It was finally here. The Grand Galloping Gala. Every creature from Equestria to Yakyakistan was invited and Canterlot Castle was filled to the brim. Yaks were provided with logs to stomp, dragons had plenty of crystal provided to munch on, and they even provided a large pool for those hippogriffs that preferred a life in the water. Everycreature was comfortable with their surroundings! Between the general conversation and laughter that echoed throughout the halls, it was definitely a party worthy of praise.
Well, everycreature with the exception of Gallus, who was wiping the sweat from his brow in order to feel comfortable in the clothes he was wearing.
“So, uh, Silverstream?” He asked, trying his best to loosen the collar around his neck. “Pretty cool party, huh?”
“Oh my gosh, it’s so awesome!” She hopped in the air and let her eyes wander over every inch of the setting.
The two had arrived only moments earlier with their friends, so they had finally gotten their first opportunity to soak it all in. They were standing near the entrance of the grand ballroom where the event was primarily taking place, and it was definitely a sight to behold. Creatures of every shape and size littered the floor. There was a buffet set up on one end, while a small stage was set up with a live orchestra playing on the other side of the floor. The rest was open, ready to be utilized for the dancing to come later on. Purple and gold streamers were stretched across the ceiling and in every corner stood the royal guards, clad in their very best armor. Finally, on the stage at the very front stood the four princesses: Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight, all wearing elegant dresses for the event. It was truly a sight to behold.
However, while Silverstream was evidently getting lost in all the excitement, Gallus was forcing himself to not shrink back and hide behind one of the guards so he didn’t have to be seen the rest of the night. His black, buttoned up shirt was rather snug, making it at times this hard to breathe. His purple bowtie seemed to be eternally crooked, and his black suit, despite fitting perfectly, just didn’t have the mobility he wanted. All in all, he wasn’t feeling the greatest, and standing next to the hippogriff he had a major league crush on didn’t exactly help his situation.
“Yeah, it really is awesome,” he said, nervously rubbing the back of his head. “You think you’re gonna dance later?”
Silverstream nodded vigorously. “Mhm! I’ve been practicing all week to learn some of the pony dances! Word has it that the band is even gonna play some dance music from other cultures too! Isn’t that exciting?!”
“Oh yeah, totally exciting!” Gallus said, trying his best to match the look on his face with the words coming out of his beak while failing to do so. “I’m totally gonna dance too, you know. Out on the floor, where the dancing takes place and stuff. It’ll be… cool… I guess.” He wanted to slap himself so badly.
“Well, I would hope so, silly!” Silverstream said with a chuckle. “I mean, I guess you could dance in other places, like the garden or something. That just wouldn’t be as fun because there’d be no music! But hey, what do I know? Do whatever sets your sail!”
He blinked a few times and looked at her. Why did she have to be so cute? How did she have a positive response to absolutely everything, even his own stupid comments? Why was she so pretty in her turquoise dress with that sparkled in the light? Or that gorgeous black pendant necklace with the silver chain that made her pretty pink feathers stand out even more than usual? Plus that striking pink tulip in her mane that melded perfectly with her already gorgeous hair coloring? Gallus didn’t need the help of an egghead or even Princess Twilight on this one. He already knew the answer to these questions.
He adored her, that’s why.
“Well, I’m gonna go check the buffet table,” Silverstream said, distracting him with a smile. “I think I see a cheese tray over there and I must investigate. See ya!”
Without another word, she quite literally hopped away in her venture toward delectable dairy delights, leaving Gallus on his own. He was probably looking like the boring loner Gallus thought he was. He kicked at the ground a little bit before accepting the fact that sulking wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
Gallus had been debating for weeks now on how he should tell Silverstream about his feelings, but the right moment just never seemed to come. They were always either in a group talking about graduation, or in class where interrupting lectures was discouraged. Yet, whenever they were alone he would just freeze up and spout some sort of nonsense. Either that, or his natural gryphon tendency to be cranky about something would pop up which would ruin any chance of the mood being right in the first place.
His plan seemed doomed to failure. Had life had destined him to just wallow in self-pity forever? Tonight was supposed to be the night he finally told her. They came as a couple, for Grover’s sakes, and she even suggested it! As friends, of course, but all their other friends had dates! Gallus figured they’d go a similar route. Everything was perfect, but during their first conversation, what did he do? Gallus made a weird comment about dancing and floors and then Silverstream got so bored she found cheese to be a more interesting conversation partner.
He sucked.
Gallus rolled his eyes and walked to the buffet. If he was going to sulk, he may as well do it with a full stomach. Plus, the food did look pretty good. There was a plate of crispy rice treats that had his name all over it
He travelled over to the food table and grabbed a treat. He quickly began snacking on it after making his way over to the wall. It was superb and loaded with marshmallow goodness. Not quite enough to put a smile on his beak that demanded to stay in a frowning position. It was better than nothing. Gallus was just going to wallow here in sweets and disappointment for the rest of the night. It was the only way.
“Hey, Gallus!”
The griffon widened his eyes in surprise and looked to his right where the voice came from. It was Smolder, waving and approaching him with great closing speed.
“Whatchu up to over here on the wall?” she inquired.
“Oh, you know,” he replied, trying his best to sound like his normal self. “Just eating and thinking about the joke with no punchline that I call my life. The usual.”
Smolder crossed her arms and shook her head. “Oh boy. Let me guess. You once again didn’t take the dive on asking Silverstream out. So now you’re planning on moping all night and possibly for the rest of your life. Am I warm?”
Gallus rose a claw to dispute her claim, but immediately put it down and dipped his head in shame. “Ugh. Is it that obvious?”
“No kidding,” she replied. “You’ve got all the signs. Blank stare, frazzled feathers, a look of soul-crushing defeat that can only come from the claws of a pink hippogriff… It’s eating you up, isn’t it?”
“I just don’t get it!” Gallus said a bit louder than he meant to, earning quick glances from the nearby creatures. “Why can’t I do it? What’s so hard about just saying ‘Hey Silverstream, you’re pretty awesome! Let’s go on a date or something.’ It should be simple. I don’t have much to lose, but here I am, sulking yet again.”
Smolder scrunched her face in thought. “Yeah, haven’t you tried, like, three times this week already?”
“Yep.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “There’s gotta be some way. I know how these things work out. Guy likes girl. Guy doesn’t make his move. Some other guy does. Guy watches them be happy and has to move on with life after months of depression and regret. I can’t let that happen to me.”
“Well, then don’t let it happen!” Smolder chuckled and shook her head. “Look, I’m telling you this as a friend and it may be harsh, but you’re acting pretty pathetic right now. You have a lot to offer, so why not show it off? You need to have some confidence. Girls like that.”
“Confidence?” Gallus raised an eyebrow. “And how would you know?”
“Psh, I am a girl, remember?” She lightly knocked him upside the head. “Plus, I’m a dragon. We dragons only know pride… and hoarding.” Smolder shook her head. “Look, all you have to do is believe in yourself.”
“Easier said than done.”
Now it was Smolder’s turn to roll her eyes. “Well look, if you won’t take it from me, maybe you should ask for advice from some creature who knows what they’re talking about.”
Gallus’ eyes popped wide open. He hadn’t thought of asking for help yet.
“Ask for advice? That’s not bad, Smolder. Honestly, who are my options? I don’t really know that many couples.”
Smolder smacked her claw into her face. “Look around you, featherbrain!. There are couples everywhere! You may not know them, but desperate times call for desperate measures, right? These are desperate times, Gallus. You gotta do what you gotta do, if you ask me.” She waved her claw around, pointing at all the couples in their vicinity. “Anyway, I'm gonna get back outside. Things are just a little too stuffy in here… and depressing considering I just talked to you. But just go for it, alright? You’ll need to figure it out before it’s too late.” This time she pointed to where Silverstream was, talking and laughing… with a stallion. “Good luck!”
As she walked away, Gallus felt two sensations. One was of his heart sinking into his stomach. He continued to watch this other stallion having what appeared to be a grand old conversation with the girl of his dreams. The other was one of fierce determination. He was gonna do it. He was going to walk right up to her and tell her how he felt… after getting some advice on how to do it.
If only he knew who to ask.
Gallus scanned his eyes over the room to select a target. There were quite a few couples around. First, he noticed Sandbar talking with Yona. Talking with Sandbar seemed like a good choice on the surface, but nah. Sandbar has an unusual way of approaching life, so the odds are his proposition wasn’t something Gallus could emulate. He then noticed an elderly couple, but decided against that too. They obviously had a ton of experience, but Gallus wanted someone a bit closer to his own age that had a better chance of resonating with his own experience.
That’s when he noticed Shining Armor walking up to the food table. Bingo! He was young-ish, had plenty of experience with romance. Gallus already knew him well enough from the times they talked about the royal guard at school. What the heck? It was worth a try and a bit of awkwardness. Silverstream was worth it.
“Hey!” Gallus said, trying to act as casual as possible as he walked up to the table. “Mr. Armor.”
Shining Armor was entirely fixated on a crockpot of chili but was able to break his eyes away to greet Gallus. “Oh, hey Gallus! Good to see you.”
“It’s a pleasure to see you too, sir,” he replied.
Shining Armor filled up a bowl with chili quickly. “Pretty awesome Gala, huh? All the food has been amazing! I’ve had three servings already!” He didn’t even bother waiting to find a table before levitating a good sized portion of the bean-filled goodness into his mouth.
Gallus nodded and put on an awkward smile. “Yeah, for sure. Awesome, haha.”
Shining trotted around the table and towards the wall, beckoning Gallus to follow him with a nod. Once they were there, he spoke up. “Usually ponies come up to me to say other than ‘hi’, so was there anything else you needed? If you need a recommendation for food, the chili is worth it one hundred percent!”
Oh boy, here it comes. Gallus released a sigh. “I don’t need a recommendation for food, sir. There is something else, to be honest.” He gave a quick glance around and noticed that the closest creature to them was a good twenty feet away. Now was the time. “I have a question… Kind of a weird one.”
Shining opened his eyes a bit wider while gulping down a spoonful of chili. “A weird question?” He shrugged. “Sure thing, I’m all ears.” He flicked his ear to punctuate the statement.
Gallus moved a step closer to Shining. He wasn’t going to waste any more time with tense small talk. The night would be over by the time he finally spit out his piece. “You remember Silverstream, right?”
Shining nodded. “Oh, of course!” He used his free hoof to lightly scratch his head. “Was that the question?”
“No, not really.” Gallus released yet another sigh. “Look, here’s the thing. I kinda, sorta, maybe… like her.” He winced but quickly shook it off. “Yeah, I like her a lot.”
Shining smiled. “Ah, I get ya. She is pretty cool from what I remember. Very energetic.”
“Heh, you can say that again,” Gallus said with a chuckle. “But, there is one problem with it.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, the thing is, I like her a lot. Honestly, I have no idea how to tell her without sounding like some kind of dorky loser.”
Shining chuckled. “Let me guess. When you go to talk to her, your knees get weak, your hooves — or claws, I guess — get shaky and you start tripping over your words like there’s no tomorrow. Am I warm?”
“Burning hot, actually.” Gallus shook his head. “Just please tell me I’m hopeless so I can just move forward with life for once.”
“Heh, sorry my friend,” Shining replied with a shake of his head. “Trust me, it’s not hopeless in the slightest. All those feelings you're dealing with are completely normal. Honestly, if you don’t feel like that, I would have to question how much you actually care about her.”
Gallus raised an eyebrow and frowned. “You’re saying that because I like her so much, that’s why I turn into a useless ball of feathers and embarrassment when I’m around her? That doesn’t seem very fair.”
“You got it.” Shining let out a sigh. “It’s a universal constant: males are naturally stupid around girls we like. It’s always been that way and always will be that way. Like, when I first wanted to ask Cadance on a date, I stammered like an idiot for about thirty seconds before jumping into the nearest barrel just to get away.”
Gallus snickered. “Well, at least I haven’t done that yet. The temptation has definitely been there, though.”
“Heck, it got even worse,” Shining replied with a chuckle. “Even after we’d been dating for a year, when I wanted to ask her hoof in marriage, I was so nervous I panicked. I threw the bracelet at her and hid in some bushes. I honestly wish I was exaggerating, but it was pretty pathetic.”
Gallus laughed a bit harder this time. It honestly did help hearing about someone else’s difficulties and made his own insecurities dwindle by a few points.
“But you know what, Gallus?” Shining asked.
“What’s that?”
“Despite my frankly obscene amounts of anxiety and inexcusable bad decision making, Cadance still said yes both times.” He put on a dorky grin. “Turned out she knew how I felt the whole time and was just waiting for me to work up the courage to ask. I got anxious over absolutely nothing. Something tells me your situation may be similar.”
Gallus widened his eyes. “You think it might be that obvious?”
Shining Armor nodded. “Probably. Girls are smart and complex creatures, Gallus. You’ll find throughout your life that more often than not they are always one step ahead of us. It’s just the natural order of things.”
Gallus let his eyes travel to the ground. “Well, I guess you’re right. I don’t know. I felt I was being pretty discreet with keeping my cool. Probably too much. At least if I would’ve dropped a hint or two it might’ve helped my case.” He let out a laugh of pure helplessness. “Heck, she’s probably having a conversation about how much I’m in the friendzone as we speak.”
“So, Cadance, I just can’t understand why he hasn’t asked me out yet!” Silverstream pouted desperately. “Thanks for letting us talk in private like this, by the way. I really needed to talk to someone.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” Cadance replied, a knowing smile on her muzzle. “I’m always here to help when anycreature needs it.”
While Gallus was pouring out his streams of missing confidence and self-esteem, Silverstream had asked Cadance to discuss something very similar in private.
“I’m kinda just waiting for Gallus to make his move, but every time I think he’s about to, he just runs away or pretends like he forgot what he was gonna say!” Silverstream sighed. “It’s like he changes his mind every time he looks at me, and I really don’t know what to do when he treats me like that. Please tell me you have some kind of advice? No matter how big or small, I’ll take it!”
Cadance put a hoof over her mouth and snickered, drawing a look of concern from the hippogriff. “I’m sorry for laughing, Silverstream. You just remind me so much of what I went through with Shining.”
“Really?”
“Yep, except it sounds to me like Gallus has at least a bit more sense than Shining did.” Cadance chuckled again and shook her head. “Has he hopped into any barrels yet?”
Silverstream rubbed her chin. “Not yet, but I did see him hiding in a bush the other day when I was walking by. What does it mean?”
Cadance smiled at her. “It means that he cares for you very, very much. Just a bit of wisdom between us girls, males are not the best at expressing those kinds of things. Between the overthinking and fear of rejection, sometimes we’re lucky if they can even talk around us.”
Silverstream gasped. “Rejection? But I would never reject him! Heck, I thought I’ve made it pretty obvious how I feel about him this entire time! By the pearl, I even asked if us going to the Gala tonight counted as a date, and Gallus just mumbled something under his breath! Why in Equestria would he think I’d reject him?”
Cadance shook her head in exasperation. “As I said, they overthink things and assume the worst. Sometimes what we think are obvious clues blow right over their heads. I mean, right before we started dating, I literally flicked my tail in his face while walking away and all he did was apologize for being in my way. It’s just the way it is.”
Silverstream groaned aloud and gave Cadance a look so helpless that it’d make an orphanage feel bad for her. “Then what am I supposed to do? Should I just make the move myself?”
“Haha, that’s one option I suppose,” Cadance replied. “If you’re like me and want to give him the opportunity, I’d recommend just pushing things along a bit.”
“How should I do it though?” Silver threw her claws over her eyes. “Why does dating have to be so complicated?!”
“Look, the dancing part of the night is going to start soon.” Cadance pointed at a clock on the wall. “In five minutes they’ll play the first song of the night which is traditionally a couple’s dance. Perhaps you can, I don’t know, make yourself available to him and you can dance together, hm? I’d imagine that’s a hint that he wouldn’t be able to miss. Besides, what’s better for setting the mood than slow dancing at the Gala?”
Silverstream immediately perked up. “Oh my gosh, that’s perfect! You’re amazing, Princess!” Silverstream was so excited she immediately jumped forward and entrapped Cadance in a soul-crushing hug. She quickly let go and blushed. “Oh, I’m sorry!”
Cadance waved a hoof. “N-Nothing to worry about. I’ve had my ribs shattered before by hugs like that! Just ask Pinkie! Now, how about we rejoin everyone else? I’m sure things will work out if you give him that opportunity.”
With that, the two left the room together and went back to the floor. Silverstream now had a plan that was foolproof. Gallus would be hers by the end of the night!
“So…” Galus scratched his head. “You’re saying that if I ask Silverstream to dance with me during the first song, the romance-ish one, that’ll make things move along? In a good way?”
“Yep!”
“Huh…” Gallus shrugged. “But how do I know she won’t just say no and fly away to talk to the cheese buffet again?”
Shining smiled at him. “Unfortunately that’s the risk we always take with these things. It’s like you mentioned, you’ve got nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain. I know you’re focused on her saying no. Just imagine what’ll happen if she says yes!”
Gallus ran the thought through his mind and instantly felt his heart throb. If Silverstream said yes, that’d essentially open the door for him to finally confess. It would be so easy after that! Granted, he was still suspicious that he’d find some way to make it awkward, but he needed to try. For her, before it was too late for him.
“Alright, I’m gonna do it.” Gallus gave Shining a firm look, eyebrows narrowed and eyes fixated. “I won’t back down. I can’t back down.”
“That’s right!” Shining trotted a bit closer and patted him on the back. “The dancing is gonna start any minute now. Get out there and make it happen! Don’t wait for the moment to happen, make it happen!”
“Yeah,” Gallus said with a steely tone.
“Yeah!”
“YEAH!” Gallus puffed out his chest and screeched, causing several worried glances from those around him. “Uh, my bad.”
“Yeah!”
Both Shining and Gallus turned around to see none other than Silverstream standing behind them.
“Sorry!” She exclaimed. “You guys just looked like you were having so much fun shouting stuff and I wanted to join in!” She punctuated her exuberance with a hop in the air.
“Hey Silverstream! Glad you could make it.” Shining let out a small chuckle. “Anyway, I gotta go find the wife real quick so I’ll leave you to it.” He parted ways, but not without sending a final wink towards Gallus.
Gallus and Silverstream were alone once more. She wore her brightest smile and Gallus did his absolute best to match hers with his own. He lightly blushed and averted his eyes before his cheeks got even more red. He was about to speak up when their awkward silence was interrupted.
“Alright everyone!” Twilight Sparkle’s voice rang out over the crowd. “The dancing portion of the night begins right now!” The announcement was met with a chorus of hoof stomps and clapping claws. “As per the usual, we’ll start the night off with a slow dance for all the lovely couples out there. If you will, please enjoy the rest of your night!”
On cue with the ending of Twilight’s declaration, the band began to play. It started with a slow violin melody that was quickly followed by the other instruments playing a romantic harmony behind the lead.
Gallus and Silverstream stood by and watched as couple after couple walked out onto the floor, even their friends. Instead of saying anything, they remained at the wall, nervously trying to avoid making eye contact with the other.
Gallus stomped a claw into the ground and turned to Silverstream, earning a surprised glance from her. He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. This was a happening thing whether he liked it or not. He was not going to spend the rest of the night regretting what could have been. No, not today, not now.
“Silverstream,” he began, using a firm but kind tone, “will you please dance with me?”
Gallus braced himself for her response. Was she going to say no? Oh gosh, hopefully the rejection would be short and sweet. Maybe she would just fly away and they could both forget that—
“I’d love to!” She hopped in the air, clapping her claws together in the process. “I was hoping you’d ask! Took you long enough, silly!”
Gallus blinked several times. That was… not what he was expecting.
“Uh, well…” Gallus wasn’t sure what to say. He never thought he’d get this far. This was an unprecedented situation he was dealing with. “Alright. Let’s go, I guess.”
The two walked out onto the floor, slowly but surely. Once they arrived, all the lights in the room began to dim, the floor now being illuminated by the decorative lights and torches set up around them. Everything was romantic to the extreme and Gallus was sure the universe was simply mocking him at this point, not that it mattered.
Gallus cleared his throat whilst looking into Silverstream’s beautiful eyes. “So, uh, I’m not the best at this. But… could I have your claw, please? Maybe?”
Silverstream vigorously nodded and held her claw out, which he gladly took. Then, just like he had practiced in the past, Gallus stood up on his hind legs, bidding her to do the same, and wrapped his free claw over her lower back. He could feel his claws shaking but pressed on.
They were in dancing formation now. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. He pulled her closer to himself. Silverstream dropped her free claw over his shoulder. Gallus was still very nervous, causing his brain to throw out almost everything he learned about the dancing. Instead, he opted to just go with her flow. He began to slowly glide them over the dance floor, step by step. Was it awkward? Yes. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. Did they both enjoy every second of it?
You better believe it.
As they moved, Gallus spotted Smolder dancing with Ocellus a few feet away. No words were exchanged. A wink from the dragon told him all he needed to know. He made it happen!
Without warning, Silverstream gently let go of his claw. She moved it to the small of her back where his other claw already was, and she put her claw over his other shoulder. She moved even closer into him, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “This... this is nice.”
Gallus, who was now having to do all he could to not melt in front of everyone, kept up the slow motions with his feet, leading them in a small circle. Now was the time. If there was ever a sign, this was it.
“So, uh, Silverstream?” He asked.
“Hmm?”
“You’re pretty good at this whole dancing thing.” Gallus said.
“You’re not bad yourself, sir,” she replied with a snicker. “I guess it’s not as lame as you always say, huh?”
“Nah, it’s still lame,” Gallus said with a chuckle. “But dancing with you makes it a little less lame, not gonna lie.”
“I’m glad you think that,” she replied, her usual exuberance replaced with a relaxed tone. “I feel the same way.”
“You know,” Gallus said, “I actually practiced some slow dancing this past week just in case I had the opportunity. I hope you appreciate it.”
She giggled. “Well, you haven’t stepped on my claws or taken us both to the ground, so I’d have to say I’m pretty impressed so far.”
“Just between you and me,” Gallus said with a smile. “I prefer dancing with you than practicing with Smolder. Any time I made a mistake I was sure she’d fire blast me.”
“Hehe, that sounds like her,” Silverstream said. “But don’t worry even a little bit. Hippogriffs don’t breathe fire. At least I never have.”
“Thank goodness.”
The continued their slow movement on the floor for a few more seconds before Gallus finally opened his beak again. He was going make the moment happen.
“I was thinking…” He exhaled one last breath. “Maybe instead of a friend date, this could be a real date. I mean, I’d like that. A lot.”
Silverstream paused her steps, causing Gallus to stop as well, and she pulled her head back, revealing to Gallus the most warm smile he’d ever seen.
“Yes, this can be a real date,” she said with a nod. “You only took you forever and a half.”
He chuckled and was grateful for the darkness as it masked the huge blush he just got. “Yeah, about that… I don’t know what I was thinking. But, you know, I couldn’t live with myself if I never even gave it a chance. I didn’t want to regret going another day without you.” He gulped. “Without you being mine.”
She giggled and took him by surprise with a quick peck on his cheek. “Well, you don’t have to anymore! I’m yours and you’re mine and I wanna keep it that way, okay? No take backs!”
“Never.”
She gave him the biggest smile of the night and once again rested her head on his shoulder as they continued to dance. Gallus pulled her just a bit closer and released a sigh of relief. He did it. He did it and it worked. All that anxiety for nothing. Who knew. Now all he had to do was worry about setting up the second date, and the third, and the fourth—
Oh boy, here we go…