AKA: Gallus and Smolder Get Hot and Stuffed
“... Gallus? Yo, you down here?”
The dragoness’ voice rang out far down the hallway, with each echoed repetition emphasizing how barren it had become since the final bell rang. Even though all classes ended less than twenty minutes ago, the School of Friendship was very quick to vacate at the end of a lengthy Friday. Aside from a few eggheads who constantly took advantage of the school’s twenty-four hour library (one of Twilight Sparkle’s more unusual specifics for the academy), there wasn’t much to do when all the extracurricular clubs took the weekend off. Most of the doors she walked past were locked shut, with the lights all turned off behind their sanitized crystal windows. However, her scaled brows flagged up with intrigue when she saw a beam of light protruding from the end of the tiled hall.
“Hmph…” Smolder huffed with a smirk on her muzzle, and looked around before continuing down the hall by herself. Even though she usually would’ve taken full advantage of Equestria’s flawless weather to practice her flying skills, the dragon wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity this rare when it came along. Smolder made sure that she wasn’t being trailed by anypony, and especially not any of their friends before their weekend plans could be arranged. Neither of them were sure how much free time they could’ve feasibly had, but they would’ve been perfectly fine with even an hour spent in seclusion. Of course, as soon as Smolder got in far enough to flare out her nostrils, she shivered with an antsy grin before picking up the pace.
The dragoness briskly speed-walked down the remainder of the hall, and then swooped as quietly as she could through the pre-opened door. A rubber door-wedge was kept in place for Smolder to enter without any issue, but was promptly locked as soon as she slipped through. However, the tiniest gap between the door frame’s corner and the door itself provided a small wire to be slipped into the room. While the microphone was already positioned inside and above the doorway, the signal antenna was on the other side outside the doorway labeling it as the Home Economics Room.
Just outside the newly-locked Home Ec Room, a small house fly buzzed about for a moment or so. While hovering in midair, the insect sniffed the air with a bemused look on its face. Of course, that was a split-second before the fly ignited into a tiny plume of green flame, which expanded outward just enough to take on a different winged form. As soon as the flames dissipated away, a bright red cardinal fluttered off without a sound and glided down the hallway.
The bird may have stood out beautifully among the crystalized hallways and unoccupied lockers, but its presence meant nothing when no students were around to witness its grace. It was only airbound for less than a minute, as it careened past corners and between rooms like it knew every inch by heart. The cardinal eventually flew inside of the School of Friendship’s Music Room, which happened to be exactly perpendicular to the Home Ec’s room from the outside. Unfortunately, even though the two outgoing rooms were nearly identical from their twin-root foundations, all of the Home Ec Room’s windows were covered by the grated blinds.
The Music Room’s blinds were also closed, but that was just because the four classmates inside didn’t want to get caught by their friends.
Since the windows were all closed shut, the lights were able to be turned on and make the space feel more comfortable. The cardinal sprung out its wings in mid-flight, and quickly engulfed itself in another flume of bright green flames. The fireball expanded out to nearly a bowling-ball in size, before instantly dissipating the moment it made its descent to the floor. The smooth, chitinesque hooves of a pale blue changeling stepped onto the floor with surprising grace, contrasting with how much worry was plastered across their insectoid eyes. Nevertheless, they were able to sigh sharply in an attempt to calm themself down, and head straight towards a large metallic machine. A pink hippogriff quickly hopped off the table holding the machine, and patiently watched as the changeling turned a couple of knobs.
“Okay, I think the transmission will be strong enough to pick up from here…” Their hoof slowly turned a large dialing knob, while the loud crackly noise of static and gurgled “voices'' made their muzzle grimace tightly. The other three classmates were covering their ears with their hooves and claws, but that discomfort only lasted a moment before they dialed in on the right frequency. As soon as the static turned to a more manageable hiss, the hippogriff beamed excitedly beside the stallion and yak.
“Just gotta adjust the volume a bit here, and… I think we…” The changeling leaned in close to the receiver with that last twist of the knob, and they let out a silent gasp with an awestruck expression. They went over to turn another knob, while the other three students leaned in to listen to the signal coming in through the speakers. Soon enough, the sounds of two distinct voices began to come through clear as day while broadcasted from the Home Economics Room.
“Whoo! Damn, Gallus!”
The sound of Smolder’s brash voice caught all four of the students’ attention. They gathered around the radio receiver with chairs skidding underneath them, and the yak pulled out a bulk-sized bag of tortilla chips. None of the multi-species group said a word, and listened intently while passing the snacks around. Meanwhile, the dragoness’ voice continued to speak rather flirtatiously. “I knew you were eager to do this, but like… I really didn’t expect the room to get this hot!”
None of the four had any time to gasp in shock before Gallus said in response, “Oh, don’t try to give me that excuse, Smolder! You’re literally a dragon!”
“Hmph~ Well, alright then, I just wanted to check, that’s all…” The sounds of Smolder’s bare feet smacking the crystal floors could be heard clear as day through the microphone above their heads. However, the distinct noise of something sizzling or crackling was enough to make all the listeners groan in discomfort. It was a harsh, popping hiss that wasn’t letting up the longer the feed was going. If anything, Gallus seemed to be making that noise even louder while speaking cheerfully.
“So, did you talk with Ocellus and Silverstream before coming here?”
“Yeah, I told Silverstream during lunch, and I caught up with Ocellus before final period. They both think I’m with studying with Sandbar. And… I’m hoping you got that part handled?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah! Yeah, I bought Sandbar and Yona tickets to that new ‘Killer Puppet’ movie at the theater.”
“Oh, what?! Dude, I wanted to see that movie!”
“Eh, trust me, it’s not that great. I watched it last week, and they killed off the puppet with a drowning.”
“GAAAAHHHHH!!!”
Ocellus instantly turned off the receiver, and groaned with their hooves over their face. Sandbar, who was still holding the unused movie tickets in his hoof, had a heartbroken look on his face like he just heard his friend confess to a murder. Yona, who nearly towered twice the size of her coltfriend, pulled him in close to her bushy fur with a sympathetic smile. Meanwhile Silverstream, the pink hippogriff, was trying to discreetly peek out through the window blind. “Uhhh… are you sure this is a good idea, Ocellus? I mean I understand the importance of our friendships and all…”
“Ugh, Silverstream! We already agreed it’s for the greater good here!” Ocellus lit up their horn, and floated out a large notepad that was nearly overflowing with highly-detailed notes and crumpled pages of Equestrian scientific journals. “After our encounters with Cozy Glow and the Elements of Harmony, there’s a very good chance that we could already be successors for Equestria’s Guardians!”
“Yes, I know! I’m already in agreement with all of you about that!” Silverstream sighed and rolled her eyes before motioning towards the other two. “But come on, Ocellus! Don’t you think it’s a little hypocritical that you’re insisting on spying on Smolder and Gallus, but you didn’t do that with them?!”
Yona looked between her hippogriff friend’s puzzled stare, and then back towards the changeling friend’s unblinking eyes. She was looking over at Ocellus when Silverstream grew a look of shocked revelation on her face; meanwhile, Ocellus waited until the yak turned away to roll their insectoid eyes. After a moment of contemplation, the yak merely shrugged her shoulders and stated, “Eh! Yona thinks the whole, ‘Friendships and Relationships Don’t Mix’ rule is too old-fashioned. Yona loves everyone equally! Just like how Ocellus loves both pronouns equally!”
“T-That’s not what nonbinary mnnnnghhhhh…” Ocellus had to cover their face with a hoof to keep their cool. Instead of blowing up yet again about that particular matter, Ocellus kept their focus directed on the radio behind them. “Listen, if the six of us expect to stay friends with bonds as unbreakable as the Elements, we really need to make sure that any potential ‘romances’ are worth investing in! It was easy enough to accept Sandbar and Yona, since I could sense those two were obviously in love the instant they met…”
Silverstream was wide-eyed when she glanced back at her two blushing friends. Neither Sandbar or Yona could say anything while seated side-by-side, but their silence definitely said enough. All that the couple could do was shrug weakly and struggle not to glare at Ocellus in embarrassment.
“But in the case of Gallus and Smolder, who carry equally strong feelings of romance and friendship on both sides, it could go either way which route would be more suitable for our group dynamic…”
None of the three could say much about the changeling’s logical, albeit cold justifications regarding their actions. Sure, listening in on their friends for a possible ‘Will They/Won’t They’ romance was not only an awkward situation to possibly get caught in, but also a decent means to completely lose a friend’s trust. But at the end of the day, none of the group tried to protest when Ocellus went back towards the radio. “Okay, are we done griping about a movie spoiler? Alright, let’s get back to work…”
After another click of the volume knob, the group were soon met with their friends’ voices once more.
“... Oh, man… Smolder, you have no idea how happy I am to do this with you!”
“Heh~ Well, you were practically begging for it! What was I supposed to say?”
“Oh, come on! You can’t tell me you weren’t curious after our first time…”
All four of their friends had their jaws dropped, but not a single sound could come out of any of their gaping mouths. Silverstream was the first to close her beak, while Sandbar and Yona had to gawk back at each other in shock. Even Ocellus seemed a bit flustered by that dialogue, which left them notably blushed beside the receiver. “... Uhhhhh… well, ummm… that certainly caught me by surpr--”
KKSSSHHHHHHH!!!
All of them winced with their hooves or claws over their ears, while a harsh staticy hiss blasted through the speakers. Ocellus lowered the volume once more, and groaned in frustration. “Nnnnghhh!! Darnit, I think something’s covering the microphone!”
“But wait, didn’t you say you put it over the doorway?” Silverstream stared at the changeling puzzledly. “What in Equestria could be interfering with it?”
Back in the Home Ec Room, it seemed that Smolder accidentally thwarted their friends’ plans after she was given an apron. Despite Gallus’ kind gesture, the dragoness tossed it over her head, which left the garment hanging by the microphone over the doorway. The two paused briefly to examine what the heck was hooking the apron in place like that. However, the gryphon was more peeved at Smolder when he asked, “What the?! Hey, what gives!?”
“Dude, we’re not in cooking class anymore,” noted Smolder as she walked into the large kitchen area and rolled her eyes. “Besides, I’m a dragon. That apron isn’t going to protect me from anything my scales can’t handle already.”
Gallus looked like he wanted to say something, but his beak remained open for only a moment before closing in silence. Not to mention, the gryphon couldn’t exactly scold her when he was trying to focus on the contents sizzling in his skillet. “Well, just be careful, alright? We’re gonna have to clean up this kitchen after we’re finished.”
“Ugh! Seriously?” Smolder walked up behind Gallus to see what he was cooking on the stove. There was also a high-quality deep-fryer near the corner of the kitchen with its light already on, but her face lit up the moment she saw what Gallus was finishing up. “Ooh, nice! You got bacon?!”
“Hmph~ You know it!” Gallus carefully pulled up the tong while several sizzling, freshly-fried strips of bacon were dangling off the edges and dripping copious amounts of grease. He placed the bacon strips on a pre-made plate lined with paper towels, which instantly soaked up most of the grease to turn the paper a garish yellow. Smolder had her draconic eyes narrowed intensely on the salty pork, not even realizing she was licking her lips with anticipation. But before she or Gallus could get their claws all over the meat, he was quick to point out, “But seriously though, we’d probably get in huge trouble if any of the teachers find out we’re cooking meat in here.”
“Well, didn’t you say that Spike helped you hold some of this meat in the school’s freezer?” Smolder decided to distract herself away from that tempting bacon, and took notice of a large cardboard box atop one of the island countertops. She tilted her head to read the bold labeling on the side, and whistled with an impressed smirk. “Ooh, you got fried chicken too?! Score!”
“Actually, those are chicken tenders. But they’re boneless, so you won’t have to worry about that this time around.” Gallus smiled after placing the last of the cooked bacon on the plates. “And just for the record, I asked Spike to hold it in the school freezer because that box was too big to hide anywhere else. And I didn’t want to risk being seen taking it from Troy and Canvas’ house while they’re away.”
“Oh, so that’s what your payment was for house-sitting for them!” Smolder shrugged while examining the ingredients labeled on the box, not seeing anything too concerning on the packaging. “Jeeze, I’m surprised you’re not asking the two for some bits as well.”
“Hey, you know how much those chicken tenders cost? If anything, Troy hooked me up with a better payment this time around.”
“I certainly hope so…” Gallus turned off the burner, and walked over towards the deep-fryer with Smolder watching curiously. The gryphon ripped open the top of the box with his razor-sharp claws, and pulled out two huge clawfulls of frozen breaded chicken strips. Smolder was impressed by how easily the gryphon was working his way around the kitchen, even though she already knew he was at the top of their cooking class during school hours. But at that moment, it was clear that Gallus was truly passionate about exploring something a bit more… taboo alongside a like-minded friend.
“So wait, these aren’t fried chicken?” asked Smolder, who leaned in over Gallus’ shoulder to see those frozen strips frying in the clear oil. “But like, they look pretty similar to the chicken pieces Canvas put in our waffles that one time.”
“Nnnnfff! Gods, those were so good…” Both Gallus and Smolder shuddered a little from that pleasant reminder, which happened solely by coincidence and mixed luck. Sure, Gallus may have been acting by instinct when he tried to reach in and snag some bacon through the couple’s open window. But at the same time, that brief moment of hunger allowed him and Smolder to meet Troy and Canvas for the first time. “But, uhhh… yeah, I think that was just leftover fried chicken he put in the waffle mix. Tenders aren’t exactly the same, although it’s also technically ‘fried chicken’ too…”
Gallus shook both of the fryer baskets to move around the contents inside, just in case any of them tried to stick together. Smolder was too curious about the deep-fryer to pay much notice to the rest of the Home Ec room. That same housefly from earlier buzzed into the room through an air conditioning grate, and zoomed right up to that hanging apron without either of them noticing a thing.
Ocellus couldn’t risk changing their form and getting caught, so they had to resort to trying to lift the apron strap with their current fly physique. Fortunately for the changeling, neither of their friends could overhear their miniscule groans as they tried with all their might to perform such a simple task.
“So, do Troy and Canvas usually pay you in meat to look over their house?” asked Smolder, who was leaning against the edge of the deep-fryer while smirking at him. “I gotta say, I wish I took their offer if that was the case.”
Gallus shrugged lightheartedly, and used his tail to grab the plate of bacon beside the stove.“Eh, I only have to do it once or twice a month. They have a brother of theirs living at their Manehattan place, so it’s not that big of a deal for me.”
The gryphon held up the plate of bacon with a free claw, which Smolder was very quick to accept with a wide grin. The two stuffed a couple of strips into their mouths, and groaned at the same time when all that salty pork made contact with their drooling tongues. Gallus was still busy with the deep fryer, but he looked just as infatuated with the bacon as Smolder did. If Ocellus wasn’t preoccupied with getting that damn apron off the mic, they likely would have raised a brow at seeing what the two were really sneaking off to do together.
“Mmmmm!!!” Smolder’s eyes were rolling back while she savored every ravenous chew of the bacon against fangs. “Uggghhhh… Holy crap, this is sooooo good!”
“Mmhmm!~” Gallus was grinning with his beak clenched shut, but he pulled his head back so he could chew more of that greasy pork in his maw. The two of them were giggling with elated and blushed faces, looking like Sandbar after one of his “private walks” before the dining halls opened up. Grease was dribbling down the sides of their chins, and their claws were left thoroughly soaked by the time the plate was emptied. Smolder moved the plate aside while Gallus licked his talons and went back to the fryer.
“So, uhhh… are these the same as those chicken ‘finger’ thingies you mentioned a while back?” Smolder glanced into the fryer while those frozen strips thawed and turned the breading a beautiful shade of golden brown. “Like, I’ve also heard them being called chicken strips, but I wasn’t sure if there was any difference.”
“Ehh, actually, I think there are a few differences…” Gallus waited a moment before lifting up one of the fryer baskets, checking on the strips before deciding to plunge them back into the oil. Smolder almost reached in to grab a piece early, but stopped herself with an impatient bite of her lip. Gallus then walked over to the fridge, completely ignoring the sight of that forgotten apron dangling precariously in midair. “Like, chicken ‘fingers’ are just grounded-up chicken meat molded into strips to be breaded and fried. They’re not, like, actual fingers or anything.”
Smolder just huffed with a roll of her eyes to match her flat expression. “Well, duh! I already knew that fact.”
“Hey, I was just checking.” Gallus returned to the kitchen island with several bottles of condiments and other spices. There were also a couple of bowls already prepared as he began to get the sauces ready. “You remember when I brought up baby-back ribs in class that one time in class?”
“Ugh… Right, yeah…” Smolder shuddered from that uncomfortable memory, especially since it was a topic she and Gallus were trying to discuss in private. Unfortunately, the dead silence and mortified stares from all the equine students was enough to leave both of them traumatized from the cringe. “Jeeze, that was an awkward day.”
“Well, at least you didn’t have to talk with Headmare Twilight about possible cannibalism rumors!” After sighing in exasperation, Gallus tried to resume the topic while pouring honey into one of the bowls. “But yeah, chicken tenders are made from the tenderloin, which is a really juicy piece under the breast meat. Chicken strips are mostly just whatever long pieces of meat they can cut up for frying. They’re just as good, but tenders have a little more quality…”
Halfway through his explanation, Smolder was struggling not to laugh with her lips bitten shut. However, Gallus still overheard enough of her muffled snickering to turn and see her tightly-pursed and blushing grin. “Huh? What is it?”
Smolder clenched her eyes shut, and shook her head before letting out a light giggle. “Hehehehehe… you said breasts.”
Gallus just groaned and rolled his eyes, while that apron Smolder dropped was floating right behind them like a ghost. Ocellus was groaning as loudly as they could in their little housefly form, and was barely able to buzz upright when they got the apron off the speaker. Luckily for the changeling, the apron didn’t make much of a sound when they finally dropped it to the floor. Meanwhile back in the Music Room, the other three friends all cheered when the static from the speakers finally stopped.
“All right!” Sandbar reached in to turn up the volume. “Finally, we can hear what else they’ve been saying!”
While Yona sat in her seat with a giddy grin, Silverstream shrugged and muttered with a blush, “Hopefully it’s nothing too dirty…”
While Ocellus made their escape out the window, Smolder and Gallus’ voices rang out clear as day for the mic to pick their conversation back up.
“What?! There’s nothing wrong with breasts, Smolder! They’re the juiciest piece of meat there is!”
“Hehehehe! W-Wait, wait… I thought you said that thighs were the best.”
“Well, yeah! Those too, but the breasts are what you want for a good strip. Thighs are a little trickier to work that way.”
By the time Ocellus returned to the Music Room via an open window, they were greeted with quite the sight when they ignited back to their regular form. All three of their friends were frozen in their seats, their mouths fully agape to match their bulging eyes. Ocellus blinked a couple times before asking, “Uhhhh… I take it I missed somethi--”
“SSSSHHHHH!!!” Yona didn’t look back at them, and just waved her hoof frantically while leaning in close to the receiver. “Quick, get in here!” she whispered in rushed hiss. “Gallus just called Smolder’s breasts juicy!”
“WHAT?!” After another round of shushes from the others, Ocellus rushed back to their stool to listen in. “What the?! When did he say that?!”
“Just now…” Sandbar took a moment to glance back at Ocellus puzzledly. “Wait, what did you see while you were in there?”
“Oh, uhhh… I could barely focus on them…” They slumped in their seat with an embarrassed blush, and tried not to look over at the others. “Apparently flies do not have a lot of strength for lifting. And I was way too close to them to morph into anything else.”
None of the others could say much, and just shrugged in understanding before turning their focus back to the receiver.
“You know, I would’ve never expected you of all guys to be so keen on doing this after school hours…” Smolder was leaning against the side of the fryer while grinning at Gallus cheekily. “I mean, you’re kind of a stickler for rules most of the time.”
“Psh! No I’m not!” Gallus scoffed with an offended roll of his eyes. “C’mon, remember when we snuck out of school and Ocellus scared half the world’s dignitaries? I mean, it says a lot that we all stood up for each other after she covered for us.”
“They covered for us.” Smolder’s smile dropped just enough to emphasize her serious stare back at him. “Don’t tell me you already forgot that seminar Twilight taught about pronouns.”
“Oh! Right, sorry…” Gallus went back to check on the chicken, and Smolder stepped back with her anxious grin returning. “Yeah, I keep forgetting the whole ‘they/them’ thing when they’re not around. It’s kind of an accidental habit, y’know?”
“Eh, more of a societal habit if anything. I’m just glad they’re happier without labels…”
Back in the Music Room, Ocellus was trying not to appear too flustered behind their blushed smile. Silverstream pulled them in with her wing, while Sandbar and Yona took turns patting them on the back.
“Alright, I think we’re ready!” Gallus lifted up both fryers, and smirked excitedly upon seeing the golden-brown hunks of fried goodness. He placed the baskets on the drying rack to cool, and then returned to the sauces to finish the process. “Nnnffff~ Smolder, you will not believe how good my meat’s gonna taste~”
“Hmph~ You already proved your skills when you surprised me with that pork the other week.” Smolder made sure Gallus wasn’t looking back at her as she slowly reached into one of the baskets for an early taste-test.
“Honestly, I was a little worried I made things too hot for you back then…” As he said that, Gallus grabbed a huge bottle of ghost-pepper hot sauce to add to the honey and garlic already in the bowl.
“Please, dude! I’m a dragon, remember? Nothing’s too hot for me~” To prove her point, Smolder whistled loudly enough to make Gallus’ head whip around. The dragon grinned almost maniacally wide, before she slowly dipped her other claw into the boiling oil.
KSSSSSHHHHHH!!!
“Mmmmm… see?”
“NNNGHH!!” Gallus jolted back with his feathers standing on end. His expression looked absolutely terrified for a split-second, before he took a moment to remember Smolder’s unique biological traits. Even though seeing one of his friends dip a claw into a deep fryer was freakier than Discord in a BDSM club, Gallus was quick to close his eyes and breathe out with a claw over his chest. “J-Jeeze, Smolder… you could’ve at least warned me before showing me that.”
“What, and miss seeing your reaction?” She narrowed her eyes on him before perking her brows playfully. “It was honestly a little cute~”
Gallus froze for a second, and quickly turned around before she could see his flustered blush. Luckily, Smolder was already looking back at the fryer when she pulled her claw out like it was nothing, the orange scales remaining pristine beneath the clear and steaming oil. She reached over to wash her claw in the sink, and took a large bite out of the chicken tender while it was still sizzling in her other claw. Despite sucking in a deep breath through her mouth the moment she began chewing, the juicy chicken and crispy breading made her shudder with an enticed groan. “Mnnnnghhh!!~ Ooh, now that’s nice!”
Gallus scoffed a little, but he was trying his best not to appear too frazzled. When he finished mixing the first bowl of his sauce, he glanced back at her and smirked. “Heh~ You’re getting that eager for some real meat?~”
“Hey, you’re the one providing it.” Smolder’s voice was a bit muffled when a couple half-finished bites of chicken were still in her maw. But after a quick swallow, she became intrigued with the sauce mixture beside him. “Ooh, is that what I think it is?~”
“Indeed it is!” Gallus made sure to squeeze half a lemon’s worth of juice into the bowl, before giving it a quick stir with a spoon and pushing the bowl towards her. “Just a little thing Canvas taught me the other day.”
“Oh, you’re getting lessons from those two now?” Smolder shot him a genuinely impressed smirk. “You must be making a good impression with them.”
“Well, I’m like, one of the only other gryphons in this area. Plus, Troy and his husband are really cool! Even if they weren’t paying me to house-sit, I’d totally hang out with them.”
Back in the Music Room, none of the four blushing students were given much context through their audio feed. If any of them were aware of the culinary details in that room, they likely wouldn’t have been so frazzled by what they were hearing. Yona leaned in close to her coltfriend and whispered, “Psst! Yona confused, what are singer gryphon and tattoo pony teaching Gallus?”
“Sssshhh!!!” Silverstream shushed the couple while she and Ocellus tried to listen in on their friends’ conversation.
“Well, it certainly looks like you learned a few things~” Smolder leaned in with an enticed grin, and licked her lips to keep herself from drooling. Gallus went to retrieve the chicken tenders, which were cooled down enough to grab a clawful for each of their plates. He handed one of them to Smolder, who instantly dipped one of the plumper strips in the bowl of that spicy-sweet mixture. She groaned audibly enough for her friends to overhear, and was grinning wide when she took a sniff of the fried goodness. “Oh, man… Gallus, you certainly packed a big one for me~”
“Hmph~ Well, I know how hard it can be to satisfy a dragon of your tastes…” Gallus made sure to shoot her a cheeky smile, emphasizing that he didn’t mean anything insulting with his remark. Fortunately for him, Smolder didn’t look offended when she smirked back at him. She took her sweet time as she put the tip of that tender in her mouth, but she moaned out almost instantly when the sauce coated her tongue. Gallus grinned a bit wider when he saw her elated response. “Nnffff… I know that’s a good sound~”
“Mmmhmmmmm…” Smolder’s eyes rolled back blissfully, and her slow nod was accompanied with a strong shiver while sinking her fangs through the breading with a soft crunch. As soon as took that first swallow, she moaned out softly and smiled back at the gryphon. “Oh, wow…” Smolder may have preferred gems, but her voice was nothing short of elated when she gave her tender another dip in the sauce. “Dude… that’s a lot to handle all at once~”
When she tried to take a breath through her open mouth, she gasped when the capsaicin of Gallus’ hot sauce finally struck her tastebuds. When it came to spicy foods, even the strongest types like Scorpion Peppers or the Mareolina Reaper weren’t too dangerous for dragons. Sure, it was certainly spicy, but Smolder was handling the Ghost Pepper extract surprisingly well. Even Gallus had to take a tiny dip with his own chicken tender; unfortunately, he let out a heavy exhale of his own after taking his first bite. “Mmmphhh… H-Holy crap…”
“Mmhmm!” Smolder was already chewing on another bite, and shivering from the various flavors and textures that were setting her tastebuds ablaze. The crunchy breading, combined with that sweet and spicy tang coating every bite, carried far more complexity and satisfaction than anything served in the school’s cafeteria; and considering how much effort Twilight Sparkle put into providing students with high-quality food, that was not an easy claim to make. Smolder even sucked the sauce off her claws with enthusiastic slurps. “Damn, Gallus! This tastes way better than what you gave me last week!”
“Hey, don’t try to deny how good that sausage was~” Gallus was happily munching on another chicken tender, and shot Smolder a teasing grin. “I seem to remember you got yourself stuffed with it.”
“Yeah, but it was also like, really salty…” Smolder grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers, and scooped up some more of the sauce to taste on its own. After taking a moment to contemplate the flavors, she smacked her lips a couple times and shrugged contentedly. “Huh… Y’know, this tastes a lot sweeter than I would’ve expected.”
“Yeah, I had a little pineapple nectar before you came in. I heard from Troy that it really works to give it a nice tang.”
All four of their friends were absolutely gobsmacked while seated around the receiver. Due to Smolder and Gallus’ unfortunate wording and dialogue, it was very unlikely that they were assuming any actual food was involved. Ocellus had a hoof over their gaping maw, while Silverstream and Yona were trying their hardest not to snicker through their heavy blushes. Sandbar looked just as shocked as the others, but he was subtly trying to write on the back of his science notes. “... Pineapple… nectar…”
“Mmm! I think I can taste it a little!” After cleaning her spoon, Smolder shrugged and tossed it into the sink. Meanwhile, Gallus was already working on another sauce with the second bowl. Smolder immediately leaned in to inspect what the gryphon was making next. “Ooh! That’s a lot creamier than I would’ve guessed!”
“Hey, I’m not done yet~” Gallus already poured a generous amount of ranch dressing into the bowl, and was pumping several huge globs of the ghost pepper sauce in with it. He gave a couple hard grunts to jerk the last remaining contents out of the glass bottle, which elicited a few meaty smacks when his claw slapped the bottom. Smolder noticed a few spices that he swiped from the pantry, which prompted her to hold up the small jar of garlic powder. “You want a little help getting it done?”
“Hmmm? Oh, yeah! Totally!” Gallus went back to grunting while smacking the bottle vigorously. Smolder began to sprinkle in the garlic powder, as well as some onion powder and cayenne pepper flakes. After the last of the hot sauce was emptied out, which caused Gallus to groan deeply in satisfaction, he tossed the bottle in the trash bin and began to stir up the spicy ranch. “Ohhhhhhh yeahhhh~”
The gryphon stirred the small spoon vigorously, which made the contents of that bowl slop around with audible squishes like a hot bowl of macaroni and cheese. Smolder was already holding a chicken tender with anticipation, and hummed to herself with a lick of her lips. The nearby microphone wasn't able to pick up a lot, but it still caught those suspicious sounds well enough to keep their friends listening intently. As soon as Gallus finished stirring the spicy ranch, both of them eagerly began to devour the second sauce with tenders in their claws.
The hungry moans of carnal pleasure, combined with those wet squishes and the additional crunch or two, were all enough to make Smolder and Gallus’ friends feel very uncomfortable with their surveillance. Ocellus had to pull away from their stool with their horn lit, just to cover their ears and not feel like such a voyeur. Silverstream was the opposite, and leaned in even closer with a mystified grin across her beak. Yona and Sandbar were blushing profusely with stares back at one another, but neither of them could say a word while hearing their friends’ indulgences through the receiver. Ocellus was the first to say something after letting out a flustered sigh. “Uhhhh… M-Maybe we should leave them be--”
“SSSHHHH!!!” Silverstream waved her claw in the changeling’s direction, while her other claw pointed at the receiver. “I think I hear someone else!”
Everyone turned their attention towards the speakers with their eyes bulging wide-open. True to Silverstream’s word, the group heard the distinct click of a doorknob being unlocked, and the creak of a door opening inside the Home Ec Room. Smolder and Gallus gasped loudly, with only a brief moment of silence before a distinct voice was heard clear as day.
“What the?! Gallus?!? Smolder?!?!”
“S-Spike, wait! It’s not what it looks like!”
“We promise we were gonna clean up as soon as we were done, I swear!”
“Wait… is… is that--”
“Don’t worry, we got everything under control!”
“Y-Yeah! Gallus knows what he’s doing! We’re not, like, inexperienced or anything!”
“Well, I can see that…”
The tone in Spike’s voice caused all four of the listening friends to turn and stare at one another puzzledly.
“Ooohhh… Wow, you guys did a lot in here~”
“Heh~ Well, where else were we gonna do this in the school?”
“Fair enough… I probably would’ve chosen this place myself.”
“So… You’re not gonna tell anypony about us?”
“Pbbt! Oh, come on! You really think I’m gonna narc on you two? It’s not like you’re the only ones who enjoy this stuff~”
If it wasn’t for the closed windows in the Music Room, all three of them would’ve heard the shocked gasps from Gallus and Smolder’s friends. Of course, that didn’t stop their dialogue from continuing from their receiver.
“Oh, really now?”
“Seriously, dude?!”
“What? You think I haven’t seen this before? I had a lot of experience back in Canterlot before moving to Ponyville~”
“No way!”
“Yes way! Why did you think I let Gallus keep his stash here?”
“Yeah, uhhh… I probably should’ve told you about that.”
“Wait, have you two…”
“... Uhhhh… Once or twice~”
“Yeah, he’s great at it! I’m not surprised he pulled you into this.”
“Hmph~ I should’ve known you two had that kind of vibe.”
“You know… there’s plenty of room for a third to join in here~”
“Oh, awesome! I was definitely craving something like this for a whi--”
Ocellus had to turn off the receiver with a hasty click, but the damage was already done. They and the others looked rightfully traumatized by the realizations running through all their heads. None of the four said anything for nearly a full minute, although the awkward silence in the Music Room made it feel like much longer had passed. Yona slowly held her hooves up while blinking repeatedly, her muzzle agape to emphasize her stunned expression. After a hoarse exhale, she looked back at her friends with great concern when she said, “Uhhhh… Yona needs to know how old Spike is.”
“I think he’s older than Smolder, actually…” Even with that quick clarification, which caused Silverstream and Ocellus to sigh in relief, Sandbar covered his face with a hoof and shook his head. “Still though, holy crap…”
The others all nodded without hesitation, and just sat around uncomfortably for another moment longer. None of them tried to even look back at the receiver, and risk hearing anything else from the Home Ec Room after that shocking addition. Since things were already getting wary as it was, Ocellus spoke up and pulled themself away from their stool. “Uhhhh… you know what? I think we should just leave them alone for now.”
“Yeah…” Silverstream got out of her seat as well, and began to follow Ocellus away from the receiver. She shuddered with a strong grimace on her beak. “Ughhh… I definitely wouldn’t have expected that.”
“Yona didn’t expect that either…” She and Sandbar left their chairs without question, and exited the room behind Ocellus and Silverstream. As she walked alongside her boyfriend, and leaned her head down to whisper into his ear, “Should Yona or Sandbar say anything to teachers?”
“Ehhhh, let’s just leave them be. It sounds like it’s all consensual anyway.”
The yak shrugged indifferently, even though her muzzle was still skewed in uncertainty. She paused just before leaving the Music Room, and stared at the windows which pointed towards Smolder and Gallus’ room. Much like the others, Yona couldn’t think of anything to say about their friends’ “Relationship,” let alone Spike’s possible involvement. But since none of them had any confirmed proof of what was going on, or any good way to say anything without revealing their own untrustworthy actions, all she could do was exit the classroom with her friends and a vow of unspoken secrecy.
Meanwhile, back in the Home Economics Room, Spike was happily munching on a thick piece of breaded chicken alongside Smolder and Gallus. “Mmmm!! Wow, these sauces are awesome!” The dragon took his time trying both of them individually, with a chicken tender in each claw so he could assess the flavors side-by-side. He hummed in compilation for a moment, and swallowed a big mouthful before pointing at one of the bowls. “Yeah, I think the spicy honey sauce is a little better than the ranch. Both are still really good on their own, though.”
“Thanks, dude! Troy and Canvas gave me one of their hot sauces to try on these.” Gallus and Smolder were standing side-by-side as they enjoyed more of those golden-brown strips of fried poultry. Spike, who was standing on one of the stool while leaning against the counter, shot the two a knowing smirk before swallowing another bite.
“So… do any of your friends know about any of this?~” The dragon waved a half-eaten tender towards the two for emphasis while perking his brows.
“Ha! You really think I’m gonna tell them we’re eating meat?!” Smolder huffed with an amused smirk back at the smaller dragon. “You should’ve seen how shocked Silverstream looked when I tried to hint at it to her!”
“Which is really weird too!” added Gallus with a shrug of his head. “I mean, she eats fish and seafood all the time, but for some reason land animals are totally off the table for her!”
Spike’s expression flattened a little as he stared at the two. “Guys, that’s not what I meant…”
Gallus and Smolder chewed a little more slowly, and they stared back at the dragon with wary looks on their faces.
“You know that they won’t care if you two are a thing, right? I mean, they didn’t freak out about Yona and Sandbar hooking up! What’s the difference with you two?”
“J-Jeeze, dude!” Smolder had to reel away from Spike’s smirk with a heavy blush on her face. She breathed out flusteredly before saying, “I-It’s not like we’re like… boyfriend and girlfriend or anything!”
“Y-Yeah!” blurted Gallus with an unconvincing smile that was far too nervous for Spike’s approval. “We’re just… we’re seeing how things go. L-Like a test-run or something!”
“Uh-huh. Sure~” Spike grabbed one of the last remaining chicken strips inside the fryer’s basket, and began to walk out of the Home Ec Room with a satisfied smile. “Just so you know, that’s not the first time I heard a couple say that…”
With his belly full and a dry chicken tender in his claw, Spike decided to leave the two possible-lovebirds alone. As soon as the little dragon left the classroom, Gallus and Smolder were left by themselves for the first time without anyone eavesdropping. The two slowly stared back at one another, with neither able to say much over the awkward silence. Gallus was blushing deeply, with his beak tightly clenched in trepidation. Meanwhile, Smolder narrowed her eyes on him before leaning in a little. “You know… you have a little something right there…”
Gallus wasn’t prepared for Smolder to move her head in, but he was frozen in place when the dragon’s lips pressed softly against the side of his beak. Even though she could’ve just used her claw to wipe up that small dollop of ranch, she pulled back the slightest bit with a satisfied smirk on her face. Gallus’ feathers ruffled out all over his head, which made him look like he was sporting a yellow-tinted afro. After a couple seconds, the gryphon breathed out and lunged his head in.
“MMPHHH!!” Smolder’s eyes shot wide-open, and she was left in an equally stunned state when Gallus planted his open beak against her lips. But unlike the gryphon, who didn’t respond much to her teasing kiss, the dragon’s eyes slowly closed before humming contentedly. She reciprocated the kiss to Gallus with a claw around the back of his head, which helped the gryphon to close his eyes as well. Their kiss only lasted five seconds at most, but it was more than enough to leave both of their hearts fluttering by the time they pulled back.
“Heh…” Gallus’ feathers were still rustled quite visibly, but he was able to smile when he saw how badly Smolder’s cheeks were blushing as well. Even with the deep-fryer still bubbling nearby, neither of them seemed to notice while staring at each other with flustered smiles. Smolder eventually leaned in to nestle her head against the feathers along Gallus’ neck.
“So, uhhh… what were you wanting to do after this?”
“I-I dunno, ummm… M-Maybe we could… see that new zombie film playing at the movie theater?” Gallus tried his hardest not to shiver from her nuzzling as he smiled feebly. “I… I heard they have the unrated version with the gore uncensored.”
“OOH! That’s out?!” Smolder pulled back with an excited grin. “Ohmigosh, why didn’t you tell me?! Yeah, I’m totally down for that!”
Seeing how cheerful she became with such a suggestion, it was a lot easier for Gallus to smile back at her and nod. “Well, uhhh… so, is… is that a date?”
Smolder pulled away from the nervous-looking gryphon, and grabbed another clawful of frozen tenders to whip up a new batch in the fryer. “Hey, with this kind of meal you got us, I’d definitely call this a dinner date~”
Gallus smiled even wider, but he decided not to say anything else to ruin the moment. Instead, he decided to join Smolder in preparing more of their taboo snacks without anyone to intervene. As the two worked side-by-side getting the fryers prepared, neither of them seemed to overhear the fluttering wings of a small bird that had been peeping in through the window…
… They also didn’t hear the faint sound of an excited squee from a certain friend of theirs in the distance less than a minute later.
The End
