Author's Notes:

This is a Patreon-suggested chapter by nfreak. Even though this chapter is listed as NSFW for some brief sexual content, this is more story-focused than anything else.

“Uhhh… is this another weird vision thing?”

Despite how strenuous her activities were during that little “research trip” a couple days ago, Smolder was able to heal up quickly enough to go through with Ocellus’ planned date. Fortunately for both of them, Yona hadn’t said a word regarding their little get-together to any of the others. Considering the circumstances, the dragoness wanted to be grateful that her friends were so good at keeping secrets. Unfortunately, Smolder also wished that some of those secrets weren’t known at all.

For example, even though she really didn’t regret confiding with with Ocellus about her “girlier” side (especially given why she did so), the idea that anyone knew of it made Smolder feel apprehensive at best. She may have been happy that the Changeling was so supportive, but her muzzle was skewed in slight discomfort when she came back to the dormroom she and Ocellus shared one afternoon. Unbenounced to her, and in anticipation for their date, Smolder was stunned silent to find that her friend dolled-up the place more than the girls’ section at a toy store.

Large, bright-pink curtains were stung across all the walls to cover up their shared posters and desks. There was also a matching pink shagged carpeting that draped across the floor, and hugged Smolder’s feet like fresh cotton the instant she stepped onto it. In the middle of the open space, a dainty table was set up with two wooden chairs, and three silver platters with covers sprawled across the lace tablecloth. There was also a multitude of firefly lanterns hung in a chandelier-like setup above the table, most likely as a smoke-free alternative to romantic candles.

Of course, the sight that caught Smolder’s widened eyes the most was Ocellus herself, who was smiling nervously while standing beside the table. The Changeling didn’t alter her physical form in any way, but she made sure to wear some expertly well-applied makeup that went well with her stunning green cocktail dress.

“Ummm… S-Surprise?” she said as her smile widened worriedly, hopeful that her dragoness date wouldn’t start laughing at her. Fortunately, Ocellus was only met with a surprised expression that remained on Smolder’s face for a few more seconds. After giving a couple blinks of her reptilian eyes, the dragoness let out a brief huff as she smirked lightly. Ocellus was hopeful that was a good sign, but still rubbed one of her forelegs meagerly as she blushed and looked away from Smolder. “This… This isn’t too much, is it?”

Even though she wanted to be truthful and nod her head, Smolder was aware enough of her friend’s sensitivities to know that would’ve been a crappy thing to do. Not to mention, she couldn’t necessarily make fun of Ocellus’ overly feminine setup when she was able to see just how much effort she put into it. All that the dragoness had said was that she liked doing girly stuff sometimes, and Ocellus went out of her way to give her exactly what she thought was appropriate. Was it tacky as all Tartarus? Absolutely. But was Smolder actually upset by her friend’s idea of a fun date? Not in the slightest.

So with that, Smolder shrugged rather casually as she gave a warm smile and said, “Honestly? As long as the food is as good as your outfit, I’m so in~”

Ocellus blushed profusely from hearing such a compliment, and had to cover her muzzle with a hoof to keep from giggling too audibly. Her reaction was more than a little dorky, but Smolder kept her lips pursed shut to keep from making her feel bad. Fortunately, the Changeling was still able to light up her horn as she grabbed the tops of those silver domes. “W-Well, I… I didn’t want it to just be a tea party setup, so…”

As soon as the platters were revealed, Smolder gasped while her face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. Even though there was a cute-looking tea-set arranged daintfully in the middle of the table, Ocellus also went out of her way to acquire several fast-food items from the nearby Hayburger place in town. It may have not been gems or rubies, but Smolder still looked immensely happy to see the cheesy hay-fries and burgers on both of the remaining platters. Meanwhile, Ocellus bit her lip nervously before adding in a more honest tone, “I… may have had some issues making cucumber sandwiches in the school kitchen, so I decided to take an alternative route.”

Despite the unconventional meal to go along with tea, Smolder didn’t look the least-bit disappointed while smiling widely at her date. “Ocellus? If it wasn’t for your tongue-work the other day, I’d consider this to be the best thing you’ve done all week~”

Considering how satisfactory that day was both Smolder and herself (as well as Yona, who was surprisingly well-versed in sex), Ocellus looked quite honored as she smiled bashfully. “Dawwww~ I… I don’t know what to say to that. Hehehehe…”

Since it was obvious she was on-board with continuing their date, Smolder gave a more sultry-looking grin and asked, “Well… Do you happen to have a dress for me too? Or are we both gonna end up eating hayburgers naked?~”

Ocellus’ blush turned a deeper shade of red than a cherry, and audibly gulped while staring back at the lustrously-smirking dragon.

About five minutes later, Smolder tried her hardest to hide her disappointment while she munched on her cheesy hay-fries, and wore a frilly pink dress with a matching bib. Meanwhile, Ocellus looked rather pleased with how dainty the two of them looked for their tea-party/dinner date. Even though the Changeling clearly knew what her date was trying to coax her into doing earlier, she really didn’t want their food to go to waste after ordering it in advance. Not to mention, she wanted to at least wear her cocktail dress for a little while before removing it again.

Nonetheless, Smolder still huffed before taking a sip of her Earl Grey tea, which was followed with a bite of her hayburger. It wasn’t the greatest combo, but she couldn’t falter the individual tastes as she said with a shake of her head, “I gotta say, Ocellus… I cannot believe you chose burgers over sex.”

Even though Smolder’s remark made her muzzle skew in regret, Ocellus tried to rectify that claim after taking a breath of her own. “Well… It’s not I was able to eat much while setting all of this up. Not to mention, I’m not sure if cold hayburgers will be that good to enjoy after doing anything sexual, right?”

Both of those points were valid enough, but the second one was what made Smolder shrug her shoulders and begrudgingly nod. “Ehhhh… Yeah, I suppose you have a point there. I mean, if you had gotten a pizza, I might feel differently about it. Cold pizza ain’t that bad.”

“Wait, really?” asked Ocellus with a surprised skew of her head, looking rather baffled by such a claim. “But… but wouldn’t you want the cheese to be melty?”

“What, you never had cold pizza before?” asked Smolder as she raised her brow. As she took another bite of her burger, she didn’t stop chewing while following up that question with, “I mean, it’s honestly not a bad thing to have when you’re drunk or needing a quick breakfast.”

Ocellus’ reaction to that statement looked similar to that if she had just taken a bite out a lemon. Regardless, the Changeling tried to act civil as she gave a meager shrug. “Well… I guess so? But still, I can honestly say I never had cold pizza before. Us Changelings are still trying to get ourselves acquainted with more common foods since we don’t need love as a sole source of sustenance anymore.”

“Oh! Right, right…” Smolder waved her claw apologetically and nodded her head, not needing much more of an explanation than that. Despite all the differences she and her friends had with one another, she almost forgot that Ocellus was part of a race that was more alien to the others than anyone else. Even Silverstream seemed more attune to Equestrian society most of the time, aside from that day she had a near-orgasmic moment the first time she saw an escalator. Part of her wanted to ask about what kind of life Ocellus must’ve lived prior to Chrysalis’ defeat, but Smolder knew that was a topic she shouldn’t touch with a fifty foot pole. At least, that probably wasn’t anywhere close to “first date” conversation.

“Yeah, that makes a lot of sense,” noted Smolder as she pondered that point for a moment, and then raised her brows while taking another sip of her tea. Since Ocellus was busy taking a bite from her own hayburger, the dragoness took that moment to ask, “So… what would you say was the weirdest thing you ate since reforming?”

“Hmmmm... “ Ocellus had to put down her burger to think over that question, and tapped her chin with her hoof before answering. “I would say either… that sushi platter that Silverstream made for culinary class, or… that time Gallus made a ground beef burger with doughnuts as the buns.”

“Wait, he actually made that?!” Smolder asked as she tried not to gawk at Ocellus’ answer. “I thought that was just a joke!”

The Changeling just shook her head while giggling with a blush. “Nope! He got enough bits to buy some ground beef from that new butcher shop, and he used it to fry up some burgers in the kitchen after school hours. I was in there myself trying to make doughnuts, so… yeah!~”

That response made both of the girls laugh out loud, and gave the tea party a better sense of normalcy. Smolder had a claw over her head as she reeled her head back, and came down from her giggling briefly enough to exclaim, “Wow! I… I’m not gonna lie, I did not think you’d eat something like that!”

Ocellus came down from her laughter as well, and quickly shot the dragoness a cheeky-looking stare with her brows raised. Fortunately, Smolder raised a digit on her other claw to clarify, “And before you say it, Ocellus. I was referring to eating food. I wasn’t referring to when you helped me and Yona out at Ghastly Gorge.”

Even though that reminder made the Changeling blush a little, she looked more confident than before as judged by her knowing smirk. After chuckling lowly under her breath, Ocellus tilted her head and replied, “Yeah, I was just about to say something! Heck, if Yona was here she’d probably say something like…”

Ocellus then closed her eyes, and let a thick wave of green flames travel down her body from the top of her head. In less than a second, the Changeling transformed herself into the very yak she mentioned. Smolder looked impressed as she made a face to her friend’s transformation, which somehow didn’t burn up her cocktail dress at all. However, the dress did bunch around Yona’s bulky build like a toddler-sized corset as Ocellus tried to mimic her vernacular. “Jeez, yak thought I had a problem with words sometimes!”

“Oh, shut up!” Smolder exclaimed playfully as she rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh. “She doesn’t sound like that!”

Ocellus made a faux-offended gasp while clutching her chest with a hairy hoof, playing up the Yona copy surprisingly well. “You question a Changeling’s abilities?” she asked in a coyly-sounding tone. “Yak is GREATLY offended!”

That additional reply made Smolder start cracking up, and she almost fell out of her chair while clutching the table tightly. While the dragoness tried to collect herself, Ocellus took another breath before letting the flames envelop her once more. This time, the Changeling turned herself into Gallus while remaining in her chair, and sighed deeply in relief. “Whew! I really shouldn’t have taken that form while wearing this dress.”

Smolder almost spilled the teacups as she dropped her head face-first onto the table, and continued laughing upon seeing their muscular gryphon friend in such a getup. “Ho… Holy CRAP!” she cried out in between her uncontrollable cackling. “How… How the buck did that not rip in half?!”

The Gallus mimic gave a casual smirk as he shrugged and answered, “Eh, Rarity used a super durable type of elastic polyfiber to make this dress. I never had anything this nice before, so… yeah, I’m really glad I saved up to have it commissioned.”

“Well, it’s a damn good investment, I’ll say that!” As soon as she came down from her laughter, Smolder couldn’t help growing an impressed smirk as she looked Ocellus’ gryphon form up and down. “Also… I gotta be honest, Gallus looks disturbingly good in that dress~”

“Hmm?” Ocellus looked down to see what the dragoness was referring to, and raised her brows while noting how well the dress was hugging every curve on his slender torso. The feline physique helped to emphasize a flawless curvature with the dress’ design, and Gallus’ blue feathers went really well with the garment’s lime-green color. “Oh… Oh wow, he does look good in this!”

“Ooh!” Smolder was getting excited now, and clapped her claws together excitedly while bouncing in her chair. “Who else can you have wearing it?!”

Despite Ocellus’ usually meek nature, that question made the Changeling grin back at her like she was given a challenge. “Who should I try?~” asked Gallus with a cocky smile on his beak.

Smolder paused as she grinned devilishly, and rubbed her chin with a claw in contemplation. Her eyes narrowed on her date, and she picked up her hayburger to take another bite while thinking. “You know… I don’t know if I should suggest something really funny, or really hot~”

Ocellus gave a more dorky-looking shrug while in Gallus’ form, and replied, “Well… I could always do both and take a dragon’s form.”

Smolder’s eyes widened from that suggestion, which made the Gallus copy look even more out-of-character as he giggled sheepishly with a meager blush. Fortunately, the dragoness just narrowed her eyes on Ocellus and said, “Oh, really? Is that why you asked me out for this date and not Yona?~”

Even though it was rather obvious that was the case, Ocellus still looked away bashfully while the gryphon’s feathers ruffled out a little. Meanwhile, Smolder grew a curious smirk and asked, “Actually, how many dragons do you know? Like, aside from me and Spike.”

“Well… I might know a couple…” Smolder could see that her date seemed a little apprehensive, but a small skew on the Changeling’s faux-beak wasn’t enough to keep her from re-igniting her magic flame. Ocellus closed her eyes tightly as she conjured up a new form to mimic, which gave her at least an extra foot in height compared to Gallus’ size. As soon as the green flames dissipated, Smolder gasped upon seeing the skinny and red-scaled dragon Ocellus placed in her green cocktail dress.

“What the!” Smolder had to blink a couple times while staring at the teenaged dragon with a dropped jaw. “Wh… When the buck did you meet GARBLE?!”

Ocellus raised the thick brows of the dragon she was mimicking, and looked rather surprised that Smolder recognized him so quickly. “Oh, ummm… Well, technically I never met him. Spike showed me a picture he took with him the first time they met. It was, uhhh… when he visited the Dragon Lands for that migration, I think?”

That answer made Smolder appear even more baffled, and she stared at the Garble form up and down with a look that bordered between disgust and astonishment. “Wait… seriously?” she asked rather bluntly, which caused Ocellus to blush and bite her lip with a nervous-looking expression. Despite how weird that was to see coming from someone that looked like Garble, the dragoness was more perplexed by the imitation as a whole as she said, “I just mean… How are you able to get that accurate from a picture of him?! Like… your voice is really friggin’ uncanny to his right now!”

As if to counteract Smolder’s opinion, the Garble mimic giggled bashfully while looking away with a sheepish smile. “O-Oh, ummm… Well, I was able to get a good estimate on his throat-width, which kinda helps determine how someone would sound vocally. I wasn’t sure if he’d have an accent or not, so… I just went with the basic ‘teenage’-esque dialect that seemed appropriate.”

Ocellus was worried that giving such a detailed analysis would make her look bad, since she knew that Changelings faced a lot of scrutiny due to their more scheming or cutthroat-based stereotypes. Fortunately, Smolder just huffed with a rather piqued smirk upon hearing her date’s answer. “Wow, I… I honestly didn’t think you put so much thought into that kind of stuff.”

The red dragon blushed even more as Ocellus looked down at the table with a hint of worry on her unfitting face. “Well… it was kind of a big thing to learn those skills from birth in our hive. Whether it was biology, anatomy, or socio-behavioral cues for improvisation, Changelings sorta needed to garter that knowledge quickly so they could eat.”

Smolder didn’t say anything, and just nodded her head in understanding. Given how uncomfortable Ocellus was looking (which was even more notable while she was posing as Garble in a green dress), the dragoness knew she was likely treading on thin ice in regards to the subject. Nevertheless, Smolder also didn’t want the Changeling to think that she was judging her for the skills she possessed, nor the fact that she gained them as a means of survival. So instead of trying to change the subject, Smolder apprehensively shrugged her shoulders before deciding to say, “Well… Hey, dragons had to do a lot of sketchy stuff to make do as well, so believe me when I say you’re still really awesome in my book, ‘kay?”

The Garble copy blinked a couple times, and looked back at Smolder with an optimistic glimmer in those reptilian eyes. “R… Really?” she asked meekly.

“Well, duh!” Smolder blurted while leaning back in her chair with a foot bracing the table, which would’ve looked natural for her if it wasn’t for her poofy dress. “I mean, I think it’s pretty cool that you know how to do that stuff so well! Like, I totally get why you’d be all weird about it, but I’m not gonna get on your case for shape-shifting. In fact, I think it’s really interesting~”

Ocellus still looked a little reluctant, but her smile could still be seen peering quite naturally from that Garble mimic’s muzzle. “Ummm… Well, thank you,” the Changeling said with a sheepish, but still grateful tone of voice. “I… I know I try not to bring up my Changeling stuff around school due to politics and all, but… if you had any questions, I wouldn’t mind answering them.”

Smolder gave a thankful smile as she nodded to that reply, looking quite pleased that she was able to help open Ocellus up a little (without going the literal route). However, the dragoness proved to be far less than subtle as she grew a mischievous smirk, and decided to openly ask, “Well… if you don’t mind me asking, Ocellus… what would you say the protocol is when you have to take the form of a body part that isn’t shown in a photograph?~”

The Garble copy narrowed its eyes on Smolder for a second, and then raised its brows while giving a silent “Ohhhh” alongside a brief nod. Ocellus may have been a bit less blunt as Smolder, but their previous endeavors allowed her to smile devilishly right back at her. “Let me guess. You want to see how I interpret Garble’s penis, don’t you?~”

With the way Smolder shrugged and gave the largest faux-innocent smile she could muster, Ocellus was surprised a fake halo didn’t pop up over the dragon’s head. “Hey, you said it. Not me~” she replied coyly.

Fortunately for Smolder, Ocellus didn’t look offended in the slightest by her date’s assumed request. In fact, the Changeling’s grin only widened in contentment as she got up from her seat, and stood proudly upright in Garble’s form. Despite how small Ocellus’ dress looked in her normal form, the garment’s bottom hem draped just past the dragon’s waist to conceal his equipment. Of course, Smolder still smirked with narrowed eyes the instant she caught sight of that large tent that was forming at the crotch.

“Oh my~” purred the dragoness as she leaned back forward in her seat, and fluttered her extended eyelashes up at Ocellus. “Is that another Changeling trick, or were you just getting excited for a while?~”

The Garble mimic merely shrugged his shoulders before answering, “Weeeellll… Let’s just say, erectile dysfunction isn’t really an issue Changelings possess~”

To emphasize that point, Ocellus lifted up the bottom of her skirt to reveal her interpretation of what Garble was equipped with between his legs. The instant that green fabric was pulled away, the dragon’s ribbed and rigid cock sprung out to welcome itself to the tea party. The dragonhood itself wasn’t massive, as its thin and well-textured shaft seemed to stand at a serviceable seven inches overall. But at the same time, the curved girth and smooth pointed cockhead made the appendage as a whole look very impressive from Smolder’s point of view. Meanwhile, Ocellus stood with a bitten lip and timid smile while showing off the improvised dragon dick. “Ummmm… S-So, do… do you like it?~”

Smolder’s answer should’ve been obvious the instant she looked up to the dragon’s blushed face with a wide and approving grin. However, the dragoness’ brows raised for a second as she said with an impressed tilt of her head, “I’m not gonna lie, Ocellus. I would’ve figured you’d make that thing a friggin monster to impress your date~”

That criticism made Garble’s face turn a deeper shade of red. “I-I was just trying to be realistic!” Ocellus blurted while lowering her head bashfully, which made the sight even cuter from Smolder’s point of view. Even though she wasn’t one to take advantage of Changeling magic to hurt others, she’d kill to get a picture of this Garble copy sheepishly lifting up their dress and showing off an erection. If anything, it’d make for an awesome Hearth’s Warming present for Spike next year. Nonetheless, Smolder kept those thoughts to herself while hearing the Changeling add, “I mean… considering how we use form manipulation to feed off love, getting the genitals accurate around mates is downright necessary to keep from being caught.”

“Hey, I’m not faulting you for that,” assured Smolder with a raise of her claw. “I’m just joshing you a little, that’s all.”

Even though she wasn’t sure what “joshing” meant, Ocellus was able to assume the definition as she huffed with a pout back at Smolder. Luckily for the dragoness, her date only needed a quick exhale before smiling faintly once more. “Okay, well… I still think it’s a good interpretation of what Garble would have, don’t you think?”

“Oh, definitely!” said Smolder more truthfully as she nodded in insistence. “I mean, I never saw his dick myself, but I’d be surprised if his looked that much different from yours.”

“Thanks!” chirped Ocellus pridefully, seeming rather happy to receive such an odd form of praise for her talents. Meanwhile, Smolder leaned back in her seat as she eyed the exposed dragon with a curious smile, and a studious glance up and down that scaled body. Upon seeing that look, the Garble mimic tilted his head and asked, “So… what’s on your mind, Princess Smolder?~”

“Pbbt!” the dragoness scoffed at that name, almost forgetting she was dressed up like a frilly Princess for this setup. “Okay, ummm… ignoring that nickname, I was honestly wondering if…”

After taking a second or two to ponder her thoughts, Smolder glanced up to Ocellus’ gaze before asking mischievously, “... mmmmmayyyyybe you had a couple other interpretations for me to judge?~”

That question made the Changeling narrow her eyes on Smolder with a look of piqued interest. “You mean interpretations of what Garble has, or of other guys too?~”

Smolder’s grin widened immensely, and she only answered with a cheeky-sounding, “Yes~”

Fortunately, Ocellus was right on board with that answer as she grinned right back at her, and let the flames envelop her once more. “Ohhhh… I think I have a few fun ideas~”

“Ughhh… I can’t believe that crockpot was so hard to wash out!”

Gallus grumbled bitterly as he walked down the hallway of the girls’ dormitory, and lugged that awkwardly heavy appliance on top of his back. Even though he was grateful that Smolder let him borrow her crockpot to make some pulled-pork, it was clear that the gryphon wished he got a plastic liner to avoid any messy cleanup. But alas, since he promised to give it back to her as soon as he was finished, he only saw it fair to return the item before meeting up with Sandbar.

Just as he was about to knock on Smolder and Ocellus’ door, he paused when he heard some muffled giggling from inside. Even though he wasn’t really much of a ladies’ man, Gallus was sure that laughter was a fair sign that something innocent was happening in the room. So instead of knocking, the gryphon just turned the unlocked knob and let himself in. “Hey, Smolder!” he said as he went past the pink curtain to peek his head in. “Here’s your crockpot…”

The instant he got a prime view of what was happening inside the dorm room, Gallus’ beak dropped as he turned deathly silent. Fortunately for him, both of the girls looked equally as shocked while frozen in their positions, and still wearing their frilly dresses. Smolder, who was still donning her overly feminine attire, could only sit with shrunken pupils as she held Ocellus’ camera in her claws. Meanwhile, Ocellus looked utterly petrified while standing on the table with her hind-legs spread wide-apart, and using her forelegs to pull her buttcheeks open for the camera pointed at her.

And worst of all, Ocellus was still in Discord’s form while in that very position, and still wearing that green cocktail dress.

“... b… back…”

From Gallus’ perspective, there were probably enough questions he could’ve asked to fill several books. Fortunately though, the gryphon knew that he walked in on a situation he really… really shouldn’t have. So while the dormmates were still frozen in stunned silence, Gallus took that moment to make his leave before either of them could kill him. He carefully placed Smolder’s appliance down on the ground beside him, and slowly walked backwards to exit through the curtain. “Uhhhh… I’m really sorry for not knocking… I promise I won’t tell anyone…”

With that, the gryphon closed the door behind him as he left the dorm room in deathly silence. Meanwhile, the two girls were left shell-shocked while processing just happened. Smolder wanted to say something, but could only blink repeatedly in her frazzled state. Ocellus couldn’t move from her position, but was able to revert back to her original form with a quick flash of her Changeling flame.

“... oh god,” Ocellus muttered in the faintest tone imaginable, her face growing as white as a sheet.

Meanwhile, Smolder could only sit with a fretful expression of her own, and try to lighten the mood by saying with a shrug, “W-Well… If anything, I doubt anyone would believe Gallus if he did blab about this. Heh heh...”

Ocellus shot her head back at Smolder with a deathly glare, clearly not amused by such a statement. “Not… Comforting.”