A Day in the Life of Gallus
The first rays of sun pierced through Gallus’s window drapes. Still asleep, he reflexively shifted to turn his beak away from the light. The deep red sunlight burned against his wall, splashing his posters with a dull crimson.
Gallus was snuggled under a triple-layer of sheet, light blanket, and heavy blanket. He liked to wrap the thick cotton sheet around himself like an eggshell, feeling its relaxing, smooth surface against every part of his fur and feather. He kept the light blanket piled up like a nest’s twigs, and the heavy blanket on top of it all to preserve warmth. Back home, he counted himself lucky when he had even a whole sheet, let alone a blanket, and here he had three!
He had the top bunk, of course. A bird like him was just more comfortable sleeping away from the ground. And Sandbar had wanted the bottom bunk anyway. Gallus had privately wondered if wanting to sleep close to the earth was a common earth pony thing, but he hadn’t asked. No reason to make your friend think you were stereotyping, after all.
Gallus’s eyelids fluttered in the potent mixture of fear and excitement common to dramatic dreams. The red sunlight poured onto his left cheek, spurring a twitch across his face. He shifted in bed, his mind starting to simmer out of Luna’s realm, but not quite free of dreams. A supremely contented smile weaved its way across his beak as warmth spread from his face down throughout his body. He stirred slightly, his mind starting to come a little further out of the world of dreams—
And then a resounding THUNK against the wall on his right made him jerk up.
But he was still entangled in his sheets, and his uncontrolled, reactive movement sent him spinning out of his bunk bed. He dropped face-down in a muddled blur of bedding. Sandbar looked down at him, rubbing his eyes. “Hey dude,” Sandbar asked groggily. “You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m doing great,” Gallus said sarcastically. “That’s why I’m lying on the floor with my butt sticking up in the air.”
“Heh, yeah,” Sandbar said, his voice colored with a hint of sheepishness. “I guess Yona was pretty excited, huh? Normally she doesn’t smash into the wall quite that hard.”
“Yeah, she must be looking forward to smashing you,” Gallus snarked without thinking. The instant the words left his mouth, he felt a wave of uncertainty. He looked over to Sandar to see if his friend was hurt.
To his relief, Sandbar just looked shocked, not upset. “D-Dude! We, like, only just started dating! And we are totally not old enough for that kind of stuff!”
Gallus shrugged. “I dunno. I think I’m old enough to spend the night with somecreature. And we’re, what, three months apart?”
“Yeah, but you’re, like…” Sandbar trailed off. “Way more mature than me. I can totally see you kicking me out while you have some griffon in here.”
“Already fantasizing about my love life, Sandbar?” Gallus puffed out his chest with a cocky smile. “Sounds like you might be crushing on me too!”
“Dude!” Sandbar pleaded, his face blushing orange as he drew the sheets over his chest. “I only just woke up! I really don’t need any more of this kind of talk right now! It’s, uhh, you know…”
“Right. Talk is cheap. What you need is pictures, right? The sort that you’d get suspended over?” Gallus chuckled. “Seriously though, don’t worry, I’m done. Guess I did get kind of carried away. Sorry about that.”
“It’s cool, bro,” Sandbar reassured him. “I should expect this kind of teasing now that I’m dating Yona.”
“Eh, okay. I’ll still at least try to confine my jokes to when you’re not quite so, uh, vulnerable,” Gallus said, indicating Sandbar’s concealment of his body. “Anyway, I’m gonna go wash up. See you in a bit.”
“Y-yeah, you too,” Sandbar said as he slipped entirely under a thick blanket. Gallus stretched his stiff joints, and padded over to their bathroom.
Sandbar is pretty cute, Gallus admitted. The way he’s always been so kind and sympathetic to me, his nervous little giggle, his blush when he’s embarrassed… it’s just adorable, really. And then there is that fine, toned plot. Mmmm.
Shame he’s taken. I wouldn’t mind him being my first time at all. Not one bit.
Gallus slipped into the bathtub, flipped the switch to make the water rain down, turned the temperature way up, and settled comfortably with his back towards the fountain. The hot water splattered against his cold talons, spraying steam across the room. He closed his eyes and let the steam seep into his stiff joints.
Did Sandbar notice my feelings? he wondered, a tinge of worry pestering him. He’d probably be kind of weirded out. We share the same room after all, and he’s already taken too.
Gallus weighed the odds. Probably not, he decided. A speck of hot water landed right on his beak. “Yhhrg,” he hissed as he reached over to turn down the temperature. He hesitated, and shifted his claw down to stick the plug in as well. As the water cooled from uncomfortably hot to perfectly hot, he leaned backwards into the now-two-inch-deep pool. It rushed up his back’s fur and across his head-feathers. The water oozed into his ears, and he closed his eyes, just enjoying the simple pleasure of a nice bath.
“Uhh, I don’t wanna pressure you or anything, but I do need to brush my teeth,” Sandbar called in. “Should I just come inside, or are you gonna be quick?”
“Come in,” Gallus said, his voice dismissive. “It’s not like I’m naked all day long or anything. Besides, curtain’s drawn.”
“Good point,” Sandbar relented. Gallus heard a door unlatch, the water tap come on, the sound of bristles vigorously stroked against a hard solid, and then the tap again. “You’ll be at breakfast, right?”
“Of course,” Gallus said with a snort. “It’s free food and free time with friends!”
“Cool. Seeya there!” Sandbar answered happily. He shut the door behind him, leaving Gallus to a very comfy shower-turned-bath.
Gallus enjoyed a few more minutes of warm bliss, at which point his sense of responsibility finally worked up the nerve to creep up behind his comfort and bludgeon it over the head. Gallus groaned, and grabbed a bar of soap. The full shampoo and conditioner treatment could wait until tomorrow. He got his claws nice and soapy, and scrubbed all yesterday’s dirt, sweat, and grime away. As each layer of soap was washed away by the shower, he was quick to apply another. Soap flowed down his back, chest, arms, and legs, forming crowds of bubbles on the water surface.
He rinsed off, watching the bubbles change into a layer of scum. He let the water drain out, and stepped out of the tub.
Gallus’s blue towel was hanging on the door. He picked it up, and wiped himself down vigorously. From the hallway, a faint noise just barely reached him. He put his ear to the wall, and listened.
“I’m telling you, something is up,” Smolder said. “Professor Rarity was acting shifty all last night.”
“What do you think is going on?” Sandbar asked.
“Dunno. Maybe Gallus will know? Or Ocellus?” Smolder replied. “Where is Gallus, anyway?”
Sandbar’s voice lifted a little. “He’s taking a bath. He should be out here soon.”
Gallus pulled away from the door and brushed his teeth quickly. He stroked his head-feathers forward into his signature style, and smirked cockily. He stretched, sending his lean muscles across his chest and back rippling, and made talon-guns at his reflection. In the white light of the bathroom, he almost sparkled. “Silverstream’s gonna jump me when she sees this,” he chuckled jokingly. Well, mostly jokingly.
With one more shake of his feathers, he flew out of his dorm room. The hallway was clear. They must have gone to breakfast, he reasoned. He quickly hurried towards the dining hall.
Sandbar, Smolder, Ocellus, and Silverstream were sitting at their usual table. Gallus picked up a plate of sushi, and sat down beside Ocellus. “Hey guys,” he drawled lazily. “What’s up?”
“Silverstream was telling us about life undersea,” Ocellus answered sweetly. “It’s really cool!”
Ocellus answering gave him an excuse to eye her up. Her gently curving carapace had such tastefully understated hints. And she was a changeling, so she could effortlessly rewrite her flesh to all his deepest fantasies. She could be Silverstream, Headmare Twilight, Sandbar, Gilda, and herself all in one night. He firmly leaned back against the booth, determined not to let his wings stiffen.
She has to know about my feelings, right? She’s a changeling, she can probably taste my attraction right now. Sure enough, Ocellus was licking her lips. Okay, cool it Gallus. It’s just breakfast.
Gallus munched down on his sushi. Across from him, Silverstream was having her seaweed sandwich, and Smolder was digging into zircon cereal. “Living underwater could be neat,” he agreed. “Like flying without gravity.”
“Exactly!” Silverstream gushed. “You guys have got to come visit Seaquestria sometime, it’s just the coolest!” She paused a moment, before adding, “Not that your homes aren’t cool too! It’s just, Seaquestria is so much fun! You’d love it!”
“Eh, I’m not offended,” Gallus said with a sardonic smile. Only the faintest hint of bitterness peeked through his practiced Grogar-may-care attitude. “Griffonstone isn’t exactly a top tourist attraction.”
“I’d love to see Seaquestria!” Ocellus said eagerly. To demonstrate her point, she shapeshifted into a seapony version of herself.
“Yaks not best at swimming,” Yona admitted as she sat down. “Yona not want to go to Seaquestria.”
“What about you, Sandbar? Smolder?” Silverstream asked as Ocellus reverted to her natural form. “How would you feel about visiting my home?”
“Sounds cool to me,” Sandbar answered in his laid-back way. “And Yona, c’mon! Even if you don’t swim, you can visit Mount Aris! Wouldn’t that be cool?”
“Yona like that idea. Yona just not want to swim.”
Silverstream looked towards Smolder. “What about you?”
Smolder shrugged. “I don’t really care, but I’m not gonna be the one who ruins everycreature’s fun by sticking behind. I’ll go.”
Silverstream leapt into the air. “Ooooh, I’m so excited! I get to show all my friends my awesome home and all the wonderful things there and it’ll just be amazing!”
Gallus couldn’t help but stare. The morning sun’s rays flowed in, coloring her in poignant reds and oranges. From her expertly preened feathers, to her sleek, shining coat, to her carefully filed claws, she was truly astonishingly beautiful. Her wingspan was broad and her wing muscles powerful yet dainty. Her healthy, full, wide hips swayed back and forth as she flapped to keep aloft. A comfortable but not excessive layer of fat padded her thighs, giving her feathers plenty to highlight. She was, in a word, impossibly sexy. Please, Silver, sit on my face, he thought numbly.
After a few long, amazing seconds, she landed again. “Really, thanks guys! It means a lot to have you coming.”
“Y-Yeah,” Gallus forced out, shifting awkwardly in his seat. Don’t let your wings out. Don’t let your wings out. Wait, I’m sitting next to a changeling. There’s no way Ocellus isn’t tasting all this. “It’ll be fun!”
“Totally,” Ocellus agreed as she took a bite out of a hayburger. She covertly shot a side-eyed wink towards Gallus. “I can’t wait!”
I owe Ocellus big for this, Gallus thought with a nervous return of the wink.
Breakfast passed in a blur of delicious sushi and Silverstream’s alluring eyes. Gallus couldn’t help but wonder: Does Silverstream taste like sushi?
“Well, off to advanced loyalty,” Smolder said. “Dunno why I even have to take this class. I mean, I’m basically the most loyal dragon in the Dragonlands.”
“You should do what I did with laughter,” Silverstream suggested. “I told Professor Pinkie I felt like I already knew everything in her class, and she talked it over with Headmare Twilight. They came up with something called an independent study for me! I spend all semester investigating a particular aspect of laughter—in my case, the role of humor in rebuilding broken friendships, with the case study being Gilda and Professor Dash—and meet with Pinkie one-on-one twice a week. It’s super fun!”
“So you get to get out of her class entirely? Do you even have homework?” Gallus asked enviously.
“No, but I am writing a twenty-page research paper with drafts due each month,” Silverstream answered. “The headmare gave me a list of books I could consult, while Pinkie just said I should talk to Gilda and Dash.”
“That sounds awesome,” Smolder said. “I should talk to Dash about that, it’d be way more fun. Anyway, you coming, Sandbar?”
“Sure,” Sandbar said with his trademark serene smile. “Want to walk with me, Yona?”
“Yona done eating!” she answered, jumping out of her chair after Smolder and Sandbar.
“I’ll be right there!” Silverstream assured them. She snarfed down her seaweed. “Thoshe two shure are in looove,” she said between bites.
“I know,” Ocellus said with a mild chuckle. “You should have tasted the emotions flowing off them both for the past couple weeks. So much love, protectiveness from Yona, a desire to care for her from Sandbar, and… well, I probably shouldn’t say any more here.” She blushed a little. “We can talk about it later.”
“Okay! See you in class, Ocellus! Bye, Gallus!” Silverstream flew off after Yona.
“Bye, Silverstream,” Ocellus said. Once she was gone, she turned to Gallus. “You’re done eating too, aren’t you, Gallus? You’ve been nibbling on that same piece for ten minutes.”
“Was it really that obvious?” Gallus asked with a sigh.
“Yep, it was. But you did do a good job of hiding your, ahem, reaction.” Ocellus pointed to Gallus’s wings, which he had kept pressed tightly against the booth. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah, sure.” He slid out and onto the ground, checking over his wings. Figures they only settled down after Silverstream left. “Actually, Ocellus, could we talk a little? In private?”
Ocellus blinked. “I’d be happy to later, but class is starting in five minutes. We’d better hurry if we’re going to make it!”
Gallus flew and Ocellus walked into Professor Applejack’s classroom. A few other ponies were there, but not many. He sat down next to Yona.
“Howdy, y’all,” Applejack said. “Today we’re gonna learn about how to tell yer friends hard things they need to hear without hurtin’ their feelings too much!”
Gallus pulled out his notebook. As Professor Applejack launched into a lecture, he let his mind wander. His eyes crept up towards Yona. She was certainly larger and chunkier than his tastes usually ran, but still, she was pretty good looking. Her thighs were probably bigger than his head, and her body was packed with incredibly powerful muscle. Man, Sandbar’s gonna be in for a real ride when he and Yona do it. Bet he’ll need crutches, he thought with a snicker.
“What’s so funny, Gallus?” Professor Applejack asked. “’Cause Ah sure don’t think hurtin’ a friend’s feelings is.”
He jerked upright. “Sorry, Professor. I was just remembering something Smolder did.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Ah see. Anyway, if yer friend does seem hurt, first thing ya should do is…”
Gallus dutifully took notes the rest of class, trying his hardest to ignore Yona’s bulging curves. Only when Applejack released them did he stand up. “Ocellus, you free?”
“Sorry, Gallus,” she said, her voice thick with guilt, “but I just remembered that Headmare Twilight wants to talk to me about a project of some kind. I’ll talk to you when I can!”
“Don’t worry about it,” he reassured her. “I get it. If we don’t see each other in the hallway, we should have some time after classes end.”
“Deal,” Ocellus answered, shapeshifting into her dragon self to give a thumbs up. “Bye!”
Gallus stretched, feeling his wing and back muscles tense up and then relax, and stood up. Applejack stepped to beside him. “Ya lied to me, didn’t ya? Ya were thinkin’ about something else, yeah?”
He sighed. “Yes. But it’s personal. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Applejack shrugged. “Okay. Just next time, say somethin’ like ‘I was thinkin’ of somethin’ funny,’ alright?”
“Yes, Professor,” Gallus said in his best yielding voice. “Sorry, Professor.”
Applejack nodded, and let him through. He quickly darted out into the hall. Ponies milled about, talking amiably. He moved with purpose through the crowds. Okay, so Ocellus is busy. But Smolder can’t be, right? She’s a bro, I’m sure she can give me some advice.
There, a flash of orange! Gallus dodged between ponies and quickly reached her. All those years avoiding getting stepped on must have paid off, he reflected.
“Hey Smolder. Got a minute?” he asked. “I’ve got something to talk to you about.”
“Sure, what is it?” she asked loudly, her voice carrying over the chatter.
“It’s hard to talk here,” he commented. “Let’s find a quiet, out of the way place.”
“Sure, but it can’t be too long,” Smolder agreed. “Remember, we’ve got kindness in fifteen minutes.”
Gallus nodded, and guided her towards an empty classroom. Hope nocreature thinks I’m sneaking off for a tryst. He opened the classroom’s door—unlocked, good—and crept inside.
The classroom held a single, long table with a dozen and a half seats arranged around it. Smolder took the seat at the head of the table, and Gallus shut the door, sending a pleasant quiet over the room. “So, what’s up?” she asked.
“Okay, this might sound out of nowhere,” he began, “but I have to ask: do you have a crush on anycreature?”
Smolder bolted upright. “Who told you!?” she demanded, flying right into his face. “Was it Rarity? I knew she was up to something!”
“Uhhh, I just asked you a question,” Gallus said with a raised eyebrow. “But to be honest, that’s a pretty complete answer right there.”
“FIne, you got me,” Smolder admitted, crossing her arms. “But I know you’ve got one too. And I even know who it is!”
“Try me,” he invited with a smirk.
“Silverstream,” Smolder said confidently. Doubt crossed her features an instant later. “Wait, maybe Sandbar. Or Headmare Twilight? Ocellus? Uhhh, me?”
“Yes,” Gallus replied, smirking wider. Smolder was pretty cute. Her scaled body, rugged yet enticing form, and especially her sharpened claws were all quite attractive. Of course, the biggest draw of all was her fiery attitude. Yeah, I could date her, alright. Definitely wouldn’t mind my claws wrapped around that scaled babe. “Yes, I have a crush on one of the creatures you mentioned.”
“Only one?” Smolder asked with a raised eyebrow. “Honestly, sometimes you seem to be crushing on all of them.”
“I confirmed I have a crush on one,” Gallus corrected. “I didn’t say anything either way about having more than one. Now, it’s your turn: who do you have a crush on?”
Smolder looked over to the door, suspicion warping her features. Nopony was there. “Alright. But you have to promise not to tell a single soul. If you do, I’ll… I’ll tell the headmare about how you’ve taken over the school’s porn economy!”
Gallus laughed. “You wouldn’t.”
“I absolutely would.”
“No, you really wouldn’t, because it’d be against your own self-interest,” Gallus said, shaking his head. “For one, every student here would hate your guts for it. But more importantly, you wouldn’t be able to get your imported magazines anymore. I guarantee I’m the only student who is both able and willing to get you Playbug. Or would you ask Ocellus to request some copies?”
“Okay fine, I wouldn’t,” Smolder admitted with a huff. “But I will never trust you again if you tell anycreature.”
“I promise not to tell anyone,” Gallus promised.
“I have a crush on Ocellus,” she admitted.
“No, really?” Gallus asked sarcastically. “I couldn’t tell from the way you always sit next to her, or stare at her when you think she’s not looking, or from the fact you show up the first day of every month for your monthly dose. And I definitely couldn’t tell from how you asked me point-blank if I could ask Ocellus to show off in the next issue.”
“Hey, at least I’m not constantly forcing down a wingie hard enough to cut diamond whenever Silverstream so much as breathes,” Smolder shot back. She glared at him for a moment, and he glared right back. Then she cracked a grin and slapped him on the back. “It’s great to have a friend to banter with. Bros like us, we can talk about this kind of stuff. I bet any of the other four wouldn’t get more than ten words into this conversation before being too embarrassed to continue.”
“No kidding,” Gallus agreed. “Sandbar was so flustered when I pointed out Yona wanted to smash him.” He enjoyed a little laugh at the memory. “But seriously though, when are you just gonna ask Ocellus out? She’s a changeling, she eats love. She’s probably been eating you for months.”
Gallus’s choice of words had the intended effect. “Hah, I wish,” Smolder chuckled, licking her lips. “She’s so amazing and hot. Sometimes I feel like there’s no chance she’ll ever see me that way.”
“Well, she’s a changeling,” Gallus pointed out. “I don’t want to be racist, but weren’t changelings, well, trained to bang anything they can?”
“They were,” Smolder agreed, flicking a talon against the table. “But Ocellus might not be a normal changeling.”
“What do you mean?” Gallus asked.
“Remember the cave that showed us our deepest fears?”
“How could I forget? It almost killed me,” Gallus snorted. “Seriously, the Tree is messed up.”
“Well, Ocellus’s worst fear was becoming Chrysalis. She talked about how horrible her past was. Not her kingdom’s, but hers specifically. Maybe she was being trained as an infiltrator or general or something? I don’t know.” Smolder sighed. “I haven’t brought it up because it made her really upset. But the point is, she might not be a normal changeling, so she might not be trained to want to date me, so she might say no, so I don’t want to ask her out yet.”
“Look,” Gallus argued. “Like you said, she’s hot, amazing, a straight A student, and she can shapeshift into anycreature in the world. She can fulfill all your fantasies, no matter how impossible. And she can turn into all kinds of superpowered monsters like a bugbear or that insectoid thing she used when helping us build the treehouse. Basically, she’s one of the most desirable creatures here. If you don’t ask her out, someone else will. She’s not going to ask you out because she’s not going to ask anycreature out; she’s just too shy. And in romance, it’s sometimes first come first serve. If you ask her out, you might not get with her. If you don’t, you certainly won’t.”
Smolder opened her mouth, paused, closed it again, and then finally muttered, “…fine. I’ll do it tonight.”
“Good,” he said with a little smile. “You’ll thank me later.” Yeah, I’m removing my #2 and #4 options, he thought, but I’m also setting up two of my friends. They’re kind of made for each other, after all. He glanced up at the clock. “Oh crap. Class starts in two minutes. We’ve gotta go!”
He flung the door open and took off. Behind him, he heard the thwack of a dragon leaving the ground and taking to the air.
The two of them flew frantically towards Professor Fluttershy’s classroom. It was partly open to the elements with plenty of room to see creatures too big to fit in the room. “Okay, where a—oh!” Fluttershy swapped her words abruptly. “Gallus, Smolder, just in time! Take a seat here on the floor.”
Gallus heard a few faint snickers. They probably think I was off kissing Smolder. If only they knew the truth. He kept in a chuckle, but couldn’t keep a hint of a smirk off his face. But they’re probably used to me always looking smug at this point. That thought just made his smirk wider.
“Now, who can tell us about manticores?” Professor Fluttershy asked. Smolder raised a claw. “Yes, Smolder?”
“Well, they’re powerful, dangerous monsters who live in the Everfree, right?”
“’Monsters?’ Smolder, that’s rude!” Fluttershy admonished. “How would you feel if a manticore called you a monster? Manny, please don’t be offended.”
A huge yellow and red manticore landed on the patio with a thud. He gave a little bow. “Everycreature, this is Manny. I met him years ago and we’ve been friendly acquaintances since then.”
“Oh yeah, you’re the manticore who had a thorn in his paw, right?” Gallus asked. “The one Fluttershy met when going off to confront Nightmare Moon?”
Manny nodded.
“Smolder, do you have anything to say to Manny?” Fluttershy asked probingly.
“Sorry for calling you a monster,” Smolder apologized. Manny reached a wide paw down towards her.
Smolder jerked away, but Fluttershy laid a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Smolder. He won’t hurt you.”
Smolder nervously returned to the ground. Manny scooped her up, and licked her face. “Augh! Euugh! Stop, stop!” Smolder protested as he splattered her with spit.
“Awww, he’s just a big sweetheart, isn’t he?” Fluttershy asked affectionately. “He likes you!”
Smolder rolled her eyes, apparently annoyed. But Gallus knew the truth. She likes this, she just doesn’t want to admit it.
“Okay, who wants to say hello to Manny next?” Fluttershy asked the class.
Gallus raised his claw. “Eh, sure, I’ll do it.” He flapped up to the manticore’s face. Manny gave him a nice, big smile. “So, uh, hi Manny. I’m Gallus.”
Manny looked Gallus over, from his claws to his eyebrows, and extended a big paw. He patted Gallus as softly as a full-grown manticore can pat somegriff. After a few nice moments, Manny nodded, and Gallus flew back down to the carpet.
“Well, I’d say he got cared for pretty well!” Fluttershy said with a happy smile. “Who wants to try next?”
One by one, the rest of the class took a turn. As the clock neared the hour, Professor Fluttershy called them back together. “So, everycreature, remember that the most scary looking creature might be the gentlest, and the sweetest, more adorable one might be extremely dangerous. See you all next class!”
Gallus sauntered out of class. Time for some lunch. He glanced behind him, and to his surprise, saw Smolder talking with Professor Fluttershy. Huh. Weird.
Well, it’s a weird world, Gallus, he told himself. Smolder likes cute silly stuff, Sandbar’s into girls with thighs powerful enough to crush his skull, and the most dangerous villain we’ve ever faced is a filly who only just reached her double digits.
He was unpleasantly jerked back to reality when he walked headfirst into a pony. “Urgh, sorry,” he apologized automatically. He quickly and skillfully grabbed up everything that was his, and then gathered the stallion’s papers to hand to him. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” the stallion assured him. “It’s my fault; I should be looking where I’m going.”
“Well, I’m okay, and you’re okay, so it’s all fine,” Gallus chuckled. “See you around.” Before the stallion could answer, Gallus rushed to the dining hall.
Yes! They still have bagels! he thought gleefully. He scooped up two whole wheat bagels, untoasted, and a bit of cream cheese. Silverstream and Sandbar had already settled into their table. I guess it’s not technically our table, Gallus admitted, but unofficially, it totally is.
“Hey guys,” he said, sitting down. “How were classes?”
“They went great, just like always!” Silverstream replied with a grin. “In Magic, we got to play with alchemist’s fire!”
“Isn’t that, like, super dangerous?” Gallus asked uncertainly.
“Well yeah,” Sandbar agreed, “but Headmare Twilight was there to keep it safe. And she even turned it into a lecture on how friendships can be like carrying alchemist’s fire. Really useful stuff.”
Smolder plopped down next to Gallus. “Hey guys,” she said. “Sorry I’m late, was talking with the professor.”
“No worries,” Gallus said with a shrug. “Mind getting these for me?” He held out his bagels.
“Sure thing.” Smolder took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, carefully creating a buildup of heat but no open flame. She passed her warm breath over the bagels, toasting them a light brown. “That look good?”
Gallus inhaled, the smell of toasted whole wheat wonderfully overpowering. “Yeah, they look great. Thanks Smolder!”
She flashed him a grin, and dug into her own slice of cake. Sandbar was having a simple salad, and Silverstream a plate of fruit.
Gallus carefully spread the cream cheese across the inner surface of the two bagels, and then clamped it back together. He took a big bite, and felt his taste buds explode in pleasure. The smoky, somewhat dry flavor of whole wheat mixed amazingly with the rich, locally-made cream cheese. “Mmmm-mmmmm!” he sighed. “This is really good!”
“I should start charging for this,” Smolder snickered. “Genuine Dragon Roasted meals. Get your lunch cooked in real dragonfire!”
“That’s a great idea!” Ocellus said, her voice radiating from a point mere inches behind Gallus’s neck.
Gallus jerked up in the booth with a gasp. He landed on his paws, talons ready for a fight. When he saw Ocellus, he relaxed, but not much. “Don’t sneak up on creatures like that!” he insisted. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”
“Sorry, Gallus,” Ocellus said with a very awkward smile. “I didn’t mean to freak you out. I was just excited.”
Gallus let short, fierce breaths take the place of gasping, fearful ones. “Okay. Okay! Now we just need—”
The regular thump, thump finished his sentence for him as Yona came into view. Gallus had learned how to dodge between big crowds without getting yelled at or his tail stepped on. Conversely, Yona loved action and preferred to be like a rock directing the flow of the river by nothing more than presence. He’d figured out that she did not want to be just another teenager in Yakyakistan.
“Yona here!” she said unnecessarily. “How friends doing?”
“I’m doing alright,” Gallus answered first. “Coursework’s been tiring and classes are hard, but they’re also really exciting and fun. Can’t wait to go deeper.”
All throughout the rest of lunch, Gallus and his friends discussed their days so far. Thankfully, his wings had settled down, so he didn’t feel nearly as self-conscious as he had that breakfast. Now Silver won’t laugh at me, he reflected. Hopefully.
As he finished his lunch, Gallus leaned back against the booth’s seat, and stretched. “Mmmm, that was great.” He oozed out and down to the floor.
“Silverstream, want to head to class together?” he asked. His eyes darted back and forth as he realized what he had just said. Great Grover’s ghost, I’m never going to live this one down, he bemoaned. Ocellus was already giving him a sly side-eye.
“I’d love to, Gallus!” Silverstream exclaimed, leaping out of her seat. “Let’s go!”
Gallus clenched his wings tight against his back. Okay. Okay. Don’t blow it, Gallus. Don’t screw up. He landed beside her, the sweet scents of salty seawater and peach shampoo tingling his beak. She gave him a nice, cute smile, and his heart thundered in his chest. Birdfeathers, she’s so hot.
“So, anything you want to do after school?” Silverstream asked him as they walked.
You, he replied mentally. Out loud, he said, “Just hang out, you know? Maybe play a game, go for a swim, that kind of thing.”
“Oh, I’d love to go for a swim!” she giggled, wrapping a wing around him. Gallus felt an electric tingle shoot down his spine. His breathing caught, and he felt woozy. “It’d be a ton of fun!”
“Yuh-yeah,” Gallus agreed weakly. Stars above, that plumage. Am I dreaming? If I am, please Sandbar, don’t wake me up.
All too soon, she released him. “When we go to Seaquestria, we’ll be able to play in the surf or fly through the beautiful heights all day long! It’ll be so amazing!”
“It sounds like it,” he agreed. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Looking forward to class?” Professor Dash interjected with a cocky grin. “You should be. We’ll be playing with a big parachute today!”
Gallus jolted back. We’re already here?
They were indeed. Professor Dash’s classroom was really more of a gym. A wide area was set aside for all kinds of team sports, while an adjacent room had machines to work on. Naturally for a school of friendship, the machines were mostly designed for two creatures to use together.
“Alright everycreature, just take a seat on the floor by the parachute,” she instructed. “Today is gonna be fun!”
Gallus tailed Silverstream. When she chose her seat, he took the one on her left. Nice. I’ll be able to look at her whenever I need to look towards Professor Dash.
“Okay, class!” the professor shouted. “Everycreature, grip the parachute tightly. Lift it up slowly, together, over your heads, and then run inside and slam it down behind you!”
Gallus did as Dash asked. The lurid twilight of the inside of the parachute cast Silverstream’s features in an alluring, husky shade. His breath caught as she smiled sweetly.
“Heart beating fast already, Gallus?” Professor Dash asked with a chuckle. “You need to exercise more!”
“Heh, yeah, I do,” he agreed. “Been reading too many books lately.”
“Watch out,” she joked, “or you might end up like Twilight!”
Loyalty went quickly, the class rushing by in a blur of pink feathers, a big parachute, and a few discussions on teamwork Gallus didn’t really listen to. He just followed Silverstream’s lead. Professor Dash asked him if he was alright once or twice, which he brushed off as just being tired.
“Well, that’s all the time we have,” Dash said. “See you Friday!”
Gallus sighed, his emotions a mix of excitement and nervousness. “Hey Silverstream,” he called over. “Wanna go for a swim now?”
“Oh, I just remembered,” she said, her face clouded with unhappiness, “Gilda’s in town today, and I really should meet with her. Sorry, Gallus. Maybe later today?”
“Yeah, no worries,” he reassured her. “I get it.” Urgh. Not again.
“Well, see you later!” Silverstream said, and flew off.
Gallus walked straight back to his dorm and buried his face in his claws. “Argh, I’m so stupid! Why can’t I just confess my feelings?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Ocellus answered.
Gallus jerked upright. Ocellus was laying on his bed. “What are you doing here!?” he demanded. “And haven’t you ever heard of knocking!?”
“You wanted to talk with me, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Yes, but not in my room!” he groaned. “Imagine what Sandbar will think!”
“Oh, don’t worry about Sandbar,” she answered with a grin. “I have it on good authority that he’ll be otherwise occupied.” She waved a hoof to the wall behind her.
Gallus couldn’t help but put his ear against the wall. Through it, he heard, “Yona want to snuggle Sandbar. Is Sandbar okay with that!”
“Y-yeah Yona, that sounds nice,” Sandbar stuttered.
Ocellus gave Gallus a smug look. “Told you.”
“Okay, so, I wanted to talk to you about Silverstream. And how to go on a date with her.”
“Ohhh, you want romantic advice!” Ocellus said cheerfully. “That sounds great! I’d love to help you out!”
“Thanks, yeah, that’s—”
Ocellus shapeshifted into Silverstream and jumped towards him.
“Aaaagh! What are you doing!?” he asked as she pounced on top of him. Here Silverstream was, down to every last curve and even the smell of the ocean. His wings shot out to both sides.
“You wanted to ask Silverstream out, right? Well, here she is!” Ocellus said in Silverstream’s voice. “Ready to go on a date with you, and just as interested in you as you are in her!”
“But I don’t think we should, like, go on a date ourselves!” he protested. “Someone else has her—their—eye on you, and really wants to ask you out.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Ocellus reassured him. “It won’t be a real date, so Smolder won’t feel bad.”
“You know it’s Smolder?” Gallus asked, staring. “Wait, you’re a changeling. Of course you know.”
“Mhmmm,” Ocellus laughed in Silverstream’s giggle. “I’m hoping she asks me out soon, or I might have to do so myself!”
“So, uh,” Gallus asked, “can you get off me?”
“You don’t want to go on a practice date?” Ocellus asked, tilting her head.
“I do, but this is kind of awkward.” He pointed to his erect wings.
“Oh, don’t feel bad!” she said cheerfully. “That’s a natural response from being sexually attracted.”
“I know! And it’s just going to be a practice date!” he protested.
Ocellus stared at him through Silverstream’s eyes. “Wait. Do you mean you don’t want to have sex on our practice date?”
Gallus rolled backwards. “What!? Of course I don’t!”
“It’s just sex, Gallus,” Ocellus said with a snort. “What, do you think I wouldn’t have it with any of our friends?”
“Any… of our friends…” Gallus repeated weakly.
“And it’s not like this would upset Smolder,” Ocellus continued. “I mean, we aren’t gonna be holding hooves or writing each other love letters. Again, it’s just sex.”
“Exactly!” he cried. “The most intimate bond two creatures can share!”
Ocellus stared at him, then doubled over laughing. Her disguise dropped as she returned to her normal form. “W-wait,” she wheezed. “You think sex is the most intimate bond two creatures can share?”
“Yes! Because it is!”
“Do you know how many times I’ve shared a bed with somecreature?” Ocellus asked, giggling.
“Uhhh, I dunno, three? Maybe four?” Gallus asked uncertainly.
“Well, I haven’t been keeping count, but it’s definitely over fifty. With at least twenty different partners.”
“Fifty… with twenty partners… fifty… with twenty partners…” he muttered blankly. “How? Why? Is this normal for changelings?”
“No, it’s not normal,” she admitted.
“Okay, that’s good, for a second I thought—”
“Most changelings my age have had sex at least two hundred times with at least fifty partners.”
Gallus blinked.
“I’ve always been kind of sheltered because of my… nevermind. I’ve just always been kind of sheltered.”
This is completely insane. My friend has banged twenty creatures, and she’s talking about it like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
“Then why aren’t you, you know, just asking Smolder out!?” he demanded. “It sounds like you’re really experienced.”
“What? I’m not!” she whimpered. “Outside of training exercises and simulations, she’d be my first romantic partner!”
“Then why are you banging so many creatures?” he asked. His skull was pounding, but thankfully his wings had finally softened.
“It’s just helping out a friend,” she answered with a stare. “If you were bored, I’d play a game with you. If you were having trouble in class, I’d help you study. Since you’re interested in Silverstream, I was going to both help you ask her out and let you sate some of your desire. Really, you’re making a big deal about nothing.”
“I can guarantee you if you told any of our friends what you just told me, they’d be as shocked as I am,” Gallus said flatly. “None of us had any idea that changeling culture was so promiscuous. Do even married changelings like your parents sleep with creatures outside each other?”
“Of course,” Ocellus said. “Why wouldn’t they?”
“Then in what sense are they married?” he inquired with a groan. This had left the realm of sanity and entered madness.
“Because they love each other!” she replied like it was the plainest thing in the world. “Wait. Do you think my parents are my biological parents?”
“They aren’t!?”
“Of course not, silly,” she said with an eyeroll. “We’re almost all the daughters and sons of the hive broodmothers. We get assigned parents to raise us.”
“Almost?” he had to ask.
“Changeling queens are the children of the previous queen,” Ocellus explained, shapeshifting into Chrysalis for effect. “Usually there’s only one child of the queen, but sometimes there are two queens, in which case when their mother dies or retires you either have one agreeing to serve as a field marshal or advisor, or a duel. Queens still have foster parents to care for them outside their royal education.”
“Does that mean you’re infertile?” Gallus’s curiosity continued to get the better of him.
Ocellus returned to her reformed changeling self. In her own voice, she answered, “Everyling except royalty and broodmothers are sterile.”
Gallus stood up and off his bed with a crooked smile. “Well. This has completely rewritten my impression of changeling anatomy and biology and blown my mind. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go to bed. See you tomorrow, Ocellus.”
“You sure you don’t want some company?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I just need some time to process all this.” He crawled into bed and curled up like an egg.
“Okay,” she said. “Sorry if I upset you, I didn’t mean to.”
“I’m not upset. I’m just completely astonished,” he said as he pulled the covers over his head. “I can honestly tell you I had never imagined something like this.” She nodded, and walked out.
Underneath a pile of covers, he was finally alone. Now only his thoughts had to keep him company. He went down the bullet points of today’s major events, Ocellus’s bizarre revelations excluded. So Silverstream did want to hang out, she was just otherwise engaged, he considered. That’s promising, at least. I guess what I told Smolder about Ocellus holds true for myself and Silverstream as well. If I don’t ask her, somecreature else will.
He groaned. Ugh, fine. I’ll ask Silver on a date.
Tomorrow.
Well, that was a disaster, Ocellus thought. I probably should go read up on griffon culture some more. I guess it’s a really good thing I didn’t tell him I’m a changeling queen myself…
Author's Note
Set between Sweet and Smokey and Student Counsel.
