//------------------------------//
// A Cry in the Dark 
// Story: PRINCE GALLUS? And the Trial for the Throne 
// by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof 
//------------------------------//

As he made his way further into the cave, Gallus began to realize just how disorienting it could be.  He had been walking for a while, but had no way of telling how long.  Had it been an hour?  Hour and a half?  Less?  Then there was the floor.  He had taken a few turns but was the it all on the same level?  If not, had he been going up?  Down?  And how far?

Gallus stopped as he thought he heard something. His head tilted, shifting side to side as he tried to listen for something, and where it was coming from.

Crying?  Was someone down here and crying?

The griffon moved slowly, following it.  It lead him forward, then to a small hole in the wall.

"Hello?" he called out, crouching down to look inside.  "Some-creature down there?"

"Help!" a high-pitched voice called out.  "Please help me!"  It sounded like a child.

"How'd you get stuck down there?" Gallus called down.

"I... I don't know," the other called back.  "We were racing around the top, and something hit me.  I was falling, and then I was... down here."  There was a sniffle.  "I want to go home.  I want my mommy!"

Gallus pulled back and looked at the opening.  It was... small...  Big enough that he could probably squeeze through it, but barely.  If he tried, the stone would be close.  Very close.  As in, pressing on him from every possible side close.

"What's your name?"

"Galileo," the child answered.  "But everygriff calls me Leo."

"Okay, Leo," Gallus called out.  "My name is Gallus."  Leaning down, he stuck the glow stick into the opening.  "Now, can you see the light from the tunnel I'm at?"

A second passed before Leo answered, "No."

Well that was a slight problem.

"Do you know which tunnel I'm talking through?"

"Yes."

"Good.  Now, can you climb up it?"

Another second passed. Two.  Three.

"No," Leo called back.  "It's too high to reach, and I can't fly up.  I hurt my wing when I fell."

With a sigh, Gallus pulled back.

"Great," he grumbled to himself.  "Great, great, great."  He glared at the opening, his mind going through the possibilities.  Leo had already said he could not climb out or fly, so that was not an option.  Gallus could try getting help, but that would mean taking however long to get back to the entrance, finding some creatures that could help, and bringing them back.  It also meant that the cub would be stuck down there all alone.

A groan escaped the griffon tom as he shook his head.  As much as he hated it, the best plan was for him Gallus to... to... climb down the hole and get to the lost little griffon.

He hated the idea.  Hated it.  It meant being pressed on every side by stone, having it close in on every side.  Not even enough space for his wings.  Rubbing against his fur and feathers.  Possibly scraping skin.  If he took deep a breath, he might get stuck.

It was also the best choice.  The fastest way to check on Leo and find a way out.

Besides, he was a guard, and part of that job was helping others.

"I'm going to come down and get you.  Okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay," Gallus repeated.  Now he just had to actually go through with it.  Made him wish that there was a griffon like the Equestrian Princesses that he could pray to for help.  A griffon to ask to watch over them and keep them safe.  To get out of this alive.

A small part of him wondered if that would happen to him.  If griffons would say things like "only Gallus knows," or "Oh, Gallus!"

The glow stick was tossed into the hole.  Gallus watched as it vanished from sight, then tried to listen for it hitting the ground, trying to figure out how far it went.  The sound never reached him.  Still, it could not be that far if he was able to Galileo crying and talking.  Even echoes could travel so far, especially while still being understandable.

Taking off the saddlebags, Gallus wrapped the strap around his neck, letting them dangle against his chest.  The griffon closed his eyes, crouched down low, and crawled forward toward the hole.

As soon as he felt the stone touch him, he froze.

What was he doing?  What was he doing?  This was insane.  Completely, utterly insane.  It was a tiny hole.  Solid stone.  He could get stuck.  Get crushed.  His wings will be useless.  And that was assuming they did not somehow get damaged while he forced his way through the opening, crawling on his belly.

A young tom was in trouble.  He needed help.  Gallus was the only help available.  It was also part of his job to help.

If there is anygriff out there, he silently prayed, please help us both get through this.

After taking one more breath, Gallus pushed forward.  He felt the stone snag at the bottom of the bags.  It rubbed against his forelegs.  Scratched against his coat and skin.  It pressed in on him from every side, pressing his wings tight against his sides.

It's not shrinking, he told himself.  It's not shrinking.  It's not shrinking.  It's not shrinking.  He needed something to distract him.  Something else to focus on.

He probably was not the only one, either.  The bag dropped from his mouth as he opened it

"So, Leo," Gallus called out as he inched forward, "you said you were racing before you wound up here?"

"Yes," Leo answered.

"Do you like racing?"

"...No.  I'm not very good at it.  Grit does though.  He says he's going to be a Wonderbolt when he grows up."

"What about you?  What are you going to be?"

There was silence as the younger griffon considered the answer.  One that Gallus did not like.  All he could hear was the beat of his own heart in his ears.

"I don't know," Leo answered.

"Well, what do you like?"

"Looking at the stars.  And building stuff."

Gallus paused as a particularly large and sharp rock dug into his shoulder.  His jaw clenched as he held back the need to hiss in pain.  He had to twist his body, and presses against the left side more, forcing more stones to press against him on that side, but he was able to get past the rock.  Although, the warmth running down his foreleg indicated that it was not without some injury.

"Have you heard of Princess Twilight Sparkle?" he asked as he resumed crawling forward.

"No," Leo answered.  The voice was louder, and easier to understand.  He must have been close.

"Well she really likes stars too," Gallus explained, "and she loves teaching.  When we get out of here, I bet the two of you could go look at the stars, and she could teach you some of the constellations."

"Really?  That sounds cool."

The bag's strap tugged at his throat, making him stop.  Reaching up, Gallus grabbed a hold of the bag and gave it a tug.

A loud ripping sound suddenly filled the small space.  It was quickly followed by the clink of coins, the ding of gems and the thump of other items falling to the ground.

"What was that?" Galileo asked.

"One of my bags tore," Gallus answered.  "May want to move back.  Stuff is going to fall out."

He pushed forward, inching his way further and further along.  His chest and forelegs pushed the objects in front of him, making them travel down the tunnel with him.  As expected, he could sometimes hear a thump of something falling onto the ground.

Finally, finally, his talons reached the edge of the tunnel, feeling a wider opening beyond.  Gallus gripped the edges and pulled himself further forward.  Once past the edge, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

With one last pull and good kick from his hind legs, he slipped free, falling to the floor below.

"Are you okay?"

Turning toward the voice, Gallus looked at Galileo.  He was a small cub, and on the skinny side.  The exact color of his coat and feathers was hard to tell in the light of the glow stick, but it must have been dark.  It looked nearly black.  Glistening streaks shined in the light, running from Leo's eyes and down his face.  One wing was tucked in properly, while the other was being was sticking out.

"Yeah," Gallus said as he moved to sit.  "I'm fine."  He pulled off the saddlebags.  "Here."  Opening one, he pulled out the first aid kit.  "Let me take a look at that wing."