“Hey! Did you hear?”

“About what?”

“About Gallus.”

“What about him?”

“Haven’t you noticed him acting weird recently?”

“Weird how?”

“You know how he’s usually rude and cocky? Sometimes if Professor Applejack’s nearby, he’ll do a total 180!”

“Oh yeah! I think I’ve seen it happen. But it’s just with Professor Applejack, right?”

“Pretty sure, yeah! Why do you think that is?”

“Maybe he’s just failing her class and he’s just trying to do anything he can in order to pass.”

“Well, I think that Professor Applejack has some sort of dirt on Gallus, and if he acts out of line, it’s back to Griffonstone for him!”

“No way!”

“I mean, they could just be da-”

“Hey! Do you mind saving your gossip for when I’m not trying to teach you guys something?”

“Sorry, Professor Dash...”

Ocellus walked down the hallways towards her next class. She tried to keep her mind focused on her schoolwork, but certain other members of the school continued to invade her thoughts.

“Hey, Ocellus?” she heard a familiar voice as a claw tapped her back.

“Gyaaah!” Ocellus nearly dropped her books, fumbling to keep them in her hooves. “Oh, it’s you, Gallus. W-what is it?”

“You got a moment? There’s something I wanna ask you.”

“Uh, actually, I really can’t! Gotta get to class, you know?” Ocellus laughed nervously before trying to sprint away, but Gallus held his arm out to halt her.

“Woah, easy! I promise it won’t take long. It’s just, I haven’t seen you around all that often. It’s like you’re avoiding me or something.”

“No! Nothing like that! I’m just..uh…um...” Ocellus stammered, trying to come up with an excuse.

“Did I do something wrong? I thought we were friends, but you seem to never want to be around me.”

Ocellus gulped. She couldn’t just tell Gallus that she knows about him and Professor Applejack, that would make everything so much worse! But what other reason could she give to explain why she’s been avoiding him?

“Ocellus?”

“It’snotyouit’smesorrygottagobye!” Ocellus blurted out before speeding off, leaving Gallus in a stunned state.

“...Alright?”

A few more weeks passed, and though Ocellus stopped avoiding Gallus, she still got flustered whenever the two of them were alone. No amount of questioning would give him the answers he was looking for, but being able to talk to her again was still a massive improvement over her fleeing as fast as she could.

Gallus found himself walking through the hallways with his group of friends, listening to Silverstream ramble on and on about more whimsically mundane things that weren’t in Seaquestria.

“...And being able to write things, isn’t that amazing!? We were never able to write things in Seaquestria, because we didn’t have any paper or pens! We didn’t have letters, or tissues, or posters…”

Silverstream let out an excited gasp, pointing towards the bulletin board, where Headmare Twilight was.

“See? New posters! We never had those underwater!”

The six of them crowded around Twilight, jostling and clamoring as they tried to find out what the poster said.

“I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. We’re bringing one of Ponyville’s oldest traditions to our school, The Fetlock Fete!”

“...The what-lock what?” Smolder scratched her head in confusion.

“It’s a pony dance party! They’re the best!” Sandbar explained.

“I’m ready!” Ocellus, transforming herself into a pony.

“You don't need to do that, Ocellus,” Twilight laughed. “This year, the events at school are open to everycreature. We're calling our dance the Amity Ball.”

“Even better!” Ocellus cheered, transforming back.

After Twilight explained what would happen at the school dance. Gallus and Sandbar walked down the hallway together.

“Hey, uh...Gallus?”

“Yeah?”

“You know the whole Amity Ball thing?”

“I remember what Headmare Twilight explained two minutes ago, yes.”

“Are you uh...planning on going?”

Gallus shrugged. “I guess. I mean, the dancing stuff sounds dumb, but I’m not gonna turn down food.”

“Are you planning on, you know, asking someone to go with you?” Sandbar asked, his cheeks starting to turn pink.

Gallus stopped walking. “Sandbar, where exactly is this conversation going?”

“Huh?” Sandbar quickly realized what Gallus was thinking. “Oh! No no no, I just…” Sandbar pulled Gallus close, whispering in his ear. “Can you help me with asking out Yona?”

“Why?” Gallus asked at normal volume.

“Because I...think it’d be...nice if...she had someone to go with, that’s all!” Sandbar chuckled nervously.

“No, I mean why do you need my help? Can’t you just, I dunno, ask her yourself?”

“Yeah but...she...cause...she’s...you know...” Sandbar nervously rubbed his hooves together as he stammered.

“Ohhh, I get it. Need me to be your wingman for you, lover boy?” Gallus teased, elbowing his side.

“Yeah? So what?” Sandbar said, his cheeks flushed red. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you’ve got the hots for someone in this school, too!”

“What? No I don’t! That’s ridiculous!” Gallus said defensively, his own face gaining a shade of red.

“C’mon, help me out here, man!”

Gallus looked over, seeing Yona still looking at the posters and trophy. “Dude, just go ask her if she wants to go out with you.”

Sandbar looked at Gallus in disbelief. “...Really? That’s all you’ve got for me!?”

Gallus nodded. “What’s she gonna do, say no? You think she’s gonna turn down a chance to stomp around? You don’t need me to help you out with this, you’ll be fine, dude.”

“Well...if you say so…” Sandbar took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

“Go get her, killer.” Gallus smiled, giving Sandbar a pat on the back and a light shove towards Yona.

Gallus watched as Sandbar asked out Yona, just to make sure that everything worked out, before walking back to his room. He still had tests to study for.

Twilight entered the teachers’ lounge, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “Well, thanks to Ocellus and Silverstream, the posters are finally up all over the school!”

“You really think we can handle holding a school dance?” Rainbow Dash asked, lying spread out on one of the couches.

Pinkie scoffed. “It’s basically a big party for the whole school, right? Planning this’ll be easy!” she said, giving Rainbow a dismissive wave of her hoof.

“But what about the other creatures?” Fluttershy asked. “If we’re still doing the same traditions as the Fetlock Fete, won’t they feel left out if we only do pony traditions?”

“Not to worry, Fluttershy,” Rarity said. “If they wish to learn about our culture, we shall happily teach them!”

Twilight nodded. “We want to make sure things go smoothly. After all, this will be the first time the School of Friendship has arranged a dance.”

“Ooh, maybe we could make some new traditions along the way!” Pinkie chimed in.

Rainbow chuckled. “Well, I’m pretty sure they’re all gonna love the lucky pot dinner, right, Applejack? ...Applejack?”

Applejack didn’t respond. She was busy staring at one of the spare posters, a small smile on her face as she let out a deep, longing sigh.

Rainbow Dash clapped her hooves together to get Applejack’s attention. “Hey Applejack, you’ve been staring at that poster like Pinkie stares at cheesecake. What’s up?”

“Hm? Oh, nothin’, just pleased we get to do the dance, is all.”

As the days passed, the school got more excited about the Amity Ball. The other ponies began talking about what they were going to wear, the professors had explained the traditions that went into the Fetlock Fete, and Sandbar had been practicing his dancing in their room so much that even Gallus had started to memorize his steps. Though for the last few days, Sandbar said that he had to make some personal preparations for the dance, which left plenty of alone time for Gallus in their room.

The griffon laid down in his bottom bunk, carefully scanning the pages of his textbook, writing down the most important information in his notes, until his concentration was broken by a knock on the door. “Yeah?”

“It Yona!” the voice on the other side called out.

Gallus looked at his unfinished notes and sighed. With the sinking feeling that he wouldn’t get back to studying for a while, he rolled out of bed and opened the door. “What’s up, Yona?”

“Will Gallus help Yona practice dancing?”

“...What?”

“Will...Gallus...help...Yona...practice...dancing?” Yona repeated, slowing down her words.

“No, I heard what you said. Why are you asking me?”

“Because pony dance coming up, and Yona need help to dance with Sandbar!”

“...Well then why don’t you ask Sandbar to practice? I’m pretty sure he’s not busy or anything.”

“Yona want to surprise Sandbar with pony dance moves!” Yona said with a grin.

“I’m not even interested in the stupid dancing stuff. If you’re going to be dancing with Sandbar, why bother asking me? There are tons of other ponies in this school, why not ask one of them? In fact, your roommate is Ocellus, can’t you ask her to shapeshift into Sandbar or another pony to dance with or something?”

“But Gallus is friend! And Ocellus would just pretend to be boy! But Gallus good choice because Gallus dance like boy!”

“One, what does ‘dance like boy’ even mean? And two, why does that even matter?”

“Pleeaaaase? Professor Rainbow Dash and Professor Fluttershy already teach dance, but Yona need practice dancing with boy. Plus, you roommates with Sandbar, you know Sandbar better than any creature!”

Gallus sighed in defeat, knowing he wasn’t going to escape this conversation without agreeing to it. “Grr...fine, but only if no one else knows about this, you got it?”

“Yona promises! Now let’s get started! Yona bring music.” She said, pulling out a record player from behind her, pushing it and herself into the room.

Gallus stumbled back in disbelief. “Wha-You want to practice here? And now?”

“No better time to start than now! Dance in couple of weeks, no time to waste!” Yona started up the record player and grabbed Gallus by the talons, leading him in the dance.

Gallus squawked as Yona suddenly pulled him around, “Ack, Yona! Yona!” He yelled, trying to put his paws back onto the floor.

Even after he got his footing back, Yona pushed and pulled him around with such force it was hard for him to stand upright.

“Gallus need to dance more like Sandbar!” Yona chastised. “Be more pony-like!”

“Gee, if only there were ponies in this school around to help you…” Gallus muttered under his breath. He certainly didn’t envy Sandbar if this was who he was planning on dancing with.

It took a bit until Yona stopped yanking Gallus around and started dancing to the rhythm of the music. For a moment, Gallus thought that he was actually decent with a dance he didn’t even care about.

But as the two continued their practice, Yona started getting more into the music. Her somewhat clumsy steps turned into powerful stomps, and soon she was jumping all over the room.

Each jump was like a miniature earthquake. Important books and notes began falling off the desks, the bunk bed let out creaks as it rocked back and forth, occasionally slamming against the wall. “Yona! Stop! Stoooooop!”

Yona realized what she was doing mid-jump, and quickly stopped her dancing. “...Oops…”

“Yona, if you wanna practice dancing with me, you can’t start shaking the walls and making such a racket in my room!”

“Why? Isn’t shaking and making banging sounds what Gallus did in room before?”

Gallus cocked his head to the side. “What are you talking about? When did I-” Gallus’s pupils shrunk. His heart temporarily stopped beating in horror. “Aaalllright, I just remembered I gotta get back to studying!”

“But Yona still need practice-”

“We can practice again tomorrow, just learn not to make so much noise next time!" Gallus hastily said, trying to push Yona and the record player out of his room.

“Ok! Yona work on that! See Gallus tomorrow then!” Yona grinned as she made her exit.

After Yona left, Gallus shut the door and clutched his head with an exasperated groan. “What have I gotten myself into?”

Over the days leading up to the dance, Yona’s dancing skills improved significantly. She stopped causing earthquakes in the room, and moved with the rhythm and flow of the songs. Even Gallus started improving his dancing skill, even if his method was studying Sandbar in secret.

Though something had been bugging Gallus throughout their secret practice sessions. He didn’t notice it at first, but whenever Yona spoke, she just sounded...off. With a few days left before the ball, he decided to press further with his suspicions.

“Hey Yona, is it me, or have you been talking...differently?”

“You’ve noticed? Professor Rarity has been helping Yona! To try and speak more like a pony.” Yona said, articulating most of her words.

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Yona...er...I want to be a good pony pal for Amity Ball. So...I am trying to fit in.”

“Oh yeah?” Gallus tried his best to hide the smug smirk on his beak.

Yona nodded. “The other teachers have been helping...Yona...me to be the best pony pal for Sandbar.”

“Well, whatever they’re doing, it’s working.”

“Yes, but Yona wants it to be a surprise, so shh!”

Gallus nodded in understanding. “Don’t worry, I won’t let him know.”

“Thank you! See you at ball!” With that, Yona left the room.

Gallus smirked. Obviously, he wasn’t going to tell Sandbar, but he couldn’t wait to tell the others about this.

The night of the Amity Ball came, and as Gallus expected, there were ponies as far as the eye could see. At least the high amount of ponies made it easier to find his friends.

“I’m just glad I’m here with you guys,” Gallus said, watching another couple of ponies pass by with food. “...Least I’m not the only non-pony in the crowd.”

Sandbar stopped adjusting his bowtie to turn around. “You're not still worried about that, are you? Like Headmare Twilight said, this is a dance for everycreature. There's no pony pressure.”

Gallus, Ocellus, and Smolder started laughing.

“You should’ve told Yona that,” Ocellus said.

Sandbar tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Didn't you hear? Our teachers have been helping her get ready for the dance! She's been taking lessons.” Silverstream said, waggling her eyebrows as she ate another chip.

“She’s gone full pony for the dance,” Smolder said.

“All for you.” Gallus smirked, pulling on Sandbar’s tie.

“For me? Why?”

As if on cue, someone stepped up behind Sandbar. “How kind of you to ask me to this soiree, Sandbar,” the character said, with perfect articulation.

Jaws started to drop upon the realization that who they were staring at was Yona.

The group stared in a mixture of shock and awe at Yona’s total makeover. Unsure of how to react properly, until Silverstream finally said what was on her mind.

“You look so WEIRD!”

Before they could fully comprehend all the changes Yona went through, Twilight and Spike started up the music, and Yona took Sandbar to the dance floor.

One horrible yakkident and apparent friendship lesson learned later, and things were back to relatively normal. The music kicked up and everyone was stomping around like yaks.

As Gallus chugged down another cup of punch, he saw Ocellus motion for him to come to her.

“What’s up, Ocellus?”

“Over there, look. It’s Professor Fluttershy and Professor Applejack.”

Ocellus pointed over to one of the tables, where Applejack was sitting by herself. Fluttershy approached and tapped her on the shoulder. Gallus and Ocellus snuck close enough to eavesdrop.

“Applejack, is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

Applejack let out a lengthy sigh, looking out at the dance floor. “Nah, Ah’m fine, just...resting is all.”

“Are you sure? You look down. Is it because of what happened earlier? I know that the Amity Ball didn’t turn out exactly as planned, but everyone is still having a good time...”

“Nah, it’s not that, Fluttershy.” Applejack said, leaning against the table. “It’s just Ah never really got the chance to actually dance at one of these things, is all. Went to plenty of ‘em back when Ah was still in school, but Ah was always helping out with the food, or had an emergency on the farm, or some other thing that prevented me from actually dancing.”

“Well, the dance floor is still open. There’s nothing stopping you from dancing now.”

“Heh, yeah...But the dancing Ah was thinking about was more of a one-on-one type of dance, something more personal than just gettin’ down if you know what Ah’m saying...”

“O-Oh! I see…” Fluttershy’s cheeks started to turn red in embarrassment, unsure if she could solve Applejack’s problem.

Gallus looked over to the dance floor. Most of the ponies were dancing in large groups, cheering each other on. But other ponies only focused on one partner, sticking close to them and coordinating their movements.

Gallus took a step towards the table, then stopped. Would it really be right to ask her to dance after eavesdropping on her? It’d probably be better if he just turned around and went back to hanging with his friends.

Without warning, Gallus was suddenly shoved towards Applejack and Fluttershy, nearly crashing into the table. When he looked back, he saw Ocellus running away to join their other friends.

“Oh, hello, Gallus. Are you enjoying the Amity Ball?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uh...yeah, it’s alright, I guess.” Gallus muttered, looking away.

“Well, I’m glad to see you and your friends are still having a good time,” Applejack smiled. “But did you need us for something?”

Gallus turned his head to the dance floor, then at Applejack. He grit his teeth together, trying to force himself to make a decision instead of standing there in awkward silence. “...Yeah, I...guess I wanna try out more pony dances, but I need someone to practice with,” he explained, making up an excuse. ”So...maybe..one of you could…you know...dance with me?”

Fluttershy grinned, looking at Applejack as she tilted her head towards Gallus.

Applejack chuckled and shrugged. “Well, I guess I can teach ya the moves.”

As Applejack got up from her seat, the music changed from an upbeat club song to one with a much slower, calmer melody. A song that Gallus recognized from when he was practicing with Yona.

“What have I done…” Gallus said under his breath as he and Applejack walked to the dance floor.

“Alright, put your arm around me,” Applejack instructed, standing on her hind legs. Once Gallus did as he was told, Applejack wrapped her right hoof around Gallus.

“Now grab onto my other hoof,” she said, putting her left hoof up, which Gallus held onto.

“Good. Now just step along to the music. 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3…” She said, stepping in time to the music.

Gallus didn’t need to be instructed; he had already learned how this dance went. He was doing the right steps at the same time Applejack was trying to teach them.

“Heh, couldn’t find anypony else to dance? Y’all know I’m old enough to be your mom…” Applejack joked.

Gallus muttered something under his breath, turning his head away to avoid looking her in the eyes.

“...And I’m glad you asked. Thanks, pard’ner.”

There was more grumbling from the griffon as he tried to focus more on the dance than the pony he was dancing with.

“And your form ain’t that bad! Almost like ya been practicing…”

“Just shut up and dance…” Gallus said, finally speaking up so that she could hear.

“And that talon better not go any lower, unless you wanna be feelin’ it all night later on!”

“Don’t ruin the moment, please…” Gallus sighed, moving his hand up her back just in case.

“Alright, alright. I’ll shut up now,” Applejack chuckled. “...But thank you again, sugar. It means a lot to me.”

Though most of the students were busy with the dance or the food to care about or even notice the two dancing together, some of them couldn’t keep from staring.

“Hey, Ocellus? Why is Gallus dancing with Professor Applejack?” Silverstream asked.

“I don’t know! Why would I know?” Ocellus blurted out defensively. “I mean...He’s...uh...trying to get extra credit?”

“Really!?” Silverstream rushed off. “Ooh, Professor Rarity! Teach me how to dance, too!”

Gallus could feel all the looks he was getting. There was probably a good way to explain this that wasn’t embarrassing, but he couldn’t think of it right now. Admittedly, it was a nice change of pace, being this close to Applejack and not feeling like he was about to pass out from exhaustion. Gallus turned his head up, deciding to finally look at Applejack face to face.

Applejack’s cheeks were a deep red, but her freckles still managed to stand out. When Applejack noticed that Gallus was looking back, he was met with the warmest smile he had ever seen on her.

Suddenly, all the staring didn’t seem to matter anymore.

Author's Note

We shall return to the regular smut in the next chapter.