- Gallus, the snarky, quickwitted griffon who always seemed inattentive in class, but did listen… even if he’d never admit it.
- Smolder, the tough young dragon who always spoke her mind and definitely didn’t like cute stuff. Nope. Absolutely not.
- Ocellus, the meek, timid yet kind changeling with a bright mind for academics.
- Silverstream, the cheerful, excitable hippogriff with a fondness for stairs.
- Sandbar, the chill, easygoing Earth pony, and the only equine of the group.
- Yona, the loud and proud yak who was always ready to smash something… when it’s necessary, of course.
The School of Friendship had opened up its doors to every creature throughout Equestria; from land, sea, sky or anywhere in between, they were more than welcome to attend… a prospect which had brought its fair share of criticism, namely from the stern judgments of the EEA’s policies, which were subsequently overruled by the headmare/founder of the school – and, oh yeah, the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, then fully dropped after the thwarted coup by Cozy Glow and her manipulative conquest for power.
Once the dust had settled, the school had grown into a well-established institution for not just Ponyville, but for all of Equestria, and its lessons had gone from haphazardly disorganized to a steady, focused curriculum that enlightened the masses on friendship from the ponies who knew it best: that being the Elements of Harmony themselves.
One particularly diverse group of young students had become quite the star pupils in the aftermath of the Cozy Glow incident, who had affectionately been referred to as the ‘Student Six’:
Despite their cultural differences, these six students had all grown to become close friends, and were locked in for the ride ahead of them – a ride which one new student was just about to go on for themselves at the start of this latest semester.
After class, the new student decided to stop by the library to pick up some reading materials for their next test. Sure, they didn’t really need to know about friendship (it should be basic knowledge, right?), but every day was a learning day.
Upon arriving, they found a smattering of other students browsing around; Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns… and one lone, blue-feathered griffon sat at a table, looking palpably exasperated as he skimmed through a book, a grimace sprawled across his beak, head in one hand while the other tapped the tips of its talons on the wooden surface.
Curiosity won out, mixed with a smidgen of concern for his clear restlessness, so they went over to his table. He hadn’t noticed them, clearly engrossed in what he was reading. They scooched a chair with an ‘rrk’, which made Gallus let out a quiet squawk and straighten up, startled, his blue eyes darting in every direction before his gaze finally landed on them.
And sure enough, that grimace appeared again.
“Seriously?” he grumbled, keeping his voice low – for as brash as griffons were, even he knew to be mindful in a library.
Still, he rolled his eyes with a huff. “Fine, you caught me, I’m actually studying. Or at least I was trying to before you showed up. What do you want, anyway? If you’re looking for help with your homework, good luck – I’ve been stuck here trying to figure this out.”
He gestured to the book with a flippant hand. “It’s just… I don’t even know what I’m looking at here. Ocellus is the brainy one, but she’s with Smolder, so I’m kinda on my own right now.”
It was what they said next that caught his attention fully, ears perking up a touch.
“Wh– you mean… you were looking for this book too?” he asked, somewhat amazed. “Huh. Weird.”
After a brief, quiet pause between them, Gallus awkwardly rubbed the back of his head… and strangely, his tannish chest feathers puffed up a little.
“You, uh… you wanna read together? Since, y’know, we probably have the same homework to do?” he asked… then shrugged, quietly clearing his throat. “T-That, and, well… you seem like you know this stuff better than me, freshie. Not because I’m trying to learn or anything.”