The Revolutionary Six

Gallus sat at the broken table, alone to think about what had just happened earlier. Silverstream was strong, like, really strong. if he was going to confess to her eventually, he’d have to choose his words carefully. If he ended up offending her, she’d probably whack him with that hammer.

He needed a strategy. Win her over, maybe? Somehow, he had to. There was absolutely no way he could lift that thing like Silverstream did. She wielded it like it was made of cardboard. Gallus stopped thinking for a second and fiddled with the loose splinters on the broken section of the table.

He could try besting her. It wasn’t really original, but it could work. If two of his friends were suddenly able to hold and do things they couldn’t before, then maybe it’d be his turn. Eventually, right? “C’mon, C’mon, C’mon... Powers...” Gallus strained. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could get powers like Smolder and Silverstream.

He rubbed his temples and strained even more. His wings extended and he flapped them rigorously trying to formulate something within his system. Unfortunately, the only thing he formulated was sweat on his brow. “Dammit!!!” He exclaimed. Slamming his claws on the floor, he strained once more. His wings continued to fluctuate as he clenched his teeth. Blood vessels took form on his forehead, and more sweat began to bead on his temples.

“Agh!” He shouted. “Listen here, you motherfucker!!” Gallus was shouting at no creature in particular, other than that ‘otherworldly person’ he thought he was talking to. “You gave Smolder powers, you gave Silverstream powers, and now it’s my turn!!! S-So stop being such a bitch!!!!”

No one answered. A steady breeze carried through the empty library as he continuously shouted at the desolate air. He prepared to shout again until he heard slow, steady footsteps coming in at a distance. The familiar sound made Gallus jump under the table in attempt to hide himself.

“That was fun,” a voice giggled. “We should do that again sometime.”

“Yeah, when we don’t have classes. Jumping off a building isn’t worth making up all your homework.”

“Maybe it would be if you could fly.” The same voice purred.

“Whatever.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you broke your wings swinging with those webs.”

“For the last time, that’s not how they broke.”

Smolder and Ocellus? Gallus thought. He peered our from under his hiding spot and watched the two stare at the broken table over him. Suddenly, they began to approach him. Well, more like the table. He gasped quietly and shrunk back swiftly.

“What the hell happened here?”

“Smolder?” Ocellus replied knowingly. “Talk to CHAD.” Smolder groaned in reply. CHAD happened to be a sleek, modern box with a slot carved into the top. It’s main color was a light blue, similar to Ocellus’ coat, but carried dark blue carvings on the sides. The carvings also held the contraption’s name.

Cursewords, Hate, And Denotation. He thought to himself. Ocellus must’ve really liked acronyms. Aside from that, where would she have gotten the money to buy such a thing? Technology was big in Equestria, but he didn’t think Ocellus would even think about buying it, let alone saving the money for it. Maybe she— no. No, there was no way. Sure she was smart, but come on.

“You and your dumb acronyms.” She growled. Gallus peered our from under the table once more and watched his friend reluctantly drop a bit into Ocellus’ little contraption. “That doesn’t mean this damn rust bucket is gonna—“ she stopped herself quickly. Ocellus shook her head disapprovingly and pointed to CHAD.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Ocellus frowned. “You should really know better.

“Shut up.” Smolder snorted. “Remind me not to curse when we’re doing anything. We’ll probably be in immediate danger, and you’ll still be worried about me cursing.” She stopped talking just to narrow her eyes at the box. Smolder leaned down and stared at CHAD as if it had eyes. “...and this... CHAD. How close are you two...?” She looked up at Ocellus, smirking at her.

Ocellus giggled playfully. “There’s nothing between us, I swear.”

Gallus stuck his tongue out and let out a somehow inaudible groan of disgust.

And then there’s these two. Grover forbid me and Silverstream’ll be like that.

He tapped a claw on his chin. If I could stop being a pussy.

Smolder stood up straight and fixed her posture. She stared straight down at what might be her romantic partner, and her partner did the same. Ocellus buzzed her wings and lifted herself up into a hover. Now, she was about the height of Smolder. The scaly creature looked into her eyes nervously. Ocellus gently pressed her snout against Smolder’s.

Oh no. Gallus sighed in his mind. My two friends are literally about to kiss, and I’m just over here... being a creep.

Smolder chuckled nervously as her tail quivered. Ocellus proceeded to pucker her lips and smooch her snout. Smolder’s tail shook vigorously. She wanted to say something, but Ocellus had already launched herself into the air. Her wings buzzed as she soared out of the library. Smolder chuckled to herself. Her cheeks were burning uncontrollably.

Before this would make its way into something worse, Gallus thought he’d better show himself now. “So... you and Ocellus, huh?” Smolder gasped.

“G-Gallus! What the hell are you doing—!”

“Sorry. I was kind of studying here, and... you two startled me. S-So, I, uh... hid.”

“I see how that went.”

“Yep.” Silence fell. The two stood there awkwardly and just stared at each other. Neither of them knew what to say at the moment. Gallus just caught two of his friends in the most wholesome, purest moment he’d ever seen in his whole life of accidentally seeing couples... interact, and Smolder has just been caught being wholesome.

Gallus fiddled with his claws a bit, and so did Smolder. She scuffed her feet on the library floor while he went on thinking.

If Smolder got her powers, maybe she could show me how I could get mine! He lifted his head up so suddenly that Smolder raised a brow at his sudden ’eureka!’ moment. Gallus shrunk back, and Smolder was still looking at him. “Listen, I have a question.

“There’s something I wanna tell you. Before I tell you, though, you’ve gotta promise you won’t freak out, blurt our something before I finish, and, you’ve gotta be serious about this.”

Smolder nodded skeptically, and Gallus breathes in to explain. “I’ve got a crush... On Silverstream.” Gallus looked at her sternly, and he could see she was about to burst out laughing. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, he moved on. “And, apparently she has powers now. I think.

“If I admit that I have feelings for her, she might break my back. I don’t have any powers like you, and I wanna impress her before she decides to wrestle me.” He paused. “So... I want you to tell me something. How the hell did you get it to... formulate?!”

Smolder put a claw to her chin and thought for a moment. The first thing Gallus would need at the moment was support. After all, some things were best not to bring up in his face, so she started with something light.

Before she said anything, she shook her head. “First of all, CHAD would be disappointed in you.” She chuckled. “Second of all, I dunno. The powers just came to me. Next thing you know—“

A very large and abrupt thumping noise coming from the hallway near the library entrance interrupted Smolder’s soliloquy.

Both her and Gallus turned to the entrance when a steady buzzing noise was emitting from the hallways leading toward it. Careening through the library was Ocellus, and she had it out for Smolder at the moment. She launched herself toward the dragon headfirst into her torso.

“Oof!” She exhaled. Ocellus had tackled Smolder into a kiss, and the two tumbled into a bookcase.

“Mwah!” Ocellus puckered her lips and smooched her lover on the lips. She was sitting right there, on Smolder’s stomach. Their muzzles were pressed together for a time, until Ocellus pulled back swiftly. Numerous books surrounded the two, and Smolder had the wind knocked out of her. “How was that?” Ocellus breathed. At this point, she was very out of breath also. She was flying at such a speed that she wasn’t too much used to.

Smolder didn’t answer. Her face was a scorching red, and Ocellus giggled. Smolder, no matter how much Ocellus was laughing, was the most nervous she’d ever been, and she had never been nervous, or, she just never admitted when she was. The confused changeling soon emerged from her heavy means of elation. “What’s wrong?”

Smolder was still unresponsive. All she did was raise up her arm and shoot a web onto the ceiling, zipping out of her grasp. When Smolder clung to the ceiling so nervously, Ocellus looked around with perplexity. She whipped around and turned to see Gallus, who waved nervously.

She squealed loudly, turning into a book and dropping into the floor.

“Sorry, Sorry!” He frantically picked up Ocellus, who was now a book. “I swear, there’s a good explanation!”

“Uh-Huh...” Ocellus narrowed her eyes. “J-Just tell me how much you saw..”

“Um...” He opened his mouth to answer, but Smolder had already filled in for him. With a short sticking noise, she stuck her web into the ceiling and clung onto it. She descended slowly on the string upside down. Smolder was still hanging onto the string and dangled slowly in the air. When she faced Gallus, she kept a smug face and wore a smirk.

“A lot.” She said. “He saw a lot.” With a green flash, Ocellus changed back and stood next to Smolder. She was still hanging upside down, something Gallus would have to learn to take seriously. Trying explicitly not to smile, he looked at the two.

“Like I said, it was an accident.” He flashed back to the best poker face he could manage. Smolder looked at him in disdain, and Ocellus sighed. “I tried to take the opportunity to ask Smolder about her powers. Ocellus, you get what I mean, right?” He looked at Ocellus, who grimaced and shifted uncomfortably.

“Actually... A-ARI?”

“Right away Ocellus.” ARI answered. Gallus looked surprised as her iron suit enveloped around her. The mechanical material wrapped around her hooves, the last of her baby blue chitin showing being the chitin in her head. The only thing she was missing was her mask.

“We sort of forgot to tell you all that...” Smolder started, but soon trailed off.

“Dammit.” He muttered. Ocellus looked at Smolder, and then at Gallus with concern. She turned back to Smolder and gestured her hoof to Gallus. Smolder raised a brow.

“Oh, So he can curse, but I can’t?” Smolder narrowed her eyes, and Ocellus glared back at her defensively.

“We’re supposed to be helping Gallus. This isn’t the time for this, Smolder.” She replied, gesturing her hoof once more. Smolder rolled her eyes. Ocellus sighed in defeat.

“I just wish something would get me there. Like you guys—“ In the middle of his sentence, a very strong and sticky substance seemed to glue his beak in place. His mouth was stuck, and he couldn’t speak. He glanced at Smolder who had her arm extended with two fingers spread and suggesting that she was the culprit.

“Smolder!” Ocellus gasped. “Why would you do that?!”

“Because he’s being too bitchy about this. If you’ll stop bothering me about this, I’ll help him.” She replied. Ocellus’ mouth hung open to say something, but she couldn’t find the words. It was like the words she was looking for got caught in her throat, and were stuck there for majority of the time. Smolder walked past her and stood in front of Gallus. “Gallus, you’re being a bitch. If you want powers, you can’t beg for them.

“You’ve gotta challenge yourself, not be a baby. Enter me, for example.” She gallantly placed a claw on her chest and puffed it out with pride. Gallus rolled his eyes. “I was just about to start studying, and then the powers just came.”

“Mmph-Hmm-Phmm-hmm Hmmph Hmph mph Hm?” Gallus’ voice was muffled, and that was all Smolder and Ocellus could here. Smolder reached out her arm and practically tore the web off of Gallus’ beak. He made a short and quite adorable squealing noise when she pried the web off him. She and Ocellus both giggled quietly. Gallus groaned. “So your powers just came to you?”

“Exactly.” Smolder nodded. “The only thing you’ll have to do is wait for them, although you might not actually have any powers at all—“

“Smolder!” Ocellus hissed, forcing her hoof over Smolder’s muzzle. She turned to Gallus, who was hanging his head dejectedly, and smiled warmly. “What I believe she’s trying to say is, maybe it’ll come to you when you’re patient.” Ocellus turned back to Smolder and frowned. “I believe you owe CHAD a gem.”

“No. Way.”

“Hey, look at the box.” Ocellus held up CHAD and read it’s label smugly. “Cursewords, Hate, And Denotation. C.H.A.D.”

“I knew you two had something going on.” Smolder turned her back to Ocellus, who was currently panicking. She folded her arms to sell it a little further. Once she saw Ocellus begin to panic more, she kept her chin up and proceeded to milk it even more.

“Nononono! I-I swear! CH-CHAD is just... it’s a box I made s-so you wouldn’t—!” She stammered, at a loss for words. Ocellus plopped down on the floor downheartedly. “Y-You’re not breaking up with me are you...?” With these words, Smolder quickly turned around and clamped a claw on Ocellus’ mouth.

“N-Not in front of Gallus!” She whispered harshly.

The griffin in question let out a low chuckle, and Smolder peered at him. “Hey, you two are fine in my book.”

“We better be.” Smolder growled, pointing a claw at him.

“Smolder, that’s one category of CHAD.” Ocellus replied. “Give CHAD a gem.”

“Fuck CHAD. This time he’s only getting a bit.” She leaned down and looked straight into Ocellus’ big, buggy eyes. Ocellus’ eyes widened in return.

“A gem.” She replied. Smolder was trying her best at this point. If she was going to give in to her girlfriend, it was only going to be her way and her way only.

“A bit. If you’re going to force me to do this, I’m keeping My snacks.” She snorted some smoke CHAD’s way, and Ocellus gasped in offense.

“That’s rude! CHAD and I are severely disappointed in you, Smolder.” She turned her back on Smolder, who snorted again in reply.

“Then be disappointed. I guess CHAD will have to be broke, cause he’s not getting anymore currency than the amount you’ve forced out of me!”

Ocellus gasped once more and began to raise her voice. “I-I do not force anything out of you! You know that!!”

“Do I though?”

“Stop, you guys!!” Gallus shouted. “What the hell are you two even fighting for?! You’re supposed to be helping me!!!” Both Ocellus and Smolder looked at him with shocked looks on their faces. “Look,” he continued. “Why don’t you two just apologize... and be done...?”

“Fine.” Smolder sighed. She turned to Ocellus, who looked up at her solemnly. “Look, I’m sorry I refuse to respect CHAD. From now on, he’s... okay... in my book.” Ocellus buzzed her wings excitedly at these words and hugged Smolder tightly.

“Thank you soooo much! I knew you two would get along!” She squealed. Smolder’s cheeks began to singe. She looked at Gallus(presumably for help), but he shrugged nonchalantly and motioned his claw. Smolder rolled her eyes, extended her arms, and wrapped them around Ocellus in return.

After being in her embrace for a time, she pushed Ocellus off of her. Ocellus, despite her deprivation of contact, still smiled at a Smolder and licked her lips. “Don’t act like that.”

Smolder looked at the loving bug confusedly, but mostly defensively as her cheeks continued to burn red. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

While the two proceeded to love each other, Gallus was still there, existing. After all, what else could he do with no powers? Sandbar and Yona would probably get their powers before he did. Could they, though? Gallus has to really think this through before he gave up hope. He could possibly pull a CMC and try out for what he’d do. Maybe, just maybe, if he tried hard enough— “Guys!!!” He chirped enthusiastically. “I... I have an idea!!!”

“...Bad idea.” Smolder muttered. The three of them were on the roof of a very tall building in Manehattan. Smolder was wearing her spandex suit, and Ocellus was wearing her robotic armor. Gallus, however, wore a leather vest with a zipper. The top was sectioned off and colored black, and so was the section near his lower torso. The mid-section, however, was a light maroon.

He had wristbands wrapping around his arms, and a few arrows in a quiver on his back.

Even in spite of the dragon’s rude remarks, he was at the end of his rope with options. He couldn’t bear the constant thirst for the power that his friends had. After all, he needed to be included. If he kicked out of the group, they probably wouldn’t even want to hang out with him anymore. If they didn’t want to hang out, then he probably couldn’t tell—

“Okay, so, remind me why we’re shooting arrows at buildings? Smolder? Isn’t this vandalism?”

“I don’t know, ask CHAD.” Smolder crossed her arms and smirked.

“I-I thought we were over this...” Ocellus whimpered, blushing lightly. Smolder chuckled.

“You guys,” Gallus barked, trying to refocus the trio on bigger matters. “Just watch my aim. Make sure I don’t miss.”

“What’s your target?” Smolder asked, and Gallus turned his head.

“Um... windows? I dunno. We might get arrested, but it’s worth a shot.”

“You mean you.” She joked in correction. “You’re getting arrested for this. Til’ then, I’m outta here.”

“Smolder,” Ocellus scolded. Smolder crossed her arms once more and rolled her eyes as she did. Gallus looked doubtfully at her, and Ocellus with pleading eyes.

“Fine. But as soon as this gets heated, I’m getting you out of here.” Smolder looked to Ocellus, who smiled warmly and nodded in reply. “Gallus, it’s all up to you.”

“Right.” Gallus took aim with his bow and focused on his target. The arrow trembled in his grasp as he tugged harder and harder on the string. He felt oddly stronger. Like, stronger than the average griff. Maybe he wasn't any stronger than Silverstream, but, still.

The arrow continued to shake as if it were begging to be released. His eyes formed crosshairs in the exact direction he was aiming. The wind blew emptily across the feathers on his cheek. His eyes narrowed as he focused on his aim and became fully immersed.

Letting go of the arrow, it zipped from the bow and out of sight. “Oh. Oops.”

“It... counts for something.” Ocellus offered. Smolder snorted.

“The point is, you tried— what the—?!” She gasped. The three watched as glass shattered at a building from a large distance. They could see as the window cracked under the arrow’s pressure. “We’ve gotta go see that.” she muttered in awe. Smolder ran up to the edge of the building and dove off like a lunatic, or, at least to Gallus.

“Wh-What did she—?!” Ocellus shushed him and tapped a hoof on his shoulder. He looked as she pointed to Smolder, who was swinging from building to building so fluently. “Oh.” He sighed in relief.

“Let’s go!” Ocellus fires up her thruster boots and took to the skies, following her lover. Gallus also took to the air, enjoying the nice, cool breeze waving under his feathers.

The three of them enjoyed the atmosphere together, Ocellus and Gallus flying at a certain height for Smolder’s swings since her wings weren’t working at the moment. Or any moment.
The three arrived at the building, or so they assumed they did. Smolder quickly latched on to it as she stuck to the glass material.

Gallus tilted his head and looked at her skeptically as he watched her easily walk on the glass vertically without any problems. “I thought only changelings could do that.” He turned to Ocellus.

“You and me both,” she giggled.

“Look here, you two.” Both Ocellus and Gallus turned to Smolder at her abrupt response. She pointed at the broken glass before smirking at Gallus. “Looks like we have a winner.”

“Woo-hoo!!!” The gracious griffin exclaimed, flipping in the air.

“Hold your horses. You’ve got a long way to go before a Silverstream jumps into your arms.” She deadpanned. Gallus blushed, and Ocellus looked at him confusedly.

“What?”

“Nothing.”