A Nobody's Destiny

Chapters

Day 1: Begin Anew
Day 2: Getting Involved
Day 3: Whispers
Day 7: Spoken Sunset
Day 8: Mysterious Strength
Day 9: New Clothes
Day 10: Petsitting
Day 12: Slumber Party
Prologue
Day 11: A Day At Sweet Apple Acres

Day 1: Begin Anew

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Day 2: Getting Involved

Day 2
Getting Involved

Your New Home - Your Room
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 8:53 AM

You stir from your slumber as the sunlight peeks through the curtains and onto your eyes. You slowly sit up, pull the curtains across, and open your window, taking the same position you had yesterday; your arms folded over each other on the windowsill while staring at the sky, even the birds were out this morning. A knock came at your door as it opened to reveal Vice Principal Luna, or as you would now call her, Auntie Lulu. She was wearing a dark blue bathrobe, but she doesn't appear wet like Celestia was last night.

"Ah, you woke up sooner than I anticipated." She smiles. "Good morning, Naxon."

Good morning, Auntie Lulu

Your response made her eyes widen, but quickly softened as she chuckled, "I didn't think my sister would get you to agree to that so quickly." She motioned with her hand for you to follow, "Come, let's get you to the bathroom to freshen up and head down for breakfast."

You nodded and strayed away from your spot, following your aunt into the room just across from yours; on your right, there's a sink with a mirror-plated cabinet above it and next to that is a toilet, on your left is a towel rack and on the other side of the room is a rectangular bathtub that stretches out to the left and right wall with a shower head just above on the right wall and a window on the back wall.

"Go ahead and take a shower, my sister is making breakfast downstairs." Luna began to leave the room, but stopped at the doorway and turned her head, "Oh, and brush your teeth afterwards, there's an extra toothbrush in the medicine cabinet." She made her exit and closed the door with a 'click'.

You set your pen and papers down on the counter next to the sink, turned the shower on, and began to strip yourself down for your shower, which lasted for twenty minutes until you got out, put a towel on from the towel rack as you retrieved your pajamas, and returned to your room to change into your coat.

Your New Home - 1st Floor
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 9:15 AM

Luna is currently taking her own shower as you made your way downstairs after you put your coat back on, the scent of cinnamon fills the air, it reminds you of the breakfast you had yesterday. From your point of view, the oven sat against the back wall with two small counters on either side that each have a cabinet below them, a refrigerator next to the left counter, a sink sitting on the side wall and against the right counter, and turning your gaze to the side of the staircase, you can see a small door which you can deduce is a pantry. Celestia is just in front of the oven with oven mitts on, slightly opening the door on its front to check its contents.

"A few more minutes..." She muttered as she closed it back up and turned to you, "Oh! Good morning, Naxon!"

Good morning, Mama Tia

She giggles, "Well, breakfast will be ready in a few, could you go set the table?"

You raise an eyebrow.

Realization flashed upon her face, "You don't know how, do you?"

You shake your head.

"Um, how about I help you?"

You nod and follow her past the main hall and into a room adjacent from the kitchen; in the center of the room stood a long table with a simple white tablecloth and eight chairs, one on either end and three on each side. You help her set three places to eat at the end nearest to the entrance with Celestia at the foot of table and you and Luna on either side right next to her.

DING!

"Oh, the cinnamon buns are done!" Celestia exclaimed as she rushed back to the kitchen.

You take your place at the table and wait for Celestia to come back with breakfast. As soon as she did, Luna was with her, completely dressed with her hair slightly damp.

Your New Home - Dining Room
Time of Day: Breakfast
Weather: Sunny
Time: 9:20 AM

You all eat your breakfast in peace, which tastes really good, the icing really complements the cinnamon. For some reason, you feel your fatigue and small aches from this morning wash away as you eat, could the food in this world offer some kind of healing?

"Naxon," Luna caught your attention, "don't you have anything else to wear besides that coat? It's going to be awful warm today."

You shook your head.

Celestia and Luna frowned as the latter spoke up, "Sister, we should think about getting Naxon some new clothes soon."

"I agree."

The rest of the breakfast was spent in silence. Afterwards, you all took your plates to the sink and Celestia grabbed a cluster of keys on a clip.

"Is everyone ready? We need to be at the courthouse early."

"Yes, sister." Luna said.

You nodded and you all exited the house and entered the car, driving to the courthouse for your ID Card.

Canterlot Courthouse
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 9:41 AM

You all entered the courthouse and delivered the documents, the only thing left to do was to get your picture taken. After that, the attendant went through the process of making an ID Card and gave it to you, though you did not, "smile", as your guardians put it, you didn't even know what a smile was, but you didn't let it bother you, you got what you came here for and that's what matters, at least, that's the way you see it.

OBTAINED
ID Card
Your Canterlot identification; it is your proof of becoming a legal citizen in the city of Canterlot.

You and your new guardians left the courthouse and headed for the school, you remember Celestia saying something about joining some of the school's social groups, you also recall the voice in your very first dream saying that you needed to make friends to find the truth and your place in this world. Your thoughts immediately went to that girl, Sunset Shimmer, when she gave you that one hug, a warm sensation flowed through your body, and something in your mind was telling that you wanted that to happen again, it was comforting to you, you suddenly had an unquenchable need to see her again, why is that...?

What's going on with you?

Canterlot High School - Front Entrance
Time of Day: Late Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 10:05 AM

You all arrive at the school parking lot at a decent time, all of the student who are involved with the social groups or want to be involved are gathering within the building, but not without casting some weird glances your way, ranging from curiosity to suspicion. You tap on Celestia's shoulder, earning her attention.

"What's wrong, Naxon?"

Why is everyone looking at me strangely?

Celestia shifted her gaze toward the student body and had a worried look on her features, "It's okay, Naxon, just ignore them for now."

You were reluctant, but nodded, trusting her judgment and continuing into the school. Celestia, on the other hand, wasn't so confident in her words.

Hopefully, we can find Sunset and her friends before something bad happens, Celestia thought.

Canterlot High School - Gymnasium
Time of Day: Late Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 10:11 AM

You and the principals entered the gym when the boy you met at your party, Flash Sentry, and what appeared to be his band were up on the stage doing a sound check on their equipment. You noticed two other groups of people in the room: Sunset Shimmer and her friends near with instruments in hand and Trixie with two other people, you assume they must be the Fuchsia Blush and Lavender Lace she mentioned at your party; one had pale fuchsia skin, such as her name, short, deep purple hair, and baby blue eyes, and the other had lavender skin, much like her name as well, two-toned blonde hair, and purple eyes, they're wearing the exact same thing, dark purple, collared capes over their shoulders, lighter purple dresses with light blue cloth below their skirts and gold sashes at their midsections, and black tights, but the only differences in their outfits are the brooches for their capes, in which Fuchsia Blush's is light blue and Lavender Lace's is royal purple, and their boots, which were the same main color but Fuchsia's had purple straps and white tongues and the tops of Lavender's appeared folded down and laced with gold at its ends.

Celestia and Luna led you Sunset and her group, "Good morning, girls." Celestia said with a smile.

They all said their own version of "good morning" when Sunset noticed you, "Oh! Good morning to you too, Naxon!" She greeted, baring a friendly smile of her own.

Good morning, Sunset

"Sunset, may I speak with you in private?" Celestia asked.

"Um, sure."

The two walked away the group as they conversed amongst themselves, when they were a good distance away from them (and Trixie and the Illusions, with good reason), Celestia and Sunset began their talk.

"Sunset, on our way here, the most of the student body have been giving Naxon the 'evil eye', as some put it."

Sunset's eyes widened in shock, this was exactly what she was afraid of, "Oh no...what do we do?"

"When Vice Principal Luna and I aren't around, I want you and your friends to keep an eye Naxon, make sure the students don't try anything drastic."

Sunset nods and they make their way back to the group as they were in a conversation of their own.

"...Still, I can't believe you and Principal Celestia adopted him." Fluttershy said.

"It was my sister's decision, I only agreed to it after hearing her reason for doing so." Luna replied.

"Well, I can't believe you two got him to call you Mama Tia and Auntie Lulu so quickly!" Pinkie added, making your face heat up.

As Sunset and Celestia made their way back, you turn attention away from the conversation and to Flash and his bandmates, becoming curious about the instrument in his hands. Without warning, you walk toward the stage and climb up top, earning the band's attention.

"Hey there, Naxon, what's up?" Flash greets.

What is that instrument?

"Oh, this? This is an electric guitar," he emphasizes by holding it up.

May I see it?

"Um, sure, just be careful with it, okay?"

You nod and take the guitar from his hands. You examine it in great detail, strumming the strings and positioning your fingers on certain parts of the neck.

"The neck of the guitar has little things called 'frets', they allow you to change the sound of the strings when you play."

You nod in understanding and continue to test the waters of the instrument. After a few test strums with different frets, you feel like you want to try it out for real.

Okay, I think I get it now, you thought.

You struggle with the guitar in your hands, but able to write your question:

Can I try playing this, like, ACTUALLY play?

Flash was surprised, "Really? You sure? You don't look like you have much experience with the guitar."

I have learned a bit from testing this, and I wish to see what I can do

Flash looked at his bandmates for their take on the matter, they all just shrugged, it wasn't long until Flash did the same, "Okay then, what kind of beat do you need from our drummer?"

You think for a moment, then a piece of music pops into your head.

Something fast-paced

"Uh, you sure?"

You nodded.

"Oookay then..."

It was quiet for a moment as you mentally prepared your self.

"Hey, what's Naxy doin' on stage?" Pinkie asked, making everyone in the gym turn to see him.

Then, without warning, the music began to play, as you began to play the guitar, in a short period of time, you played it as if you've played guitar your entire life, yet you know you haven't. Everybody in the room went slack-jawed at your ability.

"He's...playing guitar...so perfectly?" Fluttershy mumbled.

"How is that even possible?" Rarity asked.

"I...have no idea." Sunset answered.

"I don't know either, but he's REALLY good!" Pinkie remarks, "He might be even better than you are, Dashie!"

That single comment was enough to make Rainbow grit her teeth and growl in anger and frustration, "There is NO WAY that he is better than me at ANYTHING!!"

"This is...quite surprising," Luna said.

"Indeed," Celestia replies, "after what Naxon has told us, I strongly doubt he even know anything about a guitar, let alone play it like an expert. Could he be THAT fast of a learner?"

"It is difficult, but not impossible, sister."

"Or maybe he's been lying to us from the very beginning?" Rainbow bluntly suggests.

"Now that's enough, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack yells.

The two of them go back and forth with their arguing, while Trixie and her bandmates just stand where they are in shock, mouths hanging wide open. Flash wasn't faring any better as he was slack-jawed as well, but his bandmates were trying to hold back their reactions and focus on the song. You, on the other hand, were oblivious to the world around you as you continued to play your music.

Somehow...you felt content...like music was your life's work...you lost yourself in it, enjoying the sounds of the instruments creating their musical harmony. You soon came to your senses as the song came to an end, your body shuddered from the sensation the music gave you, and you gave Flash his guitar back and nod in thanks.

You have forged a Z-Link with Flash Sentry.

You make your way back to your group, who are now silent and staring at you.

Celestia clears your throat, "Well, um, we should probably getting going and look for a club or sport for Naxon to join."

"Uh, yes, of course, sister," Luna agreed.

With that, the three of you made your way to the exit and back into the hallway with all eyes on you the entire time.

"Looks like ya got competition, Dash," Applejack says.

Rainbow growled in anger, the thought of you being better than her boiling her blood. Before the doors closed, Trixie snapped out of her stupor and furrowed her brow.

"Hold the phone," she said as she made her way to the door as her bandmates quickly regained their senses and followed her out.

She walked at a brisk pace to catch up to you with the other following close behind, when she reached you, she said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What was THAT!?"

You raise an eyebrow,

What was what?

"THAT!" She motioned to the gym, "Back there, that was amazing! Where did you learn to play like that!?"

You shrug,

Just a few minutes ago

The trio's eyes bugged out at that response, "What!? But, that's impossible! Nobody's a fast learner like that! Especially when it comes to playing guitar!" Trixie explains, frantically.

You inwardly panicked; you forgot that you're not like everybody else and quick learning at your caliber isn't possible. You may have just blown your cover. Before you could think of a way out of this, Trixie leans in close to you with glare, scrutinizing you as if you're some mark her record.

"You're lying," she says, "you have to be. I don't know who you think are, but I'm watching you." She and her bandmates turned and walked down the opposite direction of the hall.

I think I just lost a friend, you thought.

Celestia put a hand on your shoulder, "It's okay," she said, "she'll look beyond it and you two will be friends again, you'll see."

You turned to her and nod, which earned you a smile from her. You all continued down the hall when Sunset and her friends began walking past you.

"Sunset, where are you all going?" Luna asked.

"Flash is gonna be a while, so we're jus' headin' back to th' music room." Applejack explained.

You turn to face Celestia and the look on her features made it seem like she had an idea pop into her head, "You know...maybe you should go with them, Naxon."

"What!?" Rainbow exclaimed.

"It'll be good for you to get to know your new friends better, don't you agree, Sunset Shimmer?" Celestia winked knowingly at her.

Sunset's face lit up, "Oh! Of course, he can come with us! We don't mind, right, girls?"

The group voiced their agreements, except for one.

"Right, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Fine." Rainbow grumbled.

"Good, glad to see you're all giving him a chance," Celestia said, "my sister and I have some paperwork to sort, so we'll be back for him later," she bent down to you and put a hand below your chin, making you shift your gaze up at her, "are you okay with this, Naxon?"

You looked at the girls, Sunset specifically, and felt that warm sensation again, you return your attention to Celestia and nod.

She smiles, "Okay. We'll see you all later!" Celestia and Luna turn around and head for the former's office.

"Why did you let Naxon go with them?" Luna whispered.

"I just thought that Naxon should spend a little time with his friends."

"You're still on him and Sunset being together, aren't you?" Luna deadpans.

Celestia giggles, "Is it really that obvious?"

Luna sighed as they continued their trek. Naxon stared at the backs of his guardians as they walked away, until Sunset reclaimed his attention by putting a hand to his shoulder and giving him a friendly smile.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

You nod and walk with her and the rest of the girls. Suddenly, you felt something cold and piercing boring into the back of your head, you knew this feeling because one of the Organization members explained that an assassin like Number VIII, Axel has this feeling almost all the time during missions.

You were being watched.

Hiding behind a corner of another hallway were Trixie and the Illusions, watching as you and your new friends left.

"It looks like they're headed to the music room," Fuchsia said.

"Duh, Fuchsia," Trixie remarked, "it's the Rainboom's little base of operations here, besides Sugarcube Corner or Sweet Apple Acres," she saw them turn a corner, "c'mon, we're losing them."

"Um, run this by me again," Lavender began as they quickly made their way to the corner you all had passed, "why are we spying on the new kid? Granted, he's a little weird and he always wears that creepy coat, but..."

Trixie stopped and got in Lavender's face, "Naxon is hiding something; he couldn't possibly learn to play guitar so quickly, so we're going to figure out what's going on here. Are you with us, or not?"

Lavender thought about it for a brief moment and nodded.

"Good, now let's hurry."

They continued to follow you and your friends, until you entered a room with double doors. They swiftly took their positions beside the doors; Trixie and Fuchsia on the left, and Lavender on the right. Trixie pursed her lips and put a finger to them, indicating for them to be quiet as she put her ear to the door...

(stop music)

Canterlot High School - Music Room
Time of Day: Late Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 10:30 AM

After everyone gets situated, you explain to the girls what happened between you and Trixie; they didn't seem like it was important to be friends with Trixie, as if they didn't even like her, but Sunset knew this bothered you, so she sat with you on the piano and rested her hand on your shoulder once more, but in a comforting way.

"I'm sorry that you lost a friend, Naxon," she says, "but it'll be okay, you can make new friends, there are other people here than Trixie and the Illusions."

You were reluctant, but nodded all the same. The girls prepared themselves and their instruments for their upcoming song, except for Sunset, who still remained by your side.

"You aren't playing, Sunny?" Pinkie asked, while calling her a cute nickname.

"Not this time, I'm just gonna sit with Naxon and listen," she answered.

Applejack shrugs, "Suit yerself."

Sunset perked up when she remembered something important, something that happens when they play, "Oh, and Naxon?" You turn your head to face her, "You might wanna bear with us for a bit..."

Huh? You thought.

Pinkie raised her drumsticks and tapped them together as she called, "One, two, three!"

There was a time were apart
But that's behind us now
See how we've made a brand new start
And the future's lookin' up, ah-oh, ah-oh!

And when you walk these halls
You feel it everywhere
Yeah, we're the Wondercolts forever, ah-oh, yeah!

We are all together

Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh

Now it's better than ever

Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh

You can feel it, we are back
And I'm so glad that we're better

Better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Oh yeah, we're better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

As the song continued, you began to notice the girls transforming; their ears now sit atop their head, their hair from the backs of their heads have grown longer, and only a couple, namely Fluttershy and Rainbow, have sprouted wings from their backs.

There was a time we couldn't see
Past the differences

That separated you and me
And it left us on our own

But now you walk these halls
And friends are everywhere

Suddenly, you started bobbing your head to the music.

Yeah, we're the Wondercolts forever, ah-oh, yeah!

We are all together

Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh

Now it's better than ever

Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh

Then, your hand began tapping your lap to the beat as the corners of your lips tugged at themselves.

Now that we are back on track
Yes, I'm so glad that we're better

Better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Oh yeah, we're better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Oh yeah, we're better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

Oh yeah, we're better than ever!

(stop music)

When the song ended, they turned back to normal, leaving you to ponder how that happened. Ignoring it for now, you began to clap your hands at their brilliant musical skill.

Rainbow smirked, "You liked that, huh?" You nod. "Well, the song was pretty awesome, but the transformations are twenty percent cooler!"

The transformations did pique my curiosity, but I was more captivated by the song

Rainbow frowned and scoffed, "Well, aren't you Mr. Perfect? Nothing ever seems to faze you, with your near-emotionless straight face and inability to talk. And yet, you sit there, not being bothered by our magic!?" She was getting frustrated now. "You honestly think you're better than us!?"

Fluttershy rushed over to Rainbow, "Rainbow, breathe..." she demonstrated breathing in and out deeply as Rainbow did the same. After she calmed down, Fluttershy asked, "Better?"

"Yeah." Rainbow returned her gaze to you, "Anyway...about the transformations—"

"—It's a long story!" Sunset quickly intercepted.

The girls were surprised, but then became somber, as if however they've acquired their magic wasn't on pleasant terms.

Pinkie stood up from her drum set and walked over to you two on the piano, "Naxy...how we got our magic...well, it's kinda hard to explain, but...let's just say Sunny wasn't always nice."

You looked at Sunset to see her spirits dampen quite a bit. You remembered what Sunset did when she thought you appeared the same way as she does now; that one simple hug. You throw all caution to the wind and gently embrace her, making her gasp in surprise. She turns to you as you both look into each other's eyes.

I just thought you needed a hug. That's what friends do, right?

Sunset began to blush at your written words. You took her silence as your chance to continue.

I understand that this is a sensitive subject, I will not force you to relive bad memories just to sate my curiosity

"Aww, that's so sweet of you, Naxon," Rarity cooed.

"Bleech!" Rainbow moaned, forcing Rarity to glare at her.

The door to the music room opened to reveal the principals, "Sorry to barge in without knocking, but the day's going by, and we finish our paperwork quite efficiently." Celestia said, "How are you all getting alo—" she stopped and noticed you holding Sunset, which make her smirk, "Well, well...what do we have here?"

You swiftly let go and nervously rubbed your hands together with the heat rising in your cheeks.

Sunset became even more flustered than before, "I-I-It wasn't like that! I-I was just upset, and N-Naxon was trying to—!"

She stopped when she heard Celestia giggling, "I'm just teasing, Sunset, no need to get nervous...unless you two really do..." she waggled her eyebrows in a knowing matter.

Sunset at this point was completely speechless, the blazing inferno in the sides of her face did nothing to calm her nerves.

BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!

(stop music)

Rainbow noticed the shrill sound coming from her digital watch, she looked at the time, and her eyes became as wide as dinner plates, "Aw man! I'm late for soccer practice!"

Sunset breathed a quiet sigh of relief, Saved by the beep, she thought.

Rainbow set her guitar on its stand, swiped her backpack, and ran past the principals, "Sorry girls! Let's pick this up tomorrow! Bye!" With that, she exited the music room.

Celestia perked up when she had an idea, "I know! Naxon should try out for soccer!" She said, earning everyone's attention, "It'll be a good way to keep him active and make new friends!"

"Mmm...I don't know, sister," Luna began, "Rainbow Dash seemed very hostile towards Naxon at first glance, so I'm a tad concerned."

Celestia sighed, "I understand why she would be; after the events of the Fall Formal," she stopped and turned to the girl on the piano, "no offense, Sunset," she continued, "and the premature Battle of the Bands, curtsey of the Dazzlings, anyone who wears a jet black hooded coat that comes to this school, new student or not, is considered a threat."

You look down as you take in the information; Sunset wasn't always a good person, and you theorize that something happened at this, "Fall Formal", that has most likely changed her ways, next is this, "Battle of the Bands", you have nothing to go on other than the fact that something bad must've happened similar to Sunset's ordeal. Could this place partially be associated with dark magic? Has the Organization come here without your knowledge of it? Knowing that all of this involves Sunset, and the fact that she's greatly unsettled by it, you decide to ask questions later, at least until Sunset is ready to tell you. It's only fair, after all, you have your own share of secrets that your new friends and family are better off not knowing.

"But nonetheless," Celestia spoke up, pulling you out of your thoughts, "I still wish for him to try out for soccer, maybe Rainbow can open up to him and give him a chance."

Luna sighed, "What do you think, Naxon?"

You shrug,

It's worth a try

Celestia beamed, "Excellent! Shall we go then, Naxon?"

You nod and hop off the piano, making your way to the principals as they exited the room. After the door closed, the girls began to chat with one another.

Pinkie spoke to Sunset in a singsong tone, "I think Naxy likes you!"

"W-W-What!? Not you too, Pinkie!" Sunset exclaimed.

"Now, now, Pinkie," Rarity stepped in, "you shouldn't poke fun at Sunset over some silly theory."

Sunset relaxed a bit, "Thanks, Rarity."

"It's no problem at all, dearie, now if I may," she turned to face Sunset, "what's your opinion on Naxon?"

While they were talking, they failed to notice the voices from the other side of the door, "He's on the move! Quick, after him!"

Canterlot High School - Soccer Field
Time of Day: Late Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 11:19 AM

When you all arrived at the soccer field, you noticed everyone looks lively in terms of practicing, blocking, dribbling, and defending the nets on both opposite sides of the field, which you assumed must be the key point of the game.

Now if only I knew the rules... You think.

Deciding to worry about it later, you let the principals guide you along the sidelines of the field, over to a set of benches with a few of the students conversing with each other.

"Coach Spitfire," Celestia called out, "could we have a moment of your time?"

One of them perked up at the mention of their name; she had yellow skin, fiery orange hair, and dark orange eyes, wearing a blue shirt with a fiery yellow stripe down the front, blue shorts with the same stripe on both its sides, blue and yellow striped wristbands on both her wrists, and blue knee-high cleats with white laces. You could almost taste the burning passion radiating from this girl. You also happened to notice something: doesn't she look a little young to be a coach? Her age appears on par with Rainbow's. She turn to Celestia, stood up, and walked in your direction.

"What's up, Principal Celestia?" She asks.

"I would like to have my adopted son, Naxon try out for the soccer team."

"Really now? So, this guy's the one you adopted?" Spitfire asked, curiously. She fixed her gaze toward you and began circling you. "Hmm..." She hums, scrutinizing you most likely for physical capability, "I could let him participate in the tryouts six days from now, we're trying to get some new recruits for the Wondercolts, can't just stick with the same old team every year, gotta have some new blood, y'know?"

Celestia smiles, "I'm glad you're willing to give him a chance."

"No offense, but don't get your hopes up," Spitfire says, bluntly, "I'm not gonna let just anyone join the team, I need the best of the best, and I'm willing to give your boy a shot. Also..." she eyes you as she draws out her words, "I'm curious to see what he looks like in uniform."

"Are you up for it, Naxon?" Luna asked you.

You nod without hesitation.

"Awesome, let's head for the locker rooms and get you into your Wondercolt uniform!" Spitfire said.

You all follow Spitfire to said locker rooms, but little did either of you know that one of the students conversing was a certain rainbow-haired girl, who overheard your conversation and is now stomping her way behind you.

Canterlot High School - Boy's Locker Room
Time of Day: Late Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 11:27 AM

After entering the locker room, you proceeded to shed your usual black coat and put on your new uniform, which looks exactly like Spitfire's, except yours fits your own frame and it feels like it was made for males of your age.

OBTAINED
Wondercolt Uniform
An outfit with Canterlot High School's signature colors made for sporting events.

+1 Strength
+1 Defense
+1 Speed

Somehow, you feel lighter wearing these clothes than you did with your coat...

OBTAINED
High Jump LV1

Abilities

Abilities will give you an extra boost in battle, or in your everyday life. You will gain new abilities as you continue your adventure, some you will have to level up, some will remain as they are. For example, you have just acquired "High Jump LV1", which will allow you to jump higher, but this ability can level up, meaning it can grow stronger. Be sure to keep track of all the abilities you gain.

You make a quick once over to make sure you've gotten every part of the uniform on, from your shirt to your cleats, and that you've put it on correctly. Feeling that you're wearing it right, you step out of the locker room to show your guardians and Spitfire how you look, and each of them went wide-eyed.

"Oh my...his body's more well kept than I thought," Celestia voiced.

"Your physique is well toned, you must have been exercising during your time in this 'bad place' you once spoke of," Luna added.

Spitfire whistled, "Not bad, kid, you look good, but can you play?"

You grin,

Guess we'll find out, won't we?

Spitfire grins as well, "Confident, I like that, let's see how far that confidence of yours can go during tryouts."

You give a determined nod.

"We're going to talk more about the sport programs, could you wait here until we come back, Naxon?" Celestia asked.

You nod again.

"Be right back."

Celestia, Luna, and Spitfire walk back to the direction of the soccer field, leaving you alone in the hallway. You began to ponder your current situation.

Maybe joining some of these social groups might be good for me, the voice said that friendship with others will help me see the truth...but what truth? Well, other than that, I do need friends, I don't want to be alone like I was before. Speaking of friends, what about Sunset Shimmer? There's something about her that makes me want to show her that I'm a good person. But...I'm keeping secrets from her and her friends...I can't tell them who I really am, not yet, at least. I want to get to know them better, before I tell them the truth. You breathe a silent sigh. Well, anyway, I'll probably join more social groups later on, when I get a better grasp of Canterlot High.

You turn to head back into the locker room to change back into your coat, but just then, someone grabs your shirt and forcefully slams you into the wall, pinning you there. You quint your eyes closed from the pain, but you force them open to see your attacker, who is honestly the least person you'd expect.

Rainbow Dash!? You internally shout.

"Listen here," she began, "I don't know who you are or what you're trying to do, but don't think just because you're Principal Celestia's son, doesn't mean I'll pull any punches. You're on MY turf now."

You try to struggle out of her grip, but she holds firm. Then out of nowhere, Fuchsia Blush and Lavender Lace latch onto Rainbow's arms and pulls her off of you, then they proceed to hold her against the opposite wall as she tries to escape. You slide to the floor and catch your breath from the adrenaline kicking in at that point. Soon, Trixie appears by your side, examining you with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" She asks.

You weakly nod.

"What's going on here!?"

You all turn to see Celestia, who was the one who shouted, Luna, Spitfire, and two others with them; one was female with icy blue skin, purple eyes, and wind-blown white hair, she was wearing the same uniform as Spitfire, the other was male with pale blue skin, green eyes, and wind-blown dark blue hair, similar to the female's, he also was wearing the same uniform.

Trixie stood up and pointed to Rainbow, "She grabbed Naxon and pinned him to the wall, my bandmates pried her off of him while I made sure he was okay."

"It's true!" Fuchsia agreed.

"I saw it with my own eyes!" Lavender added.

Celestia glared in Rainbow's direction before shifting her gaze to you, "Is this true, Naxon?"

You looked at Rainbow, who was still held against the wall, scowling at you with pure hate. She was supposed to be your friend, but you didn't think she distrusted you this much. You internally apologize to her and Sunset Shimmer before you nod in confirmation.

"That's all we needed to know," Luna said, walking over to Rainbow and grabbing her arm, making Trixie's companions let go, "Rainbow Dash, my office, NOW."

The two began to walk away, but before they disappeared behind the corner, Rainbow craned her head back and said, "I'm watching you."

You look towards Trixie and the Illusions,

Thank you for your help

They waved him off, "It's no big deal," Fuchsia said.

"Yeah, totally," Lavender agreed.

"Even though what you told us was impossible, even you don't deserve to be assaulted," Trixie added.

You felt the corners of your mouth tug at themselves again. You have a good feeling that you've got your friend back.

You have forged a Z-Link with Trixie Lulamoon.

"Don't worry, Trixie's not mad at you anymore, especially after what just happened, so I guess we'll see you later," Trixie, along with her followers, began leave, "Oh, and by the way..." Trixie stopped and craned her head back to you, "...You look cute in that uniform." She winks at you, then leaves.

Celestia, Spitfire, and the other two made their way to you and helped you up, asking you if you're okay all the while.

I'm okay, everyone, really, I am

"Are you sure?" Celestia asks, "I just...don't know what I would do if something happened to you. You're my son, you're part of our family now."

I'm flattered Mama Ti Principal Celestia, but I assure you, I am well

Celestia smiles, "At least I care, unlike whoever locked you up."

You nod as you felt something within you; you didn't understand it, but you felt fulfilled and grateful that she said that.

Z-Link Level Up!
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 3/20

OBTAINED
Eternal Flames
No. VIII Axel's primary weapons: his chakrams.

Fire
A low level fire elemental spell.

Weapons
As you level up your Z-Links, you will awaken your hidden abilities, such as the Organization's elemental powers and weapons. The more time you spend with other people, the stronger you become. Keep this in mind as go on through life, make sure your bonds are genuine, and try not to use them for your own selfish reasons.

Magic
Like your weapons, your magic will awaken through your Z-Links. The elements of your magic will vary from the Z-Link's you forge and strengthen. For example, you have just obtained the Fire magic, and Principal Celestia is associated with Axel's element in her Z-Link, as you level up your Z-Links, your magic will grow stronger. Never forget this.

"Dude, did you see that?" The blue-haired guy asked, "Trixie totally likes you!"

"Ha! Yeah, right!" The icy blue skinned girl said, "She was teasing him, genius!"

"And how do you know that, Fleetfoot?"

Fleetfoot deadpanned, "I'm a girl, Soarin'."

"...Oh." Was all Soarin' said.

"Alright, alright, break it up, you two," Spitfire stepped in, "it's not our business to pry into Naxon's love life."

"Yeah, you're right, Spits."

"For once, I actually agree with him," Fleetfoot said.

"Well, we gotta get back to the soccer field, we'll see you all later," Spitfire said as she, Fleetfoot, and Soarin' turned back to said soccer field, but not before she stopped to talk to you one last time and smirked, "I'll see you at tryouts...Rookie."

As you gazed at her retreating backside, you noticed she, like your friends, has her own pet name for you. Celestia puts a hand to your shoulder, earning your attention.

"Shall we find Auntie Lulu and head home?" She asks, "After what just happened, I think we should look for social groups some other time."

You nod in agreement and after changing back into your coat, you two leave the hallway you were in. After a good five minutes, you were able to find Luna walking through the halls.

"Sister, Naxon, I was just looking for you two," she says.

"How did it go with Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked.

"She will be in detention for most of the week," she answered, "so, what are we doing now?"

"We're going home for today, too much excitement, if you what I mean."

"Understandable."

You all made your way back through the entrance and headed for the car, but not before seeing Fluttershy over by the statue with a stack of fliers in her arms.

I guess band practice must be over, you think, but what's with the paper?

She held one out and you could barely hear, "Canterlot Animal Shelter needs more volunteers, won't you help an animal that can't help itself?"

But, unfortunately, everybody ignored her, as if she wasn't there. The fliers began fall out to the ground one by one as she slid against the statue, she put her arms around her legs and buried her head in them, beginning to cry. You wasted no time rushing to her side and began to pick her fliers up for her. Doing this earned her attention as she looked up to see you.

"Oh! Um...H-Hello, Naxon...what are you doing here?"

I saw what happened, are you okay?

She looked away, "I...I'm fine."

You furrowed your brow,

You're a bad liar

She just squeaked.

Please, tell me what's wrong

She hesitates, "I just...every Wednesday I pass out fliers for the animal shelter, but nobody seems to want to help the poor, little animals. I know today isn't Wednesday, but I thought if I'd try on a different day, people might try to help."

I think I understand now, but what I don't understand is why no one would want to help a defenseless animal

Fluttershy sighs, "Some people are just that way, I guess."

For some reason, you felt as if your blood was on fire, Some people don't care about animals!? All these normal humans are no better than the Organization!...Well, almost all of them.

Fluttershy eventually decided to help pick up the fliers and when you got them all, you helped her up and gave them back to her, but you took one for yourself.

OBTAINED
Canterlot Animal Shelter Flier
An informational piece of paper that shows what time the shelter is open and where to find it. It is also your symbolic promise to assist Fluttershy there, at least, that's the way you see it.

Fluttershy looked surprised, "W-What are you doing?"

Isn't it obvious? I'm going to volunteer for the animal shelter

Her eyes lit up, "Really!? You mean it!?"

You nod.

She rushes up and hugs you tightly, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She realized what she was doing and quickly let go, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to just hug you like that! I was just in the moment, and—"

You put a finger to her lips,

It's okay, I'm happy to help

She just smiles, then she swiftly took off before either of you could say something else. Celestia walked up to you with a smirk.

"Well, aren't you the helpful one?" She asks, knowingly.

I just did what I thought was right

"That doesn't make it any less noble," she states with a smile, "come, let's go home."

You return with Celestia to the car with Luna and drive back to the house. The rest of the day is uneventful...

(stop music)

Your Home - Your Room
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 9:03 PM

After you finished your dinner, you decided to return to your bedroom to change into your pajamas and recuperate after today's events. You found yourself resting on your window sill once again and staring at the sea of stars above.

"The night truly is gorgeous, isn't it?"

You turn to see Luna standing in your now open doorway, she must've opened it quietly as not to spook you. She made her way to your bed and sat on it as you moved aside to allow her to see the night sky with you.

"I've always favored the night, ever since I was a little girl," she chuckled, "I told my sister that I'll never sleep during the night, that I'll sleep all day so I could be awake for the glorious night. But our parents wouldn't let me. Looking back on it, it's actually pretty funny."

You really love the night, don't you?

"Yes, it's something I always look forward to at the end of the day; the sparkling stars, the glowing moon, it's all magnificent to me."

I know what you mean, Auntie Lulu, the night, to me, is second nature in my life

Luna smiles, "I'm glad to see someone else shares my vision." She leans over and kisses your forehead, "Good night, Naxon."

Good night, Auntie Lulu

Z-Link Level Up!
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 2/20

Luna stands up and leaves your room, closing the door behind her. After a few more minutes, you close your window and pull your diary out of your nightstand, flipping the pages until you find a blank spot. Taking the pen that Luna gave you, you began to chronicle your life here thus far.

New World, New Life section
Day 1
After being taken in from a terrible thunderstorm and escaping the Dusks, I woke up with a chance to start over, I've already made new friends, despite one of them being suspicious of me, I was even taken in by two women, who were the principal and vice principal of the school that I have now been enrolled in: Canterlot High School. They have given me a place to stay, put food in my stomach, even one of my new friends threw a party for me, invited a lot of people, and I've acquired new items to assist me in the coming days.

Day 2
The day started out well; I ate breakfast, discovered that the food here have some kind of healing properties, received my proof as a citizen here in Canterlot, and when we arrived at the school, people have been giving me strange looks, even now, I don't understand, but we entered the building nonetheless. Inside, I've met up with my friends, twice, taught myself how to play guitar, learned something new about my friends, which is that they're somehow magical, applied for the soccer team, and I've agreed to help Fluttershy at the Canterlot Animal Shelter. Disregarding the fact that one of my new friends, Rainbow Dash, had assaulted me after donning my Wondercolt uniform, overall, today was a good day.

You close your diary, stuff it back into your nightstand, and lay back onto the bed, letting sleep take you once more.

Author's Note

Inventory

Weapons

No. VIII - Eternal Flames

Money

$50.00
Gift Card: $10.00 (Sugarcube Corner)

Armor

Black Coat (Defense +2)
(E) Pajamas (Defense +1)
Wondercolt Uniform (Strength +1, Defense +1, Speed +1)

Items

Apple x 7 (+20 HP)
Fizzy Apple Cider x 7 (+50 HP)
Sm. Chocolate Cupcake x 1 (+30 HP)

Abilities
High Jump LV1

Magic
Fire

Key Items

Diary
Popsicle Stick
Seashell
Paper Stack
Luna's Pen
ePhone 6
Celestia's Number
Luna's Number
House Number
Pinkie's Number
Wallet
ID Card
Canterlot Animal Shelter Flier

Z-Links

VI - Trixie Lulamoon - Lv. 1/20
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 2/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 3/20
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 1/20

Day 3: Whispers

Day 3
Whispers

Canterlot High School - Main Foyer
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 8:13 AM

After having a good breakfast, sausage gravy and biscuits, courtesy of Principal Celestia, or to you, Mama Tia, you all made it to the school and entered the Main Foyer, where, coincidentally, Sunset Shimmer was waiting for you.

"Okay, Naxon," Celestia began, "we're going to head for our offices, Sunset Shimmer will kindly give you a tour around campus, then drop you off at your first class."

"Which reminds me, here's your schedule." Luna adds, handing you a piece of paper.

OBTAINED
Class Schedule
A piece of paper filled from top to bottom with the classes you're supposed to attend and what time to be there.

Miss Cheerilee: English - Room 103 (8:30 AM- 9:30 AM)
Ms. Harshwhinny: Algebra - Room 145 (9:35 AM- 11:00 AM)
Lunch Period (11:10 AM - 11:55 AM)
Coach Spitfire: P.E. - Room 121/Gymnasium (12:05 PM - 1:00 PM)
Mr. Donkey: Biology - Room 222 (1:05 PM - 2:00 PM)
Free Period (2:00 - 2:30)
Final Bell (2:30)

After looking it over, you nod to your guardian before Celestia winked and said, "The free period was my idea, you can come see me or Vice Principal Luna during that time."

You nod again before turning your attention to Sunset, "So, Naxon," she began, "you ready to begin the tour?"

Once again, you nod and you two made your way through the halls, leaving the principals behind.

"Sister..."

"Yes, Luna?"

"I can't help but worry that the students will become very hostile towards Naxon due to his appearance and shaded background, I mean, take Miss Dash for example; she attacked him, believing he could be a possible threat, despite what everyone else says. If she can do that, who is to say any other suspicious student won't?"

Celestia sighs heavily, "...I'll admit, I'm worried, too. But Naxon will let us know if something happens, if he does, we'll take serious measures."

"Like what kind of 'serious measures'?"

Celestia smirks, "You'll see."

Canterlot High School - Hallways
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 8:20 AM

Time slowly went by as Sunset showed you around the school, describing the classrooms when you didn't know what some them were. Soon, you two came up to a poster that read, "The Friendship Games" as the main font.

"Oh, yeah! The Friendship Games coming up again this year!" Sunset exclaims.

You raise an eyebrow.

"Oh...right," she blushes and rubs the back of the head, "I forgot you're still new here," she gets the heat in her cheeks under control and clears her throat, "well, the Friendship Games are a series of events that us, the Canterlot Wondercolts, and our rivals, the Crystal Prep Shadowbolts, compete in; these games were meant for all of us to get along, but Crystal Prep Academy always beat us. Always."

You pulled out your pen and paper,

Maybe there's something I can do to change that

Sunset went wide-eyed, "You want to compete in the Friendship Games?"

You nod.

"Well...okay, then. Let's just wait till your soccer tryouts, Spitfire will know if you're good enough to enter."

A long silence build between you two as you continued to walk the halls.

"Hey..." Sunset began, earning your attention, "I heard a rumor that...Rainbow attacked you yesterday."

You stopped in your tracks at the mention of Rainbow, the memories of yesterday flooding back to you like a blur.

"It's not true...is it?"

You silently sigh and write out your response,

Yes...it's true

Sunset gasps; how could Rainbow do such a thing? She couldn't believe that her friend would attack someone based on a gut feeling.

You write down anything that transpired between you and Rainbow, also adding how you didn't want her to get trouble, but you had no choice.

"Hi, Sunset! Hi, Naxy!" You two turn to the direction of the voice and see Pinkie waving her arms around as she joins you with the rest of the Rainbooms, minus Rainbow Dash.

"Uh, is somethin' wrong?" Applejack asks.

"Girls..." Sunset sighs, "the rumor about Rainbow is true."

They all gasp, compared to Sunset's, theirs is a little more overdramatic.

"How is that even possible?" Rarity asked.

"It wooould explain why Dashie's in detention right now." Pinkie adds.

"Hang on a sec, are ya tellin' th' truth, Naxon?" Applejack asked suspiciously as she walks up to you.

You give her the paper you wrote on that explains the previous day, she exchanges her gaze from the paper to you every few seconds, slightly unnerving you. Until she stops with a look of dread, which then changes to despair.

"He's tellin' th' truth," she says, defeated.

They all gasp even louder.

You start to panic,

I didn't mean to get her in trouble! I was put in a tough spot, and

"Naxon, it's okay!" Sunset said, halting your writing by grabbing your shoulder and massaging it to calm you down, "we'll talk to her about this later, and if it makes you feel better, we'll tell her that you feel terrible about what happened."

You were very hesitant, but after a while, you nodded to them.

(stop music)

BRRRRRRING!

"That's the first bell!" Rarity exclaims, "We MUST get to class!"

"You guys go ahead," Sunset says, "I'll escort Naxon to his first class, besides, he and I both have Miss Cheerilee this period."

"Okie Dokie Loki! See you later, Sunny and Naxy!" Pinkie cheerfully says as she bounces down the hall with the others.

You two made your way through the halls once more to find your first for the day. On the way, Sunset hands you a map of the school, saying that it's in case you ever get lost.

OBTAINED
Canterlot High School Map
A map to help you navigate Canterlot High School.

"Here it is!" Sunset declares as you two arrive, "Room 103! C'mon, Naxon!" You nod and follow her in.

Once inside, you noticed that nearly the entire class stopped any and all conversation they had when they saw you walk in. With an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach, you take a seat right next to Sunset's, knowing that she can help you out should things get hairy. The second bell rings, indicating the beginning of class and the beginning of the lectures and written tardy slips from your teacher.

"I do hope some of you will get better at being on time," she scolded, but brightened up as she official began teaching, "anyway, we have a new student joining us today, I heard from the principal herself, Naxon? Could you stand up and introduce yourself to the class?"

That feeling in your stomach grows stronger as you slowly stand up and write your introduction,

Hello, my name is Naxon, and I hope to get along with all of you

"Oh, that's right, Principal Celestia said you were a mute," she giggles softly, "nearly threw me for a loop there, well, let's get started," you took that as your chance to quickly sit back down, "if you could all get out your textbooks, we'll begin studying the riveting stories of Sherclop Pones and the author."

You realize you don't have a textbook and your eyes went wide in fear of what might happen if you don't have it.

"Psst!" You hear a voice hiss, you turn to see Sunset holding an open textbook, "We can share one for now, okay?" She whispers to you.

You gratefully nod as you scoot closer to Sunset's desk. The next thing you knew, you heard other hissing voices:

"Isn't that the guy who came during the storm?"

"That's gotta mean he's another magical monster or something!"

"Yeah! And that black coat's creepy, too!"

"Wonder if it's some sort of sign?"

The hissing voices are greatly upsetting you, and one look at Sunset shows that she senses your distraught. You clench your eyes shut and try to drown out the whispers by remembering the day you met...him.

Roxas...

The Castle That Never Was - Your Room
Time of Day: ???
Weather: ???
Time: ???
Days Passed By: 137

You continued to sit on your bed in your room after waiting one hundred-thirty days for Vexen to return like he said after giving you your "tune up" as he called it, mentioning something about taking over the Organization. You didn't understand what that meant; you never understood anything, there was no reason to, you were made to obey, nothing more, nothing less. You estimate at least three hours before you heard the door open, but it wasn't Vexen, not even Saïx or Xemnas, it was a boy that looked similar to you in height and weight, he was wearing the same black coat as you, with ocean blue eyes, and had golden brown hair that had a spiked tip at the front of his hairline.

"Hello?" He weakly greeted.

You remain silent.

"Who are you? Are you okay?" He asked.

You don't know how it happened, but a thought of how to communicate came to you; you picked up your "0"-marked diary and opened it to the back of the last page, grabbing a pen in the process. You began to write your response:

My name is Naxon, and I am as you say, "okay"

The newcomer appeared confused, "Okay...you can't speak?"

You shook your head left and right.

"Hmm...you kinda remind me of a friend of mine."

You tilt your head in confusion.

"A friend. You know, a person you spend time with?"

In that case, no, I do not have a "friend" as you call it

"Really?" He asked, and you nod, "Maybe WE could be friends. I'm Roxas."

It's an honor to meet you, Roxas

"Y'know...there's no need to be formal," he comments.

"Yo! Roxas, where are you!? We have a mission, remember!?"

Roxas jumps at the sudden loud voice, "Axel's looking for me, I gotta get going. I'll see you later, okay?"

You nod, and Roxas exited your room. But little did you know that that day was the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

"Naxon!"

(stop music)

You feel a jolt of surprise as the teacher's voice forces you out of reminiscing, making the students laugh quietly at the situation you're currently in.

"Are you alright? I was talking to you and you weren't answering, is something wrong?"

You give a sideways glance to Sunset and notice that she seems very worried about you, as if she knew something like this would happen. You recollect yourself and write with a slightly shaky hand,

I'm fine, really, I am, please continue

"Well..." Cheerilee looked unsure, "...okay then. Let's continue, shall we?"

As Miss Cheerilee went back to her lesson, the whispers started right back up, unsettling you once more, but Sunset rested her hand on your shoulder and slightly massaged it while flashing a reassuring smile. It was enough to get you through the lesson and both you and Sunset made your way to your guardian's office before the next class...

Canterlot High School - Principal Celestia's Office
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Cloudy
Time: 9:31 AM

Once inside, you and Sunset took your seats and the latter explained exactly what happened in first period, thankfully, Vice Principal Luna was conveniently delivering some papers to Celestia just before they came in, so she heard everything as well.

Celestia hummed, "I see...we had a feeling that Naxon would experience some trouble on his first day here, and I have a simple solution to this."

"You mean your, 'serious measures'?" Luna asked.

"Exactly. Sunset Shimmer," at the mention of her name, Sunset focused her full attention to her principal, "from here on out, you are to escort Naxon to all of his classes to ensure his safety from the more hostile students."

"You can count on me, Principal Celestia." Sunset said.

Luna looked at Celestia with slight annoyance, "That's your idea of 'serious measures'?"

"Well..." Celestia droned, "I was considering of using our positions as principal and vice principal to scare the students into leaving him alone, maybe even be his friend, but..." she looked down in shame, "I quickly banished the thought. It would be an abuse of our authority and a bad example for my new son and my sister's new nephew. So I decided something different, Sunset and her friends could help Naxon through his days at this school, and help the rest of the school open up to him and vice versa, especially Rainbow Dash."

"Don't worry," Sunset began, "the girls and I can handle this, right, Naxon?"

You didn't answer, you just sat with your head down, wondering why everyone's thoughts bothered you. You knew they all would be skeptical of you, it shouldn't bother you...

...So, why does it?

"Naxon?" You felt a hand on your shoulder, shaking you to get your attention, "Naxon, wake up."

"He's probably still upset." Celestia said, "Sunset, take very good care of him today."

Sunset nodded, eventually, she finally got you to snap out of it and took you to your next class, which ended just like the last, the same with lunch, third, and fourth period, all those times you felt like a machine; you were working, but your mind wasn't focused on any of the lessons, you were completely zoned out the whole day, much like your days with the Organization...locked in your room. No...your prison.

???

Darkness.

That's all you see.

But for some reason, you can see your own hand, maybe the rest of the world is darkness, but you're not?

Then you hear something.

Something that scares you to no end.

Whispers.

You can't make out what they're saying, but they're scaring you, making you put your head in your hands.

So you ran.

You ran and ran and ran.

Though they were quiet, to you, they felt like they were growing louder, even when they weren't.

Then they stopped.

(stop SFX)

You removed your hands from your head and looked up.

Someone stood before you.

Someone you know.

It was Sunset Shimmer.

And she doesn't look very happy.

"Liar." She muttered.

What?

"LIAR."

Oh no.

"LIAR!"

She knows. How did she know?

Tears formed in both yours and her eyes as screeched that same word again.

"LIAR!!!"

Your Home - Your Room
Time of Day: Late Night
Weather: Cloudy - 40% Chance of Rain
Time: 12:04 AM

You woke up with a start, forcing yourself into a sitting position, silently breathing heavily. You found your face dripping in cold sweat, looking around, you notice that you're in your room with Luna, who is sitting on the edge of your bed, rubbing your back to calm you down.

"It's okay, Naxon," she assured, "you were just having a bad dream."

You look at her with a horrified expression, continuing to hyperventilate as you unknowingly giving her your gratitude from your now relaxing muscles.

"What was it about, if you don't mind me asking?"

You look to your nightstand to find your pen and papers, pick them up, and write,

The whispers

You deliberately left out the part with Sunset, knowing the reason for that.

Luna was a little surprised by your response, but regained her bearings and began stroking your hair, "It's going to be okay, Naxon. If it'll make you feel better, I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

You wrote with a hopeful look,

Really?

Luna smiled, "Yes."

Z-Link Level Up!
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - 3/20

OBTAINED
Lunatic
No. VII Saïx's primary weapon: his claymore.

Shockwave
A power that can only be used with Lunatic; randomly inflicts Silence upon your opponents, which prevents them from using magic.

With your new aunt's comforting words, you lay back down onto your bed when you hear the pitter-patter of rain on your window. Strangely, the sound, along with Luna's soft hand continuously stroking your slightly sweat-matted hair, was able to lull you to sleep. No nightmares overtook you this time...

Day 4

In the morning, Luna explained what happened last night to Celestia, after hearing what she had to say, the new mother made her decision.

"That's it, we're taking a family day." Celestia said with finality in her tone, "I'll have someone watch over the school while we're gone. Go wake up Naxon, we're going to the beach."

Later that day, they all did indeed head to the beach, where it was raining last night, it was bright and sunny today. Celestia gave you a pair of denim blue swim trunks that she had as a spare when one of her male visiting family members forgot to bring theirs.

OBTAINED
Swim Trunks
A bathing suit made for males.

Speed +1
Water resistance +5%

As time went by, you noticed that Sunset Shimmer has arrived, but wearing her usual clothes, asking where you all have been, and Celestia explained the situation.

Guess school must be over today already, you thought, man, time flies.

For the remainder of the day, you and Sunset talk—you with your papers, of course—about quite a few things; what happened in school today, Rainbow's detention, the Rainbooms, and even your nightmare, which Sunset gave you her condolences. After Sunset headed home, Celestia and Luna decided for you all to do so as well.

Z-Link Level Up!
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - 4/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - 4/20

OBTAINED
Burn, baby!
A power that can only be used with Eternal Flames; turns the entire battlefield into magma, which slowly depletes your opponent's HP.

Day 5

You returned to school and followed your usual schedule, but Sunset escorted you to all of your classes, mainly in silence.

Good thing Principal Celestia put us both in all the same classes, Sunset thought.

This time, with Sunset's help, you were able to ignore the whispers of the other students and focus on the lessons in your classes.

The rest of the day is uneventful...

Day 6

Another day of school, and Sunset is walking with you again, only now, you two are making conversation. The students seem to be paying less attention to you today, more so when you and Sunset head for the school's amphitheater for band practice, after your stunt four days ago, you don't plan to play guitar again anytime soon. After practice, Sunset walks you home, and Celestia offers her to stay for dinner, which she obliges. Celestia and Luna made spaghetti and meatballs, enough to fill the four of you up. During dinner, you finish off the fizzy apple cider you started to drink the day of your welcome party, then you all make small talk until it gets late, and Sunset takes her leave.

As you prepare for bed, you can't help but feel that you and Sunset are about to become closer than ever before.

Much like you and...Roxas.

Author's Note

Inventory

Weapons

No. VII - Lunatic
No. VIII - Eternal Flames

Money

$50.00
Gift Card: $10.00 (Sugarcube Corner)

Armor

(E) Black Coat (Defense +2)
Pajamas (Defense +1)
Wondercolt Uniform (Strength +1, Defense +1, Speed +1)
Swim Trunks (Speed +1, Water resistance +5%)

Items

Apple x 7 (+20 HP)
Fizzy Apple Cider x 6 (+50 HP)
Sm. Chocolate Cupcake x 1 (+30 HP)

Abilities
High Jump LV1
Shockwave (Lunatic only)
Burn, baby! (Eternal Flames only)

Magic
Fire

Key Items

Diary
Popsicle Stick
Seashell
Paper Stack
Luna's Pen
ePhone 6
Celestia's Number
Luna's Number
House Number
Pinkie's Number
Wallet
ID Card
Canterlot Animal Shelter Flier
Class Schedule
Canterlot High School Map

Z-Links

VI - Trixie Lulamoon - Lv. 1/20
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 4/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 4/20
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 1/20

Forgive me if the class schedule doesn't look right, in my high school, we only had four extended class periods and lunch in between.

Day 7: Spoken Sunset

Day 7
Spoken Sunset

Canterlot High School - Hallways
Time of Day: After School
Weather: Sunny
Time: 2:32 PM

The final bell rung a couple minutes ago and everyone had vacated the hallways, leaving you and Sunset by yourselves, the latter wearing an entirely new outfit; a black, zip-up jacket with an orange arrow pointing upwards on each sleeve, underneath that is a light blue blouse with a yellow, see-through trim below, blue pants, and black, heeled boots with a belt and buckle on each one and the same upward arrow pattern as the jacket.

"I have to go meet up with the girls for band practice...well, sort of like band practice." Sunset says.

You raise an eyebrow, wondering what she meant by that.

"Anyway, you can go on home, the students aren't around so you shouldn't run into any trouble on the way. I'll see you tomorrow, Naxon." She then turns around and heads to her destination, but she didn't get very far.

With some unknown force, you find a weird feeling climbing up your throat, and you instinctively opened your mouth.

"Sun...set..." You spoke in a slightly strained voice.

She gasped and turned her head in swift succession, staring at you wide-eyed. "Naxon...?"

You turned to face her as you spoke again, "...That's your name, right? 'Sunset'?"

She was dumbfounded for a moment, but she was able to reply, "...Yeah, Naxon. It is."

You were quiet for a few moments, then you said, "I'll see you later." And then turned back around and left.

You have forged a Z-Link with Sunset Shimmer.

When you turned a corner, Sunset pulled out her cell phone and texted her friends:

New Group Message: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity
OMG!!! NAXON JUST SPOKE!!! ON MY WAY TO PRACTICE!!!

After she sent the group text, she pocketed her phone and ran, not to the amphitheater, but a science lab.

On your way back home, you walked by a dark alleyway, you involuntarily turn your head towards it, and instantly doing a double take when you saw a familiar face.

"Roxas!?"

By the time to gazed into the alley again, he disappeared, as if he was never there. Was he even there at all? Or do you miss him so much that you're beginning to see visions of him?

"Roxas..."

You decided to brush it off as an optical illusion and continue your trek home.

Your Home - Living Room
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Time: 2:57 PM

After over half an hour walking all the way back to the house, you made your way to the living room, where Celestia and Luna were waiting for you to return.

"Ah, good afternoon, Naxon." Celestia said.

You take a deep breath and say, "Hello, Mama Tia...hello, Auntie Lulu."

They both gasp in surprise, "You can talk!?" Luna asked.

You nod, "It just...came to me, I guess."

Celestia stood from the couch and walked over to you, cupping your face in her hands, tears of joy leaking all the while, "My baby can talk..." she then pulled you into a bone-crushing hug that easily rivaled Pinkie's, "My baby can talk!"

Luna rushed over and hugged you both, joyfully crying as well. You raise your hands and hug them back, feeling a warmth in your chest. After a few minutes of Celestia and Luna crying and hugging, you all break the embrace and your two caretakers dry their tears.

"Sorry, Naxon, we're just so happy you can talk, we were worried you would be a permanent mute."

"That doesn't seem to be the case anymore." you say in a little clearer voice, now getting used to talking.

"How about...you spend some time with your friends today?" you looked confused, "We've been together for less than a week, you should spend more time with the girls."

You nod in understanding and give them one last hug before taking your leave back to the school.

Canterlot High School - Hallways
Time of Day: After School
Weather: Sunny
Time: 3:42 PM

You've searched just about everywhere for the girls, the amphitheater, the music room, the gymnasium. Where else could they be? Your question was answered by a familiar voice within the science lab.

"Well, you are, sort of." you put your ear to the door to hear better, "Back when I was Princess Celestia's student, I learned best by going out into the field and actually doing something, studying ancient books is fine for some people, but I like to solve magical mysteries by rolling up my sleeves and getting hooves—uh, hands dirty." you then hear a snap, most likely from a rubber glove, you theorize.

What did she mean by hooves? And did she say Princess Celestia? Doesn't she mean "Principal"?

"I can relate to workin' hard outdoors, but what the hay does that have to do with us playin' music?" you hear Applejack ask.

"I'm trying to figure out how magic works here," you hear Sunset explain, "why you grow ears, tails, and wings when you pony-up and what your instruments have to do with it."

"Um, are you sure we need to figure it out?" you hear Fluttershy ask, meekly.

"It'll be fun, just start playing, you won't even know I'm here!" you hear Sunset say, excitedly.

Deciding that you've eavesdropped enough, you knock on the door.

"I wonder who that could be?" Sunset says, then opens the door, "Naxon!? I thought you went home!"

You shake your head and walk in the lab.

"Naxon...?" Sunset mutters.

You take a deep breath...

"Hello, girls, lovely day, is it not?"

They all share a collective gasp from shock.

"Sunset was tellin' the truth!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Naxy can talk now!" Pinkie added.

"Goodness...!" Fluttershy whispers, incredulously.

"And such a soothing voice, too!" Rarity utters, breathlessly.

You feel your face heat up at their words, only to cool down when you didn't hear Rainbow say anything. You take this chance and speak, "Rainbow Dash...I...I'm sorry for getting you into trouble."

Rainbow perked up, "W-What?"

"That day, when you pinned me—"

"No, I mean, why're YOU apologizing to ME?"

"Huh?"

"Look..." Rainbow fidgeted, "I'm sorry for attacking you. I just lost it, y'know? You acting like Mr. Perfect really got to me."

"Water under the bridge, and secondly..." you look away, "I'm far from perfect..."

"I'm glad you two got things patched up," Sunset says, smiling, "and Naxon?"

You turn to her, "Yes?"

"How about...you be my assistant and help me with my experiment?"

"Really?"

"Of course! You're my friend!"

You felt your lips tug at themselves again, you make a mental note to ask Mama Tia and Auntie Lulu what that means, "...Okay."

"Great! Let's get started!" Sunset declares as she eagerly strides to the machine on the far wall.

Sunset began typing on a computer, preparing some sort of program, and gave Fluttershy a thumbs-up, then she started playing her tambourine. The monitor was detecting the energy waves perfectly, until the waves twisted and morphed into the shape of a butterfly, which confused you and Sunset. Fluttershy transformed and glowing butterflies flew out of her helmet, effectively knocking out the power; one ended up on Sunset's nose while the rest converged on you, making you a massive glow stick, much to Sunset's amusement as she tried to stifle her giggles.

Now it was Applejack's turn, she transformed when she played her bass guitar as Sunset and yourself were taking notes, but she reverted back to normal, much to yours and Sunset's confusion. It was then a bunch of magical glowing apples fell on top of Sunset and one fell into Applejack's hand and she ate as she walked away. Sunset stuck her head her out of the pile of apples she was in just in time to see five more apples bounce off the top of your head, prompting you to drop your clipboard and pencil, annoying you greatly, even more so from Sunset's giggling.

Sunset placed several electrodes on different parts of Rarity's body, since it was her turn next, she began to play her keytar and transform as well with you and Sunset taking notes, but then Rarity begun to float in midair and caught you and Sunset in the electrodes wires, causing Sunset to fall to the floor and you, standing too close, dangling just below Rarity, who gave you both a sheepish smile.

Pinkie's turn has come as she was playing the drums, you and Sunset were watching the machine scanning her energy waves, then Pinkie began to transform like the others and got a little too wild with her drumming and created several magical balloons flying towards you and Sunset, the latter clinging to the wall from static electricity and the former caught in the balloon strings and floating up to the ceiling, making you more annoyed.

Next came Rainbow's turn as she played her electric guitar, but this time, you and Sunset stayed behind a wall in another room with her laptop, a mic, and a few other things. You, personally, are glad you'll be shielded from the inevitable onslaught of magic by being in a different room than the test subject, A.K.A. Rainbow Dash.

Or so you thought.

Rainbow floated up and transformed as she played, which made Sunset smile at her progress. At that moment, you noticed a rainbow trail flowing through the cord that Rainbow's guitar was hooked up to...which was also hooked to the outlet in the wall you two were behind.

"Uhh, Sunset?" you say.

"What is it?" Sunset asks.

You point to the rainbow trailing cord as it made its way to the wall, making Sunset's laptop shine rainbow-like and splatter a rainbow colored substance everywhere.

...You swear this girl has an obsession with rainbows.

(stop music)

Everyone's tuning their instruments as you brush the last bit of "rainbow goop" from your coat.

"Well, that worked like a dream." you say sarcastically.

"It did!?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

You just gave her a deadpan look, which she got the message and went back to checking her drums.

"Finally, after all this testing, I've come to a definitive conclusion!" Sunset declares as you take a good look at her; her entire body is steaming, her face and lab coat are all scuffed up, her hair is burnt and blown back with static radiating from it, and she just coughed up a rainbow, how that was possible, you may never know, "I have no idea how magic works in this world. Ahhh..." she then begins to faint.

"I gotcha." you rush to her side and catch her before she hits the floor.

She opens her eyes and looks at you, "Thanks, Nax..." she stops herself as you two gaze into each other's eyes.

You somehow find comfort within her cyan green orbs, like they alone would protect you from the darkness itself, regardless of how cheesy that would sound. You then noticed Sunset's face turning red, was that the same thing you felt when your face burned? Is it bad? You let go of those thoughts for now and help her stand back up, but her eyes never left yours, not like you wanted them to. Sunset realized what she was doing and quickly recomposed herself.

"Um...T-Thank you, Naxon." she says.

"Um, yeah, you're welcome." you reply as you look away, scratching the back of your head.

What's with you? You've never felt like this before. Is it these girls making you feel these things?

Or is it just Sunset?

"Okay, dearie," Rarity takes Sunset by the hand along with Fluttershy, both trying to withhold their smiles, "let's get you cleaned up, we'll start with your hair." with that, lead her to a nearby seat, allowing you to walk over to a window and prop yourself on the wall next to it, giving you a chance to think for a bit.

When Sunset sat down, her two friends began to fix her hair. "Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked Sunset.

"I'll be fine, just need to clean myself up a bit." she responds.

"Um, I hope I don't sound out of line or anything, but..." Fluttershy fidgets, "Naxon was taking the same amount of impact from our magic as you, but he doesn't have a scratch on him. Why is that? Oh, if you don't mind my asking..."

"You raise a good point, Fluttershy," Sunset begins stroking her chin suspiciously while scrutinizing you, "Why doesn't he have at least a scratch on him? It's almost like he's resistant to magic..." Maybe I should do some experiments on Naxon sometime, Sunset thought.

"While we're on the subject, you do like him? As in, like-like?" Rarity asked coyly.

Sunset immediately became flustered, "W-W-What!? N-No! I-I just like him as a friend!"

"That's not what I saw~" Rarity singsonged.

"Alright, Rarity," Applejack intervened, "stop teasin' the poor gal."

"Yeah, if Sunset likes a guy, it's her business, if not, oh well." Rainbow adds.

"Speaking of a guy," Pinkie speaks up, "Naxy's doin' some REAL hard thinking over there, it's almost like something's REALLY bothering him."

They all looked over toward you, but you didn't notice, staring at the palm of your gloved hand and closing it while clenching your eyes shut in frustration.

"Naxon?" Sunset got your attention.

(stop music)

You looked out the window and saw birds flying by as the girls worked on cleaning up Sunset, seeing those birds fly free reminded you of your freedomlessness back in the Organization...and it angered you greatly.

Roxas saved me the day he walked through that door, whether he realized it or not, you thought, if it wasn't for him, I never would've made such great friends here. One day, I'll find him, and everything will go back to the way it was...at least, I hope so. you turned your attention to the empty palm of your hand, The Organization will find me, and that means I have to do whatever I can to keep these girls safe. you close your hand into a fist and clench your eyes shut in frustration, the guilt of keeping your secret weighing heavily on you.

"Naxon?"

(stop music)

Sunset got your attention as you opened your eyes and gazed upon her and her friends' worried looks.

"Are you okay?"

You shake your head and give them a reassuring look, though it was fake, "It's okay, I'm fine."

But Applejack saw through your ruse, "Ya sure didn't seem fine b'fore."

You look away in shame, "...It's nothing."

"C'mon, Naxon, we're not five-years-old, it's obvious something's bugging you, so spit it out!" Rainbow demanded.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed aghast, "I want to help Naxon too, but you have to be a little more sensitive about these sorts of things!"

You look at them and speak with finality in your tone, "...It's my burden to bear, not yours."

"Why?" Sunset asks.

"I can't tell you."

"And why not?"

"The less you all know, the better; I want you all to have plausible deniability."

"For what?"

You sigh deeply, "...I have a bad feeling that the Organization will come for me."

"The Organization?" they all echo.

"What Organization?" Sunset asked.

"Organization XIII. The people I used to work for. They're a bad group."

Fluttershy gasped, "From the...'bad place'?"

You just nod.

"That's all I can tell you...for now, anyway."

"'For now'? You mean you're still hiding stuff from us?" Rainbow accused.

"You wouldn't understand." you walk past them to the door, "I'll see you all later."

"Hey, wait a se—" Sunset started, but was soon cut off by the door closing.

You begin your trek home feeling heavier than ever. The rest of your day is uneventful.

Meanwhile, the girls are still trying to understand what just happened. Sunset put a hand to her chest as she thought about you.

"Naxon...is what you're hiding so dangerous that you have keep it to yourself to protect us from it?"

Your Home - Your Room
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Clear Skies
Time: 10:46 PM

After you returned home, you exchanged a few words with Celestia and Luna and retired to your room, you knew you had to chronicle this in your diary, but for some reason you didn't feel up for it, perhaps it's because of this heavy feeling you had the whole way home. You crawled into your bed and passed out the moment your head hit the pillow.

Author's Note

Inventory

Weapons

No. VII - Lunatic
No. VIII - Eternal Flames

Money

$50.00
Gift Card: $10.00 (Sugarcube Corner)

Armor

(E) Black Coat (Defense +2)
Pajamas (Defense +1)
Wondercolt Uniform (Strength +1, Defense +1, Speed +1)
Swim Trunks (Speed +1, Water resistance +5%)

Items

Apple x 7 (+20 HP)
Fizzy Apple Cider x 6 (+50 HP)
Sm. Chocolate Cupcake x 1 (+30 HP)

Abilities
High Jump LV1
Shockwave (Lunatic only)
Burn, baby! (Eternal Flames only)

Magic
Fire

Key Items

Z-Links

VI - Trixie Lulamoon - Lv. 1/20
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 4/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 4/20
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 1/20
XIII - Sunset Shimmer - Lv. 1/20

Day 8: Mysterious Strength

Day 8
Mysterious Strength

Canterlot High School - Boy's Locker Room
Time of Day: After School
Weather: Sunny
Time: 2:25 PM

After some convincing from Celestia and Luna, you were able to get out of bed, eat breakfast, and go to school. You were able to more or less avoid the girls the whole day, except for Sunset, who still shared the same classes with you, but kept herself from asking questions. At the final bell, you remembered today was the day of your soccer tryouts, so you made your way to the locker rooms and changed into your uniform.

You sat on one of the benches and began to think, I steered clear of the girls throughout the entire day, I only did so to keep them from asking me questions about my past, but Sunset didn't ask me anything, and she had every opportunity, why is that? Either way, I know I can't avoid them forever, so maybe one day I'll tell them the truth, but that day ISN'T today. Changing topics, today's my soccer tryouts, so the girls will most likely be cheering me on, not only that, Rainbow Dash is going to be on the field, so I'll have to face her eventually. Guess I can't escape them from here on out.

"Hey."

You perk up at the familiar male voice, you look up to see Soarin' standing in front of you.

"You okay, man?"

"Yeah, just thinking."

"Whoa! You can talk!?"

"Yup, found my voice just yesterday."

"O-Okay then, what were you thinking about?"

"...The future. And my friends."

He cleared his throat, "Well, don't worry about it too much, you'll stress yourself out."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Could you find Fleetfoot and tell her that?" he joked, which made you chuckle a bit, "Anyway, I came in to see if you're ready, Spitfire's gonna start tryouts any minute."

"Alright. Let's do this." you say as you stand up.

"That's what I like to see!" he says while giving you a friendly slap on the back.

You and Soarin' made your way out of the locker room and out onto the field.

Canterlot High School - Soccer Field
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Time: 2:30 PM

FWEEEEEEE!!

The sound of a whistle blowing earns everyone's attention.

"ALRIGHT LADIES, LISTEN UP!" Spitfire yelled, walking along the line of contenders, "YOU THINK YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE ON THE WONDERCOLT'S SOCCER TEAM!?"

"Right!" everyone but you cheered.

"WRONG!" Spitfire corrected, "CAUSE IF YOU HAD WHAT IT TAKES, YOU'D BE ON THE TEAM ALREADY! YOU'RE ALL HERE TO SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT, AND YOU'RE GONNA DO IT AGAINST SOME OF MY BEST TEAMMATES!"

You look to the other side and saw another line of athletes, most likely the original team.

"E-Even you, ma'am?" a nervous student asked.

"YOU MAGGOTS DON'T EVEN GET THE HONOR OF LICKING MY CLEETS CLEAN!!" Spitfire roared in his face, "WE'RE DOING THIS A CERTAIN WAY; IF YOU MANAGE TO IMPRESS ME AS YOU WORK YOUR WAY ONTO THE TEAM, YOU'LL BE REWARDED WITH A BRONZE WONDERCOLT BADGE, WHICH MAKES ONE OF YOU MY HONORARY ROOKIE IN TRAINING!" Spitfire holds up a badge of a colt with a blown back mane coated in a brown metal, "AND AS TIME GOES ON, YOU'LL NEED A FURTHER DEMONSTRATION OF YOUR SKILLS TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT GOING SOFT ON US, WHICH THEN YOU'LL PLAY AGAINST FLEETFOOT AND SOARIN' FOR THE SILVER WONDERCOLT BADGE, SYMBOLIZING THAT YOU'RE ONE TOUGH WONDERCOLT!" she holds up another badge, which is the same as the other one, but coated with a grayish colored metal, "THEN, YOUR FINAL TEST WILL TO PLAY AGAINST ME, FOR THE GOLD WONDERCOLT BADGE, WHICH MEANS YOU'RE THE BEST OUT OF ALL OF US!" lastly, she holds up one final badge coated in dark yellow metal, "BUT, YOU GOTTA BE ON THE TEAM TO GET ANYWHERE FARTHER THAN BRONZE, SO LET'S GET STARTED!!!"

FWEEEEEEE!!

30 minutes later...

After some major failures from the other contenders, your time has come to play. Spitfire step into view and yells in your face, "YOU READY, MAGGOT!?!"

"MA'AM, YES MA'AM!!" you yell back, surprising her.

"You...You can talk?"

"Naxon can what!?" Trixie shouted as her bandmates were speechless.

"Whoa! Never saw THAT coming." Flash said as his bandmates were slack-jawed.

"Um, yeah, just started yesterday."

Spitfire recomposes herself and goes back to shouting, "VERY WELL! LET'S SEE WHAT YOU GOT, KID!"

You walk out onto the center field and turn to the bleachers to see your friends, the Rainbooms, Trixie and the Illusions, Flash Sentry and his band, Principal Celestia, and Vice Principal Luna watching and waiting for you to play, they cheered when they saw you were finally on the field.

They're...cheering? For me? After what happened yesterday?

You looked toward Sunset and saw her mouth, "We'll talk later, just focus on the game."

You nod in understanding, which made Sunset smile. You turn your attention back to the field to see a purple skinned girl with yellow hair in a ponytail wearing a Wondercolt uniform like yours, except hers is form-fitting for females. Spitfire walked up to you two with a soccer ball in one hand and her whistle in the other.

"NAXON VS. CLOUDY KICKS, FIRST TO FIVE GOALS WINS! BEGIN!!!"

FWEEEEEEE!!

She dropped the ball in between the two of you as she blew the whistle. Time began to slow down in your eyes as you remember how to play and assess the situation, Okay, I have to kick the ball to the goal without using my hands, but I have to maneuver around my opponent to reach my target. you smirk, Easy.

As soon as the ball touched the ground, you simply kicked it in between Cloudy's spread out legs and the ball sped into the goal like lightning. surprising everyone present, even Spitfire.

Fleetfoot, however, recollected herself and shouted, "ONE-ZIP!" then proceeded to mark the score, 1-0.

Your friends snapped themselves out of their stupor and cheered for you. Cloudy gave you a determined scowl as you both got ready for the next round...

20 minutes later...

There were three more matches after Cloudy Kicks, which ended 5-1. Match number 2 was you and Bulk Biceps, who had pure white skin and a short, blonde Mohawk, it ended 5-0, you guess his muscles were too heavy for him to keep up with you. Match number 3 was you and Tennis Match, she had short, light green hair and pale yellow skin, it ended 5-2, she was good, just not THAT good, even now, with the name, "Tennis Match", you wonder why she's on the soccer team. Match number 4 was you and Curly Winds, he had dark blue curly hair and light blue skin, it ended 5-0, he was slower than you anticipated, you make a mental note not to judge someone's ability by their name alone. Your skill alone was able to impress everyone in the stands.

The next match was your final one; you against Rainbow Dash, the best athlete on every team in Canterlot High, you knew without a doubt that this would be your toughest challenge yet, and you make sure not to underestimate her.

"Hey!"

You turn to the brash-sounding voice and see Rainbow glaring at you.

"Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just cause you're my friend! I have a reputation to maintain!"

You stare for a moment, then you smirk, "Then you better bring it."

Your comment intensifies her glare, "Oh, it's brought."

"ALRIGHT! NO MORE TRASH TALK!" Spitfire yells, "ON THE FIELD, YOU TWO!"

You and Rainbow make your way to the center field with your friends cheering both of you on.

"GO RAINBOW! GO NAXY! GO RAINBOW! GO NAXY!" Pinkie cheered.

"Go for it, you two!" Sunset declares.

"Show him what for, Rainbow!" Applejack shouts.

"Tear her apart, Naxon!" Trixie cheers.

"NAXON RULES! RAINBOW DROOLS! NAXON RULES! RAINBOW DROOLS!" Fuchsia and Lavender chanted.

"Looks like we both got fans." Rainbow says to you.

"Care to disperse with the banter?" you said.

"Yeah, game time!"

"FINAL MATCH!" Spitfire yelled, "NAXON VS. RAINBOW DASH! BEGIN!!!"

As the ball fell to the ground, Rainbow was the first to kick it away and run with it. You were impressed because she was the only one out of the other players who could do that. With a plan set in mind, you ran after her and jumped, hoping to go over and land in front of her. You then felt a burst of speed and the wind whipping past you as you landed between Rainbow and the goal, surprising her. You kicked the ball away from her, which rebounded off the bleachers, you jumped and rushed in midair like before while doing a 180 degree spin with a leg stretched out and kicked the ball into the other goal with incredible speed.

"Naxon: 1, Rainbow Dash: zip!" Fleetfoot declared as she added a point to your scoreboard.

Rainbow stood there, jaw hanging wide open as you begin to comprehend the burst of speed you conducted in midair; you knew you learned a new ability.

OBTAINED
Air Slide LV1

Rainbow grit her teeth and growled in annoyance, "Don't get cocky, Naxon, this is just the beginning."

For the next 15 minutes, you two were demonstrating your skills to each other as you and Dash scored back and forth, ground to air, and everything in between. When the score was at 3-2, you decided lay down some truth on Dash, smack talk or not.

"If you spend half as much time concentrating as you do talking, Rainbow Dash, perhaps you'd be less predictable."

Rainbow, who's even more annoyed now than before, replies, "Are you kidding me? I'm predictable!? I'm just getting warmed up!"

The two of you kept trying to outdo each other as you scored, even going as far as showing off and getting fancy with your kicks and speed. Spitfire called a timeout when the score was tied at 4-4. You and Dash were on separate benches, panting heavily as the exhaustion was setting in.

Pinkie and Applejack came up behind you and Rainbow respectively and dumped an entire bottle of water on your heads.

"Ahh...thanks, AJ." Rainbow said.

"Anytime, pardner." Applejack said.

"Thanks, Pinkie, I needed that." you said.

"No probla-mo, Naxy!" Pinkie cheerfully said.

After a few minutes of R&R, you and Dash make your way back to the field, dripping in sweat and water. Spitfire came in between you two with the ball in her hand.

"READY!?"

You both glare at each other in determination.

"BEGIN!!!"

Rainbow stole the ball as it landed, rushing quickly past you and nearing the goal. Rainbow smiled as she knew victory was in her grasp, she got ready to kick until you swiftly appeared in front of her and did backflip with your leg stretched out in the process, kicking the ball high into the air. You took a giant leap and reached the ball's height in seconds, you reared back your leg and kicked the ball as hard as you could, time began to slow down as the force of the kick made it catch fire and quickly change from red fire to blue fire, time returned to its normal speed and the ball sailed straight through the net of the goal, leaving behind a smoking hole and grinding itself on the fence behind it, causing the metal to melt onto the ball. It abruptly stopped spinning, smoke coming from it as it melded into the fence, leaving everyone in complete shock as you made several flips in midair and landed on your feet in a crouching position. You stood up and noticed the damage you caused to the field.

"Oops, guess I overshot it." you said.

(stop music)

You now have access to your statistics!

Lv. 1
HP: 25/25
MP: 20/20
STR: 5
MAG: 5
DEF: 5
SPD: 5
Crit. %: 5
Crit. Bonus: 5

Statistics

Your statistics measure your level, health, strength, magical ability, endurance, agility, critical hit percentage, and critical hit bonus. Every time your level goes up, your stats increase a certain amount. You can also use armor and accessories to improve or weaken your stats, so be careful.

Suddenly, you felt yourself become stronger.

Level Up!
Lv. 1 > 2
HP: 25 +2 =27
MP: 20 +2 =22
STR: 5 +4 =9
MAG: 5 +2 =7
DEF: 5 +3 =8
SPD: 5 +5 =10
Crit. %: 5 +2 =7
Crit. Bonus: 5 +4 =9

Ability Level Up!
High Jump LV2

OBTAINED
Haste LV1

After noticing all the stares of disbelief you were getting, you quickly excused yourself and made your way to the locker room to change back into your coat. Before you made your exit, you heard a tussle out in the hall.

"Hey, Rainbow Crash!" a tough, mocking voice spoke.

"Whataya want, Dumb Bell?" you hear Rainbow say.

"Saw your game with the new kid, how could someone like you lose to a loser like that?" you hear this "Dumb Bell" say, before a hear a 'thump' on the floor, "Guess you're too weak to be the best now. Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

You look out into the hall to see Rainbow on the floor surrounded by three burly guys, who were all laughing at her. This angered you, so you decided to teach them a lesson; you snuck up behind the one who's back was turned to you and balled your fist up.

"Maybe we should teach you how to be tough by roughing you up a—BLK!?" He was interrupted by a sharp pain in the back of his head.

Dumb Bell fell unceremoniously to the floor, revealing you and your outstretched fist with an unamused look upon your features. Ticked off, the tanish skinned guy rushed you, only for you to jump and conduct a 180 spin with your leg out, kicking him in the head with the back of your heel and slamming said head into the wall, knocking him out. While in midair, you sped toward the last one using your Air Slide ability with your fist ready and punched him dead square in the face, making him fall to the floor with you standing on top of him.

(stop music)

You walk over to Rainbow and held your hand out to help her up, "You okay?"

Rainbow was hesitant, but reached out and grasped his hand, allowing him to pull her up. Once she was back on her feet, she snatched her hand away from his, "I could've handled it." she said, defensively.

You became downtrodden and looked away, believing that you did something wrong. Were you not supposed to help her?

"...Thank you."

You look back to Rainbow, surprised and confused at her sudden change in attitude.

"Y'know...for helping me...and stuff. Maybe you're not so bad after all." she smiled, which made you smile back.

You have forged a Z-Link with Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow clears her throat, "Um, we should, uh, get somebody to do something about these three," she motions towards the unconscious trio, "I'll tell Spitfire what happened, you go on and get your badge...my newest rival."

"Rival?" you ask.

"Of course!" Rainbow say, enthusiastically, "You beat me, so now I have to beat you! Like I said, I have a reputation to maintain!" she proclaims proudly while pounding a fist to her chest.

You nod, "Alright then. How about we start training together after school?"

"Sounds good! See ya then!" she playfully punches your shoulder and runs off, most likely to get Spitfire.

You walk back to the field to see how everyone's doing, especially after your performance. The first thing you see is Rainbow talking to Spitfire, you think it's about what happened in the halls.

"...I see." you hear Spitfire say as you get closer, "I'll talk to Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna about this." she turns around and sees you nearing them, "Oh! Naxon! Just the guy I was looking for! You ran off before I could give you the final verdict of your tryout."

"Well?" you edge her on.

She just walks in front of you and pins a badge on your coat, "Congrats, you earned it...Naxon, The Hotshot Rookie."

OBTAINED
Bronze Wondercolt Badge
This badge is your proof of being on the Canterlot High Soccer Team.

"Congratulations on making the team, Naxon," Trixie said as she and her bandmate came into view, making Rainbow scowl, "though, I have to know, how did you acquire such power? Nobody in CHS could be able to do what YOU did!"

"It just...came to me, I guess." you say, it wasn't entirely a lie.

"Well, either way, you have impressed the Great and Powerful TRIIIIIXE! And she commends you for it. I hope we shall talk again soon." Trixie winks at you before turning around and leaving the field with Fuchsia and Lavender.

Z-Link Level Up!
VI - Trixie Lulamoon - 2/20

"Ugh!" Rainbow groans, "Who does she think she is, teasing you like that!?"

You shrug, "I honestly don't mind."

Rainbow was dumbfounded, "...You'd rather be teased by her than have an actual relationship with a girl who actually cares about you?"

You have no idea what she's talking about, so you raise an eyebrow and say, "Huh?"

Rainbow tried to hold back her amusement, "Oh, my gosh...you have no clue what a relationship is, do you?"

You look away as you felt your face burn up.

Rainbow stifled her giggles as she walked by you, "I gotta go, Naxon, I got something to do."

You take your leave from the school and on your way back home, you notice Rainbow sneaking around, heading the opposite direction of her usual route with Pinkie following her. Curious, you decide to see what they're up to, only to find that they were headed into the city...

Crystal Prep Academy - Training Field
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 4:09 PM

At the side of a large, partially crystalline-like building was a field with several students in uniform lined up and crouched down, ready to run. The man standing behind them, most likely the coach, blew his whistle and the students ran to the other side of the field, you can only guess that they're training. Out by the trees, you see Rainbow Dash snooping around; from what you heard about Canterlot High and Crystal Prep, you theorize that Rainbow and Pinkie wanted an edge against their rivals.

"Crystal Prep High School. The competition." you hear Rainbow say from your hiding spot.

You see Rainbow rolling through the bushes and jumping off the trees as her way of sneaking around, then took cover under another bush when the students ran back to the starting point. Rainbow stuck her head out of the bush she was in and rushed into another one to take cover again as the students ran past once more. Rainbow peered through the new bush with a smug look on her face, only to realize soon enough that she wasn't in a bush.

"HEY RAINBOW!" Pinkie said, a little too loudly, spooking Rainbow.

It turned out she dyed her puffy hair green to make it look like a bush as part of her disguise.

"Gah! What are you doing!?" Rainbow whisper-shouted.

"You said we needed to be sneaky while we check out the competition for the Friendship Games!"

I was right from the beginning, you thought, they wanted an edge against their competitors, so, similar to the Organization, they're gathering intel.

Rainbow noticed the students coming back, so she pulled Pinkie and herself behind a tree as they ran by again.

"Wanna see what else I have?" without waiting for answer, Pinkie ran off and modeled her other disguises for Rainbow.

"Cat burglar!" with her hair pink again, Pinkie was wearing a black, skin-tight suit with green-lensed night-vision goggles and a grappling blaster on her hip, she used the latter and grappled away from sight.

"Dog burglar!" she wore the same suit, minus the blaster and goggles, and put on a purple dog mask that had light green ears and a normal green tuft of hair at the top, then proceeded to dig herself underground.

"Tree!" she was now dressed in an artificial tree with her arms as branches.

"Bunny suit!" she was clad in an outfit made look like a human-sized rabbit, except for a part of her hair sticking out the front, complete with a rabbit's nose and buckteeth. You strongly doubt anyone would be fooled by that disguise.

"Camouflage!" lastly, Pinkie dressed up in a multiple pink camo outfit with a cap, which Rainbow grabbed tossed aside.

"That's, like, the opposite of camouflage." Rainbow said, before she noticed the students coming back, "Quick, get down!" she pushed Pinkie into a bush and hid behind a tree before they saw them.

...Pinkie scares you sometimes.

Rainbow snuck to a bush and tried to spy on the students, but they too far away at the present moment, "We need to get better view..." she whispers.

Then, the sound of balloons being blown up fills the air and before she knew it, Rainbow was on top of a mass quantity of balloons with Pinkie tying their strings around her waist and the two of them floating into the air.

"Best view in the house!" Pinkie said.

...Pinkie really scares you sometimes.

Rainbow, not wanting to be spotted, pops all of the balloons one by one and she and Pinkie fell back into the bushes, making a crashing sound, earning the attention of the coach, but he saw nothing and turned away just when a lone yellow balloon floated above the bush they crashed in. Rainbow took it from Pinkie and squeezed it, letting all the air out of it and throwing it away.

Pinkie leaned forward and smelled Rainbow, "You smell like vanilla!"

Deciding to make yourself known, you step out from behind the tree you were hiding behind, "Um, hello?" you say, suspiciously.

"GAH!" they both shriek quietly.

"Simple question: what are you doing here?" you ask, half-rhetorically, since you already know.

Pinkie was the first to react, "Yeah, Rainbow, whataya doing here!?" she accused, "You got answers, and we want them now!"

"I meant both of you."

Rainbow rushed, grabbed, and pulled you down into the bush and shushed you, "We're trying to eavesdrop! That's means they DON'T hear us!"

"Oooh! I have just the thing!" Pinkie chimes.

Near the foliage were two students; one was a male, doing pull-ups while breathing in and out, and the other was a female, holding his feet down. Out of nowhere, a large microphone attached to an extremely long pole was dangling over them, held by Pinkie, who was hearing his breathing through a pair of headphones. Surprisingly, neither of the two noticed the mic as Pinkie checked the volume on her headset.

...You decided to give up on logic with this girl.

"What are you doing!?" Rainbow whisper-shouted, "We're trying to spy on them! Do you even know what the word 'spy' means!?" she took Pinkie's pole and tossed it to the side, "It means being sneaky! It means not being seen! It means BEING QUIET!!!"

Rainbow realized her own mistake too late as she earned the attention of the coach and the students, making her smile sheepishly.

"Bush to Dash: code red; you have been spotted." Pinkie picked up the bush she was hiding in and spun her legs like wheels, screaming, "RUUUUUUN!"

And like a flash, she was gone, the same with Rainbow, run after Pinkie to escape the situation they were in as some of the students rubbed the backs of their heads and shrugged. You? You casually walked out of the tree you hiding behind.

"I'm frustrated by the current situation." you said, then turned to the confused students and coach, and raised your hands defensively, "Don't mind me, I was just leaving." you then proceeded to walk away, not in any hurry, "Well, time to go home."

And you did just that; you walked home, ate dinner, chronicled the days thus far into your diary, and retired to your bed.

The rest of your day was uneventful...

???
Time of Day: Late Night
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 11:48 PM

In the dark of night, a lone, young-looking figure was running with a camcorder in their hands, desperate to get to where they're going. When the figure made it, another, taller, older-looking figure towered over them.

"You're late." a sophisticated, feminine voice spoke from the older figure.

"Sorry," a tough, brash, but female voice spoke from the younger figure, "I got held up."

"Did you get it?"

"I had dodge a few Wondercolts, but I got it." she held out the camcorder, which the older figure snatched out of her hand, "Before you watch that, we may have a problem."

"...Go on."

"I think...CHS may have a new ace up their sleeve."

"What on earth is THAT supposed to mean?"

"You should...go ahead and watch that...it's probably better for you to see for yourself."

The older figure was hesitant, but soon opened it and watched the highlights of a soccer tryout.

...Your soccer tryout.

After viewing the contents from start to finish, the older figure gave the camcorder back to the younger figure, "Tomorrow. Gather the rest of the Shadow 5. And bring me more intel on this boy. I want to know...everything."

"No problem! Leave it to us!" the younger figure guaranteed before turning around and running off.

"I hope so, Miss Zap...for yours and our school's sake." the older figure turned around as well and walked away. "After all..."

"We have a reputation to uphold."

Author's Note

New!
Statistics

Lv. 2
HP: 27/27
MP: 22/22
STR: 9
MAG: 7
DEF: 8 (+2)
SPD: 10
Crit. %: 7
Crit. Bonus: 9

Inventory

Weapons

No. VII - Lunatic
No. VIII - Eternal Flames

Money

$50.00
Gift Card: $10.00 (Sugarcube Corner)

Armor

(E) Black Coat (Defense +2)
Pajamas (Defense +1)
Wondercolt Uniform (Strength +1, Defense +1, Speed +1)
Swim Trunks (Speed +1, Water resistance +5%)

Items

Apple x 7 (+20 HP)
Fizzy Apple Cider x 6 (+50 HP)
Sm. Chocolate Cupcake x 1 (+30 HP)

Abilities
High Jump LV2
Shockwave (Lunatic only)
Burn, baby! (Eternal Flames only)
Air Slide LV1
Haste LV1

Magic
Fire

Key Items

Z-Links

III - Rainbow Dash - Lv. 1/20
VI - Trixie Lulamoon - Lv. 2/20
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 4/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 4/20
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 1/20
XIII - Sunset Shimmer - Lv. 1/20

For those who figured out the reference, you get a mustache.

EDIT: Added the links I forgot to do.

Day 9: New Clothes

Day 9
New Clothes

Your Home - Your Room
Time of Day: Early Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 9:23 AM

You began to stir as you found yourself in the waking world, you sat up and proceeded to stretch, until you smell something rancid. You followed the smell to your armpits and recoiled immediately, nearly coughing at the nasty odor. You tried to figure out how you got this stench in the first place, and then it clicked.

My soccer tryouts, you thought.

That's right, you came home after your tryouts, not to mention catching Rainbow and Pinkie spying on Crystal Prep, and you were so tired, you neglected take a shower that night. With a clear goal set in mind, you make your way to the bathroom...

Your Home - Dining Room
Time of Day: Early Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 9:47 AM

After spending twenty minutes in the shower, trying to rid yourself of your stink, you exited the bathroom, put your coat back on, and went downstairs for breakfast. Celestia made a simple breakfast this time; toast with jam, juice, and scrambled eggs. You sat down with your adoptive family and began to dig in, once again feeling your aches from yesterday ebb away.

"Naxon," Luna began, "must you keep wearing that coat? The warmer weather is starting to come in."

"I have nothing else to wear, remember?" you say.

"Then that's what's on the agenda for today," Celestia began, "after breakfast, we're going to Carousel Boutique to get Naxon some new clothes."

"Doesn't Rarity work there?" Luna asked.

"Yup, and that's another reason we're going there. You wanna spend time with your friends, right, Naxon?"

You nod.

"Then why don't we go see Rarity while we get you some clothes?"

"Sounds like a plan."

You all progressed with eating and afterwards, made your way to the car and drove into town to the local clothing store.

Carousel Boutique - Store Area
Time of Day: Early Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 10:04 AM

You all enter the establishment with a bell ringing overhead to indicate that the employees have customers. Out from behind a curtain steps a familiar pretty face.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is—Naxon?!"

You smile, "Good morning, Rarity."

After recomposing herself, Rarity cleared her throat and said, "W-Well, um, same to you. And what can I do for you and our principal and vice principal?"

"We're here to purchase new clothes for Naxon." Celestia answered.

Rarity's eyes glittered, "Oh, yes! I'd be happy to!" she rushed to your side and began measuring you, "Hmm...black isn't really in this season, but he seems to pull it off pretty well..." then she checked your head and your feet, "Mm-hm...there's so much potential in Naxon's wardrobe..." she went over to her desk and scribbled something on a piece of paper, afterwards she returned to the group, "Just jotting down some notes for possible works. Now, back to business, I have quite a few articles of clothing for you to wear, Naxon, are you ready to try some on?"

You nod, "Lay 'em on me."

Rarity squealed in excitement, "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

She started dressing you in several combinations of clothing; a flashy, gem-studded outfit, then a plain, gemless outfit, a tuxedo, a t-shirt with shorts, a rainbow-like outfit, and lastly, a grayish outfit, all while giving her critiques:

"Too flashy."

"Too dull."

"Too formal."

"Too casual."

"Too colorful."

"Not colorful enough."

"Um, Rarity?" you interject, "Maybe I should find something to wear?"

"Oh! Um, of course!" Rarity obliged, feeling a little embarrassed that she didn't ask you what you wanted.

You pick out a few things that look and feel right to you and walk into the changing room to try them on. You pull the curtain aside and step out wearing a white button-up dress shirt, dark blue denim pants, gray sneakers with white laces, and underneath, gray-toed white socks. You shove your left hand in your pants pocket, making it look like you're striking a pose.

"I thought it'd be best to keep it simple." you say.

Rarity blushed at you and your new apparel as she replied, "Y-Yes, I agree."

You pull out your wallet and get ready to pay her for the clothes—

"Oh, there's no need for that, Naxon, it's on the house."

"Really?" you ask.

"Of course! You're my friend, after all, and I owe you for the new ideas I've gotten from examining your coat."

"Thanks. That's really generous of you."

She giggles, "It's part of who I am, dearie."

OBTAINED
Casual Clothes
Strength +1
Defense +1

"Well, we're going to go and run some errands," Celestia said. "Naxon, you can stay with Rarity while we're out and we'll see you at home, okay?"

You nod.

Celestia clapped her hands once, "Excellent! Let's get going, sister."

Celestia and Luna exited the shop and left you with Rarity, who was feeling the texture of your coat. She hung it on a nearby coat rack and walked over to you.

"Well," Rarity began, "since you're here for the day, would you like to help me around the shop? I'm going to be opening soon and I'll need any hands I can get."

You nod, "Sure. I'll do what I can."

Rarity smiled brightly, "Perfect! Let's get started, shall we?"

You and the teenage fashionista opened up the clothing store officially and customers began pouring in; Rarity handled them like it was no problem, you, on the other hand, had a little difficulty speaking to other people, Rarity helped you, of course, she was patient and kind to you when you struggled, especially when students from CHS came in. After a while, you got used to dealing with customers, you even developed a sense of fashion that helped the customers decide what would look best on them, Rarity appeared impressed that you adapted so quickly and have a good fashion sense. After five hours, Rarity decided it was time to close up shop for the day.

Carousel Boutique - Employee Lounge
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Time: 3:49 PM

As you take some down time, you eat the cupcake you got from your party and chug one of your apple ciders, feeling your tiredness from today fade. Rarity is sitting next to you, sipping a cup of tea with her pinkie out, you theorize she must enjoy trying to be a high class, well mannered lady. She sets her cup down and turns to you.

"I can't thank you enough for your help, Naxon," she says, "because of you, I've gotten a lot more done than I usually do and my sales have boosted with your newly adapted fashion sense!"

"Well, I'm an adaptable guy, heh-heh." you chuckle.

"You were a big help nonetheless. Here," she hands you a fifty dollar bill, "this is how much you've earned working with me."

"Thanks, but...I never asked to be paid."

"Exactly. You're very generous whether you realize it or not, and I admire that, so I decided to be generous back."

You stare for a moment, then smile, "...Thank you."

She blushes and giggles, "Anything for a dear friend."

You have forged a Z-Link with Rarity.

You look at the clock and stand up, "Well, I'd better get going, It's almost time to train with Rainbow."

"Okay then, if you need new clothes or another job, you know who to call."

You take your leave and head on your way to the school. Little do you know that you've been spied on the entire time by a girl with short purple hair wearing a Crystal Prep uniform...

She holds up a walkie-talkie and speaks into it, "This is Flare to Zap, he's heading to Canterlot High to train, it's your show now. Over."

"Roger. Got him in my sights. I'm tailing him right now. Over."

She puts the device in her bag and walks away like she did nothing wrong, "I wonder what's so special about this kid? Sure, his sports skills are unreal, but what's in between the lines?" she smirks, "I believe it's high time we find out..."

Canterlot High School - Soccer Field
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Time: 4:02 PM

After stopping at Sugarcube Corner for some food and drink for you and Dash, specifically two glazed donuts and two medium milkshakes to go, which cost you roughly eight dollars, you continued on your way and made it to the soccer field, where Rainbow was kicking soccer balls into the goals. She hears coming turns to see you with an unamused look.

"You're late, you know." Rainbow said.

"I know, I know, I was working at Rarity's shop this morning." you said.

"That explains where you got the clothes from and why you're not wearing your coat."

"Here," you hand her one of the two bags you were carrying, "I gotcha something on the way here."

"Sweet, snacks!" she snatches the bag from your hand and starts wolfing down the donut and slurping the milkshake, letting out a great, big belch afterward, "Ahh, thanks, dude, I needed that."

You wave the air in front of your face, fanning away Rainbow's burp, "Uh, no problem."

"Alright! Finish up your own food and let's get training!"

You did just that and got onto the field, doing some one on one practice with Rainbow. You two took a few breaks from time to time and chatted during those times. You felt yourself grow a little stronger during your training with Dash.

Level Up!
Lv. 2 > 3
HP: 27 +1 =28
MP: 22 +0 =22
STR: 9 +3 =12
MAG: 7 +0 =7
DEF: 8 +3 =11
SPD: 10 +2 =12
Crit. %: 7 +1 =8
Crit. Bonus: 9 +1 =10

By the time you two finish, the sun begins to set and you two head on home.

You can't help but feel that your relationship with Rainbow will become much closer soon...

???
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 7:11 PM

The girl from Rarity's shop, codename "Flare", and the other girl, codename "Zap", met up in an alley within the city.

"How much intel did you get, Indigo?"

"Heh! A lot! I'm tellin' ya, Sunny, the kid's getting stronger!"

"Is that so?" she thought for a moment, but shook her head, "We can't get any ideas yet, we need more information."

"No prob! I got word that the kid's gonna be helpin' out at the animal shelter tomorrow! I'll get ol' Sour to spy next!"

"Very well. Hopefully we'll find all that we need to look for..."

"You worry too much. New guy or not, Canterlot High's still gonna lose the Friendship Games!"

"Maybe...but that wasn't what I was getting at."

"Huh? Whataya mean?"

"...There's something about him. Something that fills me with...oh, what's the word...curiosity, intrigue, and...deep longing. A sort of, attraction, if you will."

"You like the guy?"

"Something like that. When I saw him in the shop, he just has this...air around him that draws you to him. You know what I mean?"

"I think. Well, I'm headed home, my job's done for the day, we'll give Cinch all the deets we got when the whole group is together. Later!"

Indigo left Sunny in the dark alleyway as she began to slip into the shadows.

"That boy is hiding something. I can feel it."

And just like that, she was gone.

Author's Note

Statistics

Lv. 3
HP: 28/28
MP: 22/22
STR: 12 (+1)
MAG: 7
DEF: 11 (+1)
SPD: 12
Crit. %: 8
Crit. Bonus: 10

Inventory

Weapons

No. VII - Lunatic
No. VIII - Eternal Flames

Money

$100.00
Gift Card: $2.08 (Sugarcube Corner)

Armor

Black Coat (Defense +2)
Pajamas (Defense +1)
Wondercolt Uniform (Strength +1, Defense +1, Speed +1)
Swim Trunks (Speed +1, Water resistance +5%)
(E) Casual Clothes (Strength +1, Defense +1)

Items

Apple x 7 (+20 HP)
Fizzy Apple Cider x 5 (+50 HP)

Abilities
High Jump LV2
Shockwave (Lunatic only)
Burn, baby! (Eternal Flames only)
Air Slide LV1
Haste LV1

Magic
Fire

Key Items

Z-Links

III - Rainbow Dash - Lv. 1/20
IV - Rarity - Lv. 1/20
VI - Trixie Lulamoon - Lv. 2/20
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 4/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 4/20
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 1/20
XIII - Sunset Shimmer - Lv. 1/20

In case any of you were wondering,

Glazed donuts: .99 each
Medium Milkshakes: $2.97 each

Day 10: Petsitting

Day 10
Petsitting

Your Home - Your Room
Time of Day: Early Morning
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 7:56 AM

You wake up a little sluggish this time around and stretch your arms out as you yawn loudly. Today was a local holiday, so you had no school. You faintly recall Fluttershy telling you that she volunteers at the animal shelter most of the time.

You get out of bed, eat your breakfast, and hurry to the shelter.

Canterlot City - Animal Shelter
Time of Day: Early Morning
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 8:31 AM

DING-A-LING

The bell overhead on the door rung as you entered the shelter; most of the animals were in cages while some were roaming free, most likely because they were used to the other animals already. A familiar girl was feeding the animals and turned in your direction when the bell sounded and gets up to greet you.

"Oh, hello Naxon."

"Good morning, Fluttershy." you say.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but, why are you here? Oh, if you don't mind my asking..."

You explain that you decided to help out at the animal shelter like you agreed to do. Fluttershy smiled at your eagerness to help animals, big or small.

"Okay, could you help me feed them? I was in the middle of it when you walked in. Oh, not that I'm saying you interrupted me or anything..."

You reassured her that she was fine and said you'd help. After about half an hour of feeding all of the animals, you and Fluttershy then proceeded to play with them, until you noticed a little dog sitting at the back wall.

"Hey, is that one okay?" you ask her.

Fluttershy frowned, "Animal control brought the poor, little guy in one day, and ever since then, he's been trying to stay away from everybody; worker, volunteer, and pet owner alike. I think he does it out of fear, because he's been taken to an unfamiliar place, I'd be the same way if I were him."

"Have you tried coaxing him?"

"Yes, but even with my special connection with animals, he still avoids even me. I'm worried there might not be anything we can do for him. If he keeps this up...he'll never have a family to call his own."

You return your attention to the little dog, Poor thing kinda reminds me of...well, me. I didn't have a family until I came here. Hmm...maybe he needs to see that there's nothing to be afraid of.

With a goal set in mind, you take the dog food and sprinkle some in your hand, setting the food container down, you turn to walk slowly and carefully to the dog, who cowers into a corner from your approach.

"What are you doing? If I can't even talk to him, what can anyone do?" Fluttershy questions you.

"Maybe there's nothing I can do to help, but there's no harm in trying." you reply as you continue over to the dog, "Hey there, little guy, are you hungry?" you hold out the hand that held the food, which the dog looked from it to you, "It's okay, there's nothing to be afraid of."

The dog looked at your face only to see that you bore an friendly, genuine smile. Seeing that, the dog slowly, but surely, stood up and walked over to you, you and Fluttershy remained quiet the whole time, lest either of you could accidentally scare him off. He eventually made to your food-filled hand and began to eat; it was a few nibbles at first, but escalated to full-on eating.

After he was finished, he looked back up at you and your smile and appeared to be content with your friendliness, to prove that, he pounced onto to you, knocking you off your feet and he began licking your face.

"Ha ha, stop it!" you laughed, "That tickles! Ha ha ha ha!"

Fluttershy was surprised that you did the impossible, no one could get that dog be friendly with anyone. She internally believed that there was more to you than what meets the eye. After a long day at the animal shelter, you decided to take your leave, but Fluttershy stopped you.

"Naxon...um...I just wanted to say thank you for helping the little guy come out of his shell, even when my words couldn't reach him."

What you said was something Fluttershy will never forget, "Actions speak louder than words."

She blushed and subconsciously nodded.

You have forged a Z-Link with Fluttershy.

You nod to her and left the shelter, barely noticing that you were being followed...

Canterlot City - Alleyway
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 10:11 AM

You ran into an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster, watching and waiting until the figure passed by, which she did and you got a good look at her; her hair is two tones of pink, one light, one dark, with aquamarine green streaks, all done up in a ponytail with a scrunchie shaped like berries and leaves, she has bright yellow skin with dark colored freckles on her face, and light purple eyes with aquamarine eyeshadow, wearing what you learned to be one of many types of Crystal Prep uniforms.

"He's gone! Well, this is just FANTASTIC!" the girl shouted at no one in particular.

Why is someone from Crystal Prep following me? you thought. You were determined to find out, so you made yourself known by stepping out from behind the dumpster, right behind the girl, "Alright. Who are you?"

The girl tensed up at the sound of your voice and slowly turned around to face you, which made her nervous since you were none too happy and made sure to show it with the now-present scowl upon your face.

"Why, I'm Sour Sweet!" she introduces herself sweetly, then her tone turns sour, "And the reason I'm following you is we needed more intel on you, because you're a threat to Crystal Prep's reputation."

"We"? So there's more people in on this... you think to yourself, "I would say it's nice to meet you..." you swiftly rushed behind Sour, "...but I'm not a fan of being spied on."

THWACK!

You karate-chopped the pressure point on the back of Sour's neck, causing her to lose consciousness and slump to the ground in a heap.

Ability Level Up!
Haste LV2

Suddenly, you hear static.

"Zap to Sweet, do you copy? Over."

You kneel down and check Sour's skirt pockets, inside the left pocket, you find a walkie-talkie, with the individuals trying to make contact on your end.

"Let me try. Flare to Sweet, are you alright? Do you copy? Over."

You stand up and press the talk button, "I'm sorry, Sour Sweet can't come to the phone right now, you can find her unconscious in an alley by the animal shelter, have a nice day...oh, and if I find you stalking me again, the next person isn't going to get off as easy as she did."

You let go of the button and crush the walkie-talkie in your hand with a single squeeze and drop it next to Sour, walking away from the scene.

Canterlot Suburbs
Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 10:20 AM

You were walking through the streets, not even thinking about the girl you left in the alley. As you pressed forward, you heard the familiar sound of music, and proceeded to follow it. Before you knew it, you found yourself near a house with an open garage door, inside the garage was Flash and his band jamming out. They finished their song and Flash noticed you immediately.

"Hey, Naxon!" he turned to his bandmates, "Alright guys, now's a good time for a break." they didn't argue and began putting up their instruments for the time being, Flash set his guitar on a stand and walked over to you, "What's up, man? How've you been?"

"I've been doing good; spending time with my friends, helping out at the animal shelter, stuff like that." you reply.

"Cool, cool." Flash suddenly looked like he was struck by an idea, "Hey, why don't you jam with us sometime? The guys have been talking about your guitar skills nonstop since the last time you played."

You instantly became nervous as you didn't want a repeat of last time, "Um...I don't know..."

"I know we were shocked the last time we heard you play, but trust me, nothing you can do will surprise us now."

You wanna bet? you sorely thought, remembering who you really are. You think about it for a moment, "Well..."

Flash and his posse lean in close.

"...You promise you all won't be shocked?"

They all looked at each other, then back to you with a hand on each of their chests, "We promise." they say.

You take their promise to heart (if you had one), and began to smile, "...Alright."

They cheered in happiness, glad to know you're on board. You still have your reservations, but you don't want to disappoint your friends.

Z-Link Level Up!
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 2/20

You bid them farewell and continued on. Suddenly, a chime came from your ePhone, you pull it out and entered "Text Messages", finding a message from Pinkie.

Pinkie
Hey, Naxy! :D Im cheering Dashie on @ the soccer field, wanna come!?

You text her back, but not in the crude form she wrote you;

Sure, be there in a few.

You got a text back;

KK!!! <3 :)

You put away your phone and rush to the soccer field.

Canterlot High School - Soccer Field
Time of Day: Late Morning
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 11:30 AM

Shortly after arriving, Rainbow immediately challenged you to a one-on-one soccer game; the score was at 3-3 before you two decided to take a water break.

Level Up!
Lv. 3 > 4
HP: 28 +2 =30
MP: 22 +1 =23
STR: 12 +3 =15
MAG: 7 +2 =9
DEF: 11 +3 =14
SPD: 12 +4 =16
Crit. %: 8 +2 =10
Crit. Bonus: 10 +3 =13

During your break you and Rainbow talked around various things, even Pinkie put in her own two bits in the conversation. After a while, you and Dash continued your game; it ended with Rainbow at 4 and you at 5. It was only an exhibition match, so Rainbow wasn't as angry as you predicted she would be.

"Aw man! Lost again!" she sighed, "I've got a long way to go if I'm gonna beat you, Naxon."

"Just keep training Rainbow, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before you do." you say.

"Yeah, you're right." Rainbow suddenly fidgets, "Hey...you got your phone with you?"

"Um, yeah, why?"

"Hand it over for a sec."

"...Okay then."

You give Dash your phone and she begins typing into it, then gives it back.

"There. My number's in there now. Text or call if you wanna train, or just talk, 'kay?"

"Okay." you smile, "Thanks Rainbow."

She smiles back, "Heh, no prob. Anything for a friend."

Z-Link Level Up!
III - Rainbow Dash - Lv. 2/20

OBTAINED
Rainbow's Number
Rainbow Dash's cellphone contact information.

You say goodbye to Rainbow and Pinkie and head back home for lunch, which was grilled cheese sandwiches.

The rest of the day was uneventful...

???
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 9:49 PM

"ARRRRRGH!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET THAT PUNK OVERPOWER ME LIKE THAT!!" Sour roared.

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down! Are you trying to get us in trouble!?" Indigo whispered.

"I agree, Sour, dearie, I understand you're upset, but it's no excuse to give away our location." Sunny chastised.

"And besides, we need a change of plans, we're gonna have to watch him from a distance...and I think I know just the girl who can help."

Indigo dialed a number on her cellphone and started ringing.

"Whoever's calling, it's a little late, don't you think?"

Indigo deadpanned, "Hello to you too, Sugarcoat." she perked back up, "Listen, we need a favor..."

Author's Note

Statistics

Lv. 4
HP: 30/30
MP: 23/23
STR: 15 (+1)
MAG: 9
DEF: 14 (+1)
SPD: 16
Crit. %: 10
Crit. Bonus: 13

Inventory

Weapons

No. VII - Lunatic
No. VIII - Eternal Flames

Money

$100.00
Gift Card: $2.08 (Sugarcube Corner)

Armor

Black Coat (Defense +2)
Pajamas (Defense +1)
Wondercolt Uniform (Strength +1, Defense +1, Speed +1)
Swim Trunks (Speed +1, Water resistance +5%)
(E) Casual Clothes (Strength +1, Defense +1)

Items

Apple x 7 (+20 HP)
Fizzy Apple Cider x 5 (+50 HP)

Abilities
High Jump LV2
Shockwave (Lunatic only)
Burn, baby! (Eternal Flames only)
Air Slide LV1
Haste LV2

Magic
Fire

Key Items

Diary
Popsicle Stick
Seashell
Paper Stack
Luna's Pen
ePhone 6
Celestia's Number
Luna's Number
House Number
Pinkie's Number
Rainbow's Number
Wallet
ID Card
Canterlot Animal Shelter Flier
Class Schedule
Canterlot High School Map
Bronze Wondercolt Badge

Z-Links

III - Rainbow Dash - Lv. 2/20
IV - Rarity - Lv. 1/20
VI - Trixie Lulamoon - Lv. 2/20
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 4/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 4/20
XI - Fluttershy - Lv. 1/20
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 2/20
XIII - Sunset Shimmer - Lv. 1/20

Day 12: Slumber Party

Day 12
Slumber Party

Canterlot High School - Hallways
Time of Day: After School
Weather: Party Cloudy
Time: 2:32 PM

You leave the library after your free period and put your books in your assigned locker, you've been studying in the library for your free period to prepare for anything in class, especially after hearing some teachers like to assign "pop quizzes" to their students. After Sunset explained the concept to you, you resolved to be ready for anything the teachers have in store for you, and with the data in your body, you can memorize the material with ease. It was then you stopped put your things away and began pondering about your time in the Organization, you also wondered where Roxas was and if he was okay.

Nevertheless, you shook your head and finished putting your things away and closed the locker, only to feel a familiar presence.

"Don't. Even. Think about it." You warn the being behind you.

"Aww!" Pinkie hopped next to you, "I was hoping to surprise you!"

"Surprise?"

"Yup!" She hands you an pink envelope with her triple balloon mark on it, "It's an invitation to a slumber party I'm having for me and my best friends! And since you're my best friend too, it only felt right to invite you too! So can ya come?"

You think about this for a moment; it WOULD be a good chance to get to know your friends a little better, especially after Crystal Prep spying on you, and spending time with your friends one at a time seemed quite inefficient. You nod to yourself and give Pinkie your answer.

"Alright, I'll be there, if Mama Tia says it's okay."

Pinkie squee'd "Great! See ya tonight!"

She bounced off, leaving you alone and thinking how you were going to explain this to your caretakers. With new plans for tonight, you head to Celestia's office to deliver the news.

Pinkie's House
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 5:28 PM

After talking to Celestia about the invite, she smiled and said that it sounds fun and agreed with you that it would a good way to spend more time with the girls. After packing your pajamas and diary, and waiting before the allotted time for the slumber party, Celestia drove you to the front of Pinkie Pie's home.

"Have fun!" Celestia singsonged, "Oh, and please don't put your hands where they don't belong."

That confused you, what could she have meant by that? You shrug and step out of the car, going to Pinkie's door as Celestia drove away and knocked on it. Soon enough, the door opened to reveal a gray skinned girl with purple hair and cyan green eyes.

"Can I help you?" She said in a monotone, bored voice.

"Um, I'm here for Pinkie's slumber party." You held out the invitation and she took it from you, most likely to see if it's legit.

She reads it over and looks at you again, "Name?"

"Naxon."

She blinks and turns into the house, "Pinkie, Naxon is here."

"HE IS!?"

The sound of rushing footsteps filled the air and Pinkie appeared with a big smile on her face, "He is! Thanks, Maud!"

Maud nodded and headed back into the house.

Pinkie looked at you and grabbed you by your hand, "Well, don't just stand there, silly! C'mon!"

She drags you up the stairs and she opens the door to her bedroom where you see all of your friends have gathered; Rainbow and Applejack were playing video games and Rarity, Sunset, and Fluttershy were doing their nails. They all stopped and saw you and Pinkie in the doorway and smiled.

"Girls! The guest of honor has arrived!" Pinkie declared.

"Guest of honor?" You ask.

"Well, of course, Naxy! The party just couldn't get started without you!"

You were surprised, but smiled all the same, "Thank you, Pinkie."

Pinkie giggled, "You're welcome, but I didn't really do anything except invite you. Now let's get this party started!"

The girls cheered and went back to what they were doing, only it was more enthusiastic as Pinkie went to her laptop and typed on a social media site.

"Status update: Hangin' with my girls and Naxy! Okie Dokie Lokie!"

You decided to let them have their fun and sit in the corner of the room, writing in your diary. You look at the girls having a good time and smile as you return to updating your diary. But what you didn't notice was Sunset whispering to Pinkie about something.

"He looks kinda lonely, don't you think?" She asked.

"Yeah..." Pinkie thinks for a moment, and as if a light bulb flickered on over her head, she snapped her fingers as she had an idea, "Time for 'Truth or Dare'!" She declared.

"Aw, yeah!" Rainbow pumped her fist.

"Hoo nelly! Didn't think we were doin' that so soon!" Applejack commented.

Pinkie bounced up to you and grabbed your arm, "C'mon, Naxy, you gotta play too!"

You swiftly close your diary before anyone could read it and wordlessly join them, earning you a raised eyebrow from Sunset.

What's with him and that diary? She thought.

You sit in a circle with the girls as Pinkie puts a bottle in the center and joins the circle.

"Okay! Since Naxy here doesn't know the rules, I'll explain them to him; you spin the bottle, and if the tip lands on someone, you ask them to either tell the truth, or do a dare, and they have to do it or they're out of the game, if it lands on the spinner, they get to spin again. We go like this until one player is left and we go clockwise among the others. So! Who's going first?"

"I think Naxon should go first, since this is his first slumber party." Sunset suggested.

"Great idea, Sunset!" Pinkie said.

You spin the bottle and wait for it to stop, as you do, you assess the situation; the players go clockwise, so by your calculations, You're first, then Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Sunset. The bottle stops on Rarity and you and her lock eyes.

"Rarity, truth or dare?" You ask.

"Well, since I'm not much for dares, I'll go with truth." Rarity chooses.

"Okay. Um..." You try to think of something, then something pops into your head, "Do you believe that there are other worlds out there?"

"But of course, darling, I've seen it firsthand with my friends."

Sunset's curiosity and suspicion suddenly grew, Why would he ask something like that?

"You're up, Fluttershy!" Rainbow said.

"Oh...okay." She timidly replied as she spun the bottle, which landed on you, "Um, Naxon, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Oh, um...I dare you to...take a selfie with me and Rarity."

You could swear you hear crickets chirping.

"...That's it?" Rainbow asked.

"Well...I'm not one for dares."

You shrug and take a picture with Rarity and Fluttershy, or what they call a "selfie", and return to your spot.

"Alright," Rainbow pops her knuckles, "time for me to take this game up a notch," she spins the bottle and it lands on Applejack, "Applejack, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Applejack declares.

Rainbow smirks, "I dare you to drink out of the toilet like a dog."

You don't know why, but you swear you felt your lunch crawling up your throat.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity chastised, aghast, "That's disgusting!"

"It's also not gunna happen, Rainbow!" Applejack added.

"Then you're out!" Pinkie said, "Rarity, you're up!"

Rarity spun and bottle and it landed on Sunset, "Sunset, truth or dare?"

"I know you're not much of a dare person, so truth." Sunset answered.

Rarity smiles deviously, "Do you think Naxon is cute?"

Sunset blushes, "What!? W-Well...I-I-I t-think...maybe?"

You could feel your face heat up as the awkward silence was nearly deafening.

"I'll pass you for that." Rarity said, breaking the silence, "Your turn, Pinkie."

"Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie spun the bottle and it landed on you, "Naxy, truth or dare?"

You did a dare last time, so...

"Truth."

Pinkie thinks for a moment and then says, "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

Everyone gasps, "Pinkie, you naughty girl!" Rarity says with a playful giggle.

You shake your head, silencing the room.

"Really? No one?" Pinkie asked.

You cross your arms, "It was my understanding that you only get one question...But no. No one."

Awkwardness settled in as Sunset spun the bottle and it lands on Rainbow, "Truth or dare, Rainbow?"

"Dare!" she says.

"Hmm..." Sunset has an idea, "I dare you to..." she develops a mischievous smile, "...quit the game."

Rainbow was slack-jawed at Sunset's dare. You, on the other hand, were impressed; if she doesn't go through with it, she loses, and if she does, she still loses, you admit that that's very clever.

Rainbow growled, "Shoot."

"Rainbow is out of the game!" Pinkie declared as you spun the bottle and it landed on Sunset.

"Truth or dare?" you ask.

Sunset leaned close, "Dare."

You narrow your eyes, she's not the only one who's clever, you can admit it, she's good...

"I dare you to...skip your turn."

...But you're better.

Sunset was shocked, "Not bad."

You snicker as Fluttershy spun next and it landed on Rarity, "Um, truth or dare, Rarity?"

"Truth."

"Um...what do think of Naxon, honestly?"

Rarity was taken aback by the question, but regained her composure and answered, "Well...I see him as a good friend...but personally, if it weren't for...certain circumstances, I'd try and court him, see if he and I could hold a relationship."

You felt your face heat up as Rarity finished her answer. The game continued on like this until you won in the end, just then the doorbell rang.

"Pizza's here!" Pinkie declared as the girls ran out of the room.

You look over your diary one last time and see the entries from your days in the Organization, you sigh, knowing those days are over and hoping Roxas is okay.

"Hey."

You turn to the door and see Sunset with a slice of pizza in her hands and a concerned look on her face.

"Are you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just...I was just thinking. That's all." you stumble with your words.

You get up and head into the kitchen to join the girls.

Pinkie's House - Kitchen
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 7:02 PM

After the girls ate their pizza and talked with you joining in a few times, they all resituated themselves in Pinkie's room, except for you and Pinkie herself, you wanted to talk to her personally. You felt as if your relationship with your friends has grown.

Z-Link Level Up!
III - Rainbow Dash - Lv. 3/20
IV - Rarity - Lv. 2/20
V - Applejack - Lv. 2/20
XI - Fluttershy - Lv. 2/20
XIII - Sunset Shimmer - Lv. 2/20

"So, what did want to talk to me about?" Pinkie asked.

"I wanted to thank you for inviting me to this slumber party." you answer.

"Oh, it's not a big deal."

"No, it is." you interject, surprising Pinkie, "You went out of your way to make me feel at home with everyone, why would you do something like without asking for anything in return?"

Pinkie was stunned, but then smiled and said, "Because you're my friend! And friends don't ask for favors in return for being nice! That just isn't right!"

Now it was your turn to be surprised, you always thought that the Organization or anyone else was only being nice just to get you to do things for them, at least, that's what they led you to believe. But now you see things differently; things ARE different here, people can make other people smile just out of the goodness of their hearts.

Or at least, just Pinkie Pie. And that was good enough for you.

You smile genuinely, "Thank you. Really, thank you Pinkie."

She giggles, "Anything for a friend."

You have forged a Z-Link with Pinkie Pie.

After your talk, Pinkie decided that everybody should be heading for bed, being the person you are, you chose to sleep in the living room on the couch to leave the girls with their privacy.

The rest of the night was uneventful...

...At least, not until later.

Pinkie's House - Living Room
Time of Day: Late Night
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Time: 11:41 PM

You were sound asleep on the couch, light snores coming from your mouth as you looked at peace...at least that's what the girls thought. They stayed up for a good hour or so, waiting for you to fall asleep, once you did, they snuck into the living room to sneak a peak at your diary, until Rarity got sidetracked and noticed your slumbering form.

"Aww! Isn't he adorable?" she cooed.

"Focus Rarity," Rainbow harshly whispered, "the diary, remember?"

"Girls," Sunset quietly began, "I know I said I was wary of Naxon and that diary he carries around, but is this really necessary? I mean, we'd be invading his privacy."

"Yes!" Rainbow hissed, "I wanna see what secrets he's hiding from us!"

"Also, we may just find out if he recuperates your feelings for him." Rarity teases, making Sunset blush.

"Found it." Pinkie pickpockets you and pulls out your diary.

"Gimme, gimme!" Rainbow snatched it from her and started reading, "Me first!"

Pinkie shrugged and join the others in teasing Sunset about her possible crush on you as Rainbow read through your diary...but little did they know was that the more Rainbow read, the look of eagerness slowly turned into a look of horror.

"What the hell is this?" she uttered.

"What is it?" Rarity's eyes sparkled, "Are his secrets juicier than we expected?"

What Rainbow said next horrified the girls for the rest of the night.

"Girls...I have a very powerful feeling that Naxon's not human."

Author's Note

Statistics

Lv. 6
HP: 38/38
MP: 31/31
STR: 21 (+1)
MAG: 16
DEF: 21 (+1)
SPD: 20
Crit. %: 15
Crit. Bonus: 20

Inventory

Weapons

No. VII - Lunatic
No. VIII - Eternal Flames

Money

$100.00
Gift Card: $2.08 (Sugarcube Corner)

Armor

Black Coat (Defense +2)
Pajamas (Defense +1)
Wondercolt Uniform (Strength +1, Defense +1, Speed +1)
Swim Trunks (Speed +1, Water resistance +5%)
(E) Casual Clothes (Strength +1, Defense +1)

Items

Apple x 7 (+20 HP)
Fizzy Apple Cider x 5 (+50 HP)

Abilities
High Jump LV2
Shockwave (Lunatic only)
Burn, baby! (Eternal Flames only)
Air Slide LV1
Haste LV2

Magic
Fire

Key Items

Limit Breaks
VII - Berserk
VIII - Explosion

Z-Links

II - Pinkie Pie - Lv. 1/20
III - Rainbow Dash - Lv. 3/20
IV - Rarity - Lv. 2/20
V - Applejack - Lv. 2/20
VI - Trixie Lulamoon - Lv. 2/20
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 5/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 5/20
XI - Fluttershy - Lv. 2/20
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 2/20
XIII - Sunset Shimmer - Lv. 2/20

Prologue

Author's Note

From time to time, sound effects and music must be played at the same time to fully enjoy the story.

Naxon's physical appearance depends on what your Nobody would look like, but for future reference, the clothing is my choice.

Prologue

In an unknown city (well, unknown to you), a severe thunderstorm is taking place in the streets. Besides the plopping of the raindrops and the resounding rumble of the thunder, everything seemed peaceful...

Everything, except a person in a black coat and strange, white creatures chasing him down the street.

You were running.

Running as your life depended on it.

How could they figure out you left so quickly? It was only a few minutes ago. Or...was it a few hours? You couldn't remember. You couldn't remember a lot of things. The days of your existence felt like a blur.

But you couldn't focus on that right now! The Dusks were chasing you! You needed a plan of escape and you needed it now!

You created a mental map of the city streets you've ran through so far and calculated your escape route; you turned right at a crossroads and swiftly rushed into the nearest alley. You crouched down and stayed perfectly still and in seconds, the Dusks sped past you, not realizing where you've taken temporary refuge. When you were completely sure they were gone, you stood up and ran into the alley. You found yourself in another street and went in the opposite direction of where you estimated the Dusks would be in the city.

So, what now?

You knew you couldn't outrun them forever, and no doubt they'll find you eventually. With these thoughts in mind, you couldn't help but feel the futility of the situation. You didn't know what to do. They're going to find you. No matter where you go, how far you travel, or what you do to shake them...

They WILL find you.

You stop in your tracks when you hear a familiar sound. You kept still and make no noise, you try to cancel out the sound of the storm to determine and locate the sound.

You felt your entire body turn cold when you recognize the sound...

The Dusks...

You felt even colder when you figured out where they are...

...Right behind you.

You turned your head and saw them, speeding towards you. They were at least fifty feet away from you, but they were there.

You felt something strange within you, something you've never felt before: You desperately wanted to get far away from them as possible, sure, you've wanted that already, but this weird feeling increased that need ten-fold. What was this feeling?

With this newfound influence, you ran harder and faster than ever before.

You ran and ran and didn't stop running. You didn't know where you were now, you were too focused on survival. Why did it have to be this way? If only he stayed just a little longer.

You returned your focus to the road and noticed in the distance a large, wide building and a horse statue on a cube-like pedestal with a mirror on each of its four sides in front of it on the right. You came up with an idea, it's not much, but it'll have to do. You picked up the pace before the Dusks could catch up and jumped behind the statue, pressing your back against the mirrored wall. Right now, you're facing the front of the school, out of sight from the lesser Nobodies. Half a minute passed and you heard the Dusks continued on the road, believing you're still in that general direction.

(stop music)

When the noise stopped, you felt a calming sensation coursing through your body, knowing that you've momentarily escaped them once again. You wonder what people would call that sensation? Suddenly, your exhaustion finally caught up with you and you closed your eyes and began silently panting. As you sit in solitude, you decide to let your mind wander; you pondered on why you couldn't talk or, at the very least, make sounds come out of your mouth, did they create you to be a mute? You leave that thought alone and begin to wonder where he could be right now. You subconsciously tap your coat pocket and feel two of the three items you took with you: a seashell and a popsicle stick. These two items may seem like nothing to anyone else, but to you, they're your treasured possessions. You tapped the pocket inside your coat and felt the third item: your diary. The Organization gave it to you to write your thoughts down and no one else would read it. You didn't write in it very much and you began to wonder why you even brought it in the first place.

"Excuse me, young one."

Your eyes jolted open at that moment. You quickly calmed yourself and slowly raised your head to see the owner of the voice; it was an older woman with light blue skin, deep blue eyes, her hair was two tones of blue, one dark, one slightly lighter, with three tufts at the top of her head, she was wearing a white collared, purple shirt with a crescent moon symbol on the collar, dark blue pants, and regal-looking silver high heeled shoes with pointy tips. She was looking down upon you with a dark blue umbrella in her left hand over you and her, "Are you alright?"

(stop SFX)

Inside the gym at Canterlot High School, all of the students were preparing makeshift beds while chatting amongst themselves. Especially, a group of six colorful girls.

"Ugh, I can't believe we gotta sleep in the gym 'cause of this stupid storm!" A rainbow-haired girl said.

"Now, now, Rainbow Dash," a curly, purple-haired girl began, "the principals said that it was far too dangerous for anybody to go home in this weather, so they had to accommodate us in the gymnasium."

"You'd think they'd give us a better place to sleep. I thought you'd be freaking out about sleeping on the floor, Rarity!"

"Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna are doing the best they can, at least show some gratitude that they didn't just shove us out into the storm!"

"Girls, girls, girls," a poofy, pink-haired girl interrupted, "look on the bright side of this, we're all here together, aren't we?" Each member of the group voiced their agreement, "There, see? Annnnnd we can all have, one. Big. SLUMBER PARTY! WHOO-HOO!!"

Everyone in the gym cheered at her words, they knew excited Pinkie Pie could get and with her around, nobody could have a bad day.

An older woman giggled lightly at her happiness; she had very light pink skin, deep purple eyes, her hair was like a type of rainbow of blue, green, and pink with three tufts at the top of her head, she was wearing a golden yellow one button jacket with a brooch shaped like a sun, a white and purple undershirt, a purple bracelet on each wrist, purple pants, and regal-looking golden high heeled shoes with pointy tips. She was glad that some of her students could make the best of a bad situation.

But it was not to last when the double doors to the gym opened, everyone turned to see you and Vice Principal Luna entering the room. When they saw you, an eerie silence filled the air, they felt intimidated by your black coat and they couldn't see your face because of the hood over your head.

You two made it to the stage when Vice Principal Luna spoke, "Take a seat."

You nodded and sat on the edge of the stage, keeping your head low.

Principal Celestia swiftly walked up to Luna, "Sister, what is the meaning of this?"

"I found this youth propped up against the statue outside, he looked exhausted, so I brought him in."

"Do you know who this person is?"

"No clue. He wouldn't speak when I tried to make small talk on the way here."

"Hmm..." Celestia walked up to you and crouched a little to be at the same height, "Hello." You raised your head to look at her eyes, but she couldn't see yours, "Could you please remove that hood so you can introduce yourself?"

You sat for a moment, then you slowly took both your hands to your hood and just as slowly lift it over your head and to your back, allowing them to see your face.

Celestia smiled, "You're quite a strapping young man." You nodded in thanks. "Can you tell me your name?"

You open your mouth...

...But nothing comes out.

You put both hands to your throat and try to force the words out, but to no avail.

Celestia put a hand to your shoulder, "Don't strain yourself." She looked at you with worry etched on her face, then turned to Luna, "Do you have a pen and paper?"

Luna pulled out a pen, "Here, but I don't have any-"

"You can have some of mine, Principal Celestia."

Said principal turned to one of her students, one who she's knows all too well; she had light amber skin, turquoise eyes, her hair was red with yellow streaks, she was wearing a black leather jacket with a studded collar, a purple shirt with a shimmering sun emblazoned on it, an orange skirt with purple and cream streaks, and black and purple boots with the purple imitating some kind of regalia. She, too, had a look of worry upon her features as she handed the principal a stack of paper.

Celestia briefly smiled at her, "Thank you, Sunset Shimmer." She turned back to you and held out the pen and paper, "Can you write?"

You nodded and took the items. You gripped the pen firmly and slowly began to write your name. The three women watched you intently, never tearing their gaze away. You stopped and handed Celestia the paper. She read it...and instantly gained a look of confusion.

NAXON

"What is it, sister?" Luna asked. She peeked at the page and adopted Celestia's expression.

"What's wrong?" Sunset asked.

"It's...hard to pronounce. I've never seen a name like this before." Celestia said.

"Um...'Nah-zon'?" Luna said.

You shook your head.

"Um...'Nack-son'?" Celestia enunciated. You nodded. "Naxon. A strange name for a strange boy."

"I think it's a nice name." Sunset commented.

"You do?"

"Yeah. It's very unique."

Celestia giggled, "Alright then," she turned to Luna, "I'll search the school records and see if I can find anything about Naxon, you get the nurse and make sure he's in good health."

Luna nodded, and Celestia turned back to Sunset, "Can you watch him for a moment, Sunset Shimmer?"

She nodded, "Of course."

"Thank you." With that, they went toward the double doors and exited the gym.

Sunset looked you over briefly and sat next to you, "Hey."

You looked at her and nodded.

"So...you're a mute, right?" Sunset said, trying to strike up a conversation.

You nodded.

"Where did you come from?"

You thought to yourself before answering; your superiors told you that during your missions (if you'd ever get any), you can't let on where you're from. Also, you want nothing to do with the Organization anymore, so you decide to wash your hands of it as you write your response:

Somewhere really far away

Sunset looked a bit skeptical, "Um, anywhere specific?"

You write your next response:

A really bad place
I do not wish to talk about it

Sunset's eyes widened slightly, "Oh, okay. I understand."

You two sit in uncomfortable silence, you can feel her stare directed at you, yet you're not even looking at her. Out of nowhere, you feel a pair of arms wrap around your body and turn to see Sunset embracing you. Why? More importantly, why does it leave a warm feeling inside of you?

She looks up at you, taking note of your surprised expression, "I just thought you needed a hug."

You get ready to write, but Sunset stops you, "A hug is something that friends give each other, sometimes when they're troubled by something, like this, 'bad place' that you don't wanna talk about."

Your eyes widen, how did she know what you were going to ask?

By that time, Luna returned with the nurse, who had a medical bag in her hands; she was almost as tall as Luna, she had pale white skin, crystal blue eyes, pink hair done up into a bun, she was wearing a white cap with a red cross, a short white nurse's uniform, and white shoes. They came up to you and Sunset as Luna spoke, "Miss Shimmer, could you please release Naxon for a moment?"

Blushing, she swiftly let go and moved away from you, but still remaining close to your side.

The nurse approached you and said, "Hello, are you Naxon?" You nodded. "Weird name. Anyway, my name is Redheart, but in school, I'm referred to as Nurse Redheart. Vice Principal Luna has come to me to give you a checkup, so let's get started."

She rummaged through her bag and took out a stethoscope, a thermometer, an ophthalmoscope, and a reflex hammer. She started out with the stethoscope, she put it in her ears and pressed the diaphragm in the center of your chest, "Okay, breathe in," you inhaled, "and breathe out." And then exhaled. She then took it a little to the left and felt something in your inner pocket, "Do you have something in your coat?" You nodded. "Could you take it out please? It's hard to check your pulse with items in the way."

You did as you were told and took out the item, your diary; it had a black cover and marked with a grey-colored number "0".

"What's that?" Sunset asked you.

You wrote on the paper Sunset gave you, you weren't going to risk anyone peeking in your diary by using it to speak instead.

My diary

"Your diary?" You nodded. "Hmm..."

Nurse Redheart continued the rest of her checkup by checking your temperature, your retinas, and your reflexes, all of which passed by pretty quick. After it was done, you put your diary back into your pocket, and Celestia came back and took you into the hall as Luna and Nurse Redheart followed...

In the hallway, Celestia opened a door that led into a room with a large desk and two chairs, one big, one small, and the big chair was behind the desk from where they entered, where the small chair was adjacent to it.

Celestia walked you over to the small, but comfy-looking chair, "I know it isn't much, but it should be comfortable enough to sleep in." You give her a quizzical look. "I didn't want you sleeping in the gym with everyone else, no one knows you and vice versa, besides, I think you deserve a better place to rest." She smiles.

You didn't know why she was being so nice to you, but right now, you didn't care, your exhaustion from your prior chase through the city was beginning to catch up with you as you sat down in the seat and instantly passed out. Celestia went into one of her cabinets and pulled out a white and yellow checkered blanket, which she draped over your body, leaving your head exposed.

"Good night...Naxon." That said, she flicked the light switch and exited her office.

When she closed the door, she was greeted by her sister, Luna, and Nurse Redheart.

"How did the checkup go, Redheart?"

"He's in good shape; normal pulse, normal temperature, normal reflexes, and his eyes are perfectly fine. Other than some minor exhaustion and the inability to speak, there's nothing wrong with him."

"That's good..."

"How was your research, sister?" Luna asked, "Have you found anything about our cryptic guest?"

Celestia sighed deeply, "No." Luna and Redheart were taken aback, "I searched school records, medical records, I even tried to find a birth certificate...nothing. It's as if Naxon just came out of nowhere."

"Woooow, that's not creepy or anything."

The three turned to the sarcastic voice, it belonged to the rainbow-haired girl named Rainbow Dash; she had sky blue skin, rose-colored eyes, wearing a white shirt with a cloud and a red, yellow, and blue, lightning bolt below it, a blue jacket, red, yellow, and blue bracelets on both of her wrists, a pink and white skirt with black tights beneath it, red, yellow, and blue socks, and blue and white knee-high shoes with white laces. Behind her, five other girls appeared, one of them being Sunset Shimmer.

"How long were you all standing there?"

"Long enough," Sunset answered, "Principal Celestia, how is this possible?"

"I don't know...all I could think about was how he was able to survive without a family of his own, if he even had one."

"He told me he was from a really bad place, maybe they took him away from his family?"

"All I know is that we can't make assumptions so early, there's a lot that we don't know about Naxon."

"That's his name? Pfft, lame!" Rainbow remarked.

"Land's sake, Dash, ya don't even know the guy!" The blonde-haired girl in the group said.

"The guy's creepy! End of story! Don't you remember what happened the last time someone new came along, Applejack? The entire school was brainwashed by three power-hungry Sirens!"

"I don't think he's evil," Sunset interjected, earning everyone's attention, "When I was talking with him, sure, he seemed a little off, but not like The Dazzlings, he was...different."

"Different how?" The poofy, pink-haired girl asked.

"I don't know, I just...can't describe it. He doesn't seem evil, but I feel like he's hiding something."

"We'll talk about this tomorrow," Celestia interrupted, "It's past 9:00, and everyone should be in bed right now."

"Yes, Principal Celestia." The six girls said in unison, and headed back to the gym.

Redheart spoke up, "I should be getting back to the infirmary, you never know when a student could walk in needing medicine. Plus..." She sighs. "I have a ton of reorganizing to do, after the incident with Derpy, when I was trying to give her her booster shot."

"But that was two weeks ago." Luna said.

"I know." Redheart deadpanned, then left the two principals.

"Luna, could I use the computer in your office?"

"Of course, sister, but what for?"

Celestia pulled out her cell phone and began dialing, "I'm going to call the courthouse and have them fax over citizenship papers for Naxon, and, well..." She hesitated to say her next words: "...Adoption papers."

"What would you need adoption papers for-" Luna stopped herself when she put 2 and 2 together. "You're not suggesting..."

"Yes," Celestia looked at Luna with a serious, but calm expression, "I'm going to adopt Naxon."

Luna stared at her for a minute, then became serious, "No." She walked up to Celestia and put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"We are going to adopt him."

Day 11: A Day At Sweet Apple Acres

WARNING

Some of the music in this chapter will not be Kingdom Hearts tracks, if you have any problem with it, please PM me with your concerns.

Day 11
A Day At Sweet Apple Acres

Your Home - Kitchen
Time of Day: Early Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 7:36 AM

After waking up, Celestia greeted you as her sister was in the shower. She offered you to help her make pancakes for breakfast, you take the offer, of course, you may need to know how to cook at some points in time. You and Celestia finish making breakfast as Luna came downstairs, fully dressed after she had taken her shower, and you all dig in; they're the best pancakes you've ever eaten!

You feel as though your new knowledge has made your mind stronger.

Level Up!
Lv. 4 > 5
HP: 30 +5 =35
MP: 23 +6 =29
STR: 15 +1 =16
MAG: 9 +5 =14
DEF: 14 +3 =17
SPD: 16 +1 =17
Crit. %: 10 +1 =11
Crit. Bonus: 13 +2 =15

"Mmm! You've really outdone yourself, sister!" Luna praises.

"It wasn't just me, it was Naxon, too." Celestia says.

"Really?" Luna turns to you, "Well then, great job, my dear nephew. These pancakes are delicious." she smiles warmly.

You smile as well, thankful to have a supportive aunt and a helpful mother.

Z-Link Level Up!
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 5/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 5/20

OBTAINED
Berserk
Limit Break No. VII; you enter a state of berserk with your claymore and charge forward, creating shockwaves in your wake.

Explosion
Limit Break No. VIII; you engulf your chakrams in flames and throw them your opponents, exploding upon contact.

Limit Breaks

Limit Breaks can only be used when you're on your last legs. A Limit Break can boost your strength temporarily as you conduct a powerful attack. Each Limit Break is different, so try a variety of attacks. Limit Breaks can only be used for a short time, so use them wisely.

"Better eat up, you two, we have to go to school today."

You and Luna nod and return to your breakfast. After you're all done, you all head to the school.

Canterlot High School - Main Foyer
Time of Day: Early Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 7:52 AM

"Oh, I do hope Naxon shows up soon!" Rarity said.

"Why? Is it something important?" Sunset asked.

"Let's just say...I gave his wardrobe a little upgrade."

Rarity turned to the front door of the school and prepared an MP3 player hooked up to a radio, "He's coming, he's coming!"

The moment you, Celestia, and Luna stepped in, all eye were turned to you as Rarity played a track from the MP3. Everyone in the foyer stared at you in awe, truthfully, it unnerved you a bit, but you didn't let it show as you waltzed past everybody and into the hallways. People began to whisper to each other about you:

"Hey, is that the new kid?"

"Yeah, it is! He looks good."

"I think his name was Naxon."

"The creepy guy with the black coat?"

"Yeah, but it definitely looks like he's developed a fashion sense."

Hearing all these compliments made you blush a little. You continue down the hall with the principals on either side of you, unaware that the music was following you as you parted ways with Celestia and Luna and entered your first class.

(stop music)

Canterlot High School - Hallway
Time of Day: Late Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 11:01 AM

You began retrieving and putting away books in your locker when Applejack walked up to you.

"Howdy, Naxon!"

"Hey, Applejack, what's up?" you ask.

"Not much, Ah was just wonderin' if you have time later today."

"Why?"

"I wanted ta ask if you could help out on the farm today, ya know, do some hard work, git ta know each other better, all that good stuff. So whataya say?"

You think for a moment; you've been spending time with the other girls as of late, so maybe spending the day with Applejack won't be so bad.

What do I have to lose? you think, then return your attention to Applejack, "Okay, sure."

Applejack beams, "Great! See ya later!"

"Okay, see you."

It appears you've made plans for the day with Applejack. You wonder how it's going to turn out. Regardless, you finish your business in your locker, close it, and head to lunch.

Canterlot High School - Cafeteria
Time of Day: Late Morning
Weather: Sunny
Time: 11:12 AM

You've gotten your lunch, a hamburger with fries, and headed to your table with the girls, overhearing their conversation for a brief moment.

"Was the music really necessary, Rarity?" Sunset asked her friend.

"Of course it was!" Rarity defended, "It was to boost Naxon's confidence and gain respect from the students!"

"Fashion isn't the only way to gain respect, Rarity." Rainbow joined in.

"Well, I nev—shh! He's coming!" Rarity straightened herself, "Why, hello, Naxon."

"Hello, everyone," you sat down and began eating your lunch, "so what's going on?"

"Eh, the usual." Rainbow says.

"Ah."

"So, Naxon," Sunset began, "the tryouts for the Friendship Games are starting at free period today, do you have any clue what your routine is going to be?"

You tap a finger on your chin, then your eyes light up, "I think I have one."

"Terrific! Can't wait to see it!"

The girl talk about various other things until the bell rings, you clear out of the cafeteria and quietly sneak into the wood shop classroom for a secret project...

Canterlot High School - Soccer Field
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Time: 2:03 PM

After signing up for the Friendship Games tryouts, you made your way to the field where you're awaiting your turn, then it'll be Sandalwood, then lastly, Lyra and Bon Bon. As your turn approached, you made a mental checklist of your routine: wooden replicas of Roxas' Keyblades? Check. Tennis ball launchers filled with tennis balls that you borrowed from the storage shed? Check. Set them to the highest setting? Check. Confidence and nervousness? Double check. Your hands are all jittery from the anxiety of performing your routine in front of everyone, especially Sunset Shimmer. You take deep breaths to try and calm yourself, you continue to do so until your name is called.

"Naxon, you're up." Luna announced.

With one, last deep breath, you steel yourself and walk onto the center of the soccer field with the tennis ball launchers pointed directly at you. They automatically turn on, since you set them on a timer, and you? You gaze at them with an emotionless stare, unnerving your audience. You reach in your shirt and, one by one, pull out your replicas; first the Oathkeeper in your left hand, then the Oblivion in your right, you twirl them above your head, cross them into an "X", and swing them outward into a dual wielding pose that threatens any who stand in your way.

The crowd was both in awe of you and your blades and on edge by your ability, anxious on what you'll do next. Just then, the balls began flying at a rapid pace, like bullets from machine guns, you tighten the grip you have on your weapons, take one step forward, and, with the foot in front of you, push yourself toward the oncoming assault and begin knocking the balls away as you ran to the launchers. You even decided to get fancy with your moves; flipping in midair, twirling your replica blades, and even put them together to make a vertical upwards swing to knock back an entire wave of tennis balls.

Everyone stared at you with their mouths agape as you finally made your way to the launchers and disabled by tapping the on/off switches with your blades, stopping the assault and ending your performance.

(stop music)

Silence.

Nobody dared to make a move after what they've just seen.

You saw their shocked faces and sighed, "Looks like I overshot it again."

Then you heard it.

Clapping.

It started out with one person, then it slowly escalated into the entire audience cheering for you, amazed by your performance.

You looked at everyone, wide-eyed, then nervously smiled and waved, "Heh, guess I didn't do too bad."

Unbeknownst to everyone, you were being watched.

"Hmm, I'm impressed, guess Indigo wasn't exaggerating after all, but his execution with his weapons and tricks were overkill." a harshly honest voice commented.

Sweet Apple Acres
Time of Day: After School
Weather: Sunny
Time: 2:31 PM

After your performance, it was Sandalwood's turn, who juggled a flute around, then it was Lyra and Bon Bon's turn, they did quite a few series of things; dancing, log throwing, punching, ripping a phone book in half, weightlifting, hot dog eating, floral arrangement, pottery, stone masonry, and even attacking each other as birds. Sandalwood stepped in and said Vice Principal Luna posted the roster for the CHS Friendship Games team, which made the two stop and check it out. They read the roster and they were surprised.

"You made the team!" Lyra said.

"You made the team!" Bon Bon said back.

They looked at each other and smiled.

"Best!"

"Friends!"

"Forever!" they cheered together as they hugged and laughed.

They stopped and noticed you staring at them, "No offense, but you two are strange." you walk past them and checked out the roster:

Canterlot High School Friendship Games Team Roster

Naxon

Rainbow Dash

Applejack

Pinkie Pie

Sunset Shimmer

Rarity

Fluttershy

Lyra Heartstrings

Bon Bon

Flash Sentry

Sandalwood

Micro Chips

You heard that a student named, "Derpy Hooves" failed to make the cut, but she wasn't bothered by it. For someone with an optical disability, Derpy has a lot of heart, and you admire that. Right now, you've arrived at Applejack's farm, ready to help out any way you can. You noticed Applejack picking apples from a tree and dropping them down into a wooden bucket.

You walk up to her and she notices you right away, "Howdy, Naxon! Ready to get to work?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She chuckles, "No need ta be so formal, Ah'm not like Rarity."

"If you say so."

"C'mere, Ah'll show ya how it's done," she guides you over to another tree with buckets scattered around it, "here at Sweet Apple Acres, we hand picked our apples, not use any o' them fancy machines to do our work fed us. Here, Ah'll give ya ah visual demonstration."

Applejack walks over to a nearby, she sets up a ladder, and proceeds to pick the apples from tree, leaving the ones that aren't ripe alone.

"Ya climb up, ya pick 'em, and ya toss 'em in the bucket. Got it?" she lost your attention as you calculated a more efficient way to get the apples down without machinery. "Naxon?"

You walk closer to the tree and proceed to punch it with all the force you could muster, knocking almost all of the apples off, mainly the ones that are ripe. "Does...that work?" you ask.

"Whoa nelly! Never seen anything like that!" Applejack said, "Yeah, sure ya can! Just...be careful with ma trees, okay?"

You nod and begin your farm work. After an hour passed, Applejack excused herself to the restroom, leaving you behind to continue working. That is until, you sensed a somewhat sinister presence.

"I know you're there. Show yourself." you order.

Once you said that, someone wearing a Crystal Prep uniform stepped out from behind a tree; she had periwinkle skin and white hair that was done up into pigtails and a ponytail that was tied behind her head, she was also wearing orange glasses and a puckered lips hairclip. She gazed at you with a neutral expression.

"Naxon, I'm glad we could finally meet." she says in a monotone, yet somehow snarky, voice. "I'm Sugarcoat."

"Why are you spying on me?"

"I honestly don't like spying, but we were ordered to."

"By who?"

"Principal Cinch. I'm telling you this because truthfully, I find you fascinating. Your skill, strength, and ability is amazing, and I hope to see more of it at the Friendship Games."

Sugarcoat decides to take her leave, but you stop her with your voice, "Wait." she turns to you, "One last question: why does this 'Principal Cinch' want you and your friends to spy on me?"

"First off, they're not my friends. Secondly, it's because she sees you as a threat to our school's reputation."

You raise an eyebrow as Sugarcoat begins to leave the farm. You decided to get back to work as Applejack returned to help.

Several hours later...

All the work for today was finished and the sun began to set over the horizon. You felt like you've grown stronger thanks to your new method of apple picking.

Level Up!
Lv. 5 > 6
HP: 35 +3 =38
MP: 29 +2 =31
STR: 16 +5 =21
MAG: 14 +2 =16
DEF: 17 +4 =21
SPD: 17 +3 =20
Crit. %: 11 +4 =15
Crit. Bonus: 15 +5 =20

You began to leave the farm when you hear an elderly voice call out to you, "Hold on there, sonny!" you turn to see the school lunch lady, Granny Smith, "Don'tcha wanna stay fer dinner?"

"Well..." you think about this for a second; it would be a good chance to know the Apple family better, plus you and Applejack didn't do much talking once you both began to work. You decided that this might be the best course of action, but... "One minute."

You take out your cell phone and dial Celestia's number, after the first couple of rings, she answers, you explain to her that you were helping the Apples with their farmwork and they requested for you to join them for dinner.

Celestia giggles on the other line, "Of course you can, just be home at a decent time, okay?"

You give her your word and hang up, putting your phone back in your pants pocket, "So, what are we having?"

Sweet Apple Acres - Farm House, 1st floor
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Clear skies
Time: 7:42 PM

You all pile into the kitchen/dining room for dinner, which consisted of chicken leg quarters, homemade mashed potatoes with chicken flavored gravy, green beans, and, of course, apple flavored stuffing. It was all delicious, it certainly eased your fatigue-riddled mind as you made conversation with the rest of the family; Granny Smith was nearly one hundred years old, but she's still as spry as she used to be, Big Macintosh helps Apple Bloom with her homework from time to time, Applejack was training with Fluttershy for the upcoming Friendship Games as an archer, and Apple Bloom is helping her friends discover what they are all good at. Soon, dessert came along right after dinner, apple pie a-la-mode, you only had room for one slice and decided to save two other slices for Celestia and Luna.

OBTAINED
Apple pie a-la-mode x 2
Fully recovers HP and MP.

You began to say your thanks for the meal and goodbyes for the night until Applejack came up to you.

"Ah figured Ah should pay ya fer all yer hard work." Applejack pulls out her wallet, but you stop her.

"No need. Helping you was reward enough." you say.

Applejack smiles gratefully, "Thank ya, Naxon."

You have forged a Z-Link with Applejack.

You left the Apple family's land and headed back home. After arriving, you gave Celestia and Luna their slices of pie and headed up to your room.

Item(s) Removed
Apple pie a-la-mode x 2

You didn't bother to write in your diary or change into your pajamas, you were too exhausted. You passed out the moment your head hit the pillow.

Author's Note

Statistics

Lv. 6
HP: 38/38
MP: 31/31
STR: 21 (+1)
MAG: 16
DEF: 21 (+1)
SPD: 20
Crit. %: 15
Crit. Bonus: 20

Inventory

Weapons

No. VII - Lunatic
No. VIII - Eternal Flames

Money

$100.00
Gift Card: $2.08 (Sugarcube Corner)

Armor

Black Coat (Defense +2)
Pajamas (Defense +1)
Wondercolt Uniform (Strength +1, Defense +1, Speed +1)
Swim Trunks (Speed +1, Water resistance +5%)
(E) Casual Clothes (Strength +1, Defense +1)

Items

Apple x 7 (+20 HP)
Fizzy Apple Cider x 5 (+50 HP)

Abilities
High Jump LV2
Shockwave (Lunatic only)
Burn, baby! (Eternal Flames only)
Air Slide LV1
Haste LV2

Magic
Fire

Key Items

Limit Breaks
VII - Berserk
VIII - Explosion

Z-Links

III - Rainbow Dash - Lv. 2/20
IV - Rarity - Lv. 1/20
V - Applejack - Lv. 1/20
VI - Trixie Lulamoon - Lv. 2/20
VII - Vice Principal Luna (Auntie Lulu) - Lv. 5/20
VIII - Principal Celestia (Mama Tia) - Lv. 5/20
XI - Fluttershy - Lv. 1/20
XII - Flash Sentry - Lv. 2/20
XIII - Sunset Shimmer - Lv. 1/20