Starlight Glimmer found herself completely enthralled by 'Hearts, Hooves, and History: The Life of Princess Amore' as she walked down the west wing of the castle after a very hearty lunch with Trixie. So enthralled that she didn't notice an equally distracted Twilight as she rounded the corner to the foyer, and the two collided and fell back on their haunches as their books fell to the floor.

"Oof. Oh, sorry, Twilight. I haven't been able to put this book down since noon." Starlight apologized as she helped her former mentor up off the ground.

"No no, it's my fault. It's been a little hectic around here, and I'm barely keeping up." Twilight replied.

Now that she mentioned it, Twilight did look just a little bit frazzled, and then Starlight noticed the Princess' book of choice.

"Should I even ask why you're reading 'A Study of Griffon Mating Rituals'?" Starlight asked, catching the cover.

"Um, it was one of the only ones in the library that I hadn't read yet." Twilight hurriedly said, shuffling past her guidance counselor.

"Twilight, you seem stressed. Is there anything I can do to help?" Starlight asked sincerely.

"No, I don't think... Wait, yes! Yes there is, I'm glad I ran into you, Starlight. You know the east wing guest suite?" Twilight asked, turning back to Starlight. Her student immediately nodded.

"Ground floor, third door on the left. Full size bed, two dres-"

"Soundproof it, please." Twilight interrupted, cheeks flaring red.

"I'm sorry?"

"Yes. Twenty-four hour enchantment, if you can. Thank you!" Twilight said. With that, she whipped around and headed off to her private study without another word.

"Well... Alright then." Starlight said, shrugging, and trotted off to the east wing while preparing a soundproofing spell, unable to help thinking that perhaps this was the room that Shining Armor and Cadance would be staying in tonight.

For Silverstream, Yona, Smolder, and Ocellus, it had been a fun-filled day of activities with each other. Gallus and Sandbar had tagged along periodically, but most of the time, they were off doing their own activities, most likely meant for couples instead of larger groups. The four of them had eaten dinner back at the school cafeteria, then it was decided they'd get milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner for desert as the sun began to go down. Silverstream said she was going to hang back a few moments and meet them there in a few moments.

"Psst." She called to Gallus as he exited his dorm room on his way out to the front. Gallus came up to her as she removed her necklace, the jewel of which was a shard from the Pearl of Transformation. She gathered it up in her talon, and handed it over to the griffon.

"Please be careful with it." She told him as he carefully slid it into a side pocket of his saddlebags.

"You have my word. So... Um, you know, how does it work?" Gallus asked. Silverstream smiled at him.

"It's easy. Just put it on, think of what you want to change into, and focus on it. Don't worry, it won't do anything unless you absolutely want it to." The hippogriff assured him.

"Alright, if you say so." Gallus replied, seemingly satisfied.

"Listen, whatever you two are planning, just be careful." She told her friend.

"Don't worry. We will." Gallus replied.

With that, the griffon and hippogriff went their separate ways; upon exiting the school, she took off into the sky towards downtown Ponyville, and he walked across the bridge to where Sandbar was waiting, a few dozen feet from the stairs to the castle's front door.

"Hey there. So are you ready?" Sandbar asked him. Gallus nodded silently.

Aside from the time that they had met back up with their friends, the two of them had spent the entire day together. After breakfast, they had gone over to Sweet Apple Acres for the hayrides that the Apple family was offering all day as part of the festivities. They decided to pool their remaining bits and have a romantic dinner for two at one of the fancier restaurants in town, and now that the sun had gone down, activities around town were beginning to wind down, save for select late night destinations. But for most couples celebrating Hearts and Hooves Day, the next few hours would be the icing on the cake, the perfect ending to a day celebrating each other.

For the earth pony and griffon walking up to the castle steps, it was some fairly nerve-racking icing. They were already great friends, but they had a feeling that no matter how long any couple knew each other, this was a simply massive step. This wouldn't be just a celebration of their feelings for each other, it would be the first proclamation of them. Sandbar figured it would be a lot like dancing for the first time; there would be missteps and stumbles, but that's how you learned.

The duo walked up to the armor-clad orchid unicorn standing on the right side of the staircase. Major Fizzlepop Berrytwist was a somewhat common sight around Ponyville, and even if she sounded and acted friendly, there was a somewhat intimidating aura about her, no doubt that was advantageous if you were an E.U.P. guard.

"Major Fizzlepop? Princess Cadance said we should see you about the east guest suite?" Sandbar asked, standing next to Gallus.

"Yes, she did say some students would be showing up asking about that. Right this way, please." The unicorn responded, promptly doing an about face, and walked up the stairs, leading the pair inside. Ponies had been coming and going all day, but now things had settled down, and the castle foyer was empty save for another guard making their rounds. The trip made a right before coming to the stairs, and veered off to the ground floor east wing. They passed two doors, and Fizzlepop came to the third, lit up her horn, opened it, and turned to face them.

"The east wing guest suite. Please, enjoy your evening, and have a good night." Fizzlepop said, smiling at them.

As they made their way inside, Fizzlepop returned down the hall and didn't look back as Gallus shut the door and locked it. Together, they took in the room. It was certainly more spacious than their dorm room had been. There was a bathroom off to the immediate left, and there were two dressers along the left wall. There was a table and two chairs in the right corner. The curtains had been drawn for the window on the far wall, and on the right side, a clean queen bed with a plush comforter and several pillows.

Sandbar took the initiative and hopped onto the bed first.

"So... Where do we begin?" He said, stretching out.

"How are you not like, super nervous?" Gallus asked him.

"I mean, I am a little, but I've been looking forward to this all day." The pony replied.

"Well, give me a minute to freshen up, and I'll be right out." Gallus told him, pointing a claw over his shoulder to the bathroom before turning around and entering, closing the door behind him. Sandbar was a little puzzled, because he had assumed that's what he had made a stop at the dorms for just a few minutes ago.

Gallus stared at himself in the mirror, and saw how absolutely nervous he was as he took his reflection in. He slipped off his saddlebags, and reached into the side pocket, and came out with Silverstream's necklace. He dangled it from his right talon, staring at it thoughtfully, before fastening it around his neck.

Taking another look in the mirror at himself, he closed his eyes, got a clear picture of what he wanted, took a deep breath, held onto that image, and exhaled. There was a magical tingling sound, and for a moment, Gallus was afraid to open his eyes to see if it had actually worked.

Author's Note

I had originally intended this to be one large chapter, but instead I wanted to get you guys another update before my very busy week begins. You honestly shouldn't expect anything else until next weekend; and that's if I get it all written out and I am ultimately satisfied with it.

I know this story has been building to this, so I really want to do it justice.

Thanks for reading!