Chapter 2: Sink To The Bottom
“Gallus! Gallus, wake up!”
The griffon jolted awake in his seat and opened his eyes to see a very happy and restless looking hippogriff seated across from him. “Huh, wha?”
She giggled to herself, “Good morning, sleepy!”
“Are we there yet?” Gallus asked as he rubbed his head with one of his talons and looked out the window.
To answer his question, both he and Silverstream overheard on the loudspeaker, “Next stop, Basalt Beach. Basalt Beach is next. Disembark here for Mount Aris and Seaquestria.”
True to what the loudspeaker said, Gallus saw the blue sea that stretched out to the horizon right outside of his window. The gray, stony beach reached to the shore, but it certainly didn’t look all that inviting for any creature to enjoy the afternoon sun.
“Guess we’re almost there, huh?” Gallus asked.
“Yeah, and I’m so excited! I haven’t visited mom and dad in so long! And that one of my bestest friends is visiting as well, it’s going to be so fun!” Silverstream was bouncing in her seat.
Gallus couldn’t match her excitement but still gave a small smile, “Glad you’re happy, Silverstream. I’m a bit worried about what they think of me.”
Silverstream gave a puzzled look to the griffon, “Huh? Why are you worried about that? They’re gonna like you, I just know it!”
“Yeah, the thing is….” Gallus’ smile disappeared as he started, “I’ve never been all that great with authority figures, particularly parental figures. Like Grampa Gruff, or Professor Rainbow Dash that time she didn’t believe me when I told her Smolder burnt my homework.”
This didn’t seem to bother Silverstream, and she brushed it off, “You got nothing to worry about, I know my mom and dad will just love you! And besides, Smolder came and admitted it to Professor Rainbow Dash so it was all okay!”
Before Gallus could object or make another comment, the train started to slow to a stop. Again, the voice on the speaker boomed loudly, “Now arriving, Basalt Beach. Disembark here for Mount Aris and Seaquestria.”
Silverstram hopped off her seat, “This is us!” She led the way off the train with Gallus following behind.
On the train platform, both creatures waited for the train to continue traveling on the tracks, leaving behind a view of the ocean and Mount Aris out on the water. The tang of the salt in the air tickled Gallus’ nostrils. As for Silverstream, it seemed like a welcome scent.
“Ahh, I missed that salty smell!” the hippogriff smiled. She then went to the track crossing to head down to the beach. “Let’s go, Gallus! We don’t want to be late!”
Reluctantly, Gallus followed. A number of things were running through his head as they made their way down towards the gray sanded beach, so much that he couldn’t hear anything that Silverstream was saying. As Gallus tried to say earlier to Silverstream, he wasn’t great with authority figures. Back in Griffonstone, he would butt heads with Grampa Gruff over almost anything. It was more than just that, though. When it came to just the parent’s of friends, Gallus had a habit of saying things that usually placed him on any creature’s bad side. It also extended to just about any sort of authority figure. After all, there was a reason he was not allowed at the Ponyville bowling alley. Now he had to worry about making a bad impression on the parents of the hippogriff he was dating.
Silverstream stopped at the shore and looked outward the water, waiting for Gallus to catch up. She smiled as she took in the air again. “Ahh, I missed you salty air! Did you miss me?” As Gallus closed the gap, she turned her attention to him, “Alright, ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Gallus sighed.
“Great! Here you go,” Silverstream said, offering a necklace to Gallus. On the necklace, there was what appeared to be a shard of some sort of jewel.
He took the necklace, but was confused, “Huh? What’s this for?”
“You wear it, silly!” Silverstream explained, “Then we swim down to Seaquestria to meet up with my family!”
Gallus’ face turned pale, “Wait, what? I thought we were going to Mount Aris, to Hippogriffia or whatever.”
“Nope! We’re going underwater to have dinner at my mom’s place!”
The griffon’s entire body was frozen in panic. His talons still held the necklace he was given. However, Silverstream took it upon herself to place the necklace around the petrified Gallus.
“There! It looks nice on you!” she complimented.
Finally thawing himself out of his panic, Gallus spoke, “Silverstream, I don’t know how to exactly say this, but….I’m not sure I can go through with this….”
“Hmm? Now why do you say that?”
“I….have a bit of a fear of water….” he sheepishly answered.
Silverstream tilted her head, “Really? But I’ve seen you swim before. We even went canoeing that one time.”
“Yeah, that’s because I had a life vest, or something else helping put my mind at ease. But this….I’ve never been to the ocean, much less underwater in one,” Gallus continued.
“Are you sure you’re not just a scaredy cat?” the hippogriff said with a small smirk.
“I am part cat!” he quickly retorted with a hint of anger.
Silverstream couldn’t help but laugh. She apologized, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. How about I help you?”
He didn’t reply with words, but his expression did soften at that suggestion.
“Yeah, I can help ease you into the water,” Silverstream offered. She extended one of her talons out to Gallus.
Hesitant, Gallus looked at Silverstream and her extended talon, and then to small waves that were crashing onto the shore. Against everything that his phobia was telling him, he placed his talon in hers, “Okay.”
Silverstream smiled as she led him towards the water. The waves hit their limbs, causing Gallus to shiver at both the temperature and the shock of touching water. Silverstream took note of this and tightened her grip on Gallus’ talon. He turned to look at the hippogriff, who was already looking at him. She had a smile on her face as she spoke with a calm voice, “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere.”
That statement did help Gallus as they continued to slowly move into the water. Before long, the water had almost reached their bodies and Silverstream motioned for them to stop. The gentle waves brushed against both of their bodies, which was a completely alien feeling for Gallus. It seemed that it was taking everything in him to simply breathe calmly.
“Ready?” Silverstream asked. Her voice was gentle and relaxed, as if she were a teacher guiding their pupil.
Gallus simply nodded. His face was trying it’s best to hide his fear.
Silverstream nodded back with a smile, “Good. Now, just think about transforming really hard and let the necklace do it’s work.”
Taking a deep breath, Gallus replied, “Alright.” He subconsciously held his breath as he focused on trying to transform.
Both Silverstream and Gallus had their bodies transform in a flash into that of aquatic creatures. Gallus opened his eyes to see the familiar seapony Silverstream he had come to know. He then looked down at his own body. He let go of what was now Silverstream’s hoof as he looked down at his body. His hindlimbs were gone and the fluffy fur and feathers on his body were replaced with a sleek cloak. His tail was also now something that was similar to Silverstream’s, but his wings were now replaced with large fins. He raised his talons up to his beak, which was still there to his surprise, as were most of the feathers on his head.
“Yay, you did it!” Silverstream cheered. “I’m surprised that you still have your talons and beak though. Maybe it’s a griffon thing?”
Gallus didn’t respond to what she said. Instead, he mumbled to himself, “This is so weird….I don’t feel like I’m in my skin….”
“You look great, Gallus,” the hippogriff insisted, “Now, ready to swim down to Seaquestria?”
The question didn’t sit well with Gallus, as he was still getting used to his new body.
Again, Silverstream offered her hoof to Gallus again. “Don’t worry, I got you.”
Just like before, Gallus extended his talon to Silverstream and grabbed on for her to lead the way. The hippogriff smiled warmly as she began to swim ahead into the ocean, towing Gallus along with her. After a bit, she began to submerge her body a bit in water. This caused Gallus to struggle a bit.
Silverstream stopped swimming and surfaced back up to Gallus. She could tell from the talon that gripped her that Gallus was hesitant. “Just take a deep breath and let your body do what comes naturally.”
“Easier said than done….” Gallus snarked. His words might have been calm and collected, but he certainly wasn’t within.
Slowly, Silverstream submerged herself, and guided Gallus down with her. He took a deep breath, shut his eyes tightly, and sunk down to the bottom with her. There, Gallus held his breath for several moments, refusing to open his eyes or anything else. Finally, upon opening them, he saw a smiling Silverstream, waiting for him. Releasing the air from his lungs, Gallus started to gasp for air for a few moments.
“Gallus, Gallus, it’s okay!” Silverstream instructed, placing her free hoof on his chest, “Just take a deep breath of the water. You’re okay.”
Gallus did just that and, while the shock was still written on his face, he was breathing underwater. “How….How is this even possible?” he asked.
“I told you, just let the body do what it’s supposed to do, and you’ll be okay!” Silverstream smiled.
Despite being still a bit panicky, Gallus eventually calmed his breathing down as he got used to his new surroundings. “I….I’m underwater.”
“That’s right! I’m so proud of you!” the hippogriff cheered and gave a quick hug to the newly transformed griffon, “I’m also happy to see that your claustrophobia isn’t setting in!”
“Please don’t remind me of that,” Gallus quickly requested as his breathing and racing heartbeat steadied to a normal pace. He took a moment to assess his new surroundings, “This is so amazing though. Huh, it smells kinda weird down here.”
“It smells weird everywhere!” Silverstream commented, “That’s how you know you’re alive!”
A smile crept across Gallus’ beak at Silverstream’s words. While she might have been patient and comforting as she guided Gallus through the transformation, Silverstream was still the hippogriff that Gallus knew and loved.
“I have to admit, this is pretty cool.”
“See? It wasn’t so scary!”
“By the way, don’t ever mention any of what just happened to any other creature. Got it?”
-----------------------------------
Swimming through the ocean was absolutely alien for Gallus. If he still had his coat of fur around his body, it would be standing on end just feeling all the water all over him. He tried his best to not think hard about it, which he was able to because he was struggling to properly swim. Thankfully for him, Silverstream was guiding him through the currents as he used his talon to hang on to one of her limbs.
“This feels so weird….” Gallus commented about his new body.
“It’s okay, you’ll get used to it!” Silverstream insisted.
“Will I?”
“I’m sure of it! It just takes some getting used to, which is completely understandable,” Silverstream continued, “But with a little practice, you’ll be swimming like a true hippogriff in no time!”
Gallus mumbled, “But I don’t want to be swimming. I don’t like water. By the way, how much longer until we get to your parent’s place?”
Without answering, Silverstream picked up her swimming speed to the top of a small mound. As they reached the peak, the drop below showed all of Seaquestria that laid below. The underwater city rose from the seafloor with majestic architecture. From the buildings to the pillars, to the flora and to landscape of the seafloor, the entire cityscape was marvelous and magnificent. The dark blue scape was illuminated by the numerous lamps throughout the city, brightly showing it’s beauty. The city was bustling with various hippogriffs, and even other creatures. In the distance, Queen Novo’s palace towered regally over the city skyline.
“Surprise,” Silverstream softly said.
“By King Gideon the Great….it’s….breathtaking….” Gallus uttered in awe.
Silverstream couldn’t help but smirk as she added, “Was it worth coming underwater?”
“Almost,” he joked back, “I have a feeling I’m going to be coughing up seawater for a week after this.”
The two continued to swim towards the palace. However, just before entering the gates to the manor, they arrived at their location.
“Here we are! My childhood home!” the hippogriff smiled as they swam up to the door. Gallus didn’t follow. Instead, he floated behind her. “What’s wrong, Gallus? Are you still feeling a little queasy after transforming?”
“I still don’t know about this, Silverstream,” Gallus stated. He rubbed one of his limbs with the other’s talon as he looked down at the seafloor below him. “This whole thing seems like a mistake. Is it too late to back out now?”
Silverstream swam back to Gallus and smiled, “Come on, Gallus. It’s going to be great, I just know it.”
Gallus looked at his friend as she drew closer, “Can we just call it off? Can you tell them that I got attacked by a bear and can’t make it? Wait, do they know what a bear is?”
The hippogriff still smiled warmly, “It’s okay, Gallus. It’s just a dinner with my parents, and I’ll be here with you the whole time.”
“I’m actually afraid of how this dinner will go over,” Gallus spoke, his voice filled with doubt.
“Really? Cause I’m afraid of the Storm King. He’s absolutely terrifying!” Silverstream replied.
With a sigh, the griffon asked, “Can we at least come up with a plan or something for all of this in case it gets weird?”
“Yes, a plan!” Silverstream became delighted at the idea, “I was just gonna say let stuff happen, but a plan is better!”
Gallus didn’t really know how he was supposed to react to Silverstream’s excitement. “Well….how about if things get too much, we say there’s an emergency or something and leave? I just really don’t want to get on their bad side.”
“Oh, I like that idea!”
“Unless you got another idea,” Gallus was up for taking suggestions.
“Ooo!” Silverstram raised her limb up in the air as if she was about to explore if she didn’t answer, “I have an idea!”
Gallus was quick to add, “And it has to be based in reality.”
She lowered her limb, still smiling, “Oh, then no.”
Sighing one last time in an effort to get his fears out, Gallus motioned for Silverstream to lead the way. “Well, I'm as ready as I’ll ever be. Shall we?”
“We shall!” Silverstream proudly proclaimed as they swam to the front door together.
The hippogriff knocked on the door. The two waited for a few moments, but did hear some movement from within. Finally, the door opened, revealing a yellow hippogriff mare on the other side. Her fins had a magenta tint to them and a turquoise crest around her neck. Her eyes were purple, and accompanying them was a bright and sunny smile which reflected in her voice.
“Silverstream, you made it!” she greeted with a quick hug, “How’s my favorite daughter?”
The pink hippogriff giggled as she returned the hug, “Mom, I’m your only daughter! Oh, by the way mom, let me officially introduce you to Gallus.”
As she let go of Silverstream, she looked at the transformed griffon next to her. “So you’re the fabled Gallus that Silverstream has been talking so much about?”
Gallus put forth one of his talons to shake her hoof. “That’s right, ma’am,” his voice was shaking a bit, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh please, call me Ocean Flow,” she insisted, “And no need to be shy!” Before Gallus knew what was happening, Ocean Flow had wrapped her limbs around Gallus and picked him up in a big hug. After she let go, she apologized, “Oh, I’m so sorry! I figured Silverstream would have warned you that I’m a bit of a hugger! Anyway, come on in, you two! Your father is already here, Silverstream.” Ocean Flow moved to the side as she allowed for Silverstream and Gallus to enter.
“My mom gives great hugs, huh?” Silverstream asked as they entered.
Gallus commented, “Somehow, I wasn’t expecting that, and yet I was.”
The two entered the house and Silverstream guided Gallus through the hallways to the dining room. Gallus took note of the hippogriff household. Various pictures hung on the wall, including family photos, pictures of a young Silverstream and Terramar, a few pieces of pottery on the tables that lined the hallways, and various other family mementos. He also caught glimpses of other rooms as they went through. It was a very nice home.
They arrived in the dining room where Silverstream’s dad was finishing the preparation of the table.
“Daddy!” Silverstream swam ahead to give her father a hug.
“Whoa, hey there, Silverstream! You’re both right on time!” he said as he finished placing a few items down before being attacked by a hug from Silverstream.
“Oh, daddy, this is Gallus,” Silverstream let go of her hug and motioned to Gallus, who was slowly swimming up to both of them.
“Pleased to meet you, sir,” Gallus again offered his talon to shake. Behind his seemingly cool expression, the griffon was already beginning to grow anxious
“Sir? I already like him,” he chuckled to himself as he reached out his hoof to meet the talon, “Feel free to call me Sky Beak, Gallus.”
Gallus nodded as his talon and Sky Beak’s hoof shook, “Right, it’s great to finally meet you, Sky Beak.”
“And same to you,” Sky Beak smiled, “Silverstream has been very eager to have you stop on by for a visit. With Ocean Flow down here for the royal court and my own schedule keeping me up on Mount Aris, it can be quite tricky. We were really quite lucky that it worked out that our schedules lined up.”
“Almost all of them,” a voice called out from behind them. All turned their attention to the hallway, revealing Silverstream’s younger sibling, Terramar.
“Terramar! I haven’t seen you in forever!” Silverstream called out as she swam up to her brother for a hug, “You have work tonight?”
The white hippogriff returned the hug with a smile, “It’s only been maybe two months, Silverstream. But yeah, I tried to trade shifts but my boss said no.”
“Just be safe tonight. You know how I worry when you take the late shifts,” Ocean Flow requested before turning her attention to her husband, “Sky Beak, can you help me finish settling up the table?”
“Of course, dear,” he replied as he swam with her to the kitchen.
Terramar scoffed a bit, “It’s just stocking shelves, mom.”
“Hey, Terramar. It’s been a while,” Gallus swam up to the hippogriff siblings.
“Gallus!” he replied, “Yeah, not since I stopped by the school some time ago. It’s pretty cool that you’re stopping by.”
“Heh, glad you think so,” the griffon scoffed. “It’s nice to at least see one familiar face down here.”
“By the way, I see that you’re here underwater, which is really cool and all, but what’s with your….form?” Terramar tried to politely use the right words to describe Gallus’ new body.
Gallus looked down at his transformed body and then back to Terramar. “Honestly, I’m still trying not to panic at the fact that I’m both underwater and breathing down here. I’m trying not to think about too much right now.”
Both Silverstream and Terramar laughed at Gallus’ comment.
“But you look so cute with fins and a tail!” Silverstream insisted.
His sister’s comment caused Terramar to laugh even more. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Just relax, and your body will do what it’s supposed to do. It’s getting used to being under the weight of all the water.”
“You know, Silverstream said basically the same thing after I transformed,” Gallus said, “I just don’t think I ever can though. It feels so weird being like this.”
“Just don’t worry about it! Because if you do, you might start thinking about how all of the water pressure pushing down on your normal griffon body would immediately crush your bones and you’ll blackout before you even reach the surface!” Silverstream spoke with a very cheerful demeanor.
While Gallus’ face was not comforted by the pink hippogriff’s comments. Her brother, on the other hoof, was laughing as he swam towards the door. “Have fun with dinner,” he bid farewell to Silverstream and Gallus before calling out loudly, “Okay, mom, I’m heading off to work!”
“Okay, be safe!” Ocean Flow called out from the kitchen.
Sky Beak also spoke up, “Take care, Terramar!”
The white hippogriff opened the front door. He then turned to face both Silverstream and Gallus as he began to close the door behind him. “Good luck, Gallus. You’re gonna need it.” With that, he closed the door.
“Wait, what does he mean by that?” Gallus asked.
Before he could get an answer, Ocean Flow called from the kitchen, “Dinner is ready~!”
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Silverstream comforting Gallus is 1 million % adorable
Aaaawwwwww frick.
Geez Terramar, you're an awfully morbid fellow.
There's a lot of repetition in this chapter.
Oops You didn't Think about that huh Gallus 😅
That's pretty much foreshadowing she's gonna be a teacher
“Ooo!” Silverstram raised her limb up in the air as if she was about to explore if she didn’t answer, “I have an idea!”
Gallus was quick to add, “And it has to be based in reality.”
She lowered her limb, still smiling, “Oh, then no.”
Lol ok that was funny 😄
The white hippogriff opened the front door. He then turned to face both Silverstream and Gallus as he began to close the door behind him. “Good luck, Gallus. You’re gonna need it.” With that, he closed the door.
“Wait, what does he mean by that?” Gallus asked.
Ohhh lol wow Terramar man You're something else kid
ok so Gallus and Silverstream made it to Mount Aris now they they are going to Sequestria where her mom lives which that made gallus more Nervous but its sweet silverstream is helping him to face his fear just like that episode What lies beneath So they finally swim down and finally got to the city and to her home So far meeting the parents is going smoothly and Terramar got a job I didn't know that Well helpfully dinner would be OK and hopefully he doesn't get too nervous Can't wait to see how this will work out
So.... you gave Yona's fear of water to Gallus....?
Don’t you mean boyfriend, silverstream?
So, he met siverstream as a seapony?
It’s funny because I feel like that’s something she would say.
10429903
Yona afraid of spiders
Didn't Silverstream practically pull him into the water back when the Tree of Harmony was testing them? Gallus didn't seem scared then. Also, I'm a bit confused by Silverstream's obliviousness to her boyfriend's discomfort since she was quite aware of it last chapter.
10430155
There are various ponds and other 'bodies' of water around the school, so we can assume Gallus has seen her in seapony form at least a few times.
10430710
Oh yea, I forgot about those.
Does that mean if I accidentally transform back to my normal form in Seaquestria, I will die horribly? I'm sure that's definately bad for tourism.
Btw, Silverstream is really cute.
You've got Seaquestria spelled "Sequestria" throughout, which, given its history, is kind of hilarious.
10434165
Oh man, I can’t believe I missed that. Thanks for point it out, all corrected now!
Love the part where Gallus is still trying to get use to being an aquatic creature
Heh. Dog ate the homework all over again.