What The Heck Is A Birthday?
"And then I said to him," Gallus said sitting up at his table in the cafeteria. "I may not be a wonderbolt, but I can still fly better than you!"
Smolder and Silverstream let out a boisterous laugh in reponse. Smolder because she actually found the story funny, Silverstream because pretty much everything was funny to her.
Yona and Ocellus on the other hand were just staring at him with raised eyebrows.
"Yona not get joke..." the Yak exclaimed looking at Gallus. Gallus sighed in response.
"I don't really get the joke either. It sounds like the joke is just you being snarky to him. Not very nice if you ask me." Ocellus said with a slight frown, crossing her fore-hooves over her chest.
Gallus opened his beak to explain, but he was cut off when a certain pale green earth pony pranced into the room, putting a letter in front of each of the creatures. It was a white envelope with a smiley face drawn on it.
The five blinked down at them confusedly, only taking their eyes off them to turn to Sandbar who was simply standing there, staring at them expectantly with a dumb smile on his face.
They returned their gaze to the envelopes on the table and, with a unified shrug, they began tearing into the envelopes, pulling out the letters.
"Dear Gallus/Ocellus/Smolder/Silverstream/Yona." Gallus started reading.
"You are here by invited to my birthday party on the tenth." Ocellus continued.
"Which is in 10 days (I know you don't have a calendar Smolder)?" Smolder finished with a raised eyebrow. "How did you..."
"What's with the letters?" Gallus asked, setting his down staring at the pony.
"I mean... I thought the reason would have been pretty obvious... maybe I should have been more specific..." Sandbar mumbled putting a hoof to his chin.
"No, no, no. I got the point. It's your birthday in ten days, yeah. But like... why didn't you just tell us?" The Gryphon asked again.
Sandbar paused, not saying anything for a couple minutes. "Uhhh..."
"Ah it's fine Sandbar. You should get out of here though." Silverstream said. "We are going to start talking about what gifts to get you!"
"Oh right yeah!" Sandbar said with a smile, before turning around and starting to walk away waving to his friends. "I don't want any surprises spoiled, so I'll see you guys later!"
Everyone watched him as he left. The second he was out of earshot and eye shot everyone quickly turned back to their cards.
"What the heck is a birthday?" Smolder asked as she read over her letter once again.
"You don't know what a birthday is?" Silverstream said, perking up with a smile. "Oh it's just the best. Basically all of your friends and family come over to your house and then you play a ton of games like conch shell toss and the hook game-"
"Hook game?" Gallus asked leaning over to get a better look at the Hippogryph, confusion on his face.
"Yeah! Basically there are these hooks tied to string that you lower into the party zone from up above, and they have food attached to them, and you have to get um off. If you don't manage to get it all off though, you get hooked and dragged all the way up towards the surface! It's so fun!" Silverstream cried out, excitedly standing up in he seat and throwing her claws into the air.
Everyone else just stared at her for a couple seconds.
"You know that really doesn't answer my question..."
"Well uhh... us changelings don't really do birthday parties either. Mostly because of Chrysalis. Like... we celebrated her birthday as some kinda holiday, but really all the celebration consisted of was us giving all our love to Chrysalis while she lounged on her throne all day." Ocellus said as she shank in her seat, muttering something about Chrysalis being a terrible ruler.
"Yeah I never had a birthday party either. Not because Gryphons don't celebrate them or anything, I just never knew what day I was actually born on."
"Oh you didn't? Did you ever try asking your pa-" Smolder started, but she was shut up when Ocellus rather roughly, for a meek little changeling at least, jabbed her in the ribs with an elbow.
"Yeah I would of, but I never knew them. I just showed up on grandpa gruff's porch one day in a basket. You know he literally took the basket and left me outside for two days?" Gallus grumbled crossing his forelegs over his chest and snarling. "Crazy old codger."
"What about you Smolder?" Silverstream asked the dragon, wanting to quickly change the subject to a less depressing topic.
"Dragons don't have birthdays. I mean, literally all dragons are kinda born on the exact same day so you aren't really the special birthday drake who everyone is going to throw a party for." Smolder shrugged.
"Oh my... not being special? That sounds awful!" Silverstream cried out putting her claws on the side of her head.
"Ehhh... I think I'm still pretty special. I betcha I could beat all four of you in a fight if I wanted to." Smolder said with a smirk, flexing one of her arms to prove her point.
"How about you, Yona? How do Yaks do birthdays?" Ocellus asked, turning to the Yak, who was literally shaking in her seat waiting for the chance to explain the superior yak birthday celebration ritual to her friends.
"Yak birthdays best birthdays!" Yona cried out, sitting up and slamming her hooves on the table with a wide smile. The entire table shook, knocking over glasses and flinging silverware into the air.
"First, yak family gathers up logs and-" Yona started.
"Then you smash them?" All four of the other students finished for her.
"Well... if friends need to spoil ending..." Yona mumbled quietly, visibly deflating.
"So, we've had a nice bonding session over this culture exchanging," Gallus said leaning into the table and resetting his silverware after it had been launched at least a couple feet into the air. "But, do any of you guys know how ponies celebrate their birthdays?"
There was an awkward silence. Ocellus was the first to break the silence.
"Maybe we should ask Professor Pinkie..."
"You young uns did the right thing coming to you're old auntie pinkie for this." Professor Pinkie said, eyes narrowed in thought.
She was sitting in a chair in her office, which was actually Twilight's office but she was out for lunch. The five creatures we know and probably love were standing in front of her desk staring at her with alternating faces of concern and fear.
Pinkie Pie suddenly sat up a wide smile on her face. "Don't worry about the party at all. Sandbar actually came to me earlier the other day to ask if I would help him set up the perfect birthday party which I was more than happy to agree to! All you need to worry about is getting him some birthday presents!"
"Presents?" Smolder asked with a raised brow.
"Yeah! They are a truly vital part of any equine birthday! You need to get presents, which usually mean some kind of sentimental value to the receiver. Also, make sure it's not more than 30 bits. You don't want to go to expensive or you'll end up looking like a meanie who wants to upstage their friends." Pinkie explained quickly getting out of the office chair quickly bouncing along the ground towards the exit of the room.
"Now then," Pinkie continued at the exit. "If you guys need me, I will be at Sugar Cube Corner! Oh, and if Twilight asked, please tell her I wasn't here. She usually doesn't like it when I sit in her chair!"
And like that, with a burst of confetti, Pinkie Pie disappeared.
The five students quickly turned to each other.
"We need to get jobs." Ocellus exclaimed. The rest nodded in agreement.
Author's Note
This is my first non-one shot to be about the young six. I hope to make it charming and cute. Ya know, cause it's cute.
Ocellus Tends to the Elderly
Ocellus smiled as she walked into Shady Oak's Assisted Living Center, a retirement home on the edge of Ponyvile with job application in hoof. She was so excited! Tending to the elderly? Hearing fascinating stories every single day? Taking care of Equestria's most wise and senior people? Why, that was a dream come true!
The money was also apparently really nice. 20 bits an hour. That was actually surprisingly high for what she assumed would be extremely easy and rewarding work. Ocellus smiled as she approached the front desk of the entry way to the building. It was rather quaint, just a simple counter with a type register, several filing cabinents behind it and a white earth pony in a purple blouse sitting behind it, a warm smile on her face.
Ocellus gave an equally warm smile and approached placing her laminated and well organized (but still extremely small) resume on the table looking up at her happily. "Hello! I'm here to apply for a job if that's ok! I saw that you had an opening on a help wanted paper you posted on the job board in town center." She said in as friendly and professional tone as she could. Considering the fact that she was a changeling and thus a master of voice tones, deception and mimicry, she thought she did a really good job at that.
"Excellent! You're one of the students at Princess Twilight's Schools right? The Changeling from the group who saved Equestria's magic? I'm sure my manager would love to speak to you about hiring someone with such prestige, let me get him!" The pony said before standing up and quickly walking out of the room, passing through a door and leaving Ocellus alone.
Ocellus sat there for a couple minutes idly looking around and tapping her hooves. She was lucky to be extremely patient!
It didn't take long before the manager arrived, a middle aged green earth pony with a rather unfortunate hairdo, a black mullet fresh out of the eighties. His cutiemark was that of a beef tenderloin for some reason.
"Hello hello hello!" He said with a large toothy smile. "My receptionist told me all about you. Ocellus right? The one and only?"
"Uhm... Yeah. I'm Ocellus. The uhhh.... one and only!" She said with an awkward wave and a smile.
"Perfect! Well, to be honest, if you are the same Ocellus who helped save Equestria's magic from being stole, then there really is no point in an interview! I know you'll be a perfect fit for this job based on that alone!" The earth pony said, sticking his hoof out for her to shake. "My name is Old Tender."
Ocellus blinked twice as she shook his hoof firmly. "K-kinda on the nose huh?"
"Oh yes most definately. All pony names are though, let's be frank. Now then, come on, let me introduce you to the residents. I think I can give you a little demo reel as to what this job entails. Please follow me." Old Tender said turning and walking towards the door leading deeper into the building.
They eventually found themselves at a set of double doors.
"Now then, your job will be to tend to the elderly. And I mean tend to their emotional needs. These fillies and gentlecolts, well, they don't get many visitors..." Old Tender said with a slight frown.
"Not even from their grandkids?" Ocellus asked in shock.
"Actually most of the residents here are elderly folks who didn't have kids. Otherwise they'd usually be getting taken care of by their relatives." Old Tender said.
"Oh. That makes sense I guess." Ocellus said with a smile. "So what am I going to be doing?"
"It's actually surprisingly simple!" Old Tender said with a smile. "You just have to talk to the residents. Make them feel wanted. Listen to their stories. Yada yada yada."
"Oh! That is very easy!" Ocellus said with a smile.
"Yeah... sure." Old Tender suddenly shuddered before opening the door and pointing her inside. "Good luck!"
Ocellus stared at him in confusion as she entered the room before shrugging and walking up to the first resident she saw, an elderly balding pegasus stallion with tan fur and white hair. He had a cutie mark of a ball of yarn. He was slowly rocking back and forth in a rocking chair.
"Hello!" Ocellus said with a smile as she approached him.
"Oh hello there! My name is Tale Weaver! Nice to see you!" The pegasus said with a smile. "Why, you're a changeling aren't you?"
"I sure am!" Ocellus said with a smile.
"Oh, bless your heart that is great!" Tale Weaver said with a smile. "Do you want to hear the story of the last time I saw a changeling? I must warn you it is a doozy!"
"Sure! That's what I am here for!" Ocellus said with a smile.
Tale Weaver laughed before sitting up and staring down at her. "Very well! It all started about 20 or so years ago while I was sitting on my porch in a rocking chair eating some homemade chocolate cake with my wife, Celestia rest her soul, while we were staring out at the forest together, just at night. Or wait... maybe she bought the chocolate cake from the store in a package. But that doesn't make sense cause she had it in one of those baking tins when I cut myself a slice, but I never saw her baking it and at the time I was between jobs so I never really left the house. Cause you know, baking a cake takes a long time, you need the eggs and the milk and the batter and you have to mix it all together and it takes hours to bake in the oven and then you have to take it out to let it cool down then you add the frosting. Maybe she bought it from the store and put it into one of those baking tins so it looked like she baked it herself. That sounds just like her the sneaky grouch."
Ocellus stared at the stallion as he talked. She could slowly feel sweat start to form on her brows.
"Anyway, I'll save the rest of that story for late. So I'm sitting there on my porch eating a slice of chocolate cake, when a horrible feeling suddenly fills my body. The worst feeling of my life. Something was very very wrong. I have lived many many years and nothing I have felt before or after compares to the distress I felt in that moment. Do you know what is was? Yep! It was my rocking chair! It had stopped rocking! So I looked down and saw that my rocking chair had a rock stuck under it. What a day! I decided it was time to go to bed, I had a little bit too much excitement for one day! I slid into my jammies, brushed my teeth, and said my prayers to Celestia. As I was laying in bed I noticed my wife, Celestia rest her soul, brushing her mane in the bathroom. As I peered across the hall my mind swelled with emotions! 'Why is it that my beautiful wife married an ugly stallion like me. Is it because she is just after my bank account? Is she just playing a mean trick on me? Does she even really love me?' I'm a strong guy, I work out 40 minutes a month, is that not enough? Now my neighbor at the time, a stallion by the name of Grand Pear, he was quite the character. Much much more attractive then me I assure you,"
Ocellus slowly felt her soul start to leave her body as the color faded from her carapace. Her body slowly felt heavier and heavier, crushing itself under the weight of his words. She started panting.
"His wife, Callery Pear-Cherry... Yeah, one of THOSE mares. Well, she was a lot less attractive than my wife, and so I always assumed that he had eyes on my wife, Celestia bless her soul. I'd say that she was a hard four while my wife was a soft six. What's the deal? I thought women hated men like me and prefered those who were richer and stronger and stuff? Why was my wife with me and not him? I got really worried and thought that any day now she would divorce me to run off with him leaving me with Callery Pear-Cherry, soon to be Callery Pear-Cherry-Weaver! Anyway my gripe of a wife, Celestia rest her soul, crawled into bed next to me. She decided to leave the bedside light on so she could read her book. It was one of her romance novels again... Give me a break... As if I don't already feel inadequate enough... not only do I have to compete with Grand Pear, now I have to deal with these fictional hunks! Ay yai yai! At this point I had already suppressed my urges of intimacy, so I rolled over and tried to sleep, her bedside light being only a minor annoyance. I was able to drift off. Then I woke up an hour later and I saw a changeling flying around outside my window."
He stopped talking and stared down at Ocellus, all of the color drained from her carapace as she blankly stood upwards, her eyes hollow and her body shaking. There was a pause for several minutes before Ocellus noticed he was done, a slight amount of color returning to her face.
"T-thank you f-for the story sir. That was truly inspiring." She said her voice holding a tone of trauma within. She turned and started to slowly limp towards the exit. She was suddenly stopped when Tale Weaver talked once again.
"I can tell from the way you are walking away that you don't really want to leave. So how about another story?" Tale started.
Ocellus threw her head back to let out a scream of pain, but it only came out as a defeated gurgle.
"Once upon a hot summer night some time in July... was it July? My local grocery store sells really good eggs in July. I don't know why. Do chickens operate better in heat? The longer amount of time that the sun is up maybe? I don't know. I don't want to go off topic. Point is, the eggs that summer were the best! Anyway, my wife and I, Celestia rest her soul, went to a BBQ that night. It was at Granny Smith's house. Well, her backyard. Back then Granny Smith didn't want people in her house that weren't related to her. I think she was just an uptight class A personality. So at this BBQ I see none other than... That's right, Grand Pear. He had invitied herself and a huge fight broke out between him and Granny Smith! Now earlier that day, my wife, Celestia rest her soul, told me that if any fights broke out at the BBQ, she would just take the food we took and go home."
Ocellus felt her legs collapse as she crumpled to the floor under the gravity of the stallion's speech.
"So she had made Potato Salad earlier that day, and when the fighting started, she took it and went straight home. And personally I was completely fine with that. Between you and me, I absolutely hate potato salad, more of a mashed kind of guy. So after my wife went home I decided to stay at the party and kept a good distance between me and my dumb potato wife. Celestia rest her soul, I just didn't want anyone to associate me with someone who would bring a potato salad to a BBQ! Anyway, Grand Pear and his below average wife had brought a pear fruit salad with them to the Apple's party! With whipped cream! The nerve of those pears! Needless to say, the fighting got so bad that I couldn't take it so I just decided to go right home and apologize to my wife for not going with her. I swear I will never forget the words those two threw at each other during that party. Now Granny Smith sure has calmed down since those old days, but boy howdy has Grand Pear not changed a bit. I saw him the other day. Haven't seen him in years and what's the first thing he says to me? Hey Tale Weaver how's the wife? Needless to say I ran away as fast as my old wings could carry me. Now that wasn't very fast mind you, but tomorrow I am definitely going back there to that market to give him some choice words I tell you that! A real tongue lashing. Anyway, at this point I must be boring you little missy, so I'll let you go on your way! So long!"
Ocellus was left a shattered, broken mess as Tale finished up his story with a wave.
"Thank you...." She said in a weak, broken voice. She slowly dragged herself away, unable to pull herself back onto her own hooves. Eventually she arrived back with Old Tender, her psyche completely destroyed.
"So, do you see why this isn't an easy job?" Old Tender asked in an understanding tone.
"Yes sir." she whimpered in a tiny voice.
"Ok." he said with a nod. "Am I going to be seeing you again for work tomorrow?"
Author's Note
Sorry this chapter took so long.
I should mention, I have worked in an old folks home for a while now, so I understand Ocellus's feelings at this moment. It is horror.
Mwuahahahahah
