Six years later...
"Stormfire!" called out a voice. "Breakfast is ready!"
"But mom..." groaned Stormfire, who was still in bed. "I don't wanna go to school..."
"Nonsense, son. You'll enjoy it!" said the voice. "Now come on downstairs, alright?"
"Sure thing..." he replied, and jumped out of bed, sending the bed sheets flying across the room. He then zoomed down the stairs, into the kitchen, where his mother was frying pancakes.
"Good morning, son." said Equinox, putting a pancake onto a plate and giving it to Stormfire. "Here you go."
"Thanks mom." said Stormfire, who went to sit down at the table. A few moments later, Equinox sat down beside him, eating her own pancake.
"So, are you ready for your first day at school today?" she asked. The colt nodded in reply, his mouth being stuffed with pieces of pancake. Equinox chuckled to herself. "That's great, sweetie. Wow. Look at you. You've grown up so much... I remember the day when you were born... you were so small, and now... you're starting your first day at school. I'm so proud of you, son." she explained, almost shedding a tear. "If only your dad could see you now..."
"I have a dad?" Stormfire asked, before swallowing a large slice of his pancake. Suddenly, Equinox Moon's heart stopped. She almost spat out the food that was in her mouth, but instead, she swallowed it up quickly and sighed.
"Mom?" Stormfire asked, visibly concerned. Equinox didn't reply to his answer and instead seemed to grow more and more depressed by the moment. Stormfire put down his silverware and trotted up to his mom, nuzzling her softly. This calmed Equinox Moon down, and she began to nuzzle his mane gently.
"So where's daddy, mommy?" Stormfire asked.
"Dad--Daddy-Daddy's away on a business trip, honey..." she lied to him, knowing the damage it would cause him if she told the truth. "He'll be back in... a few months or something." Deep down in her heart, she regretted lying to Stormfire about where his father is, but she was afraid of what his reaction would be if she told him the truth.
"Oh. Okay mommy," replied Stormfire before going back to the table to finish off his pancake. Equinox sighed as a tear rolled out her eye, but she quickly wiped it away and went to wash the dishes.
A few moments later, Stormfire was done with his pancake and was taken to the school by Equinox. He was highly nervous about his first day at school, and he decided to talk to his mom about it.
"Mom?" said the small Pegasus, nuzzling against her wing.
"Yeah sweetie?" she asked.
"Will I fit in at school?" he asked her. "I mean, we're Pegasuses... aren't we?"
"We're Pegasi, sweetie," Equinox corrected him. "And you will fit in. I'm sure of it."
"But do you think I'll do good?" he asked.
"Of course I do," she replied and smiled at him. "Me and Dad sure both think so. We're both so proud of you for reaching this stage in life, son."
"Thanks, mom," Storm replied, cuddling against her. Equinox smiled at him and nuzzled him. A few moments later, they reached the school. It was a stone-clad building with a wooden roof, similar to most of the houses in Gryffsvale. Storm hid behind his mother's wing just looking at the building and the students pouring into it. Most of the students were Gryphons. In fact, he couldn't see a single student which was a pony, which absolutely horrified the young colt.
"Mom--Mommy, why am I so different from all of them?" Storm asked. "Is it because I'm a pony?"
"Son, you're not different from them..." Equinox replied. "In fact, you may be a pony, but that isn't anything bad... in fact, being different is good. There is nothing wrong with diversity. We may all look different on the outside, but on the inside, we are all the same. Remember that, son. It's not what a pony looks like that makes him a great pony. It's his heart and how he uses it."
"Thanks, mom!" he replied. Equinox smiled at her young colt, and nuzzled him.
"You'll do great, son. I love you so much," she said.
"I love you too mommy." replied the colt, who nuzzled her back. "See you later!" he said, trotting towards the school entrance and turning back to wave at her.
"Bye son!" she said, waving back to him and smiling. I wish you could see this before your very eyes, Blazefire...
After Storm entered the school, Equinox Moon flew away from the building towards the weather factory, briefly catching sight of the Griffberg Bridge spanning the Griffonian-Itailian border in mid-flight before turning away from it.
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Stormfire walked through the school corridors looking around the different classrooms to see where his own one is. As he walked down the hallway of the large, and often quite intimidating building, he noticed several Gryphons passing him and eyeing him carefully. Some of them even stopped in their tracks to look at the lone Pegasus colt walking through the building. Storm looked around him to see what they were looking at and began to feel even more nervous than before. He even wanted to turn back and fly back outside into his mother's hooves, but he knew he couldn't. But, deep down inside, he was actually looking forward to his first day at school, despite being the only pony in a school made up of Gryphons. He took a deep breath and walked towards his classroom. The school bell still hadn't ringed yet, so he still had some time left to get to class. Eventually, Stormfire reached the classroom and looked through the door. There were no ponies sitting there, only Gryphons, which saddened Stormfire. He knew from what his mom told him that being different wasn't a bad thing, but he still didn't like being different. He didn't want to be the only pony in the class.
After some reluctance, Stormfire walked into the classroom and looked around to see the Gryphons turn to look at him. Not knowing what to do, Storm chuckled to himself awkwardly and went to sit down at a vacant seat. The Gryphons continued to stare at him, confused by why he's here, but turned away when they heard the teacher came in. She was a tall, middle-aged Griffon, wearing a pair of large glasses and was carrying a notepad in her claws.
"Hello, students. My name is Mrs. Talons. Today, we're going to introduce ourselves and have a little bit of fun getting to know each other before we start our actual lessons tomorrow. But first of all, I'd like to register you all," the teacher said. Storm began to feel awkward, being the only pony in a class full of Gryphons, but then he remembered what his mom said about being different. It didn't really matter what he looked like or if he was a Pegasus. What mattered was being kind.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a small light gray Pegasus filly with a dark blue mane trotted into the classroom, her parents standing outside the door. Stormfire raised his eyebrows as he looked at the filly trying to find a seat and a large smile begun to form on the colt's face. There he was, thinking that he was going to be the only Pegasus among Gryphons for the rest of his school years, but now, he was proven wrong.
"I'm sorry ma'am. We're a bit late..." her father said looking into the classroom.
"It's alright, Mr. Skyclean. In fact, you're right on time," replied Mrs. Talon, smiling warmly.
"You be good now, sweetie." said her father. The filly nodded in reply as she looked around the classroom to find a desk. Storm looked around also and noticed a vacant desk to his left, the Griffon who previously sat there having scooted over to the next desk. His grin widened as he looked to see the filly walk up to the vacant desk. He now wasn't alone.
The timid filly sat down beside him, seeming very shy and scared. He knew the feeling. It was his first day at school, and instead of feeling excited, he was terrified. While the teacher was taking the register, he turned to face her and smiled. She awkwardly returned the smile.
"Rainwynd?" asked the teacher. The filly immediately turned away from Stormfire, and reluctantly put her hoof up. The teacher smiled at her and ticked her name on the notepad.
"Stormfire?"
"I'm here, ma'am." the colt replied and turned back to face Rainwynd. He felt sorry for her and wanted to befriend her as soon as possible, but he was also worried. Very worried indeed. What if she didn't want to be his friend?
"Hey, uh. Do you talk?" Stormfire asked, trying to start up a conversation.
"Oh. Uh---Yes, I do talk..." the awkward filly replied. "I'm--I'm Rainwynd..."
"Oh," said Stormfire. "My name is Stormfire, but you can call me Storm. Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I--it's just that... it's my first day here and I don't really feel comfortable," she replied.
"Hey, that's okay..." said Storm. "It's my first day here too, but once you get used to it, it's not going to be bad. Trust me."
"You sure?" she asked, her ears perking up a bit.
"Positive," replied Storm. "Hey, maybe we could be friends?"
"You'd want to be my friend?" Rain asked.
"Of course," replied Storm, smiling at her.
"Well, okay..." she said, and slowly but surely smiled. "Uh, do you want to play a game?"
"Sure." replied Storm. "What game?"
"Hm..." she thought to herself. "I can't really think of any game..."
"How about some hide n' seek?" suggested Storm.
"I don't know... I'm not good at hiding," replied Rain, feeling a bit unsure of herself.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. I'm horrible at hiding myself," said Storm. "So, you ready Rain?"
"Uh... I think so." she replied nervously. Storm gave her a reassuring smile.
"Alright then, you want to be the seeker?" he asked.
"Uh, no. Sorry..." she replied.
"Hey, it's alright. I can be the seeker if you want," he said, putting his hoof on her shoulder. A smile began to form on her face. Before she came to the classroom, she was scared. What if she was never going to find a friend? What if everyone was going to bully her? Rain thought that she was never going to find a true friend, a friend with whom she can talk and spend the day, who she can trust with secrets, who she can joke with, and who she would feel safe around, but then she met Stormfire.
"Alright then. You're seeking!" she said and went off to find a hiding place. Storm smiled at her and went to count to ten. After finishing the countdown, Storm went to look for Rainwynd. She was far better at hiding than she said she was and it took Stormfire a while to find her. He was about to give up when he heard some giggling coming from underneath a table.
Storm peered under it and looked around, only to see Rainwynd hiding underneath a chair and laughing.
"Found you!" he said.
"Well, yeah. You did," she replied, struggling to contain her laughter. "After looking all over the classroom for me."
"Well, as you can see, I'm not good at seeking as well," Storm confessed, chuckling slightly.
"Nonsense. You're not that bad..." Rainwynd said and got out from under the chair. "Do you want to play a different game now?"
"Sure." Storm replied. "What do you want to play?"
"I don't know. Heh," she answered awkwardly.
"Hmm..." Storm replied. "How about we uh, go play with the Gryphons?" he suggested, pointing to a pair of Gryphons playing with some building blocks.
"Are you crazy?" she asked. "What if they're going to hate us?"
"They won't. Trust me. And just because they're Gryphons doesn't mean we can't trust them as well. My mom said that it's not how a pony looks like that makes him a good pony. It's his heart," he explained.
"I guess you're right... but still, I'm scared," she replied, hiding behind him. Storm sighed and turned to face her, before giving her a friendly and comforting smile. He was scared too, but he knew that it would get them nowhere if they cowered from the Gryphons. It would probably get them made fun of or something, and Storm didn't want that. Besides, they didn't look THAT scary.
"Hey, don't be scared," he said, smiling at her. "They won't bite. Come on."
"You sure?" she asked.
"Positive. Now let's go ask if we can play." Storm replied, feeling both excited and nervous at the same time. The colt and filly walked across the classroom, passing by Gryphons who were playing with alphabet blocks and dolls and other toys. Rainwynd was beginning to get more and more nervous every moment. As much as she trusted Stormfire, she still felt awkward walking by those Gryphons.
A moment later, they reached the Gryphons who were playing with the building blocks. Stormfire looked at them awkwardly and curiously. He was both incredibly nervous and very excited at the same time. This would be his first time talking to a real live Gryphon, well, not exactly the first time. There were those two Gryphons that hung out with his mom, but this would be the first time he would be talking to a Gryphon his age.
"Uh, I'm a bit nervous..." he whispered to Rain.
"Don't be!" she replied, putting her hoof on his shoulder. "Maybe they're going to be our friends. Who knows?"
"Hm... Maybe," he said, smiling at her. After some reluctance, Storm slowly walked up to one of the Gryphons and looked over his shoulder. The two Gryphons were building a tower of building blocks, which intrigued Storm. In fact, he wanted to help out, but he was scared. He was scared of asking the Gryphons, but then, he remembered what his mom told him before he went to school. Eventually, he forced himself to ask the Gryphons.
"Uhhhh...." Storm began. The two Gryphons immediately turned to face him, which made him even more nervous than he already was. "I'm not sure if you're going to eat me and my friend if we ask you, but do you mind if we build something with you?"
"We? Eat you? I'd never do that!" the Gryphon angrily replied. "You ponies think we're some psychotic mindless killing machines, but some of us have a heart too!" Storm wasn't sure what to say right now, but one thing was for sure. He didn't expect that kind of reply.
"We just wanted to ask if we can play with you guys." he sadly replied, heading back to his own desk, followed by Rainwynd. So far, he didn't really make any new Gryphon friends, which saddened Stormfire. All he wanted was to make friends with some of the Gryphons, but so far, it wasn't going that well.
"Hey! You can play with us!" said a voice. Storm and Rain stopped in their tracks and turned around.
"Huh?" he asked.
"Yeah. We won't bite, we promise!" one Gryphon replied and glared at the other Gryphon.
"But, they're ponies!" the other Gryphon replied.
"And so what if they're ponies? Just because they're not Gryphons doesn't mean that they can't be our friends..." the Gryphon replied.
"Whatever..." the other Gryphon said. "If they're gonna play with us, then leave me OUT of it... Alright?!"
"Okay, Lightning Wing. No need to get so angry," he replied. The Gryphon named Lightning Wing walked away and went to see if there are any other Gryphons to play with, while Stormfire and Rainwynd stood there in front of the Gryphon, not sure what to do.
"Hey. I won't bite. I promise." the Gryphon replied, with a friendly smile. "I'm Sharpbeak."
"Uh, I'm Stormfire." Storm replied awkwardly.
"And I'm---I'm... Rainwynd." Rain said, hiding behind Stormfire.
"Hey, relax..." Sharpbeak said. "Lightning Wing is well, he's not the friendliest Gryphon out there... but once you get to know him, he can be quite a nice guy..."
"You sure we can trust him?" asked Rainwynd.
"Yeah... kind of." replied Sharpbeak. "So, what do you two want to play?" he asked.
"Uh..." Storm begun. "Hm... I want to build something. How 'bout you, Rain?"
"I'm not sure..." she replied. "Uh. How about we play tag?"
"Okay." replied Sharpbeak, knocking down his brick tower. "Who's 'it'?"
"Uh. I'll be 'it'." said Storm.
"Alright then..." Sharpbeak replied and ran off, with Rainwynd following him. Storm chuckled to himself and ran after them. It took him a while to catch up with them, as Sharpbeak was a Gryphon and Rain knew where to hide.
Meanwhile, Sharpbeak was flying away from Stormfire as fast as he could, while Rain was watching them from the top of a cupboard (somehow not being noticed by the teacher or any of the other students), eating an apple that she took from her lunch box. She smiled as she watched Storm chased the Gryphon around the classroom. He seemed very fast and very agile, fast enough to catch Sharpbeak. She even started quietly chanting Storm's name as he ran around the classroom, trying to catch up to Sharpbeak.
"Stormfire, Stormfire, Stormfire, Stormfire, Stormfire, Stormfire..."
Then, at long last, Storm managed to catch the Gryphon.
"Gotcha!" Storm said as he caught Sharpbeak.
"Yeah... I'm a bit puffed out... What about you?" he asked, out of breath.
"Yeah, kinda..." Storm replied, heavily breathing.
"Hey, Rainwynd!" Sharpbeak called out, noticing the filly perched on top of the cupboard. "Want to play something else?"
"Okay..." she replied. "Lemme just get down to you guys."
"Okay." Storm replied. "Also, I don't really think you should be up there... It looks pretty unsafe."
"Relax, Storm. The teacher can't see me, so I'm not gonna get into trouble." she replied, grinning.
"Whatever you say, Rainy..." Storm replied, looking at her uncertainly. "Okay, just get down here, okay?"
"Okay, Storm." she replied and fluttered her wings, slowly taking off from the cupboard. Stormfire gazed at her in amazement. She was flying quite well for her age, while Stormfire had only a few flying lessons during the summer break before he joined the school. His mom promised him that he'd learn to fly after she found a suitable flying coach for him (her wing was struck by lightning while working to control a freak thunderstorm and was badly broken), but she could not find a good flying coach for Stormfire, at least not in Gryffsville.
Everyone in the clasroom turned to look at Rainwynd flying and gazed at her in amazement, including the teacher. Rainwynd was flying perfectly, far better than Stormfire thought. A few moments later, she swooped down and landed on the floor. Storm and Sharpbeak rushed towards her.
"Wow..." Sharpbeak begun. "That was awesome!"
"I agree..." Storm said, smiling.
Just then, the teacher came over, looking disappointed.
"Rainwynd?" she begun.
"Yes--yes ma'am?" she asked, feeling a bit intimidated.
"Please, don't go up there again." the teacher replied, with a hint of disappointment. "I don't want to see you or any of our other students get hurt."
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I was just hiding from Storm. We were playing a game." she replied, embarrassed.
"It's alright, little one. I'm just making sure you're safe. Okay?" the teacher asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I'll not go up there again." replied Rainwynd.
"That's good! Now, I'll leave you three to play." said the teacher, her smile returning to her face.
"How do you fly so well, Rainy?" Storm asked.
"Well, my mom used to work on the weather team back in Equestria. She was the best weather mare around and she knew all the weather patterns and the winds and stuff." Rain replied. "And she and dad both taught me how to fly."
"I learnt how to fly from my dad, who is the boss of the Weather Factory." Sharpbeak said. "What about you, Storm?"
"Well... uh..." Storm begun, growing a bit nervous. "My mom managed to teach me how to fly... but just a bit. She had some sort of injury on her wing and I never properly learned how to fly." he explained sadly.
"What about your dad?" asked Rain.
"He's away for a business trip, I think." Storm replied. "He should be back soon."
"Speaking of Equestria..." Storm begun. "I want to go there when I grow up..."
"Me too..." she replied.
"Me three!" Sharpbeak replied as well. "I don't know about you, but I always wanted to live there!"
"I always wanted to live in Applewood and be a huge star..." Rain replied. "And have everypony all over the world know me."
"Who knows?" Storm begun. "I'm sure you'll become a big star when you're older. I believe in you, Rainy." he explained, putting his hoof on her shoulder.
"And I believe in you as well!" Sharpbeak said. "You're both great friends!"
"For a Gryphon, you're pretty cool!" Storm said.
"I agree!" Rain said.
"Thanks guys!" Sharp replied. "Do you want to play something?"
"I'm not sure." said Rain.
"Me neither, to be honest." Sharp replied.
"Hm... wanna build something?" asked Storm.
"No thanks." replied Rainwynd.
"Same here. I'm hungry!" replied Sharpbeak, his stomach grumbling. Storm and Rain chuckled. It was time for lunch.
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"So, Rainwynd." Storm begun, before biting into his cheese sandwich. "Who taught you how to fly again?"
"My mom and dad." she replied, before also eating her own sandwich.
"Uh, would they be able to teach me how to fly?" Storm asked.
"I think so. You'll need to ask them and ask your mom as well." she answered.
"Okay... I just want to fly as well as you. I mean, from what I've seen from you, you're pretty good." Storm explained.
"Thanks Stormy. Maybe my mom and dad will teach you." Rain replied, smiling.
"Hey guys." Sharpbeak begun. "We should have flying races once Storm learns how to fly."
"That's a good idea." replied Storm.
"Yep," Rainwynd said.
"Nope. It's not!" said a rather intimidating voice. Storm, Rain and Sharpbeak turned to face who it is. It was Lightning Wing.
"Hey Lightning." said Sharpbeak, feeling a bit intimidated by his friend.
"Hey, Sharpbeak..." replied Lightning Wing, glaring at Storm and Rain. "Want to play with us?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know, but I'm playing with Storm and Rain." Sharp replied, turning to face them. "How about you play with us?"
"Nope. You're better off playing with me and the others and not with them two ponies..." said Lightning Wing.
"Hey! They're not as bad as you think they are!" replied Sharpbeak, beginning to get irritated with his friend.
"They're not as bad?" asked Lightning Wing. "They're horrible!"
"And why are we horrible?" asked Stormfire, a glare forming on his face. Rainwynd hid behind him to avoid getting involved.
"Shut it!" barked Lightning Wing, now completely ticked off. "Wait... You're even worse than horrible! You're despicable!"
"Quit your whining, Gryphon..." Storm retaliated. "I didn't do anything to you and you're acting like I did!"
"You did a lot of things, pony." Lightning Wing replied. "And my dad knows exactly what your kind did!"
"You-your dad?" Storm asked, calming down almost immediately and slowly backing away.
"Yep. He's a sergeant in the Royal Gryphon Army!" Lightning Wing shouted. "And he could take you down, ANYONE of you down within seconds." Right now, Storm was feeling terrified and was actually trembling in fear. Lightning Wing's dad sounded like a very intimidating Gryphon, a very intimidating Gryphon indeed.
"Look---I'm sorry! Okay?! I'll not annoy you again!" Storm replied backing off even further. Rainwynd quickly hid underneath a nearby table to avoid being seen by Lightning Wing.
"You better not..." replied Lightning Wing threateningly.
"Or what?" butted in Sharpbeak.
"You stay out of this, Sharp!" shouted Lightning Wing, loud enough for Mrs. Talons to hear. "I thought I could trust you! I thought you were my friend! And you're hanging out with these... winged ponies?!"
"For your inconvenience, we're Pegasi!" yelled Storm.
"Quiet, you!" roared Lightning Wing.
"Boys, boys!" said Mrs. Talons. The arguing Pegasus and Gryphons turned to face her and immediately calmed themselves. "What is going on here?" she asked.
"No-nothing, ma'am!" Storm replied. "We're just playing a game..."
"You sure?" she asked. "It doesn't sound like a very friendly game."
"No ma'am." begun Lightning Wing. "He came over to me and my friends and knocked down my alp-alf-allpahb---"
"Alphabet." Stormfire corrected him.
"Thanks." replied Lightning Wing. "So, he came on over to me and knocked down my ALPHABET tower..."
"Did you, Stormfire?" asked Mrs. Talons, looking very cross.
"No ma'am. I did not! I swear! He came over to me and started pestering me for no reason." Stormfire explained. She turned to face Lightning Wing and glared at him.
"Is this true, Lightning Wing?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am." he replied, before turning to glare at Storm.
"Both of you. Apologize, now." Mrs. Talons said sternly.
"Okay..." grumbled Lightning Wing. "Sorry..." he said reluctantly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry too..." Stormfire replied, showing actual remorse.
"Thank you. Now, Storm. If he causes you any more trouble, please tell me, alright?" Mrs. Talons asked.
"Yes, ma'am." Storm replied, turning to face Lightning Wing and looking at him uncertainly.
"Good." she replied and smiled at him, before flying back to her desk.
"So..." Sharpbeak begun nervously. "Lightning Wing? Do you still want to play with us?"
"NO!" Lightning Wing replied. "I hate you, Sharpbeak. But most of all, I hate ponies! I hate them all! ESPECIALLY YOU! I will make your life a misery, Stormfire... Just you wait!" he roared at Stormfire, before flying off towards his friends.
"Oh, well..." Sharpbeak shrugged. "I'm sorry for him. He can be a bit... dramatic at times."
"Is i-it s-safe to come out?" asked Rainwynd, who was curled up underneath the table.
"Yes, it is. He's gone now." replied Storm. "You can come out, Rain." Rain did as he said and reluctantly came out from underneath the table to join Stormfire and Sharpbeak.
"What's his problem?" she asked.
"Well, he hates ponies from what I know..." Storm replied.
"I'm not sure what his problem is exactly... but I don't want him treating my friends like that." Sharpbeak replied.
"Was he your friend?" asked Storm.
"Yeah, back in Kindergarten, we were best buddies..." Sharpbeak replied. "I'm not sure what's gotten into him now."
"I don't know as well..." Rainwynd replied. "Let's just play a game or something."
"Okay!" Storm replied enthusiastically. "How about... hide n' seek?"
"Sure thing!" they both replied.
"You're seeking!" said Sharpbeak.
"Okay dokey." replied Storm and covered his eyes, before beginning to count up to ten. The Gryphon and the Pegasus filly went away from Stormfire, looking for a suitable hiding place. Sharpbeak found a hiding place underneath a table, while Rainwynd found a hiding place in between some books on a book shelf. Eventually, Stormfire finished counting and went to look for them.
It took a lot longer than he expected, but he found Sharpbeak hiding underneath the table, and after a long chase across the classroom, he finally caught the speedy Gryphon. But where was Rainwynd hiding? Was she even in the classroom? Was she next door? Storm didn't have the time to answer these questions. What he wanted to do was find Rainwynd. Eventually, after looking through almost every cupboard and every bookshelf in the class, Storm gave up. He could not find Rainwynd. She was a master at hide n' seek.
Just then, he heard some light giggling coming from behind him. He turned around almost immediately and saw Rainwynd peeking out from behind some books.
"Rainwynd..." Storm groaned.
"What?" she asked.
"How are you so good at everything?" Storm asked.
"I just am..." she replied, grinning, before pushing the books off the bookshelf and getting out of there. "So, who's seeking next?"
"I am!" replied Sharpbeak. Just then, the bell rang and the entire class lined up at the door. Unfortunately, it was time to go home. Storm couldn't wait to tell his mom about his first day at school, but he also did not want to leave his two friends behind. Then, an idea hit him.
"Hey guys..." Storm begun. "How about I ask my mom if you two can come on over, huh?"
"Sounds like a great idea!" Sharpbeak replied, lining up as well, followed by Stormfire and Rainwynd.
"I agree." Rainwynd replied. "Also, Storm?"
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Uh, thank you..." she replied, smiling at him.
"You're welcome." he said, returning the smile. "What for?"
"For being my first friend here, silly!" she replied, ruffling his mane slightly.
"My pleasure, Rainy." he replied.
"Okay, students!" Mrs. Talons begun. "I hope you've all had a swell first day here at Gryffsvale Elementary. Have you?" she asked. Suddenly, the entire class raised their talons (or hooves, in the case of Stormfire or Rainwynd). "That's great. See you all tomorrow!"
"Bye, Mrs. Talons!" the students replied and begun to pour out of the classroom.
After Stormfire waved goodbye to Sharpbeak and Rainwynd, he walked down the corridor and outside of the school building to meet his mom. Equinox was standing among the crowd of parents gathered outside the school and was waiting for Stormfire. Eventually she noticed him trotting towards her and smiled at him.
"Hey son!" she replied, nuzzling his mane. "How was your first day at school?"
"It was great, mom!" he replied. "I got to meet two new friends! One of them, she's a pony, while the other one is a Gryphon."
"Well, that's great, sweetie." she said. "You know that making a true friend is one of the greatest things that can happen to a young pony?"
"Is it?" Storm asked.
"Yep." Equinox replied, smiling. "Come on, let's head for home. I'm making your favorite today; hay fries and some salad..."
"Oh, goodie!" Storm replied, jumping around. "Thanks, mom."
"My pleasure, son." she replied, smiling warmly at him. As they walked towards the school gates, Storm looked to see Raindrop and Sharpbeak going to their respective parents and telling them about their first day at school. He waved at his two new friends, before going through the gate with his mom and heading for home.
My first day at school didn't go as bad as I thought it would, mainly because I met the best friends I could ever meet. Rainwynd and Sharpbeak. But despite having two new friends, I also had to put up with an enemy. An enemy that won't leave me alone for the years to come. An enemy that picked on me for a long, long time. That enemy was Lightning Wing.