“Good morning class!” Miss Cheerilee’s kind, cheery voice rang through the classroom.

All the little ponies in the classroom lay slumped over their desks and chairs. Today was going to be another long day of school.

The maroon earth pony noticed that her class wasn’t looking very perky today. “Come on! Cheer up, class! I wanted to announce something really important.”

Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom. “Probably going to be another big test or something,” the orange pegasus whispered through her teeth.

“Today, we have a new student!”

This got the class’s attention. They all immediately lifted their heads up off their desks and chairs. Each one of them was thinking a different thought.

Will this pony be a blank flank? Apple Bloom thought. Maybe they can be a Cutie Mark Crusader!

I hope they’re nice, thought Sweetie Belle. I hope that having a cutie mark won’t make them bully us like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon do.

I can’t wait to show them around, thought Scootaloo. I wonder if they know Rainbow Dash. If not, I can introduce them to her, and then they can join the Rainbow Dash fanclub, so they can see how awesome she is!

Diamond Tiara smirked to herself. I wonder what lame foal will be coming today. I hope they’re an easy target for me and Silver Spoon.

Snails chuckled. I like pudding, the orange unicorn colt thought.

“You’re probably wondering which pony will be joining us today,” Cheerilee continued. “Well, oddly enough, he’s not a pony at all.”

This caused the entire class to gasp.

“He’s a griffon. His family just immigrated here from Griffonstone. His life there was terrible, and he’s probably hoping for a better life here. So, I think we should all smile and do our best to make him feel welcome.”

The entire class each put on a huge smile.

“Good. Now, please allow me to welcome…Gabriel!”

A small griffon chick/cub, who looked a bit older than the crusaders, came into the classroom and stood at the front of the class. He had a dark brown-black body, a chocolate brown head, and a yellow tail tuft and wings. He also had yellow-ochre facial markings and turquoise-colored eyes. He stared at the classroom with a nervous look in his eyes, not saying anything.

“Go on,” said Cheerilee. “Don’t be nervous. I already introduced you. All you have to say is hi.”

“Um…” the griffon said in a high-pitched voice. “Uh…h-hi.”

Cheerilee frowned. “Can you say that a bit louder, please? I don’t think the class could hear you.”

Gabriel gulped and spoke again, this time a decibel louder. “Hi.”

“Good job, Gabe!” Cheerilee said, clapping her hoofs. “You may sit down now. That chair behind Apple Bloom appears to be untaken.”

As Gabriel strutted past the chairs, Sweetie Belle heard snickering. The white unicorn turned to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were whispering to each other and occasionally glancing to stare at the young griffon.

After Gabriel sat down in his new desk, Cheerilee spoke up again.

“Now that we’ve met our new student, I feel like it’s time to begin our lesson. Now, many years ago, Star Swirl the Bearded…”

As Cheerilee continued to speak, Apple Bloom glanced behind at Gabriel, who was just sitting at his desk with his head facing downwards. She turned to Sweetie Belle.

“Gabriel looks a little upset,” she whispered. “Ah think maybe at recess we should talk with him and try to make him feel welcome. Who knows? Maybe we can make him our newest crusader.”

“But griffons don’t get cutie marks,” replied Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, but that doesn’t mean he can’t at least be our new friend.”

***

At recess, the crusaders sat at their picnic table, eating lunch.

“So, you want us to try to befriend Gabriel?” said Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom nodded. “He just looks so sad. His life in Griffonstone must’ve been pretty rough. Ah’m sure you remember Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie tellin’ us about what that place was like.”

“So, where is he?” asked Sweetie Belle through a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Scootaloo looked around. “There he is!” she shouted, pointing her hoof at a picnic table close by. Sure enough, the young griffon was sitting there all by himself, his head slumped down over his talons. He had a bag of food sitting next to him, but he didn’t touch it.

“Well,” said Apple Bloom. “Let’s go talk to him. Come on, crusaders!”

Gabriel sighed as he picked up his lunchbag and looked inside. There was an apple, a banana, some grapes, and a thermos of milk. He was used to eating mostly meat products back in Griffonstone. But ponies, being herbivores, considered meat-eating a taboo, so he was stuck eating nothing but plant products.

“Gabe!” a voice called. Gabriel lifted his head.

“Gabe!” called a different voice. “Hey, listen. We want to talk to you.”

Gabriel turned his head to see three of the fillies from the classroom standing by his table. There was a yellow earth pony with a red mane and tail and a pink bow in her mane, a white unicorn with a purple and pink mane and tail, and an orange pegasus with a purple mane and tail. None of the three fillies had cutie marks.

“Oh..hi guys,” said Gabriel. “Is there something you three want?”

The earth pony nodded. “We wanted to say hi. I’m Apple Bloom, this is Scootaloo, and this is Sweetie Belle. You look kind of sad. Are you feeling lonely?”

Gabriel sighed again. “Everywhere I go on this playground, ponies stare at me like I’m some kind of a monster.”

Sweetie Belle patted Gabriel on the back. “Well, we don’t think you’re a monster.”

“You don’t?”

“Nope!” said Scootaloo. “We think you’re awesome!”

“Really?” A tiny smile began to form on the griffon’s face.

“Yeah! I mean, half eagle and half lion…that’s the most awesome combination ever!”

Gabriel stood up. “Well, it’s nice to see someone being nice to me, pony or griffon.”

The crusaders all nodded. “Would you like to join our club?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Club?” Gabriel lifted one eyebrow. “What kind of club?”

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” all three fillies shouted. Gabriel backed away in surprise. Sweetie Belle was the first to notice this.

“Oh, sorry Gabe” said the unicorn filly. “We didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay,” said Gabe, brushing the feathers on his head. “So, what’s this club like?”

“Well,” said Scootaloo. “It’s basically dedicated to helping young ponies get their cutie marks. Now, we’re aware that griffons don’t get cutie marks, but if you want to help us out…”

“I’d be happy to!” said Gabriel, fluttering his small wings and lifting himself into the air. Scootaloo couldn’t help but frown upon seeing this, being reminded of her flight disability. The frown went away after Gabriel landed next to Apple Bloom.

“Well,” said Apple Bloom. “When ah get home, ah can ask my sister Applejack if you can come over to our clubhouse. Does that sound good?”

Gabriel nodded. “Before we go home, I can give you my address, that way you guys can come and get me. My mom got a new job, so she’s not home very often. My dad will be there, but I must warn you; he can get a bit tough sometimes.”

After hoof-bumping (or talon-bumping, in the case of Gabriel), the new friends set off in different directions. Gabriel walked back towards the school, while the three fillies trotted back to their picnic table. Meanwhile, a pair of familiar other fillies were standing close by.

“Hey, crusaders!” shouted Diamond Tiara. “Did you decide to make friends with that silly griffon?”

“Be careful! He might eat you!” said Silver Spoon.

The crusaders ignored the bullies. They decided that they needed to think of a plan before the bell rang.

Author's Note

I added the scene with Sweetie Belle eating the PBJ to show you guys that this does NOT take place in the same canon as Sweetie Belle's Allergy.