The Ties That Bind

by Scyphi

Lingering Matters

The day that followed passed mostly without much event, which felt very relieving but also somewhat bizarre. Considering most of the week was spent constantly jumping from one alarming event to another, getting actual and consistent calm for such a prolonged length of time actually felt out of place…like Gallus had actually started to accept living in constant danger as the new norm. An idea he very much did not like, so he was still glad the trend was finally broken regardless. Especially as it meant everyone was more likely to get through the day unhurt and, most importantly, alive.

For himself and Spike, their day remained fairly chill. Since Twilight deemed the threat sufficiently passed for them to have their meals without fear of tampering, the first thing they did was to head down to the palace kitchens and have a big breakfast of…pretty much whatever they wanted. It seemed like a good way to celebrate recent victories. But they probably overdid it because, once finished, they had to drag themselves back to their room and chill for a bit so to let things digest.

After that they went down to the medical wing to visit Gruff, Spike wanting to see him now that he was out of his coma. To that end, Gruff was visibly continuing to improve, even sitting up in bed and, according to the doctors, now able to go from his bed to the bathroom under his own power, albeit at an unsteady and cautious pace. But Gruff admitted that he still got lightheaded easily if he moved too fast and figured he probably wouldn’t be leaving the medical wing for a little longer still.

“Which is annoying,” he grumbled, “because I’m getting real tired of staring at that wall in front of me.”

“Maybe we should get you a poster to look at instead,” Gallus quipped.

“You do that,” Gruff huffed back.

In any case, Spike used the chance to speak a little with Gruff. Unlike Gallus last night, he didn’t say much other than express relief that Gruff would be all right and thank him for his help sorting everything out. Also unlike last night, Gruff didn’t really dispute it and accepted the credit Spike assigned him without much protest, though he still waved it aside as if it didn’t really matter to him. What was more important to him was that the two of them survived the mess unhurt.

“After all,” he commented, “so long as someone from your family still lives, those against you have not won.”

Gallus had to give him a teasing look at that. “You didn’t say that last night.”

Gruff returned it with annoyance. “The topic never reached a point where I needed to,” he countered obtusely, even though they both knew full well that it had.

Gruff also returned the logbook to them, claiming he’d gotten what he needed to out of it, but was less than forthcoming on what his reaction to it had been. He wouldn’t even confirm whether or not he’d read it all the way through, though Gallus was fairly certain he had. Particularly when Gallus repeated to Spike some of the more flattering things Spark had written about Gruff and noticed the elder avert his eyes, looking awkward but stirred by the reminder.

In any case, they were eventually interrupted by the doctor coming in to do a checkup. So, satisfied that Gruff was healing up nicely, Gallus and Spike left him to it and started back for their room. They were debating whether or not their stomachs had emptied enough to consider getting lunch when Raven Inkwell caught up with them wishing to inform that a new arrest had taken place, that of a lowly Royal Guard who, it’d been learned, Kibitz had roped into running tasks relevant to his conspiracy for him.

“In fact,” the unicorn went on to explain as they walked, “We have reason to believe this guard was the one who placed the bomb meant to take out that assassin.”

Spike’s eyebrows went up at that. “Whoa, really?”

“Yes, though the guard insists he had no idea it was a bomb when Kibitz told him to put it there,” Raven continued. “Actually, if the testimony he’s given is truthful, he knew Kibitz was up to something but none of the details. He apparently never suspected it was anything as extreme as it turned out to be.”

“That actually makes sense,” Gallus relented, “Since Kibitz clearly didn’t like to leave loose ends, he made sure this guard knew as little about what was actually going on as he could get away with.”

“That doesn’t exactly make him innocent though, does it?” Spike reasoned with a disappointed frown.

Raven shook her head, sharing Spike’s disappointment. “The guard’s fate ultimately depends on how much he cooperates and what other information he can give against Kibitz. But while I suspect the courts will probably go easier on him than the other conspirators, he was still knowingly complicit in the matter, so he’ll still face punishment for it and certainly be ousted from the Royal Guard regardless.”

Gallus shook his head. “Guy’s losing his career over this,” he mumbled. “Not fun.”

“No it isn’t,” Raven agreed. “But those are the consequences he chose nonetheless.”

Still, it was also good news for them because it meant there was even less chance of a conspirator still left free to otherwise try and continue the scheme. So, comforted by that reassurance, they continued on to their room. There, they decided they were indeed ready for lunch and requested some be sent to them, since that was now a luxury they had. While eating, they were then visited by Twilight who came bearing another delivery for Gallus from the School of Friendship…though this time nothing as fun as a care package from his friends.

Instead, it was a bundle of homework he’d need to get caught up on due to missing a whole week of school now. Not exactly something Gallus was super eager to do. But he at least found that, with the school now wrapping up its genealogy unit, the homework was mostly review and nothing too laborious. Plus, recent events had the upside of dramatically renewing Gallus’s passion for the subject, making it far easier to find the focus for completing the work.

Besides, Spike readily helped him get caught back up. “I won’t tell Twilight if you won’t,” he told Gallus with a wink.

Once the homework was out of the way, Spike realized suddenly that, with the worst of the conspiracy ended, he could give Gallus a proper tour of the palace. Not the routine and basic one given to the public, but an actual in-depth and behind the scenes tour of all that goes on within. As this included some of the less than flattering aspects the staff generally preferred stayed unknown, Gallus was more than game for it. So their afternoon was spent with Spike showing him all the various little hidden nooks and crannies not included on the official tours and various other points of interest as they passed them.

Towards the end though, they unexpectedly crossed paths with Ditzy, who was pleased to see them as there was a visitor wanting to meet with them. She then escorted them down to the security wing’s attached airship dock where they found none other than Dragon Lord Ember, here to take Diorite into her own custody and back to the Dragon Lands. Ember made light of this yet still managed to make abundantly clear she was not too happy with said dragon. It was also Gallus’s first chance to actually see Diorite in person, and noticed that while the dark grey with white speckling dragon kept shooting glares at Spike and Gallus in spite of being heavily bound for transport, even he was quite wary of Ember and clearly knew he was in deep, deep, trouble.

But Ember was less focused on Diorite, who she passed off to a group of hulking dragons serving as her escorts, and much more on Gallus and Spike. So once the initial round of greetings was over, she was unsurprisingly swift getting to her point. “You’ve tested that you’ve definitely got some dragon blood, right?” she asked specifically of Gallus.

“Yeah, the doctors did a whole bunch of tests a couple days back,” Gallus confirmed without elaborating, not really wanting to relive it.

Ember smirked. “I have a better way of checking,” she said before tossing Gallus her scepter. “Catch!”

Startled, Gallus grabbed the crystalline scepter without even thinking about it. The moment he did, the red gemstone nestled in its claw-like tip glowed and he felt a sense of vitality steadily grow within him. “…whoa,” he murmured, taken aback by the unexpected sensation.

“Pretty neat, right?” Ember said with a smirk, clearly expecting this and amused by Gallus’s reaction. “Now command Spike to do something.”

“Uhhh,” Gallus began, feeling put on the spot. Instinctively thrusting the scepter in Spike’s direction, he ended up uttering the first thing he thought of. “Spike, I command you to sucker punch Ditzy!”

“Aw what?” Spike bemoaned immediately. “Why was that the first—mmmm!” He cut himself short when a faint magical glow enclosed him.

Gallus wasn’t sure what exactly that glow was doing, but it apparently urged Spike into obeying by half-heartedly spinning around to swing a fist at Ditzy. Without even looking at him, Ditzy easily caught it with her hoof. Undeterred, Spike swung with his other fist and scored a light bop to the pegasus’s shoulder. It was hardly a punch at all, but as it still fulfilled the letter of the command, whatever magic was involved was satisfied and released its grip on Spike. Gallus likewise felt a foreign flare of…satisfaction, he supposed—he wasn’t sure how else to describe it—signifying his command had been completed.

Amazed, Gallus regarded the scepter with awe. “…cool!” he breathed, impressed.

“That’s the bloodstone scepter for you!” Ember said as her smirk turned pleased. “But I’m going to need that back now.”

And she snatched the scepter back out of his talons before Gallus even had the chance to react. “Whoa, wait!” he cried, making a blind fumble after it. The moment it left his grasp, he felt the power it granted slurp back out of him again, leaving him with a feeling that was…not so much empty, but its absence was still noticeable. “What…what was that?”

“The magic of the bloodstone scepter,” Ember explained with a shrug, like it didn’t need explaining. “It’s what gives a dragon lord their authority over other dragons.”

Gallus’s face screwed up as he started piecing it together. “So…wait…are you saying that, for a second there, I had the authority of a dragon lord?”

“Yup!” Ember confirmed, pleased he understood. “More importantly though, that proves you’ve got dragon blood, and no small amount of it too or else the scepter would’ve refused to transfer any power at all.”

“…dang,” Gallus muttered, turning it over in his head.

Ember nodded before continuing. “Though this also means that, technically? You fall under my domain as one of my subjects.”

That made Gallus go bug-eyed for a second. “…oh,” was all he could think to say to that. But then what else was he supposed to say once told he counted as a dragon citizen?

Spike and Ditzy both seemed taken aback by that reveal too. “So…what does that mean?” Ditzy asked after a moment when neither Gallus nor Spike did.

Ember just shrugged. “Really just they’ll both have to adhere to the laws and rules of the dragons if and when they ever apply or else they’ll have to answer to me. But if they keep staying anywhere but the Dragon Lands like they have been, I don’t think it’ll come up all that often.”

Gallus scratched the back of his head. “Well, I guess it hasn’t yet to date, so…” he mumbled.

But then Spike suddenly perked up. “Actually, it might’ve already!” he declared as he looked to the griffon. “Gallus, do you remember a time about, oh, maybe four or five years ago where you got this burning itching sensation all over your body?”

“…burning itch?” Gallus repeated with a hum, reviewing his memories. “Oh! Yes! Good Grover, I just about drove myself mad trying to scratch that relentless itch! It was like I had rolled around in a huge patch of poison ivy, except there was no rash, so no one had any clue why—” he abruptly stopped as his mind connected the dots. “Wait, you’re saying that was because of some dragon thing?”

“Yup, the call of the dragon lord,” Ember replied with an almost sagely nod, having caught on to what Spike was asking. But she dismissively waved it aside. “But you can blame my father for that one.”

“Wait, but wasn’t that so to gather every dragon for the Gauntlet of Fire?” Ditzy inquired, also understanding, “so to have them compete and see who’d be the next dragon lord?”

Gallus suddenly recalled this from his friendship lessons. “Wait, are we saying I had the chance to compete for the title of dragon lord?”

“If you wanted to,” Ember confirmed, “Awesome, right?”

Gallus, however, just waved his talons around awkwardly and felt like he’d completely missed out without even knowing it.

Ditzy gave him a reassuring pat with her wing. “No offense, Gallus, but it’s probably for the better you missed it,” she said. “Since you would’ve been going up against molted and full-blood dragons, I kind of doubt you would’ve stood much of a chance.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Ember retorted. “I mean Spike did it, didn’t he?”

“I did,” Spike confirmed with a proud nod.

So Gallus went back to sulking about how he’d missed out anyway.

In any case, as Ember geared up to leave with her dragon escorts, Diorite in tow, she promised that she wouldn’t allow actions such as Diorite’s to ever happen again, and any dragon who tried would live to regret it. And she said it with such conviction that it was hard to doubt even a single word of that vow.

“Determined, isn’t she?” Ditzy commented after the dragons had flown off. “But you know? I have absolute confidence that she’ll totally do it, too.”

“…Yeah,” Gallus was forced to agree with a small grin. “She just might.”

“Anyway,” Ditzy said, also turning to leave, “I’ll let you two get back to it now. I’ve got my own matters I need to get to.”

“Like what?” Spike couldn’t help but ask.

“Just something Twilight and I have been workshopping as we think ahead to what comes next.” Ditzy assured vaguely, giving them a wink with her uncovered eye. “You’ll see what I mean soon enough though.”

---

And she wasn’t entirely wrong. The rest of the evening was passed with them killing time back in their room, but first thing the following morning, they were requested to meet with Twilight in the usual dining room. There they found the alicorn princess, Raven, and also Gruff. The griffon still had his head wrapped in bandages and, despite being fully seated, was leaning on a generic looking cane (Gallus assumed it’d been loaned to him by the medical staff). But he was upright, alert, and clearly capable of moving on his own which spoke volumes about his continuing recovery.

“Good to see you can join us, Gruff!” Spike brightly commented to him as they all sat down to begin.

Gruff just shrugged though. “Still not good enough for those dang doctors though,” he grumbled, “or else they’d let me actually leave and not have to stay close by now.”

“I’ve actually been talking with the doctors about that,” Twilight assured as they were served breakfast by the kitchen staff. “And they’ve agreed to let you move into one of the palace guest rooms to finish recovering in. I think you’ll find that a bit more comfortable for you.”

Gruff simply huffed and focused on taking a big gulp of the coffee he’d been served.

Gallus, meanwhile, noticed there was a face missing from the table. “So where’s Ditzy?” he asked as he began eating his breakfast of eggs and hash browns.

“Back in the field,” Raven replied, pausing eating her own meal so to reply. “With the immediate danger having passed for now, she and the princess agreed it was time for her to move on to other assignments that, regrettably, can’t be done from here in the palace. She sends her regards though.”

“That’s actually why I’ve asked you here though,” Twilight continued, taking control of the conversation. “We still have some…lingering matters…to discuss.” She then proceeded to pull out and open a folder of documents with her magic. “But since we’re already on the topic of Ditzy….” she extracted two of the documents and slid one apiece to Gallus and Gruff. “…I’m going to have to ask that you two sign these.”

The two griffons reviewed the documents briefly. Gallus only needed to go through the first paragraph or so of legalese to understand what it was. “This is a non-disclosure agreement,” he observed, phrasing it more as a statement than a question.

Twilight nodded. “Ditzy is still an undercover operative in most of her missions, but as you both know enough to ruin that cover, I’m afraid I need you to agree to never discuss that information with any unauthorized creatures unless instructed otherwise.”

Gallus regarded the document somewhat sadly, not because he was being required to sign it but because it was required for a mare as wonderful as Ditzy. “It almost seems a pity, considering everything she’s helped do for us,” he admitted with a sigh.

“I know,” Twilight agreed apologetically. “But unfortunately, it’s just something that comes with her line of work.”

“Glory’s overrated anyway,” Gruff muttered as he scanned the document’s text.

Despite it being very clear what it was for, he and Gallus both read through their documents with a fine tooth comb before signing anything. In the Griffon Kingdom, one learned fast not to sign any legally binding documents without first making absolutely sure there was no unsavory fine print trying to trick them into something they didn’t want to. And while it was very unlikely that Twilight would try such a stunt, it was still a good practice. Once they were satisfied though, they both signed and passed them back to Twilight, who confirmed everything was in order before passing them over to Raven to handle from there.

“Another matter we need to address,” Twilight continued, “is determining to whom Spark and Gwen’s house and other property should now fall to.” She glanced at Spike and Gallus. “Since you two would obviously be the next of kin as their children, do you accept control of the property and to make decisions on its behalf?”

Caught off guard by that sudden obligation, the two exchanged hesitant glances before looking back at Twilight. “…sure?” Gallus answered tentatively. “I suppose, from the legal perspective, we might as well just to keep some other griffon from trying to claim the land for themselves.”

“I…don’t know what we’d do with an empty house though,” Spike added uneasily.

“Live in it, I’d think,” Gruff groused in response.

Gallus gave him a glare. “It’s not that simple, Gruff,” he retorted back. “We can’t just…pack up our bags and move there. What if…” he hesitated, licking the edge of his beak uncomfortably, “…what if we’re not comfortable doing that?”

Gruff blinked then quietly averted his gaze, as if conceding the point. Twilight took that moment to wave the argument aside anyway.

“All I’m asking is to formalize who’s controlling the property,” she assured. “You don’t have to decide what to do with it right now. It’s…not exactly going anywhere, after all.”

Gallus heaved a heavy sigh as he thought of another complication. “We probably can’t just give it up anyway,” he admitted as he ran a paw through his crest. “Not when Gwen’s still buried there.”

“As it happens, I might already have an idea about that,” Twilight said cryptically, “but I haven’t had the chance to sort anything out. I still need to discuss it with Lord Gestal and, if willing, Gruff as well.” Gruff perked up in surprise at that, not seeing how he fit into it, but Twilight didn’t elaborate. “We can discuss that more at a later date though. For now, Gallus and Spike, do you accept control of the property?”

Spike and Gallus glanced at each other again but ultimately it didn’t need further discussing. “We do, Twilight,” Spike opted to speak for them both.

Twilight nodded. “Then we’ll worry about the rest once you’ve had time to consider what should happen to it now.” She paused for a long moment as if bracing herself before continuing. “Now that we have that out of the way,” she went on, “and with Kibitz arrested and all indications strongly suggesting we’ve brought an end to his conspiracy and captured all of the key participants…I think it’s time we let life go back to normal for all of us.”

Gallus looked up from the breakfast he’d gone back to. “You saying what I think you’re saying?”

Twilight nodded. “Gallus, I think it’s time you went back to the School of Friendship. Starlight says your friends are missing you quite a lot, after all.”

Gallus lowered his fork. “And there’s a lot they still don’t know about all of this too,” he realized, seeing how his friends had kind of been left in the dark.

“And I’m assuming you want me getting back to my normal duties too, huh?” Spike concluded as he likewise paused eating his own pancake breakfast.

Again, Twilight nodded. “With Kibitz obviously gone from his post sooner than expected, I’m down an advisor at a critical time when I could really use the added help.” She motioned to Raven. “I’ve already promoted Raven to head advisor as Kibitz’s replacement. Do you feel you’re ready to take up your post as the assistant advisor full time?”

Spike considered it for a moment. “Well…yeah, but…” he glanced mournfully towards Gallus. “…I guess I thought we’d have more free time to…you know…”

Gallus however just shrugged in numb acceptance. “Life still needs to move on,” he observed lifelessly.

“All too true, sadly,” Twilight agreed. “I wish, for your sakes, I could put it off for a little longer. But I’ve already kept the palace effectively closed and shut down for the better part of a week now, disrupting critical and national-level operations that I can’t really justify delaying any longer than I have to. So, to that end, we’re already working to end the lockdown and reopen for more normal operations. And if we’re doing that…”

“…no point delaying the rest,” Gruff finished. He nodded his head in Twilight’s direction. “Guess that means you’ll also kick me out as soon as the doctors allow it, hmm?”

“I’m not going to force any of you to leave,” Twilight reassured. She then pointed a hoof at Gruff. “Though don’t lie, Gruff, we all know you want to leave.”

“I do,” Gruff conceded with a smug grin.

“But…” Twilight then continued more for Spike and Gallus’s benefit, “…you all have lives beyond this palace that you should be getting back to. Like Gallus said…life still needs to move on.”

Gallus took a deep breath then. “I assume you’re sorting out the needed transportation?” he asked.

“We’re arranging for guards to escort you by carriage back to the school,” Raven explained. “We can have you there as early as this afternoon…if you like.”

Gallus opted not to reply, going back to eating his breakfast with much less enthusiasm than before.

Spike, too, worked at eating his breakfast for a few thoughtful moments before finally speaking again. “Twilight? Any chance we can put off me going back on duty for just one more day?” he asked. He looked over at Gallus. “I’d…like to accompany Gallus back to the school so to…you know…see him off properly.”

Twilight grinned warmly. “Of course,” she granted without much fuss, “Though I certainly hope this won’t be a goodbye forever for you two.”

“No,” Gallus immediately confirmed with a force that surprised even himself. “We’ll be staying in touch, however we can.”

“Oh, you can bet on that much,” Spike readily agreed in a tone that said it wasn’t open for debate.

“Besides, we’re all going to have to see each other again anyway,” Gruff added. He nodded at Twilight. “I’m sure you’re going to want us testifying at Kibitz’s trial, right?”

“If you’re all up for it,” Twilight replied. “I know what happened can be traumatizing to have to relive, particularly under the stress of cross-examination, so I’d understand if you don’t want to.”

“You’d have a much stronger case if we did,” Gruff countered.

“Yes, but we also have more than ample evidence even without your testimonies that I’m confident he or his cohorts won’t be allowed to walk either way,” Twilight said before waving it aside with her hoof. “In any case, it’s probably going to be another month at the earliest before Kibitz’s court proceedings can formally begin. You have until then to decide whether to testify or not. What we probably shouldn’t put off, however, is how we want to handle those court proceedings.”

“What do you mean, Twilight?” Spike asked, not following.

Twilight sighed. “I’ve been debating whether or not we should go public with what happened,” she summed up simply.

This brought a momentary silence to the table. Even Raven, despite surely knowing this already, somberly paused what she was doing.

“Go public?” Spike finally repeated. “As in…reveal everything that happened with Kibitz?”

Twilight nodded slowly. “And, by consequence, reveal that you two are hybrids.”

Gruff thumped a fist on the table. “Absolutely not!” he declared. “We just got these two free of one group of haters, we are not going open the door for more to take their place!”

“A danger I am NOT ignorant on, Gruff,” Twilight snapped back. “I know there could be many other anti-hybrid supporters out there which going public could expose us to their antagonism.” She took a deep breath before continuing a little more calmly. “But at the same time, hiding all of this will do nothing to normalize it in the eyes of the public or teach them that it’s something they shouldn’t need to fear. Besides, after everything you’ve all suffered, you deserve that chance to live your lives as equals, regardless of who or what you are. Hiding that would only mean pretending to be something you’re not. And I think I don’t have to tell you how unfair that would be.”

Though Gruff still glowered quite a bit, he couldn’t argue that point and backed down, the fight slowly draining out of him. “…it’ll be a media circus, though,” he still forewarned.

“He’s right,” Spike agreed, eyes flickering as he thought ahead to what such a future entailed. “Until the public grows bored of the story, it’ll be hard to ever get a moment of peace.”

“I would of course pull as many strings as I’m legally allowed to try and keep the media off your backs,” Twilight promised.

Gallus, however, was thinking of other things. “It’s not so much the media I’m worried about,” he admitted. In all the hubbub of putting down the conspiracy, he hadn’t really thought about it before…but now he started to fear how his peers would react to learning he was a hybrid. What if they weren’t willing to accept that?

Raven seemed to be thinking similarly. “Public opinion is a very fickle but persistent beast,” she admitted aloud.

“And even more difficult to tame,” Twilight nonetheless agreed. “But you won’t ever tame it at all if you don’t still try.” She then took another deep breath and changed their focus slightly. “Besides, by going public, we would still be throwing the likes of Kibitz under the carriage, making it clear to the public just how monstrous his actions were, encourage them to dislike it, and send a clear signal to both Equestria and beyond that this princess will not tolerate such behavior, as punishments will be both swift and uncompromising, enough to hopefully get anyone to think twice before taking up Kibitz’s cause.”

“And by trying to win this fight, we can help make sure no one else has to suffer what you all have,” Raven added, jumping in support of Twilight’s argument. “And considering that Equestria has a lot of influence even in lands beyond…”

“That still doesn’t mean getting there will be easy,” Gruff stressed. “Trust me. I know first paw some of the things Gwen and Spark had to face. You don’t.”

“Which is why I’m discussing the subject with all of you,” Twilight said, “Because obviously you’re the ones who would be affected the most. So you tell me—do you think going public is the right choice to make?”

Gruff frowned and looked in Gallus and Spike’s direction, silently opting for them to make the call. So as was their habit now, Gallus and Spike exchanged glances, considering the matter. Gallus personally could see it both ways. On one side, he knew which would be the easiest. He and Spike had spent most of their lives with everyone already thinking they weren’t hybrids. It would be all too easy to just let them keep thinking that. But then on the other side, he knew Twilight was right. The only reasons he’d want to keep quiet was out of fear and, in a way, cowardice, unwilling to take the risk of fighting for a better future. And he could see in Spike’s eyes that he was thinking much the same thing.

So Gallus faced Twilight resolutely. “Princess, if my parents hadn’t dared to resist public opinion, no matter how cruel, none of us would be sitting here discussing it. So I think you already know what our answer is.”

Gruff tensed and to Gallus’s surprise, he saw a glint of fear in his eyes. “But they didn’t win that fight,” he pointed out, “And they paid dearly for it.”

“They died for what they believed in,” Spike retorted with a maturity that defied his age. “And they died for us. I don’t intend to repay that by chickening out because the road will be tough. I owe them—we owe them—so much more than that.”

“Besides,” Gallus added, wrapping a wing around Spike, “what good is having a family, if you’re just going to hide it away?” He pulled Spike close, shaking his head resolutely. “No, no more. This family is done hiding.”

Twilight studied them for a moment longer to make sure they were certain. She then turned her gaze to Gruff who, chastened, met her eye for a second before bowing his head and silently nodding in approval. Twilight nodded back and drew in a deep breath. “Then it’s settled,” she ruled. “We’ll make preparations to go public and, within reason, reveal the details of what happened.” She reshuffled her notes, mostly to give her hooves something to do. “When it comes time for the news to break, I’ll be sure to give you all ample warning, as well as assign any security measures for your own safety where deemed necessary, just in case.” She gave them a resolute look of her own. “Let’s make sure that, this time, history doesn’t repeat itself.”

Gallus grinned, nodding in approval. “Sounds like a plan,” he agreed.

“Good,” Twilight said. She set aside her documents. “That’s it then, that’s all I’d wanted to discuss, unless there was anything else somebody wanted to bring up?”

Some quiet glances were exchanged around the table but no one spoke up.

“Then I will make the necessary arrangements,” Twilight concluded and, gathering her things, rose from her chair. “Beyond that, I think it’s time we move to everything else we still need to do today. There’s a fair bit left, after all.”

---

Indeed, Gallus and Spike were kept busy the rest of the morning preparing to leave and packing their things. Gallus was surprised by how much he would be carrying out of the palace, considering he’d entered it with pretty much nothing but the hide on his back. It still wasn’t a considerable amount, as it all fit into the one bag he’d been courteously given (seeing he’d lost his original one back in the Griffon Kingdom) but it was still enough to surprise him. Of course, Twilight helped by giving him a few additional things to carry. Two of them were the photo album and the bloodline stone, as Twilight had gotten what she needed from them and thus returned both back to who she saw as the rightful owners. As both provided solid proof of his lineage to himself and anyone else asking, Gallus was rather glad to have them back and put them with Spark’s logbook in his bag.

She also gave him a third item, which was a sheaf of documents. Upon flipping through them, he realized that it was contact information for getting in direct contact either with the princess herself, trusted members of her staff (including both Raven and Ditzy), and even other members of Twilight’s family if necessary, should he ever need anything or again find himself in a dangerous situation. Gallus’s first thought was to hope he would never have to use it, not exactly eager to relive anything akin to recent events and would prefer a life of smooth sailing instead. But he also felt flattered to receive such support when before all this he’d felt…well, not alone, as he knew he had allies even then…but he certainly felt like he had more now than ever before.

It was a good feeling, he decided.

Not long after he and Spike had gotten some lunch, the carriage taking them to Ponyville was ready to go. Twilight, Raven, and even Gruff all came to see them off safely, though in differing ways. Raven was very professional and formal about it, but also genuine enough that Gallus knew she meant every word of her well-wishing, despite how bureaucratic it sounded. Meanwhile, Gruff’s farewells seesawed between feigned ambivalence and fretting about their continued safety—he still didn’t trust that everything really would go smoother from here on out, despite acknowledging he had little reason to assume that. So to that end, he made them promise that they would still keep an eye out for trouble. If any did arise, he managed to remain just shy of begging them not to hesitate seeking help if required. Spike and Gallus assured him repeatedly that they would until he finally let the subject drop.

Finally, Princess Twilight was more cordial and friendly with her farewells, reaffirming that she would handle sorting out the “complicated affairs” so they could focus on returning to normality, before again stating she would send word of any new developments as they came up. Then she, too, reminded them that she was always ready and willing to help if needed before saying her goodbyes. For Spike she was more casual, since Spike would be back by the end of the day. But since Gallus wouldn’t be, she was more heartfelt with him. It genuinely felt like a farewell, even though Gallus knew without a doubt he’d be seeing a whole lot more of Twilight now that they knew Spike was his brother.

Probably the part that surprised Gallus the most though was when, after expectedly giving Spike a friendly hug goodbye, she turned and gave Gallus one as well, catching the griffon off guard. He admitted to Spike after they were on their way that he didn’t know how to react to that…but it wasn’t exactly unwelcomed either.

In any case, goodbyes were made and soon they were in the carriage—notably less fancy than the one that took them to Gene Type nearly a week ago now—and flying away from Canterlot. This time the carriage was being pulled by a duo of friendly but quiet Royal Guards, but Gallus also noted that they were discreetly tailed by an additional pair of Night Guards, all no doubt to ensure nothing untoward happened to them during the trip. However the flight to Ponyville was uneventful, routine, and spent mostly in awkward silence. Gallus wanted to strike up a conversation with Spike, all too aware that he soon wouldn’t have as ready an opportunity to (the dragon having re-donned his advisor’s medallion serving as a particularly sharp reminder), but couldn’t organize his thoughts enough to get anything coherent out. Spike, it seemed, faced a similar problem.

Then at last, they were flying into Ponyville and closing in on the School of Friendship. It felt good seeing the familiar facades of the campus again. Part of Gallus couldn’t believe he was actually excited to be back at school, of course, but after spending such a turbulent week away, it just felt right…like things really were going back to normal. So leaving the carriage and guards at the entrance (where they would wait until Spike was ready to return to Canterlot), they made their way inside so to report in. With it now being a Saturday, the hallways were effectively empty as most were either out hanging with friends or in their dorms studying. This made it impossible to miss the scant few exceptions, so they saw Starlight Glimmer standing just outside her office well before she saw them.

And standing with her was Ditzy. But this time she wore no armor, wore no eyepatch, and carried no weapons. She simply wore a brown mail carrier uniform with a matching hat, squinting her uneven eyes at a bundle of letters she was haphazardly sorting through while Starlight patiently waited.

“Just a moment, I’ll get this,” the undercover mare assured as she fumbled with the letters. “It’s this one—no, this one!” She thrust a letter into Starlight’s hooves finally before making a nervous titter. “Sorry about that. It seems like no matter how many times I organize these letters, they always get mixed up again the moment I take my eyes off of them!”

“It’s okay, Ditzy,” Starlight assured, nodding to herself upon confirming she had the correct letter. “Just as long as they still get where they need to, so thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Ditzy replied, making an exaggerated salute. “But I’ll leave you to it and head on out of here.” She started down the hallway.

“Exit’s the other way, Ditzy,” Starlight patiently reminded in a manner suggesting this was common.

“I knew that!” Ditzy said as she promptly about-faced and started up the hallway instead, walking past Gallus and Spike as they arrived. “Hiya Spike and Gallus!” she greeted in her usual cheery manner. She also slipped them a sly wink as she passed.

Gallus responded with a numb wave, not daring to reply for fear he might blurt out something about this pegasus’s real nature that he shouldn’t. He turned to watch her trot down the hallway with a casual bounce to her step, amazed at how different she seemed now and not at all like the butt-kicking Night Guard he knew she really was. It also suddenly struck him that her being here the same time he and Spike arrived probably wasn’t an accident—no doubt she’d be keeping a discreet eye on him while he attended the school. That would take some getting used to.

“Hey you two,” Starlight then greeted, pulling Gallus’s attention back to her. “Nice to see you’re both safe. I know you’ve had…shall we say…a rough week?”

“So to speak,” Spike replied with a wry smile. “Did…Twilight fill you in?”

“Yes, she filled me in on the basics this morning,” Starlight assured. She eyed the two curiously for a second. “So I understand you two are really…brothers?”

“Amazingly, yes,” Spike replied with a humble shrug.

“What, can’t you see the resemblance?” Gallus quipped.

He and Spike then playfully hooked arms, pulled each other close, and shot Starlight a goofy grin apiece.

The unicorn rolled her eyes in amusement. “I see you both share the same smart-aleck gene, at least,” she responded before turning more thoughtful. “Seriously though, it’s good to see you both all right. When we heard about what happened with Gene Type, it got a lot of creatures really concerned about you two,” She nodded at Gallus, “Your friends especially. So they’ll be thrilled to see you back no worse for wear.”

“Speaking of those ragamuffins, where are they currently?” Gallus asked, suddenly eager to reunite with the others.

“Well, it is a Saturday,” Starlight hummed aloud, “so if they aren’t in their dorms, they’re probably chilling around here somewhere. I’d start with the student lounge, personally.”

So that was the first place Spike and Gallus checked. Arriving at the room’s double doors and finding them closed, Gallus knocked first before entering, just to be sure he wouldn’t be walking in unwanted. “Hello?” he called, “Anybody in there?”

There was no verbal response, but he did hear shuffling movement, suggesting someone was in there. When no objections came about them entering though, he shrugged to Spike and pushed open the door. The room beyond was surprisingly dark with the lights off and all of the drapes pulled closed over the windows. Gallus squinted so to try and determine a clear reason, but the light streaming in from the open door behind him was throwing off his night vision, so he instead turned in search of something to restore the lights.

But before he could, the lights relit on their own. “SURPRISE!” cried Gallus’s five friends in the same moment, suddenly jumping out of their hiding spots. “WELCOME BACK!”

“Oh!” Gallus declared, pulling back a step in delighted surprise. “Guys! Hey! I wasn’t expecting—oof!” He was interrupted when Silverstream abruptly tackled him, wrapping her forelegs around him in an exuberant hug. “Yeah, hi, Sil, good to see you—” Sandbar ran in so to hug him too. “And you too, Sandbar, so—” Ocellus more gently joined in as well. “All right, all right, everybody go ahead and get it out of your—” Yona, one step ahead of him, wrapped her legs around the whole group and squeezed hard enough that she lifted them from the floor. As Smolder strolled up too, Gallus met her gaze. “You gonna get in on this too?” he wheezed under all the bodies wrapped around him.

“Nah, I think you’re already getting strangled plenty,” Smolder teased and chose to give him a loving noogie instead. “Glad to see you back, dude.”

“So what am I then?” Spike, who’d been left standing to one side, sassed playfully. “Chopped lentils?”

“Nah, nah, we’re happy to see you too, dude,” Smolder assured, giving him a noogie too.

“Seriously!” Silverstream squeaked out, tightening her squeeze of Gallus who grunted in response. “We were so worried about you two!”

“Well we’re okay, so you all can chill anytime now,” Gallus managed to gasp out under all the hugging he was still enduring.

“Yeah, I think Gallus would like to be able to breathe again guys,” Spike advised with a smirk while Smolder stifled a snicker.

Getting the hint, the group finally released Gallus. “Sorry,” Sandbar apologized as they dispersed. “We’re just excited to see you again!”

“So when Headmare Starlight alerted us that you’d be back today, we wanted to be sure to give you a warm welcome,” Ocellus added before motioning to how the room had been lightly decorated for an impromptu party. “Hence all of this, so to celebrate your safe return.”

“We even made a cake!” Silverstream added before darting off and bringing over a small cake so Gallus could see. Congrats on not dying! was written atop its vanilla icing.

“Let me guess,” Gallus remarked, raising an eyebrow at the word choice. “This was Smolder’s idea.”

“Nope! It was all my idea, words and all!” Silverstream beamed, ignorant of the peculiarity of the cake’s message.

“Ah, well, that would’ve been my second guess,” Gallus assured in stride.

That spurred a few chuckles from the group.

“What did happen to Spike and Gallus out there, though?” Yona then asked as Silverstream set aside the cake. “Headmare say Doctor Gene Type tried to attack you and Princess Twilight locked down castle to protect you, but did not tell details.”

Gallus and Spike exchanged glances. “Uh…it’s kind of a long story,” Spike admitted sheepishly, knowing how much of a shock it would be.

“Well, we don’t have anywhere else to be, so you can start filling us in any time now,” Smolder pointed out.

Gallus took a deep breath. “All right then,” he said slowly as he reached into his bag and pulled out the photo album, Spark’s logbook, and the bloodline tablet. “But trust me—you’re all going to want to sit down for this.”

So they did and the story was explained from the start, Gallus and Spike regularly alternating as they went along while the rest sat with rapt attention. They mostly left out Ditzy’s involvement, instead only vaguely referring to her as “the Night Guard,” but everything else was openly discussed. They also showed the album’s photographs and demonstrated the bloodline tablet lighting up at their touch so to prove the tale’s validity. The further they got into it, the more shocked the others grew. By the end, they were all wide-eyed with more than one jaw hanging open.

“…so once we had that all sorted out,” Gallus finally concluded, “Twilight made arrangements for me to come back to the school, and…I guess that brings us to here and now.” He paused to study the expressions of his friends, trying to gauge what they were thinking, but the only clear thing he got was their universal shock. He swallowed uncomfortably. “So…any questions?”

There was a beat before Smolder raised her paw as if they were in class. “So you’re legit half dragon?” she asked, pointing a claw at Gallus.

Gallus sheepishly rubbed the back of his head for a moment. “…Yeah,” he admitted slowly, concerned she was about to take issue with it.

Spike didn’t seem as worried. “He is as half-dragon as I am,” he added as a teasing quip.

“Huh.” Smolder went quiet for another moment before giving her thigh an exuberant slap and jabbing a claw at Gallus. “I KNEW there was a reason I liked you!”

And just like that, the tension was broken. Gallus burst out laughing at Smolder’s response with everybody else gleefully joining in.

“Oh, it’s wonderful you two found out you’re family!” Silverstream gushed with glee, “How heartwarming!”

“And it’s so cool that you’re half-dragon, Gallus!” Sandbar said before remembering Spike and added, “and that you’re half-griffon, Spike! You’d never guess just from looking at either of you!”

Spike snorted in amusement. “How do you think we felt when we found out?” he replied with a chuckle.

“It’s fascinating, though!” Ocellus remarked, her eyes alight with intellectual awe. “I’ve heard of research about hybridization of this level before, but to not only meet an actual example of it but also learn that they’re two of my own friends…”

“Does this mean you have abilities of dragons and griffons?” Yona asked the two newfound brothers.

Silverstream gasped loudly. “Ohmigosh, Gallus, can you breathe fire?!”

“Ah, no, unfortunately not,” Gallus admitted reluctantly.

“Well, he can produce a starter spark,” Spike clarified, “but…”

“Dude, you can produce a starter spark?” Smolder interrupted, her eyes alight with possibilities. “I mean, it’s still not firebreath, sure, but for a creature like you to be able to do even that much…” she shook her head in amazement. “You never told me you could do something like that!”

“I didn’t even know I could until, like, a couple of days ago, Smolder!” Gallus reminded with an exasperated chuckle. “A lot of this is things that are kind of not easy to see anyway, like the few scales hidden under my coat on my back, and…”

“You have scales?!” Smolder shouted, jumping to her feet in shock. Before Gallus could answer, she’d run up to him and was feeling along his backbone for said scales. It wasn’t long before she’d found them and was running her claw tips over them. “Oh my freaking gosh, you DO!”

And then all of Gallus’s other friends crowded around him so to get a chance to feel his hidden scales. Spike snickered as he watched Gallus stand there bearing it with increasingly strained patience. “I think it’s safe to say they have no issue with us being hybrids, Gallus,” he noted in approval.

Despite the unwanted attention, Gallus couldn’t help but grin at that reassuring thought. “Yeah, it does,” he agreed with pleased relief before finally swatting away the probing limbs. “All right, all right, guys, that’s enough of that. Now! That cake you made is looking pretty tasty, so how about we finally start cutting into that, hmm?”

---

They then spent most of the next few hours catching up after that. A lot of it was spent quizzing Spike and Gallus about everything being a hybrid entailed with some of the expectations of his friends being so out there that Gallus almost had to laugh at how mundane the actual reality felt by comparison. But in the end, he was just relieved his friends still accepted him like nothing had changed. It made him wish aloud that the rest of the world was more willing to do that, leading to them all voicing several shared frustrations on the subject.

And the less said about Kibitz the better, because it was quickly found that if any of them got going about him…it was sort of hard to stop.

Ultimately though, they wanted to focus on happier times. So whenever they weren’t discussing or celebrating their reunion, they were just hanging out as friends like normal. This was, after all, still a party, and so party-related activities were required, including the usual array of party games. But like with all parties, the fun had to end eventually, so once they’d exhausted all of the games and were starting to crash from all the sugar they’d unwisely ingested, things wound down to the point that they had to call it a day. Which meant it was also time for Spike to head back for Canterlot.

Gallus naturally escorted the dragon back out to the carriage still waiting for him at the school’s entrance. He’d invited his friends to come with, but they’d all opted to bid their farewells in the hallway rather than accompany the two down. Gallus suspected they’d come to the unspoken agreement that the two brothers needed this moment to themselves, not have others butting into it. A sentiment Gallus appreciated, but it also only made him all the more aware of how he was going to have to say goodbye, even just a temporary one, to the little brother he still felt he’d only just got. And suddenly he wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

Spike notably hesitated too when it came time to step aboard the carriage, looking like he was searching for reasons to delay for as long as he could. “Well,” he remarked awkwardly, “Guess this is it.”

“I, uh, guess so,” Gallus replied back probably just as awkwardly. “But, you know, just until the next time we can meet up.”

“I know, I know,” Spike said, rolling his eyes at himself. He sighed, gazing out at Canterlot in the distance. “I’m just going back to the palace to…start working full time as the assistant advisor now.”

“Hey, now, don’t be like that,” Gallus objected with a reassuring grin. “You’ll do great at the assistant advisor thing. After all, it was your bureaucratic knowledge that helped bring down Kibitz.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Spike admitted with a small grin. He waved a paw at Gallus. “I’m sure you’ll likewise continue to do fine at the school too. You’ve got lots of creatures looking out for you here, after all.”

“So do you,” Gallus reminded, “Both here and in Canterlot.”

“Right,” Spike agreed with a nod. “I’m sure we’re both going to be fine.”

At least, that was what he said, but Spike still didn’t seem reassured. Wanting to do something to try and correct this, Gallus sought inspiration before abruptly realizing he still carried his bag, having never gotten around to taking it off his back earlier. “You know, I think it’d be a bit unfair if I hung onto all of these,” he told Spike as he slowly reached around and pulled out the logbook from it. “So…I think you should be the one to hold onto this.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t take that from you,” Spike immediately objected when Gallus tried to hand it to him. He frowned sadly. “Besides…I barely even appear in that at all.”

“Exactly,” Gallus resolutely replied. “I think you need the reminders it contains more than I do.”

Spike looked at him for a long moment as he processed what he was getting at then slowly accepted the logbook into his grasp. He held it close to his chest for a brief moment before taking in a deep breath. “In that case,” he said as he moved to put it into his own bag, “I have to insist you hold onto the bloodline stone and the photo album, because that’s what you need more.”

Gallus grinned faintly and nodded in agreement. “Fair enough.”

There was a beat of silence. Finally Spike gave up resisting and ran to Gallus, grabbing him in a longing hug. “I’ll write,” he promised as he tried not to tear up, “As soon as I can and as often as I can.”

“Me too,” Gallus replied, readily giving the little dragon a tight squeeze as he wrapped his wings around him. “And I’ll try and come up to Canterlot to visit as often as I can. Maybe I can get Starlight to allow me to fly up there on the weekends or something. Just…anything so I can still…” he closed his eyes, “…still see my bro as often as I can.”

He felt Spike nodding his head in agreement against his front. “Please do,” he replied.

Now Gallus was nodding in agreement. He took in a deep breath and, despite not wanting to, ended the hug and pulled Spike back a step. “Just remember…this isn’t a goodbye forever. Our lives might need us to be in different spots right now, but that’s just a temporary thing. That still won’t change anything about us, or make us less close.” He grinned encouragingly. “Not after everything we’ve been through. If Kibitz and the rest couldn’t keep us apart forever, little less will.” He gently took Spike by the shoulders. “Remember that…especially now.”

Spike kept nodding his head, so much so Gallus wondered if he was even aware he was doing it. “I will,” he promised softly then, drawing in a deep breath, he straightened his posture boldly as if bracing himself. “I will.”

Having thus adequately braced himself then, he finally proceeded to turn and step aboard the carriage. He was about to signal to the Royal Guards pulling it, who’d graciously been keeping quiet while the two talked, but then stopped and looked the griffon right in the eye. “Gallus,” he began seriously, genuinely, “I’m glad you’re my brother.”

Gallus hoped the shudder in the inhale he took at that wasn’t too obvious. “Me too,” he replied.

Spike nodded one last time as he sat down and finally signaled for the guards to depart. “We’ll meet up again soon,” he vowed as they prepared to take off. “And it will be soon.”

“It will,” Gallus confirmed, “I promise.”

Spike, despite everything, had a big grin on his face. “Until then, bro,” he said.

At that point, the carriage took off, rising up into the evening sky before looping back around to starting heading for Canterlot. Gallus remained standing outside and watching it leave until it finally grew too small for him to see any longer.

Author's Note:

Mostly just tying up loose ends with this chapter, hence it's title. My only real regret with it is that I originally had a longer sequence written for the Ember scene, but ultimately had to trim it down a fair bit both for length and because it was making the chapter feel meandering and unfocused as it was. Otherwise, accomplished what was needed with this chapter.

And c'mon...you really thought I wouldn't get the rest of Gallus's friends back in this for one last cameo before the story ended? Silly readers.

Anyway, the last chapter will be Monday!

Comments

[Sunny Rose]

Well now we certainly know why Gallus was the only not to stay in Ponyville. Went to have a life nice and close to the family he always wanted, luckily still close to the best friends he could ever ask for.

Gallus, whose name means a bird who calls the dawn, you are a blessed birb in the wake of your tragedy!

Crying well before the finale!

[SpikeSmolder fan]

Awww that was beautiful! So glad we got to see Gallus knucklehead buddies here not caring about the hybrid issue one bit & taking it in stride, that part with them feeling around Gallus back looking for scales was hilarious, especially Smolder's! (Smollus anyone?)

The 2 saying goodbye at the end though really got me in the feels again, well played!

[Auta5tic]

I feel like we’re going to see a pony version of the:
Possible trigger warning
Ku Klux Klan