//------------------------------// // An Island Full of Surprises // Story: Bluebird // by Hammerhead //------------------------------// Hey Gally, Glad that Smolder and ‘Celly gave you this letter. Of course, they did, if you’re reading it right now. Hopefully, Sandbar and Yona are doing well. I appreciated their help in writing to you. <3 Right now, we’re getting the last things prepared on Mount Aris. Daddy has filled in and filed all the paperwork, so it should be ready when you arrive. All you and your academy friends need to do what you’ve trained to do. Daddy had to talk with Seaspray for hours to convince him this was a good idea, even longer than Aunt Novo. I’ll meet you at the station when you arrive. Silverstream Gallus read the letter at least a dozen times, not that he could do much else. Mount Aris was so far south of Equestria that he had gotten on a train in the evening, and by the following day, the train had yet to arrive. Fortunately, he had caught up with his friends from the academy, and they all stayed in an overnight coach with bunk beds, but that didn’t mean there was much to do. Having travelled from Trottingham, Pound Sterling had only woken up and was still tired from the long journey. He looked outside the window to see a clear blue sky over a long calm sea stretched for miles. The fact Equestria built an entire train line that went across the ocean was impressive in itself. Lightning Dust had read the magazines she brought, Nicknames brought a bunch of comic books, and Scythe had been reading through the thick hardback novel of a tourist guide left in their compartment. Considering it was the only letter he was allowed to read, it was the only reading material he had to pass the time. And yet, reading Silverstream’s writing filled him with content, with its positive buzz and warmth. She included a photo of her giving the camera a cute wink and a v sign, with the giant mountain out of focus in the background. She looked almost perfect; her silver hair was immaculate and appeared to sheen off the sun, her eyes glistened like amethyst stones, and her bright pink fur was fair around her face and thickened as it went down to her chest. “Oh, what do we have here?” Unfortunately, his appreciation for the portrait distracted him from the fact he was still sharing a compartment with his Academy comrades. Nicknames managed to snatch the photo from Gallus’ claws sneakily. “Hey!” He tried to reach out to take the photo back, but Nicknames had quickly employed an outstretched forehoof to hold Gallus away while another held the picture out for him to look at and react with a whistle like he was a wolf in a wacky cartoon. “So, this is the ladybird we’re finally gonna meet,” Nicknames remarked. “Come on, give it back!” Gallus demanded, but Nicknames continued to hold it out, so the other ponies could see it, and most decided to pile onto the humiliation. “Phwoar, Bluebird! She’s a beaut’!” exclaimed Pound Sterling. “No surprise because you wanted to meet her so bad,” remarked Lightning Dust with a sarcastic smirk. “Yeah, when do you plan to ask her out?” Nicknames couldn’t help to ask. After minutes of flailing, Gallus fought back and grabbed the photo from Nicknames’ hoof. “Guys, stop it!” he said with a sharp stare. “We’re just friends, at least, I hope.” His voice was reduced to a disheartened grumble as he looked down at the photo. He used the ends of his talons to straighten out the creases that had formed from the ordeal. It was enough reminder for the camaraderie to stop and the coach to quieten, but Lightning Dust remained sceptical. “Sure, we go through all that work so you can send a letter to her; when we bring her up, you’re red in the face, but you think you’re just friends”, she pointed out with her front hooves gesturing air quotes. “He just has doubts”, Nicknames defended, in a way he could sneakily tease as well, as he wrapped an arm around Gallus’ shoulder. “Think of it like this, you’ve been friends for years, and you know what each other likes. With our help, we messed with the postal system so you could write to her, and she still wants to see you. Best of all, you’re both bi- “ “You’re not gonna say we’re both birds, are you?” Gallus cut in with a hawk-like stare. Nicknames paused to think before continuing. “…you’re both berserk for each other.” “Real smooth…” “She’s also pretty”, a quiet voice ushered from the corner where Scythe was sitting, catching everyone by surprise. When Scythe looked up from his reading, he noticed four sets of curious eyes staring at him in response, including Gallus’, whose stare was annoyed and concerned at the implication that Scythe was joining in with the teasing. “NICE! She's also pretty nice,” Scythe added hastily before burying his head back into the Mount Aris tourism book. “You know, considering what she’s doing for us...” “Aye, that’s a good point. ‘Ow much ‘as ya friend set up for all ov uz?“ Nicknames smugly provided the answer. “One week in Mount Aris, with travel, accommodation, and expenses all paid for,” he listed, with the uncanny ability to count on a single hoof. “PLUS, we get to experience being cadets on one of the Queen’s Navy ships, something Hippogriffs rarely provide for outsiders. I highly doubt an ordinary hippogriff could pull off a sweet gig like that, even for a friend. See, she’s really into you,” he nudged and winked towards Gallus as his face turned rosy. “OR she asked her family for help. Her dad was in the Seaquestria’s military Sea Fleet, and her godfather runs the Navy.” “Godfather?” Suddenly, Scythe skimmed through the pages of his book, the phrase igniting a lightbulb in his mind. He then found a page titled religion and promptly read it aloud. “Hippogriffs and Seaponies have their own religion, believing that they are watched and protected by gods of the skies and the ocean...” he skimmed through a paragraph or two while mumbling before he continued. “Newborn hippogriffs and seaponies are often ceremonially blessed by the gods, with a trusted friend of the parents assigned as the godmother or godfather to the newborn. They must witness the blessing and ensure they live a fulfilling life….” He skimmed to the bottom of the page. “The gods ordained the Royal Family to rule over the ocean and the Hippogriff Islands.” Despite the firm argument from Gallus, backed by a detailed descriptor from Scythe, the other three remained doubtful. To them, Gallus was making more excuses that were harder to believe. “Okay, sure, so your ladybird just happens to have a veteran for a dad AND a God dad who runs the hippogriff’s main ocean defence,” Nicknames said sarcastically, mocking the way Gallus was propping up Silverstream. “Next, you’ll say she’s royalty or something….” “Well…” “Uh, Gallus…” Scythe picked up, with a sudden shakiness to his voice and a wide-eyed expression as if he had seen a ghost. “Isn’t that Silverstream on this page?” He held up the book and pointed his hoof to the page in question, but the distance and the hoof shaking meant Gallus got up from the bed and approached Scythe to take a detailed look. As he concentrated, the other three each stood up and walked closer to get a closer look at themselves. The page was titled “The Royal Family of the Ocean, Hippogriff Islands, and Seaquestria” Below was a large and colourful picture of hippogriffs standing almost in a line on a stone-carved balcony, the image encompassing half the page. Each hippogriff had a name written underneath them to say who each was. A light pink hippogriff with striking purple eyes and a thick mulberry mane covered by a glistening gold and cerulean feathered crown was shown above “Queen Novo”. Standing in the middle, with the aid of perspective and a naturally tall figure, she was the photo's largest and most prominent figure as a sign of her importance and authority. A slightly shorter yellowish hippogriff stood close to the left with a light sea-blue mane. The proximity to the queen and a tender arm around her shoulder indicated a close familial relationship like a mother and daughter. The name “Princess Skystar” was printed underneath. Standing slightly behind the queen on her right was another yellow hippogriff, sporting a bright pink mane that flowed like an ocean wave, wearing necklaces resembling kelp and seashells. The name printed underneath was “Princess Ocean Flow”. Ocean Flow had her arm around a sapphire-coloured hippogriff with a silver mane shaped like a mountain, with an arm wrapped around her. The name printed underneath was “Prince (Cpt) Skybeak”, hinting at royalty and military links to his name. Standing in front of both was a white hippogriff with a light blue mane, just above the name “Terramar”. Unlike the other hippogriffs left or right of the queen, who stood tall and confidently towards the camera, Terramar had a timid smile and waved to whatever or whoever was below the balcony. There was only one other hippogriff whose attention was not on the camera, another bright pink hippogriff with a bright sea blue mane, with an overly excited expression as she appeared to hang over the balcony railing and wave frantically down below. Underneath was the name “Silverstream”. “Yep, that’s her”, confirmed Gallus, but as he looked away from the photo, his friends met him with wide-eyed and aghast looks towards him. He furrowed his brow. “What?” “YOU’RE FRIENDS WITH A PRINCESS?!” The gang finally arrived at Mount Aris. The air was warm for spring, thanks to the tropical climate down further south, with barely a cloud in the sky. The five stood in the station, waiting for the arrival of Silverstream. Gallus stood calmly, tapping his talons on the wooden platform as he waited patiently. His only worry was if she wouldn’t show up; Silverstream only had an issue with punctuality in the mornings. Then again, there were only two trains between Mount Aris and Equestria, given the distance between the two countries. There was a fifty-fifty chance she’d miss the arrival if she did intend to show up. His current state was relatively calm compared to his companions. Pound Sterling stared in awe at the mountain, with buildings going all the way up it with the palace at the top, all surrounded by a giant stone wall that resembled wings. She was glad she brought a camera just to snap a photo of it. “Jono if we’re goin’ oop there? Ah di’nt bring anything fancy.” She got no answer, especially not from Nicknames, who stood motionless like a statue with wide-open eyes. “Is my mane alright? I really should have combed it while we were on the train,” asked Lightning Dust, using the window of the station building in a self-conscious urge to make herself look good. “Social norms, social norms, social norms….” Scythe was frantically flicking through the pages of the tourist guide, trying to figure out what it recommended on how to interact with hippogriffs. “Ah dun see any carpet or guards….” After seeing his friend’s behaviour, Gallus rolled his eyes. “Guys, can you chill? It’s not a big deal,” he said. “Oh yeah, that’s right, not a big deal”, the nervous Nicknames muttered. “It’s not as if we’ve just arrived in another country to meet one of the monarch’s princesses!” “She’s the Queen’s niece.” “Aye, that still make ‘er a duchess or sumthin’, yer coulda told us ‘bout that ages ago!” Pound Sterling added. “I didn’t think it mattered that much.” “Of course it does.” Lightning Dust refuted. “Who wouldn’t be shocked that they’re about to meet the princess of Mount Aris?” “The ponies who were excited to meet Prince Blueblood at the Royal Guard Academy?” rebutted Gallus. Lightning Dust tried to respond but paused, recalling the evening ball where the prince was a special guest. “Also, haven’t you met Princess Twilight Sparkle before?” Lightning Dust grumbled, “Sort of….” Along with refraining from admitting Gallus had a point, it was also from her time at the Wonderbolt Academy, when the yet-to-be princess was in a hot air balloon cheering on her friend before crashing down thanks to Dust’s reckless flying. Gallus smirked. “So did I,” he remarked. “As well as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna at Princess Twilight’s School of Friendship. Considering how far and wide Twilight travelled across Equestria, you ponies seemed to see princesses all the time,” he explained. “So fine, Silverstream is a princess, but she never made a big deal out of it, nor did anyone else at the School of Friendship. Everyone I knew treated her how she wanted to be: a young, pretty, kind, happy-go-lucky hippogriff who’s a little obsessed with mundane stuff that can’t be found underwater, like stairs, birds, or indoor plumbing.” “Hey, Gally!” “So, don’t be weird, be yourself, and you won’t have to worry about SilverstrEEEAAAAM!” It took Gallus a while to realise that Silverstream had flown in and stood next to him as he talked. Her sight caused him to flail in surprise and his feathers to puff out. “Hey, Silver… you’ve arrived,” he nervously remarked in a high-pitched squeak while held in a frightened pose. Remarkably, Silverstream was unfazed by the stance, standing still and looking radiant. “Of course, I have, silly. You know I’m always on time to see you,” she replied, narrowing her eyes as she stared into his while inching closer. She suddenly snapped away and looked at the stunned ponies wide-eyed. “Plus, I finally get to meet all your new friends!” she cheered in an overly excited fashion, throwing her arms in the air for joy as she fluttered off the ground for a few seconds. The four ponies were left oddly relaxed, Silverstream didn’t act like any princess they imagined, and she was just there while other Hippogriffs walked past casually, not batting an eye that a monarch was nearby. Silverstream slowly returned to the ground and stood by Gallus as if she was patiently waiting while there was nothing but the sounds of the ocean. “Well, go on, aren’t you gonna introduce them?” she asked, nudging him with an elbow. The nudge helped Gallus break free from his firm stance, shocked that Silverstream was still so joyous as if all the letters and the emotions their friends described. Was she hiding it because his other friends were there, or maybe she had recovered as quickly as he thought? At the very least, he tried to compose himself, cleared his throat, and carried on. “Everypony, this is Silverstream,” he said to the gang as he pointed to her with a claw. The ponies cautiously gave light nods, unsure how best to greet themselves. He then turned to face her, “Silverstream, these are my friends from the Academy,” he said, gesturing to them one at a time. “Lightning Dust, Pound Sterling, Scythe… Rosewood and Nickna- “ “Moniker.” Suddenly, everything went silent, except all eyes and stunned expressions were on Nicknames. Upon noticing, he quickly realised the confusion and stepped forward. “I’m Lightning Moniker, and let me say we are honoured to be invited to your island, your highness.” He then bowed at Silverstream’s claws and hooves with the grace of an upstanding Canterlot gentlecolt. The revelation that Nicknames had a name other than Nicknames, and his sudden acting, was challenging. Silverstream giggled in response. “Hippogriffs don’t do that here. A little excessive. Guess it’s a pony thing?” She questioned, looking at Gallus with a single raised eyebrow. “But I’m super happy to meet you all! So many new faces, except….” She shifted her focus to Lightning Dust, beamed and flew towards her, stopping inches from her face. “I’ve seen you before! You’re one of The Washouts!” The reaction was enough for Lightning Dust and Pound Sterling to regain their focus on the pink hippogriff. “Uh… yeah, WAS one of the washouts. It’s a long story.” “I love stories! Think you could tell me!” “I guess…” Lightning Dust started to tell how she was kicked out of the Washouts and ended up in the Academy. It brought the focus off Nicknames, who breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back. Although as he tried to listen, he couldn’t help but notice that at least one pony was still staring at him. Scythe had a look of disbelief, although instead of a surprise, it was of annoyance. “What?” “Lightning Moniker?” Scythe said with an aura of scepticism. “Yeah, that’s my name, don’t wear it out.” “I thought your name was Nicknames.” “No, that’s just a name ponies call me.” “All the officers and instructors call you Nick.” “Yeah, Nick, as in short for MoNIKer.” Nicknames justified, although the explanation didn’t do any favours as Scythe furrowed his brow. “I’d rather be called Nicknames, anyway. Could you imagine how ponies in the military would treat me if they knew a stallion named Moniker?” “Makes me wonder why you call us all names we don’t like….” “What’d you say, Mumbles?” “I mean… why use your real name now?” Scythe hesitantly asked to evade his previous murmured comment. “Because we’re in the presence of a princess, it should be formal”, answered Nicknames. “Plus, being friendly to Bluebird’s crush will make Bluebird look good. He’ll thank us on his wedding night.” He felt smug when he saw Gallus looking towards Silverstream; the griffon smiled as she followed the emotions of Lightning Dust’s story. However, Scythe let out an exasperated sigh. “This again? Gallus made it clear that they’re just friends. Can’t you leave it at that?” he asked.  “Course not. It’s an opportunity too good to miss.” Nicknames scoffed. “They’re lovebirds, and you know it.” “Just because they’re both old friends and birds doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to be a couple.” “Wanna bet?” When Scythe turned to look back at Nicknames with a curious glance, he saw the pegasus stallion look down confidently with his forehooves folded. “Fifty bits says they’ll kiss or say they love each other before the end of the trip”, he proclaimed. “You’re betting on our friend’s relationship?” “If they just stay friends as you say, you get fifty bits”, Nicknames followed, trying to egg Scythe on. “It’ll be easy money for you unless you’re afraid of losing.” His initial instincts were to refuse. Scythe was already reluctant to be part of the teasing between Gallus and Silverstream. Unbeknownst to the others, he did have enough bits on him, with the intent to buy a souvenir, but his mind couldn’t let go of that last part, saying he was afraid. It dug into him, surrounded by sounds of laughter and jeering that surrounded him. It wouldn’t let go unless he did the one foolish thing. “Fine”, he relented with a groan, “but we can’t encourage them to do anything that will make us win.” Nicknames grinned, Scythe’s condition added more challenge to his bet, but he was confident he’d win. The lovebirds’ feelings were obvious, even if it wasn’t explicit. They shook hooves and shifted their focus back onto the hippogriff. As Lightning Dust finished her story, they saw the hippogriff with her happy face except with tears in her eyes. “Aw, that’s so sweet,” she said, clearly finding the story emotional. Having wiped away her tears, she fluttered back towards Gallus. “It’s good that you have friends to help you along the way. Ain’t that right, Officer Gally,” she said with a sly grin as she prodded his chest. Gallus quickly found the prodding made him ticklish. “Yeah, okay, please stop”, he tried to protest through his laughter, despite not trying to defend himself or escape. It was as if he was possibly enjoying it. “Who’s a helpful, friendly griffon? That’s you, isn’t it?” she teased rhetorically, talking to him like a child. Being playful around a friend, Nicknames concluded in his mind that he’d easily win the bet without even trying. As such, he turned to a bothered Scythe and arrogantly asked: “So how soon can you give me those bits?” Once all the antics on the train station were over, Silverstream took them from the station to the mountains. They all flew over the beach, where they saw hippogriffs and even a few seaponies above the water, which was shallow. Those that noticed the group pointed them out, smiled and waved towards them, with looks and awes of fascination. Having a look around, Gallus couldn’t find any other ponies or griffons around. It was likely they were a rare sight. Then again, he could see Silverstream in front. They could equally be excited to see one of their members of royalty.  It was a refreshing setting change, with friendly and upbeat denizens. Everyone got their look into the island’s central city, Hippogriffia. It was a relatively simple and open city, with loads of grass and cobbled floors, surrounded by trees and the occasional bushes. Some trees stood on a giant column-like structure with ramps swirling around to the top. It made a bit more sense why Silverstream was so fascinated by stairs in their younger days; even on land, the hippogriffs never seemed to use them. And yet, there was something more peculiar about those trees. “Aaaand here we are~” Silverstream proclaimed in song as she landed in front of one of them. The trees had several coloured holes going up to the top, with several large carousel-shaped structures. Upon closer inspection, the holes weren’t holes, but glass, translucent frosted coloured sea glass. Then there was a tall oval-shaped door at the bottom, to which Silverstream opened. The pegasus ponies were in awe. “Woah, this is where we’re staying?” remarked Nicknames upon realising their accommodation was a giant tree. They went inside, going up within the giant tree to the inside of the coloured carousel. The room was immense: a big room with a kitchen on one side, a dining area with a large oak table and seats, and a long arching sofa around the side. Crystal lights shone all around it, making it glow like a lantern from the outside. In the middle was a spiral ramp that led up to private bedrooms, although fitted to the ramp was a giant clock. “So, do you like it?” Silverstream asked after she witnessed the jaws drop. “This place is sick!” an ecstatic Pound Sterling proclaimed. “This livin’ room is bigger than my house!” Silverstream beamed. “That’s great! Aunt Novo wanted to make sure you’re comfortable on your stay.” Gallus smirked; Queen Novo could afford to set this up. Lightning Dust swooped right in and sat on the sofa to test it. “Yep, this is the kind of pad I want,” she said as she spread her body as wide as possible. As all the pegasus ponies admired the place, Gallus was finally within close reach of Silverstream, with nopony to distract them. He took side steps towards her, carefully taking the chance for a little chat. Finally, he stood by her side, and a quick scan of the room showed the ponies weren’t paying attention. He cleared his throat. “Hey, Silver” Silverstream’s ears perked up, and her head snapped towards Gallus. Gone was her smile; thanks to the surprise, Gallus knew he needed to follow it. “Thanks for your help setting this up.” Silverstream let out a short breath of relief. “Oh, you know, all I did was get a few family members on board with the idea. I didn’t do much,” she humbled herself, twirling the end of her silver hair with a single talon. “Pretty sure when family members include Her Majesty, you did a lot”, Gallus smirked, although the cheek did lift Silverstream’s spirits a little as she stopped filling with her hair and raised her chin. “How did you convince your family, if you don’t mind me asking?” “Let’s say I’ve gotten really good at painting my ideas. Mom said I could open a gallery with the pitch I made.” Gallus quietly chuckled at the thought of large piles of canvas paintings sent one after the other in front of her parents and aunt. He remembered how painting was one of Silverstream’s many hobbies she discovered during school. “Did any of those paintings include me?” he cheekily asked. Silverstream started to puff up and hold her breath. “As long as you got my good side, I don’t mind.” He puffed out his chest and held his head up, giving a sultry stare to appear photogenic. Silverstream giggled, giving Gallus some relief that he could be amusing. It gave him some hope of how forgiven he was. “You know, since we’re here, there has been something we’ve been meaning to talk about-“ Suddenly, Silverstream seized up, and her feathers puffed out as some form of anxiety took over. “Oooh, look at the time. I better get going!” she abruptly said out loud. “Wait, already?” Gallus asked, taken by surprise. “It’s not even late.” “Yeah, sorry, I’m needed back at the palace.” She said nervously and hastily before frantically waving towards the ponies in the living room. “Have fun! Enjoy Mount Aris! See you soon!” She quickly turned towards the spiralled ramp and started flying to the front door. Something wasn’t right; Gallus wasn’t sure what had happened. Maybe he said the wrong thing? He followed her, able to catch her. “Did I say something? I thought we’d have some time to talk about… Y’know… the last few months.” He could gradually feel Silverstream’s talons slowly relax along with her body, and her ears flattened as she turned to look at Gallus with sadness. “Gally, there will be time to talk, just not now.” She whispered, but there was still some force to her voice. “I’m supposed to be on Mount Aris for family and royal business. I need to catch up on that and… I need some time.” Gallus felt his heart sink. He felt stupid for not realising there were still rough patches. Not to mention that his visit wasn’t the only reason she was here. As he began to loosen his grip, Silverstream curled a small smile beneath her saddened eyes. “Besides, you and your friends must prepare for the Navy tomorrow.” She quickly used her other claw to lightly hold down Gallus’, keeping him from completely letting go. “Meet Daddy at the base entrance before 0730. You’ll find it south of the train station. When you come back in a few days, we’ll talk. Okay?” She instructed. Gallus took a deep breath, “Okay”, he answered, his tone deep and gravelled. Her claws slipped away as she made her way out of the door. He made a slow stroll back up to the living room, finally reaching the top as the others noticed his return. “So… what did you guys talk about?” questioned Nicknames with a cheeky smirk on his face, unaware of how gloomy Gallus looked. “Nothing, she’s just busy,” Gallus asserted as he avoided looking at the others. “I’m gonna get something to eat.” The others looked at each other with concern as Gallus headed to the kitchen, quickly knowing that their talk didn’t go well. “Uh, good plan. I am famished,” Pound Sterling remarked as the room was encouraged to start preparing dinner together. While there was fun to be had, they had to be ready for the following morning.