//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Coming out // by MichelleTwistaloo //------------------------------// “So who’d you think the gay colt or filly is?” Pinchy asked, her eyes shining with curiosity, not noticing the look in a very distressed Pip, who tried his best to retain his calm, else he’d be giving the info away, that it was, in fact, him who was the gay colt. “Why do you think there’s a gay colt or filly that likes other colt or filly?” He asked. Though he tried hard, he couldn’t help but let his voice fluctuate a little bit. From his normal voice to a higher pitched one, to his regular voice again. But Pitchy paid no mind to his pitch; all he cared was his opinion. “Well duh, if there wasn’t one, Miss Cheerilee wouldn’t bother give us all that speech, she only does it when there’s one in the class.” “Really?!” The change of tone was perceptible even to a deaf pony that had never had contact with another pony, Pinchy remained blissfully unaware though. “Yeah, so who do you think he or she is?” “I hum....” he pondered his question, opting for the safe alternative. “I don’t know, sorry Pinchy” he finally managed to get his voice under control.´ It had been two days since that little speech of the teacher and in that time everypony had been rumored to be the gay colt or the lesbian filly, from pip (which really was the one, but whose rumor quickly passed, much to his relief) to Feather, to Rumble, to Dinky, to Twist to pretty much everyone. But there was no conclusive answer yet. After the confession of his feelings, Pip had sort of backed away from his proximity to Feather, due to his grudge, that he rationally knew was stupid, after all his friend couldn’t control how he felt, but couldn’t help feeling. He also reckoned that Feather must have been pretty... well not offended, it wasn’t really a bad thing, but he felt that things wouldn’t be the same, there would be too much awkwardness. So he had backed off. Feather had tried various times to try and contact him, but he just, refused, for the sake of the friendship they had started a long time ago, and that Pip was sure they would return to in a few days, months, years, whenever. “Whoever it is, I hope they’re okay, it would be pretty awful, at least for me, to hide my true self from everypony in class, plus miss Cherlilee told us that whoever it is, he or she shouldn’t live their life in secret.” Pinchy stopped to take a breath after that enormous mouthful . “But we don’t know who that pony is, so we can’t help him or her.” Pipsqueak’s left eye twitched, as Pinchy hugged him and then left. The general consensus among the school aged ponies was that it was no big deal, and they’d still be friends, that gave him hope, but there was still that tiny massive problem. The ponies who didn’t agree with the existence of him. And sure it were only two fillies, and he had a feeling they were doing it just to make whoever it was (that is, him) feel worse, but still. What if all people reacted that way, what would he do? And yes, it was silly, but it was at times like this that he felt he needed to talk to with somepony, but who? His best friend? He had separated from him and they weren’t talking the only other option was miss Cheerilee, she already knew it, he thought, and why wouldn’t he? He decided to do it. He trotted to the classroom and, as he felt the hay below his hooves, he moved towards the teacher. She stopped writing on the chalkboard as he approached, she looked at him and motioned him to approach. “Pipsqueak, hello, I’ve been hoping you’d show up.” Pipsqueak felt suddenly very uncomfortable on his very own hooves, like he wanted to be somewhere else. “Yeah, well, thank you, the teacher told us if we wanted to talk then you’d be here and I...” he sighed “I really need to talk.” She nodded. “I understand...” She looked trough the window at all her students, that were playing in the sun. “I heard there are rumors over who the pony I indirectly talked about is” she lowered her head. “Sorry about that, It wasn’t my intention, sometimes my students, like you, are hard to predict. But talk, say what’s on your mind.” Pipsqueak took a deep breath, ready to share his feelings, he looked trough the window, there was Feather, sitting besides a tree, just at the limit of his field of vision, he didn’t dare look at the teacher, he just stared at the ground, and he started talking with lots of hesitations. “Well....I don’t really feel all that much great, I mean everypony is trying to find out who the pony is, and I have a feeling that if Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon find me out, they’ll never leave me alone, I’ve already been the target a couple dozen times due to my shortness, and now this? It’s not that I’m...dissatisfied with how I turned out, I really ain’t, but...” He stopped, as this was going to make him confront feelings he had never tried to confront before. “I’m still a perfectly functional pony, I still have eyes, muzzle, four legs, a tail, and all that, it’s just...” His teacher looked at him kindly, softly urging him to go on. “I know I’m not the only one, you know? And from statistics, I reckon it’s pretty likely that there are more colts and fillies, like that, it’s just, when Feather almost let out my secret, I felt afraid, I mean, I don’t know why, I don’t want to, like you said, live my life as a lie, but I also don’t want to be the weird oddity of the class.” He half smiled. “I hear when I get to college or adulthood it gets much easier, as there are places for ponies like me to meet others, but I can’t wait that long, while feeling sad over it!” He stopped, looking at the teacher, who returned his look. “Do you get me?” She looked at him, and got down to eye level, putting a reassuring hoof on her shoulder she finally spoke. “Yes I get you although....” She paused for two minutes, pondering, along the way saying things like “well...” or “Maybe it’s not such a bright idea”, or even “Maybe? I don’t really know”, but finally she spoke to him again. “I don’t suppose you’d like to meet a pony? He’s a friend of mine, and I think he can really help you with your problem. If it’s ok with your parents, of course” She looked at him “ ...In fact....give them this....” she started writing a letter, that, after being sealed shut he put on his saddlebag. “If your parents sign it, and tell me, it’s ok, I will take you to him.” Pip looked at the teacher, a smile on his face. He was pretty sure that, whatever his parents read on the slip of paper the teacher had handed to him, they would agree to let him do it. They were very kind and supportive parents, after all.