//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Hearts and Hooves, Claws, and Paws Day // by Sir_RedFox //------------------------------// The girls' facilities had a large tube. It took Smolder a few minutes to fill up the tub, and with a constant jet stream of fire, was able to make the tub water boiling. Sinking into the tub, Smolder gives a long, pleasurable sigh of relaxation. The tub might not be the warm lava of the Dragon Lands, but it was a close second. Smolder let her body float in the water, arms hanging off the side. The door to the girls' shower facility burst open. Causing Smolder to jump out of her relaxation mode, splashing water all over the tile flooring, to see what it was that busted into the shower facilities. "Heart's and Hooves Day!" said Silverstream, shrieking with joy. Silverstream stands at the doorway, arms, and wings spread out, and a broad smile on her face. Seeing Smolder soaking in the tube, Silverstream runs over in excitement. "Smolder?" Silverstream said. "Do you know what today is?" "Well," Smolder said. "I'm only going off of a wild hunch, but I'm going to guess that it's Hearts and Hooves Day?" "Oh my gosh! That's exactly what today is," Silverstream said, still shrieking with joy. Flying over the tub Smolder was soaking in, Silverstream grabs ahold of her magic pearl necklace. With a quick blinding light, Silverstream the hippogriff turns into Silverstream the seapony. She splashes into the tube with Smolder, laughing with joy. "Why Silverstream, please jump straight in as I'm trying to soak," Smolder said, using heavy sarcasm in her speech. "I'm so glad you said that," said Silverstream. "Because for a second there I was starting to think 'Hey Silverstream, you should have asked before jumping in with Smolder.'" said Silverstream, laughing with relief. "I'm guessing sarcasm wasn't much of a thing underwater, was it?" Smolder said with more of the same sarcasm. Smolder grunts in annoyance. "Don't worry," said Silverstream. "I'm going to take one of the shower stalls. I'm just soo excited." Grabbing her magic pearl necklace, Silverstream turns back into the hippogriff. Flapping her winks over to one of the shower stalls and pulls the curtain closed. Only a few seconds pass before the sound of rushing water shoots out of a shower faucet. Steam rises out of the stale. The door to the girls' facilities burst open. Yona stood there as if giving her overall showcase on a stage. "Yona ready for today!" Said Yona "Oooh," Said Silverstream, popping her head out above the shower stall, her mane of hair sopping wet with bubble suds. "Sounds like you have something exciting planned for today. But wait, before you tell me, take a gander at this," she said, holding out what appeared to be a shampoo bottle. "It's shampoo, annd conditioner, in the same bottle for fur and manes. And, now including feathers! If they can but all that into a single bottle, imagine the endless possibilities of what they could put in bottles? Okay, I'm done. Now tell us about your exciting plans, Yona," Silverstream said, using a scrub brush to clean her back. Before Yona could utter one word, the last girl of the student six enters. Ocellus enters, hugging two neatly folded towels close to her and a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. Just the one bottle feels strange to have for her. Before Thoraxe took over the Changeling Kingdom, Queen Chrysalis would be the only one to have such need for body hygiene, which she had several changeling servants tend to her will. Now changelings have free will to do what they please. "Oh," said Ocellus. "How are you girls doing?" "Ocellus!" Silverstream shouts with glee. "You're just in time. Yona was about to tell us some exciting plans she has for today." Silverstream's eyebrows twitched up and down, in the way of being seductive and joke towards Yona. "Would any of these exciting plans happen to involve Sandbar?" Smolder asked. Ocellus heads forward, wanting to avoid conversation, and enters the far open stall. She slams the shower curtain closed. "Yes, and No," Yona said. "Yona's mother, Yak and father Yak come to visit. First time leaving Yakyakastain. Show them around pony village, then go and meet with Sandbar and his pony family." "Ooh," smolder said. "meeting the parents. Things are getting serious with you two" Smolder laughs Yona goes to one of the free open showers. Yona doesn't use any fancy brand shampoos or soaps, but rather drenches her fur and scrubs her self with a homemade Yakyakistan brand soap. The soap gave off an overpowering stench of tree bark. "What about you, Ocellus? Anything fun planned?" ask Silverstream, popping head above the stall and tossing a piece of sponge across to Ocellus. She felt the soft sponge bounce off the top of her head. "Oh, Me?" ask Ocellus. She pokes her head up which lathered in bubbly soap. "Probably get a head start on a few lessons," she said with a nervous laugh and looking down at the tile floor before going back to scrubbing her exoskeleton. "Nothing special." Now good and wet, Yona turns the shower head off and gives a mighty shake to dry her self. Her dense damp fur sprays water everywhere. There was no form of cover to shelter behind as globes of water shoot out of Yona's fur, spraying every inch of the room. Done, Yona wraps one towel around her body and another atop her head. "It all sounds, so awesome," Silverstream shouts for all to hear. She steps out of the shower and grabs two towels. She covers her self, exactly like Yona. By wrapping one towel around her body, at least to cover her chest. "Today is going to be, the best, day, ever!" she shouts. Silverstream wrings out any water in her mane and wraps another towel around her head. Going over to the sink, she squirts a globe of toothpaste on her toothbrush and starts scrubbing all inside corners of her beak till foam drips out. She also sprayed her feathers with volumizer, making her feathers and wings stand out and look slick. "Well," Smolder said. "Are any of you considering going to the 'Hearts and Hooves Day School Dance?'" Smolder uses finger quotations when speaking of the dance. "Yes! No! Maybe! Aaah, I don't know!" Silverstream said, shrieking with joy. Yona and Smolder were able barely able to understand her, with foam coming out of her mouth. "Well, I know there's going to be a small firework show in Ponyville, in celebration," Smolder said. "Figure I might just go to the clubhouse and watch it all from there." They all talked while pampering themselves up for the day ahead. Ocellus, however, waited, quiet, till they left. She peeps out to see if they are all gone. First Yona leaves, then second is Silverstream who flaps her wings and flies out. The only one that was left was Smolder. She looked at her self in the mirror and looked as though she was trying to make herself look good all over. Scraping of loose dragon scales and picking her teeth with her claw. Ocellus couldn't wait anymore. If she was quick and quiet, the blue changeling could walk straight out. Smolder seemed to be too distracted and might not even notice her. With a towel wrapped around her body and another atop her head, just like the other gals had done minus Smolder, and steps out. Ocellus makes quick little quiet steps, heading straight toward the door passing behind Smolder. "So what's got you so gloomed and doomed?" Smolder asked out loud. This got Ocellus's attention and caught her off guard. "Who? Me? Nothing. What makes you say that?" said Ocellus, firing off defensive questions and keep her smile as well. "You walk in, barely say hello. It looked like you were trying to imagine that me, Yona, and Silverstream weren't there. You take the farthest shower stall. Also, now you're, just going to leave without brushing your teeth." Said Smolder. "Well," Ocellus said. Thinking of what to say to Smolder. Felt hard to do, now that the spotlight is on her. "You're not brushing your teeth." Ocellus said. "I rarely brush my teeth," said Smolder. "That's not uncommon. You, however, not brushing your teeth is a bit unusual and suspicious. Out of the six of us, you're the one that's the tidiest and well kept. Especially between Gallus and me. So, what gives?" "I guess I'm not all into this Hearts and Hooves Day celebration as everyone else is," Ocellus said, after giving a great big sigh of sadness. "Well, who said that I'm all into it?" said Smolder. "But, the way you were talking to Yona and Silverstream," Ocellus said. "It sounded like you have plans to celebrate today. "They have their plans, and I have my plans. And anyone is welcome to join me." Said Smolder. She turns to face Ocellus. "Tell you what lets talk after class. See how you're feeling then. Okay?" Ocellus gives a shy smile and nods in agreement. The changeling would still rather have the day go by and end quickly, and if Smolder can help with that than maybe things won't be so bad. In the guys' facilities, Gallus and Sandbar both stand in front of the large mirror. They had towels wrapped around their waist and taking care of delicate grooming matters. Gallus, with a pair of tweezers, was plucking any loose feathers he had showing. He also had the blue with yellow tip feathers atop his head spike out, using his eagle claw hand. Sandbar finishes brushing his mane before grabbing a large can of volume mane, spraying in all directions of his mane, not skipping one spot. Done, he gives his head a good shake giving his mane a razzled, yet smooth surfer hair look. "So," Gallus says speaking up. "I guess you and Yona have some idea of celebrating today? Going to the school dance?" Gallus said, while still plucking loose, unattractive feathers from his forehead. "Well, we might have a few things planned for today." Sandbar said. "Her parents are coming today, and they would like to see the Ponyville sights a little." "What sights?" Gallus says with a laugh. "A bunch of boring buildings arranged in a moderate setting? The only thing to see around here, other than the Wonderbolt and Washout shows, is Sweet Apple Acres, and that place barely scrapes by." "Oh yeah," said Sandbar. Squirting a glob of mint-flavored toothpaste on to the bristles of his toothbrush. "Where are you taking Silverstream later today?" Hearing Silverstream's name made Gallus pluck hard and fast at one of his feathers. He thought no one knew of his interest toward Silverstream. Alternatively, at least he had high hopes that no one knew. Showing affection as a griffon is close to being taboo. "What?!" Gallus said, wanting to sound shocked and surprised. "What makes you think I have any intentions on asking Silverstream out on a date, or whatever? We're just terrific friends. That's all it is." "Sure," said Sandbar. "And we should play cards sometime because you are a terrible liar. Come on, don't think that I haven't noticed. When the two of you fly, you always seem to want to be right next to her. Or, whenever we go to a Wonderbolt show, Washout show, or even a Buck Ball show, you happen to sit right next to her." Sandbar watches as Gallus begins to sweat with nervous input and his cheeks were turning red, even showing through his blue feathers. "Then there was that time you lit up like a Heart's Warming Tree when she was the first to agree to stay with you during the winter break. Or, that time, we all stayed up late studying, and she fell asleep on your shoulder, and you were afraid to wake her up because you enjoyed having her so close to you. Even when she started drooling on your arm and you-" "Stop!" Gallus shouted loud and abruptly. Gallus gave quick heaving breaths in and out. "Okay, I might have a certain, liking, towards..." Gallus, feeling afraid to say her name. It would make it all the more real and all the more serious for him. "Silverstream," said Gallus with a gull of uncertainty and nervousness. "But Silverstream doesn't know that I feel that way about her. And that scares me. I'm a Griffon. Sharing such affections are unseen." "Oh, come on," Sandbar said, placing a hoof on Gallus's shoulder as a means of comfort. "What's the worse that can happen? She says 'No'" "Yes!" Gallus bursts out in a flare. He shoots his arms and wings out in a vast stretch while his feathers puff up with tension. "What if her saying 'no' means she doesn't want to be friends anymore because it will make things too awkward to be around each other. Or, what if she says 'no' and then laughs or becomes disgusted at the idea of ever becoming some creatures special somegriff with someone, like me?" "Woah, Woah. Slow down there?" said Sandbar, grabbing both of Gallus's shoulders and shaking sense into him. "None of that is going to happen. Even if she does say no, there's no way we would ever stop being friends with either of you. Also, special somegriff?" "You know..." Gallus said. "It's the griffon, or hippogriff, equivalent of saying special somepony. Only with griff since its the one thing we have in common in our societies culture." "Gotcha." Sandbar said. Brushing his teeth till foaming out the mouth. Sandbar spits in the sink and rinses his mouth out. "I have a feeling that everything is going to go great today."