Don't Ask Questions You Aren't Prepared to Know the Answer To
On weekend nights, Ocellus and her friends liked to hang out together. Since they weren’t allowed outside of the campus after hours, it really gave them something to do otherwise. What made these nights even better was the fact that Counselor Starlight gave Ocellus (and only Ocellus) a key to the school so that they could access the library at night. Counselor Starlight turned out to be really cool like that. As long as you aren’t doing anything that’ll cause trouble, she’s willing to look the other way on a lot of stuff.
The library turned out to be a great place for all of them to hang out. It provided more room for them than their tiny dorm rooms could ever. Not only that, but it was far away from any other ponies in the dorms. That meant they didn’t have to worry about disturbing them with whatever they were doing. This also meant that they could increase the range of things they could talk about without being heard.
Tonight, under the light of the numerous candles and lanterns they lit, alongside boxes of pizza and a couple sodas, Ocellus and her friends were doing one of their favorite conversation games. One creature would ask another creature (respectfully) about a rumor and/or stereotype of their race. They would then educate them on the validity of it. This usually took conversations down interesting roads before they got to the next question.
Right now, Sandbar was answering Smolder’s question about ponies' rumored ability to break out into song and dance on near demand.
“I don’t know where that rumor even comes from!” Sandbar said in exasperation. “We do NOT have choreography classes when we’re foals! We’re not even as good at going into song and dance as everycreature says we are.”
“Dude,” Smolder countered. “Since I’ve been in Equestria, I’ve see at least five different song and dance numbers. There was an entire grand musical number when that one restaurant opened.”
“Oh I remember that!” Silverstream exclaimed. “They all seemed so happy about it opening. That song gave me such hope for the future!”
“Ponies seem to like dancing,” Yona agreed.
“Ok, I’ll admit,” Sandbar sighed in defeat. “We seem to have a bit of a tendency to break out into song a lot. But that still doesn’t mean we’re biologically prone too.”
“Yeah, I don’t think there’s any other species on this planet that can pick up on another’s music like a pony,” Gallus smugly said.
“I mean, there have been multiple studies on the subject,” Ocellus brought up. “And they found that ponies, even when complete strangers, can and will aid in a musical number for another nearly one hundred percent of the time.”
“I think you might be misquoting,” Sandbar said sheepishly.
“What was your first song?” Silverstream asked, leaning her arms on the table towards him.
“Oh, it was when I was five,” Sandbar instantly answered the question. “It was the chorus for the transfer student’s first day of school.”
“And friend Sandbar, just know words of song?” Yona raised her eyebrow.
“Well of course. It was really easy to get into.” Sandbar nodded.
“And, everyone else in the class did too?” Smolder asked.
“Well of course! That’s how chorus’s work.” Sandbar seemed pleased with himself, but soon found that he was the center of a lot of odd looks from his friends. “Is that, not normal?”
“It really isn’t,” Gallus flatly said.
“Well then,” Sandbar couched. “That’s really, all I can add on the subject. So if there are no other questions, about pony music, then I’ll ask my question now.” There were no objections from the table. “Ok, hmm, Gallus, do gryphons actually eat meat?”
“Yeah, we do.” Gallus informed the rest of them.
“Wait,” Yona raised her hoof. “Meat is, dead animals, right?”
“Well that’s a very, crude and on the nose way of saying it,” Ocellus said to Yona. “But yeah, that’s what meat is. Gallus is an omnivore, which means he eats both plants and meat. Smolder and Silverstream are ones too. And um, technically me too. I could eat meat and plants if I wanted to with no complications. But, changelings feed off of love. You and Sandbar are actually the only herbivores in the room.”
“Yeah but we’re in a country of ponies,” Smolder pointed to Sandbar. “So mostly everycreature around here only eats plants.”
“You guys are making me want salad now,” Sandbar muttered.
“So, gryphons eat any animal?” Yona asked with some concern. “Any, creature?”
“Nah,” Gallus put to rest Yona’s fears. “It’s mostly just small stuff, like rabbits and squirrels. Stuff you can justify not being on the same level as you. That way you can kill it and not think about its feelings,” He turned his eyes to the side, “Though I know a couple of butchers who wouldn’t care what they’re selling if they could get a good price for it.”
“I don’t think you should mention that to Professor Fluttershy,” Ocellus brought up with concern, “She can actually talk to animals. I think she’d be heartbroken if she heard that. Or worse...” Ocellus put her hooves over her mouth, “Put you in detention!”
“Really got your priorities in order there,” Smolder laughed, “But I honestly think she wouldn’t lose that much over it. I mean, she seemed fine with that lecture she gave us on predator and prey.”
“Yona think Professor Pegasus is stronger than she look,” Yona nodded.
“I guess the weirdest thing about being a meat eater,” Gallus went on, “Is the fact that I’m in a country of herbivores. Sometimes when I’m out for lunch, I’ll be in the mood for something like cutlet stew. But then I have to remember that you can’t get meat in Equestria.”
“I know!” Silverstream eagerly agreed, “I miss fish so much! The first thing I do when I go home is always gorge myself on a big fish dinner! I wish I could get it here.”
“I mean you can,” Sandbar informed them, “But you have to go to a big city like Manehatten to find a place that serves it. Small towns like Ponyville won’t have anywhere like that.”
“Meat itself isn’t illegal in Equestria.” Ocellus added, “But most processes related to butchery are. So all of their meat tends to be imported.”
“As far as you know,” Smolder grinned mischievously.
“Well that’s pretty much all I can think of on that subject,” Gallus leaned back in his chair, “Anything else you guys want to know about meat?”
“No I think that answers everything,” Sandbar said, “Ok, now it’s your turn.”
“Hmm,” Gallus put his talon to his beak and thought for a second about what he would ask. He straightened himself and looked across the table at Ocellus, “Ok, Ocellus. I heard that Changelings can sense a creature’s sexual preference. There’s no way that’s true, is it?”
“Well, yeah, it actually is.” Ocellus nervously said, “It, um, was really useful for stealing love. It let us know, how best to get it. You know, the best form to take.”
“So does Changeling know ours?” Yona asked.
“Um, yes,” Ocellus shuffled in her seat a little, “I’ve known all of yours, since the day we met. It only takes me a few minutes with somecreature to find out. I swear I don’t do it on purpose!”
“Woah, woah, woah.” Smolder looked more intently Ocellus, “You can’t make a claim like that without proving it.”
“What?” Ocellus widened her eyes. “You all, would be ok, with me saying that?”
“Eh I got no problems,” Smolder shrugged.
“No objections here,” Sandbar agreed.
“Oh guess me! Guess me!” Silverstream eagerly waved her hand in the air.
“Yak have no fear!” Yona declared.
“It’s bogus anyway,” Gallus smirked, “So go ahead and try.”
“Well um, alright,” Ocellus gulped. She took a look at everycreature around the table. She shuffled again, before taking a deep breath.
“Everycreature in this room is bisexual.”
“Hah!” Gallus sat up, “I knew you were lying.”
“Let me explain. Silverstream and Sandbar,” Ocellus pointed to them. “You guys both know this and are comfortable with this part of yourselves. Silverstream, I think you even had both a girlfriend and boyfriend at different points.”
“Heh, correctamundo,” Sandbar grinned.
“Wow! That’s absolutely right!” Silverstream put her hands to her head in amazement.
“Smolder, you only had interest in girls for the longest time. But, recently, you’ve started to realize that you like boys too. Specifically, because you had your first experience with one...” Ocellus gasped at the realization of what she just said, “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have said that! I just…”
“It was Spike.” Smolder nonchalantly said. This earned her the awkward and stunned gaze of everycreature in the room, “What? You all were thinking it,” They all began to open their mouths in objection, but soon all nodded their heads in agreement, “But yeah, that pretty much hit the nail on the head Ocellus.”
“Now, um, Yona,” Ocellus took a moment to pause, thinking about how she phrase this, “You try to ignore it when it comes up in your mind. You really don’t want to acknowledge it. But you are bisexual. I’m getting the feeling that you had a crush on another girl in the past, and didn’t know how to process it,” She got closer to Yona and put her hoof on her shoulder, “I just want to say that there’s nothing wrong with you. We’re all like you.”
“Yona, no want to comment,” Yona shrunk back down in her seat. She blushed as she thought back to the Yak she was paired with to help chaperone young Yaks up the mountain for the first time. How strong and brave she was.
“And now, you Gallus,” She turned to the highly doubtful griffon, “You think that you’re gay. And to your credit, you have a heavy guy preference. So you’ve never realized it before. But I do know for a fact that you are bisexual. You just haven’t really seen a girl that’s interested you.”
“And what about you?” Sandbar asked.
“I’m a changeling,” Ocellus explained, “It would be considered abnormal if I wasn’t bisexual.”
“Wow that’s amazing Ocellus!” Silverstream exclaimed when she was all done, “How did you know all that?”
“Yeah, you got really specific there,” Sandbar agreed, “Were you like, reading our minds or something?”
“No no no!” Ocellus insisted. “Changelings can’t read minds. Only um, queens like mmm-Chrysalis!” Ocellus quickly changed what she was going to say, “Only queen changelings like her can control minds. That level of detail, all changelings can get on their own if they have enough time. It’s like um, different wavelengths. Sort of like how you can tell how someone is feeling just by the tone of their voice.”
“I still think you’re wrong,” Gallus scoffed.
“Dude,” Smolder glared. “She got the rest of us to a T. Do you think that maybe it’s possible that you do like girls?”
“I am fairly certain I only like guys,” Gallus insisted stubbornly.
At this point, everycreature was starting to get a little annoyed by Gallus. Ocellus stood up, took in a breath, and made a declaration.
“In addition to knowing what your preference is,” Ocellus stated. “I can also sense exactly what you like. I can prove to you that you like girls.”
“Oh yeah? How’s that?” Gallus looked confident in himself.
Wordlessly, Ocellus stood and got on the table. Something inside of her seemed to have shifted. She stood in front of Gallus, looked down at him, and ignited a blue flame around herself.
“Holy sweet mother of Celestia!” Sandbar shouted in shock. He then joined the rest of his friends in a simultaneous gape in awe at the form Ocellus had taken. They were speechless and didn’t know what to say. The wings of everycreature who possessed them were stiffened outward.
Including Gallus, who seemed the most shocked out of the five. He tried to open his beak to talk. But he could barely even manage a mutter, let alone a full word. Blood dripped out of his nostrils. Eventually, Ocellus dropped her form, and confidently sat down on her seat.
“I rest my case,” She smirked.
“W-what was that?” Yona asked, still in utter confusion at what she just felt.
“That,” Ocellus said, “What the absolute most attractive Gallus could possibly find a female.”
“That was downright pornographic!” Smolder laughed. “And you didn’t even flash anything. Look at the wingie on Gallus.”
“Look at the one on you!” Silverstream cried, either unaware or apathetic of her own.
“So,” Ocellus kept up her smug smirk, “Still think I’m lying, Gallus?”
Gallus crossed his arms and turned away from every creature. “Stupid, sexy, changeling…”
Author's Note
So this was just a cute something that I had come up with while spitballing things with my friend and was just sitting in my drive for a while now, so I decided to upload it.
Originally, the conversation was just the tail end of Gallus's answer, and Ocellus's answer, because the convo with Ocellus is what was the idea that sparked this story. Then I decided to make it longer by adding in Sandbar's answer.
I wanted to make it so that everycreature had an answer at the point, was was dry on ideas. And I realized that this would never get published if I was just hung up on that, so I uploaded it as is. Hope you enjoyed.
