Good Intentions

Ocellus had splayed herself out on a pile of pillows and was currently meditating, her eyes closed and breathing relaxed. After Gallus had stormed out of the dorm lounge the place had lost its appeal and she had withdrawn herself. As usual her mind had insisted to linger on on her friends plight and after a few unsuccessful attempts to tell herself that meddling was a bad idea she had thrown herself onto her favorite pillow pile and began to ponder on a solution.

She had only a rough idea of what had transpired, something about Gallus and Smolder holding a secret from Silverstream. The details didn't matter too much, everything could be fixed with a good apology. But sadly the gryphon had insisted on trying to justify himself instead of telling Silverstream the one thing she needed to hear. As much as Ocellus adored her friends, she sometimes grew frustrated at how obtuse they could be. Too often they derail into unnecessary bickering over something small until they realize both parties were not nearly as upset at each other as they thought.

It was almost like they lacked one of their core senses, the simple ability to feel another creature's emotions and respond accordingly. Ocellus's nose twitched, and her perfect concentration slipped into a sly grin as she brought a hoof to face. They weren't changelings.

As she rolled off her pillow mountain Ocellus considered asking headmare Twilight to teach a repeat lesson on "Communication: Sharing emotions, not building walls.", her friends must have slept through that one. However, for now she would have to take things into her own hooves, and she already had a plan. She would just have to use her senses as an intermediate and explain to both of them what they really felt, should be simple enough.

knock knock knock

The timid knocks on the wooden door echoed past the entrance and into the dorm room beyond, and were met by a long silence. Ocellus held her smile and eyes confidently glued on the name-plaque.
Silverstream

Despite the claims to be associated with such an spirited creature the door and its owner stayed eerily quiet. Luckily, just as a twinge of uncertainty began to creep into Ocellus's mind the door finally swung open to reveal a tattered looking half-gryph. Her eyes had been aiming for a target about a head taller than Ocellus, and only after a moment registered their mistake and adjusted. As Silverstream began to realize she had mistaken the identity of her visitor she forced a warm smile onto her beak, contrary to the sour emotions seeping from her.

"Ocellus, what a surprise! Sorry about the wait, I was just..." Silverstream stalled for a moment and Ocellus could tell that her mind was working in overdrive, then turned away and came back with a duster in one claw, holding it up like it was some great treasure. "Cleaning!"

Her voice made a brave attempt at sounding convincingly upbeat but Ocellus knew well enough how she was really feeling. And that was fine, great even, otherwise she would have felt quite silly coming here. Doing her best to imitate the calm and soothing voice Fluttershy often used on her critters, the changeling began to explain.

"Hey Silverstream. I know Gallus messed up, but he would never intentionally hurt you. It's plain to see that he was hurting over what happened. If you gave him another chance to apologize, I am sure he would be eager to set things right."

Ocellus's words hang in the air as them moment dragged on, Silverstream blinked in surprise and slowly drifted the claw still clutching her prized duster toward the ground. Her smile drooped as she tilted her head sideways, then chirped in what sounded like her version of an annoyed sigh. By the time the hippogryph deemed it reasonable to speak the atmosphere had already already grown tense.

"I am not hurting because we had a fight, I am hurt because he hurt me. If this is his idea of making amends, it's a really bad one!" She huffed and flopped down onto her haunches, staring down the changeling with suspicion, even as her initial anger began to fade. "I am sorry Ocellus. I know you mean well, but he shouldn't have send you, if he wants to ask for forgiveness he can gryph up and do so in person."

The changeling was unsure how to respond, her mind failing to find a satisfying answer to her friend's suspicion. And as the silenced dragged on the brooding hippogryph grew tired of waiting. "I need to get back to cleaning my room, but thanks for checking up on me Ocellus. If you happen to see Gallus, feel free to let him know where to find me."

Silverstream brought a claw to the door, signaling her intent to bring the conversation to an end but did not motion to close it without giving Ocellus time to speak. With her mind struggling to find anything helpful to add the changeling resolved to make do with a sympathetic smile and quick nod "Goodnight Silver, I am sure he'll come around." and then turned away, hearing a somber goodnight and the clack of the door closing behind her.

Despite the deflating response and obvious setback this had been, Ocellus felt only more certain of her task. Even Silverstream's bitter tone could not hide it, that underlying twinge of excitement and joy when the hypogryph thought about Gallus. Sure, Silver was genuinely mad at him, but it wasn't like she didn't want to forgive the Gryphon, she was just too stubborn to make the first move.

That meant Gallus had to be the one to own up, which Ocellus was sure he would do, he always did. But that could be days from now, days the two spend brooding in their rooms. All the while they be missing lessons and dragging the mood down for everycreature, such unnecessary waste of good time and moments to be had.

"Unless..."

A smirk crept onto Ocellus's muzzle and she glanced back at the door she had just left, then over to the door at the end of the hall. Maybe leading the bird to the water was not going to cut it this time, maybe this water had to come to the bird. She let the thought linger in her mind as she trotted towards Gallus's door.

Once she reached the door the changeling paused, struggling to reassert the righteous nature of her plan. Of course Ocellus was quite skilled at changing forms, a skill she had been taught to foster in the days before Chrysalis's defeat, a habit she had never quite surrendered. At first she had excused it as a coping mechanism for a changeling thrust into a strange outlandish school, but even as she had grown comfortable around her new friends she simply found it too valuable a tool to let it grow rusty. However, she had made a point of leaving her friends as taboo subjects, forms to be taken only on those rare requests for a joke.

Finally she shrugged and rolled her eyes in self-reassurance.

"I am doing this for their benefit, and besides, Professor Twilight always says there is no wrong road to the correct solution." She began to concentrate even as her mind came up with more justifications for her plan, easily drowning out any self-doubts she might have had moments ago. Her ears perked, listening intently for any noise that might betray an onlooker, and then felt the heatless flames wash over her skin. The transformation started at her hooves and crept slowly upwards, leaving behind the features of her pink friend in its wake. Altogether it was but a few moments, however the lack of practice and the desire to model this form as accurately as possible was not without its challenge. Enough for Ocellus to voice but a hint of a pant once the ordeal was done, and look down with a glimmer of pride in her eyes as she remarked on the flawless transformation.

The fact she was now half a head taller and her vision sharper then before was barely something she registered, and yet her mind felt comfortable in this new form, confident she could keep up with the real Silverstream even in flight. With a whisper she assured herself that the voice too was a perfect imitation of her bubbly friend, and noted with a twinge of sorrow that her speech sounded more accurate to her friend than the Silverstream she had talked to mere moments ago.

If she had needed another push this realization filled her with one more surge of determination and with a gryph-grin she curled up her claw and knocked on the door.