple kingdoms who don’t approve that such magic should be shared with the common creature, and we need your help! Tap the crystal to accept!” The message then cut, leaving Celestia to hiss out a breath between her clenched teeth. “So that explains the crime reduction. They all left to join the necromancer. And also he’s preying on the weak and sick among the population- those with no alternative…” She muttered, Discord nodding briefly. “Bingo! And it wouldn’t surprise me if this whole deal failed to mention mild mind control symptoms too- an easy way to keep every-creature in line without too much trouble.” Celestia looked at him and nodded slowly, but then ventured a guess of her own. “That seems rather likely indeed. But what brought you to that guess?” The chaotic god rolled his eyes and lay on his side, twirling a bit of cotton candy between his free claws. “Because that’s exactly how I’d keep subjects in line of course! If I was evil and wanting to rule the world that is. But ugh, SO boring!” He said, sticking out his tongue in disgust. Fishing around in a massive gaudy pink purse that snapped into being, Discord then placed three small squares on the balcony rail, each swirling with a rainbow of colors. The size of a button and completely symmetrical, there was an odd sensation humming from the crystalline objects as Celestia looked on curiously. “…Discord, what are these?” The Alicorn asked, a cursory magical scan yielding no results. “My solution to your problem!” He crowed, taking one of the squares and tossing it up and down. “Explain?” “First, observe!” He chuckled, throwing it at a potted plant. On impact, the plant shifted to a basketball- then a pie, then a feather, and multiple other objects faster than the eye could see before Discord plucked it off. “Chaos in a solid form! I forged them myself. I do believe these will help you all quite nicely.” He explained, and rolled his eyes on seeing Celestia stare. “You can’t beat him with strength of numbers you know, not without a lot of messy casualties.” The Alicorn looked away and sighed, nodding briefly. “Yes, I am aware. With all the nations containing the necromancer, we can slowly push inwards to erase his empire. But…” Discord nodded, clearly not liking the downcast tone Celestia was taking. “Well duh. That’s where these come in! You don’t need to push into his empire at all! Not with conventional forces at least!” Celestia narrowed her eyes, now more curious than anything. “Explain Discord, please.” She asked sincerely. “Just like that plant- if you put one of things onto that necromancer himself, or maybe even his minion’s, he’ll be paralyzed!” Discord chuckled, levitating a passing bird to the balcony and sticking it to the duck's forehead. The bird promptly went limp, staring off into the distance as rainbow colors clouded its vision. On removing the gem, the bird gave Discord a rude peck and flew off. “And when I say he’s paralyzed, I mean that whole entire nasty dark magic network will be too! At least for a bit; but to make sure I’d stick two of these into his magic field. One might not do it. But, once that is done, you can smack him with a sunbeam without any worry of zombie-ray hitting a city! Problem solved!” Discord summoned a hammock and lounged in it with a smug grin that stretched from ear to ear. “So! What do you think?” Celestia promptly sat down and looked at the gems, and then back to the chaotic god in confusion. “Thank you Discord, but may I ask why?” She asked softly, meeting his gaze before the Draconequus looked away. “Why go to such lengths to help us? Why now and why so much?” Standing up and not meeting Celestia’s gaze, Discord looked out across the Canterlot Castle courtyard with a soft huff. “Because when you’re immortal, you have to savor some moments, Celly. My tea times with Fluttershy have prompted quite a bit of reflection at times. Obnoxious thoughts mostly- but a few gems here and there.” He replied softly. “You know the immortal conundrum probably better than me. Twilight and her friends have stood up for me time and time again, and now when I finally have a group of guys to hang out with- one of them gets taken away. I’ve never had friends until now- certainly not guy friends to have a glorious adventure with every week. And now some rising punk is ruining time that I could be enjoying with them, time that won’t turn back! He is taking time away from me, Celestia, and as an immortal dealing with mortals, that is very precious. And I don’t like being stolen from.” Celestia’s mouth had dropped open about halfway through his explanation, a wry grin now on her features. “I love seeing your good side.” She chuckled, the Draconequus quickly putting on a pair of summoned black sunglasses. “Celestia, every side is my good side.” He grinned, then floating back into the air. “Well, I have to be going now. That’s all I’ve got. Maybe it’ll help, maybe it won’t, but that’s-” “Thank you Discord.” Blinking in surprise, Discord stared at Celestia and twiddled his two thumbs briefly in what appeared to be bashful embarrassment at the genuine thanks. “Erm, you are welcome. Tootles!” With a soft pop, he vanished, leaving a very amused Alicorn staring at the three cube crystals. “Not a bad idea Discord, not a bad idea at all…” ----- “Gallus, this, is, AWESOME!” Silverstream squeaked as she looked around. Standing at the end of the small tunnel, the hippogriff couldn’t help but prance in place at her surroundings. “Welcome to Cave Home version two.” Gallus chuckled as he sat on a rock nearby. The small tunnel having led to the bottom of the cavern- a massive pool branched out in front of them, the water itself easily three times the size of their previous location. The humps above ground indeed were hiding a cave- more than enough room to settle down at the edges of the large freshwater pool. A series of smaller pools drained off from the large pond, steaming with heat that bubbled up from underground. These then drained off into a series of tubes that vanished deep underground. Stalagmites and Stalactites sprang up from both ceiling and floor with their pointed heads aiming at both sky and ground, a few small holes in the ceiling providing light. Some luminescent moss also added a bit of light to the underground cavern, making the cave feel more homely than scary. Two small tunnels led to the surface- each blocked by some rotting grass but easily accessible if they needed to get out. It was all lit with the same bluish glow from the moss on rocks and roots alike. “Dibs on hot bath!” Silverstream giggled as Gallus set out their supplies. They had snagged a bunch more cattails on the way here, as well as two rather large fish. The latter had Silverstream drooling at the mere thought. Gallus had made quick work of skinning them halfway to the cave- letting the guts and such wash away to leave no trace. But we’ll have meat instead of just cattails! AND a hot bath!? Silverstream bounded forward and gave Gallus a kiss- giggling as he stiffened in surprise. “This is amazing Gallus!” She crowed, then jumping to the large pond and taking an expectant sip. “…It tastes ok? But we probably should boil it, huh?” Silver asked. “Eh, yeah probably to be safe in case of bats and stuff.” He agreed, setting down the satchels next to the crystal armor chunk that Silverstream placed down too. “Looks like there’s a good sized hot water pool. Oh my gosh a bath sounds greaaaaaaaaat.” Silver mused, then pausing to help Gallus set up a small fire circle. In addition to fish, Gallus had snagged a series of small branches and pulled them into the tunnel; so they’d have a way to cook the fish if they wanted to chance it. The heated pool was first on Silver’s mind, especially since it had started to snow just as they were making their way into the hidden tunnel. Strange grey clouds had started to pool within the kingdom’s borders- Gallus’ idea that the necromancer was affecting the weather appearing to be correct. Silverstream couldn’t help herself as she trotted to the farther pool on the right, Gallus following curiously. Testing the water with a claw, she lowered herself into the neck-deep water and sighed blissfully. “Oh. My. Gosh.” The stress seeped from her limbs at the warm waters touch, the hippogriff instantly feeling better. I could fall asleep in here. Probably not the best idea though… “Hey Gallus! Why don’t you come in too?” She asked, then seeing the gryphon shiver and shake his head. “Nah, I’ll-erm, stand guard. And organize supplies.” He stammered, prompting Silverstream to tilt her head curiously. “But the cave is safe and we just did organize the supplies?” A bright blush now dawned on Gallus’ face as he looked over to Silverstream briefly, then shaking his head. “Nuh uh.” “Why noooot?” She asked with a grin, now more curious than anything. “Because you pull off the wet mane look really, really well, and I really don’t want to test my self-control that much.” He whispered bashfully, prompting Silverstream to stare- And then fall back into the water cackling, a massive blush on her own features rising to match his. Oh. OHHHHHHH. “Ohmyg-gosh Gallus. I-erm, I guess I’ll keep that in mind.” She managed to gasp- trying very hard to not focus on how pleasant exploring that option could be as the gryphon blushed furiously. “Welllll I’ll just be here. There’s another pool over there I think too.” Silverstream remarked, gesturing with a set of claws. Gallus nodded, a bright purple blush creeping down his neck as he slid into the other pool with a series of grumbles. “E-erm ok. I’ll check this one out then.” Never really had someone to joke about that sort of thing about… Buuuuuut I guess both being stressed might make things a bit easier to talk about? Maybe? I dunno. But ohymygoshhetotallywasthinkingabout- “Wow, Silver, this does feel great….I haven’t had a hot bath is ages.” Gallus mused, resting his head on the warm stone next to the pool. Silver managed to derail her thoughts as she nodded, doing the same and sighing. “The first break we have in a while. Well, as much of a break as we can get when running.” She added. “Relax here for today, have a nice meal, then explore that wall tomorrow. Buuuuut I’d rather just focus on the nice bath for now.” Gallus mused, letting out a yawn. “Not bad for a day. Just keeping my talons crossed for more luck to come our way.” Silver nodded, yawning as well as the warm water began to seep into her frame even further. Looking over to see Gallus dozing, the hippogriff smiled and let her eyes drift close. Maybe they’d actually be out of here soon… Even if we are stuck here longer, there’s nobody else I’d rather have with me other than Gallus. Cracking open her eyes briefly, Silverstream blushed slightly on seeing Gallus look over to her with a loving smile, his own eyes then drifting closed once again. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll get him to squeak after we wake up when I kiss him again. ----- IC surveyed the growing camp with a slight smile, necromantic runes being etched every few hours as tents and other shelters continued to be built. “Sulfid, how many more is that after the last transformation burst departed the pony cities?” “Erm, three hundred sir.” The ethereal hippogriff remarked, prompting the necromancer to chuckle “A total of seven hundred just this afternoon, and holding steady for the previous day’s numbers too. Who knew you had so many enemies within your own borders Celestia…” The primate chuckled as the newly converted arcane creatures were undergoing the basics of training. His empire would live on- even if it had to be built on a bloody foundation.