A long holiday break was finally over. And now it’s time for the students to go back to school. It was still a snowy winter at that time, but they don’t mind it, as long as they’re excited to see their friends again. Right now, Gallus and the griffons are on the train waiting for their arrival at their destination. Again, it’s still a very long ride from there. Gallus laid back on the coach’s seat as he watched the scenery pass by. He and the rest of his kind were riding back to Ponyville to continue their lessons at the School of Friendship.
“You know, we could’ve flown to Ponyville, right?” Garry, who’s right beside him, spoke to him.
“Yeah, but this is much easier on our wings,” Gallus noted. “We’ll be exhausted when we just fly from here.” He just got comfy as Grace walked up to him.
“How do you think our friends did while we were gone?” she asked him, wondering about them.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he replied back, with a grin. “I just want to have a few last minutes of relaxation before we have those lessons shoving down our throats.”
“You’re my kind of griffon,” Gale said from the other side of the coach. Gallus held a thumbs-up and a wink for the white griffon to see before he went back to relaxing. He took a deep sigh as he wondered about what would happen to him and his friends when they got there.
Soon, the train came to a stop at the Crystal Empire to pick up some more passengers, specifically, the yaks. They burst into the coach taking almost all of the griffons by surprise. Gallus quickly got up and saw Yona walk up to him before tackling him into a tight hug that made the griffon feel like he was in an apple presser.
“Gallus!” Yona cheered, while hugging him tightly.
“Yona! I’m happy to see you too,” Gallus wheezed, “But I’d like to have a working spine!” Yona let go of her friend, who took a deep breath the second he was let go. “So, how was your holiday break?”
“Yona and yaks loved Snilldarfest. Trud had trouble smashing, but yaks helped him out.” Gallus looked around and saw the injured yak walking over to Gale.
“Hey, man,” the white griffon said. “How are you feeling today?”
“Yak doing better,” Trud spoke. He looked down at the casts around his legs which weren’t supported by a cart anymore. “Doctor note says legs good to walk on now, but no smashing.”
“What did you do with the cart?”
“Cart didn’t last long at home.” Looking out the window, Trud and Gale could see an older yak, who was actually Trud’s mother, loading a broken wheelchair cart into the baggage car. They also saw some crystal ponies on the platform as well. One of them looked to be a young mare around their age. She had violet fur with a diamond blue mane and tail tied in curls and it matched her eyes. Her cutie mark appeared to be a diamond that had a bright shine on it.
“Who’s that pony over there?”
“Yak don’t know.”
Some of the other students, including Gallus and Yona, took a look at the young mare and eavesdropped on what she said. “Why me?” the young mare questioned, feeling spoiled.
“Listen, Shine,” the mare’s mother said, “Just at least try this. You’re going to a school in Ponyville to study friendship.”
“Mom! We live in an empire that has a princess and a prince.”
“Young lady, we already made plans. You’re going there.” The young mare huffed and walked towards one of the coaches. The older mare looked towards Rutherford. “You think this is a good idea?”
“Winter Quill no worry,” the yak prince said. “Diamond Shine high horse. Need to be knocked down on peg.”
“Oh man,” Geena groaned, “Is she really coming with us?”
“Her mom mentioned the school, so I’m going to say yes,” Gallus said. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get to Ponyville.” Gallus lied down in his seat and started his long nap. Yona sat down nearby as a whistle could be heard blowing and the coach doors closed. The engine left the station and continued towards Ponyville.
Just a few hours later, Yona tapped Gallus on the beak, waking him up. “Friends are here,” the yak spoke.
“Already?” Gallus asked. Yona nodded.
The blue griffon then sat and stretched as he could see the other creatures were getting off the train. He also saw the same two crystal ponies already on the station’s platform.
“Welp, let’s get this over with,” Gallus muttered. He and Yona joined their classmates on the platform.
“It’s nice to be back in Ponyville,” Gregoria commented, with a blissful sigh.
“Yeah, I really missed this place,” Grace agreed. “I think the snow looks even better here than it does in Griffonstone.”
“Certainly.” They looked around until they saw an orange earth pony walking up to the station.
“Professor Applejack!” Dotta cried.
“Howdy y'all,” Applejack said. “Glad to see y’all back from the holidays.” The farm pony then noticed the two crystal ponies that were among the griffons and yaks. “Well, hello there, welcome to Ponyville. What brings you here?”
“My name is Winter Quill,” the older mare responded. “I’m getting my daughter here, Diamond Shine, to be enrolled at the School of Friendship.” The young mare didn’t look to be thrilled about this at all.
“Well, I’m sure she’ll get along with the other creatures soon.”
“I didn’t see her for the entire ride,” Geena whispered to Frida. “Did you?”
“Yak thought pony got back onto crystal platform,” Frida admitted.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought as well.”
“Welp, if you follow me, we should get to the school in no time,” Applejack said. “So let’s go.” The mare led the way and the two crystal ponies, the yaks, and the griffons followed closely behind. Gallus remembered that day as we walked towards the academy with the very first of his kind to study there, with them being so naive, and now feeling encouraged.
After a short walk, they arrived at the School of Friendship. Many of the students had already arrived. They could see Moss showing a new colt around the schoolhouse. The colt was an orange unicorn and had a wheelchair cart like the one Trud had. Trud and Gale both knew who he was. That was Rusty Wrench; he’s the one who helped Trud put on his skis on his wheelchair cart.
“Rusty,” they both exclaimed, waving their claw/hoof, walking over to the colt. Rusty then turned back to see them walking towards him and Moss.
“Hi guys!” Rusty waved back, and gave them a hoof bump.
Moss raised an eyebrow. “Hey, aren’t you going to say anything to me?” the changeling jokingly chuckled. Trud heard him and hugged the changeling tightly. “Okay, I take it back. You can give this to Rusty.”
“No thanks,” Rusty said, feeling comfortless after seeing Trud hugging him very tight. “I’m good.” Some of the other yaks and griffons walked over to the young colt and looked at his wheels. “Oh, hi, I’m Rusty Wrench.”
“Nice to meet you,” Grace said. She held out her claw to shake Rusty’s hoof. “I’m Grace.”
“Nice to meet you as well.”
Gallus and Yona felt surprised to see a different pony at the school. They then heard a familiar voice. “There you are.” The griffon and yak looked over to see a familiar earth pony walk up to them.
“Sandbar!” Yona cheered. The yak hugged her boyfriend tightly, who took it like a champ.
“Hope you enjoyed your vacation.”
“I do, actually,” Gallus replied.
“Yona too,” Yona added.
“Good to hear. Did you bring anyone new?”
“Yeah. A spoiled crystal pony,” Gallus responded. Sandbar’s smile slightly faded as Yona let him go.
The yak would try her best to keep her friends' spirits up. “Where Ocellus and Silver?” she asked.
“I think they were by the bridges,” Sandbar explained. “Follow me.” The three friends walked off to where the center of the school was. Ocellus and Silverstream were there talking to at first what they thought was a yak but actually turned out to be a buffalo. He was light brown fur and a feather headpiece.
“So, does it ever snow in the desert?” Ocellus asked.
“Not really,” the buffalo explained.
“Do you not burst into flames?” Silverstream questioned.
“Well, I...” The buffalo stopped when he could see Sandbar, Yona, and Gallus walking up to them. “Um, who are you?”
“Hey, Ravi,” Sandbar said. “I’d like you to meet Gallus and Yona.”
The buffalo shook Gallus’s talon but when he looked at Yona he looked a little confused. “I’m sorry, I haven’t seen a creature that’s so similar to a buffalo.”
“Yona not buffalo,” Yona stated. “Yona yak.”
“Well, I’m Ravi. I come from Appleoosa.”
“It’s a desert,” Silverstream spoke.
“Good to know,” Gallus said. “Anything’s better than Griffonstone.”
“It does get hot there,” Ravi admitted. “But it’s very breezy during the night.”
“Speaking of hot,” Sandbar said, “Where’s Smolder?”
“I think she was with Professor Applejack and someone named Autumn Blaze,” Ocellus explained.
“So, what?” Gallus questioned, “It’s just another pony.”
“Actually, she’s a kirin,” Silverstream corrected.
“A what?” Yona and the boys questioned. Ocellus changed into what a kirin looked like, much to the surprise of the buffalo.
“A kirin,” she repeated, after transforming into the said creature. “Like this.”
“Woah! How did you even do that?” Ravi asked in amazement.
“All changelings can make their bodies into whatever shape they want,” Ocellus explained.
“By the way, where’s Autumn Blaze now?” Sandbar asked.
“I think she’s in Headmare Starlight’s office.” Sandbar, Yona, and Gallus walked off. Silverstream decided to join them. Ocellus shrugged and changed back to her original form to join her friends. Not wanting to be alone, Ravi decided to follow them.
Outside Starlight’s office, Applejack, Smolder, Autumn Blaze, and another kirin were standing outside. The kirin had light yellow fur with a green mane and brown scales and a dark red horn with matching eyes. “So, who else is in there?” Autumn Blaze questioned.
“I don’t know,” Applejack admitted, “Starlight just said she was busy talking with someone else.”
Smolder just stood next to the creatures and looked at the young kirin. “So, why’d they bring you here?” the dragoness questioned. The young kirin turned her head to the dragoness before looking away without saying a word. “Jeez, you’re talkative.”
“Hi, Smolder!” Silverstream called. Smolder looked back to see her friends walking up to her.
“Hello, guys! It’s good to see you again.” The dragoness then noticed the buffalo standing with her friends. "Who's this dude here?"
"This is Ravi," Ocellus explained. "He's from Appleoosa."
"It's pretty cool to meet a dragon," the buffalo commented. "But who's that?"
The students looked towards the young kirin who had yet to say a word. "Beats me," Smolder admitted. "She hasn't said a single word."
"Maybe she doesn't like being around other creatures," Gallus commented.
"Like spoiled crystal pony," Yona spoke.
“Who?” Smolder and Ravi questioned.
“You probably don’t want to know,” Gallus muttered.
“Well, hello there,” Autumn Blaze said. “I remember you.”
“Hey,” Sandbar spoke. “I...” The earth pony was taken by surprise when the kirin started shaking his hoof at a breakneck speed.
“It’s nice to talk to other ponies when Equestria isn’t in danger. I mean, I met a lot of creatures at the gala, but I haven’t seen you guys there.”
“Did you see my cousin?” Silverstream asked.
“You mean Skystar? Oh yeah, I saw her, and Gilda, and Queen Novo, and Rutherford, and Pinkie Pie, and...”
“It’s another Silver,” Yona whispered to her friends.
“Seems like it,” Smolder commented. Gallus walked up to Sandbar and told Autumn to stop them from shaking each other’s hoof. Sandbar felt like if the griffon didn’t step in his hoof would’ve fallen or even fly off.
Just then, the office doors opened up to reveal Starlight and two minotaurs. One was big, blue, and someone the students had seen before. The other minotaur was shorter and lankier. Silverstream and Yona both knew who this one was. That was Terry. They first met him during their friendship mission.
"Terry!" they both cheered.
"Silver? Yona?" the young minotaur gasped.
“You know this guy?” Gallus questioned.
“Well, he and Iron Will were the ones that map told us to help,” Silverstream explained. She flew up to the younger minotaur and shook his hand.
“Man, that one looks so strong,” Autumn Blaze commented looking at Iron Will. The minotaur just smiled and flexed his muscles.
“Trust me, Blaze,” Applejack muttered. “Once you get to know him, you’ll want to forget about him.”
“Autumn Blaze,” Starlight said. “It’s your and Timber Sparks’s turn.” The two kirins followed the unicorn into the office as Terry introduced himself to Yona and Silverstream’s friends.
“It’s really nice to be here,” Terry said. “Is there anything I should be careful about?”
“Don’t make yaks mad,” Yona spoke.
“Yeah,” Gallus confirmed, “They make mini-earth quakes by stomping.”
“Anyways, it’s great you’re meeting our friends!” Silverstream said. “You’ve already met Yona and me. This is Ocellus, Gallus, Sandbar, Smolder, and our newest friend, Ravi.” The minotaur and buffalo looked at each other before shaking each other’s hoof.
“Hi. Where are you from, man?” Terry asked.
“Appaloosa,” Ravi explained. “You?”
“Mount Minotaur. Not the best name for a village that’s pretty far from the mountains, but we’re a function over from society.”
“Sounds like a good kind of idea,” Ocellus commented. “How about we show you around?” Terry liked the idea and walked off with them, while Iron Will decided to stick around the office.
The students showed Terry and Ravi to some of the empty dorms, the cafeteria, library, washrooms, gym, and many other parts of the school. They would’ve kept going until they heard their headmare over the P.A. system. “Good morning students. I would like all students to please go to the main hall for a special announcement. I repeat: I would like all students please go to the main hall for a special announcement. Thank you and have a good day.”
“Welp, looks like the tour’s over,” Ravi commented.
“Don’t worry, we’ll meet up again later,” Sandbar said. The students all walked off towards the main hall. While they got there, the student six saw that their new friends had separated them. Starlight walked in front of the large crowd of students with a microphone.
“Welcome back, everyone,” she spoke. “So, I hope you all enjoyed your fine holiday break. I’m sure you’ve already met the students that will now be enrolled at our school.” Five different creatures all walked beside Starlight, each one having a guardian by them. “I would like all of you to meet Rusty Wrench, Ravi, Terry, Timber Spark, and Diamond Shine. I hope you all make them feel like at home.”
Many of the students began talking with each other about their new classmates. However, Gallus and Yona were both feeling worried about the crystal pony. “Is that the pony you were talking about?” Ocellus asked.
“Yep. That spoiled pony,” Yona responded.
“Hopefully we don’t have the same classes as her,” Gallus muttered.
“I’m pretty sure once you get to know her she’ll be nice,” Sandbar spoke.
"Uh-huh. Sure."
After their introductions, Gale and Trud showed Rusty to his dorm. "Does Rusty need help into bed?" the yak asked.
"Nah, I'm good," Rusty responded. The unicorn used his magic to unhitch his cart from his legs and lay down in the bed.
"You need help unpacking?" Gale questioned.
"I'll be fine guys."
"If Rusty says so," Trud said.
"Let us know if you need anything," Gale said. The yak and griffon left the colt by himself as he got comfy.
Ravi and Terry had both moved into the same dorm and were starting to get to know more about each other. "Wait. They seriously picked on you because Iron Will was dating your mom?" Ravi questioned.
"Yeah," Terry responded. "We're doing better now. Why were you chosen?"
"I guess I was just randomly picked. Probably not as special as you."
"Well, ponies didn't even know about our village until Yona and Silver visited."
"You and I are kinda like opposites. Your village was so far from ponies but mine's so close to Appleoosa we even run right through it."
"Sounds pretty interesting." While the minotaur and buffalo were getting along, the same couldn't be said about the crystal pony and kirin.
Diamond Shine sat on the bottom bunk as Timber Spark sat on the top one. "Okay, are you mute or do you just choose not to talk?" the crystal pony asked. Timber didn't say anything and laid her head on her pillow. "Fine. There goes your chance of an easy time."
Diamond Shine got up and started unpacking her items. This included a nightgown, sleeping mask, slippers, shoes, towels, and various other things, including dresses. Timber Spark looked perplexed as to why one pony would need so many different clothes. Though since she said nothing, the spoiled crystal pony didn’t take any notice.
Meanwhile, the student six were talking with Headmare Starlight at her office. “So, since you six are good role models for different creatures being able to make friends, I want you to make sure to keep an eye on them,” the mare said.
“You sure about that, Headmare Starlight?” Gallus asked, feeling a little worried.
“Gallus, I know you don’t like how Diamond’s been acting lately, but we need to give her a chance.”
“I think I’ll try and help with her,” Sandbar spoke.
“Thank you, Sandbar,” Starlight said. “Silverstream, you’ll be partnered with Terry, since you two know each other pretty well.”
“Can Yona be with Ravi?” Yona asked.
“Sure. Smolder, you and Gallus be with Timber Sparks, and Ocellus, you’ll be with Rusty.”
“Why are we both with her?” Gallus questioned.
“She hasn’t spoken a word since she got here. I’m hoping the two of you would get her to open up.”
“Doesn’t sound too difficult,” Smolder commented.
“It’ll be great to talk with Terry again,” Silverstream commented.
“Maybe Yona check-in with minotaur and Silver later?” the yak suggested.
“Sure thing.”
“Let’s not get over our heads,” Sandbar said. “These creatures are probably not like us.”
“Sandbar, these creatures aren’t being bored to death by forced rules that were like fitting a square peg in a round hole,” Gallus spoke. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine. You should be the one worried about that pony.” Sandbar just rolled his eyes. So, the students split up to the newcomers they were assigned to.
Ocellus walked up to Rusty’s dorm and knocked on the door. The unicorn placed his cart back on and answered it. “Oh, hello,” Rusty spoke. “Are you Moss’s cousin?”
“...Kind of,” Ocellus responded. “I’ll explain later. Anyways, Headmare Starlight said my friends and I were to help you get settled at the school. In case you felt confused or homesick.”
“Okay then.”
“My name is Ocellus. I’m a junior year student. Want to head to the library?”
“Sure thing.” The colt and changeling walked away from the dorm and down the hall. “So, is there anything I should know about this school?”
“Well, with so many different creatures things are going to be a bit surprising. Though you will be able to learn more about other creatures. Such as dragons.”
“Like that one?” Rusty pointed to an orange dragoness with short pointed horns, who was walking beside a hippogriff. These were Pyther and Coral, respectively.
“Yep. That one.”
“So, I heard that there’s a ballet class in town,” Coral spoke to her friend.
“Ballet?” Pyther questioned.
“Yeah, it's the kind of dance that ponies do. Since I’m part pony, I…” She paused her sentence when she saw Rusty Wrench with Ocellus. “Hey Pyther, isn’t that one of the new students?”
“He sure is,” Pyther replied, then saw Rusty and Ocellus walking towards them.
“Hey, girls,” the changeling said, “I want you to meet Rusty.”
“Rusty Wrench, to be precise. Nice to meet you.” The unicorn shook the dragoness and hippogriff’s claws.
“You’re the one who helped Trud with his wheels right?” Coral asked.
“Yep, that’s me,” Rusty responded. "By the way, I’m gonna ask you, how long have you two been here?"
"About half-semester," Coral explained. "Why haven't we seen you around here until now?"
"I joined because Trud, Gale, and Moss told me about this."
"Oh, those guys?" Pyther questioned. Rusty nodded yes. "Right… Just be careful. Gale's only a little lazy, but since Trud's back on his feet, he's going to be causing all kinds of havoc."
"Is he that bad?"
"Well, maybe a little exaggerated," Ocellus commented. "Still, I'm sure that you'll get along great with them."
"I have met up with Trud when he had broken legs. I’m sure we’ll be fine. I’m actually curious to meet the other new students like you.”
“My friends are taking care of them. See you later girls.”
“Bye.” Pyther and Coral waved.
Pyther and Coral then carried on their ways down the hall as the colt and changeling made their way to the library. To their surprise, Silverstream, Yona, Ravi, and Terry had beaten them there.
“I really want to know more about pony history,” Terry admitted.
“Yeah, I only knew about things from the ponies in Appaloosa,” Ravi added.
“I think Ocellus said there was a book about The Book of Pillars,” Silverstream said. She looked across the bookshelf while muttering to herself while reading various titles. “Where is it?”
“We have a lot of books that start with ‘The’. Headmare Starlight put all the books that start with ‘The’ in the letter second for the word that starts with said letter,” Ocellus spoke. This grabbed the attention of the four creatures. “Also, you’re looking in the Fiction section.”
Yona took a look for herself. “That explains why there Power Pony bio,” she commented.
“Yeah, what is that?” Ravi questioned.
“Action comic series,” Ocellus explained. She then led the newcomers over to where the Book of the Pillars was located. Ocellus levitated the book down and handed it to Terry, who proceeded to open it up and read.
“Huh,” the minotaur commented. “They planted seeds that sprouted into the Tree of Harmony. Neat.”
“Can I see?” Ravi asked. The minotaur showed the bison a picture in the book of what the tree looked like. Rusty walked over to get a look and was impressed.
“I honestly thought this tree was a myth,” the colt admitted. While they began looking for a seat to read the book, the hippogriff, changeling, and yak talked with each other silently since they’re in the library.
“Did you actually plan on meeting up here?” Silverstream asked.
“You kind of beat me to it,” Ocellus responded. “Whatever was planned, it seems to be working.”
“But where new girls?” Yona questioned.
“They’re with Gallus, Smolder, and Sandbar. But I don’t know where they are now.”
Sandbar, Gallus, and Smolder were taking a little longer. Mostly because the griffon was a little hesitant of the crystal pony. Needless to say, Smolder and Gallus were getting annoyed. “Gallus, I know she doesn’t sound so good,” Sandbar said to his blue-feathered friend, “But you only knew her for like what? An hour?”
“Yeah, I remember how we almost broke into a fight because we were being bored to death,” Smolder reminded.
“Well, one may be a spoiled brat, the other doesn’t even talk,” Gallus noted.
“That’s why Headmare Starlight assigned you two to her,” Sandbar said. “I think both of you are the perfect creatures to help someone open up.”
They then faced each other for a second and then back to Sandbar. “True,” both griffon and dragoness said.
The three soon got to her dorm and Sandbar knocked on the door four times. A few seconds later, Diamond Shine answered it and only seemed to be happy to see Sandbar. “What do you want?” the crystal pony asked.
“Hi, I’m Sandbar,” the earth pony spoke, “And this is Gallus and Smolder. Headmare Starlight said we were to help you guys feel at home.”
“He’s with you,” Gallus stated. “We’re here for Timber.” The kirin soon walked up to them beside the crystal pony, still the same blank expression she had when she arrived.
“Okay,” Smolder said, “Let’s see how hard this will be.” The creatures soon got into their groups, Sandbar and Diamond shine, and Smolder, Gallus, and Timber Sparks.
Diamond Shine walked down the hall with Sandbar showing her various locations in the school like classrooms. The crystal pony was warming up to the colt as he was one of the only ponies at the school. “So, how long have you been here?” Diamond Shine asked.
“About two years,” Sandbar responded. “Once you start getting to know the other creatures, you’ll find they aren’t so bad.”
“Well, I’m sure you don’t blame me for worrying about dragons coming to my home and eating everything made of crystal, which is most of the empire.”
“Yeah, I know we have our old ways, but we’re learning new things. Plus, there might be a chance that they have something secret that’s the opposite of their culture. Like how my dragon friend, Smolder, secretly loves dressing up and having tea parties.”
“You’re making that up, right?”
“No, it’s true. We could hardly believe it. Even the other dragons were shocked by that. You could ask her yourself.”
“I did pack a lot of clothes.”
“Yeah, I think I saw that. I really hope that you’ll get along well.”
“I wouldn’t hold your breath. Can you show me to the washroom?”
“Sure.” Sandbar did his best to keep up a smile, but even Diamond Shine was starting to test his patience.
He was still doing better than Gallus and Smolder though. “So, what do kirins do that ponies or other creatures like us can’t?” Smolder asked. Her attempt to break the ice didn’t seem to work. She didn’t say a single word.
“You know, you’re going to say something some other time,” Gallus said. “Probably when you get called by a teacher, presenting an assignment,” Gallus soon gained a cheeky grin, “or someone’s pushing your buttons.” He tapped on the kirin’s horn to get her to talk. Aside from her eyebrows lowering, Timber remained silent.
“Are you hiding something or what?” Smolder questioned. The kirin almost looked like she was worried. “It’s okay if you are..., I mean I was afraid of showing my love of dresses and tea parties.” Timber couldn’t believe what she just heard.
“It’s true,” Gallus confirmed. “I saw it when she and Ocellus started dating.” Timber looked lost beyond words. “Welcome to the School of Friendship. Almost every day is a wild ride.” Timber Spark shook her head and walked on down the hall.
“Seriously? She doesn’t question or answer a thing.”
“She’s probably already getting used to her new home.”
“But we need her to talk.”
“Yeah, that’s the hard part. The only plan I’ve got is to give her pain so she’ll scream.” Smolder looked towards the griffon confused and a little horrified. “You know I’ve seen things that aren’t for the faint of heart.”
“Right.” They ran off in order to catch up with Timber Sparks.
Back in the library, Ravi, Terry, and Rusty had found a couple of other books to take a look at. Rusty had found one about steam locomotives with Ravi wanting to know more about the engines. Silverstream, Yona, and Ocellus were talking quietly at a nearby table.
“It’s going good so far,” Ocellus commented.
“I think they’ll need to find more things to do than just books,” Silverstream commented. “What else could they do?”
“What do buffalo do?” Yona questioned. Silverstream just shrugged.
“Maybe we should let them figure that out,” Ocellus commented. “We couldn’t get along when we were forced to follow rules that didn’t work.” The three friends sat back and looked over at the new students.
“I’ve been looking for a book like this,” Rusty commented. “Anyways, guys, what are your homes like?”
“My homes kind of Ponyville,” Terry responded. “Though it isn’t as nice to look at, we make up for it with stability.”
“My tribe lives out in the desert,” Ravi spoke. “We use that wide-open space to go on a traditional run. Though we had a bit of an argument with the ponies of Appaloosa.”
“But it worked out, right?” Rusty asked.
“Of course.” Ravi then looked around the room as he tried to think of something else to say. “So... Ugh... What’s with the wheels? I mean...”
“I thought it was only an amount of time before this was brought up. I wasn’t born with working legs.”
“This is getting awkward,” Silverstream spoke.
“Yona be right back,” Yona spoke. The yak quickly ran off leaving the hippogriff and changeling to check on how the new students’ relationship was doing.
Yona ran down the hall and looked around until she managed to bump into Applejack. “Yona, what did we say about running in the halls?” the farm pony questioned.
“Yona need help with Ravi.”
“The buffalo student? What’s wrong?”
“Yona need to know more about what buffaloes do.”
“Hmm, well, I’m not entirely sure, but I have a few bits of information about them. I’m sure they’re very prideful and take almost everything seriously.”
“Really?” Yona was feeling nervous about what to do. Still, she listened to everything that Applejack had to explain what the buffalo tribe was like. Once she was given the information, Yona went back to the library and told Ocellus and Silverstream about it.
“Okay, so they're a fan of exercise,” Ocellus commented.
“I don’t know if they’ll be fans of jokes,” Silverstream added.
“Well, not all creatures are the same. Maybe the same applies to Ravi. Until things start looking ugly, we should keep back.”
“I’m going to make a few ideas. Be right back.” The hippogriff flew away, leaving her friends to keep watch.
Terry closed his history book. “Okay, I’m going to hold onto this book,” he noted.
“You want to see what else there is at this school?” Rusty asked.
“We could check out the gym,” Silverstream spoke.
“You have a gym?”
“I’m up for that,” Ravi spoke. “Do you have a track? I want to get a good long run.”
“Well... The track is outside in the snow,” Ocellus noted. “It’ll be a cold run.”
“Uh-huh. How long until the snow melts?”
“A few more months.” Ravi sighed with disappointment.
“Yona doesn’t mind the snow,” Yona spoke.
“That’s because you have thick wool,” Terry noted.
“Yeah, that’s true,” Ocellus noted. “Maybe we should just go to the lounge. There are a couple of board games in there.”
“Oh, that’ll be nice.” The six creatures walked off toward the lounge where they were surprised at what they found.
Sandbar was sitting next to Diamond Shine on the lounge’s sofa. The crystal pony was in a sulk while the colt was trying to find something to lighten her spirits. “What would make you happy?” Sandbar questioned.
“Maybe something shiny,” Diamond Shine sighed. “Or fancy. Like something in the Crystal Empire.” Sandbar raised an eyebrow but then noticed his friend approaching.
“Hi girls,” he said, while Diamond Shine looked back to see them walked towards them. “How’s it going.”
“So far so smooth,” Ocellus responded. “How’s Diamond going?” The crystal pony heard her name being said and turned towards the various different creatures. She still wasn’t very impressed by them. Despite her reaction, Rusty decided to introduce himself to her.
“I don’t think we actually had a minute to talk,” the unicorn said. He held his hoof out to the mare. “I’m Rusty Wrench. You must be Diamond Shine, right?”
“Yeah, kind of hard to miss,” the mare responded.
“We’re supposed to befriend her?” Terry whispered to Yona. The yak sighed and just nodded.
“Look, I’m sure that we’ll get along great once we start breaking the ice we’ll get along great.”
“If you say so,” Diamond sighed. She shook her head and stood up from the couch. “Please tell me you have something interesting to do.”
“We were going to try board games.”
She sighed. “...Fine. I guess I could try that.”
“I know a good one we can try,” Sandbar spoke. He went to get the game while everyone else sat down at one of the tables. The earth pony returned with a board game titled “Kingdoms.”
“And how do you play this?” Terry asked.
“It’s just simple. Players are chosen to take control of a kingdom. The object of the game is to be the first one to have ten victory points. There are many ways of doing this. Largest army, biggest farm, longest road, and many other things.”
“Sounds kind of complicated,” Ravi commented.
“It’s not the most complicated game we’ve played,” Silverstream stated. The junior year students helped set up the game and started explaining the rules to the freshmen. Due to the game only allowing six players, the students decided to be in five pairs of two, which were the groups that Starlight had assigned earlier.
“Okay, let’s begin,” Sandbar spoke. The groups each drew some cards and started playing the game. Forming armies, building roads, and growing crops. As they played, they began to talk between each other.
“So, what caused you to sign up for this school?” Sandbar asked.
“I joined because of Trud,” Rusty explained.
“I came here because of Silver and Yona,” Terry added, “Plus, many of the minotaurs wanted their ambassador, Iron Will, to be enrolled here to show their kind as...”
“Not one dimensional muscle machines?” Ocellus questioned.
“Exactly.”
“Yeah, Gallus didn’t like how griffons were just treated as bit pinching bullies,” Silverstream stated.
“Where is Gallus?” Yona questioned.
“Honestly, I haven’t seen him or Smolder I met up with Diamond,” Sandbar admitted.
Timber Sparks was sitting on the ledge of a fountain where the bridges met with Smolder and Gallus hovering nearby. “We’re not causing her pain, we’re just trying to making her talk,” Smolder stated.
“Hey, it’s not going to be torture,” Gallus stated, “I’m talking about something like stubbing her hoof.”
“Hooves are as soft as your paws.”
“Well, I don’t see you trying anything.”
“I’ve dealt with dragons who threaten others if they touch their stuff. None of those dragons refused to talk. Maybe she doesn’t like being around.”
“Yeah, that...” Gallus paused as the gears in his brain began to wire. “That’s it!”
“What is it?”
“I think I know somecreature that can help. Be right back.” The griffon flew away, leaving his friend with the practically mute kirin. After some awkward silence, Gallus returned with a dark blue hippogriff, Deep Sea.
“Deep Sea?” Smolder asked.
“Yep.”
“Okay, so what do you need me to do?” the hippogriff questioned.
“Look over there,” Deep Sea then saw where Timber was. “Timber there seems to not like talking or even being around others. So, since you hated being surrounded by others, I figured that to help an introvert I send in another introvert.” The two landed beside the kirin, who looked interested in Deep Sea’s appearance.
“Right, I’ll do what I can, but don’t blame me for this going wrong.”
“Deal.”
Sea looked at Timber and held his talon out. “Hi, I’m Deep Sea. You’re Timber Sparks?” The kirin simply nodded, not saying a word. “Right. I’m guessing you’re not a fan of large crowds.” Again, Timber just nodded. “Yeah, me neither. You know, I don’t think you have to stay on school grounds until tomorrow. Wanna head into town?”
Timber smiled and nodded again.
“Great. Let’s go then.”
She stood up and followed the hippogriff to the school’s exit. Gallus and Smolder looked at each other with the griffon giving the dragoness and knowing look. “Yeah, you were right,” Smolder said. “Is your ego good now?”
“Yep,” Gallus responded. “Still, we should follow them.” Both agreed to this and went to get their winter clothing.
Sea and Timber walked through town with the hippogriff wearing a scarf, mittens, and some boots while Timber didn’t have anything to help keep her warm. “Sorry, we didn’t have anything for you,” Deep Sea apologized. “You want my scarf?” Timber shivered and nodded as the hippogriff wrapped his scarf around her neck. This helped out a bit but still, the kirin was cold. Smolder and Gallus quickly flew alongside them. “The cafe should be nearby. We could get some cocoa there.” This helped bring a smile back to Timber’s face. After walking through the cold, they made it to the cafe. They walked inside where they found several different ponies. One which was with a changeling. “Shimmy! Pate!” he called.
The said pony and changeling looked towards their friends and invited them over to their table. “Hello there. How are you guys doing?” Shimmy Shake asked.
“Just fine,” Gallus responded. “We’re finally getting somewhere with this kirin. Can you say hi Timber?” The kirin just waved her hoof at the pony and changeling couple. “Yeah, a part of me thinks she’s mute.”
“She seems pretty friendly,” Pate commented.
“Yeah. I agree,” Shimmy Shake added.
“Now if we can only train her to talk.” Smolder couldn’t help but snicker at this, though Timber didn’t seem to find it funny.
“They thought it would be a good idea for someone who didn’t like being around large crowds,” Deep Sea spoke, “Such as me. I think it might work.” Timber just nodded.
“Alright then,” Shimmy said. “Want us to order you cocoa?” Timber just shook her head left and right and pointed to one of the teas that were on the menu. “Okay, tea it is.” One of the waiters took the orders from the students, getting tea for Timber Sparks and cocoa for everyone else.
“I guess we’re making some progress,” Smolder whispered to Gallus.
“Hopefully more than the others at the school,” Gallus muttered.
The freshmen and junior year students were still playing Kingdoms. Some of them are doing better than others. “Where’s a guard when you need it?” Terry muttered.
“Look, we’re pretty close to getting the longest road,” Silverstream whispered. However, their hopes for winning were smashed when Ravi drew another card.
“Here it is!” he cheered. He placed down a card finishing making one of the biggest farms.
“We win!” Yona cheered.
“Seriously?” Diamond Shine groaned.
“Hey, it’s just a game,” Sandbar stated. “We could try again.”
“...I’m good. Thanks.” Diamond Shine started walking off wanting to be by herself.
“You think we should talk to her?” Rusty asked.
“I think she needs some time to cool down,” Ocellus commented.
The crystal pony sulked down the hall until she heard some giggling. It was coming from one of the dorms. Peeking inside, she could see a blue mare, an orange changeling, a green dragon, and a gray yak. Each one of them were talking about what they had done over the holiday break.
“So, I think that Emma should’ve won,” Peridot admitted. “Though, our votes were outnumbered.”
“Plus I think those dragons would’ve been scary,” Lighthoof commented.
“They are.”
“We enjoyed singing carols and passing presents,” Tarsi spoke.
“Yaks enjoyed smashing,” Dotta added. “Trud was... Who that pony?” The girls were confused until the yak pointed to the crystal pony who was visible in the crack of the door.
“Hey there,” Tarsi said. She walked up to the door and swung it open to reveal a startiled Diamond Shine. “What’s up?”
“I... Was... Ugh... Looking for the restroom,” the crystal pony fibbed.
“Restroom don’t have doors,” Peridot said. “At least not until you walk into it.”
“You’re Diamond Shine, are you?” Lighthoof questioned. “We haven’t seen you since Headmare Starlight introduced you to the rest of the school. How are you doing so far?”
“It’s not really I was expecting.”
“This isn’t because of being around different creatures, is it?” Tarsi asked.
“Well, only before I started coming here. The creatures I was hanging with I only knew about because I was stuck playing a board game that put emphasis on boredom.”
“Right,” Lighthoof said. “Well, we hope you enjoy your stay here. I’m Lighthoof, this is Peridot, Dotta, and Tarsi.”
“We’re a part of the cheer squad,” Tarsi declared.
“Cheerleading?” Diamond Shine questioned. “Is there a sport open?”
“I don’t think so,” Peridot admitted. “An odd number of cheerleaders might affect our pyramid. Sorry”
“Oh, that’s just great. The first thing I find interesting and I can’t join. Yet another reason why I shouldn’t be here.” She began walking away.
“Wait, hold on,” Lighthoof said, “There are other things you could try.”
“Like what?”
“Friends here that Pyther and Coral going try ballet,” Dotta spoke.
“And where are they?”
“Downtown,” Lighthoof answered.
“Great. If I wanted to be in the freezing winter I would’ve stayed in the Crystal Empire.” The crystal pony muttered to herself as she walked back to her room to get some winter clothing. Just as she left, the four members of the young six and the three freshmen walked up to the cheersquad.
“Hey, Lighthoof,” Silverstream said. “Have you seen that new pony?”
“I think she’s heading into town after getting her winter wear,” the cheerleader answered.
“She had tons of clothes in her room,” Sandbar commented. “I think we can catch up with her. Thanks.” The group quickly ran off towards the crystal pony’s dorm. Inside, Diamond Shine was placing on her boats, coat, scarf, and hat until she saw the others walk in.
“Can’t I have some privacy?” the crystal questioned.
“We don’t normally wear clothes,” Rusty commented.
“That’s beside the point. I want to be alone!” She pushed the students to the side and walked towards the school’s exit.
“Did you guys bring any winter clothes?” Ocellus asked.
“I do,” Terry responded.
“So do I,” Rusty also responded.
“Good, because we’re heading into town.”
“And that's my reaction to our first kiss,” Pate chuckled. Gallus and Smolder snickered at this while Deep Sea had a hard time holding his laughter. Timber was having a similar struggle, which the junior year students found interesting, but the kirin managed to stop.
“Yeah, it was so nice,” Shimmy cooed.
“If you don’t remember the griffons not wanting to go home,” Deep Sea spoke.
“Yeah, not our best moment,” Gallus admitted.
“Please, that’s nothing compare to that energy drink incident,” Smolder noted.
“Don’t remind me,” Pate requested. He shivered at the thought.
Timber looked towards Deep Sea with curiosity. “Don’t ask,” the hippogriff spoke.
“No, she can ask,” Smolder cried. Shimmy and Deep Sea both looked at the dragoness as if she had a second head. “Look, she hasn’t said a single word since she got here. We’re desprate.”
“I honestly just left all the work to you guys,” Gallus admitted. “She seems to be getting on your good side.”
“That’s true,” Deep Sea admitted. A waitress walked over to them to take their empty drink away. Timber Spark took one last sip of her tea before giving the cup back to the waitress.
“So... You’re a more a fan of tea?” Pate asked. The kirin just nodded. Before they could carry on with their conversation, she noticed a certain pony stomping past the cafe. She pointed to her to show it to the others.
“Isn’t that the other new girl?” Shimmy asked.
“I think so,” Deep Sea commented. They then saw the rest of students following her shortly behind.
“...We better go,” Smolder guessed. She and Gallus ran back outside to catch up with their friends.
“Okay, that happened,” Pate said. “What your...” Before he could anything else, Timber Sparks ran after the griffon and dragoness. “Okay, see you later!”
“Good thing I brought extra bits,” Shimmy muttered.
Gallus and Smolder didn’t take long to catch up with their friends. “Hey guys,” Gallus said.
“I thought you were with Timber Sparks,” Silverstream spoke.
“Well, she...” Smolder paused as she could see the said kirin catching up with them. “Was at the cafe.” She ran up along side the rest of the group. “Anyways, what are you doing?”
“Figuring out where Diamond Shine is going,” Sandbar responded. The crystal pony saw the group following her.
“What part of leave me alone don’t you understand?” she questioned.
“Just tell friends where you going,” Yona spoke.
“You know she’s kind of right,” Terry commented. “I mean, if you look at us from a distance, we kind of look like we’re about to attack her.” He and the other freshmen started slowing down to a stop while the young six and Timber Sparks kept walking behind Diamond Shine. Eventully, the crystal pony had enough.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” she shrieked. This stopped the creatures in their tracks. “How am I the only one understanding that I don’t want to be here?”
“It’s because you’re not wanting to be around other creatures?” Smolder questioned.
“It’s not that. I’ve been taken away from one of the best places I know and have been taken here to a school where I don’t know anypony!”
The students looked between each other before Sandbar spoke up. “So, you’re basically feeling homesick?” he asked.
The crystal pony’s face went from anger to sadness. “It’s true,” she sighed. “I thought I would hate leaving home because I would be surround by creatures like yaks that I only knew about their smashiness and rage. I want to go home, but my mom says I need to learn more about other creatures, but I miss the Crystal Empire.” She lowered her head and started walking away until Ravi ran up to her.
“I have a similar feeling,” the buffalo admitted.
“What did I...”
“Hear me out. Buffalos and ponies had a bit of a rocky relationship, so that made me feel worried that me trying to befriend them would go horribly wrong.”
“How bad could it be?”
“My tribe and the ponies in Apploosa nearly went to war over a traditional run.”
“Oh. That bad?”
“At least there wasn’t a fire,” Timber Sparks said. The students all looked towards her.
“She does talk!” Smolder gasped.
“Why were you quite so long?” Gallus questioned.
“I thought we would start an argument with some creature, like Diamond Shine. No offence.” The crystal pony just shrugged. “The other kirins at home had an argument that got so bad our leader made us take a dip in the Stream of Sielence, preventing any of us from speaking.”
“That bad?” Silverstream questioned. Timber just nodded.
“Man, I thought I had it bad,” Rusty said.
“What would your problem be?” Diamond Shine questioned.
“I... Don’t talk to many different creatures until now. Plus the three creatures that I first met I haven’t found since we split up.”
“Try being the runt of your home,” Terry muttered. The focus was on him now. “Yeah, since Iron Will is my step-dad, most of the other minotaurs my age are jealous and let their aggression out on me.”
“Couldn’t your dad just beat them up?” Diamond Shine questioned.
“That would probably destroy his reputation,” Ocellus commented.
“Most likely,” Terry agreed.
“Listen, guys,” Sandbar spoke, “You all have flaws, and so do we. We’re glad that you’re admitting your flaws and we can help each other through our problems.”
The five new students all looked at each other, each agreeing with what Sandbar just said. “It’s a rough start,” Rusty commented, “But I’m pretty sure if they can make it through, so can we.”
“That’s true,” Smolder commented, “Knock over a building and then get back to us.”
This only seemed to confused the newcomers. “Don’t ask,” Ocellus said, embarrassed.
“We’ll take your word for it,” Terry responded.
“Anyways,” Timber Sparks said, “Diamond, what were you doing out here?”
“I’m looking for two creatures named Pyther and Coral,” the crystal pony responded.
“You mean those two?” Rusty questioned. He pointed to a hippogriff and a dragoness, both of which seemed to be carrying papers.
“How am I going to get my parents to sign these?” Pyther questioned.
“Do they have some against dancing?” Coral questioned.
“No, it’s a size problem. Do you know how big adult dragons get?”
“Excuse me,” spoke Diamond Shine. She walked over to them with a smile on her face. “Would you like some advice from an professional?”
“Ugh, who are you?” Coral questioned.
“Diamond Shine. I come from the Crystal Empire and I have been practicing ballet for three years.”
“Doesn’t really like a pro,” Pyther noted with a smirk.
“...True, but I couldn’t think of any other word to describe myself.”
“Well, we would like to get some advice from someone who’s experanced,” Coral admitted. As the girls talked, Sandbar walked up beside Timber Sparks.
“Do you want us to do anything?” the colt asked.
“Nah, you can just head back to the school,” the kirin responded. “We’ll be fine here.”
“If you say so.” Sandbar, and the rest of the young six walked away to leave their new friends by themselves.
Later that evening, dinner was being surved in the cafeteria. The young six were eating when Yona had to point something else. “Where new students?” she asked.
“I thought they would be back by now,” Ocellus admitted. The answer came from the five students walking into the room.
“There you are,” Silverstream said. “What took you so long.”
“I showed them the arcade,” Rusty answered.
“I’d like to go back there tomorrow,” Ravi spoke.
“You’re probably going to have to wait until classes are over,” Terry commented.
“That would be fine with me,” Diamond Shine spoke. “I honestly don’t see the interest in games like that. I’ll be fine with board games.”
“Yeah, I prefer piece and quiet,” Timber Sparks admitted. They started getting their trays off food and looked around for a table.
“Rusty!” called a voice. The unicorn looked around the room until he saw a formerly injured yak, Trud. Who was sitting with Moss and Gale. Rusty brought his new friends over to the table so they could sit down.
“Where were you man?” Gale questioned.
“Headmare Starlight had us grouped up with Junior year students to help us make feel at home,” Rusty explained. He proceeded to introduce the newcomers to his older friends.
“Welcome to school,” Moss said. “Be careful not to get on the bad of anyone. Especially a changeling.”
“Why’s that?” Ravi asked. Moss demonstrated what he walked about before shifting into various different species before stopping back at his base form. “Noted.”
“Huh, they live up to their name,” Terry commented. “Anyways, what’s your home like?”
“It’s a hive,” Moss explained.
“Still better than my home,” Gale admitted. The eight creatures soon started carrying on with their conversation with the young six listening nearby.
“I’d say this is a success,” Gallus spoke.
“Yeah,” Ocellus said. “Let’s just hope the future will be alright.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Sandbar said. “They’re friends now.”
“Yep,” Gallus agreed, “We’ve got nothing to worry about.” With that, they carried on with their meal, hoping for the best in the future.
Author's Note
Sorry for the long wait everyone. Writer's block.
