• Published 3rd Mar 2021
  • 3,281 Views, 565 Comments

Bluebird - Hammerhead



To fulfill his ambitions as a military officer, and to live closer to his friends at school, Gallus goes to the Royal Guard Academy. Things should go well for him, although he's the only griffon among his fellow cadets and superiors.

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The Hidden Cavern

I thought I heard the Old Bird say:
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her."
Tomorrow, you will get your pay,
And it's time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is long, and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her.

If there is one thing that ponies and hippogriffs have in common, they love to sing. The hippogriffs in the Navy had songs for work, meals, and even a piece for when they reached land. Impressively, they sang in pitch-perfect harmony and, unlike ponies, without any music in the background.

Apparently, they call those songs shanties. It was a wonder why the hippogriffs would name their songs after the dilapidated house. However, Scythe thought it came from the Prench word for singing, chanter.

Regardless, the gang were glad to be back on land in Mount Aris, exhausted to the point none of them could fly. After walking through the streets, they returned to the familiar haven of their translucent tree apartment.

“Ah, finally back, ahm knackuhd,” Pound Sterling breathed with relief as she opened the door and fell onto the long, comfy sofa inside.

“You know what, when you’re not scrubbing the decks or stuck being lookout, working on a ship ain’t that bad,” said Lightning Dust.

Nicknames shared her sentiment, sort of…“I’ll miss those guns…” Nicknames reminisced.

“Dunno abou’ you, but ah think ahm gonna sleep all day.”

Both Scythe and Gallus agreed.

“I can do with a rest, too.”

“Yeah, same here.”

Before any of them could reach the door, Gallus could feel a claw prodding his shoulder. In response, he turned around to see a familiar hippogriff.

“Hey Gallus, nice place you’re staying at!” remarked Solar Flare, somehow as upbeat as ever despite the noticeable creases under his eyes. “Did you and the ponies have any plans today?”

Curious, Gallus turned back to his buddies. None of them thought about what would happen during the rest of the day, apart from sleeping. “No, doesn’t look like it,” Gallus answered as he turned back and shook his head.

“Well. Was talking to the other griffs and wondered if you wanted to have some fun later this evening?” Eyebrows were raised; all of them had spent three full days at sea, and Solar Flare was suggesting some fun. The Navy Hippogriff must be used to these long trips if he looked tired but still raring for more. Still, the gang all turned around to listen. “There’s a bar in Sequestria called the Hidden Cavern, nothing like you’ve ever seen. We're gonna hang out there tonight. There will be music, dancing, booze, you name it, all at the lowest depths of the ocean…”

The ears of the ponies perked up with intrigue one by one.

It started with Lightning Dust. “Bar?”

Followed by Pound Sterling. “Music?”

“Booze?!” Nicknames elated with a grin on his face.

“So, you in?”

“Wait, hold on…” Before Gallus could bring things down and consider Solar Flare’s offer, Nicknames blurted out an answer.

“Heck yeah! We’re in!”

“Great!” Solar Flare exclaimed. “I’ll be heading down to Seaquestria after lunch. Meet you there!” Eager to tell his Navy buddies, Solar Flare flies off. Gallus didn’t have time to stop him to ask any more questions about this suddenly planned night out.

He then turned to Nicknames. “I thought we agreed to sleep all day,” he reminded him with a sharp glare.

“Come on, Bluebird,” Nicknames rolled his eyes, “we can’t pass up on an opportunity to check this place out.”

“An’ ahm not missin’ out on a night out.”

“Yeah, plus we get to hang out with the Navy birds without doing hard work this time.”

With Pound Sterling and Lightning Dust on board, Gallus looked to Scythe for at least some reason, given their fatigue from the long journey they had just returned from.

“It would be nice to visit Seaquestria while we’re here.”

Scythe did have a point. After spending most of their days out in the sea, it’d be worth sightseeing. Their entire trip didn’t have to be for the Academy after all. With a unanimous decision, Gallus faked a smile.

“Well, it’s too late to change our minds anyways…”


After a few hours of napping and food, the gang went to the coast. As they arrived, they witnessed Hippogriffs diving into the ocean from above. Still, not before being enveloped in a bright glow, their wings and fur were replaced with fins and scales in a flash.

This display of hippogriffs changing into seaponies wasn’t new to Gallus. He’d seen Silverstream do it on as many occasions as he’d seen Ocellus transform into many creatures. However, he still recognised the beauty of the transformation as his pony friends did overtly with awe.

They hoped they’d be able to try out being seaponies, too, when Solar Flare turned up. They hoped by arriving midday, they’d be able to catch up with him. However, as time passed, he was nowhere to be found.

“Can ya see ‘im, Dusteh?”

“Nope.”

“Ugh, we’ve been here for ages,” Nicknames complained, rolling his head back and groaning, “can’t we just go to Seaquestria without him?”

“Depends. How long can you hold your breath underwater?”

Nicknames were about to answer Gallus’ question but only realised when Lightning Dust snickered that the griffon made a joke and grumbled.

“At least the ocean looks nice here…”

Scythe quietly admired the midday ocean, the peaceful sounds of seaponies swimming in the sea as it stretched beyond the horizon. His impatient compatriots were waiting for their Navy Hippogriff friend to turn up without success. “Well, if Solar Flare ain’t showin’, a’ are we s’posed to nip on down?” asked Pound Sterling.

Their problem could have been avoided had they planned this earlier with Solar Flare without letting him fly off. With that option gone, the ponies turned their heads to their griffon friend. A few seconds later, Gallus realised at least three ponies were all staring at him and furrowed his brow.

“What?”

“You know the most hippogriffs, Bluebird.” Nicknames argued.

“So?”

“So… could you ask one?” Lightning Dust suggested. “General Seaspray, Captain Skybeak…”

“Ladybird…” Nicknames added sardonically, with a wink and a nudge, only stopping when Scythe gave a nudge of his own and a glare.

Gallus narrowed his eyes. After such a long trip, he wasn’t keen on going down to Seaquestria in the first place. Seaspray probably wouldn’t be a good idea after the work he’d been doing. Skybeak was probably busy in Aris to help, and Silverstream was perhaps somewhere else, assuming she’d want to see Gallus.

There was another issue with his friends’ idea as well.

“Even if they’d be willing to help us out, how would I be able to find them?” he pointed out rhetorically. “Do you think I could make a hippogriff or seapony who knows me appear on command?”

“Oh! Gallus! Is that you?”

The angelic voice had called out from the ocean. Gallus recognised it immediately and pinched his beak with frustration. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said with a gravelled hush tone, not expecting his words to come true.

Regardless, he turned to face the seapony with a huge grin. “Hey, what a surprise!” Gallus called out and waved. He tried to sound as friendly as possible. It was Silverstream’s mom, after all.

“Indeed! And you have some friends with you.”

Gallus sighed and introduced his friends. “Yeah, from the Royal Guard Academy. Guys, this is Princess Ocean Flow.” As he gestured his friends towards the elegant seapony, whose yellow scales glistened in the sun, she suddenly had a bemused look.

It didn’t take long for Gallus to figure out why. “They’re bowing at you, aren’t they?” He quickly turned around and got his answer. All four ponies, their forehooves stretched forward, their heads lowered underneath their shoulders, facing the princess.

“Novo did say ponies have their customs like all creatures do.” Ocean Flow remarked, understanding as other members of Silverstream’s family. “Hope you all are having a good time in our nation?”

Each one of the ponies popped their heads up to answer with glee.

“Yes, Your Highness! Great time!” Lightning Dust started. “We’ve just gotten back on a Navy ship.”

“We getten ta draw sails 'n sing shanties.” Pound Sterling followed.

“We met hippogriffs on Ludo Isle. They were nice.”

“I got to fire a cannon!” Nicknames jumped in.

Ocean Flow giggled in response to the answer. “I guess ponies and hippogriffs aren’t that different after all.” The ponies turned their heads back towards Gallus, some with a half-lidded glance as if to tell him so. Gallus glowered before shifting back to a friendly smile and explained on their behalf.

“We’re hoping to meet up with some hippogriffs from the ship later tonight at a bar at the bottom of Seaquestria…”

“The Hidden Cavern?”

Suddenly, Gallus was derailed from his explanation. “Uh, yeah,” he said with surprise. Some of him didn’t expect Silverstream’s mom to know about this bar.

“I love that place,” she chirped. “Many young hippogriffs and seaponies go down there for a good night out.” She then quickly covered one side of her face with her fin and softened her voice. “Don’t tell my sister, but Skybeak and I always used to sneak out of the coral reefs to go there when we were your age.”

Knowing that Ocean Flow could lead them to this bar, Gallus got a few nudges of encouragement. Gallus sighs and begins to ask begrudgingly. “Well, we kinda need help going down to Seaquestria, so would you be able to…?”

“Oh, of course!” Ocean Flow beamed with glee. “Why didn’t you say so sooner? If you all come into the water, I can help change you.”

Without skipping a beat, with grins stretched from ear to ear, the ponies ran towards the coast's edge and jumped in. Lightning Dust dove into the water hooves first, wings tucked in and body straight and thin. She barely made a splash as she pierced the ocean. Pound Sterling followed with a similar attempt, but more of her body hit the water, causing a bigger splash. Nicknames just tucked his hooves in and cannonballed.

All that was left was Gallus and Scythe, standing on the edge, looking at the calm sea beneath them. Although Scythe wasn’t keen on drinking, he was preparing to jump in to follow the herd if it meant checking out Seaquestria. The only thing stopping him was concern, as he noticed Gallus was suddenly rigid and uneasy.

“Are you okay?”

Gallus could swim. He’d never learned until he was at the School of Friendship, wearing a life vest for the first year, but he reminded himself he could swim. It didn’t help that the thought of swimming instinctually caused his heart to accelerate and his body to turn stiff. “You can do this. It’s just water…” he shakily reassured himself under his breath.

“Bluebird! Mumbles! Hurry up!” Nicknames called out: waiting by Ocean Flow, Lightning Dust, and Pound Sterling. “You’re not afraid of water, are you?”

That heckle from Nicknames caused Gallus to snap out of his anxiety, and a sudden fire ignited inside him. Suddenly, Gallus dashed to the edge and leapt right into the water. The last part of sense left in control of his body had enough time to emulate Lightning Dust’s dive for him to land in the water as smoothly as possible. He felt the water flow through his feathers and fur just long enough before he had to kick and push the water away for him to resurface.

As for Scythe, he stood in surprise that Gallus went from being motionless to throwing himself into the water. When he saw Gallus’ head emerge from underneath and heard a massive gasp of air, he simply leapt like jumping off a ledge, landing hoof first into the water.

With all of them in the water, around a circle holding hooves, fins and claws, Ocean Flow clasped the pearl shard around her necklace, and it started to glow. As they were all about to change, Gallus was left thinking one thing: he hoped he wouldn’t look weird.


Being a seagriffon wasn’t half bad. While Gallus felt lighter around the back with the absence of wings, and his fur was replaced with a smooth, scaly surface, he looked like his comfortable blue-griffon self, at least the top half of himself.

“Hey, look at Bluebird! For a moment, I thought he’d turn into a catfish,” remarked Nicknames, kindly as ever, as Gallus stared daggers at him.

“Check It art! Ah’m a sea-bobbo!” exclaimed Pound Sterling, reacting to her new seapony form.

They had a similar change. The top half seldom changed while sporting a smooth, hoofless posterior with a large fin at the end. They handled swimming with them naturally, as they pictured their hindlegs being tied together.

Ocean Flow leads them into the caverns underneath the island and into Seaquestria. It was enchanting, leaving the seaponies in awe. It was a vast cave made of jagged rocks and stalagmites and was lit up by an array of houses with pink lucid walls hung from the ceiling like chandeliers.

The gang took advantage of the afternoon they had and their friendly tour guide and swam around the underwater city. The ground was covered with coral reefs and seagrass, with kelp forests scattered around. Seaponies had crafted tables and chairs for adults to sit around and chat. At the same time, their fry played around the open seabeds, emulating the relaxing park environment on the surface.

There were some unique activities underwater. A group of seaponies were having a music session, with music made from clam shells tied together with sea foam in between. The gang enjoyed listening to the rhythmic tones that travelled across the water.

Ocean Flow then took them all to her hanging house, and it was easy to see why the places looked so bright from the outside. The interior was an open floor plan with a ceiling light shining up the room, and all the walls of the octagonal room were primarily translucent.

As host, she provided food for the guests. She served kelp fritters, Silverstream’s favourite. The gang were surprised at how much kelp tasted better underwater. Perhaps changing into part sea creatures had some role in it.

While everyone was busy having lunch, Gallus took time to look out one of the windows. Ocean Flow’s house was one of the closest ones to the largest hanging house in Seaquestria, the underwater palace. It was shaped like a jellyfish, with several layers. The largest one appeared to bloom outwards. He thought it must have been nice for Queen Novo to have her own house with such a view.

Its glow made all the Sea Fleet Guards swimming around it visible from a distance, silhouettes on patrol carrying their diamond-shaped spears. But then, he could see seaponies swimming between where he was at the palace. It was two seaponies with sea fleet guards in front and behind them.

He recognised the tall and elegant white figure with the vibrant purple mane flowing out of her crown as Queen Novo herself, gracefully swimming along with a smile as she looked at the peaceful settlement below her.

What surprised Gallus was his instant recognition of the other seapony she was with. He had a slightly shorter, sleek pink body with a bright blue mane that flowed like a river, a seapony he’d seen many times by the lake near the School of Friendship. It was Silverstream.

Gallus hadn’t seen her since the night before he went out sailing with the Navy. He couldn’t help but wonder if she missed seeing him as much as he missed seeing her. He snuck outside the house to get a closer look. She looked calm, smiling and nodding along to whatever her aunt appeared to be saying. He thought it must be casual, given how Silverstream used to talk about the two of them being close.

Then, one moment, Silverstream turned her head and looked in his direction. Gallus felt his heart jump, another surprise for him. He wondered if she could see him. Maybe she’d be happy to see him back? He smiled as his hopes arose and gave a big wave.

Sure enough, she noticed. She grinned and waved back. However, it wasn’t a big wave, and her head and body contracted as she smiled, appearing more like an uncomfortable wince.

It wasn’t the reaction Gallus hoped for. His smile and wave slowly faded as Silverstream and Queen Novo turned around and swam further away from him. He continued to watch them, unaware that Ocean Flow noticed the scene from the window and laid a fin on his shoulder with a disappointed sigh.

“I’m sorry Silverstream isn’t her usual happy self. She’s been all over the place since she’s got here,” she confided.

“Yeah, I think I know why…”

“We figured with how much she adores both of her homes, she’d be excited about taking up Royal Duties, but something has changed…”

“Royal Duties?” Gallus became puzzled. He heard that phrase before… Skybeak said it about being unable to join the Navy.

“Did she ever tell you about them?”

“No…?”

“Well, Seaquestria and the Hippogriff Isles are ruled by a monarch such as my sister Novo, but it’s tradition for the monarch to delegate their family to care for the country and its citizens.” Ocean Flow explained. “As such, when a family member becomes an adult, they are assigned Royal Duties. Silverstream was supposed to get hers after turning eighteen. Still, she wanted to stay in Equestria as a teacher, so I convinced Novo to postpone until the end of term.”

It intrigued Gallus; the entire country was managed mainly by a whole family, with each member playing a part. It would explain why Silverstream was here. It wasn’t just to help him and his Academy friends out. However, it also brought up a concerning thought. “So, when the term ends in the summer, does that mean she’ll have to move back here and stay?” he asked.

“That’s for Novo to decide, but if we’re going by tradition, Silverstream will have duties either down here or on one of our islands.”

“And what about her friends in Equestria?”

Ocean Flow’s eyes started to wonder. “There may be times to go abroad, but again, that’s for Novo to decide.” She answered, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

His eyes widened, and it quickly made sense to Gallus why Silverstream wasn’t her overly cheery and excited self. It seemed strange at first, knowing she always loved this place as her home and never passed up a chance to share her stories of it. However, Gallus also knew how much she loved her friends, not just him. Even in the letters he had gotten from her, she loved to share what each had gotten up to.

But sounds like she’s being forced to live away from her friends by taking up these Royal Duties. Gallus felt a familiar resentment brewing up in him. “Does she get a say in any of it?” he pressed her, his arms folded and eyes narrowed.

Impressively, Ocean Flow held her calm and positive form. “As much a say as her parents did once the Storm was gone. I wouldn’t worry, though; my sister is far more lenient than our parents.” She pushed back. “Skybeak had always been close with Mount Aris, and he feels so proud of his hard work making it such a happy and vibrant place for the hippogriffs. As for me, I’ve always found the ocean so calm and free. I’d like to think I’ve done well brightening up this place, don’t you think?”

“True, this place looks much better than how Princess Twilight described them before the Storm King’s defeat.” Gallus conceded the pair of them have made the two cities a happy place from the offset. He then shook himself back to his irritated self to argue further. “Though, is that kind of system fair for Silverstream? No offence, but even for you and Prince Skybeak, it doesn’t sound perfect. I mean, you do live apart…”

As if a light was switched off, Ocean Flow’s mood was changed; her smile had evaporated, and her voice deepened. “When Skybeak was in the Sea Fleet, there were occasions where he’d ‘Go to the Surface’.” She began to explain, making a quoting gesture with her fins.

“He’d lead a squad to one of the islands, survey the land, take resources, rescue hippogriffs, and bring them back to Seaquestria. In the seventeen years of the Storm, Skybeak surfaced ten times. He’d be gone for a week usually, but the longest was six months, and not every seapony who went to the surface came back. He could have said no, but as a prince, how would it have looked if he didn’t go while others were ordered to?” She asked rhetorically, but in her brief pause, Gallus was speechless with his eyes wide and his beak locked open, unable to say a word.

“As a family, there are times when our duties make our lives difficult, but when we have hippogriffs and seaponies who look up to us, we help them. Living apart means our situation isn’t perfect. Still, whenever I go up to the surface now, I know my dear is on Mount Aris, safe and making our hippogriffs happy.” Gallus wasn’t sure what was more terrifying, Silverstream’s mother staring him down, the stress Ocean Flow had to put up with seeing her husband go into danger so often, or how she suddenly sprung back to her cheery self afterwards like the light was switched back on.

“Not to mention, it’s gotten easier ever since Princess Twilight Sparkle brought those three fillies who suggested hippogriffs and seaponies should have picnics on the beaches. We’ve made them a regular thing, and our citizens love spending time together. So, why do you think Silverstream isn’t happy?”

“Uh, um… yeah”, Gallus reacted in a panic, almost missing the question that was asked. “I thought it’s just a lot on her mind, what you said and stuff…”

Ocean Flow chuckled and patted Gallus on the back. “I’ll talk with her once she’s finished meeting with Novo,” she said. She didn’t appear to be upset with Gallus, even if her approach to giving him some perspective was a little on the scary side. She then turned back into the house where the rest of the gang had long finished eating. “How about I take you all to the Hidden Cavern? It’s getting late, and I’m sure the Navygriffs are waiting for you.”


The Hidden Cavern was an incredibly apt name. It was a literal cavern hidden in the bottom corner of Seaquestria, hidden behind rocks and moss. If it wasn’t for Ocean Flow, the gang would have had no chance of finding it. Fortunately, coming out of the hidden cavern, they could hear the signs that the Navy hippogriffs were there.

“Oh, we’ll be alright if the wind is in our sails,
We’ll be alright if the wind is in our sails,
We’ll be alright if the wind is in our sails,
And we’ll all hang on behind!

And we’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
We'll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll all hang on behind!”

Everything inside the bar appeared to have been chiselled from the rocks inside: the bar, the tables, and even the stage where the Navy hippogriffs turned seaponies were hogging to sing shanties. Near the front of the group, a yellow seapony with red fins face glowed within the dark cave as he recognised the gang and swam over every seapony to approach them.

“Hey! You’re here!” exclaimed Solar Flare, with a mixture of joy and relief.

“No thanks to you.”

The noise of chatter and music drowned out Scythe’s glaring remark. “We were able to get a lift down after we couldn’t find you.” Gallus almost shouted so he could hear himself.

“Ah, sorry! Lost track of time, but I’ll make it up to you.” he quickly swam up to the bar, “Hey, barkeep, five deep lagoons for my buddies, please, on my tab.”

The barkeep then poured out five drinks from five carved-out cups. At least the gang assumed they were drinks. When the gang looked inside the cup, it was just one giant bubble. “Just down it like it’s booze from the surface!” Solar Flare advised.

One by one, each downed their drink. The bubble fell into their mouths and burst once closed, filling their insides with flavour.

“Woah, this stuff is amazing! I’ll take another!” Nicknames shouted, clearly enjoying the drinks. With that, the party started.


Once more drinks were had, the party was in full swing. Seaponies filled up the bar and tables, and music was playing so loud that the vibrations travelled across the water. It was impressive how any seapony could hold a conversation.

The gang joined the Navygriffs on a stage, sharing more drinks and singing along to the music while the lights inside the dark cave pulsed and changed colours. That is except for one.

Scythe stood away from the stage and sat on a table alone. Unlike his friends, he still had the first drink that was given to him. He stared into the bubble, bouncing around the cup's rim, the alcoholic mixture swirling around. He doesn’t drink alcohol, and he’s not confident about going up on a stage, so he feels stuck in the sea of seaponies having a fun time with each other.

Taking a deep breath, he considers taking the drink. One side of his mind tells him it might make him relax, have fun, or forget about his nerves. It’s not like he can go anywhere else while his Academy buddies are all here, and he doesn’t have a way of returning home.

However, not only does he not like the taste, but the other side of his mind is also warning him that he might have less control over himself, he might want more drinks, he could end up in trouble, and what if he got caught, what if it could affect his career…

Suddenly, he felt a fin tap him on his right shoulder. It caused him to seize up briefly in shock.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“What?

Scythe heard something in that direction, but because of the music and crowds cheering around the cavern, he couldn’t listen. He turned towards its direction and saw a white seapony, at least as far as he could tell from the coloured lights bouncing off him.

The seapony also had a bright blue mane that looked like blades of seaweed going from the top of his head to the back of his neck. Scythe tilted his head; the seapony seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn’t put a hoof on why.

Then, his eyes widened as recognition dawned on him. He swore he looked like a timid royal hippogriff he saw in that tourist guide omnibus. He just had to be sure…

“Are you Terramar?”

“What?”

“You’re Terramar, right?”

The seapony looked just as puzzled as Scythe was, incapable of hearing what was being said. As such, he pointed towards the cavern's entrance and slowly began moving in that direction.

Quickly understanding the visual cue, Scythe left his drink on the table and swam out to follow the seapony. The pair pushed and squeezed through the crowd until finally seeing the light at the cavern's end and the noise fading to a volume low enough to try another attempt.

“Terramar, right?” asked Scythe. “Silverstream’s brother.”

The seapony gave a slanted grin. “Yeah, that’s me.” He answered, coyly rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re one of Gallus’ friends?”

“I’m Scythe.” He nodded, then held out his fin. Terramar took the offer and gently shook fins.

“I figured, just couldn’t help but notice you felt left out.”

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of these loud parties,” Scythe admitted, glancing down as he felt discouraged.

“Yeah, I get that. I’m only here because a few friends dragged me down,” Terramar confessed. “Can’t blame them. Silverstream likes coming here, but I’m not like her. I prefer calm places, the Harmonizing Heights above the surface of the coral reefs.”

They both looked up and away from the caverns, witnessing the full scope of the underwater city. The houses and palace appeared to float in the sky, shining a soft pink glow in all directions that touched the walls and ceilings. Sometimes, fish would swim by, blocking the light and leaving a beam of natural light in its place.

Scythe smiled as his eyes shimmered while watching the view. “Yeah, this part looks nice”, he agreed.

“Any other parts of our nation you like?”

“Well…” Scythe recalled his experience with the Navy and the journey they took. “Ludo Isle was nice”, he answered. We got to fly around the mountains for a bit before sailing back. There was one local we met that spoke a language that I hadn’t heard before.” He awkwardly attempted to pronounce the phrase that the shopkeeper used in reaction to his presence: “Lio mah-kaa-eeka-ee”.

Terramar’s ears perked up. “Ah, that’s Olelo” he replied. “It’s how hippogriffs used to speak before…” he winced as his voice trailed for a bit. “I was born, at least. I know a few words myself.”

Scythe felt his heart skip, a rare moment to hear a foreign language from another speaker! “Like what? Can you tell me?” he asked with intrigue.

“Sure! So…” Terramar pats his chest. “Lio Kai.” He then points at Scythe. “Lio”.

Scythe pauses to figure out the words. He recognised they referred to Terramar and himself directly. “So, I’m Pony, and you’re Sea… Pony?” he guesses.

Terramar nodded as Scythe got it right and then continued by pointing his fin upwards. “Lani.” Then, with both arms, he spread them out and around himself. “Wai.

It was more challenging. With the first word, Scythe briefly glanced upwards as he assumed it referred to direction. Still, the second had a gesture suggesting something around Terramar. What’s upward and is similar to what’s around him.

He then recognised that Wai was close to Kai, the word for Sea. What can be found upwards, and what does the sea have?

“Sky and Water?”

Terramar nodded again. He was right.

Scythe was fascinated and leant in closer with curiosity. “How about hippogriff?” he quizzed.

Lio Manu

Scythe could feel an excitement brewing up, like a child playing with a brand new toy.

He recognised there was a pattern with the names. “So, if Kai is sea and Lio is pony, hippogriff would be manu pony. Manu being…”

“Bird,” Terramar answered with a content smile. “Hippogriffs are part pony, part-bird.”

“Well, if griffons are part bird, part lion, then they’d be Lion Manu…?”

The question stumped Terramar. The naming would fit the pattern, but when he recalled his parents talking about Gallus’ arrival on Mount Aris, he clearly heard them say griffon. “I don’t think there’s a word for griffons…” he conceded.

“How about what that hippogriff from Ludo called us?” Scythe pressed for clarification, wanting to understand the phrase that started this intrigue. “Mah-kaa-eeka-ee?”

Terramar returned another coy smile. Unfortunately, he recognised the phrase himself. “Mākaʻikaʻi”, he produced a more precise pronunciation. “it’s a word for tourist.”

There was a slight pause. The shopkeeper saw four ponies with a griffon and remarked that they must be tourist ponies. Suddenly, Scythe started to laugh, the first time he felt such humour for the first time in a long time.

It broke the awkward tension Terramar felt as he caught himself laughing, too.

“Heh, yeah, that makes sense,” Scythe sighed. “Do you have a book on how to learn Olelo?”

Terramar shook his head and gave a defeated sigh. “Aunt Novo says we lost much of our history thanks to the Storm King. I only pick up what I can from the older hippogriffs and seaponies,” he said, confessing his shamefully limited understanding of the language. “With us having more ponies to visit and do business with, I don’t think many are interested in any language not spoken by them.”

“I’m interested,” he insisted, but then hesitated. It occurred to him that he doesn’t share his interests with many ponies. Gallus only figured it out on his own. What would Terramar think about it? “I study languages, mostly through books. I like the different ways creatures speak to each other.”

Terramar raised an eyebrow with intrigue. He hadn’t heard of someone with such an interest, especially not a pony. “Cool, that’s a start,” he replied enthusiastically, which relieved Scythe. “Do you want to work in some communication job in the Equestrian military?”

Scythe hesitated again and bit his lip. He knows he already has his job as an officer in the Royal Guard, but wasn’t sure if it’s what he wanted. He also didn’t want to break any hope Terramar had, but he also didn’t want to lie either.

“Well…”

Unexpectedly, a seapony saved him. “Heeeey, Mumbles!” exclaimed Nicknames, slurring his words as he held a cup of deep lagoon beverage in his fin. “There you are. Wha’ are youz doin’ out here?” he asked as he slumped onto Scythe, who was unhappy with the new predicament.

“Oh... Nicknames, this is Terramar.”

“Whozat?” he queried as he tried to hold still and look at the blurry-looking white seapony before him.

“Silverstream’s brother”, Scythe answered before pulling close to his ear. “As in ladybird,” he whispered harshly.

Terramar gave a small wave and a forced smile as he looked on, confused and slightly concerned about the state of Scythe’s apparent friend. He looked like he had a few too many of the drinks he could barely hold in his cup. “Hey, uh, why did you call him Mumbles?” he asked.

Scythe tried to divert the conversation.

“No reas- “

“Is what ponies call him; heez had it for years ‘cuz he mumbles and talks gobbledygook when reading books.” Nicknames yelled out, pushing Scythe down to prevent him from taking over.

“Okay…?” Terramar’s voice trailed as Nicknames started to weird him out. Scythe didn’t look too comfortable either, with his reddened face pointing towards the floor.

“Come on, Mumbles, less bring you back inside where the partay is so you don weird thiz kid out.”

Terramar's forehead creased, annoyed at being called a kid. “I’m seventeen…” he refuted, as Nicknames pulled Scythe back into the Hidden Cavern. Scythe felt too ashamed to fight back. “Lio ‘ona” he remarked under his breath as his eyes narrowed.

Inside the Hidden Cavern, the Navy seaponies were about to sing another shanty as Nicknames joined in, and the party in the cavern continued for the rest of the night.

“What do we do with a drunken’ sailor?
What do we do with a drunken’ sailor?
What do we do with a drunken’ sailor,
Early in the morning?

Way-hey up she risin'!
Way-hey up she risin’!
Way-hey up she risin’
Early in the morning!”

Author's Note:

Did you know the word for a baby seahorse is Fry, and the plural of the word is Fry? It took Javarod and me part of an evening to figure that out!

Thank you all for your patience, and let's hope I can get some work so I can get back to writing stress-free!