Not Zilch, No, Nothin' (Closed: River)

[SteelEagle]

 

 

Applejack leaned back in her chair, back hooves on her desk as she looked out the window at the morning sun. Like most days in Ponyville it was beautiful and it brought her no small amount of joy to see the birds and pegasi arcing through the sky, and through the open window the hustle of bustle of ponies and animals alike told her that the joy was well-shared. She was a morning mare by all definitions and while she knew more than a few of her students sure as shine didn't share in her crisp morning bounty she could only hope her educational routine helped them cope.

 

She arrived early and made sure her classroom was clean. The tree in the middle was used often for various object lessons but was mostly there because- well, because she liked, she thought it added to her room's aroma, and she could do something fun like grow apples with her spare time. Indeed, recently the class had helped buck the apples off, and today the fruits of their labor adorned their desk- a nice tasty apple for each and every student. It would hopefully help them with their early morning issues and help energize them for today's lesson, one she was excited to get into.

 

As her students arrived, she would greet with them with a hearty howdy and ask them how they were doing. Maybe a bit much for the morning, but she couldn't help it. Two foals wasn't enough to stop her from being bright eyed and bushy tailed!

 

One griffon was certainly not bright eyed and bushy tailed, and that was Gallus. He entered the classroom in flight, his wingbeats sluggish, and his eyes showing more than a few whisps of exhaustion in them, giving away his grogginess. It was evident that he had an early morning struggle to conquer.

 

As he hovered into the room, his movements were languid, as if he was caught in a web of drowsiness. His disheveled feathers and wrinkled chest-fluff hinted at a rushed morning routine, possibly due to oversleeping or a late-night endeavor. The half-smile he couldn't hide entirely told at least half the story as to why this was.

 

"Howdy!" Applejack said, her own smile evident as she looked him up and down. That was one tired but happy griffon.
"Hey," Gallus replied as he found his seat and pulled himself in.
"Looks like you didn't get enough sleep. Feeling alright, sugarcube?"
Gallus smiled.
"Oh, a lot better than alright..."

[Hippo]

Remington was wearing a dark blue hoodie. His head was covered up to the nose so that you could barely see his eyes. As he walked towards his next class, he tried to cloak himself to not be seen by those who would recognize him. He carried his bookbag in a way that covered his cutie mark. Conversation and questions about how he was doing was not something Remington was up for at the moment. And he knew that in his condition, any engagement would just lead to more questions. So he thought it best to slip in unnoticed and embrace the shadow. Once he dove into Applejack's classroom, he ducked himself away from others' eyes and shuffled to the back of the class. Against the back wall, he sat down, put his book bag on the ground next to him, and slouched, folding his hoodie down. If other's noticed his entrance, he promised himself that he wouldn't care.

[SteelEagle]

 

Nopony, no student, could escape Applejack's gaze, nor can their disposition long go unnoticed. Students to and fro entered her class early morning in less than stellar moods. How could some of them not when they were busy being 'on fleek' and other associated terms that Applejack was having to learn against her will over time.  And maybe that had nothing to do with why Remington looked the way he did, and Applejack wasn't going to press. Not too hard, anyway. She knew he had his sleeping issue and she wasn't going to give him a hard time, but if there was anything else involved she needed to know. "Remington, do you need anything?" She asked gently, though she wouldn't press any further if she got a pushback. Soon after he entered everycreature else was in, and she got up from her seat.

 

"Howdy everycreature!" She said, cantering about. She got her smattering of replies as she trotted back up to the front. "Ah hope yer hungry. Them apples are products of yer own hard work. Enjoy'm!" She said as she turned back around to face them. "Or share them, if you don't. Ah know some of ya had busy nights!"

Gallus was comfortable in his chair. As Applejack went about her business, he paid Remington a look. "Hey dude, how ya doing over there?" He asked, taking his apple in his talon and offering it. "Need another?"

[Hippo]

"No." Remingtom mumbled back to the teacher as his slouch become more sunken. His hoodie kept anyone from seeing the whites of his eyes, but he could make out if someone was around him. He did notice the apple on his desk, but he did not touch it. When the blue griffon in class motioned to him and asked if he wanted the apple, Remington shook his head somberly. "I don't like apples", he muttered. Considering the amount of transparency of the class, this was the first time Remington had ever said such an opinion. Only if he possessed this opinion before would it not seem as a shock. A griffon not liking apples? Understandable, and this wasn't the first time that came up.

[SteelEagle]

 

Gallus shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said, tossing it in the air and taking a big bite of it. He was not going to lie and say he loved apples and was totally on board with maintaining this diet when he was amongst his own kind, but the sweetness and the crunch of an apple had come to symbolize a good day. The fruits of his labor had rarely taken so literal a meaning to him and as time passed he found himself contented with doing well and getting those rewards rather than assuming there was some catch to be on the lookout for. "But in all seriousness, you okay?" Gallus asked, concerned for Remington. He was sure it was just the colt's sleep issues but as a griffon whose engines were themselves not fully on- indicated by no less than a yawn- he didn't want to make assumptions. After all, assumptions made an a-

 

-"Well, Ah'll let it slide this time," Applejack said with faux sternness, trying to lighten up Remington's mood, "but anymore apple slander in this classroom and Ah'll banish ya to tha Everfree mahself," she said to the snickers and chortles of the students awake enough to humor her. She made sure to let the moment breathe. "In any case, welcome ta class, everycreature. Ah'm happy yer all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed an' excited ta learn, 'cause today's subject is gonna be mighty interestin'. Tell me, who here remembers our lesson 'bout friendship problems 'mong friends you've known for a while?"
 

[Hippo]

Remington was writing something in his notebook. He muttered under his breath, "Don't worry about me. Just writing poems about death and how pointless life is." As long as they didn't bother him, he was fine with not saying anything else. Whatever it took to get through class without having to participate in whatever silly lesson about friendship, the same one that had been lectured over and over, he thought.

[SteelEagle]

Gallus looked over at Remington and cocked his eyebrow, worried about the poor dude. What in the wing was wrong with him? Remington could sometimes be a bit awkward in the morning because of his condition. Sleep happened when and where rather than a good, set time. But this seemed to be a lot more than. Gallus wasn't gonna press in the class but he'd have to take flight with him later and pick his brain. He needed to-

 

"Alright then!" Applejack interjected into his thoughts as she started her lesson for the day. "We all have good, close friends. And we all still sometimes have some trouble with'm. Nopony's flawless, after all. Even close friends can disagree. Close friends can still look at tha same problem an' come ta different answers and when that happens, close friends can start fightin'. Ah'm sure everycreature here can relate, right?" She asked, looking out over everypony. "An' that ain't a big deal. You know all this. But what happens if tha problem starts when it came from an honest ta goodness effort to help somecreature else?" She looks around, settling on..."Remington, whatcha thinkin'?"

[Hippo]

Remington hated being called on in this moment. He was deliberately not trying to send any signals, as to send a signal that he didn't want any attention. To him, it was obvious. Why else would he being acting in such a reclusive way? He could respond with something bland to encourage the instructor to move on, but the outpouring of his edgy emotional status contaminated his words. "Uh. Yeah. Friendship is magic, and all that stuff." Remington moan out of his cloaked appearance, still only the tip of his red muzzle peaking out from the shadow of his hood.

[SteelEagle]

Applejack was more than willing to give her students all the credit in the world and then some. More than that, she was a mare who understood not everycreature was built for the sun's dawn rays as uniquely as she was. Even MORE than that, she knew that this fella here had a sleep disorder and she wasn't about to put his snout to the stone for not being as bright and bush tailed as even the sleepiest of his fellow students. What she was a little less than happy with was an answer that told her that she wasn't going to be trying today. She knew how boring school could be. For Celestia's sake, she hadn't been the best student herself and if he had his heart set on other tasks, so be it. But she couldn't get behind not giving an honest effort, even if it was half-hearted. "Uhh, sure. That is pretty on the nose in, uhh, general. But that ain't tha answer ta tha question, sugarcube. Mind taking a second ta ponder it?" She asked as she started slowly approaching him.

 

Gallus didn't know what sort of scholastically inclined pearls of wisdom his down-to-dirt professor was about to lay on the desk of the maroon pegasus, but he did know that Remington wasn't in the mood to engage much. And if he didn't want any help directly- fair enough- he could at least do what he did best when he wasn't around Silvie: Deflect. "I think-" he said, bending his head and leaning in towards his teacher, getting Applejack's attention as she neared Remington, "-that you try and understand it from their point of view, and...uhh that's all I got. There's more to it," he said, leaning back now that Applejack was focused on him. It had worked: She nodded towards him. "Yer doin' good, Gallus. An' you ain't wrong, either. It always behooves-" she waited a second to try and ruminate on whether or not that was offensive to those without hooves,
"-you ta look at it from your friend's point of view. That helps understand the why, but what happens when the what is still something that hurts you?" She asked to the room, before  her head lowered to the red pegasus on her right expectantly.