Hippo

Zap was emotionally miserable. He did not like the situation he was in. This was probably the most traumatic he's ever felt, even more than the time he was inches away from being a timberwolf snack. Though as a consolation, his emotional pain was suppressing his attention away from the inflammation that was forming around his broken bone. As Zap laid down he allowed his mother to inspect her and feel around his wings. He trusted her, but it didn't keep him from wincing every time he felt pain either because of her hoof pressure or because he tried to move his wing in a direction that was now anatomically forbidden. Through all of this, he was well enough to respond to Applejack's small talk. "Yes, I like them," he said frowning. If he had the gusto and maturity he could crack a smile, but all he could do is pretend to be a big pony in his voice. "Yeah Dashie got it for me. We went somewhere, I don't know. We were having fun." He was being discreet. Zap did not want to get Dashie in trouble. His mothers seemed to be primed for a big fight, and he saw through it easily. He was no expert on parental relationships, how they formed, why they formed, and big pony things they talked about. But he was smart enough to know that they were not happy, and that particularly when Zap was taken care of, his earth pony mom would be extremely angry at Rainbow Dash. And though Zap could admit to himself and anyone that this situation was not ideal, he did not want to fault Dashie for doing what she did. Because up until the accident, it truly was a pegasus colt's dream.

Apple Chord started strumming her guitar happily, not having to look at her hooves for coordination and speaking joyously as she did so. Her hooves were more accurate and consistent than the heart she had that made this whole exposure possible. "Oh, I had to see a mare about a dog. But we don' gotta worry about the past, right now its all about the present. What we're doin' now, and what we can do in the future." She looked down at her guitar briefly as she changed her keys positions but then looked back up. "You don't need help learning how to strum, Missy, because learning how to play music doesn't come from the hooves, it comes from the heart. All you gotta do is love the things around you and let your heart sing out your loves of life, and the best thing about it is ain't no pony can take that from you!" Apple Chord stood on her hind legs while strumming her guitar and walked over to a place where she could get comfortable making music. "Like take this here song for an example. Some ponies got the good life, like you and me. You get to arrange your own hours, plan your whole day, and never worry about a thang, but many of the ponies who love your music, some of them you see at the market, they got to work a normal job, and many of them are happy doing it. And that inspires me to deep heavens. After all, these are the ones that love your music, right? I take that inspiration and hold it tight and it helps me to sing a song about truth. If it comes from the heart, the music practically plays itself!" Apple Chord started stomping her hooves to give herself a beat and then continued to play a song. She sung the lyrics with precision and conviction in what she was saying. "Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen Pour myself a cup of ambition And yawn and stretch and try to come to life Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin' Out on the street the ponies starts trottin' With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5 Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin' Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin' They just use your mind and they never give you credit It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it 9 to 5, for service and devotion You would think that I would deserve a fat promotion Want to move ahead but the boss won't seem to let me I swear sometimes that mare is out to get me!..."

Applejack never feared talking to fillies and colts these days with the vernacular they were using. Any cool new words that a generation adopts and considers socially acceptable even though it may have been previously were fine by her. Applejack could take it. But she knew Granny Smith would not be able to withstand the urge to preach to younger ponies about what she thought was right and wrong in the times she was growing up as a filly. Up until that confrontation would ever happen, Applejack had her cousin's back. But if Granny Smith started ranting to her relative she possibly couldn't remember the name of, Moonlight was on her own. Granny Smith was about the only pony in all of Equestria who could tell her what's what. It was amazing to her how much of a valley accent Moonlight had picked up from what all accounts suggest is a freak magical accident. Part of her was convinced that Moonlight was just pretending she had inherited this accent and that eventually she would end the gag with a punch line. However, how hypocritical would Applejack be if she even suggested to her cousin she says funny words in a funny way. Maybe in time, she would teach Moonlight how to diversify her vocabulary instead of using the same two or three inflects on literally everything she says. Applejack sighed. Moonlight was such a silly pony. Applejack looked puzzled when Moonlight said she was right about ponies being on her mind. "But, I never said you had other ponies on your mind." She gave the unicorn a protective stink eye. "Are there other fillies at school makin' fun of you!? Who are they, what's their name? There ain't no bullying going on at that school on my watch. And are you sure its just ponies? None of the griffins are giving you problems? What about the kirins? I know they might look nice, but some of them have some serious anger issues. I know it's not the hippogriffs. All the hippogriffs are super nice." Applejack looked away ashamed of her profiling of other species. "Like, really really nice. Besides their fish breath, I ain't had any problems with any of them."

"A bushel!?" Granola thought out loud. All she had was a bushel. She tried rationing them, but she also realized that the apples would only survive off their stems for so long. She thought it would only take a few seeds, but Applejack was attempting to get things ramped up larger than Granola had expected. Perhaps she'll need to wait for the psychological experiments she planned on doing with the rest of the apples she had procured. "Um, okay. Yeah I guess I can do that. I'll need to go back to my shack and get the rest of the ones I had. All of them together should be close to a bushel." She was reluctant to rid herself of her supply of apples, but knowing how hard Applejack was willing to progress them into a bigger supply made Granola willing to agree with the fullness of the transaction she was preparing for. Granola waited patiently as Applejack was writing up some legal papers. Her anxiety filled slightly at Applejack's diligence coupled with a slight hesitation from the farmer. But she smiled when the papers were smacked onto the table in front of her. She picked up a pen on the table with her mouth and commenced signing her cursive name with her best gritting of her teeth. When she finished, she dropped the pen on the table gracefully. "Do you think I can cut the apples up and just give you the seeds? Or do you need the pulps and skin, too?" She smiled eagerly.

Silverstream was amazed at the speed and force Gallus was able to carry her through the water. Also, highly illegal. Seaponies frowned upon dangerous stunts that involve leaving the hypercurrent, but even Silverstream knew... ...they would get over it. After they splashed into the air dimension, Gallus seemed to be able to use his fully functioning wings just fine over the water and she was hung with him in the air for a moment. Silverstream could fly and swim, but she couldn't fly-swim. Gallus' unique anatomy gifted to him by the pearl gave him capabilities seaponies were unable to obtain. Silverstream was taken aback by his gusto. Silverstream always liked adventureous attitudes, but coming from him it was attractive to see since he was basically acting on instinct. Her impression of him and his moves would only last a short moment. Along with the large pair of wings that did not shrink to the size of small pectoral fins, he was also given a generous tailfin that rivaled that of large sharks. Unfortunately for Gallus, using it for balance like he did his feathery cat tail was a much for difficult calculation and would end up slapping Silverstream around so that both of them would lose their aerial energy and fall straight back to the sea. Silverstream was able to quickly adjust in the air and with a healthy amount of grace and she cut the water smoothly like a hot knife through butter. Gallus might not be as fortunate. As soon as they both were under the waves and the bubbles from the residual splashes returned to the surface, Silverstream could see Gallus and their distance from the rest of Seaquestia's surroundings. Terramar was no where in sight. "Yeah so, it's actually against the rules to leave the hypercurrent like that, but I don't think they will be too mad at us. I'll just explain to them you didn't know what you were doing." She giggled. While they were both above the water, Silverstream remarked on how late the evening had gotten. "It's actually pretty late and I want us to have a good amount of rest for tomorrows events on Mount Aris. So is there anything else you thought about seeing down here before we leave it?"

"Dashie shows me how she flies and how to move your body around in the air. She says I will be fast one day like her!" Zap picked up another fruit gummy and chewed it. "I like to read books about flying." Or rather, he liked when Rainbow Dash read books to him about flying. She would try to use some of the made-for-foals books, but Zap's favorite was page 46 of Daring Do and the Marked Thief of Marapore when the protagonist is explained through action-related details of a high speed flight pursuit she endured. Rainbow Dash had no problem reading this to him almost every night he stayed the night with her. "A what? I've never heard of that." Zap had never used the word projector or what it meant. He had heard theater but didn't understand the context.

Applejack rinsed off her few dishes in the sink and then straightened up the small kitchen mess she might have made. "Alright then. Let's get to it!" Applejack grabbed her bag and started making her way back up the stairs to the studio. Before she turned the hallway to the room, she detoured to her bedroom. "I'll meet you in the studio, I just need to get my guitar and get ready." Applejack spend a considerable amount of time in her bedroom for just having to grab her instrument. It might have needed a new string, or maybe she was tuning it. Applejack tried to hurry so that Coloratura wasn't waiting for too long in the studio but eventually a mare would come out from her borrowed quarters.

Applejack was concerned that rumors around the school amongst the students were traveling, but it figures. "Everything is fine, I could go into all the details but it would be a long tiresome explanation and well, honestly, it's not worth the fret. All you need to know is that everything is fine and you students don't gotta worry 'bout a thang." Moonlight was such a magnificent pony. She reminded Applejack of the times Granny Smith would go on walks through town with her when she was a filly, and the matriarch would comment on how pretty her female classmates were, saying that they were the prettier than fillies she went to school with. Applejack guessed that it was a part of pony life. The newest band of young mares would continue to outdo the generation before them. Look out Rarity! Applejack did have a more concerning issue with the way Moonlight was talking though. Through and through, she spoke as she always had done, and her recent magical transformation just gave her more courage to be who she always was at heart. But the vernacular she was using would unintentionally pierce Applejack's ears with what she felt was unnecessary coined terms. "Uh, Moonlight, sweetie. I think it's great that you have friends that you're gettin' along with and I'm sure your fashion sense will be realized in many other ways. But maybe tone it down on the adjectives you're using to describe your feline roommate. We don't like those words used around here. If Granny Smith hears those kind of words, she might throw you off the property quicker that the time it'll take me to explain to her that you're our cousin." Winona accepted the rubs from Moonlight's hooves, and after a few seconds, the border collie recognized it as her old friend Valen's signature behavior. Winona wasn't entirely sure who this pink unicorn was, but she had an aura that smelled like Valen, she moved her hooves like Valen. She was probably Valen. Applejack smiled and loved Winona's reaction, further evidence that Moonlight didn't need to be invited back into the family she was already apart of. She smiled smugly at Moonlight as she petted the farm dog. "You know Moonlight, you don't need to lie to me like that. I know you didn't come all the way over here to ask me about food. What's on your mind, cousin?"

It was well past curfew. At this time, every hall of the School of Friendship was likely dark and empty. Occasionally, a custodian would be lurking the halls to finish up their cleaning duties for the night. None of the doors were ever locked, except for some of the faculty offices. There was never any reason to fret on some creature sneaking into a classroom. Maybe one day, a student who was a huge prankster would give the school a reason to lock its many corridors, but for now, the closed campus was surprisingly pretty open. Silverstream is no prankster, but she did have reason to be up at this late hour. She recently felt inspired to do some extracurricular activities that involved some study and planning. She started a habit of just minding her own business, and was sometimes peculiarly solo on her interests. She gets excited all the time and loves to share her musings with her friends and teachers. But too many goofy looks on her friends' faces whenever Silverstream would hold up a chart about hydraulic rams gave her pause on how much she should be sharing this extra enthusiasm. She wasn't nearly as embarrassed as she was disappointed that her friends didn't also think hydro-kinetic engineering was fascinating. Eventually, she would shrug it off and plan to spend some of her alone time with these daydreams of unpredictable learning rabbit holes. After the students' quarters were good and quiet, Silverstream softly opened her door and closed it behind her, tip-toeing her claws and hooves across the carpeted stone flooring. She made her way to the exit to make her way through the courtyard. Her destination would be a place where she hoped no one would be. It's a good thing she waited until this late hour, so that none of the other students would be disturbed by her night-crawling expedition.

Despite the antics he could get into, most of Zap's hard pressed memories in his short span of life experience had been developed while listening to his Wonderbolt mother brag about how awesome she was. Rainbow Dash would make sure Zap was cloud trained and could do regular pegasus abilities, but if there was one priority the rainbow mare would set on Zap's early education it would be that at least one of his mothers was the best flyer in all of Equestria, with the ribbons and trophies and medals to prove it. And so far, Zap had yet to tire of listening to the stories. When asked about what he likes to do, it was not possible for him to explain the kind of things he would do if he was left alone in a room to play with toys or if he was outside with the pigs on the farm. Instead he would just articulate the first thing that comes to mind when he talks about his foalish musings. "I like to fly as fast as possible, faster than anypony has ever flown before." Zap caught a good look at Gallus's talons. "Faster than any creature, too! Yes I would like a glass of milk, please." Rainbow Dash may have taught Zap how to brag and boast, but Applejack didn't raise a colt with no manners.

As Granola listened to Applejack take in the metaphysics associated with eating the apple, she noticed right away the words she used to lecture back to her resounded with the kind of affirmation she had been looking for. Several months had passed while Granola understood the progressive potential an apple like this one had, and this had been the first time she would publicize her findings with anyone. Who better but the best apple mare with a heartbeat in the Ponyville area? Granola smiled from ear to ear. "Yes! Exactly! You get it too!" She fawned excitedly over Applejack's explanation and perspective. It was almost like Granola's imaginary friends were speaking back with her own feelings and thoughts, except this time they weren't her feelings and thoughts! Of course she would bring up baking. Never doubt Applejack's ability to brainstorm out loud and in a kitchen the practicality of every combination of elements known to ponydom. Granola rolled her eyes. But then she asked about a sixth sense being empathy. Granola leaned forward. "Oh." she didn't agree but she had no evidence to suggest its falsehood fundamentally. "Maybe. Or maybe it's like another world where we can see into a multiverse of possibilities, but only for a few seconds per bite. Like this is the key to a door that the nature of the Everfree has been trying to communicate with ponies for many millennia." She took another bite of the apple.

Zap was patient for once, waiting for the gummies to arrive in front of him. When gummies were poured onto the plate, Zap reached for one with his mouth. He grabbed one and started chewing it rather obnoxiously. He wasn't playing with his food, but he was content to leave it mashing around in his mouth full of flavor for longer than was necessary. While he did so, the griffon asked a question. Instead of answering the question straight away, Zap decided to pinpoint a problem with the way Gallus was addressing him. He swallowed his gummy. "I have a name, you know." Zap reached for another gummy and started chewing. He had something else to say, but this time he would not wait to swallow before he spoke. "You know like your name is Gally."

It was Valen! Well, it was Valen. Applejack being the ol' stubborn mule she is sometimes had approached the first signs of aging, which was having to get used to something that changed. Her cousin had since moved to Ponyville permanently, and over the course of him growing and encountering a few interesting challenges, he found himself presenting himself in a much different way than he used to. Well, she found herself presenting herself in a much different way than she used to. To Applejack it was all the same, and sometimes even more. she was never fully satisfied with what happened, but her changed cousin seemed so much happier now than before, it was probably for the better. All that needed work was Applejack getting used to calling a pretty pink unicorn as a member of the family. Applejack reciprocated the hug. "Moonlight! I know, we're both so guldarn busy! I'm fine, just a little tired since we're havin' to work overtime to get these supply orders fulfilled. How's school? You still likin' the dorms?" Applejack wondered if Moonlight would ever have any issues with the student chambers at the school, especially since they are co-ed dorms and being a mare might be a whole new set of habits and norms for the pony. Winona approached both of them to greet the stranger with her typical tail-wagging ways. Winona ran up to Moonlight and gave her a strangers greeting, treating her like someone she has never met before. But Winona knew something was up. Her expression dropped to perplexion as she hinted at something about the filly she was trying to discern with her wet nose. Applejack smiled and allowed Winona to make sense of things on her own. "What's wrong Winona? Smell somethin' wrong with Moonlight?" Applejack held in a chuckle.

Silverstream let her mind wander all the time. It wandered so much sometimes her friends could visibly see it running around. Although she could be labeled as hyperactive, she also had the ability to focus on a single task very well. Often times, her enthusiasm is mistaken for a deficit of attention. However, make no mistake, she is that too sometimes. When she gets an idea or a musing, she is brave enough to attempt to discover it on her own. This led her to taking research trips to the Everfree without telling anycreature, scaring her friends and family for her whereabouts. It has also caused her to adapt a strange amount of proficiency in the most peculiar of trades. And not just plumbing, but also empty snail shell voyaging, artistic soap carving, and extreme iron-boarding. She would eventually be a jack of many trades without some of her closest friends and family ever knowing. Fascinating how such an eccentrically social creature like Silverstream could also be such a closet hobbyist. Recently, she found a new adventure in a department that some would not find too surprising, but just like all of her other extracurricular activities, many had no idea what it was. A few clues could be found to associate with what she might be doing, but no one would care to pay that close attention to the details. After all, no one was murdered and nothing is stolen. So what might this pink hippogriff be up to? Well, for starters, she has been sneaking out at night. After everycreature is supposedly asleep, she is sneaking out and going somewhere around the campus. Why alone though? And why at night? What is she hiding? ((New thread open to students. PM if interested)) Thread: The Seabourne Identity

Zap's tears were held for the time being. Because for one, fruit snacks were great, especially ones that were apple flavored. Mommy-approved and foal-approved. And secondly, and probably more importantly, Zap had not redeveloped enough tears for a second round of wails. Maybe later, but not now. He would reserve his tear ducts for the next time he needed something from the blue birdcat. "Okay." Zap happily stood straight up and trotted to the kitchen table, sitting up on a stool carefully. He waited from Gallus to deliver the goods on his place mat in front of him. You know, like how mom does.

When Applejack bucked a tree, apples littered the ground around the tree, a surprising number of them falling in baskets that were placed there strategically. A few seconds later, she gave the tree another wack with her strong hind legs. More apples fell, but not as many as before. Applejack turned around towards the tree and smiled at it, a symbiotic relationship shining on each other magically radiated from the earth pony. But she dropped her smile, tilted her head and squinted at the leaves of the trees. She approached close to the tree, stood on her hind legs and leaned her front hooves on the trunk. With careful meticulous attention, she sensed the feelings of the tree, lifted one of her front hooves, and slammed it softly back onto the tree's bark. The small vibration shook the tree just enough to loosen a single apple from a stubborn stem, and it gracefully fell into one of the many baskets now full of apples. Applejack smiled again. "That's better!" Applejack was in the middle of her afternoon bucking run, one of the first afternoons of what will be a long season. On account of the school's food supply needing to feed the students living at the campus dorms, Applejack was left in charge to organize shipments coming in from different regions of Equestria and beyond. Sweet Apple Acres might be up to the task at feeding all of Ponyville, all of the students at the school, and have enough left over for those exotic kings and queens ordering the famous fruit. But it would put unneeded stress on the farm without a fair trade in increased revenue. After all, even a well-run well-funded school has its budgets. Applejack knew of several farmers of all different kinds of fruits and vegetables that would love the increase of business, even if it meant selling for less than the regular price. She also was required to find food sources from less conventional suppliers that had probably never delivered their product to Ponyville, because their product typically dealt with creatures that had a different diet compared to the typical small town equine. But in attempting this task of bringing in several suppliers worth of shipments, the deliveries were late because problems occurred in different ways that prevented the food from arriving on time. Applejack knew there was something fishy about them. But in truth, it wasn't their fault. Almost all of the suppliers seemed to have gotten incorrect information related to the addressed their crates should be held to. Some of the inventory from these suppliers were being held overnight in a storage unit in order to relay the shipment in the right direction. The only issue was that where the shipments were being stored found the wrong relay and ended up being lost. There were lots of blames that could be assigned, but Applejack attributed the mistakes to one simple flaw. Different creatures have different normalcies, and communicating the logistics to the different cultures she corresponded with was met with phrasings from the letters being lost in translation. Who knew fishing griffons didn't know what a quarter moon was? The shortage of food was not so dire that Applejack needed to send emergency guards from Canterlot to expedite the process, but it was deep enough in a hole that Applejack took it upon herself to increase the crop output on the farm in order to donate to the school's kitchen the amount that they could get by with until the shipments arrived. And hopefully the taste of the sweet apples would distract the students enough to not even notice that there was a problem. In a few weeks, she would expect this whole ordeal to settle back into the place where it was intended. Applejack heard a faint feminine voice valley itself all the way from the front of the barn. "I'm over here, Sugarcube!" Applejack couldn't see her, but she knew a soft sweet voice like that had to come from somepony that could easily be mistaken as a cube of sugar.

Granola faithfully picked herself up off the floor like her host instructed. She was thankful that she wasn't mad, and saw at least a little reason to speak truth to the information Granola was willing to offer. Reason enough to know that there might be something in it for both of them. The farm pony asked her what her proposition was. "Okay. So, right from the get-go, you can see that these apples have a very unique look to them when you bite into them, and at no cost to the taste and texture of the apple. I have proofs of concept that the cosmic crisp apple would be a consumer product that would sell well, but I don't have the means to grow it on a wide scale. It's my belief that this apple has special properties in it. Whenever I bite into it, I experience something I never experience with a normal apple." Granola bites into another apple, one of the four she brought with her. She quickly chewed and swallowed her bite and gazed into the exposed inner-apple. The cosmic swirl danced and spun to Granola's amazement, and as she stared at it, she spoke out loud about her bewilderment. "Every time I look at it after biting into it, the apple takes me to a place I've never been before. It makes me feel warm and safe. But it also seems to whisper to me about the possibilities. Like it's telling me the secrets about the good fortune me and other ponies will have in the days and weeks to come, and it puts my mind at ease when sometimes I am unwilling to cope with things I'm nervous or stressed about." The hypnotic effects of the apple wore off, and the apple returned to a normal apple visual appeal. She looked at Applejack. "I don't think these apples are just a good source of nutrition. I think they can be good for the pony's soul, a way for us to feel things we never thought possible, a feeling we can obtain that we have never experienced before." Granola took another bite of her apple, and through that bite mark, more galactic images entranced the brown earth pony. "You know, uh." She stared without saying much, but then looked back up. "Like a sixth sense."

"No need for that, I have one right here." Fluttershy pulled a band-aid out of her bag and stuck it softly onto Zap's bruised shoulder. She knew it would have no practical application onto his wound, it was a bruise. But she figured the band-aid would at least provide the colt with a little comfort. The bandage was pink and had white bunnies on it. "Does that feel better? Oh, I'm sorry you can't visit my cottage and see the animals. I know you like to do that from time to time, but today I have too many chores at the sanctuary to keep an eye on you. You understand, don't you? Besides, tough Gallus here is going to protect you from everything. And he's big and strong isn't he?" Fluttershy gathered her things and started to make way for the door. "It's okay, Gallus. I'm sure Scout here is fine. And even if you did accidentally scare him, he knows you didn't do it on purpose. Right, Scout?" Scout rolled his eyes. Gallus confessed his issues but tried to reassure Fluttershy that everything was going to be alright, and Gallus' charisma was good enough to convince her that it would. However, he couldn't finish with such a declaration that he was intimidating. Fluttershy giggled. "Hehehe, oh Gallus, you're such a kidder. Everyone in class knows you're one of the sweetest, most kindest students I have." Zap Apple looked at Fluttershy. He looked at Gallus. He looked at Fluttershy again. Then he looked at Gallus. A small smirk began to grow and he started to exhale a snicker. "I need to go now. Sandra was getting hungry and I need to get back before she decides to find something for herself to eat. I'm so sorry we can't chat more. Bye!" Fluttershy hastily walked out of the cloudominium and closed the door behind her clutching her flamingo patient in her hooves. After she left, it was quiet. Zap Apple looked up to Gallus, noticed the current defaulting setting and started to well his eyes up again for another big cry.

Applejack stopped singing as soon as she couldn't stand the pedestal she was putting herself on. She blushed when Coloratura complimented her singing by implying her voice being on stage. "Aww shucks, I don't know, Ra-Ra. She gave that up a long time ago because she didn't want to live a life away from her family. But I know her talents would love to mingle with the likes of a pop star in a recordin' studio in order to give her life-long fillyfriend that extra edge of country." Applejack caught her toast that popped out of the toaster. "Is that the kind of thing the Countess is lookin' for?" She spread jelly on her toast and started smacking on it without much care for her chewing noise. It tasted amazing and like home, as expected. Applejack cleared her mouth with a convincing gulp and then drank the whole glass of water Coloratura got for her. She exhaled refreshment. "Ra-Ra, really? A run? What is this, fat filly camp? Let's just go play some music. Lemme go back to my bedroom and get ready and I'll meet you in the studio."

Silverstream's feathered ears seemed forever pitched backward to the idea that she was hung on, which was that inevitability would come and she would lose touch with everything she has come to know and love about being a student at the School of Friendship. But her ears perked up immediately at the sound and emotion of the counselor's positive tone. She could be a tutor! In ways in kind of of made sense. It's hard to find a tutor for a school that has only had one year or curriculum roll-out. But now that a cycle of upperclass creatures has become apparent, a role of tutor might actually be a void that needed filling. Silverstream smiled. Tutor was only a beginning suggestion, and she would want more than just helping new students with their teachings. Starlight mentioning the title of junior counselor put a twinge of stress on the hippogriff's mind, but she was excited of such an opportunity nonetheless. And the more she thought about it, the more she liked it. "Yes! That sounds amazing!" She took flight and hovered in place. "I would love to show all of the new students around and help them with their friendships and their issues and their homework. Oh, and I can be friends with them, too! And I get a special outfit that shows I'm willing to help in case anycreature thinks I'm not the outgoing type. And I stay late after class to help as a teacher's assistant, and maybe even help students with issues that have nothing to do with school. Maybe I should have an office. Hoo! I should live under the school so I never have to leave." By this moment, Silverstream had rose to the ceiling of Starlight's office and when she realized her altitude, slowly descended back to the couch where her previous tears were still drying. She smirked nervously. "Maybe, I'll just start with a little tutoring."

Applejack continued fidgeting with the parts of the treadmill, only making moderate small successes that would eventually lead to a fixed machine. Unfortunately, she could tell that at the rate she was going she would be at it all day and night once again. Should she give up on fixing the treadmill, there might not be enough cider for everyone today like she had hoped. Granny Smith had always known that when it comes to cider, taking time doing things the right way was of utmost importance. But that also, if the delays became too long no pony will stick around to taste how wonderful the cider is, and the boosted sales of the famous cider will not be kind to the family during the slow winter and spring moons. She had to fix this treadmill. Salvation could be seen however, when her new pink unicorn friend arrived with a cup of coffee from the barn. "Oh thank heavens, I'm more thirsty fer somethin' to wake me up than a..." Applejack stumped herself, unable to finish what would probably be a layup of a countryism, a standard feature of apple ponies from this side of the hemisphere. But because she was so tired, the loose tongue vernacular she was sometimes known for was rigid and stale. "Ah, I forget." She used both hooves to grab the cup of coffee Bellissima was levitating towards her. "Smells great, uh. What was your name again?" Applejack wasn't sure if she wasn't properly introduced to her, or if she had and just forgot due to exhaustion. Applejack sat back to take a deep sip of the coffee when in her line of sight ahead of her she could see Apple Bloom's backside serving ponies at the cider counter, a large stack of cider barrels waiting to be fed into the pump, and a rather long-legged alicorn with flowing mane staring back at her with a look of disapproval. It jolted Applejack up a little before she could even take the first sip of morning nectar. She tossed out to Prince Blueblood again for a tip, since he seemed to be an expertly trained contrarian to Applejack's stubborn philosophy in this moment. "Hey, do you think there's a way I can actually trust you guys to run this system for me. I might need to take a short nap or two on account that a certain princess might make my night last forever if I don't." Applejack said in jest with a serious reluctant request for help.

Zap Apple would be territorial if anyone other than one of his mothers came to touch him during this time of anguish. However, Applejack had a way with words, and even the way she walked towards him felt like a pain reliever prescribed to him by his pediatrician. Although even Dr. Horse's bedside manner was never as comforting like the sound of home. "It's my wing. It, it hurts, I think it's broken." Zap said whimpering to his mother, while also attempting the most grown-up face he could. He wanted to feel like a strong fast flyer. Mimicking the swagger of Rainbow Dash was always a template, and even in times of pain would he strive for that kind of reflection. Zap realized in both of his mother's reactions to each other that no one knew for sure exactly what was wrong with his wing. He knew it hurt and that it might be broken. But there was always more that needed to be answered. "Am I not going to fly now?" Zap asked as if it was an ultimatum. He wasn't playing dumb. He knew ponies got sick, got better, broke a bone, got better. But the panic that surrounded him made him feel like it was much more serious than that, and all he could do is either assume his fate or ask questions. "Do I need to give my goggles back?" He said worryingly, touching his goggles that were wrapped around his neck.

Granola was so impressed with Applejack's soaking in of the spirit of plant cultivation. It was a creed that only a few earth ponies could be this passionate about. If Granola and Applejack were unicorns, they undoubtedly would have been peers of Twilight Sparkle in Celestia's School for gifted unicorns. They were both opening and cataloging all the science and history associated with apple findings. Granola salivated slightly when Applejack pulled out a volume in her own encyclopedia. She wondered if Applejack would ever be willing to let her borrow the editions or allow her to print a copy. But then after the dust settled on what Granola thought was an amazing story, Applejack asked the question Granola was most fearful of. How did she get a hold of zap apple seeds? "Oh, the zap apple seeds?" She tapped her hooves together. "Ya see, there was a private auction on batch of zap apple seeds a few years back and I may have paid a small fortune for them." Granola's forehead started to sweat a few beads. Confessing such a sin against the Apple family, in their own house no less, was not a good environment to be in. But Granola would hope that Applejack's honest nature would provide some grace where it could be warranted. After all, Granola isn't trying to impede on their ability to master the art of zap apple farming. "I was assured by the seller that the seeds were not from Sweet Apple Acres, but from a stray zap apple tree that was found in the Everfree forest. I wasn't even sure that they were really zap apples until they started to bear fruit during the last window." Granola decided now was the best time to show Applejack just the kind of pony she is. She wanted her respect and her guidance with cosmic crisp apples, and she hoped that it would be a beneficial partnership between the both of them. So she put her best hoof forward and attempted to ease into the apple mare's graces in the best way she knew how. She jumped down to the floor and groveled at Applejack's hooves. "Oh please don't be mad at me."